Australia now has one of the most comprehensive ranges of anti-terrorism laws of any Western democracy. It’s time to think creatively about solutions, rather than continually reworking old strategies.
- Assistant Professor in Public Law and Human Rights, Durham University
Proposed new laws will restrict parole and bail to those merely associated in some way with terrorism, even when they have not be arrested for – or convicted of – a specific terrorism offence.
Detaining persons convicted of terrorist offences for lengthy periods after they have served their time could risk radicalising a section of the community who see the measure as unjust.
Preventive measures such as control orders should not be extended in the absence of evidence for their need or without safeguards.
The bill does not adequately balance the right of someone subjected to a control order to a fair trial and to know the case against them.
A control order is only useful where the police have sufficient intelligence about a person’s activity to apply for an order.
The third annual report of the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Bret Walker QC, was tabled in federal parliament last Thursday. Unlike the previous two reports, there was no press release…
Within a couple of weeks of each other, the independent monitors of counter-terrorism laws in both the UK and Australia have delivered their reports assessing the operation of national security legislation…
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