Dale Mills
Both the Coalition and Labor parties plan to vote to extend emergency anti-terrorism laws for another 10 years, according to a March 29 AAP report. The laws, which came into force in mid-2003 as a temporary measure, are due to expire in July. Legislation to extend them to 2016 was introduced into the federal parliament on March 29.
The laws give the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) the power to compulsorily detain and question people. Last year the parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security recommended the powers be subject to a five-and-a-half year sunset clause.
John North, the president of the Law Council of Australia, the body representing Australia's lawyers, told the ABC on March 29 that the government has not justified the continuation of the powers.
"The Law Council is very surprised that they have put in a 10-year sunset clause when they have not yet since 2002 used the detention power under this act", North said. ASIO, he added, "should not be involved in police work, it should gather intelligence, not arrest possibly innocent Australians""
New anti-terrorism legislation was also introduced into the Northern Territory parliament on March 29. If passed, the legislation will give NT police powers similar to those held by given to police in other parts of Australia in relation to forcible detention and the searching of people not suspected of a crime. The legislation, to be reviewed in five years time, is expected to be passed in May. IT will give NT police the power declare any area a "special area" enabling them to stop, search and detain people.
From Green Left Weekly, April 5, 2006.
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