Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is securing our recovery by building our national resilience through the national security measures in the budget?

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and recognise his very strong is interest in national security. Our government understands that a safer Australia means a stronger Australia. National security is essential to our economic recovery plan, and that's why we're investing over $2 billion in this budget to build a more secure Australia, a more resilient Australia. What this investment will do for us is, firstly, it will boost our national security. It will maintain our strong borders. It will improve emergency management. It will make our communities safer. It will help to protect our children from sexual exploitation. The record funding for our national security agencies means that we will be better equipped to combat the threats of terrorism, espionage and serious crime.

Our $1.3 billion investment to boost ASIO's capabilities goes further towards securing our sovereign interests and improving our ability to counter the threats that we face in an increasingly complex world. To help us with that challenge, we're also delivering $40 million to protect Australia's critical infrastructure. Importantly, we're also tackling cybercrime and ensuring that security and trust are built into the foundation of Australia's growing digital economy. In an increasingly digital world, the threat of cybercrime has serious implications, not only for our economy but for our way of life. That's why I have elevated cybersecurity to a priority. We will continue to roll out our Cyber Security Strategy in the coming weeks and months.

But, of course, it's not just the online world that poses threats to us. Our strong borders are more important now than ever before and that's why we're continuing to invest in Operation Sovereign Borders, providing an extra $7.7 million for the Australian Border Force to operate at international airports to disrupt threats before they even reach our border.

With the investment in this year's budget, every single Australian can be assured that our government is focusing on what really matters: keeping Australians, our borders and our economy safe.