Sean Seymour Jones, Melbourne
It is becoming more and more obvious that the so-called war on terror is being used in countries like Australia as a pretext for significant attacks on civil liberties. The Australian government has tried to sell these attacks under the false rhetoric of protecting "our" way of life.
The Howard government's proposed new "anti-terror" laws that give much greater power to bodies like ASIO, which will be doubled in size by 2010. The laws will allow the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with an appropriate control order, to "preventatively detain" people who are charged with no crime, enforceable with a license to "shoot to kill".
The current "anti-terror" laws have are being used to harass, intimidate and increase surveillance against people, especially those from Muslim and Arabic backgrounds. One of the recent victims was US peace activist Scott Parkin, who was detained and then deported for supposedly being a security threat.
In Melbourne, these laws were used this year to target a Monash University student, who was interviewed by the AFP after borrowing library books on terrorism as part of his studies. The ABC radio program The World Today reported on July 26 that the AFP had identified him as a potential threat to national security.
The union movement is also in Howard's sights, with the enactment on September 12 of the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Bill, which aims to smash the militant construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
Under the act, construction workers lose the right to silence and will potentially suffer mandatory jailing of up to six months if they do not comply. There are also possible fines of up to $22,000 for workers participating in stop-work actions over health and safety issues. The laws will be enforced by a new industry police force that will patrol construction sites.
The government's "anti-terror" and anti-union laws strip people of their democratic rights in order to weaken opposition to its pro-corporate agenda.
To defeat these laws we need a united fight-back. From unionists to peace activists to Muslims, everybody needs to campaign against all the attacks on civil liberties, regardless of who the victims are. We need a united front against Howard; an attack on one should be considered an attack on all.
In Melbourne, a planning committee has been formed to use International Human Rights Day on December 10 as an occasion to organise a protest against these attacks. The committee was initiated by the Refugee Action Coalition and is supported by the Stop the War Coalition, the Justice for Jack Coalition, Australia Asia Worker Links, the Socialist Alliance, Socialist Alternative and Resistance. The group is seeking endorsements from as many individuals and organisations as possible. To get involved, phone (03) 9639 8622.
[Sean Seymour Jones is a member of Resistance and is involved with the Melbourne Human Rights Day planning committee.]
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, November 2, 2005.
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