/qresearch/ -  Q Research

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The five key questions for the Bondi royal commission to answer

Matthew Knott - February 23, 2026

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The royal commission into the Bondi Beach massacre and antisemitism in Australia begins in Sydney on Tuesday with its first public hearings. Royal commissioner Virginia Bell and counsel assisting Richard Lancaster, SC, will deliver opening statements explaining how they will perform their duties.

Later this week, Bell will visit Bondi, the scene of the worst terror attack in the nation’s history, to meet with survivors of the massacre and relatives of the 15 innocent people killed on December 14.

Those invited have been told that Bell will use the informal meeting to explain “limitations on the approach the commission can take to leading evidence of the circumstances of the attack and answer questions about how it will operate”.

With a tight mid-December deadline and expansive terms of reference, Bell and Lancaster have much work to do over the next year. Here are the five key issues they will examine.

How prevalent is antisemitism in Australia, and how does it compare to other forms of prejudice?

The royal commission’s terms of reference instruct it to investigate “the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in institutions and society, and examining its key drivers in Australia, including religious and ideologically motivated extremism and radicalisation”. The inquiry should also assess “the impact of antisemitism on the daily life of Jewish Australians including with respect to security, physical and mental health and wellbeing”.

Jewish organisations have recorded a surge in antisemitic incidents following the October 2023 attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza, including attacks on synagogues, homes, Jewish daycare centres and restaurants.

The latest Scanlon Foundation report into social cohesion, released last year, found that 15 per cent of Australians said they hold negative feelings towards Jews, up from 9 per cent two years earlier. (Thirty-five per cent of Australians said they held negative views against Muslims and 18 per cent about Christians.)

An important, but complicated, question for the royal commission will be the connection between antisemitism in Australia, events in the Middle East and the Albanese government’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What motivated the shooters?

Two months after the attacks, Australians still have little insight into exactly what motivated Naveed Akram and father Sajid to unleash terror on Bondi Beach. Naveed came onto domestic spy agency ASIO’s radar in 2019 because of his associations with radical preachers in Sydney’s western suburbs. Even though it appears he fell off security agencies’ radar in following years, he and his father became radicalised by falling under the sway of Islamic State, a terror group that pursues an extreme, fundamentalist vision of Islam.

Bell’s terms of reference call for her to examine the “lead-up to and planning of the attack”. What drove the Akrams from being devout Muslims to violent extremists? Did the war in Gaza, and other events in the Middle East, influence their radicalisation? Or were other factors more important? Some evidence related to this aspect of the royal commission may remain confidential because of the requirement that the inquiry does not prejudice ongoing criminal hearings.

Did intelligence and security failures contribute to the Bondi attack?

This section of the inquiry is being led by former ASIO and Defence department boss Dennis Richardson. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese originally planned for Richardson’s probe to be a standalone inquiry, sitting alongside a NSW royal commission, but rolled it into the Commonwealth royal commission after bowing to community pressure to establish the wider investigation. Richardson will deliver to Bell by April an interim report examining the performance of intelligence and law enforcement agencies leading up to the attack. ASIO and the Australian Federal Police will be his focus.

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Richardson, who has begun holding interviews, will examine whether the relevant agencies could have done more to prevent the attack. He is also investigating whether there were failures in information sharing between ASIO, AFP and NSW Police. A key question will be whether authorities should have kept a closer watch on Naveed Akram after deciding in 2019 that he did not adhere to or intend to engage in violent extremism. For example, should authorities have raised an alarm when the father and son travelled to a known terror hotspot in the Philippines as they planned the attack? Or when Sajid began amassing a stockpile of firearms.

ASIO said in a recent statement: “Tragically, ASIO did not know what the perpetrators of the Bondi attack were planning – or indeed that they were planning anything. This is a matter of grave regret. It weighs on us heavily. But that does not mean additional resourcing would have prevented the attack or there was intelligence that was not acted on or that our officers made mistakes.”

The spy agency continued: “Ultimately, the royal commission will make its own assessment … based on all the evidence, rather than selective claims.”

Separately, the royal commission will also examine whether there should have been a bigger security presence, including more police officers, at the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi.

Did governments ignore warnings of rising antisemitism?

Jewish community leaders had warned since the October 7 attacks that they felt increasingly unsafe in Australia and expressed fears that a fatal attack could occur. Some are angry at the federal government for what they believe was a lack of action and a failure to take the problem seriously enough. Albanese counters that he appointed Australia’s first special envoy for combating antisemitism and increased security funding for the Jewish community. In December 2024, the AFP announced it would lead a special operation, with the support of ASIO, to investigate threats, violence and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians. Still, there are questions about whether warnings went unheeded and more could have been done to clamp down on antisemitism.

A thorny issue for the royal commission will be how the war in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian dispute influenced the rise of antisemitism in Australia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that the Albanese government’s criticism of Israel during the war, and its recognition of Palestinian statehood, helped foment antisemitism in Australia. Others contend that governments and individuals, including in Australia, must be able to criticise actions of the Israeli government without being branded antisemitic.

What legal reforms and societal change is needed?

Albanese brought back parliament early this year to pass new laws on gun control and hate speech following the Bondi massacre, but more action is likely to follow. The terms of reference for the royal commission call for Bell to make “recommendations to counteract and prevent manifestations of antisemitism”. It will be fascinating to see to what extent her recommendations endorse those of Jillian Segal, the government’s envoy for tackling antisemitism, who delivered a detailed and controversial blueprint last year. Segal called for a crackdown on antisemitism in universities, the media and the arts sector.

The terms of reference also say the royal commission should “contribute to strengthening social cohesion in Australia and countering the spread of ideologically and religiously motivated extremism in Australia”, which opens the inquiry’s remit beyond antisemitism. Indigenous groups have already said they want to participate, as have Islamic and pro-Palestinian organisations. Bell will need clear parameters to keep the royal commission on track given she has just 10 months to complete her work.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/the-five-key-questions-for-the-bondi-royal-commission-to-answer-20260220-p5o43q.html

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Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

https://asc.royalcommission.gov.au/

https://www.youtube.com/@ASCRoyalCommission

Opening Hearing - Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

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

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Accused China asset 'fabricated' Kevin Rudd reports for cash

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd was asked for advice about Australian defence and security by a businessman ‘groomed’ by Chinese spies, a jury has heard.

Miklos Bolza - 19 FEB 2026

Security and defence advice falsely claimed to have come from former prime minister Kevin Rudd was supplied to Chinese intelligence agents by an Australian businessman, a jury has heard.

Dr Rudd is expected to testify in the foreign interference trial of businessman Alexander Csergo, which began on Thursday.

Csergo, 59, has pleaded not guilty to one count of reckless foreign interference after providing reports to two people he believed were working for China’s Ministry of State Security.

The owner of IT consulting firm Conversys was living in Shanghai and working on data-sensitive telecoms projects relating to Chinese government strategy.

Jurors heard he communicated with two individuals - known as “Ken” and “Evelyn” - from when he was approached on LinkedIn in November 2021 until March 2023, a month after he returned to Australia.

The Australian believed Ken and Evelyn worked for Chinese intelligence and were “grooming” him to be a potential source, crown prosecutor Jennifer Single SC said.

In exchange for cash, he provided reports on topics including lithium and iron ore, the change in German government, the AUKUS security agreement and the Quad diplomatic partnership.

Csergo compiled this information from open-source material found online and included quotes from fake interviews he claimed to have conducted with a number of individuals, including Dr Rudd, the court was told.

The former prime minister and diplomat was expected to testify he did not talk to Csergo after the businessman contacted him and asked about Australian defence, AUKUS and the Quad, the prosecutor said.

“(Csergo) fabricated source material to lend feasibility to his reports and make him a more valuable asset,” Ms Single said.

When the businessman finished compiling each report, he would not send it by email.

Instead, he would hand over a printed version or digital file on a USB stick at in-person restaurant or cafe meetings, the jury heard.

“Often those restaurants and cafes were completely empty apart from the accused, Ken and Evelyn,” Ms Single said.

In early 2023, Ken provided Csergo with a “shopping list” of topics to research when he returned to Australia.

‘I have read your ‘shopping list’. I know what you are looking for,” Csergo told Ken on WeChat days before he flew out.

During a search warrant at the 59-year-old’s Bondi premises in March 2023, Australian Federal Police seized a document that was read out to the jury on Thursday.

In it, Ken asked for information about China-related issues in the Australian and US intelligence communities, defence and national security strategies on China, and China foreign policy.

He instructed Csergo to find contacts in the prime minister’s office, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and other law-enforcement bodies.

The AFP also seized his smartphone, laptop and other electronic devices, finding over 3,200 WeChat messages between the 59-year-old and his two alleged handlers.

Csergo told police he felt he had to work with Ken and Evelyn because he was under Chinese surveillance and could not leave the Asian nation due to COVID-19 lockdowns, the court was told.

His barrister Iain Todd argued his client made a commercial decision to provide the information for money.

“There are no secrets disclosed, no blueprints of military weapons or Australia’s military capabilities in any of those reports,” he told the jury.

The only deception was Csergo lying and passing off material written by others as his own to Ken and Evelyn, Mr Todd said.

The IT consultant also did nothing with the “shopping list”, the jury was told.

The trial continues.

https://thenightly.com.au/australia/kevin-rudd-accused-china-asset-fabricated-rudd-reports-for-cash-c-21689678

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British submarine arrives for ‘extraordinary’ AUKUS visit

Matthew Knott - February 22, 2026

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A British nuclear-powered submarine has arrived in Australia for an unprecedented month-long visit despite the well-chronicled problems plaguing the British navy’s ability to send its vessels to sea.

The British and Australian governments are holding up the visit as a sign of the countries’ commitment to the AUKUS pact, even as the United Kingdom views Russia as its most pressing security threat.

HMS Anson, an Astute-class nuclear-powered submarine, arrived on Sunday at the HMAS Stirling naval base in Perth for a month-long maintenance visit.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy described the first such visit by a UK nuclear-powered submarine in Australia as a “historic step in our nation’s readiness to operate and maintain conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines”.

HMS Anson, which was commissioned in 2022, is reportedly the only available submarine in the British navy’s fleet of five Astute-class boats, highlighting the significance of the extended deployment to Australia.

British defence publication Navy Lookout has written that the “timing of the deployment seems extraordinary” as the British navy does not have any other Astute-class submarines available.

“The UK must continue to play its part in AUKUS, but in the short term, perhaps more local concerns should be the priority,” the publication argued this month.

“Placing the sole attack submarine on the other side of the globe appears to be at odds with vigorous official warnings to Russia that ‘any threat will be met with strength and resolve’.”

Navy Lookout said the British navy’s other four Astute-class submarines were “all at low or very low readiness”.

Conroy described the visit as “an important milestone that will build confidence in our strategic partners that we have the workforce able to deliver AUKUS submarines, and also lays ground for more jobs for locals”.

Two Australian navy officers have been embedded on the submarine to gain a better understanding of how nuclear-powered submarines operate.

The Australian navy will also conduct tests of its Speartooth large underwater drone to see how it operates with the British submarine at sea.

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Britain’s deputy high commissioner to Australia, Brian Jones, said the visit “sends a simple message of our water-tight commitment to AUKUS”.

“Our security as the UK is global, and we are committed to contributing to the security and stability wherever that might be,” he said.

“Our shared prosperity with Australia depends on that security … Deploying one of our most capable defence assets into this region reflects our commitment to work with our close partners to uphold peace, security and stability.”

According to the British navy, the Astute-class submarines “are the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel”.

While nuclear-powered, these submarines do not carry nuclear weapons.

American nuclear-powered submarines made similar maintenance visits to Australia in 2024 and 2025, following the announcement of the AUKUS delivery plan in 2023.

