Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Attorney for his statement. Today being the 10th anniversary of the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, it is very appropriate that the parliament mark and acknowledge the event, as we did at the start of question time today. On this anniversary it is particularly appropriate that we remember the thousands of innocent people killed and their loved ones who are left behind. We should particularly remember the Australians who were amongst those killed in this tragedy. We should also remember the incredible courage of those police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel who risked—and in some cases lost—their lives trying to rescue others. The coalition joins with the government in asserting that the memory of those who lost their lives only strengthens our resolve to protect Australians from terrorist attack and to stop the spread of ideologies of violence and hate which breed such attacks.

As was noted by President Obama of the United States in his letter to the Prime Minister today, former coalition Prime Minister John Howard was in Washington when the terrorists struck the US on September 11. From that time, the former coalition government provided over $10.4 billion of funding up to the 2010-11 year to enhance Australia's national security and counterterrorism capabilities by: increasing the capacity of our intelligence agencies; boosting Australia's aviation, maritime and border security; and enhancing our capacity to respond to and manage emergencies. In government, the coalition increased regional and global cooperation in law enforcement, customs activities and legal assistance to boost the fight against terrorism and transnational crime. The fact that there have been no terrorist attacks on Australian soil and few involving Australians abroad testifies to our substantial success.

In this vital area, it is important that the Gillard government continue to build on the good work of its predecessor. Keeping the Australian people safe is the most basic task of government. It was my great privilege to be a member of a coalition government which left Australia economically, militarily and diplomatically stronger than it had ever been. The coalition agrees that antiterrorism intelligence operations are indeed a vitally important element of our national security infrastructure. Thanks to the hardworking men and women of our law enforcement and security agencies, Australia's counterterrorism capability is extensive and the public can be confident that any terrorism incident can be responded to and dealt with effectively.

On the 10th anniversary of September 11, we reflect on the thousands of lives that were lost. As former Prime Minister John Howard said:

Terrorists oppose nations such as the United States and Australia not because of what we have done but because of who we are and because of the values that we hold in common.

These values of freedom and democracy are values that are worth fighting to protect. Mr Howard's trip to Washington on 11 September 2001 had been timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the ANZUS military alliance which commits Australia, New Zealand and the United States to come to the support of each other if their countries are attacked. The decision of the Australian government to invoke article 4 of the ANZUS Treaty following the 11 September attacks was a testament to the closeness of the relationship between the United States and Australia. The coalition strongly believes that the ANZUS Treaty is of fundamental importance to both our countries, and the goodwill and mutual support implicit within it should never be taken for granted.

Former President Bush, speaking at the Ground Zero commemoration service earlier today, quoted the words of Abraham Lincoln over century and a half ago when he sought to console a mother who had lost all five of her sons in the Civil War. President Bush, who was president on 11 September, said Abraham Lincoln 'understood the cost of sacrifice, and reached out to console those in sorrow as best he could'. In a November 1860 letter to Lydia Bixby, Lincoln wrote in one passage quoted by Bush:

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

The remark follows another moving passage Lincoln wrote:

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save.

For the surviving members of the families of the victims of 9-11 these are moving words, particularly so for the literally hundreds of firefighters and police who died running into the burning twin towers that day.

It is important that we remember that no terrorist act large or small will weaken our commitment to democracy and freedom. Nobody should underestimate how much the world has changed since 11 September 2001. However, it is vital on this anniversary that we reaffirm and remind ourselves that the terrorists have not and will not succeed in their goals. We have faced their challenge head on and we continue to prevail. On this anniversary I thank all the hardworking men and women of the Australian security, intelligence and military agencies who have protected our freedom since that day.

(Quorum formed)

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