Australian Bomb Data Centre Conference 2009 - Capacity building and operational collaboration between Australia and its partners

Wednesday 18 November, 2009

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Keynote address: Expertise and cooperation: the key to success in security

To focus on the benefits of cooperation between policing agencies at a national as well as international level, with specific reference to the activities of the ABDC.

Acknowledgements

First, may I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on – and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.

Thank you for inviting me to the Australian Bomb Data Centre’s annual conference. As the Deputy Commissioner has noted, this year representatives from 14 countries have made the effort to attend, a testament to the high regard in which this conference and the Australian Bomb Data Centre is held by members of the international community, as well as those within Australia’s law enforcement community.

Thirty one years ago a bomb exploded outside the Hilton hotel in Sydney, where the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was taking place. The images of a crumpled garbage truck, broken glass and crushed concrete flashed across the world. Some would say Australia’s innocence ended on that day. Three people died. Seven others were wounded. And 30 years on many Australians still can’t understand why our nation would be targeted in such a way.

The event that occurred those years ago is significant for a few reasons. Firstly, it was this terrorist act 30 years ago that helped to provide a catalyst for the formation of the Australian Federal Police, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary. The bombing was also the first major incident to involve the fledgling Australian Bomb Data Centre. The AFP and Australian Bomb Data Centre have evolved to form a key part of our world class terrorism and protection response capability.

And I’d like to thank the Australian Bomb Data Centre and all police officers for their ongoing efforts to combat crime, protect our community, and enhance our nation’s security.

I admire the courage that you bring to your duties. I have never had to confront a dangerous situation involving explosives, I’m happy to say. I was recently treated to a demonstration by an AFP tactical response team. When they stormed into the building and detonated several very loud stun grenades, I was standing on a balcony, watching the action from a safe vantage point. I did realise at that moment that despite Parliament being sometimes an explosive place, Question Time had nothing on this. It did bring home to me that challenges people face when working in these situations every day.

The Hilton bombing showed Australia that it was not immune to terrorist activities, that we are influenced by some of the same pressures and triggers that affect our nearest neighbours in south-east Asia, as well as our allies further afield.

This realisation has helped to foster an environment which emphasises the need for cooperation and collaboration with partner agencies, both in Australia and abroad. It is this commitment to sharing resources, information and technical expertise that has helped the Australian Bomb Data Centre to become a world leader in its field.

As the Prime Minister said in his National Security Statement in December last year, the classical distinctions between foreign and domestic, national and international, internal and external have become blurred and this presents an enormous challenge to law enforcement agencies.

I would like to take a moment to emphasise the importance of ‘collaboration,’ because it is essential if we are to counter the threat of explosives and the crimes associated with their use, such as terrorism.

Collaboration must be multi-faceted, and must happen on many levels. It encompasses international law enforcement partners, government agencies, regulatory bodies, non-government agencies, and increasingly, the private sector. And it encompasses the individuals who make up these organisations, the investigators, forensic scientists, researchers, regulators and industry analysts who work together to find ways of better protecting our communities from explosives.

This conference is a great example of collaboration. There are representatives here from varying backgrounds. And at this juncture I would like to recognise those from industry here today. Your support and expertise in the area of explosives protection, research and analysis is essential in the ongoing effort to counter the threat of explosives.

The Australian Bomb Data Centre has developed strong inter-agency relationships, and has grown to meet complex new demands in the face of the threat from explosives and terrorism domestically. A key element of this is its commitment to sharing information with key stakeholders. For example, police across Australia have immediate access to the bomb data centre through specific contact desk officers and technical information is available to jurisdictions and agencies through secure computer networks.

Police officers dealing with explosives incidents need first-class training and advice to ensure their own safety, and the safety of their community. The state police jurisdictions have responsibility for responding to explosives incidents in the first instance, and it is important to remember that not all threats are terror-related. Last year there were 23 bombings in Australia that were classified as ‘significant’ by policing agencies, and 126 minor events, which do not include attempted bombings.

One of the ways the Australian Bomb Data Centre assists this is through multi-jurisdictional training for police bomb response officers from the States and Territories. I am told that the training programs are first class, and I am glad to hear this. I have often thought that it might be useful for my colleagues and I to seek similar training from the Australian Bomb Data Centre to help us defuse some of the political minefields we navigate each day!

But seriously, I know that for many of you and many of our overseas guests the threat posed by explosives is a far bigger and even more complex problem. However, our ability to combat any form of explosive threat, whether it is domestic or terrorism related, can only be improved through collaboration with each other.

The President of the Republic of Indonesia reflected in a recent speech at Harvard University, that the last century was the century of hard military power. He described this new century as one where the soft power of exchange and connectivity would reinforce the truism that “we are strongest when we join forces with each other”.

As you all know, terrorism knows no boundaries, and our counter-terrorism intelligence efforts and law enforcement efforts must bridge the inevitable gaps in our understanding of terrorism networks.

The Australian Government is focused on developing strong working relationships with its international partners. As such, I am pleased to see that representatives from Pakistan’s police and military institutions are here this week. As part of the conference Lieutenant Colonel Akrim from the Pakistani Army will present a brief on explosive ordinance disposal support to military operations. I was recently at the Interpol Conference in Singapore and I met with the relevant Minister from Pakistan. It was extraordinary to hear about the challenges faced by Pakistan in confronting terrorism and I welcome our friends from Pakistan here today.

We will also hear from Colonel Widodo from the Indonesian National Police. The Colonel commands BRIMOB SAT 1, and was a key member of the Indonesian investigation into the suicide bombings in Jakarta earlier this year. It is good to welcome him here, as well as several other members of the Indonesian National Police.

At the precise moment of the bombings, I was in Darwin signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Vice Admiral Freddy Numberi, Minister of Maritime Affairs. We were signing an MOU on illegal fishing but as we were told of the unfolding events, our thoughts immediately turned to those in danger in the Jakarta hotels. And it underlined once again to him and to me, that we were in this fight against terrorism together.

The quick and efficient exchange of information in the spirit of international cooperation helps to ensure that emerging threats can be dealt with immediately, and from a global perspective. We are privileged to have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of our Pakistani and Indonesian guests, as well as our other guests from overseas and from our agencies within this country.

Through the AFP, Australia has entered into agreements with many of our neighbouring countries to establish bomb data centres with similar aims to our own. Partner facilities are now in use in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, and work is underway to complete the centre in Indonesia.

A positive outcome from the ongoing work carried out by the bomb data centres in our neighbourhood is the creation of the South East Asian Bomb Data Centre Working Group. The formation of this group has paid enormous dividends to law enforcement agencies in all of the countries involved. There is a strong focus on members contributing material for discussion, with an emphasis on working collaboratively, facilitating the sharing of information and intelligence, and enhancing regional capabilities.

The group has just finished meeting here in Canberra, and I understand that a great deal was exchanged about the latest materials terrorists are utilising to create explosive devices.

By working with each other, through conferences such as this, and by sharing information and resources, we will make a difference. Trust in each other and sharing our individual areas of expertise will help minimise the opportunities criminals have to use explosive devices effectively.

Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today, I welcome you to Canberra, and I am certain this will be a highly successful conference.

Thank you very much.