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Statements by Members: National Security: Citizenship
As I have said before, the first duty of good government is the protection of its citizens.
I rise to highlight the government’s unwavering commitment to keep Australians safe.
There are currently over 250 Australians fighting with or supporting terrorists overseas.
And we know that these terrorists, trained by groups such as ISIS, also seek to do us harm here in Australia.
This is of great concern to local communities including mine in Deakin, so I am very proud to be part of a government that is acting decisively by introducing legislation this week to remove the citizenship of dual nationals who fight with or support terrorist organisations.
Our message to these people is: if you leave Australia to murder, rape and terrorise others, we do not want you back.
And if you are a dual national, we will not let you back. Where is Labor in all of this?
The Leader of the Opposition calls it ‘dog whistling’, and, when the shadow Attorney-General was asked what he would do with those dual nationals who partake in acts of terror, he said, ‘We’d get them back here.’ So where does Labor really stand?
The reality is that we do not know, and I suspect that many members of the Labor Party do not know themselves.
But I can assure my electorate of Deakin: the Coalition will always stand up and deliver the first duty of government, and that is to keep our country and its people safe.
Click here to access a PDF copy of the Hansard transcript of this speech.
Click here to view a video of this speech on YouTube.