Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the minister please advise the House why it is important to take action, including cancelling passports, to counter the threat of foreign fighters?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The threat of foreign fighters is one of the greatest security threats and challenges that Australia is currently facing. Indeed, about 80 nations around the world count foreign fighters among their citizens. The government has taken action: 73 passports have now been cancelled on national security grounds.

Following the attack on the Canadian parliament last week, when an individual concerned is said to have had his passport cancelled on security grounds, some have suggested that the government should allow extremists to leave this country and go overseas to fight with ISIL, or Daesh. Firstly, that would be a breach of our international obligations. There was a unanimous resolution of the UN Security Council, 2178, passed on 24 September, when all member states committed to taking whatever action they could to prevent foreign fighters leaving their shores, including cancelling passports.

Secondly, the Australian government cannot turn a blind eye to these extremists who are seeking to leave the country and train overseas, because, if they then work with ISIL and train with these terrorist organisations, they become more experienced, more skilled, more trained in terrorist tactics and strategies and they make contacts and networks that can be devastating, for, if they then return to Australia as battle-hardened terrorists, they could have a more devastating effect here on our home soil. Also, the risk is that they will bring back knowledge and experience to train others whose minds have been poisoned by this extremist ideology.

It is a fact that the terrorists responsible for the Bali bombings, where 88 Australians were killed, did in fact train with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. I can update the House that our estimates show that 185 known Australians have either supported or are fighting with ISIL, or Daesh, in Iraq and Syria. At least 70 Australians are in Iraq and Syria fighting with the terrorist organisations now. So the government needs flexibility to be able to adapt to these changing circumstances and the changing environment. The foreign fighters legislation will give me the authority to not only cancel passports but suspend them on a lower threshold, and it will be an offence to travel to declared areas in conflict zones without a legitimate purpose. The government is taking all necessary steps to combat terrorism.