Speaking in Parliament on Monday night, Mr Baldwin criticised Muslim community leaders for their response to acts of terrorism, and said he was concerned some were seeking to prevent the celebration of Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter.

He also questioned why “males aged 18 to 45” were fleeing countries like Iraq and Syria.

“I have to ask the question on behalf of my constituents, why are they not staying [and] training to defend their land, their lifestyle [and] their rights,” he said.

Mr Baldwin said if Australia was attacked by a terrorist group like ISIL he would “stay to fight” and would “expect the same of my sons”.

He said it was “a bit rich” to expect soldiers from other countries to “lay down their life for you if you are not prepared to stand and fight”.

Speaking during a statement of indulgence, Mr Baldwin said tolerance is “a two way street” and said people who don’t like Australia should “go back from where you came”.

“Stopping the celebration of Christmas and Easter, the two most holy days on our Christmas calendar, isn’t tolerance, it’s discrimination,” he said.

Mr Baldwin also said Australia's Grand Mufti was wrong to respond to the Paris terrorist attacks by calling for a focus on racism, Islamophobia, foreign policies and military intervention.

Mr Baldwin said he was concerned about the vetting process to make sure people seeking refugee status were not “sleepers” seeking to “infiltrate and plan and plot terrorism activities” in Australia, “as was alleged in Paris”.

Courtesy of the Newcastle Herald