Conservatives and Human Rights

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, June 2nd, 2015 - 16 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, australian politics, human rights, International, Politics, uk politics - Tags:

220px-Tony_Abbott_-_2010

In Tony Abbott’s Australia there was a recent attempt to attack a fundamental human right, that of citizenship by granting the Minister of Immigration the right to withdraw an individual’s Australian citizenship, even if it was the only citizenship the individual had.

It was a covert attempt from within Abbott’s cabinet and was quickly shut down by others with a proper comprehension of the importance of citizenship and human rights.

It was not a general power, it was to be applied only against those suspected of terrorism related offences.  But the fact that it was even considered, and the leaking of transcripts of what was said in Cabinet, suggests that Abbott’s tenure as Prime Minister may again be on the ropes.

The proposal was raised by Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton.  Remarkably there was no policy paper to present and senior members of Cabinet including the Deputy Prime Minister were not aware that the idea was being proposed before it occurred.  It was brought up at the end of a cabinet meeting with no paperwork.

The Sydney Morning Herald ran this story which included these remarkable quotes from within the cabinet meeting in question:

Malcolm Turnbull attacked the measure:

This is an extraordinary proposition … [a] person’s citizenship is of enormous importance, intrinsic to themselves. Take me. The only people who’ve lived in Australia longer than my family are Aboriginal. I have no other identity. Are we seriously saying some minister could take my citizenship?

Only if you’re a terrorist, was the rejoinder. “Only if you are someone the minister thinks is a terrorist,” Turnbull corrected.

Barnaby Joyce objected to the lack requirement of of hard proof, the lack of a trial, the absence of a jury, the lack of real rigour in a decision to take away a basic human right.

Isn’t that what we have courts for?  If you don’t have enough evidence to charge them in a court, how can you have enough evidence to take away their citizenship?”

George Brandis bristled against the suggestion that this fundamental right could be taken away by an administrative decision:

I am the Attorney-General. It is my job to stand for the rule of law.”

Christopher Pyne also objected:

This is a matter for the judiciary to decide, not the minister.”

“A sole Australian citizen, terrorist or not, is our responsibility. We can’t wash our hands of the fact. We can’t pretend they’re not Australian when they are.

“The best thing to do is get them home, arrest them, and put them in jail.” And if there’s not enough evidence for a court? “Then get it.”

The practical implications of the proposal if it was enacted?  An Australian overseas could be prevented from returning to his or her country of birth or adoption.  And an Australian in Australia could be detained in custody indefinitely.

Abbott and co tried to argue that the individual could apply for citizenship of another country and this made it different.  But Julie Bishop identified why this idea was unworkable.  If Australia took away someone’s citizenship because of possible involvement in terrorism which country would want to grant them citizenship?

Turnbull’s further comment shows how badly the issue had been handled.

Here we go again,” he told his Prime Minister in the meeting. “Talking about something as momentous as this and there is nothing in front of us. There’s a discussion paper that only a few of us have seen. This is a shambles.”

Meanwhile in the United Kingdom the Scottish Nationalist Party has been accused of plotting to keep the UK Human Rights Act.  The Daily Mail’s choice of words is incredible.  The SNP are apparently “plotting” to protect existing rights.  I thought the plotters would be those attempting to remove those rights.

The motivation is a jingoistic insistence by the Conservatives that the European Convention on Human Rights is too foreign for English purposes.  Conor Gearty in the Guardian described the situation and the motivation in the following terms:

So why haven’t they promised to withdraw from the convention? They say they will if European officials don’t behave properly in discussions while the new bill is going through parliament, a peculiar assertion because it is the Strasbourg court that matters, and of course its judges can’t and won’t be drawn into political debate with a member state. Probably, the party leadership hasn’t had the guts to act now on the withdrawal they clearly want: repeal of the Human Rights Act was judged enough of a bone to keep the dogs of Ukip and their own Tea Party obsessives busy long enough to get them through the next few months until the election.

