Book review: RK Lippert, K Walby, I Warren and D Palmer (eds), National Security, Surveillance and Terror: Canada and Australia in Comparative Perspective
| Published date | 01 September 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1748895817747465 |
| Date | 01 September 2018 |
| Author | Julak Lee |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
510 Criminology & Criminal Justice 18(4)
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RK Lippert, K Walby, I Warren and D Palmer (eds), National Security, Surveillance and Terror:
Canada and Australia in Comparative Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan: Switzerland, 2016; 348 pp.:
9783319432427, £82.00 (hbk)
Reviewed by: Julak Lee, Kyonggi University, Suwon, South Korea
In his seminal work, Risk Society, Beck (1992) argued that the logic of surveillance,
security and risk had permeated society. Such assertion has been supported in political,
legal and bureaucratic domains. Many public sector organizations deemed to be irrele-
vant to this logic have begun to participate in surveillance practices under the security
and risk management frameworks. Against this backdrop, surveillance and national
security have infiltrated into society as important features of organizing and managing
government agencies in a way that mitigates insecurity and risks (e.g. McCulloch and
Pickering, 2009). This trend is not only noticeable in the USA and the UK, but also in
other western nations such as Canada and Australia. National Security, Surveillance and
Terror: Canada and Australia in Comparative Perspective demonstrates how surveil-
lance has become a crucial element in strengthening national security, based on an analy-
sis of political forces and social relations. Additionally, the authors provide readers with
theoretical and empirical studies that draw comparisons between Canada and Australia.
This book consists of three parts. Part I addresses how national security and surveil-
lance practices and laws have changed over time. Starting by presenting national security
organizations, the first four chapters highlight their expanding roles from legal and polit-
ical points of view. While Forcese illustrates how judicial arrangements have evolved to
address extraterritorial surveillance activities of Canada’s two major national security
agencies, Walsh explores expanding developments of Australia’s counter-terrorism laws
after the Bali bombing. The chapters by Jochelson and Doerksen and by Murphy and
Anderson examine the legal architectures of Canada and Australia, respectively. Overall,
the four chapters agree on two ideas: (1) national security and surveillance power have
been strengthened; and (2) intrusive procedures that infringe individuals’ rights are not
thoroughly examined through judicial and bureaucratic oversight.
Part II is comprised of chapters that hinge upon empirical cases related to national
security, corporate security, intelligence community and terrorism. Using Closed-Circuit
Television (CCTV) as a representative case, Brooks, Corkill and Coole argue that rele-
vant actors within the Australian security continuum do not interpret the concept of sur-
veillance in the same manner because of different languages, reflecting cultural
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