Latest CLArion
March 2019: Dissonance reverberates as MPs' words don’t match actions
Standards in public life continue to shrink as politicians’ words and actions fly in the face of reality. ‘Urgent’ for a Minister is when you’re doing something for him, not when he is expected to act; a new petitions process will deliver more gloss and grandstanding for pollies, and no better outcome for the people; new trade deals being negotiated in secret are sure to disadvantage most citizens; and MPs from each major side reach to new heights of hypocrisy as they claim to support “freely and fairly” reporting on national security.
- Leaky blackshirts get their ASIO mates offside
- Tim Anderson: ‘spooked’ for years, now sacked
- How PM Abbott’s jobs-for-the-boys worked out
- Will whistleblowers get a financial reward?
- Third jurisdiction to get a bill of rights this year
- Fourth jurisdiction may bring in ‘Right to Appeal’ law
- New inquiry could change prisons nationwide
- 9-0 US decision may influence forfeiture laws here
- How big is ’The Community’ of spooks in Oz?
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Recent CLArions
- February 2019: Let’s think about positively improving Australia, and ignore negative election campaigning
We’re looking for positive ideas to throw into the mix around the upcoming federal election. A Bill of Rights is one big issue, but what other ideas and suggestions should CLA be putting forward? A national Crimes Act, married to ...
- January 2019: Bright spots provide hope as new year brings fresh battles over aged care and bills of rights
Change is in the air this new year: a new governor-general – will he be the last? A federal election – will new MPs realise Australians want much more listening and far less shouting by their national representatives? Will the ...
- December 2018: Politicians concentrate on fear-raising activities as police and security agencies escape close scrutiny and control
This time around we head into the annual news silly season from Christmas through January with a federal election all but called, and parliament on tilt. There’s a real danger that politicians and security agencies will escalate campaigns and raids ...
- November 2018: Aged Care RC must consider liberties/rights of elderly; Dutton makes surreptitious move towards national ID scheme
Aged care is the next national disgrace to get its time in the Royal Commission witness box, over the next 18 months: CLA is calling for members to tell us what freedoms needs assuring. Citizens are likely to forego traditional ...
- October 2018: MPs move to safeguard genes data from insurance companies; ABC management fail, but journos spark another Royal Commission
There’s a welcome push in federal parliament to rein in insurance companies through a moratorium on citizens’ having to disclose the results of genes testing. The move would safeguard rights under insurance and superannuation policies, which affect nearly every Australian. ...
- September 2018: Major intelligence review likely to beef up security, surveillance
Emerging from a political schemozzle, real government business continues with a major review of the ‘National Intelligence Community’ scheduled for early 2019. Your input is sought for a November 2018 CLA submission. The government claims the review is NOT about ...
- August 2018: Future of rights and liberties under scrutiny
Debates about liberties and rights are back on the public agenda as the Australian Human Rights Commission launches a new study into how emerging IT is affecting us. The prospects are improving that Queensland will become the third jurisdiction (after ...
- July 2018: Nauru has become Australia’s devil’s island
Nauru is the never-ending nightmare for children and their parents who sought asylum in Australia in the hope of a better life. Now they are imprisoned by an ocean, with no prospect of leaving unless they take a government bribe ...
- June 2018: Spook special: how wrong choices skew political monitoring
The Big End of town receives different justice from mainstream punters. Similarly, Australia’s spooks enjoy the lightest of parliamentary supervision because a key committee is dominated by MPs whose actions, and a recent speech, clearly demonstrate they are part of ...
- May 2018: New campaign for parliament to vote when Australian forces get involved in conflicts
CLA is planning to launch a new campaign to convince the Australian Parliament to pass legislation so that a Prime Minister has to seek parliamentary approval on sending Australians troops into war or a warlike situation.
The campaign will have ... - CLArion April 2018: Religious freedom inquiry delayed, new CLA initiatives
Parliament committees inquiring into religious freedom in Australia as well as electoral funding and mandated disclosure by NGOs have been inundated with submissions, forcing them to report late. This issue also shows off CLA’s new T-shirt, reminds members about our ...
- March 2018 newsletter: FOI, privacy in turmoil as boss resigns out of the blue
The boss of privacy, data breach monitoring and FOI has resigned out of the blue, just as the government introduces a new regime supposedly to curtail leaking by the corporate sector of private, personal data. At the same time, the ...
- Feb 2018 newsletter: Aged care inquiry is priority; danger lurks in police state laws
A federal parliament committee’s inquiry peeling back secrecy around aged care practices will dominate early 2018. There’s also grave danger in the ‘creeping Stalinism’ of proposed anti-whistleblower laws. 31 Jan 2018