/qnotables22/ - ===Q Notables 2022===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18356979 (160728ZFEB23) Notable: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Tweet: Slava Ukraini - Australia stands with Ukraine. Today our Parliament paused to reflect and to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who are bravely defending their country against Russia's brutal and illegal invasion

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Tweet

Slava Ukraini - Australia stands with Ukraine. Today our Parliament paused to reflect and to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who are bravely defending their country against Russia's brutal and illegal invasion.

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1626056699110117377

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18357072 (160801ZFEB23) Notable: 'Shocking evidence': A former Australian prime minister is part of a plan to jail Vladimir Putin - Legal experts are warning the international system makes pursuing Russian President Vladimir Putin difficult. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is part of a group aiming to change that

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'Shocking evidence': A former Australian prime minister is part of a plan to jail Vladimir Putin

Legal experts are warning the international system makes pursuing Russian President Vladimir Putin difficult. A former prime minister is part of a group aiming to change that.

12 February 2023 - Finn McHugh

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This article contains references to sexual assault.

Handcuffed bodies scattered in Bucha. Missiles raining down on civilians in Kyiv. Reports of mass sexual assault by Russian forces.

They are part of what former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull tells SBS News are "growing dossiers of shocking evidence of war crimes", committed at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian government flatly denies committing the atrocities, though the United Nations in December corroborated the murder of at least 441 Ukrainian civilians, warning the number is likely "significantly higher".

Pursuing the troops who pulled the trigger is one thing. But legal experts warn prosecuting the officials who ordered them over the border is a more complex process.

Australia has joined an international movement, looking back to the 1940s for a solution.

'Sending a message'

One route to justice already appears a dead end.

The International Criminal Court can drag officials into the dock, provided their country has ratified the Rome Statute, which established the court and the international crimes it rules on - genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression. Russia withdrew from the statue in 2016 after its annexation of Crimea.

Special courts were established in the ICC during the 1990s, over atrocities committed in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. But both required a referral from the UN's Security Council, over which Russia wields a veto.

Mr Turnbull is one of more than 100 world leaders and legal experts calling for a special tribunal, established by like-minded countries, to break that deadlock. He warned failing to act would send a dangerous message to autocrats: you can act with impunity.

"We have to hold Putin, and those who have done his bidding, to account for their crimes. If we don't do so, we encourage them to commit more crimes, and we commit others to do the same," he said.

The Nuremberg courts, established in the 1940s to prosecute Nazi officials, provide an obvious model.

But while the trials secured more than 100 convictions - including of politicians, military leaders, and business people - many senior officials, including leader Adolf Hitler, died or escaped before facing justice.

Mr Turnbull conceded Russian officials may never be punished in a "direct, physical sense".

"Whether Putin will ever be put in the dock is a good question. But even if he isn't, and can't be ... setting out the facts of the crimes that have been committed is very important," he said.

"This will be a sword of Damocles that hangs over Putin's head, and over the heads of other war criminals in Ukraine. They can never be entirely certain whether and when it will fall ... Every tyrant knows that, one way or another, their rule will come to an end."

Mr Turnbull believed the autocrat had since changed since they met as leaders, describing the invasion as "quite hard to understand".

"I always perceived him to be a very calculating and rational player," he said.

"[But] this is very serious, very criminal conduct. Whatever Putin's motivations, whatever his state of mind, he's responsible for them."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18357111 (160827ZFEB23) Notable: Wieambilla: Queensland shooting declared act of domestic terror - The deadly ambush that led to the execution-style murders of two Queensland police officers and a civilian on a remote property last December has been declared an act of domestic terrorism linked to the Christian fundamentalist belief system known as premillennialism

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Wieambilla: Queensland shooting declared act of domestic terror

MACKENZIE SCOTT & MICHAEL MCKENNA - FEBRUARY 16, 2023

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The deadly ambush that led to the execution-style murders of two Queensland police officers and a civilian on a remote property last December has been declared an act of domestic terrorism linked to the Christian fundamentalist belief system known as premillennialism.

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford confirmed the three Train family members who perpetrated the shooting at their property at Wieambilla, 290kms northwest of Brisbane, last December were an “autonomous cell” that was “religiously motivated”.

She said there was an indication they were linked to the sovereign citizen movement, although they held similar ideological beliefs.

“We have now had the opportunity to go through many, many documents,” Deputy Commissioner Linford said.

“One of those being a diary that Stacey Train maintained.

“We've had an opportunity to go through all the phone messages texts, emails, the social media postings. I can tell you our investigators at this point in time have taken over 190 statements and recorded interviews. We’ve gone through body-worn camera footage and also CCTV.

“That analysis has provided us significant information and understanding about what drove the motivation of the Train family members on that day and our assessment has concluded that Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train acted as an autonomous cell and executed a religiously-motivated terrorist attack.”

Four young police officers from the Western Downs towns of Chinchilla and Tara attended the sprawling property on December 12 after a request NSW Police in the search for missing school principal Nathaniel Train.

When they entered the property, Train, his brother Gareth and his wife Stacey opened fire, killing Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, and injuring one policeman who managed to escape and raise the alarm. Another officer hid in the tall grass, with the Train’s lighting fires and taunting her to lure her out.

Neighbour Alan Dare, 58, was shot and killed when he went to investigate.

Premillennialism is the Christian belief of the second coming of Christ based on a literal interpretation of the Bible’s book of Revelation that Christ will return to the earth for 1000 years and provide peace and prosperity before a period of tribulation, widespread destruction and suffering.

Christian ideology has never been linked to an Australian terror attack.

As revealed by The Australian, the remote property was fortified for an ambush of police if they attended. Ms Lindford said there was significant evidence of advanced preparation and planning.

“We can see that they do see the police as monsters and demons,” Ms Linford said.

“We don’t believe this attack was random or spontaneous. We do believe it was an attack directed at police.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18357132 (160841ZFEB23) Notable: Video: Queensland police say Wieambilla shooting was 'a religiously motivated terrorist attack' - Deputy Police Commissioner Linford said the trio saw police "as monsters and demons" - "What we've been able to glean from that information is that the Train family members subscribe to what we would call a broad Christian fundamentalist belief system, known as premillennialism" - She said the COVID pandemic, climate change, global conflicts and social disparity contributed to their belief in their system

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>>129766

Queensland police say Wieambilla shooting was 'a religiously motivated terrorist attack'

Kym Agius - 16 February 2023

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Three people who killed two Queensland police officers and a neighbour in December last year executed a "religiously motivated terrorist attack", police say.

Deputy Police Commissioner Tracy Linford said Nathaniel, Gareth, and Stacey Train acted as an autonomous cell and executed a planned "attack directed at police" at Wieambilla in December.

They shot Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, and neighbour Alan Dare at their property in the Western Downs on December 12.

"We don't believe this attack was random or spontaneous," Deputy Police Commissioner Linford said.

"We do believe it was an attack directed at police.

"There was significant evidence of advanced preparation and planning."

Police found camouflaged hiding places at the property, barriers such as dirt mounds and logs, six firearms, three bow and arrows, a number of knives, CCTV, radios, mirrors on trees, and a trap door under the house, which might have enabled an easy escape.

Deputy Commissioner Linford said police had been investigating Stacey Train's diary, as well as the trio's texts, social media postings and 190 interviews.

"What we've been able to glean from that information is that the Train family members subscribe to what we would call a broad Christian fundamentalist belief system, known as premillennialism," she said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Linford said the trio saw police "as monsters and demons".

She said the COVID pandemic, climate change, global conflicts and social disparity contributed to their belief in their system.

"Whilst the behaviour was similar in some respect to sovereign citizens, we don't believe this was connected to a sovereign citizen ideology, we believe it's connected to the Christian extremist ideology," she said.

"There was a belief that Christ will return to the Earth for 1,000 days, and provide peace and prosperity.

"But it will be preceded by an era, or a period of time of tribulation, widespread destruction and suffering.

"They started preparing for the end of days."

'Not one catalyst' for extremism

Deputy Commissioner Linford said police had garnered from Stacey's diary, which was written over the last few years, that there was "not one catalyst event" which led to their extremism, but Nathaniel's heart attack in 2021 made him more religious.

Other factors included Nathaniel and Stacey losing their jobs — as a principal in Walgett primary school in NSW and head of curriculum at a school in Tara in Queensland — because they did not get the COVID vaccine.

"They certainly had their views around anti vaccination, and as a consequence of that, anti-government," she said.

Deputy Commissioner Linford said police do not believe any other people were locally involved in planning the attack.

"There is absolutely no evidence at this time that there is anyone else in Australia that participated or assisted in this attack," she said.

However, police are working with the FBI in the United States over people who commented on the Train's social media posts.

She said Christian extremist ideology has been linked to other attacks in the world, such as the Waco massacre in the 1990s, but this was the first time it had occurred in Australia.

She said the coroner will make the final determinations on the motivation and what led to the attack.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18363017 (171109ZFEB23) Notable: ‘We stand with you, Ukraine’ - In a show of unanimity and solidarity rarely seen in the House of Representatives, federal MPs and senators gathered with Ukraine’s ambassador to demonstrate Australia’s support for the war-torn country ahead of next week’s 12-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion - The assembly of politicians from all sides of parliament came as Vasyl Myroshnychenko urged the Albanese government to reopen the nation’s embassy in Kyiv, saying it was missing out on valuable briefings on the ground because of a lack of diplomatic representation

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>>129763

‘We stand with you, Ukraine’

BEN PACKHAM - FEBRUARY 17, 2023

In a show of unanimity and solidarity rarely seen in the House of Representatives, federal MPs and senators gathered on Thursday with Ukraine’s ­ambassador to demonstrate ­Australia’s support for the war-torn country ahead of next week’s 12-month anniver­sary of Russia’s invasion.

The assembly of politicians from all sides of parliament came as Vasyl Myroshnychenko urged the Albanese government to reopen the nation’s embassy in Kyiv, saying it was missing out on valuable briefings on the ground because of a lack of diplomatic representation.

Australia is the biggest non-NATO supporter of Ukraine but is not among the 57 nations whose diplomats have returned to Kyiv.

Mr Myroshnychenko said Australia’s ambassador to Ukraine, Bruce Edwards, who remains based in Poland because of “work health and safety” issues, was unable to stay on top of developments on the ground.

“He cannot see anybody. He’s probably getting updates from Twitter,” the Ukrainian envoy said. “He has some access, but it’s very limited. He doesn’t have ­access to the government to communicate directly with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or Office of the President.

“There are many different events where he’s not invited and cannot attend. They happen in face-to-face meetings because of security.”

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Jan Adams told a Senate estimates hearing that the government’s failure to reopen its embassy in Kyiv was because of “my risk assessment”.

“The security situation in Ukraine and Kyiv in particular remains complex, challenging. It hasn’t improved,” she said, adding that missiles continued to strike Kyiv, forcing residents to regularly seek shelter underground. “We’re operating our embassy out of Poland. We’re doing so very satisfactorily. We are working with partners … in a very effective way.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong backed her department chief, saying Ms Adams needed to satisfy herself “it is responsible to continue our presence there”, and that the risks of reopening the embassy could be mitigated.

Australia has committed $655m in assistance to Ukraine, including $475m in military aid, and provision of 70 army trainers to help prepare everyday Ukrainians to defend their homeland.

Mr Myroshnychenko said he hoped the support would keep flowing as Ukraine’s resistance against Vladimir Putin’s forces entered its second year.

“We need more Bushmasters, we need more M113s (armoured personnel carriers),” he said.

“What’s important is that Australia continues sending military assistance. It could be ammunition, it could be drones, it could be counter-drone technology.”

Mr Myroshnychenko said one-third of Australia’s promised 90 Bushmasters were yet to arrive, but deliveries of tracked M113 armoured personnel carriers had been accelerated in anticipation of a Russian offensive.

His message to Australians was simple: “We are fighting for every one of you because we are out there at the forefront of defending democracy.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/we-stand-with-you-ukraine/news-story/4afde544d3e1a190e36a3715f4bd1529

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18363020 (171111ZFEB23) Notable: Advisers split on Voice power - The expert group advising Anthony Albanese on how to ensure an Indigenous voice to parliament succeeds at the referendum has split over whether the body should make representations to executive government, amid concerns the current wording will sink the proposal

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>>129693

Advisers split on voice power

SARAH ISON and ROSIE LEWIS - FEBRUARY 17, 2023

The expert group advising ­Anthony Albanese on how to ­ensure an Indigenous voice to parliament succeeds at the refer­endum has split over ­whether the body should make represent­ations to executive ­government, amid concerns the current wording will sink the ­proposal.

The referendum working group – chaired by Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Special Envoy for Reconciliation Pat Dodson – held talks on Thursday with teal independents and separately with Peter Dutton and opposition legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser.

But during their own internal discussions, the issue of whether to keep the reference to “executive government” in the constitutional amendment was raised, with some members warning it would harm the chances of the referendum succeeding.

It follows concerns from some legal experts and Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, who is in favour of a voice to parliament, that the power to make representations to the executive would open up the possibility of legal challenges in the High Court.

Senator Bragg raised the concern in a pamphlet he distributed to his colleagues last week, which was chiefly aimed at convincing Liberals to vote in favour of the voice while noting the legitimate issues surrounding the body.

One member of the working group told The Australian that the question of whether to remove the reference to executive government “was discussed”.

“Some were for, and some were against it,” they said.

Sources from the meeting said no definitive decision was reached on whether to advise the government to remove the words from the proposed constitutional amendment.

Sydney barrister David McClure wrote in The Australian last year that “a constitutionally guaranteed power to make representations to the executive is very likely to be matched by a reciprocal obligation on the executive to consider them”.

But constitutional law expert Anne Twomey hosed down the legal concerns as “nonsense”.

“All (the voice) can do is make representations. … It’s up to parliament to decide how this body is comprised and what its powers and functions are,” she said.

Mr Leeser said while the hour-long meeting with the working group had been productive, the Liberals still harboured concerns over the lack of detail and the amendment’s wording.

“The wording does keep changing, it started off with three sentences, then it became four sentences,” he said.

However, Mr Leeser said he had not put any proposal to the working group about what the wording of the constitutional amendment should be.

He said the Liberals did not currently believe the referendum would succeed, adding there was a “lack of proper process” around the design of the constitutional amendment.

“At this point in time we don’t think the referendum is on track for success,” he said. “(There is) a lack of detail about how the body would work. People need to have that detail to understand what it is they are going to vote for in a referendum.”

Mr Leeser urged the government to answer the Opposition Leader’s 15 questions and provide a “formal response” to the report by Tom Calma and Marcia Langton on a proposed design for the voice.

Working group member Thomas Mayor said Mr Dutton was told not to “use our lives as a political football” during the meeting, where the Liberal leader asked for Labor ministers to not be present.

It follows the Liberals raising other concerns about the referendum last week, including the lack of public funding for the Yes and No campaigns, which sources said had not been discussed at the meeting.

The Liberals said the legislation for a referendum should be opposed unless Labor agreed to create official Yes and No campaign entities and “adequately funded and resourced” them with an equal amount of taxpayer money. Working group member Megan Davis told The Australian public funding was not the norm and had been used only once, at a referendum in 1999. “All public funding will do is top up the ample resources that both sides already have. It would be a waste of taxpayers’ money,” she said.

Asked to respond to Coalition claims the government was attempting to “rig” the outcome of the referendum by declining to provide public funding for either side, Professor Davis said: “Public funding won’t stop one side enjoying an advantage over another.”

Coalition sources noted the republic referendum was the first one since donation laws were introduced, while the voice referendum would be the first since foreign interference and donation laws existed.

They said that was why the process needed to be “as orthodox as possible”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/wording-of-the-question-splits-advisory-group/news-story/b6d320046a2ef00e2f5019beb374993a

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18363033 (171120ZFEB23) Notable: Ex-defence minister Linda Reynolds breaks her silence on the Brittany Higgins rape allegations: ‘It was a hit job’ - In her first interview since being caught up in what she calls “the firestorm” of the Brittany Higgins rape allegations, former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds speaks exclusively to The Weekend Australian, accusing her political opponents of a “hit job” and saying she was “expendable”

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>>129686

Ex-defence minister Linda Reynolds breaks her silence on the Brittany Higgins rape allegations: ‘It was a hit job’

STEPHEN RICE - FEBRUARY 17, 2023

In her first interview since being caught up in what she calls “the firestorm” of the Brittany Higgins rape allegations, former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds speaks exclusively to The Weekend Australian, accusing her political opponents of a “hit job” and saying she was “expendable”.

Nearly four years on from the night Bruce Lehrmann allegedly raped Ms Higgins on a couch in Senator Reynolds’s parliamentary office and almost exactly two years since Ms Higgins made her allegations public in the media, the former defence minister sits down with The Australian’s Janet Albrechtsen to tell her side of the story.

“I haven’t been able to speak for the last two years, obviously with the criminal trial and then the civil case underway. So much has been said about this political hit job, I think it’s important for me to tell my story,” Senator Reynolds says in the interviews to be published at the weekend.

When Ms Higgins went public with her allegation that she was raped by Mr Lehrmann, she was highly critical of Senator Reynolds’ handling of the alleged assault, alleging the minister and her staff had failed to support her in the aftermath or properly investigate the incident.

