Critical National Infrastructure Recovery

Using the latest technology, Australian border forces and investing $35 billion, the government aims to reduce the threat of terrorism at our borders in an effort to keep our country secure.

In 1978, on Monday the 13th of February, Australia faced what is believed to be its first experience of terrorism, when a bomb hidden in a bin outside the Sydney Hilton Hotel exploded, killing two council workers and a policeman (Cahill & Cahill, 2006). At the time, the hotel was hosting eleven heads of government who were in Sydney for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (Cahill & Cahill, 2006). The Australian government reacted by mobilising the military, which came to be referred to as ‘Siege of Bowral’, that highlighted issues with the legislation that dealt with terrorism and how unprepared Australia was at responding to a terrorist event (Hancock, 2002). Over the following years, a range of legislation was enacted to handle matters associated with terrorism, laws such as allowing for defence to aid to the civil power, aviation and shipping safety, chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, surveillance and intelligence services (Hancock, 2002).

Australia’s first anti-terror laws were enacted in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11 (Prof Andrew Lynch 2010). In recent years, increasing Australian involvement in international conflict has seen these laws shift to accommodate alarming trends in home grown terrorism (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation 2014). Sydney’s 2014 terror raids prompted the most significant changes to Australia’s counter terrorism legislation in the last decade (Commonwealth of Australia Department of Defence 2015). Amendments granted law enforcement and intelligence agencies new and somewhat controversial powers, in the name of national security.

The opportunity to contribute to society are many and varied and include positions within defence or local community protection. This provides the opportunity to work in a field which promotes and supports the community and the Nation’s interests. In regard to working within ASIO, the focus is on analysing and reporting prospective threats, resulting in the production of protective security measures, to ensure the safety of Australia’s communities, people and assets. In the words of Pietsch and McAlister “Australia has been relatively immune from acts of terrorism” (Juliet Pietsch & Ian McAllister, 2012). “I want Australians to be aware that a terrorist incident on our soil remains likely but also that Australians should be reassured our security agencies are working diligently and expertly to prevent that happening” (Malcolm Turnball, 2015). Terrorism is an increasingly greater threat in the 21st century, and it is clear from these statements that ASIO has an important role to play in ensuring the security of Australian

In 2010, the Australian Federal Government released its Counter-Terrorism White Paper. It stipulates that Australia’s counter-terrorism strategy has four fundamental key points: (The Counter-Terrorism White Paper, 2010, p iii) Analysis - focussed on prevention through intelligence, protection - focussed on border management and increased airport security, Response - cooperative relationships between Intelligence, security and Law enforcement agencies nationally and Resilience - Unified rejection

In coordination with the growing outcomes of terrorism, both international and domestic, we can examine the effectiveness of Australian Law in balancing the rights of the individual and the state. Throughout the course of time we see the changing face of international terrorism and how it has implications that are far reaching and affect our day to day rights and freedoms. I will be referring to the following cases in my response; Mohamed Haneef, David Hicks, Peter Greste and also Australian citizens involved in ISIL.

It is essential to understand America’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) and National Infrastructure Protection Program (NIPP) to ensure survivability of its critical assets, while maintaining security for America. “The plans are carried out in practice by an integrated network of Federal departments and agencies, State and local government agencies, private sector entities, and a growing number of regional consortia (DHS, 2009, p. I).” Several agencies work together to mitigate attacks on CIKR to protect public safety and security of the nation. A terrorist may stop at nothing to carry out an attack on CIKR. If an attack or natural disaster does transpire, each agency working together to restore the damage must be timely. Additionally, NIPP helps to identify hazards associated with the various sectors, and provides necessary security measures to harden resources (DHS,

