PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning. It’s great to be here with the Minister for Justice and the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Andrew Colvin to announce the largest increase in funding for the AFP’s domestic operations, in more than a decade. $321 million over the next four years. What that is going to do, is to enable the AFP to engage another 300 specialists in surveillance, in intelligence, in forensics - using the types of technology that we’ve just seen displayed a moment ago.
The AFP stands in the frontline keeping us safe, that is the first duty of every government. My government has committed more resources than ever to keeping Australians safe, in the ADF the AFP in all of our intelligence and security forces. Now the threat is becoming more complex, more challenging.
Trans-national crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, the AFP has intercepted several, more than one tonne shipments of drugs very recently. You’ve seen the extraordinary success that they’ve been able to achieve. But our enemies, those who seek to do us harm, these criminals whether they are terrorists or drug traffickers or people smugglers and of course all of those crimes and many others are linked. They are becoming more sophisticated and so our resources, our technologies need to match them.
That is why we are making this historic investment. The men and women of the Australian Federal Police keep us safe and we thank them for the work that they do. They secure Australia they protect us from threats, at home and abroad.
I’ll ask the Minister for Justice now to say a little more about this historic investment but believe me, this is keeping Australian’s safe. We are committed to the security of all Australians and we’re putting the resources that the men and women of the AFP need, in their hands to do their job. Minister.
MINISTER FOR JUSTICE:
Well, thank you, Prime Minister, Commissioner. This is a great day for the Australian Federal Police and it underscores this government's commitment to keeping our country safe. We face increasingly sophisticated threats, both on the national security front and from organised criminals, particularly criminals that peddle in the drug trade. We need to have a police force that is able to deal with those threats.
This $320 million investment buys the AFP that extra capability; extra forensic experts, and behind us, we see a world-leading forensics laboratory that we opened earlier on this year. Extra technical capability. Extra specialist response teams like the guys that you see here behind me. This is a game-changer for the Australian Federal Police. It underscores our commitment to making sure that they have what they need to keep Australians safe from the sophistication of the criminal and national security threats that we currently face.
ANDREW COLVIN - COMMISSIONER OF THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE:
Good morning everybody, and welcome to the AFP Majura facility. Can I firstly just obviously welcome the Prime Minister and the Minister. It’s wonderful that we have had the Prime Minister here twice in a fairly short period of time and I think that underscores the importance placed on the work of the Australian Federal Police.
I want to quickly take this opportunity, because the Prime Minister and Minister have already said what needs to be said, but I want to thank the Government for the support they've shown for the AFP and the confidence they continue to have in the work that we do. I know the men and women of the AFP certainly understand that confidence and appreciate the support that we get both from government and from the community.
As you've already heard this morning, we know crime is changing. It’s changing at an incredible rate, particularly for the work of the Australian Federal Police. My front-line officers, those in uniform, those investigators around the country and internationally, need to know that they have the most modern, capable police force behind them to help them in terms of the investigations and the critical work they do. Be it in organised crime, be it in terrorism, be it in cyber-crime. We deal with some of the most complex protracted investigations that this country has and we need to know we have the capabilities to support those front-line officers and that is exactly what this announcement today is about.
It's about ensuring the future of the AFP is reliant on those specialist capabilities, our forensic capabilities, our technical capabilities, our specialist core capabilities that support front-line police.
So this is a very welcomed injection into the AFP. I think it's a wonderful, wonderful statement about the support for the organisation, but also a wonderful opportunity for the AFP to make sure that we can deliver the AFP of the future; a ten-year commitment to look at the future of the organisation, to make sure we can deliver on our vision to make sure that we can support the community in the critical work that we do, particularly around terrorism and organised crime.
So again to the Government, to the Prime Minister and the Minister, thank you very much.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, with this injection into the AFP and other security forces that are reported today, why not simply scrap the efficiency dividends for these types of agencies as opposed to giving them these seemingly one-off funding boosts?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well this is a very substantial commitment. As you know our commitment to the AFP and to national security - international, domestic, every aspect of it - is increasing all the time. So we will always ensure that those men and women who stand in the front-line to keep us safe in the AFP, in the ADF, in our security and intelligence services, have the resources they need. Financial resources and of course, legislative resources as well.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister where is the money coming from? There has been some talk that it is coming from foreign aid measures?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, yes I’ve read all of that. The Budget is tomorrow and I can assure you this is all fully funded.
JOURNALIST:
But the funding boost for ASIS would come from the foreign affairs budget, because that is where it sits, logically?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we will always continue to provide the resources that our intelligence services, including ASIS of course, our security services - ADF, AFP, all of them - all of those men and women who keep us safe, will always have our support. Financial, legislative, in every respect.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, is there a comment from you and perhaps the Commissioner as well on the latest image from Khaled Sharrouf?
