November 15, 2024
Australia’s border protection measures are failing under the Albanese Government, claims Liberal Senator James Paterson, who has accused the government of “relying on tip-offs” from Top End Indigenous communities.
The criticism comes after the Northern Land Council declared a spike of illegal fishing boats had been sighted off the Territory coastline.
After issuing multiple calls for the Federal Government to ramp up its border security, the NLC revealed four illegal immigrants had infiltrated Australia’s borders, with local rangers finding the dehydrated group stumbling through the bush in the early hours of Sunday.
NLC Chair Matthew Ryan blasted the Federal Government.
“Rangers play an important role in supporting AFMA and ABF to keep our Country and Australia safe, and the Federal Government must make sure ranger groups are properly resourced and equipped,” he said.
“The ABF say they’re not ‘overly concerned’ but we are, and are calling on them to do their job properly.”
On Wednesday, Senator Paterson also hit out at the Albanese Government, claiming border security was in decline.
“Operation Sovereign Borders is seriously failing under the Albanese government’s watch when Border Force is relying on tip-offs from local Indigenous communities to catch illegal boat arrivals after they have already breached our border security,” he told this masthead.
“But it is no wonder that illegal fishers and people smugglers are evading Border Force when our maritime surveillance capabilities are at an all-time low.”
Senator Paterson maintained flying hours and sea patrols had dipped since the COVID-era.
“Labor has presided over a 21.4 per cent decrease in aerial flying hours and a 16 per cent decrease in maritime patrol days compared to 2020-21 levels,” he said.
“The risks to our border security and community safety from illegal boats reaching the Australian coastline are very serious.
“It is incumbent on the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke to take decisive action to restore the Operation Sovereign Borders framework in full to the successful settings put in place by the former Coalition government.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke hit out at his opposite.
“Senator Paterson is repeating misinformation which he has personally been corrected on publicly by the operational commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, who has made clear that any drop in flight hours from any contractor has been made up for by increasing hours from others and from the ADF,” he said.
US defence company Leidos took over the ABF’s $1.5 billion aerial surveillance contract in 2021 when it acquired the previous operator, Cobham Aviation Services.
The company was supposed to undertake 15,000 hours of aerial surveillance a year using 10 civilian Dash-8 aircraft, but managed only 12,691 in 2022-23, with Rear Admiral Sonter revealing he had directed ADF airframes to cover the outstanding flying hours.
Meanwhile on Wednesday at Darwin Local Court, another group of Indonesian fishermen were found guilty of using a foreign boat to fish in the Territorial sea.
The crew of six were found in the Kimberley Marine Park, 142 nautical miles past the Australian exclusive zone, on October 17.
Their boat contained multiple large bags, shark hooks, reef shoes and an already extended line that had caught a small shark, which judge Julie Franz said showed they intended to take multiple fish.
The trip was not a large, official exercise and the fact their boat sank when towed indicated their impoverished position in their homeland.
Two of the six fishermen were reoffenders, with one, Pahalang Renaldi, having appeared on the same charge in the Darwin court earlier this year.
He was given three months imprisonment suspended immediately with a two year good behaviour bond.
Buyung Ger, who arrived under the alias of Febry Kenchang, was another repeat offender who was sentenced to six months imprisonment.
The term would be suspended after 14 days with an operative period of three years, while the remaining four fishermen were fined and sent home.
Mr Ger was dealt with in December 2022 and was convicted and sentenced to two months imprisonment at the time.
“The reason they came to Australian waters was to fish and to sell their catches and that’s because of their impoverished position in Indonesia,” Ms Franz said.
“The Australian government has set down these laws to protect Australian marine stocks and biodiversity.
“Clearly spending two months in a Darwin jail was not enough of a deterrent.”
