 Well, Interpol Secretary-General, Yergin Stock, Vice-Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Griggs. Delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it's my very great pleasure to extend on behalf of the Australian Government a very warm welcome to our nation's capital and to this parliament. It's wonderful to see over 70 countries and over 300 people attending this very important forum and impressive gathering to discuss a very important issue. And the Australian Government is privileged to host this inaugural counter-improvised explosive device and counter-terrorism leaders forum on behalf of Interpol. This parliament makes decisions on whether to use the military dimension of Australia's national power in support of our interests. The troops that respond to those decisions are all too often exposed to risk and increasingly in recent years the risk from improvised explosive devices or ADs. As you consider responses to this threat, over the next three days our parliament is very pleased to host your discussions. As a former 31-year veteran of the Australian Regular Army I've had pletiful opportunities to see the awful and indiscriminate effects and consequences of ADs. It's a matter that's very close to my heart. And I know my friend Defence Minister Kevin Andrews who is on a bilateral visit to India and all of our colleagues are focused on doing everything we can to support the force, protection of our troops and those of our friends and allies. We therefore warmly welcome this inaugural forum which explores the link between terrorism and IEDs and it's a link that is an increasingly dangerous one. IEDs are present in approximately 80% of terrorist activity around the globe. Unfortunately threat actors are employing IEDs in growing numbers around the world and they are constantly adapting and evolving these weapons. They are being used to threaten the legitimacy, authority and the rule of the law of nations, particularly in developing or post-conflict fragile space. And this trend will continue because IEDs are a low-cost high return weapon system that is readily available as we saw from the introductory video for $30 a single person can have a strategic effect. It's anticipated that future warfare including terrorism will continue to place importance on the use of IEDs. The techniques and knowledge will continue to proliferate including in our region of the world. A number of our regional neighbours are facing internal threats from IEDs on a daily basis and I can recall in 2009 while First Assistant Secretary in Defence threw a defence cooperation programme assisting the Royal Taiwan Forces through the provision of bombsets. And in those days the IED threat in Thailand was pretty much constrained to the southern insurgency. But as we saw on 17 August IEDs now threaten Thailand's bigger city. Australia as with almost every nation has been seriously impacted by the use of IEDs or even the threat of IEDs. A single individual with a firearm and the threat of a bomb in a backpack was enough to shut down an entire city block in Sydney last December. Terrorist attacks in Australia, in Bali, in London and elsewhere have seen the intentional targeting of innocent civilians who have been killed, maimed and emotionally scarred by these hideous weapons. Australian security and law enforcement agencies have been able to stop a number of imminent terrorist-related attacks on Australian soil that included the potential use of IEDs. And this response has been enabled through our national security strategy which provides a framework of national security objectives to combat the terrorists and their indiscriminate use of such weapons. As a member of Parliament's Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security I'm pleased to say that we've also passed new laws to give our police and security agencies the powers they need to keep us safe. Four solid pieces of legislation in the last 12 months and on Friday we'll be announcing the next committee report in relation to the citizenship legislation that's currently before the Parliament. The recent success in warding attack planes in Australia demonstrates the value of strong institutional structures and investment to strengthen our diplomacy, defence, border protection, law enforcement and intelligence. Through these connections within Australia's interagency and with like-minded friends and allies a more effective whole of government response to this threat is possible particularly by sharing information with international partners. The IED threat has been and continues to be the Australian Defence Forces operational environment and is likely to be so for the foreseeable future. We saw in the video the Chief of the Defence Force Mark Binskin reporting yet another Australian combat casualty from IEDs and in recent military operations 54% of Australian troops killed or wounded have been as a direct result of improvised explosive devices. To ensure that our force protection measures adapt and evolve to the threat we must continue to invest in this area. Australia like many nations has increased its counter-terrorism efforts and specifically in relation to IEDs. One of the most significant changes has been the permanent establishment of a counter-IED task force within the Australian Defence Force. This task force is an integral component of our counter-IED strategy. The task force is a focal point for collaboration with industry, allies and regional partners. It exchanges information, provides advice and co-develops new technology and training responses. This has helped improve capability for our partners, regional neighbours and ourselves. Australia also continues to be at the cutting edge of defence, science and technology improvements needed to address this global threat. One example is the development of an IED detector by the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group in consultation with industry. The detector combines world-leading Australian detection technology with cutting edge ground penetrating radar to locate and identify low-signature content IEDs in challenging soil conditions. Moreover, under Defence's Red Wing program, Australia has developed low-cost, robust and lightweight force protection systems. The equipment has particular application for use in austere operating environments by military and police units as it requires minimal-operated training and limited logistic support. Through this project, the Australian Government has invested up to $50 million in the Australian Defence manufacturing industry. This investment demonstrates Defence's ability to leverage domestic counter-ID technology into jobs for Australians. It's a great example of collaboration between Defence and industry and it shows how innovation, entrepreneurship can develop unique solutions to a persistent threat in almost every conflict zone around the world. With Defence industry partners supporting an accelerated production schedule, delivery of this vital equipment to Afghanistan commenced in January and has now been entirely delivered. I hear as I step to some of our Defence colleagues this morning some wonderful force protection results are resulting from this equipment. The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces are now deploying this equipment in the current fighting season, their first without significant coalition support. Australians stand shoulder to shoulder with worldwide military and law enforcement agencies in the fight against IED proliferation and the disruption of the networks that use them. That's why the initiative to partner with Interpol and the Australian Federal Police to organise and deliver this forum stands as a testament to our resolve. In addition to our own IED experiences and that of other militaries, Australia has observed a global trend of increasing attacks against humanitarian and emergency aid workers, against