Terror Laws: Asio, Counter-Terrorism and the Threat to Democracy

by Jenny Hocking

The underlying concern of this book is the issue of balancing the needs for national security with individual rights and freedoms. Author Jenny Hocking argues that, in the light of September 11 and Bali, the security legislation proposed, and in part passed, by the Howard government compromises the separation of powers and individual legal and political rights. The theme extends throughout the book, and her discussion of the establishment and history of ASIO gives context to current debates.

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Jenny Hocking FASSA is emeritus professor at Monash University and the inaugural distinguished Whitlam fellow with the Whitlam Institute at Western Sydney University. She is the author of three biographies, including the award-winning two-volume biography of Gough Whitlam, Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History (MUP, 2008) and Gough Whitlam: His Time (MUP, 2012). Her latest book is The Dismissal Dossier: The Palace Connection (MUP, 2017).