dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

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Federal police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said it was an unprecedented operation that had netted some of Australia’s most dangerous criminals.

“We allege they are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, Australian Mafia, Asian crime syndicates and serious and organised crime groups. We allege they’ve been trafficking illicit drugs into Australia at an industrial scale,” he said.

Worldwide, 9000 law enforcement officials were involved in co-ordinated operations linked to the penetration of An0m.

Orchestrated by the FBI, An0m launched a few years ago and recently grew in popularity as an alternative to the Ciphr encrypted network, which has reportedly lost users because of fears among criminals it has also been compromised by authorities.

Encrypted communications have become a pillar of organised crime activity and hampered investigations.

“You take that away, they can’t do their business,” a senior law enforcement officer told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Anthony Russo, the FBI’s representative at the US embassy in Australia, said global co-operation was necessary to tackle modern organised crime.

“In today’s world, crime continues to transverse international borders. The threats we face are too diverse and too complex for any one organisation to tackle alone,” he said.

Australian fugitive Hakan Ayik, who has been living in Turkey and is suspected by authorities of being a major facilitator of drug imports into Australia, was viewed as one of the two most influential backers of An0m.

Commissioner Kershaw publicly advised Ayik on Tuesday to turn himself in because he had inadvertently helped set up a vast number of criminal peers and was now in danger.

“He’s essentially set up his own colleagues,” Commissioner Kershaw said.

The Herald and Age revealed Ayik’s location and new identity in Istanbul in recent days and exposed his suspected role as the founder of the “Aussie Cartel” of organised crime figures wielding major influence over drug importation into Australia.

Rumours about the takedown of one of encrypted communication platforms were spreading in underworld circles on Monday, one source said.

In recent days, An0m’s Facebook, YouTube and Reddit accounts were deleted and key material on its website became unavailable. A chat feature allowing contact with the company had disappeared by Monday evening.

The site previously boasted that An0m was “hardened” against surveillance and intrusion with “military-grade” encryption. People could send messages and share files contained entirely within the app.

It also offered the ability to “sanitise” or wipe data if a device was seized by authorities.

“Deleted data cannot be recovered through forensic examination,” the site said.

The organisation said it was based in Panama and would only respond to law enforcement inquiries in that jurisdiction.

But the network was being monitored by law enforcement the whole time even as it became more popular.

An0m and Ciphr followed Phantom Secure, a pioneering network that used specially modified phones and was used enthusiastically by organised crime. It was shut down in 2018.

European media also reported in March that another secure platform used by criminals, Sky ECC, had been compromised by law enforcement.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/mass-raids-arrests-across-australia-after-police-sting-dismantles-encrypted-app-used-by-criminals-20210607-p57yya.html

Operation Ironside: AFP, FBI take down mafia, bikie members in ‘sting of the century’

Dramatic footage has shown the arrests of hundreds of Australians in what’s been dubbed the “sting of the century”.

Natalie Wolfe and Natalie Brown - JUNE 8, 2021

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Police have revealed new details of what’s been dubbed the “sting of the century”, including dramatic footage and images of the exact moment they nabbed dozens of suspects as part of a global operation to bring down terrorist groups, mafia organisations and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Operation Ironside was formed three years ago as a collaboration between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to bring down underworld figures.

Victoria Police carried out warrants in 52 suburbs. In a statement, officers said the murders of Muhamed Yucel in Keysborough in 2017; Zabi Ezedeyer in Narre Warren in 2017 and Ikenasio Tuivasa in Ravenhall earlier this year had also been potentially linked to persons or information in the operation.

‘Significant quantities’ of drugs found in NSW

In NSW, investigators executed 33 search warrants, arrested 35 people and seized 27 firearms, more than $800,000 in cash, luxury vehicles worth $1.5 million and “significant quantities” of prohibited drugs – including MDMA, cocaine, ice and cannabis – during the state-based arm of Operation Ironside, police said in a statement.

Officers sized 27 firearms – including two Glock pistols and a 50-calibre sniper rifle – as well as luxury vehicles including a Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Bentley.

Sting ‘a heavy blow against organised crime’

Earlier today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australian Government “has struck a heavy blow against organised crime — not just in this country, but one that will echo around organised crime around the world”.

“This is a watershed moment in Australian law enforcement history … Everything we’ve been doing has been to keep Australians safe,” he told reporters.

Hundreds of alleged offenders were tricked into communicating via AN0M, an encrypted app designed by police.

The app also helped police stop a mass shooting of a family of five, orchestrated by organised crime.

“That particular case will come out later on where they planned on using a machine gun and potentially at a cafe where people would have been no doubt harmed,” AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.

“We were able to, with the co-operation of that particular state police force, take out that individual before they were able to do that.”

Mr Kershaw said the person planning the mass shooting had been arrested some time ago, however other people allegedly involved were still being investigated.

More than 220 members of Australia’s underworld were arrested as part of the nation’s largest ever crime sting after they were allegedly caught using the app to plan executions, drug imports and launder money.

Hundreds more were nabbed by police in Europe and the US as authorities conducted sweeping raids across the globe.

The AFP said it had busted 21 murder plots, stopped more than 3000kg of drugs from hitting the streets and seized $35 million in cash.

Mr Kershaw said the organisation had inflicted “maximum damage to serious organised crime”.

“With devastating consequences to those who seek to do harm to Australians and Australia’s interests, and today, Australia is a safer country because of this unprecedented AFP-led operation,” Mr Kershaw added.

More than 4000 law enforcement officers were involved in executing 525 search warrants across Australia.

“Ironside has arrested and charged who we allege are some of the most dangerous criminals to Australia,” Mr Kershaw said.

“We allege they are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, Australian Mafia, Asian crime syndicates and serious and organised crime groups.

“We allege they’ve been trafficking illicit drugs into Australia at an industrial scale.

“Sadly, criminal gangs are targeting Australia because it is one of the most profitable countries in the world to sell drugs, and for three years, this operation has been covert.

“Australian law enforcement has been arresting and charging alleged offenders and we have prevented tonnes of drugs from coming onshore.”

(continued)

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Mr Kershaw said the sting had resulted in the arrest of dozens of alleged “kingmakers”.

“We have prevented mass shootings in suburbs and frustrated serious and organised crime by seizing their ill-gotten wealth.

“As of today, we have charged 224 alleged offenders, including 525 charges laid.

“Shut down six clandestine laboratories and acted on 21 threats to kill, including saving a family of five … seized 104 firearms and weapons and almost $45 million in cash.

“These figures are likely to increase over the coming days.

“Collectively, these alleged offenders are facing jail terms that could run into hundreds of years and some of the charges they are facing carry life imprisonment.”

Mr Kershaw said while the FBI had the lead on the investigation, the AFP provided the “technical capability to be able to decrypt the messages”.

Despite the investigation running for years, and arrests being made intermittently, Mr Kershaw said the alleged criminals had no idea they were being targeted.

“Let me be clear. When you get access and it will come out in court, you’ll see that all they talk about is drugs, violence, hits on each other, innocent people who are going to be murdered,” he said.

“(The texts) would be like, ‘I need 1000 kilos at this price.’ Very brazen. No attempt to hide behind any kind of codified kind of conversation … including ‘we’ll have a speed boat to meet you at this place …’”

As AFP officers continue its sweeping raids across the nation today, Mr Kershaw said criminals were in a state of panic.

“They all turn on each other,” Mr Kershaw said.

“The other thing that we learnt is that they actually do a lot of business behind each other’s backs, including the presidents of various groups and organisations for personal wealth.

“So there’s going to be a whole lot of disruption there, and our state police colleagues are on alert for that because there’s no doubt going to be some tension within the whole system about who owes what drug debt and so on.

“So that was pretty brazen to see that they were actually disloyal to their own groups.”

Despite the massive sting, the Prime Minister said authorities still had a long way to go.

“This isn’t over. This is a long way from over. Others will seek to rise up where others have fallen,” Mr Morrison said.

“And as they seek to take it out on each other, as criminals inevitably do, there will be others seeking to take advantage.

“And that’s why the resource will continue to flow. The support will continue to be there.

“And the authorities that they need to do what they do every day and to ensure that Australia can keep winning this fight against organised crime — that will be provided by our government.”

Suburbs where warrants were carried out

In Victoria, police carried out warrants in : Keysborough, Aspendale Gardens, Elwood, Port Melbourne, Footscray, Point Cook, Sunshine West, Sydenham, Seabrook, Westmeadows, Keilor East, St Kilda East, Werribee, Taylors Lakes, Dandenong North, Keilor Park, Taylors Hill, Keilor Park, Southbank, Laverton North, Thornhill Park, Cairnlea, Glenroy, Greenvale, Tottenham, Mickleham, Thomastown, Narre Warren, Cranbourne West, Hampton Park, Meadow Heights, Dallas, Niddrie, Sunshine North, Craigieburn, Tarneit, Collingwood, Bulleen, Blackburn, Thornbury, Essendon, Doncaster, Airport West, Coburg North, Williams Landing, Brooklyn, Balwyn North, Gisborne, Buninyong, Templestowe Lower, Moolap and Lalor.

In NSW, warrants were carried out over two days at locations including Alexandria, Barangaroo, Breakfast Point, Brighton Le Sands, Denham Court, Enfield, Erskine Park, Glebe, Kareela, Lidcombe, Lindfield, Macquarie Park, Malabar, Marsden Park, Middleton Grange, Monterey, Mortdale, Mudgee, Randwick, Redfern, Ropes Crossing, Punchbowl, Pyrmont and Vaucluse.

https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/afp-fbi-pull-off-sting-of-the-century-and-arrest-mafia-bikie-members/news-story/1f53fe682d2ce054cd445539022a863a

Part 1: How Australian Federal Police and the FBI busted organised criminals on AN0M app

This is how the AFP and FBI toppled Mafia, bikies and ethnic gangs from Asia to Albania by executing raids across Australia.

Ellen Whinnett - June 8, 2021

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Plotting the world’s most audacious take-down of organised crime required three essential skills: The ability to think like the most devious crook, the smarts to act like the savviest Silicon Valley tech wizard and the good nature to enjoy a beer after a long day at work.

When top-secret Operation Ironside erupted like a volcano into the underworld on Monday the untouchables of crime – Mafia, bikies and a host of ethnic gangs with masters from Asia to Albania – had a police squad the size of a country town burst through their doors across Australia.

They might have been arrested by tooled-up special operations officers brandishing military-style weapons. But they’d been outsmarted by the work of unassuming Australian Federal Police agents armed with an app and a big idea.

Ironside was a genius mix of imagination, nous and patience which started with a savvy AFP digital tech specialist known as The Operative and a relentless and energetic organised crime detective dubbed The Investigator.

Their police work was so devastatingly effective it will be written into crimefighting folklore – but without their real names.

Making prisoners – and fools – of the underworld brings with it enemies who are unlikely to forgive or forget.

THE OPERATIVE AND THE INVESTIGATOR

The clock started ticking on organised crime in Australia in May 2018.

The Operative, a clean cut everyman with world-class tech skills, and The Investigator, whose energy levels are matched only by his encyclopaedic knowledge of organised crime, were working side-by-side with the FBI to kill off Phantom Secure, a Canadian encrypted messaging app which criminals used to communicate safe from the eyes of police.

For Luddites, encryption simply means messages sent from one phone to another are turned into computer code for the journey and can’t be unscrambled by police taps. Encryption is the invisibility cloak which has allowed criminals to “go dark” and easily communicate out of reach of police since about 2010.

Just as the technological disruption of Uber brought the taxi industry to its knees by ruining its business model, encryption was a hammer blow to the way crime fighters did their business: The bad guys were now so much harder to catch.

But as The Operative and The Investigator downed a few beers with FBI agents at a bar thousands of kilometres from home, an idea started to take shape.

The two Aussies and their FBI counterparts were entitled to enjoy a few coldies – destroying Phantom Secure was a significant victory and had removed a vital tool used by organised crime.

But as the enormity of what they’d achieved in undermining some of the world’s biggest criminal networks sunk in, so did the realisation they could go much further.

“There was a gap in the market,’’ The Operative says now.

Criminals had grown to implicitly trust encrypted apps and after the take-down of Phantom Secure wanted an alternative.

What if a new encrypted device could be surreptitiously placed into the hands of criminals desperate for a new way to conduct their drug-trafficking and related nefarious business, the cops wondered?

And what if it wasn’t as secure as the crooks thought?

What if the encrypted messages could be decrypted and read in real time?

What if it gave crooks the security of distorting their voices on voice messages – but those voices could be unscrambled and identified?

And, most audaciously, what if law enforcement ran the platform and copied the messages as they were sent?

The Operative and The Investigator’s work meetings talking over these possibilities with FBI agents rolled seamlessly into drinks and dinner.

“That’s where this conversation started to snowball,’’ The Investigator says.

“We said, ‘we really think we can make this work’.”

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 8, 2021, 1:10 a.m. No.13855175 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5179

>>13855171

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The FBI already had a suitable device in the final stages of development and testing, known as AN0M.

But it was the Aussies who believed they could give it the magic – the technological ability to, in real time read, hear, and copy the messages as they were sent.

The pair returned to Australia and embarked on a plan so wildly ambitious and unorthodox it read like the makings of a movie script.

They were going to work with the FBI on a platform that looked just like any other encrypted device, but better. The FBI would set up a legitimate business to run it. Together, they would plant handsets fitted with a hidden encrypted message app, provide the website which ran it, and the servers to host it.

Their customers would be international drug traffickers, bikies, Mafia figures, Asian crime gangs and South American drug cartels. Then they would use the messages to bring them to justice.

The Operative has worked in accessing and monitoring criminal communications for law enforcement for 16 years, including five with the AFP. Being able to see behind the iron curtain of encrypted communications was the Holy Grail.

“It was a dream of all of us in law enforcement for the past decade,’’ the Operative says.

The Investigator believed the stranger-than-fiction plan could work.

“It was highly exciting but I knew that it was going to be a difficult journey,” he said.

“We had the best opportunity and no one else in the world had had it. So we were very keen to come back to Australia and sell that idea.’’

Neil Gaughan, then the AFP’s Assistant Commissioner of Organised Crime, enjoyed walking the floor of the force’s Canberra headquarters – it was often when his officers would pitch “ripping” innovations to try to win his backing.

One day the now-Deputy Commissioner Gaughan was buttonholed by The Investigator. “We have got this idea,’’ The Investigator said.

THE OBSTACLE BECOMES THE WAY

Ironside became so big and has resulted in so many arrests the AFP needed to call in reinforcements from as far afield as New Zealand to help out the more than 4,000 Aussie officers involved in its busts.

It will dominate courtrooms across Australia for years as a dizzying array of charges ranging from attempted murder to mass drug importations and money-laundering are prosecuted.

But in its early days it lived in a windowless bunker at the AFP headquarters, with The Operative, The Investigator, a superintendent named Rob Nelson who runs the force’s digital surveillance collection unit, and an inspirational quote.

The digital surveillance collection unit might sound like a mouthful – but it’s the left field, offbeat, no-holds barred ideas factory.

Supt Nelson describes his highly secretive unit as “the AFP’s answer to James Bond’s Q Branch” and says the team of 60 “happily wear the terms geek and nerd like a badge of honour”.

When The Investigator first pitched the idea Gaughan was intrigued, excited – and wary.

“I don’t mind taking calculated risks,’’ he says.

But he wanted time to think and to get some advice.

This was new territory: police would ostensibly be providing assistance to the criminals by giving them access to AN0M.

(continued)

>>13855175

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The Investigator and The Operative were keen for the green light and not afraid to push their case with the boss.

“The Investigator was bugging me from day one,’’ Gaughan says.

“He’s a pretty excitable young fella, I’ve known him since … before he joined the cops. He was very enthusiastic about the fact that there was this opportunity.

“I think for them it was pretty clear cut that we needed to take it.”

Gaughan wanted more information about the plan and told the pair to “cool your heels a bit, let’s think about it”.

“I asked them to go to do a fair bit of homework. This one was a good idea I thought, but I just needed to make sure.’’

Police were worried that clues to serious impending crimes such as murders could be picked up on AN0M, but be missed in the blizzard of communications.

“I was concerned … to ensure when the text messages started flying around that we had the ability to actually deal with ones that were threats to life, deal with the ones that were involved in drugs,’’ Gaughan says.

Artificial intelligence would need to be developed “to ensure that we actually didn’t miss opportunities” and “people didn’t die.’’

Police would later intercept and foil what they allege were least 20 threats to life, including five separate execution plots on two organised crime families, as well as a bikie planning the drive-by shooting of a rival.

While Gaughan was mulling the formal advice on the proposal, The Investigator and The Operative commandeered a large, windowless office at the bottom of the Edmund Barton Building – AFP Headquarters – in Canberra.

They called it the bunker, and along with their computers, brought in something a bit less hi-tech – a whiteboard.

To remind them of their mission, The Investigator wrote across the top a quote from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, whose ancient diaries had become a basis for modern-day stoic philosophy.

“The obstacle becomes the way,’’ it said.

The pair would treat encrypted communications not as a hurdle to their investigation of organised crime, but as an opportunity.

Police had been involved in a technical arms race with the underworld for years.

Encrypted platforms like Phantom Secure had given criminals the upper hand and left law enforcement “blind”.

“The competitive advantage we had with telecommunications intercepts, that was literally just taken away from us,’’ The Investigator says.

“That really tilted the field massively back in their favour.

“What we wanted to achieve was killing Phantom Secure and turning their ability to securely communicate in that way off overnight. An advanced objective which we didn’t achieve was – could there be a way for us to get to content?

“We used to say, ‘that’s the dream’. If you can see what they are communicating about then that wrestles that advantage back to law enforcement.’’

Just a few weeks later came the breakthrough they’d been waiting for.

https://www.couriermail.com.au//news/national/part-1-how-australian-federal-police-and-the-fbi-busted-organised-criminals-on-an0m-app/news-story/bca13688529774462c5f450ca5662d78

>>13855171

Part 2: 96 seconds that saw the Australian criminal underworld implode under Operation Ironside

This is the moment Australian Federal Police created the AN0M app — a Trojan horse that could expose criminals and their networks.

Ellen Whinnett - June 8, 2021

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96 SECONDS THAT SMASHED THE UNDERWORLD

The Operative was sitting on the couch in the loungeroom of his Canberra home, doing what he did most nights – working on AN0M.

He had two mobile phones and a laptop propped up on his knees and he was sending encrypted messages backwards and forwards between the two phones via the app.

Then, on the laptop in front of him, appeared the words of the messages he’d been sending himself.

The Operative dryly recalls that “one of the most exciting times for me was when we proved the concept that we could collect encrypted messages and decrypt them from the platform’’.

“Phone here, phone there, my laptop here. I sent a message to that phone and I could see the encrypted messages come up on the computer,’’ he said.

He videoed the moment with yet another phone, showing the messages pinging backwards and forwards between the two phones and scrolling down, unencrypted, on the laptop.

The Operative sent it off to all his colleagues.

The 96-second clip, which would later be shown to the AFP top brass, inadvertently also captured The Operative’s bare feet.

“I had to sell this to the executive – like, this is possible, we can do this,’’ The Operative says, defending his feet cameo on the basis “it was like 10pm at night’’.

His colleagues were thrilled with the development – and grateful that at least he had his pants on.

“And he sent us the video and it’s like, ‘yeah, we like your bare feet, it’s a nice touch’,’’ Nelson says.

To an untrained eye, it’s hard to square off how the decryption works – the video shows some of the messages are identical on each phone, but other words on the laptop screen.

But The Operative and The Investigator knew what they’d done, as did Nelson.

Access, decrypt, and collect.

Despite his technical wizardry, The Operative is not a formally trained computer engineer.

“My whole law enforcement agency career has been around legally accessing criminal communications. I would not call myself a tech compared to the people I work with in Digital Surveillance, but … to the operational members of the AFP, I am a tech,’’ he says.

However, he worked closely with the tech experts and specialists within in the AFP’s digital surveillance collection unit on the plan.

“The real magic of Ironside was the work that three members from the Digital Surveillance Collection area did in rebuilding a server that collected and decrypted the communications,’’ The Operative says.

The Investigator too was no tech expert, with “nil qualifications’’ in technical design but decades of experience investigating organised crime, and working out how the criminal networks operated.

“I relied heavily on The Operative and Rob Nelson and the wider Digital Surveillance Collection (unit) – they are the experts. In fact they are world leaders,’’ he said.

“There is no one on this planet with the expertise and knowledge that The Operative has. His technical expertise, especially in how these devices operated and the market they operated within, coupled with his experience working in and understanding of the organised crime environment, placed him in a unique and highly specialised position. Without him we wouldn’t have got to first base.’’

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 8, 2021, 1:15 a.m. No.13855193 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5198

>>13855187

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The plan came off because of a group of like-minded and passionate people from the FBI and AFP worked together and stuck at it, The Operative says.

“We each took a little bit of the problem away and worked on whether the idea could work. There was a technical piece: Accessing and decoding the messages. There was a legal piece, and a management piece.

“The AFP took responsibility for the technical piece, the FBI took the management piece and both agencies worked on the legal piece.”

In the early days, Nelson, The Investigator and The Operative mostly worked the operation alone, often at night and after hours, backed up by the AFP’s tech and digital experts.

They had to convince the AFP hierarchy that it would work, that they could manage the volume of messages that would come in if it was successful, and that they’d be able to pick up any immediate threats to life caught in the communications.

They also had to make sure the platform couldn’t be hacked by commercial competitors and looked authentic enough to trick criminals into embracing it.

And they had to work out how to get it into their hands.

Gaughan signed the Major Controlled Operation authorisation on September 25, 2018, which lay the groundwork for police to covertly infiltrate crime networks.

He remained anxious about the potential for a threat to life to be made on a device, but be buried under the mountain of messages, and not picked up by police until it was too late.

That was his “red line”.

“Ultimately, if someone got killed and we had a device and we later found out, I would have pulled the plug on it,’’ he recalls.

“A red line for me would have been, ‘Boss, we’ve found this text message, it relates to this hit that’s occurred in blah, we missed it’. I would have said, ‘we’re done’, because that’s just too high risk.

But for now, it was all systems go.

The AFP’s National Operations State Service Centre generated a list of possible names for the operation.

One was Operation Ironside.

The Investigator grabbed it, seeing the linkage to the Viking Bjorn Ironside.

“The Vikings were determined and ruthless in fighting whatever they went up against,’’ he says.

They had the approvals. Now they had to make it work.

HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS

To catch crooks, the Ironside team had to think like crooks – but act like a dotcom start-up.

Police couldn’t just start planting devices fitted with AN0M and expect an immediate front pocket ride with the underworld.

New and some struggling platforms were emerging after Phantom Secure offering better devices with better encryption and privacy features, including EncroChat out of Europe, and Sky ECC, out of North America.

To win customers, AN0M had to be a cutting-edge product that offered users everything they wanted in a device and more.

But to make sure nobody ended up dead, it had to be able to read its customers minds and interpret whether their messages were harmless or heinous.

The handsets were a mobile phone stripped of its normal functions. They could not send emails, make calls, find maps or do Google searches.

The app was pre-loaded and hidden behind a seemingly-innocent calculator icon.

Once the user typed a secret access code into the calculator, the app would open.

As well as end-to-end encryption of messages, it distorted voice messages as a further layer of anonymity.

(continued)

>>13855193

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One of AN0M’s special features was a remote access kill switch – a promise that all data would be remotely wiped if police got hold of one of the devices and cracked into the app.

Subscribers paid a monthly fee for the privilege of a remote wipe, with no idea their cash was going straight back into the FBI’s pockets

Handset and subscription packages each cost between $1500 and $2500.

It is not illegal to have encrypted apps on your phone.

Millions of law-abiding Aussies use mainstream apps such as WhatsApp or Signal every day.

But those Aussies usually have a mainstream telco provider and provide identification to purchase their handsets and phone plans.

AN0M buyers and those using other shady encrypted platforms through custom-stripped handsets did not provide identification, operated only under false names or handles, often used SIM cards routed through other countries, and generally tried to remain anonymous.

That is where resellers – grey marketeers hiding behind flashy aliases who were the same people who had been selling Phantom Secure handsets – came in.

Police wanted the device to appear completely authentic, so they plugged into the reseller market, which they already knew from criminal investigations.

“Criminals generally purchased the encrypted device from underground resellers … They would usually have to know someone that was already using a device to place an order,’’ The Operative says.

Once one crook in a network had a device, he would often order more for his associates so they could communicate.

Sometimes devices were paid for in cash while other preferred to pay in cryptocurrency, mainly Bitcoin.

The app would be activated, usually by the reseller, after access codes requested from the AN0M administrators, were entered.

If The Operative and his offsiders had ventured into the private sector, they could have made a fortune in Silicon Valley.

But bringing down organised crime meant far more to them than making a motza for someone else’s start-up.

“If you talk to the guys, they’re all invested in the actual mission,’’ the AFP’s Commander of Covert and Technical Operations, Doug Boudry says.

“In private industry they would be earning someone else a lot of money – here in the AFP what they’re doing is actually having a tangible effect. Not only for themselves but for their families and the community.

“The other things is they’re hunters by nature. They like going after the bad guys. There is something fun in that. There is a sense of belonging to something when you’re going after the criminals.’’

https://www.couriermail.com.au//news/national/part-2-96-seconds-that-saw-the-australian-criminal-underworld-implode-under-operation-ironside/news-story/c33c4b3658e135cc607eefa605a0eaa2

>>13855171

Part 3: Criminal ‘influencers’ who took the AFP and FBI bait by using the AN0M app

Aussie cops convinced “influencers” who could get others to use the AN0M app where their secret networks were finally exposed.

Ellen Whinnett - June 8, 2021

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INFLUENCERS AND EMOJIS

Some mainstream products have the Kardashians. Others are promoted by impossibly gorgeous models or the biggest names in world sport.

Like any decent 21st century product, AN0M needed one hell of a marketing strategy – complete with celebrity endorsement.

These influencers, though, were unlikely to be on a red carpet any time soon.

With their Silicon Valley hats on, the international team realised organic growth and spreading the devices through the underworld via word of mouth from authentic criminal sources, was crucial to success.

They identified “influencers’’ – prominent members of the underworld – who they believed would be influential in getting other crooks to switch to AN0M.

One of those influencers was on Australian shores – let’s call him Mafia Man.

Police allege he was a senior member of the feared ‘Ndrangheta. Others were selected as they had strong links to a who’s who of global mayhem – Comanchero, Hells Angels and Lone Wolf bikies, South American drug cartels and Albanian organised crime.

Another influencer was Hakan Ayik, the former Sydney bikie who had fled to Turkey a decade ago, and who police believed was directing and organising drug imports worth hundreds of millions of dollars into Australia and other countries.

In the words of Gaughan, AN0M was “being sponsored by a couple of really good crooks who are basically saying that it’s impregnable’’.

Or, as AFP Superintendent Jared Taggart said: “It’s like having the Rock sponsoring your gym.”

Police haven’t explained how they got the first devices to Ayik and Mafia Man.

It was slow at first – just five devices were placed into the market to test the waters – but police allowed their business to grow organically.

“We weren’t actively out there pushing these, we were simply meeting a demand,’’ Nelson says.

On October 31, 2018, the first messages between criminals came in.

The Operative was sitting at his desk in the bunker when he saw them.

“It was very exciting and extremely satisfying,’’ he said.

“Messages from that first day indicated significant domestic criminality. This to me, was success.

“Little did I know how little sleep for the next three years I was about to have.’’

WHAT AFP, FBI FOUND IN CRIMS’ ENCRYPTED NETWORK

By infiltrating encrypted messages, the Ironside team had pulled off the impossible.

Now they faced the hard part.

First they had to collect the messages, work out which ones were about serious crime.

Then they had to operationalise it – turn mountain of messages and leads into evidence that could be used to prosecute hundreds of people in Australia and thousands globally.

As months went by, the number of devices grew – by operation’s end there would be more than 1000 in Australia and 10,000 worldwide – and the messages being decrypted by the police piled up.

In the last two weeks of April, 2020, there were 42,000 messages decoded.

Two months later EncroChat went down after European police located its servers and managed to hack into it.

SKY ECC was taken down in March this year after also being compromised by law enforcement.

In the final two weeks of April 2021, 2.67 million messages were intercepted.

The criminality they revealed was eye-popping – drug-trafficking on an enormous scale, money-laundering, extortion, violence, assaults, fraud and corruption.

Mafia. Bikies. Asian and European organised crime gangs.

The devices were in the hands of foreign hardened crooks in up to 20 countries, from New Zealand to the Netherlands.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 8, 2021, 1:19 a.m. No.13855210 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5213

>>13855206

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Australian investigators were able to draw links between people and groups who they’d previously thought were enemies.

They got the first ever unfiltered look at which gangs and individuals were secretly working together.

They discovered underworld heavyweights who had never been on their radar.

And they finally got evidence on long-term targets they’d never quite been able to pin.

But the pressure was intense. Over nearly three years Ironside captured 25 million messages.

They intervened only when an imminent threat to life was identified: Gaughan’s “red line” was ever present – Ironside could not allow someone to die.

The AFP immediately tipped off the relevant state or territory police force about any apparent threat and local officers swung into action but never knew where the information had come from.

The digital surveillance collections unit developed artificial intelligence system to read, prioritise and alert investigators to the criminality and threats occurring in the millions of messages.

Training the police computers to identify the threats to life wasn’t straightforward.

Artificial intelligence can easily pick out the word “kill.’’

But while humans would recognise a misspelling such as “kll,’’, a machine might not.

Then there was slang, swearing, and foreign languages.

And the curious language of “criminalise” – the shorthand that crooks use between themselves.

And it wasn’t just what they said in messages, but the tone.

“We were doing things like sentiment analysis. Is this (message) positive, is this negative, is there an imminent threat there, what are the criminal themes?’’ Supt Nelson said.

“There was not only the technical challenge on how do we facilitate access, collection, decryption of this data but then how do we deal with the sheer volume of criminality that’s occurring on here?’’

One ace up the sleeves of investigators was the trust users had in the platform.

It meant they had abandoned their usual code and were speaking directly, naming names and placing orders for drugs in specific amounts and dollar values.

“They speak openly on them but I think they naturally have their own coded language,’’ Supt Nelson says.

“This is this concept of criminalise. And they’re probably not even conscious they’re doing it half the time.

“They could talk with their mates about multi-ton imports and things like that, but at the same time they use a language which is not conducive to, say, picking up Google translate or Google talk and using those big data analytics platforms that have been built around smart speakers.”

Apart from trust, police had something else working in their favour.

Their targets were “all very arrogant blokes” who were certain they were one step ahead of law enforcement.

“They think they are bulletproof and it won’t happen to them,’’ Gaughan said.

And just as Apple refined its iPhone, AN0M evolved to give the users what they wanted.

And that included smaller, and newer phones.

“AN0M succeeded because we understood our market and had a better product than our competitors,” Inspector Matt Walls, manager of day to day operations of digital collections, said.

“We knew from the start we had features that would appeal to the crooks. But the real trick was that we had the ability to really “listen” to our customers in a way our competitors couldn’t, so we were able to evolve the product to maintain our advantage,” he said.

“The users spoke about wanting smaller, newer phones and like magic AN0M pivoted to newer, smaller phones almost overnight,” he said.

(continued)

>>13855210

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By April 2021, Ironside – the humble investigation which started out with just three AFP agents officers – had become a monster in size, as thousands of investigators and specialists joined its ranks and police from every mainland state, along with New Zealand, were brought in to bring it to a close.

Ironside’s senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Des Appleby, says the AFP had been witnessing plots to import drugs, murder other criminals or harm their families over drug debts, and extensive money-laundering and drug manufacturing and shared intelligence with other agencies more than 1000 times.

“We have helped other police forces solve a number of murders and other serious crimes along the way,’’ he says.

Appleby says the impact on organised crime in Australia would be profound.

“I personally think particularly with the Comanchero motorcycle gang it will hopefully wipe them out. The Lone Wolfs the same thing. Other organised crime figures,’’ he says.

“It will shatter their confidence in encrypted devices.’’

He said those who had been using AN0M and didn’t get rounded up by police this week would know it was just a matter of time until they did.

By May, the operation had become so large that for the first time in the AFP’s history, almost the entire force was dedicated to the operation. Detectives were ready to pounce and unmask the underworld’s biggest players as the FBI prepared to shutdown AN0M on June 7.

“For a long time we were like a minnow in the whole market – but when you look at the opportunities – the minnows could catch the big fish,’’ Commander Boudry says.

The sheer size of the take-down is expected to put significant pressure on Australia’s judicial system, clogging up the courts and making a number of lawyers rich.

Officials from the Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Securities and Investments Commission and state and territory police will also be hard-pressed to keep up with the caseload.

Kirsty Schofield, the Commander of Investigations in New South Wales, said an enormous amount of work was needed to examine what was found during the searches and to compile briefs of evidence in court.

“I really think this is going to see us working for the next few years,’’ she says.

Boudry had the final word for those caught out by Operation Ironside.

“Well, we got you on this one,’’ he says.

“The (AFP) Commissioner (Reece Kershaw) talks about outsmarting criminals – and we’ve done that here.

“We … have people who are capable of extraordinary things. Technically capable and who understand the environment in which they work. These people were able to put those two things together and truly outsmart the criminals.’’

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/part-3-criminal-influencers-who-took-the-afp-and-fbi-bait-by-using-the-an0m-app/news-story/71b52a8d766dd157de4f211423a61b77

>>13848460

Daniel Andrews moves to quash fall rumours with ambulance details

Premier Daniel Andrews has released his ambulance call-out information in a bid to quell false rumours about his fall.

Shannon Deery and MITCH CLARKE - June 8, 2021

Daniel Andrews has moved to quash malicious rumours about the fall that has left him off work for months, by granting Ambulance Victoria permission to release details of the incident.

The state opposition on Monday demanded the Premier answer a list of questions about the fall after rumours flared at the weekend about the true nature of the incident.

Labor MPs reacted furiously to any suggestion of a cover-up.

The Premier’s office has consistently maintained the Premier slipped and fell at a Mornington Peninsula property while getting ready for work on March 9.

In a statement released on Tuesday Ambulance Victoria said paramedics were called to a house in Sorrento on March 9 at 6.36am.

“Ambulance Victoria received a triple-0 call for an ambulance at 6.36am on Tuesday 9 March 2021 for a patient who had fallen on steps at a house in Sorrento,” the statement read.

“Based on information provided during the call, the case did not require an immediate lights and sirens (life-threatening emergency response) and the call underwent secondary triage.

“This triage determined that the case was appropriate for ambulance response, and an ambulance was dispatched from the nearest ambulance brain in Sorrento.

“The ambulance arrived at 7.01am”.

The statement said the patient requested to be taken to a local hospital “in order for the attending crew to remain within the area once cleared from the case”.

Ambulance Victoria had previously refused to release any details of the call out.

Victoria’s opposition on Monday issued a list of questions regarding Mr Andrews’ fall.

In a statement, Shadow Treasurer Louise Staley detailed 12 questions for Mr Andrews, including the time of the incident, who was there, whether an ambulance was called and if police were contacted.

Labor MPs reacted furiously to any suggestion of a cover up, slamming the opposition for promoting conspiracy theories.

“This is the most vile and disgusting gutter politics we’re seeing in Victoria,” Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson said.

Tim Pallas labelled it a “disgrace” and called on the party to reflect on their approach to politics.

“I don’t think Dan Andrews drove the sub that took Harold Holt to China … he didn’t organise the fake moon landing,” Mr Pallas said.

“This is nonsense. We know it’s nonsense. It’s the sort of QAnon craziness that is peddled around the community to create an atmosphere of uncertainty.

“What happened to Daniel Andrews was an unfortunate, indeed a very serious spinal injury, that he’s recovering from. There’s nothing more to it.”

Andrews government Minister Shaun Leane was scathing.

“This is the worst opposition Victoria’s ever seen … this is a new low (but) they’re driven by hate,” he said.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said the Liberal Nationals are “not fit for office” and should focus on holding the government to account rather than “peddling conspiracy theories”.

But Ms Staley maintains she wasn’t playing at any “conspiracy theories”.

“The easiest way to stop any of these conspiracy theories, which I am not playing into, is for these questions to be answered,” Ms Staley said.

“They’re very simple questions … It’s just time that all this got cleared up.

“Daniel Andrews is a public figure. We all give up certain things when we become public figures and one of the things we give up is the right to absolute privacy. None of us have that anymore.”

She added that the Premier’s health was a private matter.

Opposition leader Michael O’Brien said it was “legitimate” to ask questions to establish facts.

“It’s simply a case of we don’t necessarily know the whole truth,” he said.

“I’m not suggesting for a second that anything the Premier’s office have said about the Premier’s accident or his condition is untrue. No one is suggesting that.”

Nationals MP Tim Bull said the questions should be relatively easily answered.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/daniel-andrews-moves-to-quash-fall-rumours-with-ambulance-details/news-story/00179a80f06820a112fa572fc0bc78c7

https://twitter.com/bridgerollo/status/1402057859852996633

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 8, 2021, 2:13 a.m. No.13855340 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9884

ABC Media Watch

ABC QAnon

ABC Managing Director David Anderson explains why he’s reviewing a Four Corner’s story about QAnon and the Prime Minister.

Broadcast: Mon 7 Jun 2021, 8:50pm

Transcript

And potentially adding to Coalition pressure on the ABC is another story that Four Corners has lined up, which was due to run tonight until management intervened:

JODIE SPEERS: ABC management has reportedly knocked back an upcoming Four Corners episode by journalist Louise Milligan about the relationship between the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

- Seven Early News, 4 June, 2021

The Sydney Morning Herald broke that news on Thursday and revealed it was MD David Anderson who pulled the plug, suggesting that perhaps he is in control after all.

Social media immediately lit up with cries of censorship. And on Friday morning Sunrise crossed live to ABC HQ every hour for the latest:

AMBER LAIDLER: The ABC says the story has not been pulled from air and any information to the contrary is misleading …

- Sunrise, Seven Network, 4 June, 2021

That is indeed what the ABC said, first in a public tweet and then in a longer email to ABC staff from David Anderson on Friday, in which Anderson said he had merely delayed the program until his concerns have been answered:

Any suggestion that I “pulled” or “blocked” the program is simply not true. I reviewed the material and made an editorial decision it was not yet ready for broadcast, as any responsible Editor-in-Chief would.

- Email, David Anderson, Managing Director, to ABC staff, 4 June, 2021

So, what do we know?

Well, at the start of the year, Four Corners and reporter Louise Milligan began exploring the relationship between Scott Morrison and a leading Australian supporter of QAnon, the far-right conspiracy cult that believes a cabal of Satanic paedophiles operates at the highest levels of government.

In doing so, the ABC was following up a story that first broke in The Guardian in 2019 which revealed that one of the PM’s friends was a QAnon conspiracy theorist whose wife worked on the PM’s staff.

Later, Crikey named the man as Tim Stewart and characterised him as a “long-time friend” of Scott Morrison whose wife was “best friends” with the PM’s wife Jenny.

And the smoking gun? Crikey noted the PM used the phrase “ritual sexual abuse” in a speech on child abuse, which was cheered by Tim Stewart on Twitter as a reference to the QAnon cause.

Now, as proof of influence over the PM, you may think that is not super strong. And while Milligan is no doubt aiming to firm up any evidence, some in ABC editorial management still regard it as thin.

David Anderson says he watched a rough cut of the program on Thursday after upward referral from news boss Gaven Morris and told Four Corners he had concerns:

DAVID ANDERSON: As Editor-in-Chief I independently just reviewed that story and wrote a note back suggesting that I felt there was concern about a couple of areas and was looking for other things to be strengthened within the story but otherwise to proceed on …

Senator, if I may, I’ll also see reported today that there is, you know, there seems to be some consternation that there is clash between myself and the Four Corners team. That is incorrect.

- Senate Environment & Communications Legislation Committee, 7 June, 2021

The program is now back on the shelf while work continues.

But in the meanwhile, the genie is out of the bottle.

On Friday, after failing for four weeks to respond to repeated Four Corners inquiries, and after his media chief had rung the ABC’s head of news to inquire about the QAnon program, Scott Morrison got this loaded question at a press conference:

JOURNALIST: Are you concerned the ABC’s involved in so-called vigilante journalism? Were the allegations put to you and what is your connection to the man at the centre of that story?

- ABC News Channel, 4 June, 2021

And the response? Offense that anyone would connect him to QAnon. And this barb aimed at the ABC:

SCOTT MORRISON: It’s also just very disappointing that Four Corners in their inquiries would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me but by members of my own family. I just think that’s really poor form. Thank you very much.

- ABC News Channel, 4 June, 2021

Clearly, another war with the government — and the PM in particular — is the last thing the ABC needs.

But ABC management is saying the program will go to air. What it ends up saying, however, is another matter.

Stand by for fierce debate inside the ABC and a chorus of criticism — perhaps from both sides — when it does see the light of day.

https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/4c/13377096

Court told Ben Roberts-Smith to seek huge payout after reputation ‘smashed and destroyed’

Ben Roberts-Smith will seek huge damages to compensate for his reputation being “smashed and destroyed”, a court has heard.

Candace Sutton - JUNE 8, 2021

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War hero Ben Roberts-Smith will seek a huge “uncapped” sum in damages to compensate for his reputation being “smashed and destroyed”, a court has heard.

Day two of the highly-decorated war hero’s blockbuster defamation trial was told that his earning capacity had dwindled to “none” after media claims of war crimes and an assault on a woman.

“There could not be a soldier better-known or more highly-regarded than (Ben Roberts-Smith)” prior to news reports claiming he was a war criminal and assaulted a woman the Federal Court in Sydney heard.

Bruce McClintock SC said the effect of those reports had been to “smash and destroy … that reputation”.

He told the court that invitations to speak publicly had dried up and that Mr Roberts-Smith had to withdraw from a lucrative job offer.

His annual income after leaving the SAS had been $325,000 in the 2018 financial year.

Mr McClintock said that an expert accountant would estimate his client’s public speaking engagement losses as up to $475,000.

He said the primary income for Mr Roberts-Smith since he left the army was to be “engaged in a profitable career in public speaking for which he was paid”.

He said the former soldier would be seeking “damages enough to restore (his) reputation so he can say … the attacks on him are false.

“The more serious the attack, the greater the amount of money necessary to vindicate (him).

“These are not trivial attacks, these are allegations of murder and war crimes and there really can be nothing more serious than that.

“Equally, the allegation of domestic violence is extremely serious … (and) inordinately damaging to my client.”

Mr McClintock said the reports by media outlets publishing these claims had continued to be republished.

Mr McClintock then requested the court be closed so that “sensitive documents” could be tendered.

Roberts-Smith is suing three journalists and three one-time Fairfax newspapers, two of which are now owned by Nine.

The Afghanistan war hero claims he has been defamed by false allegations in news reports he committed war crimes in Afghanistan and punched a former girlfriend in the face.

The 203cm tall SAS veteran is suing over reports he says wrongly accused him of murder during his tours of Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.

His lawyer, Bruce McClintock, SC, told the court on Monday the allegations were fuelled by “corrosive jealousy, cowardice and lies” by soldiers, some of whom were incompetent.

Mr McClintock said it had been Mr Roberts-Smith job to kill Taliban enemy insurgents in Afghanistan and he had been successful in doing so

Around 60 witnesses including Mr Roberts-Smith’s former wife Emma, soldiers he fought with and Afghan villagers are expected to give evidence over the next few months.

Costs in the landmark defamation trial held inside 18D of the Federal Court in Sydney’s Queens Square are expected to exceed $10m.

The 42-year-old denies all wrongdoing and the newspapers will seek to prove the truth of their allegations as their defence.

On the trial’s opening day on Monday, Mr McClintock described as “ludicrous” and “unbelievable” allegations printed in the media that his client had boasted about killing a teenage boy and another that he had punched a woman.

Mr McClintock said the false allegation about the boy in Afghanistan had been made after a “visibly and extremely nervous” boy aged between 14 and 16 had been intercepted by Australian soldiers on November 5, 2012.

He was intercepted in a Toyota HiLux by a patrol led by Ben Roberts-Smith.

Mr McClintock said a witness had later asked Mr Roberts “what happened to the young bloke who was shaking like a leaf”.

He said the witness’s account was that Mr Roberts-Smith then said: “I shot that c*nt in the head. I pulled out my nine millimetre and shot him in the head.

“It was the most beautiful thing.”

Mr McClintock said the false allegations made his client sound like “an ostentatious psychopath”.

(continued)

>>13855419

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The court heard that in another newspaper report, it had been claimed Ben Roberts-Smith punched a woman who was a supporter of anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty, and with whom the ex-soldier had been having an affair.

The incident with the woman occurred on May 28, 2018, after a dinner attended by the-then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra.

The woman had attended the dinner with Mr Roberts-Smith, become “very, very drunk” and Mr Roberts-Smith had feared his affair with her would be exposed.

On leaving the dinner, Mr McClintock said it was caught on CCTV that the woman took to the stairs and “lost her footing … hit her head and sustained … a very severe impact to her left temple and eye”.

He said that the woman had then told her doctor and others, including Mr Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife Emma, that she had fallen down stairs.

But Mr McClintock said media had then falsely alleged that she had been struck by his client and that allegation had been even more damaging to Mr Roberts-Smith than claims of war crimes.

He told the court that should allegations against Mr Roberts-Smith that he was a murderer and had assaulted the woman be proved false he would be due the highest aggravated damages ever in Australia.

During the trial, Afghani witnesses will testify from a link in the Afghanistan capital, Kabul, via interpreters for the Afghani language, Pashto.

Mr McClintock said that although former Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, would not be testifying, she still supported Mr Roberts-Smith.

“Ms Quentin Bryce … won’t be appearing for personal reasons,” Mr McClintock said, but he said that did not mean she was withdrawing her support of his client.

Earlier last week in the Federal Court in Sydney, Justice Wendy Abraham ordered a witness in the forthcoming trial to hand over documents about a military inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Justice Abraham ruled an SAS soldier known as “Person 35”, who will give evidence at the trial, must hand over documents linked to an inquiry by the Inspector-General of Defence into the conduct of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

“Person 35” is one of several witnesses who have asked for their evidence to the Inspector-General of Defence inquiry to not be made public.

Justice Abraham said “Person 35” has not been able to successfully argue the need for “public interest immunity”.

The newspapers have withdrawn one allegation of unlawful killing from their defence, which involved Roberts-Smith swimming across a river and allegedly shooting an Afghan man.

Nine will contend the killing took place but will no longer contend it was unlawful. Four paragraphs of its defence have been withdrawn.

That killing took place on the same day as Roberts-Smith is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Afghan farmer Ali Jan, who was kicked off a cliff and then shot.

Mr Roberts-Smith has denied those events ever took place.

Last Friday, Mr Roberts-Smith launched a court action against his ex-wife ahead of the start of the start of this week’s proceedings.

The action alleged Emma Roberts-Smith had deleted emails and attachments from his account which allegedly may have contained sensitive material of national security significance.

Len Roberts-Smith, a former judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force and his wife Sue flew in to Sydney last weekend to “support their son” at the trial after he had been under attack for several years.

“We are very proud of him for the father and son that he is,” they said in a statement prior to the commencement of the trial.

“We love and care for him like every parent love and cares for their child.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/court-told-ben-robertssmith-to-seek-huge-payout-after-reputation-smashed-and-destroyed/news-story/9615a4e6443656b6a70492ad8984d366

Japanese troops join US, Aust forces in Darwin for military exercises

GARY SHIPWAY - June 7, 2021

JAPANESE troops have arrived in Darwin ahead of the trilateral Exercise Southern Jackaroo 2021, joining US Marines already undertaking training in the region.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldiers will join their counterparts from Australia and the United States for the exercise in the Northern Territory June 15-25.

Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr said the annual activity reinforces the co-operation between Australian, Japanese and US forces across a range of military disciplines including infantry, aviation, artillery, and combat engineer training.

“The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin will bring more equipment this year, allowing for a more complex exercise to advance our ability to work together,” Lieutenant General Burr said.

“During the exercise, the three forces will conduct complex activities co-ordinating artillery, Unmanned Aircraft Systems and rotary wing assets.

“There is a lot to learn from our partners and this trilateral format allows us to better understand our respective capabilities.

“It also enables us to continue to work together and be ready to contribute to national and collective responses.”

https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/japanese-troops-join-us-aust-forces-in-darwin-for-military-exercises/news-story/d32309159a623abbe8c1d5b147eda8e3?amp=

Afghan translators for Australian diggers now targets of Taliban threats

Andrew Greene - 8 June 2021

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Afghan translators employed by Australian troops have been placed on a Taliban kill list for working alongside "infidel enemies" over the past 20 years.

The shock development has re-ignited calls for the Australian government to fast-track protection visas for about 300 interpreters who now fear for their lives.

In one instance, an Afghan father who worked with Australian Defence Force soldiers from 2010 was tracked to his home by a Taliban operative.

Earlier this month, a threatening letter signed by a Taliban "guerilla operations" commander named Spin Talib, was taped to the front door of the translator's home after his address was identified by the "Mujahedeen", or jihadist fighters.

The letter amounts to a Taliban death sentence on the translator who has already been an assassination target.

"We are honest in our words and we will get you, be it day or night, and you will be punished, and we will reach our goal," the letter reads.

"Await your death very soon."

The letter reveals that the Taliban has received reports of the translator's work "for a long time with infidel enemies of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as an interpreter and a slave".

"We have tried to kill you by hitting you with a vehicle, but unfortunately you did not die, only your leg was broken," it says.

The attempted murder is in reference to a November 2016 incident when a Taliban insurgent drove a car into the man as he was shopping.

"My leg is broken [in] three places, when I open my eyes, I was in hospital," the interpreter said in a video recorded from his hospital bed at the time.

A copy of the June letter, obtained by the ABC, said the Taliban's Department of Intelligence and Military Council ordered Commander Spin Talib to kill the translator.

"We have reports that you and other interpreters are in contact with infidel friends, to get you out of Afghanistan and get you a visa," the letter signed by Spin Talib reads.

"Therefore you will not be forgiven by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, neither will we accept any other excuse."

University of Western Australia adjunct Professor Amin Saikal, who has written extensively on Afghanistan, said the letter appears legitimate.

"I think it appears quite authentic to me, and of course the Taliban have issued these sort of letters before, it's not totally unusual," he said.

The ABC has chosen not to reveal the translator's identity, or where he was living, but retired Australian Army officer Jason Scanes who worked with him said his former colleague was now in hiding.

"He's extremely concerned about this situation, obviously he's had to move himself and his young family out of his house – they are moving around trying to find secure locations," the Afghanistan veteran and former Queensland state Labor candidate said.

"He's concerned for himself, but he's also very concerned for his young family."

(continued)

>>13855472

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'Unconscionable' to leave translators in Afghanistan

Retired admiral Chris Barrie said Australia had a "very serious" obligation to take care of vulnerable translators when military forces were withdrawn later this year.

"It would be unconscionable to leave these people to the mercy of the Taliban," he said.

"We must do something to help them."

The Prime Minister said the government was working urgently to provide protection to Afghan translators, like the man, who fear for their safety.

Scott Morrison said it was a sensitive matter but recognised the government had to move "swiftly".

"We are very aware of it and we are working urgently and steadfastly and patiently to ensure that we do this in the appropriate way as we have done on earlier occasions," he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said she spoke about the matter on a recent visit to Kabul, and the government was "keen" to support all eligible translators.

Translator awaiting fresh decision on visa application

In 2013 the translator applied for an Australian humanitarian visa, which was rejected almost five years later on character grounds by then-Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

That decision was overturned in May last year by the full bench of the Federal Court which found Mr Dutton had not sufficiently weighed up the translator's claim that his wife and child would be killed by the Taliban.

"Had the Minister concluded that the risk that the wife and child would be murdered by jihadists was outweighed by the risk that the appellant might cause harm to the Australian community because of sympathetic links to the same jihadists, the Minister could reasonably be expected to have said so," the justices concluded.

"It is apparent that there was no meaningful engagement given to the assertions made by the declarants concerning the appellant's family.

"[Minister Dutton's decision] neither acknowledges nor grapples with the extraordinary circumstance that the work the appellant had undertaken with the ADF in Afghanistan was said to have placed his family members at risk of being murdered."

Lawyers for the Afghan father resubmitted another visa application in September, seven years after his first attempt, but a decision is yet to be made.

Now-Defence Minister, Peter Dutton said through a spokeswoman "the Australian government recognises the important service of Afghan employees, including interpreters, to our contribution in Afghanistan".

"We are committed to the safety of all personnel working for the Australian government in Afghanistan."

The spokeswoman added that locally engaged Afghan employees who are at risk of harm due to their employment were eligible for resettlement.

"They can apply for humanitarian visas to Australia and are given the highest visa processing priority."

A group of lawyers and other migration experts led by veteran Glenn Kolomeitz is now offering to help the government process paperwork for the former interpreters once they are safely evacuated from Afghanistan.

"If they can get them to possibly Kabul but more likely the United Arab Emirates, we can have a team over there to start acting, representing these people, processing their paperwork," he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-08/australian-soldiers-afghan-translators-threatened-taliban/100196610

Cardinal Pell Represents the Life of the Church in Our Age

COMMENTARY: The cardinal, who turns 80 June 8, is a welcome presence in Rome these days.

Father Raymond J. de Souza - June 7, 2021

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Cardinal George Pell turns 80 on June 8. He has, to an extraordinary degree, represented in his person the life of the Church in our age.

Ordained a priest in 1966, he would live the first 20 years of his priesthood in the post-Vatican II turmoil that afflicted the Church in Australia. A priest in Ballarat, he served in the 1970s under Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, later discovered to be greatly negligent in one of Australia’s most notorious cases of clerical sexual abuse.

Pell’s brilliance was evident in those early years. After his ecclesiastical degrees in Rome, he got a doctorate in Church history from Oxford. He returned to his native Ballarat, clearly one of the more capable leaders. The question was whether the increasingly unmoored Church in Australia was looking for his kind of leadership.

A New Kind of Bishop — 1980s

Father Pell was appointed in 1987 as the auxiliary bishop of Melbourne. At the relatively young age of 45, he was an example of the Pope John Paul II turn in episcopal appointments. Melbourne was led by Archbishop Frank Little, a man not particularly suited to turning Australia’s largest diocese in a more affirmatively orthodox direction. Archbishop Little was not altogether different from the other Australian bishops at the time; the appointment of the young Bishop Pell was an attempt to change that.

Clear Teaching — 1990s

A sign that Bishop Pell was not just another auxiliary bishop was his appointment as one of the bishop members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). He served from 1990 to 2000 in that role, customarily reserved for much more senior bishops and cardinals.

Given the evident esteem in Rome from St. John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, it followed that Bishop Pell was named archbishop of Melbourne, succeeding Archbishop Little in 1996.

Archbishop Pell was engaged in the CDF during one of the most consequential teaching decades in the entire papal magisterium, when the John Paul II/Ratzinger partnership reached the apex of productivity and fruitfulness. The 1990s saw the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) and major encyclicals on social doctrine (Centesimus Annus, 1991), the missionary nature of the Church (Redemptoris Missio, 1990) and the dignity of life (Evangelium Vitae, 1995). The compatibility of faith and reason was affirmed (Fides et Ratio, 1998), and the rejection of relativism in the moral life (Veritatis Splendor, 1993) was declared.

As a bishop member of the CDF, Archbishop Pell would not have been involved in the details of such documents, but he was at the center of teaching activity in a most consequential decade.

(continued)

>>13855510

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Clear Liturgy — 2000s

In 2001, Archbishop Pell was transferred from Melbourne to Sydney, the first man to be head of both archdioceses. The transfer was to facilitate his creation as a cardinal, which took place in 2003.

Cardinal Pell would emerge as a prominent voice throughout the decade, including as host of the 2008 World Youth Day in Sydney. He was reported to have played a key role in the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict XVI.

Yet it was his 2002 appointment as head of the Vox Clara commission that was his most influential post for the universal Church. In 2001, the Vatican adopted new rules for more faithful liturgical translations and decided that there would be one English translation for the entire world. Given the decades-long liturgical translation battles, whether it would be possible to achieve that was very much in doubt.

The Vox Clara commission was an advisory body within the Congregation for Divine Worship, but it took the leading role in coordinating the mammoth project, involving hundreds of bishops in countries as different as India and Ireland, the Philippines and the Bahamas, to say nothing of the United Kingdom and the United States.

Cardinal Pell steered the project through, resulting in the adoption of the new English translation in Advent 2011, reshaping how every single Holy Mass offered in English is said.

It was the most significant step in improving the quality of the liturgy in English since the early post-conciliar reforms.

Curial Service — 2010s

In 2010, after nearly 10 years in Sydney and a frequent presence in Rome due to Vox Clara’s work, Cardinal Pell was rumored to be in line to take over the Congregation for Bishops. Cardinal Pell, by then well established as a formidable force not shy about speaking his mind, was thought to be a welcome presence in Rome by some — and opposed by others. In the end, the cardinal remained in Sydney.

For a time. After the election of Pope Francis in 2013, Cardinal Pell was named to the inner circle of advisers, the “council of cardinals” known as the C-8. Then, in the first major reforms of the Francis pontificate, Cardinal Pell was named prefect of the new Secretariat for the Economy. The new dicastery was to bring accountability, transparency, honesty and professionalism to troubled Vatican finances.

Cardinal Pell made some early advances, including important structural reforms in budgeting, auditing and authority. His fierce opponents in the Curia, led by then-Archbishop Angelo Becciu, managed to roll those reforms back.

By the summer of 2017, when Cardinal Pell returned to Australia to face the false accusations of sexual abuse made against him, the economic reforms were on the back foot. During his time in Australia, his term as prefect lapsed, and he was not reappointed.

In 2020 and 2021, Cardinal Pell’s reforms have been vindicated, the now-Cardinal Becciu was sacked, and the structural reforms put in place originally under Cardinal Pell have been reinstated. At age 80, he is now a welcome and celebrated presence in Rome — his character, his vision and his legacy all secure.

The 2020s will be spent in retirement for Cardinal Pell — but not without influence, as his health appears good and his voice is strong. The new decade was marked by the publication of two volumes of his prison journal, a new contribution from Cardinal Pell touching on spirituality, a subject on which he had not published before.

The third volume is still forthcoming — and one expects much more from Cardinal Pell besides.

Father Raymond J. de Souza is the founding editor of Convivium magazine.

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/cardinal-pell-represents-the-life-of-the-church-in-our-age

https://qanon.pub/?q=Pell

https://qanon.pub/?q=cardinal-george-pell

https://qanon.pub/?q=pecking

>>13848460

>>13855312

‘These questions need answering’: Victorian Liberal frontbencher probes Andrews’ absence

Sky News Australia

Jun 8, 2021

Victorian Shadow Treasurer Louise Staley says it is “extraordinary” Premier Daniel Andrews has retained his position in the top job given he has not been present for over 90 days.

Ambulance Victoria has released a detailed statement in response to recent questions raised about the leave of Premier Andrews.

Ms Staley had demanded Andrews provide more information about his injuries after taking over 90 days of paid sick leave.

The Victorian Premier is expected to return to work later this month.

“Everybody gets paid really well as a politician,” Ms Staley told Sky News host Peta Credlin.

“All I’m saying is that I think he (Andrews) should fall back to the normal MP salary and James Merlino should be getting the premier’s salary.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gytBRw1G3Sk

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 8, 2021, 3:48 a.m. No.13855659 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

Operation Ironside: Inside the operation that busted the Anom criminal network wide open.

Terry Goldsworthy

Jun 8, 2021

AFP officers talk about Operation Ironside which targeted global criminal organisations using the Anom device to conduct criminal enterprises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kq5VeHRvV0

FBI, Europol, AFP react to global take down of mafia, bikie members in ‘sting of the century’

The FBI and Europol have revealed more details of the massive crime bust that has gripped the world and dealt a blow to organised crime.

Matt Young - JUNE 9, 2021

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The FBI and Europol have revealed more details of the massive crime bust that dealt a significant blow to organised crime gangs in just 24 hours.

