Federal opposition leader Tony Abbott has rejected claims that the coalition's policy to turn back all asylum seeker boats may be unsafe.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney on Monday Mr Abbott said: "It's been done before, it can be done again."
Retired Admiral Chris Barrie is the latest to question the safety of Mr Abbott's boats policy, saying the seaworthiness of the vessels needs to be taken into account.
Safety should be the corner piece of any turnaround policy, Admiral Barrie told ABC Radio, in response to claims by unnamed navy personnel that lives would be put at risk because asylum seekers would simply burn boats.
"It must be navigable, and the people themselves must be in good condition," Mr Barrie told ABC Radio on Monday.
"That could be pretty hard to achieve against people who are determined to get here."
Mr Abbott said he was confident the navy could safely carry out the coalition's boats policy.
"The navy has done it safely before, there's no reason why they can't do it safely again," Mr Abbott said.
"I have full confidence in the professionalism of the navy to carry out the reasonable instructions of the government."
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