The fact that Minister for Home Affairs & Liberal MP for Dickson Peter Dutton is always lurking in the shadows during national crises continues to be a worry

"I’m going to keep going until I get the numbers. I’m not stopping" [Minister for Home Affairs & Liberal MP for Dickson Peter Dutton on the subject of his desire to be Australian prime minister, quoted in "The Bigger Picture", April 2020]

It has become notable that since September-August 2018 when Peter Dutton's bid to topple then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull succeeded but his bid to become Australian prime minister failed - primarily because he and Turnbull were both outfoxed by a duplicitous Scott Morrison - Dutton disappears into the shadows during the worst phases of national crises or major political scandal.

One suspects he does so as he doesn't want voters to negatively associate him with either crises or scandal, because he hasn't given up his ambition to be prime minister after the next federal election.

As Dutton's worldview is as much a threat to democratic processes as is the worldview of current prime minister Scott Morrison, voters would do well to keep in mind what Dutton would like to impose on Australian society.

Sydney Criminal Lawyers, 20 April 2020:

Peter Dutton Proposes Prison for Refusing to Provide Passwords

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has been absent from the media spotlight in recent times, ever since he contracted coronavirus.

And many are asking where the man at the helm of curtailing civil liberties on a federal level has been in the midst of the current pandemic.

The man at the helm of the surveillance state

Mr Dutton has been credited with proposing a wide range of laws designed to increase the power of authorities at the expense of individual liberties.

Perhaps most recently, Mr Dutton proposed laws which would result in prison time for those who fail or refuse to hand over their passwords or PINs when requested to do so by authorities.

Peter Dutton has said the laws are needed to help police catch criminals who are hiding behind encryption technology – a line we have heard many times before as the country’s law makers put in place draconian measures to grant police and other authorities surveillance powers that encroach upon our privacy.

Under the proposals, which is currently on hold, people who are not even suspected of a crime, could face a fine of up to $50,000 and up to five years’ imprisonment for declining to provide a password to their smartphone, computer or other electronic devices.

Furthermore, anyone (an IT professional, for example) who refuses to help the authorities crack a computer system when ordered will face up to five years in prison. If the crime being investigated is terrorism-related then the penalty for non-compliance increases to 10 years in prison and/or a $126,000 fine.

Tech companies who refuse to assist authorities to crack encryption when asked to do so, will face up to $10 million in fines. What’s more, if any employee of the company tells anyone else they have been told to do this, they will face up to five years in gaol.

Under the legislation, foreign countries can also ask Australia’s Attorney General for police to access data in your computer to help them investigate law-breaking overseas.

Australia’s hyper-legislative response to September 11

Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the Australian parliament has responded to the threat of terrorism here and overseas by enacting more than 80 new laws and amending existing laws – many of them with wide-reaching consequences, such as the terrorism laws used to conduct raids on journalist Annika Smethurst’s home and the ABC’s head offices, as well as charge former military lawyer and whistleblower David Mc Bride with offences that could see him spending the rest of his life in gaol.

Controversial metadata laws too, introduced in 2015, seriously impact our personal privacy requiring telecommunications companies to retain metadata including information on who you call or text, where you make calls from, and who you send emails to.

The problem is that once these kinds of extraordinarily heavy-handed powers are legislated, they are very seldom retracted or rescinded. In many cases, over time, they are expanded. Australia’s oversight body the Australian Law Reform Commission can review laws that are already in place, but it has limited powers which only enable the commission to make recommendations for change, not to actually change the laws themselves.

Police already have the power to seize a phone or laptop if you have been arrested.

Border Force has even more extensive seize and search powers.

The extensive powers of border force

In 2018, Border Force made headlines after intercepting an British-Australian citizen travelling through Sydney airport seizing his devices.

Nathan Hague, a software developer was not told what would be done with his devices, why they were being inspected or whether his digital data was being copied and stored. He believes his laptop password was cracked.

Australian Border Forces have extensive powers to search people’s baggage at Australian airports. These are contained in section 186 of Customs Act 1901 (Cth). These include opening baggage, reading documents, and using an X-ray or detection dog to search baggage.

The Customs Act allows officers to retain an electronic device for up to 14 days if there is no content on the device which renders it subject to seizure. And if it is subject to seizure, the device may be withheld for a longer period.

