Dutton’s airport ID checks are ripe for abuse and take us closer to a police state

Police intelligence is far from 100% reliable and ethnic profiling is an obvious risk

• Rex Patrick
• The Guardian

”Your papers please!”

It’s a phrase associated with the workings of a police state. It’s a trope favoured by Hollywood movies, but it’s an expression that can trigger dread for those who have had the misfortune to encounter the arbitrary power of an authoritarian government. And it’s a phrase you may soon hear when you arrive at one of Australia’s major airports.

Airports are part of everyday life for many of us. Even when not travelling ourselves, trips to the airport are routine as we meet or…

• Dutton’s airport ID…