Mulling over George Pope to Steve Asher 22 Aug 2003

 SA> THE federal Government plans to outlaw using the internet for
 SA> "offensive and menacing purposes", proposing new laws that could
 SA> mean two years in prison for activities like organising or advocating
 SA> violent protests through the internet.

 SA> A joint statement from Communications Minister Senator Richard
 SA> Alston and Justice Minister Chris Ellison said the new laws were
 SA> part of a crackdown on e-crime.
 SA>
 SA> "People using the internet to advocate or facilitate violent protests,

 GP> Seems to me that existing laws against abetting violent crime
 GP> already state that it's an offense, _IN ITSELF_, to do such, so the
 GP> medium by which one abetted a criminal shouldn't be an issue (ie.
 GP> whether done on the street(which could then result in further
 GP> charges under any Riot-related laws!) or via internet)

Exactly, but these laws will make it easy to target -any- protest, such
as against the World Trade Org meetings, which -might- be violent, not
just those specifically intended to be violent. There is no right of
free speech in this country, though the courts have ruled that there
is an implied right of free speech in the Constitution.

A previous government set out to introduce a "Bill of Rights" in the
1980s, but the public was suspicious of the process & its potential
for limiting freedom that it was abandoned.

Cheers, Steve..

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