KCP - Catholic Diocese of Broome

This year the Christmas rush takes on a new meaning as the Prime Minister and the Government make valiant efforts to have new legislation passed in the areas of Industrial Relations and Anti-terrorism before Christmas. It has taken a long time for the details of the proposed laws in both areas to become public. In the case of the Anti-Terror laws, there was some ‘secret’ discussion with the State and Territory leaders, but the public were not trusted with a sighting of the draft legislation. No doubt this will be covered by the mantra of ‘in the interests of national security’. Well, I for one do not think that is good enough.

In a situation where many in the community have felt that they have been misled over some of the ‘evidence’ leading up to the commitment of Australian troops to the conflict in Iraq, it has been difficult to remain relaxed about a Government that says in effect, ‘Trust us, we know what’s best for you.’ People have not been given any great sense of security either by hearing that the Opposition will allow the laws to pass even though they disagree with the lack of judicial oversight of the unusual, and some would say extreme, limits being proposed to citizens’ freedoms and rights.

Our minds are thrown back to the Tampa affair and the way in which the then Opposition made little or no objection to the actions of the Government in relation to the boat people at that time. A similar situation seems to apply in relation to the Anti-terror laws. If the Government is committed to move towards the passing of these laws with undue haste and with a minimum of public scrutiny, the task of the Opposition at the very least ought to be to slow the process down so that full public scrutiny and debate is possible. I applaud the courage and integrity of those Opposition members who have not ruled out the possibility of crossing the floor on this issue.

There is always a healthy suspicion aroused for citizens in a democracy when a government attempts to force legislation through the parliament without allowing sufficient time for appropriate public scrutiny and debate. Whatever the merits of the proposed legislation in regard to both Industrial Relations and Antiterrorism, the voters of Australia deserve to be treated with respect and not cynical contempt when such important and far-reaching measures are being considered. The undue haste being espoused by the Government and the weak response of the Labor Opposition do nothing to restore our decreasing level of trust in those put into positions of responsibility in our national parliament.

Perhaps our national tendency to take what we are told by our leaders with more than a grain of salt is something to be grateful for in this instance.