AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED FROM ‘OPEN’ TO ‘NARROWED’

Australia is now in line with the United States, Ghana and Botswana in terms of civil freedoms.


An annual report on the civil rights of countries worldwide has downgraded Australia’s democracy from “open” to “narrowed”.

The CIVICUS Monitor is a collaboration between human rights organisations around the world, to assess the democratic freedoms of 196 countries.

In the 2019 report, Australia’s democratic ‘status’  dropped. This was due to recent police raids on media outlets, the growing trend of prosecuting whistleblowers like Witness K - and the increasing crackdown on peaceful protest.

The CIVICUS Monitor combines several different sources of data looking at things like the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and ‘expression’.

Countries are then given a ranking ranging from closed, repressed, obstructed, narrowed or open.

“All of these restrictive policies add up. We need to draw a line in the sand and say ‘enough’,” said the Centre’s Campaigns Director Tom Clarke.

“Powerful politicians and their corporate backers don’t always respect the rights of individual people or communities,” he warned.

We need to create an Australian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to help level the playing field.

The 2019 report took particular aim at legislation passed by Australian parliament this year that allows law enforcement authorities to force tech companies to hand over user information - even if it is protected by end-to-end encryption.

The report’s assessment of the Australian civic space is echoed in public opinion, with just 59 percent of Australian’s saying they are satisfied with how democracy is working.

Australia is one of three countries that were downgraded in the Asia Pacific region in 2019, with India and Brunei going from obstructed to repressed.

In wider regions, Malta joined Australia in declining from an ‘open’ civic space to a ‘narrowed’ civic space.

The report also found that the percentage of the world’s population living in a ‘repressed’ democracy doubled in the last 12 months, to 40 per cent.

Countries categorised as ‘open’ decreased in the past year from 4 per cent in 2018 to 3 per cent in 2019.

As part of the research CIVICUS published a ‘watch list’ - countries where citizen’s rights are being actively infringed upon. Making the selection for 2019 were Colombia, Egypt, Guinea and Kazakhstan.

China was highlighted for the ongoing conflict in Hong Kong over the proposed extradition bill, and the continued mistreatment of protestors and journalists.

There were several brighter spots in this year’s report. Dominican Republic and Moldova were both updated in terms of civic freedom from ‘obstructed’ to ‘narrowed’.


https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/australia-s-democracy-has-been-downgraded-from-open-to-narrowed

200 + years too late...

Morrison and his team of corrupt & inept cronies don't even know what human rights are.

rights, rights, rights.

human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life.

that only comes with responsibilities.

we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint".

we have it totally arse about.

rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic.

responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient"

we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters.

no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 11:58am:

rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"

"I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president." – President Donald Trump, July 23, 2019



(now watch horseboy move the goal posts)

greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 12:03pm:

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  "I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president." – President Donald Trump, July 23, 2019 (now watch horseboy move the goal posts)

no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"

https://media.heartlandtv.com/images/Trump+Pardon.jpg

No one admires someone who thinks they have the " right" to make every  thread about their own OCD and trump derangement syndrome  ::)

greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 12:03pm:

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  "I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president." – President Donald Trump, July 23, 2019 (now watch horseboy move the goal posts)

See   ;D

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 11:58am:

rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

Yep. Mothra kinda cancelled herself out as an Australian 'right' there.
Having children is a privilege not a right and children raised by that gratefulness  turn out less wonky in the head, than those who born to just be a right to their parents.
We come from a Prison here, where even the first peoples here did time of 40,000+ years that life had become a dream for them.
We don't need 'rights' here.
To be Australian is to be 'free' from Rights. It's just another shackled bond that we don't need here for a crime we never committed.
People go from the Frying Pan of Britain's influence here, to the Fire of USA's influence here. They remain in their Prison 'cell', while the best of us go out into this country and work for the sheer joy of it.

aussie believes he has the "rights" :)

hes keeping another file on cods.. :) :)

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 11:58am:

rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

That's right Aqua, but authority can overwhelm us at times with excessive rules, regulations, laws, taxes and stupid politics

