PM says Australians have been ‘played for mugs’ by ‘bad people’ and signals sweeping policy shift aimed at bolstering national security

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Tony Abbott has said Australians have been “played for mugs” by “bad people” and the government would no longer give “the benefit of doubt” when it comes to immigration, residency, welfare and citizenship.



The prime minister linked the Martin Place siege at the Lindt cafe, which killed two people, to what appears to be a new national security policy of “remedial action”. He outlined a harder stance through a statement and YouTube presentation but has provided little detail and promised further information when he makes a statement on national security on Monday week.

“It’s clear to me, that for too long, we have given those who might be a threat to our country the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

“There’s been the benefit of the doubt at our borders, the benefit of the doubt for residency, the benefit of the doubt for citizenship and the benefit of the doubt at Centrelink.

“And in the courts, there has been bail, when clearly there should have been jail.

“We are a free and fair nation. But that doesn’t mean we should let bad people play us for mugs, and all too often they have: Well, that’s going to stop.”

Abbott said Australia was working to degrade “the Islamist death cult” and “as a country, we won’t let evil people exploit our freedom”.

“The rise of the Islamist death cult in the Middle East has seen the emergence of new threats where any extremist can grab a knife, a flag, a camera phone and a victim and carry out a terror attack.”

Abbott said the government would shortly release the joint state-commonwealth review of the Martin Place siege, which killed Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.

“We are both determined to learn the lessons of this attack and will promptly take any necessary remedial action,” he said.

The prime minister’s statement comes days after two men were arrested in Sydney, charged with planning to carry out a terrorist attack.

It was also released as two people were shot dead in Copenhagen following an attack on a free speech forum, which featured a Swedish cartoonist, who has caused controversy with his depictions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Abbott condemned the attack and said Australia’s national terrorism alert remained on “high”, which means a terrorist attack is likely.

“Denmark is a partner in the international coalition that is working to disrupt, degrade and ultimately defeat the Islamist death cult in Iraq and Syria,” Abbott said.

“Recent attacks such as those in Copenhagen and Paris will only strengthen our resolve to combat Isil, or Daesh, and the evil it represents.”

The government has been seeking to move the debate on to national security ahead of a parliamentary debate on data retention laws and Abbott’s statement makes clear that he will use the report to also tighten measures around border security.

Associate professor Anne Aly, of Curtin University’s countering online violent extremism research program said the Abbott government continued to treat the symptoms of terrorism without addressing the reasons which cause young men to join terrorist movements.

“Is this the new Tony Abbott?” Aly said. “He continues to frame this as a national security problem, hacking away at the branches without attacking the roots.

“This tactic that he is taking that is solely focused on hard side of national security and is at odds with approaches of many other western governments that are implementing programs which give people different strategies when they encounter extremism.”

Aly said 99% of young Muslim men and the population generally had come into contact with extremist ideology through the rise of Isis and such programs could help people find a way to turn away from extremist approaches.

She said Abbott’s statement and the government’s narrative on national security was making her work harder because it alienated young Muslims who feel under pressure from the language of the national security debate.

“It is making my work much harder because my work is focused on positive aspects but increasingly more work is required countering the government narrative as well as countering the extremist narrative,” she said.

Aly said it Abbott’s national security statement was “interesting timing”, given that Barack Obama was holding a summit in Washington this week to bring together experts to discuss the importance of countering violent extremism within communities.

“The United States, for example, has has given strong recognition to the fact that it can’t just be dealt with at national security issue and it is the same in Europe and the United Kingdom. Yet here in Australia we have no soft programs to balance hard national security laws.”

Aly said while the Abbott government had announced $13.4m for programs to counter violent extremism last year out of a $630m package to strengthen government police and intelligence agencies, only $1m had been announced so far and that round had not yet closed, so no funding in the area had yet been released.

Aly said even those grants, which provide a maximum of $50,000, could only provide help to community organisations to “improve their ability to deliver an intervention service” rather than fund the service itself.

“We are still waiting and while we’re still waiting the prime minister continues to hammer home how he is increasing national security and we are still waiting to do anything that is going to address that at its roots,” said Aly.