WA Police Granted Power to Search Australians Without Probable Cause

Remember when our State leaders and the Federal Government told us that the use of emergency powers that infringe on civil rights and liberties was a temporary measure to help during a health pandemic?

Well in Western Australian Police have been granted extraordinary powers by the McGowan Labor government to search Australians entering the State without reasonable suspicion or cause. The extension of pandemic era powers comes after the McGowan government claimed they were effective at allowing police to control the entry of illegal drugs into the State.

At present the powers to pull up Australians and search them at will is limited to 22 designated zones around WA, in particular ports of entry and border crossings.

This is a concerning trend now across many States, with governments looking at implementing pandemic era measures and technologies that infringe on rights and legal protections for individuals to counter issues they claim pose a threat to society and national security.