Latest boat incursion raises questions about border surveillance

The incident was described by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as the 23rd boat arrival and the latest to go undetected by Border Force.

Australian authorities destroyed this illegal fishing boat earlier this year. Similar vessels have become an increasingly common sight across Australia’s north.

The latest arrival of a group of foreign nationals on Australian shores has raised fresh questions about the adequacy of the country’s border protection program.

The Northern Land Council, which represents the Aboriginal peoples across the top of the Northern Territory, on Tuesday confirmed traditional owners had found four foreign nationals on Sunday night on Croker Island, northeast of Darwin.

The nationalities of the four men is not known. The Australian understands they are no longer in the country.

It is the latest example of both a people-smuggling boat making it to landfall, and of their arrival being detected by traditional owner groups rather than government authorities.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said the discovery had to raise serious questions about Australian Border Force and particularly the funding for the organisation’s aerial surveillance.

“It’s clearly not adequate or good enough,” he said.

“The fact traditional owners are discovering illegal arrivals and not our border force poses a huge risk to border security of this nation. It’s not only of deep concern that people smugglers have found a new way to operate but there’s also raises serious issues around quarantine, disease and all sorts of other potential consequences for people arriving illegally on our shores.”

The arrival came just a day after the Northern Land Council issued a statement pleading for more help from authorities to combat the number of incursions into northern waters by foreign boats.

Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan said the organisation had seen an influx of foreign fishing boats breaching Aboriginal land and waters along the West Arnhem Land coastline.

He said the organisation had received reports from a mainland outstation south of Warruwi, southeast of Croker Island, that a foreign crew had broken into cars and stolen fuel and oil.

Mr Ryan said illegal fishers intercepted in Australian waters should be given far tougher penalties. “It’s not good enough to simply tell these people to leave Australian waters; we need a much stronger approach to stop them stealing our resources. Crew members of each and every illegal fishing vessel should be prosecuted,” he said.

“Our rangers are the frontline monitors of our coast and they are in an ideal position to work alongside the federal government agencies to help address this situation. That’s why the NLC continues to seek better ­resources and more on-ground support for our rangers.”

Peter Dutton said the latest arrival showed that people smugglers “believe that they’re back in business”.

“This is now the 23rd boat arrival, and it’s another one that’s been undetected,” the Opposition Leader told Sky News.

“Our borders are not secure under the Albanese government. How can a boat make it to the mainland without any detection whatsoever?”

Skills and training minister Andrew Giles, who in July was removed from the immigration portfolio, said Mr Dutton’s comments were “irresponsible”.

“This is not an issue that anyone should be playing politics over,” he said.