Australian MPs call on US President Biden to drop charges against Assange

Rob Harris - June 30, 2021

Former security analyst turned federal Labor MP Peter Khalil has joined a group of Australian politicians directly lobbying the United States to drop an appeal over a British court’s ruling against the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange.

In a video message to US President Joe Biden released on Wednesday evening Australian time, 11 federal MPs from across the political spectrum have also appealed to Washington to drop its espionage charges against the Australian citizen and for the British government to allow him to return home.

Before entering politics Mr Khalil, the member for the Victorian seat of Wills, was director of National Security Policy of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. As a national security adviser to former prime minister Kevin Rudd, he was personally named in diplomatic cables sent to Washington by the US Embassy, which were later released by Wikileaks.

While he has previously criticised Mr Assange’s actions in helping obtain and leak classified information on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Khalil said the case was “not just about one individual”.

“In an era where rising authoritarian regimes are denying and attacking freedom of the press, such as the shut down of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily by the Chinese Community Party, it is more important than ever that when it comes to condemning the denial of press freedom the rhetoric of liberal democracies is actually matched with substantive actions to protect the right of journalists and the media to do their work freely to hold governments to account,” Mr Khalil said.

He said while the Obama administration had clearly chosen not to indict Mr Assange because it would set a damming precedent against journalistic practice and behaviour, the Trump administration aggressively pursued the case.

“Therein lies the problem. These charges are so broad-based that if successful they would go well beyond this individual case – they would impact investigative journalism and open up prosecutions of countless media doing this journalism, they would have a chilling effect on all journalists reporting on national security and foreign affairs matters,” he said.

The 49-year-old Mr Assange has been in Belmarsh Prison since April 2019 trying to avoid extradition to the US to face charges on multiple counts of conspiring with and directing others, from 2009 to 2019, to illegally obtain and release US secrets.

In doing so he aided and abetted hacking, illegally exposed confidential US sources to danger and used the information to damage the US, according to the charges. If convicted on all counts he faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years.

In 2012 Mr Assange sought asylum at the Ecuadorean embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden on a rape allegation that he denied. An investigation into the 2010 rape allegation has since been dropped by Swedish prosecutors.

He was awarded a Walkley award, Australian journalism’s highest honour, in 2011 for a “most outstanding contribution to journalism” for his “brave, determined and independent stand for freedom of speech and transparency”.

In March this year Nationals MP George Christensen, Independent Andrew Wilkie and Labor’s Julian Hill personally met with the US embassy’s charge d’affaires, Michael Goldman, arguing that Mr Assange should be allowed to return home.

A 24-member parliamentary group established to support Mr Assange’s bid to return home contains members from all major parties, including now Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in January Mr Assange would be allowed to return to Australia if all charges were dropped. He said consular support had consistently been offered to Mr Assange, but made clear the government were “not parties to those set of proceedings”.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australian-mps-call-on-us-president-biden-to-drop-charges-against-assange-20210629-p585a1.html

>>14028446

Message to President Biden from Australian Parliamentarians

Consortium News

Jun 30, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZaU-QkHSNw

Final Australian troops leave Afghanistan as 20-year mission draws to a close

Andrew Greene - 1 July 2021

Australia has completed its formal troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending an almost 20-year military commitment to the war-torn country that claimed 41 ADF members' lives.

The recent departure of Australia's final Defence personnel comes amid reports American troops could complete their exit "within days", and as Taliban fighters continue to retake districts across Afghanistan.

Since 2001 the Australian Defence Force's mission has been to "contain the threat from international terrorism", firstly under Operation Slipper, and then Operation Highroad.

According to the Defence Department's website, Australia currently contributes "around 80 Defence personnel" to NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. They are involved in training, advising and assisting local forces.

However military sources have confirmed to the ABC the last remaining ADF members flew out of Kabul in the middle of June, ahead of a September 11 deadline announced by the United States for the withdrawal of all coalition forces.

"September 11 was the timeframe given, but everyone is rushing for the door," one Defence official told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Operation Highroad is done and dusted, but Operation Accordion (the overarching mission in the Middle East) will remain because it has been identified that we still need a staging point in the sandpit," another official said.

United States media reports suggest American troops could complete their withdrawal, or retrograde, "within days" after President Joe Biden outlined an exit strategy in April.

The Australian Defence Department has so far declined to publicly confirm the formal end of its NATO-led mission to Afghanistan or say whether some military personnel will relocate elsewhere in the Middle East.

"On 15 April the Prime Minister announced Australia would finalise the drawdown of our contribution to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan," a Defence spokesperson told the ABC.

