Australia's anti-democratic 'foreign interference' Bills

A package of five Bills to criminalise any involvement in ‘foreign interference’ in Australian political and economic life is aimed, in particular, against China, as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made clear in his second reading speech. Despite amendments made before the Bills were passed, they have profound implications for free speech and political dissent. This article describes features of the Bills and argues that they should be scrapped because of their far-reaching implications for freedom of speech and political communication