Australian government implied that the Navy was at fault. Was the Navy really at fault or were they just following orders.

Retired naval commander baffled by navy's explanation.

Did the government lie because they knew that the Navy cannot question a governments explanation even when it makes them  look stupid.(remember children overboard)

Article by Tom Allard 

National Affairs Editor

The ''inadvertent'' and repeated entry of Australian vessels into Indonesian territory defied comprehension, with the precise co-ordinates of the nation's maritime boundary typically programmed into the navy's electronic navigation systems, a former border protection commander has said.

The comments from Barry Learoyd, recently retired after a 43-year Royal Australian Navy career that included commanding vessels that interdicted asylum seeker boats, comes after a review into the incidents made the revelation that the vessels had not been given information about where Indonesia's sea border was situated

''It's really difficult to understand,'' Lieutenant Commander Learoyd said.

''The Indonesian archipelago and the archipelagic baseline [the formal name for Indonesia's maritime boundary] is well known to the Australian navy and well known to commanders and senior officers. It's part of the training we all get'' said the commander.

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Moreover, the co-ordinates of the boundary - which extends beyond the standard 12 nautical miles from Indonesia's coast at times - were usually in the electronic charting systems installed on navy vessels operating in the area, Commander Learoyd said