Another boat carrying asylum seekers has been intercepted off Australia's north coast.
The boat carrying 41 passengers and four crew was found north-west of Ashmore Islands.
The Federal Government says those on board will be taken to Christmas island for health, security and identity checks.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia is out of control.
"This year in 2010 we've had 13 boats arrive, we've had more than 700 people arrive on those boats in just seven weeks," he said.
"This is an extraordinary level of arrivals for a new year. In this period of time it took six months last year to have that many people arrive, so it really is escalating.
"If it continues at this rate at 100 people a week, then we could see 5,000 people arrive this year.
"That would eclipse all previous records and they're arriving because of the policies of this Government.
"Last year, the UNHCR's own figures for the nine months to September showed that Australia's asylum applications increased five times as much as they did around the world."
Meanwhile, the NT inquest into the deaths of five Afghan asylum seekers who were killed when their boat exploded last April heard criminal charges could be laid.
Three Afghan refugees are accused of deliberately setting fire to the SIEV 36 near Ashmore Reef.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Stephen Walsh, QC, said the evidence suggested that the three Afghan refugees acted together to implement a plan and the explosion was caused by a series of deliberate acts.
Mr Walsh told the inquest the fatal explosion could have been prevented if the Navy had fully searched the SIEV 36, secured the unleaded petrol on board, and confiscated all matches and lighters.
-ABC
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