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#38 - Part 1

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 1

>>21761808 Video: Labor MP Peter Khalil’s office vandalised with Hamas-linked symbol - Labor MP Peter Khalil’s office has been spray-painted with a Hamas-linked inverted red triangle and the slogan “glory to the martyrs” in the latest act of vandalism to target politicians’ offices over the war in the Middle East. The words “land back” were also painted outside Khalil’s inner Melbourne office, which was splashed with red paint, and vandals used extinguishers and propellants to pour an unknown foul-smelling liquid through a hole they had drilled in a door in the early hours of Monday morning. The office was a crime scene on Monday as police and a hazardous materials team investigated. Khalil, who was recently appointed the government’s special envoy for social cohesion, said he was dismayed. “I have always fully supported the right to peaceful protest. This is not protest. This is vandalism. This is defacing property. Worse, this is using violent symbolic material or actions that are harmful to others … in their place of work. It is completely unacceptable and it needs to be called out,” he said. He said the inverted red triangle symbol - which has become associated with pro-Palestinian activism but is also used to mark kill targets in Hamas’ social media content - had a connotation that was “disturbing and concerning”, while the stench was “unbearable and clearly a biohazard of some sort”.

>>21773928 Video: Penny Wong forced to re-start speech multiple times as protesters criticise Gaza response - Protesters angry with the Australian government for not sanctioning Israel for its deadly strikes in Gaza and Lebanon have repeatedly disrupted a speech by Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the University of Tasmania on Tuesday night. The minister was giving an address about international relations and policy making - which included reflections on the dangers aid workers faced in Gaza, as well as her hope for a two-state solution – when interruptions caused her to repeatedly stop her speech and leave the stage as audience members yelled at her. During the approximately 45-minute-long speech, more than 10 interjections were made, with calls for the government to sanction Israel, plus criticism of the government's previous decision to pause funding to aid agency UNRWA. Senator Wong initially responded by saying she had heard the concern. "I'd say to you, we are a democracy and everyone's voice matters and I understand this is a very distressing [sic], but I don't actually believe, and I have never believed, that we gain anything by shouting each other down," she said. As the interjections continued, and an official from the university tried to bring the audience to order, Senator Wong appeared frustrated as she made multiple attempts to return to the stage and continue her speech. Despite interjectors being told to leave the venue, the remarks continued, with audience members expressing concern for loved ones in Lebanon. "Please listen to the people who give you the power to do your job that's what you are, you are our representative," one person could be heard saying. Senator Wong on Wednesday described the protesters' conduct as disrespectful. "I don't think we gain anything by being disrespectful to one another," she told ABC Radio Hobart.

>>21780962 Pro-Palestinian academic Khaled Beydoun’s visa cancelled after calling October 7 anniversary a ‘good day’ - Pro-Palestinian professor Khaled Beydoun has been blacklisted by Australia after the government revoked his visa over the activist’s description of the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks as a day of “considerable celebration”. A government source, unable to speak publicly about the confidential case, said the American academic flew home after being told his visa was going to be cancelled. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has since officially revoked Beydoun’s visa. Beydoun told a Sydney rally on the anniversary of Hamas’ massacre of about 1200 people in Israel in 2023 that the day was “not fully a day of mourning” but also a “good day” because awareness of the Palestinians’ plight had increased in the past year. Burke said later that day he had ordered a check on the academic’s visa as soon as he heard Beydoun’s remarks. He can cancel visas if he believes a person is “not of good character”. Beydoun, who has 2.5 million Instagram followers and is an associate professor at Arizona State University, made his comments at a rally outside Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney organised by a group with links to Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

#38 - Part 2

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 2

>>21789155 Greens silent amid killing of Hamas chief Sinwar - The Greens have remained silent about Yahya Sinwar’s death as Labor and the Liberals said Australia would “not mourn” the Hamas leader but they would his thousands of victims. Anthony Albanese said the killing was a “significant moment” and a “vital turning point” in the conflict, and he hoped Sinwar’s death would “break the cycle of ­violence” and bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war. Leading Greens, however, were tight-lipped on Friday after the ­Israeli government confirmed Sinwar had been killed in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Federal party leader Adam Bandt was on leave and unavailable, and did not comment on the death on social media. Neither did deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi nor senator Jordon Steele-John, the Greens’ foreign affairs spokesman. Neither senator’s office returned calls on the subject on Friday. The lack of response from the Greens was in sharp contrast to that of the Labor government and Liberal opposition. The Prime Minister welcomed Sinwar’s death, saying it was a “significant moment” in the Middle East conflict. “Sinwar was a terrorist and the architect of the atrocities committed on October 7,” Mr Albanese said, calling him not just an enemy of Israel but of “peace-loving people everywhere”. “(His death) can be a vital turning point in this devastating conflict.” Peter Dutton said the killing was a “great day” for the Middle East and the world was now a “safer place”. “(Sinwar) had equal disdain for Israelis, as evidenced by the October 7 atrocities, as he did for his own people, whom he used as human shields and kept impoverished in pursuit of his own twisted world view,” the Opposition Leader said.

>>21798523 Video: Yahya Sinwar hailed as ‘legend’ at Sydney rally as sheik says Islam will ‘dominate’ - A Sydney conference stacked with Hizb ut-Tahrir activists and sheiks who celebrated October 7 has heard that Islam will “dominate … bringing justice to every corner of the world” amid a “civilisational struggle” as its organisers lauded Yahya Sinwar as a slain hero. One speaker, Sheik Ibrahim Dadoun - whose employer the United Muslims of Australia received about $1.65m in government funding in September – said that, despite Sinwar’s recent death, he remained “elated” and that “victory was coming”. Separately, on Sunday, a pro-Palestine Sydney CBD rally heard how the terror group’s slain chief was “legendary”, a martyr who “died a warrior’s death”. “In (Sinwar’s) death he became a legend, a legend to be told for centuries,” one speaker told a crowd at Sydney’s Hyde Park. Sheik Dadoun’s latest comments came at a Saturday conference hosted by “Stand for Palestine”, an organisation launched by Hizb ut-Tahrir last October, which is run by its activists and has surged in popularity. The day after Hamas’ October 7 attacks he told a rally that he was “elated … smiling” and that it had been a “great day”, although later claimed his words were taken out of context, and earlier this month called Israel a “bastard state”. Billed as the “promised victory” conference, sheik Dadoun reaffirmed his elation, saying: “I will say it again I’m elated, I’m happy … I’ve never seen it, ever in my life, the shift and the tide that has occurred over the last year against the Zionist regime (sic)”. “We are on that path to victory. We are on that path of the civilisational struggle where we’re going to see Islam dominate, where we’re going to see Islam bring justice to every corner in the world (sic).”

#38 - Part 3

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 3

>>21809128 Sydney-based marketing expert ‘salutes’ Sinwar the ‘star’ - An activist who lauded slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a “warrior and legend” is a Sydney aviation industry worker who previously applauded Palestinian plane ­hijacker Leila Khaled. It comes as Jewish leaders separately urged the government to block the visa of high-profile activist Shaun King on “good character grounds”, particularly given the American’s praise for Sinwar. On Sunday, The Australian revealed how one activist at a pro-Palestine Sydney rally remembered terrorist Sinwar as a “legend to be told for centuries”. The activist - Jana Fayyad, a marketing expert in the aviation industry – did not respond to questions on Monday. Other than calling Sinwar a “warrior”, she also “saluted” the slain Hamas chief, saying his “legend” would never be forgotten. “The star of resistance, we will never forget you (Sinwar) and we will never forget your legend,” said Ms Fayyad, who in March described Khaled as a “liberator”. “Long live the resistance, the resistance lives on.” Separately, Jewish leaders urged Immigration Minister Tony Burke on Monday to cancel, or block, Mr King’s visa. He was set to start an Australian tour on Tuesday in Brisbane but has since postponed it to January. Since Sinwar’s death, Mr King has shared content calling the slain Hamas chief a “dear brother” who died a “martyr”, and told his 85,000 Telegram followers that he was a “leader, fighter, martyr”, suggesting the media should refer to the terror group and its deceased leader as “heroes”.

>>21846531 Jewish leaders take radical cleric Wissam Haddad to court amid inaction - The country’s peak Jewish body has taken a radical cleric to the Federal Court after a slew of sermons referring to the Jewish community as “vile and treacherous people” and peddled anti-Semitic tropes. The legal action is an example of the escalation of testing how, and whether, hate speech can be prosecuted in Australia. On Friday, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry instigated proceedings in the Federal Court against extremist preacher Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, and his Bankstown-based Al Madina Dawah Centre. Among other things, Mr Haddad, or speakers at his Al Madina Dawah Centre, have called Jewish people “descendants of pigs and monkeys”, recited parables about their killing, described them as “treacherous people” with their “hands” in media and business, encouraged jihad, and urged people to “spit” on Israel so Israelis “would drown”. In most cases, he has claimed that he was referring to or reciting Islamic scripture. The Australian in January revealed how the ECAJ had lodged a vilification complaint with the country’s human rights body against the preacher and the Bankstown centre, given perceived police inaction and an inability to lay charges, partly due to NSW’s “toothless” hate-speech criminal provisions. The proceedings are made under part IIA of the Racial Discrimination Act - which outlaws offensive behaviour based on racial hatred – and brought to the court by the ECAJ’s co-chief executive, Peter Wertheim AM, and deputy president Robert Goot AO SC. Mr Wertheim said attempts at mediation between the parties at the Australian Human Rights Commission had failed and that the court move was a last resort forced upon the Jewish community and its leaders. “We have commenced proceedings to defend the honour of our community, and as a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views,” he said.

#38 - Part 4

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 4

>>21888273 Daniel Andrews to be recognised by Zionist movement with Jerusalem Medal - Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews will on Sunday be lauded by the Zionist movement as a “true and constant friend” to the Jewish community and Israel. Andrews will receive the Jerusalem Medal at a gathering of Jewish community, business and political leaders, which for security purposes is being held at an undisclosed location in Melbourne. The medal is given those who make an outstanding contribution towards strengthening Jewish communities in their own country and relations with Israel. Andrews belonged to Labor’s Socialist Left, a faction that has long been critical of Israel’s actions against Palestinian people, including military occupation and human rights violations. However, during his 10 years as premier, Victoria made Holocaust education mandatory in secondary schools, established a trade office in Tel Aviv, prohibited Nazi symbols and gestures and was the first Australian jurisdiction to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler will tell the Sunday night gathering that Andrews is “living proof that clear, consistent and principled leadership in this space is eminently possible”. “We gather to recognise a true and constant friend to the Australian Jewish community and to Israel at a time when such friendships are more important and more precious than ever.”

>>21897325 Daniel Andrews tells Jewish donors to cut funds to antisemites - Former premier Daniel Andrews has urged Jewish families and organisations who provide financial support to the arts, cultural and other philanthropic causes to defund recipients who refuse to denounce antisemitism. In rare public comments since retiring as Victoria’s longest-serving Labor premier, Andrews weighed directly into the dilemma confronting Jewish philanthropists by urging them to dump their support for creative endeavours which had remained silent about, or promulgated, hatred towards Jewish people since the October 7, 2023, attacks. The Hamas atrocities in southern Israel last year, which killed about 1200 people, and Israel’s deadly and protracted military operations in Gaza and Lebanon in response, which have killed more than 40,000, have driven a wedge between some of Australia’s leading supporters of the arts and the organisations they fund. “If people won’t speak out against antisemitism, defund them. If people are happy to take your money while being antisemites, defund them,” Andrews told a gathering of Jewish community leaders in Melbourne on Sunday night. “If you want to support Hamas, then get them to pay your bills, get them to fund your programs and build your buildings. I am serious. We are beyond tropes. Silence and much worse are only possible if there are no consequences.” Andrews said no community was more generous than the Jewish community and “no state has a better developed culture, endowment and philanthropic giving than Victoria”. “I would ask each of you respectfully, continue to review your giving. Check and check again that those who so happily benefit from your generosity are not in real terms pretend friends or worse, actually working against the Jewish community and decency itself,” he said.

>>21906160 Provocative anti-Israel T-shirt sees man arrested on Australia's most iconic beach - A man has been arrested at Australia's best-known beach for wearing an allegedly 'offensive' anti-Israel shirt. The man, who is yet to be formally identified, was confronted by police at Sydney's Bondi Beach for wearing the 'provocative' shirt about 12.50pm on Sunday. The shirt featured Israel's flag alongside the words 'f*ck Israel' and 'f*ck zionism'. The scenes unfolded in front of large crowds of beachgoers who had flocked to Bondi to escape the heat as temperatures soared into the 30s on Sunday. Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory claimed that the man, who is understood to be the son of a former Labor minister, had allegedly been seen wearing the shirt multiple times before his arrest. He added that many locals had encountered him in the t-shirt, as Bondi and surrounding areas in Sydney's east are the hub of the Jewish community in the city. 'The Jewish community has faced a wave of intimidation and vandalism over the past year,' Mr Gregory told Daily Mail Australia. 'This man has been repeatedly wearing a shirt designed to annoy residents in Sydney's east. 'Day after day, he is spotted in neighbourhoods where many proud Jewish people live, including Double Bay and Bondi. 'Given his background, it's hard to believe he doesn't own another shirt. Something must be seriously lacking to cause a man of that age to be so desperate for attention.'

#38 - Part 5

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 5

>>21949152 Police investigating 14 people over displays of terrorist symbols - The Australian Federal Police is investigating 14 people for displaying terrorist symbols at a pro-Palestinian protest, while it launches a separate probe into whether Australians’ commentary about events in the Middle East has crossed legal lines. Deputy commissioner Ian McCartney revealed the investigations to a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, just over a month after the waving of Hezbollah flags and vigils glorifying slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reignited political debate about free speech and appropriate protest in Australia. McCartney said the AFP had spent 1100 hours investigating, including reviewing 90 hours of CCTV footage, after Victoria Police reported several matters to the federal agency following a pro-Palestinian protest in Melbourne in September. As of this week, he said 14 people were under investigation for displaying prohibited terrorist symbols in public. Three search warrants had been executed against three people, a further three had been spoken to, and several mobile phones had been seized. “If relevant thresholds are met, the AFP will provide briefs of evidence to the Commonwealth director of public prosecutions to determine if charges will be laid,” he said. “I can reveal we are also investigating whether some discourse relating to deceased terrorists, or events in the Middle East, has reached the threshold of urging violence against groups or advocating terrorism.” Political debate over pro-Palestinian protests erupted in the lead-up to the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, as Labor and Coalition MPs demanded action under new laws that ban the display of terrorism symbols if they are used to spread hate, intimidate or incite violence.

>>21982238 Australia backs ‘permanent sovereignty’ of Palestinians in UN vote - The Albanese government has shifted Australia’s vote in the UN to recognise the “permanent sovereignty” of Palestinians over the occupied territories and of Arabs over the Golan Heights, sharpening its differences with the Biden and incoming Trump administrations on Israel. Australia had abstained on the same question in UN votes since 2011 but switched its vote to “Yes” in a UN committee ballot on Thursday morning AEDT that will proceed to a vote in the General Assembly. The draft resolution, on “Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, including land, water and energy resources”, was approved by 159-7, with 11 abstentions. Australia also changed its position on a second question that seeks to blame Israel for a historic oil slick affecting Lebanon during the countries’ 2006 conflict, voting “Yes” after rejecting past motions on the matter. The draft resolution was carried by 161-7 with nine abstentions. The move comes amid high anxiety inside the government over its ability to forge a good working relationship with Donald Trump and his administration, which is set to strengthen US support for Israel. Incoming secretary of state Marco Rubio has previously rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. “On the contrary … I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on. These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes,” he said a month into the war. Mr Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is also a hardline supporter of the Jewish state who has long rejected calls for a Palestinian state and once said he dreamed of building a holiday house in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

#38 - Part 6

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 6

>>21994464 Anthony Albanese toughens criticism of Israel in UN votes, divide with US on Middle East grows - Anthony Albanese has hardened Australia’s criticism of Israel in key UN votes, deepening its rift with the US on the Middle East as incoming president Donald Trump prepares to strengthen American support for the Jewish state. Australia’s representative at the UN in New York overturned the nation’s past positions to support draft resolutions recognising the “permanent sovereignty” of Palestinians to the occupied territories’ natural resources, and demanding compensation from Israel for a wartime oil spill affecting Lebanon 18 years ago. Australia had abstained or voted against the first resolution since 2003, and opposed the second since 2006. The move, during UN committee ballots on Thursday (AEDT), follows the Albanese government’s decision to break with the US and abandon longstanding ­bipartisan support for Israel by ­declaring Australia could recognise a Palestinian state ahead of a negotiated two-state ­solution. It comes amid high anxiety ­inside the government over its ability to forge a good working relationship with Mr Trump, who has installed pro-Israel hawks in key posts and is threatening to ­impose across-the-board tariffs and wind back action on climate change. Members of the incoming Trump administration have also warned that Kevin Rudd’s days as Australia’s ambassador to the US could be numbered, following his past negative comments about the president-elect. Jewish groups declared the voting shift made no sense and would deepen the nation’s divide with Washington on Israel.

>>21994499 Labor’s deception on Israel and the Middle East is its only constant - "The Albanese government, if nothing else, has been consistent in its foreign affairs deception over Israel. It comes as no surprise to the Jewish community or anybody else that yet again Australia has presided over a reversal of a previously held bipartisan position. The justification for the latest volte-face before the UN is as weak as it is implausible, considering there has been no substantive explanation for a change in the underlying circumstances since the two issues being recontested were last voted on. In fact, there was no explanation at all outside a vague rationalisation that the ­decision was founded in a context of the most recent conflict. There was no mention in the resolution that the current conflict was triggered by the Hamas terrorist attack last year. And there was only disappointment from Australia that Hezbollah didn’t get a mention. Despite this, the federal government, on behalf of Australians, voted in favour of Palestinian ­sovereignty over all resources in the occupied/disputed territories, while also voting in favour to blame Israel for an oil slick in ­Lebanon arising from the 2006 conflict. Anthony Albanese declared before the election that there would be no change of Middle East position under a new Labor government. Despite this pledge, Australia has reversed its position five times in the past two years. This latest change of position will be noticed in the US. The question for Foreign Minister Penny Wong is: what has changed since the last time Australia voted on these questions, to prompt a reversal of position? Why the change of heart?" - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

>>22030056 Video: Hooded figures walking to scene of anti-Israel attack in Sydney - Video of two hooded figures walking towards the scene of an anti-Israel arson and vandalism attack has been obtained by The Australian, as a police strike force ramps up its hunt for the perpetrators of the hate crime in a prominent Jewish area of Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The footage captures the pair walking in the darkness at 12.22am in Trelawney St, Woollahra, just minutes before a car was torched in nearby Wellington St and nine others vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti. One of the figures in the footage appears to be carrying a bag or jerry can as the pair walk towards the intersection of Fullerton St, where an apartment building was graffitied with the words “f.ck Israel’. Police and fire crews arrived at Wellington St shortly before 1am after receiving multiple reports of a car on fire. Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze, but the car was destroyed. At a press conference on Thursday police said two hooded men wearing dark clothing and face masks were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene, but did not release any footage. The Prime Minister said the attack was “disturbing” and “deeply troubling”, as police described the vandalism as “a hate crime”. “There is no place for anti-Semitism in Australia,” Anthony Albanese said.

#38 - Part 7

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 7

>>22041710 ‘Deeply offensive’: Israel furious as Australia denies ex-minister a visa - Israel has condemned Australia’s decision to deny a visa to former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked on character grounds, warning in a statement on X that the decision was deeply offensive and would harm relations between the two countries. The threat tests already-strained diplomatic ties as Australia seeks to tiptoe around the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. As the United States rejected the warrants, and Canada said it would abide by them, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday Australia respected the ICC’s independence but did not endorse or oppose its decision, or say what the government would do if any of the men set foot here. “Australia respects the independence of the International Criminal Court and its important role in upholding international law,” Wong said in a statement posted to X on Friday morning. “Australia is focused on working with countries that want peace to press for an urgently needed ceasefire … We have been clear that all parties to the conflict must comply with international humanitarian law. Civilians must be protected. Hostages must be released.” But in a statement posted on X on Friday evening [AEDT], Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said “the Australian government’s decision to deny a visa to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked is unacceptable. The decision is deeply offensive and troubling, and will have a negative impact on Israel-Australia relations.”

>>22041751 Australia has refused to condemn what Israeli calls an ‘anti-Semitic’ ICC ruling on Benjamin Netanyahu - Australia is refusing to join the US and Israel in condemning the ­decision by the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the ­Albanese government suggests it would follow the court’s rulings as “a point of principle”. The court’s unprecedented move against the leader of a democratic state means the court’s 124 member nations, ­including Australia, are obliged to arrest the Israeli leader if he visits. Labor frontbencher Ed Husic on Friday declared the ICC was “doing its job” and suggested that the nation should not waver from global law. Hours later, a government spokeswoman refused to explicitly confirm whether ­Australia would comply with the warrant, declaring “it’s not appropriate to speculate on hypotheticals around individual cases”. However, in a comment that suggested the government would uphold the warrant, the spokeswoman continued “as a point of principle, Australia acts in a manner consistent with our inter­national legal obligations”. While US President Joe Biden denounced the ICC decision soon after it was released, Anthony Albanese declined to make a direct comment on Friday. As Jewish leaders and supporters of Israel despair about the ICC and Labor’s position on the war in the Middle East, former foreign minister Alexander Downer said the government should now ­consider withdrawing from the international court. “I had hoped it’d be a serious court,” said Mr Downer, who led Australia joining the ICC under the Howard government. “We should make it clear that we wouldn’t arrest the Prime Minister of Israel.”

>>22058044 Video: Mohommed Farhat charged following alleged anti-Israel vandalism attack in Woollahra - A man has been arrested following an alleged vandalism attack on a prominent Jewish neighbourhood in Sydney last week. Mohommed Farhat, 20, was arrested in the early hours of Monday at Sydney airport and charged with 21 offences after a car was torched and nine others spray-painted with anti-Israel graffiti in Woollahra on November 21. The alleged rampage took place over just one hour from 11.30pm to 12.30am. He was booked on a flight to Thailand when police arrested him, according to Sky News, with vision showing a plain clothes police officer wheeling a large luggage item behind him, as he was walked in cuffs out of the airport and into a waiting cop car. Mr Farhat was taken to Mascot Police Station and charged with 14 counts of damaging property, three counts of entering land to commit an indictable offence, and two counts of destroying a car by means of fire - with damage worth more than $5000 in one case. Police believe he was with another person when he allegedly set the two cars on fire He was also charged with disguising his face while allegedly committing the offences, and behaving in an offensive manner in public.

#38 - Part 8

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 8

>>22058053 Coalition to throw Australia’s support behind Israel in campaign pledges - A Peter Dutton-led government would deport non-citizens who voice rhetorical support for terror groups and demand the Australian Broadcasting Corporation avoid bias on Israel, according to a keynote speech home affairs spokesman James Paterson will deliver outlining the Coalition’s pledges. Portraying the bloody war in Gaza and Lebanon as a battle for democracy, Paterson will say Australian Jews were being held responsible for “difficult choices” Israel was forced to make in its fight against terror groups supported by Iran. Paterson will say that a Coalition government will strengthen the laws used by police to lay charges on incitement and displaying terror symbols if they prove too difficult to enforce. “I am deeply troubled by the number of Jews who have told me they are contemplating moving to Israel because they think they may feel safer in a country under attack from three terrorist organisations and a genocidal nation state than they do in Melbourne or Sydney,” he will say in a speech to the Executive Council of the Australian Jewry’s annual general meeting in Melbourne on Sunday. “But I understand it.” The Coalition has sought to tie community unrest in Australia over Gaza to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s actions, portraying him as soft on antisemitism as Labor has gradually shifted support away from Israel through key United Nations votes and actions such as blocking the visa of a former Israeli minister, Ayelet Shaked, on character grounds. The opposition has refrained from criticising Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign even as the United Nations, European Union and International Criminal Court condemn his actions, marking the Coalition as one of the most pro-Israel centre-right parties in the Western world.

>>22058075 Video: Anthony Albanese must abandon ‘mild’ approach to anti-Semitism, leading rabbi Benjamin Elton says - Anthony Albanese must abandon his “very mild” approach to tackling anti-Semitism and more strongly condemn hatred towards Jewish people if he wants to ­protect Australia’s social fabric, one of the nation’s leading rabbis has warned in an extraordinary intervention. Benjamin Elton - the decade-long chief minister at Sydney’s Great Synagogue, one of the ­nation’s oldest Jewish communities – said he could not understand why the Prime Minister had been unable to find the right language to condemn anti-Jewish hate and warned that his failure had not helped to stem anti-Semitism or societal breakdown. After a week that included an attack on cars and homes targeting Sydney’s Jewish community, and widespread criticism of Labor’s failure to criticise the International Criminal Court’s ­arrest warrants for democratically elected Israeli leaders, the rabbi’s warnings is an inflection point in Australia’s anti-Semitism crisis. Rabbi Elton said in an interview with The Australian on Sunday he believed Mr Albanese was a “very sincere person” but whose language and actions had failed to match the severity of escalating anti-Semitism, particularly in comparison with NSW Premier Chris Minns. “(I refrain) from weighing in on political controversies, or from criticising one leader and praising another … But when there’s moral failings or problems in society, (I’m motivated to) ask difficult questions, and to point to a better way forward,“ he said. “I’m not saying this (to rebuke) the Prime Minister, who I hold in high regard as a very sincere person, but I’ve been moved to speak because when there is a falling short, religious leaders have to speak up.”

#38 - Part 9

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 9

>>22058095 PM’s mild rhetoric simply not enough to combat anti-Semitic surge - "Australian civil society is fracturing and Jews are in the frontline. Last Wednesday in Woollahra, a suburb with synagogues, a Jewish funeral home, a hospital created by the Jewish community and an area where many of my congregants live, an anti-Semitic attack took place. Homes, businesses and cars were targeted in an outbreak of violence, graffiti, threats and slurs. Just when we had recovered as a community from the targeting of The Great Synagogue by protesters a few months ago, and when we felt we had moved on from the disgraceful behaviour at the Opera House on October 9 last year, we now find this much more extreme and aggressive attack on our doorstep. Law enforcement and our elected representatives cannot control what every malicious actor carries out, but they can set a tone. I don’t generally criticise or endorse specific politicians, but I was struck by the difference between the response of Anthony Albanese and that of NSW Premier Chris Minns. The Prime Minister did say “there is no place for anti-Semitism in Australia” and that “conflict overseas cannot be made a platform for prejudice at home”. But it was disappointing that the strongest words he could summon up to describe the incident were “disturbing” and “deeply troubling”. Minns found a better tone when he said “it is unacceptable, un-Australian and it will not be tolerated. The Jewish community is an integral part of the wider NSW community and we are completely committed to ensuring the safety and security of Jewish people in NSW”. What we need now is action to back up those words, through the police, the prosecution service, the parliaments and the courts." - Rabbi Benjamin Elton, chief minister of The Great Synagogue in Sydney - theaustralian.com.au

>>22058498 Penny Wong refuses to condemn ICC over arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu - Penny Wong says Labor will be guided by the law rather than politics in its response to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, as she left open the prospect that Australia could comply with the order if the Israeli Prime Minister travelled to Australia. The Foreign Minister batted away questions in the Senate on whether the government agreed with US President Joe Biden’s assessment that the warrant was “outrageous”, accusing the opposition of trying to make political mileage from the situation. She said unlike the US, Australia was a party to the statute that created the ICC, and the court’s ability to “uphold international law” was in Australia’s national interest. “Unlike you, we actually believe that adherence to international law is a matter of principle, and it is in Australia’s interests,” Senator Wong said, responding to opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash. Asked directly whether the Albanese government would enforce the ICC warrant if Mr Netanyahu ever came to Australia, the Foreign Minister said: “I certainly don’t propose to speculate on hypotheticals. “What I can say to the ­chamber is that Australia will act consistently with our ­obligations under international law and our approach will be ­informed by international law, not by politics.” The Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, said if Australia was a “real friend” to Israel, Senator Wong would have repudiated the ICC warrant as the US had done. “The Foreign Minister had an opportunity to demonstrate whether this government is supportive of Israel or hostile to it. The Foreign Minister made her choice,” Mr Ryvchin said.

#38 - Part 10

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 10

>>22098934 Ed Husic pleas fall on deaf ears among divided Muslim community - The Muslim political campaign threatening to topple senior Labor ministers has declared it has no problem if its pro-Palestine push helped elect Peter Dutton, saying such a result would “demonstrate the impact” of its movement. But other Muslim leaders have urged voters to avoid “cutting their nose to spite their face”, saying inadvertently electing the Liberals would be a far worse prospect for the community’s hopes for Palestine. The ALP will likely incorporate The Muslim Vote’s stance as part of its campaign arsenal in southwest Sydney, where supportive elements from the community fear a protest vote could usher in a Liberal government far friendlier to Israel and more opposed to Palestinian statehood. Industry Minister Ed Husic, the country’s most senior Muslim politician, urged his community to not vote in “anger” against Labor, spruiking the government’s “advocacy” for Palestinian sovereignty and its record at the United Nations. “I think people can see the volume of work that we have done as a government, particularly in the last 12 months … We are trying to make sure that Australia’s voice is heard in the international arena on this issue,” Mr Husic said on Monday. But The Muslim Vote convener Wesam Charkawi rejected Mr Husic’s plea, urging Muslim voters who had been “neglected … for far too long” to take a stand against Labor at the ballot box. “(The Labor government) consistently held that Israel has a right to defend itself while Palestinians were being butchered,” Sheik Charkawi said: “(The government) refused to sanction Israel, refused to expel the Israeli ambassador, refused to call for an arms embargo, and refused on multiple occasions to call for an unconditional ceasefire.”

>>22104603 Video: Australia changes position to support vote demanding Israel end occupation of Gaza, East Jerusalem and West Bank - Australia has changed its position to support a UN resolution demanding "Israel bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible". The resolution, passed by the UN General Assembly, also calls for an end to all new settlement activities and for settlers to be removed from the occupied territory. Australia was one of 157 nations that voted in favour of the resolution. Seven abstained, and eight voted against it, including the USA and Israel. Australia has abstained from similar resolutions at past meetings of the General Assembly, including at a vote in September. Since then, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, which allege war crimes and crimes against humanity. Australia is a party to the ICC and has a legal obligation to arrest the men if they visit. Australia's ambassador to the United Nations, James Larsen, said Australia had now returned to a position it held up until the year 2001. He said that was a time "when the international community and the parties themselves came together to chart a path towards a two-state solution", and the vote "reflects our determination that the international community again work together to build momentum towards this goal".

>>22111586 Labor condemned by Coalition, Jewish groups, over UN vote on Palestine - Peter Dutton has accused Anthony Albanese of selling out Israel to claw back votes in western Sydney after the government switched its vote in the UN to support Palestinian statehood and demand Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories. Jewish groups were outraged at the government’s decision to support the UN motion, which Australia has abstained from or opposed for more than two decades, accusing it of breaching a pre-election pledge to maintain strong support for Israel and avoid using foreign policy to play domestic politics. Australia joined 156 other countries on Wednesday morning AEDT to back the seven-page resolution urging “the realisation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination and the right to their independent state”. Mr Dutton said the Prime Minister had abandoned Australian Jews “for votes”. “He sold the Jewish community out in this country for Green votes in western Sydney and in places like Marrickville (in Mr Albanese’s seat),” the Opposition Leader said. “I think we should be standing with allies like the United States. Instead, the Albanese government is chasing Green votes and they’ve been prepared to sacrifice the wellbeing of the Jewish community here in Australia to do so.”

#38 - Part 11

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 11

>>22111604 ‘The two-state solution is absolutely dead,’ leading Palestinian advocate says - The prospect of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dead, according to the leading Palestinian advocate in Australia, meaning Jewish and Arab residents will eventually need to live together on the land currently controlled by Israel. The Albanese government angered Israel and pleased Palestinian supporters on Wednesday by voting in favour of a United Nations resolution demanding Israel end its presence in the occupied Palestinian territories as soon as possible and calling for the evacuation of all settlers from the West Bank and Gaza. Australia had abstained or voted against similar motions since 2001, making the shift a significant departure from its previous position. Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, said establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel would be akin to partitioning South Africa as a way to end apartheid in the 1990s. “The two-state solution is absolutely dead,” Mashni, whose organisation is the peak lobby group for Palestinian rights, told this masthead. “The driving force behind the idea of a two-state solution in the West has been about protecting Israel as a Jewish democratic state. But at some point the world will see that there are no two states, that Israel itself doesn’t want it. What we’re left with is one land, two peoples and two laws, and that’s apartheid.” He continued: “It was wrong in South Africa, and it is wrong in Palestine. We need to dismantle an apartheid regime and no one suggested the solution for apartheid in South Africa was separate black and white states.”

>>22118085 Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Labor’s Palestine support in the UN will invite more terrorism - The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly criticised the Albanese government over its retreating support for Israel and promotion of Palestinian statehood at the UN, describing these actions as ­rewards for terrorism and suggesting Australia may no longer be a “key ally” of the Jewish state. In comments provided exclusively to The Australian, the office of Mr Netanyahu said the “disappointing” change in position at the UN would undoubtedly “invite more terrorism” and “more anti-Semitic riots” on Western campuses and city centres, “including in Australia”. Australia voted on Wednesday (AEDT) in favour of Israel withdrawing its “unlawful presence” from the West Bank, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem, marking a two-decade change in Canberra’s position on the matter. The resolution, which passed by 157-8, also called for settlers to be removed from the West Bank and will also see a conference held in June 2025, in New York, to chart an “irreversible pathway” ­towards a Palestinian state. A separate UN vote calling on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights, which was part of Syria until 1967, was not supported. Australia ­abstained from a third vote. The statement provided by Mr Netanyahu’s office said Australia’s position amounted to a reward for terrorists who abducted 250 hostages - 101 of whom remain in captivity, including children, young women and elderly men – and slaughtered 1200 ­people on October 7 last year. “Australia’s flip flop is disappointing,” the statement said, marking the first time Mr Netanyahu’s office has commented ­directly on the actions of Australia and the Albanese government. “Awarding anti-Semitism and terrorism with a state in the heart of the Jewish ancient homeland and cradle of civilisation will invite more terrorism and more anti-Semitic riots at campuses and city centres, including in Australia.”

#38 - Part 12

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 12

>>22118112 Benjamin Netanyahu calls out Australia’s historic retreat from Israel on the world stage - "The break has been coming for months, but Benjamin Netan­yahu’s stinging rebuke of the Albanese government’s position on Israel has all but fractured two decades of bipartisan Australian support for the Jewish state. Known as Bibi, the Israeli Prime Minister doesn’t mince words, claiming Australia’s progressive abandonment of Israel in the UN will reward anti-Semitism and terrorism, as he made it clear he no longer sees Australia as a “key” ally of Israel. This is a big moment for Australian policy in the Middle East. The supposedly rock-solid support Australia gave to Israel in the wake of the October 7 massacre of its people by Hamas has suffered a death by a thousand cuts to the point Australia is edging closer to being an open critic of Israel’s conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Put simply, Foreign Minister Penny Wong by her many actions in recent months has made it clear she believes Israel’s retribution against Hamas in Gaza has caused such excessive civilian deaths that Israel can no longer claim the moral high ground it initially held after the horrific events of October 7. The critical question the government needs to answer is why change course now, when fighting is continuing in Gaza and when Hamas is still holding hostages and is yet to surrender? The war in Gaza has made a two state-solution more unlikely and more distant than ever before. The corrupt and anti-Israeli Palestinian Authority is hardly suited to running a Palestinian state even if a final agreement could be reached. But the cauldron of war in the Middle East during the past 14 months means any two-state solution is so far from being realised that it has become - for now – almost a hypothetical concept. The notion that Australia suddenly wants to fast track a process that is clearly unworkable at this time reeks of political opportunism ahead of next year’s election rather than any genuine effort to seek a constructive solution to conflict in the Middle East." - Cameron Stewart - theaustralian.com.au

>>22118150 Arson attack:Police seek two masked men over ‘deliberately lit fire’ at Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne- More than 60 firefighters have fought a blaze ignited after a suspected arson attack at a Melbourne synagogue early on Friday morning. The fire began at Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne around 4.10am at Ripponlea in Melbourne’s southeast. Victorian arson squad Detective Inspector Chris Murray said the “deliberately lit fire” was first caught by a witness who arrived at the synagogue to begin morning prayers. Yumi Friedman was the first person to call police as he witnessed the attack unfold from inside. “I was studying in the synagogue and (heard) a big bang on the door with a sledge hammer… then I heard another sledge hammer (hit) the glass and saw the glass flying. He was among dozens of congregation members who gathered outside the synagogue on Friday morning alongside other neighbours, police and firefighters, who pumped water from trucks inside the building. Mr Friedman alleged two people wearing balaclavas and carrying Jerry cans initiated the attack. “We’re just minding our own business, coming to pray and to learn and study, he said. Anthony Albanese said he had been briefed on the attack by the Australian Federal Police. “I unequivocally condemn the attack on a Melbourne synagogue early this morning. I have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism. It has absolutely no place in Australia,” the Prime Minister said in a statement. “This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage. This attack has risked lives and is clearly aimed at creating fear in the community. The people involved must be caught and face the full force of the law. The Commonwealth will provide full assistance to Victorian authorities. This deliberate, unlawful attack goes against everything we are as Australians and everything we have worked so hard to build as a nation.”

#38 - Part 13

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 13

>>22118430 Video: ‘An act of hate’: Counter-terrorism police to investigate synagogue firebombing - Officers from the state’s Counter Terrorism Command will join the investigation into the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue that has been widely condemned as an act of antisemitism. Members of the Adass Israel congregation were forced to flee in the early hours on Friday as fire engulfed the synagogue in Ripponlea, following the arson attack by two masked suspects who remain at large. The men were pouring liquid on the floor when they were disturbed by a congregant who was attending the Glen Eira Avenue synagogue, police said, prompting the suspects to flee. On Friday, police scrambled to increase security at synagogues across the city through the weekend. Images obtained by this masthead show extensive damage inside the synagogue. The blaze gutted the building, leaving charred ruins, a tangle of wiring and a collapsed roof. After the blaze, members of the congregation rushed to salvage items including a trove of holy books and precious Torah scrolls. They formed a line, passing along artefacts and personal items - tallits (prayer shawls) and tefillin (phylacteries worn on the arm and head during prayer) – out of the blackened building. Members carefully loaded them into a car, kissing them as is customary when touching a Torah scroll. Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the attack was predictable given the rise of antisemitism across Australia following the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7 last year and Israel’s subsequent bombing of Gaza. “Everybody knew that antisemitism, that hatred and that vilification, that racism, was lurking beneath the surface,” Dutton said. “But what we’ve seen on our university campuses, what we’ve seen online, what we’ve seen against people of Jewish faith in the community has been completely and utterly unacceptable, and it should be totally condemned in our country.”

>>22120571 Labor’s UN posturing ‘rewards’ anti-Semitism, former minister Mike Kelly says - Former Labor minister Mike Kelly has linked Anthony Albanese’s support for pro-Palestine motions in the UN with the torching of a Melbourne Synagogue, urging him to “join the dots” between its hard line stance against Israel and surging anti-Semitism. The Labor Friends of Israel co-convener said some party members were now tearing up their membership cards in protest at the government’s hostility towards the Jewish state, believing the government was “betraying” the legacy of ALP giants Ben Chifley and HV “Doc” Evatt. Amid national outrage over the arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue on Friday morning, Mr Kelly said anti-Semitic extremists saw the government’s support for anti-Israel motions in the UN as a “reward for their lawlessness and their violence”. “The government has been making a series of decisions like this and very clearly, this only encourages the extremists to go further,” he told The Australian. “This is obviously not intentional by the government, but it’s really disturbing that they’re not joining the dots and making the connection here, and it’s hurting our national security posture and our social cohesion situation. “And then, unsurprisingly, we see the events in Melbourne overnight. Obviously, we have to respect the investigation process, but it seems very clearly there’s a potential here for this to have been another heinous act by one of these extremists.” Mr Kelly said the looming retirement of pro-Israel Labor minister Bill Shorten marked the loss of another “voice of reason” from the party, as “Communists and Greens” used the situation in the Middle East to divide the ALP and the trade union movement.

#38 - Part 14

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 14

>>22120646 Israeli president urges Albanese to crack down on antisemitism in firebombing’s wake - Israel’s president has told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take “firm and strong action” against antisemitism, as he condemned a surge of attacks on the Australian Jewish community that culminated in arsonists firebombing a Melbourne synagogue. Isaac Herzog said he spoke to Albanese after the attack on the Adass Israel temple, condemning “an intolerable wave of attacks on Jewish communities in Australia and around the world”, echoing remarks from the country’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar. “I noted to the prime minister that this rise and the increasingly serious antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community required firm and strong action, and that this was a message that must be heard clearly from Australia’s leaders,” said Herzog, whose position is roughly equivalent to Australia’s governor-general, in a post on X. “I thanked him for his ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, and expressed my trust that the local law enforcement would do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice.” The attack comes as the relationship between Australia and Israel is severely strained by the war in Gaza, and Australia’s peak Jewish groups say they feel betrayed by the Albanese government, which has not backed Israel as fiercely as the Coalition. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said antisemitism “must be relentlessly confronted”. “I urge Australian authorities to act swiftly and ensure the despicable perpetrators are brought to justice,” he said.

>>22120868 ‘This is an attack on all Jews in Melbourne’: Leaders reeling after attack - If the masked arsonists who torched a Melbourne synagogue in Friday’s pre-dawn hours intended to send an incendiary message about Israel’s war in Gaza, they picked the wrong Jews. The members of the ultra-Orthodox community who pray at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea are not Zionists. Nor are they politically active. Where many Jewish groups advocate strong views about the conflict in the Middle East, they tend to say little outside their small, cloistered community. Where Israelis speak Hebrew, they speak Yiddish. While many of them have family connections within Israel and have spent time in the country, they have no truck with the state of Israel nor its government. Put simply, this is not their war. “We are a very quiet community,” Adass Israel board member Benjamin Klein says. “We are not involved in politics, we don’t have Israeli flags. We pray for Israel, we pray for peace. We don’t recognise the state per se but we don’t protest for or against. We really don’t get involved. We are busy trying to do the right thing by God. That is what our mission is and that is what we focus our lives on.” So why is it that, on a hot Friday morning a few weeks before Hanukkah, Klein is standing on a grassy verge in Ripponlea with other members of his community, his face red and sweaty beneath his orthodox garb, watching arson detectives pick through the charred remnants of a suspected hate crime inside his house of worship? Jillian Segal, the Australian government’s Special Envoy to Combat Anti-semitism, says this is what happens when hate, mixed with ignorance, is let off the leash. In comments to this masthead, Segal describes it as a destructive continuum. “We have gone from weekly demonstrations morphing into antisemitism to demonstrations outside a synagogue in Victoria, to the daubing of cars in Woollahra with “f-ck Israel”. The next step is actually lighting up a synagogue. “The cause is antisemitism, which is hatred of Jews. That is the cause and that is what we haven’t been calling out and stopping in this country.”

#38 - Part 15

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 15

>>22120919 When synagogues start burning its hard to ‘cherish’ social cohesion - "Almost everyday brings a fresh assault on Australia’s Jewish population. A synagogue is torched in Melbourne, a car immolated in Sydney and others vandalised. An aggressive, drum-banging pro-Palestinian mob sets up a three-hour protest outside Sydney’s Great Synagogue. Of course it’s the sole Israeli flag-carrying Jew who gets pushed away by the police. What we don’t see reported is the relentless pressure on our Jewish citizens. The young children who practise weekly security drills at schools anticipating an attack. The deluge of anti-Jewish hate online. The family decisions not to go into the city today, not to wear a Star of David, to stay at home wondering if they have a future in this country. What happens on the street is enabled by our government’s hard-turn against an old friend, Israel. When Australia shifts a vote in the United Nations towards the creation of Palestine, the gesture rewards terrorism and punishes Israel for the sin of being attacked. To hell with the pretence of bipartisanship: Labor’s left, led by Penny Wong intellectually and Anthony Albanese emotionally, are having fun while they still can with an old ideological fixation of bashing Israel. This agenda is damaging politically, but addresses an internal party need. The government will not or cannot accept that it sets the context for the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment in Australia. It’s hard to nourish and cherish social cohesion when the synagogues start burning. We need a tougher approach to internal security." - Peter Jennings, director of Strategic Analysis Australia, former executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and former deputy secretary for strategy in the Defence Department (2009-12) - theaustralian.com.au

>>22121270 Netanyahu points finger at Labor over synagogue firebombing - Labor’s “extreme anti-Israel position” is to blame for the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue and increasing anti-Semitism throughout Australia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in an extraordinary intervention. Just days after his office told The Australian that the Albanese government’s shift towards supporting Palestinian interests at the UN would “invite terrorism”, Prime Minister Netanyahu himself overnight said it was “impossible to seperate” the arson attack and the government’s positions. “The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future,” Mr Netanyahu said on X. “Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel “to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible”, and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country. Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism.” Mr Netanyahu’s attack on the Albanese government brings the Israeli-Australian relationship to its lowest ebb since the founding of the modern Jewish State after World War Two.

#38 - Part 16

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 16

>>22121384 Anthony Albanese is now witnessing the consequences of his failure to protect Australian Jews - "Anthony Albanese is now witnessing the consequences of his own government’s failure to protect the Jewish community from acts of violent anti-Semitism amid its foreign policy pivot on Israel. Whether he accepts the assertion or not, the Prime Minister is now in the hot seat on an issue that has escalated beyond the foreign conflict to become one of broader domestic community safety. Until Friday, the Prime Minister’s language on the convulsions between the Jewish and pro-Palestinian communities has been mealy mouthed at best since the October 9 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Yet his foreign policy posture towards Israel has not been. It has become increasingly hostile. The timing of the arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne was profound, having occurred within hours of Israel’s warning to Australia that its reversal of a long-held UN position on Palestinian status would result in increased violence against Jews. The Israeli government warned that “awarding savages” would invite terrorism. This is precisely what occurred at 4.10am on Friday morning. The Prime Minister doesn’t need to wait for ASIO or police to call it for what it is: an act of domestic terrorism. By any definition, it is precisely this. It is now impossible to separate the foreign from the domestic, from what is playing out in the suburban streets of Melbourne and Sydney. It is the product of an environment of permissive hatred that has been allowed to advance unchecked and without penalty. Most Australians, while appalled by what is occurring, still see this as a foreign conflict that has little to do with them. Albanese has been right on this, although wrong on the corrosive effect it may have on the perception of strength of leadership. The risk now for Labor is whether Friday morning’s arson attack is the tipping point for when this now becomes part of a broader consciousness that feeds into community concerns about crime and public safety. The political danger for Albanese now is that this latest incident will resonate more broadly in a community that until now has not been connected to the issue. Many may now come to view this as an issue that has got out of hand, under a government that has failed to address it." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

>>22126553 PM must declare synagogue attack a terror event: Frydenberg - Anthony Albanese must set up a police task force devoted to stamping out anti-Semitism and declare Friday’s firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue a terrorist act, former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has declared. Standing with ex-Labor senator Nova Peris at the Caulfield South synagogue now at the centre of the wave of anti-Jewish hate in Australia, Mr Frydenberg said Labor must set up a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses. Hours after the firebombing, the Prime Minister on Friday said anti-Semitism has been around for a “long time” and faced claims from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government’s foreign policy has encouraged the incident. “This is not about other forms of hate, this is not about Islamophobia,” the former Liberal deputy leader said on Saturday. “This task force needs to enforce the law and where necessary advise how to strengthen it.” Former senator Nova Paris said the state and federal Labor governments have failed to show leadership on anti-Semitism. “The fact that no one was arrested or there weren’t consequences of the act on October 7th, before blood had even dried, before Israel had even retaliated, speaks volumes,” Ms Peris said. “The amount of attacks upon Jewish people, of racial hatred, the property that’s been destroyed, our war memorials, all these things that are an attack on citizens of this country. If there are no consequences, it allows people to say, well, we’re just going to continue to get away with it.”

#38 - Part 17

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 17

>>22126566 Albanese, Wong defend Australia’s stance on Israel following criticism from Netanyahu - Foreign Minister Penny Wong has castigated opponents blaming the government for rising antisemitism, and Anthony Albanese has stood by his diplomatic posture towards Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu tied Labor’s “extreme anti-Israel position” to the firebombing of a synagogue. The Israeli prime minister’s extraordinary statement has placed global attention on deteriorating relations between Australia and its long-time friendly nation in the Middle East, sparking calls from the pro-Israel opposition to urgently mend ties and intensifying a dispute over Labor’s management of tensions stemming from the war. Wong characterised the criticism of Labor’s approach as grounded in politics, not facts, emphasising that Labor’s voting in the UN was aligned with like-minded nations such as Canada and Britain, whose diplomats have increasingly lost patience with Israel’s long-running war effort. “Turning this into a political fight is reckless even for [Opposition Leader] Peter Dutton,” she told this masthead in a statement. “The Liberals also used to support a balanced, two-state solution, but now they see political advantage in trying to reproduce the conflict here.”

>>22126615 PM Albanese meets with Jewish community members at Perth synagogue - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met privately with Jewish community members at a synagogue in Perth one day after the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. The meeting was closed off to media, though NewsWire understands Mr Albanese was invited to the community centre in central Perth and spoke there in the morning. It is understood about a hundred people filled the synagogue. Mr Albanese is expected to give a press conference in the WA capital on Sunday morning, where he is expected to speak further on the firebombing that has shocked the nation and triggered widespread anger. In a statement posted to X on Saturday afternoon, Mr Albanese said the arson attack on Adass Israel was “un-Australian”. “The Jewish community has made an extraordinary contribution to the strength and success of our nation, over generations,” he said. “Time and time again, they have defied the cowardice and cruelty of antisemitism with courage and resolve. In this deeply distressing time, I want every member of the Jewish community to know our government unequivocally condemns the prejudice you have been targeted with.”

>>22128056 Video: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls synagogue firebombing a 'terrorist attack' following public outcry - Following scathing criticism from the Jewish community and the Coalition, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled the recent synagogue firebombing as a “terrorist attack”. The Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne was set ablaze on Friday in what has been suspected to be an arson attack, leaving the Jewish community devastated. Initially, Mr Albanese released a statement on Saturday describing the burning of the Jewish temple as “antisemitic” but he refrained from using the term “terrorism”. Pressure quickly mounted from the Jewish community and political leaders who blamed the Prime Minister for failing to prevent rising levels of antisemitism. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton described Mr Albanese’s response as “one of the worst things I've ever seen in public life” on Sunday. “The Prime Minister won’t even use the word ‘terrorist attack’, and that says something in itself,” he said. Shortly after the Opposition Leader’s remarks, Mr Albanese fronted reporters at a press conference in Perth where he clarified his stance. The Prime Minister said in his “personal view” the incident was “quite clearly” a terrorist attack. “There is a technical process that is agreed in the protocols for designating an event as a terrorist act. That meeting is taking place tomorrow,” Mr Albanese said. “If you want my personal view, quite clearly terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community. “And the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne clearly were designed to create fear in the community. “Therefore, from my personal perspective, (the attack) certainly fulfilled the definition of terrorism.”

#38 - Part 18

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 18

>>22134026 ‘Back bigger and better’: Hundreds rally near firebombed synagogue, vowing to rebuild - Heartbroken members of Melbourne’s Adass Israel community vowed at a solidarity gathering to restore the “jewel in the crown” by rebuilding their firebombed synagogue. More than 1000 people rallied to support the congregation on Sunday after the Ripponlea synagogue was firebombed in the early hours of Friday morning. Police are investigating. Benjamin Klein, a board member of the synagogue, said he found it heartbreaking to walk past the charred building and think of what has been lost. “We will come back bigger and better, I can assure you. The building will be beautiful -- a jewel in the crown once again,” he said on Sunday. Members of the Adass Israel congregation were forced to flee on Friday as fire engulfed the Glen Eira Avenue synagogue. No one has been arrested, and police are searching for three masked suspects who fled the scene. The arsonists poured flammable liquid on the floor of the building before they were disturbed by a congregant who was attending the synagogue, police said. Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed on Sunday that the counter-terrorism units of the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police were investigating. At the solidarity rally in Ripponlea, many attendees held Israel flags and signs stating “We choose unity” and “I stand with Israel”. Supporters were encouraged to bring bunches of flowers, which they placed in the fence surrounding the burnt shell of the synagogue.

>>22134046 Protests to go on ‘until liberation’, say pro-Palestinian rally organisers - Pro-Palestinian protesters have vowed to return to Melbourne’s CBD every weekend for as long as it takes to “liberate Palestine”, as the Victorian government mulls changes to protest laws that might outlaw rallies at places of worship. The late afternoon change in position from the government, which had previously been dismissive of tightening protest laws, came two days after arsonists set fire to the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea in an attack early on Friday. On Saturday, NSW Premier Chris Minns ordered his government to explore outlawing protests at places of worship after a rally at Sydney’s Great Synagogue while members of the Israel Institute of Technology were inside. Premier Jacinta Allan initially dismissed questions about similar changes on Sunday, but later a Victorian government spokesperson said the government would consider changes to “ensure that people can exercise their right to attend places of worship freely, without fear, intimidation, harassment or obstruction”. The move came as protesters mounted their 61st consecutive rally in Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday, with thousands supporting the Palestinian cause listening to speeches at the State Library from about noon, followed by a slow walk down Swanston Street to Flinders Street. The crowd dispersed about 2.15pm. Asked how long the protests would continue, one of the rally’s organisers, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni, told The Age on Sunday: “Why would we stop? “For decades, Palestine had no constituency. I was an advocate for Palestine. Couldn’t get in the door, couldn’t get a media interview, couldn’t get an [opinion article] written. But today, Palestine is palatable. It is a movement. Palestine can’t be ignored any more.”

>>22134063 Video: AFP anti-Semitism taskforce 'Avalite' established after synagogue attack - Australian Federal Police taskforce Operation Avalite will be established to combat anti-Semitism following an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne that is now being investigated as a terror incident. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the taskforce was being stood up in response to three recent anti-Semitic attacks: the attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, an attack on Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns' electorate office, and an incident in Woollahra in Sydney where a car was torched and buildings vandalised with anti-Israel messages. AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the taskforce would give police expanded powers to investigate the incidents. "Special Operation Avalite will be an agile and experienced squad of counterterrorism investigators who will focus on threats, violence, and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians," Commissioner Kershaw said. "Our world-class agencies will provide all the support necessary to find the perpetrators and ensure they face the full force of the law," Mr Albanese said. Mr Albanese also committed to visiting the community where the synagogue was attacked. The prime minister has faced immediate pressure to step up the government’s response from the opposition, who have accused the government of enabling anti-Semitism to go unchecked.

#38 - Part 19

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 19

>>22134094 Video: ‘One of the most evil acts we’ve seen’: Synagogue fire declared a terror attack - An arson attack on one of Australia’s busiest synagogues has been declared a “likely” terrorist attack, according to Victorian and federal police. The formal declaration means the investigation is now in the hands of the joint counter-terrorism team, which can access new sweeping detention, search and surveillance powers. It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the formation of a new federal police antisemitism taskforce following several antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, including the synagogue arson attack, the Woollahra vandalism incident in November, and the defacing of Jewish MP Josh Burns’ office in June. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said a special law enforcement committee involving the Australian Federal Police had met on Monday and determined the attack was “likely a terrorist incident”. “Based on that [advice], I am very confident that we now have had a terrorist attack on that synagogue, and that is why we are transitioning that as a terrorist incident to the joint counter-terrorism team for investigation,” Patton announced at a press conference. He declined to provide specifics about the investigation, except that three suspects were being sought over the fire which destroyed much of the Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea, in Melbourne’s south-east, early on Friday. Premier Jacinta Allan, who attended the press conference, said the formal terror declaration meant additional powers and resources for those investigating the attack, which she described as “one of the most evil acts we’ve seen”. “We’re here today as a consequence of one of the most evil acts we’ve seen, one of the most evil acts [of antisemitism] and now, as has been determined by the policing agencies, a likely act of terrorism,” Allan said. “This has to come to an end. We cannot let this conflict overseas continue to be a cloak for behaviour like that here.”

>>22134258 Video: Anthony Albanese entertains Labor donors, plays tennis at Cottesloe as Jewish Australians reel from Melbourne synagogue attack - Labor donors were entertained by Anthony Albanese over drinks on the banks of Perth’s Swan River on the day of the synagogue terror attack in Melbourne, and he then played tennis on Saturday afternoon in the leafy beachside suburb of Cottesloe, staying for afternoon tea with members of Western Australia’s most prestigious lawn court tennis club. Surprise at the Prime Minister’s decision not to travel to Melbourne after the terror attack turned to shock on Monday as it emerged he had taken time to play tennis in the golden triangle of Perth real estate as Jewish Australians reeled and prepared for a vigil near the burnt-out Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. On Friday night, Mr Albanese was the star attraction at the Federal Labor Business Forum’s “End-of-Year Networking Event” at the Chevron building on Perth’s CBD foreshore. Mr Albanese spent the night with party donors just hours after his first briefings on the firebombing and a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog over the incident. The Australian understands the drinks went for 90 minutes. The event is designed to allow businesses to pay a premium to have access to senior ALP figures such as the Prime Minister. The tennis took place the same weekend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blaming Labor and the Albanese government for the wave of anti-Semitism in Australia. Also that same day former treasurer Josh Frydenberg and ex-Labor senator Nova Peris put up a united front against anti-Jewish hate outside the firebombed synagogue. Perth woman Elizabeth Pell took a photo with Mr Albanese at the tennis club, and posted to social media: “Not someone you meet everyday!” When questioned at a press conference on Monday about his decision to play tennis on Saturday, Mr Albanese took advantage of a reporter’s mistaken understanding that he had played in the morning rather than in the afternoon, saying: “Well, I wasn’t playing tennis on the Saturday morning.” Questioned further, he said: “That is wrong. I had six appointments on Saturday. After they had concluded, late in the afternoon, I did some exercise. That’s what people do.”

#38 - Part 20

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 20

>>22139939 Peter Dutton aces Anthony Albanese in Melbourne synagogue terror response - "Playing a round of beachside tennis in Perth’s Golden Triangle and attending a party fundraiser after a likely terror attack on a synagogue continues Anthony Albanese’s run of poor judgment, delayed decision-making and equivocation on anti-Semitism. The Prime Minister should’ve jumped on a plane and headed straight to Melbourne instead of practising his backhand at the Cottesloe Tennis Club, being the guest of honour at a Labor fundraising event at Chevron HQ and campaigning in battleground Perth seats. If that meant skipping a train line opening and organising a senior colleague to meet the Nauruan President, so be it. Peter Dutton’s visit to the Adass Israel Synagogue before Albanese, which is not the first time the Opposition Leader has front-run the Labor leader, is bad optics for the government. The synagogue, which burnt down early Friday morning, is located in the electorally vulnerable seat of Macnamara, held by Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns. Albanese waited until Monday to convene a meeting of the national security committee of cabinet despite advice the firebombing was a likely terror attack, before holding a Canberra press conference with security chiefs in a bid to reassure Australians he is on the job. Since Hamas’s murderous attacks against Israelis on October 7, 2023, Dutton and others including NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns have been stronger than the Albanese government in condemning and responding to anti-Semitic incidents and protests. The Albanese government, which has been obsessed by Israel-Palestine UN votes and ceasefires, needs to reverse what Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Monday described as “the highest level of anti-Semitism that I’ve experienced in my lifetime”. Jewish Australians should be able to worship, attend school and feel safe in workplaces without exposure to prejudice. If stronger action is not taken to combat anti-Semitic attacks and protests, a minority of bad actors will continue waging their campaign of hate and terror." - Geoff Chambers - theaustralian.com.au

>>22139946 Former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni says ‘governance’ the key to combating anti-Semitism - A former Israeli foreign minister says the war against anti-Semitism begins with just one word: ­leadership. Tzipi Livni says societies that do not have strong political leadership ready to stamp out anti-Semitism as soon as it occurs will never be able to conquer the scourge. Ms Livni, Israel’s foreign minister from 2006-09 and also a former vice-prime minister and justice minister, was speaking as she paid her respects at the burnt-out Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne after it was firebombed in the early hours of last Friday. Ms Livni stressed she was not passing comment or judgment on the Australian government and said she did not want to wade into a domestic political debate. But she said her observation was that the rise in anti-Semitism in the Western world since October 7, 2023 demanded strong responses from governments to stop it festering and spreading. “Responsibility lies with the leadership of the countries where it is rearing its ugly head,” Ms Livni said. “Because it’s not just about the Jews or the state of Israel. It’s about the society itself, and the nature of the society and hate speech. “Anti-Semitism needs to be dealt with strongly by the political leadership of any country.” She said a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated also needed to be backed up by a raft of concrete measures. “From my experience, it’s about education to promote tolerance. It’s about legislation, about giving hate crimes a different punishment because it means something more. It is also about the public messages coming from leaders to say that this is not accepted there, and will not be tolerated.”

#38 - Part 21

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 21

>>22139971 Video: ‘Nice day for the tennis’: Anthony Albanese heckled in chaotic scenes at synagogue - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been heckled in chaotic scenes outside the fire-bombed synagogue in Melbourne, with one heckler shouting it was “a nice day for the tennis”. Jewish community leaders had asked the community not to heckle the Prime Minister amid anger over his failure to visit the site earlier. But a crowd outside the synagogue did not hold back amid controversy over his afternoon of tennis in Perth in the wake of the terror attack. “Nice day for tennis,” one heckler shouted. Another person then shouted, “go live in Gaza,” at the Prime Minister. “Time to resign,” another heckler shouted. The Australian reported that one person then yelled, “Off to Kooyong to play tennis, mate?” The Prime Minister was rushed into a car outside the synagogue that was firebombed in a suspected terror attack in chaotic scenes as AFP officers shouted “get back!” to a gathering crowd. Mr Albanese was expected to hold a press conference after touring the crime scene on Tuesday. But that plan was cut short after a crowd gathered around him and Mr Albanese wound up the press conference without taking questions. AFP officers were forced to shout at bystanders to “stand clear!” and “watch out, watch out, get back!” as his motorcade tried to depart.

>>22139980 Wong hits back at Netanyahu, links Israel to China, Russia - Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hit back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by insisting that criticism of Israel is not necessarily antisemitic, as she infuriated Jewish groups by saying Australia expects Israel to comply with international law like authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China. Delivering a speech in Adelaide on Monday night in honour of late prime minister Bob Hawke, Wong condemned the Adass Israel Synagogue bombing as “a shocking crime” aimed at causing terror in the community. In a clear response to Netanyahu’s weekend claim that “anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism” in a social media post attacking the Albanese government, Wong said: “It is not antisemitic to expect that Israel should comply with the international law that applies to all countries. “Nor is it antisemitic to call for children and other civilians to be protected, or to call for a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.” Saying that Australia respected the independence of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza, Wong said: “Australia can’t pick and choose which rules we are going to apply. “We expect Russia to abide by international law and end its illegal full-scale war on Ukraine. We expect China to abide by international legal decisions in the South China Sea. We also expect Israel to abide by international law.” Wong later told reporters in Perth that she was not drawing a moral equivalence between Israel, Russia and China, but arguing that Australia has an interest in ensuring that all nations comply with international law. Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs executive director Colin Rubenstein accused Wong of peddling “historical distortions” and displaying a “distorted understanding of the tenets of international law”.

#38 - Part 22

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 22

>>22139986 Travel warning for Jewish visitors to Australia after synagogue attack - The decision by a US-based human rights group to issue a travel warning for Jewish visitors to Australia reflects a growing international perception that the government can no longer guarantee the safety of its Jewish communities, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry says. Responding to reports that the Simon Wiesenthal Centre was issuing the cautionary advice after last Friday’s firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue by suspected terrorists, ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said Australia was losing its international reputation as a peaceful multicultural society. “This advisory to Jews around the world reflects how Australia is now perceived throughout the world,” Ryvchin said. “It is no longer seen as a model multicultural society. It is now associated with hateful street protests, encampments, public support for terrorists and the use of our landmarks and streets to menace certain communities and project mob power throughout the world. The torching of a synagogue has deepened the view that the government has lost control of the situation and that the safety of the community cannot be guaranteed.” This masthead first reported on Monday that Jewish people and Israelis would be warned about the risk of antisemitic attacks when visiting Australia under a travel advisory issued by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Jewish human rights group named after the world’s most famous Nazi hunter. The advisory was issued despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese establishing a new federal police taskforce to tackle antisemitism and detectives from the nation’s joint counter-terrorism team taking over the investigation into Friday’s attack on Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. It is the first time the centre has issued an advisory against Australia and follows the decision on Monday by Victorian and federal police to declare the pre-dawn firebombing of one of Australia’s busiest synagogues a “likely” terrorist attack.

>>22139998 Man charged over threat to ‘blow up Jewish community centre in Melbourne’s Caulfield - A Brisbane man has been charged after he allegedly threatened to “blow up” a Jewish community centre in Melbourne. The 52-year-old man was arrested by detectives from Queensland’s Counter-Terrorism Investigation Group on Saturday night over the alleged “verbal” threat made towards the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre in Caulfield earlier that day. While Queensland Police provided no detail of the allegation, sources have told The Australian that the man allegedly threatened via a now-deleted social media post to “blow up” the Beth Weizmann Centre, which is home to 17 Jewish organisations. He has been charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. Investigators do not believe the alleged threat is related to the firebombing of Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea on Friday - which is being treated as a terrorist attack – despite the locations being only 2.5km apart. Beth Weizmann Centre president Elyse Schachna thanked Queensland Police for their swift action. “Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre is a hub of Jewish life,” she said. “Children attend Jewish studies classes, there is a Jewish library on site, and many of our community organisations have offices there. Our Jewish community is reeling from these unrelenting threats to our security and safety. We need all Australians to say ‘enough is enough’. We want to be left in peace to live our lives. We want an Australia where we are all safe.”

#38 - Part 23

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 23

>>22145803 ‘Those who struck against these sacred walls will be brought to justice’: My message to Jewish community - "The firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue was a vile act of cruelty against a tight-knit community. It was crime of cowardice and prejudice. Above all, it was an act of terrorism. I join with other Australians in my total and unequivocal condemnation of this crime and everything it represents. This was a fire fuelled by antisemitism and stoked by hatred. It was a grotesque violation of a place of solace and sanctuary. It has added to the Jewish Australian community’s already profound pain and sorrow. Australia has been built on respect for each other and a recognition that our diversity of people of different faiths, ethnicity and backgrounds is a national asset that must be cherished and nurtured. The weight every member of this community must feel in their hearts is almost beyond imagining. Among the losses so acutely felt is the burning of the sacred, handwritten Torah scrolls. My government will provide funding for the restoration of the salvageable scrolls and the replacement of those that are beyond repair. That is who we are as Australians. During times of trouble, we have to come together - because it is together we have built such an extraordinary nation. Just over a year ago, not far from the Adass Israel synagogue, we came together to open the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Across all the heart-wrenching breadth of the museum’s stories, the shortest message it carries is the most important: never again. I say to the community: you are hurting, but you are braver than the cowards that perpetrated this evil. You are stronger than the hatred that spurred them on. And you are not alone. We will see those who struck against these sacred walls brought to justice." - Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia - theage.com.au

>>22145853 Car torched, buildings vandalised: PM lashes ‘evil’ antisemitic attack as police boost Sydney patrols - Police will increase patrols across Sydney to deter antisemitic attacks after vandals again targeted the Jewish community in the city’s eastern suburbs on Wednesday morning. But NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said it would take more than just police to stop crimes motivated by hate after a spate of attacks across Australia, including the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne last week, which has been deemed a likely terrorist incident. The incidents come amid heightened community tensions in Sydney after 14 months of deadly conflict in the Middle East involving Israel, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Sydney’s east on Wednesday, Jewish residents were left shaken and upset after learning vandals believed to be aged between 15 and 20 had sprayed anti-Israel messages on two homes and a footpath in the upmarket suburb of Woollahra. “Death 2 Israiel” and “Kill Israiel” were scrawled across the garden walls of homes on Magney Street at about 1am, with messages also sprayed on the footpath outside. A car at the scene, which police believe was stolen, was also set alight. It was the second such attack in Woollahra in a matter of weeks. Cars were damaged and anti-Israel slogans were sprayed on the doors of Matt Moran’s nearby Chiswick restaurant last month. Two men are in custody facing charges over that incident. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for an end to “evil” antisemitism in Australia, adding that attacks like that in Woollahra “diminish us as a nation”.

#38 - Part 24

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 24

>>22145871 Video: Police hunt two disguised men over Woollahra hate crime attack - A shocking anti-Semitic attack in Sydney’s east was intended to “strike fear” into the Jewish community, NSW Premier Chris Minns says, vowing that those ­responsible will face the full force of the law, as police continue to hunt for a pair of teenagers ­believed to be connected to the violent “hate crime”. NSW Police on Wednesday issued an appeal for information for the disguised young men, who are believed to have been in Woollahra when a stolen car was set alight around 1am, and at least three buildings were tagged with anti-Semitic slurs. The attack marks the second in a month for the prominent Jewish suburb, and is the latest in a long spate of anti-Semitic strikes on Jewish communities across the nation after a Melbourne synagogue was firebombed last Friday. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb described the attack as “disgusting” and said the police had been given extra resources to hold the offenders responsible. “A full police response is under way and it commenced immediately with local regional and terrorism police being called out last night,” Commissioner Webb said. “There is still a very active crime scene investigation at that location in Woollahra and police have been working around the clock to follow all leads. There will be an extensive investigation and it will take time. Police will be doorknocking and calling on any witnesses. “The perpetrators were disguised and we need public assistance to come forward and help identify those two people, and any information they have is welcome.” The two males wanted by police are aged between 15 and 20, have been described as of slim build, and were wearing face coverings and dark clothing.

>>22145883 Greens staffer reprimanded for suggesting synagogue arson may have been ‘false flag’ - Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi has reprimanded her chief of staff for suggesting last week’s Melbourne synagogue firebombing could have been perpetrated by supporters of an Israeli state to provoke outrage about antisemitism. Antoun Issa, a former Guardian Australia journalist who works for the Greens’ antiracism spokeswoman, urged people not to rush to judgment about the motivation for the attack after the Coalition put pressure on Labor to declare it was terrorism. “It could very well be a white supremacist or someone enraged by the genocide or a Zionist false-flag,” he told his 15,000 Instagram followers on Monday. “They’ve done this before,” Issa added, without elaborating. After this masthead asked Faruqi’s office about the post, the senator said the remarks were “inadvisable and inappropriate”. “I do not agree with it, and have counselled my staff member about it,” Faruqi said in a statement. Greens leader Adam Bandt also called the post inappropriate. Issa said: “In hindsight, I regret this post and it was inappropriate. This post was intended to be an academic exercise about the risks of ascribing blame for a crime before the police have come to their conclusions, especially given the prevalence of white supremacy and far-right extremism.” Issa’s comments stand in contrast with those of Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network head Nasser Mashni who unequivocally slammed the arsonists on Sunday, saying the act was antisemitic no matter who was behind it.

>>22148992 Melbourne florist and activist Luna Ryder Sjorberg in court after allegedly 'doxxing' Jewish women and called them 'Zio Nazis' - A Melbourne florist has landed in court after calling a Jewish woman a Nazi and allegedly doxxing her following a confrontation over anti-Israel stickers outside her shop. Luna Moss Flowers owner and activist Luna Ryder Sjorberg filmed Sharon - who asked Sky News not to publish her surname for security reasons –while she was removing anti-Israel stickers from a council pole and billboard at the rear of the business in St Kilda, in inner Melbourne, on October 25. The stickers included four saying “F*k Isrl”, one reading “Zionism is Nazism” and two of the Israel flag being crossed out. Ms Sjorberg later posted screenshots from the video onto her business’ Instagram page, which has more than 8000 followers, calling Sharon and the friend with her “Zio Nazi’s (sic)” , claiming she was damaging her shop and “wants to be featured on all pro Palestine media.”

#38 - Part 25

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 25

>>22151578 Rupert Murdoch visits firebombed Melbourne synagogue - Rupert Murdoch has visited the Adass Israel synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea, six days after it was firebombed in what is being investigated as a terrorist attack. He visited alongside his wife, Elena Zhukova, shortly after making an appearance at News Corp’s Melbourne headquarters, where he met former colleagues and executives and was seen in public for the first time since losing his bid to shift the terms of his family trust. Murdoch was joined by Adass Israel community members at the damaged synagogue, which he visited alongside conservative columnist and TV host Andrew Bolt. Murdoch, who is making his first visit to Australian in six years, spent several hours at News Corp’s Melbourne offices on Thursday after arriving in Australia last week. On Monday, a Nevada probate commissioner rejected his bid to alter his family trust and hand control of his global media assets in the event of his death to his eldest son, Lachlan, at the expense of his other children - James, Elisabeth and Prudence. Murdoch met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other high-profile guests at Lachlan’s annual Christmas party in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill last week.

>>22151604 Video: Australia backs UN vote for ‘unconditional ceasefire’ amid Netanyahu fury - Australia has backed an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza while rebuking Israel’s attempt to block a key aid agency from working in the Palestinian territories in overnight votes at the United Nations that toughen its stance on the Middle East war. As the Australia-Israel relationship frays following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public condemnation of the Albanese government, Australia joined countries including the United Kingdom and New Zealand on Thursday to vote in favour of the two resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly. But the federal government drew criticism from the Coalition, which has called for Australia to follow the United States in siding with Israel as it accuses Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of fuelling homegrown antisemitism following two acts of vandalism in the past seven days. The first motion Australia voted for overnight called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It was supported by 158 countries, while nine voted against and 13 abstained. The second resolution - backed by 159 countries, with nine against and 11 abstentions – affirmed full international support for the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is the main provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza. It also lamented recent legislation passed by the Israeli parliament to prevent UNRWA from operating in the Palestinian territories. Israel claims the agency is anti-Israel and says its workers have conducted terrorist activities, while UNRWA says it has investigated and sacked any personnel involved in terrorism and is neutral in the broader conflict.

>>22151641 Video: Brisbane man arrested for ‘death to Jews’ sign outside his home - A Queensland man accused of displaying the words “death to Jews” and vilifying non-whites on an electronic sign outside his home has been charged by counter-terrorism police. Amid an alarming spate of anti-Semitic attacks interstate, Peter Allan Flanagan, 52, from Morningside in Brisbane’s south has been charged under new hate crime laws that came into effect earlier this year. Detectives from Queensland’s Counter-Terrorism Investigation Group with assistance from Morningside police station executed a search warrant at a Bundara Street residence Wednesday and seized the sign, a computer, and a phone. Mr Flanagan was arrested at the scene and has been charged with one count each of serious racial, religious, sexuality, or gender identity vilification, serious assault and obstructing police. Police video footage shows officers storming a unit, where it’s understood they found Nazi symbols on walls inside. A police prosecutor told the court the racial vilification offence carried a maximum three-year prison sentence. Assistant Commissioner Charysse Pond said everyone in Queensland had a right to feel safe and racial vilification would not be tolerated. “We urge people to remain respectful and we strongly condemn anyone who incites violence and hatred within our community,” she said. “There is no place for anti-Semitism or prejudice or hatred of any kind. As a result of a recent legislative change in Queensland, instances of serious vilification and hate crime are now criminal matters and police will act against those responsible.”

#38 - Part 26

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 26

>>22157680 Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan ‘emotional’ at firebombed Adass Israel Synagogue - Jacinta Allan toured the burnt-out Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne’s southeast in a surprise visit on Friday morning to speak with community leaders. The Victorian Premier was shown the destruction wreaked by the firebombing which is now being investigated as a terrorist attack by police. Meir Chaim Spigelman, president of the Adass Israel community, told Ms Allan that he appreciated her visit. Ms Allan offered to “continue to walk with” the community and provide support from the government. “We are with you,” she told them. Abe Weiszberger, a member of the Adass community, told the Premier that the community was “shattered, brutally shattered” by the attack which has left whole sections of the synagogue in ruins. Community members remarked on the “smell of hate” inside the synagogue where a metallic smokey stench sits heavily. Mr Weiszberger said that Ms Allan was emotional during the visit and was “sitting here in tears”. “I thought it was very, very nice of her to show the genuine part of her,” he said. Ms Allan described the visit as an “overwhelming emotional experience”. She said she has “practical solutions” to help with the synagogue’s rebuild which will focus on maintaining continuity for the congregation. Zionism Victoria organised Ms Allan’s visit, which saw her go to a number of synagogues in the community.

>>22157692 Palestinian general delegation says Australia moving in ‘right direction’ - The Palestinian Authority’s representatives in Australia have trumpeted Labor’s efforts to increase their power in the UN and called for more funding for the UN aid agency with ties to terror group Hamas. A day after Anthony Albanese pleaded for unity to stamp out anti-Semitism while defending his government against claims its support for anti-Israel motions at the UN was encouraging attacks on Australian Jews, the nation’s leading Palestinian lobby said Labor’s moves on the global stage sent a “powerful message” to Israel. “The general delegation of Palestine acknowledges with deep appreciation the positive trajectory of the Australian government in increasingly recognising and supporting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,” the delegation’s head, Izzat Salah Abdulhadi, said. “Recent achievements in the international legal struggle for Palestinian rights send a powerful message to Israel, the occupying power, that the rule of law will prevail; Israel’s unlawful occupation will end and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, will be achieved.” Australia joined an overwhelming majority of countries in the General Assembly on Thursday morning AEDT backing an emergency UN resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that was not tied to the release of Israeli hostages. It also included no requirement that Hamas be removed, and called for the UN’s Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, to be given unhindered access to Gaza. Australia’s ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, said Australia had reservations about the wording of the resolutions but voted for them because it was committed to ending the suffering in the Palestinian enclave.

>>22162952 Australian Federal Police charge Melbourne man who allegedly displayed Hezbollah flag at rally - A Melbourne man has been charged over allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during protests in Melbourne's CBD this year. Australian Federal Police allege the 36-year-old displayed the flag on September 29, when thousands of people rallied in Melbourne in the wake of the assassination of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organisation by the government of Australia, along with the US, UK and EU. The appearance of the flag at the rally posed a test of legislation passed late last year prohibiting the public display or trade in symbols used by prohibited terrorist organisations. The penalty under the legislation is 12 months of imprisonment. A Ferntree Gully man was charged on Friday with one count of public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol, and will face a Melbourne court in March. AFP Counter Terrorism Commander Nick Read said more than a dozen people remain under investigation over similar offences, with police operations still ongoing. Commander Read said more than 1,100 hours had been dedicated to investigating the incidents, and that he expected further charges would be laid against other alleged offenders.

#38 - Part 27

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 27

>>22168002 Many in Jewish community fear Australia is at a ‘tipping point’ - Australian Jews are afraid the country is at “tipping point” and it’s only a matter of time before people are physically hurt, as crowds on Sunday warned the federal government that ‘time’s up’ following an escalation of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attacks over the past few weeks. About 300 Jews and Israelis booed Anthony Albanese as speaker Hagit Ashual of the Zionist Council NSW called on him to take stronger action at the “Enough is Enough” rally in Sydney’s Martin Place, saying “we need you take a no tolerance approach to anti-Semitism, hatred and violent speech in our streets”. The event followed a second vandalism attack in Woollahra and the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne. Later, crowds later vocalised disappointment at Penny Wong’s “support” of a “disgraceful ICC (International Criminal Court)” and voting at the United Nations “in favour of resolutions that Australia would never have supported in the past”. Rabbi of Sydney’s Great Synagogue Benjamin Elton said “we are now at a tipping point” and “this is no longer a threat, this is our reality” after 70 activists demonstrated outside the place of worship, leaving a group of Australian Jews locked inside earlier this month. “My shul and its predecessors have been worshipping in the city centre for almost 200 years … But it took until 2024 for there to be a demonstration outside our synagogue. That is not progress. That is our society in crisis,” he said.

>>22168005 Jacinta Allan will ‘leave no stone unturned’ to fight anti-Semitism - Victoria’s Labor government will leave “no stone unturned” to combat anti-Semitism, as Premier Jacinta Allan is set to introduce a suite of protest reforms in the wake of the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue and a surge in anti-Jewish sentiment across Australia. The proposed measures include enhanced police powers to disperse protests that promote extremism or religious hatred, a ban on face coverings and hate-inciting signage at rallies, as well as banning protests outside places of worship. It’s understood the changes, which will come in addition to new anti-vilification laws, will span several government portfolios to provide boosted support for the Jewish community and initiatives to fight religious division in Victoria. Premier Allan told The Australian on Sunday the Jewish community deserved more than “thoughts and prayers”. “I will never forget the sight and the smell of that blackened synagogue for the rest of my life,” Ms Allan said. “I will never forget the harrowing stories of escape from this act of terror. “We must leave no stone unturned to fight the evil of anti-Semitism in all its forms, and restore social cohesion in our multicultural state. “In the face of rising anti-Semitism, Jews deserve more than our thoughts and prayers. They deserve action that makes a difference. So does everyone who’s ever been made to feel unsafe or unwelcome in Victoria just because of who they are or who they pray to.”

#38 - Part 28

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 28

>>22168019 Laws on masks, places of worship being considered to stop protesters spreading hate - Police could be given more powers to stop protesters hiding their identities and to ban demonstrations outside places of worship, as the Victorian government aims to stamp out a “nasty streak” of antisemitism and hate in the state. The potential changes come just over a week after the terrorist firebombing of the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea. Police Minister Anthony Carbines said on Sunday that the government was specifically considering measures to stop people wearing balaclavas to hide their identities while carrying out hateful behaviour. “Conflict in the Middle East is not a leave pass for antisemitism at home,” Carbines said. “People who wear balaclavas and cover their identity when they attend protests are doing so to cause trouble and are doing so to intimidate people, and we won’t stand for it. “There are many people who attend protests with very good intentions. But there is a nasty streak, a violent and mean streak in some of the protest activity that we’ve seen in our state, that needs to be held to account.” Any new measures would need to be considered by the Labor cabinet, before changes are made to the proposed anti-vilification laws when parliament returns in February. Victoria introduced new public order laws in 2017 to allow police to mark any area where it expects a public disorder as a designated area. On Sunday, Victoria Police announced the Melbourne CBD would be a “designated area” between 11am and 5pm. The designation allows officers to search people and vehicles for weapons, compel people to take off face coverings and order people to leave the CBD if they do not comply with police orders. Carbines said many traders in Melbourne’s CBD were “worn down” by the constant protest activity in the city, and they wanted the chance for a successful Christmas retail period. The Free Palestine Melbourne protest has marched from the State Library through the CBD every Sunday for 62 weeks.

>>22168048 Chris Minns condemns ‘disgusting’ Islamophobic graffiti in Sydney’s west as police investigate - New South Wales police are investigating a potential hate crime after Islamophobic graffiti was painted on a busy underpass in Sydney’s west, with the premier labelling it “disgusting”. The graffiti was spotted on Hector Street in Chester Hill overnight. Police cordoned off the road and launched an investigation on Sunday morning. “F*ck Islam” was graffitied on each side of the underpass, with the word “Islam” highlighted in yellow. “Cancel Islam” was also painted on to an ad in the underpass. NSW police said if someone was arrested they would “likely” be charged with a hate crime. Chester Hill has one of the largest Muslim populations in the state, with nearly 40% of residents identifying as Muslim, according to census figures. The graffiti was near a busy shopping area that includes numerous halal restaurants and grocers. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, called the graffiti “disgusting”. “Vandalism like this that is aimed at particular religions is designed to incite hatred and is completely abhorrent,” he said. “This racism and Islamophobia is disgusting and corrosive to the very fabric of the successful multicultural state that we have built here in NSW.” The federal minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, labelled the graffiti an act of “hatred” and “bigotry”. “Like other forms of dehumanising abuse, Islamophobia has no place in Australia,” the minister said.

#38 - Part 29

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 29

>>22173722 Video: Teen seeks to avoid criminal record after alleged $55,000 vandalism attack on MP Josh Burns’ office - A teenager charged with causing $55,000 worth of damage during an attack on Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns’ Melbourne electorate office is seeking to avoid a criminal record by diversion. Matilda McDermott, 19, was charged over the vandalism attack in which windows were smashed, and slogans, including “Zionism is fascism”, were spray-painted on Mr Burns’ St Kilda electorate office in the early hours of June 19. Small fires were also lit in the telecommunications pit at the front of the Barkly St building during the incident. At the time, concerns were raised that the fires could have endangered the people who lived in the residential apartments above the office. In addition to the charges relating to the trespass and vandalism of Mr Burns’ office, Ms McDermott was charged with damaging the Honorary Consulate General of France on St Kilda Rd in a separate incident on 17 July. She is also facing a charge of failing to comply with an order to provide police with a phone password. On Monday, Ms McDermott wore an N95 face mask in the court room for the duration of her contest mention before Magistrate Kay Robertson in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. Her lawyer, Amy Hale from James Dowsley & Associates, told the court Ms McDermott was seeking diversion, however the prosecution said it was not amenable to the request. The Magistrates’ Court website describes diversion as a way for low-level offenders to avoid a criminal record by undertaking conditions that benefit the victim, the community and themselves.

>>22179482 Video: Victoria Police to be given broader powers to remove masks in protest clampdown - The Victorian government has unveiled broad plans to crack down on protester rights and bolster social cohesion, citing a rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the state. Premier Jacinta Allan said recent discussions with Victoria's Jewish community in the wake of the recent suspected terror attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue had informed the move. "I'll never forget the sight and smell of that blackened synagogue for the rest of my life," Ms Allan said. "I'll never forget the harrowing stories of those who had escaped from that act of terror. "There are too many who want to qualify anti-Semitism or make excuses for it, and I want to make it absolutely clear that I never will." A joint counter-terrorism team is investigating the December 6 torching of the Adass Israel Synagogue, which occurred in the early hours of the morning while congregants were praying inside. Under the planned changes announced on Tuesday, the government would introduce laws which it said would more strongly protect the right of people to attend places of worship. The changes could include the establishment of safe access areas around places of religious worship to outlaw protests. A separate set of measures were also announced by Ms Allan to deliver greater powers to police when responding to public protests. Under the changes, the government would introduce its own state ban on protester use of terror organisation flags, as well as face masks and balaclavas. While acknowledging not all protesters using masks were anti-Semitic, Ms Allan said face coverings had been used by bad actors at protests. Glue, ropes and locks would also be banned at protests, with the government highlighting protest groups who have used the tools to attach themselves to public spaces.

#38 - Part 30

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 30

>>22179558 Video: ‘Knee-jerk law-making’: Terror flags and masks to be banned at protests, sparking backlash - A new crackdown on protesters that includes the revival of a long-abandoned plan to ban people from wearing face masks at rallies has put the Allan government on a collision course with civil libertarian groups. Protesters will be charged if they display terrorist flags, wear masks or use equipment such as ropes and chains under a raft of proposed bans that Premier Jacinta Allan said would stamp out extremist influences in public demonstrations. The reforms announced on Tuesday add to the slate of anti-hate laws introduced to parliament last month. The government cited a rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia and Victoria -- including the terrorist attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne’s south-east – as a catalyst for the additional bans. The crackdown will outlaw symbols and flags of listed terrorist organisations, including Hamas, Hezbollah and white nationalist groups. Ropes, chains, glue and any other equipment that could be used by protesters to attach themselves to public spaces will also be barred, as will protesting outside places of worship. It will also revive a ban put forward by the then-Andrews government in 2016 to outlaw face masks, which was ditched after heavy criticism from libertarian groups. The reforms were welcomed by Jewish groups, including the state’s peak Jewish body. However, pro-Palestinian groups, libertarians and the Greens were critical of the crackdown and what its impact will be on the right to peacefully protest. Liberty Victoria vice president and criminal barrister Sam Norton described the crackdown as “knee-jerk law-making”.

>>22184913 Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar rips into Penny Wong in ‘heated’ call - Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has blasted Penny Wong in a heated phone call, accusing Australia of weakening its support for the Jewish state in its darkest hour, Israel media reports. Foreign Minister Wong spoke to Mr Sa’ar on Tuesday, with the conversation reportedly turning into a “sharp verbal clash”. “The Australian minister, who is among the most anti-Israeli in her party, accused Israel of not doing enough humanitarian work for the Arabs of Gaza,” the Israel Hayom newspaper said. The Hebrew language national daily said Mr Sa’ar expressed disappointment that Australia had downgraded its support for Israel in international forums “in its most difficult year, when it has fought against its bitterest enemies”. He reportedly condemned Senator Wong for her move last week to compare democratic Israel with the dictatorships of China and Russia. “Israel is a Western democracy that maintains the rule of law, has an independent judiciary and adheres to international law. In the past year, Israel has fought the radical axis led by Iran, which is supported by Russia and China,” Mr Sa’ar reportedly said. He also demanded “decisive action” by the Albanese government over the torching of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, and protested Labors’ recent denial of a visa for former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked on character grounds. “How would you react if we acted like this towards a former minister from Australia?” Mr Sa’ar reportedly said to Senator Wong.

>>22184956 No apologies: Wong gives her side of the story of the call with Israel - Israel’s foreign minister has accused Penny Wong of abandoning Israel in its most difficult year during a phone conversation overnight that turned sour, deepening the diplomatic rift between the two nations, Israeli media has reported. Hebrew news outlet Israel Hayom on Wednesday reported that Foreign Minister Wong and her counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, were drawn into a “sharp verbal clash” on Tuesday over Australia’s diminishing support for Israel amid its war in Gaza. But a spokesperson for Wong said it was a “direct but respectful call” in which the ministers explained their respective views, with Australia focusing on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and its position supporting a two-state solution to achieve peace for Israelis and Palestinians. It ended with cordial messages and an agreement to stay in touch. “Minister Wong spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to reiterate Australia’s concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the need for humanitarian assistance and our repeated calls for the release of all hostages,” a spokesperson for the foreign minister said. “Minister Wong also noted that Australia’s position reflected that of many other countries. She conveyed Australia’s commitment to countering antisemitism and hate in all forms.”

#38 - Part 31

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 31

>>22184982 Australia to provide aid to Gaza after ceasefire, says Penny Wong - Australia is ready to step up and provide financial and other assistance to Gaza amid calls for greatly increased humanitarian aid to flow into the region once a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is finalised. In recent hours there has been a breakthrough in the talks with both sides edging closer to a deal that would see an end to the conflict that has been ongoing since Hamas’ brutal massacre and hostage-taking of hundreds of Israelis on October 7 last year. The United States said on Tuesday (local time) it felt “cautious optimism” on the prospects of reaching a ceasefire in the 14-month war, although it acknowledged that similar hopes had been dashed before. Hamas said the talks mediated by Qatar were “serious and positive,” a day after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the two sides as closer to a deal than ever before. “It is very welcome news that there is progress,’’ Ms Wong said on the sidelines of a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels on Tuesday. “We are deeply concerned, as are many countries, about the catastrophic humanitarian situation and so of course, we are willing to step up to provide assistance. A ceasefire would also enable the return of the hostages who are still being held by Hamas a year after the horrific attacks’’. Around 96 Israeli hostages are still being held by Hamas inside Gaza, although only 62 or so are believed to be still alive.

>>22185022 Sydney home raided as AFP circles in on Hezbollah flag-bearers - Federal police have raided a southwest Sydney home as investigators closed in on dozens of ­people suspected of waving Hezbollah flags during rallies earlier this year in NSW and Victoria. It comes after a Melbourne man was charged last week for allegedly displaying the terror group’s flag, and as the Victorian government prepares to roll out stronger state provisions totally outlawing terrorist symbols. The Australian Federal Police on Tuesday executed a search warrant at a southwest Sydney home understood to belong to a woman who allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag at the September 24 rally outside Sydney’s Town Hall. The Australian understands police could soon make an arrest. The rally was followed by a larger demonstration a few days later, where one woman has already been charged for the same alleged offence. An AFP spokesman would not elaborate on the raid by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team but said there was “no threat” to public safety and “further details” would be provided at an “appropriate time”. The mere display of a terrorist symbol in itself is not a breach of commonwealth criminal provisions, and before laying any charges investigators must show that the display meets specific elements of the code. These include - but are not limited to – that the display of the terror symbol was to spread or advocate racial hatred, incite others to offend or intimidate, or to intimidate a person or group based on their race or nationality.

>>22191420 Video: Islamic cleric Wissam Haddad fronts court as Jewish community’s milestone case begins - Lawyers representing Australia’s peak Jewish body have said their case against Sydney cleric Wissam Haddad would seek to ensure the “safety and dignity” of the community as a potentially groundbreaking legal case kicked off. It comes as Mr Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, recently took to social media to dismiss allegations he had ties to the al-­Muhajiroun terrorist network, and its high-profile leaders Omar Bakri and Anjem Choudary, despite recent correspondence with them. On Wednesday, Mr Haddad fronted Sydney’s Federal Court with his solicitor, Elias Tabchouri, who said his client would be “defending the matter” but they “remained committed to concil­iation” with the applicants, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s deputy president, Robert Goot, and co-chief executive, Peter Wertheim. They allege a slew of sermons given by Mr Haddad or hosted by the centre, which were posted online, racially vilified their community under Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act. Among other things, Mr Haddad, or speakers at his Al Madina Dawah Centre, have allegedly called Jewish people “descendants of pigs and monkeys”, recited parables about their killing, described them as “treacherous ­people” with their “hands” in media and business, encouraged jihad, and urged people to “spit” on Israel so Israelis “would drown”. In most cases, he has claimed he was referring to or reciting ­Islamic scripture.

#38 - Part 32

Israel / Hamas Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 32

>>22208798 Video: Police vow to find men who held antisemitic sign on steps of Victorian parliament - Victoria Police say they have identified one of the men allegedly involved in a neo-Nazi demonstration on the steps of parliament on Friday night during which an antisemitic sign was displayed, prompting cries of outrage and disgust from members of the public who witnessed it. Victoria Police’s North West Metro Region Acting Superintendent Kelly Walker said identifying every one of the 20 men who stood on the steps of parliament dressed in black clothing, with their faces hidden, was the police’s top priority. She said the men involved in the protest on Friday night may be charged with a range of crimes including grossly offensive conduct. “We will be looking through extensive CBD network of footage that exists,” she said during a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Walker said police were doing everything they could to find the man they had already identified, and implored witnesses who saw the protest to contact police to assist with the investigation. Walker said police were also seeking advice regarding the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act to determine the full extent of potential charges that could apply. The act prohibits vilification and behaviour inciting or encouraging hatred, serious contempt, and revulsion or severe ridicule because of a person’s race or religion. “The sign was intended to cause unrest to the community,” Walker said of Friday’s demonstration.

>>22208817 Police investigating alleged Islamophobic and anti-Semitic incidents in Melbourne - A truck displaying Palestinian flags was set alight outside a Melbourne home in an incident the Islamic Council of Victoria fears was "an Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian hate crime". Police have confirmed they're investigating the incident, which allegedly involved a Molotov cocktail thrown in Newport, in the city's inner-west, in the early hours of Monday. A witness to Monday's incident has told the ABC he saw a man in the street yelling Islamophobic abuse shortly before he noticed the fire. The blaze was quickly extinguished by the owner of the truck, Ehab Elhila, before it caused major damage. No-one was injured and police and firefighters attended. Mr Elhila said the incident woke up his children and has left his family anxious and scared. "I've got a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old and it was shocking for them to see," he said. Mr Elhila, an Australian citizen who has lived here for 40 years, said he had never seen anything like this in his local area. The 58 year old was born in Rafah, in Gaza, and said he had lost "hundreds" of family members in the current war with Israel. Mr Elhila said he was vocal in his support of the Palestinian cause and felt supported by his local community. "I live in a very quiet street, [where] everyone knows everyone, we love each other, and the whole street's supportive," he said.

#38 - Part 33

Australian Politics and Society - Part 1

>>21755719 Misinformation law would prevent ‘Trumpian’ lies in referendum, says Yes vote architect Megan Davis - Voice to parliament architect Megan Davis has called for misinformation legislation to protect a future referendum from an onslaught of “Trumpian” lies and distortions, following the defeat of the Yes campaign last year. Professor Davis, also said the Uluru Dialogue, of which she is co-chair, had tried to warn the well-funded Yes23 campaign at Christmas in 2022 that Advance, the major group opposing the voice, had already taken control of the narrative - months before Yes23 released its first commercial on news websites and television. In a speaking event through the University of NSW, at which she is Pro Vice Chancellor Society, Professor Davis also criticised the ABC over its “false equivalence”, saying the veneer of balance culminated in Yes campaigners being denied interviews through the end of the referendum debate. The renowned constitutional lawyer detailed what she claimed were the beginnings of a misinformation campaign against the voice from November 2022, and her frustrations in driving the Albanese government to legislate against misleading campaigns on behalf of the No vote. “I remember saying to Labor ‘it’s a problem for us (Indigenous groups), and you might not think it’s a problem for you, but it’s going to become one, you just don’t see it yet’,” Professor Davis said.

>>21761349 Indigenous voice Yes campaign ‘obsessed’ with misinformation, failed to engage debate: lawyers - Prominent lawyers and staunch Indigenous voice advocates have condemned Megan Davis’s claims that a misinformation bill could have helped secure a Yes victory, with one leading supporter asserting that the Yes campaign became “obsessed” with critics’ misleading narratives while also spreading untruths themselves. Constitutional lawyer Greg Craven, a vocal supporter of the voice and member of the referendum working group, told The Australian the Yes campaign were also complicit in spreading disinformation in the lead up to the referendum, including claims surrounding the inclusion of executive government in the proposal. Meanwhile prominent silk Arthur Moses SC said that the referendum failed due to the government’s lack of detail, not misinformation, and said Labor’s bill in its current form would shut down “legitimate expressions of opinions” and be “counter-productive” for voters. Their comments come after Professor Davis, one of the Voice to parliament architects, in a lecture at the University of NSW called for misinformation legislation to protect a future referendum from an onslaught of lies and distortions, following the defeat of the Yes campaign in October last year. Mr Craven said during the campaign he engaged in private conversations trying to have leading Yes advocates to engage in meaningful discussions rather than characterising opposing arguments as misinformation.

>>21761378 Video: Calls for NSW to ban Nazi salute, symbols after white supremacist rally in Corowa - A regional New South Wales town that was targeted by a white supremacist rally remains a safe and welcoming place for multicultural communities, according to a local community leader. Police dispersed a group of about 50 masked people gathering under a neo-Nazi banner in Corowa's central business district on Saturday. No arrests were made and police inquiries are continuing. Federation Shire Councillor and former mayor, Patrick Bourke, said the rally has shocked the community, which had been preparing for the Corowa Show. "It was disgusting, it really was," Cr Bourke said. "There's no room in Federation Council or Australia for that sort of behaviour. I just felt sorry for so many families, younger ones, they don't need to be subjected to that sort of behaviour." Member for Farrer Sussan Ley said white supremacists were attacking country communities and encouraged New South Wales to join Victoria in banning the Nazi salute and related symbols. "They are not free speech," she said. "They should be banned, and we don't want to see them on our streets." She said white supremacist groups were strategically targeting country communities. "We cannot and should not tolerate gangs of balaclava-covered thugs spouting hate anywhere in this country," she said.

#38 - Part 34

Australian Politics and Society - Part 2

>>21761388 Premiers including Jacinta Allan decline invite to meet with King Charles III - Premier Jacinta Allan has declined an invitation to meet with King Charles when he visits Australia this week. She has turned down the opportunity to welcome him and wife Camilla at a reception in Canberra next Monday, prompting claims she is snubbing the royals. The Sunday Herald Sun can report that not one premier will be at the reception. Ms Allan, who has parliament this week, said she had a cabinet meeting next Monday. NSW Premier Chris Minns cannot attend because of a cabinet meeting, Queensland Premier Steven Miles is occupied with his election campaign, and Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is on a US trade mission. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has a regional cabinet meeting, while a spokesman for Western Australia’s Premier, Roger Cook, said he had “other commitments”. Australian Monarchists League Victorian spokesman Bev McArthur slammed the decision as an “embarrassing” snub, and the nationwide rejection a “slap in the face” to the royal family. “All premiers and ministers have sworn allegiance to our monarch, Charles III, and it is a monumental insult that they now spit in his hand extended in friendship,” she said. “This is a historic opportunity to unite Australia, to focus on charitable work and to give back to communities. Yet our immature politicians are clearly choosing to play politics.”

>>21761789 Video: Man arrested with weapons at Donald Trump rally identified as Vem Miller as local police say he posed as a journalist - A man with a shotgun, a loaded handgun, ammunition, fake licences and fake passports in his vehicle was arrested at a security checkpoint outside a rally for Donald Trump in California, according to local police. The arrest took place on Saturday, local time. The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, a resident of Las Vegas, was driving a black SUV that was stopped by deputies assigned to the rally in Coachella, east of Los Angeles, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. The 49-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, the department said. He was eventually released on bail and will appear in court over the state firearms charges at a later date. The man gave all indication he belonged there and was allowed in to the event as a member of the press, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters. Sheriff Bianco said he believed his deputies "probably prevented a third assassination attempt" by taking the man into custody. "If you're asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt," he said. "If we are that politically lost that we have lost sight of common sense, of reality, and for that reason that we can't say, 'Holy crap, what did he show up with all of that stuff for, and loaded guns?' and I'm going to be accused of being dramatic? Then we have a serious problem in this country."

#38 - Part 35

Australian Politics and Society - Part 3

>>21761883 Video: Alleged Pinochet agent turned Bondi nanny Adriana Rivas launches last-ditch appeal to block extradition to Chile - A former Bondi nanny and cleaner accused by Chile of being a torturer and kidnapper for Pinochet’s military dictatorship in the 1970s has launched a last-ditch legal appeal to avoid extradition. Adriana Rivas, 70, has been in prison in Australia since 2019, when she was arrested on an extradition request from Chile - seeking her for trial on seven counts of aggravated kidnapping relating to the disappearance, and presumed murder, of seven members of Chile’s communist party who disappeared in 1976. Party leader Victor Díaz was abducted by Pinochet’s secret police, the Dina (Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional, or National Intelligence Directorate) in May 1976. Six more party members were kidnapped off the streets of Santiago in December - the youngest, 29-year-old Reinalda del Carmen Pereira Plaza, was six months pregnant when she disappeared. Documents from Chile’s appeal court provided to Australian courts allege Rivas worked as an agent of the Dina’s shadowy Lautaro Brigade (established to target members of the communist party) and was involved in the torture and disappearance of political opponents of the military dictator. Rivas’s legal team have fought Chile’s extradition request over half a decade, including appeals to Australia’s federal court and the high court (which was ultimately abandoned). They argued the allegations against her were “political” and therefore not extraditable, and that the people were not kidnapped but legitimately arrested. At each stage, courts found she was eligible for extradition - the final decision on whether she would be surrendered to Chile lay in the hands of Australia’s attorney general. But Rivas has now launched a last-minute challenge in the federal court, asking the court to declare government’s decision to surrender her to Chile “void and of no legal effect”. Her application, which indicates a decision to surrender her had been made, asks the court to restrain government ministers “directly, or by their agents, officers or delegates, from surrendering Ms Adriana Rivas to the Republic of Chile”.

>>21761894 Chilean ‘torture chamber operator’ turned Bondi nanny in shock legal challenge - Adriana Rivas appeared as a gentle older woman, caring for the children of Bondi - then Chile accused her of playing a part in a brutal torture chamber in the dark days of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Now the nanny has launched a surprise legal challenge after a decade of denials landed her behind bars, awaiting extradition, with what appeared to be no way out. Rivas, now 70, was arrested in 2019 at the request of her homeland, which alleged she had participated in the kidnapping of seven people who had vanished in Santiago. Court documents provided by Chile during her extradition hearing claim Rivas worked for the secret police which rounded up enemies of Pinochet’s military regime and used sarin gas, electricity and welding torches to torture victims in an empty swimming pool. Despite Rivas’ denials, she has repeatedly been found eligible for extradition by the courts. But she was not handed over to Chile, instead remaining in a detention centre for five years. For the past two years, the federal attorney-general maintained a single-line response to questions about Rivas: “The extradition process involving Ms Rivas is at the final stage, requiring the Australian government to make a determination whether to surrender Ms Rivas to Chile.” But late last month Rivas filed a new application to the Federal Court suggesting that surrender had finally been ordered. The application, seen by the Herald, asks the court to “void” the government’s decision to surrender Rivas to Chile. Rivas’ application also seeks to stop the ministers from taking further steps “directly, or by their agents, officers or delegates, from surrendering Ms Adriana Rivas to the Republic of Chile”. Dennis Miralis, the solicitor leading the challenge, did not reply to requests for comment. Rivas had already failed to have her extradition overturned in the Federal Court in 2021. Her legal team had unsuccessfully argued then, and through the lower courts, that her prosecution was “political” in nature.

#38 - Part 36

Australian Politics and Society - Part 4

>>21780991 Tanks for the fight to save a democracy: Australia answers Kyiv’s firepower plea - Australia will donate 49 of the army’s M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the nation’s most significant and lethal contribution to the country’s war against Russia, amid warnings that Vladimir Putin is bolstering his forces with North Korean troops in a dangerous new development for Kyiv. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will formally pledge the US-made tanks to Ukraine at a NATO meeting in Brussels this week, following a year-long ­campaign by Kyiv to secure the weapons. It is one of the largest single contributions of Western tanks to Ukraine since the war began, exceeding the US’s own donation of 31 M1A1s. The Australian tanks were due to be retired from next year and replaced with next-generation M1A2s, but are said to be in good condition and are said to be far superior to those operated by Russia. The contribution takes Australia’s support for Ukraine to $1.5bn, and follows an outcry over the government’s decision last year to scrap 45 MRH-90 Taipan helicopters rather than offer them to Kyiv for the war effort. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, welcomed the announcement, saying his country was in dire need of Western weapons as Putin ramped up his alliance with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. “We are very grateful for the support, especially now in the light of the deployment of troops from North Korea,” he said. “So we see, this is now becoming much more relevant to the Indo-Pacific, and therefore it’s a very strong response from the Australian government.”

>>21781017 Australia confirms 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks will be gifted to Ukraine - Australia has announced the gifting of 49 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine as part of a latest military assistance package worth around $245 million. The new equipment is expected to bolster the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its fight against Russian military forces; as well as add to the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s firepower and mobility, and complement partners’ support for Ukraine’s armoured brigades. The announcement brings the total value of Australia’s military assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion to over $1.3 billion, and overall support to more than $1.5 billion. Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko has thanked the Australian government and public for their continued support. "The Government of Ukraine expresses its strongest gratitude to the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - and the Australian people – for the allocation of 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks for Ukraine’s military defence," he said. "I take this opportunity to specifically thank the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles MP, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong and the Minister for Defence Industries Pat Conroy MP for their commitment to Ukraine’s cause. Your leadership has significantly contributed to Ukraine’s security and future.

>>21789070 Anthony Albanese stuffs up diary royally and will miss Indonesian President’s-elect’s inauguration - Anthony Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister in decades to miss the swearing-in of a new Indonesian president, skipping the inauguration of the country’s new leader Prabowo Subianto amid a scheduling clash with King Charles’ visit to Australia. The move comes despite Mr Albanese’s public commitment to Mr Prabowo just two months ago that he would attend the high-level ceremony. It’s understood the government informed Indonesia about a fortnight ago that Mr Albanese was no longer able to travel to Jakarta for the event this Sunday, and that Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles would attend on his behalf to represent Australia. Mr Albanese hosted the incoming Indonesian leader in Canberra in August, declaring: “I look forward to working closely with you, President-elect Prabowo, (and) to attending your inauguration in October.” Senior government sources said the scheduling conflict was not apparent when the Prime Minister committed to attending Mr Prabowo’s inauguration. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the government should have negotiated with Buckingham Palace to allow Mr Albanese to attend the inauguration as well as hosting Australia’s head of state. “Things are grim when the Albanese government can’t even get basic scheduling right,” he said.

#38 - Part 37

Australian Politics and Society - Part 5

>>21789196 Australian air bases assisted with US strike on Houthi weapon stores - Air bases in Australia have helped with this week's United States air strike on underground Houthi weapons stores in Yemen, an attack that has been seen as a warning to Iran. The Department of Defence confirmed Australia provided support for US strikes on October 17, targeting the Houthi facilities "through access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia". "Australia is committed to supporting the US, and key partners, in disrupting Houthi capabilities used to threaten global trade and the lives of mariners in the Red Sea, a vital international waterway," a defence spokesperson said. The ABC understands air-to-air refuelling aircraft were part of the mission, although the defence department has declined to confirm. US Central Command issued a separate statement that it "conducted multiple, precision airstrikes" on storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, that had "various advanced conventional weapons used to target US and international military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden". US forces "targeted the Houthis' hardened underground facilities housing missiles, weapons components, and other munitions," it said. An Australian official said the "support is consistent with our long-standing alliance commitment and close cooperation, demonstrating the interoperability of our militaries". "Australia will continue to work with partners to deter actions that undermine global and regional security and stability."

>>21793463 King Charles III presented with rare Aussie military honours on tour of Australia - King Charles III has been recognised with prestigious honorary rankings in Australia’s military on the first day of his inaugural visit to Australia as a reigning monarch. Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Sam Mostyn, appointed the King to the Honorary Ranks of Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Australian Navy, Field Marshal of the Australian Army, and Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force. King Charles has enjoyed a longstanding connection with the Australian Defence Force after he first held the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in 1977. “Australians share His Majesty’s pride in the ADF, its sailors, soldiers and aviators and the loved ones who support them,” Ms Mostyn said. Chief of the Defence Force Admiral, David Johnston, said the appointments reflected Australia’s cherished relationship with the crown. “The Sovereign serves as an example of service, and His Majesty’s appointments are symbolic of the Royal Family’s longstanding dedication and relationship with the nation,” he said.

>>21793484 ‘Rupert, please do it this way’: Trump asks Murdoch to help him secure victory - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he plans to ask Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch to stop running negative ads and airing people who will criticise him ahead of November’s election. With just over two weeks left in the campaign, Trump appeared on Fox & Friends where he also revealed that people on the network helped write the jokes he told the night before during a speech at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York, a longstanding feature of US presidential campaigns. The comments came as both Trump and Kamala Harris hit the battleground of Michigan on Friday (Saturday AEDT) - a swing state in the midwest with high numbers of union workers, black voters and Arab Americans. Trump won the state against Hillary Clinton in 2016 but lost it to Joe Biden in 2020. But in a sign of just how desperate Democrats are to hold on to it, Harris plans to return to Michigan next Saturday to campaign with one of the party’s most popular figures: Michelle Obama. Before heading to Michigan, Trump appeared on Murdoch’s conservative cable network for an interview, in which he told the hosts: “You know the event I have now? A very big event. I’m going to see Rupert Murdoch. I’m going to tell him something very simple, because I can’t talk to anybody else about it: Don’t put on negative commercials for 21 days and don’t put on the horrible people that come and lie,” he said. “I’m going to say: Rupert, please do it this way. And then we’re gonna have a victory, because I think everyone wants to have a victory.”

#38 - Part 38

Australian Politics and Society - Part 6

>>21793501 South Australian upper house narrowly votes down late-term abortion law amendments, with controversy between MP's - South Australia's upper house has narrowly voted down a proposal to amend abortion laws that would have required people wanting to terminate their pregnancy after 28 weeks to deliver their baby alive. The amendments, proposed by Liberal MP Ben Hood, would have required women seeking to terminate a pregnancy from 28 weeks to instead undergo an induced birth, with babies to then be adopted. Under legislation passed in 2021, a pregnant person can get a late-term abortion after 22 weeks and six days if it is deemed medically appropriate and approved by two doctors. According to SA Health, in the first 18 months after the legislation was implemented, "fewer than five" people had their pregnancies terminated after 27 weeks. Both major parties allowed a conscience vote on the private member's bill, meaning that MPs did not need to vote along party lines. After around 3 hours of debate on Wednesday evening, the bill was defeated just before 10pm - nine members voted in favour of the bill and 10 against. The proposal has been met with debate within both political and broader medical circles. The proposed amendment, which has been strongly backed by anti-abortion campaigner and University of Adelaide law professor Joanna Howe, has been met with support at rallies on Parliament steps. It has been opposed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), with its SA committee chair Heather Waterfall labelling abortion "an essential service".

>>21793661 Daniel Andrews appointed chair of key youth mental health institute - A mental health institute has defended appointing former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews as its new chair after ex-Liberal leader and Beyond Blue founder Jeff Kennett called the move “absurd”. Andrews, who stood down in September last year after almost a decade in office, will soon lead the board of Orygen, a clinical research organisation based in Parkville, in Melbourne’s inner north. His new position, announced on Friday morning, will be a fixed three-year term. The institute works with young people and their families to pioneer and advocate for new preventive treatments for mental health disorders. During his premiership, Andrews established the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and also helped oversee the development of the biomedical precinct where Orygen is located. He also implemented some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world during the pandemic, which experts say have had lingering effects on young people’s mental health. “I’m incredibly proud to take on this leadership role to help Orygen and its world-leading experts at this pivotal time for youth mental health in Australia and globally,” Andrews said in a statement. “Orygen is one of Australia’s most important organisations, with a bold vision for all young people to enjoy the very best mental health as they grow into adulthood.

>>21793672 ‘Slap in the face’: Backlash over Dan Andrews’ role as chair of youth mental health service - A Victorian mother whose son died by suicide during Covid has slammed the decision to appoint Daniel Andrews as the chair of a youth mental health service. The Herald Sun on Friday revealed the former Premier had been appointed to lead the board of Orygen, a not-for-profit youth mental health research institute and charity. But it’s prompted a fierce backlash and comes despite latest data showing a surge in youth suicides, and calls for the state government to do more to address mental health concerns for young Victorians. Ange Shearman, whose 16-year-old son Louie took his own life in April 2020, said the former Premier’s “hard line” lockdown policies were a major “push factor” in her boy’s death. “I find it offensive, I find it disrespectful and a slap in the face,” she told the Saturday Herald Sun. “Considering he was the Premier of the longest lockdown in the whole country, I find it very distasteful that he would be the chair of anything related to mental health.” Ms Shearman accused Mr Andrews and his government of having no regard to the mental health impacts that lockdowns, specifically at the start of the pandemic, had on the community. “I do blame his initial policies and hard line as a push factor (for my son’s death). If Louie could have got out of the house and be with his friends I think he’d still be here today. I think lockdown was a major factor,” she said.

#38 - Part 39

Australian Politics and Society - Part 7

>>21793734 The Bike Boy Scandal (Dan Andrews Car Crash) - COURT CASE UPDATE - Thanks to everyone who has chosen to be part of Ryan’s case by donating to his fighting fund. Here are some of the highlights of what’s happening behind the scenes - 1. Cath and Daniel Andrews' Phone Records: After both Cath and Daniel Andrews refused to actively seek their phone records from Telstra, Ryan's family has subpoenaed Telstra and another company that stores records on Telstra's behalf. We already have some of the phone records, and they are extremely concerning. - 2. Assistant Police Commissioner Brett Curran’s phone records: Despite being a police officer, whose jobs is to find evidence, Brett Curran can’t seem to access his own phone records. In response, the Meuleman family has now subpoenaed Telstra directly for these records. - 3. The Call Daniel Andrews Made to 000 - at least 6 Minutes AFTER the Crash: Ryan's family successfully subpoenaed this 000 call, which has been discussed in court. This 000 call will change EVERYTHING - once people hear how Daniel Andrews first described the crash, and WHO caused it. - 4. The D24 Police Radio Call: In order to take over and control the crash incident, Senior Constable Shayna Sage had to make sure another unit, which had been already been assigned to the crash, was called off. While this happened Ryan lay on the road, critically injured. Ryan's family successfully subpoenaed the recording of the D24 police conversation - where SC Sage took over the investigation. Given what we now know about the crash, Sage's comments in that recording are bizarre and extremely concerning.

>>21798538 ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life’: Delighted fans greet King and Queen - King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted by warm weather as they made their first public appearance in Australia during an intimate Sunday morning service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in northern Sydney. Upon arrival, the royal couple were greeted by crowds that wrapped around the church’s property, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. As Charles and Camilla made their way to the front of church, children waving Australian flags cheered and shook hands with the couple. The Queen, wearing a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat, was given flowers by the church minister’s wife, Ellie Mantle, as she proceeded into the church. Once inside, the royal couple were bathed in sunlight that poured through the door and stained glass windows. Dozens of phones pointed in their direction, while excited whispers echoed through the room. Despite the important guests, Sunday’s service was restricted to the local congregation, with only a few special guests allowed to attend, such as Australia’s Governor-General and the Governor of New South Wales Margaret Beazley. Bishop Christopher Edwards delivered a prayer, asking for the protection of the king and queen, along with a hope the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa would be prosperous.

>>21803674 Video: Lidia Thorpe disrupts King Charles’ reception to yell, ‘you are not my king!’ - A protest over Indigenous rights has disrupted a parliamentary reception for King Charles III and Queen Camilla after Victorian independent senator Lidia Thorpe told the monarch he was not her king. Thorpe strode up the central aisle of the Great Hall of Parliament House wearing a possum-skin cloak after the King’s address to the reception to tell him she did not accept his sovereignty. The Victorian senator was standing at the rear of the assembled guests during the ceremonial welcome for the King and the speeches by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. When King Charles III came to the end of his address and went to take his seat on the podium, Thorpe strode up the central aisle of the Great Hall to demand a treaty with Indigenous Australians. “You are not our king. You are not sovereign,” she called out. “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us - our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want treaty.” King Charles spoke quietly with Albanese as they sat on the podium while security officials stopped Thorpe and escorted her out of the Great Hall.

#38 - Part 40

Australian Politics and Society - Part 8

>>21809135 Australia strikes $7bn US deal to bolster its missile and air defence - Australia will spend $7bn over the decade to revolutionise its air and missile defence systems under a new agreement with the United States aimed at countering China’s recent investments in anti-ship ballistic missile technologies while strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy made the announcement overnight on Monday (AEDT) at the Australian embassy in Washington DC after stopovers in the UK and Belgium, declaring it represented a “revolutionary” step up in Australia’s defence capability. Under the new arrangement - already approved by Congress – Australia will acquire the Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC (SM2 IIIC) and Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) to boost the long-range capability of the Navy’s surface combatant fleet. The Australian government says the new missile acquisitions will hand the nation some of the most advanced air and missile defence weapons in the world. The plan is for the new missiles to be deployed progressively across the Navy’s three Hobart class destroyers and planned six Hunter class frigates. However, no time line has been given for when the new missiles will be deployed on Australian warships with Mr Conroy saying he could not do so for “operational reasons.”

>>21809164 #TheGreatAwakening:One Nation candidates are posting conspiracy theories about QAnon and man-made storms on social media- Three One Nation candidates in the Queensland election have posted conspiracy theories to social media, including one posting about the QAnon movement. One Nation candidate for the Gold Coast seat of Southport, David Vaughan, posted to Facebook on May 13 with a caption signed off as "Q" and hashtags including "The Great Awakening", "NCSWIC" and "Future Proves Past", all terms used by the movement's followers. QAnon followers broadly believe a Satanic paedophilic cabal controls governments, businesses, and the media. The acronym NCSWIC stands for Nothing Can Stop What Is Coming, referring to the belief the cabal will soon be arrested. Mr Vaughan has also made posts to Facebook about weather manipulation. Callum Whatmore, who is running in the seat of Waterford in Logan, has also posted about weather manipulation. Mr Whatmore posted a video on October 5, which he captioned "Deliberate?", suggesting Hurricane Helena hit the US state of North Carolina because of human interference to access "billions of dollars of lithium" underground. "Is this a coincidence that hurricane Helena destroyed all that area? This is the outcome of a well-orchestrated, man-made disaster, weather modification and geoengineering," part of the video said. He declined to comment when contacted by the ABC.

>>21809192 US Election 2024:Donald Trump is utterly unworthy of the presidency but Kamala Harris underwhelms- "The US presidential election is the most consequential in living memory yet it remains effectively tied, with neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor former president Donald Trump with a commanding polling lead in the popular vote or seven key battleground states, underscoring just how polarised and divided Americans are. Make no mistake, Trump is an utterly unworthy presidential candidate and a truly appalling and despicable person. He was found guilty on 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, found liable for sexual assault and defamation of E. Jean Carroll in a civil case, and twice impeached by the House of Representatives. Trump has spoken of terminating the constitution and being a dictator, turning the military against citizens, executing generals, shutting down media organisations, jailing opponents and putting former officials on trial, and pardoning more than 1000 people convicted over the Capitol riot. If this is not enough, what should persuade Americans not to return Trump to power is character. He has boasted about sexually assaulting women, made fun of people with disabilities, accused migrants of eating dogs and cats, called Harris “retarded”, insisted Obama was not born in the US, promised to “lock up” Hillary Clinton, and dismissed many who worked for him as “dumb” and “stupid” and “traitors” to their country. His mental decline, risk to global security and the economy, repeated criminality and danger to democracy make him unfit to be president. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2019-23), told Bob Woodward for his new book that Trump was a fascist. “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country,” Milley said. Think about that. I hope Americans do." - Troy Bramston, senior writer with The Australian - theaustralian.com.au - https://qresear.ch/?q=Troy+Bramston

#38 - Part 41

Australian Politics and Society - Part 9

>>21814558 The Trump effect instils anxiety in Labor ranks - "Anthony Albanese’s signature climate change, economic, trade, foreign and national security policies face being up-ended if Donald Trump wins the November 5 election. The Prime Minister has tied much of Australia’s investment priorities and approach to international relations with Joe Biden’s view of the world. Under a second Trump presidency, a prospect that sends shivers down the spines of Labor MPs, the world order would be reshaped. With Trump and Kamala Harris neck-and-neck in the White House race a fortnight from election day, the probability of Albanese and his ambassador Kevin Rudd having to work with a Republican administration is growing. Behind the scenes, Australian officials are scrambling to assess what a Trump administration could mean for the Paris Agreement, Israel’s war with Iranian-proxy terror groups, Biden’s clean energy-focused Inflation Reduction Act, AUKUS nuclear submarines, Beijing relations in the event of a US-China trade war, the Quad and broader protectionism amid ongoing Middle East and Ukraine conflicts. Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has flagged Australia’s 2035 emissions-reduction target, which will be informed by Climate Change Authority advice, could be delayed beyond February and potentially until after the next election. The delay is linked to whether Trump wins and overhauls US climate change and energy policy. Albanese’s overt wooing of Xi Jinping and Chinese officials, which has stoked concerns inside the Biden administration, will likely come under pressure if Trump returns. With Trump making clear he is focused on strengthening domestic security, how committed will he be to Biden’s Indo-Pacific shift and countering China’s regional influence in the South Pacific?" - Geoff Chambers - theaustralian.com.au

>>21814588 Video: Neo-Nazis pepper-sprayed after attempting to disrupt refugee rally - Neo-Nazis who tried to disrupt refugee protesters’ 100th night demonstrating outside the Department of Home Affairs in Docklands were pushed back by police who doused them with pepper spray. Police dispersed a black-clothed and balaclava-clad group near a refugee encampment on Tuesday night, sending them running as demonstrators cheered. Neo-Nazis had already disrupted the encampment twice since it began in July, according to the Tamil Refugee Council. Designated “spotters” saw about 20 men dressed in black and wearing balaclavas approach the demonstration about 6pm. Refugee Action Collective spokesperson David Glanz said the men stood next to the rally and chanted “white power” and “hail victory”, and that refugee protesters moved to block their path in response. A row of police officers, arms linked, advanced on the neo-Nazis, forcing them to retreat. Several police officers then surged forward dispensing pepper spray, while the rest of the officers formed a physical barrier separating the neo-Nazis from the refugee group, who continued to chant and bang drums. The neo-Nazis returned and there was a standoff in a park for a short while - some brandished a banner that read “f-ck off we’re full” – before they left for the final time. Victoria Police confirmed there were no arrests nor any reported injuries at the event, which was attended by about 300 refugee demonstrators. “It is understood a group of about 20 people attended the rally just before 6pm,” said a police spokesperson. “Officers formed a line to separate the two groups before they [police officers] were forced to deploy OC [pepper] spray. “Police will assess the circumstances surrounding the demonstration and review vision of the incident and people involved.”

#38 - Part 42

Australian Politics and Society - Part 10

>>21827045 OPINION:‘Fascist’ Trump’s Garden party has echoes of America’s Nazi moment- "It was clear, as soon as Donald Trump announced his rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden, that to Make America Great Again he would have a thunderclap echo from the infamous rally of American Nazis in that arena on February 20, 1939. That night, the Garden was packed with more than 20,000. A portrait of George Washington commanded the stage. American and Nazi flags and swastikas were on display. The crowd gave “sieg heils”. The American Nazis gathered to keep America pure from alien influences, and to bring America closer to Hitler’s Germany and his vision of the world. James Wheeler-Hill, the Nazi party’s national secretary, was as clear as day: “If George Washington were alive today, he would be friends with Adolf Hitler.” Trump wants to come home to Madison Square Garden to continue his fight for America First to purge the country of alien influences and radical left extremism. Trump faces his full house crowd in New York not only as a former president, but as a fascist. In recent days, two military veterans, General Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff in the White House, have both gone on the record on their views of Trump’s character, and why he should never be elected to returned to power. “Certainly the former president is in the far-right area,” says Kelly, a former general in the Marines. “He’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators - he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.” Kelly says he heard it first-hand from Trump. “He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government … He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too.’” Trump loves the icons in New York. He wants to own them and to be the subject of adulation in them. The fascist candidate for president of the United States cannot wait to bring into Madison Square Garden his grievance, retribution and intent to wreak vengeance on his enemies, together with a desire for absolute power to prosecute his agenda and vanquish his opponents. Trump wants to seize and then exercise control over America’s temple of democracy. It will take an act of democracy by the American people to stop him." - Bruce Wolpe, senior fellow at University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre, has served on the Democratic staff in the US Congress and was chief of staff to former prime minister Julia Gillard - theage.com.au

>>21831302 Video: Former NSA director reveals insights into Trump, Obama, and Harris | Planet America - As his former Chief of Staff warns Trump is a fascist, his former NSA director reveals insights into Trump, Obama, and Harris. Will he also use the F-word? And what are the cyberthreats facing this election; will deep fakes change voters’ minds? What are the cyberthreats and deepfakes threatening the US election? We ask Admiral Mike Rogers, NSA Director under Trump and Obama. - ABC News In-depth

>>21831333 (March 2024) Australia should be talking to Trump about AUKUS: ex-security chief Michael Rogers - "Australia needs to sell the benefits of the AUKUS pact for the US to Donald Trump to prevent the planned sale of nuclear-powered submarines being knocked off course, a former US security chief who served in the Trump presidency says. Former US National Security Agency head Michael Rogers said in an interview with The Australian Financial Review that Australian officials should reach out to Mr Trump and his campaign ahead of November’s presidential election to shore up the trilateral deal between Australia, the US and UK. Mr Rogers said the Turnbull and Morrison governments’ successful management of relations with Mr Trump during his first term in office offered pointers for how the Albanese government should handle him. “I would argue that during President Trump’s term of office, he ultimately had a stronger relationship in many ways with Australia for example than he did with the United Kingdom which we traditionally talk about as the ‘special relationship’,” he said. “My recommendation to my Australian teammates would be is there is a lot to learn from the past. I would step back and ask ‘How did you manage to put the US-Australian relationship in such a strong position during President Trump’s term’?”" - Andrew Tillett - afr.com

>>21831333 Q Post #585 - TRUST Adm R. He played the game to remain in control. Q - https://qanon.pub/#585

#38 - Part 43

Australian Politics and Society - Part 11

>>21839120 Anthony Albanese has plenty to fear in Queensland as Labor control of the states crumbles - Anthony Albanese’s hopes of dramatically increasing federal Labor’s paltry five out of 30 seats in Queensland remains a pipe dream. Federal and Queensland Labor figures will spin the positives hard, despite the ALP suffering swings across the board in losing only its second Queensland election in more than three decades. Queenslanders have traditionally and overwhelmingly backed the Liberal National Party at federal elections, while shunning the LNP at state polls. It is fraught to link state results with federal election prospects. Federal Labor’s best recent result in the Sunshine State was the 15 seats won by Queenslander Kevin Rudd when he turfed John Howard from office in 2007. Albanese, up against a deeply unpopular Scott Morrison in 2022, won a dismal five seats in Queensland and lost Rudd’s former electorate of Griffith to the Greens. The Prime Minister had to wait until Western Australia results swung Labor’s way before claiming a slim majority victory. A bright spark for Albanese is the poor performance of the Greens, which will spur ALP hopes of winning Griffith and Brisbane from Greens MPs Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates. Adam Bandt has been put on notice after the Greens went backwards in both Queensland and their left-wing haven of ACT. Federal Greens MPs, who have abandoned any pretence they are environmentalists, have swung so hard to the Left that their own state and territory counterparts are blaming them for recent results.

>>21839147 Conservative US commentator Candace Owens refused entry to Australia ahead of national speaking tour - Right-wing American commentator Candace Owens has been refused entry to Australia for her upcoming speaking tour. Immigration Minister Tony Burke confirmed the conservative online influencer would not be granted a visa, saying "Australia's national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else". "From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [Nazi physician Josef] Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction," Mr Burke said. Owens has almost 3 million subscribers on YouTube, where she publishes interviews and political commentary, regularly sharing conspiracy theories and criticism of social movements such as Black Lives Matter. In July she described stories about Nazi experiments on twins in concentration camps during World War II as "completely absurd" and "bizarre propaganda". Her speaking tour of Australia, scheduled for November, is advertised as "provocative" and appealing to audiences seeking "alternative viewpoints". "Known for her controversial takes and unwavering stance, Candace is set to light up stages across Australia and New Zealand with her bold and unfiltered perspectives," reads a description on ticketing website Ticketek.

>>21839195 Video: ‘Skin you!’: Drone fires at Aussies in war zone - Incredible trench footage shows fired up Australian volunteers pushing back a Russian assault in war-torn Ukraine as they come under fire from a suspected drone attack. The clip is filmed from the helmet of a fighter and believed to be taken near Zaporizhia - a city on the Dnieper River in the southeast of the nation. It opens with an Aussie yelling “I’m going to skin you!” before he unleashes a barrage of shots into the surrounding foliage from his trench. The footage then shows the fighter running through the trench before firing off another intense barrage of shots and screaming with rage. The volunteer then turns his rifle to the sky and shouts “there he is” before firing shots at a suspected Russian drone. “F*cking c*nt,” he shouts after the shots are fired towards them. The Aussie then ducks down into the trench to avoid incoming Russian shots. “Missed us!” he yells, as another fighter can be heard sniggering and telling him to “relax, relax, relax.” They appear to take the upper hand over the Russian forces in the footage. The volunteers can be seen cheering and one soldier can be seen raising his hand in the air in celebration as the clip comes to a close. There is no precise, official figure on how many Australian volunteers are currently fighting in Ukraine, but estimates suggest that a small number of Aussies have joined the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine or other volunteer groups since the start of the conflict. As of 2022, it was confirmed that some Australians were fighting alongside other foreign nationals, and several have died in combat. The Australian government has generally discouraged Aussies from travelling to Ukraine to fight, emphasising the risks and legal consequences. Nevertheless, Australians continue to volunteer in various capacities, including combat roles and humanitarian support.

#38 - Part 44

Australian Politics and Society - Part 12

>>21839237 The Bondi ‘torture’ nanny and the grieving families - The families of people who vanished and were tortured and murdered by South American death squads accuse Australia’s attorney-general of “callous silence” after the extradition of one alleged torturer found living in Bondi was delayed two years. Adriana Rivas was arrested in Sydney in 2019 at the request of Chilean prosecutors, accused of being involved in the kidnapping of seven people who had vanished in Santiago. The 70-year-old former nanny has spent the past five years fighting, and losing, extradition to her homeland, while languishing in immigration detention. This month the Herald revealed Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus had ordered Rivas’ surrender, but she had immediately issued another legal challenge. She continues to deny all wrongdoing. It came as a blow to the families of Rivas’ alleged victims who have waited two years for her surrender after she abandoned a High Court challenge in mid-2022. “The A-G’s determination has been plagued with unreasonable delays in excess of two years,” Adriana Navarro, a lawyer representing families of those killed by the secret police, told the Herald. There was no announcement of the long-anticipated surrender or the new challenge. “The families and their representatives should have been informed of this decision by the A-G when made,” he said. “This secrecy at the A-G’s office is disconcerting and callous.” Documents given to NSW courts alleged Rivas worked in the headquarters of the DINA secret police in the Chilean capital Santiago as agents rounded up, tortured and murdered left-wing enemies of US-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet.

>>21853292 Video: MRF-D 24.3 U.S. Marines, Sailors conclude six-month deployment to Australia - U.S. Marines and Sailors with Marine Rotational Force -- Darwin 24.3 participated in various exercises, operations, and training events during a six-month deployment to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia from April to Oct. 2024. MRF-D 24.3 is part of an annual, six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific.

>>21860607 Video: New Black Hawks will be night-time visitors to Sydney - Many Sydneysiders turned their faces skywards on Tuesday as a formation of Black Hawk helicopters swept loud and low over the city, past the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, before turning north for a run to Narrabeen. Residents of the Harbour City will soon become familiar with the sight and sound of the Black Hawks, as the Australian Army puts the brand-new helicopters through their paces in counter-terrorism rehearsals around the city, including at night, throughout November. “You’ll hear noise, you’ll see low-level flying,” warned Joint Aviation Systems Division head Major General Jeremy King. “Please don’t be alarmed.” The army has just taken delivery of 10 new Black Hawks, the first of 40 that will provide Australia’s primary utility helicopter force by the end of the decade -- and bring an end to the fiasco of the loathed and often-grounded Taipan fleet. The new-generation Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks are expected to cost $2.8bn in total and, so far at least, the program is running within budget. At an exercise at the Holsworthy Army Barracks on Tuesday to welcome the new helicopters, the army’s top brass were diplomatic about the Black Hawk’s ill-fated predecessor, but close to jubilant about the new arrivals. “We’ve moved on from the Taipan; I’m not in the business of making comparisons,” said Major General King. “We’re very happy to see an old friend back.” The US-made helicopter is a tried and tested war horse, in which Australian troops have seen plenty of action in the past, from Afghanistan to Timor-Leste.

#38 - Part 45

Australian Politics and Society - Part 13

>>21867699 Video: Far right US commentator Candace Owens lashes Australia after visa rejection - Far-right US commentator Candace Owens has hit back after Immigration Minister Tony Burke rejected her visa on the grounds that she has the “capacity to incite discord”, lashing the government for the “petty act of vandalism”. The controversial conservative podcaster has been widely criticised for her anti-Semitic comments, conspiracy theories and attacks on the Muslim and transgender communities. Speaking publicly for the first time since her visa was rejected, Ms Owens lashed Mr Burke for “leaking” the results of her private application and said she was “stunned” by the process. “I also want to make it clear to you guys that I found out at the same time that the press found out, so his office chose to leak this,” she said. “This is supposed to be a private application process, so unless I spoke about this, no one should have known about this.” She also claimed her application was blocked due to her coverage of attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, stating her fans would remain loyal to her. “I just wanted to make sure that every person knows that despite me being fired, demonetised, spoken ill about, I haven’t changed my position,” she said. While it does not appear that Owens’ team have filed an appeal, an announcement on her Ticketek page states she and her event organiser Rocksman are “optimistic about a favourable outcome”. They have also promised existing ticketholders, some who have shelled out $1500 for VIP tickets, will be refunded.

>>21867793 Scott Morrison dismisses Donald Trump fears as ‘hot air’ - Scott Morrison says fears in Australia of a Trump 2.0 presidency are the result of “hot air and ­hyperventilation”, but argues the nation will have to be “on its game” if the Republican candidate returns to the White House. As Anthony Albanese and many of his global counterparts cross their fingers for a Kamala Harris victory next week, the former prime minister told The Australian there was no cause for concern over the future of the alliance or the AUKUS submarine pact under a re-elected Donald Trump. But he said Australia would have to wait and see how it would be affected by Mr Trump’s promised tariff hikes, and warned Labor would have to dramatically recalibrate its diplomacy to deal with his “unorthodox approach” to international relations. “Australia has to be on its game in terms of how it manages the relationship, as is always the case,” he said. “When there was a change of government last time there was a change in approach and direction, and we responded to that.” Analysts have warned of difficult times ahead if Mr Trump is re-elected, while a recent Lowy Institute poll found 72 per cent of Australians would prefer a Harris win on November 5. But Mr Morrison said Australia had done well under the first Trump administration and could expect to do so again. “There’s just no real basis to why the concern would be there on the things that matter most to us, which are about the alliance and AUKUS,” he said. “He’s on the record of supporting the alliance strongly and the genesis of AUKUS was under his administration. So I just think there’s a lot of hot air and hyperventilation around this, which is certainly not grounded in fact.”

#38 - Part 46

Australian Politics and Society - Part 14

>>21874938 If Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris in the US election, how should Anthony Albanese respond? - "The state of American democracy will be sorely tested over coming weeks while the election outcome is determined. Support for the candidates is almost evenly split along gender, education, race, demographic, religious and geographic lines. Final turnout will determine if there is blowout for one candidate. The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese should make an early visit Washington in the event of a Trump victory. While many world leaders will be thinking the same, we have a special standing. In preparation for a visit, there should be pre-trip consultations with close partners in the region, particularly Japan. Australia must leverage her agency, influence and impact in Washington across the political aisle. We have fought together for humane, universal values as loyal but not subservient allies and partners throughout the last century and this. The US alliance serves our national interest and sovereignty of decision-making. Australians are skilled in providing frank and fearless advice to leaders in Washington, without resorting to a megaphone. We must prioritise discussion of the security and economic architecture of our region, which clearly links to our bilateral concerns. The conversation should be built around why that architecture matters to America. Why Americans should not underestimate the benefits to them of the lattice work of groupings among allies and partners in the Indo Pacific including Aukus, the Quad leaders’ meeting and other mini laterals involving America, Australia, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. Outreach to Asean and the Pacific islands also enhances American influence in the region (leaders turning up to regional summits matters in that regard). The global rules-based order is not an abstraction. American security rests as much, if not more, on an order that is not inimical to American interests as it does on the size of her armed forces or nuclear arsenal. America’s unique advantage over China is her network of allies and partners, a coalition of like-minded democracies that stand for something other than narrow self-interest." - Arthur Sinodinos, former Australian ambassador to the US and former minister for industry, innovation and science - theguardian.com

>>21875017 Video: Donald Trump's daughter-in-law suggests Kevin Rudd should not be Australia's ambassador after scathing critique of former president - Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, and a close confidante of the former president has strongly suggested US Ambassador Kevin Rudd should be replaced over his scathing criticisms of the Republican nominee. Mr Rudd, who has served as Australia’s Ambassador in Washington since March 2023, has a long and sordid history mocking and ridiculing the 45th president of the United States. He has labelled Trump the “most destructive president in history”, a “political liability” and a “problem for the world”. The former prime minister’s comments caused alarm bells in Australia when Mr Trump emerged as the Republican frontrunner and the party’s eventual nominee with concerns he may fail to forge the necessary relationship required with the White House. With five days left until the presidential election, the co-chair of the RNC -- and Trump’s daughter-in-law – Lara Trump has reignited suggestions Mr Rudd will be put in the political freezer if the Republican wins. Speaking to Sky News Australia’s Erin Molan on Friday, Ms Trump raised serious concerns with the ambassador’s previous assessments of her father-in-law. She said Mr Rudd’s remarks were “pretty tough” and suggested he should be replaced. “And I think the problem … is when people say those things and don't have a change of heart, it's kind of hard to have a position like that where you'd want to keep someone who said such nasty things about a person,” Ms Trump said. “But I do think it would be nice to have a person who appreciates all that Donald Trump has gone through to want to serve our country at this moment. “And obviously, that’s a little bit tough to take in and maybe we want to choose somebody else.”

#38 - Part 47

Australian Politics and Society - Part 15

>>21881208 ‘Whole world on fire’: Inside one of Australia’s most extreme churches - For more than 65 years, Noel Hollins ran one of Australia’s most extreme and secretive Pentecostal churches. His teachings warned of imminent armageddon and he exerted total control over the lives of thousands of followers who believed him to be the apostle of God’s “one true church”. From the late 1950s until his death in April at the age of 93, the baritone-voiced Hollins - standing just over 200 centimetres tall – led the Geelong Revival Centre and its network of more than 30 affiliated churches around Australia and the world. Under Hollins, the church - which former members described as a cult – practised an extremely strict brand of Christianity. “It’s a dangerous world. We are contrary to everything this world today pursues and follows and finds acceptable. We have to accept that it’s all war,” Hollins says in recordings leaked to a new investigative podcast, LiSTNR’s Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder. “And I hope we see ourselves as soldiers. You can’t be neutral in warfare. If you run away from the enemy, the enemy will chase you.” To become one of Hollins’ “Saints” - the title given to those whose souls have been saved – a person must be baptised by immersion and speak in tongues. For children born into the church, this happens when they enter their teens. The prize, according to the church’s teachings, is eternal life, while the rest of humanity, including other Christians, burn in hell after a nuclear holocaust triggered by Russian aggression. “The anger of the Lord is about to come on the world. When that day of the Lord’s anger comes upon us, this whole world is going to be on fire,” Hollins says in one leaked recording. In another he says: “Vladimir Putin the other day claimed that they have a new weapon, a new missile that could destroy the Western world. Now, fancy even talking like that. What have we come to?” Salvation carried one other condition: submission to Hollins’ authority.

>>21881239 Video: Six Australians allege they were sexually assaulted by former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed, as 421 people come forward with allegations - Six Australian women allege they were sexually assaulted by late billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, with more than 400 people contacting the legal team representing the accusers. The Egyptian businessman, who died last year at the age of 94, is accused of multiple counts of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault by women who worked for him. He always denied similar accusations before his death, but a BBC documentary unearthed new allegations last month. A lawyer for the accusers, Bruce Drummond KC, told the ABC that five of the Australian women who accuse Mr Al Fayed of sexual assault were employed at Harrods, the luxury London department store Mr Al Fayed owned between 1985 and 2010. He said the other Australian woman was working for a supplier to Harrods. All the women were in their twenties. "It was the most wonderful thing they had, quite understandably, working for this amazing store, working for this very powerful individual who was a billionaire … then a lot of them, after they had been subjected to this horrific ordeal, fled [back to Australia]," Mr Drummond KC said. He said the women weren't concerned that Mr Al Fayed wasn't alive to face justice. "It's about seeing justice in their own eyes and justice for these ladies means accountability, which means that we out him for the monster he was … it means setting a precedent so young girls in the future don't go through the same thing," he said.

#38 - Part 48

Australian Politics and Society - Part 16

>>21881260 Video: Daniel Andrews’ triple-0 call from car accident involving wife and Ryan Meuleman revealed - Daniel Andrews’ triple-0 call from his infamous car accident can be revealed, with the former premier telling emergency services “we’ve hit him.” The audio directly contradicts a police statement the former premier made a month after the crash in which he said “the cyclist hit our vehicle” and raises further questions about the accident that has dogged the former premier for more than a decade. The Herald Sun has audio of the phone call that Mr Andrews made following a collision with a teenage cyclist in 2013 which is at the centre of a bitter legal battle. Mr Andrews and his wife Catherine, who was driving at the time, have consistently held that cyclist Ryan Meuleman was at fault, with Mr Andrews telling reporters in 2017 that the teen was “moving at speed’’ when he “absolutely T-boned the car”. And in his statement to police signed on February 5, 2013 at Springvale police station, Mr Andrews said “I want to make it clear - the cyclist hit our vehicle”. Ryan Meuleman spent 10 days in hospital as he recovered from broken ribs, a punctured lung and had some of his spleen removed after being flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital. In the call on January 7, 2013, Mr Andrews describes the accident. “We’ve turned right into Ridley Street and a kid’s come flying through on the bike path and we’ve hit him,” Mr Andrews says. Mr Andrews had initially sought to block access to his phone records but later backflipped. Those records however are yet to be located and provided to the lawyers for Ryan Meuleman, who is suing Slater and Gordon over the way they handled his compensation claim. Mr Andrews was opposition leader at the time of the accident. Mrs Andrews was not breath tested and there were questions on how the police handled the incident at Blairgowrie on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Mr Andrews drove the car away from the scene. The long serving premier hit out what he claimed were “appalling conspiracy theories” in September following reports that the investigation into the crash was “deeply flawed”.

>>21888304 Video: Ambassador of Australia to the United States Kevin Rudd will remain in post regardless of US election outcome - Sky News can reveal that even if Donald Trump wins power in the US this week, Kevin Rudd will remain Australia's ambassador in Washington. Sunday Agenda host Andrew Clennell revealed the decision to retain Mr Rudd, after Lara Trump told Sky News host Erin Molan that Rudd should be replaced if Trump wins. The Australian Ambassador has previously been scrutinised for his assessments of Trump after he labelled the former president as “the most destructive president in history”. Mr Rudd's outspoken criticisms of Trump have raised concerns about his ability to develop a constructive relationship with a potential Trump administration. However, sources within the Australian government ruled out changes to the ambassadorship as it would appear as if Australia were controlled by another country. In an interview in March, the Republican presidential candidate described Mr Rudd as “nasty” and “not the brightest bulb”. “I don’t know much about him. If he’s at all hostile, he will not be there long,” Trump told British politician and broadcaster Nigel Farage.

#38 - Part 49

Australian Politics and Society - Part 17

>>21906184 Satellite down: nation’s biggest ever space program dumped over multibillion-dollar cost - The Albanese government is poised to cancel a planned $7bn military-grade satellite communications system it gave the green light to just 18 months ago because there is no money in the Defence budget to pay for it. US defence giant Lockheed Martin was selected in April last year to deliver what was to be the nation’s biggest-ever space project - a hardened sovereign system of three to five satellites boasting the highest-level protection against cyber and electronic warfare attacks. But The Australian can reveal the government will announce early this week -- under the cover of the Melbourne Cup and the US election – that the project will not proceed. It’s understood the government will blame the decision on multiple factors including rising costs and advances in technology that might offer a better system. The system was to use geo-­stationary satellites to create an ­uncrackable data network across the Australian Defence Force, providing communications and data links for its advanced fighter jets, naval assets and the army’s land forces. The planned long-term budget for the project was put by the ­government at $5.2bn to $7.2bn, but it had approved only $150m to deliver it from its decade-long, $330bn capability investment plan. The project, which was set to create 200-300 direct jobs, was to include multiple ground stations across Australia, an advanced satellite management system, and two new operations centres. ­Defence Minister Richard Marles’s office declined to comment on the decision when contacted by The Australian. But a defence industry source said: “There is no money. There needs to be money to actually start the program.” Another source said the planned budget for the project was ­insufficient for Lockheed Martin to deliver it.

>>21906724 Video:‘Scares the sh*t out of me’: Australian PM’s ‘juvenile’ criticism of Donald Trump resurfaces- Sky News host Sharri Markson has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his “embarrassing” remarks about Donald Trump during his time as shadow transport and infrastructure minister. Mr Albanese was filmed saying the former president “scares the sh*t out of me” during a Q&A at Splendor in the Grass in July 2017. “Albanese was shadow transport and infrastructure minister at the time," Ms Markson said. "He was a senior figure in the Shorten team. He should have known better than to speak in such a juvenile fashion about the then-president of the nation that Australia relies on for our national security."

>>21906738 Australia, India say US election result won't impact Quad group - Australia and India's foreign ministers said on Tuesday they were confident the Quad group of the U.S., India, Australia and Japan would continue to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific region regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Canberra she had met Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State in the previous Trump Administration, ahead of the U.S. election and had "a very good discussion". "One of the priorities for us to discuss was AUKUS, and we are very pleased at the sort of bipartisan support that we have seen," she said, referring to the defence technology partnership between Australia, Britain and the U.S. to transfer nuclear powered submarines to Australia. Australia's most expensive defence project, the AUKUS deal was struck under the Biden Administration in 2023. "In terms of the U.S. election, we will work with whomever the American people choose," she said. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the Quad was revived under the Trump presidency in 2017. "When we look at the American election, we are very confident that whatever the verdict, our relationship with the United States will only grow," he said, on an official visit to Australia.

#38 - Part 50

Australian Politics and Society - Part 18

>>21906794 US Election 2024:Donald Trump remains a clear and present danger to the US republic- "The great republic is teetering on a precipice, at a turning point moment, with no previous election more important. Kamala Harris is a conventional centre-left Democratic candidate who believes in democracy and the rule of law; Donald Trump is a populist nativist, xenophobe and misogynist who refused to accept an election outcome, tried to overturn it and incited a riot. The choice for Americans is clear: Harris may be uninspiring and saddled with being vice-president in an unpopular administration but Trump is morally bankrupt and ethically barren, vain and narcissistic, reckless and dangerous. It is why so many lifelong Republicans, his former vice-president, staff and cabinet officials, and military leaders, cannot support his return to the White House. My view about Trump since he descended on that golden escalator in Trump Tower in July 2015 is well known to readers. He is an utterly grotesque figure, a bully and a braggart who routinely makes false and moronic statements. He boasted about sexually assaulting women and was found liable for sexual assault. He is a convicted felon. He was twice impeached, for trying to shake down Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and defying democracy. His management of the pandemic was catastrophic - remember when he suggested injecting disinfectant, shining ultraviolet light on the skin or taking hydroxychloroquine, which the US Food and Drug Administration warned could be dangerous? He trashed historic alliances and showed no respect to democratic leaders. He massively increased debt and deficit. He failed the test of crisis leadership. What is especially troubling is that Trump diminishes the presidency. No president is without fault or flaws. But they each respected the office, its conventions and traditions, norms and standards of behaviour, and the democratic process. They congratu­lated their opponents, went to inaugurations of their successors and openings of presidential libraries. Trump did none of this; Harris will. Trump has no respect for the presidency, its traditions and conventions, and leadership capacity. He dishonoured the presidency. Unlike Harris, he seeks to divide with a dark and violent grievance-based message rather than unite and uplift the nation with hope and possibility. It is telling that no former president or vice-president, or Republican candidate for president, has endorsed Trump. That is why I hope, and expect, Americans will make the right decision in this most consequential of elections." - Troy Bramston, senior writer with The Australian - theaustralian.com.au - https://qresear.ch/?q=Troy+Bramston

>>21906798 Q Post #3931 - The credibility of our institutions [Constitutional Law that governs our Great Land [Our Republic]], and our ability to regain the trust and faith of the American people, all depends on our ability to restore [EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW] by prosecuting those responsible [Blind-Justice]. Treasonous acts [sedition] against the Republic [the 'People'] of the United States [START - LEAD-IN]. Infiltration [rogue] at the highest levels of our gov, media, corps, etc. Planned & coordinated [D/ F]. This is not about politics. Something far more sinister [evil] has been allowed to flourish through all parts of our society. It has been protected and safeguarded. It has been camouflaged to appear as trusted. It has been projected [normalized] by stars. [CLAS 1-99] - One must only look to see. [Symbolism will be their downfall] - This is not another [4] year election. "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." You are not alone. We stand together. Q - https://qanon.pub/#3931

>>21906798 Q Post #4616 - NOTHING CAN STOP WHAT IS COMING. NOTHING. WWG1WGA!!! Q - https://qanon.pub/#4616

#38 - Part 51

Australian Politics and Society - Part 19

>>21922359 US Election 2024: Trump claims 'powerful mandate' after Fox News projects he has won US presidency - Republican Donald Trump claimed victory in the 2024 presidential contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House. "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," he said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, flanked by his vice presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, Republican leaders and members of Trump's family. He also spent several minutes praising Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who pumped some $120 million into backing Trump's campaign. Trump has said he will appoint Musk to lead a government efficiency commission. Other news outlets had yet to call the race for Trump, but he appeared on the verge of winning after capturing the battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and holding leads in the other four, according to Edison Research. The former president was showing strength across broad swaths of the country, improving on his 2020 performance everywhere from rural areas to urban centers. Trump picked up more support from Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and among lower-income households that have keenly felt the sting of price rises since the last presidential election in 2020, according to exit polls from Edison. No matter who won the election, history was in the making. Trump, 78, the only president to be impeached twice and the first former president to be criminally convicted, would also become the first president to win non-consecutive terms in more than a century and would be the oldest presidential candidate ever elected. Tuesday's vote capped a dizzying race churned by unprecedented events, including two assassination attempts against Trump, Biden's surprise withdrawal and Harris' rapid rise.

>>21922390 Former PM Scott Morrison backs in a second Donald Trump US presidency - Former prime minister Scott Morrison has welcomed a likely second Donald Trump presidency, saying it would lead to a “rejuvenation of the US economy”. Mr Morris said the Republican candidate had given a “stellar” performance during the election campaign. All but declaring the win for the former businessman, Mr Morrison said Mr Trump had “won this election,” and believed a result would be called by Wednesday night Australian time. Mr Morrison, who left politics to join a US-based security and defence think tank, dashed claims Mr Trump was a “scary” character, following unearthed 2017 footage of Anthony Albanese who said the leader “scares the sh*t out of me”. “Vladimir Putin is scary. Xi Jinping is scary. Ayatollah Khomeini is scary. Donald Trump is not scary,” Mr Morrison told Sky News on Wednesday. “I think the three places that will be most unhappy with this result tonight will be in Tehran, will be in Beijing and will be in Moscow.” Mr Morrison’s prime ministership coincided with Mr Trump’s first presidency between 2018 to 2021, with Mr Morrison sharing effusive praise for the leader. “The US is an entrepreneurial animal … and I think we’ll see great confidence come into that economy,” he said.

>>21922416, >>21922437 Donald Trump’s swing could be a harbinger of doom for Anthony Albanese’s own re-election hopes - "Hold on to your hats. Its going to be another wild ride. But for Anthony Albanese, it is going to be an especially difficult one. This is his worst nightmare. And for Labor and its re-election hopes, the concern will be whether Donald Trump’s apparent comeback presents a harbinger for its own doom. The Prime Minister starts dangerously behind in a relationship considered to be Australia’s most important, boxed into a position of weakness with his 2017 private remarks about Trump now very much public. This is a potential problem for Albanese at the outset. At some point, he and Trump will have to have a difficult conversation. The US result will also send a sobering message to Labor strategists. Trump was the beneficiary, at a deeper level, of yet another example of traditional left-leaning working-class voters jumping ship. This isn’t a phenomenon confined to the US. Voter concerns over the economy were paramount, as they are here. There are Labor-held metropolitan seats vulnerable to the same breakout of discontent built on a campaign that borrowed the 1984 Reagan slogan that asked voters if they felt better off than they were four years ago. No, was the resounding answer." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

#38 - Part 52

Australian Politics and Society - Part 20

>>21932620 Anthony Albanese has spoken with US president-elect Donald Trump after his election victory - Anthony Albanese has spoken to president-elect Donald Trump, following his victory in the US election. The call took place on Thursday morning, following a press conference at Parliament House when the prime minister told reporters he was yet to make contact with Mr Trump. Mr Albanese said it was good to speak to the president-elect and "personally congratulate him on his election victory" in a statement posted to social media. "We talked about the importance of the alliance, and the strength of the Australia-US relationship in security, AUKUS, trade and investment," he said. "I look forward to working together in the interests of both our countries." Mr Trump had already spoken to a number of world leaders in the wake of his election victory. The prime minister earlier dismissed a question about whether he needs to apologise to Trump for previously negative comments about the president-elect. In a 2017 video taken at a music festival, Mr Albanese is asked about how he would deal with Mr Trump. "With trepidation," he responded. "He [Trump] scares the sh*t out of me and I think it's of concern the leader of the Free World thinks that you can conduct politics through 140 characters on Twitter overnight." Mr Albanese told reporters on Thursday he looks forward to working with president-elect Trump. "I've demonstrated, I think, my ability to work with world leaders and to develop relationships with them, which are positive," Mr Albanese said.

>>21932643 Morrison backs Rudd as Australia’s man in DC despite Trump sledges - The Albanese government has launched an energetic charm offensive aimed at locking in support for the AUKUS security pact and ensuring Australia is not hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs, as ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd scrubbed critical comments about the incoming US president from his online record. Former prime minister Scott Morrison said Rudd should be allowed to remain in Washington despite his past criticisms of Trump, while Australia’s former ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, urged Albanese to move swiftly to meet with Trump to build a personal rapport. Albanese has insisted that Rudd will remain US ambassador even though the former prime minister previously excoriated Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and before his diplomatic appointment, described him as a “traitor to the West” in social media posts. In a statement posted on Thursday morning, Rudd’s office said: “In his previous role as the head of an independent US-based think tank [the Asia Society], Mr Rudd was a regular commentator on American politics. “Out of respect for the office of president of the United States, and following the election of President Trump, ambassador Rudd has now removed these past commentaries from his personal website and social media channels. “This has been done to eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian government.” Rudd looked forward to working with Trump, his office said.

>>21932686, >>21932720 US Election 2024:Kevin Rudd deletes X posts critical of Donald Trump- Australia’s Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd has removed past negative comments about Donald Trump from his private X account since the Republican candidate’s election win. DFAT deputy secretary Elly Lawson said Mr Rudd’s private office had issued a statement that “in his previous role as head of an independent US based think tank, Mr Rudd was a regular commentator on American politics”. “Out of respect for the office of President of the United States, and following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has now removed these past commentaries from his personal website and social media channels,” she said, reading from the statement. “This has been done to eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as ambassador and by extension, the views of the Australian Government. “Ambassador Rudd looks forward to working with President Trump and his team to continue strengthening the US-Australia alliance.” They included a 2020 tweet from his personal account, @MrKRudd, disparaging the former president. “The most destructive president in history,” he said at the time. “He drags America and democracy through the mud. He thrives on fomenting, not healing, division. He abuses Christianity, church and bible to justify violence. “All aided and abetted by Murdoch’s FoxNews Network in America which feeds this.”

#38 - Part 53

Australian Politics and Society - Part 21

>>21943412 Video: Trans rights may become Australian federal election flashpoint after Trump win - The right of transgender athletes to compete in women’s sport could become a live issue in Australia’s upcoming federal election after playing a critical role in the campaigns of Donald Trump and many Republican candidates in US congressional races. Transgender rights have become a political flashpoint in Australia over the past three years, most recently with Moira Deeming expelled from the Victorian Liberal Party and Coalition frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price vowing to push back against the transgender movement and its impact on children. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has encouraged Senator Price and Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler to express their views on transgender issues, while Ms Deeming has claimed Victorian Liberals can’t win in the state unless they adopt Mr Dutton’s “strong leadership” advancing conservative values. Former Liberal Party candidate Katherine Deves sparked a firestorm during the 2022 federal election campaign for her outspoken views on trans women participating in women’s sport, including comments for which she later apologised. However, senior Labor figures believe Mr Dutton is more likely than any of his recent predecessors to exploit trans issues, with Donald Trump’s aggressive campaign against trans inclusion and gender-affirming medical treatment for children highlighting the potential for winning votes from across the political spectrum.

>>21947349 Rocket Man Tweet: - Video: Riccardo Bosi on the Port Arthur massacre. “You need to demand and get the truth”

>>21947856 PM’s working class problem, as Dutton eyes Trump-inspired election pathway - Peter Dutton’s election tactics will mirror the winning strategy of ­Donald Trump, focusing on ­inflation, the economy, immigration and disillusioned working-class voters, as the Coalition moves to tap Republican strategists to sharpen campaign messaging and ads. The Opposition Leader will gear Coalition policies towards presenting a positive, new pathway to prosperity for Australia, contrasting with Anthony Albanese’s broken 2022 election ­promise that power prices and mortgages would be “cheaper” under Labor. A key plank of Mr Dutton’s election blueprint will be to attack ­federal Labor claims that falling inflation is helping families pay their bills and mortgages, and to amplify the complaints of economic pain that working Australians and small business owners are feeling. Labor’s hold on seats with a high number of tradesmen, technicians, labourers and machine operators has been eroding since Kevin Rudd’s 2007 election ­victory - and is now in danger of ­reducing further at next year’s election. Some ALP insiders fear the Prime Minister has focused too much on the Greens since the Queensland election, and is gearing policies towards picking off a handful of Greens MPs rather than winning target Coalition seats and sandbagging marginal Labor electorates. In a bid to shore up Middle Australia support, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is expected to unveil new cost-of-living measures ahead of next month’s mid-year budget update that will provide pre-election relief for millions of voters.

>>21947890 Video: Australia proposes 'world-leading' ban on social media for children under 16 - The Australian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, in what it calls a world-leading package of measures that could become law late next year. Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date. "Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it," Albanese told a news conference. Albanese cited the risks to physical and mental health of children from excessive social media use, in particular the risks to girls from harmful depictions of body image, and misogynist content aimed at boys. "If you're a 14-year-old kid getting this stuff, at a time where you're going through life's changes and maturing, it can be a really difficult time and what we're doing is listening and then acting," he said. A number of countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, though Australia's policy is one of the most stringent. No jurisdiction so far has tried using age verification methods like biometrics or government identification to enforce a social media age cut-off, two of the methods being trialed. Australia's other world-first proposals are the highest age limit set by any country, no exemption for parental consent and no exemption for pre-existing accounts.

#38 - Part 54

Australian Politics and Society - Part 22

>>21947943 ‘Deeply flawed’: Truth bill on the brink in Senate showdown - Key senators are blockading a divisive government plan to crack down on lies in major public debates, threatening to vote down the bill and adding to a logjam of more than 20 bills stalled in the Senate. The new warnings put the contentious plan on a path to defeat unless the government convinces at least three independent senators to set aside their concerns about giving a federal agency sweeping power to oversee content safeguards on social media. The setback comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls on the Senate to pass government bills including aged care changes, anti-scam measures, a school funding boost, new merger laws, the creation of an environment protection agency and housing reform. The misinformation regime aims to give federal authorities the power to force tech giants to act on alerts about damaging falsehoods and stop them spreading before they cause serious harm, citing cases such as the misidentification of the Bondi Junction knife attacker earlier this year. But independent senators including David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie, Tammy Tyrrell, Fatima Payman and Gerard Rennick are holding out against the plan, putting it on course for defeat even if Labor gains support from the Greens. Senators said they were receiving hundreds of emails and calls from voters who opposed the draft law because they believed the Australian Communications and Media Authority should not have the power to check the controls on social media content.

>>21947984 Don’t get on wrong side of Elon Musk, Labor warned - Coalition MPs are pushing for ­Anthony Albanese to dump Labor’s misinformation bill amid expectations the federal government’s suite of social media and online safety laws will come under further attack from US president-elect Donald Trump’s billionaire backer Elon Musk. Amid rolling court and verbal battles between Mr Musk, owner of social media platform X, the ­Albanese government and ­eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the Coalition has raised concerns that Labor’s ­misinformation bill could lead to tensions with a Trump administration. Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan urged the Albanese government to either scrap or defer its misinformation bill. “The Albanese-Trump relationship is already off to a rocky start,” Senator Canavan said. “We should be trying to reduce any ­unnecessary further tension. “Donald Trump is a strong defender of the commercial interests of American companies. “The misinformation bill is a terrible law, but it is especially ­unwise to threaten American companies with absurd fines of up to 5 per cent of their global ­revenue when we are trying to settle our relationship. “The government should ­withdraw, or at least defer, its bill until it can establish a strong, working relationship with the new Trump administration.”

>>21949128 Australia confirms donation of 14 rigid hull boats to Ukraine - Australia will gift 14 rigid hull boats to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the latest round of military support, valued at $14 million, to Ukraine. The military support is expected to bolster Ukraine’s maritime and coastal defence, which has been an important operational domain for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Australian Defence Force sea boats are expected to provide a fast and highly manoeuvrable maritime capability for Ukraine. The announcement builds on previous contributions to Ukraine’s maritime capability, including Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats, as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister during a visit to Ukraine earlier this year. “Australia remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. This is in Australia’s interests, and is the right thing to do,” according to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. “Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to thwart Russia’s continued attacks from the Black Sea. We are proud to contribute to these vital maritime defences with this new package.” Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Australia has provided more than $1.3 billion in military support, and more than $1.5 billion in overall support to the government of Ukraine. Earlier this year, Australia announced the gifting of 49 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine as part of a military assistance package worth around $245 million.

#38 - Part 55

Australian Politics and Society - Part 23

>>21949292 3D-printed guns on rise in Australia, with seizures of lethal firearms up across nation - The lethal FGC-9 semi-automatic weapon can fire up to 30 rounds without needing to be reloaded and is the most popular 3D-printed gun in Australia, based on seizures in every state and territory over the past 12 months. Police say the gun, branded under the name ''F*ck Gun Control", is increasingly being found in the hands of organised crime groups, extremists and teenagers around the world. These guns are deadly and far more advanced than the homemade wood and metal piece that was in 2022 used to kill former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. At the Australian Federal Police forensics headquarters in Canberra, the ballistics team manufactured their own FGC-9 to show 7.30 how advanced and dangerous 3D-printed guns had become. "Its characteristics, in terms of muzzle velocity and penetration, are comparable to other firearms if it's manufactured effectively," the AFP's forensics co-ordinator, Michael Taylor, said. It is illegal to make a 3D-printed firearm in Australia - and the possession of a digital blueprint to create one is an offence in some states. Those convicted in NSW of possessing a blueprint face a sentence of up to 14 years in jail. The punishment is even greater in Tasmania, with the potential of up to 21 years in jail. The AFP has blueprints and Dr Taylor detailed a section which showed the sketch for the lower receiver of a 3D gun called the Urutau. "These are high-powered weapons," the head of NSW Police's Drug and Firearms Squad, Detective Superintendent John Watson, told 7.30. "We've seen incidents overseas with armed active offenders. We've already had a Port Arthur. We do not want another."

>>21949348 White supremacist accused of Ku Klux Klan stunt while awaiting jail term for Nazi salute - A Neo-Nazi on a warning that he was facing jail time for performing a Nazi salute was allegedly part of a group who dressed in Ku Klux Klan costumes and intimidated young women in a hardware store car park. Jacob Hersant was on Friday jailed for one month, but then released on appeal bail, after a magistrate found he had shown no remorse for performing a Nazi salute outside the County Court building in October 2023. Hersant, 25, was the first person in Victoria charged with performing the Nazi salute, six days after the gesture was outlawed by law. A hearing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday heard that while awaiting sentencing, Hersant was interviewed by police over a Halloween stunt outside a Bunnings store in Port Melbourne on October 31. He was questioned following a police “day of action” against the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN) over allegations of grossly offensive public conduct. Three other members of the group were also arrested this week, including Thomas Sewell, 31, who appeared in court on Friday supporting Hersant. A police spokesperson said Hersant is expected to be charged on summons over the Port Melbourne incident, while Sewell was released pending further inquiries. In court on Friday, Hersant’s lawyer Timothy Smartt argued his client should be shown mercy over the “non-violent act” last year, when he performed the Nazi salute and said “Heil Hitler”. Smartt said jailing his client would be a crushing sentence compared to those handed to other offenders interstate, which had resulted in fines. But magistrate Brett Sonnet said Hersant remains a figurehead of the NSN, which promotes far-right activity, white supremacy and involuntary deportation, and his act was “egregiously offensive” to many.

>>21949380 Labor anxiety as Trump eyes MAGA loyalists for top roles - Donald Trump’s determination to install MAGA loyalists and China hawks to key national security roles is looming as an early test for the Albanese government’s relationship with his administration. Hard-right warrior and former diplomat Richard Grenell is a leading contender to become Mr Trump’s secretary of state - an appointment that could challenge Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s diplomatic skills. The former Trump appointee as ambassador to Germany horrified counterparts in Berlin when he encouraged European conservatives to challenge the “failed policies of the left”, and underscored his pro-Trump credentials as a prominent “stop the steal” lieutenant after the 2020 election. Trump confidant Mike Pompeo, the former secretary of state and CIA director, is one of the top candidates vying to become secretary of defence. National security sources said he would be a welcome appointment to the post, due to his strong support for the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact. But he is also highly partisan and a leading China critic who could take a dim view of the Albanese government’s push to improve ties to Beijing.

#38 - Part 56

Australian Politics and Society - Part 24

>>21949566 US Election 2024:How does Australia work with an America led by a dangerous man?- "Donald Trump has achieved an extraordinary election victory. He is the only Republican to win the popular vote since 2004. The only former president to regain the White House since Grover Cleveland’s comeback win in 1892. The oldest elected president at age 78. And he did it as a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual abuser, twice impeached, election denier and coup plotter. The American people returned to the presidency a man who did not accept losing the election four years ago, tried to overturn the result, incited a deadly and destructive riot at the US Capitol, refused to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory and declined to attend his inauguration or assist in the transition of power. I wanted Trump to lose much more than I wanted Harris to win. Like conservatives Mike Pence, Mitt Romney and Dick and Liz Cheney, plus John Howard in Australia and William Hague in Britain, among many others, I judged Trump utterly unfit and unworthy to be 47th president. I stand by that judgment but accept without equivocation that Trump won the election and did so clearly. But, having so much respect for the dignity, authority and capacity of the presidency, and utterly appalled by Trump’s lack of character, my view of him is unchanged by the result. He called Harris “retarded” and “stupid” while JD Vance called her “trash”. In many columns, I acknowledged Trump’s appeal and argued he could not be ruled out from winning. He used grievance, envy, nativism, xenophobia, misogyny and sexism to win over voters. He tapped into important issues: the economy and immigration. He won significant support among white working-class voters and black and Latino minorities, and big votes in rural America. This is not the election result Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong, Richard Marles or Kevin Rudd wanted. Albanese said Trump encouraged the “violent insurrection” at the US Capitol. Wong blamed Trump for the ransacking. Marles said Australia should criticise Trump if he “harms the national interest”. Rudd accused Trump of corruption and branded him “a traitor to the West”. It will be a wild four years with Trump back in power. Nothing is certain. He remains a despicable and disgusting man who is devoid of integrity or ethical values, is boorish and moronic, and unstable. I fear, by a narrow margin, Americans have made the wrong decision. But it is a decision they must live with and we must accept." - Troy Bramston, senior writer with The Australian - theaustralian.com.au - https://qresear.ch/?q=Troy+Bramston

>>21955661 Nationals urge Peter Dutton to reconsider net zero policy following Trump re-election - Peter Dutton is facing pressure from Nationals MPs to revisit the Coalition’s support for net zero by 2050 after Donald Trump’s US election win, as the Albanese government plays down the significance of the world’s biggest economy likely pulling out of the Paris Agreement. Nationals MPs Matt Canavan and Llew O’Brien are pushing for the Coalition to follow Mr Trump’s lead and vow to pull out of the international climate deal ahead of next year’s election, while fellow Coalition MPs Michelle Landry and Colin Boyce say there should be fresh discussions about the opposition’s commitment to the net-zero target given the implications of the US election. Senator Canavan said it would be good politics and economics for the Coalition to oppose net-zero emissions by 2050. “People are desperate for leadership that focuses on Australia. There are a whole lot of people having a mental breakdown post Donald Trump being elected,” Senator Canavan said. “But the main lesson is we just have to take care of ourselves. The global rules-based order is no more. It is dead, buried and cremated.” Llew O’Brien said the Paris Agreement was “absolute madness”. “We need to be taking advantage of what we have, and our advantage is coal and gas,” he said. “My view is we should be getting out of (Paris), so within the ranks of the party that’s what I would be pushing for.”

#38 - Part 57

Australian Politics and Society - Part 25

>>21961341 Anthony Albanese’s overseas trips undermined by Donald Trump and cost-of-living crisis - Anthony Albanese’s attendance at the APEC and G20 summits in South America will be overshadowed by the return of Donald Trump, and comes at the worst possible time for the Prime Minister. With all eyes on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and visit to the White House, APEC and G20 trade, climate change and clean-energy declarations will ultimately be symbolic rather than substantive. While APEC and G20 leaders will promote the importance of free and open trade, world peace, fighting inequality and supporting climate change, Trump’s resurgence turns everything on its head. The Prime Minister’s final overseas trip before next year’s election coincides with Labor falling behind in the polls, his personal support plummeting, and concerns that the cost-of-living crisis has become kryptonite for incumbent governments. Albanese, who will miss some parliament sitting days during his unavoidable trip abroad, is confronting an increasing number of disgruntled voters who want lower interest rates, inflation to fall faster, and cheaper power and insurance bills. For Australian households and small business owners, few of the APEC and G20 agenda items will resonate with them. The leaders summits in Peru and Brazil include sessions covering trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth, innovation and digitalisation to promote the transition to a formal and global economy, sustainable growth for resilient development, sustainability, climate change and just transition, the fight against global hunger, poverty and inequalities, and global governance reform.

>>21961462 U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet: Video: On Remembrance Day in Australia and Veterans Day in the U.S., we honor those we have lost and those who have served. Alongside @CN_Australia, Ambassador Kennedy thanks the @Australian_Navy for discovering USS Edsall, sunk off the coast of Australia during WWII. Lest We Forget.

>>21961507 Defence Australia Tweet: Lest We Forget. Defence joins all Australians on #RemembranceDay to acknowledge, honour and remember the courage and sacrifice of those who have served our country and those who gave their lives in service to our nation. #YourADF @AWMemorial

>>21961519 Video: Chief of the Defence Force Admiral David Johnston - Remembrance Day Address 2024 - On Remembrance Day we commemorate those who died in the First World War, as well as all Australian Defence Force personnel who have fought and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. The year 2024 marks the 106th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice between Allied forces and Germany, which ended the First World War (1914--18). On 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare. More Australians were killed and wounded in the First World War than in all subsequent conflicts combined. As a mark of respect Australians are encouraged to pause at 11am for one minute’s silence and remember all those who died or suffered for Australia in all wars and armed conflicts. Defence joins all Australians on Remembrance Day to acknowledge, honour and remember the courage and sacrifice of those who have served our country and those who gave their lives in service to our nation.

>>21961532 Remembrance Day Poems - For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon (1914), In Flanders Fields by John McCrae (1914) and We Shall Keep the Faith by Moina Michael (1918)

>>21968148 Rudd’s fate as ambassador under new cloud as ‘village idiot’ Trump slur emerges - Fresh doubt has been cast over Kevin Rudd’s future as Australia’s ambassador to the United States amid revelations he branded Donald Trump “incompetent” and a “village idiot” in the wake of Mr Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. The comments, in videos unearthed by Sky News, will likely make it even harder for Dr Rudd to gain the confidence of the famously vindictive president-elect and his incoming administration, which has vowed retribution against Mr Trump’s critics. In his newly emerged comments, Dr Rudd told Indian politician Shashi Tharoor in a January 2021 webinar that the US under the first Trump presidency had been “run by a village idiot”. “People have seen China continuing to be competent in its national statecraft and the United States increasingly incompetent in its national statecraft under Trump,” he said. In another video appearance, in 2022, Dr Rudd told a webinar at Duke University Mr Trump was “incoherent” and occasionally “in love with dictators”. Anthony Albanese again expressed confidence in his hand-picked ambassador on Tuesday, delivering a curt “yes” when asked whether Dr Rudd was still the right person to represent Australia in Washington DC.

#38 - Part 58

Australian Politics and Society - Part 26

>>21968186 Video: 'Village idiot': US Ambassador Kevin Rudd sledges Trump as 'incoherent', calls America ‘increasingly incompetent’ in newly uncovered footage - Newly unearthed footage shows Australia’s US Ambassador and former prime minister Kevin Rudd calling recently elected president Donald Trump a "village idiot" and "incoherent". The comments from the years after Trump’s first term add to an ever-growing list of Mr Rudd’s public criticism and undermining of the incoming US president. Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd’s 2022 appointment as US Ambassador followed his description of Trump as a “political liability”, a “problem for the world” and a “traitor to the west”. SkyNews.com.au can now reveal footage from January 2021 which shows Mr Rudd speaking in a webinar with Dr Shashi Tharoor, an Indian politician and former diplomat, in which he compared China with the United States, calling the country he is special envoy to as "increasingly incompetent". "The United States, in the past four years, has been run by a village idiot," Mr Rudd said. In April 2022, Mr Rudd attended a political science webinar at Duke University and described the president-elect as “incoherent” and occasionally “in love with dictators”. “Donald Trump had a habit of wanting to shred most of the allies in terms of their political standing and cause doubted uncertainty as to whether he'd actually have their back if a crisis emerged,” he said. “But the underpinnings of (the Trans-Pacific Partnership) was still incoherent because Trump himself was incoherent, and he waxed and waned from being in love with dictators to not knowing what he wanted from dictators.” Mr Rudd has heavily criticised Trump in the past and recently scrubbed his social media of comments calling the next leader of the free world the “most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the west”.

>>21968227 The uncertainty Trump creates around him ‘is his tactical advantage’, says former NSA boss Mike Rogers - Mike Rogers has worked up close with Donald Trump in the White House and says there are two ­important lessons to remember when you sit on the other side of the desk from the president. The retired four-star admiral has seen a naval and military ­career that has spanned taking charge of destroyer-class warships in his 20s right through to running the National Security Agency, the intelligence arm of the US Department of Defence, under Trump and Barack Obama. He also headed up the Cyber Command, one of the combat commands of the US Defence Department. “(Trump) is fundamentally two things: No.1, he likes a measure of uncertainty. He believes it gives him an advantage. He is a leader who is very comfortable with uncertainty, who in some ways almost likes to cultivate it,” Rogers says. “And secondly, he loves eliciting a reaction, so he will often say things in part because he knows this will elicit a response. “I remind people, you are going to have to separate what he says from what he does because they are not always the same thing.” Rogers is speaking to The Australian on the sidelines of the UBS Australasia conference, where the former general was among the keynote speakers. With the election that delivered the re-election of Trump less than a week old, Rogers tells The Australian the result - regardless of which way someone voted – ultimately delivered a clear outcome. This is a good thing for the US and its institutions, that the result is not in dispute. And based on the election outcome that delivered Trump the popular vote, the Senate, and with a close contest still under way in the House of Representatives, Trump will come into office with a view that “he has been given a mandate for change”. “That’s what I fully expect, he begins on his first day with that in his mind,” Rogers says.

>>21968230 Q Post #585 - TRUST Adm R. He played the game to remain in control. Q - https://qanon.pub/#585

>>21968332 Dan Scavino Jr. Tweet: [Replying to Kevin Rudd] - (Hourglass Gif) (Times Up) (Dismiss) - https://x.com/DanScavino/status/1856245824675545479

#38 - Part 59

Australian Politics and Society - Part 27

>>21974738 Donald Trump aide Dan Scavino appears to send warning to Kevin Rudd over social media posts - A key Donald Trump aide appears to have sent the clearest message yet about what the incoming White House administration may think of Australia's Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd. In an ominous post to his 2 million followers on X, Dan Scavino uploaded a GIF of sand trickling through an hourglass next to Mr Rudd's official statement on Trump's election victory. GIFs are short moving images commonplace in social media interactions, and can be used in place of text to make a point. This one signifies when someone or something's "time's up". Mr Scavino, who has known the president-elect for years and is his former golf caddie, served as a close assistant to Trump in his previous administration. He had an office near Trump's in the West Wing, and is expected to feature prominently again when the billionaire takes office in January. The ABC has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Australia's embassy in Washington for comment on the post, which was uploaded Tuesday, local time. Several posts on Mr Rudd's official X account criticising Trump were deleted last week after the results of the US presidential election became clear. In one particularly scathing post from 2020, Mr Rudd - who was twice Australia's prime minister — described Trump as "the most destructive president in history". "He drags America and democracy through the mud. He thrives on fomenting, not healing, division. He abuses Christianity, church and bible to justify violence."

>>21974746 Trump confidant warns Rudd’s future as ambassador could be bleak - A member of Donald Trump’s inner circle has signalled Kevin Rudd’s days as Australia’s US Ambassador could be numbered following his past attacks on the US president-elect. Trump senior adviser Dan Scavino posted a gif on X of sand falling through an hourglass, in response to Dr Rudd’s November 7 statement congratulating Mr Trump on his election win. The pointed warning to the former prime minister-turned-diplomat and the Albanese government follows the emergence of more negative comments about Mr Trump by Dr Rudd, including one branding him a “village idiot” after his 2020 election loss. Mr Scavino is a close confidant of the president-elect, having served as deputy chief of staff and director of social media in his first administration and an adviser in his winning 2024 campaign. He is reportedly in line for a senior post in the new administration, potentially returning to a deputy COS role. Dr Rudd has many high-level backers from Australia’s political right, including former prime ministers Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott, and former ambassadors to the US Joe Hockey and Arthur Sinodinos. But Labor believes there is a whispering campaign afoot by Australian conservatives to undermine Dr Rudd’s standing with the new Trump administration by dredging up and weaponising his past comments. Peter Dutton said on Wednesday he supported Dr Rudd to continue as ambassador, arguing he had done good work in the role and was well respected in the US as a former prime minister. “I hope that he’s able to form a relationship with the new administration as he’s done with the current one,” the Opposition Leader told the ABC. He said Dr Rudd had a term to complete and his replacements would be considered by the government of the day.

#38 - Part 60

Australian Politics and Society - Part 28

>>21974754 Ditching Rudd over Trump insults would be ‘worst possible signal’: Turnbull - Kevin Rudd’s future in Washington looks increasingly uncertain after a key Donald Trump ally sent an ominous message that the former prime minister’s days as Australia’s top diplomat in the United States are numbered. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stand by Rudd, arguing the push against the ambassador was driven by News Corporation’s desire to gain revenge against Rudd for his past criticisms of Rupert Murdoch and his media empire. Rudd last week scrubbed critical comments about Trump from his online record, including posts in which he excoriated Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and described him as a “traitor to the West”. Video has subsequently emerged of Rudd describing Trump as a “village idiot” in 2021, before he was appointed to his ambassadorial role in December 2022. Turnbull said: “It would be the worst possible signal to send to Trump to pull our ambassador out because he was critical of Trump in the past. “I didn’t have success with Trump as prime minister because I kissed his arse. You have to be tough.” Turnbull said News Corporation outlets such as Sky News were campaigning for Rudd to be removed because of his past calls for a royal commission into the Murdoch media. “This is revenge,” said Turnbull, who took over from Rudd as co-chair of the Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission group when Rudd took up his diplomatic posting. “This is a campaign that News Corp kicked off, and they are running a vendetta … The question for the Trump adulators in the right-wing media ecosystem in Australia is whether they want our representative in Washington to stand up for Australia or join the ranks of the Trump sycophants?”

>>21974761 Trump wants ally Australia to ‘stand up to China’ - Donald Trump is expected to press Australia to take more action to curb China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, after appointing two China hawks to top foreign policy roles. The president-elect this week chose Congressman Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret who has called China an “existential” threat, as national security adviser. Senator Marco Rubio, who has served on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and Foreign Relations Committee, is expected to be secretary of state. Mr Waltz, who has urged the US to boost its deterrence against China, issued a warning on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) that the incoming Trump administration “will not be afraid to confront our adversaries”. Senator Rubio has previously told The Australian Financial Review that Australia needs to maintain a robust approach on China through the AUKUS security pact, along with strong diplomacy in the Pacific. Senator Rubio has hinted Australia needed to do more in the Pacific, a region he thought had been dangerously neglected by Western allies. “While this and previous administrations ignored the Pacific islands, the Chinese Communist Party quietly worked to claim the allegiance of our partners in this critical area,” he said. “In the years to come, it will be more important than ever for the United States to work closely with Australia to prevent the CCP from establishing a military presence that threatens us and our allies.”

>>21974773 Anthony Albanese spruiks ‘perfect friendship’ with Donald Trump ahead of APEC, G20 summits - Anthony Albanese will not hold formal meetings with US President Joe Biden at the APEC and G20 summits, and the Prime Minister pushed back against Coalition attacks by revealing Donald Trump told him they would have a “perfect friendship”. Amid speculation Australian products could be impacted by trade tariffs imposed under a Trump administration, Peter Dutton on Tuesday raised concerns about Mr Albanese’s ability to broker exemptions directly with the US president-elect if local exports are targeted. Mr Albanese - who rejected Coalition suggestions he add a stop in Florida to see Mr Trump – will fly to Peru on Wednesday for APEC leaders meetings before heading to Rio de Janeiro next week for the G20 summit. Mr Albanese pushed back on Tuesday against Coalition attacks that Labor would struggle to forge close relationships with Mr Trump and his administration. “We had a terrific discussion last week. Good beginning to our relationship. He described the relationship … that we would have a perfect friendship. And I’m very confident that the relationship between Australia and the United States will continue to be very strong,” Mr Albanese said.

#38 - Part 61

Australian Politics and Society - Part 29

>>21982179 Video: The comment that proves Kevin Rudd never saw Donald Trump's comeback coming - as fresh video surfaces of Aussie ambassador to Washington mocking the US President's intelligence - Kevin Rudd dismissed Donald Trump's first presidency as a period of 'episodic craziness' and asked a crowd in disbelief 'how did that happen?' in newly-unearthed video filmed less than a year before he took up his post as Australia's man in Washington. The former Prime Minister turned Australian Ambassador to the US has in the past labelled the President-elect a 'village idiot', a 'traitor to the West' and 'the most destructive president in history'. But a newly-discovered lecture recorded in June 2022 for the Asia Society, a think tank he headed up, has now exposed how Mr Rudd never imagined that Trump would ever return to power - and how he dismissed his Presidency as a period of 'craziness'. 'Never take a backwards step in saying we're allies with the United States,' he told the stunned crowd in Switzerland. 'For all the American pre-disposition to episodic craziness… Look at Trump: how did that happen? That was a walk on the wild side for all of us.' Less than nine months later, Mr Rudd was controversially appointed as Australia's ambassador to the US by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Mr Rudd now faces the seemingly uphill task of trying to curry favour and influence with an incoming Trump administration that is actively hostile towards him due to his previous comments.

>>21982195 Peter Dutton ramps up pressure on Kevin Rudd, after Trump names critical aide as deputy chief of staff - Peter Dutton has escalated pressure on Kevin Rudd, saying Anthony Albanese made a "captain's pick" that has put the government "in a difficult position" after one of Donald Trump's closest advisers suggested the Australian ambassador to the United States' time was running out. Falling short of calling for Mr Rudd's recall, the opposition leader appeared to shift from previous qualified support for the ambassador to openly speculating about the consequences of his sacking. "The difficulty the PM is in at the moment is if he sacks Kevin Rudd, then what does he do with Penny Wong," Mr Dutton said on Thursday. "And if he sacks Penny Wong, what does he do given he's made his own disparaging comments about president-elect Trump as well?" Speculation about Mr Rudd's ability to work with the incoming Trump administration flared this week after close aide Dan Scavino - who the president-elect named as his deputy chief of staff this week - reposted Rudd's congratulatory message to Mr Trump alongside a GIF of an hourglass with time running out. While the government has ruled out recalling Mr Rudd, the opposition leader's comments reflect a shift away from Mr Dutton's previous expressions of support for the ambassador. Last week, the opposition leader described Mr Rudd as "indefatigable" and said he "will do everything he can to ingratiate himself with the Trump campaign". On Thursday, Mr Dutton said Mr Albanese's appointment of Mr Rudd to Australia's top diplomatic posting in Washington DC in early 2023 was an issue "all of his own making".

#38 - Part 62

Australian Politics and Society - Part 30

>>21982203 Rudd dilemma should’ve been resolved long ago - it’s too late now - "The list of big strategic problems we should be discussing with the incoming Trump team is long. Why then is the focus on Kevin Rudd’s tenure as ambassador? This is yet another failure of Australian strategic imagination - a failure to understand that Trump’s return to the White House was a serious prospect, becoming more serious as the Democratic Party floundered. That realisation should have hit in 2023, when it was clear that Biden’s age would stop him mounting a re-election bid and that Trump’s re-election effort was more planned, more focused and better-supported than in 2020. Three things should have happened. First, Albanese should have established a cabinet-level team to plan what Australia needed to do if Trump was elected. A Kamala Harris election win would have been easy to manage because it would have meant policy continuity. A Trump win means serious discontinuity. Too late to wonder now if AUKUS will survive. What did our government do? It seems that Penny Wong met Mike Pompeo last August. That’s the extent of our pre-planning for a Trump win? This points to a shocking level of complacency. The second thing that should have happened is our embassy in Washington DC should have established its own Trump planning cell, a key focus of which should have been to make extensive contacts with the Trump network. Third, Rudd should have reached out directly to Trump, starting in 2023, to clear the air about his very sharp criticisms of him. The situation we face in Washington DC is an unnecessary distraction. It could have been fixed earlier. It wasn’t. Once again, a government with no imagination and no ability to think strategically blunders into an unnecessary fight while so many other important ­issues are ignored." - Peter Jennings, director of Strategic Analysis Australia, former executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and former deputy secretary for strategy in the Defence Department (2009-12) - theaustralian.com.au

>>21982218 Video: Operation Ironside challenge granted special leave to appeal to the country’s Highest Court - Alleged crime figures have had a legal win after special leave was granted to challenge that millions of messages used in the country’s largest police sting were illegally intercepted. Hundreds of people, from alleged drug dealers, bikies and organised crime figures, were arrested on June 7, 2021, under Operation Ironside, which involved police surveilling users of the AN0M app for illegal activity. During an application to revoke the bail of a key AN0M player, Andrew John Benz, the court heard special leave was granted last week to appeal to the country’s Highest Court on the admissibility of the messages. In November last year, South Australia’s Court of Appeal had been asked to rule on the legality of millions of messages sent and received by users of the encrypted app. In June, the Court of Appeal ruled the messages taken from AN0M to charge two men charged with firearms offences under Operation Ironside - both of whom can’t be named for legal reasons – were not illegally intercepted, backing up a Supreme Court decision. In April last year Justice Adam Kimber ruled the Australian Federal Police had not illegally intercepted the messages but had been instead surveilling them. Lawyers for the two men - alleged to be senior organised crime figures – had argued the AN0M app was an illegal interception and the AFP were acting unlawfully in monitoring the conversations between their clients and others. Justice Kimber ruled the AFP had not acted improperly during the investigation and also that the accused were not placed at an “unfair disadvantage” by having the messages admitted.

#38 - Part 63

Australian Politics and Society - Part 31

>>21982228 Australia-Indonesia war games fire up after new defence pact - Australia and Indonesia have pulled off the largest, most complex war-games exercise ever conducted between the two defence forces with an amphibious landing on an east Java beach, days after Russia hailed its own first modest naval drills with our near-neighbour. The show of joint military force, dubbed Keris Woomera, involved 2000 army, navy and air force personnel, Australian warships and F16 fighter jets, Apache and Tiger helicopters, Abrams tanks, landing craft and plenty of explosions, highlighting a military relationship in rude health off the back of an upgraded Defence Co-operation Agreement. The four-day exercises, which culminate in live-fire drills on Saturday, were 18 months in the planning but could not have been better timed given growing concerns over the impact of Indonesian President Prabowo Subian-to’s foreign policy approach. The new leader has had a busy few weeks since his October 20 inauguration with Indonesia signing on to BRICS, the China-led group of emerging economies, even as its navy has had to chase Chinese coastguard vessels out of its waters at the edge of the South China Sea at least three times in that time.

>>21993917 Video: Under fire from Trump-world, Rudd highlights his networking abilities - Kevin Rudd has highlighted his close ties to US politicians from across the political spectrum as the Trump adviser who taunted him about his future as Australia’s top diplomat in the United States was appointed to a senior White House role. In his first social media post on his official diplomatic account since congratulating Donald Trump on his election victory last week, Rudd uploaded photos of him mingling with three Republican members of Congress and two Democrats at an Australian embassy event in Washington, DC. Discussion about Rudd’s future in Washington has intensified since Trump’s election, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisting he is standing by his former Labor colleague and the ambassador ploughing ahead with his diplomatic duties. Rudd posted photos alongside Republican congressmen Andy Barr, Pete Ricketts and James Moylan, tagging them by their social media handles. He also posted Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, who was honoured for his work promoting the US-Australia alliance, and Democratic congresswoman Susie Lee. Rudd last week scrubbed critical comments about Trump from his online record, including posts in which he excoriated Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West”. Senior Trump adviser Dan Scavino posted an image on X earlier this week showing sand trickling through an hourglass in response to a post by Rudd, an apparent message that his days as ambassador were numbered.

>>21993973 Anthony Albanese seeks to exploit Donald Trump's climate plans in the hope billions will flow to Australia - Australia will seek to exploit Donald Trump's plans to slash government investment in the green energy sector, in the hope it could see billions of dollars of private money redirected away from the United States. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is using a week-long trip to South America to pitch Australia as a safe and reliable country to invest in, especially if the incoming US president follows through on his climate threats. The so-called Inflation Reduction Act was one of Democrat Joe Biden's signature policies as president, seeking to turn the US into a clean energy superpower, with a particular focus on domestic manufacturing. But Trump has threatened to repeal that legislation, a move that analysts have warned could free up US$80 billion ($123 billion) in investment opportunities for other countries. Mr Albanese said that would present an opportunity for Australia given its position as a resource-rich middle power. "The Inflation Reduction Act, for example, is seeing considerable capital flow to the United States," Mr Albanese told reporters in Lima, Peru, ahead of the two-day APEC summit. "If those incentives aren't there, then that has implications for the nature of the global economy. But we don't pre-empt that."

#38 - Part 64

Australian Politics and Society - Part 32

>>21994024 Big smiles and bear hugs as Albanese meets Biden and Trudeau, while Xi awaits - Anthony Albanese has been greeted with bear hugs and bro handshakes at a regional summit where he renewed his friendship with United States President Joe Biden, as world leaders brace for radical change under President-elect Donald Trump. The prime minister approached Biden in the first moments of the formal talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru so they could have a personal conversation before the session began, while other leaders looked on. But the prime minister did not gain a chance to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who skipped the first session of the summit, with no explanation for his absence. Biden gave Albanese a broad smile as the two talked and laughed while other leaders took their seats. “President Biden was in good form,” Albanese said at a press conference later. “I don’t talk about the detail of private discussions, as you’d be aware, but it was friendly. I regard him as a good friend personally, but also a good friend of Australia.” While Biden is leaving office after a stunning defeat for the Democrats and Vice-President Kamala Harris at the November 5 election, Albanese said the president was pleased to be at the summit. “He was upbeat,” he said. “He is, of course, continuing to work in the interest of the United States.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted Albanese with a bro handshake - their arms angled up, hands locked – and turned this into a bear hug given their shared progressive politics.

>>21994548 Ukraine defiant amid Trump uncertainty, North Korea foray - The uncertainty surrounding US support for Ukraine in the wake of Donald Trump’s election will not dampen the willingness of Ukrainians to fight, the country’s ambassador to Australia says. Vasyl Myroshnychenko said the arrival of North Korean troops to fight alongside Russians should be a reminder to Australia that the implications from the war stretch well beyond Ukraine’s borders. In Perth on Wednesday, Mr Myroshnychenko acknowledged a lack of clarity around the US role in the war in the wake of Mr Trump’s victory. “Everybody’s asking me, what’s going to happen with a new president in America. To be frank, in short, we don’t know. Nobody knows. We try to be optimistic,” he said. “We rely on decisive American leadership. We hope the concept that Donald Trump has presented of peace through strength is something which is aligning with our plans. But of course, we have all been very cognisant of some of the statements … made on the campaign trail, so we’ll have to see how it goes.” Mr Trump has promised to end the war in as little as a day after he takes office. While there are concerns the incoming president could turn off the supply of weapons that has been crucial to Ukraine’s defence, Mr Myroshnychenko noted that Mr Trump had made decisions during his first presidency that had helped Ukraine, such as supplying javelin missiles and imposing sanctions on the Nordstream Two gas pipeline.

>>21994583 Accused Chilean torturer turned Bondi nanny launches 11th hour bid to dodge extradition - In an unusual intervention, the Chilean government has urged Australia to speed up extradition of former nanny Adriana Rivas, accused of taking part in torture and murder under the Pinochet military dictatorship, as she launches a last-ditch legal appeal to remain in the country. Chilean ambassador Jaime Chomali attended Ms Rivas’s renewed bid to avoid extradition in the Federal Court on Thursday, in a measure of his country’s frustration at the long-delayed case. Ms Rivas, 70, is perhaps the most wanted fugitive in Chile, accused of participating in the kidnapping murder of Com­munist Party leader Victor Diaz in 1976. She is also accused of partici­pating in the disappearance of six of Diaz’s supporters, including Reinalda Pereira, a 29-year-old woman who was five months pregnant when she vanished. Ms Rivas has fought extradition since her arrest in Sydney in 2019. The Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Wednesday expressed “hopes this case, which has been dragging on for many years, will be resolved as soon as possible to give a due and timely response to victims’ families in their demand for justice”. “Our country attaches a high priority to the extradition of Ms Rivas, both from a legal point of view and in the context of the prosecution of egregious human rights violations constituting crimes against humanity,” it said.

#38 - Part 65

Australian Politics and Society - Part 33

>>21994695 Video: Myer Christmas window tradition cancelled over protest threat - Myer’s annual Christmas window unveiling has been scrapped after pro-Palestine protesters planned to disrupt the event, saying “there is no joy in genocide”. The unveiling of the annual Bourke Street display in the CBD was expected to happen on Sunday in front of children and families. Myer confirmed on Thursday the event had been cancelled as a result of the planned protest. “In light of recent developments and to ensure the wellbeing and safety of customers and team members, we will no longer hold an event on Bourke Street Mall for the unveiling of our Christmas windows,” a company spokesperson said. “Myer’s Christmas windows have long symbolised joy and community, and we remain committed to providing a safe and positive experience for all visitors.” The windows will still open on Sunday and remain on display until January 5, the spokesperson confirmed. The retailer’s decision came after a protest group said they planned to disrupt the event. “We’re seeking to interrupt the fun and the joy that Myer wants us to share,” one of the organisers, Amy, told radio station 3AW on Thursday. The protesters, who are calling for a free Palestine, planned to meet at the State Library before proceeding to Bourke Street for the window unveiling. Amy said the demonstration would be peaceful. “We’re not seeking to bring bombs and murder children in Bourke Street Mall. We’re seeking to raise banners and play music and blow bubbles. “I think there are a lot of people that don’t actually know how involved our government are in this genocide.”

>>21994751 ‘Christmas is cancelled’: protest threat sparks cancellation of children’s Christmas opening - Hardline anti-Israel activists who shut down the opening of Myer Melbourne Christmas windows in protest over the Gaza war have been condemned by police and the Victorian Premier and prompted a vow to strengthen the state’s anti-vilification laws. Police and Myer will escalate security at the site of the popular Christmas tradition amid concerns the campaigners could still strike at the weekend. The windows, which change in theme each year, are considered the main Christmas attraction in Victoria for children, with more than two million people expected this year. Furious Premier Jacinta Allan said the targeting of a children’s attraction was a new low, and business demanded a tighter rein on the protesters who have caused disruptions in central Melbourne for more than a year. “I am furious that a small group of people have chosen to politicise a beautiful event for children,’’ Ms Allan said. “I’m just as mad at all the others who have quietly stoked this division and egged them on. Blocking the Christmas windows won’t change a thing in the Middle East, but it will let down a bunch of kids in Melbourne.” Ms Allan, who joined by a group of multicultural and religious leaders at Friday’s press conference, also announced Labor would introduce strengthened anti-vilification laws to parliament later this month. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Tim Tully also criticised the organisers, labelling their actions disgraceful and pledging tight security around the windows. “There’s some things which are sacred, and the Myer Christmas windows is one of those,” he said.

>>21994827 Video: Pro-Palestine protest outside Myer's Christmas windows cancelled after backlash - Myer will not reverse its decision to cancel Sunday's launch of this year's Christmas windows, despite demonstrators scrapping plans to interrupt the event. Disrupt Wars issued a statement today, insisting that the pro-Palestine protest was always intended to be "peaceful and non-violent", and confirming that families and children were never going to be targeted. The statement came just hours after Myer cancelled the official unveiling, which had sparked backlash from all levels of government, the local council, and the public. Disrupt Wars posted on social media last night, asking people to "bring flags, placards, banners, props, noisemakers, and lots of energy" to the opening on Sunday. The protest action has since been cancelled. "The intention was to interrupt the media spectacle and economic gain sought by Myer," organiser Amy Settal said. "The children coming to see the Myer Christmas windows were never a target because children are not a target. In light of Myer's decision to cancel their window reveal event, planned disruptions will not go ahead."

#38 - Part 66

Australian Politics and Society - Part 34

>>22001897 Pro-Palestine protesters gatecrash opening of Myer Christmas windows - A small group of pro-Palestine protesters targeted the opening of the Myer Christmas windows in Melbourne on Sunday morning, pouring scorn on Premier Jacinta Allan for calling them “morons” days earlier. About 10 activists wearing Palestine flags, keffiyehs and Santa hats stood outside the Bourke Street department store, blew bubbles and chanted: “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping”, “All Zionists are terrorists” and “Myer, Myer, you hate Christmas, you make money off of Jesus”. They also held signs saying “this moron supports Palestine” and “morons for Palestine”. There was a heavy police presence outside the store, but the protest - which attracted a few counter-protesters yelling, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi!” – was peaceful. Hundreds of families flocked to Myer’s annual Christmas windows on Sunday morning. Some visitors were oblivious to the political storm engulfing the windows display, which usually attracts about 2.4 million people from November to January. On Thursday, Myer cancelled its launch of the display after a pro-Palestine group said it would disrupt it. Then, on Friday, the group said it would cancel its protest. The issue rapidly turned into a political fight. Allan called the protesters “morons” at a press conference on Friday and insisted that police had all the necessary powers to deal with unruly protesters. She also rejected the opposition’s calls for the introduction of a protest permit scheme similar to that in NSW.

>>22001902 Video: Protesters rallying outside Myer's Christmas windows despite cancelling plans - Protesters are rallying outside Myer's Christmas windows in Melbourne's CBD despite a vow not to. - 9 News Australia

>>22001910 Video: While you're shopping, bombs are dropping': Protesters heckle shoppers outside Myer's Christmas windows but main rally stays away - Protesters have chanted and waved flags outside Myer's Christmas windows in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall despite cancelling a planned pro-Palestine rally. Extra police were out in full force today in Melbourne's CBD ahead of the quiet unveiling of the annual display, which saw fewer than 10 protesters gather outside Myer. The Australian retail giant scrapped plans to launch its annual festive exhibit with the usual fanfare after protesters planned to flood the event. Though organisers revealed they had axed plans to protest the Christmas unveiling, several protesters were outside Myer chanting as shoppers walked past to catch a glimpse of the display. The protesters chanted "while you're shopping, bombs are dropping" before police arrived on the scene to scatter the group. They returned to the window and were heard chanting "shame on you, shame on you" to passers-by. "This is for the kids, don't ruin it for them," one aggrieved shopper told 9News. "Have your protest, do what you want but leave children alone." Official organisers of the weekly march for Palestine kept their word and stayed clear of Bourke Street Mall today. Myer's cancellation sparked huge backlash towards the protesters from shoppers, the local council and multiple levels of government, including Premier Jacinta Allan.

>>22001969 Anthony Albanese lauds Australia as a future ‘renewable energy superpower’ - Anthony Albanese has told APEC leaders that climate change action, cutting emissions and embracing clean energy are central for Asia-Pacific countries “to build new sources of inclusive growth and lasting prosperity”. Ahead of a likely G20 summit climate change showdown between advanced economies and major developing countries next week, the Prime Minister used his final APEC speech to promote Australia as a future “renewable energy superpower”. Speaking at the APEC leaders’ retreat in Lima before flying to Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit, Mr Albanese said “the global move to net zero represents the biggest economic shift since the industrial revolution”. “And just as all of us have a role to play in cutting emissions and meeting the challenge of climate change, all our citizens can benefit from seizing the opportunities of clean energy,” Mr Albanese said. “Making the move to more solar, wind and green hydrogen is essential for us to deal with the threat that climate change poses to our environment, our farmers, our forests, our oceans and rivers and our future food security. “It’s also an unprecedented chance for our economies to build new sources of inclusive growth and lasting prosperity. My government’s ambition is for Australia to become a renewable energy superpower.” Global action on climate change will face a major shake-up under Donald Trump, who has pledged to pull out of the Paris Agreement and Green Climate Fund for a second time, after Joe Biden returned the US to the United Nations climate change pacts.

#38 - Part 67

Australian Politics and Society - Part 35

>>22001983 World leaders issue warning to Trump on trade, but not by name - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined Asia-Pacific leaders in warning against new trade barriers that could slash economic growth and sacrifice jobs, in a signal to US President-elect Donald Trump to rethink his plan to force up the price of imports. The political leaders ended a regional summit in Peru with a sharp message about the need for fair and open trade. Chinese President Xi Jinping denounced the prospect of “back-pedalling” on globalisation. But the Chinese president said he would strive towards a “smooth transition” to the new US administration when Trump takes office in January, in a comment during a meeting with US President Joe Biden that eased fears of conflict between the world’s largest economic and military powers. Leaders at the summit did not name Trump in their talks, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, but many of their concerns about tariffs were directed at the incoming US administration. “We acknowledge the importance of, and will continue to work to deliver a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, inclusive and predictable trade,” the leaders’ final declaration said. Albanese backed the statement on free trade, confirming a longstanding position at APEC against trade barriers, but he denied it was aimed explicitly at Trump. “It is squarely aimed at one thing, and that is Australia’s national interests. We are a trading nation and I support free and fair trade. One in four Australian jobs depends on trade,” he said on ABC TV’s Insiders on Sunday.

>>22002007 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asserts Australian Ambassador to US Kevin Rudd will remain in Washington for 'year or more' - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has asserted Australian Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd will remain in Washington for a year or more despite recent speculation about his position. In an exclusive interview with Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell, Mr Albanese dismissed suggestions Mr Rudd could be replaced and said he would remain for a year or more. When asked about the future of the ambassador’s tenure, Mr Albanese said: “He's Australia's ambassador to Washington and he's doing a very important job. The work that he did with AUKUS was a difficult task to get that through the Congress and the Senate. But when I was there, one of the things that struck me was just how extensive the links that Kevin Rudd had developed with the US Congress and the Senate were.” The Prime Minister’s comments come amid increasing scrutiny of Mr Rudd’s role, particularly following a recent tweet from a top aide to Donald Trump. Trump's newly-appointed Deputy Chief of Staff advisor Dan Scavino posted an image on social media last week implying that Rudd’s time as ambassador was running out. When asked whether he had been concerned about the political implications of the tweet, Mr Albanese declined to comment. “Well, I'm not going to comment on someone who I don't know and have never had a discussion with,” he said about the situation. "The discussion I had with President Trump was very constructive and very positive. I can work constructively. And there was a very good beginning to our relationship with a positive phone call that we had. We spoke for 10 minutes. It was one of the first phone calls that he made." This marked a stark contrast to Mr Albanese’s remarks from 2017, when he admitted he was "scared" Donald Trump, in apparent reference to the president’s controversial rhetoric.

#38 - Part 68

Australian Politics and Society - Part 36

>>22002025 Japanese troops to join US Marines for Top End training - Australia has ramped up security ties with Japan amid growing fears over China’s military might, green lighting annual deployments of hundreds of Japanese troops to Darwin and a new alliance-style agreement with Tokyo and Washington to counter regional threats. Up to 600 Japanese amphibious force personnel will join ­annual US Marines Corps deployments to the Top End from next year, turbocharging training with Australian personnel. Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the measures with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen on Sunday, saying a new formal commitment to consult on regional contingencies would provide “substance and a structure” to the trilateral security partnership. “It really is a step forward in terms of the way in which the three of us will operate in a collective and co-ordinated way,” Mr Marles said following three-way talks at Darwin’s HMAS Coonawarra naval base. The commitments came as General Austin declared he was confident the US could deliver on its promise to provide Virginia-class submarines to Australia, and Mr Marles confirmed Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was one of two remaining contenders to build Australia’s $10bn general purpose frigates. The inclusion of Japanese troops in the annual dry season troop rotations through Darwin comes more than 82 years after Imperial Japan’s bombing of the city. Mr Marles said the arrangement was an “important statement to the region” on the nations’ resolve to work together to meet security challenges “no matter what that circumstance is”.

>>22002060 Former NSA chief Mike Rogers believes Donald Trump will question AUKUS but ultimately support it - Australia should expect Donald Trump to question the AUKUS submarine pact but he is likely to eventually back it when he sees its value to the US, according to the former head of America’s largest intelligence agency. Admiral Mike Rogers, who headed the National Security Agency during Mr Trump’s first term and who worked closely with the then president, says Australia must prepare to make the case about key aspects of its alliance with the US to the transactional new president. This includes the AUKUS plan to buy Virginia-class submarines from the US, a plan that has received pushback from some Republicans who will now control both the Senate and the house. “I do believe the new president is going to ask the following question: Tell me what value AUKUS generates for the US,” Admiral Rogers told The Australian in an exclusive interview in Adelaide. “I think there’s a good case to be made: Hey, look, we’re seeing jobs, we’re seeing capital, flow into the US … it sends a broader message to the entire region about the commitment of Australia, the US and Great Britain to the Indo-Pacific and it clearly signals to China we intend to be strong players,” he said. As a former head of the NSA, Admiral Rogers concedes Mr Trump is sceptical about aspects of the US intelligence community, which he calls a part of the “deep state”. “He truly believes there are elements working in the government, who are actively opposed to (his) vision, who are trying to defeat his initiatives. And he starts this term with a view of ‘I’m going to make sure there’s people in place who understand my ideology or my viewpoint, who are committed to executing that viewpoint’.”

#38 - Part 69

Australian Politics and Society - Part 37

>>22008558 Caroline Kennedy urges calm on Donald Trump in farewell address as US ambassador to Australia - The outgoing US ambassador Caroline Kennedy has tried to reassure Australia about the implications of a second Trump presidency, while declaring that the Albanese government's nuclear-powered submarine plan is an "existential investment in Australia's sovereignty." The ambassador also criticised the vaccine scepticism embraced by her cousin Robert F Kennedy Jr, who Donald Trump has tapped to be the head of the US health agency, labelling her cousin's views "dangerous". Ms Kennedy made the remarks during a wide-ranging speech at the National Press Club, just weeks before she departs from Canberra. She was peppered with questions about Trump's trade, climate, security policies and cabinet picks, including Mr Kennedy, who has been criticised for spreading misinformation and making false claims about vaccines. Ms Kennedy also delivered a forceful defence of AUKUS, and brushed off questions about whether the huge price tag to deliver nuclear-powered submarines could be justified, pointing to Chinese aggression in the region. "To those who still question whether AUKUS is necessary, ask the Philippines and Vietnam what it's like to have your ships rammed and sunk by Chinese 'coastguard' vessels, or Japan what happens when missiles land close to shore," she said. "AUKUS is an existential investment in Australia's sovereignty and way of life, and you can't put a price on that."

>>22022442 Video: Ambassador Kevin Rudd declares ‘we’re ready’ for a second Trump presidency - Kevin Rudd has declared Australia ‘is ready’ to work closely with Donald Trump and his new administration to bolster an alliance which has never been more important or relevant. Australia’s ambassador in Washington said that in a world of ‘many challenges’ Australia welcomed an active and engaged United States in the Indo Pacific and was ready to deepen that regional engagement under the new president. In his first detailed public comments since Mr Trump’s election, Mr Rudd portrayed Australia as an ally that was willing to actively pursue closer ties with the new US administration and to be seen to be proactively contributing to the broader alliance. “We live in a world of many challenges, and we are clear that the region we want, the interests we have and the values we share require and call for our two nations to work together, and that is what we’ll continue to do with President Trump and his incoming administration,’ Mr Rudd told the United States Studies Centre’s International Strategic Forum in Sydney via video from Washington. Both sides of politics have strongly backed Mr Rudd’s ongoing tenure as ambassador, dismissing claims by critics that Mr Rudd’s previous critical comments about Mr Trump before he became the ambassador should disqualify him from continuing in the role.

>>22022455 Rudd operates as ‘foreign minister’ in DC: Top Biden adviser - US President Joe Biden’s top adviser on Asia has issued a ringing endorsement of Kevin Rudd, declaring the Australian ambassador operates like a foreign minister in Washington while Penny Wong focuses on matters closer to home. Kurt Campbell, Biden’s deputy secretary of state, said Trump should sideline Republican Party hawks who want to overthrow the communist regime in Beijing because such a push would damage relations between the superpowers. Campbell said the world was entering “an acute moment of strategic competition” as Trump returned to the White House, predicting that Chinese President Xi Jinping would feel nostalgic for the days of Biden’s more “rational” presidency. Campbell’s remarks to a forum in Sydney came after Rudd insisted he and his fellow diplomats in Washington were ready to deal with the incoming Trump administration after a top adviser to the president-elect suggested Rudd’s days in the US capital were numbered. Giving Rudd “great credit” for advancing Australia’s interests in Washington, Campbell said that Australia’s US ambassador operates almost like a “foreign minister in his or her own realm here in Washington”, speaking via videolink at a forum organised by the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre. In a striking remark, Campbell said that “no country is better at strategic capture than Australia”, adding: “Most Australians don’t realise how much agency Australia has in Washington.”

#38 - Part 70

Australian Politics and Society - Part 38

>>22022463 Donald Trump must not turn his back on Australia while China rises: Kurt Campbell - US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has urged the incoming Trump administration not to turn its back on Australia and the Indo Pacific, warning that China is “relentless” in its bid to build military bases and extend its power in the region. In a strongly worded warning to the Albanese Government, Mr Campbell also urged it to be proactive in trying to persuade Donald Trump that ongoing engagement with allies like Australia was a better strategic choice than a more isolationist America. “This is a time right now to be innovative, to be optimistic, to work, to make the argument about why common purpose is in our best interests, and why the United States should not withdraw from the world, from partnerships to work more closely than ever with Indo Pacific partners. Nowhere is that more important than Australia,” Mr Campbell told a United States Studies Centre International Strategic Forum in Sydney via video from Washington. “The hope will be that the next administration will resist the temptation to go inward and to put its interests uniquely first, and to recognise that we are stronger working with allies and partners,” said Mr Campbell who will leave the job when Mr Trump becomes president on January 20.

>>22022506 Labor won’t make Kamala Harris’ mistakes against Trump, ALP boss says - Labor’s national secretary has vowed the party will not repeat the mistakes of Kamala Harris’ US election campaign and will instead focus on the economy in his first closed-door briefing to MPs since the failed Indigenous Voice referendum. Paul Erickson gave the private speech to the federal caucus in Canberra on Tuesday morning, outlining the lessons the ALP had learned this year when incumbent governments in the United States, United Kingdom, India and France were either booted out of office or had their majorities slashed. Erickson, who heads the party’s organisational wing, gave a scathing assessment of Harris’ presidential campaign, according to three MPs who were present but spoke on condition of anonymity. “You have to have a policy offering that is about the future, and we think that in the US, for example, Kamala Harris just campaigned against Trump - ‘Vote for me as I’m not him’ – and didn’t put forward enough of an alternative plan for the next four years,” one source recalled Erickson saying. “That’s not a mistake we will make.” One of the key lessons from the global swing away from incumbents was that the economy mattered most to voters and, Erickson argued, “Labor is placed well to campaign on its economic record.”

>>22022526 Chris Bowen’s UK-US nuclear energy pact COP out leaves AUKUS partners surprised - The Albanese government has been forced to defend “outlawing” nuclear energy and faced accusations of being an “international embarrassment” after rejecting an invitation from its AUKUS security pact partners to join a global move to speed up the spread of civilian ­nuclear ­energy. At the COP29 climate change talks in Baku, Energy Minister Chris Bowen rebuffed an appeal from the UK and the US to sign the nuclear agreement, aimed at decarbonising industry from March next year. The rejection was despite a British government statement that Australia was expected to join along with more than 30 other ­nations. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said his country was “reversing a legacy of no nuclear being delivered and moving forward with its advanced nuclear-reactor program”. “Nuclear will play a vital role in our clean energy future. That is why we are working closely with our allies to unleash the potential of cutting-edge nuclear technology,” Mr Miliband said. Later he altered his ministerial statement and dropped all reference to Australia when it became a political issue. The UK and the US had expected Australia to sign the agreement as well as “willing parties” including Canada, France, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, China and Switzerland. But, through the statement from his office, Mr Bowen rejected the UK invitation. “Australia is not signing this agreement as we do not have a nuclear-energy industry,” it said. “Nuclear power is outlawed in Australia. We will continue to work closely with our international partners to reach net zero.

#38 - Part 71

Australian Politics and Society - Part 39

>>22022574 Video: SpaceX launches classified Optus satellite for ADF - Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched a secret communications satellite for the Australian Defence Force, weeks after the Albanese government cancelled a $7bn military space program. SpaceX sent the Optus satellite into orbit on one of its Falcon 9 rockets on Tuesday (AEDT), cutting its video feed of the launch “at the customer’s request” before the payload was deployed. US space industry media sites said the “secretive military communications satellite” was headed into geostationary orbit some 36,000km above earth - the same orbit Defence Minister Richard Marles recently warned was now vulnerable to anti-satellite weapons. “SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at sunset with a payload that has been shrouded in secrecy to the point of not disclosing any specifics of the mission, and not using its original name,” Spaceflight Now reported. The satellite was launched under an opaque $405m contract between Defence and Optus signed in 2022. A Defence spokeswoman said the satellite was “an important element of Defence’s assured access to space-enabled communications” and would “complement our future multi-orbit satellite capabilities”. The satellite was dubbed by US media as Optus-X after the term was used by the US Federal Aviation Administration in its flight schedule. Optus declined to provide further details. “Optus has procured a spacecraft on behalf of another organisation,” a spokesman said. “We respect the privacy of our customers and do not provide comment on these matters.”

>>22030122 Government introduces social media age ban Bill to parliament - Billionaire Elon Musk has taken to his own social media platform X to slam the Albanese government’s Bill to ban social media for kids under 16. If passed, social media companies could be slapped with fines of up to $50m if they fail to do enough to verify a user’s age on their platforms. The world-first legislation, introduced into parliament on Thursday, would also create a legal definition of social media. But Mr Musk, who has been named by President-elect Donald Trump to head a new department of government efficiency, has weighed in saying it “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians”. Meanwhile, Snapchat is expected to be captured in the definition of social media under Australian law. Snapchat lets users exchange photos, videos and messages rather than offering a posting board-type feature, such as Facebook, Instagram or X. There was some uncertainty around whether Snapchat could escape the proposed ban by arguing it was a messaging service and not a social media platform. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has likened the ban to age restrictions on alcohol, acknowledging people can get around it but arguing that it sets a standard.

>>22030132 Video: Full list of apps that teens will be banned from under new laws released - Teenagers will be banned from using Tiktok, Snapchat, Instagram, X and Reddit until the age of 16 in Australia under new laws to be rushed through Parliament but will still be able to use message services including WhatsApp. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland confirmed on Thursday that the new laws will come into force in late 2025. But they will not be ‘grandfathered’ which means that a 13 year old who currently has a TikTok or Instagram account will theoretically be forced to delete the app until they are older when the new laws come into effect. The Snapchat ban, first revealed by news.com.au, is set to cause uproar among younger Australians who are heavy users of the site amid questions of how difficult it will be to stop children finding a way around the ban. But kids will also still be able to use YouTube and Google classroom under the landmark changes designed to limit the harm that social media is causing teenagers. The new laws will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under 16s from having accounts. The law places the onus on social media platforms - not parents or young people - to take reasonable steps to ensure these protections are in place. “We know social media is doing social harm,’’ Mr Albanese said in a statement. “We want Australian children to have a childhood, and we want parents to know the Government is in their corner. “This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.”

#38 - Part 72

Australian Politics and Society - Part 40

>>22041793 ‘Museum of political disasters’: Truth bill dies as Greens join Coalition to block it - Labor’s controversial bid to rid the internet of misinformation is dead after the Greens revealed they would vote it down, leaving the proposal to crack down on conspiracies with no supporters in the Senate. The Greens’ position hands Labor a defeat on a key plank of its broader battle against big tech, which also includes an under-16 social media ban opposed by the Greens, Musk and platforms such as Meta. The Coalition has waged a months-long campaign against Labor’s plan to give a regulator power to pressure social media giants to stamp out false posts, arguing that these laws would have been used to censor arguments against the Voice to parliament during last year’s failed referendum. Communication Minister Michelle Rowland’s bill handed social media firms the power to determine what was true or false to avoid the perception that government bureaucrats would make those calls. Firms such as X and Meta would need to prove they were acting on complaints. But in delegating the call on misinformation to corporations, Labor lost the support of the left-wing minor party, whose communications spokesman Sarah Hanson-Young said she would block Labor’s bill because it allowed social media firms to self-regulate. “The Greens understand that mis- and disinformation is a growing danger to democracy, public discourse, health and safety both in Australia and around the world and needs to be tackled,” she said in a statement. “However we are concerned this bill doesn’t actually do what it needs to do when it comes to stopping the deliberate mass distribution of false and harmful information. “It gives media moguls like Murdoch an exemption and hands over responsibility to tech companies and billionaires like Elon Musk to determine what is true or false under ambiguous definitions.”

>>22042737 Greens torpedo misinformation bill as top Trump ally raises concerns - The Greens will oppose Labor’s legislation combatting online misinformation citing concerns that the bill doesn’t “actually do what it needs to do”, as one of the top Republicans in the US Congress accuses the Australian government of seeking to “censor speech worldwide”. In a final blow to the legislation that would empower the media watchdog to fine social media giants for false and harmful content on their platforms, Greens communication spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young revealed on Friday the left-wing party would vote with the Coalition against the controversial legislation. The announcement dashing Anthony Albanese’s hopes of passing the legislation comes as the bill makes waves in the US, with a senior Republican warning the outgoing Biden administration to press Australia that it risked impinging on Americans’ constitutional right to free speech. In a detailed letter to the State Department, Jim Jordan, chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives, said the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill, currently before parliament, could “pressure American companies to censor online speech outside of Australia, including in the United States”. “We write to request more information about how the State Department intends to engage with the Australian government to address recent threats to free speech worldwide and their effect on American citizens,” the letter, addressed to Uzra Zeya, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, said. “There are serious concerns about how Australian authorities can continue to press for censorship and suppression of online speech outside of Australia’s borders”.

>>22055981 Australia Protest Forces Ship To Abort Arrival At Coal Port, 170 Arrested - A climate change protest off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales State forced an inbound ship to turn back from the country’s largest terminal for coal exports on Sunday, the port operator said. New South Wales police said 170 protesters were arrested on Sunday for refusing to move from the shipping channel near the Port of Newcastle. The port, some 170 km (105 miles) from the state capital Sydney, is the largest bulk shipping port on Australia’s east coast. A Port of Newcastle spokesperson said disruption due to the protest was “minimal” but that an inbound vessel “aborted due to people in the channel and has been rescheduled to come in.” The climate activist group Rising Tide, which organized the 50-hour protest that started on Friday, said the vessel forced to turn around was a coal ship. Climate change is a divisive issue in Australia, the world’s second-biggest exporter of thermal coal and the largest exporter of coking coal. A similar protest in November last year disrupted operations at the Port of Newcastle, forcing all shipping movements to cease temporarily.

#38 - Part 73

Australian Politics and Society - Part 41

>>22057979 Comanchero-linked Sydney fixer jailed in US over AN0M sting - A Sydney fixer with links to suspected cocaine kingpin Hakan Ayik has been sentenced to five years’ jail in the United States for selling a secret messaging app to criminals. Osemah Elhassen will be locked up in a California prison after he pleaded guilty to selling smartphones with AN0M encrypted apps across Colombia. But the AN0M phones were actually a Trojan Horse operation set up by the FBI and Australian Federal Police, who monitored in real time more than 27 million messages sent across the globe. The 51 year old was the first to be sentenced in relation to the AN0M sting in the United States. “This case has such broad implications. I’ve never had a case like this before,” US District Judge Janis Sammartino said. Elhassen, who was described as having Lebanese-Australian background, had been living in Colombia working as a fixer for cocaine networks. The United States Attorney’s Office said “according to his plea agreement, (Elhassen) admitted to helping accomplish the illegal objectives of that enterprise, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and obstruction of justice offences.” Elhassen pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy “in connection with the AN0M enterprise”. He was one of 17 accused in the case, with Ayik named as the lead defendant who was also charged with racketeering.

>>22058474 Google, Meta urge Australia to delay bill on social media ban for children - Google and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms urged the Australian government on Tuesday to delay a bill that will ban most forms of social media for children under 16, saying more time was needed to assess its potential impact. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left government wants to pass the bill, which represents some of the toughest controls on children's social media use imposed by any country, into law by the end of the parliamentary year on Thursday. The bill was introduced in parliament last week and opened for submissions of opinions for only one day. Google and Meta said in their submissions that the government should wait for the results of an age-verification trial before going ahead. The age-verification system may include biometrics or government identification to enforce a social media age cut-off. "In the absence of such results, neither industry nor Australians will understand the nature or scale of age assurance required by the bill, nor the impact of such measures on Australians," Meta said. "In its present form, the bill is inconsistent and ineffective." The law would force social media platforms, and not parents or children, to take reasonable steps to ensure age-verification protections are in place. Companies could be fined up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for systemic breaches.

>>22058489 Google to build subsea cable linking Australia's Darwin to Christmas Island - Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island will be connected by subsea cable to the northern garrison city of Darwin, a project backed by Alphabet's Google that Australia says will boost its digital resilience. Christmas Island is 1,500 km (930 miles) west of the Australian mainland, with a small population of 1,250, but strategically located in the Indian Ocean, 350 km (215 miles) from Jakarta. The cable announcement comes as the Australian and U.S. militaries upgrade airfields in Australia's north, where a rotating force of U.S. Marines will be joined by Japanese troops next year. Google's vice president of global network infrastructure, Brian Quigley, said in a statement the Bosun cable will link Darwin to Christmas Island, while another subsea cable will connect Melbourne on Australia's east coast to the west coast city of Perth, then on to Christmas Island and Singapore. Australia is seeking to reduce its exposure to digital disruption by building more subsea cable pathways to Asia to its west, and through the South Pacific to the United States. "These new cable systems will not only expand and strengthen the resilience of Australia's own digital connectivity through new and diversified routes, but will also complement the Government's active work with industry and government partners to support secure, resilient and reliable connectivity across the Pacific," said Communications Minister Michelle Rowland in a statement.

