/qnotables23/ - ===Q Notables 2023===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18427785 (010822ZMAR23) Notable: Australia should not buy British nuclear subs: Dutton - Peter Dutton has declared Australia should not buy a British nuclear submarine in comments branded as “irresponsible” by the Albanese government - The Opposition Leader said a British boat would be plagued by problems, and the government should choose the “proven” US Virginia-class sub.

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Australia should not buy British nuclear subs: Dutton

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 1, 2023

Peter Dutton has declared Australia should not buy a British nuclear submarine in comments branded as “irresponsible” by the Albanese government.

The Opposition Leader said a British boat would be plagued by problems, and the government should choose the “proven” US Virginia-class sub.

The dramatic intervention comes amid speculation the planned next-generation British submarine, dubbed the SSN(R), will emerge as the favoured option when the government’s “optimal pathway” to acquire nuclear subs is revealed this month.

Mr Dutton said he had the “greatest of respect for the Brits”, but was advised as defence minister there were a range of problems with choosing a British submarine, including a long development timeline and limited capacity within the UK supply chain.

“As anybody in the defence space can tell you, going with the first in class is difficult because there are production mistakes, there are design mistakes and by the second or third or fourth or fifth that rolls off the production line, whether it’s a tank or a ship or a submarine, you get it right by then,” he said at the Avalon Airshow on Wednesday.

“The beauty in my mind with the American model of the Virginia class was that it was a proven design.

“It gave us interoperability with the Americans, and there’ll be more American subs in the Indo-Pacific than there will be British submarines.”

Mr Dutton said he was briefed ahead of the May 2022 election that Rolls-Royce, which makes reactors for British nuclear submarines, had no available production capacity, while the UK’s submarine production facility at Barrow on Furness “didn’t have the ability to scale up”.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy accused Mr Dutton of undermining confidence in the submarine program, and suggested he had misused classified information he received as minister.

“Those comments from Peter Dutton are incredibly irresponsible,” Mr Conroy said.

“He’s either being mischievous or he’s not privy to the latest information. I’ve just come back from Barrow in the United Kingdom where I’ve got a full briefing on what the United Kingdom is doing. I stay in regular contact with the US Navy, and we’ll make announcements very shortly about the optimal path forward on our nuclear propelled submarines.”

Mr Dutton’s comments followed a June 2022 opinion piece by the Opposition Leader in The Australian revealing that he believed as minister that the US government would sell Australia two Virginia-class boats off its Connecticut production line by 2030, while a further eight of the US subs would be built in Adelaide.

Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to the US this month to make a joint statement with Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Australia’s chosen nuclear submarine.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/australia-should-not-buy-british-nuclear-subs-dutton/news-story/39f1aa17a26fd0d3a684f3cac0456a6d

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18427819 (010835ZMAR23) Notable: Court in the act: what else is voice lobby not telling us? - "Has there ever been a more flagrant attempt to deceive the Australian people than the Albanese government’s effort to force-feed the voice into our Constitution? Aided and abetted by an army of activist advisers and cheerleaders, Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney lead what can only be described as the great deception. The root cause of this deception is that the objective of this campaign is to enact a massive change to our constitutional arrangements, namely to begin the process of replacing our long-treasured sole and exclusive sovereignty of the crown with the form of co-sovereignty between the crown and Indigenous Australia demanded by the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This, in turn, is a first step to treaty and self-determination. This radical step could be implemented only by pretending the change was modest, encasing it with feel-good atmospherics, backed up with frequent browbeating." - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

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Court in the act: what else is voice lobby not telling us?

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - MARCH 1, 2023

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Has there ever been a more flagrant attempt to deceive the Australian people than the Albanese government’s effort to force-feed the voice into our Constitution?

Aided and abetted by an army of activist advisers and cheerleaders, Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney lead what can only be described as the great deception. The root cause of this deception is that the objective of this campaign is to enact a massive change to our constitutional arrangements, namely to begin the process of replacing our long-treasured sole and exclusive sovereignty of the crown with the form of co-sovereignty between the crown and Indigenous Australia demanded by the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This, in turn, is a first step to treaty and self-determination. This radical step could be implemented only by pretending the change was modest, encasing it with feel-good atmospherics, backed up with frequent browbeating.

What, for example, is law professor Megan Davis doing by demanding universities, including the peak body, Universities Australia, sing from her Yes song sheet? Universities are meant to encourage free thought, not foisted views, aren’t they?

The gamble by Yes activists that we would not look too hard at the proposed wording and its consequences, or stand up to bullying, has manifestly failed – to the point where even some voice supporters are now coming clean.

The result: the Yes campaign is now falling apart under the weight of its internal inconsistencies, dishonesties and division.

Who could forget that the Prime Minister’s much-quoted Calma-Langton report promised us, in section 2.9, that their Yes model would “reflect the need to respect parliamentary sovereignty and avoid causing unintended consequences. As a result, all elements would be non-justiciable, meaning that there could not be a court challenge”?

There was a time when many voice supporters recognised that non-justiciability was critical: to avoid opening a massive hole in parliamentary supremacy and creating a huge transfer of power from our elected parliament to unelected courts.

Not so any more. Now, Langton admits the voice is a matter for the courts. On ABC radio recently she said: “Why would we restrict the voice to representations that can’t be challenged in court?” Asked about whether High Court challenges could be used to delay government decisions until the voice had deliberated on the matter, Langton said, “That’s a possibility … why wouldn’t we want that to be the case?”

Many curiously minded and in some instances legally trained commentators have consistently warned the voice would be able to use leverage extracted by lawsuits to gum up the processes of government, and thereby hand vast negotiating power to the voice and its supporters. We were naysaid and insulted by a phalanx of activist lawyers. Constitutional lawyer Greg Craven said “this legal fright-fest is bizarre” as he assured us that the High Court would not, for example, impose legal obligations around consultation with the voice.

The gap between then and now is remarkable and of concern. Since then, former High Court justice Kenneth Hayne admitted the voice could be the subject of litigation, but he told us to trust the courts. Then fellow former High Court justice Ian Callinan confirmed the voice could be the subject of a decade of litigation. He appeared less trusting of the courts. Now, even ardent voice supporter George Williams has admitted what he should have told us upfront. “Courts will play a role in the operation of the voice,” he said recently.

Last December, Williams wrote: “There is no requirement the voice be listened to before a decision” was made. Last week, Williams admitted: “Courts may be asked to rule on the … the consequences of a minister failing to listen when the voice has spoken.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18432693 (020757ZMAR23) Notable: Lisa Wilkinson seeks to defend Bruce Lehrmann defamation suit by proving rape claim - Veteran journalist Lisa Wilkinson will seek to prove former federal Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House as part of a truth defence to his defamation claim against her and Network Ten.

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Lisa Wilkinson seeks to defend Bruce Lehrmann defamation suit by proving rape claim

Michaela Whitbourn - March 1, 2023

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Veteran journalist Lisa Wilkinson will seek to prove former federal Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House as part of a truth defence to his defamation claim against her and Network Ten.

Lehrmann filed Federal Court defamation proceedings against Ten and Wilkinson last month over Wilkinson’s interview with Higgins on The Project, broadcast on February 15, 2021, and related publications on the 10Play website and YouTube.

Lehrmann alleges the publications convey four defamatory meanings, including that he “raped Brittany Higgins in [then-]Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office in 2019”.

He has filed a separate defamation claim against News Life Media, the News Corp company behind news.com.au, over two articles by political editor Samantha Maiden, also published on February 15, 2021.

Lehrmann’s lawyers have asked the court to extend a one-year limitation period for bringing a defamation claim because the interviews at the centre of the lawsuits, marking Higgins’ first comments in public, were published two years ago.

Wilkinson’s lawyers filed her written defence to the lawsuit in the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday and argue the limitation period should not be extended.

Wilkinson has opted to brief her own legal team, headed by Sydney defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, while Ten will file a separate defence in the coming days. It raises the prospect the Federal Court may make different findings against each of Wilkinson and Ten about their legal responsibility for the broadcasts. Wilkinson left The Project last year but remains a Ten employee.

If the court extends the limitation period and allows Lehrmann’s case to proceed, Wilkinson will seek to rely on a series of defences to Lehrmann’s claim, including truth and qualified privilege.

In her written defence, Wilkinson does not dispute that the central defamatory claim of rape was conveyed, with a caveat that she does not admit that Lehrmann was identified by the broadcasts.

Lehrmann was not named by Ten or News Corp, but Lehrmann’s lawyers argue his identity would have been known to his political associates, friends and family, and the publications invited readers and viewers “to speculate” and search for third-party commentary online.

Wilkinson’s lawyers say she “does not know and cannot admit that the applicant [Lehrmann] was reasonably identified by any viewer of the first matter on 15 February 2021”.

They add that they have “sought particulars of identification from Lehrmann … and those particulars have not been sufficiently supplied”. However, Wilkinson “admits that if Lehrmann was so reasonably identified by any viewer on 15 February 2021, the first matter carried an imputation that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins” in Parliament House in 2019.

If the case proceeds to trial and all defences are considered, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee, who is presiding over the case, will need to decide whether Wilkinson’s legal team has proven the rape took place on the balance of probabilities, that is, it is more likely than not that it did.

In a criminal trial where the liberty of an accused hangs in the balance, the prosecution is held to a much higher standard and must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18432699 (020807ZMAR23) Notable: Lisa Wilkinson ‘understood’ Brittany Higgins’ allegations against Bruce Lehrmann had been fact-checked: Defence - Lisa Wilkinson is “not a lawyer” and understood her interviews with Brittany Higgins were thoroughly checked by Channel 10’s legal team, her defence has claimed - In the 23-page legal document defending Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation claim against her and her employer, Ms Wilkinson’s team claimed she was not familiar with defamation law and “would have complied with any and all” advice or request from lawyers to alter her reporting.

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>>42591

Lisa Wilkinson ‘understood’ Brittany Higgins’ allegations against Bruce Lehrmann had been fact-checked: Defence

Lisa Wilkinson’s defence in her defamation case states she is “not a lawyer” and “understood” Ten’s colleagues had fact-checked Brittany Higgins’ allegations.

Clare Sibthorpe - March 2, 2023

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Lisa Wilkinson is “not a lawyer” and understood her interviews with Brittany Higgins were thoroughly checked by Channel 10’s legal team, her defence has claimed.

In the 23-page legal document defending Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation claim against her and her employer, Ms Wilkinson’s team claimed she was not familiar with defamation law and “would have complied with any and all” advice or request from lawyers to alter her reporting.

The defence – which pleads truth and qualified privilege – alleged Ms Wilkinson “at all relevant times” understood Network 10 employed an expert legal team with experience in “defamation and contempt”.

Mr Lehrmann launched legal action against Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10, as well as News Corp Australia’s News Life Media and news.com.au’s Samantha Maiden, over coverage of Higgins’ allegations in February 2021.

Legalling

The defence document filed by Ms Wilkinson’s barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC said it will prove Mr Lehrmann’s conduct “amounted to rape”.

It claimed Ms Wilkinson acted as a responsible journalist and outlined the steps she took in preparation for the story.

According to the defence, Ms Wilkinson was “informed and understood” the matters were reviewed by more than one lawyer, a number of times, prior to broadcast.

“Wilkinson did not receive any request or advice by Network 10 lawyers prior to the broadcast of the matters in relation to the allegations against Lehrmann in the final version broadcast,” the defence read.

Fact-checking

Ms Wilkinson’s defence referenced several senior producers and managers whom she “understood” and “was told” had fact-checked each of Ms Higgins’ allegations.

It read that “to Wilkinson’s knowledge,” extensive fact-checking was done “for some weeks” by Network 10, including by executive producer Craig Campbell, co-executive producer Chris Bendall, senior producer Angus Llewellyn, senior news and current affairs executive Peter Meakin and Laura Binnie – the Project’s head of long-form feature stories.

“Information obtained by Llewellyn … who Wilkinson understood in his role as Senior Producer in relation to the matters, was spending many hours working on the investigation, (of) which information was conveyed to Wilkinson in person or by telephone on an almost daily basis during the four-week investigation period leading up to broadcast of the matters,” the defence read.

“To Wilkinson’s mind, Meakin’s input and extensive news and current affairs experience was particularly crucial to the preparation and publication of the matters. Meakin had been running newsrooms at all the major free to air networks for more than five decades and was, in Wilkinson’s view, the most respected news executive in the country.”

A significant amount of work was done by Ms Wilkinson herself to test Ms Higgins’ allegations, the document claimed.

It stated the pair first spoke on the phone for about 90 minutes on or about January 20, 2021, when Ms Higgins “outlined her situation”.

Ms Wilkinson was then emailed a timeline of events, names of those who knew of Higgins’ allegations in 2019 and contemporaneous documents, emails and text confirming she complained of the rape at that time, it read.

“Wilkinson spoke to Higgins again via telephone on or about 23 January, 2021 for approximately 30 minutes in order to further question her to test the veracity of her allegations, and to obtain details that could be checked by Wilkinson and Network 10,” the defence claimed.

“Higgins came to Sydney to meet privately with Wilkinson and Network 10 Producer Llewellyn on or about 27 January, 2021 so that further discussions could take place to enable Wilkinson and Network 10 to consider the reliability of Higgins’ allegations. The meeting lasted approximately six hours and was recorded”.

The defence concluded that after fact-checking and a review of the matters by “an experienced team of news and current affairs professionals,” Wilkinson understood there was a consensus Ms Higgins was a credible witness.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18432707 (020814ZMAR23) Notable: Higgins to give evidence for Wilkinson in Lehrmann defamation fight - Brittany Higgins is prepared to give evidence as part of Lisa Wilkinson’s truth defence in the defamation case brought against the veteran journalist by Bruce Lehrmann, who is suing over an interview that he says accuses him of raping Higgins in Parliament House.

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>>42591

Higgins to give evidence for Wilkinson in Lehrmann defamation fight

Michaela Whitbourn and Zoe Samios - March 2, 2023

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Brittany Higgins is prepared to give evidence as part of Lisa Wilkinson’s truth defence in the defamation case brought against the veteran journalist by Bruce Lehrmann, who is suing over an interview that he says accuses him of raping Higgins in Parliament House.

Lehrmann, a former federal Liberal staffer, filed Federal Court defamation proceedings against Network Ten and Wilkinson last month over Wilkinson’s interview with his former colleague Higgins on The Project, broadcast on February 15, 2021, and related publications on the 10Play website and YouTube.

Lehrmann alleges the publications convey four defamatory meanings, including that he “raped Brittany Higgins in [then-]defence minister Linda Reynolds’ office in 2019”.

Wilkinson, who has briefed her own lawyers to represent her while Ten has a separate team, filed her written defence to the lawsuit in the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday. It is the first defence filed in the proceedings.

Wilkinson opposes time extension

The television star opposes Lehrmann’s application to the court to extend a one-year limitation period to allow him to sue over the broadcast, which is now two years old, but she has also indicated she will seek to rely on a range of defences if required, including a truth defence to the rape claim.

Sources close to Higgins, who declined to speak publicly while the matter is before the court, confirmed on Thursday that she would give evidence in the defamation trial, should it proceed and she is subpoenaed to appear. It is an offence to disobey a subpoena.

Despite rumours of a falling out, Higgins and Wilkinson remain close.

Wilkinson was approached for comment via her lawyer.

The truth defence

Wilkinson’s lawyers, headed by Sydney defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, say in her written defence that she does not admit Lehrmann was identified by any viewer of the broadcast, which did not name him.

However, Wilkinson “admits that if Lehrmann was so reasonably identified by any viewer on 15 February 2021 … [the broadcast] carried an imputation that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins” in Parliament House in 2019.

Wilkinson seeks to rely on a defence of qualified privilege, a defence related to publications of public interest where a publisher has acted reasonably. But, crucially, she also seeks to rely on a defence of truth.

The written defence sets out a series of allegations about Lehrmann’s conduct on the night of March 22, 2019, and says: “Lehrmann’s conduct … amounted to rape of Higgins in Parliament House in 2019”.

No right to silence

Should it proceed to trial and the truth defence is considered, Wilkinson’s lawyers will need to prove on the balance of probabilities – meaning it is more likely than not – that Lehrmann raped Higgins in Parliament House in 2019.

While this is less onerous than the criminal standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, the so-called Briginshaw principle applies in civil cases involving serious allegations and requires courts to proceed cautiously in making grave findings.

Unlike in a criminal trial, Lehrmann does not have a right to silence and a judge may make adverse inferences if he fails to give evidence. He is expected to appear in the witness box and be cross-examined by barristers for Wilkinson and Ten.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18432749 (020848ZMAR23) Notable: Video: Muslim and Christian communities to protest at Sydney’s Hyde Park over Jesus joke on The Project - Christian and Muslim leaders have dismissed Channel 10’s apology for a “disgusting” joke mocking their faith and have revealed plans to protest at Sydney’s Hyde Park - Thousands of viewers unleashed their anger on social media after queer comedian Reuben Kaye made a gag on its prime-time show The Project about Jesus on Tuesday night - Reuben explained that he regularly gets people negatively messaging him on TikTok and they criticise his sexuality from a “religious angle” - “I think it’s hilarious when someone messages me and says, ‘You have to accept Jesus’ love or you will burn in hell,’ because I love Jesus,” Kaye said - “I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more.” - The Project host Waleed Aly and his fellow host Sarah Harris burst out laughing along with the other panellists - The severe backlash forced the hosts to issue an apology on-air on Wednesday night.

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Muslim and Christian communities to protest at Sydney’s Hyde Park over Jesus joke on The Project

ADELLA BEAINI - MARCH 2, 2023

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Christian and Muslim leaders have dismissed Channel 10’s apology for a “disgusting” joke mocking their faith and have revealed plans to protest at Sydney’s Hyde Park.

Thousands of viewers unleashed their anger on social media after queer comedian Reuben Kaye made a gag on its prime-time show The Project about Jesus on Tuesday night.

Reuben explained that he regularly gets people negatively messaging him on TikTok and they criticise his sexuality from a “religious angle”.

“I think it’s hilarious when someone messages me and says, ‘You have to accept Jesus’ love or you will burn in hell,’ because I love Jesus,” Kaye said.

“I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more.”

The Project host Waleed Aly and his fellow host Sarah Harris burst out laughing along with the other panellists.

The severe backlash forced the hosts to issue an apology on-air on Wednesday night.

“Live TV is unpredictable and when this happens in the last few moments of last night’s show it genuinely took us by surprise,” Harris said.

Aly, who is Muslim himself, said: “It’s fair we weren’t expecting a comment like that…..we acknowledge the offence and we are sorry.”

But the controversial guest shrugged off the criticism and even poked fun at the situation by uploading an Instagram reel captioning it: “Some heroes don’t wear capes… They wear lashes.”

Aussie actor Nathaniel Buzolic — who has over 3 million followers — commented on Kaye’s post condemning him.

“You mock our God cause you think there is no consequence. And your right there will not be a consequence from those who follow Jesus.

“If you were to mock Muhammad and islam in the same manner you just mocked Jesus you wouldn’t be so bold, you wouldn’t be so celebrated and you wouldn’t be so physically safe.

“We as Christians will pray for you for you not to fear the one who can only destroy the body. But rather the one who can destroy both the body and the soul.”

Australian Islamic identity Steve Dabliz told News Corp that a protest will be organised at Sydney’s Hyde Park with Muslim and Christian leaders saying the apology is not enough.

“Mocking Jesus or making derogatory remarks about him is a grave act of disbelief and goes against the fundamental principles of Islam. Such actions not only show a lack of respect for the religious beliefs of others,” he said.

“The Christian and Muslim community, in particular, has been deeply hurt by this incident, and we stand in solidarity with them.

“As Australians, we value respect and tolerance for all faiths and beliefs, and it is important to uphold these values in our media and public discourse.

“We hope that this incident serves as a reminder of the need to promote mutual understanding and respect among all communities.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18432793 (020922ZMAR23) Notable: Trump attacks Murdoch for ‘throwing his anchors under the table’ - Donald Trump has attacked Rupert Murdoch in a blistering statement, accusing him of betraying his Fox News television hosts by admitting that he doubted their conclusions about the 2020 election - “Why is Rupert Murdoch throwing his anchors under the table,” the former US president posted to his platform Truth Social - “There is MASSIVE evidence of voter fraud & irregularities in the 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote, repeating the lie he has promoted since losing the election to Joe Biden.

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Trump attacks Murdoch for ‘throwing his anchors under the table’

AP and staff reporters - March 2, 2023

Donald Trump has attacked Rupert Murdoch in a blistering statement, accusing him of betraying his Fox News television hosts by admitting that he doubted their conclusions about the 2020 election.

“Why is Rupert Murdoch throwing his anchors under the table,” the former US president posted to his platform Truth Social.

“There is MASSIVE evidence of voter fraud & irregularities in the 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote, repeating the lie he has promoted since losing the election to Joe Biden.

Trump claims that Murdoch’s testimony in which the Australia-born executive expressed doubt over some of the TV network’s popular commentators’ statements would “kill” Murdoch’s defence against the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Machines following the 2020 election.

Murdoch testified that the TV network’s commentators “endorsed” Donald Trump’s conspiracy theory about the 2020 presidential election, even though Murdoch himself said he doubted the claim.

“They endorsed,” Murdoch said under oath in response to direct questions about hosts Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo, a legal filing by Dominion Voting Systems said.

In the $US1.6 billion ($2.4 billion) suit, Dominion claims it has been defamed by Fox News, whose hosts repeated the false claim that its voting machines could be manipulated to aid Biden’s tally.

“I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight,” Murdoch added, while also disclosing that he was always dubious of Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud.

In Trump’s statement, he urges the public to view a discredited stolen election “documentary” to see “large-scale ballot stuffing caught on government cameras”.

In a related move, Democratic leaders sent a letter to Fox News executives demanding the network stop spreading misinformation about the 2020 election and for its hosts to admit on air they were wrong to do so.

The fracas over the 2020 election comes as Trump plans to visit Iowa in mid-March, the first foray to the lead-off caucus state since announcing his 2024 White House campaign.

The former president hinted at an Iowa trip “very soon” in a radio interview with Des Moines talk show host Simon Conway on Tuesday.

A Trump aide confirmed on Wednesday that plans were underway for an upcoming appearance, but declined to provide details about the location or date, beyond the middle of this month.

The aide spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been publicly announced.

“We’re planning something very soon,” Trump told Conway on WHO radio. “And then we’ll be coming back at least a couple of times before the election.”

Trump has been notably absent in Iowa, where Republican candidate Nikki Haley, his former UN ambassador, and potential rivals Mike Pence, the former vice president, and Senator Tim Scott, have visited after a slow start to campaigning in the state.

Some Iowa Republican activists, including Gloria Mazza, chairwoman of the Polk County Republicans, representing Iowa’s most populous county, have noted that Trump has stayed away so far. Trump travelled in January to New Hampshire, scheduled to host the first Republican presidential primary next year, and South Carolina, the South’s first primary.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-attacks-murdoch-for-throwing-his-anchors-under-the-table-20230302-p5cor5.html

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109942436145196040

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18438320 (031104ZMAR23) Notable: Bruce Lehrmann could face cross-examination in two weeks over Lisa Wilkinson defamation case timing - Bruce Lehrmann could be called to face cross-examination in two weeks’ time to explain why he did not file defamation proceedings against Lisa Wilkinson and Network Ten within the usual 12-month time limit - Defamation claims are typically required to be filed within 12 months of the relevant publication. But in this case, Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson’s interviews with Brittany Higgins and the related publications were published in February 2021, two years before Lehrmann began proceedings - Lehrmann’s legal team is pushing for the limitation period to be extended.

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>>42591

Bruce Lehrmann could face cross-examination in two weeks over Lisa Wilkinson defamation case timing

Exclusive: Federal court is expected to sit on 16 March for a preliminary hearing that will focus on the significant delay in filing the claim

Christopher Knaus - 3 Mar 2023

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Bruce Lehrmann could be called to face cross-examination in two weeks’ time to explain why he did not file defamation proceedings against Lisa Wilkinson and Network Ten within the usual 12-month time limit.

The federal court is expected to sit on 16 March for a preliminary hearing in the Lehrmann defamation proceedings, which will focus on the significant delay in his filing of the defamation claim against Wilkinson and Network Ten.

Defamation claims are typically required to be filed within 12 months of the relevant publication. But in this case, Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson’s interviews with Brittany Higgins and the related publications were published in February 2021, two years before Lehrmann began proceedings.

Lehrmann’s legal team is pushing for the limitation period to be extended.

But Wilkinson and Network Ten’s lawyers have the power to seek leave to call Lehrmann and scrutinise the reasons he has given for the delay.

That path – if allowed by the court – would see Lehrmann give evidence in open court for the first time.

A source close to Lehrmann confirmed to the Guardian that he had received a request to appear and that he would do so without objection.

If Lehrmann’s bid for a time extension fails, his case against Network Ten and Wilkinson will collapse without the court hearing the substance of his claim.

The federal court has previously ruled that defendants in defamation proceedings have the power to call plaintiffs to cross-examine them about their reasons for not meeting the limitation period.

In a key 2021 case also against Network Ten, the full bench of the federal court ruled that the broadcaster had the power to “challenge the credibility of the information” given by the plaintiff on his reasons for delay by simply making a request that he be made available for cross-examination.

“Had Network Ten made such a request and [the plaintiff] failed or refused to call himself without reasonable cause, her Honour could have exercised a power under s 169(1) to order him to be called as a witness or exclude any evidence the subject of the request,” the court ruled.

“It did not do so. Accordingly, his evidence should be considered as unchallenged, albeit subject to an assessment of its weight.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18438389 (031153ZMAR23) Notable: Cheap Australian drones made of cardboard helping Ukrainian troops - Cheap Australian drones made of cardboard and rubber bands are helping Ukrainian troops fight off Russian invaders, as part of a $33m commitment to supply the ­country with an array of unmanned systems - At least 100 of the flat-packed drones are being supplied to Ukraine each month, allowing President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces to drop bombs, deliver supplies and undertake vital reconnaissance missions - The unmanned aerial vehicles, made by Melbourne-based Sypaq, are designed to be expendable on the battlefield, but some in Ukraine have undertaken 60 flights - The Precision Payload Delivery System drones are constructed from thick, wax-coated cardboard and heavy-duty rubber bands that secure the wings.

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Cheap Australian drones made of cardboard helping Ukrainian troops

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 3, 2023

Cheap Australian drones made of cardboard and rubber bands are helping Ukrainian troops fight off Russian invaders, as part of a $33m commitment to supply the ­country with an array of unmanned systems.

At least 100 of the flat-packed drones are being supplied to Ukraine each month, allowing ­President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces to drop bombs, deliver supplies and undertake vital reconnaissance missions.

The Australian army is yet to purchase any of the catapult-launched aircraft for its own use, in a story familiar to many local defence sector innovators.

The unmanned aerial vehicles, made by Melbourne-based Sypaq, are designed to be expendable on the battlefield, but some in Ukraine have undertaken 60 flights.

The Precision Payload Delivery System drones are constructed from thick, wax-coated cardboard and heavy-duty rubber bands that secure the wings.

They are controlled by a ­military-grade guidance system that requires no user input once the aircraft is launched.

At somewhere between $1000 and $5000 each – the exact cost is classified – they can be used to overwhelm opposing forces in a contest of attrition, forcing the enemy to use more expensive hardware to take them out.

The Australian viewed the drone at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, in Victoria, where Defence Minister Richard Marles and Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko were also provided with a first-hand briefing on the aircraft.

Mr Myroshnychenko said the appearance of the drone was deceptive, and they were already being used by Ukrainian soldiers for a variety of missions, including lethal ones.

“When you look at it, it looks like something that kids would play with,” the ambassador said.

“But when you see what it can do it’s really amazing.

“From what I hear they have been very good at inflicting lots of damage on the enemy.

“Our drone teams within MOD are very sophisticated guys. There is a great deal of R&D and innovation going on in that ­department. And because they run a large number of UAVs they have become some of the best teams in the world.”

Revelation of the role Australian drones were playing in Ukraine emerged as the war-torn nation denied it was behind a string of drone attacks inside Russian territory on Tuesday, including one that crashed barely 90km from the Kremlin.

Russian media said the drone had fallen within metres of a gas distribution station owned by Gazprom, the state-controlled energy giant. It was identified as a UJ-22 Airborne, a strike drone with a range of almost 800km manufactured by Ukraine’s Ukrjet company.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, tweeted on Thursday: “Ukraine doesn’t strike at the Russian Federation’s territory. Ukraine is waging a defensive war to de-occupy all its terri­tories.”

Sypaq developed the cardboard drone, which comes in 3kg and 5kg payload sizes, to meet a need identified by the Australian army for “last-mile logistics”.

It is yet to receive any ADF ­orders, but Sypaq chief engineer Ross Osborne said the aircraft met one of the key challenges being experienced by the Ukrainian military – getting large numbers of drones into the theatre. “The flat pack is a key feature there,” he said. “We can stack these up on a pallet. We also developed modular avionics and propulsion sets that can hopefully achieve a bit of reuse.”

He said the company spent a lot of time on the design “so that someone who wasn’t a UAS (unmanned aerial system) specialist could operate it”.

“For me, I’m so proud to see our systems go into a conflict zone,” Mr Osborne said.

“Ukraine was already a very capable UAS customer, but a ­customer that doesn’t speak the best English. And they’ve been able to take our system with no training from us, just instructions and ­videos, and deploy them really successfully.”

Mr Osborne said the drone had a high level of autonomy once launched. “When it’s operating with no data link, obviously it’s set and forget, and it does a great job of flying down range, monitoring the terrain and figuring out a landing pattern and approach, given the weather conditions,” he said.

The $33m unmanned systems commitment brings Australia’s military support for Ukraine so far to $510m.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/cheap-australian-drones-made-of-cardboard-helping-ukrainian-troops/news-story/72e4913bc4f34c2b3fbfc8921fc2bc58

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18438407 (031200ZMAR23) Notable: Australia's Space Command pushes for 'soft kill' capability to take out enemy satellites - The head of the ADF's Space Command says Australia is working on a plan to acquire "soft-kill" capabilities to take out enemy satellites without creating dangerous debris - One year since the command was established, Air Vice Marshal Cath Roberts has given an update on its initial activities and the threats posed to Australian assets in space - Air Vice Marshal Roberts says since the launch of Defence Space Command in March 2022, the number of satellites in space had more than doubled to around 8000.

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Australia's Space Command pushes for 'soft kill' capability to take out enemy satellites

Andrew Greene - 3 March 2023

The head of the ADF's Space Command says Australia is working on a plan to acquire "soft-kill" capabilities to take out enemy satellites without creating dangerous debris.

One year since the command was established, Air Vice Marshal Cath Roberts has given an update on its initial activities and the threats posed to Australian assets in space.

Air Vice Marshal Roberts says since the launch of Defence Space Command in March 2022, the number of satellites in space had more than doubled to around 8000.

"I think it's a really important part of where we're going to is just looking at how we can have that electronic warfare capability to allow us to deter attacks, or certainly interfere."

Speaking at the Avalon Air Show, the inaugural Australian Space Commander said her organisation needed to quickly secure "soft kill", or "non-destructive" capabilities to take out enemy satellites.

"We are working on making sure that we've got a level of capability so that we can deter attacks on our satellites … through non-kinetic means so that we can have some impact".

Last year, top ranking members of the US Space Force described Australia as a "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow", saying the country's geography was "prime" for future space operations.

"Geography is really important. We need to be able to see to protect, and we can see a lot from here," Vice Admiral Roberts said.

"And that goes for non-kinetic effects from the ground too, because it's what you can see and where you can effect it".

"I think it's a really important part of where we go … looking at how we can have that sort of electronic warfare-type of capability to allow us to deter attacks or certainly interfere [with enemy satellites]."

China launched more satellites than US last year

Improved space capabilities are believed to be a central recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review, which the government is expected to formally respond to in coming days or weeks.

"You need access to space to do the 'precision-guided' for the precision-guided weapons; you need it for the intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance; and you need it for the command and control through the satellite communication systems," Air Vice-Marshal Roberts said.

"What I can talk about is the fact that for many of the capabilities that we need, space is absolutely essential, both from the Australian public point of view but also from a Defence point of view."

The Space Commander said China had done more satellite launches last year than the United States, and said the country was very active.

"I remember I was briefing the deputy prime minister just before Christmas, I was just saying, 'in the last week 40-odd more [Chinese] satellites went up'."

"So they are launching on a regular cadence. They have many, many satellites in orbit and a large percentage of those 8000 satellites that are up there."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-03/adf-space-command-pushes-for-soft-kill-capability-for-satellites/102045496

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18438530 (031306ZMAR23) Notable: Catholic Archbishop invites The Project panelists to Sunday service to better understand impact on Christians of guest's offensive joke about Jesus - Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher has expressed deep disappointment about the 'inappropriate' ridiculing of Christian beliefs and wrote to Channel 10 owners Paramount ANZ - 'Many us are saddened and bewildered at the shocking comments about the crucifixion of Jesus which aired on The Project earlier this week,' he told parishioners - 'It's incredible that a mainstream television program would mock the beliefs of more than half of all Australians.' - 'In this season of Lent, let us continue to do penances for these all too common acts of blasphemy, and pray that the eyes of the ignorant will be opened to the life that Christ offers us.'

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>>42594

Catholic Archbishop invites The Project panelists to Sunday service to better understand impact on Christians of guest's offensive joke about Jesus

KYLIE STEVENS - 3 March 2023

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One of Australia's leading Catholic figures has invited panelists and staff from The Project to attend his church to 'better understand' Christian beliefs in the wake of a lewd Jesus joke that made it to air.

Backlash against the prime-time Channel 10 program is growing after queer comedian Reuben Kaye made an X-rated joke about the crucifixion of Jesus when he appeared as a guest on Tuesday night.

He spoke about the hate he receives from members of the public - and Christians in particular - for being gay and wearing drag, and then joked: 'I love Jesus. I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more!'

The shocking gag prompted laughter from several panelists, including host Sarah Harris.

She and co-host Waleed Aly issued a grovelling apology the next night, which has done little to quell growing calls for the program to be cancelled.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher has expressed deep disappointment about the 'inappropriate' ridiculing of Christian beliefs and wrote to Channel 10 owners Paramount ANZ.

'Many us are saddened and bewildered at the shocking comments about the crucifixion of Jesus which aired on The Project earlier this week,' he told parishioners on Friday.

'It's incredible that a mainstream television program would mock the beliefs of more than half of all Australians.

'In this season of Lent, let us continue to do penances for these all too common acts of blasphemy, and pray that the eyes of the ignorant will be opened to the life that Christ offers us.'

Archbishop Fisher also shared a copy of the scathing letter he sent inviting Paramount ANZ executives, staff and and panelists from The Project to attend his Easter services at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral next month.

'During prime-time, the guest used the crucifixion of Jesus as a source of ridicule and derision. Presented as a 'joke', the crude remark was of a sexual nature and highly inappropriate,' Archbishop Fisher wrote.

'Worryingly, the insult not only went unchallenged, but was even endorsed with spirited laughter by members of the panel.

'That a 'news and current affairs' program would so flagrantly mock the beliefs of more than half of all Australians is extremely upsetting and frankly incredible.'

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18444149 (041220ZMAR23) Notable: Katherine Deves in feminist fightback against Queensland name-your-gender laws - A radical feminist group operating under the banner of International Women’s Day will host a conference and rally on Saturday in protest against Queensland’s moves to allow gender self-identification on birth certificates - Former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who campaigned against transgender athletes in last year’s federal election, is among speakers at the conference organised by IWD Brisbane Meanjin, a self-described “left-wing women’s liberation organisation” - The Palaszczuk government’s bill, which the legal affairs and safety committee last week recommended be passed, will allow trans and gender-diverse people to change the sex on their birth certificate without undergoing sexual reassignment surgery.

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Katherine Deves in feminist fightback against Queensland name-your-gender laws

FIA WALSH - MARCH 3, 2023

A radical feminist group operating under the banner of International Women’s Day will host a conference and rally on Saturday in protest against Queensland’s moves to allow gender self-identification on birth certificates.

Former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who campaigned against transgender athletes in last year’s federal election, is among speakers at the conference organised by IWD Brisbane Meanjin, a self-described “left-wing women’s liberation organisation”.

