5th November 2019
Dear Secretary Steven Kennedy,
I am today making an official complaint about the behaviour of the Australian Treasury relating to disclosures as a result of a Freedom of Information request (FOI 2580 – Document 1) relating to Economy Wide Cash Payment Limit (CPL).
The basis of good Government is effective consultation and engagement with the public. The evidence suggests this has been actively avoided in this case to drive a specific agenda.
The Submission provided Minister Sukkar and the Treasurer Frydenberg with a briefing on the outcomes of the public consultation Treasury facilitated concerning the Currency (Restrictions of the Use of Cash) Bill 2019, the Currency (Restrictions on the Use of Cash – Excepted Transactions) Instrument 2019 and other associated documentation. The public consultation was conducted by Treasury from 26 July 2019 to 12 August 2019.
Specifically, in the advice, Treasury informed the Minister and the Treasurer that:
“Treasury has received over 3,500 submissions during the two-week public consultation period. Over 3,400 of these submissions are part of a campaign by the Citizens Electoral Council.”
This is a factually incorrect statement, in that I have evidence that many of the submissions, whilst they might echo some of the sentiments voiced by the CEC, were not directly or indirectly associated with the CEC or their campaign.
Indeed, Digital Finance Analytics, a boutique research and consulting firm made a direct submission, and we are also aware of a significant number of other individuals and firms who also made submissions. I have not financial or political alignment with the CEC.
But we all hold the firm view that the bill as presented eroded our civil liberties, did not provide factual justification for the $10,000 cash limit, and the connection with monetary policy and negative interest rates – as articulated for example by the Black Economy Taskforce itself as well as agencies such as the IMF – was not discussed in the explanatory memorandum.
This appears to be a blatant attempt to dilute the very strong community concerns about the propose bill, whilst displaying a strategy like that executed a couple of year ago when the revisions to APRA’s powers were nodded though in the Senate. In each case the CEC was used as an excuse to ignore very real community concerns.
So, I am seeking a formal apology for this error, confirmation of the true count of independent submissions and specifically that my own submission was NOT bucketed into the CEC campaign count. When will the submissions be made public so I can confirm this? Clearly your advice would also need to be updated.
It is no wonder that public trust in Government is at an all time low.
I will be making the same point as part of my submission to the current Senate Inquiry.
Martin L North, Principal Digital Finance Analytics
A good letter.
Good because it raises questions that 25 million Australians needing to know.
The fact that so many other letters have not been written is a standing testament to secrecy and coercion that characterise ‘big state’ Australia.
Central planners world wide have not been able to solve complex economic problems and the RBA, Parliament and Treasury fall under the category of central planners in the secret way financial affairs are carried on in Australia.
They have shown themselves to be inept and unable and unwilling to communicate with the folk whom the decisions like the Cash Ban and others, affect so deeply.
Thanks Martin