ABF officers have the power to copy a document if they’re satisfied it may contain information relevant to prohibited goods, to certain security matters or an offence against the Customs Act. A document includes information on phones, SIM cards, laptops, recording devices and computers.

222 economists advise that lifting COVID-19 restrictions too soon will not help the Australian economy. But will Scott Morrison listen?

The Conversation, 20 April 2020:

In recent weeks a growing chorus of Australian commentators has called for social distancing measures to be eased or radically curtailed.

Some have claimed the lives saved by the lockdowns are not worth the damage they are causing to the economy.

Others have claimed the case for easing is strengthened by the fact many of the hardest hit by COVID-19 are elderly or suffering from other conditions.

Some might expect economists, of all people, to endorse this calculus.

But as economists we categorically reject these views, and we believe they do not represent the majority of our profession.

We believe a callous indifference to life is morally objectionable, and that it would be a mistake to expect a premature loosening of restrictions to be beneficial to the economy and jobs, given the rapid rate of contagion…..

Open Letter from Australian Economists

19 April, 2020

Dear Prime Minister and Members of the National Cabinet,

The undersigned economists have witnessed and participated in the public debate about when to relax social-distancing measures in Australia. Some commentators have expressed the view there is a trade-off between the public health and economic aspects of the crisis. We, as economists, believe this is a false distinction.

We cannot have a functioning economy unless we first comprehensively address the public health crisis. The measures put in place in Australia, at the border and within the states and territories, have reduced the number of new infections. This has put Australia in an enviable position compared to other countries, and we must not squander that success.

We recognise the measures taken to date have come at a cost to economic activity and jobs, but believe these are far outweighed by the lives saved and the avoided economic damage due to an unmitigated contagion. We believe strong fiscal measures are a much better way to offset these economic costs than prematurely loosening restrictions.

As has been foreshadowed in your public remarks, our borders will need to remain under tight control for an extended period. It is vital to keep social-distancing measures in place until the number of infections is very low, our testing capacity is expanded well beyond its already comparatively high level, and widespread contact tracing is available.

A second-wave outbreak would be extremely damaging to the economy, in addition to involving tragic and unnecessary loss of life.

Sincerely,

Professor Alison Booth, Australian National University

Professor Jeff Borland, University of Melbourne

Professorial Research Fellow Lisa Cameron, Melbourne Institute, University of Melbourne

Professor Efrem Castelnuovo, University of Melbourne

Professor Deborah Cobb-Clark, University of Sydney

Assistant Professor Ashley Craig, University of Michigan

Professor Chris Edmond, University of Melbourne

Professor Nisvan Erkal, University of Melbourne

Professor John Freebairn, University of Melbourne

Professor Renée Fry-McKibbin, Australian National University

Professor Joshua Gans, University of Toronto

Professor Jacob Goeree, UNSW Business School

Professor Quentin Grafton, Australian National University

Professor Simon Grant, Australian National University

Professor Pauline Grosjean, UNSW Business School

Distinguished Professor Jane Hall, University of Technology Sydney

Assistant Professor Steven Hamilton, George Washington University

Professor Ian Harper, Melbourne Business School

Professor Richard Holden, UNSW Business School

Professor David Johnston, Monash University

Professor Flavio Menezes, University of Queensland

Professor Warwick McKibbin, Australian National University

Assistant Professor Simon Mongey, University of Chicago

Professor James Morley, University of Sydney

Professor Joseph Mullins, University of Minnesota

Professor Abigail Payne, Melbourne Institute, University of Melbourne

Professor Bruce Preston, University of Melbourne

Emeritus Professor Sue Richardson, Flinders University

Professor Stefanie Schurer, University of Sydney

Professor Kalvinder Shields, University of Melbourne

Professor John Quiggin, University of Queensland

Associate Professor Simon Quinn, Oxford University

Economic Advisor James Vickery, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Professor Tom Wilkening, University of Melbourne

Professor Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan

Professor Yves Zenou, Monash University

Full list of signatories available on the economists open letter website.

