/qnotables22/ - ===Q Notables 2022===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18180264 (201247ZJAN23) Notable: Opposition Leader Peter Dutton calls for the federal government to take urgent action in Alice Springs, where a prolonged and frequently violent crime crisis has taken hold - The Northern Territory town has been battling against a spike in theft, assaults and anti-social behaviour, which has seen a surge in home robberies and property crime

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Peter Dutton calls for the federal government to act on Alice Springs crime, as supermarket giants reduce liquor sales

Matt Garrick and Alicia Perera - 20 January 2023

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has ramped up calls for the federal government to take urgent action in Alice Springs, where a prolonged and frequently violent crime crisis has taken hold.

The Northern Territory town has been battling against a spike in theft, assaults and anti-social behaviour, which has seen a surge in home robberies and property crime.

Earlier this week, Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson made a plea for immediate assistance from the federal government, calling for resources to be rolled out including the federal police or army.

He attended a video call meeting with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Thursday, but said his request for further federal police support was knocked back.

Mr Dutton on Friday said to 9 News the crisis in Alice Springs was a "national disgrace".

"The mayor up there has called the Attorney-General, asking for additional federal police resources, and the Albanese Government has refused that," Mr Dutton said.

"And I worry that we're going to see tragedy in Alice Springs.

"It's already been a very difficult situation there for families, for kids, for business owners, for elderly people that want to go to the shops and not get accosted."

Mr Dreyfus's office responded with a brief statement saying "the policing of Alice Springs is a matter for the Northern Territory government".

Supermarket giants limit some liquor sales

The nation's supermarket giants have made the unprecedented move of agreeing to stop selling one litre bottles of alcohol in the town, amid the ongoing crime wave.

It came as the NT Police Minister, Kate Worden, travelled to Alice Springs to speak with liquor retailers about the issue, to try to get them to help find solutions.

Ms Worden confirmed on ABC Radio Darwin this morning that Coles and Endeavour Drinks, which runs BWS stores, would remove all one litre bottles of spirits from their shelves.

She said that decision had come from the retailers and had not been at a request from government, but said she "applauded" the move.

She also rejected calls from the Alice Springs mayor for federal action to reduce crime, saying reducing excessive alcohol consumption and addiction should be the focus.

'We are not going to become a police state'

Ms Worden said she was due to meet with the Alice Springs town council and mayor later today.

"I understand that from conversations yesterday, the federal government are not keen to play in that space. It's a tricky space around powers," she said.

"We certainly do not want to see the ADF here in Alice Springs. We are not going to become a police state.

"What we may need to do is look at where the factors are and what they are at play."

Coles and Endeavour Drinks have been contacted for comment, with Endeavour confirming one litre bottles had been removed from shelves.

Last year, long-standing federal alcohol bans were lifted in the town, which Aboriginal health organisations and local councils say has made an impact to the levels of violent crime in the town.

The NT government has not made any commitment to reinstate the bans.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-20/alice-springs-nt-crime-federal-intervention-peter-dutton/101875902

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18180306 (201259ZJAN23) Notable: Elders ready to intervene in Alice - The Albanese government has rejected pleas to send federal police to stem the wave of violent crime engulfing Alice Springs, as Aboriginal elders in remote communities plan their own emergency intervention to remove young troublemakers from town

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Elders ready to intervene in Alice

SARAH ISON and LIAM MENDES - JANUARY 20, 2023

The Albanese government has rejected pleas to send federal police to stem the wave of violent crime engulfing Alice Springs, as Aboriginal elders in remote communities plan their own emergency intervention to remove young troublemakers from town.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson met Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Thursday amid claims Northern Territory police had lost control of the CBD, with 300 people arrested in the town of 25,000 in the past seven weeks alone.

The local Woolworths was forced to close on Sunday after a 13-year-old boy entered the store brandishing a machete.

At a meeting of the Aboriginal community of Kintore, about 640km west of Alice Springs, locals agreed to “send men to town” to “clean up our kids”, who had fled communities between Alice Springs and Kintore and were living in town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs.

“If there are any kids from those communities, they will be headed back out bush,” a Kintore elder promised.

Darren Clark, a local of 25 years, described that as “the most positive” news he’d heard from the Indigenous community “in a long time”.

But Mr Paterson said it was vital the federal government also deploy the AFP to address the soaring rates of violent crime.

Mr Paterson said while he appreciated the $14m community safety package for Central Australia Labor committed to ahead of the May election, it wasn’t enough. “People are leaving Alice Springs because people don’t feel safe … health workers are leaving, social workers are leaving. If this is not addressed we’ll turn into a fly-in, fly-out town,” he told The Australian.

“Everyone is so anxious, I can’t even describe it. Getting locked in a shopping centre because a 13-year-old is wielding a machete is hard to fathom. People are waking up to young people with weapons in their bedroom holding them hostage.

“This issue needs to be known nationwide. Policing is naturally a Northern Territory government responsibility, but I’m just advocating on behalf of the community that I represent that we need more help and we need more resources here.”

Mr Paterson said alcohol, youth and adult crime and domestic violence were discussed in the hour-long meeting with Mr Dreyfus, which also included Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour.

“I hope (the meeting) was an eye-opener,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Dreyfus said he had taken the time to meet with Mr Paterson.

“The policing of Alice Springs is a matter for the Northern Territory government,” she said.

“The Attorney-General met with the Mayor to discuss the situation and hear his concerns.”

The Attorney-General’s office also pointed to the $14m in federal funding to be rolled out over four years for early intervention and crime prevention, increased security infrastructure and community safety patrols.

Mr Paterson said he was “very grateful” for the funds, but that they addressed the medium- to long-term issues and were not rolling out for some time, and more urgent action was needed.

Shadow legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser said the situation in Alice Springs was “an emergency”. “It is profoundly moving and disturbing,” he said.

“We can’t turn a blind eye to what’s happening in Alice Springs, and in particular in Indigenous communities.

“A handpass to the Territory government that continues to fail keeping people safe does not cut it.”

Mr Leeser said the Coalition was supportive of “any efforts of closer work between all three levels of government”.

Coalition leader Peter Dutton said he was concerned the lack of action would lead to vigilantism in the town and “the Prime Minister’s first priority now is to act in relation to Alice Springs”.

NT Attorney-General Chansey Paech acknowledged the Alice Springs community was “hurting” and more needed to be done to combat crime and anti-social behaviour. That included establishing a Central Australian Justice Reinvestment initiative, trialling shatter-proof glass in the CBD and introducing automatic bollards on certain streets at night to restrict vehicle access, creating safer pedestrian access.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/elders-ready-to-intervene-in-alice/news-story/b712925ee38e2b1e6afac67075a4d66e

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18185491 (210354ZJAN23) Notable: Mutual admiration as billionaire Gates meets PM Albanese in Sydney - Billionaire Bill Gates had never met Anthony Albanese before Saturday, but he thought he’d drop in on the Australian prime minister to talk vaccines, energy and climate change - Gates, who is in the country with his foundation and representatives from his company, Breakthrough Energy, has made it his mission to ensure world leaders are ready for the next pandemic

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mutual admiration as billionaire Gates meets PM Albanese in Sydney

Anthony Galloway - January 21, 2023

Billionaire Bill Gates had never met Anthony Albanese before Saturday, but he thought he’d drop in on the Australian prime minister to talk vaccines, energy and climate change.

Gates, who is in the country with his foundation and representatives from his company, Breakthrough Energy, has made it his mission to ensure world leaders are ready for the next pandemic.

Standing at 177cm, the Microsoft founder didn’t have the physical stature of Albanese’s last celebrity drop-in, the 216-centimetre former basketballer Shaquille O’Neal, but the conversation was much bigger.

Sitting in the living room of Kirribilli House, the two men discussed climate action, the energy transition, international development and health, and the need for Australian innovation to help solve global challenges.

Albanese told Gates he was “very welcome here”.

“We haven’t met before. But I’ve admired your work and your contribution, not just financially, but in raising debates, including the need to deal with health issues,” Albanese said.

“We’ve just been through the pandemic, but we need to prepare for future health challenges, and the work that’s being done on eradicating malaria and other diseases in our region is very important.”

Albanese told Gates that his government had been “elected on the platform of taking climate change seriously”, which was backed up by its emissions reduction target of 43 per cent by 2030, and net zero by 2050.

“That’s fantastic,” Gates replied.

He thanked Albanese for the Australian government’s increased commitment to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

“As you say, the preparedness for the next pandemic is still a discussion that hasn’t been figured out,” Gates said.

“You know, malaria in the long run, we want to do the same thing we’re doing with polio, which is eradicated regionally, and then eradicated all over the world.”

Gates has also influenced previous Australian prime ministers.

Albanese’s predecessor, Scott Morrison, was inspired to commit to a 2050 net-zero emissions target after reading the billionaire’s book, How to Avoid A Climate Disaster. Morrison regularly quoted large slabs of the book to advocates and critics of stronger action on climate change.

Gates also met then-prime minister Julia Gillard and foreign minister Bob Carr on a trip to Australia in 2013.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/mutual-admiration-as-billionaire-gates-meets-pm-albanese-in-sydney-20230121-p5cef2.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18187108 (211136ZJAN23) Notable: Democrat push to grant Australia a waiver to import nuclear subs earlier than expected - A maze of US regulations and export control laws stand between Australia and the multibillion-dollar AUKUS submarine agreement, prompting Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, a key ally of the pact in Congress to propose a blanket exemption to accelerate delivery of the nuclear-powered fleet

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129613

Democrat push to grant Australia a waiver to import nuclear subs earlier than expected

Farrah Tomazin - January 21, 2023

1/2

Washington: A maze of US regulations and export control laws stand between Australia and the multibillion-dollar AUKUS submarine agreement, prompting a key ally of the pact in Congress to propose a blanket exemption to accelerate delivery of the nuclear-powered fleet.

Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, who recently spearheaded a bipartisan defence of the Australia-UK-US pact amid jitters from some of his Washington colleagues, wants Australia to be given a waiver from strict US export controls that could otherwise derail the agreement.

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations is one set of rules which could delay for years the transfer of crucial technologies at a time when Australia is racing to bolster its submarine capacity before the retirement of its Collins-class fleet.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has said the government will announce by March which type of submarine it will acquire, after receiving a recommendation from Jonathan Mead, the head of the Nuclear Powered Submarine Taskforce.

The announcement is expected to provide the first concrete insights into the cost, timing and procurement of the AUKUS deal. The modelling so far has suggested that if the submarines are produced in Australia, as the government has suggested, the earliest possible delivery date would be 2055.

While President Joe Biden supports AUKUS, he needs the backing of a divided Congress to make good on his promise to share American submarine secrets with Australia.

Courtney, who co-chairs the bipartisan “AUKUS caucus” and is regarded as one of Congress’ top navy experts, said a potential solution to the difficulties posed by US law would be to pass an exemption, with the support of the Pentagon, allowing Australia to bypass rules such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and related nuclear submarine laws, for the strict purpose of advancing AUKUS.

“Tip O’Neill [a former House Speaker] once famously said, ‘Keep it simple, stupid’, so I certainly subscribe to the principle of an exemption,” Courtney told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

“The export controls that have built up over decades are going to require Congress to reform the system. The White House is fully aware of this and there’s a growing group of members of Congress that are becoming educated about this issue, but it’s harder than it sounds to fix. This is a threshold issue.”

Australian officials have for years been pushing their US counterparts to reform their treatment under arms regulations, and the issue was front and centre of the December Australian-US Ministerial consultations between Marles and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

“There is, I think, a unanimity of purpose in wanting to create the kind of seamless environment … where information and technology can be shared much more freely between our two countries,” Marles told reporters in Washington last month. “Not for a moment do we underestimate the complexity of bringing that about within the American system.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18187122 (211150ZJAN23) Notable: Alice Springs, a town on the edge of its wits - Daylight home invasions, car theft, vandalism and the constant threat of physical violence have made the CBD a no-go zone, plagued by out-of-control youths, often drunk - Todd Mall, once a thriving hub of Indigenous art galleries, restaurants, pubs and cafes is now a collection of dozens of boarded-up and shuttered shops

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Alice Springs, a town on the edge of its wits

LIAM MENDES - JANUARY 20, 2023

The besieged residents of Alice Springs saw something this week they had rarely seen in recent years: police in control of the town. And they immediately smelled a rat.

Highway patrol cars pulled over vehicles, mounted police were brought in from Darwin and caged police trucks cruised the main strip in force.

“Someone’s here in town; they’ve cleaned the joint up,” one local remarked, as the cavalcade drove past.

He was right: the Northern Territory police commissioner and police minister had flown in.

The residents of this blighted town have good reason to be cynical.

Police launched a similar blitz only last month, but very soon life had returned to what now passes for normal in Alice Springs.

Daylight home invasions, car theft, vandalism and the constant threat of physical violence have made the CBD a no-go zone, plagued by out-of-control youths, often drunk.

The figures tell the story: a 25-50 per cent surge in assaults, domestic violence, home invasions and commercial break-ins in the past year alone. At least 300 people arrested in the town of 25,000 in the past seven weeks. Many of the perpetrators are Indigenous; so are many of the victims.

Todd Mall, once a thriving hub of Indigenous art galleries, restaurants, pubs and cafes is now a collection of dozens of boarded-up and shuttered shops.

Before Covid the town was heaving with backpackers; some businesses would have five to 10 backpackers a day looking for a job. Now, it is rare to see a single tourist.

Homes are being raided by youths armed with edged weapons including machetes, hunting knives, axes, tomahawks and sharp “number seven” boomerangs.

Locals – Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike – point to young men and women who have come to the town from “out bush”, fuelled by alcohol, as the cause of much of the recent trouble.

At 2pm, a steady stream of customers start entering the dozen or so bottle shops scattered around town. Sitting on stools at the entrance of one of the more popular stores in the heart of the town are two police officers, one sipping from a can of Coca-Cola.

Entering the store, one officer inconspicuously turns on his bodyworn video camera before asking The Weekend Australian: “Are you buying any alcohol for anyone?” Where will you be drinking? Who are you with? Where are you staying?” before we’re granted permission to proceed further into the store.

Takeaway liquor venues made a show of trying to limit sales on Thursday, banning the sale of bottles one litre or larger.

That simply prompted locals to buy two 700ml bottles instead of the single litre they had initially planned.

When The Weekend Australian visited a bakery on the town’s outskirts, almost every customer who entered had been affected in some way by the violence.

Owner Darren Clark has had his home, car and business broken into or damaged 36 times in the past 18 months. “We’re scared of the violence, we are scared to go to sleep overnight, to lay in our beds, we’re scared to go out to the CBD, to be in our cars,” he said.

“It’s only a matter of time ­before we have tragedies here and the repercussions of that, who knows what happens.”

Mr Clark said community ­issues were being brought into the town, with street fights occurring to settle disagreements from different regions.

“This is not a racial problem in this town, this is a behavioural problem,” he said. “It’s just a few that are making this bad, people coming in from the communities, they’re not coming in for the right reasons. They’re coming in to drink and drink excessively.”

Mr Clark said the violence had escalated since the Stronger ­Futures laws lapsed, making alcohol legal in many Aboriginal town camps for the first time in 15 years. “At the moment, I’ve never seen anything like it – it’s bad.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/alice-springs-a-town-on-the-edge-of-its-wits/news-story/1290f52d2d884b4e3d27357e4f266106

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18200992 (230521ZJAN23) Notable: Andrews government quietly shelves Australia Day parade - Move welcomed by the co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria who described the event as an annual “slap in the face” - The parade down Swanston Street in Melbourne’s CBD will not return this year after two years of COVID cancellations - Instead the government will host an event in Federation Square to “reflect, respect, celebrate” on January 26

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Andrews government quietly shelves Australia Day parade

Rachel Eddie - January 21, 2023

The Andrews government has quietly shelved its Australia Day parade – a move welcomed by the co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria who described the event as an annual “slap in the face”.

A flag raising ceremony will go ahead at Government House, as will a gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance, but the parade down Swanston Street, in Melbourne’s CBD, will not return this year after two years of cancellations.

Instead, the government will host an event in Federation Square to “reflect, respect, celebrate” on January 26.

Attendance at official Australia Day events dropped dramatically from 72,000 in 2018 to 12,000 in 2019 and just 2000 in 2020, according to City of Melbourne figures.

“Victorians are choosing to mark Australia Day in different ways,” a spokeswoman from the Department of Premier and Cabinet said on Saturday.

Thousands of people have turned out in recent years for an Invasion Day rally on January 26, a march through Melbourne’s CBD organised by the group Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance.

Marcus Stewart, the co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, an elected body to help develop a Treaty framework for the state, welcomed the government’s decision not to proceed with a parade.

“It’s a positive step forward, but we still have a long way to go. We need to create a day we can all celebrate, not one that pushes us apart,” Stewart said.

“Change is hard, and change takes time.”

Stewart said January 26 marked attempted genocide through British colonisation and was a day to mourn Indigenous people who have died in custody and during the frontier wars.

“The parade [was] a slap in the face, and rubbed salt in the wounds, so it’s a positive step that it won’t be proceeding.”

The parade was cancelled in 2021 due to COVID-19 and did not return in 2022, which Acting Premier Jacinta Allan at the time said was not due to the pandemic. “This has got everything to do with how, as a community, we choose to mark the day differently,” Allan said last year.

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the cancellation was deeply disappointing.

“This is a popular family event that both brought communities together and people into our CBD – it shouldn’t be tossed aside without any explanation,” Pesutto said.

“Daniel Andrews must explain to Victorians why this important event will not be proceeding.”

A spokeswoman for the Victorian government said a range of events would be held to encourage “respectful reflection, togetherness and inclusion”, and acknowledged that some people consider January 26 a day of mourning.

“We recognise the traditional custodians of our land and aspire to celebrate our nation in ways that respect our First Nations peoples as part of our ongoing work on self-determination and Treaty in Victoria,” the spokeswoman said.

The City of Melbourne previously provided $100,000 a year in sponsorship for the government’s Australia Day events, including the parade.

But the council is advocating the federal government change the date of Australia Day after a RedBridge poll of 1600 residents and business owners found 60 per cent of people in the council area supported such a move.

“It’s clear there is majority support in our municipality to change the date on which we celebrate our nation. However, it’s ultimately the federal government’s decision,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.

The council will continue to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26, even though the federal Labor government has overturned a requirement they be held on Australia Day.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/andrews-government-quietly-shelves-australia-day-parade-20230121-p5cefj.html

https://twitter.com/SenatorThorpe/status/1616943302611464192

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18201002 (230528ZJAN23) Notable: Invasion Day rallies will campaign against the Voice - Invasion Day rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will march under slogans calling for treaty and sovereignty to take priority over a Voice to parliament, as the Indigenous organisers say they will campaign against the push for constitutional recognition

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

Invasion Day rallies will campaign against the Voice

Lisa Visentin - January 20, 2023

Invasion Day rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will march under slogans calling for treaty and sovereignty to take priority over a Voice to parliament, as the Indigenous organisers say they will campaign against the push for constitutional recognition.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the annual rallies in each capital city to commemorate January 26 as the beginning of Indigenous colonisation by the British, with this year’s events taking place as the Voice to Parliament referendum is set to be held in the second half of 2023.

But organisers will use the high-profile rallies to campaign against the referendum, in a move that exposes long-running tensions within the Indigenous community between Voice supporters and black activist groups that view Australia’s Constitution as a product of colonisation.

Co-organiser of the Sydney rally Gwenda Stanley, a Gomeroi woman, said the theme of this year’s march would be “sovereignty before Voice”, as she criticised the referendum as a waste of money that could have been better spent on the ground in Indigenous communities.

“The main message for us to deliver [at the rally] is that, for a lot of us, we are not for the Voice, we are for sovereignty. It’s about our self-determination as Aboriginal people, as original sovereigns of this country,” Stanley, a caretaker of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra, said.

“We have never ever marched these streets singing out ‘we want a Voice’.”

The split over the Voice dates back to the Uluru dialogues in 2017 when a small breakaway group of delegates, which included Stanley and now-Greens Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe, walked out of the convention in protest, while more than 250 Indigenous leaders endorsed the Voice as the first plank of the Uluru Statement, followed by treaty and truth. Thorpe has continued to express reservations about the Voice despite ruling out campaigning against the referendum.

Melbourne rally organiser Meriki Onus, Thorpe’s sister and a co-founder of activist group Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, confirmed the theme of “Treaty before Voice” had been adopted for the city’s march after a meeting of local activists to discuss the issue.

Ruby Wharton, a Gomeroi Kooma woman and an organiser of the Brisbane rally, said two hours of speeches were planned before the march and many speakers would express their concerns with the Voice referendum and would encourage people to vote no.

“We’re hoping that a lot of the participants and people that come along to our Brisbane Invasion Day rally walk away with a deeper understanding that we don’t want a referendum into constitutional recognition,” Wharton, a member of the Brisbane chapter of the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance.

“We don’t need 97 per cent of Australian voters voting on the future of First Nations people who make up less than 3 per cent of the population. Even if we unanimously want [constitutional recognition] and the rest of white Australia doesn’t, then we will not have it.

“That is quite literally a modern example of our self-determination and our rights to decide how we live being decided by white people.”

While the rallies are led by a different collective of activist groups in each city, the organisers liaise with their interstate counterparts.

The Uluru Dialogues, the leading campaign vehicle for the Voice, declined to comment and the office of Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, Uluru dialogue co-chair Professor Megan Davis said there would be no coordinated effort by the Yes movement to campaign alongside the Invasion rallies. She urged Australians to support the Voice rather than “warm and fuzzy” pushes to change the date of Australia Day if they wanted to secure meaningful improvements for First Nations people.

The decision by rally organisers to convey a critical message about the Voice on a day when Indigenous issues are at the forefront of the national discussion underscores the challenge facing the federal government as it tries to unite the country behind the referendum.

It comes amid a rocky week for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after a combative interview on 2GB where he again came under pressure to explain the details of how the Voice would operate. A transcript of the interview later released by his office omitted Albanese’s answer of “no no” when asked if the government had sought legal advice from the solicitor-general on the referendum.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus was later forced to clarify that the solicitor-general’s advice was being sought, alongside advice from a working group of constitutional law experts.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/invasion-day-rallies-will-campaign-against-the-voice-20230119-p5cdsi.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18201061 (230544ZJAN23) Notable: Video: Horrific scenes of public violence in Alice - On any given night, more than 200 children, some as young as five, roam the streets of Alice Springs looking for trouble, and almost always find it - Many of those kids are drinking alcohol, sometimes in the form of hand sanitiser diluted in soft drinks, or consuming deodorant, petrol or glue - Marion Scrymgour, Labor’s MP in Alice Springs says alcohol bans need to be brought back to curb the spiralling violence and crime

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Video: Horrific scenes of public violence in Alice

LIAM MENDES - JANUARY 23, 2023

On any given night, more than 200 children, some as young as five, roam the streets of Alice Springs looking for trouble – and almost always find it.

Many of those kids are drinking alcohol, sometimes in the form of hand sanitiser diluted in soft drinks, or consuming deodorant, petrol or glue.

When the Northern Territory Police Minister and police commissioner flew in to Alice Springs on Thursday, police launched a crime blitz – arresting locals for drinking in public, picking up young children in the back of their caged trucks, where they would then be bussed by a community organisation back to their town camps.

Only for the children to walk straight back into town.

Labor’s MP in Alice Springs says alcohol bans need to be brought back to curb the spiralling violence and crime.

Marion Scrymgour, federal MP in the seat of Lingiari, says she has watched “lawlessness and disrespect” in the town grow exponentially since the Stronger Futures laws lapsed in July last year, making alcohol legal in many Aboriginal town camps for the first time in 15 years.

The former NT deputy chief minister says the removal of the grog ban has led to a level of violence she had never encountered.

“I just find it unacceptable in this day and age that the violence against Aboriginal women in this town raises very little urgency from anyone – it’s appalling,” Ms Scrymgour said.

“There’s the issue of young people and the level of lawlessness and disrespect amongst those young people; to put it quite bluntly, they don’t give a shit.

“They don’t respect law or ­culture anymore and then there’s the adults and the level of violence, and it’s not just male on male or male on female, there’s a really bad level of violence of female on female and particularly under the influence of alcohol.

“I’ve seen some horrific fights in and around the town area of Alice Springs where women are just drunk and just stomping on (other women’s) heads.”

Daylight home invasions, ­vehicle theft, and a constant stream of physical violence and damage to property mean residents feel unsafe even in their homes. In one incident witnessed by The Australian, a caucasian man is set upon by a young Indigenous man wielding a wheel brace and beaten. After falling to the ground, he is kicked three times in the head.

“I’m at wits’ end,” said Ms Scrymgour. “I’ve participated in a number of roundtables trying to get a sense of urgency.

“The Northern Territory government does have responsibility for policing but trying to get them to see that there has to be some level of restrictions come back in, in terms of alcohol … (it) has been quite a feat just to get them to realise it’s a problem.”

On Thursday and Friday night, The Australian witnessed police conducting a rare operation to round up children.

Alice Springs mayor Matt Patterson says there can be more than a couple of hundred children roaming around every night. “It is hard to believe that this is the case in Australia in 2023 and I’m not sure what needs to happen or how much worse things can possibly get for people to start listening to us,” Mr Patterson said.

Due to high levels of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as lack of food, “it is probably safer for these kids to be on the street”, he added.

“What hope are we giving these children for their lives?” Mr Patterson said. “There is no accountability of parents and we are all too scared to have the difficult conversations. Alice Springs needs help; the kids need help.”

Many of the problems begin in the early afternoon, when the perpetrators return after staying awake all night and sleeping until late morning. It’s not just children and teenagers.

Just past midday at the Gap View hotel, an Indigenous man chases another into the pub, one brandishing a machete and the other a large metal pole.

A bouncer pushes the man holding the machete in a nonchalant manner out of the pub, where he’s met by a group of a dozen men and women, all brandishing similar weapons.

What happens next is a scene now normalised in Alice Springs – crowbars, bats, and machetes are thrown in what locals say is a disagreement between families.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/hundreds-of-kids-roam-wild-streets-of-alice/news-story/f091a90a7c4001e51faf39b691790cfc

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18201073 (230547ZJAN23) Notable: Australian Federal Police support Northern Ireland Police investigation into institutional abuse - The AFP is supporting the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s effort to locate women and children affected by institutional abuse between 1922 and 1990 as the search widens to Australia - The Police Service launched an investigation in 2021 into allegations of abuse within Mother and Baby Institutions, Work Houses and Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland and believes victims and witnesses may now live in Australia - They are appealing for mothers who gave birth in, or anyone who was adopted from institutions in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1990 to come forward - These institutions housed many, including pregnant women and girls from 1922 to 1990 in Northern Ireland, who often felt coerced into giving up their child

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

AFP supports Northern Ireland Police investigation into institutional abuse

22 January 2023

The AFP is supporting the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s effort to locate women and children affected by institutional abuse between 1922 and 1990 as the search widens to Australia.

The Police Service launched an investigation in 2021 into allegations of abuse within Mother and Baby Institutions, Work Houses and Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland and believes victims and witnesses may now live in Australia.

They are appealing for mothers who gave birth in, or anyone who was adopted from institutions in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1990 to come forward.

These institutions housed many, including pregnant women and girls from 1922 to 1990 in Northern Ireland, who often felt coerced into giving up their child.

Thousands of people are said to have lived in, worked in, or visited these institutions over a 68-year period.

Officers in the dedicated investigation team have now received 88 reports; many of which include allegations of inconsistencies with birth records from those who were adopted from Northern Irish institutions and now live overseas.

Enquires to date suggest that there could be more victims and witnesses out there, with many moving or being adopted to countries overseas like Australia.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland are renewing their appeal and encouraging more people to come forward to report to police and have their voice heard.

They are appealing to anyone currently residing in Australia, mothers who gave birth in one of these institutions in Northern Ireland, was adopted from, visited, or worked there to come forward and report to them. Any information could be helpful.

Detective Superintendent Gary Reid, who is the operational lead for the investigation said:

“As the investigation continues into the Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Work Houses in Northern Ireland, we are becoming increasingly aware that the people impacted by these institutions do not just reside in Northern Ireland but could now reside all over the world as far as Australia,” he said.

“We don’t want anyone to feel they have to suffer in silence anymore and we will continue to do all we can to reach as many people with this message as possible.

“We would like to reinforce that this investigation is very much ongoing in Northern Ireland. If you believe you were the victim of abuse or other forms of criminality in any of these Northern Irish institutions, or know somebody who was, or if you witnessed anything suspicious, please contact us, we want to hear from you.

"We care about what you have to say, will listen and support you, and will act to keep you and others safe."

A dedicated reporting system is in place to make it easier for people to report.

If you are a resident of Australia and wish to contact the dedicated Mother and Baby Institutions, Work Houses and Magdalene Laundries Investigative Team in Northern Ireland, you can do so via the following options:

Email: MotherBabyHomes.Magdalenelaundries@psni.police.uk

Direct line (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm GMT): 0011 4428 9090 1728

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/afp-supports-northern-ireland-police-investigation-institutional-abuse

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18201546 (230826ZJAN23) Notable: Pandemic preparedness lacking: Bill Gates - Tech multi-billionaire Bill Gates says that when future pandemics hit, stronger political cooperation is needed, even among foes - He told an audience at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney on Monday that he wouldn't say that any country got their COVID-19 response totally right - Mr Gates praised Australia's policies in helping keep infection rates low before vaccines were rolled out

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129638

Pandemic preparedness lacking: Bill Gates

Farid Farid - January 23, 2023

Tech multi-billionaire Bill Gates says that when future pandemics hit, stronger political cooperation is needed, even among foes.

He told an audience at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney on Monday that he wouldn't say that any country got their COVID-19 response totally right.

Mr Gates praised Australia's policies in helping keep infection rates low before vaccines were rolled out.

"Some of the things that stand out are that Australia and about seven other countries did population scale diagnostics early on and had quarantine policies ... that meant you kept the level of infection low in that first year when there were no vaccines," Mr Gates said.

The Microsoft founder turned philanthropist said a stable international order based on mutual political will is needed in order to deal with future pandemics.

"The one thing that still hangs in the balance is will we have the global capacity and at the regional and country levels that would mean that when an (infectious disease) threat comes up we act in such a way that it doesn't go global," Mr Gates said.

"We need to be doing every five years a comprehensive exercise at both country and regional levels of pandemic preparedness and you need a global group that's scoring everybody."

He criticised the United States under Donald Trump's leadership threatening to withdraw from the World Health Organisation and withholding funding.

Mr Gates advocated for a bolstering of resources to the international health body.

He also said US policy, and by extension Australia's, towards China needed a more conciliatory and cooperative political approach in tackling major problems such as climate change.

"I see China's rise as a huge win for the world ... the current mentality of the US to China, and which is reciprocated, is kind of a lose-lose mentality".

"That could be very self-fulfilling in a very negative way".

Mr Gates on Saturday met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Kirribilli House in Sydney to discuss climate change, health and energy challenges.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/coronavirus/pandemic-preparedness-lacking-bill-gates-c-9534903

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18201605 (230857ZJAN23) Notable: Video: Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton urges PM to visit Alice Springs amid crime increase - Pressure has been building on both the federal and Northern Territory governments to take further action on the issue - "If the level of violence, of crime, of sexual assault, of domestic and family violence was occurring in Brisbane or in Melbourne or in Hobart or in Sydney, there would be outrage."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton urges PM to visit Alice Springs amid crime increase

Thomas Morgan - 23 January 2023

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is urging the prime minister to visit Alice Springs in coming days as the Central Australian town experiences an uptick in crime.

