EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

 

 

Select Legislative Instrument 2006 No. 6

 

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Justice and Customs

 

Extradition Act 1988

 

Extradition (Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism) Regulations 2006

 

Section 55 of the Extradition Act 1988 (the Act) provides, in part, that the Governor‑General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing all matters required or permitted by the Act to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act. 

 

The Act makes provision for the extradition of persons from Australia to extradition countries, and facilitates the making of requests for extradition by Australia to other countries.  The Act also enables Australia to carry out its obligations under extradition treaties.  Extradition from Australia can only take place with an extradition country, or with New Zealand, under the special procedures set down in the Act.  Section 5 of the Act provides that an ‘extradition country’ is any country (other than New Zealand) that is declared by the regulations to be an extradition country. 

 

Subsection 11(1A) of the Act provides that the regulations may provide that the Act applies in relation to a specified extradition country subject to the limitations, conditions, exceptions or qualifications as are necessary to give effect to a multilateral extradition treaty in relation to the country.  Subsection 11(1C) provides that this may be achieved by applying the Act to the country subject to the treaty.

 

The Regulations apply the Act to the States Parties to International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (the Convention).  The effect of the Regulations is to allow Australia to make and receive extradition requests to and from a State Party to the Convention for an offence specified in the Convention.

 

Australia ratified the Convention on 26 October 2002.  The purpose of the Convention is to suppress acts of terrorism by depriving terrorists and terrorist organisations of the financial means to commit such acts.  It does so by obliging State Parties to criminalise and take other measures to prevent the provision or collection of funds for the purpose of committing terrorist acts and to cooperate with other State Parties in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist financing.

Article 11 of the Convention contains obligations for extradition of persons accused of Convention offences.  These obligations apply only to other States Parties to the Convention. 

 

Extradition under the Regulations operates in accordance with the Act.  The Act applies the modern ‘no evidence’ extradition procedure.  Under this procedure countries are not required to present evidence establishing a prima facie case against the person sought. 

 

Extradition under the Regulations is subject to the various safeguards set out in the Act.  For example, extradition will not be permitted where the fugitive is sought for or in connection with his or her race, religion, nationality or political opinions or is to be tried, sentenced or detained for a political or military offence.  Extradition would be refused where the fugitive could be liable to the death penalty, unless an undertaking is given that the death penalty will not be imposed or, if imposed, will not be carried out.  In addition, the Attorney-General retains a broad discretion to refuse an extradition request by a country.

 

The Regulations commenced on the day after they were registered.

 

The Regulations are a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.

Details of the Regulations are as follows:

Regulation 1 names the Regulations.

Regulation 2 provides that the Regulations commence on the day after registration.

Regulation 3 defines terms used in the Regulations.

Regulation 4 declares that the countries specified in Schedule 2 are extradition countries.

Regulation 5 provides for the application of the Act to the countries specified in Schedule 2, subject to the Convention.

Schedule 1 contains the text of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

Schedule 2 lists extradition countries to which the Act applies subject to the Convention.