The war on terrorism could last for another generation and an attack on Australia was a possibility, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said. Launching the government’s white paper on terrorism, Mr Downer said it might take many years and billions of dollars before al-Qaeda and other terror groups were finally defeated. "The Australian government is ready to confront the terrorist threat but we cannot afford complacency," Mr Downer said. "An attack here is a possibility but one we will do everything in our power to prevent."
Mr Downer said contemporary terrorism differed from any threat previously faced by Australia and could not be ignored. "Far more civilians than soldiers have already lost their lives," he said. "Who knows what terrorist outrages, abroad and even at home, may lie ahead, or how many billions of dollars will have to be spent before we can safely say that al-Qaeda and its henchmen have been contained and eventually defeated? It may not happen for a generation." The white paper outlines the nature and international dimensions of the evolving terrorist threat to Australia. |