Much media attention was given to the recent special meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) which addressed security and the threat of terrorism attacks. The COAG meeting recognised the importance of a consistent and coordinated response by Commonwealth, State, Territory and Local Government in the event of any national emergency.
As a result, Local Government will now participate in the development of a national code of practice for CCTV. It will be more closely involved in counter terrorism exercises and kept informed in the event of any national emergency.
Representing Local Government on COAG, Australian Local Government Association President, Councillor Paul Bell, said that it is clear the other spheres of government recognise the important role Councils play in emergency management, community harmony and public safety. The Premiers specifically noted that many Councils are already monitoring community safety through their CCTV in public places.
With counter terrorism exercises, COAG also agreed that these should involve various organisations, including Local Government and the private sector.
Civil liberty groups and some in the legal fraternity have expressed concerns about COAG’s agreement to increase the powers of police and other agencies to hold people without charge, extended interrogation periods, secrecy, restrictions on legal representatives and individuals from divulging any information about such interrogations and so forth.
This undermining of various rights we have taken for granted as part of our democratic system has gained some media attention and public debate. There are those who believe the terrorists have won by the mere fact that we have so easily given up rights that were fought so hard to achieve, and so quickly been willing to compromise our way of life.
The fact that some groups in our community believe they will be unfairly singled out for greater attention and potential harassment is a major concern for Local Governments as they continue to strive for inclusive, fair, safe and harmonious communities.
At the same time, is fear of a terrorist attack taking too much attention from other more pressing issues?
As broadcaster and columnist, Phillip Adams, told delegates at a recent Local Government managers conference in Sydney (refer page 9), tragic as it is for Australians and their families who have been caught up in terrorist attacks overseas, our chance as an individual of becoming a victim is extremely small. Yet national governments are concentrating on this to the detriment of other major concerns, including environmental threats to the planet.
The extensive damage and loss of life, plus the failure of emergency procedures and rapid breakdown of law and order, with Katrina and, less so, Rita has certainly turned world attention to the issue of climatic change.
Tim Flannery, one of Australia’s best known scientists and best selling writers, in his recent book, Weather Makers, explains how our actions are causing the planet to warm. He says that every nation will be differently affected by these changes but the one thing we all have in common is that we are now the weather makers, and the new climate our actions has created threatens the very future of the planet and our civilisation as we know it.
