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G4EBT > ACTION 16.01.06 12:42l 141 Lines 6524 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 5C1878G4EBT
Read: GUEST
Subj: Referral to VK "Authorities"
Path: DB0FHN<DB0MRW<DB0ERF<DB0FBB<DB0IUZ<DB0GOS<DB0RES<DK0WUE<SP7MGD<ON0BEL<
GB7FCR
Sent: 060116/1036Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:23411 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:5C1878G4
From: G4EBT@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : ACTION@WW
For information only, not for argument or debate:
I've detailed below the agencies in Australia from whom I'm seek
clarification as to whether my bulletins on "religion and politics
(actually, mostly about Human Rights) infringe the terms of the VK
amateur radio licence or transgress any other VK laws.
I'm also seeking views as to whether the long-standing campaign by two VK
amateurs and the alleged banning of my messages by an unspecified number
of VK sysops transgresses Australia's Human Rights Framework.
It isn't a complaint - I seek no redress, it's just a request for
clarification. I'm not "dobbing" anyone other than myself - any bulls
of others which I submit will not carry names or callsigns. I'm not
interested in the personalities, just to resolve the issues and to
establish the princples.
I will however, say that the two individuals are former state presidents
of the WIA, which might, in some people's eyes, add credibility to their
stance, albeit they don't hold office now, and their views are their own,
not those of the WIA.
I'm preparing a case to go to:
1) The Minister for Justice at the Australian Attorney-General's Dep't,
which serves the people of Australia by providing expert support to the
Government in the maintenance and improvement of Australia's system of
law and justice.
The Department is the central policy unit, for which the Attorney-General
and Minister for Justice and Customs are responsible for drawing up
legislation (such as the Amateur Radio Licence), which then falls to
public bodies to implement. In the ACMA's case, to enforce and regulate
broadcasting, radiocommunications, telecommunications and online content.
I'll be asking the Attorney General to confirm that the amateur radio
regs, and observance of them by VK radio amateurs, must comply with
Australia's Human Rights framework, and that the amrad regs cannot sit
above it.
Nor can some antediluvian non-compliant "gentleman's agreement" override
it. (That isn't the law - it's just "folklore"). It's 2006 - packet isn't
a time machine piloted by two or three VKs to take us back to 1946, nor is
the ww network their personal fiefdom. We don't live in the past, but in
the present, with an eye to the future. Some need to come up to speed.
2) The Australian Human Rights Commissioner, at the Human Rights Unit
responsible for monitoring the promotion of Human Rights in Australia.
Ordinarily, it deals with interference of Human Rights by public authority
such as the ACMA, other public bodies in for example health, education,
the police and so on, or such things as discrimination by employers etc.
I'm not sure whether they'll take up cases of interference with rights
by individual Australian citizens - time will tell. If nothing else, it
will highlight the extent to which a few VKs are at such a wide variance
with Australian Human Rights philosophy.
I'm supplying a dossier of (un-named) packet bulls as examples of what I
see as a sustained campaign over several years, to suppress and denigrate
the legitimate exercise of rights by two Australian citizens on matters of
freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom of expression, in
direct contravention of Australia's Human Rights Legislation.
I'll also supply a dossier of my own bulls, comprised of those which I
believe to be the most contentious. I'd be grateful if any VK users or
sysops would let me know by SP of any religious or political bulls I've
written which they've found particularly offensive, and I'll ensure that
they go into the file.
I'm seeking the Commissioner's views on whether the course of conduct
engaged in by these Australian citizens is in tune with of the Australian
Government, both nationally and internationally, as they seem to be at a
wide variance from the ethos of the National Action Plan of Australia's
National Framework for Human Rights, and Prime Minister Howard's stated
aims.
When I've had responses, I'll contact the ACMA and President of the WIA
accordingly. Eventually, I may put something out on packet, but don't hold
your breath - I doubt this will be resolved in a couple of weeks.
I'm in no rush - it's not a high priority, and it needs to be done well.
Meanwhile, it's not stopping me from doing anything on packet if I wish
to, which I don't, for the reasons outlined in my bull on 31 Dec 2005.
It's a pity we can't send bulls headed "to anywhere in the world except
Perth and Albany", as it would have saved a lot of hassle, but we can't.
Bob and Ian can of course exercise self-restraint in not downloading such
bulls, but they don't.
The reason is plain - it isn't so much that they're offended, as annoyed.
Quite simply, they want to drive certain types of bulletins off the packet
network to "sanitise" it to fit their own narrow view of what packet
should consist of.
VK6BE wrote:-
> Some of you fellers over there can't see it, can you? Messages which
> are on topics that are likely to offend fellow amateurs should not be
> there in the first place.
That statement is repetitive, baseless, obsessive, and pointless. It
underlines why I'm taking matters up with the Commissioner and Attorney
General. Nothing less will do.
In due course, I'll be content to accept the Commissioner's views on the
validity or otherwise of Bob and Ian's assertions, when the Commissioner
has had conduct of the file of their bulletins, mine, and those of other
amateurs from the UK and elsewhere in the world to which Bob and Ian have
taken exception.
I'll be happy to abide by the Commissioner's adjudication. Hopefully,
others will too, then those who want to continue using packet, can calm
down a bit, get on with it and try to have some fun before it's too late.
As the Human Rights Framework and VK amateur radio regs will form the
basis of my submissions, for those who may like to know what I'm banging
on about, I'll put something out over the next few days for anyone with
time on their hands, who likes a boring read.
PS: Could I please have a list of VK BBSs at which my messages are banned,
the date the action took place, what led the sysops to feel that they had
"just and sufficient" cause, and any offending text that caused such
actions.
Many thanks in anticipation.
(Not interested in silly arguments - game over).
73 - David, G4EBT @ GB7FCR
QTH: Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
Message timed: 10:26 on 2006-Jan-16
Message sent using WinPack-Telnet V6.70
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