Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Justice. I refer the minister to the tragic terror attack in London today. I feel an attack on London is an attack on us. Minister, what actions have the government taken to continue to protect Australians from terrorist attacks of this kind here?

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

I thank the member for McMillan for that question. I join with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in condemning these horrific attacks that we saw in Westminster overnight, or this morning, Australian time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people and the government of the United Kingdom.

Australians should be reassured, as the Prime Minister has said, that their security is this government's highest priority. Since we raised the terror threat alert level to 'probable' in September 2014, we have successfully disrupted 12 terrorist attacks on Australian soil. Sixty-two people have been charged, as a result of 27 counterterrorism operations. This is a direct result of the resources that we have put into our policing and intelligence community and the extra powers that we have given them to deal with the way that this terrorist threat has evolved. We have invested $1½ billion in our law enforcement capabilities and our intelligence community and to enhance screening at our borders. We have passed eight tranches of legislation to counter terrorism and to enhance our national security.

Specifically we have given our agencies powers to modernise the way they collect intelligence—and information is absolutely key in the battle, considering the way this threat has evolved. We have strengthened the control order regime, which allows us to regulate the behaviour of people of national security concern. We have reduced the arrest threshold, the threshold at which our police can take action, so they can stop things from happening before they occur. And, most recently, we have instituted a regime of post-sentence preventative detention. So, if you are a terrorist, you have gone to prison and you have served your sentence but you have not rehabilitated, we will continue to detain you if you present a threat to Australia's national security.

We have also, Mr Speaker, as you are very well aware, spent time and resources making sure that this place, the Australian Parliament House, remains safe—$114 million for the Australian Federal Police presence here, which gives them significantly increased capability, including the presence now of long-arm rifles, explosives dogs, bomb dogs, a bomb response and a protection liaison capability. We have also spent $126 million on upgrading the physical security around Parliament House, and I congratulate you and the President for your stewardship of those changes through the parliament.

Very importantly, we have invested $180 million to directly protect the Australian Federal Police who protect us. Every single sworn officer now has a stab-proof vest, and the rest of that money makes sure that their institutions and buildings around the country are protected. And I am sure I do not need to remind members that two of the four terrorist attacks we have had in Australia have directly been on members of our law enforcement community. We will continue to do everything that is required to protect the Australian people from this terrorist menace, and it does remain the most important focus of this government.