One Nation calls for tougher laws to tackle ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ after Bondi attack

Australia’s One Nation has called for stronger and more targeted federal powers to tackle what it describes as radical Islamic terrorism and incitement to terrorist activity.

One Nation leader and Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson has accused the Labor Government of failing to adequately respond to alleged terrorist advocacy and recruitment.

In a media release issued on Monday, 28 September, One Nation said reports had emerged that a Melbourne preacher had urged followers to “take up arms” against Christians and Jews in Australia. The statement did not identify the preacher or provide detailed sources for the alleged remarks.

Senator Hanson said the Government’s primary responsibility was to protect Australians and accused the Labor Government of failing in that duty.

“Fifteen people were murdered in a terrorist attack at Bondi. Now Australians are reading reports of an Islamic preacher urging followers to take up arms against Australian Christians and Jews. How much more do Albanese and Burke need to hear?” she said.

The references to Albanese and Burke were to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

One Nation accused Labor and the Greens of focusing on broad laws covering the wider community rather than taking what it considers to be direct, targeted action against radical Islamic terrorism.

Senator Hanson said laws should directly target extremist Islamic preachers who encourage terrorist violence, as well as terrorist recruiters and networks supporting them.

“Christians aren’t calling for jihad. Hindus aren’t calling for jihad,” she said.

Calls for tougher action against mosques and Islamic prayer centres

One Nation has also called for greater federal powers to take action against mosques and Islamic prayer centres that the party believes are involved in extremist or fundamentalist activities.

Senator Hanson alleged that such centres were being established in suburbs across Australia and claimed that, in some cases, terrorist recruitment and advocacy could be taking place without adequate scrutiny.

She called for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to be given the resources and targeted legal powers needed to dismantle such networks.

“If current laws are inadequate, change them,” Senator Hanson said.

One Nation calls for foreign terrorist fighters to be kept out

The party also called for measures to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from entering Australia.

The statement said people who had voluntarily joined Islamic State (ISIS) had chosen a terrorist organisation over Australia.

Senator Hanson called on the Government to support One Nation’s proposed Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill, which she said would help prevent such people from entering Australia.

The media release did not provide details of the bill’s current parliamentary status or its specific provisions.

Call to halt new migration from ‘Do Not Travel’ countries

One Nation also called for an immediate halt to new migration from countries for which the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has issued a “Do Not Travel” warning because of serious risks including terrorism, kidnapping and violent crime.

Senator Hanson said the Government should not disregard its own security warnings when making decisions about who is allowed to enter Australia.

Demand for transparency over government funding

The party also claimed that the Government had already been forced to cancel some grants because of alleged links to extremism.

One Nation called on the Home Affairs Minister to disclose whether Australian taxpayers’ money was being provided to Islamic organisations that allegedly encourage or enable terrorism.

In the closing section of the statement, Senator Hanson said the Bondi incident should have ended what she described as the Government’s excuses.

“Bondi should have ended the excuses. Australians must never pay for this Government’s political cowardice with their lives,” she said.

The One Nation statement sets out the party’s political position on counter-terrorism, migration, foreign terrorist fighters and government funding for Islamic organisations. The allegations and policy demands contained in the statement have not been independently verified in the material provided, and the statement does not include responses from the Australian Government, the Labor Party, the Greens or the organisations referred to.