Barred by the Albanese government from giving evidence in the multi-million dollar civil case successfully brought by Ms Higgins against the Commonwealth over its alleged failure to support her, Senator Reynolds is now keen to set the record straight.

“I’m a woman who has spent my life serving my nation in the parliament and in the army, but I was expendable,” she says.

“Two years on my major reflection is a question I think for all Australians: what do you expect from your federal members of parliament?”

Senator Reynolds reveals the political machinations going on behind the scenes in parliament during that tumultuous period, and the personal toll the attacks have taken on her life and health.

Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty in the trial, which was later aborted because of juror misconduct. He has repeatedly stated his innocence.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/exdefence-minister-linda-reynolds-breaks-her-silence-on-the-brittany-higgins-rape-allegations-it-was-a-hit-job/news-story/6b8c1d50a9688686de8e6fbbd8c8c4d5

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18363651 (171420ZFEB23) Notable: Higgins, the hit and the day I broke: Linda Reynolds - The former Liberal cabinet minister at the centre of the Brittany Higgins rape scandal says she was the target of an orchestrated plot to bring down herself and the Morrison government, claiming senior Labor and media identities ruthlessly exploited her young staffer for political and personal gain - Former defence minister Linda Reynolds has broken her two-year silence, alleging the rape case was used as a political weapon and acknowledging she was targeted “to the point where I broke”

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>>129770

Higgins, the hit and the day I broke: Reynolds

The former minister at the centre of the Brittany Higgins rape scandal says she was the target of an orchestrated plot to bring down her and the Morrison government

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - 18 February 2023

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The former Liberal cabinet ­minister at the centre of the ­Brittany Higgins rape scandal says she was the target of an orchestrated plot to bring down herself and the ­Morrison government, ­claiming senior Labor and media identities ruthlessly exploited her young staffer for political and ­personal gain.

Former defence minister Linda Reynolds has broken her two-year silence, alleging the rape case was used as a political weapon and acknowledging she was targeted “to the point where I broke”.

“What happened should be of concern to all Australians, because this was clearly a political hit job on the government of the day to bring down the defence minister,” Senator Reynolds said in an exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian.

Senator Reynolds made it clear she respected Ms Higgins’ right to tell her story.

“Just because it didn’t match with my recollection of events and my story, it doesn’t invalidate her right to tell her story, which she has,” she said.

“Brittany Higgins, I believe, was used in this situation in a way that should only ever have been an issue for the police and the justice system.”

Among the revelations made by Senator Reynolds during more than four hours of interview were:

• That Ms Higgins’ claims in her TV interview with Lisa Wilkinson bore so little resemblance to what Senator Reynolds had actually said or done that “it was like a bomb went off in my head”;

• That being accused of covering up the rape of a young woman was so personally devastating that at one point, her health already failing, she collapsed on the bathroom floor, “broken, sobbing and inconsolable”;

• Why she called Ms Higgins a “lying cow” – and why she paid up over the gibe;

• That when she met with Ms Higgins nine days after the incident in Senator Reynolds’ office but before she said it included being raped, the young staffer was “apologetic” and “embarrassed” about the incident.

• That then prime minister Scott Morrison apologised to her privately, having rebuked her ­publicly;

• How she was betrayed by a colleague while recuperating on medical leave, declaring: “I was hung out to dry over a bowl of pasta.”

Unable to speak previously because of the criminal case against Bruce Lehrmann, the man Ms Higgins accused of raping her in Senator Reynolds’ office, and barred by the Albanese government from giving evidence in the multimillion-dollar civil case successfully brought by Ms Higgins against the commonwealth, the former defence minister is now ready to tell her side of the story.

“It’s been the hardest two years of my life, without question,” Senator Reynolds said. “I haven’t been able to speak and my chief of staff and others haven’t been able to tell their story. And we have a very different story.”

Ms Higgins has been highly critical of Senator Reynolds’ ­handling of the alleged assault, claiming the minister and her staff failed to support her in the ­aftermath or properly investigate the incident. But an internal department email obtained by The Weekend Australian casts fresh doubt on that claim.

On March 29, 2019, a senior ­official of the Department of ­Finance, responsible for dealing with the welfare of parliamentary staff, concluded that “appropriate” steps were being taken to protect Ms Higgins.

Senator Reynolds’ chief of staff, Fiona Brown, had contacted the officer to ensure all necessary support was being given to the 24-year-old staffer, although at that point, on Ms Higgins’ own evidence, she had not yet disclosed a sexual assault.

An email from assistant ­secretary Lauren Barons sets out the steps Ms Brown had already taken, including, notifying Ms Higgins that, “should she choose to, she is able to pursue a complaint, including a complaint made to police” and that Ms Brown had “made it very clear that if she requires assistance in making a complaint, you would be willing to support her”.

Ms Barons said: “The steps you have taken are appropriate … ­Ultimately any decision as to whether to lodge a police report or pursue any other form of complaint relating to this matter would be a personal choice of the person involved.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18363699 (171429ZFEB23) Notable: Doubts, devastation and a designer coat: the story you haven’t heard - When Brittany Higgins walked out of Parliament House on March 23, 2019, she was captured on CCTV wearing a Carla Zampatti jacket. That coat defines the gaping divide between the public’s perception of the Higgins saga and what others knew - Away from the court case that followed after Higgins alleged Lehrmann raped her in the ministerial suite, after the media stories, the questions in parliament, the poring over details, all of which moulded public opinion, there was another story the public never heard. And this story might not quite match what the public thought they knew

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>>129770

>>129771

Doubts, devastation and a designer coat: the story you haven’t heard

When Brittany Higgins walked out of Parliament House on March 23, 2019, she was captured on CCTV wearing a Carla Zampatti jacket. That coat defines the gaping divide between the public’s perception of the Higgins saga and what others knew.

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - 18 February 2023

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When Brittany Higgins walked out of Parliament House at 10.01am on Saturday, March 23, 2019, she was captured on CCTV wearing a black and white Carla Zampatti jacket.

“I borrowed a jacket from the goodwill box,” Higgins told police just over a week later, on April 1.

The Zampatti coat – where it came from, let alone what happened to it – is a small detail in a very big story. Yet it defines the gaping, perplexing divide between the public’s perception of the Higgins saga and what others knew. The jacket is emblematic of the doubts and disagreements about that night and what happened after.

While the young staffer would repeat the claim that she took a jacket from a goodwill box in Linda Reynolds’ ministerial suite in her testimony in the ACT Supreme Court last October during the rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann, members of Reynolds’ office have told The Weekend Australian that there was no goodwill bin or box or pile of clothes for charity in Reynolds’ ministerial suite.

There was just a wardrobe full of the minister’s jackets. Including the Zampatti that Higgins took, after waking up in her boss’s office following a night drinking at The Dock bar in Canberra with colleagues and a Bumble date, before going to a nightclub for more drinks with Lehrmann and two other staffers.

Away from the court case that followed after Higgins alleged Lehrmann raped her in the ministerial suite, after the media stories, the questions in parliament, the poring over details, all of which moulded public opinion, there was another story the public never heard. And this story might not quite match what the public thought they knew.

Higgins has used the media to tell her story many times. Lehrmann told his story too, during a three-hour recorded police interview that was played in court last year. The trial, as we know, was aborted last October after a jury member went rogue. The Director of Public Prosecutions chose not to proceed with a second trial. Lehrmann has, all along, maintained his innocence. And many untold stories remain just that.

With this week marking the two-year anniversary of the explosive interview with Higgins by Lisa Wilkinson on The Project, Reynolds wants to set the record straight. Once and for all time, she says.

Reynolds spoke with The Weekend Australian last weekend, over more than four hours. As she sat down, she said she would answer every question. No holds barred. She is a no-nonsense woman. There is not a hint of self-pity. Which is remarkable given that Reynolds has been portrayed as a central villain in the Higgins story, a political conspirator who hid the rape of her staffer prior to the 2019 federal election.

At the outset, Reynolds tells me she respects Higgins’ right to tell her story. “I respected her agency and it was her to story to tell. Just because it didn’t match with my recollection of events and my story, it doesn’t invalidate her right to tell her story, which she has,” Reynolds says.

“But it didn’t accord with my recollection of what had happened two years ago.”

Reynolds was not able to tell her story during the criminal trial last year; prosecutor Shane Drumgold treated her as a hostile witness during the trial. Reynolds was prevented from telling her story during the civil claim where Higgins made serious allegations against her former boss and also against Reynolds’ chief of staff, Fiona Brown; Labor Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus used his powers to muzzle Reynolds, instructing her not to attend the mediation in return for the commonwealth paying her legal fees.

Now, Reynolds is speaking up.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18367577 (180155ZFEB23) Notable: Brittany Higgins furious as ‘private’ diary entries leaked - Brittany Higgins has lashed out as “private” diary entries have been leaked after the material was sent to police to investigate her sexual assault allegation

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>>129771

>>129772

Brittany Higgins furious as ‘private’ diary entries leaked

Brittany Higgins has lashed out as “private” diary entries have been leaked after the material was sent to police to investigate her sexual assault allegation.

Samantha Maiden - February 18, 2023

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Brittany Higgins has lashed out as the “private contents” of her diary were leaked after the material was sent to police to investigate her sexual assault allegation.

Ms Higgins said a photograph she took on her phone of her diary entry was submitted to police to help them form the brief of evidence but it was not tabled in court during the rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann last October.

Mr Lehrmann, a former Liberal staffer, was charged in relation to the sexual assault allegation but the trial collapsed following juror misconduct and the charge dropped by the DPP. Since he was charged in August 2021, Mr Lehrmann has maintained his innocence.

The Weekend Australian’s article, titled Doubts, devastation and a designer coat: the story you haven’t heard, today details Ms Higgins’ diary notes.

“The Weekend Australian has seen copies of two pages from Higgins’ 2021 Kikki. K gold spiral-bound diary for the week from March 8 to March 14 – the week before the March4Justice where Higgins would speak,’’ the article states.

It notes that she met with journalists that month for lunch and dinner and a former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In response, Ms Higgins said today that the publication of her private phone records was not appropriate and she also complained it was not the first time it had happened.

“Stop publishing the private contents of my phone,’’ she said on social media. “I took a photo of an old page in my diary on the 7th of July 2021.

“It is now being referenced in an article in The Australian. This is the third time private images, texts and WhatsApps from my phone have been published by this particular news outlet.

“I voluntarily provided this material to the police to help them form the brief of evidence and none of it was tabled in court.

“Therefore, no journalist should have seen the photo of my diary.”

Ms Higgins said the fact it had leaked and was published was distressing.

“I entrusted police with my private information for the sole purpose that it could aid their investigation into my sexual assault, nothing else,’’ she said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18369775 (181210ZFEB23) Notable: Dutton ‘open’ to voice dialogue but pushing for changes - Peter Dutton is “open to discussion” with Anthony Albanese on the form of the Indigenous voice to parliament and government and believes the referendum will fail unless the Prime Minister agrees to changes

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>>129693

Dutton ‘open’ to voice dialogue but pushing for changes

DENNIS SHANAHAN - FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Peter Dutton is “open to discussion” with Anthony Albanese on the form of the Indigenous voice to parliament and government and believes the referendum will fail unless the Prime Minister agrees to changes.

As the Liberals move to finalise a position on the voice legislation and referendum, the Opposition Leader has told the referendum working group he believes the campaign for the voice is on track to fail. Mr Dutton is leaving open the option to support the referendum if Mr Albanese agrees to changes to the referendum, expected to go to a national vote after September this year.

“We are open to a discussion with the government, but the Prime Minister refusing to negotiate or give details makes it very hard to see how his voice could succeed,” Mr Dutton told The Weekend Australian.

“I want to see practical outcomes and an improvement in safety for Indigenous people, not another bureaucracy.”

Liberal options for a compromise with Mr Albanese includes changing the wording of the referendum question to make the voice less extensive and more precise to limiting the breadth of influence and restricting consultation to specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander laws.

The government’s referendum working group has split on whether the voice rights to advise and consult should be restricted to parliament only and exclude executive government. On Friday in Melbourne, Mr Dutton said he had been frank with the referendum working group in his assessment of the possible success of the referendum.

“Our belief is that the way in which the Prime Minister has just not been across the detail when it comes to the voice, or frankly, many other matters,” he said.

“I think the voice is not going to get up and I don’t think it’s going to be successful, and that’s because the Prime Minister’s had this half-hearted effort in relation to just not explaining the detail, not being across the detail. I think it’s tough for a lot of Australians when they’re being asked to make a change to the Constitution – our nation’s founding document – and yet they don’t have the detail from our Prime Minister.”

The Liberal alternatives on the legislation and referendum also include deferring the referendum to allow a full debate before the referendum is put to the people and creating a legislated Indigenous voice to parliament without constitutional change.

Mr Albanese has been pressing Mr Dutton and the Liberals to decide whether to support the voice and the referendum as the government prepares to introduce the legislation next month for the national vote. The Liberals’ Coalition partners, the Nationals, have already agreed to oppose the referendum and the creation of a voice to parliament and government. Newspoll surveys have shown there is overwhelming opposition to a voice to parliament among Coalition voters.

On Friday, Mr Albanese said the wording of the referendum would be considered in the next sitting of parliament in March.

“It has to go through legislation,” he said. “So it will be up to the parliament what the wording is. There will then be a committee of the parliament who will examine that on a bipartisan basis. And then the legislation will be debated in the May-June sessions of parliament.” Last week, Mr Albanese appealed to the Liberals to participate in, not just “observe”, the referendum process and warned a failed referendum would damage Australia’s international reputation and regional trade.

Mr Dutton said Australians were not “hard-hearted” when they asked for details about how the voice would work or what practical benefits there would be.

“We want the detail because we want a model that addresses the practical and immediate need of Indigenous kids in Alice Springs and beyond,” he said. “I want a better life for Indigenous Australians, not another layer of bureaucracy.

“The Prime Minister was elected to fix problems and not constantly complain about them. We have demonstrated we will back the government where they get it right, but we will side with Australians when Mr Albanese gets it wrong.” Last week, Mr Albanese backflipped on his long-held opposition to neutral information pamphlets for the Yes and No cases to be sent to all households before the referendum after a Liberal campaign for more information. But he has offered few details on how the voice would work, though he said it would affect “all levels of government”.

He has consistently said there should not be any further delay to the implementation of a voice.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/dutton-open-to-voice-dialogue-but-pushing-for-changes/news-story/aa1113bd51c6e79fdef7baf8c6025f9a

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18369785 (181218ZFEB23) Notable: Quietly, carefully, Peter Dutton starts to find his voice - Peter Dutton is on the move. After a relatively quiet first nine months as Opposition Leader – during which he has been accused of not doing enough, not making ground against Anthony Albanese, not reforming the Liberal Party, being too negative and not taking definite policy and political positions – Dutton is asserting himself

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>>129693

>>129774

Quietly, carefully, Peter Dutton starts to find his voice

DENNIS SHANAHAN - FEBRUARY 18, 2023

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Peter Dutton is on the move. After a relatively quiet first nine months as Opposition Leader – during which he has been accused of not doing enough, not making ground against Anthony Albanese, not reforming the Liberal Party, being too negative and not taking definite policy and political positions – Dutton is asserting himself.

Economic management, the cost of living and mortgage stress are the Coalition’s focus in parliament and politics as the Albanese government scrambles to battle rising inflation, rising unemployment, rising interest rates, increased energy costs and food prices. But Labor’s cultural agenda on the Indigenous voice to parliament, discrimination in schools, border protection and climate change also is losing its gloss as the government moves too quickly on too many fronts.

Dutton’s deliberate awakening is being assisted by a change in this political momentum as well as unlikely alliances that are bringing the young Labor government to earth and altering the strategic balance. By the time of the May budget, and probably after at least one more interest rate rise, Labor’s shifting of blame to the previous government and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will begin to wear thin.

Indeed, it is already as cost-of-living pressures are at the top of mind for everyone.

Albanese’s election night promise of a referendum for an Indigenous voice also is showing dangerous signs of losing support, with Labor facing criticism for not caring about the cost pressures on all households.

What is worse for the Prime Minister, and highly advantageous to the Opposition Leader, is that Labor’s key legislative agenda – including centrepiece promises on manufacturing, climate change and housing – are facing a joint Coalition-Greens blockade in the Senate.

Albanese’s political response has been to revive the previous attacks on the Coalition as being too negative and a “No-alition” that should just “get out of the way”. The attack on the Greens is that they just “don’t understand the economy” and want to go back to the climate wars when the same Greens-Coalition alliance defeated Kevin Rudd’s 2009 carbon emissions plan.

Yet mixed messages about fighting inflation while still promising to spend more than the previous government, committing to new coal and gas projects while decarbonising the economy, and delaying relief for low-income households from skyrocketing energy bills are making the government look rattled.

What’s more, the Indigenous voice to parliament is being mired in confusion as Labor MPs have to concentrate on the economy, can’t answer questions on detail, backtrack on positions, face demands to address practical issues affecting disadvantaged Indigenous Australians and are being forced to consider compromises.

Albanese has stopped talking about the growing momentum of support for the voice as more polling emerges suggesting public support is soft.

In some ways Dutton hasn’t had to do much to start to assert himself and he has been able to reap the political benefits of Greens-Labor animosity, a worsening economic outlook and growing suspicion about Labor’s cultural agenda.

