Product Description
How can we ensure national security against people unafraid to kill themselves along with their victims – people who, self-evidently, will not be deterred by traditional laws which punish offenders after their crimes are committed. This is the challenge for liberal democracies such as Australia.
New laws specifically designed to forestall terrorist activity have been a key response. Law and Liberty in the War on Terror describes these laws and debates both their effectiveness and impact on civil liberties.
International and domestic commentators from the fields of government, law and political science address questions such as:
How does the law define ‘terrorism’?
Can the criminal justice system accommodate preparatory terrorism offences?
Is torture ever acceptable as an interrogative method?
What is the role of the judiciary in times of emergency?
How do Australia’s anti-terrorism laws compare with those of the United Kingdom and New Zealand?
How are Australian communities and politics affected by responses to terrorism?
"[I] n this book, proponents of the new anti-terrorism laws seek to justify their provisions and opponents argue that the laws go too far. These chapters also show the extent of the changes that have been made to our legal and administrative structures. … The chapters in this book cannot be dismissed as mere academic analyses. They have to do with the lives and aspirations of all Australians. They ask whether Australia is, and whether it will be, a united, secure, free and confident nation." – Sir Gerard Brennan AC KBE, former Chief Justice of Australia
Foreword – Sir Gerard Brennan
Part I – Law’s Role in the Response to Terrorism
Law as a Preventative Weapon against Terrorism
Philip RuddockLegality and Emergency – The Judiciary in a Time of Terror
David Dyzenhaus and Rayner Thwaites
The Curious Element of Motive in Definitions of Terrorism: Essential Ingredient or Criminalising Thought?
Ben Saul
The Case for Defining Terrorism with Restraint and Without Reference to Political or Religious Motive
Kent Roach
Part II – Criminalising Terrorism – How Far Should the Law Go?
The Effectiveness of Criminal Laws onTerrorism
Robert Cornall
Preparation for Terrorism: Catastrophic Risk and Precautionary Criminal Law
Andrew Goldsmith
Australia’s Terrorism Offences – A Case Against
Patrick Emerton
Reconciling Security and the Right to a Fair Trial: The National Security Information Act in Practice
Stephen Donaghue
Preserving National Security in the Courtroom: A New Battleground
Phillip Boulten
Part III – Beyond Guilt or Innocence – Preventative Orders and Counter-Terrorism
Control Orders and Preventative Detention – Why Alarm is Misguided
Geoff McDonald
A Judicial Perspective – The Making of Preventative Detention Orders
Margaret White
The Constitutional Validity of Prevention Detention
James Renwick
Part IV – Human Rights and Terrorism: Is a Trade-off Necessary?
When are Restrictions on Speech Justified in the War on Terror?
Katharine Gelber
Torture: The Fallacy of the Ticking Bomb
Sarah Joseph
Torture: What it is, Will it Work and Can it be Justified?
Neil James
Part V – Australia’s Response Compared
Counter-Terrorism Law in New Zealand
Alex Conte
The United Kingdom’s Anti-terrorism Laws: Lessons for Australia
Clive Walker
Part VI – The Politics of Australia’s Terrorism Debate
Muslim Communities: Their Voice in Australia’s Terrorism Laws and Policies
Waleed Aly
News Media Responsibilities in Reporting on Terrorism
Tanja Dreher
Part VII – Terrorism and the Rule of Law
Achieving Security, Respecting Rights and Maintaining the Rule of Law
Andrew Lynch
Index