The plan involves the US selling Australia at least three Virginia-class submarines while the UK and Australia partner on the development of a new class of submarine known as the SSN-AUKUS.

US senator Tim Kaine told this masthead last week he believed there was a “100 per cent chance” the US would provide the submarines to Australia as promised despite sluggish production rates at American shipyards.

Retired rear admiral Philip Mathias, a former director of nuclear policy with the UK Ministry of Defence, told this masthead last month he feared Australians were not adequately informed about how the troubles plaguing the British navy could scuttle the SSN-AUKUS plan.

“Whilst the United States may sell some [nuclear-powered submarines] to Australia, there is a high probability that the UK element of AUKUS will fail,” he said.

Mathias, who led a 2010 review of the UK Trident nuclear-weapons system, said: “It is clear that Australia has shown a great deal of naivety and did not conduct sufficient due diligence on the parlous state of the UK’s nuclear submarine program before signing up to AUKUS – and parting with billions of dollars, which it has already started to do.”

The head of the British navy, First Sea Lord Gwyn Jenkins, ordered an urgent 100-day drive to tackle systemic delays in the UK submarine program in October.

UK publication Defence Eye reported that the British navy “has struggled to put more than one of its five Astute boats to sea at a time” and that “for a number of months over the past two years, no Astute boats have been at sea”.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/british-submarine-arrives-for-extraordinary-aukus-visit-20260222-p5o4d8.html

New $1.5 billion, six-star Trump hotel confirmed for Gold Coast will be Australia's tallest building

Sarah Swain - Feb 23, 2026

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Plans for a $1.5 billion Trump hotel on the Gold Coast will go ahead, developers say.

Last month, 9News reported conversations were under way to build a Trump hotel in front of the beach at Surfers Paradise

Altus Property Group says the deal for the hotel – which, if built to the height developers say it will, will become Australia's tallest tower – has been signed.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower will be 340 metres and 91 storey high, the company said.

It will be on vacant land on Rickett Street.

"All of my employees at Altus Property Group Pty Ltd are excited about building this iconic six-star resort in the sky and are proud of what it means for Queensland tourism and the Australian economy," Altus chief executive David Young said.

He said he signed the deal on February 14 at Trump's Florida home after he started pursuing the idea almost 20 years ago.

"We are now deeply into a process of design, engineering, construction and fit-out that will cost a shade under $1.5 billion and bring the world's preeminent hotel-resort brand to our shores," he said.

"This project is entirely funded by private investors who come from Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE and the United States.

"They have contributed a mix of debt and equity (in the form of convertible notes) and it gives my organisation access to 'patient capital' insofar as we don't have to rush to make presales as we would with Australian bank finance."

However the building will be "Australia owned and Australia built," he said.

He said it will create 500 jobs when its being built, and another 500 when complete.

Young said the design will not be "gaudy" and will be "tasteful and expensive".

He said a third of the building will be apartments starting at $5 million, although added a price tag for penthouses is yet to be set.

Shops and a beach club will also be created.

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Trump Hotels, which has over 130 hotels around the world, confirmed the development is "coming soon."

"Rising 91 storeys above Surfers Paradise, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Gold Coast will introduce the first Trump-branded hotel in Australia, alongside 272 exclusive residences, a private beach club, and premier retail and dining," it says on its website.

"Set to become Australia's tallest tower, this landmark address redefines beachfront sophistication with world-class amenities, iconic design, and uninterrupted Gold Coast views."

The Q1 tower on the Gold Coast at 322 metres is Australia's tallest building.

Australia 108 in Melbourne is the tallest residential tower at 316 metres.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/trump-tower-hotel-planned-for-gold-coast-queensland/9676905f-9767-4f8d-994c-8bb5e072a24c

https://www.trumphotels.com/properties/trump-international-hotel-tower-gold-coast

>>24295317

Trump Organisation signs deal to build Australia’s tallest tower on Gold Coast

BEN WILMOT and LISA ALLEN - February 23, 2026

After years of false starts, the Trump family is now promoting a scheme on Queensland’s Gold Coast that will see it team up with a local developer to build the country’s tallest residential and hotel tower.

The Trump brand has been linked to properties since the mid-1980s, when Donald Trump made an unsuccessful bid to build and operate Sydney’s first casino at Darling Harbour.

At the height of his celebrity on The Apprentice television show, he promised to fill stadiums in a tour to Australia, which did not eventuate.

Now the Trump Organisation has struck a deal with Queensland’s Altus Property Group to deliver a branded hotel and tower on the Gold Coast, which has been the brainchild of local developer David Young for almost two decades.

Developers weigh in

The planned tower – which first came to light about a month ago, prompting a mix of derision and scepticism – could cash in on the pick-up in the Gold Coast market, which has seen developers such as Melbourne’s Central Equity reignite four-year-old plans to develop a $1bn tower on the glitter strip.

However, others have not been as lucky, with plans by a coterie of developers, including Princess Beatrice’s husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who was the design partner for the $250m Masthead Ocean Club on the Gold Coast, coming to naught. In fact the project, encompassing 37 levels, went into receivership late last year.

The Trump tower slated for 3 Trickett St has also drawn scepticism from veteran Gold Coast developer Harry Triguboff, Australia’s largest private apartment developer.

In a recent interview, Mr Triguboff questioned reports that President Trump will proceed with plans to develop an oceanfront tower about three blocks from Mr Triguboff’s latest development, Ocean, one of Australia’s tallest towers.

“I could imagine he would like the Gold Coast. It’s the water. It’s very lively, and people are there all the time. That’s what he likes; that would suit him.”

“But I can’t understand where he finds the time to do anything.”

The design vision for Trump Tower

Meanwhile, the tower, at 340 metres in height and 91 storeys, would be taller than the ‘Australia 108’ building in Melbourne by 15 metres if it were built.

Mr Young said that after the signing of the final agreement with the Trump Organization at Mar-a-Lago, the developer was now deeply into a process of design, engineering, construction and fit-out that will cost a shade under $1.5bn and bring the world’s pre-eminent hotel-resort brand to our shores.

The local company said the building would be Australian-owned and Australian-built, and a unit of Altus will decide on the fit-out, in keeping with the Trump company’s design requirements.

“It will be an Australian, not American, project. It won’t have a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton brand above the front door, but it will say ‘Trump’. And that means it is a no-expense-spared, highest-possible-quality building – the best in the world,” Altus said.

Mr Young said the project went back to 2007 when he cold-called Ivanka Trump, pitching a project that sports six-star luxury.

Mr Young said the Gold Coast hotel would not have gaudy designs but would instead follow the Trump design manual for the properties it is building in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East.

One third of the building is a 6-star resort hotel, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Surfers Paradise Beach. Another third is residences – 270 apartments – which are likely to start at $5m, with the penthouse prices not yet determined.

The first five floors of the building will be a retail plaza with high-end brands as tenants and will also include event facilities, a beach club and swimming pool – at the fifth storey with amazing views of the Pacific – Michelin-starred restaurants and lavish bars. There will be 24/7 butlers, valet and town car service, beach cabanas, and the famous Trump concierge service for guests and residents.

There are 139 Trump resorts and towers around the world, and this would be the first in Australia.

The project is funded by undisclosed private investors out of Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and the US. Altus said they had contributed a mix of debt and equity – in the form of convertible notes – giving it ‘patient capital’ rather than rushing presales if debt came from Australian banks.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/property/commercial/trump-organisation-signs-deal-to-build-australias-tallest-tower-on-gold-coast/news-story/27234a6e682f0b24f207af37fbd9c1cd

Australian ‘alpha male’ Nick Adams dumped as Trump’s ambassador to Malaysia

Michael Koziol - February 24, 2026

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Washington: US President Donald Trump has dumped controversial Australian-American Nick Adams as his nominee for ambassador to Malaysia, but the self-described “alpha male” says he has been promoted to a new role that will soon be revealed.

Meanwhile, Trump has yet to put forward an ambassador to Australia after 13 months in the Oval Office.

Adams – a MAGA diehard and author, who once served on a Sydney council – was named as Trump’s ambassador to Malaysia last July, but his nomination was never confirmed by the Senate, and lapsed at the end of the year, as per procedure.

Adams was absent from a long list of nominations resubmitted to the Senate in January, including prospective ambassadors to Hungary, Norway and the Philippines. Nor was he on another list submitted this month.

Reached by email, Adams confirmed he would not become US ambassador to Malaysia, but pointed to a new role he said would be announced soon.

“Brilliant detective work, Mick! I’ve been promoted from the role of ambassador!” he told this masthead.

“More details on that will come this upcoming week. I’m sure you’ll see it if you’re looking out for it. You might want to consider waiting a few days so you can break the news to your dozens of readers. Good luck on your hit piece, son.”

Adams did not respond to further questions about his next job. But he teased his social media followers that a “Major Announcement” was coming. The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Adams was born in Sydney and, while a Young Liberal at Sydney University, was elected to the (then) Ashfield Council. At 21, he became the youngest deputy mayor in Australian history.

While on council, he sought to exterminate pigeons from Ashfield to protect against bird flu, and lobbied the state government to ban neighbourhood noise from lawnmowers and leaf blowers on weekend afternoons.

Adams later moved to the US, becoming a naturalised American citizen and a diehard Trump enthusiast. He founded a non-profit organisation called the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, which says it teaches “the [nation’s] founding documents and American values to K-12 students”.

He also attracted attention for outlandish statements on social media, particularly his identity as an “alpha male” and defence of certain traits he claimed as being traditionally masculine.

“Alpha males are an endangered species in America and this is a national security crisis,” he said in 2022. In a 2023 video, he stomped on a packet of M&Ms in Times Square after the manufacturer Mars announced packaging that depicted female M&Ms.

“Feminist M&Ms … It is outrageous, it is disgusting, and it must not stand,” Adams said in the video. “Any male that buys a packet of M&Ms from today forward must hand in their man card because they are a soft, woke, beat-up male feminist who has serious, serious problems.”

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In 2024, he told an audience of young Republicans, as reported by The Washington Post: “Never apologise. Never mask up. Never pick up the Fortnite controller. It starts with the Fortnite controller and boneless chicken wings, and ends in gender pronouns and communism. We don’t want that.”

Adams has also made disparaging comments about Islam and the Palestinian cause, causing alarm in Muslim-majority Malaysia upon his nomination.

In his 2016 book Retaking America, he indulged the idea of interning Muslims, saying the policy should be discussed because of “significant evidence of disloyalty … both on the individual and mosque level”.

Dozens protested Adams’ nomination outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur in July, carrying signs accusing him of being “anti-Islam and pro-Zionist”.

Trump has yet to appoint an ambassador to Australia. When questioned by this masthead in October, he said he had one or two people in mind, but wanted to appoint somebody Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would like.

“Here’s the good news, everybody wants to be ambassador to Australia,” Trump said at the time.

In his first term, Trump took until February of his second year to name an ambassador to Canberra, Admiral Harry Harris, who was then renominated to become ambassador to South Korea.

Trump then nominated Arthur Culvahouse in November of that year, and he was confirmed by the Senate in January 2019 – two years after Trump took office.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/australian-alpha-male-nick-adams-dumped-as-trump-s-ambassador-to-malaysia-20260224-p5o4uc.html

https://www.instagram.com/nickaone/p/DVFlBGVDch2/

https://qresear.ch/?q=Nick+Adams

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Donald Trump nominates Sydney-born influencer Nick Adams as US ambassador to Malaysia

11 July 2025

https://archive.vn/vHdei#23314308

Trump’s Aussie ‘alpha male’ is falling flat in Malaysia

July 24, 2025

https://archive.vn/vHdei#23386791

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Ukraine offers ‘modern warfare’ training to ADF

BEN PACKHAM - 23 February 2026

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Ukraine has offered to teach the Australian Defence Force “how to do modern warfare”, arguing Australian personnel “don’t know how to fight” in the age of killer drones.

