Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Amendment (2), as moved by Senator Patrick, would require the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security to review the operation, effectiveness and implications of this division and security matters relating to major airports. This is a very wise amendment from Senator Patrick.

These are particularly draconian laws that the Senate is about to pass with collusion between the two major parties, as we always get on issues of national security, on issues of counterterrorism and on issues of border control. I just want to warn the majors again that they are walking this country down the road to a police state and a surveillance state. I've been saying this until I'm blue in the face in this place, but the major parties continue to collude to strip away fundamental rights and freedoms in Australia.

The Australian Greens don't think they should be doing that. We think it's a very dangerous path for this country to be taking. But, if they are going to do it, they've got to put in place checks and balances. That is what Senator Patrick is attempting to do here today: put in place a check and a balance that would require the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security to review these new powers. Remember that these are powers the government have comprehensively failed to make an argument for. We have a terrorism threat level that is in exactly the same place it was five years ago. The government have continually failed to be able to demonstrate that the risk is increasing any faster around airports than it is around any other major infrastructure in this country, and yet they want to walk into this place and bring in the 'papers please' legislation that we're dealing with here today. This is a sad day in our country's history, and I urge the Senate: if you are going to do the dumb thing and pass this legislation, at least build some checks and balances into it, as Senator Patrick is attempting to do.