Determined to fight terror elements, who are trying to foment trouble within and also joining the ISIS ranks in Middle East, the New Zealand government on Sunday released the first draft of the proposed anti-terror legislation's final draft. It is planning to pass the legislation in the Parliament, shortly.

The final draft of the "Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill" carries a number of proposals, previously announced by Mr Key, in his national security speech. "Following a tightly focused review of our settings in relation to foreign terrorist fighters, the Cabinet has signed off on proposals that will strengthen our ability to deal with the evolving threats," Mr Key said in a statement, reported Scoop News.

The Prime Minister's statement also said, "I am working to seek broad political support for this legislation and my office is conducting talks in good faith with a number of parties". The legislation will be introduced on Tuesday and it may be passed before the House rises for Christmas. This is to ensure that the country is in a stronger position to deal with the threats that have surfaced. To offset criticism, the PM also said the legislation is subject to a sunset clause, which reflects how long the whole process of the comprehensive review will take.

Main Proposals

Some of the main proposals contained in the legislation are:

  • Extending the time frame the Minister of Internal Affairs will require in canceling a passport. This has been raised to three years from the existing 12 months
  • Allows NZ Security Intelligence Service to carry out video surveillance on private properties for watching any activitity of security concern
  • The NZSIS will also conduct emergency surveillance up to 48 hours prior to issuing a warrant, with the approval of the higher authorties in Intelligence and Security.

Labour's Support

Radio New Zealand reported that Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson, David Shearer, expressed concern at the clause of 48 hours' surveillance. He said it was too long and conducting surveillance without the right warrant is unjustified. He said his party has reservations about the cancellation of passports of persons who may be offshore. "We don't want people floating around stateless, especially those who have come here and obtained New Zealand citizenship." Shearer said, but he added that Labour would support the legislation. However, the party will insist on submissions from groups including the Law Society and the Human Rights Commission.