Australia's most populous state has approved a law permitting police to order Muslim women to remove burqas and other face-covering veils.

The law was introduced Monday in New South Wales, where a Muslim woman was convicted of falsely accusing a police officer of forcing her to remove her burqa during a random breath test for alcohol. A judge overturned Carnita Matthews' conviction last month because the officers had not seen the face of the woman who made the complaint.

State Premier Barry O'Farrell says the new law should give police the tools to do their jobs. Local Islamic groups say they support the change, as long as officers treat Muslim women with sensitivity.

Face-covering veils and burqas have also become a political issue in New Zealand where Saudi women have twice been forced off buses because they were wearing head coverings.

Prime Minister John Key insists his country is “a tolerant and inclusive society” in spite of the actions. He says women should not be discriminated against because they wear burqas and veils, and there is no need for New Zealand to emulate France where they are banned.

Shahram Akbarzadeh, a professor of Asian politics at the University of Melbourne, tells VOA such incidents are the result of fear of terrorists. Akbarzadeh says the incidents are unfortunate because they present Muslim issues in a negative light.