Civic leaders on Christmas Island say they are not concerned by a recent increase in the number of asylum seekers.
A boat with 44 suspected asylum seekers on board was intercepted off the Western Australian coast near Broome at the weekend, the sixth boat detected in Australian waters in the past few months.
The Opposition says the Government's "softened" stance on immigration has made Australia a target for people smugglers.
However, the Christmas Island shire president, Gordon Thompson, says the number of asylum seekers fluctuates each year and he doubts whether changes to immigration laws would have any impact.
"In terms of the number of boats coming in the last few years, I think the average would be between four and seven in the number of boats," he said.
"It's part of a pattern of irregular occurrences of people coming to Christmas Island.
"It may be seasonal but I wouldn't say that the numbers of people coming in the last few months is hugely increased - I think they may be a little outside the norm for a year."
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