Bruce Baird (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to express my concern at the recent release from prison in Indonesia of Mr Abu Bakar Bashir. After receiving a very modest 30-month sentence for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, he has been freed after only 26 months, vowing to continue to fight to uphold Islamic sharia.

On 12 October 2002, six people from my electorate lost their lives to terrorism. I went to a number of their funerals, and we were extremely saddened in my electorate. They were, like the 196 others who perished in the attack, going about their lives and enjoying their vacations when all was abruptly brought to an end by Jemaah Islamiah operatives. The close friends and family of those from my electorate and across Australia who lost their lives are deeply distressed and concerned about the release of the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah on Wednesday of last week.

Only days after Abu Bakar Bashir returned to his boarding school where he preaches and practises, he has already renewed his campaign to impose Islamic sharia law on Indonesia and has also made comments specifically about our Prime Minister. I find it very disturbing that a man who continues to pose such a real and proven threat to the citizens of Indonesia and, indeed, to our people is allowed to walk the streets. More worrying than that is the fact that Bashir is even allowed to continue to preach his ways to the children and followers in his boarding school. A man convicted of conspiracy over terrorist acts, conducted in the name of his religion, should not be allowed to preach his ways. (Time expired)