In a press conference overnight, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that along with the Australian Federal Police (AFP), authorities had had “turned the tables” on criminals and criminal organisations after fooling them to use a covert encrypted app.

Across 16 countries, more than 800 suspects have been nabbed, eight tons of cocaine caught and more than $48 million recovered, officials confirmed.

Europol, including members of the Dutch National Police (Politie) and the Swedish Police Authority (Polisen), bragged they had carried out “one of the largest and most sophisticated law enforcement operations to date in the fight against encrypted criminal activities”.

They warned that “serious criminals wrongly believe that they can operate anonymously and out of sight of the police and that they cannot be caught”.

Operation Ironside was formed three years ago as a collaboration between the AFP and the FBI to bring down underworld figures.

Internationally, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom (including Scotland), and the United States joined Australia.

Nationally, the AFP said in a statement the intelligence led to the arrest of 224 suspects on more than 526 charges.

Also seized in Australia were 3.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 weapons, $44,934,457 million in cash, and assets expected to run into the millions of dollars.

“More arrests are expected domestically and offshore under a co-ordinated global response connected to Operation Ironside,” the statement warned.

Calvin Shivers, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Division, said the sting, dubbed Operation Trojan Shield by the FBI and Europol, involved more than 9000 police officer across 16 countries.

Of those, more than 4000 members from the AFP and state and territory police were involved in the Australian operation.

“Criminals and criminal organisations often use encrypted platforms to shield their illicit activity from law enforcement,” Mr Shivers said.

“These platforms help criminals facilitate and co-ordinate drug trafficking, violent assaults, murders, public corruption, money laundering, many other crimes that are committed throughout the world.

“Through Operation Trojan Shield the FBI and our international law enforcement partners from across the globe were able to turn the tables on criminal organisations and gain access to their communications in order to disrupt their criminal activity.”

Hundreds of alleged offenders were tricked into communicating via AN0M, an encrypted app designed by police which grew to service more than 1000 encrypted devices in over 300 criminal syndicates operating in more than 100 countries, including Italian organised crime, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and international drug trafficking organisations.

Users communicated in 45 languages on the app, according to officials, conversing about contract killings, drugs, and much more.

“Over the last 18 months, the FBI provided criminal organisations in over 100 countries encrypted devices that allowed us to monitor their communications,” Mr Shivers said.

“There were a number of things that resulted from this. Not only have we heard about the number of arrests and number of seizures but there were over 100 threats to life that were mitigated.

“To give you an idea of the magnitude of our penetration, we were actually able to see photographs of hundreds of tonnes of cocaine that were concealed in shipments of food, we were able to see hundreds of kilos of cocaine that were concealed in canned goods.”

(continued)

>>13862138

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Europol reacts

“This operation is an exceptional success by the authorities in the United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and the other European members of the Operational Task Force,” Europol’s Deputy Executive Director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe said.

“Europol co-ordinated the international law enforcement community, enriched the information picture and brought criminal intelligence into ongoing operations to target organised crime and drug trafficking organisations, wherever they are and however they choose to communicate.

“I am very satisfied to see Europol supporting this operation and strengthen law enforcement partnerships by emphasising the multi-agency aspect of the case.”

FBI

“Encrypted criminal communications platforms have traditionally been a tool to evade law enforcement and facilitate transnational organised crime,” Mr Shivers said.

“The FBI and our international partners continue to push the envelope and develop innovative ways to overcome these challenges and bring criminals to justice.

“We are grateful to Europol for their commitment to fighting transnational organised crime and their partnership with the FBI.”

Swedish Police

“This operation, with an extensive strike yesterday, is one of the largest intelligence-led police operations against violent crime and drug networks ever in Sweden,” said Linda H Staaf, Police Commissioner and Head of Intelligence of the Swedish Police.

“From the Swedish police’s point of view there were no doubt to be the leading part in Europe together with the Netherlands and Europol.

“We highly appreciate this type of co-operation between law enforcement agencies. The criminality spreads across borders and international co-operation is crucial to fight serious crime.”

Netherlands Police

“Operation Trojan Shield is a fine example of innovative and daring police work that is unparalleled,” said Jannine van den Berg, Chief Constable of the Netherlands Police’s Central Unit.

“Each partner provided its own unique expertise and together we delivered a fantastic international performance.

“Thanks to the excellent technical skills of the Dutch police, the millions of messages could be analysed and interpreted.

“Just like the investigations into EncroChat and Sky, Operation Trojan Shield also shows that serious criminals wrongly believe that they can operate anonymously and out of sight of the police and that they cannot be caught.

“Nothing turns out to be less true. My compliments and thanks go to all participants of Operation Trojan Shield.”

Australian Federal Police

“The AFP and FBI have been working together on a world-first operation to bring to justice the organised crime gangs flooding our communities with drugs, guns and violence,” said Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

“Europol has been a trusted and committed partner during this time.

“Very few matters unite law enforcement like bringing to justice those who seek to do our citizens harm.

“The FBI provided an encrypted communications platform while the AFP deployed the technical capability that helped unmask some of the biggest criminals in the world.

“The intelligence shared by Europol has helped to ensure this is one of the most significant global task forces for law enforcement.

“This week the AFP will execute hundreds of warrants and is expected to arrest hundreds of offenders who were linked to the platform.

“This is the culmination of hard work, perseverance and an invaluable, trusted relationship with Europol.

“We thank Europol for their long and integral partnership with the AFP.

“Crime is local but when we work together our reach is global.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/fbi-europol-afp-react-to-global-take-down-of-mafia-bikie-members-in-sting-of-the-century/news-story/99edefcb1acbc2e6ead103db554e8758

https://twitter.com/Europol/status/1402200741125758983

https://twitter.com/Polisen_Sverige/status/1402180891372314624

https://twitter.com/AusFedPolice/status/1402149858857820162

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 9, 2021, 1:08 a.m. No.13862167 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

Beijing’s Pressure Drives Alliance Push by Australia at G-7

Jason Scott - 8 June 2021

As worsening geopolitical tensions with China spill into trade reprisals, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is heading to the U.K. to meet global leaders this week with a message: There’s strength in numbers.

“Patterns of cooperation within the liberal rules-based order that has benefited us for so long are under renewed strain,” Morrison said in a speech in Perth on Wednesday, before he heads overseas to attend the Group of Seven leaders’ summit.

In order to support a “world order that favours freedom over autocracy and authoritarianism,” he urged “active cooperation among like-minded countries and liberal democracies not seen for 30 years.”

Since Australia-China relations went into a tailspin after Morrison’s government last year called for Beijing to allow independent investigators to probe the origins of the pandemic, he’s become a vocal proponent of bolstering partnerships between what he calls “like-minded democracies.”

Australia has pushed the Quad security relationship, which includes key ally the U.S. as well as Japan and India, to act as a counter against what it sees as China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network has increasingly issued joint statements against Beijing’s alleged human rights abuses.

Indo-Pacific Focus

Morrison, who will be an invited guest of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson along with leaders of India, South Africa and South Korea, will be aiming for his message to resonate with the other attendees of the G-7, many of whom have had their own clashes with China in recent years.

The trip will include Morrison’s first face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden. Morrison is set to welcome Biden’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region and offer strong support for his recent call to bolster and accelerate efforts to identify the origins of the pandemic.

“Having led calls for an independent inquiry, it remains Australia’s firm view that understanding the cause of this pandemic has nothing to do with politics - it’s essential for preventing the next one,” Morrison said on Wednesday.

Such language has repeatedly incensed China, which says it backs the World Health Organization’s efforts to find the virus origin. Since Morrison became leader almost three years ago, Australia’s ties with its biggest trading partner have plummeted to the point where Beijing ministers refuse to answer phone calls from their counterparts in Canberra.

Crippling tariffs have been placed on barley and wine, and coal imports have been blocked in China’s ports. Australian exporters are increasingly concerned that Morrison’s government is making public statements that seem to be stoking tensions with China.

In Wednesday’s speech he omitted several statements from extracts sent earlier by his office. Those statements touched on how Australia wouldn’t be driven to unacceptable compromises, that its network vital global relationships continued to accelerate, and that it wouldn’t set “false deadlines” for phasing out fossil fuels.

‘Risk of Miscalculation’

“The Indo-Pacific region - Australia’s region - is the epicenter of renewed strategic competition,” he said. “The risks of miscalculation and conflict are very present and growing. The technological edge enjoyed historically by Australia and our allies is under challenge.”

He’s also calling for reform of the World Trade Organization by reinstalling its appellate body, saying the binding dispute system is needed because “where there are no consequences for coercive behavior, there is little incentive for restraint.”

Before attending the G-7 in Cornwall, Morrison will meet with his counterpart in Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, on Thursday for economic and security discussions. After his visit to the U.K., where he’s seeking to reach an initial agreement on a free-trade deal with Johnson’s government, his itinerary includes a visit to France for talks with President Emmanuel Macron.

Still, Morrison has one important policy stance that he knows won’t be popular with most of his counterparts in Cornwall: He’s a strong supporter of Australia’s position as one of the world’s biggest fossil-fuel exporters.

While Australia’s dry continent makes it particularly exposed to the ravages of climate change, Morrison is refusing to commit to a date to reach net-zero emissions, instead saying it’s the nation’s ambition to get there by 2050. That’s even as Biden and some of Australia’s biggest fossil-fuel export markets - China, Japan and South Korea - commit to doing more to combat climate change.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-08/australia-to-rally-democratic-partners-as-china-pressure-mounts

>>13855510

Cardinal Pell: in prison I forgave my accusers, faith kept me alive

In an interview with Vatican News, the Australian Cardinal who turns 80 today relives the experience he had during thirteen months of detention recounted in his book "Prison Journal". "It helped me to live my sufferings by associating them with those of Jesus. I have always believed that God was behind everything that was happening to me".

Fabio Colagrande - 08 June 2021

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Cardinal George Pell, Prefect Emeritus of the Secretariat for the Economy, has been a free man for fourteen months. Today, 8 June 2021, he was able to celebrate his eightieth birthday in his home country, Australia. We reached him by phone at a time in which he is in self-isolation for health reasons related to Covid. The conversation took place as the Cantagalli Publishing House releases his "Prison Journal” - Volume I in Italian. The 400-page book collects the notes that make up the Cardinal’s daily diary between 27 February and 13 July 2019, while he was in prison in Melbourne on charges of sexual abuse of minors, charges from which he was completely acquitted by a High Court ruling in April 2020. Pell had been sentenced to six years in prison in March 2019 and his lawyers' appeal to the Supreme Court of Victoria had been rejected by two out of three judges in August that year. Subsequently the appeal to the High Court of Australia overturned the conviction. The Cardinal has always declared himself innocent, calling the crime he was accused of a horrible and intolerable crime. The sentence of acquittal was greeted with satisfaction by the Holy See, which - in a statement - said it had always trusted the Australian judicial authorities. Then, on 12 October last, the meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican during which the Holy Father thanked him for his testimony.

Would you ever have imagined that your life was to include the experience of prison?

No, of course not! I would never have thought that. I fought hard not to, but unfortunately without success. It was a combination of circumstances, lies and deceit, but then my release finally came, thanks to the Supreme Court.

Why did you keep a diary of your 13 months of imprisonment?

For many reasons. I thought it might be helpful for those who are in difficulty, for those who are going through a time of suffering, like I was. Then I thought that keeping a diary would be of some interest from a historical point of view, because there weren't many cardinals who had the experience of prison. But then also because I had discovered that many prisoners had dedicated themselves to writing, starting - in the Catholic sphere - with St Paul. Writing when you are in prison is good therapy.

How much has prayer helped you to cope with the humiliation and discomfort of imprisonment?

I have to say that faith and prayer were fundamental; they helped me to completely change the perspective during those days of detention. Today I tell everyone, using an English expression, that in prison I have had confirmation that “the Christian package works.” My experience shows how much the Church's teachings help us, how much praying and seeking God's grace helps. Especially when we understand that we can live our personal suffering for the greater good, that we can associate our suffering with that of Jesus. As Christians, we know that we have been redeemed by the passion and death of the Son of God. Living this teaching on the value of suffering really changes everything when you find yourself in a situation like mine.

(continued)

>>13862203

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During the days of your imprisonment, what was your relationship with the other prisoners? You write that you “felt” their suffering…

I was in solitary confinement to ensure my personal protection. I never saw the other eleven prisoners who were with me in the same section. Only during the last four months of my imprisonment was I able to meet three other prisoners and talk to them. But most of the time I could only hear the anger, the anguish, of my fellow prisoners, without having any personal relationship.

In your diary, you say that you often listened to the prayers of Muslim detainees from your cell. What did it feel like to pray while listening to those prayers?

For me there is only one God, we are monotheists. The theological conceptions of Christians and Muslims are obviously different, but we all pray in different ways to the same God. There is no God of Muslims, Christians or other religions, there is only one God.

In your diary you write that every day in prison you forgave, blessed and prayed for your accusers… Was it difficult to forgive them?

I must admit that sometimes it was difficult. But once I made the decision to forgive, everything else followed. For me, it was not so difficult to forgive the person who accused me. I knew that he was a person who had suffered and was in great confusion and who knows what else….

While you were in prison you received thousands of letters of support, what affect did they have on you?

They helped me enormously. Many were obviously from Australia, but also from the United States and the rest of the world. Also from Italy, Germany, England, Ireland. They were a great help and encouragement to me. Sometimes families wrote to me. Often they were full of spirituality, sometimes of theology, sometimes of historical culture. They were really letters that dealt with a wide variety of topics and that helped me a lot.

Did you continue to believe in providence while in prison?

Yes, even if sometimes I did not understand what God's providence was doing. But I always believed that God was behind everything that was happening to me.

What have these thirteen months taught you as a man of the Church?

The importance of perseverance. The importance of simple things, like faith, forgiveness, the redemption of suffering. Usually, when you live in prison you are forced to confront the fundamental issues of life, the simple and fundamental things. This also happened to me, and I must say that thanks be to God I survived.

Can the sex abuse scandal be an opportunity for the renewal of the Church?

It must be. We cannot continue in the same vein. It is a kind of spiritual and moral cancer. It seems to me that here in Australia we have worked seriously to eradicate it, but it is a duty for all priests and all bishops in the world to ensure that these scandals do not happen again. Too much suffering, too much pain. The phenomenon of abuse in the Church shows once again that we have often not followed the teachings of Jesus. If we had followed the commandments of the Decalogue, none of this would have happened.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-06/cardinal-pell-interview-prison-journal-80th-birthday.html

>>13855510

CARDINAL PELL’S LEGACY

Raymond J. de Souza - 6 . 8 . 21

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In March 2019, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, emeritus archbishop of Caracas, entered my office and saw above my desk a portrait of Cardinal George Pell. (It hangs beside one of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus.) Pell had been incarcerated a few weeks previously after a wrongful conviction on sexual misconduct charges.

He stopped short, as if surprised to see the portrait hanging there after the subject had been convicted in one of the Church’s most notorious sex abuse cases. He looked at it impassively for a long time in silence. It became a bit uncomfortable in the room as I waited for him to say something.

Cardinal Urosa slowly turned, fixed his eyes upon me, pointed his finger, and said in a grave voice, “Do not remove that picture—no matter who tells you!”

I had no intention of removing it. And no one has told me to do so. I would not have removed it in that case anyway. It was a gift from my 2007 visit to Sydney in preparation for World Youth Day. It had become a portrait of a white martyr.

I took the portrait down so that Cardinal Urosa could see the inscription more clearly: “Raymond, Be not afraid! Every blessing to you and your flock. +George Cardinal Pell, Feast of St. John Fisher, 22/06/07.”

When he saw the name of St. John Fisher, Cardinal Urosa smiled with understanding and agreement. He was visiting Kingston, Ontario, as our guest at the annual St. John Fisher Dinner. The first guest to address the dinner was Cardinal Pell in 2008, who spoke with admiration and erudition about the cardinal that Henry VIII unjustly imprisoned. Now the cardinal in the portrait was giving us both inspiration from his own solitary confinement.

Cardinal Urosa recognized what I knew from over twenty years of conversation with Cardinal Pell. Far from a criminal, Pell was a courageous pastor who was falsely accused precisely because of his unwillingness to compromise on the truths of the Catholic faith. He was, in his person, a “sign of the times,” to quote the dominical phrase employed by St. John XXIII regarding Vatican II.

Cardinal Pell turns eighty today. It means the formal end of all his official duties, including that of voting in the next conclave. His five years as prefect of the Vatican’s economic oversight department expired while he was facing trial in Australia. Nearly seventy-eight at the time, he was not reappointed.

Now Pell’s voice is resounding through the publication of his Prison Journal, the first two volumes of which have been released. The third is forthcoming. It offers insight into how he prays, where he finds spiritual enrichment—he watched Joel Osteen’s television ministry in prison and found it of benefit—and what it means to offer up one’s sufferings for the good of souls.

(continued)

>>13862252

2/2

Pell’s prison meditations on St. John Fisher and, inter alia, the Prophet Elijah, show that he knows well that defense of religious truth can be a solitary path. It was not a solitary path for Cardinal Pell, as he had widespread support the world over, as any fair-minded person could see that Pell was the victim of unscrupulous prosecution and police misconduct. Pell received over four thousand letters in a 404-day prison stay.

Cardinal Pell was not alone, despite being kept in solitary confinement—for his own safety—for more than a year, denied the opportunity to offer the Holy Mass entirely. Yet his witness, the unexpected crown of a distinguished life of ecclesial service, will prepare others who will be unjustly deprived for their fidelity to what he calls “Gospel Christianity”—the faith delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

Long before Cardinal Pell faced his accusers with equanimity and grace—both natural and supernatural—he was an inspiration to many like me. He was one of the great lieutenants of the John Paul/Ratzinger years, a rough equivalent Down Under of Cardinal John O’Connor.

Pell kept a picture of O’Connor in his office and had invited the New York cardinal to Melbourne to dedicate a new altar in the cathedral—also called St. Patrick’s. (He would outdo himself in Sydney, where he had Pope Benedict XVI consecrate the new altar.)

At eighty, Pell’s legacy is vast. He reinvigorated the two leading archdioceses of Australia, Melbourne and Sydney, hosted a massively successful World Youth Day in 2008, led the commission that produced a more faithful and elegant translation of the Roman Missal in English, and spearheaded the Vatican’s financial reforms.

That impact will be magnified by those whom he personally influenced, whether through friendship at close quarters or inspiring them from a distance. Likely the most consequential Australian Catholic since Dr. Daniel Mannix, archbishop of Melbourne for forty-six years, and the intellectual and political actor B. A. Santamaria, Cardinal Pell became one of the most important churchmen anywhere in the early years of the third millennium.

His portrait is hanging proudly in my office. And it is a blessing for me to explain to my students who he is and why they should admire him, as I do.

Be not afraid, indeed. Ad multos annos, Cardinal Pell!

Raymond J. de Souza is a priest in the archdiocese of Kingston, Ontario.

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2021/06/cardinal-pells-legacy

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 9, 2021, 1:40 a.m. No.13862278 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9884

‘Q’ Hasn’t Posted In Six Months—But Some QAnon Followers Still Keep The Faith

Jack Brewster - Jun 8, 2021

TOPLINE

Six months have passed since “Q”—the anonymous user behind the QAnon conspiracy theory—last posted online, though some followers continue to believe their so-called leader will return.

KEY FACTS

• QAnon followers have anxiously awaited clues from Q—known as “Q drops”—since the self-described “government insider” first began posting on 4chan in 2017.

• Between 2017 and 2020, Q posted nearly 5,000 cryptic messages.

• Q’s last post came on December 8, about one month before the Capitol riot, which consisted of a link to a pro-Trump YouTube video (since deleted).

• Previously, the longest Q was silent was about three months in 2019—when 4chan’s successor, 8chan, went offline—leading researchers to believe that December 8 was the final Q post.

• Some Q adherents have kept the theory alive by continuing to scour old posts for new “clues,” and creating new spin-offs of the conspiracy theory.

• Others believe Q will come back online, and continue to propose new dates for the coming of the “storm,” the so-called day when former President Donald Trump is supposed to take down a global Satanic child-sex trafficking ring run by Democrats and Hollywood actors.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm Is Upon Us, a book about QAnon, told Forbes he believes Q won’t post again. “I think the December 8 drop will be the last one, since the Q movement has outgrown the need for new drops,” Rothschild said. “The core prophecy of the Q movement is now Trump being restored to office, and Q offered up a picture of Trump as being incapable of losing—which doesn't square well with the current situation.” However, Rothschild added it’s “entirely possible” that Q will come back if “the community really needed new drops to keep it moving forward.”

KEY BACKGROUND

Many QAnon believers lost faith after January 20, when President Joe Biden was inaugurated and their big day, predictably, never came. Since then, some have proposed new dates for when Trump will be reinstated, a conspiracy the former president reportedly has embraced. At a QAnon conference in Dallas last month, Mike Flynn—Trump’s former national security advisor who has expressed support for QAnon in the past—called for a Myanmar-style coup in the U.S. Flynn later walked back those comments. Many QAnon believers have expressed support for the so-called “Domino theory,” which is the idea that Arizona’s controversial election audit will prove there was fraud, handing the state to Trump, before a similar phenomenon will occur in other states, thereby vaulting the former president back into power.

SURPRISING FACT

It’s still not entirely clear who Q is. However, Ron Watkins, the administrator of 8kun, appeared to suggest he was the person behind the conspiracy theory after he mistakenly seemed to tip his hand during an HBO interview for a QAnon documentary that aired in April. Watkins later denied he was Q in a post on his Telegram channel.

TANGENT

Most Q activity has moved underground after social media companies cracked down on the conspiracy in January following the Capitol riot. A report published by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Lab last month concluded that QAnon content is “evaporating” from the mainstream Web.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/06/08/q-hasnt-posted-in-6-months-but-some-qanon-followers-still-keep-the-faith

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 9, 2021, 2:09 a.m. No.13862367 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9877

>>13748832

Catholic priest's evidence in abuse trial

Greta Stonehouse - 9 June 2021

A Catholic priest writing of his unwanted "sexual problem" left something crucial out of the passage, a jury has heard.

"In my dreams," Anthony William Peter Caruana told Sydney's District Court.

"When you talk about fondling young boys, is this referring to your dreams or real life?" the 79-year-old's barrister Bernard Brassil said on Wednesday.

"My dreams," Caruana said.

He further explained another passage in which he writes he would change "this feeling I have towards young boys," if by magic he could, was also in reference to his "dreams".

The former high school teacher has pleaded not guilty to 29 historical charges, including four counts of homosexual sex.

He is accused of sexually abusing boys in band practice, at rugby training, in dorm rooms, and other parts of Chevalier College in NSW Southern Highlands, in the 1980s.

He departed in 1989 following complaints about his conduct and filled out a questionnaire which the Crown argues shows his sexual interest in prepubescent boys.

But the former boarding master says his written responses were actually about his ongoing dreams he had for 30 years but which stopped after therapy.

To another priest's note in 1993 stating "Tony acknowledges he is a pedophile and there is little likelihood of change," Caruana said at the time his dreams made him feel like he was one.

As bandmaster, he denies sexually touching a 13-year-old boy saying words to the effect he was "pleasing a man of God," in the music storage room after practice one day.

The musicians were ushered out following afternoon practice "very quickly," as Caruana had to supervise boarding house study, and no boy ever stayed back late, he said.

He repeatedly disputed the now-50-year-old's accusations and denied statements from the other 11 alleged victims, including one boy who could not read his mother's handwriting.

Caruana read her monthly letters to the boy in his private room, upstairs and not in the public dormitory because that's where he showed them to him, he said.

As the teacher often walked through the children's dormitory, the boys would "jump on me," he said.

"(They would) tackle me on the bed, I'd try to push them off. They just wanted to play. I didn't like it."

Mr Brassil said his client did not have to prove anything, and relevant people at the time of the alleged incidents have since passed away.

The trial continues.

https://thewest.com.au/news/crime/catholic-priests-evidence-in-abuse-trial-c-3059491

Buff Point: Vile paedophile Alex Chak Lau finally pleads guilty to offences against eight children

Nearly 18 months after being charged a vile paedophile has pleaded guilty to preying on children as young as seven including breaking into one boy’s home to sexually assault him.

Richard Noone - June 9, 2021

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When Alex Chak Lau, 50, of Buff Point, was first arrested by detectives from the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad in November 2019, he was charged with 17 offences against three victims — two girls and a boy.

But when he faced Wyong Local Court via video link on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to 21 offences against eight victims including two girls and six boys.

A lengthy set of signed, agreed facts, states Lau would prey on children who visited his house for sleep overs or to play video games.

The facts state in December 2008 Lau was staying with some family friends at their home near Canberra when he went into their two daughter’s room and aggravatedly sexually assaulted one of them.

She was aged seven at the time.

“(The victim) saw the accused had his camera in his hand and she saw a flash on the camera and heard the shutter noise,” the facts state.

“After one or two flashes (the victim) moved her head away from the offender and pretended to roll over in her sleep so that she was facing the wall.”

Between March and May 2009 the girls’ parents travelled to Hong Kong for six weeks and they were left with their grandparents at Eastlakes.

Lau and his wife were living in a unit at Eastwood at the time and the girls came over for a sleep over.

After their shower Lau offered to dry one of them and in doing so indecently assaulted her.

He indecently assaulted her again twice in May after her parents returned to Australia.

“The victim laid awake for the rest of the night, scared, confused and not wanting to go to sleep in case anything else happened,” the facts state.

Years later on May 26, 2018 when the girls heard Lau’s wife was coming over they asked their mother if she could not bring Lau.

When their mother asked why, they disclosed the earlier incidents.

In about September 2010 Lau and his wife moved to Scenic Drive, Buff Point, where he met a boy who was in Year 6.

After the boy had a swim in Lau’s pool the victim took a shower where Lau indecently assaulted him.

About a week later the boy returned to Lau’s house to play video games where Lau again indecently assaulted him.

“The victim did not tell (anyone) as he was too embarrassed and felt it was his fault because he could not stop it,” the facts state.

(continued)

>>13862427

2/2

In 2011 when the boy was in Year 7 he got detention for skipping class. That afternoon Lau was at the school for an unrelated matter and offered to drive him home.

Lau took him to his house first to play video games and then offered to drive him home but stopped in the Jelly beans Preschool car park and turned the headlights off.

The victim said “What are we doing here?” but Lau didn’t reply and locked the car and pushed the child lock button before indecently assaulting him and detaining him with intent to commit a serious offence.

Eventually he took him home.

He did this on two other occasions, the facts state.

One afternoon in 2011, when the victim was in Year 7, his mother worked and he was often alone at home.

He was playing video games at home when he saw Lau in the loungeroom.

He said “What the f. k? What are you doing in my house? You didn’t knock!”

Lau replied “That’s no way to greet a friend”.

The victim told Lau to get out and pushed him but Lau overpowered him and sexually assaulted him.

Two days later Lau again broke into the boy’s house but the victim went into the kitchen and got a knife and picked up a phone and threatened to call police.

The following week the victim was home alone again after school and fell asleep playing a video game only to wake to find Lau sitting beside him on the floor with his hand down his pants.

The facts state the victim remembered multiple times sexual conduct occurred until February 24, 2012 when he and his mother moved house.

After the victim finished school he disclosed Lau’s abuse to friends in 2019.

Lau indecently and aggravatedly assaulted five other boys between 2011 and 2016 who had stayed at Lau’s house for a sleep over or gone with him on a holiday.

During a sleep over in 2012 one victim, aged about 13, woke at 2am to find Lau sexually assaulting him.

In 2016 Lau was watching movie with a boy at his house when he touched him.

The boy never visited Lau’s home again.

On July 23, 2018 the mother of Lau’s first two victims participated in a recorded phone call with Lau where she put the allegations to him.

The facts state he admitted it was only three separate occasions but could not remember exactly what he did.

On November 6, 2019, Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad detectives attended Lau’s Buff Point home where they seized a number of electronic devices.

He admitted to knowing all the victims and told police he gave lifts home to some of them and may have accidentally touched a couple of them when he was tucking them in at night.

Lau, who has been remanded in custody since his arrest, will face Gosford District Court on July 8 to set a date for his sentence.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/buff-point-vile-paedophile-alex-chak-lau-finally-pleads-guilty-to-offences-against-eight-children/news-story/87ad4a6278a58d665918fc6cc3723a77

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

https://www.lifeline.org.au

https://kidshelpline.com.au

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 9, 2021, 2:39 a.m. No.13862445 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9853

Ben Roberts-Smith's case against ex-wife complicated after judge raises 'relationship' with lawyer

Jamie McKinnell - 9 June 2021

Legal action launched by Ben Roberts-Smith against his ex-wife has been complicated after a judge raised the potentially "embarrassing" situation of media reports that he spent time socially with a lawyer.

Mr Roberts-Smith took Emma Roberts to court last week, on the eve of his high-stakes defamation trial against Nine Entertainment Co, over allegations she was accessing an email account he used for confidential legal correspondence.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times in a separate case over allegations of war crimes, bullying and domestic violence.

The veteran's legal team told the court it had questioned whether Ms Roberts passed the information, which is alleged to have included privileged material about the defamation case and the Afghanistan inquiry, on to other parties including Nine Entertainment Co.

But during a hearing in the Federal Court this morning, Justice Robert Bromwich raised a media report about Mr Roberts-Smith's connection to solicitor Monica Allen, who has been working on the defamation case.

Last August, News Corp published photographs of Mr Roberts-Smith riding scooters and holding hands with Ms Allen in Brisbane.

Ms Allen was the deponent of an affidavit filed in the case against Emma Roberts.

"I'm trying not to put the deponent of the affidavit in an awkward position," Justice Bromwich said.

"It's an embarrassing potential situation, it may be false. I have to deal with the reality that I have become aware of info that may or may not be correct."

The judge requested Mr Roberts-Smith's barrister, Arthur Moses SC, seek instructions about any "purported or alleged" relationship.

"It's potentially a personally delicate thing, but if the relationship between the deponent of the affidavit and the applicant is anything other than a purely professional relationship, I want to know what that wasn't disclosed," he said.

The judge said he was "surprised" it was left to him to raise the matter.

Mr Moses said he was conscious not to turn the separate case into "a satellite hearing to distract from the substantive [defamation] hearing".

"Female lawyers have enough to deal with in this profession without having those kinds of aspersions being put against them," he said.

Justice Bromwich said he raised the matter "with some anxiety".

"It's not something I find appealing at all, but I have to deal with the cards that are served on me."

Justice Bromwich said the problem was he had exercised power and made orders last week based on "an affidavit where there is at least a basis for a concern there has not been compliance with the duty of utmost good faith and disclosure".

Mr Moses agreed to provide further material to back up the orders.

Ms Allen did not comment as she left the court, but Seven West Media executive Bruce McWilliam denied there was any relationship and said any suggestion in the media to the contrary was a "deplorable slur".

"There's absolutely no truth attached to any of it and it's a very bad way to treat a very talented solicitor who's very good at what she does," he said.

In another hearing in the afternoon, Mr Moses produced a "gossip column" that linked Mr Roberts-Smith and Ms Allen published by the Australian Financial Review, now owned by Nine, this week.

"The applicant and the deponent are not in a relationship, full stop," Mr Moses said.

Mr Moses said the extensive media reports about today's development had "understandably caused embarrassment and concern to an officer of this court".

Mr Moses said there were "serious issues" about the respondents in the defamation matter conducting an attack on lawyers acting for Mr Roberts-Smith, saying it may constitute contempt of court by seeking to intimidate.

He said it could not be expected that every time a media party writes an article the lawyer concerned needs to attach it to an affidavit.

"That would constitute the potential harassment and belittling of a female practitioner."

Justice Bromwich also raised a separate matter regarding Mr Roberts-Smith's father, former judge Len Roberts-Smith QC, saying he had recognised him from an ABC News report on Monday night.

The judge said seven or eight years ago, he met Len Roberts-Smith as the head of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce, and while a meeting between the pair was sought it never eventuated.

Justice Bromwich said he saw no reason to justify recusing himself from the proceedings, but Mr Moses told him he will seek instruction on the matter.

The case returns to court next Tuesday.

The defamation trial has been adjourned until Thursday morning.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-09/ben-roberts-smith-sues-ex-wife-emma-roberts/100200862

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 9, 2021, 3:05 a.m. No.13862557 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9877

‘A moral responsibility to act’: NSW to create anti-slavery commissioner

Tom Rabe - June 9, 2021

The NSW government will create an anti-slavery commissioner more than three years after landmark legislation was first introduced to parliament requiring that the role be established.

However, the NSW opposition and advocacy groups fear the laws are about to be watered down, with the government signalling it will make several changes to the act this week.

Amendments to the Modern Slavery Act, which has been stalled for years due to legal and constitutional concerns within government, will likely be introduced to parliament on Thursday.

While it will still include the recommended creation of an anti-slavery commissioner with advisory and advocacy functions, the government will make some changes to the act to “harmonise” it with Commonwealth laws.

The original act, which was said to be stronger than similar Commonwealth legislation, required companies with an annual turnover of more than $50 million to report on the risk of slavery in their supply chains. The Commonwealth cap is $100 million.

International Justice Mission chief executive Steve Baird said government inaction on the laws needed to end, and the reforms were overdue.

“From Australians online exploiting children held overseas, to Australian businesses profiting from the use of slave labour overseas, modern slavery is in our backyard and we have a moral responsibility to act,” Mr Baird said.

“There is a unique chance here for NSW to follow through on the will of Parliament and take a leadership role in issues that have become even more urgent due to COVID-19.”

Mr Baird is concerned the government amendments will weaken the original act that passed in mid-2018, but was never put into effect.

“The NSW government has an undeniable moral imperative to the women and children of our region not to water down this legislation,” he said.

The IJM estimates 18 per cent of referrals regarding the online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines comes from Australia – many of whom are residents of NSW.

A parliamentary inquiry was established to review the act in 2019 and later recommended the government make several amendments and bring the laws into effect by the beginning of this year.

Despite missing that deadline, the government is expected to adhere to a number of the committee recommendations, including ensuring that all NSW agencies were not procuring goods and services produced by modern slavery.

Special Minister of State Don Harwin on Tuesday told the Legislative Council that the government would introduce an act to amend the laws.

Labor MP Adam Searle said he was concerned the government could increase the original threshold for mandatory reporting requirements on commercial organisations aimed at slavery-proofing supply chain.

“That would let a lot of businesses off the hook,” he said.

“While we welcome the government taking some action we are worried it will weaken the legislation and would take a dim view of that.”

Greens MP David Shoebridge, who was part of the parliamentary inquiry into the laws, said he was disappointed the government had taken years to implement the laws.

“This is three years too late and there are very real concerns that the Coalition has used that delay to water the bill down,” Mr Shoebridge said.

A 2019 Australian Institute of Criminology report estimated that the number of human trafficking and slavery victims in Australia between 2015/16 and 2016/17 was up to 1,900.

Former Christian Democrat MP Paul Green, who introduced the Modern Slavery Bill during his time in parliament, said in 2018 he feared the historic legislation would be amended by the government.

Mr Harwin was contacted for comment.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/a-moral-responsibility-to-act-nsw-to-create-anti-slavery-commissioner-20210608-p57z8h.html

Japan and Australia affirm importance of peace across Taiwan Strait

japantimes.co.jp - Jun 9, 2021

Japan and Australia affirmed Wednesday the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait while agreeing to deepen bilateral security cooperation amid China’s rising assertiveness in regional waters.

The move followed similar calls for peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues during Japan’s recent summit talks with the United States and the European Union. Tokyo and Canberra also confirmed at the virtual security talks that the Self-Defense Forces will protect Australian military assets in noncombat situations, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said.

At the outset of the “two-plus-two” online meeting, Kishi stressed the significance of Japan-Australia security cooperation, saying, “For peace and stability of the region, unity of like-minded countries will be required more than ever.”

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also noted the importance of cooperation over China’s growing assertiveness.

“The international order faces a great challenge from unilateral attempts to change the status quo,” he said.

China regards Taiwan, a democratic, self-ruled island, as a renegade province to be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary.

The Japanese foreign and defense ministers also shared with their Australian counterparts — Marise Payne and Peter Dutton — concerns over a recently enacted Chinese law that enables its coast guard ships to fire on foreign vessels in waters that Beijing deems its territory, Japanese officials said.

As for the SDF protection of Australian military assets, Canberra became the second country, after the United States, whose assets Tokyo is allowed to protect under Japanese security legislation that came into force in 2016.

The two countries had been coordinating the addition of Australia following an accord during their defense ministers’ talks last October as part of efforts to strengthen vigilance and surveillance activities amid China’s rise.

The SDF’s overseas activities are strictly limited under the country’s war-renouncing Constitution.

At the talks, the four ministers also discussed a bilateral pact aimed at facilitating joint exercises between their troops and cooperation to maintain supply chains of crucial materials, the officials said.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/09/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-australia-taiwan/

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 10, 2021, 12:01 a.m. No.13869046 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

>>13869043

Japan, Australia raise concerns about reported abuses in China

reuters.com - June 9, 2021

Japan and Australia voiced "serious concerns" on Wednesday over reports of human rights abuses against Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in China's far western region of Xinjiang, but Beijing dismissed the remarks as a malicious smear.

Calls have grown from some Western nations to investigate if China's actions in Xinjiang amount to genocide, as the United States and parliaments in nations such as Britain and Canada have described China's policies there.

"We share serious concerns about reported human rights abuses against Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang," Japan and Australia said in a joint statement after a meeting of the defence and foreign ministers of both countries.

"We call on China to grant urgent, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent international observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights."

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi met their Australian counterparts, Marise Payne and Peter Dutton, via video conferencing.

In Beijing, the foreign ministry said it strongly objected to the two nations playing up the "China threat" and smearing the country maliciously.

China urged all sides to stop interfering in its internal affairs, and to stop sabotaging regional peace and stability, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing.

The ministers also expressed concern about recent moves they said had weakened Hong Kong's democratic institutions, urged peace and stability in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and voiced grave concern about the crisis in Myanmar.

"We firmly condemn the violence being perpetrated against the people of Myanmar and call on the military regime to immediately cease the violence and measures to curtail freedom of expression, as well as to release all those arbitrarily detained," they added.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a Feb.1 military coup, with daily protests and fighting in borderlands between the military and ethnic minority militias.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-australia-raise-concerns-about-reported-abuses-china-2021-06-09/

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 10, 2021, 12:03 a.m. No.13869047 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

>>13869043

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on June 9, 2021

Reuters: Japan and Australia issued a joint statement to express objections to China's maritime claims and activities. They also expressed concerns about human right abuses against Xinjiang Uyghurs and the weakening of Hong Kong democratic institutions. Do you have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: Our position on relevant issues is consistent and clear. China has sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea and the adjacent waters, the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands. Issues relating to Xinjiang and Hong Kong are China's internal affairs that brook no foreign interference. Japan and Australia are hyping up the so-called "China threat" theory, maliciously slandering and attacking China and wantonly meddling in China's domestic affairs. China firmly rejects this. We are firmly determined to safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests. We urge Japan and Australia to abide by international law and basic norms of international relations including respect for other countries' sovereignty and non-interference, stop meddling in China's internal affairs and stop undermining regional peace and stability.

…..

Bloomberg: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated he will seek tighter ties with G7 countries at a summit next week. Does the ministry have any comments on the possibility of greater cooperation among what Morrison calls like-minded democracies? The second question is that, the White House's top official for Asia, Kurt Campbell, has said that China has itself to blame for a global backlash against its policies. He said "the country that has done the most to create problems for China is not the US but China". Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: On your first question, G7 and relevant developed countries are the first to reap the benefit from global development, and should thus do more to advance international anti-epidemic cooperation, promote world economic recovery and help developing countries achieved faster growth, instead of stoking differences and disputes in the international community and disrupting global recovery and solidarity against the coronavirus.

On your second question, we noted that Mr. Campbell said that China has only itself to blame for a global backlash against its policies. We believe this argument suits the realities in the US best. A recent poll surveying over 50,000 respondents in 53 countries and regions suggests that the US is seen as the biggest threat to global democracy and 44% of the respondents consider the US to be a threat to their democracy.

The results of the largest opinion poll in the Arab world shows that around 58% of the respondents held negative views of US foreign policy towards Arab countries and 81% believed that the US poses a major threat to the Arab world security. Some in the US habitually consider the US as a spokesperson for the international community. However, the fact is, the US can not speak for the international community; it can only speak for itself.

The observation that "the country that has done the most to create problems for China is not the US but China" confuses right with wrong and misleads public opinion. In the past several years, guided by the wrong perception on China, the US went all out to suppress China, interfere in China's internal affairs and severely undermined China's interests. In the face of US power politics, bullying and hegemonic practice, China is left with no choice but to make justified and necessary reactions to uphold its legitimate rights and interests. The current US administration should reflect on itself, redress its mistakes, rather than smear China or defend the former administration's wrong policies on China.

I would like to reiterate that China's foreign policy is clear and consistent. We will stay committed to an independent foreign policy of peace and a peaceful development path. Also, we will safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests with a stronger resolve. We hope the US can follow the trend of the times, view China in an objective and rational light, abandon the obsolete Cold War and zero-sum mentality, stop hyping up "China threat", and do more to promote China-US mutual trust and cooperation and improve bilateral ties, instead of the opposite.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1882549.shtml

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 10, 2021, 12:23 a.m. No.13869104 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9105 >>9861

EXCLUSIVE: Cardinal Pell calls for better fiscal accountability at the Vatican

Matt Hadro - Jun 9, 2021

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Cardinal George Pell – the former prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy – called for stronger fiscal accountability procedures at the Vatican, in a recent interview with CNA.

Referring to questionable investments and transactions by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State – including controversial investments in a London property which lost an estimated $100 million – Cardinal Pell, 80, expressed gratitude that those transactions have been made known to the public by reporters.

“Now to what extent it is gross incompetence, to what extent it is their willing connivance, to what extent criminal activity is involved – I simply don’t know, but it’s good that it’s come to light,” he said. “What is much more important is that the investment procedures are standardized, and that disastrous investments like this just don’t happen again.”

Cardinal Pell spoke with CNA on May 21, following the release of the second volume of his prison journal, “The State Court Rejects the Appeal.” In the journal – which covers the period of July 14-Nov. 30, 2019 – Pell discussed a variety of matters such as his time in prison, his reflections on the faith, and current events including financial scandals at the Vatican.

Pell, the former prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy tasked with overseeing the Vatican’s financial and administrative matters, in 2017 was charged with having sexually abused choir boys in his former cathedral in Melbourne, Australia, in 1996 and 1997.

He left Rome to stand trial in Australia. While Pell’s first trial ended with a hung jury, he was found guilty by a unanimous jury in a retrial, and sentenced to six years in prison on five counts of child sex abuse. A 2-1 decision of the Court of Appeal in Victoria upheld his conviction in August 2019.

Pell spent 404 days in solitary confinement in Melbourne Assessment Prison and HM Prison Barwon, a maximum-security prison southwest of Melbourne. His appeal was ultimately heard and his charges were unanimously overturned by the Australian High Court on April 7, 2020.

Cardinal Pell’s prison journal, written during his incarceration, is now being released in three volumes by Ignatius Press. The second volume was published on May 3.

Pell told CNA that, in publishing his journal, “I hope people will listen to my claim that the Christian package works,” including “the teachings of Christ about faith, and forgiveness, and especially about redemptive suffering.”

In his journal entries during the fall of 2019, Pell mentioned hearing of financial scandals at the Vatican. He stated his concern that the Vatican’s annual deficits could bring serious financial problems for future popes.

In October 2019, the Financial Times first reported that Vatican authorities were investigating a 2014 $200 million investment by the Secretariat of State through the fund Athena Capital. The investment financed a stake in the development of a London luxury apartment project. In 2018, the Vatican Secretariat of State made a $50 million investment in the same property.

The Vatican ultimately lost an estimated $100 million in the investment.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 10, 2021, 12:24 a.m. No.13869105 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9107

>>13869104

2/3

Italian businessman Gianluigi Torzi helped broker the original deal. He was eventually arrested in London on May 11, after an Italian judge issued a warrant in his name for money laundering and fraud offenses. The Vatican is investigating his role in brokering the London deal.

Pell mentioned the controversial property deal in his journal, calling it “only one such disaster and a major part of a much wider crisis” at the Vatican.

“I fear for the financial future,” he continued in his journal entry for Oct. 24, 2019. “Chickens come home to roost, and a poorer bankrupt Church can do nothing material to help the poor.”

In his interview with CNA, Cardinal Pell said that at the time the controversial London deal was reported by the press, “I wasn’t quite sure where it was going.”

“But I’m not a bit sad that news of it has come out, because the Vatican has just lost such an enormous amount of money. The pope said to me he thought it was $150 million. I’m not sure. And the judge in the Torzi case in England wasn’t able to quantify just what the losses were,” he said.

Pell also called on the Vatican to improve its prosecution of financial crimes.

The Vatican had previously arrested Torzi in 2020 on charges of two counts of embezzlement, two counts of fraud, extortion, and money laundering, alleging he was part of a conspiracy to defraud the Secretariat of millions of euros.

In March, a British Judge reversed the Vatican’s seizure of Torzi’s accounts, stating that the “non-disclosures and misrepresentations” provided by the Vatican “are so appalling that the ultimate sanction” was to reverse the seizure of assets. He added that there was not “reasonable cause” to believe Torzi “benefitted” from criminal acts in the case.

Cardinal Pell cited the matter to call for better prosecutors at the Vatican.

“I think the single word I remember from it was ‘appalling’,” Pell said of the judge’s words. “So, I said to one or two senior people here in the Vatican, for goodness’ sake, get good lawyers, so that you can prosecute your case competently and justly.”

In his journal, Pell warned of the Vatican’s annual financial deficits as one of two “major challenges” facing the Holy See, noting that future popes “will face huge financial challenges” if the annual deficits are not addressed.

“The Vatican has only got assets of three or four billion [euros]. But whatever it is, they can’t afford to keep losing €50 [million] or even €20 million a year forever,” he told CNA, noting that expenses from the pension fund could also balloon to hundreds of millions of euros in a decade.

“So, these things have to be faced up to, and dealt with. Because, as I often say, we don’t know how many people go to heaven and hell, but we do know when we’re losing money,” he said.

In March, the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy released a budget for the 2021 year, showing a projected deficit of nearly $60 million.

Regarding the future of Peter’s Pence – the Vatican’s annual collection for the pope’s charitable causes and the Roman Curia – Pell expressed hope in his successor’s oversight of the fund.

“I know my successor Fr. [Juan A.] Guerrero is a competent man, and an honest man. And I think the particular challenges of Peter’s Pence are clearly visible, not least the decline in donations. And, please God, this will be faced up to and dealt with,” he said.

(continued)

>>13869105

3/3

Elsewhere in his journal, the cardinal talked about the value of redemptive suffering, figures from Scripture and Church history he grew close to in prison, and his thoughts on the future of the Church.

Regarding redemptive suffering, “I’ve taken to quoting Karl Marx, who had a terrible attack of boils,” Pell said. “And he [Marx] lamented the fact that he had no god to whom he might offer his suffering. He knew what he was missing. If there’s no God, there’s no meaning to suffering whatsoever.”

“But if you follow a religion where you believe that redemption was affected, was brought about by the suffering and death of a young man, God, 2,000 years ago, and that we can join our suffering with His – that’s a radical, radical difference,” he added.

He said he grew close to several Catholic and biblical historical figures during his time in prison, including the prophet Elijah – “he saved monotheism at a time when it was in desperate trouble, and as a symbol and a patrol for our age and the Western world, his role is very, very obvious.”

Cardinal Pell also mentioned Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan as a role model for him. Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan had spent 13 years in prison, including nine years in solitary confinement, under the communist regime in North Vietnam. Pell also cited Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More as figures he grew close to, as well as American priest Fr. Walter Ciszek, who spent 23 years in Soviet prisons and labor camps.

Pell was not able to offer Mass while in solitary confinement. “It was painful. And I felt it particularly at some times more than others, at the times of the great feasts, Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas,” he told CNA.

“I also knew that God hadn’t abandoned me because I wasn’t able to celebrate Mass,” he added, noting that he was allowed to keep his breviary with him and watched Sunday morning Masses and services from jail.

His experience without the Mass was an “exact parallel” to the plight of many Catholics during the coronavirus pandemic when churches closed, he said.

In his journal, Cardinal Pell also addressed a decline in Church attendance and warned of a spread in replacing Catholic doctrine with “pagan teachings.”

“We haven’t been explicitly godly enough,” he told CNA. “We haven’t spoken about God’s love, about the importance of that, God as creator, God as judge,” he said, adding that “the vertical dimension has weakened.”

The cardinal added that Eucharistic adoration is an antidote to this problem.

“I think that’s one reason why adoration before the Blessed Sacrament is so important, and I think one reason why it is so popular amongst younger Catholics, is precisely to open them to transcendence, to take them in the direction of godliness when so much of the society around them keeps them distracted and keeps them at a horizontal level,” he said.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247940/exclusive-cardinal-pell-calls-for-better-fiscal-accountability-at-the-vatican

‘Not complicated’: Dutton says China will never share deep military ties with Australia

Anthony Galloway - June 10, 2021

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Australia will never have the military ties with China it shares with traditional allies such as the United States as a result of its position and history.

Mr Dutton also warned the military build-up in the Indo-Pacific region meant the prospect of war was less remote than in the past and Australia must be prepared for any contingency.

Diplomatic relations between Australia and China have deteriorated to their worst level in decades, with Beijing last year imposing more than $20 billion of tariffs after Canberra pushed for an independent global inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

Appearing at an Australian Strategic Policy Institute conference in Canberra on Thursday, Mr Dutton said the question of how Australia should navigate its relationship with China was not complicated.

“We have a respectful relationship with China from our own perspective. We are a peaceful nation, we seek to support our neighbours particularly in a time of need, and we have a need for that in response,” he said.

“It’s not more complicated than that in my mind. We aren’t going to have the military ties with China that we do historical partners like the United States. That is no doubt an issue for China, but that is the reality of our position and our history.

“We seek to have a productive relationship with China, but we don’t accept breaking of the law, we don’t accept interference in our electoral processes, we don’t accept interference in the processes of democracy or otherwise and we crave a peaceful region and that’s what we will continue to work with.”

He flagged the possibility of increasing the number of US marines in the Northern Territory from 2500 and basing US Navy vessels at HMAS Stirling near Perth.

“I think that is in our own security interest and I think it is in the interest of the US as well,” he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called on Wednesday for a new commitment from Australia’s allies to defend a world order that favours freedom over autocracy, warning of a strategic competition with China that parallels the uncertainties of the 1930s. Japan this week backed Australia’s campaign against China’s economic coercion, warning the superpower’s strikes had undermined the international order.

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Asked whether the world was heading towards a battle between democracies and authoritarian regimes, Mr Dutton said: “I think that’s right.” He said European countries, NATO, Japan, India and Canada all had a “sharpened focus” on the Indo-Pacific region and there had been an “awakening”.

He said Australia’s intent to stand up for the “virtues of democracy, freedom of speech and the other values that we adhere to” would never change.

In his speech, Mr Dutton said the region was more complex and less predictable than at any time since World War II due to factors including intensified strategic competition between China and the US, the emergence of new disruptive technologies and the increased prevalence of so-called grey-zone activities “designed to irritate, intimidate and injure other countries, including our own”.

“It should go without saying that the Australian government’s first priority is to maintain peace in our region – that’s always our first priority,” he said.

“All countries in the Indo-Pacific have a shared interest in ensuring continued stability and prosperity. The unfortunate fact, of course, is that not all nations are acting in a manner consistent with these goals.

“As a consequence, the prospect of military conflict is less remote than in the past – especially through miscalculation or misunderstanding.”

Labor has in recent weeks accused the government of deliberately encouraging anxiety about a conflict with Beijing to secure a domestic political advantage.

Mr Dutton also said he believed Australia’s $90 billion program to build 12 new attack-class submarines, which has been plagued by cost blowouts, delays and disagreements over local content, was “back on track” after French builder Naval Group made some personnel changes.

Naval Group recently hired one of Mr Morrison’s closest confidants, David Gazard, to lobby for the company in Canberra.

“I think the personnel changes, the appointment of quality people … shows a genuine effort to get the project back on track,” Mr Dutton said.

In his speech to the ASPI conference, Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said after six Defence Ministers in eight years, Labor had “significant concerns about the way major contracts have been managed and the effect this will have on our defence capability”.

“On our very large defence asset contracts, the attack class submarines and hunter class frigates, we have seen huge blowouts on timelines and expenditure,” he said.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/not-complicated-dutton-says-china-will-never-share-deep-military-ties-with-australia-20210610-p57zzc.html

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Mark McGowan canes PM’s ‘mad’ rhetoric on China

PAUL GARVEY - JUNE 10, 2021

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says he is concerned about the Morrison government’s rhetoric towards China, describing talk of war with the superpower as “madness”.

Mr McGowan met with Scott Morrison on Wednesday night ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the upcoming G7 meeting in Cornwall. He told reporters on Thursday morning that the pair had had a lengthy discussion about the relationship with China and had ultimately “agreed to disagree”.

In his most impassioned comments on the China situation to date, Mr McGowan said comments in recent months from senior politicians and officials about a potential conflict with China was “off the planet”.

“All this language I see coming out of the Commonwealth government about us going to war with China, I have never heard something so insane in my life,” he said.

“The idea that somehow we should be promoting the idea of armed conflict with a superpower is madness and I don’t get why there are the senior Commonwealth government officials, why there are defence force officers, why there are senior politicians in the Liberal Party talking about this. It’s absolute madness.”

He noted that Australia had endured tariffs and trade disputes with many other nations, including the United States and the European Union, without having to resort to talk of war.

The value of goods exported to China was twenty times the value of the goods imported from China, Mr McGowan said.

“The reason we have a trade surplus is because we sell products to China,” he said. “Why should we as a beneficiary of the trading relationship, one of the only countries in the whole world that is, want to attack them on trade?”

The consequences of losing our trade relationship with China would be “absolutely catastrophic” for Australia.

“The countries that have massive trade deficits with China, if they want to take up the trade issues they should. We have a massive trade surplus with China that employs hundreds of thousands of Australians, particularly here in Western Australia,” he said.

“I don’t understand why we would be the tip of the spear in taking up trade issues when we are the beneficiaries of the trade relationship.”

He said Australia owed its post-Covid economic strength to China and its demand for Australian exports, in particular iron ore.

The price of the steelmaking ingredient has soared through $US200 a tonne over the past year, delivering a multibillion-dollar bonanza in royalties and corporate taxes for Australia.

“I’m the premier of the state that actually carries the nation’s economy,” Mr McGowan said.

“I saw the Federal treasurer Mr Frydenberg saying how great it is that Australia is doing so well economically, why does he think that is? It’s because Western Australia continues to trade through Covid with countries who buy our products, particularly when iron ore is over $200 a tonne. That’s what is supporting the national economy, and yet we have politicians who want to destroy that.”

The WA premier’s comments came as Mr Morrison told Perth radio station 6PR that while the government was willing to engage with China, the superpower had raised issues that Australia was not prepared to concede on.

“You never trade away your values and who you are in your own sovereignty, integrity, ever. And nor would any other country in the world,” Mr Morrison said.

But Mr McGowan said Australia could still keep its values without having to talk about war with China.

“We are not trading our values. We will continue to be a democracy, we will continue to be a free independent country that believes in equality, fairness and democracy. We will continue to exercise our right of free passage in the South China Sea. We will continue to take on espionage or whatever it might be from wherever it comes from. That will continue,” he said.

“But we don’t have to speculate about going to war with a superpower, and we don’t have to act against our own interest when it comes to trade.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/mark-mcgowan-canes-pms-mad-rhetoric-on-china/news-story/17eafec5a6b778d8d493d1208940c115

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 10, 2021, 1:24 a.m. No.13869260 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

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Scott Morrison set to go to Washington later this year for Quad talks with US, India & Japan

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JUNE 10, 2021

Scott Morrison’s first face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden at the weekend’s G7 summit in Cornwall is looming as a precursor to the Prime Minister travelling to Washington DC late this year.

With NATO and G7 leaders set to refocus their strategic approach on China, Russia, cyber threats and the Indo-Pacific region, US officials are moving to lock in the first in-person leaders’ summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

Mr Morrison, Mr Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had pledged to meet in person at the G7 summit in Cornwall after holding an inaugural Quad leaders’ meeting virtually in March.

Mr Modi, who along with Mr Morrison was invited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to attend the G7 as a plus-member, has been forced to appear at the summit virtually following the extensive Covid-19 outbreak in India.

Mr Biden’s Indo-Pacific adviser Kurt Campbell on Tuesday flagged the first in-person leaders’ summit of the Quad could happen late this year.

“Our goal is to hold an in-person Quad meeting … here in Washington in the fall (autumn) with all leaders in attendance,” he said.

Mr Morrison, whose previous trip to the US involved a series of events with Donald Trump, including a gala function at the White House, last year invited Mr Biden to travel to Australia to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance.

Pending an early election, the next major events for Mr Morrison and Mr Biden are likely to be the Rome G20 leaders’ summit in late October and the Glasgow UN Climate Change conference in early November.

Quad, NATO and G7 nations have collectively turned their attention to ASEAN, the bloc of Southeast Asian nations driving unprecedented economic growth in the Indo-Pacific straddled between China and Western powers.

Mr Morrison spoke at the Perth USAsia Centre before he flew out to Singapore on Wednesday, and told attendees ASEAN was “the most important meeting within our region” and Mr Biden understood its significance.

“It brings together so many economies from so many different perspectives. We take that very, very seriously,” he said.

“And I greatly appreciate it, from the President, his understanding of that and the importance of ASEAN and how it’s about enabling the nations, their capability, their self-sufficiency, their sovereignty, their independence.”

On the first stop of an eight-day overseas trip, Mr Morrison will meet Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a central figure inside ASEAN, at The Istana on Thursday night.

ASEAN, of which Singapore is a founding member, is hotly prized by both China and the West, with renewed efforts from Britain, France and the US to join Australia in ramping-up ties with the Southeast Asian nations.

A key focus of the Quad following the March meeting has been countering China’s vaccine diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific, with Beijing establishing a foothold in delivering millions of jabs to developing nations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week co-chaired the special ASEAN-China foreign ministers’ meeting in celebration of 30 years of relations. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said over the past 30 years, “China and ASEAN have pressed ahead hand in hand”.

Mr Morrison has been invited to deliver a major address to the G7 summit at the weekend during a key session focused on “open societies and economies”.

The Prime Minister is expected to speak to Australia’s experience, and how democratic market economies must be ready to push back and respond to different models being promoted by authoritarian states.

Mr Morrison, who is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Mr Suga, South Korea President Moon Jae-in and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the G7 sidelines, will travel to London and Paris to hold one-on-one meetings with Mr Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron.

With Britain and France experiencing deteriorating relations with Beijing and both countries having historic roots in the Indo-Pacific, the leaders are expected to discuss how to bolster defence, security and strategic partnerships in the region, with both Mr Johnson and Mr Macron already committing military hardware.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/scott-morrison-set-to-go-to-washington-later-this-year-for-quad-talks-with-us-india-japan/news-story/10d48e7187854c3c509d43a2fa4f9f24

Ben Roberts-Smith’s claims ‘inherently implausible’ media’s barrister tells court

Michaela Whitbourn - June 10, 2021

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The barrister acting for media companies being sued for defamation by Ben Roberts-Smith has described as “inherently implausible” the former soldier’s claim that 21 current or former comrades who will give evidence against him are motivated by jealousy or have memories tainted by trauma.

Barrister Nicholas Owens, SC, who is representing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in the landmark case, alleged Mr Roberts-Smith had committed or been involved in six murders as a Special Air Service soldier in Afghanistan.

The killings were unlawful under the Geneva conventions, Mr Owens told the Federal Court in Sydney, and could not be explained as being in the “heat of battle” or “fog of war”.

But Mr Roberts-Smith, who began what is expected to be several days of evidence on Thursday, said the allegations were “devastating” and based on “rumour and innuendo”. One made him “really angry”.

