SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
We are joined now by Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Prime Minister, good morning to you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning, Sam.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Now, across the country today, obviously, people are very concerned particularly in Sydney and Brisbane. What advice do you have for the public?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I make three fundamental points. The first is that the best response to all of this is to go about one’s business normally, because terrorism is about scaring people out of their ordinary daily way of life. Second point I make is that the Government will do whatever we humanly can to keep our community safe. Third point – very important point – is that the actions yesterday were not about any particular religious group or any particular community. They were about crime, they were about potential terrorism, and they’re about keeping our whole community safe.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Ok, from your information, are we going to see more raids like the ones we saw yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER:
What happened, Sam, is that earlier this week an Australian who is a senior ISIL operative in Syria instructed his networks here in Australia to look to commit demonstration executions. That was the instruction that came from ISIL in Syria to networks of support here in Australia. Because we believed that a demonstration execution was likely quickly, we acted as we did to disrupt this particular network.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Ok. So you’re confident you’ve got this network inside Australia now?
PRIME MINISTER:
The regrettable reality is that to mount the kind of attacks which ISIL in Syria and in Iraq has in mind for Australia, all you need is a determined individual who will kill without compunction – a knife, an iPhone, and a victim. So, it is difficult to entirely protect our community from this kind of act, but we do have extremely professional, very thorough, very capable police and security agencies, and I am confident that we have the wherewithal to do what we need to do to keep our community safe.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Alright, now one of the newspapers this morning is reporting that armed federal police have taken over responsibility for Parliament House security. Is that true and is Parliament House a potential target?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, Parliament House certainly is a potential target. There has been chatter amongst these terrorist support networks for some time about possible attacks on Government here in Australia. As a result of intelligence, there was an urgent review conducted a week or so back of security at Parliament House and as a result of that review the Australian Federal Police will be taking over security both inside the building as well as outside the building.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Alright, now Prime Minister this rally by members of the Muslim community overnight in Lakemba in Sydney. Now, these people claim the raids were overkill, that excessive police force was used, they are political propaganda – that is what they are saying. What do you want to say to the Muslim community?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, obviously, the point I make is that the police actions yesterday were about crime and potential crime. They weren’t about any particular religion or any particular community. The other point I’d make to the wider Australian community is that this was actually a relatively small demonstration and the absolutely overwhelming majority of Australian Muslims are decent people who are totally committed to our country.
SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE:
Ok. Prime Minister, we’ll have to leave it there, but thank you very much for your time this morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you, Sam.
[ends]