/qnotables/ - ===Q Notables===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18670474 (100527ZAPR23) Notable: Donald Trump winning 2024 US election will not change Aukus plans, Australia’s Albanese says - Australia is confident its agreement with the US to purchase a fleet of nuclear submarines for delivery in the early 2030s will go ahead no matter who wins the 2024 election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

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Donald Trump winning 2024 US election will not change Aukus plans, Australia’s Albanese says

Bloomberg - 9 Apr, 2023

Australia is confident its agreement with the US to purchase a fleet of nuclear submarines for delivery in the early 2030s will go ahead no matter who wins the 2024 election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

In an interview broadcast on Sky News on Sunday, Albanese was asked about growing political division in the US following the indictment of former President Donald Trump, who is currently campaigning for another shot at the country’s top job.

The relationship between Australia and the US was between nations, “not just between leaders,” Albanese said, adding he wasn’t concerned about any impact on the Aukus agreement should Trump return to the presidency.

“Australia and the US share common values,” Albanese said. US President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Australia for the first time in May for a meeting of the Quad strategic partnership, alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Under the Aukus security agreement signed in 2021, the US and the UK will assist Australia in obtaining a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, with the first US Virginia-class vessels expected to arrive by the early 2030s.

However the deal has been criticised in Australia for tying it more closely to the US. Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating described the Aukus agreement as the “worst deal in history” in a speech in March, saying Australia would be tied to the “whim and caprice” of Washington.

China has also voiced opposition to the Aukus deal, with Beijing claiming that the military alliance weakens nuclear non-proliferation efforts, as well as jeopardising peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Washington insists the submarines are nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed.

Canberra has said that it does not intend to use the US technology to develop its own nuclear weapons.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3216453/donald-trump-winning-2024-us-election-will-not-change-aukus-plans-australias-albanese-says

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18670521 (100536ZAPR23) Notable: Anthony Albanese dismisses fears Australia-US ties will suffer if Trump reclaims White House - The AUKUS security pact will remain strong regardless of who ends up in the White House after the 2024 US election, the Prime Minister says. Anthony Albanese said he isn’t concerned for the future of the alliance with the US and the UK, despite the possibility of Donald Trump returning as president following next year’s election.

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>>38591

Anthony Albanese dismisses fears Australia-US ties will suffer if Trump reclaims White House

AAP - Apr 9, 2023

The AUKUS security pact will remain strong regardless of who ends up in the White House after the 2024 US election, the Prime Minister says.

Anthony Albanese said he isn’t concerned for the future of the alliance with the US and the UK, despite the possibility of Donald Trump returning as president following next year’s election.

Mr Trump, who is the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, pleaded not guilty last week to 34 counts of falsifying business records, following an investigation into hush money payments.

Mr Trump, the first current or former US president to face criminal charges, says the allegations are politically motivated.

Mr Albanese said AUKUS would remain strong regardless of who was leading nations involved in the security pact.

“Our relationship with the United States is a relationship between nations, between peoples, not just between leaders,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

“Australia and the United States share common values, I work very closely with President (Joe) Biden.”

Mr Biden is set to travel to Australia next month for the Quad Leaders’ Summit, where he will also address federal parliament.

“He will be an honoured guest in our country,” Mr Albanese said.

The AUKUS pact will see Australia acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines by the 2050s, with the vessels set to cost up to $368 billion.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/us-news/trump-news/2023/04/09/albanese-trump-aukus-alliance/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18670549 (100551ZAPR23) Notable: Video: (7 January 2021) Anthony Albanese blames Donald Trump for US Capitol violence - sbs.com.au

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>>38591

>>38592

Anthony Albanese Tweet

Democracy is precious and cannot be taken for granted - the violent insurrection in Washington is an assault on the rule of law and democracy. Donald Trump has encouraged this response and must now call on his supporters to stand down.

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1346929529198055424

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Joe Biden Tweet

Let me be very clear: the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not represent who we are. What we are seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent, it's disorder. It borders on sedition, and it must end. Now.

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1346928275470299142

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Anthony Albanese blames Donald Trump for US Capitol violence

sbs.com.au - 7 January 2021

https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/video/1841137219993/Anthony-Albanese-blames-Donald-Trump-for-US-Capito

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18670782 (100813ZAPR23) Notable: NATO calls Albanese to Lithuania summit - Anthony Albanese has been invited to attend NATO’s upcoming summit in Lithuania amid fears over China’s growing alignment with Russia and the authoritarian powers’ systemic threat to the international order.

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NATO calls Albanese to Lithuania summit

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 9, 2023

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Anthony Albanese has been invited to attend NATO’s upcoming summit in Lithuania amid fears over China’s growing alignment with Russia and the authoritarian powers’ systemic threat to the international order.

The invitation to the Prime Minister and his Japanese, South Korean and New Zealand counterparts comes as the world’s most powerful military alliance – bolstered by the admission of Finland – works to strengthen ties with its Asia-Pacific partners.

Lithuania’s top national security adviser, Kestutis Budrys, revealed the invitation to The Australian just days after talks in Brussels between NATO officials and representatives of the four Asia-Pacific countries, dubbed by the alliance as the AP4.

It’s unclear whether Mr ­Albanese will attend the July 11-12 summit but Australia’s status as a major donor to Ukraine’s war ­effort and a staunch defender of global rules suggest he is likely to make the trip. “We still don’t have the answer yet but yes, that's what we expect,” Mr Budrys said.

The senior adviser to Lithu­anian President Gitanas Nauseda met officials from the Prime Minister’s office and the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence during a visit to Australia last week.

The invitation, which is informal until the AP4 leaders confirm their attendance, comes as the US scrambles to investigate a devastating intelligence leak detailing Russian and Ukrainian war plans, and sensitive assessments of Chinese threats in the Indo-­Pacific.

A senior US national security official told The New York Times the leak was “a nightmare for the Five Eyes” – the Anglophone ­intelligence-sharing network that includes Australia.

Tensions were also high in the Pacific at the weekend as China deployed dozens of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan following a meeting between the island’s president and US house Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

Mr Albanese and other AP4 leaders attended last year’s NATO summit in Madrid, where the alliance declared for the first time that China’s “ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values”.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said after meeting AP4 officials last week that any decision by China to provide ­lethal aid for Russia in its war against Ukraine would be “a ­historic mistake with profound implications”.

Mr Stoltenberg said as Beijing and Moscow pushed back against the rules-based international order, it was vital for NATO allies and its ­like-minded partners to stand together.

Like Australia, Lithuania has been subjected by Beijing to a campaign of economic coercion that saw its exports blocked and pressure piled on countries to strip Lithuanian inputs from their supply chains. The Baltic state of just 2.7 million people sparked Chinese fury in 2021 when it allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius named the “Taiwanese Representative Office”.

Lithuania is also leading a push to admit Ukraine to NATO, with its parliament unanimously passing a resolution last week to ­officially invite Kyiv to join the ­alliance at the upcoming summit in Vilnius.

The proposal is considered a radical one by many NATO allies, which fear the move would dangerously escalate the conflict.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18670815 (100830ZAPR23) Notable: US government facing compensation claim over Navy officer’s $150 sex with Melbourne teen - A former Melbourne sex worker has launched legal action against the US government over allegations a senior officer in the US Navy had sex with her in the 1990s - when she was just 15 and addicted to heroin. Lisa Harris, 39, will pursue compensation under an agreement between the US and Australia, which provides recourse for local victims of alleged misconduct by American military personnel.

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US government facing compensation claim over Navy officer’s $150 sex with Melbourne teen

Cameron Houston - April 10, 2023

A former Melbourne sex worker has launched legal action against the US government over allegations a senior officer in the US Navy had sex with her in the 1990s - when she was just 15 and addicted to heroin.

Lisa Harris, 39, will pursue compensation under an agreement between the US and Australia, which provides recourse for local victims of alleged misconduct by American military personnel.

Harris, who now lives in Darwin, said she met the lieutenant commander, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in St Kilda in 1996 or 1997, before having sex at a CBD hotel and receiving about $150.

“He was wearing a dark green uniform. It identified to me straight away that he was in the military, and he was American. He handed me a business card at the end of our time together,” Harris told The Age.

She insists that officer was aware of her age when he solicited her on Fitzroy Street.

“He absolutely knew how old I was. Because he was in a uniform, I told him. I said: ‘you know I’m only 15, right?’ And he said it didn’t bother him,” Harris said.

Correspondence obtained by The Age reveals Victoria Police and the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated the incident in 1999, but the probe was stymied by Harris’ refusal to implicate the American officer.

The lieutenant commander has never denied the encounter. However, his lawyers told the US District Court of Columbia in 2006 that he thought Harris was 19.

“Plaintiff provided a statement that detailed how he met her during a trip to Australia, that she told him she was 19 years old, that they engaged in a consensual sexual encounter, and thus... Plaintiff did not engage in a sexual relationship with a known, teenage prostitute,” according to US court documents.

The officer made the statement as part of a legal bid to overturn a decision by the US Navy in 1999 that ended his 17-year career.

The appeal was successful, with the District Court of Columbia ruling in 2008 that his records would be changed to show that he was not discharged, but continued to serve until eligible for retirement.

Harris found the judgement during an online search, and said she was disgusted by the court’s decision.

“The thing that really annoys me is finding out that his government allowed his testimony to go through court without any challenge. This guy has lied and lied and claimed he didn’t know how old I was. And now he gets his record changed,” Harris said.

Lawyer Cameron Doig from Arnold Thomas & Becker accused the officer of preying on a vulnerable young woman.

“By demanding that the United States government compensate her for the devastating impact on her life, Ms Harris has shown exceptional bravery,” he said.

“Our client is one of many women in countries including Australia, Japan and Korea who have been subjected to sexual violence by visiting US military personnel.”

On February 6, Doig sent correspondence to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, KC, alleging that: “a US Navy officer, committed the tort of battery by sexually abusing our client.”

“In or around 1996 or 1997 [He] solicited our client for sex in St Kilda before sexually abusing her in a Melbourne hotel room. [He] exploited our client’s youth, homelessness and heroin addiction in order to sexually abuse her,” according to the letter sent to Dreyfus in February.

Under the agreement with the US, the Australian government is required to assess the claim for compensation and prepare a report on the case.

The report would then be delivered to the US government, which would decide whether an ex gratia payment was warranted.

Harris’ lawyers have asked for Dreyfus to consider the claim pursuant to the “Agreement Concerning the Status of United States Forces in Australia.”

Under a similar agreement with South Korea, the US government made ex gratia payments of almost $US300,000 in 2002 to the families of two teenaged girls killed by a US army vehicle.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/us-government-facing-compensation-claim-over-navy-officer-s-150-sex-with-melbourne-teen-20230404-p5cy4i.html

https://www.info.dfat.gov.au/Info/Treaties/Treaties.nsf/AllDocIDs/005D3E39D4BF9757CA256B59000DD46F

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18676786 (110939ZAPR23) Notable: Latitude refuses to pay hackers’ ransom demand - Consumer lender Latitude Financial Group has refused to pay a ransom demand from hackers who stole the details of 14 million consumers last month, but would not say if the criminals have threatened to release the data, which includes driver’s licence details.

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Latitude refuses to pay hackers’ ransom demand

Colin Kruger - April 11, 2023

Consumer lender Latitude Financial Group has refused to pay a ransom demand from hackers who stole the details of 14 million consumers last month, but would not say if the criminals have threatened to release the data, which includes driver’s licence details.

Latitude new chief executive Bob Belan yesterday declined to specify how much was demanded.

“Latitude will not pay a ransom to criminals,” he said.

“Based on the evidence and advice, there is simply no guarantee that doing so would result in any customer data being destroyed, and it would only encourage further extortion attempts on Australian and New Zealand businesses in the future.

“Our priority remains on contacting every customer whose personal information was compromised and to support them through this process.”

Belan took over as CEO this month from Ahmed Fahour, who took the company public less than two years ago at $2.60 a share. The stock was closed the trading day flat at $1.26 a share.

The stolen information includes the driver’s licence numbers of 7.9 million Australian and New Zealand customers and covers most current and former Latitude customers.

Latitude provides consumer finance services to Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Apple, and recently signed up David Jones. The victims include current and former Latitude customers stretching back more than 10 years as well as applicants for its consumer credit services that include Harvey Norman’s interest-free loans.

Latitude’s latest announcement came the same day that Cybersecurity Minister Clare O’Neil said the government has begun a series of cybersecurity exercises with the banking and finance sector because of its importance to the functioning of the economy.

“The groups that are conducting cyberattacks are becoming more professionalised, industrialised, powerful and effective,” she said.

“We’re conducting exercises where we play through what it would look like to have a major bank, for example, come down in a cyberattack.”

Latitude said it has not detected any hacker activity on its systems since March 16. It is still in the process of restoring some of its operating systems following the attack but said its primary customer contact centre was back online and operating at full capacity. The company can also sign up new customers again.

The group is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the incident is being investigated by the Australian Federal Police.

Elliot Dellys, founder and chief executive of Phronesis Security, said the rejection of ransom payments, and government support, were welcome developments.

“Historically, the trend has been for businesses to try and make the problem go away as quickly as possible, regardless of the long-term consequences,” he said.

He cited research by McGrathNicol last year which found that around 80 per cent of Australian businesses hit by a cyber-attack pay the ransom, with an average payment of just over $1 million.

The Latitude hack follows a number of recent major incidents. Optus was the victim of a major cyber breach in September, with hackers obtaining the data of 10 million of its customers.

But Latitude’s attack is starting to resemble Medibank’s incident in October, which was more serious.

In Medibank’s case, criminals were accessing basic account details of 9.7 million current and former customers, as well as health claims data for about 160,000 Medibank customers, 300,000 customers of its budget arm ahm and 20,000 international customers.

The hackers leaked all stolen data onto the dark web after Medibank refused to pay a $15 million ransom.

https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/latitude-refuses-to-pay-hackers-ransom-demand-20230411-p5czhi.html?btis=

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18676802 (110951ZAPR23) Notable: Hiding in the Russian consulate for months, ‘Aussie Cossack’ demands a prisoner swap - “The Aussie Cossack”, Simeon Boikov, was on parole for breaching a suppression order when he was told by police he was wanted after the alleged assault of a pro-Ukrainian protester. Rather than face arrest on the eve of a planned trip to Moscow in December, he drove straight to the Russian consulate. The Herald understands diplomatic discussions are under way about how to get Boikov out of Australia.

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Hiding in the Russian consulate for months, ‘Aussie Cossack’ demands a prisoner swap

Perry Duffin - April 11, 2023

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Vladimir Putin’s man in Australia gunned his 4WD through the tunnels under Sydney, determined to reach the Russian consulate in Woollahra where he could remain out of prison and continue broadcasting pro-Moscow propaganda.

“The Aussie Cossack”, Simeon Boikov, was on parole for breaching a suppression order when he was told by police he was wanted after the alleged assault of a pro-Ukrainian protester. Rather than face arrest on the eve of a planned trip to Moscow in December, he drove straight to the Russian consulate.

Now Boikov has had his main channel silenced and has urged the fearsome Wagner Group to capture Australians fighting for Ukraine so he can be traded in a prisoner swap.

“The Russians don’t plan to surrender me, to give me up, this is not the Ecuadorians,” Boikov told the Herald from the consulate, referring to the years-long extradition fight of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

“I’m not living out of a suitcase.”

The 33-year-old Australian has been holed up since December in a modest apartment in the blonde-bricked Russian consulate overlooking the finessed lawns of wealthy Woollahra.

The anti-vaccination Boikov leant out of the window to update the Herald last week after YouTube permanently terminated his channel. He claims it was because he shared comments by South Australian senator Alex Antic about COVID-19 vaccines and excess deaths.

“Well there’s good news,” Boikov said.

“I was in shackles. I couldn’t say vaccine, Pfizer, Moderna whatever, I had to go soft on Russia-Ukraine.”

Boikov said being banned from YouTube was not a disaster, but three months ago he fled his comfortable life in Breakfast Point hoping to keep his broadcast alive.

“I was driving on the Anzac Bridge, I rang Day Street [police], they connected me to the inspector he said ‘come in, hand yourself in, you’re going back inside, parole wants ya’,” Boikov said.

“I said ‘yeah nah’. I gunned it to the consulate hoping I wouldn’t get picked up.”

Boikov had been given 10 months in prison for breaching a suppression order and naming an alleged paedophile at an anti-lockdown rally in May 2022. He was paroled and booked a ticket to Russia.

Then he spotted a pro-Ukraine protest at Town Hall and decided to start filming.

An older man confronted Australia’s most vocal pro-Putinist, and Boikov pushed him away. The older man was injured tumbling down the steps.

Police charged Boikov with assault and causing actual bodily harm. His passport and parole were revoked on the eve of the flight to Moscow.

“The government want me, want me badly. I can be of no use if I’m in prison bail denied or parole or whatever. I can’t broadcast,” he said.

“They call me Putin’s patriot, Putin’s main man in Australia, do we trust the Australian police to give me a fair go after what they did to me last time?”

A magistrate convicted Boikov in absentia in February and issued a second arrest warrant.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18676820 (111002ZAPR23) Notable: Video: ‘Our soldiers’ new crush’: Ukraine enlists AC/DC in plea for Australian Hawkei military vehicles - The Ukrainian government has taken to social media to plead with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to donate protected mobility vehicles to help beat back invading Russian forces, describing the Australian-made four-wheel drives as its new military “crush”. In a Twitter message, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said: “Our soldiers absolutely love Australian Bushmasters. But now they have a new crush: the Hawkei. These two would be a perfect match on the battlefield. We would truly appreciate their reunion in Ukraine, @AlboMP!” The post was accompanied by a minute-long video, set to a soundtrack of AC/DC’s Back in Black, showing Hawkeis in action and describing them as a “perfect reconnaissance vehicle”.

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‘Our soldiers’ new crush’: Ukraine enlists AC/DC in plea for Australian Hawkei military vehicles

Matthew Knott - April 11, 2023

The Ukrainian government has taken to social media to plead with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to donate protected mobility vehicles to help beat back invading Russian forces, describing the Australian-made four-wheel drives as its new military “crush”.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed in September that Ukraine was lobbying for Australia to send a fleet of Hawkei vehicles to test them in a war zone, but the government has declined to provide any despite repeated requests.

The patrol vehicles, which have never been used on a battlefield, were specially designed and manufactured for the Australian Defence Force at defence contractor Thales’ facility in Bendigo, Victoria.

In a Twitter message posted on Tuesday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said: “Our soldiers absolutely love Australian Bushmasters. But now they have a new crush: the Hawkei. These two would be a perfect match on the battlefield.

“We would truly appreciate their reunion in Ukraine, @AlboMP!”

The post was accompanied by a minute-long video, set to a soundtrack of AC/DC’s Back in Black, showing Hawkeis in action and describing them as a “perfect reconnaissance vehicle”.

Hawkeis, which can carry up to six soldiers, have removable armour and optional mounts for weapons including automatic grenade launchers.

Importantly, they are light enough to be transported by helicopter, allowing them to be airlifted directly onto the battlefield.

The vehicles are named after Acanthophis hawkei, a species of the death adder snake named in honour of former prime minister Bob Hawke.

During a visit to Australia last month, Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, urged Australia to use Ukraine as a testing lab for the Hawkei vehicles, which were plagued by braking problems during the construction phase.

Sak said the vehicles would help Ukraine in a planned counter-offensive over the European summer.

He said Australia would send an important message to the world by providing brand new, rather than second-hand, equipment to Ukraine and could spur similar pledges from other nations.

“This will send a signal across the international community that the Ukrainian army will be supported with the best weaponry that the civilised world has at the moment,” he said.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said his nation was deeply grateful for the support from Canberra, but that Australia was beginning to fall behind other nations in terms of military aid.

Japan and Sweden had overtaken Australia as the largest non-NATO providers of military aid to Ukraine, he said.

“Everywhere I go, Australians tell me Australia can and should do more to help Ukraine,” he said.

Australia has provided an estimated $510 million in military assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion last February, including 90 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles plus armoured vehicles and ammunition.

A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government was committed to delivering on its current contribution to Ukraine.

“As the deputy prime minister has said, Australia will stand with Ukraine for the duration of this conflict so that Ukraine is in a position to determine the outcome of this conflict on its terms,” she said.

“The government will continue to review its response options in relation to the evolving situation in Ukraine.”

Speaking at a Lowy Institute event on Tuesday, Australian Defence Force Chief General Angus Campbell said: “Our government has made it clear that we continue and we will continue to support Ukraine. The form of that support is a matter for government.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/our-soldiers-new-crush-ukraine-enlists-acdc-in-plea-for-australian-hawkei-military-vehicles-20230411-p5czkt.html

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1645547205158408193

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18676841 (111023ZAPR23) Notable: Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post: Leaders of Marine Rotational Force Darwin meet with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy at the U.S. Embassy Australia. The annual rotation of Marines underpins the illustrious history shared between the United States and Australia. #AlliesandPartners #marines

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Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

10 April 2023

Leaders of Marine Rotational Force Darwin meet with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy at the U.S. Embassy Australia. The annual rotation of Marines underpins the illustrious history shared between the United States and Australia.

#AlliesandPartners #marines

(courtesy photo by U.S. Embassy Australia)

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/593606036135217

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18682169 (120919ZAPR23) Notable: Quarter of Tasmania’s population hacked by Russians, says Premier Jeremy Rockliff - Up to a quarter of Tasmanians may have had personal data stolen by Russian-linked hackers, the Premier has suggested. Jeremy Rockliff on Tuesday said the scale of the hack of Education Department data handled by third-party transfer system GoAnywhere MFT had emerged after a “very complex analysis”.

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Quarter of Tasmania’s population hacked by Russians, says Premier Jeremy Rockliff

MATTHEW DENHOLM - APRIL 11, 2023

Up to a quarter of Tasmanians may have had personal data stolen by Russian-linked hackers, the Premier has suggested.

Jeremy Rockliff on Tuesday said the scale of the hack of Education Department data handled by third-party transfer system GoAnywhere MFT had emerged after a “very complex analysis”.

Asked how many Tasmanians were affected by the data breach – which includes names and addresses, including of schoolchildren, as well as some bank details – Mr Rockliff said this was being “worked through”.

“My information is 145,683 emails have been sent to people that have had a potential breach (of their data),” Mr Rockliff said.

An additional 2500 people had been informed via mail of the ­potential theft of data, and a further 377 told by telephone.

Mr Rockliff said about 16,000 documents had been released ­online by the hackers.

Cybersecurity expert CyberCX has been hired to assist the government in understanding and responding to the attack.

The data was collected by various agencies controlled by the Department of Education, Children and Young People and was stolen in March by Russian-linked cyber criminals.

Agencies affected include the Teachers Registration Board, ­Office of the Education Registrar, Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification, Commissioner for Children and Young People, Government Education and Training International and Libraries Tasmania.

The department has said the data could include bank accounts, and children’s names, addresses, school name, reference numbers, homeroom and year group, and TAFE students’ dates of birth. Mr Rockliff said “no stone would be left unturned” in investigating and responding to the breach.

While no further data had been released in recent days, Tasmanians potentially affected “need to be vigilant”.

“I am not aware of any demand for a ransom,” Mr Rockliff said, adding that he was also unaware of anyone having money taken from bank accounts.

He promised a “very thorough review” of the government’s cyber security protections.

The government is also under fire over a letter sent by Police Commissioner Donna Adams and chief bureaucrat Jenny Gale to news organisations and MPs urging them to curtail coverage of the massive data breach.

Labor has accused the government of “serious mismanagement” of the data breach. Opposition technology spokeswoman Jen Butler questioned why the information was not encrypted or password-protected.

“Labor has asked on numerous occasions how widespread the government’s use of Go­Anywhere MFT was, but all we’ve received is radio silence,” Ms ­Butler said.

“Why wasn’t this information end-to-end encrypted and where is the Education Minister Roger Jaensch to provide guidance and leadership to those families impacted?” she said.

“Every day the Liberals seem to find a new way to mismanage this crisis. Premier Rockliff is responsible for his ministers and right now they’re failing Tasmanians,” she said.

Those affected have been advised to be watchful for any “suspicious financial activity or attempted scams”.

Mr Rockliff said anyone who believed they might have been ­affected by the cyber attack should call 1800 567 567.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/quarter-of-tasmanias-population-hacked-by-russians-says-premier-jeremy-rockliff/news-story/7b4287609e7045e2931efcb261a958b5

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18682176 (120927ZAPR23) Notable: Crikey alleges Lachlan Murdoch morally culpable for Capitol riots - Online news outlet Crikey has alleged Lachlan Murdoch was “morally and ethically” culpable for the deadly 2021 US Capitol riots in its amended defence to the defamation suit filed by the elder son of Rupert Murdoch, in an escalation of the dispute between the parties. Murdoch junior, chief executive of Fox Corporation and co-chairman of News Corp, filed Federal Court defamation proceedings in August against Crikey over a June 29, 2022 article naming his family as “unindicted co-conspirators” of Donald Trump following the US Capitol riots in 2021.

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Crikey alleges Lachlan Murdoch morally culpable for Capitol riots

Zoe Samios and Michaela Whitbourn - April 12, 2023

Online news outlet Crikey has alleged Lachlan Murdoch was “morally and ethically” culpable for the deadly 2021 US Capitol riots in its amended defence to the defamation suit filed by the elder son of Rupert Murdoch, in an escalation of the dispute between the parties.

Crikey’s publisher Private Media will also attempt to use testimony by Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch in a US lawsuit about Fox News’ coverage of the 2020 presidential election as part of its amended defence, which adds a new defence known as contextual truth.

The contextual truth defence requires Crikey to prove that the article at the centre of the lawsuit conveys additional defamatory meanings to those alleged by Lachlan Murdoch, and that those meanings are both true and of sufficient seriousness that no further harm was caused to his reputation by any other meanings.

Murdoch junior, chief executive of Fox Corporation and co-chairman of News Corp, filed Federal Court defamation proceedings in August against Crikey over a June 29, 2022 article naming his family as “unindicted co-conspirators” of Trump following the US Capitol riots in 2021.

Lachlan Murdoch claims the article conveys up to 14 false and defamatory meanings including that he “illegally conspired with Donald Trump to incite an armed mob to march on the Capitol” following the 2020 presidential election.

Crikey denies that those meanings were conveyed. However, if the court finds any of the meanings are conveyed and a serious harm test is satisfied, the news outlet will seek to rely on a new public interest defence.

The Crikey article was deleted on June 30, 2022, a day after it was published, before being reposted on August 15 that year. The amended defence, released publicly by the court on Wednesday, adds a contextual truth defence for the reposted article.

Crikey argues that – in addition to any of the meanings alleged by Murdoch junior – the reposted article says he is “morally and ethically culpable for the illegal January 6 attack because Fox News, under his control and management, promoted and peddled Trump’s lie of the stolen election despite Lachlan Murdoch knowing it was false”.

Crikey argues the reposted article also says that “Lachlan Murdoch’s unethical and reprehensible conduct in allowing Fox News to promote and peddle Trump’s lie of the stolen election, despite Lachlan Murdoch knowing it was false, makes him morally and ethically culpable for the illegal January 6 attack”.

Crikey says it can prove both of those meanings are true, and that no further harm was caused to Lachlan Murdoch’s reputation by publishing any of the meanings alleged by him that the court finds were conveyed by the article.

For this defence to succeed, the court would need to be satisfied that a finding of moral or ethical culpability for the riots was as damaging to Murdoch’s reputation as any of the other meanings it found the article conveyed, such as alleged criminality.

Sue Chrysanthou, SC, who is acting for Lachlan Murdoch, foreshadowed earlier this month that there would be an application to strike out the contextual truth defence.

Barrister Michael Hodge, KC, acting for Crikey, said in court earlier this month that the news outlet would seek to rely in part on material that has emerged in voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems’ US defamation suit against Fox News.

Dominion is suing Fox for $US1.6 billion ($2.3 billion) for allegedly knowingly airing false allegations that Dominion was involved in rigging the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump. The US trial is expected to proceed in April.

Private Media’s amended defence extensively references the Dominion proceedings and a deposition given by Rupert Murdoch before the US trial.

It alleges Lachlan Murdoch knew the claim that the 2020 US presidential election was stolen from Trump was being promoted by presenters and guests of Fox News because he was watching the coverage, was directly involved in the news programming and was providing feedback on tone to Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott.

“Between on or about 5 November 2020 and 6 January 2021, [Murdoch junior] ... chose not to stop Fox News Channel from promoting the claim that the 2020 US Presidential Election was fraudulently stolen from Donald Trump because he considered it to be for the financial and commercial benefit of Fox Corporation, for Fox News Channel to promote the lie,” the defence alleges.

Murdoch is expected to argue Fox News also broadcast commentary rejecting claims the election had been stolen.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/crikey-alleges-lachlan-murdoch-morally-culpable-for-us-capitol-riot-20230411-p5czol.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18687374 (130958ZAPR23) Notable: Peter Dutton clashes with reporter after grim Alice Springs warning - Liberal leader Peter Dutton has warned “somebody is going to get killed” in Alice Springs and unleashed on an ABC reporter during a shocking account of the violence and sexual abuse in the town.

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Peter Dutton clashes with reporter after grim Alice Springs warning

Liberal leader Peter Dutton has unleashed on a reporter after offering a grim warning on the ongoing issues plaguing Alice Springs.

Samantha Maiden - April 13, 2023

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Warning: Disturbing content

Liberal leader Peter Dutton has warned “somebody is going to get killed” in Alice Springs and unleashed on an ABC reporter during a shocking account of the violence and sexual abuse in the town.

Urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “step up and step in”, the Liberal leader has warned it was time for action to protect children from endemic sexual abuse by restoring law and order.

“You’ve got kids here tonight, who are going to be sexually abused or families where domestic violence has now become a current occurrence and we are told nothing can be done about it,’’ he said.

“I just find it completely and utterly deplorable.”

Speaking in Alice Springs, CLP Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price delivered a shocking account of sexual abuse in the Northern Territory.

She said surgeons were being left to operate on children who were raped.

“They’re experiencing seeing the damage that’s been done to those children,’’ she said.

She claimed she had heard from surgeons who had spoken about operating on “babies” after being sexually abused.

“That’s what I am concerned with and I’m not concerned with ideology,” she said.

Mr Dutton is considering appointing Senator Price to the vacancy sparked by Liberal MP Julian Leeser’s resignation from the frontbench over the Voice.

Senator Price is one of the Indigenous leaders campaigning for the No vote. Mr Dutton said the time for action was now.

The Liberal leader said the community was at breaking point and there was a real risk that someone would die.

“The video of kids running rampant in, you know, the local CBD, somebody’s going to be killed here,’’ he said.

“And somebody was killed here in 2021. Somebody obviously has lost their life, tragically, equally tragic in Darwin. But we’re going to see further tragedy here.”

Dutton clashes with ABC reporter

Mr Dutton unleashed on one reporter after he asked about a local Indigenous group that questioned whether or not sex abuse was rampant.

“I mean with respect, that is such an ABC question. Do you live locally?,’’ Mr Dutton said.

“I mean, do you speak to people on the street? Do you hear what it is they’re saying to you?”

The reporter said he did live locally, with Mr Dutton responding: “You live locally and you don’t believe there’s any problem here?”.

ABC then ended the press conference.

“OK, we’ve got to leave that there because we’re going to our break,’’ the ABC host told viewers.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18687384 (131003ZAPR23) Notable: Pressure on Anthony Albanese to attend NATO summit - Anthony Albanese is under pressure to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania amid signs of European reluctance to take a firm stand against China’s growing assertiveness and disregard for international norms.

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>>38594

Pressure on Anthony Albanese to attend NATO summit

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 12, 2023

Anthony Albanese is under pressure to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania amid signs of European reluctance to take a firm stand against China’s growing assertiveness and disregard for international norms.

The government is hedging on whether the Prime Minister will be present at the alliance’s July 11-12 summit in Vilnius, which he has been invited to attend along with his Japanese, South ­Korean and New Zealand counterparts.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong equivocated on Wednesday when asked whether Mr Albanese, who is on leave, would attend the summit. “Obviously, it will be a matter for the Prime Minister whether … he can attend,” she said.

Her comments came as French President Emmanuel Macron returned from a trip to China, saying Europe should not follow the US into a conflict with Beijing over Taiwan. “The question we need to answer, as Europeans, is the following: is it in our interest to accelerate (a crisis) on Taiwan? No,” he told French newspaper Les Echos and Politico Europe.

