Release: Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme squashes Conservative Views

Release: Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme squashes Conservative Views

The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, the nation’s largest grassroots advocacy group representing taxpayers, today condemned the Attorney-General’s office for partisan use of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme to target conservatives.

“The Attorney-General’s office rather than going after Chinese infiltration of universities or Communist party members buying up large swathes of Australian land, has instead attacked the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) run jointly by LibertyWorks and the American Conservative Union, an American non-profit.

“They have asked LibertyWorks’ one full-time volunteer to produce unattainable information in 14 days or face a three year jail sentence. This investigation would effectively crush this small Australian organisation for the ‘crime’ of holding a private event featuring interesting and engaging speakers.

“The Scheme chose the CPAC Conference as a target for no reason other than disagreeing with politics of the participants,” says ATA Communications Manager, Emilie Dye. “Bureaucrats have weaponised this regulation for political gain instead of using it for national security.

“The law is meant to stop foreign government related individuals from influencing the Australian government. But the ACU merely advocates for conservative ideals in America. They don’t receive money from the US government. The US government has no power over ACU operations or the selection of board members. They present a political philosophy that American and Australian bureaucrats alike dislike.

“The misuse of the Scheme has led to mistreatment of visiting politicians. Disliking a politician doesn’t give bureaucrats a right to that person’s correspondence. The Attorney-General’s office has asked LibertyWorks to invade the privacy of foreign politicians or face jail time.”

“By ambushing independent political groups instead of foreign threats, the Attorney-General’s office is letting foreign infiltration capable of jeopardising Australian security sit by the wayside. Chinese state-owned enterprises collect important data from Australian Universities while the agency tasked with combating these threats scrutinises people they don't like. 

“If anyone deserves a jail sentence, it is the taxpayer funded goblins who misused government powers to undermine an organisation simply because that group holds a political worldview that varies from their own.”