Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] said [AI report] Monday that the Australian government must discard two new proposed bills that they claim have the ability to infringe on civil work and whistleblower rights and limit scrutiny of the government.

AI says the Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform Bill [text, PDF] would impose arbitrary restrictions on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), impeding their ability report issues that are caused or affected by government policies. For instance, the bill would require NGOs to register as “political campaigners” if they work on issues that could be discussed during an electoral campaign. The bill would also limit access to foreign funding, which may cause financial issues among organizations.

The National Security Legislation Amendment Bill [text, PDF] would impose criminal penalties for receiving “sensitive” information. The term “sensitive” under this bill is broadly defined that AI says it would apply to whistleblowers, human right defenders and those who reshare “sensitive” information already public.

According to James Gomez, Amnesty’s Director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific:

These bill are clear examples of government overreach in the name of national security, which could silence critical voices. It appears that authorities are attempting to prevent organizations from working on issues they consider ‘sensitive.’ These bills would help to hide government dealings from public scrutiny. If passed, these bills will erode the rights to freedoms of expression and association in direct contravention to Australia’s obligations under international human rights law.

Accordingly, AI finds these bills overly broad to the point they threaten the public interest and infringe on the right to free expression.

In February, AI submitted [AI report] an inquiry[[text, PDF] to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters Inquiry regarding the draft of the Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform Bill. In that submission, it also brought up that the vagueness and broadness of the bill can infringe on protected rights, as well as the bill’s ability to limited funding. AI argued that the bill is in violation of Article 13 of the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote, and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms [text] provides the rights of organizations to solicit, receive, and utilize financial resources.

The bills are currently under review by parliamentary committees.