TIME FOR RENEWED FOCUS ON NORTHERN AUSTRALIA SECURITY

OPINION

Published in North Queensland Register, February 26, 2026

I am honoured to have been reappointed to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Resources and Shadow Minister for Northern Australia.

These portfolios go to the very heart of our national prosperity, and nowhere is that more evident than in Northern Australia.

The Coalition under Angus Taylor wants to restore our falling standard of living and protect our way of life.

Secure borders and a thriving mining sector are keys to this.

Australia’s resources are the engine room of our economy. It delivers jobs, drives investment, supports regional communities and generates the export income that funds schools, hospitals and essential services right across the country. It remains our single greatest export sector and the backbone of government revenues.

Yet this national strength is being taken for granted.

The Federal Government’s high-taxing, anti-productivity agenda is increasing pressure on the resources industry and the communities that depend on it.

At a time when global demand for Australian resources remains strong, we should be backing our miners, our energy producers and the thousands of regional workers whose livelihoods rely on this sector.

From agriculture to mining, tourism and critical minerals, the North remains one of the most economically promising — yet underutilised — regions in the nation.

The North is also our frontline. Our vast and exposed northern border demands vigilance, investment and serious national attention.

That is why I want to use my reappointment not just to speak about economic opportunity, but also about growing security concerns relating to illegal foreign fishing boats infiltrating Cape York and the Torres Strait.

I have raised the issue of illegal fishing on numerous occasions in Senate Estimates because the scale of the problem is deeply concerning.

Labor’s decision to ban net fishing in Far North Queensland has had consequences far beyond the commercial fishing sector itself.

Net fishermen were not only supporting local jobs and regional economies, they were also the eyes and ears on our northern waters. Their daily presence acted as an informal surveillance network, reporting suspicious activity and illegal incursions.

By removing them, Labor has not only crippled an important industry, it has reduced our situational awareness across a vast and vulnerable zone.

At the same time, the Albanese Government has cut the number of Border Force surveillance flights in the region.

That reduction in aerial patrols has created significant gaps in monitoring capability across thousands of kilometres of remote coastline and sea country.

I want to make that absolutely clear that Border Force personnel do an outstanding job with the resources they have. The men and women on the frontline are dedicated professionals working in extremely challenging conditions.

But they can only operate with the assets and operational support the government provides.

And right now, serious questions are being asked.

We saw recently, two Border Force patrol boats were simultaneously in dry dock in Cairns undergoing maintenance precisely when Anthony Albanese and his new Member for Leichhardt announced a new operation to illegal fishing vessels in the Torres Strait.

Maintenance is, of course, necessary. But having multiple assets offline at the same time as an announced crackdown is a bad miss by the Albanese Government.

Some Torres Strait and Cape York residents report seeing more illegal fishing boats than patrol boats in our northern waters.

Whether that perception is statistically accurate or not, it reflects a very real loss of confidence in current border surveillance settings.

And perception matters when you live on the frontline.

Labor’s Customs Minister has tried to downplay Strait residents’ concerns but this shows a worrying disconnect.

Meanwhile, efficiency cuts have been made to the Australian Federal Police department while at the same time the Commissioner is deploying a taskforce to prevent drugs being smuggled through our Northern borders.

Illegal fishing threatens fragile marine ecosystems, undermines sustainable fisheries management, and directly impacts the livelihoods of Australian commercial fishermen doing the right thing.

It also raises biosecurity risks and broader border security concerns.

The Torres Strait is a strategic gateway to the Australian mainland. The fact boats are even making it to Australian waters before being intercepted is a grave concern.

We should be supporting local industries that provide on-water presence, not removing them.

And we should be ensuring that aerial and maritime patrol assets are adequately resourced and operationally available.

The new Member for Leichhardt and the Assistant Minister for Northern Australia, Tourism and Pacific Island Affairs – both based in Cairns – should be demanding far more drastic action on behalf of their constituents.

Instead, locals tell me they are seeing little urgency from the government while incursions continue.

Northern Australians understand better than anyone that economic development and national security go hand in hand.

You cannot unlock the wealth of the North if you can’t stop foreign vessels piercing the border.

You cannot protect the food basket that is Northern Australia if you can’t prevent diseases entering from overseas.

My reappointment to the Shadow Cabinet provides an opportunity to continue fighting hard for the jobs and prosperity driven by our resources sector, and for the protection of our northern frontier.

Investing in Northern Australia is an investment in the future of our nation.

But this must include strong leadership, economic freedom, industry support and robust border protection.

ENDS