2018-12-06
ACT Greens Senate candidate Dr Penny Kyburz has attacked the major parties for ramming anti-encryption legislation through Parliament, saying that "this legislation will undermine public trust in internet systems and it will see our brightest IT people and businesses driven offshore in droves."
Dr Kyburz is a computer science researcher and academic at the ANU. She was formerly a policy adviser to Greens Senators Scott Ludlam and Jordon Steele-John on digital issues.
"In the name of so-called national security, the major parties have banded together to expose Australians to cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism, while undermining fundamental human rights."
"This Government does not understand how the internet works. Canberra's tech jobs are directly at risk, with Australian tech company stocks already dropping at the mere prospect of the legislation passing."
"The Government has once again rushed through poorly drafted legislation despite hundreds of experts voicing their concerns that these laws will put Australians further at risk of cyber attacks, as well as drive IT companies out of Australia."
"The Government needs to take the time to carefully address each of the legitimate and serious concerns raised by security and privacy experts. It's horrifying that their approach is to ram through shoddy laws with a view to fix them later. One of the major issues, the definition of 'systemic weakness' has gone unresolved. As Internet Australia pointed out, the weaknesses the Stuxnet worm used to destroy Iran's nuclear centrifuges would not be classified as a 'systemic weakness' under the definition in the bill."
"People like Peter Dutton will always want more power over our lives. Parliament's job is to question, scrutinise, and make sure we are always working in the public interest."
A ReachTEL poll on 27 August found that Dr Kyburz was ahead of Liberal Senator Zed Seselja on primary votes within the electorate of Canberra. The Greens are targeting Zed's Senate seat at this election, as well as the new federal House seat of Canberra.