Australia passes bill to detain terrorists indefinitely

SYDNEY: High-risk terror offenders in Australia may now be kept in jail even after serving their sentences, under legislation passed yesterday that strengthens laws to tackle the threat posed by extremists.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull flagged the move in July, prompted by the frequency and severity of attacks around the world. It will allow AttorneyGeneral George Brandis to apply for an extension 12 months before a sentence expires.

For this to happen, the Supreme Court would need to be satisfied that the offender poses an unacceptable risk of committing a serious terrorism offence if released into the community.

“This bill strengthens the ability of our security agencies to continue to detain somebody if they’ve committed serious terrorism offences... and they have not been rehabilitated,” Justice Minister Michael Keenan told parliament.

“We are not going to allow people who haven’t been rehabilitated in prison to be released and then go on to harm our fellow Australians.”

The law is similar to arrangements already in place for sex offenders and extremely violent individuals in some states. There would be regular reviews and reassessments.

The passing of the High Risk Terrorist Offenders Bill was opposed by the Greens and Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm, but had enough support to pass through the upper house Senate.

Leyonhjelm argued it was an unacceptable erosion of civil liberties. — AFP