South Australia Invests $15M for New Terror Database

South Australia Invests $15M for New Terror Database
Lindt Cafe at Martin Place in Sydney, Australia on June 3, 2015. (Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
AAP
By AAP
11/6/2019
Updated:
11/6/2019

South Australia is investing $15 million in a new computer system to better track potential terrorists and other offenders.

The system will ensure sensitive and important information about offenders is accessed across all relevant law enforcement agencies both throughout South Australia and across the country during unfolding operations.

Police Minister Corey Wingard says it will allow correctional services officials to improve the collection, sharing, and storage of crucial details of offenders that could play a large role in preventing crimes and terrorist attacks.

“There have been a number of high-profile terrorism incidents in Australia in which the offenders were known to correctional services,” Wingard said.

“Man Monis who carried out the deadly Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney in 2014 and Yacqub Khayre who murdered a receptionist and held a prostitute hostage in Melbourne in 2017 were both known to the system.

“An inquiry following the Lindt Cafe siege made several recommendations relating to information sharing and proposed, among other things, a new system to enable the speedy transfer of data from one agency to other relevant agencies that might assist in the response to an act of terrorism.”

The government will begin an acquisition plan for the new system within weeks with a view to selecting a supplier in the second half of 2020.

It expects the system to be up and running by the end of 2022.