Terror Laws index:

ARE YOU A TERRORIST? According to the Australian Government's proposed new "terror laws", you quite likely are.

Take our easy 5 Point Quiz:

By Aidan Ricketts, Associate Lecturer, School of Law and Justice, NSW, Australia.

1. Have you ever disagreed with any government policy and joined with others to express this by sending emails, or phoning any politician government department or bureaucrat?

2. Have you ever joined or been associated with any trade union, local protest group, or political or religious activist organisation?

3. Have you ever participated in a non violent protest, rally or strike?

4. Have you ever donated money, bought raffle tickets or in any other way supported any international environmental, political or human rights organisation such as Amnesty International or Greenpeace?

5. Have you ever provided any professional advice for any political or religious organisation.

If you answered Yes to any of these questions then you run the risk of being labelled a "terrorist" under the federal governments sweeping new anti - terrorist laws.

If you do any of these things in the future you any many other Australians could be held without trial, interrogated by ASIO, and jailed for five years for failure to answer questions.

Did you know?

The Governments new laws propose to give the Commonwealth Attorney General power to ban any political organisation which the Attorney General "reasonably believes" is associated with any terrorist activity anywhere in the world.

The definition of terrorist act does not even require there to be any actual physical harm to any person, or even any intention to harm any person or property.

Any one who supports, is a member or is even informally associated with any banned organisation will automatically become liable to imprisonment for life under the new laws.

The new laws would have defined several notable Nobel Peace Prize winners (and anyone who supported them) such as Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu or Xanana Gusmao as terrorists simply for having been involved in their peoples independence struggles?

Can you trust present and future politicians with powers that enable them to outlaw dissent and lock up their political opponents? If not then turn over this page.

What you can do : Exercise your democratic rights while you still have some!

These laws must be stopped in the Senate.The Greens and Democrats are already opposing them, the position of the ALP is crucial. If you do nothing else in the next two weeks you must ring, fax or email (or all three) the ALP Senators in your State and the office of Simon Crean and John Faulkner. For most this is just a few calls please make the effort.

If you have time also make contact with as many other Senators or Representatives you can. You can find all of their e-mail addresses in one easy to use list right here.

The crucial issues remain the same:
1) no new terrorism offences, the existing criminal law can be used;
2) no banning of organisations or lists that label individuals or
organisations as terrorists; and
3) no new powers for ASIO

Politician (Senators) Telephone & Fax numbers:

If you would like to telephone the Senators (we pay their wages - the least they can do is listen), see the following web-page for their phone numbers. The most important ones to contact are those in the Labor Party as their vote will decide this issue.

Senators (Most Important) via http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/los.pdf

Exercise your democratic rights while you still have some!