The government is actively preventing debate on a secret data store that will hold email and internet activities of every Australian. It refuses to release information because it "could cause…premature and unnecessary debate", according to an Attorney-General’s Department official. Disregard for the Australian people appears to be a general government attitude: FOI is under attack from elsewhere in government, while we appear ready to sign our data integrity away to a European cyber law agreement to which Australia has no input and over which Australia has no future control. Arrogant and dumb is a dangerous combination.
Throughout Australia, there are calls to wind back the excesses stemming from previous ‘law and order’ elections. A retiring judge calls for weekend detention and an analysis of why massive jailing of juveniles isn’t reducing crime; a magistrate has highlighted the unjustness of ‘sexting’ sentencing on under-age boys, while the frustrations caused by state and territory borders, and different laws and offender treatment regimes from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, are again highlighted. "Federation’, the 19th century solution Australia adopted, is showing rough edges, and its age, two centuries later.
- Want to fly? No sweat!
- ‘Born on 1st of July’ girl to help plant National Liberty Tree;
- Firies fight rearguard action over drug testing;
- Smile, you’re on candid warrant;
- Don’t aim stun guns at chest, MP says;
- Macho Minister thinks he is cop on the beat;
- Half the people arrested should be in a health facility;
- Jail is no place for the mentally ill;
- Rosie noses out the facts in rape trial;
- Jail threat if you don’t vaccinate your children;
- Houston, we have a light problem; and
- Extensive rundown on CLA’s recent activities.