Governments, by nature, are tyrannical, and they're getting worse, and one of our responsibilities is to let them know we won't stand for it. They are supposed to be our servants but all they do is play politics in their own bubble forgetting that there are people out there who are trying to actually makes their lives awesome, but meet roadblocks everywhere, the bushfires being the latest one. If the politicians can't do their jobs properly and adequately, then they should piss off and get the hell out of it

Bias_2012 wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 12:54pm:

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) That's right Aqua, but authority can overwhelm us at times with excessive rules, regulations, laws, taxes and stupid politics Governments, by nature, are tyrannical, and they're getting worse, and one of our responsibilities is to let them know we won't stand for it. They are supposed to be our servants but all they do is play politics in their own bubble forgetting that there are people out there who are trying to actually makes their lives awesome, but meet roadblocks everywhere, the bushfires being the latest one. If the politicians can't do their jobs properly and adequately, then they should piss off and get the hell out of it

Yuss!
They need to stand aside and let the Professionals deal with the problems in this country.

Driving at night along a stretch of State Highway and coming around a long bend and a Truck passes us by.
No more than just 15 seconds, felt like less.
I come around on a massive fallen tree across the road.
I break hard and immediately get on the CB to tell another truck that was travelling behind me to "Pull Up! Pull Up!"
and then turn my ute hard to get out of his way as I heard him breaking behind me already!
He stopped right up against the tree and my ute just got to the verge in time from being smashed up over the tree if any luck.
But immediately he was on the CB warning of the situation as I was ringing 000. By the time another Truck pulled up cautiously due to the warning - we were already organising ourselves to move the Tree. My Towel (The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy states that the Towel is the most usefull item in the Galaxy...) wrapped around his grill, we chain from it to various link points around the Tree as we prepare to drag it to the side. The Police turn up in quite a quick response and go straight into protecting the site from oncoming traffic at both ends. They don't even bother us in what we are doing. They leave it to us to do what we like and with some help from the other Truckie and a few others that turned up and got stuck straight in. We dragged the immense tree to the side and then cleared up all debris left on the road, like branches and large bark strips.
It was at this time the SES turned up and we had left them the tree to raffle off as fire-wood for donations. They too need it just like the Fire Fighters.
We shook hands and the Truckie laughed when I told him that he has never seen a ute move 90*degrees to the side like that as if all four tyres had turned, before.
We all went on our way.
Destination is what gets us through the journey.
Passed a Tree that just missed a southbound Truck and nearly belted a northbound ute and another Truck.

Bias_2012 wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 12:54pm:

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) That's right Aqua, but authority can overwhelm us at times with excessive rules, regulations, laws, taxes and stupid politics Governments, by nature, are tyrannical, and they're getting worse, and one of our responsibilities is to let them know we won't stand for it. They are supposed to be our servants but all they do is play politics in their own bubble forgetting that there are people out there who are trying to actually makes their lives awesome, but meet roadblocks everywhere, the bushfires being the latest one. If the politicians can't do their jobs properly and adequately, then they should piss off and get the hell out of it

I actually spent a bit of time up the territory and its a lot better up there.

A lot of people can organise a life with very little government input.

Part of growing up from being a toddler is to start to take responsibility for yourself and that INCLUDES your own emotional state.
It's on YOU to maintain a personal positive narrative even when things don't " go your way" because things will constantly not " go your way"

This idea of rights
This idea that if children are having a dispute at school or at uni they have to run off to an authority figure.
This idea that you run off to HR if you are " upset"
This idea that when nature tries to do you in ( a bushfire perhaps) , which nature has been doing for billions of years and now it's all the prime i ministers fault  ::) ::).

This idea that you are a victim
That you have a birthright to happiness
That if things don't go your way, you should complain, cry and run off to an authority figure.

I don't think there is an idea around that is worse or that makes people WEAKER .

