URGENT ACTION ALERT TO STOP VIDEO CAMERA SURVEILLANCE BILL

It is only days now until Parliament votes on the law that would legalise covert video surveillance by Police, Fisheries, SIS and Customs. This bill must be stopped! It is the most serious assault on our fundamental freedom and rights in our lifetime. As it stands, no warrant is even required to conduct video surveillance.

We are asking everyone to take two minutes to email members of Parliament who have not decided which way to vote and tell them to vote ‘NO’ on the bill. It is likely to be voted on this Thursday (October 6). At present, the National party does not have the numbers to pass the bill. It only has the support of United Future. It needs 3 more votes – so we want to make sure that neither the Labour Party nor the ACT party support this dangerous bill from becoming law. The Green, Maori and Mana parties do not support the bill at all.

Please email any member of parliament you like. We would certainly encourage in particular emails to:

ACT party
Rodney Hide – rodney.hide@parliament.govt.nz
John Boscawen – john.boscawen@parliament.govt.nz
Roger Douglas – roger.douglas@parliament.govt.nz
Hilary Calvert – hilary.calvert@parliament.govt.nz
Heather Roy – heather.roy@parliament.govt.nz

LABOUR
Phil Goff – phil.goff@parliament.govt.nz
Annette King – annette.king@parliament.govt.nz
David Parker – david.parker@parliament.govt.nz
Charles Chauvel – charles.chauvel@parliament.govt.nz
Grant Robertson – grant.robertson@parliament.govt.nz
David Cunliffe – david.cunliffe@parliament.govt.nz
Ruth Dyson – ruth.dyson@parliament.govt.nz
Clayton Cosgrove – clayton.cosgrove@parliament.govt.nz
Maryan Street – maryan.street@parliament.govt.nz
Trevor Mallard – trevor.mallard@parliament.govt.nz

The most important thing to say is:

‘VOTE NO ON THE VIDEO SURVEILLANCE BILL’.

Other things you can say are:

• It is an assault on the rule of law as it retrospectively legalises illegal police actions

• It is an assault on the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure

• It is an assault on the right to privacy

• You don’t want any expansion of the power of the state to surveil people

The police and government have been misleading the public by saying that the bill will ‘restore the common law position’ - the police have never had the power to do trespassory video surveillance. The police knowingly broke the law and should be prosecuted.

The ONLY submission received in support of this law was from Police. All other submissions – including the Law Society, Criminal Bar, civil society organisations and hundred of individuals all opposed this bill.

March Against the Police State

'There will be an urgent protest march on Saturday, October 1st at 2pm starting from Cuba Mall stage to oppose the government's plan to retrospectively legalise illegal video surveillance by the police,' said Batch Hales, member of the Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill.
'The State is set to legalise unlawful video surveillance by police to cover cases already before the criminal courts. In doing so, they are validating illegal conduct deliberately engaged in by the police. They plan to pass this law under urgency within the next week. This is an outrage. People across the country are deeply concerned about this issue. We must stop this further fundamental assault on our freedoms and roll back the expanded police state.'
'Most people will have heard that John Key wants to legalise police breaking the law and planting secret surveillance cameras inside people´s homes so that it applies retrospectively - eg. to cases that have already been investigated and are now being prosecuted. That is, quite simply, contrary to fundamental constitutional principle and a serious violation of individual human rights. It is the police who should be prosecuted.'
'As importantly is the revelation that the police are breaking the law ALL THE TIME. This use of secret video surveillance is in widespread use by police without any legal authority. The police break the law, and then they hope that the court system will allow it under the Evidence Act. Along with this urgent bill, the Search and Surveillance Bill needs to be thrown out.'
'The expansion of State surveillance is fundamentally about controlling the population. It comes at a time of high unemployment, when the entire benefit system is being gutted and public services privatised. Surveillance by the State is about controlling the growing poor and underclass in our society who have nothing to lose, because they have nothing. They are being squeezed at every point: the State is seeking to repress any resistance to the greed of the rich and powerful who have been busy taking corporate welfare, and stealing resources and land.
'We must resist the police state in all its forms - all the mechanics of control and compliance that require we sacrifice freedom for manufactured lies and fear about `criminals´.' concluded Batch.

STOP THE SEARCH AND SURVEILLANCE BILL

Phone-in/Fax-in/Email them!

Contact the members of parliament and demand that they vote
NO on the Search and Surveillance Bill.

Phone: 04-817-999
Fax: 04-471-2551
Email: firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz (insert MP's
name into address)

Some things you can tell Members of Parliament about the
Search and Surveillance Bill:

1. You do not support the expansion of police powers to
include video surveillance on/in private property.

2. You do not support the expansion of police
powers to conduct searches without warrants.

3. You do not support the erosion of the right to silence
with the introduction of production and examination orders.

4. You do not support the extension of police powers
to some 70 other government agencies including the
Pork Industry Board, Work and Income, the IRD and the
Overseas Investment Office.

5. You do not support any extension in the use of
tracking devices.

Tell them to vote NO on the Search and Surveillance
Bill! We want a different kind of world: one where our
freedom is not sacrificed in favour of Big Brother ‘security’.

