Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of Australia and this House as the Minister for Home Affairs, to send my deepest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and constituents of Sir David Amess MP—member of parliament of the United Kingdom, dedicated lawmaker, husband, father. His tragic murder last Friday, in what UK authorities have described as an act of terrorism, shocked all decent people. The murder of an elected official is a despicable crime and was doubly so in this case as it occurred while Sir David was in the very act of meeting with his constituents. As a person who enjoys meeting and listening to my own constituents, I felt genuine shock, grief and sadness on hearing the news. As the minister with responsibility for Australia's policing and law enforcement agencies, I wish the investigators in the UK well as they seek to establish before a court of law what happened and why, and ultimately seek justice for the tragic and cowardly act.

I would say to my fellow members on both sides of this House, and further afield in the UK, do not let this attack deter you from your important work in the communities that we serve. Terrorists seek to create fear and division in our communities. Their ultimate aim is to destroy the ties that bind us together as a nation. There is no greater refutation of their ideology, nor proof of their impotence, than the free, open and transparent debate that occurs in this place. Speaking with constituents, hearing their concerns and bringing those here to give them voice in this House: this is a privilege we must not shy from. So too is the act of passing legislation through a parliament elected by the Australian people and reflective of their diversity a direct challenge to terrorist ideologies. It's also emblematic of our adherence to the rule of law, a concept alien to terrorists who kill indiscriminately. Make no mistake: this was an attack on Sir David, but it was also an attack on democracy and on all of us who value the fundamental importance of representative government and its democratic institutions. For that reason, we must be clear-eyed that terrorism is a real and enduring threat.

Here, in Australia, the national terrorism threat level remains at 'probable', where it has been since 2014. ASIO assesses lone actor attacks, as occurred in this instance, as the most likely form of terrorism we will experience in Australia. Such lone actor acts can be motivated by a range of hateful ideology. That's why this government is committed to addressing the full spectrum of extremist threats regardless of political, religious, social, cultural or issue-specific ideology. It's a commitment we take seriously.

Since September 2014, 143 people have been charged as a result of 70 counterterrorism related operations around Australia. There have been nine attacks and 21 major counterterrorism disruption operations, and I commend our operational agencies for each and every one of those disruptions. But this House has an important role to play too, providing our agencies with the powers they need to keep us safe. To that end, I note that earlier today the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020 was debated in the House. This bill is an important piece of counterterrorism legislation. It will create a new extended supervision order scheme to assist law enforcement agencies to keep Australians safe when high-risk terrorist offenders are released into the community after serving their sentences. Further, later this week, I will chair a forum of Australia's police and law enforcement ministers to discuss the threat of terrorism and to ensure we are all taking the steps needed to protect Australians from harm.

I thank Sir David for his nearly 40 years of service to public life and wish his family, friends, colleagues and constituents the best as they continue to grapple with the fallout from this abhorrent attack. He would no doubt be proud to know that his murder will not deter us from our important work: meeting with and listening to our constituents, representing our communities and settling political issues through discourse and debate. His legacy will be our continued determination to the principles of democracy and freedom.

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