Murray McCully MP
National Party Foreign Affairs Spokesman
13 June 2006
Use Terrorism Suppression Act Provisions - National
The National Party is questioning whether the Government's failure to use the provisions of the Terrorism Suppression
Act 2002 contributed to the ability of Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali to enter and remain in New Zealand.
The Act was passed in New Zealand, and similar legislation passed in many other jurisdictions, following the September
11 attacks. It gives the authorities extensive powers to act against designated terrorists or terrorist organisations.
National Party Foreign Affairs and Defence spokesman Murray McCully says the Government must now urgently start using
the powers contained in the Terrorism Suppression Act, and is questioning whether failure to use the legislation
contributed to Ali's entry and stay in New Zealand. "The Terrorism Suppression Act requires the Prime Minister to
designate terrorists and terrorist organisations against whom the authorities can then use the powers contained in the
legislation. It is obligatory to designate the individuals or organisations identified as terrorists by the United
Nations Security Council. Individual nations are then responsible for identifying others which should be designated by
the Prime Minister.
"Under their legislation, Australia has designated 88 individuals or organisations over and above the UN list. Canada
has designated over 50. But the New Zealand Government has not designated a single one.
"For some months I have been identifying the failure to use this important post-September 11 legislation as a
potentially serious oversight by the Prime Minister and the Government. When Australia and Canada have designated 88 and
50 individuals or groups respectively, it defies belief that New Zealand cannot identify a single threat deserving of
the sanctions in the legislation.
"I wonder whether Mr Ali might more easily have been identified at the border had the Government designated obvious Al
Queda associates. I wonder whether the failure to use the legislation is indicative of a general level of complacency
that we will all live to regret.
"I call upon the Government, and specifically the Prime Minister, to urgently follow the lead of Australia and Canada,
and make full use of the legislation which our Parliament passed in the wake of the September 11 attacks," Mr McCully
says.
ENDS