The Wire

Australia must focus on defending multiculturalism, rather than dreaming up new kinds of legislation or security measures, in order to combat terrorism. That’s the message coming loud and clear from the Democrats today. The call for a refocusing of the debate follows days of speculation about how terrorism may be prevented in Australia. Leaders have suggested everything from tougher security measures on transport to a crack down on who may be allowed to enter the country. However, will any of these measures solve the terrorism puzzle? And can we really be safe from so-called “homegrown terrorists” by just clamping down on security and civil liberties or are there other solutions we should consider? In a moment we’ll here from Democrats Senator Bartlett but first, this report begins with comments from Dr Mike McKinley. He is a security analyst and senior lecturer in International Relations at the Australian national University. Erica Vowles asked him whether increased security and surveillance on our public transport system is likely to reduce the threat of terrorist attacks.