If you needed a reason NOT to support any referendum giving local councils full governmental recognition, you cannot ignore this shocking news story! This link avoids the pay wall of The Australian newspaper and has more information than the summary below the link: http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/councils-snooping-on-phone-use/story-e6fr... http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/councils-snooping-on-phone-use... Local councils snooping on phone use by: Jared Owens From: The Australian February 18, 2013 12:00AM LOCAL councils are seizing data from residents' mobile phones without warrants to chase unregistered pets, illegal rubbish dumping and unauthorised advertising. Federal surveillance laws enable enforcement agencies -- such as police, corruption watchdogs and the Australian Taxation Office -- to seize telecommunications data to conduct criminal investigations, enforce fines or protect public revenue. But the laws are increasingly being used by other public bodies, such as local governments and Australia Post, which have collectively made more than 800 self-authorisations for personal data in the past three financial years.
Andrew McGlashan wrote:
If you needed a reason NOT to support any referendum giving local councils full governmental recognition, you cannot ignore this shocking news story!
This link avoids the pay wall of The Australian newspaper and has more information than the summary below the link:
http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/councils-snooping-on-phone-use/story-e6fr...
Well referendums are usually to change the constitution; so I am interpreting "governmental recognition" as 'constitutional recognition'. Whether constitutional recognition of local government would necessarily increase their power, would seem to depend on the proposed change. The above story seems more to do with 'privacy of telecommunication meta-data'. Whilst I was surprised that the term 'meta-data' included names and identifying information; my thoughts on 'right to privacy' is that it needs to be replaced by a reversal of onus; that is all private information is only available on a need to know basis. So requesting authority would need to be able to demonstrate that the particular information sort, is necessary to the task being asked of them . regards Rohan McLeod
participants (2)
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Andrew McGlashan -
Rohan McLeod