That is the point where politicians can be useful. There lies the sticking point. At the moment we do not have a workable govt; so what you say is impossible. We have a PM in exile and probably best left there.

It takes real brain power to come up with workable policy, and that is another sticking point. As we are aware of shots being fired from the hip, all of which rebound and punch holes in the one firing the ammunition.

So at this point in time anything workable is not in the offering, sadly.

Dear Nathan,

<<What ever happened to the principle, like innocent until proven guilty?>>

Most things which the state and its government do are illegitimate and without any moral justification - however, protecting its citizens from harm by others is one of the government's few legitimate roles.

The question of guiltiness and all that rubbish about laws and punishments is wrong and irrelevant, especially when it comes to terrorism: there are people who are out there to attack and kill innocent citizens and they must be stopped before they are able to harm. Enemies must be stopped - not convicted!

That is very different from the case you brought, of wrongly imprisoning a mother who was suspected of killing her baby, primarily because there was no imminent suspicion that she was likely to kill another baby (and secondarily because killing one's own baby, revolting as it is, should be none of the state's business, however that's way off topic).

I'm sorry to say REHCTUB, there's not a lot of pro-active 'stuff' we can do ? It's more of a case of being re-actively prepared rather than being pro-actively ignorant as we've been, thus far ?

You see BUTCH, these people are already living amongst us, and in so doing, they're scheming and plotting operations, both here and abroad. All that Australia can now do, is keep a very close eye on them, and hope like hell, we can plug the leaks, (philosophically speaking) as and when they appear ? And round em' up each time we detect their illegal and subversive activities.

Either detecting them as they proceed abroad for the purpose of partaking in some armed Islamic radicalism, or returning from abroad, having previously engaged in 'armed' Islamic insurgency ?

You see, we've left it all too late, again because of political paralysis or political inertia - one of the same I suspect ! The police and security services, 'DID WARN' successive governments, but none would listen, and knew better ! And now we can see the consequences !

OSW: You see, we've left it all too late, again because of political paralysis or political inertia - one of the same I suspect !

Or Political Correctness.

The police and security services, 'DID WARN' successive governments, but none would listen, and knew better ! And now we can see the consequences !

Appeasement of the PC, Greenies, Do-gooders & their Lawyers for potential votes. When it all goes Pear shaped these Groups deny any influence & it all becomes someone else's fault.

Spot on JAYB, Spot on ! You know mate we're (Australia) are a blithering joke when it comes to law enforcement, we're so terribly weak, we're insipid ? Do I care, not anymore ! An old boss once told me, the public get the coppers they deserve, by the 'quality' and the 'efficacy' of their (public) support ?

O Sung Wu, I don't think any of us will wake up till we are facing an
Australian version of Boko Haram.
On channel 7 tonight, just a few minutes ago they threatened just that !