Introduction

Australia and New Zealand might seem unlikely targets for a terrorist attack. They are geographically isolated and are only minor players in the ‘War on Terror’. Nevertheless, Australia is an active military partner in the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ that went to war in Iraq in 2003 and both nations supplied troops for the conflict in Afghanistan. Australia has also come to the attention of terrorist organizations, with a recent statement purporting to be from al Qaeda declaring Australian Prime Minister John Howard to be ‘wicked’. Howard responded: ‘I've been insulted by everybody, so I suppose Al Qaeda can have a go as well.’

Although there has not been a terrorist attack for more than a decade on Australian or New Zealand soil, both have been affected by terrorism. Many New Zealanders regard the 1985 sinking in Auckland Harbour of the Rainbow Warrior by French agents, with loss of one life, as an example of state sponsored terrorism. More recently, Australians and New Zealanders died in the September 11 attack. A year later, on 12 October 2002, 202 people were killed when two bombs exploded in the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar in Bali, Indonesia. Of the dead, 88 were Australian and 3 were from New Zealand.