As a reduced Australian parliament met for a series of special
sitting days this week to deal with matters that couldn't wait
until after it resumes normal duties post-pandemic, home affairs
minister Peter Dutton introduced some new rights-eroding laws.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill
2020 (Cth) (the ASIO Bill) seeks to revoke the power the
national security agency has to detain people for questioning.
However, Dutton has also drafted a suite of provisions that
enhances ASIO's existing questioning regime.
The security agency's director-general "noted in his
recent annual threat assessment, the number of terrorism leads ASIO
is investigating has doubled since this time last year,"
Dutton said, as he justified the ramping up of the spy
organisation's powers during his
second reading speech on the bill.
