Central intelligence

Issue 20 | Spring/Summer 2007

Report: Daniel Wilson
Photography: Melissa Di Ciero

Former Deputy Commissioner of Victoria Police Bill Kelly

Monash University has united a team of security, police and diplomatic experts to help understand and combat one of our greatest social and economic threats. Specialists at the University's new Global Terrorism Research Centre are researching the best ways to combat extremism and train a new generation of political scientists.

After successfully heading off potential terrorist threats to Melbourne's Commonwealth Games, former Deputy Commissioner of Victoria Police Bill Kelly has taken on a new and even more formidable challenge - helping guide a new University team researching the best ways to combat extremism around the world.

Mr Kelly is part of the new Global Terrorism Research Centre (GTReC), an initiative of the Victorian Government that aims to help find new solutions to global terror in the 21st century.

"My presence gives academics the ability to draw on a policing perspective on areas such as risk planning, counter terrorism, social cohesion, and the balance between civil liberties and counterterrorist legislation," Mr Kelly said.

The Centre's Director, Professor Gary Bouma, occupies a University United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations for the Asia Pacific.

"It is clear that since religion is a significant part of the problem of terror, religion must also be part of the solution and in many instances it is," Professor Bouma said.

"I, and many in the GTReC team, consider the best policy for terror-proofing a nation is to promote policies of social justice and social inclusion of all people."

"Engagement through religion may help prevent resentment from individuals who feel unable to achieve their goals through legitimate means and is crucial in promoting peace and maintaining stable societies."

Associate Professor David Wright-Neville, the Centre's co-founder, was formerly a senior intelligence analyst for the Office of National Assessments (ONA). While in the field, Associate Professor Wright-Neville found that once disparate extremist groups operating across Southeast Asia were becoming more unified.

He said terrorist groups were often small and dynamic in their structure, able to change quickly to get around traditional security measures and often employed unorthodox methods that elude most law enforcement authorities. While there has been some change, he said many current law enforcement methods remain outdated and need to change.

"This is further complicated because, while most terrorist groups around the world are motivated by insular grievances within their country or the region, they are increasingly blaming the inability to have them resolved on a symbolic enemy like the United States," Associate Professor Wright-Neville said.

Monash academic and former Islamic Council member, Waleed Aly is another member of the GTReC team. He has found the quality of pro-active counter-terrorism policing through community engagement can vary widely.

"The Victorian police have taken community outreach more seriously and have a dedicated multicultural liaison unit that has been quite successful in building trust between the police and various communities, even in the context of counter-terrorism," Mr Aly said.

"At the federal level, this is only slowly starting to happen and it seems there is a much higher level of mistrust arising from communities, especially Muslim Australia."

It's some of these findings GTReC Head of Teaching Dr Pete Lentini hopes to instil in postgraduate students who are currently undertaking the new Masters of Counter- Terrorism program at Monash.

"The course (Master of Counter-Terrorism Studies) is the first of its kind to be devoted solely to terrorism and security related issues in Australia," Dr Lentini said.

"We are on the forefront of introducing a new wave of terrorism expertise to Australia with the graduates we have coming through."

For more information, please visit the Global Terrorism Research Centre website.