Australia begins counter-terrorism exercises

Thousands of police and federal agents will respond to mock car bombs, hostage sieges, port attacks and other terror strikes across Australia this week to test the country’s readiness ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Most drills will take place around Melbourne, where the games will be held, said Attorney General Philip Ruddock. Rescuers will practice treating masses of casualties.

The games, expected to draw thousands of athletes from around the former British empire from March 15-26, are expected to be opened by the Queen.

About 4,000 officials from government, law enforcement and security agencies are expected to take part, along with 70 observers from 24 countries.

Today, police and security forces reacted to the mock hijacking of a bus carrying Commonwealth Games athletes and a diplomat in the town of Bendigo north of Melbourne in Victoria state.

Victorian political leader, Premier Steve Bracks, said British authorities staged similar exercises shortly before the deadly July 7 bombings on London’s public transport system.

“That testing was extraordinarily useful in the response that occurred, the single line of command which occurred, the messages given to the public to stay put, the constant messages as (media) updates on the situation,” Bracks said.

The exercises, billed as Australia’s largest-ever domestic counter-terrorism operation, came as Prime Minister John Howard played down concerns about proposed changes to the country’s anti-terrorism laws.

The proposed laws, which are expected to be debated by parliament later this month, would allow security forces to hold terror suspects without charge for 14 days and track people suspected of involvement with terror groups for up to a year.

Civil liberties groups have criticised the laws, saying they will undermine the right to free speech.

But Howard today said the concerns were unfounded.

“There’s no way that any of these provisions are going to stop people attacking the government’s policy on Iraq, attacking the government’s policy on terrorism,” Howard told Nine network television. “But what it will stop is encouraging people overseas to attack our soldiers in Iraq, for example.”