Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's announcement to media outlets this morning that tonight's budget will include a further $450 million for spy agencies, taking the total of the coalition's anti-terror spending announcements to over $1 billion. My question is: why is only a minuscule proportion of this money, $35.4 million, 3.2 per cent, going to something that will actually make us safer—that is, community cohesion programs?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think I can understand why the Greens in the reshuffle moved Senator Wright a little bit further backwards. If there is one duty of a national government, it is to protect its borders from external aggression, and then to protect its citizenry from the sorts of activities to which the senator referred—and that is terrorism. I make no apology for this government being absolutely committed to protecting its citizens and residents from terrorism and terrorist attacks. The best way to do that, with great respect, is to ensure that the law enforcement agencies have the capacity to protect us—laws against which the Greens continually vote. Why? I do not know.

In relation to social cohesion, of course everybody wants social cohesion. We all support social cohesion, but what we do not support are those people that deliberately embark on a course to ensure, in effect, the downfall of our society, and that is what some of these people, unfortunately, are dedicated to. And Senator Cameron is laughing. Well, the death cult of Daesh—

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yeah, laughing at you! I'm laughing at you.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The death cult of Daesh—

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

Serious people take this seriously—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a frontbencher of Mr Shorten's. This is the Labor Party attitude on such a serious issue.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We show bipartisanship on this. Settle down.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong interjects and says, 'We show bipartisanship on this.' Then let your frontbench show it by their actions. Their actions speak so much louder than their words.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock!

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, I understand you were speaking to the Clerk, Mr President, but I was on my feet for a while, and Senator Abetz was not addressing the question. He was addressing the Labor Party, a totally separate issue to the question that was being asked.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Whish-Wilson. I think even the minister has acknowledged that. Minister, have you concluded your answer?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I have, and the time has run out too.

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I will not stoop to personal comments—I do not need to do that—but I will ask: why is it that, when almost all counter-terror experts are recommending greater investment in deradicalisation programs, the government is directing almost every national security dollar away from community programs to prevent young people from being radicalised in the first place?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When it comes to personal comments, I would just invite Senator Wright to have a look at the comments of her Deputy Leader Ludlam in relation to the Prime Minister. So, before you seek to take any high moral ground, I suggest you deal with your own deputy leader.

Having said that, can I say that this government is absolutely committed to seeing every possible element of the government's resources being used in an effective manner to ensure the deradicalisation or, indeed, prevent the radicalisation. Of course, rather than deradicalising somebody, we would prefer they were never radicalised at all. So that is where we all in this place have an important responsibility, and part of that important responsibility is to say, without any equivocation, that IS and Daesh—the death cult—are an untold evil. (Time expired)

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister clarify why the Prime Minister continues to use the term 'death cult' even though experts say it is counter-productive, ineffective and does some of the terror groups' marketing for them? Is it because your government is more concerned—

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Just a moment, Senator Wright. On my right!

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is it because your government is more concerned with polling data than actually making Australians safer?

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis! You will have to withdraw that.

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

I withdraw.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We make no apologies for calling these evil elements a death cult, because when you line up Christians and behead them—on video—when you rape women and say, 'That's okay' because they are of a different religion—and then kill them—you know what? That is a death cult. And I do not think any Australian would disagree with the use of that terminology. So now, all of a sudden, people who engage in this behaviour should no longer be called murderers—they are murderers. We will call them murderers. And we will not rest as a government until such time as our population and the world population is safe from this evil death cult.