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Issue No. 127 | 08 March 2002 |
Power Plays
Interview: Still Flying Women: Suffrage or Suffering Industrial: No Coco Pops For Brenda Unions: Back to the Heartland Activists: Getting to the Point International: Push Polling Economics: Debt Defaulters Poetry: Those Were the Days Review: Black Hawk Dud Satire: Fox-Lew Launch Rescue Bid for Beta Video
Dunny Wars: Will Workers Carry the Can? Go Forth and Multiply � Unions on Women Howard Shuts Workers Out Of Steel Talks Questions Remain As Rio Rings Changes Unions Fight 'Industrial Blackmail' IT Workers Get Their Own Geek Scopes Brazilian Unions Study Aussie Experience
The Soapbox The Locker Room Week in Review Tool Shed
Collins Goes Cahill
Labor Council of NSW |
News Spying Bill Targets Strikers
Reith�s changes to rules governing the operation of the Defence Signals Directorate came to light this week. They appear to have been a retrospective attempt to sidestep responsibility for breaking pre-existing rules during the MV Tampa crisis. Central to the hush, hush manoeuvre is a broadening of the Directorate's right to use state-of-the-art electronic intelligence gathering equipment to spy on Australians. Previously, that was barred, but just days out from last year's election, Reith legitimised spying, then reporting to Government, on activities which affect national security, foreign relations and even the country's "economic wellbeing". Labor Council secretary, John Robertson, identifies the last criteria as a direct threat to unions. "Both Government and employers constantly argue that any form of industrial action has national economic ramifications," he says. "Given their past record, that means they will intercept union communications. It's all the justification they need." Robertson highlights the waterfront dispute, orchestrated by Reith, and the MV Tampa debacle as examples of this Government's willingness to use state forces against unions. "This move, when combined with the whistleblower legislation, represents the greatest attack on the rights of ordinary Australians since the time of Menzies," Robertson says. MUA assistant branch secretary, Sean Chaffer, also has civil liberties concerns. "Yes, it is a vehicle to spy on unionists right to organise themselves industrially but further expansion of the DSD also means a general invasion of people's and organisations' right to privacy," Chaffer says. The Labor Council will take the issue up with Prime Minister John Howard as well as canvassing the Labor Party, Democrats and Greens in a bid to have the Reith rules overturned.
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