I'm touching base with you during the final sitting week of the year at Parliament House in Canberra. It's a busy time as we work to pass important legislation to keep Australia and Australians safe.
A lot has been achieved so far this sitting period:
- I have introduced landmark reforms to national security legislation to better protect important sectors from cyber attacks;
- moved to ensure high risk terrorist offenders are subject to tailored close supervision when released back into the community;
- updated the powers of our intelligence and security agencies to keep Australians safe;
- and, made important changes to empower the telecommunication sector to identify and block SMS scams.
One of the Morrison Government's key priorities is ensuring the safety of all Australians, which is why last week I announced the intention to list The Base and the entirety of Hizballah as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code. I have written to my state and territory counterparts, with an aim to finalise the listing as soon as possible.
We have also created a new supercharged operation between the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Operation Phobetor will crack down on dangerous criminals living the high life from bankrolling corruption, illicit drug trafficking and money laundering.
Our focus on safety extends to the re-opening of our international border.
We're gathering the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant. Medical advice on this developing situation has prompted a temporary pause to easing of restrictions to selected cohorts - from 1 December until 15 December.
With vaccination rates continuing to soar, Australia's in a very strong position.
At a time when our Government is doing all it can to open international borders, the Queensland Government's doing all it can to make it harder for Queenslanders to get home. This was a key topic of conversation when I spoke with locals at my recent listening post in Elanora. I always appreciate people stopping to have a chat and voice any concerns they have. I look forward to holding more listening posts in the new year.
I also enjoy visiting many of our community organisations and it's terrific to see their membership grow. I had the pleasure of officially opening the extended clubhouse at Burleigh Heads Palm Beach Croquet Club and even had a quick lesson from one of Australia's best players.
The Club's refurbishments were assisted with Federal funding through the Stronger Communities Program - which also provided a grant to the Carpenter's Workshop to upgrade their driveway and entrance area.
As we approach the end of another challenging year, it's inspiring to see so many people coming together to celebrate each other's achievements. I recently had the honour of being part of Burleigh Heads Rotary Club's Pride of Work Awards. Eleven locals were recognised for outstanding work ethic, connection with the community, professionalism and dedication.
This community spirit is what the Gold Coast is all about. It's what makes me proud to be the Member for McPherson.
Take care,
