Malcolm Turnbull says Islamic caliphate ‘is coming to an end’

MALCOLM Turnbull has used some of his strongest language yet to describe the fight against terrorists while unveiling “game-changing” F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (second right), with Minister for Defence, Senator Marise Payne (second left), Member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson (centre), Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne and Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Leo Davies (left) at the back of a C-17 Globemaster III at Avalon, Melbourne. Picture Tracey Nearmy.

A FIRED-UP Malcolm Turnbull has used some of his strongest language yet to describe Australia’s fight against terrorists in the Middle East.

Welcoming Australia’s new F-35 stealth aircrafts at the Avalon Air Show near Melbourne, the Prime Minister was notably frank about Australia’s fight against Daesh.

The F35 in action at the Avalon airshow in Avalon. Picture: AAP

Mr Turnbull referenced tough new laws that would allow defence personnel to “kill terrorists” in the Middle East “whether they have a gun in their hand, a bomb in their hand or whether they are in the back office planning an attack or raising money or engaged in logistics”.

He spoke of Australia’s determination, along with its allies, to destroy its enemies and bring an end to Daesh’s “so-called caliphate”.

PM Malcolm Turnbull, cetre, with Defence Minister Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne after inspecting a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) F-35 at the Avalon Airshow. Picture: Scott Barbour.

“Our job is to protect Australia from all threats,” Mr Turnbull told reporters at the show.

“Right now ... our air force is operating in the Middle East, killing terrorists,” he said.

“When I became Prime Minister, I was advised by the chief of the Defence Force ... that Australian law, as it stood, had the consequence that our Defence Forces in that particularly Syria-Iraq theatre could only target terrorists when they were actively engaged in combat.

“We weren’t able to target them when they were in support roles and logistics and planning and financing, for example.

Smooth. The PM wore an aeroplane tie for the occasion at the Avalon Airshow. Picture: Tracey Nearmy.

“I changed the law, my government changed the law so that our Australian Defence Force, our air force, is able to kill terrorists in the Middle East ... whether they have a gun in their hand, a bomb in their hand or whether they are in the back office planning an attack or raising money or engaged in logistics.

The new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter arrives at the Avalon airshow. Picture: AAP

“This is a struggle where we are determined to destroy the enemies, the terrorist enemies we face in the Middle East.

“And our men and women are doing that, they are doing that together with our allies, with the United States and others, we are doing that successfully.

“We are destroying ‘Daesh’ in the field and their so-called caliphate is coming to an end.”

Malcolm Turnbull inspects a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) F-35 at the Avalon Airshow in Melbourne. Picture: Scott Barbour.

Speaking alongside Defence Minister Marise Payne and Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, Mr Turnbull announced Australia’s investment in the global Joint Strike Fighter program would create an extra 2600 defence industry jobs by 2023.

The new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter arrives at the Avalon airshow. Picture: AAP

“We need to ensure that our Defence Forces have the best capabilities, they have the greatest lethality, the greatest survivability so that we send our young men and women out to war they have the tools to do the job to destroy their enemies, to destroy the terrorists who seek to do us harm and come safely home,” Mr Turnbull said.

The new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter arrives at the Avalon airshow in Avalon. Picture: AAP

The Turnbull Government is purchasing and will maintain 72 aircraft as part of the global Joint Strike Fighter program.

Minister Payne said the aquistition of the F-35s was “game-changing” for Australia’s airforce capability and was 15 years in the making.

“The F-35 has stealth built into it, right from the start,” she said.

The aircraft could go further, were harder to see and had information-sharing capabilities that would “increase the survivability and capability of our assets in the air and land”.

“We are on track and ready to receive the first two F-35 aircraft permanently in Australia at the end of 2018,” Ms Payne said.

“We will declare initial operating capability just two years later at the end of 2020.”

Originally published as Malcolm Turnbull says Islamic caliphate ‘is coming to an end’