And you don't want to be weak. You don't want rights to shelter behind like a worthless coward . Because challenges are coming.
Illness, sick children , Mother Nature, death of loved ones, hardship....it's all coming and your rights won't help you.
Only your determination to shoulder a burden will help you.
Certainly the idea that complaining to the government is your go to position is insane

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 1:34pm:

Bias_2012 wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 12:54pm: aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) That's right Aqua, but authority can overwhelm us at times with excessive rules, regulations, laws, taxes and stupid politics Governments, by nature, are tyrannical, and they're getting worse, and one of our responsibilities is to let them know we won't stand for it. They are supposed to be our servants but all they do is play politics in their own bubble forgetting that there are people out there who are trying to actually makes their lives awesome, but meet roadblocks everywhere, the bushfires being the latest one. If the politicians can't do their jobs properly and adequately, then they should piss off and get the hell out of it I actually spent a bit of time up the territory and its a lot better up there. A lot of people can organise a life with very little government input. Part of growing up from being a toddler is to start to take responsibility for yourself and that INCLUDES your own emotional state. It's on YOU to maintain a personal positive narrative even when things don't " go your way" because things will constantly not " go your way" This idea of rights This idea that if children are having a dispute at school or at uni they have to run off to an authority figure. This idea that you run off to HR if you are " upset" This idea that when nature tries to do you in ( a bushfire perhaps) , which nature has been doing for billions of years and now it's all the prime i ministers fault  ::) ::). This idea that you are a victim That you have a birthright to happiness That if things don't go your way, you should complain, cry and run off to an authority figure. I don't think there is an idea around that is worse or that makes people WEAKER . And you don't want to be weak. You don't want rights to shelter behind like a worthless coward . Because challenges are coming. Illness, sick children , Mother Nature, death of loved ones, hardship....it's all coming and your rights won't help you. Only your determination to shoulder a burden will help you. Certainly the idea that complaining to the government is your go to position is insane

So your idea is to completely ignore governments and just get on with your life?

You ignore governments at your peril

As I found out in the 60's when I got on with making my life awesome with an apprenticeship, girlfriend, car, trade, permanent job with future prospects to get ahead

Then the Govt decided they wanted to put me in jail, if I didn't learn about guns and how to kill people, supposedly to protect arses like yours

I lost my job, my girlfriend and to a certain extent, lost my mind. Decades went by before I could pick myself up and try once again to make a go of it, this time with a strict eye on govt antics and their dictatorship tendencies

Ignore governments at your peril - that's the motto all of us should never forget

Ahh Politics - more trapped here than ever before.  ;D

Bias_2012 wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 3:58pm:

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 1:34pm: Bias_2012 wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 12:54pm: aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) That's right Aqua, but authority can overwhelm us at times with excessive rules, regulations, laws, taxes and stupid politics Governments, by nature, are tyrannical, and they're getting worse, and one of our responsibilities is to let them know we won't stand for it. They are supposed to be our servants but all they do is play politics in their own bubble forgetting that there are people out there who are trying to actually makes their lives awesome, but meet roadblocks everywhere, the bushfires being the latest one. If the politicians can't do their jobs properly and adequately, then they should piss off and get the hell out of it I actually spent a bit of time up the territory and its a lot better up there. A lot of people can organise a life with very little government input. Part of growing up from being a toddler is to start to take responsibility for yourself and that INCLUDES your own emotional state. It's on YOU to maintain a personal positive narrative even when things don't " go your way" because things will constantly not " go your way" This idea of rights This idea that if children are having a dispute at school or at uni they have to run off to an authority figure. This idea that you run off to HR if you are " upset" This idea that when nature tries to do you in ( a bushfire perhaps) , which nature has been doing for billions of years and now it's all the prime i ministers fault  ::) ::). This idea that you are a victim That you have a birthright to happiness That if things don't go your way, you should complain, cry and run off to an authority figure. I don't think there is an idea around that is worse or that makes people WEAKER . And you don't want to be weak. You don't want rights to shelter behind like a worthless coward . Because challenges are coming. Illness, sick children , Mother Nature, death of loved ones, hardship....it's all coming and your rights won't help you. Only your determination to shoulder a burden will help you. Certainly the idea that complaining to the government is your go to position is insane So your idea is to completely ignore governments and just get on with your life? You ignore governments at your peril As I found out in the 60's when I got on with making my life awesome with an apprenticeship, girlfriend, car, trade, permanent job with future prospects to get ahead Then the Govt decided they wanted to put me in jail, if I didn't learn about guns and how to kill people, supposedly to protect arses like yours I lost my job, my girlfriend and to a certain extent, lost my mind. Decades went by before I could pick myself up and try once again to make a go of it, this time with a strict eye on govt antics and their dictatorship tendencies Ignore governments at your peril - that's the motto all of us should never forget

