Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

At its heart, this bill is about keeping all Australians safe. Now more than ever before, there are increasing threats to our domestic security. Terrorism is no longer contained abroad, and we know from credible intelligence that both individuals and groups have the capability and intent to carry out a terrorist attack on our home soil.

It's thanks to the great work of our talented police and security agencies that Australia has avoided a number of potentially deadly incidents. The very serious threat to an Etihad Airways flight out of Sydney just last year, caused by an improvised explosive device, and the subsequent investigation and arrests of suspects in raids across Sydney are a further chilling reminder of the necessity of this constant vigilance. As security threats cross borders and technology opens up new frontiers of terrorism, it's critical to have the right legislation that is both agile and responsive.

The Defence Amendment (Call Out of the Australian Defence Force) Bill 2018 is reflective of our current security situation today. The previous legislation has not been updated since before the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In almost two decades, Australia has changed dramatically, and so too have our security challenges. The amendments which are put before the parliament today will strengthen our existing legislation. They will form a key part of our national security framework.

The reforms are just one aspect of a series of new measures designed to respond to the complexities of contemporary terrorism. The central changes to the existing legislation relate to how the Australian Defence Force responds during the event of a domestic security incident. This bill will streamline the process for state and territory police to request help from the ADF. It means the ADF can respond more easily and quickly, ensuring that we are in the best possible position in the event of a terror attack.

Currently, the ADF can only respond to a domestic security incident if state and territory police have exhausted their capability to protect themselves or Commonwealth interests. Under these new amendments, the threshold for a military call-out will be lowered, and the ADF can be mobilised to enhance and support police.

Our Defence Force is highly regarded as one of the best, if not the best, in the world. The combination of talented and determined sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen, along with our incredible technology and resources that this government is pouring into the ADF, are the backbone of our national security. Whether the enemy is here at home or tens of thousands of kilometres away across the globe, our service men and women are regularly in harm's way in the defence of Australia.

Last year, I travelled to Afghanistan with five other MPs to experience ADF life in the Middle East. During my time there, I lived side by side with the soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen. I attended their briefings and had the privilege of receiving intelligence briefings. That experience brought the security concerns our nation faces into stark focus for me. It showed me that people within the ADF are equipped with critically important skills. These include our Special Forces units and those with the knowledge and expertise to respond to a biological, radiological or nuclear disaster. It's this expertise that is vital and could one day prove life-saving in the event of a domestic security event. Specialist military personnel can be used to manage a prolonged siege such as the Lindt cafe siege. They could coordinate the response to a major terrorist incident stretching across several locations or utilise sophisticated weaponry to counter a chemical attack.

The simple truth is that we do not know what sort of terror attack we could be confronted with, but what we do know is that we should use all the tools in our armoury to ensure that we protect this nation. We need the capabilities of the ADF to protect Australia from the land, the sea and the air. The ADF, as it often says, trains for the worst but hopes for the best, and it would seem incredible that we did not tap into that vein of experience and know-how. It's clear that the Defence Force is an important part of our national security policy, and these amendments highlight our government's commitment to legislative reform that protects our way of life.

Of course, it's important that we recognise the work of our state and territory police officers. They, as our first responders, do great work in relation to security incidents. This legislation ensures that their role as the primary responders, the first responders, is protected, but it sets provisions to allow for increased consultation and collaboration with the ADF. In order for the ADF to be tasked, a request for assistance must be made by police and then approved by a senior government minister. In most cases, the ADF would not be required—for example, terrorist attacks involving a knife are typically over a short period of time, and the threat would not constitute or is unlikely to constitute an intervention involving the ADF. State and territory police will remain in control of such a situation, with the ADF offering any specialised support that the state and territory police may require.

Our police have a very special set of skills to respond to these sorts of incidents, and they are consistently evolving these processes to ensure that they are prepared in the event of such an event occurring. In the region surrounding my electorate of Fisher on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, local police have taken part in a first-of-its-kind training program, tackling the threat of terrorism head-on. The Security and Counter Terrorism Network training equips officers with the skills to assess possible risks, identify persons of interest and conduct threat assessments to prevent such an attack. The training further skills police in responding to and managing a terrorist attack or a major security incident. State and territory police will always remain our frontline defence and first responders in the immediate aftermath of any such incident, where routinely they would secure and preserve life as their principal and primary objects.

But the threat against our nation is, unfortunately, relentless. There are people and groups who wish to cause us devastation and harm. They wish to destroy our very way of life. A change in terrorist tactics means that we too need to change how our government responds. We've seen from the Borough Market attack in London and the Bataclan theatre attack in Paris that incidents can move very rapidly and fluidly. Again, our response needs to be rapid to prevent the senseless loss of life.

While attacks overseas can seem a world away, Australia is not immune to the potentially deadly threats. Our national terrorism threat today remains at 'probable'. Last year alone, there were 76 calls to the National Security Hotline every single day. That's around 27,000 in just one year. Australians reporting information and intelligence on national security and criminal activity have proven that they want to be active in the prevention of terrorism in this country. The phrase that was marketed by our respective governments was 'Be Alert, Not Alarmed'; the Australian people have taken that on board and want to be part of a proactive community to ensure that they do their bit in helping to keep us safe. But those 27,000 calls to the National Security Hotline in a year are a sobering statistic. Combined with the intelligence gathered by our security forces, they highlight the need to make these very amendments that we are debating today.

Changes to our critical defence legislation should not be taken lightly. The amendments proposed in this bill are grounded in the recommendations from the Prime Minister's defence counterterrorism review. Significant consultation has also taken place with each state and territory as part of the development process for this legislation, and that is only fitting when we are looking to amend the way in which the ADF can be called out. Greater collaboration between our Defence Force, our security agencies and authorities is critical so that Australians can be kept safe and secure.

The amendments to this legislation come at a critical time and are an important step forward in how we protect Australia from a range of national security threats. Now is not the time for continued talk. Now is the time to act to ensure that our ADF are able to become involved in these sorts of incidents, if and when they are requested by state and territory police. They have the equipment, the knowledge and the expertise in personnel to be able to provide a greater degree of security to our country, and it would be absolute madness if we did not call upon those skills. I commend the bill to the House.

See this speech in context