Greens:ALP and the Coalition on notice over mandatorily data retention

The Australian Greens have put both the Coalition and Labor on notice. They have said If either tries to legislate a mandatory data retention policy into existence, they will become the target of an enduring campaign driven by organisations from across the political spectrum.

In a statement yesterday the Australian Greens said “After five years of debate, it is time for all sides of politics to acknowledge that the Australian public will not stand for a mandatory data retention policy keeping track of every aspect of their lives. It is time to kill the mandatory data retention policy once and for all.”

The Greens also pointed out warrantless metadata snooping is already out of control in Australia, with dozens of agencies accessing Australian metadata more than 320,000 times last year without needing to apply for a single warrant.

“The data retention plans should be considered in the context of proposals to further expand ASIO’s powers and legal immunities, the criminalisation of journalism and whistleblowing.” said the Greens.

The last time a similar broad-based campaign flared up in Australia was to confront Labor’s mandatory internet filter. After five years of constant antagonism, Labor was eventually forced to give up and abandon the policy.