Australia’s history of banning political groups gives pause for thought as to whether we really want to go down this route again.

During the first world war, the Unlawful Associations Act 1916 was enacted and used to ban a group called Industrial Workers of the World. Membership was made a criminal offence. Members could also be deported if they were not British subjects born in Australia.

One hundred and three members were imprisoned, and others were deported. Some were put on a ship and dumped in Chile, even though they had no connection with Chile.

While the validity of the legislation was not challenged, it probably would not have survived constitutional scrutiny.

In 1940, the Menzies government used defence regulations to ban “subversive associations”, including the Communist party in Australia. The governor general was empowered to declare a body unlawful if it was “in his opinion, prejudicial to the defence of the commonwealth or........

© The Guardian