Darwin MP Natasha Griggs was elected on a three word slogan, mindlessly bleating 'stop the boats'. Now, in the face of mounting evidence of sex crimes on the prison island concentration camps her government set up to hide unexpected arrivals from public view, her voice has gone silent on the issue of asylum seekers.

Systemic failures have become evident in the department's handling of serious allegations of sexual assault on Nauru, Manus and the mainland.

Reviews by Robert Cornall and Philip Moss into sexual assaults on Manus Island and Nauru have both emphasised that sexual violence in detention centres is under-reported.

Reporting and investigating allegations of sexual assault in detention centres is extremely difficult.

On Nauru, asylum seekers fear speaking out because of reprisals from guards. They have little faith in the ability of the Nauru police force to investigate sexual assaults adequately.

The assaults on Nauru continue to occur, with a female asylum seeker recently raising serious allegations about being sexually assaulted by locals while on day release.

Indonesian police say a boat carrying 65 asylum seekers and five crew crashed onto a reef after being turned back by Australia.

Those aboard — 54 Sri Lankans, 10 Bangladeshis, one person from Myanmar and five additional crew — told Indonesian police they were trying to get to New Zealand.

There were four women and three toddlers on board.

They are now being held on Rote Island off West Timor after crashing onto a reef near the remote Landuti Island.

One of the crew members fled from police and has not been located.

Island chief of police senior commissioner Hidayat told the ABC the latest boat was intercepted by an Australian border patrol after setting off from West Java on May 5.

The asylum seekers told police they were transferred onto a more seaworthy wooden boat, given dried fruit, biscuits, fuel and life jackets and escorted back to Indonesian waters.

The asylum seekers were found Monday by fishermen after the crash.

They will be transferred to Kupang in West Timor on Tuesday.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand recently ended the practice of turning asylum seeker boats away.