A step in the human rights direction: Submission on the National Security Legislation Monitor Bill 2009

PIAC made a submission on the National Security Legislation Monitor Bill 2009 to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration in August 2009.In this submission, PIAC expressed its support for the creation of an independent reviewer or ‘National Security Monitor’. PIAC argued that the creation of the Monitor is the first step towards ensuring that existing anti-terrorism legislation complies with Australia’s human rights obligations and improving the transparency and accountability of Australia’s counter-terrorism measures. However, PIAC argued that the Monitor will be a lone body charged with the daunting task of reviewing and providing reports as to whether Australia’s anti-terrorism legislation is effective, necessary and consistent with human rights. PIAC recommended that Australia should enact Commonwealth human rights legislation that would provide an accessible and clear framework within which the Monitor. PIAC also noted that the anti-terrorism legislation expressly covered by the Bill is only a part of the existing raft of legislation in force in Australia at the moment as all the states and territories have enacted their own counter-terrorism legislation and therefore recommended that similar reviewers be created in all of the States and Territories.