Friday, October 13, 2006

Howard's Police State? Workers Lose Right to Choose Lawyers

The Federal Court has ruled a federal government agency has the power to prevent a worker it is interrogating from being represented by a lawyer of his choice.

CFMEU Construction Division National Secretary Dave Noonan said the decision showed how extreme the Howard Government's anti-building industry laws actually are.

"What the court has said is that a government official can deny a worker the basic right of choosing their own legal representative.

"The effect of this decision is that workers can be called before a secret hearing of Howard's hand-picked political appointees and forced to answer questions under the threat of six months jail - without a lawyer of their choice.

"This decision reinforces the repressive nature of these laws, which have been enacted with minimal public scrutiny or debate.

"These laws are bad for workers, bad for democracy and bad for the building industry, which has always thrived when employers and employees work together cooperatively," Mr Noonan said.

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