Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ten days ago, Curtis Cheng was murdered in a shocking act of terrorism made all the more appalling because the killer was a 15-year-old boy. Curtis was a loving father and husband, for 17 years an accountant for the New South Wales Police Service. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Selina, with his children, Alpha and Zilvia, and with his family, friends and colleagues.

These awful events of 2 October are a stark reminder that our police services and those who work with them put their lives on the line every day. We honour the courage of the special constables who moved swiftly to ensure the murderer did not kill anyone else. Our safety, and indeed our democracy, depend on the vigilance, courage and professionalism of our police and security agencies, just as it depends on the courage and professionalism of our armed forces, a distinguished member of which has joined our ranks today as the member for Canning.

This phenomenon of terrorism, of violent extremism, of politically and religiously motivated violence, is a challenge for all societies. Last week I discussed how best to meet and beat these threats with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. Last night I conveyed our nation's condolences to the Turkish Prime Minister on the shocking terrorist attack in Ankara on the weekend.

We are working closely with our colleagues in the states and territories on this. Premier Mike Baird and I have been in constant touch on this issue over the last 10 days. Security agency and counter-terrorism heads from around the country will convene this week in Canberra. Our determination to prevent and/or punish those who carry out or plan acts of terrorism will be resolute and unrelenting. Everything we say on this issue is carefully calculated to make our community safer. Everything we do is designed to ensure that our police and our security services at every level of government are better able to do their job.

The fact that this atrocity in Parramatta was perpetrated by a 15-year-old boy reminds us that the question of how the young are radicalised, and what more we can do to stop this happening, must be a first order priority for all of us, for every one of us—governments, law enforcement agencies, parents, teachers, civic leaders and ministers of religion. This incident underlines the importance of families and communities and their leaders as our first line of defence. They are the people who will see the early signs that young people are headed down the path to extremism, and they are our absolutely necessary partners in the battle against violent extremism.

That is why it is critical that all of us understand that those who try to tag all Muslims with responsibility for the crimes of a tiny minority and convert that into a general hatred of all Muslims are undermining our national interest. They are making the work of the police, security services and governments seeking to prevent violent extremism that much harder. They make the work of parents and community leaders who seek to prevent violent extremism that much harder.

I have been heartened, as we all have, in the past week to see leading figures in the Muslim community speaking up against extremism and calling it out for what it is: undermining the harmony of the Australian family and undermining the most successful multicultural society in the world. The mutual respect that is the foundation of our success is a two-way street. Every religion, every faith, every moral doctrine understands the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

We should never give fanatics the satisfaction of changing the way we live or the way we express ourselves. We uphold the fundamental values of our open, liberal democracy. Australians can have confidence in our democratic system of government and the rule of law. We will continue to respond to these threats as the fair, just and peace loving people we are. We will support the work of all our security and law enforcement agencies. United, our Australian family will defy and defeat those who challenge our security, whoever they are and wherever they may be.

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

I offer Labor's condolences to the family and friends of Curtis Cheng, a decent, gentle family man and a respected and well-liked colleague. On his way home from work, he was gunned down from behind in a murderous act of senseless hatred. Two Fridays ago, as Australia prepared for a weekend devoted to sport and celebrations, Curtis Cheng's family and his colleagues were jolted into mourning. Just as in the past 48 hours, we have been shocked and saddened by the terrible scenes in Ankara: the bodies of so many lying where they fell, covered in flags stained by blood—the chilling images. They prove that all forms of terrorism share the same two objectives: killing innocent people and spreading fear.

In particular, I am sure these incidents today strike a chord with Australians who recall with sadness that on this day, 12 October 2002, 88 of our own were among over 200 people killed by a bomb blast in Bali. A century after our citizens first clashed in a war that did so much to shape our modern identity, Australia and Turkey share a special relationship. Earlier today, I spoke with the Turkish ambassador-designate to convey our sympathies and to say that we stand in solidarity with our friends, condemning this act of murder that targeted supporters of peace.

This is a testing time for the world and for Australia. At least 100 are dead in the worst attacked on civilians in the Republic of Turkey's history and, in Western Sydney, a man was killed by a person who we would all think of as a child: a 15-year-old boy. As a father, I cannot imagine the grief, guilt and horror of your child, the one you love, choosing to end their own life by murdering an innocent man who he did not even know. Truly, it is beyond any parent's comprehension. He is the second teenager in two years to die outside an Australian police station seeking to kill.

Australians, though, can and should have full confidence in our security agencies. Their bravery, skill and professionalism are the equal of any in the world. Attacks on our people are thankfully rare because of their vigilance. I place on record our commendation of the quick thinking action and courage of the special constables of the New South Wales Police Force. But keeping our nation safe is a job for all of us together. We all want these threats to stop. We all want to work for prevention rather than investigation. This means cooperating with community leaders, religious leaders, grassroots organisations, parents and mentors to build cohesion. We must give young people less reason to feel unwanted. We should not ostracise those at risk or push them to the margins.

I welcome and support the Prime Minister's call for mutual respect. There can never be enough of that. There can never be enough respect shown to the laws and values of our nation by an extremist fringe, there can never be enough respect shown to the right of all Australians to live in safety by those determined to do as harm and there can never be enough respect shown for multicultural Australia by a prejudiced view. Australia will not defeat the challenge of extremism by allowing majorities to vilify minorities.

We will not overcome those who seek to divide us or put fear in our hearts if we face them as a nation fearful and divided. We are a nation made great by migration. We do not just tolerate diversity; we celebrated it. Whatever god we worship and whatever flag we were born under, we share a common loyalty to each other. Our faith and our heritage should always be a platform we build upon and not a cave to retreat into. This is a test that Australia faces. If we are divided, we cannot succeed. If we stand together, we cannot fail.