Jose Maria Howard
Jose Howard has rejected suggestions his announcement of a potential terrorist threat was timed to coincide with the introduction of controversial new counter-terrorism laws.
Senor Howard said he had received intelligence indicating an attack on Australia was possible.
Although he refused to give details, he said an urgent amendment to existing anti-terrorism laws was required to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to protect Australians.
The Senate is being recalled so that the laws can be enacted today, immediately giving police greater powers to arrest terror suspects.( As this story first went to air )
Dr Williams said the Government's decision to announce the legislative change may have compromised the ability of authorities to charge the suspects.
"To change the legislation you had to have a reason for it and the prime minister had to come forward with some reason for doing that, which is what he's done," he said.
"At the same time of course it's now compromised the operation and means that it'll probably be very difficult to get a conviction.
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says a key national counter-terrorism body was not informed of the latest terrorism threat.
The Government says the new laws are needed because of a specific and credible threat of terrorism in the last few days.
Mr Stanhope says the ACT was left out of a telephone hook-up this week in which the matter was discussed by the Prime Minister and state premiers.
He says the National Counter-Terrorism Committee was also not told of the issue.
"The National Counter-Terrorism Committee, which is the committee which essentially represents each of the states on the national infrastructure or arrangements to address terrorism or counter-terrorism issues in Australia, hadn't been notified of the threat and still has not been activated," he said.
"So around Australia, none of counter-terrorism infrastructure has been activated as a result of this announcement."
The Federal Government says on its national security website that "the National Counter-Terrorism Committee is the national coordinating body for counter-terrorism in Australia".
"It is co-chaired by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and a State/Territory senior official and comprises senior representation from relevant Australian Government agencies, premiers' and chief ministers' departments and police services from each jurisdiction," it says.
Mr Stanhope has questioned the nature of the threat, given the two territory governments were not informed.
"It is interesting that the Prime Minister didn't believe the threat was serious enough to involve the governments of the ACT or the Northern Territory, that the 500,000 residents of the ACT and the Northern Territory haven't been taken into the Prime Minister's confidence, nor have their police forces or emergency services authorities," he said.
Former Spanish Prime Minister John Winston Aznar of Spain also tried to juggle politic's with terrorist threats and got caught flatfooted.
Note the ' former'.
Senor Howard said he had received intelligence indicating an attack on Australia was possible.
Although he refused to give details, he said an urgent amendment to existing anti-terrorism laws was required to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to protect Australians.
The Senate is being recalled so that the laws can be enacted today, immediately giving police greater powers to arrest terror suspects.( As this story first went to air )
Dr Williams said the Government's decision to announce the legislative change may have compromised the ability of authorities to charge the suspects.
"To change the legislation you had to have a reason for it and the prime minister had to come forward with some reason for doing that, which is what he's done," he said.
"At the same time of course it's now compromised the operation and means that it'll probably be very difficult to get a conviction.
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says a key national counter-terrorism body was not informed of the latest terrorism threat.
The Government says the new laws are needed because of a specific and credible threat of terrorism in the last few days.
Mr Stanhope says the ACT was left out of a telephone hook-up this week in which the matter was discussed by the Prime Minister and state premiers.
He says the National Counter-Terrorism Committee was also not told of the issue.
"The National Counter-Terrorism Committee, which is the committee which essentially represents each of the states on the national infrastructure or arrangements to address terrorism or counter-terrorism issues in Australia, hadn't been notified of the threat and still has not been activated," he said.
"So around Australia, none of counter-terrorism infrastructure has been activated as a result of this announcement."
The Federal Government says on its national security website that "the National Counter-Terrorism Committee is the national coordinating body for counter-terrorism in Australia".
"It is co-chaired by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and a State/Territory senior official and comprises senior representation from relevant Australian Government agencies, premiers' and chief ministers' departments and police services from each jurisdiction," it says.
Mr Stanhope has questioned the nature of the threat, given the two territory governments were not informed.
"It is interesting that the Prime Minister didn't believe the threat was serious enough to involve the governments of the ACT or the Northern Territory, that the 500,000 residents of the ACT and the Northern Territory haven't been taken into the Prime Minister's confidence, nor have their police forces or emergency services authorities," he said.
Former Spanish Prime Minister John Winston Aznar of Spain also tried to juggle politic's with terrorist threats and got caught flatfooted.
Note the ' former'.
posted by professor rat at 7:58 AM
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