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

I am disappointed that there was laughter from the Labor Party. The government actually takes the threat of terrorism seriously, particularly a few weeks after we foiled an attempt to bring down an aircraft that would have killed hundreds of Australians.

The advice from our agencies is that more than 750 South-East Asian foreign fighters are currently fighting with or otherwise engaged with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. That includes around 110 Australians. Over the past three years this government has enacted comprehensive laws to discourage Australians from fighting in overseas conflicts. While we expect only a very small number of Australian foreign fighters will seek to return home, we anticipate a far greater number of experienced terrorist fighters from former ISIL-controlled territories in Syria and Iraq will return to the wider South-East Asian region.

The recent developments in the southern Philippines—in particular the current conflict between Philippine security forces and ISIL-aligned militants in the city of Marawi in Mindanao—have only increased those concerns. ISIL has exploited the fighting in Marawi as a call to arms. Foreign fighters from Indonesia and the Middle East are reported to have been active in Marawi fighting against Philippines security forces. Only last week, ISIL released a propaganda video of Australian-accented extremist Abu Adam al-Australi urging fighters to join the conflict in Mindanao.

We are supporting the Philippines military in Marawi by supplying two P-3 Orion aircraft for surveillance assistance. The government is also providing humanitarian assistance, building capacity among our partners and supporting an enhanced counterterrorism legal framework in our region. The Australian government will continue, with our regional partners, to assist the Philippines to confront this challenge.