“The worst thing would be to think we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the US agenda and a ­Chinese over-reaction.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Mr Albanese should be at the summit “to demonstrate Australia’s 100 per cent commitment to the rules-based order, our democratic partners, and the defence of Ukraine”.

He said NATO had shown it wanted to strengthen ties with the “Asia-Pacific Four”, and it was “unquestionably in Australia’s interests” to reciprocate the alliance’s outreach. The passing of the 12-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ensured it was “no time to be a no-show”.

Australia has fallen from its past position as the largest non-NATO donor to Ukraine’s war effort, with the under-siege country now pleading for the Albanese government to provide advanced Hawkei protected vehicles to the country’s defending forces.

Senator Wong said great powers should not be allowed to dominate smaller ones, and the government would consider all Ukrainian requests for support but she cautioned: “The point about Ukraine … is it is a long way away.”

The Prime Minister’s office did not respond when asked whether Mr Albanese planned to travel to Vilnius for the summit.

Lithuania’s top national security adviser, Kestutis Budrys, revealed the NATO invitation to The Australian days after talks in Brussels between NATO officials and AP4 representatives.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting that any decision by China to provide ­lethal aid for Russia in its war against Ukraine would be “a ­historic mistake with profound implications”.

There are fears, compounded by the Macron visit to Beijing, that the EU underestimates the threat posed by Beijing to the global rules-based order.

Strategic Analysis Australia director Peter Jennings said Mr Macron’s visit demonstrated the need for a “coalition” approach to standing up to authoritarian ­regimes.

“When Macron goes to China and says, ‘Oh, well, we don't have to follow the Americans’,” he said. “I think there’s a weakness there; that there’s a temptation for countries to … split apart and do their own thing,” he said.

“(We need to) stay strong and stick together. Security is indivisible. That’s true in Europe but it’s also true in the Indo Pacific.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/pressure-on-anthony-albanese-to-attend-nato-summit/news-story/9ff0cdb925e7dfcc90f27aa3eeabef2f

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18687407 (131018ZAPR23) Notable: Video: ‘The worst of American politics’: Premier backs drag performers after cafe threats - Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the targeting of drag events is the worst of American politics creeping into the state after a Melbourne cafe cancelled a children’s craft and games event hosted by drag queens.

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‘The worst of American politics’: Premier backs drag performers after cafe threats

Rachael Dexter - April 13, 2023

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The Victorian premier says the targeting of drag events is the worst of American politics creeping into the state after a Melbourne cafe cancelled a children’s craft and games event hosted by drag queens.

It comes as the founder of the community group where threats of “staking out” the cafe and tracking down performers distanced himself from the comments, labelling them “a major concern”.

Police visited Alice Rebel’s Cafe and Bar in Chelsea in Melbourne’s south-east on Thursday morning after messages emerged on encrypted chat app Telegram.

The Age obtained screenshots of messages between those who objected to the event suggesting they could track down the drag performers at their homes by using their licence plate numbers and paying a contact inside VicRoads for home addresses. The Age is unable to verify the legitimacy of the poster’s claims.

Cafe owner Meg Anderson cancelled the “Colour me Egg-cited” Easter event where parents could have brought their children to a craft and games workshop led by two drag queen performers.

After the event was advertised, she received a deluge of messages and calls she described as bigoted.

On Wednesday, the day the event had originally been scheduled, she contacted police fearing for her staff and patrons’ safety after being alerted to the threatening messages from individuals who mistakenly believed the event was still going ahead.

The messages appeared on Tuesday night in a chat forum for ‘My Place Australia’, which is a growing network of fringe social media groups that have protested against local councils over 5G and 15-minute city conspiracy theories. The groups aim to set up “parallel communities” – shadow local governments and alternative institutions to avoid mainstream society.

My Place founder Darren Bergwerf said he had “major concerns” about the messages and described the incident as “infiltration of our communities”.

“I’ve just blocked that person this morning and blocked and removed two people yesterday when I was made aware of who they were,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews offered support to the cafe and the drag performers, saying “equality is not negotiable in this state”.

“I think it’s pretty sad day when the worst of American politics is creeping into our state. And there’s no place for that,” he said.

“Trying to disrupt events that are peaceful, lawful. They’re not compulsory, if you don’t want to go don’t go.

“We see this sort of stuff in Florida and all sorts of other places. We don’t need that here, we just don’t. We are a harmonious, respectful, inclusive place where being different [is] not a bad thing.

“It’s what makes us such a vibrant, interesting, thoughtful place, and it shouldn’t be too much to ask to simply expect that you’d be treated fairly and equally. That’s the way it should be.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18693432 (141244ZAPR23) Notable: ‘Heads in sand’: Labor lashed over NT child sex abuse claims - The Coalition has dug in behind Peter Dutton’s assertion of widespread child sexual violence in central Australia, with Liberal senator Simon Birmingham and opposition deputy leader Sussan Ley calling on the federal government to stop playing politics and take action.

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>>38603

‘Heads in sand’: Labor lashed over NT child sex abuse claims

NOAH YIM - APRIL 14, 2023

The Coalition has dug in behind Peter Dutton’s assertion of widespread child sexual violence in central Australia, with Liberal senator Simon Birmingham and opposition deputy leader Sussan Ley calling on the federal government to stop playing politics and take action.

Senator Birmingham on Friday criticised the government’s “shameful” reaction to Mr Dutton’s claims and called on Anthony Albanese to show “leadership” over the issue.

A political storm erupted on Thursday during Mr Dutton’s visit to Alice Springs, as the ABC came under fire for abruptly ending the live broadcast of a fiery ­exchange between the ­Opposition Leader and an ABC journalist over the claims.

NT Police Minister Kate Worden attacked Mr Dutton for ­“absolutely opportunistic political game-­playing” in alleging widespread child sexual abuse in the territory.

“It’s quite frankly a dog act,” Ms Worden said, calling on Mr Dutton to report any evidence he had to police.

Labor senator for the NT, ­Malarndirri McCarthy, also called for the allegations to be referred to police. “I would ask Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, if you are aware of this, then you need to mandatorily report it to police so that there can be an investigation immediately, and if you have not done that, I would urge you to do so as soon as possible,” she said.

Senator Birmingham told Sky News the “shameful” reaction of the Labor Party suggested

they “somehow had their heads buried in the sand when it comes to this far too tragic issue.”

“People can focus on the issue, which is the extent to which there is sexual abuse, assault, violence – the type of activities in Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory that have been going on for far too long … are driven by a range of different abuses of alcohol, of drugs, of gambling, of different gambling technologies … but these are a known scourge and shame on our nation,” he said.

Ms Ley said she “could not fathom” why the Northern Territory and federal governments had not taken “more urgent” action over the “national tragedy” in the NT.

“Instead of demonstrating leadership, we are seeing political accusations levelled at Peter Dutton that are quite frankly, disgusting,” she told reporters.

“To accuse Peter Dutton of playing politics with children is so offensive and wrong.

“Peter Dutton started his working life out as a cop. It was his job to go into broken and dangerous homes and save children. That is what he did, day in, day out he was there to protect kids who had no one to protect them.

So to accuse Peter Dutton of playing politics with children is offensive and it is wrong.

To see the NT Government seek to attack him for going to Alice Springs and listening to local communities is ridiculous.”

Ms Ley said her “great fear” was that, given the increase in alcohol fuelled violence in Alice Springs, the numbers could “very well be a floor and not a ceiling”.

“The devastation being wrought on children in Alice Springs and across the Northern Territory demands action. Because this is not about politics, it is about leadership,” she said.

“There is a national tragedy unfolding in Alice Springs with women and children at risk of violence and sexual assault and there’s a crisis spiralling in aged care across this nation and the Prime Minister needs to get off the beach and back to work.

“It can’t be right that Australia’s national leader is kicking back on holidays while some of Australia’s most vulnerable are being kicked out of their homes”.

Senator Birmingham called on Labor to “put the politics aside”.

“I’m not pretending this is an overnight problem that’s only arisen under the Albanese government,” he said. “Yes it got worse when the alcohol restrictions were lifted … but this is an enduring problem. And indeed, it’s an intergenerational problem.”

“(The Prime Minister) ought to show far more leadership on these issues than has been the case. Yes he visited Alice Springs but all too briefly.”

Senator Birmingham also said his position against the Indigenous voice to parliament – which appears less bullish than some of his colleagues – has not come up as a concern in conversations with the Opposition Leader.

“No concerns have been raised with me about expectations that somehow I’m out there addressing rallies,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/heads-in-sand-labor-lashed-over-nt-child-sex-abuse-claims/news-story/d14ec062381a6a27e2b7e16df7b90f53

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18693485 (141300ZAPR23) Notable: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese named in Time's 100 most influential people list - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2023, alongside King Charles III, Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, and model Bella Hadid. Mr Albanese joins former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and John Howard as the only other Australian leaders to have made the list, while Julia Gillard was shortlisted in 2013.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese named in Time's 100 most influential people list

abc.net.au - 14 April 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2023, alongside King Charles III, Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, and model Bella Hadid.

Mr Albanese joins former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and John Howard as the only other Australian leaders to have made the list, while Julia Gillard was shortlisted in 2013.

The annual list — which first appeared in 1999 — compiles leaders, innovators, humanitarians and those in arts and entertainment who had an impact on the world, either in a positive or negative light.

Time's final 100 are picked by its editors from a larger pool of nominations chosen by previous entrants on the list and the US news magazine's international writing staff.

Mr Albanese, a career politician, led the Labor Party to victory in the May 2022 federal election, becoming Australia's 31st prime minister.

Since then, he has sought to lead the country out of the coronavirus pandemic during fractious economic times and spearheaded the push for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Other political figures to make the 2023 list were US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Cindy McCain, the wife of late US senator John McCain.

Also on the list was Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested and charged with espionage in Russia earlier this month.

'A symbol of hope and inspiration'

Each entry on the Time 100 list is accompanied with a foreword by a contemporary, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau penning a glowing tribute for Mr Albanese, describing him as "a symbol of hope and inspiration":

"He works to lift up and amplify the voices of those who need to be heard from, particularly Indigenous peoples," Mr Trudeau wrote.

"His government supports those who need it most, believes that we need to take ambitious climate action, and unwaveringly supports democracy in the face of unprecedented threat.

"In a world where people are increasingly uncertain about what the future holds for them and their families, it's easy for politicians to sow fear and division.

"To choose the path of hope and opportunity takes immense courage, and that courage lives within Anthony Albanese."

Mr Trudeau — himself the son of a former Canadian prime minister — also wrote about Mr Albanese's humble origins.

"Progressives around the world are united in the idea that we should leave no one behind," he wrote.

"The idea that no matter who you are or where you come from, you should have every chance to succeed in life.

"Few politicians embody that journey as Anthony Albanese does."

Mr Rudd made the fifth annual Time 100 list in 2008, with Academy Award-winning actor Cate Blanchett praising him for the apology to the Stolen Generation and for ratifying the Kyoto Protocol climate change treaty.

A year later, Mr Rudd was also shortlisted.

On the other hand, Mr Howard was on the Time 100 list for 2005, with the late newspaper editor Frank Devine drawing comparisons between the then-PM and the post-war US president, Harry S Truman.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-14/anthony-albanese-named-in-time-s-100-most-influential-people-lis/102225650

https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269839/anthony-albanese/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18693513 (141308ZAPR23) Notable: Ringleader of the ‘tinnie terrorists’ Robert Musa Cerantonio to be freed from jail in May - The leader of the so-called “tinnie terrorists”, self-styled preacher Robert Musa Cerantonio, will be back on the streets in May after completing a seven-year jail term for planning to overthrow The Philippines government. He is one of seven high-risk terrorist offenders due for release into the community this year, as the government and police prepare to abandon the continued detention orders that have allowed authorities to jail dangerous ­people beyond the end of their prison terms.

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Ringleader of the ‘tinnie terrorists’ Robert Musa Cerantonio to be freed from jail in May

ELLEN WHINNETT - APRIL 13, 2023

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The leader of the so-called “tinnie terrorists”, self-styled preacher Robert Musa Cerantonio, will be back on the streets in May after completing a seven-year jail term for planning to overthrow The Philippines government.

He is one of seven high-risk terrorist offenders due for release into the community this year, as the government and police prepare to abandon the continued detention orders that have allowed authorities to jail dangerous ­people beyond the end of their prison terms.

Future high-risk terrorism offenders released into the community look set to be monitored under extended supervision orders, new powers introduced in 2021 that allow even tighter surveillance and monitoring than the CDOs in place since 2005.

The expected widespread use of extended supervision orders heralds a new era in the management of Australia’s cohort of terrorism offenders who have completed their jail terms but may still pose risks to the community.

The supervision orders will allow police to control and monitor the movements, associations and communications of offenders 24 hours a day, ban them from contacting certain people, accessing prohibited material or using specific social media or encrypted communications.

It will likely provide a heavy burden on federal and state police and ASIO resources, with dozens of police sometimes required to monitor one high-risk offender.

Cerantonio, 38, will be set free in Melbourne on May 9 after completing his sentence for preparing for an incursion into a foreign country for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities.

He will be the first high-risk terrorism offender released since the report in March by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Grant Donaldson SC, who criticised continued detention orders as disproportionate, and urged the government to scrap them.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has not indicated whether he will accept Mr Donaldson’s recommendation, saying he was considering the report findings.

The Australian Federal Police seem to have moved away from seeking CDOs, and is expected to apply for extended supervision orders for two high-profile offenders due for release shortly: Blake Pender, in NSW, and Abdul Nacer Benbrika, in Victoria.

Pender’s case is complicated, involving terrorism convictions and other crimes of violence. He has served a one-year CDO at the conclusion of his jail term and is due for release in September.

Benbrika, the ringleader of an al-Qa’ida-inspired plot to attack Australian landmarks in the early 2000s, has served three years of a CDO beyond the end of his 15-year jail term.

Police are not expected to seek a continuation of his order but will apply for an extended supervision order in the community.

Benbrika remains in prison until December, and has several legal disputes under way, including an appeal against a government’s decision to strip his Australian citizenship.

Cerantonio led a group of men who towed a small boat from Melbourne to Cape York in May 2016, intending to sail to The Philippines with the intention of joining a push to oust the government and install sharia law.

The improbable scheme, which saw police surreptitiously follow the men as they slowly drove the boat across Australia, was doomed from the start – the boat was just 7m long and none of the men had experience at sea.

Five other men were later jailed over the plot. All have since been released.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18698609 (151159ZAPR23) Notable: Video: Kids return to the streets in Alice Springs to run amok - "The girl looks about 14. “I’m drunk, f_ck you,” she yells as we pass on the street. It’s 11.20pm on Thursday in Alice Springs, and the group of a dozen or so Indigenous children and early teens heads on towards the main drag of town. Most of the kids are around 15, with some closer to 10 or 11. Three months on from our first reports revealing the extent of kids running wild in Alice Springs and it’s clear little has changed. Perhaps nothing." - Liam Mendes - theaustralian.com.au

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>>38603

Kids return to the streets in Alice Springs to run amok

LIAM MENDES - APRIL 15, 2023

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The girl looks about 14. “I’m drunk, f_ck you,” she yells as we pass on the street.

Her mates laugh.

It’s 11.20pm on Thursday in Alice Springs, and the group of a dozen or so Indigenous children and early teens heads on towards the main drag of town.

“Yeah, we drunk,” her friend calls back. “What the f_ck for, bra,” she says as her friends continue laughing. “We’ll beat you, we’ll smash your car,” she adds as the gang cross the road.

Most of the kids are around 15, with some closer to 10 or 11. Three months on from our first reports revealing the extent of kids running wild in Alice Springs and it’s clear little has changed. Perhaps nothing.

Despite the promise of almost $300m in extra funding and new restrictions on alcohol sales, children are still on the streets late at night, on their own, playing cat and mouse with the cops – on the same day Peter Dutton flew out of town after kicking over a hornet’s nest of accusations and counter-accusations over rampant child sexual abuse.

The issue no one seemed to want to talk about was neglect.

Where are the parents?

Tonight, the gang comes across three wheelie bins that had already been upturned by another mob and started throwing shredding paper in the air like confetti. They soon get bored. As two kids saunter across the street, a car is forced to slam on its brakes to avoid hitting them. They barely notice. Neither would be older than 10.

A police paddy wagon pulls up. “Oi, are you mob going home?” an officer asks. “If I see you again in town, I’m going to drop you home.”

“I’m with my big sister,” the younger child says. Maybe.

They say they’re going to the bus. “Alright, go sit in the bus, I’m not going to see you in town,” the officer says, and drives on.

People in NT government-branded Toyota Landcruisers and not-for-profit branded minivans work hard but ineffectually to ferry kids home, using walkie-talkies to co-ordinate pickups and drop-offs.

Often, the service ends well before midnight; other times, it’s non-existent. When they do take children home, it’s often not long before the kids return.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18698622 (151204ZAPR23) Notable: Linda Burney just metres from fatal stabbing of woman - Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney has expressed her heartfelt condolences to the family of a woman who died after being stabbed metres away from the federal cabinet minister in Darwin on Friday. Burney and her staff were in the foyer of the Doubletree Hilton just before 6pm when the woman ran into the hotel bleeding heavily. Police allege she was stabbed directly outside the hotel on the Esplanade. Some of Burney’s staff helped attend to the woman along with hotel staff, while the minister comforted members of the woman’s family. The woman was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital but died a short time later.

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>>38603

Linda Burney just metres from fatal stabbing of woman

Anthony Galloway - April 15, 2023

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney has expressed her heartfelt condolences to the family of a woman who died after being stabbed metres away from the federal cabinet minister in Darwin on Friday.

Burney and her staff were in the foyer of the Doubletree Hilton just before 6pm when the woman ran into the hotel bleeding heavily. Police allege she was stabbed directly outside the hotel on the Esplanade.

Some of Burney’s staff helped attend to the woman along with hotel staff, while the minister comforted members of the woman’s family.

The woman was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital but died a short time later.

A man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody.

Burney said the woman “tragically died after allegedly being stabbed outside a hotel where I was staying”.

“The woman came into the hotel to seek help,” she said in a statement. “Together with staff from the hotel members of my staff provided assistance to the woman, and I comforted members of her family.

“My heartfelt condolences go out to the woman’s family and her loved ones. I want to thank the hotel staff, the Northern Territory Police and the paramedics who attended.”

With the matter now being investigated by the police, Burney said it would be inappropriate for her to provide any further comment at this stage.

Burney and her staff had been staying in the Northern Territory since Thursday.

NT Police said the woman died after being fatally stabbed by a man outside the hotel.

“Police and paramedics were called to the scene just before 6pm after receiving information that an injured woman had entered the hotel seeking help,” police said.

“A crime scene has been declared, and a section of the Esplanade remains closed while police investigate.”

Police have appealed for anyone with information to phone them on 131 444.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/linda-burney-just-metres-away-from-stabbing-that-allegedly-killed-woman-20230415-p5d0pl.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18698686 (151226ZAPR23) Notable: Video: Wild night of violent crime in Darwin: Woman stabbed to death in CBD, man and woman stabbed at city's busiest shopping centre - A woman has died after being stabbed outside a CBD hotel in a wild night of crime in Darwin, while two others were allegedly set upon by knife-wielding attacker at Casuarina Square shopping centre. Sky News has also been sent video footage of a brawl at the shopping centre’s bus exchange earlier the same evening. A group of men can be seen chasing a man who then appears to be hit by a passing bus. The incidents come less than a month after 20-year-old Declan Laverty was stabbed to death while working at a Darwin bottle shop.

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>>38603

>>38611

Wild night of violent crime in Darwin: Woman stabbed to death in CBD, man and woman stabbed at city's busiest shopping centre

A woman has died after being stabbed outside a CBD hotel in a wild night of crime in Darwin, while two others were allegedly set upon by knife-wielding attacker at Casuarina Square shopping centre.

Matt Cunningham - April 15, 2023

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A woman is dead and two others were injured after a wild night of violent crime in Darwin.

Police say they were called to a hotel on The Esplanade in the Darwin CBD just before 6pm on Friday.

They say a woman had entered the hotel’s lobby seeking help after suffering stab wounds.

It’s understood Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney was staying at the hotel.

Her office has confirmed that a member of her staff performed CPR on the woman and called triple-0.

Paramedics were called and the woman was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital but died a short time later.

A man was arrested at the scene and remains in hospital.

Sky News spoke to the victim’s brother at the scene on Saturday morning.

He said his sister, from the community of Maningrida about 500km east of Darwin, had come to the city to visit her son who was in prison.

In a separate incident a man and woman were stabbed at Darwin’s biggest shopping centre.

Police said a 22-year-old woman was in custody after allegedly stabbing a man and a woman in the underground car park at the Casuarina Square shopping centre.

“Paramedics treated a 41-year-old man at the scene for injuries to his leg, and a 29-year-old woman was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital suffering non-life threatening injuries to her back,” police said in a statement.

“Additionally, Police have arrested a man after he allegedly slashed the tyres of a police vehicle.

“The man was consuming alcohol in a public place when Police approached him, and the alcohol was subsequently destroyed.

“Members continued their patrols when the man came to the police vehicle and slashed both rear tyres rendering the vehicle unusable.”

Sky News has also been sent video footage of a brawl at the shopping centre’s bus exchange earlier the same evening.

A group of men can be seen chasing a man who then appears to be hit by a passing bus.

The incidents come less than a month after 20-year-old Declan Laverty was stabbed to death while working at a Darwin bottle shop.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18698736 (151243ZAPR23) Notable: Labor under pressure for minimising sexual assault cases - The Fyles Labor government is facing claims it tried to minimise and even deny alarmingly high rates of child sex abuse in the Northern Territory when its Treasurer, Eva Lawler, told a radio station: “Children have been sexually abused in Australia since, bloody, the place was probably settled”.

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>>38603

Labor under pressure for minimising sexual assault cases

PAIGE TAYLOR and LIAM MENDES - APRIL 15, 2023

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The Fyles Labor government is facing claims it tried to minimise and even deny alarmingly high rates of child sex abuse in the Northern Territory when its Treasurer, Eva Lawler, told a radio station: “Children have been sexually abused in Australia since, bloody, the place was probably settled”.

Ms Lawler made the remarks in a panel discussion on commercial Darwin radio on Friday about Peter Dutton’s visit this week to Alice Springs, where the withdrawal of alcohol restrictions last July caused havoc.

The reintroduction of some ­restrictions in January coincided with an immediate fall in overall crime and hospital admissions, but the Opposition Leader claims lawlessness has returned and there were children being regularly sexually abused.

He told the distressing story of a frontline worker taking a six-year-old back to the house where the child had been sexually abused while the child was “grabbing on to their legs, screaming not to be left there”.

Ms Lawler claimed Mr Dutton had used Alice Springs – and the issue of child sexual abuse – to ­deflect from the fact that the Liberal Party was in disarray over the Indigenous voice. The panel discussed the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showing child protection notifications in the NT were five times the national average, before a fellow panellist pointed to the 2018 rape of a two-year-old in Tennant Creek, saying it was later revealed that child protection ­notifications made that assault “a forseeable risk”.

Ms Lawler then said: “That’s right. But, you know, children have been sexually abused in Australia. Let’s you know, we can talk about the Catholic Church. Children have been sexually abused in Australia since bloody, the place was probably settled.”

On Friday night, Ms Lawler’s office issued a statement about her child sex abuse remark on radio.

“This is an issue that impacts every community around the world, not just the Territory and it’s not just something that developed overnight,” she said.

“It is incredibly frustrating when southern politicians who have never cared about the Territory fly in, throw around these criticisms and fly out.

“As a government, the care and protection of children is our absolute priority.

“If only Peter Dutton cared about Alice Springs when he was in power”.

The number of Indigenous children removed from their families and placed by case workers in out-of-home care is considered an important measure of child abuse. In Central Australia – which takes in Alice Springs – the number of Indigenous children in care has fallen over the past nine months. Data from the child welfare ­department, Territory Families, shows 143 Indigenous children were in care in Central Australia in July and August last year and climbed to 155 in November. After alcohol restrictions were reintroduced in January, the number of kids in care in the region fell to 136, to 129 in February and in March the figure was 131.

By contrast, the number of non-Indigenous children in care in Central Australia has increased from seven in July to 13 last month.

Those figures are useful only as an indicator of abuse – including neglect – that has been reported and substantiated. However this week Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the Country Liberal Party senator from Alice Springs, suggested ­official data was not a good indication of child abuse because Territory Families was not removing enough Indigenous children from their families.

She told The Weekend Australian she believed there were “high levels” of unreported abuse.

“People are scared to report or ashamed,” Senator Price said. “I had a cousin in my family who ­refused to get her daughter checked because she felt embarrassed.

“I’ve made reports in situations where I believe nothing has been done because I believe in the rights of our children to be protected.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18698843 (151321ZAPR23) Notable: Ignore the AUKUS hand-wringers, we need these subs for sea-bed battles: Navy chief - The nation’s navy chief has urged Australians to ignore “hand-wringing” doubters of the AUKUS pact, arguing a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines is necessary to fortify Australia against a potential attack on vital undersea cables. In his first interview since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the details of the submarine plan last month, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond forcefully rejected claims the vessels could draw Australia into a war over Taiwan or that technological advances will render them obsolete before they arrive.

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>>38591

Ignore the AUKUS hand-wringers, we need these subs for sea-bed battles: Navy chief

Matthew Knott - April 15, 2023

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The nation’s navy chief has urged Australians to ignore “hand-wringing” doubters of the AUKUS pact, arguing a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines is necessary to fortify Australia against a potential attack on vital undersea cables.

In his first interview since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the details of the submarine plan last month, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond forcefully rejected claims the vessels could draw Australia into a war over Taiwan or that technological advances will render them obsolete before they arrive.

Rather than focus on the submarine program’s possible pitfalls or imposing price tag – between $268 billion and $368 billion over three decades, according to the government – Hammond implored Australians to see it as a nation-building endeavour on par with the original creation of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric scheme.

Given Australia is a “three-ocean trading nation”, he said it was vital to remember that “we derive our economic wellbeing, and therefore our economic prosperity and national security from the maritime domain”.

“As the historian T. B. Millar said last century: you don’t need to invade Australia to defeat Australia,” Hammond said in an interview at his office at Defence headquarters in Canberra.

“We are vulnerable to the interruption and disruption of sea lines of communication and seabed infrastructure, and we’ve seen both of those play out in the Ukraine conflict.

“That should bring it home to all of us that in the current deteriorating strategic environment, we need to take appropriate measures to mitigate against risks in the maritime domain in particular.”

Australia is connected by at least a dozen undersea internet cables, many of which land in Sydney and Perth.

Having spent much of his naval career as a submariner, including extended periods aboard both nuclear-powered and conventional diesel vessels, Hammond said he had “lived and breathed” submarines for most of his adult life.

“The net sum of my experience and analysis of the contemporary and future operating environment leads me to the conclusion that only the nuclear-powered submarine capability of the type we’re about to invest in is the appropriate investment for this nation going forward,” Hammond said.

Hammond, who was appointed head of the navy last June, said submarines served a broader purpose than simply defending the Australian coastline from possible invasion, a scenario emphasised by former prime minister Paul Keating in his criticisms of the plan.

“Our maritime domain is significant; we’re not parked at the edge of an international waterway,” Hammond said. “Our interests lie across the Indian Ocean and throughout the Pacific Ocean.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18698909 (151339ZAPR23) Notable: Talisman Sabre - MAGIC SWORD - https://qanon.pub/?q=Operation%20Specialists - https://qanon.pub/?q=magic

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Talisman Sabre 2023: Australian Defence Force leads largest ever military drill

Australia will host one of the largest military drills in the world with more than 30,000 personnel and dozens of ships, aircraft and armoured vehicles mobilising.

Charles Miranda - April 15, 2023

Exclusive: Australia will host one of the largest military drills in the world with more than 30,000 personnel and dozens of ships, aircraft and armoured vehicles mobilising from across the region.

Such is the size of the Talisman Sabre 2023 exercise, the “battlefield” has been extended from across the top of Australia to swathes of the Coral Sea down as far south to Jervis Bay in NSW and will even involve Norfolk Island.

The biennial two-week exercise has long been one of the largest Australian Defence Force hosted exercises, run largely with the United States military and involving 17,000 troops.

But with the backdrop of Russia’s mass troop assault on Ukraine and China’s coercive posturing and recent show of force about Taiwan, personnel numbers have doubled with more than 12 allied nations including Germany, France and the UK to participate.

Many of the fictional scenarios to be rehearsed are based about Russia and China’s posturing, notably the Kremlin’s land and air war strategy that spectacularly failed to capture the Ukrainian capital.

Talisman Sabre will involve an airborne drop, mass amphibious landings, live missile firing and submarine hunting; the battle field stretching from Western Australia, across the NT and Queensland and as far south as Jervis Bay in NSW.

Curiously India has yet to commit to joining Talisman Sabre 2023, despite signalling interest two years ago and early last month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing the “top tier security partner” would participate for the first time.

In details to be released by the government today, confirmed participants include Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, France, UK, Canada and Germany.

The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will attend as observers. China was not invited but expected to send its spy ships to shadow operations.

“Talisman Sabre reflects a shared commitment to enduring relationships between trusted partners, and a stable Indo-Pacific through an upholding of the rules-based Order,” Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

TS23 Exercise Director, Brigadier Damian Hill said it was the largest iteration of the exercise in terms of both geographic span and also partner nation involvement.

“This year’s exercise will demonstrate our ability to receive large volumes of personnel and equipment into Australia from across the Indo-Pacific and stage, integrate and move them forward into the large exercise area,” he said.

According to planning, locations were chosen to provide “a realistic test of how a large military force would flow into a broad area of operations”.

The ADF will make up one third of the 30,000 personnel involved in the two week exercise.

Quick breakdown of Talisman Sabre 2023

• More than 30,000 personnel to participate from at least 12 nations.

• Designed to test multinational and joint (multi-service) Task Force operations, improve combat readiness and interoperability between Australian, US forces and other partner nations.

• Held between 22 July and 4 August.

• QLD:

– An airborne drop of troops near Charters Towers and amphibious landings at various locations along the north and central Queensland coast.

– Maritime mine-hunting off the coast of Gladstone.

– RAAF Base Scherger at Cape York Peninsula will play central role.

• NSW:

– Long-range fire exercises in Jervis Bay with Japan Self-Defense Forces.

– Air, ground and maritime exercises in Norfolk Island.

• NT:

– Force projection and logistic exercises in the vicinity of Darwin.

– Larger warships will participate in naval gunnery and submarine hunting exercises.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/talisman-sabre-details-revealed-ahead-australian-defence-forces-largest-ever-military-drill/news-story/dd5d00981f27bffc26878820236a56f6

>Talisman Sabre

>MAGIC SWORD

https://qanon.pub/?q=Operation%20Specialists

https://qanon.pub/?q=magic

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18703552 (161029ZAPR23) Notable: Inside the Firm: How an international drug cartel plotted a ‘line to Australia’ - The inner workings of Swedish kingpin Maximilian Rivkin’s crime empire have leaked onto the internet, revealing a plan to target Australia’s insatiable drug market to make them rich beyond measure. The unprecedented glimpse inside transnational drug crime and the AN0M network comes on the eve of a court case that could decide dozens of AN0M-related prosecutions in NSW.

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>>>/qresearch/18484965 (pb)

>>>/qresearch/18644395 (pb)

Inside the Firm: How an international drug cartel plotted a ‘line to Australia’

Perry Duffin - April 16, 2023

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The inner workings of a Swedish kingpin’s crime empire have leaked onto the internet, revealing a plan to target Australia’s insatiable drug market to make them rich beyond measure.

The unprecedented glimpse inside transnational drug crime and the AN0M network comes on the eve of a court case that could decide dozens of prosecutions in NSW.

“I have a line to Australia,” Sweden’s Maximilian Rivkin allegedly wrote in an encrypted chat in mid-2020.

“I am now with the biggest people in the world.”

Earlier this year Rivkin was accused, alongside multiple Australians, of being one of the driving forces behind the spread of the encrypted app of choice for serious criminals - the AN0M network.

A US indictment, released by a California court, alleges AN0M’s purpose was to facilitate and protect the global drug trade.

But it was all a trojan horse designed by the FBI and monitored by agencies including the Australian Federal Police.

At about the time Rivkin and the Australians were accused in the US court, Swedish police files were dumped online containing thousands of pages of AN0M chats.

The files, verified by The Herald, allege Rivkin was one of four directors of a Swedish amphetamine cartel called the Firm.

The documents also suggest Rivkin intended to use his connections to expand the Firm’s territory to take advantage of Australia’s sky-high drug prices.

