/qresearch/ -  Q Research

>>24411207

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The choking of global oil supplies has sent the price of Brent crude above $US110 a barrel, placing pressure on consumers and governments around the world.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced late on Friday (US time) that he would temporarily lift long-standing sanctions on Iranian oil to boost supply and calm markets.

“At present, sanctioned Iranian oil is being hoarded by China on the cheap,” Bessent said on X.

“By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets, expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply caused by Iran.

“In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against Tehran to keep the price down as we continue Operation Epic Fury. This temporary, short-term authorisation is strictly limited to oil that is already in transit and does not allow new purchases or production.

“Further, Iran will have difficulty accessing any revenue generated, and the United States will continue to maintain maximum pressure on Iran and its ability to access the international financial system.”

The move to contain oil prices came as Trump said the US was getting close to achieving its objectives in Iran and that he was considering “winding down” military operations.

He listed those objectives as: degrading Iran’s missile capability, destroying its industrial base, eliminating its navy and air force, preventing it from getting close to developing nuclear weapons, and protecting the US’ Middle Eastern allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others.

Trump suggested the US might withdraw and leave policing the strait to allies that were more dependent on oil exports from the Middle East.

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it - The United States does not!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them.”

But Trump’s statement seemed at odds with his administration’s move to send more troops and warships to the region and request another $US200 billion ($284 billion) from Congress to fund the war.

The president also rejected the idea of declaring a ceasefire in Iran for now, and expressed confidence that the Strait of Hormuz would “open itself” despite allies’ reluctance to offer assistance.

“It’s a simple military manoeuvre. It’s relatively safe,” he said. “But you need a lot of help, in the sense of: you need ships. You need volume. NATO could help us, but they, so far, haven’t had the courage to do so. And others could help us.”

https://archive.vn/accqK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MlIEwU2Sj8

>>24411237

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Governor General Sam Mostyn will be joined by the Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Defence Force chief Admiral David Johnston and Navy chief Vice Admiral Mark Hammond will all conduct the ceremonial review of the Australian and international ships.

“The Fleet Review highlights the depth of our partnerships across the region, demonstrating the strength of the relationships and the importance of working together to ensure a secure maritime domain,” ADM Hammond said.

“For 125 years, Australia’s navy has defended our nation, protected our maritime approaches and supported regional stability but we have never done it alone. Our partners and allies have played a critical role in our 125-year history.”

An aerial display is to fly overhead at 2:45pm followed by a ceremonial gun salute an hour later.

The display of naval might will conclude with a historical flotilla procession at 6.45pm.

The fleet will be visible from several key vantage points, including Woollahra’s Lyne Park, the Sydney Opera House and the Rose Bay Foreshore.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/sydney-harbour-hosts-31-international-warships-for-navy-anniversary/news-story/35885b2395882bc706bea1ebe8e53110

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po6rTU1xAFo

https://www.navy.gov.au/community-engagement/events/2026-03-21/exercise-kakadu-fleet-review

https://www.navy.gov.au/navy-activities/exercises/exercise-kakadu

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>>24411207

Australia joins UK, Japan pledging ‘appropriate efforts’ in Strait of Hormuz

Australia is now among 22 countries issuing a stark warning after Iran’s actions threaten global energy supply and international security.

Nathan Schmidt - March 22, 2026

Australia has joined other US allies pledging readiness to “contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the Albanese government said it would not send warships to the region.

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada jointly issued the March 19 statement which condemned Iran for its attacks on commercial ships and the “de facto closure” of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, the statement was updated to include commitments from Australia, as well as New Zealand, Estonia, Romania, Sweden and Norway, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

US President Donald Trump has been pressuring US allies, including the NATO alliance, to step up defensive actions in the strait, where about one fifth of the world’s oil transits.

The statement noted disruptions to international shipping and global energy supply chains “constitute a threat to international peace and security” under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817, and called for a moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations.

“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” the statement read.

“We welcome the International Energy Agency decision to authorise a coordinated release of strategic petroleum reserves.

“We will take other steps to stabilise energy markets, including working with certain producing nations to increase output.

“Maritime security and freedom of navigation benefit all countries. We call on all states to respect international law and uphold the fundamental principles of international prosperity and security.”

Last week, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia had not received any request from the United States in relation to the strait.

“We’re not contemplating sending a ship, but we we’ve not received a request,” he said.

That comment mirrored remarks last week by Transport Minister Catherine King, who also noted Australia had not been asked to, and was not contemplating, sending warships to the strait.

“Been very clear about what our contribution is in relation to requests, and so far that is to the UAE, obviously providing aircraft to assist with defence, particularly given the number of Australians that are in that area in particular,” she told ABC Radio National.

“But we won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz.

“We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked (or) we’re contributing to.”

On the weekend, Mr Trump told Sky News he was “very surprised” Anthony Albanese did not send troops to the Middle East.

Asked about his criticism of Australia, South Korea and Japan, Mr Trump said he would like them to “get involved”.

“I was a little bit surprised they said no … we always say yes to them.”

The Republican has ramped up criticism of US allies who he has accused of failing to meaningful enter the war on Iran after the United States and Israel’s surprise attack.

Iran overnight reportedly fired missiles towards the US-UK military installations on the Chagos Islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The attack is the farthest reaching yet by the Islamic Republic three weeks into the war.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/australia-joins-uk-japan-pledging-appropriate-efforts-in-strait-of-hormuz/news-story/d637c33ec43ebe4ead303da9eff83362

https://x.com/mofauae/status/2035326341596446810

https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/MediaHub/News/2026/3/21/UAE-Strait-of-Hormuz

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The National Security Committee, which draws together senior cabinet ministers and intelligence agencies, will continue to meet throughout the week to update contingency plans on fuel supplies. But Bowen confirmed the government was not currently considering invoking powers under the 1984 Liquid Fuel Emergency Act.

“It’s never been invoked, ever, not through the first two Gulf Wars, COVID. It’s not designed to be invoked lightly,” he said. “I would need to be satisfied that there’s a real shortage and that the powers under that act are useful.”

The legislation is designed to manage severe national-level liquid fuel shortages, allowing the minister to direct industry to manage stock, prioritise essential users and implement rationing.

“We are not contemplating at this point needing to use any of those powers,” he said, adding that the existence of the law should still reassure Australians that there were plans for worst-case scenarios.

The government is set to introduce legislation next week to increase the penalty from $50 million to $100 million for misleading and deceptive conduct in fuel supply, as part of a wider effort to ensure the distribution of supplies and avoid shortfalls in remote regions.

Bowen said there was no “one-size-fits-all” approach to tackling the global fuel crisis in response to sweeping recommendations from the International Energy Agency, including working from home and limits on the number of cars on the road.

Working from home was already part of Australian life, but it was not an option for everyone, said Bowen.

“I think people would already be looking at their options to minimise their fuel use … So I don’t think a one-size-fits-all approach is necessary.”

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/bowen-warns-of-future-bumps-in-oil-supplies-as-six-ships-cancelled-20260322-p5rmfv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtjElNJk2s

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Coalition plans assault on One Nation’s credibility to avoid South Australia-style wipeout

Paul Sakkal - March 22, 2026

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Opposition Leader Angus Taylor will lead an assault on One Nation’s credibility and warn about Pauline Hanson’s aim to form government, in a new plan to avoid a South Australia-style drubbing at a federal by-election in May.

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned on Sunday against attacks on multiculturalism, the Coalition is planning to reveal big-picture economic reform, put more focus on its anti-net zero stance, and explain to voters the economic pain that would be caused by Hanson’s zero-immigration policy.

“There’ll be no ‘deplorables’ moment,” one senior Liberal source, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss internal party matters, said, referring to Hillary Clinton’s infamous remarks about Donald Trump’s supporters.

A Liberal MP added: “Just like Labor savages the Greens to keep progressives in the tent, we need to do the same on our side.”

South Australian Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas was re-elected with a thumping majority on Saturday. The Liberal Party will be left with about four lower house seats, with votes bleeding to One Nation, whose primary vote of 22 per cent was higher than that of the Liberals at 19 per cent.

Albanese delivered a veiled warning against One Nation’s brand of politics in a speech in Melbourne on Sunday.

“There are some, including some in political life, who want to turn back the clock to an Australia that is no longer who we are,” he said at the Immigration Museum in the CBD, warning about politicians harking back to the White Australia era.

“We need to call out those people.”

The federal Coalition’s senior shadow cabinet members held talks on Friday to formulate a strategy to claw back support from One Nation. A day later, the populist outfit rocked the political establishment by out-polling the Liberal Party in South Australia. It is also polling ahead of the Coalition nationally.

