Terror threat level raised to High
On 12 September 2014 the Australian Government announced that the National Terrorism Public Alert level, as determined by ASIO, had been raised from Medium to High. The Prime Minister’s Office said the advice was based not on knowledge of a specific attack plan, but on a body of evidence pointing to an increased likelihood of a terrorist attack in Australia.
Security and intelligence agencies were concerned about the growing number of Australians working with, connected to, or inspired by groups including ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusrah and al-Qaeda. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the rise did not mean an attack was imminent and that there was no specific intelligence of particular plots, but that people had the intent and capability to mount attacks in Australia.
State and territory governments were notified, and federal and state agencies were to work together to counter the threat. The Government also pointed to more than $630 million to boost counter-terrorism capacity and to planned updates to counter-terrorism legislation. The Guardian reported it was the first such change in 11 years under the four-level system introduced in 2003, in which High means an attack is likely.
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