Government handling of WikiLeaks 'clumsy at best'
Updated Fri Dec 10, 2010 7:47pm AEDT
Mr Assange was arrested by British police on Tuesday. (Reuters : Valentin Flauraud )
The Federal Government is struggling to justify its initial response to the WikiLeaks controversy.
Last week Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the placement of classified documents on WikiLeaks was an illegal act.
Today Attorney-General Robert McClelland was asked if the website's founder, Julian Assange, had broken any laws.
He would not say if he agreed with Ms Gillard's remarks.
"It's specifically not my job to comment on or allege any person has been involved in criminal conduct," he said.
"I am not the attorney-general for the United States of America. I have seen, however, reported, he who is a highly competitive lawyer in his own right is, has requested that the issue of criminality be investigated."
Shadow attorney-general George Brandis says Ms Gillard, Mr McClelland and Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor have all given different views on Mr Assange's conduct.
"At best, an extremely injudicious and clumsy way to deal with what they consider to be a criminal matter," Mr Brandis said.
Rob Oakeshott has joined fellow independent MP Andrew Wilkie in cautioning Ms Gillard on her response to the WikiLeaks affair.
Mr Oakeshott says Mr Assange deserves the presumption of innocence.
"I would hope from here on in they would focus on helping an Australian citizen in trouble before the law in another country," he said.
"I would hope they would focus on the presumption of innocence for all Australian citizens, including Julian Assange."
A spokesman for Mr McClelland says the Australian Federal Police has been asked to examine WikiLeaks material as it comes to light to determine whether an official investigation is warranted. ...<cont>
Mr McClelland says even though he considers the leaks to be "gossip", he has ordered the AFP to investigate because some of the documents include more serious information like security secrets that could lead to the destruction of things like electricity grids.
The Attorney-General has likened the pending investigation into Mr Assange and WikiLeaks to the investigation into public servant Godwin Grech, which took the AFP more than a year.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the Government needs to work out a position and act appropriately.
"This whole question of whether or not he may or may not have broken laws, at least as the Government's commentary is concerned, seems to show that this is not really an adult government," he said.
Mr Abbott says Senator Brandis has made the Opposition's opinion clear in that he believes Mr Assange has acted in a way that is morally reprehensible but did not appear to breach Australian law. ..<cont>
Julia Gillard's Left flank revolts over Julian Assange
Patricia Karvelas
From: The Australian
December 11, 2010 12:00AM
Protesters back Julian Assange outside the Sydney Town Hall yesterday. Picture: Greg Wood Source: The Australian
JULIA Gillard is facing a revolt from MPs in her left-wing parliamentary faction, enraged at the treatment of Julian Assange.
The MPs are demanding the government stop treating Mr Assange as a criminal and protect his rights as an Australian citizen and whistleblower.
A large number of MPs have spoken to The Weekend Australian to express grave concerns at the language ministers and the Prime Minister are using in relation to Mr Assange.
Laurie Ferguson, a friend and factional colleague of Ms Gillard who was dumped as parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs and settlement services, told The Weekend Australian the government had overreacted to the WikiLeaks release of secret US documents. He said the information that had been released was crucial to democracy and exposing the truth.
"It hasn't been borne out that people have been endangered by this information," Mr Ferguson said.
"On the other side of the ledger, I think it is important that the world is informed on how intense the Saudis are about Iran's nuclear program and, for instance, that some members of the federal Labor Party caucus are so heavily engaged in briefing another nation."
Mr Ferguson took a veiled swipe at Sports Minister Mark Arbib, saying he was glad it was now well-known that the right-wing Labor frontbencher was a secret source for the US government.
His comments came as Attorney-General Robert McClelland was yesterday unable to explain how Mr Assange had broken Australian law.
Mr McClelland indicated an Australian Federal Police investigation into whether WikiLeaks had committed a criminal act could go on for more than a year.
The government has come under fire after Ms Gillard appeared to pass judgment on Mr Assange, declaring that "the foundation stone of this WikiLeaks issue is an illegal act".
One senior left-wing MP said, on the condition of anonymity, that the government had taken a "harsh" line on Mr Assange and had "angered" its left-wing base internally and in the community.
Another said Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had "got it right" on the WikiLeaks case while Ms Gillard had "messed it up".
Mr Rudd this week took aim at US security levels surrounding the handling of classified confidential information, rather than Mr Assange. He said those who originally leaked the documents were legally liable.
