28 July 2013
 
Royal Commission needed after defence intelligence targets NZ journalists

The Green Party is calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to look into New Zealand intelligence services after it was revealed today that the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has been spying on a New Zealand journalist working overseas and, further, that the NZDF categorises “certain investigative journalists” as subversives who warrant surveillance.
 
This follows the Prime Minister's department targeting the phone and movement records of a parliamentary journalist, and revelations of illegal spying at the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).

“These new revelations that the NZDF categorise journalists as subversives is alarming. It is time for a Royal Commission into New Zealand’s intelligence services in order to protect our democracy, our freedom, and our free press” said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman.
 
“The Defence Force is supposed to be there to protect New Zealand against foreign threats, instead it turns out that the Defence Force is turning its intelligence weapons against New Zealand journalists.
 
"We appear to have a widespread culture of disregard for democratic norms within New Zealand intelligence organisations.”
Information obtained by Nicky Hager and published in the Sunday Star Times today shows that the NZDF had access to the phone records of New Zealand journalist Jon Stephenson. This information was used to monitor Stephenson while in Afghanistan.
 
An internal NZDF manual has also been leaked, which shows that ‘certain investigative journalists’ are categorised as 'subversives', which then makes them legal targets for covert surveillance under the New Zealand Security Intelligence Services Act (NZSIS).
 
"We now find ourselves in the incredible position that the New Zealand Government has officially defined journalists as subversives which then provides the legal basis for the covert surveillance of journalists by the NZSIS,” said Dr Norman.
 
“There is a deeply concerning pattern emerging here:
- The GCSB has been operating outside of the law by spying on New Zealand citizens.
- The Prime Minister’s office has targeted the phone and security records of a New Zealand journalist and New Zealand Member of Parliament.
- Now we know that the NZDF has been covertly spying on investigative journalists, New Zealand citizens, who they see as a security risk.
- And that the NZDF categorises journalists as subversives which makes them a lawful target for state surveillance under the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Act.

“Today’s revelations at least answer the question of why the NZDF are being given the power to use the GCSB to spy on New Zealanders under the controversial GCSB bill. They want to spy on New Zealand journalists.
 
“The Government has assured New Zealanders that the GCSB bill will not impinge on our democracy and is needed to protect us from ‘the bad guys’. Instead, it is now even clearer that this law change is about legitimising spying on New Zealanders and journalists in particular.
"If John Key and the intelligence and security services have been doing nothing wrong, then they have nothing to fear from a Royal Commission of Inquiry.”

ENDS

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