I want to thank Ahmet and the Affinity Intercultural Foundation for inviting me to this fantastic event.
And Ahmet, I hear through the interfaith grapevine that you are so welcoming and hospitable that every day you find a new cousin!
These are important times for different faiths and ethnicities to connect.
And during this holy month of Ramadan, tonight's Iftar is a welcome time to come together and have meaningful conversations.
Food is the ultimate unifier and a gracious gesture of friendship - we know this is central in many faiths.
Breaking bread or celebrating the social and spiritual connection of Iftar, is how many of us show our love, how we connect, how we treat each other with respect and dignity, and how we find our own humility.
It also allows us to shut out the noise of the outside world for just a little while.
In my house, sitting down at night to eat with my husband and two children is sacrosanct.
It is the time where there are no phones or distractions at the table.
It is the time we make as a family to spend time with each other and communicate with patience, to be honest and check in.
It is also where I learn the language of a younger generation. I am sure you know, trying to understand what they are saying sometimes is like trying to learn a new dialect!
So here we are together tonight, and it is my opportunity to spend time with you, to speak with you on a deeper level, be honest and check in.
Firstly, I know this is a night to enjoy but I want to acknowledge that there are people here who are distressed and nervous about what is happening throughout the world.
There appears to be little reprieve in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
I want to pass on my sincere condolences to all of you who have lost loved ones and family - and continue to lose loved ones and family.
I also wish a speedy recovery to those who are recovering from serious injury.
The AFP's very valued and hard-working Community Liaison Teams are hearing and listening to your grief and trepidation about what could be next.
It is important that we all understand and make time for grief, especially in times of such polarisation.
That's why this beautiful gathering tonight, which represents a multitude of faiths, is so important.
It highlights how we are supporting each other.
Tonight, we are valuing and embracing humanity. And we are also valuing and embracing courage, which takes many forms.
Ahmed Al Ahmed, the guest of honour here tonight, thank you for your courage on December 14. Thank you for your humanity. Who knows how many of our Jewish friends and family would have died that shocking day if it wasn't for your selflessness.
Your being here tonight is a reminder that you put your own life second in the most dangerous of circumstances to help people you had never met.
You are a reminder that it is such a human trait to instinctively help when people are in dire need.
I also want to thank Ahmet for having the courage to bring us all together tonight despite the outside noise happening around the globe.
Some may believe it would be safer and easier to go to our respective corners.
And while I understand why some would want to retreat, I respectfully say, let's keep coming together to talk, to understand and provide comfort to those who need it.
I also want to talk about bravery and courage in a different way.
I know my members of the AFP are brave because I know and see what they do every day.
But bravery and courage are also marked by how we acknowledge and admit our mistakes.
The AFP may make honest mistakes when understanding or interacting with sensitive and complicated issues within the many different faith and ethnicities in our communities.
But as AFP Commissioner, I want you to know that we are investing in better training and education to ensure we can minimise this as much as possible.
We will take responsibility for the mistakes we make and make sure we learn from them.
At times, we may not even be aware that we have made errors - that's why we need to have strong relationships with each other so we can have honest conversations.
Equally, I want the AFP to look more like the communities we serve. I want more diversity in our ranks - that will be key to how we help keep our country safe and how we can maintain the trust needed in institutions like the AFP.
There is a saying in policing: That the police are the community and the community are the police.
From my perspective, it is a concept that has never been more important, and that is where we have a mutual responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our communities.
It also means the AFP must be visible and available for crime prevention, not just turning up when there is a crime.
I believe we already do this well, and we have heavily invested in prevention and awareness campaigns, including translating safety and security information into many languages.
But I want to do more - and with you.
I have been the Commissioner for the AFP for five months.
Those five months have further emboldened me to be a resolute and an ambitious Commissioner.
With every inch of my being, the AFP will work with trusted and respected partners and communities to keep our country, our region and our world safe.
Transparency, accountability and fairness - they are not just words. They are actions that I aspire to every day.
For all of you in this room, I invite you to be bold and ambitious with me as we work together to protect ourselves from old threats and emerging ones.
The best solutions to these threats are done when we all pull in the same direction. It doesn't mean we have to agree on everything.
But what we do and how we do it, must be defendable and the right thing to do for our social harmony - and that is: how we protect each other, how we look after our vulnerable and how we ensure equity and fairness are always our guiding principles.
I understand if some of you are not ready to work with me or my agency just yet.
That's ok, but when you are, there will be an open door to the AFP.
But just to give you some understanding of my true north, let me detail how I am repositioning the AFP.
Our volatile, globalised and interconnected world requires a new posture for the AFP and that is because many offenders who are targeting Australians are doing it from another country.
Cyber criminals from around the world are stealing the nest eggs of hard-working Australians.
Our older population, many who are lonely or alone, are becoming the victims of many scams.
Our kids are being tricked and manipulated in the most heinous of ways and have fallen victims to sextortion and radicalisation.
The large majority of illicit substances trafficked to Australia are sent by offshore criminals, who use local networks to sell the poison that contributes to family violence, the road toll and violence in our suburbs.
State actors are targeting and threatening diaspora communities in Australia for their own political interests.
The rules-based order is being tested. Spheres of influence are changing. And the strategic fitness of allies is being challenged by states that are becoming more aggressive.
For all these reasons, I have shifted the AFP's mission statement to: defending and protecting Australia and Australia's future from domestic and global security threats.
The AFP is a national security agency, and it requires us to protect Australia's sovereignty and future prosperity.
This extends to safeguarding the welfare of our next generation and our vulnerable communities.
That's why I have announced five new priorities for the AFP.
And they are:
Future proofing our workforce;
Investing in technology and capability;
Defending Australia's domestic security and our region;
Supercharging global operations, and
Protecting vulnerable communities.
These are the foundations for my vision and mission to ensure the AFP is the best, fairest and smartest police force to work for in the world, as well as being enterprising and determined to keep Australia, our region and the world safe.
While I have spent the past few years working in countering terrorism, at the heart of my policing journey is community policing.
That's why last year I announced I would establish a new mechanism, such as a consultative board, that would bring together community leaders, youth and non-government organisations to help the AFP be more effective in how we listen and protect all communities in our bid to keep Australia and our region safe.
My team is still working on the structure and governance of the board. It is important we get this right, because it has the opportunity to better deliver for all Australians.
This new mechanism is a lever I will be able to pull so the AFP is agile and responsive to threats that will continue to evolve and test our resolve.
The AFP is not a big police force. Of our 8000 workforce, we are spread throughout Australia and in more than 30 countries.
But what we don't have in numbers, we have in capability, technology, innovation, and pure determination and grit.
And partnerships.
The AFP is one of the most trusted partners throughout the world because we are transparent, accountable, honest and genuine.
We must continue to keep working on and proving this at home too.
And that is one of the reasons I am here tonight.
I want to again thank Ahmet for inviting me to speak at this very significant event. I also want to thank all the volunteers who have done a wonderful job bringing tonight's Iftar together.
I am very honoured to have the opportunity to share food and my thoughts with you all.
But let's keep the conversation going beyond tonight. Let's continue to talk and listen to each other.
Ramadan Mubarak to all who are observing.
Thank you.
