Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Justice. Will the minister inform the House of the importance of metadata to the detection and disruption of terrorist networks?

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hughes for that important question. He, I think, like most members of this House, would be fully aware that the security situation in Australia has deteriorated significantly in the past 12 months in response to international events, in particular in the Middle East.

In the past six months alone in Australia we have had 20 people arrested and charged as a result of six counterterrorism operations. That is fully one-third of all terrorism related arrests that have been made in Australia since 2001 in the last six months alone.

We need to support our law enforcement and security agencies in the difficult work that they need to do to keep the Australian community safe. In almost all of their counterterrorism investigations they utilise metadata—92 per cent of all security related investigations utilise metadata. And for the first time in our history we have had the Director-General of ASIO raise the national terrorism alert to high, which means that an attack is likely. Unfortunately, that is going to continue to be the case for some time. And it is incumbent upon this parliament to provide our agencies with the tools they need to do the job of keeping us safe.

Now, it is not just in the realm of national security where metadata is used by our law enforcement agencies. Every serious criminal investigation utilises metadata, whether that be terrorism related, gang related, a murder, a rape or a kidnapping; the police require access to metadata to do their job. And I think it is not well understood how successful our agencies actually have been in keeping the Australian people safe since 2001. We had a stark reminder in November 2005, when police disrupted a mass casualty attack which was planned on the MCG on grand final day. They could only have conducted the disruption of what was going to be a very serious attack because they could utilise metadata. Indeed, because they could access that metadata they intercepted a covert phone network between the people who wanted to perpetrate this crime. They were using it to conceal their activities—activities that involved them contacting one another and contacting people to get the ammunition and chemicals they needed to carry out this attack.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Apparently members on the other side think that is rather amusing—I think that is very sad.

This data is collected routinely and it will continue to be collected routinely regardless of whether this legislation passes the parliament. All we are asking for is certainty for our law enforcement and intelligence community so that we give them the tools that they need—the modern tools they need—to conduct their investigations. These people keep us safe and it is incumbent upon this parliament to make sure that they can continue to do their job.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the recent stream of leaks against the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that the Attorney-General warned the Prime Minister that the Prime Minister's partisan approach was 'playing with fire' on important national security matters? Can the Prime Minister also confirm that this is yet another leak from his dysfunctional cabinet?

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

I seem to recall that on numerous occasions in this parliament I have paid tribute to the Leader of the Opposition for being bipartisan!

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you!

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

'Thank you,' he says! Well, obviously by virtue of asking this question he does not want bipartisanship on national security matters! Really and truly! I have gone out of my way. This government has gone out of its way to include the opposition with the briefings on national security matters and with briefings on Australian Defence Force matters.

Mr Husic interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Chifley!

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

We have gone out of our way to include the opposition in this. We really have, because I know that members opposite do not want to be irresponsible on this. I have always believed that if there is one subject on which members of the Labor Party wanted to the patriots, it was national security.

To his credit, I think the Leader of the Opposition—

Mr Husic interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Chifley is warned!

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

does want to be an Australian first and a party politician second when it comes to national security, but not today. Not this day! Not this day does he want to be worthy of the alternative Prime Ministership of his country.

I will continue to look for as much bipartisanship as possible with members opposite. But if they are going to play politics with it they will rightly forfeit the trust and respect of the Australian people.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Rankin is warned!