Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share 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.