In Harm's Way Kellie?
What do you think they sign up for?
Or why we buy military hardware?
Watch it while it turns into rust?
What do you really really want? Something as evil as a state stealing ISIL, allowed to roam and kill/rape/murder at will, when and where they want!? And then only because that's how they get virtually their jollies! They like it, it's fun! More fun than sitting with mum watching the X files?
But even more so, if it's unarmed civilians, like totally terrified tiny tots!
Just what the hell is wrong with you Kellie? Tired of the X files?
Lost your humanity, or your soul?
For evil to prosper, good men only need stand and do nothing!
Or worse, try and appease mass murdering monsters, who should be sent straight to hell; and by the quickest most expedient means possible! No ifs, buts or maybes!
Yes but, I can hear ISIL sympathizes say, they may hide among women and children!
Yes but, what did you expect of essentially cowering, craven cowards, Kellie!
Normal human responses, MERCY/COURAGE/Common courtesy/consideration?
There's nothing wrong with visiting dream castles in the clouds Kellie, but not moving in as a permanent resident!
Rhrosty.

"A confusing narrative has developed about whether or not Australia's actions in Iraq and potentially Syria would increase the risk of an attack in Australia. It's an important question that needs to be answered."

Given what is known of the motives of ISIS, it would be imprudent to wait for a definitive answer from the politicians/security agencies. In case the author is unaware, ISIS has made it plain that it is against, and accordingly will take action against, anyone -- regardless of country of origin -- who does not agree with its interpretation of Islam.

Furthermore, ISIS is being staffed by extremist volunteers from all over the world, including some 150 from Australia. It would be naive to think that such volunteers returning from service with ISIS, would change their way of thinking once back in Australia.

This suggests that it would make little difference to the risk of attack in Australia whether action is being taken against ISIS or not.

One has to be thankful that responsible Australian politicians have been quick to recognise the need to act against ISIS in Iraq and to tighten security in Australia. Regrettably, this excludes the Greens, who have demonstrated that they are incapable of acting responsibly in the national interest.

You are spot on Kellie Tranter.

ISIS may well direct homegrown terrorists to exact revenge for Australia sticking its nose in.

Your views are shared by two peak counter-terrorism officials.

In 2004 several days after al Qaeda’s revenge bombings in Madrid the former Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, made the accurate observation that Australia might be at greater risk of terrorism due to Australia’s then role in Iraq. Keelty’s comments created a political storm. This was not what Prime Minister Howard wanted to hear and it was not what the Australian public was supposed to know. Keelty was forced to recant http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/16/1079199227687.html .

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1101558.htm Also in 2004 former counter terrorism adviser to the White House, Richard Clarke, said AFP Commissioner, Mick Keelty, was right to link the bombings in Madrid in March 2004 to Spain's role in the Iraq war. Richard Clarke, who served as an adviser with several US administrations, says the head of the American FBI made similar comments linking terrorist attacks to the Iraq war and was not maligned for making them.

Regards

Pete

If we were a bit quicker with gunboat diplomacy, & employed it with a much heavier hand, these sniveling women children, & unarmed men killers would run for cover, & hide, just as any cur does when challenged.

It is the cowardice of those who agree with this author that allow this garbage to surface.

No amount of Team Australia bulldust will do anything to put this threat down. Only positive, heavy, & effective action, with big heavy boots will do that.

In answer to the question as to whether or not our participation in the wars in the Middle East will increase the likelihood of a retaliatory terror attack here in Australia, the short answer has to be yes.
But the author doesn't go far enough. Also to be considered in the causes of our new vulnerability would be our unquestioning support for Israel in its commission of war crimes in Gaza, and our joining in the ill-considered sanctions being placed on Russia over the West's next war-of-choice in the Ukraine.
What we need is an independent foreign policy. Admittedly that will be hard to achieve while we are an occupied appendage of the USA.
As much as I disliked the Rudd/Gillard farce, in the end we did have Bob Carr as Foreign Minister. His was the most sensible voice speaking for Australia in a long time.

Hear, hear, Hasbeen!
Rhrosty.

'We need an honest answer to the question whether or not Australia's actions in Iraq and potentially Syria are likely to increase the risk of an attack in Australia because the people most likely to be affected by it are Australian citizens.'

strangely enough a question that Labour/Greens/Human Rights Lawyers refused to ask when inviting unlimited illegal immigrants (who trash their papers) to our shores

Don't worry Miss Kellie

About the preceding 4 comments of ignorant blokedom.

For they can only spout what they know (which is very little) about security systems and what motivates some misguided 20+ year olds in western Sydney and north Melbourne

foreign policy actions that may jeopardise their own personal safety.
Kellie Tranter,
The worst & most tragic policy is doing nothing.

"they are less likely to support foreign policy actions that may jeopardise their own personal safety."

