Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson and acknowledge the significant role he plays on the PJCIS, the intelligence committee, and acknowledge the members on both sides of the House for the role that is responsibly played by members of that committee in dealing with national security. As the director-general made clear last night, our threat alert level remains at 'probable'. The level above 'probable', 'expected', can only be reached when there is very specific intelligence about an immediate attack, and we are not in that situation. Therefore, the director-general wanted to make the point very clearly to everyone that we should not presume that, because the threat alert level remains at 'probable', we are at the same spot as to where we were when it was first put at that level a couple of years ago. We are not.

He predicted in last year's speech that the threat dynamic by 2030 would be more dynamic, more diverse and degraded. Only 12 months later, he said what he had predicted would be the case by 2030 was already here. Global tensions, new technology and the temperature of debate in the country have all contributed to a heightened security situation for Australia. He highlighted, in particular, while all forms of bigotry have the capacity to lead to violence, the fact is that, with antisemitism, almost every violent group comes together on this, whether it is ISIS inspired groups, whether it is Neo-Nazis or whether it is conspiracy theorists.

He also highlighted that direct traditional forms of terrorism are not the only threats that we deal with. Something that we would all objectively regard as a terrorist act, the burning at the Adass Israel synagogue, was not what traditionally had been the operating method. We know now that it was directed by Iran in an act of foreign interference using organised crime, combining communal violence and politically motivated violence, into an act of state sponsored terrorism. There are multiple forms of bigotry, and every one of them can lead to violence. The director-general referred to summer alone, where in December we had the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi. In January we had a very near miss where it will be alleged in court that intention was there for that bomb to go off in Perth, which could have a mass casualty event directed by bigotry against First Nations Australians. In February, there was another arrest in another part of WA for someone whose bigotry was directed against politicians, against government, against police and against Muslims.

There are two specific instructions that have been given to each and every one of us that can work to keep Australians safe. When people know of anything they think might be of concern, regardless of the form of bigotry, they should contact the national terrorism hotline, the National Security Hotline, 1800123400. Secondly, as the Prime Minister reflected in those words earlier, we all have a responsibility to take the temperature down to keep our nation safe.

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