Terrorism Related Litigation

ASIO swamped by legal terrorism issues
Mark Dodd November 02, 2007

AUSTRALIA'S domestic spy agency, ASIO is struggling to deal with a rash of terrorism-related litigation, so much so that the organisation has established a legal division.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said today it was experiencing its greatest ever litigation-related workload.

Legal proceedings related mainly to terrorism prosecutions, administrative reviews of security threat assessments and civil proceedings, it said in its annual report.

"In recognition of this upward trend in the litigation workload - one that is likely to continue for some time - ASIO now has a new legal division and a Terrorism Litigation Advice Branch," it said.

The war on terror means the spook agency is on a sharp growth curve with plans to expand to 860 staff by 2010-11.

The National Security Hotline provided ASIO with over 1900 "new leads."

Counter-terrorism checking continued to be an important element in oreventing harm in Australia with the agency completing a total of 134,981 checks.

ASIO completed 53,387 visa checks issuing seven "adverse assessments."

Founded during the height of the Cold War in 1949, ASIO comes under the control of the Director-General of Security who is responsible to the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock.

Meanwhile the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman said in its report there had been "general compliance" by federal and state police agencies concerning telecommunications intercepts during the past year.

It noted improvements in record keeping by police agencies of their surveillance activities.

Under the terms of the Telecommunications Interception and Acess Act, 1979, the Ombudsman is required to inspect the records of the Australian Federal Police, Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/