The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has recommended the Australian Federal Police be allowed to retain a range of counter-terrorism powers to protect Australians.
The PJCIS has today tabled its review into counter-terrorism powers held by the AFP, recommending that the following powers be extended to 7 December 2025:
- stop, search and seizure powers under subsections 3UK(1), (2) and (3) of the Crimes Act 1914
- control order regime under division 104 of the Criminal Code Act 1995
- preventative detention order regime in division 105 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.
The Committee made 19 recommendations to improve clarity, oversight and interoperability of counter-terrorism laws, as well as amendments to the Intelligence Services Act 2001 to allow the Committee to undertake further reviews of the powers prior to their extended sunset period.
The Intelligence and Security Committee Chair, Senator James Paterson said the extension of these counter-terrorism powers will help protect Australians from the evolving threat of terrorism.
‘The committee has assessed the use and effectiveness of these powers and has found they will continue to provide law enforcement the tools they need to counter the threat of terrorism. Eighteen potential or imminent terrorist attacks have been disrupted by law enforcement and security agencies since 2014 thanks to powers just like these,’ Senator Paterson said.
Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.
Media enquiries
Chair, Senator James Paterson via Deborah Seccombe on 0451 255 891 or deborah.seccombe@aph.gov.au.
For background information
Committee Secretariat
(02) 6277 2360
pjcis@aph.gov.au
For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.
