...Australia and Terrorism Terrorism is not a new term and can be defined as “the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims” (Dictionary, 2014). The emergence of terrorism was significant in history, and in more recent times, has become a threat to Australian Borders. The effectiveness of the law in preventing and reducing levels of terrorism is highlighted through the use of case studies and evaluation. The Hilton bombings The relationship between Australia and Terrorism is specifically highlighted in the Sydney Hilton Bombings on the 13th February 1978. This was the first experience of Terrorism in Australia and created the need for better security and the implementation of effective protection...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...9/11 law enforcement response to terrorism. What strategies could be implemented to increase future law enforcement capability in countering terrorism? Andrew McAdam Student Number: Word Count: “Things will never be the same.” (Miller, Stone & Mitchell, 2002, p. 3) Law enforcement has undergone dramatic changes as a result of the devastating events in the United States on 11 September 2001 (9/11). This essay will examine how law enforcement, specifically within Australia, has shifted its policies and strategies to fight the post-9/11 terrorist threat. An analysis of police actions towards terrorist related incidents since 9/11, displays how law enforcement agencies have demonstrated their ability to respond to the various threats of terrorism as they arise. “Since 2001, numerous terrorist attacks have been thwarted in Australia. Thirty-eight people have been prosecuted as a result of counter-terrorism operations and 20 people have been convicted of terrorism offences under the Criminal Code.” (Counter-Terrorism White Paper, 2010, p. ii) Australia’s State and Federal policing agencies have ‘a long tradition of reactive patrol’ (White, 2012, p. 487) However, uniformed policing plays an important role in counter-terrorism operations. Due to their knowledge and close working relationships within the local community, police are in the best position to detect and prevent terrorist actions from occurring. “So far, terrorist attempts in Australia have been disrupted by the coordinated...
Words: 2434 - Pages: 10
...Background Terrorism is a strategy and tactic, a holy duty and a crime, an unacceptable response to oppression and an intolerable abomination. A common definition is that terrorism is an illegal act that affects an audience further than the direct victim. The tactic of terrorists is to perform acts of bloodshed that draw interest of the government, population and the world at large. Terrorists prepare their attack to get the largest publicity, selecting targets that signify what they resist. The success of a terror attack lies, not on the attack, but in the government’s or public’s response to the act (Larry, 2011). There are three views of terrorism; the victim’s, the terrorist’s and the public. The expression “one person’s terrorist is another person’s” freedom fighter’ is perspective terrorists would embrace. Terrorists do not regard themselves as wicked. They consider themselves as fighters, fighting for what they trust in, by any means possible. Victims of terrorist acts view the terrorists as evil with no consideration to human existence. The public’s perspective is the most unbalanced because people view terrorism acts differently. Terrorism is an essential part of mental warfare and requires to be opposed vigorously (Weisburd, 2009). Law makers, scholars and security experts have defined different forms of terrorism. These forms of terrorism vary according to the attack means the attacker uses (for instance biological) or by what they are opposing (eco-terrorism). State...
Words: 2463 - Pages: 10
...international response after the events of September 11, 2001. The implementation of anti-terror laws provided Australian Security Agencies with extra powers need to investigate and detain those who threaten Australia, its people or interests. These Security Agencies experienced substantial budget increases to further develop capabilities in the fight against terrorism. Regional stability throughout South East Asia provides a challenge for Australian foreign security policy. Australia’s geographical proximity to Southeast means Australia has an invested interest in maintaining stability through strong ties with states such as Indonesia. This essay will critically state how the US and South East Asia have shaped Australian security with an international response against terrorism. Over the past 60 years Australia and the US have formed an alliance to combat those who pose threat to global security. The alliance was constitutionally formalized in 1951 with the signing of the ANZUS Treaty (US Department of State, 2011). The signing of the treaty binds Australia and the United States to consult on mutual threats and act upon common dangers. The agreement was drawn into effect for the first time with a global response against the terrorist actions of September 11. Australia and the US have shared military and intelligence capabilities with the invasion into Afghanistan and Iraq (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [A]). The bilateral diplomatic approach provides the transparency...
