Press Release – Page 47 of 61 – Pirate Party Australia

Pirate Party Disgusted By Rampant Government Secrecy

Posted on March 22, 2012

Pirate Party Australia condemns the actions of Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, who has refused to release documents regarding mass starvation in East Timor, despite the fact that they are up to 37 years old[1].

Revelations that the documents could “reveal Australian complicity in concealing the mass starvation of 100,000 East Timorese” highlights the real need for governmental transparency and accountability that the Party continues to advocate. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for requesting Ms Roxon deny the release, claiming that it would be contrary to the national interest. The effect the documents would have on ties between Australia and Indonesia are minimal, claims former Army intelligence officer Clinton Fernandes[2].

Pirate Party Australia holds that the continual secrecy and outright refusal of government institutions to release documents is a serious threat to Australian democracy, and must be curbed immediately. They wish to draw attention to the opacity of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations, where citizens globally were only able to inspect documents that were leaked, and no official drafts have been made public.

Pirate Party Australia’s Presentation to Trans-Pacific Partnership Stakeholders Meeting in Melbourne

Posted on March 4, 2012

Download as PDF

Here is the speech that was presented by Pirate Party Australia President David Campbell at 11.45am at the TPPA stakeholders meeting in Melbourne. Thanks to Simon Frew (Deputy President) for authoring the speech and Mozart Palmer (Media Relations) for his contributions.

Pirate Party Australia, like many other attendees at the intellectual property section of this Agreement negotiation, first became aware of the proposed intellectual property provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement when the United States negotiating position was leaked last year.[1]

Much of the content of the leak is a wish-list for old media corporations who refuse to adapt to the Internet and instead pay massive “donations” to their government in order to push their legislative agenda against the interests of modern society. This wish-list echoes that of the intellectual property segments of the Stop Online Piracy Act – known as SOPA – and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement – known as ACTA. The US TPPA provisions have been nicknamed “the son of ACTA”. The proposed solutions to online file-sharing will fundamentally change the operation of the Internet, to its detriment.

The extreme position of the leaked United States’ Intellectual Property chapter is highlighted by the unprecedented request for the negotiating texts to remain secret for four years after the agreement is signed. This secrecy is a perversion of democracy. The public would not be given a chance to oppose such a draconian attack on both the Internet and the civil liberties of citizens in all of the signatory countries. All of this to protect the corporate interests of a small sector of one industry? What about the cost to our democratic rights?

Pirate Party Australia Cautiously Welcomes Recommendations of ALRC National Classification Scheme Review

Posted on March 2, 2012

Pirate Party Australia welcomes several of the recommendations put by the Australian Law Reform Commission in regard to reforming the current classification system.

The ALRC’s final report includes several recommendations that are in line with the Pirate Party’s policies, proving that the Party’s policies are not as extremist as often made out to be. In one instance, Telstra agreed with the Pirate Party on the issue of voluntary industry classifications.

Other recommendations that the Pirate Party are pleased with are the recommendations that all commercial computer games that are likely to be MA15+ or higher must be classified. The report also recommends that all media must be classified according to a platform neutral system that would end discrepancy between various mediums whilst not extending to various non-commercial and user generated content media, as well as the suggestion that the ‘Refused Classification’ category be replaced with the more appropriate ‘Prohibited’ category.

Pirate Party Dismayed at Further Delay of R18+

Posted on February 22, 2012

Pirate Party Australia are dismayed by the perpetual delays regarding the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games.

The Party applauded the introduction of a bill to Parliament last Wednesday that would finally create an R18+ classification for video games[1]. The Government appears to have listened to the overwhelming public support for a new rating system that caters to the ever expanding video game market. Many games that would previously have been squeezed under the bar into the misleading MA15+ rating can now receive a more appropriate, far more informing rating.

“I am enthusiastic about an R18+ rating for video games entering our system. It will provide a far superior rating system for parents. However, it is important to watch this space closely, as poorly formed classification guidelines have the potential to create no greater flexibility, with ‘refused classification’ games such as Syndicate, that are perfectly legal to purchase and play around the world, to remain banned here in Australia,” commented David Campbell, President of Pirate Party Australia.

Don’t Sue the Messenger, Says Pirate Party

Posted on February 22, 2012

Pirate Party Australia is concerned at the recent spike in litigation aimed against communication service providers, and calls for the Australian Parliament to grant protection for social media service providers and users that guarantees the full sanctuary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights in regard to freedom of opinion and expression.

Recently, Melbourne man Joshua Meggitt sued celebrity Marieke Hardy for defamation after she wrongly accused him to be the operator of a hate blog dedicated to her via social media platform Twitter. Despite an out-of-court settlement, Meggitt is now suing Twitter for ‘publishing’ Hardy’s claim, as well as for the subsequent 60,000 retweets[1].

Pirate Party Australia argues that Twitter is not a publisher, but instead is a service provider that empowers the public to self-publish their news, thoughts and opinions to the world. Australian lawmakers continue to live in the past, failing to distinguish between a newspaper that is subject to editorial control, and a mass communications medium that enables communication between citizens worldwide without selection, judgement or endorsement.