Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recent terrorist attacks all over the world have rightly concerned many members of my local community. The tragic events that we have seen in Manchester, Jakarta, Stockholm and Nice have shown that terrorists will not restrict their attacks to the largest Western capitals. There is, it would seem, no corner of the globe that these terrorists do not consider a target. Though we must not surrender to irrational fear, it is a fact that regional communities, like mine on the Sunshine Coast, are at some risk, just like our capital cities are.

I understand that Australia's national terrorism threat is currently set at 'probable'. This means that our security agencies have credible evidence that individuals or groups have the intent and the capability to commit a terrorist attack in Australia. Indeed, tragically, since that threat level was set in September 2014 we have seen four such terrible attacks. The 2014 Lindt Cafe siege has rightly received a great deal of attention in recent days, but we must also remember the stabbing of two police officers in Endeavour Hills in that same year and of a man in Minto in 2016. We should also remember the brutal murder of Curtis Cheng in 2015, who was an innocent public servant killed outside his workplace.

These attacks, along with those in Nice, Paris and Manchester, among others, show us that, although these terrorists prefer to target government institutions and famous landmarks, they are more than willing to make indiscriminate attacks on ordinary people as they go about their daily lives. Any large crowd, any place where people congregate, has become a potential target for an attack. The main threat that faces Australia is exactly that kind of attack from individuals or small groups.

These so-called lone wolf attacks use simple and widely available tools to commit their violence, things like knives and cars that we all use every day. With these simple tools, with a simple plan and no need for coordination with others, these attacks can be difficult to detect and disrupt. Until the attack begins, a terrorist planning such an attack may not do anything of any great concern to authorities or give any clear signal that they mean to commit us harm.

The recent Manchester bombing has shown us that large-scale coordinated and complex attacks remain a real possibility. These coordinated attacks require particular knowledge and skills. Sadly, however, these skills can be all too readily acquired. They cannot act alone and they cannot pick up the required abilities in the ordinary course of life. These acts of terror are more difficult to plan, but the impact of a large-scale, coordinated attack on multiple targets is devastating. They must be avoided. That is why I believe our continued resolute involvement in coalition efforts in Iraq and Syria must be maintained. We must deal with these larger-scale attacks at their source.

People I have spoken to in my electorate tell me they are particularly concerned about the threat posed by Australian individuals who have chosen to travel to Syria and Iraq to fight with jihadist groups. Around 200 Australians have made this ill-judged, foolish and unlawful journey. I understand that as many as 76 Australians may already have been killed. My constituents are concerned that those who remain will pose a serious threat if they returned to this country. Unfortunately, the twisted and violent ideology of groups like Islamic State and al-Qaeda continues to appeal to a small number of people within our borders. Worse, these groups use the internet and social media to target our young and most vulnerable. In Australia we are seeing ever younger people being radicalised by this evil internet propaganda, and we are seeing that process increase in speed and intensity.

The threats from terrorism are varied and complex. Extremists seek to frighten and divide us just as much as they seek to cause us physical harm. Our first and most important line of defence is a passionate commitment to upholding our shared values. However, people in Fisher have told me that they expect to see our defence forces, security agencies and border protection agencies receive everything they need to protect our community and our shared Australian values. Our first priority must be to keep Australians safe. I therefore ask the minister: what is the Australian government doing to keep Australia and Australians safe from the risk of terrorism?

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