Australia has taken its fight against Islamic State online — and it’s working, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told parliament the country’s top-secret offensive cyber capabilities were becoming more important in countering terrorism.
“While I won’t for obvious reasons go into the details of those operations, I can say that they are being used and that they are making a real difference in the military conflict,” he said in an address on national security.
Australian combat aircraft have participated in coalition air operations in Iraq and Syria since 2014, while Australian and New Zealand troops have been training Iraqi soldiers for the fight against IS.
IS has long maintained an extensive capability to use the internet for its own purposes, using slick video productions to trumpet its successes and persuasive pitches to potential western converts.
Last week IS — also know as Daesh — released a new propaganda video that prominently featured famous Melbourne landmarks.
“Daesh will continue doing this in an attempt to intimidate us but they will not succeed,” Mr Turnbull said on Wednesday.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said IS would use every tool and weapon at their disposal to spread hatred and destroy innocent lives.
“It is vital we continue to enhance the reach and flexibility of our cyber security capabilities,” he said.
It was equally important to protect Australia from digital attacks noting recent incidents involving Austrade, the Bureau of Meteorology and Defence.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed Australia’s terror threat level remained at ‘probable’ following a review by the director-general of security.
A review by the Commonwealth’s counter-terrorism co-ordinator following the attack in Nice in July also found Australia had a robust legislative policy and operational arrangements in place to protect Australians from any threats.
The classified report did, however, suggest the need for better support for frontline professionals to identify Australians at risk of radicalising towards violent extremism.
A total of 55 people have been charged from 24 counter-terrorism operations around Australia since September 2014.
Online Source: News.com.au.