The Firm

“Through conversations on the encrypted platform AN0M, it appears that people in the report form the core of a group that, for a long time, conducted extensive drug crime,” one of the Swedish translated police files begins.

The precise origin of the Firm is not made out in the court files but, in just a few months, it allegedly produced more than half a tonne of amphetamine.

To accomplish their goal, the court documents allege, the Firm transformed a cosy Swedish home into an industrial lab and began shipping drugs around Europe from July 2020.

Pictures shared on AN0M appear to show trays upon trays of amphetamines drying in the lab, drugs in car boots and maps used by drug couriers.

“(The Firm’s leaders) organised extensive amphetamine trafficking in Sweden and also the rest of the world,” the translated documents read.

Staying off the grid

From the beginning, in mid-2020, the Firm was highly secretive.

The house chosen as a drug lab was small and unremarkable, in the lakeside village of Olshammar more than three hours from the capital Stockholm.

Meanwhile, Rivkin allegedly pushed directors and subordinates to message using AN0M.

Before any drugs left Olshammar, according to one series of messages, Rivkin organised for 10 phones to be sent to the Firm in July 2020.

He maintained his enthusiasm for AN0M until the final kilo left the lab in December 2020, police allege.

That month a WhatsApp user called “Anom Goteborg” sent a selfie from his dimly lit office.

The bearded man in the picture smiles confidently, flashing a gold watch and a thumbs-up.

Behind him is a giant AN0M logo, illuminated on the wall with the words “enforce your right to privacy” below.

Another image of a Swedish licence, sent in the chat, suggests Anom Gothenburg was Rivkin.

“Hold AN0M tight, it will be the next big thing,” Rivkin told his contact.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18708612 (171004ZAPR23) Notable: ‘He diminished his legacy’: Penny Wong, Paul Keating escalate feud - The feud between two of Labor’s most beloved figures has escalated, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong accusing Paul Keating of diminishing his legacy and the former prime minister attacking Wong for speaking in platitudes and lacking policy ambition. In an appearance at the National Press Club, Wong hit out at critics who take “self-satisfied potshots” at the United States, arguing America continues to play an indispensable role in promoting peace and security in the Asia-Pacific as it jostles with rival superpower China for influence. Wong said: “On Mr Keating, what I would say is this: I think in tone and substance he diminished both his legacy and the subject matter.” Keating responded to Wong’s speech by doubling down on his criticisms of both her and the government, saying in a statement: “Never before has a Labor government been so bereft of policy or policy ambition … I never expected more than platitudes from Penny Wong’s press club speech and as it turned out, I was not disappointed.”

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>>>/qresearch/18511306 (pb)

>>>/qresearch/18516925 (pb)

‘He diminished his legacy’: Penny Wong, Paul Keating escalate feud

Matthew Knott - April 17, 2023

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The feud between two of Labor’s most beloved figures has escalated, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong accusing Paul Keating of diminishing his legacy and the former prime minister attacking Wong for speaking in platitudes and lacking policy ambition.

In an appearance at the National Press Club on Monday, Wong hit out at critics who take “self-satisfied potshots” at the United States, arguing America continues to play an indispensable role in promoting peace and security in the Asia-Pacific as it jostles with rival superpower China for influence.

At a heated appearance at the press club last month, Keating was particularly personal in his criticisms of Wong, saying: “Running around the Pacific Islands with a lei around your neck handing out money, which is what Penny does, is not foreign policy. It’s a consular task. Foreign policy is what you do with the great powers: what you do with China, what you do with the United States.”

Asked about his comments, Wong said: “On Mr Keating, what I would say is this: I think in tone and substance he diminished both his legacy and the subject matter.”

Keating responded to Wong’s speech by doubling down on his criticisms of both her and the government, saying in a statement: “Never before has a Labor government been so bereft of policy or policy ambition ... I never expected more than platitudes from Penny Wong’s press club speech and as it turned out, I was not disappointed.”

In her speech, Wong said a war fought over the self-governing island of Taiwan would be “catastrophic” for everyone involved, arguing it is “our job is to lower the heat on any potential conflict, increasing pressure on others to do the same”.

Beijing last week launched a three-day series of military exercises around Taiwan, which it considers an integral part of its territory, to express anger at Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with the US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“We call for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion,” Wong said.

“Because, let me be absolutely clear – a war over Taiwan would be catastrophic for all. We know that there would be no real winners.”

Wong declined to say whether she welcomed US President Joe Biden’s repeated statements that America would intervene to defend Taiwan if it came under attack by China, saying it was important “to do all that we can to press for the maintenance of the status quo through both deterrence and reassurance”.

Wong said she felt it important to deliver a “reality check” that nations in the Indo-Pacific would not have enjoyed their “long, uninterrupted period of stability and prosperity” without the US.

“America has often been talked of as the indispensable power,” she said. “It remains so, but the nature of that indispensability has changed.

“As we seek a strategic equilibrium, with all countries exercising their agency to achieve peace and prosperity, America is central to balancing a multipolar region.

“Many who take self-satisfied potshots at America’s imperfections would find the world a lot less satisfactory if America ceased to play its role.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18708667 (171027ZAPR23) Notable: Relations between ACT Police and DPP ‘beset by tension’ over Brittany Higgins’ rape claim - An explosive complaint from the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions about police conduct before and during Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial lit the match that sparked the Board of Inquiry into the capital’s criminal justice systems. Walter Sofronoff KC, who is conducting the inquiry, held the Board’s first public hearing in Canberra this morning where it was revealed that the inquiry was established after DPP Shane Drumgold wrote to ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan on November 1, 2022 alleging his officers had conducted 18 months of “inappropriate interference” in Bruce Lehrmann’s prosecution.

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Relations between ACT Police and DPP ‘beset by tension’ over Brittany Higgins’ rape claim

KRISTIN SHORTEN - APRIL 17, 2023

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An explosive complaint from the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions about police conduct before and during Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial lit the match that sparked the Board of Inquiry into the capital’s criminal justice systems.

Walter Sofronoff KC, who is conducting the inquiry, held the Board’s first public hearing in Canberra this morning where it was revealed that the inquiry was established after DPP Shane Drumgold wrote to ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan on November 1, 2022 alleging his officers had conducted 18 months of “inappropriate interference” in Bruce Lehrmann’s prosecution.

Former liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged Mr Lehrmann raped her in Senator Linda Reynolds’ ministerial office in the early hours of March 23, 2019 after a night out drinking with colleagues in Canberra.

Mr Lehrmann was later charged with sexual intercourse without consent and pleaded not guilty.

Mr Drumgold’s November 1 letter was sent just days after the 28-year-old’s trial was sensationally aborted in October due to juror misconduct and immediately listed for retrial in February.

Counsel assisting Erin Longbottom KC told the inquiry this morning that Mr Drumgold alleged police had “cherry picked” elements of potential evidence in the case and “provided blatant misrepresentations of evidence” to him.

Mr Drumgold claimed that during the trial a number of “disturbing events occurred” including police “constantly and exclusively” engaging directly with Mr Lehrmann’s defence team rather than the prosecution, causing him to distrust the AFP.

In his letter Mr Drumgold called upon Commissioner Gaughan to prohibit any further contact between officers involved in the investigation and the defence team, prosecution witnesses and Ms Higgins.

He also sought to prohibit their attendance at court during the planned retrial.

But in December Mr Drumgold announced he would not prosecute the case again due to the impact it would have on Ms Higgins’ mental health.

Commissioner Gaughan, who attended this morning’s hearing, last year welcomed the inquiry but asked that it look at the conduct of all parties involved including the DPP and explore issues including delays in the trial, the mistrial and the decision of the DPP not to proceed with the retrial.

The inquiry this morning heard that Ms Higgins first reported her alleged rape during a “meet and greet” with AFP officers stationed at Parliament House in early April 2019.

That first stage of the investigation ended when Ms Higgins emailed them on April 13, 2019 advising that she did not wish to proceed with her complaint.

The second stage of the investigation began on February 5, 2021 when Ms Higgins contacted ACT Police and asked for her complaint to be reactivated.

The next day, on February 6, 2021 she met with police who told her they could not recommence the investigation until she provided a record of interview.

Ms Higgins participated in the police interview on February 24, 2021 after sharing her story in the media.

Ms Longbottom emphasised the Board was not conducting an investigation of Ms Higgins’ allegations about Mr Lehrmann but an inquiry into “the way in which each criminal justice agency involved fulfilled their duties”.

She said the inquiry will hear evidence about conflict between the ACT Police and the DPP over their perceptions of what had occurred between Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann.

“You will hear evidence that, from the outset, engagement between ACT Police and the DPP were beset by tensions,” she said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18708691 (171039ZAPR23) Notable: Twitter labels ABC and SBS ‘government-funded media’ - ABC and SBS will not quit Twitter, after the social media platforms labelled the public broadcasters’ news services “government-funded media”, lumping the two into a category previously used for government mouthpieces. Twitter moved on Monday to label ABC News’ account on its platform “government funded media”, in the wake of similar moves in recent weeks that earned the ire of users, leading some media groups to quit the site. SBS, which was also hit with the “government-funded media” label on Monday, told The Australian the broadcaster would push back on the move.

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Twitter labels ABC and SBS ‘government-funded media’

DAVID ROSS - APRIL 17, 2023

ABC and SBS will not quit Twitter, after the social media platforms labelled the public broadcasters’ news services “government-funded media”, lumping the two into a category previously used for government mouthpieces.

Twitter moved on Monday to label ABC News’ account on its platform “government funded media”, in the wake of similar moves in recent weeks that earned the ire of users, leading some media groups to quit the site.

SBS, which was also hit with the “government-funded media” label on Monday, told The Australian the broadcaster would push back on the move.

An SBS spokesman said the broadcaster disagreed with the label applied by Twitter, arguing it did not reflect the nature of the media group’s funding.

Twitter has applied three different labels to media groups in recent weeks, including “government-funded media”, “state-affiliated media”, or “publicly-funded media”.

“While we appreciate Twitter’s motivations with regard to transparency on its platform, we believe a “Publicly funded media” label better reflects the hybrid public-commercial nature of our funding model and the fact that SBS retains full independence from Government in our news editorial and content decision-making,” an SBS spokesman said.

The Special Broadcasting Service is understood to be concerned about the potential for the label to mislead its multicultural viewers, who may see it as government controlled or affiliated.

SBS is partially funded from ad revenues, unlike the ABC.

A spokesman for the ABC said it would contact Twitter in response to the labelling, but said the broadcaster would not stop using the social media platform.

“The ABC doesn’t currently have any plans to shut down all its Twitter accounts,” he said. “The ABC is liaising with Twitter regarding changes to account verification and labels.”

In a statement posted on Twitter, the ABC said it was “a publicly funded broadcaster, governed by the ABC Charter which is enshrined in legislation”.

“For more than 90 years, the ABC has always been and remains an independent media organisation, free from political and commercial interests,” the ABC said.

Twitter claims it brands accounts government funded if they are funded in part or wholly by governments, which “may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content”.

Twitter categorises “publicly funded media accounts” as media groups “that receive funding from license fees, individual contributions, public financing, and commercial financing”.

Twitter has been pushing media sites to sign on to its verified organisations service, as the social media group seeks to raise funds in the wake of Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform.

The BBC objected to Twitter’s branding last week, which saw it labelled government funded media, claiming this ignored the broadcasters’ licensing fees funding source.

Twitter chief executive Elon Musk, responding to a tweet about the move, questioned the label asking “Is the Twitter label accurate?”.

America’s National Public Radio forced Twitter to walk back its decision to brand the platform “state-funded media” last week, changing the service’s label.

But the radio network said it would “de-emphasise” Twitter and cease tweeting from the labelled accounts in response.

NPR CEO John Lansing said Twitter’s decision was “unacceptable”.

“After great consideration, we will not put our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of editorial independence,” Mr Lansing said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/twitter-labels-abc-and-sbs-governmentfunded-media/news-story/7faafc22cab133f65bce452425d5ddae

https://twitter.com/abcnews

https://twitter.com/SBS

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18708709 (171046ZAPR23) Notable: Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post - MRF-D Marines and Army soldiers with 103 Battery, 8/12 Regiment, 1st Brigade - Australian Army conduct dry fire drills on the M777A2 lightweight 155mm howitzers at Robertson Barracks, Darwin, Northern Territory, April 6, 2023. Through increased training and exercises, MRF-D and Defence Australia are expanding our range of interoperability, further strengthening the historic Alliance. #MRFD #YourADF #AlliesandPartners #trainhard

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>>38599

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

16 April 2023

MRF-D Marines and Army soldiers with 103 Battery, 8/12 Regiment, 1st Brigade - Australian Army conduct dry fire drills on the M777A2 lightweight 155mm howitzers at Robertson Barracks, Darwin, Northern Territory, April 6, 2023. Through increased training and exercises, MRF-D and Defence Australia are expanding our range of interoperability, further strengthening the historic Alliance.

#MRFD #YourADF #AlliesandPartners #trainhard

(U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Brayden Daniel)

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/596965789132575

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18714027 (181028ZAPR23) Notable: Defence blames braking fault in Hawkei armoured vehicles for reluctance to supply Ukraine - Defence is blaming a braking fault affecting the army’s fleet of 1100 Hawkei armoured vehicles for its reluctance to supply war-torn Ukraine with the Australian-made four-wheel drives. The anti-lock braking system fault can undermine the vehicle’s stopping power at high speeds but does not affect its off-road performance. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said his country hoped to acquire an initial 30-60 Hawkeis to support the country’s coming counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.

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>>38598

Defence blames braking fault in Hawkei armoured vehicles for reluctance to supply Ukraine

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 17, 2023

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Defence is blaming a braking fault affecting the army’s fleet of 1100 Hawkei armoured vehicles for its reluctance to supply war-torn Ukraine with the Australian-made four-wheel drives.

The anti-lock braking system fault can undermine the vehicle’s stopping power at high speeds but does not affect its off-road performance.

After extensive checks, ­Defence believes the entire fleet of the army’s Hawkeis will need to be recalled to fix the problem, which is linked to a faulty component. The move comes five months after The Australian revealed the issue, which led Defence to ban the vehicles from civilian roads and slap them with a fleet-wide 40km/h speed limit.

The fault is holding up the army’s formal acceptance of the $2bn fleet from manufacturer Thales Australia.

But Ukraine is undeterred by the braking issue, releasing a video last week declaring it has a “crush” on the Bendigo-built vehicles, which it describes as “seven tonnes of trouble for temporary occupiers”.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said his country hoped to acquire an initial 30-60 Hawkeis to support the country’s coming counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.

“If that’s the only issue, it’s not an issue, to be frank,” he told The Australian.

“They will not be used on highways; they will be used off-road where they will never be able to get to the speed where this is an issue.”

Retired major-general Gus McLachlan, a former commander of the army’s 1st Armoured Regiment, said Defence was being “quite risk averse” over the “relatively minor issue”.

“Given that Ukrainians are at war, I think they would probably happily take the risk with something like that,” he said.

“If you're driving on an Australian public road and you put your foot on the brake you want every bit of technology working. But for off-road driving under operational conditions, it’s not something that would be particularly important.”

Major-General McLachlan said the Hawkei was “a great little ­vehicle” that was highly mobile, provided protection for its occupants, and could be equipped with Javelin anti-tank missiles and ­remotely operated machine guns.

He said providing some of the vehicles to Ukraine would also showcase their capabilities to ­potential foreign buyers.

Anti-lock braking systems help prevent skidding and loss of steering on slippery surfaces, but are typically turned off on loose or uneven terrain.

Australia has committed 90 Bushmaster protected vehicles to Ukraine with about 60 of the ­Bendigo-built vehicles already in use with the country’s forces.

Ukraine has argued the war would provide the perfect testing ground for the Hawkeis, which are yet to be used in battle. But the ­Albanese government has resisted supplying the vehicles to Ukraine on Defence’s advice, citing the braking issue as an impediment.

A Defence spokesman said the department was continuing to work with Thales Australia to ­resolve the braking problem, and the government was “committed to delivering on its current contribution to Ukraine”.

Mr Myroshnychenko said Ukraine was interested in using Hawkeis for reconnaissance, command and control and mobile electronic warfare roles, and potentially as an air-defence platform.

He noted Australia’s contract with US defence giant Raytheon to mount surface-to-air missiles on two-door Hawkeis.

“They could be used as ­mobile air defence systems against Russian missiles. And the good thing about it is you put it in one spot, you use it, then you move it,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18714036 (181033ZAPR23) Notable: China ‘a danger’ to accused AUKUS information seller Alexander Csergo - The Bondi businessman alleged to have sold AUKUS information to Chinese spies could be in danger from “people very interested in him not giving evidence against the Republic of China”, according to a magistrate who ruled that keeping him detained would help ensure his safety. Alexander Csergo was denied bail on the grounds he was a flight risk after a court heard he sold information about the AUKUS security agreement, lithium mining and iron ore to alleged Chinese agents in exchange for envelopes of cash.

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>>>/qresearch/18693611

>>>/qresearch/18708573

China ‘a danger’ to accused AUKUS information seller Alexander Csergo

ELLIE DUDLEY - APRIL 18, 2023

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The Bondi businessman alleged to have sold AUKUS information to Chinese spies could be in danger from “people very interested in him not giving evidence against the Republic of China”, according to a magistrate who ruled that keeping him detained would help ensure his safety.

Alexander Csergo was denied bail on the grounds he was a flight risk after a court heard he sold information about the AUKUS security agreement, lithium mining and iron ore to alleged Chinese agents in exchange for envelopes of cash.

Mr Csergo appeared via video link before Downing Centre District Court from his cell in Parklea prison on Monday.

The court heard Mr Csergo would visit Australia with a “shopping list” of information requested by the alleged spies, who had contacted him through his public LinkedIn page.

He would write the information and deliver it to the alleged spies, who were using the anglicised names Ken and Evelyn, in return for envelopes stuffed with cash that he would never deposit, but spend outright.

Ken and Evelyn organised numerous meetings with Mr Csergo in frequently empty cafes across Shanghai, which they selected.

They would always arrive at the venue before Mr Csergo, and always leave after him.

While Mr Csergo’s defence lawyer staunchly opposed any suggestion his client’s actions were “sinister”, magistrate Michael Barko disagreed, deemed him a flight risk and refused to grant him bail.

“If I read those facts to any lay-person, they would be highly suspicious of the conduct of the defendant, at the very least,” Mr Barko said.

Mr Csergo’s “personal safety” and the Chinese government’s presumed interest in the case were cited as additional reasons to keep him imprisoned.

“No doubt when this hits the fan there will be people very interested in him not giving evidence against the Republic of China,” Mr Barko said.

“The defendant, I can infer, must have been on the radar of the intelligence authorities in Australia for quite some time.”

Mr Csergo, who owns a Shanghai-based consulting company and has worked in China for many years, has vowed to file a counter-claim against the commonwealth for “destroying his career and business”.

“(He will be) pursuing a case for significant economic loss against the commonwealth,” his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, said.

Mr Collaery argued there was nothing untoward about Mr Csergo’s consultancy with Ken and Evelyn, and that it was merely a common business exchange.

“(Business people) in China often have an anglicised first name with three characters after,” he said. “There is a suggestion that there is something off about the fact that two or three of the persons he was in contact with, among hundreds, that there was something sinister about Ken and Evelyn.”

Mr Collaery argued any information Mr Csergo could access was publicly available, and his interaction with Ken and Evelyn was innocent.

But Mr Barko swiftly interjected: “Why is he getting cash in an envelope for publicly accessible documents? Why couldn’t Evelyn and Ken do that? I don’t go down to my coffee shop and get an envelope of cash to give them publicly available information.

“What would the lay-person say? The lay-person would say it stinks and there’s something going on.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18719406 (191057ZAPR23) Notable: Chinese-Australians ‘more wary of AUKUS’, Lowy survey finds - Chinese-Australians are significantly less supportive of the AUKUS alliance and the prospect of Australian military involvement in a US war against China than the broader Australian population, a new survey suggests. The Lowy Institute’s Being Chinese in Australia Poll also reveals a big jump in the proportion of Chinese-Australians expressing concern at “foreign interference” by the US in Australia’s political processes, from 36 per cent in 2021 to 62 per cent in the latest survey. They are less concerned about foreign interference by Beijing, with 54 per cent identifying it a problem compared with 50 per cent in 2021. The poll shows Chinese-Australians have much more confidence in Anthony Albanese (60 per cent) than they did his ­predecessor Scott Morrison (49 per cent), reflecting the Labor Prime Minister’s efforts to dial-down the friction between Canberra and Beijing.

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>>38591

Chinese-Australians ‘more wary of AUKUS’, Lowy survey finds

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 18, 2023

Chinese-Australians are significantly less supportive of the AUKUS alliance and the prospect of Australian military involvement in a US war against China than the broader Australian population, a new survey suggests.

The Lowy Institute’s Being Chinese in Australia Poll also reveals a big jump in the proportion of Chinese-Australians expressing concern at “foreign interference” by the US in Australia’s political processes, from 36 per cent in 2021 to 62 per cent in the latest survey.

They are less concerned about foreign interference by Beijing, with 54 per cent identifying it a problem compared with 50 per cent in 2021.

The poll shows Chinese-Australians have much more confidence in Anthony Albanese (60 per cent) than they did his ­predecessor Scott Morrison (49 per cent), reflecting the Labor Prime Minister’s efforts to dial-down the friction between Canberra and Beijing.

It reveals Chinese-Australians are about four times more likely to trust Xi Jinping to do the right thing in world affairs than members of the wider community, but their confidence in the Chinese President has fallen over time.

According to the poll – now in its third year – the vast majority of Chinese-Australians (92 per cent) believe Australia is a good place to live, and three quarters are proud of Australia’s culture and way of life.

One in five Chinese-Australian respondents said they were called offensive names in the past 12 months – an improvement on the previous poll – but a sizeable minority (18 per cent) reported being physically threatened or attacked because of their Chinese heritage.

The survey found an increase in support for democracy as a form of government. Almost half of Chinese-Australians say that democracy is preferable to any other kind of government, an increase of 14 points since 2021.

Only about a quarter of Chinese-Australians believe the AUKUS nuclear submarine alliance with the US and the UK will make Australia safer, compared with 52 per cent of the broader population. Chinese-Australians are also sceptical of the value of the “Quad” partnership between Australia, the US, Japan and India, with only 33 per cent saying it will make Australia more safe, compared with 53 per cent for the wider community.

The survey suggests about 36 per cent of Chinese-Australians would support the deployment of Australian forces in a US-led war against Taiwan, compared with about 51 per cent of the broader population.

Project director Dr Jennifer Hsu said the survey was important at a time when the effects of growing geopolitical competition were being felt in Australia. “In recent years, Chinese-Australians have come under greater scrutiny, and some have had their loyalty to Australia questioned,” she said.

“Grasping the impact that these and other issues are having on how Chinese-Australians see their place in Australian society is critical to our social cohesion.”

Like all Australians, the issue that most worries Chinese-Australians is a severe downturn in the global economy.

Chinese-Australians are less likely than the rest of the Australian population to see China as a military threat.

A significant majority of Chinese-Australians believe that Australia should be neutral in any conflict between the US and China, compared with just over half of the general population.

About 40 per cent of Chinese-Australians are in favour of deploying Australian forces to conduct freedom of navigation naval operations in the South China Sea and other disputed areas claimed by China, compared with 60 per cent of the broader population

The latest survey includes the responses of 1200 adults in Australia who identify as being of Chinese heritage. The survey was conducted in late 2022 and is funded by the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/chineseaustralians-more-wary-of-aukus-lowy-survey-finds/news-story/99d6455265a960a2782269ef0a9c8c1a

https://interactives.lowyinstitute.org/features/chinese-communities/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18719453 (191114ZAPR23) Notable: IBAC finds Victorian government advisors put pressure on public servants to award contract to union - Senior staff in Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews's government interfered and pressured public servants to ensure lucrative contracts were awarded to a key Labor Party ally without competitive tender, the state's anti-corruption watchdog has found. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) has slammed the premier, health ministers and the public service for the awarding of a contract in 2018 to the Health Workers Union (HWU) to deliver specialist training to deal with occupational violence. "The union was given privileged access and favourable treatment, IBAC's Operation Daintree found.''

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IBAC finds Victorian government advisors put pressure on public servants to award contract to union

Richard Willingham - 19 April 2023

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Senior staff in Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews's government interfered and pressured public servants to ensure lucrative contracts were awarded to a key Labor Party ally without competitive tender, the state's anti-corruption watchdog has found.

The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) has slammed the premier, health ministers and the public service for the awarding of a contract in 2018 to the Health Workers Union (HWU) to deliver specialist training to deal with occupational violence.

"The union was given privileged access and favourable treatment,'' IBAC's Operation Daintree found.

"The combined effect of these failings and unethical conduct resulted in a contract that should not have been entered into with the union and an outcome which was not in the public interest."

During her interview with investigators, former health minister Jenny Mikakos told IBAC "it appeared the contract had only been entered into to placate [HWU secretary Diana] Asmar during the election period and looked like a 'way … of injecting funds into the HWU'".

But IBAC's report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday morning, stopped short of findings of corrupt conduct, instead saying Mr Andrews should be accountable to parliament for the behaviour of his staff.

Findings of corruption under Victorian legislation require findings of criminal conduct.

"[Operation Daintree] did however reveal a range of concerning conduct and omissions in breach of the public duties and ethical obligations of ministers and ministerial advisors,'' the report said.

"It also identified conduct by senior public servants that fell short of the required Victorian public sector standards."

The key concern for the anti-corruption commission was the behaviour of advisors working for Mr Andrews and former health ministers Jill Hennessy and Jenny Mikakos. Both women have since left parliament.

"The pursuit by advisors of the perceived interests of their ministers, including the premier, at the expense of proper process and standards is another example of the phenomenon of grey corruption that is of increasing concern to integrity bodies around Australia," the report said.

IBAC said grey corruption "involves the bending or breaking of rules, even if that might not amount to criminal behaviour, but that unfairly favours the allies, friends and networks of decision makers".

Premier labels report 'educational'

The report found ministerial advisors bypassed normal protocols in dealing with the public service to ensure the contract was awarded and then upheld.

There was also constant communication between union secretary Diana Asmar and ministerial advisors about the project, with pressure put on the department to ensure it occurred.

To tackle this, IBAC has made 17 recommendations to ensure staff and ministerial codes of conduct are less opaque, and to crack down on advisors pressuring public servants.

IBAC also suggests allowing parliamentary committees to call advisors to ministers, which is currently not allowed.

The report is also critical of some public servants for not providing frank and fearless advice.

"The evidence from Operation Daintree provides a powerful example of the apparent increase in the pliability of the public service,'' IBAC said.

Mr Andrews addressed the media in a hard hat and high-vis at a press conference with Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan to discuss their government's North-East Link build in the hours after the scathing report was tabled. It took about six minutes for Mr Andrews to raise the IBAC report.

"We thank them for that report, there are 17 recommendations made in that important educational report. I will lead, as the chair of the cabinet, a cabinet process to consider those issues and we will respond in due course," he said.

Mr Andrews noted that there were no findings against anyone in the report but acknowledged "the recommendations do go to a number of serious matters, important matters".

"The staff members that are referred to in this report do not work for the government anymore and have not worked for the government for years. And of course, as you well know, the two ministers who are referenced in the report are not even members of the parliament any longer," he said.

"So obviously, I am accountable and fundamentally responsible for driving a process to consider those 17 recommendations, look at them very carefully, to potentially further engage with IBAC to seek their advice and then to respond once that work has been done."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18719526 (191149ZAPR23) Notable: U.S. Marines Tweet: Col. Brendan Sullivan, commanding officer of @MRFDarwin, visits the Australian War Memorial alongside @AustralianArmy Maj. Todd O’Callaghan, Directorate of Army Operations, Australian Army Headquarters, April 6. #MRFD23 focuses on regional relationships with #AlliesAndPartners.

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>>38599

U.S. Marines Tweet

Col. Brendan Sullivan, commanding officer of @MRFDarwin, visits the Australian War Memorial alongside @AustralianArmy Maj. Todd O’Callaghan, Directorate of Army Operations, Australian Army Headquarters, April 6.

#MRFD23 focuses on regional relationships with #AlliesAndPartners.

https://twitter.com/USMC/status/1646196504720293924

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18723461 (201012ZAPR23) Notable: Foreign spies are aggressively seeking ‘disloyal’ insiders with access to Australia’s secrets, ASIO warns - Foreign spies are “aggressively seeking secrets across all parts of Australian society”, including trying to recruit “disloyal” government insiders to access classified information, ASIO has warned. The intelligence agency said “hostile foreign powers and their proxies” were seeking to test the Australian government’s security clearance system. In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry, ASIO argued in favour of legal changes to enable the agency to become centrally responsible for issuing the highest level of security clearances in Australia.

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>>>/qresearch/18600044 (pb)

Foreign spies are aggressively seeking ‘disloyal’ insiders with access to Australia’s secrets, ASIO warns

Intelligence agency wants government security clearance system ‘hardened’ to protect sensitive information

Daniel Hurst - 20 Apr 2023

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Foreign spies are “aggressively seeking secrets across all parts of Australian society”, including trying to recruit “disloyal” government insiders to access classified information, ASIO has warned.

The intelligence agency said “hostile foreign powers and their proxies” were seeking to test the Australian government’s security clearance system.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry, ASIO argued in favour of legal changes to enable the agency to become centrally responsible for issuing the highest level of security clearances in Australia.

ASIO used the submission to give an updated assessment of the threat environment, saying foreign spies were “targeting our security clearance holders, those with access to Australia’s most privileged information, capabilities and secrets”.

It said these attempts posed a threat to Australian government personnel across parliament, commonwealth employees, the Australian public service, Defence and even the judiciary.

ASIO said hostile foreign powers and their proxies “will continually seek to test the clearance system, seeking to put in place disloyal persons with access to classified and privileged information”.

It said the security clearance system needed to be “hardened” otherwise the secrets of Australia and its closest allies could be put at risk.

“Whether it is information from Australia’s intelligence community or our Five Eyes partners, about Australia’s groundbreaking nuclear-powered submarines program with US and UK partners, or other advanced defence and intelligence capabilities, Australia’s sovereignty demands that Australia’s most sensitive information, capabilities and secrets be protected.”

The submission reiterated what the ASIO boss, Mike Burgess, said in his annual threat assessment speech: that Aukus has spurred “a distinct uptick in the online targeting of people working in Australia’s defence industry”.

A bill introduced to parliament last month would make ASIO centrally responsible for issuing – and then checking whether employees continue to be suitable for – the highest level security clearances.

The existing Positive Vetting (PV) security clearance will be replaced by a new one, Top Secret-Privileged Access (TS-PA).

ASIO said these security clearances would be governed by a new, classified standard with “stronger minimum mandatory security clearance requirements reflecting contemporary psychological and insider threat research”.

The parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security is reviewing the proposed changes.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18723495 (201033ZAPR23) Notable: Anthony Albanese in ‘racist and misogynistic’ bid to silence me: Lidia Thorpe - Lidia Thorpe says Anthony Albanese’s suggestion she should “get some help” is a “continuation of a racist and misogynistic narrative” used to silence Indigenous people. The independent Indigenous senator also claimed she was “harassed by racists” last Sunday when she was filmed leaving a strip club at 3am, and the media had mischaracterised the incident.

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>>38618

Anthony Albanese in ‘racist and misogynistic’ bid to silence me: Lidia Thorpe

JESS MALCOLM - APRIL 20, 2023

Lidia Thorpe says Anthony Albanese’s suggestion she should “get some help” is a “continuation of a racist and misogynistic narrative” used to silence Indigenous people.

The independent Indigenous senator also claimed she was “harassed by racists” last Sunday when she was filmed leaving a strip club at 3am, and the media had mischaracterised the incident.

Senator Thorpe has been embroiled in controversy after she was captured on video yelling profanities and accusing men of having small penises while she was leaving a Brunswick strip club while celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday.

Senator Thorpe was banned from the club for life after footage showing her shouting obscenities was broadcast by the media.

“On Saturday night I was provoked and stood up for myself,” Senator Thorpe said in statement on Thursday. “No one was hurt. The story should be about the racists brazenly harassing a senator. The story is that I can’t go out without being harassed by racists. This is the racism Blak people deal with everyday in this colony.”

The comments come after the Prime Minister condemned her behaviour and expressed concern she may have health issues, with Mr Albanese telling 2SM radio her recent disruptive behaviour had become a trend.

Senator Thorpe claimed to have been “pulverised” by police in March after she attempted to disrupt a rally at Parliament House. She also tried to block Sydney’s Mardi Gras Parade by lying on the ground in front of a float.

