Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to offer my condolences, on behalf the electorate of Swan and the Western Australian people, to the families of Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, and all the others who were involved in the siege that day. As you would know, many Western Australia families had to deal with the atrocities and suffering that came from terrorist acts of the Bali bombings on two occasions. I rise to pass on their best wishes and condolences to the families.

I, like many other Australians, awoke on 16 December to witness one of the worst events of inhuman behaviour ever seen in Australia—an atrocity that each day people wittingly, or perhaps sometimes inadvertently, invent new ways to unleash on our fellow man: murder. To simply call what took place at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney's Martin Place murder does not, however, begin to describe the horror and the destruction of that day. It is not a strong enough word to describe how evil a person is who would hold people against their will for 16 hours, resulting in the death of an innocent man and woman who did nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

While Australians have not been sheltered in our history from the brutalities of war, I believe all members in this place would agree that we as a nation have been relatively sheltered from the atrocities of terrorism. Terrorism is something that happens in other countries and to other people, even though Australians have been victims of terrorism overseas. That is the Australian mindset. It is what we told ourselves when 9/11 happened—and the London bombings, the Boston Marathon bombing and, closer to home, the Bali bombings—for, although we lost Australians that day, we placated ourselves in the knowledge that this act of terror did not occur on home soil and we as Australians were not the specific target.

On 16 December the face of terrorism could not have been harsher, more heart wrenching, more tragic or more of a reality check for all Australians. No Australian expects to wake up to such acts of terror on our home soil as we witnessed that day, particularly by someone who was accepted into our country and into our communities, to share all the prospects that our great nation offers each and that every one of us shares. That reality and its associated threat of home-grown terrorism is what made that fateful day even more frightening. On 16 December, it is true, Australia was rocked to its core, but our spirits were not broken, and nor will they be. Instead, the people of our nation joined together and stood united against all those who seek to do us harm, and we will do so into the future.

While 15 hostages of the Martin Place siege survived this horrendous ordeal, through their own courage to escape or through police officers' efforts to remove them from the cafe, there are two people who were not able to return to their loved ones. Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson are names this country will never forget. They will be remembered in each of our hearts for the courage they had in the face of insurmountable danger and for the lives they touched while they were with us.

Yes, our nation has been rocked, but many eyes have also been opened to the very real threat that we face in Australia from terrorism, not just abroad but here on our doorstep. Terrorism is a threat that seeks to destroy every one of us because of our unwavering belief in freedom, our belief in democracy and our belief in the right of every individual to live as they choose within the laws of this country. I do, however, highlight that this threat is not from Islam, the Muslim religion, as has too often been crassly publicised. The Muslim religion is one that preaches peace, in the same manner as Christianity and all other religions. No—this threat is from a group of radicals and extremists who are trying to spread their barbarism and their messages of hate and violence as far as they can, and the Sydney siege has shown us all that Australia is not immune. They have stolen the good name of Islam to pursue their fanatical terrorism.

We watch our televisions and we hear and see that 148 children were massacred by Taliban extremists during a raid on a Pakistan school on the same day as the Sydney siege, or we hear that more than 185 people, including women and children, were kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters in the north-east of Nigeria. We as a country do not accept or condone atrocities like that and what happened here—quite the opposite. We revile them and condemn them. But we also separate ourselves as Australians from such savagery. Now our hearts and our minds are open. When we think of terrorism, we will think of the 15 hostages who survived the Martin Place siege, and we will think of Katrina and Tori. But I also hope that we will think of the thousands of people who have been massacred and kidnapped by extremists this year and last year, let alone the thousands in years prior to that.

This is the reason we as a nation are doing everything we can to stop ISIL and to stop anyone who seeks to aid or join them here in Australia. As Australians, we have a responsibility and a duty to do whatever we can to prevent another attack like the Sydney siege, and to stop the slaughter of men, women and children in places such as Iraq and Syria which is happening not just every month or week but every day. This government, with the support of the opposition, has committed and will continue to commit Australian resources to achieve this, so that every Australian can continue to go about their normal lives with the knowledge and understanding that their government and police and intelligence services are doing everything they can to protect the safety of all Australian communities.

I commend all the volunteers who assisted in the collection of the tens of thousands of floral tributes and messages that were laid at Martin Place for Katrina and Tori and I commend the New South Wales Premier, Mike Baird, for his efforts in ensuring that all tributes were preserved until an appropriate memorial could be created. As I have said, this government is currently doing, and will continue to do, everything in its power to do prevent terrorism in Australia. As members know, this government has also implemented key legislation to strengthen Australia's national security by ensuring that our security agencies have the resources and authority they need to investigate suspected terrorist operations and the reasonable means to prevent acts of terrorism on home soil.

Western countries around the world are being faced with terrorism. We all stood shell-shocked as we watched the three-day reign of terror unfold in Paris last month, but it is what people around the world witnessed during and after those atrocities that depicts the core of our Western values and our need to protect them. We believe in peace, freedom of religion and generosity to our fellow man. Those are values that we should all be proud of. On 11 January we saw over 3.5 million people, including more than 40 world leaders, walk in a unity rally through Paris streets and across France to mourn the victims, to defend their freedom of expression and to stand united against the Islamic State. Hundreds of people in Sydney also joined the rally in Martin Place to express their own defiance against all those who seek to destroy our way of life and our values, and to pay respects to Katrina, to Tori and to each of the 17 victims of the Paris massacre. The message was clear that day and remains just as strong: we will not be defeated and we will not let these barbaric terrorists change who we are or what we stand for. We will stand united for Tori and Katrina and we will stand united for the thousands of people who have fallen victim to terrorism around the world.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of those thousands of people, and in particular to the loved ones of Tori, including his parents, Ken and Rosemary, his siblings, Radha and James, and his partner, Thomas. It also goes out to Katrina's husband, Paul, her children, Oliver, Sasha and Chloe, her parents, Sandy and Jane, and her brother, Angus. I know that many people have been touched by Katrina and Tori's personalities and lives and that they would have had a ripple effect across everyone they touched. As I said, on behalf of all Western Australians, I submit our condolences to the families. To Katrina and Tori: you will be remembered forever.

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