Pressure has been building on both the federal and Northern Territory governments to take further action on the issue.

The latest crime statistics for Alice Springs, released by Northern Territory Police last week, show a 43 per cent increase in assaults in the 12 months to November 30 last year.

It includes a 53 per cent increase in domestic violence-related assaults and a 54 per cent increase in alcohol-related assaults.

There was also a 55 per cent increase in commercial break-ins and 59 per cent increase in reports of property damage over the same period.

"It's completely unacceptable," Mr Dutton said at a press conference this morning.

"The prime minister should have been there by now, but he should go tomorrow and I would be happy to travel with him.

"If the level of violence, of crime, of sexual assault, of domestic and family violence was occurring in Brisbane or in Melbourne or in Hobart or in Sydney, there would be outrage."

Mr Dutton, who visited Alice Springs in December, said he believed the crisis was "beyond the resources of the Northern Territory government".

The Liberal leader also took aim at the Northern Territory's Police Minister Kate Worden, calling her positions on the issue "out of touch" while praising Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson for bringing the issue into the national spotlight.

Ms Worden last week hit back at Mr Dutton's comments about crime, accusing the federal opposition of "playing politics" with the issue.

Governments under pressure to take action

The ABC contacted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's office at the weekend, seeking comment on calls for him to visit Central Australia.

In response, a spokeswoman for the federal government said reports of increasing crime rates were "concerning".

"We are focused on working in partnership with the NT government and the local community, because we know that the best solutions come from local communities themselves," the spokeswoman said.

"The Commonwealth is funding a $14 million community safety and well-being supports in Alice Springs, while also making significant investments as part of our Plan for Central Australia."

The spokeswoman said Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney visited the region as recently as November last year.

Last week, the Northern Territory's Attorney-General Chansey Paech said the government was listening to residents' concerns about escalating rates of assault and property offences.

He said the NT government was focused on "realistic ideas", including the installation of shatter-proof glass and automatic bollards on some of the city's streets.

Bottle shops put purchase limits in place

Amid escalating rates of alcohol-related violence, retail groups in Alice Springs last week announced purchase limits on a number of products.

They include removing one-litre bottles of spirits from shelves and limiting shoppers to six bottles of wine per day.

This is in addition to a series of longstanding measures in force across the territory, including a floor price on alcohol, the use of a Banned Drinkers Register and stationing of Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors in bottle shops.

Peter Burnheim from the Association of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies NT said the NT government had done "a lot in the supply reduction space" with little result.

"We need a bigger investment in both demand and harm reduction and treatment services, in community education and community supports," he said.

"Until we really focus on a holistic response to alcohol, we're going to continue to see these problems."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-23/nt-crime-peter-dutton-albanese-fly-alice-springs/101881658

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18208408 (240804ZJAN23) Notable: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flies into Alice Springs after days of pressure from the federal opposition and national media over crime and alcohol-fuelled violence in the town - The federal government has already rejected calls from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson for the Australian Defence Force or federal police to be deployed to the town

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flies into Alice Springs amid calls for action on alcohol-fuelled crime crisis

Thomas Morgan and Jacqueline Breen - 24 January 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has flown into Alice Springs after days of pressure from the federal opposition and national media over crime and alcohol-fuelled violence in the town.

Mr Albanese will join Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles for a meeting with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress health service, in a visit government sources say was delayed last year.

The federal government has already rejected calls from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson for the Australian Defence Force or federal police to be deployed to the town.

The idea was also dismissed by NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker in an interview on ABC RN Breakfast this morning.

"I'm not sure that the imagery of Australian soldiers, who are here to serve our country, dealing with First Nations people in a way that sees them having to arrest them and place them in police vehicles and alike, is the imagery we really want for Australia," Commissioner Chalker said.

Figures released last week by NT Police show a 43 per cent increase in assaults in Alice Springs over the past year, including a 53 per cent increase in alcohol-related assaults.

Commercial break-ins and home invasions have jumped by more than 50 per cent.

Commissioner Chalker said police data collected since the sunsetting of Intervention-era alcohol bans six months ago showed a significant increase in alcohol-related harm.

He said "functionally broken" services in remote communities over decades were pushing residents into service centres such as Alice Springs.

He said a "broader conversation" was needed about the factors behind the population shift and levels of crime and alcohol addiction.

"The jails are full," he said.

"You cannot arrest your way out of these social problems … there is an inherent social cause that is driving this propensity for violence and offending."

Aboriginal health boss allegedly threatened by intruders demanding alcohol

The NT government has been defending its handling of the end of the Intervention-era alcohol bans, despite criticism from Aboriginal health groups about a lack of consultation and planning for the change.

Congress chief executive Donna Ah Chee, who will meet with Mr Albanese this afternoon, was among the Aboriginal leaders who called for an "opt-out" transition period before the bans expired.

In an interview with ABC Radio Alice Springs on Tuesday morning, she said she personally had been threatened by intruders who tried to break into her home overnight, demanding alcohol.

"I have never felt this unsafe and frightened in the 36 years I've lived in Alice Springs," she said.

Ms Ah Chee said she was threatened with a heavy-duty spanner as she tried to leave the house, before the alleged intruders smashed the back and side windows of her car.

New restrictions to alcohol sales in Alice Springs have been announced by retailers over the past week, though critics say they are inadequate.

NT Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy this morning said stronger industry action was needed "not just in Central Australia — but right across the Northern Territory".

Ms Ah Chee said the NT had struggled with high levels of alcohol addiction and alcohol-fuelled violence even when the blanket bans were in place.

But she said their abrupt removal had had a disastrous effect and "immediate" action was now needed.

"For me, I don't care if it's the NT government or the Commonwealth, or together," she said.

"They need to do something about availability and reducing the supply alcohol in this town."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-24/nt-prime-minister-expected-in-alice-springs-alcohol-crime/101885740

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18208441 (240812ZJAN23) Notable: Ukraine to Australia: Don’t succumb to war fatigue - Ukraine is urging Australia not to succumb to fatigue over its war with Russia as it pleads for more military assistance from the federal government before the upcoming one-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion - Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Australia had been generous in its support for his nation’s war effort, but expressed concern aid may drop off in the future as the conflict grinds on

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ukraine to Australia: Don’t succumb to war fatigue

Matthew Knott - January 23, 2023

Ukraine is urging Australia not to succumb to fatigue over its war with Russia as it pleads for more military assistance from the federal government before the upcoming one-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Australia had been generous in its support for his nation’s war effort, but expressed concern aid may drop off in the future as the conflict grinds on.

“Fatigue is something we have to deal with,” Myroshnychenko said.“It’s happening globally.”

Myroshnychenko wrote to Defence Minister Richard Marles earlier this month to request more military assistance from Australia in the form of additional Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, mine-sweeping equipment and ammunition.

The government announced its most recent support package - which included 30 extra Bushmasters and military training for Ukrainian recruits in the United Kingdom - in October.

The commitment took Australia’s total military contribution to Ukraine since the war began to $475 million.

When 70 Australian troops began departing for the UK last week to offer training, Marles said: “The Australian Government is committed to standing with Ukraine, in response to Russia’s clear violation of the rules-based order.”

February 24 will mark 12 months since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, sparking a conflict that has led to an estimated 7000 civilian deaths according to the United Nations.

“I really hope there will be additional assistance from the Australian government before the one-year anniversary,” Myroshnychenko said.

“That would be symbolically powerful.”

While the war is unfolding far away, Myroshnychenko said: “What’s happening in Ukraine will have a massive impact on the Indo-Pacific.

“If Putin is allowed to win in Ukraine, it will open up a Pandora’s box of other authoritarian leaders trying to take nearby countries by force. If it can happen in Europe it can happen here.”

After weeks of mounting pressure, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Monday that her nation would not stand in the way if nations such as Poland want to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Germany has so far not agreed to send any of its own Leopard tanks to the battlefield because of fears it could escalate the conflict and infuriate Russia.

Ukrainian supporters in Sydney will hold a “free the Leopards” rally outside the German consulate in Woolloomooloo on Tuesday to urge the German government to send their tanks to Ukraine.

“As many have noted, Germany has a historic responsibility to help secure a free and independent Ukraine,” Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations co-chair Stefan Romaniw said.

“It should also be central in defining a European response to aggression, so that a green light is not given to other authoritarian regimes around the world, including China.”

Myroshnychenko also wrote to Foreign Minister Penny Wong this month to ask Australia to participate in a planned Ukrainian-led peace formula summit next month, designed to establish a framework for a negotiated end to the war.

Russia has said it will not participate, but France and Japan have agreed to lead two of ten planned working group sessions.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/ukraine-to-australia-don-t-succumb-to-war-fatigue-20230123-p5cese.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18208456 (240817ZJAN23) Notable: Ukraine alert over Block bid reneger Emese Abigail Fajk - Ukrainian parliamentarian Maryan Zablotskyy has directed the country’s leading security agency to investigate alleged “international con woman” Emese Abigail Fajk following accusations of blackmail, counterespionage and financial crimes inside Ukraine’s Foreign Legion - Ms Fajk, who made headlines in Australia in 2020 when she placed a $4m winning bid on a house on Nine Network’s The Block but failed to pay, has been accused of a raft of offences including blackmail, misappropriation of donations and stealing medical supplies valued up to $US2.5m ($3.6m)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129595

Ukraine alert over Block bid reneger Emese Abigail Fajk

NICHOLAS JENSEN - JANUARY 23, 2023

A member of Ukraine’s parliament has directed the country’s leading security agency to investigate alleged “international con woman” Emese Abigail Fajk following accusations of blackmail, counterespionage and financial crimes inside Ukraine’s Foreign Legion.

Ms Fajk – who made headlines in Australia in 2020 when she placed a $4m winning bid on a house on Nine Network’s The Block but failed to pay – has been accused of a raft of offences including blackmail, misappropriation of donations and stealing medical supplies valued up to $US2.5m ($3.6m)

In a confidential letter, viewed by The Australian, Ukrainian parliamentarian Maryan Zablotskyy directed the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, in early ­January to formally investigate the 30-year-old Hungarian ­national, who continues to serve as communications director and troop support for the 1st Battalion.

“I have been made aware from various sources that the abovementioned person (Fajk) has been identified as a risk and has organised the collection of funds for the needs of the International Legion and is currently engaged in collecting information that does not fall within the sphere of her competence,” Mr Zablotskyy wrote on January 6.

“I wish to draw your attention to the fact that there is highly concerning information about the specified person in various international media sources, stating the specified person has committed fraudulent acts in Australia and in other territories.

“I ask that you conduct an official investigation into Emese Fajk for co-operation with the aggressor state and her actions with the International Legion, which may threaten the sovereignty, territorial integrity and defence capability of Ukraine.”

Mr Zablotskyy, a senior member of Ukraine’s Servant of the People Party, added he was concerned about Ms Fajk’s “knowledge of the location of key Ukrainian military positions”.

Earlier this month The Australian revealed two senior members of the Foreign Legion sent dossiers to Ukrainian Ground Forces, alleging Ms Fajk is a “counterintelligence threat” to the international force, and that she had repeatedly threatened to leak top-secret information if her position within the legion is challenged.

“In every aspect of her job, she has proven to be an abject failure. She does not have the confidence of the rank-and-file of the soldiers, the local or international press or even those who work directly with her,” one of the dossiers concluded.

“It is a nearly unanimously held belief within the Legion that she is a cancer on the organisation that must be excised lest she destroy the entire body of the organisation itself.”

The two dossiers, which were independently written without instruction from UGF command or the Foreign Legion, were subsequently forwarded to the US ­embassy in Kyiv.

The Australian does not suggest Ms Fajk is guilty of these allegations, only that they have been raised by several senior members of the Foreign Legion.

Ms Fajk, who previously lived in New York and the UK, relocated to Australia in 2019. While her LinkedIn profile states she has worked as a UN senior consultant since 2015, in December 2020 she told The Australian she was not an employee of the UN.

In July 2022, Nine’s A Current Affair program reported Ms Fajk supplied a fake ANZ banking receipt after she placed multiple bids on a property featured on The Block, ultimately winning the auction for $4.2m.

But Nine did not receive the funds from Ms Fajk and the contract of sale was voided by the network, which subsequently handed all its evidence to law enforcement authorities.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/ukraine-alert-over-block-bid-reneger-emese-abigail-fajk/news-story/f825051f8d62d09f6e9eeda64be778c1

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18208488 (240825ZJAN23) Notable: Bill Gates backs gas in shift to green-energy world - Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has backed gas as a critical part of the globe’s transition to green energy, saying it is the stepping stone to a hydrogen-powered world and that poorer countries will need fossil fuels like it for years to come - The world’s fourth richest man is in Australia for a series of talks and met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129638

Bill Gates backs gas in shift to green-energy world

TICKY FULLERTON - JANUARY 24, 2023

Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has backed gas as a critical part of the globe’s transition to green energy, saying it is the stepping stone to a hydrogen-powered world and that poorer countries will need fossil fuels like it for years to come.

The world’s fourth richest man is in Australia for a series of talks and met Anthony Albanese over the weekend.

He says it is still possible for the world to avoid the worst of global warming and that both gas and nuclear energy have a role to play.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Australian on Monday, that also covered pandemics, tech skills and education, Mr Gates said he ­supported ongoing use of gas both for the ­developing world as a basic necessity and to create new energy from hydrogen.

“(Gas) is unavoidably a transition fuel,” he said after an appearance at The Lowy Institute in Sydney. “What can you do? It is there. It is not going to be banned. The ideal is that we can convert it into hydrogen at low cost.

“Poor countries should not be blocked from either using domestic or imported hydrocarbons until the rich world first and then the middle-income countries second make the substitute technologies as inexpensive.”

His comments sit in sharp ­contrast to green groups calling for a total ban on gas extraction in Australia, refusing to recognise any role of gas in the energy ­transition. The government is under pressure to reduce both coal and gas in the energy mix to meet its target of a 43 per cent ­reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. It has recently excluded both ­fossil fuels from offering firm power within its new capacity mechanism.

Mr Gates is a major investor in technologies to tackle climate change and end global ­energy inequality. He has been a key backer of America’s recent climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has made grants of more than $US65bn to fight disease and poverty in ­developing countries, and Mr Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Fund of $US2bn invests in technologies from renewables to ­carbon capture and nuclear ­fission. “Two ways to make hydrogen, one is water, the other is natural gas,” Mr Gates said.

“We have a company C-Zero in the Breakthrough Energy portfolio that is a natural gas to hydrogen, and we have a bunch of companies that are water-to-green hydrogen. And in a country like Australia or the US where natural gas is very cheap you have to hope that part of the solution is that it is competitive to make green ­hydrogen.”

Mr Gates said there was now no chance that the world could limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. This would hit poorer countries harder. “It is very unlikely you’ll hit (a rise of) two degrees,” he said. “The key is to minimise the warming as much as possible and at this point to stay below 2.5 degrees would be pretty fantastic. I do think that is possible.”

Mr Gates did not urge Australia to develop a nuclear-power industry, despite being a strong believer in nuclear power as part of the new energy mix.

“If Australia wanted to be ­involved, that would be fantastic. But some countries, the politics are just so hard,” he said.

“You should not even try until you have something that is cheap and safe and you have clear waste story. The UK is very engaged in this, the US, France, China is very engaged. We have a critical mass of countries that want to fission work.”

TerraPower, an advanced nuclear fission company in which Mr Gates has invested, is designing a new sodium-cooled nuclear reactor fuelled by uranium in Wyoming. “We have a from-scratch design that is on paper a third of the cost. I’ve put billions of dollars into it so I must think there is some chance of succeeding,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/gates-backs-gas-in-shift-to-greenenergy-world/news-story/09f39fe81e4d3ddaabaf9e8075180faf

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18208522 (240834ZJAN23) Notable: Calls to ban ‘Holocaust denier’ Kanye from Australia - Controversial rapper Kanye West has been labelled an “extremist” with a “history of provocation” by Victorian Industry Minister Ben Carroll ahead of his reported visit to Melbourne - The fiery comments come just as West is believed to be heading to the city next week to meet the family of his new Australian wife, Bianca Censori

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Calls to ban ‘Holocaust denier’ Kanye from Australia

HOLLY HALES and MADELEINE ACHENZA - JANUARY 24, 2023

Controversial rapper Kanye West has been labelled an “extremist” with a “history of provocation” by a government minister ahead of his reported visit to Melbourne.

The fiery comments come just as West is believed to be heading to the city next week to meet the family of his new Australian wife.

Victoria’s Industry Minister Ben Carroll said on Tuesday any visa issued to West would be an issue for his colleagues in Canberra.

“Kanye West visiting Australia is a matter for the federal government. We know he holds some very extremist views,” Mr Carroll said.

West caused global outcry last year when, during a podcast appearance, said he saw “good things about Hitler” and made claims that the Holocaust never happened.

“We’ve got to stop dissing the Nazis all the time,” he said.

He wed architect Bianca Censori, 27, who was raised in Melbourne’s leafy east and works for his company Yeezy, in a non-binding ceremony in Utah earlier this month.

Mr Carroll said West’s divisive views did not reflect those of Australia.

“We know he has a long standing history of provocation, and none of those views represent Melbourne or Victoria,” he said.

“But his immigration, his visit to Australia is a matter for the Commonwealth.

“We know he has a long standing history of bigotry and provocation and I know the Commonwealth will process accordingly.”

His comments come after calls to ban the rapper from entering Australia grow following his long list of anti-Semitic comments.

The rapper only finalised his divorce with Kim Kardashian two months ago.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich is leading the campaign to have West’s visa application denied due to his public anti-Semitic comments.

“There are certain moral issues in life that you can’t ignore,” he told Sunrise on Tuesday.

“This unrepentant Holocaust denier, who likes to hang out with white supremacists, who issued death threats against the Jewish community, who says he loves Nazis and admires Hitler, has no business being here.

“This is a test for democracy and I think we are better than this.”

West had his Twitter account suspended late last year after an interview in which he praised Adolf Hitler and made discriminatory comments against the Jewish community.

Ms Abramovich said West's comments should be seen as a show of significant disrespect towards the soldiers who fought during World War II to defeat Hitler’s regimen.

“If we allow Kanye West in, it will be a spit on the grave of every digger who fought and died to defeat Hitler's regimen,” he said.

“It will also be a kick in the stomach to every Holocaust survivor living here who wakes up in the morning, knowing that this unrepentant bigot can roam the country free and spread his anti-Jewish propaganda.

“It is wrong, I think we need to see a united and loud voice that we don't want him here.”

The decision to cancel West’s visa falls in the hands of Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

A government spokesman has said he is unable to comment due to “privacy”.

“I believe if he is here, he will incite, embolden and empower his followers to attack the Jewish community, and it will attack the core values that we hold dear,” Dr Abramovich said.

“I call upon the minister to exercise his good judgment, and to say that Kanye West is not a good character and he shouldn't be allowed into the country.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/calls-to-ban-ye-west-from-australia-after-praising-adolf-hitler/news-story/edd3f5017b698a4eb3f953121f371d1d

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18208555 (240843ZJAN23) Notable: US Congressman suggests sending jointly operated US submarine to Australia as AUKUS announcement looms - A senior member of the US Congress has called for a dual-crewed American submarine to be based in Australia as part of an interim measure under the AUKUS agreement - Republican Rob Wittman also argued Australian shipbuilders and sailors should be sent to the US for months at a time to prepare them for the eventual acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129613

Congressman suggests sending jointly operated US submarine to Australia as AUKUS announcement looms

Jade Macmillan - 24 January 2023

1/2

A senior member of the US Congress has called for a dual-crewed American submarine to be based in Australia as part of an interim measure under the AUKUS agreement.

Republican Rob Wittman also argued Australian shipbuilders and sailors should be sent to the US for months at a time to prepare them for the eventual acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

Mr Wittman was among a bipartisan group of members of the US House of Representatives who sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing support for the AUKUS deal.

It was prompted by leaked correspondence from two influential senators, warning the provision of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia could push the US submarine industrial base to "breaking point".

Representative Wittman, who was the most senior Republican on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee in the last congress, said the idea of a direct sale of US submarines was "probably an oversimplification".

But he argued a nuclear-powered boat could be sent to Australia's area of responsibility to help ease a looming capability gap, as the existing Collins class fleet is retired and the new submarines are built.

"I think it would be dual-crewed," he told 7.30.

"I think too, that the command of the submarine would be a dual command, so you'd have an executive officer and a commanding officer that would jointly operate the submarine.

"And this, I believe, is the segue to Australia being able to operate its own submarine."

Another member of Congress who signed the letter to the president, Democrat Joe Courtney, said dual-crewing a US submarine would likely raise other issues.

"Having crews from different navies on a regular basis, operating submarines, strikes me as kind of begging a lot of questions and creating a whole sort of host of other sovereign control questions," he said.

"Having said that, the joint training should happen at full speed."

The Washington director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Mark Watson, agreed it would prompt questions about Australian sovereignty.

"If there are crews from the US and Australia on board in a time of crisis, who gets the no-go veto on the use of a particular vessel for a particular task?" he said.

"I think you will definitely see Australians on board US submarines training, for example.

"Whether we get straight to the point of there's a combined and integrated Australian and US crew on a US submarine, that will be interesting to see."

AUKUS supporters insist capacity at US shipyards can be ramped up

Mr Wittman said Australian sailors should complete a full deployment on a Virginia-class submarine, while shipbuilders should travel to the US to help construct one of the boats.

"So to show up here when they start cutting the first piece of steel to the time that that boat is put in the water," he said.

"Because it's only that experience that's going to fully inform Australian shipbuilders as to the scope of what they're doing and to understand how these boats are built and how they're put together."

US shipyards are under pressure as the Navy tries to catch up on its target of increasing its nuclear-powered attack fleet from 50 boats to at least 66.

In their letter to Joe Biden, senators Jack Reed and James Inhofe argued what had been touted as a "do no harm" opportunity might instead become a "zero-sum game" for scarce resources.

But representatives Courtney and Wittman, both of whom represent districts with close ties to the shipbuilding sector, argued capacity could be increased.

"You know, honestly, if AUKUS really works the way it should, there should be contribution to this program from the UK and Australia," Mr Courtney said.

"And I think that shows that, you know, that's a force multiplier that can really help take on the larger demand."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221059 (250939ZJAN23) Notable: Fly-in Anthony Albanese with one week fix - Anthony Albanese will not support blanket alcohol bans across central Australia to combat grog-fuelled violence in Alice Springs, despite warnings from Indigenous leaders that urgent “positive ­discrimination” is needed to protect under-siege households and businesses

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Fly-in Anthony Albanese with one week fix

GEOFF CHAMBERS, ROSIE LEWIS and LIAM MENDES - JANUARY 25, 2023

1/2

Anthony Albanese will not support blanket alcohol bans across central Australia to combat grog-fuelled violence in Alice Springs, despite warnings from Indigenous leaders that urgent “positive ­discrimination” is needed to protect under-siege households and businesses.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday backed the Northern Territory government’s three-month plan to impose takeaway alcohol bans on Mondays and Tuesdays and limit sales to one per person per day but said communities must be consulted on future actions because “people need to be treated with ­respect”.

Mr Albanese announced newly appointed central Australian regional controller Dorrelle Anderson would have one week to report back on potential further alcohol restrictions, after flying to Alice Springs for crisis talks with community ­leaders and police officials following a surge in alcohol-fuelled youth violence, armed robberies and serious assaults.

A longer-term alcohol management plan for central Australia, in addition to a $25m funding pledge supporting community ­organisations, will consider ­imposing an opt-out rather than opt-in system implemented by the Northern Territory government.

Despite police and indigenous leaders identifying alcohol as the leading cause of violence in Alice Springs, Mr Albanese said there were also “issues related to employment and opportunity, issues about service delivery and investment in communities”.

Mr Albanese also linked his push for a constitutional voice to parliament with improving future outcomes for indigenous communities in central Australia.

“Dorrelle (Anderson) will … ­report back on the first of February to myself and to the (NT) Chief Minister (Natasha Fyles) about the ­implementation of potential changes to alcohol restrictions in central Australia, including potentially moving to an opt-out situation rather than opt-in that has applied,” Mr Albanese said.

“These are complex problems and they require a full solution which won’t be immediate but which require different levels of government to work together.

“I also want for communities to be consulted appropriately. People need to be treated with respect. A common theme (at the meeting) is that this issue is not just about ­alcohol.”

Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson said he was unsure whether the response from Mr Albanese was the “right circuit breaker” and was not confident it would do anything to stop children “roaming the streets late at night.”

“It just blows my mind that this is the best thing that we can come up with,” Mr Paterson said. “There’s two conversations happening: one about alcohol and one about kids. Somehow it’s been ­intertwined into one conversation. There has been nothing really ­addressed with the kids today.

“I don’t know if the measures put in place are the immediate measures to help get kids off the street and into a safe place.

“Are we going to see more break-ins by people who are desperate for alcohol? Are we going to see more ram raids by those who are desperate for alcohol?”

Ms Fyles conceded “not everyone will be happy” after announcing immediate measures to ban takeaway alcohol on Monday and Tuesday and restricted hours of service on other days, with takeaways only allowed between 3pm and 7pm.

“The community has called on the government to step up and to step in and to help with a range of solutions and trials and that is what we are going to do,” the Chief Minister said.

“But in return, I asked the community to work with us,” Ms Fyles said.

“We’ve done more than any other government around alcohol policy and measures to ­reduce harm in our community but we need to give the community respite and support. And we need to do that immediately. We will introduce one (alcohol) transaction per person each day. And we’re able to do this immediately through the banned drinker register. These are measures to reduce the amount of alcohol in our community.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221098 (250954ZJAN23) Notable: Video: New Alice Springs alcohol restrictions after Albanese’s crime wave crisis talks - Alcohol sales will be subject to immediate curbs across the Northern Territory in a step towards more sweeping bans within a week, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew to Alice Springs to respond to a surge in violence ravaging Indigenous communities

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

New Alice Springs alcohol restrictions after Albanese’s crime wave crisis talks

Angus Thompson, Paul Sakkal and Zach Hope - January 24, 2023

1/2

Alcohol sales will be subject to immediate curbs across the Northern Territory in a step towards more sweeping bans within a week, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew to Alice Springs to respond to a surge in violence ravaging Indigenous communities.

The prime minister shelved the prospect of federal police being sent in as he outlined the urgent changes alongside Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles late on Tuesday, just hours after she had played down the prospect of imposing new alcohol bans.

“These are complex problems, and they require a full solution, which won’t be immediate, which require different levels of government to work together to that end,” Albanese said during a press conference following an emergency meeting with federal, territory and local leaders.

On top of an existing restriction on Sunday alcohol sales, bottle shops will be banned from selling take-away alcohol on Mondays and Tuesdays, while trading hours for takeaways would be reduced on the remaining days, and transactions would be limited to one per person, per day.

It is not yet clear how these restrictions will be policed.

Fyles said the government could enforce the changes immediately. “I do ask the community to understand that we do not take these decisions lightly, but these are measures to reduce the amount of alcohol in our community,” she said.

Albanese said the government would also consider the reintroduction of alcohol bans in the Northern Territory under an “opt-out situation” rather than the current rules, which allow communities to opt in to restrictions, following the lifting of federal legislation in July.

“I support ... immediate measures to place restrictions on the availability of alcohol,” Albanese said.

The prime minister has also appointed a Central Australian Regional Controller, Dorelle Anderson, who will report back to the federal and territory governments on an alcohol ban on Wednesday, February 1.

Albanese met with Fyles, her Attorney-General Chansey Paech, and Alice Springs leaders alongside Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney, her assistant minister Malarndirri McCarthy, Labor MP Marion Scrymgour and Senator Pat Dodson to address the alcohol-fuelled crime surge plaguing the town.

Burney said the measures “that have been announced today are important, and the fact that we have an ongoing process for dealing with … incredibly complex issues in central Australia should be commended”.

She said the issues of youth on the street and alcohol fuelled violence were real. “Let’s not pretend,” she said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221127 (251003ZJAN23) Notable: After Alice alcohol clampdown, NT to get tougher cash restrictions - Northern Territory residents could be subject to tougher spending restrictions when the cashless debit card used to control their spending winds up in March, while Prime Minister Anthony says he is open to a return of total alcohol bans for communities at risk

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

After Alice alcohol clampdown, NT to get tougher cash restrictions

Angus Thompson - January 25, 2023

1/2

Northern Territory residents could be subject to tougher spending restrictions when the cashless debit card used to control their spending winds up in March, while Prime Minister Anthony says he is open to a return of total alcohol bans for communities at risk.

Labor promised throughout last year’s election to abolish the cashless debit card, an income management tool that quarantines between 30 per cent and 80 per cent of welfare payments, and prevents it being withdrawn as cash or used to pay for alcohol or gambling.

Plans to switch welfare recipients in the territory to a voluntary card that restricts spending have been ruled out for the rest of 2023.

According to government sources with knowledge of the repeal of the cashless debit card in the Northern Territory, the restrictions on spending for participants will be increased when the new scheme begins in March.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth told ABC’s Radio National on Wednesday the federal government hadn’t misjudged their plans for voluntary income management in light of the alcohol-fuelled violence in Alice Springs, adding communities would be consulted on the future of income management in the territory.

Legislation passed last year made the cashless debit card voluntary in October 2022, but Northern Territory residents will be kept on it until March 6, when they will be transferred to an enhanced program, the details of which aren’t fully known.

“The Albanese Labor Government is working in partnership with the NT Government and the local community on a way forward, because we know that the best solutions come from local communities themselves,” Rishworth said in a statement to this masthead.

Northern Territory police commissioner Jamie Chalker said that when people had more access to cash “we unfortunately see an increase in alcohol-related harm”.

“We know that when there’s extra money that comes into circulation without real due diligence as to what the potential consequential impacts may be, it invariably ends up being a police problem,” he said.

During an interview with Sky News, Albanese was asked whether communities could be subjected to a total alcohol ban if that’s what a review found.

“Well, that’s an option that we completely have said is there on the table,” Albanese said. However, he blamed the previous Coalition government for allowing the laws governing the bans to lapse.

Minister for Aboriginal Australians Linda Burney said on Wednesday morning she had been pushing the Northern Territory government for months to get tougher on alcohol following persistent calls from Alice Springs community leaders to act.

The morning after the federal and territory governments jointly announced an overhaul of alcohol sales to curb rising crime in the central Australian town, Burney told ABC’s Radio National Breakfast on Wednesday said the territory government had admitted “they clearly got it wrong” in not responding sooner.

Federal laws restricting alcohol in some communities were allowed to lapse in July. Alcohol-driven crime has risen dramatically in the territory as liquor became legal in some areas for the first time in 15 years.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221139 (251010ZJAN23) Notable: ‘Still at war’: Lidia Thorpe casts doubt over Greens’ support - Greens’ First Nations spokeswoman Lidia Thorpe says Australia is “still at war” and that an Indigenous voice to parliament is not the answer to ending that conflict, signalling rising Left-wing opposition to enshrining the advisory body in the constitution - It comes as organisers of “Invasion Day” rallies across the country flagged they would campaign against the voice on Australia Day

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

‘Still at war’: Lidia Thorpe casts doubt over Greens’ support

SARAH ISON - JANUARY 25, 2023

Greens’ First Nations spokeswoman Lidia Thorpe says Australia is “still at war” and that an Indigenous voice to parliament is not the answer to ending that conflict, signalling rising Left-wing opposition to enshrining the advisory body in the constitution.

