-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Australian state considers deleting info from gv't websites [fs] Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 17:24:32 +1000 From: Roger Clarke <Roger.Clarke@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> CC: Red Wolf <redwolf@private> References: <408F2E93.6070508@private> Although I very much share Red Wolf's concerns about the Australian Govt, and to an only slightly lesser extent the NSW Govt, the sentence attributed to the Premier (Bob Carr) isn't actually all that bad: >"If there is any way we can meet our counter terrorism demands and >objectives by tightening up, without infringing on the right of the >public to know and the efficiency that comes with that, then we'll look >at it," he said. In another report, in The Canberra Times of Sunday 25 April 2004: "NSW Police Minister John Watkins said a review of access to such information would be undertaken. But balancing the right to the information with security would be difficult". Again, on face value, that's not an unreasonable statement. (And all the more significant because NSW Police Ministers have always been of the extremist law-and-order style, and seldom say reasonable things). -- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/ Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke@private http://www.xamax.com.au/ Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program, University of Hong Kong Visiting Professor in the Baker Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre, U.N.S.W Visiting Fellow in Computer Science, Australian National University -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: [Politech] Australian state considers deleting info from gv't websites [fs] Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 16:12:44 +1000 From: Stephen Dawson <scdawson@hifi-writer.com> Reply-To: <scdawson@hifi-writer.com> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> Declan Some background for those non-Australian readers who may be misled by Red Wolf's contribution: > Never mind that the supposed terrorism target is just another propaganda > campaign from the PM to scare people into voting for him, just like his > dodgy 'children overboard' scandal last time around and that the > information is freely available at any library. > > <snipped> > > The New South Wales Cabinet committee on counter terrorism will today > consider restricting the range of information available on government > websites. > > <snipped> > > Premier Bob Carr says the committee ... The PM (John Howard) is facing election later this year. He is head of the Australian Federal Government, and leader of the Liberal Party (conservative). Premier Carr is head of the New South Wales state government, and leader in that state of Australian Labor Party (relatively left). So the supposed would-be terrorist was arrested by the Feds, the opposition party State leader wants to take (probably useless) action. Doesn't seem too much like some election conspiracy. Stephen Dawson Writer Home Entertainment and Technology 39 Alice Jackson Crescent GILMORE ACT 2905 AUSTRALIA Ph: (61) (2) 6291 6409 Fax: (61) (2) 6291 2409 Mob: 0417 480 110 E: scdawson@hifi-writer.com Web: http://www.hifi-writer.com See the Home Entertainment Blog at: http://www.hifi-writer.com/blog/index.htm _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Apr 29 2004 - 22:02:05 PDT