New Laws Give Australia's Military Greater Powers in the Event of a Terror Attack
Australia’s prime minister announced the new laws Monday.
Australia’s army will be given greater powers in the event of terrorist attack under new proposed laws set forth by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The announcement follows are review of security forces’ responses to a series of incidents in Australia and abroad – including the 2014 Sydney café siege.
Turnbull said the army will be able to intervene as soon as a “terrorist incident is declared.” Before, the military would have to wait until the police concluded they could no longer deal with the situation.
Specially trained officer swill also be embedded into local police forces to aide in coordination in the event of an attack. Police will remain the first responders to any incident in the country.
Speaking Monday at the Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney, Turnbull said that the country needs to ensure that every resource they have is always at the highest standard and is able to keep all Australians safe.
“Our enemies are agile and innovative,” Turnbull said. “We have to stay ahead of them.”