Federation Chamber on Monday 2nd March 2020

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Most of us will never see the work that ASIO does in the shadows to keep us safe, that's why the Director-General's annual threat assessment speech is so important. I attended the speech last week at ASIO headquarters with the member for Holt, where the Director-General outlined the two main threats to our country.

The first is terrorism. There is credible intelligence that individuals and groups have the capability and intent to conduct terrorism onshore. Violent Islamic extremism of the type embodied by Islamic State and al-Qaeda remain the chief concern. Extreme right-wing groups are also a growing problem. The DG warned:

In suburbs around Australia, small cells regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology.

Australia has fought and defeated both Islamic militants and Nazis in the past, and neither have a place in our country.

The second threat to Australia is the unprecedented rise in espionage and foreign interference. The DG warned:

… the intent is to engineer fundamental shifts in Australia’s position in the world, not just to collect intelligence or use us as a potential 'back-door' into our allies and partners.

The threats are significant, the security landscape is evolving and Australia's adversaries are more determined and sophisticated than ever before. So are ASIO and its partners. They strive to outwit and out-imagine our adversaries.

Parliament must continue to work closely with our agencies to ensure they have the tools and resources to keep Australians safe. This parliament must be vigilant to ensure that the laws governing them continue to be fit for purpose in the digital age.