EDITORIAL: Terror laws being rushed
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THE threat of terrorism has stopped North East residents attending football matches in Melbourne and Sydney, the member for Indi has told Federal Parliament.
Cathy McGowan said when opposing a bill to increase the powers of intelligence agencies to combat terrorism that the spectre of terrorism had left some voters scared.
She said the bill should be properly scrutinised.
“It may be the legislation that is needed, but my biggest concern is that people have been neither effectively consulted nor included in the development of this bill,” Ms McGowan said yesterday.
“When legislation of such significance is under development, it is imperative everybody — individuals, organisations, communities and business — has adequate time to scrutinise and comment.”
Ms McGowan said at least a month before the bill was finalised would be “reasonable” and a year or more of community feedback had been allowed for agriculture legislation.
She said the bill allowed greater monitoring of computers, gave immunity to intelligence officers involved in special operations and threatened journalists with jail for publishing information about terrorism activities.
Her big concern was the fear generated by such changes.
“I have been approached by many in Indi sharing their fears,” Ms McGowan said.
“Families have said they are not travelling overseas to attend weddings. More extremely, members of my small communities are not going to Melbourne or Sydney for footy matches, terrified of what might happen to them in the cities.
“This fear is devastating.
“It makes me scared; it makes the people I live with scared.
“It causes lack of trust — lack of trust in the government and lack of trust in our institutions.
“It causes community to fight community and this impact will be with individuals and communities for a very long time.
“So this is not a time to rush through legislation. This is a time when we should be our best selves.
“As the Prime Minister reminds us — not only in Parliament to be our best selves as politicians but to call on our communities to be their best selves — to be our most inclusive selves and our wisest selves.
“It is a time to help people understand what is happening and to explain that this really is legislation that is going to make our community better.”
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