Queensland Counter-Terrorism Strategy 2008-2010

Published (October 2007)

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Message from the Premier

It has been nearly five years since the Queensland Government established dedicated counter-terrorism units within the Queensland Police Service and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Since this time our counter-terrorism capabilities have continued to grow and mature.

We have continued to develop our abilities to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from terrorism by working in partnership with local, state and federal governments and industry. Our programs and initiatives have been both targeted and far-reaching.

But we must not become complacent.

There is still much to be done to combat the evolving terrorist threat. This, the second Queensland Government counter-terrorism strategy, will sustain our counter-terrorism efforts over the coming years.

We will continue to work closely with a range of public, private and community groups, together safeguarding Queensland and ensuring our communities are strong and resilient. Working collaboratively we will strive for smarter, cost-effective security arrangements that are proportionate to the threat.

Our way of life depends on ensuring our arrangements are balanced and bring communities together. This strategy recognises that all Queenslanders have the right to live in safety and harmony.

Anna Bligh MP

Premier of Queensland

Vision

To safeguard the Queensland community by strengthening counter-terrorism arrangements.

Our Strategic Approach

Sustaining counter-terrorism efforts by making them part of everyday business.
Aim

The strategy aims to:

prevent terrorist attacks;
reduce the vulnerability of the State to terrorist attacks; and
minimise the impact of any potential terrorist incident.

This strategy will provide strategic direction for the development and implementation of counter-terrorism initiatives across Government.

Delivery

The Queensland Government and its agencies will deliver the strategy in a way which is:

Balanced: Queensland’s counter-terrorism arrangements will be proportionate to the assessed threat.

Collaborative: Queensland’s counter-terrorism arrangements will be collaborative, and based on Government, industry and community partnerships.

Beneficial: Good security is good business. Queensland’s counterterrorism measures will support the resilience of our state’s economy.

Strategies

Terrorism is an enduring threat which needs a long-term, proactive and collaborative approach to counter. We can sustain our commitment to countering the terrorist threat and avoid complacency by making counter-terrorism part of every day business and planning. Five strategies will support the sustained development of our counterterrorism capability. Each strategy contributes to ensuring that cohesive and coordinated arrangements are in place.

The Strategies are to:

Engage: Promote the education and involvement of the broader community in preventing, preparing, responding and recovering from terrorism;

Cooperate: Strengthen arrangements by communicating, coordinating and collaborating with stakeholders;

Protect: Enhance detection and deterrence to maintain a safe environment;

Exercise: Practise and test counter-terrorism arrangements through exercises; and

Develop: Refine our preparation, response and recovery arrangements.

Strategy 1: Engage

Promote the education and involvement of the broader community in preventing, preparing, responding and recovering from terrorism.

Strategy indicator:

Delivery of innovative counter-terrorism education and awareness programs throughout Queensland.

Strategy 1 aims to:

Develop and increase community, industry and Government awareness of counter-terrorism arrangements, roles and relationships;
Positively promote the benefits of community and non government involvement in countering terrorism; and
Engage community, industry and Government in strengthening Queensland’s response to terrorism.

Strategy 1 will achieve this through agency initiatives that may include:

Promoting participation and positive community relations amongst diverse groups to promote a sense of belonging;
Delivering information and training to first responders and other key stakeholders;
Enhancing Queensland’s counter-terrorism public information arrangements;
Involving the wider community in preventing and responding to terrorist activity;
Developing public and industry awareness campaigns to maintain the interest of industry, Government and the public in countering terrorism.

Strategy 2: Cooperate

Strengthen arrangements by communicating, coordinating and collaborating with stakeholders.

Strategy indicator:

Improved communication, coordination and collaboration between stakeholders.

Strategy 2 aims to:

Strengthen communication between stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration; and
Strengthen communication between stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration; and
Enhance coordination of Government counter-terrorism arrangements

Strategy 2 will achieve this through agency initiatives that may include:

Developing integrated response and recovery arrangements in partnership with other Government and non-government agencies;
Promoting mechanisms which allow for cross-agency decision making and communication; and
Enhancing information sharing between Government agencies.

Strategy 3: Protect

Enhance detection and deterrence to ensure a safe environment.

Strategy indicator:

Initiatives for detecting terrorist threats and protecting key assets are improved.

Strategy 3 aims to:

Reduce vulnerabilities which could be exploited by terrorists;
Identify terrorist activity; and
Enhance protective measures across Queensland.

Strategy 3 will achieve this through agency initiatives that may include:

Strengthening the security of mass passenger surface transport operations;
Enhancing maritime security arrangements;
Improving the security of places of mass gathering, critical infrastructure and the protection of Government assets;
Reviewing counter-terrorism laws and policies to ensure they are sufficiently strong;
Encouraging protective planning arrangements for special events;
Focusing on hazardous materials; and
Protecting national security information.

Strategy 4: Exercise

Practise and test counter-terrorism arrangements through exercises.

Strategy indicator:

Regular and effective exercising.

Strategy 4 aims to:

Improve readiness by increasing familiarity with counter-terrorism systems and arrangements;
Practise and test responsibilities and arrangements; and
Encourage participation in exercises by increasing opportunities for Government and other stakeholders to be involved.

Strategy 4 will achieve this through agency initiatives that may include:

Focusing on training stakeholders to enable participation in exercises;
Providing a range of exercises based on emerging threats;
Focusing on exercises involving both first responders and strategic decision makers; and
Identify lessons and incorporate actions to strengthen arrangements.

