How lack of security has impacted a nation

Brooklyn Cooper

EDMONTON, Alta. – In a forum on Monday Jan. 27, Johan Lidberg, Australian deputy head of journalism at Monash University, says national security in Australia is failing. 

“It is beyond anything that has ever happened in recent memory,” says Lidberg. 

Lidberg, editor of the book In the Name of Security, believes a bill of rights needs to be implemented in order to stop this growing issue. 

Whistleblowers and journalists in Australia can be prosecuted for doing their job in relation to political figures. 

While Australia is a democracy, the government has the power to control the flow of information.

He says this lack of security goes way beyond media freedom, it’s about civil liberties such as freedom of speech and media freedom.

“It has turned into an Australian sport which is extremely disappointing,” Lidberg told an audience of about 40 people while speaking at the MacEwan University Feigel Conference Centre.

Lidberg demonstrated this crisis by showing a video from MediaWatch ABC of the severity of the security issue in Australia. In June 2019, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation office was raided by police in response to journalistic work alleging unlawful killings by Australian troops in Afghanistan. 

The five eyes are an anglophone intelligence alliance comprising of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States. Of these five countries, Australia is the only country that does not have media protection laws. 

Lidberg believes that in the future people will choose where to live in the world based on the security they desire to have.

He says climate has become harsher for national security, especially now with the current wildfire crisis in Australia.

Jordan Mennis, Canadian resident who recently traveled to Australia for recreational purposes, says conditions are unlike anything she ever expected. 

Mennis has been in Australia for 3 months and says conditions have worsened over time.

“The air quality has affected me,” Mennis says. “But only for about three days when it was really bad, and I could not go outside.” 

Mennis says 10 million hectares of land, which is approximately the size of England, have already burned.

According to Lidberg, more than 11.5 million people have been directly impacted by the wildfires. 

“My personal experience overall has been mostly unaffected as I’m living on the coast rather than inland where most of the fires are burning,” Mennis says.

“The fire season gets longer and longer every year,” Lidberg says in fear.