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31 August 2006
- New Appointments
- Designers sought for new intelligence facility
- $13 million to tackle emergencies
- Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Qa'ida relisted as terrorist organisations
- Government stands by Hizballah ESO listing
- States & Territories reconsider classification of terrorist material
- Third meeting of the Business-Government Advisory of groups on National Security
- Business-Government advisory group on national security Communiqué.
- Improved processing facility at Broome on illegal foreign fishing
- AFP strengthened to respond to regional challenges
- ACT runs counter-terrorism exercise
1. Mr Neil Jensen PSM has been reappointed as the Director of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) for a second four-year term, commencing 1 September 2006. Mr Jensen has led AUSTRAC since September 2002 coordinating AUSTRAC’s strong working relationships with its 29 partner agencies and with the wider financial services and gambling sectors. Mr Jensen commenced at AUSTRAC in 1989. He was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal in 1995 for his contribution to Australia’s anti-money laundering program
2. Mr Mike Smith has been appointed as Australia’s Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. He will replace Mr Les Luck, who has been Ambassador since August 2003. Mr Smith takes up his position immediately. The Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism is responsible for the development and implementation of Australia’s international counter-terrorism policy. Mr Smith was most recently Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. Prior to this position, Mr Smith served as Chief of Staff, Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs 1998 – 2002
The Government is inviting submissions from design professionals to assist with the design of a state of the art intelligence facility.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and Office of National Assessments (ONA) will move to a purpose-built building within Canberra’s security precinct by 2010–11.
The new building will be purpose-designed, operating 24 hours a day with a level of security commensurate with the threat Australia faces from terrorism.
The need for ASIO to be relocated followed from the findings of the Taylor review, which recommended the Organisation grow to 1860 staff by 2010–11.
The estimated cost of the building is to be the subject of detailed consideration in the 2007-08 Budget.
Further information on the finding of the Taylor Review can be found here
Attorney General Philip Ruddock has announced details of 365 projects, valued at $13.1 million to be funded in 2006/07 through the Local Grants Scheme (LGS) and National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund (NEVSF).
The projects range in value from under $1,000 for the purchase of Tabards for use in an Emergency Operations Centre to $360,000 for the development of the Australian Disaster Information Network (AusDIN) web portal - a national project that provides access to a wealth of emergency management information.
Each state and territory convened a selection committee to prioritise funding applications from local government areas, indigenous communities and volunteer organisations.
The funding breakdown by individual jurisdictions as announced by Mr Ruddock was:
NSW |
$3.2 million |
Victoria |
$2.1 million |
Queensland |
$2.7 million |
SA |
$1.2 million |
WA |
$2.2 million |
Tasmania |
$0.5 million |
NT |
$0.5 million |
ACT |
$0.2 million |
Applications for funding are open and will close on 2 March 2007.
More information can be found here
The Australian Government has re-listed Al-Qa’ida and Jemaah Islamiyah as terrorist organisations under Australia’s counter-terrorism laws.
The laws state that the listing of terrorist organisations cease to have effect two years after the listing is first made. Al-Qa’ida was first listed in October 2002 and again on 1 September 2004; Jemaah Islamiyah was first listed on 27 October 2002 and again on 1 September 2004.
The re-listing ensures the offence provisions under Division 102 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (the Criminal Code) continue to apply in relation to these organisations.
Re-listing means it continues to be an offence to belong to, direct, recruit for, train with or provide training for, and receive funds from or make funds available to these
terrorist organisations, whether in Australia or abroad.
The Australian Government is standing by its decision to list Hizballah's External Security Organisation as a terrorist organisation.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said that calls for the de-listing of the organisation were not realistic.
Hizballah is a multi-faceted organisation including political, social and military components. The functions of the organisation include political and social activities. However, the External Security Organisation is a distinct terrorist wing of Hizballah, and has been responsible for attacks dating back to the early 1980s.
Hizballah’s External Security Organisation is also listed as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, and the entirety of Hizballah is listed by the United States and Canada.
The body responsible for the review the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has supported the listing.
The military or militia wing of Hizballah, known as the Islamic Resistance, has not been proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Australia, nor have the political or social components of Hizballah.
However, persons who engage in hostile activities in a foreign State otherwise than as a member of the armed forces of a State may also commit offences under Australian law.
Hizballah in its entirety is listed for the purposes of asset freezing legislation and it is an offence under the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 to provide financial support or assets of any kind to Hizballah. The Act implements Australia's obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1373 to isolate terrorist organisations and starve them of funds.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has welcomed the willingness of the States and Territories to re-examine laws relating to the classification of material advocating acts of terrorism, including the so-called books of hate.
Mr Ruddock had questioned whether current censorship laws strike the right balance between freedom of expression and the community's right to be protected from material that incites terrorism.