Nice post  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

mothra wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 10:20am:

AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED FROM ‘OPEN’ TO ‘NARROWED ’ Australia is now in line with the United States, Ghana and Botswana in terms of civil freedoms. An annual report on the civil rights of countries worldwide has downgraded Australia’s democracy from “open” to “narrowed”. The CIVICUS Monitor is a collaboration between human rights organisations around the world, to assess the democratic freedoms of 196 countries. In the 2019 report, Australia’s democratic ‘status’  dropped. This was due to recent police raids on media outlets, the growing trend of prosecuting whistleblowers like Witness K - and the increasing crackdown on peaceful protest. The CIVICUS Monitor combines several different sources of data looking at things like the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and ‘expression’. Countries are then given a ranking ranging from closed, repressed, obstructed, narrowed or open. “All of these restrictive policies add up. We need to draw a line in the sand and say ‘enough’,” said the Centre’s Campaigns Director Tom Clarke. “Powerful politicians and their corporate backers don’t always respect the rights of individual people or communities,” he warned. We need to create an Australian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to help level the playing field. The 2019 report took particular aim at legislation passed by Australian parliament this year that allows law enforcement authorities to force tech companies to hand over user information - even if it is protected by end-to-end encryption. The report’s assessment of the Australian civic space is echoed in public opinion, with just 59 percent of Australian’s saying they are satisfied with how democracy is working. Australia is one of three countries that were downgraded in the Asia Pacific region in 2019, with India and Brunei going from obstructed to repressed. In wider regions, Malta joined Australia in declining from an ‘open’ civic space to a ‘narrowed’ civic space. The report also found that the percentage of the world’s population living in a ‘repressed’ democracy doubled in the last 12 months, to 40 per cent. Countries categorised as ‘open’ decreased in the past year from 4 per cent in 2018 to 3 per cent in 2019. As part of the research CIVICUS published a ‘watch list’ - countries where citizen’s rights are being actively infringed upon. Making the selection for 2019 were Colombia, Egypt, Guinea and Kazakhstan. China was highlighted for the ongoing conflict in Hong Kong over the proposed extradition bill, and the continued mistreatment of protestors and journalists. There were several brighter spots in this year’s report. Dominican Republic and Moldova were both updated in terms of civic freedom from ‘obstructed’ to ‘narrowed’. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/australia-s-democracy-has-been-downgraded-f...

no surprise really

And if the libs are in govt. for long enough, it'll get worse.



as for the rest, i don't know why anyone gives horseshit any attention. If all he can post is the same responses asinine responses to every thread, no matter the topic, then he needs to stop shoveling poo and commit himself into an institution. Until then, the best you can do is ignore the idiot.

Doesn't matter if the Libs or the others are in

Labor rubber stamps everything and rolls back nothing when they have the chance

same party, two different titles, like 'mum', 'dad'


Albo and the gang are sitting back sipping pina coladas as always

Of course our freedoms are gone. That is how this system is designed.
Funny how those that cry about it are the ones that love the precious laws. 
The worst thing you can do for the human race is to introduce laws the way we are. Utter retardation.
Parasite solicitors feeding off your every move. These scum of society feed off us all and we pay through the nose for their services. But try and defend yourself without one. They're all in it together.

We live in a disguised communism.

... and yet when I had a tilt at 'Peace Studies' to complement all my other strands - the prof and I could not agree over government being intrinsically violent, despite centuries of evidence to the affirmative, and it being a mandatory basis in terrorism studies.. I mean he did ask the question - "Do we live in a violent society?" - but could not encompass chapter and verse.... but then again - he's a sort of Mahatma Gandhi quasi-imitator - in his own mind... without fully understanding Gandhi..

One reason why I loathe academics - so narrow and limited in their inability to actually think.... they tend to fixate on some limited idea and stick to it once if gives them 'academic success'.... then their students die in the mind and become clones or suffer 'Failed'... so much for academic search for truth ...