The Palaszczuk government’s bill, which the legal affairs and safety committee last week recommended be passed, will allow trans and gender-diverse people to change the sex on their birth certificate without undergoing sexual reassignment surgery.

The committee referred to submissions from groups including the Queensland Human Rights Commission, Just. Equal and Amnesty International, which argued the move would uphold human rights, reduce discrimination and improve the wellbeing of gender-diverse communities.

But IWD Brisbane Meanjin has accused the government of ­ignoring calls from feminists ­opposed to “gender ideology”.

Sall Grover, head of women’s-only app Giggle and chair of Saturday’s rally, described the bill as “a predator’s dream”.

“Men saying they’re women does take away rights that are specifically put aside for women for really, really valid reasons – whether it’s for safety, privacy or dignity, women need to have our own spaces,” Ms Grover said.

IWD Brisbane Meanjin’s conference, running over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, features 20 speakers including Ms Deves, whose talk is titled Feminism, the media and hands across the aisle.

Also on the docket is feminist academic Sheila Jeffreys, University of Melbourne associate professor of political philosophy Holly Lawford-Smith and women’s rights campaigner Anna McCormack.

Ms McCormack began IWD Brisbane Meanjin in 2017 after being asked to talk at another International Women’s Day rally and seeing trans-women had also been given a platform to speak.

“I realised feminists need to take this back,” she said.

Her group represents the position of TERFs – trans-exclusion­ary radical feminists – a generally derogative label most notably thrown at author J.K Rowling.

Ms McCormack expected up to 40 people to attend Saturday’s protest in Brisbane’s city.

Just. Equal spokeswoman Sally Goldner rejected concerns about women’s safety as a case of “crying wolf once too often”. “Years of laws protecting trans and gender-diverse people, both in Australia and beyond, have shown no evidence of cisgender men fraudulently attempting to gain access to specific areas,” she said.

“Predator and paedophile ­arguments come from the same fearmongering that was levelled against gay men years ago and such ideas are overwhelmingly baseless.”

The same argument was taken by the parliamentary committee, which accepted there was “nothing to suggest a systemic risk to girls and women” from men identifying as women.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/katherine-deves-in-feminist-fightback-against-queensland-nameyourgender-laws/news-story/32bbf7db46488f63f9b7258110883be8

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18444173 (041233ZMAR23) Notable: Nigel Farage slams Australia a ‘wokest place in the world’ in US speech - UK Brexit leader Nigel Farage has slammed Australia as the “wokest place on Earth” in a fiery speech in the US that blamed big tech for spreading “poison” through English speaking nations - Mr Farage stole the show on the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which included speeches – drawing significantly less applause – from former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley - “Governments, state governments in America, took away from us liberties and freedoms that had been fought for generations and centuries, we gave unlimited power to people to lock us inside our houses, tell us we couldn’t visit elderly relatives, in our case [the UK] couldn’t even play golf or go fishing,” Mr Farage said - “This is what tyranny looks like,” he added, admitting he had broken numerous lockdown rules in the UK, including illegally visiting his parents and friends - “Go to Australia, which has now become one of the wokest places on earth,” he bemoaned, dwelling on what he said was a rare “bit of good news” in the Antipodes: the resignation of Jacinda Ardern.

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Nigel Farage slams Australia a ‘wokest place in the world’ in US speech

ADAM CREIGHTON - MARCH 4, 2023

UK Brexit leader Nigel Farage has slammed Australia as the “wokest place on Earth” in a fiery speech in the US that blamed big tech for spreading “poison” through English speaking nations.

Mr Farage stole the show on the second day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which included speeches – drawing significantly less applause – from former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Former president Donald Trump will give the final address to the CPAC conference, for years a bastion of Mr Trump’s political support, on Saturday (Sunday AEDT).

“Governments, state governments in America, took away from us liberties and freedoms that had been fought for generations and centuries, we gave unlimited power to people to lock us inside our houses, tell us we couldn’t visit elderly relatives, in our case [the UK] couldn’t even play golf or go fishing,” Mr Farage said.

“This is what tyranny looks like,” he added, admitting he had broken numerous lockdown rules in the UK, including illegally visiting his parents and friends.

“Go to Australia, which has now become one of the wokest places on earth,” he bemoaned, dwelling on what he said was a rare “bit of good news” in the Antipodes: the resignation of Jacinda Ardern.

The GB news host and political campaigner, who shot to fame ahead of the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union, contrasted the decline of conservative movements in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, with their rise in Europe.

“In Europe, conservatives are making real progress, in France, in Spain, and huge progress in Italy – I’m not ashamed to say that Georgia Meloni is my new pin up,” he said, referring to the new Prime Minister of Italy.

“When laws become enemies of men, men become enemies of laws … if any government ever tries to take away my liberties again like that I’ll be rebel from day 1 and I suggest you join me,” he added.

Mr Farage blamed the relative failure of conservatism in the English speaking world on “the west coast” of the US and “Big tech” in particular, which had spread “poison through our political systems”.

“I hope Elon Musk’s taking over Twitter starts to redress some of this balance, but these are depressing times”.

Ms Haley, former South Carolina governor, Mr Trump’s former Ambassador to the United Nations and the second Republican so far after Mr Trump to formally declare a 2024 presidential bid, hewed to a similar theme of the conference, decrying the “woke self-loathing that has swept” the US.

“It‘s in the classroom, the board room and in the back rooms of government; we’re taught our country is flawed and full of hate … wokeness is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic hands down,” she said.

In his remarks Mr Pompeo, who is considered a long shot at the White House, took a swipe at the Trump administration in his bid to win over the predominantly Trump-supporting audience.

“Every recent administration, Republican and Democrat alike has added trillions of dollars to our debt. That is deeply unconservative. [The] Trump administration, the administration I served, added $8 trillion in new debt,” he said, describing the trend as “indecent”.

He also made a veiled criticism of Mr Trump’s influence on last year’s midterm elections, where Republicans, especially those endorsed strongly by Mr Trump, did worse than expected, failing to win control of the senate.

“We lost race after winnable race, because voters didn‘t trust us to do any better than the tax and spend liberals”.

Turnout at the high profile Republican political jamboree has been less than expected, according to attendees, and failed to attract other high profile Republicans stars such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, both expected to make their own bids for the White House.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nigel-farage-slams-australia-a-wokest-place-in-the-world-in-us-speech/news-story/45beb4166d0e7997ca9d4458cc7d5327

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18444210 (041247ZMAR23) Notable: Nikki Haley heckled as Trump movement dominates Conservatives conference - Some of Trump’s biggest rivals, such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former vice president Mike Pence, decided to skip the three-day summit, highlighting the deepening divisions within the GOP over its ties to the former president - Others, such as Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, showed up to make their pitch, only to be heckled with chants of “We Love Trump” as she obliged supporters who asked for selfies and autographs after her speech.

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>>42601

Nikki Haley heckled as Trump movement dominates Conservatives conference

Farrah Tomazin - March 4, 2023

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National Harbour, Maryland: The conference room was half empty. The speakers were fuelled by longstanding grievances. And in corridors filled with Donald Trump merchandise and American flags, a proxy battle over the future of the Republican Party was playing out in real time.

Once regarded as a premier event on the Republican calendar, the Conservative Political Action Conference has traditionally been a good barometer of the party’s base and a presidential testing ground for would-be candidates to raise their profiles.

But this year, some of Trump’s biggest rivals - such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former vice president Mike Pence - decided to skip the three-day summit, highlighting the deepening divisions within the GOP over its ties to the former president.

Others, such as Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, showed up to make their pitch, only to be heckled with chants of “We Love Trump” as she obliged supporters who asked for selfies and autographs after her speech.

Trump will headline CPAC on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) at the Gaylord National Convention Centre in Maryland, just outside Washington DC, in what will be one of his biggest public addresses since he announced his campaign for the 2024 presidential nomination in November.

“I can’t wait to see him,” said Paul Colecornwell, who travelled from Texas with family and friends, all of who were wearing yellow t-shirts with red letters spelling out Trump’s name.

“I just really like his ambition. He’s not scared of what he says - he’s just here to get things done.”

But while CPAC has long been the Trump show, low crowd numbers or a poor result at Saturday’s annual straw poll - which asks attendees who they want as their next president - will fuel suggestions that his influence within the party is waning.

At last year’s CPAC in Florida, Trump beat DeSantis in the poll with 59 per cent of the vote to 28 per cent, and slightly widened the gap at CPAC in Texas last August, 64 to 24 per cent. A significant drop in support would be yet another blow to the former president in his campaign for re-election.

Posing for selfies with fans outside the main stage, Trump’s son, Don Jnr, seemed to be aware of what was at stake.

“Make sure you vote in the straw poll tomorrow,” he told a group of women wearing Trump’s trademark red MAGA caps.

Asked by The Sydney Morning and The Age if he was confident his father could clinch the Republican nomination, Trump Jnr replied: “I’m pretty confident” before taking a veiled swipe at DeSantis, who was at a donor event in Florida, run by conservative anti-tax Club For Growth.

“You can look around here and see people are pretty engaged,” he said. “They understand there’s only one guy who doesn’t need the corporate money and the establishment money. And the person who doesn’t need that money is the only person who is not ultimately beholden to those (donors) and can actually work for the people - and that’s what matters.”

CPAC was once a platform for conservatives to discuss serious issues such as taxes or economic policy. Every year, thousands of conservatives would attend the event, paying between $US300 ($443) to $US3000 ($4430) for a ticket, which allowed them to rub shoulders with the who’s who of the Republican Party.

But these days, it feels like more of a fringe festival of Trump loyalists and ultra conservatives, many of whom espouse his nationalist views and the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

UK Brexit leader Nigel Farage - a regular on the CPAC circuit - used his speech to describe Australia as “one of the wokest places on earth” and applauded the resignation of New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern as “a bit of good news” for the region.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18449342 (050753ZMAR23) Notable: ‘I am your warrior’: Fiery Trump promises to end wars, pay baby bonus - National Harbour, Maryland: Donald Trump has ramped up his 2024 presidential bid with a fiery speech in which he attacked his own party, pledged to stop funding endless wars and vowed to give out baby bonuses to kick off a reproductive boom in America.

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>>42601

‘I am your warrior’: Fiery Trump promises to end wars, pay baby bonus

Farrah Tomazin - March 5, 2023

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National Harbour, Maryland: Donald Trump has ramped up his 2024 presidential bid with a fiery speech in which he attacked his own party, pledged to stop funding endless wars and vowed to give out baby bonuses to kick off a reproductive boom in America.

Three months after announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference to make his pitch amid deepening divisions among conservatives, questions over his ongoing influence and a spectacular fallout with media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

In an address lasting more than 100 minutes, the former president returned to a central theme of his 2016 election campaign: characterising himself as an outsider fighting for ordinary Americans, who could not be “bought” nor “controlled”.

“There’s only one president in history who has ever taken on the entire corrupt establishment in Washington. And when we win in 2024, we will do it again, even stronger, faster and better,” he said as his adoring audience chanted: “Trump, Trump, Trump”.

“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.”

Trump took to the stage shortly after winning the annual conference straw poll – in it conference attendees vote for whom they want as president. At the last CPAC in August, Trump won the poll with 69 per cent of the vote, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 24 per cent. This time, based on more than 2000 respondents, he was down slightly but still dominated: with 62 per cent to DeSantis’ 20 per cent.

Republican businessman Perry Johnson, who announced his candidacy for nomination to a group of supporters on Thursday night, came third in the poll, with 5 per cent of the vote, followed by former UN ambassador-turned-presidential hopeful Nikki Haley with 3 per cent.

While the poll is unscientific, a poor result would have been viewed through the prism of Trump’s waning influence over the GOP.

CPAC, after all, has traditionally been a gut-check of the party’s base and a presidential testing ground for wannabe candidates to raise their profiles.

But this year, crowd numbers were lower, with multiple back rows empty during Trump’s speech. The party’s biggest potential contenders – such as DeSantis and former vice-president Mike Pence – decided to skip the three-day event, highlighting the widening chasm within the party following last year’s midterm elections.

Others like Haley showed up to make her pitch, telling her lukewarm audience: “If you’re tired of losing, put your trust in a new generation.”

This particular audience, however, was almost entirely here for Trump. While most of the attendees who spoke to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald didn’t mind DeSantis, they wanted the former president back in the White House next year.

“Our economy was at its best with him, other countries were afraid of him, he had respect for the military, and he had respect for the average Joe,” said Long Island resident Brenda Alvarez, who was wearing a T-shirt saying “I have PTSD: Pretty Tired of Stupid Democrats”.

“He’s just overall the best thing for our country at the moment.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18449349 (050800ZMAR23) Notable: $100m blowout hits Australia’s new embassy in Washington DC - Taxpayers have had to cough up an extra $100m for Australia’s new home in Washington DC, which will boast views of the White House when it opens this year.

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$100m blowout hits Australia’s new embassy in Washington DC

Taxpayers have had to cough up an extra $100m for Australia’s new home in Washington DC, which will boast views of the White House when it opens this year.

Tom Minear - March 5, 2023

EXCLUSIVE

The cost of building Australia’s new embassy in Washington DC has blown out by a massive $100m, with the final price-tag more than 40 per cent higher than taxpayers were promised.

The seven-year project to build the new embassy – which US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos says “embodies the spirit of Australia” – will be completed this year.

But the original $236.9m bill has skyrocketed to at least $337m because of construction cost overruns, supply chain problems during the pandemic and the weak Australian dollar.

The new embassy will boast views of the White House from the site of Australia’s original home in Washington, which opened in 1964 on the famous “Embassy Row”.

In the 2015 budget, the federal government unveiled plans to demolish the old embassy, believing it had fallen into a state of disrepair.

Instead of buying a new building elsewhere in the US capital, the government chose to keep the $57m block of land and construct a new purpose-built embassy, while relocating its functions during the works to the nearby National Geographic building.

The Department of Foreign Affairs had expected to spend $5m renting the temporary office space and $9m fitting it out, including to bolster security and install IT systems.

Cost escalations totalling $32m had also been factored into the initial budget.

But DFAT would not provide a new breakdown of the spending as it admitted the blowout.

“The project has progressed well, but has been impacted by Covid-19 through lost productivity and supply chain issues, adverse foreign exchange for the Australian dollar, significant inflation rates and construction cost increases in the United States,” a DFAT spokeswoman said.

In a statement, she said the parliamentary standing committee on public works had been kept informed of the “challenges, delays, and requirement for additional funding for the project”, with the “total forecast cost” now expected to be $337m.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd will take over from Mr Sinodinos as Australia’s ambassador this month and will preside over the grand opening of the new embassy later this year, which some diplomats are hoping will feature Anthony Albanese and Joe Biden.

Bates Smart, the Australian architectural firm which designed the new building, hailed its “direct references to the distinctive Australian landscape: its bright and clear natural light and open skies, its warm materiality and its vast scale”.

“The use of these associations will create a civic building and symbol of Australia that is both enduring and welcoming,” it said.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/100m-blowout-hits-australias-new-embassy-in-washington-dc/news-story/6dd65c04f5ae7165f0208a76206f41e6

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18449357 (050805ZMAR23) Notable: Three Sydney United 58 fans charged under new Nazi symbol law - Crowd footage broadcast by Network 10 showed some Sydney United fans waving flags and banners featuring logos and symbolism closely associated with the Ustashe, a regime which collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Romani people.

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Three Sydney United 58 fans charged under new Nazi symbol law

Vince Rugari - March 5, 2023

Three men who attended last year’s controversial Australia Cup final at CommBank Stadium are among the first in the state to be charged under a new law banning the display of Nazi symbols in NSW.

Macarthur FC prevailed 2-0 against Sydney United 58 on October 1, but the clash was marred by anti-social behaviour which prompted Football Australia to issue life bans to two spectators for making Nazi salutes as well as a range of sanctions against United, including a $15,000 fine and several suspended sporting penalties.

The club, which participated in the defunct National Soccer League between 1984 and 2004 and was founded by Croatian immigrants, later apologised for the behaviour of fans, some of whom also booed during the pre-match Welcome to Country.

Crowd footage broadcast by Network 10 showed some Sydney United fans waving flags and banners featuring logos and symbolism closely associated with the Ustashe, a regime which collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Romani people.

NSW Police have since been investigating allegations of hate crimes committed on the night, including an extensive review of 10’s match coverage and CCTV cameras.

Three men – a 24-year-old from Beverley Park, a 44-year-old from Doonside and a 45-year-old from Wetherill Park – were charged on Friday under the offence of “knowingly display by public act Nazi symbol without excuse”, and will appear before Parramatta Local Court on April 19.

It is believed to be one of the first uses of the new law, which passed NSW parliament in August and was introduced after an inquiry recommended a ban on the public display of Nazi symbols to address rising far-right extremism and antisemitism.

Victoria is the only other state in Australia with a similar law in place, which also permits the use of the swastika in connection with the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain faiths, and other Nazi-related symbols if they are used in “good faith” such as for educational reasons.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Darren Bark said: “We welcome the strong and swift action taken by NSW Police and Football Australia following these vile incidents, and hope these charges serve as a warning to all that displaying a Nazi symbol in NSW is not only abhorrent, it is illegal.”

NSW Police say their investigations into the Australia Cup final are continuing. Separately, Sydney United 58 is also being probed by Football NSW for a recent incident of alleged racist and homophobic abuse by fans against an opposition player.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/three-sydney-united-58-fans-charged-under-new-nazi-symbol-law-20230305-p5cpk9.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18449371 (050815ZMAR23) Notable: WorldPride: Anthony Albanese joins march across Harbour Bridge - Anthony Albanese was among 50,000 marching across Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of WorldPride - The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Penny Wong were greeted with cheers as they arrived at the march - It follows Mr Albanese being the first prime minister to march as part of Mardi Gras earlier this month.

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>>>/qresearch/18324634 (pb)

WorldPride: Anthony Albanese joins march across Harbour Bridge

SARAH ISON - MARCH 5, 2023

Anthony Albanese was among 50,000 marching across Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of WorldPride.

The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Penny Wong were greeted with cheers as they arrived at the march.

It follows Mr Albanese being the first prime minister to march as part of Mardi Gras earlier this month.

“No matter who you are, who you love or where you live – you should be valued, equal and celebrated,” he said on Twitter.

“It was incredible to walk across Sydney Harbour Bridge with WorldPride this morning, supporting human rights campaigners from Australia and across the world.”

Sydney Harbour Bridge was a sea of bright colours as the city’s icon shut down for the march.

The event marked the conclusion of 17 days of celebrations, with about 50,000 walking across the bridge, onto the Cahill Expressway and towards the domain, where tens of thousands will gather tonight for a concert.

It was also the first time since 2000 that the bridge was closed for a march, with the last event bringing 250,000 across the bridge for reconciliation with Australia’s first nations people.

Photographs from the Bridge on Sunday show groups dressed in distinctive outfits, many carrying flags or signs, with Mr Albanese and actor Sam Neill among some of the more well known in attendance.

Mr Albanese said the use of the bridge was symbolic, and was equally a celebration of Sydney’s diverse population.

“A bridge symbolises bringing people together. And this is about bringing together the Australian community, celebrating diversity,” he said.

“Also acknowledging that around the world, at WorldPride, that many people still suffer because of who they are, because of their sexuality.

“This is a great global city. And we benefit from the diversity that’s here in this great city. And we’re celebrating that today.”

Actor Sam Neill also took part in the march.

“I’m marching with my friends in solidarity and it’s a great day out,” he told Weekend Today.

“I’m marching against homophobia. There’s still too much of that around.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/worldpride-anthony-albanese-joins-march-across-harbour-bridge/news-story/91b5e0c28156023c58d800fb0586ade9

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1632137439979663363

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18454173 (060803ZMAR23) Notable: U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE VISITS PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA - United States Navy submarine USS Asheville is visiting Perth, Western Australia for combined training exercises with Royal Australian Navy submarine forces as part of a regularly scheduled patrol in the Indo-Pacific region - The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine docked at HMAS Stirling Naval Base on Garden Island, near Rockingham - USS Asheville’s Commanding Officer Commander Thomas Dixon said crewmembers were eager to work with their Australian allies - “Australia has no closer friend than the United States. Together, we are deterring aggression and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Cmdr. Dixon said.

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U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE VISITS PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

U.S. EMBASSY IN CANBERRA - MARCH 1, 2023

United States Navy submarine USS Asheville is visiting Perth, Western Australia for combined training exercises with Royal Australian Navy submarine forces as part of a regularly scheduled patrol in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine docked at HMAS Stirling Naval Base on Garden Island, near Rockingham.

U.S. Consul General Perth Siriana Nair said the USS Asheville’s visit demonstrates the close and ongoing cooperation between the U.S. and Australia.

“Our alliance has existed for more than a century and is active today around the world, including here in Western Australia,” Consul General Nair said.

“I am proud to see our sailors working together, side by side, strengthening our capabilities at sea and building close friendships.”

USS Asheville’s Commanding Officer Commander Thomas Dixon said crewmembers were eager to work with their Australian allies.

“Australia has no closer friend than the United States. Together, we are deterring aggression and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Cmdr. Dixon said.

U.S. Embassy Australia Naval Attaché Captain Kevin Quarderer said: “This cooperation builds on the longstanding and exemplary service of the Australian submarine force and it is truly an honor we are training together in Perth.”

The last U.S. Navy submarine to visit Perth was USS Mississippi in November. This followed the USS Frank Cable and USS Springfield visits in April 2022.

https://au.usembassy.gov/u-s-navy-submarine-visits-perth-western-australia/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18454205 (060821ZMAR23) Notable: WA Police Commissioner Colin Blanch praises American drug agents - Two US Drug Enforcement Administration officers who were forced out of Australia after complaints by the Australian Federal Police to US ambassador Caroline Kennedy have been publicly praised for uncovering what is claimed to be the country’s biggest ever cocaine haul - The agents, who are based in Sydney, tipped off police in Western Australia that 2.8 tonnes, valued at a billion dollars, was allegedly being shipped by a Mexican drug cartel to their shores leading to the arrest of 12 people including 8 from NSW in the past few weeks - “We worked with these two officers on this job, they are the ones that provided us with the lead,’’ said WA Police Commissioner Colin Blanch in a clear rebuke of the position taken by his federal counterpart, Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

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>>>/qresearch/18386885 (pb)

WA Police Commissioner Colin Blanch praises American drug agents

Two US drug agents who were forced out of Australia after complaints by the Australian Federal Police have been publicly applauded for uncovering what is claimed to be the country’s biggest ever cocaine haul.

Mark Morri - March 6, 2023

Two US Drug Enforcement Administration officers who were forced out of Australia after complaints by the Australian Federal Police to US ambassador Caroline Kennedy have been publicly praised for uncovering what is claimed to be the country’s biggest ever cocaine haul.

The agents, who are based in Sydney, tipped off police in Western Australia that 2.8 tonnes, valued at a billion dollars, was allegedly being shipped by a Mexican drug cartel to their shores leading to the arrest of 12 people including 8 from NSW in the past few weeks.

“We worked with these two officers on this job, they are the ones that provided us with the lead,’’ said WA Police Commissioner Colin Blanch in a clear rebuke of the position taken by his federal counterpart, Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

The Daily Telegraph revealed last week Mr Kershaw personally took the complaint to the US ambassador saying there were concerns about how the DEA officers operated, particularly on this importation, named Operation Beech.

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

But Commissioner Blanch didn’t hesitate in backing the Americans.

“We do this job lawfully, we make sure we do these jobs properly, I’ve got nothing but praise for those officers in this particular case and they did a good job with us,’’ Commissioner Blanch said.

The same DEA agents also worked with NSW police and the NSW Crime Commission in Operation Jillabenan which resulted in what was then the biggest cocaine haul when $900m worth of cocaine was allegedly seized.

In both operations the Australian Federal Police were not involved, believed to have sparked tension between the federal agency and the DEA.

The AFP believe there were actions undertaken in Operation Beech which were questionable leading to the complaint to the US which has caused a major rift between State and federal police.

“So far as the reason for the complaint I think that is an answer for the AFP, but there is nothing on this job that causes me any concern, nothing,’’ he said.

A number of sources believe much of the tension between the states and federal agencies is because the AFP did not get to take part in two of the biggest drug operations in Australian law enforcement history.

“These were really big jobs and the federal police would have had their noses out of joint that they were not in on them,’’ said a former government source.

“Working with the Americans is vital because they get some of the best intelligence about the cartels who are targeting Australia all the time.”

Privately, many NSW police are also perplexed at the complaint against the officers and are planning a small reception later this week to thank them for their time and co-operation with them.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/wa-police-commissioner-colin-blanch-praises-american-drug-agents/news-story/b1e9b4187ed2164435b814ffeb24004e

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18460361 (070817ZMAR23) Notable: Inside the Kennedy approach to US diplomacy - If you’re the daughter of one of America’s most famous presidents and part of the country’s most glamorous political dynasty, making a splash as US ambassador to Australia should be as easy as getting out of bed - What’s more, the US-Australia relationship is practically running itself at the moment: with both countries on the sharp edge of the strategic contest with China, initiatives such as AUKUS are flowing naturally out of the alliance’s policy pipeline - But Caroline Kennedy, who has been President Joe Biden’s envoy in Canberra for eight months, is taking none of this for granted.

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Inside the Kennedy approach to US diplomacy

Hans van Leeuwen - Mar 7, 2023

If you’re the daughter of one of America’s most famous presidents and part of the country’s most glamorous political dynasty, making a splash as US ambassador to Australia should be as easy as getting out of bed.

What’s more, the US-Australia relationship is practically running itself at the moment: with both countries on the sharp edge of the strategic contest with China, initiatives such as AUKUS are flowing naturally out of the alliance’s policy pipeline.

But Caroline Kennedy, who has been President Joe Biden’s envoy in Canberra for eight months, is taking none of this for granted.

In her first major public media appearance since taking the job, she told The Australian Financial Review Business Summit that she was still feeling her way into the role, and focused on getting out and about.

She said that when she was ambassador to Japan under former president Barack Obama between 2013 and 2017, she had learnt that “it takes six to nine months to figure out what, where the opportunities really are, and then the rest of the time to try to make progress on them”.

The first thing she has learnt is that she isn’t here to do running repairs on the Australia-US relationship.

“I knew [the relationship] was going to be great … The only thing that surprised me was that it’s much better than great,” she said.

The machine is humming so well, in fact, that she doesn’t even need to be in the driver’s seat.

“Everybody here is so capable and there’s so much existing partnership, friendship, dialogue going on at all levels, that it isn’t even something that the … ambassador is the one that’s leading. I think the public is leading.”

This means her main task has been to go out and meet the public. And, being a Kennedy, the door has been wide open.

“I come from a family that’s so prominent, people know who I am. It’s allowed me to sort of connect with people in a way that they feel like they know me, and so they do,” she said.

Asked what she’s found most distinctive about Australians on her walkabouts, she mentioned: the nicknames we give each other; the mateship; and “the way people obey the traffic laws here”.

IRA, AUKUS and China

As she has got to know the country, the agenda is gradually taking shape. The top item on her to-do list seems to be defending Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act from criticisms that it will suck capital and green-tech activity away from Australia.

She turned that critique on its head, saying the IRA is a “huge opportunity” for Australia.

“You have a unique ability and opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act that almost no other country has,” she said, noting the two countries’ free-trade deal and Australia’s critical minerals resources and know-how.

The AUKUS partnership between Australia, Britain and the US to build nuclear submarines is the other big-ticket item, with the three leaders expected to this weekend put flesh on the bones of that deal.

Kennedy said AUKUS would expand outwards into quantum computing, artificial intelligence, hypersonics and cybersecurity, which would transform those industries and accelerate the development of new technology.

The third major plank of the relationship is the China challenge, where Kennedy was at pains to emphasise the consistency of approach from Canberra and Washington.

“The foreign minister and the prime minister have, you know, made clear that they want to stabilise the relationship, and President Biden also has made clear that we need to manage this responsibly,” she said.

“So I think all of us are looking for increased dialogue, for co-operation on areas like climate. But there are issues that we need to respond to.”

Kennedy is a political appointment, at a time when the two countries are both governed by parties of the centre-left. But the relationship needs to be able to survive changes in administration at either end – including the return of a potentially polarising and alliance-challenging figure like Donald Trump.

The ambassador could not offer any guarantees, but suggested that Biden’s preference for “competent, calm government” could be a kind of insurance policy.

“Of course there are issues that are hotly debated and polarising figures in politics, but I think overall that President Biden and the kind of commitment that he’s made to our global leadership as well as to tackling domestic challenges … is going to help stabilise our politics.”

https://www.afr.com/business-summit/inside-the-kennedy-approach-to-american-diplomacy-20230307-p5cq2x

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18460391 (070825ZMAR23) Notable: Albanese to cement submarines deal in US next week - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will mark the next stage of the AUKUS pact at a meeting in San Diego with United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, revealing the likely submarine choice for a project expected to cost at least $100 billion.

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Albanese to cement submarines deal in US next week

David Crowe and Matthew Knott - March 7, 2023

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Australia will cement a decades-long deal to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines at a formal announcement in the United States on Monday, amid heightened speculation over whether all the vessels will be made in Adelaide as planned.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will mark the next stage of the AUKUS pact at a meeting in San Diego with United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, revealing the likely submarine choice for a project expected to cost at least $100 billion.

But the timeframe to complete the eight submarines remains in doubt due to concerns over the mammoth investment required to develop the shipbuilding facilities in Adelaide to do the work, as well as the challenge of creating the workforce to build and serve on the vessels.

Albanese is expected to head to the US announcement after his talks with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi later this week, with Indo-Pacific security at the top of the agenda alongside moves to expand trade.

While China has objected vociferously to the AUKUS pact, India backed the plan when it came under challenge from China and others at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

With speculation swirling about whether Australia would choose a British or American submarine design, sources said some US lawmakers believe some of the boats could be constructed in the US in order to accelerate their deployment into the Pacific.

A key issue is the promise by former prime minister Scott Morrison that the eight vessels would be built in Adelaide and would use nuclear-propulsion supplied by the US or UK, with no need for the power systems to be maintained in Australia because the nuclear fuel would last for the lifetime of the submarine.

“We intend to build these submarines in Adelaide, Australia, in close cooperation with the United Kingdom and the United States,” Morrison said at the announcement alongside Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September 2021.

“But let me be clear: Australia is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons or establish a civil nuclear capability. And we will continue to meet all our nuclear non-proliferation obligations.”

Albanese has promised to build up the defence industry in Adelaide to build the submarines.

“We see this as about defending our nation and our national security, but it is also about industry policy and about building up our capacity which has a spin off,” he said alongside South Australian premier Peter Malinauskus on February 23.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18466555 (080807ZMAR23) Notable: News Life Media files defence in Bruce Lehrmann defamation case - News Life Media will seek to prove Bruce Lehrmann lied to police about why he was at Parliament House on the night he allegedly raped Brittany Higgins, and showed a “consciousness of guilt”.

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>>42591

News Life Media files defence in Bruce Lehrmann defamation case

News Life Media will seek to prove Bruce Lehrmann lied to police after allegedly raping Brittany Higgins and showed a “consciousness of guilt”.

Clare Sibthorpe - March 8, 2023

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News Life Media will seek to prove Bruce Lehrmann lied to police about why he was at Parliament House on the night he allegedly raped Brittany Higgins, and showed a “consciousness of guilt”.

In the defence document filed in the defamation case brought by Mr Lehrmann, who strenuously denies the allegations, News Corp-owned News Life Media and news.com.au’s Samantha Maiden claim he lied to police a number of times about the reason he went to Parliament House on the night of the alleged rape.

The respondents allege that on five occasions he told police he went to get his keys, while on approximately another six occasions, he said it was to update Question Time folders, but he didn’t pick up any documents.

The defence – which pleads truth and qualified privilege – also alleges Mr Lehrmann lied to security and senior staff about why he was at Parliament House and to police about whether he signed in Ms Higgins.

They claim that in the following days and weeks, Mr Lehrmann told then-Minister Linda Reynolds’ chief of staff he had gone there to “drink whisky,” but denied to police this was the reason.

They also allege he lied to police by saying he didn’t realise Ms Higgins was drunk, that he hadn’t had “any intimate contact” beyond flirting and that he hadn’t received any phone calls while in Parliament House.

The defence alleges that weeks before the alleged rape, Mr Lehrmann asked his colleague to invite Ms Higgins “for a drink” because he found her attractive, but she thought this was an informal job interview.

Mr Lehrmann is suing Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson, as well as News Life Media and Ms Maiden, over coverage of Ms Higgins’ rape allegations in February 2021.

He claims the stories revealing the allegations – which he strenuously denies and have never been proven in court – were defamatory and “recklessly indifferent to the truth or falsity”.

Mr Lehrmann was charged with sexual intercourse without consent in August 2021 and pleaded not guilty to the charge that was later dropped.

He has always denied having sex with Ms Higgins.

In its defence, News Life Media says it will rely on the following alleged sequence of events to show Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins:

Alleged attempted kiss

In early March 2019, Ms Higgins contacted ex-defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ senior media Adviser Nicky Hamer, seeking a job with Ms Reynolds.

In the defence, the respondents allege Ms Higgins understood a meeting with Ms Hammer, Mr Lehrmann and another colleague on March 2 at Canberra’s Kingston Hotel was a “form of job interview” but was in fact arranged “because Lehrmann thought Higgins was physically attractive and he asked (Ms) Hammer to invite Higgins out for a drink”.

It is further alleged that sometime in March, the pair were waiting for taxis outside a social dinner for Ms Reynolds’ staff when Mr Lehrmann “attempted to kiss Higgins” – an advance she “politely declined” before leaving.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18466676 (080847ZMAR23) Notable: ‘It worked for us’: Alexander Downer urges UK to take Australia’s zero-tolerance approach to boats - Former foreign minister Alexander Downer has called on the UK to follow his hard line policy on banning illegal people smugglers from entering Australia, saying: “It worked for us, Britain should do the same.”

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‘It worked for us’: Alexander Downer urges UK to take Australia’s zero-tolerance approach to boats

Some people think it’s inhumane blocking refugees and asylum seekers but it’s not, according to the former foreign minister.

Danielle Gusmaroli - March 8, 2023

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer has called on the UK to follow his hard line policy on banning illegal people smugglers from entering Australia, saying: “It worked for us, Britain should do the same.”

As British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak prepares to put a stop to dangerous illegal immigration with a zero-tolerance policy, the former Australian High Commissioner to the UK insisted dismantling the hugely lucrative business model used by smuggling gangs is the only solution.

“Some people think it’s inhumane blocking refugees and asylum seekers but it’s not – these small boat journeys are dangerous and migrants die,” Mr Downer told News Corp.

“They should not be allowed to embark across the English Channel – they’re not from Afghanistan and Syria, they’re mostly from France.

“Organised criminals will resist but destroying their business model worked for us in Australia and Britain should do the same.

“We stopped Indonesian migrants from entering Australia, a policy drawn up in 2001 when I was foreign Minister, and it worked. We took them to Nauru and Papua New Guinea to process their paperwork. You cannot allow illegal immigration to be masterminded by these gangs.

“No person who enters the UK unlawfully on a small boat from a safe state should ever be permitted to settle in the UK – there is no middle ground, you must stick to the immigration policy, otherwise it doesn’t work.

“The Australian policy can’t fail to work in the UK, although its business model is looking to deporting migrants to Rwanda.”

With more than 45,000 migrants making the illegal journey across the Channel from Europe in 2022 alone, Mr Downer co-wrote the Policy Exchange think-tank last month, titled “How to legislate about small boats”, aimed at dissecting illegal immigration in Britain.

He said the think tank policy paper argues illegal migration damages education systems, puts a strain on housing, the economy and worsens crime.

The British Home Office is considering tough new measures to be unveiled to ensure that anyone caught trying to enter Britain by a dangerous “irregular route”, such as a Channel crossing in a small boat, would face a lifetime ban from the country and deportation.

Australia has long had a tough border security policy. Refugees and migrants trying to reach the continent by boat are intercepted and have been interned in offshore detention centres on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island which closed in 2017 – and Nauru in the South Pacific. Even if they gain refugee status, the government doesn’t allow them to settle in Australia.

Australia is the only country in the world to enforce a policy of mandatory detention and offshore processing for all asylum seekers who arrive without a valid visa, and is specifically targeted at those who manage to reach Australian territorial waters by boat.

