https://gist.github.com/brendio/6a9a201297e67db950325167383c8c91
⚠ 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.
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.
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
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.