John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Johnston for his question. The arrests of 4 August 2009 do indicate that the threat of terrorism in Australia is real and current. While it would not be appropriate for me in the chamber today to address the specifics of the 4 August police activity as those matters are still undergoing investigation and are before the courts, I certainly can say that the national threat alert level has not been raised, and that applies to Defence establishments as it does to other arms of the government and also to the broader community. The security of Defence bases is constantly under review. Protective security responses to threats are carefully calibrated to provide necessary protection. The specifics of protective security arrangements are not made public because—and it is a very important point to make—their effectiveness would be diminished if they were widely known. Specifically in relation to the situation at Holsworthy, after the threat became apparent— (Time expired).