Priority projects on the Gold Coast have received a Federal funding injection to support jobs and deliver essential services. The Morrison Government has accelerated funding of $2.84 million to the City of Gold Coast, the first 2021-22 quarterly payment in their $23m allocation, as part of the $2.7 billion Financial Assistance Grant program. Member for…
The sentencing of three men today in the County Court of Victoria for terrorism offences highlights the ongoing need to remain vigilant in the face of threats to our community. On 20 November 2018 the men were arrested and charged by Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team for planning to undertake a terrorist attack in Melbourne.…
Topics: Queensland Government’s border restrictions; COVID-19 vaccine rollout; JobKeeper. MATT WEBBER: Federal Minister for Home Affairs, member for McPherson, good morning to you Ms Andrews. KAREN ANDREWS: Good morning, Matt. How are you? MATT WEBBER: I’m well, with the Titans into the finals – I know you enjoy a Suns game from time to time…
You probably didn’t hear about it, but last week the Morrison Government passed legislation to give police and intelligence agencies more powers to tackle serious criminal activity taking place online, including child sexual exploitation. We’re making it harder for criminals and paedophiles to hide behind anonymising technology on the dark web. It didn’t make the…
Topics: Terrorist incident in New Zealand. SCOTT EMERSON: Following on from that attack in New Zealand this afternoon, where we saw people stabbed – three are in critical condition – in what Jacinda Ardern has confirmed was a terrorist attack at a supermarket in Auckland – we’re now with Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews. Minister,…
Topics: Queensland border restrictions; anti-child sexual exploration campaign ‘trace an object’; new COVID-19 vaccine doses from Singapore; vaccine rollout; importance of the National Plan. NEIL BREEN: Good morning to you, Minister. KAREN ANDREWS: Good morning, Neil. How are you? NEIL BREEN: I’m well, thanks. Now, you’ve been in Canberra – I just wanted to address…
Topics: Evacuation of Australians, permanent residents, and Australian visa holders from Kabul International Airport; settlement of evacuees in Australia KAREN ANDREWS: While our operations in Kabul have ceased, we have now had 1,035 people arrive in Australia from the Middle East. Our work regarding Afghanistan is not complete, we are continuing to support those people…
The Parliament has today passed legislation that will ensure our national security agencies continue to have the powers they need to combat current and emerging threats to national security. The Comprehensive Review of the Legal Framework of the National Intelligence Community (the Richardson Review) made clear that the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA…
Legislation passed today will significantly boost the capacity of our law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt serious criminal activity occurring online, and keep Australians safe. The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 introduces three new powers for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to modify and delete data…
Topics: Afghanistan; humanitarian visas; new powers for the Australian Federal Police. LAURA JAYES: The Minister for Home Affairs, Karen Andrews, joins us. Thanks so much for your time. I believe there’s been more flights out overnight. How many and how many people? KAREN ANDREWS: Good morning Laura. There has been some successful flights overnight; there’s…