After months of confusion about how forcefully to attack Hanson and her recruit, Barnaby Joyce, the Coalition group reached consensus that it must attack Hanson and reject calls from conservative commentators to form some sort of right-wing coalition with her party.

Five sources familiar with the opposition’s strategy meeting, unable to talk about the confidential meeting publicly, confirmed elements of the discussion. The Liberal Party and Nationals directors, Andrew Hirst and Lincoln Folo, delivered briefings on voter attitudes towards One Nation, as the parties prepared to use social media to mobilise against One Nation ahead of the Farrer byelection sparked by Sussan Ley’s retirement.

Although Saturday’s South Australian election was influenced by local factors, the surge of support for One Nation proved that Hanson could turn support in opinion polling into votes, although preference distribution may mean the party ends up with only one seat.

Ahead of the Farrer byelection, Taylor is planning to announce the Coalition’s own plan to cut the migration intake. But the opposition wants to highlight the folly of reducing net migration to zero, as Hanson proposes, by warning tradespeople how badly the building sector would be hurt.

Opposition MPs intend to target what they see as Hanson’s hubris as she aims to supplant the Coalition.

(continued)

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Nationals senator Matt Canavan received blowback from some sections of his right-wing base after he labelled Hanson’s brand of race politics divisive earlier this month. The opposition is wary of being criticised for attacking Hanson personally given her tendency to portray herself as a persecuted figure speaking for the voiceless.

Hanson has claimed she is aiming to win an election, a prospect Coalition MPs want to elevate in the public discourse.

“Even her supporters think the prospect of her running the country is ridiculous,” one Liberal MP familiar with party research said.

Echoing remarks from frontbencher James Paterson, the opposition will also point out that 70 per cent of MPs elected under the One Nation banner have quit the party, and that Hanson had achieved few policy wins.

MPs who attended the Friday meeting acknowledged it was critical to differentiate the Coalition from One Nation by offering voters a compelling economic vision on tax and material living standards as it aims to release major policies midterm rather than just before the election as they did last term.

Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston blamed the state election collapse on the Coalition’s inability to articulate its values.

“Australians don’t know what we stand for,” she said on Sky News’ Sunday Agenda. “History would suggest to you that that’s probably not the case. You know, we’ve seen the rise and fall of One Nation on numerous occasions around the country.”

Malinauskas outlined a vision for progressive patriotism in his acceptance speech on Saturday, showing the salience of the national debate over identity and culture that is fuelling One Nation’s rise.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/coalition-plans-assault-on-one-nation-s-credibility-to-avoid-south-australia-style-wipeout-20260322-p5rmga.html

>>24411657

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The ongoing war in Gaza has fuelled social tensions in Australia, and on Friday the prime minister was heckled while attending Eid prayers at a mosque in Lakemba, in western Sydney over the government's stance on the conflict.

Those social tensions have fed the debate on immigration to Australia, particularly after the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach last year.

Liberal South Australian senator Alex Antic said One Nation's result at the state election was a reaction from voters who were never asked whether they supported "mass migration".

"This is the reality of the Australia we have created. It is a very, very different place … we now are seeing an Australia which is divided on a range of grounds, some of them religious, some of them demographics of economics," Senator Antic told Sky News.

"I don't think Australians ever asked for what they saw in the footage [at the Lakemba mosque]."

Push to cut migration

Net overseas migration has fallen from its peak of 755,000 over the year to September 2023, after borders reopened post-pandemic, to about 306,000 last financial year.

But while the migration rate has fallen close to pre-COVID levels, the issue remains a priority for voters, the majority of whom, according to Lowy Institute polling, say remains too high.

On Friday, Shadow Immigration Minister Jonno Duniam said while the migration rate had returned to its long-term average, Australia needed time for infrastructure and services to catch up.

"It'd be fine to bring those people in if you had put in place the houses, the hospital beds, the schooling places, the roads and rail needed for them to get about efficiently, all of that would be fine. But the reality is we haven't," Senator Duniam told 2GB.

"We've got to catch up with what people in this country need in order to preserve the way of life we have."

Australia however also faces a shortage of workers in critical fields, including health care and housing construction, and is reliant on migration to fill those gaps.

The Coalition campaigned at the 2025 federal election with a promise to slash migration to ease pressure on housing, and suffered the worst defeat in its history at that election.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-22/albanese-defends-multiculturalism-after-one-nation-swing-in-sa/106483540

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPhZGIFc9iw

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Zev Serebryanski avoids further jail over child sexual abuse of Manny Waks in a Melbourne synagogue almost four decades ago

A child abuser exposed making “stock pedophilic justifications” for his behaviour in a documentary has learned his fate.

Liam Beatty - March 20, 2026

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A child abuser caught on a hidden documentary camera making “damning admissions” has avoided further jail time after a jury found him guilty of four crimes.

Zev Serebryanski, 62, was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment in the County Court of Victoria on Friday morning however 19 months of the sentence was “wholly suspended” for a period of three years.

With three months spent on remand in a New York prison before his extradition to Melbourne in 2023 recognised as time served, Serebryanski walked free from court.

The convicted abuser showed little reaction but was seen at one time turned to the right with his hands cupped to his ear as Judge John Kelly read his sentencing remarks.

Almost four decades earlier and aged between 22 and 24, Serebryanski sexually assaulted Manny Waks, then a boy aged between 10 and 12, at the Yeshivah Centre in St Kilda East, a synagogue and learning centre for Melbourne’s Jewish ultra-orthodox community.

Mr Waks, now a prominent advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse in Jewish communities, has given permission to be identified in relation to the case.

The court was told on the first night of the religious Shavuot festival in 1986, 1987 or 1988, Serebryanski followed Mr Waks upstairs at the centre when he went to rest on a bench about 1am to escape the “noisy debate” of the men downstairs.

Mr Waks gave evidence Serebryanski had previously made him feel uncomfortable at community events by staring at him.

Serebryanski began groping the young boy before leading him into a women’s bathroom where he sexually assaulted him.

He was found guilty late last year by a jury of three counts of indecently assaulting a person under the age of 16 and sexually penetrating a child aged between 10 and 16.

The court was told Serebryanski, who was born in New York City, moved to Melbourne with his parents and five siblings aged six for his father to serve as a minister for the ultra-orthodox Jewish community.

He returned to the United States in 1994 where he remained working a computer programmer until his arrest on April 19, 2023.

In 2017, Serebryanski was confronted outside his brownstone apartment by Mr Waks and Israeli journalist Yuval Agassi who secretly recorded the interaction with a hidden car key-shaped camera for a documentary about pedophiles in Jewish communities outside of Israel.

Judge Kelly said Serebryanski made “several damning admissions” and a “partial apology” in the footage which was played at trial but also gave “stock pedophilic justifications” for his behaviour, including claiming he was only following Mr Waks’ lead.

“I was completely infatuated with you and wanted to do what I thought you wanted,” he said at one point in the footage.

The judge told Serebryanski: “All child sex offending is grave, aberrant, transgressive and exploitative … it does enormous damage”.

“It is an attack on innocence, it is an attack on childhood.”

(continued)

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Judge Kelly said the abuse had left a profound impact on Mr Waks but applauded him for his “tenacity” in becoming a victims’ advocate.

He said Mr Waks’ father had been “shunned” by the community for supporting his son, but noted Serebryanski was not responsible for this, rather it was a demonstration of the “collateral effect”.

Multiple character references were provided to the court, with Judge Kelly saying they described Serebryanski as a “moral, charitable member of his community”.

Rabbi Shimon Hecht, who leads a Brooklyn Synagogue and has known the convicted abuser for 25 years, said he was a “trustworthy and respectful person” and a “integral member of the Synagogue”.

Judge Kelly said he accepted Serebryanski was emotionally, socially and sexually immature due to his restrictive upbringing.

He said he did not belief Serebryanski would offend again and found his prospects for rehabilitation are “sound”.

“I do not believe you will reoffend; the trauma of being arrested in New York, the confinement in detention there for three months and the extradition to Melbourne should deter you,” he said.

Outside of court, Serebryanski did not respond to questions from the media, with his lawyer Tony Hargreaves remarking; “go away”.

Ahead of the hearing, Mr Waks said from his perspective, the sentence makes “little difference”.

“My battle is over. I got him convicted for his heinous crimes against me - it’s now up to the judge to decide his sentence,” he said.

“My ongoing battle has never been about revenge or retribution - rather, it’s about justice, accountability and prevention.

“I’m really looking forward to finally putting all of this behind me and to move forward.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/zev-serebryanski-avoids-further-jail-over-child-sexual-abuse-of-manny-waks-in-a-melbourne-synagogue-almost-four-decades-ago/news-story/aa9a78e3ab706c37008fb85ed44afc61

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Velvel Serebryanski, convicted of sexually abusing Manny Waks, walks free from court

Natasha MacFarlane - 20 March 2026

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A member of Melbourne's ultra-orthodox Jewish community now living in Israel says he feels vindicated and free despite his abuser walking free from court and avoiding more jail time.

