DAVID KOCH:
New laws to strip home-grown terrorists of their Australian citizenship will be put to Parliament in a couple of hours. The laws would apply to people who are dual citizens. Their Australian citizenship is revoked if they fight with terrorist groups overseas or if they're convicted of terrorist offences here. Prime Minister Tony Abbott joins us now from Canberra. Prime Minister, thanks for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Kochie, thanks for having me.
DAVID KOCH:
A lot of people are saying how does this actually keep Australians safe? Would it be better to focus on stopping the recruitment process by the terrorist groups before they get over there?
PRIME MINISTER:
We can do both, Kochie. That's exactly what we are trying to do. But there are some 120 Australians who have left our country to fight with terrorist groups in the Middle East. We think about 50 per cent of them are dual nationals. In the case of terrorists who are dual nationals, we’ll strip their citizenship from them so they can't come back. I don't say this is the complete answer to a dreadful problem but it is an important addition to the various means that the Government has at its disposal to keep our community safe.
DAVID KOCH:
What happens to the other 50 per cent that are not dual and are just single Australian citizens?
PRIME MINISTER:
That's a fair question and that's one of the matters that will be canvassed by the citizenship consultation which is currently taking place led by Philip Ruddock and Senator Fierravanti-Wells. We will have more to say on this subject in the months to come. Obviously, as far as I'm concerned, as far as I think most Australians are concerned, people who leave this country to fight for terrorist groups overseas, that hate us and are targeting us, have committed the modern form of treason and perhaps we need a modern form of banishment to deal with such people.
DAVID KOCH:
Yeah, because they got into Syria, didn't they? I suppose we are all thinking just leave them there if they got in there and are allowed to stay there – just stay there.
PRIME MINISTER:
And that's exactly right. By stripping the Australian citizenship from terrorists who are dual nationals, we will be preventing them from ever coming back. There is a further issue of what to do with those who aren't dual nationals. That will be dealt with as part of this citizenship consultation process. But nevertheless, this Government's determination is to stop people becoming terrorists in the first place. If they do become terrorists, to keep them out of our country. And if for whatever reason they are here, to lock them up for as long as possible.
DAVID KOCH:
I think you would have universal support on all of that. Look, while we have got you, these two Aussie terrorists Khaled Sharrouf and Mohammed Elomar who are believed to have been killed in the Middle East, there are reports this morning that Elomar was known to be in a car which was the target of a coalition air strike in Syria – do you have an update on either of them?
PRIME MINISTER:
In respect of Elomar, yes, we do have a high degree of confidence that he was effectively dealt with by that coalition air strike. In respect of the other individual, we don't have any such confidence. So, one looks to be dead. The other we can't say.
DAVID KOCH:
Ok. The other one, Khaled Sharrouf’s mother-in-law, Karen Nettleton, has pleaded for you to help bring her grandchildren home because she fears for their lives in the Middle East. These are the kids that have been shown holding guns and handling severed heads. Can you help her? Do you think it's your duty to help her?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, they will be dealt with in the same way that the families of criminals are normally dealt with. Yes, you can't convict the kids on the basis of the crimes of the parents but nevertheless, they will be dealt with in exactly the same way as the families of criminals are normally dealt with. These aren't the first Australians who have committed very serious crimes overseas, who have families. They will be dealt with in the normal way.
DAVID KOCH:
Back home here, are you concerned at Islamic State using social media to recruit fighters and Jihadi wives here in Australia? Disaffected young Muslims?
PRIME MINISTER:
Very concerned indeed, Kochie. That's why we have committed just over $20 million to counter this online indoctrination, this online brainwashing, this online propaganda which it seems is being quite effective at sucking in susceptible Australians – particularly young Australians. Now, we do need to move against this. We are working with the social media companies to try to ensure that this sort of material is taken down. We are working on providing alternative sources of information for people who are susceptible to this kind of stuff. So, we are doing everything we can. At the end of the day, if some madness takes hold of someone, if this death cult implants itself inside them, it's very difficult to deal with. That's why we need a strong military force in the Middle East to deal with it at source and why we need the strongest possible police and security response here in Australia.
DAVID KOCH:
So what is your message? Look straight down the barrel. Send a message to anyone thinking of going to Iraq or Syria to fight with Islamic State.
PRIME MINISTER:
My message to you is don't do it. It is very dangerous for you. It is very dangerous for others and it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with God, with religion or with helping humanity.
DAVID KOCH:
Yep and you won't be allowed back in or if you are you’ll go to jail.
PRIME MINISTER:
We will try to stop you becoming a terrorist in the first place. If you become a terrorist, we will try to stop you coming to our country. If you do for whatever reason become a terrorist and you are here, we will do everything we can to put you in jail and keep you there for a very long time.
DAVID KOCH:
Prime Minister, thank you for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks Kochie.
[ends]