Operating in Australia? Speak with a security consultant.
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. Each state and territory has its own regulator and Act. A NSW licence does not by itself authorise work in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia or the ACT. Our Australia network coordinates this through operators holding licences in the relevant states for each deployment.
In NSW, police state that protecting another person is not a genuine reason for a firearms licence, and the 1F (Armed Guard) subclass covers guarding property. Queensland’s bodyguard licence does not authorise carrying firearms, and Western Australia requires a written authority from the Commissioner of Police for an armed security bodyguard. Close protection in Australia is planned as unarmed.
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.
Source: FCDO Travel Advice: Australia (2024). ASIO Annual Threat Assessment 2024. NSW Police: Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate. ASIAL Standards documentation.
Our vetted operators provide close protection and executive protection and security driver services across Australia. For a detailed local assessment, see our Sydney city briefing.
Cities We Cover
Sydney
Medium riskAustralia's primary commercial city and the hub for international corporate travel. ASIO national terrorism threat PROBABLE. The April 2024 Bondi Junction stabbing (6 killed) and December 2025 Bondi Beach attack (15 killed) have materially elevated venue security and crowd management demand.
View city guide →Canberra
Low riskAustralia's purpose-built federal capital, seat of Parliament House, the High Court and over 100 foreign missions concentrated in Yarralumla. Security licensing runs under its own ACT Security Industry Act 2003, administered by Access Canberra and separate from the NSW regime that governs the surrounding state. No history of Sydney's mass-casualty attacks; most demand is government and diplomatic-adjacent rather than corporate or retail.
View city guide →Security Regulations
Firearms
Each state and territory licenses firearms under its own law. NSW Police states that protecting another person is not a genuine reason for a firearms licence, and Victoria Police that self-defence is not a lawful reason. In Queensland a bodyguard licence does not authorise carrying firearms, and in Western Australia an armed security bodyguard needs a written authority from the Commissioner of Police given with the Minister's approval. Armed guard licences in NSW and the ACT cover property, not people.
Licensing
Security licensing is run by each state and territory, not nationally. New South Wales: Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (NSW Police Force), Security Industry Act 1997, class 1B Bodyguard. Victoria: Licensing and Regulation Division (Victoria Police), Private Security Act 2004, bodyguard endorsement. Queensland: Office of Fair Trading, Security Providers Act 1993, bodyguard licence. Western Australia: WA Police Force Licensing Services, Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996, security bodyguard licence. South Australia: Consumer and Business Services, Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995, security agent licence. Australian Capital Territory: Access Canberra, Security Industry Act 2003, subclass 1B.
Foreign Operators
A licence from one state does not by itself authorise work in another, but interstate and New Zealand licence holders can use mutual recognition or transfer routes in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, and temporary licences in Western Australia. Victoria offers a temporary permit for an overseas bodyguard at a special event. Otherwise none of these regulators describes a route for a security licence from another country, and NSW requires citizenship, permanent residence, New Zealand citizenship or a qualifying visa.
Sources, checked : NSW Police Force, Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate: class 1 licences; Service NSW, apply for a security operative licence; NSW Police Force, information on obtaining a firearms licence (fact sheet); Victoria Police, private security licensing; Victoria Police, temporary overseas bodyguard visitor permit: application instructions; Victoria Police, genuine reasons to hold a firearm licence; Queensland Government, Office of Fair Trading: apply for a bodyguard licence; Queensland Government, transfer to a Queensland security licence; Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996 (WA), as at 31 March 2025, sections 14A, 18A, 41 and 42A (legislation.wa.gov.au); Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995 (SA), sections 5 and 6 (legislation.sa.gov.au); Government of South Australia, apply for an employee security agent licence; Access Canberra, security industry licences.