#38 - Part 74

Australian Politics and Society - Part 42

>>22058505 ‘United against American-style division’: Long-awaited anti-vilification reforms reach parliament - Victorians who incite hateful or threatening behaviour will face up to five years in jail under the state government’s proposed anti-vilification laws, which will be brought before parliament on Tuesday. Premier Jacinta Allan detailed the long-awaited changes - which include tough fines and jail sentences for perpetrators of hate crimes – on Tuesday morning, claiming “American-style division” was infiltrating Victoria. The proposed laws would expand protections for race and religion, which exist under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, to include factors such as gender, sexuality and disabilities. The government will also seek to amend the current exemptions under freedom of expression, which offer some protections in areas such as art and academic research or for religious purposes and matters of public interest. But the introduction of a “political expression” defence -- which the government said was necessary to “protect political communication and allow everyone to engage in genuine and robust debate” – was on Tuesday questioned by Jewish Community Council of Victoria chief executive Naomi Levin. “The JCCV looks forward to further engaging with the Victorian government to ensure this defence does not become a catch-all measure that renders these new laws unworkable,” Levin said. The new laws would also create civil offences under the Equal Opportunity Act for vilification on the grounds of personal attributes and expand the Crimes Act to include tough penalties for those who incite hatred.

>>22058528 SA Liberals threaten repeal ahead of historic Indigenous Voice address - South Australia’s Indigenous Voice will make its inaugural formal presentation to state parliament on Wednesday in what will be the first such address ever made before an Australian parliament. But the South Australian Liberals are saying it should be the last and are threatening to repeal the legislation which gives SA elected Indigenous leaders the right to address not just state parliament but also state cabinet and departmental chiefs on issues of concern to Aboriginal people. A special joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament will be held in the SA Legislative Assembly at 11am on Wednesday where State Voice presiding officer and indigenous health professional Leeroy Bilney from the SA West Coast city of Ceduna will speak on behalf of Aboriginal South Australians. His address comes after a troubled month for the SA Voice with four of its elected representatives having suddenly resigned and continuing concerns over low voter turnout fuelling claims that the organisation lacks the standing to address parliament and cabinet. Attorney-General and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher said that while the Voice had experienced some “teething problems” in its first year he was confident South Australians would see its benefits now it was up and running. He said the Voice delegates had already addressed State Cabinet and had meetings with public service department chiefs and given advice sought by the SA Government on legislation that had particularly relevance to indigenous South Australians.

>>22058594 Request Denied:US appeals court won't revisit Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking conviction- A U.S. appeals court has rejected British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell's request to revisit its decision upholding her conviction for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. In an order on Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan denied Maxwell's request that all its active judges review her case, known as en banc review. A three-judge panel on Sept. 17 rejected several arguments to set aside her 2021 conviction. Maxwell, 62, plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is not required to hear her case. She is serving a 20-year sentence at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, and is eligible for release in July 2037. Arthur Aidala, a lawyer for Maxwell, said in an email he was disappointed with Monday's order, and "cautiously optimistic" the Supreme Court would take up her appeal. Maxwell was convicted on five charges for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend, to abuse between 1994 and 2004. In upholding her conviction, the appeals court cited the trial judge's finding that Maxwell played a pivotal role in facilitating abuse that caused "significant and lasting harm." It also rejected Maxwell's claim that Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in southern Florida, leading to a 2008 guilty plea on state prostitution charges, shielded her from being prosecuted in New York.

#38 - Part 75

Australian Politics and Society - Part 43

>>22064730 Video: Furious Fatima Payman uses Senate to accuse Pauline Hanson of racism - A furious Fatima Payman has used the Senate to accuse Pauline Hanson of "vile" racism before being forced to withdraw, after Senator Hanson repeatedly questioned whether Senator Payman was eligible to sit in parliament. Senator Payman spoke after the One Nation senator attempted to table a document raising Senator Payman's possible Afghan citizenship as a reason for her to be excluded from parliament under Section 44c of the constitution. Section 44 prevents anyone holding a citizenship of another country from sitting in parliament, however Senator Payman has previously sought legal advice confirming she has taken all possible steps to renounce her Afghan citizenship, which the Taliban-controlled state has not finalised, and so can stand as a senator. Senator Payman used the Senate to say Senator's Hanson's behaviour was racist. "Senator Hanson has worn the burqa in this place. Maybe it's time she pack her burqa and go to Afghanistan and talk to the Taliban about this," Senator Payman said. "All that Senator Hanson has done in this place is spread hatred, spread division. I am very honoured that I live rent free in Senator Hanson's mind, but I think you've got better things to do than worry about Section 44."

>>22064738 Lidia Thorpe suspended from the Senate for remainder of the week - Lidia Thorpe has been suspended from the Senate for the remainder of the parliamentary sitting week, after she ripped up a motion by Pauline Hanson on the chamber floor on Wednesday. It means she cannot vote or participate in debate until the end of the session on Thursday. Senate President Sue Lines said Senator Thorpe's behaviour was "physically threatening" and "would not be tolerated." She said she had told the independent senator it would be "in [her] interest to attend the Senate" to explain her conduct, but that she had declined to do so. The motion to suspend was moved by Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, who said "the gravity of the conduct" necessitated suspension. "All Australians have a right to be safe at work … We all have a responsibility for our behaviour. We express our views respectfully to understand each other's perspective," she said. Senator Wong said there had been "dozens of instances" of Senator Thorpe making "abusive comments … [and] offensive gestures" in the chamber, and that she had caused distress to other First Nations senators. "Despite attempts to work with Senator Thorpe, she has been increasingly been engaging in this behaviour." Labor and the Coalition voted in favour of the suspension alongside One Nation, Ralph Babet, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie.

>>22069654 Lidia Thorpe grandstands from press gallery after Senate suspension - Suspended senator Lidia Thorpe has entered the press gallery viewing area of the Senate yelling pro-Palestinian slogans, putting officials on edge and prompting a large security response at Parliament House a day after she was barred from the chamber for throwing papers at One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Thorpe’s Senate gallery stunt on Thursday was a second breach of parliamentary rules as nobody is allowed to disrupt proceedings and she was already barred from the chamber. Her statements earlier in the day that Hanson was a “convicted racist” also prompted legal letters from the One Nation leader. Parliament’s final scheduled sitting day of the year had begun when at 9.45am, Thorpe entered the gallery that is typically restricted to media use and calmly asked “What’s going on?” to attract attention. As surprised journalists scrambled for their phones and wrote down what Thorpe had said, the senator silently raised her fist, paused for a few moments, and yelled loud enough for the whole chamber to hear, “Free, free Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Thorpe then left the chamber.

#38 - Part 76

Australian Politics and Society - Part 44

>>22069693 Video: Elon Musk and Joe Rogan respond to criticism of US podcaster by ABC's chair Kim Williams - Podcaster Joe Rogan and Elon Musk have responded to comments made by the ABC's chair Kim Williams, who suggested the popular podcaster "preyed on people's vulnerabilities" in a way which was "deeply repulsive". With the caption "LOL WUT", Rogan reposted a clip on social media platform X of the ABC chair criticising him during an appearance at the National Press Club on Wednesday. Hours later Mr Musk weighed in, comparing the ABC to Russian state media in a separate post on X. "From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda," he wrote. Pravda, which translates to "truth", was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Responding to a question after his address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Mr Williams had said "people like" Rogan "preyed on people's vulnerabilities", and suggested they help spread conspiracies. "They prey on fear, they prey on anxiety, they prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society, and they entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part of social narrative," Mr Williams said. "I personally find it deeply repulsive. And to think that someone has such remarkable power in the United States is something that I look at in disbelief." The comments come after Mr Musk criticised the Australian government's plans to restrict social media use for young people, suggesting the laws would lead to government control of the internet.

>>22069698 Candace Owens: Immigration New Zealand denies visa for far-right US commentator - Immigration New Zealand has denied the work visa for far-right commentator and conspiracy theory promoter Candace Owens. Acting deputy chief operating officer Jock Gilray said “Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has declined the application from Candace Owens for an Entertainers Work Visa”. “Under section 15(1)(f) of the Immigration Act, an individual may not be granted a visa to come to New Zealand if they have been excluded from another country.” The 35-year-old, who last month had her Australian visa cancelled, was set to give a speech at West Auckland’s Trusts Arena on November 14. Owens began her career as a conservative activist, joining the conservative media company The Daily Wire in 2021 but was fired in March for promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In recent months, the 35-year-old has leaned into Holocaust denial, spurred by her stance on the October 7 attacks on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. Her name was even cited in the Christchurch mosque shooter’s manifesto. In August, Owens announced a speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand this month - but her Australian visa was cancelled at the last minute.

>>22080668 Children and teenagers under 16 to be banned from social media after parliament passes world-first laws - Children and teenagers will be banned from using social media from the end of next year after the government's world-first legislation passed the parliament with bipartisan support. That means anyone under the age of 16 will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, a move the government and the Coalition argue is necessary to protect their mental health and wellbeing. The late vote capped off a frantic evening in the Senate, where the government managed to ram through most of its legislative agenda on the final full sitting day of the year. Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic crossed the floor to vote with the entire crossbench against the laws, which received mixed reviews from mental health experts during a snap Senate inquiry this week. Liberal Richard Colbeck abstained. It followed an hour of spirited debate that saw crossbenchers question and heckle the major parties over what they said was a rushed and flawed law. The major parties had moved quickly to pass the legislation before the end of the parliamentary year, despite reservations from some Coalition MPs, the Greens and independents who called for more time and greater scrutiny. Tech companies also agitated for the debate to be delayed until the government's age-verification trial is finalised. Under the laws, which won't come into force for another 12 months, social media companies could be fined up to $50 million for failing to take "reasonable steps" to keep under 16s off their platforms. There are no penalties for young people or parents who flout the rules.

#38 - Part 77

Australian Politics and Society - Part 45

>>22080681 Video: Australia's social media ban for children makes global headlines as some news outlets ask if their country could be next - Australia's social media ban for children has made headlines around the world, as articles questioned how it could work and whether similar laws would be introduced elsewhere. The legislation passed through the Senate on Thursday, and while it still faces one final vote in the lower house to approve amendments, that will be a formality. The world-first laws have sparked a flurry of attention abroad, with media outlets in multiple countries keeping an eye on the debate. Russia's state-run news agency TASS published an online article announcing the bill had been approved "by a majority of senators". It pointed out two of the platforms Australian children would likely be unable to access, Instagram and Facebook, were already banned and "recognised as extremist" in Russia. The Hindi-language daily Amar Ujala, one of India's largest newspapers, outlined concerns about the new legislation, including Greens senator David Shoebridge's warning "children from rural areas and the LGBTQ community" would be harmed under the laws. "Many critics said that the law could be difficult to implement. They hoped that the government would conduct another study on it, which would tell how children can be kept out of social media in the right way," its story read. Australia's laws are expected to come into effect in 12 months, and will ban children under the age of 16 from many, but not all, social media platforms and websites. In the United Kingdom, many news outlets have been following the debate in Australia, particularly after Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said he would consider pursuing similar laws in the future.

>>22080732 ‘Black Friday sale on VPNs’: Social media ban faces early obstacles - Passing the world-first laws that restrict Australians under the age of 16 from accessing social media may have been the easy part. Enforcing them is another story altogether. From Monday, Australia’s online safety regulator will pressure social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook owner Meta, Snapchat and TikTok to introduce ways to verify the age of their users to comply with the blanket ban. The tech giants which widely criticised the laws as rushed and lacking crucial details about how they will be implemented in practice – must now work with the eSafety Commissioner, who has 12 months to figure out how the new regime will operate when it takes effect in late 2025. If they fail to comply, platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X and Reddit could be fined up to $50 million after the government secured bipartisan support for the laws this week. Attention has already turned to how kids can circumvent the ban, with Fred Schebesta, the co-founder of comparison website Finder advertising a Black Friday sale on Virtual Private Networks - software that allows users to appear as though they are accessing the internet from a different country. “Parents! Finder is having a VPN sale for Black Friday. Special discount for those under 16,” the tech and crypto entrepreneur posted on X. The legislation does not specify how sites should verify users’ ages. However, Australians won’t be forced to provide their passports or driver’s licences. Platforms can only collect government-issued identity documents if they have provided users with an alternative method of verifying their age. Alternative methods could include monitoring user interactions and behaviour for signs that they are underage or facial age estimation software.

#38 - Part 78

Australian Politics and Society - Part 46

>>22080749 Meta, TikTok and Snapchat respond to new Australian laws banning social media for kids and teenagers under 16 - Technology giants such as Meta, TikTok and Snapchat have responded to the government's new social media laws, which ban children and teenagers under 16 from using the platforms. The world-first laws passed the Senate late on Thursday night and immediately made headlines around the world. Under the laws, which won't come into force for another 12 months, social media companies could be fined up to $50 million for failing to take "reasonable steps" to keep under 16s off their platforms. Now, the tech companies behind the apps used by millions of Australians have responded - and they have plenty of questions. Meta, which owns both Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that the company "respects the laws decided by the Australian Parliament". "However, we are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people. Last week, the parliament's own committee said the 'causal link with social media appears unclear,' with respect to the mental health of young Australians, whereas this week the rushed Senate Committee report pronounced that social media caused harm." Meta said this demonstrates "the lack of evidence underpinning the legislation and suggests this was a predetermined process".

>>22080779 Meet Australia’s best friend in Washington… no, not Kevin Rudd - US congressman Joe Courtney was at his home in Connecticut on an otherwise quiet Monday evening when the call came through from Kevin Rudd. As the Albanese government’s ambassador in Washington, Rudd had the job of informing Courtney that he had just been awarded an Order of Australia, in recognition of his tireless advocacy in progressing the US-Australia alliance and facilitating the AUKUS submarine pact through an often hostile US Congress. There’s no doubt Courtney has gone the extra mile when it comes to advancing the partnership between the two nations. In 2017, when the first Donald Trump administration was considering tariffs on Australia, Canberra’s then-ambassador Joe Hockey asked him if he would be interested in establishing a Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus after realising there was no such thing on Capitol Hill, where there’s a bipartisan group for everything from shoes (the “Congressional Sneaker Caucus”) to other countries (the “Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus” is one of the most active). Courtney, a Democrat who had struck up an earlier friendship with former Labor opposition leader Kim Beazley, soon became the caucus co-chair alongside then-Republican congressman Mike Gallagher. For the past few years, his work has helped make AUKUS a reality by creating the training pipeline for Australian sailors to attend submarine school in South Carolina and Connecticut, boosting funding for the US industrial base, and ensuring the passage of legislation allowing the sale of Virginia-class submarines to Australia.

>>22086214 Albanese says Elon Musk has an agenda on social media ban - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signalled next year’s federal election will be later rather than sooner while accusing Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and confidante to US President-elect Donald Trump, of pursuing his own interests in opposing Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s. Albanese said he was prepared to talk to Musk about the ban, and he assured Australians they would have “a bit of time” before worrying about going to the polls. The social media ban was one of 45 pieces of legislation passed by the parliament last week which has prompted speculation Albanese will seek to go to the polls as early as the end of February or in early March. The social media ban - which will affect platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Reddit – has attracted global attention, with Australia the first democracy to put in place a ban on under-16s. Musk, whose X platform will also be affected by the ban, has described it as a “backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians”. Albanese said he was prepared to talk to anyone about the ban and its implementation, but he stressed that the parliament had clearly supported the move. “We’ll talk to anyone,” he said. “But with regard to Elon Musk, he has an agenda, he’s entitled to push that as the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. But we are determined to get this done. The parliament has overwhelmingly passed this legislation and it’s the right thing to do. I want children to have a childhood. I want them to engage with each other.”

#38 - Part 79

Australian Politics and Society - Part 47

>>22086271 ‘Absolutely gutted’: Cases dropped against soldiers over notorious war crimes allegations - The ex-soldier suspected of committing one of the most notorious alleged war crimes involving Australian special forces in Afghanistan will never face justice after an elite investigative agency concluded its case was too weak to put before a jury. The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) has told witnesses it will not charge the former Special Air Service Regiment sergeant suspected of brutally murdering an injured and unarmed Afghan farmer. It is a decision that has shattered the Australian army medic who exposed the alleged crime and agreed to testify against the accused man. It also highlights the failure of the OSI to achieve results almost four years after it was created by the Morrison government to investigate the Brereton inquiry’s findings that at least 39 Afghans may have been executed by about two dozen special forces soldiers. The highest profile of the cases involves a suspected execution first revealed in 2019 by former SAS medic and decorated soldier Dusty Miller, who blew the whistle in a series of interviews with this masthead and 60 Minutes. Miller detailed how an injured Afghan man, Haji Sardar Khan, was in his care before being taken away by a senior SAS soldier and allegedly summarily executed during an operation in southern Afghanistan in March 2012. “The decision not to prosecute has absolutely gutted me. I think about the death every day of my life. The OSI has taken too long to do nothing and the soldiers who have stood against war crimes and the Afghan families who are still grieving deserve justice,” Miller said. The second alleged execution case that the OSI has decided not to prosecute is against another former soldier. It was exposed by the ABC and is known within special forces ranks as the “village idiot” killing. Miller was also one of two witnesses to this alleged war crime, which involved the suspected shooting of an unarmed disabled man as he was trying to limp away from Australian soldiers.

>>22093187 Sex offenders to be booted from Defence Force in sweeping overhaul - Sex offenders will be kicked out of the Australian Defence Force and potential leaders tested for emotional intelligence under a sweeping overhaul to combat the crisis of military personnel taking their own lives at alarming rates. The federal government released on Monday its response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, announcing it had accepted 104 of the 122 recommendations, with a further 17 recommendations under review. A statutory agency will be established to drive reforms to decrease suicide rates in the military, and a wellbeing agency focused on the transition from military to civilian life will be created within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. A formal inquiry will also be set up into sexual violence in the ADF. The terms of reference and timing are still to be determined. The royal commission, the findings of which were delivered in September, found current and former service personnel were 20 times more likely to die by suicide than in combat, a figure blamed in large part on cultural failings within Defence. The royal commission found that at least 1677 serving and former Defence personnel ended their lives between 1997 and 2021, but it said the true number of preventable deaths could be more than 3000 because of undercounting. “We can’t bring back those that we’ve lost, but we can fight to stem this terrible epidemic and we can strive to bring it to an end,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday. As a key part of the government’s response, the Chief of the Defence Force will issue a directive establishing “a presumption that anyone in the Australian Defence Force who is found to have engaged in certain forms of sexual misconduct will be discharged”. In a shift that moves the ADF’s practices closer to corporate standards, anyone disciplined over sexual assault, harassment or other offences such as stalking would be dismissed, subject to judgment on the balance of probability.

#38 - Part 80

Australian Politics and Society - Part 48

>>22093202 Video: Comanchero Brisbane vice president charged over Australia's largest ever cocaine seizure - A Comanchero outlaw bikie gang leader has been charged over Australia's largest ever cocaine seizure, police say. A transnational organised crime syndicate with links to the Comancheros is alleged to have attempted to bring 2.34 tonnes of cocaine into Australia. Eleven men and two juveniles were arrested on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday morning, in a joint investigation between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Queensland police. The arrests include the vice president of the Comancheros Brisbane chapter, and a patched member. Authorities allege the group attempted to import the drugs into Queensland by sea. AFP Commander Stephen Jay said authorities had been tracking the vessel allegedly sent to pick the drugs up from a mothership in international waters hundreds of kilometres off the Queensland coast. "As the vessel returned to the Queensland coast it suffered mechanical issues and broke down, triggering a coordinated police action," he said. He said it was the second boat that broke down in the alleged attempt. The accused spent $150,000 late last week on a new vessel to reach the mothership, he said. "We'll allege that the syndicate had made two attempts with two separate boats, both of which broke down," Commander Jay said. The men onboard were stranded at sea for several hours before police arrived.

>>22098959 Family Court grants child access to cross-sex hormones despite ‘regret syndrome’ concerns - A gender dysphoric 15-year-old has been granted access to cross-sex hormones despite a Family Court judge citing a legal void of the consequences of people regretting their change of gender and medically trying to reverse the decision. Judge Terry McGuire ruled in favour of the child -- known to the court as Kelly – taking the treatment, despite Kelly’s father indicating he did not support the intervention and did not provide his express consent. Kelly has a developmental disorder, has identified as a girl since she was a toddler, and is currently experiencing bone degeneration, which is at least partly caused by the puberty blockers she has taken since 2022. In delivering his decision, Justice McGuire said the court was “not oblivious” to medical, social science and legal considerations in respect of gender dysphoria, and relied on the evidence of five medical practitioners to inform his ruling. But he said there was a “dearth of jurisprudence” pertaining to “regret syndrome” experienced by children who change their mind or wish to reverse their medical transition, despite there being a “prolificity of social comment” on the topic. “Noting Kelly (is a teenager), the court is not oblivious to and has given strong consideration to medical, social science and legal considerations in respect of gender dysphoria treatment in other jurisdictions and with the considerable assistance of the Independent Children’s Lawyer,” he wrote in his judgment. The ruling comes as the Federal Circuit and Family Court continues to grapple with the complexities of gender identity, especially in the context of children, medication and surgery. International researchers commissioned by the UK Cass review this year found Australia’s guidelines on gender-affirmative medicine lacked rigour and independence, and failed to recommend formal assessment processes that screened for body image problems, autism spectrum disorder, sexual orientation or physical health conditions.

>>22111614 Missiles launched from Bushmaster vehicles could soon be operated by the Australian army - A mobile missile launcher transported by Bushmaster vehicles is a step closer to being operated by Australian soldiers, with Defence to formally examine whether the locally designed weapon system can soon be brought into service. Known as StrikeMaster, the Australian-developed product utilises a pair of Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) mounted on top of the domestically produced Bushmaster, which can be fired at enemy targets on land and sea out to at least 250 kilometres. First unveiled in 2022 by defence companies Kongsberg and Thales, the StrikeMaster and its ship-killing NSMs is being touted as a sovereign and cost-effective option for delivering a potent "area denial" capability across Australia's top end. Now the ABC can reveal the Albanese government has this week approved a tender process that will pit the StrikeMaster against the American-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), currently being used by Ukrainian forces. Under Project LAND 8113 phase two, Defence will consider whether the army should adopt the cheaper and locally produced StrikeMaster, which uses sea-skimming missiles, instead of buying a second regiment of HIMARS, which fires multiple long-range rockets.

#38 - Part 81

Australian Politics and Society - Part 49

>>22128144 Anti-radicalisation drive: ASIO and AFP recruit teachers and parents - A “shocking” surge in youth radicalisation is fuelling a concerning spike in counter-terror investi­gations, with ASIO and Australian Federal Police chiefs asking teachers, parents and health professionals to help identify early signs of online-fuelled extremism. ASIO director-general Mike Burgess and AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw on Friday will reveal 20 per cent of the spy agency’s priority counter-terror cases involve youth, with children as young as 12 being investigated by Joint Counter Terrorism Teams. The intervention by Australia’s top security chiefs comes as they ramp-up collaboration with Five Eyes partners to fight a global ­explosion in extremism fanned ­predominantly via digital platforms. Mr Burgess, who in August lifted Australia’s terror threat level from possible to probable, said “as a parent, the numbers are shocking; as an intelligence officer, the numbers are sobering”. “Around 20 per cent of ASIO’s priority counter-terrorism cases involve young people. In every one of the terrorist attacks, disruptions and suspected terrorist incidents in Australia this year, the alleged perpetrator was a young person,” Mr Burgess said. “Parents, teachers, health professionals and frontline workers need to understand and identify the early signs of radicalisation. Once ASIO and the AFP get involved, it is usually too late -- the young person is already in a dark and dangerous place.” Mr Kershaw, who said he was concerned by the increasing number of youth being investigated by the JCTT, also backed a “whole-of-society response” to intervene early and neutralise extremist threats. “A priority for the AFP is to limit the accessibility of violent extremist material and promote education and awareness for those in protective roles, including parents, educators and healthcare providers, to maximise prevention and early intervention options,’’ Mr Kershaw said.

>>22128180 Elon Musk’s Starlink blitzes NBN’s ageing Sky Muster satellites in internet speed stakes - Elon Musk’s Starlink has blitzed the National Broadband Network’s ageing satellite system in the internet speed stakes, heaping further pressure on the $620m taxpayer-funded satellite venture that faces an uncertain future. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s report on Thursday comparing the broadband performance of the two satellite services found that Starlink - the network developed by Mr Musk’s astronautics company SpaceX – significantly outperformed the NBN’s Sky Muster system. The average latency - the time taken to send data from the user to the server and back again – was 29.8 milliseconds for Starlink services, the report found. That compared with 664.9 milliseconds for Sky Muster’s services. The reduced latency indicated that Starlink provided a “more reliable experience” than Sky Muster when using real-time applications such as video conferencing and online gaming, the competition watchdog said. The report also found a stark difference in download speeds. While Starlink recorded an average speed of 192 megabits (Mbps) across all hours, decreasing to 165.5 Mbps during busy weeknight periods, Sky Muster’s maximum plan, which offers its users speeds of up to 100 Mbps, were more than 50 per cent lower. The NBN’s premium offering notched an average download speed of 83.2 per cent of maximum speeds across all hours, decreasing to 66.1 per cent during busy hours. Starlink’s array of 4000 satellites, which remain in low orbit, deliver customers much faster speeds as the data transmitted has far less distance to travel. By contrast, Sky Muster employs two 6.4 tonne geostationary satellites that span 20m and orbit Australia at a much higher altitude. Announced by the Gillard government in 2012, and subsequently launched in 2015 and 2016, the pair of satellites have a lifespan of about 15 years, and are due to be decommissioned in the early 2030s.

#38 - Part 82

Australian Politics and Society - Part 50

>>22128344 Pope elevates Australian-based Ukrainian bishop Mykola Bychok to world's youngest cardinal at 44 - Pope Francis has elevated Melbourne Bishop Mykola Bychok to the position of cardinal, during a grand ceremony attended by hundreds of people at St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. At the age of 44, Cardinal Bychok becomes the youngest member of the College of Cardinals, Australia's highest-ranking Catholic, and the first cardinal from Australia since George Pell. The Ukrainian-born missionary, who moved to Melbourne four years ago and will be eligible for Australian citizenship next year, told the ABC he "never expected" this. "At this age, my dream was to be a Redemptorist to belong to the congregation of The Holy Redeemer, to be a priest and that's it," he said. "I fulfilled this plan, and I was the happiest man in the world." He said he does not know why he was chosen to be a cardinal - most other cardinals are in their 70s — but he added that he believed God would "strengthen" him in his new role. He said he aims to be a cardinal who is "flexible, holy, accessible and without eminence". He has also pledged to use his new position to keep raising awareness about the ongoing war in Ukraine. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the most senior title after the Pope is cardinal. Cardinals are chosen by the pontiff to be his inner council and give advice on how to run the church. Because Cardinal Bychok is under the age of 80, he will also be eligible to vote in the Papal Conclaves to select future popes. His selection has been seen by some Vatican observers as part of an effort by Pope Francis to choose outsiders and make the church more geographically diverse with cardinals from all corners of the globe.

>>22134125 ‘Unity of Syrians abroad’: Australia joins historic commemoration - Syrian Australians took to the streets of Sydney to celebrate the historic fall of the Assad regime, joining a global chorus of millions of revellers. While the future of the Middle East increasingly skews to uncertainty, millions of Syrians who were made refugees by decades of civil conflict celebrated the new possibility of a democratic future. As rebels seized Damascus on Sunday afternoon, Australian time, Syrian Australians were quick to take to the streets in a car rally, vowing to “raise our voices” in marking the first ideological change in government in more than 53 years. “(Celebrate in) solidarity with our people inside Syria and in joy in the victories of our people, God willing,” a Facebook post promoting the event reads. “This rally will symbolise the unity of Syrians abroad and support the resilience of our people. Let us come together to raise our voices and show the world we stand united in hardships and victories. “Raise our voices and show the world we are together for better and worse.” In Chullora, a suburb within Canterbury-Bankstown, trucks drove draped in the flags of Syria, Palestine and Lebanon, with some revellers even taking to the street on horseback. In Rouse Hill and Greenacre, the streets were similarly awash with the red, white, green and black flag of Syria, many of them bearing the word “freedom”.

#38 - Part 83

Australian Politics and Society - Part 51

>>22134154 The Bike Boy Scandal - Peter Meuleman: ‘Were they worried about Ryan or were they worried about Daniel Andrews?’ - Mediation efforts have collapsed in a dispute involving Daniel and Catherine Andrews, a cyclist and a leading law firm, with the cyclist’s father declaring “I want all of this exposed in court”. A car crash dispute involving former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, his wife Catherine, a cyclist and a leading law firm is headed for trial after the collapse of mediation. Major legal firm Slater & Gordon and lawyers for cyclist Ryan Meuleman, who was 15 when he was struck by the Andrews’ family SUV in Blairgowrie in January 2013, failed to resolve their long-running stoush at court-ordered mediation last week. A Supreme Court trial is scheduled for May next year. Ryan’s father, Peter Meuleman, said he could not discuss details of the mediation but maintained that Slater & Gordon had never been able to explain how it came to be involved in the case. “Why did a Labor-aligned law firm suddenly turn up out of nowhere and want to act for my son?” he asked. “I didn’t reach out to them and my ex-wife didn’t reach out to them. We both thought the other parent had signed up with them. But the fact is, they just turned up and acted like they were in charge. How did they get my mobile number? How did they get my name?” Mr Meuleman said Slater & Gordon, which denies any wrongdoing, did everything it could “to keep the crash, and the subsequent TAC settlement, out of the media”. “Were they worried about Ryan or were they worried about Daniel Andrews?” he said. Mr Meuleman said the evidence at trial would show Slater & Gordon was working behind the family’s back in its negotiations with the TAC to keep Ryan’s crash settlement secret because of its “sensitive nature”. “How was that in Ryan’s best interests?” he asked. “Politics should have had nothing to do with this crash. Slater & Gordon should be ashamed of themselves. They thought we wouldn’t find any of this out. I want all of this exposed in court.”

>>22140000 News Corp is working with Dutton to bring us down: Albanese - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called out the influence of News Corp’s alleged bias, warning colleagues during a cabinet meeting that Rupert Murdoch’s media empire was openly working to back Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Four cabinet sources said that in Monday’s meeting, Albanese said News Corp’s newspapers - which include The Australian and city tabloids – and the Coalition were increasingly “working together” on similar lines of Labor criticism months out from the election. One cabinet source said Albanese was firm and matter-of-fact as he reflected on the tactics of the conservative press in recent months as Labor has continued its slow downward polling trend. “He said News Corp and the opposition were now working hand in glove and that this was an embedded part of the political dynamic that we all needed to deal with,” one source said. A different minister emphasised that Albanese’s remarks were not a self-pitying “sook-up” in a similar vein to comments made in an October ministerial meeting, first reported by this masthead, in which he complained about criticism of his flight upgrades. “It was about the fact that they are openly cheerleading now and not even pretending to be balanced. Every little thing is being blown up into epic proportions,” the minister said. Another source said the prime minister had a habit of blaming media coverage after missteps. Albanese is this week preparing to unveil Labor’s childcare policy in a rally-style speech in the seat of Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather on Wednesday, highlighting Labor’s focus on winning back the seat. In the same cabinet meeting, sources said he also expressed confidence in retaining a swag of West Australian seats that Labor won from the Coalition at the last election.

#38 - Part 84

Australian Politics and Society - Part 52

>>22140006 ‘Divides people unnecessarily’: Peter Dutton would not stand in front of Indigenous flags as prime minister - Peter Dutton has declared he would never address the nation with both the Australian and Indigenous flags behind him at press conferences should he become prime minister, arguing that the practice “divides people unnecessarily”. The Opposition Leader has been choosing not to have the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flags behind him during public appearances and confirmed on Monday night it was a practice he would seek to continue in top office. “I’m very strongly of the belief that we are a country united under one flag and if we’re asking people to identify with different flags, no other country does that, and we are dividing our country unnecessarily,” he told Sky News. “We should have respect for the Indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag, but they are not our national flags.” Mr Dutton said Anthony Albanese wanted “to be all things to all people” across a number of issues. “The fact is that we should stand up for who we are, for our values, what we believe in,” he said. “We are united as a country when we gather under one flag, which is what we should do on Australia Day.” The Coalition leader controversially called for people to boycott Woolworths this year after the supermarket giant announced it would stop stocking Australia Day merchandise, in a move Labor said was out of touch and not focused on more pressing issues such as cost of living.

>>22140009 Queensland Premier David Crisafulli blocks debate on abortion for four years in ‘unprecedented’ move - Debate on abortion laws has been banned in the Queensland parliament for at least four years after new Premier David Crisafulli moved an unprecedented motion to gag MPs and prevent landmark reforms from being rolled back. In a move Christian groups have condemned as “undemocratic” and a “significant attack on free speech”, Mr Crisafulli’s ­motion will block MPs from introducing any legislation to restrict or improve access to termination of pregnancy services in the state. It will also prevent motions requiring MPs to express views in parliament on the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 that removed abortion from the Criminal Code and allowed the procedure on request up to 22 weeks’ gestation. It comes after Mr Crisafulli faced ­intense questioning during the October election ­campaign over his personal ­beliefs on abortion, the staunch pro-life views expressed by his candidates and desires of some in his partyroom to restrict access to the procedure. Labor seized on the issue during the election, running attack ads on social media about Mr Crisafulli’s ­“secret plans” to roll back reforms. Moving the surprise motion on Tuesday morning, Mr Crisafulli said Queensland voters had rejected Labor’s US-style scare campaign to remain in office. “Queensland has said no to politicising a sensitive issue,” he said. “I said from day one, it was not part of our plan, I said there will be no changes.” Describing the motion as “unprecedented”, Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter, who had previously flagged plans to negotiate with LNP MPs to “calibrate” legislation to something they would be willing to support, said he was “gobsmacked” that Mr Crisafulli had banned abortion debate. “What do the pro-life people do in Queensland now?” he said. “We were going to be the only party to bring something in here like this and we try and do it with respect, appreciating that it is a tricky subject for people, but we should have a right to bring something in here and certainly those babies need representation.”

#38 - Part 85

Australian Politics and Society - Part 53

>>22140013 Australian Border Force launch Operation Lunar to target illegal boat arrivals in the NT - A multi-agency border operation has been launched in the Northern Territory to combat a rise in illegal boat arrivals in Arnhem Land waters. The Australian Border Force (ABF) has this week stood up extra land, sea and air patrols in the region, with support from the Australian Defence Force and Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). Last month saw two separate discoveries of suspected Chinese asylum seekers in Arnhem Land and multiple recent sightings of illegal fishing boats in the area. It prompted Arnhem Land traditional owners and the NT government to call for stronger border protection of the remote coastline. ABF's Rear Admiral Brett Sonter said the operation would include an expansion of on-ground surveillance in partnership with local communities. "Illegal foreign fishers will not be tolerated in Australian waters and my message to them is clear: you will be found and we will intercept you," he said in a statement. "You will lose your catch, your equipment, potentially your vessel, and you may be arrested and prosecuted under Australian law." Rear Admiral Sontar said maritime people smuggling ventures had also been attempting to use "common illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing corridors to reach Australia". Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan welcomed the move but said border authorities should have acted sooner after local Indigenous rangers sounded the alarm. "They slept on the wheel and hopefully now they're steering it properly, wide awake," he said. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro welcomed the new operation, describing recent illegal arrivals as a "national security and biodiversity issue".

>>22145904 PNG’s Prime Minister calls for NRL-led visa overhaul - Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister says he wants the country’s entry into the NRL to usher in more streamlined visa arrangements for his people to visit Australia and has vowed to make Port Moresby a safer destination for Australian rugby league fans. In an interview with The Australian, James Marape has also cleared up confusion over the national security element of the $600m Australian taxpayer-funded deal, saying it does not include an Australian veto over his country’s future security relationships but reiterates Australia’s status as the PNG’s closest security partner. Mr Marape said the awarding of an NRL team to PNG from 2028, to be formally announced on Thursday morning, would kickstart a clean-up of Port Moresby and a crackdown on lawlessness, opening a new tourism gateway to the country’s World War II sites and exotic eco-tourism destinations. Papua New Guineans can face long waits to get Australian visas and unexpected rejections, in a situation that has frustrated successive PNG leaders, who have jealously eyed the ease of travel between Australia and New Zealand. Mr Marape said he understood Australia’s border security concerns, and his country would use the NRL announcement to have a fresh look at visa arrangements to ensure PNG rugby league supporters and business travellers had trouble-free access to Australia.

>>22145912 Australia officially launches $400 million Pacific Policing Initiative in Brisbane - Pacific police chiefs say they are poised to send more deployments of multi-national police forces to hotspots around the region after state-of-the-art training facilities were opened in Queensland. The accommodation and training centres in Brisbane are a key pillar of the Pacific Policing Initiative, which Australia is supporting with $400 million in funding and the expertise of the Australian Federal Police. Papua New Guinea's Police Commissioner David Manning said at the initiative's official opening on Tuesday morning that it "provides a clear, effective and agile mechanism through which we can support our Pacific family in times of need". As well as providing training, Commissioner Manning said the Brisbane facilities would serve as the headquarters of the Pacific Police Support Group, a multinational cohort of police that could be deployed around the Pacific at short notice. Pacific leaders endorsed the initiative at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting in Tonga earlier this year. Shortly after that, a group of around 30 officers from 11 countries were deployed in October to Samoa under the banner of the Pacific Police Support Group to provide security support for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) after receiving training in Brisbane.

#38 - Part 86

Australian Politics and Society - Part 54

>>22145920 Peter Dutton accused of ‘hatred’ over Indigenous flag stance - Peter Dutton’s vow to stand only in front of the Australian flag at public appearances - and not the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags – has been condemned by one of the nation’s top Indigenous leaders for invoking “hatred”. The Opposition Leader said on Monday he would continue the practice of appearing with only Australian flags, as he has been doing, if he were to win the election and fill the nation’s top job. Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has similarly vowed to cut back on Welcome to Country ceremonies in government, which she argued were being done mostly for the financial gain of organisations and individuals who were hired to conduct such events. Uluru Dialogue co-chair Pat Anderson - one of the leading campaigners for the voice to parliament – accused Mr Dutton of invoking hatred. “It’s deeply disappointing and disturbing that some people have extended the “No” to all things ­recognising, and more importantly celebrating, First Nations Peoples, histories and cultures,” Ms Anderson said. “This is yet another remark from a man who’s made a career of using First Nations matters to not only invoke hatred but as a deliberate and inflammatory political move in his quest for the top job.”

>>22157710 Alice Springs in turmoil: Shock history of teenagers in alleged baby assault - The two teenage boys who allegedly broke into a home in Alice Springs and struck a woman with a detachable metal freezer handle so hard it rebounded, hitting a two-month-old baby and causing a brain bleed and fractured skull, had collectively been charged with almost 300 other offences and bailed 35 times - and were currently on bail. In a serious escalation in the crime crisis that has long gripped the Northern Territory, police have also charged a man with breaking into a woman’s home and raping her while she slept, ­despite the man being on a good behaviour bond at the time. In another incident, police ­arrested two teenage boys for ­aggravated robbery on Thursday after they allegedly demanded ­alcohol from a 57-year-old man at his home, threatening him with a baseball bat and a tomahawk. One allegedly breached a suspended sentence in doing so, and the other was charged last month for exposing himself to a midwife. The Australian can reveal shocking new details of the latest spate of violent crime to hit the Territory, as NT police on Thursday called in extra officers to conduct an around-the-clock patrol of the besieged Outback city. While the government ­ignored calls from the NT opposition for an immediate curfew on everyone in Alice Springs, Police Commissioner Michael Murphy warned that significant criminal behaviour, including sexual ­assault, abduction and home burglaries, had spilled out of the city centre and into suburban streets. Mr Murphy confirmed there has been a spike in serious crime since December 3, and said police had seen crime shift away from the city and into the suburbs. “It’s totally unacceptable, and people need to feel safe in their homes,” he said. “We’ve seen a shift from really public space and inner-city activity to activity in the suburbs.” Extra police patrols flocked to Alice Springs on Thursday after Mr Murphy and NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro raced to the area in a police aircraft.

>>22157730 Alice Springs residents, leaders vent anger and frustration over violent crime - Alice Springs residents and leaders say they're angry and frustrated at crime in their community and fear they're witnessing "lawlessness" at a level never seen before, as the chief minister and police commissioner fly in to tackle a rise of violent crime. A string of violent incidents in recent days - including a home invasion that left an infant with a fractured skull and the alleged rape of a woman in her own home by an unknown man — prompted the NT leaders to urgently travel to Alice Springs on Thursday. Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said the nature of crime had changed in the town, listing abductions, sexual assaults and home invasions among a string of incidents over the past week. "We've seen the escalation in the suburbs … an escalation from that antisocial behaviour into serious crimes," he said in a press conference on Thursday. Commissioner Murphy said ongoing police operations would be bolstered with extra police from Darwin and repurposed to focus on the suburbs, and a fugitive taskforce would be set up to focus on "high harm" and repeat offenders. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said she would spend the day holding emergency briefings with police and other community leaders, and flagged federal support may be called upon to bolster the local police force.

#38 - Part 87

Australian Politics and Society - Part 55

>>22157799 Scott Morrison says Donald Trump and allies must reclaim global institutions - Scott Morrison says Donald Trump’s win is a chance to better defend global bodies like the World Trade Organisation and World Health Organisation from attempts by autocratic rivals to blunt their effectiveness from within, while also holding domestic elites in the US to a new level of accountability. In a key speech to the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday (Friday AEDT), Mr Morrison warned there was a critical battle for institutions playing out both domestically in the US as well as on the world stage. Mr Morrison took aim at China for flouting World Trade Organisation rules and, in relation to the outbreak of the pandemic, the failure of the World Health Organisation to “properly investigate, to demand information from China.” He said this “cost the lives and livelihoods of millions, and could do so again.” The former prime minister also used his speech to defend Mr Trump from criticism he was seeking to skirt checks on his power by stacking courts, intimidating journalists and revamping the bureaucracy to more fully implement his wishes. Trump was not attacking liberal democratic institutions, but challenging the unaccountable elites who were controlling them with Mr Morrison saying they had accrued “significant cultural, corporate and political power over the past fifty years. The visceral and hysterical reaction to Trump … by the elite class is an acknowledgment of the genuine threat posed to their authority and the potential for the norms they have enshrined being reset,” he said. “This is not a threat to democracy, as they would protest. It is in fact the opposite. It is actually a triumph of liberal democracy in action.”

>>22157820 Conservative US commentator Candace Owens granted NZ visa after government intervention - The controversial US commentator Candace Owens has been granted a visa to enter New Zealand after the government stepped in and reversed Immigration New Zealand’s earlier rejection of her application. The far-right influencer and podcast host, who has advanced conspiracy theories and antisemitic rhetoric, including minimising Nazi medical experiments in concentration camps, was granted a visa after appealing to Chris Penk, the associate minister for immigration. A spokesperson from Penk’s office confirmed to the Guardian on Thursday the minister had exercised his discretion to approve her application. “The minister made his decision after considering representations made to him, including the importance of free speech,” the spokesperson said. Immigration New Zealand originally declined her visa application in November, after Owens was denied entry to Australia in October. Under New Zealand’s Immigration Act, an individual may not be granted a visa if they have been excluded from another country. “Subsequently, Ms Owens requested intervention from the associate minister of immigration to exercise his discretion and grant her a visa,” Penk’s office said. The Free Speech Union, which lobbied the government to grant Owens a visa, praised the associate minister’s decision. “It was appalling to see Immigration New Zealand follow in the footsteps of Australia and deny Owens’ entry on spurious grounds,” said Jonathan Ayling, its chief executive. “It’s a dangerous situation to be in when the state begins to cherrypick which voices we hear from.”

#38 - Part 88

Australian Politics and Society - Part 56

>>22162940 Former defence minister and member for Menzies Kevin Andrews dies aged 69 - Former federal minister Kevin Andrews, 69, has died after a year-long battle with cancer, according to a statement released by his family. The statement, which was posted on X by former prime minister Tony Abbott, said Mr Andrews passed away peacefully overnight, with his wife Margie by his side. The father-of-five represented the blue ribbon seat of Menzies in Melbourne's east for three decades, holding prominent cabinet positions in the Howard and Abbott Coalition governments. He was a senior figure in the Liberal party's right wing who championed conservative causes and served at various times as minister for defence, social services, immigration, ageing and workplace relations. "We are deeply proud of his service to our country, our local community and his party, although shattered by his death after a year-long battle with cancer," the statement said. "Kevin was devoted to his country, his family, and his faith and lived a full life of service. "Right up to his death, he was working on a number of projects, including his memoirs, which we will endeavour to have published posthumously." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Mr Andrews as a strong advocate who was always personable to deal with. "Kevin Andrews was old-school, he could have strong views, but always put them forward in a polite and appropriate way, and he's someone who was respected for that across the parliament," he said. Mr Albanese said he had reached out to Mr Andrews's family to offer a state funeral.

>>22162963 Donald Trump’s unique moment to change the world from day one - Donald Trump has a unique chance to change the world after reclaiming the White House, with transformations in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Indo-Pacific demanding his attention from day one. This is a daunting challenge and opportunity. Not only is the world being shaken by tectonic upheaval and conflict, it must also contend with the ultimate agent of change in Trump - a man committed to a different vision of America’s global mission. Two former Australian prime ministers, Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott, believe that a more experienced Trump will be good for America and the globe, revive the US economy and provide more decisive leadership. They tell Inquirer he will take an unorthodox and robust approach to solving problems - creating fresh challenges — but conclude there will be opportunities and a good news story for Australia. Abbott says the great chance arising from Trump 2.0 is that “a more robust America will create a safer and more prosperous world in the medium term.” He rejected suggestions there would be a return to US isolationism, arguing that Trump “looks like he’s eager to involve himself in all of these various trouble spots and make a positive difference.” Morrison says Trump’s natural instinct is to embrace disruption as a tactic to generate opportunities and wrong-foot his rivals. “That’s always been Trump’s modus operandi. He disrupts and then sees what opportunity can come out of that disruption. He’s very good in chaos,” Morrison says. Asked about the best advice for dealing with Trump, Morrison has two rules. “Listen would be my first advice,” he says. “You don’t have to tell him everything you think you need to tell him in the first five minutes.” The second rule is to disregard the crowd. “Canberra is full of people with preconceived notions,” he says. “Suspend them all. They’re all wrong.”

#38 - Part 89

Australian Politics and Society - Part 57

>>22163076 Puberty blockers for trans youths are banned indefinitely in the United Kingdom after a review found an unacceptable safety risk - The British government has banned the use of puberty blockers for children because they pose “an unacceptable safety risk’’. Existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of ­puberty-suppressing hormones will be made indefinite, following advice from medical experts, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT). The ban will apply to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and also makes it an offence for doctors outside of the UK to prescribe the blockers for British children suffering gender dysphoria. Mr Streeting said he was listening to “clinicians, not politicians” and declared it a scandal that such drugs had been given to trans youths without proof they were safe or effective. “Trans people feel unsafe, unrecognised and unheard and that must change,” he told the House of Commons. “The (puberty blocker) medicine has been provided on grounds of insufficient evidence, and young people go without the care and support they need. “That evidence should have been established before being prescribed for this purpose. It is a scandal such medicine (has been) given to vulnerable young children without proof it is safe, effective or through rigorous safe­guards of a clinical trial.” Some fellow Labour MPs claimed his decision was discriminatory, but the decision was widely lauded among prominent gender-critical voices. Feminist campaigner Helen Joyce said on X that Mr Streeting not only stood firm on the temporary ban on puberty blockers he inherited from the previous government, but he carefully closed loopholes and has now made it indefinite. “This despite a sustained campaign of lies and emotional blackmail,’’ she said. She hailed the move as another step towards puberty blockers being relegated to “a shameful chapter of history”, in which parents and health professionals were emotionally blackmailed into harming children in the name of progress.

>>22166142 Video: Melbourne Storm drops regular Welcome to Country ceremonies before matches - One of Australia’s most respected sporting clubs in Melbourne Storm will no longer hold regular Welcome to Country ceremonies. Melbourne Storm has long held fruitful partnerships with First Nations organisations and is aware the decision has the potential to inflame what has become a sensitive issue since Welcome to Country ceremonies became common place at Australian sporting events. The club, which was unavailable for comment but privately confirmed its decision, said “we’re really keen to let our actions (rather than words) reflect what we stand for as a club in the community”. The club will continue with Welcome to Country for the NRL’s Indigenous round, and highlight a culture that seeks to unite its people in a common goal. Melbourne Storm actually dropped Welcome to Country late in the 2024 season, a decision that received no fanfare at the time but one that has now become an official club call. Storm typically has boasted a number of Indigenous players, in its history, including Josh Addo-Carr, Greg Inglis, Will Chambers, Peter Robinson, Dane Nielsen and Reimes Smith. Welcome to Country ceremonies have drawn some negative reactions in recent times, most notably that delivered by Aboriginal elder Uncle Brendan Kerin prior to the GWS v Brisbane semi-final at Olympic Park in Sydney on Saturday September 14. “A Welcome to Country is not a welcome to Australia (but) a welcome to the lands you’ve gathered on. It is not a ceremony we’ve invented to cater for white people. It’s a ceremony we’ve been doing for 250,000 years -- plus BC. And the BC stands for Before Cook,” said Kerin.

#38 - Part 90

Australian Politics and Society - Part 58

>>22168081 Allan govt confirms Melbourne’s annual Australia Day parade is officially dead - Melbourne’s annual Australia Day Parade is officially dead with the state government confirming there are no plans to revive the event four years after it was canned. The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the Victorian government has no plans to reinstate the event in Melbourne’s CBD next year, while it has also revealed that the official policy from the Department of Premier and Cabinet will give thousands of government workers the option to choose to work on Australia Day and negotiate an alterative day off. A Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesman acknowledged that the day had become controversial and that some smaller events would still be held and that people could choose to work depending on their belief. “We also recognise that January 26 means different things to different people,” they said. “On this day, we encourage conversation and reflection on the different meanings of the day for all Victorians.” Ngarra Murray, Co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, welcomed the decision to not hold the parade in Melbourne. “The Aboriginal community has a range of views on January 26, but whichever way you look at it, it’s a day of mourning for a lot of our people. “So it’s not a date to celebrate.” The decision to scrap the event first happened in 2020 when then premier Daniel Andrews claimed it was cancelled because of COVID-19. But the reason to cancel the march was questioned as the event was being cancelled despite the Boxing Day Test being allowed to go ahead which attracted a crowd of more than 30,000 people.

>>22173736 News Corp boss Michael Miller says Anthony Albanese is ‘wrong’ to suggest the media company is out to get him - News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller has rubbished claims by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that the media company’s mastheads are “working hand in glove” with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to bring down the government. According to reports in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Albanese told a cabinet meeting last Monday that News Corp titles were “cheerleading” for the opposition, and that Labor ministers needed to “deal with” the alleged tactic. But in an exclusive interview with The Australian, Mr Miller said the Prime Minister’s criticism of News Corp was “wrong”. “He called it a campaign - there is no campaign,” Mr Miller said. “His criticism is wrong. Our editors and journalists call it as they see it when it comes to issues of national importance.” Mr Miller said the PM’s narrative that News Corp (publisher of The Australian) was out to get him and his party was a ploy straight out of Labor’s “election playbook”. Several mainstream media outlets had observed that Mr Albanese’s response to the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Australia had been lacking, Mr Miller said, but the Prime Minister chose to specifically lash out at News Corp. “Most media, not just our mastheads, said the Australian government’s response has been delayed and deficient in terms of addressing growing anti-Semitism and the protection of our Jewish communities,” he said. “We weren’t alone in making that point.”

>>22173755 Welcome to Country: Storm to review and overhaul its cultural diversity plan for 2025 - A bold Melbourne Storm has admitted the club will pull back Acknowledgement to Country ceremonies this coming season. And Storm management will undertake a cultural planning review for 2025 to determine how often Welcome to Country, where an elder performs the on-field custom, will be used. Some rival NRL clubs immediately applauded Melbourne’s stance. This masthead has been told Melbourne may instead acknowledge the international cultures and backgrounds of its players next season. Melbourne only engaged in three Welcome of Country formalities this year and will discuss using the same amount next season, which would include Anzac Day and Indigenous Round. All NRL clubs independently determine whether to perform a Welcome to Country ceremony. Sydney NRL clubs are convinced Melbourne is reviewing its cultural acknowledgments because the Storm was becoming too “caught up” trying to copy the AFL’s strong “woke” stance. This masthead spoke with multiple NRL club chief executive’s but none wanted to comment publicly for fear of a political backlash. Several clubs privately claim the AFL was “heavily woke” and that the Storm may have felt a desire to perform cultural ceremonies in AFL-mad Melbourne. “Good on Melbourne Storm,” said one Sydney-based CEO. “The Storm are located in the heartland of the AFL, who are so woke. Melbourne probably felt they had to do every game when they didn’t.” Another CEO said: “The AFL is very woke and every sporting organisation based in Melbourne probably wants to keep up with the AFL.”

#38 - Part 91

Australian Politics and Society - Part 59

>>22173771 Anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons seized in WA Counter Proliferation investigation - Australian Border Force (ABF) officers have seized 29 items, including grenades, a trip mine and an anti-aircraft round, during search warrants in Perth's north east. The ABF's Counter Proliferation team began investigating an Australian man, 31, after officers at the Sydney International Mail Gateway x-rayed a package from Kazakhstan destined for Perth, in August 2024. Officers suspected the consignment was a World War II era weapon, and referred it to the Department of Defence's Joint Explosive Ordinance Support (JEOS) team. The item was identified as a German anti-tank projectile. Last Tuesday (10 December 2024) ABF officers, supported by the West Australian Police Force (WAPF) and JEOS, executed two simultaneous search warrants at residences in Bassendean and Bellevue. The ABF seized items including stick grenades, ammunition, trip mine, anti-aircraft round, daggers, flags with Nazi iconography and digital devices. JEOS specialists confirmed the weapons did not currently contain explosive material, but could have the potential to be repurposed and used as an explosive device. "The proliferation of military-grade technology and weapons of mass destruction is a complex global issue that requires coordinated efforts," Superintendent James Ryan said. "Counter proliferation isn't only the physical interdiction of illicit goods but also the intelligence, collaboration and coordination with our partners, that supports our operational activity. Anyone attempting to import military grade weapons is a concern to us and a threat to Australia's national security."

>>22179588 Video: Under fire: New video shows Australians at war in Ukraine - Dramatic footage has emerged of Australians fighting Russian forces in Ukraine showing the chaos and horror on the frontline as their unit is targeted by drones and enemy gunfire. It is believed to have been shot by Geelong man Noah Tassalini, 19, who is serving with Ukraine’s 16th Battalion. The GoPro footage, posted online, shows his unit taking heavy fire as it shoots at unseen Russian soldiers and drones flying overhead. Several Australian voices can be heard, with one yelling “I’m going to skin you!” across enemy lines. The video was shot in October as the Australians joined Ukrainian troops trying to repel Russia’s 336th Marines in Eastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. There is swearing as the Australians fire unsuccessfully at a drone, and laughter as they take cover in the trenches after surviving a burst of enemy fire. “Missed us!” one of the Australians yells, as another tells him to “relax”. The Australian was unable to contact Mr Tassalini, but in recent posts on Reddit he said he was recovering from “some pretty sever (sic) contusions and other bits and bobs”. In earlier comments to Seven News, he said he joined Ukraine’s foreign legion in February. “I didn’t want to sit around in Australia and watch it all happen. I just wanted to come here and actually do something,” Mr Tassalini said.

>>22179612 Video: Bushmaster IMV in the Kursk Region, Russia. Australian Armor in Service with UA Air Assault Forces - The Australian Bushmaster is a so-called Infantry, or Protected Mobility Vehicle. It was deployed during the occupation of Afghanistan, but since the withdrawal of Western forces from the Hindu Kush, the government in Canberra decided to send the Bushmaster to Ukraine, where it is helping Ukrainian Air Assault Forces during their dangerous missions in Kursk Oblast.

#38 - Part 92

Australian Politics and Society - Part 60

>>22185075 Video: Australia sends 'immediate' search and rescue assistance to Vanuatu following powerful earthquake - At least 14 people have died and hundreds more have been injured after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck off Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation. Rescuers worked through the night trying to reach some people yelling under the rubble. The Red Cross reported the latest toll early on Wednesday, citing government sources. An official at Port Vila's hospital told Vanuatu's national broadcaster VBTC that more than 50 were injured. Australia is sending urgent assistance to Vanuatu where the death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue teams work to reach people trapped under collapsed buildings. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the earthquake caused "significant damage", adding that Australia would send urban search and rescue teams, as well as emergency medical assistance, to help recovery efforts. "We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide further assistance to the people of Vanuatu as the extent of damage becomes clear," Senator Wong said in a joint statement with Matt Keogh, the acting minister for international development. "Australia and Vanuatu share a deep and enduring partnership. We are family and we will always be there in times of need."

>>22185111 OPINION: Welcome to Country isn’t for every occasion. Good on you, Melbourne Storm -"The news of the Melbourne Storm reviewing their Welcome to Country policy is good, but hardly controversial. What we know is the Storm are not doing away with Welcomes to Country. They are engaging with Indigenous communities to consider the way in which they recognise Indigenous people and culture at home games. Quite specifically, they have said they will keep the ceremonies at culturally significant celebrations. So let’s be clear - we have an entity that is still committed to performing these ceremonies at certain events and is working collaboratively with Indigenous groups as to how it recognises Indigenous culture and people. And the punishment for that sin? Being brandished as an oppressive force in the demotion of Indigenous recognition. If you want the Australian public to grasp the reality of these ceremonies, if their sacred and genuine nature is to be preserved, my advice: cease with the activism. Because while the historical form of these ceremonies may be up for debate, I am quite sure that the most accurate versions are not those that include a lecture in colonial guilt. Have the ceremony, but lose the extremism. It only discredits the person performing it and risks alienating the broader community. So, have the Welcome to Country, but also allow people to think about when and how that’s best done. Let’s not crowd out the nuance, and importantly, let’s not lose sight of what we’re trying to achieve for Indigenous Australians. Sounds a bit like what the Melbourne Storm are doing; and for that, they should be congratulated. The way I see it, they are an example to the majority of good-hearted Australians who genuinely want the best for their fellow citizens but want to consider the best way to do that. That’s an Australia I would love to see, the kind of Australia I know we can be." - Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, senator for the Northern Territory and the federal opposition’s spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians - smh.com.au

>>22191537 Australia to reopen embassy in Kyiv almost three years after Russian invasion - Australia will reopen its embassy in war-torn Kyiv next month, almost three years since its diplomats fled to neighbouring Poland in the days ahead of Russia’s brutal invasion. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, on her first visit to Ukraine since Putin’s troops rolled across the border in February 2022, confirmed Australia’s ambassador would return full-time in January, as the country faces growing pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump for the war to end. Wong, the first member of the federal government to visit the capital since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in July 2022, also pledged $66 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to assist with Ukraine’s vital recovery and reconstruction efforts. Another $10 million would also be given in assistance to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to provide heat and electricity for Ukrainians, she said. Wong said her visit came as a pivotal moment in the war almost three years since Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, decided to invade. She said Russian President Vladimir Putin had “sunk to new lows” in using North Korean soldiers, and it was a reminder that the security of both the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific was interconnected.

#38 - Part 93

Australian Politics and Society - Part 61

>>22202424 148 Australians return home from Vanuatu as rescuers continue search for earthquake survivors - Australians who were caught up in this week's Vanuatu earthquake have returned home on RAAF flights overnight. A total of 148 Australian evacuees were on board, with the RAAF standing by to mount more missions if required. Images released by DFAT showed some of the Australians boarding an RAAF Globemaster transport plane in Port Vila. Port Vila's commercial airport is still closed following the magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck near the capital on Wednesday. Australian aid teams also arrived in Vanuatu to assist in desperate search and rescue efforts for people believed to be trapped under flattened buildings in Port Vila. A 64-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and two search dogs arrived the day after the magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck near Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila. On top of that, a six-person Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) are now on the ground and nine Australian Federal Police members will work alongside the Vanuatu Police Force on command and control. The death toll has been revised from 14 to nine but is still expected to rise, according to Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office. Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong described the earthquake as a "dreadful tragedy" and said Australian aid would help in critical recovery efforts.

>>22202611 Musk is ‘ready to bankroll’ UK populist Farage. Is Australia next? - British populist leader Nigel Farage has been memorably photographed drinking a pint of goats’ testicles for a reality TV show in Australia, and copping a banana milkshake all over his pinstripe suit while campaigning in Essex. But a potentially more significant addition to his political photo album emerged on social media this week, taken at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Standing in front of an eye-catchingly tacky portrait of the resort’s owner is an awkward-looking trio: Farage, his Reform UK party’s money-bags treasurer, Nick Candy, and Elon Musk. The reason? Tesla founder and X owner Musk pumped high-octane financial and tech support into Trump’s election bid and gave it lift-off. Now, he is mulling whether he might similarly rev up Farage’s momentum in Britain. Newspaper reports have suggested Musk could use X’s British subsidiary to furnish Reform UK - which has only five MPs in the 650-seat House of Commons, but got 4 million votes in the July election and came second in 98 seats – with up to $US100 million ($157 million). Farage says that no cheques have been written, and that even if Musk does decide to pony up the dough it will be nothing like this much. Could Musk visit his populist-reformist zeal on Australia, too? Possibly even quietly encouraged by Mar-a-Lago’s Aussie habitués, such as Gina Rinehart? Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that one of Musk’s chief concerns is with the country’s Online Safety Act, which puts onerous responsibilities on social media companies to police their own content. Musk has also been watching this debate in Australia. When an X user posted on Australia’s disinformation bill in September, Musk retweeted it with a single word: “Fascists”. For Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and even for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, the concern should be that this kernel of antipathy could metastasise into the kind of antagonism he is venting at Britain.

>>22204058 Qube Ports faces more strikes across Australia - Strikes at major Australian ports are set to continue in an ongoing dispute between unionised workers and Qube Ports over contract negotiations. Work stoppages will take place in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Gladstone, Melbourne, and Port Kembla. On Monday, union members went on strike at 10 ports around the country for a day, but they have been sporadically conducting lower-level industrial action throughout Australia since September. Upcoming industrial actions will affect ports handling bulk goods, including grains, steel, and machinery. Additionally, all participating port workers plan to stage eight-hour stoppages when vessels berth. Qube’s major coal, grain, and fertiliser operation in Port Kembla in Wollongong is facing 13 rolling work stoppages between December 20 and January 3. The dispute between the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and Qube Ports has been ongoing since contract negotiations broke down in April 2024. The MUA accused Qube of deliberately delaying negotiations and has been calling on the government to intervene and prevent the company from bypassing collective bargaining. Qube has offered its staff an 18% wage rise over four years but the union is also asking for changes to current rostering rules that let the company determine workers’ shifts at 4pm the day before they begin and fatigue management rules to prevent company managers from allocating dangerous work patterns.

#38 - Part 94

Australian Politics and Society - Part 62

>>22214254 Video: Russian social media video appears to show Australian man captured in Ukraine - Russia's ambassador to Australia has been hauled in for a meeting with diplomatic officials as concerns grow for a Melbourne man captured while fighting for Ukraine's armed forces. Pro-Kremlin social media accounts posted a video on Sunday showing a man with his hands tied and dirt across his face being hit across the head as an unseen person questions him in Russian. In response, the man identifies himself as 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins and, speaking in both English and Ukrainian, says he is a biology teacher who lives in Australia and Ukraine. He was asked about why he was in Kramatorsk - almost 700 kilometres east of Kyiv — and if he was being paid to fight. The ABC has independently verified Mr Jenkins' identity. Russian Ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky met with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials for about half an hour on Monday afternoon, but declined to comment as he entered and left the headquarters. Acting Foreign Minister Mark Dreyfus said the government had made representations to Russia and urged them to comply with international law, while they worked to locate Mr Jenkins and provided consular assistance to his family. "We urge the Russian government to fully adhere to its obligations under international humanitarian law, including with respect to prisoners of war," he said. "Our immediate priority is understanding where Mr Jenkins is and confirming his wellbeing." Both Russia and Australia are parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention which sets out the rules for the treatment of prisoners of war, including that they are protected from violence. Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the video was "concerning" and that the Australian embassy in Moscow and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) were investigating it. "We are working through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide support including for this gentleman, trying to ascertain the details and the facts," he said. "We know that the Russians often put out information that isn't right, so our embassy in Moscow is working but in addition to that Foreign Affairs and Trade are working here as well."

>>22214281 Video: ‘Prisoner swap or gulag’: Aussie Cossack Simeon Boikov asks to be exchange for captured mercenary Oscar Jenkins - Self-styled “Aussie Cossack” Simeon Boikov says he is ready to be swapped for a Melbourne man captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine, declaring a prisoner exchange will save Australian mercenary Oscar Jenkins from a Russian gulag. Hours after Russian forces released video of Mr Jenkins being interrogated after his capture in Donbas, Australian-born Boikov, who has been holed up in Russia’s Sydney consulate for more than two years in defiance of two police warrants, said Mr Jenkins “doesn’t have many other choices”. “It’s clear on the video that they’re interrogating him, and they’ve been beating him as they’re interrogating him, because the Russians don’t look kindly upon mercenaries,” he told The Australian. “So the only way this Jenkins character is ever going to return back to Australia safely and quickly is if there’s a deal on the table. And I’m happy to be part of a deal.” The Russian video, circulated on Telegram, shows Mr Jenkins being interrogated after his capture in Donbas and telling his captors he is 32 and lives in both Australia and Ukraine. Dressed in camouflage and with dirt on his face, Mr Jenkins is hit on the side of the head twice in the footage, with his Russian military interrogator saying in Russian: “Don’t blame me for slapping you.” Boikov said he had appealed to Russian officials: “Don’t beat him. Don’t kill him. Let’s exchange him.”

#38 - Part 95

Australian Politics and Society - Part 63

>>22214304 Australia demands answers from Russian ambassador over Australian prisoner of war - A Melbourne man fighting as part of Ukraine’s foreign legion has become the first known Australian soldier captured by Russian forces in the Donbas region and paraded on social media as a Western mercenary. The Russian ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky, was called into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday afternoon after footage of 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins, with his hands tied and being slapped across the face by a man speaking Russian, was widely circulated on social media platform Telegram on Sunday. Acting foreign minister Mark Dreyfus said Australia was seeking urgent updates on Jenkins’ whereabouts and wellbeing. Army veteran Glenn Kolomeitz, who has advised Ukraine’s foreign forces, said several Australians had been killed while fighting with the international legion against Russia’s invasion. “This is the first Australian to be captured,” he said. “Russia is clearly exploiting that fact through its information operations, its propaganda machine. They’ll continue to do that, and use this as some kind of leverage with the Australian government because they know Australia has been a big supporter of Ukraine since day one.” This masthead has independently confirmed Jenkins’ identity as a former student at Melbourne Grammar, one of Victoria’s most prestigious schools. He graduated in 2010, studied biomedical sciences at Monash University and moved to China in 2015. Since 2017 he has been working as a lecturer at Tianjin college. In video footage shared widely by pro-Putin accounts, Jenkins, speaking in both English and broken Ukrainian, gave his name and age and said he was a biology teacher who joined the armed forces because he wanted to help Ukraine.

>>22214323 Video: Melbourne friend describes ex-Melbourne Grammar student Oscar Jenkins as a talented athlete with ‘big heart’ - An old school friend of Oscar Jenkins described him as a well-liked guy with a “big heart” and a supremely talented athlete who dropped off the radar when he moved to China in 2015. The friend said the school community was in a state of shock at the news of Mr Jenkins’ capture by Russian forces. “I think we’re all a bit shocked to see what has happened to Oscar in Ukraine,” the friend said. “It’s awful to see an old school friend being held prisoner, seeing him in military clothing being detained is really disturbing.” Mr Jenkins graduated from Melbourne Grammar School in 2010, before studying at Monash University and then moving to China, where he has been working as a teacher for most of the last decade. Mr Jenkins excelled at cricket, footy and athletics during his time at school, with a picture shared by his friend showing Mr Jenkins running hard in a school relay race. However, the friend said Mr Jenkins’ Australian mates had heard basically nothing from him since he left the country. “Oscar was a great sports person and was well liked,” Mr Jenkins’ friend said. “He had a big heart and a good sense of humour. He went off to China to teach a few years ago, and after that lost touch with a lot of his Australian mates.”

#38 - Part 96

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 1

>>21768209 WA Premier tells Port Hedland council 'stick to knitting' after anti-COVID vaccine motion passes - The Western Australia Premier has told a council in the state's north to "stick to its knitting" after it passed a motion urging state and federal governments to suspend some COVID-19 vaccinations. The Town of Port Hedland held a special council meeting on Friday and has instructed its chief executive to write to authorities nationwide to immediately stop the use of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The motion centred on a conspiracy theory about DNA contamination from COVID vaccines. Premier Roger Cook said the Port Hedland council had gone "off the rails" by spreading the unverified claim. "The Town of Port Hedland should stick to its knitting," the Premier said. "It should stay focused on the services and people of that community. "It's another example of that council lacking the focus on the issues which matter to their constituents … making sure they look after the people, not get distracted by these silly ideological debates." The Town of Port Hedland councillor who put forward the motion, Adrian McRae, ran as a candidate for the Great Australia Party, which campaigned against vaccine mandates at the 2022 federal election. He made headlines earlier this year over his appearance on Russian state television endorsing the transparency of Vladimir Putin's election victory. Cr McRae agreed that weighing in on national vaccine policy was not the council's job, but said state and federal governments had failed to take community concerns about the safety of COVID vaccines seriously. The DNA argument surfaced during the pandemic and has been discredited by several international bodies and the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. "DNA is stored in the protected centre of our cells - the nucleus. The mRNA is broken down quickly by the body. It never enters the nucleus and cannot affect or combine with our DNA in any way to change our genetic code," the department's website reads.

>>21853246 COVID-19 inquiry finds vaccine ‘strollout’ cost lives, eroded trust - The Morrison government’s delays procuring COVID-19 vaccines cost lives and delivered a $31 billion hit to the economy, while Australians have lost trust in government and the health system is still struggling, the first wide-ranging inquiry into the national response to the virus has found. The report, released on Tuesday afternoon, revealed more than $210 billion in federal government stimulus aimed at protecting the economy amplified the inflation pressures still working their way through the country. Almost five years later, it said children were still suffering from mental health and academic consequences of school closures, people are now more reluctant to receive vaccines, families experienced higher levels of domestic violence, and elective surgery backlogs still plague hospitals. The year-long inquiry, compiled by senior public servant Robyn Kruk, experienced economist Angela Jackson and infectious disease expert Catherine Bennett, found Australia had done very well in handling the pandemic. They said it had fared well compared to other countries that experienced a larger loss of life, health system collapse and more severe economic downturns. But there could have been less collateral damage. A new Australian Centre for Disease Control, which the Albanese government on Tuesday said would be operating by 2026, was central to their recommendations for evidence-based approaches that build trust.

#38 - Part 97

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 2

>>21853276 Anthony Albanese has failed to bash Scott Morrison and shield premiers with this Covid-19 report - "It’s little surprise that Anthony Albanese didn’t turn up for the release of inquiry findings into the Morrison government’s handling of the pandemic. Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, it was probably more notable for its praise of Scott Morrison, describing leadership at the national level as “courageous”. The final report handed down in Canberra on Tuesday afternoon was considered by cabinet on Monday. It has had 24 hours to pick through the 800 pages and find the worst of it. The problem is that at least in the initial stages of the pandemic, the report found the Australian government’s response was considered world-leading. Two words used in a background briefing to journalists were “amazing” and “remarkable”. Unsurprisingly, it had its fair set of criticisms, of what could be done better and what should and should not be done in future. Every Australian lived through the deprivation of liberties and is now living with the consequences. But the Prime Minister has been denied another final nail to hammer into his predecessor’s coffin, if that was the motivation when he pledged before the last election to hold a royal commission-style inquiry. “The inquiry considers that the decisive and difficult decisions taken by the prime minister and other Australian government ministers at the outset of the pandemic demonstrated courageous leadership and actions consistent with the precautionary principle,” it said. “The rapid response leaders implemented protected Australian lives in the first wave and set us on a path that reduced the overall negative impacts of the pandemic. “Above all, Australia’s success in responding to the pandemic was a testament to the willingness to put community interests ahead of self-interests and to all do our bit as part of ‘Team Australia’”." - Simon Benson, Political Editor - theaustralian.com.au

>>21955697 ‘Whitewash’: New Zealand foreign minister blasts Australian COVID inquiry - New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has blasted the Australian government’s inquiry into the handling of the pandemic while warning Canberra against taking further steps to make deporting New Zealand-born criminals easier. The 79-year-old leader of the conservative New Zealand First Party is in his third stint as New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, having previously served in the role in Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government and Jim Bolger’s National government. “You guys haven’t had a review, you’ve had a whitewash,” Peters said in Auckland about the Albanese government’s COVID inquiry released last month. “And I’m out to make sure it doesn’t happen in my country … We are going to get to the truth.” Ardern established a royal commission into the pandemic in 2022 that has since been expanded and extended under Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who leads the conservative National Party. As demanded by Peters, the royal commission will also examine use of vaccines and vaccine mandates, social and economic impacts of COVID policies and whether similar public health benefits could have been achieved with shorter lockdowns. Peters said New Zealand’s tough response to COVID, while understandably strict at the beginning of the pandemic, became a “disaster” over time as “basic factual incongruities” were ignored in a bid to stamp out the virus. Shutting schools for extended periods was a damaging decision, he said. “Children were the least vulnerable [to the virus], and we knew that, but we shut the whole thing down,” he said. “The cost to New Zealand is that we are still struggling to come out of that malaise. That is accentuated by our massive levels of truancy. If we hadn’t closed our primary schools, that would not have happened. But there’s an unwillingness to say we got it wrong.”

#38 - Part 98

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 3

>>21961370 Too many journalists slipped into activist mode on Covid, and then Donald Trump - "This column, forecasting a Trump election win, last week expressed surprise so many news consumers remain loyal to media sources that regularly get things hopelessly wrong, even national elections. The left-liberal US media got Trump and the electorate wrong for nine years but last week showed little sign of understanding why. This column was reminded of the sullen faces on the ABC on election night 2019 when Liberal leader Scott Morrison beat Labor’s Bill Shorten. A similar example here was coverage by parts of the media, but particularly the ABC, of the Covid pandemic and rules imposed by federal and state governments to deal with it. Many reporters behaved like political enforcers rather than questioning journalists. Some at the ABC even referred to health editor Norman Swan as a “single source of truth on Covid”. Yet his public forecasts in 2020 of the imminent collapse of the hospital system were utterly wrong. This may be why the federal government’s 871-page inquiry into Covid, released on October 29, landed with a dead cat bounce. If you don’t have the time or energy to read it, an easy way to understand what really happened in 2020 is to look at the testimony of US health chief Anthony Fauci before the US House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Fauci freely admitted many of the harshest rules he oversaw had no science behind them and were simply best guesses. There had never been any work to assess the US “six feet separation” rule or mask-wearing for children. The federal report says many children’s mental health was severely affected by lockdowns and millions of children’s educational results were hampered by remote learning. Yet the ABC’s Swan told Radio National in March 2020: “We’ve just got to shut down schools … the risk to your child is low but it’s a public health measure because children spread the virus. And my feeling is we are, to be blunt, dicking around.”" - Chris Mitchell - theaustralian.com.au

>>22008537 Video: RFK Jr’s vaccine views ‘dangerous’, cousin Caroline Kennedy warns Australian audience - The outgoing US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, has labelled her cousin Robert F Kennedy Jr’s views on vaccines “dangerous”. After a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on Monday, Caroline Kennedy took aim at a number of Trump administration appointees including Tulsi Gabbard, warning that her appointment would “obviously … be of great concern”. Donald Trump has nominated RFK Jr to oversee US health agencies, despite his propagation of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, and Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, despite her being a vocal supporter of Russia. Caroline Kennedy told reporters that as an ambassador, she’s “not supposed to comment on politics and now you’re asking me to also comment on family”. “But, yes, I think Bobby Kennedy’s views on vaccines are dangerous … but I don’t think that most Americans share them. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. “But certainly he’s - you know, I grew up with him. So, I have known all this for a long time and others are just getting to know him.” She noted her uncle Ted Kennedy “spent 50 years fighting for affordable healthcare in the Senate”, work that the former president Barack Obama built on with the Affordable Care Act. “My Aunt Eunice started the Special Olympics and the national institute of maternal and child health is now named after her. “So I would say that our family is united in terms of our support for the public health sector and infrastructure and has the greatest admiration for the medical profession in our country, and Bobby Kennedy has got a different set of views.”

#38 - Part 99

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 4

>>22022601 Former celebrity chef Pete Evans to publish cookbook with RFK Jr - Former celebrity chef turned conspiracy theorist Pete Evans has teamed up with anti-vaxxer and Donald Trump’s pick for US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, to produce a new cookbook for children. In the book, titled Healthy Food for Healthy Kids, Evans has created 120 paleo- and keto-friendly meals for children that will be published by Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defence, one of the largest US anti-vaccine groups. “So pleased and thankful that Robert Kennedy Jr set this up for me with his Children’s Health Defence team,” Evans posted on Telegram, the Daily Mail reported, before the post was removed. “Stay tuned for more.” The book, which is available for pre-order, will be released in January 2025. In 2015, another children’s paleo cookbook co-authored by Evans was dumped by publisher Pan Macmillan after dietitians and doctors widely criticised it. The book, Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way, recommended feeding infants a DIY baby formula made from bone broth. Evans’ latest cookbook came after he met Kennedy in January 2020 just before the outbreak of COVID-19 when he was invited to Kennedy’s home in Los Angeles to film an interview with him. The two became known during the pandemic for regularly posting debunked conspiracy theories about COVID-19. That was the same year that Evans was dumped from his $800,000 a year gig as co-host of Sevens’ My Kitchen Rules, and that he was fined $25,000 by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for selling a device called a “BioCharger”. The device, which critics mocked as a “glorified lava lamp”, claimed it could help with the “Wuhan coronavirus”. The TGA said this claim had no apparent foundation.

>>22064755 NSW government to withdraw and repay more than 23,000 fines issued during the COVID-19 pandemic - The NSW government will withdraw and repay more than 23,000 fines issued during the COVID-19 pandemic after receiving fresh legal advice. More than 50,000 penalty notices were issued for breaching public health orders during the height of the pandemic, according to the government. In 2022, Revenue NSW withdrew more than 36,000 penalty notices because the NSW Commissioner of Fines Administration found that those penalty notices did not comply with the Fines Act. The commissioner found the penalty notices did not sufficiently detail the description of the offence committed. Revenue NSW said at the time it did "not mean the offences were not committed" and the remaining fines would "still be required to be paid if not already resolved". But the remaining 23,539 COVID-19 fines were not withdrawn because the government said they were "formulated differently" with a clearer explanation of the offence. On Tuesday, the government announced it would also cancel those fines and refund individuals $5.5 million because the notices contained insufficient details. In a statement, Commissioner of Fines Administration Scott Johnston said he has exercised his statutory authority to withdraw the fines. "Following representations made to the commissioner of police and myself concerning the validity of COVID-19 penalty notices, I have decided to exercise my statutory authority and withdraw these notices," he said. "Revenue NSW will be reaching out to all affected customers to support them through the finalisation of their matters."

#38 - Part 100

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 5

>>22104830 True state of vaccine hesitancy revealed as Moderna factory opens - Commercial scale mRNA vaccines will be produced onshore for the first time in Australia with the opening of US pharma company Moderna’s Melbourne factory, as new analysis reveals six in ten of all parents are feeling distressed since the pandemic over vaccinating their children. As the US pharmaceutical company Moderna officially opens a commercial-scale mRNA manufacturing facility in Melbourne on Wednesday morning - three years since a $2 billion deal was secured by the Morrison government early in the pandemic – vaccination sentiment and trust in public health is under the spotlight. Moderna - which grew from a US biotech company to a global pharma giant during the pandemic as mRNA technology came of age – is producing test batches and awaiting final ­licensing approval to produce Covid-19 vaccines. Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccines for the over 60s are approved by the FDA and are under review by the regulator in Australia. A combined Covid-influenza vaccine is also planned. Moderna’s supply of mRNA vaccines from its factory at the Monash Technology Precinct in Clayton in Melbourne’s southeast shores up sovereign manufacturing of mRNA vaccines in Australia and is an important step in future pandemic preparedness. These preventive treatments have revolutionised immunisation and have broad horizons in the future including expanding to the treatment of cancer and potentially genetic diseases. The Moderna deal also links Australian scientists with an international pathway of research and development. Fourteen clinical trials advancing the technology are already underway. Federal health minister Mark Butler, who will attend the factory opening on Wednesday, described sovereign supply as “a major step forward in helping protect Australians against future pandemics”. Mr Butler referenced last month upon the release of the Covid-19 Response Inquiry final report, concerning issues of trust in public health post-pandemic and cited a precipitous decline in childhood vaccination. Even though Moderna is not producing vaccines on the children’s National Immunisation Schedule, medical affairs director in Australia, Dr Andrea McCracken, said vaccine sentiment was something that the company was closely monitoring amid a large degree of confusion in the community about when and for whom Covid-19 boosters were advised. Australia also faced a significant challenge in its influenza vaccination rates. “Covid has not gone away, … one of the challenges is obviously around vaccine fatigue. People were faced with all sorts of information that was very confusing, and there was a lot of misinformation. There was advice that wasn’t necessarily clear and transparent. I think that all we can do is keep presenting the evidence, and that evidence-based research I think will resonate with many individuals.”

>>22077791 Victoria records spike in Covid cases ahead of Christmas - Victoria is recording a sharp rise in Covid infections ahead of the Christmas period, with chief health officer Dr Clare Looker urging at-risk residents to take precautions now. In its latest Covid surveillance report ending November 26, the state’s health department recorded a spike in the number of people in hospital with Covid, with the seven day average now at 197, a 59 per cent increase from the same period in October. The department also says the number of notified cases has increased 44 per cent in the last month. Dr Looker urged Victorians to take steps this week to protect themselves and those around them, particular at-risk groups. “It’s the simple things that can have a big impact,” she said. “If you’re feeling sick, please stay home. If you need to go out, or you’re visiting a higher risk setting like an age care home or a hospital, it’s a good idea to wear a mask.”

#38 - Part 101

Julian Assange: Indictment, Extradition, Plea Deal and Freedom - Part 1

>>21803697 Julian Assange’s dad thanks Putin for his ‘support’ - The father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he’s grateful to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the long-standing support of his son amid his ongoing “persecution” by Western authorities. John Shipton, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday ahead of the BRICS international summit, told Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti that Putin was “the first head of state to defend Julian’s interests as a publisher and a citizen” in 2012. He said Putin’s support came as his son was receiving “every smearing lie and calumny that the institutions of state and those hangers-on in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia could deliver upon his head.” “Putin defended his interests as a publisher and journalist. For that, I extend my affection to your president. And my thanks,” he said. Shipton is in the country at the invitation of Russian journalist Mira Terada, co-chair of the BRICS Journalists’ Association. The BRICS is an alliance started by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Shipton also praised controversial populist, pro-Russian European leaders - Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Robert Fico – and warned of the dangers of information control and the role of “colour revolutions” in destabilising several former Soviet nations. Shipton claimed non-government organisations and news agencies, news publishers and journalists were being heavily influenced by the United States government to attempt to undermine the cohesion of the state.

>>21803724 Sputnik Tweet: Video: BIG NEWS: ASSANGE’S FATHER EXTENDS GRATITUDE TO PUTIN FOR DEFENDING HIS SON IN 2012 - John Shipton, Julian Assange's father, has thanked President Vladimir Putin, noting that in 2012, Putin was the first head of state to defend Assange’s rights as a publisher and journalist. At a time when Assange faced relentless smears from the US, UK, and Australia, Shipton acknowledged Putin's support. "For that, I extend my affection to your president," he told Sputnik. Shipton, founder of Australia's now-defunct Wikileaks Party, arrived in Moscow on Saturday night at the invitation of the BRICS Journalists Association and its co-chair Mira Terada, a human rights advocate and publicist.

>>21803724 Stella Assange Tweet - My father-in-law John Shipton does not speak for my husband. As anyone who has followed Julian already knows, Julian believes in extreme skepticism when it comes to all states with large intelligence sectors, who have committed war crimes, engaged in censorship, or sought to imprison or assassinate journalists. Our family is culturally and politically diverse and dinners are sometimes… interesting! #InterestingFamilyDinners #LoveConquersAll

>>21839262 How Julian Assange’s father is derailing his chance of a US presidential pardon - Julian Assange’s dictator-loving dad John Shipton, who has links to the Communist Party of Australia, is derailing his chances of a US presidential pardon. The father of the WikiLeaks founder was in Russia this week praising Vladimir Putin but he has also previously met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad who used chemical weapons on his own people. And Mr Shipton, 80, has been a guest of the Australian Communist Party in Perth and accepted an invitation from Ireland’s Communist Party to speak in Brussels. Australia spent significant political capital to get Assange out of London’s maximum security Belmarsh prison in June where he was being held while the United States attempted to extradite him on spying charges. Assange’s brother Gabe Shipton has been lobbying United States President Joe Biden to grant him a pardon before he leaves office in January. But John Shipton’s Russia propaganda visit has dented those hopes, which were already optimistic given fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton had labelled Assange a “tool of Russian intelligence” after WikiLeaks published damaging emails that derailed her 2016 election campaign. Stella Assange distanced herself from Mr Shipton’s Russian visit this week. “Anyone who has followed Julian already knows Julian believes in extreme scepticism when it comes to all states with large intelligence sectors, who have committed war crimes, engaged in censorship, or sought to imprison or assassinate journalists,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

#38 - Part 102

Julian Assange: Indictment, Extradition, Plea Deal and Freedom - Part 2

>>22064772 US lawmakers urge Biden to pardon Assange to send ‘clear message’ on media freedom - President Joe Biden has been urged to pardon Julian Assange by two US congressmen who warn they are “deeply concerned” the WikiLeaks founder’s guilty plea deal sets a precedent for prosecuting journalists and whistleblowers with espionage offences. James McGovern, a progressive Democrat from Massachusetts, and Thomas Massie, a libertarian Republican from Kentucky, wrote to the president with the bipartisan request to pardon the Australian publisher earlier in November. The pair urged Biden to “send a clear message that the US government under your leadership will not target or investigate journalists and media outlets simply for doing their jobs”. In a letter dated 1 November, McGovern and Massie expressed “appreciation” that the criminal case had been resolved and an extradition request to the United Kingdom dropped, bringing “an end to Mr Assange’s protracted detention and [allowing] him to reunite with his family and return to his home country of Australia”. But the pair said they were “deeply concerned” the deal required Assange, a publisher, to “plead guilty to felony charges”. McGovern and Massie, who previously worked with other members of Congress to call for the charges to be dropped, urged Biden to pardon Assange, arguing “a pardon would remove the precedent set by the plea”.

>>22064779 All eyes on Biden as timeline ticks for Assange pardon - Julian Assange supporters are confident Australia can place political pressure on US President Joe Biden to grant the Wikileaks founder a pardon before he leaves office. Assange's wife Stella and his brother Gabriel Shipton were lobbying MPs in Canberra on Wednesday for support to put diplomatic pressure on America for a pardon to be granted during the dying days of the Biden administration. Mr Shipton said time was running out for a pardon to be secured before Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. "The parliament was integral to getting Julian out and they were the key to unlock his cell basically and they can continue and finish the job and push for this pardon," he told AAP. "There's a ticking clock going on for when the president can make the decision to pardon Julian." Mr Shipton said there was concern a pardon would not be issued with Mr Trump being back in the White House. He indicated Mr Albanese could hold significant sway with Mr Biden in securing a pardon for the WikiLeaks founder. "When (Albanese) was advocating for Julian, a lot of the firewall was on the separation of powers and that we could not interfere with the US Department of Justice process," he said. "Now that the process is at a conclusion, it really is in the power of President Biden to unwind this precedent that originated with the Trump administration. (A pardon) would be a real coup for the prime minister."

>>22208854 Julian Assange Doc Pulled From Sundance, Won’t Be Completed in Time Due to ‘Unexpected Developments’ - “The Six Billion Dollar Man,” a new documentary from Eugene Jarecki about Julian Assange, will no longer premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January as “recent and unexpected developments” have occurred that make it impossible for the movie to be completed on time. The Sundance-winning “House I Live In” filmmaker revealed on Friday that the film has been withdrawn so he can properly finish it before it premieres. “The truth is, significant recent and unexpected developments have emerged at the heart of the story which, if not incorporated in the version for Sundance, would not represent a finished film. Sundance has shaped my career and been a cornerstone of my journey - only something of this magnitude could make me withdraw,” Jarecki explained in a statement. The film was due to play as a special screening, not in competition, when the festival gets underway at the end of January. Per the Sundance synopsis, the documentary followed Assange facing a possible 175 years in prison for exposing U.S. war crimes and the ensuing case.

>>22224007 Video: Stella Assange Tweet: Merry Christmas to everyone from Julian, Stella, and our kids, Gabriel and Max. May the new year bring a steadfast push for peace and dignity for all.

#38 - Part 103

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 1

>>21755730 An AUKUS First, Seven Royal Australian Navy Enlisted Sailors Graduate Nuclear Power School - Demonstrating another significant milestone for the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) trilateral security partnership, 12 Royal Australian Navy uniformed personnel, including the first seven enlisted sailors, graduated from the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power School at Joint Base Charleston-Naval Weapons Station, Oct. 11. The enlisted Royal Australian Navy sailors, who trained alongside U.S. sailors, began the naval nuclear power training pipeline in October 2023. Since then, they have been learning their specific rates, as well as the fundamentals of design, operation and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plans. These sailors are the vanguard of Australia establishing a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered, submarine (SSN) fleet in the early 2030s. “Naval Nuclear Power training is exceptionally rigorous and to have seven Australian sailors and five officers complete the program and move on to the Nuclear Power Training Unit takes us one step closer to operating our own SSNs,” said Chief of the Royal Australian Navy Vice Adm. Mark Hammond. “Two days after assuming command of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, I presided over the graduation of the first three Royal Australian Navy officers from Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit Charleston,” shared Adm. Bill Houston, Director, Naval Reactors. “I have been nothing but impressed by the quality of Australian sailors and officers in our training pipeline and serving aboard our nuclear-powered submarine.” Following graduation, the Royal Australian Navy sailors will report to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit Charleston for training focused on shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet.

>>21773932 New AUKUS submarine servicing and shipbuilding precinct at Henderson to 'rival resources industry' in WA - Western Australia's Henderson shipyard will house a multi-billion-dollar defence precinct for naval shipbuilding and servicing of AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines to create an industry the state government claims will rival the state's massive resources industry. The Commonwealth today announced it would invest $127 million over the next three years for initial works, including feasibility studies and a detailed design. Defence Minister Richard Marles and Premier Roger Cook announced the cooperation agreement between the two governments for the shipyard in Perth's south would create a total of about 10,000 high-skilled jobs. "This represents the most significant defence industry offering to Western Australia since federation," Mr Marles said. The defence precinct will be established at the southern end of the shipyard and will be used to build new landing craft for the Australian army and new general purpose frigates for the Navy. After eight years of lobbying by the WA government, the Commonwealth has also agreed maintenance of the country's future nuclear-powered submarines, as part of the AUKUS defence agreement with the United States and the United Kingdom, will occur at Henderson. The shipyard will carry out depot-level maintenance on the submarines, meaning more than one dry dock will need to be built and thousands of highly-skilled workers will be needed into the future.

>>21789284 US congress asked to consider alternative AUKUS plan - The US congress has been handed an alternative AUKUS plan whereby it would not sell nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra and instead build up to eight new Virginia-class boats that could be retained in US Navy service and operated out of Australia. The eight extra Virginia-class submarines could be used for both US and Australian missions while freeing up funds for Canberra to invest in other capabilities such as long-range anti-ship missiles, drones, loitering munitions, B-21 long-range bombers, or other strike aircraft. The idea is canvassed by Ronald O’Rourke, a highly regarded specialist who has worked as a naval analyst for the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress since 1984, who labels the alternative model a US/Australian “military division of labour”. Under the alternative model, Mr O’Rourke says that “up to eight additional Virginia-class SSNs would be built, and instead of three to five of them being sold to Australia, these additional boats would instead be retained in US Navy service and operated out of Australia along with the five US and UK SSNs that are already planned to be operated out of Australia under Pillar 1 as SRF-West (Submarine Rotational Force-West)”. Mr O’Rourke links the case for the alternative model to concerns over whether the US industrial base can meet the target of producing 2.33 Virginia-class submarines per year - the rate needed to replace the boats sold to Australia.

#38 - Part 104

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 2

>>21809147 US is on track to sell Virginia-class subs to Australia, says AUKUS supporter Joe Courtney - US congressman Joe Courtney says Washington is not pursuing an AUKUS “Plan B” whereby America would operate Virginia-class submarines out of WA instead of selling them to Canberra, warning this would see Australia effectively “conceding control over the undersea domain.” The alternative “Plan B” proposal is contained in a paper prepared for members and committees of Congress by Ronald O’Rourke, a highly regarded specialist who has worked as a naval analyst for the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress since 1984 when Ronald Reagan was still US President. Mr Courtney, the co-chair of the bipartisan AUKUS working group, said that while Mr O’Rourke was seen as a “treasure” to the US Congress he was “not infallible” and his alternative plan would involve a “pretty radical” restructure of Australia’s military force. Under the O’Rourke model - which his CRS paper labels a US/Australian “military division of labour” – up to eight extra Virginia-class submarines would be operated out of Australia by the US Navy and used for both US and Australian missions. This in turn would free up billions of dollars for Canberra to spend on other capabilities apart from submarines such as “long-range anti-ship missiles, drones, loitering munitions, B-21 long-range bombers, or other strike aircraft.” However, Mr Courtney said the O’Rourke plan would come with major downsides for Canberra. “I don’t think the AUKUS plan really contemplated Australia conceding control over the undersea domain,” he said. “That sort of jumps out.” “Having a division of labour where the US pretty much operates the attack submarines exclusively pretty much puts Australia -- at least eventually – out of the submarine business once the Collins-class are retired.”

>>21826734 Japanese officials observe secretive Jervis Bay exercises ahead of likely AUKUS invitation - Cutting edge autonomous maritime technology has been showcased during secretive AUKUS exercises on the NSW south coast, with US Defence officials signalling Japan could soon be involved in the experimental maritime activity. Military personnel from Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom have for the past three weeks participated in the tri-lateral Autonomous Warrior 2024 exercises around the Naval Base HMAS Cresswell in Jervis Bay. The activity is a key part of AUKUS pillar two endeavours, which involve joint development of emerging military technologies that harness aspects such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and autonomy. The ABC can reveal several Japanese officials have also attended the event as "observers" ahead of a likely invitation for the nation to formally participate in the event next time. "We had them come as observers to this exercise and among our four nations there was a priority that we look forward to expanding and deepening our cooperation going forward," a senior US Defence official said. "The planning for the next exercise is underway so the full details of what their participation will be in the future hasn't yet been determined. "But I think they will move from being an observer to being a participant in the activity".

>>21839315 Video: Ambassador John Bolton tells 7NEWS Donald Trump re-election could mean AUKUS subs plan torn up - Australia’s plans to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines would be torn-up if Donald Trump is re-elected next week, according to a former top Republican party security advisor. The AUKUS defence pact would be one of the first US alliances to undergo a major review under an incoming Trump administration - with the official warning Australia not to take the agreement “for granted”. “I think it could be in jeopardy,” former US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton told 7NEWS. “All Trump looks at is the balance sheet, and if he sees more US expenditure than those of other parties to the agreement, then I think there will be trouble.” The defence bill that passed on Capitol Hill late last year requires the president of the day to give the final tick of approval before any US submarines are delivered to Australia. And Ambassador Bolton is now encouraging America’s ally to immediately mount arguments in favour of the alliance if Trump wins the November poll. “You’ve got to explain that these Australian submarines can patrol the Indian Ocean and the waters of the Pacific around Australia (and) southeast Asia.” “This is an incredible addition to … American national security. That’s what he (Trump) needs to understand,” Ambassador Bolton said.

#38 - Part 105

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 3

>>21860613 AFP chief talks AUKUS, election integrity and radicalisation with global security partners - Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw will meet British and US counterparts in Europe next week to brief them on the AFP’s new AUKUS Command, established to secure the nation’s nuclear submarine program. The AFP, which is working closely with the Department of Defence and Australian Submarine Agency, has been tasked with shielding AUKUS secrets and protecting key personnel, technology and submariners. Ahead of next year’s federal election, Mr Kershaw will also hold meetings with law enforcement heads of countries where elections have recently been held to discuss election integrity and the “ongoing and persistent threat of foreign interference”. Amid a wave of extremism fanned by digital platforms, ­Australia’s top cop will raise domestic cases of youth radicalisation with security agency heads “who have provided the AFP with ­information”. Mr Kershaw, who recently had his term extended until October 2026, will meet with Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group security chiefs in Glasgow, and also travel to Paris. “I will outline to relevant partners the AFP’s role in AUKUS, which will help protect and secure Australia’s nuclear submarine program. The AFP is working closely with the Department of Defence and the Australian Submarine Agency, and already the AFP has provided key protection to US submariners on recent visits to Western Australia,” Mr Kershaw said.

>>21867683 Fire at BAE’s British sub plant ‘could set back AUKUS’ - The Albanese government was scrambling for information on a massive fire at the UK’s main nuclear submarine plant on Wednesday that analysts warned could set back the delivery schedule for Australia’s $368bn AUKUS boats. Huge plumes of smoke and yellow flames erupted at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness facility about 12.45am local time, with two workers taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. Emergency services said there was “no nuclear risk” from the fire but local residents were advised to stay indoors. The fire took hold at the site’s huge Devonshire Dock Hall, which stands 51m high, and 58m wide and is currently being expanded. It was unclear how much damage was caused by the blaze, but at any one time there can be multiple submarines inside the plant at different stages of construction. BAE is currently working on the tail end of orders for the UK’s Astute-class submarines, as well as the new Dreadnought-class ballistic missile boats for the Royal Navy, and is drawing up plans for the SSN-AUKUS, which will form the basis of Australia’s submarine fleet. The company will build Britain’s AUKUS boats at Barrow-in-Furness, and Australia’s in Adelaide. The Australian Submarine Agency said: “We are aware of a fire on site in Barrow-in-Furness and are in contact with our counterparts in the United Kingdom.” BAE Systems said it was working with emergency services to deal with the fire, but declined to provide further details on the extent of the damage. Strategic Analysis Australia director Michael Shoebridge said the fire came at an “awful time for AUKUS”, and could delay Australia’s already-ambitious submarine construction schedule. “The Barrow facility is critical to the construction of the AUKUS submarines and the British navy’s current submarines, so it’s hard to see it not being a setback, not just for the UK but for all three AUKUS partners,” Mr Shoebridge said. “It comes at a time when we need the UK’s submarine industrial base to be expanding.”

#38 - Part 106

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 4

>>21874825 Five out of six Collins submarines out of action in critical blow to national security - Only one of the nation’s ageing Collins-class submarines is currently operational in a critical blow to national security, as corrosion problems, maintenance delays and long-running industrial action wreak havoc on the fleet’s availability. Five of the six boats are out of action and there are now serious questions over the navy’s ability to extend the life of the fleet by a further ten years to bridge a looming capability gap before Australia’s nuclear submarine’s arrive. The Australian can also reveal the Collins boats, which are approaching the end of their original 30-year lifespans, are now being used more lightly when they are available under a deliberate strategy to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. One of the submarines, HMAS Sheean, has been stuck in maintenance at Adelaide’s Osborne yard for more than two years with unprecedented corrosion issues, while a second, HMAS Rankin, has been tied up at Osborne for at least five months awaiting upgrades. Three of the boats - HMAS Farncomb and two others which The Australian is not naming for security reasons - are undergoing or about to undergo maintenance work at Perth’s Henderson precinct. The remaining Collins boat, which The Australian is also not naming to preserve its operational security, has recently been deployed on exercises and is available for tasking. It’s understood one of the boats at Henderson is due to exit maintenance in coming weeks, and could re-enter service soon subject to official clearances. Defence insists another of the boats could be pulled from scheduled maintenance in an emergency. An industrial dispute between unions and the government’s submarine maintenance corporation ASC has exacerbated the problems, setting back work on HMAS Sheean and preventing HMAS Rankin from being lifted from the water.

>>21874854 Yes sparks will fly if Trump wins but AUKUS is safe, says Austal’s chair - The chairman of navy shipbuilder Austal predicts sparks will fly over AUKUS if Donald Trump wins the US election but sees no risk of the security pact collapsing. Richard Spencer knows what it is like to be sacked by Mr Trump. He was dumped as secretary of the US Navy by the Republican leader in 2019 after a disagreement over the disciplinary process for a Navy SEAL who was eventually convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State fighter in Iraq. Mr Spencer, who is also global chairman of former Australian treasurer Joe Hockey’s Bondi Partners, said his history with Mr Trump would have no bearing on Austal or on Bondi. He views AUKUS as the best piece of “statecraft” in 50 years and completely rejects criticism by former prime minister Paul Keating of the military alliance between the US, the UK and Australia. The former US marine and Wall Street veteran hosted his first annual general meeting as Austal chairman in Perth on Friday. The company has already been anointed by the Albanese government as its monopoly navy shipbuilder in the state. Mr Spencer said AUKUS would stay on course regardless of whether Mr Trump or Kamala Harris won the US election. “That’s for a bunch of reasons,” he said “One, just the national security aspect of it, as it pertains to both the US and our closest ally over here in Australia. “Two, it has so much more far-reaching consequences than just national security. It really is a one plus one equals three piece. Statecraft, which I think is the reason that it has such bipartisan support in the US. There’s very little downside. Whether Trump or Harris gets in, I don’t think AUKUS is in threat.”

#38 - Part 107

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 5

>>21906707 Caroline Kennedy calls for ‘AUKUS visa’ as Canberra braces for election result - United States ambassador Caroline Kennedy has called for the creation of a special AUKUS visa to ensure Australia can achieve its plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, as senior ministers insisted the US-Australia alliance will be in good shape regardless of whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins the presidency. As video emerged of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying in 2017 that Trump “scares the sh*t out of me”, deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley accused Labor of hoping for a Harris victory when the election results are revealed on Wednesday [AEDT]. Federal politicians and policymakers were anxiously awaiting the results of the US election, with Trump widely seen as a more volatile and unpredictable contender compared to Harris, who is expected to continue the thrust of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. The Albanese government is insisting that Kevin Rudd will remain Australia’s top diplomat in Washington even though the former prime minister made remarks strongly critical of Trump before taking up his posting. Pointing to the difficulties involved in the ambitious nuclear-powered submarine project, Kennedy told a Submarine Institute of Australia conference in Canberra the three nations in the alliance needed faster, easier ways for work to proceed. “We need new ideas to make this possible, and an AUKUS visa is one way to move this along,” she said. Such a visa could allow defence industry workers in Australia, the US and United Kingdom to easily move between the three nations to work on submarines and advanced military technologies covered by the so-called “pillar II” of AUKUS

>>22111641 Jake Sullivan says AUKUS critical to global security - National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has championed AUKUS as “one of the most ambitious defence projects in modern history,” and the linchpin of US efforts to build an “integrated defence industrial base for the free world.” Mr Sullivan promoted AUKUS as one of the outstanding achievements of the Biden Administration, and a key piece of America’s global strategy to deter future conflicts in an era of growing strategic uncertainty. In a message to Donald Trump, Mr Sullivan said it was imperative to strengthen the US defence industrial base to deter threats in Europe, the Middle East and Indo-Pacific arising from greater co-operation between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. This would require “not just more investment, but smarter investment, production, innovation and integration with allies.” In comments that will be seen as a warning against any return to isolationism, Mr Sullivan said it was necessary for the US to “equip our partners when they come under attack.” Mr Sullivan said a three-pronged approach had been employed to revive the US defence industrial base. The Biden Administration had boosted production of munitions and weapons systems, better leveraged innovative technologies and the power of the commercial sector and, finally, it had embarked on a new initiative to “build an integrated defence industrial base for the free world.” Mr Sullivan framed AUKUS as the key centrepiece of this latter effort - not just in its delivery of a nuclear powered submarine capability for a key ally – but in the creation of opportunities for innovation and collaboration on “cutting edge technologies and advanced cyber, undersea capabilities, electronic warfare, Quantum, AI and hypersonics.” He also opened the door to other nations joining in on AUKUS pillar 2 co-operation, declaring that “we do see other partners coming into work with us.”

#38 - Part 108

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 6

>>22157759 Collins-class subs listed as ‘project of concern’ - The navy’s ageing Collins-class submarines have been listed by Defence as a “project of concern” amid long-running maintenance problems that reduced the fleet to just a single operational boat in recent months. The move will trigger closer ministerial oversight of Collins’ sustainment as Defence prepares to activate a high-risk $5bn plan to extend the ageing boats’ lives by another decade. The Australian revealed in November that five of the six Collins subs were out of action as corrosion, delays and industrial action blew out sustainment schedules. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced the remedial action on Friday, saying Defence would develop an improvement plan by early next year. “By listing Collins-class sustainment as a product of concern, the government is demonstrating its commitment to remediating these challenges and ensuring the submarine enterprise, which includes Defence and ASC Pty Ltd, delivers and sustains improved performance,” he said. The Australian revealed the Collins submarines, which are approaching the end of their original 30-year lifespans, are now being used more lightly when they are available under a deliberate strategy to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. The state of the submarines has raised serious questions over the Defence’s ability to undertake life-of-type extension upgrades to all six of the boats, as planned, to bridge a potential capability gap before Australia’s nuclear submarines arrive.

>>22185135 Video: US national security adviser Sullivan says Trump should like 'burden sharing' AUKUS deal - The AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine partnership with Australia will benefit the United States and is the kind of "burden sharing" deal that President-elect Donald Trump has talked about, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. In an interview with Australia's Lowy Institute think tank published on Tuesday, Sullivan said he had confidence AUKUS would endure under the Trump presidency, as it enhances U.S. deterrent capability in the Indo-Pacific and has Australia contributing to the U.S. industrial base. The trilateral AUKUS deal struck in 2021 is Australia's biggest defence project, with a cost of A$368 billion ($245 billion) by 2055, as Australia buys several Virginia-class submarines from the United States while also building a new class of nuclear-powered submarine in Britain and Australia. "The United States is benefiting from burden sharing - exactly the kind of thing that Mr Trump has talked a lot about," Sullivan said of the AUKUS agreement. Australia has agreed to invest $3 billion in U.S. shipyards that build the Virginia-class nuclear submarines it will be sold early next decade amid concerns that a backlog of orders could jeopardize the deal. Australia having conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines enhances America's deterrent capability in the Indo-Pacific, Sullivan said. "Australia is directly contributing to the U.S. submarine industrial base so that we can build out this submarine capability, supply Australia in the nearer term with Virginia class submarines and then in the longer term with the AUKUS class submarine," he added.

>>22185161 Trump won’t torpedo AUKUS subs deal, says Marles - Plymouth, England | US President-elect Donald Trump is unlikely to scupper or rewrite the $368 billion AUKUS nuclear-submarine deal, Defence Minister Richard Marles says. On a visit to Britain where AUKUS was a key focus, Mr Marles played down the growing fears that Trump may try to make the deal his own by demanding a higher price from Canberra for the delivery of US Virginia-class submarines. The Australian taxpayer has already written out a $US3 billion ($4.7 billion) cheque to help the US defence industry deliver more submarines. But in Washington there are lingering worries that the US can barely build enough Virginia-class boats to cover its own needs, let alone supply Australia. But Mr Marles said he was confident Trump would recognise the deal’s merits. “What we’re doing is helping put more Virginias in the water,” he said. “We are making it work for America by the contributions that we’re making to their supply base.” He said there had been a “lineage of commentary” raising questions and doubts about AUKUS ever since the pact was announced three years ago. But “for all the commentary that there has been, AUKUS is progressing and is actually happening”. Legislation enabling AUKUS had passed Congress with bipartisan support, he said, and key figures in the incoming Trump administration had backed the deal. Trump himself has not commented publicly on AUKUS, allowing the speculation to continue to run.

#38 - Part 109

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 7

>>22204062 Australia Plans Investment of Up to US$100 Billion in Naval Shipbuilding - The Australian government reports it is reaffirming its commitment to continuous naval shipbuilding and taking steps to enhance the long-term strength of the shipbuilding industry. It is part of a plan by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to expand the shipbuilding efforts for national defense and to expand employment in the industry. The government released the 2024 version of the Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Plan which outlines the long-term plan for naval shipbuilding. The government is calling it a record investment which over the next 30 years could reach upward of US$100 billion. The minimum anticipated investment is at least US$82 billion. Among the changes to the plan versus the prior government’s strategy, the Albanese government reports the new plan includes 55 newly announced vessels. Through a 30-year forecast, the plan signals a long-term demand for shipbuilding including the planned nuclear-powered submarine program. As previously announced, the government is also moving forward with enhanced surface combatants and support ships such as landing craft. According to the government, these decisions incorporated into the plan will create an inter-generational pipeline of naval construction projects that will support around 8,500 jobs in shipbuilding and sustainment by 2030. Additionally, it anticipates 20,000 jobs over the next 30 years in support of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program. The government plans to invest nearly US$1 billion in vocational education programs to help support the expansion of the shipbuilding workforce. This is in addition to the US$150 million budgeted to attract, train, and retain a new workforce for the nuclear-powered submarines.

>>22208864 Video: ‘I am a Submariner’ marketing campaign launches to entice deep sea recruits - Australians will be seeing new “I am a Submariner” advertising under the most recent marketing campaign to gather recruits for the Australian Defence Force. The campaign focuses on filling recruitment targets for the nation’s incoming nuclear submarine fleet demands. “The National Defence Strategy reinforces the need for growth and retention of highly skilled people to deliver Australia’s national defence. People are, and will remain our most important capability,” Minister for Defence Personnel Matt Keogh said. “The rollout of this new advertising campaign, coupled with the new training facility at HMAS Stirling, shows the Albanese government is diving right in to grow and skill our Defence workforce. “These works at HMAS Stirling will be delivered by Western Australian businesses, supporting local jobs and creating opportunities in the trade and construction industries.” Priority submariner roles that Defence is actively seeking to recruit for Australia’s current and future submarine workforce reportedly include communication networks operators, submariner electrical fitters, electronics technicians, fixed and mobile plant mechanics, and the following for nuclear-powered submarines: electricians, electronics technicians, mechanics, weapons and sensors network technicians, and electronic warfare network technicians. “Our submariners are rightly regarded as some of the best in the world. The new Submarine Training Centre which is being built at HMAS Stirling will continue this proud tradition of highly skilled submariners well into the 21st century,” Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond said.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 1

>>21768193 Kevin Rudd calls for vigilance to deter Xi’s threat to global order - Kevin Rudd says the world must ride out the threat posed by Xi Jinping through a combination of deterrence and diplomacy, avoiding a conflict that could redefine global politics, up-end the US-China relationship and generate “death and destruction at an unimaginable scale.” Australia’s top diplomat in Washington is also championing realism towards China’s stabilisation of ties with the US and its allies, arguing this represents merely a “shift in tactical diplomacy” as Beijing continues to press its challenge to the existing international order. While it is unusual for an Australian ambassador to so publicly examine a leading international figure such as Xi Jinping, Dr Rudd has a unique vantage point as a former prime minister, foreign minister, diplomat and world expert on Chinese affairs. In his new book, “On Xi Jinping” Dr Rudd argues that Mr Xi has changed China through the power of his own ideology and individual political leadership, offering an “alternative authoritarian development model for the world.” Mr Xi’s objective is to “change the international order itself, underpinned by an increasingly powerful China as the emerging geopolitical and geo-economic fulcrum of that order.” Dr Rudd also says that Beijing remains “locked in a death struggle with the United States to secure the commanding heights across all critical domains of technology, most crucially artificial intelligence.”

>>21773945 Papua New Guinea's chance at an NRL team may hinge on a pledge not to sign a security deal with China - Papua New Guinea's hopes of fielding a team in Australia's NRL competition could hinge on a promise from its government not to sign a security deal with China. Australia and PNG are closing in on agreement that would see Canberra provide up to $600 million in support for the NRL bid. The ABC can reveal the negotiations include an assurance PNG will not sign a security deal that could allow Chinese police or military forces to be based in the Pacific nation. When asked about the security element, PNG Prime Minister James Marape said it was not the "main feature" of the agreement. "I would not be in a position to say that that's the only reason why this has been happening," he told the ABC. "For PNG and Australia, we have deeper sentimental values. Both nations love rugby league, both nations have a strong affinity. And all in all, we're working towards far bigger issues than just the security aspect to it." In a sit-down interview with the ABC, he said the deal was about bringing Australia and PNG closer together. "Rugby league is one element of our soft diplomacy," he said. "It's one element of the Albanese Labor government using every tool of statecraft to bring the people of the Pacific and Australia together and ensure that Australia is the partner of choice." The minister said he didn't believe there was a place for Chinese police in the Pacific. "We make no secret of the fact that there's geopolitical competition in this region," he said. "Countries outside the region are always seeking to form security partnerships with Pacific nations. But Australia, as a proud member of the Pacific family, is committed to being the partner of choice."

