Ex-spy boss to review security laws
UNPRECEDENTED threats of terrorism and foreign spies on Australian soil have sparked the biggest overhaul of security laws in 40 years.
Former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson will spend 18 months examining national security and intelligence laws.
“This will be the most comprehensive review of intelligence legislation in Australia since the royal commission on intelligence and security in the 1970s,” Attorney-General Christian Porter said.
The Coalition has passed 10 tranches of laws to tackle terrorism and an 11th tranche — modernising espionage offences and establishing new foreign interference offences — is before the parliament.
“We live in an age of unprecedented espionage and terrorism, and foreign interference and influence,” Mr Porter told Sky News.
“It is essential we ensure our agencies have the tools and framework they need to be effective and meet their core function — keeping Australians safe.”
Greens MP Adam Bandt said concerns existed about Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s desire to expand the powers of spy agencies to target crime domestically.
“I think Peter Dutton wants to do to Australian citizens what he’s doing to asylum seekers and refugees,” Mr Bandt said.
“I think we should be very sceptical about passing laws that give (him) and the Government the capacity to spy on Australian citizens because I don’t trust him to use it for good.”
The review will consider the powers of ASIO, Home Affairs, Australian Federal Police, Austrac and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission as well as protections and oversight.
Mr Richardson was ASIO director-general from 1996 to 2005, Australia’s ambassador to the US, secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Defence Department boss.