Law Council of Australia: further parliamentary scrutiny necessary of new counter-terrorism laws

Medianet Release
15 Sep 2016 4:37 PM AEST - Special advocate regime a vital inclusion in new counter-terrorism bill, but further parliamentary scrutiny necessary The Law Council of Australia has commended the Government for including a special advocate regime in new counter-terrorism laws introduced to the Senate today. The Law Council formally recommended the system of 'special advocates' to participate in control order proceedings before the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor last year. The system would allow each State and Territory to have a panel of security-cleared barristers and solicitors who could participate in closed material procedures where the subject of a control order has sensitive information withheld from them and their legal representative. Law Council President, Stuart Clark AM, said the special advocate regime was a welcome inclusion to the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2016, but the Government needed to commit to an immediate review of the scheme by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS). "A special advocate regime provides a significant safeguard. The special advocate will be able to see the sensitive information that has been withheld from the subject of a control order and make representations on behalf of that person. This is essential, given that a person's legal representative will also be excluded from accessing certain information," Mr Clark said. "For full accountability, however, the scheme must be immediately reviewed by the PJCIS. The exact relationship and level of interaction between the special advocate, the subject of the control order, and their legal representative requires careful consideration." Mr Clark also noted it is essential that the Criminal Code Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2016, which was also introduced into the Senate today, be reviewed by the PJCIS. "Parliamentary Committee review is necessary to ensure the right balance is struck between protecting Australians while ensuring fundamental legal rights are not jettisoned. "Retaining individuals in prison past the time of their custodial sentence is a serious matter and the highest order of scrutiny should apply," Mr Clark said. The PJCIS should give particular attention to certain elements of the bill including: ·     A minor, who is convicted of a relevant offence, can be subjected to the scheme provided they are 18 when the sentence ends; ·   It will apply to persons convicted of terrorism offences prior to the enactment of the scheme; and ·   A person who has been convicted for a 'treason' offence may be subjected to the scheme. -ENDS-

See:

Criminal Code Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2016

Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2016

DYI biohacking rears its ugly head in Australia?

Gene Ethics, 8 September 2016:

DIY biohack threat

US biohacker Ellen Jorgensen, of Genspace New York, toured Australia in Science Week to promote DIY gene hacking, in informal labs, and to encourage untrained nerds to do genetic manipulation. The OGTR promised to tell her audiences that Australian GM laws require training, contained labs and expert supervision, but did not. The OGTR has also failed to define new 'gene editing' techniques and their products as GM, so they remain unregulated. We advocate tough laws banning any DIY genetic manipulation of living things. Humans invented computer programs but they fail, are hacked and virus infected for fun. Untrained, risk-takers, aspiring to be the next bio-Gates or Jobs, must be stopped.

University of Sydney, Faculty of Science:

Biohacking events at Sydney Science Festival

Get down with DNA
10 am, Thursday 18 August, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Stage 6 biology students and their teachers will meet Dr Ellen Jorgensen and spend the day exploring exciting DIY bio techniques and the amazing things biohackers do. The DIY bio movement gives bio-entrepreneurs low-cost access to facilities for proof-of-concept experiments. Hands-on science workshops will be delivered by Sydney’s leading science organisations including the Royal Botanic Garden, Taronga Conservation Society, UTS Centre for Forensic Science and the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics. Students will also experience a behind the scenes tour of the Royal Botanic Garden’s Plant Pathology laboratory to look at gel electrophoresis, a DNA transilluminator and participate in an interactive demonstration of plant DNA extraction.

The Global Biohack Revolution
6pm, Thursday 18 August, ATP innovations
Meet the biohackers from Australia and around the world who are leading the global biotechnology revolution! This all-star panel of biohackers will discuss the challenges and opportunities in democratisation of science through biohacking with a focus on education and the commercialisation of research. Dr Ellen Jorgensen will be joined by JJ Hastings (BioQuisitive, London Biohackspace), Meow-Meow Ludo (Biohack Sydney, BioFoundry), Andrew Gray (Biohack Melbourne, BioQuisitive) and Oron Catts (SymbioticA Perth).

