Australia to Release Foreign Fighter Laws
Local Editor
Australia aims to strengthen its security by introducing new legislation to combat homegrown terrorism, said Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The new laws will criminalize travel to some conflict areas and grant authorities broader access to citizens' communications.
The bill creates new offences for advocating terrorism and entering or remaining in a declared zone, both of which can attract a five-year jail term.
The definition of advocacy will be expanded to include the promotion and encouragement of terrorist acts as well as praising terrorist acts.Welfare, family payments and paid parental leave can also be cancelled on security grounds and passports can be seized for 14 days.
Australian Attorney-General George Brandis will introduce the counter-terrorism bill to parliament this week, which will immediately be referred to a committee for review.
As an example of such conflict areas, Abbot offered the Syrian city of Raqqa, currently under the stranglehold of Daesh militants. Earlier this year a radicalized Australian terrorist posted pictures of his seven-year-old son holding up a severed head, reportedly in Raqqa.
Abbot added that Australia is concerned that some its citizens are believed to have joined Daesh militants in Syria and Iraq.
"For more than two years, the...war in Syria, followed by the conquest of much of northern Iraq, has been sucking in misguided and alienated Australians," he said.
Abbot pointed to the fact that more than 20 foreign militants have already returned to Australia and pose a threat to national security.
He told coalition MPs on Tuesday that any military action in Iraq would be "minimal."
The mission was not about trying to establish a liberal democracy in Iraq but to assist Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga, he said.
A number of MPs however voiced concerns that the public would not support a long-term military commitment in Iraq.
At least 60 Australians are known to have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight with Daesh, while the group has about 100 Australian supporters.
In total, about 15,000 citizens from several dozen countries have taken up arms alongside Daesh militants.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
