A contrast
While the ALP and Liberals are beating each other around the head with accusations of lying, cover-ups and improper connections to Godwin Grech, the Greens are working to get rid of some of the worst legislation to come out of the Howard era.
Scott Ludlam has introduced a bill to the Senate to repeal the anti-terrorism measures which were rushed through when the government thought the ANZUS treaty was all about kissing Bush’s backside and that if we eroded the fundamental freedoms this nation counts as part of its core, we would be better guarded to protect the fundamental freedoms we counted, as a nation, as part of our core.
Of course, those who would trade liberty for temporary security deserve neither and it’s hard to see how the draconian legislation we enacted in Australia has made us safer. It certainly hasn’t made anyone with brown skin and a foreign sounding name any safer in Australia’s streets and on its beaches.
I thank Senator Ludlam for bringing to the parliament’s attention an issue which the Australian public had most likely forgotten about and which is far more important and has more far-reaching consequences than whether or not an email about helping out a car dealer was sent, what it contained and whether it was fake or not.
Good on you Sam for blogging about this issue. You’re quite right to point out that while there was a lot of drama in the House of Representatives the real action was in the Senate. And the biggest problem, even among the avid Question Time tweeters, is the unwillingness of the media to focus on the Senate. Not only was this major issue buried by the absolute drivel surrounding “ute-gate”, the Coalition, Xenophon and Fielding conspired to keep the Australian Building & Construction Commission’s coercive powers unrestricted.
In fact the real action for all of Rudd’s term has been in the Senate. With the ALP holding the numbers in the House the real wheeling and dealing is done in Senate.
I agree Alex that it’s a real shame that people tend to ignore the Senate. I think it has been better this time due to the fact that the most wheeling and dealing has been done there, but I think we really need to work harder to make people realise how important the Senate is.