Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has issued a plea for all Australians be tolerant and united, describing violent extremism as a "challenge to the most fundamental Australian values".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the wake of a terrorist attack at NSW police headquarters last Friday and ahead of anti-Islam protests planned for Friday afternoon and the weekend, Mr Turnbull said "mutual respect" was one of the cornerstones of Australian society.
"Mutual respect is the glue that binds this very diverse country together," he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
"It is what enables us to be so successful."
Mr Turnbull, who spoke to British Prime Minister David Cameron about terrorism on Thursday night, said that he was asking security officials to convene in Canberra next week to talk about "what we need to do better" to tackle the issue.
In a direct message to those planning anti-Islam rallies, Mr Turnbull asked, "if you're supporting an approach of disrespecting or of hating, or of vilifying another group in the community, how can that possibly be anything other than contrary to our national interest?"
The Prime Minister said that people who tried to tag all Muslims with responsibility for the "crimes of a tiny minority and convert that into a general hatred of all Muslims" were undermining anti-terrorism efforts.
"Those who do that are making the work of the police and security services ... much harder."
Turnbull warns: "It's not compulsory to live in Australia"
When asked if people who don't like Australian values should leave the country, Mr Turnbull replied: "It's is not compulsory to live in Australia.
"If you find Australian values unpalatable, then there's a big wide world out there."
In similar comments earlier on Friday, Labor leader Bill Shorten said "if you really hate Australia, you should go".
Both leaders echoed the words of Parramatta mosque chairman Neil El-Kadomi, who in a Friday sermon told worshippers: "if you don't like Australia, leave".
Mr Shorten also said that extremism would not be tackled by rallies such as those planned for the weekend.
"This country will never have a great future if we have majorities encouraged to pick on minorities."
Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane called for calm ahead of protest planned outside mosques in Parramatta and Bendigo.
"No one should be taking the law into their own hands," he said.
"People should not be judging entire communities based on the extremism of a few."
Countering extremism meeting
Mr Turnbull said officials from federal and state security agencies would gather in Canberra next Thursday for "urgent" discussions on violent extremism.
"Friday's attack in Parramatta was a shocking reminder of the consequences of radicalisation," he said in a statement released after the press conference.
"We must continue exploring the causes of radicalisation to help us devise new approaches and strengthen existing ones."
Australia's Counter-Terrorism Co-ordinator Greg Moriarty - a former ambassador to Indonesia - will lead the discussions.
Recommendations from the meeting will then be considered at the next Council of Australian Government's meeting, expected before the end of the year.
Turnbull: "Everything I do is designed to make us safe"
At the start of the press conference, Mr Turnbull made a pointed remark about how "everything" he was saying was "carefully calculated to support the work of our security agencies".
"Everything I do, as you Prime Minister, is designed to make us safe."
Given previous concerns that former prime minister Tony Abbott used inflammatory rhetoric with terms like "Team Australia", Mr Turnbull was later asked if he was criticising his predecessor's approach to tackling extremism.
But Mr Turnbull dismissed the idea.
"There is absolutely no suggestion at all, and I'm frankly disappointed that on a matter of such importance you try to create mischief like that."