Words: 2191 - Pages: 9
...Terrorism and Counter-terrorism: Similarities and differences in security and risk. Joshua Williams POL192 Perspectives on Security and Terrorism Murdoch University Semester 1, 2014 Utilizing the concepts of risk and security, critically explain the similarities and differences between terrorist strategies and tactics on one hand, and counter-terrorism measures, on the other, since 2001. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States marked a turning point in the understanding of terrorism within the international society (Beck 2002, 39). Although the motives behind terrorism and counter-terrorism are opposite, their effects in terms of security and risk are similar. The similarities and differences between these two activities will be discussed in terms of risk and security within the international society. Central to the issues of security and risk, is the concept of an international society. An international society ‘exists when a group of states, conscious of certain common interests and common values, form a society in the sense that they conceive themselves to be bound by a common set of rules in their relations with one anther, and share in the working of common institutions’ (Bull and Watson 1984, 1). These rules, norms and institutions which make up international society is the central focus...
Words: 2232 - Pages: 9
...Australia’s history is striking in that immigration, in a myriad of forms, essentially gave life to the nation as it is today. Australia has long been considered a prime location for asylum seekers, with it’s stable governance, high quality of life and already established immigrant communities, it is easy to see why individuals seeking asylum from religious or ethnic persecution, conflict or despotism choose Australia to lodge their claims. Be it Europeans escaping Soviet expansion post World War 2 or South Vietnamese allies fleeing Vietnam following the fall of Saigon in 1975, the development of Australia’s history and culture is inseparably linked to these Asylum seekers who come “across the sea” to our boundless plains. Australia continues to receive asylum seekers in the 21st century however there has been an apparent shift in the nations psyche towards these asylum seekers. A moral panic is defined as a disproportionate response to a perceived threat by one group towards another. Is the reaction to Asylum seekers in Australia an example of moral panic?...
Words: 650 - Pages: 3
...state-based. Many types of these actions can range from terrorism, rioting, civil war, police brutality, and capital punishment. Terrorism is a political violence act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The terrorist’s strategy is to commit acts of violence that draws the attention of the public, the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain the greatest attention, choosing targets that symbolize what they oppose. The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” There are two types of terrorism; initially, there is domestic terrorism which are acts of terrorism that are committed by those who are located in and operate from the state and international terrorism which is a type of terrorism which includes acts of terror committed by individuals affiliated with foreign countries. In the 1960s and 1970s domestic terrorism increased in the United States. Groups known as the Black Panthers and other groups constantly caused problems with authorities. An example of international terrorism was when the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda coordinated four terrorist attacks to the United States on September 11, 2001. Terrorism is a one-sided...
Words: 925 - Pages: 4
...The Australia human rights government website expresses interest regarding how the policies involving national security that have been applied are ensuring that Australians are protected from security threats and that all efforts to protect Australia's security should mostly comply with basic human rights standards that Australia has agreed to uphold fully. Looking through the counter-terrorism white paper report, it states that the government is strongly committed to taking strong action in order to protect Australians and reduce the risk of attacks, but with that a number of approaches are to be made for that to happen. Stronger border management preventing the movement of individuals who try to enter Australia that may have some sort of...
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...initiation, explain why both the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment 2014 (Cth) Act and the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Foreign Fighters) Bill 2014 (Cth) and Australian Citizenship Amendment Bill was initiated by The Liberal Party to combat the ongoing issue of Australian citizens leaving Australia with the intent to participate in terrorist acts. As about 70 Australians are believed to be fighting alongside Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria this is a pressing needs to be address. The Counter Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 (Cth) passed through the Senate with the support...
Words: 1149 - Pages: 5
...and one of the greatest threats to lasting peace and development. Domestic violence can be defined as violent or aggressive behaviour within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. The time for complacency has passed, we have to do so much more to respond to the cries for justice of women and children worldwide. The silence has been broken and now. Now is the time for stronger action. It is time for action when 73% of Australian women have experienced more than one account of violence from a current or ex-partner. When 89 women died in a year as a result of domestic abuse. One woman a week. When 58% of victims have never contacted police and 24% have never sought advice support. When 1 in 5 Australian women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15....
