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GetUp!'s Political Agenda

by Senator Gary Humphries
 

So what are the big issues facing the Australian community at the present time?

One of the biggest is the way Australians access information about what is going on in their community and what forces are shaping our future. Certainly Australians have access to a wider range of information than ever before, most particularly through to the advent of the World Wide Web. However such a device can be both enlightening and distorting of what actually is happening.

Take for example the use made of the web by GetUp!. GetUp! purports to be a website designed to allow Australians to “become more engaged with their democracy and more connected to their parliamentary representatives”. However I believe the evidence suggests that GetUp! has aims which are much less honourable than this.

I believe GetUp!’s agenda is suspiciously tailored to buttress the aims of parties on the left of Australia’s politics, in particular the Greens. There is of course nothing wrong with promoting the policies of a particular party as long as one is upfront and transparent about this.

On what basis do I suggest that GetUp! is not objective? Consider these examples:

GetUp! campaigned during the last Federal Election against what it called the ‘undemocratic domination of the Senate by the then Coalition Government’. As evidence of that domination, they pointed to the fact that the then Government controlled the chairmanship of all the Senate’s major committees. Since the election, the new Government has – surprise, surprise – taken the chairmanship of the all of those very committees. What has GetUp! had to say about this?
Absolutely nothing. If it was wrong for the Coalition to control all those committees, why is right for Labor to do so?

As indicated above, GetUp! campaigned against the concept of government controlling the parliament at the federal level. Yet government control of parliament occurs in a number of Australian states and territories, particularly in the ACT, the NT, Queensland and Victoria. Some shocking abuses of power have occurred by Labor governments which have not had to answer to a balanced legislature in those jurisdictions. What has GetUp! had to say about this situation? Absolutely nothing.

I agree that Australians need new avenues to participate in our democratic process and new ways of exchanging ideas and information. However a group with an undisclosed political agenda of the kind which GetUp! represents is not such a vehicle.

Why am I using GetUp!’s own website to make these points? Because GetUp!’s members have as much right to understand these points as anybody else.

Gary Humphries
Senator for the ACT

UPDATE: READ GETUP! NATIONAL DIRECTOR SIMON SHEIKH'S RESPONSE TO SENATOR HUMPHRIES.

Tom Bickley

Posted by Tom Bickley 10/10/2008

Gary Humphries, Senator ACT.
My interests with GetUp started about 3 years ago. My political interests have tended to-wards a swinging voter initially however during the past decade my support has become Independent. Credibility, integrity, honesty and morality seems to have been forgotten by the major party's. By example, listen to Mal Turnbull since he became a member of Her Majesty's opposition.
Yes I have campaigned for GetUp not the Greens, because we want something done URGENTLY for the environment. Halt the paper mill in Tassie, get serious about the Murray Darling, cool this idea about development and profit at any cost just give the Multi-nationals everything the hell with what it costs 'the true blue'.
I want to see Senators represent their State not the Party line as was the case during the last Government.
Personally I believe; Representative Democracy is not a Democracy at all! Representatives owe their loyalty to their party only. Constituents - the public generally - are therefore without representation... Hence my involvement with GetUp. It has nothing to do with the Greens. It has a lot to do with how I interpret Good Governance, John Howard displayed good governance early for me and oh boy, did he let me down! I was happy about CHANGE, lets have good, clean and accurate debate about this country's future, not some petty flogging personality assassination.

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phildeerhound

Posted by phildeerhound 10/12/2008

Message to Gary Humphries

Senator – what on earth are you talking about? - and what is all this paranoia in your post relating to GetUp about?

As an ordinary member of GetUp, for a long time now, I find your suggestion that GetUp is “dishonourable” both stupid and insulting. Worse still it is divisive at a time when we should surely be trying to work together in the interests of preserving and enhancing our democracy

I spend more time around GetUps pages than most people, and frankly I have yet to see the kind of “agenda” you refer to. There are campaigns I agree with and campaigns that I do not fully agree with.