At the end of the day’s proceedings, the two-metre-tall former soldier appeared to wipe tears from his eyes as he spoke about the events for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The defamation trial, which started on Monday and is expected to run for up to 10 weeks, centres on articles published in 2018 that Mr Roberts-Smith alleges portrayed him as a war criminal and a perpetrator of domestic violence.

The media outlets outlined their truth defence on Thursday, before Mr Roberts-Smith entered the witness box.

Mr Owens said none of the six alleged murders involved “the difficulty of distinguishing between a civilian and a non-uniformed insurgent, or making a split-second assessment of whether the way that a person was moving indicated hostile intent”.

Instead, all of the alleged victims were so-called PUCs – persons safely and securely under the control of Australian forces, he said.

Mr Owens said the rules of engagement under which Australian troops operated in Afghanistan were consistent with the Geneva Conventions. Once a person had been brought under the control of Australian troops, no matter whether they were “the most brutal, vile member of the Taliban imaginable”, they could not be killed. To kill in these circumstances “is murder”.

The media outlets’ case did not “shy away” from the fact that most, but not all, of the six people killed were almost certainly insurgents, Mr Owens said.

He alleged Mr Roberts-Smith had constructed a “false narrative” that five of the six killings occurred during combat. Mr Roberts-Smith said the sixth killing did not occur and the person, an Afghan teenager, was released.

Justice Anthony Besanko was “presented with a stark choice”, Mr Owens said, and ultimately must decide “who is lying”.

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Mr Owens said the suggestion by Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, that 21 current and former SAS soldiers giving evidence for the media outlets were motivated by jealousy or were misremembering incidents owing to trauma was “inherently implausible”.

He alleged Mr Roberts-Smith had “engaged in a pattern of behaviour over many years calculated to undermine the integrity of the evidence relevant to allegations made against him”, including by arranging for threatening letters to be sent to one person.

Mr Owens said four Afghan villagers would also give evidence for the media outlets, and there could be no explanation for their recollections aligning with the soldiers’ accounts “other than that they are all telling the truth”.

Mr Roberts-Smith launched defamation proceedings in 2018 over reports in The Age and the Herald, now owned by Nine. He says the articles accused him of murder during his 2009 to 2012 tours of Afghanistan and committing an act of domestic violence against a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

He is also suing three journalists and The Canberra Times, now under separate ownership.

Mr Owens said the domestic violence allegation was “powerfully supported by significant documentary evidence”, including text messages the day after he allegedly punched the woman in the face in Canberra in 2018.

After speaking to her husband, the woman texted to Mr Roberts-Smith: “He didn’t believe that I had fallen down stairs”. She said other bruises would “hopefully make the falling story more believable”.

“Well, hopefully, he believes you,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

Mr Roberts-Smith rejected Mr Owens’ opening address emphatically and described domestic violence as “deplorable”.

“I spent my life fighting for my country and I did everything I possibly could to ensure I did it with honour,” he said. “I really cannot comprehend how people, on the basis of rumour and innuendo, can maintain that in a public forum. It breaks my heart, actually.”

He dismissed as “ridiculous” an allegation that he carried an Afghan man with a prosthetic leg outside a compound in 2009, threw him to the ground and shot him 10 to 15 times. It would not be possible to carry his gun and a person who was resisting, he said.

“It makes me really angry,” Mr Roberts-Smith said. He said he fired two rounds as an insurgent moved towards him. The allegation the man was under his control and posed no imminent threat was “so far from the truth it’s not funny”.

He said another soldier took the man’s prosthetic leg and he had seen it used as a drinking vessel by other soldiers. He did not drink from it himself, he said, but he didn’t object to the “gallows humour” of others doing so.

“We were out there doing a job you cannot explain to people,” Mr Roberts-Smith said.

The hearing continues.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/ben-roberts-smith-involved-in-six-murders-in-afghanistan-court-hears-20210610-p57zs2.html

Ben Roberts-Smith: veteran launches attack on ex-colleagues

KIERAN GAIR - 10 June 2021

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Ben Roberts-Smith has launched a pre-emptive attack against former army colleagues who are expected to give evidence for Nine newspapers at his defamation trial, with the war hero describing one soldier that was more “worried” about eating “noodles” than he was about helping his comrades escape a Taliban attack.

On the fourth day of the decorated veteran’s high-stakes defamation trial against Nine newspapers, he told the court he had “spent my life fighting for my country” and was left “devastated” after a series of allegedly defamatory stories were published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in June and August 2018.

In an opening address on Thursday, the barrister acting for Nine newspapers, Nicholas Owens, SC, said the newspapers would be calling 21 current and former members of the SAS, including one soldier “who would himself confess to murder”, as they try and prove that six alleged murders did not occur in the “heat of battle”.

“The suggestion that the testimony of 21 men is a fabrication of the result of jealousy or a product of trauma is not plausible and we submit will not survive the telling of their stories,” Mr Owens said.

Appearing in the witness box on Thursday, Mr Roberts said the allegations that he committed war crimes during deployments in Afghanistan and was complicit in six unlawful murders had broken “my heart”.

“I spent my life fighting for my country and I did everything I possibly could to ensure I did it with honour,” Mr Roberts-Smith said. “I listened to that, and I really cannot comprehend how people on the basis of rumour and innuendo can maintain that (war crimes allegations) in a public forum. It breaks my heart, actually.”

The court heard a soldier who had accused Mr Roberts-Smith of bullying, and is expected to give evidence for Nine, was “removed” from the SAS by a patrol commander.

Among a litany of mistakes allegedly linked to “person 1”, was the “noodle” incident, Mr Roberts-Smith said. While the soldier was “cooking his lunch” the troops were attacked by insurgents who had fired “mortar rounds” at their vehicles.

“Person 1 was more concerned about throwing his noodles away than jumping in the vehicle,” Mr Roberts-Smith said. “When you have ordinance in the air, you don’t really want to stuff around worrying about whether your lunch is ready.”

In a separate incident involving another SAS soldier, Mr Roberts-Smith told the court the special forces member crashed their vehicle during a patrol in Afghanistan because he wanted to “shoot” a “stray dog.”

“Person 2 saw a stray dog walking down the road and he pulled his pistol out and started trying to engage the dog,” Mr Roberts-Smith said. “He then crashed the vehicle into the side wall of the road, which is effectively a cliff … there was no need to shoot that dog, it wasn’t aggressive.”

He also rejected suggestions that he showed the soldier a picture of a “dead insurgent”, saying the pair didn’t “really get on” and that the court would likely “find out” why when the soldier gives evidence.

“We didn’t really get on and we’ve made no secret about that,” he said. “He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him, and I’m sure we’ll find out his reasons.”

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Earlier on Thursday, Mr Owens told the court that some of the men who would give evidence had their “lives destroyed over acts” that Mr Roberts-Smith had forced them to carry out during deployments to Afghanistan. Other men, he said, were “simply honourable” soldiers who could “remain silent no longer”.

He said Mr Roberts-Smith had “threatened” a witness, procured “two burner phones” after he was interviewed by military officers investigating war crimes, and had “irretrievably tainted the evidence” he “seeks to rely on.”

Not a “single one” of the six murders Mr Roberts-Smith has been accused of committing was “made in the heat of battle” or under “what is called the fog of war”, Mr Owens said.

According to the “rules of engagement” and the Geneva Convention, Mr Owens said, Australian soldiers cannot murder a person “under” their control, even if the person is “the most brutal, vile member of the Taliban.”

Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing the newspapers and The Canberra Times, which is now under separate ownership, for defamation over reports published in 2018 that alleged he committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. He is also suing Nine over allegations that he punched a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

Mr Roberts-Smith denies the allegations, saying the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a murderous war criminal who “broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement”.

As part of its truth defence, the newspapers allege that Mr Roberts-Smith “disgraced his country” and the Australian Army, is a bully and a hypocrite who is “not deserving of the good reputation he enjoyed publicly”.

In opening submissions on Monday, the barrister acting for Mr Roberts-Smith, Bruce McClintock, SC, said the war hero had been targeted by bitter and jealous soldiers who implicated him in war crimes as part of a “poisonous campaign” that was “aided by credulous journalists” at Nine newspapers.

Asked by his barrister Mr McClintock about his attitude to some of his former Special Air Services colleagues on Thursday, Mr Roberts-Smith said: “The SAS, like many organisations, doesn’t have an infallible process.”

“There are people, in the end, who shouldn’t be in the unit and should move on.”

The trial continues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/ben-robertssmith-takes-witness-stand-veteran-heartbroken-after-war-crimes-allegations/news-story/d67b8e2d44c2b14fee7c181706622fad

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 10, 2021, 1:54 a.m. No.13869348 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

Push for Hezbollah terrorism listing gains boost from ASIO

Nick Bonyhady June 10, 2021

Australia’s domestic spy agency has no opposition to the country listing Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah as a terrorist entity, in a major development that could lead to the entire organisation being blacklisted.

While other defence and foreign affairs bureaucrats appearing before a Senate committee said it could affect their operations, the ASIO position will prove key to any change as it is the main agency involved in recommending whether groups should be placed on the proscribed list.

Parliament’s Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is examining whether Australia should keep its policy of branding only one component of Hezbollah – its External Security Organisation responsible for attacks abroad – as a terrorist organisation, or broaden that designation.

If Hezbollah, which is often termed a “state within a state”, were designated a terrorist entity, joining it and providing funding or other resources would become a crime in Australia.

While the government decides whether to list an organisation as a terrorist entity, the committee is looking at whether to recommend either Hezbollah’s broader military wing or the entire organisation be listed.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess declined to make public his assessment of any threat posed by Hezbollah but said ASIO’s work would not be hampered by a listing.

“A key point I can make … is that, for me, our ability to do our job is not impacted if the listing was broadened and that’s ASIO’s input into a conversation,” Mr Burgess said.

He said ASIO, which is an intelligence organisation rather than a law enforcement body like the police, could also do its job equally well without the listing but that the position was different for other organisations.

“I agree that the mere fact of a group being listed does give law enforcement another lawful means by which they can deal with problems that we’re seeing in our society,” Mr Burgess said.

Senior bureaucrats representing the Australian Federal Police, Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Defence gave guarded evidence before the committee because of its diplomatic and security sensitivity. In general terms they said their work in Lebanon would be affected if the government listed Hezbollah but said those risks could be managed.

Three major Australian Jewish organisations and an international terrorism expert appearing at the proceedings argued that Hezbollah had a centralised command structure that made security distinctions between its terrorist components and other sections foolish.

They suggested it would make it easier for police to track and prosecute cases involving Hezbollah’s alleged drug trafficking, money laundering and monitoring of opponents abroad, including, they said, in Australia.

No Lebanese organisation, either in Australia or abroad, made a submission to the inquiry. Hezbollah’s political wing has a history of getting MPs elected to Parliament, and the current Lebanese government has Hezbollah ministers in the Industry and Health portfolios.

Committee chair James Paterson and other Coalition MPs on the committee asked questions probing why Australia has not yet already listed Hezbollah in its entirety, as did shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. Other Labor MPs, including counter-terrorism expert Anne Aly, asked more sceptical questions about how the listing could affect Australia’s Lebanese community.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/push-for-hezbollah-terrorism-listing-gains-boost-from-asio-20210610-p57zs9.html

Covid-19: when governments started lying to us

Adam Creighton - JUNE 10, 2021

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When the New Zealand Prime Minister back in March scolded a 21-year-old for going to the gym after his Covid-19 test and ignoring “a full two-week period of sustained propaganda” — yes, she said that — she was right about one thing. Not since World War II have we endured so much propaganda. But it’s been a lot longer than two weeks.

Jacinda Ardern’s Freudian slip illustrates how democratic governments have been as guilty of “misinformation” or “disinformation” as any critics of lockdowns, masks and border restrictions. For 15 months they have trotted out fear-mongering slogans about “saving lives”, “staying alert” or (in Britain) “clapping for carers” on Thursday night.

Governments have avoided context and facts that would have put people at ease, amid the cacophony of hysterical reporting of a disease that remains a negligible threat to the vast bulk of people. The Victorian government’s “Staying Apart Keeps Us Together” could have been written by the government of Oceania in George Orwell’s 1984.

It’s been a 24/7 doom deluge for more than a year, and it’s all been extraordinarily successful. The British public thought 6 per cent of the country had died from Covid-19 (4 million people) according to an August 2020 poll. In the US, two-fifths of Democrat voters and a quarter of Republican voters thought the chance of hospitalisation from contracting Covid was more than 50 per cent, when it is between 1 and 5 per cent.

Only propaganda can explain how in Washington DC, weeks after requirements for masks were removed, the majority of people are still wearing them outside.

And it is worse in Australia, where few have first-hand experience of Covid, and most support rolling lockdowns and even the construction of special-purpose quarantine facilities – unthinkable in 2019.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, in August said “the mask has come to represent solidarity”. They are as much about keeping people scared as “safe”. As recently as December the WHO conceded “at present there is only limited and inconsistent scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of masking of healthy people in the community”.

Friends ask what it’s like to be in a Covid-ravaged country. Well, in two months I’m yet to see evidence of a great pandemic – no sirens, no one dropping dead in the street as the Chinese Communist Party’s fake videos from early last year would have had us expect.

An extra 800,000 deaths of despair caused by the hysteria and lockdown-induced spike in unemployment are in the pipeline over the next 15 years, though, according to 2020 research from Duke and Harvard universities, which will attract next to zero media coverage.

“The Covid-19 epidemic may prove to be the biggest campaign of fear the UK, and the world, has ever seen,” writes English journalist Laura Dodsworth in her excellent new book A State of Fear. In almost 300 pages she lays out the extent to which the British government — armed with a popular new field of economics, “nudge theory”, which argues governments must “nudge” inherently irrational citizens to avoid making “poor choices” — sought to scare citizens into compliance.

“The use of fear to create compliance is ethically dubious and, at the very least, warrants public debate,” she concludes, revealing how the “weaponisation of fear” saw many of the most vulnerable die alone, terrified, in nursing facilities kept away from their loved ones.

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A British government expert committee advised in late March that “a substantial number of people still do not feel sufficiently personally threatened; it could be that they are reassured by the low death rate in their demographic group, although levels of concern may be rising”.

A few days later Covid-19 became the “invisible killer” in a speech by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that set the tone globally. Fifteen months on, the virus is an “absolute beast” according to Victoria’s chief medical officer, doing his best to scare people into compliance with the state’s ridiculous series of lockdowns.

The German government “collaborated to bring images of people choking to death at home, and to inflict fear and guilt on children, in order to make the population follow rules for an epidemic which had been deliberately exaggerated”, Dodsworth reveals.

It didn’t have to be like this. In March last year the British government stressed Covid-19 was a “very mild illness for the vast majority of people”, based on the information available from Italy. If governments had stuck with that information, confirmed by all that ensued, we could have avoided a doom loop of fear-induced draconian policies, where politicians, whatever their private thoughts, felt compelled to stick with “emergency orders” and health diktats. It was more shove than nudge.

If the media can be excused for sensationalising Covid-19 in the interest of clicks and profit, democratic governments can’t, especially in an age of social media where alternative viewpoints have been censored.

Harvard professor of medicine Martin Kuldorff was suspended from Twitter for saying children didn’t need to be vaccinated against Covid, and was later banned for suggesting “public-health officials/scientists must always be honest with the public”.

“As fear finally melts away we will be able to confront our frailties and strengths, as citizens, scientists, journalists and politicians,” Dodsworth writes.

It’s doubtful Covid-19 justified propaganda on the scale and duration we’ve seen. If it has helped governments implement their policies in the short run, in the long run it will erode trust in public institutions.

Are they trying to nudge you, or telling you the truth? Democratic government is meant to be built on the idea that individuals make their own choices.

The coming years will highlight the yawning gaps between reality and propaganda, as researchers gradually feel more confident to criticise the manufactured narrative of plague.

It’s sobering that more of us didn’t do our own research. Abraham Lincoln allegedly once said you can’t fool all the people all the time. It seems you can certainly fool most of them for a long time.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/covid19-when-governments-started-lying-to-us/news-story/e23de04884ae82d03c314a3c352cb13b

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/03/it-s-easy-to-blame-a-21-year-old-judith-collins-david-seymour-say-government-also-at-fault-for-covid-19-outbreak.html

CONTROVERSIAL FOUR CORNERS EPISODE ON QANON TO FINALLY AIR AFTER BEING DELAYED

Media Release - 11 June 2021

The extreme political movement QAnon has mobilised a committed band of believers dedicated to fighting what they claim is a war against corrupt, child abusing elites. There are vocal devotees here in Australia.

In this dramatic episode of Four Corners, family members detail their growing awakening to the powerful hold this extremist movement now has.

What emerges is a portrait of a family in distress, divided by politics and extremist beliefs and a growing sense of alarm.

''“QAnon is …first and foremost a conspiracy theory…(about) a global satanic paedophile cult, who have infiltrated the highest levels of government, the media, Hollywood.”''

One QAnon adherent has attracted attention because of his long friendship with the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison. According to their father,

''“I would imagine that they would be among their closest friends. I think that’s a reasonable thing to say.”''

The Prime Minister’s old friend is an enthusiastic exponent of QAnon’s bizarre conspiracy theory. Now his family are speaking out on Four Corners about his descent into this extreme world view and their fears for him.

This episode of Four Corners has already sparked a political furore and an angry rebuke from the Prime Minister.

''“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation.”''

Those with experience of QAnon at the highest levels say the conspiracy theory movement needs to be watched very carefully.

The Great Awakening, reported by Louise Milligan, goes to air on Monday 14th June at 8.30pm

https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2021/06/11/controversial-four-corners-episode-on-qanon-to-finally-air-after-being-delayed/

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 12:30 a.m. No.13876948 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9884

>>13876941

ABC FOUR CORNERS

The Great Awakening: a family divided by QAnon

11 Jun 2021

“QAnon is …first and foremost a conspiracy theory…(about) a global satanic paedophile cult, who have infiltrated the highest levels of government, the media, Hollywood.”

The extreme political movement QAnon has mobilised a committed band of believers dedicated to fighting what they claim is a war against corrupt, child abusing elites. There are vocal devotees here in Australia.

“Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by… Luciferian paedophiles and that is represented by the left, the radical left.” Sister of QAnon follower

One QAnon adherent has attracted attention because of his long friendship with the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison.

The Prime Minister’s old friend is an enthusiastic exponent of QAnon’s bizarre conspiracy theory.

Now his family are speaking out on Four Corners about his descent into this extreme world view and their fears for him.

“I’m his mum…we’ve watched the change over these last years be quite dramatic.” Mother

What emerges is a portrait of a family in distress, divided by politics and extremist beliefs and a growing sense of alarm.

“I think almost all of us have broken down on the phone trying to explain…grieving the loss of someone who’s still alive and it’s a very confusing emotion.” Sister

In this dramatic episode of Four Corners, family members detail their growing awakening to the powerful hold this extremist movement now has.

“At that point we recognised, there’s a level of radicalisation that is very different to even a year prior to that.”

Those with experience of QAnon at the highest levels say the conspiracy theory movement needs to be watched very carefully.

This episode of Four Corners has already sparked a political furore and an angry rebuke from the Prime Minister.

“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison

The Great Awakening, reported by Louise Milligan, goes to air on Monday 14th June at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 15th June at 1.00pm and Wednesday 16th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.

https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/the-great-awakening:-a-family-divided-by-qanon/13384176

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 12:32 a.m. No.13876952 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9884

>>13876941

FOUR CORNERS: THE GREAT AWAKENING - Monday 14 June at 8pm

ABC TV

Jun 11, 2021

The Great Awakening, reported by Louise Milligan, goes to air on Monday 14th June at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 15th June at 1.00pm and Wednesday 16th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p09g7TYsqKM

Dan Andrews’ injury: inside the conspiracy theory around the premier’s fall

Unfounded claims about the Victorian premier’s hospitalisation were first aired by an obscure blog which pushes conspiracy theories

Michael McGowan - 11 Jun 2021

It started with an anonymous post on an encrypted messaging app favoured by far-right activists and conspiracy theorists and moved to a fringe website promoting QAnon and Port Arthur massacre misinformation.

Quite how a conspiracy theory about Victorian premier Dan Andrews’ March fall at a Mornington Peninsula holiday home made its way from social media’s backwaters to the mainstream has been the subject of intense speculation this week.

On Monday the Victorian opposition treasury spokeswoman, Louise Staley, gave new impetus to a complicated web of conspiracy theories about Andrews’ fall by releasing a list of questions about the accident.

Staley has continued to insist she had simply been urging Andrews to “clear up” rumours when she released a list of 12 questions, which included whether Andrews had been interviewed by police after the accident and who had called the ambulance.

But her statement, which also called for the premier to answer the questions “if there is no cover-up”, followed a long-running conspiracy narrative which emerged almost immediately after Andrews’ announced his accident on 9 March.

In the hours following his statement, the encrypted messaging app Telegram, home to Australia’s largest anti-lockdown, anti-vaccination and far-right groups, was alight with theories about the accident.

The timing of the fall – it came on the same day that the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, was hospitalised with cellulitis and shortly after Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds both took indefinite leave from cabinet – fed into a series of conspiracy narratives given oxygen by a string of prominent actors in Australia’s convoluted conspiracy space.

A 9 March post by prominent anti-lockdown group Reignite Democracy Australia, run by former reality television contestant Monica Smit, noted a “strange trend” and fuelled a baseless rumour the MPs had all suffered adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccination. So too did a post by the far-right actor Blair Cottrell on the same day.

The next day, the first mentions of trucking tycoon Lindsay Fox in relation to the fall were made by a user in an anti-lockdown group known as Melbourne Freedom Rally. The Guardian has previously revealed links between the group’s leader and a number of far-right organisations. The post, which claimed Andrews had been at Fox’s home when he fell, was followed by a series of users advancing QAnon-flavoured claims he had “the shit kicked out of him” and been “taught a lesson”.

Since then, conspiracy rumours have centred on trucking magnate Lindsay Fox and a former PricewaterhouseCoopers executive, Luke Sayers. Different iterations of the theories have centred on the false beliefs Andrews was with Fox at the time of the accident or that he was involved in an altercation with Sayers.

Andrews is a friend of Lindsay Fox’s son, Andrew Fox, and some of the early posts on Telegram linked to a February article in the Age which examined the links between the premier and the family. The relationship was also subject to questioning by Staley in the Victorian parliament earlier this year.

The rumours that Andrews was with Fox at the time of the accident, though, have been roundly discredited. This week the Age reported Fox was considering legal action over the rumours – which he flatly denies – while the Australian Financial Review reported that Sayers was at an entirely different location having dinner with his wife on the night in question.

Staley’s questions also prompted Victoria Ambulance to release a statement this week confirming the timeline Andrews had previously given for the accident. The state’s police commissioner, Shane Patton, also confirmed police did not attend the home where Andrews fell, or interview him.

Outside of Telegram, however, the unfounded claims that Andrews’ fall was the subject of a cover-up were first aired by an obscure Queensland blog which also pushes Port Arthur massacre conspiracies, QAnon theories and baseless claims that Covid-19 is a “psyop”.

On 11 March – the day after the first Telegram posts – the website posted an article under the headline “Who bashed Dan Andrews?”. It claimed, again without basis, that the injuries suffered by the premier were “consistent with having been kicked while prone on the ground”.

(continued)

>>13877040

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The website is home to a dizzying array of conspiracy material. A series of articles on the site claims, for example, that the deadly Port Arthur massacre was a “government-sanctioned terror event”; pushes the QAnon theory that “Hollywood celebrities” have been “rounded up” for “child pornography and ritual, satanic abuse of young children”; or claims that Covid-19 is a “psyop”.

The Guardian has been unable to contact the two men listed as editors of the site.

The website followed its first Andrews article with a series of similar posts pushing theories that photos of Andrews in hospital had been “doctored”, as well as linking both Fox and Sayers to the incident.

These articles – which are wrong – set out the basic infrastructure of the conspiracy theories which have dominated social media since: one pushing the idea Andrews was with Fox at the time of the accident, the other suggesting he had been assaulted.

Since their publication, they have been widely circulated on the same conspiratorial Telegram groups which pushed the initial rumours around Andrews’ accident, as well as on a series of Facebook pages associated with anti-lockdown protests and far-right ecosystems in Australia.

An analysis of the Facebook posts by Queensland University of Technology lecturer Timothy Graham showed that while they were not widely shared outside of online communities linked to conspiracy content, it appeared the Queensland website was “very much the originating vectors of this narrative and its sub-narratives”.

Less clear, though, is how these theories spread from social media’s backwaters, but Graham said it was likely that examining the spread of the articles on social media was showing only “the shadow” of the way the conspiracy had spread.

“It’s operating in this weird space in the information ecology where you have these fringe actors mixing with the political elite,” he said.

“And it’s really common for this false or misleading information to spread when it hits that middle ground. There’s this connective tissue between the fringe, who are talking about this stuff online, and then someone who has the power to take these ideas and bring them up in a cafe or a bar or a meeting and obviously we then can’t see how it moves at that point.”

Despite Staley’s list of questions being widely condemned as “nonsense” and “QAnon craziness”, both she and the Victorian opposition have continued to stand by the list.

Earlier this week, she denied she was peddling conspiracy theories.

“The easiest way to stop any of these conspiracy theories - which I’m not playing into - is for these questions to be answered,” she said.

In response to questions from the Guardian, a spokesman for Staley said the MP was “not alleging any wrongdoing, purely posing some simple questions that many Victorians are asking”.

He also said the questions were not in response to “something she read” on the Queensland website, but he did not answer questions about whether the questions were informed by others, including her staff, reading the site.

What is clear is that the articles published by the conspiracy site were circulating widely among Victorian media and politics. The Guardian understands that most of the questions asked by Staley had previously been put to Andrews’ staffers, and that at least one outlet pointed directly to claims made by the Queensland website.

Graham said the political “weaponisation” of conspiracy theories had been seen to be “insidiously effective”, particularly in cases such as Andrews’ where the relationship with the Fox family provided “seeds of truth” to pursue.

“If there are actual, factually verified events pulled into this narrative and are part of the premise of the conspiracy theory, that’s where the damage can be greatest.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/11/daniel-andrews-injury-inside-the-conspiracy-theory-around-the-premiers-fall

https://cairnsnews.org/2021/03/11/who-bashed-daniel-andrews/

Scott Morrison eyes September trip to US to mark ANZUS anniversary

Matthew Knott - June 11, 2021

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Washington: Planning is under way for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to travel to the United States in September to join US President Joe Biden at major commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS treaty.

Australian and US officials are hoping to co-ordinate the ANZUS events with a high-powered joint summit with the Japanese and Indian prime ministers in Washington as well as the United Nations general assembly in New York.

Lavish ceremonies marking the anniversary are being planned in New York and Washington for mid-to-late September, with organisers who are not yet cleared to speak on the record hopeful both Biden and Morrison will be in attendance.

The two leaders will meet at the G7 summit in the United Kingdom this weekend for their first face-to-face meeting since Biden’s inauguration in January.

The summit comes as a new survey by one of America’s most respected polling firms shows Australians are vastly more confident Biden will do the right thing for the world than his predecessor Donald Trump.

But Australians feel significantly less positive about America and the state of its democracy than citizens in other advanced economies.

The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty, known as ANZUS, was signed in San Francisco in September 1951 and is regarded as the bedrock of the US-Australia alliance.

Under the agreement, the allies recognise that an armed attack in the Pacific on any of the three countries would represent a threat to their own peace and safety and vow to “act to meet the common danger”.

When Biden was declared the winner of last year’s election, Morrison publicly invited him to travel to Australia to mark the treaty’s 70th anniversary.

Sources said the government has not ruled out the possibility that Biden could travel to Australia at the beginning of September for local commemorations if his schedule allowed.

Discussions are also under way for Morrison and Biden to hold a face-to-face meeting in Washington with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the September visit.

All the events are still in the planning stages and could be affected by any worsening of the coronavirus pandemic.

Morrison last visited the US in September 2019, when Trump hosted a rare state dinner in his honour at the White House.

(continued)

>>13877053

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The leaders of the so-called “Quad” nations held their first ever joint meeting earlier this year via teleconference and announced a plan to distribute 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines to developing nations in the Asia-Pacific.

The Biden administration sees the Quad - officially known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue - as a crucial component in its bid to counter China’s growing dominance in Asia.

Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia official, said during a think tank event on Wednesday that the administration was planning a “very ambitious” in-person meeting between the four leaders in Washington in the northern autumn (which begins in September).

Biden’s bid to repair America’s global standing is already paying dividends, according to the study released late Thursday (AEST) by the Pew Research Centre, based on surveys in 16 advanced economies across Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific.

Seventy-five per cent of respondents in the surveyed countries said they had confidence that Biden would do the right thing for world affairs, up from just 17 per cent who said the same for Trump during the final year of his presidency.

The study found 62 per cent of respondents now have a favourable image of the US, up from 36 per cent at the end of Trump’s term.

Seventy-five per cent of Australians said they had faith that Biden would do the right thing for the world, up from just 23 per cent who said the same of Trump.

But in Australia, Biden’s election victory has not translated into the massive outpouring of goodwill towards the US that has been evident in other countries.

Australians and New Zealanders had the least positive perceptions of the US among the 16 countries surveyed.

Forty-eight per cent of Australian respondents said they had a favourable view of the US, while 49 per cent said they had an unfavourable view.

Citizens in Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea had a significantly more positive view of the US.

Unlike the French and Germans, Australians still felt significantly less positive about the US than they did in 2016, Barack Obama’s final year as president.

Australians’ reservations may be linked to concerns about the health of the American democracy following the storming of the Capitol on January 6 and Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud.

Just 34 per cent of Australians and 30 per cent of New Zealanders said they believed America’s political system worked very or somewhat well, significantly below that in other countries.

Just one in 10 Australians believe America’s model of democracy is one other countries should follow.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/scott-morrison-eyes-september-trip-to-us-to-mark-anzus-anniversary-20210610-p57zor.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 1:21 a.m. No.13877062 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

Queen to make rare appearance at G7 summit before meeting with Scott Morrison

Bevan Shields - June 11, 2021

Carbis Bay: The Queen will make a rare public appearance at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England, before meeting privately with Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Windsor Castle early next week.

The 95-year-old monarch, who on Thursday marked what would have been the 100th birthday of her late husband Prince Philip, will travel to the seaside town of Carbis Bay on Friday to headline a diplomatic offensive with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and European Union.

US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson kick-started the summit - the first major in-person meeting of leaders since the coronavirus pandemic - on Thursday afternoon UK time - by signing an updated version of the Atlantic Charter, the pact forged by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 outlining their vision for a post-war world.

Marking an end to the turbulent tenure of former president Donald Trump, Johnson described Biden as a “breath of fresh air” and stressed they were both particularly committed to action on climate change.

Johnson said the transatlantic relationship was of “massive, massive strategic importance for the prosperity and the security of the world”.

In a swipe directed at Russia and China, Biden and Johnson also said they were committed to democracy and the rule of law.

“The US and the UK stick up for those two things together, so it’s incredibly important that we should affirm that,” he said.

In a message for Britain, US first lady Dr Jill Biden’s black jacket had “LOVE” embroidered on the upper back, a fashion move that recalled her predecessor Melania Trump’s decision to wear a jacket with “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” written on the back during a 2018 trip to a Texas border town.

Jill Biden said her garment choice and message aimed to bring “love from America” and hope in a world grappling with the pandemic.

Morrison is expected to arrive in Cornwall on Friday morning (Friday evening AEDT) before holding a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

He is also expected to meet with Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and German Chancellor Angela Merkel over Saturday and Sunday.

He will then dine with Johnson at Downing Street on Monday evening, where the pair will seek to finalise a new free trade deal between both countries.

As a guest of the G7, the Australian Prime Minister will not attend a reception to be held on Friday evening in Cornwall hosted by the Queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

However he is likely to see Australia’s head of state, the Queen, for a one-on-one at Windsor Castle early next week following the G7 summit and before his departure for Paris for meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Biden will see the Queen at Friday evening’s event in Cornwall but will also call on her at Windsor Castle on Sunday. The Queen last met the US head of state in 2019, when Trump was in the United Kingdom for a state visit.

Morrison will on Saturday join a G7 discussion on COVID-19 vaccines and hear a new pledge by Johnson and the G7 to donate 100 million vaccine doses internationally within a year.

“As a result of the success of the UK’s vaccine program we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them. In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good,” Johnson said ahead of the session.

“At the G7 summit I hope my fellow leaders will make similar pledges so that, together, we can vaccinate the world by the end of next year and build back better from coronavirus.”

Biden also used his visit to Cornwall to confirm plans to send 500 million doses manufactured by Pfizer to 100 low or middle income countries.

“That’s a historic step: the largest single purchase and donation of COVID-19 vaccines by any country, ever,” he told reporters.

The G7 summit will take place over Friday, Saturday and Sunday and cover other topics including climate change, global taxation, national security and trade.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/queen-to-make-rare-appearance-at-g7-before-meeting-with-scott-morrison-20210611-p5802u.html

Australia welcomes more US troops at naval bases

9 News Australia

Jun 10, 2021

The Defense Minister says he would welcome more rotations of US troops as the Prime Minister heads to G7 to builds alliances to balance the rise of a more aggressive China.

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

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 1:39 a.m. No.13877087 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

>>13877073

Push to boost number of US marines in the Top End

Natasha Emeck and Ben Packham - June 11, 2021

Defence Minister Peter Dutton wants to bolster US marine numbers in the Top End beyond 2500, declaring the nation’s security depends on even closer military ties with our closest ally.

Mr Dutton told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s annual conference in Canberra yesterday Australia was working to take greater responsibility for its own security, but needed to “become an even more reliable alliance partner” to the US.

He said there was scope to increase the size of the US marine rotational force in the Top End from its 2500-strong pre-Covid high.

Chief Minster Michael Gunner has indicated he’s open to working with the Commonwealth and US governments on the issue.

“We’ve had a positive relationship with the Americans for an incredibly long time, also the most recent example that is how we train US Marines here,” he said.

“We also got the enhanced air cooperation so it’s not just a marine relationship with Americans at the moment.

“I think most Territorians know about the Bombing of Darwin and that young Americans died here that day too, defending this place that we call home.

“So we’ve had a longstanding relationship with America and I think that friendship will long endure.

“It’s a positive relationship and I look forward to it growing in the future.”

https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/push-to-boost-number-of-us-marines-in-the-top-end/news-story/a666e1515dd83d6729feb77395374fba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3tsBms_L8E

Ben Roberts-Smith tells defamation trial he did not kick handcuffed man off cliff

Jamie McKinnell - 11 June 2021

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War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has dismissed as a "fanciful story" claims he handcuffed a man, led him to a cliff, kicked him over and conspired with a colleague to execute him.

The 42-year-old gave evidence in the witness box at his Federal Court defamation trial against Nine Entertainment Co for the second day in a row.

Mr Roberts-Smith this afternoon said no men were taken "under control" during a 2012 mission, and he also denied there was any cliff, kick, dragging over a dry creek bed or agreement to kill.

"How does it (the allegation) make you feel?" barrister Bruce McClintock, SC, asked his client.

"It makes me feel disappointed," Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

"Because I cannot believe a fanciful story like that could, let alone be believed, could be printed in the paper and maintained for a series of years.

"I can't see how it can be believed, because none of it makes sense, none of it adds up."

Mr Roberts-Smith said a man he killed in a compound that day was legitimately engaged in combat as a suspected Taliban "spotter", or lookout.

He said it made "absolutely perfect sense" the dead man was a spotter, because he was hiding in a cornfield unlike civilians who would stay on the edge, and the patrol had intelligence spotters had previously operated in the area.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he had never killed an unarmed person who was under the control of the Australian soldiers.

"It's terrible," he said of the allegation.

"Every time I have to read that or hear it, I can't believe it's been written.

"You feel like you're in a bloody nightmare, to be frank."

Earlier, he told the court that being awarded the Victoria Cross "put a target on his back" and led to his colleagues belittling him.

His evidence came 11 years to the day since Australian troops stormed a Taliban stronghold, killing 76 insurgents during fierce fighting that led to 11 military awards, including Mr Roberts-Smith's Victoria Cross.

Mr McClintock asked Mr Roberts-Smith what the award meant to him.

"I have such a respect for the institution of the Victoria Cross, but I'm nowhere near as proud of that as I am to be able to count myself amongst the number of men in that battle," he said.

"Everybody fought with bravery, everybody fought with gallantry, and everyone at some point was fighting for their lives."

But Mr Roberts-Smith said the award led to a change in attitude among his colleagues.

"For all of the good that it has brought me and enabled me to do, particularly, it is, unfortunately, the case, in my instance, it has also brought me a lot of misfortune and pain," he told the court.

"It put a target on my back."

Mr Roberts-Smith referred to becoming a "tall poppy" and the award giving others a chance to "belittle" him and "broaden their attacks" on him.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he would often find “childish” things written on a noticeboard during 2012, designed to “undermine” him and “stir resentment”, including that he was “just trying to get another medal”.

“They would say things like that to try to incite some animosity,” he said.

(continued)

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'You'd think people would be proud'

Mr Roberts-Smith also said it was “particularly disgusting” to be accused of murder, in the defence documents, during another 2012 mission in which he swam across a river after spotting a potentially high-value target.

At the time, the patrol in Darwan suspected a man they’d seen could be rogue Afghan soldier Hekmatullah, who’d earlier killed three Australians in a surprise attack before fleeing.

Mr Roberts-Smith recalled how he killed the insurgent, realising after inspecting the body that the man was carrying “very high-end detonators”, indicating he might be significant.

“I find this one particularly disgusting, because if anything you'd think people would be proud of someone who's prepared to do that, in the sense you risk your life to capture someone who's just killed three of our people,” Mr Roberts-Smith told the court.

Nine Entertainment Co withdrew this allegation of murder in the defence documents shortly before the trial began.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the withdrawal was “interesting” because the respondents must have realised their sources of information were “making that up”.

He said nobody had ever apologised to him.

The veteran is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, along with three journalists, over a 2018 series of articles that reported allegations against Special Air Services Regiment soldiers in Afghanistan.

Mr Roberts-Smith argues he was defamed by several imputations, including that he "broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement", and has denied all wrongdoing.

The respondents are relying on a truth defence, and in their court documents have outlined details to six alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan involving Mr Roberts-Smith.

Mr Roberts-Smith is also suing over reports he allegedly punched a woman, with whom he was having an affair, in a Canberra hotel room in 2018, and bullied SAS colleagues.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-11/ben-roberts-smith-defamation-trial-continues-in-sydney/100207378

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 2:42 a.m. No.13877238 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9876

Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell | Official Trailer

Peacock

May 26, 2021

Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell streaming June 24 on Peacock. https://pck.tv/3wEeyJz

In this three-hour documentary, we investigate the powerful, connected, and mysterious Ghislaine Maxwell, who was once the heiress to the Maxwell fortune but whose life takes a sordid downturn when she meets Jeffrey Epstein, the serial sex offender. An investigative series that reveals a complicated story of power, sex, and money and leads to Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrest awaiting trial in the fall of 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6jcVR6COKM

Home Affairs boss wants to tackle cybercrime like the British Navy fought pirates

Tom Lowrey - 11 June 2021

Home Affairs boss Mike Pezzullo says Australia should take on cybercriminals like the British Navy fought the pirates of the Caribbean in the 17th century.

He also warned the threat of cyber attacks will soon reach "global pandemic proportions".

Mr Pezzullo used an address to a parliamentary inquiry into new cyber-crime laws to suggest Australia take on a more offensive role in combating the threat.

He suggested the counter-terrorism approach taken post-September 11 as one model, or even the British efforts to combat piracy worldwide hundreds of years ago.

"Another model that I would suggest … is the campaign that was mounted in the 17th, 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, to clear the world's oceans of pirates," he said.

"Including the pirates of the Caribbean, who were defeated by Her Majesty's warships of the Royal Navy, in concert with bringing law to a lawless ocean.

"This is a problem with which we can deal, just as Britain overcame piracy, but we need the tools to do so including the requisite legal authorities."

The legislation being considered by the committee is aimed at better protecting assets in critical sectors including water, health, energy and transport.

The new laws would impose greater cybersecurity obligations on operators responsible for the infrastructure in those sectors.

It would also allow the Home Affairs Minister to compel those operators to work with agencies like the Australian Signals Directorate as a last resort, during major incidents.

But Mr Pezzullo told the committee Australia can also play an outsized role taking on cyber threats offensively, should it choose.

"We have to be prepared to conduct offensive operations in the havens of cybercriminals," he said.

"Cyber is not immaterial, it is material, it is reliant on infrastructure, hardware, coding spaces for the coders and physical staging points.

"These havens can be mapped and targeted. Nations such as Australia have an asymmetric advantage."

He said some such work is already occurring, including using military cyber forces.

But he warned many cyber attackers are finding protection within their home countries — and suggesting the counter-terror or piracy models as a way to deal with the issue.

"Regrettably some states either turn a blind eye to their activities, or actively enable and sponsor them," he said.

"State protection emboldens these malicious actors."

Spy boss complains of corporate complacency

Australian Signals Directorate boss Rachel Noble told the committee the agency has at times been hamstrung in its capacity to fight off attacks, as major companies refuse to accept help.

Ms Noble described an incident where a "nationally-known" company suffered an attack with an Australia-wide impact, but called in lawyers to greet the ASD as it asked to assist.

She said after two weeks the company's network was still down, and with the company providing only limited information as to what was going on, the ASD could only provide generic information on how to help.

Three months later, the company was attacked again.

Ms Noble said the behaviour often comes from organisations underestimating the threat they face.

"That's usually before they've actually fully appreciated what they're dealing with," she said.

"Some of these criminals, they know what they're doing, they do this all day, every day.

"When you're experiencing that for the first time, you know, it can be confronting, you don't really have the experience to understand just what they're capable of, let alone state-based actors."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-11/cyber-attacks-australia-support-mike-pezzulo/100209662

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 3:35 a.m. No.13877365 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

>>13877358

‘This is what bad looks like’: Major company ignored Australia’s cyber spy agency after hack

Anthony Galloway - June 11, 2021

A major company in charge of critical infrastructure refused to comply with Australia’s cyber spy agency for weeks after it was hit by a significant cyber attack.

Australian Signals Directorate director-general Rachel Noble has revealed her agency found out about the cyber attack through media reports despite the incident having a “national impact on our country”.

The extraordinary disclosure comes as the nation’s security agencies push for new obligations on owners and operators of critical infrastructure to provide details about their networks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last year revealed a wave of sophisticated cyber attacks on all levels of government, industry and critical infrastructure including hospitals, local councils and state-owned utilities. Australian security agencies believe China was behind the cyber raids, but the government decided not to publicly name the state actor involved.

Federal Parliament’s security and intelligence committee is currently reviewing new laws that would allow the government to declare an emergency to give agencies such as the ASD the power to plug into the networks of critical infrastructure to fend off major attacks.

Asked by the chair of the committee, Liberal senator James Paterson, whether all companies cooperated with the ASD when they had been hacked, Ms Noble said “that is not our lived experience”.

While she said there were some “wonderful examples of incredible cooperation”, she wanted to tell the parliamentary inquiry what “bad looks like”.

“This is a real example but I’m not going to name names, that’s really important: we find out something has happened because there are media reports,” she said.

“Then we try to reach out to the company to clarify if the media reports are true, and they don’t want to talk to us.

“Five days later, we’re still getting a very sort of sluggish engagement of trying to get them to provide data to us and deploy some of our tools… that goes for 13 days, this incident had a national impact on our country.

“Three months later, they get re-infected, and we start again. That is the sort of scenario where this legislation actually gives us the authority through [the Department of] Home Affairs more leverage [to intervene].”

Ms Noble said sometimes the ASD was forced to use its “very senior level contacts” in the government who “might know members of boards or chairs of boards to and establish trust and build a willingness to cooperate”.

“We have at times then spent nearly a week negotiating with lawyers about us even being allowed to obtain just that basic information [data from network],” she said.

The ASD boss said the threat environment in the cyber world was “definitely deteriorating“.

“To give you evidence of that, there’s been a 60 per cent increase in ransomware attacks against Australian entities between this year and last year,” she said.

“One of my US colleagues recently said that she thought there was a significant risk of catastrophic cyber attack in the United States. My contention is actually if you’re JBS, or if you’re Nine or you’re Toll Group – all very brave companies who have spoken publicly about what’s occurred on their networks – those catastrophes have already happened.”

“We see both state-based actors and also criminals operating against Australian entities. They’re motivated by a range of different imperatives. Anything from espionage to generating influence or actual interference to preparing to or actually disrupting degrading or denying services, not to mention just the pure criminal motivation of stealing money.”

Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo said cyber attacks would “soon reach global pandemic proportions”.

“This has been building for about five years but it has accelerated over the course of the global pandemic,” he said.

”Basic cyber security protections will always help, but malicious actors such as cyber criminals, state-sponsored actors and state actors themselves, will defeat the best defences that firms, families and individuals can buy.

“Just as we do not rely on home security alarms and door locks to deal with serious and organised crime, we cannot leave firms, families and individuals on the field, on their own.“

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/this-is-what-bad-looks-like-major-company-ignored-australia-s-cyber-spy-agency-after-hack-20210611-p580am.html

Warning of Beijing ‘grey zone’ threat in Australian waters

STEVE JACKSON - JUNE 11, 2021

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China is on the verge of launching a “grey zone” war against Australia that would see flotillas of armed, unmarked and unsanctioned militia ships deployed on incursions through Australian waters in a bid to bully the nation into bowing to Beijing’s will.

The stark warning comes from Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, as the heads of the world’s leading democracies gather for a G7 summit widely anticipated to address China’s growing hostility and the risk of a global conflict involving the communist regime.

Dr Wu said Taiwan had been “in the frontline” against Chinese misinformation, economic coercion and military brinkmanship for decades, and urged “like-minded democracies” to form a united front against Beijing aggression.

“China is preparing for war and we all need to be ready for that,” Dr Wu told The Weekend Australian. “The new phenomenon we are seeing is part of what I would describe as China’s ‘grey zone’ operations, where it sends in its maritime militia – large fishing boats armed, operated and following the orders of China’s navy – to harass and intimidate their perceived enemies.

“This is something Australia hasn’t experienced yet – but it is coming.”

Known as China’s “little blue men”, Dr Wu said the maritime militia allowed Beijing to operate in a “grey zone” outside conventional warfare and deploy “threatening” armed forces to foreign territory without it being considered a formal act of war as the fleet comprised civilian vessels and its operations were not formally sanctioned by the regime.

Officially, Beijing denies the “so-called militia” even exists, but Western security analysts believe it forms an integral part of the country’s military strategy and it made headlines in March when more than 220 Chinese fishing vessels converged on Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea.

The Philippines, which has control of the reef as part of its Spratly Island chain, complained to Beijing about “the swarming and threatening presence” of the ships in its exclusive economic zone, and demanded they depart.

Beijing, which maintains the reef is part of its domain, said the ships posed no threat, were not part of a militia and were simply harbouring from rough seas.

(continued)

>>13881984

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While the tactic had so far been confined to the South China Sea, Dr Wu said China’s aspirations ultimately extended beyond the hotly contested region and into Australia’s sphere of influence. “We need to be aware of China’s intention and motivation,” he said. “China is trying to expand itself beyond the first island chains, which include Taiwan, into the wider Pacific.

“We know that when China re-established diplomatic relations with the Solomon Islands (in 2019), it did so for strategic military purposes – and this is something we need to pay close attention to … this is a situation that is dangerous for all of us.

“If you look at the geographic situation of the Solomons Islands, they are right at the doorstop of Australia. China has taken an interest in the Solomon Islands because of that position … as part of its military strategic objectives.”

Dr Wu’s comments come in the midst of heightened tensions between Taiwan and China, which claims the democratic island republic of more than 23 million is also part of its sovereign territory. “War is real a possibility but that would be a disaster – not only for Taiwan, but for the rest of the world,” he said. “While we have been pursuing a policy of not provoking China, at the same time we are determined to stand firm and defend our freedom.

“It’s at the point where we need the international community and like-minded democracies to provide assistance – even orally – and encourage Taiwan to defend itself and continue to stand against China’s expansionism.

“I have visited the War Memorial (in Canberra) and I was moved by the Australian sacrifices made for the cause of freedom and democracy and solidarity with its allies.

“This does not mean that I am asking Australia to fight Taiwan’s war … but if Australia ever needs Taiwan, Taiwan will be there.”

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said Dr Wu’s concerns about Chinese “grey zone” incursions into Australian waters posed a real and credible threat.

“We’ve known for years now that there’s been a Chinese military interest in seeing if they couldn’t establish some type of base in the Pacific region,” he said.

“Given the sort of spread of Chinese interests in the region, that’s definitely going to start to encroach on Australian waters, probably starting around Papua New Guinea.”

He said Australia’s leaders needed to prepare to combat any “grey zone” operations in our waters, “including a robust response directly at sea”, as well as through diplomatic channels.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/warning-of-beijing-grey-zone-threat-in-australian-waters/news-story/7f6148b8bb89d40d3e758226ce01cf99

CSIRO sinks China study deal over submarine fears

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 11, 2021

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The CSIRO will terminate an oceans research collaboration with China’s top marine science institute following an ASIO warning that it could help the Chinese navy to hunt down Australian submarines.

Staff at the Hobart-based Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research were told on Friday that a five-year research agreement with the Qingdao National Marine Laboratory – which has strong military links – would not be renewed when it expired in June next year.

The move came just over a fortnight after director-general of security Mike Burgess called on research organisations to reconsider ocean temperature modelling partnerships with foreign scientists, warning they could be used to support submarine operations against Australia.

CSIRO chief research scientist Cai Wenju, who is also a professor at the Qingdao lab, headed the $20m joint centre, which included researchers from the University of Tasmania and the University of NSW.

Dr Cai is named in multiple Chinese-language reports as being part of Xi Jinping’s Thousand Talents program, and a similar Chinese government scheme known as Aoshan Talents.

The Qingdao National Marine Laboratory leads China’s “Transparent Ocean” initiative, which aims to use satellite-mounted technology to pinpoint submarines at depths up to 500m.

According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s China Defence Universities Tracker, the laboratory has worked closely with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Submarine Academy – which is also located in Qingdao – on defence scientific research.

The CSIRO told its Chinese partner on Thursday afternoon the collaboration would be cancelled before telling the centre’s staff on Friday morning.

“I’m writing to let you know that CSIRO has decided not to continue the Centre for Southern Hemisphere Ocean Research after its first five-year term ends in June 2022,” CSIRO’s climate science director Jaclyn Brown told staff via email.

Dr Brown told the centre’s staff they would be redeployed to other climate programs.

“While we will no longer be doing joint research from June 2022, we are very grateful to Qingdao National Marine Laboratory for their confidence in and generous collaboration with CSIRO,” she said.

(continued)

>>13882053

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The scientific collaboration was said by the CSIRO to have conducted fundamental research on the role of southern hemisphere oceans in the changing global climate.

Mr Burgess told Senate Estimates last month that such research was “also great if you’re a submariner”.

He said it could provide adversaries with information on Australia’s territorial waters, as well as “straight-up capability”.

“If we’ve got a lead on something, and there are some capability considerations, someone should probably think about that,” Mr Burgess said.

Under President Xi’s doctrine of “civil-military fusion”, the Qingdao National Marine Laboratory would have been obliged to make data obtained under the partnership available for Chinese military use.

A CSIRO spokeswoman said the decision not to continue the partnership was “informed by science strategy and the need for CSIRO to balance its portfolio of research”.

She said CSIRO collaborated extensively with overseas partners “and has processes in place to evaluate these issues before research projects are agreed to”.

“CSIRO continues to be highly cognisant of issues regarding foreign interference and has strong security arrangements and systems in place to address the associated risks,” she said.

The spokeswoman said Dr Cai was not a Thousand Talents scholar, and his only paid work was as a CSIRO employee.

The Australian revealed security concerns about the collaboration in February 2020, highlighting the Qingdao laboratory’s attempts to use satellite-mounted light detection and ranging technology to pinpoint submarines at depths up to 500m.

The lab also undertakes research with Russia in the Arctic Circle, and is known for its analysis of big data – from satellite sensors, underwater drones and “intelligent buoys” – to enable real-time understanding of the marine environment.

ASPI senior analyst Malcolm Davis said ocean current, depth and temperature data was vital information for detecting enemy submarines.

“If you can understand the oceanic conditions of a particular area, if you can interpret the way that the temperature in the ocean is behaving, you can develop better anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” Dr Davis told The Australian.

“Of course you can do some valuable work on defeating climate change, but really what you are doing is developing better ASW so they can sink Australian submarines.”

The Morrison government is cracking down on foreign interference in Australian research institutions, with a new list being developed by the Prime Minister’s department identifying critical technologies and research areas that will be off-limits for foreign collaborations.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/csiro-sinks-china-studydeal-over-submarine-fears/news-story/76b0b8b66741508c3d652b1cda01e301

Did Trump destroy evangelical Christianity?

In a tragic and bitter irony, American Christians are deeply divided in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency.

GREG SHERIDAN - June 12, 2021

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“The last decade saw a particularly significant decline within one subgroup: white evangelicals. While the ranks of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics have been shrinking for decades, white evangelical Protestants had seemed immune from the forces eroding membership among other white Christian groups. But since 2010, the number of white evangelical Protestants has dropped from 21 per cent of the population to 15 per cent.”

– Robert P. Jones, author of White Too Long

Have the tumultuous years of Donald Trump’s presidency destroyed or undermined the coherence and religious authority of American evangelical Christians?

This would be a tragic and bitter irony. It should never be necessary to categorise a Christian group by race. Christianity is universal and blind to race, or it is not Christianity. But in the US, while white evangelicals and black evangelicals share many religious beliefs, their politics are radically different. White evangelicals, in the wake of the Trump experience, are now deeply divided and in something approaching disarray.

Consider two startling statistics. According to the Pew Research Centre, white evangelical Christians are the single religious group most resistant to Covid-19 vaccination. Some 45 per cent of white evangelicals say they definitely or probably will not get vaccinated. This is astonishing, for the modern, commonsense, responsible America was in significant measure made by evangelicals.

Northern evangelicals powered temperance and anti-slavery movements. Across the US evangelicals are the most generous givers to charity. They have sent missionaries and aid workers across Africa and Asia. They have been generous, steady, sober. Opposing vaccination lies in the realm of nuttiness.

But there’s much worse. According to conservative Christian writer Peter Wehner in a long survey piece in The Atlantic, 31 per cent of white evangelical Christian Republicans believe: “Donald Trump has been secretly fighting a group of child sex traffickers that include prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites.”

No doubt some Hollywood types engage in every depravity, but the idea that there is a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping child abusers at the top of the Democratic Party and Hollywood is a lunatic conspiracy theory promoted by QAnon. This crazy outfit grew up online. Its precursor claimed that Hillary Clinton was part of this satanic network, with a group of children enslaved in the basement of a Washington DC pizza restaurant, which turned out not even to have a basement.

How did such insanity ever penetrate into the consciousness of a sizeable number of white evangelicals when the tradition was famous for sober good sense? Its most characteristic modern figure was Billy Graham, a towering and almost universally loved figure in modern American history.

Graham was a social, political and religious conservative, but he was an intelligent, mainstream conservative whose religious convictions always came before his political ideology. He upset some southern churches by his insistence, right from the start of his ministry, that his audiences would never be racially segregated.

The QAnon insanity has a good deal of overlap with even more preposterous conspiracy theories around the Lizard Illuminati, the idea that alien lizards take the shape of humans and exert malign control.

From the start of his presidential campaign, Trump took the view that he would never denounce or even seriously criticise any group that strongly supported him. He never exerted an ounce of moral leadership against extremists who supported him. QAnon, whose multiple insanities led to significant real-world violence as the poor souls it duped took direct action against designated enemies, stridently supports Trump.

Trump never formally endorsed QAnon, but he wouldn’t denounce it and described QAnon’s adherents as “people who love America”.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 6:10 p.m. No.13882303 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2309

>>13882298

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Four years of this kind of wink-and-nod approval for extreme right-wing and conspiracy madness from Trump effectively authorised this stuff and helped it enter the bloodstream of evangelicals. Trump himself is neither racist nor anti-Semitic, but he authorised groups that did hold such repugnant views.

Conservative Christians were right to be sceptical of much news interpretation in The New York Times or on CNN. So they turned to internet sources. They had embraced Trump as their leader and the lack of any word of opposition to the extremist nuts from Trump greatly enhanced the fraudulent legitimacy of this madness.

The worst moment, at which many evangelical Christian leaders turned decisively against Trump, was the January 6 invasion of Capitol Hill. There were signs that read “Jesus saves” next to signs calling for the hanging of vice-president Mike Pence, who had refused Trump’s unconstitutional demand that he not certify electoral college votes that ratified the election win of Joe Biden. Some demonstrators who stormed the Capitol stopped to say a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to smash their opponents.

Jeremiah Johnson, an extremely conservative evangelical who believed in the gift of prophecy, apologised for prophesying that Trump would be re-elected and denounced the Capitol Hill invasion. He was overwhelmed by swarms of abuse and online threats from Trump supporters.

A more substantial theological voice, Russell Moore, a thoroughgoing conservative who had been president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, wrote: “This week we watched an insurrection of domestic terrorists, incited and fomented by the President of the United States. If you can defend this, you can defend anything.”

Moore spoke of the trauma of the Trump years for evangelicals. He accepted the legitimacy of voting for Trump but rejected many of Trump’s specific actions and words. As a result he suffered “psychological terrorism”.

Trump did some good things for the Christian constituency, things that were very good in themselves. He tasked the State Department to campaign for religious freedom, he established a White House office to make sure religious groups were not excluded from government social-policy formation and implementation. He appointed Supreme Court judges who would not restrict religious freedom. He supported the pro-life movement. But he lied relentlessly, he never displayed any grace in public life. He was never kind to a critic. He wouldn’t de-authorise extremists, unlike previous Republican leaders. Wehner argues that Trump embodies a “Nietzschean morality rather than a Christian morality”.

This is evident in the truculent, verbal abuse Trump directed at all his critics and even former close colleagues he fell out with. So Rex Tillerson, whom Trump appointed as secretary of state but later sacked, went from being brilliant and great, in Trump’s words, to “dumb as a brick and lazy as hell”. Christianity teaches its followers to love their enemies. But in glorying in Trump’s defiance of the left, some evangelicals imbibed some of Trump’s sneering, contemptuous, destructive manner. Moore reported that he did not know a single evangelical family that had not been divided by Trump.

It is important to recognise that madness begets madness. The madness of some of the right is a long-delayed response to the growing madness on the left. Evangelicals first decided to support Trump in 2016 because they saw their society and its politics going crazy and they wanted to oppose this. One of Trump’s attractions was that he was a fighter. But being a no-holds-barred fighter is not sufficient to be an effective political leader, much less an effective agent of cultural change, still less the kind of cultural rebuilding most Christians think is necessary.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 6:11 p.m. No.13882309 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2314

>>13882303

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I have often written on the growing madness on the left. The thing is you expect madness and extremism on the progressive left, increasingly unmoored from reality and common sense. You don’t expect it from Christians.

Let me offer you two examples of left madness. A psychiatrist, Aruna Khilanani, lectured recently at Yale. Her speech was a racist diatribe of hatred of white people. She said in part: “I had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way, burying their body, and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step. Like I did the world a f…ing favour.” And: “White people are out of their minds …” Whites are, she said, “demented violent predators”. Talking to white people was a waste of time because that “assumes that white people can see and process what we are talking about”.

It took a lot of conservative agitation for institutions even to distance themselves from these remarks. Naturally their author suffered no sanction. Similarly, last year a Cambridge academic tweeted that “white lives don’t matter”. She said she was making a point about race rather than urging murder. Nor is it likely that whites will be systematically persecuted in the US or Britain.