Some of the criticism aimed at Dutton comes from Coalition supporters who say he hasn’t been strong enough on traditional conservative issues or damaged Albanese’s standing and will be blamed should the voice referendum fail.

The last point is a political argument Albanese promotes as he seeks to force Dutton into a declaration on the voice. The Prime Minister maintains Liberal opposition to the voice, if the referendum passes, will demonstrate Dutton’s irrelevance, and if it fails while the Liberals are opposed he will be to blame.

Albanese’s argument has weakened as Dutton did not rule out supporting the Yes case immediately and instead has called for details, asked questions and argued for a demonstration of practical help to “the women and children” in crisis in Alice Springs.

Dutton is moving towards a position on the voice to parliament; he is prepared to offer a compromise to Albanese as it becomes increasingly apparent the referendum will fail without bipartisan support and it puts him in a position of growing political strength. He recognises the Liberals can’t put off a decision forever and that most of the opposition to the voice in the public is overwhelmingly Coalition supporters.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18374631 (190902ZFEB23) Notable: Australian envoy return to Kyiv 'in interest of both nations' - Ukraine's ambassador to Australia says the reinstatement of an envoy in Kyiv would help boost the relationship between the two nations as the first anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches

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>>129768

Aust envoy return to Kyiv 'in interest of both nations'

Dominic Giannini - February 19 2023

Ukraine's ambassador to Australia says the reinstatement of an envoy in Kyiv would help boost the relationship between the two nations as the first anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches.

Australia's ambassador has been stationed in Poland for the past year, after leaving Ukraine when Russian troops massed at the border ahead of Moscow's invasion in February.

Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko says Australia could be missing out on vital information and meetings by not being on the ground.

"There could be lots of co-ordination between Five Eyes ambassadors," he told AAP.

"There could also be other meetings for ambassadors that can only take place in person."

He said being on the ground would enable Australia to better co-ordinate with G7 countries, with a reliance on foot traffic through Warsaw - where the ambassador is stationed - making it harder to maintain diplomatic ties.

"I want to take our relationship to a new level with complete representation," he said.

"Both countries would be better off if we have a physical presence there. It will be in both the interests of Australia and Ukraine."

Foreign affairs department secretary Jan Adams defended her decision to withhold the ambassador from going back to Ukraine despite other nations returning, saying she was being guided by security advice.

Fronting a parliamentary inquiry, Ms Adams said the situation on the ground hadn't improved in recent months with missiles striking Kyiv as recently as last week.

She said the embassy in Poland was operating "satisfactorily" and Australia continued to work effectively with its partners.

Mr Myroshnychenko said while the decision ultimately resided with the Australian government and foreign affairs department, he would work towards improving the relationship no matter the decision.

Parliamentarians joined the ambassador on the floor of the chamber to express solidarity with Ukraine, with the government flagging it will not abandon aid to the war-torn country as the conflict drags on.

The United States is set to announce further security and economic assistance packages for Ukraine after a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Germany.

The ambassador is due to deliver a speech at the National Press Club on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8091108/aust-envoy-return-to-kyiv-in-interest-of-both-nations/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18380400 (200811ZFEB23) Notable: Gallagher ‘knew Higgins’ boyfriend before payout’ - Katy Gallagher, whose department paid a large settlement to Brittany Higgins, ‘knew David Sharaz’ before Ms Higgins’ rape claims became public, Linda Reynolds says

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>>129771

Gallagher ‘knew Higgins’ boyfriend before payout’

Katy Gallagher, whose department paid a large settlement to Brittany Higgins, ‘knew David Sharaz’ before Ms Higgins’ rape claims became public, Linda Reynolds says.

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - February 19, 2023

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Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, whose department paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to Brittany Higgins, admitted she knew Ms Higgins’ boyfriend, David Sharaz, well ­before the former Liberal ­staffer went public with her rape ­allegations, Liberal senator Linda Reynolds claims. Senator Gallagher acknowledged her past association with Mr Sharaz in a private meeting with Senator Reynolds, attended by two other MPs in June 2021, and said he had warned her “something big” was going to happen, ­according to the former defence minister.

Senator Gallagher was responsible for the department that paid out the confidential settlement of up to $3m awarded to Ms Higgins in ­December over her claim she was not properly supported by Senator Reynolds and others after the ­alleged sexual assault by Bruce Lehrmann.

A spokesperson for Senator Gallagher told The Australian: “The Minister for Finance has no decision-making role in processes around significant legal matters.”

The Albanese government barred Senator Reynolds from providing evidence in the case, threatening to tear up an agreement to pay her legal fees unless she agreed not to attend the one-day mediation.

At the time, Anthony Albanese declined to answer questions about whether it was a conflict of interest for Senator Gallagher to have oversight of the deal, given her earlier engagement on the issue and whether she should ­recuse herself from any involvement in it.

Labor has always denied any role in pushing the Higgins rape scandal for political gain.

But Senator Reynolds claimed she was the target of an orchestrated plot to bring down herself and the Morrison government, alleging senior Labor and media identities ruthlessly exploited her young staffer for political and personal gain.

“What happened should be of concern to all Australians, because this was clearly a political hit job on the government of the day to bring down the defence minister,” Senator Reynolds said in an ­exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian.

She said the late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching had confided in her that Penny Wong – now Foreign Minister – knew of the rape allegations and planned to “weaponise” them.

“She was actually quite distressed that Penny’s going to weaponise the incident,” Senator Reynolds said.

“I said, why would you do that? And you know, Kimberley agreed. She said, I’m so sorry. But she said that.”

Kitching later strongly denied leaking the information. However, Senator Reynolds reported her conversation with Kitching to the Australian Federal Police in a statement she provided during the investigation of Ms Higgins’ allegations.

Senator Reynolds said Kitching told her she first heard about the incident in an anonymous ­letter she had received and which she passed on to the Australian Federal Police “because that was actually the appropriate thing to do”.

“But she told me that Penny was really angry because she said ‘we could’ve used it’.”

That conversation with Kitching appears to have been still fresh in Senator Reynolds’ mind on June 4, 2021, when she fronted a Senate estimates committee, having been demoted by Scott Morrison and by then serving as minister for the NDIS, where she was grilled by senators Wong and Gallagher.

Reynolds said neither woman would normally turn up for a community affairs hearing, so “I knew I was in for it”.

After a heated exchange in which Senator Gallagher asked Senator Reynolds whether it was her decision to send Ms Higgins to Perth for the duration of the election campaign, Senator Reynolds said: “I know where this started.”

When Senator Wong and Senator Gallagher demanded she ­explain, Senator Reynolds said: “I was told by one of your senators two weeks before about what you were intending to do with the story in my office – two weeks before.”

The two Labor senators emphatically denied the allegation, and continued to do so during a private meeting with Senator Reynolds and her colleague, then families and social services minister Anne Ruston.

“Good actors or genuine?” Senator Reynolds wrote of the Labor senators’ denials in contemporaneous diary notes.

“Either way shocked at implications. I had advised that Kimberley conversation was in my AFP statement (Penny asked if it was).”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18380432 (200826ZFEB23) Notable: Brittany Higgins responds to Linda Reynolds interview - Brittany Higgins has responded to her former boss, Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, who for the first time since Ms Higgins’ initial rape allegation spoke in a broad-ranging interview with The Weekend Australian - Ms Higgins criticised one of the reports for referencing parts of her diary, saying no journalist should have been able to access “private information” she entrusted to police to aid their sexual assault investigation

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>>129771

>>129773

Brittany Higgins responds to Linda Reynolds interview

NOAH YIM - FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Brittany Higgins has responded to her former boss, Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, who for the first time since Ms Higgins’ initial rape allegation spoke in a broad-ranging interview with The Weekend Australian.

Ms Higgins criticised one of the reports for referencing parts of her diary, saying no journalist should have been able to access “private information” she entrusted to police to aid their sexual assault investigation.

The report in The Weekend Australian revealed various media and political engagements in the week before the March 2021 March4Justice protest at Parliament where Ms Higgins spoke.

Ms Higgins tweeted: “Stop publishing the private contents of my phone. I voluntarily provided this material to the police to help them form the brief of evidence and none of it was tabled in court.

“Therefore, no journalist should have seen the photo of my diary. I entrusted the police with my private information for the sole purpose that it could aid their investigation into my sexual assault, nothing else.”

In another Twitter post, Ms Higgins expressed incredulity at Senator Reynolds’ claim that she was in “no state to defend” herself in a defamation suit brought by Ms Higgins after the West Australian senator had called her “a lying cow”.

Senator Reynolds says she paid Ms Higgins compensation over the gibe simply to “make it go away” and was in poor health and on sick leave at the time.

“I’m publicly defamed by my former employer … I donate the money to charity … somehow Linda Reynolds is the victim in this scenario?” Ms Higgins asked in the Twitter post.

The former staffer confirmed in her Twitter post that she “immediately donated” all funds from that fee to the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre as she had promised and attached a screenshot showing a payment, dated March 15, 2021, to the organisation.

Ms Higgins made national headlines in 2021 when she alleged she had been raped two years earlier by a colleague in Senator Reynolds’ Parliament House office.

The colleague was later revealed to be Bruce Lehrmann, whose trial on rape charges was aborted last October due to juror misconduct.

Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty and has at all times denied the allegations. The Director of Public Prosecutions has now withdrawn the charges.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/brittany-higgins-responds-to-linda-reynolds-interview/news-story/029516da23fc8e240e9df5f9e099833a

https://twitter.com/BrittHiggins_/status/1627025133104955392

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18380530 (200909ZFEB23) Notable: Ukraine didn’t ask us to reopen Kyiv embassy, says Pat Conroy - Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has brushed aside criticism of Australia’s decision to keep its embassy in Kyiv closed, despite allied countries reopening theirs, as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion

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>>129768

Ukraine didn’t ask us to reopen Kyiv embassy, says Pat Conroy

Latika Bourke - February 20, 2023

Munich: Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has brushed aside criticism of Australia’s decision to keep its embassy in Kyiv closed, despite allied countries reopening theirs, as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

A senior diplomat not authorised by the department to speak publicly told this masthead last week that it was a “total joke” Australia had not reopened its mission and that it would bemuse international allies to see the country provide defence equipment but not back that up with a preparedness to return to the country.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that wrapped up in the German city on Sunday, Conroy said the issue had not been raised with him during a meeting he held with Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Volodymyr Havrylov.

“It wasn’t something he asked me about,” Conroy said.

A total 67 of the 81 diplomatic missions that left the war-torn Ukrainian capital have now reopened including Australia’s AUKUS allies, Britain and the United States.

But Conroy said that during his meeting, the Ukrainians were focused on Australia’s defence assistance not its diplomatic footprint.

“What they’re very focused on is how we’re assisting them and have assisted them and how we can support them into the future, that’s what they really focused on,” he said.

Ukraine’s ambassador in Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko has said Australia is missing out on key intelligence briefings that are given only in-person by not having an ambassador in the country, but Conroy cited security concerns as the reason for Australia’s timidity to resume operations in Kyiv.

“There was a good discussion in the Senate estimates late last year about what’s driven our approach and it’s probably not for me to comment on that, that’s more in the land of Foreign Minister [Penny] Wong,” he said.

Conroy also held meetings with counterparts from the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, India, Ukraine, Singapore, Japan and Sweden while in Munich, where he pushed the message to not lose focus on the Indo-Pacific.

Russia and Iran were barred from this year’s gathering but China’s chief diplomat Wang Yi used his platform to berate the United States as “hysterical” for shooting down the suspected Chinese spy balloon over its airspace.

He also refused to rule out imminent military escalation over Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to reunify.

Conroy described the speech as an “interesting contribution”.

“It’s probably not helpful for me to be contributing to this debate on Taiwan,” he said.

He said he had encouraged the Europeans to keep up their engagement in the region, citing Germany’s involvement in the Pitch Black military training exercise in the Northern Territory last year alongside French, British and US air forces.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who lunched with Conroy in Munich, said his country would support, but not get involved, if conflict broke out in the Indo-Pacific.

“What we can do is assist them in any way and therefore it’s very important that we exercise together to show presence, to show solidarity and understanding in that mission.

“A military intervention by German troops I would rather not see in the Pacific, but assistance, solidarity, support for sanctions and political action in the UN – every time,” he said.

Pistorius said the Americans had already begun focusing more on the Indo-Pacific, which had implications for Europe.

Pistorius said he had been requested by the Singaporeans to attend this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in early June. The meeting is Asia’s premiere defence gathering and has long been overlooked by Germany. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be keynote speaker.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/ukraine-didn-t-ask-us-to-reopen-kyiv-embassy-says-pat-conroy-20230219-p5clr7.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18386750 (210758ZFEB23) Notable: Keating turning into PM’s worst enemy - "Recently Paul Keating has argued that if we get AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines we will lose our sovereignty, as these will be dependent on US nuclear reactor technology. In foreign policy Keating has journeyed further and further from common sense, often indeed from reality itself, in the more than a quarter of a century since he last had responsibility (or a security briefing) for anything. Keating has now become so self-absorbed and eccentric that some things he says about Australian foreign policy history are factually misleading." - Greg Sheridan - theaustralian.com.au

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Keating turning into PM’s worst enemy

GREG SHERIDAN - FEBRUARY 21, 2023

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The single greatest external factor promoting Australian national sovereignty is our alliance with the US. We secure our sovereignty through our own actions. One of our key actions is the alli­ance.

One reason throughout human history nations have entered alliances is to preserve their sovereignty.

Recently Paul Keating has argued that if we get AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines we will lose our sovereignty, as these will be dependent on US nuclear reactor technology.

Generally the reactors that power the subs will be delivered to us as sealed units and last for the life of the sub, 25 or 30 years. If there’s a problem with one of the reactors we should by then be able to cope, but obviously the Americans would help us if necessary, as they already do with much of our kit (as they do for many allies)

In foreign policy Keating has journeyed further and further from common sense, often indeed from reality itself, in the more than a quarter of a century since he last had responsibility (or a security briefing) for anything. Keating has now become so self-absorbed and eccentric that some things he says about Australian foreign policy history are factually misleading.

The Albanese government is, rightly, acting in direct opposition to Keating in foreign policy. It’s not contradicting the temper and content of Keating’s prime ministership. Back then, Keating was a strong proponent of the US alliance. His main argument with Malaysia’s Dr Mahathir concerned Keating’s advocacy of the centrality of the US to Asia.

But Keating today has invented an imaginary diplomatic history for Australia that his acolytes, even otherwise sensible academics, are happy to accept and promulgate. Keating today stands against mainstream Australian strategic policy and against the Albanese government.

Defence Minister Richard Marles dealt with sovereignty and the AUKUS subs in an important parliamentary speech. Marles said: “Defence capability is a key factor in sovereignty. It does not define sovereignty … And capability which is not at the absolute discretion of the country which operates it does nothing to enhance sovereignty. But capability – high-end capability – the use of which is at the complete discretion of a country, contributes greatly to the capacity of a people to determine their circumstances and therefore contributes greatly to national sovereignty.”

The reality of all this is simple. The one nation that has actively tried to compromise Australian sovereignty in the past decade is China. It puts our citizens in jail on trumped-up charges, it takes discriminatory trade measures to compel us to change national policies it doesn’t like, it constantly intimidates and abuses Australian governments, it engages in hyper-aggressive cyber espionage and cyber attack, it seeks military bases in the South Pacific, it en­gages in dangerous near-confrontation of our military in the sea and the air, it tries to interfere in our politics and much, much else.

We are better able to act independently – that is, to preserve our sovereignty – if we have the security that comes from an alliance, and also the high-end military capability to provide some deterrence. As Marles argues: capability enhances sovereignty.

If Anthony Albanese, Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are successful in their national security policies, and especially in enhancing defence capability and creating a new realisation to the public that our own military capabilities are important, they could change Australian politics fundamentally.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18386847 (210825ZFEB23) Notable: Jacqui Munro: NSW Treasurer Matt Kean’s endorsed candidate’s progressive past - NSW Treasurer Matt Kean’s endorsed candidate for the upper house vacancy declared she loved “the devil”, supported legalisation of drugs and celebrated the victory of former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard - The historical social media posts of Jacqui Munro, the Liberal Women’s Council president and former adviser to Wentworth independent Kerryn Phelps, reveal a progressive streak that opposed the NSW Liberal Party’s lockout laws and criticised Tony Abbott

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Jacqui Munro: NSW Treasurer Matt Kean’s endorsed candidate’s progressive past

MAX MADDISON - FEBRUARY 21, 2023

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean’s endorsed candidate for the upper house vacancy declared she loved “the devil”, supported legalisation of drugs and celebrated the victory of former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard.

The historical social media posts of Jacqui Munro, the Liberal Women’s Council president and former adviser to Wentworth independent Kerryn Phelps, reveal a progressive streak that opposed the NSW Liberal Party’s lockout laws and criticised Tony Abbott.

Ms Munro, who was backed in by senior moderates as the replacement for dumped Legislative Council MP Peter Poulos on Sunday night, has faced questions over her political leanings and on whether an inner-city resident is best placed to represent Liberal members in southern Sydney.

In one 2016 Facebook post, Ms Munro seems to endorse Christopher Hitchens characterisation of Mother Teresa as a “fraud” and a “fanatic”, sharing a link to the director’s investigation “Mother Teresa: Hell’s Angel” with the caption “Hitch-slapped”.

