Dear NEVILLE, 

Would you copy ASIO in on every personal email you send, include them in every conversation you have with a friend online, send them your personal photos and videos? Soon, you may not have a choice. 

Right now the Government is considering the most sweeping and radical changes to Australia’s surveillance and intelligence laws since the establishment of the original laws in 1979.

The changes would give Australia’s spy agency, ASIO, broad powers to gather unprecedented levels of data on Australian citizens, including monitoring your emails and posts on Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts. Internet providers and websites would be forced to keep detailed records of everything you do online for at least 2 years, and be forced to turn this over to the government if requested– and all of this could potentially be done without a warrant. 

We’ve put together an informative video to explain the changes. Watch the video to find out more about how your privacy could be invaded, and add your name to the petition asking the Government to protect us, but respect us: 

http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us

These changes are so controversial that Attorney-General Nicola Roxon is trying to rush them through the committee¹ – hoping they’ll get through before we catch on to what’s going on, without proper scrutiny. 

Intelligence agencies play a vital role in protecting our national security, but that can’t come at the expense of privacy and proper safeguards. These changes would treat everyone like criminals, seek to reduce the checks and balances governing the use of and access to intercepted communications, skirt the power of the courts, and give significant powers to the intelligence services and the Attorney-General.

GetUp members have successfully stood up for our privacy online in the past. When the Rudd Government tried to introduce a mandatory internet filter, GetUp members mobilised to ensure our internet is free from unsolicited government interference. Now we must again come together to protect our civil liberties. 

These next few weeks are crucial as the Government’s discussion paper is debated in committee and reported on to Parliament. With such a short time allowed for consultation, the Attorney-General and the Government are trying to rush this through Parliament and avoid public scrutiny. Add your name to the petition and tell the Government to protect our civil liberties: 

http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us

Thanks for standing up, 
The GetUp team 

^[1] Paper reveals govt’s national security crackdown, Bernard Keane. Crikey. 9 July, 2012 

PS – Want to know more about these controversial proposals? We’ve put together an informative video to explain the changes. Watch it here:http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us

GetUp Action for Australia is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp Action for Australia’s work, pleasedonate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly towww.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp Action for Australia, please clickhere. Authorised by Simon Sheikh on behalf of GetUp Action for Australia, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.