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

Thank you, Senator Fawcett—through you, Mr President. I can tell honourable senators that the level of cooperation between American and Australian agencies on intelligence and national security matters, both bilaterally and through the Five Eyes group of nations, remains entirely unaffected by the change of administration in Washington. The level of our engagement between our agencies on counterterrorism, transnational crime and the wide range of other matters on which they work together is as close today as it has ever been.

During the meetings in which I participated, I was able to raise key national security matters including the current threat posed by ISIL both in the Middle East and in our region. We also discussed the broader national security environment in the region and beyond, and I was able to reaffirm the critical importance of continued engagement by the United States in our region.