Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'll get there! Home affairs is an important topic, but it would be remiss of me not to mention that the member for Canning, who is the mover of this motion, has come into this place after a very busy weekend fighting for national security—combatting those culture wars on flags, welcome to country acknowledgements and net zero, even. He's friends with the member for New England, Barnaby Joyce. The member for New England is on a unity ticket with the member for Canning. There is one similarity threading through all of their work, and that is undermining the leaders of the Nationals and the Liberal Party. The member for Canning is getting himself ready to be the leader—the leader-in-waiting—and the member for New England is ready just to let Mr Littleproud know that he's there and that he's happy to support Mr McCormack, which is quite an amazing turn of events.

Home affairs is a policy area where those opposite ignored advice from our intelligence agencies about the way in which they spoke about matters of national security. They ignored advice around their language, how to frame matters and how to address the escalation of serious social cohesion issues in our society. Those opposite, at the last election, came in headstrong, wanting to tear our country apart and provide division instead of unity in every situation possible. They wanted to ignore the advice of our national security advisers and intelligence officers to monitor their language and act with decorum, decency and leadership. The member for Canning knows this all too well. He is very aware that those opposite have opportunities to act in the national interest and that, instead, too often, the Liberal Party chooses to act with division and point the finger at minorities in this country. They point the finger at a whole range of groups, which, frankly, heightens tensions; it does not reduce them. This was against the exact advice of our intelligence officers.

We will not be taking lectures about national security from the party that seeks to divide rather than act in the national interest. In fact, they're seeking to divide their own party at this moment. They're seeking to put up motions in their own conferences, led by senior members of the Liberal Party and the WA Liberal Party. They're very happy to make sure that there is no space for the Leader of the Opposition to frankly set a new tone in the national debate. I give the Leader of the Opposition credit; she's trying to bring the Liberal Party back to somewhere near the sensible centre and trying to ensure that the Liberal Party acts in a somewhat responsible way. But it is members like those opposite who are very, very happy to undermine her and ignore that, and ignore the advice of our national security advisers—just like they did last term—and continue on with their culture wars and their divisive politics.

In terms of the home affairs department, the member for Canning also spoke about the prescription of terrorist organisations. For the very first time, under us, there were some significant prescriptions of terrorist organisations. There were a number of terrorist organisations prescribed, including, for the very first time, far-right organisations that were entrenched in Neo-Nazi ideology. That was important recognition by the government of organisations that, frankly, have no place in Australia. That work continues; we work in a collaborative and bipartisan way, seeking to heed the advice of our intelligence officers and our security officers.

I say to the opposition: less time on culture wars and conference motions, and more time actually giving your leader the space she needs in order to bring the party back to the sensible centre. Otherwise, enjoy the fringes of politics, where you currently are and where you'll stay for a long time.

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