Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (AFP Powers and Other Matters)

“This Bill would extend the relevant sunset dates by 12 months so that there is sufficient time to consult on, and then implement, the Government's response to the Committee's bipartisan recommendations over the coming months.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 28 Sept 2022

“We've had the blue about it, and now we're agreeing with and supporting this legislation. Thank you for your indulgence.”

Liberal Party • MP • 27 Sept 2022

“While I'm new to this chamber, I also believe with some confidence that all members in this place also hold as their highest priority the obligation to keep Australians safe, especially from those who wish to do us harm, both from abroad and from within. It is to this end that the coalition acknowledges the vital importance of maintaining the security architecture that it previously put in place to meet the threat of terrorism on home soil. For this reason, the opposition is going to be supporting this bill.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 27 Sept 2022

“On that basis, I am very much comfortable in supporting something which I have a natural trepidation towards but which does need to meet a very high standard of justification. These are significant powers that we would ordinarily be quite nervous about providing to any government agency, but I do believe that when it comes to counterterrorism and equipping the agency with the necessary powers that they need to do their job, as long as members of parliament have been given a strong justification through an appropriate way, which I've just outlined, I think that we should be backing and supporting the Australian Federal Police and equipping them with the necessary powers they need to keep us safe from terrorism. I commend the bill to the House.”

Liberal Party • MP • 27 Sept 2022

“I rise in support of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (AFP Powers and Other Matters) Bill 2022. There is an often-quoted phrase that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. That phrase is often ascribed to Thomas Jefferson, but the first person that is purported to have said it was an Irishman, John Philpot Curran, who back in 1790 said, 'The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance'. That pretty much sums up the importance of this bill.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 27 Sept 2022

“The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (AFP Powers and Other Matters) Bill 2022 is about the extension of temporary arrangements to enable the parliament to act on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security for tightening the permanent legislation. It is a priority, but it should not be rushed. I note the comments from the member for North Sydney, when she warned that we should not indefinitely have temporary arrangements and that we should be wary of encroachment on our civil liberties. I agree with her. Those are sound points. We do live in a precarious world, and who would have thought 20, 25 or 40 years ago that we would find ourselves with the kind of restrictions in our lives that we accept now for the public good—and, to be fair, Australia has been spared many of the terrorist acts that have happened around the world. I'm not critical of where we've arrived at—I'm certainly critical of those who have forced us into these positions—but in this case I think it's right that we should extend this temporary legislation for another 12 months while proper and correction consideration is given to that report.”

Liberal Party • MP • 27 Sept 2022

“It's good that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has done such thorough and thoughtful work in reviewing this legislation, and I think it is eminently sensible of the government to take its time to carefully review that in the intervening 12 months, leaving in place the laws which are working effectively and coming back to this parliament in 12 months time with proposals as to how to further improve those laws.”

Liberal Party • MP • 27 Sept 2022

“The extension of the sunsetting date of these powers ensures that the Australian Federal Police continue to have appropriate powers to respond to terrorism related threats and, importantly, allows the parliament enough time to consider the complex recommendations of the PJCIS on future updates to these powers.”

Liberal Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“I commend the report from the joint standing committee. There's a lot of work in it. They heard submissions from human rights commissioners and the Law Council, who gave quite harrowing stories of some people who were permanently affected by this and ultimately proved to be innocent. We should never forget that the presumption of innocence is such an important part of who we are—not just our judicial system but our sense of fairness. We'll have that debate about the anti-corruption commission today, but at the pointy end of criminal law is where it matters most. I think we should make sure we get this balance right. I commend the report by the joint standing committee, and I commend the amendment.”

Liberal Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“I rise to support the bill before the House. It's a continuation of counterterrorism powers held by the AFP. These powers were brought in by our previous coalition government, and they are due to sunset on 7 December 2022. This bill, the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (AFP Powers and Other Matters) Bill, extends the powers until December 2023.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“Every Australian deserves to live carefree, with the knowledge that their law enforcement agencies are doing everything that they can to prevent terrorist activity on our country's soil. The extension of the sunsetting date of these vital powers that the Australian Federal Police hold will allow them to continue to respond to terrorist threats, while giving the parliament sufficient time to ensure the complex recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security on updating these powers. I am proud to support this bill, and I commend this bill to the House.”

Liberal Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“This bill, the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (AFP Powers and Other Matters) Bill 2022, is very important, given that Australia's national terrorism threat level is 'probable'. This means that there's very credible intelligence, assessed by Australian security agencies, that individuals and groups have the intent and capability to conduct a terrorist act in Australia. This bill will provide for the continuation of key counterterrorism powers that the AFP needs to help keep Australians safe.”

Liberal Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“We ought not delay this bill. It should be passed as soon as practicable, to give our police and all our protective, security and intelligence agencies all the help they need. We should never decry what our police and those agencies do in the name of freedom, in the name of democracy and in the name of keeping Australia and Australians safe. I commend the bill.”

National Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“When we grasp what a country that is under constant terrorism threat looks like, and we cross-reference that to what we have here, it is a good thing that both sides of our House are united in arming our AFP personnel with the tools that they need—and I commend them for never having had to engage one of them. But the fact that we arm them gives us a sense of what our preparedness is and the lengths that we will go to to protect the freedoms and the liberties that we have, and the extent that this parliament will go to to protect those, so that, every night when we put our head on our pillow, we sleep under a blanket of security provided by our forefathers and the fact that our AFP personnel will fight to protect us on a daily basis. I commend the bill to the House.”

Liberal Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022

“When our AFP get information, they can only detain a person for an expected 14 days. After that, they are released or it goes to a court and is judged by normal processes. It has a limited immediate application, and I think that the powers that are embodied in this are reasonable, considering the seriousness of the possibilities of a terrorist attack when they get this sort of information. I know they've used this without legislation—the principle of intelligence. So they've gone through the process, but sometimes things move very rapidly, and I think extending it for another 12 months seems a reasonable move for exceptional situations. So I look forward to this initiative getting support in the House, and I've said my piece.”

National Party • MP • 28 Sept 2022