Australia PM Malcolm Turnbull is "seeking a deal with premiers on Friday to launch a security upgrade at the nation's biggest public events," as the London terrorist attacks "heighten concern about assaults on crowded venues in Australia," according to David Crowe of THE AUSTRALIAN. Federal and state leaders will negotiate "stronger protection" for venues such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground to defend against improvised bombs and "lone wolf" attacks, "amid warnings about the lack of practical guidance on dealing with threats." Australia Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Tony Sheehan will brief the meeting on a "new approach to safeguarding Australians who gather at sport and entertainment arenas or urban hubs such as Melbourne's Federation Square -- the target for a foiled terrorist attack in December." The security changes on the agenda this Friday will need federal and state agreement to pay for upgrades to public facilities, "clearing the way for new barriers to be constructed" to prevent trucks from being used as weapons against civilians, as seen in Nice, France, last July and Berlin in December. Turnbull said that the London attacks were another reminder that the threat of "Islamist terrorism" needed to be fought in Sydney and Melbourne. Turnbull: "These criminals, these terrorists, are cowards. There is nothing heroic in what they do" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 6/6).
