The federal government's $15 million campaign to educate Australians about terrorism with a fridge magnet has reportedly won an international award for being one of the most stupid security measures introduced since September 11.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported the Stupid Security competition, run by Privacy International, received almost 5,000 nominations from 35 countries.
The Howard Government took out the Most Egregiously Stupid Award for the kit, delivered to Australian homes urging people to report anything suspicious while asking them to be "alert but not alarmed".
In other awards, the Delta Terminal at New York's JFK Airport won the most flagrantly intrusive award for forcing a mother travelling with a four-month-old baby to drink three bottles of her own breast milk.
Security officers feared they contained explosives or chemical agents.
Heathrow Airport also won an award for quarantining a quantity of Gunpowder green tea - it was eventually allowed but the packaging bearing the Gunpowder labelling was confiscated and destroyed.
Stupid Security judge Tim Dixon said the Howard government's scheme stood out because of its scale, cost and its meaningless nature.
Attorney-General Daryl Williams who launched the fridge door anti-terrorism kit in February, declined to comment.
Winners receive a luxury package of Gunpowder tea. ==========================================
