[JURIST] Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser [official profile] has accused the Australian government of pursuing laws that would reverse "centuries of advances" in human rights and the protection of individual liberties against state power. Fraser, who has previously spoken out against tough new anti-terror proposals [JURIST report] now going through the Australian parliament, delivered his broadside attack in a speech [DOC text] in Melbourne Tuesday and took up its theme again in an interview Wednesday, saying that he has considered resigning from the Liberal Party [party website], of which current Prime Minister John Howard [official profile] is also a member. Fraser urged Liberal senators to cross the floor and vote against the anti-terrorism bill [text], currently before the Senate after passing in the lower house [JURIST report] Monday. He told ABC Radio:

I...want to emphasise in the strongest terms that we're not just seeing another policy which is not a good policy. We're seeing a reversal of, if you like, centuries of advances in terms of human rights, the protection of the liberty of the individual against the overweening power of the stat. Now we're seeing that reversed and we're seeing that reversed in a country that prides itself on its democracy. We're seeing it reversed in secret.

People can be made to disappear. This happens to be in Australia.