IP: Australia to DNA profile all babies !

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2001 20:56:03 -0400
>To: dave@farber.net
>From: Manny Farber <manny@manny.com>
>Subject: Fwd: Australia to DNA profile all babies !
>
>>Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 10:44:25 +1000
>>From: "geoff s." <geoff@paypc.com>
>>Subject: Australia to DNA profile all babies !
>>To: Manny Farber <manny@manny.com>
>>X-Authenticated: <geoff@paypc.com>
>>
>>--------------------------------------
>>
>>I've taken the unusual step of circulating this rather alarming item as I
>>feel the anonymized recipients may find it interesting.
>>
>>In essence, they want to DNA profile babies, and later the adult population.
>>
>>See:-
>>
>>http://thecouriermail.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,1935606%255E3102,00.htm
>>
>>If there was ever any question of Australia being a police state, the
>>following makes its quite clear where things are going - maybe not next
>>year, but within a decade: sooner rather than later.  The right to silence
>>has aleady been abolished in Queensland, and a slew of revenue raising
>>centric laws, plus of course Qld now being listed in Amnesty International.
>>What
>>we appear to have is a redneck, anti-technological control freak nation of
>>(enforced) mediocrity.
>>
>>This is also warning to would be investors: don't touch Queensland with a
>>bargepole.  That state is jailing gays, pot smokers and even privacy
>>protestors.
>>The police already have (and abuse) Nazi like powers, including the
>>*involuntary* taking of DNA from people arrested, even for traffic offences.
>>The parallels to the 1935 Nuremburg Laws are amazing.
>>
>>Investment in Australia is *extremely* risky. 15% currency slide just this
>>year with worse to come. I'll the reader to assess the impact this trend
>>will have on the desire of scientists, engineers business people and anyone
>>with a brain to stick around. Most have already joined the exodus.  The
>>economy is fundamentally bad, with about 1 in 3 on some type of de facto
>>welfare program.
>>
>>This stuff is fairly scary -  *EXIT* visas are already in plan. I don't know
>>of
>>any other free place that would even consider this....what planet are
>>Australia's leaders on ?  Is there any limit to stupidity ?  Is this the end
>>game of a badly run economy ?
>>
>>And they wonder why people are packing up and leaving in droves.....
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------
>>
>>Nathan Scholz, Townsville bureau
>>27apr01
>>
>>CIVIL libertarians and criminologists have slammed a federal politician's
>>plan to DNA test all Australians from birth, but the Federal Government has
>>refused to rule out the scheme.
>>Peter Lindsay, Member for the Townsville-based seat of Herbert, suggested
>>mandatory DNA testing should be introduced to counter increasing crime.
>>The scheme would involve taking mouth swabs of all Australians, initially at
>>birth, but eventually include all adults.
>>Currently in Queensland, testing is mandatory for people convicted or charged
>>with an indictable offence with the sample included in the national Crimtrac
>>database.
>>Mr Lindsay said an electronic database could be built with sufficient privacy
>>safeguards to stop the information being used for reasons other than crime
>>fighting.
>>A spokeswoman for Justice Minister Chris Ellison said law enforcement
>>agencies supported Crimtrac but the Minister would not rule out Mr Lindsay's
>>proposal.
>>Civil libertarian Terry O'Gorman, the president of the Australian Council for
>>Civil Liberties, said a mandatory anti-crime database had the potential to be
>>used for other purposes, including allowing insurance companies to find the
>>risk of health problems.
>>Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja said breaches of genetic privacy could
>>have a dramatic effect on individuals and families and lead to discrimination
>>in employment and insurance.
>>One Nation senator Len Harris also criticised the plan and said it would
>>"trample all over their civil rights".
>>Justice studies lecturer Richard Hil, from the Queensland University of
>>Technology law school, said mandatory testing would be a "sinister step"
>>towards a "police state".
>>He said a balance had to be struck between what DNA testing could achieve and
>>the civil and human rights of Australians.
>>Mr Hil said there was no "great consuming crime problem" which needed such a
>>desperate solution.
>>A senior police officer said Mr Lindsay's plan had merit in combating crime
>>but doubted sufficient funds would be allocated for testing.
>>The test costs about $35 a kit but questions have been raised about its
>>efficacy.
>>Medical professor Lawrie Powell of the University of Queensland said the cost
>>of mandatory testing for medical reasons would be "prohibitive".
>



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