Four foreign nationals have been discovered by Aboriginal traditional owners after arriving by boat on a remote section of the vast Northern Territory coastline. The Northern Land Council says the men, believed to be asylum seekers, told the local rangers who helped them, that they had paid money to be brought to Australia.
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00:00Four men walk in the shallows after reportedly arriving by boat to the remote Northern Territory.
00:09As far as I'm concerned the Border Force and all have failed big time.
00:14It's embarrassing to keep telling them and they have known this issue coming.
00:20The Northern Land Council says the four foreign nationals showed up on Croker Island,
00:25Aboriginal land and sea country 250 kilometres northeast of Darwin.
00:30As far as we know, yes, they've been paid money to the foreign fishing people,
00:36the illegal fishermen, being paid and then being dropped off on an island without water, without food.
00:45It's just crazy.
00:47While Defence and Australian Border Force do operate in the Territory,
00:51it was a local network, including Aboriginal rangers, who managed to find the men.
00:56When they were found, they were found in dire conditions, hardly could stand
01:00and community members and the rangers have assisted them.
01:04We're very concerned. We're worried about our border, we're worried about our people,
01:08we're worried about our coast, we're worried about our resources
01:11and we want to see Border Force do actually more.
01:14Border Force and the Prime Minister's office declined to answer questions,
01:18saying they don't comment on operational matters.
01:21The ABC understands the four men are no longer in Australia.
01:25The fresh arrivals reopening old fault lines ahead of next year's federal election.
01:30The arrival comes as the Land Council reports an influx of foreign vessels
01:35breaching Aboriginal land along the West Arnhem coastline.
01:38They're calling for the federal government to address the matter on urgency.