Tomorrow will mark 25 years since the September 11 attacks in the United States of America—25 years since a morning of bright sunshine was plunged into the most terrible darkness. A quarter of a century on, it remains a harrowing anniversary. I think every one of us in this House and around Australia will remember that night, in our time, when we watched the unthinkable occur before our very eyes.

This morning I had the honour of meeting with members of the visiting US congressional delegation and I was able to tell them, good friends of Australia, that their nation will be in the thoughts of Australians tomorrow. We will pause to remember the 2,977 people whose futures were stolen from them. Alongside the many Americans who lost their lives were people from nations across the world, 10 Australians among them. Those Australians known to have been killed during the September 11 attacks include Alberto Dominguez, Craig Gibson, Elisa Ferraina, Stephen Tompsett, Kevin Dennis, Andrew Knox, Leanne Whiteside, Lesley Thomas, Peter Gyulavary and Yvonne Kennedy. Our thoughts are with all of their families and their loved ones at what will be a difficult reminder of them being taken from their own families. As we remember them, we'll also think about those whose lives were changed forever, or who lived with loss, or who suffered with grief, trauma and sickness, and all who still endure the burden of memories that simply will not fade.

What the terrorists perpetrated that day was so monstrous and so confronting that it remains seared into our collective memory. It was a day that changed the world, yet, amid its horror, we saw the greatest side of humanity. From the passengers and office workers who found themselves trapped in a waking nightmare, to the first responders who raced into danger, so many reacted to terror with extraordinary courage, with compassion, with defiance and with love. Together, from New York to Washington to Pennsylvania, they defined the spirit of a great nation. America was shaken to its core, but it did not yield. It did not break. That is what we hold onto, and we hold onto the memory of everyone who never came home from what should have been just another sunny day in September.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. It's hard to fathom that an entire generation of young Australians has reached adulthood who weren't born by 9/11, and yet they've grown up in a post 9/11 world.

For those of us who lived that terrible day, it was a day that changed the world. We remember where we were and how we received that shocking news. The first plane hit the World Trade Centre's north tower at 10:46 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. Most Australians were asleep. Some night owls saw the breaking news on their televisions. Others were roused from sleep by loved ones to witness the second plane strike the south tower 17 minutes later. This was in the pre-smartphone age, and many Australians wouldn't see the news until the following morning.

I was one of them. I was working in the private sector and walked into a Sydney cafe. I saw the newspaper front pages and the disturbing headlines—'War of terror', 'America attacked'—and the unfathomable photos of the planes exploding upon hitting the Twin Towers. By that time, the tragedy was far worse than the newspapers had been able to report by their printing deadline. Two more planes had crashed. The Twin Towers had collapsed.

Throughout the day, Australians were glued to televisions trying to comprehend those incomprehensible events, as the Prime Minister just said with his final words a moment ago. Some 3,000 people were killed on 9/11. Among them were 10 Australians. We've just heard the names of those Australians. On behalf of the coalition, my thoughts are with those Australian families who lost loved ones on that horrific day 25 years ago, and I acknowledge the incredible work that was done by the first responders, as the Prime Minister said.

In America's darkest hour, Australia stood by our ally and dear friend. Thanks to John Howard and John Anderson's leadership and moral clarity, it was right that John Howard invoked ANZUS. It was right that Australia took the fight to the terrorists in the Middle East, regardless of the shortfalls of those campaigns. I take this opportunity to acknowledge all our war fighters who served, who suffered and who sacrificed in that necessary and noble cause over many years—patriots like the members for Canning and Herbert.

The events of 9/11 changed the world and Islamist extremism remains a threat to all of us. It's evolved since 9/11 and taken many forms and been called many things—Al-Qaeda, JI, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, jihadism and more—but it's still the same extremism. I find it bewildering that there are friends in the Arab and Muslim world who will readily acknowledge this threat and want it gone, yet, here in Australia, there are those who refuse to acknowledge or name the threat, even after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack late last year.

As we mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11—an atrocity committed by terrorists—and in memory of all those murdered, it's beyond time we had a reckoning with Islamist extremism. Enough of being told, 'Don't look back in anger.' Enough of this being downplayed. My commitment to Australians is to keep out and to root out Islamist extremism. Whilst mistakes have clearly been made on the fight to combat this threat, we must double down on our resolve in this fight. We must protect our way of life.

As a mark of respect to the memory of those who lost their lives 25 years ago, I ask all those present to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

I thank the House.