In another, she seems to praise Satan, saying: “You know what I love? I love accountability. I love the devil. I love discussion. rational thought and intelligence binds us. #pride”

Ms Munro also appears to have celebrated Ms Gillard’s victory over Mr Abbott during the 2010 federal election.

“Thank you, (former Lyne independent Rob) Oakshott (sic) and (former New England independent Tony) Windsor, for making this the BEST Silent Disco ever attended!!!!,” she wrote.

In 2015, Ms Munro posted an article questioning why drugs were illegal, commenting “an extremely useful contribution to public discourse. Concise and considered.”

Ms Munro was contacted for comment.

The social media posts came as the likelihood of Ms Munro’s promotion to the upper house vacancy appeared to be growing slimmer, with powerbrokers working to find a consensus candidate who would garner enough votes to pass the state executive.

State executive sources said Ms Munro appeared to be about three votes short of reaching the necessary 50 per cent plus one.

Former Young Liberals president Deyi Wu, deposed Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons, Shoalhaven Council deputy mayor Paul Ell and Sutherland mayor Carmelo Pesce were all named as possible replacements.

Transport Minister David Elliott remained in the frame but sources on state executive said they doubted he could secure support outside his centre-right faction.

For the second day in a row, a mooted ballot to endorse a candidate failed to materialise.

Mr Poulos was disendorsed and suspended from the party for six months over revelations he circulated explicit images of a ­female Liberal rival ahead of a preselection battle in 2018.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/jacqui-munro-nsw-treasurer-matt-keans-endorsed-candidates-progressive-past/news-story/dba4b9ccae497fb0bfdc4e36d900efeb

https://www.facebook.com/jacqui.funro

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18386885 (210839ZFEB23) Notable: Video: Drug Enforcement Administration agents sent back to America after complaint - Two Sydney-based agents from the American Drug Enforcement Administration are being sent home after the Australian Federal Police complained to US ambassador Caroline Kennedy about methods of investigating a massive drug importation - The DEA agents have not been accused of wrongdoing but the AFP fears their investigation techniques may have impacted on operations, particularly involving a major cocaine shipment destined for Western Australia and NSW

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Drug Enforcement Administration agents sent back to America after complaint

Two agents from the American Drug Enforcement Administration have been told to return home after the AFP complained to US ambassador Caroline Kennedy about their methods of investigating a huge drug importation.

Mark Morri - February 21, 2023

EXCLUSIVE: Two Sydney-based agents from the American Drug Enforcement Administration are being sent home after the Australian Federal Police complained to US ambassador Caroline Kennedy about methods of investigating a massive drug importation.

The DEA agents have not been accused of wrongdoing but the AFP fears their investigation techniques may have impacted on operations, particularly involving a major cocaine shipment destined for Western Australia and NSW.

The complaint comes amid a wider dispute over policing methods in which some state police forces believe the AFP are more interested in seizing and destroying drugs than investigating the syndicates behind them.

Some NSW police have gone as far as to say this could have led to criminal groups wrongly thinking a missing consignment of drugs had been stolen which sparked the Alameddine-Hamzy war leading to multiple gangland hits and kidnappings.

“There are some who believe the feds seized the drugs and one group thought someone had stolen it and that set things off,” one NSW officer said.

Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw made a complaint to the US Embassy saying his officers were having difficulties in working with the two DEA officers.

“The AFP does not comment on current operational matters. It is imperative international agencies that operate in Australia adhere to Australian laws and respect Australia’s sovereignty,’’ the AFP said in a statement.

A number of police officers in NSW and interstate believe the controversy was sparked by the DEA’s general approach of dealing directly with the state crime bodies and bypassing the federal police.

“The DEA has done nothing wrong and all this does is make catching international drug dealers harder,” one interstate officer said.

“More often than not state police have more patience and are in a better position to conduct long investigations which get more of the players after the drugs have arrived.

“Truth be known, the DEA and the state cops have a similar view of thinking the long game where they substitute the drugs and try to follow it.

“Federal police are very quick to just seize the drugs. Problem with that is the syndicate just get another consignment in the works … losing a shipment means nothing to them because they are making that much money,” he said.

There are suggestions the AFP has been angered by several instances where the DEA passed on information to the state police and not federal police.

Investigators from the DEA’s internal affairs unit have been in Australia recently looking into the complaint by the AFP. The US Embassy said it would not comment but it is believed the officers have been instructed to go home.

NSW Police said it was not involved and would not comment.

The complaint against the highly respected DEA has shocked many police around the country.

The AFP were instrumental in working with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Operation Ironside which has been referred to as the “crime sting of the century”.

Criminals around the world were duped into using an encrypted device called ANOM which they believed allowed them to carry out their illegal activities without being detected by law enforcement when in fact the FBI, the AFP and other agencies around the world were collecting the messages in real time.

Some of the world’s leading drug cartels, including Australian syndicates, have been dismantled with intelligence gathered by AFP from Operation Ironside.

Information gleaned from the ANOM devices prevented a number of murders and kidnappings throughout Australia, according to police.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/drug-enforcement-agency-agents-sent-back-to-america-after-complaint/news-story/cc230a845da76095210d1d087e5d372c

https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/united-states/dea-agents-sent-packing-after-afp-complaint-about-drug-bust-methods/video/6d06547d78dbc5f8a8caeea23614ad3e

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392801 (220736ZFEB23) Notable: ‘It feels like hand-to-hand combat’: ASIO boss warns on spy hives, foreign interference - ASIO boss Mike Burgess has warned Australians to be vigilant as he revealed the nation is experiencing the highest level of foreign interference, espionage and terrorism in its history, surpassing the Cold War, September 11 and the height of the Islamic State caliphate

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‘It feels like hand-to-hand combat’: ASIO boss warns on spy hives, foreign interference

Lisa Visentin and Matthew Knott - February 21, 2023

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ASIO boss Mike Burgess has warned Australians to be vigilant as he revealed the nation is experiencing the highest level of foreign interference, espionage and terrorism in its history, surpassing the Cold War, September 11 and the height of the Islamic State caliphate.

In his latest annual threat assessment – the first since the federal election in May 2022 – Burgess also revealed his agency had disrupted and deported a “hive of spies” in the past 12 months who had recruited proxies and agents as part of a broader goal to steal sensitive information.

He said the hive was bigger and more dangerous than a nest of spies dismantled several years ago and reported by ASIO, saying he had decided to highlight the case to “dispel any sense that espionage is some romantic Cold War notion”.

“Based on what ASIO is seeing, more Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than at any time in Australia’s history – more hostile foreign intelligence services, more spies, more targeting, more harm, more ASIO investigations, more ASIO disruptions,” Burgess, the agency’s director-general, said in a speech on Tuesday night. “From where I sit, it feels like hand-to-hand combat.”

Burgess also detailed a sensational plot by an overseas intelligence service to covertly recruit senior Australian journalists using the offer of an all-expenses-paid study tour of the foreign country, where spies posing as local officials were expected to steal information and contacts.

The plan was foiled by ASIO before it could be put into action. But it was advanced enough that the foreign power had recruited an Australian-born “lackey” who was well-connected in political and business circles and not publicly connected with the overseas government to make the overture to the journalists.

“Once in-country, the lackey was expected to introduce the journalists to ‘local officials’ who were really spies in disguise. The spies would use these opportunities to ingratiate themselves with the reporters, try to elicit insights on political, economic, defence and other issues, and identify any vulnerabilities that could be leveraged later,” Burgess said in the speech.

He said the journalists’ phones, laptops and tablets would likely have been hacked, with malware installed to give the spies ongoing access, potentially exposing sources, stories, calls and emails.

The plot was part of a “discernable and concerning uptick” in the targeting of journalists and the media industry, with the influence and recruitment taking many forms.

“Foreign intelligence services have used cut-outs and front companies to offer funding for programs, almost certainly with the intent to shape the coverage in favour of the foreign government,” Burgess said.

He also revealed a small number of judicial figures had been subject to suspicious approaches, suspected but not confirmed to be connected to foreign intelligence operations.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392839 (220746ZFEB23) Notable: Judges, journalists and military veterans targeted in 'unprecedented' spy threat on Australia - Journalists, military veterans and judicial figures are being targeted by foreign espionage agencies at "unprecedented" levels, with the country's intelligence chief revealing a "hive of spies" was removed from Australia in the past year - In his annual threat assessment, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has also hit out at former military personnel who have put "cash before country" by working for authoritarian regimes, describing them as "top tools" more than "top guns"

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>>129784

>>129785

Judges, journalists and military veterans targeted in 'unprecedented' spy threat on Australia

Andrew Greene - 22 February 2023

Journalists, military veterans and judicial figures are being targeted by foreign espionage agencies at "unprecedented" levels, with the country's intelligence chief revealing a "hive of spies" was removed from Australia in the past year.

In his annual threat assessment, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has also hit out at former military personnel who have put "cash before country" by working for authoritarian regimes, describing them as "top tools" more than "top guns".

"Based on what ASIO is seeing, more Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than at any time in Australia's history," Mike Burgess said in a speech on Tuesday night.

"More hostile foreign intelligence services, more spies, more targeting, more harm, more ASIO investigations, more ASIO disruptions. From where I sit, it feels like hand-to-hand combat."

"This means ASIO is busier than ever before. Busier than any time in our 74-year history. Busier than the Cold War; busier than 9/11; busier than the height of the caliphate."

During his speech, Mr Burgess alluded to a "hive of spies" which ASIO had disrupted in the past year which he said was "bigger and more dangerous" than a "nest of spies" he publicly revealed was broken up two years ago.

Without naming the country involved, the ASIO boss said the spies were "undeclared — in other words, they were working undercover. Some were put in place years earlier".

"It was obvious to us that the spies were highly trained because they used sophisticated tradecraft to try to disguise their activities. They were good – but ASIO was better."

Mr Burgess said security agencies had detected "repeated attempts to hack into scores of Australian media outlets – so many, it appears to be a concerted campaign".

In one disrupted plot a "lackey" was recruited to lure "senior journalists" on all-expenses-paid "study tours" of a foreign country to obtain privileged information.

"Once in-country, the lackey was expected to introduce the journalists to 'local officials' who were really spies in disguise.

"The spies would use these opportunities to ingratiate themselves with the reporters, try to elicit insights on political, economic, defence and other issues, and identify any vulnerabilities that could be leveraged later."

The ASIO boss also revealed he has been directly pressured by public servants, academics and business identities to "ease up" on ASIO's foreign interference and espionage operations.

"Individuals in business, academia and the bureaucracy have told me ASIO should ease up its operational responses to avoid upsetting foreign regimes," Mr Burgess said.

"Of course, they are entitled to their views but the reasons they offer for them are flimsy, such as: 'All countries spy on each other'; 'We were going to make the information public anyway'; 'It's no different to lobbying or networking'; 'The foreign government might make things difficult for us'; and so on."

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was concerning that those Australians in positions of influence were not taking the threat of foreign interference seriously.

"Foreign interference and espionage is a big threat to our national security and ASIO works around the clock to protect Australians from it. It is deliberately designed to undermine our democracy and our values," he said.

Foreign spies targeting defence ahead of AUKUS announcement

With an announcement on Australia's preferred AUKUS submarine pathway due within weeks, Mr Burgess also said there had been a "distinct uptick in the online targeting of people working in Australia's defence industry".

"As we progress AUKUS, it's critical our allies know we can keep our secrets, and keep their secrets," Mr Burgess said.

Months after Defence Minister Richard Marles ordered a review into reports China was trying to recruit former Australian pilots, the spy boss confirmed former military personnel were being targeted to sell their training and expertise to foreign governments.

"In some cases, we and our partners have been able to stop the former insiders travelling overseas to provide the training, but in others, legal ambiguities have impeded law enforcement's ability to intervene."

In a recent investigation of social media, ASIO employees discovered over 16,000 Australians publicly declaring they had a security clearance, and 1,000 revealing they had worked in the intelligence community.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-21/mike-burgess-asio-annual-threat-assessment/102003692

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392853 (220752ZFEB23) Notable: ASIO urged to ‘ease up’ on foreign spies: Mike Burgess - Australia’s top spy Mike Burgess was directly pressured by public servants, academics and business identities to “ease up” on ASIO’s foreign interference and espionage operations, despite judicial figures, journalists, veterans and diaspora communities being targeted in record numbers by foreign spies and agents

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>>129784

>>129785

ASIO urged to ‘ease up’ on foreign spies: Mike Burgess

GEOFF CHAMBERS - FEBRUARY 22, 2023

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Australia’s top spy Mike Burgess was directly pressured by public servants, academics and business identities to “ease up” on ASIO’s foreign interference and espionage operations, despite judicial figures, journalists, veterans and diaspora communities being targeted in record numbers by foreign spies and agents.

In his fourth annual threat ­assessment speech on Tuesday night, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general revealed that, at a time of unprecedented espionage and foreign interference activity in Australia, there were “senior people in this country who believe (it) is no big deal”.

Mr Burgess, who outlined a number of operations including the expulsion of a “hive” of highly trained spies placed in Australia years earlier to recruit agents and steal sensitive information, said some powerful figures were using “flimsy” excuses to undermine ­efforts to protect the nation.

“Individuals in business, ­academia and the bureaucracy have told me ASIO should ease up its operational responses to avoid upsetting foreign regimes,” Mr Burgess said.

“Of course they are entitled to their views but the reasons they offer for them are flimsy, such as: ‘all countries spy on each other’; ‘we were going to make the information public anyway’; ‘it’s no ­different to lobbying or networking’; ‘the foreign government might make things difficult for us’; and so on.

“In my opinion, anyone saying these things should reflect on their commitment to Australia’s democracy, sovereignty and values – because espionage and foreign interference is deliberately calculated to undermine Australia’s democracy, sovereignty and values.”

Mr Burgess warned that ASIO was locked in “hand-to-hand combat” with more spies and hostile foreign intelligence services than “at any time in Australia’s history”. He said the security agency’s workload exceeded that experienced during the Cold War, post-9/11 and at the height of ­Islamic State.

The ASIO chief also revealed emerging threats to judicial ­figures, journalists, veterans, ­defence contractors, diaspora community leaders, public officials and politicians, who were being targeted by spies and “lackeys” – well-connected and well-­regarded in business and political circles – to undermine Australia’s security, democracy, social cohesion and economy.

Amid rising geostrategic competition between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific and development of the landmark AUKUS military pact, Mr Burgess warned of a spike in activity targeting ­Australians linked to the defence industry.

“Some of the other professions being targeted might surprise you,” he said. “In the last year, a small number of Australian ­judicial figures have been subjected to suspicious approaches.

“While we are yet to conclusively conclude they were targeted by foreign intelligence services, we do know spies want insights into court cases relevant to their ­governments, and are seeking to use litigation as an intelligence collection tool.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392865 (220755ZFEB23) Notable: Security boss pulls no punches on growing national threats - Australia’s balancing act in the great power competition between the US and China means it is now a primary target for espionage and foreign interference - This was now the greatest security threat facing the nation, according to ASIO director-general Mike Burgess - And not enough Australians were taking it seriously enough

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>>129784

>>129785

Security boss pulls no punches on growing national threats

SIMON BENSON - FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Australia’s balancing act in the great power competition between the US and China means it is now a primary target for espionage and foreign interference.

This was now the greatest security threat facing the nation, according to ASIO director-general Mike Burgess.

And not enough Australians were taking it seriously enough.

It will be a feature of Anthony Albanese’s first headland speech of the year on Wednesday when he outlines the government’s response to the defence and security challenges Australia must navigate over the years ahead.

Burgess, as the tip of the spear in defending the country from the domestic threats, pulls no punches. The latest annual national threat assessment makes for sobering reading. For the first time, Burgess identified the global strategic competition – and the regional power balance – as being the epicentre of the primary national security threat.

Terrorism was still a major threat. But foreign espionage and the unprecedented level of political interference designed to undermine Western democracies was frenetic.

This is a return to a Cold War, pre-terrorism era, but at unprecedented levels of activity.

This is the broader theme. It’s not only about stealing secrets, the main game is dividing nations from within and undermining the primacy of democracy and the international order.

It is essentially war by other means and Australia was smack bang in the middle of it.

“Based on what ASIO is seeing, more Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than at any time in Australia’s history … more hostile foreign intelligence services, more spies, more targeting, more harm, more ASIO investigations, more ASIO disruptions,” Burgess says. “From where I sit, it feels like hand-to-hand combat.

“This means ASIO is busier than ever before. Busier than any time in our 74-year history. Busier than the Cold War; busier than 9/11; busier than the height of the caliphate.”

Yet Burgess is gobsmacked at the level of ignorance at “senior” levels – senior people in government, business and academia.

“I am concerned that there are senior people in this country who appear to believe that espionage and foreign interference is no big deal; it’s something that can be tolerated or ignored or somehow safely managed,” he goes on to say. “Individuals in business, academia and the bureaucracy have told me ASIO should ease up its operational responses to avoid upsetting foreign regimes.”

This is an extraordinary statement for an ASIO chief to make.

But anyone who knows Burgess also knows what a pointless endeavour it would be to try to pressure one of the most hawkish spy bosses the country has had in years.

The fact he elected to call the behaviour out in his annual threat assessment on Tuesday only confirms that level of foreign interference – in all its forms – has reached epidemic proportions in this country.

