A VICTORIAN terrorism -expert said he believes it's a case of "when" and not "if" terrorists attack a major sporting or cultural event in Australia.
Professor Jeffrey Lewis, from RMIT University, warned that Australian sports fans and major event-goers face the prospect of more stringent security checks in light of the Paris attacks.
A terrorist wearing a suicide vest unsuccessfully tried to enter Paris's Stade de France on Friday night for the France-Germany soccer international before detonating his device outside the stadium. 
Melbourne's first major sporting event since the Paris attacks passed peacefully yesterday with the staging of UFC 193 at Etihad Stadium.
Stringent bag checks took place at each gate of the Docklands stadium. Large queues were evident at several entrances and a large number of drink bottles confiscated by security staff.
Professor Lewis said potential terrorists had already discussed hitting a sporting event Down Under.
"I know this has been discussed by extremist groups in Australia as a zenith of interest but whether they have the resources, organisation and capability to undertake an attack like this remains to be seen," he said.
"There's no doubt that events in Paris will have caused anxiety around the world and it's not surprising that terrorists chose to target pleasure or entertainment spots which are iconic with Western culture.
"I've been thinking about this a lot recently as these types of events are seen as soft targets. I've been to the footy at the MCG and some of the bag checks are pretty cursory.
"I think bag checks will be a lot more stringent in future.
"Bag checks have been pretty lax in the past, so that makes sporting venues vulnerable to the sort of attacks we saw at the Bataclan theatre in Paris. I think fans will have to -accept longer queues in future.
"And considering three of the terrorists at the theatre brought Kalashnikovs inside with them, there may also need to be more investment by stadium operators on things like metal detectors." Security expert and Intelligent Risks chief executive Neil Fergus said there was no guarantee that Australia could continue to thwart conspiracy after conspiracy.
"The bottom line is there are a number of people in Melbourne and the eastern states who are of concern to the -national agencies," Mr Fergus said.
ASIO has stated about 160 people in Australia were active supporters of Islamic State or other terror groups.
The resources required to monitor homegrown threats were "quite stupendous", requiring online, telecommunications and physical surveillance information from within communities and covert sources, Mr Fergus said. "There are some real pressures on the agencies." Mr Fergus said although legislation was in place, Australia needed to review its ability to quickly deploy military personnel in the event of an attack on multiple sites.
UFC fan Tanya Weeks, from Doncaster, said most people were understanding of the tight security yesterday.
"What happened in France was terrible, so it's understandable that people are a bit on edge," she said. "We are having to wait a little bit longer to get in but nothing worse than a big AFL game." Victoria Police took a low-key approach to the UFC event with several officers stationed at each gate with other officers patrolling the stadium. Etihad Stadium communications manager Bill Lane said safety of patrons was paramount.
"We are in regular communication with Victoria Police before, after and during all our events and we'll continue to maintain that close contact in terms of how we go about our security," Mr Lane said. "Bag checks are a public component of our security and we will continue to be thorough and persistent." andrew.jefferson@news.com.au@AndyJeffo