Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

"We must frankly admit that fear has not only been a large and deadly element in international relations. It has also been a recognized and potent instrument of domestic policy. Indeed, a powerful case might be made out for the view that the emotion of fear is the most significant of all the emotions on the field of politics... Nothing can be worse for democracy than to adopt the practice of permitting knowledge to be overthrown by ignorance. If I have honestly and thoughtfully arrived at a certain conclusion on a public question and my electors disagree with me, my first duty is to endeavour to persuade them that my view is right. If I fail in this, my second duty will be to accept the electoral consequences and not to run away from them. Fear can never be a proper or useful ingredient in those mutual relations of respect and goodwill which ought to exist between the elector and the elected. In time of war it is the absence of fear in individuals and groups which gives dignity and strength to the nation's bearing in the midst of difficulties. It is the presence of fear and the yielding to it which produces hysteria and greed and burden-dodging."  Sir Robert Menzies, 1942

"If we are to view war problems from a national point of view and - what is even better - from a world point of view, then we must inevitably conclude  that if this war with all its tragedy breeds into us a deep-seated and enduring spirit of hatred, then the peace when it comes will be merely the prelude to disaster and not an end of it. It is an offence to an honest citizen to imagine that the cold, evil and repulsive spirit of racial hatred must be substituted for honest and brave indignation if his greatest effort is to be obtained.  It is not highfalutin to have a noble and decent cause in war. It is the very moral height of our great argument which alone can reconcile the mother to the death of her son in battle. This war is no sordid conflict of racial animosities. If it were, it could never end in your lifetime or mine. We should refuse to take the honest and natural and passing passions of the human heart and degrade them into sinister and bitter policy. We shall, in other words, do well if we leave the dignity and essential nobility of our cause unstained and get on urgently with the business of so working, so fighting, and so sacrificing ourselves that the cause emerges triumphant and the healing benefits of its success become available as a blessing not merely for us but for all mankind." Sir Robert Menzies, 1942

"One of the reasons offered for adopting democracy as a system of government is people's desire to be protected from state-sponsored fear - fear of persecution and death, arbitrary theft of property and discrimination. Democracy has been described as a "fear-less" or "fear-resolving" system and one of the recurrent themes in the evolution of democracies is that government by fear is inherently illegitimate. Most democracies limit the use of fear as a political weapon by developing institutions which ensure basic freedoms and civil liberties." Carmen Lawrence

"In considering this proposed legislation, it is important to remember that in Australia there is no effective human rights framework surrounding the new anti-terrorism legislation. Unlike other western democracies, we have no Bill of Rights and therefore no check upon extreme legislation of this type other than what can be found in the Constitution. The Australian Constitution contains no significant human rights clauses and the few that are there have been so read down by the High Court as to be almost meaningless....the media at least, has become inured to governmental attacks upon our liberties, or to take a more sinister view, that it or parts of it are engaging in self censorship...I regard the role of the Opposition as even more worrying than the role of the Government. It would appear that a more critical role is being played by the Government's own backbench and the Fairfax press than by the Opposition. Even worse is the behaviour of the States and Territories who have delivered a trump card to the Government that may even be sufficient to overcome the fragile protection that the Constitution offers." The Honourable Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC

"The NATSEM modelling demonstrates that without significant change to aspects of Newstart, such as to the income test, or to taxation treatment of additional earned income or to the activity test, individuals with a disability and women and men supporting children who attempt to improve their circumstances by entering the workforce face shocking Government imposed income losses. They'll not be able to pay the rent, put food on the table, and if they are on a part-allowance, they'll lose up to 75 cents in each dollar earned." Marie Coleman

|| Unions plan industrial action || Lawyers say new IR laws a 'dog's breakfast' || Eighteen MPs ejected from Parliament over two days || Joyce raises doubts over support for new IR legislation || more... ||

Parliament releases Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 (Cth) and Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 No 2 (Cth) - links here to speeches, ammendments and Bills Digest.

|| Howard in hot water over revealing operation. || NZ PM Helen Clarke -  Australian officials have confirmed that there is no imminent threat of terrorist attacks. || Senior analyst says not conspiracy but believes Howard briefed earlier than Monday. ||

Parliament releases Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 (Cth) and Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 No 2 (Cth) - links here to speeches, amendments and Bills Digest.

|| Howard in hot water over revealing operation. || NZ PM Helen Clarke -  Australian officials have confirmed that there is no imminent threat of terrorist attacks. || Senior analyst says not conspiracy but believes Howard briefed earlier than Monday. ||

|| National round-up early edition ||

|| Richard Ackland won't get fooled again || Tony Fitzgerald on reforming Australian democracy  || Nicholas Lemann on Plame, politics and the press || Jeffrey Goldberg on foreign policy and Iraq  || Collection of essays on Iraq and the Bush Doctrine  || Francis Fukuyama on Islam and European multiculturalism  || Peter Church on Afghanistan's new Parliament  || Hilwiah Roche on why Gandhi didn't win the Nobel prize || D.T. Max on literary Darwinism || Ariel Levy profiles Maureen Dowd || Nicolas Riou on the politics of consumption || Spanish s*x guide furore ||

Begining today, resource and links updates on the new IR legislation. This first collection comes from the Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library.

