FIRE SPECULATION IRRESPONSIBLE

Despite not having all the facts the Northern Territory coroner does the right thing in telling what he does know about the deaths of three people near Ashmore Reef last week:

"Although the investigation is still underway, I have determined that these deaths will be the subject of a public inquest after I [have] received a completed investigation brief," he said in a statement released this morning.

"Because of the extraordinary interest in these deaths I have determined to release the results of the autopsies on the deceased.

"These have found the provisional cause of the deaths is drowning - subject to toxicology and other forensic pathology tests."

Interviewed this morning on ABC radio the Foreign Minister refused to comment on events near Ashmore Reef: to do so would be inappropriate in light of ongoing investigations. These investigations could take months.

Until these investigations are concluded, and official reports written, all of the irresponsible speculation about "people smugglers", "Afghan asylum seekers", "petrol spreading" and the like, should cease. For all we know that boat was full of tourists out on a three hour cruise gone horribly wrong. It's happened before.