New security laws will not end the world as we know it

But active and conscious abetting of terrorism, such as giving money to terrorist groups, supporting terrorist recruitment, providing information that helps terrorist targeting, spreading terrorist propaganda or undermining our common defence and security preparedness, will be clear offences - as they should be.

Various civil liberties jeremiahs keep alleging conspiracies behind every second gum tree. They ignore or downplay, for example, that unanimous decisions in these matters were swiftly reached by nine commonwealth, state and territory governments of quite disparate political views.

Unfounded allegations that the new measures are unjustified should stop. Further political posturing should be avoided on all sides, and by civil liberties lobbies again leaping in before they do adequate research.

Baseless claims that the new measures somehow "discriminate against Muslims" are also needlessly causing concern among Australia’s broader Muslim community and playing into the hands of Islamist propagandists. Confused moderate Muslims need instead to be reassured that only Islamist extremism and its violent manifestations are being targeted. Normal, law-abiding Australian Muslims have no more to fear than any other normal, law-abiding Australian.

Sensitivities within Australia’s Muslim community must not be inflamed by those who fail to recognise that the Islamist extremists do not represent, are not representative of, and are not supported by, the vast majority of Australia's Muslims.