Labor leader accuses Morrison of “playing political games … in the shadow of the shocking Sri Lankan murders”

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Labor has angrily rejected suggestions it dragged its feet on national security after Scott Morrison used the example of just one unlegislated bill to criticise the opposition in the aftermath of the Sri Lanka attacks.

Bill Shorten and Labor leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, said Morrison should be “ashamed of himself”, with Shorten accusing the prime minister of “playing political games … in the shadow of the shocking Sri Lankan murders”.

Despite Morrison nominating national security as his top legislative priority in 2019, the issue had played little part in the election campaign – until the deadly attacks that killed about 253 people.

On Friday, Morrison told reporters in Townsville that “a locally based Islamic terrorist organisation” with links to Islamic State was responsible for the “heinous and cowardly attacks against Christians that occurred just this past week on Easter Sunday”.

Morrison said Australia was facing a “new front in combatting terrorism” from foreign fighters returning from Syria and other conflicts with skills, training and support from Islamic State.

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Morrison said the Coalition has been attempting to introduce a regime of temporary exclusion orders that would prevent Australian citizens returning from the conflict or make them subject to “parole-type” surveillance and reporting requirements.

“It was our hope to pass that legislation and I was disappointed that Labor once again dragged their feet on that legislation,” he said.

The bill – which would prevent Australian fighters returning home for two years – was labelled a “dog’s breakfast” by the Law Council but the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security recommended it be passed, provided multiple safeguards were added. The bill was never put to a vote in parliament.

Morrison said that there “has been a lot of talk of bipartisanship” on national security but over the past five and a half years of government the Coalition “had to drag the Labor party with us when it comes to dealing with these issues”.

Morrison said the Coalition “can get [Labor] to a point of agreement” but national security was a very important issue that “instinctively” the Liberal and National parties responded to.

“Our instincts are always to protect, defend, Australia and to secure the wellbeing of our citizens and to ensure they’re protected from these sorts of threats,” he said.

Shorten told reporters in Melbourne that Morrison “loves to be on the high ground … but he never fails to reach for the bottom of the barrel when it suits him”.

Wong said Morrison knew Labor had “given bipartisan support to national security legislation over and over again”.

“And we have ensured bipartisan support under Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, but the only Liberal prime minister in that series who wants to open up a political divide on national security has been Scott Morrison,” she said.

Wong said the security committee had ensured “prompt passage” of bipartisan legislation and the exclusion order bill had “unanimous agreement” but the government had not brought it for a vote in the “part-time parliament”.

“[Morrison] should be ashamed of himself for playing politics with this,” she said.

In the term of the 45th parliament, Labor threatened to dissent on the security committee over the Coalition’s encryption bill and its bill to make it easier to strip terrorists of Australian citizenship.

The opposition passed the encryption bill in December then promised to fix it with amendments, if Labor was elected.

The security committee recommended the citizenship stripping bill be passed after a further review. Both the citizenship stripping bill and exclusion order bills lapsed when parliament was dissolved ahead of the 18 May election.