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv’s top diplomat in Australia thanked the Albanese government for its support for his country’s war effort, urging it to lock in regular financial contributions after a rushed package last ­December.

Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Ukraine could repay Australia for its assistance, given its unmatched experience in fighting one of the world’s toughest enemies.

He said Ukraine could provide Australia with new military technology, “and we can train your combat troops how to fight, because your troops don’t know how to fight”.

“We’re now the most powerful army in Europe … and we learned how to fight,” Mr Myroshny­chenko said.

“And we can teach you how to do modern warfare. So I think there is a vested interest for you. We can help you build your sovereign capabilities in uncrewed systems, in electronic warfare – something which is ­really cutting edge.

“Your industry cannot catch up with the developments in Ukraine. It’s just impossible, because you don’t have a battlefield. We have a battlefield, and we get that integrated immediately into our R&D.

“We’re now training German troops. We’re training Polish troops. We can train Australian troops.”

Australian personnel have trained Ukrainian troops in the UK as part of the nation’s $1.7bn support for the country, but it took until last year for the Albanese government to commission a high-level ADF study on the military lessons of the Ukraine conflict.

Australian Brigadier General Grant Chambers led an expert delegation to Kyiv in September, examining the country’s domestic drone industry, and how its troops deploy and defend against lethal unmanned systems.

Retired Major General Mick Ryan, a regular visitor to Ukraine during the war, said Australia had been “very slow” to take advantage of Ukraine’s battlefield ­experience.

“We’re not the Ukrainians. We don’t need to be exactly like them, but these kinds of insights are valuable for military organisations that want to fight 21st-century wars, not lose by fighting 20th-century wars,” General Ryan said.

He said the ADF could learn from Ukraine’s drone tactics, its large-scale production of “many different classes of drones”, and its system of “rapid learning and adaptation”.

“The ADF is nowhere near the leading edge in many of these areas,” General Ryan said.

He said Ukraine was also a world leader in counter-drone operations, offering valuable expertise for the ADF to tap into.

“When you shoot down 80 to 90 per cent of drones coming at you, that’s better than just about anyone else in the world,” General Ryan said.

“Our bases are largely undefended from these kinds of threats, as are our major critical civil infrastructure, whether it’s power or fuel.”

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Mr Myroshnychenko revealed Ukraine had withdrawn a request for Australia’s retiring Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters, saying it was instead seeking US-made Apaches.

But he said Ukraine was desperate for more armoured vehicles, including Bendigo-made Bushmasters, and revealed Australian-donated Abrams tanks had already been used in a counteroffensive against Russian forces at Pokrovsk.

Australia made a $95m contribution to Kyiv’s war effort last year, including $50m towards the NATO-backed Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List.

The list has become the focal point for international support for Ukraine as the US winds back direct support for Kyiv.

Mr Myroshnychenko, who was due to meet with Defence Minister Richard Marles late on Monday to discuss Australia’s support, said Ukraine hoped Australia could make monthly or bimonthly contributions to the weapons fund.

“The war is still brutal, still ruthless, and we appreciate that package, which came late last year. (It was) kind of a bit rushed, but it did come,” he said.

“I’m looking for consistency. We appreciate what we get. Don’t get me wrong. I mean, every ­dollar counts. It’s been four years, day in and day out. We lost so many people, and we just can’t stop.”

While Donald Trump has piled pressure on Ukraine to cede land to Russia to end the war, Mr Myroshnychenko said his country was not prepared to give up territory.

“It’s about the people who live there under the Russian occupation,” he said.

“You know how much torture, rape, total erasure of their identity is happening in the occupation. So we are fighting for the people. We are not fighting for the land per se.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has argued handing over territory to Russia would amount to an “abandonment” of hundreds of thousands of people, weakening the country’s military positions and dividing its society.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/ukraine-offers-modern-warfare-training-to-adf/news-story/6eaf9ecb46298a635a19272a3772d8a3

>>23959445

>>24264442

>>24295254

Australia seals UK defence deal with $300m for AUKUS sub reactors

David Crowe - February 24, 2026

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Australia will deepen its defence ties with Britain by spending $310 million on a new stage of the AUKUS submarine project as well as launching joint work on radar systems, drones and missile tests that could help Ukraine.

The agreement was sealed in London on Monday night in a meeting between Australian and UK ministers that cleared the way for closer links in the defence industry to develop defensive weapons.

Australia has previously pledged $5 billion to help fund the development of the nuclear power systems for the AUKUS fleet, but the new spending is the first payment for equipment from Rolls-Royce to be installed in the first submarines.

The $310 million will buy the first components for the nuclear reactors to be supplied by Rolls-Royce and transferred to South Australia for fitting to the first two AUKUS vessels to be built at the Osborne shipyard.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy met his counterpart, UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard, on Monday and announced the funding after their talks.

“This is the start of the construction process for these reactors,” Conroy said in London.

“We’re on track. We’re hitting all major milestones for the AUKUS project.”

As well as claiming progress on the nuclear reactor modules, Conroy pointed to the government’s announcement last week of a $3.9 billion commitment to the construction of the Osborne shipyard, with that cost likely to increase to $30 billion over several decades.

“That announcement, and that $30 billion investment, will build the only submarine yard in the Southern Hemisphere capable of constructing a nuclear-powered submarine,” he said.

“This is a challenging project. This is a project that is the greatest industrial undertaking Australia has ever attempted, but it will also be nation-shaping in terms of modernising our manufacturing sector.”

While AUKUS is fiercely opposed by some members of the Labor Party and rejected by former prime minister Paul Keating and former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr, the government insists it is necessary for national defence and will create 20,000 jobs over the decades.

The agreement relies on help from the United States to supply interim submarines – three Virginia-class vessels – but has a long-term goal of developing a future vessel with the UK.

Australia aims to have five vessels from the early 2040s, using the same SSN-AUKUS design as the UK, which plans to have up to 12 vessels. The project is based on calculations that, without the new fleet, the UK would be more vulnerable to Russia, and Australia would be more vulnerable to China.

Conroy and his UK counterpart emerged from their talks in London with plans for joint work on other projects, including lasers and radar.

The communiqué from the meeting said the two sides would explore the potential for the UK to use radar systems developed in Australia.

Australia has a world-leading radar technology developed by Canberra-based CEA Technologies, which the federal government purchased in 2023 to ensure the intellectual property remained in the country.

On drones, the two sides plan to work on the “Ghost Bat” aerial vehicle, already being produced in Australia, so it could be fitted with missiles that complement the UK and other NATO member states’ arsenals.

“That will potentially facilitate exports of Ghost Bats to European nations who might be interested in it,” Conroy said.

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British missiles set for Australian testing

The agreement in London will also see British missiles tested in Australia to help with the development of new weapons being supplied to Ukraine.

“I won’t comment about the specific UK weapon that may be tested at our weapon ranges, but there’s a number of advanced, long-range weapons that the UK is providing, or looking at providing to Ukraine,” Conroy said.

“Obviously, testing those at our world-class facilities would advantage that process and give Ukraine further assistance in their valiant struggle against Russian aggression.”

The talks also led to an agreement to do more work on laser weapons, to co-operate on the supply of critical minerals and increase the number of Australians who are “embedded” with defence company BAE Systems in the UK to prepare for the construction of the AUKUS fleet.

The joint work on the AUKUS design, with five to be built in South Australia and up to 12 in the UK, is supposed to reduce construction costs compared to each country doing its own design.

Any challenges to the UK construction timetable will have repercussions for Australia because of the shared development.

Rolls-Royce future programs director Rich Palmer told this masthead last October he was “100 per cent” sure the submarines would be delivered, despite the concerns about AUKUS in the US and the strong criticism of the project in Australia.

The British timetable depends on the country’s ability to build one new submarine every 18 months for the existing fleet before it can switch to the new fleet when the AUKUS design is decided. Industry experts are worried that each Astute submarine currently takes about 24 months to build.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/australia-seals-uk-defence-deal-with-300m-for-aukus-sub-reactors-20260224-p5o4ue.html

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Senior Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster said limiting evidence from the Bondi attack would “inevitably” reduce the scope of the inquiry but would “preserve the proper administration of criminal justice.”

The inquiry has already begun issuing notices to produce evidence to government agencies and “organisations of interest”, he said, without specifying any individual recipients.

Mr Richardson and Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal sat in on the proceedings at the NSW Supreme Court.

Liberal Senator Dave Sharma said he expected the “entire co-operation” of ASIO and Australia’s intelligence services, reflecting on the delay to security evidence.

“The Richardson review had commenced its work before it was folded into a Royal Commission, but a Royal Commission will allow the compulsion of intelligence agencies, security agencies and others, to provide information in a way that the Richardson review alone would not,” he said outside court.

“I would defer to the judgment of Ms Bell if she thinks more time is required for … the Richardson review to allow the information to be more fully extracted.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Michele Goldman said some community members would be disappointed they could not share evidence of how they were directly affected by the Bondi massacre.

“It’s going to be very hard for some people, who have had events happen to them which have created a huge amount of pain and trauma, not to be able to share their experiences,” she said. “Likewise, there’s others who are not ready to do so.”

As first reported by The Australian, law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler on Tuesday announced it would represent a collection of seven major Jewish groups pro bono at the royal commission: the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Zionist Federation of Australia, National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, The Dor Foundation and the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council.

“Arnold Bloch Leibler has been retained to assist its clients to engage comprehensively, constructively and responsibly with the Royal Commission,” a statement reads. “This includes providing such supporting evidence as the Commission requires including accounts of antisemitism in Australia and the lived experience of those directly affected.”

No future hearing date was set.

Public submissions to the royal commission will be due by May, with any evidence for Dennis Richardson’s interim review of national security and intelligence agencies due by March 13.

The interim report will be released on April 30, and the final report on December 14.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bondi-royal-commission-intelligence-evidence-delayed/news-story/055be9b0226cb87e80d0bd906720408a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS6z1oi4g4M

>>24201399

>>24281824

Anthony Albanese moves to help keep disgraced Andrew away from the throne in pledge to Keir Starmer

RICHARD FERGUSON and HELEN TRINCA - 24 February 2026

Anthony Albanese has promised to help remove the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession to the Australian and British thrones, as Governor-General Sam Mostyn declared the King’s brother’s downfall was proof nobody was above the law.

In the unlikely case Prince William, Prince Harry and their children either die or refuse the crown before the reign of Charles III ends, his brother Andrew is still by right the next in line to be Australia’s king.

That is despite Andrew being stripped of his titles, his recent arrest over alleged misconduct in public office, and an email trail proving Elizabeth II’s favourite son had deep relationships with the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

Any attempt to strip Andrew from the line of succession requires the consent of every parliament that considers the British monarch their head of state. The Prime Minister has now moved to tell his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, that the Australian parliament is ready to remove Andrew’s last vestige of royal power.

“In light of recent events concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, I am writing to confirm that my government would agree to any proposal to remove him from the line of royal succession,” Mr Albanese wrote in a letter to Sir Keir this week.

“I agree with His Majesty that the law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation. These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously.”

In an exclusive interview with The Australian on Monday, the Governor-General said the Andrew case was a reminder that power and status do not protect potential criminals in Australia.

“I think (the King) has made the point, and others have made the point, that no one is above the law, and that is the case here in Australia,” she said.

“It’s the same here – no one escapes the law by virtue of status or power. I think that’s what people are actually talking about, and seeing, that this (arrest) demonstrates that absolutely no one is above the law.”

