Investing in Australia’s security

Reflecting the Government’s commitment to making Australia safe and secure, this Budget provides an additional $755 million (including $144 million capital funding) over five years to counter the threat of terrorism in Australia and the region. In total, the Government has committed $3.1 billion over the seven years from 2001‑02 for a range of national security initiatives.

Strong intelligence is the best weapon in the fight against terrorism. The Government will provide $270 million to Australia’s intelligence gathering agencies to boost their capacity to identify and respond to possible threats to national security.

Funding of $207 million will be used to upgrade protective security. This includes testing national information systems as part of continuing efforts in critical infrastructure protection, more Air Security Officers and diplomatic guarding as well as relocating a number of overseas diplomatic and trade missions in high risk locations.

An additional $150 million will help secure Australia’s borders. More robust identity verification processes will be tested for passport holders, and Australia’s global visa processing systems will be enhanced.

Because the threat to Australia from terrorism extends beyond our borders, the Government will provide $87 million to improve security capacity and cooperation in the region. The Australian Federal Police will be more able to assist regional counterparts respond to terrorist attacks, and funding will be provided for the establishment of a regional counter-terrorism centre in Indonesia.

Enhancing regional governance

In addition to security initiatives in the region, the Government is acting to support improved governance in the Pacific. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands and the Enhanced Cooperation Package in Papua New Guinea aim to improve law and order, and build stronger economies in the Pacific.