Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The inspiration for all of this is the Daesh death cult, the Islamist death cult in the Middle East, which is enjoining those who have fallen under its evil spell to take an unbeliever anywhere they find them and to kill them. That is the inspiration for this. We have seen this evil inspiration at work in the frenzied attack on policemen in Victoria. We have seen this evil inspiration at work in the Martin Place atrocity. And fully half, our security agencies believe, of those Australians fighting with the death cult in the Middle East are dual nationals.

I have a very clear message: if you are a dual citizen and you become involved in terrorism overseas, you will lose your citizenship of Australia. Britain strips terrorists of their citizenship; Canada strips terrorists of their citizenship; France strips terrorists of their citizenship; and we should also. Again I remind people of the pledge that every citizen makes to this country. It is to this country of ours 'whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey'.

It is not enough to say it; people have to mean it. It is not enough to mean it once; you have to mean it always. You have to live it. People fighting with these terrorist groups overseas have declared war on Australia. Anyone fighting for the death cult has forfeited his or her right to be considered an Australian. This is the least we can expect of our fellow Australians: not to fight against our country and its values.

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