Velvel Serebryanski, 61, was last December found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual penetration of a child between 10 and 16.

On Friday the Victorian County Court handed Serebryanski a 22 month jail sentence, with 19 months suspended, meaning he would only be required to serve three months behind bars.

But because he had already spent time on remand in the United States in 2023, Serebryanski was able to walk free from court.

Serebryanski was also handed a three-year good behaviour bond and is now a registered sex offender.

Manny Waks, 49, who now lives in Israel, was of primary-school age when the assault happened in the women's bathrooms of Melbourne's Yeshivah Centre synagogue, in St Kilda East, in the 1980s. The assault occurred on the first day of Shavuot, an annual Jewish celebration.

Mr Waks watched the sentence being handed down by videolink from Israel in the early hours of Friday morning.

After the hearing, Mr Waks celebrated the outcome and described it as a significant milestone.

"I feel vindicated and that justice has prevailed," he said.

"I know he has walked away today but … for me it's not about punishing him and making him miserable for the rest of his life.

"It hasn't been about revenge and retribution, it's about justice, accountability and prevention."

Since 2011, when Mr Waks went public with the assault, he has been a vocal advocate for Jewish victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.

He founded several organisations to help support and give a voice to abuse victims within the ultra-orthodox Jewish community.

Mr Waks was an advocate for victim-survivors in the case against Malka Leifer, the former principal at the ultra orthodox Adass Israel School in Melbourne.

Mr Waks was also successful in advocating for the 2015 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual abuse to examine the response to allegations of child sexual abuse by three people at the Yeshivah Centre and the Yeshivah College in Melbourne.

He says while he is still dealing with the ongoing trauma of the assault, he will continue to fight for victim-survivors and will move towards helping people deal with PTSD and their mental health struggles.

"Years ago, uttering the words 'child sexual abuse' wasn't really accepted. You could see people feel uncomfortable," he said.

"[But] when I started talking about this issue, we have seen there has been a significant change in society.

"There is a lot to be done, but probably the most important thing is to talk about it openly and to change the culture around these issues."

(continued)

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Perpetrator 'socially cloistered', exploited trust

In sentencing Serebryanski, Judge John Kelly acknowledge his cloistered upbringing within the ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Melbourne, and his lack of access to mainstream media and sexual education.

Justice Kelly described the abuse of Mr Waks, who was only 10 or 12 at the time, as profound.

"Your abuse of him occurred inside one of the most sacred sites in the Jewish community, the synagogue," Justice Kelly said.

"You knew the victim's family, they trusted you … you exploited a high holy day."

Justice Kelly also denied Serebryanski's claims about how the offending unfolded.

"You said you were only following the victim's lead … that you were the inexperienced one … you suggested he was more sexually advanced than you," Justice Kelly said.

"I accept that you were unworldly and socially cloistered.

"But it does not excuse your offending."

Serebryanski extradited to Australia in 2023

The court heard how Serebryanski, who was in his early 20s at the time, had developed a sexual interest in Mr Waks, and followed him upstairs at the Yeshivah Centre one morning at 1am, where he had gone to rest during a late night study session during Shavuot.

The prosecution outlined that Mr Waks had become aware he was being followed and lay down on a bench near another boy thinking it would be the safest place to be.

However, Serebryanski came over to Mr Waks and began touching him around his groin, undid his belt and unzipped his pants.

Serebryanski then led Mr Waks to the women's bathroom and continued to assault Mr Waks by touching his genitals and performing oral sex.

The court also heard how Mr Waks felt like he "blacked out" at some point and didn't know how long the assault lasted, but remembered getting up from the bathroom floor, dressing himself, and being in a state of shock over what had happened.

As an adult, Serebryanski moved to New York, but was eventually extradited back to Australia in 2023 after he was arrested and spent time in a New York jail.

In 2017 Mr Waks tried to confront Serebryanksi about his offending, and turned up at his home in New York with a documentary film maker.

During that filmed interaction Mr Waks received an apology from Serebryanski, who denied, in part, his guilt.

'"I tried to do what I thought you wanted and … as it seems now that it had caused you pain, I am extremely sorry for that," Serebryanski said at the time.

"I never wanted that … that was the last thing I wanted."

Justice Kelly took that interaction into consideration in sentencing and described his remorse as "tricky".

Serebryanski was also described in court as "compassionate, trustworthy and charitable" by multiple character references put forward by friends.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-20/velvel-serebryanski-walks-free-court-manny-waks-sexual-abuse/106478824

https://7news.com.au/video/news/paedophile-walks-free-after-historical-abuse-conviction-bc-6391242178112

https://qresear.ch/?q=Manny+Waks

>>24395459

EU leader touches down as PM hopes to land trade deal

Zac de Silva and Andrew Brown - March 23 2026

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Australia ahead of the potential signing of a long-awaited free trade agreement.

The head of the European Union's executive branch landed in Sydney on Monday, where she met Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Admiralty House and was welcomed with an Indigenous smoking ceremony.

It's the first day of a three-day visit to Australia by the president, which is expected to culminate in the final points of a trade deal being agreed to.

The deal has been years in the making, with naming products such as cheese and wine among the sticking points.

Trade Minister Don Farrell and his European counterpart Maros Sefcovic discussed the free-trade deal on Monday.

Previous negotiations have fallen apart largely because of disagreements over the agriculture sector.

The Australian side wants meat producers to be allowed to sell more of their product to the European market - a push resisted by EU negotiators who want to protect their farmers from increased competition.

Some farmers are likely to be disappointed with the level of access to European markets locked in by the deal, but the two sides have made positive progress, a source close to the negotiations who was not authorised to speak publicly told AAP.

Europe had also sought to strip Australian farmers of the right to use geographic naming indicators such as feta, parmesan and prosecco.

A compromise on the dispute is expected to be reached.

The deal is likely to be signed off on Tuesday following talks between Ms von der Leyen and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra.

"This is a milestone moment for the relationship between Australia and the European Union, such an important relationship," Mr Albanese told parliament.

"Two-way trade is worth some $109 billion that represents jobs and economic prosperity and our government has been working constructively to take that to the next level."

Ms von der Leyen will become the first female foreign leader to address the federal parliament.

The trade deal would give Australian exporters better access to a market of 450 million people, Mr Albanese said.

"Agreement with Europe would, of course, strengthen that even further, but as well, we need to engage with Europe on matters of security," he said.

The drive for an agreement showed Europe and Australia were pushing back against US President Donald Trump's overturning of traditional trade systems, former Australian trade official Prudence Gordon said.

"The fact that Australia and the EU are negotiating this trade agreement now really signals their efforts to counter the chaos created by Donald Trump," the executive director of the Australian Centre for International Trade and Investment told AAP.

Mr Albanese has sought to frame the deal as a win for Australian exporters who could rake in an extra $10 billion annually.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9204610/eu-leader-touches-down-as-pm-hopes-to-land-trade-deal/

>>24379483

Anglican church apologises to sexual abuse victim Beth Heinrich

Will Murray - 23 March 2026

The Anglican archbishop of Brisbane has issued an emotional apology to the victim of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a priest, saying the church failed her both as a child, and when she sought help later in life.

"Most grievously, those in positions of senior leadership within the Brisbane diocese, including former Archbishop Peter Hollingworth, failed Beth," Archbishop Jeremy Greaves told his congregation at St John's Cathedral on Sunday evening.

"Rather than responding with compassion, and justice, and accountability, the church's response compounded her suffering, and this was wrong."

Beth Heinrich, now 86, was sexually abused as a teenager by Reverend Donald Shearman in the central-west New South Wales town of Forbes in the 1950s.

She had been a minor in his care at an Anglican-run boarding house.

In 1995, after Mr Shearman had moved to Queensland, she asked the then-Archbishop of Brisbane Dr Peter Hollingworth for help to have Mr Shearman removed from the clergy.

Dr Hollingworth denied that request, despite overseeing mediation in which Mr Shearman admitted to abusing Ms Heinrich.

In 2002, after being appointed to the position of Governor-General, Dr Hollingworth was questioned during an interview with the ABC about his alleged failure to take action against Mr Shearman.

During the interview he suggested that Ms Heinrich, 15 at the time, had instigated the sexual relationship with Mr Shearman, a married priest.

Dr Hollingworth resigned as governor-general in 2003 amid findings by the church he acted unfairly over his handling of child sexual abuse.

In 2023, a subsequent Anglican Church inquiry found he committed misconduct by allowing paedophile priests, including Mr Shearman, to keep working while he was the Archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s.