Mr Sunak is poised to clash with advocates of European Union laws over new British migration legislation that he claims will “take back ­control of our borders, once and for all”.

The illegal migration bill will include a “duty” on the home secretary to remove nearly all migrants who arrive in Britain without permission, overriding their right to claim asylum. Home secretary Suella Braverman says the bill would push “the boundaries of international law”.

Some Tory MPs have said they would oppose any measure that clashed with Britain’s obligations under international law, including the European Convention of Human Rights. Under the new law, only the under-18s and the sick arriving in small boats would be allowed to apply for asylum.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/downer-tells-uk-australias-zerotolerance-worked-to-stop-boats/news-story/c7b0f5222aabdca3c8360ef532bbaf19

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472462 (090737ZMAR23) Notable: Australia expected to buy up to 5 Virginia class submarines as part of AUKUS - Australia is expected to buy up to five U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the 2030's as part of a landmark defense agreement between Washington, Canberra and London, in a deal that would present a new challenge to China.

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Exclusive: Australia expected to buy up to 5 Virginia class submarines as part of AUKUS

Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Steve Holland - March 9, 2023

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - Australia is expected to buy up to five U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the 2030's as part of a landmark defense agreement between Washington, Canberra and London, four U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in a deal that would present a new challenge to China.

The agreement, known as the AUKUS pact, will have multiple stages with at least one U.S. submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years and end in the late 2030's with a new class of submarines being built with British designs and American technology, one of the officials said.

U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego on Monday to chart a way forward for provision of the nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia.

China has condemned the effort by the Western allies, who are seeking to counter China's military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and increasingly muscular deployments in the contested South China Sea.

Two of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that after the annual port visits, the United States would forward deploy some submarines in Western Australia by around 2027.

In the early 2030's, Australia would buy 3 Virginia class submarines and have the option to buy two more.

AUKUS is expected to be Australia's biggest-ever defense project and offers the prospect of jobs in all three countries.

Australia has an existing fleet of six conventionally powered Collins-class submarines, which will have their service life extended to 2036. Nuclear submarines can stay underwater for longer than conventional ones and are harder to detect.

The officials did not elaborate on the planned new class of submarines, including offering specifics about production locations.

The Pentagon referred queries to the White House, which declined to confirm details about any upcoming announcement. The British Embassy in Washington did not comment directly on the Reuters report but repeated an announcement from London that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would travel to the United States for further talks on AUKUS.

The Australian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under the initial AUKUS deal announced in 2021, the United States and Britain agreed to provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines as part of joint efforts to counter the increasing threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

But a deal between the three countries on how specifically to achieve that goal had not been ironed out.

The U.S. Congress has been briefed several times in recent weeks on the impending AUKUS deal to garner support for the legal changes needed to smooth out technology transfer issues for the highly protected nuclear propulsion and sonar systems that will be aboard Australia’s new submarines, a congressional source said.

Over the next five years, Australian workers will come to U.S. submarine shipyards to observe and train. This training will directly benefit U.S. submarine production as there is currently a labor shortfall for shipyard workers the U.S. needs to build its submarines, the source said.

It is unclear how the upcoming announcement might affect the U.S. Navy's expectations for its own submarine acquisitions in coming years.

The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan released last year forecast submarines being produced at a rate of 1.76 to 2.24 per year and forecast the fleet grow to between 60 to 69 nuclear attack submarines by 2052, according to the Congressional Research Service.

General Dynamics Corp, which makes Virginia class submarines, has 17 of them in its current backlog delivering through 2032.

To date no party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) other than the five countries the treaty recognizes as weapons states - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has nuclear submarines.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/australia-expected-buy-up-5-virginia-class-submarines-part-aukus-sources-2023-03-08/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472486 (090743ZMAR23) Notable: Australia to Buy U.S. Nuclear-Powered Submarines in Naval Expansion - The U.S. will speed up Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines by arranging for Canberra’s first few subs to be built in the U.S. - The arrangement is part of a multifaceted plan to be announced Monday in San Diego at a meeting attended by President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The plan to sell up to five U.S. Virginia-class submarines to Australia is intended as a stopgap to provide the country with nuclear-powered subs by the mid-2030s.

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>>42614

Australia to Buy U.S. Nuclear-Powered Submarines in Naval Expansion

Deal is set to be announced at meeting of Biden and leaders of Australia and U.K.

Michael R. Gordon - and Nancy A. Youssef - March 8, 2023

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The U.S. will speed up Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines by arranging for Canberra’s first few subs to be built in the U.S., according to people familiar with the still-confidential plan.

The arrangement is part of a multifaceted plan to be announced Monday in San Diego at a meeting attended by President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The plan to sell up to five U.S. Virginia-class submarines to Australia is intended as a stopgap to provide the country with nuclear-powered subs by the mid-2030s.

Submarine production would later shift to Britain and Australia, which would produce a sub with a new design that would incorporate American technology, the people said.

Other facets of the plan call for the U.S. to step up its port visits to Australia in coming years and to establish the capability to rotate American attack subs through Perth, Australia, by 2027.

All three countries would invest heavily in upgrading the defense industrial base, and Australia might even make a contribution to expanding U.S. capacity to construct submarines.

The White House and the Australian Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the plan.

The alliance is called Aukus, an acronym for Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. In addition to collaborating on nuclear-submarine technology, the countries intend to cooperate on artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, hypersonic missiles and undersea technologies, among other areas, the people said. The submarine will be the centerpiece of the Monday meeting.

U.S. officials argue that the Aukus deal will result in more-capable Australia and British submarines and, thus, help preserve the Western lead over China in undersea military technology.

They add that it will strengthen the alliance between the three countries as the Pentagon undertakes a major defense transformation to deal with China’s growing military strength.

The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Australia was in talks to buy Virginia-class submarines from the U.S. under an arrangement to expedite the country’s acquisition of nuclear-powered subs.

Nuclear-powered submarines are far more capable than their conventional counterparts because they can operate stealthily underwater over great distances and long periods. The nuclear-powered subs for Australia would only carry conventional weapons.

Australia has six diesel-electric Collins-class subs, but they will be phased out in coming years. Under the Aukus plan, Australia is expected to buy at least eight nuclear-powered subs.

The Virginia-class submarines that Australia would buy might be a mix of attack submarines already operated by the U.S. and ones that would be manufactured from scratch.

The details remain to be determined, and some officials say that Australia might buy as few as three subs.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472507 (090749ZMAR23) Notable: Aukus submarine deal: Australia expected to choose UK design, sources say - An enthusiastic Rishi Sunak has told ministers to expect a positive outcome next week when he travels to San Diego to unveil a deal to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as part of the Aukus pact with the US. Multiple sources said they believed the UK had succeeded in its bid to sell British-designed nuclear submarines to Australia, a deal that will safeguard the long-term future of the shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness.

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Aukus submarine deal: Australia expected to choose UK design, sources say

Rishi Sunak said to have been ‘buzzing’ about result of 18-month negotiations, part of Aukus defence pact with US

Kiran Stacey and Dan Sabbagh - 9 Mar 2023

An enthusiastic Rishi Sunak has told ministers to expect a positive outcome next week when he travels to San Diego to unveil a deal to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as part of the Aukus pact with the US.

Multiple sources said they believed the UK had succeeded in its bid to sell British-designed nuclear submarines to Australia, a deal that will safeguard the long-term future of the shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness.

A senior minister said Sunak had told colleagues he was delighted by the outcome of the negotiations, which have been going on for 18 months and have presented Australia with a choice between a British or a US design, based on the existing Astute or Virginia class submarines.

“The deal has definitely gone our way. The prime minister was buzzing about it when he told ministers, smiling and bouncing on the balls of his feet,” the minister said.

A second source outside government with knowledge of the talks said they had also been told to expect a British design success when the deal is announced on Monday, although any final submarine will also make heavy use of US technology.

Sunak is due to travel to the west coast for a trilateral summit with Joe Biden, the US president, and Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, on Monday, where he also expected to unveil a refresh of Britain’s integrated review of defence and foreign policy in the light of the war in Ukraine.

Supplying Australia with a nuclear-powered submarine was the centrepiece for the Aukus defence pact, announced in September 2021, with the US and UK agreeing to share secret reactor technology in a surprise deal, so Canberra could dump an alternative diesel-powered design from France.

The expectation, one source indicated, was that Australia would work jointly on a design for a next generation submarine with the UK, evolving from the existing Astute submarine design, although it may not be seaworthy until the 2040s because of the complexity of the work.

Further reports last night suggested that the short-term gap could be plugged by Australia buying up to five Virginia-class submarines from the US as part of the three-way deal.

Meanwhile, an alternative plan that the UK could even be willing to sell or lease the two Astute class submarines yet to be completed at Barrow, HMS Agincourt and HMS Agamemnon, is wide of the mark. Naval analysts say the UK’s submarine fleet is already stretched and could not afford a sudden reduction.

Australia will become the seventh country to have a nuclear-powered submarine, relying on an enriched uranium reactor, propulsion technology that will put the country’s diesel-powered navy on a technological par with China.

But it will require Australia, which is not a nuclear power, to be supplied with a reactor, a move that Beijing has argued is a breach of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. The three Aukus powers say that is not the case, and that any reactors will be supplied “welded, shielded and sealed shut” according to Australian officials overseeing the effort.

The new submarines will not carry nuclear weapons. But James Acton, a nuclear expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it was not yet clear how the nuclear waste generated by the propulsion reactors will be dealt with – and whether that will happen in Australia or the UK or US.

Defence experts said the time it would take to build the new submarines meant that there may be some related short-term developments. The US is keen to be able to base its nuclear submarines in Australia, making it easier to patrol the South Pacific, as it seeks to retain naval parity with China.

A UK government spokesperson said: “When we announced the Aukus partnership in September 2021 we said there would be an 18-month scoping period to determine the optimal path to procuring Australia nuclear-powered submarines. The outcome of the scoping period is due to be announced soon.”

A No 10 spokesperson said they could not pre-empt any future announcements.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/08/uk-to-unveil-nuclear-submarines-deal-with-australia-sources-say

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472515 (090753ZMAR23) Notable: Australia ‘set for two types of nuclear submarines’ - Leaks from both sides of the Atlantic suggest Australia will buy not one but two types of nuclear submarine – the US-designed Virginia-class and a future British-designed sub – in an acquisition plan set to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and run for at least 40 years.

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>>42614

Australia ‘set for two types of nuclear submarines’

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 9, 2023

Leaks from both sides of the Atlantic suggest Australia will buy not one but two types of nuclear submarine – the US-designed Virginia-class and a future British-designed sub – in an acquisition plan set to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and run for at least 40 years.

Multiple reports today, from the Wall St Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg and The Guardian, suggest the “optimal pathway” for Australia to acquire nuclear submarines will involve multiple stages, beginning with the rotation of US nuclear submarines through Australia as early as 2027.

According to the Wall St Journal and Reuters’ Washington Bureau, the US would then sell up to five Virginia-class submarines to Australia from the mid-2030s. (Reuters says three with an option of two more)

The plan would involve the US agreeing to supply Australia submarines from its own fleet or construction schedule, as the country’s two production lines work flat out to meet US demand.

As the Wall St Journal speculates, this might require Australia to invest in new American production facilities, which will be costly and politically difficult given Australia’s future subs were supposed to be built in Adelaide.

The vessels will also likely be jointly-crewed and perhaps even commanded by Americans, given Australia will take years to train up sufficient nuclear-qualified submarine commanders.

The timing of the acquisition might – just – avoid a submarine capability gap for Australia as the nation’s Collins-class boats retire from 2038.

The third stage of the plan would involve the development of a joint Australian-UK boat based on Britain’s planned Astute-class replacement, dubbed SSN (R), as The Australian has flagged in recent articles.

Australia will receive eight of the boats, which Bloomberg says “will be based on a modified British design with US parts and upgrades”.

This suggests the British have agreed to adopt a US combat system, which is a basic requirement for Australia.

The decision will avoid having to modify a British design for Australia’s use by retrofitting a US combat system, avoiding the production of an even more expensive “orphan” boat for Australia.

According to The Guardian in the UK, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is “delighted” with the outcome of the negotiations

“The deal has definitely gone our way. The prime minister was buzzing about it when he told ministers, smiling and bouncing on the balls of his feet,” a senior British minister told the news outlet.

All three nations’ submarines would be interoperable, because they would share a common combat system.

But Australia and the British would get smaller next-generation submarines more appropriate for their smaller navies. Britain’s Astute-class has a crew of 98 compared to 132 for the Virginia-class.

Even so, crewing the future submarines will remain a massive issue for Australia.

The nation’s Collins-class boats have a crew of 42, and the navy has struggled over decades to build its total submarine force to about 850, which it needs to cover training, deployments and leave.

Accommodating forward-deployed US submarines at Perth’s HMAS Stirling is likely to require major facility upgrades in the short term, to ensure nuclear safety and accommodate visiting crews.

Australian submariners are likely to serve on the vessels, and are already serving on US and British nuclear boats. But building up Australia’s operational submarine workforce will take years if not decades.

The reporting comes just days from an announcement in San Diego, home of the US Navy’s Pacific fleet. Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden and Mr Sunak will stand alongside each other on Monday, US time, to lay out the plan, after an 18 month process to determine “optimal pathway” led by Australian Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead.

Finding the people to build, operate and maintain the subs will be a massive challenge for Australia, which is already suffering acute skills shortages, even with US and British support.

The big question – how much will it cost? – remains unclear, but will be eye-watering.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has previously estimated that building eight nuclear submarines in Adelaide would cost at least $150bn.

The addition of up to five Virginia-class boats, plus regulatory changes, infrastructure and training, is likely to add at least another $100bn.

Apart from vague assurances that Australia will spend whatever it takes, Anthony Albanese is yet to say how all this will be paid for. Yes, the timelines will be long. But the current Defence budget of 2 per cent of GDP will be nowhere near enough.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/australia-set-for-2-types-of-nuclear-submarines/news-story/3e419c1e6c902f10c832443f85c0d272

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472545 (090802ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS submarine plan is high risk, high reward - "The expected decision to purchase three to five US Virginia Class submarines ahead of building a next-generation submarine in Adelaide is the Albanese government’s long-term answer to the challenge of a rising China. This two-stage Aukus submarine plan would amount to a generational transformation of Australia’s future submarine capability. But the risks are high and the lesson of history is that enterprises like this are never smooth sailing." - Cameron Stewart - theaustralian.com.au

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AUKUS submarine plan is high risk, high reward

CAMERON STEWART - MARCH 9, 2023

The expected decision to purchase three to five US Virginia Class submarines ahead of building a next-generation submarine in Adelaide is the Albanese government’s long-term answer to the challenge of a rising China.

It is a plan which, if successfully implemented, would help plug a looming submarine capability gap in the late 2030s but it is also a plan that is brimming with risk and potential problems.

Australia will be taking a major punt on several key assumptions. The first is that the Americans can actually build three to five Virginia-Class boats for Australia on schedule when congressional and other government reports say they have no capacity in their shipyards.

The second hugely optimistic assumption is that Australia can somehow grow and train enough nuclear-trained personnel to operate and maintain the Virginia Class submarines when they arrive in Australia in the 2030s. This is highly unlikely based on current projections.

The third challenge is whether Australia can find enough nuclear-trained crew to crew the large Virginia-Class boats which require a crew of around 135 compared with 48 for a Collins Class submarine. This is almost certainly not possible in the time frame required. The reality is that these submarines will be largely crewed by Americans for many years and a small but slowly growing contingent of Australians aboard.

The fourth obvious challenge is money. To purchase three or even five Virginia-Class boats while also developing a next generation submarine will come at an eye-watering price tag which the Albanese government must sell to voters.

None of this suggests that this plan – if indeed it is confirmed next week – is wrong. Just that it is not going to be easy to achieve such a series of highly complex outcomes.

On the positive side, three Virginia-Class boats, even if crewed mostly by Americans initially, would provide an important capability for the navy if they arrived in the mid-2030s shortly before the existing fleet of Collins Class submarines would start to progressively retire.

These would relieve the schedule pressure on the second stage of the Aukus plan – the building of a next generation submarine which is unlikely to be completed until the 2040s.

These new boats will probably be a common British designed submarine built in the UK and in Australia for use by the UK and Australian, and possibly even the US navy. This common Aukus submarine is likely to be the next generation evolution of Britain’s Astute class boat with a British designed hull and an American combat system.

This two-stage Aukus submarine plan would amount to a generational transformation of Australia’s future submarine capability. But the risks are high and the lesson of history is that enterprises like this are never smooth sailing.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/aukus-submarine-plan-is-high-risk-high-reward/news-story/88c6776439361a6b7e6ff995a8db6931

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472586 (090817ZMAR23) Notable: Hillsong ‘committed fraud, evaded tax’: Andrew Wilkie - Independent Andrew Wilkie has tabled documents to parliament he says show Hillsong Church has committed fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, with revelations Hillsong earns more than $80m in Australian income than it reports publicly.

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Hillsong ‘committed fraud, evaded tax’: Andrew Wilkie

SARAH ISON - MARCH 9, 2023

Independent Andrew Wilkie has tabled documents to parliament he says show Hillsong Church has committed fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, with revelations Hillsong earns more than $80m in Australian income than it reports publicly.

The Hillsong church has been plagued with controversies, including its leader Brian Houston not reporting his father’s sexual abuse of numerous boys to the police.

Mr Houston also stepped down from the megachurch following an internal investigation found he had engaged in inappropriate behaviour with two women.

The church grew from a small Sydney congregation founded in the 1980s to a global phenomenon that attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees to churches across 25 countries.

Mr Wilkie said a whistle blower had provided him with financial records and board papers that showed in 2021 four members of the Houston family and went on a three day luxury retreat in Cancun Mexico using $150,000 of Church money.

The documents also showed Mr Houston “treating private jets like Ubers”, according to Mr Wilkie.

“In one three month period, Brian Houston’s trips cost $55,000, $52,000, $30,000, $22,000 and $20,000,” Mr Wilkie told parliament while tabling the documents.

“Meanwhile the new head of Hillsong Phil Dooley has told churchgoers he only flies economy, but these documents show him clocking up $58,000 in business class flights for him and his daughter to Guatemala, $42,000 in business class flights to Mexico and $32,000 in business class flights from Capetown to Sydney via the US.

“Hillsong followers believe the money they put in the poor box goes to the poor, but these documents show how that money is used to do the kind of shopping that would embarrass a Kardashian.”

Mr Wilkie listed purchases including a $6,500 Cartier watch for Bobby Houston a $2,500 Louise Viton luggage set and $16,000 purchase for custom skateboards.

He said church donations were being used to pay more than $1 million a year to Hillsong musicians, including Joel Houston; Brian Houston’s son, and that money was also being used to pay for venue hire.

“This is a commercial venture run by Hillsong’s community venture company and is ineligible to benefit from tax deductible church donations,” he said.

“All of this is in the context of documents revealing Hillsong earns $80 million more in Australian annual income than it reports publicly.”

Mr Wilkie said the documents were offered to the Australian Tax Office and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission under whistleblower legislation, “not one of those agencies acted”.

“That is a failure of regulatory oversight every bit as alarming as Hillsong’s criminality,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/hillsong-committed-fraud-evaded-tax-andrew-wilkie/news-story/73ec573647410b84665dfd95e1141cb9

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472715 (090911ZMAR23) Notable: A year on, still no investigation into Kitching’s claims - "A year ago on Friday, my very dear friend Kimberley Kitching died. She died of a heart attack caused in large part, I believe, by the stress of workplace bullying in the Australian Senate. The bullying of Kimberley needs thorough investigation, especially after Penny Wong’s well-known 'childless' comments and after Kimberley was removed from key positions, such as the Senate tactics committee, and her demotion from the shadow ministry. There’s a pattern of behaviour here. That Wong continues to hold her position without an investigation speaks volumes for what Labor rewards. For those who are seeking guidance about how to advance in the ALP, they will see Wong’s actions as acceptable, even to be rewarded." - Cameron Milner - theaustralian.com.au

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A year on, still no investigation into Kitching’s claims

CAMERON MILNER - MARCH 9, 2023

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A year ago on Friday, my very dear friend Kimberley Kitching died. She died of a heart attack caused in large part, I believe, by the stress of workplace bullying in the Australian Senate.

When Kimberley died it was a politically inconvenient time, just a couple of months before a potential general election. But despite calls for an investigation – for the bullying claims to be assessed independently by the Labor Party – no one in the ALP’s political or administrative wings acted.

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept was a familiar line from then opposition leader Anthony Albanese, but when confronted with the death of a sitting senator and evidence of bullying behaviour he chose to brickbat calls for action.

His standard was for Penny Wong and her entourage to never face an investigation about the alleged bullying and the coercive actions against Kimberley.

I vividly remember him on TV, when he was asked about the bullying allegations and Kimberley’s untimely death, dismissing the claims, saying words that gave the effect of: “Look, Kimberley Kitching played her politics pretty hard.”

At the time this comment was interpreted by grieving friends as “she had it coming, she asked for it”. I really thought we’d moved on as a society from blaming the victim.

I’ve played pool with Albanese in Canberra over beers. As Bill Shorten’s chief of staff, I spent hours with him unpicking a booby trap laid by senator Doug Cameron to blow up his plans for Sydney’s second airport.

I admired Albanese’s tenacity, sense of humour and leftie heart-on-the-sleeve style. It makes his lack of willingness to get to the bottom of these allegations all the more confounding.

A year later there still hasn’t been any investigation. There is no desire to unearth the truth about whether bullying was at the heart of his ministerial leadership team.

The alleged perpetrators of this weren’t members of the opposition or crossbench but instead the ALP Senate leadership, two of whom continue in those roles today.

Senators Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher and Kristina Keneally were well known to Kimberley as the “mean girls”. We’ve all seen how cliques work. A film of their era, Heathers, documents the relentless use of social ostracising, as well as verbal violence, to belittle and diminish the sense of self-worth of someone who doesn’t quite fit in or doesn’t bend to their coercive control.

Kimberley, who did not have children, was once publicly humiliated by Wong uttering the words, “If you had children, you might understand the importance of the climate emergency.”

Remember the howls of indignation and moral outrage that similar comments about prime minister Julia Gillard brought? Yet, in the case of Kimberley, no such public or even private disciplining actions were brought against Wong.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18472800 (090926ZMAR23) Notable: Gone Almighty: Council halts Christian prayer after legal warning - An urgent business motion was passed by the City of Boroondara last week to amend governance rules to remove reference to the prayer, which asks God to “direct and prosper [council’s] deliberations to the advancement of your glory and the true welfare of the people”. Jennifer Kanis, social justice principal at Maurice Blackburn lawyers, wrote to the council this year, advising that the inclusion of the prayer was unlawful under the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

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Gone Almighty: Council halts Christian prayer after legal warning

Wendy Tuohy - March 8, 2023

A Melbourne council has paused the use of a Christian prayer asking God to direct it after receiving a legal letter stating its inclusion in council processes was unlawful.

An urgent business motion was passed by the City of Boroondara last week to amend governance rules to remove reference to the prayer, which asks God to “direct and prosper [council’s] deliberations to the advancement of your glory and the true welfare of the people”.

Jennifer Kanis, social justice principal at Maurice Blackburn lawyers, wrote to the council this year, advising that the inclusion of the prayer was unlawful under the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

The prayer also has no connection to the decision-making process of council and “it is therefore beyond the powers given to council by the government to have a rule that requires that”, she told The Age.

“It is unlawful in that the charter requires that people have equal and effective protection against discrimination, people have freedom of thought, religion, belief and opportunity and that every person should have that right and opportunity, without discrimination, to participate in the conduct of public affairs.”

Kanis, who acted pro bono for Boroondara councillor Victor Franco, has not examined the ways in which prayers are written into governance at the estimated 38 Victorian councils still opening with Christian prayers, but said their use was also potentially unlawful.

Boroondara, which covers the inner east municipalities of Camberwell, Hawthorn and Kew, has included prayer in council meetings since 1996.

Last week’s meeting marked the first time it had been dropped for a meeting. Mayor Felicity Sinfield has previously supported its retention.

Franco has previously been formally censured by council for making public comments about the prayer.

He said he felt under “very real pressure” to participate in it at each council meeting.

“I’m not religious, my family’s not religious … [but] over the past 2½years, I’ve been required to participate in religious rituals at the city of Boroondara,” Franco said.

“It is an established practice that makes everyone present, including staff, management and members of the community feel obliged to participate.”

Franco said the use of a single faith’s prayer excluded those of other faiths and those with none.

“Having prayer shows we are not equal, and our beliefs are less equal,” he said. “Why should anyone have to pay such a human dignity price, why can’t we just treat each other with equal dignity and respect?”

Last month, 21 state councillors wrote to the state government calling for guidelines to end Christian prayers in local council meetings, arguing widespread use of one faith’s prayers was “inconsistent with the multicultural and multi-faith diversity of the communities the council represents”.

Before last year’s election, the Andrews government vowed to axe the tradition of reciting the Lord’s Prayer in state parliament if re-elected. The prayer has been used on sitting days since 1918.

A City of Boroondara spokesman said in a statement that the council prayer was “to remind councillors of their obligation to act in the best interests of the community” and was introduced to create a shared commitment.

Council will start community consultation to determine if the option to read the prayer at meetings should be removed from the governance rules.

“Some councillors from across the local government sector have pointed out that prayers are inconsistent with a changing community in which many people no longer identify as being affiliated with a religion and have the right to be free from any statement with religious references,” the statement said.

Kanis said that statement appeared to contradict the motion passed last week.

“If you look at the clear words to the motion proposing an amendment to remove reference to the council prayer, it is a positive proposal to amend governance rules to remove it,” she said.

But the Local Government Act does require council to go through a consultation process.

The Victorian Local Governance Association has been contacted for comment.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/gone-almighty-council-halts-christian-prayer-after-legal-warning-20230308-p5cqeg.html

https://victorfrancogardiner.com/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478626 (101026ZMAR23) Notable: Analysis: Nuclear submarine plan aims to give Australia strategic edge to deter China - Australian nuclear submarines are key to defending the country's 36,000 kilometres of coastline and maintaining an edge against China, whose growing military presence means conflict can erupt without notice, defence officials and government advisers said. The shift from Australia's diesel-electric fleet to nuclear-powered subs brings additional range, stealth and strike capability - crucial capabilities given Canberra's reliance on sea cargo for trade, and undersea cables for telecommunications.

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Analysis: Nuclear submarine plan aims to give Australia strategic edge to deter China

Kirsty Needham - March 10, 2023

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SYDNEY, March 10 (Reuters) - Australian nuclear submarines are key to defending the country's 36,000 kilometres of coastline and maintaining an edge against China, whose growing military presence means conflict can erupt without notice, defence officials and government advisers said.

The shift from Australia's diesel-electric fleet to nuclear-powered subs brings additional range, stealth and strike capability - crucial capabilities given Canberra's reliance on sea cargo for trade, and undersea cables for telecommunications, they said.

"This is the biggest step forward in our military capability that we've had since the end of the Second World War," Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Friday. "This, more than anything that we can do, it will allow us in a pretty difficult world to look after ourselves."

Reuters has reported Australia is expected to buy up to five U.S. Virginia class submarines in the 2030's, before building a new British-designed submarine in South Australia under a partnership with both countries dubbed AUKUS. Sooner than that, around 2027, U.S. nuclear submarines are expected to be deployed in Western Australia.

The three countries are expected to announce details of the plan on Monday in San Diego. The shift from six conventional submarines to a nuclear-powered fleet comes with a price tag estimated at A$100 billion-A$170 billion ($66 billion-$112 billion), Australia's biggest-ever defence project.

Nuclear submarines are a key area where the United States has an edge over China's navy, which is the world's largest, said Peter Dean, co-author of Australia's Defence Strategic Review, which was handed to government last month and will be made public in April.

It is vital that Australia has the same capability to deter - or, if necessary, fight - China as it expands its nuclear submarine fleet and ranges deeper into Australia's northern waters, he said.

"The number one thing submarines do is hunt other submarines," he said. "We need to be able to track those submarines, and if it did come to a conflict with anyone, to respond appropriately. They are a really important part of our deterrence capability."

A U.S. Defense Department report last year said the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) had a fighting force of 340 ships and submarines, including 12 nuclear submarines - six equipped with ballistic missiles - and 44 conventionally powered submarines. The report added that China would build a guided missile submarine by the middle of this decade.

Sheer numbers can be overcome with superior technology, analysts said.

"Chinese submarines are of less advanced technology and noisier than they should be so more detectable," said Bates Gill, executive director for the Asia Society's Centre for China Analysis.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478650 (101033ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS nuclear plan torpedoes Collins subs upgrade - Richard Marles has warned Australia’s Collins-class submarine capability will become questionable by the mid-2030s, casting doubt on the boats’ planned $6bn-$10bn life extension as the government looks to acquire US-built nuclear subs from early next decade.

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>>42614

AUKUS nuclear plan torpedoes Collins subs upgrade

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 10, 2023

Richard Marles has warned Australia’s Collins-class submarine capability will become questionable by the mid-2030s, casting doubt on the boats’ planned $6bn-$10bn life extension as the government looks to acquire US-built nuclear subs from early next decade.

The warning came as Anthony Albanese refused to disclose how much his government’s submarine plan would cost, but warned Defence spending was likely to rise beyond 2 per cent of GDP.

While South Australia is set to wait for at least a decade before work commences on a new AUKUS class of submarines, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her home state would receive “an enormous uplift” in its industrial capability from the construction effort.

With analysts warning of a potential war between China and the US this decade, there are fears Australia‘s US-made Virginia-class boats and next-generation AUKUS subs will arrive too late to contribute to such a conflict.

The Defence Minister sought to reassure Australians the nation’s six Collins-class boats were “really capable submarines”, and would remain a “potent” deterrent for at least a decade.

“But the question is whether or not it will be the same capability in the mid-2030s, which is why we‘ve got to be thinking about that right now,” Mr Marles said.

His comments follow those of former defence minister Peter Dutton, who warned last year a “son of Collins” diesel-electric submarine would be “easily detectable and inoperable” by the time they got in the water.

The Collins “life-of-type extension” program is budgeted to cost at least $6bn, but defence industry sources suggest the work could cost up to $10bn.

The upgrades will place significant demand on the nation’s limited shipbuilding workforce as the AUKUS nuclear submarine program gathers pace.

Leaked reports suggest Australia’s “optimal pathway” to acquire nuclear submarines will begin with the forward-deployment of US subs in Australia from 2027, followed by the acquisition of three to five Virginia-class subs in the 2030s, and a joint program to build new AUKUS boats for delivery the late 2030s or early 2040s.

Defence industry sources said if the expected US Virginia-class boats became available in the early 2030s, it might be unnecessary to extend the life of all six Collins boats.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace senior fellow Ashley Townshend said it was still unclear where the US would find the three to five Virginia-class subs to provide to Australia, because “they’re already below their required submarine numbers”.

But he said if Australia invested billions of dollars into the trilateral submarine industrial base, including building another shipyard in Australia, “I guess it will provide sufficient capacity for the US to allow Australia to use, under some kind of arrangement, three to five Virginias in the early 2030s”.

Speaking in India on Friday, the Prime Minister said his government would do “what is necessary” to fund Australia’s multistage submarine plan, when the nation is also looking to acquire other advanced military technologies.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said he wanted a guarantee that the initial “off the shelf” purchase of US submarines would not erode the “cast-iron” commitment to create a sovereign nuclear sub building capacity in Australia.

But Senator Wong sought to play down concerns over delays in building the next-generation sub in Adelaide, saying the program would be “enormously beneficial for South Australians”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/aukus-nuclear-plan-torpedoes-collins-subs-upgrade/news-story/b052a4e2c94355126b3ddda9d785f6f0

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478671 (101040ZMAR23) Notable: Nation’s challenge: how to deliver on AUKUS - "Next week in the US, Anthony Albanese will make the most consequential national security announcement of his prime ministership – revealing the agreed pathway for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Much broader than nuclear propulsion, the AUKUS technology-sharing agenda could potentially turn Australia into a leading strategic power in the Indo-Pacific." - Peter Jennings - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42614

Nation’s challenge: how to deliver on AUKUS

PETER JENNINGS - MARCH 10, 2023

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Next week in the US, Anthony Albanese will make the most consequential national security announcement of his prime ministership – revealing the agreed pathway for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

The Prime Minister might puzzle at the twists and turns of politics that gave him responsibility for the biggest change to our defence capability in generations. Much broader than nuclear propulsion, the AUKUS technology-sharing agenda could potentially turn Australia into a leading strategic power in the Indo-Pacific.

Military power still underpins national capability and influence, even more so when globalisation is being picked apart in a cold war between authoritarian regimes and democracies. While on the surface AUKUS is about technology, its purpose is strategic. Its aim is to lift Australia from being a capable but mid-peloton military power to a country that, with Japan and the US, will shape the Indo-Pacific’s strategic balance.

The potential to lift Australia’s role as an influential strategic country was what persuaded Joe Biden to back AUKUS. I understand that, initially, Biden was not convinced. He agreed with many in the US Navy that sharing nuclear technology was too risky for America’s interests. Australia might not have the political gumption to handle nuclear propulsion, it was thought. Better the Aussies stick with conventionally powered submarines and less demanding strategic roles.

Biden’s advisers convinced him to agree to AUKUS on the basis that it would force Australia genuinely to step up to a leadership role in the Indo-Pacific.

Next week Albanese will lock Australia into the AUKUS pathway for nuclear propulsion and so-called pillar-two technologies including hypersonic weapons, quantum computing, undersea technology, long-range missiles and deeper cyber co-operation. Once that step is taken there is no going back to spending a modest 2 per cent of gross national product on defence, not without doing lasting damage to the US alliance.

Let’s be clear: Australia needs the alliance more than it needs nuclear-powered submarines. Damaging relations with France over subs was ugly but survivable. Failing on AUKUS would leave Washington concluding that Australia was a trivial country, not worth the alliance effort. We can use AUKUS or lose the alliance.

It’s not clear to me that the Canberra national security establishment has absorbed this reality. To paraphrase the Spider-Man movie franchise, with great nuclear power comes greater responsibilities. It will be impossible for future Australian governments to try to check out of a regional conflict should Beijing attack Taiwan. Not that we should want to do that. Our national interest as an Indo-Pacific democracy should be to back Taiwan to the hilt, just as we would want our allies to support us.

But there is a strong lobby in Canberra, in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the business community and around the political parties, that urges looking the other way when our strategic interest runs counter to deeper economic dependence on our “stabilised” China relationship. If the political and strategic implications of AUKUS aren’t that well appreciated in Canberra, one capital that understands the underlying significance of this cooperative effort is Beijing.

AUKUS rattles China. Xi Jinping stridently maintains that the US and its allies are declining powers, but the technology agreement shows that the world’s consequential democracies still have the capacity to rally together. The fact is, China cannot build trusted relationships. Beijing and Moscow are getting closer but it is not an equal partnership so much as an acknowledgment by Vladimir Putin that Xi has the overriding hand.

Achieving China’s unambiguous dominance in the Indo-Pacific is Xi’s goal. AUKUS, the revived Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the strengthening and enlargement of NATO confound Beijing’s expectation that democratic countries ultimately will accept their subordinate status in China’s new world order.

This explains why China has worked so hard to undermine AUKUS internationally on the charge that Australia threatens nuclear weapons proliferation. No country is expanding its nuclear and conventional military arsenals faster than China.

So much for the strategic context. The challenge is to deliver quickly on AUKUS substance.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478706 (101049ZMAR23) Notable: Canberra urged not to risk national interests to serve Washington over possible submarine deal - With the latest updates of Australia's possible purchases of five US Virgina class nuclear powered submarines being revealed by Western media in advance of the AUKUS meeting in the US, Chinese observers urged Canberra not to blindly follow Washington's strategy in containing Beijing, and risk its own national interests on economy and security only to serve Washington's interests. - Xu Keyue - globaltimes.cn

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>>42614

Canberra urged not to risk national interests to serve Washington over possible submarine deal

Xu Keyue - Mar 09, 2023

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With the latest updates of Australia's possible purchases of five US Virgina class nuclear powered submarines being revealed by Western media in advance of the AUKUS meeting in the US, Chinese observers urged Canberra not to blindly follow Washington's strategy in containing Beijing, and risk its own national interests on economy and security only to serve Washington's interests.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the 2030s as part of a landmark defense agreement between Washington, Canberra and London, citing four US officials, saying this is "in a deal that would present a new challenge to China."

