Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General. Since taking up this post, has the Attorney-General been advised by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation that a convicted jihadist terrorist was being held in low-security family accommodation in the Adelaide Hills? If so, when was he advised and what action has he taken as a result?

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a disgrace this opposition is. They are a disgrace because they seek to make a political plaything out of national security. We know that they are seeking to make a plaything out of national security because of this question.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, on a point of order: in spite of the ham overacting, the minister was asked a very serious question about what action he took about national security. He has to answer the question and you should make him do so.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. Everyone will sit down. The Attorney-General has the call and will be relevant to the question.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Speaker. I was briefed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation on 24 April this year in relation to this matter. I say again that the ongoing attack on our national security agencies by this opposition is outrageous. It is further indication that the only interest that this opposition has in national security is to use it as a political football.

And rather than second-guessing our security agencies, rather than attacking our security agencies, which is what they are seeking to do, rather than second-guessing the briefings that they receive on our national security activities, they should explain how their cuts to the bone and their cuts to national security would affect the national security of our country.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Attorney-General will return to the question.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The recent review of the administration and expenditure of our security agencies and our intelligence agencies, tabled just last Monday by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, found that when it comes to visa security and to security checking the joint parliamentary committee was:

… satisfied that the current regime for visa security assessments is the correct one.

The fact is that this government has increased the resources that ASIO has to meet an increasing caseload. ASIO is managing those resources in an effective and efficient manner and it does this by determining, through a triage process, which cases should undergo a full security assessment. I want to quote someone else. This is what the Director-General of ASIO said at the recent Senate estimates hearing:

In the circumstances—

this is the Director-General of ASIO—

I would submit that the triaging process is the most effective and efficient way of enabling the greatest resources to be applied to the greatest potential risk.

He went on to say:

With a properly managed risk management system you can reduce the risk very considerably by focusing on real problems.

If the opposition is saying that it knows how to manage national security assessments better than ASIO, then it should say how it would do it differently and what it would cost. It is very clear I cannot and will not comment on individual cases, but I would say it is important to note that the individual in question has been in detention at all times since he arrived in Australia. (Time expired)

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. After being advised of the security breach on 24 April, what action did the Attorney-General take? Specifically, did the Attorney-General raise this with the National Security Committee of cabinet? If not, why not?

Mr Robb interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Goldstein might be pained in a moment.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition should know full well that it is out of order to ask a question about the National Security Committee of the cabinet and what occurs in the cabinet. If people seriously are suggesting that the National Security Committee cabinet meetings should be open to all, then it says everything about what they think about security.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker—

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Nobody has the right to go on about what they call me in this place, for goodness sake, because everybody gets it wrong every day of the week. The Leader of the House has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, I usually do get it right.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You do.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But one thing I have got right is that the question invites the Attorney-General to break the law.

Opposition members: Rubbish!

It does!

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The issue I have is that it is not outside the standing orders. The Attorney-General has the right to explain that in his answer. The Attorney-General has the call.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He won't be Attorney-General for much longer.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And the member for Mitchell might not make it to the end of question time again!

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not be saying in this chamber what is discussed in the National Security Committee of cabinet. If we had wanted a better example of the way in which this opposition is trying to make a political plaything out of our national security, we have just had it in this question from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. It continues to play politics with national security. It does not have a plan for national security, other than to cut to the bone and to cut services—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: he was asked what action he took after 24 April. He was asked what action he took after 24 April, and that is the question we want an answer to.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Attorney-General has completed his answer.