At GetUp I use my right to discuss matter on their blogpages, or I can choose to interact directly with team members using the contact addresses GetUp provides on its webpages

You seem to be complaining that GetUp is not “objective” – and yet it is you that appears in the Senate as the member of a political party – you in fact – not us – that is bound in his actions by an exterior force, that under certain circumstances, through party rules must dominate your personal views

So who are the real democrats in action – you or us? GetUp is an association of people with differing views that they can discuss on pages like this one. I know that if I can convince members of the team closer to the centre, then I can help bring about changes to campaigns and attitudes underlying action

But when has your party ever taken a blind bit of notice of public feeling? It has even dragged us into wars we don’t want, and which we have been forced to tell you we don’t want on the streets

I think at GetUp we may understand your form of democracy all too well – and many of us are sick of it. It has yet to bring about fair equality of opportunity, a more egalitarian division of wealth and power. It has done little to wind back a class system inherited over hundreds of years and enhanced through repression and dispossession

Senator – you have made an accusation – Perhaps I can be allowed one too. I see you all as selfish people concerned about your own careers and about maintaining the riches of your institutional supporters. I don’t see you as really giving a hoot about ordinary people. In fact you squander the “wealth” and “power” the people give you through their vote

And I am very glad that GetUp gives me the opportunity to tell you so. I am a person who wants to see a fairer society, climate change properly addressed, the enlightened assistance of aboriginal peoples, and a decent, dignified and prosperous egalitarian and healthy and well educated and nurtured future for all of our people

And with the greatest respect I don’t see you as offering steps towards any of those goals. But thankyou for at least talking to us in the one forum where we can speak as equals. It would be nice if we could chat with the rest of the gang.

I look forward to seeing their posts.

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Brenden Hiskins

Posted by Brenden Hiskins 10/12/2008

We need more transparency in parliament, and this is one thing that Gary Humphries and members of both major parties don't want. The Australian public demands transparency and this is what Labor and Liberals don't want. Interesting enough, around 25% of Australians voted for a minor party at the last election.

We need greater say in politics, not just wait around every 3 years. The sooner we can talk to our lower house members about the issues that affect us via email, the better off we will be.

Thank you GetUp for giving us the opportunity to make Australian democracy more democratic.

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phildeerhound

Posted by phildeerhound 10/13/2008

Whilst we have your attention Senator I wonder if you could do us a favour.

I note the following quote from opposition energy and resources spokesman, Ian McFarlane in an ABC report dated 9th October concerning the opposition's attitude to Carbon Emissions trading

"The growing financial uncertainty combined with some shadow being cast over how long the resource boom will last, is certainly making the whole proposition very risky, and increasing the likelihood of high level of unemployment as a result of the emissions trading scheme being implemented," he said.

Out there on the land, I am sure you are painfully aware that climate change for the worse, whatever it's cause, is totally disastrous in terms of employment, and is not only capable of destroying whole communities of rural people, but increases the rate of despair and suicide

Climate change is a terrible problem in rural Australia, as drought ravages vast areas and reduces our rivers to trickles of their former selves

The difficulty we have is getting through to some of your fellow Conservative Coalition members in Parliament the reality that we face a potential emergency, and that we really can't wait until the rich in places like Point Piper feel secure enough in their wealth before we take action to reduce carbon emissions etc.

Perhaps you could arrange for Australia's farmers in certain affected areas to send their representatives clods of drought affected soil, bone dry and impacted by present climate conditions. It might help get the message through to the urban based Liberal representatives at least

Whilst we in Australia generally have low expectations of the intelligence of our parliamentarians, many of us have difficulty in believing that they are as stupid on the climate issue as they appear to be. Is it possible that some form of continuing education is needed for our Parliamentarians, similar to that which Doctors and Lawyers are compelled to undertake? Maybe the relative isolation of Canberra sends people daft in the long term.

