FAMILIES of asylum-seekers killed in a shipwreck off Christmas Island in 2010 said yesterday that they will sue Australia’s government for breaching its duty of care.

Fifty people died when a boat crowded with nearly 100 Iraqi, Kurdish and Iranian asylum-seekers foundered.

Human rights lawyer George Newhouse has launched legal action in New South Wales supreme court on behalf of eight families, claiming the government failed to maintain a proper lookout.

He claimed operational life-saving vessels and systems were not adequate.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison pretended indignation.

“This is like someone saved from a fire suing the firemen,” he said.

But the Refugee Action Coalition claimed Mr Morrison did not know what he was talking about.

“The families are not suing the navy or their rescuers on the day,” said spokesman Ian Rintoul.

“What the legal case is highlighting is negligence and the complete lack of preparation.”