The agreement, known as the AUKUS pact, will have multiple stages with at least one US submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years and end in the late 2030s with a new class of submarines being built with British designs and American technology, according to the report.

The updates on AUKUS pact were revealed before next Monday's meeting which will be hosted by the US President Joe Biden and attended by leaders of Australia and the UK in San Diego to "chart a way forward for provision of the nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia," Reuters noted.

The AUKUS pact is seeking to target China including on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issues.

Commenting on the updates, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Thursday that China believes that the trilateral cooperation (AUKUS) poses serious nuclear proliferation risks, impacts the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, stimulates arms race and undermines peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, which is widely questioned and opposed by countries in the region and the international community.

The Chinese spokesperson urged the US, the UK and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, faithfully fulfill their international obligations and do more to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Since the initial AUKUS deal announced in 2021 under the then Australia's Morrison administration of Liberal Party, former Australian prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull have argued that AUKUS will make Australia too dependent on the US at a time the nation should be becoming more self-reliant, according to the Sydney Morning Herald in February.

Keating, the Australian Labor legend, in September 2021 said that the partnership would produce "a further dramatic loss of Australian sovereignty" and continued his criticism in October, 2022 adding that it would be a "tragedy for Australia" if Labor followed through with the deal.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478707 (101050ZMAR23) Notable: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on March 9, 2023 - "China has made clear its strong position on nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia on multiple occasions. This trilateral cooperation constitutes serious nuclear proliferation risks, undermines the international non-proliferation system, exacerbates arms race and hurts peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. It has been widely questioned and opposed by regional countries and the wider international community."

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>>42626

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The US is pushing Australia to the forefront in the zero-sum game against China in a bid to serve its own interests, Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

If the purchase of nuclear powered submarines and other new development of the AUKUS pact are officially announced after the next Monday's meeting, Australia would take a dangerous step on the road to nuclear attack possession, which will pose big threat to the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, Chen warned.

Given that the US-led AUKUS is military adventurist, Chen urged Australia not to be a pawn of the US, investing a lot for the US anti-China strategy, putting itself in a dangerous position, risking its own national interests but in the end very possibly gaining nothing.

The recently improved ties between China and Australia have helped Australia recover its economy in the post-pandemic era. China and Australia trade amounted to 259.7 billion yuan ($37.47 billion) in January and February, with both imports and exports achieving double-digit growth year-on-year, data from China's General Administration of Customs shows on Tuesday.

Albanese has also repeatedly stressed the importance of ties with China, but the US anti-China strategy has always be a timebomb to the China-Australia ties, observers noted.

It is time for the Albanese administration to adopt its political wisdom and avoid being coerced by the domestic anti-China forces, blindly following the US and confronting China, Chen said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1286993.shtml

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on March 9, 2023

Bloomberg: Just a question on Australia’s nuclear submarines. It’s reported that they will use both British design as well as American parts and upgrades. Does the foreign ministry have any position or view on this?

Mao Ning: China has made clear its strong position on nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia on multiple occasions. This trilateral cooperation constitutes serious nuclear proliferation risks, undermines the international non-proliferation system, exacerbates arms race and hurts peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. It has been widely questioned and opposed by regional countries and the wider international community.

We urge the US, the UK and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, honor international obligations in good faith and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability.

…..

Reuters: The Australian government lifted COVID testing restrictions on travelers from China on Thursday local time. What’s your comment? Will China take reciprocal measures?

Mao Ning: We have noted relevant reports. China believes that for all countries, COVID response measures need to be science-based and proportionate. We hope countries concerned will work with China to do more to facilitate cross-border travel.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202303/t20230309_11038507.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478740 (101105ZMAR23) Notable: True Multilateralism is the Answer to Maintaining the NPT Regime - Remarks by the H.E. Ambassador LI Song at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting under agenda item 8: Transfer of the nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT - 2023-03-09

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>>42614

China's atomic agency envoy slams AUKUS

HEIDI HAN - 10 March 2023

A Chinese envoy at the UN’s atomic energy agency, IAEA, slammed the AUKUS submarine deal as a "textbook case of nuclear proliferation" and an "unprecedented" transfer of "weapon-grade uranium".

Li Song, Permanent Representative of China to UN and other International Organisations in Vienna delivered the harshest critics against the AUKUS deal at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting yesterday.

"The essence of the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation is the transfer of tons of weapon-grade highly enriched uranium by the United States and the United Kingdom, which are nuclear-weapon states and also the depository states of the NPT, to Australia, their military ally and a non-nuclear-weapon state, out of geopolitical and strategic security considerations, "Mr Li said in a speech, published by the Chinese UN mission in Vienna.

"Such an act is a textbook case of nuclear proliferation, runs against the object and purpose of the NPT and poses grave challenges to the existing IAEA safeguards system and the NPT regime, having numerous negative implications for the years to come.

The response came before the AUKUS partners are set to announce detailed plans for Australia's nuclear submarine next week.

The Chinese ambassador also called for the deal to be reviewed among the IAEA member states in an "independent, impartial, transparent and professional manner".

"The attempt of the AUKUS partners to impose upon all the member states a privately concluded safeguards arrangement through separate consultations with the IAEA Secretariat is an attempt to slip thing through.

"This cannot be accepted by the broad member states. "

The IAEA has 176 member states as of March 2023. According to a US Congress report, the United States was the largest financial source to the IAEA in 2021, contributing 25.3 per cent of the regular IAEA budget.

It was followed by China (11.6 per cent), Japan (8.2 per cent), Germany (5.9 per cent), France (4.3 per cent), United Kingdom (4.4 per cent), Brazil (2.8 per cent), Canada (2.6 per cent), the Russian Federation (2.4 per cent), and Spain (2 per cent).

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politicsnow-india-a-top-tier-security-partner-anthony-albanese/live-coverage/096461343de8f35f2dd8fd26ed87a804#93832

http://vienna.china-mission.gov.cn/eng/hyyfy/202303/t20230310_11038635.htm

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478778 (101131ZMAR23) Notable: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declares India 'top tier' security partner during aircraft carrier visit - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used a landmark visit to India's flagship carrier INS Vikrant to declare that India is a "top tier" defence partner and announce Indian forces will join the massive Talisman Sabre war games in Australia this year.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declares India 'top tier' security partner during aircraft carrier visit

Stephen Dziedzic and Avani Dias - 10 March 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used a landmark visit to India's flagship carrier INS Vikrant to declare that India is a "top tier" defence partner and announce Indian forces will join the massive Talisman Sabre war games in Australia this year.

Mr Albanese also confirmed that Australia would this year host the Operation Malabar naval exercises with the United States, India and Japan as all four nations remain intent on boosting interoperability.

Australia and India have rapidly expanded their defence relationship since 2014, when the two nations held their first ever joint naval exercises.

But Australian officials say Mr Albanese's visit to India's first domestically built aircraft carrier — the first such visit by a foreign leader — is a powerful symbol of New Delhi's willingness to further entrench strategic ties with Canberra.

Mr Albanese climbed into the cockpit of an Indian light fighter jet on the deck of INS Vikrant before meeting with Indian naval personnel on deck.

In a brief speech he called India a "top-tier security partner" for Australia, telling the gathering that the Indian Ocean was "central to both countries' security and prosperity."

"There has never been a point in both of our countries' histories where we've had such a strong strategic alignment," the prime minister said.

Mr Albanese also said there had "never been a busier or more productive time in our defence and security partnership" and that the two nations last year "conducted more exercises, operations and dialogues than ever before."

This year, that will include Talisman Sabre, which is held every two years and conducted at designated ADF training facilities primarily throughout Queensland and in areas of the Coral Sea.

Thousands of personnel from multiple nations – including the US, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom – participated in the war games in 2021.

It's not yet clear how many Indian personnel will take part in 2023, but Australia has been pushing for India to participate since at least 2021, when then defence minister Peter Dutton pressed his counterpart to join.

Australia's hosting of Exercise Malabar this year also shows how far attitudes have shifted in New Delhi – for several years India resisted Australia's push to participate in the exercise at all, effectively restricting it to an observer role.

India intent on strengthening ties

Former Indian Navy Commodore and vice president of the Indian Maritime Foundation, Anil Jai Singh, told the ABC that India's decision to invite Mr Albanese to the Vikrant was "significant."

"The Australia India relationship over the last decade or so, has even surprised many in India, the speed at which the strategic partnership has developed over the last eight to 10 years," he said.

"It signifies a larger cooperation between India and Australia… in maritime and naval connectivity and cooperation, perhaps in export of technologies between our two countries, and co-development and co-production of military hardware.

"I think defence cooperation, particularly in the maritime domain … is a convergence that India and Australia will seek to build upon in the years to come."

But analysts also say while India is intent on strengthening ties with Western nations like Australia and the US, Russia remains a key supplier of weapons and military equipment.

INS Vikrant was built in India but is partly based on a Russian design.

When Mr Albanese visited the carrier – which is still being tested ahead of becoming fully operational by the end of this year – he walked past three Russian MiG fighter aircraft on board.

But Anil Jai Singh told the ABC that India was intent on building its own defence industry.

"The defence sector is considered key to promoting self reliance because we consider our dependence on defence imports as a major strategic vulnerability," he said.

"Therefore, Vikrant as the first indigenously built aircraft carrier is a great showpiece of our naval capability, technological and industrial skills and the ability to deliver on these large platforms within a specified time frame towards bolstering our naval capability in the Indo Pacific."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-10/albanese-declares-india-as-top-tier-security-partner/102077116

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1633811787043815424

https://twitter.com/IN_R11Vikrant/status/1633818280870940682

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478825 (101208ZMAR23) Notable: ‘Bullied and undermined’: Thorpe says she quit Greens over treatment by MPs - Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has alleged that she quit the Greens because she was bullied and undermined by several of her party room colleagues, saying she lodged a written complaint about her treatment with leader Adam Bandt and the parliament’s workplace misconduct support service last year.

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>>>/qresearch/18293556 (pb)

‘Bullied and undermined’: Thorpe says she quit Greens over treatment by MPs

Lisa Visentin - March 10, 2023

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Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has alleged that she quit the Greens because she was bullied and undermined by several of her party room colleagues, saying she lodged a written complaint about her treatment with leader Adam Bandt and the parliament’s workplace misconduct support service last year.

The Aboriginal Victorian senator split from the Greens last month and moved to the crossbench to lead a black sovereignty movement as an independent, claiming at the time she wanted to speak freely on issues without being constrained by party positions.

Thorpe’s defection came after months of ongoing divisions with her colleagues over the Greens’ position on the Voice to parliament – a proposal which she had heavily criticised as the party’s First Nations spokeswoman while her fellow MPs were eager to support it.

But in an interview on Thursday that ends the understanding between Thorpe and Bandt not to discuss the circumstances around her exit, Thorpe said differences over the referendum were not the key reason for her departure, alleging that she quit because a number of Greens senators had “caused a lot of harm” to her.

She declined to name the senators or how many were involved, citing an ongoing formal complaints process.

“I didn’t leave over the referendum. I left over irreconcilable differences,” Thorpe said.

She said she detailed the allegations in a formal written complaint in the second half of 2022 to Bandt and the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, an independent office that handles complaints about workplace misconduct or conflict.

“There’s a few senators within the Greens who undermined me and hurt me and I’ve had to report that to PWSS,” Thorpe said.

“I raised it with the Greens. I raised it with the leader. I said ‘I can’t deal with this any more. I’m being undermined. I’m being bullied. And it’s got to stop.’ It didn’t stop,” Thorpe said.

The crossbench senator said she had not heard back from the support service since lodging the complaint.

A spokesperson for Bandt confirmed the leader was aware of Thorpe’s complaints, but rejected her assertions they constituted bullying. Bandt’s spokesperson confirmed he and Thorpe remained friends and had a working relationship.

“Mr Bandt worked with Senator Thorpe on the issues she raised including arranging an opportunity to have her concerns addressed through PWSS mediation, but Senator Thorpe left the Greens before mediation occurred,” the spokesperson said.

“We do not accept that the issues raised by Senator Thorpe constituted bullying.”

In response to a written question about whether Bandt accepted Thorpe’s claims that she quit the party over her treatment by her colleagues and the lack of support she received from the party, the spokesperson said “no” but did not elaborate.

A spokesperson for the PWSS said it was a confidential service and did not comment on whether it has had involvement in workplace matters.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18478953 (101300ZMAR23) Notable: Charities watchdog to review fraud allegations made in parliament against Hillsong - The charities watchdog will review allegations made in parliament that Hillsong church misused the donations of its members. Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has used parliamentary privilege to accuse Hillsong church of breaking financial laws in Australia and around the world relating to "fraud, money laundering and tax evasion". Mr Wilkie claimed tens of thousands of leaked financial records and documents — including credit card statements, details of designer gifts and the use of private jets — show a misuse of church funds and lavish spending.

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>>42620

Charities watchdog to review fraud allegations made in parliament against Hillsong

Chantelle Al-Khouri - 10 March 2023

The charities watchdog will review allegations made in parliament that Hillsong church misused the donations of its members.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has used parliamentary privilege to accuse Hillsong church of breaking financial laws in Australia and around the world relating to "fraud, money laundering and tax evasion".

Mr Wilkie claimed tens of thousands of leaked financial records and documents — including credit card statements, details of designer gifts and the use of private jets — show a misuse of church funds and lavish spending.

The Tasmanian MP said some of the documents show former leader Brian Houston — who stepped down from the role last year — was "treating private jets like Ubers" and used church money for various trips costing a total of $179,000 in one three-month period.

The Charities and Not-for-profits Commission confirmed on Friday afternoon it would investigate the allegations.

"Hillsong has stated publicly that it is fully cooperating with regulatory authorities,” ACNC commissioner Sue Woodward AM said.

Jason Clare, who sits in cabinet, told Channel 7 the allegations were serious and should be looked at.

"From the nature of the allegations that have been put before the parliament today — and the nature of the response from the church — it seems like the sort of thing that the tax office needs to take seriously," Mr Clare said.

The Australian Tax Office told the ABC they were unable to comment.

Standing next to two large stacks of folders of documents, Mr Wilkie claimed there were details of four members of the Houston family and their friends spending $150,000 of church money on a luxury retreat in Cancun, Mexico in 2021.

Mr Wilkie also alleged the new head of Hillsong, Phil Dooley, had spent tens of thousands of dollars on business-class flights for him and his daughter.

Mr Wilkie claimed that church donations were also used to pay more than a million dollars a year in royalties to Hillsong musicians like Brian Houston's son, Joel.

"Hillsong followers believe that the money they put in the poor box goes to the poor, but these documents show how that money is actually used to do the kind of shopping that would embarrass a Kardashian," Mr Wilkie detailed in the parliament's Federation Chamber.

He also said hundreds of thousands of dollars in honorariums were paid to US pastors overseas.

"Sending millions of dollars of Australian charitable donations overseas is illegal in some circumstances," Mr Wilkie said.

Mr Wilkie also alleged that Hillsong earns $80 million more in Australian annual income than it reports publicly.

Under parliamentary privilege Mr Wilkie also alleged the leaked financial records and documents were provided to the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission under whistleblower protections, but said they failed to act on the documents.

Mr Wilkie said the lack of regulatory oversight was as alarming as the allegations made against Hillsong.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Hillsong Church disputed the allegations, claiming Mr Wilkie's remarks were out of context and based on "untested allegations" made by an employee in an ongoing legal case.

The spokesperson said the church had been "open and transparent with our congregation about past governance failures, and over the past twelve months we have engaged independent, professional assistance to overhaul our governance and accountability procedures."

"These allegations, made under parliamentary privilege, are in many respects wrong, and it is disappointing he made no effort to contact us first," the spokesperson said.

"If he did so we would have answered his questions and provided him with financial records to address his concerns.

"Hillsong has sought independent legal and accounting advice on these matters since the employee involved in the legal case made these claims, and we believe that we have complied with all legal and compliance requirements.

"We have filed our defence and will provide evidence at the appropriate time. We cannot do so at this stage due to the ongoing legal case … We are fully cooperating with regulatory authorities as part of their enquiries."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-10/federal-mp-accuses-hillsong-money-laundering-tax-evasion/102077080

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18484519 (111020ZMAR23) Notable: ‘An absolute priority’: Albanese promises AUKUS will mean jobs for Australia - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised the AUKUS pact on nuclear-powered submarines will deliver a significant injection of jobs for Australia, amid concerns the decision to buy up to five boats from the United States will come at the expense of domestic manufacturing.

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>>42614

‘An absolute priority’: Albanese promises AUKUS will mean jobs for Australia

Anthony Galloway and David Crowe - March 11, 2023

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised the AUKUS pact on nuclear-powered submarines will deliver a significant injection of jobs for Australia, amid concerns the decision to buy up to five boats from the United States will come at the expense of domestic manufacturing.

Albanese, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will unveil the details of the submarine agreement aboard the USS Missouri submarine in San Diego on Monday (US time).

The deal, which is largely aimed at deterring China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, will include Australia buying between three and five Virginia-class submarines from the US in the 2030s. A new class of boats with British designs and American technology would then start being built in the years afterwards, but it is unclear how many of these will be built in Australia.

Minutes before jetting off from Delhi on Saturday at the end of his state visit to India, Albanese sought to counter concerns that the decision not to build all the submarines in Adelaide, as promised by former prime minister Scott Morrison, would mean there wouldn’t be a massive injection of jobs into the country.

“This is about jobs … and Adelaide in particular will be a big beneficiary of this announcement, as well as Western Australia in particular,” he said.

“This is about building up our capacity. And when you talk about the issue of manufacturing submarines in Australia, that’s an absolute priority for us. That will be seen as part of the announcement.”

Labor’s traditional union allies have said they have deep concerns about Australia’s plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and fear the AUKUS pact will not deliver the promised bonanza of Australian manufacturing jobs.

Albanese confirmed he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the details of the submarine agreement and said briefings with other countries were “taking place as appropriate”.

“We’re taking appropriate action. I can confirm that I briefed Prime Minister Modi one on one. I treated him with the respect that he deserves,” he said.

Asked whether he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron this week, Albanese said: “We deal diplomatically with other countries in an appropriate way … we will treat our partners and our friends with the respect that it deserves.”

Macron accused Morrison of lying to him in 2021 after the announcement of the AUKUS deal, which resulted in Australia dumping a $90 billion agreement with France to build conventionally powered submarines.

A French official told Agence France-Presse on Saturday that they still believed AUKUS was a mistake. “Regarding Australia, it was treason,” the unnamed official said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18484553 (111040ZMAR23) Notable: Morrison reset Australian defence structure by planning AUKUS - "The argument that Australia should not have gone ahead with AUKUS to avoid upsetting France was naive. It boiled down to the national strategic interest, and here Australia and France did not necessarily align. For Morrison, the French being unable to see why Australia needed to head in a different direction reflected their lack of clarity on what the issues in the Indo-Pacific actually were." - Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42632

Morrison reset Australian defence structure by planning AUKUS

SIMON BENSON and GEOFF CHAMBERS - MARCH 10, 2023

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It was late into the afternoon of May 13, 2021, when Scott Morrison finally took his plan for AUKUS, which had been more than a year in the making, to the National Security Committee of cabinet.

While it was Morrison’s secret brainchild, it would never have been envisaged had he not already known there would be a receptive ear from Britain and the US, should Australia come calling.

British prime minister Boris Johnson was across the concept – having been briefed by his own defence chiefs. He had sent Morrison a cheeky text prior to the first official call to seal the deal: “I hear there is something exciting.”

But Morrison had resisted engaging in high-level discussions without the full knowledge of not only the defence and security apparatus but his most trusted political colleagues. Fresh from receiving approval to make the official calls that Thursday afternoon, Morrison and his treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, bolted to the House of Representatives chamber, where Labor leader Anthony Albanese was on his feet delivering his budget-in-reply speech.

A few days later, Morrison phoned Johnson for the formal discussion. The British prime minister was as supportive as Morrison anticipated, and would be pivotal in setting up a historic meeting with US President Joe Biden in the weeks ahead, in which they would secretly formalise the most significant defence agreement since World War II.

Morrison and Johnson had joked that the first working name for AUKUS would be “Project Freedom”.

HOW IT UNFOLDED

An edited extract from Plagued, Australia’s Two Years of Hell – the Inside Story by Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers

The genesis of AUKUS traced back to an informal conversation Scott Morrison had with his defence adviser, Jimmy Kiploks, in late 2019, several weeks after Morrison’s August visit to the French town of Biarritz for the G7 summit.

He was interrogating Kiploks on the delivery of the myriad defence contracts he inherited as prime minister.

Some of the contracts had significant challenges. None more so than the $90bn French deal for twelve Attack-class subs, signed in 2016 by Malcolm Turnbull and then defence industry minister Christopher Pyne.

Morrison wanted to reassure himself of the commercial rigour around the project, with all its delays, jostling and cost blowouts.

Above all, he wanted to test whether it was still the right strategic decision. The reassessment of China’s gambit and Australia’s need for a revised defence strategy that swung the force posture away from the multiple theatres of operation it had been engaged in for the past two decades, and towards a more potent Indo-Pacific focus, had hardened.

Morrison asked Kiploks to make some discreet technical inquiries of Defence. He wanted to know whether there was any prospect of a nuclear-powered option with the US. And if so, how that could happen. Defence officials had discouraged both Morrison’s predecessors (Tony Abbott and Turnbull) from pursuing it because at that point there was no confidence the US would ever share its nuclear technology.

When Turnbull struck the French deal, the economic industrial imperative, and the importance of naval shipbuilding capability, was a big part of the equation. Sovereign capability was central to the vision.

But to Morrison, several years later, these considerations did not trump the strategic issues he saw Australia was now facing. Circumstances had dramatically changed by the time he found himself posing these questions. Not only had the great power competition accelerated but technology had also changed. Morrison’s primary concern was that the conventionally powered French submarine capability would be redundant by the time the vessels got wet.

Morrison had even more questions: what strategic benefits a nuclear-powered submarine platform would provide for Australia, and would Defence be prepared to have a good look at it?

Kiploks came back with an unexpected initial response: nuclear submarines were worth exploring. This was a significant shift in only a few years and Morrison later admitted he’d been surprised to hear Defence’s change of heart.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18484597 (111102ZMAR23) Notable: Scott Morrison kept AUKUS secret from cabinet ministers and senior diplomats - Senior diplomats and cabinet minsters were kept in the dark over AUKUS negotiations amid concerns that plans to acquire nuclear submarines from the US and Britain would be leaked through ­Australian embassies in Europe, scuttling the landmark deal.

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>>42614

Scott Morrison kept AUKUS secret from cabinet ministers and senior diplomats

SIMON BENSON and GEOFF CHAMBERS - MARCH 11, 2023

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Senior diplomats and cabinet minsters were kept in the dark over AUKUS negotiations amid concerns that plans to acquire nuclear submarines from the US and Britain would be leaked through ­Australian embassies in Europe, scuttling the landmark deal.

The Weekend Australian can reveal then Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson – who is now Governor of South Australia – was only informed of the deal when it was brought before the national security committee of Cabinet in May 2021.

Other embassy officials and senior bureaucrats were also denied prior knowledge of the deal with cabinet minsters only told when it went to Cabinet days before it was announced.

“It was the most remarkably held project that I suspect many could ever recall,” former prime minister Scott Morrison told The Weekend Australian.

“In fact, it was the best kept ­secret in Australian history since the Second World War.

“This secrecy was so essential because the second it moved ­outside those who only needed to know, it was a risk.”

Mr Morrison defended the ­secrecy around early negotiations on the deal, which will be formalised on Tuesday (AEDT) under a defence pact that paves the way for an Australian sovereign ­nuclear-powered submarine capability.

The AUKUS pact, which was sealed behind closed doors on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Cornwall, England, in 2021, triggered a damaging fallout with French President Emmanuel Macron after Australia walked away from its $90bn Attack-class submarine deal with Naval Group, a French majority-state-controlled company.

Mr Morrison on Friday said “only at that time were very ­specific individuals brought into the loop and this was essential ­because the second this went outside those who had a need-to know basis it was put at risk”.

“This wasn’t 007 but it was ­essential to its success … it was hard enough to get agreement on this on its merits, but had it broken outside the lines of containment it would have proven fatal to the project because it would have been in the public domain,” he said.

“It was so in the national ­interest to keep this tight.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18484690 (111133ZMAR23) Notable: Biden’s AUKUS Point Man to Exit - James Miller, U.S. President Joe Biden’s top advisor on the trilateral AUKUS military alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States is set to leave the administration soon after the leaders of the three countries meet in California next week to announce Australia’s forthcoming nuclear submarine program. Miller’s role is expected to be folded into the portfolio of Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia hand at the National Security Council.

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>>42614

Biden’s AUKUS Point Man to Exit

With the big sub deal in hand, it’s no longer Miller time.

Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer - MARCH 10, 2023

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U.S. President Joe Biden’s top advisor on the trilateral AUKUS military alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States is set to leave the administration soon after the leaders of the three countries meet in California next week to announce Australia’s forthcoming nuclear submarine program, four people familiar with the move told Foreign Policy.

It was not immediately clear when James Miller, who has been the U.S. National Security Council’s top official spearheading the alliance, would depart the role. This position was newly established role only 15 months ago. Miller, a former top U.S. Defense Department official, leaves as the AUKUS alliance shifts into a second phase focused on hypersonic missiles, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity cooperation.

The AUKUS pact, signed in September 2021, is one of the Biden administration’s hallmark initiatives to counter China’s growing military footprint in the Indo-Pacific as it gears up toward an era of great-power competition with Beijing. China, which has the world’s largest navy, now operates around 79 submarines, a few more than the U.S. Navy and about seven times what the British Royal Navy has in its inventory. AUKUS is meant to give Australia a nuclear sub capacity of its own—eventually.

Miller’s role is expected to be folded into the portfolio of Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia hand at the National Security Council, sources said. In his role under U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Miller oversaw programs in the departments of Defense, Energy, and State related to AUKUS, and he took on a 90-day sprint to determine whether the nascent alliance could expand into new lanes.

Miller’s departure comes amid a wider shake-up in Biden’s foreign-policy team, with veteran China experts leaving or moving to new posts. Biden’s top National Security Council aide on China, Laura Rosenberger, is leaving her post to become the new chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, a U.S. government-funded nonprofit that acts as the de facto U.S. diplomatic mission to the self-governing island. Rosenberger will be replaced by Sarah Beran, a top aide at the State Department to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The move could give the Pentagon more ability to frame the future trajectory of the AUKUS alliance, with the Biden administration tapping Abraham Denmark last year to lead an advisory group of about 20 to 30 officials under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the nascent grouping. Miller will remain available to periodically consult the administration. He is set to leave the administration at a possible high-water mark for AUKUS: the end of an 18-month sprint that will allow Canberra to buy five U.S.-made Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. This occurs while Australia’s own industrial base, which was churning out diesel-electric submarines until the early 2000s, builds a fleet of nuclear-powered vessels from a British design.

Miller played an outsized role in putting the AUKUS concept into action, according to current and former U.S. officials, an immensely complicated undertaking that involved working through regulatory red tape among foreign allies and transferring highly sensitive nuclear technology to a non-nuclear state, Australia, in a program that experts say breaks precedent on global nonproliferation.

“What makes AUKUS so challenging is you have to coordinate with the defense industrial base, Pentagon, the armed services, the Hill, the State Department, and these countries all at once,” said Jacob Stokes, a defense expert at the Center for a New American Security.

“Having someone who understood how the interagency works and how to move it on something so challenging—in Washington, Canberra, and London—and really know how to push the bureaucracy was so important for this first 18-month phase,” he added.

“It wouldn’t have been sufficient to have someone just at DoD or just at State; they needed someone to really be at the center of this to move the ball forward, which is what made Miller’s job so important.” Miller’s departure will leave the Biden administration without an export control or nuclear wonk in a top seat overseeing the AUKUS deal.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18484914 (111232ZMAR23) Notable: Japan muscles up to neighbourhood bully China - As the Albanese government prepares urgently to overhaul Australia’s defence capabilities, Canberra’s “quasi ally” in Asia is implementing its own landmark national security strategy to deter an attack by China. Late last month, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, announced an order for 400 US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles for delivery in the next 12 months.

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Japan muscles up to neighbourhood bully China

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 11, 2023

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Late last month, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, announced an order for 400 US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles for delivery in the next 12 months.

The weapons, which have a range of at least 1600km, will for the first time give the constitutionally pacifist state the ability to strike targets inside China.

A Japanese-developed standoff missile is also on Tokyo’s shopping list, together with advanced fighter jets, hypersonic weapons and armed drones.

As the Albanese government prepares urgently to overhaul Australia’s defence capabilities, Canberra’s “quasi ally” in Asia is implementing its own landmark national security strategy to deter an attack by China.

The strategy will fundamentally alter the strategic balance in East Asia and, it is hoped, affect Xi Jinping’s calculations on whether he will try to take Taiwan by force.

Under the plan, Japan will double defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP within five years, setting the world’s third-largest economy on a course to build a military to match its financial clout.

It will also boost diplomatic efforts by both engaging with China and working with like-minded countries such as Australia to pile pressure on Beijing to abide by global rules.

In a series of recent interviews with Japanese diplomats and strategists in Tokyo, The Weekend Australian was briefed on Kishida’s dramatic recasting of the nation’s defence policy, and the “nasty” strategic outlook that inspired it.

The policy casts China as Japan’s “greatest strategic challenge” and sets out how the country will harness all elements of national power to protect itself and strengthen regional peace.

Critically, it sets Japan on a course to acquire “counterstrike” capabilities to “deter an attack, or force an enemy to stop one”.

It allows Japan, for example, to base long-range anti-ship missiles on its southern islands, which could be used in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Keio University’s Professor Ken Jimbo tells The Weekend Australian in Tokyo that the elimination of restrictions allowing Japan to possess only defensive weapons will expand “the geography of our defence”, providing new military options for the Japanese Self-Defence Force.

“Chinese military leaders, whenever they think about the window of opportunity for their full-scale invasion towards Taiwan, they always calculate how the United States will respond,” Jimbo says.

“But now they also have to incorporate the Japanese capability, and that will stymie or at least complicate the strategic calculation of what they can do.”

China already spends five times more on armaments than Japan, and this week announced it would increase its defence budget by 7 per cent to about $330bn this year.

But Japan is not setting out to match China’s defence capabilities or its military spending. “Rather, what we have adopted is to explore the Chinese vulnerabilities, and how to deny China’s prospects of operational success,” Jimbo says.

“It is not about a balance-of-power type of deterrence. It is deterrence by denial. And this is the particularly important side of what we have decided so far.”

He cites war simulations by the US-based Rand Corporation, suggesting US forces would suffer heavy losses in a battle with China over Taiwan and potentially be defeated.

But a Chinese amphibious force attacking the self-governed island would also be highly vulnerable, Jimbo says, “so anti-ship missiles make a lot of sense in that kind of denial operation”.

Referring to East Asia’s indelible strategic geography, Jimbo says Japan hopes a concentrated and high-mobile missile force could confine Chinese naval forces within the “first island chain”, denying its ability to manoeuvre into the vast Western Pacific.

Article 9 of Japan’s constitution says the country will “forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes”.

But the provision, a legacy of Japan’s WWII defeat, has been reinterpreted over time.

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe paved the way for the new security strategy, introducing legal changes in 2015 authorising the right of “collective self-defence” in a contingency – such as Chinese invasion of Taiwan – threatening Japan’s security.

At the time, tens of thousands of everyday Japanese people took to the streets to protest the change. But there has been little criticism of the Kishida government’s rearming of the nation, such is the widespread concern over China’s growing militarism and threats to the regional status quo.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18484965 (111242ZMAR23) Notable: Fugitive Comanchero Hasan Topal found to be directing criminal activity in AN0M sting - A one-time model turned fugitive Comanchero bikie boss has been found to be directing criminal activity from his foreign bolthole. Fugitive Comanchero Hasan Topal directed criminal underlings to do his dirty work in the streets of Melbourne while being monitored by police. The name of the Melbourne bikie boss was revealed in court documents showing he gave sophisticated orders to his Australian underlings via the ill-fated ANOM app. Those messages were among millions intercepted by the Australian Federal Police and the United States Federal Bureau of Intelligence.

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>>>/qresearch/18166822 (pb)

Fugitive Comanchero Hasan Topal found to be directing criminal activity in AN0M sting

A one-time model turned fugitive Comanchero bikie boss has been found to be directing criminal activity from his foreign bolthole.

Mark Buttler and Anthony Dowsley - March 11, 2023

Fugitive Comanchero Hasan Topal directed criminal underlings to do his dirty work in the streets of Melbourne while being monitored by police.

The name of the Melbourne bikie boss was revealed in court documents showing he gave sophisticated orders to his Australian underlings via the ill-fated ANOM app.

Those messages were among millions intercepted by the Australian Federal Police and the United States Federal Bureau of Intelligence.

The documents show that on May 19 and 20, 2021, an “H Topal” was on ANOM instructing Melbourne criminals on how to collect $250,000, later determined to be the proceeds of crime.

The Saturday Herald Sun has confirmed it is the same Hasan Topal who left Australia in 2019 as police scrutinised him over a series of underworld shootings.

According to the documents, Topal, a former male model, was directing the criminal gang from the Middle East.

Topal told one of the men to plan and co-ordinate the exchange of the money, to be collected in Sydney with a Toyota van which had a purpose-built secret compartment inside.

That man was then directed to park the van at his worksite, take the $250,000 from its hiding place and put it in a shopping bag on a rear shelf.

He then placed a $5 note on the package, photographed its serial number and sent it to another syndicate member to be used as a token to indicate the transaction was complete.

Topal, after being told of the van’s location, directed that the “$250” be handed to the co-ordinator of another syndicate.

Less than 30 minutes later, another man who was a former Uber driver arrived.

He checked that the van had yellow number plates before photographing the token and sending it on to confirm the cash had been collected.

The former Uber driver was arrested by the Echo task force in Preston soon after and police seized $250,000 in three vacuum-sealed bags.

He would later say he was paid between $300 and $400 for the assignment and, when asked where the bagged cash came from, replied in Mandarin: “Can I not answer this?”.

Underworld talk has persisted since Topal left Australia that he was one of the proponents of ANOM, a platform used by criminals in the wrongful belief that it was surveillance-proof.

Authorities were able to harvest a colossal number of messages, many of them allegedly linked to international drug-smuggling plots and the planning of violent crimes.

Many Comanchero and Mafia figures were swept up in the Australian side of the operation.

Topal, who has Australian and Turkish citizenship, headed abroad two years before the conversations held over ANOM were captured discussing the collection of the money.

Although he remains in exile he is considered a priority target for law enforcement.

Both the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police remain interested in Topal’s activities.

Topal remains a suspect in two wrong-victim homicides carried out in 2017.

Police say the victims were wrongly identified by their killer whose intended targets were linked to the Mongols outlaw gang.

Muhammed Yucel, 22, was shot at Keysborough and Zabi Ezedyar, 26,was gunned down as he was greeted at the door of a Narre Warren property where a senior Mongol bikie lived.

Topal, a one-time model turned wild man, is also suspected as being one of the triggermen who shot Comanchero Robert Ale.

Ale was shot by two men wearing balaclavas who stormed into the Nitro Ink tattoo parlour in Hampton Park in 2018.

The attack was so frenzied that bullets pierced the walls of adjacent businesses.

Topal is also a suspect in the shooting of Bandido bikies on top of the Bolte Bridge, another ambush in which his former Comanchero comrade Mark Balsillie was wounded and a drive-by attack on a Richmond auto business.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/fugitive-comanchero-hasan-topal-found-to-be-directing-criminal-activity-in-an0m-sting/news-story/3bf07ec6bd51db3dd881d9b97bb76b5c

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18485011 (111255ZMAR23) Notable: The shed where border officials take on the drug trade to Australia - The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald were given an exclusive tour of the Australian Border Force facility near Melbourne Airport to see how officials are tackling an unprecedented wave of illicit drugs making its way to Australian shores. Most of the drug shipments were hidden inside household items being transported by air cargo such as pumps, lamps, baby carriers and ink cartridges but Rosemond said some crooks were becoming more brazen in their attempts to smuggle drugs, sending them inside a parcel without attempting to disguise them. Traffickers have previously soaked drugs into clothing, hidden narcotics in car parts, filled more than 1600 mustard bottles with liquid methamphetamine, smuggled 300 kilograms of MDMA inside bottles of 2016 Bordeaux wine, and replaced the contents of cereal boxes with cannabis.

