I'm not sure how to feel about Australia's response to ISIS. The right-wing side of politics seems to be going completely over the top in trying to crack down on terrorist cells operating in the country (we did just have two policemen stabbed in what appears to be a terrorism-linked beheading attempt), arguing that security is more important than freedom.
Then we've got the left wing side of politics, which is trying to do all it can to downplay the risk and argue that there is literally a 0% of an attack on Australians, despite an incident just days ago and dozens of Australians having travelled to fight in the Middle East who may return.
We have one incident where the emotional term "beheading" seems to be the key word, adopted by both perpetrator and media, and the number of people involved was minimal. We also have "dozens" of Australians travelling to the middle east, just as we had dozens of Australians of Serbian / Croatian background travelling to the Balkans in the 90's, and probably dozens of other dissidents travelling to their respective places of allegiance during many past disputes in global history.
These numbers ("dozens" or fewer) are the same sorts of numbers as the "average" murder rate. These people are just psychopaths with an easily accessible justification. The police can currently handle most cases of this without any extra powers. They're extremely good at it.
The risk isn't 0% (and politicians generally shouldn't be trusted anyway, on any statement), but it's actually statistically negligible (less than 100 divided by greater than 20,000,000), and preventable with current policing practices and powers.
I don't think there has ever been a "Terrorist" attack in Australia that has targeted "White Australians". I make that qualification based on the fact that a number of foreign embassies have been attacked within Australia, but that is quite a different thing.
How was the stabbing "terrorist-linked?" And how is people travelling to the middle east (even to fight), terorrist linked?
You're right and there hasn't been a terrorist incident in Australia targeting Australians (I don't think ISIS is specifically targeting white Australians, rather Australians in general), but I think that there being an 'increased threat level' is still appropriate.
Whether or not the perpetrator of the stabbing had an actual link to ISIS isn't clear, but he had his passport cancelled over concerns he would fly to the Middle East and he had previous posted photos online with the ISIS flag: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/numan-haider-from-teenager...
Of course most Australians travelling to the Middle East are involved in terrorism, but there are Australian residents or citizens travelling to the Middle East to fight adn they have been involved in two suicide bombings as well as apparently joining organisations designated as terrorist by the Australian government, and so I'd say that they are certainly linked to terrorism.
So you found the 2 events that are different. Total death toll: 4 people (not to trivialise their deaths).
Neither of those times did we raise a 'threat level' (it is difficult to see if there was even a 'threat level'). So actual bombs going off in our streets don't cause panic. But crazed (brown) teenagers in police stations... Quick call the SAS!
I'm not sure how to feel about Australia's response to ISIS. The right-wing side of politics seems to be going completely over the top in trying to crack down on terrorist cells operating in the country (we did just have two policemen stabbed in what appears to be a terrorism-linked beheading attempt), arguing that security is more important than freedom.
Then we've got the left wing side of politics, which is trying to do all it can to downplay the risk and argue that there is literally a 0% of an attack on Australians, despite an incident just days ago and dozens of Australians having travelled to fight in the Middle East who may return.