Police gain new anti-terror search powers [Australia]

Police gain new anti-terror search powers

news.ninemsn.com.au

Police have been given new powers to enter a home without a warrant under new anti-terror laws.

Labor and the coalition voted together in the Senate on Monday to pass the legislation, and defeat a series of Green amendments.

Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the legislation would give the Australian Federal Police and security agencies the tools they needed to fight terrorism, with appropriate safeguards

(visit the link for the full news article)

Australia may have a hung Government but that hasn't stoped Labour and the Coalition from joining forces and passing this new set of laws to again diminish our rights.
Forget the fact that no major terrorist act has ever occured on Australian soil..
Police and the AFP can now enter your home without a warrant if even the slightest hint of terrorist activity is suggested.
It doesn't take a genius to work out how this will end.
Same as the tasers that were only meant to be used as a replacement for deadly force but are now used on children and grannies..
The Greens did try for amendments to these laws but were voted down..
Welcome to 1984 Australia..

news.ninemsn.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

I can't believe that the Australian people would stand for this. This definitely raises concern. Pay attention to whose doors get knocked down first. It would have been nice if the Australian people had a constitution of some sort. They probably do but I'm not sure what it covers.

Apparently all our governments have become sick with power.

In the UK they introduced a stop & search terror law and here is a snippet from the Guardian newspaper:
More than 100,000 people were stopped and searched by police under counter-terrorism powers last year but none of them were arrested for terrorism-related offences, according to Home Office figures published today.

The statistics show that 504 people out of the 101,248 searches were arrested for any offence – an arrest rate of 0.5%, compared with an average 10% arrest rate for street searches under normal police powers

I wonder will we see the same with statistics with this? homes raided on a whim with only a 0.5% catch rate (even then the 0.5% arrested on dubious charges only later to be released due to lack of evidence or because they couldnt make the bull# evidence stick). Hey on a positive note they will catch plenty more law breakers after a good old snoop of the property.

reply to post by Stryker Ops


yeah i completely agree with you that it seems all of our governments have become sick with power. I am so sick and tired of all of the bull*h*t going on that just cant take it anymore. Even my counselor at my clinic keeps wanting to know everything in my life and when i dont tell him everything he wants to know he gets P***ed off. It all started when i got my anti anxiety medicine i tried a non narcotic for a few months and it didnt work at all i still had anxiety attacks almost everyday and they didnt make a higher dose than what i was taking so they moved me to a medicine called ativan it is a narcotic and i only take 2 miligrams everyday which is nothing compared to most people who take this type of medicine and now that i take this he is trying to talk my doctor into not letting me have it anymore just because he doesnt like it he thinks i do not need it and all of these other things like he is me or something and knows exactly how my body works. so it is not just the governments that are getting sick with power it is everyone the security gaurds at the clinic i go to even try to express authority they do not have like they are police which they are not. I think it is about time that we the people of this world take it back and get rid of all of these gorvernment goons and the alphabet soup agencies that arent needed. all they are doing is opressing us and abusing us and their power and making the dumbest F*cking laws i have ever heard of when will people wake up and leanr and finally revolt like they have needed to for so long. when i try to show my family all of this crap that is going on they just act like they dont even care and it is just stupid sorry for going on such a big rant and some of it i guess doesnt really go with the op but i had to say it so for all who read and agree with me thanks for taking the time to read this long post.

Originally posted by backinblack


Labor and the coalition voted together in the Senate on Monday to pass the legislation

Well if I ever needed proof of how screwed up this country is there it is.

Why do we even bother having elections? Somebody remind me?

reply to post by Stryker Ops


We do have a constitution but not a Bill of Rights..There has been talk about it for ages..
I watch the news very close and listen to the ABC but this law took me by surprise..
What annoys me is that there is no way it's needed..The police have never had a problem getting a warrant in terrorists cases and the public haven't complained..
All this new law does is open up new powers that will surely be used and abused.
Then new, harsher laws will come..
But like I said, we have NEVER had a terrorist attack here so why this?
Where does it end?

reply to post by Nventual


Same as the US..With laws like this always getting through you have to wonder why they are called the Opposition!!

If a persons premises are searched under suspicion of being involved in terrorist activities and it turns out they aren't, but there's evidence of the person growing drugs or doing other illegal activities, the evidence cannot be used in court and the person couldn't be charged, right?
As far as I know, if evidence is gained without a warrant then it is invalid in court.
The article doesn't address this but I assume it must still be the case.

There seems to be one good thing though:

The legislation also establishes a joint parliamentary committee on law enforcement to monitor the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission.

