Party News – Page 12 of 20 – Pirate Party Australia

Freedom Not Fear Sydney Rally Announced

Posted on August 29, 2012

As part of a global day of action, a coalition of activists have called a Freedom Not Fear rally and barbecue in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Saturday September 15 at 12pm. The action is supported by a range of organisations including Pirate Party Australia, Support Assange and WikiLeaks Coalition, Electronic Frontiers Australia, the NSW Fire Brigades Employees Union and Privacy.io.

There will be speakers and workshops covering a range of issues, including censorship, surveillance, governmental transparency, encryption and whistleblowing. There will also be music and (council permitting) a barbecue.

“We think it is important to show our opposition to censorship and the rising surveillance state,” said Simon Frew, Deputy President of Pirate Party Australia and one of the organisers. “We encourage everyone who is concerned about the erosion of our civil liberties to come along and show their support for a free society. Since the beginning of the War on Terror, there has been a continual erosion of our rights and it is time to say enough.”

“We think a big part of the day is celebrating the freedoms we have and sending the message that we need more. It is healthy for society to hear dissenting voices, to have opposing opinions and to have free debate. We need to start pushing back, campaigning for a freer society, and we see this as a good start,” Mr Frew continued.

More workshops and stalls are welcome. Interested individuals and organisations should contact [email protected] to express interest and work out the details. For more information, see the http://freedomnotfear.net/.

Pirate Party Releases National Security Inquiry Submission

Posted on August 24, 2012

Download Submission

The deadline for submissions to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security’s (PJCIS) Inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation was August 20, and today, PJCIS allowed for the publication of submissions. Pirate Party Australia submitted a comprehensive response to the discussion paper.

In the lengthy submission the Party comments on many points in the discussion paper, including:

Strongly objecting to penalties for individuals who refuse to assist in decrypting information or provide their passwords, eroding a person’s right to avoid self-incrimination;
Strongly objecting to keeping all Internet users’ browsing and email history for two years, introducing an arbitrary violation of privacy; and
Suggesting adding controls to various powers that certain agencies have to breach individuals’ privacy.

Pirate Party launches National Security Inquiry Petition

Posted on August 7, 2012

Earlier today Pirate Party Australia launched an online petition, objecting to the proposals of the National Security Inquiry. The Inquiry was referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) by the Attorney-General. The petition will be presented to the Senate, and can be signed here.

The National Security Inquiry (#natsecinquiry) proposes to extend the powers of Australian intelligence and security agencies, including greater provisions for telecommunications interception – such as accessing unrelated computer systems – and penalties for refusing to disclose passwords. The proposal may also allow intelligence and security officers to be shielded from penalties for misconduct.

Pirate Congress 2012 Results

Posted on August 1, 2012

The results of Pirate Party Australia’s recent National Congress are in!

The annual National Congress took place on July 14–15, and the results of the now concluded week-long voting period are able to be announced.

The results of the motions were as follows:

Pirate Party to run Independent Candidates in Upcoming ACT Election

Posted on July 17, 2012

Pirate Party Australia’s ACT branch formed in early June 2012, and planned to compete in the October Legislative Assembly election with their name on the ballot as a fully registered party.

Yesterday morning the ACT electoral commission released a statement rejecting the application on the grounds that it was not satisfied that the Party had 100 members who were electors at the time the party’s application was submitted. 16 of the 110 submitted were not on the electoral roll under an ACT address, meaning the Party fell short by six electors.

“While we are disappointed that we missed out on registration by such a small margin, we will amend our application and expect to be registered as soon as possible, although that will likely not be possible now until after the election,” said Glen Takkenberg, Registered Officer for Pirate Party ACT. “This does not mean will we will not contest the election. We will field candidates to be listed in the ungrouped section of the ballot.”