The U.S. certainly isn’t the only country dealing with the threat of chemical terrorism. Nation’s like Australia are taking proactive measures to keep their country safe.  Over the past few months, police in Australia have been warning sellers of industrial chemicals to be careful about the sale of products to possible chemical terrorists prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The meeting is held every two years and includes the heads of government from all of the Commonwealth (formerly British Commonwealth) nations. This year it is being held in Perth, Australia October 28 – 30.  With over 5,000 attendees, including the Queen and at least 50 other world leaders, the CHOGM meeting is being considered one of the biggest potential terrorism strike points in Australia this year.

In another measure comparable to the U.S.policy, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) recently released a document similar to CFATS Appendix A Final Rule, Chemical of Interest (COI) list put out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  This Australian document is called the ‘Chemicals of Security Concern’, and includes a list of risky chemicals used to make homemade explosives. COAG is asking members of the industry to take note of the list and stay alert and aware of their customer base prior to the October summit.

In this case, it seems the Australian government is focusing on theft and diversion tactics where terrorists look to obtain dangerous chemicals under false pretenses.  Chemical sellers in Australia are encouraged to be aware of their customer base and to be on alert for certain red flags such as large cash payments, invalid or out-of-date documentation and lack of customer knowledge about the chemical’s intended purpose.

Their government is investing financial resources as well. Australian Attorney General Robert McClelland said this year’s federal budget allocated $10 million to be used over the next four years to help manage the risk posed by terrorists using toxic weapons.

I believe we will see more governments throughout the globe continuing to address the issue of chemical terrorism.  It will become especially critical around events such as the COAG. Since we live in an increasingly global community, it only makes sense for us to work together sharing knowledge and solutions to ensure national security.

By guest blogger Michelle Goebel- Director, Marketing/Petrochemical & Energy at ADT Security Services

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