Osama bin Laden declared war on innocent people and today he has paid the price for that declaration. Osama bin Laden was directly responsible for despicable acts of violence against innocent people and he inspired acts of violence by others. Today of all days we remember the lives lost, particularly the lives of Australians. We remember the ten Australians who lost their lives on the 11th of September 2001. We remember the 88 Australians who lost their lives in Bali in October 2002. We remember the five Australians who in 2005 lost their lives in London and Bali and we remember as well the two Australians who lost their lives in Mumbai in November 2008. These Australians died in acts of violence. They died alongside people of many other nationalities and many other faiths. Their families still grieve their loss. We as a nation still remember their loss and we remember it today.
I trust that today's news comes as some small measure of justice for those who still grieve the loss of their loved ones. Just as people in Australia and around the world will always remember where they were when they first heard the news of 9/11 and just as we Australians will always remember where we were when we first heard the news of the Bali bombing, I believe each of us will always remember where we were when we heard of the death of Osama bin Laden. I welcome the death of Osama bin Laden. I welcome this news and I thank President Obama and the U.S forces who have made this possible and I also take this opportunity to thank Pakistan for working with them on ensuring that Osama bin Laden was brought to justice in this way.
Can I say too, about the death of Osama bin Laden, that whilst Al Qaeda has been hurt today, Al Qaeda is not finished. Our war against terrorism must continue. We continue to be engaged in Afghanistan so that that country does not again become a haven for terrorists. That work will need to continue, that work has already cost Australian lives but that work is vital and we will continue the mission in Afghanistan. That's a mission I had the opportunity to talk to President Obama about when I visited Washington.
In addition to considering the continuation of our work in Afghanistan we do, as a country, need to make continuing preparations against acts of terrorism. The kind of security work we do as a country, we must continue to do that work. I think it's very important that Australians do not succumb to the impression that with Osama bin Laden gone, that Al Qaeda is gone. Its leader is gone but Al Qaeda still poses danger for Australians and we will continue to make proper preparations in the face of those dangers.
I've the opportunity today through the National Security Committee to take advice form relevant agencies about the implications of Osama bin Laden's death. One of those implications that I want to draw people's attention to is we have updated the general travel advisories issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. People may have already seen on the television that the U.S Government has issued a world-wide travel alert. Our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has advised all embassies and consulates of the need for security awareness following the death of Osama bin Laden and we are advising Australians in areas likely to be affected by gatherings outside hotels, gatherings and demonstrations to exercise enhanced vigilance regarding their personal security. They should continue to monitor the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website for further information and of course we always strongly recommend that Australian travellers register with the Department's website.
Can I conclude by saying that every Australian was touched and affected by acts of terror by Al Qaeda, by the losses we saw in Bali, by the losses we saw in New York, by the losses of Australian lives we saw in other parts of the world. Consequently, I believe every Australian will be touched by this news today. They will think about its implications. They will remember the grief of their fellow Australians, they will spare some time to think about them today but they will also reflect on the fact that justice has been done.
