BY ALISON DELLIT
One of the eight "anti-terrorism" bills currently before the Senate — the Security Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Bill 2002 — will, if passed, enable the federal attorney-general to "ban" organisations. Membership of, directing or assisting a banned organisation will be punishable by up to 25 years imprisonment, even if the "offender" is unaware the organisation was banned.
An organisation can be banned if:
- It, or a member acting on its behalf, has committed a "terrorist" act — even if there has been no conviction for the act in a court of law (for the loose definition of terrorism, see the accompanying article on this page); or
- The UN has declared it an international terrorist organisation; or
- "the organisation has endangered, or is likely to endanger, the security or integrity of the Commonwealth or another country".
The Australian organisation most aptly fitting the final category, the Australian Defence Force, which is aggressively undermining the security and integrity of Iraq by running a crippling economic blockade, is unlikely to be targeted. Because the government decides what "security and integrity" means, supporters of Third World liberation struggles are most likely to be the victims.
"In the last few weeks, Resistance has been supporting demonstrations to defend the Palestinians, whose homes and lives are under attack from Israeli guns", Simon Butler, the national coordinator of Resistance, told Green Left Weekly. "The Israel government would claim we are undermining its 'security'. What if the Australian government agreed?
"We could have our organisation banned, our members and supporters thrown into jail and our finances confiscated. What this bill does is criminalise solidarity."
Max Lane, the national chairperson of Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific, agrees. "Australian businesses like BHP have profited out of the extreme exploitation of the peoples of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and other countries. To protect these interests, the Australian government supported the brutal Indonesian occupation of East Timor for decades. Had these laws been in place, solidarity organisations such as ASAP could have been banned.
"These laws can be used against refugee communities in Australia — Palestinians, Colombians, Tamils from Sri Lanka and the Acehnese community. These people are already targeted by ASIO and the police, which accuse them of 'terrorism' for defending themselves against persecution and oppression. This bill will just give the authorities another excuse for racist harassment."
"Under capitalism, the Australian government is controlled by a tiny, ultra-rich minority", Butler added. "We don't want to protect their 'security and integrity'. We believe that the majority should wrest control out of their hands, and we organise to that end. No law is going to change that."
From Green Left Weekly, April 10, 2002.
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