Captain Caveman wrote on Jan 17^th, 2020 at 7:09am:

Of course our freedoms are gone. That is how this system is designed. Funny how those that cry about it are the ones that love the precious laws.  The worst thing you can do for the human race is to introduce laws the way we are. Utter retardation. Parasite solicitors feeding off your every move. These scum of society feed off us all and we pay through the nose for their services. But try and defend yourself without one. They're all in it together. We live in a disguised communism.

You got that right

which is why it makes sense to go full commie and lease this place out to China

Can you see Aussies getting away with HongKong, for example? 

Can you see Aussies even thinking about going HongKong?

No.  Because we're self censoring now.  We self-police

No wonder most of us feel as if we're plodding through a half life

And how has the Australian grubberment achieved this wonderful power mad objective?

Through the gradual introduction of more and more laws designed to "protect" us from the menace of terrorism.

Terrorism tgat has been deliberately seeded into Australia by bringing the CULT of DEATH followers into our country, knowing full well that they will bring with them terrorism, crime, and murder.

By introducing this catalyst, the grubberment knows it has the public in its hands, willing to allow more and more draconian rules in the name of protection, from something they SHOUKD not need protection from in the first place.

Many wonder why our grubberment woukd deliberately bring the worst of humanity, the CULT that brings with it civil unrest, the CULT that deliberately isolates themselves from normal society.
The answer is simple, so tgat the grubberment can introduce laws and destroy any civil liberties, our freedom, in the name of control.

I have said many times tgat China is more free than Australia, and it's true and getting worse.
You have no rights
You are monitored 24/7 by a corrupt and greedy grubberment.
Everything you do and say is controlled, monitored and recorded.

George was an optimist.
Australia has gone beyond 1984 so far that it's unfathomable.
Soon, you will not be allowed to do any cash transactions
Soon the grubberment will dictate what you can do and when
Soon you will be more repressed than any totalitarian regime imaginable.

All thanks to the introduction of the CULT of DEATH.

Quote:

Aust. democracy downgraded

Fair enough - not like they got it wrong, in fact maybe a bit slow - been going that way for decades.

mothra wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 10:20am:

AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED FROM ‘OPEN’ TO ‘NARROWED’ Australia is now in line with the United States, Ghana and Botswana in terms of civil freedoms. An annual report on the civil rights of countries worldwide has downgraded Australia’s democracy from “open” to “narrowed”. The CIVICUS Monitor is a collaboration between human rights organisations around the world, to assess the democratic freedoms of 196 countries. In the 2019 report, Australia’s democratic ‘status’  dropped. This was due to recent police raids on media outlets, the growing trend of prosecuting whistleblowers like Witness K - and the increasing crackdown on peaceful protest. The CIVICUS Monitor combines several different sources of data looking at things like the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and ‘expression’. Countries are then given a ranking ranging from closed, repressed, obstructed, narrowed or open. “All of these restrictive policies add up. We need to draw a line in the sand and say ‘enough’,” said the Centre’s Campaigns Director Tom Clarke. “Powerful politicians and their corporate backers don’t always respect the rights of individual people or communities,” he warned. We need to create an Australian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to help level the playing field. The 2019 report took particular aim at legislation passed by Australian parliament this year that allows law enforcement authorities to force tech companies to hand over user information - even if it is protected by end-to-end encryption. The report’s assessment of the Australian civic space is echoed in public opinion, with just 59 percent of Australian’s saying they are satisfied with how democracy is working. Australia is one of three countries that were downgraded in the Asia Pacific region in 2019, with India and Brunei going from obstructed to repressed. In wider regions, Malta joined Australia in declining from an ‘open’ civic space to a ‘narrowed’ civic space. The report also found that the percentage of the world’s population living in a ‘repressed’ democracy doubled in the last 12 months, to 40 per cent. Countries categorised as ‘open’ decreased in the past year from 4 per cent in 2018 to 3 per cent in 2019. As part of the research CIVICUS published a ‘watch list’ - countries where citizen’s rights are being actively infringed upon. Making the selection for 2019 were Colombia, Egypt, Guinea and Kazakhstan. China was highlighted for the ongoing conflict in Hong Kong over the proposed extradition bill, and the continued mistreatment of protestors and journalists. There were several brighter spots in this year’s report. Dominican Republic and Moldova were both updated in terms of civic freedom from ‘obstructed’ to ‘narrowed’. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/australia-s-democracy-has-been-downgraded-from-open-to-narrowed

