George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I am very sorry to say that, as we witnessed the week before last, people below the age of 16 are capable of being inspired by the surrogates and agents of Islamist terrorism to commit terrorist crimes. It was a shocking, shocking event, but what it demonstrates is that people below the age of 16 are susceptible. From time to time, I have had to sign warrants under the ASIO Act in relation to people as young as 14. I have had to do that on more than one occasion. That is the reason. This is a process, I might say, that has been mediated through the COAG working group on Australia's counter-terrorism laws, comprising both coalition and Labor governments, who have arrived at a view in relation to the appropriate minimum age for control orders.

Rather than characterising this in a rather rhetorical fashion, Senator, as a gross invasion of liberty, do you know how many Commonwealth control orders have been issued in the 11 years since those provisions were included in the Commonwealth Criminal Code in 2004?