Crikey Worm: ‘Draconian’ foreign interference bills pass Senate

WATCH YOUR WORDS

Legislation restricting foreign political influence and people looking to “disrupt Australia’s democracy” has been rushed through Parliament last night, after Labor agreed to new espionage bills following sizeable amendments. 

The ABC reports that the Coalition had urged Parliament to vote for the legislation in time for the July 28 Super Saturday byelections. While the Coalition allowed considerable amendments after initially looking to include charities, unions and arts bodies under the new foreign influence register, legal rights groups have criticised the new laws’ capacity to criminalise protests and communication of anti-government opinions. This came at the end of a day in which prosecution was brought against a government whistleblower.

A GIFT FOR BAE

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will today announce that, after two years of discussions, the government has awarded the Future Frigate project’s $35 billion tender to UK defence giant BAE Systems.

The Advertiser ($) reports that BAE will operate the build through the Australian government-owned company ASC Shipbuilding, although the Commonwealth will still retain veto rights and regain full ownership after 2042. The project will create about 4000 Australian jobs and construct nine of Australia’s next-generation frigates, which Turnbull said, on top of their defence capability, will also have, “the flexibility to support non-warfare roles such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief”.

BOWLED OVER

A Sunshine Coast woman has won her Supreme Court case against the Nambour Bowls Club, which cancelled her membership and ultimately banned her from visiting entirely following a “trivial kitchen disagreement over coleslaw”.

The ABC reports that Robyn Perren has had her membership reinstated, been awarded court costs of over $30,000, and found to have been denied “natural justice” after, over the course of a year, an official complaint over recycled coleslaw escalated to a membership ban, then to a full-blown visiting ban.

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THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

You should stop shagging men, Sarah.

Senator David Leyonhjelm

The Liberal Democrat interrupts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s motion on violence against women with some real old-school sexism. When confronted, he reportedly told her to “fuck off”.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Government looks to jail lawyer and former agent in staggering attack on free speechBernard Keane

“In a case expected to have major free speech ramifications, former ACT attorney-general and Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery and former ASIS officer ‘Witness K’ face jail after the government launched an extraordinary prosecution in relation to the bugging of the East Timorese cabinet.”

Australian progressives are stuck in an endless loopRuby Hamad

“With more and more writers from a variety of backgrounds taking up the challenge, our work gained traction and for a moment it appeared we may be forcing a change. After all, if articles such as ‘Why is Australian TV so white?’ and ‘Why are Australian ads so white?’ and ‘All lead actors in Gods of Egypt will be white’ and… well you get the idea, can make a splash both here and internationally, then you’d think that the natural next step would be people from non-white backgrounds becoming more visible on screen and more influential behind the scenes. This has not happened.”

Home Affairs is now writing threatening letters to seven-month-old infantsGreg Barns

“Sam (not his real name) is a seven-month-old baby whose parents are seeking asylum in Australia, having arrived by boat some years ago. But to the Department of Home Affairs, Sam is a ‘client’ with an application ID and a file number. And in the Kafkaesque world of that department, Sam is treated as though he were an adult.”

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WHAT’S ON TODAY

Adelaide

• Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will announce BAE’s winning warship tender for the Future Frigates project.

• SA Premier Steven Marshall will give a “state of the state” address to mark his first 100 days in office.

Canberra

• The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters will hold a public inquiry into the 2016 federal election.

• The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public inquiry the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as part of its review of the ACCC Annual Report 2017.

Brisbane

• The banking royal commission will continue examining farming finance, with a Bankwest executive to finish giving evidence about a Queensland cattle farmer’s case. They will be followed by a separate Queensland cattle farmer and a NAB executive.

Melbourne

• Victoria’s Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford will announce the start of law reforms impacting puppy farms and pet shops.

• Workers at Laverton Cold Storage in Truganina and union leaders will continue 24-hour rolling stoppages, as part of a protest over failed workplace agreement negotiations, ahead of escalating to an indefinite strike from Saturday.

• Film Victoria and Screen Australia will announce the official commencement of filming for Australia-China film production The Whistleblower.

Sydney

• An Upper House committee examining the Sydney Stadiums strategy will hold its second public hearing at Parliament House.

Perth

• Day one of a 54-hour Startup Weekend Perth event, to be themed around “Social Impact”.

Hobart

• Charity event Bravehearts 777 Marathon, which holds seven marathons in seven states over seven days, will run its Hobart leg.

Darwin

• Expressions Dance Company and Hong Kong’s City Contemporary Dance Company will present the Australian premiere of 4Seasons, a triple bill showcase of new contemporary dance works.

Australia

• Activist group Frontline Action on Coal will hold a national day of action at a number of locations over the next 24 hours, from Melbourne to Mutitjulu, Northern Territory.

THE COMMENTARIAT

Next ‘national security’ blow will hit Australians the hardest — Sunita Bose (Sydney Morning Herald): “While our politicians may argue we should feel safer once its ‘national security’ legislation is passed into law, the opposite is true. We should feel less secure knowing our rights to protest have been curbed. One of the biggest battles between freedom of speech and so-called ‘national security’ lies ahead. Two parts of the foreign interference package were passed by the Senate on Thursday night. The third part is due to be debated when parliament resumes. And it could hit Australians the hardest.”

The revolution has always been in the hands of the young — Tarneen Onus-Williams (IndigenousX): “In my community young people have led movements in this country for around 100 years. It was young people from Redfern and Fitzroy protesting Sydney and Narrm/Melbourne — fast forward to today and young Aboriginal people are again at the forefront of most campaigns, for example Seed Mob’s ‘Land Rights not mining rights’, Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance’s ‘Abolish Australia Day’ and ‘Stolenwealth Games’, and queer young blackfullas like Edie Sheppard and Tarsha Jago heading up ‘Blackfullas for marriage equality’.”

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