Australia seeks broad new security powers after anti-terror raids

Australia’s government will seek broad new security powers to combat what it says is the rising threat of militant Islamists in the wake of sweeping counter-terrorism raids last week, attorney general George Brandis says. Under the tough new legislation, which will be introduced into the Senate on Wednesday, it would be a crime for an Australian citizen to travel to any area overseas once the government has declared it off limits. Although the United States and several European countries are weighing legal measures to stop their citizens fighting in conflicts in the Middle East, Australia’s proposed law appears to go farther than any other in actually barring entire regions.

We will be introducing a new offence and that is the offence of travelling to a zone or a locality, I should say declared by the minister for foreign affairs to be a declared locality.

Attorney General George Brandis

Brandis also took the unusual step of including specific language in the legislation barring intelligence operatives from engaging in torture, after two independent senators had raised questions in the media in recent days. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said at least 100 Australians are in the Middle East either fighting with or supporting Islamic State or other militant groups. At least 20 are believed by authorities to have returned to Australia and pose a security risk. Earlier this month, the national security agency raised its four-tier threat level to “high” for the first time ever.

Asia-Pacific