Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

Today I rise to offer my support for our nation's involvement in helping to stop the barbaric genocide taking place in Iraq. I offer my unreserved support for Australia's efforts as part of an international coalition determined to stamp out the ISIL movement around the world. And I offer my unconditional support to the new security measures being put into place to prevent terrorist attacks on our own home soil.

Australia has a long and proud tradition of doing what we can to help at home and abroad to make a safer Australia and a safer world. ISIL is a barbaric terrorist force the world has never seen before in its history. It is well financed, well armed, committed and ideologically driven. ISIL is prepared to employ barbaric, brutal tactics to show its total disregard for human life. ISIL have beheaded innocent people. I ask: 'What sort of warrior hides behind a mask and beheads innocent people who have had their hands tied behind their back and been forced onto their knees?' That is not the action of a warrior in battle but the efforts of a coward. James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines and Herve Gourdel were all beheaded and their executions paraded over the internet—executions by cowards in masks who were not even brave enough to be known for what they have done.

ISIL are corrupting our young with their extremist views and their unjust, inhumane ways. In just the past two weeks we have seen a Melbourne teenager lose his life after attacking antiterrorism officers in the name of these cowards' cause, and another man, not much older, allegedly planning to behead an innocent bystander at Martin Place, one of Sydney's busiest public areas. He now faces the prospect of being behind bars for the rest of his life and, I say, deservedly so. This barbarism is not happening just here. It is global. We have recently learned that an innocent mother who spoke out against the group on Facebook has reportedly been beheaded for rejecting the Islamic faith. ISIL want to force their way of life on everyone.

We are beefing up Australia's security. This government is equipping our security agencies and border protection agencies with the resources and powers they need to detect terrorist activities at home and prevent radicalised foreign fighters from returning to Australia. More than $630 million has been provided to boost the counter-terrorism capacity of the Australian Federal Police, ASIO, ASIS, Customs and Border Protection and other agencies.

We are updating counter-terrorism legislation to strengthen agencies' capabilities to prevent and disrupt domestic security threats. Just last week we also saw the Senate beef up legislation to ensure our ASIO officers have the tools to take down any ISIL cells. The National Security Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2014 makes it easier for security agencies to access personal computers and identify Australians' overseas data, which aids terrorists' actions. The penalty for disclosing secret information was increased from a year to up to 10 years imprisonment, and those who expose an ASIO or ASIS officer may receive up to 10 years jail as well. We will systematically update counter-terrorism legislation to strengthen our agencies' capabilities to arrest, prosecute and jail returning foreign fighters, and prevent and disrupt domestic security threats.

We are working on reforms in the second of our three tranches of legislation to address gaps in our counter-terrorism legislative framework. This second tranche has been referred to a parliamentary committee for review and will be back before the parliament in the next sitting in October. On the third tranche of legislation, the government is continuing data retention discussions with telecommunications companies and internet service providers.

I support these additions to the laws as well. I am proud to provide total support to our men and women serving in this mission, and I extend that support to their families as well. I am proud to support our involvement in coalition efforts to stop the genocide ISIL is trying to carry out in Iraq. I am proud to support our involvement in the coalition efforts to stop the barbaric atrocities being carried out against innocent women and children.

A coalition of Western nations, now backed by three Islamic nations in the Middle East, is coming together to ensure that ISIL cannot continue to expand and hurt Australia and the rest of the world. We are now part of a world coalition effort to get rid of ISIL. Forty nations have now pledged their support to rid Iraq and the world of this terrorist organisation. The sooner these cowards are held to account, the better.

I was recently honoured to be at RAAF Base Williamtown with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence and the Leader of the Opposition to farewell the Hunter pilots and crew of No. 2 Squadron leaving for the Middle East. Australia has specifically said we would be prepared to support operations in Iraq with the consent of and at the invitation of the Iraqi government in a US led coalition intervention. We are prepared to provide a range of aircraft and prepared to provide special forces. We have now predeployed to the United Arab Emirates in the event that such a mission goes ahead. My colleague Julie Bishop recently stressed that our participation was at the invitation, and with the consent, of the Iraqi government battling ISIL. It is right for Australia to do what it can to support international efforts to prevent the spread of ISIL, to roll back its gains and to alleviate the suffering in the Middle East. Australians are fighting to get rid of ISIL.

As the Prime Minister detailed to the United Nations in New York, combating the threat of foreign fighters is an urgent, vital national security issue for Australia. Security and intelligence agencies are concerned about the increasing number of Australians working with, connected to or inspired by terrorist groups such as ISIL. The threat they pose has been increasing for more than a year. There are about 60 identified Australian citizens who, we believe, are fighting with ISIL in the Middle East, and at least 100 more back in Australia supporting this murderous, barbaric organisation. About 80 countries are believed to have foreign fighters leaving their shores to work with ISIL and to support ISIL. These radicals are not Australian. They do not represent who we are as a nation and what we believe in. They are but cowards. We can reassure Australians that their government is vigilant—vigilant at home, vigilant abroad—because the safety of the community is our highest priority.

We ask Australians how we can support this. It warmed my heart to hear the stories on talkback of Islamic religious leaders in Australia condemning the actions of ISIL, urging young Muslims not to fall for the propaganda and denouncing its evil ways. I ask ISIL supporters and sympathisers in Australia to look at themselves in the mirror and ask whether anything ISIL has done is making our world a better place. If they are Australian, they will condemn this movement for what it is—an evil one with world domination and power as its only motivations. The sooner these terrorists are held to account, the better this world be. I look forward to the Prime Minister and world leaders announcing the success of dismantling this evil force so that the world can again live in peace.

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