The New South Wales government has pushed through legislation allowing police to force the removal of head coverings to identify suspected criminals. The laws, among the toughest in the world involving Muslim female attire, follow the recent row over a Sydney woman who claimed police tried to tear off her veil after her car was pulled over.The woman, Carnita Matthews, was charged with falsely accusing police of assault. She was cleared by a judge who concluded she could not be positively identified because of her head covering.
Under new laws, approved by the state cabinet and due to be enforced soon, anyone who refuses to remove a head covering for police will face up to a year in jail or a $5,570 fine.
Barry O'Farrell, the premier of New South Wales, said, "I don't care whether a person is wearing a motorcycle helmet, a niqab, a face veil or anything else, the police should be allowed to require those people to make their identification clear."
Many Muslim groups accepted the changes but some said a female officer should oversee any removals. The Muslim Women's Association said if a female officer supervised the removals then "nobody could really complain".
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which called for Australian Muslims this week to repudiate democracy, said the new laws were designed to intimidate Muslims. The laws were rejected by civil liberties groups as well.
More Australian states may adopt similar laws, with the Western Australian government indicating that it would consider the NSW legislation.