And Burgess clearly believes it is not being taken seriously enough by some.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/security-boss-pulls-no-punches-on-growing-national-threats/news-story/044fe8dc71a6666adadef6cb9f985015

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392901 (220805ZFEB23) Notable: Australian spy chief says veterans training rivals are 'top tools' not 'top guns' - Australia's spy chief has hit out at former military pilots who turn to working for authoritarian regimes, describing them as "lackeys, more 'top tools' than 'top guns'" in his annual security threat assessment - A former U.S. marine pilot, Daniel Duggan, is fighting extradition from Australia to the United States, where he faces charges of training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers. He has denied breaking any law

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>>>/qresearch/18064786

>>129784

>>129785

Australian spy chief says veterans training rivals are 'top tools' not 'top guns'

Kirsty Needham - February 21, 2023

CANBERRA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Australia's spy chief has hit out at former military pilots who turn to working for authoritarian regimes, describing them as "lackeys, more 'top tools' than 'top guns'" in his annual security threat assessment.

A former U.S. marine pilot, Daniel Duggan, is fighting extradition from Australia to the United States, where he faces charges of training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers. He has denied breaking any law.

Britain has also cracked down on its former military pilots working for China.

In a speech in Canberra on Tuesday, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's director general of security, Mike Burgess, said the agency had been tracking a "small but concerning number" of defence insiders willing to "put cash before country".

Australians had been offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to help authoritarian regimes improve their combat skills, he said.

"These individuals are lackeys, more ‘top tools’ than ‘top guns’. Selling our warfighting skills is no different to selling our secrets – especially when the training and tactics are being transferred to countries that will use them to close capability gaps, and could use them against us or our allies at some time in the future," he said.

The ASIO and its partners had stopped some former defence staff travelling overseas to conduct such training, but in other cases "legal ambiguities have impeded law enforcement's ability to intervene".

Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, said this month the government would tighten the law.

In his annual speech, Burgess said more Australians were being targeted by espionage and foreign interference than at any time in the history of the spy agency, and it had disrupted a "major spy network" in the past 12 months.

"As we progress AUKUS, it’s critical our allies know we can keep our secrets, and keep their secrets," he said, referring to a defence technology alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to transfer nuclear submarine technology to Australia.

The media was also an espionage target, he said.

"We have seen repeated attempts to hack into scores of Australian media outlets – so many, it appears to be a concerted campaign," he said.

While the intent was not clear, ASIO assessed the hackers were looking for early warning of reports relevant to the foreign government behind the hackers, and the identities of journalists' sources, including critics of the foreign regime, which he did not name.

Foreign intelligence services were also seeking to influence or coerce media through offers of funding, and ASIO had blocked what he said was a plot to exploit journalists through a funded overseas trip.

The Indo-Pacific region was home to the world's fastest growing populations and economies, and also the fastest military build ups, amid competition between Australia's security ally the United States, and China, he said.

These dynamics were driving a thirst for information and covert influence in Australia by other countries, he said.

"They are using espionage to recruit to their own cause elected officials, public servants, well placed individuals in business, and leaders in our communities."

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-spy-chief-says-veterans-training-rivals-are-top-tools-not-top-guns-2023-02-21/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392962 (220822ZFEB23) Notable: Whatever it takes on Defence: Anthony Albanese - Anthony Albanese will deliver his strongest endorsement of the AUKUS security pact, pledging to fund the Australian Defence Force to ‘deter aggressors’ - Amid unprecedented geostrategic competition between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Albanese will say AUKUS presents a “whole-of-nation opportunity: for new jobs, new industries and new expertise in science and technology and cyber”

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Whatever it takes on Defence: Anthony Albanese

GEOFF CHAMBERS - FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Anthony Albanese will deliver his strongest endorsement of the AUKUS security pact, pledging to fund the Australian Defence Force to ‘deter aggressors’.

In a major national security speech at the National Press Club, the Prime Minister will position the AUKUS agreement with the US and Britain as “much more than nuclear submarines or technological inter-operability”.

Mr Albanese – who will release an unclassified Defence Strategic Review report and the government’s formal response before the May 9 budget – puts AUKUS at the heart of Australia’s regional strategic posture.

“AUKUS is about the future. It further formalises the common values and the shared interest that our three nations have in preserving peace and upholding the rules and institutions that secure our region and our world,” Mr Albanese will say.

“Australia has long understood that partnerships and alliances are key to our security – that’s still true today.

“But we recognise that pursuing and defending our sovereign interests and contributing to regional stability requires us to build our sovereign defence capability, including advanced manufacturing.”

Amid unprecedented geostrategic competition between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Albanese will say AUKUS presents a “whole-of-nation opportunity: for new jobs, new industries and new expertise in science and technology and cyber”.

Mr Albanese will say the Defence Strategic Review, led by former ADF chief Angus Houston and former defence minister Stephen Smith, recognises that “we live in a time of profound geopolitical uncertainty, both in our region and around the world”.

“I can promise all Australians that our government will ensure that Defence has the resources it needs to defend our nation and deter potential aggressors. With the right investments in our capability and sovereignty, our defence force can be made ready for future challenges,” he will say.

Mr Albanese, who will host a cyber security roundtable in Sydney next week, will warn that Australia’s collective cyber capability is a “critical asset for our national security” and requires upgrading and uplifting of the country’s cyber defences.

“As the data breaches of last year highlight, it is vital to protect our economy, our businesses and our privacy.”

Ahead of the federal government finalising its preferred nuclear submarine option before the budget, Mr Albanese will champion the importance of positive international engagement. Since last year’s election, senior government ministers led by Foreign Minister Penny Wong have launched a charm offensive across the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Albanese will reaffirm his commitment to rebuilding Australia’s “standing and influence” in the region, and strengthening ties with South Pacific nations that have been aggressively wooed by China.

“In the months ahead, reflecting the focus our government has placed on a family-first approach to regional security, we expect to sign our bilateral security treaty with Papua New Guinea and ratify our newly signed Bilateral Security Agreement with Vanuatu. Through APEC, ASEAN and the East Asia Summit, we have worked to deepen our connections and our strategic dialogue in Southeast Asia, making sure Australian companies can seize the extraordinary chance we have to be a partner of choice to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world.”

Mr Albanese, expected to travel to Washington DC this year, will soon host Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders Joe Biden, Narendra Modi and Fumio Kishida in Sydney.

The Prime Minister will also discuss his government’s focus on “stabilising relations” with Beijing, which soured under the Morrison government.

“Recognising the value of direct dialogue, seeking to co-operate where we can while being prepared to disagree where we must, and always acting in our national interest and in support of regional stability.

“In the best tradition of outward-looking, engaged Labor governments, we are seeking to build security in the Indo-Pacific, not from it. This is where Penny Wong has done such an outstanding job.

“Demonstrating that Australia is back at the table; as a supporter of the rules-based order, as a constructive member of multilateral forums and as a trusted partner for regional co-operation and bilateral negotiations.”

As Energy Minister Chris Bowen continues negotiations with the Greens to win support for the government’s safeguard mechanism, which underpins Labor’s 2030 target to slash emissions by 43 per cent, Mr Albanese will say Australia’s stronger climate change ambitions have boosted our international credibility.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/aukus-heart-of-regional-security-anthony-albanese/news-story/e6cec424a5c4ce7770b177dec0eccc5b

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18392986 (220828ZFEB23) Notable: At the heart of Linda Reynolds’ story is a gross hypocrisy - "At the heart of Linda Reynolds’ story is a gross and gendered hypocrisy. The same women, very senior women within Labor’s ranks, who talk a lot about wanting a safer, fairer workplace culture in parliament, perpetrated a cruel and unrelenting attack on their workplace colleague. What Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher did to Reynolds is recorded in Hansard. The attacks were relentless, over days and weeks and months. The implications were devastating: that Reynolds had covered up the alleged rape of a young staffer; that she had threatened Brittany Higgins’ employment in a wholly inappropriate way. The results were predictable, with Reynolds breaking down, admitted to hospital, on sick leave." - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

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>>129771

>>129773

At the heart of Linda Reynolds’ story is a gross hypocrisy

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - FEBRUARY 22, 2023

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At the heart of Linda Reynolds’ story is a gross and gendered hypocrisy. The same women – very senior women within Labor’s ranks – who talk a lot about wanting a safer, fairer workplace culture in parliament, perpetrated a cruel and unrelenting attack on their workplace colleague.

What Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher did to Reynolds is recorded in Hansard. The attacks were relentless, over days and weeks and months. The implications were devastating: that Reynolds had covered up the alleged rape of a young staffer; that she had threatened Brittany Higgins’ employment in a wholly inappropriate way. The results were predictable, with Reynolds breaking down, admitted to hospital, on sick leave.

When appointing Vivienne Thom last week to oversee the implementation of Kate Jenkins’ recommendations in her Set the Standard report, Gallagher said: “Everyone has the right to be safe at work and our parliament should set the highest standard for workplace behaviour and culture.” It is hard to take Gallagher – the Minister for Women – seriously. Her unremitting attacks on Reynolds were low blows. To be sure, Gallagher and Wong were entitled to question Reynolds. Instead, the two Labor senators hounded her, refusing to accept her assurance that she had supported Higgins and that she had not threatened Higgins’ job.

These women didn’t so much cross as leap over the line between acceptable parliamentary scrutiny and unacceptable personal attacks in pursuit of partisan advan­tage.

So much for the “highest standard for workplace behaviour”.

In the past, Gallagher has encour­aged women to come forward: “Your first-hand experiences will be critical to this review and a build a safer, more equal workplace for everyone.”

Isn’t that what Reynolds did when speaking to The Australian? Yet her story was brushed off by Wong, Gallagher and the usual phalanx of journalists who, on any other day, obsess about workplace harassment. Hounded into hospital by workplace abuse? Who cares.

Reynolds explained how she and her chief of staff, Fiona Brown, offered Higgins a great deal of support; that Higgins, at no stage, said to them she had been raped; that Higgins campaigned with Reynolds in Perth barely weeks later; that Higgins praised Reynolds as a great boss; that Higgins was offered a job by Reynolds after the election. This too was belit­tled.

Higgins brushed this aside. “The facts have been well ­established,” she said. “Any revisionist history offered by my former employer at this time is deeply hurtful and needlessly cruel.”

Predictable, and also nonsense. The Higgins camp has controlled the narrative for a long time. Reynolds has not been able to present her side in full. She was rubbished in the Senate by Wong and co. Reynolds was treated as a hostile witness by the prosecutor in the aborted criminal trial and she was muzzled from contesting Higgins’ claims about her during the staffer’s civil claim.

Alas, this demented reinterpretation of a free society, where only one side is granted legitimacy to present the “facts”, is not just a common thread on Twitter.

It was echoed by Wong and Gallagher, too. When Reynolds told her story, these two Labor women accused Reynolds of showing “a deep lack of respect for the autonomy of her former staff”. What about Reynolds’ autonomy? Are they suggesting that only certain women may be heard? Higgins, yes. Reynolds, no. If that is feminism, it is a farce. This grand hypocrisy from Labor is made worse by the fact, as Reynolds told me, conservative women are not just invisible to most of the media, they are expendable in the eyes of the feminist movement.

“Conservative women, particularly conservative politicians, we’re invisible to the feminist movement,” she said. “They really don’t understand us.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18401561 (240551ZFEB23) Notable: An army of ‘little Americans’ dominates foreign policy debate - "Greg Sheridan, in his opinion piece of Tuesday, February 21, provides yet another display of his spiteful, vacuous journalism – his erroneous claims that I am not the progenitor of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting, and that my views on Australian strategic policy are eccentric and at odds with the US alliance." - Paul Keating, 24th prime minister of Australia - theaustralian.com.au

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>>129780

An army of ‘little Americans’ dominates foreign policy debate

PAUL KEATING - FEBRUARY 23, 2023

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Greg Sheridan, in his opinion piece of Tuesday, February 21, provides yet another display of his spiteful, vacuous journalism – his erroneous claims that I am not the progenitor of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting, and that my views on Australian strategic policy are eccentric and at odds with the US alliance.

I will deal with the APEC Leaders’ Meeting first. This is easy enough because the Australian government records of the time are now open. Sheridan was never one to let evidence stand in the way of his prejudices and clearly prefers the fact that Bill Clinton failed to mention me in his autobiography re the leaders’ meeting than he does Australian archival evidence.

This is strange, for in his 1997 book, Tigers: Leaders of the New Asia Pacific, Sheridan wrote, “Keating had in 1992 himself first proposed that APEC national leaders should meet”. The year 1992 was, of course, before Clinton came to office.

Every Australian prime minister before me sat at only two international fora – the great non-meeting of the world, the Commonwealth Heads of Government annual meeting, and the local South Pacific Forum. There was no place for Australia organisationally beside an American president, let alone a Chinese or Indonesian president. I wished to change that.

When the Cold War ended with Mikhail Gorbachev’s dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991 – five days after I assumed the prime ministership – I could see a clear opportunity for open regionalism of the kind the bipolarity of the Cold War had prevented. And prevented for 40 years.

And, as it turned out, I was to meet US president George Herbert Bush at Kirribilli House six days later, on January 1, 1992.

At that meeting, the minute of which was recorded by Ashton Calvert, later to become secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, I proposed to president Bush that APEC be turned from a Pacific-focused mini-OECD into a heads of government meeting. I urged him to run future US Pacific policy from the State Department and the White House, not from the US Navy out of Honolulu.

The president was attracted to the APEC idea. And subsequent to our meeting at Kirribilli, he exchanged classified correspondence with me, suggesting I take the lead in talking about the proposi­tion to Asian and Pacific leaders.

President Clinton, who followed president Bush, wrote in March 1993 that he would “give serious consideration to an APEC heads-of-government meeting”. That is, for Sheridan’s sake, “serious consideration” to an APEC heads of government meeting as I had proposed. In June 1996 the president wrote another letter, also available in the records, noting that the first APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Seattle in 1993 had been “built on the important institutional foundations you laid”.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18401571 (240554ZFEB23) Notable: In Aussie visit, US Navy chief talks sub challenges, All Domain needs - During a visit this week to Australia, the US Navy’s top officer acknowledged that there is some “risk” that America’s submarine industrial base cannot deliver on the navy’s requirements, but expressed his belief that the Pentagon and its industry partners could figure out a way forward with key submarine programs - Adm. Mike Gilday also expressed optimism that US restrictions on tech transfer known as ITAR can be managed when it comes to working on key AUKUS-related technologies

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EXCLUSIVE: In Aussie visit, US Navy chief talks sub challenges, All Domain needs

"I remain an optimist that we're going to be able to work our way through those challenges with respect to ITAR," Adm. Mike Gilday told Breaking Defense during a recent visit to Sydney.

COLIN CLARK - February 22, 2023

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SYDNEY — During a visit this week to Australia, the US Navy’s top officer acknowledged that there is some “risk” that America’s submarine industrial base cannot deliver on the navy’s requirements, but expressed his belief that the Pentagon and its industry partners could figure out a way forward with key submarine programs.

Speaking exclusively to Breaking Defense during his visit, Adm. Mike Gilday also expressed optimism that US restrictions on tech transfer known as ITAR can be managed when it comes to working on key AUKUS-related technologies.

“Because of all those high end capabilities … because of the finalized framework. I remain an optimist that we’re going to be able to work our way through those challenges with respect to ITAR. So,” he said yesterday, “in a nutshell, I remain optimistic that we’re heading in the right direction in a very transparent, open and candid way.”

The question of ITAR is one that was raised in a recent op-ed by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., who wrote that it “poses a daunting task for the US Congress to amend.” The US embassy here has been working on the issue as part of the ongoing AUKUS negotiations.

The chief of naval operations’ visit came less than three weeks after a visit by his Marine counterpart, Gen. David Berger. During his visit, the CNO met with Gen. Angus Campbell, head of the Australian Defense Force, and the commander of the Australian Defence College, Air Vice Marshal Steve Edgeley. He also spoke with US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy “about the importance of advancing our bilateral and Navy-to-Navy relationships,” according to a US press statement.

Gilday was not able to go into details on the upcoming AUKUS nuclear attack sub announcement, to be made soon in Washington by the leaders of Australia, the UK and the US. But he didn’t shy from discussing the difficulties the Navy and industry are having building the Columbia-class boomers, the next-generation nuclear missile submarines that are the highest acquisition priority for the entire US Defense Department.

The Government Accountability Office published an authoritative report on Jan. 24 about the difficulties facing the Columbia- and Los Angeles-classes, which Gilday acknowledged. “The fact that we were able to begin construction with over 80% of the design complete, I think, put us in a much better place to mitigate risks, but it doesn’t mean that the risk is not there,” he told Breaking Defense.

“You’re right — industry is balancing. We’re leaning more towards Columbia because we’ve required to, and there has been a bit of a cost there for the attack boat line, for the Virginia-class production line.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18402202 (241007ZFEB23) Notable: Fake Russian diplomats revealed as heart of ‘hive’ spy ring in Australia - A highly active “hive” of Russian spies posing as diplomats operated in Australia for more than 18 months before it was dismantled as part of a sweeping and aggressive counter-espionage offensive by ASIO - The Australian intelligence agency spent months tracking the Russian spy ring, which comprised purported embassy and consular staff and operatives using other deep cover identities, before ASIO finally moved to force the ring’s key players out of Australia, according to sources with knowledge of its operation

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>>129784

>>129785

Fake Russian diplomats revealed as heart of ‘hive’ spy ring in Australia

Nick McKenzie - February 24, 2023

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A highly active “hive” of Russian spies posing as diplomats operated in Australia for more than 18 months before it was dismantled as part of a sweeping and aggressive counter-espionage offensive by ASIO.

