Greatly increased penalties, including up to 25 years' imprisonment for espionage, have been put into Rhodesia's proposed new Official Secrets Act, published with the Government Gazette yesterday.

The Bill will be debated during the next sitting of Parliament which begins on Wednesday.

The Bill seeks to replace the present Act, which is based on Britain's 1914 legislation and which has been describe as outmoded by the Rhodesian Minister of Justice, Mr. Desmond Lardner-Burke.

A hint that new legislation would be tabled was given this week by Mr Lardner-Burke during a radio and television interview when he answered questions on Rhodesia's two recent spy trials.

The Bill shows that the penalty for espionage will be without the option of a fine.

It defines and "enemy" of Rhodesia as including any hostile organisation which can be any organisation operating outside the country which is declared by the President to be a hostile body on the grounds that it is furthering acts of prejudicial to the interests of Rhodesia.

A person would be guilty of espionage if he approached inspected, passed over or was in the vicinity of or entered any prohibited place; made any model or document which was calculated to be or which might or was intended to be useful, directly or indirectly.