I left England for Australia a day after the first terrorist attack on London and am here for a further two weeks. I have therefore been watching events unfurl in the UK through the eyes of a population on the other side of the world.

It is indicative of the fact that terrorism is now a whole-world problem that the monstrous acts perpetrated by these deluded young men have occupied the same position in the Australian media as at home.

There is the same distress for the bereaved and injured; there is the same incomprehension that any belief system can produce a mindset that sees random killing as acceptable; there is also the same determination to refuse to allow the perverted, the murderous and the depraved to dictate how we live our lives.

There is the same overwhelming sadness that a Brazilian electrician has perished at their hands too. And, however much we regret that further tragic, unnecessary death, it is clear beyond doubt that it is the direct responsibility of the perpetrators of the first and second attacks and not the unfortunate police officer or officers who obeyed their difficult instructions in a situation where a decision had to be made in a heartbeat.

The policemen that killed that young man are further victims of the mad, distorted ideology that spawns murderous mayhem. And that memory will be with them for the rest of their lives.

But it has been helpful and comforting as a Briton half a world away from home, to know that the Australian nation, which somewhat unpredictably and illogically recently voted to retain, as its nominal head, our Queen, still shares our sorrows as if they were their own.

The single exception to that lies on the cricket field. Their triumphalist glee and use of words like "thrash" "whitewash" and "obliterate the Poms" are, however, put in context by their sympathy and compassion in the "real world" of terrorist activity.

It has been interesting, too, to see the reaction of the media down under to the astonishing detection benefits of the use of CCTV cameras. There is a nationwide demand from politicians and commentators alike for serious investment in CCTV in order to give Australia the same ability to at least detect and identify (if not deter) terrorists. Our own CCTV cameras have in this case been demonstrated to enhance rather than restrict civil liberties.