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Anti-Terrorism
Laws Won’t be used in Demonstrations – Federal Police
Law Council Concerned
over Anti-Terrorism Laws
For details of submissions to the senate inquiry, go to http://www.greens.org.au/bobbrown/
The Government has introduced draconian new anti-terrorism
legislation that would allow authorities to detain people for up to 48 hours
without charge and without access to a lawyer.
Those detained would not even need to be suspected of terrorism. They
may simply be people that ASIO believes have information that would help them
with their inquiries. This could include journalists, lawyers, and politicians.
The legislation will also allow the Government sweeping new powers to ban
political organizations. The laws are
an affront to an open and democratic society and Senator Brown will be pushing
for their defeat in the Senate.
The laws include:
* powers for the Attorney General to ban organizations
"likely to endanger, the security or integrity of the Commonwealth or
another country." People who are members or assist proscribed
organizations face up to 25 years imprisonment;
* the creation of new offences of terrorism that could encompass
some union actions, civil disobedience and dissent;
* the power for ASIO to detain people for 48 hours incommunicado
without the right to silence or a lawyer.
Senate Inquiry
The bills have been sent to the Senate Legal and Constitutional
Committee for a public inquiry. It is vital that people make submissions
opposing the laws and also demanding more time for public input.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 5, 2002
ABC News - 19 April 02
The Australian Federal Police have ruled out using anti-terrorism
laws to quell demonstrations or break up picket lines.
A Senate inquiry into the proposed laws has received 300 submissions, many from groups concerned about civil liberties being eroded.
Federal Agent Ben McDevitt says the definition of terrorism in the
bill excludes lawful advocacy, protest and industrial action.
He has told the Senate charges decided on by police are checked
two or three times before going to the prosecutors for further scrutiny.
"Any demonstration, whether it be lawful or unlawful, I would
not see us as having any access to this particular offence in relation to a demonstration,"
he said.
"I just see clearly there is appropriate legislation already
for dealing with those sorts of offences."
Radio Australia News, 18 Feb 02
The Law Council of Australia wants the federal government to
justify the need for new counter terrorism laws before they're introduced to
parliament this week.
The Council's president, Tony Abbott, describes as extraordinary a
plan to give the Australian Security Intelligence Organization the power to
detain people not suspected of committing a crime for 48 hours, without access
to their family or a lawyer.
Mr Abbott says ASIO, police and other security agencies already
have adequate powers to gather intelligence and detain criminal suspects:
"We ought not allow a incursion into traditional areas of civil liberties
without a very good reason to do so. And for the government simply to say
‘reasons of national security’ is not good enough. They've got to go more and
show why in particular provisions are necessary."