ASIO moves to thwart threat of lone wolves

AUSTRALIA’S domestic spy agency wants beefed-up powers to interrogate suspects as young as 14 — and track cars without a warrant — to protect the country from lone-wolf attacks.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is seeking new powers that would allow operatives to attach basic tracking devices to cars and place them in handbags without a warrant to quickly respond to threats.

It is also pushing for laws that would allow suspects as young as 14 to be interrogated, blaming the rise of right-wing extremism, foreign interference and espionage.

But lawyers voiced concerns on Friday that the proposed laws lacked safeguards.

Law Council of Australia spokesman David Neal told a parliamentary committee in Canberra that ASIO’s questioning powers under the Bill were broader than China’s security laws — a claim vehemently denied by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess.

“To suggest that these Bills are comparable, or in fact that our Bill is worse, is just beyond the pale. It’s completely, completely wrong,” he said.

The spy agency said the tracking powers, which would require only internal approval or a tick from the AttorneyGeneral, would enable it to respond more quickly to security threats.