New from the Curfew and Rendition state
WA passes new counter-terrorism laws
Western Australian police will soon have the power to enter the homes of terrorist suspects and seize their possessions under new counter-terrorism laws passed through State Parliament.
Legislation, approved in the Upper House overnight, will allow police to apply to the courts for covert search warrants in the event of a terrorism threat.
The Police Commissioner will also be allowed to issue a warrant for searches of suspects and their vehicles.
The legislation was passed after a compromise between the Government and the Opposition which will ensure suspects can appeal in court against a commissioner's warrant after it has expired.
The Greens failed in an attempt to have a sunset clause halved from 10 to five years.
Greens MP Giz Watson has questioned how long police will need the extraordinary powers.
"I think 10 years is a very long time. Quite frankly I have doubts that once this bill becomes an act it'll ever be removed from the books, but that remains to be seen. I think five years is quite long enough," she said.
Upper House Liberal George Cash told Parliament he remains unhappy that suspects will not be able to challenge a live warrant.
"However, having regard to potential terrorist threats and indeed terrorist attacks, I have got to be a realist and look at the wider community good and when I do that, I come down on the side of enabling the commissioner to do his job without any frustration at all for the period that the warrant exists," he said.
The Government says the sunset clause matches that included in the Commonwealth's counter-terrorism legislation.
The new laws are expected to be in place by the end of the year. END
This ALP police state has racist curfew and rendition policies in place and police were recently found to be practising electrical torture and stealing pensioners pain relief morphine. On police state matters the Alternative Liberal Party is invariably to the right of the Tories.
Western Australian police will soon have the power to enter the homes of terrorist suspects and seize their possessions under new counter-terrorism laws passed through State Parliament.
Legislation, approved in the Upper House overnight, will allow police to apply to the courts for covert search warrants in the event of a terrorism threat.
The Police Commissioner will also be allowed to issue a warrant for searches of suspects and their vehicles.
The legislation was passed after a compromise between the Government and the Opposition which will ensure suspects can appeal in court against a commissioner's warrant after it has expired.
The Greens failed in an attempt to have a sunset clause halved from 10 to five years.
Greens MP Giz Watson has questioned how long police will need the extraordinary powers.
"I think 10 years is a very long time. Quite frankly I have doubts that once this bill becomes an act it'll ever be removed from the books, but that remains to be seen. I think five years is quite long enough," she said.
Upper House Liberal George Cash told Parliament he remains unhappy that suspects will not be able to challenge a live warrant.
"However, having regard to potential terrorist threats and indeed terrorist attacks, I have got to be a realist and look at the wider community good and when I do that, I come down on the side of enabling the commissioner to do his job without any frustration at all for the period that the warrant exists," he said.
The Government says the sunset clause matches that included in the Commonwealth's counter-terrorism legislation.
The new laws are expected to be in place by the end of the year. END
This ALP police state has racist curfew and rendition policies in place and police were recently found to be practising electrical torture and stealing pensioners pain relief morphine. On police state matters the Alternative Liberal Party is invariably to the right of the Tories.
posted by professor rat at 5:35 PM
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