Contributed by Ugly

A team of top barristers has issued a scathing review of Peter Dutton’s push to give his spy agency ASIO sweeping new powers to track, spy on and question citizens.

This has caused a wave of reaction s multiple organisations have sent submissions to urge the Senate Estimates Committee to block the bill. It may not be enough, and this means other forms of action are needed.

One of the organisations working on this is the online activist group GetUp. It is seeking help to pay for expert legal advice to help the push in the Senate and is asking for public contributions. Their petition is still going. There is also an email campaign to urge Labor members not to go along with it.

But it does not stop with this. Only a public campaign winning over overwhelming community support will make all the difference: And this is starting to happen.

Labor’s Kristina Keneally and Liberal Tim Wilson have broken ranks from the usual cone of silence, and called out against the bill.  They are testimony to the emerging cracks in the parliament.  

If Dutton’s law gets up, there will be a major restriction in the right of journalists to report and the ability of whistleblowers to remain anonymous. This is only a part of it. The intention is to silence everyone, coupled with increased activity of domestic spy organisations enforce this.

GetUp has been a thorn in the side for the Morrison government, and this has been answered by making GetUp one of its major targets.

Dutton’s proposed law is not just the thought bubble of one man. He is just the face putting it forward. It adds to the series of already established laws since the so-called war on terrorism, which have been used to slowly strangle our rights and set the conditions for what we are getting now.

Dutton is also proposing greater scope for the use of the military, and even the intervention of foreign forces in the control of the civilian population. He is pushing for the American /central intelligence Agency (CIA) to be allowed free reign to spy on Australians on Australian soil.

All of this must be blown out of the water.