The Full Face Covering Debate: An Australian Perspective

Abstract

The wearing of full face coverings by women in public, such as burqas and niqabs, has become a controversial and hotly debated issue both in Australia and around the world. While some overseas jurisdictions have opted to ban full face coverings Australia, despite some attempts to ban full face coverings, has so far opted for a more nuanced approach. This article examines the Australian debate from the calls for a complete ban of full face coverings by political leaders such as Senators Fred Nile and Cory Bernardi through to the passage of the Identification Legislation Amendment Act 2011 (NSW). In particular the article highlights that more recent debate on the issue has focused on ways in which concerns surrounding security and identity checks can be met without imposing a blanket ban on the wearing of full face coverings.

Keywords: trail process, full face coverings, religion