DNA groundswell
10 am, Friday 19 August, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
This session is an opportunity for science communicators and scientists across Sydney to think about how they can incorporate exciting open access programs into their work. Learn how Genspace uses biohacking to engage the community through courses, cultural events, educational outreach and experiences for students and the public. Meet the people behind BioFoundry, Australia’s first open access lab that also runs courses for enthusiasts and curious amateurs. Discover how biohacking is democratising science around the world by lowering the financial and technological entry barriers to science education and research training. International guests Dr Ellen Jorgensen will be joined by local biohacker Meow-Ludo Meow-Meow, Co-founder of Sydney's BioFoundry.

Biohacking: why should we care?
6 pm, Friday 19 August, University of Technology Sydney
How is biohacking changing the world? Should we be concerned about safety? Can DIY labs ferment a revolution? What are the opportunities? Can they create a culture of start-ups and entrepreneurs? In this public lecture, Dr Ellen Jorgensen will provide insights into biohacking, novel applications it has produced and how it can serve as a useful education tool. This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr Sheila Donnelly, Prof Peter Ralph and Prof Michael Wallach from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Jackie Randles is Manager Inspiring Australia (NSW). Dr Ellen Jorgensen’s Sydney visit is part of a national tour supported by Inspiring Australia for National Science Week 2016.

Inverse, 8 September 2015:

Biological research and experimentation is no longer the sole realm of Ph.D-having, grant-backed, hypothesis-wielding scientists. As science moves into more and more complex territory, it is also — somewhat paradoxically — becoming more and more accessible to those who lack the bonafide to wear a white coat. In Australia, Biofoundry is at the heart of the movement to democratize experimentation. Biohacker Meow-Ludo Meow-Meow (his real name; an homage to the 2001 cult classic Super Troopers) founded the lab, the first of its kind on the continent, last November. And he says he’s thinking about building a chain

Inverse caught up with Biofoundry’s Meow-Ludo Meow-Meow (his real name; an homage to the 2001 cult classic Super Troopers) and picked his brain about what the lab is up to and what it hopes to achieve.

How did you get interested in biohacking and creating a place like Biofoundry?

I was halfway through my molecular biology degree. My job prospects weren’t very good. In Australia, we pretty much have no innovation and technology work. Basically, molecular biology graduates are fucked in this country. In New South Wales, which has about 6 million people, we only have about 12 jobs for biotech.

So I started to get concerned, because I wasn’t a grade-A student or anything. I looked around, and I found BioCurious [in California] and Genspace [in New York City]. But in Australia, nothing like this was happening. So I figured it was on the burden of me to get things happening.

I had a meeting with a group of people about 4.5 years ago. We had a huge group that shrunk down to about 12, and we continued to meet for four years. That culminated in a few of us just saying, “Fuck, let’s set up a lab. It’s been too long, let’s make this happen.”

Refugee children need protection now

The Lancet, editorial, 17 September 2016:

Amel Emric/AP 

In a new report—released on Sept 7, UNICEF paints a grim picture. Worldwide, an estimated 50 million children are refugees or migrants, with the number of child migrants having doubled and the number of refugees having increased by 21% in the past 10 years. The most vulnerable of these children are unaccompanied, and have often fled war, insecurity, and poverty under harrowing circumstances. They might be alone or they might have lost or become separated from their family during their journey.

In one terrifying account, published on Sept 9 (Why are you keeping me here?) Human Rights Watch describes how unaccompanied migrant children are detained in police custody in Greece in unsanitary and degrading conditions. Germany's national investigative police agency, the Bundeskriminalamt, has admitted in new figures that by the end of August almost 9000 unaccompanied children who were registered entering the country are officially missing. And while some of these children may be safe with relatives somewhere, there is the very real danger of exploitation and abuse. The UK has only managed to extricate 50 of 220 unaccompanied children stranded in the camp in Calais and who have a legal right to be reunited with families in the UK. This delay and inaction is unexplained and shameful.

We agree with Zulfiqar Bhutta and colleagues' strong plea in a Correspondence letter, published online on Sept 5, that it is now time “to take the strongest action possible to protect children”. The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health, announced in this week's issue, promises to tackle key issues that affect the health and wellbeing of migrants, including unaccompanied children. Children not only need safe environments and access to health care, they need education and special psychosocial attention to mitigate the atrocities of war and persecution, including experiences of being uprooted into different cultural environments. Outrage about the plight of migrant and refugee children is not enough. Childhood is a precious and important time that strongly influences what happens in the future. We must act now.

