Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader

16 April 2013

GCSB Legislation Needed With Strict Controls

New Zealand First will support legislation to enable the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to act against domestic terrorism and serious crime despite Government blunders over the Dotcom case.

Rt Hon Winston Peters says safeguards must be written into the legislation to ensure the GCSB does not operate outside the law.

These are:
• Each surveillance to be authorised by warrant by the responsible minister
• The warrant to comply with specified criteria to identify the potential security risk
• The method of surveillance and the time frame of the operation
• Every warrant to be reviewed within three weeks by an independent authority selected from the Judiciary, Defence Force and Police

Mr Peters says international events prove that terrorism can be home grown and security agencies need the ability to keep New Zealand safe.

“What we don’t need is a system that works on an ad hoc old boy network with a tap on the shoulder or a chat in a corridor.

“We need a clear legal process that must be followed at all times,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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