Speculation is growing the Abbott Government is considering tough new measures to reverse the onus of proof on Australians returning from foreign war zones.
According to reports in the Murdoch press, Prime Minister Tony Abbott may compel those returning from Iraq and Syria to prove they are not terrorists.
Mr Abbott says the Government will make announcements about new anti-terror measures within days, with community safety his first priority.
Attorney-General George Brandis introduced the first round of changes early last month and will present more changes when Parliament returns.
Mr Brandis says the Government is concerned current laws are too narrow and do not adequately cover the general promotion of terrorism.
The latest idea being floated is to reverse the onus of proof on people returning from Iraq and Syria.
"Anyone who has gone overseas to engage in jihadist activity, I think, is a potential danger to the Australian community," Mr Abbott said.
"We do not want people who have been radicalised and militarised to be coming back to this country, not only with a message of hate, but with the knowledge and the insights that might enable them to bring some of the horrors of the Middle East back to our country.
"So, we are determined to ensure that we do everything we reasonably can, consistent with our traditional principles of justice and freedom, to keep our community safe and the Government will have more to say on this in the next few days," he said.
It comes as arrest warrants have been issued for the two most prominent Australians fighting for a banned terrorist group in Syria and Iraq - Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar - following the publication several days ago of gruesome photos of one of them brandishing severed heads.
Measures could target aid workers: Greens
However, Greens Senator Penny Wright has concerns about reversing the onus of proof, saying charity workers might be subject to the same scrutiny.
"There's no question that Australia needs to be vigilant against terrorism but we must insist on ways to protect Australians from terrorism without overturning the fundamentals of our justice system," she said.
"We are wanting to uphold democracy - that's why we are fighting terrorism - and we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
"Clearly we would need to see the detail of any legislation but as its been described so far, it seems that this legislation could see Red Cross and other humanitarian workers in declared zones having to face court to prove they're not terrorists."
AUDIO: Govt hints at tougher anti-terror laws reversing onus of proof (The World Today)
Government frontbencher Christopher Pyne said on Channel Nine this morning the laws might need to be strengthened further.
"Obviously the terror threat from returning jihadist fighters in the Middle East is the most significant threat that Australia's faced in a very long time and I understand the Attorney-General George Brandis is considering measures that he might bring to Cabinet and to the Parliament in the coming weeks and months in order to address that," he said.
Mr Pyne says the Government has not yet decided if it would reverse the onus of proof.
"But obviously we, in the Government and I'm sure the Opposition in a very bipartisan way, regard the return of murderous terrorists who'd been involved in the atrocities in Syria and Iraq, as a serious security threat and we will do whatever's necessary, whatever is necessary, to protect Australians from some of the threats that some of those people are making or have made in the past," he said.
"Obviously if you're hanging around in the country areas of Syria for several months and you return, you would want to be able to explain why you were in a area that is beset by civil war."
People of Middle Eastern background could be targeted: Shorten
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is not against tougher measures but warned all measures needed to be implemented carefully.
"Well, not everyone that goes to the Middle East is a bad person," Mr Shorten said.
"I think we've got to be very careful in this complex situation about demonising Australians of Middle Eastern background.
"But of course, people who go to Iraq and Syria and engage in activities with these fundamentalist jihadist groups, behaving in a manner which is completely against the interests of Australia, we do support making sure that anyone who thinks by some misguided view of faith that reeking violence in any part of the world, in particular in this case in Iraq and Syria ... that is against the best interest of our country.
"We support the Government monitoring them but we just need to make sure that we're doing all of this national security [while] keeping an eye on people's civil rights."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-01/new-terrorism-measures-to-reverse-onus-of-proof-reports/5641582
Topic: Tony Abbott to consider new terrorism measures for Australians returning from ov