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Malcolm Turnbull delivers first national security statement, says ISIL is 'weak'.

 

The Prime Minister delivered has delivered a national security address in Parliament today, outlining his plans to tackle the global terrorist threat posed by groups like ISIS.

“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 out own,” he began.

“For all freedom-loving nations the message could not be clearer: if we want to preserve the values that underpin our open democratic societies, we will have to work resolutely with each other to defend and protect the freedoms we hold dear.”

He again offered his condolences to the victims of the Paris attacks and their families and while conceding that a terrorist attack in Australia remained likely, our response must be “clear-eyed and strategic”.

“We should grieve and we should be angry, but we must not let grief or anger cloud our judgement,” he said.

“This is not a time for gestures of machismo; calm, clinical, professional, effective, that’s how we defeat this menace.”

Watch the full speech here via ABC News:

Video via ABC
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Mr Turnbull said that the threat of ISIL must be addressed at it’s source in the Middle East and that the extremists’ “perverted view of Islam” must not be allowed to foster resentment between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

“ISIL is in a fundamentally weak position, we must not be pulled by its hype. It has many more smartphones than guns, many more Twitter accounts than soldiers.”

He also explained that our intake of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, pledged at 12,000 individuals, will focus on persecuted minorities and vulnerable groups including women, children and families with the least prospect of returning home.

He ended the speech powerfully:

“We will defeat these terrorists.

“And the strongest weapons we bring to this battle are ourselves, our values, our way of life.

“Our unity mocks their attempts to divide us.

“Our freedom under law mocks their cruel tyranny. Our mutual respect mocks their bitter intolerance.

“And the strength of our free people will see off these thugs and tyrants as it has seen off so many of their kind before.”

Opposition leader Bill Shorten also addressed the parliament, reiterating the bipartisan position of the two major parties that ground combat units would not be sent to Syria.

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