Urgent terror threat here: PM (Australia - imminent threat - Senate recalled)

Herald Sun ^ | 2nd November 2005 | Paul Colgan

[naturalman1975]

INTELLIGENCE agencies have received specific information about a terrorist threat to Australia which today prompted the Government to rush through its anti-terror laws to help avert a possible attack.

Prime Minister John Howard said today intelligence authorities had received specific information about a terrorist threat and was urging Parliament to enact the laws without delay.

"We have seen material," Mr Howard said. "It is a cause of concern."

The Prime Minister would not give details on the nature of the threat, citing security reasons.

ASIO has warned this week for the first time that there may be a serious threat from so-called "home-grown" terrorists, or Australian-born Muslim extremists.

An urgent amendment has now been added to the proposed terror laws and the Government wants them enacted within 36 hours.

"The Government has received specific intelligence and police information this week which gives cause for serious concern about a potential terrorist threat," Mr Howard said in Canberra today.

National security editor of The Australian, Patrick Walters, said Mr Howard's statement pointed to "an imminent threat to Australians".

"We know that ASIO and the AFP have been monitoring a number of people considered high security risks for a long period of time," Walters said. "But clearly this takes things to a new level."

The requirement for urgent laws, Walters said, "indicates (the Government) has far more precise intelligence relating to a group or an individual wanting to carry out a terrorist attack".

Part of the new anti-terror laws will be introduced to Parliament today and the Senate is to be be recalled.

Mr Howard said he had briefed Opposition Leader Kim Beazley and Opposition homeland security spokesman Arch Bevis.

"After question time today, the Attorney-General will introduce into the House an urgent amendment to the existing counter terrorism legislation," he said.

"We will seek passage of that amendment through all stages this evening.

"The President of the Senate will recall the Senate to meet tomorrow afternoon at 2pm and it's the Government's wish that this amendment be passed into law as soon as possible."

Mr Howard said he had not yet received any information that would require a change in the general terror threat level for Australia.

"If we received advice to that effect, which we have not received, we would respond appropriately to that advice," he said.

Mr Howard said he could not comment further about the information he received and would not say whether the intelligence advice had come from Australian or other authorities.

"We have been given advice that if this amendment is enacted as soon as possible the capacity of the authorities to respond will be strengthened.

"And I am satisfied on what I have been told, and the Government and the national security ministers in Cabinet are satisfied, that that is the case but I do not intend and cannot and will not go into any of the operational details."

More to come...

[Peach]

Glad they're on top of things in Australia.

[Americanwolfsbrother]

Will keep Australia in my prayers tonight.AWB

[jwalburg]

Sounds series. Not the Sydney opera house!

[prairiebreeze]

Muslims again?? Wow, who'da thunk...

[Domestic Church]

I don't suppose this has any bearing but one never knows...

http://www.standeyo.com/Reports/041222.EQ.warning/051101.Deyo.EQs.html



"New Zealand: WARNING: EXTREME SEISMIC SIGNAL under North Island. Possible volcanic eruptions at White Island and Ruapehu. Watch Lake Taupo Caldera see;
http://www.gns.cri.nz/what/earthact/volcanoes/nzvolcanoes/taupoprint.htm

at north end for heating and steam vents. Watch the Rotorua Caldera see:

http://history-nz.org/plateau.html just north of the Lake Taupo Caldera as well.

"Summary:
Without a doubt today's seismic signal under North Island in New Zealand has my undivided attention. From the NE corner of the Island diagonally across to Chatham Island region is under severe stress. The last time Lake Taupo Caldera erupted it at the end of 1st century A.D. (circa 86 A.D.) the cloud of debris it threw into the atmosphere caused three days of darkness in China - nearly 10,000 miles away and across the equatorial divide..."

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"We have seen material," Mr Howard said. "It is a cause of concern."

Well, count on the clueless and blind to reality Anti-Australian faction in your country to want to "impeach" you as soon as possible. *Rolleyes*

Otherwise, Hugs and Good Wishes to our Aussie friends! Keep the faith. Kill the infidels!