“I hope that Lidia gets some support. I think that level of behaviour is quite clearly unacceptable. And I think there are obvious issues that need to be dealt with in terms of her health issues. These are not the actions of anyone who should be participating in society in a normal way, let alone a senator,” Mr Albanese told 2SM.

“And Lidia needs to be very conscious of the way in which this behaviour has been seen. They are repeat exercises now.”

Senator Thorpe also compared her experience “standing up to racism” to AFL great Adam Goodes and former Collingwood player Héritier Lumumba.

“There is a history of white men in power using the media to attack and demonise Blak people that stand up to racism,” Senator Thorpe said.

“They did the same thing to Adam Goodes and Heritier Lumumba when they called out racism. Saying I need ‘mental help’ is a continuation of the old racist and misogynistic narrative used to discredit and silence outspoken and strong women, particularly Blak women.”

But Senator Thorpe’s father Roy Illingworth on Thursday said she was “a very racist person against white people” and thought she had been swept up in power since the election.

“I think she‘s a very racist person against white people,” Mr Illingworth told Sky News.

“Normally she never used to be like that … maybe the power has gone to her head I don’t know.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-in-racist-and-misogynistic-bid-to-silence-me-lidia-thorpe/news-story/f42e77205cf67b249f946a2ccf6fd280

https://twitter.com/JoshButler/status/1648928785654484993

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18723515 (201043ZAPR23) Notable: Man charged over threatening to kill Brittany Higgins, David Sharaz and their pet cavoodle - A NSW man has been charged after allegedly threatening to kill Brittany Higgins, her fiance and their pet cavoodle over social media. David William Wonnocot, 49, allegedly told Ms Higgins’ partner David Sharaz he would “kill you both when you least expect it” and that he was planning to “chop Kingston [pet dog] up into little pieces”, according to messages seen by The Australian. Terrorism squad detectives arrested the man at 10am on Wednesday in Tweed Heads on the NSW north coast and charged him with using a carriage service to make threats to kill and menace, harass and offend.

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>>38619

Man charged over threatening to kill Brittany Higgins, David Sharaz and their pet cavoodle

REMY VARGA - APRIL 20, 2023

A NSW man has been charged after allegedly threatening to kill Brittany Higgins, her fiance and their pet cavoodle over social media.

David William Wonnocot, 49, allegedly told Ms Higgins’ partner David Sharaz he would “kill you both when you least expect it” and that he was planning to “chop Kingston [pet dog] up into little pieces”, according to messages seen by The Australian.

Mr Wonnocot also allegedly told Mr Sharaz that he would follow him and Ms Higgins home and “destroy you all”.

Terrorism squad detectives arrested the man at 10am on Wednesday in Tweed Heads on the NSW north coast and charged him with using a carriage service to make threats to kill and menace, harass and offend.

Police raided Mr Wonnocot’s home and vehicle in Banora Point and served him with a firearms ban.

A NSW Police spokesperson said the messages regarding Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz were uncovered during an investigation into threats of violence made on social media about participants of a mass gathering.

“During the investigation, detectives uncovered a total of 49 messages with similar threats or offensive content sent from a number of accounts, which were believed to be linked,” said the spokesperson.

“Further inquiries revealed one of the accounts was also linked to messages sent on social media to a man in the ACT, allegedly threatening to kill the man, his partner, and their pet dog.”

The police spokesperson said Mr Wonnocot been released on strict conditional bail and said there was no current or impending threat to the community.

He will appear before Tweed Heads Local Court on May 31.

Ms Higgins rose to prominence after publicly alleging her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her on the office couch of then cabinet minister Linda Reynolds in the early hours of March 23 in 2019 after a night out drinking.

A highly publicised trial against Mr Lehrmann on charges of rape, who has consistently denied the allegations, was aborted in October last year due to juror misconduct.

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold declined to pursue a second trial against Mr Lehrmann citing concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health.

An inquiry into the investigation into Mr Lehrmann and the handling of Ms Higgins’ allegations began on Monday.

Mr Sharaz and a spokeswoman for Ms Higgins were approached for comment.

Ms Higgins said she was grateful for the work of NSW Police in a post on Instagram. “Online harassment and death threats are never okay,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/man-charged-over-threatening-to-kill-brittany-higgins-david-sharaz-and-their-pet-cavoodle/news-story/124851bd95c3676d797ffe4fe1284df0

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18723554 (201058ZAPR23) Notable: Q Post #2576 - Those with the most to lose are the loudest. Those who 'knowingly' broke the law in a coordinated effort [treason] are the most vocal. Crimes against Humanity. Q - https://qanon.pub/#2576

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Kevin Rudd downplays backlash over attacks on Donald Trump, meets Joe Biden

ADAM CREIGHTON - APRIL 20, 2023

Kevin Rudd has brushed aside concerns his past attacks on Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, will hinder Australia’s relationship with the US or Republicans in a short press conference in Washington DC after presenting his credentials to Joe Biden.

Former prime minister Mr Rudd – announced as the next Australian ambassador by Prime Minster Anthony Albanese in December after months of speculation – said he and his wife, Therese, had had a “good conversation” with Mr Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, stressing the President’s “personal warmth” and his “great relationship” with Mr Albanese.

“Therese and I had a great time in the White House, catching up with other friends on staff who we’ve known for more years than we can remember,” Mr Rudd told journalists, assembled in Lafayette Park opposite the White House, adding it was a “great honour to present his credentials”.

“The most important thing is he’s really looking forward to getting to Australia, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him in next few months,” he added, flanked by Therese on a Wednesday afternoon (Thursday AEST).

Mr Biden is expected to visit Australia for the first time as President in coming months for a Quad leaders meeting.

Asked whether his previous harsh criticisms of former president Trump, who has surged in US opinion polls since Mr Rudd’s appointment, would affect Australia’s relationship with the US, Mr Rudd said he was “pretty confident [his] relationships [with the US] have not only continued but been sustained and strengthened”.

“The bottom line is I’ve been in this town on and off for 30 years, I have bucketloads of Republican friends and bucketloads of Democrat friends, working in foreign policy and national security,” he added.

Mr Rudd had unleashed on Mr Trump repeatedly in public, calling him a “a traitor to the West”, guilty of “rancid treachery” as recently as February last year.

The former Labor leader and twice prime minster said he discussed the challenges in “maintaining strategic stability” in the Indo-Pacific in the face of a more assertive China with Mr Biden, whose relations with the US, he noted, had deteriorated, and AUKUS, which the former prime minister stressed had “bipartisan support” in Australia, the US and UK.

“Another thing was climate change, and energy security, and the economic opportunity available to Australia in this dynamic relationship: these areas are long standing passions and interest of mine.

Asked whether he had brought up Julian Assange’s plight in the meeting, Mr Rudd said he was “concerned about practical business of how we bring this matter to conclusion”.

“The first thing to say is both the PM and foreign minister have been pretty clear about their position on this matter, it’s gone on for too long, and that’s a position which of course I support”.

Mr Rudd, who was leader of a group calling for a royal commission into News Corp, publisher of The Australian, and media diversity, declined to comment on recent news that Fox News had settled with Dominion, referring journalists to Malcolm Turnbull for comments.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/kevin-rudd-downplays-backlash-over-attacks-on-donald-trump-meets-joe-biden/news-story/4fdfdb89c8fdb12f5ac4895e1392cbad

—

Kevin Rudd Tweet

Donald Trump is a traitor to the West. Murdoch was Trump’s biggest backer. And Murdoch’s Fox Television backs Putin too. What rancid treachery.

https://twitter.com/MrKRudd/status/1497863031497564161

https://archive.ph/gbMyl

Trump defends praise of Putin, makes strongest hint yet of a run for president in 2024

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/26/trump-2024/

—

Q Post #2576

Dec 10 2018 15:24:28 (EST)

https://twitter.com/SamanthaJPower/status/1071755419499069441

Those with the most to lose are the loudest.

Those who 'knowingly' broke the law in a coordinated effort [treason] are the most vocal.

Crimes against Humanity.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2576

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18723589 (201114ZAPR23) Notable: Video: Exercise Talisman Sabre: Dates released for Australia’s largest military training activity with US - More than 30,000 military personnel, mostly from the Australian Defence Force and US Armed Forces, are expected to converge on Queensland, parts of northern NSW and Darwin from June to early August for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 (TS23), a large-scale military training activity that culminates in a mock war between all military branches on land, sea and in the air. The peak of the training, which also incorporates crews in fighter jets and aircraft carrier ships, is scheduled to take place between July 21 and August 4.

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>>38615

Exercise Talisman Sabre: Dates released for Australia’s largest military training activity with US

US ships, fighter jets and thousands of armed forces personnel to converge on Queensland for Australia’s largest biennial military training operation.

Jodie Munro O'Brien - April 5, 2023

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Dates have been released for the 10th iteration of Australia’s largest bilateral combined military training activity with the US.

More than 30,000 military personnel, mostly from the Australian Defence Force and US Armed Forces, are expected to converge on Queensland, parts of northern NSW and Darwin from June to early August for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 (TS23), a large-scale military training activity that culminates in a mock war between all military branches on land, sea and in the air.

The peak of the training, which also incorporates crews in fighter jets and aircraft carrier ships, is scheduled to take place between July 21 and August 4.

An Australian Department of Defence spokeswoman said Australia and the US take turns leading the biennial military exercise, with the most recent iterations increasingly including other allied forces as participants or observers.

“Exercise Talisman Sabre is a bilateral, high-intensity war-fighting training activity led by Australia or the United States, and other partners which has previously included Japan and New Zealand. It is designed to enhance interoperability, strengthen the Australian-US Alliance, enhance Defence co-operation with like-minded countries in the region, and improve combat readiness,” she said.

The Defence spokeswoman said planning was still underway, but TS23 would comprise a field training exercise incorporating force preparation (logistics) activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, urban close combat operations, and air combat and maritime operations.

Between 17,000 to 34,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and women from around the world have participated in past years.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 saw troops from New Zealand, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom embedded with the Australian and US forces, while military officers from France, Germany, India, and Indonesia observed the training.

This year, military units from more than 12 other allied nations will take part, including from Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, France, the UK, Canada and Germany.

Personnel from the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will attend as observers.

Talisman Sabre 2023 will run from 22 July to 4 August primarily in Queensland but also in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

The 14-day exercise will include large scale logistics, multi-domain firepower demonstrations, land combat, amphibious landings and air operations.

The “high end” warfighting scenarios are mostly conducted throughout the ADF’s 454,500 hectare Shoalwater Bay training area in Byfield, about 80km north of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, as well as in adjacent maritime and airspace areas of the Coral Sea.

Components of TS21 also took place in Hughenden, Atherton, Mareeba, Cairns, Townsville, the Charters Towers and Ingham regions, as well as along or off the coastal areas of Bundaberg, Bowen, Proserpine, Lucinda, Forest Beach, the ADF Cowley Beach Training Area near Innisfail and the Stanage Bay peninsula, northeast of Rockhampton.

Pilots of fighter jets, attack helicopters and other military aircraft also operated out of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Scherger near Weipa in the Cape York Peninsula, RAAF Base Amberley, outside of Ipswich in southeast Queensland, and the RAAF Evans Head Air Weapons Range in NSW.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18729080 (211240ZAPR23) Notable: Albanese to attend NATO summit - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has agreed to attend the NATO summit in Lithuania in July after coming under criticism when it appeared he would skip the high-powered gathering. Albanese attended last year’s NATO summit at the invitation of host country Spain, but The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported he did not intend to attend this year’s summit, in part because of a packed schedule of travel including the coronation of King Charles III in London next month. A spokeswoman for Albanese on Friday confirmed Albanese would attend the summit.

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>>38594

>>38604

Albanese to attend NATO summit

Matthew Knott - April 21, 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has agreed to attend the NATO summit in Lithuania in July after coming under criticism when it appeared he would skip the high-powered gathering.

International support for Ukraine’s war against Russia will be high on the agenda at the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, that will be held on July 11 and 12.

Albanese attended last year’s NATO summit at the invitation of host country Spain, but The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported he did not intend to attend this year’s summit, in part because of a packed schedule of travel including the coronation of King Charles III in London next month.

A spokeswoman for Albanese on Friday confirmed Albanese would attend the summit.

“Australia shares with NATO members a commitment to supporting democracy, peace and security, and upholding the rule of law,” she said.

“The Prime Minister’s attendance at this year’s NATO leaders’ summit will be an important opportunity to reinforce Australia’s support for these global norms, demonstrate solidarity in response to Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, and advocate for Australia’s economic, climate and trade agenda.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham welcomed Albanese’s decision to attend the summit, saying: “In what should have been an obvious and swift yes to the invitation, the Prime Minister finally has acknowledged the importance of this event and agreed to make time for it.

“Prime Minister Albanese should aim to have Australia embedded as a permanent ongoing participant in NATO dialogue and discussion, thereby ensuring continued focus on Indo-Pacific security.

“Not only should the Prime Minister be attending this summit with an agenda, he should be arriving with a new and comprehensive package to support the defence of Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko also urged Albanese to attend the event.

All members of the so-called AP4 - Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand - have been invited to attend the summit even though they are not NATO members.

In late May Albanese will host US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the “Quad” leaders’ meeting in Sydney, the first time the event has been held in Australia.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-bows-to-pressure-to-attend-nato-summit-20230421-p5d2ad.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18729094 (211246ZAPR23) Notable: Lachlan Murdoch drops defamation case against Crikey publisher - Fox Corporation chief Lachlan Murdoch has dropped his defamation proceedings against the publisher of online news outlet Crikey and several of its editors and executives. Mr Murdoch sued Private Media in the Federal Court in August over an article published by Crikey, claiming it defamed him in referring to his family as "unindicted co-conspirators" in the US Capitol riots. On Friday his lawyers filed a notice to discontinue the case. It comes days after Fox settled a defamation case in the US brought by Dominion Voting Systems, for $1.17 billion.

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>>38602

Lachlan Murdoch drops defamation case against Crikey publisher

Heath Parkes-Hupton - 21 April 2023

Fox Corporation chief Lachlan Murdoch has dropped his defamation proceedings against the publisher of online news outlet Crikey and several of its editors and executives.

Mr Murdoch sued Private Media in the Federal Court in August over an article published by Crikey, claiming it defamed him in referring to his family as "unindicted co-conspirators" in the US Capitol riots.

On Friday his lawyers filed a notice to discontinue the case.

It comes days after Fox settled a defamation case in the US brought by Dominion Voting Systems, for $1.17 billion.

In a statement today, Mr Murdoch's lawyer John Churchill said his client remained confident the court would "ultimately find in his favour" but no longer wished to allow Crikey to use the case to "facilitate a marketing campaign" to boost subscribers.

In response, Private Media's chief executive Will Hayward claimed victory, saying Mr Murdoch's decision amounted to a "substantial victory for legitimate public interest journalism".

"We stand by what we published last June, and everything we laid out in our defence to the court. The imputations drawn by Murdoch from that article were ridiculous."

Mr Hayward was named as a respondent in the case, along with Crikey's former editor-in-chief Peter Fray, political editor Bernard Keane — who wrote the article — and Private Media chairman Eric Beecher.

'This is a victory for free speech'

In its most recent defence, filed this month, Private Media alleged Mr Murdoch was "morally and ethically culpable" for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

It claimed Fox News, under Mr Murdoch's management, "promoted and peddled [Donald] Trump's lie of the stolen election despite Lachlan Murdoch knowing it was false".

Mr Hayward said the publisher stood by the claims Mr Murdoch "and his father, had the power to stop the lies" and pointed to the outcome of the Dominion case.

"The fact is, Murdoch sued us, and then dropped his case.

"We are proud of our stand. We are proud to have exposed the hypocrisy and abuse of power of a media billionaire. This is a victory for free speech. We won."

Mr Murdoch's statement said Crikey had tried to introduce "thousands of pages of documents" unearthed during the Dominion case.

That case centred on allegations Fox News damaged Dominion's brand by spreading false claims of voter fraud after the 2020 US election.

"In that case, in the US state of Delaware, the trial judge ruled the events of January 6, 2021, in the US Capitol, were not relevant," Mr Churchill said.

"Further, the plaintiff Dominion Voting Systems made clear it would not argue that Fox News caused the events of January 6, and at no point did it ever argue that Mr Murdoch was personally responsible for the events of January 6.

"Yet this is what Crikey's article alleged and what Crikey is attempting to argue in Australia."

Private Media had maintained in court that the story was not defamatory, and that its contents were in the public interest.

Crikey had engaged public relations firm

The article was first published on June 29 and taken down the next day after the receipt of a concerns notice from Mr Murdoch.

Mr Murdoch's lawyers claimed in court that Private Media and its "guiding minds" then contrived to use the concerns notice to "generate subscriptions to Crikey and thus income to Private Media under the guise of defending public interest journalism".

At a hearing in January, the court heard Private Media engaged a public relations firm, Populares, after it received Mr Murdoch's legal letter.

The publisher's lawyer Michael Bradley introduced Private Media to Populares saying Crikey was "about to get itself immersed in a big fight and is looking for expert help".

The court heard emails from July and August also showed Mr Fray, Mr Beecher and Mr Hayward discussing ideas to roll out a "Lachlan Murdoch campaign".

The original article was republished on August 15, and shared on Crikey's social media.

Private Media then took out a full-page ad in the New York Times on August 22 which invited Mr Murdoch to sue, while Crikey published several related articles.

Mr Murdoch launched his lawsuit on August 23.

Barrister Sue Chrysanthou, acting for Mr Murdoch, told the court Crikey sold 5,000 new subscriptions after the lawsuit was filed - a "windfall of $500,000" - at a discounted "Lachlan Murdoch rate".

Trial dates were set for both March and September this year, but both had already been vacated as the case evolved.

It is unclear whether the matter might return to court for a hearing over costs.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-21/lachlan-murdoch-drops-crikey-defamation-case/102251072

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18734262 (221241ZAPR23) Notable: Hambali lawyer seeks AFP records for pre-trial hearing at Guantanamo Bay - The Australian Federal Police have stonewalled repeated requests to provide access to their records on the accused Bali bombing mastermind known as Hambali ahead of his first pre-trial hearing next week, his US military lawyer says. Encep “Hambali” Nurjaman, who was once Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorist, will face a military court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, next week for just the second time since his arrest in Thailand 20 years ago.

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Hambali lawyer seeks AFP records for pre-trial hearing at Guantanamo Bay

CAMERON STEWART - APRIL 21, 2023

The Australian Federal Police have stonewalled repeated requests to provide access to their records on the accused Bali bombing mastermind known as Hambali ahead of his first pre-trial hearing next week, his US military lawyer says.

Encep “Hambali” Nurjaman, who was once Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorist, will face a military court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, next week for just the second time since his arrest in Thailand 20 years ago.

The hearing will mark the start of a pre-trial process that could last for years and which Hambali’s lawyer, Jim Hodes, believes is unlikely to ever result in a formal trial of his client. The first pre-trial hearing, scheduled for late last year was cancelled.

“They will do everything they can to kick this trial as far down the road as possible,” he told The Australian. “Twenty years on, nothing about this process gives me any confidence at all.”

The now 59-year-old Indonesian-born alleged mastermind of the deadly 2002 Bali bombings and 2003 Jakarta Marriott bombing was a close associate of 9/11 al-Qa’ida mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Jemaah Islamiah founder Abu Bakar Bashir. He was publicly charged last year and is facing trial alongside two Malaysian citizens on the US naval base on charges including conspiracy, murder, attempted murder and terrorism.

Hambali has been held in Guantanamo Bay since 2006 after spending three years being tortured for information at CIA black sites around the world. Mr Hodes says the delay in bringing Hambali to trial has been disgraceful.

But US prosecutors have struggled to gather evidence that can be used in a court against Hambali because much of the evidence against him was obtained under torture while in CIA black sites between 2003 and 2006.

Mr Hodes says he has been unable to obtain the evidence against his client from the US military and he has also requested access via FOI to AFP records relating to Hambali in the hope of finding evidence, or a lack of it, in relation to Hambali’s role.

“There is so much information in Australia (and) we want all the records we can find,” he said.

Mr Hodes said he had made three requests for information from the AFP during the past year, reducing the scope of each request after the AFP initially told him the documents were too numerous to search. But the AFP has so far not released any information to him or given any indication that it will do so. An AFP spokesman said the AFP had received an FOI request from Mr Hodes but it was still too broad in its scope.

“The request was in broad terms and the AFP is continuing to liaise with the defence team to narrow the scope of the request, in accordance with the FOI Act,’ the spokesman said.

The first pre-trial hearing in Guantanamo Bay set down for Tuesday, Australian time, is expected to focus on narrow legal questions including a dispute over the neutrality of the government-appointed translators for the trial.

Prosecutors will also ask the judge for more time to provide trial evidence to Mr Hodes, while the defence team will seek a timetable for an actual trial.

Hambali is one of only 31 prisoners left at Guantanamo Bay.

A US Senate report in 2014 revealed his treatment in CIA black sites included waterboarding, beatings, nude shackling and stress positions. His alleged key role in the 2002 Bali bombings led to the deaths of 202 people including 88 Australians. He is also alleged to have played a key role in the Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing the following year which killed 12 people and left up to 150 injured.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/hambali-lawyer-seeks-afp-records-for-pretrial-hearing-at-guantanamo-bay/news-story/f8af9ae68de5a6a7b1e0e3aacb3aad23

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18734316 (221253ZAPR23) Notable: DPP Shane Drumgold complicit with Brittany Higgins’ bid to prejudice case, Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer claims - The chief prosecutor in Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial was “complicit” in a bid by Brittany Higgins to prejudice the case against him, according to an extraordinary draft submission to the ACT ­Supreme Court prepared by Sydney barrister Arthur Moses SC. The explosive 36-page document obtained by The Australian sheds new light on developments in the Lehrmann case that have been shrouded in secrecy because of suppression orders imposed by ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum.

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>>38619

DPP Shane Drumgold complicit with Brittany Higgins’ bid to prejudice case, Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer claims

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - APRIL 22, 2023

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The chief prosecutor in Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial was “complicit” in a bid by Brittany Higgins to prejudice the case against him, according to an extraordinary draft submission to the ACT ­Supreme Court prepared by Sydney barrister Arthur Moses SC.

The explosive 36-page document obtained by The Australian sheds new light on developments in the Lehrmann case that have been shrouded in secrecy because of suppression orders imposed by ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum.

This document, and the circumstances in which it was intended to be filed with the court, raise questions about the reasons for the decision by ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold not to proceed with a retrial. Those issues are likely to form part of the Sofronoff inquiry into the conduct of the DPP and the Australian Federal Police that commenced this week.

The draft submission prepared by Mr Moses – who was acting for Mr Lehrmann – related to an application filed by Mr Lehrmann’s lawyers on November 22 last year after the original trial was aborted in October due to juror misconduct. The Australian cannot legally report the nature of that application, which remains subject to a suppression order issued by CJ McCallum, nor does The Australian have any material filed in that proceeding.

However, The Australian has obtained a draft of Mr Moses’ proposed submission which was never finalised or filed with the court. The Australian understands this draft submission, dated December 1, was very close to being the final version that would have been filed the next day. The filing slated for December 2 did not proceed given the DPP’s shock decision, announced that same day, that he was dropping charges against Mr Lehrmann. Mr Drumgold’s stated reason was the mental health of Ms Higgins.

The Australian has been told that Mr Drumgold would have been aware of the central claims against him in the days leading up to his decision not to retry Mr Lehrmann.

In the submission, Mr Moses describes Mr Drumgold’s “inaction” over the emotional speech delivered by Ms Higgins outside court after Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial was aborted as “deeply troubling” and alleges the DPP failed to safeguard Mr Lehrmann’s fundamental right to a fair trial.

Ms Higgins claimed in the speech that the criminal justice system had “long failed to deliver outcomes to victims of sexual assault”, that Mr Lehrmann had not been forced to surrender his mobile phone and data – as she had – and that he had not been held accountable for “his actions”.

“Despite the trial judge giving a clear warning about the importance of preserving (Mr Lehrmann’s) right to a fair trial, (Ms Higgins) delivered a prepared speech to a crowd of waiting media at the front of the court,” Mr Moses said.

“The speech attacked (Mr Lehrmann’s) right to silence, ignored the presumption of innocence, and impugned the fairness of the criminal justice system.”

The speech clearly had the potential to improperly influence and place pressure on jurors in any retrial and was factually wrong because Mr Lehrmann did surrender his mobile phone to police, Mr Moses said.

“In the absence of evidence from (Mr Drumgold) as to any warning given by him to (Ms Higgins) concerning the possibility that her conduct may undermine the integrity of the trial it may be inferred and therefore found that (Mr Drumgold) failed to take the most basic, obvious and fundamental of steps as part of his positive and inviolable duty to ensure a fair trial.”

Not only was Mr Drumgold’s “inertia” inconsistent with his obligations as a prosecutor to safeguard Mr Lehrmann’s right to a fair trial, “but it also gives rise to the inference that (Mr Drumgold) condones the speech”, Mr Moses says in the draft opinion.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18737067 (222225ZAPR23) Notable: Discovery Of WW2 Shipwreck Ends Australia’s ‘Tragic’ Maritime Chapter - Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday that the wreck of a Japanese merchant ship, sunk in World War Two with 864 Australian soldiers on board, had been found in the South China Sea, ending a tragic chapter of the country’s history. Marles said the SS Montevideo Maru, an unmarked prisoner of war transport vessel missing since being sunk off the Philippines’ coast in July 1942, had been discovered northwest of Luzon island. The ship was torpedoed en route from what is now Papua New Guinea to China’s Hainan by a U.S. submarine, unaware of the POWs onboard. It is considered Australia’s worst maritime disaster.

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Discovery Of WW2 Shipwreck Ends Australia’s ‘Tragic’ Maritime Chapter

By Sam McKeith April 22, 2023

SYDNEY, April 22 (Reuters) – Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday that the wreck of a Japanese merchant ship, sunk in World War Two with 864 Australian soldiers on board, had been found in the South China Sea, ending a tragic chapter of the country’s history.

Marles said the SS Montevideo Maru, an unmarked prisoner of war transport vessel missing since being sunk off the Philippines’ coast in July 1942, had been discovered northwest of Luzon island.

The ship was torpedoed en route from what is now Papua New Guinea to China’s Hainan by a U.S. submarine, unaware of the POWs onboard. It is considered Australia’s worst maritime disaster.

The long-awaited find comes ahead of April 25 commemorations for Anzac Day, a major day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for their troops killed in all military conflicts.

“This brings to an end one of the most tragic chapters in Australia’s maritime history,” Marles said in a video message.

The search for the wreck, found at a depth of more than 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) was led by a maritime archaeology not-for-profit and deep-sea survey specialists, and supported by Australia’s Defence department, according to the government.

“The absence of a location of the Montevideo Maru has represented unfinished business for the families of those who lost their lives until now,” Marles said.

More than 1,000 men – POWs and civilians from several countries – are thought to have lost their lives in the tragedy.

https://gcaptain.com/discovery-of-ww2-shipwreck-ends-australias-tragic-maritime-chapter/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18744473 (241212ZAPR23) Notable: Australian ‘energy supply risk’ worries Japan: ambassador Shingo Yamagami - The outgoing and outspoken Japanese ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, has warned in a departure interview that “sovereign risk” is now an active concern among Japan’s corporates and energy companies which fear the reliability of Australia as an energy supplier.

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Australian ‘energy supply risk’ worries Japan: ambassador Shingo Yamagami

PAUL KELLY - APRIL 23, 2023

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The outgoing and outspoken Japanese ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, has warned in a departure interview that “sovereign risk” is now an active concern among Japan’s corporates and energy companies which fear the reliability of Australia as an energy supplier.

“There shouldn’t be any misunderstanding as to the depths of concern held by Japanese companies because on repeated occasions those concerns have been conveyed to the Australian government,” the ambassador told The Australian.

“Probably for the first time, this word of sovereign risk is coming from the lips of Japanese business leaders, in discussion in boardrooms in Tokyo, and this is something we have to address.

“There is a staggering reliance by Japan on Australia when it comes to energy security. I have this magic number 764 – among Japan’s imports 70 per cent of coal comes from Australia, 60 per cent of iron ore and 40 per cent of gas comes from Australia. But what happening in recent months created an increasing amount of concern on the part of Japanese gas companies and in the trade houses and steel companies.”

Mr Yamagami denied he was being recalled early by Tokyo, branding such claims “malicious”. He said: “Some people are saying my tenure is cut short because I have been maverick and too hawkish on China. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Nevertheless, Foreign Minister Penny Wong had concerns about the ambassador’s public statements on China and he was cautioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about his public remarks.

Asked about the Albanese government’s response to Japan’s energy security fears, he said: “We have received assurances on repeated occasions – even at the level of prime minister – that Australia would remain a stable, reliable source of energy to Japan. So what remains to be seen is how this general principle on the part of the Australian government is going to be reflected in specific measures and policies.”

In short, reassurances are fine but what matters is action, what the Labor government does. In this sense, Mr Yamagami, on his departure, is putting the government on notice.

Uncertainty over Labor’s gas policy has been fuelled by multiple decisions, ministerial comments and pressure from unions and manufacturers to divert gas to the domestic market. Issues include the imposition of gas price caps and a “reasonable” pricing policy, state government hostility to gas extraction, the “safeguards mechanism” deal with the Greens as a potential inhibition on gas development, changes to the Domestic Gas Security Mechanism allowing a domestic gas “trigger” to be used as a last resort and the imminent announcement of higher taxes from review of the Petroleum Resources Rent Tax.

Mr Yamagami said criticism of Australian policy several weeks ago by Inpex Corporation chief Takayuki Ueda in a speech that shocked senior ministers should “not be underestimated and under-valued”.

Mr Ueda alleged Australia’s “quiet quitting” of the LNG business had sinister consequences. He said the investment climate in Australia seemed to be “deteriorating”, extra gas supply was needed, government intervention was counter-productive and Australia’s decisions could prejudice both the climate transition and energy security in the region.

“Mr Ueda’s statement speaks about the depth of concern shared by Japanese actors,” the ambassador said. Mr Yamagami said he had known Mr Ueda for many years, that he had a “rich experience” in both the public and private sector and claims his comments were not shared in Japan were “completely wrong”.

He said energy and resources nationalism in Australia was now “a concern held by a number of Japanese companies”, with many representatives having “come to me and expressed their concern, some calling it a tilt to energy nationalism. That is something we don’t want to see.”

These remarks reflect a cultural divide between the nations, with Japan highly sensitive to energy supply and prone to overreact to Australia’s policy changes while the Albanese government seems impatient and irritated at Japan’s protests.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18744759 (241401ZAPR23) Notable: Video: ANZAC Day 2023 - "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."Lest We Forget.

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ANZAC Day 2023

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest We Forget.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18749439 (250957ZAPR23) Notable: Powerful images as Aussies commemorate Anzac Day - Thousands of Australians across the country and the world are marking the most solemn day on the nation’s calendar. There were emotional scenes with young and old gathered to pay tribute to fallen servicemen and women.

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Powerful images as Aussies commemorate Anzac Day

Thousands of Australians across the country and the world are marking the most solemn day on the nation’s calendar.

Madeleine Achenza - April 25, 2023

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Australians and New Zealanders have gathered to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the landing of Anzac troops at Gallipoli in World War I.

Services were held in cities and towns, big and small, to mark Anzac Day - the most solemn day on the Australian calendar.

There were emotional scenes with young and old gathered to pay tribute to fallen servicemen and women.

As first light broke over the horizon of capital cities, the crowds filled into RSLs and community halls across the country for tea, coffee and Anzac biscuits.

Over 7,000 current serving members and veterans, some from as far back as the Second World War, marched from Martin Place to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park Sydney from 9am.

War Memorial, Adelaide

Thousands gathered at the Adelaide dawn service including Premier Peter Malinauskas and Senator Penny Wong to lay wreaths.

Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane

In Brisbane, thousands flocked to the Shrine of Remembrance to reflect on Anzac Day.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wore a poppy pinned to the lapel of her coat for the early morning service.

Sydney

A small crowd were given the lucky opportunity to ring in the national day of remembrance on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The harbour was aglow with golden light as the bugle played the last post from above the city skyline.

NSW Premier Chris Minns attended his first service after being elected last month, before rushing down south to attend the march and commemoration at the local RSL in his electorate of Kogarah.