But this kind of talk from the left, which is extremely common though seldom to such an acute degree, is hateful, foul and vile. It is designed to cause racial hostility. Even if white evangelicals do not, as frequently alleged, feel racially threatened, they certainly think the indulgence of such statements indicates a culture and a polity going mad and bad. The problem is, the best response to madness is not madness; you can’t beat madness with more and angrier madness.

The evangelicals are one of the most important buttresses of Christianity in the West. They are important even geo-strategically because they have been a force for stability and regeneration in US politics. They were the decisive vote for Ronald Reagan. Reagan didn’t stop the leftward drift of culture. But with Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II, he won the Cold War and liberated tens of millions of people from communism. He restored American self-confidence. His courtesy, geniality and civility in all circumstances were a byword of presidential behaviour.

American evangelicals have a distinctive history. You can trace their roots through American Protestantism from the earliest days. They believe in the absolute authority of the Bible, the need to be born again or experience personal conversion, the need to be an active Christian, both socially active and active in proclaiming Christianity, and at the centre of their theology is the crucified Christ.

Protestant America was divided in the early part of the 20th century by modernism in theology and biblical studies and the fundamentalist reaction it provoked. Evangelicals offered a middle way, which came together in the years after World War II. They believed in the inerrancy of the Bible, but they did not need to interpret the creation story of Genesis literally.

Indeed, in recent decades much of the most important and academically impressive scholarship reclaiming the historicity of the New Testament especially, has been carried out by sophisticated evangelical scholars.

Graham popularised the term evangelical. As well as being an early opponent of segregation, Graham was an early promoter of Christian unity. Northern Ireland’s fundamentalist leader Ian Paisley wrote a book denouncing Graham for his friendship with Catholic popes.

In the 1970s and ‘80s, American evangelicals became overtly political. Under Jerry Falwell, the Moral Majority, animated particularly by social issues, swung solidly into the Republican camp. But it may be that they did too much politics for the good of their core religious purposes.

(continued)

>>13882309

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Steve McAlpine, a Perth pastor who has written an absorbing book, Being the Bad Guys, on how popular culture has turned against Christians, argues that evangelicals fell for a characteristic falsehood of modern America – they put too much faith in politics: “Politics is the mechanism in which everything must occur, even transcendence.”

Over-interpreting politics can lead to theological problems. A minority of evangelicals go in for prophecy and the highly risky business of interpreting biblical prophecies as evident in current events. It’s presumptuous, to say the least, for any Christian to think they are so gifted that they can interpret the troubles of today, the troubles of Trump, to prove that we are in the last stages of “End Times”.

Christian historian John Dickson, author of Bullies and Saints, an examination of Christianity’s moral triumphs and moral failures, tells Inquirer: “I despise the tradition in America where pastors declare their support for one party or one candidate. It’s lovely we’ve avoided that in Australia.”

American evangelicals confront a lot of troubles at the moment, though it would be folly to count them out. A disturbing number of evangelical leaders have been recently caught up in sex scandals. Evangelicals, though they voted for Trump, are now bitterly divided over this. Young evangelicals, turned off by the style of Trump-era politics, are dropping out.

But evangelicals are inherently a reform movement. The most likely thing is that they will dust themselves off, sort themselves out, come back to a more sustainable balance between politics and spirituality, and emerge stronger.

But that prediction is based on the longest historical experience. Right now, the auguries are immensely troubling. Tim Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York and one of the most brilliant and important Christian writers, observed in 2017: “Evangelical used to denote people who claimed the moral high ground. Now, in popular usage, the word is nearly synonymous with hypocrite.”

Christians, in the US and the West generally, are confronted with a culture going mad and becoming more hostile to them. But they must answer the madness with calm conviction and even kindness. They need to fight some of the culture wars but should choose their battles carefully. They should be happy warriors, even kindly warriors.

There are three wrong ways for Christians to respond to a culture going mad: go to total war with it; surrender to it totally, thereby offering no ethical challenge; or retreat from it into a tight ghetto. The right path is different: continued engagement with the culture, insistence on proclaiming the truth, but taking victory and defeat both with good cheer. Politics is downstream of culture. Politics is important, but it can’t fix culture. Human example, creative institutions, sustained formation – these can change culture.

In all the circumstances, and given the available choices, voting for Trump was not unreasonable. Idealising him, seeing him as a cultural saviour, learning to hate all his enemies, letting something of his abusive, spiteful spirit seep into your being, that was a terrible mistake.

The world cannot afford to lose everything evangelicals contribute. The Acts of the Apostles describes how a Christian church should look: “… they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/evangelicals-faith-misplaced-in-trump/news-story/a6a13f97b7b5587bb3c8f31c29e30af0

https://qanon.pub/#4396

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 7:34 p.m. No.13883003 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9861

Julian Assange case: UK lawmakers ask Biden to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder

Katie Collins - June 11, 2021

A cross-party group of 24 British members of Parliament wrote to President Joe Biden on Friday asking him to drop all charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Dropping the charges would be "an act that would be a clarion call for freedom that would echo around the globe," they said.

Together, the lawmakers pointed out that while Biden was vice president, he played an important role in choosing not to prosecute Assange over WikiLeaks' publication of classified documents relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the conditions in Guantanamo Bay. In spite of this, they added, Biden - who is in the UK attending the G7 summit - has not chosen to drop the charges brought against Assange during Donald Trump's presidency.

"The case against Mr. Assange also undermines public confidence in our legal systems," the lawmakers wrote in the open letter. "Our countries are also increasingly confronted with the contradiction of advocating for press freedom abroad while holding Mr. Assange for years in the UK's most notorious prison at the request of the US government."

Representatives for the White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative from the Department of Justice declined to comment.

Assange is wanted in the US on espionage charges and faces an 18-count indictment accusing him of conspiring to hack military databases to publish classified information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If convicted, he could be handed a 175-year jail sentence, although the US government has said he would likely face a sentence of between four and six years.

In January, a judge in the UK blocked the US attempt to extradite Assange on the basis of his mental health. The judge was worried that Assange would be likely to try to kill himself if subjected to the US prison system.

As a result, Assange, who left the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in April 2019 after living there for seven years, is now facing a third consecutive year in Belmarsh High-Security Prison. For 50 weeks, he was serving a sentence for skipping bail, but ever since he's been awaiting news of whether the US will drop charges against him. Assange's lawyers are fighting to have him released.

"It's a continuing stain on the reputation of this country that Julian Assange remains in Belmarsh prison," said one of the signatories, John McDonnell MP, during a parliamentary debate on Thursday. "There are no justifiable grounds for keeping imprisoned a journalist who had the courage to expose war crimes and abuse of human rights."

https://www.cnet.com/news/julian-assange-uk-lawmakers-ask-biden-to-drop-charges-against-wikileaks-founder/

https://dontextraditeassange.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Assange-Biden-2021.pdf

>>13876941

The QAnon conspiracy

An American conspiracy theory about a Satanic child sexual abuse ring has gained a foothold in Australia. Tim Stewart is one of the believers, and also a long-time friend of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Richard Cooke - June 12 2021

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Absent the fog of culture war, it is hard to understand how a single episode of Four Corners could furnish a week-long national news cycle, before it was even broadcast. It’s more perplexing still that the story behind the story had no real bombshells: the program was only delayed, rather than cancelled, and David Anderson, the managing director of the ABC, assured staff that it “may very well go to air”. The “allegations” in the yet-to-be-aired episode centre on a relationship that is noteworthy, rather than improper, and security concerns that are speculative, not imminent.

But one of the parties in the story is Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and the other is Tim Stewart, one of Australia’s most prominent adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory. And the story came at a time of historic tensions between the government and the public broadcaster – in the same week the ABC and a minister of the crown settled a defamation suit – and galloping conspiracism in the polities of the developed world.

Media, in particular the news sites Crikey and Guardian Australia, have already reported on the Morrison–Stewart relationship in some detail. The two men have been family friends for 30 years. They met through their wives, Jenny Morrison and Lynelle Stewart, who have been friends since they attended high school together. Both women were bridesmaids at each other’s wedding. Since Scott Morrison won high office, the old friends have introduced a professional component to their relationship, with Lynelle Stewart employed at Kirribilli House, which means she requires a security clearance.

Perhaps, while reminiscing, they marvel at their husbands’ respective fates: one becoming the prime minister of Australia, the other a leading proponent of a conspiracy theory that purports the world is controlled by Satanic paedophiles who have their base of operations in Hollywood and the Democratic Party, and that Donald Trump is leading a global effort to defeat these demons, leading the forces of light in a Manichean struggle for the soul of humanity.

QAnon began as an American conspiracy, and its roots run deepest there. According to recent research conducted by the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute, as many as 15 per cent of Americans subscribe to some version of the QAnon world view. The report described a “nontrivial” cohort who affirm the statement that “the government, media and financial worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation”. Among Republican voters, this number rises to nearly 25 per cent.

The methodology of this and similar polls has been contested, because QAnon offers an unparalleled opportunity to troll pollsters. In late 2020, Pew Research numbers suggested about half of Americans had never heard of the movement. But this does not account for large numbers who hold beliefs that originated with QAnon without recognising their origin. In Britain, for example, the research body Hope Not Hate found that 25 per cent of respondents agreed that “secret satanic cults exist and include influential elites”. Among 18- to 24-year-olds the proportion was 35 per cent.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 9:17 p.m. No.13883708 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3719

>>13883702

2/3

As yet, similar polling has not been conducted in Australia, but it is one of many countries where QAnon beliefs have been franchised. Time magazine declared Australia and New Zealand especially prone to QAnon, which had proved “remarkably malleable for export”, quoting Joshua Roose of Deakin University on the “emergence of transnational, amorphous conspiracy-theory based movements”.

The shared community of English-language social media posts and groups provided traction, although Germany, Japan, Spain and France also have active QAnon movements; so too did stringent lockdowns in the Antipodes, which helped hothouse existing anti-governmental feelings. Anecdotally, Q paraphernalia has become a familiar sight at anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protests, and rough headcounts of local Facebook groups, many now banned, suggested memberships, or viewerships, in the tens of thousands.

In 2019, the United States was worried enough they declared QAnon a domestic terror threat, along with a suite of other “anti-government, identity based, and fringe political theories … [that] very likely encourage the targeting of specific people, places and organizations, thereby increasing the risk of extremist violence against such targets”. The QAnon example given by the US government was mild in comparison with planned bombings and shootings: a man had blockaded the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge with an armoured truck, demanding that a Justice Department report into child-trafficking be released. The report did not exist.

In the US, perhaps 10 crimes have been linked definitively to QAnon, or its precursor ideology, Pizzagate. The most serious of these, a murder, is also the strangest: in 2019, a 25-year-old Staten Island man named Anthony Comello shot dead Francesco Cali, an underboss of the Gambino crime family, then told police he had done so to help then president Trump. In court, he flashed a Q-sign scrawled in pen on his hand, and addressed the court in what the New York Post called “a bizarre rant”. “I just want to say there is a lot on my phone and a lot of data about drug smuggling, human sex trafficking all over the country,” Comello said. “I have everything from Australia to Ukraine to Italy to … Russia.” He was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial.

Locally, there are no prominent examples of crimes linked to QAnon, so fears are more nebulous. In an online piece, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute declared the local branch an “international conspiracy theory posing a threat to Australia’s vaccination rollout against Covid-19”. Morrison, in a statement made after the Four Corners imbroglio, called QAnon a “dangerous organisation”. For this reason, he said, the “aspersion” that he had any involvement or support for the organisation was “deeply offensive”. Four Corners’ inquiries had targeted not only him but also members of his family, which he said was “really poor form”.

(continued)

>>13883708

3/3

In the past, Tim Stewart has claimed to have influence with Morrison. In 2018, during a formal apology to victims of institutional abuse, Morrison used the phrase “ritual sexual abuse”, which was not terminology used by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Stewart, tweeting under the handle @BurnedSpy34, was elated. He told his tens of thousands of followers he had influenced Morrison to use the phrase, and before the speech took place, he texted a colleague, exclaiming, “I think Scott is going to do it!!” The Prime Minister’s Office said the phrase came instead from survivors but did not comment on QAnon.

Stewart has also suggested former Foreign minister Julie Bishop was connected to the child abusing “cabal” because she wore red shoes. “If you want to do your research into the US context, the red shoes are purported to be very much a paedophilia shout out,” he told The Guardian. The outlet added: “There is no evidence that Bishop is connected to any such conspiracy.” Stewart’s freelance theorising has also ensnared Alexander Downer during his time as British high commissioner, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and other prominent Australians.

A benign view is that Stewart has no influence over Morrison, that their relationship has no real political component, and that he is not the only person close to the corridors of power with eccentric views. One Nation’s policy platform, for example, borrows from the Agenda 21 conspiracy theory, which contends a 23-year-old United Nations resolution is actually a plan to entrench eco-totalitarianism. Decades of polling in many countries have found surprising support for all kinds of outlandish propositions, so much so that political commentators sometimes refer to the “crazification factor”, the purported 26 per cent of the population who might support anything.

What distinguishes QAnon is its ambition, and its reach. Two Republican members of the most recent freshmen class of the US congress – Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert – were both avowed QAnon adherents who only distanced themselves from the movement after taking office. Trump broadcast QAnon-linked accounts on dozens of occasions, and in his dying days in office he was surrounded by increasingly Q-adjacent figures. His former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, addressed a QAnon conference in Dallas and appeared to endorse a coup, similar in nature to the coup that had taken place in Myanmar.

Some studies of QAnon supporters are sympathetic. Supporters are very likely to suffer from mental illness – one paper found that up to 68 per cent had received a formal diagnosis. Their rage is said to be justified but misplaced. There is a child abuse crisis. Powerful forces are working in concert to undermine democracy. But, increasingly, QAnon itself appears to be one of those forces.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2021/06/12/the-qanon-conspiracy/162342000011851

https://qanon.pub/#3409

https://qanon.pub/#3312

https://qanon.pub/#3127

>All For A LARP?

>[ATTACKS WILL ONLY INTENSIFY]

>Ask yourself, WHY?

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 9:38 p.m. No.13883811 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3814

>>13877040

Dan Andrews broke his back – why is there such a frenzy of conspiracy around it?

Mainstream validation of the conspiratorial thinking about the Victorian premier undermines public trust, even if it serves a political purpose

Ariel Bogle - 12 Jun 2021

1/2

When Liberal MP Louise Staley issued a list of questions on Monday about a potential “cover up” of how Daniel Andrews hurt his back, the reaction was largely predictable – and a warning about the risks when politics and conspiracies combine.

Labor figures called it “gutter politics” on Twitter, accusing Staley of turning an accident into something sinister. Federal ministers weighed in, denying the list was a nod to “grassy-knoll conspiracy theories”, and the media gave it days of coverage. But in other corners of the internet, Staley’s list was mainstream recognition at last.

In Facebook groups and pages – some with a following of more than 73,000 – conspiracies about Andrews’ injury have been fomenting for months. On anti-lockdown Telegram channels with thousands of members, theories veered wildly from the moment his injury was announced on 9 March – from accusing the premier of not being injured at all to more sinister coverups. Each new photo issued of Andrews was rigorously dissected for evidence.

A conspiracy theory website heavily focused on Australia seems to have played a significant role in this milieu, publishing a steady flow of conjecture about Andrews’ fall. Seemingly helping to spread some of the more colourful allegations across Facebook, the site crossed over to Twitter this week, pushed by those eager to speculate about Andrews’ fall as well as pro-Labor figures who shared a link only to denounce it.

The increasingly florid information ecosystem around Andrews cannot be easily diagnosed. Once a constant daily presence, his sudden absence from public life arguably left a gap conspiracies could fill, especially among communities predisposed to doubt both the severity of Covid-19 and the state’s restrictions to manage it. The unsatisfying randomness of a fall could come with other bits and pieces of information – a vaccine rollout, other politicians getting sick the same week – to create something altogether malevolent.

Certainly, conspiracies can be a compelling way to make sense of the world during a moment of profound disruption. As the QAnon conspiracy theory drew adherents last year, it seemed part of the appeal was that active participation in creating theories about evil cabals provided a sense of agency and community, even as it caused other social relationships to fracture.

We might also look at the highly partisan tenor of conversation around Andrews throughout the pandemic as a potential breeding ground for the swirls of speculation: the emotional language that saw him being deemed a “liar” in the press as well as diehard Twitter fans helped send duelling hashtags #DanLiedPeopleDied and #IStandWithDan trending in 2020. Thanks in part, according to Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research, to a collection of highly active hyper-partisan opinion leaders and their followers on social media.

(continued)

>>13883811

2/2

There are significant social risks to feedback loops of conspiracy. Dr Kate Starbird, an academic at the University of Washington, has closely tracked how a cycle of participatory disinformation fueled what’s been dubbed the “Big Lie”: that the 2020 election was stolen from president Donald Trump by election fraud. According to her analysis, a pro-Trump political class repeated the message of a rigged election, which helped anchor expectations of a stolen election for receptive audiences.

“Evidence” of voter fraud was then proactively generated by audiences on the ground – both intentionally and due to sincere misunderstandings of the voting process – and spread on social media. Recall Sharpiegate, when a claim that ballots filled out with felt-tipped pens could not be read by vote-scanning machines travelled from a local Arizona Facebook group across the country, egged on by public figures including Trump’s own children.

Into this mix, according to Starbird, came “grassroots” activists and social media influencers who helped amplify these stories, ensuring they reached political elites who then echoed them back out. In her view, this dynamic helped build the groundwork for the 6 January riot at the Capitol. “[From] initial feelings of grievance to calls to action,” she said. “It kept being fed.”

Of course, Starbird’s “Big Lie” model of participatory disinformation does not map perfectly onto the Australian ecosystem, which has its own particularities.

Tim Graham, a QUT researcher, suggested we could also call the recent Andrews episode “participatory ‘flooding the zone’”. In other words, “throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks” because it provokes a strong partisan reaction, distracts journalists and creates a cloud of suspicion.

Cycles of participatory disinformation might ultimately be “stickier” than misleading claims that come solely from politicians or partisan media. As Starbird said, Trump supporters were given a “reward structure for continuing to share more” when their election-fraud theories were repeated by the media and politicians.

That’s why providing conspiratorial thinking with mainstream validation – like a list of rather ominous questions about a premier’s injury, as Labor has characterised it – can be damaging even as it may serve a political purpose. For those disposed to believe in Andrews conspiracies, the questions can never be answered satisfactorily. New evidence will always be interpreted as supporting the conspiracy.

No politician, let alone the leader of a state that has endured some of the most severe pandemic restrictions in Australia, is beyond scrutiny.

But as Australia prepares for another election, and amid the pressure of bringing the country out of a pandemic, we must be vigilant against feedback loops that can undermine public trust and bring conspiracies into public life – and most especially, undermine accountability grounded in reality for those holding public office.

Ariel Bogle is a journalist and analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute who researches online disinformation

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2021/jun/12/dan-andrews-broke-his-back-why-is-there-such-a-frenzy-of-conspiracy-around-it

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 10:30 p.m. No.13884054 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4058

How PM’s pal put ‘Satanic paedophile’ conspiracy in the public eye

Kate McClymont - June 12, 2021

1/3

With a history of bankruptcy, bannings and bizarre conspiracy beliefs, it’s little wonder that Tim Stewart, the nation’s most prominent follower of QAnon, chose the nom-de-plume “Burn Notice” for his Twitter posts.

This is a term intelligence agencies use when an agent or a source is officially scrapped or “burned” for providing fabricated or unreliable information.

Citing “co-ordinated harmful activity,” Twitter banned Mr Stewart’s account “Burn Notice” with its handle @BurnedSpy34 last year for posting unverified and dangerous material linked to the far-right American group QAnon.

Earlier this month, the Herald broke the news that ABC management had asked current affairs program Four Corners to delay a program on the supposed connection between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Stewart. This revelation has put the 52-year-old town planner firmly back in the public eye.

Now the Herald can reveal that Mr Stewart was bankrupted from 2012 to 2015, following the collapse of his business which ran a string of caravan parks in Queensland. His name has also recently featured in a corruption inquiry and his business dealings include links to a trio of one-time bankrupt Liberal powerbrokers in the Sutherland Shire.

The Prime Minister has never espoused any QAnon-style conspiracy theories and, for his part, Mr Morrison has angrily rejected any links to QAnon.

“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation. I clearly do not,” he said last week. “It is also disappointing that Four Corners, with their inquiries, would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me, but by members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.”

Before his Twitter banning, Mr Stewart’s accounts show his fierce support of QAnon, a loose group of conspiracy theorists who believe there is a secret “deep state” plot acting against then-president Donald Trump as well as a cabal of Satan-worshiping paedophiles who rule the world and control politicians and the media.

Mr Stewart’s Twitter posts promoting the conspiracy group may have gone unnoticed in ordinary circumstances. However, his wife Lynelle has a long-standing friendship with the Prime Minister and his wife Jenny. Mrs Stewart, who has known the Morrisons through their church activities since they were all children, was employed up until recently as Mrs Morrison’s personal assistant. These relationships were first reported in The Guardian in October 2019.

Mr Stewart’s estranged sister Karen, who ran for the Greens in Camden, has previously said it was “absolute rubbish” to claim her brother and Mr Morrison were just associates. She told News Corp last year that the two couples were close family friends.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 10:31 p.m. No.13884058 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4064

>>13884054

2/3

Meanwhile, it’s Mr Stewart’s networking with other colourful Liberal figures, who have questionable business track records, that have raised eyebrows. The town planner has been working closely on development applications with Matt Daniel, also a former bankrupt, whose name has cropped up in his capacity as a planner at two corruption inquiries. Property developer Rene Licata is also one of Mr Stewart and Mr Daniel’s politically well-connected clients.

Mr Licata, also a previous bankrupt, operates property development group Manta Group. In 2014 his wife Marie Simone, also a former bankrupt, received a good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to four charges of obtaining money by deception. Ms Simone, a councillor on Sutherland Shire, is a key Liberal party fundraiser. She is also the president of the Caringbah Liberal Party branch, where her friend Mr Daniel, himself a former Sutherland Shire councillor, is also a paid up branch member, as is her developer husband.

In 2017 Mr Licata and Mr Daniel established the Commercial and Economic Planning Association which claims to represent the interests of smaller developers. According to CEPA’s website, in September 2019 they charged $350 per head for members and guests to dine with the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

Like Mr Stewart, Mr Daniel has had some setbacks in his business dealings. His accountant Sam Cassaniti was jailed for tax fraud and the former mortician’s development company collapsed owing creditors $5 million. Mr Daniel has featured in back-to-back corruption inquiries. In April it was revealed that Mr Daniel’s planning company was lobbying Canada Bay councillors for favourable rezonings on behalf of then Liberal MP John Sidoti.

Mr Daniel and Mr Stewart also featured in ICAC’s investigations into questionable planning decisions made by Canterbury Council. Documents tendered at the inquiry show the pair were on the payroll of controversial property developer Charbel “Charlie” Demian who was lobbying the council and its planners for major expansions to his development sites.

The ICAC inquiry also showed that Mr Daniel was using the services of the now-disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire to help lobby planning officials and other ministers on behalf of Mr Daniel’s clients.

The kickbacks Mr Maguire sought for advancing the business interests of Mr Demian eventually proved to be Mr Maguire’s undoing. ICAC has since referred both Mr Maguire and Mr Demian to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether they should face perjury charges. No adverse findings were made about Mr Daniel or Mr Stewart, who did not respond to the Herald’s inquiries.

The FBI first identified QAnon and its army of supporters as a “dangerous extremist group” in August 2019. Just how dangerous the group has become is evident from the number of QAnon adherents who have been criminally charged over the storming of the US Capitol building on January 6. Followers believe that “Q,” supposedly a secret intelligence official, has been leaving clues urging them to mount an insurrection against the evil forces of the “deep state”.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 10:32 p.m. No.13884064 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5690

>>13884058

3/3

One of the apparent clues that the QAnon supporters have latched onto is the phrase “ritual abuse”. On October 22, 2018 Mr Stewart’s Burn Notice account tweeted: “A new conversation began today in Australia.” Mentioning that it was a “stepping stone,” he also said the Prime Minister “took control of the narrative powerfully and commenced phase 1 of our restoration.”

A prominent QAnon figure from the US was pumped. “Do my ears deceive me?,” asked Joe M. “The new Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison must be a rider in #TheStorm.”

What they were referring to was that earlier that day the Prime Minister used the words “ritual abuse” in his national apology to survivors of institutional sex abuse.

Private messages on the encrypted app Signal, which have been released by Eliahi Priest, a former close associate of Mr Stewart, show that in the days prior to the speech Mr Stewart had been urging his wife to tell Mr Morrison it was essential that he use the term “ritual abuse” in his apology.

According to screen images of their private conversations Mr Priest has posted on his Facebook page, Mr Stewart and others believed that this phrase was a secret code for sexual abuse victims to make contact.

“Well said Scott,” tweeted Mr Stewart’s son Jesse that same day. Jesse also included the hashtags #RitualAbuse. #StopChildTrafficking and #WWG1WGA. The latter is a rallying cry for QAnon members which stands for “Where We Go One, We Go All.”

There is no indication that Mr Morrison was influenced to shape his speech to include those words or that his choice of words was in any way related to QAnon.

Mr Stewart’s son has previously accused former foreign minister Alexander Downer of being a “traitor” over the latter’s role in passing on information to US authorities in 2016 about the Trump campaign’s alleged connections to Russia.

Apart from retweeting bizarre comments made by his son, Mr Stewart regularly retweeted comments from another prominent Australian QAnon supporter, @KillAuDeepState. Before he, too, was banned by Twitter, this account was operated by a struck-off psychiatrist from Dee Why, on Sydney’s northern beaches. Dr Russell McGregor was found guilty of professional misconduct and was banned from practising as a doctor in 2020. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal held his publishing of his “bizarre beliefs about global conspiracies and other disturbing matters” had the potential to place “vulnerable psychiatric patients of the practice at risk.”

In July 2019 Dr McGregor posted a tweet which included three images featuring blue and white stripes. One was Julia Gillard, in a striped jacket, greeting Hillary Clinton. Another was a property with a striped wall belonging convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and, lastly, a striped backdrop on the Ellen DeGeneres show.

“Nothing to see here,” tweeted Dr McGregor.

Mr Stewart, who retweeted Dr McGregor’s post, also tweeted that the arrest of Epstein exposed a satanic cabal involving many world leaders and celebrities.

The unwelcome attention on Mr Stewart and his incendiary beliefs will ensure “The Storm” will not disappear any time soon with news that the ABC’s Four Corners program will now air on Monday.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/how-pm-s-pal-put-satanic-paedophile-conspiracy-in-the-public-eye-20210611-p580bx.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1gDv5bGiHw

>ALL ASSETS DEPLOYED

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 11:38 p.m. No.13884300 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4305 >>9882

Monk admits abuse after victim's fight for justice

Mark Daly - 12 June 2021

1/4

A former monk at a Catholic boarding school has pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse, bringing to an end one victim's eight-year fight for justice.

Fr Denis "Chrysostom" Alexander, who is now 85, admitted two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices against two boys between 1973 and 1976.

The offences took place at the Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Highlands.

Alexander, an Australian national, was first named as a paedophile by a BBC Scotland documentary in 2013.

One of his victims was Hugh Kennedy, now aged 58. He was in court and afterwards said his nightmare was "now finally over."

Alexander has been in custody in Australia and then Scotland since 2017. He will be sentenced next month.

Fort Augustus Abbey, at the southern end of Loch Ness, had been monastery for more than 100 years. The austere Benedictine monks who lived there operated a prestigious fee-paying Catholic boarding school, thought of as one of the best in the country.

The imposing abbey and school buildings were neatly tucked away behind the trees on the outskirts of the town.

The monks were rarely seen by locals, and were thought of as an amusing peculiarity. At its peak, about 300 pupils would board at the school.

Hugh Kennedy enrolled in 1974; a wide-eyed, blonde-haired boy of 11 who loved sport.

He was exactly the type of boy expected to excel within this environment.

But the strict and regularly brutal regime at Fort Augustus, alongside a hierarchical culture of bullying by his peers, would soon have him living in fear.

One teacher in particular had started to single him out for special punishment.

Fr Denis Alexander, also known as Fr Chrysostom, was an Australian priest who had arrived at Fort Augustus in the 1950s, around the same time as his fellow Australians, Frs Aidan and Fabian Duggan.

Each of this trio could be sadistically violent and would be eventually be exposed by the BBC as child sex abusers.

Hugh Kennedy says Alexander would call him to his room, where he would be told to take his pants down and he would cane his bare backside.

"He was softening me up, I now understand," Hugh says.

"I used to ask him why he was doing this but he just told me to shut up.

"I was receiving inexplicable beatings. He once made me kneel against the wall for six hours - he was terrorising me.

"Then suddenly it turned around on a sixpence. The beatings stopped; I was put back on his social list, which meant special treats like toast in his office, and yoga lessons. I was even made head altar boy.

"But this was all part of the grooming process, just to get me used to saying yes to everything."

Soon after, the sexual abuse started.

One night, in the dormitory Hugh shared with more than a dozen other boys, he awoke with a start to the smell of whisky close to his face. Alexander had crept into Hugh's dorm and abused him on his top bunk while the boy below him slept.

"By the next day, I'd convinced myself it hadn't happened," Hugh says.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 11:39 p.m. No.13884305 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4318

>>13884300

2/4

But the abuse escalated, and during a yoga class, Alexander carried out a serious sexual attack on Hugh.

"He told me it was a special thing between the two of us and no-one needed to know about it, and that no-one would believe me in any case," Hugh says.

The abuse by Alexander stopped, but later he was abused by another man at the school - an art teacher called Bill Owen, who is now dead - fuelling fears that abusive staff had shared victims.

Hugh says the abuse by Owen was serious and lasted several years.

"I believe it was organised, that there was a bit of 'pass the parcel' going on," Hugh says.

Hugh decided to tell someone about the abuse by Alexander.

He told his step-mother and the headmaster at the time, Fr Francis Davidson.

However, Davidson took Alexander's side and allowed the monk to visit Hugh's step-mother at home, to persuade her that her son was lying.

It worked, and Hugh was returned to the school. The police were never called.

Fr Chrysostom, who was known as the "piping monk" because of his love of the bagpipes, was free to carry on abusing.

And he did.

Nearly a decade ago, alongside producer Murdoch Rodgers, I started investigating allegations of abuse at Fort Augustus.

We met former Fort Augustus pupil Brendan, not his real name, who told us he had been repeatedly abused by Alexander when aged 13.

He had struggled with his mental health throughout his life, a condition rooted in, he believes, the abuse he suffered at the hands of the monk he knew as Fr Chrysostom

It was Brendan's story which started us on our path of investigating Alexander, who we knew had abruptly returned to his native Australia in 1977.

Brendan had raised the alarm about Alexander's abuse, and his parents complained to the school. The matter was once more dealt with internally by Fr Francis Davidson. There would be no police involvement, but this time Alexander was sent home to Australia.

I had wanted to find and confront Alexander in Australia but needed more evidence.

Then Brendan told us about a letter he'd been written by Alexander. It had been an apology - a confession - written to him and his parents on his return to Australia.

Brendan told us he'd been so angry he'd ripped it into pieces and threw it in the bin. Crucial evidence, apparently destroyed 35 years previously in the heat of the moment

But unknown to Brendan, his father had taped it back together and kept it.

The letter reads: "I am writing this letter with some consideration to apologise for the events of last term. I ask forgiveness not only for the incidents themselves but for the considerable distress it must have caused…

"All I can say is that I was under severe strain for the past 18 months…"

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 11:41 p.m. No.13884318 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4323

>>13884305

3/4

Back to Australia

It was all the evidence I needed. I tracked Alexander down to a quiet suburb of Sydney.

He'd been allowed to take up the priesthood in Australia without any prior warnings about his offending being given by the Benedictines.

In fact, he'd been sent a cheque for £50,000 in 2000 by the Benedictines, after the Fort Augustus Abbey had been closed and its affairs wound up. This was despite his confession about abusing children.

Unfettered by allegations about his past, he worked as a supply priest in Sydney for more than 20 years, attending holy communions and baptisms up until his retirement in the 2000s.

Cameraman Alan Harcus and I watched his home for eight days, waiting for the opportunity to put Brendan's allegations to him. Finally, just hours before we were due to fly home, he emerged from his front door.

The former monk refused to engage with my questions, told me to "go to blazes" and get off his property, then rammed his car into mine.

He'd been defiant, but this was a watershed moment in the investigation. The clock was now running.

The confrontation featured our 2013 documentary Sins of Our Fathers, which sparked a chain of events which ultimately would lead to the setting up of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and a major police investigation into Alexander and others.

The programme and subsequent follow-ups named more than a dozen Fort Augustus monks as abusers and several headmasters, including Fr Davidson, of covering up the abuse. Davidson, who is now dead, resigned from a religious post at Oxford university in the wake of the scandal.

Face the consequences

In 2013, Hugh Kennedy had just gone to the police about his abuse, and after watching the film, decided to speak publicly.

Hugh had struggled with his mental health throughout his life and believes his experiences at Fort Augustus contributed to a breakdown of his marriage and put pressure on other relationships.

He told me then that he wanted to apologise to his family "for what I put them through".

He said that Alexander had to face the consequences for his actions, saying, "I will face Chrysostom if needs be… because this is a bogeyman that's been on my shoulder my whole life."

Today, he says that had he known what the experience of going through the criminal justice system would be for a survivor of child sexual abuse, he would never have come forward.

"It has been eight years of pain," Hugh said.

What followed for Hugh Kennedy was a rollercoaster eight years of not knowing whether his abuser would ever face justice.

It was more than two years before the Crown Office sought Alexander's extradition from Australia, then another two years before he was arrested. In the meantime, the BBC continued to report on Hugh's case and ask questions about the delays.

Alexander had claimed he was too ill to be extradited and lodged several appeals. He had told the BBC before his arrest that he was being supported by the Catholic Church in Sydney, although this was denied by the church.

(continued)

>>13884318

4/4

Eventually, having expended all legal means of defiance, he was flown to Scotland in January last year.

"I was told the matter would be dealt with swiftly and expected a trial within a few months," said Hugh.

But then the pandemic struck, and justice ground to halt. Even once trials resumed, Hugh felt the case had been put on the back burner.

"It was almost as if it would have been easier for them if he just passed away in his cell.

"To survive the abuse is one thing, but to survive going through the criminal justice system is another thing altogether. The journey is horrific.

"I was continually kept in the dark.

"There's so much that could have been done differently. There seems to be no insight into the mental trauma involved for victims.

"Initially I put my trust in these people, but then found myself being let down continually. There's a lack of compassion, you're treated dismissively and there seems to be total lack training for staff dealing with these sorts of situations

"I would have crumbled if it wasn't for the support I was getting. I've got a fairly strong constitution but I've not been particularly well during this process, and people with lesser capacity would have sunk and gone away.

"If the BBC hadn't been continually covering this case, I doubt I had the ability to get it this far. What about all the other people who haven't journalists keeping the story in the public eye? They've got no chance of getting a case like this to court.

"Something has to change to make it easier for people to go through this process."

'It's finally over'

Until three days ago, Hugh had been living in fear that the case would be abandoned because of Alexander's failing health, or that he would die before going to trial.

On Wednesday morning, he was told of Alexander's intention to plead guilty.

In a voice racked with emotion, Hugh had struggled to get the words out when he called.

"All I've ever wanted was for him to admit what he's done to me and the others," he said.

"It's finally over."

He travelled up from the south of England overnight to see his "bogeyman" one final time.

Dressed in a green prison jumper, Alexander listened to the court proceedings in his wheelchair.

His defence counsel said the man sitting in court was very different to the one who carried out the offences.

Hugh says he is now ready to get on with his life. The ghosts of Fort Augustus are fading, and despite the struggle, he knows he has achieved something that for years had hung in the balance. He'd survived, and he'd won justice.

He said: "There are others who didn't feel able to go through with this. So even if it has been a living nightmare for eight years, I feel I did something right, for Brendan, for me, and for the others who didn't make it this far."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57428987

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 11:50 p.m. No.13884340 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9882

Former Christian Brother Ted Bales admits to abusing another 19 children

Adam Cooper - June 11, 2021

Convicted paedophile and former Christian Brother Ted Bales has pleaded guilty to abusing 19 children in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing to 50 his total number of confirmed victims.

Bales on Friday entered a plea of guilty through his lawyer to 33 charges of indecent assault in Melbourne Magistrates Court, related to 19 victims. The charges represent a series of offences against his victims as prosecutors withdrew dozens of other individual charges.

Bales, 71, who was formerly known as Edward Dowlan until he changed his surname by deed poll, was a teacher and dormitory supervisor at schools in Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool in the 1970s and 1980s, where the attacks took place. He was a Christian Brother until he left the order in 2008.

The charges he pleaded guilty to on Friday relate to offending in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, in Ballarat and in and around Geelong.

Bales was in 1996 jailed for abusing children and then went into prison again – where he remains – after being sentenced in 2015 for abusing a further 20 children, some as young as eight.

His latest admissions will probably mean his jail term will be increased after he fronts a plea hearing in the County Court in January.

He was jailed for five years in 1996 and in 2015 jailed for six years, with a non-parole period of three years. However the Court of Appeal increased his maximum jail term to eight years and five months after prosecutors successfully argued that the original jail term was manifestly inadequate.

Bales did not appear before the court on Friday and is still in prison serving his current sentence. Defence lawyer Andrew Croxford said Bales had provided instructions to enter a guilty plea on the latest charges.

Bales changed his surname after his first conviction in an attempt to escape publicity. Among the schools he taught at was St Alipius Primary School in Ballarat, where he worked alongside two of Victoria’s other most notorious paedophiles, Gerald Ridsdale and Robert Best.

Ridsdale, Australia’s most prolific paedophile priest, last year had his jail time extended until at least 2025. Ridsdale has been in jail since the late 1990s and has at least 69 confirmed victims though the true number might never be known.

Best was in 2017 ordered to serve at least another decade in prison for abusing 20 children at Victorian schools and cannot be released from prison until 2027 at the earliest.

The judges who last sentenced Ridsdale and Best acknowledged it was likely both men would die in custody given their old age and poor health.

Magistrate Pauline Spencer remanded Bales in custody to face the County Court for a two-day plea hearing starting on January 27.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or beyondblue 1300 224 636.

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

https://www.lifeline.org.au

https://www.beyondblue.org.au

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/former-christian-brother-ted-bales-admits-to-abusing-another-19-children-20210611-p5809k.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 11, 2021, 11:56 p.m. No.13884365 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9882

Sydney child rapist baby attack detailed

Carla Hildebrandt - June 11, 2021

The nightmarish details of a Sydney paedophile’s “brazen” child sex attacks on other parents’ children have come to light in court.

Marayong tradie Bryan Michael Grange, 38, filmed himself molesting a two-month-old baby and two other children under five in assaults between 2014 and 2018.

The voyeur pleaded guilty to a string of State and Commonwealth offences including having sexual intercourse with a child under 10, using a child to produce child abuse material and transmitting child abuse material.

Grange sat still and looked at Judge Kara Shead SC throughout his sentence hearing in the District Court on Friday, as the parents of a child victim and his wife separately watched on from the public gallery.

The Daily Telegraph has obtained the agreed facts which outline his sickening, “opportunistic” attacks, including when he filmed himself rubbing his penis on a baby’s mouth and ejaculating — in a 10-minute window he was left alone with the child.

But not all his attacks were unplanned.

Grange repeatedly molested a preschool-aged girl and filmed his “depraved” actions, such as using her feet to masturbate himself.

He molested her while she slept, when she was in the bath and in public toilets.

In one video he directs her to “turn around” and “bend over” and says, “Let me see … mmm, that’s a young one,” court documents show.

Australian Federal Police raided Grange’s home in November 2019 after they were tipped off by a US agency to a Sydney user of a dark web group.

Police found videos titled Family Contest and Junior Miss Pageant 1999 depicting pre-pubescent children in a pageant setting.

He had thousands of items of child abuse material, including bestiality, urination and bondage videos and pictures.

Grange admitted to a psychologist he was attracted to voyeurism and developed a sexual attraction to children in his late 20s.

Crown Prosecutor Alex Morris told the court Grange had a “real capacity” to mask and conceal his sexual attraction to children.

“He was completely able to fool his loving wife … in fact, she remains supportive and says she will be there upon his release,” Mr Morris told the court.

Mr Morris told the court Grange had a “lack of insight” into the seriousness of his offences.

Grange told a psychologist the attack on the baby was unplanned and he had taken Viagra that morning.

He penned a letter to the court about his “terrifying” experience behind bars during COVID-19.

“After I was arrested and put in prison, word got around about my charges and for my safety I had to go into the protection area,” he wrote.

“I have been housed in this area this whole time in prison. This means needing an officer escort to move around the prison such as court AVL, visits, medical and recreation areas such as the oval.”

Grange wrote how he suffered not being able to see his wife when face-to-face visits stopped.

“The outbreak here in prison was isolating and terrifying. The threat of an outbreak in prison still feels real to me and a very real threat and possibility,” he wrote.

Parklea Prison governor Peter Paul Baker appeared via AVL telling the court Grange was treated no different to other inmates during that time.

Grange told a psychologist he wished he got help earlier and was sorry to the victims and their families.

Judge Kara Shead SC will sentence Grange — who faces life in prison — in July.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/sydney-child-rapist-baby-attack-detailed/news-story/ea6b459c793021315b001de210310884

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 1:03 a.m. No.13884615 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9853

>>13855472

Australia owes Afghani interpreters for their combat bravery

HARRY MOFFITT - JUNE 11, 2021

From my first mission in 2002, mostly spent on foot on the Afghan/Pakistan border regions hunting Osama bin Laden, the interpreters were there with us.

Side by side and always armed only with their body armour, a bottle of water, and a smile.

Right through to working on the streets of Kabul, a city I grew to know better than Melbourne, our interpreters were critical on a daily and hourly basis. They not only assisted us in translating the nuance of up to four or five different dialects, gaining intelligence, and at times providing close protection, they became our friends.

From 2001 through to 2012, I completed 11 operational deployments as part of the Special Air Service Regiment, and Australian Defence Force. Of those, seven were to Afghanistan.

I am in regular contact with our interpreter friends both here and overseas. I consider them not only lifelong friends but brothers in arms in many cases.

Many were foreign nationals, who were recruited from the US or Australia; however, many more were Afghani nationals and locals, who returned to their villages and towns either daily or on regular leave to see their families.

The perilous nature of these interpreters’ existence is obvious, as is that of their families.

Many worked in diplomatic roles and from the relative safety of HQs, far behind the lines. But many more served in the front lines, on the battlefield.

Likely missed by the layperson watching footage of combat in Afghanistan on nightly TV, I regularly see the interpreters scrambling for cover in the background, as the gun fight erupts around them.

Unarmed, I can see them picking their way around the battlefield with relative calm, anticipating where they will next best be used. Many of our interpreters have seen more combat time on operations, in acquitting our national mission, than the majority of our Defence Force and, dare I say, many of our SAS operators.

Many have paid the ultimate price — beheaded and left on the sides of the remote tracks of the dasht. In one incident I experienced, having just been wounded in an improvised explosive device ambush, I found myself sobbing while holding the hands of our interpreter “Sammy” who had lost his legs in the explosion. These were not isolated incidents.

However, many of our former interpreters are certainly isolated in their homeland.

With an increasingly united and emboldened Taliban-al-Qaida regaining control in the Graveyard of Empires, the situation for our interpreter friends is increasingly dire and urgent.

Recent stories of death notices posted on front doors of Afghan interpreters’ houses are real. Our intelligence briefs regularly cited interpreters as of the highest interest to the enemy forces and an unimaginable fate would await any interpreter caught by them.

As the TB-AQ alliance continues to grow in Afghanistan, so does this serious threat to the safety of our comrades and their families.

This is to say nothing of the apparent rise of ISIS across the region highlighting that as coalition forces leave and local care and diplomatic agencies harden their compounds and local engagement, there will be nowhere for these friends to hide.

Certainly, the closure of the Australian Embassy in Kabul, and the apparent loss of somewhere to make their resettlement claims, will raise anxieties in the interpreter community both there and in Australia.

It was therefore of great comfort to hear the announcement from Defence Minister Peter Dutton that Afghan interpreters will be given “the highest visas processing priority” in resettlement application. They deserve nothing less.

I, like all of our ADF soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, remain ready to go anywhere, anytime to protect the most vulnerable people against the most despicable. And we do so knowing full well that we have great support behind us and ultimately can return to one of the luckiest countries in history.

I think this privilege should be immediately extended to those who have stood beside us in those most dangerous of circumstances, circumstances many of them continue to endure. Our Afghan interpreters, and their families, have acquitted themselves with excellence. I have no doubt they will continue to do so here where they can be appropriately recognised for their service.

Harry Moffitt is a former SAS team commander, now psychologist and author of Eleven Bats.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/australia-owes-afghani-interpreters-for-their-combat-bravery/news-story/a7b4f234ccade714548ed7c26d344312

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 1:05 a.m. No.13884625 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9853

>>13855472

Scott Morrison gives strongest indication yet that Afghan interpreters will be offered protection

The Prime Minister acknowledged time was of the essence, with some of the interpreters placed on Taliban kill lists.

sbs.com.au - 10 June 2021

Scott Morrison has all but confirmed Afghan interpreters who helped Australian troops will be evacuated and offered protection.

But the prime minister has been careful in commenting on how long the process would take, fearful it could put the interpreters at risk of persecution.

"We're working on that right now and I can't go into too much detail because I don't want to put anyone who is the subject of what we're doing there in any position of risk or danger," he told 6PR radio on Thursday.

Mr Morrison said he and the government were well versed on the protection visa process.

"This is a program we know well. We have done it before and we will work through this steadily. Our form and our record is being able to use our special humanitarian visa processes to do the right thing."

At least 300 interpreters are seeking protection in Australia as allied troops depart Afghanistan.

Mr Morrison acknowledged time was of the essence, with some of the interpreters placed on Taliban kill lists.

"We know what we need to do here and we're getting it done," he said.

The last Australian troops will depart Afghanistan by September, following America's decision to end the war before the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

A former major for the Australian Defence Force has told SBS News every effort must be made to help the Afghan interpreters who put their lives at risk to help Australian soldiers.

"To fail at this stage to evacuate them, or at least make the best possible effort that we can as a country - that will just be a catastrophic moral failure on our country's behalf," he told SBS News a fortnight ago.

Retired admiral Chris Barrie said a precedent was set following the Vietnam War, when military supporters brought refugees to Australia before the government officially endorsed the arrivals.

"We have a very serious obligation," he told ABC radio on Tuesday. "It would be unconscionable to leave these people to the mercy of the Taliban. We must do something to help them."

The United Kingdom and the United States have both agreed to fast-track the resettlement of thousands of Afghan interpreters and their families.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has indicated the current process for assessing humanitarian visas for Afghan employees remains in place.

"We are keen to support all those who are eligible to come to Australia and that is an absolute priority," she told reporters.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scott-morrison-gives-strongest-indication-yet-that-afghan-interpreters-will-be-offered-protection?cid=news:socialshare:twitter

Wolves in the weeds as Beijing’s harsh diplomacy backfires

Looking tired and anxious, Beijing’s ambassador Cheng Jingye has almost entirely retreated from Canberra’s diplomatic social scene. It turns out enemies are everywhere.

WILL GLASGOW - June 12, 2021

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Beijing’s man in Canberra, ambassador Cheng Jingye, looked tired and anxious.

There is a lot to worry about in the paranoid Xi Jinping era, especially for a cosmopolitan United Nations specialist like Cheng. For China’s diplomats, potential enemies are everywhere, inside and outside their walled compounds. Every encounter is a test of loyalty – and all recorded on their embassy’s or consulate’s Hikvision surveillance equipment.

“There’s a second Cultural Revolution going on,” says one senior Canberra-based diplomatic source, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity.

Once-common motions within the Canberra diplomatic community – such as a new ambassador paying a courtesy visit to their counterpart at the Chinese ambassador’s residence in Yarralumla – have now become fraught with risk.

In one such recent exchange, a new ambassador found that a junior Chinese diplomat sat by the worried-looking Chinese ambassador for the whole meeting, taking notes.

A subsequent invitation for a relaxed dinner was rejected. Cheng’s secretary cited “Covid” despite Canberra not having had a single domestic case for months.

One fellow ambassador says Cheng, 61, has almost entirely retreated from Canberra’s diplomatic social scene.

“In a situation like this, they need to be communicating. But instead they are isolated,” the ambassador tells Inquirer, saying the situation was similar at posts around the world.

“When things get difficult, they don’t answer. They close communication channels.”

Outside Canberra, the ambassador’s colleagues in the Chinese Foreign Ministry have called the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, a “running dog”, spread a conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was imported to Wuhan by the US army and, in Fiji, concussed a diplomatic representative from Taipei.

That last act of violence was triggered by a cake decoration: the Taiwanese flag, in miniature.

“A lot of this behaviour comes from insecurity,” says Peter Martin, the author of a new book called China’s Civilian Army, a sometimes disturbing and often hilarious study of PRC diplomacy.

“Individual diplomats find themselves in this very strange position where their country is stronger than it has ever been, but their place in the political system is as tenuous as it has been in decades,” the Bloomberg reporter tells Inquirer over the phone from Washington DC, his new base after a long stint in Beijing.

From ‘silver fox’ to wolf warrior

Things could be worse. During the frenzy of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, Chinese diplomats demonstrated their loyalty to Chairman Mao by beating up German diplomats in the streets. The Czechoslovakian ambassador was detained at an airport.

“Most dramatically, the British mission in the Chinese capital was stormed and torched by Red Guards,” Martin writes in his absorbing book.

When protests broke out outside the Chinese embassy in London, young Chinese diplomats engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the protesters. “British television news captured an image of a Chinese diplomat waving an axe,” Martin records.

Axes haven’t yet reappeared under Xi, but he has overseen a sharp new approach to asserting Chinese interests abroad. Capitals around the world took years to understand the change, which occurred in Beijing just months after Xi was anointed China’s President in March 2013.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 1:20 a.m. No.13884674 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4677

>>13884673

2/3

Julie Bishop encountered the new era on her first visit to Beijing as Australia’s foreign minister in December 2013. Her meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was one of the first examples of what was later dubbed “wolf warrior” diplomacy – named after a 2017 jingoistic action film that was the Chinese movie industry’s answer to Rambo.

In front of a media pack, the normally smooth-talking Wang – dubbed the Chinese equivalent of a “silver fox” by state media – erupted over comments Bishop had made before the trip.

Australia’s foreign minister had made a mild criticism of Beijing’s declaration of an air defence identification zone in the disputed East China Sea.

“It felt like an ambush,” Bishop tells Inquirer. “We certainly had no briefing or warning that it was coming.”

With hindsight, it was a seminal moment in China’s new approach to Australia. And it took place years before Canberra’s banning of Huawei from its 5G network, the passage of legislation aimed at China’s brazen interference in Australia’s political system, or the Morrison government’s call for an inquiry into Covid-19.

Reliving Wang’s public tirade before a Senate estimates hearing two months later, senior Australian foreign affairs official Peter Rowe said he had “never in 30 years encountered such rudeness”.

The profound shift in China’s dealings with the world was little understood by the Australian government. This included Australia’s then ambassador in Beijing, Frances Adamson, who is soon to leave her role as head of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Mandarin-speaking Adamson’s bafflement was summed up in a note she passed Bishop as she waited for Wang’s lecture to be translated. It read: “This is going terribly badly.”

As Martin reveals in his book, the episode derived from the fear Xi had instilled in China’s foreign ministry. They had a reputation in China for being soft – in need of calcium pills to toughen up their spines. Communist Party general secretary Xi wanted that ailment fixed. He demanded a foreign ministry with “fighting spirit”.

“Wang’s solution was to double down on the founding values of the ministry,” writes Martin.

“After all, it had been set up to help a closed and paranoid political system cope with a more open outside world. Many of these founding principles were perfectly suited to the emerging mood in Beijing.”

Wang had made as much clear four months before dressing down Bishop. In a speech given in August 2013, Wang said China’s diplomats needed to embrace the guiding principles of Mao’s suave premier and wily foreign affairs adviser Zhou Enlai.

“(Zhou) famously said that diplomats are the People’s Liberation Army in civilian clothing,” Wang told his department of soon-to-be wolf warriors. “A civilian army not only needs to maintain strict discipline and obedience to commands, but also needs to cultivate a strong character and work style … to serve the people like the PLA.”

They haven’t stopped fighting since.

Some are worried that Xi has taken it too far

Eight years on, with the wolf warrior volume turned up to 11, there is grumbling in Beijing about China’s anti-diplomatic diplomacy. Some voices have even suggested that China may have clubbed Australia a bit too hard.

Last December, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian caused a diplomatic storm by tweeting a provocative artwork of an Australian soldier murdering an Afghan child.

The popular nationalist blogger Ren Yi – who writes under the pen name “Chairman Rabbit” – told his more than two million fans on Chinese social media that Zhao’s approach was not helping China. Ren even suggested the pugnacious Zhao had been unknowingly “Trumpised”, a cutting insult in Xi’s China.

“This is very dangerous,” wrote the Beijing-based, Harvard University-educated princeling.

While he agreed uppity Australia was a deserving target for a few “pokes”, he argued worsening China-Australia relations would hurt China. It would make the new Biden administration tougher on China.

“Regarding this dispute between China and Australia, the author believes that China should cool down now. After all, Biden’s primary goal is to repair the relationship with allies, not to repair the relationship with China.”

(continued)

>>13884674

3/3

It was not one of Ren’s better-received posts. Most of China’s nationalistic netizens were on Zhao’s side. But the China-heavy agenda at this weekend’s G7 summit in Cornwall suggests Ren had a point, as do the invitations given to Australia, India and South Korea – three countries that have been on the receiving end of Xi’s assertive approach.

Scott Morrison is particularly keen to discuss matters with fellow “like-minded” countries after more than 12 months of Chinese trade attacks.

Even Xi seems to think it is time for some tinkering.

At a politburo study session last week, he told his senior colleagues that China needed to tell its story better and win the struggle to be more “loveable”.

“It is necessary to make friends, unite and win over the majority, and constantly expand the circle of friends (when it comes to) international public opinion,” he told the politburo, according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.

Diplomacy vs the cult of personality

China’s Paramount Leader is clearly frustrated with the country’s image in the developed world. But there is no indication that his anxious diplomats – in Canberra and elsewhere – will be allowed to do their jobs in a less rigid, more flexible manner.

Creative diplomacy is the antithesis of a cult of personality or the “self-criticism” sessions that are the hallmarks of the Xi era.

Martin says that while people should be open to the possibility that Beijing will change its approach, the cause of tensions between China and the developed world go far beyond diplomatic niceties. There’s Xi’s abolition of term limits. There’s his extraordinary crackdown on dissenting voices. And there’s the obsession with Marxist ideology, Leninist control and Xi’s own brilliance – including his hardline and “totally correct” approach to dealing with Uighurs in Xinjiang.

“I’m not sure there’s any way even the most skilled Chinese diplomat could sell those policies to a Western audience in a way that would be persuasive,” says Martin.

While the big picture is uncertain, the small stuff is much more clear: China’s civilian army is going to keep sweating about it.

In recent years, China’s diplomats have busied themselves defending the motherland’s honour against claims by South Korea that it invented fermented cabbage, “so-called kimchi”.

Others have demonstrated Beijing’s might by storming out of a meeting when the President of Nauru (population 13,000) let the Prime Minister of Tuvalu (population 12,000) speak before the representative of China (population 1.4 billion).

Martin says one of the key lessons of his more than four years of research for the book – which draws on scores of never-before-translated autobiographies – is that for Chinese diplomats, there is no such thing as a low-stakes encounter.

“We have this image that Chinese statesmen think in decades, not years. They are strategic and not caught up in tactics,” he says.

“But when you read these memoirs and you listen to accounts of these events, you realise, no, they are deep in the weeds – all the time.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/wolves-in-the-weeds-as-beijings-harsh-diplomacy-backfires/news-story/bfedbc5526195cb3185693d3dcc10c96

China accuses Australia of ‘abuse’, says world trade rules designed to protect western interests

Australia is guilty of ‘abusing state power’ and international trade rules are a protection racket for western powers, China has claimed.

Finn McHugh - June 11, 2021

Beijing has accused Australia of “abusing state power” by restricting Chinese investment, claiming western countries used world trade rules to maintain their dominance.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday lashed tariffs imposed by Beijing on a range of Australian products as “completely unconscionable”, just a day after urging the international community to bolster trade rules in a bid to kerb economic coercion.

En route to the G7 in the UK, Mr Morrison said Australia was eager to reopen dialogue with China, but was “not prepared to concede” on a list of 14 grievances published by Beijing, or “trade away” its values.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin insisted the sanctions protected the rights of Chinese producers and consumers, claiming Beijing opposed the “politicisation” of trade and “all kinds of bullying and political manipulation”.

But he framed world trade rules as a closed shop, designed by western powers to maintain control and neuter the growth of emerging countries.

“Who has politicised trade and economic issues, stretched the concept of national security, and abused state power to suppress and contain foreign companies? The Australian side has a clear idea,” he told reporters on Thursday.

The comments were an apparent reference to new powers, introduced last year, allowing the federal government to veto foreign investment on national security grounds.

The power was first used in April to scrap the controversial Belt and Road Initiative signed between China and Victoria, a move that angered China.

Japan has pledged to back Australia in its ongoing stoush with Beijing, raising concerns over rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong in a joint statement signed by the two countries on Tuesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also drew fire from Beijing by referring to Taiwan, along with Australia and New Zealand, as a “country” during remarks to the country’s parliament.

Mr Wang said the “flagrant” intervention had “severely violated” a commitment from Japan to refer to Taiwan as part of China, claiming Beijing had made representations to Tokyo over the comments.

“We ask Japan to make prompt clarification, remove the severe damage and ensure that such things won’t happen again,” he said.

“There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.

“We seriously urge the Japanese side to earnestly honour its commitment, be prudent in words and actions, avoid undermining China‘s sovereignty in any form, and refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwan independence forces.”

https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/china-accuses-australia-of-abuse-says-world-trade-rules-designed-to-protect-western-interests/news-story/6fc2bc7b017cf1826ae170e56e293a90

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 2 a.m. No.13884815 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

>>13884812

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on June 10, 2021

FSN: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison previously said that the WTO should penalize bad behavior when it occurs, and then separately referring to tariffs that China has placed on Australian exports, he said on the radio interview that barley and wine producers in Australia have been targeted with trade sanctions that "we believe are completely unconscionable". What's China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: On your first question, as is well known, major Western countries formulate most of the rules of world trade. It is their customary practice to maintain their hegemony and contain the growth of developing countries. Who has long been manipulating, maliciously circumventing WTO rules and paralyzing the DSM by thwarting selection of Appellate Body judges? Who has politicized trade and economic issues, stretched the concept of national security and abused state power to suppress and contain foreign companies? The Australian side has a clear idea.

China firmly opposes the politicization of economic and trade issues and all kinds of bullying and political manipulation. We urge relevant countries to stop the wrong practice of wantonly wielding the big stick of sanctions to pressure other countries, and take more concrete actions and play a more positive role in upholding the multilateral trading regime and promoting fair trade.

On your second question, the measures China takes on imported products are aimed to protect the rights and interests of domestic industries and consumers. They are in strict compliance with Chinese laws and regulations as well as WTO rules and are completely justified and lawful.

…..

The Paper: On June 9, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga listed Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan as "nations" that had adopted strong restrictions on private rights in a debate with opposition party leader at the National Diet. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: I noted relevant reports. Japanese leaders flagrantly refer to Taiwan as a "country" on multiple occasions, severely violating principles set out in the four political documents including the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and its solemn and repeated commitment of not seeing Taiwan as a country. China is strongly dissatisfied with Japan's wrong remarks and has lodged solemn representations to the Japanese side. We ask Japan to make prompt clarification, remove the severe damage and ensure that such things won't happen again.

