Abbott's statement on security

Prime Minister Tony Abbott made these points in a statement to parliament on national security.

THE PRIME MINISTER'S SECURITY UPDATE

* The government will do whatever is possible to keep people safe

* Security measures at home and abroad are directed against terrorism, not religion

* Australians should always live normally because terrorists' goal is to scare us out of being ourselves

* Can't promise that hideous events will never take place on Australian soil but says Australia will never fight evil with evil

* New laws that are harder to beat on a technicality are a small price to pay for saving lives and maintaining an open, free and multicultural nation

* The September 11 attack predated America's involvement in Iraq, just as the first Bali bombing predated Australia's

* Abbott heads to New York for discussions about terrorism and foreign fighters at the United Nations on Wednesday

* After the UN meeting, cabinet will again consider the use of Australian forces to mount air strikes and to provide military advice in support of the Iraqi government

* An urgent review of Parliament House security recommended Australian Federal Police take control of internal as well as external security

* Extra ASIO and ASIS officers are being recruited and deployed

* More Border Force officers are being deployed to international airports and biometric screening will be introduced within 12 months.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world