Public needs to know about terrorism threat
(Letter published in the Australian Financial Review, 26 June 2013.)
[Square bracketed bits deleted by Ed]
The member for Melbourne Ports, Michael Danby, correctly supports giving intelligence agencies the right to access our communications system in order to help their attempts to detect and prevent terrorist threats (“Protection of citizens trumps right to privacy,” AFR Letters, June 24). But this is only a part of the wider counter-terrorism policies needed.
[The government of which he represents has fallen down badly in implementing or expanding other such policies.]
Most importantly, no advice has been provided to the public of the main source of terrorist threats, the reality that this source exists extensively in Australia, and no attempt has been made to respond to those who are preaching jihadism to young Australians [and publishing literature with the same objective. This despite the extremely worrying revelations on the recent ABC 7.30 report.]
[Now we have reports that the AFP is concerned it may have insufficient resources to supervise the activities of young Australians jihadists returning from fighting in a civil war in Syria; and no action has been taken to charge such illegal activity.]
[Almost as seriously,] Prime Minister Julia Gillard made the absurd claim in her national security statement in January that the terrorist threat has been downgraded. Danby should act to implement his first duty of government – that is to protect the safety of Australian citizens.
Des Moore
Institute for Private Enterprise
South Yarra, Vic