Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank all members for their contributions to the debate on this very important bill, the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020. Protecting the community from terrorist threats is and will continue to be one of this government's highest priorities. With a number of convicted terrorist offenders due to complete their custodial sentences of imprisonment in the next five years, the need for effective risk management measures to keep our community safe is obviously greater than ever. This bill will therefore be an important addition to the government's response to protect the community and, of course, to protect Australians from the threat of terrorism. The extended supervision orders will complement and add to the existing tools available to manage high-risk terrorist offenders at the end of their custodial sentence.

This bill will also ensure that law enforcement agencies have access to appropriate warrants to monitor an offender's compliance with these orders while they are in the community. It will also ensure that sensitive national security information is protected when it is necessary to rely on that information when applying for an extended supervision order.

I would particularly like to thank all of my colleagues on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, as well as senators, for their detailed consideration of this bill. I also want to thank colleagues across the parliament for recognising the need for these important changes. Again, the bill reflects the government's ongoing commitment to protecting Australians from the threat of terrorists and ensuring that our law enforcement and security agencies have all the powers they need to respond to the evolving threat of terrorism.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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