Dutton lashes commentators for ‘trivialising’ terrorist attacks

Peter Dutton slams the practice of “relativising terror’’ after Labor’s Anne Aly attempted to link terror and domestic violence victims.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has lashed out at the practice of ‘‘relativising terror’’ in a speech where he criticised the “inane” and “trivialising” response by some media commentators to this month’s deadly Bourke Street ­attack in Melbourne.

Addressing the Australian Chamber of Commerce with former FBI director Louis J. Freeh in Sydney last night, Mr Dutton also warned that encryption of mess­ages was a “key challenge” impeding national security investi­gations, and stressed the importance of new legislation proposed for intelligence operations.

“We have all heard inane comparisons. For example, that you are more likely to be killed in a car accident or be struck by lightning than be a victim of terrorism.

“There are commentators who seek to conflate criminal acts in pursuit of personal agendas … There are further commentators who claim this form of terrorism has nothing to do with Islam.

“In the wake of the terrorist attack in Melbourne, a reckless comparison was made between terrorism and domestic violence. Such comparisons demean the victims of two horrific but very different crimes and such comparisons overlook each crime’s very distinct underlying historical, ­social and cultural issues.

“To deny the fact that Islamist terrorism is carried out by those motivated by the worst possible and most destructive interpre­tations of the religion is to ignore reality, and to ignore reality is to take backward steps to addressing this transnational issue,” he said.

Anne Aly. Picture: Gary Ramage

Labor MP Anne Aly was criticised last week after attempting to make a link between the victims of terrorism and the victims of domestic violence in the wake of the Melbourne attack.

Mr Dutton said his government “will not ring-fence difficult topics from scrutiny out of fear of offending sensitivities” and would not “infantilise Australian Muslims who, more than anyone, recognise Islamist terrorism is motivated by a perversion of ­Islamic belief”.

Speaking on encryption technology used in planning by terrorist organisations, Mr Dutton brought up a failed terrorist plot from July last year, when inter­national security efforts thwarted a group of Australians who planned to smuggle an explosive ­device on to a Sydney flight bound for Abu Dhabi.

“Encrypted communication is being exploited by terrorists to obfuscate their communication and locations, especially the planning and executing of attacks,’’ Mr Dutton said.

“Of the data lawfully intercepted by the Australian Federal Police, 90 per cent uses some form of encryption. Moreover, 95 per cent of ASIO’s most dangerous counter-terrorism targets use ­encrypted communications, with encryption impacting intelligence coverage in nine out of 10 priority cases.”

Mr Dutton used the opportunity to bring up the proposed ­Assistance and Access Bill, and rejected as false the criticism that the legislation permitted the government a “backdoor” into citizens’ online activity. “The premise of this legislation is not new. It will allow us keep pace with emerging technologies to protect Australians from harm.’’