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations, the basic trust and good faith between the two countries and the international rule of law and justice. We seriously urge the Japanese side to earnestly honor its commitment, be prudent in words and actions, avoid undermining China's sovereignty in any form and refrain from sending any wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" forces.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1882905.shtml

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 2:09 a.m. No.13884837 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9872

Scott Morrison makes G7 pledge that Australia will provide coronavirus jabs to SE Asia and Pacific region

Michael Mehr - June 12, 2021

Australia will provide 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to countries in South-East Asia and the Pacific as leaders at the G7-plus summit in Britain make a bid to distribute jabs more equally across the globe.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who arrived in the UK on Friday, thanked G7 host - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson - “for bringing us together to put even more effort into this area because the virus doesn’t know boundaries, the virus goes where it will”.

He said Australia’s contribution would feed into an effort led by Mr Johnson to vaccinate the world.

“These 20 million doses will go to support doses in our region, to ensure that we continue to exercise our responsibility as part of a broader global responsibility to combat this virus,” Mr Morrison said.

World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 44 per cent of all doses had been administered in rich countries but only 0.4 per cent in the poorest.

“Sharing vaccines now is essential for ending the acute phase of the pandemic,” Mr Ghebreyesus said, urging G7 countries to do more to battle inequality in accessing coronavirus vaccines.

The G7 group of wealthy democracies - Britain, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - invited the leaders of Australia, South Korea, South Africa and India to take part in the three-day summit in Cornwall in England.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will only attend the G7 virtually because of the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in his country.

They were greeted by the Queen and other members of the royal family including Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and Prince William and Kate.

Mr Morrison said Australia was in a strong position to support countries with vaccines because it had “supply contracts many times over what is needed for the Australian population” and that the jabs would make a difference.

“These aren’t going in large warehouses which essentially (is) without going anywhere - we want to ensure that we are taking responsibility for our region, our family in our region,” he said.

Mr Morrison’s plane arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday after heavy fog cancelled plans for it to land at Cornwall’s Newquay airport, requiring a drive of several hours for the Prime Minister to reach the summit venue in Carbis Bay.

“This is the third occasion that we’ve had the privilege to be invited to be part of these discussions and there is a lot on this agenda for Australia,” he said.

Mr Morrison was previously invited to the G7-plus 2019 summit in Biarritz, France, while the 2020 event was to be in the US but was cancelled because of the pandemic.

“We’ve met on so many occasions over the past 18 months over screens,” Mr Morrison said.

“There is no substitute for leaders getting together and doing what we are doing now - and there has never been a more important time to be doing that.”

https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/australia-pledges-jabs-for-region-at-g7-c-3087458

Scott Morrison holds historic meeting with US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at G7 summit

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JUNE 13, 2021

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Scott Morrison has held a historic meeting with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, bringing together three wartime allies to discuss escalating instability in the Indo-Pacific and the need to work more closely in response to regional and global threats.

The Prime Minister’s most important bilateral meeting of the G7 summit was expanded to include both Mr Biden and Mr Johnson, with Australia, the US and Britain discussing enhanced collaboration in key strategic, defence, infrastructure and critical supply chain initiatives.

The Indo-Pacific step-up, Beijing’s economic coercion of countries including Australia and increasing disinformation and cyber campaigns linked to China and Russia has been a key focus at the G7-plus leaders’ summit at the Cornish seaside resort village of Carbis Bay.

“Prime Minster Johnson, President Biden and Prime Minister Morrison met in the margins of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay on June 12, 2021,” a joint statement from the three leaders said.

“They discussed a number of issues of mutual concern, including the Indo-Pacific region. They agreed that the strategic context in the Indo-Pacific was changing and that there was a strong rationale for deepening cooperation between the three governments.

“They welcomed the forthcoming visits and exercises in the Indo-Pacific by the Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth.”

The meeting ran for 45 minutes, despite originally being slated for 20 minutes, and afterwards Mr Morrison and Mr Biden walked together to participate in a group photograph with other world leaders.

Mr Morrison described the talks as a “unique opportunity for a trilateral meeting”.

“That is not a usual opportunity that we’ve had at these events in the past,” Mr Morrison said.

“We had an opportunity today to discuss the Indo-Pacific situation more broadly. Australia has no greater friends than the United States and the United Kingdom and we’ve been working together on our respective security issues for a very long time.

“We had a good opportunity to talk about those and look to see how we can further co-operate in the future. The situation only reinforces the need for us to have deeper co-operation.”

Mr Morrison said the G7 summit was a “great opportunity for liberal democracies and advanced economies alike to be able to align their thinking and their outlooks on how they’re seeing issues around the world”.

The Prime Minister said Australia’s handling of the Chinese economic relationship was based on being “consistent”.

“We are for a stable and peaceful and open Indo-Pacific. That’s in everybody’s interests. It’s in Australia’s interests, it’s in China’s interests. And for the free trade that can occur throughout the region,” he said.

(continued)

>>13889054

2/2

The Australian understands G7 leaders will support a suggestion raised by Mr Morrison on Saturday for the WHO to be bolstered with powers similar to weapons inspectors.

Mr Morrison, who confirmed climate change was not the subject of their discussions, on Saturday night said Australia’s alliance with the US and UK as never being “has never been stronger.

“It was a meeting of great friends and allies who share a view on the world. It was a great opportunity for my first meeting of course with the President. I’ve known Boris for many years.

“And there was a very easy understanding among the three of us. As liberal democracies with a great history of friendship and partnership and a shared view on the world and its challenges, and strategic challenges at that. We are very conscious of the environment we face but whatever that environment is we’ll always face it together.

“Our alliance with the United States, our alliance with the United Kingdom has never been stronger.”

Mr Johnson had earlier formally welcomed Mr Morrison to the G7 in a beach ceremony, alongside other G7-plus members South Korea and South Africa.

Mr Morrison, who met with South Korean president Moon Jae-in at Tregenna Castle on Saturday morning before speaking at a G7 health and pandemic preparedness session, will meet with Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and German chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday.

Mr Morrison’s first in-person meeting with Mr Biden was initially intended to focus on ramping-up land force co-operation, the joint development of critical technologies, as well as climate change, new energy technologies and cyber threats.

Mr Johnson, who will hold one-on-one talks at Downing Street with Mr Morrison on Tuesday, has dramatically ramped-up Britain’s military presence in the Indo-Pacific, including sending naval carrier strike group led by aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 28-week maiden voyage including movements through the South China Sea and Philippine Sea.

Australia and the US will progress plans to align their strategic approach in the Indo-Pacific later this year when Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Marise Payne meet with their counterparts Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken at the upcoming AUSMIN meeting.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrison-holds-historic-meeting-with-us-president-joe-biden-uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson-at-g7-summit/news-story/7261bf0b48f086f342c073c02f830da5

Dan Andrews Tweet

If you can, you must.

Let's beat this, Victoria.

https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1403859886652334083

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 10:23 p.m. No.13890902 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0903 >>9872

Andrews government secretly negotiating permanent pandemic laws to replace state of emergency

Michael Fowler - June 13, 2021

1/3

The Andrews government is secretly negotiating with three crossbenchers to introduce specific pandemic laws that would permanently replace controversial state of emergency powers and significantly change the way the state manages COVID-19 this year.

Demands made by the powerful crossbenchers in return for their support include a requirement that police record the racial appearance of people they stop or fine for breaching health directions, and that the government is forced to be more transparent with the information and trigger points behind interventions such as lockdowns. Disadvantaged Victorians would also be exempted or pay reduced fines if found contravening restrictions.

The government will be emboldened by the impending return to work of Premier Daniel Andrews, who on Saturday night released a photo showing himself receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at The Alfred hospital on Wednesday, exactly three months after he fractured his spine in a fall at a rental home on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr Andrews, who fractured a vertebra and five ribs and narrowly avoided permanent spinal cord damage, will return to work on Monday, June 28.

In a Facebook post on Saturday night, the Premier said: “My vertebra has almost fully healed and my ribs are well on track. The team taking care of me has given me the all clear to get back to work soon.”

State of emergency laws have been active in Victoria since last March as the legal instrument that allows authorities to enforce a range of public health commands, including lockdowns, mandatory mask wearing and 14-day quarantine.

Human rights lawyers and opposition MPs say the sweeping powers, which are usually reserved for short-term disasters such as fires and floods, do not include enough safeguards to enforce proper government accountability and transparency.

The Age can reveal the government is designing the new laws to cover all future pandemics, not just the coronavirus pandemic. It is intended that they will be in place by December, when the current state of emergency provisions expire, and a first draft is expected within the next two months.

The pandemic legislation will be permanently shaped by the demands of three upper-house crossbenchers: Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Greens leader Samantha Ratnam.

They hold significant power because the government relied on their support to pass a nine-month state of emergency extension in March and a six-month extension before that.

The three crossbenchers promised their votes on the condition that new, more targeted laws would be drawn up with a particular focus on preventing the recurrence of incidents of the past 16 months that they viewed as government overreach, such as the snap lockdown of nine public housing towers last year.

In an unconventional move that has infuriated the Coalition and other crossbenchers, the Health Department is negotiating the new legislation with only Mr Meddick, Ms Patten and the Greens, and has held a series of meetings with them behind closed doors in recent weeks.

“If you didn’t vote for it in March, you didn’t get a seat at the table,” said one source familiar with the discussions.

Strengthening the crossbenchers’ power is the fact that if one were to pull out of negotiations because their demands were not met, the government would be back to square one in its attempts to pass powers that are integral to managing the coronavirus pandemic.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 10:24 p.m. No.13890903 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0905

>>13890902

2/3

The Greens outlined a series of demands at a meeting with senior Health Department officials on Tuesday. Most radical was a request for police to report the racial identity of every person they stop during a pandemic.

In response to questions from The Age, Greens health spokesman Tim Read said the change would “make transparent any bias or racism among their [police] ranks”, similar to an initiative in the United Kingdom that has consistently proven that police more frequently stopped and searched black and Asian people than white people.

Dr Read said his party would like organisations such as Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) to scrutinise policing in a pandemic.

“We would also like to protect disadvantaged members of the community from disproportionate impacts of lockdown, including public housing residents, people of colour and young people from low-income families,” Dr Read said.

That includes reducing the amount they pay in fines - an agreement the Greens partially secured in March - and preventing immediate lockdowns of public housing towers.

Mr Meddick said he agreed on reforming fines and public housing interventions, telling The Age he wanted the new legislation to be a health response first with legal consequences and enforcement as a “support structure only”.

“I feel we haven’t had that balance right at times in the last year,” he said.

The Animal Justice MP said he wanted the bill to include a provision that any tough restrictions are enacted in stages, with trigger points for the progression to the next phase. It is yet to be decided under what conditions the extreme powers enabled by specific pandemic legislation would be activated and deactivated.

“That is all about public transparency and giving the community surety about what would happen next and when,” Mr Meddick said.

“I don’t want Victorians to be pitted against each other, arguing whether we should have one rule or not. If there’s better transparency on how we go about dealing with this, I think to a very large degree you’ll find a lot of that confusion and anger evaporates.”

In a move that triggered condemnation among opposition MPs and lawyers in September, Labor proposed an addition to the state of emergency powers whereby “authorised officers” would be allowed to pre-emptively detain somebody they suspected of breaking health directions.

While the controversial idea was soon retracted, Hugh de Kretser, executive director of Australia’s Human Rights Law Centre, said it was an example of the government misjudging the balance between protection of health and an individual’s rights.

Mr de Kretser said strong legal safeguards, which are not built in to the current Public Health and Wellbeing Act, were critical given the potential for major restrictions on the public’s lives and employment.

“Restrictions must be no wider than what is strictly necessary to protect public health. They must be time limited. People must be able to test restrictions that affect them through accessible review mechanisms,” he said.

“Governments must be transparent in a timely way about the health evidence justifying any restrictions and the impact of those restrictions on people’s lives.”

(continued)

>>13890903

3/3

Confusion surrounded several major decisions during last year’s lockdowns in Victoria, particularly around the imposition of a night-time curfew.

Weeks after Premier Daniel Andrews announced the curfew, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton separately spoke on radio to reveal the curfew was not their recommendation. Mr Andrews subsequently refused to confirm whose idea the curfew was.

In negotiations with the government, Ms Patten has raised transparency as a key demand, and she told The Sunday Age the Parliament should play a more pronounced role in overseeing government decisions.

“The public deserve to know the underlying thinking and scientific information that leads us to things like lockdowns,” the Reason Party MP said.

Mr de Kretser also encouraged wide consultation on any new laws to deal with pandemics.

“Getting this right is critically important. We’re talking about matters of the utmost public interest.”

Liberal MP Georgie Crozier, the opposition’s health spokeswoman who shares the upper house with the three influential crossbenchers, went further, saying the government was being “held to ransom”.

“These three are not from major parties, they don’t have a big voter base and yet they are wielding so much power over the government,” she said.

“This government is only the government of the day. They are now making enormous decisions based on three crossbenchers who want their narrow agenda accommodated. It’s not good for our democracy and it’s not good for Victorians.”

A government spokesman confirmed the Health Department was exploring an addition to the existing Public Health and Wellbeing Act “that will update and streamline key parts of Victoria’s pandemic response”.

“A constructive process is under way with key stakeholders to inform the development of this change, to ensure that Victoria’s approach is best practice in comparison with other jurisdictions and complements our own existing and highly effective emergency management frameworks,” he said.

Greg Buchhorn, a lawyer and policy committee member of civil rights group Liberty Victoria, said the broad State of Emergency laws have resulted in some extreme intrusions on individual rights, such as forcing new prisoners to do 14 days of quarantine - “effectively solitary confinement” - even with little to no COVID-19 in the community.

“Because we don’t have clearly defined laws on what governments or bureaucracies can do, we’re giving away all this power and it has real-life consequences,” he said.

“Ultimately there’s no specific way to challenge these decisions under the current legislation and it doesn’t specify: where do we draw the line on the powers we give the government?”

Confirmation that Premier Andrews will resume his leadership of the pandemic response comes after a week in which the circumstances around his fall dominated the agenda at Parliament, starting when Liberal MP and shadow treasurer Louise Staley demanded he answer 12 questions about the March 9 injury.

The questions included who called the ambulance and whether police interviewed Mr Andrews, leading Labor MPs to accuse Ms Staley and the opposition of peddling “QAnon craziness”.

A spokeswoman for the Premier - who wore a North Face shirt, the brand that became synonymous with his 120 consecutive press conferences last year, while receiving his Pfizer shot - said Mr Andrews had been keen to get vaccinated as soon as possible and experienced no adverse reaction to the jab.

Acting Premier James Merlino will return to his roles as Deputy Premier, Education Minister and Mental Health Minister when Mr Andrews returns.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/andrews-government-secretly-negotiating-permanent-pandemic-laws-to-replace-state-of-emergency-20210611-p5807t.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 10:39 p.m. No.13890929 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9849

George Papadopoulos Tweet

US spy boss James Robert Clapper Jr makes secretive visit to Australia - ABC News

(Keep this story in mind. Will make sense shortly)

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1403780633139159042

US spy boss makes secretive visit to Australia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-16/us-spy-boss-makes-secretive-visit-to-australia/7251590

—

US spy boss James Robert Clapper Jr makes secretive visit to Australia

Andrew Greene - 16 Mar 2016

America's top spy, the US Director of National Intelligence, is on a secret visit to Australia, the ABC has learnt.

James Robert Clapper Jr directs the US National Intelligence Program and reports directly to President Barack Obama.

So far the Federal Government is refusing to give any details of his activities and meetings while in Australia, but the United States embassy in Canberra has confirmed Mr Clapper's visit.

"As allies, the United States and Australia cooperate closely on a wide range of issues," an embassy spokeswoman told the ABC.

"It is not uncommon that senior US Government officials visit Australia and engage in high-level consultations."

Before flying to Australia Mr Clapper stopped over in New Zealand where he met with Prime Minister John Key.

"I've met General Clapper on a couple of occasions. He's obviously got great insight into intelligence and what's happening around the world," Mr Key said.

The US intelligence chief is believed to be travelling onboard a US military C-17 Globemaster.

Last week the Australian Federal Police hosted the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation James B Comey on a two-day visit to Australia.

Mr Comey also met with Attorney-General George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-16/us-spy-boss-makes-secretive-visit-to-australia/7251590

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 10:56 p.m. No.13890952 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

High Commissioner to the UK George Brandis Tweet

Today, the Prime Minister visited St Illogan Cemetery to lay a wreath for the 8 Australians remembered there. You can learn their stories here - http://bit. ly/3gffqPm

@ScottMorrisonMP also thanked the @CWGC for their critical work in honouring our fallen.

https://twitter.com/AusHCUK/status/1403696693842001922

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?Cemetery=ILLOGAN+(ST.+ILLOGAN)+CHURCHYARD&CemeteryExact=true&Size=10&WarFilter=2&ServedWithFilter=Australian&CemeteryFilter=illogan+(st.+illogan)+churchyard

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 11 p.m. No.13890958 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9872

G7 leaders discuss Wuhan lab leak theory and back new investigation

Bevan Shields - June 13, 2021

Carbis Bay: A previously discredited theory that the coronavirus pandemic was triggered by a Wuhan lab leak has been discussed by the world’s most powerful leaders, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison says more work is needed to find out what caused the global “carnage”.

The G7 is on Sunday expected to back a fresh independent investigation into the origins of the deadly disease, as well as reforms to the World Health Organisation and a new scheme to force countries into declaring dangerous outbreaks much sooner.

US President Joe Biden led the charge at the gathering in Cornwall after recently ordering his own officials to “redouble” their efforts to determine whether the virus came from a laboratory accident or human contact with an infected animal.

The majority of the US intelligence community believes those two scenarios are most likely but Mr Biden said there is not yet enough information to assess one as more likely than the other.

Asked about whether there should be a new investigation, Mr Morrison framed the inquiry as a chance to prevent future pandemics rather than a tool to target China.

“The purpose of these inquiries is to understand,” he said.

“It’s got nothing to do with politics or frankly blame or anything else. It is about understanding it so we all on a future occasion, should it occur, can move quickly and can respond and avoid the absolute carnage that we’ve seen from this pandemic to both lives and livelihoods all around the world.

“The transparency around these things is incredibly important just for health and safety, if nothing else.”

Mr Morrison last year said Australian officials had no information to suggest the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

He would not say in Cornwall whether the Australian government now has a view on whether a lab leak or animal transmission is the most likely source of the virus.

Australia’s 2020 calls for an independent inquiry sparked a furious backlash from Beijing and led to a series of retaliatory trade sanctions.

That World Health Organisation-led inquiry found a lab leak was lab leak “extremely unlikely” but the probe was criticised as insufficient and questions have been raised about how much access the WHO team had to Chinese information.

Mr Morrison said that the original team was still working to find out more and backed that extra work.

The Wuhan lab leak theory was promoted by former US president Donald Trump over 2020 but widely dismissed by health experts and some foreign intelligence officials.

However it has gained new momentum over recent weeks following the latest US intelligence assessment and Biden’s open mind on the subject.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed the G7 leaders discussed the possibility of a lab leak during a session on Saturday afternoon about health.

“So far close to 3.75 million people have died,” he said.

“This is very tragic and the respect these people deserve is knowing what the origin of this virus is so that we can prevent it happening again.

Dr Tedros said he wanted “better co-operation and transparency” from China during the next stage of the investigation.

The G7 communique to be released on Sunday will also support the creation of a new early-warning system to detect infectious disease threats sooner.

“Having that opportunity to be able to identify these pandemics at their very early onset and to be able to take very quick action relying on very good and reliable information – this is a key lesson I think out of this pandemic,” Mr Morrison said.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/g7-leaders-discuss-wuhan-lab-leak-theory-and-back-new-investigation-20210612-p580km.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 12, 2021, 11:33 p.m. No.13890985 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9875

Chinese Consulate General in Sydney Tweet

Proponents of the theory that the virus which causes #COVID_19 was created in and escaped from #China's Wuhan Institute of Virology imply that new evidence has emerged to support it, but in fact none has: Australian Citizens Party.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-06/11/c_1310002762.htm

https://twitter.com/ChinaConSydney/status/1403631910367137793

—

Still no evidence for COVID-19 leak from Wuhan lab: media

xinhuanet.com - 2021-06-11

Australian reporter Sharri Markson's "exclusive" report that Chinese military and public health officials had been working on weaponizing coronaviruses since 2015 was quickly debunked, including by some of the very "experts" she cited, according to an article published on the website of Australian Citizens Party.

SYDNEY, June 11 (Xinhua) - Proponents of the theory that the virus which causes COVID-19 was created in and escaped from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology imply that new evidence has emerged to support it, but in fact none has, according to an article published on the website of Australian Citizens Party.

Media mouthpieces of the Anglo-American empire's "War Party" are doing their utmost to reinvigorate the theory that has been repeatedly hyped up in the West, joined by Sharri Markson, the Australian newspaper's alleged investigative reporter, whose aim is to fuel tensions with China instead of solving scientific problems, according to the article published on June 2.

Markson's "exclusive" report that Chinese military and public health officials had been working on weaponizing coronaviruses since 2015 was quickly debunked, including by some of the very "experts" she cited, as being based on a book that has been freely available online for years, said the article by Richard Bardon, researcher for the Australian Alert Service, the weekly publication of the Australian Citizens Party.

This COVID-19 origin debate must not be allowed to turn into a repeat performance against China, it said.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-06/11/c_1310002762.htm

—

Still no evidence for COVID ‘lab leak’ theory

Richard Bardon, Australian Alert Service - 2 June 2021

https://citizensparty.org.au/still-no-evidence-covid-lab-leak-theory

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 13, 2021, 1:25 a.m. No.13891350 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9889

>>13890900

Dan Andrews Instagram Post

I’ve got some good news to share.

My vertebra has almost fully healed and my ribs are well on track. The team taking care of me has given me the all clear to get back to work soon.

To Cath, the kids and the doctors, nurses, ambos and physios who've taken care of me - I can't thank you enough.

While I've been recovering the state has been in great hands. I am so grateful to @JamesMerlinoMP for stepping in to lead the Government and the state — he's done an amazing job.

On Monday 28 June I'll be back to work - and back to getting things done. I can't wait.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQBDZ8LFmZ3/

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Footage proves bats were kept in Wuhan lab

Sky News Australia

Jun 13, 2021

The Wuhan Institute of Virology kept live bats in cages, new footage from inside the facility has revealed, disproving denials from World Health Organisation investigators who claimed the suggestion was a “conspiracy”.

An official Chinese Academy of Sciences video to mark the launch of the new biosafety level 4 laboratory in May 2017 speaks about the security precautions that are in place if “an accident” occurs and reveals there had been “intense clashes” with the French Government during the construction of the laboratory.

The video shows bats being held in a cage at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, along with vision of a scientist feeding a bat with a worm.

The 10 minute video is titled “The construction and research team of Wuhan P4 laboratory of Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences” and features interviews with its leading scientists.

The World Health Organisation report investigating the origin of the pandemic failed to mention that any bats had been kept at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and only its annex referred to animals being housed there.

“The animal room in the P4 facility can handle a variety of species, including primate work with SARS-CoV-2,” it states.

A member of the World Health Organisation team investigating the origin of the pandemic in Wuhan, zoologist Peter Daszak said it was a conspiracy to suggest bats were held at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

In one tweet dated December, 2020 he said: “No BATS were sent to Wuhan lab for genetic analysis of viruses collected in the field. That’s now how this science works. We collect bat samples, send them to the lab. We RELEASE bats where we catch them!”

In another tweet, dated December 11, 2020, he said: “This is a widely circulated conspiracy theory. This piece describes work I’m the lead on and labs I’ve collaborated with for 15 years. They DO NOT have live or dead bats in them. There is no evidence anywhere that this happened. It’s an error I hope will be corrected.”

This month, Daszak appeared to retract his earlier denials and admitted the Wuhan Institute of Virology may have housed bats but admitted he had not asked them.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences video was discovered by researchers investigating the origin of the pandemic who call themselves DRASTIC.

Digital archivist “Jesse” found the Chinese Academy of Sciences Video while the group's co-ordinator, who goes by a pseudonym of “Billy Bostickson” for safety reasons, has long complained evidence bats were housed in the Wuhan laboratories.

The video forms part of the investigation for the book “What Really Happened in Wuhan” which is available for pre-order at Amazon and Booktopia.

Mr Daszak has not responded to requests for comment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANRs4DojOek

>>13895726

Wuhan live bat video contradicts WHO investigation

SHARRI MARKSON - JUNE 14, 2021

1/2

The Wuhan Institute of Virology kept live bats in cages, new footage from inside the facility has revealed, disproving denials from World Health Organisation investigators who claimed the suggestion was a “conspiracy”.

An official Chinese Academy of Sciences video to mark the launch of the new biosafety level 4 laboratory in May 2017 speaks about security precautions in place if “an accident” occurs and reveals there had been “intense clashes” with the French government during the construction of the laboratory.

The video shows bats held in a cage at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, along with a scientist feeding a worm to a bat.

The 10-minute video – titled “The construction and research team of Wuhan P4 laboratory of Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences” – also features interviews with the lab’s leading scientists.

The WHO report investigating the origin of the pandemic failed to mention that any bats had been kept at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and only its annex referred to animals being housed there.

“The animal room in the P4 facility can handle a variety of species, including primate work with SARS-CoV-2,” it states.

US government officials investigating the origin of Covid-19 had questioned how a naturally occurring virus from bats in the Yunnan Province in southwestern China could have started a pandemic in Wuhan – a 20-hour drive away – without leaving any clusters or outbreaks along the way.

This revelation is crucial because it raises the possibility a lab employee may have become infected from a diseased bat housed in cages at the Wuhan institute.

Samples could also have been subject to genetic manipulation and other gain-of-function research which aims to increase the transmissibility and virility of viruses, ostensibly in order to predict which may be able to infect humans and cause a pandemic.

World leaders had called for the closure of Chinese wet markets where it had been believed bats were butchered and sold.

Bats were not sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market but were kept at the level 2 and 3 laboratories at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

A member of the WHO team investigating the origin of the pandemic in Wuhan, zoologist Peter Daszak, said it was a conspiracy to suggest bats were held at the Wuhan institute.

In one tweet in December, Dr Daszak said: “No BATS were sent to Wuhan lab for genetic analysis of viruses collected in the field. That’s not how this science works. We collect bat samples, send them to the lab. “We RELEASE bats where we catch them.”

In another tweet, he wrote: “This is a widely circulated conspiracy theory. This piece describes work I’m the lead on and labs I’ve collaborated with for 15 years. They DO NOT have live or dead bats in them.

“There is no evidence anywhere that this happened. It’s an error I hope will be corrected.”

(continued)

>>13898710

2/2

This month, Dr Daszak appeared to retract his earlier denials and admitted the Wuhan Institute of Virology may have housed bats.

He also admitted the WHO team had not asked them about it.

“We didn’t ask them if they had bats. I wouldn’t be surprised if, like many other virology labs, they were trying to set up a bat colony. I know it’s happening in labs here and in other countries,” he wrote on Twitter on June 1. “You’re right, labs in US & around world are trying to keep bats to test viral immune responses etc.

“None are successfully doing this at scale like lab mice & animals are always screened virus-free before expts, (sic) so even if WIV were trying this, it’s prob irrelevant for origins.”

The Chinese Academy of Sciences video shows bats in cages at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and a researcher feeding a worm to a bat. It was discovered by researchers investigating the origin of the pandemic who call themselves DRASTIC.

The group’s digital archivist, “Jesse”, found the video while the group’s co-ordinator, who goes by a pseudonym of “Billy Bostickson” for safety reasons, has long complained about evidence bats were housed in the Wuhan laboratories.

Kevin Carrico, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at Monash University, translated the video for The Australian.

It states there were difficulties behind-the-scenes during the construction phase of the level 4 laboratory. The lab was initially meant to be a joint undertaking between the French and Chinese governments.

“Our collaboration with France on this project went through more than a decade of intense clashes resulting from our different cultural backgrounds and understandings,” the video says. After it was built, the French scientists and officials were evicted from the laboratory, sparking concerns among French intelligence about the type of biological research China planned to undertake there.

In the video, Wuhan Biosafety Level 4 laboratory director Yuan Zhiming discusses the technical support in the central control room in case there are “any accidents”. “Staff in our central control room remain in constant contact with staff in our laboratory,” he said.

“Providing necessary technical support for their experiments as well as for any accidents.”

The video also shows a bat hanging off a researcher’s hat while the narrator speaks about the work of the lab’s director of emerging infectious diseases, Shi Zhengli. “Over more than a decade, Shi Zhengli’s research team has collected more than 15,000 bat samples in China and many countries of Africa, searching for the origins of SARS, as well as isolating and characterising many new viruses,” the narrator says.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has now collected 19,000 bat samples, with coronaviruses detected in 2481 samples.

The SARS-like coronaviruses had only been found in Yunnan, according to information Shi Zhengli gave the WHO.

Dr Daszak has not responded to requests for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/wuhan-live-bat-video-contradicts-who-investigation/news-story/3c9445445f7cd1e1ad0229665660b1df

https://web.archive.org/web/20201210114149/https://twitter.com/PeterDaszak/status/1336998740981403649

https://twitter.com/PeterDaszak/status/1337047733253836803

https://twitter.com/PeterDaszak/status/1399568887499350017

https://twitter.com/PeterDaszak/status/1399783037089599498

>>13889054

Allies rally to Scott Morrison’s call on China

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JUNE 14, 2021

1/3

Scott Morrison has won the support of the world’s biggest democracies and Australia’s wartime allies – the US and Britain – in pushing back against growing Chinese power and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Prime Minister raised China’s list of 14 grievances against Australia in his private address to leaders on the final day of the G7 summit, setting-out “very clearly that there are differences in world view”.

Mr Morrison said while the Chinese embassy’s list of grievances was not a surprise to G7 leaders given recent tensions with Australia, “there was obviously a lot of interest about the reasons for that”.

“And they may never be able to be resolved. But living with China, which is the goal, also requires us to be very clear about what our values are, what our principles are, how our countries are run. And how we will continue to run,” Mr Morrison told The Australian.

Speaking before flying into London on Sunday night, Mr Morrison said Australia was not alone in sharing similar experiences with China, “particularly those who are more familiar with the region, who have had greater engagement with the region”.

“There are European countries that have been through similar periods as Australia.

But the way through that is just to be patient,” he said.

“Keep seeking what the ultimate goal is, to be consistent and clear and resolute in the positions that you hold but with the objective of getting to a point where we once again can engage in the dialogue and the partnership that we have in the past.

“But not at the cost or the price of any of the issues that were set out on those 14 points being conceded.”

The summit has already delivered two pointed messages to Beijing, with G7 leaders announcing a global infrastructure plan to rival China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative and the World Health Organisation demanding more transparency over the origin of the coronavirus.

“There were difficulties in data sharing, especially raw data … (we) hope the next phase there will be better co-operation and transparency,” the WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said.

The G7 communique released at the end of the three-day summit in the Cornish seaside resort village of Carbis Bay called out China over poor behaviour including human rights abuses.

In brief comments before a bilateral meeting with Mr Morrison on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said “the only difference in views (at the G7) was the intensity of the message to China”, reflecting hesitation by some European nations in escalating tensions with Beijing.

Mr Morrison said some European nations had a “different perspective because of their geography”.

“They have a different perspective because of their economies. We have a different perspective because we live in the Indo-Pacific and so our economies are integrated into the Indo Pacific differently to what they are in Europe.”

“But that’s changing rapidly. What I detected was an increasing and significant awareness of the impact of tensions in the Indo-Pacific for the broader global system and that in particular relates to Europe.

“There was a very high level of awareness and a very strong level of support for what has been a very consistent and clear stand that Australia has taken. Consistent with our democratic values which are shared by all of those who joined in the discussions these past few days.”

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 13, 2021, 10:09 p.m. No.13898758 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8763

>>13898754

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Responding to comments made by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that a sensible person wouldn’t discount that Covid-19 could have come from a lab, Mr Morrison said the second phase of the World Health Organisation into the origins of the pandemic was “already overdue”.

“I can’t tell you how it’s sourced. I don’t know. That’s the point, we don’t know and all the potential sources should be obviously understood. And for another reason so we know how we might be able to handle this better in the future.”

Mr Morrison has supported a global early warning system to provide nations early advice at the onset of a pandemic and for the WHO to be handed weapons-inspector style powers.

Historic trilateral meeting

Mr Morrison’s G7-plus speech came after a historic meeting with Joe Biden and Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the summit in the Cornish resort of Carbis Bay where they spoke of escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific and the need to work closely in response to those threats.

A planned first in-person meeting between Mr Morrison and Mr Biden, where they were set to discuss defence and strategic partnerships across security, climate change and supply chains, was scaled-up 24 hours before the talks, with Australia, the US and UK coming together for a rare trilateral meeting.

That meeting followed a separate catch-up between Mr Morrison and Mr Johnson at the British leaders’ residence.

After the talks, Mr Biden and Mr Morrison walked together to the G7-plus leaders’ family photo before a joint US-Britain-Australia statement was released.

“They discussed a number of issues of mutual concern, including the Indo-Pacific region. They agreed that the strategic context in the Indo-Pacific was changing and that there was a strong rationale for deepening co-operation between the three governments,” the joint statement said.

Mr Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga – another key player in the region – shared breakfast and a beach walk together on the final day of the summit, discussing regional security and climate partnerships.

The Indo-Pacific step-up, Beijing’s economic coercion of countries including Australia, and increasing disinformation and cyber campaigns linked to China and Russia have been a key focus at the G7-plus leaders’ summit.

Mr Morrison said the meeting with Mr Biden and Mr Johnson had allowed them “to discuss the Indo-Pacific situation more broadly”. “Australia has no greater friends than the United States and the United Kingdom and we’ve been working together on our respective security issues for a very long time,” he said of the Australia-US-UK leaders’ meeting.

“We had a good opportunity to talk about those and look to see how we can further co-operate in the future. The situation only reinforces the need for us to have deeper co-operation.” The Prime Minister was due to fly to London on Sunday night, ahead of an address to business leaders at an Australian British Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Monday and planned meetings with national security agency heads at MI6, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and senior ministers including British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

(continued)

>>13898758

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Following a NATO summit on Monday – where Mr Biden will agitate for the security alliance to refocus its mission towards new global threats – Mr Johnson will return to London for a dinner with Mr Morrison.

The pair will meet at Downing Street on Tuesday morning, where an initial plan for them to sign an in-principle agreement is now unlikely to occur. Mr Morrison is also expected to meet with the Queen at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

Speaking to G7 leaders and guests in an earlier session on health and pandemic preparedness, Mr Morrison backed a global early warning system for pandemics and a 100-day plan proposed at the summit.

The Australian understands Mr Morrison won support – which was expected to be reflected in the final G7 communique – in relation to his calls for the World Health Organisation to be bolstered with new powers similar to those of weapons inspectors.

Mr Morrison also declared “more work” needed to be done to determine the origins of Covid-19, with global investigations focused on whether it had natural origins or may have leaked from a lab.

Australia’s early push to investigate the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a rapid deterioration of economic relations with China, as Beijing imposed significant tariffs on imports of wine, beef, coal and barley.

“It’s very important that we understand the origins and there has already been discussion around our preparedness for any future pandemic that the world can move quickly on issues like vaccines,” Mr Morrison said, adding the purpose of the inquiries had nothing to do with “politics or frankly blame”.

“It’s about understanding it so we all on a future occasion can move quickly and can avoid on a future occasion the absolute carnage that we’ve seen from this pandemic,” he said.

“The process we called for is not yet done, it is recommending further work. And recommending that there be further powers for the WHO to be able to identify these things early, and ensure that information is passed on in a timely way.”

Mr Morrison, who confirmed climate change was not the subject of his discussions with Mr Biden and Mr Johnson, said Australia’s alliance with the US and UK “has never been stronger”.

“It was a meeting of great friends and allies who share a view on the world. It was a great opportunity for my first meeting, of course, with the President. I’ve known Boris for many years.

“And there was a very easy understanding amongst the three of us. As liberal democracies with a great history of friendship and partnership and a shared view on the world and its challenges, and strategic challenges at that.

“We are very conscious of the environment we face but whatever that environment is we’ll always face it together.”

Mr Johnson has dramatically ramped-up Britain’s military presence in the Indo-Pacific, including sending a naval carrier strike group led by aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 28-week maiden voyage, including movements through the South China Sea and Philippine Sea.

Mr Morrison said Australia’s handling of the Chinese economic relationship was based on being “consistent”.

“We are for a stable and peaceful and open Indo-Pacific. That’s in everybody’s interests,” he said.

“It’s in Australia’s interests, it’s in China’s interests. And for the free trade that can occur throughout the region.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/allies-rally-to-scott-morrisons-call-on-china/news-story/5d2a8765184819a5d988c0858b7c2e6d

QAnon follower Tim Stewart's an old friend of Scott Morrison. His family reported him to the national security hotline

Louise Milligan, Jeanavive McGregor and Lauren Day - 14 June 2021

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The family of a man who has been friends with Prime Minister Scott Morrison for decades and follows the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon have revealed they are so concerned about his beliefs they have notified the national security hotline several times.

The Stewart family have broken their silence to Four Corners because they are worried about the immersion of Tim Stewart in QAnon beliefs.

QAnon's followers broadly believe that former US President Donald Trump has waged a secret war against corrupt and satanic elites, including parts of government (dubbed the "deep state") and A-list celebrities.

Tim Stewart and his wife Lynelle's friendship with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny began in the early 90s.

Tim has been described on social media by Scott Morrison as an "amazing guy". Lynelle Stewart worked for her "forever friend" Jenny Morrison at the official Prime Ministerial residence in Sydney, Kirribilli House, as a household attendant until late last year.

During that time, the Stewart family say their concerns about Tim grew as he has become increasingly obsessed with the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Tim's sister Karen Stewart says his views are extreme.

"Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles," Karen says.

"I don't understand why the PM would want to be seen to be with someone who has such radical beliefs."

Scott Morrison has not responded on the record to questions about whether he and Tim Stewart are still friends.

When asked about Four Corners's upcoming story in a recent press conference, the Prime Minister said it was disappointing the program would seek to cast aspersions on him and his family.

"I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation. I clearly do not," Mr Morrison said.

Karen Stewart says, "the experience of watching someone become radicalised is the most unusual thing," but she feels it was her "civic duty to make that phone call" to the national security hotline.

"We decided we can make excuses for lots of things but if we're under threat and our safety is a concern, we have to legitimately inform somebody," Karen says.

"So, we did make a report to the authorities to ensure that we were doing the right thing as community members."

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 13, 2021, 11:05 p.m. No.13898977 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8981

>>13898968

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Tim Stewart believes 'evil people' are trying to harvest children's blood

Tim Stewart's blog, Sideways Step, lays out a central thesis of the QAnon conspiracy theory - that a group of leftist elites are running a paedophile ring designed to harvest children's blood.

"The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission," Mr Stewart writes.

"Furthermore, it is focused on children, who are more innocent and unaware …

"Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity? … Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?"

Tim's family says he told them he could talk to cockroaches and that both former American first lady Michelle Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were actually men.

"They believe there's a spiritual warfare being waged and that they have knowledge of this and so that they're on a crusade to win to make sure that the Satanists are overthrown," Karen says.

Four Corners has learned that Australia's top spy chief, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, has also been made aware of the concerns about Tim Stewart.

The internet's 'saddest place'

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank that examines extremism, recently reported that Australia was the fourth most active country for QAnon supporters after the US, Canada and the UK.

Jitarth Jadeja is a moderator of an online forum for people who've lost family members to QAnon. The Reddit group has about 160,000 members.

"Every day I see … stories of families being ripped apart; people's children being kicked out of the house by their parents. People having to call off marriages after decades," Mr Jadeja says.

"It is the saddest place on the internet."

Mr Jadeja knows the power of the conspiracy theory. He was completely engrossed in it for one and a half years.

"The power is the behavioural change that it causes in a believer, it's destructive to the person themselves and their relationships, their family and friends."

"It destroyed beyond repair a lot, if not most, of my relationships."

Tim Stewart's mother Val has watched her son's dramatic change.

"I'm not a psychologist, I'm his mum and I hope that one day, some of this might be in the past, but I know that there are just concerns that we would have in hearing and watching some of what has happened over particularly this last year or so,"Val says.

Tim's Twitter account has been permanently suspended for "engaging in coordinated harmful activity".

The family has been fractured further by politics.

Karen Stewart ran as a candidate for the Greens in the last state election, while Tim has become more and more immersed in QAnon and Trumpist politics.

Karen Stewart says her brother has told her that, "if people wear red shoes, then they're wearing red so that when babies are slaughtered and the blood falls on the ground that no-one will see the blood spatter".

She says the conspiracy theory is so extreme that anyone who doesn't believe in QAnon is considered a "paedophile enabler".

"And so, they've really weaponised that from a political standpoint."

(continued)

>>13898977

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'You have to maintain the public's trust'

On social media, Tim Stewart has shared material by Donald Trump saying the US election victory for Joe Biden was "The Big Lie", compared vaccine promotion to Nazism, and reposted comments about overthrowing "the tyrannical ruling class".

"The Deep State… have committed open electoral fraud in full view of the world," he wrote of the US election result.

"Things are about to get very messy for those who commit treason and for those who aid and abet those committing treason."

Chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration Miles Taylor describes the QAnon conspiracy theory as "indiscriminately crazy" and believes Mr Morrison should condemn it.

Mr Taylor says he and his colleagues worried that the "vitriolic rhetoric" of conspiracy theories like QAnon "could jump the tracks into violence very, very easily".

"It wasn't just a law enforcement concern, we started to view it as a real national security threat," Mr Taylor says.

"I think it's important for the Prime Minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views. That's really important.

"We all have friends and family members that have unorthodox views, but when you're put in a position of public trust you have to maintain the public's trust."

Tim Stewart told Four Corners he doesn't promote or support any kind of violence.

"I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that's been put out there, which are just hit pieces."

In response to questions, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister told Four Corners:

"This is a politically motivated slur against the Prime Minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism, that is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group."

Breakdown of family over radical beliefs

Apart from their national security concerns, the Stewart family is also confronting the breakdown of a relationship with a son and a brother.

They're speaking out as a warning to other families about the dangers of online extremism.

"I think almost all of us have broken down on the phone trying to explain the loss of a family member," Karen says.

"And I know my mother has viewed it, she's described it as grieving. Grieving the loss of someone who's still alive and that's - it's a very confusing emotion."

Watch the full investigation on Four Corners tonight at 8:30pm on ABC TV or livestream on the Four Corners Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/abc4corners/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/qanon-follower-old-friend-scott-morrison-stewart-family-speaks/100125156

Scott Morrison hits out at Four Corners ahead of QAnon report

Scott Morrison has accused the ABC’s Four Corners program of a “politically motivated slur” over a highly-anticipated QAnon report tonight.

Samantha Maiden - JUNE 14, 2021

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused the ABC’s Four Corners program of a “politically motivated slur” over a report tonight that reveals the sister of a family friend of the Morrisons was so concerned about her brother’s links to a bizarre conspiracy theory QAnon that she notified the national security hotline several times.

The Prime Minister has slammed suggestions he has any links to the “dangerous” QAnon conspiracy cult that believes a cabal of Satan-worshipping paedophiles tried to undermine Donald Trump.

Mr Morrison and his wife, Jenny, have been family friends with the man’s wife for decades and previously employed her at Kirribilli in a taxpayer-funded job.

But the ABC’s Four Corners program will delve into the relationship between the Prime Minister, Mrs Morrison and the man, named as Tim Stewart, tonight in a highly anticipated episode after the program was delayed by the ABC managing director David Anderson earlier this month.

Last year, Mr Stewart’s QAnon inspired Twitter account, BurnedSpy34, was permanently suspended for “engaging in co-ordinated harmful activity”.

Ahead of the program, the Prime Minister has released the statement he provided to Four Corners on the episode.

“This is a politically motivated slur against the Prime Minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism, that is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group,” a spokesman said.

At a press conference in Canberra last week, the Prime Minister criticised the ABC for pursuing the story and said he wanted to make it clear he had no links with the cult whatsoever.

“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,” Mr Morrison said.

“I clearly do not.”

The ABC reports tonight that Mr Stewart has a blog, Sideways Step, that examines theories that paedophiles are drinking children’s blood.

“The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission,” Mr Stewart writes.

“Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity? … Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?”

(continued)

>>13899396

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But Mr Stewart told Four Corners any suggestion he supported violence for example the US Capitol riots were “nonsense”.

“I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that’s been put out there, which are just hit pieces,” he said.

He has previously told The Guardian newspaper that it was completely wrong to suggest he was influencing the Prime Minister.

“I have never spoken to Scott about anything of a political nature. I’m not an adviser. The idea of me talking to him about this … it’s just not true,” he said.

Mr Stewart’s estranged sister Karen Stewart, who is a former candidate for the Greens, has been open about her concerns regarding her brothers’ views on social media for years.

“Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles,” she told Four Corners.

She told Four Corners that she ultimately felt it was her “civic duty to make that phone call” to the national security hotline.

“We decided we can make excuses for lots of things but if we’re under threat and our safety is a concern, we have to legitimately inform somebody,” Karen says.

“So, we did make a report to the authorities to ensure that we were doing the right thing as community members.”

The ABC’s managing director, David Anderson has previously rejected reports that he “pulled” the program, prepared by multi-Walkley Award-winning journalist Louise Milligan.

It follows Ms Milligan’s high profile defamation battle with former Attorney-General Christian Porter that he has now discontinued and will not pursue further.

“Any suggestion that I ‘pulled’ or ‘blocked’ the program is simply not true,” Mr Anderson told staff.

The ABC news director, Gaven Morris is understood to have “upwardly referred” the episode to the managing director ahead of his appearance at Senate estimates.

It also emerged that the ABC’s political editor, Andrew Probyn, was asked to put a series of questions to Morrison at a press conference by Four Corners but declined to do so.

His refusal to assist his Four Corners colleagues and details of the conversations between the ABC’s Canberra bureau and Four Corners was then leaked to newspapers.

Probyn declined to comment on the claims.

As a result of the ABC Canberra bureau’s refusal to co-operate with Four Corners, another ABC reporter travelled to Canberra at taxpayers’ expense to ask the questions but was unable to ask the question because the Prime Minister did not hold a press conference.

News.com.au has contacted both Mr Stewart and his wife Lynelle for comment.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/scott-morrison-hits-out-at-four-corners-ahead-of-qanon-report/news-story/9787efa1317b776be677b803eac2a1c1

‘The Last G7’: Satirical cartoon mocking bloc’s attempt to suppress China goes viral

Global Times - Jun 13, 2021

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A Chinese cartoonist’s political satire, which mocked the Group of Seven (G7) members that attempt to suppress China, went viral on Chinese social media on Sunday, when the G7 summit was underway in Cornwall, the UK.

Titled The Last G7, the illustration, published by its author “Bantonglaoatang” on Sina Weibo on Saturday, was painted based on the renowned religious mural The Last Supper. This G7 summit is widely seen as an attempt by the US to rally allies against China.

Similar to the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion that The Last Supper depicted, Bantonglaoatang painted a vivid picture of nine animals – respectively representing the US, the UK, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Australia and India – sitting around a table with a Chinese-map-shaped cake on it. On top of the painting is the words in quote: Through this we can still rule the world.

These animals have different facial expressions and gestures, implying that each side of the G7 actually has its own axe to grind on the common conspiracies of suppressing China and upholding the Western hegemony, analyzed some observers and Chinese netizens.

Wearing a bowler hat with an American flag on it, a bald eagle sits in the middle like Jesus in The Last Supper, obviously the convenor of the meal. In front of the bald eagle there is a small banknote printing machine and a bill on the table. The machine is printing toilet paper into dollars, and the number on the bill gets bigger and bigger – from $2 trillion to $8 trillion.

There is also an iron hook under its feet, and two pieces of cotton with blood near its hands on the table, suggesting “the US’ capital accumulation was built on racial oppression,” a vlogger nicknamed “sharp-tongued pumpkin” said in his latest video analyzing the illustration, which has gained over 700,000 views on video streaming platform Bilibili within a day after he uploaded it on Saturday afternoon.

The bald eagle image shows today’s aggressive yet feeble US is trapped in its growing debt crisis and racial conflicts, but still points fingers at China, “sharp-tongued pumpkin” pointed out.

Sitting on the left of the bald eagle is a grey wolf, wearing a cap with an Italian flag on it. The wolf waves its hands as the apostle Andrew in The Last Supper, as if saying “No” to the US’ suggestions of jointly cracking down on China. The grey wolf image shows Italy, the first European country that joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is reluctant to collaborate with the US in suppressing China, commented “sharp-tongued pumpkin.”

(continued)

>>13899550

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Next to the wolf is an Akita dog that represents Japan. Without a seat, it is busy serving the others a “drink” – pouring green radioactive water into the glasses of the other animals. On Weibo some users said the green water is the contaminated water that Japan plans to release to the Pacific from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant.

Sitting next to the dog is a kangaroo, which is stretching its left hand to the banknotes that the US is printing, while grasping a bag in its right hand. The kangaroo symbolizes the double-faced Australia which actively cooperates with the US in containing China, but is also eager to earn money from China, its largest trading partner, according to “sharp-tongued pumpkin.”

On the left corner stands a black hawk, which obviously represents Germany as its pose is almost the same as that of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a widespread photo in the G7 summit in 2018. Germany, similar to the rooster (representing France) sitting in silence on the right side, seems more interested in its own European issues and shows less enthusiasm on the US’ propaganda, netizens found.

On the right side of the table also sits a lion and a nutria, respectively representing the UK and Canada, both the US’ close Five Eyes allies. The nutria, wearing a red coat with images of marijuana on it, holds a doll in its hand. Many netizens believe the doll represents Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is still unreasonably detained in Canada.

On the right corner of the table sits an elephant (representing India) that is on a drip like a patient.

Under the table there is a frog holding banknotes in its hands, trying to jump as high as possible to reach the table and give the money to the US. The little frog symbolizes the separatist authority from the island of Taiwan, which is always subservient to the US, some netizens pointed out.

The illustration caused a stir on Weibo on Sunday, with numerous users praising the author for vividly and straightforwardly revealing the evil intentions of the West that tries to lay a siege to China. “But this is perhaps their ‘last supper,’’’ one user mocked. “With different positions, for various interests of their own, these countries and regions can’t form a real league against China.”

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226050.shtml

https://weibo.com/2169767811/KjNAVmgTv

https://twitter.com/half_soup/status/1403538339924365313

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ah411e7VW

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 14, 2021, 11:12 a.m. No.13902165 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2294 >>9889

This family reported their son to national security authorities over QAnon | Four Corners

ABC News In-depth

Jun 14, 2021

The far-right political movement known as QAnon has taken off around the world, mobilising a committed band of believers dedicated to fighting what they claim is an ‘online war’ against corrupt, child abusing elites.

In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has declared QAnon a potential domestic terrorism threat.

The conspiracy theory is also tearing families apart.

The parents and sister of a QAnon follower who has been friends with the Australian Prime Minister have revealed they were so concerned about his beliefs, they notified the national security hotline several times.

In an exclusive interview with Four Corners, the family speak out about their growing fears of the powerful hold this extremist movement now has over him.

Scott Morrison has not responded on the record to questions about whether he and Tim Stewart are still friends.

When asked about Four Corners’ story in a press conference in June 2021, the Prime Minister said it was deeply offensive to suggest that he would support ‘such a dangerous organisation’.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/qanon-follower-old-friend-scott-morrison-stewart-family-speaks/100125156

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ol1aUN_Go

ABC accuses Scott Morrison of validating a 'QAnon' conspiracy theory at the behest of his good mate during his apology to the victims of child sexual abuse'

LEVI PARSONS and MICHAEL PICKERING - 14 June 2021

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The ABC has accused Scott Morrison of supporting bizarre 'QAnon' conspiracy theories about satanic paedophiles during a 2018 speech about child abuse.

Offering recognition to victims of child sex abuse, the Prime Minister's speech was well received by survivors and the wide nation when he made the apology in Parliament.

But according to a controversial Four Corners episode that almost didn't make it to air, he also uttered a phrase some conspiracy theorists claim was a dog whistle to the far-right fringe group QAnon.

During the speech, the prime minister described the long history of sexual crimes committed at institutions such as churches and children's homes across Australia as 'ritual sexual abuse'.

The Four Corners episode, which aired on Monday, claimed a friend of Mr Morrison, Tim Stewart, who is deeply embedded in the bizarre QAnon movement, lobbied the nation's leader to get those words in the speech.

The baseless internet cult gained worldwide prominence during the Trump presidency and assert that 'leftist' politicians, celebrities and elites are satanic paedophiles who operate through a 'deep state'.

The group also bizarrely claims, without evidence, that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former First Lady of the US Michelle Obama are men in disguise.

Elise Thomas, an open source intelligence analyst for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, said the term 'ritual' for QAnon followers denotes the satanic elements of their beliefs, rather than the ordinary meaning of something occurring regularly.

'The use of the phrase "ritual sex abuse" will have been taken as validation of the conspiracy theory by QAnon followers because it's a person in authority using this phrase which appears to directly reference the conspiracy theory,' she told the program.

The Prime Minister's office has vehemently denied he used the words as a subtle nod to the QAnon group.

'The term "ritual" is one that the Prime Minister heard directly from the abuse survivors and the National Apology victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Reference Group he met with in the lead up to the apology,' an earlier statement said.

'It refers not just to the ritualised way or patterns in which so many crimes were committed but also to the frequency and repetition of them.'

The man at the centre of the alleged push to get the term included in the apology, Mr Stewart, who had been friends with the prime minister since the 1990s, was recently banned from Twitter for engaging in 'coordinated harmful activity'.

He also ran a blog on which he claimed 'elites' in Western nations were running a paedophile ring 'designed to harvest children's blood'.

His family have now become so concerned about his spiraling obsession with QAnon that they phoned the the national security hotline several times.

Mr Stewart's wife, Lynelle, has been friends with the Prime Minister's wife, Jenny, since they were teenagers, and was given security clearance in mid-2019 to work as an attendant at the Prime Minister's Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.

It is not suggested, however, that Mr Stewart's wife posed any security risk. She also did not raise the alarm about his views as his mother and sister did.

The airing of the program was previously delayed by senior ABC news figures, with managing director David Anderson telling a Senate estimates hearing last week that he had 'queries and concerns' about the program.

Mr Morrison was also asked about the program in a press conference.

'I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,' Mr Morrison said.

'It is also disappointing that Four Corners would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me but members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.'

(continued)

>>13902382

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Mr Stewart's sister Karen told the program that her brother believes the world had been taken over by this supposed group of paedophiles.

Among his more radical beliefs, she said, Mr Stewart believed he could talk to cockroaches and that both former American first lady Michelle Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were really men.

Ms Stewart claimed her brother told her that if people wore red shoes, it's so they could disguise the splatter of blood from slaughtered babies as it falls to the ground.

He also supported online the theory that last year's US election was stolen from Donald Trump via his blog.

'Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles,' Karen told Four Corners.

On Mr Stewart's blog, Sideways Step, he wrote: 'The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission.'

'Furthermore, it is focused on children, who are more innocent and unaware,' he said.

'Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity?… Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?'

Ms Stewart said her family felt it was their 'civic duty' to report the radicalisation of her brother by the QAnon conspiracy community.

'But I know that there are just concerns that we would have in hearing and watching some of what has happened over particularly this last year or so.'

Karen, a candidate for The Greens, said disagreements over her brother's extreme views tore their family apart.

'I think almost all of us have broken down on the phone trying to explain the loss of a family member,' she said.

'And I know my mother has viewed it, she's described it as grieving. Grieving the loss of someone who's still alive and that's - it's a very confusing emotion.'

The program included an interview with Miles Taylor, former chief of staff of the US Department of Homeland Security, who urged Mr Morrison to condemn Qanon.

'It wasn't just a law enforcement concern, we started to view it as a real national security threat,' Mr Taylor said of QAnon.

'I think it's important for the prime minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views.'

QAnon flags and insignia were seen during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol building earlier this year. The 'QAnon shaman', Jake Angeli, who stormed the building with a US flag and a horned fur hat, became an instant symbol of the movement.

There had been speculation over whether Mr Stewart wielded any influence over the prime minister since he claimed Mr Morrison's use of the word 'ritual' in the 2018 parliamentary apology to survivors of institutional sex abuse reflected QAnon beliefs.

Tim Stewart responded to questions from Four Corners by describing reports about him as 'hit pieces'.

'I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that's been put out there, which are just hit pieces,' he said.

In a statement to the program, the Mr Morrison said its focus was 'a politically motivated slur'.

'This is a politically motivated slur against the prime minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism,' a statement from his office said.

'[It] is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9684293/ABC-Claim-Scott-Morrison-influenced-QAnon-supporter-mate-three-words.html

FBI warns lawmakers that QAnon 'digital soldiers' may become more violent

Zachary Cohen and Whitney Wild - June 14, 2021

Washington (CNN)The FBI has warned lawmakers that online QAnon conspiracy theorists may carry out more acts of violence as they move from serving as "digital soldiers" to taking action in the real world following the January 6 US Capitol attack.

The shift is fueled by a belief among some of the conspiracy's more militant followers that they "can no longer 'trust the plan" set forth by its mysterious standard-bearer, known simply as "Q," according to an unclassified FBI threat assessment on QAnon sent to lawmakers last week, which was obtained by CNN.

But the report suggests the failure of QAnon predictions to materialize has not led to followers abandoning the conspiracy. Instead, there's a belief that individuals need to take greater control of the direction of the movement than before.

This might lead followers to seek to harm "perceived members of the 'cabal' such as Democrats and other political opposition – instead of continually awaiting Q's promised actions which have not occurred," according to the assessment.

"Other QAnon adherents likely will disengage from the movement or reduce their involvement in the wake of the administration change," it adds.

Frequently described as a virtual cult, QAnon is a sprawling far-right conspiracy theory that promotes the absurd and false claim that former President Donald Trump has been locked in a battle against a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles made up of prominent Democratic politicians and liberal celebrities.

Members of the violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6 had ties to QAnon, and the conspiracy theory has made its way from online message boards into the political mainstream in recent years.

Titled "Adherence to QAnon Conspiracy Theory by Some Domestic Violent Extremists," the public FBI threat assessment was provided at the request of Democratic New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who earlier this year revealed that the FBI had provided lawmakers with version of the document in February that was designated "for official use only."

"The participation of some domestic violent extremists (DVE) who are also self-identified QAnon adherents in the violent siege of the US Capitol on 6 January underscores how the current environment likely will continue to act as a catalyst for some to begin accepting the legitimacy of violent action," the unclassified FBI assessment obtained by CNN says.

"The FBI has arrested more than 20 self-identified QAnon adherents who participated in the 6 January violent unlawful entry of the Capitol. These individuals were charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct in a restricted building and obstruction of an official proceeding, according to court documents and press reporting based on court documentation, public statements, and social media posts," it reads.

Heinrich, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, requested a threat assessment on QAnon in December, one month before the January 6 insurrection. They received a response from the FBI in February Heinrich said during the World Wide Threats hearing earlier this spring before asking FBI Director Christopher Wray why he "cannot or won't tell the American people directly about the threat."

In April, Wray pledged to provide an assessment that could be released to the public. He also acknowledged he remained concerned about potential violence incited by QAnon but despite telling lawmakers that the conspiracy theory is something "we look at very seriously" when it is tied to a criminal act, he made clear the bureau is not investigating the online movement itself.

It was a distinction Wray was careful to highlight while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, where he was pressed on whether the FBI is investigating elements of QAnon and asked to explain the threat it poses given its connection to the US Capitol attack earlier this year.

But despite characterizing QAnon as an online "movement" that in some instances "may be an inspiration for violent attacks," Wray reiterated that the FBI's investigative efforts regarding the conspiracy theory have been limited to instances where there are links to a federal crime.

"We're not investigating the theory in its own right," Wray told the House panel.

