Australian Government Proposed Changes to Intelligence and Surveillance Laws

[forensics]

THE telephone and internet data of every Australian will be retained for up to two years and intelligence agencies would be given increased access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, under a suite of new proposals from Australia's intelligence community.
Revealed in a discussion paper released by the Attorney-General's Department, the more than 40 proposals form a massive ambit claim from the intelligence agencies. If passed they would be the most significant expansion of the Australian intelligence community's powers since the Howard-era reforms following the terrorist attacks of 2001.


Protests Against Australian Government Proposed Changes to Intelligence and Surveillance Laws

[readytogo]

From what I gather, these changes have only just been proposed. If the wheels of bureaucracy turn as slowly in Australia as they do here, we'll surely be gone before they come into being.

[forensics]

From what I gather, these changes have only just been proposed. If the wheels of bureaucracy turn as slowly in Australia as they do here, we'll surely be gone before they come into being.

Possibly, but can you imagine a government that wants to know and record all that you say and do...............? That is scary.

[Hannah]

Your website source is pretty Iffy.

[Hannah]

From what I gather, these changes have only just been proposed. If the wheels of bureaucracy turn as slowly in Australia as they do here, we'll surely be gone before they come into being.

Australia has before Sept 11 had laws in place allowing Intelligence Agencies and Australian Police able to access customer telephone records. Not their conversations but like the Crime shows who they called and when. These records are kept by our telecommunications agencies anyway. You can ask for your own phone records in detail if you like.

With the Internet they can only access the ISP addresses you visit again this is information your internet provider keeps.

The Agencies have to have a reason to access your records they cannot just accesss them without cause.

Access to private information such as bank details and car registration etc is also only released to these Agencies as they require.

Now I have worked as a programmer on creating Govt Intelligence Databases. It costs megabucks to create them and they have been suspended time and again due to MONEY. Australia is cutting back funding our military and police at the moment due to huge DEBT created by the recent Labor Government. There is no way they can find any money at the moment to keep the essential already established departments going. Not worried even if they do pass these new laws because if they couldn't fund it under the Liberal government who was in power when I still worked and the Liberal government were in the BLACK, no way they can fund it TODAY with Australia going into further and further DEBT trying to run the basic government essentials.

There is some information regularly taken from various places for Intelligence Purposes but limited. What these new laws are proposing would be a huge administration expense that the current Government could not support financially.

[JC1949]

I am in Australia,I assure you the know how many times I brush my teeth,if they are false or real,if I go for the "dockers" or the "eagles" or "geelong".....whatever.....they already know....just trust in Jesus because you cannot escape the all seeing eye of Horus.... just eat some pizza and relax....

[forensics]

Your website source is pretty Iffy.

Hannah. You must be from the country in question. And also not familiar with the website which debunks false and rumored emails going around the net. So for your benefit and others. Better or worse............here is a more legit site with the same info. The previous Hoax Slayer simply debunks peoples questions to them about email notices they got. This website gives a more detailed version.

The UK and Australia have some of the most secretive and DATA control in the free world. Cameras are every where in the UK and are taking shots of about everything. A person in the UK is limited in many ways. From Cars,water,trash,gardening,parking on curbs and the such. My point of the post was that the Aussies are now attempting to monitor telephone conversations of all people and record them......! Again, that is very scary..........whether it be post 9/11 or not. Even the US has tapping laws..........but under certain legal means. And not all telephones or internet useage is monitored. Simply pointing out our "free world" is less free then we would like.

Australian government proposes sweeping Internet surveillance


Australian residents are already subjected to intensive monitoring of their telecommunications. In 2010-11, according to official data, the intelligence and law enforcement agencies were granted nearly a quarter of a million data intercept requests under the existing legislation.
This is nearly twice the rate per person of the US, where cell phone companies last week reported that government bodies, including federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and courts, made at least 1.3 million demands for subscriber information in 2011 (see: “Massive expansion of domestic spying under Obama”).

[WalterNZ]

Yes NZ like Australia already has those laws in place. I think this sets a dangerous precedence for being framing innocent people

Also like to add that I was living in Australia this year.... Shhhhh don't tell anyone... And I read a news article there where they are going to start using military tech drones all over local beaches around Australia next summer.. supposedly for "Shark Spotting"
Ok so maybe nothing mysterious but seems weird...

Aussie being the mineral rich country it is..... the place is hot property on a global scale and one of the only countries in the west whose economies is thriving during this downturn. Good On Them I say!!

Drones to patrol Aussie beaches | Stuff.co.nz

[JC1949]

Yes NZ like Australia already has those laws in place. I think this sets a dangerous precedence for being framing innocent people

Also like to add that I was living in Australia this year.... Shhhhh don't tell anyone... And I read a news article there where they are going to start using military tech drones all over local beaches around Australia next summer.. supposedly for "Shark Spotting"
Ok so maybe nothing mysterious but seems weird...

Aussie being the mineral rich country it is..... the place is hot property on a global scale and one of the only countries in the west whose economies is thriving during this downturn. Good On Them I say!!

