ozzieeagle

Just thought I'd put up a poll and see what the feeling is out there. I personally feel that we are no less safe here in Australia from terrorist attacks for two main reasons.

Firstly we have a similar sized proportion of the local population that is angry at the west as any group in the UK.

Secondly we are a much softer target than the UK. Having little CCTV coverage and the average Aussie has never lived with the kind of threats that people have in the UK over the years, which means the local Aussies do not act to possible terrorist threats in the same manner as the UK.

The infrastructure here is far less guarded than the UK, so less effort would be needed successfully to disrupt or harm targets here than the UK.

The Support of the Aussie and the UK governments for Middle east and Global policies are almost identical in their defferance to the US, thus making them an equal politcal ally.

In my opinion the Atmosphere may be of less threat here, but the likelyhood of a successful attack is just as great if not greater.

Amazulu

In short, no. Australia is just as much a potential target, both from home grown & external threats. Indonesia, a major Muslim nation on our doorstep, hates us. Australia is involved in Afghistan & Iraq. As USA & UK get better at dealing with this, these wankers are be going to look for easier targets, maybe we are one of them. Anyone using this as a reason for leaving the UK is sadly deluding themselves.

This is an Islam v West problem.

Hutch

The terrorists target places that (definitely not intended as a pun) gives them more bang for their buck. They target the US and the UK because they are arch western powers - Australia is merely a bit player. That doesn't mean it won't happen here - indeed the attack in Bali is a sure sign that relative size is no guarantee - merely that if they *can* they'll always go for the US and UK first. Maybe the failure of this most recent terrorist attempt will cause them to look further afield for those 'softer' targets, maybe it'll just make them redouble their efforts in the UK and US. Fact is, the massive accumulation of population in south-east England and the density of population per square mile in the greater London metropolis makes it both an easy place to hide activities of ill-intent and also easier to harm more people with one device. If this latest failed attempt proves anything - it's that the British secret services, with their continued use of human (as opposed to high-tech and digital) spying techniques, are probably the best in the world. It truly sickened me to see the American Homelands blow-hards taking the glory for what was quite obviously a massive British security success.

hawk2005

Way safer - Australia is a backwater. Plus Australia has a fair idea of who the crazies in its midst are, whereas the complete breakdown of imbarcation controls/absence of electronic borders in the UK means M15 has to search for a lot of needles in a gigantic haystack.

jad n rich

Ummm, we used to joke the area we live in would never in a million years be connected with terrorism.

Funny that as a local born and bred aussie boy, good catholic school is on australias most wanted list for terrorism.

Radical people can live anywhere. With the security now in the UK and USA, would terrorists be looking for easier targets now, smug countries maybe that make it quite clear they feel they are 'safer' than elsewhere.

Dont forget Bush and Blair had a tiny little mascot ( Mr Howard) in their war on terror, which country claimed to lead the first into the war on terror, which country was also named by Bin Laden as a target. Yep good olde world class australia.

brisnick

Why would a terrorist bother attacking Australia. They would get much bigger impacts attacking US/UK/EU.

jad n rich

I think they score 3000 dead aussies just the same as 3000 dead yanks, media coverage would be the absolutely explosive, because so many people think it wont happen, what better bloody impact than to do what people dont expect.

Nah silly me it wont happen here.

sugar and candy

not been here long but i feel we havn't escaped the terrorism since leaving UK. My parents have been here longer and have seen an increase in muslim/westerner hatred. Also mosques are being built here which indicates the high level of different nationals here. No place is safe and it would be foolish to think that. We are probably an easier target as like mentioned in another post we don't cater much for terrorism..

ozzieeagle

I live in the an area of Melbourne, which probably has the most Migrants of any municpality in the whole of Australia. My daughters went to the same school as the Coburg Conspirators. The home grown terrorists that planned to attack the Melbourne transport system. The threat from home grown terrorists here would have to be on a par with the UK as the proportion of the ethnic groups involved in these incidents are just as great. In fact the Ethnic groupings here are more central to the troubles than the groups involved in the UK.

With the world becoming a smaller place, especially communication wise, an event in Australia, even Bali, is reported almost instantly around the world. A devastating attack in Australia would be as newsworthy as anything in Europe, or the US.

I suspect, but obiously do not have a crystal ball. that the focus will now switch from human targets to major infrastructure. With contaminating reservoirs being one of the easiest and devastating targets that one could affect in Aussie.

Who knows whats around the corner, but looks like the threat is going to be with us for a long while.

The atmosphere here is less tense, however the real threat is probably just as real... in my opinion.


The following group had business outlets all around this area. 2nd generation home grown Australians.


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...001561,00.html

noonard

I'd say no. The US is the main target, because they are the world's bully, thief and exploiter. The UK is probably a close second as not only do we let the US get away with it, we actively help them. After that there are many many "supporters", of which Australia is one. I would assume the threat IS lower in Australia than in the UK, BUT I don't know how geared up for this sort of thing the Australian intelligence services are, whereas we've always had terrorism to a degree, have a camera in everyone's face, and are pretty good at stopping these things from happening.

ozzieeagle

Pretty good.... I'd say the best in the world..... therein lies the main difference and my main point.

TeresaG

I don't think you are completely safe anywhere anymore. There are horrid people every where in the world and every country is at risk. Some like the US and UK are possibly more at risk than others but the threat is everywhere.

renth

I think we are a little safer in Australia mainly because of immigration policy. The Aussie government agrees, as the current threat level is given as "medium".

The Bloke

I agree. terrorism can take many forms and different levels of intensity. take for example, the current situation in Brisbane, where somebody is threatening to poison kids in schools with Ratsak( me thinks that it is probably kids), or the bloke who told Brisbane Transport he had planted a bomb on a bus. Just look at the chaos that caused. Those who think that it can't happen here are no better than an Ostrich.

The Bloke

Yes, we do. John Howard, Peter Costello,
Cresta57, Bix.......