It comes as organisers of “Invasion Day” rallies across the country flagged they would campaign against the voice on Australia Day on Thursday.

Senator Thorpe’s comments throw into question whether the Greens will support the voice, a decision they will make early next month at a partyroom meeting. She has previously made clear her support for the voice would be conditional on recommendations being acted upon from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the 1997 Bringing them Home report on Indigenous child removals.

However, on Tuesday Ms Thorpe told the Guardian that Labor was taking a “top-down” approach, rather than including grassroots voices, and said the voice risked being nothing but a “tokenistic” body.

“What is an advisory body that has parliamentary power over it? It’s really a joke,” she said.

“We want seats in parliament that deliver real power, not tokenistic power that is subject to the parliament, and that’s what this will be.” She said the “war” in Australia would not end until truth-telling took place and treaties were struck with Indigenous people.

“The war is not over so we have to continue to fight the war,” she said. “Every Invasion Day is a reminder that we are still at war.

“Until that war ends, until we have a treaty in this country, we’ll always be at war, so people need to show up on Invasion Day and they need to stand with us in solidarity.” Organisers of Invasion Day protests have made clear they will campaign against the voice on January 26.

A statement from organisers of the Melbourne rally said: “While the nation debates our position in its Constitution, we remind people that we are over 50 years on since the last successful referendum and ask people what has changed?

“We have sat through coronial inquest after coronial inquest, we have participated in royal commissions and inquiries, we have met state and federal governments on their terms. We demanded a treaty, but we now are being forced to enter discussions around a voice to parliament.

“With progressives talking over the top of us and bigots denying our humanity, our self-determination is being steamrolled.”

Senator Thorpe’s latest criticism of the voice comes as the government this week was urged to focus on the crisis in Alice Springs before looking to progress constitutional recognition.

Labor MP Marion Scrymgour said on Monday that discussion of the voice referendum in her seat of Lingiari, which has the nation's largest Indigenous population, was challenging for people who were frustrated and felt unsafe in their beds.

When asked if Senator Thorpe’s comments reflected the Greens’ position, acting Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi pointed to comments she made last week, when she said the party “supported progress on all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart – truth, treaty, and voice”.

“The Greens are in productive discussions with the Labor government to ensure that any action they take in parliament does not set us back on the campaign to achieve treaty or undermine First Nations sovereignty,” Ms Faruqi said.

“Now that we have the Labor government’s timetable for legislation, (the) partyroom will meet early next month to discuss Labor’s plan and decide on our formal position on Labor’s voice legislation. We will be including Blak Greens members in this discussion.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/still-at-war-thorpe-casts-doubt-over-greens-support/news-story/5bef67be64852ed799d53d769bc745dd

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221154 (251018ZJAN23) Notable: Pressure is building as the voice vote draws close - Anthony Albanese’s crisis dash to Alice Springs on Tuesday revealed a Prime Minister under pressure, months out from staking his authority on a referendum to enshrine a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Pressure is building as the voice vote draws close

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JANUARY 25, 2023

Anthony Albanese’s crisis dash to Alice Springs on Tuesday revealed a Prime Minister under pressure, months out from staking his authority on a referendum to enshrine a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament.

The federal government’s pledge to use a voice to parliament as a means to close the gap for Indigenous Australians faster contrasts with the shocking images of youth violence and alcohol-fuelled crime in the Territory.

Albanese’s flying visit, after Labor MP Marion Scrymgour on Monday warned the “voice couldn’t be further from people’s view up here (in Lingiari) because people are under siege in their own home”, will do little to instil confidence in a community gripped with fear.

Grog-related violence has been fuelled by inconsistent and poorly designed policies pushed by politicians and bureaucrats afraid to tackle the root cause of a national crisis, which is not isolated to Alice Springs. When frontline local Indigenous and community leaders demand “positive discrimination” and an increased police presence to combat the vicious cycle of alcohol-fuelled violence, they get half-baked and temporary responses.

An overwhelming majority of Australians want governments, who pump billions of dollars into Indigenous programs every year, to reduce family violence rates and deliver positive health, education and work outcomes for First Nations communities.

Too often, the voices of regional and remote Indigenous leaders are ignored by governments who consistently fail to achieve targets improving living standards and crime rates.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, whose side of politics also failed to reverse generational and systemic violence in Indigenous communities, this week shone a light on the worsening conditions in Alice Springs.

After visiting the town in October, he wrote to Albanese calling for a royal commission into sexual abuse of Indigenous youth.

Dutton has also raised concerns shared by many Australians over what a voice to parliament will actually deliver for Indigenous communities.

Public polling on support for the voice referendum has shown many Australians, while not opposed to constitutional recognition, are undecided on the Yes and No arguments.

Those leading the Yes campaign are concerned that any hit to momentum ahead of a likely October referendum could see voters drift to the No side.

They are also worried that some remote and regional communities exposed to violence and social disorder, who have heard similar platitudes from Canberra across decades, could oppose the voice over scepticism about a new advisory body and additional layers of bureaucracy accelerating action on the ground.

Albanese, who is not funding the Yes or No camps in the expectation of overwhelming private sector and community support in favour of the referendum, is exposed on both flanks as the Coalition and Greens finalise their positions.

Australians, already navigating a rental and housing crisis, labour shortages, high inflation, record energy prices and volatile global markets, will be asked by Albanese this year to support what he describes as a “minimal change to our Constitution” and a voice that is “subservient” to the parliament.

After a popular post-election period for the Labor government, in which it passed legislation enabling its industrial relations, skills, climate change, energy and childcare election policies, 2023 presents a myriad of unpredictable political challenges that will test Albanese’s fortitude.

If the Coalition and Greens oppose Labor’s proposed voice referendum, and a groundswell of support fails to materialise, Albanese’s key election promise faces defeat.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/pressure-is-building-as-the-vote-draws-closer/news-story/b20827c71935c8d28d3a79a574d0aca7

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221174 (251031ZJAN23) Notable: Change by stealth: bosses ‘undermining our holiday’ - The Coalition has accused Labor of encouraging corporate Australia “to change our national day by stealth” after Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady revealed she would work on Australia Day, declaring that for many First Nations people January 26 was a “painful reminder of discrimination and exclusion”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

Change by stealth: bosses ‘undermining our holiday’

CAMERON ENGLAND - JANUARY 25, 2023

1/2

The Coalition has accused Labor of encouraging corporate Australia “to change our national day by stealth” after Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady revealed she would work on Thursday, ­declaring that for many First ­Nations people January 26 was a “painful reminder of discrimination and exclusion”.

Ms Brady is, to date, the highest profile corporate figure who has chosen to publicly announce they will be working on Thursday, as the national debate continues about the appropriateness of celebrating the day when Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788.

Opposition citizenship spokes­man Dan Tehan said when Anthony Albanese made the decision before Christmas to allow councils not to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day he had “sent a clear message that he was happy for people to undermine our national day”.

“This was despite his commitment before the election that he did not support changing the date. This sleight of hand has led to the inevitable – business groups and others seeking to change our national day by stealth,” Mr Tehan said.

“Anthony Albanese needs to be up front with the Australian people. Either he supports the date or is happy for it to be undermined.”

The chief executives of Aus­tralia’s top firms regularly work through public holidays and weekends, but Ms Hardy’s move to publicise her decision indicates the importance with which corporate Australia is treating the issue.

NAB chief executive Ross McEwan will also be working, but when contacted by The Australian did not ascribe the decision to work to the Australia Day debate.

“While Thursday is a national public holiday, there are a number of commitments Mr McEwan will be working on as NAB CEO,” a company spokesperson said.

A number of other large companies, many of which operate across international borders, indicated it was common practice for their CEOs to work on holidays.

Woodside Energy chief executive Meg O’Neill said via a spokeswoman she would be taking the day as a holiday. The company said its flexible work policies already allowed employees to swap their working arrangements across up to five public holidays each year “allowing individuals the flexibility to celebrate days of significance to them’’.

Momentum has been building in some sectors of the community to change the date of Australia Day particularly over the past couple of years, with those opposed to the day’s celebration as Australia Day terming it alternatively Invasion Day or Survival Day.

Numerous large corporations have recently announced they will allow employees to work on Australia Day this year, and take an ­alternative day off. These include Telstra, which announced the change last year, Woodside ­Energy, mining giant BHP, ­Channel 10 and major professional services firms such as ­Deloitte, PwC and KPMG.

KPMG national chair Alison Kitchen said last month it was not taking an “active position’’ on the issue, but had given its 9000 employees the option to work on January 26.

“A lot of our Indigenous colleagues will come into the office on Australia Day” she said. “We haven’t taken an active position on Australia Day; we think we’re on a journey.”

Channel 10 last month told its staff they were not required to take the day off and acknowledged in an email to its employees that “For our First Nations people … January 26 is not a day of celebration’’.

“We recognise that January 26 evokes different emotions for our employees across the business, and we are receptive to employees who do not feel comfortable taking this day as a public holiday,’’ the email said.

“Whether you choose to work on January 26 or take the holiday, we ask that you reflect and respect the different perspectives and viewpoints of all Australians.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18221223 (251057ZJAN23) Notable: ‘Huge moment’: Government prepares to unveil AUKUS plan - Defence Minister Richard Marles says the government has almost completed its plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact and won’t shy away from taking tough decisions to overhaul the Defence Force for today’s military threats

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘Huge moment’: Government prepares to unveil AUKUS plan

Matthew Knott - January 25, 2023

1/2

Defence Minister Richard Marles says the government has almost completed its plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact and won’t shy away from taking tough decisions to overhaul the Defence Force for today’s military threats.

Despite recent speculation about the United States’ ability to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, Marles said Australians should feel assured the nation would not be left with a capability gap following the retirement of the ageing Collins-class fleet.

Marles will receive both the recommendations of the nuclear-powered submarine taskforce and the final version of a sweeping strategic review of the nation’s defence forces within weeks, laying the foundation for some of Australia’s most significant national security decisions in decades.

“I think this is a huge moment in Australian defence history,” Marles told this masthead.

“What I can say is that the body of work for both exercises is on track and therefore near completion.”

It was revealed earlier this month that two senior US senators had written to US President Joe Biden to warn the AUKUS security pact struck in 2021 between Australia, the United Kingdom and the US risked pushing America’s industrial base to breaking point.

A bipartisan group of US politicians insisted in a counter-letter that American shipyards were up to the task of providing Australia with a stopgap supply of nuclear-powered submarines.

Marles said he felt personal pressure to get the big calls correct given the enormous costs involved in turning AUKUS into reality and the fact previous plans to modernise Australia’s submarine fleet failed to materialise.

“There is absolutely the sense of a weight of responsibility that the questions we are deciding, the decisions we’re taking will have a very big impact on the nature of the country for a long time to come,” he said.

“I feel really confident that we’ll be able to make decisions in a way which is in the best interest of the country.”

Marles said he was preparing to shortly announce the submarine model the government would adopt as well as an interim solution to avoid a capability gap before the arrival of locally made boats.

The government would also provide a cost estimate of the nuclear-powered submarine program and detail about how Australia would comply with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

“I’m confident that we’ll have answers to all those questions,” he said. “And I feel good about that.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228346 (260744ZJAN23) Notable: PRESS STATEMENT: Australia National Day - ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE - On behalf of the people and Government of the United States, I extend best wishes to all Australians on the occasion of Australia Day on January 26

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

PRESS STATEMENT: Australia National Day

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

JANUARY 24, 2023

On behalf of the people and Government of the United States, I extend best wishes to all Australians on the occasion of Australia Day on January 26.

Our two countries enjoy a long history of partnership defined by shared values and experiences. Our common resolve has led to our collaboration to address climate change, preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific, and develop new technologies that keep our planet cleaner, facilitate space exploration, enable medical breakthroughs, and benefit the world in many other areas. Our people-to-people ties, rich cultural diversity, and millennia-long history of First Nations’ peoples make our friendship second to none.

In the year ahead, we look forward to expanding this cooperation further, aided by our joint work in the Quad, ASEAN, APEC, and AUKUS. I wish our mates in Australia a happy and safe Australia Day.

https://www.state.gov/australia-national-day-3/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228355 (260746ZJAN23) Notable: Thousands protest Invasion Day in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra - Dramatic scenes erupted at Invasion Day rallies across the country, with fights breaking out and Greens senator Lidia Thorpe declaring “they are stealing our babies”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

Thousands protest Invasion Day in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra

Dramatic scenes erupted at Invasion Day rallies across the country, with fights breaking out and Greens senator Lidia Thorpe declaring “they are stealing our babies”.

Lauren Ferri, Jessica Wang, Catie McLeod and Hugo Timms - January 26, 2023

1/4

Dramatic scenes erupted at Invasion Day rallies across the country, with Greens senator Lidia Thorpe declaring “they are stealing our babies”.

Thousands of Australians rallied in solidarity with First Nations people, marching under the scorching sun in a bid to get the government to change the date.

Protesters took to the streets with marches organised in every state and territory on Thursday as many chose not to mark the national holiday and protested January 26 as Australia’s national day of celebration.

MELBOURNE

Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe took to the stage around midday as the heaving crowds of Melbourne’s CBD cheered her on under the scorching heat.

Ms Thorpe, who is an Indigenous woman and the star of Melbourne’s treaty movement, declared “this is a war” to rapturous cheers.

“A war that was declared on our people more than 200 years ago,” Senator Thorpe said in an extraordinary speech, in which she said black women were still being raped by “them”.

Loud shouts of “shame” met Ms Thorpe’s consecutive declarations, given with red-painted hands symbolising violence and in which she held a “war stick”.

“That war has never ended in our country against our people. They are still killing us. They are still stealing our babies. They are killing our men. They are still raping our women,” she yelled to the crowd.

“What do we have to celebrate in this country? Do we want to become an advisory body to the colonial system?

“We deserve better. We have to be rid of racism and heal this country and bring everyone together through a sovereign treaty.

“We deserve better than an advisory body. They could put 10 independent black states in the senate today. We want real power and we won’t settle for anything less.”

Speaking to NCA NewsWire after her speech, Senator Thorpe denied it was confirmation she would spearhead a Voice no-vote.

“I won’t be part of any campaign,” she said.

Senator Thorpe said the extent of the turnout and the reception to the numerous Aboriginal speakers confirmed the urgency of a treaty.

To loud chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Killing Us”, the rally made its way down towards the busy intersection of Swanston and Collins St, momentarily paralysing the centre of Melbourne’s CBD.

Ms Thorpe and others laid themselves on the tram tracks of the intersection.

The large crowd assembled outside Victoria’s State Parliament on Bourke St in the city’s CBD for the annual Invasion Day celebration.

The crowd, which was in its thousands, burst into cheers just after 11am when a speaker declared “f*ck Australia Day”.

Uncle Gary Foley criticised the proposal for The Voice and labelled it “lipstick on a pig”.

He called for a treaty between First Nations people and the wider community to be made a priority over the referendum.

“This referendum got a snowball chance in hell of getting up,” he said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228406 (260801ZJAN23) Notable: Anon on calls for a Treaty: "I wonder who exactly the leftards think the early administrators of Australia should have made a treaty with? You had a stone-age, nomadic people with no centralised government and at least 250 distinct languages spoken. How would a treaty even work? Make one with every different group?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129665

I wonder who exactly the leftards think the early administrators of Australia should have made a treaty with? You had a stone-age, nomadic people with no centralised government and at least 250 distinct languages spoken. How would a treaty even work? Make one with every different group?

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228418 (260804ZJAN23) Notable: TV presenter Jessica Rowe says children ‘don’t want to celebrate’ Australia Day - High-profile journalist Jessica Rowe has claimed children do not want to take part in January 26 celebrations, and has backed the campaign to change the date of Australia Day

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

TV presenter Jessica Rowe says children ‘don’t want to celebrate’ Australia Day

SOPHIE ELSWORTH - JANUARY 26, 2023

High-profile journalist Jessica Rowe has claimed children do not want to take part in January 26 celebrations, and has backed the campaign to change the date of Australia Day.

Appearing on Network Ten’s Studio 10 program as a guest on Thursday morning, Rowe – who used to co-host the show – declared she was “sorry” for the nation’s history, said Australia Day should not be marked on its current date, and claimed children “don’t want” to celebrate the public holiday.

“I’m so sorry for what’s happened, I think we need to say sorry to move on,” she said on the show’s panel hosted by Narelda Jacobs and Tristan MacManus.

“Today is not a date to celebrate at all and we need to change that date, well and truly the time has come.”

Rowe, who is married to Nine’s Sydney newsreader Peter Overton, revealed that her two teenage daughters did not want to celebrate Australia Day.

“Let’s find a date that really celebrates who we are as a nation … this is what I’m hopeful about, (and) my daughters are very passionate about it,” she said.

“I think kids of that age, they know far more and they don’t celebrate today, they don’t want to celebrate today.”

Rowe’s comments come after The Australian revealed last month that Ten’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey offered her views on Australia Day in an internal email sent to staff in which she said it was “not a day of celebration”.

Ms McGarvey went on to say that Paramount ANZ refers to January 26 as just that, January 26.

“For our First Nations people, we as an organisation acknowledge that January 26 is not a day of celebration,” she said in the email.

“We recognise that there has been a turbulent history, particularly around that date and the recognition of that date being Australia Day.”

On Thursday Rowe asked the show’s co-host Narelda Jacobs, a Whadjuk Noongar woman, how she felt about Australia Day.

“A lot of people associate patriotism with January 26 because it is the day that we are told that we need to celebrate who we are as a country,” Jacobs said.

“It’s just the date, we’re not saying don’t be a proud Australian and don’t be patriotic but just don’t do it today because there’s so much pain that comes with it.

“This date isn’t the date to be celebrated because that’s when the trauma began.”

Fellow Studio 10 panellist Denise Drysdale said she was also in favour of changing the date, and that process should involve consulting First Nations Australians.

“Being older, for years I just thought it (Australia Day) was a great day when white Australians arrived but as you get older you learn, you realise it’s wrong to celebrate what happened,” the 74-year-old said.

“We need to ask the original Aussies what they want.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/television-presenter-jessica-rowe-says-children-dont-want-to-celebrate-australia-day/news-story/b904cd4dc9bd8d3f3f5f07557aefff36

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228427 (260808ZJAN23) Notable: Voice, Australia Day not top of mind in Alice Springs - "I cannot help but think opposition to Australia Day, along with the debate about the proposed enshrined voice to parliament, are convenient distractions to addressing the more serious problems facing Aboriginal Australians...For those who want to mourn on January 26, please do so. But please, on that day, take some time to think about those Aboriginal people who are genuinely suffering because they are hungry, live in unclean environments, share a mattress with three others, and are so accustomed to violence that they no longer bother to avoid it." - Anthony Dillon - theaustralian.com.au

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

Voice, Australia Day not top of mind in Alice Spring

ANTHONY DILLON - JANUARY 24, 2023

Daniel Andrews has cancelled the Australia Day parade for the third year in a row in Victoria. Senator Lidia Thorpe was quoted as saying the move is a sign of progress. On an SBS page, co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Marcus Stewart, was reported as saying the parade axing was a positive step forward for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Really? What am I missing here?

I cannot help but think opposition to Australia Day, along with the debate about the proposed enshrined voice to parliament, are convenient distractions to addressing the more serious problems facing Aboriginal Australians.

I read in this newspaper on Monday about the dysfunction affecting the people of Alice Springs. This story is just the latest in several stories that have focused on crime waves in Alice Springs in the past couple of months. Back in November, there were media reports about how Alice Springs elders were pleading with the Northern Territory government to work with them on solutions to youth crime.

For those Aboriginal Australians in Alice Springs impacted by crime, both as perpetrators and victims, I do not think protesting against Australia Day celebrations is top of mind. Their priorities are likely finding a safe place to dwell in and fresh food to eat. These should also be the priorities, along with jobs and education, of political leaders, proponents of the parliamentary voice and the government departments dedicated to closing the gap.

So why aren’t they? First, I don’t believe it’s because Aboriginal Australians are without a voice. Federal member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour, a strong Aboriginal woman, was reported in Monday’s article as saying that she is seeing a level of violence she had never encountered. She is further quoted as saying: “I just find it unacceptable in this day and age that the violence against Aboriginal women in this town raises very little urgency from anyone – it’s appalling.” If it’s Aboriginal voices from the coalface the government is waiting for, you’ve already got them.

The reason these problems are not priorities can be found in the words spoken by the Mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Paterson, as reported in this paper: “We are all too scared to have the difficult conversations.” Again, it’s so much easier to talk about Australia Day celebrations and the lack of a parliamentary voice as the big culprits holding Aboriginal people back.

Australia Day has special appeal because activists describe it using highly emotive language. For example, they love to tell us that the day is a celebration of genocide, theft and murder. For more than a decade I have been asking activists to show me anyone who celebrates any of these things and, thus far, they have not shown me anyone.

They can’t because no Australian celebrates any of those things on Australia Day, or any other day. Those who do celebrate, typically celebrate that Australia, although not perfect, is a great place to live.

Another emotive word activists use to describe Australia Day is that it is divisive. Being seen as divisive, Australia Day should therefore be scrapped. Actually, it’s just a day and so can’t be divisive. People are divisive, not dates. The voice is also considered divisive; should we therefore scrap the idea? No, reasoned debate is needed instead.

For those who want to mourn on January 26, please do so. But please, on that day, take some time to think about those Aboriginal people who are genuinely suffering because they are hungry, live in unclean environments, share a mattress with three others, and are so accustomed to violence that they no longer bother to avoid it. For those who will be protesting against Australia Day, ask yourself if your self-pity party is helping the people who are really suffering.

I’ll be with friends thinking about what a great country we are and the great achievements of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal citizens. I will laugh when I see the protesters out on the streets with their slogans of “no pride in genocide”. It’s that time of the year when it’s likely going to be hot. Some of these protesters, claiming oppression, may get sunburnt. If they do, it will probably be the only trauma they’ve ever experienced.

The choice is yours: you can either mourn and protest, or celebrate what a great country we live in. But whatever you do, Happy Australia Day, mate.

Anthony Dillon is a research fellow in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Australian Catholic University and identifies as a part-Indigenous Australian.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/voice-australia-day-not-top-of-mind-in-alice-springs/news-story/96e703d5017bae13a1b5972db4c0d4d1

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228435 (260814ZJAN23) Notable: Plenty of warning on grog horrors - Doctors and community leaders have been warning federal parliament about the unfolding crisis in Alice Springs for months, with a committee told last year about a woman who died after she was set on fire, axe ­attacks, and people presenting at emergency with “horrific ­injuries”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Plenty of warning on grog horrors

SARAH ISON and ROSIE LEWIS - JANUARY 26, 2023

1/2

Doctors and community leaders have been warning federal parliament about the unfolding crisis in Alice Springs for months, with a committee told last year about a woman who died after she was set on fire, axe ­attacks, and people presenting at emergency with “horrific ­injuries”.

After the lapsing of the Stronger Futures legislation in July – a federal law in place since 2012 that enforced alcohol bans – local organisations told the joint standing committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ­affairs they had seen an almost immediate increase in alcohol-related violence.

The Central Desert Regional Council in October said that, while community members felt the legislation “eroded” their choice and agency, the end of the law had seen an increase in violence, unproductive workforces and road accidents due to people driving under the influence.

In a hearing held in Alice Springs in December, Alice Springs Hospital emergency medicine director Stephen Gourley said there had been a rise in victims of domestic violence and alcohol-related harm.

“The numbers don’t really tell the whole story. The level of injuries that we’re seeing is horrific,” he said.

“There’s probably no other word for it. It has a toll not only on the women – it’s mostly women being beaten – but also on families, the community and us, the people who look after them.”

Dr Gourley told the committee there had been a “domestic violence incident where the woman locked herself in the toilet (in her home) to try to get away from the perpetrator”.

“He then poured petrol under the door and set it on fire, and she was immolated in the toilet. He also was immolated.

“They came into the emergency department. They survived for about two days in intensive care before succumbing to their injuries.”

But the Labor chair of the joint standing committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, Patrick Dodson, said no one had raised the need for an interim report to make recommendations in response to the deteriorating situation on the ground.

“We’ve been given a timeline by the parliament and we’re working to deliver our report on March 1; we are still taking ­evidence,” he said.

“The evidence about troubles in Alice Springs, where we sat for two days last year, was already in the public domain and the government has been working since its election to improve safety for the Alice Springs community.”

Dr Gourley said he had seen people with their heads hit against door frames and with rocks, along with others beaten by iron bars and metal poles.

“The list goes on, and it’s so common,” he said.

He revealed that Alice Springs was one of the only hospitals he had ever worked in “where the police bring in more people than the ambulance”.

A spokesperson for the Alice Springs Hospital confirmed that there was an “increase in the number of presentations to the Alice Springs Hospital ED in the final quarter of 2022 compared to the three months prior”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228466 (260826ZJAN23) Notable: ‘No one knows what the hell’s going on’: Confusion as Alice alcohol bans hit - The crisis is more complex than easier access to alcohol: add to this the decline of service delivery, unemployment rates anecdotally north of 90 per cent in some places, welfare dependency and fracturing connections to traditional language, lore and land

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

‘No one knows what the hell’s going on’: Confusion as Alice alcohol bans hit

Zach Hope - January 25, 2023

It is two hours from opening time on the first day of Alice Springs’ new alcohol regime when Haydn Rodda, the owner of Pigglys Supermarket, emerges from the locked doors of his bottle shop following a meeting with police.

He is still unsure about what happens next and, it seems, so is the constabulary.

“I think it’s a case of ‘you can’t put some things in place without the correct paperwork’,” he says. “[The police] were here to say ‘open up at 3pm’, but they got a phone call just before you arrived.

“No one knows what the hell’s going on.”

The new measures, announced late the previous afternoon in a hastily convened press conference with an entourage of jittery federal and territory politicians, include restricted bottle shop hours and a total takeaway booze ban on Mondays and Tuesdays.

They are the stopgap response to the soaring crime fuelled in part, locals say, by the volumes of alcohol now flowing freely in previously dry Aboriginal town camps.

Kids escaping boredom or hopelessness roam the streets alongside jobless and prospectless young men and women. Most are peaceful. Others gather in increasingly emboldened groups seeking chaos and destruction, at any time of day.

We accompanied a nighttime security patrol on Tuesday with a local company, passing boarded-up windows, razor-wire fences and bollards strategically placed to stop stolen-car ram raids and hooning.

Passing the town council offices, our unmarked car is struck with a packed lump of dirt, a common experience for Alice Springs drivers – but often they cop rocks instead of clay. There are at least 20 young people in this particular group, all moving towards town. Some could not be older than 10.

Later that night, a 35-year-old woman was arrested after a man was stabbed in the chest outside a business just across the road. The man was taken to hospital.

The security outfit has 170 staff on the books, according to the driver, who is also a supervisor. Staff accompany Coles workers to and from their cars. Another stays overnight in the closed Kmart.

The driver points out the defunct Beaurepaires tyre shop, which has been broken into so many times no one bothers sealing the doors.

The night before the politicians arrived, one of the leaders they came to see, Donna Ah Chee, the chief executive of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, had her car windows smashed by would-be thieves demanding alcohol.

“I have never felt this unsafe and frightened in the 36 years I’ve lived in Alice Springs,” she told ABC Radio.

This year’s difficult summer prompted Mayor Matt Paterson to issue an appeal last week for outside help: “Anything”, he said, to bolster the Territory’s stretched policing resources, even a deployment of federal police or the army.

These options were rebuffed. So too were calls from some town leaders to reimpose the elements of the Stronger Futures legislation, which prevented residents of the Alice Springs town camps from buying takeaway alcohol. The laws lapsed in July last year.

Locals say the freedoms enjoyed once the legislation lapsed also attracted more people from dry remote communities, who crash at the crowded homes of relatives or in the parks.

The crisis is more complex than easier access to alcohol: add to this the decline of service delivery, unemployment rates anecdotally north of 90 per cent in some places, welfare dependency and fracturing connections to traditional language, lore and land.

After five years of the Howard-era intervention, followed by a decade of Stronger Futures, people with deep connections to the desert lament the failed government fixes.

Paterson said the local restrictions did not go far enough and could have unintentional consequences, including more break-ins by people searching for alcohol on the dry days.

There were also concerns the measures could supercharge the already raging “sly grog” market, in which some people unable to access alcohol are willing to pay as much as $200 for a bottle of rum.

Others said the travelling pack of politicians on Tuesday was little more than a “dog and pony show”.

“We know what the core of the problem is,” one person said. “It’s about a lack of social inclusion. It’s about a lack of economic inclusion. It’s about school attendance. It’s about the economy.

“We know what we have to do, and we’re not doing it.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/what-the-hell-s-going-on-on-the-streets-and-in-the-shops-of-alice-springs-20230125-p5cfc6.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228489 (260842ZJAN23) Notable: Video: Police detain fans over Putin flag furore at Australian Open - Ugly scenes have been captured on film as police were forced to act following a clash between fans and security at the Australian Open - Footage posted online showed at least one man holding a Russian flag with President Vladimir Putin’s face on it - Another man was seen inside the stadium during the match with a pro war ‘Z’ symbol T-shirt

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129624

Police detain fans over Putin flag furore at Australian Open

Ugly scenes have been captured on film as police were forced to act following a clash between fans and security at the Australian Open.

Tyson Otto - January 26, 2023

1/2

The first Russian pro-war signs have been seen at the Australian Open leading to an ugly incident between a group of spectators and police.

Tennis Australia has confirmed four spectators were detained by police and were further questioned after pro-Russian demonstrators were seen chanting outside Rod Laver Arena following Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final win over Russian Andrey Rublev on Wednesday night.

A statement from Victoria Police has confirmed all four men were evicted from the event.

“Police spoke to four men after a Russian flag was produced on the steps at the tennis about 10.20pm on Wednesday 25 January. All four men were evicted,” the statement read.

Footage posted online showed at least one man holding a Russian flag with President Vladimir Putin’s face on it.

Another man was seen inside the stadium during the match with a pro war ‘Z’ symbol T-shirt.

Spectators are banned from having Russian or Belarusian flags at the Grand Slam after Ukraine’s ambassador demanded action when they were seen among the crowd last week.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players have normally competed under a neutral white flag as independents, as is the case at the Australian Open.

Three of the eight quarter-finalists in the men’s singles and women’s singles draws are playing as neutrals, while Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina was also born in Russia.

Two Belarusian players — Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka — could meet in Saturday’s Australian Open final after winning through to the last four.

Karen Khachanov also plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228504 (260851ZJAN23) Notable: Simeon Boikov, a notorious pro-Russia commentator who goes by the name “Aussie Cossack” has had a warrant issued for his arrest after he refused to turn up to court while seeking refuge in the Russian consulate

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129606

Arrest warrant issued for ‘number one Putin fan’ seeking refuge from police in Russian Consulate

A notorious online commentator who has dubbed himself Putin’s ‘number one fan’ has had a warrant issued for his arrest as he seeks refuge.

Lauren Ferri - January 25, 2023

A notorious pro-Russia commentator who goes by the name “Aussie Cossack” has had a warrant issued for his arrest after he refused to turn up to court while seeking refuge in the Russian consulate.

Simeon Boikov, 32, is accused of assaulting a 76-year-old man at a rally in support of Ukraine in December at Sydney’s Town Hall.

