Malcolm Turnbull takes tougher line on Australian citizenship to battle extremism
MALCOLM Turnbull has called for intelligence agencies to have more access to encrypted messaging, saying public safety trumps any privacy concerns.
National
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PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull is calling for intelligence agencies to have more access to encrypted messaging as part of a move to crack down on terrorists in “ungoverned digital spaces”.
Speaking to parliament today, Mr Turnbull highlighted the need for intelligence agencies to be able to access encrypted messaging services, which he claimed were being used by terrorists.
Currently, the major US-based companies such as Apple did not easily grant access.
“The privacy of a terrorist can never be more important than public safety — never,” Mr Turnbull told Parliament.
“An online civil society is as achievable as an offline one, and the rights and protections of the vast, overwhelming majority of Australians, must outweigh the rights of those who will do them harm.
“And that is truly what balancing the priority of community safety with individual liberties is all about.”
Mr Turnbull assured the parliament the push was “not about creating or exploiting back doors” to access private information but about “collaboration with and assistance from industry in the pursuit of public safety”.
BRANDIS TO WORK WITH FIVE EYES INTELLIGENCE
The Prime Minister announced that the Attorney-General, George Brandis, would work with his counterparts in the Five Eyes intelligence network on a way to tackle the issue of terror in digital spaces.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten called for Facebook and Twitter, as well as the developers of encrypted communications apps, to do more in the counter-terrorism space.
“Facebook has created new dedicated teams and employed thousands of people specifically to monitor its Facebook Live stream and remove offensive content,” he said.
“But we need more — and these companies have the resources and the capacity to do more. “
“Terrorists don’t self-police, so we cannot rely on a self-policing system.”
OPINION: Time for Google and other web giants to act against terror
He also called for better co-operation between the federal and state governments to protect communities and detect and prevent terrorist attacks.
“Terrorism has no respect for human life and no regard for our laws — this is not the time for circular arguments about jurisdiction or terminology,” he said.
In his speech today, Mr Turnbull also urged Labor to pass laws to change visa and citizenship requirements.
“There is no more important title in our democracy than ‘Australian citizen,” he said.
“And we should make no apology for asking those who seek to join our Australian family to join us as Australian patriots — committed to the values that define us, committed to the values that unite us.”
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