David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Again, Senator, I thank you for raising that. These are very important issues. We do support them. We do support those matters as our terrorist laws convey similar powers and authorities. When you have an urgent security requirement, the police—in this instance, the Queensland police and the Australian Federal Police—must have the confidence that the authority flowing from this legislation gives to them to immediately arrest, and I mean that in a general sense, the risk of harm to our special VIP visitors.

We do not undertake these matters lightly. These matters have been through a whole host of scrutinies at a federal and, indeed, parliamentary level, with the Scrutiny of Bills Committee reviewing all of these very closely. I believe they are satisfactory laws and, given that they will end on 18 November, I think they are satisfactory. (Time expired)