Four foreign nationals who were reportedly discovered on a remote island in the Northern Territory have been removed from Australia. The individuals were found on Croker Island, located north of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, near Arnhem Land, earlier this week, according to reports from ABC.
Although it has been confirmed that the four individuals are no longer in Australia, the government has not disclosed their destination—whether they were returned to their country of origin, their country of departure, or sent to a regional processing center in Nauru.
An Australian Border Force (ABF) spokesperson stated that the agency does not comment on operational matters. Meanwhile, a representative for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized the government’s stance on people smuggling, saying, “No people smuggling ventures have been successful under our government. People who come to Australia by boat have zero chance of success.”
The opposition, however, criticized the government’s handling of border security. Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson remarked, “If confirmed, this will be the eighth boat to breach Australian borders since Labor came to power, and the 23rd attempted people-smuggling venture.” This figure includes instances of boat turnbacks and take-backs, a practice supported by both major parties under the Operation Sovereign Borders policy, which has been in place since 2013.
According to ABF data, 38 boats were turned back, taken back, or involved in “assisted returns” between December 2013 and January 2020. These operations, which prevent people-smuggling ventures from successfully reaching Australian territory, have occurred in various locations, including the Cocos Keeling Islands (May 2016), Saibai Island (August 2017), and far-north Queensland (mid-2018).
Despite these efforts, opposition leader Peter Dutton criticized the Albanese government’s border security, stating, “Our borders are not secure under the Albanese government. How does a boat reach our mainland undetected?” He added that people smugglers see Australia’s borders as “open for business” under what he called the Prime Minister’s “weak leadership.”
In its most recent monthly update, the ABF reported that in September, seven unauthorised maritime arrivals from a single people-smuggling venture were safely transferred to a regional processing country in line with Australia’s long-standing maritime policies.
Although Nauru’s offshore processing center was officially closed in June 2023, it was reopened in September after 11 asylum seekers were transferred to the island, marking the first such transfer in nine years. The reopening came as part of the government’s continued efforts to address people smuggling, with more individuals being sent to Nauru in May from ventures that reached Christmas Island and Broome.
The political debate over border security has intensified following a series of smuggling attempts, including incidents in Western Australia and Northern Territory earlier this year, drawing sharp criticism from the Coalition about the government’s handling of Australia’s borders.