Labor Delayed Lowering Terror Alert Level After ASIO’s Advice
(L to R) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, ASIO chief Mike Burgess | Screen grab
VOCABULARY LIST
Domestic (adjective) /dəˈmɛstɪk/: Relating to the home or internal affairs of a country.
Example: The domestic intelligence agency provided the report.
Intelligence (noun) /ɪnˈtɛlədʒəns/: Information about a country's security and threats.
Example: The intelligence agency assessed the threat level.
Recommendation (noun) /ˌrɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/: A suggestion or advice given to improve a situation.
Example: The ASIO recommendation was to lower the alert level.
Alert (noun) /əˈlɜt/: A warning or signal about a potential threat.
Example: The terror alert level was raised to 'probable.'
Radicalisation (noun) /ˌrædɪkəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/: The process of someone adopting extreme or radical beliefs.
Example: There has been an increase in radicalisation among certain groups.
Exacerbated (verb) /əgˈzæsəbeɪtɪd/: Made a problem or situation worse.
Example: The Gaza conflict exacerbated community tensions.
Prolonged (adjective) /prəˈlɒŋd/: Extended in time; lasting longer than expected.
Example: There was a prolonged delay before the decision was made.
Deliberations (noun) /dəlɪbəˈreɪʃənz/: Long and careful discussions or consideration.
Example: The committee's deliberations lasted for months.
Espionage (noun) /ˈɛspiənaʒ/: The practice of spying or using spies to obtain secret information.
Example: Espionage has become a major security concern.
Significant (adjective) /sɪgˈnɪfəkənt/: Important or notable.
Example: The change in the terror alert level is significant for national security.
ARTICLE
In mid-2022, Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, advised the new Albanese government that the national terror alert level should be lowered to "possible." However, the Labor government took almost six months to act on this advice before making the change.
By late November 2022, Clare O'Neil, the then-home affairs minister, met with ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess at ASIO's Canberra headquarters to announce that the alert level would be reduced from "probable," where it had been since 2014.
ASIO’s formal advice was given to the Labor government "within a couple of months" after they won the 2022 election. Earlier in the year, when the Morrison government was still in office, Mike Burgess had noted a decrease in the likelihood of a terrorist attack in his Annual Threat Assessment, just before the federal election in May.
Burgess said in his February speech that although ASIO’s overall terrorism cases had dropped, there was a noticeable rise in radicalisation and specific grievances. He also pointed out that espionage and foreign interference had become bigger concerns than terrorism, though terrorism remained significant.
On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, with ASIO’s Director-General, announced the government’s decision to raise the national terror alert level back to "probable," partly due to increased community tensions from the Gaza conflict.
Australia’s National Terrorism Threat Advisory System has five levels: not expected, possible, probable, expected, and certain. Changes to the system usually affect safety measures for individuals, businesses, and authorities but are often not visible to the public.
The ABC reported that unlike the 2022 decision to lower the alert level, the government acted quickly on ASIO’s recent recommendation to raise the alert to "probable."
In 2014, the Abbott government had raised the terror alert level to "medium" due to the rise of the Islamic State (IS) group. It remained at "probable" until it was lowered in November 2022.
A source familiar with the National Security Committee’s discussions in 2022 said there were lengthy debates about when to announce the change. The advice was delayed for months, with discussions on whether the prime minister should make the announcement. Eventually, Clare O'Neil and ASIO handled it.
The Albanese government declined to comment on its internal discussions about national security in 2022, and ASIO also did not respond to inquiries about its internal operations.
On Sunday, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, speaking on Insiders, said he would not discuss internal government matters but noted that the terror alert level was raised a day after briefing Mr Albanese last week. He mentioned that there is a significant difference in the speed needed to communicate changes in the alert level.
Earlier this week, Burgess admitted that ASIO was "stretched" due to the increasing number of complex and unpredictable extremist threats, which led to the terror alert level being raised again.
SOURCE:
This article is based on: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-11/labor-delayed-change-on-national-terrorism-threat-in-2022/104209998
