Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, pictured in September, has pushed for expanded police and intelligence authorities in response to the threat posed by Islamic extremism. (UPI /Monika Graff) |
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MELBOURNE, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The Australian government has responded to the threat of Islamic State extremism by significantly expanding the authorities of its national intelligence agencies, sparking concern among civil rights proponents and the media.
Since Australia raised its terror threat level from "medium" to "high" on September 11, Prime Minister Tony Abbott notified Parliament that "Regrettably for some time to come, the delicate balance between freedom and security may have to shift."
That shift has included legalizing government surveillance of the Internet and threatening 10-year prison terms for anyone, including journalists or whiste-blowers, who publicize classified information.
Parliament is also considering a proposed national security law that would permit the secret detention of Australians without charge in order for the Australian Security Intelligence Organization "to conduct coercive questioning of a person for the purposes of gathering intelligence about a terrorism offense."
The prime minister outlined the steps the government has taken "to keep Australia safe" in a two-minute-21-second video message posted to YouTube on Oct. 3.
"First, your government will do whatever possible to keep you safe. Second, our security measures at home and abroad are directed at terrorism, not religion. And third, as Australians we should always live normally because terrorists' goal is to scare us out of being ourselves.
"The government has a plan to keep Australia safe. We've committed $630 million more to our police, intelligence and security services. ... and the Parliament has passed further measures to strengthen our counter-terrorism capability with more legislation coming."
As Australia continues to react to the rise of Islamic extremism, it is unclear how far its government will continue to shift "the delicate balance between freedom and security."
