Labor backs security overhaul to help in time of crisis

Bill Shorten will back an overhaul allowing the military to be more easily called-out during terrorism incidents.

Malcolm Turnbull speaks to Special Operations Command soldiers during a visit to Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten will back an overhaul allowing the military to be more easily called-out by states and territories to help police in thwarting domestic terrorist incidents after a review was commissioned after the December 2014 Lindt cafe siege.

The changes announced yesterday by Malcolm Turnbull will give the Australian Defence Force a greater role and it will work more closely with state and territory police forces.

Opposition defence spokesman Richard Marles said Labor would support the changes and had long questioned “whether or not the call-out provisions have been strong enough to deal with the various terrorism threats that our country faces”.

While state and territory police forces will remain the first ­responders to any domestic terrorist incidents, Mr Turnbull said he would pursue a series of key shake-ups, including allowing state law enforcement teams to undertake specialised ADF training.

Mr Turnbull also revealed the placement of ADF liaison officers within state counter-terrorism groups as well as a strengthening of the Defence Act to remove a contentious provision which currently prevents states from ­requesting military support unless the situation has spiralled beyond their control.

“We’re going to streamline the legislative process for the call-out of the ADF under the Defence Act to provide more flexibility for the states and territories to request Defence assistance,” Mr Turnbull said at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney.

“(Currently), it basically requires a state to demonstrate that they have exhausted their ability to defend themselves.”

Mr Marles said Labor had not seen the details of any legislation, but pledged the opposition would “be dealing with this in a bipartisan way”.

“Our view has always been that at any moment in any crisis we should be bringing to bear the most potent capability that our country has, be that in a state police force, be that in the federal police or indeed be that in the ADF,” he said.

A push was mounted earlier this year by several Liberals, ­including Tony Abbott, Andrew Hastie and David Fawcett, for amendments to the Defence Act so specialist military commando units could potentially lead major domestic counter-terror operations.

Two military Tactical Assault Group units (TAG East in Sydney and TAG West in Perth) have previously been seconded to security operations for major events such as the Sydney Olympics and an APEC summit, but they have never been used in response to a terrorist threat or active operation.

Mr Hastie, a West Australian MP and a former member of the Special Air Service Regiment, yesterday welcomed the changes.

“I think after the Lindt cafe siege, for instance, there were areas that we could improve upon,” he told Sky News. “The ADF counter-terrorism elements based in TAG West and TAG East can certainly provide expertise in those areas.”

He also said the plan to embed ADF officers within state and territory police forces would mean “commonwealth forces would have eyes and ears” on the ground in the event of a terrorist incident.