Social Justice, Surveillance, and Inequality: An Australian Analysis

This essay, addressed to the Prime Minister of Australia, critically examines the state of social justice and surveillance within the country, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that neoliberal policies, including privatization and deregulation, exacerbate social inequalities by prioritizing economic growth over individual welfare, leading to disparities in income, access to education, and healthcare. The essay also highlights concerns about mass surveillance, detailing the erosion of privacy through various monitoring systems and legislative actions. Furthermore, it discusses the impact of capitalism and immigration detention policies on social inequality. The author calls for social action and policy changes to address these issues, safeguard civil rights, and promote social justice by advocating for updated visa policies and strict surveillance programs.

Criminology

Honourable Prime Minister
Your leadership during Coronavirus outbreak has been exemplary and we have seen and
experienced how effectively crisis situation was handled under your leadership in Australia.
However, as phase of Coronavirus was challenging and complicated, it also outlined several
hidden aspects about the system and processes in the country. Social inequalities and survelience
aspect are among others. Being a advocate for social justice motivated me to make concerns
known to you.
Social inequalities are a very important challenge for social justice because social justice
can only be given when everyone seeking justice is treated equally. However social inequalities
create difficulties in social justice. Neoliberalism that is associated with policies of economic
liberalisation including privatization, deregulation, globalisation, free trade, austerity and
reduction in government spending in order to increase role of private sector in the economy and
society (Nilsen and Holdt, 2019). Neoliberalism policies of government are likely to increase
social inequality in society. The reason behind this is that key focus on economic growth and
development and this avoids consideration about individuals in society and their welfare.
Privatization of activities lead to situation in which organisations solely are concerned about
their profits and are willing to make highest return on their investment. In such situation,
employees become compelled to work in situation where they being paid less than what they
expect and deserve. However there are government policies to secure interest of employees,
however they only require following least requirements. Similarly globalisation and free trade
are policies in which interest is harmed and this lead to socio-economic inequality in individuals.
This later impacts on all aspects of their life and their abilities to access education, health and
basic human rights. Covid crisis came as one of the factor that had impact on life of everyone
regardless of their socioeconomic status. However, covid-19 crisis disproportionately affected
jobs and wages of women, young people, less qualified and lower-paid workers. Covid-19 crisis
resulted in significant fall in income of workers who were working on the basis of paid working
hours. Privatisation and deregulation will allow organisations to treat employees according to
their choice in which they can reduce pay of employees and can also take steps such as layoff.
Government can only provide certain standards and additional actions are taken as found
appropriate by the organisations (Martins-Filho and et. al., 2020). This is why it is very
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important that social actions and changes are considered as implemented so that social
inequalities can be reduced which will contribute in social justice. In addition to effect on
economic conditions of society and social group, social inequality can also lead to rationale and
conscious actions of harming social status of group and other criminal activities. Social
inequality is not only related to income but also extends to inequality on the basis of gender,
social class and health care. In healthcare certain groups receive better healthcare services
compared to others. This is against the concept of social justice according to which everyone
deserves equal political, economical and social rights and opportunities. Social justice and
reduction in social inequality is important for balancing growth of country as well and this is
why actions for addressing this problem are required.
Privatisation is also a factor that leads to inequality in society, privatisation was discussed
under Neoliberalism, but this has a considerable impact and requires that actions are taken for it.
In relation with privatisation study by Bakkeli (2017) shows that regions with higher degrees of
privatisation consist of higher inequalities in income and larger privatisation correlates with
lower individual income. The study further outlines that income of individual is strongly affected
by their education, occupation, employment sector, household registration status. Here it is
important to consider that education that one can access, occupation that they can participate in
on the basis of qualification and competence and their employment sector strongly correlate with
their income. This means that individuals can get better education when they are able to spend
more compared to others. Privatization of education institutions is an example of how better
education and development can be accessed by high-income group people. Privatisation of
organisations also enable them to function for their interest rather than for employees, in this
interest of employees get affected and on the basis of wages and salaries given to employees
inequalities in society also increases. Social economy on the other hand, involves consideration
of interest and welfare of everyone and focus is not placed on increasing profitability at any cost
and this is done in privatisation and private organisation. This is the reason that they do not
consider welfare and interest of employees (Williamson and Hogan, 2020). Privatisation of
organisations also leads to wealth inequality in which wealth becomes concentrated to certain
individuals. In social economy income is generated by government and then they equally
distribute income but in privatisation there is no requirement of distribution of income and
distribution takes place through wages and business means. This lead to significant inequality of
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wealth in society leading to one type of social inequality. Privatisation of healthcare can also lead
to healthcare inequalities in which there are differences in how individuals get healthcare
services (Luo, Lie and Prinzen, 2020). This can be avoided through social actions and changes
needed which will develop social equality and facilitate social justice. However, it is required
that everyone gets opportunity for their development and growth and this is why actions should
be taken so that everyone can get equal opportunities and rights for the resources available in
society.
Surveillance in Australia is also an important consideration and issue that Covid-19
situation brought into sharp view. Surveillance in society is not appropriate because its harms
privacy of individuals and surveillance takes place through different means and networks
including telephone, internet and other communication networks and financial systems, vehicles,
international travel, utilities and government schemes and services. This means that almost
everyone individuals are under mass surveillance in Australia and because of this, privacy of all
individuals is at risk. Individuals and world became known with the surveillance in US was
disclosed and in Australia several incidences are there that raises question on how effective
surveillance is when individuals are being monitored from all their moves and activities. This is
clear invasion of privacy of overall population and there is requirement of strong social actions
for dealing with such acts and improve monitoring and surveillance system so that individuals
remain assured that their privacy is secured and is not at risk because of the mass surveillance
program. As of August 2020 no warrant was required for organisations to access metadata
information of private parties and this involves information regarding calls and emails sent and
received location of the phone, internet browsing activity (Sujito and et. al., 2021). This suggests
clear invasion of privacy by organisations. In 2014 proposals in relation with surveillance of
population by government in collaboration with commercial service provides were made.
Proposals included giving hacking powers in which Australian security intelligence organisation
(ASIO) was to be given the right to hack into computers and modify them. Single computer
warrant to become umbrella surveillance and in this proposal power to spy on whole computer
network under single computer access warrant was given to ASIO. Spy on citizens abroad was
proposal includes giving power to Australia Secret Intelligence Services to collect intelligence on
Australian citizens overseas. Several aspects of these proposals and surveillance program seems
that privacy of individuals and their right to freedom is being reduced and ignored by the
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surveillance program in which individuals are being monitored wherever they and whatever they
do. This is also a challenge for social justice in whom individuals have to compromise with their
freedom and privacy. In addition to this Telecommunication and Other Legislation Amendment
Act is also an act according to which unacceptable surveillance rights have been granted that
invades civil rights of Australian citizens. In this users can be compelled to provide passwords of
their personal devices at the request when law is applicable and in case they refuse they are
fined. It is very important that such surveillance programs are monitored and adequate social
action and changes are brought for social justice and for safeguarding civil and human rights of
Australian population. Along with incidences of surveillance are also there suggesting that social
action and changes have become very important and in this 2020 COVID data incident is also
involved (McClure and et. al., 2020). In this incident Australian spy agencies were caught
collecting Covid-19 app data incidentally. The agencies and eavesdropping agencies said that
collection of data from the app was done in course of the lawful collection of other data.
Incidental collection is concerned with collection of data that is not done intentionally and
deliberately but become part of wider collection of data (Ceccarelli and et. al., 2021). This
incident suggests that agencies are collecting data in several forms and this is why to safeguard
civil rights of Australian citizens, action and changes have become mandatory.
