Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is keeping Australians safe by delivering on its commitment to protect Australians from terrorism and unprecedented levels of foreign espionage? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to say thank you very much to the member for Ryan for his support of our national security agencies. Frankly, the government was very proud of the speech Mike Burgess made last night. I am very proud of the work ASIO does on a daily basis to keep Australians safe. I'm very proud of the work the Australian Federal Police and the other agencies of the Home Affairs portfolio do, day and night, to make sure they can defeat the scourge of terrorism and foreign interference as it is conducted in our country.

As the Director-General of Security pointed out last night, we are facing an unprecedented level of threat in terms of terrorist cells and people who would conduct themselves in the dark art of foreign interference. We know young people now are influenced online, that young minds are indoctrinated in a matter of days or weeks, and that we have had a record number of people who have gone to fight in the Middle East. Those people have come back to Australia, and we have seen a high level of activity here since that time.

We want to make sure ASIO are well resourced, and we've provided them with record resourcing. We want to make sure that they have the requisite ability, through legislation, to deal with those people who would seek to conduct a terrorist attack on our shores and also those foreign state actors who would seek to interfere with democratic processes on our university campuses or in businesses et cetera.

It was a very stark reminder—and I think all Australians now have heard the message—that Australia is not immune from a terrorist attack. Like any Western democracy, whether it's the United Kingdom, the United States, France or anywhere in the world where we've seen these people act out, there is the capacity for these people. Whether they're on the right wing, the left wing or anywhere in between, it doesn't matter. The fact is that we will deal with that threat and we will make sure that—

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's funny that the Labor Party should interject, because they cut money from ASIO. On 19 occasions when we've introduced legislation to support ASIO and the Federal Police, they have opposed it or have sought to water it down; and when they were in government they cut money from ASIO. Don't take a lecture from the Labor Party. They want the public to believe that there is no difference between the Labor Party and the coalition when it comes to border protection and national security. They are weak on both. We know that the previous Leader of the Opposition was particularly weak when it came to border protection, but this guy, with his glass jaw, takes the cake. Watch him in question time. He has a glass jaw and he demonstrates it every day.