Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the far-right terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, when an Australian man killed 51 innocent Muslims. On 9 December 2020, following the publication of the New Zealand royal commission report, I asked you, Minister, whether the Prime Minister had read the report and how the government intended to respond to it. You gave me a commitment that the government would examine the report thoroughly—all 44 of its recommendations—engage with the New Zealand government on how it is implementing the recommendations and consider any and all implications for the operation of our own counterterrorism policies and practices. More than three months have past. Has the Prime Minister read the report? Have the government spoken with their New Zealand counterparts about it? And when will the Australian government respond to the report?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The very important work that Senator Faruqi identifies in terms of the response to right-wing extremism and to extremism in all its forms where it poses a threat to the safety or social cohesion of Australia is an ongoing piece of work that our government has taken seriously for many years and continues to take very seriously, including in relation to learning the lessons from the tragic Christchurch massacre and learning from the elements of the New Zealand report and investigations that are relevant to Australia. Our government agencies, in relation to their responses and the advice that they will provide as to what further or additional steps need to be taken in Australia, will absolutely draw upon that work, as we draw upon all expert evidence in relation to such important matters.

Just in the last budget, our government provided a further $571 million over the next five years to our security agencies to keep Australians safe. These are the security agencies that Senator Faruqi rightly quotes in terms of having identified areas of rise in right-wing extremism that we need to confront, as well as having identified other areas of extremism that we need to confront. Of these agencies, ASIO in particular has the highest level of funding in its 70-year history. In this year's budget, our government has invested, and continues to invest, some $300 million to enhance the AFP's capacity to respond to emerging threats. There's no place in our community for any group or individual who seeks to promote disharmony.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Birmingham, we have Senator Faruqi on a point of order.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is to relevance. I asked specifically about the New Zealand royal commission report. Has the Prime Minister read it and when will the government respond?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was definitely the final part of your question, Senator Faruqi. It was a long question, and I've allowed you to remind the minister of that. The minister has 14 seconds remaining.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The New Zealand report was not a report to the Australian government, but it is valued input in terms of an additional source of information that will inform the continued investment and policymaking our government makes in relation to these important issues.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, a supplementary question?

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, government MPs have repeatedly sought to draw false equivalence between right-wing and left-wing extremism. In its recent submission to the PJCIS inquiry into extremism, ASIO stated that the threat from extreme right-wing groups has increased, with groups being more organised and sophisticated than before. Conversely, on left-wing extremism ASIO stated that it is not currently prominent in Australia. Will government MPs stop drawing false equivalence between extreme right-wing and left-wing groups? (Time expired)

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The laws, policy, funding and operation of our security agencies are ideologically agnostic. Whether extremism is right-wing extremism, whether it is religiously motivated extremism or whatever the cause of such extremism, we focus very clearly on dealing with those threats—dealing with the potential criminality and dealing with the risks to Australia. Prevention and initiatives that are supported across the country in terms of tackling areas of extremist ideology—

Senator Keneally interjecting—

I'll take Senator Keneally's interjection. The ideology matters in relation to dealing with the threats and seeking to minimise them, but there's not a singular ideology which poses a threat to Australia. If you sit down and ask our security agencies they will tell you that, Senator Keneally. The threats of religious extremism and the threats of right-wing extremism remain very real, very significant and have— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, a final supplementary question?

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, will the government condemn far-right extremism without equivocation—yes or no?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have done before in this chamber, I condemn right-wing extremism, without any qualification. I condemn religious extremism, without any qualification. I condemn all forms of extremism that pose threat or violence, or which undermine safety, without any form of qualification.

I acknowledge absolutely the work of ASIO, as I have done in this chamber before. And it is as a result of the record funding, investment and legislative approaches that this government has put in place that agencies like ASIO have been in a position to identify those threats and to work to respond to those threats. And we will continue to support them, without any qualification and without any bias towards the threats that oppose Australia, to make sure that they are empowered to continue to do so.