"As Australia brings its contribution in Afghanistan to a close, the Minister for Defence will be delivering remarks on Australia's role in the days ahead".

"For operational security reasons, we will not provide further details at this time," the spokesperson added.

At the end of May, Australia became the first country involved in coalition military activity to not only announce military withdrawal by September but the full retreat on its foreign presence, by closing its embassy.

In recent weeks fighting has intensified between Taliban militants and Afghan forces, with many government-held districts falling into the hands of the former enemy.

Uruzgan, where Australian troops served for close to a decade, could be the first entire province to fall back under Taliban control as foreign militaries withdraw from the war-torn country.

The former chief of army, retired Lieutenant General Peter Leahy, said the formal departure of Australia's last troops was an enormously significant occasion.

"It signifies the end of an era for the ADF, I think we've all known that it's been coming for a long time but it's no easier to accept now that it's here," he said.

"I find it as an occasion to reflect and remember, and some of the reflections and remembrances are not easy."

Lieutenant General Leahy said his thoughts were particularly with the families of the 41 Australian soldiers who died in the conflict, as well as the many others who suffered physical and mental injuries from their service.

"Was it worth it? Well as we face the prospect of a savage retribution by the now ascendant Taliban, and I think a return in some ways to the dark ages for Afghanistan — it's really hard to say that it was worth it," he said.

Germany, which had the second largest contingent of troops after the United States in Afghanistan, announced on Tuesday that it had concluded its withdrawal from the nation.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-01/final-australian-troops-leave-afghanistan-after-20-year-mission/100256294

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Australia to slash traveller intake, PM announces pathway out of COVID-19

Nick Bonyhady - July 2, 2021

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National Cabinet has agreed on a pathway for Australia to move from trying to suppress COVID-19 to living with the disease once enough of the population is vaccinated, but in the short term, there will be a 50 per cent reduction in passengers arriving in the country.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement on Friday morning, saying a cut in the passenger cap is intended to relieve pressure on the hotel quarantine system, but came with the promise of a trial of home quarantine for vaccinated travellers. The new passenger caps will come into effect by 14 July, but some states may move sooner.

Mr Morrison also announced a four-phase pathway to transition Australia from its first phase of virus suppression to a fourth phase of life as it was pre-pandemic, with each new phase triggered when Australia hits a threshold of vaccinated people.

“The good news I have for Australians who are subject to restrictions today is we have agreed a new deal for Australians on the pathway out of COVID-19,” Mr Morrison said.

The current phase, phase one, is about vaccinating, preparing and planning, he said. The pathway will transition Australia from its current pre-vaccination settings, focusing on suppression of community transmission, to post-vaccination settings “focused on prevention of serious illness, hospitalisation and fatality and the public health management of other infectious diseases”.

While still in the first stage, the reduction in passenger caps is intended to take pressure off the hotel quarantine system as it is tested by the more contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus. However, the Commonwealth will facilitate increased repatriation flights to Darwin for quarantine at Howard Springs while the reduction is in place, the Prime Minister said.

It will also extend freight subsidies to ensure that supplies, such as medicines and vaccines, continue to come into Australia by air.

The Prime Minister also said Australia will trial and pilot a home quarantine scheme, which could also be shorter than the current two week quarantine time.

“The work that we have already done … shows that a vaccinated person doing quarantine for seven days is stronger than an unvaccinated person doing quarantine for 14 days,” he said.

South Australia is likely to be the first state to trial the program, Mr Morrison said. It will happen on a small scale and other states and territories may follow.

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The traveller cap will return to the current level in phase two, with even larger caps for vaccinated travellers, Mr Morrison said.

The second phase of the roadmap out of the coronavirus, as agreed by all the state and territory leaders, will kick in when we get to a specific target of vaccinations, which the Prime Minister has not specified but said will be based on “scientific evidence”.

In that phase, lockdowns will only be used in extreme circumstances and vaccinated people will have eased restrictions when lockdowns or border closures occur.

More students and economic visitors will be allowed in then as well, he said.

The third phase will be the consolidation phase and will mean the virus will be managed like any other infectious disease.

“That basically means that the hospitalisation and fatality rates that you would see from COVID-19 would be like the flu,” Mr Morrison said.

Vaccinated people will be able to travel abroad at will at that point, he said.

Mr Morrison defended the speed of the vaccine program in outlining a pathway based on vaccination numbers.

“I think the performance in the most recent June month indicates how much we’ve been able to ramp up, 1 million doses in eight days. Three and a half million doses in one month. We keep the pace up and we’ll get this done,” he said.

“We get this done, Australia, and you can see what is on the other side. We made it very clear today what’s on the other side. You get vaccinated, and we get there, and this all changes.

“A new deal for Australians today, a new deal to get Australians to the other side,” Mr Morrison says.

He said more details on the phases will be coming from a task force headed by the boss of the Prime Minister’s department, Phil Gaetjens. National Cabinet will make the final call on each of the steps, which Mr Morrison anticipates will be done over the next month.

The Prime Minister didn’t commit to any firm dates or targets for the four-phase reopening plan, saying it will depend on the modelling from coronavirus experts on what level of vaccination is necessary to keep serious illness and fatality rates very low, and the progress of the vaccine rollout in hitting those levels.

“I hope we’re living in that second phase next year,” Mr Morrison said. Asked whether that means we’ll see the 50 per cent arrival cap cut last until next year, he said “that’s what this agreement says today”.

“If medical advice changes between now and then, if medical advice suggests that we can alter that, then of course the national cabinet has always been receptive to that advice and we’ll continue to monitor that.”

What will new cap arrangements look like state by state?

Sydney will go from 3010 passengers per week to 1505

Perth 530 to 265

Adelaide 530 to 265

Melbourne 1000 to 500

Brisbane 1000 (plus 300 surge capacity) to 500 (plus 150 surge capacity)

The current total of 6070 will reduce to 3035

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-to-slash-traveller-intake-pm-announces-pathway-out-of-covid-19-20210702-p5869s.html

https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/hub/media/tearout-excerpt/2390/National-Plan-to-transition-Australia's-National-COVID-19-Response—July-2021.pdf

Albanese backs Biden's approach on China

Daniel McCulloch - 2 July 2021

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has thrown his support behind a "competition without catastrophe" approach towards China.

Drawing a line through Donald Trump's erratic behaviour towards Beijing, Mr Albanese backed Joe Biden's more conventional strategy.

"I am pleased that under the Biden administration there is a return to diplomacy and a return to engagement and a normalisation of international politics under the leadership of the United States," he said on Friday.

"Which, shall we say, carries less uncertainty than was there under the previous administration on Donald Trump."

Mr Albanese said Australia would always have to live with strategic competition between the US and China.

"Australia - under Labor, it must be said - picked a side some time ago when we formed the alliance with the United States," he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

"As a democratic nation, we do have different values to China, and that's something that enjoys bipartisanship."

Mr Albanese made it clear Australia's approach towards China would not change significantly under a Labor government.

"The truth is, whoever was in government at this period of time would have to be navigating the different environment which is there, with China making decisions against Australia's national interest," he said.

"Australia should always stand up for our national interest and for our sovereignty and for human rights.

"On issues like the South China Sea, the treatment of Uighurs, Hong Kong, and a range of other issues, there is no difference whatsoever in Australian politics."

Mr Albanese said China had changed under Xi Jinping, who defiantly put the world on notice during a major speech to mark the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Chinese president hailed the country's "irreversible" rise and declared the rising superpower would not be bullied.

Mr Albanese said a future Labor government would work with the US and regional partners to advance Australia's interests, while also recognising the country's economic interest in engagement with China.

"There are many jobs which are dependent upon that relationship," he said.

"It's a matter of tackling it in a mature way, but also recognising things are going to be difficult for some time, and recognising China is responsible for the difficulties which have arisen."

Australia's relations with China are at their lowest point in decades.

China imposed a freeze on diplomatic talks and launched a series of trade strikes on Australian exports in response to a laundry list of grievances.

https://7news.com.au/politics/albanese-backs-bidens-approach-on-china-c-3290009

Allegations of serious criminal conduct exposed in Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case

Tammy Mills - July 2, 2021

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Two cases of alleged serious criminal conduct have arisen from the defamation case launched by war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith, including the unlawful leaking of information from the military inspector-general’s secret hearings into war crimes.

The allegations, detailed during the ongoing case before the Federal Court, also involve accusations of unlawful handling of classified information.

The allegations put fresh pressure on the Australian Federal Police, which is separately investigating Mr Roberts-Smith over allegations he committed war crimes and intimidated war crimes witnesses.

The AFP said in a statement on Thursday it would not comment on matters that “may be subject to investigation”.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over a series of 2018 reports that he says portray him as a war criminal. He denies all wrongdoing.

Earlier this week, the Federal Court called a month-long halt to the trial, with coronavirus restrictions posing a barrier to witnesses travelling to and from Sydney.

Accusations of possessing and mishandling classified Defence Department information – which in some circumstances may be an offence under the Commonwealth criminal code – came to light during the third week of the defamation trial.

Under cross-examination last Thursday, Mr Roberts-Smith admitted he had inappropriately handled classified information to prepare for the defamation trial.

Lawyer for the newspapers Nicholas Owens, SC, put to Mr Roberts-Smith that “highly classified” drone footage of a mission dubbed “Whisky 108” was among information sent to him on USB sticks.

The “four or five” sticks were sent anonymously in the post, including to Mr Roberts-Smith’s workplace, Channel Seven.

“At some point you must have realised that at least some of the material on the USBs was classified or secret Commonwealth material?” lawyer for the newspapers, Mr Owens asked.

“Yes,” Mr Roberts-Smith responded.

“And you agree, don’t you, that you are not authorised to retain secret or classified Commonwealth material at your home address?” Mr Owens said.

“That’s my understanding,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the images had “nothing to do with Australia’s security”.

“I accept it was a poor decision by me to maintain those images, but I had absolutely no intention of doing anything untoward with them other than share them with my legal team to explain what was going on in these proceedings,” he said.

The AFP have previously raided journalists and charged former Defence Department officials for mishandling classified files.

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Mr Roberts-Smith also confirmed during the cross-examination that he had been sent a document by a fellow SAS soldier – given the pseudonym Person 5 – that detailed information derived from a secret inspector-general hearing into war crimes in 2018.

The lawyer for the media put to Mr Roberts-Smith the disclosure of information from Person 5 may be a breach of a section 21 direction of the Inspector-General’s regulations, which makes it an offence to disclose evidence to the inquiry.

Former NSW Court of Appeal judge and chair of the Centre for Public Integrity Anthony Whealy, QC, speaking generally, said there was a clear requirement for the work of the Brereton inquiry to be kept confidential.

“If any information was being conveyed by witnesses to other persons that are interested, that would be a seriously wrong thing to happen and would undermine the correct principles of the application of the rule of law,” Mr Whealy, who would not comment on what has emerged from the Roberts-Smith defamation case, said.

“It could never be justified.”

The court heard Person 5 had detailed in a letter to Mr Roberts-Smith specific subjects he was asked during his own questioning in the Brereton inquiry.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he forwarded the correspondence to his lawyers.

The court heard his lawyers sent a letter to the Assistant Inspector-General raising a concern about the “leaking of confidential information” by members of the SAS called to give evidence before the inquiry.

Mr Owens said the effect of Person 5’s letter was alerting Mr Roberts-Smith to what the inquiry was looking at.

“No, I disagree with that,” Mr Roberts-Smith responded.

He said he didn’t ask for the information and “I gave it away as soon as I got it, back to the lawyers”. He said the purpose of the letter was that Person 5, who is a friend, wanted to complain about his treatment before the inquiry.

“He was upset and probably wanted my view on what he had written or how he had framed it,” Mr Roberts-Smith said.

Mr Roberts-Smith was contacted for comment through a public relations agency. The request for comment was forwarded to Channel Seven commercial director Bruce McWilliam, who did not provide a response on record.

Defence, including the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, responded that it had no comment as the questions relate to the ongoing defamation case.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being/services-support-fighting-fit/need-help-now/all-hours-support-line

https://www.openarms.gov.au

https://www.theage.com.au/national/allegations-of-serious-criminal-conduct-exposed-in-ben-roberts-smith-defamation-case-20210701-p585z8.html

Judge rules to unseal dozens of documents about Ghislaine Maxwell's personal affairs, including those that reveal her and Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with the Clintons

DANIEL BATES - 2 July 2021

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A judge has ruled that dozens more documents about Ghislaine Maxwell's personal affairs should be made public, including some that could reveal more about her finances and her relationship to the Clintons.

Judge Loretta Preska said that unsealing the documents would not impact Maxwell's right to a fair trial in November as her lawyers have claimed.

Among the documents which will be made public in two weeks' time will be Maxwell's efforts to quash requests from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who sued Maxwell for defamation, to obtain her financial records.

Giuffre's lawyers demanded a vast array of documents from Maxwell including 'funding received from the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation,' according to court filings.

The judge also ruled that documents relating to a request from Giuffre for email accounts that Maxwell allegedly kept secret from the court should also be made public.

They could give an insight into powerful men who Maxwell knew, such and Prince Andrew of the British royal family.

The documents are part of a tranche of material gradually being released by Judge Preska from the defamation case Giuffre filed against Maxwell in 2016 for calling her a liar.

Giuffre claims Maxwell recruited her when she was 16 and took her to Jeffrey Epstein to be repeatedly raped and abused, including by Prince Andrew, which he denies.

The defamation case was settled in 2017 but after requests from the media organization the documents are gradually being unsealed.