Dr Hollingworth accepted those findings and said at the time: ""I made mistakes and I cannot undo them. But I committed no crimes."

Archbishop: 'I honour your courage'

During the traditional Sunday Service, Archbishop Greaves also lamented the additional harm that was done to Ms Heinrich by the church's failure to act in a timely manner against Mr Shearman, who wasn't defrocked until 2004.

"Beth, what happened to you was not your fault," he said.

"On behalf of the Diocese of Brisbane, I apologise to you for the abuse you suffered, and for the distress, isolation and harm caused by our failure to respond with integrity and care when you sought help."

At the end of the apology, the two shared a tearful embrace.

It's a moment Beth Heinrich has waited decades for, and she travelled from regional Victoria to attend the service.

"[Archbishop Greaves] is the first that appears to believe me, that I haven't been treated properly by previous archbishops and previous church supporters," Ms Heinrich said.

"I want to encourage others … if I can do it, others can do it too."

More than 70 years on from her abuse, she spoke of the pain of trying to seek the assistance and redress through senior church officials, only to be disbelieved or pushed aside.

"When they deny you something, it's like you're being abused again," she said.

"And the more that happens, the bigger the restitution has to be because the problem in you grows and grows."

While she said the apology brought to an end her years of struggle with the church, she hoped others would be inspired to seek their own justice.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-23/anglican-church-apologises-to-sexual-abuse-victim-beth-heinrich/106483594

>>24379483

>>24416011

Anglican Church issues formal apology to 86-year-old child sex abuse survivor Beth Heinrich

SARAH ELKS - 23 March 2026

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Under the grand stone-vaulted ceiling of Brisbane’s St John’s Cathedral on Sunday night, Anglican Archbishop Jeremy Greaves formally apologised to church child sexual abuse survivor Beth Heinrich.

More than seven decades after her abuse at the hands of bishop Donald Shearman, and years after then-archbishop Peter Hollingworth blamed her for her own assault, Ms Heinrich, 86, sat in the cathedral’s pews and watched as Archbishop Greaves stepped down from the pulpit and said sorry.

A survivor of sexual abuse himself, Archbishop Greaves clearly and frankly apologised for the failures of his predecessor Dr Hollingworth in his handling of Shearman, who died in 2019, and that bishop’s mistreatment of Ms Heinrich.

Shearman began grooming Ms Heinrich when she was 14 in the 1950s, sexually abusing her at 15 when she was sent to a church hostel. In 1977, Ms Heinrich fled a violent marriage and returned to Shearman, where he continued to exploit her vulnerability.

At the end of Sunday’s Evensong service, Archbishop Greaves said Ms Heinrich was subjected to abuse by Shearman in the context of “power and trust” and when she found the courage to speak to the church about what happened, she wasn’t listened to and her “voice was dismissed” by Dr Hollingworth.

“Most grievously, those in positions of senior leadership in the Brisbane diocese, including Archbishop Peter Hollingworth, failed Beth,” he said.

“Rather than expressing compassion, justice and accountability … the victim-survivor was blamed, while the person responsible was defended or excused.”

He stood in front of Ms Heinrich and told her that what happened to her was not her fault, apologised for the Brisbane diocese failing to act with integrity and care, and acknowledging the response had caused her terrible pain.

When Archbishop Greaves finished, he walked towards Ms Heinrich and the pair hugged.

Dr Hollingworth resigned as governor-general in 2003 after a Brisbane inquiry found he mishandled allegations of sexual abuse against pedophile priest John Linton Elliot. His exit from the nation’s top vice-regal office came the year after he told the ABC’s Australian Story that what happened to Ms Heinrich was “not sex abuse”.

“There was no suggestion of rape or anything like that. Quite the contrary. My information is that it was rather the other way around.”

Dr Hollingworth insisted the ABC’s reporting was wrong and his statement did not refer to Ms Heinrich. He apologised to her about 10 days after the television appearance.

Ms Heinrich has campaigned for years for justice, for herself and other victim-survivors.

Outside the cathedral, Ms Heinrich said she had pleaded with the church for years for help, and for understanding, but her trauma had been ignored, until Sunday’s apology.

“This is the end for me. I’m making an example and I want to encourage others … they’re to keep fighting if that’s what they need to do, (don’t) get dissuaded by knock-backs because you’ve just got to keep knocking at the door,” Ms Heinrich said.

She said Archbishop Greaves was the first person from the church “that appears to believe me, to believe that I haven’t been treated properly … by previous archbishops”.

(continued)

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Child safety expert Chris Goddard sat with Ms Heinrich on Sunday night. A long-time supporter of Ms Heinrich, Professor Goddard said he believed it was the first time an archbishop had apologised to a victim of child sexual abuse in a cathedral anywhere in the world.

He said he was in awe of Ms Heinrich’s strength and courage.

Earlier this month, Archbishop Greaves told The Australian he knew from experience how exhausting it could be to be a survivor of child sexual abuse.

“Victim-survivors so often carry shame and guilt that belongs to the perpetrators and others who have failed them,” said the Archbishop, who was a teenager in the early 1980s when he was assaulted by a Scouts leader. He became Archbishop of Brisbane in 2023.

“They are also at the mercy of legal and other processes that move incredibly slowly and can re-traumatise people again and again as they have to retell the story of their abuse … If a public apology and admission of the church’s failures can help Ms Heinrich, in even a small way, move one more step on her journey of healing, then it’s a good thing.

“There are so many parts of these processes over which I have no control, but I can do this one thing.”

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline (13 11 14), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800).

https://www.1800respect.org.au/

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

https://www.kidshelpline.com.au/

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anglican-church-issues-formal-apology-to-86yearold-child-sex-abuse-survivor/news-story/dad59ec1bca0e3ff0808b5cb79edbe7a

https://qresear.ch/?q=Beth+Heinrich

https://qresear.ch/?q=Peter+Hollingworth

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‘Forestry will be undermined’

Australia’s forestry industry hit out at the newly signed pact, saying the removal of trade tariffs on European timber products would “challenge” and “undermine” the competitiveness of local manufacturers.

Australian Forest Products Association chief executive Diana Hallam was concerned about the “lack of opportunities” arising from the deal for the industry.

“Australia’s domestic timber production is already under extreme pressure, including from surging timber imports, a stagnant housing market and rising domestic costs such as energy, insurance, labour, transport and fuel – and this trade deal will further undermine the competitiveness of Australian timber,” Ms Hallam said.

“We are disappointed that adding further price advantage to imports into our timber market, while government is adding costs to domestic production, will be highly detrimental to local timber manufacturing, which is one of the few primary industries that doesn’t receive federal government support for Country of Origin labelling.”

Albanese defends ‘very good’ FTA

A fired up Anthony Albanese laid out “a few facts” about the deal to parliament, noting it guaranteed preferential access for 35,000 tonnes of beef, eight times the current amount of 4000 tonnes. Sheep exports to the EU would increase fivefold to 31,000 tonnes.

“That is what we have delivered but those opposite only have two modes, talking Australia down and tearing each other down,” the Prime Minister said in question time.

“As a result of this EU agreement, we’ll have more Australian beef and sheep meat from Queensland and New South Wales. We’ll have more Australian wine from Western Australia and South Australia. We’ll have more Australian dairy from Victoria and more seafood from Tasmania, all proudly Australian products, the very best in the world.

“After eight years of negotiations, something that couldn’t be done by those opposite, we have today signed the Australia EU-Free Trade Agreement. It represents a very good deal for exporters, for Australian consumers and businesses gaining more access to European products here at home at lower prices.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/australian-farmers-slam-subpar-eu-trade-deal-for-failing-to-deliver/news-story/eeccdfab422ee0e267aa3454d4f255a5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT01BccDCUo

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Australian Institute of Petroleum chief executive Malcolm Roberts said that if Iran kept the Strait of Hormuz shut for another week or two, then refineries in Asia that supply about 80 per cent of Australia’s refined fuel would struggle to refill inventories.

“If this continues, eventually there’ll be a point where those refineries are well and truly short of the crude oil they need,” he said.

“If refineries haven’t been able to find some replacement supply, they’re going to start cutting back production, which some refineries apparently are already doing, and they’ll also come under pressure to prioritise their domestic market … we all know it’s exceptional circumstances, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

However, Roberts said solutions could be found between now and May to boost global supply of oil, including increased exports via the Red Sea, further releases of oil from nations’ strategic stockpiles, extra production from producers such as Canada, or increased use of Russian oil previously embargoed after the Ukraine invasion.

Macquarie University senior lecturer Lurion De Mello said there was “considerable worry” about the future of fuel imports, given there were no shipments on their way to Australia at present that were set to land after mid-April, according to maritime shipping data.

“I don’t think there’s a reason for extreme alarm, but it is concerning that shipping data hasn’t been updated with deliveries of refined fuel beyond the 15th of April,” De Mello said.

Other countries in the region that supply Australia with refined fuel had also built significant oil and fuel reserves as a contingency in case of a major disruption, which contrasted with Australia’s approach to fuel security, De Mello said.

“South Korea, Singapore, Japan, China have massive amounts of storage because they want to be well prepared. We’re always the laggard with a ‘she’ll be all right’ attitude. But we’re not prepared for this stuff.”

While the volume of supply reaching Australia has remained stable, panic buying has caused localised shortages, especially in regional areas.

Bowen told parliament on Tuesday that in NSW, 289 service stations are without at least one type of fuel, including 164 without diesel. In Victoria, 162 are without at least one type of fuel, as are 35 in Queensland, 46 in South Australia, six in Western Australia and six in Tasmania.

The opposition has accused Bowen of failing to lead state governments in a national response while asking why the consumer watchdog was unable to crack down on potential profiteering.

“The government a couple of weeks ago made a huge song and dance about giving extra powers to the [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission] to be able to deal with gouging. Where is that legislation?,” asked opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/fuel-supply-cliff-to-hit-in-may-as-petrol-prices-in-australia-hit-record-highs-20260324-p5tujs.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A92Q87VIWU0

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The Coalition demanded the government detail its plan to get fuel to petrol stations that had run dry and use Australia’s reputation as a trusted trading partner to secure additional supplies.

Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said that if ministers’ claims – that Australia has more fuel now than at the start of the war – were true, the government must detail its plans to address distributional issues that have left more than 500 petrol stations without fuel.

“We need to see the shortages identified, and then we need to see the fuel get there. We’ve been asking the government to do that for over three weeks now and yet they just seem incapable of being able to do that,” he told Sky News.

“That is just something that he could do right here and now to alleviate the issues.”

Mr Tehan also called for the government to use its “leverage” to get assurances from trading partners that Australia would be a first priority for fuel exports.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bowen-replaces-cancelled-oil-ships-says-rationing-is-a-last-resort/news-story/d0f33c6681fcdf970dd96c81432fa88a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qWA16wZIIk

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>>24411596

>>24420519

>>24415984

>>24424585

Japanese ambassador signals fuel-for-LNG swap to secure Australia’s energy supply

BRAD THOMPSON - 25 March 2026

Japan’s ambassador to Australia has left the door open to some form of fuel-for-LNG swap as alluded to by Anthony Albanese but warned any new taxes on oil and gas exports would be “bad news” for the relationship between the two countries and for investment.

Ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki said on Wednesday that if fuel shortages in Australia became acute, Japan might be willing to help while hitting out any the prospect of Treasurer Jim Chalmers applying new taxes on LNG exports.

Mr Suzuki said such a move could jeopardise Japan investment in Australia and that Tokyo did not like surprises.

In a pointed message to energy security obsessed Japan and other Asian nations in recent days, Mr Albanese has said “we are reliable partners when it comes to energy security, and we expect that to be a two-way flow”.

Mr Suzuki stressed that Japan had so far maintained its relatively small but important exports to Australia.

Japan would be one of the countries hit if Australia imposed new so-called windfall taxes on the oil and gas industry. Supplying liquid fuel to counter shortages in Australia might weigh against any such move by the Albanese government.

Speaking at a Minerals Council of Australia conference in Canberra, Mr Suzuki said Japan had about 250 days of fuel supply in reserve, but that 90 per cent of its supply ultimately came from the Middle East.

He said Japan would pressure the International Energy Agency to release more of its strategic reserves at the appropriate time, and that Japan’s reserves were earmarked for domestic use if the situation became dire.

On the prospect of new LNG taxes, Mr Suzuki said that Japan didn’t like surprises.

“Surprise, in the Japanese business dictionary, it’s always bad. If there’s a retrospective taxing or something, I think that is really bad news,” he said.

“Japanese investors are saying, so if there’s a surprise, they just go to other countries. We love Australia, so Australia should be the first country that we should invest in, but if there’s a big surprise, then, you know because we hate surprise, causes a problem.”

Mr Suzuki said Japan would need to have a deep understanding of any actual fuel shortages in Australia before committing to help, but said it was a possibility.

He pointed to reports of panic buying in rural areas as part of the problem and to assurances from Energy Minister Chris Bowen that Australia was managing any shortages.

“We really need to see the market situation in Australia first and then we need to deepen our communication between the two countries,” he said.

“Maybe we could collaborate and then do something together. That’s the only answer that I can give it to you now.”

Dr Chalmers has not ruled out “windfall” taxes on LNG exporters that would be passed on to customers in Japan. The price of LNG has already spiked because of the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel.

Dr Chalmers said this week that Australians deserved a “fair return on the resources they own” when asked about a windfall tax being included in his May budget.

Resources Minister Madeleine King was on stage when Mr Suzuki broached the subject of co-operation on energy security in what could in effect represent a LNG-for-liquid fuel arrangement.

Asked about the prospect of a deal on the sidelines of the conference, Ms King said: “I believe very much in that relationship between our two countries and the government of Japan is well aware of how we can best work together, and it’s all about energy security, whether that be LNG from Australia to Japan or in liquid fuel security from Japan back to Australia.”

Ms King said Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other countries in Asia clearly understood the interdependence on energy security.

“They rely on our LNG for their energy security, and we rely on liquid fuels,” she said.

“I think the agreement between the Singaporean Prime Minister and our Prime Minister is really indicative of what the region all knows – that we have to work together.”

Mr Albanese and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong released a joint statement on energy security on Monday.

Ms King noted that Singapore and Malaysia were major sources of liquid fuel for Australia, and noted that Australia was also in talks with China.

Iran has so far allowed oil tankers bound for China to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Minister (Penny) Wong has made it clear that Australia has discussed fuel security with a range of countries, including China. We have engaged with China both in Canberra and in country,” Ms King said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/japanese-ambassador-signals-fuelforlng-swap-to-secure-australias-energy-supply/news-story/dca7c429799751730264ccfd5bd5183d

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>>24367805

‘Shut the door’: Australia to ban Iranian visa holders citing ‘national interest’

NATHAN SCHMIDT - 25 March 2026

Iranians on temporarily visas will be restricted from re-entering Australia under controversial new powers.

The Albanese government will from Thursday restrict anyone with a visitor visa (subclass 600) linked to an Iranian passport and who is outside of Australia from re-entering the country, more than four weeks after the United States’ and Israel’s surprise attack on Iran.

Visa-holders are typically allowed to remain in Australia for up to 12 months, usually for tourism, business, or to visit family.

However, under the new rules, which will remain in effect for six months, only spouses, de facto partners, or a dependent child of an Australia citizen or permanent visa holder, or a parent of a child under 18 already in Australia, will be allowed entry.

The government claims the changes will bolster the integrity of Australia’s migration system and in the national interest.

It warned the war against Iran increased the risk temporary visa holders may be unlikely or unable to depart Australia when their visa expired, and that the new measures would afford government time to assess cases, while still allowing “flexibility in limited cases”.

“There are many visitor visas which were issued before the conflict in Iran which may not have been issued if they were applied for now,” Home Affairs Minister Tony burke said.

“Decisions about permanent stays in Australia should be deliberate decisions of the government, not a random consequence of who had booked a holiday.

“The Australian government is closely monitoring global developments and will adjust settings as required to ensure Australia’s migration system remains orderly, fair and sustainable.”

Under the changes, a person issued an active Permitted Travel Certificate – including people who may have already departed for Australia – or holding another time of visa may be allowed entry.

The changes would also not prohibit people outside Australia from applying for a new visa.

In limited cases involving parents of Australian citizens, “sympathetic consideration” would also be given, the government said.

Developed in consultation with the Iranian diaspora, the changes faced pushback when they were first introduced and passed in parliament earlier this month.

At the time, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Chief Executive Kon Karapanagiotidis said the rules “shut the door” on people seeking safety in Australia.

“If people already have a visa to travel to Australia, and this kind of violence has broken out in their home country – why would we not want to help them?” he said.

“On the very same day that the Government has acted so swiftly and compassionately to protect members of the Iranian women’s soccer team, they want to slam the door on family members of Australian citizens.”

Mr Burke offered asylum to members of the Iranian women’s soccer team earlier this month – however, only two players ultimately followed through and remained in Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/shut-the-door-australia-to-ban-iranian-visa-holders-citing-national-interest/news-story/b405403d2bb032e08cd7bae0f90fa23f

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>>24355021

Palestinian flag to be lowered from city hall after fiery debate

Rachael Dexter and Rachael Ward - March 25, 2026

A Palestinian flag flying above a council building in Melbourne’s north for more than two years will soon be lowered after months of debate over its future.

