12 July 2013
Acting Attorney-General Jason Clare announced today the re-listing of six terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code.
The organisations are Abu Sayyaf Group, Al-Qa’ida, Al-Qa’ida in Iraq, Al-Qa’ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, Jamiat ul-Ansar and Jemaah Islamiyah.
“The protection of Australia and its people is the highest priority of the Australian Government,” Mr Clare said.
“These organisations were re-listed following careful consideration of advice from security agencies for the purposes of the Criminal Code.”
An organisation is listed as a terrorist organisation under the Commonwealth Criminal Code when the Attorney-General is satisfied the organisation is directly or indirectly engaged in, preparing, planning, assisting in or fostering the doing of a terrorist act or advocates the doing of a terrorist act.
The reasons for each listing follows:
- Abu Sayyaf Group, initially listed as a terrorist organisation in 2002, continues to plan and engage in terrorist attacks and kidnapping across the southern Philippines, intended to further its objective of creating an independent Islamic State in that region.
- Al-Qa’ida seeks to remove Governments, through violent means if necessary, in Muslim countries that it claims are un-Islamic in order to establish an Islamic Caliphate. To this end Al-Qa’ida continues to plan, fund and conduct terrorist attacks around the world.
- Al-Qa’ida in Iraq, closely affiliated with Al-Qa’ida and forming part of the global jihadist movement, has conducted multiple terrorist attacks against Iraqi Government, civilian and international interests since 2010, resulting in the deaths of hundreds.
- Al-Qa’ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb has conducted terrorist attacks against Western interests in northern Algeria and increasingly in Mali, Mauritania and Niger and aspires to expand its influence throughout North Africa and the Sahara region and to conduct attacks in Europe
- Jamiat ul-Ansar continues to use violence to seek the unification of Kashmir with Pakistan and has pledged its support for Afghan militants fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.
- Jemaah Islamiyah continues to exist as a functional terrorist organisation and operates throughout Indonesia with the goal of overthrowing the Indonesian Government and establishing a pan-Islamic state through violent means if necessary.
It remains an offence to direct the activities of, be a member of, recruit for, train for and receive training from these organisations.
It is also an offence to get funds to, from or for, provide support to and associate with members of these organisations.
These offences attract penalties of imprisonment for up to 25 years.
Further details regarding the listing of these and other terrorist organisations can be found at www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/www/nationalsecurity.nsf/AllDocs/95FB057CA3DECF30CA256FAB001F7FBD?OpenDocument
A copy of the Statement of Reasons for each of these organisations can be found below:
