BURNSIDE, Julian. Top Australian human rights lawyer: "Freedom of speech is fundamental to every other freedom"
Julian Burnside AO QC (born 9 June 1949) is an Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate, and author. He is known for his staunch opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, and has provided legal counsel in a wide array of high-profile and notably human rights cases (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Burnside ).
Julian Burnside on free speech in Australia (2009): “Freedom of thought and freedom of speech are closely related. Thought without information is pointless. The right to form and hold opinions depends crucially on access to information. Access to information is impracticable unless those with information or opinions are free to speak. Since it is difficult to monitor a person’s thoughts, it is more effective to inhibit the act of communicating information… In our tightly held media, only a limited range of views can ever be heard in the mainstream… In his book {David] Hicks quotes a US interrogator at Guantanamo Bay who said: “There is nothing against you. But there is no innocent person here. So, you should confess to something so you can be charged and sentenced and serve your sentence and then go back to your country, because you will not leave this place innocent” That is the attitude which informed [PM] Howard’s response to Hicks on [ABC TV] Q and A; it is the attitude which informed Australia’s response to Hicks’ incarceration in Guantanamo Bay. It is the attitude which makes it possible to shut down debate about terrorism, by imprisoning writers who express dissident views. It is the attitude which makes it possible to abandon David Hicks to American torture, and to ignore him when he speaks about it. In this supposed new age of terror, it is more important than ever to remember that freedom of thought and expression are fundamental to every other freedom we seek to protect.” [1].