Australian Government Passes Laws To Invade Our Privacy

The Australian Government, with the help of the Labor party, has used the threat of terrorism to pass laws that will force Telecommunication companies and Internet service providers to keep your metadata for a minimum of 2 years.

The laws will also allow law enforcement agencies, as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), access to the information without a warrant.

Metadata is information and includes everything from basic phone call stats to specific information like the location of the user when they make a phone call or accessed the internet.

The government says they need all this information to keep us safe from terrorism, for security reasons. ASIC and the ACCC say they need the information to prosecute those that commit white collar crime. Why do they need it without a warrant? Why do government agencies need free access to metadata of everyone in the country whenever they feel like it?

It's not about security, it's about control. The government wants to know where you are, what you're saying and who you're saying it to. They want to find out if you know what they know, that the government all about secret deals that keep them in power and their corporate mates rich while ignoring the needs of its people.

You may be thinking, "I don't care about these laws because I have nothing to hide." But it's not about secrecy it's about privacy. It's about your right to move about freely without being tracked. It's about your right to communicate with anyone without it being recorded.

Big Brother is watching and he will know everything.

If you want more information visit privacyinternational.org

Source - Sydney Morning Herald "Metadata retention laws will pass as Labor folds".

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Corporate Australia Avoids Paying Tax.

If the largest Australian listed companies paid taxes at the statutory corporate tax rate of 30%, it would produce an additional $8.4 billion in annual revenues. This would eliminate the need for educational, health and welfare cutbacks.

 

We need to pay tax. Taxes help pay for for infrastructure and services that the community needs. However, some of us aren't pulling our weight when it comes to paying tax. Over the last 5 years, the proportion of income tax from business shrank from 23% to 19%, while the proportion from individuals rose from 37% to 39%. [1] So ordinary workers have more share of the tax burden, while business is paying less.

 

But wait, aren't we constantly being told that there is a "Budget Crisis" and the government has to control spending. It's University students, doll bludgers, pensioners, asylum seekers and the health system's fault that there is such a large budget deficit. Australia doesn't have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem. The government is pointing the finger of blame at the most needy in our society while big business fat cats are getting away with legally exploiting tax loopholes that their mates in government conveniently leave open for them. Companies use Secrecy jurisdictions to avoid paying tax Secrecy jurisdictions such as, Singapore or Hong Kong, play a key role in multinational corporate tax dodging. They undermine the ability of governments to levy taxes in a just and fair way. Secrecy jurisdictions provide loopholes for the wealthiest to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

 

Here are just three examples of tax dodging 2004-2013. [2]

• Bunnings, average annual pre tax profit $51 million. Average ETR 0%
  
• James Hardie, average annual pre tax profit $203.6 million. Average ETR 0%
  
• Westfield Retail Trust, average annual pre tax profit $535 million, Average ETR 0%

Effective Tax Rate (ETR)

 

According to the United Voice and the Tax Justice Network this is how you fix the problem.

 

Disclosure and transparency of corporate tax practices needs to be increased. Greater public awareness of gressive tax avoidance will provide an incentive to Australian corporations to be less tax aggressive. Tax dodging practices, when exposed, will damage corporate reputations and may increase regulatory and financial risks. Responsible companies should not wait for inevitable changes to the rules before deciding to act.

 

The Australian government needs to stop blaming the people that need their help the most for the budget shortfall and target Corporations, close the loopholes and make them pay their fair share of tax, 30%. Nothing more nothing less. Another $8.4 Billion will eliminate the need for budget cuts.

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[1] AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (2007-08 to 2012-13) Cat. No. 5506.0

[2] http://bit.ly/taxshort

ANZ has the worst record of all the banks for offshoring - 5,000 Australian jobs since 2007

 

 

ANZ announced today that they were cutting 140 jobs. ANZ said in a statement, "These changes are part of simplifying our business and being more efficient".  I don't believe that for one second. It's corporate greed plain and simple. 

Finance Sector Union (FSU) national secretary Fiona Jordan said it appeared the bank had made the decision to cut the jobs several months ago."

ANZ has the worst record of all the banks for offshoring - 5,000 Australian jobs since 2007 and still climbing," Ms Jordan said.

ANZ said staff would be given three months to move on but the bank was aiming to re-employ about 70 of them in other positions.

Some of the jobs were moved overseas to Manila in the Philippines and Bangalore, India, while others were cut due to "improvements in process".

These cuts don't just affect the 140 that are set to lose their jobs, the  FSU said up to 700 staff would be directly impacted by the job cuts and would potentially face increased workloads and stress created by the loss of staff.[1]

ANZ should just come clean and say, "We made $7.271 billion profit in 2014[2] and we want to make lots more in 2015."

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[1] ABC News ANZ cuts 140 jobs from its Melbourne, Sydney offices.
[2] https://www.shareholder.anz.com/sites/default/files/2014-ANZ-Annual-Report.pdf

Secret TPP Trade Deal Abbott Doesn't Want You To Know About.

New TPP trade deal could have serious implications for the freedom and rights of Australians.

The TTP is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It's a massive free trade agreement being negotiated between Australia and 11 other Pacific Rim Nations and will involve 40% of the global economy. It's big.

Last October, Wikileaks[1] shone some light on this secretive deal. It suggests;

- Pharmaceutical corporations will be able to extend the length of their patients, preventing the production of cheaper medicines, while limiting the subsidy programs. This will increase the cost of basic medicines.

- Australians will be subject to foreign copyright laws. So they could be prosecuted and or even jailed for downloading their favourite TV program or music.

- The power of the US web surveillance will be extended. Local internet providers will be forced to give foreign law enforcers private user information. A draconian breach of present internet freedoms.
 
- Multinational corporations will have the right to sue our government over any laws or regulation change that impact on their right to profit. Threatening Australian food standards, environmental protection and workers rights. Australia already has an Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) agreement with Hong Kong. In 2011 Phillip Morris moved its operations there so it could sue the Australian government over its plain packaging laws. This will deter future governments from making important legislation protecting our environment and people.

Once this agreement has passed it will mean more money for Pharmaceutical corporations and IT products, less internet freedom, food standards compromised, environmental protection at risk and the ability of the government to govern responsibly diminished.

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[1] https://wikileaks.org/TTP-ip2