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 2

>>21773947 Using rugby to sabotage China-PNG cooperation? See how ‘sincerely’ Australia treats PICs - "How sincere is Australia when developing relations with countries of the South Pacific islands, a region Canberra always views as its own backyard and considers to be under its sphere of influence? The answer is that Australia's offers are never without conditions. In its views, it is all about what is in its tool box to control those island countries. According to a report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday, Canberra is considering providing up to $600 million in support for Papua New Guinea's hopes of fielding a team in Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) competition, but the condition is that PNG shouldn't sign a security deal with China. On one hand, it is about rugby, on the other, it is about China's perceived influence. If Australia has truly linked these two unrelated matters, that would be laughable. If we delve into the reason behind this possible move by Australia, we could uncover its deep-seated zero-sum mentality and its questionable methods for exerting influence over Pacific Island countries (PICs) to jeopardize their cooperation with other nations. For a long time, Australia has approached these countries with a condescending attitude. The so-called cooperation is primarily for the sake of Australia's own interests, rather than the interests of those island countries. Especially as China has strengthened its cooperation with the region in recent years, Australia feels its supremacy being challenged, but fails to reflect on why it is losing hearts of these countries. The fact that it sees China's presence in the region as a threat and tries to sabotage China's cooperation with regional countries demonstrates a lack of respect for their sovereignty. The South Pacific island countries are becoming aware that Australia is not conducting its diplomacy correctly by using the region to engage in competition. Australia's approach to the region has strong geopolitical purposes, and is likely to backfire." - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>21819443 Video: China accuses Australia of ‘systemic racism and hate crimes’ as Xi meets Putin in Russia - China has accused Australia of “systemic racism and hate crimes” and “hypocrisy” after an Australian diplomat raised international concerns about human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet in the UN. In some of the sharpest comments launched at Canberra by Beijing during the “stabilisation” era, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Li Jian on Wednesday evening denounced Australia for criticising China publicly. “Out of their ideological bias, Australia, the US and a handful of other Western countries stoked confrontation at multilateral platforms for their selfish political interest,” said the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, in response to an apparent dorothy dixer by China’s national broadcaster CCTV. “Australia, long plagued by systemic racism and hate crimes, have severely violated the rights of refugees and immigrants, and left Indigenous people with vulnerable living conditions,” the Chinese government spokesman continued. “Australian soldiers have committed abhorrent crimes in Afghanistan and other countries during their military operations overseas. “These Western countries turn a blind eye to their severe human rights issues at home but in the meantime point their fingers at other countries. This says a lot about their hypocrisy on human rights,” he said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s counterpunch followed accusations by China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong that Australia and its allies and partners were resorting “to lies to provoke confrontations.” Anthony Albanese said Australia had been “clear and consistent” with China in its concerns over Beijing’s human rights abuses. “We, of course, will always stand up for Australia’s interests. And when it comes to China, we’ve said we’ll cooperate where we can, we’ll disagree where we must, and we’ll engage in our national interest” Mr Albanese said at a press conference in Samoa on Thursday. “And we’ve raised issues of human rights with China. We’ve done that in a consistent and clear way,” the PM said.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 3

>>21819455 Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on October 23, 2024 - Lin Jian: "On October 22, at the Third Committee of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan delivered a joint statement on behalf of 80 countries. They pointed out that issues related to Xinjiang and Xizang are China’s internal affairs. They spoke against the interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights, and stood for abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and respecting the right of people of each state to choose independently the path for development fit for their national conditions. Promoting and protecting human rights is the common cause of humanity and requires the joint effort of the international community in solidarity. Out of their ideological bias, Australia, the US and a handful of other Western countries stoked confrontation at multilateral platforms for their selfish political interest, which undermines international fairness and justice, and is by no means what the international community wants. Australia, long plagued by systemic racism and hate crimes, has severely violated the rights of refugees and immigrants, and left Indigenous people with vulnerable living conditions. Australian soldiers have committed abhorrent crimes in Afghanistan and other countries during their military operations overseas. We urge Australia, the US and a handful of other Western countries to face up to and address their own severe human rights problems, stop the wrongful moves of politicizing human rights issues and using them as tools, and play a constructive role in international cooperation on human rights." - mfa.gov.cn

>>21819466 Chinese envoy criticizes Australia, US for 'double standards' on human rights, downplaying Gaza situation - "While Australia, the US and a handful of other Western countries turn a blind eye to their severe human rights issues at home, in the meantime they point their fingers at other countries, which says a lot about their hypocrisy on human rights, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday, in response to over 100 countries who have voiced support for China in various ways and opposition to interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. Australia and the US, among a few others, reached new lows in their practice of "double standards" in front of the world, by downplaying the situation in Gaza, while smearing against China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over human rights issues, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, at the Third Committee of the 79th session of the General Assembly, on Tuesday, according to the official website of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN. This reveals, once again, the true intentions of Australia and the US to use human rights as a pretext to interfere in China's internal affairs and curb its development, and to broadly suppress developing countries that adhere to an independent and autonomous foreign policy, Fu noted. It is clear to the whole world that China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Xizang Autonomous Region have remained stable and prosperous, where all ethnic groups live together in harmony. The so-called assessment report on Xinjiang is fraught with lies and deception. It is purely a product of coercion of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) by the US and a few others, Fu said." - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 4

>>21860582 Australia to ramp up missile production as Indo Pacific enters new missile age - Australia said it was boosting its missile defence capability amid "significant concerns" about China's test of an ICBM in the South Pacific, and will bolster weapons stockpiles and exports to security partners as the region enters a new "missile age". Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said in a speech on Wednesday that Australia was increasing its missile defence and long-range strike capability, and would cooperate with security partners the United States, Japan and South Korea, to contribute to regional stability. "Why do we need more missiles? Strategic competition between the United States and China is a primary feature of Australia's security environment," he told the National Press Club in Canberra. China test fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in September that travelled over 11,000km to land in the Pacific Ocean to Australia's north-east. Conroy said the Indo Pacific was on the cusp of a new missile age, where missiles are also "tools of coercion". "We expressed significant concern about that ballistic missile test, especially its entry into the South Pacific given the Treaty of Rarotonga that says the Pacific should be a nuclear weapons free zone," he told reporters in response to a question. Australia was deploying SM-6 missiles on its navy destroyer fleet to provide ballistic missile defence, he added.

>>21874872 US' indoctrination leading Canberra astray: China Daily editorial - "In 2021, Australia's decision to join the United States and the United Kingdom to form the trilateral security alliance AUKUS triggered domestic and international concern about an accelerating arms race in the region and its consequences. This concern intensified when the three countries announced their agreement for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines with the help of its two alliance partners. Now, the country has exacerbated the concern by announcing its intention to increase its missile defense and long-range strike capabilities. In a speech on Wednesday, Australia's Minister for Defense Industry Pat Conroy said Canberra would invest up to 18 billion Australian dollars ($12 billion) to boost its manufacturing of missiles, including making advanced guided missile systems in the country for the first time. The Australian defense industry chief justified the move by saying that strategic competition between the US and China has become a primary feature of Australia's security environment. In other words, as a close US ally, Australia is obliged to help its ally win this competition. As a country that comfortably sits tens of thousands of miles away from all the major global and regional hot spots, the acquisition of nuclear-powered subs and long-range missiles is beyond the country's defensive needs. This has called into question the purpose of AUKUS' and Australia's role in the grouping, which is displaying an increasingly aggressive character. Rather than continuing to wade into dangerous waters, Canberra should reflect on the fact that it is the US and its allies that are responsible for creating the "unbridled strategic rivalry" in the Asia-Pacific region as part of their efforts to curtail China's development momentum." - chinadaily.com.cn

>>21888295 ‘Job not done’: Don Farrell flies out to seal end of lobster, beef bans amid AUKUS concerns - Trade Minister Don Farrell has set off for Shanghai to press his Chinese counterpart to remove the remnants of Beijing’s $20bn trade coercion campaign as China’s state media fulminates over Australia’s “increasingly aggressive” AUKUS posture. Late on Sunday, Senator Farrell was set to meet with China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Shanghai. The two-day trip closely follows a visit to Beijing late last week by some of corporate Australia’s most senior figures, who met with Chinese leaders in the Great Hall of the People. People familiar with the Trade Minister’s agenda said his top priorities were to get assurances that China would honour its deal to allow the resumption of Australia’s live lobster trade by the end of the year and to secure an end of bans on a clutch of Australian beef abattoirs. “We can’t rest on our laurels. The job is not done,” Senator Farrell said before flying from Australia early on Sunday. “I will continue to press for the full resumption of normal bilateral trade,” he said.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 5

>>21906209 Chinese Commerce minister gives Don Farrell ‘personal assurances’ Australian beef, lobster bans to end - Don Farrell has declared trade with China could grow by another $75bn, as he called for more ambition in the economic relationship after receiving a “personal” assurance from the Chinese Commerce Minister that bans on Australian beef and lobster were likely to end before the federal election. Speaking exclusively to The Australian on the rooftop of Shanghai’s Peace Hotel, the Trade Minister outlined a bullish outlook that departed from the government’s previous focus on “diversification” from China. While Senator Farrell’s two-day China trip meant he missed the Adelaide event that kicked off Anthony Albanese’s re-election campaign, the factional heavyweight used the Shanghai backdrop to add to the Labor pitch. “Trade has been a great success story over the life of this government,” he told The Australian on Monday, adding that thanks to the Albanese government’s ­“patience and persistence”, Australia’s trade ties could grow significantly in the coming years. “It was $327bn last year. Why can’t it be $400bn?” he said. “We can do that, but simultaneously we can increase our ­exports to other countries as a defensive mechanism.”

>>21949056 Eavesdropping air fryers ‘sending data to China’ - Air fryers may be serving up a side of surveillance with your chicken and chips. Three makers of the popular kitchen gadget have apps that want to record audio on your phone and send your data to China, consumer group Which? has said. The consumer group tested four types of smart gadgets to see how invasive they were of users’ privacy. Air fryers made by Xioami, Aigostar and Cosori all wanted to record audio on users’ phones with no specified reason, as well as know the customer’s precise location, Which? said. The Aigostar and Xiaomi fryers both sent people’s personal data to servers in China and the Xiaomi app connected to trackers from Facebook and TikTok. Among other tested devices, the Huawei Ultimate smartwatch was classed as giving invasive access to parts of someone’s phone, including precise location, the ability to record audio, access to stored files and the ability to see all the other apps installed. All of the air fryers, watches, TVs and smart speakers that were tested required privacy consent to work properly. The researchers said that smart TV menus were “littered with ads and thirsty for user data”. Samsung’s TV app requested eight “risky” phone permissions, including being able to see all the other apps on a phone, second only to the Huawei smartwatch, Which? said. The Bose portable home speaker and app were “stuffed with trackers, including Facebook, Google and digital marketing firm Urban Airship”, it found. Trackers are software in an app that monitors data about your activity, including how you use the app, your location and the device you are using. This data is often sent to companies such as Facebook and Google, which use it to target users with personalised adverts.

>>21961394 Snubbed: Australia’s best friend in the Pacific gets cold shoulder from Canberra - Solomon Islands’ most strident anti-Beijing warrior watched last week, quietly seething, as surveyors began work on the first Chinese infrastructure project in the nation’s most populous province, Malaita. Before he was deposed as premier of Malaita last year, Daniel Suidani had banned Chinese companies from entering the province, putting him in open conflict with the pro-Beijing central government of Manasseh Sogavare, then prime minister. Suidani even blocked the installation of Huawei mobile phone towers in his one-man war against China’s most concerted bid anywhere in the South Pacific to exert its power. But now he sees young children being trained by Chinese police in martial arts. The rebellious Suidani believes the values of the Chinese Communist Party are irreconcilable with those of Solomon Islands and corrosive of democracy - a heretical stance that led to his dismissal from office in February last year for refusing to accept the country’s “one China” policy. In elections early this year the popular Suidani was swept back into parliament and Martin Fini, the pro-China premier who replaced him, booted from his seat. Hefty bribes paid to some of Suidani’s erstwhile supporters from a CCP slush fund, a trumped-up arrest and constitutional impediments have set back his plans to be premier again, but in the meantime he remains the most effective bulwark against Beijing’s encroachment into the sprawling archipelago. Which makes it all the more baffling that the provincial strongman is being blanked by the Albanese government.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 6

>>21994109 China tells other world leaders: be like Australia’s Anthony Albanese - Beijing has nominated Anthony Albanese as the leader other American allies should emulate ahead of a meeting between the Australian Prime Minister and China’s President Xi Jinping in South America. In an editorial published on the eve of meetings of APEC and G20 leaders in Peru and Brazil, the China Daily praised the Australians PM’s “strategic autonomy” amid “unprecedented geopolitical complexity and uncertainty” after the election of Donald Trump. The party-state masthead, Beijing’s most authoritative English language masthead, offered the Australian Prime Minister as an exemplar for other American allies as they engage in the difficult “balancing act” between their security partner in Washington and their economic relationship with China. The party-state controlled masthead said hawkish picks in Trump’s cabinet would make this balance “not an easy one”, and suggested leaders could learn from Albanese who has talked up Australia’s trade relationship with China ahead of the summits. “Australia, however, might offer some useful reference for those struggling to strike such a balance,” the China Daily editorialised. “Australia’s ties with China deteriorated when the previous Australian government fell under Washington’s anti-China spell,” the masthead continued. “But Canberra has woken up to the significance of those ties under the Albanese government and set out repairing them. The strategic autonomy the Albanese government has displayed has proved that those ties are in both parties’ interests. It is also evident that economic ties with China and the US do not have to be mutually exclusive.”

>>22001931 ‘We have not changed our position’: PM brushes off China’s praise - Anthony Albanese has brushed-off praise from a prominent Beijing mouthpiece by declaring he does not “subscribe” to the state-owned China Daily, as Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the first gathering of APEC leaders in Peru in favour of one-on-one meetings. With Mr Xi not turning-up to the first leaders’ sessions in Lima, the Prime Minister caught-up with outgoing US President Joe Biden, who is attending his final international summits before vacating the White House in January. Mr Albanese and Mr Biden, who have met formally 11 times since the 2022 election, were photographed grinning and shaking hands ahead of the APEC leaders’ informal dialogue, also attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Mr Albanese is expected to meet with Mr Xi at the G20 summit in Brazil. The likely Xi-Albanese meeting follows a China Daily editorial published on the eve of APEC and G20 summits praising the Australian Prime Minister’s “strategic autonomy” amid “unprecedented geopolitical complexity and uncertainty” following the election of Mr Trump. The editorial confirms that Beijing has nominated Mr Albanese as the leader other American allies should emulate as they balance relations with China and a second Trump administration.

>>22001948 ‘Meek and weak’: Former top diplomat blasts Albanese on China - Japan’s former top diplomat in Australia has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of being “weak and meek” in his handling of relations with China. Shingo Yamagami, who served as Japan’s ambassador in Canberra from 2021 to 2023, also welcomed Donald Trump’s US election victory, predicting he would help deter a Chinese invasion of the self-governing island of Taiwan. Yamagami’s comments preceded an expected meeting of Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil in coming days, and a meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Japanese and US counterparts in Darwin on Sunday. “There’s no question that Anthony Albanese has been weak and meek vis a vis China. This is common knowledge in the international community,” Yamagami told this masthead. “Otherwise, how could China praise Anthony Albanese?” The state-owned China Daily newspaper urged Western leaders to emulate Albanese in an editorial published on Thursday, praising him for his “strategic autonomy” in balancing relations between Beijing and Washington. “He has done everything not to displease China and has hesitated in calling a spade a spade, which was really good for China,” said Yamagami, who previously served as head of Japan’s spy agency, the Intelligence and Analysis Service. Albanese should have more forcefully condemned China’s increasingly assertive conduct in the South China Sea and East China Sea, he said.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 7

>>22008527 Donald Trump, tariffs to top Anthony Albanese’s G20 talks with Xi Jinping - Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a third bilateral meeting with Anthony Albanese at the start of the G20 summit, with the leaders expected to discuss the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election victory, tariff war fears and strengthening the China-Australia trade relationship. Just over 12-months after Mr Xi hosted the Prime Minister in Beijing for their second meeting, the pair will sit down in Rio de Janeiro at a time of heightened anxiety for China over the scale of Mr Trump’s threatened 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports. Mr Albanese, who is not seeking a meeting with Mr Trump following the G20 summit, will not hold formal talks with outgoing US President Joe Biden, who on Monday (AEDT) became the first American leader to travel to the Amazon. Amid concerns Australian products could be slugged with tariffs of up to 20 per cent, Mr Albanese has pledged to seek a positive outcome for local goods with a Trump administration, while not interfering between the US and China.

>>22014905 Xi Jinping moves to lock-in Anthony Albanese on trade at G20 - Xi Jinping has urged Anthony Albanese to join him in transforming the China-Australia relationship into a more mature, stable and fruitful partnership that will project “stability and certainty to the region and the wider world” in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory. The Chinese President - who has assembled the Communist Party’s highest-ranking officials in South America to launch a charm offensive of world leaders at the APEC and G20 summits – told the Prime Minister that their discussions in Beijing last year had been “very productive over the past year and more”. Mr Xi and Mr Albanese met at the Chinese president’s Rio de Janeiro hotel, where the Communist leader is receiving world leaders offsite from the G20 summit. Mr Albanese was brought in to meet Mr Xi immediately after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The third bilateral meeting between Mr Xi and Mr Albanese ran for about 30 minutes before the leaders headed in their motorcades to the G20 opening session. Mr Xi’s diplomatic full court press comes amid fears in Beijing of a US-China trade war after Mr Trump pledged to impose 60 per cent tariffs on all Chinese products. Marking the 10th anniversary almost to the date since he addressed the federal parliament in 2014, Mr Xi told Mr Albanese “we have maintained close communications at all levels, actively promoting the implementations of our common understandings, and made positive progress. I wish to work with you, Mr Prime Minister, to make our comprehensive strategic partnership more mature, stable and fruitful and inject more stability and certainty to the region and the wider world.”

>>22014937 Penny Wong ‘gravely concerned’ as Australian Gordon Ng sentenced to seven years in Hong Kong pro-democracy crackdown - Australian Gordon Ng has been sentenced to more than seven years as part of the biggest crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement since Beijing imposed a national security law on the former British colony in 2020. Ng was one of 47 democracy campaigners - dubbed the “Hong Kong 47” - who were charged with conspiring to commit subversion for their involvement in an attempt to win a majority in the city’s local elections. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government was “gravely concerned” by the sentence, which was delivered in Hong Kong hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping told Anthony Albanese to take “great care” of relations with Beijing. “Australia has expressed our strong objections to the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation, including in application to Australian citizens,” Senator Wong said in a statement issued shortly after the sentencing on Tuesday. “We call for China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society, consistent with the Human Rights Committee and Special Procedure recommendations, including the repeal of the National Security Law in Hong Kong,” she said. “This is a deeply difficult time for Mr Ng, his family and supporters. Our thoughts are with them following the sentencing,” the Foreign Minister added. “The Australian government has advocated at senior levels in support of Mr Ng’s best interests and welfare and has sought consular access to Mr Ng. We will continue to do so,” she said.

#38 - Part 117

Australia / China Tensions - Part 8

>>22022557 Jimmy Lai tells HK court he was in the business of ‘delivering freedom’ as Canberra unites to condemn Beijing - Pro-democracy news publisher Jimmy Lai has told a Hong Kong court he was in the business of “delivering freedom” as he spoke for the first time in a foreign collusion case that has been condemned across Australia’s political spectrum. Speaking in court on Wednesday, the most high profile figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement said he started his media business after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. “I thought it was a good opportunity for somebody like me, a businessman who has made some money, to participate in delivering information which I think is freedom,” Lai, 76, told the court. “To participate in delivering freedom was a very good idea for me at that time … the more information you have, the more you are in the know and the more you are free.” Lai is accused under the national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 of colluding with foreign forces, a charge that could carry a sentence of up to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. The highly politicised trial in a territory once known for its respected legal system has drawn condemnation from liberal democracies around the world and across the full spectrum of Australian politics. In an unusual demonstration of cross party solidarity, Labor, Coalition and Greens senators joined to condemn Beijing for its persecution of Lai and called for his “immediate and unconditional” release. “I know that many Australians who have visited and grown to admire and love Hong Kong over the years … for its vibrancy, its energy and its entrepreneurialism and, most particularly, its liberal institutions and freedoms, are distressed by the path that Hong Kong is taking,” said Liberal senator Dave Sharma.

>>22042747 Japan hosts Five Eyes group meeting for first time - Japan hosted a gathering of senior enlisted service members from the Five Eyes intelligence partnership Wednesday, the first time a nonmember state has done so, in a move that highlights the growing cooperation between Tokyo and its Western allies amid shared concerns about a rapidly deteriorating international security environment. The meeting with members from the grouping - comprising the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – took place as part of a broader conference held in Tokyo among senior enlisted personnel from across the Self-Defense Forces. “We saw a great opportunity to invite the Five Eyes nations to this SDF gathering so that our enlisted leaders can broaden their understanding of the situation in other countries,” Air Self-Defense Force Chief Warrant Officer Osamu Kai, who represented Japan at the gathering, told the Japan Times, adding that another key goal was to promote Japan’s vision of a Free and Open Indo Pacific. While this marked the first such meeting outside a Five Eyes country, it wasn’t the first time Japan has been involved in such gatherings. For instance, SDF personnel were invited to a similar conference of Canadian senior enlisted members last month. As tensions rise between China and the West, experts have said that Japan - seen as standing on the frontlines of regional strategic challenges – can offer the intelligence grouping the use of its information-gathering capabilities, particularly in the field of electronic surveillance, along with its insight on Asian geopolitics.

#38 - Part 118

Australia / China Tensions - Part 9

>>22042753 Japan hosts Five Eyes intel meeting for 1st time; experts warn of Tokyo’s eagerness to become the ‘sixth eye’ - "The Five Eyes alliance hosted an intelligence group meeting in Japan on Wednesday, the first time that such a meeting has been held in a non-member country, a reflection of Tokyo's "critical position for gathering information on nearby China," Nikkei Asia reported. Chinese experts warned of Japan's eagerness to join the alliance, but suggested that as the Five Eyes countries are all of Anglo-Saxon origin, Japan will seem "an outsider." The group is only using Japan's zeal to serve their own hegemonic purposes, analysts said. The decision to hold the meeting in Japan reflects its "growing importance as an intelligence-collecting base in the Indo-Pacific region," Nikkei Asia reported. Japan has long sought to enhance its status by pursuing membership in the Five Eyes grouping. And to gain this position, Japan is striving to align itself more closely with the Five Eyes in various fields, including military, security, politics and culture, Zhou Yongsheng, a deputy director of the Japanese Studies Center at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. While the possibility of Japan becoming the "sixth eye" is increasing, potential membership will depend on negotiations among member states, as the Five Eyes is not merely an intelligence sharing group, it is rooted in shared ethnic heritage and cultural ties, as all members are of Anglo-Saxon origin, Zhou said. In contrast, Japan does not share the same ethnic and cultural background with these countries, which will make it "an outsider" in this context, Zhou said." - Fan Anqi - globaltimes.cn

>>22042771 Video: Taiwan's president to visit remaining Pacific allies - Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will visit Taipei's three remaining diplomatic allies in the Pacific on a trip starting at the end of November, but the government has declined to give details on US transit stops. Taiwanese presidents usually use visits to allied countries to make what are officially stopovers in the United States, Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, which frequently anger Beijing. On two occasions in the past two years China staged military drills around Taiwan after presidential or vice-presidential stopovers in the United States. On those stopovers, Taiwanese presidents often meet friendly politicians and give speeches. Reuters reported last week that Lai was planning to stop off in Hawaii and maybe the US territory of Guam while he was in the Pacific. Asked repeatedly by reporters at a news conference on Friday for details on the stopovers, Deputy Taiwan Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang said they were in the planning stages and would be announced at an "appropriate time". China would do all it could to stymie the trip - Lai's first abroad since being inaugurated in May - but Taiwan would not be deterred, he said. "We won't dance to their tune. We will do what we have to do and what we plan."

>>22049450 Lai authorities’ political manipulation activities using trips to countries having so-called ‘diplomatic ties’ with Taiwan region will lead nowhere: FM - "The one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations and prevailing international consensus. The Lai Ching-te authorities' political manipulation activities and provocations using trips to countries having so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan will lead nowhere, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday, in response to reports that Taiwan regional leader Lai will visit three Pacific island nation "allies" at the end of this month in his first overseas trip since taking office. It will not shake the solid and strong international commitment to the one-China principle, or stop the overriding historical trend towards China's reunification, Lin said. "We urge relevant countries to see clearly the trend of history at an early date, and make the right decision that truly serves their fundamental and long-term interests," Lin told a routine press conference. In response to whether China demanded the US not to allow Taiwan's Lai to "transit" in US territory when he travels to the Pacific, Lin said that Chinese President Xi Jinping in the meeting between Chinese and US Presidents in Lima stressed that the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués are the political foundation of China-US relations and they must be observed." - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

#38 - Part 119

Australia / China Tensions - Part 10

>>22058546 Chinese ambassador tells Australia not to risk bilateral ties after Trump US election victory - China's ambassador to Australia has declared there's "no reason" that Donald Trump's return to the White House should damage the relationship between Canberra and Beijing. Xiao Qian struck a buoyant tone at the opening of a press conference marking the tenth anniversary of the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership, saying ties were "back to the right track" after being "derailed" under the Coalition. But the ambassador fielded multiple questions about the president-elect and what his return to power would mean for ties between China, the US and Australia. Mr Trump has appointed several China hawks to key positions in his administration, and some analysts predict he's likely to demand allies join US efforts to curb China's military and technological prowess. Mr Xiao said the bilateral relationship between Australia and China had to be handled "maturely" and both countries should try to protect its "foundations." "There are reasons for us to be responsibly managing relations bilaterally, well enough, maturely enough, so that our two peoples can continue to benefit," he said. "There is no reason to compromise our respective interests for the sake of a third party," said Mr Xiao. The US president-elect has also vowed to impose massive 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, sparking fears of a global trade war which could inflict massive damage on Australia's economy.

>>22064745 Ex-Japanese ambassador Shingo Yamagami ‘called in’ to Penny Wong’s office over China remarks - Former Japanese ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, has revealed he was “called in” to Penny Wong’s office to be cautioned over public criticism of China even before Labor was elected in 2022 and she became the foreign minister. Describing the summons to an ambassador to be cautioned by “a heavyweight MP of the Labor left” who was not even in government as “extraordinary and unacceptable”, Mr Yamagami said it was not clear whether Senator Wong was speaking on behalf of the ALP or just expressing her own views. The then ambassador said he was told in 2021 to come to the parliamentary office “promptly”, where it was revealed he had to be cautioned because his “remarks were being used politically”. “In a plain language, it was meant to be that since my remarks are so controversial that I must shut up my mouth,” Mr Yamagami has written in a book in Japan. “The choice of the word ‘caution’ smacked of lecturing. As a general protocol of diplomacy, it was extraordinary and unacceptable for any ambassador representing his country to nod to such a message from somebody who is not even representing her country.” The summons followed a report in The Australian Financial Review calling for a unified policy on China based on Mr Yamagami’s public support for “policy co-ordination and harmonisation” between Australia and Japan on China policy.

>>22064750 China warns New Zealand against joining AUKUS - The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand says if New Zealand were to join security grouping AUKUS it would "inevitably" have negative consequences for the country's relationship with China. In a wideranging interview with state-owned Radio New Zealand released on Wednesday, Wang Xiaolong expressed significant concerns about the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. "AUKUS entails the transfer of weapons-grade nuclear materials from a nuclear weapon state to a non-nuclear weapon state for the first time in history," Dr Wang said. "If that is allowed to happen, it will raise serious questions about the integrity of the [nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty regime." Dr Wang's remarks follow comments from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who said earlier this month that any potential response from China, should New Zealand sign up to AUKUS, was "not a consideration for us". "Whether New Zealand gets involved or not is a conversation we continue to explore and get into," Mr Luxon said then. AUKUS is a two-stage defence pact formed in 2021 by the US, Britain and Australia as part of efforts to push back against China's growing influence in the Asia Pacific region. The first stage, or "pillar", of AUKUS is designed to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, while the second pillar is focused on delivering advanced capabilities and sharing technologies across a range of areas. When asked about the potential economic consequences if New Zealand joined Pillar Two, Dr Wang said: "Inevitably, that will have a negative impact on the relationship."

#38 - Part 120

Australia / China Tensions - Part 11

>>22069538, >>22069709 Darwin Port’s Chinese owner scrambles to stave off forced sale - The Chinese company that controversially purchased Darwin Port nine years ago is scrambling to offload assets and pay down debt to stave off creditors and avoid a forced sale of its key Australian asset. The Northern Territory government is so worried about the situation it has written to Landbridge seeking further information about the group’s ability to meet its financial obligations, and said it is reviewing its rights. The possibility Darwin Port could be taken back from its Chinese owner was welcomed by Coalition MPs who believe the most important maritime port in northern Australia should never have been sold to them. Shandong Landbridge Group defaulted on a 500 million yuan ($107 million) bond earlier this year, prompting auditors PwC to warn its local subsidiaries -- which own the port and rely on the Chinese parent for ongoing funds – are in a precarious position. “In the event the parent entity is unable to restructure its debt, an insolvency event could occur,” PwC said in its financial report for the year ending June 30 filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. “A material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to continue as a going concern.” In 2015 Landbridge controversially paid $506 million to secure a Northern Territory government tender for a 99-year lease over the port, which the government considers a strategic maritime asset in northern Australia. The sale led former US president Barack Obama to express displeasure to then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull when the lease was first signed, given up to 2500 US Marines rotate through Darwin each year. In 2021, amid growing tensions between Canberra and Beijing, the Coalition ordered a review of the deal, citing national security concerns. The Defence Department review found there were insufficient grounds to scrap the lease.

>>22080769 Labor shrinks Australia’s diplomatic footprint in China - The Albanese government is closing Australia’s consulate in Shenyang, shrinking its diplomatic footprint in China for the first time since the Whitlam government recognised Beijing in 1972. The Australian can reveal that Australia’s consulate in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, will be closed next week on December 6. Chinese officials have been briefed on the impending closure, which will further the imbalance in diplomatic representation in the two countries. A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the closure late on Friday. “The Australian Government continues to evaluate our diplomatic presence to ensure we are best positioned to advance Australia’s national interests, and deliver value for taxpayer money,” the DFAT spokesman told The Australian. The three staff in the consulate - which opened in 2019 in the Morrison era – will be relocated to Australia’s remaining missions in China. Along with Australia’s embassy in Beijing, Australia has consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu on the Chinese mainland, as well as a consulate in Hong Kong. By contrast, the number and size of China’s diplomatic postings in Australia have continued to grow in recent years as the volume of Chinese international students has remained robust, and as tourists from China continue to far outnumber Australians visiting China. In addition to China’s embassy in Canberra, China has consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide where its giant 5600 sqm compound was opened in 2021 in the midst of Beijing’s epic trade coercion campaign on the Morrison government.

>>22080773 Ties between Australia, China 'back on track': Albanese takes care to rebuild relations derailed by previous govt, observers say - "The Australia-China relationship is back on track after a period of disruption, analysts said, citing the recent meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both leaders reiterated their shared desire to build a mature and stable relationship. Analysts say Albanese has taken great care in rebuilding relations with China, which were derailed by the former conservative coalition government. This was echoed on Tuesday by China's Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian, when he said the year 2022, when Albanese was elected, was the "year of stabilization" in Australia's relationship with China. At a news briefing marking the 10th anniversary of the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership, Xiao said ties were "back on the right track". "We experienced a difficult time for several years until two years ago," he said. "Since then, we have successfully changed that situation."" - Karl Wilson - chinadaily.com.cn

#38 - Part 121

Australia / China Tensions - Part 12

>>22098847 China lifts trade ban on last two Australian meat processors - The last two meat processors barred from shipping produce to China have been granted re-entry after a diplomatic standoff that lasted more than four years. The abattoirs, both located in Queensland, were re-added to an official Chinese export-licence list on Tuesday, marking what the ­Albanese government billed as a “return to business as usual” for the $13.9bn export industry. The welcome move follows talks with officials in China this week and a positive meeting between Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil last month. Brisbane-based Australian Country Choice and Warwick-based John Dee were the final two meat processors, from a list of 10, to be granted re-entry to the Chinese market. “This is great news for Australian exporters, producers and farmers,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday. “Since we were elected we’ve worked tirelessly to resume trade and that’s exactly what we are ­seeing. “It’s a win for trade and a win for Australian jobs - something my government will always back.” Australia is forecast to export $2.2bn worth of beef into China this financial year, making it the second largest market for Australian beef after the US. Ostensibly the suspensions were put in place due to Chinese accusations of incorrect labelling and contamination of meat products. But the timing of the bans, in August 2020 for John Dee and October 2021 for ACC, came during heightened diplomatic tension between Canberra and Beijing after then prime minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the outbreak of Covid in Wuhan.

>>22098865 Video: Taiwan president stops in Hawaii during Pacific tour, drawing ire from China - The Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, has begun a two-day US stopover in Hawaii as part of a Pacific tour after declaring his democratically governed island a key force for promoting global peace and stability. The trip has sparked fury from China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island’s leaders. China’s foreign ministry said on Sunday it had lodged “serious protests” with the US. China has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year, and security sources have told Reuters that Beijing may hold more military exercises to coincide with Lai’s tour, which also includes a stopover in Guam, a US territory. It is Lai’s first foreign trip since taking office in May. After Hawaii, he will go to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three of the 12 countries that retain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei and a part of the world where China has been exerting stronger influence. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Lai said: “Thank you to the US government for upholding the principles of safety, dignity, comfort and convenience for helping the smooth process of this trip.”

>>22098885 ‘Prevent war’ - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s Pacific focus - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, after visiting the US on the first stop of a Pacific tour that has angered Chinese leaders. Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine extended Mr Lai a “very warm welcome” after his ­arrival in the capital, Majuro. “Taiwan and the Marshall ­Islands share a traditional Austronesian culture as well as the values of freedom and democracy,” Mr Lai said in his response. Mr Lai spent two days in the US, discussed “China’s military threats” towards Taiwan in a call with former US Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and met government officials and members of congress. China opposes any international recognition of Taiwan and its claim to be a sovereign state. It especially bristles at official contact with Washington, Taiwan’s most important security backer. The Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau are the three Pacific island allies Mr Lai will visit as part of his first overseas trip since taking office in May. They are among 12 nations, including The Vatican, that still recognise Taiwan’s claim to statehood after others were poached by China with promises of aid and investment. China, which insists Taiwan is part of its territory, has fumed over recent US arms sales to the island and Mr Lai’s stop in Hawaii, where he was welcomed with red carpets and garlands of flowers. Mr Lai and Ms Pelosi discussed “China’s military threats toward Taiwan”, presidential spokeswoman Karen Kuo said in ­Hawaii, describing the 20-minute call between the “long-time friends” as “warm and amicable”.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 13

>>22098914 Lai authorities, US seek ‘more provocative’ move; China vows strong countermeasures - "Secessionist authorities of Taiwan region and external forces are acting more provocatively during the power transition time in the US, with the Chinese mainland voicing strong opposition and vowing strong and resolute countermeasures, as Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te made a "stopover" in Hawaii during his trip to the Pacific, and the US announced another round of arm sales to the island. China firmly opposes official interactions between the US and Taiwan region, firmly opposes the leader of the Taiwan region making a "stopover" in the US in any name or under whatever pretext, a long-standing and clear position, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said on Sunday. Chen made the remarks in response to a media question on Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's "stopover" in Hawaii amid his trip to so-called "diplomatic allies" in the Pacific. Chen noted that the Chinese Foreign Ministry has lodged serious protests with the US. "We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, fully see the separatist nature and damage of Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, and handle the Taiwan question with prudence," Chen said. On the US arm sales, China will take strong and resolute countermeasures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday." - Yang Sheng and Liu Xuanzun - globaltimes.cn

>>22104717 China ‘irrelevant’ to PNG NRL deal, minister says - Papua New Guinea will get an Australian taxpayer-funded NRL team without having to explicitly rule out a future security agreement with Beijing, PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko has revealed, declaring the deal “has nothing to do with China”. Ahead of an announcement next week on PNG’s inclusion in the league from 2028, Mr Tkatchenko also revealed a secure fortress would be constructed in Port Moresby for the team’s players and their families, saying PNG would “do our utmost best” to keep foreign recruits safe. The Albanese government has committed $600m to underwrite the new PNG team over a decade, while PNG has backed tax-free status for players and announced PGK100m ($A37.5m) for accommodation, facilities and grassroots game development. The government is backing PNG’s NRL ambitions as part of a push to sideline China in the Pacific that also includes a planned new security agreement with Nauru. The Nauru deal, which the government hopes to finalise in coming weeks, is modelled on a landmark deal with Tuvalu that gives Australia a veto over the country’s future security agreements in return for permanent visas for Tuvaluans. Australian government sources said there was a “security element” to the PNG NRL deal. But Mr Tkatchenko said Australia had not insisted on any formal security undertakings by PNG in the final agreement. “It was discussed at the highest level, and we all said ‘It’s totally irrelevant to what we’re trying to achieve here’,” he told The Australian. “We don’t need to commit ourselves in that regard. You know, the game has nothing to do with China at all. “This is to get us into the NRL. This is to build up our relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea through sport. And we don’t want to get disrupted with geopolitics on this one.”

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 14

>>22104758 Vanuatu and China's bilateral agreement for aviation development - The Vanuatu Government signed a bilateral agreement on Civil Air Transport and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on Traffic Rights with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) yesterday to enhance bilateral ties in aviation, tourism and trade. CAAC Administrator Song Zhiyong shared that during the past two days, the two countries have prolonged in discussions and shared dialogues in relations to air transportation and how to strengthen them. “Vanuatu has long been a good friend of China in the South Pacific,” Mr. Song said. “Over the past 42 years, the relationship between the two resulted in something stronger, and we are appreciative of how Vanuatu has stood and supported the One-China Policy. Our aim is for both leaders to support the aviation impact at a national effort. During the past four months, we have maintained consultations between the countries to sign the Air Service Agreement and the Memorandum of Agreement on Traffic Rights to provide legal foundation for airline services to meet national and international demands.” Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Matai Seremaiah, conveyed his thanks on behalf of the Vanuatu Government and said it is the first time for the CAAC to foster a relationship with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV). “Vanuatu is dependent on tourism, from a Government scale, we are committed to partake in the agreement to promote marketing and tourism in the country,” he said. CAAV Acting Director and Deputy Director Ellory Takiau said the MoA is to bind the agreement made during the Prime Minister’s visit to China this year to sign the Air Transportation Agreement which will allow Chinese planes to make direct flights between China and Vanuatu.

>>22128261 Boat carrying Chinese nationals said to have arrived in NT - Authorities are ­investigating the arrival of a boat carrying multiple Chinese nationals on a remote stretch of Northern Territory coastline. Multiple sources on the ground in the NT had received on Thursday similar accounts of a vessel making landfall near Maningrida in West Arnhem Land. If confirmed, it would be the latest in a growing line of boats to make it to the Australian ­mainland. According to one source, Chinese nationals called triple-0 upon their arrival and asked for police assistance. Road closures due to flooding in the area are said to have slowed the response. An Australian Border Force spokeswoman said the ABF did not comment on or confirm operational matters. The reports will add to growing concerns about the inflow of foreign vessels -- mostly illegal fishing boats, but increasingly also people-smuggling ventures – making it to the mainland. Last week, the NT government issued a statement calling for a stronger federal response to the rising number of illegal vessels in the region. Members of the remote community of Gunbalanya in western Arnhem Land late last month found nine foreign nationals, all carrying Chinese passports, walking on a road towards the community. And less than a month ago, the Northern Land Council - which represents traditional owner communities across the top half of the NT – said Indigenous rangers had helped four foreign men they found at Croker Island. The NLC said the four told rangers they had paid $US6000 ($9317) to be brought to Australia. In May, five men believed to be from West Africa were found at Saibai Island, in the far-northern reaches of the Torres Strait.

#38 - Part 124

Australia / China Tensions - Part 15

>>22128297 Australia ramps up policing and security assistance to Solomon Islands - Australia has agreed to ramp up policing and security assistance to Solomon Islands as the federal government prepares to unveil a slew of Pacific initiatives designed bolster its strategic position in the face of fierce competition from China. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele declared that he wanted Australia's help to double the size of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) to about 3,000 officers. A source familiar with discussions told the ABC that Australia had now agreed to support a "substantial" increase in the size of the RSIPF, although it's not yet clear whether it has promised to fund a specific number of new officers. They said that Australia has also agreed to provide additional policing assistance in Solomon Islands by expanding its policing presence in the country, as well as ramping up the amount of equipment it provides to RSIPF. A spokesperson for the Foreign Minister Penny Wong declined to comment, citing ongoing discussions between Australia and Solomon Islands. The Australian Federal Police also declined to comment. Both Australia and Solomon Islands have been working towards an announcement next week, but the ABC has been told it's now likely to be pushed back - potentially until early next year. Mr Manele is also facing a no-confidence motion in parliament from prominent MP Gordon Darcy Lilo, with a vote expected in mid-December, which could also complicate the announcement and its timing. Solomon Islands has been beset with periodic civil unrest over the last three decades, and both Mr Manele and his predecessor Manasseh Sogavare have declared they need to bolster the country's policing capability to reduce tensions.

>>22134133 Scott Morrison says Labor must embrace AUKUS as a military deterrent against China - Scott Morrison says Labor must embrace AUKUS as a military deterrent against China to harness its full potential under a second Trump administration or risk undermining the appeal of the landmark agreement. The former prime minister said Beijing had changed tactics in its diplomacy with Australia - “using the carrot, not the stick” – but cautioned that China’s long-term objective remained the same: to isolate the US. Mr Morrison warned of risks to AUKUS in the stabilisation of ­relations with Beijing, saying Australia could not be “apologetic” about the purpose of the security agreement -- especially given the sharp Republican focus on China as a strategic adversary. In comments that will put pressure on Australia-China relations, Mr Morrison said “in promoting AUKUS here in the US we need to appreciate that its primary reason for being is to provide a deterrent against adversarial threats. The primary one of those is China. And to pretend it’s not does not aid the argument well here”. “We must be conscious that support for AUKUS in the US, particularly amongst Republicans, is because it is a very successful partnership to provide a military deterrent to their biggest strategic rival. And don’t diminish that. Own it. Because it’s true. And if owning it means the Chinese don’t like it, well, too bad.” Mr Morrison said more effort should be directed to developing AUKUS pillar two, arguing it was the “reason for AUKUS” - to create “a single defence industrial base ecosystem between the three jurisdictions (US, UK and Australia) where there’s less regulation, there’s greater integration, there’s more innovation”.

#38 - Part 125

Australia / China Tensions - Part 16

>>22134163 Video: Australia inks treaty with Nauru locking out growing Chinese influence - Australia and Nauru have signed a landmark new treaty which will see the federal government provide $140 million in budget and security support to the Pacific Island country in return for gaining effective veto powers over many of its national security decisions. The government says Commonwealth Bank has also agreed to set up branch in Nauru to ensure the nation isn't left without a bank when Bendigo exits next year. In return, the government of Nauru has agreed with Australia that the country's critical infrastructure "shall not be used by any third party for security purposes". Australia will also be able to veto any engagements by third countries in Nauru's "security and key critical infrastructure sectors". The agreement is similar in some ways to the Falepili Union which Australia signed last year with the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu. The pacts are part of a broader push by Australia to cement its strategic position in the Pacific in the face of increasingly fierce competition with China. Nauru switched recognition from Taiwan to China in January this year, and representatives from the Bank of China have visited the Pacific nation earlier this year to explore setting up a branch in the wake of Bendigo's exit. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Nauru's President David Adeang on Monday morning in Canberra to sign the new agreement, which will see the government hand over $100 million in budget support over five years, along with $40 million in security support. Nauru faces a deeply uncertain financial outlook, and Mr Albanese said Australia's ongoing budget support would "strengthen Nauru's longer-term stability and economic resilience" and "give the Nauru government the certainty it needs to make long-term investments for its citizens in areas like education, health and social services". Mr Adeang called Australia "not just a friend but a family" and said the treaty would "strengthen our own economy, enhance our mutual security and address critical challenges".

>>22151657 Australia, PNG unveil deal for Papua New Guinea team to enter NRL in 2028 - Australia and Papua New Guinea have unveiled a long-awaited deal handing PNG its own NRL team, confirming the league's most ambitious expansion since formation, and notching what the federal government is hailing as a major strategic victory. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his PNG counterpart James Marape and NRL rugby league boss Peter V'landys announced the agreement on Thursday morning in Sydney's CBD, with Mr Albanese declaring it a "great day" for both countries. "Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and PNG deserves a national team," he said. "The new team will belong to the people of Papua New Guinea. It will call Port Moresby home. "And I know it will have millions, literally, of proud fans barracking for it from day one." Mr Marape also celebrated the announcement, calling it "monumental" for his country, saying it was "pivotal in anchoring the PNG-Australia relationship" and would help unify people across PNG. Under the agreement, Papua New Guinea will join the NRL in 2028 and will become the competition's 18th or 19th team, depending on what happens with other franchise bids before then. Mr Albanese confirmed that the federal government would provide $600 million over a decade to help make the team a reality. In return, Papua New Guinea has agreed to sign what has been called a "parallel" agreement on "strategic trust" between the two countries, which is designed to stop China from gaining a significant security foothold in the Pacific country. A Pacific diplomatic source told the ABC that Papua New Guinea understood that if it struck a policing or security agreement with China then Australia would be within its rights to sink the agreement and the NRL team. They also stressed that the Marape government had made it very clear to Australia that it had no intention of taking such a step.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 17

>>22151668 NRL deal money well spent to keep China at bay - "Spending $600m over a decade on a Papua New Guinean NRL team is a stunningly good investment in Australia’s national security. Australian taxpayers shell out about that much on aid to PNG every year, but few could point to tangible benefits for the country where 40 per cent of people continue to survive on less than $5 a day. The NRL deal is an entirely different proposition. PNG is rugby league mad, and the sport is its national game. Its elevation to the NRL is a nation-building moment and binds the country to Australia more tightly than ever. As the deal was formally announced, James Marape called Anthony Albanese “my brother” and described him as a “visionary”, underscoring the immense gratitude in PNG that Australia has made this happen. Albanese shares Marape’s love of the game, but as he said in their joint press conference, the deal is also about Australia’s self interest. Australia could never tolerate a Solomon Islands-style security agreement between Beijing and its nearest neighbour, and the NRL deal ensures any such proposal would gain absolutely no traction with Port Moresby. Unlike recent deals with Tuvalu and Nauru, Australia will not have an explicit veto over PNG’s future security relationships. But clauses in the confidential NRL agreement make clear that it is contingent on ongoing “strategic trust” between the countries, and that Australia can terminate its funding for the PNG side at any time if that trust is undermined. China could offer PNG a fortune to try and gain a security foothold in the country, but no PNG prime minister in his right mind would entertain such an offer, because to do so would risk the country’s hard-fought participation in the NRL." - Ben Packham - theaustralian.com.au

>>22151670 ‘Better than a veto’: NRL soft power play packs a secret punch on China - "The setting of the press conference told the story. No footballs were thrown, no cheerleaders waved pom poms. The leaders, wearing suits and ties, stood beside each other at the formal, rather bland, Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydney. Not at one of the city’s top rugby league stadiums, as might have been expected. Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys hovered at the side of the podium, as if on the interchange bench rather than the field. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape were the stars of the show as they announced a PNG team would enter the NRL in 2028. The decision to eschew any kind of razzmatazz was a deliberate one by Albanese and his team. The message to Australians watching at home: this is a serious foreign policy initiative, not a matter of fun and games. The government is aware that, with many voters struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, many Australians could easily blanch at the idea of handing over $600 million over 10 years to set up a new rugby league team in the Pacific. “This isn’t about sport; this is about safety and security,” Pacific Minister Pat Conroy told talkback radio in Perth, where listener anger was apparently running hot against the deal. The strategic rationale for the deal is clear. PNG is easily the biggest nation in the Pacific and Australia’s closest neighbour. It’s in our national interest to stop it from falling under China’s spell, as the Solomon Islands did just two years ago. PNG’s leaders are understandably not enthused about highlighting the security side of the league deal. They are seeking deeper economic ties with China as a way to lift their citizens out of poverty and don’t want to offend Beijing. Senior Australian government sources, however, say the document contains a clear assurance that PNG will only partner with Australia and other Pacific nations on security matters. A policing deal between PNG and Beijing - like one Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushed for during an April visit to Port Moresby – would be out of bounds, they say. So would a Chinese military presence in PNG." - Matthew Knott - smh.com.au

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 18

>>22202391 Video: China to stay in Solomons despite new deal with Australia - Chinese forces will not be required to leave the Solomon Islands as part of a new security arrangement agreed to by Anthony Albanese and Solomons leader Jeremiah Manele, with the deal struck between Canberra and Honiara on Friday to exist side-by-side the Pacific island nation’s controversial pact with Beijing. The agreement has been described by experts as falling short of what the government would “ideally” like to see -- chiefly the end of a Chinese presence on the Solomon Islands – but as being likely to bring Chinese influence to “a stand still” and stop any further growth of its security arrangements with Honiara. In response to a request from the Solomon Islands, the Prime Minister announced Australia would pump $190m into a pact with the Solomon Islands to bolster the nation’s police force and provide Canberra’s Pacific neighbour with a sovereign security capability that would reduce “reliance on external partners over time”. But when asked on the 14 Chinese police officers currently in the Solomon Islands as part of the permanent rotating presence agreed to by Beijing and Honiara in 2022, Mr Albanese would not say whether Australia had an expectation that the Chinese forces would now pull out. “We have agreements with the Solomon Islands and part of that is making sure that Australia remains the security partner of choice,” he said. The Australian understands that while Canberra is concerned about the presence of Beijing in the Solomon Islands and throughout the Pacific, the government acknowledges the question of the enduring presence of Chinese police officers is a “sovereign decision” of Honiara.

>>22214343 Top Gun pilot to be extradited to US over claims he illegally trained foreign pilots - A former US marine pilot who became an Australian citizen nearly 13 years ago had been informed he will be extradited to the United States of America over claims he illegally trained Chinese pilots. Daniel Edmund Duggan, 55, has been in custody since October 2022 following a request from the US to extradite him for charges of conspiracy, arms trafficking and money laundering. American authorities allege he breached money laundering and arms export control laws while teaching foreign pilots at a flying academy in South Africa more than 12 years ago. The father-of-six is also accused of breaching US arms control laws by instructing pilots, including Chinese citizens, on how to land atop an aircraft carrier. The US authorities allege he was paid more than $110,000 for his expertise but he had not sought the government’s permission to undertake the role. Mr Duggan has consistently denied the allegations, which have not been tested in court. He and his family have fought for two years against attempts to extradite him to the US to face court over the allegations. On Friday, his wife and six children received a short letter informing them Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus had determined to surrender Mr Duggan to the US. In a short statement, Mr Dreyfus confirmed his decision, acknowledging the “public interest in the matter”. “I confirm that on 19 December 2024 I determined under section 22 of the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) that Daniel Duggan should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused,” he said. “On 24 May 2024, Mr Duggan was found by a New South Wales Magistrate to be eligible for surrender to the United States. “Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me.” Mr Duggan’s family were told he would be extradited sometime after December 30 and before February 17 next year.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 19

>>22214384 Ex-US fighter pilot accused of training Chinese military to be extradited to the United States - A former US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots will be extradited to face charges in the United States, Australia’s Attorney General confirmed Monday, dealing a blow to supporters who have mounted a public campaign for his freedom. Daniel Duggan, a naturalized Australian, was arrested in the state of New South Wales in 2022 based on a 2017 US grand jury indictment that accuses him of training Chinese military pilots in violation of a US arms embargo. Duggan denies the charges, claiming that US officials knew about his activities and that he was only training civilian pilots as China’s aviation sector boomed. Duggan has been in custody since his arrest in October 2022, just weeks after returning to his family in Australia from six years working in China. He was detained by Australian police acting on the request of US authorities. The 2017 indictment filed in the District of Columbia says that “as early as 2008,” Duggan received an email from the US State Department telling him he was required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and apply for permission to train a foreign air force. Instead, it claims he conspired with others - including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) – to export defense services in violation of an arms embargo on China. In a statement to CNN in 2023, TFASA said it complies with the laws of every jurisdiction in which it operates. The statement said Duggan undertook one test-pilot contract for the company in South Africa between November and December 2012, and “never worked for TFASA on any of its training mandates in China.” Duggan moved to China in 2013 and renounced his US citizenship at the US embassy in Beijing in 2016, though it was backdated on a certificate to 2012 to reflect when he became an Australian citizen, according to his lawyers. In an 89-page submission filed to Dreyfus’ office in August, Duggan’s lawyers alleged the former US serviceman had become a political pawn during a time of heightened US-China tensions. It said that his case had been used to send a message to Western pilots that any dealings with China will not be tolerated by the US, or its allies.

>>22214410 Video: Wife condemns ‘inhumane’ extradition of former fighter pilot to US - A former US fighter pilot and Australian citizen accused of training Chinese fighter pilots will be extradited to the United States to face charges of arms trafficking and money laundering. Daniel Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the request of the US after being accused of providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2009 and 2012. His arrest came shortly after Australian authorities said they were investigating the practice of former military personnel being offered lucrative contracts to train pilots in China. In May, a Sydney court found that Duggan, 56, was eligible to be extradited to US, where he could face up to 60 years’ jail if found guilty. He has spent more than two years in detention in Australia, much of it in solitary confinement. Duggan has the option of appealing to the Federal Court against Dreyfus’ decision to approve the extradition. The father of six had made a last-ditch attempt to avoid prosecution in the US, sending an 89-page submission to Dreyfus outlining why the extradition should not go ahead. Saffrine Duggan, the pilot’s wife, said in a statement that she and the couple’s six children had been left devastated by the attorney-general’s decision. “We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the government,” Saffrine said. “We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family. We are now considering our options. It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year. We are all terrified that we may not see him for a very long time. My children are very, very sad.” After serving for more than a decade in the US Marines, Duggan moved to Australia in 2005 and founded a flight school in Tasmania. He has been an Australian citizen for nearly 13 years but is due to be extradited by February.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 1

>>21768314 Video: The Sydney airport arrest that unravelled a global crime ring and caught a ‘demon’ - The arrest of an Australian man at Sydney Airport has led to the unravelling of a global child abuse ring and the capture of its alleged leader, dubbed the “demon”. Queensland father Gary Richmond-Jones was jailed for two years in August for the planned abuse of a 12-year-old girl while on holiday in the Philippines with his wife and children. In a July investigation into Australia’s contribution to the insidious online child abuse trade, of which the Philippines is the epicentre, the Herald reported that a stranger had contacted Richmond-Jones on X advertising child abuse material and leaving a number. While in Manila with his family in 2022, the former car salesman from Mackay downloaded the encrypted messaging app Telegram to contact that person. He said he was interested in “real” underage Filipino girls, “took his pick” from sexual photos of several children and asked “what price” for a range of “services” which equated to various forms of sexual abuse. After organising a meeting spot, he decided not to go through with the abuse and stopped responding to the stranger. He later told a Sydney court he had an eleventh-hour realisation that “child abuse is never okay”. But his incriminating conversations, including the child abuse material, remained on his phone and were discovered by Border Force officials upon his return to Australia. The Australian Federal Police arrested him, sparking a Philippine National Police (PNP) investigation that discovered the alleged puppet master of the international paedophile syndicate, which sold child abuse videos to foreigners for as little as $13. Authorities say that man was Teddy Jay Mojeca Mejia, a Filipino fugitive who’d been hiding in Dubai since 2021. Thanks to the AFP’s arrest of Richmond-Jones and the intelligence it passed on to the PNP, Mejia was last month extradited to Manila and charged with offences relating to the alleged abuse of 111 children. The 32-year-old is accused of luring vulnerable children aged between nine and 11 into making sexual videos, which he sold online to at least 19 people from countries including Australia.

