INDEPENDENT senator Dr Marlene Attzs has warned that designating certain communities as zones of special operations could cause them to be permanently stigmatised.

She was contributing to debate on the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operation) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Bill 2026 in the Upper House on January 21.

The bill, an anti-crime measure, creates zones for hotspot communities, which are presided over by a “joint command,” comprising police officers and soldiers working alongside a social transformation council.