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⚠ Warrant Canary & Civil Liberties Statement
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## ⚠ Warrant Canary & Civil Liberties Statement
**Last updated: 26 May 2026**
As of the date above, I have **not** been contacted by ASIO or any Australian intelligence or law enforcement agency. I have **not** received any questioning warrant, detention order, or associated non-disclosure notice. I have **not** been compelled to hand over data, passwords, or communications. No gag order prevents me from speaking freely.
*If this statement is removed or ceases to be updated, you should draw your own conclusions.*
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### Why This Statement Exists
This canary is also a political statement. I believe Australians should be deeply concerned about the following:
**1. Secret detention without charge**
ASIO can now detain Australians — including children as young as 14 — for questioning for up to 168 hours. You do not need to have committed any offence. You do not need to be a suspect.
**2. You cannot tell anyone**
If you are taken for ASIO questioning, it is a **criminal offence** — punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment — to tell your family, friends, employer, or the public that it happened. You are legally silenced.
**3. The Attorney-General, not a court, signs off**
Questioning warrants are authorised by the Attorney-General, a politician — not by an independent judge. This bypasses a fundamental check on executive power.
**4. Lawyers are restricted**
While you are entitled to a lawyer, ASIO can restrict which lawyer you access. Your chosen legal representative may be excluded.
**5. Both major parties passed this**
Labor and the Coalition both supported these powers. This is not a partisan issue — it is a bipartisan erosion of civil liberties, passed with minimal public debate.
**6. The laws criminalise transparency itself**
The structure of these laws — detention plus mandatory silence — makes public accountability nearly impossible by design. A free society should not work this way.
**7. Scope creep is already baked in**
These powers were originally sold as counter-terrorism tools. History shows such powers expand. "Terrorism" under Australian law already includes actions that "interfere with" electronic infrastructure or "intimidate" the public — definitions broad enough to potentially capture protest and journalism.
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### Learn More
📺 Watch Punters Politics break this down clearly: [ASIO Can Now Legally Abduct You (And You Can't Tell Anyone)](
📰 Further reading: [Michael West Media — Civil Liberties: Senate to Approve Extraordinary ASIO Powers](
Michael West
Civil liberties. Senate to approve extraordinary ASIO powers - Michael West
New laws to pass Senate and enshrine ASIO's extraordinary powers of interrogation without proper judicial, parliamentary or public review.
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*This statement is published as an act of political expression. I believe Australians have a right to know these laws exist, and to demand better from their parliament.*
