The Age reports that ASIO (Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation) has been picking up and interrogating associates of terrorist suspect Willie Brigitte. Under their new powers they can do this even if they suspect the people of no criminal offence.

Let's suppose, through misfortune, you happened to have been living next to him. You could be taken into custody and interrogated for up to a week. No only that, you are prevented by law from challenging what they did to you during that time or even telling anyone what they did to you. Doesn't this sound a lot like the very stuff that the government was accusing Saddam Hussien of, after they couldn't find any weapons of mass destruction that is?

What's more Phillip Rudduck, the Attorney General, is quoted as saying

"His intention was to harm Australia's interests and possibly Australians,"

What happened to the presumption of innocence? How could Phillip Ruddock possibly know what Willie Brigitte intentions were when they have not been tested in a court of law.

On 11 September 2003, in an interview with David Speers of Sky News, John Howard said.

Terrorists hate our freedom. They hate the openness of Australian and American and world societies that act as liberal democracy,

The way our government is moving, they won't have much to hate in Australia much longer.