Freedoms are losing out to fear

  • The Age
Photo: Kevin Penhallow/ iStockphoto.com

14 August 2009The proposed changes to anti-terrorism laws fail to find a balance between human rights and protecting citizens, writes Nicola McGarrity in The Age

 

THE draft laws released this week by the Federal Government are the most important package of changes to Australia's anti-terrorism laws since 2005. In the past, anti-terrorism laws have often been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny of the extent to which they infringe basic human rights or of the discretion given to law enforcement or intelligence agencies...

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Noticeboard

07 March 2012

In May 2011 the Federal Government announced that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) would commence operations from 1 July 2012 and that it would initially be responsible for determining the legal status of groups seeking charitable, public benevolent institution, and other not-for-profit (NFP) benefits on behalf of all Commonwealth agencies. 

01 March 2012


The Productivity Commission has been asked to report within 9 months on Regulatory Impact Analysis: Benchmarking. The study requires a benchmarking of the efficiency and quality of regulatory impact analysis processes used by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, as well as those of the Council of Australian Governments.
20 December 2011

On 18 November 2011, Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator the Hon Kate Lundy, announced the establishment of an independent panel of eminent community leaders to conduct an inquiry into Australian Government services to ensure they are responsive to the needs of Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.