AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW - The federal opposition has accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of "dangerous complacency", follow- ing an eight-month delay in the release of the government's long- term strategy to tackle terrorism.
A counter-terrorism white paper was supposed to have been delivered by December 2008, but while the threat of terrorism was considered in a national security statement released in November last year, it was announced at the time the counter-terrorism white paper would be delayed into 2009.
Intelligence sources have told The Australian Financial Review the writing of the counter-terrorism paper has barely begun and Aus-tralian authorities believed the threat posed by Jemaah Islamiyah was in retreat in Indonesia before the latest Jakarta attacks.
The chair of a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Liberal senator Russell Trood, said yesterday the failure to deliver the white paper illustrated the government had a "perverse set of priorities", particularly in light of the twin suicide bombings on hotels in Jakarta which killed three Aust- ralians last month and the foiling of an attack on an army base in Sydney this week.
Senator Trood said Mr Rudd seemed more intent on priorities such as developing an Asia Pacific Community or securing a UN Security Council seat rather than combating the threat of terrorism.
He said the government's defence white paper devoted no more than half a page to the threat posed by Islamic terrorism. "The government has dropped the ball on terrorism and adangerous complacency appears to have set in."
The opposition attack comes after law enforcement and intelligence agencies on Tuesday conducted raids across Melbourne to foil an alleged plan to launch a suicide attack on Sydney's Holsworthy Army Base.
Five men allegedly linked to Somali-based terror group al-Shabaab have been charged with terrorism offences in relation to the plot.
Attorney-General Robert McClel- land said the government's record on counter-terrorism spoke for itself, with the foiling of the army base attack plot demonstrating law enforcement and intelligence agen-cies were getting on with the job.
"We've seen in recent months [our intelligence and security agen-cies] secure successful pros- ecutions," he said. "The Australian people can be very happy about the capacity of these agencies." Senator McClelland said the government would not be rushed into releasing the counter-terrorism white paper, which would come toward the end of the year.
"We'll be doing it thoroughly, methodically and it will be solid," Senator McClelland said.
He said the government would also not rush into listing al-Shabaab as a terrorist organisation in Aust- ralia. He was required to make a considered decision acting on ASIO advice and consulting state premiers under the legislation, he said.
By John Kerin