Something is obviously wrong, Senator. Your help in getting the message across would be greatly appreciated. If all else fails, why not separate the National Party from the Liberal Party throughout Australia, and rebuild an independent and saner Party agenda that better serves both rural and urban interests

I fail to see how a political party can be regarded as "transparent" in its dealings when it submerges itself in a Coalition, and is so obviously dominated by the larger Parliamentary Party - a Party which clearly hasn't a clue about some of the vital issues relating to their weaker partners members. I'm sorry to say this, but I find such abrogation of independent responsibility to be bordering on cowardice

Transparency requires you stand on your own as an independent voice, but whilst you remain in Coalition I repeat my earlier request that you seek to knock some sense into the heads of your fellow Conservative Coalition members on the issue of climate change

Otherwise we may just have to wait until the waters rise higher outside Malcolm Turnbull's twenty million dollar harbourside Point Piper Mansion in Sydney - and that may take a while

Maybe you could point out that if his descendants find themselves paddling amongst crabs in the living room they'll know who to blame for their loss of heritage

We all will, won't we?

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phildeerhound

Posted by phildeerhound 10/13/2008

Oh dear Senator – early Monday morning and I indeed seemed to have mixed up which party you come from – I apologise for that but the remarks still apply.

I can only really excuse my error by pointing out just how much both Houses remind us from time to time of the ending to Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. There is a message in there too and then I’ll get out of your way:

“Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

Phil

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Michael

Posted by Michael 10/13/2008

Senator Humphries, Why don't you post a comment on the Australian "Christian" Lobby's website if you are so concerned about advocacy which is not "upfront and transparent".

Or perhaps you're only concerned with advocacy which is not of your political bent?

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Phillip

Posted by Phillip 10/15/2008

There are none so blind as those who do not want to see, phildeerhound.
I think Senator Humphries is very brave coming on this site. I totally agree with Gary, which is not always the case.
The people who started get up are very left of centre, the campaigns they ALWAYS run are left wing causes like Global Warming, but as Penny Wong said "oops, I mean climate change" - because it is getting colder again!! Global warming is what you get from putting garbage in a computer model - you get garbage out.
Then there is the support for abortion, the left gayBC and support for homosexual 'rights' - I could go on.
Get Up openly campaigned to get rid of John Howard - thus supporting the very far from independent Maxine.
As for phildeerhound - it is clear where he sits when he says "Conservatism is always a subversion of democracy - that is its "raison d' etre".
Not left wing or biased - what a lot of rubbish. I suggest you take a look in the mirror for the subversion of democracy because it is deceptive, left wing groups, like Get Up will that are causing it.

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GlenD

Posted by GlenD 10/17/2008

Could it be, Senator Humphries, that the desire for social, economic and environmental responsibility that GetUp! pursues just happens to overlap with the agenda of the Green party? It seems to me that these organisations happen to share common ground on the political spectrum, rather than being related in any way. A bit like the Labour and Liberal parties really...

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NSW watcher

Posted by NSW watcher 10/17/2008

Dear Senator,

I'm sure it must be quite confronting all of a sudden having so much scrutiny thrust upon you through the observation of get up's 'project democracy'.

Please don't feel threatened by Get Up, appreciate the wonderful contribution it is making to political transparency.

Glad you are joining in the discussion though. Keep it up.


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Robyn Stephens

Posted by Robyn Stephens 10/17/2008

Dear Senator Humphries,

Thank you for drawing my attention to the problem on the Get Up website you think most worthy of your attention . I had no idea, until you mentioned it, that both sides of politics play silly games in Parliament. But then again, I'm new to Get Up. I'm not a member of any party - in fact I've voted Liberal, Labour, Democrat and Green at state and federal elections at different times and for different reasons. Get Up is just a forum to me. I have no particular allegiance to the issues it identifies as important. What I like about it is that it gives me a voice. But, if I had the forum you have access to Senator Humphries, I think I might just be able to find something more important to talk about, such as - oh I don't know - climate change?

