Security legislation monitor has ‘a lot of concerns’ with secrecy offences
Karen Middleton
Australia’s Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM), Jake Blight, has flagged his concern with the blunt nature of secrecy offences – especially offences for leaking or receiving any information marked “secret” or “top secret” – while speaking at an opening remarks at a public hearing today.
It is fair to say that at this stage I have a lot of concerns with this offence.
He noted that government determined how widely this designation was applied and suggested it may be being used more wider than is really necessary.
Blight also suggested Australia may need clearer definitions of what security, international relations and defence within secrecy laws and that he also held concerns about the impact of secrecy laws on journalism, particularly the offence of receiving (as opposed to retaining) information.
I am minded to agree that at the very least merely receiving information should be removed from this offence.
He said retaining and then using it was another matter.
Asio’s director general, Mike Burgess, is now beginning to give evidence.
Key events
Over in the house and the independents have introduced their private members bills.
Bob Katter has introduced his bill to break up the supermarket duopoly which was seconded by his partner in inflatable pig costumes, Andrew Wilkie (although the pair left the pink pigs at home today)
Curtin MP Kate Chaney has introduced her transparent election bill, which is the latest attempt by the crossbench to bring some truth to political advertising. Zali Steggall seconded that.
Amanda Meade
Russian soldier documentary did not breach ABC standards and was not propaganda, ombudsman finds
The international documentary about the Russia-Ukraine war which screened on Four Corners last week did not breach editorial standards and was not propaganda, the ABC ombudsman has found.
Ukraine’s War: The Other Side, an immersive film about Russian soldiers on the front line, received 235 complaints after it was criticised as propaganda by the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko.
Made by British film-maker Sean Langan, the documentary offered a human perspective on life on the Russian frontline.
The ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, said she understood some of the sentiments expressed in the film would be confronting but the Langan film presented a “rarely seen microcosm of the war” and the film-maker’s presence on the front line was not an endorsement of Russian actions.
Tim Wilson prepares for Teal rematch in Goldstein
We are going to be seeing a few of these re-matches in the teal seats as the former Liberal MPs who lost their seat weigh up returning for another go.
The Liberal Party has preselected Tim Wilson for the seat of Goldstein at the next election. It’s a party decision made in what they believe is their best interest. I am proud to be a community-backed Independent, acting in the best interest of my community. I will run again. pic.twitter.com/PVvQ9UJVAU
— Zoe Daniel MP (she/her) (@zdaniel) March 24, 2024
Energy Council CEO accepts role with Alinta Energy
The Australian Energy Council’s CEO, Sarah McNamara, will finish up with the organisation at the end of April, after accepting an executive role with Alinta Energy.
Ben Barnes, who is the council’s manager of corporate affairs, will take on the interim chief position while the search for a new CEO is undertaken.
Sarah Basford Canales
SA Liberal backbencher Rowan Ramsey announces retirement at next federal election
South Australian Liberal backbencher, Rowan Ramsey, has announced he’ll be retiring at the next federal election after nearly two decades in the job.
Ramsey, who was elected as the member for the large outback electorate of Grey in 2007, said he was ready for the next chapter.
This has not been an easy decision to make as I still have unwavering enthusiasm for the job. However, like many, I am aware my ‘piece of string’ has a definite if undetermined length and consequently, with my wife Teresa, who has been such an important support, we have decided it is time to tackle the next chapter of our lives.
The seat of Grey, which covers nearly a million square kilometres, has been held by the Liberals since 1993 and is currently held by Ramsey on a 10.1% margin.
Equality Australia student says religious discrimination debate ‘will be bad regardless’
On the question of the government wanting bipartisanship from the Coalition before moving ahead with any law changes, James Elliot-Watson said:
I mean, Albo, you are the the prime minister, you set the agenda, you set the tone.
If you want it to be a respectful debate, then you say that at the start, because the only way this is gonna get done is with a debate and the queer community is well used to [it] by now, going through the wringer every time we have to fight for our own protections.
So let’s just do it.
