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2005 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc

 

Human rights apply to you

 

I caught the train to Edgecliff and then walked to Paddington Bowling Club on November 11.

There, I attended a NSW Council for Civil Liberties meeting for the inauguration of their new website at .

Contrary to the forebodings of a Sydney Morning Herald reporter that the meeting would only be attended by ageing hippies, it was in fact supported by a cornucopia of erudite intelligent young Australians together with a smattering of concerned citizens of all ages including myself.

The ABC science presenter, Mr Robin Williams, was the guest speaker.

He told a story of how in post-war Vienna, he was seduced by the tyranny of power over another human.

As an eight-year old informant, he was able to control the welfare of a homeless harmless female indigent.

He continued by stating "several Australian University professors have repeated experiments to prove the ease by which ordinary people can betray their humaneness and torture or exterminate fellow citizens".

He opined that refusal to allow people their human rights is violence in itself.

Mr Williams concluded by asking all to support the work of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.

The NSW Council for Civil Liberties identifies today's era as one of extreme danger to civil liberties.

The Council is the only body in NSW working to protect the people.

They would like everyone to become a subscription member, make a donation or bequest.

The Council does not receive any State or Federal government funding to pay for its operation.

The non-voluntary operational side consists of one overworked part-time paid employee and a spartan office in Glebe.

I compared this to the palatial governmental suites in Sydney and Canberra and the millions of dollars spent to promote or popularise governing party propaganda.

All Australian governments since 1901 have denied Australians their genuine human rights via a Bill of Rights.

If you think that human rights and civil liberties do not apply to you, I simply ask: "Why are you unconcerned that your taxation and government has resulted in a system of homeless people, hospital scandals, petrol secretly diluted with ethanol, increasing greenhouse gases, the elderly washed in kerosene, citizens illegally detained or deported while parliamentary debate is stifled but $28 million is spent promoting Federal industrial relations proposals mistrusted by the majority of workers and local councils?"

Jean Pai, Woy Woy