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Terror fears mar New Year's party
By Grant Holloway
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The shadow of Bali hangs over New Year's Eve celebrations in Australia this year as unprecedented security dampens the nation's usually indomitable party spirit. Revellers heading for the Sydney foreshore Tuesday found the areas around the Harbor Bridge and Opera House fenced off, with security guards checking bags before access was granted. Guards are also patrolling the main harborside vantage points, searching the bags and cooler bins of those who had gathered earlier to view the evening fireworks displays. All alcoholic beverages and glass containers were being confiscated. Two years ago as many as one million people gathered around Sydney Harbor to see in the new millennium and witness the celebrations. Numbers this year are expected to be considerably fewer amid fears that such large public gatherings could be the target for a terrorist attack. The police presence at New Year's events has been stepped up around the country, but authorities are quick to point out that they have had no indications of a specific terror attack being planned for this evening. The added security has more to do with calming a jittery public, spooked by the October 12 Bali nightclub bombings in which over 190 people, including 88 Australians, were killed. Australia has been on a medium-level security alert after the government said it had received credible information about a general terrorist threat over the country's summer. The New Year celebrations also come just a few days after the government launched a controversial national anti-terror advertising campaign. The $8.4 million (Aust. $15 million) campaign warns people to "be alert but not alarmed" and to report suspicious behavior to a national terrorist hotline. Critics say the campaign is unnecessarily scaring people and could feed public prejudice against minority groups in Australian society such as Muslims. By Tuesday morning, the hotline had received more than 1,000 calls. Campaign defendedAustralian Attorney General Daryl Williams told media the majority of the calls had been "people providing information about matters they have a concern about and people seeking a general assurance about, for example, attending a public event". Prime Minister John Howard also defended the campaign. "I think the tone was right, it was realistic but it was not alarmist, and it set out to say to people we don't want to change our way of life -- we do have to be more alert," he told radio listeners Tuesday. In his New Year's message, Mr Howard said terrorism had changed Australians' lives. "I have no doubt that Australians will adjust to a life that will require more vigilance but will nonetheless preserve the renowned Australian openness and freedom of action," he said. "It is possible to strike the right balance between alertness and freedom. As an egalitarian society, Australia is better able to achieve this balance than most."
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