Mr. Howard acknowledged defections in his own conservative party negated his slim majority in the Senate. Despite the backlash, Mr. Howard says he believes most Australians support the legislation.

• 该法案旨在通过拓宽法律来控制非法移民。它要求所有乘船到达澳洲的难民在他们的申请批准之前，送到政府在附近太平洋岛屿国家设立的拘留中心。