Comments on: South Australia: The Authoritarian State http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/01/south-australia-the-authoritarian-state/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:14:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mark Parnell MLC http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/01/south-australia-the-authoritarian-state/#comment-10191 Mark Parnell MLC Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-10191 Greg Barns is right. These are bad laws and should be rejected. The tragedy is - they won't. Only the Greens and Democrats have come out opposing the Bill. That's 2 out of 69 MPs.The nature of the law and order debate in South Australia is that you are either "tough on crime" or "soft on crime". There is no middle ground, no attention to the causes of crime, and certainly no room for human rights. When this Bill is debated late tomorrow (Wednesday) night or Thursday in the Legislative Council, I will be moving 44 amendments designed to fix the worst excesses of this Bill. For example, I will be moving to fix the provision in the Bill that provides for up to five years jail for persons who have more than six contacts with members of outlawed organisations. Rann and Atkinson think that making people social outcasts and preventing them from having normal human relationships is the key to their redemption. I don't think so! Mark Parnell MLC Greens member of SA Parliament Greg Barns is right. These are bad laws and should be rejected. The tragedy is - they won’t. Only the Greens and Democrats have come out opposing the Bill. That’s 2 out of 69 MPs.The nature of the law and order debate in South Australia is that you are either “tough on crime” or “soft on crime”. There is no middle ground, no attention to the causes of crime, and certainly no room for human rights.

When this Bill is debated late tomorrow (Wednesday) night or Thursday in the Legislative Council, I will be moving 44 amendments designed to fix the worst excesses of this Bill. For example, I will be moving to fix the provision in the Bill that provides for up to five years jail for persons who have more than six contacts with members of outlawed organisations. Rann and Atkinson think that making people social outcasts and preventing them from having normal human relationships is the key to their redemption. I don’t think so!

Mark Parnell MLC
Greens member of SA Parliament

]]> By: JY Whittaker http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/01/south-australia-the-authoritarian-state/#comment-10192 JY Whittaker Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-10192 It is a shame that the Premier and Attorney General don't put their minds to establishing a Comission against Crime and Corruption in SA instead. It appears to be easier to target the civil rights of ordinary citizens, who should be able to take the freedom of association in a democracy for granted, than to tackle the issue of corruption in high places. The present government has already gor laws against bikies on the books which it hasn't bothered to use. It is a shame that the Premier and Attorney General don’t put their minds to establishing a Comission against Crime and Corruption in SA instead.

It appears to be easier to target the civil rights of ordinary citizens, who should be able to take the freedom of association in a democracy for granted, than to tackle the issue of corruption in high places. The present government has already gor laws against bikies on the books which it hasn’t bothered to use.

]]> By: steve http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/01/south-australia-the-authoritarian-state/#comment-10193 steve Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-10193 I'm not suprised - Rann is a congenital populist! I’m not suprised - Rann is a congenital populist!

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