Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced that the head of ASIO, David Irvine, last night officially raised Australia’s terror threat level to high, confirming speculation that has been swirling for the past week.
Raising it to high means that the Government and National Intelligence Agencies have reason to believe that a terror attack could occur on Australian soil, but at present it is not imminent.
At a press conference today, Prime Minister Abbott stated that whilst “there are people with the intent and the capability to mount attacks here in Australia,” he also stressed that “this does not mean that a terror attack is imminent.“
“We have no specific intelligence of particular plots.“
What does this mean for ordinary life in Australia? Proceed with the mildest of caution. It’s certainly not the first time the country has been put on reasonable notice, with this announcement harking back to the “Be alert, but not alarmed” days during the Howard Government‘s 2003 anti-terrorism campaign.
The rise in threat level will mean bolstered security at so-called “vulnerable” points, such as airports, seaports, military bases, Government buildings and any large public events – a particularly timely move given the rapidly approaching AFL and NRL Grand Finals.
The move is the result of a cautious approach towards Australians becoming involved and subsequently militarised in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria. ASIO chief David Irvine stated that we are currently seeing “an increase particularly in intent, I won’t go into all of the details but I think it is important that we raise awareness partly by raising the threat level and to assure people that the authorities both law enforcement and the security intelligence service are very concerned about this and are watching it with great care.“
Government leaders were quick to stress this was not motivated by any religious bias, rather a general threat level. Opposition leaders in Parliament have thrown their support behind the Government’s decision.
So there you have it, kids. Just keep going about your business as usual, realistically. This is cause for alertness, not anxiety.
Really, if ever it were appropriate – Keep calm and carry on.
Photo: Dan Kitwood via Getty Images.
via SMH.
