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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