Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to bring to the attention of the House today the fact that a petition will be tabled after question time relating to the close links between Australia and Sri Lanka and drawing attention to the impact of the conflict in Sri Lanka on Australian citizens and businesses there. It also seeks support for a resolution of the Sri Lankan conflict that satisfies the aspirations of all communities without compromising the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. The petition calls for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, and its front organisations to be proscribed under the Criminal Code Act 1995. I draw the attention of the House to several related articles. One of these articles, which is from last Friday, said:

Three men on terror charges have been accused of collecting $1.9 million in charitable donations from Australia’s expat Tamil community and using a chunk of the funds to buy electronic and marine equipment similar to that used in suicide bombings.

This case is before the Magistrate’s Court, so I will not say any more, but we cannot have terror organisations operating in Australia, collecting money for and on behalf of a terrorist organisation in another country. We need to do something about the fact that there are front organisations operating here. This petition will go a long way towards addressing, in this country, the issue that a terrorist organisation like the LTTE should not have shadow groups here raising money for it and on its behalf for acts of terrorism back in its homeland. I support the petition, and I hope that other members of this House and the community will also support this good intention. (Time expired)