Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I first endorse the comments of the member for Brisbane about the way in which the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has worked. I commend him on his leadership of the committee. I thank Robert Little and his staff for the professional role that they undertake in relation to these matters.

I want to highlight this report on the relisting of these terrorist organisations. It is a very important report because the issues which it deals with are often matters that people overlook when there have not been terrorist incidents that immediately impact upon them and their lives. This report does put into the public arena material that is often absent. It is well researched and it is material that I think is useful for the public to be aware of.

The Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has a very special role. It reviews regulations specifying organisations as terrorist organisations. In this case we are dealing with al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb. This review of the relisting of these organisations affirms that relisting should occur. As the chair has outlined, these organisations were first listed in 2002 and then in August 2004.

There was an effort to see whether there are people with views contrary. They were not seen. The committee was able to see contemporary material which reaffirms the importance of relisting, particularly al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, as terrorist organisations. The report does outline the number of acts directly attributable to al-Qaeda through to the last in July 2005, where they assisted in the training of those involved in attacks on London’s transport system, which killed 56 people, including one Australian. You see outlined in the report material that comes directly from Osama bin Laden and his deputy, al-Zawahari. It outlines their thinking in relation to the way in which their organisation should continue to operate.

When you look at the quotes from the Middle East Quarterly, it says that since January 2005 some 40 different organisations in countries that include Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen have announced their formation and pledged allegiance to bin Laden and al-Qaeda and their strategic objectives. The report includes evidence from ASIO that al-Qaeda’s popularity is not diminishing. While there is no information specifically linking it to Australia, the report outlines the threat to Australian interests.

The material in relation to JI is even more compelling. That is because this organisation has had an impact in the region of the world in which we reside. The report notes that there are links to Australia. The statement states that disruption by regional authorities has resulted in JI having to scale down its previous organisational structure from four mantiqi territory areas of responsibility, which originally encompassed parts of Australia, to only one mantiqi covering Indonesia. It goes on to say:

As stated in the previous report, the threat to Australians travelling in Indonesia is still present. Australia continues to issue travel warnings to Australians travelling in Indonesia.

The statement of reasons makes no specific mention of other threats to Australia’s interests. This report ensures that the Australian public are aware that terrorism remains a risk to this community.

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