PRIME MINISTER:
It is good to be here with the Minister for Social Services, Kevin Andrews to announce a significant new measure as part of the range of measures that the Government is putting in place to deal with the domestic terror threat.
As you know, the Government recently announced a $630 million boost to our security agencies to deal with the increasing threat posed by people coming back to our country who have been radicalised and brutalised by service with various terrorist groups in the Middle East.
As part of this range of measures, I can confirm today that the Government is seeking new power to give us the capacity to remove social security benefits in the case of an adverse security assessment made against individuals.
Now, this is a new power that will be used with discretion but nevertheless we do believe that particularly for people who are heading overseas there should be the ability, in the hands of the Government, to remove social security benefits from them.
The last thing we want is terrorism tourism on the taxpayer and there will be no terrorism tourism on the taxpayer as a result of these measures that we will be putting before the Parliament soon.
I am going to ask Kevin to speak to these measures and then obviously we’ll take some questions.
KEVIN ANDREWS:
Thank you Prime Minister.
These measures will put in place a regime whereby acting on the advice of the security agencies the relevant ministers, notably the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Attorney-General, can advise the Minister for Social Services to cancel the welfare benefits of a person who has been identified as a security threat by the relevant security agencies.
Welfare should be available for people who need it. It is not for going overseas and engaging in terrorism.
PRIME MINISTER:
Ok, are there any questions?
QUESTION:
How big of a problem is it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, frankly, if there is one Australian overseas engaged with a terrorist organisation on social security that is one too many. We do know some high profile cases of Australians who have gone overseas to fight with various terrorist organisations. One gentleman in particular who has become absolutely notorious for the most bloodthirsty work as part of his activities with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq has been on social security.
Now, this measure will ensure that people leaving our country and found to be involved in terrorist activities will not be on social security. It is a power that the Minister for Social Services will have, on the advice of the security agencies, to cancel a social security benefit. It will be used sparingly, it will be used with discretion but it will certainly be used rigorously against anyone who we think has gone overseas to become involved with a terrorist group.
QUESTION:
Has there been any discussions on a Budget reboot? If so what would the changes be?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the discussions that we are constantly having are on the absolute need to deal with Labor’s debt and deficit disaster. This is a country, a great country, but one which has been imperiled by six years of spendthrift Labor governments. We are now, as a nation, borrowing $1 billion every single month just to pay the interest on Labor’s debt.
Countries, like families, like businesses cannot endlessly live beyond their means. We are borrowing $1 billion a month now to deal with Labor’s debt. Without change to policy settings, within a decade we will be borrowing $3 billion a month just to pay the interest on Labor’s debts, to pay for policies which the Labor Party put into place and promised and which were absolutely and utterly unsustainable.
So, we do need to bring the Budget back to balance. This Budget does bring our Budget back to balance within four years. It is a sensible and proportionate response to the dire fiscal situation that we were left.
We’re discussing this every day. We are explaining to the Australian people that we cannot go on as we were and the Budget that Joe Hockey and the Government brought down a couple of months ago, is the fiscal reform, it is the package of measures that are needed to put our country on the right track for the medium term.
QUESTION:
There has been no talk of changing those measures that you have announced?
PRIME MINISTER:
Obviously, the legislation that embodies the Budget measures will be going into the Parliament soon and it will, obviously, be discussed with the crossbenchers. Treasurer Joe Hockey has been having discussions with crossbench senators over the last few weeks, as you would expect, that is perfectly normal. I have to say this, none of the Budget measures, almost none of the Budget measures have as yet gone before the Senate and I am confident that perhaps with an adjustment here, perhaps with an adjustment there, the vast majority of our Budget measures will get through. They are the measures that this country needs in order to give ourselves a sustainable fiscal future.
QUESTION:
Have you had a chance to talk to Julie Bishop about her phone being compromised while she was in the middle of an international incident?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I haven’t had a chance to talk about that. Look, it’s well known that some countries do seek to target the phones of significant members of the Australian Government. It is the sort of thing that does happen from time to time but I can assure the Australian people that the very significant discussions that Julie Bishop was part of with me and with other members of the National Security Committee in recent times were all done over secure lines.
[ends]