Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian people expect their parliament to protect them from serious national security threats. They also expect their parliament to protect the principles and freedoms that define our country. That means being clear-eyed about the threats that we face but careful about the powers that we confirm. It means ensuring intelligence agencies have the tools that they need while ensuring extraordinary powers do not become ordinary by default. For those reasons, the coalition supports the substance of the bill subject to the inclusion of the three-year sunset clause that the government has now graciously agreed to restore. That amendment will preserve the essential balance between national security, accountability and parliamentary oversight and ensure ASIO can continue to undertake its vital work. It will also ensure this parliament continues to do its vital work on behalf of all of those Australians who rightly expect careful and proportionate use of the powers at the heart of this legislation.