On Tuesday night, after a 90-minute debate, Darebin City Council voted on the municipality’s new flag policy, which includes no longer flying any international flags at all unless required by legislation.

The Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags will continue to fly in council buildings and are not affected by the vote. However, the Palestinian flag flying above the council’s main chamber in Preston must be lowered within 10 working days, and will be marked with a “brief respectful ceremony”.

The council reached a final decision on the drawn-out dispute over how and when to fly different flags after three formal attempts to pass a motion on Tuesday. During the meeting, some people in the public gallery jeered and shouted, and were warned multiple times by Mayor Emily Dimitriadis to remain silent during debate, with one threatened with ejection.

The Palestinian flag was raised above Preston City Hall after being endorsed by councillors on December 18, 2023.

Tuesday’s successful motion, moved by independent Councillor Connie Boglis, prohibits new international flags and removes the chief executive’s discretion to approve community requests. Boglis described the policy as a “careful balance” that provides “transparency, equity and accountability”.

The policy came after a community consultation process that received more than 500 submissions. Labor councillor Kristine Olaris noted that while councillors held strong personal views, the feedback was “quite clear” that a majority of the community did not want any international flags flown. Labor councillors Olaris, Dimitriadis, Matt Arturi and Vasilios Tsalkos all supported the motion, as did Boglis.

The motion was opposed by independent Councillor Angela Villella and Greens councillors Ruth Jelley and Alexandra Sangster.

Villella was most vocal in her opposition, saying councillors should be “ashamed of ourselves” for stripping residents of the right to have different flags flown.

“We are actually denying our residents a right to have a say. I can’t understand it … it’s outrageous,” she said. “How dare we say that to the community? Who the hell do we think we are that we can say that?”

Sangster successfully moved a subsequent amendment to provide the community with a 10-day “grace period” before the Palestinian flag is removed, allowing time for residents to prepare a ceremony for what she described as a “deeply distressing moment”.

Following the Bondi terrorist attack, an urgent meeting was called in late December 2025, where chief executive Anne Howard asked councillors to take down the flag and replace it with a “peace flag” – in part due to complaints made to council staff from locals after the mass shooting.

A special council meeting was held in February to discuss the future of the flag, where councillors voted to delay a decision until adopting a formal flag policy in March.

In both meetings, councillors knocked back the “peace flag” suggestion.

Darebin Council’s policy was developed partly by examining international flag policies elsewhere in Victoria. Council documents show Greater Dandenong, Surf Coast Shire, Manningham and Yarra Ranges councils permit international flags to be flown during official visits of dignitaries or under other strict conditions.

In Greater Dandenong, international flags may also be flown as a show of support during a crisis, in the Yarra Ranges only to acknowledge a significant event, while in the Surf Coast foreign flags can also be displayed as directed by state or federal governments. In Manningham, only the flags of nations recognised by Australia can fly alongside the Australian flag.

Palestinian flags were previously raised at Darebin, Merri-bek, Dandenong and Maribyrnong councils in the early months of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Merri-bek’s flag was flown until a ceasefire in 2025. However, last September councillors voted to fly it indefinitely outside the town hall in Coburg.

Darebin Council has been contacted for comment.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/palestinian-flag-to-be-lowered-from-city-hall-after-fiery-debate-20260325-p5x6zc.html

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US Admiral stares down AUKUS doubters over WA’s submarine deadline

Hamish Hastie - March 25, 2026

The US Navy’s operations chief says his country will make good on its commitment to start delivering Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia by 2032, while suggesting the US industrial base will be big and quick enough by the end of the decade to fulfil those orders.

US Naval Operations Chief Admiral Daryl Caudle has been in Australia for the past few days and on Tuesday visited HMAS Stirling and Rockingham in Perth’s south to see progress on base upgrades to begin accommodating a rotating force of US and British submarines from next year.

Under the $368 billion AUKUS agreement, Australia has agreed to purchase between three and five Virginia-class nuclear submarines, with the first set to be delivered by 2032.

Sceptics of the pact, including former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, believe that timeline will be impossible to meet because of the slow rate at which the US Navy is building its own submarines, around 1.3 per year.

In order to meet the “optimal pathway” outlined by the original AUKUS agreement, the US will need to improve that build rate to 2.3 submarines per year.

During his confirmation hearing in July last year, Caudle himself said there needed to be a “transformational improvement” in shipbuilding rates of 100 per cent to reach that target.

Speaking to WA media during his visit, Caudle said he was optimistic that it would happen.

“It’s a tough thing to predict, but I would say, I can confidently say that we should be above two submarines a year by the 2030s…based on our current projections,” he said.

“Improvements in shipbuilding are slow because it took a long time for it to get to the place that it is today and the things that we’re doing, I think, take time to get it back to the place that I mentioned in my confirmation hearing.”

Caudle said the Navy was doing a range of things to improve its industrial base, including improving workforces, advanced manufacturing and using modularisation.

He also said improved shipbuilding maintenance programs would see more US submarines in the water.

Caudle said he visited areas south of Perth where US sailors will eventually live and met with Defence Housing Australia, which will facilitate the housing needs of the sailors arriving from next year.

With Perth in the grips of a housing crisis, Caudle said the number of sailors would be a “blip” in the population increases, but that US sailors would fall in love with Perth and would have a big impact on the local economy.

“The actual impact of what US sailors will bring to the local economy there, I think, will be significant and a big opportunity for your country,” he said.

Caudle revealed the name of the squadron that would be based in WA as Submarine Squadron 3, which he commanded when it was based on Pearl Harbour before it was dismantled in 2012.

With Australia purchasing Virginia-class submarines Caudle said it would be an “implicit expectation” that the two countries’ respective navies would work closely together in the decades to come.

“You’re such a great partner. You’ve been with us in conflict since World War II, just in earnest,” he said.

“When you have a great relationship with a country, and you have the same, generally, the same national interest and to protect the international rules-based order to protect sea lanes of communication, to protect critical choke points, the flow of commerce. Those types of missions are just common to like-minded navies.

“I think what comes with the selling of Virginia-class submarines is that we will just naturally work together to accomplish those missions together.

“So I wouldn’t put it too much as a hard expectation is, I would just [say it’s] what two great partners do together.

“We operate together today with your Collins class, and we’ll operate together with the Virginia class of the future.”

The Australian Government is investing $8 billion to expand HMAS Stirling’s infrastructure over a decade so it can accommodate a rotating force of UK and US nuclear submarines, as well as eventually the Royal Australian Navy’s own Virginia Class submarines and the Australian-built SSN-AUKUS.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/western-australia/us-admiral-stares-down-aukus-doubters-over-wa-s-submarine-deadline-20260325-p5xn7d.html

https://www.navy.mil/Leadership/Flag-Officer-Biographies/Search/Article/2236204/admiral-daryl-caudle/

>>24424631

US Naval Operations chief Admiral Daryl Caudle confirms WA will house first nuclear-powered sub by 2034

Jessica Evensen and Andrew Greene - 24 March 2026

The United States top navy chief has declared Western Australia will be home to at least two nuclear powered Virginia-class submarines under the AUKUS agreement by 2034.

US Naval Operations Chief Admiral Daryl Caudle made the commitment in Perth on Tuesday afternoon following his visit to HMAS Stirling to meet with local authorities and strengthen the AUKUS trilateral partnership.

The Australian Government has already invested $8 billion into transforming HMAS Stirling into a “nuclear-ready” facility, with five nuclear-based submarines scheduled to have a rotational presence at the naval base from next year.

WA is relying on AUKUS to justify the mammoth upgrade, which is predicted to create around 10,000 new jobs.

Admiral Caudle — who was appointed to the top job by the new Trump administration in August — said he was “very pleased” with the construction timeline at HMAS Stirling.

“I wouldn’t say (construction is) ahead, but it’s certainly not behind, and I’m very pleased with where we’ve come,” he told local media.

“There’s lots of construction going on the base, we’re seeing all the facilities that we need, from secure locations, the maintenance facility and the emergency command centre.

“I got to tour … the barracks that are on the base, where the sailors will live on the base, what they will experience (including the) galley, canteen and eating facilities.”

Admiral Caudle said the US would obey its promise to rotate four Virginia-class submarines as part of Submarine Rotational Force-West.

“You’re going to see us stick to the agreement here of what we’ve committed to,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say (the number of submarines) is going to get bigger, we’re going to stay on plan … it’s going to be as currently designed.”

He said WA was on track to house its first sovereign Virginia-class submarine by 2034.

And when asked whether the US would meet its fleet requirements, he said: “I can confidently say we should be above two submarines a year.”

