Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present a report of the committee, Review of the re-listing of Hizballah’s External Security Organisation, and move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

This organisation is also known as the Islamic Jihad Organisation, Hezbollah International or by the acronym ESO. The ESO was originally listed in 2003. In 2005, the committee reviewed the relisting and reported to parliament in September. This review is of the second relisting. On 7 May 2007, the Attorney-General advised the committee that he had decided to relist Hezbollah’s ESO as a terrorist organisation for the purposes of section 102.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. The regulation was tabled in the House of Representatives on 29 May 2007 and in the Senate on 12 June 2007.

The committee advertised the inquiry in the Australian on 5 June 2007. Notice of the inquiry was also placed on the committee’s website. Two submissions were received from the public. The committee wrote to all premiers and chief ministers inviting submissions. No submissions were received from the states or territories. Representatives of the Attorney-General’s Department, ASIO and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade attended a private hearing on the listings.

The committee heard from ASIO that the ESO maintains its capacity to undertake significant terrorist attacks. The ESO has a global reach which has been detected in countries around the world, it has mounted international terrorist attacks and there is no reason to believe the organisation has relinquished this worldwide capability. In view of this, the committee will not recommend to the parliament that the regulation be disallowed. I commend the report to the Senate.

Question agreed to.