Australia 'will heed threat warning'

AJN Staff - Australian Jewish News - Thursday 18 February 2021

THE new head of Australia’s parliamentary intelligence committee has said the country’s security services are taking the growing far-right threat “extremely seriously”.James Paterson was the latest politician to express concern about the rising neo-Nazi phenomenon in some parts of Australia and said the “horrific” terrorist attack against mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, should serve as a warning.Paterson, who was recently appointed to head the powerful committee, said Australia “must ensure that violent extremism does not take hold … You only have to look around the world to see other countries are grappling with this problem”.He said there were “lessons to be learned” from Christchurch, adding: “I think Australians were deeply shocked by it.“It had a big impact on our psyche at the time, because it was such a horrific crime and because it was broadcast and it was very visible and because it occurred at a near neighbour.”