“By 2030 I would expected us to be above two submarines a year, based on current projections.”

Admiral Caudle said there was an “implicit expectation” Australia would stand with the US, and described AUKUS as a “match made in heaven”.

“(Australia is) such a great partner, you’ve been with us in conflicts since World War II,” he said.

“When you have a great relationship with a country and you have the same national interest and to protect international rules-based order … those types of missions are just common to like-minded navies.

“We operate together today with your Collins-class (submarines), and we’ll operate together with the Virginia-class of the future.”

https://thewest.com.au/politics/aukus/us-naval-operations-chief-admiral-daryl-caudle-confirms-wa-will-house-first-nuclear-powered-sub-by-2034-c-22040981

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Fuel caps hit cities as supply strains spread beyond regions

COLIN PACKHAM - 26 March 2026

Some petrol stations in metropolitan areas have begun limiting how many litres customers can pump, as supply strains once confined to regional Australia spread into major cities despite assurances fuel inventory remains adequate.

On Sydney’s Northern Beaches, a Shell-branded Viva service station informed customers they could not buy more than 50 litres per vehicle due to supply restrictions, with the filling of jerry cans or external tanks banned. The site is operated by an independent retailer.

The emergence of limits in urban centres marks a shift in the disruption, which until now had been characterised by patchy outages and empty bowsers, predominantly — though not exclusively — in regional areas. Their spread into metropolitan markets suggests the strain is beginning to affect Australia’s largest cities.

The restrictions are not uniform and are typically set at the discretion of individual operators, but the approach is consistent: cap volumes, discourage stockpiling and stretch available supply between increasingly unpredictable deliveries. Industry participants said such measures can vary widely between sites depending on delivery schedules and local demand, with some operators moving earlier than others to protect stock.

While governments and industry closely track how many service stations are running short of fuel, there is no central dataset capturing where purchase limits are being imposed, leaving one of the clearest indicators of stress in the system largely untraced.

The development sits uneasily alongside official messaging that Australia’s fuel supplies remain adequate. Federal authorities have said the disruption is being driven by surging demand as consumers worry about future supply and rising prices, and have urged motorists not to engage in panic buying — warnings some petrol stations say have gone unheeded.

The government has insisted there is no need for fuel rationing, while states have made clear that any formal scheme would need to be led and implemented at a national level, underscoring the political sensitivity.

The market may already be moving in that direction, even in the absence of co-ordinated action.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will convene a second national cabinet on the fuel crisis next week and has abandoned his push for the states to take the lead on petrol rationing, as Japan warns against Labor imposing higher taxes on gas exports while the government moves to secure additional energy supply deals with Asian trading partners.

But for motorists encountering caps at the bowser, the distinction is largely academic. A 50-litre limit is sufficient for only a partial fill for larger vehicles, forcing some drivers — including tradespeople and small businesses — to refuel more frequently or seek out multiple sites.

The crisis has again exposed the fragility of Australia’s just-in-time fuel supply chains, first laid bare during the Covid pandemic. The system is designed to operate efficiently under normal conditions, but offers limited redundancy when disrupted.

Australia relies on imported refined fuels for the bulk of its needs. Importers and the country’s two refiners must hold minimum stocks, but with concern about the longevity of the war in Iran and its potential impact on oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, there is growing alarm about the country’s ability to replenish those stockpiles.

The government could elect to implement restrictions in a bid to preserve stockpiles, though doing so would risk an economic hit and stoke public concern.

Purchase limits are typically among the first visible signs of stress at the retail level, often preceding more widespread shortages or sharper price movements. Their appearance suggests that while fuel continues to flow into the country, the system’s ability to distribute it smoothly is coming under increasing pressure — and that the effects of a tightening market are no longer confined to the margins.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/fuel-caps-hit-cities-as-supply-strains-spread-beyond-regions/news-story/389ecd9788ed3b8f71f6fffb1642a317

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Bowen’s big stick spurs biggest intervention since WWII to secure fuel for bush

Mike Foley and Paul Sakkal - March 26, 2026

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Labor has intervened to secure regional fuel supply chains in one of the most drastic market interventions since petrol rationing during WWII, as Energy Minister Chris Bowen forces suppliers to sell to independent regional service stations that are running on empty.

Bowen’s moves come as the federal government shows signs of tension after weeks of pressure to fix shortages and calls from state leaders for a national approach to fuel conservation.

This masthead revealed on Wednesday that a national cabinet meeting would be held the following Monday, while the Australian Financial Review reported on Thursday that senior ministers had raised concerns with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about “needless secrecy” about the day of the meeting.

Albanese had initially pushed back against leading Australia’s response to the fuel shortages, saying that was the role of the states, but is now expected to discuss a national plan at Monday’s meeting.

Behind the scenes, Bowen is harnessing the mandate provided by the crisis to force companies to get fuel into regional areas.

Typically, wholesale suppliers sell most of their fuel under long-term contracts with major retail chains such as BP, Caltex and Ampol, while independent service stations make short-term deals on the spot market. Since the start of the war, major chains had crowded out the smaller buyers.

Bowen announced last week that the government would release 20 per cent of the nation’s fuel stockpile, which is held by the suppliers. He confirmed yesterday that this fuel, six days’ worth of average national diesel consumption and five days of petrol, was bound for regional areas.

It is the most dramatic intervention by a government in the private fuel industry since ration books were issued to motorists between 1940 and 1950 to reduce demand by 50 per cent.

Independent service stations in regional areas have struggled to keep up with demand in the weeks since the Iran war broke out, spurring panic buying and a doubling of fuel demand, while major retailers remained relatively better supplied under their long-term deals.

To ensure the fuel would go where it is needed in the bush, Bowen forced fuel suppliers to guarantee they would sell to regional independents.

Bowen has not declared a national emergency, which would grant him powers under the Liquid Fuel Emergency Act to control the management, allocation, and distribution of fuel supplies across the country.

But the threat he could do so secured the co-operation of fuel suppliers.

The National Roads and Motorists Association welcomed Bowen’s intervention and said if tougher action were needed in the future, the energy minister should not hesitate to use his emergency powers.

“Our message is: Go hard, minister. Do whatever you have to do. Reach in, shake every branch to make sure that the supply chain works to the benefit of the nation,” NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said.

“If threats don’t work, he can always use the law. However, we’re of the view that with proper government scrutiny, we will get the right outcome for Australia.”

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Bowen said on Thursday that suppliers are delivering more petrol to regional areas than they were at the same time last year. Viva Energy has sent 43 per cent more fuel to regional independent service stations in NSW and 22 per cent more to Queensland. Ampol is sending 40 per cent more to regional independents in NSW, 33 per cent more to Queensland and 19 per cent to Victoria.

“That is catching up with that massive increase in demand that we saw in the days following the 28th of February [attacks on Iran by the US and Israel],” Bowen said.

While Bowen has updates on fuel shortages at every question time this week, opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said the government should be releasing daily bulletins on service station shortages, just as covid infection numbers were provided by states during the pandemic.

On Thursday, Bowen outlined shortages in all states: in NSW 178 are out of diesel and 48 are completely dry; in Victoria 45 stations have no diesel and 72 no unleaded fuel; in Queensland 55 have no diesel, 33 no regular unleaded; South Australia nine stations have no diesel, 10 no unleaded; Western Australian 40 stations have no diesel, 14 have no unleaded; and in Tasmania five have no diesel.

Albanese again urged people to use only as much fuel as needed, as Labor pleaded with One Nation to avoid panicking consumers.

After days of jabs against the opposition, Albanese on Thursday made a point of listing the government’s actions over the past two weeks in question time.

When rationing began in late 1939, Australia had a three-month supply of fuel to carry it through a long-term disruption to supply. In contrast, when the Iran war began on February 28, Australia had around one month’s worth of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.

Panic buying has driven a doubling of demand from motorists, farmers and other fuel users alarmed at the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which supplies about 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply.

However, Asian refineries that supply about 80 per cent of Australia’s fuel may exhaust their stocks of crude oil within a month and it remains unclear how the potential shortfalls could be filled.

A spokesperson for BP said its priority was to maintain supply to its customers and that it was working closely with governments and distributors to deliver fuel to regional areas.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/bowen-s-big-stick-spurs-biggest-intervention-since-wwii-to-secure-fuel-for-bush-20260326-p5ziz4.html

Broken Bay bishop Anthony Randazzo plucked by Pope Leo to become the Vatican’s top Aussie

DENNIS SHANAHAN - 25 March 2026

Pope Leo has personally plucked a Catholic bishop from the NSW central coast, promoted him to Archbishop and appointed him as the most senior, resident Australian in the Vatican.

