Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the motion of the member for Cowen. I was listening to the member for Holt, and this is a conversation that we do need to have. As he said, we need to make sure we are not a reactionary government or country. We are a proactive country in the face of terrorism that not only faces the rest of the world but will face Australia eventually on our home turf.

Australians have been faced with the threat of terrorism throughout our history, most recently through our alliance with the United States following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and, closer to home, when 202 people, including 88 Australians, were killed in the 2002 Bali bombings. Today we face a different type of terrorism threat, and for many Australians it strikes at the heart of our morals and our ability and willingness to defend our country and the laws we have in place to prosecute those who take up arms or support known terrorists.

It has been highly publicised that the jihadist movement is not just in countries such as Iraq and Syria; it is also here on Australia's doorstep. Approximately 150 Australians are known to be actively involved with this terrorist movement. This includes those who are directly involved in fighting in the war in Syria and in northern Iraq and who have returned to Australia after participating in warfare or are aiding those who seek to travel to these countries for the purpose of taking up arms.

As those in this place would know, the Howard government legislated to make it an offence to participate in overseas terrorist activity when it was revealed that a number of Australian citizens had been involved with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Abbott government has responded swiftly to this latest terrorism threat by cancelling the passports of individuals who are assessed to pose a threat to our national security. The intent of the motion before this place today seeks to update these laws and send a message to those who seek to threaten Australia's way of life that the Australian government and its people will not tolerate their hatred or their violence. In order to combat this global threat, we cannot afford to close our eyes and hope that it goes away. We need to take significant steps to prosecute or prevent these terrorists, who have no respect for our laws, from returning to Australia. I join with my colleagues the members for Cowan and Higgins and the opposition bench to urge the government to amend the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to allow the revocation of the status of citizens for those who take up arms, provide material support for military or extremist causes or provide financial support for such causes except where such action is at the direction of the government of Australia.

I am aware the Attorney-General has held briefings with Australian Islamic community leaders and has indicated that new laws will be introduced with regard to security agency powers and aspects of the Telecommunications Interception Act 1979. After discussions with the Australian Islamic College Executive Principal, Abdullah Khan—one of its campuses is based in my electorate of Swan—I am aware that concerns have been raised amongst the Islamic community regarding these so-called 'home-grown terrorists'. I am pleased to inform this place that, like many other Islamic community leaders, Mr Khan has stated that he would support any initiative by the government to prevent these people from coming back to Australia. Although he cannot pre-empt the community's reaction, he does not think there will be any opposition to the government's legislative changes. The school plans to hold community meetings once detail of any government amendments are introduced to the parliament. I too look forward to seeing the detail of any proposed changes to strengthen Australia's overall capacity to fight terrorism on a global scale and to protect Australian communities domestically.

I also note that Australia's defence forces are already working with our allies to combat this terrorist threat. As stated in an article by The Australian on 8 July, a new ground station will soon be built at the Australian spy base near Geraldton in my home state of Western Australia to boost the war-fighting capabilities of Australian and US troops. The planned station will provide direct access via Australia to the five most capable US military satellites in space, improving Washington's ability to direct unmanned drone attacks on terrorists and allowing Australian and US forces to respond more quickly to a military crisis or terrorist attack.

We cannot afford to let these terrorists take advantage of our society and laugh in the face of our laws. By changing the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to allow the revocation of the status of citizen and making other necessary amendments to our laws, we will face this challenge head-on and bolster our ability to safeguard our people from those who seek to harm us. I commend the member for Cowan for introducing this motion and give my full support to its intent to strengthen the protection of all Australians.

See this speech in context