Many observers cried hypocrisy when leaders and dignitaries from countries like Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Palestine, Egypt and the Persian Gulf kingdoms — all of which engage, as a matter of policy, in the persecution, jailing and often torture of journalists and activists — attended the Paris rally to commemorate the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
But the hypocrisy of Western politicians declaring themselves for free speech in the wake of the Paris murders is every bit as great. The US and UK governments are engaged in global-scale mass surveillance programs and have specifically targeted journalists and whistleblowers for harassment and prosecution. And the Australian government is no better. Despite pretending to be a supporter of free speech and a free press, the Abbott government has proven itself a committed enemy of both. Its draconian anti-terror laws introduced last year enable journalists to be jailed for a decade for reporting on intelligence operations.
The data retention regime it has proposed ensures that police and intelligence agencies will have a rich trove of information with which to hunt down whistleblowers and the journalists and even politicians to whom they have provided public interest information. The government has attacked the ABC and slashed its funding, and used every power at its disposal to prevent the media from revealing information about its handling of asylum seekers, and freedom of information laws are now routinely abused by the public service. Attorney-General George Brandis approved an ASIO raid designed to intimidate the whistleblower who revealed our spying on East Timor; the whistleblower’s passport was also seized to prevent him from giving evidence in an international court; the lawyer representing that whistleblower has been threatened by Brandis and his agencies with prosecution.
Like most advocates of free speech, the Abbott government only likes free speech that it agrees with. Its idea of a free press is outlets that support it. Like its US and UK counterparts, it fears and attacks anything that doesn’t suit its political purposes.
Of course the Australian Government supports freedom of speech! The Murdoch press is free to report and distort whatever it wants.
The usual suspects will once again rail against the efforts of Western Democracies to reduce the clear threats to values and lifestyles enjoyed by citizens in nations such as Australia.
The frequency shows no signs of abating even as repeated examples of Terrorist attacks mount.
But it’s hardly a surprise.
What is ‘not’ a surprise Norman, is your employment of obfuscation when addressing unwanted truths!
Focus your rebuttal on even just a couple of examples in Crikey’s ‘Opinion’ ie Did, or did not, the First Law Officer of the C’Wealth seize a whistleblower’s Passport? Are UK, US, Australia conducting mass surveillance of their respective populations? Has, or has not, the Govt. attacked the ABC on a number of diverse issues, despite the electorate’s solid, if not total support, of said Institution?
Make your case mate . . and leave the obfuscation to the Politicians.
graybul, there’s no point addressing your 1st incoherent sentence. Re your motley ‘questions’:
1.I’d assume more than one ‘whistleblower’ could have had a passport seized, and IF you nominate an instance in which this was indefensible, please explain.
2.The Governments you mention are NOT “conducting mass surveillance of their respective populations” unless you use your words in a Humpty Dumpty tradition.
3.I’d hope any Government concerned with the welfare of Australian citizens would be prepared to risk your opprobrium whenever it was necessary; but why not tell us what you deem to be the unkindest verbal cut of al by an Australian Government?
5.Try not to fall into the deep end of the intellectual pool — at least until you purchase metaphorical water wings.
4.
This government loves free speech – in the context of News Corpse giving away many of its papers for free to artificially boost its circulation numbers.