ALP plays politics over security

There are moments that shake countries. They are so indelible you can remember where you were when you heard of them. In my lifetime, it was September 11 and later Bali.

They appear to come out of the blue, but they don’t. Those moments were meticulously planned by those who seek to do us harm.

Our police and security ser­vices do a remarkable job given what they face.

Since September 2014, our law enforcement and security agencies have undertaken 15 successful counter-terrorism disruption operations in response to potential attack planning in Australia.

To their credit, 93 people have been charged during 41 counter-terrorism operations.

But we also have suffered heartbreak. The Lindt cafe, Parramatta and the Melbourne attacks all come to mind. Even now, our overall threat level remains unchanged at “probable”. This means, sadly, that there are groups and individuals with the intent and the capability to conduct a terrorist attack on our soil.

That’s why our security ser­vices require the strongest hand to keep us safe.

We know that criminals and Islamic extremists are using encrypted technology such as WhatsApp to plan their activities and evade authorities. According to federal agencies, 95 per cent of targets are using encrypted technology. State authorities say it is up to 98 per cent.

In the words of the Victorian Police Chief Commissioner, the criminals “have gone dark”.

That’s why the decision of Labor and the Greens to obstruct our vital encryption legislation as part of their political game playing is so shameful.

They think obstructing good government helps them get “a win” on the nightly news by showing loud and noisy parliamentary chambers. Instead, it’s weakening Australia’s capacity to respond to criminal and terrorist threats.

Their desire to “increase the political temperature” is poisoning their judgment.

Alongside its games with encryption, Labor is pushing the independents and crossbenchers to incrementally dismantle the government’s successful border protection policies.

It wants to destroy the building blocks of border protection that keep Australians safe.

Last time Labor dismantled Coalition policies on borders, 50,000 people illegally entered Australia on 800 boats and more than 1000 people died at sea.

Decisions to remove the bricks of offshore processing, temporary protection visas and boat turnbacks will result in our borders becoming porous again.

By contrast, I will continue to make the right decisions as your Prime Minister to keep Australia safe.

At the same time, we have got all children out of detention and there are just 10 children now on Nauru.

Labor, the Greens and the independents are doing this for political reasons, and the result will be human tragedy.

The Labor Party has shown that when it comes to national security and border protection, it will trade it all for politics.

Scott Morrison is Prime Minister of Australia.