Terror trials in secret
By Luke McIlveen
04apr03
SUSPECTED terrorists will be tried in secret under new laws to be
introduced by the Federal Government.
Attorney-General Daryl Williams yesterday announced a crackdown on the
public information to be made available in relation to potential threats to
national security.
"The Government takes the protection of classified information very
seriously," Mr Williams said in a statement.
"An act of espionage or the misuse of national security information has the
potential to place the lives of individuals and the security of the nation
in jeopardy."
The new regulations include the introduction of closed court hearings that
deal with information the Government deems to be "sensitive" and "classified".
The courts will also be given the power to pare down or summarise the
publicly available facts in cases considered to be an issue of national
security.
"These new measures draw upon legislative regimes in the United States,
Canada and the United Kingdom," Mr Williams said.
The new laws will also stiffen penalties for any person who disobeys a
court order or the process that handles the public disclosure processes of
the court.
In addition, legal representatives will have to be subjected to security
clearance before they are able to access a suspect's personal details.
"Australia now has one of the tightest, strongest pieces of legislation to
protect sensitive information, including that shared by our information
exchange partners," Mr Williams said.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6235181%255E421,00
.html