Nearly a week since the King’s brother was arrested over misconduct when he was trade envoy for the British government, Andrew is now facing questions about whether he was involved in any trips Epstein made between the UK and the US that may have involved the trafficking of young women and girls.

Andrew is also facing claims – like disgraced British ambassador to Washington and ex-UK Labour election mastermind Lord Peter Mandelson – that he sent the pedophile financier a number of confidential government documents.

The King, Queen Camilla, William and Princess Catherine have tried to keep up a busy public schedule while their relative threatens the foundations of the monarchy.

At the BAFTA film awards in London, William reportedly told film stars and makers that he could not watch one of the gala’s big winners, the emotional William Shakespeare biopic Hamnet, because he needed to be in a “calm state” to view it and he was not calm at present.

Back in Australia, Ms Mostyn would not comment on whether the arrest was damaging to the reputation of the royal family nor on whether it might speed an Australian republic.

“When I’m asked about the republic, I’m always very, very clear in my response, which is, if the matter is ever put by a parliament of any persuasion back to the Australian people, it will be the determination of Australians,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-moves-to-help-keep-disgraced-andrew-away-from-the-throne-in-pledge-to-keir-starmer/news-story/5ebd67faa90b94ad7af13827fe1a4e85

https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/hub/media/tearout-excerpt/54813/LETTER_zy7odzor.pdf

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Several cases of threatening behaviour towards parliamentarians have gone to court in recent months. Karim Mohamed Salem, from the NSW mid-north coast, was alleged to have uploaded a video to his Facebook account in November in which he threatened to shoot the Prime Minister.

Queensland man Norman Dean Lake, 40, was charged last year after he allegedly posted “mark my words I will assassinate the Australian prime minister” on his Facebook account. Below the post he allegedly made several other comments including: “watch the news in two weeks”, “I don’t have much to live for”, and “I am ready to sacrifice myself for God and the people”.

Police last week charged a 55-year-old Western Sydney man with sending death threats to Treasurer Jim Chalmers. During a search warrant, police allegedly seized three gel blasters, three slingshot mounts and a pair of handcuffs.

Last year, The Australian revealed former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was allegedly the target of a Brisbane private school student charged with buying ­ingredients to make bombs and testing “homemade explosives” in preparation to launch a terrorist attack.

Earlier this month, after a Victorian man was charged after allegedly making death threats and antisemitic comments to members of parliaments, Mr Albanese said security for MPs was monitored constantly.

“The truth is that we do live in circumstances where the number of threats that have been made towards elected representatives has increased substantially,” he said.

“We need to be able to have civil discourse in this country. I do not want to see this sort of polarisation we see in some of our democracies around the world happen here.”

Tuesday night’s security threat also came a day after a man was shot dead by Secret Service agents after breaching the perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Mr Trump and his wife Melania were in Washington at the time.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-evacuated-from-lodge-after-threat/news-story/d72ef8bf7d2909ac4852d3f76c64cd1d

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYhb9gKCbnA

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The Falun Gong movement, known also as Falun Dafa, was founded in China in the early 1990s. It was banned by the Chinese Communist Party in 1999 amid allegations that it undermined public order. According to Human Rights Watch, there is “substantial evidence” of torture and other abuses against Falun Gong practitioners by the CCP.

Falun Dafa’s Australian president Lucy Zhao said the “terrorist threats” would not succeed.

“I believe our government will not allow such CCP foreign interference to continue and will investigate further and take action to prevent it,” Ms Zhao said.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said she could “not recall a situation like this”, and believed the threat reflected an increase in political violence across the world.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the threat was “a poor reflection on society”.

“When these sorts of incidents happen, it’s a deterioration of where we’re heading as a country,” he told Sky News.

“And I think, while many don’t agree with me or the Prime Minister on certain issues, it’s important that we keep that at a debate level rather than one that perpetrates threats upon one another. I think we’re better than that as a country.”

More than 950 referrals or threats were made against parliamentarians last financial year, AFP figures show. The number of threats have almost doubled in recent years.

AFP commissioner Krissy Barrett told a Senate Estimates hearing this month that there was a rise in the number of aggrieved people “who are willing to make threats in the online world and then carry them out in the real world”.

“Some of these offenders are not seeking or needing a partner in crime or a network to carry out threats or violence – this personalised grievance is often connected to world events, their own sense of injustice or a fixation on people or weapons,” she said.

The head of Australia’s domestic spy agency Mike Burgess warned in ASIO’s 2025 annual threat assessment that the risk of politically motivated violence was “already flashing red” and was expected to remain elevated until 2030.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-dance-troupe-falun-gong-claim-threat-against-pm-and-the-lodge-was-made-to-stop-them/news-story/7fb3fac2bf9ed486d907af740fb95f88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTe4asaQUNI

>>24243846

>>24305674

>>24305682

Australian Prime Minister Evacuated From Residence After Chinese Bomb Threat Over Shen Yun Performance

The bomb threat sent to local presenters said, ‘If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the prime minister’s Lodge will be blown into ruins.’

Cindy Li & Daniel Y. Teng - 2/25/2026

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated from his residence in Canberra on Feb. 24, following a bomb threat made in Chinese against him and other high-ranking officials.

The threat came just days before a scheduled performance by New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts, a classical Chinese dance and music company that has been a target of Beijing for years.

Ahead of the company’s Australian tour, due to start on Feb. 25, emails in Chinese sent to local presenters demanded that they cancel the shows or else face dire consequences. One email, obtained by The Epoch Times, falsely claimed that explosives had been placed around the prime minister’s residence and that they would be detonated should Shen Yun’s performances proceed.

The prime minister was taken to another location for several hours while law enforcement conducted a search at The Lodge in Canberra. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Feb. 24 found “no current threat to community or public safety,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

Threats Targeting Shen Yun

Local Australian presenters for Shen Yun said they received a Chinese-language email on Feb. 10 with the message, “If Shen Yun’s performance goes ahead, something will happen to Anthony Albanese.”

The email threatened the “personal safety of Anthony Albanese and all other Australian high officials.”

“It doesn’t matter as long as you can afford the cost. I won’t try to talk you out of it anymore. Just don’t regret it later,” it read.

A second email, sent on Feb. 22, was titled “Suggestion to stop Shen Yun.”

The email stated in Chinese: “Large quantities of nitroglycerin explosives have been placed around the Australian prime minister’s Lodge, located on Adelaide Avenue in the Deakin area of Canberra, Australia.

“If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the prime minister’s Lodge will be blown into ruins and blood will flow like a river.”

The sender of the second email claimed to be Chen Pokong, a U.S.-based columnist, political commentator, and YouTuber who played a key role in the pro-democracy movement in China during 1989, for which he was imprisoned and subsequently exiled to the United States. However, the CCP has a history of impersonating individuals, including foreign officials and dissidents, when making these types of threats.

The Epoch Times has contacted Chen for comment.

The local Australian presenters delivered both threats to the AFP on Feb. 24.

“We strongly condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s escalating campaign of transnational repression targeting Shen Yun Performing Arts and Falun Gong practitioners worldwide,” the presenters said in a statement. “All threats have been reported to Australian national security and law enforcement authorities. We appreciate the steps taken to ensure public safety and to protect elected officials, including the Prime Minister.”

They also called for a thorough, public investigation of the threats to “address the national security implications of these incidents, strengthen counter–foreign interference safeguards, and hold responsible actors accountable under Australian law.”

Weeks earlier, similarly worded threats were made against the leaders of the UK, South Korea, and Denmark, with no actual incidents reported.

The performing arts company, which seeks to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, was founded by artists who practice Falun Gong. The spiritual discipline, also known as Falun Dafa, features meditative exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began a nationwide persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999. Under the persecution, millions have been arbitrarily detained, tortured, subjected to forced labor, and even killed for their organs to fuel the regime’s lucrative transplantation industry.

Shen Yun’s performances feature dance pieces that tell the stories of practitioners who’ve faced persecution in China. The Epoch Times is a media sponsor of Shen Yun.

Over the past two years, Shen Yun has been subjected to a transnational suppression campaign involving bomb threats, email threats, and media campaigns.

The latest emails follow a Jan. 2 statement by the Chinese consulates in Sydney and Melbourne urging Australians not to watch Shen Yun.

The consulates echoed CCP propaganda in calling on “friends from all sectors” to remain “vigilant” and to “stay away from the ‘Shen Yun’ performance.”

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That message followed two bomb threats in November 2025 targeting a Sydney screening of “State Organs,” a documentary that exposes the CCP’s organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Lucy Zhao, president of the Falun Dafa Association of Australia, condemned the latest threats.

“This is a hate crime and terrorist threats aiming to silence dissidents and stop Shen Yun,” she said in a statement. She said the association will only work harder to “ensure that Shen Yun’s shows run safely and successfully in Australia” and to hold activities to expose the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.

“I believe our government will not allow such CCP foreign interference to continue and will investigate further and take action to prevent it.”

‘Unacceptable’

In response to the latest emails, One Nation federal MP Barnaby Joyce said it was “totally unacceptable in Australia to intimidate someone who is practicing their religion, in a form that is no threat to Australian culture, and does not intrude on the rights of others.”

“We live in an Australian culture. Australian culture has guardrails as to how you act. … It supports freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, it believes in the centrality of the family … and patriotism to Australia,” he told The Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times has contacted both the Prime Minister’s Office and Leader of the Opposition Angus Taylor for comment.

Taylor did later write on X: “Pleased to hear that the Prime Minister is safe and well after being evacuated from his residence in Canberra.

“Threats against any parliamentarian are utterly abhorrent, especially in a country built on expressing our differences through debate.”

Former Australian Federal Police agent Paul Johnstone said the latest emails could have come from overseas.

“The use of the word ‘Australia’ in this context appears unusually formal and somewhat inconsistent with typical Australian correspondence, where such wording would rarely be used. This linguistic irregularity may warrant closer examination as a potential indicator of external authorship,” he told The Epoch Times.

Johnstone, who has trained police and security personnel across Asia, said the threatening nature of the message suggested alignment with propaganda channels or elements linked to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army or Ministry of State Security.

“Beijing does not regard Shen Yun as merely a cultural organisation, but as a platform that highlights human rights abuses and challenges the authority of the Chinese regime,” he said.

“Chinese diplomatic missions overseas, including in Australia, have reportedly sought to discourage or prevent Shen Yun performances through formal correspondence, engagement with venues and sponsors, and behind-the-scenes pressure on officials.”

Johnstone said that these efforts are part of a broader strategy to “shape global narratives and protect China’s international image, which is progressively eroding especially amid rising regional tensions, including maritime confrontations with the Philippines, economic friction with Japan, and internal political upheavals with purges within the PLA and government.”

The incident is the latest in an ongoing campaign targeting Falun Gong practitioners and companies started by them around the world, including Shen Yun.

The Falun Dafa Information Center, which has been tracking the campaign, has counted more than 130 death and bomb threats made against Shen Yun since March 2024. Dozens more violent threats have targeted U.S. officials and institutions that support Falun Gong, according to the center.

Most of the emails are in Chinese, with the senders claiming, falsely, that they would stage acts of violence should the performances go ahead. In February 2025, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, now named the Trump Kennedy Center, was evacuated due to a bomb threat targeting Shen Yun.

Other threats have directly targeted Shen Yun’s performers, their families, and their training facilities in New York.

Shen Yun’s 2026 Australian tour will perform in the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide from Feb. 25 to March 29.

