THE laws permitting Australian Federal Police to remove nine men from their homes in co-ordinated, early morning raids across Melbourne’s West and North were part of existing anti-terrorist legislation.
Police said they built evidence over 18 months to indicate all the men belonged to a terrorist organisation, a charge that carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years.
The men are being held and are awaiting trial at Barwon Prison, near Geelong.
But new laws, announced by Attorney General Philip Ruddock in early November as “the toughest laws possible to prosecute those responsible should a terrorist attack occur”, will give authorities even more power.
The police held sufficient evidence to lay criminal charges against the nine Melbourne and eight Sydney men arrested last week, but once the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 is passed anyone suspected of being a security risk can be detained without charge.
“Preventative detention” will permit police to detain suspects without charge for up to 14 days, when it is considered necessary to prevent a terrorist act or preserve evidence of a terrorist act.
“Control orders” will place restrictions on suspects, including stopping them from seeing certain people or using the internet, leaving Australia, or being in particular places. The orders can last up to 12 months for adults, and three months for people aged 16 to 18.
Both sets of orders can be appealed by a suspect, but they can also be renewed indefinitely by police.
Shadow Attorney General and Gellibrand MP Nicola Roxon said in her address to Parliament last Thursday that the Labor Party agreed with the need for new tougher laws, but also wanted to ensure adequate safeguards and reviews.
