Arabic version: البرلمان يمدد ويوسع صلاحيات الاستجواب لدى «أسيو»

According to ABC News, Parliament last week passed legislation extending and broadening ASIO’s compulsory questioning powers, despite opposition from senators across ideological lines. The measure received broad support from Labor and the Coalition, while Liberal Senator Alex Antic, One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts, Greens senators and Liberal Senator Andrew McLachlan were among those opposing it.

The powers, introduced after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the 2002 Bali bombing, allow ASIO in certain circumstances to require people to answer questions. ASIO can ask the attorney-general to approve a warrant requiring anyone aged over 14 to participate. Answers cannot be used as evidence against the person questioned, and questioning must occur with a senior legal officer present. Those questioned may have a lawyer, although there are limits on when that lawyer can intervene, and they cannot disclose that the questioning occurred.

ASIO has used the powers 20 times in more than 20 years and says they are a targeted last resort when less intrusive methods have been exhausted or would be ineffective. The agency says it has never sought a warrant for someone under 18, but has argued the power should remain available because of concerns about radicalisation among minors. Minors can only be questioned in connection with politically motivated violence.

Labor amended the bill so that its sunset clause remains, requiring the powers to return to Parliament in three years rather than becoming permanent. The scope for questioning has also expanded beyond terrorism, espionage and foreign interference to include ASIO’s broader security definition, including politically motivated violence, sabotage and the promotion of communal violence. Greens senators warned the wider remit could affect people involved in pro-Palestine rallies, while intelligence expert Chris Taylor said the changes reflected rising security threats and an upsurge in sabotage globally.