Olympics: Army's sweeping powers under attack

Melbourne: (South News), Aug 11- The Australian defence forces are set to
receive sweeping new policing powers as Sydney gears up its security to
host the Olympics and Melbourne prepares for protests at the World Economic
Forum next month.

If passed, the legislation would be ready for the mass anti-globalisation
protest - called S11 - which will blockade Crown Casino where the World
Economic Forum will be held on September 11.

However, a spokesman for the Victorian Police Commissioner, Mr Neil Comrie,
said there were no plans to utilise the defence forces' new powers during
S11. "At the World Economic Forum we are looking at a large number of
protesters [but] we can manage that ourselves," he said.

But already the term "terrorism" has been used by police and security
forces to encompass protests such as those planned for the World Economic
Forum in Melbourne in September.

A community legal educator at Melbourne's Western Suburbs Legal Service, Mr
Damien Lawson, said "domestic violence" was "so undefined that it's really
a political decision of the Government of the day as to whether they think
they can get away with using troops".

"Under the pretext of ensuring public safety during the Olympics the
Government have rushed through legislation which will permanently and
fundamentally change the military's role," Mr Lawson said, "The most
disturbing measures, however, are those contained in Section 51T on the use
of 'reasonable and necessary force'".

"In essence, the section will allow military personnel to shoot to kill.
They will be permitted to cause death or grievous bodily harm where they
believe "on reasonable grounds" that such action is necessary to protect
the life of, or prevent serious injury to, another person, including the
military personnel"

With little media attention or public discussion the Howard Government is
using the Olympics to justify sweeping new powers allowing the military to
suppress domestic unrest in Australia.

The Bill was passed through the House of Representatives in one day (June
28) virtually unnoticed with the country in the grip of GST mania, and is
due to be voted on in the Senate by the end of August in time for the
Olympic Games.

Under the Defence Legislation Amendment (Aid to the Civilian Authorities)
Bill 2000,the defence personnel will be allowed to use "reasonable and
necessary" force to suppress civilian disorder that State police forces are
incapable of controlling.

Seriously undermining the centuries-old principle that the armed forces
should not be mobilised against the civilian population, defence forces
will be allowed to enter buildings, cordon off areas like blocks of a city,
erect barricades and stop transport to search, seize and detain people and
property.

The bill also allows defence forces to use lethal force where they have
"reasonable grounds" to believe such action is necessary to protect life or
prevent serious injury to themselves or another person. And despite the
restrictions on using reserve troops during industrial conflict, the bill
allows regular defence forces to be "called out" to deal with strikes.

The Government and Labor claim the legislation is crucial for combating
terrorism, and that it merely codifies existing practices. But critics of
the legislation argue it will allow the Federal and State governments to
"call out" defence forces to suppress political protests like strikes and
demonstrations.

In 1978 the Fraser Government used the pretext of the Hilton bombing and
counter-terrorism in constructing a new national security apparatus based
on extensive intelligence-military-police cooperation. Now the Olympics are
being used as justification for the strengthening of this apparatus and its
grip on civil society.

Already the Olympics have been the pretext for increased funding and
resources for the military special forces, sweeping new phone tapping
powers for ASIO and unprecedented powers for police and security in NSW.