ASIO and NT cops spied on, meddled with careers of Territorians
AUSTRALIA'S secret service spied on Territorians - including the NT News editor - files released under the Archives Act show.
Northern Territory
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AUSTRALIA'S secret service spied on Territorians - including the NT News editor - files released under the Archives Act show.
Dozens of Territory citizens including current federal MP Warren Snowdon, former NT News editor Jim Bowditch, pearling magnate Nick Paspaley Sr and activist Rob Wesley-Smith were the subjects of ASIO surveillance, Cold War-era files released after a request from Mr Wesley-Smith.
The Commonwealth spy agency also interfered with the social lives and possible job prospects of its targets.
Both NT Police and the Federal Police helped ASIO collect information, the records reveal.
ASIO recruited informants to secretly log conversations and took covert pictures of people meeting at Darwin's Raintree Park, playing football, participating in protests or just walking down the street.
Those targeted had spoken out against the Vietnam War, campaigned for Aboriginal land rights or opposed Indonesia's brutal invasion and occupation of East Timor.
Their partners, friends and colleagues were followed, their phones tapped and mail was intercepted.
Howard Springs resident Rob Wesley-Smith, now aged 71, applied to see his ASIO file under the Archives Act.
He received volumes of material from 1970 to 1979 which detailed his life for years - and revealed the extent to which Australia's domestic spy agency monitors the lives of ordinary citizens.
Unlike other ASIO targets, the agricultural scientist was not a member of the Communist Party. But he did help organise protests against the Vietnam War and campaigned to free East Timor along with his then-wife Jan, a high school art teacher.
One document shows how spooks made orders regarding Ms Wesley-Smith's career prospects.
She was: "Reported to be encouraging her students at the high school with anti-war paintings and discussions".
"I recommend that the Secretary, Public Service Board be appropriately advised that although the information is not of great substance it would seem prudent not to employ Jan Wesley-Smith in a position with access to classified information."
In another instance, Mr Wesley-Smith made friends with a Commonwealth police officer, but the police officer's bosses told her not to associate with him.
Later she was sent to Darwin Airport to identify Mr Wesley-Smith when he flew in - as she would be good at recognising him.
Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said using data obtained by spies to wreck careers and personal lives without the target knowing or having any redress was what happened under the Stasi in East Germany.
"It's the same sort of abuse," he said.
Mr O'Gorman said the oversight body set up to scrutinise ASIO - the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security - revealed very little information about what it actually did to prevent abuses by the spy agency.
The last time ASIO was scrutinised was by the Hope Royal Commission 40 years ago."It's time for a major overhaul of the supervision of ASIO," Mr O'Gorman said...
FOR more revelations from the Wesley-Smith files, see Saturday Extra in this Saturday's NT News
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