GREATER Bunbury residents should continue to practise common sense and use lessons learnt during last year’s Australind explosives scare in the face of an elevated terror risk.
The comments come from Forrest MP Nola Marino in the wake of Australia’s terror threat level jumping from medium to high, meaning a terror attack on home soil is now officially considered “likely”.
Massive raids in Brisbane last week foiled plans to behead an Australian on orders from terrorist group Islamic State.
The Australian Security Intelli-gence Organisation, tasked with counter-terrorism, pointed to the number of Australians fighting in the Middle East supporting terrorist groups and returning to our country for the change in risk level.
It means security will be tightened for “key infrastructure,” like the Bunbury Port and major national events like the upcoming AFL Grand Finals.
But Mrs Marino told the Bunbury Mail she did not get a sense of panic out and about in Bunbury because “common sense is extremely high.”
“I think [people] need to live their lives the way they are,” Mrs Marino said.
“It’s obvious that those who have spoken to me about this understand why it’s happening – but they certainly don’t panic.”
While terrorism was ruled out as the motive for explosives found in the Leschenault Estuary last November, Mrs Marino said the community’s response was appropriate when a threat presented itself.
“It wasn’t like there was any panic in any sense – people simply worked with the local agencies and police, they understood what they needed to do and they were very supportive of the action that local police were taking,” she said.
“That’s the approach I expect out of people in the South West.”
The National Security Hotline can be reached on 1800 123 400 and more information is available at nationalsecurity.gov.au