Managing these risks involves developing approaches that result in sound, scenario-based consequence and vulnerability estimates as well as assessments of the likelihood that the suggested threat will occur (“Executing A Critical”, n.d.). Risk is influenced by the nature and magnitude of a hazard or threat, the vulnerabilities to the threat or hazard, and possible consequences (“Executing A Critical”, n.d.). The threat landscape of the electric utility subsector includes physical attacks/theft, cyber-attack, natural disaster, and nuclear attacks (“Addressing Dynamic”, 2014). In addition to these threats and vulnerabilities, the subsector has identified other key issues and risks such as workforce capability and human errors, equipment failure and aging infrastructure, and evolving environmental, economic, and reliability regulatory requirements (“Energy Sector”, 2015). Electricity assets are numerous including residential homes, commercial offices, utility companies, transmission lines, etc. and their locations vary across the

The purpose of the text by John Howard is to inform Australian citizens of the current situation of the possible terrorist threat that may face Australia and requests that all people report suspicious behaviour of those around one another to the National security hotline in which, all reported behaviour will be investigated to protect Australia. Uniting the community as one, to help protect Australia. The letter containing information of the counter-terrorism also includes reassuring information about Australia’s ‘strong counter-terrorist capability’ and emergency preparedness, to avoid panic from the public. The purpose of the text is to acknowledge Australia’s vulnerability to international terrorism following

“Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim”. A lot of the time when someone commits an act of terrorism, it is because they are demonstrating faith and loyalty to their religious views and beliefs, political, or ideological and the persecutors aim to intimidate governments and put fear into the eyes of societies. In Australia this year, there are about 7 known terrorist groups spread around the country. These seven groups in Australia at the moment includes: "Ahmed Y" group, Benbrika group in Melbourne, Al-Shabaab, Syrian syndicate, Cheikho group in Sydney, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Mantiqi (Jemaah Islamiah). All around the world, terrorism is growing quickly and it is damaging countries, communities and families. Something needs to be done about the issue and some people are already acting on it today.

As evidenced through the Parramatta shootings, which cost father of four Curtis Cheng his life, we can safely say, that terrorists do indeed pose a great risk to our national security. National security can be defined as the protection of a state, and its citizens, against both foreign and domestic crises. However the loss of Mr Cheng’s life, saw a major breach in national security, and signalled to the people of Australia, that we, are no longer as safe as we once thought we were. Furthermore, with the emergence of groups such as the Islamic state slowly infesting our communities, and brainwashing susceptible young Australians, the risk of a rouge citizen “executing” a terror attack, has never been higher. Now many may argue, that torture can not only be used as a weapon to gain information

In March of 1979, just ten miles south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Nuclear Power Plant at Three Mile Island Unit 2 came close to nuclear melt down. Despite standards set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the plant ran for several years prior to the accident under poor conditions. Communication certainly played a role in this near tragedy, as two engineers had foreseen the consequences, but their advice went unheeded. Although most of the economic and social impacts of this incident were minimal, this unpleasant event ended the nuclear power industry in America.

The threat of terrorism is real, even in western countries, but is it over exaggerated? The need to be vigilant is obvious, but do we have to live in fear? Every time someone goes overseas, do we have to behave as if it happened around the corner? Why in 2014 is every act by a gunman immediately interpreted as an act of terror? And when do the politicians cross the line from public safety (for the Australian people) and security warnings to fear for the purpose of fear? As disturbing as the events in Ottawa and other places are, they could have been the actions of an individual with a criminal history of some form. Even if it is discovered that he is part of a terrorist organisation - what the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Abbott, described

Governments have set in place laws to deter such actions and protect its population and reassure them that they are safe, such as jail and possibly death. A terrorist or terrorist group can also find themselves rejected by mainstream society. A recent poll conducted by the Lowry Institute (2015) found that fewer Australians actually feel safer than they did in 2010 with 76% of those polled saying they felt unsafe and that terrorism is the main cause of

Nearly every community has some sort of community risk, threat, and assessment plan that takes into account one of the six potential risks that are of concern to homeland security. Though each of these plans will likely differ from one another, many communities will have the same types of information in their plans. This essay will look at the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide (THIRA), the Community Risk Reduction Planning Guide, as well as FEMA’s National Preparedness plan. Any combination of these guides are a good starting point for every community in America. At top of every communities list as well as the nation is the protection of the critical infrastructure. Loss of infrastructure regardless of how big or small the community is could have very crippling effects on that community.