New Australian Terrorism Bill to Facilitate Targeted Military Killings | Global Research
For the third time in two months, the Australian Senate has signed off another “counter-terrorism” bill that grants unprecedented powers to the intelligence and military apparatus.
The latest laws, rubberstamped this week, allow the government to designate individuals and “classes” of Australians who can be attacked, and potentially killed, during military operations on the basis of information supplied by the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), the overseas spy agency.
Fully backed by the Labor Party opposition, the Liberal-National government’s legislation also dramatically widens the capacity of the government and the security services to impose control orders, a form of detention without trial.
On the pretext of combatting the alleged dangers posed by a relatively small number of Australians—reportedly about 200—supposedly fighting for, or supporting, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government is again introducing provisions that can, and will, be used against anyone perceived as a political threat to the ruling establishment.
