The law, passed in late June, expands the powers of the nation’s domestic spy agency. If you run a hotel or a car-hire business, or work in a bank in Australia, you could suddenly find yourself hauled in for questioning and detained indefinitely if an alleged terrorist stayed in your hotel, hired one of your cars, or borrowed some of your money. Under a new law passed by Parliament in late June, Australia’s domestic spy agency has won sweeping new powers to detain people for questioning for up to five years if they refuse to answer – or if they answer inaccurately. As democratic governments expand their domestic policing capabilities, the new Australian law may have gone further than most in favor of security over civil liberties. Supporters argue the law will help curb further terrorist acts in the wake of last October’s Bali nightclub bombings that killed 88 Australians. But the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) law outrages some legal experts who say it violates democratic norms and is a step toward autocracy. Full Story
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