2GB radio shock jock Alan Jones and unrequited political love

Excerpt from A Bigger Picture by former Australian prime minister Malcolm Bligh Turnbull, April 2020, p.237:

These bad polls made Abbott’s media backers go in harder. After days of demented denunciations from Alan Jones, I agreed to go on his program. On 4 June, the night before the interview, at 5.59 pm, I called him up. We spoke (mostly he spoke) for 31 minutes. I wrote in my diary that night: 

I tried to persuade him to stop this mad jihad against me on the basis that it was (a) utterly baseless and (b) very damaging to the Government, creating issues of leadership all at a time when we were behind in the polls and thus vulnerable. Jones was totally hysterical, screaming (literally) at me. He kept on accusing me of being ‘a traitor, a treacherous schemer’. He said again and again, ‘I love Tony Abbott and I will stand between him and anyone who tries to undermine him and that means you Malcolm Turnbull … You don’t love Tony Abbott.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I am quite fond of him –’ ‘But you don’t love him, like I do,’ screamed Jones. ‘Not like you do, Alan, that’s true,’ I replied. At one point, he started screaming, ‘Don’t you know, everybody hates you, they hate you, everybody, everybody hates you …’ At another point he said, ‘Why aren’t you out there every day selling the Medicare Co-payment?’ I said that it might be because I wasn’t the Health minister. ‘That’s just an excuse!’ said Jones.

Covid-19 testing in the Clarence Valley in February to April 2020

As of 20 April 2020 there were 56 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Northern Rivers region.

Eight of these cases were found in the Clarence Valley.

Image: Clarence Valley Council

By 20 April 2020 records show testing had been undertaken in a number of Clarence Valley post codes:

• 21 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2453, which covers Dundurrabin, Tyringham, Clouds Creek, Wild Cattle Creek and 16 other locations.
• 13 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2469, which covers Woombah, Tabulam, Ewingar, Moraro, Paddy's Flat and over 40 other locations.
• 13 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2466, which covers Woody Head, Iluka and The Fresh Water.
• 5 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2465, which covers Harwood Island.
• 109 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2464, which covers Yamba, Woolowyah, Angourie, Freebirn Island, Micalo Island and Yuragir.
• 110 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2463, which covers Maclean, Townsend, Gulmarrad, James Creek, Brooms Head, Palmers Island, Ashby, Tullymorgan and 10 other locations.
• 22 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2462, which covers Wooli, Minnie Waters, Ulmarra, Tucabia, Coldstream and 7 other locations.
• 0 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2461, which covers part of South Grafton.
• 340 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in postcode 2460, which covers Grafton, Nymboida, Coutts Crossing, Copmanhurst, Jackadgery, Baryugil, Lawrence, and over 30 other locations.

The Clarence Valley had a resident population of 51,662 people in 2019 and testing up to 20 April 2020 does not appear to have exceeded est. 1.2% of this population.

NSW Department of Health guidelines are that testing only occurs when a person presents with upper respiratory symptoms, such as a fever, sore throat, dry cough, breathlessness. Therefore any asymptomatic virus carriers slip through the net.

Despite the limitations of the 'flattening the curve' public health response to COVID-19, there has been no new cases in the NSW Northern Rivers region for the last 6 days and none in the Clarence Valley for the last 21 days.

I'm not exhaling yet, but this is a hopeful sign.

Morrison's insistence that NSW public schools are safe places during the pandemic is not an accurate claim

On 9 April 2020 NSW public schools began the school year's Easter holidays.

By that time school attendance was thought to be as low as 30 per cent of all enrolled students in state schools.

Even the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had withdrawn his children from a NSW private school sometime between 9 March and 2 April 2020 and moved his family into The Lodge in Canberra.

Yet he continues to harangue the states and teachers for the distance learning policy put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These teacher expressed her frustration at his attitude and comments.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 April 2020, p.20:

I find Morrison's comments that parents are doing home schooling offensive. What they are doing is assisting their children in understanding detailed, highly formatted lessons that are linked to the curriculum in a way to make it interesting for students. This is not home schooling as parents did not plan and link the work to the curriculum. As a teacher I spent 12-hour days combing the internet for interesting activities and tying it all to the curriculum, as well as running video classrooms, answering student questions and emails. When students were still having difficulties I was calling home to speak to the children to see how to fix the problems. That's not child minding: that's delivering quality remote learning for our students. Give us the protective wear, cleaning products and non-contact thermometers to screen children and teachers will be happy to go back to classrooms. 

