Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of the Prime Minister's national security statement, and I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his update on Australia's security situation. I note with regret that never before have Australians been in such a position of heightened awareness concerning our security. I also note that the Prime Minister and cabinet have worked hard to keep Australians well-informed as the government navigates the tricky waters of formulating an effective response to the threats before us. I note that this has been a journey of bipartisan support, which only serves to strengthen the effectiveness of our response. Most of all, I emphatically want to remind us all to consider these words by the Prime Minister in the opening of his national security statement last week:

Because protecting our people is the first duty of government …

With all of the security discourse Australians are becoming accustomed to, we must never lose sight of the importance behind these words. The imperative to keep Australians safe is the driving force behind the tranche of new legislation being introduced and debated before parliament, and the driving force behind our need to reconsider the whys and the hows of what makes Australia a secure nation.

It is not unique to Australia that we would seek as a priority a safe and secure nation. Indeed, it remains the high politics, the priority, of functional governments all over the world to provide a safe haven for their citizens. This is evident in the international nature of our response to the common threat of terrorism, as like-minded nations come together and we all try to counter it. In particular, I commend the government's commitment to the international coalition deployed against ISIL.

It is really clear to me that the battle is fought on many levels—domestically, internationally and in the minds of those who are so easily influenced for evil intent. Of course, terrorism is not a new concept, but certainly the threat to both Australians and our allies has grown markedly in recent times. I believe that this has been the case not only as result of recent events in Iraq and Syria but also since the tragic events of September 11, over 13 years ago. Recent events have brought it home to us in all too stark and blunt terms that the fight against terrorism is not something that happens on the other side of the world. It is happening right here and now. It is not a remote activity. It is not a nine-to-five undertaking. It requires our constant vigilance to keep our nation safe.

I note that in his statement the Prime Minister reminded us that September 11 predated the United States' involvement in Iraq, just as the first Bali bombing in 2002 predated Australia's. We have not invited attack on our soil or foreign soil by any action of our own. Rather, in the Prime Minister's own words, we were attacked for 'who we are and how we live'. I know that many who are Australians by birth or who have come here by choice have no desire to relinquish and have no intention of relinquishing the wonderful privileges and the wonderful freedoms that are intrinsic to our identity, to all of us, and that make us Australians.

Sadly, the events of the last few months have signalled just how pervasive and repugnant the battle for minds and control by violent extremists who are behind these terrorism related attacks can be. At least 60 Australians have joined ISIL and other terrorist groups to fight in Iraq and Syria. They are presenting not only security threats overseas but also very real ones here in Australia. At least 100 known Australians are supporting them. Over 20 of these foreign fighters have returned to Australia. They bring with them that terrible hate. We know that nothing can justify the mass slaughter of innocent people that we have seen as a result of terrorist activities in Iraq and Syria, which are overwhelmingly targeting Muslims.

The government has made clear over recent weeks that there is nothing even remotely Islamic about beheadings, crucifixions, mass executions, ethnic cleansing, rape and sexual slavery. ISIL is not Islam. ISIL is a barbaric sham. It is a sham masquerading behind Islam, committing barbaric atrocities in the name of Islam, seeking to put the people of the world against one another in a fake holy war. I commend the Prime Minister for giving no recognition or authority to so-called Islamic State in his national security statement. The title implies an explicit link between Islam and terrorists that we, as official representatives of the Australian public, emphatically refute.

We have already had the information we need to know that hatred from radical terrorist groups directed towards Australia represents a very real threat, not just to our values but also to Australian lives in Australia. We have heard a call to kill 'kaffirs' on our soil and have witnessed the regrettable death of a young radicalised man in Victoria following the unprovoked attack on our police. We also know that police have made arrests. They have foiled definitive plans for violent terrorist action. We have seen the recent raids in Brisbane and in Sydney.

When we refer to a safe haven, it is important that we recognise that it is a responsibility of effective governments to respond not only to events, often—unfortunately—when it is too late, but to threats before they materialise. I therefore support the raft of legislation being brought to the parliament to strengthen the intelligence gathering of our agencies, allowing them to respond to evolving security needs and to crack down on foreign fighters and those who finance them.

I echo the sentiments of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition when they thanked our police and security agencies for their wonderful work in disrupting any ISIL plot to conduct demonstration executions in Australia. I welcome the Australian government's commitment to an additional $630 million to support the work of the Australian Federal Police, Customs, Border Protection, ASIO, ASIS and the Office of National Assessments. This will include new measures such as the introduction of biometric screening in international airports over the next 12 months and an increase in Border Force personnel and measures which will strengthen our essential security infrastructure from the ground up.

Acknowledging the technological connectivity in today's world, and the use of this medium by terrorists, I commend the Prime Minister's announcement that legislation will be introduced to require telecommunication providers to keep metadata and to make it available to police and security agencies as needed. I am also pleased to say that the majority of Australians continue to be law-abiding, responsible and peaceful citizens. They are unlikely to be impacted by these legislated amendments. The main change for everyday Australians, outside the increased visibility of security in warranted circumstances, is that they can enjoy living in a safer, more secure and more vigilant nation.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister's national security statement and those that have followed it make it absolutely clear that the Abbott government has a strong sense of its responsibility to protect all Australians to the best of our ability and as a priority. Let us be absolutely clear: the Abbott government will leave no stone unturned in strengthening our capacity to do so. Nevertheless, any security measures are not, and will not, be directed against any religion or sector of the Australian community. They are solely directed against the one and only threat that they seek to counter, and that is terrorism. Australia should, with the secure foundations that this government is putting in place, remain a country where people can live normally, with a sense of trust, hope and optimism.

See this speech in context