PRIME MINISTER:
Welcome. I’m joined this morning by the Attorney-General, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan, who is the Minister assisting me for Counter-Terrorism and the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester.
Also, the heads of our agencies that we are bringing together into the new Department of Home Affairs. It’s long overdue, this reform, but it will mean that these agencies - critically important to keeping Australians safe – are working together in the same department.
The agencies whose leaders are with us today were responsible for disrupting and containing the most serious, elaborate terrorist plot within Australia that we’ve confronted. This was a plot to bring down an aeroplane. Hundreds of people would have died had it been carried out.
It's a great credit, particularly to the work of ASIO, whose Director-General is here, and the Federal Police, whose Commissioner is here, for the way in which they worked with the State Police to identify this conspiracy, to disrupt it, contain it, to ensure that Australians were kept safe and of course now, to prosecute two individuals on terrorist offences. Since September 2014, our agencies have disrupted 13 terrorist plots and charged 73 Australians with terrorism offences here in Australia.
Now, none of this can be taken for granted. We all know that there is no place for ‘set and forget’. We congratulate and thank the officers of the agencies, Border Force, police, ASIO, Office of Transport Security. We thank them for their diligence and their commitment and for their success on this occasion. But we all know the challenge is relentless and so we can't be complacent.
So what we're doing with the Department of Home Affairs is ensuring that our agencies can do an even better job. To support that, we're having a discussion here today about how the implementation of this reform is underway.
I want to note that we have maintained additional security measures at airports following this recent disruption of this plot. Some of the measures are obvious to the travelling public and others are not but all of these aspects of security are under constant review.
The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester, will be reviewing - is reviewing currently -our aviation security arrangements. That includes the viability of checking identities at airports.
I've also asked the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton, to undertake further work on cargo, passenger security and screening at airports.
So constantly, in every way, every day, we are focused on improving, enhancing the ability of our agencies to keep Australians safe.
As I said, there is no place for ‘set and forget’. We are relentless. We recognise the challenge that we face is relentless as well. So we must be resolute in our efforts to ensure we are always doing everything we can to keep Australians safe.
I look forward to having a good discussion here about the implementation of this important reform.
Thank you.
[ENDS]