The Sydney Maori Choir, composed of New Zealanders now living in Sydney, sing a haunting rendition of the Song of Sorrow in tribute to Australian and New Zealand soldiers who have died fighting for their country.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18749463 (251021ZAPR23) Notable: ‘I was 20 going on 16’: Korean War veterans lead Anzac Day march in sombre reflection - For years, Lloyd Knight had nightmares about his time serving as a fighter pilot in the Korean War. “I was 20 going on 16, so it was pretty traumatic, thinking that you’re killing people,” said Knight, who flew 45 missions in Korea in 1953. On Tuesday, the 90-year-old was among the Korean War veterans leading Melbourne’s 2023 Anzac Day march to mark the 70th anniversary of the war’s armistice. Thousands watched veterans, relatives and community groups march down St Kilda Road from Princes Bridge to the Shrine of Remembrance.

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>>38646

‘I was 20 going on 16’: Korean War veterans lead Anzac Day march in sombre reflection

Carolyn Webb and Lachlan Abbott - April 25, 2023

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For years, Lloyd Knight had nightmares about his time serving as a fighter pilot in the Korean War.

“I was 20 going on 16, so it was pretty traumatic, thinking that you’re killing people,” said Knight, who flew 45 missions in Korea in 1953.

He was once shot in the face by North Korean ground forces and narrowly pulled his Gloster Meteor plane up from crashing into a hill.

“There was no counselling in those days,” he said.

On Tuesday, the 90-year-old was among the Korean War veterans leading Melbourne’s 2023 Anzac Day march to mark the 70th anniversary of the war’s armistice. Thousands watched veterans, relatives and community groups march down St Kilda Road from Princes Bridge to the Shrine of Remembrance.

Knight, who also served in the Vietnam War and flew helicopters in 1969, said he was thinking on Tuesday of the fellow pilots from his squadron who died in the Korean War and of “the people in North Korea we attacked”.

“I’m wondering if we’ll ever stop having wars,” he said. “People have got to learn to talk to each other and solve their differences peacefully.”

Among those marching behind a banner marking the centenary of Legacy, the welfare organisation for veterans’ families, was Mervyn Seeney, 85, who said the charity was a wonderful support for he and his mother after the death of his World War I veteran father, Don Seeney, in 1946.

Seeney, who was eight at the time, said Legacy paid his school fees, found him a place to stay when his mother was in hospital with tuberculosis and helped find him a carpentry apprenticeship. He has been a Legacy volunteer for over 60 years.

Raymond “Darby” Munro, 99, and his brother-in-law, Ron Kimpton, 98, were pushed in wheelchairs by relatives in front of the banner of the HMAS Shropshire, the navy ship on which both served as gunners in World War II.

Nine-year-old Tyrone Rubenstar Burke, of Mount Martha, marched holding the medals and a photo of his late grandfather, Barrymore Burke, who served in the merchant navy in World War II as a teenager.

Tyrone’s father, Michael Burke, 64, remembered marching on Anzac Day beside his own father from the age of five. They were also marching for Tyrone’s great-grandfather, Richard Burke, who served in World War I.

Geoff Parkes, 72, was one of a 1965 to 1972 cohort of national servicemen or “nashos” – people conscripted into compulsory military training – who marched under their own banner for the first time.

“We’re telling our kids and our grandkids that we’re proud of what we did,” he said.

Parkes, who served in 1971 and 1972 in Australia and New Guinea and who is president of lobby group Nasho Fair Go, said some nashos had not received service medals from the government in time for the march. Parkes also called for medical care or some benefits for the 1965-72 group.

Earlier in the day, thousands stood still at the Shrine of Remembrance at dawn.

Organisers estimated 40,000 people attended the service in the city – about 10,000 fewer than last year, when Victorians emerged from pandemic restrictions and finally returned to the first uncapped service in three years.

“Every Anzac Day is both historic and tragic,” Victorian Lieutenant-Governor James Angus said in his address this year. “Historic because each year marks the anniversary of another war – another battle. Tragic, because of the terrible price paid by young Australians ... to create that history – our history.

“In other words, their sacrifice is our inheritance.”

This year marks 70 years since the armistice of the Korean War, in which Australia lost 339 soldiers.

“When our soldiers came home from Korea in 1953, they returned to a country that was still weary of war. And they didn’t get the welcome or recognition that we owed them,” master of ceremonies Justin Smith said.

“It’s not the first time we’ve made that mistake. But for us now, the ones who carry our history forward, the Korean War will only be the forgotten war if we let it.

“Because for the more than 17,000 men and women who served there, it will not be forgotten.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18749478 (251036ZAPR23) Notable: ‘Absolutely disgusted’: Sydney statue defaced in Anzac Day protest - A community in Sydney’s north-west is angry after a statue was defaced with red paint ahead of a local Anzac Day dawn service. The Lachlan Macquarie statue in Windsor’s McQuade Park was doused in red paint and handprints alongside the phrases “here stands a mass murderer who ordered the genocide” and “no pride in genocide”. “We are a military community here in the Hawkesbury and to have this done on a day of such national and local significance to me is appalling,” Mayor Sarah McMahon said. Monument Australia, an organisation that records monuments throughout Australia, states on its website the statue was commissioned during the bicentenary celebrations in 1994 of European settlement in the Hawkesbury. “There is controversy around Macquarie’s treatment of Indigenous people,” the website states. “In April 1816, Macquarie ordered soldiers under his command to kill or capture any Aboriginal people they encountered during a military operation aimed at creating a sense of terror. At least 14 men, women and children were brutally killed, some shot, others driven over a cliff.”

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>>38646

‘Absolutely disgusted’: Sydney statue defaced in Anzac Day protest

Sarah Keoghan - April 25, 2023

A community in Sydney’s north-west is angry after a statue was defaced with red paint ahead of a local Anzac Day dawn service.

The Lachlan Macquarie statue in Windsor’s McQuade Park was doused in red paint and handprints alongside the phrases “here stands a mass murderer who ordered the genocide” and “no pride in genocide”.

Mayor Sarah McMahon said she was alerted to the incident after the dawn service and said upon inspection, the paint was still “significantly wet”. “To me, it had been done quite recently,” she said. “I am really saddened there are members of our community out there that think this is the appropriate way to get their message across.”

McMahon arranged for council staff to clean the statue and police were also called to the scene.

“We are a military community here in the Hawkesbury and to have this done on a day of such national and local significance to me is appalling,” she said. “I expect the police will do their job thoroughly.”

Police said initial inquiries indicated the vandalism occurred between the hours of 6am and 7am.

An investigation has been launched and anyone with CCTV, dashcam footage or information is urged to contact police.

Local resident Tim Kelly took to Facebook to share an image of the defaced statue, receiving hundreds of horrified comments in response. “The day was about our servicemen, not about any other agenda,” he said. “Everyone is absolutely disgusted.”

Member for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston labelled the protest “unAustralian”.

“This vandalism is a cowardly and gutless act on a day when we are united in honouring the country’s heroes who fought and died for our freedom,” she said. “It is divisive and disrespectful.”

The statue has been the target of protests before. In 2017, the statue was graffitied with the words “murderer” as part of an Australia Day protest.

Monument Australia, an organisation that records monuments throughout Australia, states on its website the statue was commissioned during the bicentenary celebrations in 1994 of European settlement in the Hawkesbury.

“There is controversy around Macquarie’s treatment of Indigenous people,” the website states.

“In April 1816, Macquarie ordered soldiers under his command to kill or capture any Aboriginal people they encountered during a military operation aimed at creating a sense of terror. At least 14 men, women and children were brutally killed, some shot, others driven over a cliff.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/absolutely-disgusted-sydney-statue-defaced-in-anzac-day-protest-20230425-p5d32t.html

https://monumentaustralia.org.au/display/23796-governor-lachlan-macquarie

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18749527 (251112ZAPR23) Notable: Bali bomb mastermind Hambali appears at Guantanamo hearing - The terrorist mastermind behind the 2002 nightclub Bali bombings, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians, has appeared at a preliminary hearing in Guantanamo Bay where prosecutors proposed a formal trial date of early 2025, more than 21 years after his arrest in Thailand. Encep Nurjaman, 59, an Indonesian who is known as Hambali, sat calmly in a military courtroom in Guantanamo Bay during proceedings that became bogged down in legal debate about translator quality and the US government’s sluggish provision of documents.

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>>38636

Bali bomb mastermind Hambali appears at Guantanamo hearing

ADAM CREIGHTON - APRIL 25, 2023

The terrorist mastermind behind the 2002 nightclub Bali bombings, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians, has appeared at a preliminary hearing in Guantanamo Bay where prosecutors proposed a formal trial date of early 2025, more than 21 years after his arrest in Thailand.

Encep Nurjaman, 59, an Indonesian who is known as Hambali, sat calmly in a military courtroom in Guantanamo Bay on Monday (Tuesday AEST) during proceedings that became bogged down in legal debate about translator quality and the US government’s sluggish provision of documents.

“These gentlemen have been incarcerated for 20 years, judge, and these men are entitled to a trial,” said Jim Hodes, his defence counsel.

Mr Nurjaman appeared alongside two Malaysians, Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, allegedly responsible for the 2003 Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta that killed at least 11 people and wounded at least 80. All three were members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamic extremist group linked to al-Qaida.

“Can I be compelled to be present?” Mr Nurjaman asked through his translator, as the judge made clear the court was willing to accommodate Muslim prayer times.

Four unidentified family members of those killed sat at the back of the military courtroom in the notorious US naval base in Cuba, where dozens of alleged terrorists, down from a peak above 700, remain detained by the US without recourse to the usual US constitutional protections.

Meanwhile half a dozen foreign journalists sat before a large screen in a classroom in Fort Meade, a vast US military community in Maryland, home to around 60,000 defence personnel and their families, and the only place the proceedings could be viewed outside the Pentagon and Guantanamo itself.

“My client has been lied to and deceived and subject to misrepresentation by the US government for almost 20 years,” said defence counsel for Mr Bin Lep, reflecting frustration with multiple delays in the trial of the three men, who were formally arraigned 18 months ago and earlier tortured in CIA facilities, before their transfer to Guantanamo in 2006.

Fresh questions of translator quality emerged early in the proceedings after defence lawyers claimed their clients, who speak Malaysian, were being addressed in Indonesian and broken English.

“We had one hearing, and I’ll put it out there, it was a disaster, in terms of how the interpretation worked, and we’re already having these problems again,” fumed defence counsel Brian Bouffard, representing Mr Bin Amin.

One of the US government translators assigned to the men had said in 2020 “the government [was] wasting money on these terrorists; they should have been killed a long time ago”.

Prosecutors, who are seeking life imprisonment for the three, said it was “not easy to find linguists who have skills and can maintain the necessary clearances”.

“I think objectively when you look at it, it looks bad,” Judge Hayes Larsen conceded, ultimately refusing to dismiss the translators by virtue of their formal qualifications and their oaths of impartiality.

“[Prosecutors] keep asking for extension time after time; if this were a normal case, … I have no doubt you would have set a very tight deadline to make sure all discovery was provided … It’s like the great Britney Spears said ‘oops, I did it again,” said Mr Hodes.

The chief prosecutor said they had been working “day in, day out” and had “produced 90 per cent of all materials according to deadlines”

“The 10 per cent that remain to be produced includes very sensitive classified materials … it’s a complicated and iterative process,” he added, promising to provide the documents, which include material related to their detention by the CIA, to the court by the end of January 2024.

Defence lawyers said the US government had enough money for “5-star black sites” – a reference to CIA torture sites around the world that were used during the War on Terror – and should bring the case forward to this year.

The preliminary hearings are expected to last for the rest of the week.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/bali-bomb-mastermind-hambali-appears-at-guantanamo-hearing/news-story/52896bdf6e3b9339201ad5df15acd117

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18754977 (260950ZAPR23) Notable: Video: ‘Girls won’t go home … they’re worried about their uncles’ An Alice Springs school principal has revealed the horrifying extent of the crisis engulfing Indigenous children in central Australia, detailing incidents where children are sometimes returned to school in handcuffs or wearing ankle bracelets and one in which a 12-year-old and his mates led teachers on a wild pursuit through the town in a stolen minibus. In a dramatic video of the minibus chase obtained by The Australian a teacher can be heard screaming: “You little shits … pull over!” as she leans from the window of a pursuing car.

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>>38603

>>38610

‘Girls won’t go home … they’re worried about their uncles’

A 12-year-old driving a stolen bus, children in ankle bracelets: an Alice Springs principal reveals the horrifying crisis engulfing Indigenous children

LIAM MENDES - April 26, 2023

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An Alice Springs school principal has revealed the horrifying extent of the crisis engulfing Indigenous children in central Australia, ­detailing incidents where children are sometimes returned to school in handcuffs or wearing ankle bracelets and one in which a 12-year-old and his mates led teachers on a wild pursuit through the town in a stolen minibus.

In a dramatic video of the ­minibus chase obtained by The Australian a teacher can be heard screaming: “You little shits … pull over!” as she leans from the window of a pursuing car.

As Labor and Coalition leaders trade blows over allegations of ­neglect and child sexual abuse in the Northern Territory, Yipirinya School principal Gavin Morris has come forward with a desperate plea to help students like his who are “in absolute crisis”.

He said staff routinely had to contact magistrates to have bail conditions varied for children as young as 12 so they could participate in after-school ­programs, but added that his students saw the school as “a place of ­culture” and “a place where they want to be”.

In one incident where a teenage girl had been raped, her young brother who had witnessed the crime came to school with serious signs of self-harm after attempting to take his own life. “For the teenage girls who don’t go home because they’re worried about their uncles coming in, these are the girls who are walking around Alice Springs unsupervised because they don’t feel safe to go home,” Mr Morris said.

A political storm erupted last month after Peter Dutton, backed by Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, alleged rampant child sexual abuse in the Territory, only to be attacked by NT Police Minister Kate Worden for “absolutely opportunistic political game-playing”.

The Australian has previously revealed how, despite the promise of almost $300m in extra funding in the NT and new restrictions on alcohol sales, children are still on the streets late at night, playing cat and mouse with police.

The shocking catalogue of evidence produced by Mr Morris, who has a PhD in Aboriginal trauma and lectures at Charles Darwin University, is set to focus attention on the NT’s beleaguered education system and efforts to keep Indigenous children attending school.

Most important for Mr Morris is that students see Yipirinya now as a place of cultural safety, a place where they can feel safe, and they can feel like they belong. “I’ve got kids coming to see me and saying home life is that bad that they’d rather be in Owen Springs (juvenile detention) and in incarceration where they feel safer.”

“We need support to make sure that we get all these kids the support that they need,” he says.

In the minibus incident last August, a group of students – the driver aged 12, the oldest just 14 – stole the vehicle at 9pm, smashing through the school gates, and sped through the main street of Alice Springs.

Mr Morris recalled his phone suddenly “buzzing off its head” as teachers reported they were frantically pursuing the students in their cars, begging them to stop before someone was seriously injured or killed.

Video of the chase shows the bus careening down the street as the teacher driving the car behind desperately beeps its horn and flashes its headlights. Tyres screech as they turn a corner, chasing the kids, who live in town camps around Alice Springs.

“You f.cking wait!” one teacher screams. “Pull over!”

The pursuing teachers are scared for the lives of the students and innocent bystanders.

As they head out of town, the car swerves onto the wrong side of the road, throwing up dirt when it veers off the bitumen. The kids drive down to an Indigenous camp on the outskirts of town, where the bus begins to slow.

Ten kids jump out of the van while it’s still moving and scatter into the night, some vaulting ­fences. “They came to school the next day,” Mr Morris said.

None was charged. The bus was written off, with significant damage to the structure and axles. It was not an isolated incident, Mr Morris said.

“We’ve got a growing number of students at Yipirinya who come to school with ankle bracelets, who have got bail conditions attached to the upcoming court case, some of these are very, very young,” says Mr Morris.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18755136 (261128ZAPR23) Notable: - Anthony Albanese reacts to Joe Biden's re-election bid ahead of US President travelling to Sydney for Quad meeting - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Joe Biden as "a friend of Australia" as he was quizzed on news of the United States President's re-election bid. Mr Biden announced on Tuesday he would be seeking another four-year term in 2024 "to stand up for democracy" and because it was "time to finish the job". The 80-year-old will visit Australia next month for the third in-person Quad Leaders' Summit, alongside Mr Albanese and the leaders of Japan and India. Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney Mr Biden "will be a very welcome visitor" when he makes his first trip Down Under as President. "President Biden I regard as a friend and he's certainly a friend of Australia. I don't comment on the internal politics of the United States," the Prime Minister said. "That's a matter for the people of the United States. But can I say this: President Biden will be a very welcome visitor here in Australia."

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>>38593

Anthony Albanese reacts to Joe Biden's re-election bid ahead of US President travelling to Sydney for Quad meeting

Anthony Albanese has reacted to his "friend" Joe Biden's re-election announcement as he prepares to welcome the United States President to Sydney next month for the Quad Leaders' Summit.

Bryant Hevesi - April 26, 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Joe Biden as "a friend of Australia" as he was quizzed on news of the United States President's re-election bid.

Mr Biden announced on Tuesday he would be seeking another four-year term in 2024 "to stand up for democracy" and because it was "time to finish the job".

The 80-year-old will visit Australia next month for the third in-person Quad Leaders' Summit, alongside Mr Albanese and the leaders of Japan and India.

Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday Mr Biden "will be a very welcome visitor" when he makes his first trip Down Under as President.

"President Biden I regard as a friend and he's certainly a friend of Australia. I don't comment on the internal politics of the United States," the Prime Minister said.

"That's a matter for the people of the United States. But can I say this: President Biden will be a very welcome visitor here in Australia.

"We will have more to say about his activities while he is here but I very much welcome him."

Mr Albanese most recently met with Mr Biden in California last month, where the pair announced the submarines Australia would be acquiring through AUKUS.

The Prime Minister will also travel to the United States in November to take part in the APEC Summit, with another visit for bilateral talks on the cards.

"I thank him for the warm welcome that I received in San Diego for the AUKUS announcements," Mr Albanese said.

"I'll be visiting the United States when President Biden hosts the APEC meeting in the second half of this year in San Francisco.

"And I have of course have also been invited to the United States. We will finalise details for a bilateral visit for me to the US as well."

Mr Albanese announced on Wednesday the Quad Leaders' meeting will be held at the Sydney Opera House on May 24.

"Prior to that and around that there will be various events, the details with the three leaders that will be announced," he said.

"The hosting of this Quad Leaders' meeting at the Sydney Opera House, Australia's most recognisable building, will be a chance for us to work co-operatively with the United States, Japan and India.

"But also... an enormous opportunity to showcase this beautiful city in this wonderful country to the entire world.

"For the days before, during and after, there will be a world showcase on this city and on our nation of Australia."

Mr Albanese's first overseas trip as Prime Minister following the Federal Election was to Japan for last year's Quad Leader's meeting.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be in Sydney alongside Mr Albanese and Mr Biden for this year's event.

"We'll be discussing the global economic environment that we know is under pressure due to global inflationary pressures," Mr Albanese said.

"We know that we live in a more insecure world, with strategic competition in our region, with the ongoing impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We also know that our friends are ones which we have such a strong relationship with and during the hosting of the meeting at the Sydney Opera House it will be an opportunity to discuss all of those issues.

"And our common interests as democracies, as vibrant economies, as countries who want to work with each other for our common interests in the Indo-Pacific region."

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/anthony-albanese-reacts-to-joe-bidens-reelection-bid-ahead-of-us-president-travelling-to-sydney-for-quad-meeting/news-story/88e4c1fae56a3ee616934551f29b218c

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1651014634760183809

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18760659 (271018ZAPR23) Notable: Federal MP Marion Scrymgour backs ‘safe school’ for Indigenous children in Alice Springs - Northern Territory federal Labor MP Marion Scrymgour has backed moves by Alice Springs principal Gavin Morris to get Indigenous children off the streets and into the classroom by providing safe accommodation for them at school. Ms Scrymgour will meet Dr Morris as early as Saturday to work through issues needed to fast-track the groundbreaking proposal for a residential facility - part of it secure – for students and says she will push federal Education Minister Jason Clare to consider using funding earmarked for education in Central Australia.

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>>38603

>>38650

Federal MP Marion Scrymgour backs ‘safe school’ for Indigenous children in Alice Springs

LIAM MENDES - APRIL 27, 2023

Northern Territory federal Labor MP Marion Scrymgour has backed moves by Alice Springs principal Gavin Morris to get Indigenous children off the streets and into the classroom by providing safe accommodation for them at school.

Ms Scrymgour will meet Dr Morris as early as Saturday to work through issues needed to fast-track the groundbreaking proposal for a residential facility – part of it secure – for students and says she will push federal Education Minister Jason Clare to consider using funding earmarked for education in Central Australia.

A proposal commissioned by Dr Morris for his Yipirinya School by building consultants Donald Cant Watts Corke estimates a total building cost of $12m for four cottages housing 24 students with staff accommodation in the same units.

Ms Scrymgour said the plans were essential in order to get youth “re-engaged” in the education system.

“We can’t have another generation that becomes illiterate and disengaged from the system and then just ends up on the scrap heap,” she said. “We’ve got to give young people some hope that they can live somewhere safely but they need to re-engage in the school system.”

The development comes after Dr Morris revealed in The Australian how children are sometimes returned to school in handcuffs or wearing ankle bracelets and how a 12-year-old and his mates led teachers on a wild pursuit through the town in a stolen minibus.

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles declined to respond directly to questions about Dr Morris’s proposal but said the Territory government would “stand up two facilities that families can go to when they are displaced and in need of support services. This is to ensure we can get these families back on their feet, back to community or into longer-term accommodation and kids back to school.”

Yipirinya School has more than 200 Indigenous students from the town camps and outstations of Alice Springs, catering for some of the most disadvantaged students in the nation.

The school was founded by Indigenous elders and teaches in four Indigenous languages.

Ms Scrymgour said that what Dr Morris was proposing should be supported but called for the accommodation to be built in a separate location than the grounds of Yipirinya, accessible to all students in Alice Springs.

She proposed a central facility that other high schools could “feed into”, and allowing it to be resourced with government and non-government agencies.

“Centralian High in Alice Springs (also) has issues with kids needing somewhere to stay,” she said. “If you’re going to have a boarding facility for some of these kids I think it shouldn’t be attached to any one school … there’s a real need in Alice Springs.”

Dr Morris said he would be delighted to work with Ms Scrymgour to come up with a viable proposal,” he said.

“I’m very flexible in making sure that we work with people like Marion to ensure that we get a solution and we get action.

“I’m happy to explore actions that might not necessarily be on the Yipirinya school site, but also acknowledging this request has come from our key Elders, from community, it’s not my idea.”

Ms Scrymgour said she would also support a secure facility in Alice Springs for young people as an alternative to the controversial Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in Darwin.

“When we’re talking about youth crime, if the kids aren’t going to be sent to Don Dale, but to get them off the streets and as part of their bail conditions, they need to go into a secure facility,” she said. “There is no facility in Alice Springs for that to happen.”

Ms Scrymgour said she would meet with Dr Morris “as early as Saturday” to come to a solution.

“The one minister I’d like to bring in on this is (federal education minister) Jason Clare … there was some money that was earmarked for education in the central Australian plains, so I want to just talk through some stuff with Gavin, and then maybe have a chat with Jason Clare ...” She also called for a similar project to be looked at in Katherine, three hours southeast of Darwin.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/federal-mp-marion-scrymgour-backs-safe-school-for-indigenous-children-in-alice-springs/news-story/15af90cfc33af5fc4546b489c4ab3bd0

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18760753 (271114ZAPR23) Notable: ASIO backs federal push to ban Nazi symbolism - Australia's spy agency says a proposed bill outlawing Nazi symbols could help stop extremist radicalisation and recruitment. Federal shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash introduced the bill last month following a protest in Melbourne which drew neo-Nazis, who used the sieg heil salute. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation says nationalist and racist violent extremists adopt specific imagery and terminology to signal their ideology, build belonging and provoke opponents. ASIO believes extremists are currently more focused on trying to attract new members rather than planning an attack and the legislation would help stop that. "(The bill) would assist law enforcement in early intervention," the agency said in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry.

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>>>/qresearch/18517224 (pb)

>>>/qresearch/18538063 (pb)

ASIO backs federal push to ban Nazi symbolism

Rachael Ward - 27 April 2023

Australia's spy agency says a proposed bill outlawing Nazi symbols could help stop extremist radicalisation and recruitment.

Federal shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash introduced the bill last month following a protest in Melbourne which drew neo-Nazis, who used the sieg heil salute.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation says nationalist and racist violent extremists adopt specific imagery and terminology to signal their ideology, build belonging and provoke opponents.

ASIO believes extremists are currently more focused on trying to attract new members rather than planning an attack and the legislation would help stop that.

"(The bill) would assist law enforcement in early intervention," the agency said in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry.

The Buddhist Council of Western Australia supports the move but wants a clause stating "to avoid doubt, the display of a swastika in connection with Buddhism, Hinduism or Jainism does not constitute the display of a Nazi symbol".

The Australian Christian Lobby has thrown its support behind the bill but agrees the current wording should be altered.

"We are concerned that the Bill's wording could unintentionally capture the public display of any genuine Christian symbols which may be confused as or appropriated as Nazi symbols. We suggest the draft Bill be amended to expressly exclude that possibility," it wrote.

The bill prompted fiery debate in the senate last month and tensions boiled over as Liberal senator Sarah Henderson cried in the chamber after an exchange with Labor Minister Murray Watt.

The bill was prompted following a Melbourne rally organised by British anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull and attended by members of the National Socialist Movement.

Some people performed the Nazi salute outside Victorian Parliament and held signs calling transgender people offensive names, sparking clashes as police held back counter protesters.

Victorian upper house MP Moira Deeming attended the event and was later suspended from the Liberal party for nine months.

The Victorian government is moving to amend existing laws banning Nazi symbols in public to also include the Nazi salute.

Most states and territories have or are in the process of banning displays of Nazi symbols, with the salute covered in some jurisdictions.

All existing and proposed bans make exceptions including for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and other groups for whom the swastika is an important symbol predating Nazism.

https://thewest.com.au/politics/asio-backs-federal-push-to-ban-nazi-symbolism-c-10470841

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18766047 (281241ZAPR23) Notable: Bruce Lehrmann given go-ahead by Federal Court to sue journalists and media outlets over Brittany Higgins interviews - The Federal Court has given the go-ahead to former Liberal Party adviser Bruce Lehrmann's plan to sue media outlets over interviews they conducted with Brittany Higgins. In the interviews - which Mr Lehrmann argues identified him - Ms Higgins alleged she was raped in a parliamentary office in 2019. Mr Lehrmann had to ask the court for permission to lodge a defamation claim against Network Ten and News Life Media because the usual 12-month deadline for these claims had expired. Their stories about Ms Higgins aired and were published in February 2021. He also filed a separate claim against the ABC, which broadcast a speech Ms Higgins gave to the National Press Club in February 2022.

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Bruce Lehrmann given go-ahead by Federal Court to sue journalists and media outlets over Brittany Higgins interviews

Elizabeth Byrne and Markus Mannheim - 28 April 2023

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The Federal Court has given the go-ahead to former Liberal Party adviser Bruce Lehrmann's plan to sue media outlets over interviews they conducted with Brittany Higgins.

In the interviews — which Mr Lehrmann argues identified him — Ms Higgins alleged she was raped in a parliamentary office in 2019.

Mr Lehrmann had to ask the court for permission to lodge a defamation claim against Network Ten and News Life Media because the usual 12-month deadline for these claims had expired. Their stories about Ms Higgins aired and were published in February 2021.

He also filed a separate claim against the ABC, which broadcast a speech Ms Higgins gave to the National Press Club in February 2022.

He told the Federal Court his lawyer had advised him he could not begin civil action until his criminal matters were resolved.

Mr Lehrmann underwent a criminal trial last year over the alleged rape of Ms Higgins, though the trial was eventually abandoned due to juror misconduct.

He has always maintained his innocence and there have been no findings against him.

Lehrmann says he was advised not to sue until criminal trial finished

During his criminal trial, Mr Lehrmann maintained his right to silence.

But he was called to give evidence in the Federal Court last month, when he argued he should be allowed extra time to lodge his defamation application.

That hearing examined text messages between him, his then girlfriend and other friends, mostly on the night Ms Higgins's interviews went public in 2021.

Ms Higgins did not name Mr Lehrmann in the interviews, when she described being sexually assaulted on a couch in the office of then federal minister Linda Reynolds, but Mr Lehrmann said he was easily identifiable as the alleged rapist.

The story was initially published by Samantha Maiden on news.com.au, and the interview with Lisa Wilkinson aired on the same evening on The Project.

Mr Lehrmann has accused the journalists and their employers of being recklessly indifferent to the truth or falsity of the rape claims.

He told the Federal Court he had watched The Project interview with his lawyer in his office that night.

He said he asked about defamation proceedings at the time but was advised that any criminal matters would need to be resolved first.

Mr Lehrmann's lawyers told the Federal Court last month that, because of the criminal matter, it would not have been reasonable for him to file a defamation case in 2021.

They also raised concerns about his health and the stress of the ongoing public scrutiny on him.

The court heard that, until it became clear late last year that there was to be no criminal retrial, it was not reasonable for Mr Lehrmann to commence defamation proceedings.

"In the circumstances of this case, it is submitted, it is just and reasonable to extend the limitation period to the date on which Mr Lehrmann ultimately commenced proceedings," his lawyers said.

"He acted promptly after the announcement on December 2, 2022 that the prosecution would be discontinued and could not realistically have commenced proceedings any sooner after the end of the criminal proceedings against him."

Mr Lehrmann's surprise appearance in the hearing last month was followed by an agreement to have his lawyer give evidence in a follow-up hearing, to corroborate his story about the advice he gave.

That plan was ultimately abandoned.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18766061 (281249ZAPR23) Notable: Heat on ACT DPP Shane Drumgold over Bruce Lehrmann rape trial conduct - Pressure is mounting on ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold over his handling of Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial, with the terms of reference of the Sofronoff inquiry widened to include his conduct in the preparation of the proceedings and in the hearings. A key witness in the trial accused Mr Drumgold of threatening and intimidating her as she left the witness box on a morning tea break, and of ignoring her pleas to be recalled to the stand to refute what she alleged was “blatantly false and misleading” evidence by Ms Higgins.

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>>38619

Heat on ACT DPP Shane Drumgold over Bruce Lehrmann rape trial conduct

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - APRIL 28, 2023

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Pressure is mounting on ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold over his handling of Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial, with the terms of reference of the ­Sofronoff inquiry widened to ­include his conduct in the preparation of the proceedings and in the hearings.

The official inquiry into the case, chaired by Walter Sofronoff KC, was already tasked with examining whether Mr Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, breached his ­duties in deciding to commence, continue and then discontinue criminal proceedings against Mr Lehrmann over the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins and, if so, the reasons and motives for his ­actions.

The change to the terms of reference was authorised by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury on Friday.

The original terms of reference contained a power to investigate “any matter reasonably incidental to any of the above matters”, but it is understood ­information now before the ­inquiry was regarded as so serious that a specific reference was required.

The inquiry is also tasked with examining the conduct of police and the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner, but those terms of reference have not changed.

Mr Sofronoff has been given a month’s extension so he will now deliver his report by July 31, following delays in the production of thousands of documents.

Submissions to the inquiry have not yet been released but The Weerkend Australian ­understands there are several new lines of inquiry regarding Mr Drumgold’s conduct in the hearings.

A key witness in the trial ­accused Mr Drumgold of threatening and ­intimidating her as she left the witness box on a morning tea break, and of ignoring her pleas to be ­recalled to the stand to refute what she alleged was “blatantly false and misleading” evidence by Ms Higgins.

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown said Mr Drumgold and an associate berated her for providing “inadmissable evidence” and that the DPP then tried to use her mental health to discredit her as a witness. In a formal complaint to the ACT Bar Association, Ms Brown also alleged that, prior to the trial, Mr Drumgold was so dismissive of her concerns about the potential ­impact of the upcoming Logies – where TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson’s interview with Ms Higgins was up for an award – that it caused her to break down emotionally during a conference with him.

During the trial in the ACT ­Supreme Court last year, Ms Higgins gave evidence that she felt pressured by her chief of staff, Ms Brown, and her boss, Liberal minister Linda Reynolds, not to pursue the alleged assault, in the context of a looming federal election. Ms Brown strongly denied in evidence that she had been ­anything but supportive of Ms Higgins, saying she and Senator Reynolds had told Ms Higgins she was within her rights to make a police complaint and would be fully ­supported.

