Trust us, we’re the Government
Australians are asked to trust their government. Despite evidence of government lies — in matters as grave as whether to wage war — Australians are expected to trust that the government knows what’s best for them and will act in their interests, all the while violating rights and withholding evidence.
Three recent stories illustrate the point:
- Texan history teacher, pacifist and advocate of nonviolent resistance Scott Parkin was arrested in a Melbourne cafe by no fewer than 6 police last year. He was detained for 5 days then chucked out of the country. We are told only that Parkin was deemed to represent a ‘threat to national security’, but no details have been made available to Parkin or the public.
- Mohammed Sagar is an Iraqi refugee who has been detained for 5 years by Australian authorities. He and fellow detainee, Mohammad Faisal, were the last two victims of the indefensible ‘Pacific Solution’ (until its recent revival), imprisoned on the island nation of Nauru all this time due to a secret ‘adverse security assessment’. Faisal was evacuated to an Australian hospital after attempting suicide. Sagar, for his part, feels "like a dead living thing."
- Nonviolent peace activists (below) entered the top-secret US military base in central Australia called Pine Gap in 2005 to conduct a ‘citizens’ inspection’ of the facility said to identify targets for the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. Four of them now face charges under the hitherto unused Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952 which prohibits entry on the grounds that Pine Gap is necessary to the defence of Australia. In a pre-trial hearing, a Northern Territory Supreme Court judge has ruled that it is sufficient for the Australian government to say the base is necessary for the defence of Australia without having to prove it. Again: trust us. And trust that playing host to this US base does not increase the terrorist threat to Australia.
(left to right: Donna Mulhearn, Sean O’Reilly, Jim Dowling, Bryan Law & Adele Goldie)
On top of this, Australia’s High Court decided last month that the government is justified in withholding information about tax bracket creep and a home-loan scheme. Such absurd secrets protect the government, not the public. Two dissenting judges agreed with The Australian newspaper that the public has a right to know about these activities of government.
Transparency is essential to accountability. Holding our governments to account is a lynchpin of democracy. It’s time to demand some answers.
[…] Congratulations to Scott Parkin, Mohammed Sagar and Muhammed Faisal, who today won their bid to find out what the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has against them. The Federal Court has decided that they are entitled to know the reason why, in Parkin’s case, he was thrown out of the country, and in the case of Sagar and Faisal, why they have been refused entry to Australia despite acceptance of their refugee claims. Sagar remains detained in Nauru while Faisal is in psychiatric care in Brisbane after making an attempt on his own life after 3 years on the Pacific Island. […]
[…] The last refugee to leave the island camp was Mohammed Faisal, who was evacuated to Brisbane after attempting suicide. His fate is still unknown. We also await the Government’s response to the Federal Court decision demanding to know why Faisal was kept on Nauru in spite of his successful refugee application and why US pacifist Scott Parkin was imprisoned and deported from Australia. […]
[…] This month, four ‘Christians Against All Terrorism‘ were pursued through the courts by the Australian Government for breaking into the secret US military facility Pine Gap, climbing onto a roof and taking photographs as part of a ‘citizens’ inspection‘. The base, according to ANU strategic analyst Michael McKinley, plays a crucial role in the war on Iraq by locating targets to be bombed. Representing themselves but denied the opportunity to present much of their evidence, a jury found the four ‘inspectors’ guilty. They could have spent years in gaol, but the judge of the Northern Territory Supreme Court imposed fines instead. […]
[…] A Supreme Court judge at a pre-trial hearing in 2006 ruled that it was sufficient for the Australian government to say the base is necessary for the defence of Australia without having to prove it. The defendants were subsequently denied the opportunity to present crucial evidence in their defence. […]
[…] In addition to a Bill already introduced to abolish conclusive certificates, when passed into law, these reforms signal a welcome departure from the "entrenched secrecy" surrounding the previous government. […]