Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House of the importance of his visit to New York for a meeting with the United Nations Security Council?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Later this week, I will be in New York for discussions at the United Nations Security Council on the issue of foreign fighters. The meeting in question has been convened by President Obama, who estimates that there are now some 15,000 foreign fighters operating with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

As I have previously told the House, there are at least 60 Australians that we know of who are currently fighting with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq such as ISIL. There are at least 100 Australians that we know of who are supporting terrorist groups such as ISIL. More than 20 Australians are estimated to have already returned from fighting with groups such as ISIL and more than 60 Australians have had their passports cancelled, on security advice, to prevent them from travelling to the Middle East to join terrorist groups such as ISIL.

I want to make it absolutely crystal clear, again, that fighting with a terrorist group is a serious crime under Australian law. The point I make to people is that, if you fight with a terrorist group and if you seek to return to this country, as far as this government is concerned you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be jailed for a very long time indeed. Legislation is before this parliament this week to make it easier to deal with this problem of returning foreign fighters. Again, I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition and I thank the shadow Attorney-General for their constructive support and broad bipartisanship on this particular issue.

This is a global problem. There are many hundreds of British citizens fighting with terrorist groups in the Middle East. There are hundreds of French citizens. There are hundreds and hundreds of people from south-east Asia who are fighting with these terrorist groups in the Middle East. These are people who have been radicalised and brutalised and could become potential terrorists in their home countries. This problem needs to be tackled both here and abroad, and that is why Australia stands ready to join an international coalition to disrupt and degrade ISIL's operations inside Iraq to remove this magnet for potential terrorists from around the world. I stress, as always, this government will do whatever we humanly can to keep Australians safe. Everything we do at home and abroad is directed against terrorism not religion, and I urge Australians to go about their normal lives because the whole point of terrorism is to prevent us from being ourselves.