Words you won’t see in the mail on Kevin Rudd

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Punch on: Open thread 18/03/10

by Lucy Kippist

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03 Nov 05:40am

Filed under: Censorship, Kevin Rudd, Politics

Is Labor aiming for a one party state?

One party states always make a big deal about their constitutional guarantees for citizens rights and their ability to vote, but just for one party.

Well, federal Labor seems to lust for such an outcome.

First, it commissions a committee which proposes a charter of rights which hands over the law making function of the elected representatives of the people in the Parliament to unelected judges and all in the name of enhancing the peoples’ rights! Very Orwellian.

Next, the Labor Prime Minister politicises the office of the Auditor-General by requiring the Auditor-General to sign off on Government advertising, stating it is not politically partisan because it complies with guidelines written by bureaucrats in the department of Finance.

In evidence given to the Public Accounts Audit Committee, the Auditor-General said that he had sought legal advice from the Australian Government Solicitor as the meaning of partisan, and other interpretation issues, concerning Finance Guidelines.

Amazingly his letter seeking advice states that “The Department of Finance & Administration has been consulted in the preparation of this request for advice”.

He gave further evidence that the Government solicitor’s advice was that it was OK for the Government to mount a taxpayer-funded “information programme” about “a particular Government policy”, “not withstanding that competing political parties did not support that policy”.

This means the Auditor-General, the most important office of accountability, has been made subservient to the Department of Finance and forced into signing off on advertising as not being politically partisan because it complies with the department of Finance guidelines when common sense tells any reasonable man or woman that it clearly is politically partisan.

Nice little smoke and mirrors trick.

Next, the Federal Labor Government sets up a scheme to deny the right of non-government members to post out any communication critical of the Labor Government.

A cartel of bureaucrats once again in the Department of Finance has been given the unappealable power to censor any communication a non-government member of the Parliament intends to send out via Australia Post.

It also applies to government backbenchers who, surprise, surprise, are not likely to be critical of the Government. They are free to use taxpayer funds to mail out material in praise of the Government.

A bureaucrat told Senate estimates that non-government members may not even mail out a copy of Hansard unless all words critical of the Government are censored out by the Department of Finance.

However none of these rules apply to the Government. Labor Government Ministers who can use taxpayer funds to post out material critical of the opposition, its statements and /or any opposition or independent member because their own departments rather than the Department of Finance will foot the bill.

A non-government member cannot even post material retaliating against a Government attack!

The official censors from the Department of Finance have already ruled that the following words are not allowed when referring to the federal Labor Government: disgraceful, dreadful, inept, mismanagement, reckless, incompetence, irresponsible, unfairly, disastrous and flawed.

Thus for instance, an opposition member cannot mail a letter saying the Government’s Emission Trading Scheme legislation is flawed, even though it is.

On the other hand the following words are permitted to use and post out at taxpayer expense when referring to the Government – wonderful, marvellous.

Under the new censorship rules a non-government member of the Federal Parliament cannot safely post written material without submitting the material to the censors in the Department of Finance for vetting.

Similarly, they cannot mail out material critical of the Government and any policy which the Government is using taxpayer funds to promote in an advertising campaign even though they did not agree with it.

A true democracy depends on having its elected government being held to account by having a strong opposition. A strong opposition must be able to communicate with the Australian people directly.

The new censorship brought in by Federal Labor is a direct attack on freedom of speech and the implied Constitutional right to political communication identified by the High Court.

The old Soviet Union would have been proud of such a policy. It has all the hallmarks of aiming for a one Party state.

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22 comments

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- Anthony says:
  
  05:53am | 03/11/09
  
  If this censorship is a “direct attack on the freedom of speech and the implied Constitutional right to political communication identified by the High Court”, can we assume the Liberal Party will challenge the relevant regulations or statute in the High Court?
  
  Reply
- DWest says:
  
  07:01am | 03/11/09
  
  Warms my heart to know irony has visited you Bronwyn. Seeing as internet censorship, censoring community groups for daring dissent, FOI obstruction etc were all Liberal policy and manipulations you were proud of. If you don’t want to live in a Orwellian Chinese nanny state then don’t create one. Karma is karma baby.
  
