Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, I come from Townsville, the site of Australia's largest Army base. Will the Prime Minister update the House on the progress in strengthening Australia's national security laws?

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

I do thank the member for his question and I do acknowledge the thousands of defence personnel and defence families that he represents.

I can assure the member who asked the question that the safety of the community is the first duty of government. As members opposite and as all members of this parliament know, there are about 70 Australians known to be fighting with terrorist groups in the Middle East. There are at least 100 Australians known to be supporting them with recruitment and funding. Some 70 Australian passports have been cancelled, to stop terrorists and potential terrorists from travelling.

As we have discovered, to our cost, the ISIL death cult has declared war against the world, including Australia. We saw the attacks on two policemen in Victoria, we have seen the murders of two soldiers in Canada and we have seen the attack on policemen in New York.

What we are seeing every day are new exhortations on the internet, urging fanatics to murder everyone and anyone who acts or thinks differently from them. This is the challenge that we face. In response, Australian aircraft are engaged in air strikes on ISIL targets in Iraq, because national security and international security in these times are indivisible. We have boosted funding for our security agencies by $630 million over the forward estimates period.

This government is passing laws to make it easier to arrest and jail terrorists returning from overseas, to monitor potential terrorists here in Australia and to stop the preachers of hate from corrupting our youth. These are very important laws, and I can inform the House that earlier today, in the Senate, the foreign fighters bill did pass that House. I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the constructive support that he has given to the government on this matter. On questions of national security, it is always best if government and opposition can stand shoulder to shoulder. As always, I stress that the government will do everything we humanly can to keep our people safe. All our measures are directed at terrorism and not religion; and the Australian people should lead normal lives, because the terrorists' goal is to scare us from being ourselves.