Australia's new anti-terror laws raise widespread concern

ABC Asia Pacific TV
Oct. 18, 2005

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard says the Federal Government's new anti-terror laws will go before parliament in two weeks.

However, our reporter Adele Hodge says there is still debate within the Coalition about the exact wording of the legislation.

It is understood a Coalition backbench committee advising Attorney General Philip Ruddock on the anti-terror laws is concerned about ensuring they strike a balance between security and the freedoms Australians currently enjoy.

Liberal Senator Garry Humphries will not specify what the sticking points are.

"What the outcome of that will be, depends very much on the course of those negotiations, but it's too early to say at this stage," he said.

The ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, who posted a draft of the legislation on his website, says the discussions should be public, but Mr Howard disagrees.

"There have already been changes," Mr Howard said.

"As to the final shape of it, it will reflect what we agreed."

Mr Stanhope has written to his state and territory counterparts raising concerns the bills are being rushed through.

New laws raise alarm in Muslim communities

Meanwhile, the Australia Federation of Islamic Councils says further alarm has been raised in Muslim communities by the publicly released copy of the anti-terror laws.

The federation's president, Ameer Ali, says they were shocked by some of the measures, particularly the possibility that police arresting someone will be able to use lethal force.

Doctor Ali says the draft has sparked new concerns about the erosion of people's civil liberties and he hopes a more acceptable version of the Act will be released after final changes are made.

"Not only the Muslim, it has increased the alarm of the wider community," he said.

"A lot of people are saying that are we descending towards a police state but some of these laws will be targetted at the Muslim community that they're worried and we have to get the assurance from the government that it will not happen."

Australia conducts major counter-terrorism exercise

Australian police and defence force personnel are engaged in Australia's biggest national counter-terrorism exercise, in preparation for next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Our reporter Georgia Spokes says about 4,000 personnel across the country are involved in the four day exercise.

It is designed to test the capacity of state and federal agencies to prevent, respond to and recover from a terrorist attack during next year's games.

Four command posts have been established at Bendigo, in central Victoria, while the police operation centre is based in Melbourne, in the southern state of Victoria.