Australia Asylum Seekers Rise to 15,000 This Year
On Sunday, an asylum boat was found at 50km from Broome off the coast of West Australia.
A spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection said the boat had 84 people on board.
HMAS Maitland intercepted the vessel at about 2.15pm.
Passengers have been transferred from Border Protection Command to authorities in Broome. Asylum seekers are expected to undergo routine health, identity, and security checks with Australian authorities.
Customs and Border Protection officers, and other Australian Government authorities, are in Broome to assist with processing people on board this vessel.
Most asylum boats arrive near Christmas Island near the coast of western Australia. The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service said that the boat that making an entry in Geraldton should have been intercepted off the mainland.
A report by the agency read, "a more formal 'flying squad' arrangement which can be used to support smaller ACBPS district offices during workload peaks in response to critical situations and to provide operational backup for staff absences," reports watoday.com.au.
Since the year began, Australian officials have managed about 15,000 asylum seekers through its immigration channels.
Customs chief Michael Pezzullo says, "We're certainly stretched - that's true," Sky News reported on Monday.
He added, "But the vast majority of people are actually brought to Christmas Island safely."
The boat interception on comes after a similar incident Saturday when a boat capsized at 107 nautical miles near Christmas Island, killing a baby boy and eight others missing.
Liberal Senator Scott Ryan and Opposition leader Tony Abbott urged that Australia take the fist step on stopping asylum boats from swarming to its coast.
"The most important part of any regional solution is indeed unilateral action by Australia to take the sugar off the table," Senator Ryan told Sky News.