Governments debate more terrorism laws
Tomorrow the Council of Australian Governments will meet to discuss the federal government’s proposals for upgrading terrorism laws, which were announced earlier this month. The key changes include control orders that could see one-year travel restrictions placed on suspected terrorism offenders, as well as preventitive detention and extension of search powers. On the weekend, the federal Attorny-General Phillip Ruddock defended the proposed changes, saying that they will give governments more flexibility in dealing with terrorism suspects. Civil libertarians and Muslim groups on the other hand have expressed concern that tougher terrorism laws will infringe on our rights and discriminate against certain groups. Last Friday, a coalition of civil rights and legal groups released a report on the proposed changes to legislation that raised concerns over not only the proposals, but the lack of justification for them. Patrick Emerton, an Assistant Lecturer in Law at Monash University and a co-author of the report, spoke today to Bill Birtles about whether the changes to current counter-terrorism laws are justified.