The Australian intelligence agency spent months tracking the Russian spy ring, which comprised purported embassy and consular staff and operatives using other deep cover identities, before ASIO finally moved to force the ring’s key players out of Australia, according to sources with knowledge of its operation.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess described the spying operation in a major speech he delivered in Canberra on Tuesday, but did not name Russia.

Sources confirmed ASIO had uncovered the spy ring operating out of a number of locations, including the Russian embassy in Canberra, while the Morrison government was in power.

The spy ring’s aim was to recruit Australians with access to classified information and, according to one source with knowledge of the Russians’ activity, use sophisticated technology to steal data and communicate without being intercepted.

Rather than press for the expulsion of Russian embassy staff after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — a move that occurred in other Western nations and which was sought by some within Australia’s intelligence community and Labor in early 2022— ASIO instead conducted a clandestine counter-espionage probe.

It tracked the Russian spy ring, ensuring targets did not suspect they were being watched by ASIO.

The sources said one factor influencing ASIO’s decision-making throughout the operation was the possibility Russia might retaliate by targeting the small number of Australian diplomatic staff in Moscow.

Some intelligence operations have previously led to tit-for-tat reprisals. One source with knowledge of the Russian spy ring said that if undeclared spies were aggressively and publicly expelled, there was an increased likelihood diplomats or other Australians living in Russia would have been targeted.

An early indicator of the Russian spying operation was the relatively high number of diplomatic staff it maintained in Australia given the extent of bi-lateral relations, especially when compared to the small number of staff maintained by Canberra in Moscow.

Intensive ASIO investigations had revealed several of Moscow’s diplomatic staff in Australia were involved in the spy ring, the sources said.

The abuse of diplomatic status to conduct espionage, while common in the intelligence world, represents a serious breach of protocol on the rare occasions it is exposed.

The revelations about the scale and seriousness of the breaches in Australia will inflame already strained relations between Moscow and Canberra.

In early 2022, then-opposition leader Anthony Albanese and then-shadow foreign affairs minister Penny Wong called on the Morrison government to expel Russian diplomats in light of reported atrocities in Ukraine.

“It is hard to conceive how the decision can be made to allow these individuals to stay, given the sickening abuses being carried out by Russian forces,” the pair said in a joint statement.

At that time, the ASIO operation was in full flight and there was division within the intelligence community about the impact of any aggressive, large-scale deportation move.

In response to Labor’s deportation call in April, then-foreign minister Marise Payne — a member of the National Security Committee that has access to ASIO intelligence — said such a move was “under review … at the highest levels of the government”.

The sources said the decision to let Russian diplomats remain in Australia allowed for ongoing efforts to monitor the spy ring members. Then members of the ring were quietly forced out of Australia over the past six months with their visas not renewed or cancelled.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18402220 (241017ZFEB23) Notable: Mateship vital for Ukraine victory, and a safer world - "After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, a year ago now, Australia was one of the first nations to condemn the attack and step up for Ukraine. Now moving into the second year of the war, you have our commitment that the values Australians and Ukrainians share will be strongly protected by Ukraine. When you invest in us – politically, emotionally and materially – you invest in a safer, democratic world. Our victory, with Australia’s steadfast support, will be the free world’s victory. Thank you for your mateship and trust. - Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukrainian ambassador to Australia - theaustralian.com.au''

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>>129768

Mateship vital for Ukraine victory – and a safer world

VASYL MYROSHNYCHENKO - FEBRUARY 24, 2023

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After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, a year ago now, Australia was one of the first nations to condemn the attack and step up for Ukraine.

Let’s recall Australia’s fast and firm stance when international commentators – and certainly Vladimir Putin’s propagandists – said Kyiv would fall in three days. A year on, the capital stands strong, even as Russia has intentionally damaged or destroyed 1100 of Ukraine’s medical facilities and 3000 of its schools, and tried to permanently put Ukrainians into the dark and cold.

Indeed, on the war’s first day, Australia was crystal clear and stated its “staunch support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity – the bedrock principles of a rules-based world order”.

Australia’s stance wasn’t surprising to Ukrainians, who have long admired this remarkable country. We knew Australians and their governments have long stood up to bullies, taken seriously their international responsibilities, and maintained strong commitment to human rights and democracy. Australians have also experienced Russian terror; together, we mourn and seek justice for the 38 innocent Australians on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Military aid to Ukraine – some $475m worth or 1 per cent of Australia’s defence budget – by the commonwealth government shows Australians have big hearts and stand up for what’s right. Doing the right thing is naturally ingrained in Aussies, and we don’t take that for granted.

The government of Ukraine is very grateful for Australia’s material and moral support. President Volodymyr Zelensky made this clear to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the occasion of his courageous visit to Kyiv last July. In turn, Prime Minister Albanese’s words resonated with Ukrainians when he said his visit “sends a clear message that democratic nations like Australia stand side by side with the Ukrainian people in their time of need … The road ahead is hard, but I am confident Ukraine will prevail”.

This is real leadership. And we thank thousands of everyday Australians who have generously donated to humanitarian initiatives that lift our people.

Australians tell me they appreciate that Ukraine’s campaign to face up to and prevail over Russia is important for the world. It’s about opposing aggression and authoritarianism while striving for peace, prosperity and a strong rules-based system. As part of that, we have leveraged Australia’s military support to enable successive battlefield victories at Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson.

Aussie Bushmasters are a prime example. Every day, they are being used to evacuate wounded personnel from the frontlines; to rush soldiers to where they are needed to block renewed Russian incursions in eastern Ukraine, and; to tow away captured Russian tanks. They are handy, hardy “jacks of all trades” in a war where Ukrainian troops rely on mobility, flexibility, ingenuity and absolute bravery to win. I think of them as the Anzac spirit on four wheels and they make a big difference.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18402233 (241029ZFEB23) Notable: Australian Embassy, USA Tweet: Australia continues to stand with Ukraine. Tomorrow, 24 February, marks one year since Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of #Ukraine. We honour the unwavering resolve and strength of the people of Ukraine and mourn the countless lives lost.

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>>129768

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet

One year on from Russia’s brutal invasion, we #StandWithUkraine.

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1628916029207490561

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Australian Embassy, USA Tweet

Australia continues to stand with Ukraine.

Tomorrow, 24 February, marks one year since Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of #Ukraine. We honour the unwavering resolve and strength of the people of Ukraine and mourn the countless lives lost.

https://twitter.com/AusintheUS/status/1628841214387621890

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18402250 (241041ZFEB23) Notable: ‘It’s time’ for a Voice: $5m donation underwrites Yes campaign - A $5 million donation will turbocharge the Yes campaign for the Voice to parliament, as it prepares to recruit thousands of volunteers to drive a groundswell of support in neighbourhoods across the country - The Yes Alliance announced the donation from the Paul Ramsay Foundation as it launched its ground campaign on Thursday night in Adelaide, attended by hundreds of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from community organisations, faith groups, unions, and businesses

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>>129693

‘It’s time’ for a Voice: $5m donation underwrites Yes campaign

Lisa Visentin - February 23, 2023

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A $5 million donation will turbocharge the Yes campaign for the Voice to parliament, as it prepares to recruit thousands of volunteers to drive a groundswell of support in neighbourhoods across the country.

The Yes Alliance announced the donation from the Paul Ramsay Foundation as it launched its ground campaign on Thursday night in Adelaide, attended by hundreds of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from community organisations, faith groups, unions, and businesses.

Undeterred by the sweltering 40-degree heat, supporters queued outside the Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, taking in the wafting smoke of a traditional cleansing ceremony performed by local elder Major “Uncle Moogy” Sumner.

Inside the venue, the Yes Alliance campaign leaders Dean Parkin and filmmaker Rachel Perkins rallied the crowd, channelling an “it’s time” message as they placed the referendum on a continuum of a long fight for Indigenous rights.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this – 65,000 years of continuous connection, 235 years of the modern Australian nation, 122 years of silence in the Australian Constitution, 56 years since our forebears did it in 1976, six years since the Uluru Statement From the Heart,” Parkin said.

“When we vote Yes, we get the recognition and we get the Voice. This a very good deal for the country.”

Perkins, whose father and Aboriginal rights activist Dr Charlies Perkins was a key campaigner in the 1967 referendum, said the campaign was standing on the shoulders of giants and the decades-long push for reconciliation.

“We are coming from a position of strength. All that learning, all that work. Here tonight we are taking the Australian people on a walk with us,” Perkins said.

“Our dream is to unify this country, bringing the Australian people together with the first people of Australia, in unity. To achieve that dream, we need one thing. One simple thing. We need the Australian people to say one simple word. Yes.”

The launch marks the start of an eight-month campaign before an expected referendum in October – the last and most important leg in a long road since the auspicious convention at Uluru in 2017, where 250 Indigenous leaders called for a First Nations voice to be enshrined in the Constitution.

Volunteers will be the ballast of the Yes campaign, with organisers hoping a grassroots movement involving community-led events and kitchen-table conversations will cut through an increasingly divisive political debate.

About 200 people attended two days of workshops before the launch, aimed at training them to deliver a pro-Voice message and assuage concerns among potential supporters. However, their ground campaign starts against the backdrop of a raging political debate about how the Voice will operate, as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pursues the government for more detail amid resistance to the referendum in his partyroom.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18402260 (241047ZFEB23) Notable: Anthony Albanese ‘leveraging Indigenous voice for own political gain’, says Sussan Ley - Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley will say Anthony Albanese wants the voice referendum to succeed only “on his terms” and to use a Yes vote to boost his own political fortunes at an early election.

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>>129693

Anthony Albanese ‘leveraging Indigenous voice for own political gain’, says Sussan Ley

ROSIE LEWIS - FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley will say Anthony Albanese wants the voice referendum to succeed only “on his terms” and to use a Yes vote to boost his own political fortunes at an early election.

In an address to a business breakfast hosted by Liberals in Curtin, a Perth seat the party needs to win back, Ms Ley will also say the Prime Minister “would rather see the Liberal Party say No and this referendum fail than the Liberal Party say Yes and this referendum succeed”.

With debate on the voice ramping up, Mr Albanese on Thursday accused Peter Dutton of stoking confusion and said he had shown no sign of wanting to work with the government for the referendum to succeed.

The trading of barbs comes after Mr Albanese flagged he was open to changing the draft constitutional amendment so the voice could not make representations to executive government.

The current draft wording says the voice “may make representations to parliament and the executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.

Some Liberal MPs who support the principle of the voice, including moderate Simon Birm­ing­ham and NSW Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, believe removing “executive government” would make the referendum and advisory body more appealing to their party because it would ­reduce the possibility of legal challenges.

“The less that is inserted into the Constitution and the more detail that is provided of the legislative model, the less there will be to argue over either during the referendum campaign or in future legal challenges,” Senator Birmingham told The Australian.

“Anything that reduces constitutional uncertainty or uncertainty surrounding the legislative model can only improve the chances of a successful referendum.”

Senator Bragg said taking out the words “executive government” would “help win people over” and build consensus across the political divide.

“I welcome (Mr Albanese’s) openness to engage,” he said.

Liberal Party sources said they believed Mr Albanese was hoping to win the referendum on the “vibe of the thing” and use it as a launching pad for an election in 2024, just two years after the last federal poll.

Ms Ley will call on the Prime Minister to “stop laying traps, stop willing the Coalition to oppose this, stop making it a re-election vanity project” and produce the detail of how the voice will work and deliver outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

“Sadly I suspect he is using this referendum as a platform for an early election,” she will say, according to speech excerpts seen by The Australian.

“He wants this referendum to succeed but only on his terms … The problem here is that Anthony Albanese has tied constitutional recognition of our First Australians - which everyone across the parliament supports - to a concept called the voice which he cannot explain.”

Asked if removing “executive government” could make the constitutional amendment more palatable to the Liberals or if he planned to use it as a bargaining chip, Mr Albanese said: “Peter Dutton is showing he wants to create as much confusion and is doing nothing that would indicate that his starting point is ‘OK, how do we work on this together? How do we get this done together?’

“That’s my approach. I want to do this together … but what we have from Peter Dutton, I think people can draw their own ­conclusions.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-leveraging-indigenous-voice-for-own-political-gain-says-sussan-ley/news-story/46d6de50791f93b47b4a9173a8739fb2

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18402268 (241052ZFEB23) Notable: Sinodinos calls critical AUKUS role test for Australia - AUKUS will play a critical role in upholding the rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific and strengthen Australia’s capability to “project power” in the region to maintain stability, but it will be a “test” for the nation, Australia’s ambassador to the US says

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>>129609

Sinodinos calls critical AUKUS role test for Australia

TROY BRAMSTON - FEBRUARY 24, 2023

AUKUS will play a critical role in upholding the rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific and strengthen Australia’s capability to “project power” in the region to maintain stability, but it will be a “test” for the nation, Australia’s ambassador to the US says.

Arthur Sinodinos emphasised AUKUS is about more than submarines and will involve co-operation, interoperability and information sharing in many areas. He said the decision on which model submarine to procure will reflect the “trilateral” focus of AUKUS.

“What’s foremost about AUKUS is developing those habits of co-operation between those countries,” Mr Sinodinos, 65, said.

“It’s a capability pact but it’s more than that. It’s about how ­industrial bases work together. It’s about how interoperable (and) ­interchangeable our armed forces can be with each other. The extent to which we share information, the extent to which we share ­science and technology.

“Failure is not an option. What we have said to the Americans and to the British is that, for us, this is a moon shot, right? In other words, it’s a whole-of-government, whole-of-nation, effort to bring together all the resources we need to get this done.

“We’ve got the Americans to sign-off on giving us access to the crown jewels of their nuclear technology. And they’re prepared to trust us based on verification – trust but verify – on our capacity for nuclear stewardship. So, it’s a very big effort we’ve embarked on. It will test us as a nation.”

The ambassador pushed back against critics, such as former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull, that the decision to acquire at least eight ­nuclear-powered submarines from the US or UK would risk Australian sovereignty.

“If we become more capable at doing things in Australia, even if it involves overseas technology, that is an increase in our sovereign capability in itself, and it means we are a more capable member of the alliance,” Mr Sinodinos said.

“The reality is the Americans are giving up part of their sovereignty, their nuclear technology, they’re sharing it with us, and we are using that to build a capability in Australia which will be an addition to our capacity to project power in the region on behalf of our alliances and partnerships.”

Mr Sinodinos was critical of former president Donald Trump for abrogating the US global leadership role and weakening alliances. He praised Joe Biden for strengthening alliances and uniting the West to helping Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion.

“One of the things that was a massive difference when the Biden administration came in is the way they immediately focused on shoring up alliances and partnerships,” Mr Sinodinos said. “And the way he has led the West in response to the Russian ­invasion of Ukraine shows the benefits of having a leader in charge who had that capacity.”

Looking ahead to the 2024 presidential election, the ambassador predicted Mr Biden would run again and if he faced Mr Trump would be re-elected for a second term. Mr Sinodinos also said that the President showed no sign of cognitive decline.

“He stays on top of his game. Often, he’s the last to leave functions because he likes talking to people. I’ve been quite impressed with him,” he said.

Mr Sinodinos will complete his more than three years as ambassador in mid-March, and will be succeeded by former prime minister Kevin Rudd. The outgoing ambassador said he left the job more optimistic about the US and said relations with Australia have never been better.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/sinodinos-calls-critical-aukus-role-test-for-australia/news-story/2ff374dcd0d9e5e9e5c7094b8cdaf5c5

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18407792 (251006ZFEB23) Notable: Why the Indigenous voice is a bad idea on so many levels - "The Prime Minister is trying to impose on Australians a shadow government based on race. His preferred model for the voice says so." - Gary Johns, secretary of 'Recognise A Better Way (The Voice No Case Committee Incorporated)' - theaustralian.com.au

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>>129693

Why the Indigenous voice is a bad idea on so many levels

GARY JOHNS - FEBRUARY 25, 2023

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In his victory speech in May last year, Anthony Albanese said: “I commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.” There are three parts to this commitment – voice, treaty, and truth. The Australian electorate must understand that a vote for the voice is a vote for voice, treaty, and truth.

Recognise a Better Way, like most Australians, has a deep sympathy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We understand their desire for recognition and for help for those who are in need. Our concern is that the Prime Minister’s proposals as set out in the Uluru statement make the form of recognition far too political and do not address need.

This paper, on the voice, is the first of three analysing the full Uluru package on which Australians will be asked to vote at the coming referendum.

The argument used by the Prime Minister and supporters of the voice goes like this. “The voice will be embedded in the Constitution in a way that the parliament can determine its design, funding and processes, therefore there is no risk that other Australians will be ignored.” But if the voice is to be designed by parliament, and allegedly is subservient to parliament, why not simply establish it by an act of parliament?

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said calls for a voice to be legislated ignored “the wishes of the more than 1200 First Nations leaders who took part in nationwide consultations that led to the Uluru statement”. More accurately, the statement was written by a small coterie and presented at Alice Springs to a gathering of 250 delegates sponsored by the commonwealth government’s Referendum Council.

