Victoria Police hosts international counter terrorism forum in Melbourne

Published:
Thursday 23 October 2025 at 1:34 pm

Melbourne has this week hosted some of the world’s leading counter terrorism experts as part of the Leadership in Counter Terrorism Alumni Association (LinCT-AA) 2025 international counter terrorism conference.

The forum, which is held bi-annually in both the northern and southern hemispheres, was run by Victoria Police and co-hosted by the Australia New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee, Australian Federal Police and ASIO.

The forum theme was ‘Navigating the complex security environment’ and drew on the knowledge and experience of law enforcement, emergency management, government and academia experts from around the world.

The bi-annual forum is based on the concept that terrorism prevention in the current environment is complex and requires challenging new ways of thinking.

The three-day program was opened on Monday by Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush and included presenters from a range of backgrounds including the FBI, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, UK Ministry of Defence, ASIO, Department of Home Affairs, and policing organisations from across Australia and the world.

Attendees also heard from a range of security experts working in private enterprise and global business organisations.

Diverse topics covered included:

  • International threats and the threat level;
  • The gateway to radicalisation and terrorism;
  • Critical incidents, the media and messaging;
  • Countering Violent Extremism programs;
  • The importance of leadership in combatting terrorism;
  • Ensuring safer public spaces;
  • Remembering victims and survivors;
  • The importance of partnerships;
  • Meeting the challenge of technology;
  • Challenges in custodial settings;
  • Young people and violent extremism; and
  • A range of Australian and international case studies.

The forum recognises that threat of terrorism and violent extremists has no bounds and that many common themes are being experienced by law enforcement agencies across the world.

It provides an opportunity for experts and leaders in this space to share information, methodology and intelligence to help create new and strengthen existing relationships in our united fight against terror.

The Victoria Police Counter Terrorism Command was established over a decade ago in May 2015.

The command assists all international and national stakeholders in education, training, prevention and disruption and provides a dedicated investigative and intelligence capability for the protection and safety of the Victorian community.

Quotes attributable to Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh, Counter Terrorism Command:

“This is a complex, challenging and changing environment and the opportunity to be able to bring together specialists and leaders from across Australia and the world is invaluable.

“The broad range of topics and case studies covered highlight the immense scope of challenges we face in the counter terrorism and issue motivated violence space.

“The national security environment is dynamic and fast moving, particularly when it comes to technology and the impact this has on investigations in particular.

“Sharing that knowledge and experiences from around the world is instrumental in shaping and leading innovation for all our agencies.

“It’s also about reflecting on how best practice can be implemented at every level – from our members on the front line through to things such as organisational policy and legislative change.

“This forum gave us the opportunity to reassess existing trends, look at what is happening now, what happened in the past and look to the future in order to inform our understanding of local, national and global threats.”

Victoria Police Media Unit

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