Four Corners: round peg in a square hole

We are told that he received not one government house but three! There is a three to four year wait for government housing in the ACT, why and how was the swash-buckling Emad able to so spectacularly jump the housing queue? Why did he and his family receive such favoured treatment, particularly when other refugees must find their own homes, often having to share? These questions should have been asked and followed up.

Why would Emad come to Australia by boat when he could fly? Over the sound of the boats engines how could a sleeping fellow passenger hear someone jump over-board? A rendezvous (RV) in the middle of a dark night with a fishing boat – hardly. An RV with an Australian naval vessel in the early hours of the morning, guided by flares from a ship with no crew, without questions being asked at unexpected nautical skills displayed by a boat load of refugees. Why RV at night when it might be more safely done during the day? The story does not hold together.

Ferguson calls the plan for Emad to come to Australia audacious, I call it unbelievable; at the very least it requires a lot more testing and examination.

Ferguson cites very large amounts of money as the price for people to come to Australia. In one instance she says it cost $36,000 for three people to come to Australia and in another, $11,300 per person. For that amount of money people can fly with credible forged documents. These and other figures she quotes are simply not believable.

Ferguson appears out of her depth. This is not a story about cruelty to cattle that, once dropped in a lap, can be followed relatively easily. This is a story that even on the surface is one of duplicity. It seems likely that all of the main characters were working for the AFP, as part of a disruption operation. The AFP appears to have established some networks and captured others. It is not an unusual method of police operations. Within the networks they have established they can choose what is going to happen and when.

Nor would it be unusual for the AFP to give Emad privileges and protection. The people smuggler and AFP informant, who set up Ali Al Jenabi for arrest, subsequently received fast tracked Australian citizenship, indemnity from prosecution and a tax free lump sum of $250,000 from the AFP.

The Indonesians were not happy with the release of the story, possibly because they were kept out of the loop, a loop they probably felt they should be part of.

Why was the story aired at this time; to discredit Ali Al Jenabi and his supporters, to discredit Immigration or the AFP? We know that tensions exist between ASIS, the AFP and ASIO, but the latter has lost the struggle and is very much the hand maiden of the AFP. Have these rivalries and tensions spilt over?

Captain Emad, also known as Ali Al Abassi, fled Australia the day after the Four Corners program went to air. There was no attempt by the AFP to stop him, despite Emad being on a police alert list. Did he run or was he pushed? The AFP say they know where he is and if they can get enough evidence together they may seek to extradite him to face people smuggling charges. But then again they may not, particularly if he has been working for them.

Since publication of the shorter version of this story in The Canberra Times on 15 June, what I regard as very reliable sources have come forward to say that both Nasir and Emad were in the intelligence branch of Saddam Hussein's army and that Nasir is such a bad egg that UNHCR withdrew his refugee status while he was still in Indonesia.

Eleven boats have arrived in the past two weeks or so; who turned on the tap?

Like Howard, Abbott refuses to criticise the AFP; are there those amongst them that would prefer a coalition government in order to secure their empire, to keep prying eyes at bay?

Who watches the watchers? The AFP is not subject to the parliamentary oversight of defence and foreign affairs. It should be. There should be a permanent Senate Committee watching what the AFP does in our name. Lack of oversight can lead to corruption - moral, political and financial.

Of course there would be no need for people smugglers if there was a strongly constituted regional forum to handle the needs of refugees and displaced people. The successful operation of such a forum would be the litmus test of the humanity, tolerance and compassion within and amongst our neighbours.