Day of Action - 9 October

Wellington - meet at Cuba Mall, 12:00 noon, Saturday 9 October

This Saturday, 9 October a national day of action will take place against the Search and Surveillance Bill, which is due back before parliament by the end of the month. A number of speakers have lined up to speak against the bill including Keith Locke of the Green Party, Kay Brewerton from the Wellington People's Centre and Dr Sandra Grey, Secretary of the Tertiary Education Union. They will be speaking at the Wellington protest starting in Cuba Mall at 12:00 noon. The action is being organised by the Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill - long-time opponents of the proposed legislation, which would greatly expand state powers of search and surveillance.

'Since the Search and Surveillance Bill was first introduced in August 2009, the Justice and Electoral Select Committee has obfuscated the issues surrounding the bill and acted to prevent public input and debate on it', said campaign member Timothy Evetts.

'When the bill was first introduced, it was claimed that it did not grant new powers at all and that fears surrounding new powers were unfounded. But when the interim report came out of the select committee in August 2010, it admitted to a huge range of new and expanded powers. That was only the beginning of the government's obfuscation and obstruction with this bill.' Mr Evetts continued.

In May 2010, the select committee published a press release stating their intention to restrict submissions on their pending interim report to only those people who had given submissions on the original draft of the bill. After significant pressure from campaign members, submissions were opened up to the general public - resulting in 380 new submissions.

Finally, after submissions closed in September the committee quietly notified a handful of submitters that they would be allowed to make oral submissions before the committee. After enquires by campaign members it was found that the committee did not intend to allow anyone else to be heard except those that they had hand-picked. 'It seems clear that the committee has a blatant disregard for public input in the legislative process.' Mr Evetts said.

'Despite widespread opposition to the bill, the committee has persisted in obscuring the facts, obstructing input and ignoring the legitimate concerns of the public. The only course of action left to us to oppose this draconian legislation is action on the streets, which is why we have organised the day of action for this Saturday. We will be making our voices heard loud and clear - that the people of New Zealand do not want this law passed.' Mr Evetts concluded.

In Wellington, the protest march will be starting at the bucket fountain in Cuba Mall at 12:00 noon on Saturday. The campaign is urging all concerned people to come along and join in the action.

Day of Action - Saturday 9 October

National Day of Action to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill
Meeting: Bucket Fountain Cuba Street, 12 noon, Saturday 9 October

This is our chance to get out on the streets and fight against the dramatic expansion of state power. We do not want to let this bill pass! We need collective action against state violence and repression on this day.

We cannot lose anymore ground to the advance of totalitarian state control. Let us take back our lives, our workplaces and our communities from state surveillance.

The Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill is opposed to the bill in its entirety. Join us and bring you friends, family, co-workers, and any materials for action - banners, placards, costumes, flags etc.

Organised action in Auckland will be happening on the same day. If you are out of those centres and want to organise actions, please get in touch with us if we can provide any support or assistance.

Making a submission on the Search and Surveillance Bill

General Instructions

1. Submissions are due 3 September 2010
2. Submissions can be made on-line through the parliamentary website. You may compose your submission in Word, or equivalent, and: Attach it or Cut n’paste it into the website as specified.
3. Go to the Select Committee's web site and follow the instructions.
4. Submissions can be made in hard copy [two copies required] – freepost to Justice and Electoral Select Committee, Parliament, Wellington
5. You can download the entire ‘Interim report of the select committee’ (a 442-page pdf
   document) here.
   

Format of your submission
There is no specific way that your submission should look. You should include the following items: your name and contact details, if you want to make an oral submission to the select committee, and whatever you want to say about the bill – this can be general or very specific.

The Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill is opposed to:

1. Video surveillance by any agency of the state where trespass onto private property isrequired. Video surveillance inside of private property is currently totally illegal. It shouldremain that way. There is no justifiable reason for police or any of the approximately 70 other government agencies in this bill to be able to install a camera in anyone’s bedroom, car, church or anywhere else.
2. Making video surveillance subject to the same regime as audio surveillance. We say that theintrusion into our privacy by video surveillance is entirely different from audio surveillance.
3. Any expansion of State power to conduct audio surveillance. Currently the law restricts audio surveillance (bugging) to investigations of serious and violent offences. We say that even now the police abuse that and get warrants when they shouldn’t. It is not enough just to suspect someone.
4. Making on-going surveillance legally similar to a one-off search. We think that the two arevery different – the privacy implications of on-going surveillance is much more profound than a one-time search.
5. Any expansion of police or other agency powers of search without warrant.
6. Any expansion of police powers to erect roadblocks.
7. The conferring of police powers onto 70+ other government agencies.
8. The use of ‘plain view’ searches to seize computer systems and data.
9. The end to the right to silence through the use of production and examination orders.
10. The ability to conduct remote computer searches.
11. The ability to compel individuals to provide computer access information.

Please share your views with the select committee on this matter of vital importance!

Public Meeting in Wellington

Urgent public meeting to stop the Search and Surveillance Bill

Monday, 30 August 2010, 7pm
St. Josephs Church, Basin Reserve (just off Brougham St, Mt Vic)

Speakers: Michael Bott, NZ Council for Civil Liberties; Chester Burrows, Justice and Electoral Select Committee chair + Campaign spokesperson.