In response to the recent terrorist attacks in the United States and the case of the Tampa asylum-seekers, the policy represents an attempt by the Opposition to promote its "security at home and abroad" theme for the forthcoming election.
Releasing the policy, Beazley said that "the Commonwealth will fully assume direct government control over security and anti-terrorist response at our airports."
In relation to border protection he said: "We need a dedicated and strong Coast Guard, on station 52 weeks a year, to act as a maritime police force and a coastal defence force in times of war or national emergency. The Coast Guard will tackle people smuggling, quarantine breaches, illegal fishing, drugs and arms smuggling, search and rescue, and possible covert landings on our coastline."
As in other policy pronouncements over the past couple of years, the ALP says that specific detail will be released during the election campaign.
This is the full text of the announcement made today by the Federal Opposition:
Labor's Approach To Combatting The New Threats To Our Nation And Fighting Global Terrorism
After the attacks of 11 September in the United States, no-one seriously questions the need to confront the new threats to our national security and fight global terrorism.
On 13 September, I announced a proposed national anti-terrorism programme, partly drawn from work Labor had been doing prior to the attacks. Today, I release Labor's further development of that programme as a contribution to national policy in this area prior to the calling of the federal election.
During the election campaign proper, I will announce the specific policies that Labor will pursue to strengthen our national security, combat the new threats to our nation and fight global terrorism.
In anticipation of this, today I highlight one specific policy measure as a clear indication of Labor's thinking. Labor will help to
make our airports and airways more secure. Under Labor, the Commonwealth will fully assume direct government control over security and anti-terrorist response at our airports. The Commonwealth will also develop a capacity for providing airway security, including where appropriate, through the development of an air marshal capability when the threat environment warrants it. Details will be announced during the campaign.
|
The details of Labor's programme to strengthen our national security to be announced during the campaign will be in the following areas:
- 1.
Border Security - Protecting our sea, air, immigration and electronic borders better than we ever have before.
- 2.
Combatting Terrorism - Tracking and responding to global terrorist networks more aggressively than we ever have before.
- 3.
National Security Planning - Improving the way our national government and relevant agencies deal with new threats to our national security.
It is important to stress that these policies should be implemented because they are a necessary and permanent requirement, over and above the need to respond to the attacks of 11 September. These threats have been long emerging and need to be dealt with decisively. As to the attacks of 11 September themselves, Labor has committed itself to an international intelligence, police and military effort against those who committed the atrocities in New York and Washington and those who supported and harboured them. Labor will support this in a bipartisan fashion and will see this through should we win office in a few weeks time.
Border Security
Protecting our borders better than we ever have before
Establishing a Coast Guard: We need to go beyond coast-watching. We need a dedicated and strong Coast Guard, on station 52 weeks a year, to act as a maritime police force and a coastal defence force in times of war or national emergency. The Coast Guard will tackle people smuggling, quarantine breaches, illegal fishing, drugs and arms smuggling, search and rescue, and possible covert landings on our coastline. To do this, we need to build on border protection laws as they relate to vessels, persons and goods entering Australia to make sure they can deal with contemporary threats. We can start with the law which finally passed the Parliament after Labor's suggestions were taken up - not the badly drafted bill the Coalition put up in the first place last month. These laws must be workable, effective and able to withstand legal challenge. The Coast Guard will be integrated into our nation's intelligence and surveillance network so that we have a better picture, drawn from all of our sensors and systems, of our sea borders.
Making our Airports and Airways More Secure: Terrorists can use sophisticated means to attack our way of life, as demonstrated in the tragedies in New York and Washington. Under Labor, the Commonwealth will fully assume direct government control over security and anti-terrorist response at our airports. Commonwealth officers will manage all airport security operations (including passenger and baggage security), maintain a visible presence at commercial airports, oversee patrolling of secure areas, monitor the quality of airport access controls and maintain standards for screeners and private security personnel employed at airports. The Commonwealth will also develop a capacity for providing airway security, including where appropriate through an air marshal capability when the threat environment warrants it. Aviation authorities will work with airlines to ensure that their measures to delay or deny access to the cockpit are adequate and that security in the air is strengthened.
Strengthening Immigration Security Checking: Labor will strengthen resources committed to the checking of visa applications (terrorists are most likely to enter target countries by commercial aircraft with false papers) and review visa regulations and criteria for excluding persons with known or suspected criminal records. Immigration data and warning notifications will be more stringently cross-checked with national intelligence information.
Protecting Our Nation's Information Infrastructure: We need to strengthen our national capabilities to defend against "cyber-terrorism" - electronic attacks by terrorist groups on our nation's information infrastructure. Labor will place a high priority on this, drawing on our strengths in electronic security and defensive measures, including through the capabilities of the Defence Signals Directorate.
Homeland Security: In addition to protecting our sea, air, immigration and electronic borders, we need to improve our ability to protect important assets and installations within our borders. This includes buildings, water supplies, transportation and telecommunications systems and other national assets. Labor will adopt the concept of "homeland security" in relation to the protection of these vital assets and national emergency disaster response, including through the use of the Australian Defence Force under the legal protections developed last year through Labor's amendments to the "aid to the civil power" legislation.
Combatting Terrorism
Tracking and responding to global terrorist networks more aggressively than we ever have before
Strengthening Defence Counter-Terrorist Capabilities: Australia's military counter-terrorist capabilities and strategies have evolved over the years to deal with specific events such as the Olympics. A long-term counter-terrorist strategy and resource commitment is now required. The role of the SAS and other defence assets will be critical. Labor will ensure they have the tools to do their job in the modern setting. This will need to include improved capabilities to operate covertly in hostile environments against the source of global terrorist threats.
Boosting Intelligence Resources Targeted Against Terrorism: Labor will further upgrade the collection and assessment resources of our national intelligence and security agencies devoted to tracking transnational criminal organisations which threaten our way of life. These activities involve some or all of terrorism, drug trafficking, organised crime, people smuggling, arms smuggling, and the potential theft and sale of nuclear, chemical and biological material. Fighting these transnational criminals will require closer links between our national security agencies and police agencies. In particular, our agencies will go after secretive global terrorist organisations as well as clandestine people smuggling networks. This means enhancing our human intelligence capabilities in Australia's intelligence and security agencies to build the intelligence picture on the ground.
Strengthening Law Enforcement Efforts Against Terrorism: Labor has already announced that it will integrate strategic law enforcement into our national security arrangements. This means that Commonwealth law enforcement efforts against transnational criminal organisations will be better combined with our intelligence and military efforts when it comes to combating global terrorist organisations. It will mean cracking down on the links between these organisations and other forms of organised criminal activity, especially drugs smuggling. Labor has already announced that it will consider specific anti-terrorist legislation, broadly comparable to the UK Domestic Terrorism Act 2000. Labor was prepared to work with the Coalition on any such legislation able to be presented in the final session of Parliament.
Cracking Down on the Financing of Terrorism: We need to implement criminal sanctions against any entity which provides or collects funds with the intention or in the knowledge that they are to be used to support terrorist activity. The Commonwealth must be able to identify, freeze or seize funds used to finance terrorism and, subject to safeguards, cooperate with other countries in the exchange of financial information and the extradition of alleged offenders. Australia must sign and ratify the relevant international convention on cracking down on the financing of terrorism (see next point). As part of this strategy, Labor supports the initiatives announced by the Government on 28 September this year as a first instalment.
Strengthening International Cooperation Against Terrorism: We need to upgrade international agreements against terrorism so as to undercut the support provided by some national governments and other entities to terrorist groups and activities. As part of this, Australia must sign and ratify the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings 1997 and the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism 1999. We must support the imposition of UN sanctions against countries suspected of supporting or harbouring terrorist groups. In our own region, we must put the issue of fighting terrorism high on the agenda in Australia's regional security dialogues - including bilaterally with Indonesia and at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Australia can have no real security in relation to its borders without a new relationship with Indonesia. This will need to cover people smuggling issues as proposed by Labor on 6 September this year, as well as other transnational crime such as terrorism. The ARF has already expanded the scope of its dialogue to cover transnational criminal activities, including drugs, arms smuggling and piracy. It needs to do more. Terrorism must also be put on its agenda.
Mounting International Operations Against Terrorist Networks: Labor will commit Australia to join a strong long-term international coalition to fight global terrorism wherever it threatens democratic and peaceful nations. This will mean integrating more closely our intelligence and police agencies with their international counterparts. It will also mean providing appropriate military support to international counter-terrorist operations. These will sometimes need to involve covert, aggressive and proactive means to disrupt and defeat terrorist operations before they occur.
National Security Planning
Improving the way our national government and relevant agencies deal with new threats to our national security
Improving Cabinet Control of National Security: Labor will establish an integrated approach to national security policy and planning by broadening the focus of our Cabinet National Security Committee so that it covers traditional issues of defence and foreign policy, security and intelligence, and international trade strategy, as well as strategic law enforcement policy and operations (including terrorism, coastal surveillance, homeland security, drugs, customs, aviation security, immigration security and protective security). Under Labor, the consequences of serious and organised criminal activity will be dealt with not only as offences against individuals, but as threats to Australia's national security. Labor will announce relevant organisational changes to give effect to this during the campaign.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal control of airport security and development of a strong Coast Guard are the key elements of a policy released today by the Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley.