/qnotables26/ - ===Q Notables 2026===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24773574 (301054ZJUN26) Notable: NSW Premier Chris Minns faces Labor Party revolt over protest laws, slogan bans - NSW Premier Chris Minns is facing internal opposition ahead of the state Labor conference over his government's protest laws and proposal to ban slogans such as "globalise the intifada". Branches have submitted motions criticising post-Bondi protest restrictions, opposing proposed slogan bans on free speech grounds, and urging stronger criticism of Israel, with several calling for Australia to end defence ties. The Labor Israel Action Committee has instead called for disciplinary action against members engaging in antisemitic conduct. Former federal Labor MP Mike Kelly backed Minns' approach, praising his leadership in responding to antisemitism while urging respectful debate and warning some party members remained vulnerable to anti-Israel "propaganda". Minns is expected to address the divisions at this weekend's conference.

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NSW Premier Chris Minns faces Labor Party revolt over protest laws, slogan bans

LACHLAN LEEMING - June 29, 2026

NSW Premier Chris Minns is facing a revolt from party members over protest laws and a plan to ban pro-Palestine chants, as deep schisms over his attempts to protect the Jewish community threaten to erupt at this weekend’s state Labor conference.

A policy book for the first conference since the Bondi Beach terror attack shows dozens of motions submitted by branches calling on the federal government to sever defence ties with Israel; multiple branches also condemned protest laws introduced by the Minns government.

Various branches criticised military action by Israel, claiming aggression by the country had curtailed any chance of a two-state solution. Another branch accused Israel and the US of “an illegal act of unprovoked aggression” in the war against Iran.

While most motions regarding foreign conflicts have been referred to Labor’s national conference to be held in Adelaide in July, Mr Minns is facing a showdown with party members over actions taken by his government.

One motion, submitted by the Liverpool branch, calls on NSW ministers who supported protest laws strengthened post-Bondi to “consider alternate career ­choices”, saying “while genocide is a crime, protest is not”.

The Minns government introduced laws banning mobile protests in specific areas for up to three months in the wake of the Bondi Beach attacks, with the Premier saying at the time the restrictions were aimed at securing a “summer of calm”.

The laws were struck down by the NSW Court of Appeal this year, but are criticised in multiple motions tabled for conference.

The Liverpool branch said NSW Labor’s stance on protest was “atrocious” throughout their first term, while claiming “outrageous violence” was used by police at a rally against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Sydney visit in February.

The Kiama Labor branch urged a rethink on Mr Minns’s pledge to outlaw phrases like “globalise the intifada”, which has been put on ice pending a court case in Queensland against similar laws.

“Banning phrases that can mean different things in different contexts risks eroding our democratic right to free speech,” read the motion, which was recommended to be rejected by Labor’s managing committee.

Mr Minns will be tasked with traversing the split within his party in an address at the conference, where it is expected he will reveal major policies that Labor will campaign on in the lead-up to next year’s state election.

The raft of anti-Israel motions clash with submissions put forward by the Labor Israel Action Committee, which called for executive officials of Labor “at every level to take decisive disciplinary action against members of the party who engage in antisemitic or discriminatory activities or speech of any kind”.

Former federal Labor MP Mike Kelly, who co-wrote a letter late last year warning Mr Minns and Anthony Albanese of the need to crack down on inflammatory anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric within the party, raised the potential of the conference to turn into a political powder keg.

Mr Kelly, an associate member of the LIAC who will also sit on a panel during the conference discussing antisemitism within Australia, said he was heartened by progress within Labor’s NSW ­division to tackle the scourge, but added that many party members were still at risk of succumbing to anti-Israel “propaganda”.

“As LIAC, we very much support free speech and open debate – but we would encourage it to be respectful and civil,” he said, adding the NSW Premier had “demonstrated true leadership in our Australian context and has been a shining light as to what leaders should be doing”.

“We’ve seen people continue to engage in this process in elements of the party (which is) really dis­appointing … We would encourage respectful and informed discussion.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nsw-premier-chris-minns-faces-labor-party-revolt-over-protest-laws-slogan-bans/news-story/715f67814a8c24b04ac910e1bc5ae97b

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24773638 (301124ZJUN26) Notable: ‘Twisted steel, shattered structures’: AUKUS inquiry warned of nuclear disaster risk - (Video) A public inquiry examining the AUKUS submarine program has heard claims that Australia is inadequately prepared for a potential nuclear accident involving future nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling. Former public health official Colin Hughes presented a hypothetical scenario in which a structural failure escalates into a radiation emergency, arguing existing emergency planning is insufficient for such an event. The Australian Submarine Agency said it is developing a comprehensive nuclear safety management system with United States and United Kingdom expertise, citing Australia's long record of operating nuclear facilities safely. The inquiry, chaired by former Labor minister Peter Garrett, has also heard criticism from opponents of AUKUS, while supporters argue Australia must strengthen its strategic posture in response to a changing regional security environment.

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‘Twisted steel, shattered structures’: AUKUS inquiry warned of nuclear disaster risk

Rob Harris - June 29, 2026

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A crowd-funded probe into the contentious AUKUS pact will be warned that Australia is not prepared for any potential nuclear accident at naval base HMAS Stirling, arguing a worst-case failure could trigger explosions, mass evacuation and long-term environmental contamination.

As scrutiny intensifies over the $368 billion defence program, former public health official Colin Hughes will set out a hypothetical chain of events at a public hearing in Perth on Monday, in which structural failure at a submarine support facility escalates from industrial fire to radiation emergency, overwhelming hospitals and forcing exclusion zones to expand across surrounding suburbs and waterways.

Hughes, a former head of Public Health East Perth and a member of activist group the Medical Association for the Prevention of War, argues Australia lacks a comprehensive nuclear emergency framework beyond limited spill-response planning, warning that even a non-weapons nuclear incident could have “multi-decade consequences” for communities and the environment.

In an emotive and descriptive submission, Hughes describes emergency crews initially treating a conventional disaster at the Perth base before radiation alarms begin sounding, prompting withdrawal, containment operations and large-scale decontamination as contamination spreads on prevailing winds.

“Twisted steel hangs from shattered structures,” his evidence says. “Fires burn in dozens of locations. Radiation alarms on emergency vehicles begin sounding. Some responders stare at the readings, unsure whether the instruments are malfunctioning. Commanders quickly realise this is not a normal fire.”

It further describes hospitals rapidly becoming overwhelmed, evacuation zones expanding across suburbs, and mass disruption as residents attempt to flee while emergency authorities order others to shelter indoors.

Critics of the nuclear submarine plan have claimed that the deal would eventually oblige Australia to take high-level radioactive waste from the US and Britain. Defence Minister Richard Marles has said that would not happen.

The federal government’s Australian Submarine Agency is developing a “comprehensive safety management system” for nuclear-powered submarines, drawing on US and UK expertise and Australia’s 70-year “unblemished track record” of operating nuclear facilities and conducting nuclear science activities.

Operational waste will initially be stored on Defence sites, with further technical work under way to identify potential interim and permanent disposal pathways, including within the Defence estate for intermediate and high-level waste.

It says while “defuelling” was not expected for decades, planning had begun for transport, storage and disposal systems requiring specialised facilities, trained personnel and community “social licence”.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24773705 (301155ZJUN26) Notable: Magistrate blasts white supremacist Thomas Sewell for emulating ‘Nazi thugs of 1930s Berlin’ during demonstration - White supremacist Thomas Sewell has been convicted of offensive behaviour over his role in a 2024 neo-Nazi demonstration outside the Chinese consulate in Melbourne, where protesters displayed a racist banner and chanted anti-Chinese slogans. Magistrate Patrick Southey said Sewell had resorted to "appalling racist slurs" and was "emulating the Nazi thugs of 1930s Berlin", adding he had "yet to learn what it is to be Australian". Sewell, the former leader of the National Socialist Network, was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order, including 200 hours of community work. The magistrate rejected Sewell's constitutional free speech defence, finding the offensive behaviour laws served a legitimate purpose consistent with Australia's system of government.

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Magistrate blasts white supremacist Thomas Sewell for emulating ‘Nazi thugs of 1930s Berlin’ during demonstration

A magistrate has told notorious white supremacist Thomas Sewell he has “yet to learn what it is to be an Australian”, as he is convicted over his role in a neo-Nazi demonstration.

Laura Placella - June 30, 2026

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A magistrate has blasted notorious white supremacist Thomas Sewell for hurling “repugnant” racist slurs and “emulating the Nazi thugs of 1930s Berlin” during a demonstration outside the Chinese consulate in Toorak.

Sewell, 33, copped a serve in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after he was found guilty of offensive behaviour over his role in the neo-Nazi protest in October 2024.

“With respect, I know you’ve lived in this country a long time, but some might say you’ve yet to learn what it is to be Australian,” Magistrate Patrick Southey said.

He told Sewell, who was born in New Zealand, that Australia was an “easy-going, tolerant and diverse society” made up of people from all different backgrounds.

“Welcoming to immigrants like you,” he remarked.

“But you don’t see it like that.”

Mr Southey convicted the former leader of the National Socialist Network and slapped him with an 18-month community corrections order.

“Mr Sewell’s supporters may hide their faces, but he cannot hide behind the pretence of exercising his right to free speech,” he declared.

“He could have made any of the points he wished to make without resorting to appalling racist slurs and emulating the Nazi thugs of 1930s Berlin.”

Sewell was charged after he led the protest outside the Chinese consulate on Toorak Rd on October 26, 2024, alongside 30 masked men.

“Yellow grubs hand over the baby mutilator,” their banner read.

It referred to a Chinese national who allegedly poured hot coffee on a nine-month-old baby in Brisbane two months earlier, causing the child serious burns that required multiple surgeries.

The offender fled to China, where he is protected from extradition.

The court heard Sewell, the only unmasked member of the demonstration, declared during the protest that he would personally hang the offender “from the tallest building in this country”.

Mr Southey described the footage as “chilling” and the utterances “repugnant”.

“Any reasonable person passing would have been appalled,” he said.

“They would have been entitled to ask themselves: ‘What is this country coming to?’”

He added: “You didn’t have to resort to crude, racist slurs.

“It’s the manner in which you go about it. It’s clumsy, hateful, repugnant.

“What’s even more frustrating that here in the court, you conduct yourself impeccably.

“You let yourself down when … out on the streets with your mates.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24773725 (301206ZJUN26) Notable: Sydney daycare worker who allegedly abused 120 children launches secrecy bid - A Sydney childcare worker facing 192 charges involving the alleged abuse of 122 children has sought to extend a court order suppressing his identity and the names of childcare centres where he worked. Australian Federal Police argued the suppression order should now be lifted so the public can identify additional potential victims after investigators contacted families linked to children already identified. The accused's lawyers argued publication would endanger his physical and mental safety, expose his family to reprisals, and increase the risk of self-harm while in custody. His wife, who is expected to be an AFP witness, also supported continuing the order. The court extended the suppression order pending a further hearing in the coming weeks.

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Sydney daycare worker who allegedly abused 120 children launches secrecy bid

Perry Duffin - June 30, 2026

One of Australia’s worst alleged paedophiles, a Sydney childcare worker with 120 suspected victims, has launched a secrecy bid to prevent the public from learning where he worked, stopping police from alerting further potential victims.

The man, who cannot be named under a court order, has warned his and his family’s safety could be put at risk if his name is released.

The Australian Federal Police arrested the childcare worker in July 2025 after he allegedly synced a child abuse file to a cloud server, triggering automatic detection, in the latest alleged abuse case to rock the country’s childcare sector.

Investigators ultimately seized more than 2 million files from his electronic devices and began poring over them. An unknown number were deemed to be original recordings of the man filming young undressed children in centres across Sydney.

After his arrest, a court ruled the man’s name and the childcare centres that employed him should not be published, to give police a chance to reach out to victims first.

The non-publication order was made to protect the police investigation from parents, understandably horrified by the accusations, who might question their children and contaminate their evidence.

The man had worked in the industry for more than a decade and the alleged offending, which now includes 192 charges involving 122 children, took place over six years.

The vast bulk of the charges are producing child abuse material, and a handful of sexual touching allegations centre around the childcare worker’s alleged undressing and posing of children.

The scale of the alleged offending means that if found guilty, the man will have abused more children than any other childcare worker in Australia’s history. Some of the new charges carry a sentence of 20 years in prison.

AFP investigators have now contacted the parents of the children they have been able to identify and want to print the names of each centre that employed the alleged abuser.

“The next steps need public outreach,” AFP’s solicitor Ellen Trevanion told a local court on Tuesday.

“[The AFP] intends to publish the locations where [the] accused worked, to allow the public to submit information and allow additional victims to be identified.”

But plans to release the list this week were derailed by the alleged abuser’s legal team in the urgent local court hearing.

His lawyers argued the prohibition on publishing his name and workplaces must be extended to “protect both the physical and mental safety” of the man, his parents, and his family.

The alleged abuser’s parents, the lawyers submitted, share his name, and work in the same community where the alleged crimes took place.

His lawyers argued he was at risk of self-harm and reprisals while in prison, where he has remained since his arrest last July.

This masthead, through its lawyers, opposed the attempts for a two-week temporary gag order, saying delay could hamper the AFP’s work and deny parents the right to know the truth.

“Other families have a right to know, and right now, they don’t,” Nine’s executive counsel Larina Alick told the court.

“They should know about the allegations at their childcare centres and that these matters have been on foot for a year.”

The childcare worker’s wife also joined in his attempts to have his name indefinitely kept from the public. The woman requested the gag order because she shares her husband’s last name, as do their children, and it would cause “undue stress and embarrassment”.

The court heard she would act as witness for the AFP, against her husband.

The childcare worker has been interviewed extensively by police, and the court heard it’s not clear whether he will choose to defend the charges at trial or plead guilty.

Ultimately, the court extended the non-publication order until a full hearing could take place in a matter of weeks.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-daycare-worker-who-allegedly-abused-120-children-launches-secrecy-bid-20260630-p60bb1.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24777229 (011109ZJUL26) Notable: Ex-minister Mike Kelly urges AUKUS to fight antisemitic propaganda war - Former Labor minister and retired army colonel Mike Kelly has urged Australia to make countering antisemitic information warfare a central objective of AUKUS Pillar II, arguing collaboration with the United States and Britain should focus on combating online propaganda, deepfakes and foreign influence campaigns. In a submission to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, Kelly said hostile states, including Russia, were exploiting social media to spread antisemitic narratives and undermine Western democracies. He proposed closer collaboration with the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and supported calls for a national service scheme and dedicated police units to protect Jewish Australians. Kelly argued information warfare posed one of the greatest threats to Australia's democratic institutions and social cohesion.

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Ex-minister Mike Kelly urges AUKUS to fight antisemitic propaganda war

ELIZABETH PIKE - 30 June 2026

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Former Labor minister and retired army colonel Mike Kelly has called for information warfare collaboration to combat antisemitism to be made a “central feature” of the AUKUS pact with the US and Britain.

In his submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, Dr Kelly said Australia must prioritise research to fight “insidious and poisonous” narratives in co-operation with the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

In separate comments to The Australian, the former defence materiel minister also supported businessman Steven Lowy’s recommendations to the royal commission for a national service to build social cohesion, and dedicated police squads to protect Jewish Australians.

Jewish leaders have backed Mr Lowy’s proposal, which Dr Kelly added to in his submission arguing Russia and other malicious state actors were using antisemitism to “create social discord” in the West through information warfare.

Dr Kelly said the nation’s adversaries had weaponised social media to spread propaganda and radicalise users, contributing to “distorted views” about antisemitism among young Australians.

He said DARPA’s “significant progress” developing tools to combat deepfakes and “adversarial influence campaigns” must be a focus of Australia’s post-Bondi response under AUKUS’s technology-sharing pillar.

“Given the urgency and threat to our social cohesion and democracy, Australia should be seeking to make collaboration on this research a central feature of AUKUS Pillar II, and indeed broader collaboration across the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ given the uncertainty associated with the current US administration,” Dr Kelly wrote.

In 2023, the Albanese government established the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator to bring Australia in line with its AUKUS partners.

ASCA was created to work with the US defence research agency but Dr Kelly said research on information warfare should extend to the “coalition of the willing” formed by 34 countries to support Ukraine against Russian aggression following the 2022 invasion.

Donald Trump’s unpredictable administration had not hampered DARPA’s work to date, Dr Kelly said, but the US President’s links to Russian involve­ment in his election campaigns presented a potential conflict and necessitated a wider safety net.

“(Combating information warfare) is critically important and it’s why we are losing the battle against antisemitism,” Dr Kelly told The Australian.

“There’s nothing more threatening to our Liberal democracies than this effort.”

The efforts included DARPA’s SemaFor deepfake detection program, developed in 2024, to detect AI-generated images, text and videos, alongside the Influence Campaign Awareness and Sensemaking program that tracked geopolitical disinformation campaigns across the globe.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24777262 (011137ZJUL26) Notable: David Shoebridge slams ASIO’s warning about media spies, says it will have ‘chilling effect’ on whistleblowers - (Video) Greens senator David Shoebridge has criticised ASIO's warning that government officials should tightly control contact with journalists because foreign intelligence services may exploit media organisations for espionage and foreign interference. Shoebridge argued the advice would have a "chilling effect" on whistleblowers and press freedom, saying Australia's secrecy laws pose a greater threat because they expose whistleblowers and journalists to prosecution for disclosing information in the public interest. He also argued concerns about foreign influence should extend to media ownership and social media platforms. The report notes ASIO's assessment that state-affiliated media can be used as intelligence cover. It also references a 2020 incident in which a journalist from China's Xinhua News Agency was reported for filming other journalists inside Parliament House, prompting tighter security measures for foreign journalists.

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China ambassador attacks ASIO, rejects foreign interference accusations

Matthew Knott - July 1, 2026

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China’s top diplomat in Australia has launched a remarkable attack on ASIO and other Western intelligence agencies, accusing them of fabricating spying claims against his nation as he issued a sweeping denial that Beijing engages in foreign interference.

The combative intervention has sparked calls for ambassador Xiao Qian to be summoned for an official rebuke and drawn pushback from ASIO, injecting new friction into the Australia-China relationship after years of steady improvement.

Xiao, who has represented China in Canberra since 2022, accused ASIO of smearing China in a video aired before director-general Mike Burgess’ annual threat assessment last week, suggesting it could undermine ongoing legal proceedings.

“China itself has long suffered from foreign interference and has no intention of, nor has it ever engaged in, so-called interference in Australia,” Xiao writes in an opinion piece submitted to this masthead.

In an attempt to tamp down criticism of Beijing’s activities, Xiao argues that “certain Australian organisations and media outlets have repeatedly fabricated and hyped falsehoods and fallacies regarding the security threat posed by China”.

“Although these allegations have never been substantiated, and not a single perpetrator has been held accountable, they have deeply wounded the feelings of the people of both China and Australia, and undermined the atmosphere of friendly co-operation between the two sides,” he writes.

Xiao, who sat in the second row for Burgess’ speech at ASIO headquarters last week, writes that the video aired for an audience of journalists, diplomats and national security professionals included “charges of foreign interference against specific individuals to cast aspersions on China”.

“Whilst relevant cases are still pending and facts have yet to be established, what harm will the broadcasting of such an official video cause to the individuals concerned?” Xiao asks.

“What message will this one-sided information convey to the Australian public? And what impact will it have on China-Australia relations?”

The video included television footage of Chinese nationals who appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court in February after being accused of covertly gathering information on a Canberra Buddhist group to send back to China.

The 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman have been charged with reckless foreign interference. Both have entered not guilty pleas and the trial is ongoing.

The professionally edited ASIO video, which has not been publicly released, also included footage of the case of Australian businessman Alexander Csergo, who was found guilty of reckless foreign interference in March after a jury found he compiled reports for two suspected Chinese spies while overseas.

An ASIO spokeswoman said: “Noting the ambassador advocates the application of the rule of law, we point you to: the conviction of a Melbourne man for attempting to interfere in Australia’s political system to advance the interests of the Chinese Communist Party [and] the conviction of a Sydney man who gave Chinese spies information on Australia’s economic, defence and political priorities.”

Melbourne man Di Sanh “Sunny” Duong was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison in 2024 after a jury found him guilty of trying to secretly influence former federal minister Alan Tudge to advance the aims of the Chinese Communist Party.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784541 (031424ZJUL26) Notable: Moira Deeming launches urgent court bid to stop Liberals ending her career - Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has launched an urgent Supreme Court bid to prevent the Victorian Liberal Party from disendorsing her before the November state election. The application seeks to stop a state executive meeting expected to consider her endorsement after she accused former opposition leader Matthew Guy of assault, allegations Victoria Police found did not disclose any offence. Deeming has refused Opposition Leader Jess Wilson’s request to apologise, although her lawyer said she accepted she had misunderstood the technical meaning of "headlock" while maintaining her complaint was made honestly and in good faith. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson ruled out Deeming joining her party, citing the refusal to apologise, while Liberal figures expect the state executive to consider removing Deeming’s endorsement as a Liberal candidate.

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Moira Deeming launches urgent court bid to stop Liberals ending her career

RACHEL BAXENDALE and LILY MCCAFFREY - 3 July 2026

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Moira Deeming is taking Victorian Liberal president Brian Loughnane to court, in an extraordinary last-ditch bid to prevent the party disendorsing her at a meeting which had been planned to go ahead on Friday evening.

The Victorian Supreme Court has listed the urgent application to be heard at 9.30am on Friday, as the MP attempts to terminate a meeting of the Liberal state executive planned for 6.30pm.

Liberals across the party’s factions had widely expected Ms Deeming to be disendorsed as a candidate for the November state election by the state executive, after she made assault allegations against former opposition leader Matthew Guy that were unable to be substantiated by police, and defied current leader Jess Wilson’s request to apologise.

On Friday she is expected to seek an injunction, preventing the party from disendorsing her, ahead of defamation action she is expected to take.

The case is set to be heard by former Director of Public Prosecutions and KC Kerri Judd.

It will be the third time Ms Deeming has been involved in legal action against fellow Liberals, after she successfully sued then opposition leader John Pesutto for defaming her over her attendance at a Let Women Speak rally which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.

She remains an independently represented defendant in the case being brought by five current and former members of the Liberal state executive, against the party, over the decision to loan Mr Pesutto $1.55m to enable him to pay his legal debts.

Friday’s action is being brought against Mr Loughnane in his capacity as state Liberal president — a role he has only held since May.

Mr Loughnane is married to Sky News commentator and former Tony Abbott chief of staff, Peta Credlin, who until recently had been a staunch public supporter of Ms Deeming, with Abbott and Credlin both penning references in March, urging colleagues to preselect the MP.

However, The Australian understands Ms Deeming has lost the support of both Ms Credlin and the former prime minister over the allegations.

The latest legal action comes after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson declared Ms Deeming was not welcome in her party, hours after the Liberal MP received a public scolding from opposition leader, Jess Wilson.

“No, don’t want her,” Senator Hanson responded in an interview with 3AW when asked whether she would welcome the MP to her party.

“And I’ll tell you why. I know she had a lot of support … but I think based on her allegations against a Liberal Party colleague that were proven to be … no charges were laid, (and she) refused to make an apology, and you don’t do that to your fellow colleagues,” the One Nation leader said on Thursday afternoon.

“And it tells me a person who is not prepared to admit that they got it wrong …

“I want a person with integrity and honesty, and I don’t see that, and that’s why I would not offer her a position with One Nation.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784594 (031442ZJUL26) Notable: Angus Taylor’s rural campaign-style blitz to fight One Nation in battleground seats - Opposition Leader Angus Taylor will spend Parliament’s five-week winter recess visiting battleground electorates across Australia in a campaign-style effort to rebuild support following poor polling and internal concerns over the Coalition’s performance. The tour comes amid renewed pressure over his leadership and criticism relating to his association with Dallas McInerney, who is the subject of a NSW corruption inquiry. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie confirmed he will contest the next election, rejected suggestions he may leave the party, and pledged to confront One Nation directly as it targets Liberal seats. Hastie said the Coalition must defeat Labor while also resisting challenges from the political right, declaring he remained fully supportive of Taylor’s leadership.

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Angus Taylor’s rural campaign-style blitz to fight One Nation in battleground seats

Brittany Busch and Natassia Chrysanthos - July 2, 2026

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Opposition leader Angus Taylor will attempt to resurrect his political fortunes over parliament’s winter break by crisscrossing the country to visit battleground seats while Liberal MP Andrew Hastie sharpens his own strategy for tackling One Nation.

After the Coalition spent the week grappling with dismal polling that showed its vote continuing decline, Taylor was dealt a fresh blow on Thursday night when the former state Liberal police minister David Elliott called on him to resign over his associations with Dallas McInerney, who is being probed in a NSW corruption inquiry.

A spokesperson for Taylor said: “Any suggestion that the leader is connected to these matters is entirely without foundation and should not be inferred.”

But it will be another unwelcome distraction for the Liberals, many of whom were this week already frustrated that colleagues were drawing attention to the party’s struggles rather than those of voters.

Several MPs were privately concerned about Taylor’s leadership last week after he gave a bungled answer on multiculturalism in a culture war debate started by Pauline Hanson. However, the prevailing view was that the party could not afford to entertain leadership speculation while its standing with voters remains so precarious.

Taylor was among those cautioning MPs to be disciplined during a joint party room meeting on Tuesday, and encouraged them to go home over the winter break focused on selling the party’s message.

The opposition leader will seek to regain ground with a campaign-style blitz of every state and territory throughout the five-week winter recess, visiting small businesses and holding community forums in battleground seats.

Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price defended Taylor’s leadership in an interview with Sky News on Thursday.

“I think he’s doing a great job, he’s a very bloody intelligent bloke, and when people do get to meet him face to face, I think they will understand the fact that he is about this country’s future,” she said.

“He needs to get out and see Australians … so they realise that for themselves.”

Twin polls published on Sunday showed the Coalition had failed to capitalise on the backlash to Labor’s budget and a stall in One Nation’s momentum for the first time since the minor party’s surge.

Hastie, who has emerged as one of the Coalition’s strongest critics of Hanson’s party, on Thursday vowed to contest the next election amid competing views within the opposition about how best to tackle the surge of One Nation.

Hastie denied suggestions he was reconsidering his future, after this masthead reported he could leave the party if he felt abandoned in his fight with Hanson.

He said on Thursday morning that was “not at all” on the cards. “I intend to contest the next election as a Liberal,” he said.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784600 (031448ZJUL26) Notable: ‘Ongoing investigation’: Police interview key figures familiar with stunt at Pauline Hanson’s NPC address - ACT Police have interviewed key figures and obtained CCTV footage as part of an ongoing investigation into a protest during Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club address. National Press Club chief executive Maurice Reilly confirmed staff had been interviewed and relevant CCTV footage provided, while AFP forensic officers have also assisted the investigation. The inquiry relates to a banner unfurled during Hanson’s speech accusing her of selling out Australian workers. GetUp! later published footage of the protest, prompting scrutiny of individuals present at the event, including the organisation’s media head, David Sharaz, who declined to comment. ACT Police confirmed the investigation remains ongoing, with no outcome or charges announced.

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‘Ongoing investigation’: Police interview key figures familiar with stunt at Pauline Hanson’s NPC address

WILL GLASGOW - July 02, 2026

It’s just over a fortnight since the ACT police announced they were launching an investigation into the GetUp!-linked stunt at Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club address.

At the time, some wondered if there would be any follow through.

Well, Margin Call can reveal that Canberra’s police force weren’t bluffing.

Based on information overheard at the NPC bar, we hear that police have interviewed some of the key figures involved in recent days. AFP Forensics officers have also been involved.

“They have interviewed several of our staff and we have provided them relevant CTV footage,” NPC chief executive Maurice Reilly confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

Two weeks is a long time in federal politics right now, so a quick refresher. A banner was unfurled during the One Nation leader’s press club speech, which accused the senator of selling out Australian workers.

A video of that unfurling was then published by GetUp! The footage in that clip seemed to be perfectly aligned with the seat occupied by the left-wing activist group’s media head David Sharaz.

As Margin Call reported back then, Sharaz’s table mates noted he was suspiciously energised by the stunt. He also left the building before Hanson’s Q&A session began.

A statement released by the NPC at the time noted that two other people were seen on the club’s CCTV footage, apparently interfering with the club’s equipment in the exact spot the mechanised banner was installed.

Sharaz declined to comment when we contacted him on Thursday. Fair enough too.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the ACT Police told us “the investigation is ongoing.”

Stay tuned. We sure will.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/margin-call/ongoing-investigation-police-interview-key-figures-familiar-with-stunt-at-pauline-hansons-npc-address/news-story/f0b402c5591e226c8ad83c24e3b4882a

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784624 (031459ZJUL26) Notable: eSafety Commissioner says Elon Musk’s X fought to platform Bondi massacre video - eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion that X resisted efforts to remove graphic footage of the Bondi terror attack, arguing the material was comparable to content in horror films. She said eSafety successfully persuaded the platform to retain the video's refused-classification status but criticised social media companies for seeking to distribute and monetise traumatic content. Inman Grant also warned online hate had reached unprecedented levels, describing the current environment as the most toxic she had encountered, and said her agency needed greater resources to regulate major technology companies. She also criticised weakened content moderation policies and increasing resistance by digital platforms to regulatory oversight.

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eSafety Commissioner says Elon Musk’s X fought to platform Bondi massacre video

JAMES DOWLING - July 02, 2026

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Elon Musk’s X fought to keep footage of the Bondi massacre on its platform, according to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, who believes there has “never been a more toxic or caustic environment” for online hate speech.

Digital watchdog Julie Inman Grant appeared before the Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission on Thursday, saying the federal government had underfunded her agency and X had suggested “post-mortem” video from the December 14 attack was no worse than a “gore movie”.

“We fought hard against X in terms of not allowing that post-mortem Bondi content,” Ms Inman Grant said.

“They said it’s not any worse than you would see in a gore movie, and I said ‘I can’t think of anything more horrific for the family members and the Australian Jewish community’.

“We fought really hard, and we were able to get them to agree to keep that refused classification, but these are mainstream platforms fighting for the right and ability to distribute and monetise this content.”

She questioned how platforms could argue the “societal benefit” of such material, beyond lining their own pockets.

“I can’t imagine any other reason they would want to put it up there,” she said. “The Bondi tragedy has been one of, if not the worst, most traumatic event any of us in Australia have experienced on our soil, and I think it would do nothing more but exacerbate and cause more pain.”

Asked by counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster, if she believed eSafety needed more resourcing, Ms Inman Grant said the answer was “clearly yes”.

“If I were to do everything that I think we need to do, and wanted to, clearly the answer is yes, but I also accept this past budget was pretty austere for everyone, and sometimes that means we need to set priorities,” she said. “We are really, really small for what we do.

“As a regulator in a middle power country that’s relatively small, making sure we’ve got the tools and resources that we need to take on these powerful companies is ever more important.

“We’ve been an organisation that has made the most of what resources we have, have cut the cloth to fit.”

She said tech platforms had become aggressively anti-regulation, noting X Corp had launched six of eight ongoing cases it has against eSafety.

“It’s never been a more toxic or caustic environment,” Ms Inman Grant said.

“There’s just constant sand being thrown in our gears to trip us up in so many different ways. We’ve got the most powerful technology in the world owned by the richest, wealthiest technologists in the world, but we’ve never had looser guard rails, and that to me is a recipe for disaster.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784635 (031508ZJUL26) Notable: Veterans launch push for Senate inquiry into retrospective war crimes law - Retired Air Commodore Terry van Haren has called for a Senate inquiry into Labor's 2024 retrospective amendment to Australia's war crimes legislation, arguing it lowered the threshold for proving an alleged victim was hors de combat (no longer taking part in hostilities) ahead of the criminal trials of Ben Roberts-Smith and Oliver Schulz. He said the change created uncertainty for Australian Defence Force personnel by retrospectively altering the legal framework under which they served and warned it could expose troops to "lawfare" in future conflicts. The government maintains the amendment merely corrected a longstanding drafting error to align Australian law with international obligations, while Coalition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the broader effect of the amendment now warranted closer parliamentary scrutiny.

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Veterans launch push for Senate inquiry into retrospective war crimes law

ELIZABETH PIKE and BEN PACKHAM - July 01, 2026

A former RAAF commander has launched a veterans’ push for a Senate inquiry into Labor’s retrospective legal change that lowered the threshold to prove a war crime ahead of the upcoming trials of alleged war criminals Ben Roberts-Smith and Oliver Schulz.

The move by retired Air Commodore Terry van Haren comes amid a groundswell of concern in the veterans’ community over the 2024 amendment, and a Coalition call for the matter to be revisited.

In a letter to key non-government senators, he warned the retrospective legal change to the definition of “hors de combat” – when an enemy is “out of the fight” – appeared to simplify the law for the “convenience of upcoming prosecutions”.

The government said the change was made to correct a “longstanding drafting error”.

Since the law was introduced in 2002, the prosecution had to satisfy three conditions to prove a victim was “hors de combat”: that a victim was under the power of an “adverse party”, expressed an intention to surrender, or could not defend themselves and did not act in hostility and attempt to escape.

The modified definition requires prosecutors to satisfy just two conditions: that a victim was under the power of captors, expressed an intention to surrender or had been incapacitated; and they abstained from hostile acts and did not try to escape.

The amendment passed parliament while the prosecution of Mr Schulz was on foot and captures “any conduct engaged in or after” September 26, 2002, ensuring the threshold will apply in the Schulz and Roberts-Smith prosecutions.

Mr van Haren said the change carried significant ramifications for all ADF personnel and questions about legal fairness were “larger than any individual prosecution”.

“It concerns every Australian who has served since 2002, and every young Australian who may one day be asked to fight on behalf of the nation,” he said.

“Military personnel should never wonder whether the legal framework under which they trained and fought will later be interpreted differently because parliament altered the legislation years after the events in question.”

As threats evolve, Mr van Haren said, the new definition would be “untenable” for the ADF and adversaries could exploit it on the battlefield as a form of “lawfare”.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland maintained the definition was changed to align with other international jurisdictions while restoring the law to parliament’s “original intent”.

Opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the legal change should be revisited.

“At the time the Coalition supported the amendment because the government gave assurances that it was simply correcting a drafting error to align the Criminal Code with Australia’s international obligations, and that it would not change the substance of the law,” Senator Cash said.

“It is now apparent the amendment has had a broader substantive effect than Labor represented, which is a serious matter and one that warrants close scrutiny.’’

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/veterans-launch-push-for-senate-inquiry-into-retrospective-war-crimes-law/news-story/f4ae4f8351358abc2f797965e7ccfe30

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784692 (031530ZJUL26) Notable: Espionage charges upgraded against alleged Russian spies - Russian-born Australian citizens Kira Korolev, a former Australian Army private, and her husband Igor Korolev have had espionage charges upgraded to conspiracy to commit espionage, replacing earlier charges of preparing for an espionage offence. The upgraded charge, introduced under Australia's 2018 foreign interference laws, carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and is the first prosecution under the offence. Police allege the couple conspired to obtain sensitive Australian Defence Force material and transmit it to Russian authorities by accessing Kira Korolev's official ADF account while she was in Russia. The Australian Federal Police said the upgraded charges more accurately reflected the seriousness of the allegations, with Operation Burgazada and the broader investigation continuing.

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Espionage charges upgraded against alleged Russian spies

Robert Dougherty - 02 JULY 2026

The Australian Federal Police has upgraded the charges against Russian-born Australian citizens alleged to have conspired to commit espionage and transmit Australian Defence Force material to Russian authorities.

The married pair was originally charged on 11 July 2024, with one count each of preparing for an espionage offence and have since been upgraded to conspiracy to commit espionage, under Operation Burgazada.

The charges against former Australian Army Private Kira Korolev and labourer Igor Korolev were upgraded at Brisbane Magistrates Court on 29 June, according to reports from the ABC.

The 42-year-old woman and 64-year-old man are each facing one count of conspiracy to commit espionage, contrary to section 91.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth), by virtue of section 11.5(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

It’s the first time this offence has been laid in Australia since new laws were introduced by the Commonwealth in 2018.

Assistant commissioner cyber and special investigations Sandra Booth said the upgraded charges were a better representation of the serious allegations.

“Espionage remains one of the most significant national security threats to Australia, impacting government, businesses and the university sector,” assistant commissioner Booth said.

“The AFP – as a member of the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce – is committed to working with its partners within Australia and across the globe to defend and protect Australia and Australia’s future from security threats.”

The Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce, which includes the AFP, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and other Commonwealth partners, has dedicated significant resources and capabilities to Operation Burgazada, which remains ongoing.

The two Russian-born Australian citizens were originally arrested in 2024 on accusations of obtaining Australian Defence Force material to share with Russian authorities.

At that time, the AFP alleged that the pair was working together to obtain sensitive information and while on long-term leave from the ADF since 2023, the woman undertook non-declared travel to Russia with and without the man.

The AFP alleged that while the man remained in Australia, the woman instructed him on how to log into her official work account and guided him to access specific information to send directly to her private email account while she was in Russia.

The AFP further alleged that the woman’s ADF account credentials were used on a number of occasions to access sensitive ADF information, with the intent to provide it to Russian authorities.

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/land/18465-espionage-charges-upgraded-against-alleged-russian-spies

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/two-australian-citizens-charged-espionage-related-offence

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/charges-against-australian-couple-upgraded-conspiracy-commit-espionage

https://qresear.ch/?q=Kira+Korolev

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24784717 (031538ZJUL26) Notable: Anthony Albanese quells anti-AUKUS Labor Party backlash - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to neutralise internal Labor opposition to AUKUS ahead of the ALP national conference, with senior party figures expecting no significant challenge to the $368 billion nuclear-powered submarine program. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy is set to argue AUKUS embodies Labor's vision of "progressive patriotism", linking the pact to Australian industry, defence self-reliance and national sovereignty. While some unions and party members remain opposed, key critics have indicated they will not prioritise motions against AUKUS at the conference. The government will also highlight broader defence reforms, including the establishment of the Defence Delivery Agency, while presenting Labor as the party with the strongest record on national security and defence investment.

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Anthony Albanese quells anti-AUKUS Labor Party backlash

BEN PACKHAM and GREG BROWN - July 01, 2026

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Anthony Albanese and his factional lieutenants have headed off an anti-AUKUS backlash at the upcoming ALP national conference amid a push to entrench party support for the $368bn submarine program under the banner of “progressive patriotism”.

Senior Labor sources said the government appeared to have averted any significant challenge to AUKUS at the July 23-25 conference in Adelaide, despite sections of the party having mis­givings over the pact.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will issue a rallying cry for AUKUS in a speech to the Nat­ional Press Club on Thursday, saying Labor is Australia’s party of defence and national security.

Reprising his slapdown of AUKUS critics at the 2023 ALP national conference, he will position the nuclear-powered submarine enterprise as “an integral part of the Labor approach to progressive patriotism”.

“Progressive patriotism means backing Australian workers and Australian industry to make and sustain our critical Defence capabilities,” Mr Conroy will say, according to a preview of his speech.

“Progressive patriotism means growing our self-reliance and strengthening our sovereignty.”

The push follows rebel Labor MP Ed Husic’s demand last month for a fresh caucus vote on AUKUS, and attacks on the program by senior party figures including Paul Keating, Bob Carr, Doug Cameron and Kim Carr.

The government is also facing an “independent inquiry” into AUKUS led by former Labor minister Peter Garrett, which is providing a platform for critics of the program.

Electrical Trades Union secretary Michael Wright, who moved an anti-AUKUS motion at the last national conference, told The Australian he would not be doing so this year.

He said the ETU’s focus at the triennial gathering would be on gaining support for a ­commonwealth-owned renewable power operator and securing more funding for skills development. “Our position (on AUKUS) hasn’t changed, it’s just that those two things are our priority,” he said.

Another senior left-faction figure said it was doubtful any major union would move a motion at the conference calling for the government to dump AUKUS. “I think we’ve lost the debate within the party; I don’t think we have a strong enough argument as to why it should be abandoned at this stage. I think it is too late,” the source said.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24788688 (041515ZJUL26) Notable: Anthony Albanese’s Pacific blitz to shore up ties in the region - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will undertake a Pacific diplomatic tour aimed at strengthening regional security partnerships and countering Chinese influence, including signing a new "Vuvale Union" treaty with Fiji and advancing negotiations on a security agreement with Solomon Islands. He will also meet the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Samoa before hosting them in Brisbane. The tour follows Australia's recent strategic agreement with Vanuatu, which prevents foreign military bases on its territory. Albanese will then meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Melbourne, where the leaders are expected to finalise agreements on uranium exports for India's civilian nuclear energy sector and expand defence cooperation after resolving longstanding technical issues.

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Anthony Albanese’s Pacific blitz to shore up ties in the region

BEN PACKHAM - 4 July 2026

Anthony Albanese will seal a new security treaty with Fiji to keep China at bay and clear the way to export billions of dollars worth of uranium to India in a diplomatic blitz next week bolstering six critical international relationships.

The Prime Minister will fly to Suva to sign a new “Vuvale Union” with Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka on Monday; head to Solomon Islands for talks with counterpart Matthew Wale on Tuesday; and return to Aus­tralia to meet his Papua New Guinean, Tongan and Samoan counterparts in Brisbane and host them at the State of Origin decider on Wednesday.

He will then travel to Melbourne the following day to meet with the leader of the world’s most populous nation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, green-lighting high-level uranium and defence agreements.

The Fiji deal is being billed as a gold-standard agreement that could come close to the level of Australia’s PukPuk mutual defence treaty with Port Moresby, which will come into effect next week with an exchange of letters between Mr Albanese and PNG counterpart James Marape.

Mr Rabuka said in a speech earlier this year that the Vuvale Union would recognise the nations’ interests were intertwined, ensuring “we will co-operate to find solutions and act together as is necessary to face common challenges”.

The statement came close to the PukPuk treaty’s commitment that Australia and PNG will “act to meet the common danger” if either comes under attack, but it’s unclear whether the Fiji deal will bind the nations in a new alliance like that with Port Moresby.

In Solomon Islands, Mr Albanese will celebrate the country’s 48th anniversary of independence with Mr Wale, and continue talks on a new security treaty with Honiara which began last month in Canberra.

The progress on the new security deals follows the sealing of a long-awaited agreement with Vanuatu, in which Port Vila ruled out the use of its territory for ­foreign military bases.

Mr Modi will reprise his 2023 Sydney visit when he arrives in Melbourne, with a major event at Marvel Stadium that is expected to attract some 30,000 Indian Australians.

He and Mr Albanese will finalise a new agreement during the trip to supply Australian uranium to India, after a past agreement faltered due to concerns over non-proliferation safeguards.

Multiple sources have told The Australian that “technical issues” preventing Australian uranium exports to India have now been resolved, opening the way to a multi-billion dollar trade to feed India’s energy needs.

“It has to be only for civil nuclear energy purposes,” a source told The Australian.

Australia-India Institute chief executive Lisa Singh said: “India’s energy needs are on a scale that we cannot fathom. It has an economy that is developing at a rapid speed, and has a population of 1.4 billion people. So, if we can assist in that delivery of clean energy, then we should be definitely playing a role. It’s a win-win for both of our countries.”

James Batley, a former Australian high commissioner to both Fiji and Solomon Islands, said the Fiji treaty would continue Australia’s push to deny China a strategic foothold in the region.

“They said in their foreign policy white paper a couple of years ago that ‘we want to be friends with everybody, but when it comes to security, we lean towards our traditional partners’,” Mr Batley said. “So that’s already in black and white. The question is how far (the treaty) might go?”

He said believed Mr Rabuka “may be inclined” to enter into a mutual defence arrangement like the PukPuk treaty, “but whether it goes as far as the PNG one is a different question”.

Mr Batley said the upcoming Vuvale Union and the government’s recent Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu highlighted its success in Pacific diplomacy.

“We might even speculate that there’s a FOMO factor at play, as country after country signs up to a deeper strategic relationship.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albaneses-pacific-blitz-to-shore-up-ties-in-the-region/news-story/2af262260eb593269d6d67fb4e2d6805

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24788753 (041538ZJUL26) Notable: ‘We need to be courageous’: Albanese plans to go harder on teen social media ban - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has flagged tougher online safety laws, signalling the government will strengthen Australia's under-16 social media ban and impose greater obligations on technology companies to reduce harmful content. He cited concerns over AI-powered "nudify" apps, pornography and violent material, arguing such content was contributing to harmful attitudes and behaviour among young people. Albanese said further measures, including a digital duty of care requiring platforms to identify and mitigate risks, were under active consideration. Despite the existing ban, most under-16 users reportedly continue accessing major platforms, while the eSafety Commissioner is investigating Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for potential breaches. The government is expected to announce further reforms in the coming days.

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‘We need to be courageous’: Albanese plans to go harder on teen social media ban

Rob Harris - June 25, 2026

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Anthony Albanese has flagged a fresh tightening of the country’s world-first social media restrictions, saying the federal government would go further to curb harmful online content amid growing concern about the impact on young Australians exposed to pornography, “nudify” apps and violent material.

The prime minister said the government was planning a further strengthening of the under-16 social media ban and broader online safety laws, as evidence mounts that many children continue to access major platforms more than six months after the landmark restrictions came into force.

Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Albanese said Australia could not allow technology companies to operate without greater accountability as concerns intensified about the influence of online content on children and young men.

Albanese singled out the emergence of artificial intelligence-powered “nudify” applications, which can generate sexually explicit images, and said the government was actively considering tougher measures.

“We’re seeing increased presentations in our hospitals of young women who have been choked, strangled,” he told the House of Representatives. “We see anal tearing growing at an extraordinary, horrific rate because what too many young men are seeing online is normalising behaviour that is anything but normal.”

“We need to be conscious as a parliament about this. We need to be courageous about this.”

He said while the law now allowed for fines of $49.5 million for breaches of the social media ban aimed at young people, he said it was clear “we are going to need to do more”. He cited an already foreshadowed digital duty of care that would place broader obligations on technology companies to identify and mitigate harms across their services.

A government source confirmed a “significant” announcement was expected within days.

Albanese said Australia had led the world with its under-16 social media ban, claiming another 16 countries were now pursuing similar approaches. The United Kingdom this month announced plans to introduce restrictions on social media access for children under 16 by next year.

But the flagship policy’s effectiveness has been questioned as under-age teens find their way back on platforms.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, recently described the laws as a “very blunt force approach” and said the legislation had been developed “very quickly” with only “very thin scaffolding”.

She told this masthead she did not “have potent powers” and a “regulator is only as good as the tools and the resources that they’re given”.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24788783 (041547ZJUL26) Notable: Christian Brothers says it is paying $1.7m a week to abuse victims and running out of funds - The Christian Brothers told the NSW Supreme Court it is paying about $1.7 million a week in abuse compensation and expects to exhaust its remaining $23 million in cash by mid-September. The order has applied for a moratorium on all civil claims, arguing litigation costs would reduce funds available for survivors and allow remaining assets to be distributed more equitably. Lawyers representing more than 200 alleged abuse victims opposed the application, saying many clients were psychologically vulnerable and required more time to obtain instructions from clients and assess the consequences of a stay on their claims. The court heard 32 civil trials are scheduled over the next three months and 540 National Redress Scheme applications remain in progress. The hearing was adjourned until the following week to allow survivors' lawyers additional time to prepare.

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Christian Brothers says it is paying $1.7m a week to abuse victims and running out of funds

Isobel Roe - 24 June 2026

The Christian Brothers religious order is spending $1.7 million a week paying victims of abuse and will run out of cash by September, a Sydney court has heard.

An application from the Catholic body to place a stay on all civil claims against it has been adjourned to next week, with lawyers representing more than 200 abuse survivors arguing they need more time to consider the consequences.

Christian Brothers brought an application for a moratorium in the Supreme Court of NSW, warning that any more time spent in court would whittle away money that should be reserved for victim payouts.

It comes days after The Congregation of Christian Brothers Oceania Province released a statement, revealing it was seeking to sell off its 36 properties to pay abuse victims, who would be treated as creditors.

The properties were estimated to be worth $216 million, but the statement admitted even after their sale, there was not enough money to pay what victims were entitled to.

'Limited resources left'

About a dozen barristers and lawyers representing alleged victim survivors of abuse at Christian Brothers' facilities argued against the moratorium on Wednesday, telling the court their clients, many of whom are "very psychiatrically damaged people", would not handle news that their cases were being stayed.

In arguing for a moratorium, barrister for Christian Brothers, Stewart Maiden KC, said the religious order had $23 million in cash, and had lost an average of $1.7 million a week since October to victim payouts.

He said the current estimation was that Christian Brothers would run out of cash by September 13, and a moratorium would allow money to be reserved for all claimants.

"There is very limited resources left," Mr Maiden said.

"If those resources are expended fighting court proceedings that will be to the detriment of all those not party to those proceedings."

Abuse victims' lawyers given more time

The court heard there were 32 matters of alleged abuse by Christian Brothers listed for trial in the next three months alone, and there were 540 applications in process with the National Redress Scheme for abuse survivors.

Lawyers for victims told the court they wanted the matter dealt with in August, when the court was set to hear the Christian Brothers' plans for its asset sale scheme.

Barrister Andrew Harding SC argued lawyers would not be able to contact clients in time.

"A week is not long enough to obtain proper instructions from 85 plaintiffs who are psychologically injured and vulnerable people," he said.

Judge Peter Brereton said he believed the fairest outcome was to adjourn the matter until Thursday next week, to give abuse victims' lawyers more time.

Lawyers for Christian Brothers also called for an immediate moratorium on civil cases until the full hearing next week, arguing publicity of the arrangement would cause victim survivors to "race for the court door" to claim their money.

But Judge Brereton dismissed that request.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-24/nsw-christian-brothers-order-abuse-victims-payouts/106837142

https://qresear.ch/?q=Christian+Brothers

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24788799 (041552ZJUL26) Notable: Victim-survivor unsurprised and 'exhausted' by Christian Brothers' restitution shortfall - Abuse survivor Peter Buchanan says victims are "disappointed but unsurprised" by the Christian Brothers' disclosure that proceeds from selling its remaining assets will be insufficient to meet all compensation claims. The religious order, which says it has paid more than $480 million in compensation and costs since 1980, is seeking a stay on current and future civil proceedings while it sells assets valued at about $216 million. Buchanan said many survivors, after years pursuing legal action, now faced further delays and uncertainty, describing the move as "unconscionable" and arguing the broader Catholic Church should cover any funding shortfall. Lawyer Judy Courtin said at least 150 survivors represented by three law firms would be affected, with legal teams scrutinising the asset valuation and exploring whether related entities, including Edmund Rice Education Australia, could also face legal claims.

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Victim-survivor unsurprised and 'exhausted' by Christian Brothers' restitution shortfall

Laura Mayers - 24 June 2026

A Victorian survivor of clergy abuse says he is disappointed but unsurprised by allegations the Christian Brothers appear to be attempting to "squib" on compensation payments.

The Congregation of Christian Brothers Oceania Province yesterday revealed it would seek to sell off its remaining assets to pay abuse victims.

It said its assets were valued at about $216 million and comprised about 36 properties around Australia, which it admitted would not be enough to pay full restitution owed to those who suffered abuse at its institutions.

Peter Buchanan, a regional Victorian victim-survivor, said he was "disappointed but unsurprised".

"Whenever these roadblocks get put up in front of survivors, those of us who have been through those situations know what they are feeling right now," Mr Buchanan said.

Mr Buchanan is the secretary of LOUD Fence. His own fight for compensation following abuse at the hands of the Marist Church concluded after a years-long legal battle in 2024.

Christian Brothers on Monday said it would seek a "stay" on current and future civil proceedings against it by abuse victims.

It said it had paid in excess of $480 million in compensation and costs to claimants since 1980.

Exhausted, disappointed, unsurprised

Mr Buchanan said victim-survivors were likely "exhausted" by this latest hurdle to getting restitution.

"People who had fought for probably six years to get to the point of having their case heard are now having everything ripped out from under them," he said.

He said the move was "unconscionable" and accused Christian Brothers of shirking its responsibility. He said the Catholic Church should step up and cover any shortfall.

"I think the Catholic Church is ultimately liable for the sins of its operators," Mr Buchanan said.

"To claim this is a subsidiary, and that the Marist Brothers are a subsidiary, various other diocese are all subsidiaries of an organisation with massive global wealth, is a cynical attempt to reduce financial liability and actual, true, accountability."

Lawyers vow to keep up fight

Judy Courtin, lawyer and long-time advocate for survivors of institutional abuse, said she knew of "at least 150" victim-survivors being represented by three law firms who would be impacted by the Christian Brothers' move to pause payments.

"This is truly horrific," she said.

Dr Courtin said "a lot" of survivors of abuse by Christian Brothers were impacted by a since-overruled "shocking" High Court decision that stated churches could not be sued for the actions of their priests.

"We've now got those people back on board … and now there is a second huge delay," she said.

Dr Courtin said legal agencies were looking very closely at the valuation of Christian Brothers' assets.

"Who says they're worth $200 million? They could be worth more. We simply don't know that," she said.

"We are getting expert advice on this, but the Oceania Province does not include all the Christian Brothers schools, nor does it include Edmund Rice Education Australia.

"It is involved, and connected with, all the [schools].

"We are still working on whether it would be possible to commence new claims against other entities."

Dr Courtin said: "We are not just rolling over here."

"We are going to fight this institution as hard as we can," she said.

In a statement released on the Edmund Rice Education Australia website, the Trustees of the Christian Brothers said they were balancing their debts to the best of their ability.

"We have been very clear that our highest priority during this process is to ensure that the interests of victims and survivors, as well as our other creditors, are addressed and that the modest future living needs of remaining brothers are also addressed," the statement read.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-24/victim-survivor-devastated-by-christian-brothers-compensation/106831658

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24788842 (041607ZJUL26) Notable: Christian Brothers granted pause on child abuse victim payouts due to financial strain - The NSW Supreme Court has granted the Christian Brothers a moratorium on all civil child abuse claims after the religious order argued it was running out of money to compensate victims. The order told the court it had about $23 million in cash remaining and was paying approximately $1.7 million a week in settlements, with more than 240 claimants and prospective claimants involved. The stay pauses current and settled-but-unpaid claims while the court considers a proposed creditors' scheme intended to distribute remaining assets equitably among survivors and other creditors. The Commonwealth raised concerns over historical asset transfers to Edmund Rice Education Australia, questioning whether they were appropriate. Justice Scott Nixon said the moratorium would preserve the opportunity for survivors to participate in the proposed scheme. A two-day hearing on the scheme is scheduled to begin on September 21.

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Christian Brothers cry poor to abuse survivors after transferring elite schools for $1

Cameron Houston and Caroline Schelle - June 29, 2026

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The Christian Brothers in Australia transferred some of its most valuable colleges to a separate trust for just $1 each but now claims it will be broke by September and unable to compensate hundreds of survivors of shocking clerical abuse.

At least three prominent schools in NSW, including Waverley College in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, were passed by the Catholic order in 2018 to the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia.

Documents obtained by this masthead reveal other NSW schools including St Patrick’s College in Strathfield and St Pius X College in Chatswood were also transferred that year for the nominal consideration of $1 each.

The move came just months before state governments across Australia removed the controversial Ellis Defence, which had limited civil claims against churches since 2007.

In Victoria, the transfers of prestigious St Kevin’s College in Toorak, Geelong’s St Joseph’s College and Parade College in Bundoora, were all made in June 2015 – just three months before the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse first recommended the Ellis Defence be dismantled.

It is unclear if any symbolic payment was made during the restructure in Victoria, with the Christian Brothers and Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) both refusing to answer questions about the transfers.

However, the Christian Brothers said that under a scheme of arrangement or liquidation, the property transfers would be scrutinised.

Last week, the Oceania Province of the Christian Brothers announced it was on the brink of financial collapse, conceding the value of its remaining assets would not cover monthly compensation payments of nearly $6 million a month to survivors.

However, the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia appears in robust financial health, with more than $345 million in cash and property valued at $2.28 billion, according to its latest financial report.

The schools charge fees of between $8000 and $23,000 a year. St Kevin’s has since broken away from Edmund Rice.

The transfer of schools between the two entities has fuelled claims by abuse survivors and their lawyers that the Christian Brothers engaged in a deliberate strategy to shield its assets from civil claims.

Lawyer Grace Wilson from Rightside Legal is representing a former student at another Edmund Rice school, St Patrick’s College in Ballarat, who was repeatedly abused by prolific paedophile Brother Edward “Ted” Dowlan in 1974.

His case was due to proceed to trial this month but has been thrown into limbo after lawyers for the Christian Brothers requested more than 200 cases across Australia be adjourned while it pursues a “creditors’ scheme of arrangement” to disperse its remaining assets.

The delay has exacerbated her client’s trauma, according to Wilson, who said the Catholic order had a moral obligation to make reparations to those abused by its clerics.

“The Christian Brothers have been using every trick in the book to minimise what they have to pay to survivors for generations. No wonder their victims are responding to their claims to be broke with suspicion,” Wilson said.

“When abuse survivors sue church institutions, it’s the responsibility of the institution to direct the survivor to the part of the institution with assets. Edmund Rice has assets.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24788910 (041634ZJUL26) Notable: Secret ASIO report warns of journalist spies operating in Australia, infiltrating media - A confidential ASIO intelligence assessment warns foreign intelligence services are using journalists and media organisations to conduct espionage and foreign interference against Australia. It says intelligence agencies may embed officers in media organisations or recruit legitimate journalists to gather sensitive information, cultivate sources and influence public narratives. The report warns state-affiliated media can provide effective cover because they may be compelled to support intelligence objectives. Government agencies are advised to tightly control contact with journalists, as even authorised engagement carries security risks. The assessment cites a Czech case involving a journalist linked to a Chinese Communist Party newspaper and follows recent Five Eyes warnings about Chinese intelligence recruitment. ASIO says it has disrupted such operations for decades but has not identified the countries currently targeting Australian media.

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Secret ASIO report warns of journalist spies operating in Australia, infiltrating media

Andrew Greene - 23 JUN 2026

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A confidential ASIO report warns international spies are posing as journalists and targeting members of the media here to help steal classified information and conduct foreign interference against Australia.

The recent ASIO Intelligence Assessment marked “OFFICIAL: Sensitive”, and seen by The Nightly, urges Australian government agencies to closely manage all “engagement” with news reporters to “defend against espionage”.

“Journalists undertake a range of activities that are similar to the activities of foreign intelligence officers, including collecting information and cultivating relationships with sources,” the ASIO document states.

“Their access and activities can be exploited by foreign intelligence services to conduct or facilitate espionage and foreign interference, as well as to provide cover for intelligence officers and their operations.”

“In order to defend against espionage involving journalists, it is important to understand the threat, identify the risks and manage the risks,” the four-page document advises Australian government agencies.

It details how journalism “provides effective cover” for foreign adversaries to seek “privileged insider insights” into Australia’s politics, foreign partnerships, public and private sector projects, science and technology, and economic and defence topics.

“Some work conducted by journalists can be difficult to distinguish from intelligence activity, increasing the challenge for security services in identifying foreign intelligence service activity,” the assessment dated June 18 also notes.

According to ASIO foreign spies use two primary methods to conduct operations: by placing intelligence officers in positions within media organisations or by recruiting or using genuine journalists to fulfill tasking on behalf of the overseas intelligence service.

Pointedly, the ASIO Intelligence Assessment also notes that “Foreign intelligence services can exploit state media to embed officers under journalistic cover in Australia and internationally.”

“State-affiliated media organisations are uniquely effective for this purpose, as they can be directly compelled by their home governments to facilitate intelligence objectives,” the assessment warns.

“Established journalists are seen by foreign intelligence services as valuable recruitments – they often have subject matter expertise, extensive networks that include government, private industry and media, as well as access to information and places of intelligence value.”

“Recruited journalists’ accesses can be exploited to conduct or facilitate intelligence activity that includes access to otherwise inaccessible locations, actively collecting or using their media organisation’s database to gather information on targets, and assist in the cultivation of targets, including other journalists.”

Commonwealth agencies and officials are also advised by ASIO that “unapproved or unauthorised contact with journalists and the media carries risks for the security of government information.”

Noting that media content “informs the public about current events and ultimately influences readers”, ASIO warns that foreign spies also target and use journalists to “influence narratives on issues that matter to them – this constitutes foreign interference”.

It advises that all “engagement with journalists” must be officially authorised in strict accordance with Australian Government, departmental or agency-specific policies.

“Even where contact is authorised, determining whether a journalist or media organisation is legitimate, versus working for a foreign intelligence service, adds an additional layer of risk and complexity.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24789042 (041718ZJUL26) Notable: WA Police Child Exploitation Squad catch more than 200 predators in one year revealing shocking online horror - (Video) WA Police arrested more than 200 alleged online child predators and identified 67 previously unknown child victims over the past year. Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Britton of the WA Child Exploitation Squad said the figures represent only a fraction of the state's online child exploitation problem, warning that offenders increasingly use gaming platforms, chatrooms and encrypted messaging apps to groom children before shifting conversations to anonymous messaging services that are harder to trace. Officers conduct covert operations by posing as children as young as 13, with many suspects continuing explicit conversations despite knowing the child's stated age. Police said those arrested came from diverse backgrounds, including teachers, lawyers and accountants. Cyber safety experts urged parents to monitor children's online activity, particularly games with chat functions, while police warned young teenagers should avoid communicating with anonymous users online.

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WA Police Child Exploitation Squad catch more than 200 predators in one year revealing shocking online horror

Jerrie Demasi - 21 June 2026

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Shocking police figures have exposed the scale of our State’s online child exploitation crisis, with more than 200 predators apprehended and 67 previously unknown child victims uncovered in just one year.

But detectives warn those confronting numbers barely scratch the surface, as offenders increasingly use games, chatrooms and encrypted apps to target children.

The new statistics, revealed to 7NEWS during rare access inside the WA Police Child Exploitation Squad, represent just a fraction of the real scale of child abuse material and online grooming in the State, according to investigators.

Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Britton said most child victims in WA remained unidentified, despite the squad’s extensive work in trying to track offenders online.

“Those victims there, are definitely a small percentage of what’s out there,” he said.

“Absolutely.”

The way these highly skilled officers catch online predators is covert and quite confronting.

Inside an unsuspecting Perth office building, specialist detectives spend their shifts in online chatrooms, monitoring digital platforms and identifying adults allegedly trying to groom or exploit minors.

To do this, the officers use fake profiles, posing as children aged as young as 13.

Detective Senior Sergeant Britton said the stated age of the child often did nothing to deter alleged predators.

“It’s made very clear the age of the person,” he said.

“Time and time again we will explain that we are a 13, 14, 15-year-old.

“The majority of people we deal with, unfortunately, will continue the conversation knowing they’re dealing with a child.”

In an unprecedented all-access report airing on 7NEWS Monday, detectives demonstrate how quickly a seemingly casual online exchange can escalate.

Investigators say groomers often begin by flattering a child, mirroring their interests or using friendly conversation to build trust — before manipulating the interaction into explicit territory.

In many cases, police say offenders then attempt to lure children from chatrooms or gaming platforms onto encrypted messaging services, where they are harder to trace.

“They’re anonymous, so sometimes there’ll be no phone linked to it, there’ll be no email linked to it,” Det. Sen. Sgt Britton said.

“And then we have the battle of identifying who that person is.”

The squad uses specialist technology and covert online methods to identify suspects before search warrants and arrests are carried out.

Body-worn camera vision obtained by 7NEWS shows WA Police arresting suspects accused of offences including possessing, producing and distributing child exploitation material.

It includes a horrific case in Geraldton, where detectives allege a man induced a child to engage in prostitution.

Another offender posted chilling online advertisements soliciting access to children.

“Obviously that sparked significant concern because we learned there are people actually out there actively doing this,” Det. Sen. Sgt Britton said.

“They wanted to develop a network of people with access to children who are willing to share them and come up with plans and ideas to discuss how they would do this.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24792252 (051138ZJUL26) Notable: OPINION: As a priest, I wonder what Jesus would say about the Christian Brothers crying poor - "What would the Pope make of recent reporting that reveals the Christian Brothers in Australia is set to declare itself bankrupt after shifting at least $500 million in assets into a separate legal entity, making it inaccessible to church child abuse victims seeking compensation? Pope Leo XIV last month denounced the “scourge” of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy before he met privately with abuse victims in Spain. The Pope said some of his most painful encounters had been with those who have been wounded by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy ... As a Catholic priest of nearly 60 years, I’m ashamed that those poor kids were damaged and burdened for life by people they were told they must both obey and trust. Yet rather than responding in good faith, the Christian Brothers in Australia have reportedly spent years transferring the assets - mainly land and school buildings potentially worth billions – to the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia. On Thursday, all sex abuse claims against the Christian Brothers in Australia were suspended after the Supreme Court of NSW granted the Christian Brothers a moratorium, noting the organisation could run out of money if it weren’t granted. In 2018, the order transferred schools in NSW - Waverley College in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, St Patrick’s College in Strathfield, and St Pius X College in Chatswood – to the Edmund Rice trustees for the nominal consideration of $1 each ... Does the shifting of assets (albeit legally) to limit compensation claims satisfy Pope Leo’s requirement of “reparation and a culture of care”? Even more fundamentally, does it pass the standard of Jesus Himself, to “treat others as you would like to be treated yourself”? Surely not. To its great credit, over many years that same Catholic order has educated untold thousands of young people and, in doing so, helped form them as responsible and upright citizens as well as imparting academic knowledge. How tragic to undo all that good by marshalling wily and reprehensible legal strategies and using them against those who have already been irreparably damaged. In response to the sex abuse crisis within the Catholic and other churches over the past 50 years, heart-felt apologies have been issued, public ceremonies of “lamentation and sorrow” have been held, assurances have been given that “we have learnt from our mistakes”, and payments of compensation - both adequate and inadequate, court-imposed and negotiated – have been made to victims. But by and large, the church has failed to live up to its basic Christian obligations. Had it done so, perhaps the many empty pews in our churches might still be occupied by people who treasure their faith. The offences, the subsequent cover-ups and the indefensible legal strategies used to avoid fundamental obligations largely explain why so many, in the Western world especially, no longer associate with the church in any meaningful way ... I have spent the vast majority of my life serving as an ordained Catholic priest. I still say Mass every day and assist regularly in parish ministry. But I find it impossible to comprehend how hair-splitting legal strategies can be justified when the lives of so many former pupils, parishioners and their families continue to lie in ruins." - Father Kevin Dillon, a Catholic priest who works with survivors of church-related sexual abuse via his establishment of the Lifeboat Geelong Foundation, The Age - https://www.lifeboatgeelong.com.au

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>>>/qresearch/24788881

OPINION: As a priest, I wonder what Jesus would say about the Christian Brothers crying poor

Father Kevin Dillon - July 5, 2026

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What would the Pope make of recent reporting that reveals the Christian Brothers in Australia is set to declare itself bankrupt after shifting at least $500 million in assets into a separate legal entity, making it inaccessible to church child abuse victims seeking compensation?

Pope Leo XIV last month denounced the “scourge” of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy before he met privately with abuse victims in Spain. The Pope said some of his most painful encounters had been with those who have been wounded by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy.

“The Church community must respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an even more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care,” the US-born Pope told Spanish bishops.

As a Catholic priest of nearly 60 years, I’m ashamed that those poor kids were damaged and burdened for life by people they were told they must both obey and trust.

Yet rather than responding in good faith, the Christian Brothers in Australia have reportedly spent years transferring the assets – mainly land and school buildings potentially worth billions – to the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia.

On Thursday, all sex abuse claims against the Christian Brothers in Australia were suspended after the Supreme Court of NSW granted the Christian Brothers a moratorium, noting the organisation could run out of money if it weren’t granted.

In 2018, the order transferred schools in NSW – Waverley College in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, St Patrick’s College in Strathfield, and St Pius X College in Chatswood – to the Edmund Rice trustees for the nominal consideration of $1 each.

Three years earlier, the order had transferred three of its top Victorian schools – St Kevin’s College in Toorak, Geelong’s St Joseph’s College and Parade College in Bundoora – to Edmund Rice Australia. Doing so limits survivors’ claims for just and appropriate compensation.

The timing of this asset transfer occurred just months before state governments across Australia removed the controversial Ellis Defence, which had prevented abuse survivors from suing unincorporated organisations including churches and other institutions and had limited civil claims against churches since 2007.

Technical interpretations and nuances occasionally carry the day in some legal disputes, but for church personnel dealing with the extreme and life-long harm to children in their care, the words of Pope Leo must be paramount. Victims should not be palmed off as a merely “helpful background” to policies and decisions. Their stories must stand as a clear and decisive cornerstone in providing genuine reparation.

Does the shifting of assets (albeit legally) to limit compensation claims satisfy Pope Leo’s requirement of “reparation and a culture of care”? Even more fundamentally, does it pass the standard of Jesus Himself, to “treat others as you would like to be treated yourself”?

Surely not.

To its great credit, over many years that same Catholic order has educated untold thousands of young people and, in doing so, helped form them as responsible and upright citizens as well as imparting academic knowledge. How tragic to undo all that good by marshalling wily and reprehensible legal strategies and using them against those who have already been irreparably damaged.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24795432 (060944ZJUL26) Notable: China launches sea-based missile in South Pacific after Anthony Albanese signs pact with Fiji - China has confirmed it test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile carrying a simulated warhead into the South Pacific, describing the launch as a routine military exercise conducted in accordance with international law and with prior notification to regional governments. The test occurred within hours of Australia and Fiji signing the Veitacini Treaty, a new mutual defence alliance, alongside the Vuvale Union economic and security partnership, prompting Australia to describe the launch as destabilising. Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said China notified Australia only on the day of the launch, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra had formally conveyed its concerns to Beijing. Analysts, including the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Malcolm Davis, argued the timing appeared intended as strategic coercive messaging and said same-day notification fell short of accepted international practice. Japanese analyst Tetsuo Kotani said the missile was likely the JL-3, an intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile designed to strengthen China's sea-based nuclear deterrent and future continuous at-sea patrol capability.

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China launches sea-based missile in South Pacific after Anthony Albanese signs pact with Fiji

BEN PACKHAM and YONI BASHAN - 6 July 2026

China has confirmed it fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile fitted with a simulated warhead into the South Pacific Ocean on Monday, describing the test as a routine component of its annual military training and stating that regional governments had been notified in advance.

Few experts were persuaded and the timing was not lost on anyone.

The missile was launched at 12.01pm local time by the People’s Liberation Army Navy from what Chinese state media described as a “strategic nuclear submarine”, and reportedly struck its designated target in the “relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean”. Beijing maintained the exercise was conducted in accordance with international law and was “not directed against any specific country or target”.

The launch occurred within hours of Australia and Fiji signing the landmark Veitacini Treaty – also known as the Ocean of Peace Alliance – in Suva. The mutual defence agreement, which commits both nations to come to each other’s aid in times of crises, marks Fiji’s first-ever defence alliance and Australia’s fourth, alongside its existing pacts with the United States, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

The treaty was signed alongside the Vuvale Union, a sweeping economic partnership that will see Australia invest over $1bn into Fiji over the next decade, and is open to other Pacific nations – including New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga – to join in the future.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who had travelled with Anthony Albanese for the signing ceremony, said Australia had made clear to Beijing that the test was “destabilising to the region”.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed that China had informed Australia of its intention to conduct a long-range missile test on the day of the launch itself – the same day the treaty was signed. “We are very concerned about any actions which undermine the stability, the peace, and security of the Pacific,” Mr Marles said.

Beijing’s claim of advance notice was swiftly challenged by analysts who noted a same-day advisory falls short of the standard required under international law.

“It is notification in name only,” said Dr Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “The timing of the launch — on the day of the signing of the Veitacini Treaty — simply cannot be seen to be coincidental. China uses military power for coercive messaging.”

Dr Davis also highlighted the deeper strategic significance of conducting the test from a submarine platform, saying it reinforced China’s development of a “second-strike capability based on ballistic missile submarines” – vessels designed to survive an initial nuclear exchange and retaliate.

Chinese state media did not confirm the type of warhead used. Tetsuo Kotani, a senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, a think tank in Tokyo, said China was most likely to have test-fired the JL-3, its newest submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile.

“Because its range exceeds 10,000 kilometers, the missile could not be tested by firing westward into the desert as has traditionally been done, so it was likely fired toward the Pacific instead,” Mr Kotani said.

He added that China is advancing development of the quieter Type 096 strategic nuclear-powered submarine, which would likely be armed with the JL-3 for continuous at-sea deployment, a move that would significantly enhance Beijing’s capacity for sustained nuclear deterrence.

Monday’s launch follows an September 2024 intercontinental ballistic missile test carrying a dummy warhead, which similarly alarmed Canberra, in part due to a lack of advance notice.

That missile flew across the Pacific Ocean and landed in waters near French Polynesia, marking China’s first such announced test over international waters in more than four decades.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/china-to-test-nuclear-missile-in-south-pacific-after-anthony-albanese-signs-pact-with-fiji/news-story/5c7504085d0c5221a9dd4bc8881d1dfc

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24795443 (060954ZJUL26) Notable: ‘Destabilising’: Australia blasts China for launching nuclear-capable weapon in Pacific - Australia and New Zealand have condemned China after it launched a nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific, describing the test as destabilising and concerning. The launch occurred hours after Australia and Fiji signed the Ocean of Peace defence alliance, with China providing only limited advance notice. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the test was inconsistent with Pacific leaders' vision of the region as an "Ocean of Peace", while New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters warned such launches should not become normalised within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone. Maritime intelligence firm Starboard reported Chinese tracking ships were positioned in the region during the test. China maintained the launch was a routine military exercise conducted in accordance with international law and not directed at any particular country.

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‘Destabilising’: Australia blasts China for launching nuclear-capable weapon in Pacific

Matthew Knott and Lisa Visentin - July 6, 2026

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The launch of a nuclear-capable long-range missile from a Chinese submarine in the South Pacific with just hours of notice has angered Australia and New Zealand, who labelled the test destabilising and concerning.

The firing of the ballistic missile, fitted with a dummy warhead, came just hours after Australia and Fiji struck a new defence alliance that commits them to come to each other’s aid if they come under attack.

A Chinese tracking ship was stationed alongside Fiji at the time of the missile firing, with a leading maritime surveillance company saying its presence was unlikely to have been coincidental.

Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, a spokesman for China’s People’s Liberation Army navy, said that a Chinese strategic nuclear submarine successfully launched a strategic missile carrying a training dummy warhead toward “relevant high seas areas of the Pacific Ocean” at 12.01pm on Monday.

Wang said the missile “accurately landed within the predetermined sea area”.

“This missile test launch is a routine arrangement of the Chinese side’s annual military training, and relevant countries have been notified in advance,” he said.

“It complies with international law and international practices and is not targeted at any specific country or target.”

Chinese officials had briefed various regional governments, including Australia and New Zealand, about an intercontinental ballistic missile test in the Pacific earlier on Monday.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilising to the region” before adding that Pacific leaders had made clear they wanted the Pacific to be “an Ocean of Peace. We believe this test is inconsistent with that objective.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China hoped “relevant countries will not overinterpret the matter”. She described the launch as “a routine military training exercise, not targeted at any specific country or target, and relevant countries have been notified in advance, which is in line with international law and international practice”.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he was “deeply concerned” by the testing, complaining that it was carried out only hours after notice was given to Pacific nations.

“New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development,” Peters said.

“We, like our neighbours in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability.”

Peters said the missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established by the Treaty of Rarotonga as he flagged further discussions with Pacific nations in response to the test.

“We as a region should not sit by and allow such tests to become normalised or routine,” he said.

The Japanese government said it had urged China to reconsider the missile launch after receiving notification. “We expressed our grave concern over the Chinese military’s increased activity,” a government spokesperson said.

Maritime intelligence company Starboard said it had identified two Chinese satellite tracking ships, the Yuan Wang 3 and Yuan Wang 6, operating in international waters near the Federated States of Micronesia’s exclusive economic zone at the time of the test. The vessels left China around June 25.

A third tracking ship, the Yuan Wang 5, is currently alongside in Suva after operating in the eastern Pacific and arriving in Fiji on July 3.

Mark Douglas, a senior Starboard employee, said Yuan Wang 5’s “presence in the region is unlikely to be coincidental. The significance of that vessel being berthed in Fiji’s capital in the same week Fiji signed its first defence alliance with Australia won’t be lost on anyone.”

The ship was used to support China’s test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean in September 2024 – its first such test since 1980.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said he did not believe the test was designed as retaliation for the defence treaty struck between Australia and Fiji.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O’Brien criticised the Chinese missile launch, saying: “This is irresponsible, and it is not welcomed.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24795501 (061016ZJUL26) Notable: Aussie top cop Krissy Barrett’s warning to UN: time to get leaner and meaner as China grows - Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett will urge the United Nations to modernise its peacekeeping model by making police training leaner, faster and more affordable, while promoting greater Pacific leadership in international policing. Addressing the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) in New York, Barrett will advocate training officers closer to their home countries and establishing the proposed PACPOL bloc to give Pacific police forces a stronger collective voice in global security matters. The initiative is intended to strengthen regional policing cooperation as China expands its security presence and police training across the Pacific, particularly in Solomon Islands. During the visit, Barrett will also meet FBI Director Kash Patel, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Canadian and US law enforcement leaders, and sign agreements to strengthen cooperation against terrorism, transnational crime and financial crime.

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Aussie top cop Krissy Barrett’s warning to UN: time to get leaner and meaner as China grows

RICHARD FERGUSON and GEOFF CHAMBERS - 5 July 2026

Australia’s top cop will warn the UN it needs to become a leaner and more agile peacekeeping corps as she takes her calls for a Pacific law enforcement bloc countering Chinese influence to her fellow security chiefs in New York.

Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett is set to meet FBI director Kash Patel and NYPC chief Jessica Tisch this week to discuss co-operation on terrorism post-Bondi, as she hosts the UNCOPS summit and works to elevate Australia’s role in inter­national policing.

First revealed by The Australian last year, the commissioner’s focus will be on countering the growing influence of Chinese police and security forces in the Pacific region, and giving island nations access to UN peacekeeping deployments.

Amid fears China is seeking to dominate peacekeeping operations worldwide, given it now provides the most troops and police of any Security Council member, the AFP boss will tell the UN that it needs to streamline the corps and train more officers closer to their home countries. “When UN member states adopted the Pact for the Future in 2024, they agreed peacekeeping must become more agile and better tailored to today’s challenges,” she will say.

“Australia took that call seriously. With our Pacific partners, we built a leaner, more sustainable police training model, without lowering the bar.

“When we say leaner, we mean a program delivered in five weeks instead of many months. When we say more affordable, we mean a model member states can actually sustain year on year, not one that strains a peacekeeping budget already under pressure. And when we say more agile, we mean police who can be trained closer to home and deployed where they’re needed, faster.”

Commissioner Barrett will be joined by three other Pacific ­nation police chiefs at the UNCOPS event as she seeks a global rebalance of law enforcement.

Beijing’s aggressive push to embed security personnel and exert influence over Pacific police forces was headlined by a 2023 deal struck between China and Solomon Islands, which included an implementation plan on policing scheduled to run until the end of 2025. A broader security deal was signed by the countries in April 2022.

While the AFP boasts a longstanding relationship with Pacific police chiefs and played a central role in the Australian-led ­Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon ­Islands, Beijing has expanded its security presence in Honiara and provided equipment and training for Solomon Islands police officers.

The AFP chief will tell her global colleagues that the Pacific policing bloc – PACPOL – will give island nation police a “greater say at global forums about security and safety matters”.

“A decision will be made by Pacific chiefs of police in Oct­ober on whether they agree to a new bloc, PACPOL. This will allow them to collectively establish priorities, with one voice at global and regional forums,” she will say.

After years of concerns about waste and corruption in peacekeeping missions, Ms Barrett will also call for financial belt-tightening at the UN and new models that will benefit smaller countries that cannot afford more bureaucratic and expensive police training methods. “Cost matters because sustainability matters. Member states have been candid about the financial pressure on UN peacekeeping,” she will say.

“A leaner training model means more countries can contribute capable, UN-ready officers without the price tag that has held them back. That’s how you protect police peacekeeping for the long term.”

Amid the UN event, Ms Barrett will sign a new memorandum of understanding with Donald Trump’s FBI chief, Mr Patel, on combating trans­national crime and terrorism.

She will meet with Ms Tisch, the powerful head of the New York police who has retained her power even under new socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Ms Barrett will also meet with the US’s top drugs cops and the head of the Canadian Mounties, as well as sign a deal with digital payments giant PayPal on sharing information.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/aussie-top-cop-krissy-barretts-warning-to-un-time-to-get-leaner-and-meaner-as-china-grows/news-story/ff9b8c2f4c157449930a97c83145e516

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/afp-commissioner-address-united-nations-chiefs-police-summit-her-vision

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24795523 (061024ZJUL26) Notable: One Nation eyes Andrew Hastie’s federal stronghold in Secret Harbour by-election test - One Nation will use the forthcoming Western Australian by-election in Secret Harbour as a test of support ahead of targeting Andrew Hastie’s federal seat of Canning at the next election. The by-election follows the resignation of state minister Paul Papalia, whose electorate largely overlaps with Canning. Premier Roger Cook said Labor expected a difficult contest despite previously holding the seat. WA One Nation leader Rod Caddies said the party had been preparing for months, with cost-of-living pressures expected to dominate the campaign. The party believes Secret Harbour will provide an indication of its prospects against Hastie, who retained Canning with an increased margin at the 2025 federal election despite the Coalition’s broader losses in Western Australia.

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One Nation eyes Andrew Hastie’s federal stronghold in Secret Harbour by-election test

PAIGE TAYLOR - 6 July 2026

One Nation will use an imminent by-election for the West Australian lower house seat of Secret Harbour as a practice run for Andrew Hastie’s federal seat south of Perth.

The resignation on Monday of Cook Labor government minister Paul Papalia is expected to test One Nation’s popularity with voters in the sprawling seat of Canning held by Mr Hastie since 2015. Mr Papalia’s state seat of Secret Harbour, about 60km south of Perth, is mostly within the boundaries of Mr Hastie’s federal seat.

WA Labor retained Secret Harbour last year when it won a third term. While the Cook Labor government’s victory was a landslide overall, there was a 19.8 per cent swing against Labor in Mr Papalia’s seat. One Nation polled 8.3 per cent of the primary vote in Secret Harbour last year, a 6.3 per cent improvement on its 2021 vote.

Mr Papalia, 64, cited the illness of a close family member as the reason for his decision to leave parliament 22 months out from the next state election.

WA Premier Roger Cook told reporters on Monday that he expected a “really tough” campaign.

“It’s going to be very hard. We are not taking anything for granted,” he said.

“And we know that during a by-election there is heightened debate, there’s increased focus, and we are going to have to fight for our lives on this one.”

One Nation on Monday already had campaign T-shirts and a short list of candidates for the Secret Harbour by-election, according to the party’s WA leader, Rod Caddies, a member of the state upper house. Mr Caddies said One Nation began planning months ago amid rumours that Mr Papalia would quit before the next state election.

Mr Caddies predicted cost of living would be an important issue in the by-election. He said that while federal MPs had been a big asset for major parties in past state election campaigns, he did not think Mr Hastie was as popular with locals as he had been.

The Liberals were wiped out across Perth at the 2025 federal election but Mr Hastie was re-elected with a 5.4 per cent swing towards him in the federal seat of Canning. He relied on a strong local campaign that emphasised his work in the electorate, with little mention of the Coalition.

One Nation is known to consider Mr Hastie’s seat a big prize, and party leader Pauline Hanson has been in a war of words with him. Mr Hastie in June told a podcast hosted by Nine: “Pauline Hanson’s problem is that she is MAGA first, even when the Australian people suffer the economic consequences.”

Senator Hanson responded by saying she wanted to make Australia great again, and “clearly, his party is not being accepted by the Australian people”.

Senator Hanson is a vocal supporter of Ben Roberts-Smith – the Victoria Cross recipient who is facing war crimes murder charges – as is the party’s highest-profile backer, billionaire Gina Rinehart.

Mr Hastie, a former SAS captain who served alongside Mr Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan, has been targeted online for his evidence at the defamation trial that Mr Roberts-Smith initiated and lost against media outlet Nine. Mr Hastie was among more than 20 former and serving soldiers who were summonsed to appear as witnesses at that trial.

He has since said Mr Roberts-Smith is entitled to the presumption of innocence in the criminal proceedings.

In a statement to his constituents in June, Mr Hastie accused One Nation of “a relentless campaign of personal attacks against me online. It’s become serious enough that security at my home and electorate office needs to be upgraded”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/west-australian/one-nation-eyes-andrew-hasties-federal-stronghold-in-secret-harbour-byelection-test/news-story/3e9a4919da43c78957b33b257b2d0066

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24795552 (061041ZJUL26) Notable: Neo-Nazi complains he’s ‘unemployable’ after salute during Holocaust movie - Self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Nathan Bull, 24, has been sentenced to a six-month community corrections order with 125 hours of unpaid work after being found guilty of performing a prohibited Nazi salute during a screening of The Zone of Interest in Melbourne. Bull and others disrupted the March 2024 screening by performing Nazi salutes, mocking Holocaust victims and making Holocaust denial statements. Representing himself, Bull told the court his political views had made him unemployable, claiming employers rejected him because they could identify him online. Magistrate Stella Stuthridge sentenced him without recording a conviction, finding his notoriety and ongoing legal matters had already significantly affected his employment prospects, but rejected any suggestion that the seriousness of the offending did not warrant punishment.

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Neo-Nazi complains he’s ‘unemployable’ after salute during Holocaust movie

Melissa Meehan - July 6, 2026

A white supremacist found guilty of performing a Nazi salute during a film about the Holocaust says his political beliefs make him unemployable.

Self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Nathan Bull was found guilty on Monday of performing a prohibited salute at Cinema Nova in Carlton, in Melbourne’s inner-north.

Bull was charged after he and others disrupted a screening of The Zone of Interest on March 9, 2024, by making Nazi salutes and mocking Holocaust atrocities.

The Zone of Interest follows the horrifying daily life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family, who build an idyllic domestic life in a house directly adjacent to Auschwitz concentration camp.

Six witnesses testified about Bull’s conduct, including cinema patrons and staff, in a two-day contested hearing in May.

Bull, representing himself on Monday, was asked by magistrate Stella Stuthridge whether he thought he should be sentenced with or without conviction.

The 24-year-old said his job prospects had already been badly affected because of his far-right political beliefs.

Bull told the court he relied on Centrelink payments to support his family. His partner is due to have their second child in coming days.

“It is quite difficult to get a job, obviously, because of who I am,” he told the court.

“They can just Google me and they don’t want the issues that it comes with being pulled up by communists, saying they have a Nazi working for them or the police showing up.”

Bull did not apologise for his actions during the court proceedings.

Police prosecutor Jessica McCartney said a conviction was warranted given the gravity of the offending.

Stuthridge ruled Bull’s ongoing court cases and political views had a “dramatic impact on his employability”, and decided to sentence him without a conviction.

“I think a conviction could only add to those difficulties,” she said.

Bull was sentenced to a six-month community corrections order including 125 hours of unpaid work.

Previously, witness Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the film focused on a concentration camp manager’s mundane life, set against the horror occurring nearby.

She said she noticed a rowdy group of five when they first entered the small cinema and witnessed them “laugh and snicker” during a scene that depicted human loss.

“It felt like they were excited to be there, they were egging each other on and announced to the cinema that we’d been lied to, that the Holocaust didn’t happen,” Mohajer va Pesaran said.

She said the group, seated in the front row, stood up and announced to the audience that “Hitler was a great guy” and “he didn’t do anything wrong”.

Another witness, Richard Schultz, said he saw two members of the group perform a Nazi salute in the cinema.

Bull wore a black Helly Hansen polo shirt in court, a clothing brand far-right extremists have appropriated because the prominent “HH” logo is interpreted as an abbreviation for “Heil Hitler”.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/neo-nazi-complains-he-s-unemployable-after-salute-during-holocaust-movie-20260706-p60cz5.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24798559 (071046ZJUL26) Notable: China warns Australia over military alliance with Fiji that promises to 'act to meet the common danger' - China has warned Australia not to undermine its interests in the Pacific following the signing of the Ocean of Peace Alliance, a new mutual defence treaty between Australia and Fiji. The agreement commits both countries to "act to meet the common danger" if either faces armed attack and makes Fiji Australia's fourth formal defence ally. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged Australia to respect the independence of Pacific island nations and avoid targeting third countries. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he did not expect a severe Chinese backlash and suggested other Pacific nations could eventually join the pact. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to discuss regional security and a proposed bilateral treaty with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale during talks in Honiara.

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China warns Australia over military alliance with Fiji that promises to 'act to meet the common danger'

Stephen Dziedzic - 6 July 2026

China has warned Australia not to harm its interests in the Pacific after Anthony Albanese struck a landmark military alliance with Fiji that could reshape the region's security architecture and draw in multiple other Pacific nations.

The prime minister and his Fiji counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka unveiled the Ocean of Peace Alliance on Monday morning, along with the Vuvale Union treaty, after months of secretive negotiations.

Fiji will become Australia's fourth official ally under the pact, with both countries promising to "act to meet the common danger, in accordance with its domestic processes" if the other faces a military attack.

Mr Rabuka also suggested he would be happy for many other countries in the region to join the pact, although Australia has signalled it is initially focused only on countries with standing militaries.

The new alliance forms part of the web of agreements Australia is pulling together as it tries to entrench Australia's strategic position and stop China establishing a military foothold in the region.

Mr Rabuka played down the prospect of any backlash from China, telling journalists in Fiji's capital Suva that he did not expect "severe pushback" and that he believed Beijing would "welcome" the understanding reached by both countries.

But China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning issued a frosty response on Monday evening.

"We do not engage in geopolitical rivalry or seek selfish political games," she said.

"It is hoped that the country of concern will truly respect the independence of Pacific island nations, focus on their sustainability, such as economic development, and avoid targeting any third party or harming the interest of any third party."

One Fiji government source also told the ABC they expected China to be "unhappy" about the agreement, but insisted the Pacific nation was determined to press ahead with the pact.

New Zealand has already welcomed the announcement, although it has not yet started any formal discussions about joining the alliance.

"As agreed by Pacific leaders, Pacific security should be led by the Pacific. The alliance reinforces this," a foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said.

Mr Albanese is likely to discuss the new alliance with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale as he makes a lightning-quick stop-off in the capital Honiara as the nation celebrates Independence Day.

Mr Wale has been pushing his own idea of a regional security pact for Pacific nations, although it is unclear how this vision fits with the agreement unveiled by Mr Rabuka and Mr Albanese on Monday.

Australia and Solomon Islands agreed last month to kickstart negotiations on a new bilateral treaty, with Mr Wale telling the ABC he would like to conclude the deal before the end of the year.

Both leaders are also certain to field questions about China's ballistic missile test in the Pacific on Monday, which occurred just hours after the new Fiji-Australia agreement was signed.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-06/china-warns-australia-over-alliance-with-fiji/106886394

https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/xw/fyrbt/202607/t20260706_11976109.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24798598 (071130ZJUL26) Notable: COMMENTARY: Anthony Albanese throws his China caution to the wind after ‘provocative’ nuclear missile test - "Anthony Albanese has taken extreme care to avoid inflaming tensions with China since he was elected. On Tuesday, that caution was thrown out the window. China’s nuclear-capable missile launch into the Pacific was a “provocative act”, he said, destabilising the region and undermining peace. The comment was calibrated to be heard in Beijing and by Pacific Island leaders, who are equally angry at and bewildered by the missile test. Solomon Islands’ leader Matthew Wale, the current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, spoke for the entire region when he warned “Don’t threaten us”. Beijing wants to win over regional leaders as part of its quest to secure a base in the Pacific. But it is its own worst enemy. The South Pacific has a long memory of US, British and French nuclear tests. The entire region signed the Treaty of Rarotonga in 1985, banning the use, testing and possession of nuclear weapons. China’s missile test was an affront to that diplomatic pact. Beijing’s reaction to the uproar was typically abrasive. State-run mouthpiece The Global Times attacked “voices with ulterior motives, or even those with guilty consciences”. If anything, this incident will drive Pacific leaders even closer to Australia, as the Albanese government looks to counter China’s strategic ambitions at every turn. It comes ahead of talks on a proposed but long-elusive region-wide security agreement between Pacific Island countries and Australia. Wale, a longtime China critic who is championing the idea, is expected to lead discussions on it at the PIF leaders’ meeting in late August and early September. He now has an even more powerful argument - that the region needs the platform to share intelligence and “speak as one”. Meanwhile, Australia has been amassing bilateral security agreements, including two new mutual defence alliances in the space of less than 12 months. The first, with Papua New Guinea, will enter into force on Wednesday with an exchange of letters between Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape. Albanese signed the second, with Fiji, on Tuesday. That treaty has an added provision allowing other Pacific nations to join with the approval of the original signatories. This will have set off the klaxons inside the Chinese Communist Party, which is seeing its prospects for gaining a military foothold in the region slipping away." - Ben Packham, The Australian

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COMMENTARY: Anthony Albanese throws his China caution to the wind after ‘provocative’ nuclear missile test

BEN PACKHAM - 7 July 2026

Anthony Albanese has taken extreme care to avoid inflaming tensions with China since he was elected. On Tuesday, that caution was thrown out the window.

