Fed: Labor calls on govt to create homeland security dept

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2003
Fed: Labor calls on govt to create homeland security dept

CANBERRA, Dec 9 AAP - Labor today called on the federal government to follow its lead
and create a Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the nation's counter-terrorism
strategy.

Announcing his frontbench reshuffle yesterday, Labor leader Mark Latham appointed former
justice spokesman Robert McClelland to the new portfolio of homeland security.

Mr Latham today urged Prime Minister John Howard to follow his lead and create a Department
of Homeland Security.

"I certainly think that the initiative of a Homeland Department is right for Australia," he said.

"In a federal system of government, one of the big issues (is) not just how the national
government discharges its responsibility for national security, (but) how do you interact
with the states."

Describing it as a one-stop-shop approach, Mr Latham said the creation of a single
department approached national security in a very simple and direct way.

Mr Latham said he did not want national security to become a political football.

"If we have a good idea, I want him to adopt it just as if he has got a good idea,
a good initiative in this area, he will always have the support of the Labor Party," he
said.

The government rejected the need for a special department to deal with border protection
and national security.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock and Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Labor was willing
to use layers of wasteful bureaucracy to cover its weakness on these issues.

"Labor plans to duplicate the functions of the Attorney-General with a cynical window-dressing
exercise which will bog Australia's anti-terror efforts down in bureaucratic quicksand,"

they said.

"Australia's current national security coordination arrangements are working very well."

The ministers said if Labor was serious about security issues, it would have supported
the government's decision to excise islands from Australia's migration zone following
the arrival of a boatload of Turkish asylum seekers last month.

"(Mr Latham) has the opportunity to support his rhetoric with action by backing the
government in removing islands from the migration zone, but has failed to do so," they
said.

AAP so/apm/de

KEYWORD: LABOR HOMELAND

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