"We are not about curtailing freedom of speech. I believe there is a case for the Classification Board to be given the power to ban material which has been submitted by law enforcement authorities and contains depictions or descriptions that advocate terrorist acts.”
Senior government ministers have met with key Australian business leaders to discuss Australia's ongoing fight against terrorism.
The discussions took place at the third meeting of the Business-Government Advisory Group on National Security.
"The Group was established to ensure that we have open and productive lines of communication between business and government leaders on security issues and the protection of our critical infrastructure," Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said.
The meeting addressed a range of security issues with particular attention to be paid to how business and government can keep working together to defeat terrorism and protect the national interest.
Senior government ministers attended the meeting, including the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Warren Truss, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Chris Ellison, the heads of Australia's security and law enforcement agencies as well as CEOs from major industry sectors.
Communiqué from the discussions follows.
24 July 2006
The third Business-Government Advisory Group on National Security meeting was held in Canberra today. The group met to discuss national security and counter-terrorism, with a focus on the protection of critical infrastructure. Senior leaders across business and government were represented.
The meeting agreed that:
- Terrorism remains a significant and enduring threat to the safety of all Australians and to our social and economic well-being.
- All Australians - regardless of race or religion - repudiate terrorism and extremism and share a common desire for a peaceful, prosperous and harmonious Australian society.
- Government and business must continue to work closely to strengthen our national security and protect our economy and society from attack.
- Protecting our critical infrastructure is an important task that can only be achieved through business–government cooperation. The Trusted Information Sharing Network has excelled in facilitating this cooperation.
- Influenza pandemic remains a possibility and contingency planning for any outbreak should continue as a high priority.
The meeting also:
- Agreed that a strengthened national approach to identity security would help combat terrorism and criminal activity
- Acknowledged the development of a national document verification system as a positive step forward in combating identity fraud.
- Noted the Government’s decision to proceed with a new access card for health and welfare services.
- Welcomed the development of a national approach to the protection of places of mass gatherings as a positive step forward
- Recognised that while it is vital that our places of mass gathering are made as safe as possible it is not possible to guarantee the safety of all people in all situations.
- Acknowledged the vital contribution Australia’s transport networks make to our economy and social interaction, and supported the work that is underway to:
- Bolster domestic and international aviation and airport security following the Wheeler Review.
- Increase security and customs inspections at our maritime ports.
- Implement land transport reforms in cooperation with the States and Territories.
- Reiterated the reliance business places on the role played by the private security industry
- Supported the work being undertaken at the direction of COAG to develop uniform national standards for the security industry.
- Noted that the Australian Government is finalising comprehensive new anti-money laundering legislation.
- Resolved that security planning exercises greatly enhance our national preparedness for a terrorist attack and that there is value in the private sector becoming involved in these exercises.
- Welcomed the ongoing work of COAG on counter-terrorism issues such as CCTV, community understanding of national security arrangements and the establishment of a National Emergency Protocol to enhance coordination between all levels of government.
- Recognised the potential risks to Australia and the Australian economy from influenza pandemic and the importance of good risk management and business continuity planning.
- Recognised the work of the Australian Reinsurance Pool.
The meeting also
- Noted the establishment of ASIO’s Business Liaison Unit Website to facilitate the flow of information between government and business
The completion of an improved facility for processing illegal foreign fishers at Willie Creek near Broome has been announced.
“When Customs took over responsibility for transferring foreign fishermen into immigration detention it was decided the accommodation and amenities at Willie Creek would need upgrading to facilitate the significant increase in the number of fisherman being apprehended,” Senator Ellison said.
Other Customs processing facilities at Gove and Weipa are due for completion by the end of 2006.
The Government has decided to substantially strengthen the Australian Federal Police’s capacity to respond to international crises, particularly in the Canberra region.
The AFP’s International Deployment Group (IDG) will be increased by about 400 personnel, taking the total to 1200.
This will be the largest single increase in AFP staff since the force was established in 1979. The extra resources will allow the IDG to establish a 150-strong Operational Response Group that is ready to respond at short notice to emerging law and order issues and undertake stabilisation operations.
The boost to AFP operations will cost $493 million over the next five years.
Law enforcement has been a key component of recent Australian assistance missions to fragile states such as Solomon’s Islands, East Timor and Papua New Guinea.
The start of the Exercise August Act, a counter-terrorism exercise to be run in the ACT has been announced.
The exercise component involves a number of inter-governmental committee meetings in the ACT to exercise strategic political management.
The exercise comprises two parts – one with a mass evacuation in the Belconnen CBD. It is estimated that approximately 6000 people will be evacuated and returned to their buildings between 9.30am and 11.30am. The exercise will then move to the former Ginninderra High School at Holt, where police and emergency services will continue to test their response capability.
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