Security Services in Australia

Australia is a major corporate travel destination and a consistent market for professional security services. Sydney is the primary entry point for international business and hosts most of the CP demand. The threat environment sits at medium level: physical crime is far lower than comparable US or UK cities, but the terrorism threat is formally assessed as probable, and 2024 and 2025 saw mass casualty knife attacks in Sydney that shifted the public and corporate risk picture significantly.

ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation) maintains the national terrorism threat level at PROBABLE. This assessment has been consistent for several years and reflects both domestic radicalisation and the broader global Islamist threat. FCDO rates Australia as having a high terrorism threat.

State-based licensing

Australia’s security licensing is administered at state level, which creates operational complexity for multi-city deployments. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia each have separate licensing frameworks. An operator licensed in NSW requires separate licensing to work in Victoria. Our Australia network coordinates this through operators holding licences in the relevant states for each deployment.

The Arms (Firearms) licensing process for CP operatives in NSW requires an application to the NSW Police Firearms Registry demonstrating genuine occupational need. It is not a short administrative process. Armed deployments require advance planning.

The 2024 and 2025 attacks

The April 2024 Bondi Junction shopping centre stabbing (6 killed) and the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack (15 killed) represented a material change in Australia’s attack history. Both occurred in high-profile, high-footfall civilian locations in Sydney’s most prominent areas. The combination of soft-target locations and high casualties forced a significant reassessment of venue security requirements among event organisers, venue operators, and corporate clients.

Demand for crowd management, venue assessment, and event security services in Sydney has not returned to pre-2024 norms. The attacks normalised professional security in environments that previously operated without it.

Operational environment

Sydney’s day-to-day risk for corporate visitors is manageable. The key planning factors are airport transfers, hotel and venue assessment for high-profile visits, and crowd management for attended events. The terrorism risk is real but not concentrated in any single district or geography. Standard CP protocols and situational awareness are the appropriate response to the current threat level.

Resources sector and remote operations

Australia’s mining and resources sector generates a distinct CP demand profile. Perth-based executives in the LNG, iron ore, and gold mining sectors travel to operations in remote Western Australia, Papua New Guinea, and other regional jurisdictions with materially different risk profiles from Sydney or Melbourne. The fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce model and remote site operations create security planning requirements that differ from urban CP. Our Australia network includes operators with resources sector experience and familiarity with FIFO site security protocols.

For executives covering both Australian urban operations and regional or international resource-sector travel, a coordinated programme that addresses both the domestic urban environment and the remote/international exposure is the appropriate structure.

Source: FCDO Travel Advice: Australia (2024). ASIO Annual Threat Assessment 2024. NSW Police: Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate. ASIAL Standards documentation.

Our in-country operations cover the following city: Sydney.

For professional support in this region, see our executive protection services.

For a detailed guide to close protection across the Asia-Pacific region – including ASIO’s threat rating, the Bondi Junction 2024 and Bondi Beach 2025 attacks, and NSW security licensing – see our close protection Asia-Pacific guide.