As of the end of 2021, Australia’s National Terrorism Threat Level is probable, meaning there are individuals or groups that may have the intent to cause harm in Australia.

Against this backdrop, Standards Australia has published the handbook SA HB 188—“Base-building physical security handbook—Terrorism and extreme violence,” which guides best practice processes for protecting assets from physical terrorist threats and other acts of extreme violence.

The handbook, developed with Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC), the Australian Security Intelligence Agency (ASIO), and other industry stakeholders, explains how to identify and assess threats, develop strategies, and implement appropriate plans of action.

The handbook also leverages international standard ISO 31000:2018, “Risk management—A practical guide.” The ISO standard stipulates foundational concepts and principles of risk management and outlines a framework for identifying and managing risk.

“While attacks are few and far between in Australia, it’s important that there are proactive security measures in place,” says Roland Terry-Lloyd, Standards Australia’s Head of Standards Development. “Standards Australia is proud to have published a guiding document to support risk management that could positively benefit Australians.”

“The Handbook will help owners and operators of commercial buildings to identify and assess building risks linked to terrorism and other acts of extreme violence, and to apply suitable controls to mitigate the risks,” says Dr. Christopher Wallace, CEO of Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation.

“It was a privilege to work with Standards Australia on SA HB 188,” Wallace says. “The Standards Australia team guided ARPC and our stakeholders effortlessly through the process, producing a high-quality result.”