It’s going to be vitriolic. It’s going to be bad regardless, you’re not going to get bipartisan support for the same people who were against the voice, the same people who were against same sex marriage, the same people who are always against these kinds of protections.
They don’t care about everybody in Australia.
So, the prime minister should and he should act.
That’s what I think.
‘How can being told that homosexualty is a demonic possession by your school not fuck you up?’
James Ellliot-Watson said religious discrimination wasn’t just a piece of legislation – it was people’s lives.
This is also my story. It should never have been my story. It shouldn’t have defined my life in the way that it did.
And that’s why we’re here to try and make sure that the law protects people and protects some of our youngest and most vulnerable people in the community.
And it just beggars belief that, you know, the Canberra bubble doesn’t want to deal with it, like, just get it done.
How did it define his life?
When people asked me a question like that, I sort of think how could it not define my life? How can being told that homosexuality is a demonic possession by your school not fuck you up?
How could being told your homosexuality means that implicitly there is something wrong with you and you are lesser than those around you not fuck you up?
How can being told that your sexuality is something that needs to be changed, shouldn’t be celebrated, acknowledged or embraced, but rejected, not fuck you up?
That’s kind of the way I think it needs to be presented.
Because I think a lot of people think that this doesn’t happen anymore or that this kind of bigotry and discrimination is from another century.
It’s not. It’s here today now and we need laws to protect people from that kind of view.
Equality Australia student on religious discrimination: MPs should ‘do their fucking job’
Equality Australia has held a press conference in Parliament House at the launch of their report looking at the impact a lack of protections for LGBTIQ+ people can have on staff and students at religious schools and organisations.
A student – James Elliot-Watson and his twin brother, Bradley – spoke at the press conference with a very strong message for the prime minister and all parliamentarians looking at religious discrimination.
(You can read about James and Bradley’s story, here)
James spoke with Guardian Australia after the press conference and said:
Well, basically I said MPs are paid in excess of $200,000 so everybody should do their fucking job. And I think that’s especially true for the leader of the government and my prime minister.
The purpose of parliament is to enact laws that ensure the safety, integrity and protection of the Australian citizens and that’s what this is about.
It needs to protect vulnerable children from legal discrimination practices that religious institutions are allowed to engage by change the law.
Let’s get it done.
Asio chief defends investigating journalists for ‘potential threats to security’
Karen Middleton
A little more from Asio boss Mike Burgess’s appearance in front of the INSLM, Jake Blight:
Burgess said he would have concerns about easing provisions relating to Asio’s scrutiny of journalists because they were regularly targeted by foreign intelligence services. He said Asio sometimes had to scrutinise journalists for that reason.
If we do, we are investigating them for potential threats to security.
Anything that changes that equation would be problematic from my point of view.
Parliament looms
The parliament session is just about to begin – the MPs are starting to pour into the parliament.
Paul Karp
Environment groups unsatisfied by ‘technically pointless’ Labor changes to offshore gas bill
The resources minister, Madeleine King, is going to introduce changes to the government’s offshore gas bill which add safeguards including:
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Requiring the environment minister to give a notice that changes to consultation requirements are consistent with ecological sustainability development (ESD) principles; and
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A sunset clause so that the override of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is phased out after 12 months.
However, environmental groups are still not satisfied with the changes to the fffshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage (OPGGS) bill.
Kirsty Howey, the executive director of Environment Centre NT, said the changes “falls far short of requiring compliance with the EPBC Act”, because the requirement for new regulations to be consistent with ecologically sustainable development principles is “practically meaningless”.
According to the explanatory memorandum, seen by Guardian Australia:
The validity or enforceability of regulations made under the OPGGS Act will not be affected if the resources minister is not satisfied that the designated regulations would not be inconsistent with the ESD principles, or fails to consult with the environment minister as required”
Howey said this meant the new safeguard is “technically pointless [and] nothing more than window dressing”.
She said:
If they pass this then the Labor government will actually weaken environmental protections re offshore gas put in place by Ian MacFarlane when he approved the endorsed program in 2014.
Louise Morris, the oil and gas campaign manager at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said that ESD “is a principle, not something that has any legally enforceable powers or structures”.
