Australian AG Insists New Anti-Terror Law Only Allows What It Allows; Refuses To Say What It Allows
from the democracy-in-action dept
Yesterday we told you about just one of the troubling aspects of a proposed "anti-terror" law in Australia, in that under a single warrant, ASIO, the intelligence gathering organization, could effectively monitor the entire internet. During some Parliamentary discussions on this, Senator Scott Ludlam tried to add an amendment limiting the number of computers that could be monitored under a single warrant. Brandis' "contribution" to the debate on this was to accuse Ludlam of being a "liar" for claiming that the law would allow the tapping of the entire internet under a single warrant and then... refusing any further explanation. The exchange is really quite incredible. Ludlam says he'd be happy if, in fact, his understanding of their previous conversation was in error, and thus wished for clarification. Brandis responds:What ASIO would be empowered to do is that which is authorized by the warrant, which is, in turn, governed by the terms of the Act.Holy tautology Batman! Ludlam appears reasonably sarcastically frustrated in return:
Thank you for your opaque and utterly unhelpful response.He asks further specific questions about what the law would cover and Brandis repeats: "I don't have anything to add to my previous answer." It's basically a giant "fuck you" to anyone wanting to make sure that the law isn't overly broad and doesn't allow spying on the entire internet. Remember, Brandis claims that was a lie, but refuses to clarify beyond the "utterly unhelpful" statement he made.
Anyone — including journalists, whistleblowers, bloggers and others — who "recklessly" discloses "information ... [that] relates to a special intelligence operation" faces up to 10 years' jail.In short, Australia is guaranteeing that not only will they not have their own Edward Snowden but they won't have their own Glenn Greenwald, either. Combine that with the massive new powers to spy on everyone with a single warrant, and Australia just massively expanded the surveillance state, and put a gag order on anyone who wants to expose its abuses.
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Filed Under: anti-terror, australia, george brandis, journalism, privacy, scott ludlam, warrants, whistleblowing
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Why don't we as citizens make our own laws that we don't have to follow, and just force them on our government? I bet they will hate it, and maybe then they will understand.
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Then have every regulsr joe do this in other areas of society.
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51st, maybe?
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Re: 51st, maybe?
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Re: 51st, maybe?
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But Australia got a one... We want one too!!!
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Neat tidy and just oh so convenient. The work of a failing leader shoring up voter dissatisfaction with a new slant on "there is a communist under your bed"
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What we have left are governments who are run by power hungry mad warlords who only see the public as a thing to rule rather than to lead.
Our rules, regulations, ideals and morals have all been chipped away, speck by speck with every new contemptible, incremental, slippery-slope legislation that's passed in the name of an abstract threat, designed in order to give those with power even more power.
Some of us still have freedom to discuss it with hatred and despise without being immediately arrested and reeducated or left to rot behind prison bars, but how much longer do you think that's going to last before some crooked, corporate-sponsored dog manages to sneak through legislation changing that too?
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Everyone just got a new loan for that new shiny thing. Don't rock the boat or they will lose their precious.
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Pigs
Sadists, murderers nothing else.
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At this rate were going to end up in another world war.
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Bad day for Australia - it has officially become a police state. Many people have come here to escape that in their former countries and now they will face it again.
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Don't lump him with the others.
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You will always get pollies who will in specific instances stand up for what is a right and good position, but if they are party members (of whatever stripe) it will be a rare day that they will cross the floor.
My own position here is that if the Greens were in power then they would still keep this atrocious legislation and not repeal it. It has too many "benefits" to the ruling power to just give up and roll back.
So, as much as I have used what Senator Ludlam has said and who he is to highlight the inappropriateness of the LNP stand, as a member of the Greens, I still don't trust him.
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Dear Politicians...
You should be more ashamed you *censored* !
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