Australia's diversity is one of its greatest strengths and Australians must "protect and defend it dearly" in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Europe and the Middle East, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said.
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In his first statement to Parliament since the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, Mr Turnbull said Australia should not abandon its values as "the most successful and harmonious multicultural society in the world".
"The richness of our diversity is one of our nation's greatest strengths and we must protect and defend it dearly," Mr Turnbull said on Monday during question time.
"The terrorists want us to bend to their will, to be frightened, to change the way we go about our lives, to abandon our values.
"If we do that, they win and they will not win, we will not let them win."
Mr Turnbull said the Paris attacks highlighted the need for international co-operation to defeat Islamic State.
The government's national security committee met on Monday but has not announced any increase to Australia's existing military involvement in Syria and Iraq.
The Prime Minister is advocating a political solution to the crisis and also said governments had to find ways to more effectively counter the "corrupting message of ISIL", particularly in schools and online.
"This will not be an easy fight, nor will it be quick. But our mission to disrupt, degrade and destroy the terrorists is making progress," he said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told Parliament the "same scenes of sadness and trauma are being played out across Lebanon, Mali, and France as people slowly come to grips with the evil deeds of the past fortnight".
"Mr Speaker, it does not matter what faith terrorists invoke, if they invoke a faith, it does not matter what imagined injustice they pretend have to suffered, it does not matter what name terrorists
claim to act in or what flag they wave," he said.
"Regardless of the religious symbol they claim to love, the nightmare is always the same - spreading fear, inciting hatred and division."
The government has agreed to resettle 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told the House of Representatives on Monday that 2800 people were under consideration at the moment. He said they had had their security and health checks, or were in the process of doing so.
"But I have been very clear and I repeated again today - we are not going to compromise in relation to any of these matters ," Mr Dutton said.
"If we see a concern, if we see a security concern in one of these applications, that application will be put aside and we will consider the next application in the pile."
