Tuesday, 3 March 2026

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (21:09): (2358) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. We are certainly living in uncertain times, with increasing war and conflict, a changing digital landscape and a complex security environment. As our security agencies have frequently noted, this has created a very complex matrix of risks and threats. We now seem to have terrorists emerging in Australia with affiliations to dangerous foreign ideologies, such as Islamic State or Nazi ideology. There is also the ever-present threat of foreign interference.

Before the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were crushed by the Chinese Communist Party, I met with student activists who were in Australia studying. They described being menaced and harassed here and their families being threatened back home to try and prevent their participation in civic life in Australia. We have also heard reports of the Iranian diaspora being threatened here in Melbourne, in addition to the disturbing reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps involvement in a terrorist attack right here in Melbourne. In 2020 I was alarmed by indications that the ABC were going to publish what could only be described as a hit piece on Falun Dafa, which could be used by the Communist Party to further their persecution of this group – which is exactly what ended up happening. Apparently, Falun Dafa and the artistic performance Shen Yun have ruffled many feathers. Just last week there were bomb threats at both the Prime Minister’s residence and a theatre in the Gold Coast, which had to be evacuated, with the communications referencing the Shen Yun performance. Official statements indicate that there is no evidence of ties to the Chinese government. Maybe that is the case, but certainly their government are happy to exert pressure, including on members of Parliament, to try and dissuade them from supporting Shen Yun or Falun Dafa. I know this because I have personally experienced it.

As with every other Victorian, I will always support the rights of people to live freely in Australia. Between terrorist threats and foreign interference operations, we do certainly live in uncertain times. I have expressed criticisms in the past of ASIO and the Australian Federal Police. Whilst the criticism might be appropriate, we also know that the ability to disrupt terrorist plots or to monitor or disrupt foreign interference is often reliant on tips and reports from communities who know something or have seen something. If patriotism means anything, it means standing with Australia and helping us to defend against our enemies. My request for the minister is to work with her department to ensure that appropriate information about the national security hotline is provided and displayed at relevant multicultural venues.