❓ The Minister for Police addresses concerns about terrorism threats, highlighting government investment in WA Police, particularly the Tactical Response Group (TRG), and legislative measures to enhance counter-terrorism capabilities. The Minister assures the public of WA's preparedness.
AnsweredQoN 101Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — TACTICAL RESPONSE GROUP
101. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
unprecedented support for the Western Australia Police Force and the recent comments by the director general of the
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation regarding Australia's terrorism threat levels. Can the minister update the house on how this
investment is supporting WA's police preparedness to respond to serious
incidents and emergencies; and, furthermore, can the minister outline to the
house how this investment will support WA police in the work it does to protect
our community?
101. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
unprecedented support for the Western Australia Police Force and the recent comments by the director general of the
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation regarding Australia's terrorism threat levels. Can the minister update the house on how this
investment is supporting WA's police preparedness to respond to serious
incidents and emergencies; and, furthermore, can the minister outline to the
house how this investment will support WA police in the work it does to protect
our community?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield
for his question and also for his wholehearted support for the Western Australia
Police Force in dealing with the challenges it confronts.
On 17 March, the director general of
ASIO tabled his annual threat assessment, and it was quite concerning. It
confirmed that the risk of terrorist threat remains at probable. His actual
statement about terrorism was —
We have credible intelligence that
individuals and groups have the capability and intent to conduct terrorism
onshore.
He made it very clear that the
threat is significant and is not going away. He went on to refer to those
motivated by religious violent extremism and also the growing threat of what is
termed right-wing terrorism or ideological extremism. Investigations into that
side of the terrorism threat spectrum is consuming some 40 per cent of ASIO's
time. It was therefore timely that a couple of weeks after that, I was able to
visit the Tactical Response Group's training
facility here in Perth and have a close look at our capability in Western Australia.
I have firsthand experience of counterterrorism training and capability,
as does the member for Willagee, whom I acknowledge in his absence. I have to concede that my experience is a little
dated. It was a little disturbing to note that I commenced that training two years before the member for Scarborough was born. Although my knowledge of
the capability is a little dated, it gives me a benchmark. After visiting the
wonderful people in the TRG and witnessing some of their equipment and
capabilities, I am able to confirm that it far exceeds anything that I was able
to employ all those years ago. It has all changed since I was in the tactical
assault group, as it was called in those days, when it was the only one in the
country in the Special Air Service Regiment. Subsequent to the 9/11 attacks,
there has been a massive increase in capability right across the country. There
is another TAG in the 2 nd Commando Regiment in Sydney. All the police assault groups are well resourced and
coordinated in their response and are supported far more fulsomely by the
commonwealth and individual states and territories. Our TRG's equipment
and capabilities are world class. It has method-of-entry capabilities that were
resident only in the military when I was doing it way back when. Its weapons
and techniques are first class. I take the opportunity to convey to the house
and the Western Australian public that there is a threat out there. There are
threats other than COVID-19. This one is very real, but Western Australia is
prepared. Our government has ensured that over the forward estimates, some $900
million will be added to the police budget and an additional 950 police
officers will be put into the field. Madam Speaker, as the former Minister for
Police, you ensured that our police are well armed with their legislative
powers, with this Parliament having passed the Terrorism (Extraordinary Powers)
Amendment Bill 2018 and the Terrorism (Preventative Detention) Amendment Bill
2019 to ensure that we have every capability and law behind us that is
necessary to respond to this threat.
for his question and also for his wholehearted support for the Western Australia
Police Force in dealing with the challenges it confronts.
On 17 March, the director general of
ASIO tabled his annual threat assessment, and it was quite concerning. It
confirmed that the risk of terrorist threat remains at probable. His actual
statement about terrorism was —
We have credible intelligence that
individuals and groups have the capability and intent to conduct terrorism
onshore.
He made it very clear that the
threat is significant and is not going away. He went on to refer to those
motivated by religious violent extremism and also the growing threat of what is
termed right-wing terrorism or ideological extremism. Investigations into that
side of the terrorism threat spectrum is consuming some 40 per cent of ASIO's
time. It was therefore timely that a couple of weeks after that, I was able to
visit the Tactical Response Group's training
facility here in Perth and have a close look at our capability in Western Australia.
I have firsthand experience of counterterrorism training and capability,
as does the member for Willagee, whom I acknowledge in his absence. I have to concede that my experience is a little
dated. It was a little disturbing to note that I commenced that training two years before the member for Scarborough was born. Although my knowledge of
the capability is a little dated, it gives me a benchmark. After visiting the
wonderful people in the TRG and witnessing some of their equipment and
capabilities, I am able to confirm that it far exceeds anything that I was able
to employ all those years ago. It has all changed since I was in the tactical
assault group, as it was called in those days, when it was the only one in the
country in the Special Air Service Regiment. Subsequent to the 9/11 attacks,
there has been a massive increase in capability right across the country. There
is another TAG in the 2 nd Commando Regiment in Sydney. All the police assault groups are well resourced and
coordinated in their response and are supported far more fulsomely by the
commonwealth and individual states and territories. Our TRG's equipment
and capabilities are world class. It has method-of-entry capabilities that were
resident only in the military when I was doing it way back when. Its weapons
and techniques are first class. I take the opportunity to convey to the house
and the Western Australian public that there is a threat out there. There are
threats other than COVID-19. This one is very real, but Western Australia is
prepared. Our government has ensured that over the forward estimates, some $900
million will be added to the police budget and an additional 950 police
officers will be put into the field. Madam Speaker, as the former Minister for
Police, you ensured that our police are well armed with their legislative
powers, with this Parliament having passed the Terrorism (Extraordinary Powers)
Amendment Bill 2018 and the Terrorism (Preventative Detention) Amendment Bill
2019 to ensure that we have every capability and law behind us that is
necessary to respond to this threat.
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