Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is good enough for America but not good enough for us—that is effectively what the minister is saying. But that does not surprise me. It is good enough for us to go into Iraq with America but not good enough to take the protective measures that the Americans take to have a coordinated department of homeland security. Is the minister saying that he does not care about the security of Australians, like the Americans did when they pumped huge resources into one coordinated department? Or are we going to have to have a September 11, Minister—is that what you are asking for?—before we actually implement a policy that has been implemented by one of our major allies? Interestingly, some of the European countries are looking at the same sorts of models. Are you saying, Minister—because I want to put this out in a local press release—that you do not think we need a department of homeland security, unlike the Americans?

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