 Jennie Kidd, Campbelltown

Coronavirus: PM won't send his kids to school while it's just childminding ⁦⁦@ScottMorrisonMP⁩ stating the online learning we, as a profession, have been busting our nuts preparing & delivering for a month, amounts to childminding is a total insult https://t.co/fyc9n9jfxD

— Vicki Lodge (@Vickster762) April 16, 2020

Morrison continues to insist that public schools are safe places for children to be during a pandemic.

NSW schools that have no hot running water, frequently no additional cleaning equipment and a limited ability to impose social distancing.

Under those conditions teachers were rightly worried about the risk to their own health and that of their pupils.

On 17 April 2020 there were est. 121 COVID-19 cases in NSW where individuals' ages ranged between 0 and 19 years.

This is an excerpt from a NSW Dept of Health media release dated 9 April 2020 at which point est. 112 individuals in that age range were infected with COVID-19 in the state:

This is another excerpt from a NSW Dept of Health media release dated 4 April 2020, at which point est.101 individuals in that age range were infected with COVID-19 in the state:

People still moving about unnecessarily in NSW Northern Rivers region

NSW Public Site - NEWS, 16 April 2020:

About 6.20pm yesterday (Wednesday 15 April 2020), officers from Tweed/Byron Police District attended Florence Street, Tweed Heads, after receiving information about a man who had arrived in a car acting aggressively. The man returned a positive roadside breath test, before being taken to Tweed Heads Police Station, where he allegedly refused a breath analysis. He was charged with breach of bail, refuse breath analysis, drive unregistered vehicle and unlicensed driver. The man had been issued with a $1000 PIN on 7 April 2020 for failing to comply with a ministerial direction. He was also charged with not comply with noticed direction and refused bail, to appear at Lismore Local Court today (16 April 2020).

Two women have been issued infringement notices after travelling to a caravan park at Broadwater. Officers from Richmond Police District were notified the two women, aged 19 and 29, had travelled to the caravan park from Taree. About 10.20am the pair were spoken to by police and were issued $1000 PINs for non-essential travel.

About 5pm yesterday (Wednesday 15 April 2020), officers from Tweed/Bryon Police District stopped a vehicle at Fawcett Street, Brunswick Heads, and spoke to the three occupants. The 20-year-old driver failed to provide a reasonable excuse for travel, telling officers he answers to a higher authority. He had previously been issued a warning under the Ministerial Direction and was issued with a $1000 PIN. The other two occupants, men aged 46 and 56, were given warnings.

Jump in Australian online gambling during COVID-19 shutdown

The Northern Star, 17 April 2020:

The new isolation measures bought on by the coronavirus pandemic are being linked to an increase in online gambling. 

There was a 67 per cent increase in online gambling from a survey of 250,000 Australian consumers, according to a recent study by Australian credit bureau Illion in collaboration with analytics firm Alphabeta. 

Professor Matthew Rockloff, Head of Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory at CQU, said the increased spare time could be a trigger for gamblers or introduce new people to the habit. 

“People may try online gambling as a way to gamble because they can’t gamble in-venue anymore … they might try overseas sites, which puts them at increased risk because most of the time these sites don’t have consumer protection measures..... 

NSW Police investigating last two voyages of cruise ship "Ruby Princess" - currently contacting passengers who have returned home

NSW Police Public Site - News, 17 April 2020:

Update in relation to investigation under Strike Force Bast 

Police have outlined the breadth of the investigation under Strike Force Bast and appealed for assistance from passengers from the last two voyages of the Ruby Princess to assist with ongoing inquiries. 

Detectives from across State Crime, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics and Marine Area Commands are conducting inquiries under Strike Force Bast surrounding the docking and disembarking of the Ruby Princess at Sydney Harbour on Thursday 19 March 2020. 

The priority of the investigation is to determine whether there was criminal negligence by the company or crew relevant to health issues prevailing on the ship, as well as any actions or omissions by any other entity, including NSW or Commonwealth departments, which may have directly or indirectly related to the death of a person from COVID-19. 

This would include the nature of – and deficiencies in – decision-making processes both on-board and on-shore surrounding the management of the vessel, and its crew and passengers. 