  Reply
- Dan says:
  
  07:19am | 03/11/09
  
  Labour wants a one party state and the Coalition are nobly striving to protect democracy? Please. You are so incredibly self-righteous and yet you wonder why you are in opposition. Perhaps because the voters got sick of your brand of ‘democracy,’
  
  You state that ‘it commissions a committee which proposes a charter of rights which hands over the law making function of the elected representatives of the people in the Parliament to unelected judges and all in the name of enhancing the peoples’ rights! Very Orwellian.’ Except during your stay in office, you allowed Hicks and Habib to be thrown to the wolves, you locked up a mentally ill Australian in a detention centre, you introduced some of the most radical anti-terrorism legislation in the ENTIRE world and you dog-whistled every chance you got, not just your government but you personally. Judges may not be elected, but when it comes to protecting our rights, if I had a choice between them and you, I know whom I’de choose. You have never shown that you care about rights. We are one of the few Western Democracies without a charter of rights. Even the US has one.
  
  You then attack Kevin Rudd for acting partisan and politicising the office of the Auditor-General, when your government did more to politicise the public service than any other. For that matter, how many bi-partisan appointments did you make?
  
  Your government was a low point in this nation’s history. Personally, I would like to say where several members of your government should be in, but this post might not get published otherwise. So I’ll simply say this; perhaps instead of painting Rudd as some enemy of democracy, you could actually do something useful like get your party in order. Because you won’t be a ‘strong’ opposition until then, and you’re right, the nation needs a strong opposition.
  
  Reply
- Des says:
  
  07:42am | 03/11/09
  
  Bronwyn, the best way to avoid that you claim is the intent of the Rudd Government is to behave like an opposition in the parliament. In any event who would believe you on any matter. This so -called piece of journalism is little more than a beat up. It was John ‘man of steel’ Howard that transformed the Australian Public Service from an independent source of advice to one of sycophancy to the government of the day. Howard liked sycophants. He was one himself on the world stage. There are substantial constitutional impediments to the agenda you ascribe to Rudd. Dream on, Bronny. The best way to deal with Rudd is to get your own act together and compel the government to debate and to defend its policies. To do that you have to have some of your own. If Rudd really wanted to have a one party state all he has to do is say, ‘Look at the opposition’, there is only one political party in the parliament’ . The Libs/Coalition is a rabble, it is divided, inept, tortured by its lost past, leaderless but not (rudd)erless. The latter is the problem for you. Now you have that lovely long summer break ponder where 2010 will take you and your party. At the moment it looks like oblivion and that is the real danger to Australian democracy not the fear mongering you have gone on with. The latter is such old style political crap all it does is point to how out of touch you are with the modern Australian polity.
  
  Reply
- Dave says:
  
  07:51am | 03/11/09
  
  Piers Akerman was peddling this nonsense last week. No-one is stopping you from sending information that’s critical of the government, you just can’t use taxpayer funds to do it anymore.
  
  http://tinyurl.com/yhvgjuz
  
  Reply
- Fred says:
  
  08:28am | 03/11/09
  
  Re Bill of Rights:-
  This proposal is NOT about protecting and enhancing citizen’s rights it is about REMOVING THEM!
  Look at England. Christians don’t even have the right to display a crucifix, pray for people in hospitals or even provide them with a bible for comfort.
  This is a COMMUNIST AGENDA to destroy religion and free speech!
  The support for this bill comes from those who are ill-informed as to its consequences or those that possess a subversive agenda for our population!
  Don’t think that Australians are stupid enough or gullible enough to be conned by this!
  
  Reply
- Clayton says:
  
  08:39am | 03/11/09
  
  Rudd is acting like a dictator!
  Surely this cannot be allowed under our freedom of speech outlined in our democratic constitution!
  He is a “DREADFUL” Prime Minister and his gross “MISMANAGEMENT” of Australia shows his “INCOMPETENCE”!!
  Wait, Is that the KGB I hear knocking on my door?
  
  Reply
- Peter Collinson says:
  
  08:44am | 03/11/09
  
  “A true democracy depends on having its elected government being held to account by having a strong opposition. ” Let me know when have one.
  
  Reply
- hoofman says:
  
  08:50am | 03/11/09
  
  Bronwyn Bishop, champion of free speech, liberty, equality, fratermity. But Quickly! To the barricades, Bronnie, for the unwashed hordes are still in charge of the treasury benches. May your shining beehive, raised above your proud head, spur the gallant aristrocracy to even greater efforts to seize control back for the true ruling classes.
  