But in a complaint lodged with the ACT Bar Association, Ms Brown said that during a morning tea break “Mr Drumgold and his associate approached me and ­berated me, stating that I was coming close to providing inadmissable evidence because of the way I was answering the questions”. “I felt threatened and intimidated,” Ms Brown said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18771278 (291428ZAPR23) Notable: Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Tweet: Lest we forget - This week MRF-D Marines and Sailors celebrate Anzac day alongside @DefenceAust - Anzac Day commemorates Australian, New Zealand, and Allied service members for displaying discipline, courage, and self sacrifice in service to their country. #LestWeForget #AnzacDay

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>>38599

>>38646

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Tweet

Lest we forget

This week MRF-D Marines and Sailors celebrate Anzac day alongside @DefenceAust

Anzac Day commemorates Australian, New Zealand, and Allied service members for displaying discipline, courage, and self sacrifice in service to their country.

#LestWeForget #AnzacDay

https://twitter.com/MRFDarwin/status/1652187186354348032

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18771291 (291431ZAPR23) Notable: Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post: LEST WE FORGET - This week, Marines with Marine Rotational Force Darwin alongside Defence Australia Allies, participated in Anzac Day celebrations across the Northern Territory. Anzac Day commemorates current and former Australian, New Zealand, and Allied service members for displaying discipline, courage, and self-sacrifice in service to their country. #lestweforget2023 #anzacday #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific - (U.S. Marine Corps photos by LCpl. Brayden Daniel and Royal Australian Air Force photos by Sgt. Pete Gammie)

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>>38599

>>38646

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

28 April 2023

LEST WE FORGET

This week, Marines with Marine Rotational Force Darwin alongside Defence Australia Allies, participated in Anzac Day celebrations across the Northern Territory.

Anzac Day commemorates current and former Australian, New Zealand, and Allied service members for displaying discipline, courage, and self-sacrifice in service to their country.

#lestweforget2023 #anzacday #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific

(U.S. Marine Corps photos by LCpl. Brayden Daniel and Royal Australian Air Force photos by Sgt. Pete Gammie)

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/603960525099768

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18775267 (301036ZAPR23) Notable: Disgraced ex-lord mayor stripped of Order of Australia title - Former Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle has had his Order of Australia honour stripped by Governor-General David Hurley. Mr Doyle, who became embroiled in sexual misconduct allegations in late 2017, had his companion of the Order of Australia terminated last month according to a gazette notice published on Friday, 28 April 2023. An independent investigation conducted by Barrister Ian Freckleton reported Mr Doyle touched the breast of councillor Tessa Sullivan in 2017 in the mayoral car. It also upheld a complaint made by another councillor Cathy Oke, who said Mr Doyle inappropriately touched her thigh during a dinner in 2014.

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Disgraced ex-lord mayor stripped of Order of Australia title

ANGELICA SNOWDEN - APRIL 30, 2023

Former Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle has had his Order of Australia honour stripped by Governor-General David Hurley.

Mr Doyle, who became embroiled in sexual misconduct allegations in late 2017, had his companion of the Order of Australia terminated last month according to a gazette notice published on Friday.

A spokesman for the Council for the Order of Australia, who advise the Governor-general about nominations, said he could not answer questions about why a decision was made now more than four years after the allegations were made public.

“The Governor-General acts on advice of the Council for the Order of Australia in relation to terminations and cancellations,” he said.

“It reviews matters brought to its attention by the public. The council doesn't comment on individual cases.”

It has previously been reported that the Council received complaints about Mr Doyle including one in 2022 after he received the award in 2017 before allegations against him were made public.

Three women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment and their allegations became public in late 2017, prompting his resignation as Lord Mayor in 2018.

An independent investigation conducted by Barrister Ian Freckleton reported Mr Doyle touched the breast of councillor Tessa Sullivan in 2017 in the mayoral car. It also upheld a complaint made by another councillor Cathy Oke, who said Mr Doyle inappropriately touched her thigh during a dinner in 2014.

Dr Freckleton ultimately made four findings of gross misconduct against the two women in the report released in 2018, after Mr Doyle refused to participate in the investigation.

Dr Freckleton handed down a supplementary report in 2020 when he found Mr Doyle also behaved in a “sexually inappropriate” way towards Kharla Williams at a Melbourne Health event in 2016.

The Department of Health also conducted a separate report into the allegations made by Ms Williams and found Mr Doyle put his hand on her back and on her inner left leg, near her groin, several times and spoke to her in a “sleazy” way.

Mr Doyle initially denied all the allegations against him but in 2021 broke a three year silence and said he was “very sorry” for his actions.

“When you see the pain you’ve caused and the potential pain I might cause to my children, grandchildren, yes, it’s up there,” he told 3AW at the time.

“I’ve lost my family, I’ve lost love, I’ve lost relationships, I’ve lost friendships, I’ve lost health, I’ve lost reputation. But it’s not about Robert the victim … actions have consequences.”

No formal charges were ever laid against Mr Doyle by police.

The Council for the Order of Australia can terminate awards if the Governor-general is satisfied that “the holder of the appointment or award has behaved or acted in a manner that has brought disrepute on the Order”.

Mr Doyle did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/disgraced-exlord-mayor-stripped-of-order-of-australia-title/news-story/1598c1a172af7113976320f1a2a4fd02

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2023G00470

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18779626 (010949ZMAY23) Notable: Video: Wild brawl in Alice Springs as Northern Territory police chief Jamie Chalker exits - Shocking scenes of violence have played out on the streets of Alice Springs just as Northern Territory police commissioner Jamie Chalker exits his job, leaving the beleaguered Territory government hunting for a new police chief amid a fresh wave of alcohol-fuelled crime and racial tension. In one incident seen and filmed by The Australian from 2.42am on Saturday, officers were forced to storm a takeaway pizza shop with their Tasers drawn in pursuit of youths who had allegedly armed themselves with a kitchen knife after being ­involved in a wild street brawl with caucasian and Indigenous men. Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the footage was “plain and simple evidence” that the Northern Territory government “has lost complete control of law and order”.

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>>38603

>>38610

>>38650

Wild brawl in Alice Springs as Northern Territory police chief Jamie Chalker exits

LIAM MENDES and KRISTIN SHORTEN - MAY 1, 2023

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Shocking scenes of violence have played out on the streets of Alice Springs just as Northern Territory police commissioner Jamie Chalker exits his job, leaving the beleaguered Territory government hunting for a new police chief amid a fresh wave of alcohol-fuelled crime and racial tension.

The government reached a “confidential settlement” with Mr Chalker, who will now retire, following a botched attempt to ­revoke his appointment six months before his contract expired.

The announcement blindsided Northern Territory Police members who were not informed ­before the government released a joint statement with Mr Chalker on Sunday morning, averting a costly and embarrassing Supreme Court stoush.

The 53-year-old commissioner had been due to serve evidence on Monday in his civil case against Chief Minister Natasha Fyles and Police Minister Kate Worden to prevent his removal.

He was also expected to issue subpoenas for communications between Ms Fyles and Ms Worden over the bungled attempt to push him out.

Deputy Commissioner Michael Murphy will continue in the top job until the recruitment process for Mr Chalker’s replacement is complete.

Mr Chalker’s departure came as police in Alice Springs at the weekend confronted some of the worst violence in recent memory.

In one incident seen and filmed by The Australian from 2.42am on Saturday, officers were forced to storm a takeaway pizza shop with their Tasers drawn in pursuit of youths who had allegedly armed themselves with a kitchen knife after being ­involved in a wild street brawl with caucasian and Indigenous men.

Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the footage was “plain and simple evidence” that the Northern Territory government “has lost complete control of law and order”.

“That makes my blood curdle to see those sorts of scenes of violence, especially knowing that I’ve got a 24-year-old son who lives in this town,” she said.

“It is evident that this government is failing and if they don’t step in and do what they need to do in terms of what’s been sought of them to ask for assistance from the AFP to restore law and order, then, I’d be urging the Albanese government to intervene.”

Revellers leaving a nightclub in the early hours of Saturday morning fought among each other after an argument escalated into an all-out melee, with a chair used as a weapon. Several individuals who had been involved in the brawl then barricaded themselves inside the pizza shop, with one reported to have grabbed a large kitchen knife, to the horror of shop staff.

Earlier, the group had turned on two caucasian men, one of whom had tried to involve himself in the dispute, brutally bashing them as they lay on the ground.

Police arrived 15 minutes after the first signs of trouble and broke up the brawl, but a panicked pizza shop employee ran outside, calling frantically to the officers.

“There’s a man with a knife ­inside, they are out the back,” the worker said.

The officers entered the building, drawing their Tasers.

“Police, come out, police, come out,” one yelled as they cleared the shop.

Another officer found a man hiding in the rear carpark.

The shop owner told police how she had confronted the man who had taken one of her large pizza knives.

“They just came in, one person, he has so many (knives), he grabbed two, three, I said ‘brother, give me, don’t hold the knife’,” she said. “He just sweared at me and they just ran.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18779781 (011045ZMAY23) Notable: Five Eyes: Departing Japanese ambassador flags ambition for nation to join intelligence alliance - Japan is hoping to join the Five Eyes international intelligence alliance as it stands on the front line of strategic challenges facing the region, the country’s top diplomat in Australia has said. Shingo Yamagami is also urging Australia to move urgently on defence, warning of growing security concerns from China in the Indo-Pacific.

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>>38639

>>>/qresearch/18755020

Five Eyes: Departing Japanese ambassador flags ambition for nation to join intelligence alliance

Kimberley Caines - 1 May 2023

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Japan is hoping to join the Five Eyes international intelligence alliance as it stands on the front line of strategic challenges facing the region, the country’s top diplomat in Australia has said.

Shingo Yamagami is also urging Australia to move urgently on defence, warning of growing security concerns from China in the Indo-Pacific.

The Japanese ambassador returned to Tokyo at the weekend after spending nearly 2½ years in Australia.

During his term, he was accused of being too vocal on China but defended his legacy and outspoken style when he sat down with The West Australian, saying he spent his time in Canberra “to the fullest”.

Mr Yamagami said his country was interested in becoming the sixth member of Five Eyes — an intelligence-sharing relationship between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US and the UK.

He said Japan already enjoyed high levels of co-operation with the five countries and argued these had strengthened in the face of China’s growing military and cyber capabilities.

“Intelligence co-operation is getting more and more important year after year as the security environment in this region is deteriorating,” Mr Yamagami said.

“We have a lot to offer to our friends in the Five Eyes because Japan has been standing on the frontline of strategic challenges facing this region over a number of centuries. By comparing notes between us, I think we can mutually benefit.”

DEFENCE BOOST

The departed diplomat said Australia needed to “hasten its pace” over China as the superpower posed a threat to the region, however, he welcomed the Federal Government’s release of the Defence Strategic Review last week.

The review noted Australia’s military will be significantly reshaped to deal with the risks the nation faces from Beijing.

“We count on deterrence. Australia is working hard to enhance it. Japan is doing the same. We don’t have the luxury to sit back and relax. We have to roll up our sleeves and work hard,” Mr Yamagami said.

While he praised Premier Mark Gowan for trying to strengthen diplomatic ties during a trip to China last month, he argued trade and defence were two domains that couldn’t be separated.

“I’d like to emphasise the importance of strategic implications of trade and investment. I think the past few years have taught us, not only Australians but Japanese included, that strategic strategy or geopolitics and trade are not indivisible,” Mr Yamagami said.

“They are closely intertwined. So I think Western Australians are fully aware of the strategic implications of any trade and investment, especially when it comes to such strategically important items as critical minerals.

“If you depend too much on one particular market or one particular import source that will subject your country to be vulnerable to economic coercion.”

His comments echoed those of Foreign Minister Penny Wong last month.

“Strategic competition is operating on several levels. Domains that we might prefer to separate — economic, diplomatic, strategic, military — all interwoven, and all framed by an intense contest of narratives,” Senator Wong told the National Press Club.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18779870 (011125ZMAY23) Notable: Think logically. Ask yourself - is this normal? Conspiracy?''''

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Why David Koch wore lipstick live on air on Sunrise

Breakfast TV host David Koch rocked some bright red lipstick on air this morning during an interview – and it was all for a good cause.

Christine Estera - May 1, 2023

David Koch wore bright red lipstick on Sunrise this morning – all for a good cause.

The breakfast TV host – affectionately nicknamed Kochie – rocked the striking colour while interviewing model Jett Kenny, the son of ironman champion Grant Kenny and former Olympian Lisa Curry.

When he and his family suffered unimaginable loss three years ago when his sister, Jaimi Kenny, died from mental health issues, Jett vowed to raise awareness and funding for the cause.

Now, on May 11, his dream turns to reality as he becomes the inaugural ambassador for the Lip-Stick It campaign – an initiative encouraging Aussie men to wear lipstick on the day to help raise funds for women’s mental health support services.

“I was trying to [apply lipstick] the other day and it is quite difficult. I might look like the Joker while I do this,” Jett told Koch, who replied: “A lot of people think I look like the Joker without the lipstick.”

Jokes aside, Jett said he was proud to kick off the campaign and get behind women in their lives to show they are cared for.

“If all it takes is to put on some red lipstick and start a conversation, then it’s worth doing,” Jett said. “It’s a big thing, not only for myself but for a lot of people. It could be happening to a person you work with, someone you know, but they you know – might not be talking about it because they don’t feel comfortable to do so.”

It was back in September 2020 that Jaimi died aged just 33. At the time, it was said she passed away from a long battle with an undisclosed illness. But later her family revealed Jaimi had been battling with her mental health for years before her death, which triggered underlying issues such as alcoholism and an eating disorder.

“Less than half of the women experiencing mental health are seeking help,” Jett said on Sunrise.

“Encouraging those people to just talk about it and having the strength that they might need to voice what they are going through. I think that was the biggest thing I found was they were so reserved, or she was so reserved talking about her issues and her struggles.

“I’ll never understand what she was going through, I’ll never understand what anyone else was going through because I won’t be in their shoes, I assume each case of mental health issues are specific to each individual but the thing I want to encourage is if you are struggling with any sort of mental health issue is to just speak about it.”

When Jaimi died three years ago, Jett also shared a deeply personal tribute on Instagram.

“I may not have been the best brother to you all the time, I know you thought you weren’t being the big sister I needed all the time, but I do know we loved one another unconditionally all the time,” he wrote.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/why-david-koch-wore-lipstick-live-on-air-on-sunrise/news-story/ebd08492bfa1b9d009cb2dd19e3f5cd0

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFI18vfBEZI/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqpY87DhC-t/

>Think logically.

>Ask yourself - is this normal?

>Conspiracy?

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18779932 (011205ZMAY23) Notable: Video: Sunrise Facebook Post - Kochie joined Jett Kenny in wearing red lipstick as part of a new campaign to raise awareness for women's mental health issues.

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>>38662

Sunrise Facebook Post

1 May 2023

Kochie joined Jett Kenny in wearing red lipstick as part of a new campaign to raise awareness for women's mental health issues.

MORE: 7news.link/JettKenny

https://www.facebook.com/Sunrise/videos/621659316672474/

https://7news.com.au/video/lifestyle/lisa-currys-son-jett-launches-mental-health-campaign-in-memory-of-sister-jami-bc-6326536294112

https://www.lipstickit.com.au/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18784863 (021100ZMAY23) Notable: ‘We need help’: Northern Territory community racked by violence as residents claim government has abandoned them - Residents of the remote Northern Territory community of Peppimenarti say they have been forced to flee their homes or endure violence, including stabbings and sexual assaults, amid claims the government has abandoned them. Last week’s planned visit from the NT police minister, Kate Wordern, to discuss the ongoing problems in the community was cancelled when her private plane had to be diverted due to unrest. About 200 people live Peppimenarti, six hours’ drive south of Darwin. Residents are increasingly fearful of violence, and lawyers recently took a claim of racial discrimination to the Australian Human Rights Commission over a lack of police resources in the remote Indigenous community.

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>>38603

‘We need help’: Northern Territory community racked by violence as residents claim government has abandoned them

Sarah Collard - May 2023

Residents of the remote Northern Territory community of Peppimenarti say they have been forced to flee their homes or endure violence, including stabbings and sexual assaults, amid claims the government has abandoned them.

Last week’s planned visit from the NT police minister, Kate Wordern, to discuss the ongoing problems in the community was cancelled when her private plane had to be diverted due to unrest.

About 200 people live Peppimenarti, six hours’ drive south of Darwin. Residents are increasingly fearful of violence, and lawyers recently took a claim of racial discrimination to the Australian Human Rights Commission over a lack of police resources in the remote Indigenous community.

The chief executive of Deewin Kirim Aboriginal corporation, Ray Whear, said many in the community were living in fear, and the situation had deteriorated over the past four years.

“I’ve had all my staff leave. I can’t get any staff to work.

“I’ve got one lady that will come in and work as a fly-in, fly-out [worker]. But even last week she wouldn’t even stay. It got too dangerous,” Whear said, claiming his home and vehicle were broken into and he was stabbed by an intruder.

“I didn’t even bother to report it, police haven’t been doing anything.”

“This sort of thing has been happening continuously since 2021. It gets super bad or somebody gets killed or severely injured, or shot, a Territory response group comes in for four or five days and things sort of go quiet for a bit and then it goes on,” he told the Guardian.

Whear, who has lived in the community since 2018, said it was grappling with complex issues, including concerns about gangs and a lack of social support.

He described a recent incident where one woman was severely beaten over two days, choked and strangled multiple times and left with broken ribs, severe bruising and trauma but due to the situation was unable to be airlifted for treatment until the next day.

“They [the police] have never asked me for CCTV [of] the violent incidents. They’ve never asked for video, there’s been sexual assaults on staff; name a crime and it has happened.”

He said another woman was sexually assaulted and was taken to another community for assistance before being airlifted to Darwin for medical treatment, but she was not properly supported and claimed she was left alone and was so afraid that she hid in the scrub.

“She was violently beaten …. She was raped, sexually assaulted.” He said Careflight would not land there due to safety concerns.

“Sexual support services were supposed to meet her at the plane but nobody did. She was left there alone … and then went [and] hid in the bush because she didn’t know what to do. Detectives and the service didn’t find her until the next day.”

He said the community was in crisis and in urgent need of support. He urged the NT government to send in more resources.

“We need further assistance … I am almost 100% positive that the community would support federal policing assistance.”

“There’s violent attacks on men, the women, the houses. Burning of people’s cars, trashing of their houses. One lady has between 20 and 30 family living in her house because they are too afraid to live in their own house, in a community.”

Stewart Levitt, a lawyer who is representing the community in the AHRC case, said the community was being treated differently than mostly non-Indigenous communities.

“One has to suspect that there may be some racial element to it because you wouldn’t imagine they would allow suburbs of Alice Springs, or Darwin to be shut down like this. This wouldn’t be able to happen anywhere else.”

He is calling for federal assistance from the Australian defence force or the Australian federal police.

“It’s to protect the people, because the fact is that when the police minister can’t get into a town in their own territory, because planes won’t fly because of civil disorder, what does that say about the territory government?”

The NT government did not respond to questions asking if it was considering requesting further assistance from federal authorities. A government spokesperson said police maintained an “ongoing presence” and that increased resources are provided when required.

The spokesperson said there were complex challenges, including adequate accommodation and facilities, and that a new police complex was being planned to meet community needs..

NT police have been contacted for comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/02/we-need-help-northern-territory-community-wracked-by-violence-as-residents-claim-government-has-abandoned-them

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18784890 (021116ZMAY23) Notable: Network Ten MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dead at age 46 - Days before his death, Jock Zonfrillo filled his social media accounts with videos sharing his cooking secrets as he prepared pancakes, pasta dishes and homemade pickles. Yet on Monday afternoon his accounts shared news of his shock death to his hundreds of thousands of followers. The Scottish-born chef was found dead at a hotel apartment in Melbourne’s inner north at 2am on Monday after police were called to the Lygon Street, Carlton, address for a welfare check. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Zonfrillo had previously spoken of his battle with drugs, including being a heroin addict at as a teenager. “We were smoking pot behind the bike sheds at 12, we were crumbling up ecstasy tablets and speed and taking them at school … and smoking heroin at 15, 16 when I was an apprentice,” he said in a 2021 TV interview.

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Network Ten MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dead at age 46

SOPHIE ELSWORTH and ANGELICA SNOWDEN - MAY 2, 2023

Days before his death, Jock Zonfrillo filled his social media accounts with videos sharing his cooking secrets as he prepared pancakes, pasta dishes and homemade pickles.

In a recent Facebook post, the 46-year-old MasterChef judge is smiling as he chops up garlic alongside young son Alfie, turning to him to say “What are you doing? You can’t eat the garlic, you silly billy.”

Yet on Monday afternoon his accounts shared news of his shock death to his hundreds of thousands of followers.

The Scottish-born chef was found dead at a hotel apartment in Melbourne’s inner north at 2am on Monday after police were called to the Lygon Street, Carlton, address for a welfare check.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

Network Ten announced his death in a statement, saying the show’s 15th season – which had been due to start on Monday – would not air this week.

“Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia are deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of Jock Zonfrillo, a beloved member of the MasterChef Australia family,” the statement said.

“Jock was known to Australians as a chef, best-selling author, philanthropist and MasterChef judge but he will be best remembered as a loving father, husband, brother and son.”

Zonfrillo was named a Master­Chef judge in 2019 and was due to have a day full of publicity commitments on Monday ahead of the show’s season launch.

His family said they had “completely shattered hearts”.

“Without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,” a statement said.

“So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words.

“For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.”

Celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson were among those to pay tribute to him.

“Saddened by the devastating news of Jock Zonfrillo’s passing. I truly enjoyed the time we spent together on MasterChef in Australia,” Ramsay tweeted.

Lawson wrote on her Instagram account: “My deepest, deepest sympathies and much love to Jock’s family and friends. How devastating. How unbearable. My heart goes out to you.”

Zonfrillo had previously spoken of his battle with drugs, including being a heroin addict at as a teenager. “We were smoking pot behind the bike sheds at 12, we were crumbling up ecstasy tablets and speed and taking them at school … and smoking heroin at 15, 16 when I was an apprentice,” he said in a 2021 TV interview.

His career was not without controversy. His Adelaide business Orana went into voluntary administration in 2020 and he owed millions of dollars in unpaid debts. In 2002, he also set fire to apprentice chef Martin Krammer for failing to work quickly enough at Sydney restaurant Forty One.

The Melbourne-based chef hosted MasterChef alongside Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.

Leong had posted a selfie to ­Instagram hours ahead of the now postponed launch of the TV show and before learning of her co-star’s death.

Zonfrillo is survived by his wife, Lauren Fried, who was in Italy when he died, and his four children.

He has two children with Lauren, son Alfie and daughter Isla, and two children from his first two marriages, Ava and Sophia.

Paramount Australia and New Zealand executive vice-president Beverley McGarvey described the news as a “terribly sad day for Jock’s family and friends, his Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia colleagues and for MasterChef fans around Australia and the world”.

“Jock was an extraordinary man,” she said. “He was a wonderful colleague and friend (but) nothing brought him more joy or happiness than his family. Our thoughts are with them.”

If you are experiencing mental health issues contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue 1300 224 636. If it is an emergency please call 000.

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/network-ten-masterchef-judge-jock-zonfrillo-dead-at-age-46/news-story/c4c0619675da0315cb748f607e3c7481

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18784911 (021128ZMAY23) Notable: Spies seeking new defences for phone bugging and hacking - The Law Council of Australia has criticised proposed reforms to the national security legislation that will give spies extraordinary protections to interfere with facilities and modify telecommunications devices, saying the new laws need to be “reasonable, necessary and proportionate”. The amendment bill, which is currently being considered by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, will grant intelligence agents legal defences to break into a target’s computer, track the geolocation of mobile devices and intercept messages and phone calls without a warrant.

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>>38628

Spies seeking new defences for phone bugging and hacking

RHIANNON DOWN - MAY 2, 2023

The Law Council of Australia has criticised proposed reforms to the national security legislation that will give spies extraordinary protections to interfere with facilities and modify telecommunications devices, saying the new laws need to be “reasonable, necessary and proportionate”.

The amendment bill, which is currently being considered by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, will grant intelligence agents legal defences to break into a target’s computer, track the geolocation of mobile devices and intercept messages and phone calls without a warrant.

The proposed changes will also broaden the definition of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation officers to include affiliates, such as other intelligence community partners or contractors, with no clear definition of how broadly the term would be applied.

ASIO said the proposed changes were necessary because they would allow spies to identify and locate “subjects of interest”, monitor their “personal footprint” and “undertake necessary activity” while making sure that operations did not unnecessarily impact bystanders, in a submission to an inquiry into the bill.

However, Law Council of Australia president Luke Murphy said the proposed amendments – which come two years after a sweeping review of the legal framework of the national intelligence community conducted by former ASIO chief Dennis Richardson was handed down – went beyond the scope of the recommendations. “The Law Council is concerned that this aspect of the bill goes beyond the scope of the recommendations in the Richardson review, fails to achieve certainty, and may have the unintended consequence of entrenching a deficient standard of detail in ministerial directions,” he said.

“The Law Council is not satisfied by the quality of the justification provided by the explanatory memorandum … The human rights implications of these proposed amendments are also not adequately explained in the statement of compatibility.”

Mr Murphy said the broadening of the language to provide protection to ASIO affiliates could include other law enforcement agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, noting the legislation needed to balance national security concerns with basic freedoms.

“In principle, the Law Council recognises that National Intelligence Committee agencies must be well-equipped to face national security threats and the government has a primary responsibility to protect the life and security of the person,” Mr Murphy said.

“However, in order to preserve the values that underpin our democratic society, Australia’s laws must be reasonable, necessary and proportionate to achieve a legitimate objective.”

University of Queensland legal expert Brendan Walker-Munro was not against the proposed changes but said the new protections should be narrowly targeted.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/spies-seeking-new-defences-for-phone-bugging-and-hacking/news-story/83c55c779f8dbd8d09c065041a029861

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18784922 (021134ZMAY23) Notable: Papua New Guinea backs an Albanese government push to embed Pacific island troops in Australian Defence Force - Papua New Guinea is backing an Albanese government push to embed Pacific island troops in the Australian Defence Force, opening the way for a new era of ­regional military co-operation to counter rising strategic threats. PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko threw his support ­behind the plan as his country ­prepared to host Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month for a meeting of Pacific ­island leaders.

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Papua New Guinea backs an Albanese government push to embed Pacific island troops in Australian Defence Force

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 1, 2023

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Papua New Guinea is backing an Albanese government push to embed Pacific island troops in the Australian Defence Force, opening the way for a new era of ­regional military co-operation to counter rising strategic threats.

PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko threw his support ­behind the plan as his country ­prepared to host Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month for a meeting of Pacific ­island leaders.

The US President will use the May 22 meeting in Port Moresby – two days before the Quad leaders’ summit in Sydney – to stamp his authority on America’s renewed commitment to the region, as his administration pushes back against rising Chinese influence.

Defence Minister Richard Marles is determined to achieve unprecedented co-operation with Pacific islands’ security forces as he works to transform the ADF into a more lethal, more agile force that can project power deep into the region.

Mr Tkatchenko said hundreds of PNG Defence Force personnel could rotate through the ADF for extended periods “to train and to build up the professionalism of our forces”. “I think it’s a great idea to have our soldiers participate and get ­experience and knowledge by being part of the Australian ­Defence Force and working together as one,” he said.

The plan has been put to Pacific nations as a way to strengthen training and provide a “family first” response to regional security and disaster-relief missions.

PNG’s endorsement of the proposal comes as the Albanese government sets aside $400m for retention bonuses to help expand the nation’s military by 18,500 personnel over the next two decades.

Permanent ADF members will be able to receive a $50,000 bonus near the completion of their initial period of service if they commit to serve for another three years.

The government hopes 3400 personnel will take up the bonus within the first three years of the scheme. A $2m review of defence housing will also be undertaken in an effort to bolster home ownership for ADF members.

The government identified ­recruitment and retention as a top priority in its response to last week’s defence strategic review, but faces an uphill battle amid tight employment conditions.

“Without creative and flexible responses, the workforce situation in Defence will continue to deteriorate,” the review warned.

Australia is also bolstering ties in Southeast Asia, with Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen revealing on Monday that navy’s future ­nuclear submarines will be welcome to visit his country’s ports.

After a meeting between the nations’ defence, foreign and trade ministers in Canberra, Dr Ng Eng Hen said the submarines would add to “regional security in ASEAN and beyond”, and flagged more joint military exercises ­between the countries.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18784945 (021151ZMAY23) Notable: Kevin Rudd AC Tweet: Great to have presented credentials to President Biden. Just got the happy snaps back. President firing on all cylinders (as he was at the White House Correspondents’ dinner). And Therese looks stunning.

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Kevin Rudd AC Tweet

Great to have presented credentials to President Biden. Just got the happy snaps back. President firing on all cylinders (as he was at the White House Correspondents’ dinner). And Therese looks stunning.

https://twitter.com/AmboRudd/status/1652985613900034048

https://twitter.com/jekearsley/status/1653144973209124864

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18789832 (031029ZMAY23) Notable: Video: Russian Orthodox choir denounces group of men wearing pro-war Z symbol shirts at Sydney Town Hall event - A Russian Orthodox choir has distanced itself from a group of men who wore "disgusting" pro-Russia symbols to attend a government-sponsored performance in Sydney. Several men wearing shirts with the letter Z - a symbol representing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine - gathered at the front of Sydney Town Hall following a performance of the Russian Orthodox Male Choir. Photos and video of the event have been shared in a social media group run by pro-Putin YouTuber Simeon Boikov, known as "Aussie Cossack". Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko has condemned the group's attendance as a "disgusting public display". "Z stands for the Russian aggression in Ukraine, rape and murder," he said in a tweet.

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Russian Orthodox choir denounces group of men wearing pro-war Z symbol shirts at Sydney Town Hall event

Isobel Roe - 2 May 2023

A Russian Orthodox choir has distanced itself from a group of men who wore "disgusting" pro-Russia symbols to attend a government-sponsored performance in Sydney.

Several men wearing shirts with the letter Z - a symbol representing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine - gathered at the front of Sydney Town Hall following a performance of the Russian Orthodox Male Choir on Friday night.

The symbol is not banned in Australia.

In a video by self-described "protest livestreamer" known on social media as Chriscoveries, the men are filmed walking down the aisles toward the stage, and standing in a line to face the audience.

One man was also photographed shaking hands with Russian Consul General Igor Arzhaev.

Asked by Chriscoveries in the video why they were there, one man said it was to "support Russia".

As the group made its way down the aisle, an audience member is heard saying, "I don't approve, I totally object".

State government agency Multicultural NSW and the City of Sydney sponsored the event and said the pro-Russian display was not part of the performance.

In a statement to the ABC, the Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia said it was not associated with the men.

"The choir condemns this group who sought to sow the seeds of division in an attempt to taint the image of this concert," the statement read.

"The Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia is apolitical, and promotes peace, harmony and inclusion.

"We intend to work with partners at future events to ensure similar incidents do not occur."

'Disgusting public display'

Photos and video of the event have been shared in a social media group run by pro-Putin YouTuber Simeon Boikov, known as "Aussie Cossack".

Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko has condemned the group's attendance as a "disgusting public display".

"Z stands for the Russian aggression in Ukraine, rape and murder," he said in a tweet.

In January Mr Myroshnychenko called for tennis star Novak Djokovic's father to be banned from Australia when he was seen posing with a man wearing the "Z" symbol, following Djokovic's quarterfinal win over Russian Andrey Rublev.

Russian and Belarusian flags were banned from the tournament after a Russian flag was waved during the opening round.

A City of Sydney spokeswoman said Friday night's Sydney Town Hall event was described to council as a performance by Greek, Serbian and Antiochian community choirs in celebration of Orthodox Easter.

Event organisers applied for a grant for free venue hire, which was approved.

"The City of Sydney does not tolerate displays of hate or discrimination anywhere in our city, and we are disappointed that this event, designed to celebrate our diverse communities, was hijacked by a political group," the spokeswoman said.

"We are reviewing what happened and the impact of this event on future bookings with this and other organisations."

Australian anti-Kremlin organisation, Svoboda Alliance, said it had written to the Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, expressing "deep concern" about the appearance of Russian aggression symbols at the concert.

It has previously lobbied for the Russian "Z" symbol to be banned, alongside the Nazi swastika.

Joseph La Posta, the chief executive of Multicultural NSW, said he had been assured the Russian Orthodox Male choir had no idea the group was coming.

"I condemn any kind of violence, glorification of violence or symbols of violence," he said.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has apologised to the Ukrainian community.

"We are extremely disappointed, even angry, that this event, designed to celebrate our diverse communities, was hijacked by a political group that promoted Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine," she said in an Instagram post.

