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Australia On Terror Alert

The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, announced this week that Australia has received specific information this week about a possible terrorist threat to the country. As a result, the Senate is being recalled to pass an amendment to anti-terror laws, relating to the description of a particular act of terrorism.

The government hopes to introduce tough new counter-terrorism legislation by Christmas. Australia has not experienced a major terror attack on home soil, though Australians have been targeted and have been the victims of terror attacks in nearby Bali, Indonesia. There are concerns that the new anti-terror legislation could be used to violate civil liberties.

According to Howard, the government has received information which gave ",cause for serious concern about a potential terrorist threat.", He adds, ",We have seen material. It is a cause of concern.", The current security alert for the country has not been upgraded, however, and Howard gave no further details on the threats for operational reasons.