Wyatt Roy (Longman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak on the overwhelmingly pressing issue of national security. The current climate was tragically underscored overnight with the tragic episode in Melbourne that left one man dead and two police officers battling grievous injuries.

At this time of elevated alert, our police and security agencies need to know that they have our support and gratitude. They are expertly trained, committed beyond belief, and courageous, without exception. They are at the front lines of a nation and its government, irrespective of political persuasion. They will always hold the protection of Australians as priority number one.

It is even broader, more united and stronger than that, in so much that our political and community leaders stand together against all threats to our nation. Our combined defiance sends the staunchest message that Australians will not cave in to fear. We will continue to go about our lives as a decent, fair and value-laden people, an inclusive and accepting people. We will not have our heads turned by self-styled doctrines that preach fear and hate.

The government will do whatever is required to keep our people safe. Australians should have confidence that our police, security and intelligence agencies have the skill and professionalism to stay ahead of those who harbour hideous ulterior motives. Hostilities in Syria and northern Iraq have managed to entice to the battleground a minority subset of alienated Australians. These conflicts have broken new ground in their level of brutality. Almost every imaginable crime against humanity has been perpetrated. Conveyed across social media and a sleepless media cycle, we get the news of these horrors so fast that we do not have time to turn them off. From lone beheadings to genocidal forays, the imagery is heartbreaking and regrettably vivid.

It is imperative that Australia responds as it has, ready as part of an international coalition to assist the Iraqi government in grinding down the will and capacity of the murderous ISIL movement. How can a cause, movement or ideology of any description justifiably slaughter innocent people. Let's be clear about this. Extremists do not raise their fist at Australia over any resentment about our foreign policy. The reality is that the freedoms we espouse, including freedom of religion, are anathema to those who would teach intolerance and retribution for not adhering to their heavily prescribed views. Our freedom, and the harmony found within it, is what threatens them.

An Australian ISIL operative last week instructed his followers, in a demonstration of their loyalty, to randomly seize people from Australian streets and commit murder. The plot was intercepted in a superior demonstration from security, intelligence and law enforcement. It showed the degree of our vigilance and determination. We were up to the task. Yet, we will do the job of keeping our people safe, without allowing our psyches to be penetrated by their vengeful thoughts. That may be the way for some, but it is not the way for this great country.

In August the government committed an additional $630 million to national security. We are moving to amend laws that we will implement in the future to help prevent potential terrorists from occupying our streets and suburbs. Australians who have proven to have fought with terrorist groups will be jailed for no small period. We will preserve our nation as one of peace, hope and opportunity. The Prime Minister said in this place that we may yet draw something from our current security challenges to make us even better. He said:

… it is not too much, surely, to expect that our world might finally and fully grasp that it is never right to kill people because they have a different view of God.

…   …   …

If the all-but-universal revulsion towards the ISIL horror has this result, good might finally emerge despite the pointless death and dislocation that confronts us now.

House adjourned at 20:00