How to disassociate Parkin from Halliburton?  Don't mention the comany's name any more.

As this story continues to play throught the media, where once you'd see at least one mention, if not several, of the company Parkin had been protesting in Australia against. instead we see, at the end of two weeks of print and airplay, the man but not the cause.

It will be interesting, in the new Howard Government, to see if Bob Brown's motion for a Senate inquiry over the Parkin incident results in any action.

Who will be the sympathetic Liberal who votes with Brown for an
investigation? On the other hand, will Howard use this as an
opportunity to exert control over over his own 'mavericks'?

ASIO historian David McKnight says that if the leak is true it indicates a reversion in ASIO strategy to its tactics in the '70s.

I hope that Brown gets his inquiry. We all knew that a full Liberal
majority was going to create ethical issues. Here's the litmus test on
how they will be dealt with.

In the meantime, have a look at what Mr Parkin has to say.  This release has been circulated through the nonviolence network, and surfaced on one of Webdiary's Parkin threads:

MEDIA RELEASE
22 September 2005

Parkin refutes ASIO smear

Houston, Texas: Scott Parkin today spoke from Texas to clear his
name and refute the media claims of an alleged ASIO leak that he was
planning to teach violence in his peace workshop in Melbourne.

Mr Parkin said, "These are false, unfounded and personally Damaging allegations.

"ASIO put me in solitary detention for 5 days and not once made
these allegations to me nor have they provided these stories to my
lawyer, Julian Burnside, QC.

"If I am such a threat why have the FBI not even phoned me since my
return from Australia, to follow up ASIO's silly allegations?

"If ASIO wants the public to trust this process is fair they should
have made these allegations in the proper way and not via some
exclusive supposed leak.

"The Government has a public responsiblity to provide facts and not make smears.

"Osama bin Laden is free, meanwhile Australia‘s peak intelligence agency is running around fretting about peace protestors.

"As I always say and sincerely believe, it is unprincipled to do anything violent at any time, including in a protest situation.

"During my time in Australia I spoke publicly against techniques to
de-arrest a person who has been lawfully detained by the Police because
it is against my principles.

"ASIO should know this if they are doing their job properly.

"Horses suffer from being used as riot control machines and I completely oppose anything that abuses them.

"The media and public are welcome to come to non violent protest
training by me or my colleages, but we can assume ASIO were there
anyway and know these claims are unbelievable," said Mr Parkin.

The Australian Democrats are also demanding action over spy agency leak to a Murdoch journalist.

The party's Attorney General's spokesperson, Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja said that "The whole process appears fundamentally flawed" and asked "Surely any such leak to the media is in itself an  issue to national security?"

Given that the journalist who was supposedly given information by ASIO is regarded by many as the most right-wing Murdoch journalist in Australia, questions are being asked about the leak's authenticity.

Federal Parliament resumes in a week.   Life in the Senate will not be dull.