The Guardian 9 November, 2005
Editorial
Liars at work — again
John Howard and his Attorney General Philip Ruddock are once again attempting to hoodwink the
Australian people by doing what they do best — lying.
Howard's rush to amend the "terror laws" last week to introduce a one word amendment and the
subsequent raids and arrests this week bear all the hallmarks of an elaborate and cynical exercise
to achieve their shoddy political ends. Even the debunking by Ruddock last week, saying that no
arrests have been made and may never be made, can be seen as part of an elaborate mind
game.
It is transparently obvious that the whole incident is being beefed up to maintain fear and suspicion
in the community and to divert attention from the unpopular industrial relations legislation and the
undermining of democratic rights by the "terror laws" themselves.
Defence Minister Robert Hill has joined the Prime Minister's clamour with proposals to give wider
powers to the military to patrol city streets during some events. Hill's timing is perhaps an
admission by the Government that earlier scare-mongering was being widely criticised as a cynical
exercise.
The events also come at a time when the PM's popularity as measured in the polls is on a
considerable slide. Former leader of the Liberal Party John Valder says that Howard's honesty and
integrity are being increasingly questioned. The Queensland Premier Peter Beattie now accuses
the Federal Government of talking "alarmist rubbish" although he and other State Premiers had
earlier signed on to the Federal terror laws.
But Howard's agenda is by no means limited to the Australian scene. The Federal Government is
an integral part of the extreme international right-wing which is increasingly adopting fascist
measures to control community opposition to their policies. Their drive for more wars and the most
far-reaching attacks on workers' rights and living standards are bringing hundreds and thousands
onto the streets in many countries.
A recent example is the rioting in France caused by mass unemployment, poverty, discrimination
and hopelessness. Massive demonstrations and strike struggles are taking place in many countries
across the world. Many governments have become unstable, some are being thrown out. Bush's
popularity has also plummeted. He is facing one exposure after another.
But the lying, diversion and cover-up is not limited to the Federal Government. Did Bob Carr resign
so suddenly because he knew that the truth about the disgraceful Sydney cross-city tunnel contract
was about to blow? The State Government willingly signed on to the contract while pursuing its
vaunted public private partnership contracts, knowing that it gave tremendous advantages to the
private contractors while leaving the public to pick up the tab for the enormous payouts that the
contract provided for government default. Much of Sydney traffic was to be diverted to feed the
profit interests of the private tunnel contractors.
Any claim that the reality of this contract was unknown to Bob Carr and his Ministers is just another
of the lies that are being foisted on the long-suffering people of Australia. They are guilty! Rather
than Bob Carr being rewarded as a richly paid adviser to the Macquarie Bank, he should be in one
of the jails that his government has been building so enthusiastically.
The political climate in Australia is now changing as more and more people wake up to the cover-
up and lying being resorted to by governments. The lying is the propaganda side of it. The other
side is to be seen in the terror laws, troops on the streets, sweeping attacks on the democratic
rights of workers and trade unionists in the IR legislation and the supreme crime of the new wars
being planned.
One of the Federal Government's principal military advisers, Ross Babbage, a former official in the
Australian Department of Defence who was tied up with defence industries, has predicted a major
war in Asia in the 2020s. In the meantime he is calling for more and more money for the
military.
That's the future that Howard and others are preparing for the Australian people. That's why every
aspect of the Government's policies has to be opposed relentlessly and defeated.