>>21781110 Alleged sex-cult leader James-Robert Davis jailed over domestic violence offences against woman he 'enslaved' - A New South Wales man accused of running a sex cult where women were allegedly kept as slaves has been sentenced to 25 months imprisonment for assaulting a former partner and another woman. James-Robert Davis appeared via audio-visual link in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday after last month being found guilty of seven offences, including assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Davis was arrested in March 2021 after a Four Corners investigation in which multiple women told the ABC that Davis had sexually or physically abused them. In sentencing remarks, Magistrate Clare Farnan described Davis's course of conduct as "a serious type of domestic violence because the offending had become normalised within a relationship". In 2021, Felicity Bourke told Four Corners she was subjected to months of psychological manipulation, coercive control and repeated physical and sexual violence perpetrated by her former partner, James-Robert Davis. Felicity described how she was told to sign a contract that would make her a "slave", was forced to wear a collar, and was tattooed with a number as part of what was pitched to her as a form of sexual role-play known as BDSM. At the time, Davis claimed that activity was consensual. In court, Magistrate Farnan found that the situation was properly characterised as one of domestic violence and the actions of Davis constituted a serious breach of the trust involved in this relationship. The court accepted that one count of assault involved Davis slapping Felicity so hard that it resulted in a burst eardrum. Another count of common assault involved Davis caning Felicity so hard that it left welts, which he claimed was consensual. The magistrate said that due to the nature of the relationship, it was difficult for Felicity to decline to consent to that type of activity. Davis's actions towards Felicity were "particularly concerning" because the power imbalance in the relationship "left [her] with little recourse", the magistrate added.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 2

>>21793516 Grant Harden: Pedophile soccer coach who abused seven boys has sentence reduced - A vile pedophile and volunteer soccer coach who sexually abused seven boys has had six months shaved off his lengthy prison sentence, with a court hearing he had been attacked in jail forcing authorities to move him to another prison. Grant Harden, of St Clair in western Sydney, was jailed after he filmed his sexual abuse of seven children and shared the videos online with a pedophile ring. Harden’s offences were described as “extreme” and the sick child abuse material he produced as being “of a most shocking kind” after he subjected his victims, who were as young as four, to horrific abuse. He was arrested in May 2020 as part of the AFP’s sweeping sting on a pedophile network before he was ultimately handed a crushing 30-year jail sentence. His non-parole period was set at 22 years and told he would not be eligible for release until May 2042 when he would be 51. However, this year, he launched an appeal, in part claiming his sentence was “manifestly excessive”. The Court of Criminal Appeal - comprising Justices Natalie Adams, Ian Harrison, Peter Hamill – dismissed two of the three grounds on which he appealed. “The possession and distribution of images of sexual abuse, torture and humiliation of very young children, including toddlers and babies constitutes serious offending,” Justice Adams said in a judgment published on Friday. They did find that his sentence was the subject of error because District Court Judge Sarah Huggett was given incorrect details by the prosecution about the maximum penalty for the child abuse material offences. The mistake at the time was not picked up by Harden’s lawyers either. In June 2020, the law was changed, increasing the maximum penalty for the offence of transmitting child abuse material using a carriage service from 25 years to 30 years. However some of Harden’s offending pre-dated the legislation being amended. His total sentence was reduced down to 29 and a half years, with a 21-year, six-month non-parole period meaning he’ll remain in jail until at least November 7, 2041.

>>21793646 Video: Vindication for victims as paedophile counsellor Allan Keith Huggins jailed for at least 20 years - When one of serial paedophile Allan Keith Huggins' victims first reported the abuse, police did not believe him. The then-teenager instead received a beating from his father for potentially ruining someone's career. Years later that victim, Garry Faint, described the experience as a "nightmare", saying his parents died without knowing the truth about Huggins. "They believed him over me," Faint said. Huggins today learned he would likely die in prison for sexually abusing multiple boys during the 1970s and '80s. The abusive former counsellor received a minimum 20-year jail term, backdated to 2020, making him first eligible for release in 2040, when he would be 92 years old. He was found guilty in August on 36 counts of molesting 10 young male patients in Armidale, in northern NSW, between 1977 and 1986. As the emotionless 77-year-old was led from the Sydney courtroom, his many victims and their supporters let out cheers and jabs of abuse. "Hope you rot now you bastard," one said. Another victim of Huggins' abuse, Phil Wright, said the outcome was better than many had expected and marked the end of a long journey after the crimes were first reported to police more than four decades ago. "It feels like an amazing vindication," he said. Both Wright and Faint reported the abuse to adults, including members of the Catholic church, but were either not believed or ignored, Judge Penelope Hock noted during sentencing. Faint went to police after fleeing an assault by Huggins, but was instead driven home by the officers to be dealt with by his parents. The officers had a brief conversation with his father, who later gave him "the biggest hiding of (his) life", leaving him with injuries including broken ribs. Before the beating, the court was told his father said: "You f-cking little bastard, you're going to wreck someone's career." "The police did not take any action," Judge Hock said. "This was no doubt in part because of the offender's respected position in the community."

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 3

>>21798551 How a ‘monster’ allegedly used popular gaming platform for sadistic sextortion plot - A “monster” who used popular gaming and social media platforms to groom a child into committing “sadistic” violent and sexual acts is part of a growing trend, NSW Police allege. Police will allege NSW man Jake Vandermeel connected with a “vulnerable child” on a social media platform in August 2023, and continued to converse with the girl on multiple platforms for nine months. The 28-year-old would play online games with the girl, aged 15, for up to six hours a day at times and would convince the child to commit sexual acts and self-harm for his own gratification. Police allege Vandermeel threatened the girl with rape, abduction and murder if she didn’t comply with his requests.The girl eventually reached out for help through Kids Helpline, who helped her report the alleged abuse to her family and police. Vandermeel was arrested on Wednesday at Safety Beach, around 30 kilometres north of Coffs Harbour, and charged with multiple child sex abuse offences, including using a device to engage in sexual activity with a child, to groom a child under 16 years old for sex and to cause a child to commit a sexual act. Vandermeel is allegedly part of a growing trend of “sadistic sexploitation”, a deviation of typical sextortion cases where instead of grooming the child for financial gain, the victims are being used for the offender’s own personal gratification. Sex crimes squad commander Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty described the alleged offending as “the most horrendous acts that anyone can perform against a child”. “For investigators to sit and read almost nine months of conversations where this man is manipulating and coercing this child to commit violent acts against themselves, filming them for him. It breaks your soul a little bit,” she said. “Yesterday, we arrested a monster.”

>>21803688 West Australian paedophile Dennis McKenna denied parole - One of Australia's most prolific child sex offenders has been denied an early release on parole. Dennis John McKenna, 79, abused dozens of boys from 1977 to 1990 at a student's boarding lodge in the West Australian town of Katanning. The Prisoners Review Board on Monday declined his bid for parole - two years ahead of his prison term ending. The board has said it would not make the reasons for the refusal of parole public for the best interests of McKenna's victims. Survivor Todd Jefferis praised the decision to reject parole. Mr Jefferis said McKenna should never be released, let alone allowed out on parole early, because of the severity of his crimes. "They were the most heinous crimes you can imagine committed against children," Mr Jefferis said. Mr Jefferis said he wrote a response to the board urging its decision makers not to release McKenna early. "We put in our submissions, and we campaigned pretty hard," he said. "Sometimes these people get it wrong … in this case, they've got it right, they've got it very right." McKenna's abuse sparked a state inquiry in 2012 which suggested more than 20 community figures ignored complaints or failed to act. His brother, Neil McKenna, was the senior supervisor from 1985-1990. He was found guilty in 2012 of three offences against a female student. The WA government announced in August that the hostel he managed, now called Katanning Residential College, would be demolished.

>>21906253 Sydney and Melbourne airports to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery in new campaign - Major Australian airports have banded together to target human trafficking as reports of modern slavery increase by more than 10 per cent. Sydney and Melbourne airports will now display images and messages about human trafficking on digital screens and billboards, encouraging people to report suspicious behaviour. Pairing with anti-human trafficking organisation A21, the “Can You See Me?” campaign will educate people on the signs of human trafficking. Signs at airports can include people avoiding eye contact and social interaction, not being in control of their own passport or documentation, acting unusually submissively, being unaware of their destination, having a language barrier with travelling companions, and wearing clothing that’s not appropriate. Melbourne Airport chief executive officer Lorie Argus said the partnership “goes beyond just airports - it’s about people’s lives”. “By joining forces with Sydney Airport, the AFP and A21, we’re taking a stand against modern slavery, a hidden crime that destroys people’s futures,” Ms Argus said. “Knowing that human trafficking is a real and daily threat, we feel a deep responsibility to protect our passengers.”

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 4

>>21906418 Video: Australia’s largest airports join forces in the fight against human trafficking - In an Australian first, Sydney Airport and Melbourne Airport have joined forces to launch a public awareness campaign to fight human trafficking. The country’s two largest international airports have partnered with anti-human trafficking organisation, A21, to run the “Can You See Me?” campaign, with guidance and input from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). This initiative will educate people on how to recognise and report the signs of human trafficking. From today, digital screens and billboards at both airports will display images and messages, stating that slavery still exists and urging people: “If you suspect it, report it.” QR codes also link to videos and information on how to identify and stop these crimes. Digital screens in key areas will display these messages, including check-in counters, gates and baggage carousels. Combined, Sydney and Melbourne airports cater for 68 per cent of Australia’s total international passenger traffic. While the “Can You See Me?” campaign runs over the next month, close to 7 million passengers are expected to pass through both the domestic and international terminals at the two airports. A21 has rolled out this program in high-profile spaces worldwide - from Times Square billboards, screens at Heathrow Airport, train stations in Thailand to inflatable screens in vulnerable Cambodian communities---reaching an impressive 3.4 billion people globally. Modern slavery is a growing issue in Australia, with the AFP receiving 382 reports in 2023/2024 financial year, a 12 per cent increase on the previous year. Cases include trafficking, forced marriage, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, debt bondage, forced labour, deceptive recruitment and organ trafficking. The Global Slavery Index estimates 41,000 people in Australia live under conditions of modern slavery.

>>21949211 Video: Dozens of ex-staff at elite private school accused of historical sexual, physical abuse - More than two dozen former Carey Baptist Grammar School staff have been accused of molesting students on campus, at camps and in teachers’ cars over three decades. The Age early this year revealed that three survivors of alleged abuse had come forward with historical claims against three male teachers at the co-educational private school in Melbourne’s east. Now more than 30 people have come forward alleging physical and sexual abuse at the school from the 1960s to the 1990s, according to law firm Judy Courtin Legal. The firm confirmed 32 ex-pupils had contacted it about alleged abuse at the school, accusing 26 staff members -- but not all have decided to take action. The alleged abuse took place at the school, in teachers’ cars, on school-run camps and during “unsupervised tutoring” both on and off premises, according to complaints. The firm is representing four former pupils who claim they were subjected to sexual abuse, grooming or serious physical assaults by former Carey staff. It said it was also in contact with two others considering taking action. One legal proceeding filed this year involves one teacher and another male associated with the school and is expected to go to trial in August 2025, according to the firm. An ex-student who is suing the school said the legal process added to the pain and trauma of survivors. “Sadly, this protracted legal process only adds to the pain and trauma caused, not only by the actual abuse but also now through the legal process by the institution that let us down so gravely in the first place,” she told The Age.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 5

>>21974814 Pedophile priest Bryan Coffey:‘Free pass for sexually abusive clerics’: Catholic Church not liable, High Court rules- A Catholic diocese in regional Victoria has been found not liable for the historical sexual abuse of a young boy by one of its priests, in a landmark decision that casts doubts over thousands of legal cases against religious orders nationwide. The High Court on Wednesday overturned on appeal a previous ruling by Victoria’s Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal that had found the Ballarat diocese was legally responsible for the misconduct of its former priest, Father Bryan Coffey. The relevant legislation did not provide a basis for imposing vicarious liability on the church because the priest could not be legally considered as an employee, the High Court found. The matter has already come to the attention of attorneys-general at state and federal levels, with the High Court conceding that “reformulation of the law of vicarious liability is properly the province of the legislature,” according to the judgment. The diocese and its current bishop, Paul Bird, were sued in the Supreme Court of Victoria by a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Coffey at his parents’ home in Port Fairy in 1971. The man, known in court documents as DP, was five years old at the time of the abuse. Coffey, who is now deceased, received a three-year suspended sentence in 1999 after being convicted of charges including false imprisonment and the indecent assaults of males and females under 16.

>>21974828 Pedophile priest Bryan Coffey:‘High Court limits church liability for child abuse- Australia’s highest court has freed the Catholic Church of liability over some cases of child sexual abuse by priests, potentially destroying claims by victim-survivors. The High Court on Wednesday overturned on appeal a previous ruling by Victoria’s Supreme Court that the diocese of Ballarat was vicariously liable. It found the relevant legislation did not provide a basis for imposing such responsibility because the priest was not a direct employee of the church. The diocese and its current bishop, Paul Bird, were sued by a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Father Bryan Coffey at his parents’ home in Port Fairy in 1971 when he was five years old. Coffey, who is now dead, received a three-year suspended sentence in 1999 after being convicted of charges including indecent assaults of males and females under 16 and false imprisonment. The man, known as DP in court documents, didn’t tell anyone except for his partner about the assault until 2018. DP made a claim for more than $1.5 million for loss of earnings as a result of the assaults, a figure described by Justice Jack Forrest in a December 2021 decision as “bold”. Justice Forrest ultimately found the church had vicarious liability because of the close relationship between the then-bishop, diocese and community, ordering DP receive $200,000 in damages for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, $10,000 for medical expenses and $20,000 in other damages. The principal issue in the High Court appeal was whether the diocese could be held vicariously liable for abuse committed by Coffey, despite the priest not being formally employed by the diocese. That form of liability is usually reserved for employers responsible for the wrongful or negligent actions of their employees, regardless of whether the organisation was at fault. The Victorian courts had extended that to the church, finding Coffey was still a “servant of the diocese” and through the role had the “power and intimacy” to abuse children. But Wednesday’s decision ruled the lower courts had overreached. The High Court said it has repeatedly refused to extend the boundaries of vicarious liability to include independent contractors. “Expanding the doctrine to accommodate relationships that are ‘akin to employment’ would produce uncertainty and indeterminacy,” the judgment summary read. “As the priest was not an employee, there could be no finding of vicarious liability on the part of the diocese.”

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 6

>>22002030 Gillard urges states to act after ‘deeply concerning’ ruling that Catholic Church is not liable in abuse case - Former prime minister Julia Gillard has called on Australia’s attorneys-general to urgently consider how to deliver justice to survivors of child abuse after the High Court ruled that a Catholic diocese was not liable for the historical sexual abuse of a young boy in Victoria. Gillard, who in 2012 established the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, said she was “deeply concerned” about the High Court ruling. The royal commission - widely considered among the most important decisions of Gillard’s period as prime minister from 2010 to 2013 – lifted the lid on decades of child sexual abuse that had occurred in Australian institutions. But the High Court sent shockwaves through advocates for survivors last week when it overturned on appeal a previous ruling by Victoria’s Supreme Court and its Court of Appeal that had found the Catholic Church’s Ballarat diocese was legally responsible for the misconduct of its former priest Father Bryan Coffey. On Wednesday, the High Court found that the relevant legislation did not provide a basis for imposing vicarious liability on the church because the priest could not be legally considered an employee. The diocese and its current bishop, Paul Bird, were sued in the Supreme Court of Victoria by a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Coffey at his parents’ home in Port Fairy in 1971. The man, known in court documents as DP, was five years old at the time of the abuse. Coffey, who is now deceased, received a three-year suspended sentence in 1999 after being convicted of charges including false imprisonment and the indecent assaults of males and females under 16. Last week legal experts warned that the landmark decision could cast doubt over thousands of legal cases against religious orders nationwide. Other common law jurisdictions, including Britain, Canada and Ireland, have developed the principle of vicarious liability to apply to religious orders. Gillard, contacted by this masthead for comment, made it clear yesterday that she was taken aback by the High Court’s decision. “I am deeply concerned about the implications of this High Court ruling, and I believe attorneys-general must urgently consider how best to ensure survivors can attain justice,” she said.

>>22008499 Video:Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones charged over indecent assault allegations- Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones has been charged for indecent assault and touching offences spanning more than two decades. NSW Police charged the former 2GB radio host with 24 offences against eight victims, after arresting him at his luxury Circular Quay apartment around 7.45am on Monday morning. Jones has been granted conditional bail, and will appear in the Downing Centre local court on December 18. The charges included 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault (victim under authority of offender), nine counts of assault with act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching another person without consent and two counts of common assault. Assistant commissioner in charge of state crimes Michael Fitzgerald revealed in a press conference the youngest of Jones’ alleged victims was 17 years old. “I wish to commend the victims and their bravery in coming forward,” he said. “They fully are aware, as are the investigators, that the hard work is just beginning, and they have given their statements fully aware that they will go before the courts.” Fitzgerald said police believe more people will come forward with allegations against Jones. “The strike force will continue, and (officers are) currently talking to people and will continue to talk to people,” he said. Police granted Jones bail under the strict conditions that he surrender his passport and not enter any airport. He is required to remain living in Sydney, and is not allowed to contact any complainant or witness in relation to the ongoing police investigation. He is also not permitted to disclose the identities of alleged victims to the media or any third party, except for his lawyers. Fitzgerald said police will allege Jones knew some of the alleged victims personally and some professionally.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 7

>>22008509 Video:Alan Jones charged with 24 offences against eight victims over two decades- Alan Jones has been charged with 24 offences against eight alleged victims spanning two decades after a lengthy police investigation into allegations of indecent assault and sexual touching. The broadcaster and former Wallabies coach was arrested at his luxury Circular Quay apartment at 7.45am on Monday over allegations he indecently assaulted, groped or inappropriately touched multiple young men. Jones was driven in an unmarked police car to Day Street police station, where he re-emerged hours later after being granted bail. Jones has been charged with 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, nine counts of assault with an act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching another person without their consent and two counts of common assault. Police said Jones knew some of his alleged victims personally, some professionally, and in some circumstances the alleged abuse took place the first time they met Jones. The youngest of the alleged victims was aged 17 at the time of the alleged offences. At 5.10pm, a frail-looking Jones, flanked by his lawyers, was met by a waiting media pack as he left custody. Wearing a green tracksuit and matching shoes and using a walking stick, Jones did not answer reporters’ questions as he was ushered to a waiting car. His lawyer, Chris Murphy, told reporters Jones “denies any misconduct”. “Nothing has been tested. Nothing has been proven. Alan Jones will assert his innocence appropriately in the courtroom,” Murphy said. Jones was granted bail with restrictions on his travel and contact with alleged victims. He will face Downing Centre Local Court on December 18. For the past nine months, detectives from Strike Force Bonnefin, run by the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse Squad, have been conducting a top-secret investigation into Jones. The strike force was formed after a lengthy investigation by the Herald and The Age, which revealed in December that Jones had used his position of power, first as a teacher and later as the country’s top-rating radio broadcaster, to allegedly prey on a number of young men.

>>22008519 How Alan Jones rose to power grilling the most powerful - Who is Alan Jones? Over 35 years, Alan Jones established his position as Australia’s most influential radio host, quizzing eight prime ministers and 11 NSW premiers and dominating Sydney’s airwaves with 226 consecutive rating wins. He regularly courted controversy, clashed with politicians and wielded great power. On Monday Jones was arrested over allegations that he indecently assaulted, groped or inappropriately touched multiple young men. After a nine-month investigation by Strike Force Bonnefin, detectives swooped to arrest Jones at his Circular Quay home. The strike force was formed following a lengthy investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, which revealed in December that the 83-year-old had used his position of power over an almost 60-year period to allegedly prey on a number of young men.

>>22022612 Video: Police investigate alleged abuse of boys inside South Australia’s notorious Magill Training Centre - A top-secret police investigation has been launched into alleged historical abuse against children inside South Australia’s most notorious youth prison. One alleged victim, who was held in the Magill Training Centre in the ‘90s when he was 10 years old, spoke to 7NEWS about his experience. Only now, decades later, does he feel strong enough to share his story. “They put the fear of God into us kids that were in there, so that we didn’t come forward,” he said. “We were too scared.” The boy was locked up with his alleged abusers and recalls being dragged from his cell in the middle of the night, bashed and repeatedly raped. “In my case it was three separate staff members, and it was more like a weekly thing or a couple of times a week,” he said. Dozens of former prisoners allegedly fell victim, with many now demanding compensation from the government. Andrew Carpenter from Websters Lawyers is representing at least six. “They all operated in code names, which goes to show what kind of paedophile ring was working there. They shut this centre down and then nothing,” Carpenter said. “Many people are coming forward from different decades explaining the same instances. I don’t think we’ve hit the tip of the iceberg.”

#38 - Part 136

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 8

>>22064768 WA government rejects host of recommendations resulting from inquiry into institutional child abuse - Survivors of institutional child sexual abuse have been left disappointed after the WA government rejected a host of recommendations resulting from an inquiry aimed at improving support available to them, including allowing the names of known child abusers to be published prominently on church websites. Just 11 recommendations out of 33 made by a parliamentary committee were accepted by the government or accepted in principle, while 14 are under further examination, and eight were not accepted. Two recommendations were rejected relating to the contentious issue of permanent stays - where a court halts child abuse proceedings when it considers there is no possibility of a fair trial, due to the passage of time, deterioration of evidence, or death of the accused. The committee wanted applications for permanent stays in such cases only to be allowed after the end of the trial on the matter, and had also sought a reconsideration of any permanent stays granted against child sexual abuse claims prior to that judgement. But the government did not agree, suggesting this "would result in a court hearing a trial that was necessarily unfair or an abuse of process and could be constitutionally invalid." Terry Martino, an advocate from the group Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA), lashed out at both the government’s response, and the fact his group only found out about the tabling of the report after a call from ABC News. "Survivors bared their souls at the inquiry, they shared the most intimate details of their abuse and the impact it's had on their lives," he said. "To find out that information was then used to form a report, that was then in large part, in many cases rejected by the government, it's actually quite cruel. It's appalling conduct. The report opens with the government stating that they acknowledge the strength of survivors. These are meaningless words that infuriate survivors."

>>22069752 ‘We invited him into our home’: parents and victims of Queensland paedophile Ashley Griffith decry ‘horrific abuse’ - Parents and victims who were raped and abused by former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith have told a Queensland court about the “unimaginable pain” his crimes have caused. Griffith is being sentenced in the Queensland district court after pleading guilty to committing 307 sexual offences against dozens of children under his care in Brisbane and Italy between 2007 and 2022. Most of the victims are girls who were aged between three and five at the time. The court was told that Griffith “lacked empathy for his victims” and had attempted to justify his actions. He sat impassively in the dock, often wringing his hands, as victims and their parents spoke about the impact of his actions. A young woman, who was abused by Griffith on more than 50 separate occasions when she was three and four years old, told the court she grew up exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. She began self-harming at 12 years old and had panic attacks at school. “I will never know what my life could have been like,” the woman said. “I can never know what it would have been to grow up unafraid of people. He recorded himself abusing me and put recordings of me on the dark web. His actions have profoundly impacted my life. I have missed out on a normal childhood.” The woman’s mother said, as a five-year-old, the girl had withdrawn from speaking to adults. “She didn’t have the vocabulary to tell us why she was scared of adults. She just knew they were people to be feared. How were we to know the greatest danger to our child was the one entrusted with her care? How do you tell your child, who is also at crisis point, that you’ve been the victim of sexual abuse?”

#38 - Part 137

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 9

>>22069791 Video: Victims of daycare paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith share impact statements as sentencing begins in Brisbane - A woman whose daughter was taught by Ashley Paul Griffith has described the emotional and psychological impact on her family after inviting him into her home for Sunday dinners, birthday parties and to play football with her teenage sons. Ashley Paul Griffith is being sentenced in the District Court in Brisbane after pleading guilty to 307 charges against 69 children at early learning centres in Brisbane and Italy. All victims were females aged between two and seven. The offences, which include rape, repeated sexual conduct with a child and producing child abuse material outside of Australia, happened between 2003 and 2022. The court heard the offending occurred while the children were awake, sometimes when they were distracted by devices that he provided them, and also when they were asleep. The mother of one of the victims, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the court how she first gave her child's kindergarten teacher a lift when she saw him walking by himself to a bus stop. "This friendship spilled over to the rest of our family and other parts of our lives," she said. The court heard the 46-year-old man became part of her family, and even attended her daughter's birthday party where he did face-painting for the guests. In her victim impact statement, the woman described how the betrayal has had an emotional and psychological impact on everyone in her family. "Our oldest son has lost trust in humanity. When we broke the news to him, his response was 'That is it, no one is allowed to come into our house anymore'." "You thought you were being Christ-like, but you literally invited the devil into our home."

>>22073254 Video: Woman who was charged after reporting Australia's worst paedophile faces court - Yolanda Borucki was the whistleblower who revealed the missed opportunities to arrest Ashley Paul Griffith sooner and today was her chance to try to clear her name in court.

>>22079573 Life Sentence:Notorious daycare paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith sentenced to life in prison for abusing children in Australia and Italy- One of Australia's most notorious paedophiles has been sentenced to life in prison after confessing to raping and abusing scores of children in daycare centres in Australia and overseas. Former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith pleaded guilty in September to more than 300 charges against 69 children in early learning centres in Brisbane and Italy over almost two decades. Griffith will have a non-parole period of 27 years, with Judge Paul Smith describing his offending as "depraved". He won't be eligible to apply until 2049. He appeared emotionless as he fronted the Brisbane District Court on Friday for the second day of sentencing. Judge Smith found "significant harm" had been caused by Griffith, "and significant harm will continue to be caused". He said Griffith's "risk of re-offending would be high" if he was released into the community. "This was very serious, offending in terms of length and scale. The victims were very vulnerable, and there was a significant breach of trust," Judge Smith said. "People expect their children will be protected in childcare centres." Judge Smith said the case warranted the maximum penalty due to the length of the offences, the number of victims, their age and vulnerability, the planning involved, and the fact that he uploaded the abuse online. Several people screamed at Griffith in the courtroom as his sentencing wrapped up.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 10

>>22079613 Australia’s worst pedophile sentenced to life in prison - A leading child safety advocate has questioned why Australia’s worst pedophile, childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, was not given an indefinite life sentence after being found guilty of abusing 69 little girls. Griffith, 46, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 27 years on Friday, more than two years after he was arrested for crimes that spanned two decades across Queensland, NSW and Pisa, Italy. Griffith’s earliest release date is August 20, 2049. He will be 71. But advocate Hetty Johnston said that while she was grateful for the conviction, a more severe sentence was warranted. “It’s beyond my comprehension why he didn’t get an indefinite sentence, a life indefinite sentence, because he will always and forever be dangerous,” Ms Johnston said. In September, Griffith pleaded guilty to 307 offences against 65 girls in Queensland and a further four girls overseas. Most of his victims were aged between three and five, but the youngest was believed to be just one, and the oldest seven or nine. In the Brisbane District Court, Judge Paul Smith set the non-parole period beyond the usual 15 years to 27 years. He said the seriousness and gravity of the charges warranted the maximum penalty. Under Queensland’s Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act, introduced in 2003 after being championed by Ms Johnston, judges can order offenders who have a high risk of reoffending to remain behind bars. “Like all legislation that’s in the view of some as too harsh, judges don’t like to give that sentence,” she said. “It’s defeating the intention of the legislation and the more it happens, the more precedence is on the books and it just gets dumbed down.”

>>22079621 Video: How Australia’s worst pedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, exploited a broken system - Shocking failures to prevent and detect the sexual abuse of children in daycare centres have been revealed in court as the nation’s worst pedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Griffith was able to abuse children at will as he repeatedly moved from one childcare centre to the next, despite concerns about his conduct and repeated workplace problems dating back two decades. He was free to regularly isolate girls and to brazenly abuse them while recording with multiple cameras including one set up on a tripod, the court was told. Sentencing remarks in Brisbane’s District Court on Friday painted a picture of an abject failure of child protection measures and a litany of missed opportunities to stop Griffith. No little girl was safe from the predator, who abused his victims when they were awake or asleep or in front of other children. Most of his victims were aged between three and five, but the youngest may have been just one. Griffith told police he had a sexual interest in older girls too but targeted those he thought were easier prey. Heart-wrenching victim impact statements from parents brought home the immense damage inflicted since. As devastated parents worry about the potential long-term impacts, some are tormented over whether to tell their daughters about the abuse when they appear to have no recollection of it. Griffith, 46, will have to serve at least 27 years’ jail before becoming eligible for parole. Prosecutors asked for a minimum of at least 30 years, but Judge Paul Smith took into account Griffith’s guilty pleas and assistance he offered police. There were 65 victims in Queensland and four in Italy, some abused over many months. Griffith now faces extradition to NSW to face justice for allegedly abusing dozens more girls at a single childcare centre in Sydney.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 11

>>22079659 Video: Childcare inquiry urged after 'depraved, violent' rapist jailed for life - The parents of girls raped by one of Australia's worst pedophiles want an investigation into how childcare centres "betrayed" them by not detecting his depravity for almost two decades. Ashley Paul Griffith, 46, has been sentenced to life imprisonment over hundreds of sex offences against almost 70 girls while working in Queensland's childcare industry. He pleaded guilty to 28 counts of rape against girls primarily aged three to five at childcare centres in the state between 2007 and 2022. Brisbane District Court Judge Paul Smith imposed a non-parole period of 27 years on Friday, saying Griffith was "depraved and has a high risk of reoffending". "People expect their children will be protected in childcare centres and this will be a concern to every parent in this state," he said. Dozens of parents of victims and some of the victims themselves, now young adults, were in court for the sentencing. Some parents yelled obscenities at Griffith as he was taken back into custody, telling him to "burn in hell". Outside court, one mother welcomed the sentence, but felt anger at Griffith and the childcare centres which employed him. "We feel we have had some justice," she said. "When she is older I will be able to tell her (Griffith) got put into prison for life because of the actions of incredible Australian Federal Police agents." A father who spoke outside court thanked prosecutors and called for an investigation into the childcare centres. "There are businesses, staff and regulators who ignored the signs. They didn't follow through on reports and failed to supervise our children," he said. "We hope the department of education thoroughly investigates these centres."

>>22079670 Australia's worst pedophile:How Ashley Paul Griffith was caught as a pedophile on the dark web- Deep in the putrid bowels of a dark web society of pedophiles, where monsters relish in each other’s depravity, a user named Zimble posted a “how to” guide on molesting little girls. “Without knowing specifics about the child’s personality, is she shy or super affectionate?” he wrote. “My first priority would be to try to get her sitting on my lap. This can be very easy with some children.” He went on to describe in detail the incremental nature of his techniques, giving advice to other predators on what had worked in his “experiences”. It was 2014 and “Zimble”, one of the 45,000 members of a global online pedophile network called The Love Zone (or TLZ), had uploaded a catalogue of his perverse activities. Six little girls had been filmed and photographed by Zimble as he molested them. He uploaded ten videos and 46 photographs of his crimes against them and wrote to the site’s VIP area, asking to be considered for approval. Impressed, they gave it to him. Zimble didn’t know it, but his days rejoicing among his own kind were numbered. Lurking inside TLZ were investigators from the Queensland Police Service. They had infiltrated the site and from within, went straight to the top. The CEO of this cesspit was a predator named Skee. On June 10, 2014, they tracked him down to a suburban home in Adelaide. His name was Shannon McCoole - a 32-year-old child and youth worker who’d been abusing the foster children he’d been paid to protect. His arrest would spark a Royal Commission, but not before police walked into his house, opened his laptop and took over his account. They posed as him for months as they collected information and data, doing their best to arm themselves with what they’d need to track down predators and rescue their victims. When news of McCoole’s arrest and the take-down of TLZ became public, Zimble, like many of his cockroach-like friends, panicked. He cleared his hard drive and left his job in Pisa, Italy, where he’d been abusing more children, and fled to his home country: Australia. For years, Zimble and the little girls he’d filmed remained unidentified. But the images had given up enough clues to indicate they were in Australia. Clothing worn by the children was sold by major Australian retail chains. Chillingly, other items in the room suggested they were being molested within the walls of a childcare centre. Then, in August 2022, an investigator from the Australian Federal Police victim identification team watching one of the videos noticed something. A brand name on a blanket. A little digging determined it was a brand of blanket sometimes used in childcare centres. A little more digging gave them the names of those childcare centres who had purchased them. And more digging still would lead them to childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith.

#38 - Part 140

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 12

>>22079717 Video: AFP Statement on the sentencing of a Gold Coast Childcare worker for rape and sexual assaults - "The AFP recognises that today is a deeply traumatic day for so many people whose lives have been permanently affected by the crimes of one man. As always, our thoughts are with the families and victims and we will continue to offer support to each and every one of them. The bravery of the victims and their families has humbled our investigators and we know any jail sentence will not be enough for those whose trust was breached in such an horrific manner. The AFP acknowledges the painstaking work done by so many of our skilled investigators and specialists that led to the offender being arrested, charged and jailed so he can no longer hurt children. This is a job nobody wishes we had to do, but unfortunately there are too many predators who prey on our children. About 50 AFP members have worked on this case since 2014 and I want to pay tribute to each one including our victim identification specialists and the Queensland Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team. We also thank our partners in the Queensland Police Service, New South Wales Police Force, Department of Home Affairs and our global law enforcement partners, who we have collaborated with since 2014, to bring this man to justice. As always, our thoughts remain with the victims and their families." - Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough, 29 November 2024

>>22079717 Q Post 1735 - There is nothing more precious than our children. Evil has no boundaries. The choice to know will ultimately be yours. These people are SICK! To those who are courageous enough to speak out - we stand with you! You are not alone in this fight. God bless. Q - https://qanon.pub/#1735

>>22093221 Survivors of paedophiles working at Launceston General Hospital receive $7.85 million compensation after state settles claim - Survivors of alleged historical child sexual abuse at a Tasmanian hospital have received a combined $7.85 million settlement, with one claimant saying that while no money could remedy the abuse, it was "life-changing". Law firm Arnold Thomas and Becker has resolved five claims against the State of Tasmania or the Tasmanian Health Service, averaging over $1.5 million per claim. Another two in-principle settlements have also been reached, with another 20 claims underway. The claims allege abuse by former paediatric nurse James "Jim" Geoffrey Griffin and another nurse at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) with some extending to other settings. Principal lawyer Kelly Schober said the health service and the hospital should have done more to protect the children while they were inpatients and had failed to provide a safe place. "As part of that, we say [they] knew, or ought to have known, that children at the hospital might be at risk of physical and sexual abuse, particularly by Griffin," she said. "We say, the hospital, they had received red flags for nearly 20 years in relation to various concerns of … grooming, sexual abuse or inappropriate conduct, and these were effectively ignored by the health system and also staff." Griffin worked as a paediatric nurse at the LGH between 2009 and 2019. He was charged with multiple child sex offences in October 2019, but died by suicide before the allegations could be tested in court. The revelations against him were one of the reasons the recent Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings was established, and the LGH was one of the key institutions probed into.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 13

>>22104670 Explosive new documents reveal details of charges against Alan Jones - Former broadcaster Alan Jones is alleged to have fondled penises, stroked thighs, squeezed bottoms and pulled one man’s scrotum, according to explosive court documents obtained by this masthead. The charge sheets reveal details of the 26 allegations against Jones relating to nine complainants. The alleged offending took place between June 2001 and December 2019 and allegedly occurred at Jones’ former home in Newtown, his harbourside apartment, his farm at Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands and other places across Sydney. Jones, who also coached the Wallabies, was arrested at his luxury Circular Quay home at 7.45am on November 18 and released on conditional bail that afternoon. The 83-year-old is charged with 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, 11 counts of assault with act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching another person without consent and two counts of common assault. The identities of his alleged victims have been suppressed. The nine complainants are understood not to know each other. In the documents, filed to the court and obtained by this masthead on Tuesday, police claim the indecent acts included kissing on the lips, the corner of the mouth and “using his tongue”. Regarding three of the men, Jones is alleged to have touched, “fondled” or “rubbed” their penis. On one occasion, police allege Jones “touched [the complainant’s] penis, pulling his scrotum”. He is further accused of squeezing knees and bottoms, touching faces and legs, touching or stroking thighs - at one point “close to his [the complainant’s] groin” – kissed another complainant and “caressed his upper arm”. The charges follow a major investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age which revealed allegations that Jones used his position of power to prey on a number of young men, indecently assaulting them, groping or inappropriately touching them without their consent.

>>22157857 $5.9m payout by Western Bulldogs to child sex abuse survivor Adam Kneale slashed by more than half - A record $5.9m compensation payout by the Western Bulldogs to a child sex abuse survivor has been slashed by more than half on appeal. But the AFL club failed to overturn a jury’s finding that it was liable for Adam Kneale’s suffering at the hands of fundraising volunteer and convicted pedophile Graeme Hobbs in the 1980s, which his lawyers hailed as a victory. A Supreme Court jury returned the landmark verdict last year, awarding Mr Kneale $5,943,151 in damages - the largest sum awarded by a jury to an abuse survivor in Australia and the first against an AFL club. The club appealed both the jury’s findings and the compensation payout. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal slashed the jury’s award for pain and suffering and economic loss, reducing the total payout to $2,637,573. But it upheld the jury’s finding that the club was liable for the years-long sexual abuse suffered by Mr Kneale as a teenager. Mr Kneale’s lawyer, Rightside Legal partner Michael Magazanik, said the ruling sent a strong message that organisations would be held to account. “The Western Bulldogs will pay a hefty price for their failure, but that’s nothing compared to the cost to Adam. The Club caused him massive pain and suffering but tried to avoid paying him anything,” he said. “The Bulldogs leadership in the 1980s and 90s had chances to stop the abuse, but a series of red flags was ignored. “And even now the club’s current leadership can’t or won’t face the music - it fought Adam to verdict at trial and lost. And now it has lost again.” Mr Magazanik said the revised sum of $850,000 for pain and suffering remained the highest award for general damages in Australian legal history. With interest, Mr Kneale will receive about $2.9m.

#38 - Part 142

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 14

>>22157927 Clergy abuse survivors hit out at moves to ban protests outside Australian places of worship - Survivors of clergy abuse have expressed deep concern at proposals to ban protests outside places of worship, with lawyer John Ellis saying a blanket ban would have seen him arrested outside a Sydney cathedral last year. Anthony Albanese on Wednesday backed proposals in New South Wales and Victoria to ban such protests after an arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and antisemitic vandalism in Sydney. Speaking about the proposals, the prime minister said he “cannot conceive of any reason, apart from creating division in our community, of why someone would want to hold a demonstration outside a place of worship”. This rankled abuse survivors, particularly those who engaged in what they describe as a respectful demonstration outside St Mary’s cathedral in Sydney after George Pell’s death, and others who have tied ribbons on the fence outside St Patrick’s cathedral in Ballarat for years. Ellis was among those outside St Mary’s last year. “Had such a ban, as is now suggested, been in place a few years ago, I would have been arrested for being outside St Mary’s cathedral with other abuse survivors during George Pell’s funeral,” he said. Ellis was abused as an altar boy for years by a paedophile priest in the 1970s. When he sued the church and Pell himself, the Sydney archdiocese, under Pell’s leadership, took an aggressive approach in fighting his case despite internally accepting that Ellis had been abused and knowing of other complaints about the same priest. It successfully argued in NSW’s highest court in 2007 that, as an unincorporated association holding its assets in a protected trust, it did not legally exist and could not be sued. The defence came to be known as the “Ellis defence” and was used to thwart countless other claims until it was scrapped in 2019. Ellis, whose legal work predominantly involves abuse claims, is adamant that a blanket ban on protests outside cathedrals would have seen him arrested and suffer anew. “That would have been a great travesty and a kick in the guts to all abuse survivors,” he said. Ellis said he understood and supported the idea behind the ban proposal - the need to respect faith, including by ensuring it can be exercised without persecution or attack. But he said there were already laws designed to do precisely that, which target violent protest, offensive behaviour, racial abuse and discrimination. “A peaceful protest should never be unlawful. Full stop,” he said. “People should be allowed their voice and their truth, however uncomfortable that is for others.”

>>22162993 Child sex abuse victims rescued in the Philippines after Aussie men charged - Half a dozen children as young as two years old have been placed in the care of child welfare services in the Philippines after two Australian men and two Filipino women were charged with alleged child sex abuse offences. An international child sexual abuse investigation between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) led investigators to arrest two women in the southern Philippines on November 14. Six children were removed from harm in the Cagayan De Oro region and transferred to the care of social services. The women, aged 23 and 43, were charged with a range of human trafficking and child abuse material offences. 9News understands the charges were triggered after two Australian men were charged for allegedly possessing and soliciting child abuse material connected to the young Filipino victims. The joint-investigation was launched after Tasmanian police arrested a 41-year-old man following a search warrant of his Kings Meadows home. During the search they allegedly found child abuse images and videos on the 41-year-old man's phone, along with a text conversation facilitating the sale of child abuse material. After further digital forensic analysis of the seized phone, AFP investigators determined that the facilitator and child victims were based in the Philippines. AFP Manila Liaison Officer detective sergeant Daisie Beckensall said the case was a "powerful reminder" of the importance of the AFP's relationship with international authorities. "These children's lives have been irrecoverably damaged and we know there are too many other children still at risk," Beckensall said. "That is why we will never give up our fight to keep children safe and stop those who try to exploit or abuse them."

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 15

>>22163029 Sydney Swans, former development coach Mark Heaney sued over shock sexual abuse claims - A promising young footballer robbed of the chance to play AFL is suing the Sydney Swans after he alleges he was sexually abused by his development coach over a traumatic two-year period. Thomas Marino* (Not his real name) was only a boy when Mark Heaney, who spent the mid-2000s coaching junior footy players in Melbourne’s east, allegedly started grooming him after he was recruited to the Sydney Swans Junior Academy more than a decade ago. Mr Marino has now launched legal action against the Swans and Heaney, seeking compensation for “injury, loss and damage” he claims were caused by the club’s failures to keep him safe from a predator. “The purpose of bringing this claim is to seek justice for the harm and trauma I have endured, to hold those responsible accountable and to achieve a resolution that provides closure and supports my ability to rebuild my life,” Mr Marino told the Saturday Herald Sun. “This is about addressing the opportunities I lost - including the chance to pursue a career in the AFL — as a result of what I experienced.” In a Supreme Court writ filed this week, it is alleged Heaney took advantage of his position as a coach at the NSW academy to groom and sexually abuse Mr Marino. He is accused of pressing his penis against the boy when teaching him how to hold a football, stripping naked in front of him, watching him while he was showering, sending explicit photos and instigating sexualised conversations. “On several occasions, (Heaney) directed the plaintiff to remove articles of clothing during training sessions so that (he) had to train whilst wearing nothing but his underwear and boots … as punishment for the plaintiff having made errors during a training drill,” the writ alleges. “On at least 20 occasions, (Heaney) inappropriately slapped, smacked, touched or squeezed the plaintiff on his buttocks and penis.” In 2014, Heaney was jailed after pleading guilty to one count of using a carriage service to groom a person under 16 years after the boy told his parents about the explicit photos.

>>22184897 Video: Alan Jones pleads not guilty to indecent assault charges as alleged 10th victim revealed - Alan Jones has vowed to fight “baseless” allegations of indecent assault levelled at him by complainants who say the veteran broadcaster touched and kissed them inappropriately, as explosive new claims of indecent behaviour are levelled at the former radio superstar. Eight new charges related to a 10th complainant emerged early on Wednesday, in the hours before Jones was to appear in court for the first time since he was accused of indecent assault spanning nearly two decades. The charges were based on allegations Jones repeatedly assaulted the complainant, known as Complainant J, when squeezing his genitalia and kissing him in Sydney’s Southern Highlands during the early 2000s. Jones was swamped by a waiting media pack and members of the public when he arrived at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court flanked by solicitors Bryan Wrench and Chris Murphy. Outside court, Jones said he was “certainly not guilty”. “I will not be engaging in a running commentary in the media,” he said. “But I want you to understand that these allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth and you should know that prior to my arrest I was given no opportunity by police to answer any of these allegations.” Jones said he had “never indecently assaulted these people”. “The law presumes that I am not guilty and I am not guilty. That’s all I can say at the moment,” he said. “But I am emphatic I will be defending every charge before a jury in due course.”

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 16

>>22202452 New Australian laws to stop child sex abuse, terror content among tech giants - Tech giants will have to actively prevent the spread and storage of child sexual abuse and violent terror content under world-first laws taking effect in Australia that do not require companies to weaken or breach encryption. Fines of up to $49.5 million await file and photo storage services like Apple iCloud, Google Drive and Microsoft One Drive, messaging apps like WhatsApp and social media platforms where messages are a prominent feature, such as Instagram, if they do not comply with the new standards taking effect on December 22. In an exclusive interview eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she was confident Australia’s regulations “thread the needle” on protecting privacy - with no companies required to breach encryption — while ensuring abusive and harmful material was not proliferating online unchecked. “What we’ve done is ensured a broad range of rights are being protected, but technology companies will not be able to hide behind the shield of ‘I can’t see it, so I’m … turning a blind eye’,” she said. Ms Inman Grant said even though encrypted services had technological exemptions, they were not “absolved” from the responsibility to reduce the sharing and storing of child sex abuse and terror content. “We do not expect you to break or weaken encryption, but we do expect you to provide alternative plans of action in terms of how to disrupt and deter.”

>>22202569 Video: Yolanda Borucki cleared of computer hacking after media interview about Australia’s worst pedophile - Childcare manager Yolanda Borucki has been found not guilty of computer hacking after she went to the media about Australia’s worst pedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, with a magistrate finding the prosecution failed to prove basic essential elements of the charge. Magistrate Kerrie O’Callaghan delivered the decision on Friday morning, 16 months after Ms Borucki’s home was raided by detectives from Queensland’s online child exploitation squad, Task Force Argos, following a complaint from her former employer, the Uniting Church “The prosecution has failed to prove the elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt. I find Ms Borucki not guilty and the charge is dismissed,” Ms O’Callaghan said. Ms Borucki, 60, cried in court and hugged husband Victor, who, sitting in the Brisbane Magistrates Court public gallery, had clapped after the verdict was delivered. “I am relieved but exhausted too,” she said outside court. After the acquittal, her lawyers blamed the Uniting Church for instigating the failed prosecution, and criticised police for pushing ahead with it. The charge carried a maximum 10-year jail sentence. In the end the case fell well short, raising questions about why it was pursued amid powerful arguments from Ms Borucki’s lawyers that she had served the public’s interest in bringing to light details of a missed opportunity to stop Griffith from raping and abusing children in daycare. When the trial went ahead last month, defence barrister Mr McCafferty questioned if the hacking charge was an act of retaliation by the church. Ms Borucki had revealed in an interview on A Current Affair that Griffith was seen “kissing” a little girl in a fort at a Brisbane childcare centre run by the church in October 2021. Police dismissed the complaint against Griffith, and another complaint from a mother in April 2022, without searching his home or seizing his devices, and say they did not have enough evidence to do more than they did. After police dismissed the October 2021 complaint, Griffith returned to work at the Uniting Church daycare centre. Then, after he was told he was being made redundant, he raped a little girl at the same daycare centre before moving on to work at other centres where he abused at least three more girls. Griffith, now 46, last month was jailed in the District Court in Brisbane for at least 27 years for his abuse of 65 girls in Queensland and four in Italy. He now faces extradition to NSW for allegedly abusing dozens more girls at a single childcare centre in Sydney.

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Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins may have been 'missing' in Ukraine for months

Andrew Greene and David Estcourt - December 2024

Australian authorities were alerted to the "disappearance" of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins weeks before a hostage video emerged of the captured soldier being interrogated by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

The ABC has learnt that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) first learned of concerns for the welfare of the 32-year-old last month, with those close to the former teacher not knowing his whereabouts for months.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday refused to say if the government would consider a prisoner swap deal, but reiterated that they had made representations to the Russian government on Mr Jenkins's behalf.

An American soldier who previously served alongside Mr Jenkins in Ukraine's armed forces has also described his anguish at recently learning his friend had been captured by the enemy and his urge to want to run into battle to save him.

"First thought I wanted to do was get the f*ck up, find out how to f*cking get to him and be the f*ckng person to drag his ass out of prison camp," the US foreign fighter has told the ABC's AM program.

The American national, who asked to be identified only by his call sign "Forrest" because he was still serving in Ukraine, said his Australian comrade was a selfless soldier, willing to face danger and often gave away money to those who needed it.

"He was ready to go [to the] frontline with no armour, no weapon, and just there to kill Russians and keep Ukrainians safe, like, he was in it for Ukraine," Forrest said.

"He was very patriotic and he was the hell of a damn good soldier too … everything he did was to keep f*cking Ukrainians safe," he added.

Forrest, who only learnt of his Australian friend's capture after the publication of the Russian military's hostage video, told the ABC he was "just worried sick about him".

A diplomatic source familiar with Mr Jenkins's case said the Australian government did not doubt the authenticity of the hostage video that emerged on the weekend, but said authorities were yet to determine precisely when it was recorded.

Mr Jenkins's family in Melbourne declined to comment about his situation when contacted by the ABC on Monday but were receiving consular support from DFAT officials.

On Monday afternoon, Russia's ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky, was called into a meeting at DFAT headquarters in Canberra for about half an hour but declined to comment as he entered and left the building.

Russia urged to adhere to international law

In a statement on Monday, Acting Foreign Minister Mark Dreyfus urged the Russian government "to fully adhere to its obligations under international humanitarian law, including with respect to prisoners of war".

"I reiterate the government's clear advice to all Australians — do not travel to Ukraine."

Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham welcomed the decision to call in Mr Pavlovsky for a meeting on Tuesday, but added that the government needed to explain what steps it was taking to locate Mr Jenkins and ascertain his wellbeing.

Australian pro-Kremlin propagandist Simeon Boikov — known by his online moniker Aussie Cossack — has reposted the apparent hostage video, stating that he should be part of a prisoner swap deal.

The outspoken social media figure is the leader of the Australian Cossacks, which styles itself as a military unit, and is holed up in the Russian consulate in Sydney to avoid an arrest warrant for an alleged assault.

Last week, prosecutors also revealed that a "significant volume" of foreign language material had allegedly been found on the devices of two accused Russian spies, Kira Korolev and her husband Igor, leading to delays in their espionage case.

At least seven Australians are believed to have died fighting in Ukraine since Russia's invasion began in 2022, but Oscar Jenkins is believed to be the first to be captured and held as a prisoner of war.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-24/australian-soldier-captured-in-ukraine-missing-months/104759098

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4yxTBBctaE

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Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins has been captured by Russia. What happens now?

Maddy Morwood - 25 December 2024

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This week, a hostage video emerged of captured soldier and Australian man Oscar Jenkins being detained and interrogated by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

While diplomats say they are still working to confirm the 32-year-old's location and conditions, the ABC learnt that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was alerted to concerns regarding his whereabouts last month.

Ukraine has been enlisting foreign volunteers into its international allegiance since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.

At least seven Australians are believed to have died fighting in Ukraine since, but Mr Jenkins is believed to be the first Australian soldier to be captured and held as a prisoner of war.

So, what happens now? And what legal protection do people who joined Ukraine's forces have if they are captured by Russia?

What are the conditions of a POW kept in Russia?

Speaking to ABC's RN Breakfast on Tuesday, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham said Russia should be treating all prisoners, including Mr Jenkins, "humanely and fairly, with respect and in accordance with the laws of war".

And while he said it was up to Russia to "live up to those standards", he acknowledged "far too many reports" have been seen of Russia failing to do so.

Mr Jenkins identified himself as a former teacher in a video posted by pro-Kremlin social media accounts on Sunday that shows a man with dirt across his face being interrogated and struck on the head by Russian captors.

The ABC also verified Mr Jenkins's identity independently.

Keir Giles, Russian military expert and senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, told RN Breakfast Mr Birmingham's expectations are "extraordinarily unlikely".

"As painful as it is to say, we have to face up to the unfortunate reality that it would be extraordinarily unlikely for Russia to do that," he said.

If a prisoner is not murdered immediately after capture — which is becoming increasingly routine — Russia follows a standard procedure of subjecting prisoners to extreme psychological duress and systemic physical torture, Mr Giles explained.

Through placing pressure on the families of those who have been captured, and on the Ukrainian government, Russia "incentivises prisoner exchanges".

"This is a tactic implied to by Russia to secure high-profile assets being returned from Ukrainian captivity," he said.

Could Australia and Russia perform a prisoner swap?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday declined to say if the government would consider a prisoner swap deal for Mr Jenkins, but that they had made representations to the Russian government on Mr Jenkins's behalf.

He also refused to say when the government first became aware of the case.

Mr Giles said that Mr Jenkins, however, may have been captured at an almost "favourable time" due to the increased interest on the Russian side in negotiating swap agreements and to start negotiations with the Ukrainian side.

"It appears that Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region of Russia has actually captured highly valuable Russian individuals they want back," he said.

"In terms of looking for opportunities for making exchanges, this is a good time. As soon as you get these people back, the less they suffer in Russian captivity."

Donald R Rothwell, professor of international law at ANU College of Law, said that Mr Jenkins would join a larger pool if Russia decides to treat Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war.

The pool would consist of Ukrainian prisoners of war who "may be transferred for Russian prisoners of war during the conflict or at the end of the war".

"That is not a process Australia would be involved in as it is not a party to the war," he said.

Otherwise, any other form of prisoner swap would have to be done "through political means" which could include Simeon Boikov, Professor Rothwell said.

Known by his online moniker Aussie Cossack, Mr Boikov is an Australian pro-Russian influencer currently holed up in the Russian consulate in Sydney to avoid an arrest warrant.

Reposting the hostage video of Mr Jenkins, Mr Boikov stated that he should be part of a prisoner swap deal.

Mr Giles said that the swap would "solve quite a few problems" if Russia were willing to an exchange of that kind but "is fairly far-fetched" compared to the regular prisoner exchanges seen with Ukraine.

(continued)

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The Bike Boy Scandal (Dan Andrews Car Crash) - Christmas Message to Cath and Dan Andrews

Dec 25, 2024

A Christmas message to Catherine and Dan Andrews from the Bike Boy campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc7mYlmocYw

Federal Liberals heavily involved in elevation of Brad Battin to the Victorian leadership

JOHN FERGUSON - 27 December 2024

Not since Jeff Kennett was re-elected to run the party in 1991 has a Victorian Liberal leader been handed such a winnable path to government.

Brad Battin’s ascension to the leadership on the third attempt is a triumph of persistence over the toxic malaise that has gripped the Victorian party for decades.

It is also a triumph over petty internal snobbery that questioned whether a former cop and MP who ran a bakery could be handed the keys to what was once a treasured Liberal position.

Battin spoke relentlessly on Friday about the need for unity, which is ironic given his backers have torn to shreds his predecessor, John Pesutto.

They will argue, of course, that Pesutto committed political suicide over reincarnated Liberal MP Moira Deeming.

Which he did.

But these battles can come at a high price, even if Pesutto only occasionally looked like a leader who would pick up the 17 seats needed to win the 2026 election.

Driving much of the urgency around the December 27 vote is panic in Canberra that the state Liberals will bungle the looming federal election.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest the Liberals’ defeat in last year’s federal Aston by-election was fuelled at least in part by the internal bloodbath over Deeming.

The bigger picture is that Peter Dutton needs to win seats in Victoria if he wants to win government.

He and others were deeply worried the Spring Street cancer would spread into the federal sphere.

This has been driving much of the chatter over the months leading to Friday’s spill.

While much will be said about the split between Liberal moderates and the conservative groupings, a lot of what has happened is personality-based rather than anything deeply ideological.

To that end, what Battin offers is straightforward politics driven by unity, the cost of living, crime, and servicing the growth corridors.

It is these outer-suburban growth areas where Dutton and his backers believe there is blue sky for the Liberals.

Battin, the bloke from the suburbs, will be sold as an aspirational success story who understands the basic concerns of basic people.

Where the parallels can be made with 1991 are quite clear.

Jeff Kennett profited from a Labor budget and economy in crisis.

While the Victorian economy is not yet in crisis, the state’s budget most definitely is in 2024.

After more than a decade in power, Labor is failing to get out of its own way, carrying so much pandemic and post-pandemic political baggage that it will struggle to win the next election.

Battin’s mission possible is lined with political opportunity.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/federal-liberals-heavily-involved-in-elevation-of-brad-battin-to-the-victorian-leadership/news-story/9b8268d81242fa2048d87c5e70777121

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2jnQFVjEqE