Strategy 5: Develop

Refine our preparation, response and recovery arrangements.

Strategy indicator:

Strengthened response and recovery arrangements.

Strategy 5 aims to:

Improve our preparedness;
Ensure Queensland responds effectively and efficiently to terrorist activity;
Strengthen the resilience of the community and industry to terrorism by refining recovery arrangements.

Strategy 5 will achieve this through agency initiatives that may include:

Reviewing plans and arrangements to ensure they are robust; in particular arrangements for managing mass casualties and incidents involving a chemical, biological or radiological attack;
Improving preparation by skilling key personnel;
Enhancing our capability to respond to terrorism; and
Strengthening our recovery arrangements.

Initiatives

A whole-of-government approach will be used to implement and maximise the benefits of the strategy. Lead agencies will use the strategy and whole-of-government initiatives to devise operational activities and initiatives at the agency level. The initiatives and performance measures developed by each lead agency will be outlined in their Agency Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plan and contribute to the delivery of the overall strategy. Reporting on progress in delivering the strategy will be undertaken annually through the Queensland Counter-Terrorism Committee’s annual report to the Queensland Government.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Queensland Government

Under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Australia’s National Counter-Terrorism Arrangements (the IGA), the Queensland Government has agreed to establish effective counter-terrorism prevention, response, investigation and consequence management arrangements and effective cooperation, coordination and consultation between all relevant agencies in all jurisdictions. The strategy is supported by a comprehensive and complementary legal regime across all jurisdictions.

Implementing strategies which contribute to safe communities and minimising the risk and impact of accidents, emergencies and disasters are part of the Queensland Government Priorities Statement. In addition, the Queensland Government contributes to an effective nation-wide counter-terrorism capability through its representation on the National Counter-Terrorism Committee (NCTC), the high-level national body responsible for implementation of the IGA. Additionally, all Governments agree on and progress issues which are of national interest (including counter-terrorism) through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

Under the terms of the IGA, the Queensland Government and its agencies have primary responsibility for managing a terrorist situation in Queensland. The responsibilities, authorities and mechanisms to prevent or, if they occur, manage acts of terrorism in Queensland are outlined in the Queensland Counter-Terrorism Plan (QCTP) which supports the National Counter-Terrorism Plan and arrangements.

This strategy guides the process of continuous improvement for those Queensland Government agencies who have counter-terrorism roles and responsibilities under the QCTP. These agencies should use the strategy as a guiding tool to ensure best-practice when developing and reviewing counter-terrorism initiatives.

The Queensland Counter-Terrorism Committee

The Queensland Counter-Terrorism Committee (QCTC) provides the forum for counter-terrorism coordination and information sharing amongst Queensland agencies. Through the QCTC, the maintenance and development of an effective state-wide counter-terrorism capability is achieved. The QCTC also provides strategic policy advice to the Queensland Government through an accountability and reporting mechanism.

The QCTC is comprised of senior representation from the following Queensland Government Agencies:

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet;
The Queensland Police Service;
The Department of Emergency Services;
Queensland Transport;
Queensland Health;
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries;
The Department of Mines and Energy; and
The Department of Natural Resources and Water.

Lead Agencies

Under the QCTC Reporting Framework a lead agency has been assigned responsibility for the development of a particular area of counterterrorism capability. Using this strategy as a guiding tool, a lead agency, working with other agencies, is required to develop and report to the QCTC on an annual program of activity designed to strengthen a functional area capability. The QCTC provides guidance to lead agencies by identifying: relevant threat information; areas for improvement and consistency with the strategy and other agency initiatives.

The following agencies have lead agency responsibilities as defined by the QCTC Reporting Framework:

Queensland Police Service: Responsible for state operational prevention and response; exercise management and explosives response.
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet: Responsible for protective planning arrangements for assets, networks, services and places of mass gathering; regulatory issues; public information and community engagement; crisis governance and communication arrangements.

The Department of Emergency Services: Responsible for special operations response and support; state disaster management and chemical and incendiary response.
Queensland Health: Responsible for health services and biological and radiological response.
Queensland Transport: Responsible for transport services.
Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries: Responsible for responding to agriculture and animal disease.

Additionally, the following agencies who are currently not QCTC member agencies will participate in the implementation of the strategy by developing key initiatives:

Multicultural Affairs Queensland: will develop initiatives designed to promote participation and positive community relations amongst diverse groups to promote a sense of belonging; and
Department of Communities: will develop initiatives designed to strengthen the resilience of the Queensland community to recover from a terrorist event.

Implementation and Reporting

The Queensland Government is committed to the implementation and delivery of the strategy and will closely monitor its progress. Functional lead agencies under the Queensland Counter-Terrorism Committee (QCTC) reporting framework will translate this strategy into specific initiatives and performance measures outlined in their Agency Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plans. Lead agencies will report to the QCTC on their progress in delivering initiatives against the strategy as part of their annual program of activity. The QCTC will monitor the performance of lead agencies in implementing the strategy and report on progress annually to the Queensland Government.

Contacts

For further information about the Queensland Counter-Terrorism Strategy, contact:

Security Planning and Coordination Department of the Premier and Cabinet

Phone: 07 3405 6552

Fax: 07 3224 2089

Email:

Web:

Counter-Terrorism Strategic Policy Branch Queensland Police Service

Phone: 07 3364 8190

Fax: 07 3211 4915

Email:

Web: