Australia will adopt a new counter terrorism alert code from today, with the introduction of four alert levels to replace the existing three-level system.
Also the Commonwealth will be empowered to coordinate Australia's response to terrorist incidents under a new provision for a national terrorist situation.
These initiatives are major planks of the new National Counter-Terrorism Plan - the government's latest measure to protect Australian citizens from terrorist activities.
The Plan, endorsed by all state and territory governments, will streamline mechanisms to prevent terrorist activity within Australia and guide national planning for handling should an incident occur.
The National Counter-Terrorism Plan replaces the existing National Anti-Terrorist Plan, developed after the Hilton bombing in 1978.
Australia's security environment has changed dramatically since that time.
As a western country, Australia has been a terrorist target at least since 11 September 2001. Indeed, the latest information is that we became a target prior to this date. The Bali bombings brought the threat much closer to home.
The National Counter-Terrorism Plan modernises the previous arrangements in two particular ways:
1. Four levels of national counter-terrorism alert instead of the current three.
The national counter-terrorism alert levels are:
Low - no information to suggest a terrorist attack in Australia. Medium - medium risk of a terrorist attack in Australia. High - high risk of a terrorist attack in Australia. Extreme - terrorist attack is imminent or has occurred.
The new levels are not a reaction to any particular threat, rather a sensible arrangement to inform national preparation and planning and provide flexibility for responses at the higher end of the alert scale.
The current national level of alert is medium - as it has been since September 2001 - and it remains at medium under the new system. Should any information come to light which caused the government, acting on expert advice, to change the assessed level of threat, the public would be advised without delay.
2. Provision for a national terrorist situation.
Should a terrorist incident involve a Commonwealth target or more than one state or territory, threaten civil aviation or involve chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials, then a national terrorist situation will be declared by the Prime Minister after consultation with the relevant states and territories.
The Commonwealth then assumes responsibility for broad policy and strategies.
The National Counter-Terrorism Plan takes account of the contemporary security environment and accords with the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Australia's National Counter-Terrorism Arrangements signed by me and all premiers and chief ministers at a special leaders' meeting on 24 October 2002.
The new Plan was developed by the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, comprising representatives from relevant Commonwealth agencies, the Premiers' and Chief Ministers' departments and deputy police commissioners from each state and territory.
This initiative builds on the substantial improvements to our counter-terrorism capability, with nearly $2 billion in extra funding devoted to national security measures since the attacks in the United States in 2001 and Bali last year.
It is important that these updated arrangements be available to guide national planning for terrorist acts and handling should there be an incident. The plan will come into effect immediately and will be publicly available on the National Security Website (www.nationalsecurity.gov.au) in due course.
The Government is committed to protecting its citizens from terrorist activities both here and abroad. The atrocity in Bali, following the horrific events of September 11, has proven that Australians are not immune from the actions of terrorists.
These measures are aimed at further improving Australia's readiness for terrorist activity.