In the wake of the Paris attacks, Malcolm Turnbull delivered his first national security statement as Prime Minister in a speech to Parliament on Tuesday. He declared that Islamic State (IS) is ‘weak’ and that Australia will not be “fooled” into increasing its military presence in the Middle East.
Mr Turnbull stated that IS has “many more smartphones than guns, many more Twitter accounts than soldiers” and “ISIL is in a fundamentally weak position.”
“We must not be pulled by its hype. Its ideology is archaic but its use of the internet is very modern,” he said.
Mr Turnbull offered his sympathies for the victims and families of the Paris terrorist attacks, and admitted that while a terrorist attack on Australian soil may be likely, Australians must remain “clear-eyed and strategic” rather than letting “grief or anger cloud our judgement.
“When innocent people are dying at the hands of violent extremists, no matter where in the world this is happening, hard questions are asked of societies like our own,” he said.
However, the Prime Minister ruled out significantly increasing Australia’s military presence and sending Australian troops to fight on the ground in Syria. Instead, he emphasised a unity of the Australian community at home, in an effort to reassure people of the efforts being made to guard against terrorism.
He emphasised that a “strong and trusting relationship” between the Government and the people is “crucial to ensuring the right messages reach the hearts and minds of those who might be vulnerable to the propaganda of terror groups.”
“We will defeat these terrorists, and the strongest weapons we bring to this battle are ourselves, our values, our way of life,” he said.
“This is not a time for gestures of machismo; calm, clinical, professional, effective – that’s how we defeat this menace.”
Read more at theguardian.com
Are you concerned about a possible terror attack in Australia? Does the Prime Minister’s request that Australians unify and take comfort in the Government’s work ease your concerns?