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
...In brief, this legislation is significant to Canadian citizens in a positive and a negative way: it reduces their freedom but at the same time, it ensures their security. Which leads to an ethical question; what is more important freedom or security? According to the Government of Canada “as of early 2014, more than 130 individuals with Canadian connections were abroad and were suspected of supporting terrorism-related activities (Government of Canada, 2014). The threat is real as more of Canadians citizen try to join terrorist groups. In order to solve this problem, Harper wants to deal with the situation in the same manner as Australia did. In fact, Australia has the same criminal law that the conservatives try to pass. In Australia, it is a criminal action to...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...Security study was in the past regarded as a sub-discipline of international relations underpinned in Anglo-American thinking. Until early 1990s, security studies were considered as a strategic studies focusing on a strong military focus. This traditional view of security involved the protection of the state and a scientific agenda to secure the state from definable threats and maintain the status quo. This is a positivist approach which was based on rationalism and realism. The Copenhagen School presented an alternative view of security studies by responding to the traditional approach of forming a clear sense of ‘what is security’. This approach is defined in three mechanisms: development of sectors approach to security, developing a regional focus on security and critically engendering a social constructivist theory of security through securitization studies. This theory will be the main focus of this discussion. To achieve a critical discussion of what securitization really entails, this paper will use the case study of USA’s war on terrorism in Afghanistan. The approach used by the US government to fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq can be considered as a securitization approach which has led to a resulted in security problems in the two countries rather than solving the issue. Securitization of USA’s war on Afghanistan can be viewed in three perspectives: securitization by the president and the government, securitization by the media and securitization by the society...
Words: 3288 - Pages: 14
...and Access) Amendments (data Retention) Act, 2015, passed by the Federal Parliament, will strengthen national security.’ Evaluate this claim with regard to the strengths and limitations of the law reform process. Metadata has become a huge issue in 2015 and topic to much legal debate. It is described as ‘data about data’ in simple terms but has many other complex definitions. The Data Retention Act, more formally known as the Telecommunications amendment Act 2015 was passed in parliament on March 26th 2015 and received royal accent on April 13th 2015. In Australia, the need to strengthen national security has resulted in the introduction of new ‘metadata’ storage law. This new law means that both security and policing agencies will be allowed to access up to two years of individuals metadata, to supposedly make it easier to stop any terrorist attacks and serious crimes from happening. There has been many debates in Australia about...
Words: 1052 - Pages: 5
...counterterrorism grand strategy, states and governments need to identify what the aim of terrorism upon their state is, the terrorist’s goals and ultimately what they aim to achieve with these acts. Without identifying these areas states can’t introduce and effective counterterrorism strategy. This essay will focus on the policy objectives of the Australian government with their counterterrorism strategy, predominantly the changes made over the last decade as a response to new international terrorism threats. This essay will also look at the United States Counterterrorism policies and their objectives, as they have made some of the most influential decisions regarding counterterrorism over the last decade. In Australia the Criminal Code Act 1995 states that a terrorist act means an action or threat of action where the action causes certain defined forms of harm or interference and the action is done or the threat is made with advancing a political, religious or ideological cause. (Government, 2004) From this definition counterterrorism can be defined as the tactics, practices strategies and techniques used by governments and law enforcement to counteract terrorism acts. States use a variety of goals and subsequently sub-goals that determine their counterterrorism policies. These can vary greatly depending on the state’s political situation. Some of these goals can include getting rid of terrorism and the motivations and causes for it, preventing attacks and minimising causalities...
Words: 1446 - Pages: 6
...wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-terrorism Counter-terrorism (also spelled counterterrorism) is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed. The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments. Not all insurgents use terror as a tactic, and some choose not to use it because other tactics work better for them in a particular context. Individuals, such as Timothy McVeigh, may also engage in terrorist acts such as the Oklahoma City bombing. If the terrorism is part of a broader insurgency, counter-terrorism may also form a part of a counter-insurgency doctrine, but political, economic, and other measures may focus more on the insurgency than the specific acts of terror. Foreign internal defense (FID) is a term used by several countries[citation needed] for programs either to suppress insurgency, or reduce the conditions under which insurgency could develop. Counter-terrorism includes both the detection of potential acts and the response to related events. Anti-terrorism versus counter-terrorism Further information: Detentions following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack The concept of anti-terrorism emerges from a thorough examining of the concept of terrorism as well as an attempt to understand and articulate what constitutes terrorism in Western terms. In military contexts, terrorism is a tactic, not an ideology...
Words: 6044 - Pages: 25
