Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Eternal vigilance—that's the price of freedom. Australia is not immune from acts of terror. We only have to look at the Lindt Cafe siege on 15 December 2014, when Man Haron Monis took hostages for some 16 to 17 hours, resulting in his death and, sadly, those of two hostages, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson. Whilst this incident was determined to be a lone wolf attack, the 2002 Bali bombings certainly were not. On 12 October that year, 20 years ago, it was so tragic. Of course, the 11 September 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks were still fresh in our minds at that time.

A division having be en called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 10:34 to 10 : 49

A total of 202 people died in those Bali bombings, and a further 209 were injured. Eighty-eight Australians lost their lives. Three had links to the Riverina. They were Clint Thompson from Leeton and David Mavroudis from Wagga Wagga, whose family lived opposite our family home in Tatton—two of the six members of the Coogee Dolphins football club who perished—and Shane Walsh-Till, originally from Coolamon. I knew Shane very well—I played cricket with him—and, as I said, I knew the family of David very well.

Those who were left behind continue to be strangled by the evil tentacles of terrorism. They do not have the fortune to have a vague memory of a news article fading into obliviousness; they live with the cost of terrorism each and every day. We all want our freedom, and we're a lucky country, but that luck does not come by chance. We look at some of the atrocities being committed in other nations, and we should be grateful these are scenes which we do not experience generally in our own backyard. Nor do we ever want them to in future. If we do not continue to be vigilant to the threat of terrorism, our nation and our people will become more vulnerable.

As we know, the current terrorism threat environment continues to be highly relevant in considering, with this bill, all of the measures contained therein. Australia's national terrorism threat is said to be 'probable'. That is worrying. This means Australia's security agencies' credible intelligence assessment indicates individuals and groups have the intent and the capability to conduct a terrorist act in this country—to wreak havoc, to destroy, to maim and to kill. This bill provides for the continuity of important essential counterterrorism powers to keep Australians safe. After all, that is the first priority of government and of parliament: to protect its people and to preserve life.

Such powers are rarely used yet are key powers which are critical and essential, needed by our hardworking and highly professional intelligence and security agencies. May I just place on the record that they are the best of the best. We should be very proud of those people who occupy those very important positions. They ensure the adequate protection of Australia and our nation's security. All powers will continue to be under thorough safeguards and oversight, including by allowing the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security to again review the declared area offence, before their sunsetting date. This is important.

We need to uphold the sanctity of the people who protect us. We need to continue, particularly in relation to people who are civic leaders, to admire and protect what they represent and what they stand for. There is a senator in the other place, David Shoebridge, who says, 'There's a word for a group of people who routinely break the law: police.' I do not believe Senator David Shoebridge represents what most Australians think, and to hear him talking this morning about all matters integrity just defies logic.

We ought not delay this bill. It should be passed as soon as practicable, to give our police and all our protective, security and intelligence agencies all the help they need. We should never decry what our police and those agencies do in the name of freedom, in the name of democracy and in the name of keeping Australia and Australians safe. I commend the bill.

See this speech in context