Government News Index
Law gets tough on spies
AAP
13mar02
SPIES will be jailed for 25 years under new laws to target terrorism to be debated in the federal parliament.
The federal government last night introduced the new laws which also formally make terrorism a crime punishable by life in jail.
"This package, and other measures taken by the government, (is) designed to bolster our armoury in the war against terrorism and deliver on our commitment to enhance our ability to meet the challenges of the new terrorist environment," Attorney-General Daryl Williams said.
But laws which would have targeted public service whistleblowers, and the journalists or MPs who received their secrets, have been dropped.
Mr Williams said the whistleblower aspect was contentious, and the government wanted to balance its attack on terrorists and spies with civil liberties.
The new laws were introduced after Prime Minister John Howard warned of more possible casualties in the war on terrorism.
Mr Howard told a meeting of federal government MPs the action in Afghanistan, which has claimed the life of one Australian already, could lead to more deaths.
"There could be other lives lost - we're involved in a real military action," he was quoted as saying.
Mr Howard said he could not rule out being asked to contribute troops to a wider campaign beyond Afghanistan.
The Defence Department has also revealed an Australian air force officer was directing air strikes from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.
Defence spokesman Brigadier Paul Retter said the RAAF officer was based at Manas air base, from where US aircraft operate in support of coalition troops battling Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.