Civil Aviation Security: The ideologies the Australian Government subscribes to when identifying terrorists

Rohan Davis

RMIT University, Australia

Julian Bondy

RMIT University, Australia

Abstract:

Civil aviation has been proven to be a prime target of terrorists and it has become an area of major concern since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The increased level of threat to airports and aircraft has resulted in the Australian Government introducing new legislation in addition to introducing new security measures. The ideologies that the Australian Government subscribes to when identifying terrorists in the civil aviation security environment have not been made explicit. By extension, the role that these ideologies play in the making of policy, and ultimately in the implementing of practice, is unclear. This paper reveals the ideologies the Australian Government subscribes to when identifying terrorists, which can be categorized into two distinct groups; 1) ideologies concerned with identifying terrorists by attack vector, and 2) ideologies concerned with identifying terrorists based on who they are. It was also determined, for the most part, that these particular ideologies played a significant role in the making of policy and in the implementing of practice.

Keyword:

Terrorism, Aviation, Policy, Australia, Ideology, CDA