Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Hansard source

Firstly, in relation to the primary question, I remind Senator Paterson that the coalition repeatedly rejected listing Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation when they were in government. In 2017, the then Attorney-General, Senator Brandis, rejected listing it based on the strong view of ASIO that it did not fit the definition of a terrorist organisation in the Criminal Code. The Leader of the Opposition has also affirmed that the government relies on the advice of our intelligence and security agencies, which is precisely what is being done in this matter.

I will take the interjection from Senator Ruston. If Senator Ruston thinks that she knows better than our security and intelligence agencies when it comes to these matters, perhaps she should stand up and say that. I, for one, think that we should look to the advice of those who are engaged in working to keep Australians safe about how best to do that rather than making cheap political shots like that one.