A powerful Indigenous land council wants tougher border protection measures after its Top End sea rangers disrupted a people-smuggling operation.
Garngi Rangers rescued four dehydrated and exhausted men, foreign nationals who'd been left on a remote Northern Territory island, the Northern Land Council says.
The group claimed to have paid $6000 to be brought to Peacock Island, about 250km northeast of Darwin, by a foreign fishing vessel before walking to nearby Croker Island, where they were found.
The boat was spotted and followed by the rangers on Sunday before they located the men at various locations later in the day and on Monday.
The foreign fishermen were smuggling people and there is no room for complacency on the nation's remote northern border, the council's chair Matthew Ryan said.
"We need a much tougher approach from the federal government," he said on Wednesday.
“The (Australian Border Force) say they’re not overly concerned but we are, and are calling on them to do their job properly."
Fishermen had been operating illegally in the region for years and the ranger group recently stepped up its Arnhem Land patrols, Mr Ryan said.
"Now we know for sure that they’re people smuggling as well, which takes it to a whole new level," he said.
“These poor blokes were dumped with no food or water and left to fend for themselves, and it’s no exaggeration to say that without the help from our rangers and Croker Island community members, they would have been in very deep trouble."
The rangers provided the men with first aid, food and water, tents and swags.
NT police officers travelled from Darwin and took the men into custody late on Monday.
They are understood to no longer be in Australia.
The council also wants the Albanese government to better equip the rangers to deal with future incidents.
Rangers regularly patrol and monitor Aboriginal-owned coastlines across the Territory, supporting agencies such as the border force, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and Australian Defence Force.
