Jim H.
Both Labor and Coalition supported the Intelligence Services Legislation Amendment Bill back in March this year. The Greens managed to stall it with a Senate review.
The Bill had been put forward because the ruling class demands a sharpening up of the powers of intelligence services, ASIO and the Defence Signals Directorate.
Along the way, a range of lawyers and human rights experts and activists have campaigned to block the move, correctly seeing this as a serious threat to the Australian people.
Despite everything, with the unity of Labor and the Coalition, the Bill was passed, largely on the quiet, on June 26.
The immediate purpose is to increase the power of the spy outfits to tap phones and the Internet.
It mirrors similar moves occurring in the United States where the Federal police have raided homes and arrested activists involved in movements opposed to austerity measures. This is no coincidence. After all, the rulers of that country have the decisive say over the Australian government.
In the first place, the reality of deepening economic crisis and a political dissatisfaction amongst the Australian people that threatens the possibility of transforming into more open rebellion scares the hell out of the big corporations that are presently in charge. Good examples are the big banks, mining companies and the Murdoch media empire. The owners of these big corporations know that if the people take them on in earnest they could be history.
The plan is to prepare both Labor and the Coalition to do their bidding through alternative strategies of deception, and combine this with the readiness of the big stick. This is the essence of a number of measures taken over recent years. The Intelligence Services Legislation Amendment Bill fits into the pattern.
The main justification given at the moment is that foreign spying needs to be improved because Australia faces new threats. Australia’s security is threatened by greater integration into US imperialist interfering and war mongering around the world. This has brought an increased risk. The best security would be to get out of this integration. It is service to US interest that is the problem.
The Bill centres on increasing unscrutinised foreign spying activity (loosely including any entity that is deemed to be linked to a foreign government or political organisation); across the board power to spy on people overseas. Australians who go overseas are to be more easily targeted. Provision is made for access to employment related information in secret. Greater clarification of immunity from Commonwealth and State criminal laws is provided for the protection of spies. The implication is that much of their activity is expected to be on Australian soil.
Some have suggested that the motivation is to silence the likes of Wikileaks and Julian Assange as an example. But the net is intended to be cast much wider than this. The Australian people remain the main target.
Independence and democratic rights
Activities geared to meddle in other countries are connected to US imperialist domination of Australia.
Maintaining this domination to both exploit Australia and use Australia as a stepping stone to penetrate the region more deeply and as a proxy for aggression elsewhere, is the goal. While this situation continues, efforts to gain greater independence and justice are hamstrung.
Opposition to greater powers for the spy organisations is defence of the democratic rights of the Australian people.
Defending these rights is important to ensuring that the Australian people are in the best position to not only defend past gains, but also to fight for and build a future Australia that’s truly in the hands of the people and for the people.
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