Speakers: Krissy Barrett, Speaker 1

Transcript

Speaker 1

Thank you very much. We will resume our call officers from the Australian Federal Police. Uh thank you very much for joining us later on the program than you were scheduled. Uh you have we have your uh opening statement table, but I understand there's a couple of things that you wanted to say before we proceed to questions.

Krissy Barrett

>> Thank you, Chair. I think just given uh what what's occurred over the last week, there's some important messages that I'd like to read uh this evening. Uh so good evening. Tonight, the AFP provides our ongoing thoughts for the member for Indai, Dr. Helen Haines, and her family who have chosen strength and bravery over anger and despair. Senators, there is a heaviness that hangs across Australia after the horrifying event last week. The alleged offender accused of attacking Dr. Haines is before the court facing a number of charges. I am limited in what I can say about this Victoria Police investigation. However, I can reaffirm that the alleged offender was unknown to the AFP. Across the world, we are witnessing a trend where violence emerges with little or no warning, particularly where individuals do not have a protection intelligence footprint. Lone actors are being motivated by a convergence of personal grievances, mental health vulnerabilities, and ideological concerns. What helped keep us safe in recent times, such as our geography, analog systems, and faraway criminals, has been impacted by fully integrated technology, social media, and artificial intelligence. Tech has enabled an instant pipeline of hate. This pipeline of rapid rage, often unhinged and violent, is being homed delivered or to the places we work because of the devices we use. The threats are instant and they're voluminous and they instantly shock and cause legitimate fear. Perceived or real anonymity has given cowards courage. When I'm asked what has changed in recent years, this is what has changed. The vector of tech and social media is converging with the angry, the haters, the unstable, and the amoral who wrongly believe threats and violence are tolerable if their cause is noble. The contagion of online hate has breached the digital compound and is spilling into the physical world. This is corroding our communities and has normalized violence and it continues to impact on many, most notably the Jewish community. Anti-semitism is often the early warning sign of a decay in our society and the poisoning of our compact with each other. History shows us this. Words can become deeds that forever change our country's values and moral compass. Our collective consciousness must be awake to this threat and acknowledge there will always be another target group of hate if we do not recognize where it can start. This is why in October last year I announced the national security investigations teams which I call flying squads of hate disruptors. These NSI teams target high harm anti-semitic individuals and they help ring fence our democracy by investigating those who threaten Commonwealth parliamentarians and high office holders. Our investigators are charging almost one person a week for targeting Commonwealth parliamentarians or high office holders. From the 1st of January to the 1st of July this year, the AFP received 785 protective security reports that contain adverse content about federal parliamentarians. Adverse content does not always meet a criminal threshold. However, the AFP takes all reports seriously. When adverse content does not meet a criminal threshold, it is used to inform our assessment of threat, risk, and vulnerability. Of those 785 reports, 50% were directed at male parliamentarians and 47% were directed at female parliamentarians. The remaining 3% were generic threats to politicians. Female parliamentarians were three times more likely to report receiving offensive or threatening contact that was sexualized or gender-based. in nature. Female parliamentarians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities were also more likely to experience frequent and varied offensive contact. The the threat themes directed at male parliamentarians also include threats generally gendered in nature with accusations of weakness, femininity, or subordinate masculine traits. Our case load shows that threats to parliamentarians generally relate to four key aspects. policies, perceived performance, profile, and personality. It would be wrong to think only inflammatory comments are creating the flood of threats. In some cases, just the debate causes the hate. In some cases, parliamentarians are being targeted because of their accent, what they look like, or their political party. The fact is this, at times there is an almost immediate link from a policy announcement or comment to a threat being sent. But that should not be taken as veiled advice. I'm providing this information to explain what we are recording in our case load and to highlight there is not one single measure alone that will stop the threats because this goes to a wider societal problem Australia is facing. The AFP is not here to make judgment on how parliamentarians do politics but we are here to help keep federal parliamentarians and high office holders safe. We work closely with the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Finance which are responsible for the security of electorate officers and the homes of parliamentarians. I want to thank every member within the AFP who keeps parliamentarians safe. However, we will do better in showing you how we take these threats seriously and we will introduce better training and consistency in this approach. I will also raise the issue of democratic and parliamentarian security with state and territory police commissioners at an upcoming meeting. Chair, I'll leave it there, but just before I finish, just very quickly, um I will pay tribute to Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney this evening who after more than 30 years of service with the AFP will retire in coming weeks. Ian has often been at the forefront of combating the worst of humanity while maintaining his own. Ian retires with enormous gratitude from myself and the 8,000 members of the AFP. >> Finally, I acknowledge the service of shadow home affairs spokesman Jono Donium. >> Senator Duniam, you have asked the AFP tough questions and you have rightly held us accountable to the public and you have done this with respect and with the graciousness of a politician with the best interests of Australia in your heart and your mind. Thank you.

Speaker 1

>> That is a lovely way to [laughter] finish an opening statement. Senator Duniam, you've got the call