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Bag Check Laws Unnecessary
July 25th 2005


"Bring the Troops Home; Leave Peoples Bags Alone!" says NSW Democrat MLC. Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans has dubbed Premier Carr's suggestion that police should conduct random bag searchers in the wake of London's terrorist attacks as ineffective and completely missing the point.

"NSW Police already have discretionary powers to search people for weapons on the grounds of reasonable suspicion. The Carr government has passed a dozen separate laws since 9/11 giving State law enforcement authorities wide powers to combat terrorist activities," he said.

"We also need to recognise that in these days of total war and global travel it is impossible to completely check every bag of every person going on a train, bus or walking down a crowded street. We are effectively trashing our civil liberties because of the Federal Government's bad foreign policy."

"John Howard uses the lame line that these recent terrorist attacks have no link to western troops in Iraq. Yet, a recent NineMSN poll showed that 59% of voters believed that the bombings were in response to the occupation of Iraq. People can't be fooled anymore."

"Bob Carr should be ashamed of himself 'toadying' to John Howard. If Bob Carr wants to be a real leader he should state the obvious- the only way to make Australia safe is to have a more sensible foreign policy and pull Aussie troops out of Iraq!"

"Bring the troops home and leave my bag alone! " Dr Chesterfield-Evans concluded.