Former immigration minister Scott Morrison says he is confident Australian officials involved in stopping boatloads of asylum seekers "have been doing things lawfully and consistent with government policy".
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The Social Services Minister fronted the media on Monday to bat away claims the Abbott government has paid people smugglers thousands of dollars to return asylum seekers to Indonesia.
But he repeatedly refused to answer questions about the allegations – saying to do so would be "commentary" – despite insisting that officers working as part of Operation Sovereign Borders "have always and will always operate lawfully".
Meanwhile, at least one Liberal backbencher - Queensland MP Andrew Laming - has described the claims as a "zero issue in my electorate".
Fairfax Media revealed on Monday Labor will call on the Auditor-General to investigate claims that taxpayer money was used to pay people smugglers to return 65 asylum seekers to Indonesia.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has described the level of secrecy around the operation as "breathtaking" and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Office of Migration have demanded an explanation.
Mr Morrison was asked on Monday whether he believed the government should pay people smugglers and "how many boats did you buy".
"I just didn't comment on that, I'm not about to," Mr Morrison said.
"You are asking for opinions and commentary. I know opinions and commentary are rife amongst the media on these things but governments have actual responsibility for these things and this government had responsibility for stopping the boats."
Pressed on the discrepancy between comments by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop – who denied officials had paid people smugglers – and Prime Minister Tony Abbott's refusal to deny the claims, Mr Morrison again said: "I'm not going to commentate on commentary".
"I'm not going to commentate on your commentary or opinions you may hold or others in this press conference may hold."
Asked about the issue on Monday, Mr Laming - the member for Bowman - said he would not have a problem if the government was paying people smugglers to return asylum seekers to Indonesia.
"I don't have any problem with making sure in that instance that a vessel gets back to safe ground," he said.
"There's been all sorts of support that's been offered to a vessel, we've done that already…so, no, I don't think this is an important issue at all."
Asked whether the "on water matters" explanation not commenting on the claims should extend to criminal activity, Mr Laming said "no, it wouldn't cover criminal activities".
"But I don't believe anything's been done on the borders that are criminal activity – not at all," he said.
Mr Abbott has said the government will do "whatever it takes" and will stop boatloads of asylum seekers "by hook or by crook".
On Monday, Ms Bishop appeared to rebuke Indonesia over its request to Australia's ambassador Paul Grigson for more information about the alleged payments by blaming Indonesia for failing to secure its own borders.
"The best way for Indonesia to resolve any concerns it has about Operation Sovereign Borders is for Indonesia to enforce sovereignty over its borders," she told The Australian newspaper.
Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said the government had to answer questions about its own actions rather than blaming Indonesia.
"What Julie Bishop needs to say is whether her government is paying people smugglers, creating an incentive for them to put people on unsafe boats, and whether she stands by her statement that no payments were made," she said.
