On 3 September 2020, the Minster for Defence presented a new bill, the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020. #auspol

Hidden in the fine print of an otherwise unremarkable bill giving legal protection to ADF personnel following lawful instructions while on service, is an extraordinary extension of emergency Commonwealth powers. #auspol

Item 4, sub section 123AA2 provides for a general emergency power for the Defence Minister to deploy the ADF. Such directions do not need to be published, they are not time limited, and the Minister does not need to consult with the states and territories...

...on the Nature of the emergency – the emergency does not need to be defined. These declarations are not disallowable by the parliament. While this extension of power has been unannounced, who initiated this machination, remains unclear. Was it the Executive? Or the ADF?