Does this mean that previously the AFP were not monitored? Wow.

reply to post by Nventual


Normally if the search is considered legal which in this case it would be, then I'd suggest ANY illegal activity regardless of it being terrorist related, would still stand.
And another committe? Don't we have enough that are paid to do nothing?

reply to post by backinblack


I don't know. I would think that if a persons house was searched without a warrant under these laws which are set up for the sole purpose of catching terrorists, and the person wasn't a terrorist but rather grew drugs then any of the drug growing evidence would be inadmissible in court. If this isn't the case then it should be.
I have friends who are lawyers and magistrates so I'll ask them tomorrow.

edit: On the other hand though, police never previously had issues with gaining warrants to arrest people suspected of terrorism. This would suggest that these new laws were put in place for a different reason and the politicians are just using the old "terrorists" excuse.

For what it's worth I met Gillard a few times when I was younger because she was a family friend. Back then she was no where near this high up the political ladder and believe me she was NOTHING like she is now. Never trust a politician.. as the old saying goes "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely".

I wonder if this will be discussed on 7PM Project? I hope so, even though I can't stand the show. The public need to know that these things are going on behind our backs.

reply to post by Nventual

edit: On the other hand though, police never previously had issues with gaining warrants to arrest people suspected of terrorism. This would suggest that these new laws were put in place for a different reason and the politicians are just using the old "terrorists" excuse

Exactly what I said in my opening post..We dont need these laws, warrants have never been a problem so it's fair to assume a different motive...

Yes, ask your friends about the legality of other offences found but I'm pretty sure I'm right..
It's like when they brought in the random breath tests..You can still be charged with any offence although the laws were changed to allow unwarrented stops for breath tests only..Look at it now....

reply to post by backinblack


Hello 21st Century Gestapo.

I always feel like we (in the U.S.) should pay attention to these Austrailian laws that are being passed. Because those same laws will be here soon enough, Austrailia seems like a testing ground for these totalitarian laws that will eventually be brought to the entire world (NWO).

Originally posted by Skerrako
reply to post by backinblack

 

Hello 21st Century Gestapo.

I always feel like we (in the U.S.) should pay attention to these Austrailian laws that are being passed. Because those same laws will be here soon enough, Austrailia seems like a testing ground for these totalitarian laws that will eventually be brought to the entire world (NWO).

Does make you wonder...
We had one of the lowest murder by shooting rates, so they took our guns...
We have NEVER had a terrorist attack, so they do this..

Breath tests are different ballpark and I'm not too familiar on the legalities of them. I've only been breath tested once.

Is there anyway to find more information about these new powers? The definition for "terrorism" can be pretty vague.
It should be noted that there isn't even a consensus on the definition of the term..

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. At present, the International community has been unable to formulate a universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition of terrorism.

Are they going to be able to raid houses of people who directed horror films because people got terrified by them? Or will the term only apply if there's a political motive? If that's the case then will the politicians behind the fear-type ads that pop up around election time have their homes raided? For example, they say "don't vote for this party because they won't stop boat people", that uses fear (the misunderstanding of boat people) as a tool for political motivation.

What I'm getting at is any decent lawyer should be able to get a persons charges dropped if the evidence of the crime they're being charged with was gained without a warrant as long as they're not actually terrorists.

Thoughts?

reply to post by Nventual

He unsuccessfully sought to remove the word "indirectly" from terrorist acts.
Senator Ludlam also objected to the clause about material assistance, arguing peace activists blocking a naval ship heading to war could be charged.
But the government argued legitimate protests would not be criminalised

Politician write vague laws for a reason..It increases their scope to the extent that no one really knows what is or isn't legal anymore..

Words like "indirectly" does that mean if I donated to a charity involved with terrorism, such as happened with the Tamil Tigers, my house can be searched?
And what's considered a "legitimate" protest?
Vague politics is the new norm designed for maximum use and confussion..

Who cares about warrantless searches on individuals with suspected terrorist links? Didn't you just hear on the news that Isabella defeated Jack in the Final of Junior MasterChef Australia?

(Note: this post is sarcastic).

reply to post by backinblack


You bring up good points. What's considered terrorism in one country is the complete opposite in another.
Until I find more information on what exactly was in this anti-terror bill I'm going to feel pretty uneasy.

Of course the rest of Australia will be fine though. As long as we have Masterchef everything is swell.
The injustice in this 'fair' country of ours is so blatant to me at 20 years old, yet people twice my age have no idea.
We're a bunch of ostriches with our heads in the sand. It sickens me.

edit: damn, guy above me already made the masterchef joke.

Originally posted by Dark Ghost
Are you for real? You are worried about warrantless searches on suspected terrorists when it has just been announced on all major news channels that Isabella has defeated Jack in the Final to be crowned winner of Junior Master Chef Australia?

(This post is sarcastic.)

edit on 15/11/2010 by Dark Ghost because: (no reason given)

lol, really? I dont watch TV anymore..There's nothing but mindless fiction on..Some call them reality shows, I beg to differ or at least I hope they aint

There's good TV on ABC. Gruen Transfer and Media Watch are my favourites.