She said:
This is a get-out-of-jail free card, and [has] basically given free reign to industry to rewrite environmental regulations for NOPSEMA approvals, and undermines the minister for environment’s role.
Karen Middleton
ASIO chief Mike Burgess is facing questions from INSLM Jake Blight over how his agencies decide certain information is “secret” or “top secret”.
Burgess has acknowledged that some information in his agency is not secret, including whether staff are making complaints.
On the the offence of what Blight called “mere receipt” of information, Burgess took issue with that description.
Secrecy provisions are here for deterrence purposes. Once someone has received something, the deterrence provisions are not having the desired effect… It’s what happens next… And that’s the problem we need to focus on.”
Back to religious discrimination and Tony Burke was once again laying out the government position in his doorstop.
Burke was out this morning speaking about the fair wage commission submission, but it also helps that he is one of the government’s best communicators, so having him available to speak on things like religious discrimination, which is about to blow up, is also in the government’s favour.
He’s less likely to get bogged down in the details, as you can see with his answer here:
The key thing is whether or not there’s bipartisan support. Australia doesn’t need a deep, divisive debate at the moment. So, in good faith, we provided the draft legislation to the Opposition. They’ll work it through and we’ll see what they come back with. It’s in Australia’s interest that the legislation be dealt with, but we’ve given it to the Opposition in good faith and we don’t want it the way it was handled previously under the previous government, where it was just a dragged out, ugly debate. It’s not what Australia needs.
Q: Is that a concrete document or is that a take it or leave it proposal or are you willing to negotiate?
Burke:
It’s been provided to the Opposition. Those discussions are very much between them, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General.
That never ending drum beat you might be hearing behind every single government MP press conference is the phrase ‘cost of living, cost of living’ being repeated ad nauseam.
Why? Because when the economy takes a downturn, people get angry and they tend to take that anger out on incumbents (understandably) at the voting booths.
With the election to be held by May next year, the government knows it has to make cost of living it’s number one focus.
So does that mean there is more help for energy bills in the coming budget?
In an earlier door stop* Jim Chalmers said:
Well that’s under consideration. We’ve made it clear that there are a range of options available to the Government, whether it’s another round of electricity bill relief or other ways that we could help ease some of these cost‑of‑living pressures.
The biggest cost‑of‑living relief in the budget will be a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer on 1 July, and a bigger tax cut for more people to help with these cost‑of‑living pressures. If we can do more on top of that in an affordable, responsible, meaningful, methodical way, then we will obviously look to do that. We haven’t taken a decision on that. We’re obviously working our way through the major decisions in the budget over the next few weeks.
I want to say this about electricity bill relief. Electricity prices have gone up I think about 3.5 per cent since the middle of last year, without our energy plan it would have been more than 18 per cent. Now you would remember that the Liberals voted against giving hundreds of dollars to families to help with their energy bills.
*quick, unscheduled press conference
Chalmers would like to see some questions of the LNP on what they would do:
The Liberals and Nationals in this Parliament who have been whinging about this voted against helping people with their energy bills – they voted against hundreds of dollars for families to help cope with energy bills in the household budget and they need to explain why they did that. We hear all of this politicking from the Liberals and Nationals, it’s time for them to explain if people are under such pressure with their energy bills, why did they vote against helping them? That’s the question for the Liberals and Nationals today.
Karen Middleton
Asio boss says ‘secrecy offences do not exist to prevent wrongdoing being uncovered’
Asio’s director general, Mike Burgess, in his opening statement to the public hearing on secrecy offences:
In my view, secrecy offences do not exist to prevent wrongdoing being uncovered.
But Burgess said there were right and wrong ways to disclose and that whistleblowers should first go through official channels, including the inspector general of intelligence and security.
Burgess said Asio acknowledges the public’s right to information but that this had to be balanced by the need to protect national security.
Security legislation monitor has ‘a lot of concerns’ with secrecy offences
Karen Middleton
Australia’s Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM), Jake Blight, has flagged his concern with the blunt nature of secrecy offences – especially offences for leaking or receiving any information marked “secret” or “top secret” – while speaking at an opening remarks at a public hearing today.
