Fed: Anti terrorist law bid should be praised: Cosgrove

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2000
Fed: Anti terrorist law bid should be praised: Cosgrove

PERTH, Aug 30 AAP - Army chief Lieutenant-General Peter Cosgrove today applauded the
federal government's proposed anti-terrorist legislation.

The controversial bill, currently before federal parliament, would allow the commonwealth
to send in troops to deal with violence or terrorism.

"Every democratic country that we know about has got those emergency areas of legislation
where, if there was a really high need, the defence force could be incorporated into the
law and order support in the country," Lt-Gen Cosgrove told ABC radio.

"These are classically very, very rare circumstances where, for sake of argument, a
highly capable terrorist outfit prosecuted some dastardly act upon our sovereign territory
which temporarily, and in that one place, was beyond the capabilities of the police to
deal with."

He said he was not concerned the powers could be abused.

"This is Australia, for heaven's sake. We've got the most stable, political environment
of just about any country you'd like to name," Lt-Gen Cosgrove said.

"The powers already exist for government to use the defence forces in these extreme
and rare emergencies, and this is simply, as I understand it, cleaning up the legislation
to provide clarity for the use of the defence force.

"I applaud anything which makes the responsibilities and obligations of soldiers clearer,
but ... we will as always, do as we're told."

He said the powers were highly unlikely to be used in any case.

"We tend to find that if we prepare for the most abstruse events, it makes those abstruse
and rare events less likely to happen," he said.

"The Olympics is an international event which the whole world is coming to, and Australia
owes it to every other country to leave no stone unturned in presenting the greatest organised
response to what we hope will be the best Games ever."

AAP alm/sd/bwl

KEYWORD: OLY DEFENCE COSGROVE

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