Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delivered his first national security statement on Tuesday, and said dealing with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State threat required Australia to be "calm, clinical, professional, effective."

Pointing out that by most measures, ISIL was in a fundamentally weak position, Turnbull said the group had more smartphones than guns, and more social networking than soldiers.

“We must not be fooled by its hype. Its ideology is archaic but its use of the internet is very modern,” he said in his statement.

Although he insisted on more responses to the deadly Paris attacks that left the whole world trembling, the PM did not advocate sending military troops to Syria and Iraq. “Current advice to the government is that the unilateral deployment of Australian combat troops on the ground in Iraq or Syria is neither feasible nor practical,” he said.

Turnbull also announced a new five-tiered terrorism threat alert system that will enable the public to be more aware of the nature of threats they were or would be facing, as well as help the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, or ASIO, work more flexibly.

“I can inform the House that the National Threat Assessment Centre, or NTAC, that sits within ASIO will this week transition to the new National terrorism Threat Advisory System,” he said.

After the completion of Turnbull’s speech, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told the parliament that he will be working with Turnbull on this issue. He said that the Labor Party worked with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and will continue to do the same with his successor.

Shorten favoured Turnbull’s approach and said that words and ideas, and hearts and minds should stay connected in the battle against extremism.

Watch PM Turnbull's full speech below:

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES