Howard considers terrorism summit.

Howard considers terrorism summit. :

"The state leaders have written to Mr Howard, calling for an urgent heads of government meeting to discuss a coordinated approach to counter-terrorism."

There will be a method in their madness, there always is. It's the understanding of it which enables you to undo it and set the picture straight agin. I think the state leaders are correct in asking for this country to talk about it, air and consider the issues and then look at how we can co operate to mange it. Australia has had a long and successful history of managing public concerns by adopting a comprehensive approach to any threat to our community. It is not going to work if it is from the top down. But the pattern of using the top to consider the issues and then permeating that through our society so we all participate in it, will work because it has worked with all the other problems we have wished to correct. The people at the bottom have done the field work and have the experience, I said that yesterday, but the state and national leaders have other perspectives and networks. This is not something one or half a dozen people are going to solve with a meeting or two followed by edicts. It is going to take a wholesale approach which enlists us all and gives us all a part to play. Laws will not stop the lawless, but laws might help as they did with harassment, racism, smoking, occ health and safety. A co ordinated approach across each level of our community will work and we have the evidence to prove it. It'll come down to how serious we are about solving the problem.