Reply from Senator Penny Wright (Australian Greens Party)
Received today, via email.
Thank you for your email about the National Security Amendment Bill (No.1) 2014.
As Australian Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs, I too was appalled at the passing of this draconian legislation.
The Greens ultimately voted against this legislation after seeking to substantively amend it because we had serious concerns about the Bill - including the restrictions it will place on journalists reporting on national security in the public interest.
I outlined some of the Greens’ key concerns about this legislation in Parliament recently - you can watch my speech here.
The Greens will continue to speak out against the worrying policies of the Abbott Government and the disturbing way this legislation was rushed through Parliament.
The next challenge is the government’s second tranche of national security laws, known as the Foreign Fighters Bill, which the Greens also have serious concerns about. This Bill will undermine long held legal protections like the presumption of innocence and how long someone can be detained without charge. I asked the Attorney-General questions about this Bill during Question Time last week, particularly in relation to the currently vacant position of the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. I responded to his non-answers in my speech here.
You may also be interested in reading this article by Wendy Bacon, which summarises the laws, their implications and what has been happening in parliament.
Please be assured we are committed to protecting the safety of all Australians, but we are gravely concerned that these new laws could be rushed through without sufficient scrutiny or input from those in the Australian community who are most affected, as well as the country’s top legal experts. And once these laws are on the books they are very hard to unwind.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me about this important issue.
Yours sincerely
Senator Penny Wright
Senator for South Australia
Australian Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs
Electorate Office Level 3, 27 Leigh Street, Adelaide SA 5000
T (08) 8410 4588 F (08) 8410 4599
Australian Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
T (02) 6277 3626 F (02) 6277 5992
E Senator.Wright@aph.gov.au
www.penny-wright.greensmps.org.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorPennyWright
Twitter: @pennywrites
Thank you for your email about the National Security Amendment Bill (No.1) 2014.
As Australian Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs, I too was appalled at the passing of this draconian legislation.
The Greens ultimately voted against this legislation after seeking to substantively amend it because we had serious concerns about the Bill - including the restrictions it will place on journalists reporting on national security in the public interest.
I outlined some of the Greens’ key concerns about this legislation in Parliament recently - you can watch my speech here.
The Greens will continue to speak out against the worrying policies of the Abbott Government and the disturbing way this legislation was rushed through Parliament.
The next challenge is the government’s second tranche of national security laws, known as the Foreign Fighters Bill, which the Greens also have serious concerns about. This Bill will undermine long held legal protections like the presumption of innocence and how long someone can be detained without charge. I asked the Attorney-General questions about this Bill during Question Time last week, particularly in relation to the currently vacant position of the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. I responded to his non-answers in my speech here.
You may also be interested in reading this article by Wendy Bacon, which summarises the laws, their implications and what has been happening in parliament.
Please be assured we are committed to protecting the safety of all Australians, but we are gravely concerned that these new laws could be rushed through without sufficient scrutiny or input from those in the Australian community who are most affected, as well as the country’s top legal experts. And once these laws are on the books they are very hard to unwind.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me about this important issue.
Yours sincerely
Senator Penny Wright
Senator for South Australia
Australian Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs
Electorate Office Level 3, 27 Leigh Street, Adelaide SA 5000
T (08) 8410 4588 F (08) 8410 4599
Australian Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
T (02) 6277 3626 F (02) 6277 5992
E Senator.Wright@aph.gov.au
www.penny-wright.greensmps.org.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorPennyWright
Twitter: @pennywrites