Senator weighs in on Darwin military base breach

Thursday 17 September 2026

Harry Brill

NT News

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Senator James Paterson has labelled the breach of RAAF Base Darwin “troubling”, saying the Department of Defence should be “constantly reviewing” its security protocols.

The Liberal Senator’s comments comes as police continue to search for the unaccounted vehicle, which was stolen at 4.30pm on Monday after a man allegedly broke into RAAF Base Darwin.

The incident turned ugly when a Defence member was allegedly assaulted by the intruder, who then turned his attention to a nearby military motor vehicle which was unoccupied and running.

While the base went into lockdown, the intruder seized his opportunity and stole the vehicle.

NT Police gave pursuit but lost sight of him in the Palmerston region - about 20 minutes down the Stuart Highway.

The same military vehicle was then sighted at 4am Tuesday when CCTV cameras captured stolen goods being thrown into its tray.

Police were still looking for the vehicle as of Wednesday afternoon.

Opposition spokesman for Defence, Senator James Paterson, was asked about the matter on Wednesday.

“Look these media reports are troubling,” he told reporters.

“It’s always a concern when an unauthorised person gets access to an ADF base.”

While Senator Paterson acknowledged the breach was immediately responded to, he said the incident underscored the need for tighter security.

“We need to make sure that unauthorised persons, whether they are someone who has got mental health issues, someone who is drunk or whether they’re someone with malign intent acting on behalf of a foreign power, are not able to access our bases,” he said.

“And I really think the Department needs to be constantly reviewing the security of our bases to make sure incidents like this can’t happen.”

Also troubled by the event was Defence Minister Richard Marles, who is well acquainted with the base.

“We take the safety of our Defence Force personnel and security of Defence sites extremely seriously,” he said.

“My first concern here is for the member who was allegedly assaulted in the course of these events.”

The Department of Defence has stayed tight-lipped on the situation.

Asked if the Defence member allegedly assaulted required medical attention, no response was provided.

Officials also did not respond to questions on whether they were reviewing security measures.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday Defence members described feeling like “sitting ducks” following the breach.

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