Mr Boikov posted a video to his YouTube channel following the rally which showed him in a scuffle with the man, who fell backwards down the stairs.

The man was taken to hospital with a head injury, with NSW Police called to the scene of Mr Boikov’s arrest.

A NSW Police statement issued at the time said he was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

He was due to face court on Wednesday over the matter but the 32-year-old never showed up as he is currently seeking refuge in the Russian consulate in Sydney.

Mr Boikov’s defence lawyer, Mark Davis, told the court he hadn’t heard from him but knew where he was and was hoping to speak with him.

Magistrate Megan Greenwood told the lawyer he “better tell police” as there has been a parole warrant out for him since he was charged.

“I don’t have his instructions; I’m hoping to get direct instructions to plead guilty to the common assault,” Mr Davis said.

Ms Greenwood adjourned the matter and issued a warrant for Mr Boikov’s arrest, telling the court he needed to be present to enter a plea.

Videos were circulating on social media in which Mr Boikov said he had to make a “tough decision” and seek refuge in the Russian consulate.

“I have no faith in the legal system, no faith in the police, no faith in the courts to be fair in this process,” he said in the video.

“So in order to mount the defence, in order to conduct a fair process, I’ve decided to enter the Russian consulate and ask the Russian government for political asylum.”

Mr Davis confirmed to NCA NewsWire he was in the Russian consulate.

He said Mr Boikov had not made “any grand announcements” but was “close” to doing so.

Mr Davis said his client’s action is “totally defendable” and in normal circumstances he would have a “good prospect” of winning the case.

“Because of the situation … it would take six months to get to a hearing; for good reason he might enter a guilty plea and have it dealt with,” Mr Davis said.

He said he is currently in the process of dealing with the arrest warrant and having it resolved “promptly”.

Mr Boikov has amassed nearly 230,000 followers across his social media accounts, which include YouTube, Telegram and Facebook.

The 32-year-old was a prominent personality in the anti-vaccine mandate protests in Canberra in 2022 and claims he is the leader of the Australian Cossacks – a group which promotes pro-Russian government sentiment.

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/arrest-warrant-issued-for-number-one-putin-fan-seeking-refuge-from-police-in-russian-consulate/news-story/597aa6efd352017236b97cdc2c3cd213

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18228515 (260855ZJAN23) Notable: Myanmar junta demands Sean Turnell’s return - The Myanmar junta has revoked Australian economist Sean Turnell’s amnesty and demanded he return to face court and potentially more jail time over public criticisms he has made of the violent regime since his release from prison and deportation to Australia last November

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>>/qresearch/17783706 (pb)

Myanmar junta demands Sean Turnell’s return

AMANDA HODGE - JANUARY 25, 2023

The Myanmar junta has revoked Australian economist Sean Turnell’s amnesty and demanded he return to face court and potentially more jail time over public criticisms he has made of the violent regime since his release from prison and deportation to Australia last November.

The order was issued less than three weeks after the regime freed Professor Turnell – who only learned of it in late December – raising concerns that the Sydney economist and policy adviser to ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi could be arrested if he left Australia.

The 58-year-old, a nominee for The Australian Newspaper’s Australian of the Year, was forced to cancel a trip to Vietnam with his Vietnamese-born wife this month after the Australian government urged him not to travel abroad for fear a government friendly to Myanmar could extradite him to the crisis-racked Southeast Asian nation.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said: “The government is deeply concerned that Myanmar authorities have annulled Professor Turnell’s amnesty and issued a subpoena for him to appear in a Myanmar court. The Australian government never accepted the basis of Professor Turnell’s detention, nor the charges against him, and we are disappointed that he is now being asked to answer for an undefined offence following his release from detention.”

The Australian understands that the government formally expressed its deep concern over the junta’s actions via Myanmar’s Charges d’Affaires.

NSW MP Janelle Saffin, a Myanmar expert and friend of Professor Turnell, said the regime’s order and summons, while “complete legal nonsense”, could not be ignored “because of Myanmar’s ability … to ask other countries that Professor Turnell may travel to, to extradite him”.

Ms Saffin said Professor Turnell understood his continued political persecution was part of Myanmar junta commander Min Aug Hlaing’s quest for legitimacy in upcoming sham elections in which he aimed to become president, and that the academic had no intention of being silenced.

The Australian understands the regime has also issued veiled warnings that any further public criticism of the regime by Professor Turnell could affect the fate of several former Myanmar government ministers and bureaucrat colleagues with whom he stood trial.

Professor Turnell was arrested and detained in Yangon within days of the February 1, 2021, military coup that ousted Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government, and spent 21 months in cells.

He was convicted by a junta court on bogus charges of breaching state secrets and sentenced to three years imprisonment last September, but freed on November 17 as part of a mass release of close to 6000 prisoners to mark Myanmar National Day.

The junta claimed his release – after intense back channel lobbying by the Albanese government and several Association of Southeast Asian Nation leaders – had been granted on “humanitarian grounds … and to maintain friendly relations with other countries”.

Professor Turnell described in alarming detail his mistreatment at the hands of the junta to The Australian in his first interview following his return.

He endured months in solitary confinement in a cell with no bed, no books and no contact with the outside world, hours of shackled interrogations, and caught Covid five times.

In a series of subsequent Facebook posts he also decried the junta leaders as “knaves and fools” who had entrapped the Myanmar people in “one giant prison”.

Myanmar has been ripped apart by violence since the military’s coup and brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, with 2826 people killed and an estimated 13,653 people still held in detention.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/myanmar-junta-demands-sean-turnells-return/news-story/6f6c1beae126ac0330f2b76d375a329d

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235205 (270935ZJAN23) Notable: Day the hard Left ambushed the voice - Hardline Indigenous activists have used mass anti-Australia Day rallies to strike out at the voice campaign, leaving Labor and Aboriginal leaders having to act to prevent a split in the left ­derailing the referendum

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

Day the hard Left ambushed the voice

ELLIE DUDLEY and MACKENZIE SCOTT - JANUARY 27, 2023

1/2

Hardline Indigenous activists have used mass anti-Australia Day rallies to strike out at the voice campaign, leaving Labor and Aboriginal leaders having to act to prevent a split in the left ­derailing the referendum.

Thousands of protesters in the capital cities – led by Greens senator Lidia Thorpe in Melbourne – chanted against the voice.

Speakers at the rallies accused respected Indigenous leaders, including Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Cape York leader Noel Pearson, of siding with “colonisers”.

But Yes campaigners and Uluru Dialogue advocates said they were confident most Indigenous Australians were in favour of the voice, despite conceding disappointment at Thursday’s harsh opposition.

The split in the left over the voice came as Peter Dutton was set to attend a meeting of Anthony Albanese’s voice referendum working group next week. Mr Pearson and other Indigenous leaders have implored the Liberal Party to support the constitutional change.

Senator Thorpe – who is set to split from her Greens colleagues and campaign against the voice – demanded a treaty between the federal government and Aboriginal people in Melbourne, saying the nation deserved better than the voice.

“This is a war. They are still killing us. They are still killing our babies. What do we have to celebrate in our country?,” she told the crowd.

“(The government) wants to put the colonial Constitution on top of the oldest constitution on the planet … we are sovereign and this is our land. And we deserve better than an advisory body.

“We have an opportunity to have a treaty … that could put 10 independent Blak seats in the ­parliament today. We want real power and we won’t settle for anything less.”

Sydney-based demonstrators marched behind banners that encouraged Australians to vote No and claimed Indigenous communities “deserve more” than a voice. The theme of the rally was “sovereignty before voice”, with protest leaders declaring a treaty must come sooner.

“Liberal, Labor … any white political system is not for black people, it’s not for sovereignty,” MC Lizzie Jarrett told the rally.

“We already had a referendum back in ’67 and it did f.ck all for our rights.”

While some protesters wore black, red and yellow, and held signs that read “there’s no pride in genocide”, others wore shirts emblazoned with slogans like “treaty now” and “f.ck the voice”.

Dozens of speakers addressed the crowd, with many condemning pro-voice Indigenous leaders for “exploiting their own people”.

But Uluru Youth Dialogue member Kishaya Delaney told The Australian it was unsurprising some protesters opposed the voice as “not all Indigenous people think the same”, but she was confident most Australians still wanted to “understand both sides”.

“There’s a reason we’re pushing for the sequence that we are of voice, treaty and then truth,” she said. “We can all agree we want to see a treaty but we have to follow the mandate of the Uluru Dialogue. There’s a reason why the voice comes first and that’s because we want to see structural change, and a body that will represent the views of First Nations people across the country, rather than the loudest voices.”

Ms Delaney said it was “disappointing” to see so much anti-voice sentiment at the protests, but said it was “important to start these conversations”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235220 (270942ZJAN23) Notable: ‘Not going to chuck the towel in’: Voice champion Pat Anderson undaunted by criticism at Invasion Day rallies - The peak Indigenous group backing the Voice to parliament will urge voters to ignore the “noisy few” critics who oppose the change to the Constitution

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

‘Not going to chuck the towel in’: Voice champion Pat Anderson undaunted by criticism at Invasion Day rallies

David Crowe - January 27, 2023

1/2

The peak Indigenous group backing the Voice to parliament will urge voters to ignore the “noisy few” critics who oppose the change to the Constitution by releasing research showing 80 per cent of First Nations people want the reform despite fierce criticism at Australia Day protests across the country.

The call intensifies the political contest over the Voice after tens of thousands of people joined Invasion Day marches in the capital cities, hearing Indigenous leaders including Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe denounce the proposal and demand a treaty to give First Nations people more power.

Uluru Dialogue co-chair Pat Anderson said the research, based on polling by Ipsos among Indigenous people over the past week, showed overwhelming support for the Voice and backed the case for all Australians to support the change at a referendum later this year.

Anderson, who has worked in Aboriginal health for decades and is a key member of the referendum working group, said there was no surprise at the criticism of the Voice at the protest marches but there was concern at the message to voters.

“Of course it worries us but we’ve got a long way to go here, you know, and there are lots of opinions and there will continue to be,” she said.

“So we’re not going to chuck the towel in now because we’ve got people on Invasion Day speaking loudly – that’s fine, it’s a democracy.

“Hopefully, they will be convinced over the next little while, but there’s a rusted-on group in Australia – about 10 per cent, it goes up and down – and it doesn’t matter what you say, they’re not going to change their opinion, they’re always going to say the same.”

With the success or failure of Voice turning into a test of reconciliation and national identity, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Australians to back the proposal while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said voters did not understand how it would work – adding, however, that he was willing to meet the referendum working group to hear its views.

The proposal faces immense challenges when the Greens are split on the issue and the Coalition is criticising the plan, heightening the importance of campaigns by the Uluru Dialogue and others when political leaders and some Indigenous leaders are divided.

Anderson said she was confident the proposal had overwhelming support among First Nations people as well as majority support among all Australians despite the criticisms from Invasion Day protest leaders on Thursday.

“They’re entitled to their opinion but let me say they’re a small, noisy group who get a lot of attention from journalists,” she said of the critics.

“But there are a whole lot of people out there who are just sitting at home listening and making up their own mind – Aboriginal people in particular.”

The Uluru Dialogue, based at the University of NSW with Professor Megan Davis as co-chair, commissioned research company Ipsos to ask Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 18 and over about the Voice from January 20 to 24. It surveyed 300 people to produce results with a margin of error of 6 percentage points.

Ipsos found 80 per cent of respondents backed the proposal while 10 per cent opposed it and the remainder were undecided.

The question was: “Do you support an alteration to the Australian Constitution that establishes a Voice to parliament for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?”

The data was weighted to population parameters using the most recent figures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to reflect the community by age, location and gender.

Asked how sure they were about their view, 57 per cent said they were “very sure” of their support while 21 per cent said they were “fairly sure” and 2 per cent backed the proposal but said they were not really sure about it.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235243 (270950ZJAN23) Notable: As heat of Australia Day cools, PM must reclaim narrative - The great divide emerging in response to Anthony Albanese’s referendum to enshrine a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament threatens to widen unless the government reclaims control of the narrative - There’s only so much rhetoric and doublespeak that voters will tolerate and because winning support for an Indigenous voice to parliament was a promise made by the Prime Minister, he cannot blame the Coalition or the Greens if it fails

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

As heat of Australia Day cools, PM must reclaim narrative

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JANUARY 26, 2023

The great divide emerging in ­response to Anthony Albanese’s referendum to enshrine a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament threatens to widen unless the government reclaims control of the narrative.

There’s only so much rhetoric and doublespeak that voters will tolerate and because winning support for an Indigenous voice to parliament was a promise made by the Prime Minister, he cannot blame the Coalition or the Greens if it fails.

Albanese, who is feeling the heat for the first time since winning last year’s election with a historically low 32.6 per cent primary vote, must prove his leadership credentials and carry support across the board.

The violent scenes in Alice Springs shattered hopes inside government ranks that January 26, which is now dominated by ­Invasion Day marches and private and public sector pushes to not celebrate Australia Day, could prove a unifying force for the Yes vote.

At Invasion Day rallies across the nation, protesters held up signs and urged each other to vote No.

Among the crowds of Indigenous, white, multicultural, young and old Australians, there was cynicism about the merits of a voice to parliament. Others supported constitutional recognition and stronger support for Indigenous Australians.

Deep societal divisions are replicated in different ways across the country. A person’s individual experience will inform their position. Those in the cities think differently to those in the bush. ­Indigenous Australians will have competing views. And young and old will ­approach the referendum from polar opposites.

Albanese argues more work is being done and when released ahead of the referendum will help voters better understand the purpose of the voice and how it will provide real action for Indigenous Australians.

But at the same time the government is saying how difficult it is to win referendums, that defeat will set back reconciliation for ­decades and that the parliament ultimately has power over a voice advisory body.

Many Australians are confused and won’t take lightly to being told that the process is straightforward, minimalist and not controversial.

Inside the left-wing Greens, radical Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe is demanding a treaty ­because Indigenous Australians ­“deserve better than an advisory body”. Those who believe the treaty-first message is not resonating among the Greens base and Indigenous communities are wrong.

The divisions inside the Greens have more to do with the fact the party has four lower house seats and wants more. They will tread carefully to retain their foothold in the House of Representatives and know their support is needed to pass legislation in the Senate.

While the heat of Australia Day will pass, Albanese has plenty of work to do to bring the nation ­together and ensure his key election promise does not turn into a political disaster.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/as-heat-of-australia-day-cools-pm-must-reclaim-narrative/news-story/9a1c7e67aae1da3b57e0fe28b745baab

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235263 (271000ZJAN23) Notable: Alice Springs bottle shop: Police officers stationed outside Liquorland as town battles crime wave - New measures announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles have been met with widespread scepticism - “People are getting really pissed off,” says local bakery owner Darren Clark

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Alice Springs bottle shop: Police officers stationed outside Liquorland as town battles crime wave

Two police officers are stationed outside this busy Liquorland bottle shop as crowds line up to buy booze - but there’s a tragic reason they’re there.

Frank Chung - January 27, 2023

1/2

In Alice Springs, buying booze starts with a police interrogation.

“Where are you taking the alcohol back to?” asks one of the pair of officers posted inside the bottle-shop entrance.

“Which hotel?” he demands to know, examining your driver’s licence.

“Room number?” he continues.

“Will you consume the alcohol?” — yes.

“Share it with anyone?” — no.

With that, customers queuing outside the busy Liquorland in the town’s CBD are allowed in to buy their Australia Day drinks.

Printed notices around the store detail the latest “temporary restrictions”, announced this week in response to a shocking wave of youth crime and alcohol-fuelled violence gripping the Central Australian town.

“In consultation with government and local police, we’ve made the following voluntary commitments on alcohol sales to help minimise alcohol related harm in the community,” the notice reads.

Under the new rules, which started on Monday, customers are limited to one purchase per day, and can buy up to two cartons of full-strength beer, cider or RTDs, one 750mL bottle of spirits, or six bottles of wine.

Additionally, takeaway sales of alcohol have been banned on Monday and Tuesday, and opening hours have been shortened to 3pm to 7pm.

But the new measures, announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles after an emergency visit to the town, have been met with widespread scepticism.

“People are getting really pissed off,” says local bakery owner Darren Clark, who has attracted nationwide attention to the issue of crime in Alice Springs with his Facebook page Action for Alice.

“It’s not going to fix anything.”

Mr Clark said reducing the opening hours would only cause more problems, while doing nothing to address the underlying issues.

“There’s usually a rush at 2pm and then they go,” he said.

“But now the shopping centres at 3pm, when mums have picked their kids up, that’s when it’s peak hour. So everyone’s going, f*ck I can’t even take my kids shopping. We can’t do it already, it’s so f*cking scary.”

Mr Clark, who has lived in the town for 25 years, has been warning that the problems go far deeper than alcohol bans, which were rolled back in July last year after the Stronger Futures legislation lapsed.

“How does that stop a 13-year-old walking into a shopping centre with a machete?” he said.

Many of the children causing the problems are too young to buy alcohol anyway, and often resort to abusing common items like deodorant, methylated spirits, mouthwash and even hand sanitiser.

“They mix hand sanitiser with lemonade and orange juice,” he said. “They were coming into businesses and just stealing it off the counter and mixing out the front of shops and drinking it.”

On some nights there are “200 to 300 kids on the street”, he says, amid a terrifying surge in home invasions, car thefts, ram raids and assaults.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235329 (271033ZJAN23) Notable: Horrors in my home town inevitable - The crisis unfolding in my home town of Alice Springs requires a bipartisan effort to create meaningful change. So far, the NT and federal governments have not demonstrated they are prepared to take this approach, despite offers from the Coalition to work alongside them and be part of the solutions - Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price - theaustralian.com.au

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Horrors in my home town inevitable

JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE - JANUARY 27, 2023

1/2

The crisis unfolding in my home town of Alice Springs requires a bipartisan effort to create meaningful change. So far, the NT and federal governments have not demonstrated they are prepared to take this approach, despite offers from the Coalition to work alongside them and be part of the solutions.

In all my efforts over many years to highlight the plight of our most vulnerable citizens it absolutely astounds me to learn our Prime Minister and Minister for Indigenous Australians still don’t understand – and do not have meaningful ways forward.

In June I predicted the continued deterioration of my home town and Territory following the lifting of the alcohol bans and abolishment of the cashless debit card. I stated that blood would be on the hands of Labor – and it is. On the day the alcohol bans were lifted, the life of Alena Kukla and her baby were taken by her violent partner before turning the gun on himself. Alena’s Uncle Mark Lockyer told me he saw the effects of lifting the ban as immediate.

There are many who continue to deny and downplay the state of crisis we are in. When Linday Burney tells us this would not be happening if a constitutionally enshrined voice had been established, you cannot help but feel gaslit and infuriated.

On June 9 I was cc’d into the email and letter signed by nine NT Aboriginal health and legal organisations to Burney and her federal NT colleagues. The letter plainly outlined the grave concern about lifting alcohol bans and the need for them to be reinstated. This message and the countless meetings held with local organisations have amounted to nothing. I’d like the minister to explain why she would only ever listen to and act upon the direction of a constitutionally enshrined voice and not to the Aboriginal voices crying out to her. Everyone is responsible for our community. NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker seems unable to admit the NT police are not coping, effectively denying the need for federal support from the AFP or the ADF. Instead, he responds to calls from our Mayor, Matt Paterson, by suggesting it wouldn’t be a good look if the ADF were to be seen locking up people – and those predominantly being Aboriginal people. This language only serves to reignite imagery of colonisation and the stigmatisation of the Intervention, and is a distraction from reality. Territorians are not stupid, and know the AFP or the ADF would be here in support of the locals who are terrified to live in the community they love.

In August the NT Police Union revealed the severely low morale of Territory police and the loss of confidence in our Police Commissioner. My private conversations with individual police show many feel helpless to work effectively. They feel they are at risk of being thrown under the bus by superiors when things go wrong. It is no wonder the public now lacks confidence that they can be protected by those whose job it is to protect.

Our local baker – and administrator of Facebook page Action for Alice – Darren Clarke, who regularly reports horrific incidents as they take place in our home town, has publicly stated he had been “intimidated” by the police top brass for reporting what the police media had not yet reported. Clarke feels the police media unit often downplays the serious nature of some crimes and fails to report some to the public altogether. This view is often captured by the NT Independent, whose recent article outlined the downplayed language of a police media report of a brutal crime. It stated: “An Alice Springs man charged with attempted murder for what NT police said was an attack on his partner with an ‘edged weapon’, allegedly almost severed the woman’s head.” When the victim presented to the hospital her vertebrae was visible; this was not simply a stabbing.

Three things I know absolutely do not work to create change: denial, ideological approaches and racial division. Our town consists of people of many backgrounds. We are one of the world’s most tolerant communities because we want what’s best for everyone and don’t buy into the racial division of woke politics that poisons our nation. We do, however, suffer as a result of our governments, who seem hellbent on applying divisive politics instead of heeding the truth and acting to apply practical colourblind measures to fix the problems.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235348 (271045ZJAN23) Notable: NT police brace for violent response - Northern Territory police are expecting an outbreak of assaults, burglaries and property damage in the wake of snap alcohol restrictions being imposed on Alice Springs this week

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

NT police brace for violent response

SARAH ISON and LIAM MENDES - JANUARY 27, 2023

1/2

Northern Territory police are expecting an outbreak of assaults, burglaries and property damage in the wake of snap alcohol restrictions being imposed on Alice Springs this week, with concerns people will drive to other towns so they can buy liquor in bulk.

Police are worried the town does not have enough “auxiliary liquor inspectors” to monitor Alice Springs’ bottle shops, with only 14 out of 41 remaining after three of the designated booze cops quit in the past week.

At the same time, business owners are considering a class action against the Territory government given the significant damage to their properties and decline in revenue due to the rising crime wave after alcohol bans were lifted in July.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles this week announced temporary restrictions would be put in place, with no takeaway alcohol to be sold on Mondays and Tuesdays and sales limited to one per person every other day.

But the NT Police Association expressed concerns at the measure, which it said had been taken with little consultation, and warned the crime rate was expected to rise as a result.

“I don’t think it’s the answer,” NTPA president Paul McCue told The Australian.

“Ultimately, we saw a lot of crime, a lot of break-ins to access alcohol even when the restrictions weren’t in place.

“Certainly a lot of the feedback we’ve received already is there’s a significant concern that crime will actually rise over those restricted hours because of course people are still wanting to access alcohol and they’ll probably break into more premises.”

The NTPA has also raised alarm at the exodus of Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors, who are tasked with monitoring liquor stores in Alice Springs. Only 14 of the 41 roles are currently filled.

“Many of them (that are left) carry significant concerns about the role … there’s certainly a lot of talk among them about their own futures,” Mr McCue said.

An NT government spokeswoman it had delivered more resources than any other government in supporting police and frontline workers, and that 120 recruits were currently undergoing training to become officers in the Territory.

Business owners echoed the concern that crime would increase in coming weeks, with one confirming he had a venue recently rammed by people who did so only to steal six bottles of liquor.

Craig Jarvis – who runs five venues in town including the Top Tavern, Diplomat and the Aurora – said he “absolutely” believed people would try to break in and steal liquor in the wake of the bans.

Mr Jarvis said he had spent more than $300,000 since July in security enhancements across his venues, including cameras, alarms and gates to try to prevent ram raids such as the one he experienced last year.

“It was just insane, the amount of damage for what they took,” he said.

“There was six bottles of spirits in the end and about $25,000 to $30,000 worth of damage.

“But really, there’s not a day that goes by that one of my staff or one of our businesses aren’t impacted by crime.

“The frustration from the community … is getting extreme.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235397 (271108ZJAN23) Notable: Ukraine's ambassador to Australia calls for Novak Djokovic's father to be banned from the Australian Open - Footage shared to YouTube showed Srdjan Djokovic outside Melbourne Park standing with a group displaying a Russian flag superimposed with Vladimir Putin's face

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129624

>>129673

Ukrainian ambassador calls for Novak Djokovic's father to be banned from Australian Open over Russian flag incident

''abc.net.au - 27 January 2023"

Ukraine's ambassador to Australia has called for Novak Djokovic's father to be banned from the Australian Open, after he posed with a group holding the Russian flag.

Footage shared to YouTube showed Srdjan Djokovic outside Melbourne Park standing with a group displaying a Russian flag superimposed with Vladimir Putin's face.

The incident took place at Melbourne Park on Wednesday night following Novak Djokovic's quarterfinal win over Russian Andrey Rublev.

One of the men in the video was wearing a T-shirt with the symbol "Z" — an emblem representing support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian and Belarusian flags were banned from the tournament after a Russian flag was waved during the opening round.

The YouTube video was posted by a user identified as Simeon Boikov.

NSW Police has confirmed it is seeking Boikov's arrest on an unrelated matter.

Incident 'a disgrace for the tournament', ambassador says

Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said the flag was a symbol of the invasion of Ukraine, and called on Tennis Australia to ban Srdjan Djokovic for the remainder of the tournament.

"It's unacceptable, it's a disgrace for the tournament," he said.

"There must be sanctions imposed."

He said Novak Djokovic needed to clarify his own position.

"It's important to ask Novak Djokovic his opinion on the situation," Mr Myroshnychenko said.

"Is he supporting Putin? Is he supporting war in Ukraine? What does he think about his father's support?"

Novak Djokovic's management was contacted for comment.

In March last year, Novak Djokovic pledged financial support to Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who had joined the fight to protect his country from the Russian invasion.

"Thinking of you … hope all calms down soon," Novak Djokovic said at the time.

"Please let me know what would be the best address to send help. Financial help, any other help as well."

Opposition leader calls incident 'bizarre'

In a statement, Tennis Australia did not directly address the incident involving Srdjan Djokovic, but said some spectators were removed from Melbourne Park on Wednesday night.

"A small group of people displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards following a match on Wednesday night and were evicted," the statement read.

"Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that has the potential to disrupt.

"We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies."

When asked about the incident, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated Australia's support for Ukraine.

"Australia stands with the people of Ukraine," he said.

"We don't want to see any support given to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that is having a devastating impact on the people of Ukraine."

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called the incident "bizarre".

"The Russian onslaught continues, and frankly everybody of goodwill should be trying to deter, not encourage, President Putin. So, it's a bizarre act," he told Channel 9.

"It's an issue for Tennis Australia as to how they react."

Victorian minister Ingrid Stitt said any further repercussions for those involved were a matter for Tennis Australia, but reiterated the state government's stance against the invasion.

"The Victorian government, let me be very clear, is absolutely opposed to the war in Ukraine — it's abhorrent," she said.

Former Ukrainian tennis player Alex Dolgopolov, who retired from tennis last year and went on to serve in Ukraine's military, took to Twitter to label Srdjan Djokovic's actions "absolutely disgusting".

"Politics should be kept out of sports they said. These people have absolutely no business in being on tennis tournaments, including [Djokovic's] father, if they openly praise a genocidal regime," he wrote.

"The ones saying politics are out of sports, is simply delusional, never was, never will be, and this video is a clear example."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-27/australian-open-tennis-sport-novak-djokovic-father-russian-flag/101898320

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheDolgo/status/1618562076259282944

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235456 (271139ZJAN23) Notable: Holocaust survivors call for Nazi salute to be outlawed in Victoria - Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes will meet representatives of the Jewish community to discuss stepping up prohibitions already in place on Nazi symbols and flags

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129617

Holocaust survivors call for Nazi salute to be outlawed in Victoria

Marta Pascual Juanola and Rachael Dexter - January 27, 2023

1/2

The state government will consider a ban on the Nazi salute amid a push to outlaw the gesture in Victoria.

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes will meet representatives of the Jewish community to discuss stepping up prohibitions already in place on Nazi symbols and flags.

The development follows a series of recent incidents where white supremacists performed the gesture in public spaces, including at a ceremony on Thursday for Indigenous Australians.

Holocaust survivors Abram Goldberg, Sarah Saaroni and Jack Leder are the driving force behind the campaign, urging the Andrews government to take action.

The group is being supported by Melbourne Holocaust Museum chief executive Jayne Josem and Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich.

In a statement, the group said the Nazi salute celebrates “Hitler’s monstrous legacy and the indescribable crimes committed by his regime” and had no place in Victorian society.

The group is urging the Victorian government to “close the lid on this sickening phenomenon” by criminalising the gesture.

“My blood starts to boil when I see the Nazi salute, and it brings back the memory of 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis,” Goldberg, an Order of Australia Medal recipient, said. “It should be banned. No question.”

Leder added: “These are thugs who are trying to intimidate and put fear into people. If they’re allowed to keep on doing this, it justifies it in the eyes of the public. There has to be a law to stop it.”

The salute is already restricted in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland and Sweden.

The push to outlaw the gesture in Victoria comes after a neo-Nazi group attempted to disrupt an Indigenous mourning ceremony at Coburg Town Hall on Thursday morning.

In footage of the incident, four police officers form a line between the neo-Nazi group and ceremony attendees before proceedings were shifted inside. None of the black-clad people involved in the stunt were arrested.

The neo-Nazi group was later spotted in a number of locations around Melbourne’s inner north brandishing banners with white supremacist slogans, which The Age has chosen not to reproduce.

Police say they are reviewing body-worn camera footage to determine whether any offences occurred, but said the banner did not constitute an offence under racial vilification laws. Friday marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Australia.

Last year, the Andrews government outlawed the Hakenkreuz, or Nazi swastika, and became the first jurisdiction in Australia to do so. Anyone who intentionally displays the Nazi symbol in public faces a year in prison or a $22,000 fine.

The ban acted on the recommendation from a cross-party parliamentary inquiry into anti-vilification laws, which called for the display of Nazi symbology to be criminalised.

However, it fell short of outlawing other hate symbols such as the salute.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235490 (271155ZJAN23) Notable: Rise in anti-Semitic incidents ‘tip of iceberg’ - The number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in Australia has jumped by more than 40 per cent in the past two years, with almost 300 cases of verbal abuse or assault reported between 2021 and 2022

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129684

Rise in anti-Semitic incidents ‘tip of iceberg’

CARLY DOUGLAS - JANUARY 27, 2023

The number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in Australia has jumped by more than 40 per cent in the past two years, with almost 300 cases of verbal abuse or assault reported between 2021 and 2022 – statistics a Jewish leader labelled “just the tip of the iceberg”.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry will report that 478 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in 2022 when it releases its annual Report on anti-Semitism in Australia on Friday – a jump of 180 when compared with an eight-year average of 298.

The numbers represent a 41.9 per cent increase over the past two years, including a 35 per cent jump during the year ending September 30, 2021, and a further 6.9 per cent increase during the year ending September 30, 2022.

Cases of verbal abuse were most common in NSW, with one Jewish man wearing a kippah skullcap accosted and spat at on an Albury street on January 28, 2022, and another two men told “Every Jew must be killed … If I see you around here again, I am going to cut your f.cking heads off, you c.nts” at a supermarket in Rose Bay on April 14, 2022.

Melbourne also recorded several disturbing incidents, with one rabbi told “You’re one of those that Hitler didn’t finish”, at Crown ­Casino on November 30, 2021, and a teacher outside a Jewish school told “90 per cent of Jews are pedophiles … the rabbis in the school just wanted to f.ck you up the arse” in St Kilda on December 1, 2021.

The disturbing figures include a 70 per cent jump in the display of anti-Semitic material, including posters, stickers, banners, clothing, flags and placards, and an 18 per cent jump in anti-Semitic graffiti incidents in 2022.

