In evidence to the national security law watchdog, the legal team said the NSI Act had fundamental issues and needed reforming

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Bernard Collaery’s lawyers say courts should be banned from hearing secret evidence about crucial aspects of a case which are hidden from an accused under strict national security laws.

Collaery’s legal team gave evidence on Thursday to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Grant Donaldson, about their experience in dealing with the secrecy restrictions contained in the National Security Information (NSI) Act, which is designed to safeguard sensitive information during court proceedings.

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