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Australian Spooks get new Powers which Amount to a Social Travesty
by jack Wednesday, Oct 1 2014, 11:45am
international / prose / post

Incompetent Australian spooks are now protected by a new range of US style oppressive police state laws which deflect incompetence onto external parties, particularly journalists; for instance, anyone that exposes an ASIO agent faces a 10 year jail sentence -- think about that broad law for a minute! Whose fault is it if an agent blows his/her cover, the idiot agent or the person that may inadvertently mention he or she knows an agent?

Clearly the onus is on the agency and agents to ensure that they maintain strict security especially regarding operatives. However, US/globalist lackey PM, Tony Abbott, has managed to pass these new broad laws, which allow for monstrous abuses of power (torture) through parliament with the help of the other major (owned) party -- surely it is now painfully clear that both major parties serve the same interests; remember former Labor treasurer/PM Paul Keating surrendering our currency/sovereignty to Wall Street speculators; and then there was Rudd who was interviewed for the job by Rupert Murdoch, who is recorded as saying, to paraphrase, 'once we gain office we won’t have to do anything,' implying that the globalist elite determine policy for Oz!

But the worst was Gillard whose gut-turning, grovelling speech to the US Congress made it clear that Oz Labor Politicians are just a bunch of servile lackeys to Washington’s every legal and illegal whim -- she proved the point by allowing the US military to build FIVE nuclear unrestricted bases on our SOVEREIGN soil in peace time, which of course makes Oz a primary nuclear target in the event of a US provoked war with China -- wonderful! Let there be no mistake whatsoever, the two major political parties are a bunch of unrepresentative treasonous clowns that serve foreign interests, Abbott is simply the latest lackey in a procession of treasonous stooges.

And so we now have the first stage of new socially oppressive laws. ‘Whistleblowers,’ people with high moral integrity, in other words, also face 10 years jail if they reveal particulars of any ‘intelligence operation,’ again, who let the cat out of the bag, ASIO or the recipient of information? What is really needed is independent oversight of agencies and police, not allowing idiots and incompetents to hide behind deflective, blame shifting laws.

Enough for now. I leave you to embrace the new oppressive un-Australian Police State -- I surely wouldn’t want to wake the herd on their way to the slaughter yard.


Mainstream story from AAP follows:

ASIO gets tough new powers

Australia's spies now have greater surveillance and search powers to fight terrorism.

The first tranche of tough new counter-terrorism laws, which cleared parliament on Wednesday, allow domestic spy agency ASIO to use a single warrant to access third party computers and multiple devices.

Anyone who identifies an ASIO agent could face a decade in prison.

Whistleblowers and journalists also face a 10-year jail sentence if they reveal details of intelligence operations.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the laws were a first step in the government's response to emerging security threats.

"The government's number one priority is to keep Australia safe ... from those who would seek to do us harm," he told parliament.

Labor supported the laws but not before one of its MPs made known her opposition.

While West Australian MP Melissa Parke did not cross the floor to vote against the government and her colleagues, she joined the Australian Greens and independent MPs in condemning key aspects of the new laws.

She was not convinced the laws warranted a broad extension of powers which she said could be potentially abused.

Ms Parke controversially suggested the real threat to the nation came from giving ASIO more powers, not from terrorists.

"That is the true measure of what terrorism may achieve and it's for parliament to decide to give the terrorists such a victory," she said, quoting a UK politician.

The Labor line was argued by shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus.

He acknowledged concerns about ASIO's expanded ability to obtain warrants to search computers, but said the new powers were not as extensive as some suggested.

Mr Dreyfus played down concerns the new laws imposed greater penalties on journalists for revealing details of intelligence operations, insisting they won't be stopped from reporting on national security matters.

Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt and independent MP Andrew Wilkie weren't convinced - delaying the bill's passage by unsuccessfully trying to change provisions to protect journalists and limit the scope of warrants.

This led to sometimes acerbic spats with Mr Keenan and Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Robert.

Mr Robert said the "luddite" Greens didn't understand modern computer networks.

Mr Bandt's proposed limit of 20 computers for each warrant wouldn't even cover all the linked devices in his home.

"I accept my fridge is a threat to national security," Mr Robert sneered.

Mr Wilkie failed to extend the oversight powers of the joint parliamentary committee on intelligence and security to operational matters.

It's now limited to the administration and financial management of the spy agencies.

Labor joined the government to crush all the proposed amendments, with only fellow crossbencher Cathy McGowan joining Mr Bandt and Mr Wilkie in favour.

A second suite of anti-terror laws targeting foreign fighters will be debated in parliament in mid-October.

Those changes also have opposition support and would make it a criminal office to travel to a terrorist hot-spot without a reasonable excuse.

A third bill enabling the collection of metadata will be introduced later in 2014.

Meanwhile, in a separate move, the government has given ASIO a $200 million boost over the next four years to combat terrorism.

TOUGHER COUNTER-TERRORISM LAWS FOR AUSTRALIA:

PARLIAMENT HAS APPROVED:

Greater surveillance and search powers for ASIO including access to computers and inspection of postal and delivery service articles.
Limited immunity from prosecution for intelligence officers engaged in special operations.
New "whistleblower" offences for unauthorised dealings with an intelligence-related record, including copying, transcription, removal and retention.
Maximum 10 year imprisonment for unauthorised communication and publication of intelligence-related information.
Increased penalties for identifying intelligence officers.

MEASURES PARLIAMENT HAS YET TO APPROVE:

Require telcos to keep metadata information on calls and internet use.
Reverses the onus of proof by deeming a person guilty of an offence if they travel to certain "no-go" locations overseas.
Make it easier to ban organisations and jail their members based on their speech about terrorism.
Make permanent three regimes from the so-called "war on terror", legislated by parliament to automatically expire from July 2015.
Enable ASIO to question and detain any person, including Australian citizens not suspected of terrorism.
Allow the government to seek control orders to regulate every aspect of a person's life, including house arrest and/or wearing a tracking device.
Allow preventative detention orders, which permit a person to be held without arrest or charge in secret detention for up to 14 days.

WHAT IS A TERRORIST ACT?

An act, or a threat to commit an act, that is done with the intention to coerce or influence the public or any government by intimidation to advance a political, religious or ideological cause, and the act causes:

death, serious harm or endangers a person;
serious damage to property;
a serious risk to the health or safety of the public, or;
seriously interferes with, disrupts or destroys critical infrastructure such as a telecommunications or electricity network.

It does not cover engaging in advocacy, protest, dissent or industrial action where a person does not have the intention to urge force or violence or cause harm to others

WHAT IS A TERRORIST ACT OFFENCE?

Commit a terrorist act; plan or prepare for a terrorist act; finance terrorism or a terrorist; provide or receive training connected with terrorist acts; possess things connected with terrorist acts, or; collect or make documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts.

LISTED TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS:

The government can list an organisation as a terrorist organisation if it advocates terrorism or engages in preparing, planning, assisting or fostering the doing of a terrorist act.
It is an offence to: be a member; direct its activities; recruit; train or receive training; acquire funds for, from or to or; provide support to a terrorist organisation.

© 2014 AAP

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/asio-gets-tough-new-powers/ar-BB6H3A2