Australian Greens spokesperson on Communications, Senator Scott Ludlam

The Senate will vote on the establishment on Inquiry into Electronic Surveillance on International Human Rights Day.

"10 December has been celebrated as International Human Rights Day since 1950, but in 2013 the right to privacy is virtually meaningless," Senator Scott Ludlam stated today.

Greens communications policy spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said today that the overreach of covert surveillance agencies had hit a tipping point, with revelations that Indonesian leaders had been directly targeted.

"Are we seriously meant to believe that the President of Indonesia, his wife and his leadership team are a national security threat to Australia?"

"Australian intelligence gathering has been absorbed into the US national security state, which is widely accepted in the US to be out of control and in urgent need of reining in."

Kevin Rudd's "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit failed to live up to its name, with the Prime Minister ignoring questions about PRISM and surveillance.

"Reddit forums generate more questions than can be answered, but Mr Rudd ignored the highest ranking questions about large-scale warrantless surveillance," said Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens communications spokesperson.

The Federal Government has refused to turn over any documents regarding its plans for a data retention scheme, rejecting in entirety a Freedom of Information request from Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.

Senator Ludlam requested "letters, emails, file notes, records of phone conversations or meetings, memos or reports about the drafting of legislation or regulations on data retention between the Attorney General's Department and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel". It was denied in full this afternoon.

The Australian Greens will introduce a Bill next week to strengthen regulation of data collection on Australians, returning normal warrant procedures to law enforcement agencies accessing peoples' private data.

"This is the first step to winding back the kind of surveillance overreach revealed by the PRISM whistleblower," Greens communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said.

I rise to speak on the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Bill 2012. The Australian Greens support the aims and objectives of this bill, in particular the unification of the National Privacy Principles and the Information Privacy Principles into the new Australian Privacy Principles that apply to both Commonwealth agencies and private sector organisations.

Senator WRIGHT (South Australia) (16:37):

Australian Greens spokesperson for communications Senator Scott Ludlam today warned against further extending the loosely defined and already over-reaching online surveillance powers of Australia's intelligence agencies.