Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the:

(a)need to destroy, degrade or contain terrorism in all its forms in source or origin countries;

(b)clear and present threat posed by transnational terrorism in our region;

(c)sustained efforts of both the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and our civilian national security agencies to identify, attack and degrade foreign or 'source nation' terrorist threats at the very earliest opportunity, most notably since the 2002 Bali bombings (which claimed the lives of 202 people, including 88 innocent Australians, and injured a further 209);

(d)unique geo-political circumstances of Australia which will continue to emphasise the need for cooperative and heightened security vigilance and activity with, by and from our key regional partners and allies, over the long term;

(e)potential for Australian security forces, both civil and military, to continue to act as effective, practical agents to reinforce, bolster and continually invigorate critical regional partnerships and engagements, toward a stable and prosperous long term regional future, and one which is mutually beneficial to all national participants;

(f)potential offered by the Government's holistic approach to home-grown terrorism, to constitute a working model for consideration, adaptation as appropriate, and possible implementation, by equally determined Governments and nations, throughout our region;

(g)need for sustained vigilance and regional engagement by all like-minded nations in our region;

(h)need to maintain and support both ADF and civilian security agency capabilities, at the very forefront of counter-terrorist operational capacity and capability;

(i)need for sustained border protection regimes and procedures; and

(j)importance of maintaining and sustaining Australia's traditional defence alliance and treaty arrangements;

(2) acknowledges:

(a)the Government's active and constructive efforts to do all within its powers to halt terrorism at its source, or points of origin;

(b)that the Attorney-General's Department has led and implemented a diverse array of constructive initiatives and measures in support of community safety and resilience, which will further complement 'offshore' counter-terrorist initiatives and endeavours;

(c)that Australian Government actions are in lockstep with sensible international responses to this global trend and challenges; and

(d)the importance of secure information-sharing with traditional allies and regional partners, to achieve the negation of potentially diverse terrorist threats; and

(3) endorses and lends ongoing support to the Government's longstanding efforts to diminish the current and future terrorist threat to all Australians, including the removal of Australian citizenship status from dual citizens who are involved in terrorism in Australia or abroad.

As we have seen in the last few years, Australia faces a resurgent and increasing threat from terrorism, including home-grown terrorists who reject the values of our country and are prepared to resort to violence. The need to reinvigorate a sense of citizenship is something very important to me as the beneficiary of Australian citizenship, and I spoke about it in my first speech in this parliament and I have spoken about it in a range of published opinion pieces and speeches ever since. For those born overseas, like me, who want to live here, you must accept that Australian citizenship is a privilege. It imposes an obligation on you to put this country first, to live in peace, to respect our values and to obey our laws. It is simply unacceptable that some Australians are choosing to betray this country by throwing in their lot with barbaric terrorist murderers.

Recent events have only strengthened the case for urgent action. Our security agencies foiled two more terrorist plots in the lead-up to Anzac Day and again in early May, and to our police and security agencies I say: thank you for ensuring that the mayhem in the Middle East is not replayed daily in our towns and cities. But their job is getting harder each day.

Increasingly, younger Australians are being radicalised, some becoming suicide bombers in the Middle East while others plot to kill and maim here at home. Around 100 Australians fighting in Iraq and Syria; another 150 people here at home are actively supporting them through activities like recruiting and funding. In just the last nine months, 23 Australians have been charged following counter-terrorism arrests. That represents a third of all terrorist charges in the past 15 years. Many of those who have been convicted or who are fighting in Iraq and Syria or who are supporting the conflict from home are dual citizens. ASIO is currently investigating several thousand leads and people of concern. There are more than 400 priority cases that ASIO is pursuing—more than double the number a year ago.

Law-abiding Australians demand that this parliament act with greater urgency against those who betray us in this way. They expect us to catch up with friends and allies, like the United States, Britain, France and Canada, and doing so requires urgent legislative change. The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 must be amended to send a crystal-clear message: if you join or support groups like Daesh or involve yourself in terrorism here, there is no place for you in Australia. We must err on the side of the victims and the innocents in our society, not those who betray our values yet demand the privileges of citizenship.

Bipartisanship on these changes is preferable. I know that the opposition leader has some internal tensions to deal with, but he must avoid the sorts of premature assessments made by the former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who falsely claimed two years ago that 'the 9/11 decade' was ending. History has, of course, mocked Ms Gillard's prophecy. Peter Jennings, the head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, has described her assessment as 'wishful thinking'. It is a travesty that dedicated counter-terrorism funding declined during the Rudd-Gillard years by over a third. A single counter-terrorism law was passed in six years of Labor and Labor-Green government compared to four pieces of legislation passed in just 18 months under coalition leadership. I congratulate the member for Wannon, Dan Tehan, for his chairmanship of the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

These laws have strengthened the ability of our police and security agencies to keep us safe. Lower arrest thresholds, around 140 passport refusals, cancellations or suspensions and metadata retention have all contributed to a safer Australia. It is now illegal to fight for terrorist organisations anywhere, including in Iraq and Syria. If you do, you face up to life in prison on return to Australia. Our committee has declared Mosul district in Iraq and Al-Raqqa province in Syria, making it an offence to enter or remain there. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment. It is also now a criminal offence to direct the activities of, be a member of, recruit for or train for a terrorist organisation, and we have also significantly increased national security funding, including a tripling of investment in countering violent extremist programs.

The effects of these measures are to make our country safer and to reject terrorism and violent ideologies of any kind. To those foreign-born citizens who so appallingly betray their obligation to Australia and its people, we must say unequivocally: you are not one of us and are not welcome amongst us.

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