Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister please outline to the House why improving security at airports and seaports is so crucial for national security and community safety? Can the minister update the House on the progress of the Morrison-McCormack government's efforts to keep Australians safe?

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and for her longstanding interest in national security matters. Every Australian understands that our airports and our seaports, as the entry points to our nation, are absolutely critical to our national security. They are critical to our efforts to make sure that we are keeping our communities safe and that we are protecting our way of life here in Australia, and there are a number of ways that we are keeping our borders secure.

It was just last week that I had the opportunity to meet with some of the hardworking men and women of the Australian Border Force who work in the Torres Strait and do an absolutely outstanding job of keeping our borders to the north safe. So I thank you for the work that you have done and the work that I know that you will continue to do to make sure that all Australians are kept safe.

It's very well known that this government has always been very strong on border security. We take it extremely seriously, whether it's managing biosecurity risks during the pandemic, whether it's discouraging people smugglers or whether it's making sure that criminals can't bring illegal drugs or illegal firearms into this country. Strong border security matters, and as a government we are committed to making sure that we continue to maintain the strong stance that we have had. Australians know and they understand the very clear position that this government has taken on border security, and they know that this government will always put Australians first.

It was a great outcome just a couple of hours ago when we were able to finally make progress on the legislation to improve security in our airports and on our wharves with the passage through the Senate of our Transport Security Amendment (Serious Crime) Bill. It's a sad reality that criminal gangs attempt to use our wharves and our airports to traffic the drugs and weapons that make our communities less safe—and that's the bottom line. That's why the passage of that legislation through the Senate today was so important. What it means is that those who are working in the most secure areas of our airports and our wharves will have to meet much more stringent checks in terms of links to organised-crime activity. It means that we can protect the professional integrity of the 200,000-plus workers at our airports and wharves who do the right thing and take the responsibility of their trusted positions very seriously.