Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Molan for his question, and I acknowledge his past service in keeping Australia safe and secure and his ongoing efforts in that regard. As colleagues would know, we have had the telecommunications intercept powers in this country for almost 40 years. When they were first legislated, we had just one telco that had recently changed its name from the PMG to Telecom. There were no mobile phones in Australia, and the World Wide Web was still a decade from being invented. A lot has changed. The number of telcos, connected devices and even forms of communication have grown exponentially. Our laws haven't kept pace with technological innovation. In fact, if we don't act, we will be giving serious criminals a place to hide, whether they be drug dealers, terrorists, paedophiles or others who seek to cause harm.

It is concerning when our agencies advise that, in the last 12 months alone, we've had 200 operations investigating very serious offences, where the penalties are seven years or more, where the current legislative framework has thwarted or inhibited their ability to collect the evidence we need to prosecute and disrupt serious criminal and national security threats. The legislation that the Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security released for public consultation last week is designed to address these issues. Public consultation is important. We're willing to take the time to listen to make sure that we get this right. This government does have a proven track record of balancing individual freedoms alongside the safety and security of Australians, and this is the next step in that regard.