What the new ASIO law allows

ASIO will be able to arrange for the Australian Federal Police to arrest and hold you for questioning for up to seven days. If this isn't long enough, another detention warrant can be issued.

You don't have to have committed, be committing or be suspected of any involvement in, a terrorist incident. Passive knowledge, acquired from any source, is enough.

You can be denied access to your family and friends. They need not know that you have been detained.

You can be denied access to a lawyer.

If you are allowed access to a lawyer, they can only see you if they have passed a security check (on the advice of the same people who requested your detention).

If you are allowed access to a lawyer, he or she can be removed for being "disruptive".

You must answer questions: failure to do so will be punishable by five years' imprisonment.

If you wish to complain, you have no legal redress. You do however have the right to write a letter of complaint to the Director-General of Security (the person who originally requested the warrant).

From Green Left Weekly, July 2, 2003.

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From GLW issue 544