New laws allowing armed soldiers to patrol Australian streets in the wake of a terrorist attack will be passed in time for next year's Commonwealth games in Melbourne, Defense Minister Robert Hill said yesterday.
Hill said Australia's Constitution meant it was difficult to deploy the Australian Defense Force (ADF) on home soil to support police if a terrorist attack occurred.
He said legislation addressing the problem would be introduced to parliament before Christmas and should be in force in time for next March's Commonwealth Games.
"The idea is if there is an event that is beyond the capability of the civil authority, the police, to handle -- and a serious terrorist incident might fall within that category -- we want to be able to use the ADF flexibly and effectively to protect the lives of Australian people," Hill told Channel Nine television.
He refused to specify whether soldiers would have the same powers to seize, search and detain citizens that will be granted to police and intelligence agents under controversial anti-terror laws now before parliament.
Hill said the change in the laws was not prompted by any specific threat regarding the Commonwealth games.
Australia will station 1,200 trooops in Melbourne for the games, the largest security operation ever held in the country's second largest city.
A military tactical assault group supported by Black Hawk helicopters as well as chemical, biological and radiological response teams will form part of the security contingent.
Critics of the conservative government said the latest change to terror laws was unnecessary scaremongering designed to divert attention from unpopular workplace relations reforms introduced to parliament last week.
Greens senator Kerry Nettle said the government had known for a decade that the games would be held in Melbourne next year, so it was not convicing to argue that urgent legislative changes were now needed.
"When they're having trouble with their [workplace] laws, it's no surprise to hear more announcements about terror laws," she said.
Prime Minister John Howard last week recalled the Senate to pass an urgent amendment to counter-terrorism laws because he had credible information an attack was being planned. But the warning did not result in Australia's terrorist threat status being upgraded and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said yesterday that the law changes rushed through last Thursday's special Senate sitting may never result in an arrest.
"Arrests weren't necessarily expected because of the passage of the measure," he told Channel Ten television.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS