'This is keeping Australians safe': PM on boost to AFP funding

SBS World News Radio: Malcolm Turnbull has revealed a major funding boost for Australia's spy agencies and federal police on the eve of the Budget.

'This is keeping Australians safe': PM on boost to AFP funding

'This is keeping Australians safe': PM on boost to AFP funding

Australia's best-known recruiter for self proclaimed Islamic State, Khaled Sharrouf, has released a new image online.

It depicts his youngest son apparently standing in front of an executed Christian man, holding up one finger in the I-S salute.

Malcolm Turnbull says it's further evidence of the need to destroy the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

"The despicable conduct of Khaled Sharrouf in using his child to promote the barbaric terrorist activities of the organisation of which he is part is almost beyond belief. But that is the depths of barbarity, of cruelty, of savagery that ISIL or Daesh have sunk to. That is why we are committed with our allies to destroy ISIL in the field."

Mr Turnbull has revealed a new funding boost for the Australian Federal Police.

$321 million over the next four years will pay for 300 new officers specialising in intelligence, tactical response, surveillance and forensics.

"Our enemies- those who seek to do us harm - these criminals, whether they are terrorists or drug traffickers or people smugglers, and of course all of those crimes and many others are linked. They are becoming more sophisticated. And so our resources need to match them."

A-F-P Commissioner Andrew Colvin says the money will help police keep their technology and skills up to date.

"Be it in organised crime, be it in terrorism, be it in cyber crime, we deal with some of the most complex, protracted investigations that this country has and we need to know that we have the capabilities to support those front-line officers."

There are also reports the Budget will include $75 million in new money for Australia's foreign spy agency, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.

And there could be another $75 million for the domestic agency, ASIO.

But according to some media reports, there are fears the funding could be diverted from the foreign aid budget.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten says there are better ways to pay for enhanced national security.

"If there's good measures to improve our national security we're all up for that, but why does it have to be a part of foreign aid which suffers, because foreign aid also helps improve Australia's security. Why doesn't they just drop the tax cuts to big banks. Here's some foreign aid, if Malcolm Turnbull really wants to look after national security - cut the foreign aid to multinationals by not giving them a corporate tax cut."

Treasurer Scott Morrison will reveal the full contents of the 2017 Budget on Tuesday.

 

 

 


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3 min read
Published 8 May 2017 7:00pm
Updated 8 May 2017 7:14pm
By James Elton-Pym


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