Dear Australian Forum Members (especially LOTR)

As I bounce around on my chair listening to my Bill Withers CD (Menagerie), I came across this IT news article about a forthcoming law change in Australia:

Cybercrime Bill Comes at a High Price

If the article is true then you guys "in the land down under" are going to have more problems than my pessimism could ever envisage.


UK Bob

PS. The link is not working the way it should but it should take you to the front page of the "Technology Spectator", then click "Security" at the top of the page and finally click "Cybercrime Bill comes at a high price".

Collecting evidence before a crime. Crikey!

Clearly, this law will make everyone so much more safe from terrorists, who want to "take away our freedoms". We'll just make sure that there aren't any freedoms for them to take; that'll fix 'em!

More good-intentioned pavement on that untoward road. Certainly, law-abiding citizens who have nothing to hide will support this. Much like when the good people of another country once elected a Mr. Hitler.

First I've heard of it. We had just over past year ridded of the potential filters bill of Conroy. Seems we still have ignorant idiotic senators in government. Yes this is an extremely dangerous & idiotic Bill. Privacy for anybody on the internet gone. As the example shown, all world governments including China, Russia, etc. could get the entire personal details of anybody who uses the internet in Australia. This information could of course be sold off let alone used for the government's deviant purposes.

Such a Bill would save all the world's security organisations a lot of work, no need to have their spy agencies over here now, all the work done for them by idiotic ignorant Australian senators.

Those senators in question who are pushing the Bill, should be locked in an Australian Federation jail for trying to weaken & sell out Australia's security. Such a bill would also give world governments personal details to all Australian government personnel, the defense personnel, ASIO, & their families. It is such an idiotic bill beyond belief.

Since when do ANY other world governments allow the giving away of such information, let alone the opportunity of obtaining wholesale information for an entire ISP or such.

In most cases, such senators originate from minority religious group political parties (though may be independent or joined other parties now.) And often are ignorant about the internet. These senators pretend they represent Australians, but definitely do not represent the general Australian's viewpoint. That is why they are trying to force the Bill through so quickly before much public notice.

We do not need to sell ourselves out just to improve trade with Europe.

Just leave things as they are, nothing wrong with Australia's internet. But will be if this Bill is passed.

Edit: If these dumb narrow minded senators really had their way, all Australians would be getting internet spammed with their minority Christian group's messages as soon as we turned the internet on (like a Christian TV message of the day.) It's a little like but much worse than hiring the Roman Catholic Church's Pope to set the laws for Australia.
Their underlying message being: Repent from being a true Australian & become like our narrow minded prejudiced christian group that represents 0.05% of the national population. lol Christian 'pushers' are such a pain. Trying to push their ideas onto the majority, like door to door spammery. But once they get their foot into government they try to hide their tricks. Notice the lack of public notification & lack of public options to oppose their 'Treacherous' Bill.

Dear LOTR (& Forum Members)

I have read your reply and, in the main, agree with your overall assessment of what would happen if this Internet Bill becomes law. However, although some politicians are indeed stupid and in most cases do not understand the Bills they are voting for to become law, they do "horse-trade", in one form or another, to get what they want.

Therefore, what do your Australian Senators/Politicians hope to get by selling out the privacy of their citizens?

Believe me, I understand that some authoritarian politicians want to know what is going on in their citizen's homes (I'm surprised that some western government agencies have not stooped to hiring selected individuals, like in the former Eastern Germany, to spy on their own families). I can't believe it's just a trade issue, someone or some group is looking for some sort of kick back for selling out Australia's Internet.



UK Bob

And yes I'm guessing you are right UKBob. No doubt these senators are getting kick-backs of some kind to "Sell Australia's Privacy". Perhaps the RIAA or similar tried to find some weak links in the government to change our laws and they found a couple of sucks who would be sold on anything they didn't really understand. Australia certainly has been showing a recent trend of idiotic senators in recent years. I guess the average Australian simply chooses an 'alternative' for senator, not realising they are actually doing damage to Australia by doing so. 'Yes men' toward the groups who are known to have money & power. Such patheticism if the senators are so easily sucked in.

