{"id":3579,"date":"2009-06-24T02:35:10","date_gmt":"2009-06-23T16:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=3579"},"modified":"2009-06-24T02:35:10","modified_gmt":"2009-06-23T16:35:10","slug":"free-australia-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=3579","title":{"rendered":"F.R.E.E. Australia Party!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Awesome! Australia has a new political party!<\/p>\n

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While the UK has R.E.S.P.E.C.T.<\/a> — Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environmentalism, Community, and Trade Unionism — Australia has F.R.E.E — Freedom, Rights, Environment, Educate.<\/p>\n

Educate… not ‘Education’… mmmkay?<\/p>\n

Serious and Organised Crime (Control)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The F.R.E.E. Australia Party<\/a> (not to be confused with the Nuclear Free Australia Party<\/a> [1985–]) was formed in late 2008\/early 2009, and was formally registered<\/a> with the Electoral Commission of South Australia, its state of origin, on March 19, 2009. The party also appears to be branching out into New South Wales (Free Australia Party holds membership drive in Sydney<\/a>, ABC, April 18, 2009) and Queensland. The party’s chairperson is Peter Sendy, and its slogan is ‘When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty’ (a slogan allegedly coined by South American revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara).<\/p>\n

The party was formed in response to the South Australian Government’s passage (September 4, 2008) of the Serious and Organised Crime (Control) Act 2008<\/em> [PDF<\/a>], a piece of legislation which allows it to designate particular groups as constituting criminal organisations. (Similar legislation<\/a> has also been introduced in NSW.) Or:<\/p>\n

An Act<\/em> to provide for the making of declarations and orders for the purpose of disrupting and restricting the activities of criminal organisations, their members and associates; to make related amendments to the Bail Act 1985<\/em>, the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935<\/em>, the Freedom of Information Act 1991<\/em> and the Summary Offences Act 1953<\/em>; and for other purposes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Further:<\/p>\n

4\u2014Objects<\/strong><\/p>\n

(1) The objects of this Act<\/em> are\u2014<\/p>\n

(a) to disrupt and restrict the activities of\u2014
\n(i) organisations involved in serious crime; and
\n(ii) the members and associates of such organisations; and<\/p>\n

(b) to protect members of the public from violence associated with such criminal organisations.<\/p>\n

(2) Without derogating from subsection (1), it is not the intention of the Parliament that the powers in this Act<\/em> be used in a manner that would diminish the freedom of persons in this State to participate in advocacy, protest, dissent or industrial action.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, on March 23, 2009<\/a>, the SA Premier Mike Rann even went so far as to claim that “On evidence presented by the Police Commissioner, our laws allow us to proscribe criminal bikie gangs the same way we do terrorist groups”.<\/p>\n

Of course, ‘intention’ is one thing, and practice another. For this reason, in addition to attracting opposition from bikies, the Act<\/em> has also drawn criticism from other quarters, even (Victorian) police: “Doubts have been expressed by the federal Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Crime Commission, the Law Council of Australia and academics and civil libertarians” (Roar of disapproval thunders against anti-bikie laws<\/a>, Greg Ansley, The New Zealand Herald<\/em>, May 30, 2009).<\/p>\n

In addition to opposing the criminalisation of “1%ers”, the party is also supporting the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption, much to the delight of Democrats in SA (Call to give FREE Australia party ‘a fair go’<\/a>, ABC, March 31, 2009); the Communist Party of Australia has also taken note (NEW BIKERS LAWS: Latest front in civil liberties war<\/a>, The Guardian<\/em>, April 8, 2009). The party is also opposed to the ABCC (see<\/em> : ABCC, John Holland, West Gate Bridge<\/a>, May 13, 2009). In general, an examination of the party’s ‘Policy Directives’<\/a> reveals a fairly ‘progressive’ politics, including support for long-term solutions to the water crisis, a ‘Bill of Rights’, freedom of association, reproductive rights, prisoners’ rights and various reforms aimed at securing housing for the poor and the homeless.<\/p>\n