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Australians 'entitled' to fear attacks

Australians are justified in feeling nervous about a terrorist attack on home soil, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty confirmed around 60 suspected Islamic extremists were operating in Australia.

His confirmation followed comments by former Australian Security intelligence Organisation (ASIO) officer Michael Roach that there were some 60 extremists living in Australia in terrorist cells, with an attack on home soil inevitable.

Mr. Ruddock said he couldn't be precise about the figure but said it was important to acknowledge their presence.

"That's not a figure that I can speak about with any precision and it would be quite inappropriate to do so," he told the Nine Network.

"It's important I think to acknowledge that people have trained with al-Qaeda.

"It's certainly safe to assume there are a number of people in Australia who have trained with terrorist organisations, but intelligence information in relation to that is not something that we deal with."

Mr. Ruddock agreed Australians were entitled to feel nervous about a terrorist attack in Australia.

"I think they should be because when you know we've been targeted and our interests have been targeted on as many occasions as they have, it'd be naive to believe that those intent on doing harm don't still have it in mind," he said.

An SMS and email alert system will be a key measure in an evacuation plan for central Sydney in the event of a terror attack, NSW Premier Morris Iemma says.

Mr. Iemma has revealed details of his counter-terrorism evacuation plan in which SMS and email alerts would be sent to building managers and fire wardens across the city centre in the event of an attack.

The plan also divides the city into three distinct evacuation zones.

The city north area takes in the financial district north of King Street, the mid-city includes Town Hall and the Pitt Street Mall, and the city south stretches to Haymarket.

The security alert system will direct people to evacuation sites which include the Domain-Botanical Gardens, Hyde Park and Darling Harbour.

The evacuation process would be assisted by safety marshals who are specially trained members of the NSW Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service.

A purpose-built state coordination centre would also be established to deal with significant incidents.

"We have to be prepared. This is a plan put together with our experts ... it's based on learning lessons from other cities where attacks have occurred, it is about managing the risk and I hope that we are all wasting our time in doing this, but we have to be prepared."