Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Attorney-General. Would the Attorney-General inform the House what the government is doing to improve domestic security arrangements?

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Dobell for returning to the budget, because, since the tragedy of the twin towers attacks of 2001, the Australian government has reviewed and improved every aspect of our national security arrangements. But we must never become complacent or assume that the task is complete. In other words, we should not allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security. Last night’s budget continues to build upon our comprehensive record in this regard. The key initiatives funded in the budget include a fulfilment of our five-year strategic plan for ASIO, building the organisation to an unprecedented level of staffing and enabling it to explore unexpected and emerging sources of threat as well as existing sources of concern. It also includes boosting the Australian Customs Service, as part of our determination to protect Australia’s northern borders for security and fisheries purposes. It increases the intelligence and surveillance capability of the Australian Federal Police. It continues our commitment to hosting a safe and secure APEC meeting in 2007, and there is also the roll-out of the National Document Verification Service and the establishment of three new ID security strike teams to further protect the identity of Australian citizens.

These and other budget measures are a further reinforcement of the government’s first priority, which is keeping Australia safe. It is a measure of our commitment to the safety and the security of the Australian people, which is one of our primary human rights obligations.