Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Highlighting the importance of the issue and following on from my colleague the member for Reid, my question is to the Minister for Justice, the Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Counter-Terrorism. Will the minister advise the House as to what steps the government is taking to ensure the integrity of our cybersecurity systems?

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lyons for that important question. The release of information that we have seen reported today from the so-called Islamic State Hacking Division is of great concern to the government, and our world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working with their international partners to investigate. I am advised that there is no evidence to suggest that this disclosure is as a result of any compromise of systems that are based here in Australia, and our security agencies are not aware of any specific threats to the eight individuals whose information has been compromised.

The safety and security of Australians is this government's first priority and we take these claims very seriously. The government recognises the full range of cyberthreats that we face and we are taking action to address them. We are partnering with industry in the coming months to develop a range of robust measures that tackle cyberthreats and increase security across Australia's networks, be they public or private. These initiatives will be announced in the coming months when the government releases the new Cyber Security Strategy, as has been foreshadowed by the foreign minister, which will improve our defences against cyberthreats.

The claims of hacking are a reminder that the threat from ISIL is real. Australians are being groomed by extremists here in Australia and also online in an effort to radicalise and recruit our young people in particular. Around 120 Australians have already been groomed to go and fight alongside these terror organisations in Syria and Iraq. So this government's efforts to disrupt, degrade and very importantly to ultimately destroy ISIL are more important than ever.

The government's Countering Violent Extremism Program is a key part of this and it is already underway. We have invested $40 million, which is three times the investment made by the previous government, in major initiatives that turn people away from violent extremism and stop them moving down the very dark path of radicalisation. This includes $22 million, which we have allocated specifically in this year's budget, to counter online extremism and to challenge terrorist propaganda by providing better messages out there for those who might be seeking information online.

We are already working very effectively with social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Google, and working very effectively with government agencies, such as the Australian Communications and Media Authority, to tear down online extremist propaganda. We will continue to do all that we can to work with the private sector and with communities, particularly vulnerable communities, to take all possible steps that stop our fellow citizens being radicalised and stop anyone in Australia being of harm to others in the community.