Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on the counter-terrorism operation in Sydney yesterday and the government's efforts to keep the community safe in my electorate of Reid and right around Australia?

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

I am grateful for that question from the member for Reid. I appreciate his concerns. I appreciate the concerns of all members of this House to keep our community safe. I regret to say that this country has already had two brushes with terrorism: there was the attack on police officers in Victoria in September and then we had the terrorist incident in Martin Place in December. We could easily have had a third but for strong action by New South Wales Police and the joint counter-terrorist team yesterday.

Yesterday two people were arrested and charged for acts in preparation of a terrorist offence. Police found a large ISIL or Daesh flag, a machete, a hunting knife and a video recording of one suspect kneeling in front of the ISIL flag with the two knives whilst making a statement in Arabic. Police acted because they assessed that a terrorist attack was imminent. This was an imminent attack in Australia inspired by the ISIL or Daesh death cult.

It is absolutely imperative that we support our police and security agencies, and I thank them. I am sure that every member of the House would wish to thank them for their constant vigilance, their commitment and their professionalism, as demonstrated yet again just in these last 24 hours. This is a serious problem, and I fear it will get worse before it gets better. As we have seen again and again in recent times, the death cult is reaching out all around the world, including here in Australia, and, regrettably, there are people in this country who are susceptible to these incitements to extremism and even terrorism.

We know that some 90 Australians are currently fighting with the death cult in Syria and Iraq, and we think that about 20 Australians have been killed. About 20, we believe, have returned to Australia, and about 140 are actively supporting the death cult here onshore. Some 65 passports have been cancelled in the last year alone. The threat is real, but the government will act with greater funding for our agencies and with appropriate laws that will keep our country and our citizens as safe as they can humanly be.