 

As far as I can tell the objection relates to the location of the Court and not the nature of the rights created.

Both incidents clearly show how conservatives are willing to attack basic human rights for political advantage.  For a movement that always talks about the importance of the rule of law their willingness to subvert it for political purposes is disappointing.

16 comments on “Conservatives and Human Rights ”

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  1. Sirenia 1
    2 June 2015 at 8:34 am

    I heard that Cameron’s government was repealing their Human Rights Act. That would mean things like slavery would be legal. As well as racism and sexism

    • te reo putake 1.1
      2 June 2015 at 8:43 am

      Not quite the case. Cameron wants to break the link to the European Court of human rights and default to the UK courts instead.

      • Sable 1.1.1
        2 June 2015 at 9:34 am

        True but in reality this is the same as taking away human rights in the UK. UK courts are a joke like ours are.

        • Bill 1.1.1.1
          2 June 2015 at 9:56 am

          They want to pen a bill of British Rights. It won’t happen.

          The Irish peace settlement is based on the European Human Rights Act. SO, that would have to be re-negotiated. The ‘Runnymede Conservatives’ (old school Tory) would object too, and on a majority of 12 or whatever it is….

    • Daveinireland 1.2
      2 June 2015 at 2:23 pm

      ” repealing their Human Rights Act. That would mean things like slavery would be legal. As well as racism and sexism”

      The UK Human Rights Act was introduced in the UK in 1998. Was slavery legal prior to it’s introduction?

  2. vto 2
    2 June 2015 at 8:36 am

    Conservatives are dangerous and thick-headed, as this clearly shows. Bunch of nutjobs who can only see backwards.

  3. Sable 3
    2 June 2015 at 9:31 am

    How Abbott became PM beggars belief.

    • David H 3.1
      2 June 2015 at 9:39 am

      And how he is still PM is an even bigger surprise.

      • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1
        2 June 2015 at 9:46 am

        It shows the disarray and repulsiveness of the Australian Labor Party that they somehow lost a popularity contest to a guy that even Coalition supporters loathe

        • Kevin 3.1.1.1
          2 June 2015 at 12:12 pm

          But they will wise up quicker than we would and get rid of him.

        • tc 3.1.1.2
          2 June 2015 at 7:52 pm

          Don’t forget Murdochs empire threw the kitchen sink at Gillard then Rudd to help Abbott over the line and even then they don’t control the senate which palmer, greens and independents hold balance.

          Oz is a more mature electorate who know how to check the loons via not giving them senate control.

          • mickysavage 3.1.1.2.1
            2 June 2015 at 7:59 pm

            Yep they are. Enough people and commentators will stand up and say this is crap. Over here those people are fewer in number and seem to get taken out …

  4. Colonial Rawshark 4
    2 June 2015 at 10:08 am

    The ad-hoc removal of citizenship for reasons of “terrorism” will have been an American proposal to the Australian authorities. In the US they have been removing citizenship from Americans in order to reduce the paperwork required to drone US citizens overseas.

    Perhaps they have some Australian drone targets in mind now.

  5. feijoa 5
    2 June 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Well, thanks Mr Abbott- they’ll probably all move over here-
    They could, couldn’t they?

  6. tc 6
    2 June 2015 at 8:02 pm

    Classic toxic tony behaviour, the latest in a line up that includes;
    Leaving refugees in substandard off shore locations to meet an election promise of ‘stopping the boat people’
    Winding down remote aboriginal community funding
    Attacking the human rights commissioner using her impaired child (classy)

    There’s more but you get the idea, currently brandis is smashing around the arts community for some light relief in between his clown act as attorney general.

  7. PaulChau 7
    26 June 2015 at 2:45 pm

    This is a disgusting display and abuse of power. Someone else needs to come up with a solution that will shelve even thoughts of removing a person’s citizenship by force this way into storage for good! I can’t believe they would even be so cruel!