[bonfire]

Agree. Funny, but my parents generation felt the same about the Irish. They were always lamenting about Ireland and how wonderful it was there. My father would start yelling: "THEN GO BACK!!"

[shezza]

But I thought Prince Charles said Muslims are all warm and cuddly, sort of like a koala.

[flutters]

I wonder what the new laws are? I found this little tidbit:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051028/wl_asia_afp/australiaattackslaws
Australia says ready to act once anti-terror laws passed

Snippet:
Ruddock, speaking on public television late Thursday, refused to speculate on the number of people who could be targeted by the new laws, which allow for preventative detention and the electronic tagging of terrorist suspects.

But he said a number of Australians known to have trained with militant groups could be subject to control orders introduced under the laws, which severely restrict the movements of suspects and limit who they can speak to.

[naturalman1975]

Basically that summary is pretty accurate - the government will have the power in very specific circumstances to take someone who is believed to be a threat out of circulation until the threat has passed. For example, if they identified a terrorist cell planning an imminent attack, who, so far, hadn't violated the law.

[silentknight]

Ummm

Does this bother anyone?


today prompted the Government to rush through its anti-terror laws to help avert a possible attack

[silentknight]

Sounds to me like someone floated some rumors in order to get this passed quickly. Just sounds a little bit odd to me.

[rhainw]

Shoot to kill.

[naturalman1975]

No, it doesn't.

It might if the Labor Party wasn't supporting it. But the Labor leader, Mr Beazley, has been fully briefed on this threat and has agreed to support the laws.

He's been trying to get changes in them for the last few weeks - so for him to suddenly support them indicates there is a real threat and these laws are needed now.

[naturalman1975]

Adding to this - I am watching the Australian Parliament at the moment (the anti-terrorism legislation has not yet come before it - it's Question Time) and Labor is savaging the government at the moment, because the issue under discussion is industrial relations reform which Labor objects to. Labor members are being insulting, and abusive, and the Speaker is barely maintaining control of the House.

I mention this just because it illustrates why I'm not worried - if Labor felt the government was trying to get anti-terror laws for suspicious reasons, believe me, they would say so - they love attacking the government.

But their leader has been briefed - he's seen the details of this threat - and he's going to support the government.

Certainly, scepticism about anything that increases a governments powers is important - but in this cases, it looks like there is a very clear need.

[Brian Allen]

<< "ASIO has warned this week for the first time that there may be a serious threat from so-called "home-grown" terrorists, or Australian-born Muslim extremists."

What is the matter with us people in the Western world?

Just deport those who do not fit with our culture back to country of origin and close the borders.

What are we afraid of? >>

Our elitist oligarchy reminds me of the old Shelly Berman comedy routine about flying.

Mr Berman performed the routine in the days of DC-3s and -4s and -6s and Connies and Super Connies and talked of the regular passenger who listened intently and expertly as, during his pre-take-off checks, the captain ran up the engines one at a time -- "and they were ALL BAD -- and yah didn't know who to tell!"

In the end he didn't tell anyone because the truth is "you'd rather die than risk making a fool of yourself!"

Truth is with those members of our elitist oligarchy and other members of the parasitical classless who are not too bloody stupid to know what's going on or too mean-spirited to care is that they crave the acclaim of the rest of the world's stinking elitist oligarchys and parasites.

And would rather we all died than that they risked talking and or even hearing the truth about our enemies and being labeled "racist" or "bigotted" or being sued and/or "charged" and/or "tried" in international "courts" for being discriminatory.

Thank God, though, that our nation's and Civilization's enemies and other islamanazis don't know about our parasite classes' "PC" fears. < /sarcasm >

Or they would surely exploit them and destroy us from within!

[ChinaThreat]

"Sounds to me like someone floated some rumors in order to get this passed quickly. Just sounds a little bit odd to me.
"

I get the same impression. "We have specific intelligence, hurry back and sign the bill, but there is no reason to raise the alert level." Doesen't add up and doesen't really matter. As long as they nix these idiots I'm satisfied.