Is Australia becoming a Police State?

This may seem an absurd question after all we are a parliamentary democracy with its balance of the separation of powers. The climate of fear based on keeping the country secure from would be terrorists has been ramped by our government anaesthetizing the population in accepting any law or imposition in the name of security.


It worries me when people don’t understand the underpinning of the rule of law. The law is not arbitrary but there for everyone be they people we like as well as people we hate, it is what is written in the law that counts and judgments are made on this, not an arbitrary decision from a politician. Thus, centralizing power in a minister’s hands with no chance for review leads us down this path.

 If judgements are arbitrary it makes us no different from a totalitarian state where no-one can be sure what the decision is based on. 


A number of years ago I listened to a talk on this subject by Professor Philip Alston, international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He outlined the characteristics of a police state and the list really concerned me considering the state of our government today.

The denigration of law when Tony Abbot worried about if a suspect terrorist was tried and was freed. What happened to being presumed innocent until proven guilty a basic tenet of the rule of law? Removal of legal restraints from government and exemptions granted to agencies from the coverage of normal execution of the law. A person can be taken into custody on suspicion without the normal recourse to access to a lawyer.


Limits on press freedom and curtailing public access to information this has been seen when questions have been asked about the detention of asylum seekers and turning back the boats. The press and public have been fobbed off the high-handed response about the need for secrecy for security reasons. It is easy to stamp ‘Top Secret’ on a document but it doesn’t necessarily make the information in it an actual security risk, but rather that politicians do not want to be embarrassed.

Authorizing the surveillance of the citizenry, nobody objects to surveillance of those possibly perpetrating crimes but it must be authorized in the strictest way through the courts. Limiting the freedom of movement of citizens, there is no limits on how this can be used. The demonization of certain groups also lends itself to abuse.


Truncated Parliamentary proceedings of which I would add the blatant way in which to push through questionable security laws by denigrating anyone questioning them as being soft on terrorism. This builds a further sense of fear in the population. 


Once there are exceptions to the rule of law it becomes open to the possibility of abuse. With the aggregation and reductions of these freedoms they can easily be expanded. The government can point to the many joint committees in this area, the Human Rights Commission and the media but they are fig leaves when the government denigrates and abuses anyone who criticizes their decisions and behavior.


Much of the population is inured to these accumulated changes. The usual refrain of, ‘if you haven’t done anything wrong, what have you got nothing to worry about?’ But it worries me, what they can do to one person or group today it can do to anyone, history tells us this.

Benjamin Franklin’s statement about freedom still holds true. ‘Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve either one’ 


Australia has no Bill of Rights, like Britain, Canada and the United States to measure any new law against and we are now walking away from International law. Where does this lead Australia? On the road to a police state, I hope not.


I think we all should be fearful considering the raids we’ve seen on NewsCorp and ABC journalists as well as the accumulation of power in Peter Dutton’s hands in his now expanded ministry.

Helsinki for New Year's Eve

The population of Finland is 5.5 million with 700,000 in Helsinki, which makes a smallish city. I had no preconceptions about Helsinki so I was open to whatever I discovered.

Frozen Harbour

We arrived in Helsinki around 2.45 in the afternoon and it was easy to get from the airport by train to the main railway station from the airport. Our hotel wasn’t far from the station, but as there were two parts to the street and the map, we had was indistinct we managed long way round. As it gets dark early it throws one’s perspective of time out. We conducted an initial exploration of the city the various streets, pedestrian malls, parks and shops. While we were looking in one of the shops that sold beautiful glassware, they had mugs with these cute little creatures on them ‘Moomins’, they sparked a memory of a children’s book I knew about from a study I did of children’s literature over thirty years ago. I gave it some thought and up popped the name of the book ‘The Finn Family Moomintroll’ by Tove Johansson, then we discovered souvenirs of these little book creatures everywhere and in all the museum shops, it became quite a joke. There is even a Moomin cafe!

"Moomintrolls!

The Christmas decorations were still around and were beautiful. Like Vienna these decorations look spectacular and I think because it’s dark and the lights on them show up to their advantage. We found a small place called Venn for dinner, we had hamburgers, mine was a veggie one.

