Opposition parties in Australia today said they are planning a Senate inquiry over claims that the government lied about and exploited asylum seekers to court public opinion and win last year’s general election.

Tensions flared again today between officials and mostly Iraqi asylum seekers when some refused to be unloaded from an Australian navy ship docked at the tiny Pacific island of Nauru.

The Pacific island nation of Nauru has refused to accept any asylum seekers that are forcibly removed from an Australian navy ship to a makeshift detention centre on the island.

An Indonesian boat, carrying 130 asylum seekers has run aground on a reef off the coast of northern Australia.

The Australian Government hopes to work closely with Jakarta to stem the tide of illegal migrants passing through Indonesia on their way to Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.