Robyn Stephens

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Andrew Charles Ogilvie

Posted by Andrew Charles Ogilvie 10/17/2008

What I would like to say in response to some of the tail-end comments in the Senator's response is this (and I hope that those in GetUp's push for true democracy will look carefully at these, before poo-pooing them).
Firstly, I agree that unicameral parliament(s) are democracy at its worst! Without ANY House of Review, the state that I live in (God's own country, Queensland) hasn't a hope in Hades of TRUE parliamentary democracy - but where is the hue & cry about changing this?
Secondly, I would LOVE to hear personal, individual, TRUTHFUL responses from ALL our Federal pollies on the matter of the introduction of Citizen Initiated Referendum and Right of Recall. In the past, when this has been brought up, there has been a great tirade about the "unworkability" of this for Australia - but in my extensive study of other countries that HAVE introduced it, those fears are proved foundless. As far as I know (someone correct me, with facts & figures, if I am wrong) this has never been put to a full plebiscite in Australia.
Finally, (though this is a propos something I have read elsewhere on this site, not in response to the senator's comments above), if we REALLY want democracy, then a form of Government similar to that existiong in Switzerland would be IDEAL!! We have three levels of Government, a peculiar way of deciding which geographical area gets what by way of representation, and (without CIR) we are "stuck" with who gets elected for a painfully long time if we make a collective mistake as a nation in who we put "in power".

I, for one, LOVE the chance that GetUp gives me to express my views and have them "examined & commented upon by my peers". KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

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Tim Kottek

Posted by Tim Kottek 10/17/2008

Note sent to the Senator
"Dear Senator,

Clearly as a Victorian my opinion won’t be of importance to you, none the less I will give it to you.

When you say “I agree that Australians need new avenues to participate in our democratic process and new ways of exchanging ideas and information. However a group with an undisclosed political agenda of the kind which GetUp! represents is not such a vehicle.” I’m not in agreement with you as Get Up has its agenda driven by participants rather than an “elite” developing an agenda, hence you won’t find an agenda but items of action.
Cheers
Tim"

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Anastasia Beaverhausen

Posted by Anastasia Beaverhausen 10/17/2008

Methinks that Senator Humphries doth protest too much about the scrutiny that the average Australian can have of their politicians.

Although I do congratulate him in crossing the Senate floor over same-sex couple rights. I wonder how many more on the Coalition side will no longer cower and eat out of the hand of the religious right when the silent majority of non-fundamentalist Australians finally ogle them more via the wonders of GetUp!

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Lynette Payne

Posted by Lynette Payne 10/18/2008

As an older citizen, I am extremely grateful to GetUp for allowing me to have a voice and hopefully being able to effect change. Judging by Senator Humphries complaints, we are being successful.

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Juliet Greentree

Posted by Juliet Greentree 10/18/2008

I have always believed that any group or individual who provides any kind of political comment will have an agenda of some kind. Firstly, we all hold basic values which are so intrinsic that we are unaware they are shaping our actions and priorities. Secondly, none of us - whether we be individuals, political representatives, lobby groups or news sources - have the time or resources to address absolutely everything that happens all the time. We have to make choices - and understandably we will choose to put our time and energy into what matters to us.

This being the case I think it is the responsibility of all thinking individuals to consider as much information and as many different points of view as we have available to us. In our society, unfortunately our sources of information are often limited to media, who are limited and controlled by financial constraints, and/or representations provided to us by members of our government, about themselves and each other - which I for one would be loath to accept at face value! This being the case, the value of an organisation like GetUp is not that it is always fair or that it is always right, but that is presents us with a different point of view and reasoned arguments for its actions.

I may not always agree with the priorities and actions of groups like GetUp but I think their worth to us as a society is beyond price.

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Steve Cornelius

Posted by Steve Cornelius 10/18/2008

Senator Humphries, I have to say I’d never heard of you before I read your contribution on GetUp’s “agenda”. So I looked you up on the Australian Parliament House website to suss out YOUR agenda. I found it, succinctly expressed, in your maiden speech, dated 18 March 2003:

I am here to argue for the enduring relevance of Liberal values as tools in facing up to the problems of this nation and indeed our world: the values of independence, self-reliance, tolerance, the pursuit of excellence, choice, equality of opportunity and individual freedom.

