Mal Brough (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Minister, would you advise the House on actions the government is taking to address the threats to our nation's borders. Has there been any reaction to these government measures to protect Australia from these threats?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fisher for his question.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs will desist, and so will the member for Grayndler.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can confirm the government is taking action to address the threats to our borders—not just on people smuggling, as the House should know through the success to date of Operation Sovereign Borders, but against terrorism and the threat that foreign fighters present to Australia. The Prime Minister has confirmed here again, today, $150 million in new arrangements, including the deployment of 80 counter-terrorism unit officers through the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service across our airport network. They supplement more than 1,300 officers deployed to more than 40 airports across Australia.

The unit has already had some success, as the Prime Minister has mentioned, in intercepting a number of people of national security concern. Two such persons were intercepted, one in Sydney and one in Melbourne, in the past week alone; and I am advised that at least five national security interceptions have now occurred. In these cases there has been evidence of large sums of cash, the possession of objectionable material and other indicators for Border Force officers to take the action they have taken on these occasions.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service—which will become, together with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the Australian Border Force in July of next year—has stepped up to the challenge that now sits before this country. They have been given the policy backing and the support of resources needed to address this very real threat. In some of these cases it has been the initiative and instinct of our Border Force officers that has solely led to these interceptions—a product of their training, experience and professionalism—and I commend them for it. These cases should serve as a warning that we have heightened our vigilance in identifying people who seek to travel to join terrorist fighter activities. They will be questioned, and the eyes of my officers will be closely watching, drawing on the support and the intelligence of our many law-enforcement agency partners who fuse together to make our borders strong.

We have changed the setting on our borders which was in place at the last election under the previous government, and which was still in place when Khaled Sharrouf left the country late last year. We have instructed our officers to place national security above passenger facilitation objectives—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The members for Moreton and Wakefield, as a duo, will desist!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

which was the setting under the previous government. This may mean that on occasion there may be some inconvenience—

An opposition member interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a noisy pair I am talking about. You will desist.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to passengers. This is regrettable, but we must value vigilance over convenience. I am asked about the reaction. I am disappointed that there have been comments by some members opposite, including Senator Lyons, the member for Fremantle and Senator Carr.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

I am disappointed and so should you be.