COUNTER-TERRORISM WHITE PAPER
Securing Australia | Protecting Our Community
Chapter 7: Resilience
Building a strong and resilient Australian community to resist the development of any form of violent extremism and terrorism on the home front
This chapter explains how Australia will counter violent extremism by:
- building on Australia’s history of inclusion, multiculturalism and respect for cultural diversity to maintain a society that is resilient to the hate-based and divisive narratives that fuel terrorism;
- working with the Australian community through a cooperative national approach to lessen the appeal of violent extremism and support alternative pathways for those at risk, and working internationally to support this.
Australia’s inclusive, multicultural society is one of our strengths. Australia needs to harness this strength in the face of the divisive narrative of terrorist groups. We have a key interest in not allowing messages of hate to divide our community. Maintaining a resilient society based on shared freedoms, respect and understanding of our diversity helps us achieve that.
Australia is a country that recognises, accepts and respects cultural diversity. However, Australia will not tolerate the propagation of violent extremism and hate under the cloak of that diversity. The Government is committed to promoting respect, inclusion and a sense of belonging, in ways which address issues impeding social cohesion.
Exclusion or marginalisation of any individual or group of people can affect us all. It can affect a society’s cohesiveness, economic performance and, as we have seen overseas, the security and stability of the community as a whole. There are few countries in the world where migrants have achieved the level of economic, political, social and cultural participation that they have in Australia. But we cannot afford to be complacent. We know that a small number of Australians hold extreme beliefs and some of these individuals are or may be committed to supporting or engaging in acts of terrorism.
7.1 A national approach
An effective counter-terrorism strategy requires a combination of appropriate security and law enforcement responses, and broader strategies to enhance social cohesion and resilience, and lessen the appeal of the extremist ideologies that fuel terrorism. Since 2001, significant resources have been committed to identifying, arresting and prosecuting those planning to commit a terrorist attack. We also have robust measures for responding to, and recovering from, a terrorist incident.
In addition to intelligence and law enforcement approaches to counter-terrorism, other instruments of government, as well as communities, can contribute to addressing the broader long-term causes of terrorism and violent extremism, and the conditions in which they thrive. The states and territories are ideally placed to work with the community to identify, implement and manage local solutions to local problems and to develop local level resilience. Many policing programs at the state and territory level are aimed at building social cohesion.
The Commonwealth and the states and territories are working cooperatively to develop a national approach to countering violent extremism which will form an integral part of Australia’s national counter-terrorism strategy.
The Government recognises that strong partnerships between all levels of government and communities are critical to success, and that solutions must be appropriate to local circumstances. Our approach will bring existing and new efforts together and will identify and address gaps in our response. These activities will continue to be based on cooperation between communities and government agencies, and will remain adaptive to specific circumstances.
The primary objective of the national approach to countering violent extremism is to prevent harm to the community. Our work will encompass measures to support resilience within the community to extremist messages, the specific engagement of individuals who already hold extremist views, and efforts to maintain social cohesion and to support at-risk groups and individuals to resist violent extremism.
7.1.1 Informing our understanding
It is also important that the Government consolidate research and experience from both Australia and around the world. It is crucial that we better understand the factors leading to violent extremism in Australia, and those factors that build resilience to extremist messages. In doing so, governments can ensure that their work is evidence-based and appropriate to Australian circumstances.
The radicalisation process
Radicalisation processes are at work in Australian communities, and are common to all forms of extremism. There is no single pathway to violent extremism, but there are a number of key factors which can contribute to the radicalisation of individuals. These include:
- real or perceived social and economic circumstances, and perceptions of the relative circumstances of others;
- individual social needs and psychological needs and reactions;
- identity politics, including the search for individual identity among sometimes apparently conflicting cultural reference points;
- identification with, and adoption of, particular ideologies and belief systems that are hostile to liberal democratic norms and values;
- the dynamics of small groups, including those that form around charismatic figures, often separated from the mainstream of their community and broader society; and
- the broader political environment, including reactions to overseas events and government responses to those events, and grievances with local, national and international affairs.
7.1.2 The role of individuals and communities
Extremists often exploit adverse political, social and economic conditions to recruit and motivate others. Therefore, all Australians have a role to play in promoting and protecting strong, resilient communities that resist and reject violent extremism. While the overwhelming majority of people in Australia reject violent extremism, they may not have the tools and information to challenge it.
A number of social policies are already in place, across all levels of government, aimed at building trust, respect and community harmony. These social policies are rightly pursued for their own broader objectives, but they can play an important secondary role in addressing the grievances that stem from barriers to social and economic participation.
As with many other social issues, the families and friends of those vulnerable to violent extremism are often best placed to recognise changes in behaviour or attitude. However, they may not be as well equipped to identify why those changes are happening, or to effectively guide those friends and family members away from extremist influences. Community awareness is improving and families, communities and religious leaders have always played a crucial role in supporting resilience to extremism. Australian governments will work with communities to:
- provide information on our counter-terrorism efforts and basic facts about domestic initiatives and foreign policy;
- seek to address grievances that could encourage a receptiveness to violent extremism; and
- provide opportunities for people at risk of violent extremism to actively participate in Australia’s economy, society and democratic processes.
Individuals and communities also need to work with authorities to mitigate inter-communal conflict and lessen the appeal of violent extremism. Our law enforcement and security agencies seek in various ways to engage constructively with all sections of Australian society to understand better the issues that can lead to marginalisation and division within the community. The AFP, state and territory police, and Australian security agencies recognise the Australian community as their critical partner in protecting Australia from terrorism, and a valuable source of information regarding terrorist-related activity. These community engagement programs, and those of other Commonwealth agencies, all aim to build social cohesion, harmony and security.
In a world characterised by the increasing movement of people, and transnational economic, political and personal connections, social cohesion is an essential component of the stability and welfare of an Australian society that is resilient to violent extremism. This will require the continuation of government policies that help to build trust, respect and a sense of belonging within Australian society and serve to undermine the appeal of violent extremism.
7.2 Working internationally
Australia’s broader approach to national security acknowledges the contribution of our international development assistance program, managed by AusAID. Although distinct from terrorism-specific initiatives, our development assistance program provides possible alternatives and economic opportunity to ‘at risk’ communities and hope for a more optimistic future. The development assistance program helps prevent instability and insecurity borne of poverty and injustice, particularly in fragile states, and can help to mitigate the sources of transnational threats such as terrorism. Sustainable development, particularly within our region and in high risk environments, is in Australia’s long-term strategic interests.
The development assistance program is working in direct support of whole-of-government efforts in high risk environments such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, where terrorism presents significant security challenges. The long-term fight against international terrorism requires increased attention to prevention and local support. Broad-based and inclusive engagement with a wide range of partners, including communities, business and faith-based groups, forms an integral part of promoting social cohesion and community resilience.
While there is no proven causal link between social disadvantage and terrorist behaviour, social and economic hardship can lead individuals, families and even communities to be more receptive to extremist ideologies that might promise more attractive alternatives or seek to explain such hardships as injustice imposed by external actors. Protecting and assisting the poorest, most vulnerable and most marginalised populations can help address local sources of grievance, frustration and disenfranchisement that terrorists try to exploit. Improved access to health, vocationally relevant education and employment opportunities can create conditions less conducive to extremist views and propaganda.