Mr Michaelsen alleges 'secrecy' by Government (as do many journalists).

Readers of this thread should go to www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/media_Release1551.html
and read the release "Counter Terrorism Laws Strengthened" noting that this release immediately preceeded the COAG meeting of September 27th 2005, while John Stanhope's release on his website is dated 7/10/2005.

Before rushing to the keyboard, read the PM's media release and compare it to the provisions within the draft legislation as posted by Mr Stanhope.
I have done so and find no inconsistencies.

How then, does Mr Michaelsen support his allegation of Goverment secrecy?

For the record I am just a retired engineer.

Gadfly

Secrecy ?

“democracies die behind closed doors”

The government only wants the power to arrest people and detain people in secret, merely on suspicion, and send them to jail for trying to report what is happening to them to the media.

This country is becoming more like a typical South American dictatorship everyday. I commend Christopher for trying to inject a sense of proportion into this debate, stifled as it is by the government's urgent need to impost these draconian laws.

Mr,Michaelsen is correct "democracies do die behind closed doors" one gets the feeling of how it must have been in Stalinist Russia, or Hitler's Germany, with the two most radical laws in living memory to be passed in the near future, of which one is the Anti-terror laws. The potential for abuse of both these laws is enormous, and certainly seem to have nothing in common with what is supposed to be a modern democracy. As seen in the polls Australians are not used to dealing with such harsh and draconian legislation as this, however the only option that remains for the voter is obvious. These laws should be repealed in the future, and a better alternative introduced to protect individual freedoms. I hope I don't look like anyone the AFP want, as in the case of the innocent man in London, who was shot dead, my family would be devestated.

If the author of this article, Civil Liberties Australia, and most university academics in this country ever got beyond their tiresome yackety-yak and into positions of power, then we really could say goodbye to democracy. These so-called “draconian” laws they bleat about are likely to be the only things which will allow us to retain democracy.

Kit D and SHONGA,

Please tell me more about the "closed doors" of which you complain.

If these new laws stop us being added to the list of terrorist targets such as Madrid, London, Bali etc, good for them.
Why is it the civil libertarians and all that whining crowd never stand up and condemn the perpetrators of the horrors?
Their silence becomes deafening when the attacks occur.