New anti-terror laws can target journalists

Under the ominous and foreboding black cloud of terror that looms over every Australian, the Abbott Government will be introducing new anti-terror laws. One section of this new law states; “Unauthorised disclosure of information relating to special intelligence operations” will be illegal, with the penalty be up to 10 years in prison. This particular part of the new law directly targets journalists, reports Ewan Nicholson, as it makes it illegal to publish non authorised information under the umbrella of “special intelligence operations”.

Combined with the new warrant-less snooping laws, and having pre-immunity for torturing confessions out of people, the police finally have everything at their fingertips to crackdown on the government’s biggest threat to stability and power, that being a well-informed and dissenting public. To quell the negative public reaction our Attorney general would have us believe that journalists are not being targeted at all.

He further tells us, with it seems some help from Humphrey from “Yes Minister” an explanation that made total sense without making any sense, if that makes sense to you:

The changes were to make the law consistent with provisions in the existing ASIO Act relating to warrants for terrorism offences and the Commonwealth Crimes Act for controlled operations run by the Australian Federal Police.

Wow, lucky I don’t know what it means but it doesn’t sound too scary. Perhaps he should have said:

It’s not a war but a humanitarian mission with military elements.

He reveals his magical ability of making things not a thing, just by saying it’s not a thing. I wish he could do that with my debts.

It’s difficult to see how journalist will not be targeted, Perhaps one should ask him the direct question; “Will journalist be targeted?” Fully aware they if he says:

Actually they will be, its whole point of the legislation.

. . . Then he would be targeted and pestered by them. So for Brandi that would just be a real nuisance and he has more important things to do that answers to irksome journo’s and their annoying questions. So officially, journalist won’t be targeted

Why? Because Brandi would have as believe this.

Yet he could have chosen just be honest and said:

Yes of course journalist will be targeted. Who else would possibly publish unauthorised state secrets, dummy?

He could have also reassure the worried jounos that even if their every move is being monitored, recorded and tracked that they won’t even know it’s going on. Unless, that is, they have done something they shouldn’t have and then yes, then they will know.

Like a tree falling in forest without anyone to hear it, if you don’t know they are monitoring your every interaction, then they aren’t. Like Abbott’s policy on asylum seeker, if we don’t tell you about abusive and corrupt things that are going on, then how can you have a problem with abusive and corrupt thing happening? It’s a win/win for Team Australia.

Yet despite his empty reassurances I am sure most seasoned journalist know that it will be precisely “journalist” that will be target. As this has nothing to do with sensitive information about the identity of undercover agents being handed over to an Al Qaeda cell. As this is a safe guard to screw whistle-blowers and those who dares to publish their revelations. This is Australia “Post-Edward Snowden” in damage control before the damage has begun. As what would be the point running all risks of “blowing the whistle” if you know none of it can be published? Like Edward Snowden, I am sure there many people in the public and private sector that witness wrong doings and feel a moral and civic duty to reveal this to the public. This new law ensures that sentiment can’t even be felt, let alone acted on.

Each piece of this new anti-terror law is shaped with convenient ambiguity and this part is no different. As what gets defined as “special intelligence operations” will be theirs to pick and choose. What you can be sure about is anything damming that reveals abuse and corruption by our government or the their corporate sponsors, will definitely be labelled “special intelligence operations”. We will end up like in the US, where the only person to go to jail for the CIA’s torture program is the person who blew the whistle on it.

This law also sweeps its net over anyone sharing this said information:

Recipients of an unauthorised disclosure of information” who “engage in any subsequent disclosure.” Intention to cause harm is not required and it doesn’t matter if another person read, heard, or viewed the information in question – just the act of making it available to others would be sufficient.

So you have been warned! Don’t go sharing on Facebook any unauthorised information. At the time you might not know it’s unauthorised information but you will soon work it out when they arrest you. So let’s hope for the government’s sake there isn’t any unauthorised disclosure of information imbedded in videos of cats flushing the toilet on YouTube.

This law is about bolstering the government to act as lawlessly as they choose, with cocky reassurance that anyone who points this out with actual evidence will be punished with the full force of the law.

Brandis’s effortless sneer is the perfect poster boy of this sinister and menacing piece of legislation. If Edward Snowden has been living in Australia, and the journalist he chose to break the story with was an Australian journalist his story, under these new laws it would have never seen the light of day.

All of Australia should be concerned and aware that this government is following in the footsteps of the USA . We are creating state were we are allowed to argue over who should have won X-Factor but we aren’t allowed serious dissent and question the ruling class. These laws and their implications are alarming, as they seem to point to a wider, more long-term strategy. Like they know the wrong doing they are going to do and now create laws to ensure they aren’t answerable or accountable to anyone but themselves when those future wrong doings take place. Australia needs to stand up and say this is unacceptable before we get to a point where that in of itself will be against the law.

A side note:I couldn’t help noticing the astounding resemblance both looks, sneer and general assholeness.

 

This article was originally published as New anti-terror laws target journalist, as it aims to criminalize reporting the truth on Things-that-matter.net.