  Reply
- John A Neve says:
  
  09:03am | 03/11/09
  
  Bronwyn says “Is Labor aiming for a one party state”?
  I believe that question can be ask of both our major parties. The only occasions the big two agree, is on pay increases and ways to squash minor or emerging parties.
  
  True democracy died with the birth of the two party system. There needs to be stricter control of party donations, caps placed on party expenditure and equal time given to independents.
  
  Reply
- Wayne H says:
  
  09:21am | 03/11/09
  
  I just loved the video, but… I DON"T TRUST ANY OF YOU! Both sides have stripped away our rights for decades and will continue to try and do so. But I do have to agree with you Bronwyn on this one. Interesting reading the blind faith from by a few above me. I don’t think they understand what is being proposed. Too many of us just believe in the old “It’s for your own good” crap. None of it’s for my good! Forewarned should be forearmed but the masses just don’t listen.
  
  Reply
- Jennifer Nash says:
  
  10:50am | 03/11/09
  
  Nonsense, a 21st Century bill of rights is long overdue and urgently needed! Aussie politicians talk a lot about rights, bamboozle us with nonsensical arguments and write zillions of words on civil rights. True human rights also means being in control of one’s own electorate and being able to call a citizen initiated referendum. This is the case under the DIRECT democracy of Switzerland, just look at this photo and dream on http://bit.ly/2yEZUu In Australia on the other hand we have this illusionary representative democracy, which is unaccountable and complete nonsense, because our politicians are only representing their own selfish interests and not the documented wishes of the electorate. That is why we so urgently need a long overdue bill of rights.
  
  We are now the only major English speaking country without a bill of rights. My following citizen journalist articles explain. Australia’s lone stance against civil rights bill:how juristocracy enables this and blocks debate http://bit.ly/DZ3ot Australia Day advertisement an insult to our intelligence http://bit.ly/3mCSa5 In Australia the judiciary is still politically appointed (incredible!) and that means they are not independent. Let the People Elect Judges http://bit.ly/4bhQNe Apropos judges, my complaint about human rights abuses, judicial abuse and judicial corruption continues to be covered up from here to Timbuktu. The complaint involves judicial abuse and severely editing courtroom audio tapes and transcripts to pervert the course of justice as I detailed on air http://bit.ly/148blL
  
  It involves the Queensland Anti Discrimination Tribunal President Jean Dalton QC and judge Robert Wensley QC (the brother of our current Governor Penelope Wensley – who is incommunicado and refuses to acknowledge my correspondence or phone calls, ditto the Governor General, Quentin Bryce (former Queensland Governor). It also involves Queensland Supreme Court judge Ann Lyons and judge Roslyn Atkinson, who is Queensland President of the International Committee of jurists. The PCMC has refused to investigate and table my documented and corroborated complaint in Parliament. Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee a disgrace http://bit.ly/3eGiBO
  
  My local MP the Speaker of the House John Mickel has denied my teenage son electoral representation and had me violently ejected when I spoke about it in Parliament. And Premier Anna Bligh laughed! Due to censorship the violent incident was not published to the people. Isn’t Parliament supposed to be the people’s house?
  
  After reading how Bronwyn Bishop was advocating for the Heiner Affair, I thought she might want to raise our matter too, particularly given the well documented systemic political corruption in Queensland, weak and almost nonexistent Opposition . Unfortunately Mrs Bishop fobbed me off back to the very John Mickel who has even blocked my email address! My citizen journalist articles have been published by the international media on several occasions, including The Wall Street Journal, but our case continues to be suppressed and denied attention in Australia at every possible level . Links to some of my other articles:
  
