Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the committee's report entitled Review of the re-listing of Al Shabaab, Hamas’ Iss al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as terrorist organisationsand ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with this report.

Leave granted.

Thank you. As I said, on behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I take pleasure in presenting the committee's report. This report reviews the relisting of five previously listed terrorist organisations: Al Shabaab, Hamas’ Iss al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Kurdistan Workers Party, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Having completed its review I can advise that the committee does not recommend disallowance of the regulations for any of these five organisations.

As with previous committee reports on listings and relistings of terrorist organisations, this report identifies issues relating to the current nature and reach of each of the organisations, with particular emphasis on developments since the committee last reviewed these organisations. This is the first relisting of Al Shabaab, the fourth relisting of the Kurdistan Workers Party and the fifth relisting of the Hamas brigades, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In each case the committee was satisfied that each of the groups continues to engage in terrorist activities which could be a threat to Australia or Australian interests either here or overseas.

I should note that in reviewing the evidence in support of the listings the committee draws largely on the statement of reasons which is prepared by ASIO in conjunction with the Attorney-General's Department; however, completion of the statement of reasons would normally be at least one or two months prior to the committee writing its report so in order to take into consideration the very latest information about each group the committee often refers to information on the Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre website to support the evidence provided in the statement of reasons. Also, a private hearing was conducted with respect to the relisting of these organisations where the witnesses were representatives from ASIO and the Attorney-General's Department just to contemporise the consideration of these relistings.

In terms of the organisations that have been relisted, al-Shabaab's objective is the establishment of an Islamic state in Somalia based on Islamic law and the elimination of foreign 'infidel' influence. In pursuance of this objective al-Shabaab has conducted a violent insurgency against the Somali transitional federal government and foreign forces supporting this government. In late 2011 al-Shabaab-linked Australian citizens Saney Edow Aweys and Nayef El Sayed were convicted of conspiring to plan a terrorist attack in Australia. Aweys was also convicted of aiding and abetting another person to engage in hostile activities in Somalia under section 6 of the Commonwealth Crimes (Foreign Incursions and Recruitment) Act 1978 in December 2010. Australian citizen Hussein Hashi Farah was also implicated in terrorist activity associated with this organisation.

Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades were officially established in 1991 to provide Hamas with a military capability. Originally, the brigades were organised secretively, comprising compartmentalised cells that specialized in terrorist attacks, assassinations and kidnappings inside Israel. Since Hamas gained control of Gaza in 2007 and took up a governing role, the brigades have been forced to develop, at least partially, into a more traditional military force. The brigades operate predominantly in Gaza, with limited representation in the West Bank.

The Kurdistan Workers Party has also been relisted. The Kurdistan Workers Party’s objectives have changed over time in line with Turkey’s evolving political environment. The organisation now calls for autonomy for Kurds within Turkey and seeks to promote and advance the rights of Kurds living in Turkey, specifically the right to maintain ethnic identity. The PKK, however, has consistently demonstrated a willingness to use violence in order to achieve these objectives.

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is a Sunni Islamic extremist organisation based in Pakistan that uses violence in pursuit of its stated objective of uniting Indian administered Kashmir with Pakistan under a radical interpretation of Islamic law. The final organisation that was relisted is the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a Sunni Islamist Palestinian militant organisation committed to the destruction of the state of Israel. Accordingly, Palestinian Islamic Jihad refuses to participate in the political process and rejects the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the Israel-Palestine issue.

To sum up, I reiterate that the committee recommends that the regulations relisting these five organisations as terrorist organisations not be disallowed. I would also like to thank all of the committee members involved for their work in reviewing these organisations, particularly the deputy chair and also members of the secretariat who are not here: the secretary, Jerome Brown; the inquiry secretary, Robert Little; the research officer, Cameron Gifford; and administrative officers Jessica Butler, Sonya Gaspar and Raymond Jackson. I commend the report to the House.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I support the observations of the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security about the importance of this report on the relisting of five terrorist organisations. I endorse his thanks to the secretariat and his expression of thanks to his committee colleagues who share in this work.

I think it is important to remind ourselves that Australia has been relatively successful in dealing with what is in fact a very substantial threat to our security and safety. The fact we have been relatively successful ought not to lead us to a sense of complacency about our relative position.

If members had the opportunity to glance through this report, I think they would be apprised of the very significant and ongoing potential risk not only to world security but also to our own security.

The chair, in his comments, went to many of the same matters that I was intending to allude to—for example, Al Shabaab, which has an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 fighters and has the objective of establishing an Islamic state. The report shows that, on 29 October last year, three African Union peacekeepers were killed in a suicide attack; on 4 October, four civilians were killed in Mogadishu after a vehicle borne IED; on 1 October, a French national was kidnapped and later died in captivity. As the chair explained, there are links with Australia. People that have been convicted of planning terrorist acts here are inspired by this organisation.

As for Hamas, on 7 April last year an anti-tank missile was fired at a school bus, killing one; on 1 September, 10 Israeli settlers were wounded; on 31 August in 2010, four Israeli settlers were killed. These activities are continuing, and we need to have regard to that.

I was surprised by the number of terrorism related activities the Kurdistan Workers Party have been engaged in since 2009. On 1 March this year, 15 police officers and one civilian were wounded. On 24 November last year, three Turkish employees of a Canadian company were killed. On 11 November, there was the hijacking of a passenger ferry near Istanbul. On 29 October, a suicide bomber killed two and wounded 20 in Bingol. It is the case that, while there is no direct threat to Australia, tourists travelling in the area—and many Australians do travel to Turkey—could be affected by the indiscriminate targeting of tourist locations.

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is one of the most capable and highly profiled militant groups in South Asia. On 11 October, it killed a policeman in Srinagar. On 11 January last, it kidnapped two schoolgirls from their home. On 10 August, an Indian soldier was killed. It has been linked to the Afghan Taliban and several Pakistani Islamic groups. These people have been linked to Australia, and I think the chair brought that up in his observations. It is well known that French national Willie Brigitte, whom a French court convicted of planning terrorist attacks in Australia, was linked to this organisation. Faheem Lodhi was convicted by the New South Wales Supreme Court as an associate of Brigitte, in the same organisation.

Turning to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on 29 October, 11 rockets were launched into Israel, killing one and wounding two. On 20 August last year, rockets were launched into Israel, killing one and injuring another seven. On 11 January, two mortar rounds went into Israel.

These are activities that are ongoing and indiscriminate and involve organisations that have been previously proscribed. They are still engaged in those activities. At is important that we remain vigilant about these matters. I am pleased that the government has seen fit to act on these matters, on advice, and that the committee has endorsed the proscription of these organisations.

Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House take note of the report.

Debate adjourned.