It is not the wishes of a small proportion of the Aboriginal population that counts; it is those of all Australians that counts. In a referendum, it means a majority of votes in a majority of states. Voters may regard the Uluru statement as no more than an ambit claim.

The reason the Prime Minister and his minister do not want a trial of the voice under an act of parliament is that their plan to implement the entirety of the Uluru statement would be strengthened by constitutional change.

They hope to achieve this goal in three steps. First, a blank cheque strategy. They hope to win the referendum by moral bullying – “do the right thing, you are racist if you don’t” and by minimum exposure – “read the Calma-Langton Report, if you want to know how the voice would work”. Second, following a successful Yes vote, the Aboriginal leadership would demand the strongest possible powers. With a powerful voice drowning out opposition, and huge public resources, stage three would follow with the full promise of the Uluru statement – a Makarrata Commission for a “treaty”, and “truth-telling” about Aboriginal history.

The reason for the Prime Minister’s reluctance to explain his model is that it is not a simple plea for recognition, it is a step towards a new distribution of political power in Australia. Its effect is to establish a shadow government, with its own advice apparatus to make demands of government and the parliament not available to any other constituency. The Prime Minister makes frequent reference to the Calma-Langton Indigenous Voice Co-design Process Final Report as the model likely to be implemented following a referendum. The report is an excellent insight into the thinking behind the voice.

It refers not only to the process of giving advice, which already ­exists throughout the commonwealth government and parliament, but also aims to bind the government and the parliament to “consultation standards” across the entirety of commonwealth public policy for one group, selected by race.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18407841 (251025ZFEB23) Notable: The Voice to Parliament yes campaign launches amid calls for the 'progressive no' to be heard - "We're not focusing on the day after the referendum, we're focusing on survival today," newly independent Senator Lidia Thorpe explained on Thursday, as she upped the ante on the debate over a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament

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>>129693

The Voice to Parliament yes campaign launches amid calls for the 'progressive no' to be heard

Dan Bourchier - 25 February 2023

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"We're not focusing on the day after the referendum, we're focusing on survival today," newly independent Senator Lidia Thorpe explained on Thursday, as she upped the ante on the debate over a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament.

"And we deserve better than a powerless voice; we need a treaty, we want real power, we want real justice in this country.

"Everything else we have been offered for the last 200 years has no power. And we're not settling for anything less."

Her timing appears to have been chosen for maximum impact.

This week was dubbed a "week of action" by those campaigning for a yes vote in the referendum expected later in the year — they say it's about beginning hundreds if not thousands of conversations.

And Thorpe's comments coincided with Thursday's yes vote launch — on Kaurna country in Adelaide at Tandanya, the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute — challenging From the Heart campaign director Dean Parkin's desire to take politicians out of the debate.

"It's about taking this campaign for recognition through a voice out of the bubble and back down to where this campaign belongs, which is with the people of Australia, that's where we want to take this conversation and that's what this launch is all about," Parkin told me.

To those who are wavering, not sure, or want more information, the message was clear.

"I'd say just start, just start and be curious, be open," Parkin said.

"We're a few months away, we're at least eight to 10 months away from when the referendum will actually be held, so there's plenty of time to get more information and learn more about this."

More complex than yes/no

In a passionate and unflinching interview with Radio National's Patricia Karvelas, Thorpe challenged the general narrative in the media of only a yes and no case — a discussion that is still actively happening in the Indigenous community.

Thorpe left the Greens after she said her position on a Voice to Parliament became inconsistent with the party, declaring as she left that she would be leading the charge for "blak sovereignty".

"There is a progressive no, and the platform needs to be given to those people," Thorpe said.

"We're talking about people who have been around for longer than any of us, on the frontline, who have fought for treaty.

"If you go around this country, and allow people to speak freely, you will hear their demands, and that is tied up in a treaty, not in a voice that has no power.

"And I feel that the [Prime Minister] is talking, you know, fork-tongued basically, he's saying to the conservatives 'look it's okay everybody, it has no power, we will have the ultimate power, they're just an advisory body,' and then he goes to the black people and he says 'this is going to save the world'."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18407884 (251040ZFEB23) Notable: Right wingers protest at Manly Library’s WorldPride Drag Queen Story Time event for kids - Right wing and anti-LGBQTI+ demonstrators turned up to protest at a Drag Queen story time event in Sydney, but were outnumbered by supporters at the event for kids - The demonstrators were far outnumbered by supporters of the WorldPride-linked “Drag Queen Story Time at Manly Library” with entertainer Charisma Belle

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>>129734

Right wingers protest at Manly Library’s WorldPride Drag Queen Story Time event for kids

Right wing and anti-LGBQTI+ demonstrators turned up to protest at a Drag Queen story time event in Sydney, but were outnumbered by supporters at the event for kids.

Jim O'Rourke - February 25, 2023

Pro LGBQTI+ supporters defied protesters at a family event — hosted by a drag queen at a Sydney library — targeted by right-wingers and anti-queer groups on Saturday.

The demonstrators were far outnumbered by supporters of the WorldPride-linked “Drag Queen Story Time at Manly Library” with entertainer Charisma Belle.

As the more than 40 ticket holders arrived, made up of parents and carers with small children, a group of about 50 pro-LGBQTI+ demonstrators cheered, chanted and applauded as they entered the library just before 10.30am.

There was a considerable police presence in Market Square at Manly, including officers from the Public Order & Riot Squad.

There had been fears that a series of social media posts in the lead up to the event, urging those who opposed the show aimed at children aged three and above, would provoke anti-queer and anti-trans anger.

A group called Sydney Queer Alerts said that at least 45 anti-gay, transphobic, conspiracy theory and far right wing organisations — including the National Socialist Network — were encouraging members to disrupt the Drag Queen event, hosted by Northern Beaches Council.

Sydney Queer Alerts, set up to tackle “queer and trans anti-fascism around the Sydney region”, feared the anti-gay protesters would harass people walking into the event.

Supporters of the LGBQTI+ community encouraged people to rally at the library to act as a “welcoming committee” to block would-be protesters.

“Supporters are encouraged to peacefully gather around the library, create a warm and welcoming environment for the attendees, and assist staff in ensuring that attendees can arrive and leave safely,” Sydney Queer Alerts tweeted last week.

Less than a dozen anti-event protesters showed up.

Many of them were wearing bandannas to hide their identities.

“We’re here, basically, because we object to the fact that this event is marketed to children as young as three,” one protester, who asked not to be named, told the Manly Daily.

“We believe it’s wildly inappropriate to be projecting these gender ideologies on impressionable young children.”

The man said he was not part of any organisation, but that he and his companions were “young Christian guys who object to this happening in our country”.

“We wanted to show up and represent people in our community who have our views.”

Jules Kelly, a drag queen entertainer, said she answered the social media invitation to support the story time event.

“We wanted to make sure that little kids and their families get to go to a really nice event at the library without feeling scared or intimidated,” Jules said.

“I believe in most communities around Australia there is a lot more love than there is hate.”

Charisma Belle, said last week that she would be reading age-appropriate books that were already available in the library.

“They all have a common theme, usually to do with love and family, what makes family,” she said. “We talk about different types of families.”

A young northern beaches mother, who took her 18-month-old daughter to the event and did not want to be named, said the event was “fantastic”.

“It was great, everyone was happy and we all felt really safe,” she said.

“There should more things like this on the northern beaches.”

Northern Beaches Police said no arrests were made and there were no scuffles between opposing groups.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/manly-daily/right-wingers-protest-at-manly-librarys-worldpride-drag-queen-story-time-event-for-kids/news-story/6ab0586ec13d643617e10b78fede9ef8

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18408043 (251126ZFEB23) Notable: Space consultant’s visa cancelled over ‘potential security threat’ - A consultant working in the Australian space industry who boasted of close ties to the Russian government and who spent months cultivating Australian government and business contacts has been declared a potential national security threat by the nation’s spy chief - Sources have confirmed ASIO recently advised the federal government to expel Kazakhstan-born Marina Sologub more than two years after she travelled from her home in Ireland to Adelaide on a distinguished talent visa

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>>129795

Space consultant’s visa cancelled over ‘potential security threat’

Nick McKenzie - February 25, 2023

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A consultant working in the Australian space industry who boasted of close ties to the Russian government and who spent months cultivating Australian government and business contacts has been declared a potential national security threat by the nation’s spy chief.

Sources have confirmed ASIO recently advised the federal government to expel Kazakhstan-born Marina Sologub more than two years after she travelled from her home in Ireland to Adelaide on a distinguished talent visa.

The sources, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential material, said ASIO director-general Mike Burgess assessed that the 38-year-old Sologub could pose a direct or indirect threat to national security.

Her latest employer, the City of Marion in South Australia, confirmed in a statement that Sologub had advised them that her visa had been cancelled.

Acting chief executive Ben Keen said Sologub was a contractor employed by an agency.

“After she advised of her visa situation, her access to all council devices was logged out and the devices reset as per council procedure. The City of Marion has taken the appropriate steps to cease her contract,” he said. “The City of Marion is currently analysing all information that has been accessed as per our policy and procedures.”

Asked about Sologub’s status and what action was taken, Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil said the government would always take swift and appropriate action on national security matters.

Application documents obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reveal Sologub, who has Irish citizenship, was nominated by the South Australian government for the distinguished talent visa in February 2020.

“[She would bring] benefit to the Australian space industry community by helping small and medium enterprises with access to the top decision-makers in global space industry,” the application documentation says.

Once in Australia, she worked briefly for consulting firm Deloitte before moving to a space industry company and finally to the City of Marion. Before her arrival in Australia, Sologub worked for at least one Irish politician.

A source with deep knowledge of her activities said she consistently attempted to make contacts with state and federal officials, including at Australia’s national space agency, and within Adelaide’s space and technology business community.

Many former senior defence department officials work in the space sector including one who told this masthead they had frequent contact with Sologub.

The revelation that ASIO had advised that Sologub could threaten national security gives a rare insight into the intelligence agency’s operations and comes a day after this masthead revealed how the security agency has spent months dismantling a separate “hive” of suspected Russian spies operating out of Moscow’s diplomatic posts.

The Age and the Herald reported on Friday that a suspected Russian spy ring whose members used their diplomatic status to conduct espionage was dismantled in an aggressive ASIO investigation.

Sologub had no diplomatic or government status, but she claimed in one document obtained by this masthead to have “direct access to key decision-makers” in the Russian government.

The Age and the Herald are not suggesting that Sologub is a spy or that ASIO’s assessment that she poses a security risk is accurate, only that it has been made by the agency’s director-general.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18408103 (251141ZFEB23) Notable: ‘Australia a growing target’: Ex-US spy boss says Russian agents keener for our secrets - Australia’s support for Ukraine and its rise as a global player through partnerships such as AUKUS have transformed the nation into a prime target for Russian spying in a major change from just five years ago, a former American intelligence chief says - Mike Rogers, who headed the US National Security Agency and Cyber Command during the Obama and Trump administrations, warned that Australia would become an even more alluring honeypot for foreign spies when it acquired top-secret nuclear-powered submarine technology from the United States and United Kingdom - Rogers, a retired four-star US Navy admiral, said the AUKUS pact would require Australia to urgently fortify its cyber defence and intelligence-gathering capabilities

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>>129795

‘Australia a growing target’: Ex-US spy boss says Russian agents keener for our secrets

Matthew Knott - February 25, 2023

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Australia’s support for Ukraine and its rise as a global player through partnerships such as AUKUS have transformed the nation into a prime target for Russian spying in a major change from just five years ago, a former American intelligence chief says.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Friday that a highly active “hive” of Russian spies posing as diplomats had operated in Australia for more than 18 months before it was dismantled as part of a sweeping counter-espionage offensive by ASIO.

Mike Rogers, who headed the US National Security Agency and Cyber Command during the Obama and Trump administrations, warned that Australia would become an even more alluring honeypot for foreign spies when it acquired top-secret nuclear-powered submarine technology from the United States and United Kingdom.

Rogers, a retired four-star US Navy admiral, said the AUKUS pact would require Australia to urgently fortify its cyber defence and intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to announce the details of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program next month, possibly with a trip to Washington.

Rogers said that when he had asked his counterparts in the Australian intelligence community five to 10 years ago about Russia’s local espionage and foreign interference operations, they would tell him that, unlike in the US, these were not a major concern.

“I would normally hear – it didn’t matter if it was ASD [Australian Signals Directorate], ASIO, ASIS [the Australian Secret Intelligence Service] – that we just don’t see much Russian activity in the southern hemisphere. That has really changed,” he said.

“The Russians see an Australia that is much more globally involved from a national security perspective,” he said, pointing to AUKUS, Australia’s role in the Quad alongside the US, Japan and India, and its deepening ties to NATO.

Australia’s military support for Ukraine, which the federal government extended this week by promising $33 million worth of drones, had also made the nation a significant adversary in Russia’s eyes, he said.

“The Russians see that, and I think they say to themselves, ‘we’ve got to become more aware of Australia’s capabilities, their intent’, and so you’re seeing them increase their level of focus on Australia as a target.

“I would argue the Chinese have long been focused on Australia as a target, Russians perhaps not as much, but that dynamic is changing, clearly.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said it would not “come as a surprise to anyone that certain countries are involved in [espionage] activity on a daily basis”.

“It’s not just Russia, not just China, but many other countries as well,” he said.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18408105 (251142ZFEB23) Notable: Q Post #585 - TRUST Adm R. He played the game to remain in control. Q

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>>129805

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Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko declined to comment on details of the spy hive during an appearance at the National Press Club, saying: “It’s pretty clear we know how spies work. We know what they’re doing here.

“Given the current circumstances, we think that Ukraine still has a very strong case to be given that plot of land to build Ukraine’s embassy.”

The federal government, through the National Capital Authority, revoked a lease last year that granted Russia access to prime real estate in Canberra for a new embassy.

Ukraine has suggested it gain the land, which includes partly constructed Russian buildings, for its own embassy.

Asked if the Australia should expel the Russian ambassador, he said that was a matter for Australia.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said the government was considering expelling diplomats from the Russian embassy.

Former senior Defence Department official Peter Jennings said the government should have expelled Russia’s ambassador from Australia even if such a move invited retaliation from Moscow.

“I think what we’re seeing here is a failure of DFAT risk management,” he said. “I just don’t see that we get value in being in Putin’s Moscow right now.”

Rogers said European countries such as Germany and the UK had expelled dozens of Russian embassy officials for spying, underlining that Australia was part of a global espionage campaign.

“What you generally see is they want to gain information on military activities, they want to gain information on what kind of political choices Australia is going to make vis a vis Russia, they want to understand personalities” he said.

“You sometimes also see them on a very human basis trying to identify individuals who could be susceptible when approached by the Russians.”

Rogers, an adviser to cybersecurity company CyberCX, said it was vital that Australia became a responsible steward for the sophisticated and sensitive assets it was about to acquire from the US and UK in nuclear-powered submarines and other possible military technologies.

“Australia, the ecosystem here, becomes an even more attractive cyber target,” he said.

The year-long Ukraine war, the first conflict in history to involve large-scale cyber operations, offered important lessons to countries such as Australia, he said. Russia’s attempts to disrupt Ukraine’s cyber networks have proved far less effective than expected at the beginning of the war.

“The number one takeaway for me from a cyber perspective of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is that Ukraine shows you that you can achieve a high degree of cyber resilience in the face of significant efforts to attempt to penetrate your networks,” he said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-a-growing-target-ex-us-spy-boss-says-russian-agents-keener-for-our-secrets-20230224-p5cnac.html

https://qanon.pub/#585

https://qanon.pub/#3389

https://qanon.pub/#1866

https://qalerts.app/?q=Adm+R&sortasc=1

https://qalerts.app/?q=rogers&sortasc=1

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18413235 (260827ZFEB23) Notable: First public hearing announced for Bruce Lehrmann trial inquiry - The independent inquiry probing misconduct in the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins will hold its first public hearing on April 26, as Commissioner Walter Sofronoff, KC, continues to subpoena central figures in the case

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>>129721

First public hearing announced for Bruce Lehrmann trial inquiry

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - FEBRUARY 26, 2023

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The independent inquiry probing misconduct in the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins will hold its first public hearing on April 26, as Commissioner Walter Sofronoff, KC, continues to subpoena central figures in the case.

Among those who have now been ordered to hand over all relevant material are the Australian Federal Police: the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC; ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates; and the ACT Bar Association.

All material produced under those subpoenas is subject to suppression orders imposed by Mr Sofronoff but it is expected that most evidence, including written statements and submissions will, in due course, appear on the commission’s website.

Both Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann have indicated they will cooperate fully with the inquiry.

Mr Lehrmann’s lawyer, Steven Whybrow, has also been subpoenaed. Mr Lehrmann has waived legal professional privilege over his communications with Mr Whybrow so his lawyer can cooperate fully with the inquiry.

Mr Sofronoff, a former Queensland solicitor-general and retired president of the Queensland Court of Appeal, has the power to issue search warrants and compel documents.

The inquiry will investigate the conduct of the police investigation and the conduct of the DPP, including his decisions to proceed to trial and not to proceed to a retrial.

Mr Sofronoff will also examine whether Ms Yates, who frequently accompanied Ms Higgins to court, “acted in accordance with the relevant statutory framework in terms of support provided to the complainant”.