Drones to patrol Aussie beaches | Stuff.co.nz

HEY WALTER....cheers bro'....
not NOT everyone is making da money...only THE ELITE...please DO NOT BELIEVE the media......
Life is EXPENSIVE here and ONCE AGAIN ONLY THE WEALTHY are having a bonanza...
Trust me I live and work here.....and I am an Australian citizen 20 odd years....
it is NOT all GOLD what glitters....

SHALOM

[mattfivefour]

According to hoax-slayer, which is normally accurate:

"The protest messages are valid. The proposals outlined would provide intelligence agencies with much greater access to any material posted online and mean that the telephone and Internet data of Australian users would be retained for up to two years. The controversial proposals have quite rightly raised serious concerns among privacy and civil liberties organizations. It should be stressed that, at the time of writing, the changes are only proposals and are not already set to be implemented as new laws as claimed in some of the protest messages."

There is a more detailed analysis plus a video at the hoax-slayer site posted in the OP by "forensics": Protests Against Australian Government Proposed Changes to Intelligence and Surveillance Laws.

This is the hoax-slayer site's conclusion:

"It is important that all Australians become aware of the proposed changes and the possible impact that they might have on their privacy and rights. The full text of the discussion paper can viewed on the GetUp website."

[Hannah]

Hannah. You must be from the country in question. And also not familiar with the website which debunks false and rumored emails going around the net. So for your benefit and others. Better or worse............here is a more legit site with the same info. The previous Hoax Slayer simply debunks peoples questions to them about email notices they got. This website gives a more detailed version.

The UK and Australia have some of the most secretive and DATA control in the free world. Cameras are every where in the UK and are taking shots of about everything. A person in the UK is limited in many ways. From Cars,water,trash,gardening,parking on curbs and the such. My point of the post was that the Aussies are now attempting to monitor telephone conversations of all people and record them......! Again, that is very scary..........whether it be post 9/11 or not. Even the US has tapping laws..........but under certain legal means. And not all telephones or internet useage is monitored. Simply pointing out our "free world" is less free then we would like.

Australian government proposes sweeping Internet surveillance


Australian residents are already subjected to intensive monitoring of their telecommunications. In 2010-11, according to official data, the intelligence and law enforcement agencies were granted nearly a quarter of a million data intercept requests under the existing legislation.
This is nearly twice the rate per person of the US, where cell phone companies last week reported that government bodies, including federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and courts, made at least 1.3 million demands for subscriber information in 2011 (see: “Massive expansion of domestic spying under Obama”).

First of all you cannot believe everything you read.

You make it sound like every phone conversation a person makes is listened to by some one 24/7.

Yes Australia does have the ability to use the law to intercept phone conversations and they do so to target criminals because they do not have the resources just to listen into you and me.

If you have nothing to hide why are you worried.

If they have the time in between using their powers to target Christians and put them in jail then God's Word is only being fulfilled and we should rejoice for being found worthy for being persecuted for God's Word.

MT 10:17 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you

What you read and what is the reality are two different scenarios. There is more to it than just being able to see what someone is viewing on their computer screen or saying on their phone. I can't say more than that I signed confidentiality agreements when I worked for the government bodies as a computer programmer on these kinds of systems.

Personally I'm not worried.

There has to be a reason for the survellance. Law enforcers cannot just spy on anyone they want. One day I am sure Christians will be legally seen as criminals in the Tribulation time that is for sure. I doubt it will happen prior to the Tribulation.

Street cameras, private store security cameras etc, are now a part of life. It didn't catch the man who king-hit a teenager and killed him in our Red Light district two weeks ago because the attacker did the deed just the other side of a street camera. It was a witness and person who knew the attacker who gave him up to the police and he has been arrested and charged for murder.

So survelliance can only do so much.

The Romans in the days of the early Church didn't have fancy street cameras or other means to identify Christians but they managed to round them up and throw them to the Lions. They had good old fashioned spies in the midst of them.

MT 24:9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

If you obey the laws of your nation you should have nothing to worry about.

RO 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

God sees all we do and say and knows even what we are thinking or have in our hearts. You should be more concerned by the fact God sees it all than what mankind can tap into in your private lives. We should live in such a way that all our actions and words glorify God and if we are taken and jailed because of our Goldy behaviour then we should rejoice for being found worthy to be persecuted for the Lord!


Being concerned about how much of our lives is being watched by authorities should only be a test to make sure you are living your life fully to the glory of God and it should not be a problem to those who do.

Even if there was none of the electronic survelliance of today when the time comes for our nations to turn on Christians and decide to make us criminals for believing in Jesus it wouldn't be difficult for our national authorities to round us up and put us in jail.

Personally I have no problem with the extra legislation, most of it has been because it has been difficult to catch and prosecute criminals dealing with drugs and other illegal activities. We have had more arrests and successful prosecutions because of the ability of invesitagors being able to provide phone conversations or other private information.

Of course it has been used to catch terrorists also. Without the legislation the ability to prove without doubt the activities of criminals/terrorists would be difficult.

You can't have the legislation for criminals/terrorists otherwise.