  Armed Police Eject Mother From Queensland Parliament http://mathaba.net/news/?x=620379
  Speaker Of Queensland Parliament Denies Bullied Schoolboy Electoral Representation http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=96654
  Attorney General Dick Stonewalls On Boy’s Judicial Abuse Complaint http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/13/25940/1123
  QLD Governor Silent on Judicial Corruption Claims Against Brother http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=621126
  QLD Governor Wensley Silent On Judicial Abuse http://mathaba.net/news/?x=620047
  Breakdown of the Rule of Law http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/03/425273.html
  Human Rights Commission defends regime – not youth http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/03/424195.html
  How the Federal Court of Australia selectively denies The Rights Of The Child https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/430998.html
  Bullied schoolboy wants Anna Bligh to address judicial corruption http://www.ctjnet.co.uk/cajc.htm
  Bullied schoolboy wants Kevin Rudd to address judicial corruption http://www.mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=618292
  Governor of Queensland a silent collaborator in judicial misconduct cover-up http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=99006
  Governor of Queensland still in denial on judicial corruption claims http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=98568
  Staff flee regime of Australian Governor (my blog comment) http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/4499397.html
  Open letter to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young - my blog/comment 12:58pm | 22/10/09 Jennifer Nash says: http://bit.ly/2u93Jf
  
  Reply
- DWest says:
  
  11:31am | 03/11/09
  
  The Liberals were democratically elected to protect our democracy but played their part in disrespecting and vandalising it. At which point did you get confused about your responsibilities around leadership, transparency and good governance Bronwyn? I’m for a Bill of Rights - if my fate had to rest in Howards/Bishops hands OR the hands of a judge, I would risk the judge everytime.
  
  Reply
- iansand says:
  
  11:59am | 03/11/09
  
  I seem to remember Labor saying similar things when they were in opposition. I believed them, and I believe Bronny. Neither party has the interests of the electorate at the core of their being. When maintenance of power collides with the interests of the electorate put your money on power every time.
  
  Reply
- watty says:
  
  12:43pm | 03/11/09
  
  D West have a look at the organisations Labor put on the “lack of information” list and their total abuse of the Act before you criticise Bishop.
  
  Shouldn’t a supporter of Fairness for all and a Human Rights Bill suggest that “if my fate had to rest in Howard’s Bishop’s or RUDD’S hands,I would risk the judge everytime?
  
  A little bit biased Comrade?
  
  Reply
- Shane From Melbourne says:
  
  12:58pm | 03/11/09
  
  We’d rather have no politicians sending us junk mail to the electorate which most of us toss out unread anyway. If I want news and information I’ll read a newpaper or the internet. If I want propaganda from Liberal or Labor, I’ll ask for it rather than waste tax payer money on getting a mailout.
  
  Reply
- Bob Mellows says:
  
  01:02pm | 03/11/09
  
  Maybe it’s time that Australians voted in different parties.
  
  Reply
- jed says:
  
  01:49pm | 03/11/09
  
  pot. kettle. black.
  
  If only the Liberal Democrats (they really need to change their name to the libertarian party) had a bit more attention and had some members in parliament, we might actually find out what freedom is. Neither you, or labor, Bronnie, represent anything more than the status quo and debt slavery to the corporations.
  
  Give us a break here, Penbo, I’m sick of reading the same ol, same ol from the hacks in parliament, how about contacting someone from the LDP http://www.ldp.org.au/ and let us hear some real alternatives.
  
  Reply
- Bill says:
  
  02:31pm | 03/11/09
  
  Again i say look at the uk for the disaster a bill of rights would be.ask anyone who lives there if they think that it is something to strive for.the answer will be an emphatic “NO”!!!!
  Unless you are of the left wing persuasion.
  
  Reply
- Bulldust says:
  
  04:16pm | 03/11/09
  
  Oh please. Another empty hysterical partisan rant. Once touted as a Liberal leader, too, but now sunk so low as to summon the rotted ghost of Soviet Russia to dress up a mindless fantasy.
  
  Beyond belief, this total tosh. How much deeper in the trough do you think would be fair for your snout, Ms Bishop? Pfft.
  
  Sick of it. Bored of it. Pfft.
  
  Reply
- GibboP says:
  
  05:14pm | 03/11/09
  
  Rudd is currently at the controls in the flaming cockpit of Australia. When he’s ready, he’ll jump with his big fat superannuation and his multimillion dollar wife and leave the mess to the next party in power. Then those Labour opposition members fortunate enough to be voted in will have a go at the future government in power about the huge deficit and the shambles which they would have quite readily forgotten, was thanks to Super Kev and his bright ideas. You know your bad when Keating is hanging crap on you, and people are agreeing with him.
  
  Reply
- Julian Thomas says:
  
  07:42pm | 03/11/09
  
  funny how the Libs dont believe in climate change, when the harbour rats are drowning, dont rescue them
  
  Reply