:'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

Australia is 'downgraded' to the level of the US, UK, France, Italy, Austria - places to avoid.  :( :(


These surveys are ridiculous.

aquascoot wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 11:58am:

rights, rights, rights. human rights wont give you a sense of purpose so you bounce out of bed in the morning, full of passion to get on with building an awesome life. that only comes with responsibilities. we will move ahead as a society when we increase our ranking of "voluntarily lifting a load and moving forward without complaint". we have it totally arse about. rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. responsibilities make you strong and a contributor and make you concentrate on "how can i best contribute and how can i be brave and resilient" we admire people who take responsibility "over and above"...like the volunteer fire fighters. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

That's true, dear. No one should have the right to privacy. If the government want your phone calls or search history, they should be free to have it.

Whatever happened to taking responsibility?

Me me me, it's pathetic.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 12:05pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 12:03pm: aquascoot wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 11:58am: rights make you a crybaby and a taker and make you concentrate on "me,me,me and my rough little life"...its pathetic. no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights"  "I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president." – President Donald Trump, July 23, 2019 (now watch horseboy move the goal posts) no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights" https://media.heartlandtv.com/images/Trump+Pardon.jpg

Yes, but no one's saying Mr Trump doesn't have rights, dear. The rules don't apply to him.

We're talking about the chodes, who live lives of pure garbage. If the government wants to monitor how many Big Macs they eat each day, for example, the chodes have no right to complain.

Why not eat a fresh salad instead? That'll show them. The public servants might even give Fat Steve and Janeen a pat on the back for looking after themselves.

Karnal wrote on Jan 18^th, 2020 at 4:08pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 12:05pm: no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights" https://media.heartlandtv.com/images/Trump+Pardon.jpg Yes, but no one's saying Mr Trump doesn't have rights, dear. The rules don't apply to him. We're talking about the chodes, who live lives of pure garbage. If the government wants to monitor how many Big Macs they eat each day, for example, the chodes have no right to complain. Why not eat a fresh salad instead? That'll show them. The public servants might even give Fat Steve and Janeen a pat on the back for looking after themselves.

It's amazing how you and Turd rush every opportunity to fellate each other in public.

No shame. You are actually proud of what you do.

Frank wrote on Jan 18^th, 2020 at 5:23pm:

Karnal wrote on Jan 18th, 2020 at 4:08pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 16th, 2020 at 12:05pm: no one admires someone who is always banging on about "their rights" https://media.heartlandtv.com/images/Trump+Pardon.jpg Yes, but no one's saying Mr Trump doesn't have rights, dear. The rules don't apply to him. We're talking about the chodes, who live lives of pure garbage. If the government wants to monitor how many Big Macs they eat each day, for example, the chodes have no right to complain. Why not eat a fresh salad instead? That'll show them. The public servants might even give Fat Steve and Janeen a pat on the back for looking after themselves. It's amazing how you and Turd rush every opportunity to fellate each other in public. No shame. You are actually proud of what you do.

Then we have a consensus. You, dear boy, agree with everything expressed here, and why not? You dead chaps may not have rights, but you do have responsibilities to those still living, no?

Yes, some say it feels better to give than recieve, but we all know which you prefer.

We'll talk after lights-out, okay?

Frank wrote on Jan 18^th, 2020 at 11:37am:

:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( Australia is 'downgraded' to the level of the US, UK, France, Italy, Austria - places to avoid.  :( :( These surveys are ridiculous.

Yes once we were better than them but not anymore.

Can you downgrade 'democracy' with foreign monarch and two party cartel???
:D

Was at Cooma Gaol yesterday.
Apparently the Museum Staff had closed it with a sign they were needed in the Gaol next door.
I (we) could hear the Prisoners having a little riot or dummy spit.
You wouldn't hear of such things from the Prisoners in the old Convict days.

These days, the Prisoners are far more 'harder' than the Prisons and when they are released - these Prisoners are far worse than when they go in because it is the Prisoners already in there that do the 'rehabilitating' of the new ones.

Apparently the Human Rights of Prisoners is more important than the Human Rights of the Public these days.