Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for McPherson for bringing us a debate about the Department of Home Affairs and the government's important changes. I do acknowledge her genuine interest as a former minister, now shadow minister—long may she continue in that position—notwithstanding her bizarre speech and the pathetic politicisation of national security that we continue to hear from those opposite in and outside the chamber. Quite simply, the government's changes to Home Affairs and the national security administrative arrangements are an improvement, including by moving the Australian Federal Police and criminal law enforcement policy to the Attorney-General.

In contemporary times Australia has no doubt benefited from well-run and professional security and law enforcement agencies, and I thank them for their work over many years in keeping Australians safe. But given the motion raises implicit concerns or criticisms and what we have heard from those opposite, let's get a few facts out. The previous government's creation of Home Affairs was not properly considered and was largely a power grab by the now leader of the opposition. Let's be blunt: in a desperate bid to keep his own job former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull caved in to pressure from Dutton—I mean, the now leader of the opposition. They then piled in the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and anything else they could get in a smash-and-grab raid that he and the secretary could grab into a super security agency. The changes were rushed and half baked, and they were opposed by cooler, wiser heads in the cabinet then, including Julie Bishop and Malcolm of course until he caved in. Of course, Malcolm's desperation to stave off the now leader of the opposition was doomed to failure. In his own words, 'you cannot negotiate with terrorists'—in this case of course the political kind. They never like to talk about what ever happened to poor old Malcolm, do they? But the changes to Home Affairs made by the former government broke the long and prudent practice of properly constituted reviews done before major changes are made to administrative oversight and coordination of law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies. Turnbull's 2017 review did not recommend the creation of Home Affairs neither did—

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