This is how Senator Pauline Hanson loves her country

Liberal Senator for WA and Minister for Women embracing Senator Hanson after her first speech in the Senate

On 14 September 2016 Hansard recorded that Senator Pauline Hanson ‘loves’ her country.

She has an odd way of showing it.

Endorsing a compulsory national identity card complete with an identification chip, photo and electronic fingerprint. Demonising single mothers and women who divorce. Condoning the murder of women by husbands/ex-husbands. Supporting penalising the young unemployed. Calling for a ban on the burqa and the building of new mosques. Calling for a halt to immigration to Australia by people professing Islam as their religion.

Excerpt from the Senator for Queensland’s first speech in the Australian Senate:

I love my country, culture and way of life. My pride and patriotism were instilled in me from an early age when I watched the Australian flag raised every morning at school and sang the national anthem; watching our athletes compete on the world stage, proud to salute the Australian flag being raised to honour them as they took their place on podiums. It is about belonging, respect and commitment to fight for Australia. This will never be traded or given up for the mantras of diversity or tolerance. Australia had a national identity before Federation, and it had nothing to do with diversity and everything to do with belonging. Tolerance has to be shown by those who come to this country for a new way of life. If you are not prepared to become Australian and give this country your undivided loyalty, obey our laws, respect our culture and way of life, then I suggest you go back where you came from. If it would be any help, I will take you to the airport and wave you goodbye with sincere best wishes.

Australia is predominantly a Christian country, but our government is secular. Our Constitution prevents governments from imposing religious rule and teachings. The separation of church and state has become an essential component of our way of life, and anything that threatens that separation threatens our freedom. Australia has embraced migrants from all different races, making us one of the most multiracial nations on earth. Most have assimilated and are proud to call themselves Australians, accepting our culture, beliefs and laws. I welcome them from the bottom of my heart. As they integrate and assimilate, the disruption caused by diversity diminishes.

Why then has Islam and its teachings had such an impact on Australia like no other religion? Islam sees itself as a theocracy. Islam does not believe in democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom of assembly. It does not separate religion and politics. It is partly a religion, but it is much more than that. It has a political agenda that goes far outside the realm of religion. It regulates Muslims' social and domestic life, their legal system and politics—their total life.

Australia is now seeing changes in suburbs predominantly Muslim. Tolerance towards other Australians is no longer the case. Our law courts are disrespected and prisons have become breeding grounds for Muslims to radicalise inmates. Muslims are imprisoned at almost three times the average rate. The rate of unemployed and public dependency is two to three times greater than the national average. Muslims are prominent in organised crime, with associated violence and drug dealing. Antisocial behaviour is rampant, fuelled by hyper-masculine and misogynist culture. Multiple social surveys find that neighbourhoods of Muslim settlement are suffering from collapsing social cohesion and fear of crime. Australians, in general, are more fearful.

Not only is terrorism seen around the world but it is now part of our society, with Muslim refugees involved in the Lindt Cafe siege, the Curtis Cheng murder in Sydney and the stabbing of the two police officers in Melbourne. The Grand Mufti and other Muslim leaders are deafening with their silence, or lack of sympathy. Radicalisation is happening on our streets, in our suburbs and mosques. Yet, our leaders continue to tell us to be tolerant and embrace the good Muslims. But how should we tell the difference? There is no sign saying 'good Muslim' or 'bad Muslim'. How many lives will be lost or destroyed trying to determine who is good and who is bad?

Many more Australian Muslims have volunteered, or have tried to volunteer, to fight for ISIS than we have in our own Defence Force. ASIO has over 509 terrorist suspects under surveillance. Civil tension is on the rise across the country, led by Australians feeling the impact of Islam in their lives and a distaste for its beliefs. Their tolerance to our customs has seen Christmas carols no longer sung at some schools and Bibles not to be found in most hospitals. Some public swimming baths have times set aside for Muslim women only, and drivers licenses are obtained by Muslim women wearing the burqa and niqab. Prayer rooms are now provided in universities, hospitals, schools, airports and shopping centres to accommodate Muslims.

Halal certification tax has been forced upon us, costing Australians approximately $10 million a year. Halal certification is not a religious requirement but a moneymaking racket, and certification is unnecessary for Muslims' welfare because non-halal products can be consumed, provided the word 'Bismillah' is said over the food and a prayer is recited. Muslims want to see sharia law introduced in Australia. This law is a totalitarian civil code which prescribes harsh feudal rules imposed on everything, firstly for Muslims, later for everyone. As long as Islam is considered a religion, sharia conflicts with our secular state.

