Good instincts or poor judgment? Australia's counter-terrorism response after 9-11

In this paper for the 2007 Australasian Political Science Association conference, Daniel Baldino argues that the Australian government’s pattern of highly reactive legislative responses to international terrorism unduly compromised democratic standards and failed to keep a sense of reality and equilibrium in complex issues of national interest. This paper sets out to analyse trends in lawmaking and address the limitations and shortcomings in key provisions of counter-terrorism related law in Australia. In particular, it considers the nature of expanded special powers afforded to Australia\u27s main domestic spy agency, ASIO, and its implications for democratic practice and national security