It is fair to say that at this stage I have a lot of concerns with this offence.
He noted that government determined how widely this designation was applied and suggested it may be being used more wider than is really necessary.
Blight also suggested Australia may need clearer definitions of what security, international relations and defence within secrecy laws and that he also held concerns about the impact of secrecy laws on journalism, particularly the offence of receiving (as opposed to retaining) information.
I am minded to agree that at the very least merely receiving information should be removed from this offence.
He said retaining and then using it was another matter.
Asio’s director general, Mike Burgess, is now beginning to give evidence.
Chalmers more interested in budget than leader polling
Is Jim Chalmers happy that Peter Dutton’s polling isn’t going anywhere, despite Labor’s polling (at least on primary vote) decreasing?
Chalmers tells the Seven network:
I really don’t obsess over these polls ‑ I read them, like everyone in this place I’m interested in them, but I don’t pore over them, I don’t obsess over them.
What I do pore over is trying to land this budget in May, less than eight weeks away, seven weeks tomorrow, and that will be the best combination of a bit of a cost‑of‑living relief, some more budget repair, but also trying to lay some of the foundations for growth in our economy into the future too.
Joyce dismisses prefered leader ratings: ‘the incumbent leader, overwhelmingly, is always ahead’
Barnaby Joyce was then asked by the Seven network host why Peter Dutton is not doing better in the polls.
Q: … if people are swinging away from the Labor government on a lot of these issues, why is Albo’s approval rating at 44% and Dutton’s at 37% … and Dutton’s disapproval rating is going up. Are you disappointed in that?
Joyce:
No, I feel that Peter Dutton’s a very strong leader, and what I always say…
Q: Well, the figures don’t seem to show it though.
Joyce:
But that’s always the way. You always see that the incumbent leader, overwhelmingly, is always ahead on the approval rating, because it’s just what people see on the television set every night. But I’ll tell you what, both of them, both Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton only stand in one seat.
What wins is either the Coalition or the Labor party, but overwhelmingly, like everywhere else in the world, if people can go shopping, they are going shopping, cause they want us both to be straight with them and say, look, mate, the power issue’s just not working, we’ve got to take a U‑turn, we’ve got to understand the reality of your life, not our wishes, and your life is you want to get back to the reality of affordable, reliable power, and what we’re delivering you is garbage.
So that went back to an argument about energy policy, with Tanya Plibersek jumping back in:
The reality is, Barnaby, 24 power stations said they were going to close under you, and it is nothing to replace it. Nothing to replace that capacity.
Joyce:
Well, what are you doing about it? You’re closing them, Tanya. Tanya, you’re the government, and you’re closing them.
Plibersek:
No, we’re massively expanding the power and transmission lines.
Joyce:
You’re still closing them, Tanya.
(The government is not closing the power stations, private companies are closing power stations.)
The energy powering the darkest timeline
Tanya Plibersek and Barnaby Joyce continue to have their “debates” on breakfast television, because we are in the worst timeline and this is what is considered peak political discourse in this country. Here is the pair “discussing” energy policy:
Plibersek: Well, that is not nuclear, is it, Barnaby? Nuclear’s expensive and 30 years away.
Joyce: You are taking people to swindle factories and solar factors which just are not doing the job.
Plibersek: Well, wind and solar are cheaper.
Joyce: Just not doing the job. No, they’re not. See, you keep saying that every time…
Plibersek: And that’s why power prices came down in the last ‑‑
Joyce: …somebody gets a bill, they know what you’re saying is a heap of bumpkin, it’s a load of rubbish, and ‑‑
Plibersek: And your solution is nuclear in 30 years.
Joyce: It’s not that ‑ well, your solution just doesn’t work. It just does not work.
Plibersek: It is working, Barnaby, and that’s why the power ‑‑
Joyce: It’s self‑evident it doesn’t. See, when you talk like that, that’s why…that’s why it goes down, that’s why your vote goes down.
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