I wonder if you could explain just how GetUp! denies any of those seven values you hold dear. Let’s go through them: GetUp! is independent of all political parties. It relies on its own efforts, and those of its many members, to achieve success in its campaigns. Simon Sheikh’s response is the epitome of polite tolerance of others’ viewpoints. GetUp! pursues excellence in everything it does, and demands similar excellence from Australia’s parliamentarians (perhaps that’s what makes you uncomfortable, Senator?). All members of GetUp!, and non-members like yourself, have an equal opportunity and the individual freedom to make their choice heard.

If you’re looking for an organisation which lives and breathes the seven “Liberal values” you mentioned in your maiden speech, I commend GetUp! to you – it fits the bill perfectly.

Later in your speech you also said:

As a democratic and affluent nation, Australia quite properly has a role to play in defence of the human rights of others elsewhere in this world.

I’m struggling to imagine how one of the Liberal values of March 2003, namely incarcerating refugee children in desert gulags until they and their parents went quietly crazy, fits in with your enthusiasm for human rights. Perhaps you could enlighten us? And while you’re at it, tell us when someone in a Liberal leadership position will eventually get around to ruling out any future reintroduction of such a policy, like they so quickly did with WorkChoices and saying Sorry.

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George

Posted by George 10/19/2008

If Get Up has an agenda it is to give Australian citizens the opportunity to particpate and to be part of the Democratic system we operate under. Sir Humphrey certainly should be afraid of such a democratic Internet site. No hiding Government undemocratic decisions any longer Sir Humphrey.Get Up is here to stay and growing daily. You won't get rid of Get Up like you did Pauline Hanson Sir Humphrey.
Get up is here to scutinise and hold you unaccountable Bastards accountable Sir Humphrey! Don't forget it. Get Up is watching your every move and utterence.
We live in the internet age and even people like myself at 60 have been given a voice!!
Why I can even see the day that the internet will be used to move against Governments Mid Term if they Lie and don't fulfil election promises or impose unacceptable Idealogy driven legislation (Work Choices for example) without a Mandate being given. I'm sure the likes of Get Up will have the ability to organise a vote of No Confidence in Government in the future and have them removed Mid term!
Be afraid Sir Humphrey. Be very afraid. Get Up is here to stay.

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John Lang

Posted by John Lang 10/19/2008

We finally have a group, get up that will give anyone a voice. While In the past I have been a Labor candidate, (Joh's old seat in Qld), a union member etc I fully support Get Up as a vehicle to get people talking politics again. A great friend many many years ago said the Coalitions aim was that noone discuss politics that way if noone spoke about it noone would be any the wiser.

Get Up will continue to grow and the senator should listen and not bag this organisation.

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phideerhound

Posted by phideerhound 10/19/2008

Senator , you will often find that there is no “GetUp view” – that is not what GetUp is about – but you may get an individual view on GetUp blog pages. I would like to present you with one such view

In your own post you say: “As indicated above, GetUp! campaigned against the concept of government controlling the parliament at the federal level. Yet government control of parliament occurs in a number of Australian states and territories, particularly in the ACT, the NT, Queensland and Victoria. Some shocking abuses of power have occurred by Labor governments which have not had to answer to a balanced legislature in those jurisdictions. What has GetUp! had to say about this situation? Absolutely nothing.”

My personal reply (that is how GetUp works) is that there has been a definite failing on the part of the Constitutional reform movement, which was so disastrously and deliberately sidetracked by Malcolm Turnbull into being an elitist farce, to address a major source of the Constitutional problem. This problem lies in the individual Constitutions of the various states.

The Constitutions of individual states are enshrined in Constitution Acts that form part of the legislation of each individual state. These Constitutions are every bit as much in need of reform as the federal Constitution

They are all changeable – so far as I can see - within their own right, and were this done there would be a far better basis on which to build a new Federal Constitution, Parliamentary institution, and legislative system.

I would like to see political parties working towards changing the individual State Constitutions, building more responsive and relevant structures, which might even include a phased diminishing of the role of the States themselves, and perhaps an enhancement of newly created democratic local government administrations.

