MARK DREYFUS MP

Every debate about national security legislation in this country should begin with a recognition that the powers we have given our security agencies in Australia are broader and subject to fewer restrictions and less oversight than the powers that have been given to agencies in any similar country anywhere in the world. There are no greater examples of this than ASIO's questioning and detention warrant powers. No comparable jurisdiction in the world - by that I mean Western democracies - gives such powers to its intelligence agencies.

The Medevac Laws should not be necessary but this Minister and this Government makes them necessary and they must not be repealed.

When Labor stands up for parliamentary oversight and scrutiny of legislation to ensure that laws operate as intended and do not result in unintended and undesirable consequences and are subject to proper safeguards, the Liberals resort to cheap smears and questioning of allegiance.

The terrorist atrocity committed in New Zealand on 15 March was on unspeakable act of violence committed by a coward against a defenceless group of worshippers at prayer.

I would call on all members of this place to remember the lessons and the warnings of history, and to campaign by appealing to the best, rather than to the worst, in human nature.

My admiration and deep respect for Senator Barney Cooney is immeasurable and I send my condolences to his family and friends. While I stand here with a deep sense of sadness, it is, however, Barney's contribution to Australian politics, his sharpened instinct for social justice and the generous guidance that he afforded me and so many others, that stands out.

This amendment is necessary to help protect the personal information, and therefore the security, of virtually every Australian who has a smartphone or uses the internet.

If politicians and their staff are seen to be somehow exempt from the integrity mechanisms that other parts of the Commonwealth are subject to, how is that right? How will that help to restore trust in government and in politics at large? It doesn't seem right to me and I don't think it will seem right to many Australians either.

The safety of our community and the security of our nation must always be paramount considerations for every member of this parliament.

Labor support this bill. We support this bill because we recognise the need to modernise the legislative framework that governs the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, ASIS, to reflect the changing operational realities in the global environment and the nature of the national security challenges that Australia now faces.