Bullets and detonators posted to Australian politicians

Packages containing bullets and detonators addressed to the prominent Australian political figures who opposed Prime Minister John Howard's handling of the Tampa refugee crisis were intercepted in the mail room of Parliament House yesterday.

The packages were addressed to Labor leader, Mr Kim Beazley, Democrats leader, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, and Greens Senator, Mr Bob Brown.

Labor, the Democrats and Senator Brown voted against the government's emergency legislation last week which would have allowed it to forcibly remove the Tampa from Australian waters.

The packages were discovered during a routine scan of post at Parliament House. Australian police are investigating the matter but insisted the devices were not wired so posed little, if any, threat.

In another development yesterday, an opinion poll published in the Sydney Morning Herald revealed almost 80 per cent of the electorate back Mr Howard's handling of the Tampa crisis. The poll confirms Mr Howard's refusal last week to a grant entry to Australia to the 438 refugees has revived his chances of winning the federal election later this week.

The Sydney Morning Herald-ACNielsen poll found 77 per cent agree with the decision to refuse them entry to Australia, while 74 per cent approved of the handling of the nine-day stand-off. It showed the Prime Minister's approval rating had jumped to 57 per cent and the government's primary vote increased to draw level on 40 per cent with Labor.

The refugees were rescued 10 days ago from the Indian Ocean by the crew of the Tampa as they tried to sail to Australia's Christmas Island in an effort to claim asylum there. But they were refused entry to Australia and remained on the Tampa, moored off Christmas Island for over a week before a resolution was reached which will see their applications processed in Nauru and New Zealand.

The four-man Indonesian crew of the ferry yesterday appeared in court charged with various people-smuggling offences and if convicted face up to 20 years in jail.

In Melbourne, the Federal Court continued to hear submissions as to why the refugees should have been allowed to land in Australia.

The court is due to hand down its decision as early as today and if it rules in favour of the refugees, the naval vessel carrying the refugees to Papua New Guinea, will be forced return them to Australia.