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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that the front page of The Australian newspaper appears to quote from a confidential Australian Federal Police submission to the intelligence committee about the government's encryption bill? Is the Prime Minister aware that leaking a confidential submission to the committee is a criminal offence under national security legislation, punishable with up to two years in prison? Has the Prime Minister asked the AFP to investigate this criminal leak?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to take on notice the matter that the member has raised and raise that in a discussion with the AFP if indeed that is necessary. I would also only note this—that is, encryption is a tool being used by terrorists, organised criminals and paedophile rings, and it is something we must get ahead of by ensuring that the police, our security agencies and all of our agencies that are engaged at state and federal level have the tools they need to make this stop. We are committed to doing that. That is why we have brought this legislation into the parliament. We will continue to engage with the opposition to seek their support for these measures, and I hope that they are able to support us in these efforts.