In the aftermath of last week’s horrific terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Senator Russell Trood, the Chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee has urged Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to release the Counter-Terrorism White Paper he promised more than a year ago.
The Senator has raised concerns about the Rudd Government’s counter-terrorism strategy in South East Asia, saying that it is difficult to decipher exactly what informs it, and whether indeed there is one at all.
The Prime Minister commissioned the White Paper after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last June, and announced its ‘upcoming release’ last December. However, there is still no sign of any such White Paper.
The Senator has argued that last week’s events in Jakarta underscore the pressing need for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to release the document and to reassure Australians that the Government is focussed on protecting its citizens here and abroad.
“Judging by the absurdly long delay in releasing the Counter-Terrorism White Paper, it seems that Kevin Rudd would have us believe that the threat of terrorism is contained and under control.
“But last week’s attacks are a painful and alarming reminder that terrorism remains central to Australia’s national interests and should remain at the forefront of foreign and security policy considerations for some years to come,” Senator Trood said.
The Senator asserted that the Government must stop acting as if a careful, effective and well-resourced campaign to counter regional terrorism will miraculously develop itself.
“It is worrying to think that almost two years since it was elected, this Labor Government’s foreign policy is still premised on a national security architecture that is not designed to deal with such an enormous and complex problem.
“Putting in place a robust set of policies to effectively combat terrorism in the region at the very least would require a meaningful deepening of linkages between intelligence, police and security forces.
“But any such measures must be properly thought through. Our engagement in South East Asia is already delicate, and the regional terrorist threat undoubtedly adds a level of complexity.
“I simply do not see how any meaningful progress on these issues can be made while the Government continues to be complacent on releasing its White Paper,” the Senator concluded.
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