Andrews: That is what Work Choices is all about – securing the future prosperity of Australian individuals and families. ... Work Choices does this by accommodating the greater demand for choice and flexibility in our workplaces. It continues a process of evolution, begun over a decade ago, towards a system that trusts Australian men and women to make their own decisions in the workplace and to do so in a way that best suits them.

Beazley: It is the product of an extreme, outdated ideology. An ideology that has nothing to do with the challenges Australia faces in the first quarter of the 21^st century - nothing to do with the nation's economic needs. ... It's the most savage attack on the values of Australian society and the security of working families that I've seen in 25 years in this Parliament.

Andrews: That is what Work Choices is all about – securing the future prosperity of Australian individuals and families. ... Work Choices does this by accommodating the greater demand for choice and flexibility in our workplaces. It continues a process of evolution, begun over a decade ago, towards a system that trusts Australian men and women to make their own decisions in the workplace and to do so in a way that best suits them.

Beazley: It is the product of an extreme, outdated ideology. An ideology that has nothing to do with the challenges Australia faces in the first quarter of the 21^st century - nothing to do with the nation's economic needs. ... It's the most savage attack on the values of Australian society and the security of working families that I've seen in 25 years in this Parliament.

G'day. I don't suppose anyone in the Opposition will dare make these obvious points today, so here goes. Where did the newspapers get their information from of the supposed details of the specific intelligence which Howard claimed triggered his emergency amendments to terror laws yesterday? I've read the news stories linked in today's Daily Briefing, and lots of detail - mostly stated as fact and unsourced - is there in black and white. I've set them out below.Yet Howard himself said over and over at his press conference yesterday that he wouldn't, indeed COULDN'T go into any detail IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST.

G'day. I don't suppose anyone in the Opposition will dare make these obvious points today, so here goes. Where did the newspapers get their information from of the supposed details of the specific intelligence which Howard claimed triggered his emergency amendments to terror laws yesterday? I've read the news stories linked in today's Daily Briefing, and lots of detail - mostly stated as fact and unsourced - is there in black and white. I've set them out below.Yet Howard himself said over and over at his press conference yesterday that he wouldn't, indeed COULDN'T go into any detail IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST.

Key national anti-terrorism body 'not activated'
ABC Online November 3, 2005. 9:41am (AEDT)
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says a key national counter-terrorism body was not informed of the latest terrorism threat. - http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1496633.htm

True test is just around the corner
The Age, November 3, 2005, By MICHELLE GRATTAN
ONE test of the need to rush a minor change to the nation's anti-terrorism laws through Parliament today will come almost immediately. This week the Government has received specific information of a terrorist threat to Australia. The PM says passage of the amendment will strengthen agencies' capacity to respond. If authorities require this instant legal finetuning, they'll presumably act at once. Logically, we should see arrests over the next few days. - http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/11/02/1130823280998.html

Key national anti-terrorism body 'not activated'
ABC Online November 3, 2005. 9:41am (AEDT)
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says a key national counter-terrorism body was not informed of the latest terrorism threat. - http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1496633.htm

True test is just around the corner
The Age, November 3, 2005, By MICHELLE GRATTAN
ONE test of the need to rush a minor change to the nation's anti-terrorism laws through Parliament today will come almost immediately. This week the Government has received specific information of a terrorist threat to Australia. The PM says passage of the amendment will strengthen agencies' capacity to respond. If authorities require this instant legal finetuning, they'll presumably act at once. Logically, we should see arrests over the next few days. - http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/11/02/1130823280998.html

|| Simon Jenkins says don't politicise terrorist criminals || David Broder on President 'Push Over' || Maureen Dowd on the paranoid White House || Stephen Walt says Iraq is Bush's fault || Martin Indyk says Iran's bluster is serious || Wynton Marsalis on jazz citizenship and New Orleans || Mukhtaran Bibi 'woman of the year' || Robert Andrews on the chat room for IT innovators ||

|| Simon Jenkins says don't politicise terrorist criminals || David Broder on President 'Push Over' || Maureen Dowd on the paranoid White House || Stephen Walt says Iraq is Bush's fault || Martin Indyk says Iran's bluster is serious || Wynton Marsalis on jazz citizenship and New Orleans || Mukhtaran Bibi 'woman of the year' || Robert Andrews on the chat room for IT innovators ||

Late addition - Legal profession opposes Anti-Terror Bill and provides SUMMARY OF KEY MEASURES TO GIVE TO FRIENDS AND INTERESTED CITIZENS 

Stanhope excluded. ASIO warns of attack but no increase in alert and more... Change of venue for HEROC Darwin forum tomorrow with John von Doussa.

