Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government is ensuring our intelligence and law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to counter the threat of terrorism and keep all Australians safe?

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

I thank the member for her question and acknowledge the great leadership that she shows every day in her electorate of Moncrieff. Our government has always maintained that the virus is not the only challenge to our safety and our security in a very rapidly changing world. Unfortunately, the events that we've seen unfold in Afghanistan, including the evil, calculated terrorist attack, are a reminder that terrorism remains a very real and evolving threat to our communities, to our safety and to our way of life here in Australia. This is a problem that we simply cannot be complacent about, and this government is certainly not complacent about our national security. In September 2014 the national terrorism threat was raised to probable, and it remains at that level. Since that time there have been 139 people who have been charged as a result of 67 counterterrorism operations around Australia, and there are currently 34 people before the courts for terrorism related offences. This is not a threat that has gone away—in fact, it's quite the opposite. Our government is working very closely with our international partners, particularly our Five Eyes partners, because we are very much aware of the threat that terrorism poses to our nation.

Law enforcement and national security continue to be particularly important to us, and we continue to pursue a range of options. Firstly, we do so with legislation, and there was some legislation that passed the House last week. I thank the opposition for supporting that legislation and its passage through the House and through the Senate. We also have legislation before the parliament that deals with the management of high-risk terrorist offenders. This is something, as I've said, that the government take particularly seriously, and this has been demonstrated by the $1.3 billion that we have provided to ASIO, our leading agency in national security and intelligence matters. They are now well equipped, from a resource point of view, with $1.3 billion to make sure that they continue the work they do, particularly looking at intelligence threats and terrorism issues, and they will continue to do that. I think it's fair to say that this government certainly understands national security. We understand the risk that is posed by terrorist organisations to the Australian way of life, and we will continue to do everything that we possibly can to counter those terrible, terrible events.