Democracy seems to me to function best at the top and base levels, an intervening level – in Australia’s case the State Governments – is all too often little more than a nuisance and an opportunity for corruption and organized crime. At the “nuisance” level I would cite such matters as the incompetent management of health services and the inability to sort out the Murray river - and in addition the appalling state of current electricity power supply, which would be far better handled by a national utility backed up by local monitoring, able to access national funding for the implementation of renewable power plants and possibly nuclear power

Privatisation policies in individual States – often used to balance budgets - have been leading society entirely down the wrong path. They are an example of what happens when States are run by archaic Constitutions and regional party politics.

So in part I agree with you - there have been shocking abuses of power – but by State Governments of all parties.

Do I take it you would have your support for a GetUp campaign to rewrite State Constitutions? Perhaps you could also do us a favour and raise the issue on the floor of the Senate.

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lil

Posted by lil 10/26/2008

Dear Senator,

I believe that Get Up runs campaigns to make a point - that point may be (and probably is) applicable beyond the targeted government. So the stance of Get Up on the States and Federal Government on specific issues I dare say would remain the same and apply equally, the catch is you have to target those who have most influence over fixing the worst of the problem - hopefully the rest will then fall into line.

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Marian F McDuie

Posted by Marian F McDuie 10/27/2008

Dear Senator,
As most of the previous comments have pointed out, GetUp provides a welcome opportunity for Australian's to participate in democracy in an honest and transparent manner. That must be very scary to some politicians. Right now we need out government to lead this country to take a stand on the most important issues facing us at local, national and international levels. The most important and critical of which is Global Warming as a result of Human Induced Climate Change. this will threaten our wellbeing, our security and our economy. Our environment and the natural systems that support all human beings are under great stress. They are at a point where they may all collapse without warning, and then "all the kings horses and all the kings men...won't be of any use to anyone...we will be facing more than broken eggshells. We need the courage to make the hard decisions and act now to reduce our carbon emissions and set an example for the rest of the developed countries of the world to follow. Let's be world leaders for once, if we look after our natural environment, and social justice issues, the economy will respond accordingly.
Great that you are scared by Democracy in Action, Well done GetUp members, you know when you get this sort of attention that we are really having an impact.

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Gayle Adams

Posted by Gayle Adams 11/10/2008

Dear Senator Humphries

You say, “I believe GetUp’s agenda is suspiciously tailored to buttress the aims of parties on the left of Australia’s politics, in particular the Greens.”

I don’t know how long you have been involved with GetUp, Gary, but I have been a member from very early on. I was attracted by the fact that GetUp does not represent any particular political party and looks at all parties, their policies and their political behaviour, even-handedly. When I first joined, I was very careful to evaluate GetUp’s approach to make sure there was no political bias and that GetUp truly represented the views of its members. It is clear to me that GetUp has maintained its even-handedness throughout its existence and particularly during the hard-fought 2007 Federal election. It is probably for that reason that GetUp’s membership is very large, larger than all political parties combined. And that membership is diverse and includes people from all political cultures.

I have supported many of GetUp’s campaigns including funding for the ABC and closing the gap on indigenous life expectancy and health. Why you would think this was a lefty agenda I do not know. You only have to talk to people who care about the ABC and indigenous health to realize that they come from all political persuasions and share a common frustration and desperation about the failure on both sides of politics to address these issues.

Yet you seem to be saying that as a member of GetUp I am being deluded into supporting one party and that party is the Greens. Gary, you need to take a good look at what is happening in Australian politics today. The reason GetUp is effective is largely because Australian people are sick and tired of being told by politicians that politicians know best.

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Gayle Adams

Posted by Gayle Adams 11/11/2008

You say, “I believe GetUp’s agenda is suspiciously tailored to buttress the aims of parties on the left of Australia’s politics, in particular the Greens.”
It's interesting that the so-called left wing Greens recently argued in favour of a $30 per week increase in the single age pension. So did the Federal Opposition.

The Greens have been in favour of this increase for some time. The Federal Opposition seemed to discover it only very recently. So was the Federal Opposition behaving in a left wing manner or were the Greens behaving in a right wing manner? Who knows.

