A step in the human rights direction:

Submission on the National Security Legislation Monitor Bill 2009

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) made this submission on the National Security Legislation Monitor Bill 2009 to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration in August 2009.

In this submission, PIAC expresses its support for the creation of an independent reviewer or 'National Security Monitor'. PIAC argues that the creation of the Monitor is the first step towards ensuring that existing anti-terrorism legislation complies with Australia's human rights obligations and improving the transparency and accountability of Australia's counter-terrorism measures.

However, PIAC argues that the Monitor will be a lone body charged with the daunting task of reviewing and providing reports as to whether Australia's anti-terrorism legislation is effective, necessary and consistent with human rights. PIAC recommends that Australia should enact Commonwealth human rights legislation that would provide an accessible and clear framework within which the Monitor would conduct the reviews.

PIAC also notes that the anti-terrorism legislation expressly covered by the Bill is only a part of the current raft of legislation in force in Australia as all the states and territories have enacted their own counter-terrorism legislation and therefore recommends that similar review authorities be created in all of the states and territories.

Word version available on request to PIAC - piac@piac.asn.au

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