Capitalism is also an element leading to inequalities in society in which businesses are
run by mere purpose of profit earning and profit maximisation. Global shift towards capitalism
because of potential for higher profits, economic freedom and reduced role of state leads to rising
economic inequality. Capitalism leads to unfair inequality in society and because of this not only
income inequality generates but individuals also become able to exploit other individuals. This is
also unfair and against social justice policy and concept. This means that few people enjoys
considerable wealth where other individuals only work for them and get exploited and this also
leads to greater inequality in society which reduces potential for equal income and opportunities
in society in long term (Gompers and et. al., 2020) . Along with this income also become
concentrated as few individuals become able to generate more and more wealth and others work
for them for minimum and basic wage even when they deserve better.
In current Covid-19 pandemic situation immigration detention social issue has brought
into picture. Due to Covid-19 pandemic a greater number of people are entering into Australia
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illegally through via violations. This is majorly because due to Covid-19 pandemic Australian
government has limited arrival of immigrants within the country and as a result, those people are
entering into country illegally (Miller and et. al., 2020). Due to this, I would suggest government
that they need to bring changes within their current immigration detention policy for all the non-
citizens who arrive in Australia without a visa. It is an important social issue which is required to
be focused upon because due to this current pandemic situation most of the migrants whose visa
expired during this pandemic were granted bridging visas while their applications are processed
till the time the situation does not get better. As a result, they freely move around the community.
This increase in immigration detention has resulted in increase in sharp risk of increasing spread
of new Covid-19 variant (Marouf, 2021). This Covid-19 situation has brought it int sharp view
and is required to be focused upon by implementing or focusing upon some strict social changes
so that longer stary of illegal immigrants who have entered or are staying in Australia after visa
violations. In order to deal with this social issue visa policies should be updated and modified
according to current pandemic situation o not only visa violation chances and cases would get
reduced by chances of spread of Covid-19 amount of permanent citizens or residents of Australia
would also get reduced.
The reason behind writing this letter to you is that there are several issues in relation with
social inequalities in surveillance in Australia and you being leader of Australia can definitely
initiate and take action about these issues to develop better social values. Along with this social
inequality and surveillance both are against social justice and civil rights of Australian citizens
and you are at a position to protect and encourage rights for Australian population and this is
why it was important to make concerns known to you as it is very important that quick and
effective actions are taken for protecting rights of Australian and ensuring they are able to gte
social justice and all opportunities available for Australian in all areas of life.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bakkeli, N.Z., 2017. Income inequality and privatisation: a multilevel analysis comparing
prefectural size of private sectors in Western China. The Journal of Chinese
Sociology, 4(1), pp.1-20.
Ceccarelli, G., and et. al., 2021. Surveillance of COVID-19 in migrant reception centres: a call
for action. Journal of travel medicine. 28(2). p.taaa171.
Gompers, P., and et. al., 2020. Venture Capitalists and COVID-19 (No. w27824). National
Bureau of Economic Research.
Luo, H., Lie, Y. and Prinzen, F.W., 2020. Surveillance of COVID-19 in the general population
using an online questionnaire: report from 18,161 respondents in China. JMIR public
health and surveillance. 6(2). p.e18576.
Marouf, F.E., 2021. The Impact of COVID-19 on Immigration Detention. Frontiers in Human
Dynamics. 2. p.17.
Martins-Filho, P.R., and et. al., 2020. COVID-19 fatality rates related to social inequality in
Northeast Brazil: a neighbourhood-level analysis. Journal of Travel Medicine. 27(7).
p.taaa128.
McClure, E.S., and et. al., 2020. Racial capitalism within public health—how occupational
settings drive COVID-19 disparities. American journal of epidemiology. 189(11).
pp.1244-1253.
Miller, H.V., and et. al., 2020. Immigration Policy and Justice in the Era of COVID-
19. American Journal of Criminal Justice. 45(4). pp.793-809.
Nilsen, A.G. and Holdt, K.V., 2019. Rising powers, people rising: neo-liberalization and its
discontents in the BRICS countries. Globalizations. 16(2). pp.121-136.
Sujito, A., and et. al., 2021. Risk Privatization: COVID-19 and the Urgency of Health Reform in
Indonesia. Journal of Arts & Social Sciences. 4(2). pp.15-26.
Williamson, B. and Hogan, A., 2020. Commercialisation and privatisation in/of education in the
context of Covid-19.
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