Late addition - Legal profession opposes Anti-Terror Bill and provides SUMMARY OF KEY MEASURES TO GIVE TO FRIENDS AND INTERESTED CITIZENS 

Stanhope excluded. ASIO warns of attack but no increase in alert and more... Change of venue for HEROC Darwin forum tomorrow with John von Doussa.

G'day. The PM and Mr Ruddock have just told reporters that a little bit of the terror laws package will be rushed through the House of Reps after question time, then through the Senate tomorrow arvo. It will, Howard said, alter current law referring to 'the' terrorist act to 'a' terrorist act. He wouldn't say why this particular change was urgent, and ensured there were no informed questions asked on behalf of Australians by insisting that he'd give reporters a statement on the detail AFTER he'd said his bit and gone to lunch.

G'day. Here we go folks. This morning the government released most of its mega Industrial Relations package of legislation. Actually, it didn't do it until AFTER the minister Kevin Andrews introduced the bills into the House of Representatives flanked by a smug PM. That led to a shit-fight for an hour on the floor of the House, because House rules require that MPs each get a copy of a proposed law before the debate starts. Fair enough, eh? The government didn't bother with that. The People's House is a sham, after all.

||  Dina Exxat on the Arab Leaque's role in Iraq ||  Robert Skidelsky on the rise of China ||  Wang Shuhai says China needs philosophers ||  David Clark says Blair will replace Britain's nuclear weapons ||  Laurie Oakes on the 30th anniversary of the dismissal ||  Paul Kahn on reconciling the erotic with the political ||  Alister McGrath on atheists hoping for a new Enlightenment ||  Caitlin Moran on this culturally empty decade ||  Report on the Guardian's social, ethical, environmental audit || 

Senator BOB BROWN - Had Mr Parkin ever taken part in a violent or dangerous protest-that you are aware of?
(ASIO Chief) Mr O'Sullivan - While he was in Australia, do you mean?
Senator BOB BROWN - In Australia or elsewhere.
Mr O'Sullivan - I understand there was some background while he was in the United States, but I believe the answer to your question in respect of Australia is no.

G'day. Kim Beazley's determination as of yesterday to pass the reign of terror laws regardless of their contents folded today in Caucus, for now. Anticipating the disgust from many Labor MPs at shadow Cabinet's capitulation to Howard's sight unseen agenda yesterday, Beazley did not ask Caucus to endorse his stand. Instead, he successfully moved that Caucus support tough security laws with strong safeguards and promised a special Caucus meeting to decide Labor's position when the bill was finally published.

G'day. Mr Beazley, since you've forgotten what the role of the opposition is, here's a speech by Sir Robert Menzies - made when Australia was in the midst of World War II and we faced our greatest security threat - to remind you. And you might, though this is doubtful given your poor memory of what you or your Party stood or stands for, vaguely recall your pledge to the people of Australia in a speech after you regained the Labor leadership you called Accountability.

Updated resources from the Federal Parliamentary Library
Forty of Australia's leading artists and journalists meet to discuss sedition concerns
Doctors caution on terror laws
... and more.

"I mentioned previously there was a very concerning aspect of the stop, question and search powers. It is the provision that decisions leading to the exercise of the powers is not reviewable and cannot be challenged on any grounds whatsoever in any legal proceedings. It sounds over dramatic to say that the proposed laws are of the kind that may identify a police state, but let us reflect for a moment on this proposition. The defining characteristic of a police state is that the police exercise power on behalf of the executive, and the conduct of the police cannot be effectively challenged through the justice system of the state. Regrettably this is exactly what the laws which are currently under debate will achieve. The Government's response to criticism of the wide ranging powers given to them by the ASIO laws has been, in effect, to say: "Trust us. We are a responsible organization, and we would only ever use these heavy powers if they were really necessary. We must have these powers, and you can be assured we will not abuse them." The difficulty with that approach, as experience has shown, not only in places like South Africa, but even here in Australia, is that reality turns out otherwise. The revelations of the Palmer Report demonstrate how abuses of power occur where there is no accessible and realistic way people can question what is happening to them. What happened to our trust in this situation? What happened to Cornelia Rau's trust or Vivian Solon's? Do they still trust our government?" Jon von Doussa, HEROC

|| Peter Canby on oil drilling in the Arctic || Report says Dubai fantasy islands damage environment || Collection of essays on Israel || Bush nominates Samuel Alito for Supreme Court || Report on findings into Gulf of Tonkin incident kept secret || Patrick Seale on the opportunity to change Syria || Report on the censorship of music in the Arab world || John Keegan on the debate over Dresden || Robert Jensen on the power and ethics of p*rnography || Essays on 35 modern innovators || Michael Chorost on his cochlear implant and Bolero || AA Gill on why he doesn't like the English || BOOKS: John Irving's latest ||