It might be the biggest issue in Australian politics at the moment but questions over alleged "bribes" to people smugglers remain frustratingly unanswered.
Fairfax Media revealed that not only have the payments been made under the current Abbott government, but the policy reportedly stretches back to at least the former Labor government in 2010.
With Labor now retreating behind the barricades of "no comment" land the latest reports leave some MASSIVE facts unconfirmed and questions, unanswered.
Like...
1. Have Australian authorities ever paid people smugglers bribes to turn boats around?
2. How much did each people smuggler cost to bribe?
3. How were the people smugglers paid?
4. Cash?
5. Was the cash in a bag or a briefcase?
6. Or was it bank transfer?
7. Which arm of the Australian security apparatus paid the bribes?
8. Were Australia's spies involved?
9. When were the bribes paid?
10. How many times were they paid?
11. In cash amount, how much money has been spent on this scheme?
12. What has the money been spent on?
13. What can $5,000 be spent on in Indonesia?
14. Have people smugglers been paid more than once over the course of the scheme?
15. If the sole purpose of the "stop the boats" policy is to "smash the people smugglers business model"... well isn't this doing the opposite?
16. Has money fallen into the hands of other criminals?
17. Is it illegal under Australian law?
18. Is it illegal under Indonesian law?
19. Is it illegal under international law?
20. Do the Indonesians know it's happening?
21. What do the Indonesians think about it?
22. If they know about it, are they happy or angry?
23. What will their investigation find?
24. Which members of the Australian government know about the practice?
25. Does every immigration minister going back to Chris Bowen (2010) know about it?
26. Does Julia Gillard know about it?
27. Does Kevin Rudd?
28. Who came up with the policy?
29. Are they still in the government?
30. If all the immigration ministers knew about it, why did Peter Dutton say "no" when asked about the practice?
31. What about Julie Bishop's denial?
32. Is she angry?
33. Or did she make a mistake?
34. Is there evidence that the bribes worked?
35. How many times have people smugglers accepted the bribes and then retired from the trade?
36. What do asylum seekers think about it?
37. What does the cabinet think about it?
38. Does the cabinet know?
39. Has any cabinet ever known?
40. Do you have a limit on how much will be spent before it's stopped?
41. Does this open Australia up to a legal challenge?
42. If so, where will it come from?
43. Has it damaged Australia's relationship with Indonesia?
44. Have other nation's people smugglers been paid?
45. Sri Lanka?
46. Has the prospect of this policy actually *encouraged* anyone to get into the people smugglers trade?
47. Do people smugglers work two jobs?
48. If they're being paid by the asylum seekers AND the government, is that double dipping?
49. Do you understand why people want to know more?
50. Will you explain to Australia what is going on?
51. It brings us back to the first question: is Australia paying money to people smugglers?