Places of Mass Gathering

Places of Mass Gathering are characterised by the concentration of people on a predictable basis, in venues or precincts that are open or enclosed.

Places of mass gathering may include but are not limited to:

• Sporting venues
• Shopping complexes
• Business precincts
• Tourist attractions
• Hotels and convention centres
• Public transport hubs
• Major planned events

They are potentially attractive targets for terrorist attack. By their very nature, these places provide easy access for the congregation or transit of large volumes of people with minimal physical restrictions. This presents terrorists with various opportunities for acts of symbolism, high impact imagery, mass casualties and economic loss.

Places of mass gathering do not fit the traditional definition of critical infrastructure as it is their visitors, customers and patrons that would be targeted in addition to the buildings themselves.

Guided Self Assessment

The Guided Self Assessment tool (GSA) will assist you as an owner and operator to assess the attractiveness of your venue to terrorist attack.

If you are an owner and operator of a place of mass gathering please click here and select the state where your place of mass gathering is located.  You will then be directed to your relevant jurisdictional GSA web page. 

National Counter Terrorism Committee (NCTC) – National Approach

The NCTC endorsed – National Approach for the Protection of Places of Mass Gathering from Terrorism [PDF 1MB]  has been developed to ensure a nationally consistent approach to protection of places of mass gathering.

It outlines the roles and responsibilities for key government stakeholders for the protection of places of mass gathering. The National Approach can be accessed here.