To Macropod. I am sorry that you are feeling depressed. Just think, If Australia had been smart enough to keep Muslims out of our country, all of these anti terrorist laws and all of these assaults upon our civil liberties would not have been necessary.

Instead of blaming John Howard, blame the Multicultural industry which imports the terrorists who ant to murder all of us in our beds. You should have voted for Pauline.

Response to Redneck:

To "keep out" Islam (which is a religion) would, of course, involve astonishing violations of human rights. Islamic fundamentalists would indeed leave us alone, because they are strongly against multiculturalism, from their perspective, the immoral influence of the west.

Giving into terrorist demands while rekindling support for Pauline Hanson – a masterpiece.

Stuff "human rights". I care only for the welfare of my own people and for the welfare of our related kinship groups in Europe and America.

Australia is the new Athens and America is the new Rome. You stand around inviting all the Goths, Visigoths, Gauls, Huns and Mongol barbarians into our country because you think that they are just swell guys who's cultural values should be preserved by Aussie taxpayers.

Multiculturalism has been a disaster in every society cursed with it. How many times does it have to fail before people like you who's brains are impervious to reasoned thought, finally figure out it is a not a good idea?

Lebanon, Fiji, Cyprus, Georgia, Afghanistan, Biafra, Rhodesia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Liberia, Kashmir, Punjab, Sudan, Nigeria, Bougainville, East Timor, Yugoslavia, Kurdistan, New Zealand, Bhutan, Angola, Burma, Chechnya, Guadalcanal, Aden, Malaya, Oman, Congo, Northern Ireland, Palestine/Israel, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, and recently, Thailand.

Lets add Australia to the list of catastrophes. In a hundred years time, historians will use Australia as an example of how to take a peaceful society and turn it into a dungheap.

Response to Redneck:

You say "stuff human rights" and you "care only for the welfare of my own people". Which is it?

While I have heard it argued that "America is the new Rome", but Australia is as the new Athens? Very imaginative, but quite silly as Greek civilisation was many centuries older. Your analogy to barbarian invasion is lost on me, especially that you list "gauls", (conquered by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC). Would you like a history tutor?

And what is this list of lands and countries? Is that the "reasoned thought" you are referring to?

Let us not put Australia in the dungheap. If you are not proud of Australia, its values and its people, nobody is forcing you to stay. I recommend to you spend time in a place called North Korea, one of the most monocultural places on earth. And you'll not be bothered by "human rights" ever again.

Redneck, you continue to align yourself with dictators and extremists. Have a real hard think before you post again.

and grumpier ... check this simple ether scenario ... IF my partner was of overseas origin and was for some reason under this Draconian / Orwellian legislation "detained" ... I cannot find out what has happened to her ?!*!?
There is NO avenue by which the comm or state gov's can release any information (under the secrecy inclusion)
talk about 21st century disinformation ...
For HOW long?
By WHAT ethic?
My HOWARD ... WHY are you eroding ALL the principles set about by our forefathers ...(not only this legislation)
IS there some hidden agenda ?

Written in extreme awe of what this nation has become, ashamed to call myself an Australian

You trendies use “Human Rights” as some sort of trump card which you think wins every argument. Name any cause popular with the Brahmin caste,and when you finally batter them into a corner from where they can not escape the contradictions in their own logic, out comes “Human Rights”

What is “Human rights?” It can mean anything that people like you say it is. The Americans claim that they have a “right to bear arms”, but I will wager that this is one “right” that you disagree with. How would you like arguing with an American gun nut over gun control, who simply responded to your arguments with “Yes, but firearm ownership is my right!”

Rights change with time and rights conflict with each other. There are no human rights which are absolute because morality can never be absolute. Claim that any right is absolute and some clever dick will find some way to take that right to such extremes that it becomes a parody of the concept which that moral value was created to protect.

Your premise is that Australia can not bar Muslims from immigrating to Australia because we must respect their so called human rights. Could I remind you that Australia is a sovereign nation and we will decide which rights are appropriate for our community?

You snivel about human rights, yet you are unable to make the simple connection that Australia’s civil rights are being necessarily eroded because in the name of misplaced humanitarianism, we have allowed people to immigrate to this country who hate our guts? And these people want to murder as many of us as possible in order that they will be blessed by Allah as Jihadi’s, and they can then spend the rest of eternity screwing the brains out of 72 self regenerating virgins.

The ancient Greeks once said that the protection of one’s own people is the highest morality. That is a sentiment that I agree with.