Australians to Increases Surveillance Powers?

Anonymous Coward writes to tell us The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that new laws being presented to parliament this week would allow police and spy agencies additional power to monitor communications of people not suspected of any crime. From the article: "Under the changes, police will be able to tap the phone calls and trace the emails and text messages of third parties to suspected crimes. Police will have 45 days to monitor a person not under suspicion in the hope it will lead them to the person or people they do suspect."

Comments

My View

[zaguar]

This isn't unexpected. Howards government has been steadily eroding Australians powers ever since 9/11. The "Alert - But not alarmed" is the Aussie equivalent to the Orange/Red terror alerts in America. The Howard Government has been steadily increasing the fear levels in the population. They recently voted on a bill that would allow incarceration without charge for around 90 days IIRC. AFAIK it wasn't passed after human rights activists won a minor victory for freedom. But the bill was strongly supporded by the Government (Liberal Party) and they have got the majority by a long way after the Mark Latham experiment.

To recap - This is just another assault on privacy by the Liberal Party. It may not pass now, but it will someday, and when that day comes - I'm moving across the ditch to New Zealand

In case you can't tell - I'm an Australian resident

Re:My View

[lachlan76]

They're still around...much of the country still hates the Detention Centers though (to my knowledge). You're right though, they've been a bit quiet lately...

They keep people in there long enough that children are born in there and don't get out until they're already school-age. Not very nice, to say the least.

Pure evil

[micpp]

The thing about the Australian government as it stands today is that it's just pure evil. If a report came tomorrow that John Howard likes to kill puppies it would not suprise me at all. The only reason he's still around is due to a generally incompetent opposition.

Security Camera Registry

[omegashenron]

Doesnt come as a surprise given the following plans.

NSW plans new security camera regime.

I think it is safe to say that we are all potential criminals.

Re:Freedom?

[Threni]

> his goal: Undermining Western civilization, economics and politics,

If you've read any interviews with Bin Laden you'll know his only goal is to get the `infidels` out of Muslim countries, especially Saudi Arabia, and now Afghanistan and Iraq. He has never expressed any interest in economics or politics.