His comments underscored the complex challenge QAnon and other online conspiracy theories pose for the FBI as it investigates the January 6 attack and works with other federal agencies to address the threat of domestic extremism more broadly.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/14/politics/fbi-qanon-threat-assessment/index.html

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20889498/adherence-to-qanon-conspiracy-theory-by-some-domestic-violent-extremists.pdf

>>13907179

QAnon conspiracy theorists may become more violent, FBI report warns

9News Staff - Jun 15, 2021

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The FBI has warned lawmakers that online QAnon conspiracy theorists may carry out more acts of violence as they move from serving as "digital soldiers" to taking action in the real world following the January 6 US Capitol attack.

The shift is fueled by a belief among some of the conspiracy's more militant followers that they "can no longer trust the plan" set forth by its mysterious standard-bearer, known simply as "Q," according an unclassified FBI threat assessment on QAnon sent to lawmakers last wee

The report warns that adherents of QAnon, the conspiracy theory embraced by some in the mob that stormed the US Capitol, could target Democrats and other political opponents for more violence as the movement's false prophecies don’t come true.

Many QAnon followers believe former President Donald Trump was fighting enemies within the so-called “deep state” to expose a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring.

Mr Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden disillusioned some believers in “The Storm,” a supposed reckoning in which Mr Trump’s enemies would be tried and executed.

Some adherents have now pivoted to believing Mr Trump is the “shadow president” or Mr Biden's victory was an illusion.

The report was compiled by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and released overnight by Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat.

It predicts that while some QAnon adherents will pull back, others “likely will begin to believe they can no longer ‘trust the plan’ referenced in QAnon posts and that they have an obligation to change from serving as ‘digital soldiers’ towards engaging in real world violence.”

As major social media companies suspend or remove QAnon-themed accounts, many followers have moved to less well-known platforms and discussed how to radicalise new users on them, the report says.

The report says several factors will contribute to QAnon’s long-term durability, including the COVID-19 pandemic, some social media companies allowing posts about the theories, societal polarisation in the US, and the “frequency and content of pro-QAnon statements by public individuals who feature prominently in core QAnon narratives”.

The report does not identify any of those public individuals.

But Mr Trump, who while in office praised QAnon followers as “people that love our country," has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the election is over and spoken baselessly of his victory being “stolen,” despite multiple court rulings and a finding by his own Justice Department upholding the integrity of the election.

One longtime ally told The Associated Press that Mr Trump has given credence to a conspiracy theory that he could somehow be reinstated into the presidency in August.

(continued)

>>13907223

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Mr Heinrich pressed FBI Director Chris Wray in April to release an assessment of how the government views QAnon.

“The public deserves to know how the government assesses the threat to our country from those who would act violently on such beliefs,” he said then.

The movement around QAnon has already been linked to political violence, notably during the January 6 Capitol insurrection in which some rioters believed they would reverse Mr Trump’s defeat.

At least 20 QAnon followers have been charged with federal crimes related to January 6, according to an Associated Press review of court records.

Some charged in the riot wore attire bearing the telltale letter “Q” when they stormed the Capitol.

One of the defendants, Jacob Chansley, calls himself the “QAnon Shaman” and famously wore a furry hat with horns, face paint and no shirt that day.

Others had posted about QAnon on social media before the riot.

The Justice Department has arrested more than 400 people in the insurrection, where pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol, did about $1.9 million in damage and sent lawmakers running for their lives.

Five people died and dozens of police officers were wounded.

Defendants have argued that Mr Trump himself spurred them on, or they were just following the crowd, or law enforcement allowed them in, or they were the victims of disinformation stoked by right-wing media.

Lawyers for some of the defendants have argued their clients were specifically misguided by QAnon.

Defence attorney Christopher Davis argued that his client, Douglas Jensen, is a victim of internet-driven conspiracy promoted by “very clever people, who were uniquely equipped with slight, if any, moral or social consciousness.”

Mr Jensen now realises that he “bought into a pack of lies,” his lawyer maintains.

“For reasons he does not even understand today, he became a 'true believer' and was convinced he doing a noble service by becoming a digital soldier for 'Q.'

Maybe it was mid-life crisis, the pandemic, or perhaps the message just seemed to elevate him from his ordinary life to an exalted status with an honorable goal,” Mr Davis wrote.

A witness told the FBI that another defendant, Kevin Strong, expressed a belief that January 6 would usher in "World War 3" and the military would be involved.

Mr Strong, who was a Federal Aviation Administration employee in San Bernardino, California, had a flag with a QAnon slogan on his house and has declared that he had “Q clearance," an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit.

“He had recently purchased a new truck and believed that QAnon would cover the debt,” the agent wrote.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-intel-report-warns-of-more-violence-by-qanon-followers/fab62edf-ee51-4d42-9d43-23cd089d8b6c

>>13898968

Kevin Rudd Tweet

Morrison has questions to answer on his personal relationship with a leading activist of the same extremist religious/conspiracy group that stormed the US Capitol. His wife worked for Morrison.His family have reported him to the National Security Hotline

https://twitter.com/MrKRudd/status/1404418922787446784

QAnon follower Tim Stewart's an old friend of Scott Morrison. His family reported him to the national security hotline

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/qanon-follower-old-friend-scott-morrison-stewart-family-speaks/100125156

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 12:29 a.m. No.13907330 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9889

>>13907315

ABC News

VIDEO: Why do people buy into conspiracy theories like QAnon?

15 June 2021

Dr Mathew Marques from La Trobe University says QAnon is a good example of a politically-motivated conspiracy theory.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-15/why-do-people-buy-into-conspiracy-theories-like-qanon/13388796

What happened to QAnon, the conspiracy group linked to Scott Morrison?

Josh Butler and Samantha Dick - Jun 15, 2021

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The controversial Four Corners episode detailing links between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a man who supports the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory aired on Monday night, following weeks of intrigue and interest.

The report detailed concerns about the radicalisation of Tim Stewart, who is a close friend of the PM and whose wife Lynelle worked at Kirribili House.

Among the revelations from the family was that the Stewarts were due to be on the PM’s controversial Hawaii holiday.

“Tim and Lynelle were just sharing that there was a holiday planned in Hawaii, and my impression was that there was a holiday planned in Hawaii, and my impression was it was going to be quite a few families, which would include many who’ve been going to Hawaii for years,’’ Mr Stewart’s mother, Val Stewart, told Four Corners.

“Scott and Jenny were going to go as well. That was … that was mentioned. Scott and Jenny were going to go.”

The Morrison’s Hawaii holiday was cut short after The New Daily revealed he was holidaying there even while bushfires raged across the east coast of Australia.

Four Corners said Mr Morrison had not answered questions on-record. His office has since told News Corp he won’t be addressing the “baseless conspiracy theories”.

“The government will not be responding to the baseless conspiracy theories being peddled by Four Corners,” a spokesman told news.com.au

The PM has previously slammed the reports and called the conspiracy cult “dangerous”.

The amorphous, convoluted world of QAnon includes bizarre claims about Satanic paedophiles, Hollywood and Donald Trump.

It has also absorbed numerous other fringe claims including anti-5G, COVID denial and far-right thought, into what Australian conspiracy researcher Dr Kaz Ross calls a “nasty tumbleweed”.

But while the conspiracy is heavily US-focused, a 2020 report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found Australia had the fourth-highest number of QAnon devotees in the world.

So what is QAnon? And why do a small number of Australians care about a conspiracy theory that is so America-centric?

Let’s unravel things.

What is QAnon?

QAnon is a baseless and discredited conspiracy theory that claims former US president Donald Trump is secretly fighting a ring of Satan-worshipping paedophiles, including politicians and members of the Hollywood elite.

The fringe movement was born after an anonymous figure called “Q”, a self-described “government insider”, began posting on message board 4Chan in 2017.

Followers are encouraged to decipher the opaque messages, in what has been described by some as like a treasure hunt.

Q claimed to have high-level US security clearance, and posted thousands of cryptic messages peppered with pro-Trump themes.

That was until December 8, 2020, about a month before the Capitol Hill riot in the US, when Q last posted.

Since then, QAnon followers have awaited clues, known as “Q drops”, while others kept the theory alive by trawling through old posts to create new spin-offs.

“People see some unexplained phenomena, and try to join the dots and fill it in. You make coincidences into meaningful information,” said Dr Ross, one of Australia’s leading experts on conspiracies and the far right.

“People like to make meaning out of stuff. At a time of pandemic, things seem meaningless. Humans are good at making meaning out of nothing. It’s like looking at a cloud and thinking it looks like a dog.”

But while the movement appears to have lost some momentum, some believers are adamant Q will return online and have proposed new dates for the so-called coming of the “storm”, when Mr Trump will rise to the rescue.

(continued)

>>13907352

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Why is it dangerous?

There have been numerous instances of QAnon adherents pursuing vigilante justice.

Some have searched for paedophiles in the real world, wrongly believing children were being held in homes or businesses.

For more notable examples, look no further than the Capitol Hill insurrection, led by QAnon believers, which led to the deaths of five people.

In response to concerns about the growing threat of QAnon adherents in 2019, the FBI named the conspiracy theory a domestic terrorist threat.

Pages belonging to group members were removed from social media including Facebook and Twitter.

But aside from its core tenets, QAnon followers are generally anti-lockdown and anti-mask.

Many claim the pandemic is a hoax created by world leaders, with other followers also subscribe to a grab bag of popular conspiracy theories.

“It’s not a cult with a concrete set of beliefs and a leader, it’s completely free flowing. Some people are concerned about chemtrails, or 5G, and become folded into the bigger thing called QAnon because it gives them a big community of active people to connect,” Dr Ross said.

“It’s gathered up like a nasty tumbleweed.”

Why do Australians care about QAnon?

The conspiracy is heavily US-centric, but its tendrils snake across the world. QAnon followers are found in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Australia.

QAnon’s surprise flourishing is down to its core claims being highly “malleable”, according to La Trobe University’s Mathew Marques, a lecturer in social psychology.

Dr Marques said QAnon adapts to each country’s specific situation, merging with existing conspiracy theories or political circumstances.

For instance, during Melbourne’s lockdowns, far-right conspiracy groups spread debunked claims about children being trafficked in tunnels below public housing blocks, and sparked rumours of nefarious reasons for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ injury.

“If you think of the basic elements, of Satanic paedophile rings, these conspiracies have been around well before QAnon,” Dr Marques told TND.

“QAnon just packaged them in a new way, for a specific time. A lot of the elements are long-standing conspiracies, just weaponised with a political target.”

As Dr Ross notes, QAnon groups in Australia and around the world hoover up adherents of other fringe movements into an amorphous clutch of concerns – which means it can evolve to fit any specific country.

“QAnon is a cult, but it doesn’t have a leader. People think there’s a structure, but it doesn’t work like that. It’s totally organic so it can adapt to any local nuance,” she said.

Dr Ross estimates there are several thousand Australians who follow QAnon through social media channels such as Telegram.

Dr Marques said he thought Australians latched onto it, simply because it was making waves in the US. It gained traction as followers found one another in fringe online groups.

“Many Australians are fascinated by US politics, whether Obama or whatever, but when you had the largest mouthpiece for conspiracy theories with Trump in power, speaking or retweeting these things, that’s attractive and alluring for people to latch on to,” he said.

“One aspect of conspiracy theories is that social aspect, to boost your self-esteem and connect with a group of people. It’s similar to a religious element, affiliating with people who share your ideology and world view is a fundamental need.”

Dr Ross had an even blunter assessment of how QAnon had spread to Australia.

“We may have closed borders to COVID, but [we have] very porous and open borders to conspiracy theories from overseas,” she said.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2021/06/15/what-happened-to-qanon/

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 12:59 a.m. No.13907427 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7436 >>9889

All The Wildest Revelations We Learned From The ABC’s Investigation On QAnon And Scott Morrison

MILLIE ROBERTS - 15 JUNE 2021

On Monday night, the ABC finally aired an investigation into QAnon and Australia, and how the far-right group has ties to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

QAnon is a radical ideology spread online that spews conspiracy theories around a global pedophilia and sex trafficking ring with roots in Satanism.

Australia is the fourth largest country for online QAnon-related activity, according to extremism think tank, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

The Four Corners episode was nearly pulled after Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the program’s reporting as “deeply offensive” and in “poor form” last week.

‘The Great Awakening: A family divided by QAnon’ was centred around the Stewart family in Sydney, and how their lives have been impacted by 51-year-old Tim Stewart’s descent into QAnon’s rabbit hole.

At one point, Stewart was the country’s most prominent QAnon stalwart on Twitter, Crikey reported.

A lifelong friendship

Tim Stewart and Scott Morrison have known each other for decades. Stewart’s wife Lynelle is the decades-long best friend of the Prime Minister’s wife, Jenny.

As Stewart got more enthralled with QAnon, his old family friend rose to the highest position of power in Australia back in August 2018. Stewart was even invited to the new Prime Minister’s maiden speech.

When the Morrison family moved into Kirribilli house, Lynelle was hired as a household attendant at the residence. The infamous holiday ScoMo took to Hawaii during the disastrous bushfire season in 2019 was also joined by the Stewart family.

Senator Penny Wong flagged Lynelle’s employment as an issue given Stewart’s involvement with QAnon during senate estimates over the years, and was told that it shouldn’t be a matter of concern.

(continued)

>>13907427

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National apology, or national influence?

Stewart reportedly boasted about his access to Morrison so much, that a QAnon crusader was interrogated by counter-terrorism police for saying online that the group had ‘hacked’ the PM’s office.

In the 2018 national apology for institutional child sexual abuse survivors, it’s believed the group wanted the phrase ‘ritual sexual abuse’ included in ScoMo’s speech — in QAnon dialect, this is wording synonymous with cannibalism, rituals, and torture they believe world leaders are executing.

“I am organising an intimate strategy for PM re [sic] the Ritual phrase,” a message sent by Stewart read.

“An army of victims and therapists would specifically love it if Scott’s apology referenced ‘ritual abuse victims’. This exact wording is a key phrase for victims. Think of this like a code that sends a direct and clear message that they have been heard by Scott specifically,” he texted his wife.

Given the phrasing wasn’t used in the Royal Commission findings that prompted the apology, people were confused how ‘ritual sexual abuse’ wound up in his speech, while others feared it was intentional validation for QAnon followers coming from the mouth of a person of such authority.

A spokesperson for the PM’s office has said in the past that the “term ‘ritual’ is one that the Prime Minister heard directly from the abuse survivors.”

“I find it deeply offensive that there’d be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,” Scott Morrison said on June 4. A spokesperson told Four Corners two days that ScoMo sees QAnon as a “discredited and dangerous fringe group.”

Since the investigation was broadcast, the Prime Minister’s office has not released any further statements on the matter.

https://junkee.com/scott-morrison-qanon/298187

https://twitter.com/ShoebridgeMLC/status/1404389466161045509

https://twitter.com/JeromeDoraisamy/status/1404389384820985862

https://twitter.com/instanterudite/status/1404403467515428864

https://twitter.com/Ben_Davison1/status/1404391716153483265

https://twitter.com/WBG1955/status/1404417881379536904

https://twitter.com/noplaceforsheep/status/1401286079664164864

https://twitter.com/Lisa_Wilkinson/status/1404399561779515394

https://twitter.com/WhenTurn/status/1404394584176676868

Chris Bowen Tweet

Qanon is a conspiracy driven cult. And the Prime Minister has serious questions to answer. Watch my brief speech in Parliament

https://twitter.com/Bowenchris/status/1404673224638550018

>>13907463

Labor accuses Scott Morrison of ‘shocking lack of judgment’ over QAnon claims

Scott Morrison has been accused of a ‘shocking lack of judgment’ after a Four Corners episode outlined his links to a far-right conspiracy theorist.

Finn McHugh - JUNE 15, 2021

Scott Morrison has been accused of a “shocking lack of judgment” after a Four Corners episode claimed a conspiracy theorist influenced his apology to victims of child sexual abuse.

The program said Tim Stewart, a friend of Mr Morrison and QAnon conspiracy theorist, regularly visited Kirribilli House during Mr Morrison’s prime ministership, while his wife was employed as a household attendant at Kirribilli until last year.

The far-right cult, listed by the FBI as a domestic terror threat, claims a group of elite, left-wing Satanic pedophiles secretly run the world and attempted to undermine former US president Donald Trump.

Four Corners included texts from Mr Stewart to an associate correctly predicting Mr Morrison would include the phrase “ritual sexual abuse”, used by QAnon believers to propagate its conspiracy, in his October 2018 apology to victims of child sexual abuse.

But the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse final report also made references to sexual abuse as part of “ritualised practices”.

Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen said he was “appalled” by the revelations and declared Mr Morrison had “very serious questions” to answer.

“I thought and believe that Four Corners has provided a compelling case that the Prime Minister has engaged in a shocking lack of judgment in relation to QAnon,” he said on Tuesday.

“The Prime Minister is entitled to personal relationships, and he’s not accountable for the political views of his friends. He is accountable for allowing his friends to have input to important government statements as Prime Minister of Australia.”

Mr Bowen said Four Corners had established Mr Stewart impacted the speech, describing the presence of the phrase as an “amazing coincidence”.

“They provided text messages, they provided enough evidence to show that the Prime Minister has very serious questions to answer. No politician of any side should have any truck in any dealings with QAnon,” he said.

“If the Prime Minister of this country has allowed a discredited conspiracy group … to have input to government statements, then that is a matter of the most serious grievance.”

Labor senator Penny Wong has repeatedly grilled government officials over Mr Morrison’s links to Mr Stewart and, by extension, the QAnon conspiracy.

Mr Bowen said the government “has failed on every single occasion to provide proper answers” and continued to do so.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office told NCA NewsWire the government “will not be responding to the baseless conspiracy theories being peddled by Four Corners”.

In a statement before the program aired on Monday, a spokesman for Mr Morrison dismissed the allegations as a “politically motivated slur” against the Prime Minister and his family.

“Four Corners … is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism, that is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group,” they said.

In his only public comments on the matter, Mr Morrison flatly rejected “deeply offensive” attempts to link him to QAnon.

“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation. I clearly do not,” he said in June.

“It is also disappointing that Four Corners in their inquiries would seek to cast this aspersion, not just against me but members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.”

The program was initially slated to run a week earlier but was upwardly referred to ABC managing director David Anderson, who suggested “concern over some areas” and elements “to be strengthened within the story”.

Mr Anderson said the program was not referred to him “with concern” and backed the “outstanding” Four Corners team, led by Walkley winners Sally Neighbour and Louise Milligan.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/labor-accuses-scott-morrison-of-shocking-lack-of-judgment-over-qanon-claims/news-story/848b6c6db5da540f4698ba2ef456fbbc

>>13907476

‘Incredibly creepy’: Labor claims ‘national security’ risk over PM’s QAnon link

Josh Butler - Jun 15, 2021

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Senior Labor politicians say Prime Minister Scott Morrison has “questions to answer” after Four Corners‘ investigation into his friendship with a prominent Australian supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory, claiming it raises “national security” risks.

But Treasurer Josh Frydenberg shrugged off the criticisms, saying it was “rubbish” to suggest the PM had links to the dangerous conspiracy.

“I watched that story last night and I found it to be incredibly creepy,” Labor’s shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said on Tuesday.

The ABC’s Four Corners aired a report on Monday night into Mr Morrison’s friendship with a man named Tim Stewart, allegedly a proponent of the discredited and baseless QAnon conspiracy.

The report included interviews with Mr Stewart’s family, who raised concerns about his behaviour, and detailed his friendship with Mr Morrison. Four Corners reported that Mr Stewart and his wife Lynelle were good friends with Mr Morrison and his wife Jenny, and that Ms Stewart had been employed at Kirribilli House – the PM’s Sydney residence.

Central to Four Corners‘ report were text messages alleged to have been sent by Mr Stewart, claiming he would ask Mr Morrison to alter the text of his 2018 apology to victims of institutional sex abuse, to include the phrase “ritual abuse”.

It was not proven whether Mr Stewart actually passed that message on to Mr Morrison, but the PM did use the phrase in his apology speech. The term “ritual abuse” has a specific meaning among QAnon supporters, to denote their bizarre claims about Satanic abuse linked to paedophilia.

Mr Morrison has recently rejected claims he had any links to QAnon, calling it “dangerous”. His office has said the government will not respond to “baseless conspiracy theories being peddled by Four Corners“.

In Parliament on Tuesday, The New Daily asked numerous politicians about QAnon and whether they were concerned about the ABC’s revelations.

Labor politicians said Mr Morrison must explain any connections to Mr Stewart more clearly.

“The Prime Minister does have serious questions to answer about this relationship with these characters pushing all kinds of dangerous conspiracy theories … He should answer them as soon as possible,” Mr Chalmers said on Tuesday.

Fellow Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen said he was “appalled” by revelations in Four Corners, accusing Mr Morrison of “a shocking lack of judgment”.

“In the absence of any proper defence from the Prime Minister, it is in my view the case that Four Corners has established that the Prime Minister allowed a QAnon conspiracy theorist to have input into an important speech,” he said.

“No politician of any side should have any truck in any dealings with QAnon.”

Mr Bowen said the PM was entitled to personal friendships, and should not be held accountable for friends’ political views, but said the story went deeper.

“If the Prime Minister of this country has allowed a discredited conspiracy group, which is dangerous and regarded as a terrorist threat by the FBI, to have input to government statements, then that is a matter of the most serious grievance,” he said.

Mr Bowen said he believed the issue had national security implications.

(continued)

>>13907510

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But Coalition members jumped to the PM’s defence. Mr Frydenberg said he didn’t watch the program, but denied there was any issue.

“This notion that the Prime Minister is close to QAnon is absolute rubbish,” he said on Tuesday.

Communications minister Paul Fletcher has previously raised concerns with ABC chair Ita Buttrose over some of the broadcaster’s journalism. He was asked at a press conference whether he would do so again over the QAnon story, but didn’t directly answer.

“The allegation there’s a connection between the Prime Minister and QAnon is just laughable, ridiculous, and frankly I’m not going to dignify it with a more detailed response,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The story was ridiculous.”

Liberal senator James Paterson, chair of the powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, also said he hadn’t watched the program but rejected suggestions there was anything inappropriate.

“As far as I know, no evidence was put forward in that program which links the Prime Minister to QAnon,” he said in response to TND‘s questions.

“I didn’t watch the report. Frankly, I’ve got better things to do, as I suspect most Australians did.”

Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour tweeted that Monday’s episode was its “highest rating program this year”.

Senator Paterson said he had “sought briefings” from Australian intelligence agencies on QAnon, and while it is not currently listed as a terror threat in Australia, “any organisation that presents a credible threat will be listed”.

“I’d be concerned if any Australian politician had sympathies for what is a discredited, outrageous conspiracy theory. That would be of great concern, but as far as I’m aware, there’s no evidence any Australian politician, least of all the Prime Minister, has any sympathies for such organisations.” Senator Paterson said.

Nationals MP Anne Webster was the target of horrendous, defamatory abuse from QAnon supporters in 2020. She said she had watched Four Corners.

“I am concerned about QAnon, very much so. Innocent people are damaged by their claims, as I have through my own court case. I think there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in terms of platforms, in terms of how they are managed, because online predatory behaviour is not going away, so we need to ensure that we can do better than we are.”

Asked if she had any specific concerns about Mr Morrison’s links to Mr Stewart, Ms Webster said “we all have associations with people that we don’t agree with”.

“That’s something for him to speak about,” she said.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/06/15/morrison-qanon-australia/

OPINION - Skipping the Q: How to handle your conspiracy-loving friends

Julie Szego - June 15, 2021

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The former chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, Miles Taylor, told the ABC’s Four Corners that QAnon conspiracy theories could “jump the tracks into violence very, very easily”.

Speaking about Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s friend, Tim Stewart, a QAnon follower, Taylor said: “I think it’s important for the Prime Minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views … We all have friends and family members that have unorthodox views, but when you’re put in a position of trust you have to maintain the public’s trust.”

So we all have that certain friend or relative: you know, the kind with unorthodox views. That friend who has a heart of gold, but also one or two loopy ideas. Like maybe this friend believes a cabal of Satan-worshipping, deep-state elites are running a paedophile ring that harvests children’s blood.

Or that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and the organs of state are covering up the truth about his “accident” on March 9. Or perhaps this friend is just one of those well-intentioned but slightly misguided types who reckon COVID-19 is a “psy-op”, or that someone other than Martin Bryant carried out the Port Arthur massacre, or that Joe Biden is US President because of “The Big Lie” and there should be a Myanmar-style coup to reinstate Donald Trump – which is, admittedly, an idea even Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, endorses.

Sure, at times this friend and their unorthodox views, which they can’t help but disseminate via encrypted messaging apps or shady platforms on the dark web, tries our patience just a tad.

The thing is, in this angry, polarised world we’ve come to believe that anyone whose views differ from our own must be torn down and dismembered, metaphorically speaking of course! Indeed, maybe this certain friend’s own relatives have become so alarmed about his vitriol they’ve reported him to ASIO or the national security hotline. Look, it happens all the time, and it’s sad. But there is another way. We can learn once more how to agree to disagree, live and let-live. Here are some tips to avoid an awkward dust-up the next time that opinionated buddy drops in.

(continued)

>>13907531

2/2

Stop trying to change their mind

Do you honestly think that haughtily lecturing your friend about Daniel Andrews’ accident – with talking points such as “Well, Ambulance Victoria responders received a triple zero call at 6.36am about a patient who had fallen on steps at a house in Sorrento,” and, “Well, Victoria’s Police Chief confirmed police weren’t called to the scene on March 9 and Andrews wasn’t interviewed formally and informally” – is going to convince them the Premier really did just fall? C’mon!

As we all know, this is just one of those arguments neither side can win. So whenever your friend wants to gasbag about the “doctored” photos of Andrews in hospital or whispers knowingly, “Nobody’s got footage of the stairs,” or, exasperated, falls back on that routine insult “paedophile enabler”, just say, “Mate, I respect your opinion” and …

Change the subject

That’s right, deflect their attention, just like you do with a toddler. Just pretend your friend is a toddler, even if his complexion – assuming this friend is a “he” – appears radioactive and his leg jiggles uncontrollably and he persists in wearing a coat fashioned from fresh roadkill. And next time he raises that hoary old chestnut “Michelle Obama and Jacinda Ardern are actually men”, try delicately steering the conversation towards something anodyne and neutral.

For instance, ask him to speculate on whether the “Great Awakening”, the moment that accompanies “the Storm”, which will end the cabal of bloodthirsty Satan-worshipping paedophiles who run the world, might inspire Bunnings to hold an outdoor furniture sale.

Don’t provoke them

Think about it: if you don’t want your friend rabbiting on about how the real reason leftist elites wear red shoes is to conceal the blood spatter from slaughtered babies, then don’t leave your own pair of red shoes lying around as an obvious conversation prompt. It’s not that hard!

A bit of tact and tolerance will ensure that loveable-if-sometimes-annoying mate keeps it together just enough for you to enjoy his company and forget he’s in thick with a group the FBI has designated a domestic terror threat.

And if occasionally he lets rip about Daniel Andrews drinking the blood of sacrificed children, and every now and then tries to incite a mob against the institutions of democracy, honestly, what’s the harm? It’s not as if anyone of consequence is listening to him.

It’s not as if a mainstream Australian political party would tolerate their senior figures having any proximity to people who hold such views (regardless of that person’s influence over said senior figure), let alone amplify their agenda by asking questions that, say, imply a cover-up about Andrews’ fall.

So, just fire up the barbie and chill.

Julie Szego is an author and freelance journalist.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/skipping-the-q-how-to-handle-your-conspiracy-loving-friends-20210615-p5814c.html

>>13902382

Elise Thomas Tweet

I'm really glad that @Milliganreports and the @4corners team put the damage which QAnon does to lives & families front and centre in the episode, and to have played a small part in it myself. Conspiracy theories are a public health issue, and we should recognise them as such.

https://twitter.com/elisethoma5/status/1404406022421106697

Louise Milligan @Milliganreports

Just want to thank the Stewarts for their candour, their decency, their restraint. #4Corners

https://twitter.com/Milliganreports/status/1404394883750666246

—

Sally Neighbour Tweet

Great work by you @elisethoma5 documenting the impact of QAnon’s poisonous politics

https://twitter.com/neighbour_s/status/1404407870603493385

‘Slow motion murder’ in family’s desperate race to free Julian Assange

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 14, 2021

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces death if he’s not released soon from prison, according to his immediate family who have accused the US, UK and Australia of hypocrisy at the G7 by championing democracy and freedom.

In Washington as part of a 17-city tour to campaign for Julian’s release, his father, John Shipton, said it was “grotesque” that nations were trumpeting human rights at the G7 meeting at Cornwall, in Britain, when Julian had been imprisoned for almost 13 years for publishing evidence of US war crimes in 2010.

“It’s worse than hypocritical, it’s grotesque,” Mr Shipton said on Sunday night in the US with his son Gabriel to help convince the Biden administration to drop attempts to extradite Assange to the US, where he faces 175 years in prison.

Gabriel, a filmmaker, said Julian’s the situation was “dire”. “If he doesn’t get out he will die. We’re seeing the slow motion murder of a journalist. It will take sometime for him to get back to his usual self (if he gets out),” he said.

Assange, 49, has spent almost 13 years in detention, including seven years at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he evaded extradition to Sweden for sexual assault charges that were dropped in 2019.

He’s been held at Belmarsh prison since May 2019, where Professor Niels Melzer declared he was showing symptoms of “prolonged psychological torture”.

“He’s not been sentenced, he has no clue of when the next appeal will be. This is just another example of the torture he’s been suffering under, all these things add up after 13 years,” Gabriel Shipton said.

“We’re here trying to convince the American people to stand up and defend democratic rights, and so that they then ask their representative to talk to the DOJ.”

Even if the High Court dismisses the US appeal, a decision expected within weeks, Assange could not return to Australia because the US, unless it dropped the charges entirely, would “probably” launch fresh extradition proceedings in Australian courts, John Shipton said.

The two men, in the US courtesy of an Australian crowd-funded GoFundMe campaign, and fresh from a sold-out campaign event in New York, said the Australian government had been of little help throughout their ordeal.

“(But) we have dear friends who are friends of Arthur’s so we hope to have sympathy if not diplomatic support,” John Assange said, referring to Australia’s US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos. John Shipton said he was hopeful the US would lose its appeal in the UK, but less so it would ever formally drop the charges.

“In 100 years maybe … what can happen now is the Australian government or some other diplomatic entity can enter into negotiation whereby the charges are let fall away. That’s more likely,” he said.

The pair felt momentum was on their side, as parliamentary groups in the UK, France, Spain, Austria, and multiple free-speech organisations had started demanding Assange’s release, at the same time as US media groups had become alert to threats to media freedom from the US government.

The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post are due to meet with US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday after revelations the Department of Justice during the Trump administration had sought to obtain journalists’ phone records.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/slow-motion-murder-in-familys-desperate-race-to-free-julian-assange/news-story/5144b3c7eb6c76dce1549373b0dbdbab

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 2:04 a.m. No.13907636 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9853

Ben Roberts-Smith tells defamation trial he's disgusted by domestic violence claims

Jamie McKinnell - 15 June 2021

Australian war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has denied punching a woman in a Canberra hotel room, telling a Sydney court domestic violence is “a disgusting act of cowardice”.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times newspapers, along with three journalists, over a series of articles published in 2018.

The 42-year-old alleges he was defamed by imputations including that he committed an act of violence against a woman, with whom he was having an affair, in a Canberra hotel room in March 2018.

Mr Roberts-Smith today told the Federal Court in Sydney he met the woman, referred to as “Person 17” due to a suppression order over her identity, in mid-October 2017 and began a relationship.

He had separated from his wife, Emma Roberts, towards the end of September 2017.

In March 2018, Mr Roberts-Smith took the woman to an event in Parliament House.

He told the court she became “extremely intoxicated” and fell down some stairs, leading to “a significant bump on the top of her left eye”.

Mr Roberts-Smith said she “wasn’t really coherent”, was “extremely unsteady on her feet” and “couldn’t really string words together”.

He said he took her to Hotel Realm, where she “completely passed out” and he left her on the bed with some ice for her injury.

Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister, Bruce McClintock SC, asked his client if he struck the woman.

“No, I didn't,” he replied.

When asked about his attitude towards domestic violence, Mr Roberts-Smith described it as “deplorable” and “reprehensible”.

“My mother and father brought me up with a very good set of values,” he said.

“I respect women a great deal. I have no tolerance for anyone who would ever raise a hand to women.

“I find it a disgusting act of cowardice.”

In a Whatsapp message chain, Mr Roberts-Smith discussed the woman’s injury with her the next day and urged her to tell her husband she fell down some stairs while at an event with him.

He said the incident was “effectively the final straw” of their relationship.

In an affidavit, Person 17 claimed she was punched by Mr Roberts-Smith in the hotel room who then “coached” her in messages about how to explain a black eye to her husband.

She said in the document that she told police she did not wish to make a formal complaint, as she was “genuinely scared about my safety and that of my children if I am identified in the media”.

Mr Roberts-Smith today said the newspaper report about the alleged assault had “ruined his life”.

"For a long time, I found it very difficult to leave the house after that, just simply because I have such disdain for those types of people,” he said.

“To be labelled as someone like that and just have to wear that, it was very difficult.”

The court heard that before the Canberra event, Mr Roberts-Smith told Ms Roberts about the affair during a trip to Singapore in January the next year when the couple decided to try to work through their ongoing problems.

He told the court that in February 2018, Person 17 contacted him to let him know how hurt she was about the end of their relationship.

Not long after, she texted Mr Roberts-Smith to inform him she was pregnant, but he said after helping her arrange an appointment to terminate the pregnancy in Brisbane, he didn’t believe she was telling the truth.

Mr Roberts-Smith hired a private investigator, John McLeod, who filmed Person 17 at Greenslopes Hospital, where she claimed to have been having the procedure.

“I just wanted to know the truth,” he said.

“I felt I was being manipulated.”

Mr Roberts-Smith said Person 17 later admitted she’d lied about having the procedure, but then claimed to have had a miscarriage.

Mr Roberts-Smith’s case also alleges he was defamed by imputations that he “broke the moral and legal rules of war” on deployment in Afghanistan and bullied colleagues.

The former Special Air Services Regiment soldier has denied wrongdoing.

Nine Entertainment Co is relying on a defence of truth.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-15/ben-roberts-smith-denies-punching-woman-defamation-trial/100215224

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 2:08 a.m. No.13907649 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9856

Roberts-Smith hired investigator to check woman was having an abortion

Michaela Whitbourn - June 15, 2021

Former special forces soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has told a court that he hired a private investigator to follow a woman with whom he had been having a relationship to check whether she had an abortion because he suspected she was lying about being pregnant.

Mr Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald for defamation over stories in 2018 that he says accuse him of being a war criminal and of punching a woman, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, in the face after a dinner in Canberra on March 28 that year.

Giving evidence in the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday, Mr Roberts-Smith replied “absolutely not” when asked by his barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, if he had hit the woman.

“That particular allegation, I feel, coupled with being called a war criminal, ruined my life,” he said. “For a long time, I found it very difficult to leave the house after that.”

He said domestic violence was “highly reprehensible” and his parents had instilled in him a “very good set of values”. He had no tolerance for anybody who would raise a hand to a woman, he said.

The woman, known as Person 17 to protect her identity, had been “extremely intoxicated” after a dinner at Parliament House in Canberra, the former Special Air Services soldier said, and had fallen down a flight of stairs.

He said he iced the resultant bump on her head after putting her to bed in their room at the Hotel Realm.

The woman subsequently texted Mr Roberts-Smith that her husband “didn’t believe that I had fallen down stairs” but added that her other bruises would “hopefully make the falling story more believable”.

“Well, hopefully, he believes you,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court that the events in Canberra had been “highly embarrassing for her and I” and they had discussed how she would explain her injury because she hadn’t told her husband that they were together at the time.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he had separated from his now ex-wife, Emma Roberts, in late September 2017 and they remained separated for about six months.

He attempted to end the relationship with Person 17 after he went on a trip with his family to Singapore in early 2018, he said, but he had concerns from messages she sent him from London that she was “potentially going to self harm”.

Later, in February that year, the woman told him she was pregnant. He said they agreed to terminate the pregnancy, but he suspected it was not real.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court he hired a private investigator to check if the woman attended a hospital in Brisbane for a termination. He believed video footage of her leaving the hospital confirmed that she had not had a termination because she was able to pick up her own bag, was “dressed nicely”, and did not appear to have had an “invasive procedure”.

He said that he showed Person 17 the footage later that day, and she admitted she had not had the procedure but said she did have a termination at an earlier date in Townsville. He said she subsequently told him she had had a miscarriage, meaning that she had provided “three stories” about what had happened.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he believed he was being “manipulated so that I would stay in the relationship”.

“You continued with the relationship after this, didn’t you?” Mr McClintock asked.

“I did,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

The court heard the relationship ended in April 2018 and the pair had met at an airport when Mr Roberts-Smith was about to catch a flight to Canberra. He believed Person 17 had “come to the airport to ensure I boarded the plane”, and then drove to his matrimonial home.

“I landed in Canberra and received a message from my wife that Person 17 was there,” he said.

The trial continues.

Lifeline, 131 114

Beyondblue 1300 22 4636

https://www.lifeline.org.au

https://www.beyondblue.org.au

https://www.smh.com.au/national/roberts-smith-hired-investigator-to-check-woman-was-having-an-abortion-20210615-p5818t.html

Scott Morrison raises the alarm about escalating cyber attacks with British intelligence chiefs

Anthony Galloway - June 15, 2021

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised the alarm on the escalating wave of cyber attacks against all levels of industry and government in meetings with Britain’s top spies in London, as the number of ransomware attacks in Australia appear to have tripled n recent months.

After wrapping up the G7 leaders summit, Mr Morrison was due to meet with British intelligence officials on Monday London time, where cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure were expected to be major talking points.

He will then have a one-on-one meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday where the two leaders hope to be able to announce the finalisation of a free-trade deal between the countries.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan has been locked in negotiations with his counterpart Liz Truss every night in the lead-up to the meeting, but officials from the Australian side conceded they may not reach a consensus before the two prime ministers hold a press conference at Downing Street on Tuesday.

Mr Morrison will then fly to Paris where he will raise with French President Emmanuel Macron the cost blowouts, schedule slippages and disagreements with the French company responsible for Australia’s $90 billion submarine project.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Monday that Australian frigates will within weeks join a British carrier strike group in naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, including port visits and manoeuvres through the South China Sea, which is expected to upset China.

New figures show there has been a 200 per cent increase in reports of ransomware attacks to Australia’s premier cyber security agency in recent months. A ransomware is a form of malware which encrypts the victim’s files whereby the attacker then demands a ransom to restore access to their system.

Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie, who will on Tuesday launch the government’s new cyber awareness campaign, said small and medium-sized businesses needed to boost their defences and become more aware of the support available from the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

“Any cyber criminal operating on the dark web or hiding behind encryption should be on notice that the full range of Australia’s intelligence and law enforcement capabilities are being aimed at you,” Mr Hastie said.

Last financial year the Australian Signals Directorate and the cyber security centre received more than 60,000 cyber crime reports - or one every eight minutes.

Mr Morrison last year revealed there had been a wave of sophisticated cyber attacks on all levels of government, industry and critical infrastructure including hospitals, local councils and state-owned utilities. Australian security agencies believe China was behind the cyber raids, but the government decided not to publicly name the state actor involved.

Mr Hastie said the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) - Australia’s cyber spy agency - would continue to use its “broad range of offensive cyber capabilities to disrupt and bring cyber criminal syndicates targeting Australia to their knees”.

US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, last week warned ransomware attacks were a “national security priority”, particularly as it related to attacks on critical infrastructure.

ASD director-general Rachel Noble on Friday revealed a major Australian company in charge of critical infrastructure refused to comply with her agency for weeks after it was hit by a significant cyber attack.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/scott-morrison-raises-the-alarm-about-escalating-cyber-attacks-with-british-intelligence-chiefs-20210614-p580xm.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 2:19 a.m. No.13907700 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

>>13882053

Political boycott of scientific cooperation set to further harm Australia

Yu Lei - Jun 14, 2021

An Australian national science agency is reportedly set to break up its partnership with a Chinese top marine science institute following a baseless warning from Australia's security intelligence agency.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will terminate an oceans research collaboration with Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM) from June 2022, according to The Australian. Previously, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation(ASIO) made a groundless accusation against QNLM, saying "it could help the Chinese navy to hunt down Australian submarines."

If The Australian's report is confirmed to be ture, it would be the latest example of the Australian's reckless interference with normal scientific and technological cooperation under the guise of national security.

Marine research cooperation is not the only field being affected, projects in agriculture, environmental protection and other fields are also threatened by Canberra's political boycott campaign. The Australian federal government in last December was reportedly considering tearing up a research agreement between the Victorian government and China's Jiangsu Province.

Australia's decision to meddle scientific cooperation is not an isolated policy decision, but rather to cater for the US' decoupling from China in economy and technology. This is Morrison's response to US' anti-China policy and another manifestation of its loyalty to the US.

However, politicizing scientific and technological cooperation will seriously hinder the progress when it comes to advancing the human race. The US' blockade of China in space technology is an example, which is proved failing to contain China's progress, but instead drag down the US progress.

China and Australia have carried out extensive cooperation in marine science, agricultural science, Antarctic protection and atmospheric change, and have made many achievements. Political boycott campaign undermines Australia's technological development. Compared with China, Australia's technology is not advanced, and this latest action will only set Australia back.

To sabotage scientific co-operation is also bound to potentially hurt Australia's economic interests. In technical cooperation with the US, Australia often provides funds, but patents and intellectual property rights are taken by Americans, while in cooperation with China, Australia can jointly share the technology outcomes.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a press conference on Saturday at the Group of Seven leaders that his government wants to restart dialog with China, but if Canberra has any sincerity to stop the escalating relationship with China from spiraling down, it should first change the practice of politicizing economic and trade issues and scientific and technological cooperation.

If the Morrison government is serious about repairing relations with China, it should take concrete action as soon as possible, and in particular should put an end to the damage Australia is inflicting on economic and trade ties and focus on promoting to scientific and technological academic cooperation and normal people-to-people exchanges, so as to avoid further irreparable losses.

The author is chief research fellow at the research center for Pacific island countries of Liaocheng University in East China's Shandong Province. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226134.shtml

>>13907688

‘A new dawn’: Australia and Britain agree on historic trade deal

Bevan Shields, Latika Bourke and Rob Harris - June 15, 2021

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London: Working holiday visas will be extended for Australians up to the age of 35 in the historic trade deal just agreed with Britain after Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison offered last-minute concessions over dinner at Downing Street.

On Tuesday night AEST, Morrison and Johnson held a joint press conference to announce the in-principle agreement - which could boost the Australian economy by up to $1.3 billion each year and offer exporters new options to pivot away from the volatile Chinese market.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was the most ambitious agreement that Australia had struck since its deal with New Zealand.

“I said we’d wait for the right deal and I think we’ve got the right deal, Boris,” he said.

Asked if Australia would raise Australia’s farming standards to Britain’s, Morrison defended Australia’s animal welfare standards, saying Australian farmers set world standards.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the deal marked a “new dawn” in the relationship, “underpinned by our shared history and common values”.

“You give us Tim Tams, we give you Penguins, you give us Vegemite, you give us Marmite, we give you Burberry mackintoshes and you give us RM Williams,” he said.

Morrison and Johnson thrashed out some of the final barriers to the new economic pact during a three-hour dinner at the British Prime Minister’s official London residence on Monday evening, where Johnson served Welsh lamb and Scottish salmon, and Morrison presented a hamper of Australian food and a Vegemite-themed surfboard.

Details of the in-principle agreement will be fleshed out before it is passed by parliaments in both countries.

It will likely take effect from mid-next year.

The Australian deal - Britain’s first since it split from the European Union on January 1 - also gives Johnson a big symbolic victory as he seeks to soften the economic costs of Brexit through new agreements with other trading partners.

The deal will increase the working holiday visa age limit from 30 to 35 and give Australians and Britons a total of three years to live and work in each other’s countries.

The UK government succeeded in removing the rule that obliges Brits on12-month working visas in Australia to work for 88 days on farms if they wish to stay another year. A new agriculture visa will be created instead.

Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud, who has claimed scrapping that rule could lead to a loss of up to 10,000 farm workers a year, said on Tuesday his party would fight for a new visa subclass to encourage farm work if the change was made.

The agreement will also mean a raft of professional qualifications gained in one country will be recognised in the other.

Fears that the signing might be delayed by a squabble over how much Australian beef and lamb would be allowed into the UK proved unfounded, with the two leaders settling on a scheme which will phase out tariffs over 15 years.

(continued)

>>13907733

2/2

Centre for European Reform trade expert Sam Lowe said he was surprised the UK agreed to eventually eliminate agricultural tariffs.

“When it comes to tariffs, we have a constituency-based electoral system which sees farmers heavily concentrated in Conservative backyards. The fact we are discussing duty free and quota-free trade is something that will have shocked everyone.”

Australian agricultural exports are worth $50 billion annually but only $700 million goes to the UK.

Britain is already Australia’s fifth largest trading partner, with two-way goods and services valued at $36.6 billion, while Britain is Australia’s second largest investment partner.

As part of the deal, the federal government will scraps tariffs on a range of British goods including whisky, which current has a tariff of 5 per cent. Tariffs will also be dramatically slashed on pharmaceuticals, cars, machinery and tractors. Britain will also gain greater access to Australian markets for services.

Federal Trade Minister Dan Tehan told Federal Parliament that when Britain had turned its attention to the common European market decades ago, Australia felt that a special bond was broken.

“Half a century on, Australia stands ready again to be a willing partner with the UK,” he said.

“We want to help the UK achieve their aim of global Britain, like we want them to make sure that they work with us to promote trade liberalisation. To be advocates for free trade right across the globe.”

As it stands Australia’s beef exports are limited to a post-Brexit UK import quota of just 3761 tonnes, while sheep meat is limited to an annual UK import quota of just 13,335 tonnes.

Dairy producers are limited to an import quota of just 44 grams of cheese per person every year, when the average Briton consumes 125 grams of cheese per week.

The sensitivities in Britain over Australian agricultural imports point to difficult negotiations ahead with America, one of the world’s largest food producers.

Protectionist forces within the Conservative Party have claimed an open-slather deal with Australia would set a precedent for future negotiations with Washington.

“This deal is a crushing defeat for the self-serving protectionist lobbyists and a resounding victory for the Australian and British people,” said Matthew Lesh, head of research at the London-based free-market Adam Smith Institute.

The full potential of the deal will only be realised after Australia opens its border to vaccinated travellers.

A trade deal with Australia could lift UK GDP by 0.02 per cent, or £500 million ($914 million), while British forecasts suggest GDP in Australia could grow by up to £700 million ($1.3 billion).

While Britain has struck economic deals with other countries since the Brexit referendum, for example with Japan and Canada, these have been carry-over deals securing for Britain the same trading arrangements it enjoyed when in the European Union.

Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott, one of 12 advisers on the new-look UK Board of Trade, cautioned protectionists against trading in “fear, not hope”.

“It baffles me a little that so many people in Britain are always running the country down,” he told GB News.

“Britain can cope. And a trade deal with one of Britain’s friends…that’s no threat to the people of Britain, this is going to help the people of Britain.“

Morrison will now travel to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and former Australian finance minister Mathias Cormann, the new secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, before returning to Canberra.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/a-new-dawn-australia-and-britain-agree-on-historic-trade-deal-20210615-p5817c.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 2:41 a.m. No.13907765 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

New laws introduced to protect people from extreme online abuse, trolls

Matthew Doran - 15 June 2021

Australians subjected to vile online abuse and harassment will have greater protections from trolls, if new powers pass the federal Parliament this evening.

People accused of posting and sharing the threatening material will face fines of up to $111,000 if they refuse to remove the content, and $500,000 for companies like Facebook and Twitter which fail to comply with so-called "take down notices".

Authorities argued the legislation, which was introduced to the Senate on Tuesday morning, is necessary to particularly deal with the surge of abuse being directed at women, who make up 70 per cent of the reports of abuse.

"The way that online harassment, gendered violence really manifests towards women is very different than in that directed towards men," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.

"It's sexualised, it's violent, and it's meant to cause serious harm. It threatens rape, murder of children.

"This gives us powers to be able to tackle that kind of abhorrent content that is meant to cause distress and harm."

The new legislation would also reduce the time to comply with take down notices from 48 to 24 hours.

Ms Inman Grant said the reforms had taken six years to develop and would tackle the limitations her office experiences in dealing with online harassment and abuse.

She said her investigators would assess complaints as they came in, and would have to find a "balance" between freedom of expression and the most hateful content.

"So we'll have to make out that serious harm has been done and the intent to cause serious harm," the eSafety Commissioner said.

The legislation has the support of prominent online safety advocates, including Sonya Ryan and broadcaster Erin Molan.

Ms Ryan's daughter Carly was murdered in 2007 by a man who groomed her using a fake online identity.

Legislation to protect children from online predators, known as "Carly's Law", passed Federal Parliament in 2017.

"Just as we have protections for people that try and harm those offline, we need to absolutely make sure we have the same protections for the harms that are happening online," Ms Ryan said.

"Had the Office of the eSafety Commissioner existed … who knows, maybe my beautiful girl might still be here.

"But her legacy can potentially help prevent what happened to her happening from other innocent people in the future."

Molan, a sports journalist with the Nine Network, has spoken out about the trolling she was subjected to online.

She welcomed the new powers, hoping they would act as a deterrent.

"Once people start to understand that you no longer can hide, the rates of this will decrease, it will start to stop happening, which is exactly what we want," she said.

"You can't send a threat to rape my daughter, and think that you will go to work the next day in your nine-to-five job and that you will not be held accountable whatsoever."

Molan hoped the new powers would "change the narrative" and encourage victims to come forward.

"If you are abused and targeted and attacked online — it's not because you are a failure, or you are weak," she said.

"It's because these perpetrators are vile bullies."

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the laws would be a "world first", and noted the eSafety Commissioner would be given extra powers to block websites and apps during "crisis events".

He used the example of the Christchurch massacre, where a gunman live-streamed his shocking murder of 51 people at two mosques in 2019.

The Greens had been highly critical of the bill, concerned it made the eSafety Commissioner the "sole arbiter of internet content in Australia".

Senator Nick McKim had previously argued the complaints process could be rorted by people opposed to such things as pornography and sex work.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-15/new-laws-esafety-online-abuse-penalties-trolling/100217376

>>13907315

>>13907463

Kevin Rudd Tweet

Great speech by Chris Bowen on Morrison and his close personal relationship with an activist from QAnon - the far right, extremist, religious conspiracy group that stormed the US Capitol.

https://twitter.com/MrKRudd/status/1404718885220151306

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 2:57 a.m. No.13907815 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9841

Japanese Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet

Great to exchange candid views with Defence Minister @PeterDutton_MP on how to further strengthen (Japan and Australia) defence cooperation.

https://twitter.com/YamagamiShingo/status/1404619706305155076

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 3:06 a.m. No.13907837 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

Bill Shorten Tweet

My 11-year-old daughter calls this flexing.

https://twitter.com/billshortenmp/status/1404613302227927040

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 3:23 a.m. No.13907883 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

>>13907179

>>13907563

FBI WARNS OF ‘REAL-WORLD VIOLENCE’ FROM QANON FOLLOWERS IN NEW REPORT

EDEN GILLESPIE - 15 June 2021

The FBI has warned of an increased threat of violence among QAnon followers, who it says may move from being “digital soldiers” to engaging in “real-world violence.”

The threat assessment was sent to lawmakers last week and obtained by several US news outlets, including CNN.

In it, the agency claims the inauguration of President Joe Biden and the disappearance of the leader of QAnon has seen some adherents leave the movement.

But it fears others may no longer “trust the plan” and take matters into their own hands, “instead of continually awaiting Q’s promised actions which have not occurred.”

QAnon is a conspiracy theory that was born on the message board 4chan in 2017 and then moved to 8Chan and 8Kun, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

The conspiracy began with an anonymous poster named “Q”, who claimed to have a high-level security clearance in the US government, posting so-called ‘clues’ to followers.

Adherents of QAnon believe a cabal of satanic pedophiles are secretly running the world and sex trafficking children, according to ISD researcher Elise Thomas.

Ms Thomas said followers of QAnon regarded former US President Donald Trump as a saviour who was leading the fight against the cabal during his presidency.

“[They believed] he would reclaim the world in the name of patriots and eliminate something called ‘the storm’, which would lead to the Great Awakening.”

Ms Thomas said ‘Q’ hasn’t posted since last December, but that hasn’t stopped the movement from changing shape and becoming a stew of conspiratorial beliefs.

She believes there is a legitimate concern that some of the most radical followers may decide they are “the storm” and turn to violence.

“A lot of those kinds of more mainstream people have dropped off, or they've gone into other areas,” she said.

“But what you have left is a fairly hardcore of people who are really deeply into it, some of whom would qualify as radicalised, and others, are going through various mental health issues.”

In its threat assessment, the FBI says it had arrested more than 20 QAnon followers who participated in the Capitol insurrection.

“These individuals were charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct in a restricted building and obstruction of an official proceeding, according to court documents and press reporting based on court documentation, public statements, and social media posts," the assessment reads.

Ms Thomas said another event like the storming of the US Capitol is unlikely and that the threat lies in radicalised lone individuals.

Australia has the fourth-largest online community of QAnon supporters, following the US, UK and Canada, according to ISD.

Ms Thomas told The Feed we should treat those who’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and become immersed with conspiracy theories with compassion.

“During the pandemic, we’ve seen an explosion of conspiratorial beliefs, which is largely linked to the increase of mental health stresses and pressures,” Ms Thomas said.

“QAnon ruins people’s lives.”

“It ruins them financially it ruins them professionally, it ruins their relationships. And that's why I think you need the public health issue.”

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/fbi-warns-of-real-world-violence-from-qanon-followers-in-new-report

>>13895726

Wuhan bat video shows much of pandemic origin information was ‘Chinese disinformation’

Sky News Australia

Jun 15, 2021

Sky News host Sharri Markson says exclusive footage she revealed which proves live bats were kept at the Wuhan Institute of Virology shows much of what the world has been told about the origin of the pandemic was “Chinese disinformation”.

Ms Markson told Fox News in the interview that Beijing’s disinformation was then “propagated” by many who were “compromised”.

“It shows that much of what we’ve been told about the origin of the pandemic from the very beginning was Chinese disinformation which was then propagated by many people who had been working in conjunction with the Wuhan Institute of Virology who are compromised, who had extreme conflicts of interest,” she said.

Ms Markson scorched the WHO team which visited Wuhan earlier this year to investigate the origin of the pandemic.

“People like Peter Daszak insisted that it was a conspiracy theory – he used the term in a tweet from December 2020 – that it was a conspiracy theory to say that there were bats in the lab,” she said.

“He’s an official WHO, World Health Organisation, investigator who went into Wuhan to supposedly investigate the origins of the virus earlier this year and it was completely false.

“This new footage shows that there were bets being kept in the Wuhan Institute of Virology and it’s something Peter Daszak has had to admit, has had to correct just this month.

“There’s so much that he didn’t and the WHO team didn’t ask when they went into Wuhan.”

Ms Markson said the WHO team failed to even ask what happened to a colossal database of coronaviruses at the lab.

“They didn’t ask if there were bats at the laboratory, they didn’t ask where the virus database was, this is such a crucial thing, the virus database with some 15,000 or 17,000 bat samples suddenly disappeared from the internet in September 2019 just prior to the outbreak of COVID-19,” she said.

“People like Peter Daszak who went into to supposedly investigate this were riddled with conflicts.

“Anthony Fauci, as well, should not be advising the president on the origin of coronavirus given it was his organisation that funnelled money through a subgrant through to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“He can issue all the denials that he likes. The scientific papers say that they were funded with NIH.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-_Y1zmLCME

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 15, 2021, 11:51 a.m. No.13910760 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

‘Ritual abuse’ in sex abuse royal commission report, despite claims QAnon inserted it to Scott Morrison’s speech

RICHARD FERGUSON and JAMES MADDEN - JUNE 15, 2021

Ritual abuse was identified by the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse as a regular experience of victims, despite claims Scott Morrison used the term in a speech under the influence of a conspiracy theorist.

The ABC’s Four Corners reported on Monday that Tim Stewart – a family friend of the Prime Minister who believes the world is controlled by a cabal of Satanic paedophiles – sent text messages claiming he’d had the phrase “ritual abuse” inserted into Mr Morrison’s 2019 apology to victims of institutional sex abuse.

The term “ritual abuse” has been identified as a key word for followers of the QAnon conspiracy, who also believe a global child sex trafficking ring is being led by Hollywood actors and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, in their online forums.

The ABC on Tuesday said there was a distinction between the “rituals” and “ritualised abuse” detailed by the royal commission, and the “ritual sexual abuse” mentioned by Mr Morrison in 2019.

“The terms have two distinct meanings. ‘Ritual’ is ceremonial while ‘ritualised’ refers to something that is repeated – such as military hazing ceremonies,” an ABC spokeswoman said.

“The examples … all refer to ‘ritualised’ – repeated – abuse, mainly in the context of military hazing ceremonies. The Prime Minister did not use the phrase ‘ritual sexual abuse’ in that context in the national apology speech.

“(Four Corners) is accurately reported and raises questions it is legitimate and in the public interest to ask and examine.”

The second volume of the royal commission’s final report includes several mentions of how victims of abuse described rituals of hazing and rape across orphanages, churches, the Australian Defence Force and other institutions.

“In some private sessions, we heard about how many of the forms of sexual abuse described above were used in ritualistic or initiation settings to instil institutional culture. For example, institutions may condone sexually humiliating rituals or initiation practices, including forced public nudity, hazing and rape,” it says. The report also highlights ritual abuse of children involved in ADF youth troops and mentions that “ritualised abuse” has been a recurring theme in the media.

“The abuse took place within an informal hierarchy in which older recruits physically and sexually abused more junior recruits as part of the ritualised practices of bastardisation that were designed to break in and humiliate the new entrants to the navy.

“The media reported on high-profile alleged offenders, organised paedophile networks and ritualised abuse in Australia and overseas. As awareness grew, so did knowledge of related behaviours, such as grooming.”

The texts between Mr Stewart and a former QAnon believer in which Mr Stewart purports to have inserted the phrase “ritual sexual abuse” into the speech formed the cornerstone of Monday night’s Four Corners episode.

The report was hotly anticipated after its original air date was pushed back when ABC managing editor David Anderson decided it was not ready to run.

In the program, UNSW criminologist Michael Salter said mental health groups came to him after Mr Morrison’s 2019 apology to sex abuse victims and raised that the term “ritual sex abuse” was used regularly by QAnon.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie tabled a petition in parliament last November that called the royal commission an inquiry into “ritual abuse”, but on Tuesday said he would not have done so if he knew the words’ connection with QAnon conspiracy.

The QAnon investigation was the most-watched Four Corners episode of the year to date.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/ritual-abuse-in-sex-abuse-royal-commission-report-despite-claims-qanon-inserted-it-to-scott-morrisons-speech/news-story/b0e68a66ab20fbefd1e891bf2b0310b2

Victoria continued to use Uighur labour firm to avoid delays on $2.4b rail project

Paul Sakkal and Sumeyya Ilanbey - June 15, 2021

1/2

Victoria’s Transport department advised the Andrews government to continue with the purchase of train parts from a Chinese supplier linked to exploited Uighur workers because it would have cost too much to find a different contractor on the $2.4 billion train project.

Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show department officials told transport ministers Jacinta Allan and Ben Carroll they should continue with their purchases despite the involvement of Chinese state-owned company KTK Group, which was using scores of Muslim Uighur workers sourced through a Chinese government program.

“[The department] could direct manufacturers to seek alternative suppliers for KTK-supplied components, however this may lead to delays and additional costs,” the advice stated.

In correspondence with train manufacturer Bombardier, KTK confirmed it acquired scores of workers through the Chinese government’s Xinjiang Aid program. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute estimates about 80,000 members of the country’s persecuted Uighur minority were transferred out of their homes or detention camps in Xinjiang to work at factories as part of the program.