PRIME MINISTER:
The despicable conduct of Khaled Sharrouf in using his child to promote the barbaric terrorist activities of the organisation of which he is part, is almost beyond belief. But that is the depths of barbarity, of cruelty, of savagery, that ISIL or Daesh, have sunk to.
That is why we are committed, with our allies, to destroy ISIL in the field. They must be eliminated, destroyed in the field in the Middle East where the men and women of the ADF are working with our allies, as I discussed with President Trump only a few days ago. We destroy them in the field, we combat them everywhere, at home and around the world. But it underlines how important it is, how vital it is, that ISIL and everything it stands for is eliminated.
JOURNALIST:
Commissioner?
ANDREW COLVIN - COMMISSIONER OF THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE:
Prime Minister I think you said it very well. I mean, I don't think the Australian community, well, they’ll be shocked and offended, but largely to security agencies, this is more of the same. We've seen it before and we will probably see it again. I think it says a lot more about Khaled Sharrouf than it does about his children.
However, we're all working very closely with our partners overseas and of course the ultimate aim is to prosecute Khaled Sharrouf, and that’s our objective.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, the children, would you like to see them brought back to Australia? We know that there's not just that child, there's many over there with their parents. Can they be resettled in Australia? Do you want to see them back here?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, all of the children that are being exploited in this way - if they are Australian citizens, of course - would be able to return to Australia, but under the closest possible supervision and observation. I can assure you that we will leave no stone unturned in protecting Australians from those people who return from that conflict zone, whether they are adults or whether they are children. If they are adults, they will obviously be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If they are children, they will nonetheless also be given the closest attention. I can assure you of this.
My job as your Prime Minister is to keep Australians safe. Now, we have the resources to do so. We have the men and women that we've just met of the AFP and the ADF and our intelligence and security services. But we will be utterly resolute in keeping Australians safe. That applies to anyone who returns from the conflict zone, whether they are an adult or a child.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Anthony Pratt’s announced a $2 billion investment in American manufacturing. What's your Government going to do other than tax cuts to create jobs, in particular in manufacturing?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we are absolutely committed to supporting the Australian manufacturing sector, and I was with Anthony Pratt of course, when he made that commitment on the Intrepid in New York.
One of the reasons that you're seeing increased investment in manufacturing in the United States is because of the prospect of lower taxes which President Trump has promised, and also the fact that they have affordable energy. That's why I took decisive action to ensure that there was affordable and adequate supplies of gas on the east coast of Australia, only a few days ago. So it is vitally important that Australian industry has all of the incentives to continue to invest. That's why we have our Enterprise Tax Plan, to remain competitive. Even more important now in the light of President Trump's announcement, and that's why it's vitally important that Australian businesses, industries and households have access to secure and affordable supplies of energy and, in particular, gas.
JOURNALIST:
Just on the French election. Were you relieved that a centrist, globalist, Emmanuel Macron is now in the Élysée?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’ve congratulated President-elect Macron and I sent him a text and I got a response back thanking me for the congratulations and looking forward to working together.
We have a lot going on with France at the moment. We have the huge submarine deal and many other projects. Of course the shared history, you know 100 years ago, the soldiers of France and the soldiers of Australia were fighting side-by-side to defend France, to keep France free, and indeed to defend Australia. We have been side-by-side in freedom's cause for over a century. We are side-by-side in freedom's cause in the Middle East today. So we have great work to do to make the ties between France and Australia, stronger still.
JOURNALIST:
Just back to – I know, "all will be revealed tomorrow night", but can you give us a taste or sense of the narrative or theme of this Budget?
PRIME MINISTER:
This Budget will be committed to fairness, opportunity and security, ensuring that Australians are given the opportunity to get ahead, the economic growth that enables them to get ahead, to get a better job, a better-paying job, to start a business, grow a business, to realise their dreams. We’ll also deliver the security and the assurance, national security, we've been talking about this morning, but also the security about essential services and essential government services - education and health. But above all, this Budget will be a thoroughly fair Budget. It is a commitment to fairness, Australians understand that. We are the nation of a fair go, it’s in our DNA and our Budget will reflect that.
JOURNALIST:
Just confirming PM that there will there be a Productivity Commission inquiry that will look at the financial sector and that will also include looking at whether to separate the banks, retail and financial advice arms?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I won't reveal any more of the Budget today, but I encourage you, I'm sure you will all be paying close attention tomorrow night.
Can I just say, finally too, also congratulations to Sydney FC. A great win, a great game, well played by Melbourne, but good to see Sydney FC win. As I said to Danny Vukovic this morning, how great it was to see little Harley run on to the field.
Thanks very much.
[ENDS]