I hope not. I don't know what the right answer is to dealing with ISIS and similar groups of thugs, western intervention generally seems to just help stir up more recruits for them. I suspect our efforts would be more productive in enabling Muslims to confront ISIS than sending infidels to kill them.

What I'd hate to see though is a choice to not help, to leave others to suffer the brutalities at the hands of thugs such as ISIS on the basis of cowardice on our part. Yes sticking our noses in in any way that helps reduce the harm by ISIS will increase the risk we face.

Good people have died on public streets sticking up for innocent victims of thugs as well, not a choice we'd all make but I hope as a nation we are driven by something higher than cowardice.

It's quite possible that if Australia helps that the risk that at some point it may be an Australian kneeling in the desert in an orange jump suit with a masked thug cutting their throat is increased slightly. Some of that risk is there anyway, ISIS and those like them don't have some finely tuned sense of right and wrong.

I hope for most of us the questions are not around how to protect our collective hides, rather what can and should we do that that will be the most real help to reduce the harm done by thugs such as ISIS.

R0bert

Well the ISIS videos suggest that after 2 Yanks a Brit is next and then ... all helpful Anglo allies (Aus NZ Canada) and the odd Frog maybe

Abbott will have manly, electorally beneficial, things to say.

all helpful Anglo allies (Aus NZ Canada) and the odd Frog maybe
plantagenet,
Well, we obviously will have to carry you through any conflict as we probably have done thus far in peace. Counting on your support is obviously not an option when the crap hits the fan here. Where do you think you might be crawling too ?

We in the West individual

Have the benefit of ELECTIVE wars.

We can pick and choose.

Like there's no talk of Sweden, Switzerland or Brazil getting involved.

Why the difference?

Something you ate individual?

plantagenet,
How would you know these countries don't have any involvement ? Because their presidents dindn't call to let you know ? What are you eating ?

plantagenet, "About the preceding 4 comments of ignorant blokedom" and "Abbott will have manly, electorally beneficial, things to say"

It isn't 'only' men who read that as so last millennium, rad fem dinosaur, Jurassic Park. You must still wear those haircell leather Doc Martens with the purple laces.

Dear Rhrosty,

You asked;

“What do you think they sign up for?
Or why we buy military hardware?
Watch it while it turns into rust?”

I thought they signed up for the Defence forces not the Attack forces.

But what I really wanted to explore was your support of the killings in Gaza compared to your feelings that the threat to civilians is so great and so urgent that we need to get involved militarily right now.

Huffington Post reported these numbers for the dead in Iraq from battles primarily with ISIS over the month of June

1,922 - The number of people killed in Iraq in June, according to government figures, making it the deadliest month since May 2007. Official figures report 1,393 civilians, 380 soldiers and 149 policemen among the dead. Another 2,610 people were wounded, the majority of them civilians.

Compare those to the figures up till August the 6th in Gaza as reported by the Washington Post;
1,958 - 1396 were Palestinian civilians. Of those, 222 were women and 418 were children. 217 were armed Palestinian militants. Of those, 2 were children.

Where was your soul Rhrosty when Palestinian families were being slaughtered from the air? Where were your cries of condemnation when Israelis sat on hill sides clapping and cheering the carnage, getting their 'jollies' from the 'mowing the lawn'?

Where were your calls for Australia to intervene because “for evil to prosper, good men only need stand and do nothing!”?

Why were you so intent on applauding and appeasing the 'mass murdering monsters' of the Likud government? And why did you not challenge those “essentially cowering, craven cowards” who sat in F16 cockpits or behind 88mm artillery gun emplacements well out of harms's way as they poured missile after missile, bomb after bomb, and shell after shell into the buildings and families of Gaza?

Where were your “Normal human responses, MERCY/COURAGE/Common courtesy/consideration?” I will tell you, they were absolutely nowhere to be seen.

Hypocrite is a label that is perhaps too kind.

Kellie, I understand your concern, but appeasement in the face of aggressive evil has surely been shown to condone the evil.

Of course our involvement may lead to more terrorist acts here, in the short term, but this is precisely why we should hit them as hard and as soon as we possibly can, before they grow too powerful. We know, both from their own statements and actions, and from our own readings of the Koran, what their ultimate aims are, and know that our inaction will only be seen as cowardice. It will not save us from the eventual sword of Allah.

We should have restricted the growth of Islam in Australia, long ago! We see from events in Europe that most home-grown terrorists are second and third generation Muslims, alienated by their religion from their country of birth; brimming with hatred of their Western values, as taught in their mosques.

As Rhosty says, do you think that we buy military hardware so we can just watch it rust?

What makes the morons think by not getting involved in preventing more evil will make the evil stop when they get here ? I do stress we're taliking about morons here on both sides, the evil & the $hit-scared do-gooders.

I thought they signed up for the Defence forces not the Attack forces.
Steeleredux
That's what I thought a Defence Force is for. Where are our forces attacking ?

SteeleRedux,
Just another hanger-on making accusations but with no answers.