In a surprise move, Broken Bay Bishop, Anthony Randazzo, has been appointed to head the Vatican’s religious texts and law prefecture and will be posted to Rome in three months.

Bishop Randazzo, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, will become the most senior Australian posted to the curia in the Holy See and the most senior Australian at the Vatican since the late cardinal George Pell was appointed to the fourth highest post as the “treasurer” of the Catholic Church.

The appointment shows the intention of the new Pope to ensure a rigorous interpretation of what is correct and acceptable church law and teaching across the global Catholic Church and the Eastern orthodox churches.

Bishop Randazzo is a graduate in canon law from the pontifical Gregorian University and spent five years in Rome between 2004 and 2009 at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“I am profoundly grateful to Pope Leo for the confidence and trust he has placed in me,” ­Archbishop Randazzo told The Australian.

Pope Leo personally informed Bishop Randazzo of the appointment at a meeting in the Vatican two weeks ago after the Australian bishop had been delayed in Dubai after an Iranian missile hit the airport in the United Arab Emirates city.

Although Bishop Randazzo thought he may have to abandon the trip and return to Australia the Vatican insisted he come to Rome, where the Pope informed him of his plans in an hour-long personal meeting in Rome.

Bishop Randazzo returned to Australia but will leave for the post in three months.

The Dicastery for Legislative Texts serves the Pope in promoting and safeguarding the proper understanding, interpretation, and application of canon law across the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, ensuring that ecclesiastical laws are applied with fidelity, clarity, and juridical precision.

As Prefect, Archbishop Randazzo will oversee the Dicastery’s work in formulating authentic interpretations of universal Church law, offering authoritative clarifications on juridical questions, and assisting in the development and refinement of canonical legislation.

Bishop Randazzo’s posting to Rome is the second surprise Papal appointment for Australian Catholics after Pope Francis in 2024 appointed Mykola Bychok, then the bishop of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians, as a cardinal.

Bishop Bychok, a Redemptorist priest, was born in Ukraine in 1980 and served in Lviv in Ukraine, Poland and later in Serbia and Russia. He continues to serve in Melbourne as a Cardinal. But Cardinal Bychok is not an Australian Cardinal and there has been no Australian Cardinal since the death of Cardinal Pell in 2023. Cardinal Pell was posted from Sydney to the Vatican in 2014 with a brief to reform the antiquated finances of the Catholic Church and successfully uncovered millions of lost euros and corruption within Vatican spending.

Bishop Randazzo, who has been the bishop for Broken Bay for the last six years, said: “During my time as bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay, the clergy and faithful have been a true joy in my ministry. I remain forever grateful to God, who entrusted me with the care of His flock.

“It has also been both a privilege and a joy to walk the journey of faith with the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia, an experience that has embodied the reality of lived ecumenism.”

Bob Prevost, as a bishop, before he became Pope Leo XIV, visited Australia four times, going to Brisbane and Cairns, Melbourne, Bendigo and Sydney – including the Diocese of Broken Bay which takes in northern Sydney and the central coast.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/broken-bay-bishop-anthony-randazzo-plucked-by-pope-leo-to-become-the-vaticans-top-aussie/news-story/9411d5e193e9445527ffab78943f2941

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/03/25/260325a.html

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Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed awarded symbolic key to the city and recognised for bravery during terror attack

Shannon Corvo - 26 March 2026

Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed has been awarded a key to the city and a lifetime beach parking pass for his bravery during the December 14 terror attack.

The 43-year-old went viral after footage showed him sneaking up behind one of the two gunmen shooting at attendees of a Jewish event and wrestling a long-barrelled gun away from him.

He was shot several times following the altercation, requiring multiple surgeries at St George Hospital.

Fifteen people were killed at the Hanukkah celebration, called Chanukah by the Sea at Archer Park, with the youngest only 10 years old.

The father-of-two was presented with the gifts to honour his heroism at a ceremony hosted by Waverley Council, where Bondi Beach is located.

Recognition of 'unflinching resolve'

A video message from New South Wales Premier Chris Minns was played for the audience, in which he thanked and praised Mr Ahmed for his actions, which "showed the nation and the world what true Australian courage looks like".

"Without a second thought and without a sense of your own self-preservation, you put your own life at risk to save people you'd never met before," he said.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said footage of Mr Ahmed disarming one of the gunmen "has become synonymous with heroism and the bravery of ordinary Australians displayed during that day".

"When confronted by hatred in the worst form, you acted with urgency and unflinching resolve," he said.

"The story of Hanukkah itself is about shining a light on darkness, of being brave when confronted with evil, and making a worthy contribution to our world, and I think we would all agree that this perfectly describes Ahmed.

"We all pray that you make a full and speedy recovery from your injuries."

Cr Nemesh said the Waverley community was "grateful" for what he did, and that the key to the city was "council's greatest recognition and symbolises our everlasting gratitude".

Mr Ahmed then became the second person in the council's history to receive a lifetime beach parking permit for the LGA, which also includes Bondi.

'We say to you, our beaches are your beaches and you will forever have a place here in Waverley," Cr Nemesh said.

'Courage beyond courage'

Governor of New South Wales Margaret Beazley also spoke at the ceremony, acknowledging Mr Ahmed's injuries sustained during the encounter.

She said his actions brought to her mind the motto of surf lifesaving: "Whomsoever you see in distress, recognise in them a fellow human being."

"What you exposed yourself to, I suspect no-one can fully gauge personally, other than to have an appreciation that it was courage beyond courage," Ms Beazley said.

"It was that good person in you, in which we and the rest of the community thanks you and stands in awe."

After making the joke, "Nothing's as good as a parking sticker," Ms Beazley presented Mr Ahmed with two gifts.

The first was a governor's coin, and the second a Christmas decoration.

'My heart cries'

Mr Ahmed thanked the attendees and officials, then opened up about the fateful day.

"With that day when I just enter Bondi … it was very easy. I don't know. It was God; God's choice to make everything by minute, by number. All the situation was 10 minutes from when I [had arrived]," he said.

"I feel honestly for all those lost and still I feel sadness about Bondi and my heart cries, but what I want to say, we have to be strong and stand with each other and wish peace for this beautiful land."

Mr Ahmed also shared a story about going to the barber before the ceremony, where he claimed someone said: "I still don't understand how you run into the guy with a gun … no-one can do that."

"I said, 'why can no-one do it?' If you have a heart and if you are Australian, and when you see someone evil come to hurt your people, are you going to stand and watch and look?'" he said.

"Myself, I'm choosing myself as Australian, as a good citizen, everyone has to go in and show in for Australia and for all our family."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-25/bondi-hero-ahmed-al-ahmed-awarded-key-to-city-terror-attack/106495970

Attention: all planets of the Solar Federation. We have assumed control.

After the next 10 minutes or so, expect communications (comms) to be disrupted off and on, as we run the light cable down the space elevator.

We will be up and down for the next few hours. Hold on.

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A statement released by the government said its agency Export Finance Australia, which offers loans to businesses, would manage the new scheme. It will enter into contracts of insurance or indemnity, give guarantees, make loans and enter arrangements needed to help secure fuel supply.

The support will be available to companies bringing in additional shipments, over and above typical rates of importation, as well as “cost-prohibitive” shipments that private buyers would otherwise not be able to purchase.

Support will also be available for shipments of fertiliser, which is crucial for farming, as well as other “vital strategic reserves as needed”. Supplies of goods made with petrochemicals in the Middle East are also cut off from the global market, including plastics and pharmaceuticals.

State premiers have been calling for a federal-led response, after Albanese last week said fuel rationing policies were “not a question for me”.

Monday’s national cabinet meeting is expected to consider potential measures to reduce demand for fuel, such as encouraging Australians to carpool or work from home.

The NRMA on Saturday welcomed the government’s move, which it said was required to deal with the extraordinary risks to fuel supply.

Spokesman Peter Khoury said that, while the government’s scheme would help companies import expensive fuel, the cost of petrol and diesel was secondary to ensuring there was sufficient supply to keep the economy moving.

“These are extraordinary circumstances that we live in, and they require extra measures from the government to ensure that Australia can keep moving,” he said.

“There’s nothing we can do about price, unfortunately, but we certainly can take steps to safeguard supply, which is what we need to do. Whatever cost comes with this policy is irrelevant.”

Fuel importers also welcomed the scheme, with Australian Institute of Petroleum chief executive Malcolm Roberts saying it would encourage importers to buy up fuel supply now, despite soaring costs.

“It’s helping companies that are facing significant commercial risks to go out and hunt for some additional supply for Australia. It’s really an insurance policy where the government and industry share some of the risks,” he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/ready-for-what-may-come-australia-to-scour-the-globe-for-extra-fuel-20260328-p5zjhj.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAUPj9qNlAY