through front organisations, registered financial institutions or not-for-profits. Terrorist groups also use a range of financing methods. These includes taxing goods and wages; controlling resources such as oil, gas, crops and minerals; kidnapping for ransom; theft and selling stolen antiquities. Capacity and capability building Australia closely with regional partners to develop counter-terrorism capacity and capability. Commonwealth agencies provide training, advice and resources to: Strengthen counter-terrorism laws. Develop the skills of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to disrupt terrorist networks. Facilitate the use of advanced technology to identify, investigate, monitor and counter terrorism. Build response and recovery capability to terrorist attacks. Australia also receives training from partner countries. This allows us to draw on the expertise of foreign governments. Australian law enforcement agencies and the ADF also provide training to their counterparts in the Middle East, including in Iraq. The Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation The Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) was established by the Commonwealth Government of Australia and the Indonesian Government to build capacity in the region in response to the 2002 Bali bombings. It is jointly operated by the Indonesian National Police and the AFP. provides law enforcement training on issues such as countering violent extremism, investigating terrorism financing, and using social media in counter-terrorism prosecutions. It has provided training to approximately 17,000 Indonesian and regional law and justice officials. are many safe and legal ways Australians can contribute to humanitarian relief efforts in overseas conflicts. Information on appeals can be found at the Australian Council for International Development website: . These appeals help the millions of people displaced by conflicts such as in Syria and Iraq by providing food, water and shelter. Australia and Iraq: The Building Partner Capacity mission In April 2015, the Australian Government announced that the ADF, in close partnership with the New Zealand Defence Force, would provide training to the Iraqi Army to build their capacity to regain territory from ISIL and reestablish control over their country’s security. The mission underlines Australia’s commitment to supporting stability in Iraq and the Middle East and helping to stop the spread of violent extremism to our own region.
We are everything possible to prevent individuals from radicalising towards violent extremism. However, no matter how effective our programmes are in this regard, some people will still plan to commit an act of terrorism. Our law enforcement and intelligence agencies are well-equipped to disrupt terrorists and have been successful in disrupting numerous terrorist plots to date. Protecting lives is our absolute priority. To save lives, agencies will prioritise early disruption of a planned attack over the gathering of evidence for a successful prosecution. This is why those arrested can often be released without charges shortly thereafter: police will always place public safety ahead of securing a successful prosecution. We can choose to disrupt activities of concern in a number of other ways. An option might be to send a message to individuals that their activities have attracted the attention of authorities, and that they are being monitored, in an attempt to dissuade them from further action. This may be done through suspending payment of welfare claims where appropriate, preventing international travel due to nonpayment of tax, passport or visa cancellations. When more specific information is available, agencies may also use other measures such as preventative detention and control orders to disrupt individuals. Close operational cooperation across the Commonwealth, States and Territories, including through Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams (JCTTs) in each jurisdiction, has proven effective in detecting and disrupting acts of terrorism in Australia. Through COAG, States and Territories are also working together to strengthen identity management and protect identity use, and to improve the tracking of firearms and further restrict the movement and use of illegal firearms. This work will complement other activities to counter terrorism. The lone actor challenge Lone actors operating on the periphery or independently of extremist networks are difficult for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to detect. The low capability required for attacks – a kitchen knife, for example – means there may be little time between violent extremists forming intent and then committing an act of terrorism. Developing disruption plans Intelligence and law enforcement agencies gather and assess the information needed to plan disruption activities. They identify individuals and networks radicalising, planning attacks, supporting terrorist groups overseas or seeking to participate in foreign conflicts. Agencies then assess the threats these individuals or groups pose to Australia’s security and may refer the case to the National Disruption Group – a multi-agency law enforcement body – so that a plan to disrupt terrorist activities can be developed.