Dare I say, Senators from up North (Queenslalnd) are not known for being particularly bright. (Sun-Heat damage to the brain? They tend to wear 10 gallon hats, enough to hold lots of diseased birds nests.)

I guess "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen (A hard-handed & corrupt Queensland Premier - longest ever serving premier of that state) set the example of dictatorship & stupidism. The entirety of Australia simply laughed their heads off when Joh tried to run for Federal parliament (of course he failed miserably.)

(I'd be curious to hear wondering why's views, but since she hasn't been around. But I do recall her saying about not being happy about local politicians.)

BTW UKBob, you & Sleepless are almost a walk away compared to me, Birdy & Wondering Why. I am over 2000 miles (3,200+ KM) away from Birdy (west) & around 1600 miles (2500 KM) away from Wondering Why (north). That's like you being in UK & another member being in Africa or such.

Except it would be cheaper for UKBob to go to Afrika, than me going to England. I live in one of the most expensive countries in the world.

Most politicians began their careers before social networks became popular. They have had staff who handle their e-mail and know how to traverse the collection of "tubes" that form the "internets" (according to GW Bush). The smart ones are those who stay away from that stuff lest they get into trouble, like so many of our politicians who have been busted for their internet/texting/sexting behaviors.

Election campaigns have become too expensive; keeping the job is more about continuing contributions for re-election than in doing the right thing for the electorate. It is often said, in politics, "Ya dance with the one who brung ya".

In the US, $ = Speech. The fatter your wallet, the louder your voice, thanks to our Supreme Court (catchy name, eh?). Corporations = People; another asinine rule from the kangaroos on the Bench. (Is "kangaroo court" an Aussie term?) So now, multinationals (i.e., Sony, BP, Monsanto...) can contribute virtually unlimited sums to the candidates of their choice, (including opponent candidates - so they'll own whomever wins), and can do so anonymously. Our government is "of/by/for the people" (with the fattest wallets).

The middle class is being ripped off and the poor are blamed. Likely to get worse before it gets better. Shoot, I'm so depressed I forgot my point.

Hi Guys

1) Hey LOTR

Australia is the biggest island on Earth and has been classified, quite rightly, as a continent (it's very BIG)

2) Hi Sleepless

You said: Why is the Faroe Islands so expensive, is it a deliberate government policy?

3) Hi Blackhorse 70V

You have shown that democracy, as a concept, is being taken over by big business.



UK Bob

PS. If the American economic stimulus works then this may pull the western world out of its economic flat line.

Well a detailed view on exactly why would take many many pages of text, but to name a few things, which are major contributors is easy.

1. Population under 50.000 and pretty secluded from the rest of the world when it comes to transport of goods both in and out of the country. This coupled with many small players in various business, rather than a few big players buying bulk, makes everything more expensive.

2. Everything gets spread out over the entire country.
For example active incentives by Faroese government to encourage growth instead of decline of inhabitants on the smaller islands, by providing various aid and jobs to the smaller islands. Transport infrastructure to most all islands worthy of a multimillion population society. Free education everywhere. By that I mean for example small schools where there are maybe 30 children and placing other e.g. colleges away from the capital. Also there are far to many regional parts rather than a few (there is work being done to reduce these to 7, which would already help). Every one of those with city officials and so forth. This creates a need for higher taxes than average. Free health care, which is great, but with 3 hospitals for 50.000 people??

3. Constant infighting over if we should cut more ties with Denmark, make more ties with Denmark or keep it as is. Pretty much 45/45/10%. this creates a constant tension.

4. Not being part of the EU http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special...#Faroe_Islands because of EU being complete and utter morons when it comes to fishing quotas etc. They fail to see that even though the Faroe Islands are small, our oceanic territory is very large http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters ((It is 200 nautical miles, no matter what wikipedia or the EU claims) or for that matter you British people ) and even further than 200 NM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockall . Another reason why we do not work well together with EU Whaling in the Faroe Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lots of info here:

Faroe Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia