- The Strategist - https://www.aspistrategist.org.au -
ASIO (4): terrorism, transparency and traitors
Posted By Graeme Dobell on January 30, 2015 @ 06:00
By the nature of such organisations the reconciliation cannot be comfortable. Nor can the reconciliation be stable, and it is sometimes seriously disputed. The libertarian has to be in permanent critical engagement with the secret security services, using whatever means it can. As citizens we know that the effectiveness of secret organisations is patchy; we know that they are prone to chafe at civil-liberty niceties, and use dangerous justification for their breaches...My lifetime of writing and political experience has taught me that secret agencies are prone to severe politicisation, error and private agendas against the public good. As I watch secret agencies in this country and in the wider world, I have learned how treacherous they can be, how dangerous it is to train thousands of agents in the black arts of secret agencies. Combined with the technologies of surveillance and counter-surveillance, and intelligence and counterintelligence, of disinformation and trickery, it is now a more volatile mix than ever before in our history.
Most Australians (68%) believe that ‘the government has struck about the right balance between protecting the rights of citizens and fighting terrorism’. A small proportion say that the balance has swung too far towards fighting terrorism, with one in five (19%) agreeing that ‘the government leans too much towards fighting terrorism over protecting the civil rights of Australian citizens’. Eleven per cent say ‘the government leans too much towards protecting the rights of citizens over fighting terrorism.
I personally believe that we do not have enough Muslim ASIO officers. People who have been brought up within the community, as opposed to being exposed to it and having to learn about it. There’s an interesting reason for that if you think about it—so many of our Muslim Australians have actually come from societies and countries where the very notion of a secret service is an anathema. It’s really quite interesting that part of my outreach to the communities is saying “hey, actually this is how we operate under the law and by the way it’s actually our job to protect you too”. So we’ve had to change our community outreach quite considerably.
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URL to article: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/asio-4-terrorism-transparency-and-traitors/
[1] Australia Under Surveillance: http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/frank-moorhouse/australia-under-surveillance-how-should-we-act-9780857985972.aspx
[2] a reluctant reconciliation: http://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/frank-moorhouse/2014/03/2014/1417569367/australia-under-surveillance
[3] Lowy Institute poll: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/lowy-institute-poll-2013
[4] those findings mean: http://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-in-conversation-with-asio-chief-david-irvine-30536
[5] The Spy Catchers: http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781743319666
[6] Graeme Dobell: https://www.aspi.org.au/about-aspi/aspi-staff/fellows/graeme-dobell