[JURIST] Australia’s Parliament House [official website] on Monday lifted a ban on face veils including burqas and niqabs. The short-lived ban was announced earlier this month, prohibiting persons with facial coverings from being in open public galleries. The ban was condemned for segregating Muslim women and potentially breaching anti-discrimination laws. Upon lifting the ban, the Department of Parliamentary Services stated that face coverings would have to be removed temporarily before entering the Parliament House to identify any person who may be known or discovered to be a security risk. Last month the government of Australia raised its terror warning level in response to domestic threats of Islamic State (IS) [JURIST news archive] supporters.

Although bans on facial coverings have been condemned by human rights groups, many nations have imposed or proposed such legislation. In January a French court convicted a woman for wearing a burqa [JURIST report] in violation of the controversial law [materials, in French]. Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy [JURIST reports] have also passed or considered similar legislation. Legal commentators have argued [JURIST op-ed] that burqa bans are political necessities, rather than legal ones, and therefore legal rationale and political justification are weak.