QUT QUT ePrints

Responding to Terrorism through Networks at Sites of Critical Infrastructure: A Case Study of Australian Airport Security Networks

Whelan, Chad and Palmer, Darren (2006) Responding to Terrorism through Networks at Sites of Critical Infrastructure: A Case Study of Australian Airport Security Networks. In Proceedings Social Change in the 21st Century Conference 2006, QUT Carseldine, Brisbane.

Full text available as:
PDF - Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer.

Abstract

The importance of effective multilateral security networks is widely recognised in Australia and internationally as being essential to facilitate the large-scale sharing of information required to respond to the threat of terrorism. Australian national security agencies are currently constructing networks in order to bring the diverse national and international security agencies together to achieve this. This paper examines this process of security network formation in the area of critical infrastructure protection, with particular emphasis on airport security. We address the key issues and factors shaping network formation and the dynamics involved in network practice. These include the need for the networks to extend membership beyond the strictly defined elements of national security; the integration of public and private ‘nodes’ in counter-terrorism ‘networks’; and the broader ‘responsibilisation’ of the private sector and the challenges with ‘enabling’ them in counter-terrorism networks. We argue that the need to integrate public and private agencies in counter-terrorism networks is necessary but faces considerable organisational, cultural, and legal barriers.

Item Type:Conference Paper
Status:Published
Keywords:terrorism; counter-terrorism; responsibilisation; risk; security networks; counter-terrorism networks; critical infrastructure; airport security
Subjects:370000 Studies in Human Society > 370100 Sociology > 370107 Social Change
ID Code:6894
Deposited By:Willans, Bernadette
Deposited On:10 April 2007
Copyright Owner:Copyright 2006 Chad Whelan and Darren Palmer