Two Australian victims out of intensive care

July 18, 2005

Adelaide woman Gillian Hicks and Tasmanian Ross Mallinson have both been moved out of intensive care as they recover from injuries received in the London bombings.

Ms Hicks, a London-based fashion designer, had both legs amputated, while Mr Mallinson, a computer programmer also based there, suffered head injuries that required surgery.

The Australian high commission said NSW woman Louise Barry was also improving in her recovery from back and neck injuries.

They are the three Australians remaining in hospital 11 days after the bombing attacks on three Underground trains and a bus in central London that left at least 55 people dead.

Melbourne man Sam Ly, 28, died from severe head injuries suffered in the bus bombing, while John Tulloch, 63, and Louise Sayer, 36, were released from hospital last week.

Meanwhile, Federal Transport Minister Warren Truss said yesterday that Australia's major transport networks would always be vulnerable to terrorist attacks such as the London bombings.

Mr Truss said that, while Sydney and Melbourne had adequate anti-terrorism measures in place, transport networks would always remain vulnerable.


"We've learnt from the experience in London that no matter what actions are taken, and in a city like London where perhaps the security measures are the most sophisticated of any large city in the world, that if somebody is prepared to give their own life in the cause of some kind of terrorism activity, it is very difficult to prevent that."


But he said Australia's smaller capital cities needed to do more to prevent potential attacks.



Mr Truss was speaking after giving his first major speech as transport minister.

He told more than 170 delegates at the Australian Rail Summit the Federal Government remained committed to an inter-state rail freight network and to a national approach to rail safety regulation.