Strike Force Bast will refer any and all information relevant to jurisdictional responsibilities to the Special Commission of Inquiry. 

Information relevant to the circumstances surrounding the deaths of people who either contracted COVID-19 on board the vessel or through contact with a passenger will be reported to the NSW Coroner’s Court in due course. 

The State Coroner will not make a decision about whether an inquest will be held until after the criminal investigation and the Special Commission of Inquiry are completed.

Information from the vessel’s voyage data recorder (black box) – which was seized last Wednesday (8 April 2020) – and believed to contain telemetry, as well as engine and systems management, and voice recordings of ship-to-shore communications, is currently undergoing forensic examination. 

All necessary inquiries have been conducted on-board and, as communication has been established with the crew, there are no operational or investigative issues that would impede the vessel’s impending departure. 

Further, strike force investigators are continuing to receive relevant documentation from the cruise company; the process of logging, triaging and assessing the information is ongoing. 

Due to current COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place across the globe, strike force detectives are being flexible and agile in their approach to investigations management and witness contact, which includes a strong reliance on remote communications and digital technology. 

In recent days, investigators have provided a survey to the crew currently on board the vessel, which will assist with guiding relevance of information, and witness statements will be obtained remotely, as required. 

Strike force investigators will also reach out in coming days to passengers from both the 24 February to 8 March and 8-19 March voyages to conduct a similar survey, which will help prioritise the order in which statements are obtained. 

The manifests list passengers from across the globe, including 2995 people on the first voyage and 2647 people on the second voyage – many with travel agents as their primary contact – and at this time, investigators are making their way through the list contacting via email and text. 

They will be provided a link to an online questionnaire, which will provide the information directly to Strike Force Bast. 

This Initial triage will assist with prioritising key witnesses for a timely investigative response. All passengers who receive the investigator’s electronic survey request are encouraged to complete it as soon as possible. 

Passengers who have not received the survey by next Friday (24 April 2020) should register their best contact details with Crime Stoppers online at https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au, which will assist with establishing a direct contact within the strike force and ensuring the timely recording of relevant information. 

While the rosters show many of the same crew were part of the more the 1100-strong workforce on-board for both voyages, there are numerous members who have since returned to their home country. 

Given the expanse of the proposed inquiries – both in volume and distance – this may take some time to complete. 

As such, Strike Force Bast may enlist the assistance of interstate and international law enforcement colleagues for liaison and to finalise statements. 

These inquiries are expected to include the canvass of some 7000 people, the analysis of thousands of pages of documentation, and hundreds of hours of footage, and information may also be referred to the NSW Government’s Special Commission of Inquiry. 

It is of critical importance that detectives ensure they maintain the integrity and thoroughness of this investigation – as they would any investigation – despite the current restrictions and guidelines under the Public Health Act. 

Anyone who has information relevant to the investigation, including details of symptoms, illness, or medical advice during the voyage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. The community is reminded that their information is treated in strict confidence.

The "Ruby Princess" (20 deaths to date) wasn't the only Carnival Corporation passenger ship that became a floating death trap.

A "Diamond Princess" cruise resulted in eight people dead and a "Grand Princess" cruise left 1 dead.

At least six more of the company’s ships at sea became virus hot spots according to mainstream media, resulting in more than 1,500 positive infections overall and at least 39 fatalities.

There are two lawsuits underway accusing the cruise line of ignoring the risks associated with COVID-19 - one involving the "Ruby Princess".

Prior to the pandemic Carnival Corporation did not enjoy a good reputation and now due to the effect of this global pandemic it is looking to raise $6 billion to stay afloat.

NSW farmers and graziers urged to adopt biosecurity practices to help limit the spread of dieback in sown & native grass pastures

Image: NSW Dept. of Primary Industries

NSW Dept. of Primary Industries, media release, 16 April 2020:

Biosecurity practices help protect pasture from dieback 

Producers can prevent entry, establishment and spread of pasture dieback, which kills summer growing grasses, via their front gate under a ‘Come clean, go clean’ regime. 

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has urged producers and contractors to adopt thorough biosecurity practices to help limit the spread of pasture dieback, which has been identified for the first time in NSW on the North Coast. 

NSW DPI pasture development officer, Sarah Baker, said producers can prevent entry, establishment and spread via their front gate under a ‘Come clean, go clean’ regime. 

