A former senior official in the Immigration Department has said that Australia can expect boat arrivals to continue under a Coalition government, arguing that the opposition's plan to turn back boats and reintroduce temporary protection visas will not stop asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey to Australia.
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Calls are continuing for an independent inquiry into the latest boat disaster near Christmas Island, in which an estimated 55 people lost their lives late last week.
Arja Keski-Nummi, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Development and former head of the refugee division in the Immigration Department, said only enhanced regional co-operation would reduce the number of asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat.
''The most important thing is to try and assist people so they don't have to get on to boats,'' she said.
Ms Keski-Nummi said that despite the Coalition's promise that it would ''stop the boats'' if elected, its plans to turn boats around, reintroduce temporary protection visas and maintain offshore processing would not work.
''If they're in government, they're going to own the issue and they've made a lot of promises that I frankly can't see that they can fulfil. And the main one is stopping the boats,'' she said.
A new search was continuing on Tuesday afternoon for another boat north of the Cocos Islands.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed two planes (an AMSA Dornier and Customs Dash 8) were searching the area after a distress call was issued to shipping on Sunday evening.
Earlier on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott restated his pledge to stop the boats.
But he told a business breakfast on the Gold Coast that it would not be easy to do so, saying the problem was much worse than under the Howard government.
''We must restore our borders, we must regain control of who is coming to this country,'' he said.
Australian authorities called off the search for survivors of the latest boat disaster on Sunday night. Thirteen bodies were spotted in the water on Saturday but so far none have been recovered.
Customs and Border Protection said Border Protection Command boats and planes were being used in ''a range of high-priority operations in waters near Christmas Island and elsewhere'' and were not available to recover bodies on Monday or Tuesday.
Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor said he was not sure ''whether these bodies will be in the position to be retrieved''.
''I think most people would understand its always rescue of those that are living before the recovery of bodies,'' he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
''These are decisions best left to those that are in the operation not people sitting behind a desk.''
Shadow attorney-general George Brandis said that with so many boats arriving Australia's border protection resources were over-stretched.
''This problem is now so out of control,'' he told Sky News on Tuesday.
A customs spokeswoman said Border Protection Command would try to recover bodies when operations were concluded and there was ''no further risk to life''. She said the likelihood of any successful recovery would ''diminish over time''.
Refugee Council of Australia president Phil Glendenning said he understood life saving needed to be given priority but it was a ''very sad underlining'' to the sinking that the bodies were still in the water.
Mr Glendenning added his voice to calls for an independent inquiry into the disaster.
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare has said the search for the boat, first spotted last Wednesday, would be subject to a full review by Customs and Border Protection.
Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said the government should establish a ''full'' independent review of Australia's maritime emergency response.
''There is a question about whether there was a distress call or not,'' she told Sky News.
