Tony Abbott’s anti-terror laws, Australians to lose citizenship

Extraordinary powers to strip citizenship from Australians supporting terrorist groups are set to get cross-party support in Parliament.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s security statement, centred on the threat of the IS “death cult” today carefully avoided wrecking the bipartisan stance with Labor on measures to fight terrorists.
There was no overt attempt to “wedge” Labor on the security issue — meaning Labor’s not going to be forced to oppose a popular measure.
Abbott said the terrorist threat was worsening here and abroad and was hard to combat.
“We have seen on our TV screens and in our newspapers the evidence of the new dark age that has settled over much of Syria and Iraq,” said Abbott, standing in front of six Australian flags at the Australian Federal Police headquarters in Canberra.
He said: “There is no grievance here that can be addressed; there is no cause here that can be satisfied; it is the demand to submit — or die.”
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten did not reject outright the measures proposed by the Prime Minister, including the proposed powers to strip citizenship and services from those fighting with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
And one other related measure now stalled in the Senate also could get Labor support if uncoupled from more-contentious proposals. This measure would see citizenship take from someone who used fake documents to obtain it.
The Prime Minister reproduced the thoughts of many Australians who believe citizenship “is not a one-way street” and said Australians battling with Islamic State forces “have sided against their country and should be treated accordingly”.
“Those who come here must be as open and accepting of their adopted country, as we are of them. Those who live here must be as tolerant of others as we are of them,” said the Prime Minister.
“No one should live in our country while denying our values and rejecting the very idea of a free and open society.”
Mr Abbott said amendments to the Australian Citizenship Act would revoke or suspend Australian citizenship in the case of dual nationals.
Australian nationals could be denied “some of the privileges of citizenship” if they are “individuals involved in terrorism”.
These could include restricting the ability to leave or return to Australia, and access to consular services overseas, as well as access to welfare payments.