CPICL Director of Public Law, Associate Professor Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, Appeared Before PJCIS As Part Of Law Council Delegation

On 17 November 2025, CPICL Director of Public Law, Associate Professor Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, contributed to a public hearing of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS). She participated in her capacity as a member of the Law Council of Australia’s National Security Law Working Group and appeared alongside the Working Group Chair, Lloyd Babb SC, on behalf of the Law Council. The hearing formed part of the Committee’s review of ASIO’s compulsory questioning powers under Division 3 of Part III of the ASIO Act.

ASIO’s covert interrogation powers had been controversial since their introduction during the ‘war on terror’, setting Australia apart from other liberal democracies. At the time, a Bill before Parliament proposed to make these extraordinary powers permanent and expand their scope. The Law Council delegation called for clearer public justifications for these little-used powers, enhanced oversight, and reconsideration of their application to minors.

This engagement advanced CPICL’s National and Global Security Program, which brings together expertise in public, international and comparative law to provide rigorous, evidence-informed analysis and concrete contributions to national security law and oversight.

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