‘Well, the laws are operating. What you will get in Australia is the almost blanket surveillance that there is in Britain. Now, you know, this has been useful for telling the police after the event that the suicide bombers had been on their way to do their job. But it hasn't - like the Prevention of Terrorism Act itself, and all the draconian measures that that brought in, it hasn't actually prevented anything. And that's the point.

But what it does do is criminalise whole groups of people. There's no doubt that since July 7, as I said, the Muslim community in this country, many of them - and I've been among them - are simply terrified, and with good reason. I mean, what catches terrorists, if we're to talk not of state terrorists, and the only way we can catch them is getting rid of them, perhaps tagging them as they go off to the source of terrorism in Washington, but what catches terrorists is good policing, it good intelligence. It's not people running into Stockwell Tube and gunning down an innocent Brazilian electrician.

It is competent policing, for which this country used to be famous. That will catch terrorists in the end, and good politics will safeguard the country from terrorism. It will safeguard Britain; it will safeguard Australia.

Good politics would be to get out of Iraq.’

John Pilger On Australia's New Anti-Terrorism Laws

From Margot Kingston’s Webdiary ….. 

“Scott Parkin was arrested in Australia for no known reason & deported in the middle of September. Webdiary covered his arrest & deportation here, here, and here where Scott spoke to the ABC’s Karen Percy. This article by Scott Parkin was originally published on Common Dreams.  

Scott Parkin is a community organiser from Houston, Texas & recently travelled in Australia, talking about Halliburton & the US anti-war movement, until the Australian government forcibly removed him.

From the ABC

Deported activist seeks access to ASIO files
A deported American activist and two detained asylum seekers are taking legal action to get access to their adverse ASIO security assessments.

US activist Scott Parkin was deported from Australia last year after the intelligence agency judged him to be a risk to national security.

Iraqi asylum seekers Mohammed Sagar and Mohammed Sasel were found to be refugees but were denied protection visas because of their security assessments.

The three men say they do not know why they have been declared a risk and they cannot defend themselves.

The Federal Court in Melbourne is currently hearing their application to access the ASIO assessments.

Speaking from the United States, Mr Parkin has protested his innocence and says there should be more transparency in the assessment process.

"I was arrested and removed from your country without any due process," he said.

"I'm a non-violent activist and I've had my name dragged through the mud as being a lot of other things of which a violent activist is probably the best example of that."

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