The Feds and States agreed today on some uniform security laws intended to enhance the ability of police and security agencies in the fight against terrorism. Despite all the tough words from the State premiers leading up to the meeting, they’ve all pretty much toed the Feds line.

The guts of the new laws seems to include:

suspects can be detained without charge for up to 14 days
ability to place suspects under movement control orders, eg home detention, electronic surveillance
stronger search and seizure powers.

Is this something to be worried about? In principle I think not, its a reasonable price to pay to have some dangerous individuals put on a very tight rein by the authorities. In all likelihood there’s a few hundred people in Australia likely to ever be affected by these laws. I will never be affected by them - but if I were a young, Arab looking man, I’d no doubt be more concerned.

My main concern is that the new powers end up being implemented in similar style to the ham fisted nazis at the Dept of Immigration. Then, anyone of any vaguely ethnic appearance might have real concern to be worried. You will recall these shameful episodes. The Cornelia Rau case where a mentally ill Australian citizen of German origin was detained by Immigration for the best part of a year, (the second part of that story is here), and the Vivien Solon case, where an Australian citizen (of Filipino origin) in very ill health was deported to the Phillipines and abandoned to her own devices there by Immigration.