Abbott government mulls options to outlaw Hizb ut-Tahrir

The federal government may update its laws around proscribing terrorist groups after advice it could not include the Hizb ut-Tahrir group.

iraq_fighters_getty.jpg

(Getty)

The federal government is reportedly set to expand the rules for proscribing terrorist groups after intelligence agencies said Hizb ut-Tahrir could not be listed under current laws.

The group's Sydney-based spokesman Uthman Badar was removed from an Opera House cultural event on Tuesday night after it was discovered he was to make a speech titled "Honour killings are morally justified".

Proscribing the group would make it illegal for anyone in Australia to be a member.

The government has investigated proscribing Hizb ut-Tahrir a terrorist group, while the former coalition government under John Howard was forced to back down on its plans to do so on ASIO advice, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The group has accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of demonising jihadist fighters in Iraq and Syria and of over-reacting to the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Meanwhile, the federal government on Wednesday proposed introducing legislation into parliament in July giving wider powers to the nation's spy agencies in their pursuit of terror threats.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world