A great report from Lawyers Weekly Australia who write….
The Human Rights Law Centre has called for strong safeguards as governments grant police new, sweeping powers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shahleena Musk, legal director with the Human Rights Law Centre, said that while governments granting police extra powers to restrict civil liberties might be justified right now, it is vital that governments also commit to strong safeguards to ensure the powers don’t go too far and that they are used in a fair way.
According to the HRLC, while police have an important role to play in COVID-19 prevention efforts, it is absolutely critical that governments make sure these sweeping powers end when this crisis ends.
This also means that the powers are reviewed and are not just a free pass for heavy-handed policing, that there is a public education campaign, and that there is independent oversight of any police wrongdoing.
“While we’re being told police will take a ‘sensible approach’, history shows that too often an increase in police powers leads to marginalised groups being disproportionately punished,” Ms Musk said.
For example, Ms Musk said that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability or poor mental health, women escaping family violence and people experiencing homelessness are too often hardest hit.
“It is crucial that these new powers are not used to target and criminalise vulnerable members of our community,” she said,
