Thursday 1 December 2005

Bi-weekly report from the Nautilus Institute at RMIT, Australia.

1. Minister Clears The Air On A Post-Kyoto World
2. Coalition MPs Back New Laws
3. Senators Tinker At The Edges Of Draconian Laws
4. More Police Power ‘Could Boost Terror’
5. ASIO Censorship Riles MPs
6. Intelligence Community ‘Needs Reform’
7. Army Restructuring On Cards
8. $25m Upgrade For Army Choppers
9. Troops May Get New Iraq Mission
10. Two Fijians Out Of Bougainville
11. NT Nuclear Waste Dump Gets Thumbs Up
12. Government Lied To Cover Up War Crimes In 1975 Invasion Of Island

1. Minister Clears The Air On A Post-Kyoto World,
   John Breusch, AFR* 2005-12-01

   Minister Ian Campbell has all but ruled out the possibility of the world agreeing to further binding greenhouse gas emission targets once the Kyoto Protocol lapses in 2012. Figures released by Government confirm Australia can achieve the Kyoto target (reduce 2010 emissions to 8 per cent above 1990 levels) because of one-off credits from land-clearing restrictions in NSW and Queensland.
   * Subscription required.

2. Coalition MPs Back New Laws,
   AAP, Australian, 2005-11-30

   Coalition backbenchers have given the go ahead to controversial new laws on anti-terrorism, workplace relations and welfare, after they reached agreement on a string of amendments. The sedition section will remain intact.

3. Senators Tinker At The Edges Of Draconian Laws,
   Marian Wilkinson and David Marr, SMH, 2005-11-29

   The report by the Senate committee on the anti-terrorism bill has proposed 52 amendments in an attempt to temper almost universal opposition within a legal profession that is concerned the new laws will undermine the fundamental human rights Australians take for granted.

4. More Police Power ‘Could Boost Terror’,
   Ian Munro, Age, 2005-12-01

   Australia risks promoting terrorism if increased police powers and security measures are seen as directed exclusively against Islamic groups a joint Monash University-Victoria Police research project shows.

5. ASIO Censorship Riles MPs,
   Brendan Nicholson Age, 2005-12-01

   ASIO has censored the report of the parliamentary committee that oversees the operations of Australia’s intelligence agencies.

6. Intelligence Community ‘Needs Reform’,
   AAP, Age, 2005-11-29

   Sandy Gordon, former head of intelligence within the AFP and an analyst in ONA, said the September 11 terror attacks had forced a substantial refocusing of the US intelligence community, but Australia’s process of change was inadequate overall.

   Of related interest: Security Issues Vol.1 No1. Journal of the Kokoda Foundation*
   * Subscription required.

7. Army Restructuring On Cards,
   AAP, SMH, 2005-11-29

   Labor and a key defence lobby group have questioned how a $1.8 billion plan to boost the army will be funded and where more than 2,000 extra soldiers will be found.

8. $25m Upgrade For Army Choppers,
   AAP, Australian, 2005-11-30

   The Australian Army’s six Chinook helicopters will be upgraded with new electronic warfare defence systems, ballistic protection and advanced communications.

9. Troops May Get New Iraq Mission,
   Cynthia Banham, SMH, 2005-11-30

   Australian troops are likely to take on a new mission in Iraq after their current task supporting the Japanese is finished. The Minister for Defence, Robert Hill, has outlined a long-term vision for Australia’s future role in Iraq’s south.

10. Two Fijians Out Of Bougainville,
    AAP, Age, 2005-11-29

    Two former Fijian soldiers hired to train a private armed force inside a rebel zone on Bougainville were being questioned by Papua New Guinea authorities on Tuesday night.

11. NT Nuclear Waste Dump Gets Thumbs Up,
    AAP, Age, 2005-11-29

    The Northern Territory will be forced to accept a nuclear waste dump after a government-dominated Senate committee recommended it go ahead.

12. Government Lied To Cover Up War Crimes In 1975 Invasion Of Island,
    Richard Lloyd Parry, Times, 2005-11-30

    The British Government knowingly lied about Indonesian atrocities in East Timor, including the killing of British journalists in 1975, according to newly released diplomatic documents.

    Of related interest:
    Sister Demands To Know Full Truth, Sean O’Neill, Times, 2005-11-30

    Report Recommends East Timor Victims Be Compensated, PINA, 2005-11-30
    The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor ( CAVR), an independent organisation established by the East Timorese Government, is calling for reparations for victims of torture, rape and violence perpetrated by Indonesia from its invasion in 1975 to its bloody withdrawal in 1999. The 2500-page report, which President Xanana Gusmao presented to East Timor’s parliament on 2005-11-28, recommends East Timor’s victims be paid compensation by the colonisers Indonesia and Portugal, as well as by those nations that sold weapons to Indonesia and supported its annexation – including Australia.

    Contact editor: Jane Mullett: jane.mullett@rmit.edu.au