Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt and acknowledge his strong advocacy to combat illegal foreign fishing in the northern waters of Australia. Illegal foreign fishing is not only an attack on and damage to our environment. It is not only an attack on and damage to commercial fishing and recreational fishing interests in Australia. It's a straight-out attack on our sovereignty. These waters belong to Australia. That's why, following increased illegal fishing attempts north-west of the Kimberley, the government announced Operation LEEDSTRUM in December 2023.

In Operation LEEDSTRUM, we brought together a number of government agencies, including the Australian Fisheries Management Authority—AFMA, which is managed by the Minister for the Environment and Water—as well as the Australian Border Force. Bringing all of those agencies together means that, since that point, there have been 103 interceptions, 35 boats have been destroyed and more than eight tonnes of catch has been seized. Prior to Operation LEEDSTRUM, there had never been a joint taskforce of this nature. That success, though, saw a response from illegal foreign fishers. Having discovered that the north-west was being blocked, they decided to try further east. The MPs here from the Northern Territory then saw attempts in our waters there because of our success in the north-west. As a result of that, we launched Operation LUNAR.

Operation LUNAR in the waters of the Northern Territory saw us then have 97 interceptions, 44 boats destroyed and more than 20 tonnes of catch seized. The success of Operation LEEDSTRUM and Operation LUNAR means that there are now attempts going further east to the Torres Strait. I acknowledge the really strong advocacy of the member for Leichhardt in making sure that we have led to the announcement that was made earlier today by Commissioner Gav Reynolds of the Australian Border Force to announce Operation BROADSTAFF to combat illegal foreign fishing in Queensland and the Torres Strait. It's led by Border Force under the leadership of Commissioner Reynolds.

Since we came to government, border protection funding has been increased by $600 million. Surveillance flights are now 26 per cent higher than they were in 2022-23. The criminals have tried and failed in the Kimberley. They tried and failed in the Northern Territory. They are now trying in the Torres Strait, and they will fail. The message to foreign fishers who want to operate illegally in our waters is simple: the waters you are on belong to Australia, not to you. You risk losing your haul, your equipment, your vessel and your freedom.

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