Tough new anti-terror laws on the cards for Australia
Publish date: 05 November 2004
Issue Number: 1211
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: Labour
Australia has three national security Bills in the pipeline that are expected to be pushed through federal parliament next month, leading to tighter controls on courtroom terrorism trials and heightened surveillance of suspects.
The Australian quotes Attorney-General Philip Ruddock as saying he might also revisit a law allowing children as young as 16 to be strip-searched, despite the Senate blocking the legislation last year. As well, under the proposed changes, lawyers who did not submit to background checks could be excluded from hearing sensitive evidence or from representing terrorist suspects altogether. Laws allowing more intrusive surveillance and to ensure the measures are closely regulated would also be introduced as a matter of urgency. Full report in The Australian