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The shed where border officials take on the drug trade to Australia

Marta Pascual Juanola - March 11, 2023

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Inside a shed in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, senior Australian Border Force officer Joel Scantlebury inspects a shipment of coffee beans that has arrived in Victoria by courier from a country in East Africa earlier that morning.

Hidden inside resealed coffee packets nestled in a sea of used clothes and shoes are three black plastic bags filled with white crystals. A chemical analysis of the substance, known as a NIK test, immediately returns a positive result for drugs.

“You can see it’s slowly changing colour,” Scantlebury says of the liquid inside the vial of the NIK test he is holding.

Scantlebury has snapped the vial like a glow stick, spilling the solution into a bag, which contains crystal fragments from the parcel. The liquid has turned a vibrant cobalt blue, which indicates the presence of methamphetamine.

The parcel was sent to the agency’s facility near Melbourne Airport earlier that morning after it raised a series of red flags among the border security officers scanning newly arrived international cargo at the courier’s depot.

One of the key giveaways was a commercial invoice typed up on Google Docs where the name of the intended recipient was misspelled. The fact the commercial parcel included used clothing and footwear also aroused suspicion.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald were given an exclusive tour of the facility on Thursday to see how Australian Border Force officials are tackling an unprecedented wave of illicit drugs making its way to Australian shores.

Officers have intercepted more than 10 tonnes of illicit substances bound for the black market since July, including record shipments of cocaine, meth, MDMA, heroin and cannabis smuggled into Australia by air and sea.

Border Force is now bracing for a year of “bumper” drug seizures and predicts the current spike in detections will extend beyond the usual summer and festival season bump to become a year-round feature.

“From what we’ve seen, we are going to hit bumper amounts this year. We are on target to go above and beyond any detections that we’ve had,” said Tori Rosemond, a Border Force superintendent based in Melbourne.

“We’re not seeing it slow down. It peaked in the November, December, and January mark, and it’s still at those peaks.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18485079 (111309ZMAR23) Notable: Rupert Murdoch’s ‘stupid emails’ have exposed the inner workings of his empire - An extraordinary paper trail has exposed the inner workings of Murdoch’s Fox media empire, revealing how he shapes coverage at his newspapers and cable networks and interacts with some of the most powerful figures in the Republican Party - After the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Murdoch seemed ready to use his power as never before — to cleanse the party of Trump once and for all.

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>>42595

Rupert Murdoch’s ‘stupid emails’ have exposed the inner workings of his empire

Jeremy W. Peters - March 10, 2023

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In late 2020, Rupert Murdoch was holed up in the English countryside with his now ex-wife, far from Fox News headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. The pandemic seclusion left him “bored”, he recently said in a deposition, with little to do “but write stupid emails.”

Those “stupid emails” now make up an extraordinary paper trail that has exposed the inner workings of Murdoch’s Fox media empire, revealing how he shapes coverage at his newspapers and cable networks and interacts with some of the most powerful figures in the Republican Party.

People who have worked with Murdoch said he never did much of his most important business over email. He preferred, whenever possible, to convey his wishes in person. But the pandemic changed that, leaving a trove of emails that lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems have used to build their $US1.6 billion ($2.4 billion) defamation case against Fox News.

Fox Corp declined to comment for this article.

‘I’m a journalist at heart’

During his deposition in the case, Murdoch said the journalist in him liked “to be involved” in news stories. He meant it. In the days after the 2020 presidential election, Murdoch’s emails show, he was especially interested in using the news organisations he owns — The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and Fox News — to pressure then-president Donald Trump to stop talking about voter fraud. As Murdoch testified, he thought Trump looked like “a bad loser”.

On November 7, 2020, just before Fox News and the other networks declared Joe Biden the president-elect, Murdoch posed a question over email to the editor of the Post, Col Allan.

“Should we say something Donald might see?” he asked in his typically terse style of emailing.

Murdoch has known Trump for three decades – long enough to refer to him by his first name. And he understood that Trump was a regular reader of the Post who would probably read an editorial about himself, even one that wasn’t entirely flattering.

The new emails and testimony show just how involved Murdoch was in writing and editing that editorial. He emailed with Allan about some ideas, including how to frame their argument in a positive way around Trump’s legacy, while also urging him to dump Rudy Giuliani as his lawyer.

Neither man was a fan of Giuliani, the former New York mayor. “I think booze has got him,” Allan told Murdoch. In his deposition, Murdoch testified that Giuliani had been “a very good mayor of New York, but it has all been downhill since”.

When the draft was ready for Murdoch to see, he offered a few careful edits. “Few typos. eg ‘return to’ … not ‘retain to,’” he wrote, adding that he thought “dangerous” should be added to describe China. (The adjective was added.)

The editorial ran on November 7 under the headline “President Trump, your legacy is secure — stop the ‘stolen election’ rhetoric”. And it included the line “Get Rudy Giuliani off TV”.

But Murdoch wasn’t done offering advice to his executives as the president and his supporters began attacking Fox.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18485201 (111330ZMAR23) Notable: Miranda Devine Tweet: This is the same useless Alvin Bragg who lets crime run rampant while he wastes time and our tax dollars persecuting Trump over a personal matter that is none of the Manhattan DA’s business. A young woman was raped in a stairwell on the upper west side last weekend FCOL

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Donald J. Trump Truth

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109997309210727072

—

Miranda Devine Tweet

This is the same useless Alvin Bragg who lets crime run rampant while he wastes time and our tax dollars persecuting Trump over a personal matter that is none of the Manhattan DA’s business. A young woman was raped in a stairwell on the upper west side last weekend FCOL

https://twitter.com/mirandadevine/status/1634019664836587524

—

Miranda Devine

Miranda Devine (born 1 July 1961) is an Australian columnist and writer, now based in New York City. She hosted The Miranda Devine Show on Sydney radio station 2GB until it ended in 2015. She has written columns for Fairfax Media newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald, and for News Limited newspapers Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun, and Perth's Sunday Times. As of 2022, she writes for the New York Post. Some of her political opinion pieces and statements on race, gender, and the environment have been the subject of public scrutiny and debate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_Devine

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18485227 (111334ZMAR23) Notable: Jack Posobiec Tweet: (Video) Yup it’s Mel Gibson - https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1633678232514863105

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Jack Posobiec Tweet

Yup it’s Mel Gibson

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1633678232514863105

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18491283 (121054ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS meeting to put Australia on track for a ’21st-century submarine fleet’ - Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney, one of America’s biggest proponents of the AUKUS deal with Australia and the United Kingdom has vowed Australia will not be getting substandard submarines despite suggestions that the vessels purchased will be rebadged Virginia-class models instead of newly built boats.

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>>42614

AUKUS meeting to put Australia on track for a ’21st-century submarine fleet’

Farrah Tomazin - March 12, 2023

One of America’s biggest proponents of the AUKUS deal with Australia and the United Kingdom has vowed Australia will not be getting substandard submarines despite suggestions that the vessels purchased will be rebadged Virginia-class models instead of newly built boats.

Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney also told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that much-needed progress was being made to get through a maze of US regulations and export control laws that stand between Australia and the multibillion-dollar pact, which will be unveiled in San Diego on Tuesday morning.

Under the agreement, Australia is expected to buy up to five Virginia-class subs from the US to help safeguard the Indo-Pacific against the rising threat of China. After that, Australia will acquire a second AUKUS-class submarine, based on UK designs and US technology, from the mid to late 2030s.

After briefings from the White House and the National Security Council this week, Courtney gave the strongest signal yet that the Virginia-class submarines the US plans to sell will not be newly built, but high-quality rebadged models.

“They definitely won’t be clunkers,” said Courtney, who co-chairs the bipartisan “AUKUS caucus” and is regarded as one of Congress’ top navy experts. “I can assure you they’ll be very modern and very, very capable.

“The people that have been working at this understand the complexity of construction and acquisition, and they understand things like timing and chronology. The bottom line is I think what we’re going to see emerge is the mixture of all three countries [Australia, the US and Britain] participating in this enterprise to get Australia a 21st-century submarine fleet.”

Courtney’s comments came as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in San Diego late on Saturday afternoon, where he was greeted on arrival by Australia’s ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, and later at his downtown hotel by the US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy.

On Monday (US time), Albanese will meet US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to unveil the long-awaited details of the AUKUS pact, including the real cost, timing and procurement.

But while Albanese has described the deal as the “single biggest leap” in Australia’s defence capabilities, many challenges remain, including securing the workforce needed to bring the submarines to service, and whether the acquisition will make Australia too reliant on the US.

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

This would require overhauling a litany of export control laws such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 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.

“Everybody agrees it’s a huge mess,” Emily Harding, a deputy director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said of America’s ITAR regulations. “But all of the different pieces to it need to be untangled in a set of difficult steps.”

Courtney and Republican AUKUS caucus co-chair Mike Gallagher have both committed to reforming the ITAR system and have even suggested giving Australia a special exemption to accelerate the delivery of its nuclear-powered fleet.

In a fresh development ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, Congress’ foreign affairs committee also put forward a bill requesting that the State Department provide an inventory of export control issues that need to be addressed in order to expedite the transfer of technology and information under AUKUS.

As for the White House, Courtney said: “We’re still talking to them about what needs to be done, but there’s no question there’s some discretion they can use.

“I want to ensure that we’re all marching together in the same direction. The goal is to create a carve-out for AUKUS which avoids these [export controls] becoming barriers in terms of really getting the technology transfer that is required.”

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/aukus-meeting-to-put-australia-on-track-for-a-21st-century-submarine-fleet-20230312-p5crgl.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18491295 (121058ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS submarines 'transformational' for Australia - US Congressman Joe Courtney, co-chair of Washington's "AUKUS Caucus" said the announcement was going to be a "very thoughtful product". "It's going to be a transformational enterprise for working people in Australia," he told ABC's Insiders.

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>>42614

AUKUS submarines 'transformational' for Australia

Tess Ikonomou - March 12 2023

Concerns over joint-crewing on Australia's future nuclear-powered submarines are "over-hyped" with the AUKUS partnership to be "transformational" for the nation's workers.

US Congressman Joe Courtney, co-chair of Washington's "AUKUS Caucus" said the announcement on Monday, US local time, was going to be a "very thoughtful product".

"It's going to be a transformational enterprise for working people in Australia," he told ABC's Insiders on Sunday.

"Everybody's going to be sort of contributing to each other's needs."

Mr Courtney said concerns over joint-crewing were "over-hyped," saying once the boats were handed over, the submarines would be under "Australian control".

"Everyone understands we need to train up the Australian sailors and officers in terms of nuclear propulsion," he said.

Asked if Australia would get second-hand submarines or brand new ones, Mr Courtney reassured that the country would get the "highest quality".

"No one's gonna be foisting off clunkers to good friends and allies," he said.

Port Kembla in NSW, has emerged as Defence's preferred location for a new east-coast submarine base, according to the ABC.

It is reportedly favoured because of its deep ocean approaches and surrounding infrastructure.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left India on Saturday for the United States, where he will join President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego on Monday for the landmark statement.

The three countries first announced the AUKUS plan in 2021 as part of efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, with the US and United Kingdom agreeing to provide Australia with the capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines.

It has been speculated there will be multiple stages to the plan, with at least one US submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years and the advent of a new class of submarines built with British designs and American technology.

On Saturday, Mr Albanese said the project was also about Australian jobs, particularly shipyard and manufacturing work in South Australia and Western Australia.

Asked also about the enormous cost, Mr Albanese said he would explain to the Australian people why it was worthwhile given the deficit hole in the national budget.

"Yes, we will," he said in New Delhi before departing for the US.

"Australia faces real challenges. We have said very clearly and explicitly that there are major pressures on expenditure, not just in defence, but in other areas as well."

In the lead-up to the 2023/24 budget release in May, Mr Albanese reiterated the government needed to be prepared to "make some difficult decisions".

Mr Albanese last week rejected China's criticism of the submarine plans, saying Australia could boost its military power while improving relations with Beijing as well as its relationships with other countries in the Indo-Pacific.

"It's a consistent position, we need to ensure that Australia's defence assets are the best they can be," he said.

Mr Albanese will also discuss with Mr Biden and Mr Sunak Russia's war against Ukraine, climate change action and global economic challenges including inflation and energy prices.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8117628/aukus-submarines-transformational-for-australia/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18491321 (121105ZMAR23) Notable: US promises ‘no clunkers’ amid suggestion Australia may get second-hand submarines - US congressman Joe Courtney has given the clearest signal yet that Australia could receive second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the United States under the landmark AUKUS deal. “What you will get is of the highest quality. And I say that sincerely,” he said. “The shelf life of a Virginia class submarine is 33 years and it has a life-of-boat nuclear reactor, it doesn’t require refuelling. No one’s going to be foisting off clunkers on good friends and allies.”

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>>42614

US promises ‘no clunkers’ amid suggestion Australia may get second-hand submarines

James Massola - March 12, 2023

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US congressman Joe Courtney has given the clearest signal yet that Australia could receive second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the United States under the landmark AUKUS deal.

But Courtney – widely regarded as one of the top experts in Congress on submarines and shipbuilding – has vowed Australia won’t be receiving “clunkers” under the deal to be unveiled on Tuesday morning. He also dismissed suggestions the boats may have to be jointly crewed by US sailors, or that Australia won’t have sovereign control over its submarines.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will formally unveil the terms of the AUKUS deal, which will see Australia become the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines.

The deal is expected to see Australia acquire three to five of the United States’ Virginia-class nuclear submarines, with the first to arrive as soon as 2032. The deal will also see US and potentially UK submarines begin to be based out of Perth’s HMAS Stirling base from 2027 and on the east coast, likely at a new naval base at Port Kembla.

Australia would then acquire a second AUKUS-class submarine, based on UK designs and US technology, would be built from the mid-to-late 2030s with at least some of the construction taking place at the Osborne shipyards in Adelaide.

Courtney, a Democrat who is a member of Congress’s Armed Services committee and chair of its seapower subcommittee, was asked on the ABC’s Insiders if Australia would receive second-hand submarines.

“What you will get is of the highest quality. And I say that sincerely,” he said. “The shelf life of a Virginia class submarine is 33 years and it has a life-of-boat nuclear reactor, it doesn’t require refuelling. No one’s going to be foisting off clunkers on good friends and allies.”

Former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull have both warned that Australia’s acquisition of nuclear submarines will make the nation too reliant on the United States.

But Courtney, the co-chair of the US House’s AUKUS Working Group dismissed that suggestion and the prospect of US crew operating Australian boats.

“No one questions about who is the decision maker in terms of how your subs operate, there will be some moments, I’m sure, when Australian sailors will be on board [US] Virginia class submarines, but that’s going to be for training purposes. That’s not for operational missions, in terms of where, you know, they’re basically saluting US officers,” he said.

“I think the notion that there’s going to be joint crewing is really overhyped. Everyone understands we need to train up the Australian sailors and officers in terms of nuclear propulsion, which is all we’re talking about here, not nuclear weapons.”

However, “when the time comes for the deed, the title, to be handed to the government of Australia of a vessel … it’s going to be totally with the full understanding that it’s going to be under Australian control”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18491431 (121144ZMAR23) Notable: ‘Jesus loves you Mr Wilkie’: Hillsong pastor announces review after parliament allegations - Hillsong Church will launch an independent review of its financial structure and systems to ensure the organisation can carry out its religious mission in the wake of allegations of fraud and extravagant spending. Addressing the congregation on Sunday morning, global senior pastor Phil Dooley also revealed that 153 staff had taken voluntary redundancies in the last year, saving $9.47 million, and the church had implemented a new policy on gifts and honorariums, and changed its structures.

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>>42620

>>42631

‘Jesus loves you Mr Wilkie’: Hillsong pastor announces review after parliament allegations

James Massola - March 12, 2023

Hillsong Church will launch an independent review of its financial structure and systems to ensure the organisation can carry out its religious mission in the wake of allegations of fraud and extravagant spending.

Addressing the congregation on Sunday morning, global senior pastor Phil Dooley also revealed that 153 staff had taken voluntary redundancies in the last year, saving $9.47 million, and the church had implemented a new policy on gifts and honorariums, and changed its structures.

Last week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie made allegations against Dooley, church founder Brian Houston and other senior members of the church under parliamentary privilege, while also tabling 17 binders of church financial records provided to him by an unnamed whistleblower.

The Tasmanian MP said church money was used “to do the kind of shopping that would embarrass a Kardashian” and that Hillsong was “breaking numerous laws in Australia and around the world relating to fraud, money laundering and tax evasion”.

Dooley and church board member Stephen Crouch both apologised to the congregation on Sunday and committed to detailing the findings of a forensic audit, which began in August last year.

“I am also announcing today that on top of the forensic audit that has been conducted by [accounting firm] Grant Thornton regarding the allegations, we will be beginning this week a complete re-evaluation, via an outside third party, of our financial structure and systems to ensure they line up with the mission going forward.”

Dooley, who took over as head of the church from Houston last March, said Hillsong’s “full focus is to be a mission-driven church … we will do whatever is necessary to investigate these [allegations]”.

“We’re already implementing systems to ensure that if there are any excesses established, they cannot be incurred going forward. I can’t change the past, but I can play a significant role in changing the future,” he said.

The decision to let go of backroom staff, Dooley said, was made because “we want the vast majority of our staff to be front face-facing, focused on people, and the needed and necessary work of face-to-face ministry”.

Crouch, who also addressed the congregation, said the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission had commenced an investigation into Hillsong “within one week of Pastor Brian’s [Houston] resignation in March 2022. This investigation is still under way, and we are fully co-operating with the ACNC”.

Dooley defended himself against allegations made by Wilkie about his use of church funds on business class flights and gifts.

The pastor said he had made clear to the board, when he became global senior pastor, that he would not travel alone, to ensure the health of his marriage and family.

“If I travel internationally, I travel business class simply because I’m going somewhere to work and I have limited time,” he said.

“Last year, I only spoke in one church other than a Hillsong church and that was in Guatemala. And over 60 per cent of that flight was covered by the church in Guatemala. I’ve also paid a portion of that flight myself to cover costs of my daughter flying with me.”

“The rest was covered by our global church budget as I went to do ministry in both our churches in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. In fact, that trip involved nine different flights. And not all of them were business class.”

Dooley said he was disappointed Wilkie had used parliamentary privilege to make allegations against him and that it was “un-Australian” not to have contacted the church to seek an explanation for the spending.

“It kind of feels like being king hit from behind. But Jesus loves you Mr Wilkie … Mr Wilkie, you’re still welcome to attend any of our services,” he said.

The ACNC confirmed on Friday that it was taking the “extremely rare” step of confirming an investigation into Hillsong.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/jesus-loves-you-mr-wilkie-hillsong-pastor-announces-review-after-parliament-allegations-20230312-p5crfm.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18497095 (130833ZMAR23) Notable: Anthony Albanese warns: price of AUKUS submarine security is $200bn - Australia’s nuclear submarine plan will cost more than $200bn over 30 years, create 20,000 direct Australian jobs, and be overseen by a multi-agency body in a bid to avoid the delivery problems of past Defence mega-projects. Anthony Albanese will warn taxpayers on Tuesday of the massive price tag they will face to ­acquire the “world leading” ­nuclear submarine capability when he unveils the AUKUS plan with Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a US naval base.

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>>42614

Anthony Albanese warns: price of AUKUS submarine security is $200bn

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 12, 2023

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Australia’s nuclear submarine plan will cost more than $200bn over 30 years, create 20,000 direct Australian jobs, and be overseen by a multi-agency body in a bid to avoid the delivery problems of past Defence mega-projects.

Anthony Albanese will warn taxpayers on Tuesday of the massive price tag they will face to ­acquire the “world leading” ­nuclear submarine capability when he unveils the AUKUS plan with Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a US naval base.

The Australian can reveal the submarine program will be run by a stand-alone group inside ­Defence that will draw personnel from across the government, sidelining the department’s trouble-plagued acquisition and sustainment arms.

The submarine delivery group will be created from Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead’s nuclear submarine taskforce, which worked with the US and UK for the past 18 months to develop the government’s “optimal pathway” to ­acquire nuclear boats.

The Prime Minister will stand with Mr Biden and Mr Sunak at the home of the US Pacific Fleet in San Diego to announce the long-awaited nuclear submarine plan, which includes the acquisition of up to five US-built Virginia-class subs, and the construction of a new fleet of British-designed boats.

Mr Albanese has scheduled calls on Monday with key regional partners, including Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, to personally brief them on the submarine plan.

The deal is being framed as the most important upgrade to Australia’s military capability since World War II, but one that presents the greatest industrial challenge the nation has ever faced. It is understood Mr Albanese will “give a realistic cost estimate” of the AUKUS plan on Tuesday. Labor will contrast the approach with that of the former Coalition government which consistently understated the cost of its now-cancelled Attack-class subs.

Official estimates now reveal the French-designed boats would have cost at least $216bn to 2055 – well over the initial $50bn reported to the public.

The Australian understands the latest submarine plan will cost even more in a 30-year effort to build a nuclear navy from scratch. Initial government estimates suggest the endeavour will support up to 8500 direct jobs in the building and maintenance of the submarines including scientists, engineers, project managers, technicians, construction workers, electricians and metal fitters.

Ultimately, the government expects the endeavour will support about 20,000 direct jobs over the next 30 years across industry, the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Public Service.

The Prime Minister, who ­arrived in San Diego from India on Sunday afternoon (AEDT), said the submarine plan was about “jobs and manufacturing”, and declared Adelaide and Western Australia would be big beneficiaries.

“This is about building up our capacity. And when you talk about the issue of manufacturing submarines in Australia, that‘s an absolute priority for us. That will be seen as part of the announcement,” he said.

Mr Albanese flagged the need for a national conversation on the need for tougher budget measures to pay for higher Defence spending, arguing the submarine capability was about ensuring a more “peaceful, secure world”. “Australia faces real challenges. We have said very clearly and explicitly that there are major pressures on expenditure, not just in Defence but in other areas as well,” he said.

“It‘s why the government is working so hard. It’s why the (Expenditure Review Committee) has been meeting regularly. It’s why we need to be prepared to make some difficult decisions.”

Mr Albanese briefed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the submarine plan before departing the country on Saturday.

The multi-agency future submarine group will be responsible for all elements of the program, including safety, non-proliferation and regulatory measures, international engagement, education and training, industry development and project management.

It’s understood it will be led, at least initially, by Vice Admiral Mead, who will have a direct reporting line to Defence Minister Richard Marles.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18497131 (130850ZMAR23) Notable: PM’s plane calls in on Quad squad, skirts China skies - A special flight to carry Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to a major defence announcement has highlighted Australia’s key partnerships in the region by starting in India, landing in Japan and ending in the United States. The Royal Australian Air Force planned a long route from New Delhi to a refuelling stop in Tokyo so the prime minister and his delegation would remain outside Chinese airspace.

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>>42614

>>42629

>>42636

PM’s plane calls in on Quad squad, skirts China skies

David Crowe - March 13, 2023

San Diego: A special flight to carry Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to a major defence announcement has highlighted Australia’s key partnerships in the region by starting in India, landing in Japan and ending in the United States.

The Royal Australian Air Force planned a long route from New Delhi to a refuelling stop in Tokyo so the prime minister and his delegation would remain outside Chinese airspace.

While RAAF aircraft have flown to China in the past, such as for the visits by prime ministers in 2014 and 2016 and Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s trip to Beijing in December, the government considered it better with the AUKUS flight to choose a route that did not require approval from Chinese authorities.

But the flight traversed the South China Sea in a reminder of the importance to Australia of open flight paths and freedom of navigation over a region where China has claimed sea borders that its neighbours dispute.

As a result, the flight path of the KC-30A aircraft illustrated the geopolitics in play in the AUKUS agreement to develop nuclear-powered submarines despite China’s objections.

Starting in the Indian capital after the prime minister’s three-day visit to the country last week, the RAAF flight traversed Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to skirt the southern border of China before heading north and across the Philippines to land in Tokyo. Commercial flights from New Delhi to Tokyo take a more direct route across southern China to save time.

Albanese then headed to San Diego, California over the weekend to meet US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for Tuesday’s AUKUS announcement on a new submarine fleet.

“This is a very big day for Australia, and it’s a good day,” Albanese said while walking on Sunday morning with Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the Chief of Navy. “A new dawn in San Diego and a new dawn for Australia’s defence policy tomorrow.”

The flight to the AUKUS announcement took the prime minister to each of Australia’s partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad: India, Japan and the US.

Chinese foreign ministry officials have repeatedly criticised the Quad as an “exclusive clique” that is bad for the region, while presenting China as a force for regional peace.

“The countries concerned should abandon the outdated zero-sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical thinking,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said before a quad leaders’ meeting in September 2021, the Associated Press reported.

China has also criticised the AUKUS pact as an example of “Cold War mentality” and has lobbied vigorously against the agreement at the International Atomic Energy Agency by pointing to concerns about nuclear proliferation.

India, however, has been largely comfortable with the Australian plan. It helped to stop a Chinese resolution against the Australian deal at an IAEA meeting in Vienna last September, leading China to withdraw the resolution after it realised it could not gain a majority.

Albanese cleared the way for this week’s announcement by calling leaders from key neighbours and allies to ensure they were not taken by surprise by the next phase of the decades-long plan, which the government sees as a way to maintain stability in the region.

He briefed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad and New Delhi during his visit to India last week and spent some of Sunday in San Diego calling other leaders. The prime minister’s office would not confirm any of the calls.

The next phase of the prime minister’s journey will be a stop in Fiji on the way home from San Diego, giving him time to speak to Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who was elected to the position last December.

The RAAF flight was undertaken by a KC-30A tanker mostly used for air-to-air refuelling but also fitted with a cabin for the prime minister and government staff, as well as standard passenger seats for others. Media organisations are charged a fee akin to a commercial airline ticket for journalists on the flight.

In a sign of its transparency over the flight, the RAAF had the KC-30A flight path tracked in the same way that commercial airlines are recorded on popular websites that show thousands of flights each day.

The RAAF considered air-to-air refuelling for the KC-30A on its 20-hour flight, which would have required another Australian KC-30A to undertake the task, but decided in favour of a stop at midnight at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

In the end, the practical decision about the route also took on a symbolic meaning.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/from-india-to-japan-and-the-us-pm-s-flight-path-takes-on-symbolic-meaning-20230313-p5crjn.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504659 (140743ZMAR23) Notable: China challenge ‘epoch-defining’, Rishi Sunak warns as Xi Jinping vows PLA ‘wall of steel’ - Xi Jinping has declared China will build the People’s Liberation Army into a “great wall of steel” to protect the rising giant’s “national sovereignty” on the eve of Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak unveiling their monumental AUKUS submarine deal. British Prime Minister, Mr Sunak, warned China posed an “epoch-defining systemic challenge” as he headed to San Diego in the US to meet Mr Albanese and Mr Biden to lay out their AUKUS plans to deter an increasingly assertive Beijing.

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>>42614

China challenge ‘epoch-defining’, Rishi Sunak warns as Xi Jinping vows PLA ‘wall of steel’

WILL GLASGOW - MARCH 14, 2023

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Xi Jinping has declared China will build the People’s Liberation Army into a “great wall of steel” to protect the rising giant’s “national sovereignty” on the eve of ­Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak unveiling their monumental AUKUS submarine deal.

British Prime Minister, Mr Sunak, warned China posed an “epoch-defining systemic challenge” as he headed to San Diego in the US to meet Mr Albanese and Mr Biden to lay out their AUKUS plans to deter an increasingly assertive Beijing.

In a nationalistic address that underscored the febrile security environment in the region, the Chinese President spoke of his country’s “national humiliation” by Western colonial powers and instructed his officials to prepare for any future contingency, declaring “security … the bedrock of ­development”.

“We must fully promote the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces, and build the people’s armed forces into a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests,” Mr Xi said on Monday at the closing session of the National People’s Congress, China’s annual rubber-stamp parliament.

To the cheers of nearly 3000 delegates, Mr Xi called for unification with the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its own territory. “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese ­nation has entered an irreversible historical process,” he said.

China’s strongman leader spoke as the UK Prime Minister and his Australian counterpart met over supper in San Diego before the announcement of the most substantial upgrade to Australia’s military capability since World War II. Hours earlier, the British PM said China was a country with “fundamentally different values to ours, and I think over the last few years it’s become increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad”.

“Its behaviour suggests it has the intention – but also its actions show it is interested in reshaping the world order and that’s the crux of it,” he said.

In a major security speech, Mr Sunak said the UK needed to be “ready to stand our ground” in a world where “competition ­between states becomes more ­intense”. “We will fortify our national defences, from economic security to technology supply chains and intelligence expertise, to ensure we are never again vulnerable to the actions of a hostile power,” the British Prime Minister said.

Mr Albanese on Monday spoke to key regional partners, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo, to allay concerns about the huge military project, which has concerned some in Southeast Asia. He said the nuclear submarine plan, which is expected to involve Australia buying up to five US nuclear-powered submarines as a stopgap measure while a new fleet is built based on a British design, marked a “new dawn” for the nation’s defence policy.

“It’s been well received and understood why we’re doing this. It builds on our long-term relationship,” the Prime Minister said.

The hugely expensive project to ­acquire “world-leading” ­nuclear submarine capability – likely to cost hundreds of billions of dollars – is a key plank in the response by America and its allies to the massive build-up of the capabilities of China’s People’s Liberation Army over the past decade. Beijing last week further ramped up military spending by more than 7 per cent to more than $330bn.

There is widespread support for the AUKUS project in Taipei. Lo Chih-Cheng, a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said Taiwan’s government saw the security pact as part of a crucial effort to change Beijing’s calculus on ever using force in an attempt to bring the self-ruled island under Communist Party rule.

“Your decision to acquire nuclear submarines and to build up strength in your defence capabilities is conducive to redressing the imbalance that is happening now in the region,” said Mr Lo, a government member of Taiwan’s foreign affairs and national security committee.

“We may not be able to stop China’s continuing military ­expansion, but it is imperative for us to stop the continuation of this kind of military imbalance.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504733 (140805ZMAR23) Notable: Video: Australia begins its nuclear age as AUKUS overcomes years of submarine struggles - Australia secures rotations of US and British nuclear subs from 2027, at least three conventionally-armed Virginia class American subs in the early 2030s and in the 2040s an Australian-built nuclear-powered submarine, SSN-AUKUS, based on the British Astute class boat.

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>>42651

Australia begins its nuclear age as AUKUS overcomes years of submarine struggles

Andrew Probyn - 14 March 2023

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From a dalliance with Japan, to an extended French flirt, Australia's now firmly back in the bosom of its Anglosphere allies during a meandering and disjointed journey to find its next generation submarine fleet.

After navigating Tokyo's disappointment and enduring the French President's fury, there are now reasons to believe Australia has landed a deal with the Brits and Americans that will withstand the decades.

That's because each member nation of the three-phase tripartite AUKUS agreement gets a prize.

Australia secures rotations of US and British nuclear subs from 2027, at least three conventionally-armed Virginia class American subs in the early 2030s and in the 2040s an Australian-built nuclear-powered submarine, SSN-AUKUS, based on the British Astute class boat.

The United Kingdom, which has benefited from America's sharing of its nuclear propulsion technology since 1958, secures long-term certainty for its submarine shipbuilding industry and a US weapons system for the new AUKUS sub.

The US will receive billions of dollars in Australian investment in its stretched submarine industrial base to hasten production, while being able to extend its strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Combined, the US, British and Australian components of the AUKUS deal form a potent deterrence in the face of a vast Chinese military build-up.

In this regard, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered on Scott Morrison's determination to encourage greater British and American naval presence to our region – aided by the Biden administration's vested interest in doing so, and the reinvigoration of the strategic security dialogue with India, Japan and the US.

"AUKUS and the Quad pulls a North Atlantic focus on to an Indo-Pacific focus," Morrison told the ABC. "That is what changes the calculus for any potential aggressors in our region, that is what makes them think twice.

"Not just the fact that we will have nuclear-powered submarines 15 years from now, but there is an alignment, an alliance of some very big players very focused on this part of the world."

The hostility with which China and Russia have reacted to AUKUS highlights the strategic significance of the security partnership.

And Australia, which according to a senior Biden administration official, "has been the subject of virtually undeclared economic and commercial boycott now for almost five years", will undoubtedly feel more of Beijing's rhetorical wrath, notwithstanding recent improvements to the trading relationship.

Beijing has been offered a briefing on AUKUS, Defence Minister Richard Marles said, but that offer's not been taken up. China already knows AUKUS is about them: no briefing required.

Australia may have changed government but its abhorrence at China's growing militarism, its regional assertiveness, its debt diplomacy and state-sanctioned cyberbullying under Xi Jinping remains constant.

The Chinese President views AUKUS as the next step in what he calls the "containment, encirclement and suppression of China" but this will not deter Australia.

Consider how Xi has changed domestic politics in Australia: the rise of a more aggressive China now sees a prime minister from Labor's Left faction now in enthusiastic embrace of nuclear-powered propulsion.

As Morrison told the ABC: "The strategic situation altered so drastically from when the French submarines were contracted (in 2016), it made them pretty much obsolete the second they got wet."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504740 (140810ZMAR23) Notable: Albanese, Biden and Sunak’s AUKUS plan ticks many boxes, but there are plenty of unknowns - "The AUKUS submarine is a strikingly aggressive and optimistic plan which seeks to fast-track Australia’s future submarine capability as quickly as possible in the face of a rising China. The plan is hugely ambitious and commits Australia to acquiring two separate nuclear-powered submarines and creating a next generation defence industrial base in South Australia and Western Australia. However it contains many sweeping assumptions and many unknowns and will cost an eye watering $268 billion to $368 billion out until the mid-2050s." Cameron Stewart - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42651

Albanese, Biden and Sunak’s AUKUS plan ticks many boxes, but there are plenty of unknowns

CAMERON STEWART - MARCH 14, 2023

The AUKUS submarine is a strikingly aggressive and optimistic plan which seeks to fast-track Australia’s future submarine capability as quickly as possible in the face of a rising China.

The plan is hugely ambitious and commits Australia to acquiring two separate nuclear-powered submarines and creating a next generation defence industrial base in South Australia and Western Australia.

It is a plan which ticks many boxes, including forging closer long-term strategic links with Australia’s AUKUS partners, the US and the UK; feeding the local defence industry for decades and most importantly, moving as fast as possible to boost submarine capability.

However it contains many sweeping assumptions and many unknowns and will cost an eye watering $268 billion to $368 billion out until the mid-2050s.

The plan to acquire between three and five Virginia-Class submarines from the US from the early 2030s a crucial plank in the planned transition to a British-designed ‘SSN-AUKUS” submarine from the early 2040s.

But the purchase of Virginia-class boats will require congressional approval by a future US administration, for which there can be no certain guarantees. That is why the plan includes Australia investing many billions (up to $3 billion in the next four years for starters) in improving the US production line for the Virginia-class boats. This investment will help the US build their submarines faster, but it is also a political sweetener to curry support in Washington for the eventual purchase of the Virginia-class submarines.

The plan seeks to move quickly to ramp up the massive training which will be required for Australia to support, sustain and crew the Virginia boats and then eventually the SSN-AUKUS submarines which will be built in Adelaide.

The planned timelines to acquire these capabilities are aggressive and optimistic, with the Virginia-class submarines planned to arrive in 2033, 2036 and 2039.

Meanwhile the first Australian SSN-AUKUS is scheduled to be completed in Adelaide in 2042 with new boats then built every three years until Australia has eight of them.

The Virginia-class boats would then be progressively retired between the mid-2050s and the mid to late 2060s.

The back-up plan to acquire two more Virginia-class boats will only occur if, and some would say when, the huge SSN-AUKUS project is delayed.