We made our way down to the market square and stopped at Tuomiokirkko (Helsinki Cathedral) which dominates the area as it’s on a hill.  It is a fine chalk white neo-classical Lutheran Church as such is quite plain inside compared to Baroque and Gothic cathedrals designed by the architect Carl Ludwig Engel.

We then continued down to the waterfront the sea close to the coast was frozen the stark leafless trees presented a haunting scene against the mist and snow. As walk along the waterfront we found a café open so we warmed up with some coffee and I it turned out to be one of the very well-known ones.

Just above the waterfront is Upsenskin Kathedral which was originally built as a Russian Orthodox Church in 1868 from eye-catching red brick and towers over Katajanokka Island. It has the classic golden topped onion domes and now serves a Finnish orthodox congregation.

The famous indoor market at the water’s edge was a good place for lunch with stalls selling a wide range of delicatessen treats such as bear, reindeer and elk salami as well as fish, salmon and smoked salmon galore and a great range of baked goods.

Upsenkin Kathedral

We then went to the Anteneum – Art Gallery, which had an extensive art collection, mainly of Finnish artists. I love looking at the local artists of various places as one often doesn’t get to see them anywhere else. It was set in a manner that provided information about the social history of the time which is reflected in the art work. After we left the gallery, we watch the ice skaters in the square next to the station, marvelling at their ability, even little children showed confidence on the ice.

The following day a short ferry ride to Soumenlinna Island. It was worth a visit. During the Swedish era beginning 1748 fortification on the island began ending 40 years later. There are 6 museums on the island and we visited just a couple as we were only there a day. There are some delightful cafes to indulge in a coffee or lunch. Everything is well set out with various routes marked so one can get a feel of the history of the island.

On our second full day we went to Finnish Museum which presents Finnish history from the stone age to the present day as well as cultural history through a range of artefacts. The building itself is magnificent with ceiling frescoes in the entrance hall. Whenever I visit museums of non-prominent countries of the world, I always feel just how little I know, even though I’ve studied European history.

We then went to the famous Temppeliaukion Church, known as the ‘Rock’ Church. It is a Lutheran church which was designed by the architects the brothers Suomalainen and is built directly into solid rock and was completed in 1969. The church furnishing was also designed by the architects and the organ is magnificent with 43 stops and 3001 pipes. The church itself plus the simplicity of the interior which give the church its special awe-inspiring atmosphere.

Finnish Museum

We then wandered back to base and that evening dined at the restaurant ‘Lost in Helsinki’.

New Year’s Eve we decide to go to the Botanical Gardens however as it was winter the greenhouse was closed much to our disappointment. We then walked down to the coast to visit the City Museum, which had some interesting exhibits but was geared to children. After which we wandered around the shops again and just for fun, we went to the Moomin Café. After lunch it had started to snow so back to the hotel for a while before dinner. 

Then around 10.00pm we went down to the square where there was New Year’s Eve entertainment and the eventual countdown prior to midnight. This was the square of Helsinki cathedral, security to get into the area was tight, the crowd was exceedingly well behaved and not overly squashy. The entertainment was great with a variety of music and as the time was getting closer to midnight the snow became heavier, then the countdown. At midnight the fireworks all came off the cathedral, it was absolutely magic. It may not have been as spectacular as many of the larger more prominent world cities but there was a very special atmosphere and experience. Afterwards a very orderly crowd made exited without any incidents.

Kamppi Chapel

New Year’s Day in Helsinki is basically a dead day as there isn’t much open.  The shops were closed though the Christmas markets were still open so gave me an opportunity to buy some presents, we had some lunch at the market then went to the Kamppi Chapel (Chapel of Silence) is quite small and is located in Narinkka Square near a shopping mall and is intended to give people a chance to have a calm moment in one of the busiest areas in Helsinki. It is an ecumenical chapel and is very popular. Just entering it has a calming effect. Overall for the day we just relaxed.

The following day we were off to Iceland and as we were going on a small group tour we were met at the airport and taken to our hotel we saved us negotiating the transport.

Helsinki's Main Railway Station