China’s nuclear-capable missile launch into the Pacific was a “provocative act”, he said, destabilising the region and undermining peace.

The comment was calibrated to be heard in Beijing and by Pacific Island leaders, who are equally angry at and bewildered by the missile test.

Solomon Islands’ leader Matthew Wale, the current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, spoke for the entire region when he warned “Don’t threaten us”.

Beijing wants to win over regional leaders as part of its quest to secure a base in the Pacific. But it is its own worst enemy.

The South Pacific has a long memory of US, British and French nuclear tests.

The entire region signed the Treaty of Rarotonga in 1985, banning the use, testing and possession of nuclear weapons. China’s missile test was an affront to that diplomatic pact.

Beijing’s reaction to the uproar was typically abrasive. State-run mouthpiece The Global Times attacked “voices with ulterior motives, or even those with guilty consciences”.

If anything, this incident will drive Pacific leaders even closer to Australia, as the Albanese government looks to counter China’s strategic ambitions at every turn.

It comes ahead of talks on a proposed but long-elusive region-wide security agreement between Pacific Island countries and Australia.

Wale, a longtime China critic who is championing the idea, is expected to lead discussions on it at the PIF leaders’ meeting in late August and early September.

He now has an even more powerful argument – that the region needs the platform to share intelligence and “speak as one”.

Meanwhile, Australia has been amassing bilateral security agreements, including two new mutual defence alliances in the space of less than 12 months.

The first, with Papua New Guinea, will enter into force on Wednesday with an exchange of letters between Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape.

Albanese signed the second, with Fiji, on Tuesday. That treaty has an added provision allowing other Pacific nations to join with the approval of the original signatories.

This will have set off the klaxons inside the Chinese Communist Party, which is seeing its prospects for gaining a military foothold in the region slipping away.

In reality, New Zealand and Tonga are the only other South Pacific nations with standing armies that could credibly seek to join the pact.

Yet even the prospect of the treaty’s expansion represents a further blow to Beijing’s strategic ambitions and institutional prestige.

Albanese will, perhaps uncoincidentally, get together with Tonga’s Prime Minister, Lord Fakafanua, in Brisbane on Wednesday, before hosting him and Marape at the NRL’s State of Origin decider.

Samoa’s Prime Minister, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, may also attend, despite recently undergoing surgery in New Zealand.

This is the sort of bridge-building China is incapable of pulling off. Its diplomatic engagements are intended to inspire awe, even fear. Albanese, on the other hand, can set his counterparts at ease over a beer and meat pie at the footy.

The PM’s week of good international vibes is set to continue on Thursday when he hosts Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Melbourne.

Modi remains a formidable global figure despite a drop in support for his governing BJP at the last election and concerns over human rights in India.

Albanese will bask in his reflected star power. He knows diplomacy is all about relationships – something China struggles to grasp.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/anthony-albanese-throws-his-china-caution-to-the-wind-after-provocative-nuclear-missile-test/news-story/97a59f7f44e3e26ef70574a09c181c5f

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24798619 (071142ZJUL26) Notable: Australia instrumentalizes 'sports diplomacy' and defense pact to counter China; expert sees anxiety behind bid to shore up fading dominance - "Three Pacific island leaders are scheduled to attend security talks in Australia while also attending a rugby league final, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly mounts a sports-diplomacy push to curb China's influence. Separately, Albanese inked a defense deal with Fiji on Monday, viewed as a "rebuff to China." An observer said that Canberra is packaging sports outreach, security agreements and other tools into a full-fledged mechanism to counter China's influence, driven by Canberra's anxiety over the unraveling of its long-standing position across the Pacific. AFP reported that Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Tonga's Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua will travel to Australia on Wednesday, with at least one other Pacific leader also expected for bilateral security talks on the day. According to AFP, the Australian Prime Minister will host these leaders at the final State of Origin rugby league match between Queensland and New South Wales states ... Officials have privately said rugby league and rugby union, where Australian and Pacific players have significant success, offer a soft-power edge over China, which does not have a history of playing the codes, per the report. When sport, which promotes exchanges, ties and regional identity, is packaged with elements of soft-power competition and embedded into security negotiations, it turns from a bridge for communication into a strategic bargaining chip, reflecting the instrumentalization of sports diplomacy, Chen Hong, Director of Asia Pacific Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday ... Chen said with new partners including China offering Pacific island nations a broader range of cooperation options, Australia clearly realizes it can no longer take the Pacific island countries' political alignment and security dependence for granted. It is therefore attempting to re-entrench its central position in the region by tapping into carriers brimming with cultural connotations, Chen added ... Judging from Australia's multiple moves targeting China, the country has been attempting to continuously package issues such as sports and security agreements into a broader mechanism to counterbalance China, the expert pointed out. These attempts also reveal that Australia's anxiety does not stem from any single cooperative initiative, but rather from the unraveling of its long-standing dominance across the Pacific, Chen said. In the long run, Australia's logic of competition for dominance in the region will not only marginalize issues that truly affect people's livelihoods, such as climate, health, and development, but also squeeze the space for Pacific island nations to pursue their own independent and balanced diplomacy, Chen added." - Li Yawei, Global Times

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Australia instrumentalizes 'sports diplomacy' and defense pact to counter China; expert sees anxiety behind bid to shore up fading dominance

Li Yawei - Jul 06, 2026

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Three Pacific island leaders are scheduled to attend security talks in Australia while also attending a rugby league final, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly mounts a sports-diplomacy push to curb China's influence. Separately, Albanese inked a defense deal with Fiji on Monday, viewed as a "rebuff to China." An observer said that Canberra is packaging sports outreach, security agreements and other tools into a full-fledged mechanism to counter China's influence, driven by Canberra's anxiety over the unraveling of its long-standing position across the Pacific.

AFP reported that Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Tonga's Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua will travel to Australia on Wednesday, with at least one other Pacific leader also expected for bilateral security talks on the day.

According to AFP, the Australian Prime Minister will host these leaders at the final State of Origin rugby league match between Queensland and New South Wales states.

"Through one of Australia's favorite sporting codes, we are bringing our Pacific family closer together," Albanese said in a statement on Sunday.

Officials have privately said rugby league and rugby union, where Australian and Pacific players have significant success, offer a soft-power edge over China, which does not have a history of playing the codes, per the report.

When sport, which promotes exchanges, ties and regional identity, is packaged with elements of soft-power competition and embedded into security negotiations, it turns from a bridge for communication into a strategic bargaining chip, reflecting the instrumentalization of sports diplomacy, Chen Hong, Director of Asia Pacific Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.

The AFP report also said that Prime Minister Albanese "mounts a sports diplomacy push to curb China's influence."

Chen said with new partners including China offering Pacific island nations a broader range of cooperation options, Australia clearly realizes it can no longer take the Pacific island countries' political alignment and security dependence for granted. It is therefore attempting to re-entrench its central position in the region by tapping into carriers brimming with cultural connotations, Chen added.

Concurrently, Albanese signed an agreement, named the Ocean of Peace Alliance, alongside Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Suva, on a one-day trip to the Pacific island on Monday, The Australian reported.

Under the mutual defense provision, the agreement states: "Each party recognizes that an armed attack on any of the parties within the Pacific would be dangerous to each other's peace and security as well as the security of the Pacific, and declares that it would act to meet the common danger, in accordance with its domestic processes," The Australian reported.

When asked to comment on Australia and Fiji signing a mutual defense treaty and a new agreement to develop ties, which is part of Canberra's campaign to shore up its influence in the South Pacific and to limit China's influence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that China always upholds the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness in carrying out cooperation with Pacific island nations, adding that "we do not engage in geopolitical rivalry or seek selfish political gains."

"It is hoped that the country concerned will truly respect the independence of Pacific island nations, focus on their sustainable socioeconomic development, and avoid targeting any third party or harming the interests of any third party," Mao said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24802360 (081011ZJUL26) Notable: ISIS-linked Australian woman Hodan Abby accused of beating enslaved Yazidi girl - The last known Australian woman linked to Islamic State, Hodan Abby, is expected to return to Australia under strict conditions amid allegations she abused a young Yazidi girl enslaved in her Syrian home a decade ago. The alleged victim, identified as Sara, told the ABC she was repeatedly beaten, deprived of food and knew Abby as "Umm Osama", the wife of an IS fighter known as "Abu Osama", who allegedly repeatedly raped her while she was held captive. Another Yazidi witness said she observed the abuse, while a former UN human rights specialist said multiple survivor accounts led investigators to believe Umm Osama was Abby. Abby, who left Australia in 2014 and was previously prevented from returning under a Temporary Exclusion Order, was later granted permission to return. The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on potential charges but said returning Australians who allegedly breached Australian law may be investigated.

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ISIS-linked Australian woman Hodan Abby accused of beating enslaved Yazidi girl

Stephanie March - 8 July 2026

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Warning: this article includes graphic descriptions of violence that some readers may find distressing.

The last of the known Islamic State-linked Australian women in Syria is expected to return home amid allegations a Yazidi girl was enslaved, beaten and raped in the woman's home in Syria a decade ago, the ABC can reveal.

Sydney woman Hodan Abby spent more than a decade in the self-declared Islamic State (IS) caliphate and Kurdish detention camps after leaving Australia in 2014.

When she left her home in Western Sydney it was with a friend who reportedly declared her desire to marry a jihadi fighter and become a martyr alongside him.

Ms Abby, who is of Somali descent, had been prevented from coming back to Australia under a Temporary Exclusion Order designed to delay the return of a person deemed a terrorism or security threat.

Last month, she was granted permission to return under strict conditions.

The ABC has spoken to Yazidi woman Sara, whose name has been changed, who was held as a slave in the home of a woman believed to be Hodan Abby, known to her by the nom de guerre "Umm Osama".

The Yazidis are a minority group that were targeted for extermination, mass execution and slavery by IS in 2014 in what the UN recognises as a genocide.

Having been abducted by IS members along with thousands of other Yazidi women and children in northern Iraq in 2014, Sara was just nine or 10 years old when she was sold into the home of a foreign IS fighter she knew as "Abu Osama" in neighbouring Syria in 2016.

His wife, Umm Osama, was pregnant with their daughter.

According to Sara, she spent the first three days in their home locked in a room without food.

When she was finally introduced to Umm Osama, her captor tried to convince his wife he'd bought the slave to help around the house, Sara said.

"After three days he told Umm Osama that he had brought me for her because she was about to give birth," Sara told the ABC.

"But his main purpose of taking me there was rape," Sara alleged.

She claimed Umm Osama initially did not realise Sara was being raped, but when she found out, she was furious.

"After she knew that, she started beating me and all my body was having bruises because of her beatings," Sara alleged.

"She beat me and also told me I wanted Osama to sleep with me."

Sara said Abu Osama then started taking her to the nearby house of his friend — another foreign IS fighter known as Abu Yahya — where Sara said Abu Osama would rape her in secret.

Sara said she was sold eight times to different ISIS households during her years in captivity, but she said the worst treatment she received from a woman was from Umm Osama.

"I was like her younger sister and she knew I was getting raped and she was not preventing that from happening," Sara told the ABC exclusively from her home abroad.

Sara discovers Australian link

While Sara never knew Umm Osama's real name, she describes her as English-speaking and having dark skin.

It was only after Sara was freed from IS captivity that she learned the woman she knew as Umm Osama was believed to be Australian.

Sara said the revelation came when she was working with investigators in Germany on a case against Abu Osama's friend, the IS fighter known as Abu Yahya.

"During the investigation I was asked about [Umm Osama] and [the investigators] said she was Australian," Sara said.

While the identification of Hodan Abby as Sara's abuser is not definitive, a former UN human rights specialist who has spent years working on IS cases said he believed this Umm Osama was Hodan Abby, based on what he had been told by multiple Yazidi survivors who gave statements about their time in captivity.

"When we conducted interviews we met with those who were there while Abu Osama was in Syria," the former UN specialist, who wants to remain anonymous to protect ongoing investigations, told the ABC.

"That is how our assessment was that this lady was Australian … it's according to the witnesses."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24802395 (081017ZJUL26) Notable: Australian uranium to supercharge Indian nuclear power surge in breakthrough deal - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to sign a long-awaited commercial agreement to enable significant Australian uranium exports to India, overcoming regulatory barriers that have limited trade since the countries signed a nuclear co-operation pact in 2014. The deal is expected to accompany new agreements on critical minerals and defence cooperation during Modi's Melbourne visit. India is rapidly expanding its nuclear energy sector, targeting 100GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and planning to add 18 reactors by 2032 to meet growing electricity demand driven by economic growth and artificial intelligence data centres. Australian uranium producers are expected to benefit from the agreement, while Albanese and Modi are also expected to deepen defence and strategic cooperation despite continuing criticism from human rights advocates over India's domestic record.

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Australian uranium to supercharge Indian nuclear power surge in breakthrough deal

Matthew Knott - July 8, 2026

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are set to strike a breakthrough deal to unleash a surge of Australian uranium exports to India, ending more than a decade of delays since the nations signed a historic nuclear co-operation pact.

Modi, one of the world’s most powerful leaders, was scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on Wednesday night for meetings with Albanese on Thursday and what is set to be a raucous rally at Marvel Stadium where Modi will be cheered by 30,000 members of the Indian-Australian community.

Sources familiar with the planning of the visit said the leaders were expected to sign a long-awaited commercial uranium supply agreement, as flagged by this masthead in June, alongside pacts on critical minerals and defence co-operation.

Albanese told reporters on Wednesday he would have more to say about uranium exports to India in the coming days, as he flagged that he and Modi would make “a range of announcements” during the visit.

Australia and India signed a nuclear co-operation pact in 2014 which was controversial at the time, including within the Labor Party, because India has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

There have been only negligible uranium shipments over the past 12 years due to technical and regulatory barriers in India.

Changes to Indian safeguards have now paved the way for significant quantities of uranium to be exported for peaceful purposes.

India is planning a massive increase in nuclear power capacity to help reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and power the boom in data centres linked to artificial intelligence.

Major tech companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon are pumping billions of dollars into data centres in India, the world’s most populous nation with 1.47 billion people.

India has set an ambitious target to have 100GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, 10 times greater than current levels.

The state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation Of India has said the country planned to add 18 more nuclear reactors to its energy mix by 2032.

Sources in the resources sector, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said Australian uranium companies were eager to seize opportunities to export to India and were willing to expand their operations if necessary.