The plan seeks to increase allied submarine presence in Australia almost immediately with more visits to Perth by US submarines from next year and then rotations from 2027 including four Virginia boats and one British Astute submarine.

If this entire plan ran according to schedule then it would completely transform Australia’s defence for generations. We know, from history, that it won’t run to schedule. So the key is whether the AUKUS plan has enough failsafe back-up plans to carry it through the stormy waters that it will eventually encounter.

The back-up contingency plan for an extra two Virginia-class boats is an excellent start, because these can help plug Australia’s submarine capability in the event of major delays on the SSN-AUKUS project.

But there remain many imponderables which no one can accurately predict, including what a future US Congress might think about selling Virginia-class submarines to Australia.

Australia also needs to rely on future political support and goodwill from different US presidents and UK prime ministers for decades to come. And then there is the question of money, and whether there remains the political will in Australia to keep funding such an enormous project in the decades to come.

But the unveiling of plan by the three leaders is a powerful statement of intent and the plan itself is aggressive is it scope, ambition and optimism. And that is a good thing.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/albanese-biden-and-sunaks-aukus-plan-ticks-many-boxes-but-there-are-plenty-of-unknowns/news-story/03ff661c6a34ca518582ba71164e94cb

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504744 (140815ZMAR23) Notable: Both sides of US politics back AUKUS path; former Trump official says submarine deal will last - Democrat and Republican congressmen have hailed Australia’s planned acquisition of nuclear-powered Virginia class US submarines as a critical step to bolstering US and Australian defences against “totalitarian aggression” in the Indo-Pacific. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, said the AUKUS details were critical to pushing back against “CCP aggression”, describing the announcement as “taking a critical step towards achieving these goals and demonstrates our commitment to defending the free world from totalitarian aggression”. Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney said AUKUS was “an effective, intelligent effort to deter potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific by enhancing Australia’s Navy with nuclear-powered submarines”.

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>>42651

Both sides of US politics back AUKUS path; former Trump official says submarine deal will last

ADAM CREIGHTON - MARCH 14, 2023

Democrat and Republican congressmen have hailed Australia’s planned acquisition of nuclear-powered Virginia class US submarines as a critical step to bolstering US and Australian defences against “totalitarian aggression” in the Indo-Pacific.

Three, strongly pro-Australia congressmen lauded the details of the AUKUS security pact following their announcement in San Diego on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) by the Australian and UK prime ministers and president Joe Biden, including the purchase of at least three used Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s.

Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, said the AUKUS details were critical to pushing back against “CCP aggression”, describing the announcement as “taking a critical step towards achieving these goals and demonstrates our commitment to defending the free world from totalitarian aggression”.

Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney said AUKUS was “an effective, intelligent effort to deter potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific by enhancing Australia’s Navy with nuclear-powered submarines”.

“This technology, which the US Navy has only shared once — in 1958, with the British Navy — will extend limitless reach and stealth to the Australian submarine fleet,” he added, as part of a joint statement with two other Congressman, all members of an informal, pro-Australian group known as the “AUKUS Caucus”.

Since the announcement of the AUKUS pact 18 months ago concerns about the willingness of US Congress to change longstanding rules to permit the necessary technology transfers to Australia to fulfil the AUKUS agreement have dogged the agreement.

Others pointed to a potential unwillingness of the US military to reduce their stock of submarines in order to boost Australia’s as part of an agreement among the three nations that was politically driven.

Randy Schriver, a former ¬assistant secretary of defence in the Trump administration, told The Australian “the real mischief could come from the US navy and allies in congress that blather on about industrial capability being diverted”.

“But the reality is because of the closeness of the alliance, and if there’s an embedded or composite crews, in many ways they would be an extension of US power projection capability in practice,” Mr Schriver, now chairman of Project 2049 Institute, a Washington-based think tank, said.

“Trump was pretty big on foreign military sales, and that aspect would probably appeal to him more than the alliance building aspect,” he added, when asked about concerns a future Trump-like administration could jettison the agreement.

Australia is expected to pay up to $368bn for the nuclear-powered submarines over the course of the next few decades, according to estimates released with Tuesday’s announcement, which US officials have publicly couched, in part, as a “substantial” contribution to the US industrial base.

“I just want to underscore Australia will be making a substantial contribution to the US submarine industrial base,” a senior administration official told journalists on Sunday (Monday AEDT), pointing to the Biden administration’s own US$4.6bn planned investment in submarine construction capacity.

Bryan Clark, a former adviser to the head of US naval operations, told The Australian it wasn’t clear what Australia’s contribution meant in practice.

“They have used vague language so the administration could say the sale proceeds for the used Virginia class submarines will be Australia’s contribution,” Mr Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said. “They have to throw a bone to people in Congress who might oppose elements of the deal”.

Mr Clark also said the 2027 timeline for the for the first rotation of US submarines seemed unnecessarily slow. “At Guam it took 1 or 2 years to get the first one out there, there’s no reason why we couldn’t establish rotational force next year.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/both-sides-of-us-politics-back-aukus-path-former-trump-official-says-submarine-deal-will-last/news-story/5699383d0f994e6bbbe46a936eabcbe1

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504751 (140817ZMAR23) Notable: How the subs agreement will work - The multi-stage plan begins this year, with more US nuclear submarine visits to Australia, providing a growing number of training spots for Australian submariners of increasing seniority. Australian tradespeople and professionals will also begin relocating to the US and UK this year to develop their skills and support the AUKUS’ partners’ construction schedules. Then, from 2027, up to four US and one British submarine will begin rotational deployments that will see them temporarily operating from Australia’s submarine base, at HMAS Stirling near Perth.

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>>42651

How the subs agreement will work

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 14, 2023

Australia’s “optimal pathway” to acquire nuclear submarines is a finely-tuned, risk-laden endeavour, with escalating costs and risks from 2027.

The multi-stage plan begins this year, with more US nuclear submarine visits to Australia, providing a growing number of training spots for Australian submariners of increasing seniority.

Australian tradespeople and professionals will also begin relocating to the US and UK this year to develop their skills and support the AUKUS’ partners’ construction schedules.

Then, from 2027, up to four US and one British submarine will begin rotational deployments that will see them temporarily operating from Australia’s submarine base, at HMAS Stirling near Perth.

The sale of three US-Virginia-class vessels is planned to start in the early 2030s, but importantly will be subject to congressional approval.

This leaves open the small possibility that a future US administration, such as one led by a re-elected Donald Trump, could refuse to honour the agreement.

The vessels will be second-hand but still have significant operational life.

There is an option to purchase another two of the US-built vessels. That decision will hinge on the next stage of the plan – the construction of new AUKUS-class submarines in Adelaide and the UK.

The UK expects to deliver the first of its new boats in the late 2030s, with the first Australian boat scheduled for completion by 2042.

The construction effort will involve all three nations, which will integrate their defence industries as never before.

As the leaders said in their joint statement: “Our plan elevates all three nations’ industrial capability to produce and sustain interoperable nuclear-powered submarines for decades to come, expands our individual and collective undersea presence in the Indo-Pacific, and contributes to global security and stability.”

Government estimates put the cost of the plan at $268bn to $368bn to 2054-55; an estimate that includes a large contingency for unforeseen outlays and delays, and will lift long-term defence spending by 0.15 per cent.

Initially it will be cost neutral, with a $9bn budget hit over the first four years offset by already-budgeted funds for the Attack-class sub, and $3bn from Defence’s long-term funding envelope.

The plan will require Australia’s defence industry and education and training systems to lift as never before to find the 20,000 ongoing workers who will be needed to deliver the capability over the next three decades.

The government estimates an extra 500 workers will be needed from 2027 to 2030 to support the additional US and UK submarine presence at HMAS Stirling.

The construction of new shipyard facilities at Osborne in Adelaide will require an estimated 4000 workers at its peak, while a further 4000 to 5000 workers will be required in South Australia for the AUKUS submarine build.

All partners will consult with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure the program meets nuclear non-proliferation rules.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the “highest priority” for AUKUS remains addressing the growing threat of China and helping arm Ukraine against Russia.

“Sixty years ago, here in San Diego, President Kennedy spoke of a higher purpose: the maintenance of freedom, peace, and security,” Mr Sunak says.

“In the last 18 months the challenge we face has only grown. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness, the destabilising behaviour of Iran and North Korea – all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder and division.

“Faced with this new reality, it’s more important than ever we strengthen the resilience of our own countries. That’s why the UK … [is] announcing a significant uplift in our defence budget, we’re providing an extra £5 billion over the next two years, immediately increasing our defence budget to around 2.25% of GDP.

“This will allow us to replenish our war stocks, and modernise our nuclear enterprise, delivering AUKUS and strengthening our deterrent. And our highest priority is to continue providing military aid to Ukraine.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/how-the-subs-agreement-will-work/news-story/1524546e7bc6b01dcce71a4cd8580e7a

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504753 (140820ZMAR23) Notable: How the AUKUS submarines will work, armed with Tomahawk missiles and able to evade China - Australia will operate three of the quietest, longest-range submarines available by the late 2030s, armed with Tomahawk missiles that can hit land or maritime targets from at least 1500 km. The Virginia-class subs and subsequent AUKUS-class boats will be able to lurk quietly off China’s main submarine base at Hainan Island, or near key choke points in the East and South China Seas, able to intercept Chinese subs and surface ships or launch strikes on the Chinese mainland. Australia has never before possessed such a capability. As Richard Marles says, it will place an additional “question mark” into the strategic calculations of potential adversaries, by which he means China.

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>>42651

How the AUKUS submarines will work, armed with Tomahawk missiles and able to evade China

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 14, 2023

Australia will operate three of the quietest, longest-range submarines available by the late 2030s, armed with Tomahawk missiles that can hit land or maritime targets from at least 1500 km.

The Virginia-class subs and subsequent AUKUS-class boats will be able to lurk quietly off China’s main submarine base at Hainan Island, or near key choke points in the East and South China Seas, able to intercept Chinese subs and surface ships or launch strikes on the Chinese mainland.

Australia has never before possessed such a capability. As Richard Marles says, it will place an additional “question mark” into the strategic calculations of potential adversaries, by which he means China.

It’s no coincidence that China’s President Xi Jinping pre-empted the official AUKUS announcement by vowing to build the People’s Liberation Army into a “great wall of steel”.

But as Australia will initially operate subs from the current US fleet, there won’t be a net increase in the Western allies’ nuclear-powered submarine capability until the first AUKUS-built boats roll off the production line. For Australia, that will happen in about 2042, while the first British-built AUKUS boat is scheduled for completion before the end of the 2030s.

The Virginia-class subs will come equipped with 12 vertical launch cells and four torpedo tubes each. They are 7925 tonne monsters that can travel at speeds of more than 25 knots an hour (46 km/h) – about three times as fast as Australia’s Collins-class boats.

The exact specifications of the AUKUS-class boats aren’t known, but they will be armed with long-range missiles and torpedoes.

At the heart of the boats will be US-designed combat systems and similar reactors to American subs, making them interoperable with future US boats.

Australia will get the first of the US-made subs from the early 2030s, according to the AUKUS schedule, mitigating a feared “capability gap” from the retirement of Australia’s Collins-class boats from 2038.

The procurement is the largest and most complex in Australia’s history, and will deliver the ADF’s biggest capability leap since the Second World War.

Mr Marles said the decision was made amid “a very significant military build-up within our region” – a clear reference to China, which the Albanese government is simultaneously trying to normalise relations with.

“We need to respond to this. Failure to do so would see us be condemned by history,” the Defence Minister said.

“As a trading nation, so much harm can be done to us before ever setting foot upon our shores”, Mr Marles said.

“And so it’s fundamentally important for our nation that we have the ability to project, and to project with impact.

“And a long-range nuclear powered, capable submarine, will be at the heart of Australia’s future projection. It will enable us to hold adversaries of risk further from our shores.

“But the true intent of this submarine of this capability is to provide for the peace and stability of our region.”

Unlike Australia’s Collins subs, nuclear submarines don’t have to come to the surface to “snort” – the term used for the need for conventional submarines to periodically run their diesel engines so they can charge their electric batteries.

Nuclear submarines’ ability to remain covertly submerged depends only on their supplies of food, water and air.

They also posses an effectively unlimited power source, giving them greater range and endurance and providing crew members with greater comforts such as hot water.

Standing alongside Anthony Albanese in San Diego, Joe Biden made the point that Australia would not receive nuclear armed submarines.

But Australia has shifted even closer to its nuclear-armed partners, the US and UK.

Australia will gain the ability to put adversaries at risk from greater distances, but will face an even greater prospect of being drawn into a Western conflict with China over Taiwan.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/how-the-aukus-submarines-will-work-armed-with-tomahawk-missiles-and-able-to-evade-china/news-story/ef6857a3a454d472310eacedfe970792

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504761 (140823ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS submarine deal could spur Australia to becoming naval power - "These submarine announcements dare Australia to embrace greatness. If we end up with three Virginia-class nuclear submarines and eight AUKUS nuclear submarines we will, in fact, be one of the most powerful navies in the world. In the many decades I’ve been writing about submarines, this is not only the most ambitious, but the most realistic, plan to replace the Collins and upgrade our capabilities. That doesn’t guarantee it will work. But it’s a big step forward." - Greg Sheridan - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42651

AUKUS submarine deal could spur Australia to becoming naval power

GREG SHERIDAN - MARCH 14, 2023

These submarine announcements dare Australia to embrace greatness. If we end up with three Virginia-class nuclear submarines and eight AUKUS nuclear submarines we will, in fact, be one of the most powerful navies in the world.

Of course, all this still has to happen.

Australia in recent years has specialised in grand announcements which subsequently come to nothing much at all.

There are good reasons to think this time it might be different.

For a start, the plan is realistic in timelines and has various fail-safe and back-up mechanisms.

It’s realistic that the first new sub from a new design built in Adelaide won’t come until the early 2040s. Even that is by no means sure. It was always absurd for the previous Government to claim that the first such sub would be ready in 2038.

In the meantime, we get the three to five Virginia nuclear subs.

This has a substantial path of legislation needed in the US Congress but there are lots of reasons to think that will proceed.

First, the Australian alliance enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.

Second, at the end of the day, we are talking about Australia spending ultimately tens of billions of dollars on US kit.

We’ll spend $3bn to upscale the US industrial shipbuilding base so it can build more Virginias to replace the ones it sells to us.

And we will pay a purchase price of billions of dollars for the Virginias themselves.

Even a Trumpian presidency, even Donald Trump himself, would be extremely unlikely to want to disrupt what is in part a massive defence sale by the US.

In defence terms, there is no way we could spend money any more effectively than by getting the Virginias.

A Virginia which is already in service is already working perfectly. The only thing remaining for Australia is to build the facilities to accommodate it and train the crew to man it.

In the many decades I’ve been writing about submarines, this is not only the most ambitious, but the most realistic, plan to replace the Collins and upgrade our capabilities.

That doesn’t guarantee it will work.

But it’s a big step forward.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/aukus-submarine-deal-could-spur-australia-to-becoming-naval-power/news-story/f04f86a2638736249075d70130a7b929

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504773 (140828ZMAR23) Notable: China warns AUKUS has made Australia a target for the People’s Liberation Army - Chinese experts have warned that Australia has “officially put itself on Beijing’s defence radar” with its $368bn plan to build nuclear powered submarines with the United States and United Kingdom. Government-linked academics and military officials said Australia’s mammoth defence acquisition was putting the country on the “frontline” of America and China’s strategic competition, which they said would worsen Canberra’s already strained relationship with its biggest trading partner.

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>>42651

China warns AUKUS has made Australia a target for the People’s Liberation Army

WILL GLASGOW - MARCH 14, 2023

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Chinese experts have warned that Australia has “officially put itself on Beijing’s defence radar” with its $368bn plan to build nuclear powered submarines with the United States and United Kingdom.

Government-linked academics and military officials said Australia’s mammoth defence acquisition was putting the country on the “frontline” of America and China’s strategic competition, which they said would worsen Canberra’s already strained relationship with its biggest trading partner.

The warnings come as China’s Foreign Ministry continues an already 18-month long campaign against the three-country submarine deal, arguing the AUKUS deal will undermine the international non-proliferation system and stoke an arms race in the Indo-Pacific.

Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, said the AUKUS arrangement was a “time bomb for peace and stability in the region”.

“Continuing promoting the alliance means that Australia will officially put itself on Beijing’s defence radar,” Professor Chen told China’s nationalistic tabloid the Global Times.

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the party-state masthead that Australia had become a “de facto offshoot of the US nuclear submarine fleet”, which elevated risks for Australian forces.

“The US wants to make Australia its frontline military base in the Indo-Pacific region and let its allies foot the bill,” Mr Song said.

China’s Foreign Ministry — with the support of its strategic partner Russia — has repeatedly said the deal is in violation of the international non-proliferation regime, a claim that has been rejected by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Taiwan welcomed the submarine deal, which senior members of President Tsai Ing-wen’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party said would help redress the “military imbalance” across the Taiwan Strait.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is happy to see and welcomes the continued advancement of the AUKUS partnership,” a spokesman for Taiwan’s government said in a statement.

“As an important member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan is located at the hub of the first island chain and at the forefront of the fight against authoritarian expansion.

“Taiwan will continue to co-operate with like-minded countries inside and outside the region, and strive to maintain the rules-based international order and safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity.”

The Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s main opposition party, also welcomed the submarine acquisition.

“We would like to see a stronger Western alliance in terms of military capability and technology,” said the KMT’s top international adviser Alexander Huang.

However, Professor Huang cautioned that the submarines, while helpful in the medium term, would not be in operation for more than 10 years.

“The changing dynamic that we are concerned about today is more near term,” he told The Australian.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504789 (140836ZMAR23) Notable: In economic recovery era, US is biggest threat by trapping Australia's development interests - "When China sits down with friends, it is for peace. When the US and its partners get together, the agenda is about confrontation. Since the announcement of AUKUS 18 months ago, many observers, including those from Australia, have said the alliance, under the guise of nuclear-powered submarines cooperation, is essentially about US arming Australia and turning it into a US military asset against China, laying a timed bomb for peace and stability in the region." - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

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>>42651

>>42658

In economic recovery era, US is biggest threat by trapping Australia's development interests

Global Times - Mar 13, 2023

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Both China and the US are busy in March. China was busy brokering an unexpected reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. From March 10, when the two countries agreed to bury the hatchet and resume ties in Beijing, the Middle East has shed a pair of enemies and gained two partners. In contrast, the US is busy paving the way for more tensions and conflicts, through moves including promoting AUKUS.

The leaders of the US, Australia and the UK are set to meet in San Diego on Monday local time to unveil plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines for Australia under AUKUS partnership. "According to leaked details, from the next decade, Australia will purchase between three and five current US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines before it starts [building] submarines in Adelaide," Australian media Nine News reported on Monday. From 2027, the US will also begin deploying nuclear submarines in Perth as a stop-gap measure, the report added.

When China sits down with friends, it is for peace. When the US and its partners get together, the agenda is about confrontation. Since the announcement of AUKUS 18 months ago, many observers, including those from Australia, have said the alliance, under the guise of nuclear-powered submarines cooperation, is essentially about US arming Australia and turning it into a US military asset against China, laying a timed bomb for peace and stability in the region.

It has been plain to all that AUKUS takes China as its imaginary enemy. "Continuing promoting the alliance means that Australia will officially put itself on Beijing's defense radar," Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

The question is, is it worth it? Purchasing is just the first step. According to previous reports, at least eight nuclear-powered submarines will be built at Australia's Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It means the current price tag on AUKUS pact that Australian government has to pay is only a temporary figure.

In the future, the manufacture, repair and maintenance of ships and relevant equipment, as well as more interaction with the US, will all bring higher expenses to Australia. In the end, AUKUS will become a bottomless pit, forcing Australia to take money out of its own pockets to pay for the US' strategy, Chen said. Not to mention before Australia obtains the nuclear submarines, it has to pay a $835 million compensation to a French submarine contractor for ditching cooperation with the latter.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504803 (140840ZMAR23) Notable: Australia may 'pay expensive price' as AUKUS nuke sub deal only serves US hegemony: experts - "Australia is "planting a time bomb" for its own peace and that of the region, and it would bear the cost of the "expensive mistake" of following the US, Chinese experts warned, as the AUKUS leaders of the US, UK and Australia are expected to meet in San Diego, California and announce a mega nuclear submarine deal to arm Australia." - Wang Qi - globaltimes.cn

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>>42651

>>42658

Australia may 'pay expensive price' as AUKUS nuke sub deal only serves US hegemony: experts

Wang Qi - Mar 13, 2023

Australia is "planting a time bomb" for its own peace and that of the region, and it would bear the cost of the "expensive mistake" of following the US, Chinese experts warned, as the AUKUS leaders of the US, UK and Australia are expected to meet in San Diego, California and announce a mega nuclear submarine deal to arm Australia.

The three-way pact is back in focus after the US picked up the clique confrontation approach against China. AUKUS, launched in September 2021 after Australia scrapped a deal with France, was aimed at strengthening defense cooperation among the Anglo-Saxon brothers and counter China, including offering Australia US nuclear powered submarine technology.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are expected to further enrich AUKUS with a new nuclear submarine agreement during their meeting in California on Monday (US time), according to media reports.

Citing US officials, Reuters said that Australia is expected to buy at most five US Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s as part of the defense agreement.

Under AUKUS, there will be at least one US submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years. The US would forward deploy some submarines in Western Australia by about 2027, media reported.

According to Australian media, all the nuclear-powered submarines will be built in Adelaide, South Australia, with UK and US providing consultation on technology. It's also possible that Australia would acquire vessels from the UK, The Times of London said.

The pact is committed to information and technology exchanges among the three nations in areas ranging from intelligence and quantum technology to the acquisition of cruise missiles.

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times on Monday that if the nuclear submarine ecosystem is set up in Adelaide, it is equivalent to Australia using its own money to build a nuclear submarine production and maintenance base for US.

It means that US nuclear-powered submarines could be built not only in US but also in Australia. However, Australia, as the investor, has no access to US intellectual property, Song said. "Australia's nuclear submarines will also be a de facto offshoot of the US nuclear submarine fleet, serving US' global strategic interests."

"In general, the US wants to make Australia its frontline military base in the Indo-Pacific region and let its allies foot the bill, which is a disservice to Australia's sovereignty and independence," Song noted.

Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times that the possible purpose of the US providing nuclear-powered submarines to Australia is to equip the latter with long-range strike capability.

"It would be a time bomb for peace and stability in the region. Australia should not fall into the category of a saboteur of regional security just because of US pressure," Chen said.

Australia is very likely to become the seventh nation with nuclear submarines, and Albanese has defended the project, which could create 20,000 jobs over the next three decades.

But Chen said Australia's nuclear submarine ambition violates the international non-proliferation regime and puts Australia on the path of an arms race, which is not in its interest.

According to Australian media, the deal, which could cost A$170 billion ($183 billion), would push Australia's defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP.

"Such a huge investment would leave Australia with a heavy burden," Song said. "It cannot protect the security of Australia, but will protect the global hegemony of the US. It's an expensive mistake."

Blindly following the US "Indo-Pacific strategy" and developing a nuclear-powered submarine base would pose a threat to other countries' security, said Song, noting that the greatest security for Australia is "not taking sides between China and the US".

Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on March 9 that China believes that AUKUS poses serious nuclear proliferation risks, affects international nuclear non-proliferation regime, stimulates an arms race and undermines peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, which is broadly questioned and opposed by countries in the region and the international community.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287211.shtml

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504851 (140856ZMAR23) Notable: OPINION: Albanese got the subs deal spectacularly right, and can thank Scott Morrison - "AUKUS itself was the brainchild of Scott Morrison. Bold in its conception and historic in its implications, it was the direct product of close collaboration between Morrison, a very small number of his senior advisers and the leaders of Defence. From the start, the former prime minister took the hardball but necessary decision to keep the inner-circle tight, in particular by marginalising the notoriously leaky Department of Foreign Affairs. (Until shortly before the announcement, the only senior DFAT officials in the loop were Arthur Sinodinos in Washington and me in London.) The short-term damage to our relationship with France was a cost that Morrison was willing to pay to secure the much-better protection for Australia’s national security that AUKUS offered. Scott Morrison has had a rough time over the past year. In the longer perspective of history, AUKUS will be judged to be his most important legacy. It is a legacy greater than many other prime ministers have left behind them." - George Brandis, Former high commissioner to the UK and federal attorney-general - March 14, 2023

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>>42651

OPINION: Albanese got the subs deal spectacularly right, and can thank Scott Morrison

George Brandis, Former high commissioner to the UK and federal attorney-general - March 14, 2023

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The story of Australian public policy over the past four decades, under governments of both political persuasions, has been one of getting the big calls right. Hawke’s internationalisation of the economy in the 1980s, Medicare, and Howard’s GST reforms come to mind. Most people would also include Keating’s superannuation system and the Abbott government’s successful border protection policy on that list.

On Tuesday, with the announcement of the arrangements for the delivery of submarines under the AUKUS pact, the Albanese government has got the biggest call on national security policy of our lifetimes right. Spectacularly right.

The government had to balance a number of competing priorities and reconcile potentially inconsistent objectives. The measures announced by United States President Joe Biden, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are as successful in doing so as the circumstances allow.

The dilemma for AUKUS was one of capacity and delivery times. It was essential that Australia acquire this capability at the earliest opportunity. Yet the project faced supply-side difficulties from both our partners. If the subs were to be sourced from the US, we faced capacity constraints within their shipyards, at a time when America is increasing its demand for the vessels.

The UK, which operates a much smaller fleet, is not subject to the same capacity constraints. However, the different economies of scale mean its production facility at Barrow is much slower than the US, and it would not be in a position to supply us until the 2040s.

That problem was unlocked by the adoption of a hybrid solution, whereby a small number (currently three) Virginia-class submarines would be supplied in the 2030s, while Australia and the UK would jointly produce the remaining vessels through to the 2050s, incorporating American propulsion and weapons systems.

In the meantime, beginning in 2027, American Virginia and UK Astute-class submarines would rotate through Stirling naval base in Western Australia, while the existing Collins-class submarines would continue to operate into the late 2030s.

The hybrid model also addressed (or at least mitigated) the issue of long-term political risk. As I argued in this column previously, while there is no doubt about the long-term willingness of future British governments, Conservative or Labour, to partner with us in building the subs, the American political system presents immensely more complexities and uncertainties, not least with the growing strength of isolationism on the American right.

As well, if Australia were solely reliant upon American design and construction, we would have much less weight in the relationship through the delivery phase, at the very time when the US is likely to have difficulties meeting its own demands. Having the majority of the fleet supplied by the UK should give us greater confidence that, in the long term, the AUKUS pact will meet our needs.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18504867 (140906ZMAR23) Notable: Morrison’s legacy will turn Australia into a significant power - "AUKUS is not just a transformational security agreement but will significantly change the direction of modern Australia. Strategically, the move to become the seventh country with nuclear-powered submarines helps to elevate Australia from an also-ran middle power, like Argentina and the Philippines, to becoming a really substantial contributor to the regional power balance, and therefore global peace. This AUKUS initiative stands in stark contrast with the opinions of those who over the decades have argued we should downgrade ties with the UK and the US. That AUKUS has been endorsed as enthusiastically by the Labor Party as it was by its founders, the Morrison government, means that the neutralist, non-aligned approach to Australian foreign policy is for all intents and purposes dead in the water. So there we have it, Scott Morrison’s great legacy. Whatever you thought of him, there’s no doubt he will be remembered in the decades ahead for one thing, and that will be AUKUS." - Alexander Downer - afr.com

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>>42651

>>42661

Morrison’s legacy will turn Australia into a significant power

Instead of being loyally dependent on ‘great and powerful friends’, Australia will now share more of the burden of maintaining the balance of the power in the Indo-Pacific.

Alexander Downer - Mar 12, 2023

Some prime ministers were popular but we can’t remember anything lasting they achieved. Some were unpopular but have left a lasting legacy. Scott Morrison falls into the latter category. Let’s face it, at the time of the last election he was unloved by the Australian community. But this week we will be reminded of his most substantial achievement as prime minister, which is AUKUS.

AUKUS is not just a transformational security agreement but will significantly change the direction of modern Australia. The decision by the Morrison government jointly to develop nuclear-powered submarines for Australia with the US and the UK will prove eye-wateringly expensive.

The cost of the conventional submarine replacement program – that could have added up to about $90 billion – was one thing, but it is another matter to build nuclear-powered submarines. The total cost of the program could be at least double the price of the French submarines.

This will have significant implications for the Australian economy. Not only will defence expenditure have to increase substantially beyond 2 per cent of GDP. This comes at a time when there is a growing public appetite for still more public expenditure on social policies – not least the NDIS – as well as seemingly insatiable demands for expenditure on any manner of so-called climate mitigation measures.

Let’s stop for a minute and think about it. Between now and 2050 we are somehow going to have to make our whole economy a net-zero economy. No one knows how much that will cost, but it is likely to run into trillions of dollars – assuming it is even technically possible without plunging Australia into deprivation and poverty.

If Australia is to have any hope of meeting these demands, then its economy will have to grow fast in the years ahead.

Since the Albanese government wants to divert investments by the $3 trillion superannuation industry into suboptimal returns in areas such as renewables and housing, it’s hard to imagine how this economic wirtschaftswunder will be achieved. To maximise growth, you have to maximise returns on investment. Diverting national resources away from more profitable investments will reduce growth, not accelerate it.

So, paying for the nuclear-powered submarines will be a huge challenge for governments over the next few years. And while pouring money into renewables, electric vehicles, Snowy Hydro 2.0 and any manner of fancy-sounding programs designed to cool down the weather will prove popular, spending money on submarines will not shift votes one way or the other.

Cheaper to build overseas

This won’t be a problem for the next few years, but what will governments do in a decade or so? They won’t cancel the program because it will be too advanced by then – and its benefits will in any case be substantial even if there is no political dividend.

So inevitably, as time goes by a future government will look for ways substantially to reduce the cost of the submarine program. My prediction is that the biggest cost saving will be to build the submarines in established shipyards overseas rather than build them in new shipyards in Australia. Some estimates are that it will cost 40 per cent more to build the submarines in Adelaide than to have them built overseas. Just think of the savings!

Assuming South Australia’s relative decline in its share of the national population will continue, federal governments will become less concerned about holding a diminishing number of seats in South Australia and more concerned about how they’re going to pay for their other expensive and right-on plans.

So instead of building nuclear submarines in Adelaide, the federal government may well pay some compensation to South Australia for the loss of the project and get the submarines built offshore. We’ll see, but not for a few years yet.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18510927 (150743ZMAR23) Notable: Fiji backs AUKUS as Canberra soothes regional tensions - One of the Pacific’s key leaders has told Anthony Albanese he supports the AUKUS agreement during a whistle-stop meeting on Wednesday as the Prime Minister continued diplomatic efforts to reassure regional anxieties over the planned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. Fijian PM Sitiveni Rabuka congratulated Mr Albanese on the landmark agreement and was comforted by Mr Albanese’s assurances AUKUS would not breach the Rarotonga treaty, a pact among Pacific nations including Australia to keep the South Pacific free of nuclear weapons.

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>>42651

Fiji backs AUKUS as Canberra soothes regional tensions

Andrew Tillett - Mar 15, 2023

Nadi | One of the Pacific’s key leaders has told Anthony Albanese he supports the AUKUS agreement during a whistle-stop meeting on Wednesday as the Prime Minister continued diplomatic efforts to reassure regional anxieties over the planned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Fijian PM Sitiveni Rabuka congratulated Mr Albanese on the landmark agreement and was comforted by Mr Albanese’s assurances AUKUS would not breach the Rarotonga treaty, a pact among Pacific nations including Australia to keep the South Pacific free of nuclear weapons.

During their meeting in Nadi, Mr Rabuka appeared to allude to previous conflicts such as World War II which left the Pacific devastated, and the need to preserve peace.

Mr Albanese said although Australia was investing in military capability, it was also investing in relationships.

“Thank you for your warm support and for confirming that you want a family-first approach to security, which is our approach too,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Rabuka, who returned to power late last year and has been a critic of China, said he did not expect imminent conflict within the region.

The brief bilateral meeting came as Chinese officials attended a briefing for the diplomatic corp in Canberra after failing to take up early invitations for one.

The US State Department confirmed it had also briefed the Chinese government about AUKUS in both Beijing and Washington after China’s Foreign Ministry accused the AUKUS partners of going “further down a wrong and dangerous road” and fuelling an arms race.

Malaysia also remains critical of the deal but Indonesia appears to have softened its opposition.

Mr Albanese, government ministers and other senior officials have made more than 60 calls to regional leaders about the $368 billion plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines with help from the US and the UK from the early 2030s.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she had offered her Chinese counterpart a briefing following their recent meeting in New Delhi and the embassy in Beijing had reached out as well.

She said the government did not believe China’s assertions that the AUKUS submarines breached the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

China says the transfer of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium is against the treaty but the government maintains the reactors will be delivered to Australia sealed and remain shut for the 30-year life of the submarine. It has been in close consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“We’re always happy to be very transparent about our plans. We believe that one of the ways we can deal in the region openly, clearly and to demonstrate our motivation – which is stability and peace – is to be very transparent about our plans,” Senator Wong told the ABC.

Senator Wong said the government had spent a lot of time engaging with Pacific countries on security matters.

“We have engaged with them about AUKUS and we have listened to some of the issues they’ve raised, and obviously nuclear issues are highly sensitive because of the history of the peoples of the Pacific and we respect that and we understand that,” she said.

Mr Rabuka hosted Mr Albanese at the Blackrock military base, which Australia has invested $100 million to boost training and operations for peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions in the Pacific.

Mr Albanese was given a traditional sevusevu ceremonial welcome, which included drinking a coconut shell of kava.

Mr Rabuka asked Mr Albanese if he liked the traditional drink after he gulped it down, with Mr Albanese replying it was “very good”.

“You can get it in Marrickville too,” Mr Albanese said to laughter.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/fiji-backs-aukus-as-canberra-soothes-regional-tensions-20230314-p5cs3v

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18510950 (150752ZMAR23) Notable: ‘Whatever it takes’: Democrats and Republicans unite for AUKUS - Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress have thrown their weight behind the ambitious plan to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, vowing to do “what it takes” to make the AUKUS pact a success. Republican Mike Gallagher, who co-chairs Congress’ AUKUS working group alongside Democrat congressman Joe Courtney, threw his weight behind Tuesday’s announcement and plans to use his new role as a head of a special committee on China to tackle the issue of export controls. “Now we must act with urgency to not only fully resource and implement this agreement, but also make the necessary policy choices to make AUKUS as successful as possible,” he said.

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>>42651

‘Whatever it takes’: Democrats and Republicans unite for AUKUS

Farrah Tomazin - March 15, 2023

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San Diego: Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress have thrown their weight behind the ambitious plan to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, vowing to do “what it takes” to make the AUKUS pact a success.

And US State Department officials said they briefed China about the announcement, as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to simmer over the $368 billion deal between Australia, the US and the UK.

“It’s no secret that our relationship with China is not as close as it was in the past,” said Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary for the department’s bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

“I would like to point out, though, that we did brief the Chinese about this AUKUS announcement in the hopes of promoting transparency.”

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a navy base in San Diego to outline the details of the three-way pact, designed to counter China’s economic and military advances in the Indo-Pacific.

Under the deal, Australia will buy at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US while building capacity to develop its own locally made nuclear-powered subs, sometime in the 2040s.

However, questions remain about the lengthy time frame, the extraordinary cost to taxpayers, and the maze of US export control laws that must be reformed for America to share nuclear technology secrets with Australia.

Another concern is whether a future US administration could place the deal at risk, although Defence Minister Richard Marles said he was confident this would not happen, based on the US-Australia alliance that spans decades.

Bipartisan members of Congress have so far strongly endorsed the plan and the new chapter in the partnership between the three countries.

Among them is Democratic congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a former foreign policy adviser to Hillary Clinton who travelled to Australia in October to strengthen ties and learn more about AUKUS as part of a delegation with the House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee.

“There is broad bipartisan consensus in Congress recognising the importance of the US-Australia relationship and we’re ready to do what it takes to make sure that AUKUS is successful,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Republican Mike Gallagher, who co-chairs Congress’ AUKUS working group alongside Democrat congressman Joe Courtney, also threw his weight behind Tuesday’s announcement and plans to use his new role as a head of a special committee on China to tackle the issue of export controls.

