By Aneeka Simonis
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott held closed terror discussions with police members across the south-east at Endeavour Hills police station – the site of Australia’s first Islamic State (IS) inspired terror attack.
Mr Abbott, together with members of the Joint Counter-Terrorism Unit, local police, La Trobe MP Jason Wood and Holt MP Anthony Byrne, spoke about local anti-terror projects active across the south-east today (Friday).
The briefing, held at Endeavour Hills police station where two counter-terrorism officers were stabbed by extremist 18-year-old Numan Haider in September last year, acknowledged the growing dangers faced by police in the current terror climate.
“While policing has always been difficult and dangerous work, the change we have since since the terror threat was raised is now police are not just at risk in the course of their duties … they are being targeting in the course of their duties,” Mr Abbott said.
“Some of the most misguided people in our society are directly targeting police.”
It’s believed Mr Abbott asked about the welfare of the Victoria Police and Australian Federal Police member stabbed by Haider, an incident he later described as “the first modern terror attack in Australia”.
Mr Abbott expressed support for Mr Wood’s MYHACK deradicalisation program targeting at-risk youths across the south-east, citing a need for more programs to meet the growing and unpredictable risk of radicalisation.
“There are large and increasing numbers of young Australians that are becoming susceptible to brainwashing and while very few will then go out and commit atrocious crimes … when people have bad thoughts in their head, you never know when some of them at least will give expression to those bad thoughts,” he said.
Mr Abbott said he discussed the project with Dr Anne Aly, the academic expert who will guide the innovative counter-terror project, at the Countering Violent Extremism summit held in Sydney a day earlier.
Mr Wood, a former counter-terrorism officer, admitted Melbourne’s south-east is a “key focus” for anti-terror projects, given the disproportionate number of terror-related incidents compared with the rest of the country.
“The awful situation about this is that the protectors being the targeted and it’s truly tragic that they should be in that position,” he said.
“To me, we need to stop young people from being radicalised and that’s why I think it’d be great to launch the MYHACK program in this area.”
Mr Byrne, the Chair of the Statutory Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, said he and Mr Wood would continue to work together on a bipartisan approach toward fighting terror in their south-eastern electorates.
“We are working hand in hand to keep the community safe,” Mr Byrne said.
The MYHACK program was recently criticised by La Trobe ALP candidate Simon Curtis, who labelled it as “irresponsible”, later accusing Mr Wood of scaremongering.
My Byrne affirmed full support in the anti-terror project despite his fellow Labor member’s comments.
“For anyone who wants to criticise a program about deradicalisation, they need to think about the fact that I am here working together with Jason Wood and the Prime Minister to keep the community safe,” Mr Byrne said.
Mr Curtis has now put his support behind the project.
“I would be happy to work together with Mr Wood on issues of national security to ensure that we have a consistent approach,” he told the Gazette last week.
Deputy Commissioner Lucinda Nolan opened the event, thanking Mr Abbott for his ongoing support of the police.
Currently, the Victorian Government are considering new laws that will allow police to force suspected terrorists to undertake deradicalisation programs, ban internet usage and prohibit them from associating with certain members of the community even if they are not planning a local terror attack or looking fight overseas.
Mr Wood said the proposed Community Protection Intervention Orders (CPIO) will fill a legislative gap, allowing police to act before “it’s too late”.