Islam cannot have a significant presence in Australia if we are to live in an open, secular and cohesive society. Never before in Australia's history have we seen civil unrest and terror associated with a so-called religion, or from followers of that faith. We have seen the destruction that it is causing around the world. If we do not make changes now, there will be no hope in the future. Have no doubt that we will be living under sharia law and treated as second-class citizens with second-class rights if we keep heading down the path with the attitude, 'She'll be right, mate.'

Therefore, I call for stopping further Muslim immigration and banning the burqa, as they have done in many countries around the world. Burqas are not a religious requirement. Most Australians find them confronting, as did two of our former prime ministers. I am sure a lot of the women forced to wear them would love to cast them aside but live in fear to do so. In addition, no more mosques or schools should be built, and those that already exist should be monitored with regard to what they are teaching until the present crisis is over. Sharia law should not be acknowledged or allowed. And Australian companies should be banned from paying for halal certification.

Australians have never been permitted to vote on immigration and multiculturalism. When have we been asked or consulted about our population? We reached a population of 24 million this year, 17 years ahead of prediction. Governments have continually brought in high levels of immigration, so they say, to stimulate the economy. This is rubbish. The economy is stimulated by funding infrastructure projects, creating employment. What major projects have we had in this country for the past 30 years? How many dams have we built in the past 50 years? The only stimulation that is happening is welfare handouts—many going to migrants unable to get jobs. At present, our immigration intake is 190,000 a year. High immigration is only beneficial to multinationals, banks and big business, seeking a larger market while everyday Australians suffer from this massive intake. They are waiting longer for their life-saving operation. The unemployment queues grow longer—and even longer when government jobs are given priority to migrants. Our city roads have become parking lots. Schools are bursting at the seams. Our aged and sick are left behind to fend for themselves. And many cities and towns struggle to provide water for an ever-growing population. Our service providers struggle to cope, due to a lack of government funding, leaving it to charities to pick up the pieces. Governments, both state and federal, have a duty of care to the Australian people. Clean up your own backyard before flooding our country with more people who are going to be a drain on our society. I call for a halt to further immigration and for government to first look after our aged, the sick and the helpless.

Foreign investment and foreign ownership are great concerns. The government finally released its register of foreign ownership, which reveals that foreign interests owned 13.6 per cent of Australia's farmland. That is 52 million hectares. It includes 30 per cent of the Northern Territory's farmland and 22 per cent of Tasmania's. The register fails to show the quality of the foreign owned land. Is it the jewels in the nation's agricultural crown? Let's have a register on all land owned by foreigners, including non-agricultural land and housing. And why is there no information on who owns our country's vital irrigation and water assets, despite this being promised? The registry is a disgrace. It makes me wonder whose interests this government is serving. Australia needs a national government, not a corporate one, not a union one, and not an alternative lifestyle one. Any foreign ownership is regrettable, but why are we allowing the Chinese government, an oppressive communist regime, to own our land and assets? Why are we allowing our ports, utilities, services, agricultural land, and industries, to be acquired by foreigners of any nationality?

It is foolhardy to sell our water, agricultural land—our food source!—essential services and ports. This is not in Australia's national or security interests. This foreign takeover is destroying small towns across the nation. A farm once the home of an Australian family is now run by a manager. People move, less money is spent, schools lose students and then the town starts to die. Now these foreign owned properties become food bowls for their own countries. Tax is avoided, or very little paid, because they go straight from paddock to plate. Transfer pricing, which involves minimising taxation by artificially charging high prices or operating costs to subsidiaries in Australia, and other forms of tax minimisation, are a certainty.

Housing is beyond the dreams of ordinary Australians. Why? Because they cannot afford to buy, due to foreign investors driving up prices. Officially, foreigners can only buy new housing, but this is not policed. If the Liberal Party wants a pat on the back for having reduced the purchase price to $15million before it has to go to the Foreign Investment Review Board, they will not get it from me. I intend to give them a kick up the backside. Australians have given their lives protecting this great land from foreign takeover. I can guarantee most did not want to go to war but knew it was their duty to ensure their loved ones lived in peace. But, more importantly, they fought for freedom.

