Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, the Australian Federal Police were withdrawn from Hobart Airport in 2014, even though the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack forewarned us of the vulnerability of attacks at second-tier airports. Moreover, your government concedes, especially after Manchester, that home-grown terrorists and soft targets are pressing concerns right now. In other words, the risk is not diminished for non-international airports. Prime Minister, now that you have increased the AFP's budget by over half a billion dollars, will you urgently remedy this alarming situation and reinstate the AFP's presence at Hobart Airport, or will your government continue to treat Tasmanians as second-class citizens?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. The Office of Transport Security is responsible for the categorisation of security at controlled airports and it determined, as the honourable member said, in 2014 that the threat environment did not require the presence of AFP officers there. That risk assessment was based on the advice of the AFP and the intelligence agencies. I have spoken today again to Deputy Commissioner National Security of the Australian Federal Police and he has advised me that the risk profile has not changed. Tasmania Police provide community policing and crime prevention support at the airport in the same way that police provide services at other Australian airports.

The AFP has a presence in Tasmania and works seamlessly with Tasmania Police and all of our law enforcement and national security agencies. Those men and women are in the front line, keeping us safe. They put their lives on the line. They are the best in the world. On Monday, we saw in Queensland the tragic murder of Senior Constable Brett Forte—a police officer who, like too many before him, lost his life in the line of duty. Our condolences and our love go to his wife, his children, his family and his colleagues.

The threat of Islamist terrorism, the threat of this extremist violence, is here at home and it is right around the world. We saw last night a young 12-year-old Australian girl killed by a terrorist attack, an ISIL attack, in Baghdad. She was visiting Baghdad with her family during Ramadan to see her grandfather—another innocent killed by this violent terrorist movement that is gnawing away, seeking to destroy and pervert and blaspheme one of the great religions of the world. Our police officers and our intelligence agencies are on the front line of keeping us safe in that battle.

Our allies, our best collaborators, are our Muslim leaders both at home and abroad, like President Widodo in Indonesia, who remind us, and say repeatedly, that they stand for an Islam that is moderate, that is tolerant, that is democratic. That is their commitment. They are our best allies in this battle. But at the forefront stand those police officers and those intelligence agencies. We have given them, and are giving them, more support both in law, in legislation, and in resources than ever before, and we will continue to do so to keep all Australians and all Tasmanians safe.

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

I appreciate that the member for Denison had risen on a point of order. It was as the clock ran down to zero. But, given the nature of the topic, I allowed the Prime Minister to conclude. The Leader of the Opposition on indulgence.

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

On indulgence, I wish to associate the opposition with the remarks the Prime Minister made about the tragic loss of our Queensland Police member but also the death which we heard about overnight of a 12-year-old school girl from Melbourne. I have been in touch with Samir Kafaji. He is the president of the Iraqi Council of Victoria. Zynab's family had been here for about 20 years. They were refugees. They came out of Iraq to Saudi Arabia to a camp and then as refugees to Australia. Zynab was 12. She was born in Australia. It is devastating news.

This happened at the end of day of fasting at Ramadan. Zynab, her mother and her uncle had gone to visit grandparents in Baghdad. The father was breaking his own fast late yesterday in Melbourne when he got a phone call which no parent could ever imagine receiving. He has now made his way to Baghdad. Our thoughts are also with her two brothers. Her mother was wounded, but not too seriously. The uncle has been wounded more seriously.

Samir was able to inform me that little Zynab was very active in her faith community. She would work hard to clean the mosque and prepare the food. I have also spoken to the principal of Sirius College, where she attended school, Halid Serdar Takimoglu. Obviously, like all parliamentarians, I asked the obvious question: 'How are all the other kids coping?' He said, 'It's quite devastating. The school has put counselling in place.' It really leaves one to conclude: how do we explain to other 12 year olds that their friend will not be getting off the plane back from Iraq? How do we explain to our young this tragic death? It is not a conversation any of us want to ever have. So I too want to applaud the AFP, because they do their very best to stop us having to have that conversation.

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

The member for Denison.

Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I do wish to acknowledge the terrible tragedies in Queensland and in Baghdad, but, in the public interest, I want to impress upon the Prime Minister that, in this difficult environment that we are in, we do have a capital city airport with no permanent police presence.

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

No; Member for Denison. I appreciate his passion on the subject, but he gets 45 seconds to ask his question and the Prime Minister has answered it. He did rise on a point of order, as I said, as the clock ran down to zero. We cannot have a rule in this place where members have more than one question—okay?—unless the call is alternating. The member for Dawson has the call.