Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

The iron law of terrorism prevention

By John Tomlinson - posted Monday, 19 October 2015


Australian spies have scuttled boats, intended to take asylum seekers to Australia. Other boats have been sabotaged some of these may have left Indonesia and sunk en route to Australia drowning the passengers – we will never know for certain. Australian officials have paid people smugglers to return to Indonesia with their asylum seekers.

We do know that many things are done in our name which are violent and which would be illegal were you or I to carry them out but the Australian Parliament under both Labor and Coalition administrations have passed laws which mean that no penalties attach to these actions if carried out by officials acting under orders of the government of the day. There is little recognition that the Nuremberg Military Tribunals held that simply obeying orders did not absolve one of war crimes.

Those officials who handed back Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers to the Sri Lankan Navy certainly committed war crimes. Those who sabotaged boats in Indonesia may well be guilty of acts of piracy. There are other similarities between what Australian officials have done/are doing and those of terrorists.

Advertisement

Tony Abbott was looking around for a counter terrorism tsar he chose Moriarty totally unmindful that over a century earlier Sherlock Holmes had exposed Moriarty as a criminal mastermind.

The last time a community was subjected to a military-style invasion in Australia was that of Palm Island where following the killing by police in the watch house of an Aborigine and a subsequent riot during which the police station was torched, the police paramilitary invaded pushing pregnant women, old ladies and children to the ground at gunpoint. They know that governments will ensure their excesses are overlooked either by a compliant judiciary or by legislation or by a frightened public.

It is now the turn of the Muslim community to be pushed around, mugged, harassed. Some will be fitted up with dodgy charges. The law will be modified by a supine parliament in order to change what was legal yesterday into something illegal today. If all else fails then retrospective additions will be made. Macropods will be placed in charge of special courts. Once the terrorists have been sentenced to a year or more in jail they will then be deported if they were not born in Australia.

Eventually, we will reach a stage where the two most common charges brought against people will be:

"Failing to plead guilty as charged" and

"Attempting to prove innocence."

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

25 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Dr John Tomlison is a visiting scholar at QUT.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by John Tomlinson

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of John Tomlinson
Article Tools
Comment 25 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy