Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also stand to support the Prime Minister's statement in regard to national security. He said that to keep people safe, we need to ensure our security measures at home and abroad are directed against terrorism and not religion. He said that we need to ensure Australians live normally, because a terrorist's goal is to scare us out of being ourselves.

My thoughts are very much with the Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police, in particular the two members, who were stabbed in this awful incident in Endeavour Hills, and their families. Endeavour Hills is just a short distance from my electorate of La Trobe, so it definitely impacts on my electorate.

I have a background in the Victoria Police. I left the Victoria Police back in 2004 as a senior sergeant in the counterterrorism unit, so I know the good fight these members and the entire law enforcement community are involved in—to serve to protect. The Victoria Police motto has always been 'Uphold the right'. They serve to protect the public, and that is what they were doing. It was a joint task force. They were protecting the public. That should never be forgotten. That is their role. They put their lives on the line every day—men and women across Australia—to protect the public. Overseas, our military personnel are endeavouring to make the world a safer place.

Also, I do have condolences for the youth who was involved in this awful situation and it took his life. And I congratulate moderate Muslims who have come out and stated that it is barbaric to support the fatwa which was directed against Australians, against the Prime Minister and against law enforcement officers in this country. Sadly, it appears that one young Australian listened to what was being said overseas. That is a tragedy on so many levels. Again, I feel so sorry for his family and friends.

Some people in my electorate believe that this is just hype by the government and also by the police—and that is even after the events which have sadly taken place. Look at what is happening around the world. We have at least 60 Australians who have decided to travel overseas to fight in a war for the so-called Islamic State terrorists across Iraq and Syria, and back home they are supported by another hundred. So 60 Australians have gone overseas. We already know a number have been killed, including in suicide bombings. So if they are prepared to go overseas and lose their life in the battle, that is what the law enforcement agencies are up against. If they are prepared to do that overseas, well, obviously, they can be prepared to lose their own lives here in Australia. There have been at least 20 Australian citizens who have returned to Australia from fighting with Islamic State terrorists. I call them 'terrorists'. That is what they are. They do the most barbaric acts to other human beings, including beheadings, as we have heard from other members in this chamber, and rapes. They are there to cause fear and that is what they are trying to do.

Sixty Australians have had their passports cancelled trying to go and fight with this group in Iraq and Syria. Cancelling their passports is the right action to take. They call themselves 'foreign fighters', but their actions are no more than getting involved in an organisation, if I can call the Islamic State terrorists that, to kill others and use every measure they can to take control of Syria and Iraq. And this fight will only spread.

We have had, in the past, potential attacks in Australia. Again, the joint task force and the law enforcement agencies right across Australia have done a fantastic job and they keep on doing that.

I would also like to acknowledge the opposition, in particular the opposition leader. I heard some great speeches before. There is bipartisan support for this. Everyone is working to make Australia a safer place. There are counterterrorism laws soon to be introduced. I will not go into detail because they are before the House. I have been a very strong advocate of changes for preventative detention, and that is something I will continue to support to give the police the tools that they need to fight terrorism.

There is another issue which I have raised in this House a number of times before, even at the time of my maiden speech in parliament in 2004. What concerns me is we do not have a national database to collect vital information. The CrimTrac database, a Commonwealth national database, used to store selective information including fingerprints, DNA, profiles, details of sex offenders and criminal histories. CrimTrac has been hampered by the failure of relevant authorities to allow the consolidation of data relating to explosives, chemical purchases and ammonium nitrate fertilisers, which are otherwise known as high-consequence dangerous goods.

The situation people need to be aware of is that the police, for example, would have already done a check on a person who is wishing to buy explosives, so we are not talking about breaching civil liberties. That information is stored within state departments and territories around this country, including those who are undertaking pilot training. As we saw in September 11, pilot training was used in terrorist attacks.

This information needs to be dragged out of the departments and made available to police, so that when they are looking at a person, a terror suspect, and do their broader searches on friends, relatives and associates—or they may have met with the person—they may find, especially if the person moves from state to state, that the person has been buying something in one state which they would not be aware of unless they have a national database such as CrimTrac. This could be the red flag to alert law enforcement agencies: 'Hang on, what's going on here? Someone's trying to buy something or get their hands on something potentially to harm Australians.'

I remember that in Jordan terrorists planned a plot where they endeavoured to get their hands on chemicals and used stolen vehicles, and also vehicles they got under false names, and their attack was intended to kill 100,000 people. So the terrorists have tried things before, and what we need to do is give credence to what has happened around the world. Again, my background at the counter-terrorism unit in Victoria was looking at research, looking at what was happening overseas, and also looking at the legislation. I have had strong concerns about the need for a national database for some time, and also the need to look at relevant state legislation of mandatory reporting of the loss and theft of high-consequence dangerous goods. At this stage I believe the only one listed on there is ammonium nitrate fertiliser. I believe that list this needs to be increased. Again, the police need this information, especially when things are hotting up. They need to make sure they have everything in their power.

I do acknowledge and congratulate the Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan. I have written to him raising my concerns about this—and, as I have said, I have raised this numerous times before. He is taking this very seriously, and the Prime Minister is too. They are awaiting advice to see how we can actually ensure we get an outcome to give law enforcement agencies all the tools they need to make Australia a safer place.

Finally, in closing, we heard other members say, and I totally agree, that it is a time to be calm in Australia. It is a time to have respect for other people's religions and beliefs. That is the best way to prove to others out there who want to harm Australians, who the extremists call infidels, that in actual fact we are a great country. We are a very respectful country. One in four Australians have been overseas. In the future, as in the past, we need to work together and put Australia and our beliefs first.

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