“Producers should keep good records and ensure all staff and visitors are instructed to follow their business management hygiene requirements,” Ms Baker said. 

“Regular monitoring of grass pastures and crops and being on the lookout for any changes is important, as there have been additional reports of pasture dieback in northern NSW. 

“Mealybug infestations have also been reported and researchers are exploring an association between the two. 

“However, we believe the cause of dieback is more complex than the relationship with pasture mealybug alone.” 

Both pasture dieback and mealybug infestations threaten agricultural productivity. 

Ms Baker said dieback affected pasture should not be baled or sold and advised producers to regularly check areas where hay and fodder have been stored and fed out for dieback symptoms. 

“If you purchase grass hay from Queensland, where dieback-has affected large areas of pasture, ensure hay is from a reputable source,” she said. 

Pasture dieback kills sown and native summer growing grasses, which first turn yellow and red, become unthrifty and eventually die. 

Land managers who suspect dieback should contact the Exotic Plant Pest hotline, 1800 084 881, or email biosecurity@dpi.nsw.gov.au with a clear photo and contact details. 

More information is available from the NSW DPI website: 

Pasture dieback 

Potential spread of pasture dieback in fodder (PDF, 857.02 KB)

What Morrison Government's recent changes to industrial relations law may mean for workers

On Thurday 16 April 2020 Australian Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Liberal MP for Pearce Christian Porter announced changes to the Fair Work Regulations in relation to the negotiation of workplace agreements. 

According to Fair Work Australia the new regulations are "in place initially for 6 months" and are allegedly meant to assist businesses to remain solvent during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, workers are likely to be severely disadvantaged because any changes to working conditions or rates of pay made under these new rules are permanent and can only be altered during the next formal application to vary the enterprise agreement - which can be up to four years away.

Are you on an enterprise agreement? You need to know this. Your employer can now give you 24hours notice to vote to change your agreement. What should you do? pic.twitter.com/ioI3TItgoP

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) April 16, 2020

On blaming the wrong people for an election result.....

https://youtu.be/6I_ZhGHxnHQ

Cartoons of the Week

Peter Broelman

Cathy Wilcox

Michael de Adder

Mark David

Tweet of the Week

This and the replies are reasons why journalists need to scrutinise government projects, rather than just announcing them. https://t.co/aXy2sKnXeE

— Richard Chirgwin (@R_Chirgwin) April 14, 2020

Pandemic speculator attempts to return 4,800 toilet rolls after he couldn't sell them online

https://youtu.be/CfSXOG4GGOU

News.com.au, 15 April 2020:

A supermarket boss has given one of his customers the bird after it’s claimed the man tried to return almost 5000 rolls of toilet paper and 150 bottles of hand sanitiser which he couldn’t sell online.

John-Paul Drake, an executive with South Australian supermarket chain Drakes, said he refused to given the man a refund.

In a video uploaded to YouTube, Mr Drake said recent panic buying of toilet paper had been “absolutely ridiculous” with the company selling eight months’ worth in four days at one point.

But one customer’s behaviour was worse than the others.

“I had my first customer yesterday who said he wanted to get a refund on 150 packets of 32-pack toilet paper and 150 units of one-litre sanitiser.” In 150 packs of 32-roll toilet paper there would be 4800 individual rolls.

Mr Drake said the man had come into the store to get his money back after website eBay refused to allow him to sell the items online.

In the video, Mr Drake then showed his middle finger and said that was his reply to the customer’s request.

Will COVID-19 draw the poison of right-wing extremism from society?

A hopeful message from Britain....

#YouClapForMeNow pic.twitter.com/1Dm2hZb6kc

— Tez (@tezilyas) April 14, 2020

After decades of festering extremism growing under successive Liberal-National federal governments in Australia, post-pandemic will ordinary Australians use the threat of their vote to insist that the inchoate autocratic theocracy governing from Canberra change its ways and rid itself of rigid, often cruel, ideological politics once and for all? 

Will voters insist government applies equal respect, access and equity to all in our society? Or will they meekly allow Morrison & Co to return to their war on the poor, the vulnerable and First Nations, with barely a murmur? 

Will they continue to support newspapers which support that class war, climate change deniers or openly racist politicians, or will they keep their money in their pockets and refuse to purchase blatant propaganda? 