“Now we must act with urgency to not only fully resource and implement this agreement, but also make the necessary policy choices to make AUKUS as successful as possible,” he said.

And Senator James Risch, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate foreign relations committee, said that while he strongly supported the push for Australia to acquire new submarines, the Biden administration should also sharpen its focus on the second pillar of AUKUS, which aims to boost co-operation in areas such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

“While a credible undersea capability is a critical piece of this, it will take well over a decade to deliver additional submarines to the Indo-Pacific,” Risch said.

“The Biden administration also needs to be laser-focused on the second pillar of AUKUS – advanced capabilities. This is where AUKUS will see its earliest and most impactful wins and get more capability into the region.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18510974 (150800ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS' final blueprint marks an 'astonishing step forward' for the West that puts our adversaries on notice - "Australian sovereignty was strengthened immeasurably this week, and we have emerged as a different nation: more confident; more determined and far more capable. The signal that it sends to potential adversaries is clear and unmistakable. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure our sovereignty, and will do it with close partners and allies using the most advanced technology available anywhere on the globe." - Stephen Loosley, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre - skynews.com.au

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>>42651

AUKUS' final blueprint marks an 'astonishing step forward' for the West that puts our adversaries on notice

While it may make some of us baulk, the eye-watering $368 billion cost of Australia's submarine venture is a clear and obvious sign that we will do whatever it takes to ensure our sovereignty, writes Stephen Loosley.

Stephen Loosley - March 15, 2023

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Australian sovereignty was strengthened immeasurably this week, and we have emerged as a different nation: more confident; more determined and far more capable.

San Diego, California, was the appropriate backdrop for this historic announcement by the trilateral AUKUS partners, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Since the city's earliest days as a Spanish colonial military fort, the city has played a crucial role in the security of the Pacific.

It emerged as a primary point for American national security during World War Two for the US Navy in particular, and the training of US Marines for the war against Japan.

But in the post-war era, San Diego came not only to supply military needs and logistical framework, but also the intellectual underpinning for the science and technology that permitted the Americans to challenge the Soviets.

The founding of the University of California at San Diego in 1956 embodies this.

The university’s researchers played a pivotal role in underpinning the response to the needs of the US military and industry.

No surprise then that Australian universities have welcomed AUKUS so enthusiastically.

And there was another element in San Diego’s evolution.

Consequent upon the growth in defence technology came extraordinary expansion in venture capital.

Years ago, during a visit to San Diego with a delegation from the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, I remember walking along a corridor at one of the tech companies in the area.

The walls were lined, from beginning to end, with the framed patents and trademarks which the company had secured over the years.

Each document was an acknowledgement of another step forward in innovation.

It is this cutting-edge technology in the maritime domain that Australia has now embraced with the Virginia-Class and Astute-Class submarines.

The conventionally-armed and nuclear-powered boats represent an astonishing step forward in the guarantee, not only of Australia’s future security, but to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific.

The signal that it sends to potential adversaries is clear and unmistakable.

We are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure our sovereignty, and will do it with close partners and allies using the most advanced technology available anywhere on the globe.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511006 (150810ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS alliance: Our $368bn, missile-packed freedom fleet of submarines - Australia will start work immediately on a historic $368bn plan to transform the nation’s defence capabilities that will ultimately ­deliver two types of nuclear-­powered submarines packed with long-range strike missiles to help counter China’s growing military expansion.

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>>42651

AUKUS alliance: Our $368bn, missile-packed freedom fleet of submarines

BEN PACKHAM, CAMERON STEWART and JOE KELLY - MARCH 15, 2023

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Australia will start work immediately on a historic $368bn plan to transform the nation’s defence capabilities that will ultimately ­deliver two types of nuclear-­powered submarines packed with long-range strike missiles to help counter China’s growing military expansion.

The plan will be put into action this year, with more regular port visits by US nuclear subs, accelerating the training of Australian submariners as hundreds of ­defence industry workers are embedded in US and British submarine production lines.

Standing alongside Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak at San Diego’s Point Loma Naval Base, Anthony Albanese said the ­submarine plan marked a new chapter in the ­nation’s ties with the US and Britain – a relationship underpinned by shared values, a commitment to democracy and a common vision for a peaceful future.

“Our historic AUKUS partnership speaks to our collective and ongoing determination to defend those values and secure that future – today, in the years ahead, and for generations to come,” the Prime Minister said.

“We embark with great confidence in the capacity and creativity of our people – with optimism in the power of what our partnership can achieve, and with an unwavering conviction that whatever the challenges ahead, the cause of peace and freedom will prevail.”

Extended rotational deployments of up to four US and one British nuclear submarine will commence from 2027, before Australia acquires at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines by the end of the next decade.

A planned eight “AUKUS class” boats will be built in Adelaide, rolling off the production line from 2042 amid a parallel construction effort in Britain producing the same submarines.

Both types of submarine will have vertical launch tubes, ­allowing them to fire Tomahawk missiles at land and maritime ­targets, and be able to traverse vast distances silently without needing to surface.

Australia’s pathway to acquiring nuclear submarines will ­require Australia to lift its defence budget by at least 0.15 percentage points to an estimated 2.35 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade. But the pain for taxpayers of Australia’s biggest single capability investment will be deferred until after the next election, with $9bn in offsets from the existing Defence budget to cover the first four years of the program.

Peter Dutton vowed bipartisan support for the plan, but warned Labor must not raid other areas of the Defence budget to pay for the new submarines.

“We have to make sure that there is transparency and honesty with the Australian people about the cost involved in AUKUS,” Mr Dutton said. “It’s not credible for the government to say that there’s no net impact, even over the forward estimates. We can’t allow Labor to cannibalise the Defence Force to pay for AUKUS. It’s not an either/or option.”

Beijing reacted furiously to the announcement, saying the AUKUS partnership was “typical Cold War mentality” that would stoke “an arms race” and undermine the international non-proliferation system, in Beijing’s first official comments after the mammoth defence acquisition was announced.

“Peace-loving countries have expressed serious concern and firm opposition to the damage to regional peace and stability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday evening.

China was offered a briefing on the plan but was yet to accept the offer on Tuesday night.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Serge Lavror said the AUKUS pact would bring “years of confrontation” in Asia.

“The Anglo-Saxon world, with the creation of structures like AUKUS and with the advancement of NATO military infrastructures into Asia, is making a serious bet on many years of confrontation,” Mr Lavrov said.

Indonesia, which had publicly expressed concerns over the ­nuclear non-proliferation implications of the agreement, said maintaining regional peace was the responsibility of all countries, and it expected Australia to “remain consistent in fulfilling its obligations” under the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511054 (150822ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS compact shows Labor’s new conviction - "This is a revolutionary moment in the history of the Australian Labor Party. At this point Labor assumes full implementation responsibility at the national level for turning Australia into a nuclear-powered submarine nation irrevocably tied to the US and Britain in a strategy of deterrence against China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific." - Paul Kelly - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42651

AUKUS compact shows Labor’s new conviction

PAUL KELLY - MARCH 15, 2023

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This is a revolutionary moment in the history of the Australian Labor Party. At this point Labor assumes full implementation responsibility at the national level for turning Australia into a nuclear-powered submarine nation irrevocably tied to the US and Britain in a strategy of deterrence against China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.

This decision is driven by deep instincts of Australian identity and strategic belief. Labor under the judgment of Anthony Albanese and the determination of Defence Minister Richard Marles has become a party of conviction in AUKUS. Labor is always a party of beliefs and AUKUS is the new belief.

Labor’s decisions will shape Australia’s future for several decades. They involve a fusion of three beliefs – the leap to a more sophisticated technological and industrial base and workforce; the conclusion that China has embarked on a quest for regional dominance that is an unprecedented risk to our national interest; and the view that our future lies in interoperable strategic deterrence with our historical allies at distance from our shores.

The AUKUS announcement on Tuesday is of global import. The surprise aspect – the stroke of genius if it works – is the US agreement that Australia can buy three US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s, and five if required, thereby giving this country a far-earlier submarine capability than expected.

This reveals astonishing trust and strategic belief among the three AUKUS partners and remarkable US confidence in Australia. This is what China has wrought. Does it comprehend this? For Australia, there are two challenges. Can we deliver on the confidence the US is investing in us by buying and running the Virginia-class boats? And can we deliver on the construction task to work with the UK and the US in building the British-designed new nuclear-powered submarine that will be jointly produced in Britain and in Adelaide?

This agreement takes Aus­tralia into another league as a strategic power and sees a far deeper concept of alliances and partnership underpinned by shared technology.

The announcements on Tuesday are layered with audacity and risk. They cannot be delivered without core changes in the mindset of our defence industry, our navy, our technological and skills base, a lift in our economic performance and better whole-of-nation mobilisation for the task. Labor will be severely tested and it will need to change its thinking to meet the non-negotiable demands of the US nuclear submarine industry. If we don’t meet them, the project falters.

This is not just the single biggest defence step in our history. It is, as the Prime Minister said, a “transformative moment for our nation”. By this decision Australia chooses its future as a nuclear-powered submarine country tied to the military prowess of the US and Britain in a strategy of deterrence against China.

Albanese and Marles were specific, saying the capability will make Australia and its partners “better able to deter conflict”. This is an exacting, open-ended and dangerous future.

For Labor, it looms as an existential issue: you can’t knock back such a unique strategic opening with our allies. “This is an investment we can’t afford not to make,” Marles said. Former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey used similar language. Here is the government’s “bottom line” response to the question of costs: sure, AUKUS costs, but we can’t allow cost to qualify the project.

Outside critics have continually underestimated the strategic conclusion successive governments, Coalition and Labor, have reached from Beijing’s activities and intentions. It is the threat that has delivered bipartisanship.

When the Biden administration assessed AUKUS in 2021 it wanted a whole-of-nation bipartisan commitment. That was promised at the time and is delivered now. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, closely involved with AUKUS as former defence minister, offered his full support on Tuesday. That is no surprise.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511070 (150828ZMAR23) Notable: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reshaped AUKUS, regional power and Labor - "Anthony Albanese and his Defence Minister, Richard Marles, have delivered a national defence outcome that not so long ago would have been unthinkable for Labor. The fact this has not caused a ripple in the fabric of Labor unity on the issue says two things. China has changed the equation, even for the left." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42651

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reshaped AUKUS, regional power and Labor

SIMON BENSON - MARCH 14, 2023

Anthony Albanese and his Defence Minister, Richard Marles, have delivered a national defence outcome that not so long ago would have been unthinkable for Labor.

They would argue its fidelity with Labor tradition, from Andrew Fisher’s creation of the navy and John Curtin’s call to arms in World War II to a unified defence department under Gough Whitlam.

But AUKUS by its definition should be an abhorrence to the predominant elements of the modern Labor left.

Of the things they find most morally detestable, US military hegemony and nuclear power rank near the top of the list.

Yet it is a Labor government led by the left’s most senior member that is now doing both; buying US-made nuclear submarines.

It’s hard to imagine any Labor leader of recent times getting away with it. Shorten, Gillard, Rudd – even Hawke.

Bearing in mind it’s equally difficult to see a Labor government having ever initiated such a project had it not been for the Morrison-led Coalition bequeathing it.

Others will see it as Albanese being boxed in, both by Defence and his predecessor. Politically, he could not have not gone ahead with it.

That said, the Prime Minister has sought to put his personal stamp on AUKUS, rewriting Labor’s previously damaged national defence credentials and, in the process, restoring the primacy of traditional pro-alliance right-wing Labor principles.

This is where Marles was instrumental to the outcome, having guided the government through the process both internally and externally with his US and UK counterparts.

He is right in his acknowledgement that the geopolitical significance of the new tripartite defence pact, the transformation of Australia’s own projection of regional power and the reshaping of the nation’s ­defence architecture can’t be ­overstated.

Equally the Defence Minister’s role in buttressing Albanese’s ­ability to keep faith with the ­mission should not be under­estimated.

The fact this has not caused a ripple in the fabric of Labor unity on the issue says two things. China has changed the equation, even for the left.

It also represents a modernised values-based appeal that enables a pragmatic delivery of outcomes, even if some within Labor remain squeamish.

There is no question Albanese has done well on the world stage, projecting strength and relevance.

Marles, at the same time, has been the steward of what has been one of the most complex but game-changing alliances forged in more than 70 years.

This signals an evolution in Labor leadership. Albanese maintaining authority over his caucus, with Marles massaging the ­concerns.

As John Howard did with the Liberal Party, Albanese has ­allowed the party to run while still maintaining control, often shifting people into positions they never would have contemplated.

What he and Marles have ­delivered is without post-war precedent for Labor, both in its scope but also when considering the degree of perceived internal difficulty.

Those in the left who may once have been considered hostile are now deeply entrenched – witness left powerbroker Pat Conroy as Defence Industry Minister.

Albanese has also manoeuvred Labor deep into Coalition territory on defence, challenging the notion of Coalition brand advantage without any discomfort while washing away the stain of Labor’s last term in office when its credibility on defence and national ­security was gravely damaged.

The broader domestic political dividends, however, are mixed.

There is rarely any political prize for a government doing what voters think it ought to be doing – keeping the country safe.

Albanese, however, is cleverly weaving the nuclear submarine deal and questions of manufacturing sovereignty into a broader Labor nation-building narrative, in the same vein as Chifley’s first Australian-built FX Holden.

Not that Albanese will be around to oversee the first Australian-made submarine roll out of the Adelaide shipyards.

AUKUS will now be an enduring and unshakable bipartisan policy, a rarity in modern Australian politics, which will be inherited by future Labor governments as well as Coalition ones, each delivering on various milestones.

The test for Albanese now lies with his ability to sell the ­announcement domestically considering the eye-watering cost of $368bn. At a time of uncertainty and cost-of-living pressures, this won’t be easy to reconcile among those who have been forced into household austerity.

The opposition, while offering bipartisan support to a policy of its own design, will be arguing that the cost of the program can’t be used as an excuse to raise taxes.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/prime-minister-anthony-albanese-has-transformed-aukus-regional-power-and-labor/news-story/5e15abce0726b2c081a24518a607b4c8

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511090 (150836ZMAR23) Notable: China is determined to thwart AUKUS, driven by distrust and fear of a US nuclear build-up - China has made no secret of its plans to diplomatically thwart Australia's AUKUS submarine plan, which it sees as part of a broader US effort to contain China's future military dominance of Asia. Beijing's mission to the United Nations yesterday slammed the announcement that Australia will obtain several American nuclear-powered submarines as part of the deal, saying it "fuels arms races and hurts peace and stability".

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>>42651

China is determined to thwart AUKUS, driven by distrust and fear of a US nuclear build-up

Bill Birtles - 15 March 2023

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China has made no secret of its plans to diplomatically thwart Australia's AUKUS submarine plan, which it sees as part of a broader US effort to contain China's future military dominance of Asia.

Beijing's mission to the United Nations yesterday slammed the announcement that Australia will obtain several American nuclear-powered submarines as part of the deal, saying it "fuels arms races and hurts peace and stability".

But rhetoric aside, China's real strategy is focused on stifling the submarine plan at the world's nuclear watchdog body in what will likely be a long-term effort to win over other member states.

So far, China's diplomats are losing the battle, fuelling increasing frustration.

China has the world's biggest navy, including at least 12 nuclear-powered submarines, with a quicker production capacity than the US and its allies.

And not long after the AUKUS plan was first announced in 2021, Beijing launched a vigorous diplomatic campaign at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arguing the plan blatantly breached the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The problem for Beijing is that it doesn't.

However, the deal does set a precedent that some analysts fear could be exploited by countries intent on using the cover of nuclear propulsion to secretly develop weapons.

China's diplomats have so far failed to convince IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi, who has expressed satisfaction that consultations between his agency and the AUKUS nations are in line with the treaty.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, Grossi said Australia had provided the IAEA with preliminary design information about the project, and noted that the agency "must ensure that no proliferation risks will emanate from this project".

"I will ensure a transparent process that will be solely guided by the agency’s statutory mandate and the safeguards agreements and additional protocols of the AUKUS parties," his statement said.

"Nuclear submarines are a highly secretive military platform; it's very hard to provide basic transparency to IEAE or other inspecting parties to show them how things are done," said Zhao Tong, a senior fellow in the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"So that high secrecy over nuclear submarines might create opportunities for countries like China to raise questions about whether there is any theoretical possibility for misuse of the nuclear technology."

The US-UK plan to transfer highly enriched uranium and reactor technology to Australia for the submarines has also prompted claims of double standards, given America's efforts to prevent other countries from transferring nuclear materials in recent decades.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511145 (150853ZMAR23) Notable: ‘Dangerous path’: China issues chilling AUKUS threat - China issued an ominous warning over the nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United Kingdom and the United States, saying the historic AUKUS pact put Australia on a “path of error and danger”. A day after it was revealed Australia would become a major naval power in the Pacific with nuclear subs bought from the US and built with the UK, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Wenbin lashed out at what he said was the proliferation of highly enriched “weapons-grade” uranium to Australia. “The three countries, for their own geopolitical interests, have totally disregarded the concerns of the international community and gone further down the wrong and dangerous path,” he said.

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>>42651

‘Dangerous path’: China issues chilling AUKUS threat

China lashed out at the newly unveiled nuclear submarine deal with the UK and US, saying highly enriched, weapons-grade uranium put Australia on a “path of error and danger”.

Justin Vallejo, Clare Armstrong and Charles Miranda - March 15, 2023

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China issued an ominous warning over the nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United Kingdom and the United States, saying the historic AUKUS pact put Australia on a “path of error and danger”.

A day after it was revealed Australia would become a major naval power in the Pacific with nuclear subs bought from the US and built with the UK, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Wenbin lashed out at what he said was the proliferation of highly enriched “weapons-grade” uranium to Australia.

“The three countries, for their own geopolitical interests, have totally disregarded the concerns of the international community and gone further down the wrong and dangerous path,” he said.

The thinly-veiled threat comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Joe Biden to announce the purchase of up to five nuclear-powered submarines from the US and the development of a new model of attack submarine with the UK.

Asked about the AUKUS agreement, Mr Wenbin said the transfer of the US and UK’s nuclear secrets and “other cutting-edge military technologies” to Australia risked a new Cold War.

“It will only exacerbate arms race,” he said. ‘Nuclear submarine co-operation between the US, the UK and Australia involves the transfer of large amounts of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium from nuclear weapon states to a non-nuclear weapon state, which poses a serious nuclear proliferation risk and violates the purpose and object of the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty).

Mr Wenbin’s comments are China’s strongest response yet to the $368bn deal. While Chinese state Twitter accounts lashed out at the “blatant act” that “hurts peace and stability in the region”, Mr Wenbin is the first state official to directly respond to the detail outlined by the leaders of the three AUKUS countries.

“It should be stressed that the Asia-Pacific is the most dynamic and fastest growing region in the world. This doesn’t come easily. China urges the three countries to heed the call of the international community and regional countries, discard the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical mindset, earnestly fulfil their international obligations and refrain from doing anything that undermines regional and world peace and stability,” Mr Wenbin said.

“The US, the UK and Australia should not proceed with relevant co-operation, and the IAEA Secretariat should not have consultation with the three countries on the so-called safeguards arrangements for their nuclear submarine co-operation,” he added.

Mara Karlin, the acting deputy undersecretary of defence for policy, confirmed the State Department has had discussions with the People’s Republic of China about AUKUS but did not reveal the specifics.

“Open communication between our two countries is important for risk management,” she said at the Pentagon.

“To be very clear, AUKUS is not about any one country. It is about the need for security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

“This is going to take us to another level of interoperability,” she said about the US sharing its nuclear submarine technology. “The last time we did so was 1958, so it’s really a sign of how close this relationship is.

“Australia will get these subs in just about a decade. That is frankly faster than most folks expected when this was announced 18 months ago.

“These submarines are going to be especially special though because of their stealth and range.”

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday they made a massive diplomatic push to brief regional and world leaders on the AUKUS sub deal, including China.

“We offered a briefing,” Mr Marles said. “I have not participated in a briefing with China.”

Asked by if China had rejected the briefing or responded at all, Mr Marles replied: “I’m not aware of that response.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511176 (150908ZMAR23) Notable: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on March 14, 2023 - "We’ve repeatedly said that the establishment of the so-called AUKUS security partnership between the US, the UK and Australia to promote cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies is a typical Cold War mentality. It will only exacerbate arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and hurt regional peace and stability."''''

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>>42651

>>42670

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on March 14, 2023

AFP: US President and the leaders of Australia and the United Kingdom yesterday announced that Australia will buy nuclear-powered submarines from the US. Do you have any comment on this agreement between these three countries?

Wang Wenbin: We’ve repeatedly said that the establishment of the so-called AUKUS security partnership between the US, the UK and Australia to promote cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies is a typical Cold War mentality. It will only exacerbate arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and hurt regional peace and stability. Peace-loving countries have expressed grave concern and firm opposition. The latest joint statement issued by the US, the UK and Australia shows that the three countries, for their own geopolitical interests, have totally disregarded the concerns of the international community and gone further down the wrong and dangerous path.

Nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia involves the transfer of large amounts of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium from nuclear weapon states to a non-nuclear weapon state, which poses a serious nuclear proliferation risk and violates the purpose and object of the NPT. The US, the UK and Australia said they are committed to set the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard, this is nothing but a high-sounding rhetoric to deceive the world. In essence, it is a move to coerce the IAEA Secretariat into making safeguards exemption arrangements, which would seriously undermine the authority of the IAEA. China is firmly opposed to this.

We need to point out once again that nuclear submarine cooperation bears on the integrity, efficacy and authority of the NPT. The safeguards issues related to AUKUS concern the interests of all member states of the IAEA and should be jointly discussed and decided by all member states through transparent, open and inclusive intergovernmental process. Pending the consensus reached by all IAEA member states, the US, the UK and Australia should not proceed with relevant cooperation, and the IAEA Secretariat should not engage with the three countries on the safeguards arrangements for their nuclear submarine cooperation.

It should be stressed that the Asia-Pacific is the most dynamic and fastest growing region in the world. This doesn’t come easily. China urges the three countries to heed the call of the international community and regional countries, discard the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical mindset, earnestly fulfill their international obligations and refrain from doing anything that undermines regional and world peace and stability.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202303/t20230314_11041208.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511193 (150914ZMAR23) Notable: China expected to prepare for AUKUS nuclear submarine program with underwater buildups - "The AUKUS collaboration will damage the global strategic balance and stability, encourage other countries to join the nuclear arms race, escalate geopolitical tensions and bring the Asia-Pacific region to a wrong path of confrontation and splitting-up, completely opposite to the common appeal for development and prosperity from countries in the region." - Liu Xuanzun - globaltimes.cn

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>>42651

>>42670

China expected to prepare for AUKUS nuclear submarine program with underwater buildups

US, allies build up underwater encirclement against China, ramping up tensions

Liu Xuanzun - Mar 14, 2023

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The leaders of Australia, the UK and the US announced details of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program in California on Monday, a move that experts said on Tuesday is a part of a threatening underwater encirclement designed by the US to militarily confront China, and that China will need to prepare to defend itself.

The so-called AUKUS trilateral security partnership and the promotion of cutting-edge military technology cooperation, including nuclear submarines between the three countries, come under a typical Cold War mentality that will only stimulate an arms race, sabotage international nuclear non-proliferation systems and harm regional peace and stability, said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular press conference on Tuesday in response to the announcement.

The program, widely reported by major media outlets from the three countries, is summarized by analysts as a three-step plan that will first see four submarines from the US and one British sub start rotating through a base in Western Australia from as early as 2027, which will immediately turn the country into a forward deployment base of mainly the US as a part of the latter's attempt to militarily contain China, said Chinese military experts.

For the second phase, Australia will reportedly take three potentially second-hand Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines from the US in the early 2030s with an option to purchase another two, which Australian media claimed is far more than a stopgap measure, as these submarines would be by far the most capable ones the country has ever operated. The US is developing its next-generation SSN(X)-class submarine, so the older Virginia-class boats would be retired anyway if the AUKUS program did not offer them to Australia, observers said.

In the meantime, a new type of submarine known as the AUKUS-class will be developed based on UK work in replacing their Astute-class submarines. The construction of the AUKUS-class is scheduled to start in the early 2040s, and eventually Australia would operate eight AUKUS-class submarines by the 2060s, with the UK also planning to procure the new boats to replace its current ones and potentially add more.

The submarine program will cost Australia between $268 billion and $368 billion over the next 30 years, and the country will also contribute money to US and UK production lines, according to Australian news website abc.net.au.

Under the program, Australia is like a guinea pig that pays money for US interests at own risks, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The US and UK are experimenting with new technologies and concepts in joint submarine development, and they have found Australia is a good test subject, Wei said. In case technological problems arise in the program, the US and the UK could shift the blame between each other, leaving Australia who has paid the money with a bitter pill, he said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511200 (150920ZMAR23) Notable: Nuclear submarines will turn Australia into a ‘haunted house’: Global Times editorial - "In the English context, "white elephant" usually refers to a useless but expensive and eccentric object. It could have been better if the nuclear submarines of the US were just white elephants, but they are also a big ill omen. Canberra bought them back with a huge sum of money and will turn Australia into a haunted house, bringing risk to the whole region and making the years of efforts of South Pacific Countries in building a South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, which is protected by formal treaty, face the most serious impact." Global Times - globaltimes.cn

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>>42651

>>42670

Nuclear submarines will turn Australia into a ‘haunted house’: Global Times editorial

Global Times - Mar 15, 2023

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The leaders of the US, Britain and Australia celebrated the unveiling of the AUKUS nuclear submarine plans with great fanfare at the Naval Base in San Diego, California, on Monday. It was a public humiliation to France, which was cheated by them, and a cover-up and deceit to the Australian people, and a kind of bravado to neighboring countries. It was also a blow to the already fragile international nuclear non-proliferation mechanism, and obviously a dangerous move for the entire international community.

According to the agreement, Australia will purchase up to five US nuclear-powered submarines in the next few years, which means that Australia will become the seventh country in the world to have nuclear submarines. The peace and stability of the Indian Ocean and Pacific region will expectedly bear the impact, pressure and risks brought about by this agreement for a long time. Some American media even called it a "milestone." This obvious misnomer has produced ironic effects, but the agreement may indeed become a boundary stone for the US, Britain and Australia to drag the Asia-Pacific region into a "new cold war." It is what everyone is worried about.

In order to obtain the US' nuclear-powered submarines, Australia may have to spend nearly $250 billion. Does Australia have too many mines and is too wealthy? Australia indeed has mines, but life in Australia is not rich for most, and the current economic situation is very bad, with a huge structural budget deficit. $250 billion is roughly equivalent to about two years of public healthcare expenditure of Australia. In order to pay for this huge sum of money, Australia is bound to squeeze social welfare. In other words, the 25 million Australians will eventually have to pay the bill through a certain degree of frugality.

Another question, is Australia in danger without US' nuclear-powered submarines? Can't it survive? Obviously not. Not only does Australia not need them, but it will definitely put itself at risk by buying them. Australia, which is isolated in South Pacific and far away from other hotspots in the region, has a relatively unique geographic advantage. No country will attack or even invade Australia for no reason. Australia has had the conditions to spend its main resources and energy on improving people's livelihood.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511306 (151005ZMAR23) Notable: AUKUS the worst international decision by a Labor government since World War I: Paul Keating - "The Albanese Government’s complicity in joining with Britain and the United States in a tripartite build of a nuclear submarine for Australia under the AUKUS arrangements represents the worst international decision by an Australian Labor government since the former Labor leader, Billy Hughes, sought to introduce conscription to augment Australian forces in World War One. Every Labor Party branch member will wince when they realise that the party we all fight for is returning to our former colonial master, Britain, to find our security in Asia – two hundred and thirty-six years after Europeans first grabbed the continent from its Indigenous people…..This week, Anthony Albanese screwed into place the last shackle in the long chain the United States has laid out to contain China. No mealy-mouthed talk of ‘stabilisation’ in our China relationship or resort to softer or polite language will disguise from the Chinese the extent and intent of our commitment to United States’s strategic hegemony in East Asia with all its deadly portents. History will be the judge of this project in the end. But I want my name clearly recorded among those who say it is a mistake. Who believe that, despite its enormous cost, it does not offer a solution to the challenge of great power competition in the region or to the security of the Australian people and its continent." - PAUL KEATING - MARCH 15, 2023

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>>42651

AUKUS the worst international decision by a Labor government since World War I: Paul Keating

PAUL KEATING - MARCH 15, 2023

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The Albanese Government’s complicity in joining with Britain and the United States in a tripartite build of a nuclear submarine for Australia under the AUKUS arrangements represents the worst international decision by an Australian Labor government since the former Labor leader, Billy Hughes, sought to introduce conscription to augment Australian forces in World War One.

Every Labor Party branch member will wince when they realise that the party we all fight for is returning to our former colonial master, Britain, to find our security in Asia – two hundred and thirty-six years after Europeans first grabbed the continent from its Indigenous people.

That of all things, a contemporary Labor government is shunning security in Asia for security in and within the Anglosphere.

And in an arrangement concocted on the English coast at Cornwall by Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson – one of the great vulgarians of our time – and Joe Biden, Australia is locking in its next half century in Asia as subordinate to the United States, an Atlantic power.

We have been here before: Australia’s international interests subsumed by those of our allies. Defence policy substituting for foreign policy. But this time it is a Labor government lining us up.

Anthony Albanese’s government has picked up and has taken ownership of the strategic architecture of the Morrison government – but taken it up in full and with unprecedented gusto.

The Morrison government, at great cost, walked away from the French submarine and approached the United States, for Australia to join its nuclear submarine program.

And because Boris Johnson succeeded in dynamiting Britain out of Europe with Brexit, Britain is trawling the world trying to stitch up the new ‘Global Britain’. And guess what? They believe they have turned up a bunch of naïve old comrades in Australia, an accommodating Prime Minister, a conservative defence minister and a risk-averse foreign minister – and all surrounded by a neo-con bureaucracy.

Yet, we approached the United States – not the other way around, on the arguments put to Morrison by the security agencies led by Andrew Shearer and ASPI and as it turns out, without even reference to the Department of Foreign Affairs or its minister. Rather, and remarkably, a Labor government has picked up Shearer’s neo-con proclivities and those of ASPI, a pro-US cell led by a recent former chief of staff to Liberal foreign minister Marise Payne.

And that approach was to have the United States supply nuclear submarines for deep and joint operations against China.

And how did this come to be? And by a Labor government?

The answer lies in Anthony Albanese’s reliance on two seriously unwise ministers, Penny Wong and Richard Marles. Penny Wong took a decision in 2016, five years before AUKUS, not to be at odds with the Coalition on foreign policy on any core issue. You cannot get into controversy as the foreign spokesperson for the Labor Party if you adopt the foreign policy of the Liberal Party – if you are on a unity ticket to deny the Liberals any wedge on foreign policy and defence.

You may stay out of trouble, but you are compromised. Self-compromised.

The cost was that Labor entered a policy depression on Asia – a bit like a low weather trough but in foreign policy. This trough – all five years of it – had Penny Wong and Labor on a unity ticket with Julie Bishop and Marise Payne – a unity ticket which supported the United States dominating East Asia – but not as the balancing power to all the other states, including China, but as the primary strategic power – notwithstanding that the United States was a country not resident in the metropolitan zone of Asia but on a continent of its own, 10,000 kilometres away – the other side of the world.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511362 (151026ZMAR23) Notable: Paul Keating calls nuclear submarines deal worst decision by Labor government since WWI conscription - Former prime minister Paul Keating has launched an extraordinary attack on the Albanese government over its adoption of the AUKUS pact, accusing it of making the worst foreign policy decision by a Labor government since the attempted introduction of conscription in World War I. Keating singled out Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minster Richard Marles for strident criticism, accusing them of setting Australia down a “dangerous path” by deepening ties with its closest security allies.

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>>42651

>>42675

Paul Keating calls nuclear submarines deal worst decision by Labor government since WWI conscription

Matthew Knott - March 15, 2023

Former prime minister Paul Keating has launched an extraordinary attack on the Albanese government over its adoption of the AUKUS pact, accusing it of making the worst foreign policy decision by a Labor government since the attempted introduction of conscription in World War I.

In a speech released to journalists, Keating singled out Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minster Richard Marles for strident criticism, accusing them of setting Australia down a “dangerous path” by deepening ties with its closest security allies.

Keating’s intervention at a fiery appearance at the National Press Club, in which he jousted with journalists while blasting senior members of his own party, came on the day after the government revealed a plan to spend up to $368 billion acquiring nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and United Kingdom.

Keating has been strongly critical of AUKUS since it was announced in September 2021 by the former Morrison government, saying it undermined Australian sovereignty and risked provoking conflict with China.

He said signing up to AUKUS had broken Labor’s long “winning streak” on foreign policy over the past century and was a “deeply pathetic” moment in the party’s history.

“Falling into a major mistake, Anthony Albanese, befuddled by his own small-target election strategy, emerges as prime minister with an American sword to rattle at the neighbourhood to impress upon it the United States’ esteemed view of its untrammelled destiny,” he said in remarks released before his appearance.

“Naturally, I should prefer to be singing the praises of the government in all matters, but these issues carry deadly consequences for Australia and I believe it is incumbent on any former prime minister, particularly now, a Labor one, to alert the country to the dangerous and unnecessary journey on which the government is now embarking.

“This week, Anthony Albanese screwed into place the last shackle in the long chain the United States has laid out to contain China.”

Answering a question about how Labor came to support the AUKUS pact, he said: “The answer lies in Anthony Albanese’s reliance on two seriously unwise ministers: Penny Wong and Richard Marles.

“Penny Wong took a decision in 2016, five years before AUKUS, not to be at odds with the Coalition on foreign policy on any core issue. You cannot get into controversy as the foreign spokesperson for the Labor Party if you adopt the foreign policy of the Liberal Party, if you are on a unity ticket to deny the Liberals any wedge on foreign policy and defence.

“You may stay out of trouble, but you are compromised. Self-compromised.”

Keating was particularly personal in his criticisms of Wong during a question and answer session, saying: “Running around the Pacific Islands with a lei around your neck handing out money, which is what Penny does, is not foreign policy. It’s a consular task. Foreign policy is what you do with the great powers: what you do with China, what you do with the United States.

“This government, the Albanese government, does not employ foreign policy.”

Keating said of Marles that he was “well-intentioned” but was “completely captured by the idea of America”.

Underlining his increasing isolation from the party he once led on foreign policy and defence, Keating revealed he had approached Albanese’s office for a meeting in February about the AUKUS pact but had not received a response.

He also received no reply from Albanese in the same month when he emailed the prime minister a “long paper” on the importance of sovereignty on foreign policy.

“I don’t think I suffer from relevance deprivation, but I do suffer concern for Australia as it most unwisely proceeds down this singular and dangerous path,” he said.

Keating presented a largely benign view of China’s rise, saying it was “not the old Soviet Union” and was “not seeking to propagate some competing international ideology” to the United States.

“The fact is China is not an outrider,” he said.

“China is a world trading state – it is not about upending the international system.”

Keating said: “Every Labor Party branch member will wince when they realise that the party we all fight for is returning to our former colonial master, Britain, to find our security in Asia – 236 years after Europeans first grabbed the continent from its Indigenous people.

“That of all things, a contemporary Labor government is shunning security in Asia for security in and within the Anglosphere.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/paul-keating-calls-nuclear-submarines-worst-decision-by-labor-government-since-wwi-conscription-20230315-p5csba.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18511440 (151052ZMAR23) Notable: ACT DPP Shane Drumgold hires top NSW silk Mark Tedeschi KC ahead of Lehrmann inquiry - Zach Rolfe’s barrister and the crown prosecutor who put away serial killer Ivan Milat will play key roles in the upcoming independent inquiry into the handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape claim. The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold SC, has hired Sydney silk Mark Tedeschi KC to represent him at the inquiry while Steven Whybrow SC – who represented Bruce Lehrmann at his aborted rape trial – has hired Adelaide silk David Edwardson KC.

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ACT DPP Shane Drumgold hires top NSW silk Mark Tedeschi KC ahead of Lehrmann inquiry

KRISTIN SHORTEN - MARCH 15, 2023

Zach Rolfe’s barrister and the crown prosecutor who put away serial killer Ivan Milat will play key roles in the upcoming independent inquiry into the handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape claim.

