The Federal Government remains hopeful that it can resolve the impasse over the 78 Tamil asylum-seekers aboard the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking.
However, Labor backbenchers are increasingly concerned about the political damage being caused by the controversy over the Government's handling of border protection.
Labor MPs told The Canberra Times yesterday that recent negative polling was supported by complaints from electors about the Government's preparedness to stop what some described as ''the flood'' of asylum-seekers.
''The flow of asylum-seekers may not be that big, but people have certainly cottoned on to a gap between rhetoric and action,'' one Queensland Labor MP said.
''No matter what way you look at it, the Government looks weak when people see a bunch of asylum-seekers seemingly hijack an Australian Government boat.''
''The Oceanic Viking may be the issue on which the PM lost his Midas touch,'' another Labor backbencher said.
''This will help the Opposition win back some of the Hansonites, but unless we can get a satisfactory solution quickly, it's going to have a much broader impact on the Government's credibility.''
''Even if it means shipping these people to Christmas Island or the mainland, we ought to do what's required to take control of our own vessel.''
None of the Labor backbenchers who spoke to The Canberra Times was prepared to be publicly identified. ''Nobody wants to be electrocuted by the Prime Minister's office,'' one MP said.
Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans rejected yesterday reports the Government had sought the help of the Philippines to accept some or all of the asylum-seekers aboard the Oceanic Viking.
The 78 Tamils aboard the vessel, which has been anchored off the island of Bintan for more than three weeks, are refusing to disembark in Indonesia.
''There's been no approach by the Australian Government to the Philippines Government on this matter,'' Senator Evans said.
Senator Evans said it remained Australia's intention for the asylum-seekers to leave the vessel at Bintan and be processed in Indonesia.
''We expect them to disembark there. We're certainly going to assist in resettling anyone found to be a refugee but they'll go through the normal processes and be assessed against the refugee convention,'' he said.
''We're showing the patience that's required. We're hopeful of getting a peaceful, proper result of having them disembark voluntarily.''
Senator Evans's comments followed confirmation that the New Zealand Government had declined to accept any of the asylum-seekers.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that an ad hoc policy approach would be counterproductive and that the existing regional agreement on handling asylum-seekers and displaced people, the Bali Process, was the best way forward.
''From our perspective we wouldn't want to be encouraging what we see as the wrong sort of behaviour so at this stage we think [resettling them in New Zealand] very unlikely,'' Mr Key said.
with AAP
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