Will voters stay silent out of politeness when their local MP regurgitates mindless prepared talking points instead of listening to what people in his/her electorate are saying, or will they speak up loudly and firmly saying 'We are not going to take this from you anymore'?

Every citizen is invited to consider if this time of national emergency might possibly allow a reset of the relationship between the politically powerful and the population.

Is this the time we demand that democracy returns to Australia?

COVID-19 denialists and minimizers

Yale Climate Connections, 14 April 2020:

For the climate community, observing U.S. national political leaders’ responses to the coronavirus pandemic has been like watching the climate crisis unfold on fast-forward. Many – particularly on the political right – have progressed through the same five stages of science denial in the face of both threats.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 15 April 2020:

As the Covid-19 crisis plays out across the world, a disturbing new form of denialism is emerging which seeks to sow doubt not just about the seriousness of the pandemic or the response to it, but about whether the virus exists at all.

Spurred on by conspiracy theorists and some right-wing media pundits, people using hashtags like ‘#filmyourhospitals’ and ‘#emptyhospitals’ are actively encouraging individuals to film hospitals and medical facilities—the implication being that, if hospitals appear quiet and calm from the outside, this ‘proves’ that the coronavirus crisis is being faked as part of a conspiracy to achieve some nefarious goal.

Google’s search trend data shows clearly the day the ‘empty hospitals’ narrative took off. The #filmyourhospitals hashtag was first tweeted on 29 March by a QAnon conspiracy theorist on Twitter. It was then amplified by others with large numbers of followers, including former congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine Tesoriero (whose Twitter account was recently retweeted by President Donald Trump).

‘Let’s get #FilmYourHospital trending’, Tesoriero wrote on 30 March in a Facebook post in which she questioned why two Los Angeles hospitals she’d visited appeared quiet. The post had been viewed more than 118,000 times as of 14 April.....

The Telegraph (UK), 26 March 2020:

Two weeks ago an anti-vaccine Facebook group called ‘We Brought Vaxxed to the UK’ started to disseminate a new and dangerous contagion: misinformation about Covid-19. 

It’s posts promote xenophobia, conspiracy theories and erroneous medical information about the disease and how it might be treated. 

One post claimed China was using the outbreak to cull the elderly, another suggested hand sanitiser causes cancer and a “probiotic yogurt suppository” was recommended as a cure. 

The group is just one of some 50 social media accounts being tracked by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a charity dedicated to preventing false and divisive lies and myths spreading across the web... 

The Independent, 20 March 2020:

Here in northeast Kansas, in a small town set amid tidy farms and ranches, a Walmart worker named Brandon Crist was growing frustrated with the panic terrorising the American public. 

He didn’t understand the need for lockdowns, closing schools, limiting public gatherings and shuttering bars and restaurants. Altering almost all facets of life. 

As he often does, Mr Crist found a meme online that amplified his feelings and posted it to his Facebook page. 

“Does anyone know anyone who has the coronavirus? Not just heard about them but actually know them,” the meme said in bold white letters on a blue background. “Statistically none of us are sick ... yet concerts are cancelled, tournaments are cancelled and entire school districts shut down. Out of total irrational fear. If you have not previously feared the power of the media you should be terrified of them now. They are exerting their power to shut down America.” 

The post struck a chord with Mr Crist’s friends here in Wellsville and beyond, many of whom are similarly frustrated with the pandemic-induced havoc in their daily lives. “Amen!” said one commenter. “I’m not changing anything I do. This is BS,” said another. A captain from a nearby fire department, Dustin Donovan, liked the message, then added a hoax meme of his own.....

Facebook Inc flouts US state political campaign finance laws yet again

The arrogance of Facebook Inc. apparently includes breaking the law repeatedly. 

Washington State, Office of the Attorney-General, media release, 14 April 2020:

AG FERGUSON SUES FACEBOOK FOR REPEATEDLY VIOLATING WASHINGTON CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW

Facebook violated its own policy and sold more than half a million dollars to Washington political committees — and failed to follow the law 

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a campaign finance lawsuit today against Facebook for selling Washington state political ads without maintaining information for the public as required by Washington state campaign finance law. The complaint asserts that Facebook intentionally violated the state’s campaign finance disclosure law, which was first adopted by initiative in 1972 and reenacted and amended multiple times since 1976 by the Legislature. 

