A MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER

Earlier this week, the hostages of the Lindt café, as well as the families of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson were welcomed to this Parliament.

We acknowledged the atrocity that took place in Sydney’s CBD and we pledged to keep our country as safe and as secure as we humanly can.

Both the Commonwealth and State Governments are currently considering the joint review into the Martin Place siege and we will shortly release the report publicly, along with our response.

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

I will also be making a national security statement 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.

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.

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.

As a nation we are responding to this threat. Abroad, Australia is working with allies to disrupt and degrade the Islamist death cult. At home, we have provided our security services with more powers, more resources and stronger laws.

We are currently considering additional legislation on data retention that’s before the Parliament – and this will make it easier to keep you safe and we want to get this legislation passed as quickly as we can.

I give you this assurance: As a country, we won’t let evil people exploit our freedom.