Prisoners have a right to know

October 4, 2004

"The decision last week by the NSW and Victorian prison administrations to prevent an Australian Prisoners' Election Newspaper from being distributed to voters in prison is an outrageous denial of democratic rights", Kylie Moon, the Socialist Alliance lead Senate candidate in NSW said today.

Justice Action, one of a number of social justice organisations that produced the newspaper for distribution to prisoners across the country before the October 9 poll, was given no explanation for the decision when they were informed of it on October 1.

Australian prisoners are entitled to vote in the federal election if they are serving a sentence of three years or less. The four-page newspaper aimed to help inform these voters about issues effecting them. Its contents included:

* statements from political parties on their law and justice platforms

* questions from prisoners and answers from the parties, and

* information on postal voting and mobile polling booths in prisons.

"Denying some prisoners the right to vote at all is bad enough. To then deny those who are allowed to vote access to information which is publicly available to everyone else is tantamount to enforced ignorance", Moon said.

"It makes a mockery of our nation's supposed commitment to education and knowledge, and civil and individual liberties."

Moon pointed out that all other states and territories received and distributed the newspaper without objection. "We call on the NSW and Victorian prison authorities to show some respect for every human being's right to information and immediately do the same", she said.

For comment phone Kylie Moon on 0411 104 813.

Copies of the prisoners' newspaper can be downloaded from the Justice Action home page: www.justiceaction.org.au

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