Howard rejects 'decoy' claims over terror warning

Prime minister John Howard has dismissed as “ridiculous” claims that his warning of a possible terrorist attack on Australia was timed to deflect attention from two controversial pieces of legislation.

Speaking before the nation yesterday, Howard warned that Australian officials had received “specific intelligence” that terrorists were plotting an attack on Australian soil, but refused to give any details about the threat, saying he did not want to jeopardise counter-terrorism operations.

The announcement came as Howard’s centre-right coalition government was preparing to introduce legislation overhauling Australia’s labour laws in parliament. Howard has come under fire from unions over the proposed reforms and polls have suggested the public is deeply suspicious that they will reduce job security and work conditions.

The terror warning also came as Howard defended mounting criticism from state leaders – as well as legal and civil rights groups – over a proposed tightening of the country’s anti-terrorism laws, which the government wants to see pushed through parliament before Christmas.

Senators and callers to a conservative talk show programme today suggested Howard had timed the terror warning to draw the public’s attention away from the proposed laws, a notion Howard soundly rejected.

“The idea that yesterday was some giant manipulative conspiracy is ridiculous,” Howard told Sydney radio station 2UE.

“I’m proud of the workplace relations changes, I didn’t want them to receive less publicity. So the idea that in some way something I’ve believed in very strongly for more than 20 years I would want to smother is in itself absurd.”

Following yesterday’s terror announcement, Howard introduced a minor amendment to the country’s current terror laws in the House of Representatives to boost intelligence agencies’ powers.

Under the amendment, authorities prosecuting someone for planning a terrorist act would not have to identify a specific terrorist act, Howard said. The amendment also allows groups to be banned based on intelligence that they are preparing an unspecified terrorist act, rather outlining details of a specific terror plot.

Howard said he could not introduce the amendment without explaining the possible risks to the public.

“There’s no way that I could get up in the parliament and say, ‘Look, we’re going to change this law but we’re not going to give you any reason’,” he told the radio station. “People then would be entitled to say I was being arrogant and treating the parliament, and even more importantly the public, with contempt.”

But the leader of the centre-left Australian Democrats party, Senator Lyn Allison, described yesterday’s announcement as a stunt.

“I think it’s a way of diverting attention away from industrial relations legislation,” she said. “I think it’s convenient for the government to constantly keep people fearful about the terrorist threat to this country.”

Howard refused to provide any additional details today on the alleged terror threats, saying only: “The concerns we have are not totally related to matters distant from Australia.”