emergency first responders like medics and ambulances, UN mission members and innocent civilians who suffer most from the indiscriminate effects of IEDs. These people and organisations are often the least prepared and the least protected. That said, the use of IEDs and their connection to terrorism is certainly not new. What is apparent however are the global connections through the internet which help link terrorist organisations to those individuals we identify as lone wolves. The ability of terrorists to share information through social media and the internet promotes the use of construction of IEDs anywhere at any time. Their intention is to build capability and then decentralise the mayhem and assist the capacity of like-minded groups and individuals by sharing information and supplying precursors, materials and components. These terrorist networks are far-reaching, some even operate under a franchise model. It is apparent that the very things that enable globalisation for the good of mankind can also be the very things that enable global transnational threats to mankind. And just as there is a growing demand for internationalism to meet global threats like pandemics and global warming, an international approach to countering the pandemic of IEDs is also required. To effectively combat this threat, Australia believes that a global network or a global alliance is required to coordinate efforts and share information on counter IED technologies, on precursor materials and on those who construct and use these weapons. And in targeting the threat we must focus on the IED enablers, particularly the funders, the developers and the proliferators. As all nations are now under threat from IEDs, all nations are welcome to contribute their experiences and their ideas towards collective solutions. And what that requires is a sustained partnership with law enforcement and across a broad range of political and economic pursuits. Australia acknowledges that global threats can't be prevented just through border controls or the efforts of any single nation. We must work together to get to this problem's roots, to build collective capacity and to use the strong institutional structures in many countries here in this room to strengthen the institutional responses in those countries that need it most. We must also continue to develop the universal narrative to counter the law of the dissidents and the extremists, to work against that silent song of transnational ideology we must affect the terrorists' freedom of action at every opportunity, including by disrupting their established global supply chain. A fundamental objective underpinning this response is to establish and maintain the mechanisms for greater information sharing and collaboration. Now, it is appreciated that there is a high level of sensitivity about ID information and historically an apprehension to share it. This represents an issue of trust and perhaps the single greatest challenge facing any global effort. But it is a challenge which we must discuss and it must be resolved if we are to defeat this threat. As the opening video said, I quote, by working together, by drawing on each other's experiences, the global counter ID community can tackle this threat together. Perhaps the most important message that I would like to deliver and convey to this forum is the necessity to focus on the very thing that terrorist networks have relied upon and that is the sharing of information. Our weakness has become their strength and that must be reversed. Australian acknowledges that other nations, organisations and alliances are already working together and working hard on this issue, as are we. To name a few things that are happening, NATO through its alliance and the counter-ID centre of excellence in Spain. The United Nations with its efforts to address the ID threat under protocol two of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and of course UN Resolution 2178, which recognises Interpol in its global role against foreign terrorist fighters. Additionally, the African Union has developed programs for peace and stability. Within Australia, the efforts of the Australian Federal Police through its sponsorship of the South East Asia Bomb Data Working Group, International Bomb Data Centre Affiliations and its own regional training efforts has contributed to addressing improvised explosive devices within our region. But it would be remiss of me not to make special mention of Interpol. As the world's largest police organisation, its 190 member nations represented here today by the Secretary General and by the representatives from so many of its member nations plays a vital role. Interpol has a unique ability to facilitate international police cooperation. Policemen like soldiers can develop relationships across borders, which often endure with other aspects of the bilateral and multirate that lateral relationship may not be strong or may be tested. Our uniform diplomacy and the comradeship on which it is based can be particularly valuable in strengthening counter-ID cooperation. As already mentioned, the UN Resolution 2178 acknowledges Interpol's vital role in preventing the international travel of foreign fighters, including the use of Interpol's stolen and lost travel documents database as well as iCheckit. As a screening measure, iCheckit has enabled companies in the transport, banking and tourism industries to submit passport information for screening against the Interpol database, which contains more than 43 million records from 167 countries. It is also noteworthy that Interpol through the National Central Bureau has formed a dedicated foreign terrorist fighter program in partnership with the US National Security Council, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. These exemplars demonstrate where there is a willingness to address this global issue a coalition of the willing can be formed. And so this forum will do good work in examining the current global effort. It will help identify current communities of action, identify mechanisms to promote collaboration between them and where possible to establish alliances beyond those already established in order to develop a greater unity of purpose to defeat the scourge of IEDs. This Leaders Forum presents a unique opportunity in bringing together key leaders from government, law enforcement and the military to enhance counter IED relationships between nations and institutions. It provides the platform to develop action plans and to bridge information gaps between military and law enforcement. The forum offers the opportunity to bring the global counter IED community closer together and it's anticipated this forum will agree to the establishment of ongoing programs of work designed to enable the military, government and law enforcement agencies to more effectively and efficiently combat this threat. It will also provide the Government of Australia insights on how we might further develop our counter IED and national security objectives. These objectives will always encompass consideration of how Australia can contribute best to a truly global counter IED effort. The Australian Government seeks to ensure that this forum is only the first step towards establishing a stronger, more focused and enduring global counter IED network, one that is designed to increase awareness, share information and promote cooperation to enhance public safety both here and overseas. Australia looks forward to participating fully over the next three days because if we ignore the global IED problem today we can sign future generations to the threat of even more sophisticated globally active IED networks tomorrow. That's why in a busy and demanding world I thank you again for taking the time to attend this forum. And for helping us to develop an effective response to this terrible threat that kills and maims so many of our people. Thank you so much.