January 30, 2025
Thursday 30 January 2025
Harry Brill
Northern Territory News
With a view to bolstering national security, the commonwealth will organise a formal relationship with remote communities across the Top End, with land councils expected to receive resources.
At Darwin International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was joined by Territory MPs Luke Gosling and Marion Scrymgour to announce the Federal Government would seek to strengthen its relationship with Indigenous ranger groups in a bid to bolster Operation Lunar.
“Today, we’re making clear that we’re wanting to re-establish an arrangement with the Indigenous ranger groups across the Northern Territory,” Mr Burke said.
“Some of those operate through the Northern Land Councils – some of them operate through other land councils, some of them operate independently.
“We’ll be working with all of them and consulting with all of them to find a pathway that works for those Ranger groups.”
Mr Burke said the Top End’s rangers knew the coastline the best.
“Let’s face it, no one knows that sea country better than those rangers,” he said.
“They used to be directly helping (ABF) and now we’re wanting to start that relationship again.”
Mr Burke did not say land councils would receive extra funding, but confirmed extra resources would be part of revitalising Canberra’s relationship with the north.
“There will have to be additional resources – the nature of those resources and exactly how that is put together is something that’s part of the co-design,” he said.
“I want groups to have a level of agency (and) different groups have different levels of capacity right now and it would be completely against the partnership if unilaterally the government just said ‘this is what’s happening’.”
Asked if bolstering rangers was a temporary fix, Mr burke said the Albanese Government wanted to have a “lasting relationship” with the ranger community.
“You might have a look at who held my portfolio in 2017 to see Peter Dutton’s record and to see what his approach was, which was to end those partnerships,” he said.
“My view is that partnerships should be enduring.”
Mr Burke also announced Operation Lunar had been reinforced with a new helicopter aimed at helping authorities cover the vast 10,000 km Territory coastline.
It was also revealed 20 foreign vessels had been intercepted under Operation Lunar since its launch in December.
While illegal fishers have been an ongoing issue for the Australian Border Force, asylum seekers have also managed to land ashore, sparking concern among local leaders late last year.
Mr Burke maintained the nation’s borders were secure.
“There are only three groups of people who claim that the borders are open: Liberals, Nationals and people smugglers – It’s a message that is not in the national interest,” he said.
“It’s a message that people smugglers love to be able to get out and why my political opponents are serving to help with that messaging is absolutely beyond me.”
Liberal Senator James Paterson hit out at the Mr Burke’s comments.
“Tony Burke is the only one responsible for putting the people smugglers back in business,” he said.
“His government abolished the use of temporary protection visas, a key element of Operation Sovereign Borders (and) they’ve failed to deliver adequate maritime and aerial surveillance.”
Senator Paterson also claimed maritime patrol days were down 16 per cent and aerial surveillance hours had crashed 21 per cent.
“It’s no wonder 26 boats have attempted the journey since the election and seven have reached Australia.”
