CLArion Newsletter

Latest CLArion

Nov 2019 CLArion newsletter: At last, the tide of repressive laws appears to have turned – now for rebalancing liberties

The first glimmers of light have emerged for and end to draconian anti-terror laws, and a concerted community push to ensure freedom of the press. A parliamentary committee has sent a bill back for re-drafting. Rallies throughout Australia, backed by civil liberties, human rights and lawyer groups, are highlighting how perverse is the government’s continuing persecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery. And at last a long-quiescent media has woken up to its responsibilities to safeguard all of our freedoms, including freedom of the press. We suddenly live in greater hope.

Collaery calls for whistleblower protection body
Urgent move to fix growing forensic disasters in courts
Much forensic science is bunkum, US reports say
FOI stands for Failure Of Integrity in Home Affairs
Uncultured government robs arts to pay spooks
Territorians live in a dictatorship
King aborts reporter’s one-year jail sentence
Chinese sensitivity sees a number of people in the poo

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Recent CLArions

Oct 2019 CLArion newsletter: Census and new laws move us further down track of mandatory questions & duration
Little by little, those who govern the nation are conditioning the people to the concept of increasing mandatory behaviour imposed from on high. The 2021 census is being planned with new, intrusive and must-answer questions on gender, sex and personal ...
Sept 2019 CLArion newsletter: Security forces gild lily in seeking to retain unaccountable powers to raid journos and ABC
The spookmeisters have emerged from deep hiding to defend their over-the-top raids on the homes of journalists and the national HQ of the ABC. They’ve trotted out ghosts and hobgoblins in yet another fear-raising exercise to suit their secret aims. ...
August 2019 CLArion newsletter: Book strips bare the perfidy inside parliament as chancers go for broke
A new Niki Savva book exposing the soap opera around Malcolm Turnbull’s demise as PM paints MPs in a very poor light. Meanwhile, police officers themselves are joining the campaign to end the highly problematic practice of police investigating police. ...
July 2019 CLArion: Parliament resumes, but agenda at cross purposes with nation’s need for greater humanity
To build a better nation, Australia needs to re-focus on our freedoms and our humanity rather than on tax-cutting baubles and harsher refugee and security laws. After nearly 20 years of excessive terrorism fear driving public policy, it’s time for ...
June 2019 CLArion: New Ministers but same old problems face the nation’s liberties and rights
We have a new government, but the same old problems remain: citizenship issues, legal systems gone awry, refugee claimants in limbo, and re-born Ministers with a proven history of putting their interests ahead of those of the people. Stand by ...
May 2019: Voters lie in wait – what we want of MPs
The politics of a local election and of international extradition involving the UK, Sweden and the USA dominate this month, as the perennial issues of abortion, privacy, integrity and police-investigating police return for analysis.
April 2019: Six-year CLA battle helps earn Neill-Fraser appeal over her 23-year sentence for murder
A meeting in 2013 with a politician who kept her word began the long process that led to Sue Neill-Fraser getting a second appeal chance at justice in Tasmania. Now for a hearing, preferably with interstate judges. Elsewhere, Australia’s first ...
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 ...
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 ...