Perhaps the label 'left wing' no longer serves. Perhaps we should evaluate
political parties on the merits of their policies rather than outdated
stereotypes. Merit based politics is something which GetUp facilitates quite
well, I think. Much better than either of the major political parties. Perhaps they are outdated. Maybe for that reason they would see GetUp as a threat.

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phildeerhound

Posted by phildeerhound 11/12/2008

Well I don't know if you are still tuning in Senator, but if you are I think I can point you in the direction of what is really going on. It is small wonder you get a false impression of this from the vantage point of the Ivory Tower we call Canberra

I won't give you the actual figure - I'll leave you to ask in the right place, which is AUSTRAC - the "Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre" which is Australia's anti money laundering and counter terrorism regulator, and specialist financial intelligence unit

Senator , how many cases do you think this unit deals with a year? - a few thousand perhaps - or a couple of hundred?

The truth is that there are several thousand cases per DAY of which more than half are further investigated.

What is the significance?.. It is that this reflects the level of graft and corruption that is really going on in Australia, distorting the political environment. Money laundering and corruption exist in gargantuan proportions. That is your real problem - not us

If the ordinary person experiences corrupt behaviour and reports it to the corruption units that are available to him, he will be treated as a "whistle blower" and have his life made even more difficult whilst his concerns remain unaddressed

Currently the Australian Federal Police themselves are under scrutiny. Hopefully nothing serious will be found - but what about the notorious plethora of so called "State anti-corruption units" , such as the Independent Commission Against Corruption in NSW and their interstate equivalents. These are the first line of defence for those being corruptly treated but again and again they turn out to be part of the problem, if not the source

In NSW the ICAC is renowned for duck shoving complaints. They receive mountains of complaints against local councils and government departments and individual parliamentarians and senior and junior public servants, but somehow they almost always find a way to pass them along the line or find them "unworthy of further investigation". The favourite trick is to say the complaint "falls outside the legislative guidelines" and if you bother them enough, they'll pass your complaint on to the alleged perpetrator - letting you know that they have done that - a form of threatening behaviour that colludes with the source of corruption

Remember that figure for AUSTRAC senator? - several thousand matters per day - that is how big the corruption is - that is the scale of how much the anti corruption units of our states are covering up and giving you a false picture. With all the graft that has gone on in development matters in NSW how many Councils have been sacked? - TWO I believe. ICAC would have it that everything is under control and the corruption stopped at the boundaries of Woollongong and Rockdale and has been dealt with within them. Well ASK the people in the adjoining localities if they are finding similar problems to the two mentioned - ask North Shore and Byron Bay - and then there are the other states

There is political activism that you do not like in Australia - such as the democratic GetUp forum, because socially and politically Australia is rotten to the core, and people are desperate as their lives are ruined - not in big leaps, but through a general and continuous and relentless eating away of their rights - a thieving , graft ,nepotism and corruption that is not addressed by the supposed anti corruption squads, but rather covered up, endorsed by them, or even sourced in them

The public KNOW this is going on, because they witness the pattern again and again in little matters in their own life experience that reveal the true size of the framework

So don't criticise us, Senator for speaking out in forums such as GetUp - sometimes it is all we have - for parliamentary and public service forums and units - and their investigations, are all too often as bent as that which they supposedly investigate.

The mote is in the eye of Parliaments, State and federal and their accompanying structures. Law is not about legislation as much as it is about enforcement. No legislation has value unless non corrupt machinery exists for its enforcement. Otherwise the whole Law book merely becomes a means of displaying preference towards one sector of society and disadvantaging the rest

Got it?




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Sam D

Posted by Sam D 11/12/2008

I have to say I agree with Senator Humphries. GetUp has been almost completely silent over the mandatory ISP level filtering plan put forward by Senator Conroy.

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Grace

Posted by Grace 11/19/2008

Senator, I don't agree with your comments about GetUp, but I DO agree with you that governmental control of state parliaments in many states is inappropriate. As a Queenslander, I find it particularly frustrating that we have only one house in our parliament, with no senate or house of review to provide checks and balances and ensure legislation is fair and well thought-out.

GetUp however, is a national organisation, so I think that it is not fair to expect it to campaign on state issues.

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