Terrorist groups aim to incite both terror and power-projection. Such deadly tactics also hope to spark an over-reaction that will feed into their propaganda and divide societies.
Malcolm Turnbull’s trivialisation of the communications bungle over the 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese-owned company may not go down well with the US.
EPA/Mast Irham
One can only speculate how the discussion would have gone if Tony Abbott had survived as prime minister long enough to meet Barack Obama during this week’s summit circuit.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has banned the Chinese acquisition of the vast S. Kidman and Co property holdings in its current form on the basis of the land’s size and security issues.
Flickr: Ladymaggic
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings has strongly criticised the decision to lease the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton hopes that pressure from his political allies will see him resume a seat on cabinet’s national security committee.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The push to try to get Immigration Minister Peter Dutton onto Cabinet’s national security committee (NSC) can be seen, apart from anything else, as something of a power play by the Liberal right.
The task of identifying anyone fleeing a war zone, as many Syrians are, can be very challenging.
Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
It beggars belief that there are people who have attached themselves to groups seeking to escape this barbarity. Their objectives are the very antithesis of those seeking sanctuary.
The government’s new national security bill proposes to expand the secrecy provisions available to courts in control order proceedings.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The government’s revised citizenship-stripping bill adopted all recommendations made by a parliamentary committee. But it’s still no certainty to survive a High Court challenge.
Malcolm Turnbull has signalled a willingness to work with Australia’s Muslim community to prevent radicalisation.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Australia should be looking at international best practice for early intervention programs targeting young people at risk of joining violent gangs and right-wing extremist groups.
Harmony Day is part of efforts in Australia to promote social cohesion, which showed a marked improvement in 2015, according to the Scanlon Foundation survey.
Wikimedia Commons/DIAC Images
Despite perceptions of a divided and troubled nation, social cohesion in Australia actually improved on most measures in 2015, the latest Scanlon Foundation survey finds.
Addressing violent extremism requires more than police simply knowing about the signs of radicalisation.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
We cannot ignore or underestimate the important role police can play in community-based efforts to tackle radicalisation and violent extremism.
Former ASIO head David Irvine saw data retention and metadata as effective counter-terror measures. But experience overseas is proving otherwise.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The value and utility of the NSA’s metadata retention programs – which formed the template for Australia’s metadata regime – have too often been over-exaggerated.
The government is set to extend control orders to children as young as 14.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
A control order is only useful where the police have sufficient intelligence about a person’s activity to apply for an order.
Malcolm Turnbull (right) has made considerable ground in mending some of the fractured relationships with Australia’s Muslim community groups.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
What has changed within society that fosters radicalisation among young people? Where are we failing children, and how can we adjust direction to care for them rather than incarcerate them?
Malcolm Turnbull is convening a summit this week to discuss Australia’s approach to countering violent extremism.
AAP/Dan Himbrechts
Counter-radicalisation is only one part of nearly 20 very distinct areas of policy to combat terrorism. It is probably not the most effective by a long shot.
15-year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar killed a NSW police force employee on Friday.
AAP
There is still much we do not know about lone-wolf terrorism. But what we do know may provide investigators with a sort of detection system to prevent attacks from taking place.
Images of your face can be checked against images held on government databases.
Flickr/StephenMitchell
Should Australia’s law enforcement agencies be allowed to use images supplied for driving licenses, passports and other identification documents as part of a facial recognition search for criminals?
A parliamentary committee has reported on the government’s proposed citizenship revocation laws.
AAP/Dan Peled
A parliamentary committee report recommends several welcome improvements to the government’s citizenship-stripping bill. However, several important concerns remain.
By appointing former police officer Roman Quaedvlieg to head a uniformed branch that replaced an administrative agency, the Abbott government all but guaranteed a more aggressive enforcement culture.
AAP/Glenn Hunt
While the Australian Border Force’s Operation Fortitude caused an outcry, people might be surprised at the extent of official powers to check their immigration status in a range of circumstances.
The Australian Border Force’s creation was no simple re-shuffling of departmental units.
AAP/Lukas Coch