I want Australian land, houses and companies to remain locally owned, and I believe I speak for the majority of Australians. Our land and assets are not for sale. Governments are only caretakers of our assets. No contract has been signed giving them permission to sell them. If they cannot rein in the budget with overpaid public servants—one being the head of Australia Post, who is on $4.8 million per year—foreign aid, welfare fraud, politicians lurks and perks, including former prime ministers, and backroom deals for government jobs, then get out of the job of running this country. I warn this government and future governments: you never miss the water till the well runs dry.

Australia's federal gross debt is currently $499 billion. Our interest payments are over $43.5 million a day. Out-of-control government spending, mismanagement of taxpayers' dollars, multinationals not paying their fair share of tax and welfare that was introduced to provide for the aged and sick, or as a helping hand for those going through tough times, has now become a way of life for some and is abused and rorted by others. Welfare costs the Australian taxpayer approximately $158 billion a year and this is expected to rise to $191 billion by 2019-20. Nearly one half of our budget is spent on welfare. This is out of control and must be reined in.

Farmers are screaming out for workers and small businesses have difficulty in finding people who want to work. Welfare is not a right, unless you are aged or sick. It is a privilege paid for by hard-working Australians. I support the government in wanting to stop school leavers going immediately onto welfare. What message are we sending them? Teach them how to apply for a job, rather than encouraging them to become dependent on money they have neither earned nor worked for. Then we have the single mums having more children just to maintain their welfare payments, and Muslim men marrying multiple wives, under their laws, then having multiple children at our expense while they collect thousands of dollars a week from the taxpayer. How many have ever held a job? Why would anyone want to work when welfare is so very lucrative? If people bring children into the world, it is their responsibility not the taxpayers'. Therefore, I propose that if a woman has a child, the taxpayer will support the first child, but, if they have more, there will be no increase to the welfare payment. Get a job and start taking responsibility for your own actions.

Not only are we facing a crisis with welfare but also with our health budget. It also is being scammed, abused and rorted and is costing taxpayers billions. The Health Care Card has no identification on it, just a name and number. Anyone can, and does, take another person's card when visiting a doctor, especially those who bulk-bill. Prescriptions are collected at a cost to the taxpayer, if the cardholder is on welfare. Overseas tourists, illegals and those not entitled to Medicare use their family's card or a friend's card. Let me give an example. When one tourist visiting family fell sick, he went to the doctor and used his cousin's Medicare card. He ended up in hospital and died. The owner of the card had to admit it was not he. 'What happened?' you ask. Well, he just had to pay the hospital bill.

We have to stop the rorts, mismanagement and abuse of our taxpayer-funded services, whether it be welfare, health or education. If you want to access these services then apply for an Australian identity card. You must prove you are entitled to apply for the card on a points system. There should not be any complaints because applying for a $30 phone plan is the same. So I will not accept do-gooders complaining about people's privacy. The card will have an identification chip, a photo and electronic fingerprint. If we are ever going to pull back our deficit we must stop the thieves. If you are not prepared to apply for the card, that is your choice, but expect to pay full price for doctors and prescriptions, and no more welfare handouts will be coming your way.

Family Law would be the most discriminatory, biased and unworkable policy in this country. I referred to it in my maiden speech 20 years ago and still nothing has changed—if anything, it is worse. As a nation, we should hang our heads in shame when, on average, three men, and occasionally a woman, suicide a day due to family breakdowns. The whole system is unworkable and is in desperate need of change. Children are used as pawns in custody battles where women make frivolous claims and believe they have the sole right to the children. Children have two parents and, until we treat mums and dads with the same courtesy and rights, we will continue to see murders due to sheer frustration and depression and mental illness caused by this unworkable system. Suicide is the only way out for those who feel there is no hope after facing years of costly legal battles. Their lives having been destroyed and the pain of missing their children are the reasons many end up in a state of depression caused by the trauma and in some cases the blatant vindictiveness from former partners.

Child support is another contentious issue and should be revised. Some parents are left caring and providing for children without any financial help from the other parent. Others refuse to work so they do not have to pay child support. The system needs to be balanced, taking in the age of the child on a sliding scale and both parents' incomes should be taken into account. Non-custodial parents find it hard to restart their lives, with excessive child support payments that see their former partners live a very comfortable life. Make it fair with both custody and child support and most parents will gladly take on their responsibility.