David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

  I rise to speak on the condolence motion related to the tragic events at Martin Place in December. We like to think of Sydney as a global city, but we also like to think of it as a little removed from some of the darker problems of the globe. The Martin Place siege has challenged that idea of distance—something that is very important to the psychology of Sydney and to our nation more generally. We knew that the world had changed, but we wanted to believe that our city had not. On that day we knew that we were no longer immune.

So many Sydneysiders had a personal connection to the siege, myself included, and this horrible event hit our city very hard. The night after the siege I found myself wanting to do something to convey my feelings for the victims and the other hostages. So I drove into the city to pay my respects. It was about 10 o'clock by the time I arrived. There were hundreds of people lining up to leave a tribute: silent, pensive, utterly respectful. In its own way, it was beautiful. I have never seen anything like it, and I hope I will never see anything like it again.

Terrorism is called what it is because of the chilling effect it aims to have on good people. We cannot pretend that the Martin Place siege did not have such an effect in Sydney on that awful day. But we also know that the quiet, determined, united response of Sydneysiders is a far more powerful force than anything that evil can muster.

In defending against terrorism, government policy sometimes comes into conflict with the more stringent requirements of civil liberties. Sometimes the steps needed to clamp down on terror are difficult, and involve some constraints on our freedoms. This is the key tension point in government's response to this awful phenomenon. While there is always room for debate on these matters, erring on the side of community protection is, in my view, always the right response.

Two innocent people died at Martin Place. Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson died because of the unspeakable, evil act of one man. We must never forget them. It is impossible to understand what their families have gone through. Nothing can convey the depth of their pain or our inadequacy in relieving it.

We are merely politicians. Our response is inevitably confined to the practical tasks of government. This is inadequate, but it is all that we can do. Sydneysiders responded to the Martin Place siege with a silent dignity that will never be forgotten. Here, we should respond by rededicating ourselves to the task of protecting our community from those who would seek to commit acts of evil against us.

See this speech in context