While a slight decrease in anti-Semitic verbal abuse was recorded, numbers remained well above the nine-year average of 105, with 138 logged for the year.

Physical assaults and messaging, however, dropped from eight in 2020 and 2021 to five in 2022 and 103 to 76, respectively.

The ECAJ also noted an increase in Nazi analogies being used in “mainstream society”, including by political figures, which was evident during the election campaign when Daniel Andrews and his deputy, Jacinta Allen, refused to apologise for using the term Nazi to describe a political candidate.

Julie Nathan, ECAJ research director and author of Anti-Semitism Report, said these incidents were “the tip of the iceberg” as many such went unreported.

“A study by Monash University in 2017 showed that almost one in nine adult Jews (9 per cent) had said they witnessed or experienced verbal insults and harassment or worse over the previous 12 months,” Ms Nathan said in the report.

“This would suggest that the actual number of anti-Semitic incidents in any one year could be up to 17 times the number reported.”

Ms Nathan said neo-Nazis were becoming “brazen in their ­activities” and were becoming increasingly interconnected.

“Over the last 12 months, groups of young men performed Nazi salutes outside a Holocaust Museum in Adelaide and held their neo-Nazi flag in a public park in Sydney,” she said.

“Neo-Nazis are not just a threat to the Jewish community but also to Australian democracy and our tolerant and liberal way of life.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/rise-in-antisemitic-incidents-tip-of-iceberg/news-story/674c992191af87d03f7093bd89083fac

https://www.ecaj.org.au/the-ecaj-2022-antisemitism-report/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18235506 (271202ZJAN23) Notable: Liberal senator sues Higgins’ partner over ‘defamatory tweets’ - West Australian Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has launched defamation action against Brittany Higgins’ partner David Sharaz, after vowing to vindicate her reputation following the former Liberal staffer’s rape allegations

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Liberal senator sues Higgins’ partner over ‘defamatory tweets’

Jesinta Burton - January 27, 2023

West Australian Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has launched defamation action against Brittany Higgins’ partner David Sharaz, after vowing to vindicate her reputation following the former Liberal staffer’s rape allegations.

Reynolds’ lawyers at Perth firm Bennett have filed a writ in WA’s Supreme Court against Sharaz, claiming the former press gallery journalist posted two tweets last year that were falsely defamatory of her.

The former defence minister is now demanding damages, as well as aggravated damages, and wants an injunction preventing the material from ever seeing the light of day again.

With the trial of Higgins’ accused aborted, and a $3 million compensation settlement reached between Higgins and the federal government, Reynolds told WAtoday she was now in a position to vindicate her reputation.

“For the best part of the last two years I have been the subject of harassing and highly distressing trolling on social media regarding myself and my conduct in respect of events concerning Ms Brittany Higgins which has damaged my reputation and caused me, my family and my staff, considerable stress and anguish,” she said.

“In light of the conclusion of the criminal trial and the resolution of the civil action involving Ms Higgins and the Commonwealth, I am now at liberty to take steps to vindicate my reputation and provide some truth to the matters the subject of these trolling comments.

“I will not otherwise comment on the actions I have taken or that I intend to take.”

Reynolds also wants Sharaz to foot the bill for the legal action.

Sharaz’s Twitter account has since been deactivated.

Law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler, which confirmed it was advising Sharaz, told this masthead it would not be commenting at this stage.

Higgins, a former employee of Reynolds, claimed fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped her in the then-cabinet minister’s parliamentary office.

Lehrmann pleaded not guilty and denied ever having sex with Higgins.

The high-profile criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct, and the charge later dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

But Reynolds found herself in the firing line amid the fallout over the government’s response to Higgins’ claims.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after Reynolds took action against publishing house HarperCollins and journalist Aaron Patrick, demanding a book detailing recent political controversies including Higgins’ alleged rape be pulled from the shelves.

Reynolds is seeking aggravated damages over the contents of Patrick’s book, Ego: Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Party’s Civil War, which she claims featured comments that were falsely defamatory of her and had caused her loss and damage.

The Australian Financial Review senior correspondent’s book focused primarily on former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s campaign against his successor, Scott Morrison, and party infighting.

But the book also pored over the details of several of the Liberal Party’s recent political controversies, including an entire chapter dedicated to Higgins’ rape allegations against Lehrmann.

This masthead understands Reynolds’ legal team intends to contest several passages in the book vigorously, including one which suggested Reynolds told Higgins that non-consensual sex was “the cost of being female”.

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/liberal-senator-sues-higgins-partner-over-defamatory-tweets-20230127-p5cfyr.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18241540 (280949ZJAN23) Notable: ‘Radicals, wreckers hijacked city rally’ - Marcus Stewart, head of the largest elected Aboriginal organisation in Australia, the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, confirmed he did not attend the annual Australia Day event in Melbourne because he had known that “a handful of wreckers” intended to hijack it to denigrate the proposed Indigenous voice - Organisers of the Australia Day rallies that became a platform for Indigenous critics of the voice – ­including Greens senator Lidia Thorpe – include an alliance of ­activists who want the nation’s police forces abolished and all prisons closed

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129643

‘Radicals, wreckers hijacked city rally’, says Marcus Stewart

PAIGE TAYLOR and MACKENZIE SCOTT - JANUARY 27, 2023

Organisers of the Australia Day rallies that became a platform for Indigenous critics of the voice – ­including Greens senator Lidia Thorpe – include an alliance of ­activists who want the nation’s police forces abolished and all prisons closed.

Marcus Stewart, head of the largest elected Aboriginal organisation in Australia, the First ­Peoples Assembly of Victoria, confirmed on Friday he did not attend the annual Australia Day event in Melbourne because he had known that “a handful of wreckers” ­intended to hijack it to denigrate the proposed Indigenous voice.

Mr Stewart did not believe the voice critics who addressed crowds at city centre rallies around Australia on Thursday were representative.

The Uluru Dialogue released a poll on Friday showing eight out of 10 Indigenous Australians support an Indigenous advisory body guaranteed in the Constitution. One in 10 were opposed.

“The Aboriginal community is not a homogenous group – we have a variety of opinions and everyone is entitled to share their views, but we can’t loose perspective that the vast majority of Aboriginal people want a voice to parliament,” Mr Stewart said.

Warriors for an Aboriginal ­Resistance, an organisation that wants to abolish police and prisons, described themselves as the official organisers of the Melbourne rally where Senator Thorpe told the crowd “this is a war” and characterised the voice as not good enough.

Senator Thorpe is the party’s spokesperson on Indigenous ­affairs. Her repeated criticism of the voice has caused difficulties for the Greens, who were the first major party in Australia to support it. Most Greens voters want the ­reform, according to polling, but Senator Thorpe has flagged that she could vote against it.

“They want to put the colonial constitution on top of the oldest constitution on the planet … we are sovereign and this is our land. And we deserve better than an advisory body,” she said at the Melbourne rally.

Anthony Albanese on Friday addressed the fact that Invasion Day rallies around the country urged Australians to vote against an Indigenous voice, saying he was not surprised that this is the stand of “radicals”.

“It’s not a radical proposition. So I’m not surprised that some radicals are opposed to it. Because this is a mainstream proposition. This is a modest and gracious ­request. For reconciliation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr Stewart, a member of the referendum working group advising the Albanese government on the voice, intends to help with the Yes campaign in the lead- up to the voice referendum in the second half of this year.

His organisation enjoys bipartisan support and is recognised as a representative voice for Indigenous Victorians because members were elected from across the state.

“Having a voice is about putting Aboriginal people in the driver’s seat. We want to be able to make the decisions that affect our communities and culture and our land,” Mr Stewart said.

Former chief executive of the North Queensland Land Council Ian Kuch said confusion in support messaging around the voice puts the movement in a difficult position, because “Aboriginal people can’t afford to lose the referendum”.

“These rallies are usually around the pretty grassroots ­organisations … they represent the radical fringe of the movement,” Mr Kuch said.

“They tend to come out and ­oppose anything that doesn’t agree with their worldview. It’s pretty disappointing.”

Tasmanian Land Council chairman Michael Mansell, who opposes the voice and has long ­advocated for a quota system for Indigenous MPs, said he wasn’t surprised that opposition to the voice was a major theme of the rallies.

“Their whole tactic has been emotional blackmail on the Australian public,” Mr Mansell said. “If you don’t support it, you are anti-Aboriginal.”

He believed the rallies were a great platform for activists who hadn’t been heard in the debate.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/radicals-wreckers-hijacked-city-rally-says-marcus-stewart/news-story/d649377db4c8d989512451e7b7ae1133

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18241591 (281008ZJAN23) Notable: Grog bans don’t work but the laissez-faire is killing us - All Australian governments, federal, state and local, need to try much harder to speed up the improvement in the terrible social and economic conditions which often drive or exacerbate the current epidemic of drinking problems, especially of Aboriginal and other Indigenous people throughout Australia - Ross Fitzgerald, Emeritus Professor of History & Politics at Griffith University - theaustralian.com.au

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Grog bans don’t work but the laissez-faire is killing us

ROSS FITZGERALD - JANUARY 28, 2023

1/2

The longstanding problems resulting from high-risk drinking by a significant minority of First Nations Australians is now not only extremely important but very urgent. But, as debates about the current acute alcohol problems in crime-ridden Alice Springs and elsewhere in the Northern Territory make clear, it’s also very complex.

People often use mood-altering drugs, including alcohol, to dull the terrible pain of childhood memories or current awful circumstances, or both.

In my case if I hadn’t started drinking alcohol at 14, I probably would have suicided at 17. This is because for various reasons I felt like a garbage tip as a child.

But if I hadn’t stopped drinking alcohol and using other drugs at the age of 25, I wouldn’t have made 26.

Many First Nations people suffer from the awful effects of childhood trauma, including sexual and other abuse and having been removed from their families. In addition, many are trying to cope with terrible living conditions, including poor housing, health, education and community services.

What to do about the current huge problem of severe alcohol addiction and misuse among Aboriginal peoples in the Northern Territory and elsewhere in Australia?

There are three options for dealing with alcohol.

The first is an utterly laissez-faire approach, which in the past has resulted in alcohol epidemics throughout the West.

A prime example in England was the alcohol epidemic as depicted by Hogarth’s powerful engravings of the infamous Gin Lane. While alcohol was ridiculously cheap and readily available, problems due to alcohol were extremely common.

When the government increased the price of alcohol and made it less available, drinking problems became less severe.

The second is a highly restrictive approach, which has also proved to be ineffective.

This has been tried many times, including the prohibition of alcohol in the US from 1920–33.

Also, some Weekend Australian readers may not know that First Nations Australians were prohibited from drinking alcohol for over a century. Albert Namatjira, the great Aboriginal artist, was given special permission to drink alcohol. But he was then caught between his customary law of sharing with his kith and kin and the white man’s law which didn’t allow him to share his alcohol. This case, and others like it, hastened the end of alcohol prohibition for Aboriginals.

The fact is that complete prohibition of alcohol has never worked. During a brief, but long overdue trip to Alice Springs, last week the Prime Minister announced limits on the sale of alcohol there. Before he and his entourage flew out, Anthony Albanese left open the option of reintroducing the prohibition of alcohol in remote areas. He also raised the possibility of a total ban on the sale of alcohol in Alice Springs. If implemented, this would be a major mistake, which would result in negative unintended consequences, including a likely increase in crime in the deeply troubled town, not a decrease.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18241620 (281023ZJAN23) Notable: Radioactive capsule's loss in Western Australia described as 'highly unusual' as authorities urge public to keep their distance - A radiation safety expert has described the loss of a tiny radioactive capsule along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of road in Western Australia as a 'bizarre, one-in-100-year event'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Radioactive capsule's loss in Western Australia described as 'highly unusual' as authorities urge public to keep their distance

Cason Ho and Herlyn Kaur - 28 January 2023

A radiation safety expert has described the loss of a tiny radioactive capsule along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of road in Western Australia as a 'bizarre, one-in-100-year event'.

Health authorities issued an urgent warning on Friday after the 8-millimetre capsule — which has the potential to cause severe burns — was lost somewhere between a mine site in Newman, in Western Australia's north, and Perth.

It was part of a radiation gauge commonly used in the mining industry.

The gauge was packaged, then transported from the Rio Tinto mine site on January 11 and arrived in a depot in the Perth suburb of Malaga on January 16.

However, it wasn't until January 25 that authorities were notified that the radioactive capsule was missing, after it was unpacked for inspection.

Authorities believe it fell through a hole where a bolt had been dislodged after a container collapsed inside the truck.

Radiation Services WA general manager Lauren Steen said it was a “highly unlikely” scenario, due to the safety measures typically in place for the transit of radioactive materials.

“[It's] highly unusual. It’s left my head in a bit of a spin,” she said.

“Typically they’re transported in highly protected casing that are subject to a certification verification stage. The housing is subjected to rigorous testing for vibrations, heat, high impact.

“If the source is certified and the packaging and the transport requirements … basically make it a very unlikely occurrence.”

Capsule poses health hazard

The radioactive capsule formed part of a gauge which is commonly used to detect radiation levels in oil, gas and other processing plants.

“If you were to stand 1 metre [away] … you would be receiving about the equivalent of 17 chest x-rays,” Ms Steen said.

“If you were to hold the source in your hand for a substantial period of time, you would start to notice some radiation burns.”

Western Australia's Chief Health Officer, Andy Robertson, has warned the community not to handle the device if they come across it, due to the dangerous radiation it emits.

“We strongly discourage people from picking it up. Certainly don't put it in a pocket. Don't put it in your car. Don't put it on your sideboard, because it will continue to radiate,” he said.

“While you may not have immediate health effects, they can occur relatively rapidly over a short period of time, if it is kept close to the body.

“If it's less than 1 metre, then people could end up developing redness of the skin and eventually burns of the skin.

"If it was kept long enough … They could also have some more acute effects, including impacts on their their immune system and their gastrointestinal system.”

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Acting Superintendent and Incident Controller Darryl Ray said crews were searching for the missing device using specialist equipment.

“What we're not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight,” he said.

“We're using the radiation detectors to locate the gamma rays using the meters that will help us then locate the small device.”

Safety highest priority, Rio Tinto says

In a statement, Rio Tinto said the capsule was being transported by a contractor.

“An expert radioactive materials handler was engaged by Rio Tinto to handle and package the capsule and transport it safely off site,” the company said.

“Safety is our highest priority, and we are working with and supporting the Radiological Council, the contractors involved, as well as emergency services to assist in the search.”

DFES is leading a multi-agency search mission, which includes West Australian police and the Department of Health.

Authorities have flagged that it could take weeks to finish covering the potential search area and there was no certainty the capsule would be found.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-28/radioactive-capsule-search-perth-to-pilbara-/101902914

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18247115 (290825ZJAN23) Notable: Freezing conditions for Australian troops training Ukrainian recruits - The Australian Defence Force has joined the international coalition initiated by the British to provide training for Ukrainian Armed Forces recruits which has been ongoing since last June

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129629

Freezing conditions for Australian troops training Ukrainian recruits

JACQUELIN MAGNAY - JANUARY 29, 2023

When 70 Australian Defence Force personnel arrived in southern England less than a fortnight ago they had an immediate lesson as to what tough conditions their Ukrainian trainees – whom they will transform into frontline soldiers – have been encountering.

For the 5th Battalion 1st brigade went from balmy summer temperatures of 33 degrees at their Darwin base straight into the northern hemisphere’s frosty midwinter.

The unit’s new home, south of London – which can’t be revealed for security reasons – dropped well below zero, so the ground crunches beneath boots and even in the tepid daylight hours the mercury has barely risen above zero.

Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is colder still.

The Australians, under Operation Kudu, and like other trainers before them from New Zealand, Sweden and The Netherlands have a new understanding of loading rifles with frozen hands and thick gloves.

The Australian Defence Force has joined the international coalition initiated by the British to provide training for Ukrainian Armed Forces recruits which has been ongoing since last June.

Some of the Ukrainians have had military training, but most have not: they are nearly all civilians desperate to be as effective as possible to counter Russian aggression.

When The Australian spoke to Ukrainians being trained under the five-week program last year, they were inordinately grateful to learn new skills, but also that other countries are involved, providing much-needed moral support.

Officials have said the Australian troops will train the Ukrainians in infantry tactics in urban and wooded environments. All of the training is conducted in the United Kingdom.

Other countries have provided trainers to assist with skills such as firing rifles, locating mines, and also in battlefront first aid. The Ukrainians have instruction on weapons handling, offensive and defensive tactics, awareness of the Law of Armed Conflict, range activity and marksmanship, patrol techniques and cyber security.

Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, who scouted the British training facilities last year, farewelled the Australian troops in Darwin, telling them: “The mission we have is really important, it’s one that matters and we have got a great sense of purpose among the team here.

“It is really important because they are going to be supporting Ukrainians who are fighting for their families, for their way of life and for their country.’’

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/freezing-conditions-for-australian-troops-training-ukrainian-recruits/news-story/bc8f4fecc815f455a157d794b6106468

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18247130 (290830ZJAN23) Notable: French ambassador who scolded ScoMo praises Australia-France relationship - High level meetings between France and Australia will resume this week, the first time since Scott Morrison “lied” to Emmanuel Macron - Jean-Pierre Thébault gave a glowing review of the Albanese government on Sunday, as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong head to France and the United Kingdom for high-level meetings

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

French ambassador who scolded ScoMo praises Australia-France relationship

High level meetings between France and Australia will resume this week – the first time since Scott Morrison “lied” to Emmanuel Macron.

Ellen Ransley - January 29, 2023

France’s ambassador to Australia has seemingly changed his tune, a year after he savaged Scott Morrison for ruining the two countries’ relationship.

Jean-Pierre Thébault gave a glowing review of the Albanese government on Sunday, as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong head to France and the United Kingdom for high-level meetings.

It will be the first such meeting between France and Australia since the Morrison government dumped its $90 billion submarine deal with France for the AUKUS deal in 2021.

So angry was France that Mr Thébault was initially recalled. A few months later, President Emmanuel Macron told Australian journalists “I don’t think, I know” when asked if he believed Mr Morrison had lied to him.

In November 2021, Mr Thébault told the National Press Club that Mr Morrison had wrecked Australia’s reputation on the international stage.

“What can any partner of Australia now think is the value of Australia’s signature and commitment?” he told the National Press Club at the time.

Mr Thébault gave a glowing send off on Sunday as he wished Mr Marles and Senator Wong well on their trip.

“Proud of next FRAUmin (France-Australia ministerial) talks in Paris. On growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine solidarity, strengthening ties in defence, action on climate change, education and culture,” he wrote on Twitter.

“A strong, future oriented agenda for two allies and friends.”

Mr Marles and Senator Wong will meet with their French counterparts – Sébastien Lecornu and Catherine Colonna – this week.

The aim of the meeting will be to align French and Australian responses to the increasingly strategic Indo-Pacific.

“Deepening practical co-operation with France in the Indo-Pacific, reflecting the priorities of our partners, is critical to our vision of regional stability,” Senator Wong said.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/french-ambassador-who-scolded-scomo-praises-australiafrance-relationship/news-story/368ae6534dbc97a38b8a4f47bf5e7645

https://twitter.com/ambassthebault/status/1619546465222918147

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18252267 (300832ZJAN23) Notable: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and John Anderson unite to co-ordinate 'No' vote in Voice to Parliament referendum - A group of high-profile Indigenous Australians has banded together with a former deputy prime minister to co-ordinate the No campaign in this year's Voice referendum, running on the slogan "Recognise a Better Way"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and John Anderson unite to co-ordinate 'No' vote in Voice to Parliament referendum

Jane Norman - 30 January 2023

A group of high-profile Indigenous Australians has banded together with a former deputy prime minister to co-ordinate the No campaign in this year's Voice referendum, running on the slogan "Recognise a Better Way".

It comes as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accepts an invitation to attend this week's Referendum Working Group meeting for a briefing on the proposal to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in the constitution.

Mr Dutton — who will attend via video-link from Sydney where he will be attending Cardinal George Pell's funeral — has been demanding more detail from the Albanese government on the Voice before the Liberal Party settles on a formal position.

While Mr Dutton is torn between members of his party who want to back the Voice and those who are vehemently opposed, the grassroots campaigns are starting to take shape.

The Yes group, led by "Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition", will formally launch its campaign with a "week of action" in late February.

Calling itself the "No Case Committee", the first formal No group has emerged with members including firebrand Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, former ALP president turned Liberal candidate Warren Mundine, former federal Labor MP Gary Johns and former deputy prime minister John Anderson.

The six-member committee will broadly support symbolic gesture of recognising Indigenous Australians in the constitution while opposing the Voice, arguing it is divisive and will do nothing to improve the lives of First Nations people.

"Bureaucracies have been built in the past and they have all failed miserably," Mr Mundine said.

"We need to be getting down into Alice Springs and all of the other communities and working there, not working in Canberra."

In a sign the group could be eyeing migrant communities, Mr Mundine said he believed constitutional recognition should be broadened to include "the migrants and refugees" who had "contributed to this country".

This is despite the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) firmly backing a "First Nations Voice" in the constitution.

When that position was put to him, Mr Mundine said: "I think all Australians should be recognised for their contribution to this country."

Mr Anderson, who chaired a Recognition review panel in 2014, said the No Case Committee would be "mounting the case for No, from an Aboriginal perspective" and he did not expect any "formal linkage" with right-wing groups such as Advance Australia which were also campaigning against the Voice.

"We are supporting four significant Aboriginal figures who do not believe this is right," he said, referring to Senator Price, Mr Mundine, Bob Liddle and Ian Conway.

Mr Anderson said he had "reluctantly" formed the same view and was becoming increasingly concerned by attempts to "shame people who dare to ask questions".

"I genuinely believe these ill-defined proposals are not a good idea," he said.

"I believe they'll tend towards division and resentment."

The federal government has confirmed no public funding will be provided to either side of the campaign ahead of the referendum, which is set to be held in the second half of this year.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-30/prominent-indigenous-campaigners-against-voice-to-parliament/101906920

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18252285 (300837ZJAN23) Notable: Doubters find their voice on recognition: ‘fix is destined to fail’ - A formal committee advancing the No case for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament warns the body would forever change the way Australia was governed while failing to improve results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129693

Doubters find their voice on recognition: ‘fix is destined to fail’

SIMON BENSON and JOE KELLY - JANUARY 30, 2023

1/2

A formal committee advancing the No case for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament will be launched on Monday and warns the body would forever change the way Australia was governed while failing to improve results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Comprised of former and current MPs and prominent Indigenous figures, the No campaign will propose a preamble to the Constitution and a new parliamentary committee to focus on the rights of native title holders under existing legislation.

The six-member committee has enlisted leading Indigenous voices including Country Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and former Labor Party president Nyunggai Warren Mundine. Former Nationals leader John Anderson will also be a key spokesman, and the committee will be administered by former Labor minister and charities commissioner Gary Johns.

Other members include Indigenous Australians Bob Liddle, who owns Kemara enterprises, and Ian Conway, who started Kings Creek Station in the Northern Territory and developed an educational trust for disadvantaged remote children.

The No Case Committee claims it will be the “foundation” group around which the No case will be fought, and is calling its campaign Recognise a Better Way.

Anthony Albanese said on Friday the referendum would be about a vote for “consultation with Indigenous people on matters that affect them. That is simply the principle that is there.”

But the No case will contest the idea a federal voice would have a benign influence on Australia’s system of parliamentary democracy, with Senator Price saying it could follow in the footsteps of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, which had its first meeting in ­December 2019.

Describing itself as “the voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander peoples in the Treaty Process”, the First Peoples Assembly has proposed ideas that Senator Price warned could “split” the country.

These include making “a number of seats” in state parliament open to election exclusively by ­Indigenous Australians; creating a “permanent representative body with meaningful decision-making powers” that it likens to a “black parliament” and delivering “First Peoples oversight of the Victorian government and public service”.

The Victorian Labor government has also provided $65m ­towards “fair and equitable” treaty negotiations, something Senator Price warned would become a key focus of a federal voice.

“I think the Prime Minister needs to inform the Australian public of what his intentions are – would he block a model like what’s unfolding in Victoria so as not to create another chamber of parliament,” Senator Price said. “The current model of the First Peoples Assembly is a model that could ­absolutely be adopted and adopted in our Constitution if this referendum is successful.”

Mr Anderson also said that if the proposal was “as modest as the Prime Minister wants us to ­believe, where is the advice from the Solicitor-General? If it were as essentially benign as they say, all my experience tells me we would have had that advice by now,” he said.

Writing in The Australian, ­Senator Price, Mr Mundine and Mr Johns said the government’s proposal was misplaced and unnecessary. “The Albanese government’s proposed voice in the Australian constitution is the wrong way to recognise Aboriginal people, or help Aborigines in need,” they said.

“The voice is a second voice, a second bite at the cherry, for one group only.

“The voice proposal smacks of the paternalism of an earlier time, without proof that it will help those in need. It is an insult to the fact that Aborigines are capable of being heard in the public arena.”

With Mr Albanese deciding there will be no public funding for either side, the committee has formed a fundraising arm to bankroll its campaign through donations, with significant corporate backing expected for the Yes campaign.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18252301 (300844ZJAN23) Notable: Triple-0 surge in Northern Territory after strict alcohol ban lifted - Northern Territory ambulances have attended to nearly double the number of assaults and sexual attacks since strict alcohol bans lapsed late last year, as Alice Springs residents braced for chaos amid a new sweep of grog restrictions

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Triple-0 surge in Northern Territory after strict alcohol ban lifted

LIAM MENDES - JANUARY 29, 2023

Northern Territory ambulances have attended to nearly double the number of assaults and sexual attacks since strict alcohol bans lapsed late last year, as Alice Springs residents braced for chaos amid a new sweep of grog restrictions this week.

New St John Ambulance NT data obtained by The Australian shows that after the lapse of Stronger ­Futures legislation, the number of call-outs attended by paramedics in the Northern Territory for reported assaults and sexual assaults increased by a massive 88.5 per cent – with 522 cases ­reported last June and 984 cases in ­December.

For the first six months of last year, 3520 calls were attended by paramedics territory-wide for ­assault or sexual assault, and 4802 for the second six months – marking a 36 per cent increase.

Paramedics in Alice Springs experienced a 40 per cent increase in attended calls, with the total call-outs last January recorded at 1281 cases compared to 1795 call-outs in December – the busiest month of the year.

It comes as households and ­licenced venues braced for a huge increase in break-ins as the town faces a two-day takeaway alcohol ban from Monday.

Locals fear the number of break-ins will “skyrocket” with people who haven’t pre-purchased alcohol invading homes and businesses to seek it.

“The problem drinkers of this town, the people from out bush, they are not going to buy alcohol today to last them three days, that’s just not how it works,” local business owner Darren Clark said.

“By Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon they’re going to realise, ‘Geez we’ve got no grog,’” he said. “That’s what people are fearful of in town.

“You’ve taken away the takeaway supply on Monday and Tuesday, so if there’s no supply of takeaway alcohol on those days, they’ll have to go and look for ­alcohol somewhere.”

“I just love it; it’s just awesome, hey,” Mr Cox says with a cheeky laugh just before his shift on Saturday night. A Wiradjuri man who moved to Alice Springs eight months ago, he says his background has helped him connect with many of the Indigenous population he works closely with.

He says when locals have seen the Aboriginal flag on his name tag, they’ve shown him “a bit more respect and understanding”.

“Trying to educate the Indigenous population is quite rewarding, but it is very challenging as well,” Mr Cox said.

Many jobs the paramedics in the region attend are mid to low acuity, with a large part of their job involving educating locals.

“When you put in the effort and try to educate them as well, you may see further down the line some benefit from that as they may not call for their sore toe in the future because you educate them on what to do and how to handle those things,” Mr Cox said.

His partner for the evening, Mr Bye, who has worked in Alice Springs for 18 months, says he’s noticed a heavy increase in the workload over the last 18 months.

“The moment you sign in on ­either shift, you’re just straight out the door,” he said. “There’s a great scope of practice in the NT; you get a variety of jobs you might not get elsewhere, a lot of times it is very much low acuity work.

“The environment we work in as far as the landscape, every sunrise is beautiful, every sunset is beautiful, it’s just the little things, the lifestyle is really good.”

Ambulance Services NT director Andrew Thomas said while working in a region such as Alice Springs had its challenges, it was a “really great experience for paramedics”.

“Some of the work that you do you would never get anywhere else in Australia,” he said.

When The Australian joined Mr Thomas for a ridealong last week, we gained first-hand experience of the uniqueness of the role of a paramedic in Alice Springs when a female patient called from a payphone with chest pains – a priority job attended to under lights and sirens.

Upon arrival, the patient was on the ground beneath the payphone, with her distressed dog comforting her, and when loaded on to the stretcher, the dog jumped on the stretcher too.

Mr Thomas loaded the dog into the rear seats of his vehicle, and drove to the town camp where the patient lived.

“Hopefully, the dog will be safe in the camp and reunited with the patient once she comes out of hospital,” he said. “Working in the NT has its unique challenges and opportunities and this is an example where you need to think out of the box to deliver the best care for the patient, and that care goes beyond just that physical treatment.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/triple0-surge-in-northern-territory-after-strict-alcohol-ban-lifted/news-story/1f75b5253caf25067e9f1ad70aa97e9d

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18258283 (310742ZJAN23) Notable: Anthony Albanese under fire for spending more time at Australian Open than in Alice Springs - Anthony Albanese has been slammed for spending more time enjoying an ice cream and sipping a beer than fixing a massive crisis

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Anthony Albanese under fire for spending more time at Australian Open than in Alice Springs

Anthony Albanese has been slammed for spending more time enjoying an ice cream and sipping a beer than fixing a massive crisis.

NCA NewsWire - January 31, 2023

Anthony Albanese has come under fire for spending more time enjoying an ice cream and sipping a beer at the Australian Open tennis than he did in Alice Springs.

The Prime Minister was in Melbourne over the weekend and attended both men’s and women’s finals as well as Friday night’s men’s semi-final.

Critics argue he spent considerably more time at Melbourne Park than he did in crisis-ridden Alice Springs.

He travelled to the town on Tuesday and spent a few hours on the ground.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said there had been tennis matches played at the Australian Open that had lasted longer than Mr Albanese’s visit to Alice Springs.

“The people of Alice Springs need national leadership, and they aren’t getting that from Mr Albanese,” Ms Ley said.

“We need more leadership from the Prime Minister. If he wants to go to the tennis that’s up to him and there’s no issue with that, but the fact he’s seemingly spent three days watching the tennis in Melbourne and just four hours in Alice Springs doesn’t pass the pub test.

“You don’t get to be a part-time prime minister.”

Alice Springs-based senator Jacinta Price told The Herald Sun it was an “insult and a kick in the guts”.

“For the people of Alice Springs to see the PM spending more time relaxing and chugging back beers at the tennis than what he did on the ground in Alice Springs,” she said.

Senator Price retweeted an image of Mr Albanese drinking a beer at the tennis, with the text: “Just knocking one back for the folks in Alice Springs. Thinking about you mob. Cheers.”

“Sums it up really,” Senator Price said.

Controversial radio and television personality Prue MacSween also took a swipe at Mr Albanese.

“Hey (Mr Albanese) sorry to interrupt the socialising, but are you serious about confronting the real issues in Alice Springs or are you too busy worrying about virtue signalling?” she tweeted.

“Have you got the metal to address the crisis and intervene? I doubt it. Actions not empty words and sanctimony.”

