[Greens-Media] Foreign Fighters laws rushed through Senate

[Forsyth, Danielle (Sen P. Wright)]

Senator Penny Wright
MEDIA RELEASE
29 October 2014
Foreign Fighters laws rushed through Senate
Debate was gagged on the Foreign Fighters legislation in the Senate before all aspects of the bill were explored, says Australian Greens spokesperson for legal affairs Senator Penny Wright.
"Labor and the Coalition have combined to rush the Foreign Fighters bill through the Parliament," Senator Wright said.
"Never mind that these are the most significant counter-terrorism laws in our lifetime, Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten have found a unity ticket on bad process and bad legislation.
"The Greens have said its bad legislation, the country's top legal experts have said it and, as we saw yesterday, even the government-dominated Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has said it.
"The Foreign Fighters Bill will fundamentally alter how everyday Australians go about their lives, but the Senate has had less than a day to consider it.
"It restricts where people travel, how they can be treated and detained by law enforcement and how we talk about some of the biggest challenges facing our country.
"This law does not make Australians safer. What it does is weaken the rights and freedoms that sustain our democracy."
Media contact: Danielle Forsyth - 0417 173 508