Please contact your ALP Senator or Member urging Labor caucus not to
change its position.
Wednesday, 17 December 2003
Greens Lambast Labor's Backflip on Terror Listings
"Though we want to ensure that those who commit offences in relation to
terrorist organisations are dealt with, we will not and cannot
contemplate a proposal from the government that includes an executive
proscription regime. In our party's view that is anti-Labor. But that is
not the crucial point. The point is: it is antidemocratic. It runs the
risk of seriously abrogating the rights, the liberties and the freedoms
of Australians."
- Labor Senate Leader John Faulkner 25/6/02
Labor's move to give the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock the right to
ban any organisation he considers suspect as terrorist is a backflip
against its own stand for democratic rights in Australia, Greens Senator
Bob Brown said today.
"This is opportunism over principle. Mark Latham may think that a
bipartisan approach with John Howard to dismantle safeguards on domestic
political rights is a good way to go, but half Australia will not
agree," Senator Brown said.
"The Senate has safeguarded these rights by insisting that a ban require
legislation in parliament, not a minister's decree. So far the Senate
has approved every ban - most recently on terror groups in Pakistan and
Palestine. There is no new argument to validate changing this
arrangement.
"The Ruddock law is potentially insidious and must be fully subject to
the authority of parliament. It is truly anti-Labor. The Greens will
strongly oppose such legislation no matter how brazen Labor's backflip,"
Senator Brown said.
More information: Ben Oquist 02 6277 3170 or 0419 704 095
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