The show has been widely welcomed in Australian cities for many years, earning praise from figures such as billionaire Imelda Roche.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/australian-pm-evacuated-after-bomb-threats-amid-ccp-backed-transnational-repression-campaign-5989751

https://falunau.org/statement-on-ccp-linked-threats-targeting-shen-yun-falun-gong-and-australian-national-security/

https://x.com/AngusTaylorMP/status/2026260471511494980

https://www.shenyun.com/australia

>>23873299

eSafety Commissioner faces review after court rules takedown notices were unlawful

STEPHEN RICE - 25 February 2026

The federal opposition has demanded a full review of the use of takedown notices by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, after an appeals court ruled she had been operating outside the scope of her powers in taking down a social media post about “queer theory” being taught to primary-school children.

Coalition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said the Albanese government needed to investigate how many removal notices had been unlawfully issued in light of last week’s finding by the Full Court of the Federal Court.

“I am concerned there has been widespread misuse of the regulator’s powers which have improperly stifled free speech, undermining the integrity of Australia’s online safety laws,” Senator Henderson told The Australian.

The eSafety Commissioner had tried to shut down a post on X by children’s rights activist Celine Baumgarten, who had tweeted criticism of a Melbourne primary school teaching gender ideology to 8-12 year olds.

Ms Baumgarten, a member of the group Gays Against Groomers, wrote “children should not be learning about sexualities at such a young, impressionable age … This is foul. Leave the kids alone”.

Senator Henderson said she was “also concerned the commission sought to remove this post because it objected to Ms Baumgarten’s views that schools are no place for gender activism”.

After receiving a complaint that Ms Baumgarten’s post had sought to “intimidate and harass” the teacher, the eSafety Commissioner sent a “complaint alert” to X, even though the commissioner’s own investigator had concluded the post did not meet the statutory definition of cyber-abuse ­material because it did not intend to cause serious harm.

The commissioner sent the alert via X’s high-priority Legal Requests Portal – a channel reserved for law enforcement and government officials submitting valid legal requests.

The alert to X looked and acted like a mandatory order, using the regulator’s official letterhead, and citing Section 7 of the Online Safety Act as the “Legal Basis”.

Ms Baumgarten challenged the notice in the Administrative Review Tribunal, claiming it was simply “censorship of the types of gay people the eSafety Commissioner personally disagrees with”.

Commission staff revealed in evidence that they often used “informal notices” to have social media material taken down when it did not meet the statutory definition of cyber-abuse ­material because it did not intend to cause serious harm.

Last week, the Full Court of the Federal Court unanimously upheld the tribunal’s findings against the commissioner.

The judges held that a government official cannot purport to exercise power, achieve a coercive result, and then claim immunity from review because they acted outside their power.

“The Albanese government should provide Australians with the confidence the eSafety Commissioner is not censoring legitimate debate or free speech,” Senator Henderson said.

“Communications Minister Anika Wells must investigate how many removal notices have been issued by the regulator beyond the scope of its powers.”

“While the commission has updated its ‘complaint notifications’ to make clear there is no obligation for a platform to act, I am concerned there has been widespread misuse of the regulator’s powers which have improperly stifled free speech, undermining the integrity of Australia’s online safety laws.”

In Senate estimates last December, Ms Inman Grant rejected a suggestion by Senator Henderson that she acted because of her own objection to Ms Baumgarten’s views, but appeared to suggest in evidence that Ms Baumgarten was engaging in adult cyber abuse because she was “targeting another person with abuse”.

“Ms Inman Grant should clarify her evidence to make clear Ms Baumgarten was not engaging in adult cyber abuse in breach of the Online Safety Act,” Senator Henderson said.

“With excessive government spending of taxpayers’ money on such an issue, Australians also deserve to know the total cost of these legal proceedings and how the eSafety Commissioner can justify this expenditure.”

A spokesman for the eSafety Commissioner said: “eSafety acknowledges the Full Court of the Federal Court’s decision that in the circumstances of this case, eSafety alerting a platform about a potential terms of service breach, was a reviewable action … We are actively considering the decision and are unable to comment further at this time.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/esafety-commissioner-faces-review-after-court-rules-takedown-notices-were-unlawful/news-story/228f782dfb752463d01f262a1413b9aa

>>23800853 (pb)

Australian man Peter Williams given 7 years' jail for selling US trade secrets to Russian broker

Stephen Dziedzic - 25 February 2026

A US court has handed a jail sentence of more than seven years to a former Australian intelligence official who sold "incredibly powerful" hacking and surveillance tools to a Russian broker while working as a defence contractor in Washington DC.

Senior US prosecutors once again blasted Peter Williams, saying he "betrayed" the United States and allies while working as the general manager of Trenchant, a division of defence contractor L3Harris.

Analysts say L3Harris has specialised in developing cutting-edge tools it then sells to Five Eyes intelligence agencies to help them exploit vulnerabilities in computer networks and mobile devices.

In a statement, the US Justice Department said Williams had been handed an 87-month prison term, along with a further three years of supervised release with special conditions, for selling eight trade secrets to a Russian broker.

US attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the "incredibly powerful" tools sold by Williams "would have allowed Russia to access millions of digital devices".

"By betraying a position of trust and selling sensitive American technology, Williams's crime is not only one of theft, it is a crime of national security," she said.

"Our nation's defence capabilities are not commodities to be auctioned off.

"People like Williams who endanger our national security will be met with swift and decisive consequences."

While the Russian broker was not initially identified, on Tuesday the US Treasury publicly confirmed it was Operation Zero, which "publicly advertises itself as a reseller of cyber exploits to various customers, including the Russian government".

The Treasury and the US State Department simultaneously announced sanctions against the company.

US prosecutors also confirmed Williams worked for the Australian Signals Directorate in Canberra before moving to the United States.

It is not clear exactly how much the 39-year-old earned.

Williams was ordered to forfeit $US1.3 million ($1.8 million) in cryptocurrency payments, but US authorities said he could have been paid much more, saying he received "up to $US4 million" for the exploits he sold.

He was also ordered to hand over property including a "house, and luxury items such as watches and jewellery".

The FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division assistant director Roman Rozhavsky said Williams "stole a US defence contractor's trade secrets about highly sensitive cyber capabilities and sold them to a broker whose clients include the Russian government, putting our national security and countless potential victims at risk".

"Let this be a clear warning to all who consider placing greed over country: If you betray your position of trust and sell sensitive American technology to our foreign adversaries, the FBI will not rest until you're brought to justice."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-25/australian-sentenced-7-years-jail-selling-us-trade-secrets/106385636

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-general-manager-us-defense-contractor-sentenced-87-months-selling-stolen-trade

>>24276632

>>24295251

'Never': Rudd denies talking to accused Chinese asset

Miklos Bolza - February 25 2026

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has said he did not personally know or assist an Australian man who police allege worked alongside Chinese intelligence agents.

Alexander Csergo, 59, has been accused of reckless foreign interference after providing reports to two people he believed were working for China's Ministry of State Security.

From when he was allegedly approached via Linkedin in November 2021 until his arrest in March 2023, the 59-year-old was based in Shanghai running his IT consulting business Conversys.

His reports, given to two individuals only known as Ken and Evelyn, contained fabricated statements from a number of individuals, including Dr Rudd, a jury heard on Thursday.

In a police statement, the former prime minister and US ambassador denied knowing Csergo or Conversys.

"I do not personally know this person or business," he wrote in the statement seen by AAP, which was read out to jurors on Friday.

Csergo allegedly emailed Dr Rudd asking about defence and security advice in late October 2022.

At the time, the former politician was president of the non-profit organisation Asia Society and its associated think tank while living in New York.

Csergo sent one message to Dr Rudd's old prime ministerial email address.

"This contact was not received by me personally and I never provided a response," the 68-year-old wrote.

Csergo did not contact Dr Rudd directly at the Asia Society.

On Thursday, jurors were told the IT consultant lied to Ken and Evelyn by claiming open source information in his reports was confidential.

He supplied the reports to his alleged handlers in exchange for cash while they were alone in empty cafes and restaurants, the court was told.

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Single SC said Csergo would have believed the two individuals were working for Chinese intelligence and that he was being groomed as a future asset.

He was arrested in March 2023 when he temporarily returned to Sydney.

Police officers raiding his house found a "shopping list" asking him to seek classified information on a swathe of topics including national security, foreign policy and intelligence.

"Find out the fact and rumors in cambera (sic) or DC," Ken wrote.

"Show top leaders real thinking."

Defence barrister Iain Todd said on Thursday that Csergo merely had a commercial arrangement with Ken and Evelyn, and no top secret information was ever handed over.

The trial continues.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9183303/never-rudd-denies-talking-to-accused-chinese-asset/

>>23921099

Families of Australian diplomats ordered to evacuate Israel, Lebanon

LYDIA LYNCH - 26 February 2026

The families of diplomats in Israel and Lebanon have been ordered to evacuate while all other Australians have been urged to leave while they can as Donald Trump continues to weigh strikes against Iran and his Vice-President warned Tehran to take threats of military action “seriously”.

With America assembling its largest deployment of war power in the Middle East for decades, amid growing fears of a wider regional conflict, the federal government on Wednesday night ordered the departure of the families of Australian officials posted to Lebanon and Israel.

Other Australians in those countries have been urged to “consider leaving while commercial options to depart are still available”.

“Voluntary departures” have also been offered to families of diplomats posted to Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

“We continue to advise (to) exercise a high degree of caution in these destinations,” the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned in a social media post on Wednesday night.

“The security situation in the Middle East is unpredictable. Regional tensions remain high and there continues to be a risk of military conflict. Conflicts in the Middle East could result in airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.”

A “do not travel” declaration remains in place for Iran. The Australian government shuttered its embassy in Tehran in June and evacuated all officials and dependants.

Mr Trump threatened military action against Iran last month in response to the Islamic regime’s brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters. The US President has since reignited warnings of a strike unless Iran agrees to make a deal on its nuclear program.

A third round of indirect nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, mediated by Oman, was scheduled to start in Geneva on Thursday.

The US announced a fresh round of sanctions on Wednesday, targeting more than 30 individuals, entities and vessels said to be enabling “illicit Iranian petroleum sales”, as well as its weapons production.

Vice-President JD Vance on Thursday AEDT warned Iran to take Washington’s threats of military action “seriously”.

“You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” he told Fox News.

“The President has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen. He’s shown a willingness to use them and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the President prefers.”

In his State of the Union address on Wednesday AEDT, Mr Trump said his preference was to “solve this problem through diplomacy”, but warned he would never allow “the world’s number one sponsor of terror” to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“We are in negotiations with them, they want to make a deal but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon’,” he said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he was hopeful ahead of Thursdays talks as the Tehran delegation departed for Geneva.

“We see a favourable outlook for the negotiations,” Mr Pezeshkian said in a speech. “We are continuing the process under the guidance of the Supreme Leader so that we can move beyond this ‘neither war nor peace’ situation.”

The Lebanese government has urged Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah not to get involved if any fighting erupts between the US and Iran, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said on Tuesday, expressing concerns about a new possible conflict with Israel.

Speaking to a small group of journalists in Geneva this week, Mr Rajji said Lebanese officials had been warned that in the event of another Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel would strike harder against civilian infrastructure across Lebanon than in the previous round of fighting.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/families-of-australian-diplomats-ordered-to-evacuate-israel-lebanon/news-story/a5f459e1babdc7b74a849b4a5c9984f3

https://x.com/Smartraveller/status/2026588785308528837

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/middle-east/iran

>>23978158

>>24300096

Royal Commissioner Bell meets survivors, victims’ families at Bondi massacre site

JAMES DOWLING - 26 February 2026

Antisemitism royal commissioner Virginia Bell has toured the site of the Bondi Beach massacre and met with victims’ families and survivors of the tragedy, providing a private presentation on her inquiry.

The “informal meeting” was held at 10am on Thursday in Bondi Pavilion to discuss why the Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission will not be able to directly probe the attack that left them scarred.

In an invitation sent to those affected, Ms Bell said she would “explain the limitations on the approach the commission can take to leading evidence of the circumstances of the attack and to answer any questions about how the commission proposes to go about its work”. She declined to comment when approached before the meeting.

In her opening statement to the first hearing of the inquiry on Tuesday, Ms Bell said she would not hear directly from witnesses or family members of the 15 Bondi victims to avoid prejudicing the criminal trial of the surviving ­alleged terrorist who gunned down innocent Jews celebrating Hanukkah.

“One might expect that a royal commission set up to inquire into an attack would lead evidence of it: of the heroism of those who sought to confront the shooters, and of those who ran towards the gunfire, to offer medical assistance to the wounded,” Ms Bell said.

“This commission must do its work without risking any prejudice to that criminal proceeding. Leading evidence … from people who may be witnesses in the criminal proceeding would create that risk, and for that reason, it will not occur.”

‘The right decision’

Virginia Wynne-Markham, the widow of Peter Meagher said she was “curious to see” what the meeting would bring, while survivor Marc Schwartz told The Australian it was “a great moment for us to get heard by the royal commissioner, and let her hear our experience of antisemitism”.

“It culminated into what happened on December the 14th, but more specifically, telling her what happened before then as well,” he said.

He said the “right decision” was made in carving out direct evidence on the shooting to avoid prejudicing the trial of gunman Naveed Akram, but hoped there would be a chance to share his experience in future.

“I feel like the length and the timing of the Royal Commission could be extended to allow for that,” Mr Schwartz said. “Post-criminal court proceedings, this could be extended.”

Sabina Kleitman, daughter of holocaust survivor and Bondi massacre victim Alex Kleytman, on Monday told The Australian she would ask how Ms Bell will prepare for “toxic information” and submissions from pro-Palestine groups and anti-Israel Jewish organisations such as the Jewish Council of Australia.

Ms Bell on Tuesday appeared to rebuke anyone demanding she broaden the probe away from antisemitism, saying: “Against the background of the massacre of innocent people who appear to have been targeted simply because they were Jewish, I trust everyone will appreciate why the focus of this commission will be on tackling antisemitism as a starting point in strengthening our bonds of social cohesion.”

She revealed crucial security and intelligence evidence that would form part of former spy chief Dennis Richardson’s folded-in probe had been delayed due to key agencies seeking legal advice.

Her meeting with the bereaved and affected comes about six weeks after Anthony Albanese caved to community pressure and announced the federal inquiry in the wake of the beachside attack.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/royal-commissioner-bell-meets-survivors-victims-families-at-massacre-site/news-story/fe93ef42c20e894771173444e7815292

>>23978158

>>24300096

Fight antisemitism or lose your university registration: Clare

NATASHA BITA - 25 February 2026

Universities will be forced to stamp out antisemitism and other racism as a condition of registration, federal Education Minister Jason Clare has announced.

He said legislation to strengthen the regulatory powers of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency would change the threshold standards “to require universities to demonstrate they’re taking action against ­racism”.

The move comes after the Albanese government’s special envoy, Jillian Segal, recommended in her report last July that universities that failed to act against antisemitism have government funding withheld where possible and grants terminated.

Deploring the “monsters” who killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach in December, Mr Clare demanded universities weed out antisemitism.

“It’s our collective responsibility to do everything that we can, to weed it out and to stop it growing back,” he told the Universities Australia conference in Canberra on Wednesday night.

“People aren’t born antisemitic. We aren’t born hating anyone. It’s something that’s taught, that’s learned. And it’s something that can metastasise into the most terrifying violence.

“We tell our children that there’s no such thing as monsters, but that’s obviously a lie. How else you describe what we saw on our phones in our TVs in December?

“But it’s not just monsters we have to fear, it’s the casual acceptance that some people are treated differently to others.”

Mr Clare said that although Australia was “not a racist country”, that didn’t mean racism didn’t exist.

“It creeps into our campuses, just like it does everywhere else,” he said.

“Look hard enough, and you will see it. Listen carefully enough, and you’ll hear it.

“I’ll never know what it’s like to be discriminated against because of who I am or what I am because of my faith or my accent or the colour of my skin.

“But what I can do, what we can all do, is try to put ourselves in the shoes of people who are.”

Mr Clare said the Discrimination Commissioner’s report, based on surveys of 76,000 university students, was “hard reading”.

“It doesn’t say racism is any worse in our universities than anywhere else,” he said.

“That’s not the point. What it makes clear is we’re not doing everything that we can. Or that we should.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/fight-antisemitism-or-lose-your-university-registration-clare/news-story/9413b6619cc176f22ef0ddaa0b068541

>>23978158

>>24300096

>>24309785

Julian Leeser accuses university chiefs of failing to stop ‘cascading antisemitism’

NATASHA BITA - 26 February 2026

1/2

University leaders have been branded “quislings’’ to their faces over their tolerance of antisemitism, by the Coalition education spokesman Julian Leeser.

Welcoming the Albanese government’s decision to deny registration to universities that fail to stamp out racism, Mr Leeser said they should be stripped of public funding.

“This is a red-light moment for Australia’s universities,’’ he told the Universities Australia conference in Canberra on Thursday, in his first keynote speech on the Coalition’s higher education policy.

“Both the government and the opposition are telling you today they have lost confidence in you in how you treat Jewish people.

“This is an operating risk, a social-licence risk and a reputational risk to the sector.

“It has been a leadership failure across the country – fix it.’’

Mr Leeser, who is Jewish, said universities had been warned “again and again’’ about rising antisemitism in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

“You chose to ignore it,’’ he said.

“Instead of listening, following principles, standing up for students and staff under attack, you hid. Quislings!

“I said after the Bondi attack that antisemitism has been festering with three groups: neo-Nazis, radical Islamists, and the cultural Left,’’ he said.

“Think about it: our universities – that stood up for women’s rights, LGBTI rights, and multicultural access to our institutions – now stand condemned by both the Australian government and the opposition for being unsafe places for Australian Jews.’’

Mr Leeser demanded university leaders “step up and lead’’, declaring the massacre of 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach on December 14 was one of the “downstream consequences of failing to deal with antisemitism on campus’’.

“What sort of message does it send when encampments and protests are tolerated for weeks and months?’’ he said.

“What message does it send when the associated harassment and abuse are seen as accepted as part of campus life?

“When you fail to confront people who engage in harassment and intimidation your public standing is diminished.

“It is time to step up and lead.’’

Mr Leeser said university leaders had dismissed the need to take strong measures against antisemitism for too long.

“It includes some people in this room,’’ he told vice-chancellors and university executives attending the conference.

“It’s not okay to be a bystander.

“We have seen encampments and protests where Jewish students have been targeted – blocked from buildings, harassed in tutorials, spat on, and taunted with Nazi symbols, blocked and challenged walking across quadrangles, made to feel unsafe in their own dorm rooms.

“It is not just students – Jewish staff have also been intimidated and their workplaces defaced, occupied, blockaded, even urinated on.’’

(continued)

>>24309793

2/2

Mr Leeser said the Antisemitism Royal Commission must call vice-chancellors to give evidence, and give staff and students “a chance to tell their story’’.

He also demanded all universities adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance of antisemitism, noting that only five universities have adopted it in full.

“The IHRA definition of antisemitism should not be controversial … legitimate criticisms of the State of Israel do not amount to anti-Semitism under the definition,’’ he said.

“It is the definition which has been adopted by the Australian government … but only five universities have signed up.

“The time for ‘yes but’ is over. The time for ‘it depends on the context’ has come to an end.

“Fifteen people are dead – their deaths were the tragic and inevitable endpoint of cascading antisemitism.’’

Mr Leeser said many Jewish Australians felt they were not welcome in universities, and admonished academics and PhD students for “propagating’’ the age-old hatred of Jews.

“We’ve seen academics say that Jews don’t deserve cultural safety,’’ he said – referring to a remark by Macquarie University academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, who has an $889,000 taxpayer grant through the Australian Research Council.

Mr Leeser said academics had denied that Hamas terrorists had raped women during their invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.

“Hamas deniers are no different to Holocaust deniers,’’ he said.

“But for academics in places of learning and truth to deny the truth of human testimony and history is to make a mockery of their mission.

“What we have seen on Australian university campuses is the next evolution of a hatred that has endured throughout human history.’’

Mr Leeser said all students should be explicitly taught about antisemitism.

“If we’re not teaching this to the next generation, then we’re setting our society on a course for a future based on conspiracy not fact, on ‘othering’, not personal responsibility, and on social discord, not social harmony,’’ he said.

“What happens on campus today sets the tone for the Australia of tomorrow … this is why addressing anti-Semitism on campus is so important.’’

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare also called out antisemitism on Wednesday, telling universities that they must tackle racism as a condition of registration, through “threshold standards’’ with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/julian-leeser-accuses-university-chiefs-of-failing-to-stop-cascading-antisemitism/news-story/3d8ca1ad680c23d69ca394ace5656b10

>>23978158

>>24205837

>>24205841

>>24235860

Hash Tayeh’s ‘All Zionists are terrorists’ chant ruled racial vilification

MOHAMMAD ALFARES - 26 February 2026

1/2

A Victorian tribunal has ruled that pro-Palestinian activist Hash Tayeh breached the state’s racial and religious vilification laws by leading the chant “All Zionists are terrorists”, in a landmark decision finding the slogan functioned as a proxy attack on Jews.

At the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Thursday, Vice President Judge My Anh Tran found that Mr Tayeh contravened sections 7 and 8 of the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act after initiating the chant at a Melbourne CBD rally on March 23 last year.

The case was brought by Orthodox Jewish man Menachem Vorchheimer, who told the tribunal that being labelled a “terrorist” was “gut-wrenching and soul destroying to me” “I felt dehumanised. I felt like the lowest of the low,” Mr Vorchheimer said.

He said he no longer felt safe going into the Melbourne CBD on Sundays around the time of anti-Israel rallies.

At the rally, Mr Tayeh took a microphone and, after a speech criticising charges laid against him by Victoria Police for using the chant, yelled: “AS LOUD AS YOU CAN! ALL ZIONISTS ARE TERRORISTS!”

The tribunal found that encouraging thousands of people to chant an “absolute statement” attaching “a heinous label (terrorist) to an undifferentiated group of people (All Zionists)” was conduct calculated to incite hatred.

Judge Tran accepted that “Zionist does not mean Jew”. However, she found there was “likely to have been a very strong association between Zionists and Jewish people in the minds of ordinary rally participants”.

The word “terrorist”, she said, was “one of the most extremely negative labels it is possible to attach to a person” and is a term “more usually applied to Hamas” in the wake of October 7.

“I find the chant was intended by Mr Tayeh to be directed against, at a minimum, all supporters of the continued existence of Israel as a Jewish state. The purpose of the chant thus extended well beyond his claimed purpose of protesting the actions of the current Israeli regime after 7 October 2023.

“In the context of the Rally, the natural and ordinary effect of initiating a chant of ‘All Zionists are terrorists’ among rally participants was to incite hatred against the perceived objects of the chant.”

Mr Tayeh is the founder and former chief executive of burger restaurant chain Burgertory. He resigned as CEO of the company less than a month after being hit with a $1m tax bill for debts allegedly run up by 13 companies.

The ruling also traversed on the broader atmosphere of the rally, noting placards bearing an inverted red triangle (a symbol of Hamas), a sign reading “Death to the Zionist regime” and voices adding to the chant with “Zionists rape children”.

Judge Tran also examined Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni’s rhetoric, including a social media post describing “Israel, Zionism and Judaism – the unholy trinity!” and messaging that portrayed Zionists as manipulating governments, police and media — themes the tribunal said echoed longstanding antisemitic tropes of secret control.