The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold SC, has hired Sydney silk Mark Tedeschi KC to represent him at the inquiry while Steven Whybrow SC – who represented Bruce Lehrmann at his aborted rape trial – has hired Adelaide silk David Edwardson KC.

Complicating matters, however, is that for the past two years Mr Tedeschi has been prosecuting a money-laundering case against Canberra lawyer Ben Aulich in the ACT Magistrates Court alongside the investigation’s officer in charge, ACT Police Manager of Criminal Investigations Detective Superintendent Scott Moller, whom he may now have to cross-examine at the inquiry.

The Australian has previously revealed that senior police believed there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Lehrmann and that Superintendent Moller, who oversaw the investigation into Ms Higgins’ alleged rape, recorded in his police diary that there was “too much political interference” in the case.

He is expected to be questioned at the inquiry, which will examine how Mr Lehrmann’s matter was handled and a relationship breakdown between the DPP and AFP.

ACT police chief Neil Gaughan and Mr Lehrmann have ­accused Mr Drumgold of misconduct while Mr Drumgold claims there was “a very clear campaign” by police to pressure him not to prosecute Mr Lehrmann.

Mr Tedeschi, who will represent Mr Drumgold at the inquiry, was NSW senior crown prosecutor before resigning in 2018 to return to private practice.

During his 21 years as senior prosecutor, the 71-year-old ran several high-profile cases, including those of convicted child killers Kathleen Folbigg and Keli Lane, kidnapper and double murderer Bruce Burrell, Milat, and Gordon Wood.

In 2008, the latter was convicted of killing 24-year-old Caroline Byrne in 1995 at The Gap in Sydney’s eastern suburbs but after serving three years of a 13-year sentence, Mr Wood was acquitted of his girlfriend’s murder.

The barrister who got him acquitted on appeal was Tim Game SC, who has been hired to represent ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates at the inquiry.

As a commonwealth agency, ACT Policing will be represented at the inquiry by the Australian Government Solicitor with assistance from the AFP’s internal legal area, while its officers appearing have the choice of legal representation from the AGS or a personally nominated representative.

Mr Edwardson, representing Mr Whybrow, represented Northern Territory police officer Mr Rolfe last year where after a five-week trial, he was found not guilty of murdering Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker during a 2019 arrest at Yuendumu.

Mr Edwardson has appeared in many high-profile cases, including the successful defence of former West Australian barrister and crown prosecutor Lloyd Rayney against police convinced he had murdered his wife, Corryn.

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

Mr Lehrmann was later charged with sexual intercourse without consent. The 28-year-old’s Supreme Court trial was aborted in October because of juror misconduct and immediately listed for retrial in February.

In December, Mr Drumgold said he would not prosecute the case again because of the impact it would have on Ms Higgins’ mental health. He said while he believed the evidence offered a reasonable prospect of conviction, he did not believe it was in the public interest to proceed.

Within a week, Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury announced establishment of a Board of Inquiry into the Criminal Justice System in the ACT.

Retired judge of the Queensland Supreme Court and Court of Appeal Walter Sofronoff KC is conducting the inquiry. The board will hold an initial public hearing on April 17 to outline the nature and scope of the inquiry, with further public hearings from April 26.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/act-dpp-shane-drumgold-hires-top-nsw-silk-mark-tedeschi-kc-ahead-of-lehrmann-inquiry/news-story/2643d714175ce7306e274fc61866b695

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18517111 (160946ZMAR23) Notable: ‘Outraged’: Bruce Lehrmann breaks silence in the witness box - Speaking publicly for the first time since allegations of rape were made against him, former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has given evidence he was “outraged” after media outlets began reporting the allegations by Brittany Higgins, although he had not been named. Mr Lehrmann said he wanted to commence defamation proceedings, but was advised by his then lawyer to wait until the resolution of criminal proceedings.

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>>42591

‘Outraged’: Bruce Lehrmann breaks silence in the witness box

STEPHEN RICE - MARCH 16, 2023

Speaking publicly for the first time since allegations of rape were made against him, former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has given evidence he was “outraged” after media outlets began reporting the allegations by Brittany Higgins, although he had not been named.

Mr Lehrmann said he wanted to commence defamation proceedings, but was advised by his then lawyer to wait until the resolution of criminal proceedings.

Mr Lehrmann gave evidence in the Federal Court on Thursday about a series of texts he had exchanged with his then-girlfriend while sitting in his solicitor’s office on the day the reports appeared.

A report containing the contents of Mr Lehrmann’s mobile phone has been compiled, with lawyers for the media outlets suggesting text messages he sent contradict one of the reasons he has given for his delay in bringing the action within the prescribed period - that he was advised by his then lawyers against pursuing defamation proceedings.

Mr Lehrmann sent a message to his girlfriend saying: “If I am named tonight, then he says I’m up for millions”.

Mr Lehrmann agreed he was referring to his solicitor in the message but said he was simply placating his girlfriend, because she was upset and distraught.

“I was putting on a brave face to Ms Sinclair,” he said. “I was not telling her the exact advice Warwick Korn was giving me.”

Mr Lehrmann said references to a potential defamation win were merely to placate her and that he had been seeking legal advice in relation to the criminal proceedings.

Mr Lehrmann said he was ”upset” and wanted to “fight back”.

Lawyers for the Ten Network and News Corp are fighting to strike out a defamation claim by Mr Lehrmann on the basis that he failed to launch the proceedings within the required 12 month time limit.

Mr Lehrmann’s barrister, Steven Whybrow SC, who also acted for him in the rape trial, argues the time limit should be extended because Mr Lehrmann was delayed by the criminal proceedings against him and because of his fragile mental health.

He also says his then-lawyer advised him to delay filing the civil action.

Mr Lehrmann told the court he was suspended from his job at British American Tobacco the day after the reports appeared

Mr Lehrmann said he became aware of journalist Rosie Lewis from The Australian making inquiries about him.

He said he presented himself to Royal North Shore hospital and was kept there overnight. He said he wasn’t aware that he was placed on 30 minute observation. He subsequently went to another facility for 12 days.

At that point the media was staking out his home.

Barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, acting for Ten’s Lisa Wilkinson, told the Federal Court that many defamation cases involved ongoing criminal matters and that was no reason to allow an extension of time.

”Insofar as all the defamation barristers sitting in the bar table are concerned, many, many, many cases are brought by persons who have been charged, by persons who are accused of criminal offences that have not been charged and might be charged,’ Ms Chrysanthou said.

“Most defamation cases in this court concern serious conduct, amounting to crimes; the only other category really is serious professional incompetence or negligence.

“In circumstances where the media often accuse people of crimes whether there’s extant criminal proceedings or not, it seems wrong to us that a plaintiff is entitled to avoid the one year limitation period, …. that they can just avoid that because they’ve been accused of a crime.”

News Corp and the Ten Network filed their defences in the Federal Court last week, each providing an identical 79-point account of the alleged facts leading up to, during and after the alleged rape in Parliament House in March 2019, which they claim are “substantially true”.

Mr Lehrmann, who has consistently denied raping Ms Higgins, launched defamation proceedings against Ten and News Life Media Pty Ltd – an arm of News Corp Australia – in the Federal Court a month ago.

Lisa Wilkinson, former co-host of The Project, and Samantha Maiden, political editor for news.com.au, are second respondents in the proceedings.

Wilkinson filed her own defence two weeks ago – after unexpectedly ditching Ten’s legal team – denying that she was seeking to exploit allegations of sexual assault against Mr Lehrmann for personal and professional gain.

Both media outlets, and Wilkinson and Maiden, will rely on defences of truth and qualified privilege.

The hearing continues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/outraged-bruce-lehrmann-breaks-silence-in-the-witness-box/news-story/fa1fd3587d2250065424b29fe3690343

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18517144 (161003ZMAR23) Notable: ‘ISIS bride’ Mariam Raad fronts court charged with travelling to declared zone - Prosecutors are gathering financial records and scouring mobile devices for messages to prove that the wife of ISIS’s star Australian recruiter willingly entered a declared area, now confirmed as being the terrorist group’s stronghold Raqqa, in Syria. Police allege Ms Raad, who has four children by maths teacher turned ISIS recruiter Muhammad Zahab, travelled to Syria willingly in 2014 and was aware of her husband‘s activities. Ms Raad along with 16 other wives and children of Australian Islamic State fighters was repatriated in October, after spending years in al-Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp near the Iraqi border.

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‘ISIS bride’ Mariam Raad fronts court charged with travelling to declared zone

RHIANNON DOWN - MARCH 15, 2023

Prosecutors are gathering financial records and scouring mobile devices for messages to prove that the wife of ISIS’s star Australian recruiter willingly entered a declared area, now confirmed as being the terrorist group’s stronghold Raqqa, in Syria.

The so-called “ISIS bride” Mariam Raad, 31, fronted Young Local Court on Wednesday wearing a brown hijab and covering her face with a mask and large sunglasses while accompanied by her brother.

Ms Raad was arrested and charged with entering a ­declared area, the Islamic State self-declared capital, in January and was granted bail.

Prosecutors said that they were seeking to gather further “outstanding items” from overseas, “financial records” and “messages from mobile devices” and were granted an eight week extension to gather evidence.

The court heard that Ms Raad – who remained silent throughout the short hearing – would not be required to attend her next hearing, and the case would be moved to Goulburn court.

Police allege Ms Raad, who has four children by maths teacher turned ISIS recruiter Muhammad Zahab, travelled to Syria willingly in 2014 and was aware of her husband‘s activities. Ms Raad along with 16 other wives and children of Australian Islamic State fighters was repatriated in October, after spending years in al-Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp near the Iraqi border.

Zahab, who rose to become ISIS’s most senior Australian fighter before he was likely killed in an air strike in 2018, persuaded dozens of relatives to join him in Syria.

Australian Federal Police and NSW Police investigators from the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team laid charges against Ms Raad and executed search warrants on a home in Young, on NSW’s southwest slopes and Parklea, after “newly obtained evidence” came to light.

Ms Raad has been under close surveillance by police and security agencies since she was brought home to Young.

When The Australian visited the simple house, ringed by vegetable garden beds at the end of a dirt road 10 minutes from Young, a man who claimed to be Ms Raad’s brother said Ms Raad was coping but had nothing to say to media.

In an interview with The Australian at al-Roj Ms Raab pleaded to be permitted to ­return to Australia, saying she lived in fear that her sons would be removed from her.

“I want my kids to have a chance at a real future,” she said. “I want them to start their education and I want to know what’s wrong with my daughter.

“I’m stressed. It’s not easy being a single mother with four children in a camp. The boys are growing older and I go to sleep every night imagining they will be taken away from me.’’

“It will be alleged in court that the woman travelled to Syria in early 2014 to join her husband, who left Australia in 2013 and joined Islamic State,” AFP and NSW Police said in a joint statement in January.

“It will also be alleged the woman was aware of her husband’s activities with Islamic State, and willingly travelled to the conflict region.”

Ms Raad and her children – two boys born in Australia and two girls born in Syria – spent three years living in deteriorating conditions in the refugee camps in northeast Syria.

At the time of her arrest police hinted that other women who spent time in the conflict zone could also face charges.

Young, known for its cherry trees, has become the “unofficial Muslim capital of the outback” with a tight-knit community living a quiet life on the land on the grassy hills surrounding the town.

Just a few hundred metres from Ms Raad’s rural property live the family of Haisem Zahab, her husband’s cousin who was arrested in Young in 2017 and later jailed for designing guided missiles and laser warning devices for Islamic State.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/isis-bride-mariam-raad-fronts-court-charged-with-travelling-to-declared-zone/news-story/acf094fbb7b00b60707afafab851261e

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18517202 (161022ZMAR23) Notable: 328,000 IDs feared stolen in ‘sophisticated’ Latitude Financial hack - Consumer finance provider Latitude Financial said it has been the victim of a hacking incident and believes identification documents of 328,000 customers were stolen, including the driver’s licence details of about 100,000 customers. Latitude provides consumer finance services to Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Apple and recently signed up David Jones. The company declined to say if consumers who are using financing from these companies are impacted.

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328,000 IDs feared stolen in ‘sophisticated’ Latitude Financial hack

Colin Kruger - March 16, 2023

Consumer finance provider Latitude Financial said it has been the victim of a hacking incident and believes identification documents of 328,000 customers were stolen, including the driver’s licence details of about 100,000 customers.

Latitude provides consumer finance services to Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Apple and recently signed up David Jones. The company declined to say if consumers who are using financing from these companies are impacted.

“Latitude apologises to the impacted customers and is taking immediate steps to contact them,” the company said in a statement to the ASX.

Latitude has drawn criticism from experts on the breach of its systems. “Here is another case of credential theft after Medibank incident. It’s time for the Australian companies to think hard about password and identity management,” Dr Jabed Chowdhury, a lecturer at La Trobe University’s Cyber Security Program, said.

“Two steps even three steps password protection mechanism is the need of the time.”

Latitude said the details were stolen from service providers it uses. The company did not clarify further, but this is believed to refer to companies that provide corporate services to Latitude.

The company said it was continuing to respond to what it describes as a malicious and sophisticated cyberattack and has removed access to some customer-facing and internal systems.

Unusual activity was noticed on its network earlier this week, originating from a major vendor it uses.

“While Latitude took immediate action, the attacker was able to obtain Latitude employee login credentials before the incident was isolated,” it said.

“The attacker appears to have used the employee login credentials to steal personal information that was held by two other service providers.”

Latitude is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and said it had alerted relevant law enforcement agencies.

Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neil said she welcomed Latitude’s cooperative approach with the ACSC and regulators to minimise the damage resulting from this incident.

“This incident is another reminder for everyone in the community to be vigilant about their personal cybersecurity,” she said.

Latitude has been placed into a trading halt until a further update is released about the hack attack in coming days. The stock last traded at $1.20. Investors paid $2.60 for shares when it listed on the ASX less than two years ago.

Analysts are already expecting that the incident will trigger a multi-million dollar bill, but the longer-term damage is harder to assess.

“Longer term, the impact on the business is more difficult to gauge, as it is unclear presently what the extent of the incident will be and how much franchise damage that will cause,” Citi analyst Thomas Strong said in a note to client.

The attack follows recent major cyberattacks at Optus and Medibank.

Optus was the victim of a major cyber breach in September, with hackers obtaining the data of 10 million of its customers.

The breach will cost Optus at least $140 million, including replacing hacked identity documents, complimentary subscriptions to credit monitor Equifax and an independent report commissioned by Deloitte. The telco is also being investigated by Australia’s privacy and telecommunications watchdogs.

Medibank’s incident in October was more serious with criminals accessing basic account details of 9.7 million current and former customers as well as health claims data for about 160,000 Medibank customers, 300,000 customers of its budget arm, ahm, and 20,000 international customers.

The hackers began leaking some stolen data onto the dark web and Medibank lost $2 billion from its market valuation at the height of the crisis. It still faces lawsuits and an investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner over its handling of the incident.

https://www.theage.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/328-000-ids-feared-stolen-in-sophisticated-latitude-financial-hack-20230316-p5cslo.html

https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20230316/pdf/45mqrr4z1tb693.pdf

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18517224 (161029ZMAR23) Notable: Queensland to ban Nazi swastika tattoos as part of crackdown on hate symbols - The Queensland government has vowed to make it illegal to display Nazi swastika tattoos as part of its ban on hate symbols that it says will be among the strongest in the country. It will join New South Wales, which has already implemented a ban on displaying the symbol, in applying the restriction to tattoos. Western Australia and Tasmania are also moving to include tattoos in their proposed bans.

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>>>/qresearch/18235456 (pb)

Queensland to ban Nazi swastika tattoos as part of crackdown on hate symbols

Exclusive: State will join NSW, WA and Tasmania in banning tattoos with hate symbols ‘that seek to invoke fear’

Eden Gillespie - 16 Mar 2023

The Queensland government has vowed to make it illegal to display Nazi swastika tattoos as part of its ban on hate symbols that it says will be among the strongest in the country.

It will join New South Wales, which has already implemented a ban on displaying the symbol, in applying the restriction to tattoos. Western Australia and Tasmania are also moving to include tattoos in their proposed bans.

But Victoria – which was the first state in Australia to ban the public display of the Nazi swastika – has excluded tattoos. An Australian Capital Territory bill has a similar exclusion.

The Queensland government told Guardian Australia that proposed ban will be introduced into parliament within a fortnight.

A spokesperson for the state’s attorney general, Shannon Fentiman, said the laws would “strengthen Queensland’s hate crime laws” and make it illegal to display hate symbols “such as those related to Nazi ideology”.

“The government is committed to protecting our diverse communities,” the spokesperson said. “Unlike the Victorian and ACT approaches, we do not intend to provide a specific exception for tattoos.”

Victoria considered a ban on swastika tattoos but it was considered incompatible with the state’s charter of human rights, given it would restrict a person’s rights to freedom of movement and expression, as well as to take part in public life. It also was considered difficult to enforce.

The president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, Jason Steinberg, said the proposed legislation was a step in the right direction. “The banning of Nazi hate symbols, including tattoos, is a really welcome initiative,” Steinberg said.

“They’re symbols of hate that represent the murder of six million innocent Jewish people and five million others that were industrially slaughtered by the Nazi regime.

“People who have these symbols … should know that it’s a criminal offence and our society shouldn’t and can’t tolerate it.”

The anti-fascist group the White Rose Society said the state’s legislation was a “welcome improvement” on current laws but called for the introduction of an extremist symbol database that is regularly updated.

“We’ve seen that white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups use graffiti and stickering as a tactic to claim public space and exclude those they deem as undesirable others through creating an intimidating atmosphere,” a White Rose Society spokesperson said.

“We’ve also seen where swastika bans have been implemented in other states that they’ve quickly been subverted through the use of alterations and alternative symbols.”

Guardian Australia revealed in January that three men had been charged with wilful damage in relation to the displaying of neo-Nazi material after police conducted raids on three separate addresses across south-east Queensland.

It came after separate unrelated incidents in which Nazi propaganda was distributed throughout Brisbane suburbs last year and a pig’s head was left outside Arundel mosque.

The White Rose Society said combating white supremacy required a “whole-of-society approach”.

“Our concern is that the Queensland government will pass these laws and then think the job is done,” they said. “We can’t jail our way out of the rise of far-right extremism.”

The attorney general’s spokesperson said the list of symbols banned under the legislation would be prescribed by regulation after consultation, “meaning our laws will extend to all hateful ideologies that seek to invoke fear”.

But there would be an exemption for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains for whom swastikas are religious symbols. There will also be an exemption for when hate symbols were used for educational purposes.

The state government will also introduce reforms to include a circumstance of aggravation for a range of offences, including public nuisance, where the offence is motivated by hatred or prejudice.

“This will mean that a court is able to impose more severe penalties for these offences,” the spokesperson said. “Whether the offences will apply to certain behaviours or situations will depend on the specific circumstances in each case.

“While decisions on whether to charge will remain a matter for police, initiatives will be in place to educate and train police officers about the new laws to improve police responses to hate crimes and vilification.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/16/queensland-to-ban-nazi-swastika-tattoos-as-part-of-crackdown-on-hate-symbols

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18530552 (181214ZMAR23) Notable: Lehrmann shocked at judge’s secret guilty-plea comment - In his first media interview, Bruce Lehrmann has revealed the judge who presided over his trial for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins made a comment to his barrister at a secret meeting early in the trial, which Mr Lehrmann says showed a possible “apprehension of bias” against him.

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>>42591

Lehrmann shocked at judge’s secret guilty-plea comment

In his first interview, Bruce Lehrmann has revealed the judge who presided over his trial for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins made a comment to his barrister, which showed a possible ‘apprehension of bias’ against him.

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and STEPHEN RICE - March 17, 2023

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In his first media interview, Bruce Lehrmann has revealed the judge who presided over his trial for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins made a comment to his barrister at a secret meeting early in the trial, which Mr Lehrmann says showed a possible “apprehension of bias” against him.

The former Liberal staffer, now 27, has been reluctant to speak publicly about the events that saw him catapulted into the national consciousness after Ms Higgins accused him of raping her on a couch in Parliament House in March 2019.

But Mr Lehrmann is breaking his silence because he believes a comment made to his lawyer by Chief Justice Lucy McCallum in which she contemplated a guilty plea – that would have almost certainly sent him to prison — has profound implications for the criminal justice system.

Mr Lehrmann has told The Weekend Australian that when Ms Higgins failed to turn up to court midway through her cross-examination, and barely a week into a trial originally set down for six weeks, Chief Justice McCallum informed his lawyer that if Mr Lehrmann pleaded guilty she would take that early plea into consideration when sentencing him.

Mr Lehrmann said his barrister, Steven Whybrow SC, considered the judge’s comment would be so upsetting to his client that he did not tell him at the time. The comment was made at an early point in the trial when Ms Higgins had given only part of her evidence and failed to return to court when ­expected, reportedly for mental health reasons, and ­before more than two dozen witnesses had ­appeared.

Senior criminal lawyers contacted by The Weekend Australian say that when a judge informs an accused person that a guilty plea will result in a discount on sentence, that should always happen in open court, where it is recorded in a transcript, and where judges can make the appropriate comments to avoid a perception of bias.

Mr Lehrmann, who has always denied the accusations against him, says that he only recently learnt of the conversation and was shocked. “I’ve only found this out a few weeks ago and I was choking back tears,” he said. Rightly or wrongly, he interpreted the judge’s comments as an invitation to plead guilty.

“I took her comments to mean that if I did the ‘right thing’ by pleading guilty, given Ms Higgins was suffering mental health issues, the judge would do the right thing by me come sentencing,” Mr Lehrmann said.

He said he was content with the decision by his barrister not to relay the comment to him at the time, because of previous instructions he had provided.

“I mean, I was quite upset. Steve, of course apologised for not telling me, however, his justification for not telling me is incredibly sound because he and the rest of my team knew that I was never ever going to change my plea,” Mr Lehrmann said.

“The other aspect was, as he says, he has a duty of care and the amount of stress that I’ve been under, he was trying to keep me alive.”

He said he felt the comments raised a risk of an apprehension of bias. “There were some people around me that said there should have been an application to have her recused,” Mr Lehrmann said. A senior member of the Sydney Bar told The Weekend Australian that Chief Justice McCallum’s comments were unusual. “The first point is that he [Lehrmann] was at that stage in the jury’s charge, not the judge’s charge,” the barrister, who asked not to be identified, told The Weekend Australian.

“The judge is judge of the law, but not the judge of the facts; and while someone could always ­suddenly plead guilty in the middle of the trial, it’s certainly not for the judge to be doing anything to suggest or encourage that course.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18530599 (181225ZMAR23) Notable: Bruce Lehrmann trial: Balancing interests of complainants and defendants - "Understandably, many in the legal fraternity are concerned to learn that, barely five days into the rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann, ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum told Lehrmann’s defence lawyer during a secret conversation that, should his client decide to plead guilty, she would take that into ­account when sentencing. Justice McCallum is constrained in her capacity to respond to questions put to her on the issue. If she could speak freely she might say that it is entirely commonplace, and indeed necessary, to inform an accused that an early plea will result in a discount on sentence. That is not in dispute. But such conversations should occur in open court where a judge can eliminate any risk of a perception of bias by fully explaining any comments made." - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

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>>42591

>>42683

Bruce Lehrmann trial: Balancing interests of complainants and defendants

JANET ALBRECHTSEN - MARCH 18, 2023

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Understandably, many in the legal fraternity are concerned to learn that, barely five days into the rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann, ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum told Lehrmann’s defence lawyer during a secret conversation that, should his client decide to plead guilty, she would take that into ­account when sentencing.

This is not a niche legal issue. It raises yet again the concern that in these days of #MeToo, too many people, right up to the judiciary, are overcorrecting in the struggle to find the right balance between protecting the rights of victims of alleged sexual assault and the rights of defendants.

The context of the Chief Justice’s secret conversation is critical to understanding why it is so troubling. First, McCallum secretly raised the possibility of a guilty plea with defence barrister Steven Whybrow barely a week into a trial originally set down for six weeks. The jury was sitting and was therefore charged with determining the facts. The judge’s role in a jury trial is to oversee the law.

Second, Brittany Higgins had not finished being cross-examined over her allegation that she was raped in the early hours of March 23, 2019, when she and Lehrmann returned to Parliament House after a boozy night out.

Third, Higgins’s version of events was beginning to unravel. Whybrow’s cross-examination of the complainant exposed discrepancies in her original evidence. Higgins had claimed she put the dress she wore on the night of the alleged rape under her bed, unwashed, for six months; during cross examination she admitted she wore the dress some seven weeks later at a campaign dinner with her boss, Linda Reynolds.

Higgins claimed she suffered a panic attack in a parliament bathroom for possibly some hours on April 4, 2019, when Reynolds’ chief of staff texted her to check on her. Higgins was forced to admit she was at farewell celebrations for her former boss Steve Ciobo. Higgins originally claimed she asked her father to come to Canberra after the alleged rape; cross examination revealed his visit had been prearranged. Higgins made multiple statements to various people and police that she had made or been to doctors’ appointments but had not been to any; there was no evidence they were made.

Justice McCallum is constrained in her capacity to respond to questions put to her on the issue. If she could speak freely she might say that it is entirely commonplace, and indeed necessary, to inform an accused that an early plea will result in a discount on sentence. That is not in dispute. But such conversations should occur in open court where a judge can eliminate any risk of a perception of bias by fully explaining any comments made.

During cross examination, Higgins admitted deleting phone messages prior to going to police, including text exchanges with a Parliament House security guard on the afternoon of the alleged rape, and deleting a single message from a text thread with her former boyfriend Ben Dillaway where she said “Not interested in pursuing, but it’s all beyond strange”. Higgins also acknowledged, during cross-examination, refusing to hand her phone to police and making appointments with police that she didn’t turn up to, texting boyfriend David Sharaz: “I’m clearing out my phone ahead of the police.”

Cross-examination also revealed Higgins had drafted chapter headings and an outline for a book before her interview with The Project and before going to police. Further, on March 16, 2021 she received confirmation from Peter FitzSimons there was a publisher’s offer of $325,000.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18530774 (181256ZMAR23) Notable: Neo-Nazi group marches into pro and anti-transgender protest in Melbourne’s CBD - A female police officer was allegedly placed in a headlock while another was allegedly slapped on the neck in a clash between pro-transgender and anti-transgender activists on Saturday (March 18 2023). The rally attracted a heavy police presence in the area including officers from the public order response team and the mounted branch. The group of men, dressed in black, performed multiple Nazi salutes while holding a sign that read: “Destroy Paedo Freaks.” Among the crowd was neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell, who founded the far-right European Australia Movement.

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Neo-Nazi group marches into pro and anti-transgender protest in Melbourne’s CBD

Brianna Travers, Grace Baldwin and Regan Hodge - March 18, 2023

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A female police officer was allegedly placed in a headlock while another was allegedly slapped on the neck in a clash between pro-transgender and anti-transgender activists on Saturday.

A Point Cook man, 22, was arrested for allegedly putting the officer in a headlock and taking her to the ground, while a Thornbury woman, 23, was arrested for the alleged slapping.

If convicted, the two protesters are expected to face six month mandatory jail sentences for allegedly assaulting police.

A third person, a 22-year-old from Preston, was also arrested for unlawful assault.

Victoria Police said it was a dynamic demonstration.

“Some of these groups failed to engage with police in the lead-up to the protest, or altered their plans without notice, resulting in the potential for multiple clashes between the opposing groups,” a police spokeswoman said.

“Consequently, officers were required to form many lines between the different groups to protect the safety of all involved, stop breaches of the peace and prevent any physical violence.”

The two police officers were not injured.

It came as masked men performed Nazi salutes in Melbourne’s CBD while they crashed the demonstration between pro-transgender and anti-transgender activists.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside Parliament House on Spring St about midday.

The rally attracted a heavy police presence in the area including officers from the public order response team and the mounted branch.

The group of men, dressed in black, performed multiple Nazi salutes while holding a sign that read: “Destroy Paedo Freaks.”

Among the crowd was neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell, who founded the far-right European Australia Movement.

Sewell, 29, was convicted and sentenced to 150 hours of community work in January after punching a Channel 9 security guard.

Last year he duped a Melbourne beer hall into hosting a celebration of Adolf Hitler’s birthday.

Prior to their arrival, Kellie-Jay Keen, a British trans-exclusionary women’s activist, had been speaking on the Spring St steps.

Her visit attracted supporters as well as counter-protesters.

Ms Keen, also known as Posie Parker, has been travelling across Australia and New Zealand on a tour titled “Let Women Speak”.

Her tour hosts public events to discuss transgender laws and policy and has been sponsored by Binary Australia — an organisation dedicated to the idea that “biological sex plays an important role in our society”.

Ms Keen’s gatherings have caused occasionally violent clashes between trans-inclusionary activists and her own fans across the country, with a strong police presence at each rally.

Over the past week, Ms Keen has held events in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

On Saturday she was surrounded by people holding signs emblazoned with slogans including “men can never be lesbians” and “woman is a fact not a gender identity”.

Other notable presences at the rally included the divisive Katherine Deves, known for her vehement campaigning against trans women being allowed in women-only spaces.

Ms Deves shared pictures of the rally to social media, calling her opposition “anti-woman protesters” and observing “armed and mounted police holding back aggressive protesters to protect the women and supporters at a women’s rights rally”.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18530856 (181309ZMAR23) Notable: Soldiers of hate: Army investigates neo-Nazis in its ranks - "The Australian Army has launched an urgent investigation after discovering serving soldiers have links to neo-Nazi groups. The inquiry was triggered by an investigation by this masthead into white supremacist groups which features leaked recordings and conversations from encrypted forums that reveal an emerging cohort of Australian extremist leaders seeking to access firearms and ridiculing law enforcement." - Nick McKenzie - theage.com.au

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Soldiers of hate: Army investigates neo-Nazis in its ranks

Nick McKenzie - March 18, 2023

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The Australian Army has launched an urgent investigation after discovering serving soldiers have links to neo-Nazi groups.

The inquiry was triggered by an investigation by this masthead into white supremacist groups which features leaked recordings and conversations from encrypted forums that reveal an emerging cohort of Australian extremist leaders seeking to access firearms and ridiculing law enforcement.

This masthead’s investigation unearthed links between extremist groups and Australian Defence Force members, as well as state police forces. The Queensland Police also launched an inquiry into connections between two serving police and alleged white supremacists.

The investigation also established the identities of emerging or previously unknown neo-Nazi leaders around the country, some with a keen interest in obtaining firearms and training in their use.

At least three soldiers appear to have joined the military after being active members or liaising closely with white supremacist groups, including those monitored by Australian security and intelligence agencies.

One soldier’s social media footprint reveals his involvement with a white supremacist outfit called Operation Werewolf.

A security briefing seen by the investigation described Operation Werewolf as a group that “strives for Aryan supremacy”, with Australian members who “undertake survivalist training including unarmed combat, weapons training and hunting”.

Before joining the military, a second serving soldier attended a training camp for neo-Nazi group Antipodean Resistance, which advocates a race war and has been the subject of intensive ASIO investigations. This soldier previously socialised with at least two members of Australia’s largest neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network.

While the number of ADF recruits with neo-Nazi backgrounds appears small, and there is no evidence they have engaged in extremist activities while in the military, their discovery raises questions about the adequacy of military vetting.

The US military is grappling with cases of infiltration by active white supremacists on a scale far greater than that in Australia.

A security source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the ADF still had gaps in its vetting programs that made it vulnerable to neo-Nazi infiltration.

Defence declined to comment on individual soldiers but said it investigates and acts when personnel are identified as potentially involved in unlawful or inappropriate activities.

There was “no place for unlawful or inappropriate association with groups or organisations that engage in advocacy for extremist ideology, extremist views, or criminal activity within the Australian Defence Force”, it said in a statement. “Defence works closely with law enforcement and intelligence agencies to identify and counter threats to Defence and Defence personnel involving ideologically motivated extremism.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18537925 (190828ZMAR23) Notable: Texts reveal Bruce Lehrmann sought ‘gear’ to ‘get lit’ on night of Brittany Higgins TV interview - Bruce Lehrmann texted a friend asking “got any gear” on the night Brittany Higgins appeared on television making her rape allegations, according to a trove of messages and documents released by the Federal Court.

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>>42591

Texts reveal Bruce Lehrmann sought ‘gear’ to ‘get lit’ on night of Brittany Higgins TV interview

STEPHEN RICE - MARCH 19, 2023

Bruce Lehrmann texted a friend asking “got any gear” on the night Brittany Higgins appeared on television making her rape allegations, according to a trove of messages and documents released by the Federal Court.

The WhatsApp messages reveal Mr Lehrmann telling friends “need bags” and confiding he wanted to “get lit” as he watched the Lisa Wilkinson interview with Ms Higgins while drinking scotch with his lawyer, Warwick Korn.

The texts also reveal Mr Lehrmann telling his then girlfriend, Greta Sinclair, as the evening progresses, “I’ve been pretty upset” and “we need to keep a close circle, so I can’t speak very much but I trust you with my life”.

Ms Sinclair responds: “That’s OK. And no worries, can keep a close circle. It’s scary.”

Mr Lehrmann reassures her that if he is named on the program, Channel 10 and the government “are up for a lot of money”.

She responds: Yep! I love you and we will get through this.”

Mr Lehrmann told the Federal Court on Thursday he lied in some texts sent to Ms Sinclair that night, including telling her his lawyer believed there was no chance of criminal proceedings against him, claiming he did so because she was distraught and he was “putting on a brave face”.

Mr Lehrmann said he had lied in claiming Mr Korn thought he was “up for millions” from a potential defamation payout in order to placate Ms Sinclair.

However, his evidence was challenged by lawyers from the media outlets he is suing, who say the text messages accurately reflected the advice he was being given, and he was well aware he could sue for defamation at that point.

Lawyers for the Ten Network and News Corp are fighting to strike out the lawsuit because Mr Lehrmann failed to launch proceedings within the required 12-month time limit. They say the texts contradict one of the reasons he has given for the delay in bringing the action – that he was advised by his then lawyers against pursuing defamation proceedings.

The newly released messages show Mr Lehrmann texted a friend at 10.11pm saying “Need bags”, followed by “Let’s get it done. No one has work tomorrow”. At 10.33pm he asks: “You got any gear?”

The friend responds: “No, I am at home. And you guys need to keep it clean. Enough!! Lots of kids around.”

Mr Lehrmann responds: “Nah ditch them or bring them.” He also texts Ms Sinclair claiming “I’m a pawn, Rick (lawyer) says as part of a bigger political hatchet job”.

Ms Sinclair immediately responds: “What about the CCTV?”

Mr Lehrmann responds: “Well as I said I went in got my stuff and she stayed and I left to go back to Alex at my apartment which we both rented together.”

She replies: “OK good.”

The texts show friends asking Mr Lehrmann if he knows “who the guy was” who is the subject of the rape allegation. Mr Lehrmann responds to one friend: “Not the faintest idea. I haven’t been approached by anyone.”

To another he replies” No idea in the slightest.”

Mr Lehrmann, who has consistently denied raping Ms Higgins, launched defamation proceedings against Ten and News Life Media Pty Ltd – an arm of News Corp Australia, publisher of The Weekend Australian – in the Federal Court a month ago.

Ms Wilkinson, former co-host of The Project, and Samantha Maiden, political editor for news.com.au, are second respondents in the proceedings. Both media outlets, Ms Wilkinson and Ms Maiden will rely on defences of truth and qualified privilege.

Justice Michael Lee will rule at a later date on whether to extend Mr Lehrmann’s deadline for bringing the case.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/texts-reveal-bruce-lehrmann-sought-gear-to-get-lit-on-night-of-brittany-higgins-tv-interview/news-story/78a3d6c378d2894af915322c1af2fdbe

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/18538063 (190910ZMAR23) Notable: Neo-Nazi salutes at protest could prompt changes to anti-vilification laws - The Victorian laws that ban displaying the swastika might be toughened after a group performed Nazi salutes on the steps of Parliament House

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Neo-Nazi salutes at protest could prompt changes to anti-vilification laws

Simone Fox Koob and Rachel Eddie - March 19, 2023

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