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The Forum > Article Comments > Someone else might be listening > Comments

Someone else might be listening : Comments

By George Williams and David Hume, published 29/3/2006

New proposals for surveillance powers just go too far: government should think again.

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Monkey see, monkey do, George Dubbya does it, we follow like the loyal Deputy Sherrif we are, yankeeland say's jump, we ask "how high Sir!"
Posted by SHONGA, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 3:25:38 PM
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To the authors

Thank you for your article. You have provided a good "think tank".

Initially, you totally hooked me in. But then I reflected: surely this sort of thing has been going on for years without our overt knowledge and without legal parameters?

Thank you to all posters

I have found all responses worthy of thought - especially yours Lisamaree. Even so, I cannot imagine the Government being the least bit interested in me or any of my communications.

I assume the same Bill will apply to all politicians, Federal Police, and members of Asio?

Cheers all
Kay
Posted by kalweb, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 5:13:38 PM
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kalweb

Yes it applies to State and Federal Police Forces and ASIO.

It presumably also applies to the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) whose legislative and technical role in domestic interception never gets mentioned - verboten.

Alas. Nothing applies to politicians. They can break national security laws with impunity eg when:

- Abbott published some of Cheryl Kernot's private tax file arrangements just before an election (to discredit Kernot), or

- Downer ('s Office) desseminated Andrew Wilkie's secret ONA assessment on WMDs to the odd MP (etc) to discredit Wilkie.

Planta
aka Spooky Pete
http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com/
Posted by plantagenet, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 5:48:16 PM
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Pete

Interesting post mate. But why doesn't the proposed Bill apply to politicians (and their family and friends presumably)? If that is the case, I want it stopped, but how?

Cheers
Kay
Posted by kalweb, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 6:26:48 PM
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Leigh,

"...anyone who thinks he or she, as innocent people, will be subject to any surveillance has a severe case of big-headeness. ASIO doesn't have the resources or time to listen in to any more conversations than it absoultely has to."

This comment shows a real lack of knowledge about modern technology. ASIO won't have to read every email or listen to every phone call, they have software that'll do this for them; software that will watch and listen for key words.

Let's say I send you an email containing the following paragraph...

...In regards to the game in Canberra, we bombed. My performance through the whole match was weak but I knew I'd explode in the final minutes...
CANBERRA, BOMBED, EXPLODE...Bingo! We have a suspect. Our emails and phone conversations are then monitored by people who have no right to do so.

Saying that people must have something to hide if they reject this kind of legislation is just lazy logic.

None of this has anything to do with our security and everything to do with control and power. This kind of legislation is only ever introduced so that eventually (given time and more legislation) we all become a bunch of mindless slaves with no hopes or aspirations - a very good way to control a nation of people don't you think?

I envy people of the older generations such as yourself. You must have grown-up in such innocent times to have such an inability to see the real reason as to why politicians do what they do.
Posted by Jinx, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 9:44:01 PM
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Leigh and Jinx there are very good reasons for the government to stay out of peoples lifes.

For example, in 10 years time that the war on terror gets out of hand and all muslims are to be interned. Not likely but this is exact;y what happened in WWI and WWII.

However next week a boy falls in love with a muslim girl at school. Madly in love he start his conversion, a year later he meets someone else and gives up. Now in today's climate that is nothing to hide but in the above future case he could find himself in a whole lot of trouble.

We are lucky that we have had reasonable government (for non aborigines) for the last 100 years. However we should always be on guard and not make assumtions about future governments.

Say a populist politician emerges and creates a new party. The potential MPs haven't gone through the usual years party politicking, scrutiny and preselection so there are likely to be a fair share of crooks and opportunists. Once in government they get rid of the populist leader and hijack the political agenda. It can happen here. Don't be complacent.
Posted by gusi, Thursday, 30 March 2006 2:19:47 AM
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