Australian Government Rejects Data Retention Law After Report

mask.of.sanity writes "The Australian Government has shelved its plans to proactively store communications data of every citizen ostensibly to assist with law enforcement and intelligence efforts. The shelving (video) comes after a scathing report by Australian parliamentarians who investigated the Government's plans, and three months ahead of a federal election in which the Government is expected to lose office."

Comments

Why can't this happen in the US

[davydagger]

In other countries, occationally orwellian laws are blocked by elected officials.

In the US, they all shrug and try to explain away our rights.

Re:Why can't this happen in the US

[Mitreya]

In other countries, occationally orwellian laws are blocked by elected officials.

In the US, they all shrug and try to explain away our rights.

Not at all. When the outrage gets too loud (think SOPA and the ilk), laws will be temporarily stopped and shelved, only to be re-introduced piece-by-piece in "Think of Rainbows And Puppies Act"

I assume this is what is happening there -- a full law could not be passed openly, so it will be re-built quietly piece-by-piece later.

Re:Democracy works!

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank goodness? No!

Thank Snowden instead, that man is a hero.

This bill (or whatever it is) has been rejected thanks to Snowden.

Snowden has made too obvious for the People what governments do against them.

Re:The current government is doomed.

[Sponge Bath]

Voters are idiots

Are you saying you don't vote, or that you are an idiot?

Re:The current government is doomed.

[FatLittleMonkey]

Parent AC didn't mean "...because of this"; the current government is pulling record low numbers in the polls. They are hated and are going to be destroyed in the next election.

And it sucks, because the leader of the next government is a US-style neo-conservative religious nutter. And his party is dominated by True Believers in US-style trickle-down economics. The current government's incompetence is going to allow something much worse to take over, not only to control the lower House (and hence the executive) but likely the Senate, giving them basically a rubber stamp on anything they want to shove through.

Re:Democracy works!

[icebike]

If only Snowden hadn't been such a true believer in Obama, he would have released his cache before the prior election and forced the issue into the spotlight in the US. Both parties would be backpedaling furiously.

As it is, the administration (along with the opposition party) will do everything in its power to demonize him, when in fact he should be getting the Medal of Freedom. Here's hoping there is another Snowden in position to divulge the illegal spying in the run-up to the next election and perhaps some headway can be made on this issue. If not, it will all peter out in the States, and then all pretense if restrictions will be gone.

Re:The current government is doomed.

[Capsaicin]

Yet you still wind up with a government that's competing with the UK and USA for the Police State Award.

Do we?!

I mean the inept Australian government actually felt it necessary to go to parliament to get legislative power to do what the UK and USA Police states just went ahead and did.

In Australia we were displeased because we were informed about the government's intentions. The US and UK governments did not see fit similarly to displease their respective constituents. The Australian government has backed down in the face of both public and parliamentary opposition to the plan. Do you seriously believe the US or the UK are about dismantle their machinery? For all the articles the Guardian may publish?

Not much of a competition I would say.

Democracy ... I'm occasionally hopeful that it might work after all.

Re:The current government is doomed.

[Gideon Fubar]

I've never understood why some people are so concerned about big government but then give monopolies to big businesses.