Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism. Will the minister update the House on action taken by the government to ensure that the Australian Federal Police have the necessary capabilities to tackle emerging threats such as serious and organised crime and terrorism? Are there any alternatives to this approach?

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

Can I thank the member for that question and his interest in the national security of our country. No government has been more dedicated to the capability and resourcing of the Australian Federal Police than this one. We have invested $1½ billion to combat terrorism, $116 million for the National Anti-Gangs Squad, $128 million for the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce and $180 million for the physical protection of the Australian Federal Police, the officers who protect us. And yesterday, on top of this funding, we announced a $321.4 million increase in the AFP's domestic capability. This represents the single largest funding for the AFP's domestic capability within the past decade, and it represents our unwavering commitment to fighting crime and protecting Australia's national security.

We know that the criminal threats facing Australia are becoming more complex, and the Australian Federal Police require specialist capability and specialist personnel to effectively respond. This funding that we announced yesterday will provide an extra 100 intelligence experts, over 100 tactical response and covert surveillance specialists and almost 100 forensics specialists to advance our fight against crime and terrorism. Specifically, this will equip the AFP with specialist response capabilities, including negotiators, tactical response officers, bomb squad technicians and canine resources capable of detecting drugs, cash and explosives. It will also equip the AFP with extra covert, physical and technical capabilities, which include surveillance teams, online investigators, online operations members and police technical functions. Finally, it will give them extra forensics and intelligence capabilities, including digital forensics, crime scene investigators, firearms specialists, biometric experts, forensic intelligence analysts and operational intelligence professionals. This will allow the Australian Federal Police to fast-track criminal investigations, lock up criminals sooner and target specific crime types including terrorism and the organised criminal gangs that peddle the misery of drugs.

I have been asked by the member about alternative policies. This record investment that we announced yesterday is in stark contrast to the six years of the Labor government between 2007 and 2013. During that time, they systematically stripped funding, capability and personnel from our law enforcement community. Let me just go through the record. From the Australian Federal Police, a quarter of a billion dollars and almost 100 personnel were cut, and $22 million was cut from the Australian Crime Commission and a third slashed from their personnel. Only the coalition government protects Australia's national security. Only the coalition government funds the Australian Federal Police— (Time expired)

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Justice. Last year, your government cut over $430 million from the Australian Federal Police. It is in your budget papers. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that he will restore $320 million of these cuts. So isn't it actually the case that, despite the Prime Minister's so-called funding boost, the Australian Federal Police will be over $110 million worse off?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left! Members will cease interjecting.

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

I thank the shadow Minister for Justice for giving me an opportunity to go through again the record investment in the Australian Federal Police we announced yesterday—the largest single investment in our domestic capability since the Howard government. I am very happy to go through the record of this side of the House compared to the shameful record of Labor when they were in office. They constantly returned to slashing our national security community, budget after budget.

Let me go through it; I am very happy to go through it again. There is $1½ billion to enhance our counterterrorism capability, funding agencies such as the Australian Federal Police, our intelligence community and the other agencies that make up our law enforcement community. There is $128 million for the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce. This goes after people perpetrating serious fraud against the Commonwealth and involving themselves in complex foreign bribery cases overseas. There is $116 million for the National Anti-Gangs Squad, which sends the Australian Federal Police out to sit side by side with their state and territory policing colleagues in a way that has never been done by any government in Australian history. There is $25 million to expand the AFP's National Forensics Rapid Lab. This gives them the ability to detect large drug importations coming into the country. There is $21 million to extend the trade union royal commission task force, going after corrupt union officials. There is $15 million to support the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Centre. There is $180 million to give Australian Federal Police officers the personal physical protection they need in an environment where they are targets for terrorists.

Again, I am happy to contrast our record with the record of the Labor Party when they were in government. Labor's cuts to federal law enforcement left Australians vulnerable. That is why we saw things like the importation of 220 Glock pistols.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Justice will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance, Mr Speaker. The question compares a $430 million cut with a $320 million announcement, which asks: doesn't that mean that the AFP is still $110 million worse off?

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House! I am actually trying to hear the point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has referred to many things in his portfolio but not that, which is in fact the question.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will just make the point as clearly as I can. The minister is addressing the question of the funding components, which are part of it. Certainly, it was a more specific question—there is no doubt about that. I am listening to the minister carefully and he has a minute to go. I do point out to the Manager of Opposition Business that he cannot compel, in the last line of a question, the minister to answer it a certain way. I am listening and he is on the policy topic. He will need to start to bring himself to that particular part of the question or wind up his answer. I point out to all ministers that it is not compulsory to go for the whole three minutes.

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

Mr Speaker, I can give you a preview: I will be using my next minute to go through the record of this side of the House versus the record of the other side of the House because their record was completely shameful.

The premise of this question is complete and utter fantasy. What has happened since we arrived in office in 2013? We have consistently provided the Australian Federal Police and all the other law enforcement agencies we have responsibility for with the funding they need to do this job. Unfortunately, the opposition has a very limited understanding of the budget process. I am happy to provide the shadow Minister for Justice with a briefing. What I will explain to her is that the budget process happens over a period of four years. This shadow minister has a record. When we announce new funding for the Australian Federal Police—say, if I were to announce $100 million for the Australian Federal Police starting next year—she will subsequently put out a media release saying we are cutting the Australian Federal Police budget by $100 million in four years time. This is the level of understanding that is had by the shadow minister over there. The Australian Federal Police has never been better off than it is at the moment.