The left-wing Labor MP who heads the economics caucus committee, Sharon Grierson, said she had sympathy for Mr Assange because he believed in freedom of information and the public interest test being applied.
"It's terribly important to keep asserting that Australians will always and do always look after their citizens," Ms Grierson said. "They have rights and protection under the law, and we would all want to see those applied in that case."
Ms Grierson said the world had embraced the open, globalised flow of information, and had to deal with its consequences. "We now have to find ways to respond to that which are reasonable, not irrational in any way," she said.
West Australian Labor MP Melissa Parke said the Swedish rape charges against Mr Assange were unusual and he should not be treated as a criminal.
"I am concerned about the statements in the United States that Julian Assange or his family should be subjected to physical violence, and I strongly condemn them," Ms Parke said.
"The charges from Sweden sound highly unusual on the basis of the information available, and I expect the British courts to take a long hard look at that before any decision on extradition is made. ..<cont>
)It's really weird when you consider the Fox News rhetoric.
) so far. (Fingers crossed!)
The twelve leaks of Christmas
By Annabel Crabb
On the first day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; The love-notes of Berlusconi.
On the second day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; One Saudi King, wanting bombs 'cross the Caspian Sea.
On the third day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Russian crooks, Cooking the books; And mobsters in the K-G-B.
On the fourth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Teams of Chinese hacks, Wearing black; Staging mass attacks, On the Dalai Lama's I-S-P.
On the fifth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Mark A-r-bib! Telling Yankee spies, Dreadful lies, So to apprise, Them of Kevin Rudd's control freak-e-ry.
On the sixth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Afghanistani, Corr-up-tion thrills! Fifty-two mill, Clean crisp bills, Straight from the till, To the plane of the former V-P.
On the seventh day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Hordes of White House hagglers, Trading Cuban stragglers, To poor count-ries! White House tete-a-tetes; Nice cheese plates, And such tempting rates - For a Guantanamo detain-ee.
On the eighth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Eight urine samples; Seven secret passwords; Six hidden cameras; Watched constant-ly! Four strands of hair, Three tin spoons, (used by Ban Ki-Moon) And sent back home to Hill-a-ry.
On the ninth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Two Swedish ladies, Not keen on tradies, Freaky Aussie bloke; Condom that broke; Cal-am-i-ty! Modes of undress; Who said yes? What a bloody mess. For the champion of demo-cra-cy.
On the tenth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Ten cables leaking; Kevin can't stop speaking; Yanks think he's foolish; Journos getting ghoulish; But Kevin's mulish: "I JUST DON'T CARE!" Just give Hill a ring; Bomb Beijing, That would be the thing, For our robust diplo-ma-cy.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me: A spot of tiger shooting, With Mr Putin, And Berlusconi, Lest he get lonely; Gordon Brown is lazy, North Korea crazy; Mer-kel's a BORE! Pakistan's a curse. It gets worse; There's a comely nurse, On the lap of Colonel Gaddafi.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, WikiLeaks gave to me; Twelve hackers hacking; Visa sent packing; Bankers are wailing; Not to mention Palin; Todd's banking details; Anyone in retail; Fears Wikileaks's, Ar-mies of geeks. Working from home; All alone, Using Daddy's phone, Looking forward to pu-ber-ty!
Annabel Crabb is ABC Online's chief political writer.
)
'There's a tragedy unfolding here': asylum seeker boat crashes off Christmas Island
December 15, 2010 - 2:05PM
The boat smashed up against the rocks, shown on a video image from Channel 7.
Locals are reporting up to 50 people could have died after a boat carrying about 70 asylum seekers crashed into cliffs at Christmas Island this morning.
The drama happened near Flying Fish Cove about 6am local time (10am AEDT) today. The navy is trying to rescue survivors, but witnesses say they are facing an uphill struggle.
One witness told Sky News up to 50 people may have perished in the heavy seas.
Christmas Island Shire president Gordon Thomson said, "There are people in the water crying out for help.
"There's a tragedy unfolding here. Speak to the police," he added.
Witness Michael Foster told Sky News that survivors were being ferried to a customs boat in deeper waters as conditions were so bad that there was ''no chance to get on land ... unless they helicopter them (onshore)''.
....The Immigration Department reports that, so far this year, 126 boats have arrived in Australia, with 2971 people housed at the detention centre on Christmas Island. .....
