Australian Security Industry Association Limited
Director-General's Address
'Meeting the challenges of the current security environment'
30 August 2006
Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to address the Australian Security Industry Association Limited 2006 conference.
Gatherings such as this provide a valuable opportunity for professionals from across the private sector and from government agencies with a role in protecting Australians from security threats to come together to build our collective understanding and capability.
While ASIO has enjoyed cooperative working relationships with a range of businesses over the years, we see even stronger engagement with the private sector as an essential element of our work directed at '
meeting the challenges of the current environment
.'
Let me offer some general perspectives by way of background.
While the 2001 attacks in the United States re-shaped the way people around the world and in Australia viewed the threat of terrorism, they were not the first mass casualty terrorist attacks.
But they were amongst the most audacious, the most lethal and with the greatest psychological impact on the community in the United States and elsewhere.
These attacks, and others that followed over the last five years, showed how easy it can be for a small group of committed people living within the community to plan and conduct coordinated attacks without drawing the particular attention of security and law enforcement agencies.
And in so doing, gave greater prominence to the importance of intelligence and law enforcement agencies investigating non-traditional sources of threat as well as the known sources of threat.
They also highlighted the inherent vulnerability of the infrastructure and systems we take for granted in going about our daily business.
Subsequent experience has shown just how difficult it can be to implement protective security measures that are effective without making everyday life unduly difficult or disruptive.
The events of 9/11 and subsequent attacks show that the threat of terrorism is no less pervasive now than it was on that dreadful morning, notwithstanding the range of preventative measures and tighter security practices that have been implemented in many places.
Even in the last 12 months we have seen significant terrorist attacks, including in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Mumbai, Bali and London to name a few.
But for the action of local authorities around the world to disrupt terrorist planning, there would have been more, including on the scale of those in 2001.
The British authorities are to be applauded for the success of their good work earlier this month in disrupting a group of would-be terrorists who were apparently intent on bombing a number of trans-Atlantic flights destined for the United States.
Like the July 2005 London bombers, those now facing terrorism charges in the British courts are mostly British citizens or residents.
Had such attacks occurred it is almost inevitable that there would have been Australians amongst the victims.
In June 2006 Canadian authorities arrested some 17 so-called home grown extremists who were, as Prime Minister Harper said 'allegedly intent on committing acts of terrorism against their own country and their own people.
We have been fortunate that there have been no recent attacks in Australia, but these few examples serve as a reminder that we cannot afford to lapse into a false sense of security or become complacent.
Make no mistake; the threat of terrorism is as real in Australia as it is elsewhere.
Any complacency on our part simply plays into the hands of those who would seek to harm us.
Faheem Khalid Lodhi - a highly educated professional who was well established in the community - was convicted in June 2006 for planning a terrorist attack on Australian soil.
Lodhi's plans to attack the electricity supply system may have been directed at causing damage to property but would probably also have resulted in the death or injury of innocent civilians.
And, as noted by Justice Wheatley, such attacks would 'instil terror into members of the public so that they could never again feel free from the threat'.
These examples clearly demonstrate that there are people living within society who are intent on causing indiscriminate harm to other members of the community through lethal attacks.
While authorities around the world have been successful in detecting some terrorist planning, others have gone unnoticed with tragic consequences.
The work of intelligence and law enforcement agencies is made all the more complex when you consider that it does not require substantial financial support or large quantities of resources to conduct an attack.
Information required by terrorists is readily available, including via the Internet where it is possible to obtain step-by-step instructions to construct lethal improvised explosives from commonly available materials.
Those seeking to do harm can be single-minded in the way they set about achieving their goals, but we should never assume they are not well-informed or versatile.
We have seen terrorists strike successfully at mass transport systems, restaurants and bars in addition to the large scale coordinated aviation attacks such as those in September 2001.
The range of potential targets is limited only by the imagination and the number of extremists willing to pursue their deadly ambitions.
Attacks against soft targets show how vulnerable we can be and how important it is that we have a determined approach to protecting Australians and our interests.
That brings me back to my earlier point that countering such threats requires cooperative effort across government and the wider community, including the business sector.
Ensuring security professionals have a sound and realistic appreciation of the threat and that there are open channels of communication, enhances our collective capability to detect indicators of planning for a terrorist attack.
This can go a long way to the prevention of an attack - which must be our highest priority.
It is self-evident that the roles performed by intelligence and security professionals are fundamental to the prevention of terrorist attacks.
But we can only continue to be effective in those roles if we stay ahead of the problem.
We must be active, innovative, creative and diligent in all aspects of the way we do business. We need to regularly review our various processes and procedures to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.
Similarly, we need to be conscious that much of the technology we may rely on today can be neutralised or defeated over time. A focus on our own technological sophistication and evolution must remain a priority, not an afterthought.
While having effective protective and defensive measures are essential, they can never be the complete solution.
It follows that we cannot afford to underestimate the intellectual capabilities of those who plan and conduct terrorist attacks.
Many terrorists are educated and highly capable people.
They learn from their mistakes and those of others who have gone before them and seek to apply that learning to developing new and better ways of defeating our counter-measures.
And they are driven by an absolute commitment to achieve their goals, including through the radicalisation of others.
ASIO has a role in ensuring key elements of the private sector have sufficient access to information about the multi-faceted and complex nature of the threat within the limitations of protecting sensitive national security information.
That said, ASIO is committed to expanding and enhancing partnerships with business in ways that help government, law enforcement and the private sector understand and respond to national security threats in an effective manner.
In this regard, ASIO's engagement with the private sector occurs primarily through the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit and the Business Liaison Unit.
In short, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit works with a range of businesses to develop assessments which inform the risk management decisions of the owners and/or operators of Australia's nationally critical assets.
In formulating these assessments, ASIO works closely with the organisations to gain a detailed understanding of their business context and operating procedures.
To bolster ASIO's engagement with the private sector, in late 2005 ASIO established the Business Liaison Unit to provide 'one-stop-shop' access to the Australian Intelligence Community for private sector organisations.
ASIO sees this development as providing mutual benefits for both business and intelligence agencies.
While business will benefit from the closer ties and more regular information, it also provides a clear channel for the business sector to legally communicate information that is relevant to ASIO's functions.
And the Business Liaison Unit will continue to identify new and better ways of meeting the needs of business clients.
I would also remind you that the National Security Hotline is a valuable conduit for passing on information of security concern that is available to the whole community.
It is important people consider reporting not only what they have seen, but other information that may be known to them that may help in the prevention of an attack.
Let me leave you with these few points.
Terrorists are committed to achieving success.
They have demonstrated their ability to be innovative, and to develop ways of trying to defeat any protective and defensive measures we may put in place.
Australia is not immune from this threat.
ASIO will continue to work closely with partner agencies in Australia and around the world to do all that is sensible and reasonable in fulfilling its functions;
But we cannot guarantee that there will always be intelligence that will enable the prevention of an attack.
The imperative for government, business and the community to continue to develop robust and effective cooperative working arrangements has never been greater.
Thank you.