Senate debates
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Terrorism
10:02 am
Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 410 standing in my name for today relating to legislation for an independent reviewer of terrorism laws.
Leave granted.
I move the motion as amended:
That the Senate—
- (a)
- notes that:
- (i)
- more than 40 terrorism laws have been enacted in relation to terrorism since 2001, some of which included significant departures from established principles of Australian law,
- (ii)
- due to the exceptional nature of these complex laws, and to ensure scrutiny, accountability and transparency, an independent reviewer has been recommended by:
- (a)
- the Security Legislation Review Committee chaired by the Honourable Simon Sheller AO, QC, in June 2006,
- (b)
- the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security in December 2006, and again in 2007,
- (c)
- the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in October 2008, and
- (d)
- the Senate through the passage of a private senator’s bill in November 2008,
- (iii)
- independent review mechanisms are a feature of best practice in like-minded democracies, and
- (iv)
- the Government’s response to various reviews issued on 23 December 2008; and
- (b)
- calls on the Australian Government to:
- (i)
- introduce legislation to establish the independent reviewer of terrorism laws mechanism announced as the National Security Legislation Monitor in the Attorney-General’s press release of 23 December 2008, and
- (ii)
- update the Senate as to the Government’s intended timetable for the introduction of the legislation.
Question agreed to.