CANBERRA, Australia, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Australia's federal government and state leaders have agreed on tough new anti-terror laws -- with the provision that the laws be reviewed after five years.
Prime Minister John Howard and the leaders of Australia's states and territories Tuesday also agreed to a 10-year "sunset clause," by which the laws would be dropped, altered or renewed after a decade, The Australian reported.
Howard said, "We do live in very dangerous and ... threatening circumstances, and a strong and comprehensive response is needed."
The laws allow Australian security forces to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 14 days and to track suspects for up to a year. The laws also provide for a federal police facility that will analyze chemical substances and for full-time policing teams at Australia's 11 airports.
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks said the new measures were needed to plug the current gaps in Australia's laws.
He said state leaders were confident the new laws achieved the right balance, with adequate checks in place to protect civil liberties.
