Australian Security Ready to Cope with Terrorist Threats
The Australian government remains vigilant in the midst of possible threats from Fascist extremists and other revolutionary groups.
The country's security officials are also aware that fighting a terror campaign requires more than the implementation of tight security measures.
It entails a proper combination of various elements as described by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during a recent meeting in the U.S.
"The strategy recognizes that terrorism cannot be combated only through security-related or law enforcement means. Effective counter-terrorism requires a combination of social, educational, economic and political tools that target those factors that make the terrorist option appear attractive," he explained.
In that assembly, Ban said the espousal of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2006 was a step in the right direction.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) filed its report to Parliament and noted that right-wing extremists are capable of doing damage and causing panic among the citizenry.
The report stated that ''there has been a persistent but small subculture of racist and nationalist extremists in Australia, forming groups, fragmenting, re-forming and often fighting among themselves," according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
It is apparent that officials would not want a similar incident that happened in Norway recently.
Just like the case of Anders Breivik, the threats posed by right-wing extremists have not subsided notwithstanding the efforts of intelligence agencies to counter any likely threats from individuals or radical elements.
The security organization's report indicated that it has been engaged in conducting investigations related to terrorism which increased from about 100 in 2005 to almost 300 this year.
Sydney Morning Herald reported that the budget of ASIO went up by nearly 500 per cent since 2001. It is scheduled to move next year to a new headquarters reportedly built for half a billion dollars.
Although the analysis made by ASIO revealed that it has not come across right-extremists in the country that echo Breivik's deadly aims, it shows that they depend on overseas connections and events to update and inspire them.
The security appraisal also mentions the monitoring of issue-motivated groups, which are organizations ranging from community-based forestry groups to neo-Nazi parties.