MINISTRY OF PEACE

State Premiers agree to 'draconian' terror laws

Suspected terrorists as young as 16 will face house arrest for up to a year without being convicted of an offence under sweeping laws agreed to by all Australian governments.
Police will also be able to pre-emptively detain people for up to 14 days, without charge, if they suspect they are planning a terrorist offence.
State premiers and chief ministers met the Prime Minister yesterday and accepted the harsh new laws, which Queensland's Peter Beattie called draconian but necessary.
Suspects placed under house arrest would have no warning of the action until issued orders by federal police. The court orders would be issued in secret.
Meeting Mr Howard in Canberra, the political leaders were reassured by the judicial checks and balances, although the new laws left lawyers aghast.
Mr Howard needed the states to agree because the Federal Government does not have the constitutional power on its own to bring in some of the changes.
At the heart of the legislative changes are the tough preventive detention rules and "control orders" - restrictions such as house arrest, electronic tagging and tracking, and bans on approaching certain areas or people.

[The US, British and Australian governments are passing laws that, paradoxically, are slowly removing the liberties that American, British and Australian governments claim to be protecting by passing with the laws!
The argument is that they are protecting our freedom to not be blown up, so any measure allowable.]