Federal and state governments to toughen up terror parole and bail laws at COAG meeting

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull will move to strengthen parole and bail laws and create consistency across different states at a meeting with his state counterparts today.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrives at the COAG meeting in Tasmania. Picture: Mathew Farrell

DIVISIONS about a more prominent role for Australian Federal Police and Commonwealth intelligence agencies in parole decisions for criminals with terrorist sympathies remain as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, meeting with his state counterparts today, appeared to play down the need for federal intervention.

Mr Turnbull will move to strengthen parole and bail laws and create consistency across different states, but stopped short of endorsing a stronger push from Victoria for far greater federal involvement.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrives at the COAG meeting in Tasmania. Picture: Mathew Farrell

Mr Turnbull said he hoped for a commitment “a strong presumption against the granting of parole and bail to persons who have shown support for, or have links to, violent extremist or terrorism”.

But Victorian Premier Dan Andrews this morning said to focus the debate on “parole and parole alone, is in my judgment, dangerously wrong”.

“I want ASIO and the AFP at the table helping the boards to make the best decisions … they, after all, have the best information,” Mr Andrews said.

The Herald Sun this morning revealed a push by Mr Andrews, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and Western Australia’s Mark McGowan for terror suspects to be dealt with under Commonwealth law and if convicted, to be thrown into the first maximum-security federal prison.

“I support the notion of us looking very, very closely at having perhaps a fit-for-purpose centralised prison where all of the offenders can be properly jailed and where we can have one policy, one focus, on what is a very big threat to every single one of us,” Mr Andrews said.

The debate about who should be responsible for parole followed several days of acrimony about why killer Brighton siege gunman Yacqub Khayre was on the streets despite a record of violence and extremism.

Melbourne siege gunman Yacqub Khayre was shot and killed by police.

Khayre, a Somali refugee, was arrested in 2009 as part of Operation Neath, which uncovered a terror plot to attack the Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney.

He was shot dead on Monday after cutting off his parole ankle bracelet and taking an escort hostage in an apartment before opening fire at police.

But Mr Turnbull, ahead of the meeting, said there was “the closets co-operation between state and federal law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, security agencies”.

“In each jurisdiction there is a joint counter terrorism team, members of which are the state police, the Australian Federal Police and ASIO, so there is the closest co-operation now.”

Federal and state governments have joined together for the COAG meeting at Blundstone Arena, Bellerive Tasmania. Picture: Mathew Farrell

Parole was “ultimately it is the responsibly for that state government”.

“All of the information, all of the information about a prisoners antecedence are all available through the JCTT, through to the state police, and then through to the body making a decision about parole,” he said.

Originally published as Federal and state governments to toughen up terror parole and bail laws at COAG meeting