This vast expansion of anti-privacy laws, proposed by the Minns Labor Government, represents a further serious attack on civil liberties of every person in NSW with zero transparency over what impact, if any, these privacy invasion laws have had on organised crime.
Greens MP and Justice Spokesperson Sue Higginson said, “These changes are a matter of concern for every single person that lives in NSW, while couched as targeting organised crime, they will apply to everyone. The face of every single person with a licence in NSW will be up for sale to the highest bidder on the dark web if these laws pass,”
“They are part of the continuing trend towards personal privacy being diminished in favour of extensive and opaque police powers and a State that will soon have the right to permanently store your entire digital history as a result of relatively minor infringements,”
“Organised crime in NSW is complex and is a serious threat to the community, and in many instances is being driven and funded by the failed practice of prohibition or by forcing new powers on a Police Force that was never designed to surveil the public en masse,”
“There is a lack of accountability and transparency about the use of existing warrants and powers relating to Police accessing phones, and the Government will not tell the community what is happening to all of this very detailed and personal data. We should not blindly accept that further and extensive changes are necessary just because Chris Minns wants the electorate to be frightened,”
“Considering the weaknesses that have been repeatedly and increasingly exposed in data storage systems, National identity facial recognition databases could as easily make identity theft more likely when a cost-saving Government signs the wrong contract with some private for-profit data storage provider,”
“These new expanded police powers and capacity is about one thing, more control of the people by an increasingly hostile and arrogant Government. Organised crime must be dealt with, but not at the expense of our civil liberties, our privacy and our freedom from the arbitrary intervention of the state,” Ms Higginson said.
Civic Theatre Executive Manager Leonie Wallace, Lord Mayor Gavin Morris and Cr Jenny Barrie go behind the scenes and use some of the special equipment that will be part of the Paranormal Investigation Nights, accompanied by Renata Daniel and Anne Rzechowicz from Newcastle Ghost Tours. Executive Manager Leonie Wallace said the tours will let visitors see the Civic Theatre in a whole new light.