FED:Labor slack on security: opposition

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2010
FED:Labor slack on security: opposition

SYDNEY, Aug 13 AAP - The Federal Opposition has accused the Labor Government of neglecting
counter-terrorism and national security issues.

"There has been a deficiency of attention on behalf of senior ministers," shadow attorney-general
George Brandis said on Friday.

"There's no doubt at all that if you look at the budget measures, if you look at the
level of attention and respect afforded to national security issues by the former prime
minister and the current prime minister ... there has been a deprioritisation."

The accusation comes after Prime Minister Julia Gillard admitted sending her bodyguard,
Andrew Stark, to several National Security Committee meetings, during her time as deputy
prime minister.

Senator Brandis said a coalition government would do better.

"Certainly you would have a prime minister and senior ministers who pay more attention
to these matters, particularly matters of national security."

He was speaking during a debate in Sydney with Attorney-General Robert McClelland.

The role of the attorney-general should be afforded more respect and national security
agencies should be given more resources than under Labor, Senator Brandis said.

Mr McClelland said the attorney-general's portfolio currently spent around $1.2 billion
a year on national security issues.

But he said more needed to be done to develop policies countering violent extremism
and Australia's combined intelligence capabilities.

Earlier in the debate, Senator Brandis said a coalition government would reform freedom
of information laws and drive a "right to know agenda".

"A coalition government would transfer responsibility for freedom of information laws
from a special minister of state to the attorney-general's portfolio," Senator Brandis
said.

"And a pro-disclosure culture will be observed in fact, not merely in rhetoric."

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KEYWORD: POLL10 BRANDIS UPDATE

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