He expressed disappointment that some Muslim leaders had refused to attend meetings with him, but stressed that the talks were intended as bridge-building sessions to discuss how to stop disaffected young people from being seduced by extremist organisations such as IS. Mr Abbott said the meetings were largely positive and embraced by the representatives for Muslim communities who were present. "Obviously the most important thing is to talk," Mr Abbott told ABC radio. "That's why I was disappointed that a small number of Islamic leaders, community leaders, rather foolishly boycotted that meeting. "I doubt that sort of thing will happen again because it's so self-evidently petty.

"You can hardly complain that people aren't talking to you then, when you offer them a talk, [you] say sorry, we're not coming." Muslim leaders used the meetings to air concerns about what some consider a "trumped up" response from the Abbott government to the local threat of terrorism. But Mr Abbott said the "spirit of the meetings was excellent" and said his use of the term "Team Australia" had been enthusiastically embraced. "As one of the leading imams said to me at the end of one meeting, we're all part of team Australia and you're our captain," he said. "We're all part of Team Australia and you're our captain and frankly that is the attitude of the vast majority of Muslim people in this country."

Mr Abbott said the "barbaric" murder of Foley highlighted the need for the government to redouble its efforts against terrorism. He described IS as probably the "most effective terrorist movement the world has yet seen" and "as near to pure evil as we are ever likely to see". "As far as I'm concerned what they are succeeding in doing is strengthening and deepening the resolve of the Australian government to do everything we reasonably can to protect our citizens," he said. Loading "We are vigilant and we will be more vigilant in the days and weeks and months ahead."