Australia’s experiment with tyranny: ASIO hatchet jobs above the law. The disturbing new increases to ASIO powers seem part of a conscious shift to authoritarian democracy. The intelligence agencies already had the powers they needed to go after terrorists. These new powers seem part of a paradigm shift in values, a crack down on civil liberties in the hope of clearing the way for higher economic growth ala Singapore and China. With the new draconian ASIO powers being tested in Australia, the government has the tools to go around red-, green- and any other colour-tape to gut local opposition on social and environmental grounds to advance chosen economic priorities. Concerns are activists and others will be targeted by ASIO and have no recourse or access to a marginalised media, and sidelined courts and parliament. ASIO, as an institution that reflects and shapes establishment values, acted in a way reminiscent of inappropriate Australian responses in past eras to political pressures of the day such as the White Australia Policy, the Stolen Generation, the Maralinga British nuclear test site in South Australia on Aboriginal traditional lands, the Vietnam War and today’s mandatory immigration detention of asylum seekers: it self-declared the national interest and unofficially took charge of Australia’s push to war as an issue of national importance – that the country must support the US in going to war no matter what – even an illegal, pre-emptive war as Iraq was. In Australia, parliamentarians have the right to vote their conscience, to cross the floor on any issue and vote with the opposition. However, parliamentary discipline is strong and members rarely do so. While members who cross the floor may be penalised by their party for doing so and find their career options constrained in the future, what is interesting is how this control is enforced by ASIO on matters it secretly declares to be national interest priorities. mininganalyst.net/2014/09/29/australias-tryst-with-tyranny-asio-hatchet-jobs/
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 00:33:25 +0000
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