Among the crucial questions to be considered by Mr Sofronoff is whether Mr Drumgold exercised his prosecutorial discretion properly. That is, on the facts known at the time, would a reasonable person acting properly have decided to prosecute?

The Commissioner is specifically empowered under the terms of reference to examine the “reasons and motives” of all parties and will look at whether the DPP acted for the right reasons or whether he started from a position that led him to act improperly.

Mr Drumgold’s public statements when he decided not to proceed with a second trial, after the first was aborted due to juror misconduct, are also likely to come under the microscope.

At his press conference, Mr Drumgold stood by his belief that there were reasonable prospects of securing a conviction against Mr Lehrmann and praised the “bravery, grace and dignity” of Ms Higgins but said nothing of the presumption of innocence due to Mr Lehrmann, who has at all times denied the allegations.

The comments astonished many in the legal profession who asked whether it was consistent with the responsibilities of a DPP to the administration of justice rather than to individual complainants.

Mr Sofronoff will be required to consider whether Mr Drumgold’s remarks reflect a prosecutor who had such a set view about the case that he allowed it to influence his role as prosecutor.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18413243 (260844ZFEB23) Notable: An Australian’s message for those tempted to join Ukraine’s fight: ‘Don’t’ - For Felix Metrikas, joining the war in Ukraine was a lot easier than leaving it. After nine months providing training and supplies to Ukraine troops, a part of him is ready to return home to Geelong. Felix has a message for other Australians tempted to joint the fight: Don’t. “It is hypocritical, but I would not encourage more people to come. To anyone who is considering it, this is worse than I thought it could be,” he said. “I have had friends over here who have been killed. Guys with daughters of their own.....The reality of this war is much more chaotic than what is being portrayed. I wasn’t ready for this kind of thing. I wish it wasn’t happening to the Ukrainian people.”

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An Australian’s message for those tempted to join Ukraine’s fight: ‘Don’t’

Chip Le Grand - FEBRUARY 26, 2023

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For Felix Metrikas, joining the war in Ukraine was a lot easier than leaving it.

After nine months providing training and supplies to Ukraine troops, a part of him is ready to return home to Geelong. Another part knows he can’t for a while yet.

On the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Felix was in a small western Ukraine town waiting for mechanics to patch up the Mitsubishi ute he was driving to the besieged city of Donetsk, where warmer weather and Russian reinforcements are likely to bring a fresh onslaught.

His time in Ukraine has changed his understanding of the war and the people fighting on both sides of a conflict which, for now, has reached a grisly stalemate. It has also made him realise that when he decided to travel to Ukraine, he had no idea what he was getting into or how poorly prepared he was.

Australian Federal Police officers who’d tracked his plans and intercepted him at Melbourne Airport told him as much, but by then he was hard set, declaring to his father that he couldn’t sit around being a “slacktivist” when there were things he could do to help.

“They saw me as a naive young guy who was getting involved in something he wasn’t ready for, and that was true,” the 23-year-old former army reservist says.

“I came here with illusions. I didn’t think I was invincible or it was going to be some sort of action movie, but it became obvious, after a few gut-wrenching moments, that I could die, and I realised I wasn’t as ready for that as I thought. The scariest part about this war is it is often about luck.”

Felix has a message for other Australians tempted to joint the fight: Don’t.

“It is hypocritical, but I would not encourage more people to come. To anyone who is considering it, this is worse than I thought it could be,” he said.

“I have had friends over here who have been killed. Guys with daughters of their own. An Australian [who died] waiting to be picked up by one of those Ladas.

“The reality of this war is much more chaotic than what is being portrayed. I wasn’t ready for this kind of thing. I wish it wasn’t happening to the Ukrainian people.”

Felix still believes in what he is doing: that by sharing his training with Ukrainian recruits, who might otherwise be sent to the front with none, he may help some of them survive the war.

He also understands the terrible stress he has inflicted on his family in Melbourne and Geelong.

“I feel so bad for my family,” he says. “But I am just too invested to leave. If I went home right now I wouldn’t be OK with it.”

There is also a risk that when Felix does come home, he could find himself on the wrong side of Australia’s foreign incursion laws. The laws prohibit anyone from entering a foreign country with the intention to “engage in a hostile activity” unless serving with the armed forces of that country’s government.

It is unclear whether Felix’s activities in Ukraine have breached this provision. He says his involvement has been limited to training rather than fighting, first as a member of a private volunteer training group, the Trident Defense Initiative, that is personally endorsed by President Volodymr Zelensky and, more recently, attached to Ukraine’s 72nd battalion, a battle-worn mechanised infantry.

Defence Minister Richard Marles declined to comment on Felix’s situation but his spokesman reiterated the government’s message to any Australian thinking about joining the conflict: “The travel advice is clear – do not travel to Ukraine.”

The AFP said it continued to monitor and engage with Australians who may be tempted to join the war.

“Australians who travel to Ukraine to fight with a non-government armed group on either side of the conflict – or recruit another person to do so – could be committing a criminal offence,” an AFP spokesperson said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade declined to provide an estimate of how many Australians are already in Ukraine. Four Australians are known to have died there during the year-long war.

Jon Metrikas, the son of a Lithuanian refugee who fled the Soviet occupation, said Felix was not a gun for hire but rather a considered young man determined to resist Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance into Eastern Europe.

“I would prefer him not to be there but I fully understand it,” Jon says outside his business in Geelong, where he is arranging another shipment of fatigues and medical supplies to go to Ukraine. “Felix is on the right side of history.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18417998 (270824ZFEB23) Notable: US bestows honour on African American co-leader of Eureka Stockade - John Joseph, an African American man who was the first person tried and acquitted for the Eureka Rebellion and who was buried in an unmarked grave has been memorialised in central Victoria - The US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, unveiled a plaque at White Hills Cemetery in Bendigo to honour John Joseph’s life

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US bestows honour on African American co-leader of Eureka Stockade

Ashleigh McMillan - February 27, 2023

An African American man who was the first person tried and acquitted for the Eureka Rebellion and who was buried in an unmarked grave was memorialised in central Victoria on Monday.

The US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, unveiled a plaque at White Hills Cemetery in Bendigo to honour John Joseph’s life.

Joseph was the first of the 13 Eureka Stockade leaders put on trial, facing a charge of high treason after he was accused of firing the first shot which killed Captain Henry Wise, according to The Herald in 1889.

After miners in Ballarat became disgruntled by exorbitant licence fees imposed by the colonial government, protests erupted on the diggings in 1854, culminating in the Eureka Rebellion. Twenty-two diggers and six soldiers were killed.

According to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra, once all 13 men on trial for the rebellion were acquitted by the jury, Joseph was carried at shoulder height through the 10,000-strong crowd gathering outside the Melbourne court.

There is little known about Joseph’s life following the rebellion, and when he died four years after the stockade, he was buried in an unmarked grave in Bendigo.

Raffaello Carboni, an Italian writer on the goldfields who chronicled the Eureka Stockade, described Joseph as a “kind cheerful heart” who possessed a “sober, plain, matter of fact, contented mind”.

Filmmaker and historian Santilla Chingaipe, who featured Joseph in her documentary series Our African Roots, said the “real tragedy” was that so little was known about him.

She said the creation of a lasting memorial to him was “bittersweet” because it was driven by a foreign government, rather than Australia crediting Joseph for his role in an important historical moment.

“It’s pretty special that he’s being honoured in this permanent way ... but the fact that we haven’t acknowledged him or acknowledged others like him here that have contributed so much is a bit of a shame,” Chingaipe said.

“So many people have contributed to modern Australia as we know it, and people came from pretty much all over the world and played a role in building this country, and it’s worth acknowledging that.”

Chingaipe said Joseph’s experiences on the goldfields and his eventual court case were shaped by racism, as newspaper reports of his hearing made for “confronting reading”.

“The prosecution thought that if they put up this black guy first, in front of an all-white jury, of course they were going to convict him, but that wasn’t the case,” she said.

“The defence was able to argue that the goldfields were pretty multicultural and a lot of people of African descent were there, so how could you prove that it was John Joseph?”

Kennedy said recognising Joseph’s contribution to Australia was vital because “his story is one for our time too, as we face this history”.

“We can ask ourselves who is missing from today’s narrative and what is our responsibility to make sure they are included,” she said.

Kennedy was joined at the commemoration in Bendigo by the US Melbourne consul general, Kathleen Lively.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/us-bestows-honour-on-african-american-co-leader-of-eureka-stockade-20230226-p5cnpj.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18418033 (270840ZFEB23) Notable: Caroline Kennedy visits Bendigo: US Ambassador to Australia lays plaque - America has “no closer ally” than Australia, US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy has said - She made the comment at the unveiling of a plaque at the White Hills cemetery to commemorate the life of US-born historical figure John Joseph

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>>129809

Caroline Kennedy visits Bendigo: US Ambassador to Australia lays plaque

Caroline Kennedy visited Bendigo on Monday to right a historical wrong. See how an American influenced the course of Australian history.

Julienne Strachan - February 27, 2023

America has “no closer ally” than Australia, US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy has said.

She made the comment at the unveiling of a plaque at the White Hills cemetery to commemorate the life of US-born historical figure John Joseph.

The daughter of legendary American president John F Kennedy, said the story of Mr Joseph’s life was an important part of shared US/Australian history.

“It’s a privilege to serve my country here in Australia. The United States has no closer or more important ally,” she said.

“Our countries each have a complicated history but we are united by bonds of shared sacrifice, common values and a commitment to a peaceful future.”

Ms Kennedy said it was pertinent for the US to formally celebrate Mr Joseph’s contributions during Black History Month in America.

Mr Joseph played a pivotal role in the 1854 Eureka Stockade uprising on the Ballarat gold fields.

He was one of 13 men who were tried for treason, and acquitted.

Ms Kennedy said the US Consulate did not offer Mr Joseph any legal help at the time of his trial because, as a black man in 1854, he was not considered a citizen.

Slavery had not been abolished and the US was on the path to civil war at that time.

“Within the United States, 1854 was a year of extreme violence,” she said.

“Congress had passed the Kansas Nebraska Act allowing the extension of slavery into the western states triggering violence and setting the United States on the path towards a civil war in which 700,000 soldiers were killed.”

Mr Joseph died four years after his trial and was buried in an unmarked grave at White Hills.

Ms Kennedy unveiled the plaque in his honour and planted a tree on Monday to mark his resting place.

The fight on the goldfields over government regulation has gone down in Australian folklore and established the rebellion’s flag as one of our most recognisable symbols.

Ms Kennedy said his legacy was a lasting and significant one.

“His story is one for our time too as we face this history,” she said.

“We can ask ourselves who is missing from today’s narrative and what is our responsibility to make sure that they are included.

“We can be inspired by the courage of the miners and renew our commitment to justice for those who have been left out and left behind.

“We can take heart from the recognition that great progress has occurred while recognizing that there is much more to do.

“We can hold our governments accountable to their democratic promises and we can hold ourselves accountable for creating a more just and honest world.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/bendigo/caroline-kennedy-to-visit-bendigo-us-ambassador-to-australia-to-lay-a-commemorative-plaque/news-story/7422719df8406739cd9713fcecb8f081

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18418091 (270903ZFEB23) Notable: Anthony Albanese to establish a new agency to lead Australia’s fight against mass cyber attacks by state-sponsored hackers and criminal gangs under a seven-year strategy to strengthen defences

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Anthony Albanese to set up agency to fight cyber attacks

GEOFF CHAMBERS - FEBRUARY 27, 2023

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Anthony Albanese will set up a new agency to lead Australia’s fight against mass cyber attacks by state-sponsored hackers and criminal gangs, under a seven-year strategy to strengthen defences and end blame-shifting inside government and across the ­private sector.

The overhaul of Scott Morrison’s $1.7bn 10-year national cyber security strategy comes amid fears Australia’s legislative, government and private sector cyber defences are not keeping pace with fast-moving technological and geostrategic threats.

The appointment of a new co-ordinator for cyber security, who will lead the National Office for Cyber Security within the Department of Home Affairs, follows Joe Biden’s establishment of a US ­Office of the National Cyber ­Director in 2021.

Tasked with leading whole-of-government co-ordination and triage of major cyber incidents, similar to last year’s Optus and Medibank hacks, the cyber security chief will lead policy development and harden commonwealth digital systems.

The Prime Minister, who is hosting a roundtable with business, security and tech leaders in Sydney on Monday, will launch consultation on the new strategy led by former Telstra chief executive Andy Penn.

As the Albanese government increases co-operation with Quad and AUKUS partners on critical technologies, quantum and critical minerals, there is also a shared focus on aligning cyber defences to thwart rapidly evolving threats emanating from Russia and China.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre last year reported significant surges in cybercrime, which is now estimated to cost the country more than $33bn annually.

Following last year’s federal election, The Australian revealed Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neil had ­ordered – as a top priority – an ­urgent review of the Morrison government’s 2020 cyber security strategy.

Ms O’Neil’s expert advisory panel, consisting of Mr Penn, former air force chief Mel Hupfeld and Cyber Security Co-operative Research Centre chief executive Rachael Falk, has provided the government with a 15-page discussion paper outlining how Australia can better protect households, businesses and governments from cyber attacks.

The paper outlines priorities and core policies for the updated cyber strategy, which will be finalised in the second half of the year and is expected to include 2030 targets that establish Australia as a world-leading cyber security force.

The Australian understands it focuses on a new cyber security act and what that should include, strengthening critical infrastructure legislation to set baseline cyber security requirements for companies and governments, boosting regional cyber resilience and building a frontline cyber workforce.

Other suggestions include ­establishing a cyber review board to examine incidents and inform future responses, ensuring the commonwealth sets the standards for best practice in managing data and providing better awareness and victim support.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18418106 (270911ZFEB23) Notable: Federal police to blitz foreign interference in multicultural communities, amid concerns the problem is both under-reported and widespread - Federal police community liaison teams will meet community and faith leaders to raise awareness about the problem and urge people to report suspected foreign interference to police or community leaders

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>>129795

Federal police to blitz foreign interference in multicultural communities

James Massola - February 26, 2023

Federal police are ramping up the fight against foreign interference operations in Australia’s multicultural communities, amid concerns the problem is both under-reported and widespread.

In a campaign that will launch on Monday, the federal police’s community liaison teams, which have previously worked on counter-terrorism campaigns, will meet community and faith leaders to raise awareness about the problem and urge people to report suspected foreign interference to police or community leaders.

The move comes after ASIO director-general Mike Burgess last week warned Australia was experiencing the highest level of foreign interference, espionage and terrorism in its history.

Burgess also revealed a so-called “hive of spies” had been disrupted and deported in the past 12 months, which The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald then revealed was a group of Russian spies who had posed as diplomats and were surveilled for more than 18 months before being deported.

AFP special investigations commander Stephen Nutt said foreign governments and their proxies were undertaking hostile activity in Australia and targeting everyone from government decision-makers to human rights activists, dissidents, religious and ethnic minorities and even journalists to silence criticism, monitor their activities, obtain information and promote the policies of foreign governments.

Police believe foreign interference operations are not limited to the usual suspects of China, Russia and Iran either. They say people who have Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian and Laotian backgrounds are also vulnerable to pressure from agents of foreign governments, as well as those from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Fact sheets in 30 languages will be published as part of the federal police’s outreach and a national security hotline – 1800 123 400 – is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to take tips from the public.

“On a community level, foreign interference is defined as threats and intimidation directed, supervised or financed by foreign governments and targeted towards [culturally and linguistically diverse] communities in order to cause harm and impact on Australia’s multicultural way of life,” Nutt said.

“An example of foreign interference is where a foreign government agent pays an Australian citizen to undertake surveillance of people attending an Australian community discussion about the foreign government, and then reports back on people who were critical of the foreign government.”

“Another example is if a person in Australia willingly assists a foreign government by going to a person’s home or contacts them by telephone to threaten them with serious harm unless they stop criticising the foreign government in online forums.”

Last week, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called for an overhaul of Australia’s foreign interference laws as they had flaws and said countries including China, Russia and Iran may need to be singled out as nations of concern.

The Chinese government’s United Front Work Department, which is tasked with using the diaspora of citizens abroad to gather intelligence and promote Beijing’s message, has been operating in Australia for years but does not appear on the federal government’s foreign influence register.

The AFP does not single out any particular country as a cause for concern.

The legal tests that have to be satisfied to prove a person or group is undertaking a foreign interference operation are high, and include being able to prove that threats such as assault, kidnapping, stalking, surveillance or coercion – including threats to a person’s family overseas – have been made.

Further, to constitute foreign interference under the Crimes Act the activity has to have been supervised, financed or directed by a foreign government or one of its proxies. As a result, state and territory laws are being used in some cases to prosecute people on other charges because of the difficulty in proving foreign interference.

Just one person, Di Sanh Duong, has been charged under the foreign interference laws introduced in Australia in 2018.

Duong (also known as Sunny) is a former Liberal Party candidate who was charged by federal police in November 2020 with preparing an act of foreign interference after making a $37,450 donation to the Royal Melbourne Hospital at the height of the pandemic.

Federal investigators say the donation was a preparatory act to exert influence on Australian politicians. Duong’s case is next in court on March 31 for a directions hearing in front of County Court judge Michael O’Connell.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-police-to-blitz-foreign-interference-in-multicultural-communities-20230224-p5cnd8.html