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten defended Mr Albanese, saying he had gone to Alice Springs “long before” he went to the tennis.

“I think a couple of Liberal commentators want to ping him for going to the tennis. I know Anthony was working every day,” Mr Shorten told Nine.

“He was at the Lunar New Year in Box Hill on Saturday and on Monday he was helping launch our national arts policy.

“So the guy works seven days a week. A photo of him eating an ice cream is neither here nor there to me.”

Mr Albanese’s visit to Alice Springs last week resulted in snap alcohol restrictions, with takeaway no longer allowed on Monday and Tuesday and trading hours reduced on other days.

It was the aim of both governments that reducing the availability of alcohol would reduce the high rates of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Albanese appointed Dorelle Anderson to be Central Australian regional controller, with the aim of handing down a report this week on potential further restrictions.

She will consider a total alcohol ban as well as moving to an “opt-out” model.

Assistant Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy on the weekend revealed the government had lobbied the NT government to revert to “opt-out” alcohol restrictions.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/anthony-albanese-under-fire-for-spending-more-time-at-australian-open-than-in-alice-springs/news-story/031f89bf05133c3ee57cae5000c2f525

https://twitter.com/JNampijinpa/status/1619254249841627136

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18258294 (310747ZJAN23) Notable: “Get out of the bloody corporate boxes”: Warren Mundine slams PM for time at Aus Open - Indigenous leader Warren Mundine has slammed Anthony Albanese’s lengthy visit to the Aus Open, likening it to a former PM’s notorious Hawaii trip

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

“Get out of the bloody corporate boxes”: Warren Mundine slams PM for time at Aus Open

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine has slammed Anthony Albanese’s lengthy visit to the Aus Open, likening it to a former PM’s notorious Hawaii trip.

Jade Gailberger and Kieran Rooney - January 31, 2023

Anthony Albanese has been slammed for spending more time “relaxing and chugging beers” at the Australian Open than he did on the ground in Alice Springs.

The Prime Minister visited the crisis-ridden centre for several hours last Tuesday before spending three nights in Melbourne – attending both men’s and women’s finals, as well as Friday night’s semi-final at Melbourne Park.

On Tuesday, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten defended Mr Albanese’s attendance at the tennis saying “the guy works seven days a week”.

Mr Shorten said the Prime Minister went to Alice Springs “long before” he went to the tennis, and attended a Lunar New Year festival in Box Hill on the Saturday.

“Anthony was working every day,” Mr Shorten said.

“On Monday, I know he was also helping launch our national arts policy.

“The guy works seven days a week. A photo of him eating an ice cream is, you know, neither here nor there to me.”

Mr Shorten said the big issue in Alice Springs was keeping people safe, adding the federal government was working with the territory government and local communities.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews joined Mr Shorten in backing Anthony Albanese following criticism of the prime minister’s appearances at the Australian Open.

When asked about the criticism, Mr Andrews said it was up to others to judge but said the prime minister had a strong work ethic.

“It’s a very significant event,” he said.

“The prime minister travels right throughout the country and works a pretty full week in my experience.

“I’m often talking to him very late at night about work,” he said.

“I’ve known the Prime Minister for going on 30 years and in my experience you won’t find a harder working person.

“People can form their own views but what I know, not a matter of perception but a matter of fact, is the prime minister works very hard every day.”

But Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price and Indigenous leader Warren Mundine say the move was insulting as the violence and crime continues in Alice, with Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley adding it didn’t pass the pub test.

“It’s an insult and a kick in the guts for the people of Alice Springs to see the PM spending more time relaxing and chugging back beers at the tennis than what he did on the ground in Alice Springs,” Senator Price said.

“The threats and mayhem haven’t stopped.

“We locals are subject to no longer being able to shop after 7pm as our shopping centres and town goes into lockdown.”

Former Australian Labor Party president and businessman Warren Mundine said he was “really angry about it”.

“You’ve got all these people who are being abused … assaulted in the Northern Territory, and he (Albanese) spent three days lounging around the tennis courts, drinking beer and having a great time with mates.

“This is a bloke who wants to have a legacy about how he treats Aboriginal people and how he’s going to make the world better.

“And here he is – the visual of that really, really made me sick.”

Mr Mundine said the Prime Minister and Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, should return to Alice Springs and get outcomes.

“The country is hurting. Get out of the bloody corporate boxes,” Mr Mundine told Sydney radio station 2gb.

“The images that he sent out … it’s like the ScoMo one when he was in Hawaii when the country was burning down.”

Newly appointed Central Australian regional controller Dorelle Anderson will on Wednesday report back to Mr Albanese and NT chief minister Natasha Fyles about potential changes to alcohol restrictions, beyond reduced trading hours and sale limits.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the people of Alice Springs needed more leadership from Mr Albanese.

“If he wants to go to the tennis that’s up to him and there’s no issue with that,” Ms Ley said.

“But the fact he’s seemingly spent three days watching the tennis in Melbourne and just four hours in Alice Springs doesn’t pass the pub test, you don’t get to be a part-time Prime Minister.”

The comments come as Mr Albanese rubbed shoulders with Australian artists at the launch of Labor’s new cultural strategy in Melbourne on Monday, where he called on them to get behind an Indigenous voice to parliament.

The Prime Minister’s office was contacted for comment.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/prime-minister-anthony-albanese-blasted-for-spending-more-time-at-australian-open-than-alice-springs/news-story/d399572df3296f0d38a58c482eae48b8

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18258333 (310803ZJAN23) Notable: Yes and no Voice campaigns battle it out for the migrant vote - Migrants will be told to vote ‘yes’ for an Indigenous Voice at religious services, in ethnic newspapers and through non-English radio stations, while No campaigners will tell migrants to reject the notion that Australia is a racist nation

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129693

Yes and no Voice campaigns battle it out for the migrant vote

Paul Sakkal - January 30, 2023

1/2

Migrants will be told to vote ‘yes’ for an Indigenous Voice at religious services, in ethnic newspapers and through non-English radio stations, while No campaigners will tell migrants to reject the notion that Australia is a racist nation.

The No campaign’s Indigenous leader, Warren Mundine, told this masthead ethnic communities would be receptive to the argument that the Voice was an elitist project that talked down the country, as he argues that migrants should also be recognised in the constitution.

Signalling a divisive fight to win the votes of new Australians, ethnic community leader Carlo Carli suggested Mundine’s pitch was a red herring designed to pit immigrants against Indigenous Australians.

Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), tied to many hundreds of local community groups, has planned a major Voice drive alongside a key referendum group led by Uluru Statement co-author Megan Davis to mobilise thousands of migrant leaders to spruik the Voice through trusted local channels.

“Our reach in terms of different language groups is pretty phenomenal,” the federation’s chair, Carli, told this masthead.

Carli explained that about 800 migrant leaders attended FECCA’s conference last year, at which a physical copy of the Uluru Statement from the Heart – a landmark Indigenous community consensus position that called for a Voice – was on display. It attracted queues of migrant leaders who wanted to be photographed alongside it, he said.

“There was no dissent. Everyone was incredibly supportive of the case, particularly newer migrant communities,” said Carli, a former Victorian Labor MP. “Many of the groups have come out in favour of the Voice and many more will do so in coming months.”

“A lot of our constituents come from communities that have had trauma and been dispossessed, that have sought refuge. They are natural allies to our First Nations people because they’ve got empathy, and once they get involved in Australian affairs they want to progress things.”

Mundine, who has brought together several groups to create the Recognise A Better Way body, supports symbolic constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians but opposes the Voice advisory body as the vehicle. He has proposed the recognition of First Nations and migrant Australians in the preamble of the constitution, an approach rejected by Indigenous leaders during the Uluru consultation process.

Mundine argued a constitutional recognition that “praised” one group of Australians, being First Nations people, should be accompanied by recognition of migrants.

“I think we need to be respectful to all the people who’ve come to this country. Some risked their lives to get here from war-torn countries and oppressive regimes, and they work hard and help build this nation. We should praise that,” he said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18258409 (310836ZJAN23) Notable: Australia's nuclear safety agency joins the hunt for a tiny radioactive capsule missing somewhere in the outback, sending a team with specialised car-mounted and portable detection equipment

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129690

Australian nuclear body joins search for missing radioactive capsule

Melanie Burton - January 31, 2023

MELBOURNE, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Australia's nuclear safety agency said on Tuesday it had joined the hunt for a tiny radioactive capsule missing somewhere in the outback, sending a team with specialised car-mounted and portable detection equipment.

Authorities have now been on a week-long search for the capsule which is believed to have fallen from a truck that had travelled some 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) in Western Australia. The loss triggered a radiation alert for large parts of the vast state.

The capsule, part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed, had been entrusted by Rio Tinto Ltd to a specialist contractor to transport. Rio apologised on Monday for the loss, which happened sometime in the past two weeks.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency said it was working with the Western Australian government to locate the capsule. It added that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has also sent radiation services specialists as well as detection and imaging equipment.

The truck travelled from north of Newman, a small town in the remote Kimberley region, to a storage facility in the northeast suburbs of Perth - a distance longer than the length of Great Britain.

State emergency officials on Tuesday issued a fresh alert to motorists along Australia's longest highway to take care when approaching the search parties, as vehicles carrying the radation detectors are travelling at slow speeds.

"It will take approximately five days to travel the original route, an estimated 1400kms, with crews travelling north and south along Great Northern Highway," Department of Fire and Emergency Services Incident Controller Darryl Ray said in a statement late on Monday.

The gauge was picked up from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine site on Jan. 12. When it was unpacked for inspection on Jan. 25, the gauge was found broken apart, with one of four mounting bolts missing and screws from the gauge also gone.

Authorities suspect vibrations from the truck caused the screws and the bolt to come loose, and the capsule fell out of the package and then out of a gap in the truck.

The silver capsule, 6 millimetres (mm) in diameter and 8 mm long, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.

People have been told to stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away as exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, though experts have said driving past the capsule would be relatively low risk, akin to taking an X-ray.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-nuclear-safety-agency-joins-hunt-radioactive-capsule-2023-01-31/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18258434 (310849ZJAN23) Notable: The gunpowder pact: Australia, France cast aside past for unity on Ukraine - Both governments are keen to stress they’ve moved on from the row that saw Australia abandon diesel-powered French submarines in favour of nuclear-powered ones from the United States and Britain

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129692

The gunpowder pact: Australia, France cast aside past for unity on Ukraine

Rob Harris - January 31, 2023

The idea of adding gunpowder to Franco-Australian relations 18 months ago might have scorched the earth across Paris, taking out the horse-chestnut trees which line the River Seine and the Champs-Élysées.

But just as quickly as the friendship hit rock bottom in October 2021, when President Emmanuel Macron went as far as to brand former prime minister Scott Morrison a liar, those at the top of both governments are keen to stress they’ve moved on from the row that saw Australia abandon diesel-powered French submarines in favour of nuclear-powered ones from the United States and Britain.

And so in the richly ornamented Salon de l’Horloge, a grand room within the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs which played host to the meeting that began the peace process of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the signing of the Kellogg–Briand Pact and the peace treaty with Italy, another thawing of diplomatic relations took place.

It wasn’t forced. It appeared genuine and, if anything, it was a reminder that the world can no longer afford the egos and childish behaviour of the recent past.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna declared in her opening remarks that it was a “subject I will not be returning to”, but the row was frequently alluded to by both sides.

Richard Marles, the deputy prime minister, pointed out that France is one of Australia’s closest neighbours in the Pacific, with less than 700 kilometres separating the two countries between the French territory of New Caledonia and Australia’s Norfolk Island.

“France is a liberal democracy in the Indo-Pacific which shares a vision of a globe which is governed by a global rules-based order,” he said. “And in that sense, as our closest neighbour, France is really in the very top tier of relationships that Australia has with any country in the world.”

He pointed out that could not come at a more important time, given the “fragility of the global rules-based order” in the Indo-Pacific – code for a more assertive Beijing – as well as Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, just a few hours on a plane from Paris.

A changing dynamic within the European Union has placed France as the spiritual leader of the bloc’s efforts to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend itself against the Kremlin’s troops. It has made resetting the partnership all the more important.

So a new joint defence project highlights just how far the two nations have come in a relatively short time, as they agreed to “share the bill” to supply Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s armed forces with ammunition. The deal will see both countries share the cost of the deliveries of the ammunition from French manufacturer Nexter, with Australia providing the explosive powder.

There was little detail about bilateral deliveries of the ammunition, but Armed Forces Minister Sebastian Lecornu said he would be “faithful to the French doctrine of discretion” over the quantity and quality of its military support. He signalled the delivery of “several thousand” shells would begin this quarter, suggesting it would be an ongoing, or “continuous” commitment.

Zelensky has made constant pleas for military aid since Russia invaded his country on February 24, including basic supplies of fuel and bullets, famously telling the world amid rumours he had fled Kyiv: “I need ammunition, not a ride”.

And while AUKUS cast a shadow, there was no sign of any change in Australia’s intention to buy US or UK-designed nuclear submarines, despite renewed concerns about long delays. In November, Macron said his country’s submarine offer “remains on the table”, potentially offering Australia new capabilities while it waits for its nuclear fleet.

But Marles said there were no plans for any conventionally powered interim submarine capability as Australia moved towards gaining the nuclear-powered vessels.

Both nations want to work more closely on defence manufacturing, with Lecornu downplaying the cancelled $80 billion deal’s impact on future relations.

“Does AUKUS block the capacity for our military cooperation in the future? The answer is no, otherwise ... we would not be here holding this 2+2 meeting,” he said.

Asked if the two countries trying to spin their way out of the previous cracks in their relationship, Colonna replied: “It’s not communication. It’s politics”.

And for the first time in a while – without scoring cheap points – both nations got that bit just right.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/the-gunpowder-pact-australia-france-cast-aside-past-for-unity-on-ukraine-20230131-p5cgt3.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18263747 (010847ZFEB23) Notable: Albanese prepared to take ‘immediate action’ to curb Alice Springs violence - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to respond as soon as possible to the alcohol-fuelled social emergency in Alice Springs, as he awaits the findings of a snap report that will consider whether liquor bans should be reimposed on Indigenous communities

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Albanese prepared to take ‘immediate action’ to curb Alice Springs violence

Lisa Visentin - February 1, 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to respond as soon as possible to the alcohol-fuelled social emergency in Alice Springs, as he awaits the findings of a snap report that will consider whether liquor bans should be reimposed on Indigenous communities.

Albanese made an urgent visit to Alice Springs last week amid a spiralling crime crisis and appointed a Central Australian Regional Controller, Dorrelle Anderson, to report to the federal and territory governments by Wednesday about best options for addressing the situation and on whether alcohol bans with opt-out provisions should be reinstated.

But his commitment to quick action contrasted with the response by NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, who urged against “knee-jerk” announcements in response to Anderson’s report.

By Wednesday afternoon Albanese said he was still awaiting delivery of the report, but was prepared to act immediately in line with its findings.

“If there are recommendations which suggest immediate action, then I’m certainly up for it,” Albanese said during a press conference in Perth.

“I want to act as soon as possible. I want not to delay, but I also understand that some of these issues are intergenerational. They are not easy, off-the-shelf solutions. It is not just about alcohol. It is about employment, about service delivery, about getting staff on the ground.”

Albanese said he would discuss the report with Fyles when they meet in Canberra on Thursday ahead of meeting of the national cabinet. Earlier on Wednesday, Fyles, who has advocated for holding ballots in every town camp to determine support for future alcohol restrictions, said longer-term solutions were needed.

“People would appreciate that we are not taking a knee-jerk reaction, that we are working through this thoroughly with the Commonwealth government,” she said.

Asked whether her government would support any recommendation by Anderson to reinstate alcohol bans that expired under federal legislation in July, Fyles said the option was “on the table”. However, she characterised it as a big legislative step that could conflict with racial discrimination laws.

She said temporary stop-gap measures imposed last week – which included restrictions on the sales of takeaway alcohol in Alice Springs – had already made a difference.

“I have been briefed by police and they have seen that difference on the ground. But that is a short-term solution to provide respite to the community. We need to have long-term measures that allow us to have a safer community,” she said.

NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said while alcohol was not the only problem in communities it was a “real scourge” across the NT, and ballots did not provide the immediate circuit breaker that communities needed. She said pressure must be applied to the NT government to pass laws to ensure communities could be dry.

“I know in my conversations with the chief minister and with the attorney general of the Northern Territory that I’ve expressed that, so I do believe that other steps can be taken immediately right now,” she told ABC TV.

Escalating violent crime has ravaged the central Australian town and surrounding areas after the federal laws restricting alcohol in some communities were allowed to lapse, and the NT government moved to an opt-in model that required communities to apply to continue alcohol prohibition.

It became a focal point of national debate in recent weeks after Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson pleaded for federal intervention, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton seized on the crisis to draw a contrast between the law and order challenges requiring immediate resources and the government’s focus on the Voice to parliament referendum.

Paterson said the town was at breaking point and needed help.

“We can’t continue to live the way that we’re living and feel like prisoners in our own home,” he told Nine’s Today Show.

“It’s getting awfully difficult to live here. You have people who are scared to go to bed at night because they’re not sure what’s going to happen whilst they’re asleep.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-prepared-to-take-immediate-action-to-curb-alice-springs-violence-20230201-p5ch2a.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18263756 (010853ZFEB23) Notable: Mayors of Darwin, Katherine call for NT-wide alcohol restrictions amid concerns about crime - The mayors of two major Northern Territory towns say they want alcohol restrictions similar to Alice Springs rolled out across the jurisdiction, warning people who need alcohol will shift to other areas to access it

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Mayors of Darwin, Katherine call for NT-wide alcohol restrictions amid concerns about crime

Thomas Morgan - 31st January 2023

The mayors of two major Northern Territory towns say they want alcohol restrictions similar to Alice Springs rolled out across the jurisdiction, warning people who need alcohol will shift to other areas to access it.

Bottle-shops in Alice Springs remained closed on Tuesday under emergency restrictions announced last week, with an announcement expected Wednesday on the potential temporary return of blanket alcohol bans.

The measures only apply in Alice Springs and took effect following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit last week in response to political and media pressure over crime and alcohol-fuelled violence.

But local government leaders in Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin have flagged concerns about the response.

"Every time a territory government puts restrictions in one place, we have an influx of people trying to access alcohol in other places," Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said.

Mr Vatskalis suggested a range of other measures, saying both that alcohol dependence should be treated as a medical issue but also that consideration should be given to recriminalising public drunkenness.

"But putting restrictions here and there and everywhere is not going to solve the problem. It might stop it in one area, [but] it will pop up in another."

"People will travel — they have got cars."

Katherine's mayor Lis Clark echoed the call for a coordinated response.

"I think if we're going to have these restrictions, they need to be territory-wide," she said.

The latest crime statistics report a 133 per cent increase in commercial break-ins in Katherine, with property damage up 42 per cent in the 12 months to November.

"I've never seen it at this level, and for shop owners to be having to put up bars and all sorts of security up, people are at the end of their tolerance," Ms Clark said.

"The government needs to step in and work with all the community leaders and our elders to determine what we are going to do next.

"Just closing a few bottle shops is not going to solve the problem."

Chief Minister apologises for 'step up' comment about police

The NT government has remained under intense pressure since the situation in Alice Springs hit national headlines, with residents last night meeting to discuss a possible class action.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles was also forced to apologise after the police union complained about the wording of a response she gave during an interview on Darwin radio station, Mix 104.9, on Monday.

In response to questions, Ms Fyles said the government was focusing on "generational" issues in the longer term.

But she added that, due to the high levels of crime in the Red Centre, "we have to have an immediate response, which is why I have asked police to step up".

"I have contacted the Police Commissioner [Jamie Chalker] to say I expect every resource to be placed into Alice Springs to support that community right now."

Ms Fyles said police were "very responsive" to the issues confronting Alice Springs during her visit to the town last week.

In a subsequent post to social media, the Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) condemned Ms Fyles' comments.

"Natasha Fyles insulted every member of the NT Police force, from the top down," the NTPA posted to social media.

It pushed Ms Fyles to provide more funding for police recruitment, describing the force as "overstretched, overworked and critically under resourced".

On Tuesday, the Chief Minister posted an apology on Facebook.

"Once I became aware of the unintended harm my comments caused I contacted the Northern Territory Police Association," Ms Fyles said.

With national attention focused on crime in Alice Springs, the Country Liberal opposition's deputy leader, Gerard Maley, called for an election to be held.

But he backed away from throwing his weight behind wider restrictions on alcohol, in communities such as Darwin and Katherine.

"Right across the territory, alcohol is an issue and the Labor government have not listened," he said.

"The police do a great job … and we really need to make sure the police are resourced adequately to do their jobs, because they are the frontline workers."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-31/nt-alcohol-restrictions-katherine-darwin-mayors-step-up-fyles/101911632

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18263855 (010931ZFEB23) Notable: Australia aims for bigger fines a week into Outback hunt for radioactive capsule - Authorities in Australia aim to toughen up laws on the mishandling of radioactive material as a search for a hazardous capsule that a mining company lost in the Outback enters a seventh day

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129690

Australia aims for bigger fines a week into Outback hunt for radioactive capsule

Melanie Burton - February 1, 2023

SYDNEY, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Authorities in Australia aim to toughen up laws on the mishandling of radioactive material as a search for a hazardous capsule that a mining company lost in the Outback enters a seventh day.

Officials from Western Australia's emergency response department, defence authorities, radiation specialists and others are combing a 1,400 km (870 mile) stretch of highway for the tiny capsule that was lost in transit more than two weeks ago.

The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine in the state's remote Kimberley region. The ore was being taken to a facility in the suburbs of Perth - a distance longer than the length of Great Britain.

The penalty for failing to safely handle radioactive substances is A$1,000 and A$50 per day the offence continues, according to state legislation from 1975.

"That figure is ridiculously low but I suspect that it's ridiculously low because people didn't think such an item could be lost," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference in the state capital, Perth, referring to the fine.

The silver capsule, 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm long, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.

"It shouldn't have been lost," Albanese said.

Rio Tinto apologised for the loss on Monday. It had entrusted shipment to specialist packing and transport operators.

The state minister for health, Amber-Jade Sanderson, told the news conference her government was looking to increase fines and penalties for cost recovery in such circumstances.

"The current fine system is unacceptably low and we are looking at how we can increase that," Sanderson said.

She said the investigation suggested the loss was the result of incompetence not conspiracy.

Authorities suspect vibrations on the bumpy road loosened screws and a bolt on the gauge letting the capsule fall out. The gauge was picked up from the mine site on Jan. 12 and was unpacked for inspection on Jan. 25 when the loss of the capsule was discovered.

People have been told to stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away from the capsule if they spot it as exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, though driving past it is believed to be relatively low risk, akin to taking an X-ray.

Police had looked into laying charges over the lost capsule but decided there was no case to answer, state Commissioner Col Blanch told reporters on Tuesday.

“We’ve been coming at it from an investigation perspective to see if there were criminal actions involved. We have pretty much determined that’s not the case,” he told reporters.

($1 = 1.4152 Australian dollars)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-aims-bigger-fines-week-into-outback-hunt-radioactive-capsule-2023-02-01/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18263862 (010934ZFEB23) Notable: Missing radioactive capsule found in Western Australia - Australian authorities have found a radioactive capsule that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search along a 1,400 km (870-mile) stretch of highway

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129690

Missing radioactive capsule found in Western Australia

Lewis Jackson - February 1, 2023

SYDNEY, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search along a 1,400 km (870-mile) stretch of highway, an emergency services official said.

The military was verifying the capsule and it would be taken to a secure facility in the city of Perth on Thursday, Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said in a news conference.

"When you consider the scope of the research area, locating this object was a monumental challenge, the search groups have quite literally found the needle in the haystack," Dawson said.

The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine in the state's remote Kimberley region. The ore was being taken to a facility in the suburbs of Perth - a distance longer than the length of Great Britain.

Officials from Western Australia's emergency response department, defence authorities, radiation specialists and others have been combing the a stretch of highway for the tiny capsule that was lost in transit more than two weeks ago.

Officials said the capsule apparently fell off a truck and landed on the side of the road, adding that it was unlikely there will be contamination in the area.

The silver capsule, 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm long, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.

People had been told to stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away from the capsule if they spot it as exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, though driving past it is believed to be relatively low risk, akin to taking an X-ray.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/missing-radioactive-capsule-found-western-australia-2023-02-01/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18268946 (020750ZFEB23) Notable: Alice Springs residents weigh $1.5 billion class action bid against NT government in 'tense' crime meeting - Thousands of Alice Springs residents have gathered to share grief and anger over years of high property crime rates, with many voicing support for a class action against the Northern Territory government

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Alice Springs residents weigh $1.5 billion class action bid against NT government in 'tense' crime meeting

abc.net.au - 31 Jan 2023

1/2

Thousands of Alice Springs residents have gathered to share grief and anger over years of high property crime rates, with many voicing support for a class action against the Northern Territory government.

WARNING: This story includes racist and offensive language.

The meeting was held amid a national focus on a surge in alcohol-fuelled violence and property crime, with organisers saying business owners and residents have suffered financial loss and physical and emotional damage over several years.

Speaking at a packed convention centre, organiser Garth Thompson said the situation was a result of government "negligence" and residents "deserve to be compensated for what the government has put us through".

"I'm more than proud to stand here and say we, as a community of Alice Springs, are about to sue our government for $1.5 billion in compensation," the business owner told the crowd.

The compensation estimate is based on the number of rate-payers in Alice Springs.

The gathering was cut short after just 20 minutes, as a number of people shouted objections to Mr Thompson's call on the crowd to contact police for a welfare check if they saw "a group of kids, whoever they are, during school time".

While many in the room expressed support, some voiced concern about the tone of the meeting and discussions on social media.

Outside the meeting, one resident used racist language when speaking to the ABC to describe some of the Aboriginal youth from the town.

"The little black f*ckers are gonna start to get belted, if something doesn't come out of it," the man said.

"They're gonna start getting flogged. And they won't come back [because] we'll take 'em out to the scrub and leave 'em there."

Central Arrernte man Declan Furber Gillick said comments being made threatened to "demonise and continue to criminalise young people".

"It was probably one of the most tense public and social environments that I've ever seen in this town," he told the ABC after the meeting.

Mixed reaction over class action

Mr Thompson said he had been preparing a class action for a couple of weeks and had consulted lawyers.

Both the federal and territory governments have promised to allocate extra money for policing and short-term bottle shop closures, and both have said they were considering re-imposing blanket alcohol bans in Indigenous communities.

A snap review of blanket alcohol bans announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his trip to the town last week is due to be finalised by tomorrow.

However, Mr Thompson said the control measures put forward by the government were "sometimes quite disgusting".

"They have the ability to fix these problems … but they choose not to," he said, "instead, we're all affected.

"We're all controlled and we're all put in a place where we're disadvantaged by their decisions to try [to] fix our problems with a band-aid and it's wrong."

Christine Burke, a local teacher, said she wanted recognition for residents who were fed up with crime in the town but did not support a class action.

"I can't say … that I'm here in favour of suing the Northern Territory government," she said.

"It's really our government, so it'll be our money."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18268978 (020759ZFEB23) Notable: Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson demands Ita Buttrose retract ‘white supremacy’ stories - The mayor of Alice Springs has demanded ABC chair Ita Buttrose retract multiple stories on the public broadcaster that claimed the town’s community forum on Monday was beset by sentiments of “white supremacy”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

>>129706

Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson demands Ita Buttrose retract ‘white supremacy’ stories

SOPHIE ELSWORTH - FEBRUARY 1, 2023

The mayor of Alice Springs has demanded ABC chair Ita Buttrose retract multiple stories on the public broadcaster that claimed the town’s community forum on Monday was beset by sentiments of “white supremacy”.

Matt Paterson said the reports that aired nationally on the ABC following Monday’s meeting at the Alice Springs Convention Centre were a complete misrepresentation of what took place and “it could not be further from the truth”.

“Ita Buttrose should retract the stories and issue a public statement of apology to the community of Alice Springs,” he told The Australian.

“I was in the meeting and I’m not a white supremacist”.

He said he would give the ABC 24 hours to do so or he would be filing a formal complaint with the organisation.

The ABC aired several reports, including a live cross to its Indigenous affairs correspondent outside the Alice Springs Convention Centre, during which she stated: “People were leaving early and streaming out of that Convention Centre in Alice Springs, we spoke to some who were quite emotional.

“One resident who was non-indigenous said the meeting was, quote, ‘a disgusting display of white supremacy’.”

Mr Paterson said the community was “already full of anxiety” and this story was only “adding fuel to the fire”.

“This story is not correct and now has national media attention and it’s why the Alice Springs community loses faith with the rest of the country, because of these stories that portray as all as racists and it’s absolutely not the case,” he said.

The suggestion that the forum was a “white supremacist fest” were also refuted by Country Liberal Party MP Josh Burgoyne who was born and raised in Alice Springs.

He told Sky News Australia host Andrew Bolt on Tuesday night the public broadcaster’s reports were “extraordinarily disappointing”.

“I was at the meeting yesterday afternoon, what I witnessed was actually a coming together of the community,” Mr Burgoyne said on Sky News on Tuesday night.

“It showed that people in Alice Springs had had enough.”

Sydney’s 2GB breakfast radio host also Ben Fordham also took aim at the ABC’s coverage on Wednesday morning.

Fordham referenced some of the comments that he said the ABC had “cherrypicked” from people outside the meeting, and accused the broadcaster of only covering one side of the story.

“’Scary’, ‘a white supremacist fest’ … we didn’t hear from the terrified locals or the worried mums and dads, we only heard claims of racism from a woman who walked out, someone who did not represent the real mood in the room,” he said.

“And there were no examples given of the so-called ‘white supremacy’.”

Issues discussed at the meeting included the rising crime rates in the town and whether class action should be taken against the Northern Territory government for its failure to address the problem.

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine said on Sky News Australia the ABC’s reporting was “disgraceful”.

“They … just spoke to a small handful of people and they made out there’s sort of like some Ku Klux Klan meeting going inside which could be no further from the truth,” he said.

“These are decent Australian citizens black and white who were there to resolve a whole lot of issues happening in that community.”

However the ABC defended its reporting of the community event.

“The ABC’s long-running reporting on the issues facing Alice Springs has included a range of perspectives and will continue to canvass people’s views and experiences as coverage continues,” a spokeswoman said.

“Many strong and conflicting views and opinions are expressed within the community, including some confronting views and the news coverage reflects that and doesn’t shy away from it.”

Despite being heavily critical of some of the ABC’s reporting, both Mr Paterson and Mr Burgoyne commended the public broadcaster’s local reporters who are stationed permanently in the area.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/alice-springs-mayor-matt-paterson-demands-ita-buttrose-retract-white-supremacy-stories/news-story/a6b2eeb79c2b13ab565321d5179d4db2

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18269047 (020825ZFEB23) Notable: Bruce Lehrmann lodges formal complaint of professional misconduct against ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC, alleging Mr Drumgold failed to ensure a fair trial over the Brittany Higgins rape allegations and that his conduct was driven by malice and “political interests”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘Professional misconduct’: Lehrmann takes on ACT DPP

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - FEBRUARY 1, 2023

1/2

Bruce Lehrmann has lodged a formal complaint of professional misconduct against ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC, alleging Mr Drumgold failed to ensure a fair trial over the Brittany Higgins rape allegations and that his conduct was driven by malice and “political interests”.