Ferguson has now twice taken legal action against Facebook for similar violations of Washington’s law on political advertising. Ferguson’s June 2018 lawsuit resolved in December 2018 with Facebook paying $238,000 – a $200,000 penalty and an additional $38,000 to reimburse the state’s legal costs and fees. 

Facebook subsequently announced a new policy that it would no longer sell Washington state political ads. Ferguson did not request Facebook to stop selling ads to Washington state political candidates. Facebook’s voluntary policy was not required by the consent decree signed by the court. Facebook adopted the policy unilaterally rather than comply with state campaign finance law. 

As has been well reported, Facebook continues to sell advertisements to Washington state political committees – contrary to its voluntary policy. When it sells political ads in Washington state, Facebook fails to maintain legally required information about the ads, and make that information available to the public – a violation of state law. 

Since November 2018, Facebook sold hundreds of ads to at least 171 Washington state political committees. The 171 committees paid Facebook at least $525,000 for these ads. Facebook ran these ads without maintaining the legally required information, as our transparency laws require. 

Prior to 2018, the Attorney General had independent authority to enforce campaign finance laws in Washington state. In 2018, the State Legislature amendment that law to remove that independent jurisdiction and require a referral from the state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC). In February, the PDC referred the case to Ferguson after finding the tech company “repeatedly violated” campaign finance law. 

“Whether you’re a tech giant or a small newspaper, those who sell political ads must follow our campaign finance law,” Ferguson said. “Washingtonians have a right to know who’s behind the ads seeking to influence their vote.” 

Today’s lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, asserts that Facebook hosted hundreds of ads in violation of state law since the time it announced it would stop accepting Washington state political ads. 

Facebook sells Washington state political ads in violation of its own policy

Two Washingtonians, Eli Sanders and Tallman Trask, reported to the PDC that Facebook had sold a total of 269 political ads to 12 Washington state political committees for approximately $20,000, yet failed to make legally required information about these ads available for inspection to the public. Facebook confirmed these figures. 

State investigators subsequently identified at least an additional 159 Washington state political committees that ran ads on Facebook since November 2018. Facebook collected more than half a million dollars from these committees, which include both candidate and initiative campaigns. Due to Facebook’s widespread failure to comply with the law, it is currently unknown how many total political advertisements or electioneering communications these 159 campaigns or committees sponsored on Facebook with their collective ad buy of more than half a million dollars. 

Facebook’s failure to comply with Washington law 

The PDC adopted specific rules for digital political advertisers in November 2019. These rules carry the force of law. 

Washington campaign finance law requires commercial advertisers like Facebook to collect information on the sources and payments of political advertising and make it available for public inspection within 24 hours of the ad’s publication. 

The law requires Facebook and other commercial advertisers to maintain the following information regarding ads they sell so that the information is available for public inspection: 

• The name of the candidate or measure supported or opposed; 
• The dates the advertiser provided the service; 
• The name and address of the person who sponsored the advertising; and The total cost of the advertising, who paid for it (which may be different than the sponsor) and what method of payment they used. 

Facebook places Washington political ads and information about them in an online, publicly available Ad Library. However, the Ad Library does not include all the information that Washington law requires advertisers to maintain and make available to the public about political ads in the state. 

Specifically, the PDC identified the following required information that Facebook failed to maintain in its Ad Library for Washington political ads: 

• The address of the person who sponsored the advertising; 
• The precise cost and and dates of payment; 
• The name of the person making payment for the advertising; and 
• The method of payment. 

Ferguson’s lawsuit seeks the imposition of a civil penalty, an injunction requiring Facebook to maintain and make available for public inspection all legally mandated information for Washington political ads on its platform; and reimbursement of the state’s legal cost and fees.  

Intentional violation 

Ferguson’s complaint asserts that Facebook intentionally violated Washington campaign finance law. Washington law allows a judge to triple campaign finance penalties if he or she finds the defendant intentionally violated the law. By law, campaign finance penalties go to the State Public Disclosure Transparency Account. 

Assistant Attorneys General Todd Sipe and Zach Pekelis Jones are handling the case against Facebook. 

ENDS