“If a people who belong to a particular race (Jewish people); or religion (Judaism) are stereotyped as holding a ‘political’ belief (Zionism); and hatred is incited against them for that reason, then hatred is being incited against them on the ground of their race or religious belief or activity,” Judge Tran wrote in her ruling.

(continued)

>>24309801

2/2

Mr Vorchheimer welcomed the decision.

“I welcome the decision of Her Honour Vice President Judge Tran that Mr Tayeh’s initiation of the chant ‘All Zionists are terrorists’ breached the law by inciting hatred against Jewish people on the ground of their race or religious belief,” he told The Australian.

“This affirms a principle that should never have been controversial: freedom of speech in Australia is not absolute. It does not extend to serious racial or religious vilification.”

He said he had commenced legal proceedings in 2024 because he feared “that unchecked words would lead to violence”.

“That fear was realised at Bondi, where Jews celebrating Chanukah were massacred — 15 murdered, 41 shot,” he said.

“This case reflects the fragile reality Australian Jews live with — why armed guards stand at our schools and synagogues.

“Silence was not an option.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion described the ruling as “a stunning and complete condemnation of Tayeh’s chant of ‘All Zionists are terrorists, but also, of the hatred that is fomented at these rallies, and which, The judge found was a critical part of the incitement of due hatred.”

Mr Tayeh said he would challenge the ruling.

“I respectfully disagree with the Tribunal’s decision and I will be appealing the finding,” he said when approached for comment.

“My advocacy has always been directed at political ideology and state conduct, not at any race or religion. I have consistently rejected antisemitism and any form of racial hatred.”

“In my view, the decision blurs an important distinction between Judaism as a religion and Zionism as a political ideology. That distinction matters deeply in a democratic society because people must be free to criticise governments and political movements without fear that their political speech will be interpreted as racial or religious vilification.”

The matter has been listed for a further directions hearing on march 25 to determine what penalty will be imposed.

Mr Vorchheimer’s application has asked VCAT to make orders preventing Mr Tayeh from engaging in similar conduct in the future; requiring him to publicly acknowledge this decision and apologise for his actions; and requiring him to pay an amount of $20,000 to a charity of Mr Vorchheimer’s choosing.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/hash-tayehs-all-zionists-are-terrorists-chant-ruled-racial-vilification/news-story/3fb29dbeaa89305190f30c65e7257819

https://qresear.ch/?q=Hash+Tayeh

>>24305674

>>24305682

>>24305695

>>24305699

China hits back at dance troupe linked to PM bomb scare

Grace Crivellaro - February 26 2026

The Chinese Embassy has condemned a dance troupe which received a bomb threat that forced the prime minister's evacuation from his Canberra residence.

Emails sent to the dance group Shen Yun, which is banned in China, and seen by AAP warned that bombs at The Lodge would be set off if the troupe's upcoming performances went ahead.

Anthony Albanese was subsequently evacuated from the heavily fortified property for three hours on Tuesday while searches were carried out.

"We have noticed relevant reports but have no knowledge with what happened," a Chinese embassy spokesperson said in a statement.

"China always opposes all forms of violent attacks."

The email, in Mandarin, said large amounts of nitroglycerine-laden explosives had been placed around the prime ministerial residence.

"If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the prime minister's lodge will be blown into ruins and blood will flow like a river," read the email, translated and provided to AAP by the Falun Dafa Association of Australia.

"Of course, if you don't care about the personal safety of the prime minister and other high officials of Australia you can go ahead with the Shen Yun performance."

Shen Yun is a dance group linked to the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) spiritual movement and is scheduled to perform in multiple Australian cities in coming weeks.

The group passed the threatening email to federal police shortly after receiving it.

The embassy spokesperson was critical of Shen Yun and Falun Gong, labelling the show as a "political tool" used by the spiritual group to "disseminate anti-China narratives and cult ideology".

"This constitutes a distortion and desecration of Chinese culture, and represents deception, manipulation, and harm to audiences," the spokesperson said.

The email was the latest in a series of rising threats against MPs, with the AFP confirming 950 incidents were investigated in 2024/25.

That number was 63 per cent higher than the previous four financial years combined.

A spokeswoman for the Falun Dafa Association said while Shen Yun regularly received threats, the emails were an escalation.

"Recent reports of a death threat directed at Australia's prime minister highlight the dangerous trajectory of (Chinese Communist Party)-linked intimidation tactics," the spokeswoman said.

"When threats extend to a nation's elected leader, this is no longer solely a matter of religious freedom or artistic expression - it becomes a direct challenge to national sovereignty, democratic governance, and public safety."

Mr Albanese thanked police following the bomb scare and urged people to dial down political rhetoric.

"It's just a reminder to take every opportunity to tell people, turn the heat down for goodness sake. We can't take these things for granted. Just turn it down," he said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9184120/china-hits-back-at-dance-troupe-linked-to-pm-bomb-scare/

https://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zagx_0/sgxw/202602/t20260225_11863521.htm

>>23921099

>>24309776

Anthony Albanese backs in Donald Trump’s mission to destroy Iran’s nuclear ambitions

RICHARD FERGUSON and MOHAMMAD ALFARES - 28 February 2026

Anthony Albanese has backed US President Donald Trump’s military campaign to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, calling the Islamist regime a threat to international peace and security.

The Prime Minister on Saturday night told any Australians in Israel or Lebanon to get out as the world prepares for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to fight back, and Mr Trump promises a prolonged and major attack to destroy the mullahs.

In a joint statement with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Mr Albanese and his top ministers supported Mr Trump’s decision to act against the Ayatollah.

“We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security,” he said in a statement.

On Sunday night, Labor outlined the government’s actions over the years to oppose the Iranian regime, including expelling Tehran’s ambassador last year over Iran’s co-ordination of domestic attacks against Australian Jews.

In the long statement, Mr Albanese, Mr Marles and Senator Wong also outlined the international decades-long attempts to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“Australia stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against oppression,” the joint statement said.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has been a destabilising force, through its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, support for armed proxies, and brutal acts of violence and intimidation.”

Mr Albanese’s clear support for Mr Trump comes after he also strongly backed the US President’s strikes on Iranian nuclear strikes last June.

The Albanese government has also strengthened military ties with the Trump White House, with the Prime Minister locking down Mr Trump’s support for the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact in his successful visit to the Oval Office last year.

Mr Albanese and Senator Wong have faced past criticism for not being as clear in backing Israeli operations against Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah.

Angus Taylor has called for “courage to prevail” against the mullahs said he was praying for the Iranian people.

“The theocratic Iranian regime is authoritarian, antisemitic and abhorrent,” the new Opposition Leader said on social media.

“It wants nuclear weapons, seeks the destruction of Israel, has encouraged terrorism through its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis – and has supplied weapons to Russia to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. It is also responsible for acts of foreign interference in Australia and igniting antisemitism.

“Since 1979, the revolutionary Islamic government in Tehran has oppressed, imprisoned and murdered Iranians.

“We pray for the Iranian people at this time. May courage prevail.”

The president of Australia’s peak Jewish body has labelled the Iranian government a “murderous regime” and called on Western nations to take urgent action against its nuclear ambitions and global terror activities.

In a statement released on Saturday night, Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said Tehran has attacked Jewish targets both domestically and abroad.

“The Iranian Government is a murderous regime. It has attacked synagogues and Jewish targets in Australia and around the world,” he said.

Mr Aghion said the regime funds “terrorist groups Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis” and warned that stronger international action was required.

“Western nations, led by Israel and the US, must curtail the nuclear aspirations of the Iranian Government, disrupt its international terrorism network, and protect the Iranian people from their own leadership,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-backs-in-donald-trumps-mission-to-destroy-irans-nuclear-ambitions/news-story/f7679b6fd755ef26a4566326fee66209

https://x.com/AlboMP/status/2027678880220516549

—

Q Post #1558

Jun 19, 2018 1:55:48 AM EDT

Free Iran!!!

Fight

Fight

Fight

Regime change.

People have the power.

We stand with you.

Q

https://qalerts.app/?n=1558

https://qalerts.app/?q=iran

>>24318774

Australia 'did not participate' in Operation Epic Fury in Iran

Jake Evans - 1 March 2026

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed Australia was not involved in the major Israeli-United States operation in Iran that has decapitated its leadership.

Senator Wong also confirmed Australia was not told in advance of Operation Epic Fury.

"Obviously, we did not participate in the strikes and you would not expect us to participate," she said.

The minister refused to comment on whether Australian intelligence contributed to the operation "as a general proposition".

"These are strikes which are determined by the parties concerned, which is the United States and Israel," she said.

Senator Wong urged the resumption of dialogue and diplomacy, which had been underway until the surprise attack.

Following a meeting of the National Security Committee of Cabinet this morning, the government is urgently seeking to confirm whether any Australians have been affected.

Official travel advice has been upgraded with Australians warned not to travel to Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the foreign department was registering names of people seeking to depart Israel and Iran, though he noted that capacity to help people inside Iran was restricted.

Mr Albanese expressed his hope for the people of Iran, and concerns over regional escalation.

"When Iranians went out on the street to demand their human rights … we saw the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] crack down brutally, thousands murdered," he said.

"This is a regime that — we hope that the Iranian people are able to determine their own destiny."

The prime minister urged a swift resolution to the attack.

Khamenei's death 'won't be mourned'

Iranian state media has confirmed that its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack, with Israel also claiming the deaths of other Iranian defence leaders.

Mr Albanese said the Ayatollah would not be mourned.

"He is responsible for orchestrating attacks on Australian soil. His passing will not be mourned," Mr Albanese said.

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson told ABC Insiders that he did not want the situation to escalate further, but the death of the ayatollah was welcome.

"The ayatollah is dead and that means the world is now a safer place," Mr Wilson said.

Andrew Hastie, a former SAS soldier and former assistant defence minister, said Mr Trump was an "apex opportunist" who strikes when an opportunity is presented.

Mr Hastie told Sky News the president was "setting the conditions for regime change in Iran", but he believed that toppling the regime would be left to Iranians.

"It's a massive call, but given the restraining impulse of people in his administration like Vice President [J.D.] Vance there was never a prospect of boots in the ground," Mr Hastie said.

"We saw what he did in Venezuela, in and out … we saw what happened in Iran last year, sending those bombers to hit the three nuclear facilities, I suspect this will look more of the same. Let's see what happens.

"As a veteran of the so-called 'forever wars' I am very suspicious about regime change by force, but Iran is a terrible regime, they are a proxy, they are underwritten by Chinese and Russian tech."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-01/australia-not-involved-iran-operation-epic-fury/106401742

>>24323748

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Angus Taylor said Khamenei’s death was “welcome news” and would be a setback for tyranny.

The Opposition Leader said Western nations needed to “rally together and act together to support a new Iranian government that is committed to its people’s democratic rights”.

“For the first time in almost five decades, the Iranian people have a real chance to secure the freedom they desire,” he wrote on social media.

“That opportunity is thanks to the decisiveness and moral fortitude of the United States and Israel, and the combined military strength and bravery of their defence forces.”

But while there was bipartisan support between the major parties for the actions of the US and Israel, Greens leader Larissa Waters said the attacks were “illegal, abhorrent and unilateral”.

“Australia’s support of Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal attack last night was disgraceful. We cannot bomb our way to peace,” she said.

“This war will not bring safety to the brave Iranian people who are fighting for liberation from the brutal regime.

“Innocent people have already been massacred, including at least 60 children in Southern Iran killed by US and Israeli strikes on an elementary school last night. Our hearts ache for their families.

“This war will see homes and cities razed to the ground, and countless innocent lives lost.”

Mr Cameron, a former union official and senator who was a Left faction supporter and “dear friend” of Mr Albanese, said the time was “long gone” when Labor supported peace over war.

