Researcher says Australian parliaments have failed to protect privacy for 14 years

Long-time – and by now somewhat despondent – privacy advocate Roger Clarke says successive Australian governments have ignored the privacy impacts of nearly every national security measure passed by parliament since 2001. In this analysis of 72 items of legislation, Clarke finds only around 10 per cent received the normal …

[GrumpyOldBloke]

While I can appreciate the neutral tone taken by Mr Clarke I think we need to stop assuming that governments are benign entities that are somehow led astray by one or two rotten apples. Australian governments have not ignored the privacy implications of their work, the destruction of privacy is by design. Australian governments are driven by a sociopathic belief that they are at the top of the tree and as goalers have a right to manage the inmates in their care. Orders (such as bombing Syria or ever expanding surveillance powers) should not be subject to question. If these beliefs coincide with the beliefs of their donors (mandatory data retention and internet censorship) or the beliefs of their idols (the US/UK alphabet soup agencies) then that is understood as a mandate. Voter polling suggests that about 75% of Australian's are comfortable with this process (ALP or LNP first party preferences). Sadly demographics (boomers) suggest that this situation will not change for at least another couple of decades though the planned bank bail ins (robbing from the young to prop up the housing speculation of the old) might advance it slightly.