"I am sorry that the weekend's events caused the Ukrainian community additional concern during this trying time."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-02/sydney-russian-orthodox-choir-z-shirt-men-war-ukraine-putin/102290226

https://twitter.com/Chriscoveries/status/1651899668115361794

https://twitter.com/AmbVasyl/status/1652197439494037508

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18789864 (031040ZMAY23) Notable: How a T-shirt exposed a cultural rift in Sydney - Security agencies are being called to investigate a Russian choir concert, sponsored by a NSW government agency, after men wearing shirts supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put on a show of force at Sydney’s Town Hall building. The choir is now severing links with ultranationalist groups in Australia. Men in black shirts, bearing the white “Z” symbol showing support for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, were pictured walking into the performance on Friday night. The group of men posed in front of the stage as the crowd took their seats - one voice in the crowd was disgusted, others appeared supportive. One shook hands with the Russian consul-general.

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>>38669

How a T-shirt exposed a cultural rift in Sydney

Perry Duffin - May 3, 2023

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Security agencies are being called to investigate a Russian choir concert, sponsored by a NSW government agency, after men wearing shirts supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put on a show of force at Sydney’s Town Hall building.

The choir is now severing links with ultranationalist groups in Australia.

Men in black shirts, bearing the white “Z” symbol showing support for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, were pictured walking into the performance on Friday night.

The group of men posed in front of the stage as the crowd took their seats - one voice in the crowd was disgusted, others appeared supportive. One shook hands with the Russian consul-general.

The Russian Orthodox Male Choir, which was once invited to sing in the Kremlin, said it was unaware of the incident. They were frustrated the stunt overshadowed their performance.

“The Russian Orthodox Male Choir of Australia is a peace-loving group who condemn all symbols glorifying violence,” a choir spokesman told the Herald.

“The choir condemns this group who sought to sow the seeds of division in an attempt to taint the image of this concert.”

The Herald can reveal the Z stunt at the concert was linked to Simeon Boikov, a pro-Putin influencer holed up in the Russian consulate trying to escape Australian arrest warrants.

The Z-bearers are Boikov acolytes who have protested alongside him through lockdowns and in favour of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The message of the Easter Concert was one of peace and love, not hatred and fear. We intend to work with partners at future events to ensure similar incidents do not occur,” the choir spokesman said.

A Russian-Australian group, which opposes the invasion of Ukraine, has written to the National Security Hotline calling for an investigation into the Town Hall concert.

“We have learned that many symbols of Russian aggression were demonstrated during this concert,” Svoboda Alliance NSW wrote in the letter.

“Therefore, this concert was not a truly multicultural event… but rather a clear example of propaganda of Putin’s Russia and military aggression against an independent sovereign nation.”

“It deteriorates the cohesion and integrity of Australian society.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18789901 (031100ZMAY23) Notable: Video: Albanese meets King, tells Piers Morgan he will pledge allegiance - Anthony Albanese has said he has no issues swearing allegiance to King Charles III during a public oath at this weekend’s historic coronation service and warned republicans that staging a vote on Australia’s future head of state was not imminent. The Australian prime minister met the King during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday, in what was described as an “insightful and rewarding” meeting, where he reiterated there was an invitation for the royals to visit Australia next year. In an interview with controversial broadcaster Piers Morgan on Britain’s TalkTV, Albanese said he was certain that Australia would become a republic “at some stage in the future” but he preferred not to be a prime minister who “presides over just constitutional debates”.

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Albanese meets King, tells Piers Morgan he will pledge allegiance

Rob Harris - May 3, 2023

London: Anthony Albanese has said he has no issues swearing allegiance to King Charles III during a public oath at this weekend’s historic coronation service and warned republicans that staging a vote on Australia’s future head of state was not imminent.

The Australian prime minister met the King during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday, in what was described as an “insightful and rewarding” meeting, where he reiterated there was an invitation for the royals to visit Australia next year.

In an interview with controversial broadcaster Piers Morgan on Britain’s TalkTV, Albanese said he was certain that Australia would become a republic “at some stage in the future” but he preferred not to be a prime minister who “presides over just constitutional debates”.

He said his priority remained achieving constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and it was also possible to be a lifelong republican and still respect institutions.

It is the first time Australians and citizens of other Commonwealth nations will be invited to actively take part during a coronation ceremony and raise “a chorus of millions of voices” supporting “their undoubted King, defender of all”.

Asked if he would accept the invitation from the Archbishop of Westminister, Reverend Justin Welby, during next Saturday’s service, Albanese said he would do what was “entirely appropriate as the representative of Australia”.

“Australians made a choice in 1999,” he said, referring to the referendum result which supported the status quo with 54.87 per cent of the vote. “One of the things that you’ve got to do is to accept a democratic outcome. So, we made that choice. And I will certainly engage in that spirit as I have, as I have done 10 times as an MP.”

Leaders of the Australian push to ditch the monarchy said on Tuesday they wanted the prime minister to remain silent when guests at the coronation are invited to pledge allegiance to the new monarch.

Albanese said he believed Australia should have an Australian as its own head of state but also believed there was not yet a groundswell of grassroots support for the change and addressing climate change, improving Australia’s economy and further engaging in the Indo-Pacific was more important.

“A demand for another vote isn’t something that can be imposed from the top because it won’t be successful,” he said. “When that demand is there. I’m sure a vote will be held... I don’t see it as being imminent.”

In an expansive interview that lasted almost 50 minutes, Albanese said he was concerned about creeping “cancel culture”, referring to the treatment of the late Australian actor and performer Barry Humphries by the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

He confirmed there would be a state funeral, co-hosted by the NSW, Victorian and federal governments because he was someone who had given “an enormous amount of pleasure to generations of Australians”.

“ I think that we’ve got to be able to laugh at ourselves,” Albanese said. “But a bit like rewriting some books. It is what it is at the time.

“That’s the context and I think that the idea of cancel culture is, in my view, a sad development because you often can get, as well, the pile on of social media. And you see happen so often and things quite often too are taken out of context.”

Albanese said he believed Joe Biden’s age should not stop him from seeking a second term as United States President, saying he was doing a “fantastic job”, and declined to answer whether he would be able to deal with Donald Trump should he return to the White House after the next election.

“The United States is a relationship between countries and between peoples, based upon our common democratic values,” he said.

Albanese will visit the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness in north-west England on Wednesday, where the first AUKUS program submarine is due to be built.

He said had a “busy agenda” during his five-day visit to Britain, which includes a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, discussions on the Australia-UK free trade agreement and meetings with “other world leaders to strengthen Australia’s relationships around the world”.

Albanese also announced the Australian government would make a national contribution of $10,000 to Western Australian charity Friends of the Western Ground Parrot in honour of The King’s Coronation.

The funds will go towards the conservation of the Western Ground Parrot, a rare and critically endangered bird that is shy and rarely seen, in the remote Cape Arid National Park and Nuytsland Nature Reserve, to the east of Esperance.

https :// www .the age. com. au /politics /federal /albanese -meets -king -tells- piers- morgan- he -will- pledge- allegiance- 202 30503- p5d 53v. html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18789935 (031124ZMAY23) Notable: Video: ‘What a stuttering mess’: Albanese’s response to controversial question slammed by trans-activists - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sparked backlash over his response to a controversial question posed by English journalist Piers Morgan. “What is a woman Prime Minister?” Morgan asked. “An adult female,” Mr Albanese replied instantly. In response, the British journalist proceeded to question: “how difficult was that to answer?” “Not too hard,” Mr Albanese said while slightly shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. But his response quickly led to intense debate online, with some accusing the Prime Minister of not acknowledging transgender women in his statement. Trans activist and blogger Eleanor Evans said Mr Albanese used the question as an opportunity to “drop anti-trans dogwhistles while umming and ahhing about ‘respect’”.

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>>38671

‘What a stuttering mess’: Albanese’s response to controversial question slammed by trans-activists

Anthony Albanese has come under fire for his response to a controversial question raised in an interview with talk-show host Piers Morgan.

Rebecca Borg - May 3, 2023

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sparked backlash over his response to a controversial question posed by English journalist Piers Morgan.

The federal Labor leader featured in what the Piers Morgan Uncensored host described as an “extraordinary exclusive interview”, which aired at 8pm on Tuesday night UK time.

The monarchy, cricket, cancel culture, Donald Trump and Mr Albanese’s upbringing were among the topics the pair discussed in an extensive interview which will feature on Sky News at 11pm on Wednesday night in Australia.

However, the sit-down chat wasn’t entirely a walk in the park for Mr Albanese, who was at one stage asked “one of the most controversial questions of modern times”.

“What is a woman Prime Minister?” Morgan asked.

“An adult female,” Mr Albanese replied instantly.

In response, the British journalist proceeded to question: “how difficult was that to answer?”

“Not too hard,” Mr Albanese said while slightly shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.

“I was asked during the (election) campaign actually.”

The Prime Minister continued by telling Morgan he respected people for who they were.

“It’s up to people to be respective and I know that … controversy can come at times like that,” he acknowledged.

Mr Albanese continued to explain he didn’t support some of the campaigns against transgender issues, hinting at anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s visit to Australia in March.

“There was recently a very controversial visit in Australia that was designed to stir up issues and young people coming to terms with their identity and who they are, I think they need to be respected,” he said.

But his response quickly led to intense debate online, with some accusing the Prime Minister of not acknowledging transgender women in his statement.

Trans activist and blogger Eleanor Evans said Mr Albanese used the question as an opportunity to “drop anti-trans dogwhistles while umming and ahhing about ‘respect’”.

“All through this he couldn’t even bring himself to say the word ‘trans’,” she tweeted.

Political reporter Amy Remeikis accused the PM of “legitimising” a “hateful question”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18790019 (031211ZMAY23) Notable: Q Post #2782 - [Example CA] - https://calmatters.org/articles/commentary/gavin-newsoms-keeping-it-all-in-the-family/amp/? - What ‘family’ runs CA? They are all connected. Wealth-Power-Influence - [RIGGED] - The More You Know.... - Q - https://qanon.pub/#2782

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>>38668

Kevin Rudd AC Tweet

Great to catch up with California Governor @GavinNewsom. CA & (Australia) have a close economic & environmental partnership, & shared interests in climate, tech, & entertainment. 60k Aussies live in CA & 400+ (Australian) businesses active in this economy. You're always welcome down under Governor.

https://twitter.com/AmboRudd/status/1653470971397824512

—

Q Post #2782

Feb 18 2019 04:19:58 (EST)

[Example CA]

https://calmatters.org/articles/commentary/gavin-newsoms-keeping-it-all-in-the-family/amp/?

What ‘family’ runs CA?

They are all connected.

Wealth-Power-Influence

[RIGGED]

The More You Know....

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2782

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2019/01/gavin-newsoms-keeping-it-all-in-the-family/

https://qalerts.pub/?q=newsom

https://qalerts.pub/?q=california

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18794944 (041033ZMAY23) Notable: ‘Disappointing’: Monash Council cancels drag queen story time event - Monash City Council has cancelled a drag queen story time event after threats of violence against families, the performer, councillors and staff escalated to include intimidation from neo-Nazis following a tense protest at its offices. The south-eastern council’s meeting in Glen Waverley was derailed last week when almost 200 people attended, many protesting against its sold-out drag queen event planned for children and parents at Oakleigh Library on May 19. Monash chief executive Dr Andi Diamond said the decision to scratch the event was made in consultation with Victoria Police. “It is incredibly disappointing to have to cancel an event designed to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, but we were left with no choice after Victoria Police advised council of the risks. In the end, we were unable to guarantee that we would be able to hold the event safely.”

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>>38605

>>>/qresearch/18760774

‘Disappointing’: Monash Council cancels drag queen story time event

Sophie Aubrey - May 4, 2023

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Monash City Council has cancelled a drag queen story time event after threats of violence against families, the performer, councillors and staff escalated to include intimidation from neo-Nazis following a tense protest at its offices.

The south-eastern council’s meeting in Glen Waverley was derailed last week when almost 200 people attended, many protesting against its sold-out drag queen event planned for children and parents at Oakleigh Library on May 19.

Extra security staff and police officers were on hand after fringe groups, including My Place and Reignite Democracy Australia, rallied supporters to attend. The groups espouse views often associated with alt-right or conspiracy-theory thinking and can be hostile to the LGBTQ community.

Protesters verbally abused attending residents and repeatedly labelled councillors “paedophiles”, forcing the council to temporarily adjourn proceedings. The drag queen who was to host the library event, Sam T, said she also had received death threats.

Unlike other councils, including Casey and Boroondara, Monash had until today refused to give into weeks of abuse and threats to scrap its drag event. The intimidation increased in recent days.

Screenshots from social media app Telegram show that Thomas Sewell – who leads Australia’s largest neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network – wrote in a since-deleted post on Tuesday that he would “bring as many Nazis as possible” to the drag event.

Monash chief executive Dr Andi Diamond said the decision to scratch the event was made in consultation with Victoria Police.

“Councillors and staff have received messages that nobody should be expected to receive in their workplace, as have our LGBTIQA+ community,” Diamond said. “In recent days, these threats have escalated to direct threats of violence involving the event itself.

“It is incredibly disappointing to have to cancel an event designed to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, but we were left with no choice after Victoria Police advised council of the risks.

“In the end, we were unable to guarantee that we would be able to hold the event safely.”

Diamond said the event was designed to introduce children to diverse role models and encourage acceptance, love and respect, and she apologised to the LGBTQ community for the cancellation.

“I hope they understand we did not make this decision lightly and we share their disappointment,” she said.

“We understood this [event] was not for everyone and scheduled it outside our regular library programs so that parents planning to bring their children were making a deliberate choice to attend. Unfortunately, some in the community were not willing to allow that choice.”

A spokeswoman for Victoria Police did not comment on the force’s concerns for the drag event, but said the decision to scrap it was ultimately made by the council after a risk assessment was conducted.

Greens councillor Dr Josh Fergeus, who had been a vocal supporter of the drag event, said he backed Diamond’s decision, saying she had been put in an “impossible position”.

He criticised the state government for not providing with the support needed to proceed with the event safely and said not enough had been done to combat the threat of far-right extremism.

“I think the state government has essentially failed to take these growing threats seriously, and we now find ourselves in a position where local democracy is extremely vulnerable,” Fergeus said.

Last week, a spokeswoman for the Victorian government said it would not step in to help councils beef up their security.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18801113 (051704ZMAY23) Notable: Note from Washington: Forget Mr Ambassador -call him Kevin Everywhere - A new era of diplomacy began two weeks ago when Kevin Rudd presented his credentials to President Joe Biden at the White House, marking the official start of his term as Australia’s 23rd ambassador to the US. Since then, the former prime minister has wasted no time making his mark. “He’s been really aggressive - in a good way - in terms of reaching up to the Hill,” Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney said after he caught up with Rudd last week, when they discussed the AUKUS submarine pact and his “clear-eyed view of the challenge in the Indo-Pacific”.

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>>38668

Note from Washington: Forget Mr Ambassador – call him Kevin Everywhere

Farrah Tomazin - May 5, 2023

Washington: A new era of diplomacy began two weeks ago when Kevin Rudd presented his credentials to President Joe Biden at the White House, marking the official start of his term as Australia’s 23rd ambassador to the US.

Since then, the former prime minister has wasted no time making his mark. On Saturday, Rudd was one of more than 2000 guests at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, listening to Biden poke fun at everything from Fox News and Rupert Murdoch to Donald Trump’s most extreme supporters. On Tuesday, he was on the other side of the country at a high-level conference in LA, warning the US it had five years to deter China from going to war with Taiwan. And throughout the past few weeks, he has spent countless hours on Capitol Hill, wooing politicians from all sides of the aisle – from former Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to Democrats Joe Courtney and Dick Durbin, the co-chairs of the Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus. He’s Kevin Everywhere.

All this is barely scratching the surface. “He’s been really aggressive – in a good way – in terms of reaching up to the Hill,” Courtney told me after he caught up with Rudd last week, when they discussed the AUKUS submarine pact and his “clear-eyed view of the challenge in the Indo-Pacific”.

“It is clear he is a legislator in his bones. He’s definitely in his element when he’s talking to members of both houses, and I was very impressed with his perspective on China, which is about as well informed as anyone in the West.”

The next few months will no doubt be different for the Australian embassy’s 300-odd staff in America. Rudd’s predecessor, Arthur Sinodinos, worked hard behind the scenes to help facilitate AUKUS and bolster home-grown trade and investment in the US. (He also held his own against his “most amusing but hardest-to-handle” dinner guest Boris Johnson, who would barely stop talking once he sat at the table.) But Sinodinos – who has now landed a job with business advisory firm The Asia Group – was also pretty low key and rarely put himself in the spotlight.

His gregarious predecessor, Joe Hockey, on the other hand, was known for his love of social soirées and courting the media, not to mention rounds of golf with then-president Donald Trump.

Rudd now brings his own style of diplomacy to the job. He’s the first former Australian prime minister to take up the role of US ambassador, immediately boosting Canberra’s diplomatic clout in DC. He’s also the former head of New York-based think tank the Asia Society, and has a doctorate from Oxford University on Chinese President Xi Jinping – which is pretty useful in a town where few things unite Democrats and Republicans more than potential threats from Beijing.

But some have nonetheless questioned whether Rudd’s celebrity status and strong opinions could be risky in the buttoned-down world of foreign diplomacy. Would he be haunted by his past attacks on the Murdoch media empire, which included describing Rupert Murdoch – who owns large swaths of the US press – as an “an arrogant cancer on our democracy”? How might he deal with Trump, currently the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 White House nomination, whom Rudd once described as the “most destructive president in history”?

And who could forget the rhetorical attacks of his own Labor colleagues in the aftermath of his leadership battle with Julia Gillard, when folks like former NSW premier Kristina Keneally described him as a “psychopathic narcissist” and former attorney-general Nicola Roxon claimed staffers and public servants who worked for him “were burnt through like wildfire”?

So far, our new ambassador has deftly avoided controversy while settling into the new gig. At his first (and so far only) press conference with Australian journalists in Washington, for instance, Rudd refused to be drawn on questions regarding Fox News’ whopping $1 billion-plus defamation payout for spreading election lies, or what he might do if Trump returns to office.

He did, however, settle a lingering question: how should Americans refer to him? Given their love of past titles – Trump for example is still referred to as “president” and retired military brass are referred to by their rank – should he be called prime minister or ambassador? “Hopefully, Kevin,” he replied. “I’m from Queensland – that’s pretty formal up there. But they can call me whatever they like.”

Kevin Everywhere seems apt for now.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/note-from-washington-forget-mr-ambassador-call-him-kevin-everywhere-20230504-p5d5nh.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18801116 (051706ZMAY23) Notable: Kevin Rudd AC Tweet: Great to catch up with @johnpodesta (senior adviser to @POTUS for clean energy innovation & implementation) ahead of President Biden’s visit to Australia in May. We need to maximise (Australia) & (United States) collaboration on climate solutions & the renewable energy transition

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>>38668

Kevin Rudd AC Tweet

Great to catch up with @johnpodesta (senior adviser to @POTUS for clean energy innovation & implementation) ahead of President Biden’s visit to Australia in May. We need to maximise (Australia) & (United States) collaboration on climate solutions & the renewable energy transition

https://twitter.com/AmboRudd/status/1654297632624324609

https://qalerts.pub/?q=podesta

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18814626 (081005ZMAY23) Notable: ACT top prosecutor Shane Drumgold takes the stand on first day of Board of Inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's trial - An inquiry into how criminal justice agencies handled the case against former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has heard journalist Lisa Wilkinson alleged she'd been treated unfairly by the ACT's top prosecutor. There were calls in some media reports for Wilkinson to face criminal proceedings for contempt of court over a speech she gave at the Logie Awards a week before Mr Lehrmann's trial was due to begin. Mr Drumgold accepted today that he did not fully comprehend the potential impact of Wilkinson's speech, should she win. "In hindsight it was not an unlikely hypothetical … I should have paid closer attention at the time," he told the inquiry.

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ACT top prosecutor Shane Drumgold takes the stand on first day of Board of Inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's trial

Patrick Bell and Elizabeth Byrne - 8 May 2023

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An inquiry into how criminal justice agencies handled the case against former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has heard journalist Lisa Wilkinson alleged she'd been treated unfairly by the ACT's top prosecutor.

Mr Lehrmann - who was accused of raping Brittany Higgins in a parliamentary office in 2019 - has maintained his innocence and there have been no findings against him.

His trial last year and subsequent plans for a retrial were both abandoned.

Documents tendered to the inquiry today have revealed correspondence between a lawyer for Wilkinson and ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold's office in December.

At the time, there were calls in some media reports for Wilkinson to face criminal proceedings for contempt of court over a speech she gave at the Logie Awards a week before Mr Lehrmann's trial was due to begin.

Wilkinson won a Logie award based on an interview she had conducted with Ms Higgins, and her victory speech ultimately prompted a stay of proceedings for Mr Lehrmann's legal team.

This was after a meeting in which Mr Drumgold told Wilkinson that any publicity could lead to a delay, but did not explicitly advise her not to give the speech, because he understood her prospects for victory to be unlikely.

"We are not speech editors ... [I] can advise however that defence can re-institute a stay application in the event of publicity," Mr Drumgold wrote in notes from the meeting.

'I entirely misread the situation': Drumgold

Mr Drumgold accepted today that he did not fully comprehend the potential impact of Wilkinson's speech, should she win.

"In hindsight it was not an unlikely hypothetical … I should have paid closer attention at the time," he told the inquiry.

"I would accept that I entirely misread the situation."

In a letter to Mr Drumgold, presented at the inquiry today, Ms Wilkinson’s lawyer Marlia Saunders outlined why she felt her client had been treated unfairly.

"You have not corrected the record in relation to what occurred during the 15 June, 2022 meeting by clarifying that there was no positive direction ... not to give a speech," she said.

"You've not publicly confirmed that you do not consider Ms Wilkinson's conduct amounting to contempt of court."

Mr Drumgold said it was possible he did not respond to that letter, and accepted that doing so may have displayed an appropriate level of professional courtesy.

But he rejected suggestions that he should have made public commentary of the nature Wilkinson had sought.

"Whatever sympathy I have for Ms Wilkinson, I'm not a publicist," he said.

The inquiry heard that Mr Drumgold told a court the day after the Logies, in June 2022, the notes from the pre-Logies meeting with Wilkinson were all made by a colleague at the time of the meeting five days earlier.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Erin Longbottom KC today put to Mr Drumgold that those statements were knowingly false, and that he had in fact made additional notes following the meeting.

She said he had written notes the day after the Logies - on the same day Mr Lehrmann's lawyers applied for a stay of proceedings - which described issuing a warning to Wilkinson about her speech.

He today denied being deliberately untruthful, but accepted he made an error in not distinguishing between the initial notes and the subsequent addition.

“We were talking about a whole note, I hadn’t broken it down,” he said.

“Yes, I probably should have turned my mind to the chain of who added what where.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18814642 (081019ZMAY23) Notable: Bruce Lehrmann attends first day of public hearings at Board of Inquiry into ACT’s criminal justice system - Shane Drumgold has told the Board of Inquiry into the ACT’s criminal justice system that he is a “prosecutor, not a publicist” over his refusal to publicly clear Lisa Wilkinson of contempt after her Logies acceptance speech delayed Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial. Under intense examination from Counsel assisting Erin Longbottom KC, Mr Drumgold conceded he did not give the issue adequate attention and believed Ms Wilkinson had brought up her nomination, in part, to brag about it. “I thought it was more about pointing out she was up for a Logie Award rather than seeking genuine advice,” he said. “In hindsight I should have taken a different approach.”

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Bruce Lehrmann attends first day of public hearings at Board of Inquiry into ACT’s criminal justice system

KRISTIN SHORTEN - MAY 8, 2023

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Shane Drumgold has told the Board of Inquiry into the ACT’s criminal justice system that he is a “prosecutor, not a publicist” over his refusal to publicly clear Lisa Wilkinson of contempt after her Logies acceptance speech delayed Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial.

On the first day of public hearings Mr Drumgold, the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions, is being examined about the advice he gave Ms Wilkinson about her planned speech before she won the silver Logie last year, and his communications with her lawyers after the televised speech caused Mr Lehrmann’s trial to be temporarily stayed.

Ms Wilkinson was on the witness list and expected to give evidence at Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial after Brittany Higgins accused him of sexually assaulting her in March 2019.

On June 15, 2022 the Network Ten journalist and her lawyer participated in a witness “proofing” meeting with Mr Drumgold and his colleagues in preparation for Mr Lehrmann’s trial which was set to start later that month.

The inquiry has heard that during the meeting Ms Wilkinson told Mr Drumgold about her Logies nomination before reading the speech she had prepared to read in the event that she won an award, and sought the DPP’s advice about delivering such a speech.

Under intense examination from Counsel assisting Erin Longbottom KC on Monday, Mr Drumgold conceded he did not give the issue adequate attention and believed Ms Wilkinson had brought up her nomination, in part, to brag about it.

“I thought it was more about pointing out she was up for a Logie Award rather than seeking genuine advice,” he said.

“In hindsight I should have taken a different approach

“I should have listened to the whole speech and said, ‘if I was a defence lawyer I would make an application of stay on the basis of that (speech)’.”

Mr Drumgold said that Ms Wilkinson had given him the impression that she would not win the award and so he thought it was merely a “hypothetical” question.

“It was advanced to me as being unlikely (she would win),” he said.

“I accept that I entirely misread the situation.

“I thought this was somebody telling me they were up for an award for an interview. I thought that was at the heart of what was being said.

“It was qualified that (winning) was probably not going to happen and I was, not to my mind, dealing with a real issue.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18819307 (090943ZMAY23) Notable: Day one: The DPP may be in a world of pain over disclosure - "On day one of the Sofronoff inquiry, material before it - and now made public – suggests the ACT Director of Prosecutions may be in a world of pain. In his incendiary November letter to ACT chief police office Neil Gaughan, DPP Shane Drumgold said he wanted a public inquiry into the police handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann. He’s got that, and so much more than he surely bargained for. Drumgold is central to this inquiry for reasons that will soon become clearer to all Australians. The most serious issues facing Drumgold, by a country mile, concern disclosure. Did the DPP disclose all material he was duty-bound to disclose to Lehrmann’s defence to ensure there was a fair trial?" - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

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Day one: The DPP may be in a world of pain over disclosure

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - MAY 9, 2023

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On day one of the Sofronoff ­inquiry, material before it – and now made public – suggests the ACT Director of Prosecutions may be in a world of pain.

In his incendiary November letter to ACT chief police office Neil Gaughan, DPP Shane Drumgold said he wanted a public inquiry into the police handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann. He’s got that, and so much more than he surely bargained for.

Drumgold is central to this ­inquiry for reasons that will soon become clearer to all Australians. The most serious issues facing Drumgold, by a country mile, concern disclosure. Did the DPP disclose all material he was duty-bound to disclose to Lehrmann’s defence to ensure there was a fair trial?

Broader questions must later be asked as to whether any possible misbehaviour by Drumgold in this high-profile debacle is ­repeated in other cases that we never hear about. And what does that mean for the legitimacy of the criminal justice system in this country?

Disclosure obligations are critical to our criminal justice system. If a defendant, and ­defence lawyers, are not informed of relevant material, accused people cannot properly and fairly ­defend themselves when confronted by the hefty forces of police and state prosecutorial powers. Given the powers of police and the state, we demand that prosecutors be of the highest quality to ensure that fair trials are guaranteed, not a lottery.

Drumgold’s own statement, released to the public on Monday, provides a mountain of material that raises questions about whether he met his duties to disclose critical information, as the most senior legal prosecutor in the ACT. Remember, Drumgold chose to step into this role, in this case, instead of delegating to one of his staff prosecutors.

On Monday, Drumgold faced the formidable, forensic, careful inquiry team comprising counsel assisting Erin Longbottom KC and inquiry chairman Walter ­Sofronoff.

One of the central issues concerned a set of critical missing documents that should have been given to Lehrmann’s lawyers. These were called the Internal Review Documents, known informally as the Moller reports, after DS Scott Moller, the senior police officer who oversaw the investigation into the alleged rape.

What happened, in short, is that once Lehrmann’s lawyer became aware of the existence of the missing Moller reports, the DPP then fought tooth and nail to prevent the reports – prepared by police as part of the investigation into the rape allegation – from being disclosed to the defence.

This part of the story, like so many more to come, is incredible from the start. Lehrmann’s first lawyers at Legal Aid were told about these documents – in a ­disclosure certificate served on them. Schedule 1 of that statement made mention, in vague terms, of material that was not ­legally disclosable. Schedule 3 listed, in ­detail, material that was disclosable to the defence.

The Moller reports, which ­appeared in Schedule 3 as the ­Investigative Review Documents, “outlines version of events as supplied by Ms Higgins during the course of her engagements with police since 2019 against available evidence and subsequent discrepancies. Available upon request and in consultation with DPP.”

A few weeks later, after Lehrmann sacked his Legal Aid lawyers, his new lawyers received a new version of the disclosure statement. This version was very different in one critical respect – the Moller ­reports were no longer listed in the Schedule 3 that lists disclosable material. They were slipped into an ambiguously worded item in Schedule 1, where non-disclosable material is listed as follows: ­“Review of brief materials and subsequent advice/recommendations made by the DPP to ACT Policing.”

According to Steven Whybrow’s statement to the inquiry – he was Lehrmann’s barrister – this critical omission was discovered when Lehrmann’s new solicitor, Kamy Saeedi, compared the first disclosure statement that Legal Aid received, with the one he ­received. But for this, Lehrmann’s defence team may never have known about the existence of the Moller reports.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18819337 (090957ZMAY23) Notable: Bombshell police dossier of Higgins’ ‘inconsistencies’ raises stakes - Shane Drumgold has sensationally claimed investigating police tried to sabotage the rape case against Bruce Lehrmann by heightening Brittany Higgins’ emotional distress in the hope she would be too traumatised to appear as a witness. The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions’ extraordinary attack on the Australian Federal Police officers was made in an 81-page statement to the Sofronoff inquiry, which has made public an explosive police dossier outlining inconsistencies in Brittany Higgins’ statements about her alleged rape. The police briefs, known as the Moller Reports, have been at the heart of the dispute between the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Federal Police

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Bombshell police dossier of Higgins’ ‘inconsistencies’ raises stakes

STEPHEN RICE and JANET ALBRECHTSEN

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Shane Drumgold has sensationally claimed investigating police tried to sabotage the rape case against Bruce Lehrmann by heightening Brittany Higgins’ emotional distress in the hope she would be too traumatised to appear as a witness.

The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions’ extraordinary attack on the Australian Federal Police officers was made in an 81-page statement to the Sofronoff inquiry, which has made public an explosive police dossier outlining inconsistencies in Brittany Higgins’ statements about her alleged rape. The police briefs, known as the Moller Reports, have been at the heart of the dispute between the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Federal Police. Among the claims in the documents were:

• Ms Higgins said she was “10/10 drunk” but Parliament House CCTV footage showed her interacting with security staff, smiling and laughing, with no signs of being unwell.

• Ms Higgins declined to provide her phone on numerous occasions despite being aware of its importance to the ­investigation.

• Police discovered texts on Ms Higgins’ phone that said “I’m clearing out my phone ahead of police” and “F..k it, if they (AFP) want to play hardball, I’ll cry on The Project again because of this sort of treatment”.

• There were doubts about the provenance of the photos Ms Higgins said she took of a bruise to her leg from an alleged assault.

• A witness claimed Ms Higgins and former boyfriend Ben Dillaway had sex on multiple occasions in the same office in which she alleged she was assaulted.

The police documents also list troubling issues with Mr Lehrmann’s versions, including:

• The version of events did not seem plausible and the suggestion two people entered an office at that time of evening and had no further interaction seemed unlikely.

• He denied having drinks in the office. Notes of Fiona Brown taken at the time showed he conceded he was drinking whiskey and had two glasses while chatting with Ms Higgins.

It was the many allegations of discrepancies in Ms Higgins’ claims that led Mr Drumgold to question whether the AFP had decided early in the investigation not to charge Mr Lehrmann.

In his statement, Mr Drumgold was highly critical of AFP officers over their focus on discrepancies in Ms Higgins’ rape allegations and their concern about her mental health, despite his decision to abandon a retrial over concerns for her health.

He told one colleague the officers were guilty of either “unsophisticated corruption” or “atomic-level stupidity”.

