New terror laws: No to Howard’s police state

Australia: "PM John Howard announced on September 8 an 'unusual but necessary' increase in the state’s repressive armament, supposedly to fight the 'war on terror'.

"Taking his cue from British PM Tony Blair following the terrorist bombings in London, Howard is seizing the opportunity to introduce draconian new 'anti-terror' laws, adding to a plethora of existing 'anti-terror' legislation. The new laws will, according to many commentators, move Australia decisively towards becoming a police state.

"The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation already has the power to snatch people from the streets and hold them incognito for a week on the basis that they might have some terror-related information. Those 'disappeared' by ASIO have no right to a lawyer and no right to silence.

"Under the existing National Security Information Act, the government can order secret trials of alleged terrorists. It can also order that witnesses not be cross-examined, that the accused not be in court to respond to their accusers, that the accused's lawyers get 'security clearances' from ASIO and that 'certificates of evidence' issued by the attorney-general be accepted without question by the courts. Such certificates can prevent the court from seeing relevant evidence, but tell it what that evidence proves in the case.

"This act is being used for the first time in the trial against 'terror suspect' Jack Thomas. His lawyer, Rob Stary, has had to obtain a security clearance in order to accompany him to court and the prosecution wants the entire trial to be held in secret.

"Now the Howard government wants more power to intimidate and hamper those it deems a 'threat' to national security. Howard has said that key elements of the new legislation include:

"The Australian Federal Police (AFP) being able to obtain court orders to restrict the movement of people they consider 'terrorism risks'. This will include being able to 'electronically tag' people and restrict who they can meet - in effect a 12-month home detention regime without having committed an offence.

"'Preventive detention' of suspects for up to 14 days. That is, people can be put in jail for two weeks at a time if they are deemed a 'terrorism risk'. The federal government will need state governments' cooperation to implement this as constitutionally it can only legislate for 48 hours’ detention.

"The AFP will be given the power to stop, question and search people in the streets.

"New migrants will have to wait three instead of two years to apply for citizenship. That this change has been included in an “anti-terror law” package speaks volumes about the racist inclinations of our government.

"A new offence of leaving bags unattended at airports.

"Changing sedition laws to make it an offence to 'incite violence' in the community or against Australian troops overseas. This will carry a seven-year jail term.

"Some state Labor premiers have said they will approach the new laws with 'an open mind' and the federal ALP has said that it will support measures that protect Australians from terrorist attack. Yet even Howard has said that there is no guarantee these laws will do that."
Green Left Weekly

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Tagged: australia, blair, bliar, terrorism, law, laws, legislation, howard, liberty, liberties, civil, human, rights, islam, muslim, muslims