Scott's page | Australian Greens

2017-02-24

Senator Scott Ludlam

The first session of parliament in 2017, and my first session since returning from leave, was about the global and the local.

Few things in our lifetimes will create a shift so seismic as the election of Donald Trump has on the world around us. Our trade relationships, our military alliances and the security in our region, our future in a warming world; its all changing, and mostly terrifying. Yet you wouldnt know it if the reactions of the government, and to a lesser extent the opposition, were any guide.

Were being done a huge, sorry, yyyuuuugge, disservice by the government behaving as though this is just another President, just another business as usual shift back to the right after some years of increasingly centrist right rule.

This is about as far removed from normal as it could be. As I said in an adjournment speech on that first night back, this is fascism in larval form.

Donald Trump inherited President Obama's drone assassination program, his global mass surveillance apparatus, his Asia-Pacific Pivot that cemented the encirclement of China with a network of military bases in Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. Mr Trump inherited Obama's unprecedented attacks on whistleblowers and journalists.

Australia continued unabated with our unquestioning fealty to the United States. It was dangerous enough when otherwise competent administrations marched Australians off to war in the Middle East, but to not even contemplate a rethink now that a small-minded malicious racist who can launch a catastrophe in 140 characters is in charge, well…

This is a challenge that will define our era. Much as historians will eviscerate those who obstructed climate action, much will be written about those who did not take a stand against the rise of the far right in the mid 2010s. Were making sure were on the opposing side.

Australias insistence on expanding the surveillance of its citizens included the introduction of a data retention scheme in 2015. We finally saw the mandatory data breach notification laws introduced into parliament, 18 months overdue, which were recommended during scrutiny of the data retention laws. They make it a requirement for organisations that collect and hold personal information to inform those impacted and the appropriate agencies if they suffer a “breach”.

Despite the governments own explanation for the bill stating that the average time it takes for lost data to be misused is 3 days, they refused to support our attempt to tighten the reporting requirements. The law now says these agencies have a month.

Closer to home, the fight for the WA election is heating up, and we have continued our work to protect the Beeliar Wetlands. Weve received dozens of reports of egregious breaches of the supposedly stringent environmental conditions for the project, with habitat destruction and wildlife loss far beyond what was proposed.

As you read this the senate snap inquiry into these repeated breaches will be underway, and well be seeking explanations from the Department of the Environment as to why theyve failed to uphold their conditions or stop the works after the breaches.

And after repeatedly ignoring requests for documentation around the business case for the project, the senate ordered an explanation from Finance Minister Matthias Cormann, who again stayed true to his talking points and ignored his own partys policy to provide the business case for projects that cost more than $100 million.

Back in WA the state campaign is in full swing, and with just a few weeks to go its been incredible to be amongst the energy and enthusiasm generated by this campaign. Hopefully well see you all at an election night party that is celebrating a hugely successful election.