Australia has the world’s largest uranium reserves – almost a third of the global total – according to the World Nuclear Association, but is only the world’s fourth-largest producer.

Uranium mining is banned in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said during a meeting with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in May: “On the energy side, we have energy trade, we are looking to expand that as well into the uranium supplies.

“Our own nuclear sector has undergone reform, which will grow nuclear energy.”

Albanese described Modi as “the boss” during a stadium rally in Sydney during his last visit in 2023, prompting concerns from human rights advocates that he had not spoken out about discrimination towards minorities and democratic backsliding in India under Modi’s watch.

Pranav Aggarwal, from the Australia-India Foundation, said members of the Indian diaspora were travelling from Perth, Darwin, Auckland and Tasmania to attend the stadium rally in Melbourne.

Albanese will also speak at the event.

“We are super excited to welcome Prime Minister Modi and showcase the vibrancy of India,” Aggarwal said.

Shruti Pandalai, the Lowy Institute’s India Chair, said Modi was seeking to diversify India’s energy sources, raising the importance of securing uranium supplies from Australia.

She said she expected Australia and India to expand defence co-operation, especially on maritime security and the production of weapons and other military equipment.

Human Rights Watch Australia executive director Daniela Gavshon has called for Albanese to raise human rights concerns with Modi during the visit.

Human Rights Watch’s most recent report on India said that over the past year, the “slide to authoritarianism under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party-led government continued, with increased vilification of Muslims and government critics”.

Modi, who was first elected prime minister in 2014, is travelling to Australia from Indonesia, where he visited the country’s largest Hindu temple and signed a series of defence deals with counterpart Prabowo Subianto.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-and-modi-to-strike-breakthrough-uranium-deal-20260708-p60djm.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24802414 (081022ZJUL26) Notable: Jacinta Allan’s central role in Modi’s visit: Airport greeting, private meeting and centre stage at Marvel - Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will play a prominent role during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Melbourne visit, welcoming him at the airport, holding a private meeting and joining him and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on stage before up to 30,000 people at Marvel Stadium. The visit comes as Labor seeks to strengthen support among Victoria’s 370,000-strong Indian-Australian community, now regarded as a key part of the party’s electoral base. Political analyst Kosmos Samaras said Labor enjoys strong support in electorates with large Indian-Australian populations, while arguing federal Liberal policies on immigration have complicated the Coalition’s efforts to rebuild support. Human rights organisations have meanwhile urged Albanese to raise concerns about the treatment of religious minorities and civil liberties during his talks with Modi.

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Jacinta Allan’s central role in Modi’s visit: Airport greeting, private meeting and centre stage at Marvel

ANTHONY GALLOWAY - 8 July 2026

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Melbourne on Wednesday night before holding a one-on-one meeting with him and joining the Indian leader on stage at Marvel Stadium in front of up to 30,000 people.

Ms Allan’s high-profile role in Mr Modi’s three-day visit comes as Labor seeks to reinforce its standing among Victoria’s large Indian-Australian community.

With more than 370,000 residents of Indian ancestry, Victoria is home to Australia’s largest Indian diaspora.

Ms Allan and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil will greet Mr Modi on arrival in Melbourne, before the Premier will appear alongside him and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the “Melbourne Meets Modi” event at Marvel Stadium.

It is understood Ms Allan has also secured a private meeting with the Indian leader on Friday. Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson are expected to attend the stadium event but will remain in the audience rather than appear on stage. They will also meet Mr Modi on Friday.

The visit will be Mr Modi’s first to Australia in three years, following a similar community event in Sydney in 2023 where Mr Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns shared the stage with him. Former Labor strategist and RedBridge director Kosmos Samaras said Mr Modi’s brand in Australia was now “strongly aligned with Labor”.

Mr Samaras said the Indian-Australian community, once regarded as a genuine electoral battleground, had increasingly become part of Labor’s base, and now forms a coalition of voters Ms Allan could not afford to lose.

“In electorates where there are high numbers of people who speak a language other than English at home, Labor’s primary vote is in excess of 40 per cent,” he said. “That extends into the Indian community. The two-party-preferred vote is well above 60 per cent, and against One Nation it’s more than 70 per cent.”

Ms Wilson has sought to rebuild the Coalition’s standing with migrant communities since becoming Victorian Liberal leader last November, including among Chinese and Indian-Australian voters.

However, Mr Samaras said Mr Taylor’s stance on immigration, including his pledge to block non-citizens from accessing welfare payments, had complicated those efforts.

“Angus Taylor has been very unhelpful. If you think about the intricate network that is the Indian community in Victoria … for a portion to be targeted like they have been by the Liberal Party at a federal level, it’s made Jess Wilson’s job a lot harder,” he said.

“I would say it’s pretty much sealed it, it’s very hard to see how the Liberal Party can rebuild those relationships while Angus Taylor is there. That is the brand.

“The rebuilding of those relationships will take some time, but that doesn’t mean it’s irreparable. These are socially conservative, aspirational, wealth-accumulating Aussies. They should be voting Liberal.”

Mr Modi has strident critics among the Indian community, with Muslim and Sikh Australians typically having more negative views on his Bharatiya Janata party’s form of Hindu ethno-nationalism.

The Australian Federal Police this week issued a warning to an individual who is alleged to have made a threat to Mr Modi ahead of the visit, while human rights advocates have urged Mr Albanese to raise India’s human rights record in his talks with Mr Modi.

Amnesty International Australia said Mr Modi’s treatment of marginalised communities – particularly Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities – should be raised by the Australian government.

This includes a citizenship bill which discriminates against refugees from Muslim countries and the demolition of Muslim homes, businesses and places of worship.

“Australia has consistently affirmed its commitment to universal human rights,” Amnesty International said.

“As a close partner of India, Australia has an opportunity to engage through principled and constructive dialogue and to ensure that human rights remain a central component of bilateral relations.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/jacinta-allans-central-role-in-modis-visit-airport-greeting-private-meeting-and-centre-stage-at-marvel/news-story/ff10781be5f3e27f2c385b90583cca1a

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24802461 (081033ZJUL26) Notable: Probe into former anti-corruption chief Paul Brereton dropped over cost and disruption fears - The Inspector of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has discontinued two misconduct investigations into former commissioner Paul Brereton, concluding that completing them would impose unjustified costs and unnecessarily disrupt the agency following his resignation in May. Inspector Gail Furness said substantial public funds had already been spent, the key conflict-of-interest issues had been addressed through reforms to the NACC's declaration and reporting processes, and there was little public interest in pursuing the investigations further. A second complaint was also abandoned because it related to a single incident, raised no systemic issues and public disclosure could pose safety risks to those involved. The Coalition criticised the decision, with Michaelia Cash calling on the Albanese government to ensure the investigations are completed to maintain public confidence in the NACC.

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Probe into former anti-corruption chief Paul Brereton dropped over cost and disruption fears

ELIZABETH PIKE - 8 July 2026

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The Inspector of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has dropped its investigations against the agency’s besieged former boss Paul Brereton, finding the probes would “unnecessarily” hamper the office’s work less than two months after the matters forced his resignation.

Inspector of the NACC, Gail Furness, announced she had discontinued both investigations into Mr Brereton’s alleged misconduct as she could not “justify” the costs now the commissioner had resigned and “systemic issues” had been “addressed,” according to a statement penned last Friday.

The NACC welcomed the decision in its response on Wednesday but the Coalition called for the Albanese government to “step in” and ensure the investigations are completed.

It comes after Ms Furness said “significant” taxpayer money had been spent on the cases and the NACC’s efforts to detect, investigate and deter corruption would be “unnecessarily hampered by continued scrutiny” of the former commissioner.

Mr Brereton announced in late May that he would step down from the role, just three years into the five-year position, following months of scrutiny about his alleged conflicts of interest and handling of corruption complaints.

It was revealed in February that Mr Brereton was being investigated by the Inspector following reports that he had performed undisclosed work with the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland reprimanded Mr Brereton for failing to adequately address his ties to the Defence Force, which had sparked concerns about the potential for conflicts of interest in corruption complaints levelled against the ADF.

Mr Brereton, a former army reservist, had acknowledged the investigations into his conduct were “drawing attention away” from the NACC’s work when he announced his resignation.

The NACC also spent at least $204,000 on lawyers to help respond to the Inspector’s draft report into his alleged misconduct.

Ms Furness said “significant public money” had gone towards the investigations and “further considerable funds” would be needed to complete them, which she could not justify.

The chief watchdog for the NACC said many of the details about Mr Brereton’s conduct were already known and when it came to the complaint about his Defence ties, there was “little, (if any)” merit or public interest in seeing through the case now that he had resigned.

Ms Furness said the resignation also meant she no longer had to “resolve” the key issue at the heart of the case, which questioned whether Mr Brereton had met the legal requirements for declaring conflicts of interest.

“Third, the actions that have been the subject of this investigation were Commissioner Brereton’s alone … The other statutory officer holders did not know of his ongoing role and were not party to his decision to make the Declarations of Interest in the terms he did,” Ms Furness said.

“The question then became whether there were any systemic issues which could be identified from Commissioner Brereton’s actions and which needed to be addressed.”

Changes made to the NACC’s guide for declaring conflicts of interests, as well as reforms to internal reporting procedures, had satisfied her concerns.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24802486 (081038ZJUL26) Notable: Prosecutors fight to use video of Bankstown nurses in court - Commonwealth prosecutors have appealed a ruling excluding from evidence the viral video of former Bankstown Hospital nurses Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, who allegedly made threats against Israeli patients during an online conversation with Israeli influencer Max Ilinski. NSW District Court Judge Michael McHugh SC ruled the recording was inadmissible because it had been unlawfully recorded and shared, leaving the prosecution to rely primarily on Ilinski's testimony at the trial beginning on August 31. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has appealed to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal in an effort to have the video admitted. Defence solicitor Zemarai Khatiz argued the appeal was unlikely to succeed and would unnecessarily delay proceedings and increase public expense.

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Prosecutors fight to use video of Bankstown nurses in court

BIMINI PLESSER - 8 July 2026

Commonwealth prosecutors have appealed the decision to exclude from evidence a video of two Sydney nurses allegedly threatening to kill Israeli patients, after a judge ruled it inadmissible ahead of their criminal trial.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir made global headlines last year after Israeli influencer Max Ilinski recorded their conversation in an online chatroom, in which Mr Nadir allegedly suggested he had sent Israeli patients to “hell”, and Ms Abu Lebdeh allegedly claimed she would “kill” Israelis rather than treat them.

In an extraordinary ruling, NSW District Court judge Michael McHugh SC declared last month the viral video was inadmissible and could not form part of the evidence against the nurses as it was unlawful for Mr Ilinski to have recorded and shared the private conversation.

Without the video, the prosecution’s case must rely on Mr Ilisnki’s testimony when the trial begins on August 31.

But two weeks after the controversial decision was handed down, the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions has lodged an appeal with the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal to overturn it. The CDPP declined to answer questions about the appeal.

The CDPP’s attempt to reintroduce the video into evidence follows warnings from the defence that any such appeals would likely fail.

Mr Nadir’s solicitor, Zemarai Khatiz, told The Australian he believed the prosecution’s bid was a “long shot” that would face “significant legal challenges and obstacles”.

“I am of the view that His Honour Judge McHugh SC delivered an incredibly thorough and meticulous judgment ... (that) is consistent with how the law should be applied, considering the evidence of this case,” he said.

“Whilst the prosecution is entitled to appeal, in my view, I am confident that any appeal would not have any reasonable prospects of success and prolong the inevitable.

“Pursuing this appeal under these circumstances would further delay the proceedings that have already been ongoing for approximately 15 months and further result in unnecessary expenditure of court resources and taxpayers’ money.”

The CDPP’s appeal will appear before the NSW Supreme Court for the first time on July 16.

Mr Khatiz said the defence was preparing to argue that Judge McHugh “reached the correct decision and made no error”.

Most of Judge McHugh’s judgment was suppressed and only limited reasons for his decision were released publicly last month. The reason for the suppression was not aired in open court.

Judge McHugh found evidence ­obtained illegally should only be allowed into court if “the desirability of admission outweighs the undesirability of admitting evidence that has been obtained in such a way or ways”.

The former Bankstown Hospital nurses have both pleaded not guilty to using a carriage ­service to menace, harass or offend, and Ms Abu Lebdeh has pleaded not guilty to an ­additional charge of threatening violence to a group.

They have been stood down from their jobs by NSW Health and issued a two-year ban from working with NDIS participants.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/prosecutors-fight-to-use-video-of-bankstown-nurses-in-court/news-story/969960a5d088fcd6cb4bc5b14d5500e6

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/24802527 (081051ZJUL26) Notable: Australian woman arrested in US after allegedly voting illegally in federal elections - Australian citizen Denise Nataly Migliore, 51, has been arrested in Louisiana after being accused of illegally voting in the 2022 and 2024 US federal elections. Prosecutors allege she falsely claimed to be a US citizen when registering to vote before casting ballots despite being ineligible as a non-citizen. Ms Migliore, originally from Sydney, was arrested in New Orleans following an investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. She told a local media outlet she believed permanent residents could vote and considered herself a citizen after living in the US for almost 30 years while her citizenship application was pending. President Donald Trump highlighted the case on Truth Social, reposting a news report about the arrest. If convicted, Ms Migliore faces up to five years' imprisonment, a substantial fine and possible deportation.

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Australian woman arrested in US after allegedly voting illegally in federal elections

Lucia Stein - 8 July 2026

An Australian woman has been arrested in the United States after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation found she had allegedly voted illegally in multiple federal elections.

Denise Nataly Migliore, 51, was indicted on four counts on June 11 for illegal voting in an election and making false statements in order to register to vote, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Prosecutors allege that in October 2022 and October 2024, Ms Migliore knowingly made false claims about her US citizenship to register to vote in a federal election.

Then on November 8, 2022 and November 5, 2024 she cast ballots that were ineligible because she was not a US citizen, prosecutors said.

The Australian was arrested at a federal courthouse in New Orleans on July 1.

"Her arrest and charges are the result of the hard work of the men and women of ICE law enforcement and our federal partners," Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.

"Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation. Only Americans should be electing American leaders."

US President Donald Trump also weighed in on the case on Truth social on Tuesday, local time, posting a link to a news article about the investigation.

"Australian alien arrested after investigation finds she illegally voted in two federal elections," he wrote.

Mr Trump has previously alleged that immigrants have improperly influenced federal elections, but this has been debunked by comprehensive studies and state voting data, which indicates such instances are incredibly rare.

The full circumstances around Ms Migliore's arrest are not known.

Local news outlet NOLA has reported that Ms Migliore said she thought legal permanent residents could vote, and she did not know it was illegal for non-citizens to vote.

"I have been here almost three decades, I had a pending application for citizenship, and I just considered myself a citizen," she told the outlet earlier this month.

"I just didn't realise that it was such a big deal."

Ms Migliore is currently a resident of Franklinton, Louisiana but is originally from Sydney.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian facing legal action in the United States.

There are approximately 2.9 million registered voters in Louisiana but since last year, state election officials have started verifying their citizenship status with the federal Department of Homeland Security.

It runs the information through a database called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program.

Both Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in the investigation that led to Ms Migliore's arrest.

If convicted, Ms Migliore faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She could also be fined up to $US250,000 ($360,000).

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-08/australian-accused-of-illegally-voting-in-us-elections/106893092

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/07/07/ice-investigation-leads-arrest-australian-alien-who-illegally-voted-multiple

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116882008915975445

https://justthenews.com/government/security/australian-alien-arrested-after-investigation-finds-she-illegally-voted-two