The explosive allegations are contained in a complaint to the ACT Bar Council and are expected to form the basis of a detailed submission to the Board of Inquiry led by eminent retired judge Walter Sofronoff KC.

The inquiry will examine whether the prosecutor or police failed to act in accordance with their duties and if so, their “reasons and motives” for their actions.

In his complaint, dated December 9 last year, Mr Lehrmann says: “It is apparent over the past number of days that the director continues to display professional misconduct by pursuing the matter through the media, despite him discontinuing the prosecution.

“His public behaviour continues to smear my name and the presumption of innocence that is a cornerstone of our justice system and that demands him to uphold.

“More importantly to me, he impugns the conduct of my legal team, who have been family to me and without them, I would not be here today.”

Mr Lehrmann alleges Mr Drumgold “repeatedly and frequently” failed in his prosecutorial obligation to ensure a fair trial.

“I contend that his conduct was driven by malice towards me personally. I also consider that his conduct was political,” he says.

“I take the view that the director’s behaviour was consistent with a legal practitioner who was acting in the interests of a particular person, bolstered by political interests on the part of the director and possible third-party political interference, rather than in the overall interests of justice.”

Mr Lehrmann says he has been living in Tasmania, “seeking respite for some time away from the aggressive media spotlight” at the recommendation of his clinical psychologist, but is prepared to return to Canberra to give evidence in any investigation.

A spokesman for Mr Lehrmann told The Australian on Wednesday that he welcomed the appointment of Mr Sofronoff as someone of significant and eminent standing to conduct the inquiry, and that he would co-operate “fully and openly” with the inquiry.

Mr Sofronoff, who previously served as solicitor-general for Queensland and president of the Queensland Court of Appeal, also led the Grantham Floods Inquiry in 2016 and the recent commission of inquiry into failings at the state’s DNA testing laboratory.

Mr Lehrmann has not had a substantive response to his complaint to the ACT Bar Council, which details seven instances of alleged misconduct.

He claims Mr Drumgold’s decision to prosecute was malicious and/or subject to political interference, citing an article in The Australian in December which revealed that the most senior police officer on the Higgins case believed there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Lehrmann but could not stop Mr Drumgold from proceeding because “there is too much political interference”, according to diary notes made by the ACT Police Manager of Criminal Investigations, Detective Superintendent Scott Moller.

The Australian also revealed that Superintendent Moller had advised that investigators “have serious concerns in relation to the strength and reliability of (Ms Higgins’) evidence but also more importantly her mental health and how any future prosecution may affect her wellbeing”.

Those revelations came the day after Mr Drumgold withdrew the charges against Mr Lehrmann, citing concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health, and prompted demands for a public inquiry into the handling of the trial.

Concerns about the trial were further raised following publication of a letter Mr Drumgold sent to ACT police chief Neil Gaughan alleging “inappropriate interference” by police during the investigation and trial.

The circumstances in which that letter was released by Mr Drumgold under Freedom of Information laws – to The Guardian newspaper but withheld from other media outlets – will also be specifically investigated by the ­Sofronoff inquiry.

In his complaint, Mr Lehrmann further claims that Mr Drumgold failed to warn Ms Higgins that repeated public comment and conduct would undermine the integrity of the criminal trial.

Mr Lehrmann cites a speech Ms Higgins gave on the steps of the court.

Mr Lehrmann says his lawyers wrote to Mr Drumgold asking what he had done to have publications repeating the speech removed from circulation and what steps were proposed to ensure that Ms Higgins’ conduct was not ­repeated.

Mr Drumgold’s reply, he says, was “shocking”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18269076 (020836ZFEB23) Notable: Richard Marles, Penny Wong visit Australian troops training Ukrainian recruits in fight against Russia - Australian soldiers are running intensive combat courses for Ukrainian recruits at a military base in southern England, pushing them through an accelerated program in basic infantry training that will prepare them for the frontline back home

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129629

>>129691

Richard Marles, Penny Wong visit Australian troops training Ukrainian recruits in fight against Russia

Steve Cannane and Jacqueline Howard - 2 February 2023

1/2

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have visited Australian troops who are training Ukrainian soldiers to defend their country against Russian forces.

Australian soldiers are running intensive combat courses for Ukrainian recruits at a military base in southern England, pushing them through an accelerated program in basic infantry training that will prepare them for the frontline back home.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the training would make a "real difference" to Ukraine's efforts.

"The people who are being trained have come from normal jobs throughout their country, have volunteered in order to defend their country. What they face is intense danger when they go home and the training that Australians are providing [is] going to help make them safer," Mr Marles said.

"I think Penny and I have an intense sense of pride about what our Australian service men and women are doing here. They are making a real difference to what's happening in Ukraine."

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was moved by the people she met.

"To be here and to speak with those brave Ukrainians who have come here in order to learn better how to defend their country: That is profoundly humbling," Ms Wong said.

The five-week course being run by Australian and British troops covers basic tactics required to survive on the battlefield.

Ukrainian recruits are trained in basic weaponry, including operating and defending against drones.

They are taught how to survive in the elements and how to conceal themselves from the enemy, as well as how to recognise and navigate minefields.

It also covers Russian trench design, which is becoming increasingly important in the conflict as the war becomes bogged down in areas such as Bakhmut.

Around 10,000 Ukrainians have completed the multi-national training course.

The vast majority are recent recruits to the Ukrainian army, with just a fraction of those having had any previous military experience.

An Australian army officer — who cannot be identified — described his pride in watching the new recruits develop life-saving skills.

"Just seeing them coming in as civilians, coming in off the street and giving them that training and the confidence to go back out to Ukraine to fight. That's something that's special to me," the officer said.

"We're really empowering these people to go and fight for their freedom and their country."

A Ukrainian recruit — who also cannot be named — joined the army in May 2022, two months after Russia invaded.

She said she carried grief for what has happened to her country, but getting basic infantry training allowed her to be able to fight back and not become overwhelmed by the immensity of the conflict.

Also, she said, she grieved for the young men, many as young as 19, who "have no option" but to join the Ukrainian forces.

"Our children are dying," she said.

The Australian officer said the horrors back home in Ukraine fed a sense of grit and determination for the Australians now training their Ukrainian counterparts.

"Being one on one, and hearing their individual stories, it's changed all of our perspectives and I think it's something that every soldier, when they leave here, will take away," the officer said.

"It's quite inspiring to see that level of motivation, that level of determination."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18269171 (020911ZFEB23) Notable: White House optimistic on tech sharing for Aukus security pact - Top US official sees ‘pathway’ for allies to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia - The White House has expressed optimism that the US, UK and Australia will clear the main obstacle to their landmark security deal, allowing technology transfers that will enable Canberra to obtain nuclear-powered submarines

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129641

White House optimistic on tech sharing for Aukus security pact

Top US official sees ‘pathway’ for allies to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia

Demetri Sevastopulo, Gideon Rachman, Sylvia Pfeifer and Nic Fildes - 2 February 2023

The White House has expressed optimism that the US, UK and Australia will clear the main obstacle to their landmark security deal, allowing technology transfers that will enable Canberra to obtain nuclear-powered submarines.

Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, said there had been progress in easing some technology export restrictions that the US partners have long been concerned could slow, or even possibly derail, the so-called Aukus security pact.

Asked by the Financial Times on Tuesday about the technology transfer constraints, Sullivan said he was “feeling very good about the pathway on Aukus”, the most confident statement from Washington on overcoming the regulatory barriers that have complicated the deal.

Sullivan told a small group of reporters that Aukus had “challenged some of the historic assumptions about what the United States could or wouldn’t be prepared to do in a different era”.

The groundbreaking Aukus pact was unveiled in 2021 as a trilateral alliance to counter Chinese military power through the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines and the development of technology ranging from quantum computing to hypersonic weapons.

Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles told the FT on Tuesday that the partners were “close to an announcement” following an 18-month planning phase to determine how and where to build the boats and what US technology and information would be required.

But the planning has been complicated by longstanding US curbs on technology and information sharing, which apply to Australia and the UK even though the countries are members of the Washington-led Five Eyes intelligence sharing network that also includes Canada and New Zealand.

Two crucial decisions will be the choice of submarine design and where the submarines will be built, given concerns that America’s shipyards do not have the capacity to take on more work.

Despite the optimism in some quarters, there are worries in Australia that US restrictions — known as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations — could seriously limit co-operation not just on submarines but also in areas such as artificial intelligence and undersea warfare that are part of the Aukus agreement.

The White House declined to provide details about the progress that has been made towards reducing the obstacles.

Speaking in London, Marles said the goal was to create a “more seamless defence industrial space between all three countries” but acknowledged there was “a long way to go in terms of creating that”.

Becca Wasser, a defence expert at the CNAS think-tank, said there was a push to make progress on the tech transfer issue but cautioned that wholesale reform of Itar would be hard.

“Limited exemptions for Australia and the UK may be the best the White House can do, but that requires Congress to get on board,” said Wasser. “While Jake Sullivan’s optimism is a positive indication about where things may be going, it is unlikely to happen tomorrow so London and Canberra might want to hold their horses — or at least their submarines.”

The cost and speed at which Australia can obtain nuclear-powered submarines has been one of the defining challenges for the Labor government, which inherited the pact from the previous government led by Scott Morrison. Marles this week again ruled out a conventional non-nuclear submarine design being used as a stop-gap measure.

Marles, who also serves as defence minister, said the Aukus talks have been a “deeply co-operative process” over what was “fundamentally a technology-sharing relationship”. He added that the pact had changed the “character of our relationships with the UK and the US, and perhaps the relationship between the UK and the US as well”.

“This is a big deal,” Marles stressed.

https://www.ft.com/content/51d4d996-8adf-497a-a07b-b257067d0739

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18275458 (030936ZFEB23) Notable: Peter Dutton slams ABC’s ‘rubbish’ reporting on Alice Springs - Peter Dutton has demanded ABC chair Ita Buttrose address what he calls the “rubbish” reporting from Alice Springs that has been aired on the public broadcaster in the past week

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

>>129706

Peter Dutton slams ABC’s ‘rubbish’ reporting on Alice Springs

SOPHIE ELSWORTH - FEBRUARY 2, 2023

Peter Dutton has demanded ABC chair Ita Buttrose address what he calls the “rubbish” reporting from Alice Springs that has been aired on the public broadcaster in the past week.

ABC reports in recent days have claimed that displays of “white supremacy” were evident at a community meeting on Monday, where the rolling youth crime wave engulfing the town was discussed by concerned residents, local business owners and Indigenous and non-Indigenous community leaders.

Multiple sources who were ­actually present inside the forum have rejected suggestions that any sentiments associated with white supremacist ideology were expressed inside the meeting.

But the ABC’s Indigenous affairs correspondent, who was stationed outside the meeting, stated: “People were leaving early and streaming out of that Convention Centre in Alice Springs … one resident who was non-Indigenous said the meeting was, quote, ‘a ­disgusting display of white supre­macy’,” the reporter said.

The Opposition Leader said the report was unacceptable and urged Ms Buttrose to intervene.

“I know it’s a really difficult topic to talk about, and it’s an unsavoury subject, but that is the reality of the life that many of these kids are leading up there,” he said.

“(For) … the ABC and others to dismiss it – ‘there’s nothing to see here, and this is just a mob that’s dominated by white supremacists’ – it’s rubbish, and frankly, they’re doing a disservice to everybody in that local community.”

Mr Dutton said Ms Buttrose must “step in” immediately to address the unbalanced reporting, because the public broadcaster is losing “credibility”, adding Australians wanted “independence from their public broadcaster”.

“Telling people what to think is not part of their mandate, and prosecuting political arguments and taking sides on political issues is not the mandate of the ABC,” Mr Dutton told Sydney’s 2GB mornings radio host Ray Hadley.

The mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Paterson, who attended the meeting, has also demanded that Ms Buttrose retract the stories that referenced claims of white ­supremacy at the forum. He told The Australian on Thursday that Ms Buttrose’s failure to act was “a sign of weak leadership”.

On ABC’s political chat show on Wednesday, The Drum, the ­associate dean of Indigenous leadership and engagement at the University of Technology Sydney, Nareen Young, compared the Alice Springs meeting to the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning, which is based on the disappearance of three civil rights workers who are met with hostility by police, residents and the Ku Klux Klan.

“I think the elephant in the room … when I watched that footage of the town meeting that was held … is that if you saw that room in Mississippi Burning for example, Australians would say, ‘How terrible, that’s terrible that happens there,” Professor Young said.

“The vitriol and racism and lack of regard and respect for those people on their land while those people were living off the bounty of it was appalling.”

Drum host John Barron did not challenge Professor Young’s views. An ABC spokeswoman said Professor Young was “entitled to express her views”.

The ABC’s editorial policy states: “The ABC has a statutory duty to ensure that the gathering and presentation of news and information is impartial according to the recognised standards of objective journalism.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/peter-dutton-slams-abcs-rubbish-reporting-on-alice-springs/news-story/928f7927086c2352abaa0e694cb232f5

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18275475 (030948ZFEB23) Notable: PM flags overhaul of Australia’s counter-terror laws to combat ‘real threat’ of rightwing extremism - Recent murders of police officers at Wieambilla highlight need for action to protect community safety, Anthony Albanese says

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PM flags overhaul of Australia’s counter-terror laws to combat ‘real threat’ of rightwing extremism

Recent murders of police officers at Wieambilla highlight need for action to protect community safety, Anthony Albanese says

Josh Butler and Daniel Hurst - 3 Feb 2023

1/2

Anthony Albanese has flagged a substantial update of Australia’s counter-terrorism laws as he warned of the dangers posed by rightwing extremists and “so-called sovereign citizens”.

The prime minister said after a national cabinet meeting in Canberra on Friday that the “premeditated, calculated murder” of two police officers and a neighbour in rural Queensland in December showed the need for action to protect community safety.

He also expressed hopes of making progress by the middle of the year on implementing a national firearms register.

The head of intelligence agency ASIO, Mike Burgess, briefed national cabinet earlier on Friday. Albanese said Burgess had been invited to speak “about the rise of rightwing extremism, in particular the so-called sovereign citizens, and other issues as well”.

Asked for an update on the terrorism laws review that was foreshadowed by the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, the prime minister said: “That work is certainly under way and is substantial.”

Albanese went on to offer a personal reflection about his attendance at the memorial service for Queensland police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, saying it was “one of the most moving things that I’ve done in my life”.

The pair and a neighbour, Alan Dare, were shot dead on a rural property at Wieambilla by Gareth Train, his wife, Stacey, and his brother Nathaniel. A daughter of the killers spoke to Guardian Australia last month about their descent into conspiracy theories and ultimately, violence.

Albanese described the shooting as “a catastrophic premeditated, calculated murder that occurred there on the basis of a warped ideology”.

“It requires us to do what we can to keep the citizens we all represent safe,” Albanese said.

“We know that the threat is real and, tragically, we have seen the consequences of it.”

In addition to the ongoing review of terrorism laws, Albanese said it was “quite clear we need to do better in cooperation between jurisdictions when it comes to firearms”.

Police ministers across the country have been asked to report back to national cabinet mid-2023 with options to implement a national firearms register.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18275488 (030958ZFEB23) Notable: Higgins DPP threatened me: trial witness - Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown, a key witness in the Bruce Lehrmann rape trial has accused ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold of threatening and intimidating her as she left the witness box on a morning tea break, and of ignoring her pleas to be recalled to the stand to refute what she alleged was “blatantly false and misleading” evidence by Brittany Higgins

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129708

Higgins DPP threatened me: trial witness

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - FEBRUARY 2, 2023

1/3

A key witness in the Bruce Lehrmann rape trial has accused the prosecutor of threatening and ­intimidating her as she left the witness box on a morning tea break, and of ignoring her pleas to be ­recalled to the stand to refute what she alleged was “blatantly false and misleading” evidence by Brittany Higgins.

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown says ACT Director of ­Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC and an associate berated her for providing “inadmissable evidence” and that Mr Drumgold then tried to use her mental health to discredit her as a witness.

In a formal complaint to the ACT Bar Association, Ms Brown alleges that, prior to the trial, Mr Drumgold was so dismissive of her concerns about the potential ­impact of the upcoming Logies – where TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson’s interview with Ms Higgins was up for an award – that it caused her to break down emotionally during a conference with him.

The explosive allegations are expected to be referred to the board of inquiry established under jurist Walter Sofronoff KC to probe accusations of ­misconduct made against both police and prosecutors involved in the case.

The allegations follow a formal complaint of professional misconduct lodged by Mr Lehrmann against Mr Drumgold, revealed on Wednesday by The Australian, ­alleging the DPP failed to ensure a fair trial and was driven by malice and “political interests”.

During the trial in the ACT Supreme Court last year Ms Higgins gave evidence that she felt pressured by her chief of staff, Ms Brown, and her boss, Liberal minister Linda Reynolds not to pursue the alleged assault, in the context of a looming federal election.

Ms Brown strongly denied in evidence that she had been ­anything but supportive of Ms Higgins, saying she and Senator Reynolds had told Ms Higgins she was within her rights to make a police complaint and would be fully ­supported.

But in her complaint lodged with the ACT Bar Association on December 21 last year, Ms Brown says that midway through giving her evidence she was “berated” by Mr Drumgold and felt “threatened and intimidated as a witness”.

“At 11.16am a morning tea break was declared, as I left the witness box to make my way out of the courtroom, Mr Drumgold and his associate approached me and berated me, stating that I was coming close to providing inadmissable evidence because of the way I was answering the questions,” Ms Brown wrote.

“I felt threatened and intimidated by their approach. The courtroom still had a lot of people in it and I was left humiliated.”

Ms Brown says she returned to the witness box 20 minutes later “shaken by their admonishment of me”. She gave evidence that in a meeting between the pair three days after the alleged rape, Ms Higgins initially denied anything had happened, but two days later volunteered that Mr Lehrmann had been on top of her while they were in Parliament House during the early hours of March 23, 2019.

“I said, ‘Oh. Oh my god,” Ms Brown testified. “I said, ‘Are you all right? Has – has something happened you didn’t want to have happen?’ And she just sort of looks at me and sort of goes like this with her – so I can’t say the word, but she’s shaking her head as a ‘no’.”

During a meeting between Ms Brown, Ms Higgins and Senator Reynolds nine days after the alleged rape, the minister had made it clear Ms Higgins was entitled to make a complaint. “(Ms Higgins) was concerned about how this could impact her career and Senator Reynolds said there would be no impact to her career and that she had our full support,” Ms Brown testified.

Ms Brown testified that she was the one who set up the meeting ­between Ms Higgins and Australian Federal Police officers in Parliament House in April 2019.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18275686 (031153ZFEB23) Notable: Malcolm Turnbull says Labor has failed to answer if AUKUS deal compromises Australian sovereignty - Former PM says if operation of nuclear subs depends on US then that is ‘a momentous change which has not been acknowledged’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129609

Malcolm Turnbull says Labor has failed to answer if AUKUS deal compromises Australian sovereignty

Former PM says if operation of nuclear subs depends on US then that is ‘a momentous change which has not been acknowledged’

Katharine Murphy and Daniel Hurst - 2 Feb 2023

1/2

Malcolm Turnbull says the Albanese government has failed to answer fundamental questions about the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact, including whether the arrangement with the US and Britain compromises Australian sovereignty.

Responding to a new signal from Anthony Albanese that Labor would have pursued the contentious agreement had he been in power at the time Scott Morrison landed the pact, the former prime minister said Australians were entitled to know the answer to basic questions, like whether we could operate our own military assets.

“Australians should reasonably expect that military capabilities acquired by their government should be sovereign capabilities,” Turnbull said on Thursday. “In all my time in government we understood a sovereign capability as being one that can be deployed, sustained and maintained by the Australian government in Australia.

“So the question on US-built nuclear-powered submarines is simply this: can they be operated, sustained and maintained by Australia without the support or supervision of the US Navy?

“If the answer is that US Navy assistance will be required that would mean, in any normal understanding of the term, that they are not Australian sovereign capabilities but rather that sovereignty would be shared with the US.

“If that is the case then this acquisition will be a momentous change which has not been acknowledged let alone debated.”

Turnbull has been raising this risk since the Morrison government reached agreement on the submarine proposal with Joe Biden and the then British prime minister Boris Johnson.

The former Labor prime minister Paul Keating has articulated very similar concerns, which has been an ongoing point of friction between himself and the current government.

Last October Keating said: “Because they’re nuclear submarines, they cannot be fielded without the technical support of the United States.

“If there’s interoperability it means our sovereignty, our freedom of decision and movement, is simply subordinated to the United States. No self-respecting Australian should ever put their hand up for our sovereignty being so wilfully suborned in this way.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18275708 (031203ZFEB23) Notable: Australia prepares to unveil AUKUS nuclear submarine plans in the United States - Anthony Albanese is expected to detail Australia's preferred nuclear submarine option on American soil next month, alongside US President Joe Biden and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak – raising the prospect of a potential new boat design involving all three allies

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Australia prepares to unveil AUKUS nuclear submarine plans in the United States

Andrew Greene - 2 February 2023

Anthony Albanese is expected to detail Australia's preferred nuclear submarine option on American soil next month, alongside US President Joe Biden and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak – raising the prospect of a potential new boat design involving all three allies.

Planning is underway for the prime minister to travel overseas for the long-awaited AUKUS announcement on an "optimal pathway" to replace the Navy's ageing Collins-class fleet, with Defence Minister Richard Marles flagging a "genuinely trilateral" solution.

Details of the high-profile event involving three world leaders are yet to be confirmed publicly but anticipation is growing that it will take place in the United States to accommodate President Biden's schedule.

The ABC understands a precise date for the unveiling is yet to be agreed on, but federal parliament is scheduled to sit for all but the second week of March, meaning Mr Albanese could easily travel between March 10 to 19.

Mr Albanese has already indicated he will visit India, where he has been invited to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the fourth cricket test, which begins on March 9.

"Sunak and Albanese would be both willing to travel for the announcement, but at the moment it's harder for the US president to leave his country," a figure familiar with the planning discussions has told the ABC.

Mr Albanese is scheduled to host Mr Biden, and the prime ministers of India and Japan for the next Quad Leaders meeting in Sydney in June.

Concerns have been growing in Washington over constraints within America's submarine industry and its ability to support Australia's ambitions to acquire nuclear-powered boats of its own.

Just before Christmas, two influential congressmen raised serious concerns about the AUKUS pact, warning Mr Biden the proposal to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines risked harming America's industrial base to "breaking point".

Last month, the US Navy abruptly suspended submarine maintenance work at four dry docks on the west coast over possible earthquake concerns, adding fresh doubts over the country's capacity to help with AUKUS.

Mr Marles this week confirmed the AUKUS announcement was "close" and would be a "genuinely trilateral" solution involving the United Kingdom and United States.

"What you'll see is when we ultimately do announce the optimal pathway that we've been working on with both the United States and the United Kingdom," he told the ABC.

"It really is, is a genuinely trilateral effort to see both the UK and the US provide Australia with a nuclear-powered submarine capability."

The ABC has approached Mr Albanese's office for comment but representatives declined to comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-02/joe-biden-tipped-to-host-aukus-announcement-albanese/101922328

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18275735 (031217ZFEB23) Notable: Video: 1st Marine Division Tweet - Happy Birthday to Us - #USMC #Marines #military #semperfi #82yearsyoung - "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy"''''

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1st Marine Division Tweet

Happy Birthday to Us

#USMC #Marines #military #semperfi #82yearsyoung

https://twitter.com/1st_Marine_Div/status/1620834527995396096

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18280215 (040119ZFEB23) Notable: ABC issues extraordinary apology over Alice Springs stories - The ABC has issued an extraordinary apology for airing multiple reports on Tuesday claiming there were displays of “white supremacy” at an Alice Springs community meeting - The ABC said “ABC news management takes responsibility” for the reports that were broadcast on its AM radio program and Newsradio that provided “an incomplete picture of the event”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129706

>>129707

>>129711

ABC issues extraordinary apology over Alice Springs stories

SOPHIE ELSWORTH - FEBRUARY 4, 2023

The ABC has issued an extraordinary apology for airing multiple reports on Tuesday claiming there were displays of “white supremacy” at an Alice Springs community meeting.

Since the airing of the broadcasts on Tuesday, pressure has been growing on chair Ita Buttrose and managing director David Anderson – both who have remained silent – despite widespread outrage from the Alice Springs community and political leaders.

On Friday the ABC published an apology and said “ABC news management takes responsibility” for the reports that were broadcast on its AM radio program and Newsradio that provided “an incomplete picture of the event”.

“On January 31, the program broadcast a report gathered the previous evening on a community meeting held in Alice Springs to discuss the recent upsurge in violence and to discuss compensation and solutions,” the apology said.

“The report included the views of some people who attended the community meeting and their immediate reaction.

“Those views were reported accurately.

“However, this report should have included a broader range of perspectives expressed at the meeting and further information about what was discussed, to provide additional context.”

The public broadcaster went on to say: “ABC News apologises to audiences for providing an incomplete picture of the event in this instance.

“Following this report, ABC News published additional coverage of the issue which included a broader range of perspectives and context”.

The AM report remains available online but now includes an editor’s note and links to additional coverage on the issues in Alice Springs.

The ABC’s news division is led by Justin Stevens who was appointed to the role in March last year.

Multiple sources who attended the Alice Springs forum rejected the suggestions made in the reports compiled by its indigenous affairs reporter and included commentary from attendees.

In one of the reports the ABC reporter said, “People were leaving early and streaming out of that Convention Centre in Alice Springs … one resident who was non-indigenous said the meeting was, quote ‘a disgusting display of white supremacy.”

The extraordinary apology comes just three days after the ABC stood by the reports and the media team published a statement that read: “Many strong and conflicting views are expressed within the community, including some that are confronting and the news coverage reflects that and doesn’t shy away from it”.

On Thursday Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson demanded Ms Buttrose retract the stories referencing the claims of white supremacy and he has since refused to do interviews with the ABC’s national division – not ABC’s Alice Springs bureau.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton also urged Ms Buttrose to address the “rubbish” reporting on the issues in Alice Springs and said the stories were “doing a disservice to everybody in that local community”.

The ABC also aired controversial comments on its political chat show The Drum on Wednesday evening by the ­associate dean of Indigenous leadership and engagement at the University of Technology Sydney, Nareen Young, who compared the Alice Springs meeting to the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning.

The film is based on the disappearance of three civil rights workers who are met with hostility by police, residents and the Ku Klux Klan.

“I think the elephant in the room … when I watched that footage of the town meeting that was held … is that if you saw that room in Mississippi Burning for example, Australians would say, ‘How terrible, that’s terrible that happens there,” Professor Young said on the program.

“The vitriol and racism and lack of regard and respect for those people on their land while those people were living off the bounty of it was appalling.”

The show’s host, John Barron, did not challenge Prof Young on her comments.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/abc-issues-extraordinary-apology-over-alice-springs-stories/news-story/c0577211d4b2498431de1285c00ed1b1

https://about.abc.net.au/statements/statement-on-alice-springs-community-meeting-coverage/

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/alice-springs-town-meeting-angers-aboriginal-people/101909610

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18280329 (040132ZFEB23) Notable: ABC issues apology over ‘biased’ coverage of Alice Springs community meeting - The ABC has backflipped over its controversial Alice Springs coverage by issuing an apology just hours after it was threatened with an official investigation into the matter

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129706

>>129707

>>129711

ABC issues apology over ‘biased’ coverage of Alice Springs community meeting

Staff writers - February 4, 2023

The ABC has backflipped over its controversial Alice Springs coverage by issuing an apology just hours after it was threatened with an official investigation into the matter.

On Friday evening, the public broadcaster released a statement with a partial apology, admitting it failed to provide the full context regarding a meeting held between townsfolk in the crisis-riddled town on Monday.

The Save Alice Springs meeting was held on Monday evening, organised by local business owner Garth Thompson.

More than 3000 residents attended to discuss the crime wave affecting their town, with the gathering reportedly lasting around 20 minutes.

However, the ABC’s Indigenous Affairs correspondent Carly Williams interviewed several attendees outside the meeting, with one woman describing it as a “total white supremacist fest” with a “scary” vibe.

Another man also threatened violence against Indigenous people in a sickening spray, using racist language while speaking with the ABC – however, no examples of racism from inside the meeting were broadcast, leading to accusations of bias.

A package appeared on the national broadcaster‘s flagship current affairs show AM as well as a TV report.

“We acknowledge that one report on AM was incomplete, and did not adequately cover the full context of the meeting or the range of perspectives expressed at it,” the ABC said.

“ABC News apologises to audiences for providing an incomplete picture of the event in this instance.”

In an editor’s note, ABC News management said they take “responsibility” regarding the oversight.

“This report includes the views of some people who attended the community meeting and their immediate reaction. Those views were reported accurately. However, this report should have included a broader range of perspectives expressed at the meeting and further information about what was discussed, to provide additional context,” they said.

“ … Following this report, ABC News published additional coverage of the issue which included a broader range of perspectives and context.”

The rest of the ABC’s statement, however, doubled down and defended its journalists.

“The views of those interviewed who had attended the meeting were accurately reported and were clearly newsworthy,” it wrote, adding later that “ABC News stands by its journalists covering this story”.

“The ABC has comprehensively covered the issues of substance abuse and public violence in Alice Springs and will continue to do so,” it added.

The AM report remains available online, with an Editor’s Note and links to further coverage added to provide further perspectives and necessary context.

The apology came just hours after it emerged that the ABC could be investigated by the media watchdog after a senator made a formal complaint.

On Friday morning, Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson revealed that she had asked the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to scrutinise the tax-funded organisation.

Ms Henderson, herself a former ABC journalist, slammed the “shockingly biased” TV package that came out of a controversial meeting held between residents in Alice Springs, dubbing it an “ABC fail” and “rubbish reporting”.

The reportage was “complete and utter rubbish”, Ms Henderson claimed.

In the days since, the ABC’s coverage of the gathering has been slammed as “biased” by a number of people including the organiser, Mr Thompson, and mayor Matt Paterson, who called for an apology as well as a retraction.

Ms Henderson wrote on Twitter: “Rather than tell the full story, the ABC offensively and inaccurately depicted the meeting as ‘clearly all around white supremacy’.

“Not only has it refused to retract the story, apologise & investigate how it got to air, the ABC has arrogantly defended it.

“A very big ABC fail.”

Speaking to Sky News, she said that “the ABC has completely and utterly lost the plot” and that what it had done was “irresponsible”.

“They clearly do not understand what it takes to be an impartial journalist,” Ms Henderson added.

“Not only should there be an apology and a retraction, as the mayor has called for, there needs to be training of journalists, there needs to be a review and an investigation into what happened.”

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/abc-issues-apology-over-biased-coverage-of-alice-springs-community-meeting/news-story/80ada717c42898bf0878bbd03f5bf94d

https://twitter.com/SenSHenderson/status/1621268582763216896

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18282644 (041109ZFEB23) Notable: Legal threat over Brittany Higgins memoir - Lawyers for Linda Reynolds have written to Brittany Higgins’s publishers warning against any defamatory references to the former Liberal minister, saying they believe publication of Ms Higgins’ memoir is imminent and seeking a copy of the manuscript

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129686

Legal threat over Brittany Higgins memoir

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - FEBRUARY 4, 2023

1/2

Lawyers for Linda Reynolds have written to Brittany Higgins’s publishers warning against any defamatory references to the former Liberal minister, saying they believe publication of Ms Higgins’ memoir is imminent and seeking a copy of the manuscript.