Early in the investigation, Ms Higgins asked ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates to act as a conduit for her in dealing with police. When the AFP conducted a formal interview with Ms Yates, as a “disclosure witness”, Mr Drumgold viewed it as an attempt to stop her shielding Ms Higgins from police. “This heightened my fear that this was an attempt to prevent Ms Yates from insulating Ms Higgins from direct contact with police, in order to increase the emotional distress of Ms Higgins, in the hope that she would not be able to proceed as a witness,” Mr Drumgold said in his statement.

The relationship between the two agencies deteriorated rapidly when police began their investigation of Ms Higgins’ claims.

Mr Drumgold said his fears grew at his first police briefing, which was held with Detective Inspector Marcus Boorman. “Rather than a summary of the relevant evidence … this briefing seemed to be an attempt to demonstrate that the evidence was weak. The presenting officers ­focused heavily on Ms Higgins’ credibility. I recall they described her as ‘evasive’,” he said. “DI Boorman expressed frustration that Ms Higgins had not provided to the investigators her mobile phone when they first asked for access to it, suggesting that if Ms Higgins was honest about the offence, she would have handed over the phone to them.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18819394 (091033ZMAY23) Notable: Sofronoff inquiry: Shane Drumgold accused of withholding crucial documents - In a damning submission to the Sofronoff inquiry, Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer has accused chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold of withholding crucial police documents that exposed discrepancies in Brittany Higgins’s rape claims and of alleging political interference and cover-up by Liberal ministers when there was no evidence of it. Mr Whybrow’s 75-page statement to the inquiry claims that Drumgold withheld a key police document from the defence that detailed “many inconsistencies in (Brittany Higgins’) evidence” and should have been disclosed.

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Sofronoff inquiry: Shane Drumgold accused of withholding crucial documents

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - MAY 9, 2023

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In a damning submission to the Sofronoff inquiry, Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer has accused chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold of withholding crucial police documents that exposed discrepancies in Brittany Higgins’s rape claims and of alleging political interference and cover-up by Liberal ministers when there was no evidence of it.

Among the explosive claims made by barrister Steven Whybrow:

• That during a break in the trial Mr Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, called investigating police “boofheads”

• That a senior police officer investigating the case was so distressed about the prosecution that he said he would resign if Mr Lehrmann was found guilty;

• That Mr Whybrow was never told a key witness had complained to the DPP about “a serious misrepresentation” by Ms Higgins on the witness stand and had sought to have it corrected, a failure that “undermined the integrity and fairness of the trial”;

• That Ms Higgins had been allowed to make allegations about former Liberal ministers Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash that were demonstrably fabrications, and that evidence from the witness would have contradicted her claims;

• That the evidence of Senator Reynolds and Ms Cash was “strategically deployed for the purposes of making submissions about political interference and cover up where there was in fact no objective evidence supportive of this notion”;

• That Mr Whybrow was “somewhat cynical” about Mr Drumgold’s announcement that there would be no re-trial given that Mr Lehrmann had just filed a particular application with the court, the details of which are still suppressed;

• That when Mr Drumgold’s decision not to re-try was leaked to the media and an angry Whybrow asked if the source was Ms Higgins’ boyfriend, David Shiraz, Mr Drumgold replied “It must be!”

• That during the trial, Mr Whybrow received an anonymous threatening email that he found so disturbing he asked police to help track down the author.

Mr Drumgold is currently giving evidence at the inquiry, headed by Walter Sofronoff KC, with Mr Whybrow likely to follow later in the week.

On Monday Mr Drumgold was ­accused of making false statements to trial judge Chief Justice Lucy McCallum in a hearing last year over Lisa Wilkinson’s Logies speech.

The DPP is facing intense scrutiny over whether he properly disclosed ­relevant material to the court and the defence.

Mr Whybrow’s 75-page statement to the inquiry claims that Drumgold withheld a key police document from the defence that detailed “many inconsistencies in (Brittany Higgins’) evidence” and should have been disclosed.

In his statement, Mr Whybrow records that he was present when the legal team realised there was a crucial missing document. “I always regarded this material as being both relevant and disclosable.”

The Inquiry has already heard how the disclosure certificate had been altered to delete the crucial police ‘Investigative Review’, described as “versions of events as supplied by Ms Higgins … against the available evidence and subsequent discrepancies”.

The team immediately filed a claim to access the document but were stonewalled by the DPP at every turn, according to Mr Whybrow.

In his statement to the Inquiry, the barrister recounts an exhaustive legal battle to obtain the document despite the police agreeing it should be disclosed.

At a hearing on 8 September 2022 Mr Drumgold told the court the document had been listed on the disclosure certificate “in error” and that was why it was removed.

“It is the AFP’s legal professional privilege and it is not an issue for us,” he said.

Frustrated, Mr Whybrow rang the ACT Police Manager of Criminal Investigations, Detective Superintendent Scott Moller.

“I decided to try and speak with DS Moller directly given we had been asking for this document since June and I was becoming increasingly frustrated and was not satisfied with the explanations being provided about why it disappeared from the Disclosure Certificate and was not being disclosed,” Mr Whybrow says.

“I gained the clear impression DS Moller was of the view this was important material that should be disclosed to the defence and the roadblock to its production was not the Police but the DPP and/or (Office of the) DPP.”

“I am aware that the AFP made no claim, at any time, of legal professional privilege over the Investigative Review Document”, Mr Whybrow says in his statement to the inquiry.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18824011 (101018ZMAY23) Notable: Shane Drumgold SC feared conspiracy in Bruce Lehrmann rape case - ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold SC has accused police who investigated rape allegations made by Brittany Higgins of “feeding inaccurate information” in a bid to derail the case against Bruce Lehrmann. Mr Drumgold told the Sofronoff inquiry he became concerned because there had been “significant problems” and investigators had “displayed a passionate interest in not proceeding”. Mr Drumgold said he expressed concern to investigators that a second AFP interview would traumatise Ms Higgins.

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Shane Drumgold SC feared conspiracy in Bruce Lehrmann rape case

REMY VARGA and KRISTIN SHORTEN - MAY 10, 2023

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ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold SC has accused police who investigated rape allegations made by Brittany Higgins of “feeding inaccurate information” in a bid to derail the case against Bruce Lehrmann.

Mr Drumgold told the Sofronoff inquiry on Wednesday said he became concerned because there had been “significant problems” and investigators had “displayed a passionate interest in not proceeding”.

Mr Drumgold said he expressed concern to investigators that a second AFP interview would traumatise Ms Higgins.

The Sofronoff inquiry heard the AFP wanted to conduct a second evidence-in-chief interview, which they subsequently did, to ask her about inconsistencies in her interviews with police.

Mr Drumgold on Wednesday said he was concerned about the second interview because it could be traumatic to Ms Higgins.

“If there’s an inconsistency it should be left for defence,” he said.

Mr Drumgold says he felt investigators wanted him to give them license not to charge Mr Lehrmann so a “political matter would go away” from the moment he received the evidence brief.

Mr Drumgold said he felt he was being pressured and pointed to Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw flagging he would receive a brief of evidence in a Senate estimates hearing.

“I felt the plan may have been if they can give me the imprimatur not to charge then a political matter would go away,” he said.

“Then as time went on I felt their interests would lie with an unsuccessful prosecution.”

‘I foolishly thought media would give Higgins a break’

Mr Drumgold says he made a public statement linking the abandonment of a retrial of the case against Mr Lehrmann due to concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health because he wanted the media to “give her a break”.

The ACT director of public prosecutions said he “probably shouldn’t have made the statement” and he was “naive” to think his comments would have dissuaded journalists from the story.

“I foolishly thought they might give her a break,” he said.

Mr Drumgold said there had been “no benefit” from his statement and he’d subsequently lost trust in the media after making his statement.

“The cost was making additional statements, the cost was bearing in mind I knew this decision would impact her state of mind,” he said.

“I really just was trying to lighten the load.”

On December 2 in 2022 Mr Drumgold announced he was abandoning a retrial of Mr Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Ms Higgins citing concern for the former ministerial staffer’s mental health.

On Wednesday Mr Drumgold said his comments were “burned on his memory”.

When asked if he had considered the impact of his speech on Mr Lehrmann, Mr Drumgold said he had sympathy for everyone involved in every case.

“Cases like this have no winners and loses they just have losers and losers. Before me was just a complainant in a very vulnerable position. That was weighing heavily on me at the time.”

When Mr Drumgold was asked if he had turned his mind to whether his statement might have impacted on Mr Lehrmann’s entitlement to a presumption of innocence, he said “I don’t know if it impinged the assumption of innocence.”

Mr Drumgold said his goal was “at least the media might back off” Ms Higgins.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18824025 (101031ZMAY23) Notable: Senators reject DPP’s suggestion of political conspiracy in Lehrmann trial - Extraordinary allegations by the top prosecutor in the Bruce Lehrmann rape trial that there could have been a political conspiracy to derail the case have been vehemently denied by former Coalition ministers Michaelia Cash and Linda Reynolds. In explosive evidence delivered before an inquiry into the abandoned trial of Lehrmann - a former Liberal Party staffer - ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC said a series of “strange events” throughout the case led him to believe there was federal interference in the politically charged case.

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>>38683

Senators reject DPP’s suggestion of political conspiracy in Lehrmann trial

Angus Thompson - May 10, 2023

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Extraordinary allegations by the top prosecutor in the Bruce Lehrmann rape trial that there could have been a political conspiracy to derail the case have been vehemently denied by former Coalition ministers Michaelia Cash and Linda Reynolds.

In explosive evidence delivered before an inquiry into the abandoned trial of Lehrmann – a former Liberal Party staffer – ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC said a series of “strange events” throughout the case led him to believe there was federal interference in the politically charged case.

“One of the questions I’m raising is: is there a connection between federal interference with ACT Policing? That’s the primary concern that I have,” Drumgold responded to a question from inquiry chair Walter Sofronoff KC about why he didn’t want police to contact Cash and Reynolds, both witnesses in the trial.

The exchange was made in the context of questions in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal about a letter Drumgold sent Police Chief Neil Gaughan on November 1, 2022, days after the trial was aborted, alleging police interference in the case and pressure against him prosecuting Lehrmann.

In the same letter, Drumgold accused Reynolds of trying to access transcripts of the trial through the defence team and of the “direct coaching” of the defence in its cross-examination of her former staff member Brittany Higgins, whose rape allegation against Lehrmann led to the high-profile prosecution.

Reynolds denied any wrongdoing when questioned by Drumgold on these fronts in the trial.

The letter and the leaking of police investigative materials critical of Higgins’ credibility and the evidence preceded the ACT government’s decision to probe the competence and conduct of authorities handling the case, placing the behaviour of Drumgold, senior police and former Coalition ministers under the spotlight.

Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Higgins in the Parliament House office of Reynolds, for whom the pair worked, after a night drinking with colleagues in March 2019. The trial was aborted in late October due to juror misconduct, and a retrial was abandoned due to Drumgold’s fears for Higgins’ mental health.

When counsel assisting the inquiry, Erin Longbottom, KC, asked whether he thought “there was a conspiracy afoot,” Drumgold responded, “I had not formed a view one way or the other, but I thought there was enough instances to make it possible if not probable”.

On a day in which Drumgold also emotionally expressed regret for a public statement he made in support of Higgins, his testimony spurred both Reynolds and Cash to reject his allegations of political interference, saying they were without foundation.

“Mr Drumgold SC intimated that I may have exerted political pressure on the AFP in the conduct of the investigation or somehow interfered in the investigation. I reject this suggestion categorically and consider it an affront to my reputation,” Reynolds said in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.

“This suggestion is baseless and without any foundation. In fact, it was me who referred Ms Higgins to the AFP on 1 April 2019.”

Cash, who employed Higgins in her office after Reynolds in 2019, was declared an unfavourable witness by Drumgold during the trial, in which she denied knowing about the allegation while Higgins was working for her and agreed any cover-up would have been political suicide.

She denied Drumgold’s assertions in almost identical words to Reynolds.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18824039 (101041ZMAY23) Notable: How often can a Director of Public Prosecutions fall short of his duties? - "There is no doubt this was a high-profile, high-pressure investigation and trial. It occurred in the glare of the media, given Higgins’s choice to speak first to the media before proceeding with a formal complaint. It was coloured by activists who saw Higgins as the face of the #metoo movement, forgetting this was an allegation only. There was a vulnerable complainant at the centre of it. Government ministers and their staff were being impugned. Sofronoff will have to determine whether Drumgold, who, by his own admission, has said he did not turn his mind to a range of matters that he should have considered, lost objectivity, meaning he failed to exercise his extraordinary powers in line with his duties. In short, did a form of zealousness that is dangerous to justice set in at some point during this fiasco?" - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

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>>38619

How often can a Director of Public Prosecutions fall short of his duties?

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - MAY 10, 2023

1/2

Two days into the Sofronoff board of inquiry and there is a common pattern to questioning and a common theme to answers.

The pattern of questioning is as follows: counsel assisting the inquiry, Erin Longbottom KC, puts to Shane Drumgold questions to establish what the law is – whether it is about the ACT prosecution policy or rules that operate under the Evidence Act, or ACT procedural rules, or otherwise.

The ACT Public Prosecutor agrees to what the policy, the laws or the rules say.

Next, Longbottom asks Drumgold what he did in various circumstances of his carriage of the rape trial. Drumgold then describes what he says he did.

Then, with forensic thoroughness, Longbottom looks at what he actually did, using emails, file notes, affidavits and other documents rather than rely on what he says he did. In other words, did he – in practice, not in his mind or according to his statement – comply with his duties under law?

The concerns keep growing that he may not have done so.

When serious issues about his behaviour were put to him on Tuesday, common themes emerged from his answers. These included that he “didn’t turn my mind to it”, “I had not perused it in that degree of detail”, “I was not looking at it through that prism”, “I can’t recall it jumping into my mind”, “That’s an error on my behalf”, “I didn’t pay sufficient attention”, “I had too cursory a read”, “I clearly overlooked it”, and so on. These are his words.

Tuesday’s hearing kicked off with Longbottom making more inquiries about how the DPP exercised his duty to disclose material to the defence. In an email exchange with a junior solicitor in his office in June 2022, the DPP gave advice that a set of documents called the Moller report was the subject of legal professional privilege – making them non-disclos­able to the lawyers for Bruce Lehrmann.

Within minutes of the hearing commencing, Drumgold admitted to the inquiry that he had not read one of the documents – a review conducted by Commander Andrew Smith and other police officers in August 2021. Despite receiving an email that listed and attached the documents, he expressed the opinion that privilege did apply even though he had not looked at the Smith report.

Inquiry head Walter Sofronoff said he found it hard to accept that “a barrister giving advice about whether particular documents carry a particular legal status would not look at each document”.

Drumgold confirmed he had not. “I didn’t pay sufficient attention,” he said. “That’s an error on my behalf,” he told the inquiry.

The effect of Drumgold’s erroneous judgment was that he persisted, for months, in keeping internal police documents from the defence. Indeed, he opposed a disclosure application brought in September 2022 by defence lawyer Steven Whybrow SC.

Sofronoff explained to Drumgold that while his receipt, as DPP, of the Moller report may well be the subject of a privilege claim, that does not mean each separate document, written by police and addressed to other police officers, was non-disclosable.

Drumgold said: “I didn’t think (the Moller report) should fall into the hands of the defence.”

His concern was that disclosing these documents to the defence would be “crushing” to the complainant, Brittany Higgins.

Sofronoff pointed out that even information that may be harmful may need to be disclosed to the ­defence if, as in this case, it contained information gathered by the police that might put the ­defence on a train of inquiry to find evidence and material that might not ­otherwise be obvious to them in forming their defence.

In other words, while concerns for a complainant are understandable, the defendant’s rights and interests also matter, and public interest in a scrupulously fair trial should override concerns for any one individual.

There was a lot of explaining on day two of this inquiry. Longbottom reminded Drumgold that a prosecutor’s duty of disclosure is owed to the court to ensure a fair trial. The reason is simple and logical: the legitimacy of our criminal justice system depends on the trust we, the community, have in that system. Only a system that guarantees a fair trial, that genuinely searches for the truth, will gain, and retain our trust. Maintaining that trust is essential.

And fair disclosure of information by those in power – police and prosecutors – is critical.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18824070 (101103ZMAY23) Notable: Donald J. Trump Truth: Rupert Murdoch, “Worst Republican Speaker ever” Paul Ryan, RINO KARL ROVE, The Wall Street Globalist Journal, and the rapidly disintegrating FoxNews, have gone all out, over the last 3 months, pushing and promoting Ron DeSanctimonious, a man who, without the help and Endorsement of President Donald J. Trump, would now be working at a McDonalds or, at a minimum, be far away from Tallahassee. Anyway, all of this RINO/GLOBALIST push from Election Undenier Murdoch has crushed DeSanctus in the Polls!

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>>>/qresearch/18432793 (pb)

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Donald J. Trump Truths

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https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/110339492971171606

---

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18829366 (111004ZMAY23) Notable: ACT's top prosecutor says he was wrong to suspect federal political interference in Bruce Lehrmann case - In a dramatic about-face, the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold has told an inquiry he was mistaken to suspect political interference in the investigation of former Liberal Party adviser Bruce Lehrmann. "Your suspicions about the existence of political interference to prevent the case properly going ahead were mistaken?" inquiry chair Walter Sofronoff asked. "I do accept that," Mr Drumgold replied.

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>>38619

>>38683

ACT's top prosecutor says he was wrong to suspect federal political interference in Bruce Lehrmann case

Patrick Bell - 11 May 2023

In a dramatic about-face, the ACT's top prosecutor has told an inquiry he was mistaken to suspect political interference in the investigation of former Liberal Party adviser Bruce Lehrmann.

Shane Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, is facing a fourth day of questioning in the board of inquiry into how Mr Lehrmann's case was handled.

Mr Lehrmann was accused of raping his then colleague Brittany Higgins in a parliamentary office in 2019, though his trial was abandoned late last year.

He maintains his innocence and there have been no findings against him.

Mr Drumgold made the allegation of political interference in a letter to ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan, which sparked the inquiry.

Yesterday, Mr Drumgold repeated his suspicion that ACT detectives investigating the alleged rape were under pressure from a federal government minister to "make the matter go away".

He later singled out Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, whom Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann worked for at the time of the alleged assault.

Mr Drumgold said Senator Reynolds's engagement with the case and the "passion" he said police showed for Mr Lehrmann to be acquitted led him to consider the prospect of outside influence.

However, he told the inquiry today that the concerns he had with the police's conduct were "most likely a skills deficit", after he reviewed the officers' statements to the inquiry.

"Your suspicions about the existence of political interference to prevent the case properly going ahead were mistaken?" inquiry chair Walter Sofronoff asked.

"I do accept that," Mr Drumgold replied.

The prosecutor said it was the "cumulative effect" of various issues and the "unknown behind [all] that" that led to his view.

"The statements I have read have given me the known [reasons] behind that," he said.

Mr Drumgold's counsel, Mark Tedeschi, asked Mr Drumgold if his suspicions had been allayed, to which he replied: "Yes, they have been."

In Parliament today, Senator Reynolds responded to Mr Drumgold's suggestion she might had interfered with the police investigation.

"This baseless suggestion was without any, any foundation," she said.

"It should never, ever have come to this.

"It is baffling and it is disturbing that this view was offered under oath yesterday."

Police had 'outdated' approach to sexual offences: Drumgold

Mr Drumgold also discussed the police's decision to serve their brief of evidence directly to defence lawyers, rather than going through the DPP's office.

He said that, at the time, he felt it was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the prosecution, but his view had changed.

"My current view is that it was probably just a mess-up."

But Mr Drumgold remained firm in his view that some police officers had an outdated approach to prosecuting sexual offences; they believed complainants behaved in a "standard way".

"Their analysis of evidence in documents like the Moller report displayed stereotype analysis of a way that a complainant will behave," he said.

"For example, [they believed] a genuine complainant would never go to the media, a genuine complainant would run off and report it, or would tell everybody immediately."

The cross-examination of Mr Drumgold continues.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-11/act-prosecutor-mistaken-political-interference-bruce-lehrmann/102326364

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18829386 (111014ZMAY23) Notable: Shane Drumgold’s bizarre CCTV claim claim causes rift with police investigating Brittany Higgins rape allegation - A bizarre allegation of “disappeared” CCTV footage showing Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann at Parliament House on the night of her alleged rape caused a serious rift between the chief prosecutor and police investigating Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation. The Australian understands police were furious that ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold seemed to be suggesting they had deliberately destroyed or deleted video that could have been used in Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial.

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>>38619

Shane Drumgold’s bizarre CCTV claim claim causes rift with police investigating Brittany Higgins rape allegation

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - MAY 11, 2023

1/2

A bizarre allegation of “disappeared” CCTV footage showing Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann at Parliament House on the night of her alleged rape caused a serious rift between the chief prosecutor and police investigating Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation.

The Australian understands police were furious that ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold seemed to be suggesting they had deliberately destroyed or deleted video that could have been used in Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial.

Mr Drumgold’s co-counsel, Skye Jerome, told investigators she hoped “nothing unlawful” had happened to the footage.

The police were certain the footage never existed, but Mr Drumgold was insistent that he had personally watched it on a USB drive provided by police but then returned to them.

In a submission to the Sofronoff Inquiry, Mr Drumgold says that in the footage he recalls “Ms Higgins could be seen swaying behind his right shoulder. She moved her right hand to a wall as if to stabilise herself.”

In a separate submission to the Inquiry, Ms Jerome also says she “was sure” she saw the footage, although they watched it on separate occasions.

Ms Jerome says she recalled a woman and a man standing at a gate with a buzzer and walked through the gate.

Her account of what she saw has been partially redacted by the Inquiry.

“I recall that the omitted CCTV footage depicted Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann [redacted] at APH (Australian Parliament House). I recall that Mr Lehrmann stood in front of Ms Higgins who was a little unsteady/shifted her body weight. I recall that I briefly saw the pair [redacted].

If it existed, the footage would have countered the view of police that Ms Higgins’ was not as heavily intoxicated – “10/10 drunk” – as she had claimed.

Ms Jerome says in her statement that police had shown her other CCTV footage and “focused their observations of a sober woman entering Parliament House”.

A clearly annoyed Mr Drumgold complained that the missing footage, although not crucial to the case, would have formed part of the trial brief because it was material to a fact in issue.

Mr Drumgold told the Inquiry on Thursday that he did not think the footage was deliberately deleted.

But that was not the impression of police at the time and the insinuation caused a further breakdown in the already fraught relationship between the investigation team and the DPP.

Police regarded the claim as baseless.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18829468 (111105ZMAY23) Notable: Sofronoff inquiry: Lisa Wilkinson refutes DPP claims over Logies speech - TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson has sensationally refuted claims by ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold that he warned her that her Logies speech could result in a delay in Bruce Lehrmann’s upcoming rape trial. Mr Drumgold claimed he told The Project host in a pre-trial conference days before the Logie Awards that the defence team could make a stay application “in the event of publicity”. In a statement to the Sofronoff Inquiry Ms Wilkinson says Mr Drumgold “did not at any time” give her the warning he claimed.

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>>38619

>>38677

Sofronoff inquiry: Lisa Wilkinson refutes DPP claims over Logies speech

STEPHEN RICE and ELLIE DUDLEY - MAY 11, 2023

1/5

TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson has sensationally refuted claims by ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold that he warned her that her Logies speech could result in a delay in Bruce Lehrmann’s upcoming rape trial.

Mr Drumgold claimed he told The Project host in a pre-trial conference days before the Logie Awards that the defence team could make a stay application “in the event of publicity”.

A file note to that effect was noted by Chief Justice Lucy McCallum, during the stay application to halt proceedings sought by Mr Lehrmann’s lawyers after Wilkinson’s Logie speech last June. Chief Justice McCallum ruled that the trial would have to be delayed by several months because of the prejudicial nature of the speech.

However, in a statement to the Sofronoff Inquiry Ms Wilkinson says Mr Drumgold “did not at any time” give her the warning he claimed.

Ms Wilkinson was recorded in the note tendered to court as having said “I am nominated for a Gold Logie for the Brittany Higgins interview” but points out in her statement to the Inquiry that she was never nominated for the Gold Logie and never said she was.

On Monday counsel assisting, Erin Longbottom KC, accused Mr Drumgold of making a false statement to Chief Justice McCallum during the stay application.

“Those statements were false,” Ms Longbottom put to Mr Drumgold. “They were knowingly false.”

Mr Drumgold has told the Inquiry he “misread the situation” in the meeting with Ms Wilkinson discussing her acceptance speech, but denied making “knowingly false” statements to a court during a push by Mr Lehrmann to halt the case.

Mr Drumgold had told the Chief Justice the note drafted by a junior lawyer in the DPP’s office was contemporaneous despite the references to the Logies speech being added by Mr Drumgold after the speech.

The Project show host said she was advised by her then solicitor, Marlia Saunders of Thomson Geer Lawyers, that she had called Mr Drumgold, who had confirmed that he had not given a warning to Ms Wilkinson me not to give the Logies speech and that Chief Justice Lucy McCallum’s statement to that effect was not correct.

Mr Drumgold told Ms Saunders that he would “give some thought as to how he could try and correct the public record, and may say something in open court,” Ms Wilkinson says.

Mr Drumgold told Ms Saunders he would seek to find a way to correct the record on the completion of the trial, but when she tried to contact him in December after the trial was abandoned she received no response to her calls, letters and emails.

Drumgold ‘formed early view on Lehrmann charge’

Mr Drumgold formed a view the Bruce Lehrmann should be charged with the rape of Brittany Higgins before he had been interviewed, the inquiry has head.

According to notes following a meeting between Mr Drumgold and Detective Inspector Marcus Boorman, Mr Drumgold said he was “pretty sure... that there should be sufficient evidence to charge the suspect” before Mr Lehrmann was interviewed by police.

In the notes, Mr Drumgold admitted to questioning Ms Higgins’ credibility, however said “I doubt Ms Higgins’ credibility will mean she could not be believed beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“I am pretty sure, and I think my colleagues are too, that there should be sufficient evidence to charge the suspect with one count of sexual intercourse without consent under s 54,” he said.

In response, Mr Boorman said it was “a bit early to form that view.”

“We still have outstanding lines of enquiry and we still have to interview the suspect,” he said.

However Mr Drumgold was adamant those were his “preliminary views.”

“As ever, let’s see what the brief looks like at the end of the investigation,” he said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18835239 (121413ZMAY23) Notable: Sofronoff inquiry: ACT DPP Shane Drumgold’s future ‘hangs by a thread’ - ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold’s future is hanging by a thread after a week before the Sofronoff inquiry in which he ­admitted serious professional ­errors and did an about-face on claims of a political conspiracy by former Liberal ministers to stop a police investigation of Brittany Higgins’s rape claims. On Friday, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury declined an invitation to express confidence in his Director of Public Prosecutions, after a fifth day of evidence in which Mr Drumgold again conceded “unintentionally” misleading the judge presiding over Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial.

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>>38619

Sofronoff inquiry: ACT DPP Shane Drumgold’s future ‘hangs by a thread’

STEPHEN RICE and REMY VARGA - MAY 12, 2023

1/2

ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold’s future is hanging by a thread after a week before the Sofronoff inquiry in which he ­admitted serious professional ­errors and did an about-face on claims of a political conspiracy by former Liberal ministers to stop a police investigation of Brittany Higgins’s rape claims.

On Friday, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury declined an invitation to express confidence in his Director of Public Prosecutions, after a fifth day of evidence in which Mr Drumgold again conceded “unintentionally” misleading the judge presiding over Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial.

Senior criminal barristers told The Weekend Australian they believed Mr Drumgold’s position as DPP was untenable and he should already have stepped down from the role.

The major concern of the lawyers was the admission this week by the DPP that he may also have “unintentionally” misled the ACT Supreme Court over an affidavit seeking to prevent the so-called Moller Report being given to Mr Lehrmann’s defence team.

Mr Drumgold said he believed an Australian Federal Police investigative review document – the Moller Report – was subject to a claim of legal professional privilege because it was created for the dominant purpose of receiving legal advice from him but he acknowledged he had claimed the reports were privileged without having seen them and without checking with Detective Superintendent Scott Moller, who wrote them.

The lawyers said it went against the most basic principles of a prosecutor’s duties of disclosure, which requires any relevant evidence, particularly matters adverse to their case, must be revealed to the defence.

On Friday, the inquiry, chaired by Walter Sofronoff KC, heard evidence that Mr Drumgold had told ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum that a note of his discussion with TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson over her upcoming Logies speech was contemporaneous when it was not.

Mr Drumgold conceded at the inquiry that he misled the judge, albeit “not intentionally.”

He had told the Chief Justice the “proofing note” drafted by a junior lawyer in the DPP’s office was contemporaneous despite the references to the Logies speech being added by Mr Drumgold after the speech. The inquiry heard proofing notes were normally contemporaneous but the one given to Chief Justice McCallum had been drafted three hours prior to the hearing and significantly differed from the recollection of a junior lawyer in Mr Drumgold’s office.

On Friday, Mr Drumgold agreed with Mr Sofronoff that his submissions “could have the ­effect of misleading her”.

“It must have had the effect of causing Her Honour to think that the note was a contemporary note of the conference,” Mr Sofro­noff said.

“How could it not have had that effect, having regard to the appearance of the document, and the absence of anything that would suggest that part of it was made five days later?”

“I was dealing with what I thought was a proofing note produced in the organic way the proofing notes generally are,” Mr Drumgold responded.

Barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, for Wilkinson, put it to Mr Drumgold that he knew the judge’s interpretation was not accurate and did nothing to correct her. “I thought I had warned her. I thought what I said to her amounted to a warning,” he said.

Mr Sofronoff added that there was another version of the proofing note, made by Mr Drumgold’s junior counsel whose recollection of the conference was significantly different.

“In hindsight, yes, I should have, I’m conceding I should have,” Mr Drumgold said, acknowledging it led the judge “to a less than accurate position”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18835288 (121423ZMAY23) Notable: Lehrmann DPP targets media in grilling by Lisa Wilkinson’s lawyer - Lisa Wilkinson’s lawyer has accused the ACT’s top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, SC, of providing irrational responses to her questions during a lengthy exchange in which he claimed every media outlet misreported Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial. Defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou, SC, told an inquiry into authorities’ handling of the case that her client, a high-profile journalist, suffered “utter destruction” at the hands of the media for a Logies speech about Lehrmann’s accuser, Brittany Higgins, that caused the trial to be delayed.

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>>38619

Lehrmann DPP targets media in grilling by Lisa Wilkinson’s lawyer

Angus Thompson - May 12, 2023

1/2

Lisa Wilkinson’s lawyer has accused the ACT’s top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, SC, of providing irrational responses to her questions during a lengthy exchange in which he claimed every media outlet misreported Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial.

Defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou, SC, told an inquiry into authorities’ handling of the case that her client, a high-profile journalist, suffered “utter destruction” at the hands of the media for a Logies speech about Lehrmann’s accuser, Brittany Higgins, that caused the trial to be delayed.

Drumgold said he had thought Wilkinson understood no speech could be made after she and her lawyer had a conversation on mute during a video call with the prosecutor in the lead-up to the trial in June 2022. This prompted Chrysanthou to suggest he could only have drawn that conclusion “somehow telepathically” and it “cannot be true”.

“Your evidence about what my client should have understood from what you said in that meeting is irrational,” Chrysanthou said. Drumgold replied: “Not to my mind, I don’t think it is.”

Drumgold has told the inquiry he in effect warned Wilkinson, then a presenter on Channel Ten’s The Project, during that meeting against giving a speech if she won an award for her televised interview with Higgins, by telling her any further publicity could lead to Lehrmann’s lawyers trying to halt the trial.

Wilkinson said in a statement tendered to and released by the inquiry that no such warning was given.

Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Higgins in the parliamentary office of senator Linda Reynolds, for whom they both worked, after a night out in March 2019. ACT Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucy McCallum aborted the trial on October 27 last year due to juror misconduct, and Drumgold – the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions – later decided not to pursue a retrial due to concerns for Higgins’ mental health.

The ACT government inquiry is probing the conduct and competence of the agencies involved in the case after a public breakdown in the relationship between the DPP and ACT police.

The inquiry heard that Drumgold and his team made a file note of the earlier Wilkinson meeting on the day a media storm erupted over her speech, which contributed to McCallum’s decision to push back the trial date and preceded media reporting that Wilkinson had been directed not to make the speech.

Drumgold told the inquiry that although he believed he had warned Wilkinson, “there was no direction” given, and agreed he had failed to correct that perception publicly when requested to by Wilkinson’s lawyers, who wrote to him saying the journalist believed the DPP treated her unfairly.