Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate • Hacker News Board

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#141

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:49 AM UTC

dalyons wrote: post #96

dragonwriter wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> compulsory voting effectively prevents what is the worst part of American democracy - the unceasing efforts to stop people voting No, it doesn't; sloppy, deliberately overbroad purges of voter rolls (without notification of the targets) are a key voter suppression technique, and are not at all impaired by compulsory voting.

Are you Australian? I’m asking because I’m not aware of of that(very American) tactic being employed in Australia. Imho the requirement of voting moves the window of what’s acceptable in terms of voter rolls - I can’t think of one time I’ve heard of purging being employed inappropriately in aus. And I can’t really imagine a party getting away with it. I could of course just be blissfully unaware, and it actually occu…

I am American, and I was reading “compulsory voting effectively prevents what is the worst part of American democracy - the unceasing efforts to stop people voting” as a claim that, applied where those efforts occur, compulsory voting would be an effective and adequate remedy, rather than “In Australia, compulsory voting exists and the efforts seen to suppress voting seen in America do not”.

AFAIK (which, I’ll admit, isn’t very far—my knowledge of domestic Australian politics is more of a very light random smattering than the result of any focussed study), you are correct that those don't tend to occur in Australia.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#142

Post by rpmisms » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:50 AM UTC

Swalden123 wrote: post #140

I don't know how we can stop this. Majority of Australians don't understand the implications of our constantly eroding rights because they are spoon fed bullshit by our media. When 95% of what you hear is cheering on the liberal party here, nothing can change.

The US has been well-served by our constitution. Sure, we still have issues, but it's a massive barrier to power-hungry bureaucrats.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#143

Post by 8note » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:50 AM UTC

King-Aaron wrote: post #106

toomuchtodo wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you had to emigrate, what would your top 3 options be?

1. Antarctica 2. The moon 3. Mars

What does the healthcare look like at these places? Is the climate habitable? Clean air?

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#144

Post by TeeMassive » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:51 AM UTC

okareaman wrote: post #35

It's ironic that a country founded by England with prison convicts who pushed out the indigenous people would eventually choose to create a police state. Edit: Fixed for people who knew what I meant but want to bust my...

It was not only founded by the captives, but also by the captors.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#145

Post by rpmisms » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:51 AM UTC

chadcmulligan wrote: post #127

There is a lot of trust in Australia that their elected officials and the public service / police will do the right thing. These new laws being introduced if used in the spirit they are intended could be good. The continual refusal of the current federal government to introduce a federal crime and misconduct commission as most of the states now have is a disturbing trend. For instance three local councils were placed…

> These new laws being introduced if used in the spirit they are intended could be good.

That "if" is doing a lot of work. Gov't power will be abused. That's like, rule one of government.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#146

Post by lsiebert » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:52 AM UTC

tac0_ wrote: post #128

siquick wrote: post #37

I've lived in Australia for 10 years and really considering my familys future in this country. We are sleep-walking towards a very average future. An undiversified export economy, out of control house prices, a job-market primarily focused on two cities, a government intent on selling all public assets, very limited political interest in positive climate policies. The latter is simply addressed with "technology will…

I feel you mate. Sad part is Australia has all the potential to have a really good future but the only thing missing is competent leadership. The liberal government continues to fuck up time and time again and the Murdoch press just turns a blind eye. Fucked up quarantine, fucked up vaccine rollout, fucked up climate policies, fucked up the news media bargaining code, and fucked up numerous policies just to prop up t…

For US folks, The Liberal Party is Center Right and further to the left than the Republicans, Labor is Center Left and further to the left of the Democrats.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#147

Post by mlio » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:52 AM UTC

siquick wrote: post #37

I've lived in Australia for 10 years and really considering my familys future in this country. We are sleep-walking towards a very average future. An undiversified export economy, out of control house prices, a job-market primarily focused on two cities, a government intent on selling all public assets, very limited political interest in positive climate policies. The latter is simply addressed with "technology will…

I'm releasing a feature film exploring this in a few months (Aus ponzi economy, limited social mobility of next generation here). If anyone is interested in seeing please email hackernewsfilm@gmail and I'll keep you updated.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#148

Post by systemvoltage » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:52 AM UTC

mc32 wrote: post #100

worik wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vote. Protest - particularly direct action Challenge them

In Australia people are compelled to vote, so the problem looks like the majority having a different take. Not that I agree with their votes, but you can’t say they don’t vote. Ultimately what is one supposed to do in a democracy (never mind Australia for a moment) when you’re just not part of the majority opinion on something?

Convince others and keep fighting. There has to be a minority opposition.

By giving up the opposition you create totalitarian state.

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#149

Post by 8note » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:52 AM UTC

King-Aaron wrote: post #66

mdoms wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Australia for 5 years and my sense is that, as harsh as it sounds, Australia needs to go through an extreme hardship to wake up as a nation. Australia has lived true to its moniker as the Lucky Country - at least two full generations of Australians have never witnessed economic hardship or downturn of any kind. Natural disasters pass the nation by (other than wildfires). Even Covid looked like it was going…

This is exactly my feeling. Aussies are constantly whinging about extreme first-world problems and are completely apathetic (or willfully ignorant) of what real hardship is. As a result the general population is blindly letting the government erode our rights and are too pre-occupied with their own lives to actually realise what's happening.

Isn't this more whinging about extreme first world problems?

Re: Australia’s new mass surveillance mandate

#150

Post by askvictor » Wed, Sep 08, 2021, 1:53 AM UTC

okareaman wrote: post #35

It's ironic that a country founded by England with prison convicts who pushed out the indigenous people would eventually choose to create a police state. Edit: Fixed for people who knew what I meant but want to bust my...

And Tasmania (the Australian island state right at the South) was the prison island for the worst convicts. It is now probably the most conservative state in Australia. It's like the phenomenon where the bullied becomes the bully, but on a societal level.