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The Council is opposed to the use of live facial recognition technology in public places, whether they be publicly or privately owned. We are on the precipice of a completely different world, where our open societies are turned into systems of constant surveillance. The panopticon on steroids.
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Acknowledging then that the government has a legitimate interest in combating fire ants, that interest must be weighed against the fundamental interests protected by the right to privacy and particularly access to private property in the form of a person’s house.
Read MoreIt is positive to see that reviews and inquiries into Australia’s surveillance landscape have reached similar conclusions to our own - that is, surveillance power lack proper transparency and oversight, and that is particularly concerning given Australia’s lack of enforceable human rights laws.
Read MoreIn our modern era, social media is absolutely essential to freedom of speech. Both children and adults have a right to freedom of speech. No doubt the right of children to speak is not as broad as that of an adult. No doubt, children are entitled to protection from some of the harms that might flow from freedom of speech. But they do have a right to access social media to communicate with their friends and to seek information.
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Sex offender registries create a false sense of security because most perpetrators of sex offences are known to their victims or their families. In 2015 around 75% of sexual assault victims knew their offender, while one third of victims were assaulted by a family member
The QCCL submits that there is no version of a PPD scheme that limits human rights in this way which could possibly be justifiable in accordance with section 13 of the Human Rights Act
Read MoreThe removal of the “reasonable suspicion” requirement, or any other objective basis for the search, rendered the citizen extremely vulnerable to an arbitrary exercise of power, restrained only by the police officer's honesty
Read MoreIt is submitted that in relation to the Commission making a public statement both in relation to the corruption assessment stage and at the conclusion of the Commission’s investigations, the Bill should be amended to make it clear that the provision contained within Section 65A(4)(g) namely “whether the statement may unreasonably damage the person’s health, safety or wellbeing or privacy or reputation” should be given significant weight by the Commission in deciding whether to issue a public statement.
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“Restrictions on political expenditure are plainly restrictions on freedom of speech. However, restrictions on electoral expenditure are akin to the rules of debate in a meeting which restrict the length of speeches and provide for rights of reply. This feature of expenditure caps makes them more acceptable than donation bans or caps.”
Read More“There have been panics about the effect of technology on children since antiquity, extending to recent examples such as radio, television and comic books. We should not be taking such extreme action in response to this one”
Read MoreNotwithstanding our submission that doxing offences in the form contained in the Bill should not be introduced, we submit that; if it were to be introduced, doxxing should be an offence only to the extent it can be equated to harassment or stalking as the unacceptable behavior and consequences are similar.
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QCCL President Michael Cope, today said that the Council condemns the failure of the Federal Government to implement the key recommendations of the review of the Privacy Act. “The Privacy Act was passed in 1988 and has not been substantially amended since then. In privacy terms 1988 is the stone age” said Mr Cope
Read MoreThe implementation of a digital identity scheme in Australia is a significant step and it is imperative that this is approached in a way that is measured, transparent, comprehensively safeguarded and that the Australian community is fully informed as to all potential consequences of this path
Read More“In the nineteenth century the eight-hour day campaign led to laws that protected the rights of workers to leisure and private time. If steps are not taken modern technology will slowly but surely eviscerate those hard-won rights. This is why we need an effective right to disconnect” says Michael Cope
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The implementation of a digital identity scheme in Australia is a significant step and it is imperative that this is approached in a way that is measured, transparent, comprehensively safeguarded and that the Australian community is fully informed as to all potential consequences of this path;
Read MoreIn our view, Australia should require any development or application of artificial intelligence to an authorisation and licensing process that primarily focuses on the human rights implication(s) and we submit that this approach ought to be consistently applied to State use of these computational processes as well as any private development or application
Read MoreThe Council accepts that the public exhibition of sexual activities should be banned. However, we also take the view that nude beaches should be permitted so long as they are in secluded areas and are known and clearly marked as nude beaches. If necessary, the State Government or relevant local councils should take steps to designate nude beaches and to mark and publicize them appropriately.
Read MoreIt is this nightmare we have come to discuss today in the form of the use of ‘AI’ to make decisions that could impact a person’s access to benefits or services, or could be used to make a judgement about whether or not they are law abiding
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We commend the Report as it addresses our submission and, in our view, is a significant and positive step towards the proper recognition and protection of Australians’ right to privacy.
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