Senator Reynolds’s lawyers have sent a similar letter to the publishers of a planned book by journalist Samantha Maiden on sexual misconduct in Canberra.

In each case, the lawyers say Senator Reynolds has not been afforded a reasonable opportunity to answer any allegations against her.

Senator Reynolds told The Weekend Australian she had engaged experienced defamation lawyers to represent her.

“I hope it will not be necessary to take further steps to protect my reputation,” she said, adding that she was paying the cost of any defamation actions out of her own pocket.

“For two years, I have been subjected to frequent and persistent unfair criticism, disparagement and defamatory comments by the media in relation to my handling of Ms Higgins’s complaint.

“The content of many of those publications is derived directly from various public statements made by Ms Higgins to the media (in particular to Ms Maiden and Ms Lisa Wilkinson) and her evidence given during the criminal trial concerning my conduct.

“Ms Maiden and Ms Higgins have each demonstrated an inclination to comment on my conduct in an unbalanced manner, which has been both professionally and personally damaging to me and inconsistent with my recollection of key events and the evidence of my staff.”

During the aborted rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann last year, it emerged that prominent author Peter FitzSimons had negotiated a $325,000 advance for Ms Higgins’s book. Industry sources suggested publisher Penguin Random House hoped to sell at least 100,000 copies at $29.99 each.

Senator Reynolds’s lawyers, WA legal firm Bennett, told The Weekend Australian: “Given the intense media scrutiny of our client since the first publication of Ms Higgins’s story in February 2021 and the numerous defamatory articles published by various journalists and media outlets, our client has legitimate concerns that the (Higgins) book may contain allegations defamatory of her. Our client seeks to ensure that any report contained in the book is a fair report and that she has a reasonable opportunity to answer any matters of, and concerning, her in the book.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18282674 (041124ZFEB23) Notable: Lehrmann trial inquiry must restore faith in law and order - Last week, Walter Sofronoff KC was appointed by the ACT government to head the board of inquiry to examine the conduct of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Australian Federal Police and the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner before, during and after the trial of Bruce Lehrmann - This inquiry, the ACT’s version of a royal commission, could mark a turning point for the law and the media in this country. Here is a rare chance for a widely respected member of the legal profession to remind our most powerful institutions, and the rest of the country, that there is no substitute for the principle that underpins our justice system: that our laws apply equally to all people, and the corollary of that is that the protections at law apply equally to all - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129708

Lehrmann trial inquiry must restore faith in law and order

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - FEBRUARY 4, 2023

1/2

Last week, Walter Sofronoff KC was appointed by the ACT government to head the board of inquiry to examine the conduct of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Australian Federal Police and the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner before, during and after the trial of Bruce Lehrmann.

This inquiry – the ACT’s version of a royal commission – could mark a turning point for the law and the media in this country. Here is a rare chance for a widely respected member of the legal profession to remind our most powerful institutions, and the rest of the country, that there is no substitute for the principle that underpins our justice system: that our laws apply equally to all people, and the corollary of that is that the protections at law apply equally to all.

The rule of law is often misunderstood, and therefore underappreciated. Worse, it is frequently disregarded by those who ought to know better, and sometimes by those whose duty it is to defend it. The Sofronoff inquiry will have to examine whether that happened in the Lehrmann trials – both of them – the first trial by media, ­followed by the courtroom trial in Canberra.

Sofronoff certainly does seem to be the man for the job.

When he was sworn in as a president of the Queensland Court of Appeal in 2017, Sofronoff explained his background. Not to warm our hearts, but to harden our resolve to defend the rule of law.

He explained how his father, a Cossack, born in Siberia, fled from Russia on horseback after the ­Bolsheviks razed the homes and took the lives of many Cossacks in the 1930s. His father travelled through Mongolia to Shanghai where he met a woman and married her. That woman, Sofronoff’s mother, was also a refugee who had fled Harbin in Manchuria.

His father and mother were taken in by The Philippines, a very poor country that accepted more than 6000 Russian anti-communist refugees. Sofronoff was born a few years later after the family had moved to Australia.

Sofronoff explained why he mentioned his family at the august legal event: “My father and my mother knew and understood that there was something that they would gain for themselves and for their son, my brother, by coming here. My father used to refer to this by using the Russian word for ‘order’. He would say that there is order here.

“He had experienced order under tyranny – the kind you achieve by obedience. But what he wanted as a refugee, and what he found here, was order of a different kind. Of course, by order, he really meant the rule of law.”

Sofronoff spoke of the willingness of a people to abide by laws when laws are applied and enforced equally.

“In short, we believe in fair play,” he said.

“And we believe in repelling any kind of corruption or distortion of our institutions that would pervert the conduct of the people who constitute those institutions.”

This part of Sofronoff’s background should interest us far more than his fast cars, or the skydiving or the guitars that sat in his chambers. An interesting, adventurous man is not enough to do the job. It requires bravery and determination to stand up to those people within some of the nation’s most powerful institutions who are at the centre of this debacle. If their conduct has distorted the proper working of these institutions, then it damages the rule of law. And we need to know about it.

Sofronoff, a former solicitor-general of Queensland, is not known for shying away from tough gigs. Most recently, to give but one example, he headed up the commission of inquiry into DNA testing in Queensland. His findings were damning. DNA testing in that state is being overhauled from the ground up.

But here is a less high-profile story that suggests Sofronoff may get to the bottom of what went wrong before, during and after the Lehrmann trial.

It concerned two murderers who were to be considered for parole. One of them was 14 at the time of the murder; the other was 16. The Queensland government had introduced a law specifically aimed at them to ensure they not get parole. The case reached the High Court in 2007.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18282688 (041133ZFEB23) Notable: AUKUS subs a boon but finding nuclear workforce will challenge us: Richard Marles - Defence Minister Richard Marles has warned that Australia’s plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines faces a significant challenge to find the workforce needed to bring the ships to service

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129716

AUKUS subs a boon but finding nuclear workforce will challenge us: Richard Marles

Farrah Tomazin - February 4, 2023

1/2

Washington: Defence Minister Richard Marles has warned that Australia’s plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines faces a significant challenge to find the workforce needed to bring the ships to service, and that much more needed to be done to ensure the success of the AUKUS pact.

But weeks out from unveiling one of the most consequential national security strategies in decades, the Minister also signalled that the nation’s next submarines would lift the military capabilities of all three nations involved in the deal.

Australia, the US and the UK would then be better positioned to take on growing threats in the Indo-Pacific.

“We are building a three-way ecosystem, and that’s how people need to understand it,” Marles said as he visited Washington on Friday to work through some of the final details of the pact with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

“I definitely think you will see a benefit for Australia, but to the US and the UK as well.”

Despite recent jitters about America’s ability to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia - which some feared could push the US industrial base to “breaking point” - the Defence Minister said he was confident Washington officials understood the strategic benefit of the deal, which was announced in 2021 to counter China’s rise.

But while Marles has said Australians would not be left with a capability gap following the retirement of the ageing Collins-class fleet, he also admits that building up an AUKUS-ready nuclear workforce “is one of the real challenges that we face and we’re going to have to do a lot of work to get this right.” Ultimately, though, he estimated the pact could end up creating thousands of jobs in Australia.

Another major hurdle, he acknowledged today, was America’s maze of regulations and export control laws, such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) which could delay for years the transfer of crucial technologies.

Australian officials have for years been pushing their US counterparts to reform their treatment under arms regulations, and the issue was front and centre of the December Australian-US Ministerial consultations between Marles and Austin.

Two of America’s biggest proponents of the AUKUS pact, Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney and Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, have vowed to reform the export control system. They have even suggested giving Australia a special exemption to accelerate the delivery of it nuclear-powered fleet.

“Congress must find a way to grant Australia a degree of freedom or flexibility from ITAR’s requirements,” Gallagher, who is also the chairman of the Select Committee on China, told The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age.

“There are ways we can exempt our closest allies without compromising national security or hurting American manufacturers. Congressman Courtney and I intend to make sensible ITAR reform a top priority this Congress.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18288422 (050829ZFEB23) Notable: Mental health checks for WA's gun owners to become mandatory under changes to firearms laws - Anyone buying a gun in Western Australia will have to undergo mandatory and ongoing mental health checks, as part of a complete overhaul of the state's 50-year-old firearms legislation - The changes are designed to create some of the toughest gun laws in the country

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mental health checks for WA's gun owners to become mandatory under changes to firearms laws

Nicolas Perpitch - 5 February 2023

1/2

Anyone buying a gun in Western Australia will have to undergo mandatory and ongoing mental health checks, as part of a complete overhaul of the state's 50-year-old firearms legislation.

The changes are designed to create some of the toughest gun laws in the country.

They are occurring separately to any potential national gun register and will make WA the first state or territory requiring specific, legislated and recurring mental health checks for gun owners.

Twenty people died from gunshot wounds in the state last year, and Police Minister Paul Papalia said mental health issues were involved in at least half of those deaths.

He hoped the changes would help reduce murders, gun-related family and domestic violence, attacks on police and suicides.

"This isn't the only solution. It's not a guaranteed solution, but it's more than what we do now," Mr Papalia told the ABC.

"And we are obliged to do our best to make the community safer."

Alison Evans, the chief executive officer at the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing, said the change was urgently needed.

"We do know from research overseas, and in particular in the US, that I think over half of intimate partner homicides are committed with guns, which means a woman is five times more likely to be murdered when her abuser has access to a gun," Ms Evans said.

The state government announced last March it would overhaul WA's 1973 Firearms Act.

The new legislation is currently being drafted and mental health checks will be one of the key features of the new laws, in the same way they are required for a recreational pilot's licence.

A working group comprising the mental health minister's office, the Mental Health Commission, the Royal Australian College of GPs and other groups will develop the detail of how the checks will work and precisely what would constitute a red flag preventing a gun licence being granted.

Broadly, a health practitioner would conduct the check within set guidelines and WA Police would make the final decision.

"The bottom line is there will be a mandatory mental health check to obtain a firearms licence and it will be recurrent on a regular basis," Mr Papalia said.

The minister said community safety was paramount.

"One of the real key indicators of the likelihood of a woman or family suffering violence [or] being killed in a domestic violence situation is the presence of a firearm in the house," he said.

'This isn't some sort of vindictive thing'

The mental health checks could also help prevent people taking their own lives, including in rural communities where the average suicide rate among farmers is almost 60 per cent higher than non-farmers, according to coronial data from 2021.

"Anything you can do to help try and reduce that terrible toll. There's got to be a positive," Mr Papalia said.

"This isn't some sort of vindictive thing. This is trying to make it safer for people and sadly, it's the fact that our farmers are suffering disproportionately."

People who are identified as living with a significant mental health condition during the checks will be offered support.

"In the event that this process identifies an issue, then what we want the system to enable is a pathway to seeking help," Mr Papalia said.

"So that's probably an opportunity that might not have existed in the past for that person to reach out because they wouldn't even have been visible to anybody, because there's no obligation to go and see anybody.

"There's nothing punitive about this. It really is trying to help those people. There's a lot of people out there that have sadly taken their lives through access to a firearm."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18288436 (050836ZFEB23) Notable: Thousands of new jobs to build AUKUS subs: Richard Marles - Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has promised “thousands” of new jobs to build Australia’s planned fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, which could ultimately see South Australian shipyards supplying parts for the US and UK submarine programs as the three nations develop a “seamless defence industrial space”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129716

Thousands of new jobs to build AUKUS subs: Richard Marles

ADAM CREIGHTON - FEBRUARY 5, 2023

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has promised “thousands” of new jobs to build Australia’s planned fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, which could ultimately see South Australian shipyards supplying parts for the US and UK submarine programs as the three nations develop a “seamless defence industrial space”.

In Washington to iron out the details of the government’s plan to acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines using US technology – to be unveiled next month - Mr Marles said the government still had “a lot of work to do” to grow and train the necessary workforce to build “the second most complicated thing humans build behind a space shuttle”.

Mr Marles arrived in the US from London where he had been holding similar talks with his UK counterpart Ben Wallace, who said he was “pretty confident” Australia’s fleet of nuclear submarines, would be a “tri-nation project”, fuelling speculation the new boats would be “next generation” as opposed to a replication of an existing UK or US design.

“I think what’s actually expected of us by both the US and the UK, is that we develop, we make a contribution to the net industrial base of the three countries by developing the capacity in Australia to build a nuclear-powered submarine,” Mr Marles told reporters on Friday (Saturday AEDT).

“I definitely think you will see a clear benefit for Australia, but to the US and the UK as well, for sure,” he added, speaking to reporters a little before his meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Prime Minster is understood to be trying to arrange an in-person meeting with President Joe Biden and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak in Washington DC sometime in mid-March, to jointly unveil the first phase of the AUKUS security pact, which promised Australia the means to build nuclear-powered submarines powered by US nuclear technology.

“We are getting to the pointy end of the process in terms of the announcement in relation to AUKUS and the submarines,” Mr Marles said, describing an earlier meeting with Jake Sullivan, the White House’s National Security Adviser, as “granular and constructive”.

Mr Marles, who is also defence minister, played down reports in other media that Australia would be ‘leasing’ US Los Angeles class nuclear-powered submarines from the US to plug a ‘capability gap’ in national defences after the Collins Class submarines become obsolete later this decade. “That’s just speculation,” he said.

Japan would be welcome to join AUKUS down the track, Mr Marles said, pushing against a recent statement by China’s foreign Minister that Beijing remained “seriously concerned and opposed’ to the trilateral pact, and especially any expansion to include Japan.

“Japan clearly has not expressed a desire to acquire [a nuclear] capability but in relation to other technologies I think there is interest in other parts of the world, and probably we‘re open to it,” Mr Marles said.

The Defence Minster said he “wasn’t surprised” or concerned to hear concerns expressed by some US senators in a letter to the president last year that the US own capacity to build new boats was already stretched, owing to the US navy’s own increased demand for submarines.

“Sometimes people seem to imagine there‘s some grand submarine showroom when we talk about ‘off the shelf’,” he said.

“The sense I get in conversations I’ve had on the hill is people do understand the strategic benefit for the US of Australia attaining this capability… in every meeting, the sense of commitment from both the UK and the US towards this has just been fantastic,” he added.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/thousands-of-new-jobs-to-build-aukus-subs-richard-marles/news-story/7afe89295ea332ce6d28f94f2252cf39

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18293556 (060842ZFEB23) Notable: Lidia Thorpe: Controversial senator quits Greens to pursue black sovereignty - Lidia Thorpe has sensationally quit the Greens after splitting from her party on the Indigenous voice to parliament, saying its support for the advisory body is “at odds” with community activists who want a treaty first

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129660

Lidia Thorpe: Controversial senator quits Greens to pursue black sovereignty

ROSIE LEWIS - FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Lidia Thorpe has sensationally quit the Greens after splitting from her party on the Indigenous voice to parliament, saying its support for the advisory body is “at odds” with community activists who want a treaty first.

Senator Thorpe, who was the Greens’ First Nations spokeswoman and is the co-founder of the party’s First Nations network, said she would continue to vote with the party on climate but wanted to “grow and amplify the black sovereign movement” in Australia.

Her resignation will be a major blow to Greens leader Adam Bandt, who has stuck by Senator Thorpe through several controversies. The party’s Senate representation will drop from 12 senators to 11.

“This country has a strong grassroots black sovereign movement, full of staunch and committed warriors and I want to represent that movement fully in this parliament,” Senator Thorpe said.

“It has become clear to me that I can’t do that from within the Greens. Now I will be able to speak freely on all issues from a sovereign perspective, without being constrained by portfolios and agreed party positions.

“Greens MPs, members and supporters have told me they want to support the voice. This is at odds with the community of activists who are saying treaty before voice. This is the message delivered on the streets on January 26. This is the movement I was raised in, my elders marched for a treaty. This is who I am.”

Mr Bandt said he tried “very hard” to get Senator Thorpe to stay and proposed to her that she could remain the party’s First Nations spokeswoman while he took on all responsibilities on the voice, if she voted differently to the rest of the Greens as expected.

“The Greens will continue to work closely with Senator Thorpe on a range of issues and I thank her for committing to vote with the Greens on climate,” he said.

“I expect there’s a lot of Greens members and supporters and voters who feel like me and feel sad to see Senator Thorpe go but she’s made that decision ... What I’m focused on now is the Greens, this parliamentary year and this parliamentary term and doing what we can to ensure that we’re focused on the issues that matter to us - climate, cost of living, we’ve got some very big challenges ahead of us this year.”

Senator Thorpe’s move to the crossbench means the government will need to win over the Greens and two more independents in the Senate to pass legislation when the Coalition is opposed.

Previously, when Senator Thorpe was a member of the Greens, the government needed just one more crossbencher on its side.

Senator Thorpe said she would not announce her final position on the voice but wanted to continue negotiations with the government.

“First Nations sovereignty is crucial but so is saving lives today. They (the government) could do that by implementing the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and the recommendations from the Bringing Them Home report. Simple,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/lidia-thorpe-controversial-senator-quits-greens-to-pursue-black-sovereignty/news-story/0f7bc02c925c5802681e8462dad73af0

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18293583 (060855ZFEB23) Notable: Lidia Thorpe: Voice politics just got a lot worse for Anthony Albanese - Lidia Thorpe has just made Anthony Albanese’s job on the voice to parliament much harder. The rebel Green and now black sovereign movement senator has opened an entirely new front against the referendum

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129725

Lidia Thorpe: Voice politics just got a lot worse for Anthony Albanese

DENNIS SHANAHAN - FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Lidia Thorpe has just made Anthony Albanese’s job on the voice to parliament much harder. The rebel Green and now black sovereign movement senator has opened an entirely new front against the referendum.

It’s another layer of complexity and argument that feeds confusion and fear about the consequences of changing the constitution.

Lidia Thorpe has just made Anthony Albanese’s job on the voice to parliament much harder. The rebel Green and now black sovereign movement senator has opened an entirely new front against the referendum.

It’s another layer of complexity and argument that feeds confusion and fear about the consequences of changing the constitution.

As part of a deliberate campaign to keep detail out of the debate and to talk about the practical consequences of implementing a voice to parliament, the Prime Minister has refused to give detail but has been forced to address the issue of sovereignty.

Only 24 hours before Thorpe announced her resignation from the Greens and the establishment of a black sovereign movement, Albanese said of the voice: “The vote and referendum will have no impact on the issue of sovereignty. No impact. It is very, very clear.”

Thorpe is now making it “very, very clear” sovereignty and a separate treaty with Indigenous Australians is now very much part of the referendum debate.

So far the threat to the success of the referendum has been direct opposition to, or reluctance about, support for the voice from the conservative political parties because lack of bipartisanship has killed previous referendums.

But now Albanese faces formal and potentially formidable political opposition from the left.

The politics of the voice have suddenly got far worse and the debate far more dangerously complicated.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/voice-politics-just-got-a-lot-worse-for-anthony-albanese/news-story/e7657851cbe1267aaa2da91734ae3e86

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18293598 (060903ZFEB23) Notable: Thorpe’s exit from the Greens the biggest bait and switch in politics - "Lidia Thorpe just managed the biggest bait-and-switch in Australian political history. Thorpe hooked Australian voters on the idea of electing her as a strong Greens senator at the last election. Now those same voters discover they have bought something utterly different. This is a spectacular and shameless act of political desertion that weakens the Greens, resets calculations about crossbench power in the Senate and crowns a new and wildly unpredictable independent in parliament." - David Crowe - theage.com.au

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129725

Thorpe’s exit from the Greens the biggest bait and switch in politics

David Crowe - February 6, 2023

1/2

Lidia Thorpe just managed the biggest bait-and-switch in Australian political history.

Thorpe hooked Australian voters on the idea of electing her as a strong Greens senator at the last election. Now those same voters discover they have bought something utterly different.

Did she dud Australians at the election? Thorpe ended her statement to the media on Monday without taking that or any other questions.

This is a spectacular and shameless act of political desertion that weakens the Greens, resets calculations about crossbench power in the Senate and crowns a new and wildly unpredictable independent in parliament.

It is a wonderful deal for Thorpe, whose term in the upper house continues to 2028 and who now gains total freedom to speak as she wants without answering to a party organisation or the branch members who helped install her in parliament.

But it is a disaster for the Greens. It is hugely damaging to Adam Bandt, who led the party to a strong result last May and now looks like a leader who cannot keep his party together. How many Greens members will leave with Lidia?

And it is humiliating for the party’s former leader, Richard Di Natale, and other senior Greens who decided Thorpe deserved the party’s support even though she had not worked her way through the ranks like other contenders for a Senate seat of great value.

Thorpe soared to political office when the party chose her to run for the Victorian state seat of Northcote at a byelection in 2017, but she lost to Labor at the general election the next year.

The Greens chose to elevate her again in 2020 when she replaced Di Natale when he resigned from parliament in November that year. The party gave her the great gift of being the incumbent senator when she led the Greens ticket in Victoria last May.

All parties have rats who desert the tribe, but Thorpe has ratted in record time. Mal Colston was a Labor senator for 24 years before quitting the party for the crossbench in 1999. Julian McGauran was a Nationals senator for 19 years before switching to the Liberals in 2006. Thorpe has jumped ship in two years and five months.

This weakens Thorpe’s credibility in parliament – it is hard to crusade for honesty in politics after a jump like this – but this rarely matters to politicians who choose to go it alone. She has always believed in her personal mission, not in the Greens, and some in the party always thought her departure was only a matter of time.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18293629 (060917ZFEB23) Notable: Video: Alcohol bans to return in Alice Springs town camps, remote communities in Central Australia - Alcohol bans will be reinstated in central Australia, preventing the sale of alcohol to people living in Aboriginal town camps and remote communities - The move was recommended in the snap review of alcohol laws ordered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in response to a spike in crime and alcohol-fuelled violence

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Alcohol bans to return in Alice Springs town camps, remote communities in Central Australia

Jacqueline Breen and Samantha Dick - 6 February 2023

Alcohol bans will be reinstated in central Australia, preventing the sale of alcohol to people living in Aboriginal town camps and remote communities.

The move was recommended in the snap review of alcohol laws ordered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in response to a spike in crime and alcohol-fuelled violence.

The NT government had resisted calls to reimpose Intervention-style blanket alcohol bans, which it said were racist and ineffective.

But the report's other key recommendation, which backs the NT government's call for needs-based funding for programs like domestic violence services, appears not to have been accepted by the prime minister.

Mr Albanese told federal parliament the Commonwealth would provide an extra $250 million "for a better, safer future for central Australia".

Mr Albanese said the bans would be urgently introduced under new NT legislation.

But he said it was widely understood the situation in Alice Springs "isn't just about alcohol".

"This is about intergenerational disadvantage. It is about a lack of employment services, a lack of community services, a lack of educational opportunity," he said.

Under the changes, dry communities can get their restrictions lifted if at least 60 per cent of residents vote in favour of a formal alcohol management plan.

Frontline services and Aboriginal health groups have criticised the failure of governments to plan a transition when Intervention-era bans expired in July last year.

During a press conference in Darwin, Ms Fyles said her government's handling of the issue had been "agile".

"We've heard loudly and clearly that the matter and decision of alcohol on community needs to be one that is made by the entire community," she said.

"That is why we're creating a circuit breaker and implementing temporary dry zones until communities can develop and vote on the alcohol management plans."

The prime minister's intervention last week came after days of political and media pressure, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton backing calls from the local mayor for the army or federal police to be sent in.

Report recommends alcohol bans and needs-based funding

The report, which was handed to both governments last week, was written by Central Australian Controller Dorrelle Anderson.

It was published online after Ms Fyles' began her press conference.

It contains a number of "proposed actions" and two recommendations:

1.The NT Government make urgent amendments to the Liquor Act 2019 that will see town camps and nearby remote communities return to alcohol free areas, with a clear path forward if the community wishes to introduce responsible drinking options, upon the development of a Community Alcohol Management Plan.

2.The NT and Commonwealth Governments continue to work together to deliver needs based funding to the relevant service providers in the Northern Territory as a matter of priority, so that the cycle of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage can truly begin to be broken.

Asked if the measures being announced followed Ms Anderson's recommendations, she said the Commonwealth was providing "new dollars".

"There was clear recommendations around alcohol and there was also recommendations around the investment that's needed," she said.

"Alcohol is one part of this. And that's I think the message that has come through loud and clear, and that is why you're seeing that investment."

Ms Fyles said she knew there would be people disappointed by the announcement.

"But it does provide a clear pathway, allowing local leadership to come together around this issue and a clearly defined process," she said.

"Alcohol-related harm is still the Northern Territory's biggest social challenge," Ms Fyles said.

"No government has done more to address this issue, and we will continue to do so."

Many remote communities will be unaffected by the change, because they were already dry before the bans were put in place.

Mr Albanese said both his and the previous federal government, as well as the NT government, "could have done better" in planning for the end of the 15-year-old bans.

The announcements were criticised by NT Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro.

"There was no promise today of additional police, or Australian Federal Police, into Alice Springs, which would make an immediate impact on the ground today," she said.

"There was no promise of additional child protection workers to deal with the child protection crisis on the ground."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-06/nt-alice-springs-report-released/101934758

https://cmc.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1189087/proposed-actions.PDF

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18293682 (060945ZFEB23) Notable: General David H. Berger, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps Tweet: I also saw Marines in Darwin and Canberra. Although there are no @USMC units permanently stationed in Australia, we have Marines as a rotational force, in our MSG program, as students attending Australia’s military universities, and as liaison officers to our friends in the ADF.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129717

General David H. Berger, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps Tweet

Throughout a vast Indo-Pacific, the message is clear—allies and partners are critical to free and open sea lanes and deterring aggression. The US and Australia have enjoyed over 100 years of “mateship,” and the unique relationship between the @USMC and the ADF is strong as ever.

https://twitter.com/CMC_MarineCorps/status/1622244551208361987

—

I was in Australia last week and met with US Amb @carolinekennedy @usembaustralia and other leaders throughout the continent, including @lukegoslingMP, NT Chief Minister Fyles, ADF Chief Gen Campbell @CDF_aust, and LtGen Bilton, Chief of Joint Ops @cjopsaustralia

https://twitter.com/CMC_MarineCorps/status/1622244557696925697

—

I also saw Marines in Darwin and Canberra. Although there are no @USMC units permanently stationed in Australia, we have Marines as a rotational force, in our MSG program, as students attending Australia’s military universities, and as liaison officers to our friends in the ADF.

https://twitter.com/CMC_MarineCorps/status/1622244564982448129

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18299696 (070756ZFEB23) Notable: Tony Abbott accuses Anthony Albanese of behaving like a “used car salesman” on his campaign to support the indigenous voice to parliament - 'The Prime Minister only wants to talk about “the great duco” and not about how the engine works'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129693

Anthony Albanese acting like used car salesman on voice: Tony Abbott

DENNIS SHANAHAN - FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Tony Abbott has accused Anthony Albanese of behaving like a “used car salesman” on his campaign to support the indigenous voice to parliament because the Prime Minister only wants to talk about “the great duco” and not about how the engine works.

“The Prime Minister is not being frank when he says that this is a modest change,” the former Liberal Prime Minister said.

Mr Abbott said Mr Albanese had admitted only a “brave government” would go against the recommendations of the voice to parliament which Mr Abbott said made it a “fourth arm of government”.

On Tuesday morning Mr Albanese told his Labor colleagues said the referendum was about two things: recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution and consulting Indigenous people on matters that affect them.

“That’s what it’s about. And all of the misinformation that we’re seeing out there won’t distract from that great task,” Mr Albanese said.

But, in a podcast interview with the Institute of Public Affairs, Mr Abbott said Mr Albanese was not being frank and “should come clean” about what he is doing.

“Honestly, He’s like a used car salesman who says, ‘Yeah, it’s got great duco. Don’t worry about the engine’. Really, he’s not being frank. He must know that this would have far-reaching ramifications,” Mr Abbott said.

“In terms of what we might do to ourselves for the long term, this is by far the biggest issue facing our country. Any constitutional change is for keeps. Unlike legislation, which can always be reversed, any constitutional changes for keeps,” Mr Abbott said.

“Indigenous people need to be at the heart of the mainstream of Australia. Any spirit or sense or institutionalized separatism is destructive. And this is institutionalized separatism,” Mr Abbott said.

“I don’t have anything personally against the Prime Minister, who is a decent human being who wants to do the right thing, I’m sure, but he’s dead wrong on this, completely wrong. This idea that it’s a, as he said over the weekend, a modest but meaningful change. It’s not modest. It’s a very, very big change,” Mr Abbott said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-acting-like-used-car-salesman-on-voice-tony-abbott/news-story/f1adc7052f9ddb61f2cc63d2c3d3d5aa

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18299711 (070802ZFEB23) Notable: Bashings, killings, rapes: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on living in the ‘hellholes’ of Alice Springs - Watching loved ones succumb to grog, the horrific murder of her aunt, and the sexual assault “in some way, shape or form” of every woman in her family are among the standout childhood memories for Price

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>129633

Bashings, killings, rapes: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on living in the ‘hellholes’ of Alice Springs

LIAM MENDES - FEBRUARY 6, 2023

1/2

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was just 12 when she lay all night with her baby cousin after her parents rescued the one-and-a-half year-old boy away from alcohol-fuelled ­violence.

The Country Liberal senator recalls driving into the Inarlenge town camp – also known as Little Sisters – outside Alice Springs with her parents to “rescue” the baby, as her aunty and uncle were caught up in “mob … all fighting”.

“That night I wanted to just protect him,” she said through tears. “I remember we were driving in there and everything was going on and him being handed over to us and then driving away.

“I remember holding him in my arms all night, putting him to sleep next to me, and he just slept next to me all night.”

The toddler’s father, a man she “loved deeply”, died from excessive alcohol consumption.

Watching loved ones succumb to grog, the horrific murder of her aunt, and the sexual assault “in some way, shape or form” of every woman in her family are among the standout childhood memories for Price.

As she leaves her troubled hometown for Canberra and the first sitting week of the parliamentary year, Price says these memories will drive her fight to restore sweeping alcohol bans to Alice Springs and its surrounding communities.

The senator – with the ­Coalition’s backing – will move to present a bill this week that would immediately reintroduce the ­restrictions that existed under the lapsed Stronger Futures legislation.

Her bill will force grog bans in communities until they develop alcohol management plans with the help of the federal government. Labor has not said whether it will back the bill.

Price’s legislative push comes as a secret report about the issues in Alice Springs, held tight ­between Anthony Albanese and senior Northern Territory government ministers, is set to be released by the end of the week.

In an interview with The Australian about the violence in Alice Springs and her plan to stop it, Price could not hold back tears as she remembered scenes from the town camps, where many of her family still live and struggle.

She has one word for the central Australian town camps many of her relatives were brought up in and in which many of her closest family members have died: “hellholes”.

Her aunt was “killed and bashed and stabbed to death” by women in a town camp. “These are some of the things that go on,” Price said. “I witnessed people in violent situations, a woman stabbing herself in the leg because she was drunk, she was yelling at everyone and screaming and wanted attention or things weren’t going her way, so she stabbed herself in the leg,” Price recalled.

“I remember her little boy, who must have been about four or five, clambering over us all to get away from her and to get into safe arms.

“I know of a cousin who was living in a town camp when she was a young mother and she had a little baby girl and she just thought every night she thought ‘this could be the night that I could be stabbed to death by my boyfriend, and I gotta get out of this situation’.”

(continued)