Friday 22nd of November 2024

Australain Entertainment Venues Now Terror Targets, Say Attorney General And Intelligence Chief

I'm feeling vindicated in getting the "heebie jeebies" in the casino the other night now that I know that ASIOs worried about terrorist attacks on Australian restaurants. 

Why would I think that a casino atop a railway, adjacent to a Parliament House, might not be a great place to hang around?  Let's look at what our attorney general and our chief of Intelligencehad to say today:

[from The Age

ASIO has warned that terrorists could carry out attacks on
hotels and restaurants in Australia.

The agency's director-general, Paul O'Sullivan, said the latest
Bali bombing was an example of such targeting, and while security
agencies and police may have disrupted some attacks, there was no
evidence that the threat was abating.

"Explosives-based attacks against crowded venues have been
conducted overseas, including against food service venues such as
restaurants and hotels," Mr O'Sullivan said.

"Such tactics could be applied to food service venues in
Australia to significant effect," he told a conference yesterday on
the safety of the national food chain. Terrorists could also use
the contamination of food supplies as a weapon.

[From ABC

He says such attacks would be simple to conduct yet cause considerable community anxiety.

Mr O'Sullivan has called on the food sector to take precautions and work with governments to develop risk management plans.

"Taking sensible precautions against such possibilities involves
Government and business working together to factor all hazards into the
development of policy and risk management plans, particularly in
connection with protecting Australia's critical infrastructure," he
said.

"It is through this partnership that policy and practice remain properly aligned, relevant and effective."He says that recent arrests in connection with suspected terrorist
activity should not lead the Australian public to believe that the
terrorism threat is abating.

"The challenge for governments, agencies, businesses and communities is
to ensure our understanding of the threat remains realistic and
appropriate and that we shape our response to the threat in ways that
are in proportion to the actual risks," he said.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock concedes the sector is vulnerable but says Australia's threat level remains at medium.

"That means we have no specific intelligence of specific threats that are planned," Mr Ruddock said.

The Attorney General has produced a plan for the venue and food terrorist problem, but won't release it.   Wise, really, given how the public might react to plans on how to deal with considerable numbers of deaths of Australians on our own soil.

 

 

ruddock rebuked .....

‘A high-powered committee appointed by the Federal Government has
recommended that the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, be stripped of his power
to determine which groups constitute a terrorist organisation. 

In a setback for the Government and its anti-terrorism laws, the
committee's report calls for 20 changes and offers sharp criticism about how
the laws were conceived and drafted. 

The Security Legislation Review Committee was set up last October and is
chaired by the former NSW Supreme Court judge Simon Sheller. Other members
include: the Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis; the Commonwealth Ombudsman,
John McMillan; and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Ian
Carnell.’
 

Ruddock
Rebuked Over Outlaw Powers