Australian Labor Party: Earth calling Ruddock: Terror laws need public scrutiny

Australian Labor Party: Earth calling Ruddock: Terror laws need public scrutiny:

"Earth calling Ruddock: Terror laws need public scrutiny
Nicola Roxon - Shadow Attorney-General
Media Statement - 26th October 2005

Philip Ruddock today made the extraordinary claim that there has been enough public scrutiny of the Anti-Terrorism Bill even though the Government has not released the Bill.

Justifying his attempt to rush the Bill through parliament while the rest of the nation stops for the Melbourne Cup, Ruddock has said the Australian people have already had plenty of chances to review the Bill.

What planet is Ruddock on?

Back in the real world, he is part of an out of touch Government determined to keep contentious and complex legislation from public scrutiny.

Any scrutiny has been in spite of the Government, not because of it.

Anyway, both Ruddock and Howard have said the Bill will be changed before it comes to parliament. So they are giving the House of Representatives only one day to consider and debate what will actually be a completely new Bill.

To make it worse, it will be a day most Australians would rather be concerned with a horse race than these very serious changes to the law.

The draft Bill contains some serious flaws and might even be subject to a High Court challenge. It needs proper and thorough public scrutiny to get it right: to make sure it complies with the Constitution and to make sure it gets the balance right between protecting our country and protecting our rights.

Ruddock and Howard need to swallow their pride and allow Parliament to properly scrutinise this important legislation on behalf of the Australian people. What have they got to hide? "