“Albanese’s backing of Israeli and US attacks on Iran shows that we are completely devoid of acting independently from Trump and Netanyahu,” he said.

“Leadership (is) needed, not sycophantic capitulation to militarism.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/khamenei-will-not-be-mourned-anthony-albanese-condemns-iranian-regime-after-iran-strikes/news-story/c1d44cb79a0d3589a172d610540796de

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAlUu_4Rr1g

>>24323776

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The Australian government raised the travel advice for United Arab Emirates and Qatar to “do not travel” due to the “volatile security situation” and urged Australians in those countries to follow local instructions to shelter in place.

Virgin Australia advised passengers booked to fly to Doha in coming days to monitor their flight information closely, and visit the Smartraveller website for the latest travel advice.

“We thank everyone for their understanding and we will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves,” said a Virgin spokeswoman.

Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long said the “rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East was already disrupting international flight operations for Australians travelling via major hubs”.

“Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are the most directly impacted at this stage, but European and other international carriers routing through Gulf airspace are also experiencing delays and rerouting. The impact is broader than many travellers may expect,” said Mr Long.

“Our members are actively supporting impacted clients, managing rebookings, securing alternative routes and providing up-to-date advice in what is a highly fluid environment.”

He said ATIA advised travellers not to cancel arrangement without first seeking professional advice.

“Unless you are travelling in the next 48 hours and have not been contacted, hold off contacting your travel agent right now to allow them to support those currently caught up in the situation who are stranded, delayed and dealing with cancellations,” he said.

“The situation is evolving rapidly and experienced travel professionals are best placed to provide up-to-date guidance tailored to each traveller’s circumstances.”

The Insurance Council of Australia echoed those sentiments and “strongly urged Australians planning travel to the Middle East to follow the latest advisories”.

“Travellers should be aware that most insurance policies do not cover losses arising from acts of war or armed conflict,” said a council spokeswoman.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/australian-government-issues-do-not-travel-warning-amid-mass-flight-cancellations/news-story/309629988d75db9f7016a2e452609999

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/middle-east/united-arab-emirates

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/middle-east

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVCfYw86bcg

>>24323803

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Kamran Keshavarz, as president of the Iranian Football Association in Australia, is uniquely positioned to hear from everyday families in the Iranian community, and said this moment was both “sweet and sour”.

“Despite everyone being very worried at this moment, when the news came through that Khamenei had died, it was a moment of joy for us. But it is soured by it being done by a foreign country like Israel or America.”

He said Iranians still had “a hard, long way before reaching an actual democratic government” while emphasising that most in the community want Iran to become a democracy.

“First and foremost, we want to see a transitional government and a system by which the people on the street can choose their next leader.”

Vice president of the Australian Iranian Community Alliance, Suren Edgar, said many Iranians from different diasporas had called for foreign intervention in Iran because “it’s not realistic to believe the people can do everything by themselves”.

Edgar pointed to anti-regime protests in Australian capital cities in the past month as evidence many in the Iranian-Australian community did not support Khamenei.

“The people of Iran have been fighting to show the world that they are different from the government,” he said.

Edgar said it was “too soon” to discuss who would rule Iran in place of the regime, and was reluctant to offer support to the exiled son of the former shah of Iran, who has been angling to be the transitional leader should the regime fall.

“He has many supporters, but I still think the international community needs to be helpful, and to make sure the regime does not cling to power.”

“Iranian people want peace, they usually do not follow any kind of extreme ideology. In fact, we love celebrations and love life,” he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/sweet-and-sour-moment-as-iranian-australians-celebrate-amid-uncertainty-20260301-p5o6fd.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_AiSeYsDeA

>>24318774

Australia rules out military role in Iran conflict

Renju Jose - March 2, 2026

SYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) - Australia said on Monday it would not take part in any military operations in Iran, ruling out deploying troops to the Middle East if the conflict escalates, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Iran responded with more missile attacks.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an attack on Saturday, while the United States reported its first casualties in the war as U.S. President Donald Trump hinted the conflict could last for four more weeks.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra would not get involved.

"Australia is not central to the issues in the Middle East. We didn't participate in these strikes and we wouldn't anticipate participating in the future," Wong told Channel Nine on Monday.

Wong said the Australian government was in discussions with airlines to help Australians stranded in the Middle East but acknowledged that evacuation plans would be difficult while airspace across much of the region remained closed.

"We understand how distressing and challenging this time is, and we will do all that we can to provide you with information and to support you. The situation is very challenging," Wong earlier told reporters in Canberra.

About 115,000 Australians were in the region and the most viable option to get them home would be when commercial airlines resumed services, Wong said. She declined to say whether the government was planning repatriation flights.

"There is conflict in the region, we've seen loss of life across the region and airspace is not open. So whether or not it is an Australian flight or a commercial flight, the flights are not able to occur," Wong said.

Air travel to the Middle East, a major travel hub toward Asia and Europe for Australians, remained disrupted on Monday with Etihad and Emirates cancelling some flights from Australia.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government had taken measures for the safety of about 100 Australian defence personnel based at the Al Minhad Air Base near Dubai, which is used to support UN missions.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-rules-out-military-role-iran-conflict-2026-03-02/

>>24328519

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Adding to the unease were ­issues with the emergency ­Australian embassy contact in the UAE, which Ms Edgar said she could not call, along with ­fellow travellers, who made ­numerous attempts to flag the issue with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Perth resident Rob, who wished to remain anonymous, said he tried to reach the emergency consular assistance line after becoming trapped in Dubai on a short holiday.

He said DFAT had been “totally useless” and “no one could get through on the emergency number” for hours.

The couple had been trying to access help during repeated evacuations to the ground floor or their hotel, where they were held in lockdown as the region was targeted with 130 missiles and more than 200 drones in the last 24 hours, according to the UAE Defence Ministry.

A DFAT spokesman said the issue was caused by a “temporary loss of service for mobile networks in the UAE and Lebanon, which has since been restored. Local landlines were reportedly not affected”.

“We have diverted phone lines for affected embassies and consulates to the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra,” the spokesman said.

DFAT estimated 25,000 Australians live and work in Dubai’s thriving business and industry sectors, making the city an enclave for international workers and visitors.

The city’s flashy skyline has also not been spared, with reports that an intercepted Iranian drone caused a fire on Dubai’s iconic seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab.

Airports and other airspaces have been temporarily closed following the strikes, including reports of a direct drone strike on Dubai’s main international airport at about 8am AEST on Sunday. Further attacks on the Abu Dhabi Zayed international airport killed an Asian national, authorities confirmed.

Tens of thousands of flights have also been cancelled and further delays are expected as a second round of strikes hits the region.

On Saturday, DFAT warned Australians against travelling to numerous regions in the Middle East including Dubai.

The warning came just days after families of Australian embassy staff and officials were directed to leave Israel and Lebanon, while voluntary departures were offered to families in Jordan, Qatar and the UAE.

“Due to the volatile security situation in the region and military strikes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we’ve raised our level of advice for the UAE to do not travel,” a DFAT statement read.

“Retaliatory strikes are occurring following military strikes on Iran. Military conflict in the ­region may result in widespread movement restrictions, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.

“Australian officials and dependants are sheltering in place during strikes. Prioritise your safety, monitor events and follow local advice, including instructions to shelter in place.

“Demonstrations and protest activity may also occur, and local security situations could deteriorate with little notice.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/australian-expats-tourists-stuck-in-dubai-report-struggles-reaching-embassy-dfat/news-story/140f665fe16cc43ae123aeff1f8f7e6b

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN0WHgfqnkg

>>24318774

Shiite clerics honour Khamenei, Hezbollah leader in sermons Tony Burke says will be watched

ELIZABETH PIKE and MOHAMMAD ALFARES - 2 March 2026

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Shi’ite Muslims in Sydney and Melbourne have openly mourned the death of Iran’s “Godly” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and have called for the struggle against “American-Israeli aggression” to continue, leading Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to warn them that agencies would be watching.

Sermons and public obituaries honouring Khamenei were released by at least five Shiite institutions in the hours after Iranian state media confirmed his death on Sunday, following the first wave of airstrikes by the US and ­Israel.

At the Al Zahra Mosque in Arncliffe on Sunday night, Sheik Ali Safdari delivered strong praise for Khamenei in a sermon streamed to social media, saying he was “the embodiment of everything we wanted in a leader”.

Hezbollah’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah was also honoured, as Sheik Safdari lauded Khamenei’s decades-long “struggle in serving the message, in empowering Muslims, in fighting imperialism, in fighting Zionism”.

“They can kill the soldiers, they can kill the scholars, but they cannot kill what the soldiers stood for and what the scholars died for and what we live for,” he said.

Less than 10km away in Kingsgrove, notorious cleric Sheik Youssef Nabha invoked Khamenei and the Hezbollah leader as part of a lineage of martyrs as he told followers the “struggle” against “American-Israeli aggression” should continue.

“This path, the path of confrontation between truth and falsehood, between good and evil, between justice and oppression, will continue until the reappearance (of the Mahdi),” Sheik Nabha told congregants.

“We will remain steadfast in our faith and commitment before and after … With all the sacrifices we have experienced in these years, the martyrs in Lebanon of His Eminence Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah) and all the martyred leaders; likewise His Eminence Sayyed Khamenei and all the Iranian leaders.”

The sermon also heard that the objective of military action against Iran is to force the Islamic Republic to choose “between surrender – meaning humiliation – or resistance, sacrifice and martyrdom”.

Nasrallah was the long-time head of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organisation that is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia. Khamenei was the totalitarian Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran for 36 years. Both deaths – Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike and Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike – have reverberated through the Middle East and now in Australia.

The Elzahra organisation in Melbourne and Husaineyat Sayeda Zaynab foundation in Sydney also invited members to take part in Majlis, or memorial sittings, honouring Khamenei for three days. The Flagbearer Foundation, a Shi’ite community organisation in nearby Arncliffe, advertised its own Majlis before the invitation was taken down.

(continued)

>>24328532

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Publicised events to mourn the death of Khamenei come despite the Albanese government’s condemnation of the regime, swift support for the US-Israeli airstrikes and listing of the para­military Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The expulsion of the Iranian ambassador last year followed two IRGC-linked antisemitic attacks, and Mr Burke said government agencies would be keeping a close eye on Khamenei’s supporters.

“This man was a hateful figure, he led a regime that slaughtered its own people and led attacks on our soil. I fail to understand how anyone can mourn him,” Mr Burke said. “I have no doubt our agencies monitor this sort of rhetoric very closely.”

But the carefully worded sermons honouring Khamenei, spoken in Arabic and translated to English by The Australian, appeared to skirt laws introduced by the Albanese government that aim to crack down on hate preachers and those who vilify people of other faiths.

The Australian understands the sermons would also evade NSW government’s crackdown on “factories of hate” as the laws apply to illegal prayer halls, not ­official places of worship.

But NSW Premier Chris Minns made his opposition clear on Monday, labelling the memorial events “atrocious”.

“By any objective measure, the ayatollah was evil, and I don’t think we should be mincing words about this. The truth of the matter is, weeks ago he and his regime were responsible for killing 30,000 protesters within that city, for ­simply demonstrating against the regime and their practices,” Mr Minns said.

“This is a regime that murders young boys on the suspicion of being gay. I think we can call the mourning of this tyrant atrocious.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said any mosques honouring Khamenei should be subject to criminal investigations for links to the IRGC.

Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam urged the Albanese government to “forcefully respond” to the pro-Khamenei sermons.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/australian-mosques-organisations-hold-events-honouring-martyrdom-of-irans-ayatollah-ali-khamenei/news-story/c88e3f7a1f04d1813743632358d97509