Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House the government's plan for a safer and more secure Australia?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Boothby for her question and her resolute support—like all members on this side of the House—for ensuring that we keep Australians safe and secure. Whether it's on our borders, whether it's in our defence forces, whether it's protecting women in our community—wherever it is, this government, this side of the House, will always be voting for measures that support and strengthen Australia and that strengthen our national security.

We have a plan that has been working to make Australia stronger. I outlined that plan again this week at the National Press Club and I table that plan that takes Australia forward to keep Australians safe and secure into the future. And it's a plan that's working, because the first responsibility of any Australian government is to keep Australians safe and secure, and our government is discharging that duty of responsibility. What we saw in this chamber yesterday was the leader of the Labor Party fail to discharge his responsibilities for national security and protecting our borders in this country. So there is a clear contrast, but the contrast goes wide when it comes to national security. Our plan is to recapitalise our defence forces to get us back from the shameful position which saw defence spending as a share of our economy fall to pre-Second World War levels under the Labor Party. Our plan is to protect our borders, not weaken them as the Labor Party voted to do yesterday in this chamber. Our plan is to disrupt and deny terrorists, and, under the great work done by our security agencies, 14 terrorist attacks—

Ms Butler interjecting—

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

The member for Griffith!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

were disrupted under the national security arrangements put in place by our government. Our plan is to keep women safe by continuing—I acknowledge the bipartisan work—to ensure that we move to the Fourth Action Plan to deal with domestic violence. Just this week, there were further announcements to keep women safe in their homes from the threat of domestic violence.

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting—

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

The member for Eden-Monaro!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our plan is to protect children from predators online and in the streets, and the child exploitation unit that has been put in place by the Minister for Home Affairs demonstrates a commitment to that task and a conviction that is shared by all members on this side of the House. It is our plan to throw criminals out of this country when they commit crimes when they're on visas, and we have done that on 4,150 and more occasions. The Labor Party did less in six years than we did in the last year alone, as they let bikies, criminals, rapists and others stay in the country because they simply don't have the mettle to make the decisions to protect Australia and keep Australians safe. You have to have a strong economy to deliver all this, but, above all, you've got to have the ticker and the leadership to deliver it—something that the leader of the Labor Party does not possess.