Victoria’s 65 high capacity metro trains are being built by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, a company central to President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative and intention to be a global leader in rail manufacturing. KTK builds the gangways that connect carriages.

The trains are two years overdue and government hopes for a December rollout of the new high capacity fleet could be cruelled by the coronavirus pandemic.

In response to an investigation undertaken by train manufacturer Bombardier, KTK, which continues to supply parts to the Victorian project, confirmed that it used about 80 Uighur workers between 2018-19 after “follow[ing] the call of the government to take the social responsibility, provide working opportunities to Uighurs, and make contributions to poverty alleviation”.

The company said “all [Uighur] workers voluntarily signed labour contracts” and “KTK complied with China’s labour laws”.

“Meanwhile, KTK has employed one dedicated cook in order to respect and satisfy the tradition of Muslim food, and provided new decorated dormitories to them free of charge,” the KTK letter said.

“In summary, there is no forced recruitment or forced labor in KTK Group, all employees’ personal freedoms and personalities have never been violated. KTK resolutely safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of employees.”

The Andrews government was the only Australian jurisdiction to sign up to the Chinese government’s $1 trillion Belt and Road strategy to invest in global rail, pipeline and telecommunications systems.

Critics including the US and European powers increasingly view the strategy as a foreign policy and propaganda tool and a potential debt trap for developing nations. Victoria’s agreement was cancelled by the Morrison government in April.

Premier Daniel Andrews maintained the BRI was a boon for the Victorian economy. He placed a strong emphasis on the state’s relationship with China since coming to office and instructed all cabinet ministers to visit China during his first term.

In February last year, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank published a world-leading study that found CRRC, along with 82 companies including Nike and BMW, was benefiting from the forced labour of Uighur people. The report found KTK employed about 40 Uighur workers in 2019.

The Transport Department advice was based on investigations by train companies that use KTK products: Downer, Alstom and Bombardier – the latter two of which have since merged.

China experts questioned how Australian companies were able to determine the veracity of KTK’s assurances given the lack of transparency in Xinjiang. “[They] are not currently aware of any use of forced labour by KTK Group,” the department’s briefing document stated.

Last year the US Commerce Department placed KTK on a so-called “entity list” that restricts its use of US goods. The department said the company was “implicated in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of the People’s Republic of China’s campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biometric data, and genetic analyses targeted at Muslim minority groups”.

(continued)

>>13914986

2/2

A Victorian government spokeswoman said on Monday that complying with modern slavery laws was “non-negotiable” and it expected everyone working on state contracts to comply with the legislation.

“All contractors working on this program have provided the Department of Transport with written assurances that forced labour was not used in the making of parts for the trains,” the spokeswoman said.

“The Victorian government has taken extensive steps to investigate these allegations since they were raised last year, including repeatedly seeking assurances from suppliers that forced labour is not used in the production of Melbourne’s HCMTs.”

The transport departments of Victoria, NSW and Queensland last year began investigating into supply chains on their train projects, all of which use KTK parts, following the release of the ASPI report.

In October last year, Premier Daniel Andrews said his government accepted CRRC’s assurances that the company was not benefiting from forced labour. Of China’s treatment of Uighurs, he said: “We don’t agree with everything that is done in every country around the world but ultimately we are about getting things done.”

Latrobe University Professor James Leibold, whose current research focuses on the Uighur ethnic minority and who co-authored the Uighurs for Sale report, said the Victorian government should not take at face value the assurances of the Chinese companies given the overwhelming evidence of repressive government policies in Xinjiang.

“Washing your hands of the concerns that KTK is involved in labour transfer schemes that are indicative of forced labour is negligent and, in my mind, the Victorian government needs to do more work to seek assurances, and if those assurances aren’t forthcoming, it should consider scrapping the contract,” Dr Leibold said.

“KTK now admits they’re involved in the Xinjiang Aid program, and it seems to be an admission the concerns we raised in the report are occurring, and that should have been a red flag for the Victorian government that the assurances it’s receiving don’t seem to line up with what the facts reveal.”

Dr Leibold raised questions on how Bombardier and Alstom, which were separate entities at the time, were able to ascertain and independently verify KTK was not involved in forced labour, given the lack of transparency and high levels of secrecy that dominate Chinese government policies.

“It is impossible [to independently investigate] – I know this because I’ve spoken to the CEO of a major auditing company in Hong Kong who said it’s impossible to do best practice, unannounced forced labour audits in [China],” Dr Leibold said.

China analysts have said while KTK’s admission of being involved in the Xinjiang Aid program is not an admission of using forced labour, it was “pretty close”.

China expert at Swinburne University of Technology John Fitzgerald said KTK’s claim that workers were recruited voluntarily could not be entirely discounted, but he said there could have been coercion if the workers were choosing to work at KTK as a method of exiting a re-education camp.

Professor Fitzgerald agreed that secrecy surrounding the Chinese government’s activities in Xinjiang made it difficult to test KTK’s claims.

“If China wants to counter these concerns it should allow more foreign journalists into the country and allow them to travel and investigate freely as they do elsewhere,” he said.

“If there’s nothing to hide, what’s the problem?”

The Department of Transport in April faced the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after it refused to release the advice to the Opposition’s transport infrastructure spokesman, David Davis. Mr Davis was last week handed a copy of the departmental advice.

The Age independently submitted its freedom of information request after it first revealed the link to Uighur labour.

Mr Davis said the Victorian government was “naively” accepting KTK Group’s assurances was a scandal and “simply not good enough”.

“The glib assurances provided by Jacinta Allan last year are worth nothing. What these damaging documents establish is there has been no independent investigation into the supply chain for Victorian rail purchases,” Mr Davis said.

Bombardier, CRRC and KTK Group were contacted for comment.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-continued-to-use-uighur-labour-firm-to-avoid-delays-on-2-4b-rail-project-20210614-p580x7.html

>>13907733

Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson agree in-principle to free trade deal

GEOFF CHAMBERS and GREG BROWN - JUNE 15, 2021

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Australia is the first nation to secure a post-Brexit free trade deal with the UK in a historic breakthrough, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with Scott Morrison against Chinese aggression.

The pair signed an “agreement in principle” after a three-hour working dinner the night before at 10 Downing Street, with Mr Morrison describing the breakthrough as “the most comprehensive and ambitious agreement that Australia has concluded”, alongside New Zealand.

At a joint press conference, the British Prime Minister raised concerns with China’s global conduct and said he was hopeful his country could become a more significant trading partner with Australia given the scale of the trade relationship with Beijing.

“I looked at the numbers. I think something like $175bn is Australia’s trade with China,” Mr Johnson said. “I think Australia’s trade with the UK is currently in the order of $15bn. So you can see the difference in the scale. I want to raise that second figure very substantially as a result of what we’re doing.”

Referencing Beijing’s treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang and its “general repression of liberties in Hong Kong” and the way it behaved “particularly towards Australia”, Mr Johnson said the UK stood “shoulder to shoulder with our friends”.

“Nobody wants to descend into a new cold war with China,” he said. “We don’t see that as the way forward. This is a difficult relationship where it is vital to engage with China in the most positive way as we can. Where there (are) difficulties evidently … it’s vital that allies, UK and Australia, work together. That’s one of the reasons we’re sending the Carrier Strike Group you way.”

Mr Morrison said the new trade agreement would help make up the “foundation of this broader partnership that Australia and the United Kingdom enjoy”. He hailed it as the “right deal” despite earlier stumbling blocks on labour mobility and quotas for Australian agricultural producers.

“This is a foundational partnership for Australia as it is for the UK,” the Prime Minister said. “And everything else we do stems from that relationship, our co-operation on defence, on strategic issues, our co-operation on science and research, in dealing with technology challenges to combat climate change and indeed the economic relationship.

“Our economies are stronger by these agreements … Movement of people, movement of goods, movement of services, this is what underpins the strength of advanced economies and liberal democracies.”

The agreement was touted by Mr Johnson as a “prelude to further deals” and a launching pad for entry into the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, although he conceded there were “sensitive issues” that had been confronted by both sides.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 12:52 a.m. No.13915010 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2635

>>13915005

2/2

Mr Johnson said the UK would now “be able to take tariffs off” over a period of 15 years, arguing the deal would benefit British farmers and consumers as well.

“There are indeed safeguards. There is a 15-year transition period, which is a long time to wait,” he said. “As you can imagine for our friends in Australia, the UK joined what was then the common market in 1973 and I have to tell you that was pretty devastating for lots of farmers in Australia.

“They committed suicide some of them in the face of what happened to Australian agriculture in the 70s when the UK went into the common market. We’re opening up to Australia but we’re doing it in a staggered way.”

Mr Johnson said the deal would be good news for British car manufacturers and services firms as well as those operating in the agricultural sector.

“It will also make it easier for young British people to go and work in Australia without having the traditional compulsion to going to work on a farm for 80 days which used to be the rule,” he said.

Under the deal, Australia will phase out by 2027 the requirement for British backpackers to work on farms to extend their working holiday visas, with the labour shortfall in the agricultural sector to be made up through the introduction of an agricultural visa by the end of 2021. British backpackers had provided the agricultural sector with up to 10,000 workers a season

The Australian has been informed the agricultural visa will take in workers from the 10 Association of South East Asian nations – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – and work in conjunction with the seasonal worker program and Pacific labour scheme.

Mr Morrison said the deal would provide greater opportunities for young people in the UK and Australia to move about and work in both nations in a way that “builds the capacity of both countries.”

On Tuesday, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the Nationals had “already got an agreement from the Prime Minister to make sure that there is a mechanism in which, not only to replace that up to 10,000 (British backpackers), but also to look to stabilise and build on the capacity of seasonal workers that are required”.

“This goes hand in glove, although it’s separate to any free trade agreement,” Mr Littleproud told the ABC.

Nationals MP Damian Drum backed an agricultural working visa to fill the void from British backpackers.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan assured the Coalition partyroom on Tuesday that the deal did not force Australia to endorse a net-zero emissions by 2050 target, after questioning from Nationals senator Matt Canavan.

In London, Mr Johnson said he thought that Australia had “declared for net zero by 2050” despite Mr Morrison only saying it was his preference to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. Mr Johnson said Australia achieving net zero by 2050 would be a “great step forward” given it was a “massive coal producer”. “It’s having to change the way things are orientated and everybody understands that,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrison-boris-johnson-agree-inprinciple-to-free-trade-deal/news-story/d0f12150f39e0f4a1e1f138622d1d70d

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 12:54 a.m. No.13915015 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

Elite universities submit 4000 foreign deals for Marise Payne to scrutinise and possibly cancel

RICHARD FERGUSON - JUNE 15, 2021

More than 6000 university deals with foreign powers are being scrutinised by Foreign Minister Marise Payne, as she considers vetoing any contrary to the national interest.

The Group of Eight universities alone have submitted more than 4000 foreign deals, including agreements to operate China-linked Confucius Institutes, as the university sector seeks to re-engage with the Morrison government over national security.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was also notified of more than 2000 foreign arrangements from the nation’s 30 other higher education institutions before the deadline on Friday.

DFAT will now comb through the university sector’s arrangements and memorandums of understanding with foreign entities before Senator Payne makes a determination to cancel any of them, as she did in April with the Victorian government’s Belt and Road deal with Beijing.

“I recognise the work universities have put into the (Foreign Arrangements) Scheme and appreciate their engagement,” Senator Payne said.

“Universities themselves now have full visibility of their international activity across their various faculties. This will result in improved governance and due diligence of their foreign agreements.”

The mass collation of foreign deals comes after more than 2000 pieces of written correspondence and 100 meetings and briefings from DFAT for states, local councils and universities.

Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson said attempts to meet the Friday deadline set by the Foreign Relations Act was a major task for the eight sandstones – which include the University of Sydney and University of Melbourne – and more deals would need to be submitted.

“This process has been a huge logistic and administrative challenge, with the complexity of the legislation putting potentially hundreds of thousands of person-to-person ‘agreements’ and other minor arrangements in the frame,” she said. “There is, however, more to be done as some universities were required to review in detail as many as 75 agreements for every one agreement lodged with the scheme.”

The Foreign Relations Act – which orders states, local councils and universities to submit all overseas deals to the Foreign Minister – was brought in amid concerns about links between university researchers and the Chinese military.

A University of Queensland spokeswoman on Tuesday said UQ had submitted 587 foreign agreements and 71 prospective deals to DFAT. The University of Melbourne said it had submitted “several hundred” agreements, and the University of Western Australia said it submitted 180 deals, which were mostly with Chinese partners.

The Australian National University, Monash University and the University of Sydney also confirmed they had submitted foreign arrangements, but would not give any numerical details.

University leaders have been prepared for their on-campus Confucius Institutes to be cancelled by the Foreign Minister.

The institutes purport to be Chinese cultural and language study centres but have been linked with Beijing’s attempts to influence foreign universities.

The University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Adelaide, UNSW, UWA, and the University of Queensland all have Confucius Institutes, and have submitted their contracts for review. The higher education sector unsuccessfully lobbied to be exempted from the Foreign Relations Act over concerns the law was too broad.

Ms Thomson on Tuesday said some foreign partners had begun to either withdraw or pause deals with Australian universities due to the legislation. “The impact of this legislation has not gone unnoticed by current and potential international partners of Go8 universities,” she said.

“A number have withdrawn from agreements, not because of any issues concerning alignment with Australia’s foreign policy, but on the basis of complexity and what they perceive (to be) unwarranted government overreach into the university sector.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/elite-universities-submit-4000-foreign-deals-for-marise-payne-to-scrutinise-and-possibly-cancel/news-story/d9d73da58cca085fabc5b5b170cf6959

>>13915005

Emmanuel Macron tells Scott Morrison ‘we’re by your side’ on China

FINN MCHUGH - JUNE 16, 2021

Emmanuel Macron has declared “we stand by your side” in Australia’s ongoing stoush with China, declaring Canberra “central” to regional stability.

The French President made the comments as he welcomed Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Elysee Palace in Paris, where the pair discussed Beijing’s increasingly assertive posture in the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Morrison has been on an international tour to bolster an international alliance in the region after accusing China of economic coercion over its year-long campaign of trade sanctions on Australian products.

Speaking alongside Mr Morrison, Mr Macron declared France rejected “any coercive measures taken against Australia”. He described them as a “flagrant violation of international law”.

“You are at the forefront of the tensions that exist in the region, of the threats, and sometimes of the intimidation. I want to reiterate here how much we stand by your side,” he said.

“I would like to reiterate how committed France remains to defending the balance in the Indo-Pacific region and how much we consider the partnership we have with Australia to be at the heart of this Indo-Pacific strategy.”

Mr Macron joined UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who Mr Morrison met in London this week, and the US in throwing its weight behind Canberra during the stoush.

Standing alongside the French President, Mr Morrison said the two countries shared common goals and values, describing their co-operation as vital to regional stability.

“Every element of our partnership is about reinforcing the values and the beliefs that we hold dearly,” he said.

“The work that you’ve done in supporting and standing with Australia as we go through some difficult times in the Indo-Pacific … we greatly appreciate that.”

The pair made the remarks before sitting down for wide-ranging discussions over dinner, days after Mr Morrison was invited to attend the G7 summit.

A joint statement from G7 leaders demanded Beijing “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms”, referencing the oppression of the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang and crackdowns on democratic movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian described the statement as “deliberate slander” designed to accelerate regional tensions.

“It reveals the malign intentions of the US, and a few other countries, to create confrontation and widen differences and disputes. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this,” he said on Tuesday.

During his tour, Mr Morrison has also attempted to bridge the divide between Australia and major developed countries on climate change after refusing to follow the G7 nations by committing to a net zero emissions target by 2050.

The Prime Minister has signed partnerships with Japan and Germany over hydrogen technology, which he has made central to Australia’s energy future, and praised Mr Macron for his leadership on the issue.

“(You are) practically addressing the challenges of technology that are necessary to ensure that not only is a carbon neutral economy achieved in advanced economies but importantly that it’s achieved in developing economies,” he said.

“And for that to occur it requires the technology that makes it achievable for them.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/emmanuel-macron-tells-scott-morrison-were-by-your-side-on-china/news-story/8c9dc0d0818e8623754397b077a05722

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 1:34 a.m. No.13915148 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9865

>>13915145

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 15, 2021

CCTV: On June 13, the G7 summit concluded and issued a communiqué, which made groundless accusations on China with regard to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other issues. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: We have noted that the G7 summit communiqué mentions China-related issues, deliberately slandering China on issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan as well as maritime issues, and interfering in China's internal affairs. Such moves seriously contravenes the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the trend of the times for peace, development and win-win cooperation. It reveals the bad intentions of the US and a few other countries to create confrontation and estrangement and widen differences and disagreements. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this.

Issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan are purely China's internal affairs that brook no foreign interference. China is firmly resolved in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests.

I want to emphasize that multipolarization and democratic international relations are irresistible trend of the times. The era of one country or a bloc of countries dictating world affairs is over. Under the current situation, the international community need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and practice true multilateralism more than ever. Countries should not seek bloc politics on the basis of the interests of small cliques, suppress different development models by holding ideology as the yardstick, and still less confuse right with wrong and shift blames onto others. The US is ill, very ill indeed. We'd like to advise the G7 to take its pulse and come up with a prescription for the US.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1884007.shtml

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 1:39 a.m. No.13915160 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9870

>>13915145

China 'incredibly aggressive' towards Australia

Sky News Australia

Jun 16, 2021

Former UK High Commissioner Alexander Downer says China has been incredibly aggressive towards Australia and the west.

“I think what’s really good about the G7 meeting is that we’ve sent a very strong message to China,” Mr Downer told Sky News.

Mr Downer said despite the current tensions, Australia wants to engage with China.

“I hope that the Chinese do understand what damage they’ve done over the last few years.

"But we want to engage with them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGBqFf263Vg

Ben Roberts-Smith used pre-paid phones due to phone hacking fears, defamation trial hears

Jamie McKinnell - 16 June 2021

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Ben Roberts-Smith used pre-paid mobile phones to communicate with soldier colleagues after he was accused of war crimes because he was worried about phone hacking, a court has heard.

On his fourth day giving evidence to a high-stakes defamation trial in Sydney, the war veteran blamed two members of Special Air Services Regiment (SAS) for "poisoning the well" by speaking to the media about missions in Afghanistan.

The 42-year-old is suing The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times newspapers over a series of 2018 stories, which reported serious allegations against Mr Roberts-Smith related to his Afghanistan deployments, including unlawful killings.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the Federal Court that after reading the first article in June 2018, he spoke to four current or ex-SAS officers who were on the missions mentioned.

After initially using his own mobile phone, Mr Roberts-Smith asked a friend of his ex-wife to buy pre-paid mobiles for further communication.

"My view was that I just needed to talk on something that wasn't compromised by the media and used in another article," he told the court.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the News of the World phone-hacking scandal was "playing heavily on my mind".

He said he spoke with the soldiers about their recollection of the missions and who was responsible for the allegations.

"Everyone had a view on which individuals were trying to poison the well with the media," Mr Roberts-Smith said.

He said two soldiers, referred to by the pseudonyms Person 6 and Person 7, were thought to be "the key drivers of the negative campaign".

Mr Roberts-Smith denied he used the pre-paid mobile phones to avoid the attention of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force.

He also denied burying a number of USB drives that contained sensitive photographs and information from Afghanistan in his Sunshine Coast backyard.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the drives were sent to him anonymously in the mail and included footage from missions and photographs from parties at the unofficial SAS bar, the Fat Lady's Arms.

The former soldier recalled attempting to obtain the home addresses of six SAS officers from a private investigator, John McLeod, as he was attempting to work out who was speaking to the media.

He denied ever sending threats in the mail and said while he was never given the addresses, he intended to pass them on to a WA-based private investigations firm so it could discover who was speaking to journalists.

(continued)

>>13915189

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The Victoria Cross recipient appeared to become emotional in the witness box on several occasions when he was asked by his barrister, Bruce McClintock SC, about the impact of the stories on his life and his family.

He told the court it was "traumatising" to get a call from his ex-wife's parents, shortly after the articles were published, expressing concern about him and his children.

"You fight for your country, you come home," he began, loudly exhaling and pausing.

"And somebody attacks you from the shadows, like cowards, and your own family has to think that about you."

Mr Roberts-Smith detailed the impact on his children and said every day he worries about what people may say to them about him.

"It was, and it is, something that just crushes me," he said.

"It crushes my soul. Because I gave so much to that job. And it's all lies."

Just before Mr McClintock finished questioning his client, Mr Roberts-Smith told the court the reports "ruined" his life because his family life was untenable, his public speaking business collapsed, and he is "constantly racked with anxiety".

He said it takes "an amazing amount of effort" to face people every day and put on a brave face after struggling to get out of bed.

"How do you feel people see you now, what do you think people think of you?" Mr McClintock asked.

"That's that problem, I don't know," the veteran replied.

"I used to. Now I walk down the street, people look at me. The first thing I think of is that they think I've hit a woman," he said, wiping his nose with a tissue.

Mr Roberts-Smith insisted he "did everything I was supposed to" in Afghanistan and followed the rules of engagement.

"I have had those moments in my life in the last three years, that I just didn't think it was worth it," he said.

"I have so much respect for the Victoria Cross and what it stands for, the Australian Defence Force, people I work with, I love my family, my children.

"That keeps me going. To set the record straight. And that's why I'm here."

Mr Roberts-Smith alleges he was defamed by imputations including that he "broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement", "disgraced his country", bullied SAS colleagues, and committed an act of domestic violence against a woman in a Canberra hotel room.

Nine Entertainment Co, the publisher of two of the papers, is using a defence of truth.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/ben-roberts-smith-gives-evidence-about-pre-paid-mobile-phone-use/100218686

Alleged Australian child abuser arrested after six months on the run in Thailand

Fergus Hunter - June 12, 2021

1/2

An Australian man who was on the run in Thailand for six months, fleeing child sexual abuse charges, has been arrested by local authorities and will now face court.

It can also be revealed that Adam James Fox, 44, was able to obtain a working with children clearance in Victoria in 2017 and become a foster carer despite previously facing child abuse charges in Melbourne two decades ago under another name, Guy Christopher Weymouth.

Mr Fox, living in Thailand in recent years, has been in hiding since December and denies accusations he assaulted or violated at least three impoverished boys at his home under the guise of providing education and care. He has claimed the charges are a set-up and he won’t receive a fair trial in the Thai court system.

He was charged by the Royal Thai Police in early 2020 but received bail and did not attend the start of his trial in December. He was charged in the city of Mae Sot, which is on the border with Myanmar and has a reputation for human trafficking and exploitation.

Multiple sources confirmed Mr Fox was arrested again in the area on June 2 by immigration and narcotics law enforcement officers.

An investigator from New Zealand who was previously working on human trafficking cases in Thailand welcomed police efforts to recapture Mr Fox but warned he had been in custody before and was “inexplicably” granted bail.

“At the time Mr Fox went on the run he was already facing charges for serious sexual abuse against some of Thailand’s most vulnerable children,” the investigator, Daniel Isherwood, said.

Mr Isherwood said Mr Fox had made a mockery of the local justice system and bribed key officials to secure his release from custody and ongoing access to the children he was charged with abusing.

“I understand Mr Fox’s lawyer was recently elected as mayor of Mae Sot and I hope he is able to ensure corruption does not play a part of the trial process on this occasion,” Mr Isherwood said.

Mr Fox has previously admitted to bribery. In a video posted online, he said corruption was rampant in Thailand and “with enough money you can get people to give you whatever you want, whatever you need”.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age previously detailed the allegations against Mr Fox and revealed messages he sent to an associate in which he described, in graphic detail, sexual activities with children and dosing them with methamphetamine and heroin.

(continued)

>>13915213

2/2

There is also evidence Mr Fox conspired to bribe officials within the local judiciary to drop drug charges against him and implicate a man called Kyaw Moe Aung, who worked for Mr Fox last year but fell out with him amid the abuse allegations.

Mr Fox’s record has also raised concerns about child protection in Victoria after it emerged he received a working with children clearance – which remained active until the Thailand allegations came to light – despite facing seven charges in 2000 for sexual abuse of a child under 16.

Working with Children Check Victoria granted the clearance, which lasts five years, in 2017. The government agency, which relies on applicant disclosure and police information for background checks, may not have been aware of Mr Fox’s alias and previous charges.

He was found not guilty on all of the abuse counts in April 2002. Victorian working with children laws were changed from August 2017 to require that sexual offences against a child are assessed in working with children checks even if the person was found not guilty. Mr Fox appears to have acquired his clearance before the change came into effect.

Under longstanding laws, applicants are also required to declare any other names by which they have been known. If Mr Fox did not disclose the truth about his past to the agency, he could face up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $39,652 for providing false or misleading information.

Mr Fox was an active volunteer foster carer, accredited with a Victorian foster care agency, before he left Melbourne for Thailand.

Since the airing of Mr Fox’s past and the accusations in Thailand earlier this year, Mr Fox’s check has been revoked and he is prohibited from engaging in child-related work in Victoria.

One person who knew Mr Fox in the 2000s, and did not want not to be named, said Mr Fox’s explanation for his dual identities at the time was that the name Guy Weymouth had baggage because of the abuse charges.

The goal of the working with children checks is to determine whether a person poses an “unjustifiable” risk to children in the relevant work or volunteering.

“Assessments for a WWCC include a thorough look at the criminal history and relevant professional conduct findings of applicants to ensure they assist in protecting children from sexual or physical harm,” a spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Community Safety said.

If this article has raised concerns for you, support is available by phoning Lifeline at 13 11 14.

https://www.lifeline.org.au

https://www.smh.com.au/national/alleged-australian-child-abuser-arrested-after-six-months-on-the-run-in-thailand-20210612-p580hs.html

Revealed: Epstein and Maxwell implicated in multiple UK abuse claims over a decade

Serious questions raised about why Met Police chose not to investigate alleged offences. Police said today they will ‘review the information’ reported by this programme.

Channel 4 News Investigations Team - 15 Jun 2021

1/2

A Channel 4 News investigation has found more than half a dozen claims that young women and girls are alleged to have been targeted, trafficked, groomed, or abused in the UK by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, over a period spanning more than a decade.

Some of those victims have provided detailed accounts of their experiences. The evidence comes from a combination of publicly available documentation (including court papers), witness accounts, and interviews. The alleged offences detailed in the accounts include serious sexual assault and rape.

The Channel 4 News investigation reveals that despite this, the Met Police chose not to carry out a full criminal investigation into these alleged offences despite many of these claims being in the public domain, a direct approach from at least one victim, and widespread evidence that Epstein had abused young women through a global criminal enterprise.

Serious questions have been raised about why the force failed to carry out a full criminal investigation, including whether Prince Andrew’s involvement with Maxwell and Epstein had any bearing on their decision not to fully investigate; and whether the Metropolitan Police faces a conflict of interest due the role of its officers serving in proximity as Royal protection officers. Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing.

Legal experts who reviewed the claims for Channel 4 News said the allegations provide clear grounds for an investigation and accused the Met Police of failing in their legal duty to launch a full criminal inquiry.

Nazir Afzal OBE, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for NW England at the CPS, who led landmark cases against grooming gangs in northern England, said: “From what I’ve seen, there is clearly enough evidence for the police to investigate more thoroughly than they have done up to now.

“It’s concerning, because we’ve got potentially victims here. And maybe other victims or alleged victims, who may if an investigation follows its course, be identified.”

A spokesperson for the Met Police told this programme it would “review” the information put to them by Channel 4 News.

When asked if Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were treated differently by the MPS because of their connection with Prince Andrew, Afzal warned: “The perception here is a different approach was taken in relation to these alleged offences, then there would be than if it was some brown guy in Rochdale, or some sex offender in London who didn’t have any standing at all.”

Channel 4 News was also able to identify potential witnesses by tracing name and telephone numbers from a publicly available contacts directory, known as the ‘Black Book’, which openly details associates and workers (including drivers, pilots, and masseuses) in the UK, in a similar pattern to those seen in other countries that have launched investigations, including the US and France. None of the people we called told us they had received any contact from the UK police.

(continued)

>>13915233

2/2

Publicly available flight records from this period show Epstein and Maxwell were frequent visitors to the UK. Our analysis shows Epstein’s private planes – a Gulfstream jet and the luxury Boeing 727 dubbed “The Lolita Express” – flew in and out of UK airports at least 51 times, including into RAF Marham in Norfolk. The pair were also visitors at Royal residences including Balmoral, Windsor and Sandringham.

In 2015 the Met Police chose not to open a full criminal investigation into an incident involving Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew in 2001, despite a complaint from a third party who passed on evidence of serious criminal activity involving the exploitation of a vulnerable young woman. In 2019 the Met Police carried out a review of that decision and concluded that no further action was required.

One of the alleged UK victims and her legal team spoke directly with Met Police officers in 2016 and urged them to investigate. When Channel 4 News has previously asked questions about this direct approach, the Met Police has not provided any answers and ignored the questions. The Met Police has never publicly acknowledged this direct approach, instead providing public statements referring only to the third-party complaint in 2015.

A spokesperson for the Met Police told Channel 4 News it would “review” the information put to them by this programme. However, they said they stand by their decision not to open a full investigation.

In a statement the force said: “The MPS always takes allegations of sexual offences and exploitation seriously.

“All officers no matter what their role are duty bound to uphold the law and conduct themselves with integrity.

“The MPS is clear that it will investigate allegations where there is sufficient evidence of an offence having taken place, where it is the appropriate authority to do so and where those against whom the allegation are made are alive.

“The MPS stands by the statement by Commander Alex Murray issued at the end of 2019.

“This confirmed that the MPS had received an allegation of non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation against a US national, Jeffrey Epstein, and a British woman in 2015 relating to events outside of the UK and an allegation of trafficking to central London in March 2001.

“Officers assessed the available evidence, interviewed the complainant and obtained early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. However, following the legal advice, it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK.

“Officers therefore concluded that the MPS was not the appropriate authority to conduct enquiries in these circumstances and, in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation.

“In August 2019, following the death of Jeffrey Epstein, officers reviewed the decision making from 2016 and concluded that the position should remain unchanged.

“The MPS has continued to liaise and offer assistance with other law enforcement agencies who lead the investigation into matters related to Jeffrey Epstein but is unable to comment on individuals with whom they may or may not have interacted with regard any allegations of crime.

“We will always consider any new information and will review the information sent to us from Channel 4.”

https://www.channel4.com/news/revealed-epstein-and-maxwell-implicated-in-multiple-uk-abuse-claims-over-a-decade

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 2:11 a.m. No.13915238 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9876

>>13915233

Revealed: Epstein and Maxwell implicated in multiple claims of abuse in UK over a decade

Channel 4 News

Jun 16, 2021

An investigation by this programme into the notorious sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged partner Ghislaine Maxwell has found mulitple claims that the pair targeted, groomed, trafficked and sexually abused at least half a dozen young women in the UK over a ten-year period.

The allegations have never been fully investigated by the Met, despite repeated complaints to the force.

The Metropolitan Commissioner has previously insisted that any decision not to investigate had nothing to do with Prince Andrew, but that it was a matter for US authorities, where Ghislaine Maxwell is facing trial.

But tonight senior legal figures in the UK who have reviewed our evidence from this country are calling for a full criminal investigation into what they call "serious allegations".

A warning: this report contains references to sexual abuse.

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

Four Corners misses the big stories on QAnon

JACK THE INSIDER (Peter Hoysted) - JUNE 16, 2021

1/2

The ABC’s Four Corners report into the cult of QAnon now only stands relevant on the basis of semantic argument as we were reminded the term ‘ritual abuse’ was identified by the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse as a regular experience of victims, despite the program’s claims Scott Morrison may have used the term in a nod to the cult.

Let’s face it, the show was a nothing burger and those same claims had been reported over a year ago by other media.

The words were contained in a speech the Prime Minister made to the parliament on 22 October 2018.

I recall that day well and the PM’s speech in particular. It was one of those rare days where parliament was at its best. Scott Morrison spoke, voice quivering with emotion, as did then Opposition leader, Bill Shorten. They were fine speeches.

Victims of institutional child sexual abuse, many of whom were present in the parliament, some in the packed galleries, others listening in the Parliament’s Great Hall or outside on the lawns, found great comfort in the expressions of support, a sense that finally the nation had turned its eye to them and at last they had been believed. There was also a sense of collective grief, of victims assembling at one place at one time and succour of a kind came from it.

Through five years of public hearings at the Royal Commission we learned some hard truths about ourselves. We learnt that as a society we had failed to value our children, failed to listen to them, failed to believe them.

We learnt also that some of the country’s most trusted institutions – state and private, religious and secular, sporting and recreational, held these children’s lives cheap. These institutions had known of the abuse perpetrated behind their walls and covered up, obsessed with abstract concepts like legal liability and reputational damage. The victims were cast into an emotional abyss from which many would never return.

Nation’s sorrow assuaged

The nation’s sorrow was assuaged by the Prime Minister’s speech and by actions that followed them, the establishment of the National Redress Scheme which offered victims a chance of lawyerless compensation, albeit by completing a long and often perplexing form which required them to outline the circumstances of their abuse in detail that would necessarily re-traumatise them before waiting months and sometimes years before receiving payments and apologies from the institutions responsible for their abuse.

It was an imperfect solution to an intractable problem. There is room for journalistic rigour here that seems to have gone through to the keeper — victims who had to wait too long that they gave up hope or died waiting for compensation.

Many of those most disadvantaged by the scheme are what are known as Clannies — the Care Leavers Australia Network — former wards of the state who were abused in one place, then transferred to another where they were abused again and often on to another where the abuse continued with new tormentors. Their homes had been run by a mix of providers, state and private. When it came time for their redress to be examined, the claims would have to be passed to one institution, then on to another and so on.

Thus, the NRS was designed to be more difficult for what were arguably those who had suffered more enduring harm.

(continued)

>>13915261

2/2

The empty seat at the table

What did arise from the Four Corners program is what might call the empty seat at table, families who have had to endure the absence of loved ones lost to a cult. Those firmly in the grip of QAnon conspiracies as with all cults have a long journey back if they can come back at all.

Explaining what QAnon is is invariably difficult. It is a cult and in the way of cults, its belief systems are regarded as bizarre to outsiders.

If I tried to explain the fundamental precepts of Scientology, the same problems would arise. QAnon is a political cult that relies on claims of institutional child sex abuse perpetrated, the theories go, by Democrats and Hollywood personalities as part of a global cabal of the powerful. QAnon also, it must be said, is vehemently anti-Semitic.

Still, the emotive pull of it cannot be underestimated. What could be more important than saving children?

Unlike Scientology or any one of the other faux religious cults, QAnon relies on the concept of the digital warrior – the notion that one can do good by simply following the cult’s adherents and influencers online (who often have something to sell) and spreading the word.

Unsurprisingly, police and the FBI have reported the rise of QAnon has made their job more difficult. Unfounded claims of child sexual abuse have made the business of actual child sexual abuse more difficult to investigate. Waters are necessarily muddied when hundreds of false claims are reported.

When we get to the QAnon denouement, the riots at the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6, we saw people assembling who had otherwise been law abiding. Members of the military and even law enforcement were present. Not all, but a sizeable fraction of those who stormed the Capitol that day, were QAnon adherents. Some were members of militia groups with angry names – Boogaloo Boys, Proud Boys, Three Per Centers. Many had travelled to Washington DC because they believed their country was at risk. They had been told so, based on the lie President Donald Trump had repeated loud and often that he had been cheated of victory in the US Presidential election in November 2020.

The term radicalisation is rarely attributed to the Capitol Building attacks but that is precisely what happened. Of the more than 400 arrests that have been made since, the one consistent back story for many is that of vulnerable people in a state of heightened suggestibility who found themselves in the middle of a violent mob. They became radicalised in seconds.

How QAnon started and by whom remains a mystery. We know that at some point, not long after the US Presidential election in 2016 that posts from Q – the so called anonymous deep state insider were almost certainly contrived by an internet entrepreneur, Ron Watkins. But Q had been posting for 18 months prior to Watkins’ meddling.

The language of the cult

We know, too, that people close to Trump’s re-election team – Roger Stone and Major General Mike Flynn were quick to adopt the language of the cult for political motives.

It was a psy-op straight out of a CIA textbook and millions were sucked in. Just yesterday, the FBI issued a statement predicting more QAnon violence, that its adherents, no longer directed by the cryptic Q posts, would move from digital soldiers to engage in more “real world violence.”

The frustration is that journalistic obsessions about what a prime minister did or didn’t say are such small beans compared to what is out there in the actual.

Rewriting history is a journalistic hobby of sorts these days. The frustration is that the real history, documented, observable, clear in our memories is pushed to the back so we can fixate on an almost meaningless dot in the distance as if the truth can only be consumed in made-for-television bite-sized chunks.

Peter Hoysted is Jack the Insider: a highly placed, dedicated servant of the nation with close ties to leading figures in politics, business and the union movement.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/four-corners-misses-the-big-stories-on-qanon/news-story/06904652bae870f1172c0e0970e8f10e

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 2:43 a.m. No.13915288 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

>>13907179

CNN Newsroom

Berman to former QAnon follower: How could you believe that?

15 June 2021

CNN's John Berman speaks with Jitarth Jadeja, who followed QAnon for two years, about the FBI's warning to lawmakers that QAnon "digital soldiers" may become more violent.

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/media/2021/06/15/former-qanon-follower-fbi-warning-jadeja-intv-newday-berman-sot-vpx.cnn/

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 2:45 a.m. No.13915294 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

Lucy Turnbull Tweets

I am worried about how widespread these crazy ideas are. Was walking down a street in the neighborhood late last year and a tradie shouted out to @TurnbullMalcolm and me ‘Hi paedophiles’. It was truly bizarre. It really shook me. The guy was very snarky and weird.

https://twitter.com/LucyTurnbull_AO/status/1404701519325196295

Louise Milligan @Milliganreports

In the US, only today: “The FBI has warned that followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory could again engage in violence against political opponents out of frustration that the theory's predictions have not come true.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi-warns-that-qanon-followers-could-engage-real-world-violence-2021-06-14/

https://twitter.com/Milliganreports/status/1404699357547429894

—

By the way @TurnbullMalcolm was a little further away and did not hear what he said. I sure did. It was loud and clear and really disturbing.

https://twitter.com/LucyTurnbull_AO/status/1404703086485012482

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

June 14 2021

#MATESHIP

—

9 News Darwin

June 14 2021

The unshakable mateship between we Aussies and the Americans stretches back more than a century.

And today there's no better place to illustrate this great military alliance turned love affair than Darwin.

As we mark the ten year anniversary of the U.S. Marine deployment down under, reporter Amy Clements brings us a little bit of Top Gun from the Top End.

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/153458686816623

>>13855451

U.S. Marines, Australians, Japanese kick off trilateral Exercise Southern Jackaroo

Capt. Thomas deVries - 06.15.2021

Darwin, NT, Australia – U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D), soldiers with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and soldiers with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will conduct Exercise Southern Jackaroo 2021 in Northern Territory training areas June 15-25, 2021.

Exercise Southern Jackaroo is a field training exercise that integrates Australian and Japanese elements with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, increasing the capacity to mutually support one another during combined operations.

Three main activities will occur during the training. There will be a table top exercise where key leaders and planners will receive a mission and then war game to assess their plan to accomplish the mission. Marines will conduct sniper training and establish an artillery battery of M777 Howitzers, 155mm cannons; these provide indirect fire support for infantry units. Finally, there will be a live fire field training exercise that will integrate infantry and artillery units of the U.S. Marines, Australian Army, and Japanese Ground Self Defence force.

The MRF-D Ground Combat Element is comprised of a reinforced infantry battalion, including 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment; an artillery battery from 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment; and a detachment from 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. Other capabilities of MRF-D, such as logistics and aviation elements, will support the live fire training in Mount Bundy Training Area.

All U.S. service members in Australia strictly adhered to Australian health including COVID-19 testing and quarantine before being released. The health protection measures demonstrate a sustained commitment to the Australia-U.S. alliance and ensure continued regional health, security, and stability.

For media interested in covering the exercise, contact Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Communication Strategy and Operations Officer, Capt. Thomas deVries, USMC: MRFDmedia@usmc.mil.

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/398916/us-marines-australians-japanese-kick-off-trilateral-exercise-southern-jackaroo

TalismanSabre Tweet

#YourADF is gearing up for #TalismanSabre by honing the skills of Australia’s amphibious force on Exercise Sea Explorer!

The tiered training program coordinates the insertion of sailors, soldiers and vehicles by air and sea.

Learn more: bit. ly/ExSea-

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/exercise-explores-all-options

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1403849628756463619

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 3:18 a.m. No.13915363 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9844

>>13915359

Exercise explores all options

Captain Dan Mazurek - 11 June 2021

There is a lot going on in the air, on land and at sea in Exercise Sea Explorer, which is landing on Cowley Beach in North Queensland until June 15.

The annual Sea Series of exercises is a tiered training program that hones the skills of Australia’s amphibious force, ensuring it is ready now and future-ready.

After last month’s planning exercise Sea Horizon, Exercise Sea Explorer allows nearly 1600 Army, Navy and Air Force elements to rehearse and perfect the intricate process of moving people and materiel from HMA Ships Canberra and Choules to shore.

Exercise Sea Explorer is the amphibious force’s preparation for July’s Exercise Sea Raider in which they will support the broader ADF as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Coordinating the insertion of sailors, soldiers and vehicles – including main battle tanks – by air and sea requires a focused effort to overcome challenges while maintaining safe and effective training.

Commander Amphibious Task Force Captain Leif Maxfield said Army, Navy and Air Force personnel synchronised the complex management of the amphibious manoeuvre, while in the background, the ships’ companies also maintained rigorous internal training and maintenance regimes.

“There is certainly a lot going on,” Captain Maxfield said.

“Sea Explorer is our opportunity to bring our amphibious forces together to achieve initial training goals while ensuring we operate to the highest standards of safety before we pick up the pace on exercise Sea Raider.

“I am continually very proud of the hard work and professional approach of the embarked amphibious forces and crews of Canberra and Choules.”

During Exercise Sea Raider, the focus will shift to tactics and further integration with a company of US marines from Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, a strike company of Royal Marines from Bravo Company, 40th Commando Royal Marines, and a platoon of Japanese infantry from the Amphibious Ready Deployment Brigade.

For more images of the exercise, see the Defence image gallery.

https://images.defence.gov.au/assets/S20211870

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/exercise-explores-all-options

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 16, 2021, 3:20 a.m. No.13915368 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9844

>>13915359

Capturing the beachhead - Exercise Sea Explorer

Department of Defence Australia

Jun 16, 2021

Exercise Sea Explorer is the second of three exercises in the annual Sea Series designed to hone and certify Australia’s Amphibious Task Forces. The first - Exercise Sea Horizon was a planning activity in preparation for the subsequent Sea Explorer and the final Sea Raider exercises.

During Exercise Sea Explorer almost 1800 soldiers, sailors, and aviators aboard HMAS Canberra and HMAS Choules practiced amphibious landings of soldiers, vehicles, and equipment onto Cowley Beach in North-Eastern Queensland from 2-15 June 2021.

More here: https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/australian-amphibious-force-completes-exercise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_y-PrqudVU

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 12:36 a.m. No.13922164 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2171 >>9893

>>13907315

>>13907799

Kevin Rudd Tweet

Could you imagine any other Australian PM refusing to answer questions about inviting an extreme, far-right religious cultist to Kirribilli House? What about accepting his help to write a speech to parliament? His own family reported him to the National Security Hotline.

https://twitter.com/MrKRudd/status/1405070098008711169

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 12:38 a.m. No.13922171 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

>>13922164

Did the PM try to keep his ties with a QAnon supporter secret? | 7.30

Jun 16, 2021

ABC News (Australia)

This week, Four Corners aired an episode detailing links between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a man who supports QAnon - a group the FBI considers has the potential for domestic terrorism. The report detailed concerns about the radicalisation of Tim Stewart, who is a close friend of the PM and whose wife Lynelle worked at Kirribilli House.

Among the revelations were that the Stewarts were due to be on the PM’s controversial Hawaii holiday and a claim of influence over Prime Minister. Chief political correspondent Laura Tingle reports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-IZwugU6NE

BRISSC (Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivors Support Centre)

RITUAL ABUSE

1/3

What is Ritual Abuse?

The term ‘ritual abuse’ was first used in the early 1980’s, to describe a particular form of abuse, (predominantly of children), involving organised ritual as a central feature. The term first appeared in North American literature and was used in Australia from 1984 onwards (Scott, 2001). Since this time, the term ritual abuse has been defined in various ways, by various people, including survivors, academics and workers from professional fields that come into contact with survivors and perpetrators e.g. police, social workers, psychologists etc.

Ritual abuse has existed for longer than the last twenty years. Survivors talk of their childhood experiences of ritual abuse, occurring in the 1950’s and 60’s. Ritually abusive practices within families are often trans-generational, meaning they are practised by various generations of family members over many years. Evidence, derived from court cases and personal accounts, indicate ritual abuse existed as far back as the 16th century.

The extent to which it is practised in Australia is hard to determine due to a number of factors, including the highly secretive nature of ritual abuse practices and a culture of disbelief which further hides it and, which influences and impedes political and social institutions’ responses toward it.

The 1989 Report by the Ritual Abuse Task Force of Los Angeles County Commission for Women, defined ritual abuse in the following way:

Ritual abuse usually involves repeated abuse over an extended period of time. The physical abuse is severe, sometimes including torture and killing. The sexual abuse is usually painful, sadistic and humiliating, intended as a means of gaining dominance over the victim. The psychological abuse is devastating and involves the use of ritual indoctrination. It includes mind control techniques which convey to the victim a profound terror of the cult members and of evil spirits they believe cult members can command. Both during and after the abuse most victims are in a state of terror mind control and dissociation. (ASCA, 2002).

Survivors of ritual abuse may give varying descriptions of their experiences. However, a number of factors generally feature across accounts including:

• The abuse includes physical, sexual and psychological abuse

• The abuse constitutes a range of criminal acts

• It is systematic, can be ceremonial and often occurs within a group setting (usually more than one perpetrator at a time, but not always)

• Like all abuse, ritual abuse is about power and control, but is designed to more expressly meet the needs of a group, with the specific purpose of indoctrination into that group’s belief system or ideology

• Mind control techniques or programming plays a significant part in keeping group members faithful to the group and its needs. Much of this programming is about engendering a sense of terror within group members, so that they will not leave the group or expose the group’s criminal practices to outsiders.

Survivors’ accounts of their experiences of ritual abuse also include attempts to clearly distinguish this kind of abuse from other kinds of abuse they may have experienced. For example, in Sara Scott’s book, The politics and experience of ritual abuse: beyond disbelief (2001, p.62-80), women survivors of childhood abuse, including ritual abuse, clearly distinguished between their experiences of more “regular” forms of familial abuse, and their experiences of abusive cult ritual, prostitution and child pornography. However, all of these women’s accounts illustrated that the different kinds of abuse and exploitation they survived were interconnected within a culture where the abuse of women and children is normalised – a daily reality.

Survivors have also questioned the fact that the term ritual abuse has become too broadly applied. For many survivors ritual abuse, where a belief system or ideology plays a key role in abusive ritual, must not be confused with “ritualistic abuse” –abuse which is perpetrated in a habitualised manner, such as the sexual abuse of a child perpetrated on a daily basis.

The term and practice of ritual abuse has also been closely linked with other categories and practises of abuse, including: –

a) “organised abuse”, which refers to the abuse and exploitation of children through organised crime (prostitution and pornography) and paedophile rings;

b) institutional abuse, which refers to the abuse of persons within political and social institutions, such as within schools, orphanages and mental health facilities etc;

c) “organised, sadistic abuse” which is often used as an umbrella term across these kinds of abuse, wherein ritual abuse features as a more extreme example.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 12:40 a.m. No.13922184 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2193

>>13922180

2/3

Who Perpetrates Ritual Abuse?

Initial discussion of ritual abuse in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s predominantly implicated satanic cults in the perpetration of ritual abuse against children. However, not every group or cult dedicated to satanic worship practices ritual abuse.

Moreover, ritual abuse is not exclusively practised within such groups. Groups or cults organised around other religious or quasi-religious belief systems, including Christian cults, have been associated with the use of abusive ritual to maintain control over members. Ritual abuse which occurs within religious groups is often called “cult-based ritual abuse” (Kelley, 1988, p.229).

Religion is not always a defining factor of groups who practice ritual abuse. White supremacy groups such as Nazi cults and the Klu Klux Klan have been associated with such practices. Groups involved in organised crime and paedophilia have also been identified as sites of ritual abuse. Ritual abuse which is not part of a developed belief system, but which is primarily about the sexual exploitation of children has been called “pseudo-ritual abuse” (Kelley, 1988, p.229).

Groups who practice ritual abuse are always hierarchical – the abuse is used to maintain this hierarchy and to benefit those at its higher levels. Benefits may include power and prestige, sexual gratification and financial wealth.

Ritual abuse may be practised within family groups across generations, or it may be associated with groups or institutions external to survivors’ families. For example, some reports concern the recruiting of children from orphanages and day-care centres, for abuse within paedophile rings. Ritual abuse may be perpetrated through connections between families and external groups.

Impact on Survivors

Impacts of ritual abuse on survivors ritual abuse has profound effects upon the lives of child and adult survivors. The range of psychological symptoms and emotional effects survivors may experience include:

• Trauma related symptoms such as flashbacks, dissociation, amnesia and triggered flight or fight reactions to circumstances which in some way remind the survivor of abusive experiences

• Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)

• Self-harm and eating issues

• Suicidal thoughts and attempts

• Confusing concepts of good and evil

• Preoccupation with death

• Memories of ritualistic practices such as Black Masses and sacrifices to Satan and those which involves gang rape, murder, the abuse of animals and being buried alive

• Memories of symbols and ceremonial objects used in rituals such as inverted crosses, swastikas and chalices

• Memories of perpetrators dressed in ceremonial and bizarre costumes

• Memories of being tortured and/or deprived of sleep, food and water

• Memories of being drugged during rituals

• Phobias of symbols associated with rituals, blood, certain colours, drugs, incense, candles and being confined in small spaces

• Shame, guilt and blame

• Addictions.

This list is not exhaustive, but simply gives us some idea of the immense impact that ritual abuse has on survivors. It also illuminates the tremendous strength of those who survive ritual abuse. Surviving in a culture of disbelief adds to the immense impact of ritual abuse on survivors, is the frustration and despair of attempting to survive within a wider culture where ritual abuse experiences are disbelieved and denied. The culture of disbelief is further compounded through the very social and political systems and institutions, which are supposed to promote the best interests of survivors, as those requiring special personal support and legal protection and justice.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 12:42 a.m. No.13922193 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

>>13922184

3/3

Australian Governments have been unwilling to acknowledge that ritual abuse exists. It has been suggested that the association of ritual abuse practices with government institutions (for example, orphanages and mental health facilities) has rendered governments afraid of litigation, should they fully acknowledge its existence. For whatever reasons, governments have not encouraged adequate responses toward the issue from those systems which come into contact with survivors and perpetrators. This includes the criminal justice and health-care systems, which are responsible for the provision of services that promote the health and well-being of survivors of sexual violence.

Support for Ritual Abuse Survivors

Blueknot Foundation

Support Line: 1300 657 380

Telephone: (02) 8920 3611

Website: www.blueknot.org.au

Email: admin@blueknot.org.au

Myriad Support Group (for women with DID/MPD)

Phone: (07) 3399 3340

Contact Person: Diana Hunt

Qld Association for Mental Health

Street Address: Fleming House, Orford Drive Wacol

Postal Address: PO Box 475 Sumner Park BC 4074

Phone: (07) 3271 5544

Email: association@mentalhealth.org.au

Trauma and Dissociation Unit

Street/Postal Address: Belmont Private Hospital , 1220 Creek Road Carina 4152

Phone: (07) 3398 0280

Comments: Inpatient and day patient programmes. Admission based on referral by psychiatrist.

Lotus Place (for survivors of institutional abuse)

Street Address: 46 Cleveland Street, Stones Corner, 4120

Postal Address: PO Box 3449, South Brisbane, 4101

Phone: (07) 3347 8500

Website: https://www.lotusplace.org.au/

Comments: Supports people who have been abused institutionally – state and church (foster, detention centres etc.). Outreach, advocacy and support, historical abuse network, National Redress Scheme support.

Comments: A program which provides a support service for persons who have experienced physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse whilst in an institution, orphanage, detention centre or foster care in Queensland .

References

• ASCA 2002. Healing from Ritual Abuse: Also known as Organised Sadistic Abuse. Information Package.

• Kelley, S J. “Ritualistic Abuse of Children: Dynamics and Impact” Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 5, No.2, 1988.

• Ritual Abuse Survivors and Supporters, Australia at http://www.heart7.net/ritual-abuse-ss.html

• Scott, Sara. 2001. The politics and experience of ritual abuse: beyond disbelief.

https://brissc.org.au/resources/ritual-abuse/

BRISSC Support line: (07) 3391 0004

support@brissc.org.au

—

Q Post #1735

Jul 27 2018 13:13:18 (EST)

There is nothing more precious than our children.

Evil has no boundaries.

https://genius.com/Slayer-evil-has-no-boundaries-lyrics

The choice to know will ultimately be yours.

These people are SICK!

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/07/27/cbs-honcho-les-moonves-will-be-accused-sexual-misconduct-in-latest-ronan-farrow-bombshell-report-says.html

To those who are courageous enough to speak out - we stand with you!

You are not alone in this fight.

God bless.

Q

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 12:48 a.m. No.13922224 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9861

>>13907606

Julian Assange’s family speaks out on Tucker: He committed ‘no specific crime at all’

Angelica Stabile - 17 June 2021

Australian editor Julian Assange has been behind bars in the United Kingdom since his April 2019 arrest after being evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy where he had been given refuge for years. Now, as Assange fights extradition to the United States where he faces charges that could land him in jail for more than 100 years, his family is speaking out against the parameters of his incarceration.

Assange’s father, John Shipton who is currently touring the United States to raise awareness of his son's situation, told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Wednesday that Assange really didn’t do anything wrong or commit any "specific crime at all."

"He just offended some people in certain sections of Washington," he said. "And consequently has faced 12 years now of persecution and harassment."

Shipton pointed out that even though Assange is not an American citizen, he’s been charged under the U.S. 1917 Espionage Act, threatening 175 years in jail over "nothing at all."

Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother, shared that the last time he was able to visit Assange at London’s Belmarsh Prison was in October of 2019. Since then, the prison has been completely locked down due to COVID.

"It’s a maximum-security prison so it’s got all of the most dangerous prisoners from around the UK, the most violent prisoners," he said. "He won his extradition case on Jan. 4 and the U.S. government appealed and then a couple days later, he was refused bail."

"Since January, he’s been sitting in prison an innocent man, not able to see his family or lawyers. And we just don’t know when the appeal will happen or when this will end."

Gabriel revealed that there have been no elected officials backing his family on freeing Assange since President Biden’s inauguration.

"It’s been silent from people in Congress and in the Senate which is part of the reason why we’re doing this," he said. "To encourage Americans to stand up for their First Amendment rights and speak to their congresspeople."

https://www.foxnews.com/media/julian-assange-family-tucker-no-specific-crime

‘Hate speech’: More right-wing groups could be listed as terrorist organisations

Anthony Galloway - June 17, 2021

More right-wing extremist groups could be declared terrorist organisations after Labor and Liberal MPs unanimously backed the listing of neo-Nazi group Sonnenkrieg Division.

Liberal senator James Paterson, chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, called on the government to investigate more “like-minded organisations with a mind to listing them as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code, if they meet the criteria”.

In March the then home affairs Minister Peter Dutton announced the UK-based group Sonnenkrieg Division would become the first right-wing extremist organisation listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.

Federal Parliament’s security and intelligence committee examined the listing and backed the move in a report tabled on Wednesday night.

The report found Sonnenkrieg Division “seeks to encourage lone-actor terrorist attacks against its political, racial, and ethnic enemies”.

“SKD members acting on behalf of the organisation, have encouraged, promoted, and glorified terrorist acts through online propaganda,” the report said. “SKD adheres to an ideology that is violently opposed to multi-ethnic Western societies and there is a possibility that a lone-actor attack directed or inspired by SKD could result in harm to Australians.”

Senator Paterson said although Australians were not directly involved in the group its “encouragement, promotion and glorification of lone actor attacks could inspire some Australian extremists, and the availability of SKD propaganda online has potential to contribute to the radicalisation of others”.

“The committee encourages the government to continue investigating other like-minded organisations with a mind to listing them as terrorist organisations under the criminal code, if they meet the criteria.”

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus, a member of the committee, said it was “troubling” it had taken so long for the government to list an extreme right-wing group.

“As ASIO has told this Parliament time and time again, the threat posed by right-wing extremism to our country’s safety and to the safety of its people is very real and very serious and it’s growing,” he said.

“We can see the dangers with our own eyes and read about it day after day in our newspapers. We’ve seen the images, and read the reports, of dozens of neo-Nazis openly burning crosses and chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans at a popular Victorian tourist destination.”

Other groups on the list include Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab and Islamic State.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said in March he had recommended to the government that other ideologically motivated extremist groups also be listed but suggested it decided they did not meet the legal definition.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hate-speech-more-right-wing-groups-could-be-listed-as-terrorist-organisations-20210617-p581so.html

https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/sonnenkrieg-division.aspx

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 1:05 a.m. No.13922290 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9861

Cardinal Pell at 80

George Weigel - June 16, 2021

Fifteen months ago, it looked as if Cardinal George Pell might spend his 80th birthday in prison. A malicious trolling expedition by the police department of the State of Victoria in his native Australia had led to the cardinal’s indictment on manifestly absurd charges of “historic sexual abuse.” His first trial ended with a hung jury heavily in favor of acquittal; but because of a court-imposed media blackout on the trial, the public did not know that the defense had shredded the prosecution’s case by demonstrating that the alleged crimes couldn’t have happened how, when, and where the complainant said they’d happened. The cardinal’s retrial ended in an incomprehensible conviction, which was followed by an even more incomprehensible (and feckless) rejection of the cardinal’s appeal. Happily – for the sake of an innocent man’s liberty and the reputation of Australia’s justice system – the country’s High Court unanimously quashed the guilty verdict on April 7, 2020, and entered a judgment of “innocent” in the case of Pell v. The Queen.

Cardinal Pell did not waste his 404 days in prison, most of them in solitary confinement. He wrote a daily journal that has become something of a modern spiritual classic; Ignatius Press has been publishing it in three volumes, the last of which will appear in October. Through his Prison Journal, thousands of people around the world have discovered the real George Pell: a man of rock-solid faith, keen intelligence, deep compassion for the confusions that beset the human race, and a determination to live out the priestly ministry to which he committed himself when he was ordained by Cardinal Gregory Peter Agagianian (runner-up to John XXIII in the conclave of 1958) on December 16, 1966.

I’m happy that so many others have now discovered the truth about this good and great man, not least because he and I have been friends since he spent his post-ordination summer in my Baltimore parish, in between his Roman theological studies and his doctoral work at Oxford. Over that half-century, we’ve discussed just about everything. And while the cardinal has not converted me to the virtues of cricket, we are of one mind on so many other things that we’ve worked in close harness on several occasions.

Thus it strikes me as providential that Cardinal Pell’s 80th birthday falls while the universal Church is being roiled by the German “Synodal Way: a process that, absent a decisive Roman intervention (and perhaps even in the face of that), seems likely to confirm that institutional Catholicism in Germany is in a state of apostasy. Providential, because without George Pell’s leadership as archbishop of Melbourne and then cardinal archbishop of Sydney, Australia might well have become the kind of ecclesiastical disaster area Germany is today – although the Aussies would have gotten there 25 years earlier.

His enemies will never admit it, but Cardinal George Pell saved the Church in Australia from dissolving into a Liquid Catholicism indistinguishable from Liberal Protestantism. He did so by his defense of Vatican II as renewal within tradition; by his reform of the priesthood and his care for sexual abuse victims in the dioceses he led; by his unwavering support of Catholic orthodoxy in the teeth of fierce cultural headwinds that cowed many of his brother bishops; by championing serious Catholic intellectual life in a variety of initiatives; and by hosting Sydney’s World Youth Day-2008, which evangelically energized young Australian Catholics as Denver’s World Youth Day-1993 had done for young American Catholics. Without George Pell’s leadership and his willingness to stand for the truth against vicious criticism, Catholicism Down Under in 2021 might well look like the moribund Church in much of Germany today, but absent the Germans’ vast, tax-supported wealth.

Cardinal Pell’s work to clean the Augean stables of Vatican finance remains to be completed and questions about possible links between that work and his prosecution remain to be answered. Nonetheless, the cardinal’s grace under extraordinary pressure and the dignity with which he conducted himself before, during, and after his imprisonment have made him one of the most influential elders in the Catholic Church today. That he lost his vote in a future conclave on June 8 does not mean that he will be sidelined in the really consequential discussions of the Church’s future. He will be very much at the center of those conversations, now wielding the moral authority he has rightly won as a contemporary confessor.

The man I have known and cherished since the summer of 1967 was not built for quiescence. His voice will be heard. And it will be heard where it counts.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

https://denvercatholic.org/cardinal-pell-at-80/

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 1:17 a.m. No.13922338 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9870

PM Morrison says Australia ‘working hard’ to avoid war with China

Scott Morrison has weighed in on the prospect of war with China after wrapping up an international tour to Asia and Europe.

Finn McHugh - JUNE 17, 2021

Australia is working “hard to prevent” tensions with China escalating to a Cold War, but its allies “know full well” the threat in the Indo-Pacific, the prime minister says.

Scott Morrison was returning from an international trip to Asia and Europe for the G7, where he worked to bolster an international coalition in the face of Chinese economic pressure.

After backing from world leaders during his travel, the prime minister was pressed on whether Beijing’s increasingly assertive posture in the Indo-Pacific could spark a new Cold War.

“We’re working hard to prevent that type of an outcome, and that is achieved by having as much engagement as possible,” he told Sky News in Paris.

En route to Europe, Mr Morrison met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before sideline talks with Japan’s leader, Yoshihide Suga, at the G7.

He described engagement with regional leaders as a “step” towards avoiding military conflict with Beijing.

“That is not an outcome that we would wish for in any circumstance. That is why you take the steps that we do take to ensure that you can get some stability in the region, a free and open Indo-Pacific, of which China is a part,” he said.

New US President Joe Biden, who Mr Morrison met for the first time at the G7, has prioritised alliance-building more so than predecessor Donald Trump, and in March included Australia in an historic Quad meeting focused on the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Morrison said the President’s experience gave him a “deep understanding” of the region, which he was looking to engage “through ASEAN’s eyes”.

“He’s certainly not fresh to these issues, and that is enormously useful in our partnership … He has a very strong institutional understanding of the US system, and the role that the US has played in our region over a very long time,” he said.

After the Cornwall summit, the G7 leaders released a statement demanding Beijing respect human rights, referencing human rights abuses in Xinjiang and anti-democratic crackdowns in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron each backed Australia in the ongoing trade stoush after hosting Mr Morrison for one-on-one visits.

The UK parliament recently voted to extend lockdown measures by almost a month as it grappled with the new Covid-19 Delta variant, a reminder Australia was living “like nowhere else” during the pandemic, Mr Morrison said.

The extension was partly prompted by UK’s delay in barring travel from India as it endured the world’s worst outbreak.

“They could have taken that option, and they didn’t take that option at the time. It highlights the point: once you open the gates of decisions like this, it’s difficult to go back. That’s why we’ve been cautious on those issues,” Mr Morrison said.

During his visit to London, Mr Morrison struck an in-principle free trade agreement with the UK, its first major deal since leaving the European Union.

But the pair maintained markedly different stances on climate change, after Mr Johnson in April committed to a 78 per cent emissions reduction target by 2035 compared to 1990s levels.

“(Mr Johnson) has got a deep commitment (on climate change), I think people in the United Kingdom do also. That’s fine,” he said.

But Mr Morrison has refused to follow other developing nations, committing to a more meagre target, net zero emissions by 2050.

He attempted to bridge that divide during his trip, striking hydrogen technology deals with Japan and Germany, and insisted Australia was adapting to a “new energy economy”.

Mr Morrison will land in Perth on Thursday afternoon, before heading to Canberra to undergo two weeks’ quarantine at the Lodge.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/pm-morrison-says-australia-working-hard-to-avoid-war-with-china/news-story/864ae8cf1016c5db4820d0bca290ad5e

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 1:24 a.m. No.13922371 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9856

Ben Roberts-Smith tells defamation trial soldiers were allowed to use 'whatever force was necessary'

Jamie McKinnell - 17 June 2021

War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has told a Sydney court Australian soldiers were permitted to use "whatever force was necessary" to arrest insurgents in Afghanistan, including punching those who were fighting back.

Mr Roberts-Smith is being cross-examined on his fifth day in the witness box during a high-stakes defamation trial against three newspapers in the Federal Court.

The 42-year-old is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, along with three journalists, over several 2018 stories which reported allegations of wrongdoing related to his time deployed in Afghanistan.

The publisher of two of the papers, Nine Entertainment Co, is relying on a defence of truth and Mr Roberts-Smith has denied all wrongdoing, including his alleged involvement in up to six unlawful killings.

Under questioning by Nine's barrister, Nicholas Owens SC, Mr Roberts-Smith agreed it was never permissible, under both the rules of engagement and the Geneva Conventions, to kill someone once they became a "person under confinement" (PUC) of the Australian soldiers.

He said all "fighting-aged males" in a "target building", such as a compound, would become PUCs, while care was taken to not touch women or children due to cultural sensitivities.

"Is there a strict definition in terms of age about a fighting-aged male?" Mr Owens asked.

"There is no strict description of a fighting-aged male. Effectively anyone that you felt was old enough to directly take part," Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

Mr Roberts-Smith was then questioned about the use of force with PUCs.

"You could use what force was necessary and required to effect the arrest of the PUC," the veteran said.

"Would that include punching them?" Mr Owens asked.

"If required, yes," he said.

Force such as a punch would be required "if they were fighting back", he added.

Mr Roberts-Smith said soldiers were also permitted to physically move someone if they were non-compliant.

He could not recall if the process for placing a person under confinement and bringing them back to base was different for an adult as opposed to an adolescent.

Mr Roberts-Smith has previously told the court some male insurgents he "engaged" with were as young as 15.

The process of placing a person under confinement is central to the case, as Mr Roberts-Smith's is arguing he was defamed by imputations that he "broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement" and "disgraced his country".

He has today agreed that at all times in Afghanistan, it was his understanding that if a soldier killed a PUC in any circumstance they would have committed murder.

He agreed that it would effectively break the legal and moral rules of military engagement.

Mr Roberts-Smith has previously denied killing any person who had been placed under the control of the Australian forces.

The veteran also agreed that it would never be permissible to "order, direct or encourage" another soldier to kill a PUC, and that there would be an obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent that conduct if the situation arose.

Today he also explained the evolving techniques of the Taliban insurgency, such as placing improvised explosive devices against walls that Australians would use for cover, using cornfields for ambushes, and firing upon Australian forces as they were "extracted" from missions by helicopter.

Mr Roberts-Smith is also suing over what he claims were defamatory imputations that he bullied colleagues in the Special Air Services Regiment (SAS) and committed an act of domestic violence on a woman in a Canberra hotel room.

He has denied all the allegations.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-17/ben-roberts-smith-gives-evidence-for-fifth-day-defamation-trial/100221992

Former Australian spy 'Witness K' pleads guilty to conspiring to reveal classified information

Elizabeth Byrne - 17 June 2021

A former senior spy known as "Witness K" has pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to conspiring to reveal classified information.

Witness K had been charged with conspiring with his then-lawyer Bernard Collaery to reveal information about alleged spying by Australia on the East Timor cabinet during sensitive oil and gas treaty negotiations.

In 2019 Witness K indicated he would plead guilty to the charge, but his case has been slow to move through the courts, and it was not until today that he formally entered his plea before a magistrate.

The former spy is facing a sentencing hearing that, barring any further disputes over the facts of the case, will run for two days and determine what punishment he will face.

The ACT Magistrates Court mandates that an accused must plead in person, so during today's plea, Witness K was concealed behind tall black screens in a corner of the court, to keep his identity secret.

Witness K and Bernard Collaery charged under Intelligence Services Act

Both Witness K and Mr Collaery were charged in 2018 with conspiring to reveal secret information.

The charge related to allegations Australian government agents bugged the cabinet room of East Timor during sensitive negotiations between the countries on oil and gas.

Witness K and Mr Collaery were each charged with a single count of conspiring to share information protected by section 39 of the Intelligence Services Act, which covers secrecy and the unauthorised communication of information.

Mr Collaery has chosen to fight his charge at trial.

More to come.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-17/witness-k-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-reveal-classified-info/100223306

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 2:09 a.m. No.13922477 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9876

Ghislaine Maxwell objects to raw sewage, nosy guards in NY jail

Jonathan Stempel - June 16, 2021

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite fighting U.S. federal sex trafficking charges, remains subjected to raw sewage, water deprivation, "hyper-surveillance" by overbearing guards and other unacceptable treatment in jail, according to her lawyer.

Maxwell, 59, is preparing for a possible November trial on charges she procured four underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted.

In a Tuesday night filing, lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said Maxwell was forced to change cells at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after raw sewage last week permeated her cell.

Sternheim also said guards are still able to read Maxwell's confidential legal papers and monitor her meetings with lawyers, and that neither Maxwell nor her lawyers were allowed water during a four-hour meeting on Sunday.

Despite complaints about Maxwell's treatment, "little if anything has been done," Sternheim wrote.

"The ever-changing rules are negatively impacting Ms. Maxwell's ability to prepare for trial," Sternheim added. "The hyper-surveillance of Ms. Maxwell and counsel during legal visits is highly inappropriate and invasive."

Sternheim's letter was in response to a June 7 letter from prosecutors that said guards can see but cannot hear Maxwell's discussions with the lawyers.

Prosecutors also said Maxwell still gets more time than any other inmate at the Brooklyn jail to use a computer and review evidence, and at least as much time to talk with her lawyers. They also said Maxwell remains "physically healthy."

The office of U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan declined to comment on Sternheim's letter. The letter from prosecutors was made public on Wednesday.

Maxwell is the daughter of the late British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, and a former girlfriend and longtime associate of Epstein.

She has been denied bail three times by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversees the case, and twice by a federal appeals court.

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking charges. New York City's medical examiner called the death a suicide.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ghislaine-maxwell-objects-raw-sewage-nosy-guards-ny-jail-2021-06-16/

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.300.0.pdf

Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre testifies against modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel

Giuffre told NBC News in 2019 that Jeffrey Epstein told her he slept with "over a thousand women that Brunel brought in." Brunel denies wrongdoing.

Sarah Fitzpatrick, Nancy Ing and Saphora Smith - June 17, 2021

1/2

PARIS — One of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers testified against French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel in a Paris court this week and is calling on other witnesses to come forward in the high-profile sexual assault case.

The closed-door testimony from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 37, is the latest turn in the international investigation into Epstein and people accused of being his co-conspirators.

It is not clear what Giuffre told the closed-door hearing, but her court appearance comes after years of accusations against Brunel. Giuffre said in a 2016 deposition, made public in 2019, that Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell had directed her to provide sexual services for Brunel. And speaking to NBC's "Dateline" in a special that aired in 2019, Giuffre said Epstein told her that he had slept with "over a thousand women that Brunel brought in."

In an interview after her daylong testimony, Giuffre said she appeared in court to be a voice for the victims and to make sure Brunel is brought to justice.

"I wanted Brunel to know that he no longer has the power over me, that I am a grown woman now and I've decided to hold him accountable for what he did to me and so many others," Giuffre said.

In 2019, the Paris prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation into charges of rape, aggravated sexual aggression and criminal conspiracy related to offenses of a sexual nature likely committed by Epstein and other possible accomplices on French victims or on French territory.

Brunel was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport in December last year as he was preparing to take a flight to Senegal and was taken into custody for questioning as part of the investigation, according to a statement released by Paris prosecutor Rémy Heitz.

He was formally charged with the rape of at least one minor over the age of 15 and sexual harassment. A statement from Brunel's attorneys denied any wrongdoing. The Paris prosecutor’s office declined to specify how many alleged victims of rape there were over the age of 15.

He was also "placed under the status of assisted witness of aggravated human trafficking to the prejudice of underage victims for the purpose of sexual exploitation," according to the statement.

Élodie Tuaillon-Hibon, a French lawyer who specializes in sexual assault cases, said the status of assisted witness meant that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to charge Brunel with the offense of human trafficking but that it did not exclude him from being charged in the future.

"I'm urging more witnesses — even if it is outside of the statute of limitations — to come forward," Giuffre said. "The judge is listening, the authorities are listening, I'm listening."

"We want to help put this monster away where he belongs," she said. "We can't do that unless we all work together."

Giuffre emphasized that French prosecutors are eager to speak to anyone who might have information about Brunel, and have recently set up a special email address to receive tips from the public.

"Whether you are a witness of Jean-Luc Brunel at one place or another — and it doesn't even have to be him doing something illegal, it can just be placing him somewhere, and by doing so it can help place together another victim's story, corroborate," she said.

(continued)

>>13922496

2/2

In an emailed statement, Brunel's attorneys said they could not comment in detail on the case but strongly denied that Brunel had any sexual relationship with Giuffre or participating in sex trafficking.

"When confronted with her own contradictions and evidence from the proceedings, Mrs. Virginia Roberts admitted that she had made mistakes regarding the places, dates and persons would allegedly assaulted her," the statement said.

Brunel has denied wrongdoing in a 2015 lawsuit against Epstein, in which he alleged that "false stories" linking him to Epstein caused him and his modeling agency a "tremendous loss of business."

In the suit, Brunel alleged that several photographers would no longer work with his agency because of the "adverse publicity" surrounding Epstein and his illegal activities and the publicity "falsely linking" Brunel and his agency with those activities, "namely, sex trafficking."

Brunel and Epstein had known each other for years, according to the 2015 lawsuit.

Sigrid McCawley, Giuffre's Florida-based attorney, said the French authorities had been working hard to bring justice to Brunel's alleged victims and that the process takes time.

"Virginia's incredible courage in stepping forward and assisting with the French investigation will pave the way for more to come forward," she said.

In her 2016 deposition, Giuffre said she was working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago, the private club owned by former President Donald Trump, at age 16 when Maxwell recruited her to train as a masseuse. She says Epstein and Maxwell then preyed on her for years.

The account was in 2,000 pages of documents released in 2019 by a federal appeals court relating to a 2015 defamation lawsuit Giuffre filed against Maxwell. The suit was settled out of court in 2017.

Epstein, 66, died by suicide in a federal jail cell in New York City in August 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He faced up to 45 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors in New York alleged that from at least 2002 through 2005, Epstein had paid girls as young as 14 for sex at his Manhattan townhouse or his estate in Florida. He had pleaded not guilty.

He had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and felony solicitation of prostitution. He served 13 months and was registered as a sex offender in Florida under a non-prosecution agreement he signed with the office of the U.S. attorney for Miami.

Maxwell, his longtime confidante, was arrested in July and remains in custody in New York. She has pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy to entice minors, conspiracy to transport minors, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor.

Prosecutors accused her of playing a key role in Epstein's abuse of underage girls, helping to groom the victims and encouraging them to accept his offers of financial assistance. The original indictment alleges that Maxwell sometimes joined in the abuse.

Sources close to the federal investigation of Epstein and his associates said it is still an active investigation.

Maxwell’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-virginia-roberts-giuffre-testifies-against-modeling-agent-n1270959

>>13882053

‘Utter nonsense’: CSIRO blasted for dropping Chinese climate partner

Peter Hannam - June 17, 2021

1/2

Senior scientists have ridiculed a decision by the CSIRO to end a highly productive climate research partnership with China, saying it was disingenuous to claim there were any national security risks.

The nation’s top science body informed staff late last week it would not extend its Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research (CSHOR) when its partnership with the Qingdao National Marine Laboratory Centre ends in 2022, despite substantial work studying critical climate issues.

“When the five-year CSHOR research collaboration comes to its end in June next year it will have delivered significant benefit to CSIRO, Qingdao National Marine Laboratory (QNLM), and the broader international research community by advancing understanding of the Southern Hemisphere oceans and their impact on climate,” Jaclyn Brown, director of CSIRO’s Climate Science Centre, told staff by email. “As such, CSHOR will not continue into a new phase.”

Researchers at home and abroad say the decision was made abruptly and followed comments in Senate estimates last month by Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, that foreign nations could use ocean research to gain an edge in submarine warfare.

“There’s a great bit of activity around ocean temperature modelling and how that is modelled and computed. That’s great for climate understanding and climate modelling,” Mr Burgess said. “It’s also great if you’re a submariner.”

ASIO won’t say whether it asked CSIRO to ditch its Qingdao relationship, with a spokesperson saying only that the spy agency “actively and routinely works with parliaments, industry, academia and other partners to build awareness of threats and provide protective security advice”.

CSIRO also won’t comment on any external pressure. A spokeswoman said the decision had “been informed by science strategy and the need for CSIRO to balance its portfolio of research so it is best placed to deliver on current and emerging science needs”.

But scientists inside CSIRO or familiar with the work say the move was ill-informed and would hurt Australia’s ability to predict and adapt to significant threats from climate change. One researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to comment said presumed defence risks were “just a joke”.

“The Chinese also understand that CSIRO’s decision is because of pressure from the right-wing media… stoking anti-China populism,” the researcher said.

Steve Rintoul, a CSIRO fellow and one of the CSHOR leaders, said his organisation had worked with the Defence Department to ensure that there was no connection between CSHOR and CSIRO’s Bluelink program, which does military-related ocean research.

“We took great care to put a firewall around that work,” Dr Rintoul, who was honoured earlier this week with an Order of Australia for his research, said. Staff working at CSHOR could not work at Bluelink, and vice versa.

(continued)

>>13922510

2/2

While it was true that ocean temperature monitoring and prediction at a small scale could assist in submarine warfare, CSHOR’s work was large-scale and basin-wide, generating data that was “completely irrelevant to hiding or finding a sub”, he said, adding that to state otherwise would be “misleading or disingenuous”.

Axel Timmerman, who heads the IBS Centre for Climate Physics in Korea’s Pusan University, said CSHOR’s work was cutting-edge and addressed the fundamental mechanisms of climate change, including how a warming world will generate more frequent powerful El Nino events in the Pacific.

“This information is relevant for a number of countries and societies affected by these climate phenomena, such as Indonesia, Ecuador, Peru, India, Thailand, Australia, the United States and China,” Professor Timmermann said. “CSHOR’s research is based on the statistical analysis of publicly available climate model simulations, which were conducted under the auspices of international programs and involved more than 50 climate modelling centres worldwide”.

“Suggesting that fundamental climate research, with publicly available outcomes and using publicly available data, poses a national security risk is utter nonsense,” he said. “Pushing a political fear-based agenda at the expense of basic science is a dangerous game to play.”

Mat Collins, a climate change researcher at the UK’s Exeter University, said CSHOR had produced a number of high-profile research papers that advanced our understanding of climate variability.

“The Chinese scientists are always very open and able to discuss matters of shared scientific curiosity,” Professor Collins said. “From the point of view of advancing our scientific understanding, it would be a real shame if this collaboration could not continue.”

CSIRO’s Dr Rintoul said CSHOR’s 12 researchers alone were producing about six papers a year that appeared in Nature, Science or PNAS journals, considered globally the top three. That compared with about 90 for CSIRO’s 5000-strong researchers

“It far outperformed the rest of CSIRO,” he said. “Globally, it has a reputation that is hard to beat.”

The end of the partnership means CSIRO will have to make up the $2 million in funds provided from China from elsewhere. “We’ll start again” to find another partner, Dr Rintoul said.

Science Minister Christian Porter directed The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age back to CSIRO. The Defence Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Audrey Fritz, who has researched the Qingdao lab for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the organisation had extensive involvement with Chinese government entities and defence conglomerates.

As such, “the collaboration between CSIRO and QNML poses a risk that likely extends beyond CSIRO’s safeguards”, Ms Fritz said. “Conducting due diligence research on entities to understand their ownership structure is imperative before establishing research co-operations, and such research could have changed the Australian government’s original decision to approve the cooperation in 2017.”

She noted, though, that the lab still appears to co-operate with various US, French and Japanese entities, and said: “these international organisations may need to re-evaluate their collaborations with QNML depending on the security implications of their joint research programs”.

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/utter-nonsense-csiro-blasted-for-dropping-chinese-climate-partner-20210616-p581ix.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 2:42 a.m. No.13922524 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9870

Beijing backs Mark McGowan’s ‘constructive’ criticism of Scott Morrison

WILL GLASGOW - JUNE 17, 2021

Beijing has backed West Australian Premier Mark McGowan’s “constructive” criticism of the Morrison government’s China policy.

Responding to a question by the Party-controlled Beijing Daily, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian praised the Labor Premier’s latest blast of the federal government.

“The Australian government should heed these constructive opinions,” said Mr Zhao at a regular press conference in Beijing.

“[F]ace up to and reflect on the crux of the setback in bilateral relations, abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, earnestly uphold the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, and act in ways conducive to enhancing mutual trust and promoting practical co-operation,” said the foreign ministry spokesman.

McGowan’s comments this week were made as Prime Minister Morrison was discussing with world leaders Australia’s concerns about Beijing’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific.

“I know how much you are at the forefront of the tensions that may exist in the region, of threats, sometimes of intimidation. I would like to reiterate here how much we stand by your side,” Macron told Mr Morrison.

“We firmly reject any coercive measures of an economic nature taken against Australia in flagrant violation of international law,” he said.

The day earlier, at an oil and gas conference in Perth, Premier McGowan criticised Morrison government’s handling of Australia’s biggest trading partner.

“The federal talk of conflict, trade retaliation can and must stop. We should always protect our interests, our institutions, our independence, our democracy and our freedoms. That goes without saying,” said McGowan.

“But how is it in our interests to be reckless with trading relationships that fund and drive our prosperity and our nation forward?”

Budget papers in Australia’s second biggest resources state Queensland revealed China’s unofficial coal ban had nearly halved the state’s royalty earnings.

Queensland’s Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would like an improvement in the bilateral relationship “because it affects Queensland jobs”.

A survey released this week by Sydney’s University of Technology found only 32 per cent of Australians thought the Morrison government had managed the China relationship well.

Residents of the iron ore state of Western Australia were the most critical.

But the same survey by UTS’s Australia-China Relations Institute found more than six in 10 Australians said they wanted the government to take a harder line on China and that 67 per cent said China was a security threat.

Most Australians — 80 per cent of the 2000 surveyed — said Beijing and Canberra shared responsibility for improving the relationship.

Xi Jinping’s administration has maintained the breakdown is entirely the fault of Australia and refused the Morrison government’s requests for dialogue.

At Wednesday evening’s foreign ministry press conference, Mr Zhao again insisted the fault lay with Canberra.

“For quite some time, people from different social sectors in Australia have expressed concern about the way the Australian government approaches relations with China,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/beijing-backs-mark-mcgowans-constructive-criticism-of-scott-morrison/news-story/dac6ccf3fcf399dae37fa926c941af9a

—

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 16, 2021

Beijing Daily: On June 15, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said that it would not be in Australia's interests to "be reckless with trading relationships that fund and drive our country's prosperity and our nation forward". He said that this isn't about giving in, but there needed to be a national reset in that relationship. Does China have any comment on that?

Zhao Lijian: China maintains that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of the two countries, and that the practical cooperation of mutual benefit between the two sides is conducive to the well-being of the two peoples. For quite some time, people from different social sectors in Australia have expressed concern about the way the Australian government approaches relations with China. The Australian government should heed these constructive opinions, face up to and reflect on the crux of the setback in bilateral relations, abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, earnestly uphold the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, and act in ways conducive to enhancing mutual trust and promoting practical cooperation.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1884265.shtml

Arthur Sinodinos leads US tribute to wartime air crew

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 16, 2021

Australia’s deadliest air disaster, but probably the least well known, has been commemorated in Washington DC at a small ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

The Bakers Creek Memorial Observance paid tribute to the 40 American soldiers, almost all in their early 20s, who died around 6am on June 14, 1943, after their plane crashed soon after take-off, 8km south of Mackay, Queensland.

“These young men, who were a long way from home, fighting a very tough battle in New Guinea, stopping an enemy that was primed to take Australia if the US had not been there,” said Australian ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, who laid a wreath, and paid tribute to soldiers and the US alliance.

Wartime censorship, meant to keep up morale and avoid controversies around responsibility, prevented newspapers and radio from reporting the crash, which left only one survivor among the six crew and 35 passengers.

In a moving ceremony of around two dozen military, diplomatic and civilian attendees, Robert Cutler, executive director of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association, read aloud the names of the soldiers, from 23 US states, who died.

In Mackay, a day earlier, 90-year-old Terry Hayes, a retired journalist of 47 years on the Daily Mercury, gave a moving tribute. “Mackay gave them 10 carefree days, far from the rigours of the steaming jungles and the desperate war being fought there,” he said.

The men were part of around 200,000 US troops stationed in Australia during the war. “In their last few days of leave they had sent postcards and messages home and even bought souvenirs to take home when the war is over,” he added.

Colonel David Bowling, Commander of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, spoke of the frustration and heartache of the families who weren’t told the cause of the deaths of their sons and brothers.

“I think it was 15 years until the cause was publicly released of how the accident actually happened,” he said.

“I was also struck by the similarities between their generation and our generation – December 7, 1941, which will live in infamy, and 9/11, both very similar in nature, rallying calls to the nation,” the colonel said.

Mr Sinodinos pointed out in his remarks that it was 20 years since former prime minister John Howard invoked the ANZUS alliance, since that tragedy, and 70 years since the ANZUS alliance itself was signed in San Francisco in 1941.

“One the most enlightened acts in the history of the 20th century was the way in which the US after WWII brought friends and foes together to build the global rules based order that underpins our peace and prosperity,” Mr Sinodinos said.

Covid-19 travel restrictions prevented a representative of the Mackay branch of the RSL, who usually features in the ceremony, from attending.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/arthur-sinodinos-leads-us-tribute-to-wartime-air-crew/news-story/2200e8995871792357e6cc03d547eaa7

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 17, 2021, 2:55 a.m. No.13922542 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9844

>>13922539

Community holds ceremony to mark 78th anniversary of wartime Bakers Creek crash

The disaster claimed the lives of 40 American soldiers and crippled survivor Foye Kenneth Roberts.

Staff reporters - June 15, 2021

Community members gathered to mark the 78th anniversary of a wartime aviation disaster in Bakers Creek.

The Bakers Creek air crash happened on June 14, 1943, when a United States Army Air Forces Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft crashed at Bakers Creek.

The disaster claimed the lives of 40 American soldiers and crippled survivor Foye Kenneth Roberts, who died in 2004.

The Bakers Creek Memorial is one of a relatively few memorials in the world that honour soldiers from another country.

This demonstrates the respect locals have for the Americans who gave their lives in our midst while returning to the war in New Guinea and so far from their homes.

The event to mark the 78th anniversary on Sunday included a parade and ceremony at the Bakers Creek Hall.

The RSL Mackay Sub Branch organised the event.

https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/queensland/mackay/community-holds-ceremony-to-mark-78th-anniversary-of-wartime-bakers-creek-crash/news-story/a1118fdb4ca64bfd7c0337593f2bdb7d

>>13855451

>>13915358

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

June 15 2021

“Enter Exercise Southern Jackaroo”

—

9 News Darwin

June 15 2021

Almost 800 Aussie diggers, U-S Marines and Japanese self-defence experts will join together over the next fortnight for some serious Top End training.

Exercise Southern Jackeroo was cancelled last year due to Covid.

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/154109966751495

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 12:33 a.m. No.13929518 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9522 >>9893

>>13922180

OPINION: Charles Wooley - I’m more likely to believe in aliens than claims about PM’s QAnon ties

Claims raised by ABC program Four Corners that Prime Minister Scott Morrison was influenced by a crackpot US conspiracy theory defies rational belief, according to Charles Wooley.

CHARLES WOOLEY - June 18, 2021

1/2

Seven hundred and twenty-two thousand people watched the ABC’s Four Corners program this week.

That is a lot more than they usually get but not surprising when you consider the free publicity.

The controversial documentary alleged there was a connection between our (I would have thought) fairly unexciting PM and a crackpot American conspiracy theory known as QAnon.

The loonies who subscribe, know it simply as Q.

Not to be confused with the invaluable boffin in the Bond films who provided 007 with the submarine Lotus Esprit and the handy toothpaste bomb.

This new Q, supposedly an anonymous high-ranking Washington official (‘QAnon’. Geddit?) serves no such useful purpose.

Followers of QAnon believe that the world is under threat from “a cabal of satanic, cannibalistic paedophiles” who run a global child sex trafficking ring and conspired against President Donald Trump to defraud him of his legitimate re-election.

Those fruit loops implicate everyone from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to Hollywood stars and the billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros.

Yes, of course, there are paedophiles in high places. We know that only too well but what do they really have to do with rigging the US election?

It defies rational belief.

If they claimed aliens were living among us and running major corporate industry, I would find that much more believable. It would explain how the captains of oil, coal, and petrochemicals, can appear to so insouciantly destroy the planet they live on.

It’s simple. They have spaceships hidden in their basements. They can leave at any time.

Don’t write in. I know it doesn’t stack up but it’s better than QAnon.

And if you don’t think so, you need more help than I can give you here.

On Monday, the ABC’s Four Corners reported that Tim Stewart, a family friend of Scott Morrison and a QAnon believer, sent out text messages claiming he had used his influence to get the code words “ritual abuse” inserted into the PM’s 2019 parliamentary apology to victims of institutional sex abuse.

Stewart is known to believe that an apocalypse which he calls “The Great Awakening” is imminent.

Four Corners revealed that Stewart frequently boasted on the internet about his influence with his friend the Prime Minister of Australia. The program ran a sequence of his tweets prior to the PM’s address, bragging how he would get Scott Morrison to insert the code words “ritual abuse” into his speech.

It was, I admit a bit of a “gotcha moment” when the program replayed the PM’s celebrated apology speech and suddenly there it was; the magic phrase on the lips of our leader.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 12:34 a.m. No.13929522 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3394

>>13929518

2/2

The choice of those particular words, “ritual abuse”, had no special significance back in 2019 and went completely unnoticed.

But they were crucial in 2021 when reprised this week in the ABC’s 8.30 Monday night timeslot. Without those two words the rest of the 45-minute documentary had no raison d’etre.

There are only two possibilities. The first is that the ABC vigilante call was correct, and the PM has been unduly influenced by his potty mate to include the two coded signal words “ritual abuse”.

The theory is a little bit in the realms of Harry Potter (but perhaps R rated) in suggesting those words were a cryptic signal to millions of QAnon believers around the world, “The Prime Minister of Australia hears you and he’s secretly one of you”.

How ridiculous.

Does Four Corners really expect us to believe ScoMo thinks Hillary and Barack run around in weird robes, wearing a goat’s head or whatever, molesting and eating children?

Come on. Let’s get real here. ScoMo might be a bit of a happy clapper but under that baseball cap he is otherwise as boringly normal as John Howard. That is what the electorate likes about him.

Is he likely to believe some world leaders have been eating children when he tells us his own favourite breakfast food is Vegemite on toast?

On the other hand, if ScoMo did not mean to send a secret message to those who believe a cabal of paedophile cannibals are running the world then he must simply have made a semantic error.

The PM’s minders are saying that he was just applying a commonly used expression for the abuse that repeatedly occurs across churches, orphanages and other Australian institutions.

If that is true, then the term he should have used was “systemic abuse” and not “ritual abuse” which suggests the dark, occult and satanic practices the QAnon mob are getting off on.

Still if you listen to federal parliament you will find it hardly remarkable that an Australian politician should play loose with English grammar.

We might never know the truth here but there is probably not much truth to know.

If in the Australian way, ScoMo “did a favour for a little mate”, then he was merely silly and not the first Prime Minister to be so.

At best, the ABC used a sledgehammer to crack one tiny walnut. That was silly, too, and distracting.

At worst? Well, I don’t know what they were thinking.

Perhaps the aliens really are running the show.

https://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/charles-wooley-im-more-likely-to-believe-in-aliens-than-claims-about-pms-qanon-ties/news-story/9a6182e9808d2e231e794cadabcc9784

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 12:49 a.m. No.13929552 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9580 >>9875

>>13895726

>>13907925

Bombshell Evidence: Live Bats in Wuhan Lab & “Intense Clashes” Between China & France

Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng

18 June 2021

Today I will first of all show you a bombshell video, which shows that the P4 lab in Wuhan did keep live bats in it. Sky News showed a little bit of it several days ago. I found the entire, 11 minute video and translated it into English. So this is the exclusive world premiere of it.

After we watch the video, I will talk about my takeaways of it, and what we should do based on what this video tells us. I hope you can also share your thoughts about this video in the live chat area, or leave us some comments if you are watching after the live stream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3OxEmAkTpc

http://zmkxj.cas.cn/zpzs/whfy/201710/t20171025_4532133.html

https://archive.is/QuIMJ

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 1:04 a.m. No.13929580 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9875

>>13929552

Google Translation

Record the construction and research team of Wuhan P4 laboratory of Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

10 minutes 53 seconds

Video introduction:

After more than ten years of persistence and unremitting efforts, the P4 laboratory construction and research team of Wuhan Institute of Virology has introduced design and key equipment through Sino-French cooperation. After digestion, absorption and innovation, it has built the highest safety level and the only biological organism in China. Safety level four laboratory. After ten years of sharpening a sword, it is this persistence and unremitting effort that shaped the construction of the Wuhan P4 laboratory. The Wuhan Institute of Virology will rely on the Wuhan P4 laboratory cluster platform, in accordance with the goals and mechanisms of the National Laboratory for Biosafety, to build a large scientific research center for biosafety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and make new major contributions to the promotion of sustainable social and economic development.

http://zmkxj.cas.cn/zpzs/whfy/201710/t20171025_4532133.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 1:18 a.m. No.13929610 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9856

Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case: Elite soldiers ‘covered up’ cliff execution, court told

KIERAN GAIR - 18 June 2021

War hero Ben Roberts-Smith conspired with two special forces soldiers in an effort to “cover up” the murder of a handcuffed man by “inventing” a story about an ambush in an Afghan cornfield, a court has heard.

Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, now under separate ownership, over reports published in 2018 that alleged he committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan. He denies the allegations and says the reports portray him as a murderous war criminal.

On the second day of his cross-examination in the Federal Court by barrister Nicholas Owens, SC, for Nine newspapers, Mr Roberts-Smith was questioned in detail about key events surrounding Nine’s “centrepiece” allegation – the murder of unarmed civilian Ali Jan in Darwan, Uruzgan province, on September 11, 2012.

As part of its truth defence, the newspapers allege that Mr Roberts-Smith committed or was complicit in six unlawful killings in Afghanistan, including the murder of Jan. They allege the farmer was kicked off a cliff while handcuffed and then shot dead by Australian soldiers in the village of Darwan in 2012.

Mr Owens suggested the war hero had kicked a PUC – an acronym for persons safely and securely under the control of Australian soldiers – in the chest and “over the cliff” after the man twice laughed at him.

“You and person 11 dragged him into a cornfield and either you or person 11 shot him,” Mr Owens said. “That’s completely false,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

Mr Owens showed the Victoria Cross recipient a photo of the man’s body with four bullet wounds, an “open gaping wound in his chest”, an injury around the man’s mouth, and injuries “consistent” with being handcuffed.

Mr Owens asked: “When this man was shot, his arms were handcuffed behind his back, won’t they?” “No, they weren’t,” Mr Roberts-Smith said. “You, person 4 and person 11 all discussed how to cover up the killing, correct?” “That’s false,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

Last week, Bruce McClintock, SC, for Mr Roberts-Smith dismissed the outlets’ “centrepiece” allegation – the murder of Jan on September 11, 2012 – as a “ludicrous” accusation that “did not happen”. Asked by Mr McClintock about the allegation, Mr Roberts-Smith said: “Every time I have to read that or hear it, I can’t believe it has been written. It feels like a nightmare, to be frank.”

The court has heard that the rules of war – as outlined in the Geneva Convention and the Australian Defence Force’s rules of engagement – ban the killing of persons under the control of Australian soldiers.

On the ninth day of the defamation case, the war hero was also accused of lying in the witness box after he said he had made a mistake in his evidence about the killing of an Afghan man with a prosthetic leg.

On Thursday, Mr Roberts-Smith told the court he dragged the man he killed back to the compound wall while the second SAS operator dragged the second insurgent. However, on Friday he said he’d realised his evidence had been “wrong” – the second soldier did not move the second insurgent’s body.

“He lay where he fell,” Mr Roberts-Smith said. “It was a mistake in my evidence I felt I should correct.”

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court he was involved in over “300 missions” across six deployments to Afghanistan and that “sometimes you mix it up”.

“You find it hard to keep your story straight, don’t, you?” Mr Owens asked. “No,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied. Mr Owens later asked: “You’ve thrown this man on the ground and then rolled him over and shot him, correct?” “No,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

At one point, Mr Roberts-Smith accused the barrister of peddling a “fanciful story.”

“You would not pick someone up and put yourself in danger like that, it’s a ridiculous story.”

Mr Roberts-Smith is also suing over reports alleging he assaulted a woman – a key witness in the defamation proceedings – at a Canberra hotel in March 2018.

A substantial part of Mr Roberts-Smith’s cross-examination is expected to be held behind closed doors on Monday to ensure national security information is not divulged in open court.

The hearing continues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/ben-robertssmith-defamation-case-elite-soldiers-covered-up-cliff-execution-court-told/news-story/79e5c4f8f423cc50a87059a2c6d2898c

MP Andrew Hastie set to testify on allegedly ‘blooded’ rookie soldier in Ben Roberts-Smith case

The Liberal MP is a former SAS captain who served in Afghanistan and was trained by Roberts-Smith

Ben Doherty - 18 Jun 2021

1/2

The assistant defence minister, Andrew Hastie, is slated to give evidence to the federal court in relation to an SAS mission in Afghanistan where a rookie soldier was allegedly “blooded”, or ordered to kill an unarmed prisoner, by Ben Roberts-Smith.

Hastie, a former SAS captain and now a Liberal MP, was confirmed on Thursday as a “likely” witness to be called on behalf of three newspapers alleged by Roberts-Smith to have defamed him over allegations of war crimes.

The newspapers have alleged in their defence documents that Victoria Cross recipient Roberts-Smith committed six murders while on deployment with the SAS in Afghanistan, as well as an act of domestic violence in Australia.

The evidence involving Hastie concerns an allegation that Roberts-Smith ordered a subordinate soldier – anonymised before the court as Person 66 – to kill an unarmed Afghan in Syahchow during a mission in October 2012. Roberts-Smith confirmed in court on Friday that Hastie was present: “he came on the mission”.

Court documents filed by the newspapers as part of their defence allege that during the mission Roberts-Smith directed Person 66 to take two prisoners from a compound where they were being held to a nearby field.

It’s alleged that Roberts-Smith ordered Person 66 to shoot one of the Afghan prisoners, which he did. After the incident, Roberts-Smith is alleged to have said he had “blooded” the new soldier.

Person 66, who was not a regular member of Roberts-Smith’s patrol, is also expected to give evidence to the trial, called by the newspapers.

In his earlier opening to the case, barrister Bruce McClintock SC, appearing for Roberts-Smith, told the court “the essence of the allegation is that, gratuitously, my client [Roberts-Smith] ordered Person 66 to shoot one of two Afghan males, which Person 66 then did”.

“My client’s response to that is that the incident in question never happened,” he said.

“The only other evidence – and I use that word with quotation marks – that may be before the court is from Mr Hastie, a member of the House of Representatives. Mr Hastie has long been a commentator for the respondents and anti-[Roberts-Smith], if I could put it like that.

“His outline offers nothing probative, except that when the mission was over, he saw Person 66 looking anxious and uncomfortable. There might be many reasons, after combat, why someone looked anxious and uncomfortable.”

(continued)

>>13929643

2/2

The newspapers allege the practice of “blooding” new soldiers – essentially an experienced senior soldier ordering a new subordinate to kill an unarmed person – occurred among Australian SAS soldiers in Afghanistan.

“‘Blooding’ refers to initiating a person in the practice of killing, or giving them the taste for killing,” the newspapers’ defence states.

Roberts-Smith has told this trial he never heard the phrase ‘blooding the rookie’ “until a few years ago when it was being bandied around”. He said he had never engaged in, nor seen, the practice.

Hastie was an SAS captain who served in the Australian defence force between 2003 and 2015. He served two tours of Afghanistan, and was trained by Roberts-Smith on an SAS officer’s training course in 2010.

One of 21 former and serving SAS soldiers expected to give evidence for the defence in the trial, Hastie has written previously about being troubled by a “warrior culture” within the SAS regiment.

“The warrior ethos I sometimes saw was about power, ego and self-adulation. It worshipped war itself. It was the opposite of the humility that I expected to find at SASR (Special Air Services Regiment).”

Hastie has said he supported the inquiry conducted by Justice Paul Brereton, the inspector general of the ADF, into allegations of war crimes.

“When wrong is done, we must hold ourselves to account,” he wrote.

The Guardian has put questions to Hastie but has not received a response.

Roberts-Smith, one of the most decorated soldiers in Australian military history, is suing the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times for defamation over a series of reports published in 2018. He alleges the reports are defamatory because they portray him as someone who “broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement” and committed war crimes, including murder.

The 42-year-old has consistently denied the allegations, saying they are “false”, “baseless” and “completely without any foundation in truth”. The newspapers are defending their reporting as true.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/18/mp-andrew-hastie-set-to-testify-on-allegedly-blooded-rookie-soldier-in-ben-roberts-smith-case

https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/ben-roberts-smith

https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/ben-roberts-smith/Respondents-Witness-List.pdf

>>13922430

Witness K speaks for first time in open court as he pleads guilty to breaching secrecy laws

Former spy charged over his role in exposing Australia’s 2004 bugging of impoverished ally Timor-Leste

Christopher Knaus - 17 Jun 2021

Lawyers for the former intelligence officer Witness K have urged a court to spare him a criminal conviction for his role in unearthing Australia’s bugging of Timor-Leste, saying it would only serve to increase his “alienation, anxiety and post-traumatic stress”.

Amid much secrecy and after extraordinary delay, sentencing proceedings against Witness K finally began on Thursday in the ACT magistrates court.

The former spy was present but surrounded by a wall of black panels which hid him completely from the crowd of lawyers and observers packing out the courtroom.

Electronic devices were banned from the court and security cameras were obscured. Glass panels leading into the courtroom and behind the magistrate, Glenn Theakston, were blacked out.

The voice of Witness K, whose identity is guarded closely, was heard for the first time in open court after he was arraigned on a single charge of conspiring with his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, to disclose intelligence information to the government of Timor-Leste.

Asked how he would plead, Witness K responded quietly from behind the black panels: “Guilty, your honour.”

Collaery was watching on from the public gallery.

The charge stems from Witness K’s role in exposing Australia’s bugging of its impoverished ally, Timor-Leste, during negotiations to carve up the resource-rich Timor Sea in 2004.

Prosecutors say Witness K disclosed details to the Timor-Leste government through documents he provided to Collaery – who he had approval to seek advice from – and the permanent court of arbitration in the Hague, where Timor-Leste disputed the maritime treaty signed during the bugged 2004 negotiations.

His counsel, Robert Richter QC, argued his client should be spared a criminal conviction and released with a good behaviour order.

“There is no utility at this stage in convicting Mr K,” Richter told the court.

Witness K had no criminal history, was a highly decorated ASIS officer, and was now suffering depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the court heard. The court also received several medical reports detailing the health of Witness K.

“The option of imposing a conviction will simply increase the alienation, the anxiety, and the post-traumatic stress … when it is not necessary to achieve any sentencing objective,” Richter said.

Witness K’s defence conceded the offence was not trivial but said that didn’t preclude a non-conviction order.

Richter argued his client has been effectively imprisoned in Australia for eight years after his passport was taken away. “The mental anguish that he’d suffered up until that time was amplified,” he said.

The prospect of prosecution loomed over Witness K for years before the charge was finally brought in 2018, the court heard.

After the 2013 raid, the then-attorney general, George Brandis, had avoided making a decision on whether to sign off on Witness K’s prosecution.

Richter suggested this was because Brandis either had concerns about it or simply wanted to avoid making a decision. “To withhold that decision for a period of three years is itself imposing additional torment on someone who from the very first day … has known he was susceptible to being prosecuted,” the barrister said.

When Christian Porter was made attorney general, the court heard, the approval to prosecute was granted quickly.

The removal of Witness K’s passport, the court heard, had robbed him of any hope of relieving the depression and anxiety he experienced. He and his wife used to take boating trips abroad, in a country that cannot be named, which were the source of great joy. “That was all taken away,” Richter said.

Richter said there were two documents provided by Witness K. The first was to Colleary, which was given as a set of instructions to the lawyer, and was never intended to be filed to the permanent court of arbitration.

The second was an affidavit designed to be filed with the court, which Richter said had security protocols and policies to handle such content.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled to resume on Friday.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/17/witness-k-speaks-for-first-time-in-open-court-as-he-pleads-guilty-to-breaching-secrecy-laws

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 2:04 a.m. No.13929696 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9876

>>13915233

>>13922496

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweets

Scotland Yard to review UK Ghislaine Maxwell trafficking claims. There’s no running now Maxwell, your wanted in 2 Countries for your crimes against children.Keep her locked up & your children safe. #LockHerUp #SaveOurKids #TimesUp #SeeSayDo #SpeakUp #Help

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1405590170338873350

Scotland Yard to review UK Ghislaine Maxwell trafficking claims

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/15/scotland-yard-to-review-uk-ghislaine-maxwell-trafficking-claims

—

Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre testifies against modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel. Stand with me once again my warrior friends! Only United can we win! If not for yourself then for the voiceless & the future of our children. #TimesUp #Help

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1405588412191576064

Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre testifies against modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-virginia-roberts-giuffre-testifies-against-modeling-agent-n1270959

—

Jean- Luc Brunel victims resource for speaking out about his abuse, which spans decades. The time is NOW to speak out. Only together can we make this world a better place. #TimesUp #United #JeanLucBrunel #GhislaineMaxwell

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1405587917712461828

Police nationale @PoliceNationale

[#AppelàTémoins] Dans le cadre de l’affaire #Epstein, la police judiciaire recherche des témoignages français et internationaux.

[#SeekingInformation] The French national police are seeking French/international witnesses with regards to the Epstein investigation.

https://twitter.com/PoliceNationale/status/1195296366118998016

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 2:24 a.m. No.13929743 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9875

Coronavirus: WA, Qld Covid check-in data accessible to foreign authorities

PAUL GARVEY - JUNE 17, 2021

Foreign government agencies have had the ability to access data collected via Western Australia’s and Queensland’s Covid check-in apps, according to the terms and conditions of the mandatory systems.

The decision by both states to use international tech giants Amazon and Microsoft to host the data appears to have opened the possibility for overseas law enforcement and other agencies to access the information, although it is unclear if any such access has been sought.

The legal frameworks underpinning the apps have been under scrutiny following revelations this week that WA Police had used the state’s SafeWA check-in app to assist with two serious criminal investigations, despite promises from the government that the compulsory app would only ever be used to assist in Covid contact tracing. The WA government on Tuesday introduced emergency legislation aimed at closing the loophole.

The terms and conditions of the WA and Queensland apps note that the storage of the check-in information is hosted by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure Cloud Services respectively. They both feature near-identical warnings that the two software giants are “subject to both Australian and overseas laws that may require the disclosure of your information (in limited circumstances) to government authorities here and overseas”.

While the data in both apps is encrypted to help protect it from external attack, the WA app’s conditions note that both Amazon and GenVis – the Perth-based technology company that developed the SafeWA app – hold encryption keys.

Neither the Service Victoria nor Service NSW check-in apps feature similar warnings in their terms and conditions to the WA or Queensland apps, although the Victorian app notes that personal information may be handed over for law enforcement or to investigate unlawful activity, or to a commonwealth security agency.

The commonwealth’s own COVIDSafe app is protected by legislation that specifies that the data collected must “be stored in, and not disclosed outside of, Australia”.

It also specifies that the data can only be accessed by the police or Director of Public Prosecutions “to investigate and prosecute alleged breaches of the Privacy Act in relation to the handling of Covid app data”.

Julia Powles, an associate professor of law and technology at the University of WA, said the police access to the data and the provisions for access by overseas authorities were “staggering”.

“This absolutely guts public trust,” she said. “You go from a position where you say ‘well surely this does what it says on the tin’ to now where you don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to say ‘well I don’t know now where this is going and who is getting access, and how can I get a good assurance that it hasn’t gone elsewhere’.”

The success of the apps, she said, relied on the public being confident they would not be used as a “Trojan horse” to track people’s whereabouts for other purposes.

“They say they’re now closing this loophole, but have there been other requests and does the government even know, especially on that overseas question?” she said.

A spokesman for Queensland’s Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy confirmed that data held by Microsoft could be provided to overseas authorities but said there had been no notifications of any such access.

“Microsoft are obliged to inform the state of any disclosure to any overseas authority,” she said.

A spokesman for Amazon Web Services said the company did not disclose customer information in response to government demands unless it was required to do so to comply with a legally valid and binding order.

“Unless prohibited from doing so or there is clear indication of illegal conduct in connection with the use of AWS products or services, AWS notifies customers before disclosing content information,” he said.

The spokesman said the US CLOUD Act did not give law enforcement agencies unfettered access to cloud data, but enabled US agencies to seek evidence about US crimes. “It’s highly unlikely that SafeWA data could be relevant to a US crime,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/coronavirus-wa-qld-covid-checkin-data-accessible-to-foreign-authorities/news-story/4a5644bf3afcb8df25793b18d692b926

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 18, 2021, 2:36 a.m. No.13929767 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9844

United States Consulate General in Melbourne Tweet

We’re flying the BLM flag today in celebration of Juneteenth, in recognition of the continuing struggle for equity, and with the genuine determination to make things right. - CG Mike Kleine #Juneteenth2021

https://twitter.com/usconsulatemelb/status/1405766189461098505

>https://qanon.pub/?q=BLM

>>13898754

The China files: how Morrison persuaded Europe to talk tough

Bevan Shields - June 18, 2021

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Paris: When Scott Morrison left his hotel room last Sunday at the 18th century Tregenna Castle - a luxury Cornwall resort where he and other world leaders slept during the G7 summit - he made sure one important document was tucked away in his bag.

Conventional wisdom was that Morrison would be in for a rough time that morning when he sat down to debate tougher action on climate change. US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga all back targets of net zero by 2050 and Morrison’s refusal to do so made him an RM Williams-shod elephant in the room.

But the Coalition leader who once brandished a lump of coal on the floor of the Australian Parliament escaped without a scrape. He won’t be so lucky at the big climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow later this year. Perhaps the $16,000 the Australian delegation paid to offset the carbon emissions of their travel helped too.

Morrison later told reporters no country pressured him on his climate policies, or even asked to make them more ambitious. Sources from two other delegations involved in the discussions backed up this account.

Instead, the Prime Minister’s big moment that Sunday came when he pulled out the document stashed in his bag. During a session dubbed Open Societies, Morrison tabled a dossier that Chinese diplomats had handed to Nine News reporter Jonathan Kearsley at a meeting inside Canberra’s Hyatt Hotel last November.

The document listed 14 grievances Beijing had with Australia, including restrictions on foreign investment decisions based on national security grounds, government funding for think tanks critical of China, and unfriendly reporting by Australian media.

By handing the dossier to Nine after months of radio silence at ministerial level, China perhaps hoped to pressure Australia to back down on some of its tougher tactics.

But Morrison instead took the list to some of the most important leaders of the free world to argue growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific were a problem even for geographically distant Europe.

“There is not a country that would sit around that table that would seek a concession on any of those 14 points as something they also would tolerate,” Morrison said after the meeting.

After a slow start at the G7, those bolshy remarks and Morrison’s surprise decision to table the dossier were the first signs of what the Prime Minister might achieve from the trip. By the time he landed back in Australia on Friday morning, his warnings about the Indo-Pacific had achieved strong cut through. Australia’s plight is now on the radar of nations with less skin in the game.

The biggest backing came during a meeting between Morrison and Macron at the Elysee Palace. France’s historic interests in the Pacific mean Macron has a good ear for the tensions - he spoke about the geopolitical balance of the region at length during a Sydney visit in 2018 - but the forcefulness of his support for Australia this week took many observers by surprise.

Speaking of threats and intimidation, Macron declared Australia was at the “forefront” of the dispute in the region and pledged to stand by Canberra’s side.

“As a token of friendship and solidarity, and as we discussed together during the G7, we firmly reject any coercive economic measures taken against Australia in flagrant violation of international law,” he said.

The speech raised eyebrows from those listening in, including assembled press who knew Macron had told an earlier summit in Brussels that he didn’t think China was NATO’s business. That same summit for the first time declared China poses “systemic challenges” to international order.

But a transcript of what Macron actually said at NATO is telling. Of China, he said: “It is much larger than just the military issue. It is economic. It is strategic. It is about values. It is technological.”

Macron’s lines were so similar to what Morrison has been saying for many months now that the statement could have been uttered by the Prime Minister himself.

(continued)

>>13929830

2/2

Asked by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age whether a turning point had arrived in how countries view China, Morrison raised his eyebrows and said: “I think there is a growing awareness of the Indo-Pacific, full stop”.

“It is so much more a factor in both the considerations and assessments of governments - not just strategically but economically as well, but also of the business community.”

Morrison was also buoyed by a public show of support from Johnson, who during a Downing Street meeting promised to “stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends”. But the British Prime Minister offered a note of caution by stressing nobody wanted to descend into a Cold War with China.

Johnson had earlier grappled with other G7 leaders over how hard to criticise Beijing in the summit communique for its human rights abuses and treatment of Australia. We only know this because Draghi, the Italian Prime Minister, told Morrison so at the start of their bilateral meeting. The only difference in views on China, Draghi explained in a recording of what was probably intended as a private exchange, was the “intensity” of the message to send.

Italy stunned fellow G7 members when it signed up to Beijing’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative in 2019 but the newly installed Draghi is clearing the way for a policy shift. He has been cool on the partnership for several weeks now but emerged from the G7 session so alarmed he pledged to review Italy’s deal.

“It’s an autocracy that does not adhere to multilateral rules and does not share the same vision of the world that the democracies have,” he said.

In the end, the G7 rebuked Beijing for human rights abuses, its assault on Hong Kong and “non-market practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy”. It also included a reference to Taiwan for the first time, calling for peace across the Strait that separates China from its threatened island neighbour.

China accused the bloc of rich countries of attempting to dictate world affairs and said that the era of international diplomacy “was over”. It called the United States, its superpower rival, “sick, very sick” for leading a coalition that had interfered in its internal affairs.

The statement was probably less than Morrison and an increasingly assertive Biden had hoped for but was a big step up from just two years ago in the French city of Biarritz when the rising superpower wasn’t even mentioned by name in the G7 communique.

Backed up by his razor-sharp national security advisor Michelle Chan, Morrison deployed a simple strategy to explain to Europe the problems in the Indo-Pacific: China may not be an immediate security threat to remote nations but its pattern of behaviour presents a real risk to the health of all economies.

He hammered this home during a speech at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris - the final engagement of his trip. After being welcomed by former finance minister Mathias Cormann, Morrison told ambassadors that anti-market behaviour was a threat to their financial prosperity.

“The global trading system and rules-based order is under serious strain and threat,” he said. “Meeting these challenges will require a degree of active cooperation not seen for many decades.”

This week was just the start. But not a bad one.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/the-china-files-how-morrison-persuaded-europe-to-talk-tough-20210617-p5820c.html

Anonymous ID: 4f0d54 June 19, 2021, 3:28 a.m. No.13936516 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9893

ABC duped by Four Corners Scott Morrison QAnon conspiracy report

Joe Hildebrand - JUNE 19, 2021

OPINION

Elizabeth the First was perhaps the most important ruler of the past thousand years.

Were it not for her reign, we would probably all be speaking Spanish, Catholics and Protestants might still be waging world war, there might never have been a United Kingdom and we may never have seen the writings of Shakespeare.

The key to her incredibly long, successful and stable reign was moderation. She eschewed both extreme papists and extreme puritans but refused to persecute English Catholics in the same way that her predecessor Mary ruthlessly persecuted Protestants.

While the Spanish Inquisition was running rampant on the continent, extracting under torture people’s deepest beliefs, Elizabeth famously declared: “I have no desire to make windows into men’s souls.”

It is therefore passing strange that almost half a millennia later we have a new brand of puritanism that demands windows into the soul of every man, woman and child to determine if they are ideologically pure enough to be members of society.

And now it appears that that censoriousness applies not only to an individual’s own beliefs but those of their friends and family.

This brings us to the ABC’s somewhat bizarre Four Corners report on a family friend of Scott Morrison – his wife’s friend’s husband – who has fallen into the online wormhole of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

I have literally no time for any of the QAnon crap – I have wasted neither thought nor word on it until Four Corners propelled it into the national political debate – but the idea that any politician or public figure should be held accountable for the beliefs of some weird bloke they know seems to me a pretty odd course of prosecution.

For one thing, we all have a batshit crazy mate. If you don’t, you haven’t really lived.

I have a friend of more than 25 years who is a nutbag anti-vaxxer and believes all sorts of lunatic conspiracy theories. I still love him to death and would do anything for him.

Must I excommunicate him in order to prove my outspoken championing of vaccination programs? Or is he perhaps infiltrating my messaging? Maybe there is a secret conspiracy to make me so aggressively pro-vaccination it will turn people away from it! Someone should do an investigation.

I also once had socialist friends who welcomed the election of John Howard in 1996 because they felt certain it would bring on the revolution. Should I have reported them to ASIO? It seems a bit late now.

So what was the point of the great QAnon conspiracy that was exposed by Four Corners on Monday night – not to mention on the Crikey website more than 18 months ago? A semantic debate about the PM’s apparently coded use of the word “ritual”? A question of whether the PM has sufficiently interrogated all his friends about their deepest beliefs?

It is hard to say. According to the Four Corners report there were concerns the PM was too close to his QAnon buddy. By the next night these had miraculously transformed into concerns for the PM’s own safety, lest he suffer at the hands of his QAnon infiltrator. It’s certainly a wriggly little conspiracy.

More puzzling is that the PM’s supposed signal he was all in on QAnon came not in October 2019, when Crikey first reported it, but in October 2018 when he made his “National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse” in Parliament.

“The crimes of ritual sexual abuse happened in schools, churches, youth groups, Scout troupes, orphanages, foster homes, sporting clubs, group homes, charities and family homes as well,” Mr Morrison told the House of Representatives.

That was apparently the great call to arms that QAnon had been waiting for and if anyone can tell me what happened next I’ll give them a biscuit.

Here’s a clue: Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Sweet mother-loving FA.

If these all-powerful online bedwetters were waiting for the glorious right-wing revolution in which the armies of righteousness were unleashed upon the dark forces of Lucifer they must have been a tad underwhelmed over the past two-and-a-half years.

But why? Why did nothing happen? Was this all part of a greater conspiracy? Did the liberal left media conspire to snuff it out? Or is the evil patriarchal capitalist hegemony still plotting and scheming its strike against the freedom fighters of Ultimo?

Maybe we’ll just have to wait and see. Or maybe it’s all just a massive load of horseshit and the only people dumb enough to believe it are the cult followers of QAnon and, unfortunately, the once great Four Corners itself.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/abc-duped-by-four-corners-scott-morrison-qanon-conspiracy-report/news-story/c752e1baaaf68553e3dd2c4eadbdcff9