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Australian anti-terror bill approved

Australia's government rushed controversial emergency anti-terrorist legislation through parliament yesterday after Prime Minister John Howard said he had received credible reports of a planned terror attack against the country.

"We have over the past few days received some specific information from intelligence and police sources about a possible terrorist attack," he said in a televised interview after the lower house of parliament passed an amendment increasing authorities' powers to crack down on suspected terrorists.

Howard declined to give details about the information at an earlier press conference, and said the terror alert level would not be raised.

Critics quickly suggested the timing of Howard's announcement of an unspecified terror plot was linked to his government's plans to push through a raft of new anti-terror laws that have been labeled a threat to civil liberties.

Howard, however, said that following the new alert from security agencies, he had obtained the support of political leaders from across the political spectrum to alter existing legislation so that police could act against suspected terrorists even before they had details of a specific planned attack.

"We have decided to alter the existing terrorism legislation to substitute for a current provision which says that in order to prove a charge you have to prove an established preparation for a specific terrorist act with a more general provision providing for a terrorist attack," he said.

After its passage through the lower house, Howard said the new law would go to the Senate during a special session today.

"The government is satisfied on the advice provided to it that the immediate passage of this bill would strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to effectively respond to this threat," he said.

Australian intelligence on Tuesday issued a report raising the specter of home-grown terrorism.

The new amendment would add further grounds for banning groups and "clarify that, in a prosecution for a terrorism offence, it is not necessary to identify a particular terrorist act," Howard said.

The amendment is part of controversial new anti-terror laws that the government drafted after the London transport bombings in July.
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