During a hearing at New York's federal court, Judge Preska said she was not persuaded by Maxwell's argument that 'continued unsealing of these materials implicates her right to a fair trial in her pending criminal case', which is due to start in November.

Among the documents made public will be a motion for a protective order filed by Maxwell's lawyers to limit the amount of information about her finances they had to hand over.

Giuffre's lawyers sought such information so they would be better informed if the case went to a settlement, which it did.

Giuffre's lawyers sought Maxwell's tax returns, balance sheets for companies Maxwell controlled and financial statements for companies she controlled among other materials.

One section reads: 'From January 2012 to the present, produce all documents concerning any source of funding for the TarraMar Project (Maxwell's nonprofit) or any other not-for-profit entities with which you are associated, including but not limited to, funding received from the Clinton Global Initiative, the Clinton Foundation (a/k/a William J. Clinton Foundation, a/k/a/ the Bill, Hilary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation),and the Clinton Foundation Climate Change Initiative'.

While it is unclear if the Clintons will come up in the documents which will be made public, there is considerable back and forth and dozens of documents on this subject that will be unsealed.

(continued)

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Bill Clinton's relationship with Epstein and Maxwell came under intense scrutiny when the financier was arrested in July 2019.

Clinton flew on Epstein's plane dozens of times and photographs have shown him receiving a neck massage from Chauntae Davies, one of Epstein's victims who worked as a flight attendant on his private jet, known as the 'Lolita Express'.

The book 'A Convenient Death: The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein', by journalists Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper even claimed that Clinton and Maxwell had a secret affair.

Other documents that will be unsealed relate to a request for information from Maxwell regarding what Giuffre's lawyers called an 'undisclosed email account' that she kept secret from the court in breach of an order to hand it over.

In a publicly available filing, they state: 'Ms Giuffre is aware of two email addresses that appear to be the email addresses defendant used while Ms Giuffre was with defendant and Epstein, namely, from 2000 - 2002.

'Defendant has denied that she used those accounts to communicate, but she has not disclosed the account she did use to communicate during that time, nor produce documents from it'.

Over four pages of redacted text, which will be made public in two weeks, Giuffre's lawyers argue why it should be made public.

Emails that have already been made public in the case showed Maxwell talking to Epstein about personal matters.

In one from January 2015, when Giuffre made her allegations in a court in Florida and sparked a media firestorm, Epstein told Maxwell to keep her head up and stop acting like a 'convict'.

The pedophile told Maxwell: 'You have done nothing wrong and I would urge you to start acting like it'.

Other emails show that Prince Andrew emailed Maxwell 5.50am on January 3 2015 about Giuffre.

He said: 'Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts'.

Maxwell replied: 'Have some info. Call me when you have a moment'.

Maxwell is due to go on trial for sex trafficking conspiracy and perjury among other charges.

The 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all the allegations.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9747011/Judge-rules-unseal-dozens-documents-Ghislaine-Maxwells-personal-affairs.html

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc&page=5

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.447706/gov.uscourts.nysd.447706.370.1.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.447706/gov.uscourts.nysd.447706.468.0.pdf

Bill Cosby is free; Ghislaine Maxwell should be, too

DAVID OSCAR MARKUS - JUN 30, 2021

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court did the right thing when it threw out Bill Cosby’s convictions because prosecutors cheated: They promised Cosby that they would not prosecute him if he would testify in the civil cases against him; based on that promise, Cosby testified and did not invoke his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Prosecutors then broke their promise and used Cosby’s statements in those depositions to win a conviction against him.

The state Supreme Court not only acquitted him but barred the prosecutors from retrying him.

The court framed the issue as whether the prosecutor’s “decision not to prosecute Cosby in exchange for his testimony must be enforced against the Commonwealth.” That seems pretty straightforward, right? Even prosecutors should have to live up to their end of a bargain. If a prosecutor promises something, he should be bound by his word — just like the rest of us.

And for 79 pages, the court detailed why prosecutors are no different than any other actor in the justice system. When they make a promise, they have to stick to it.

This opinion and reasoning applies directly to Ghislaine Maxwell’s case.

In her case, Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty and struck a bargain with the prosecutors in Miami: In exchange for pleading guilty in state court, the U.S. attorney’s office agreed that it would not prosecute any of his alleged co-conspirators.

There has been quite a bit of criticism of this deal. But it is a contract that Epstein and the government entered into knowingly and voluntarily. And certainly, the government was in the better bargaining position as it is with any criminal defendant.

Maxwell is accused of being one of Epstein’s co-conspirators from 25 years ago. She has declared her innocence and is set to fight the case at trial in November. But she should not have to fight her case at trial and her case should be thrown out, just like Cosby’s has been, because prosecutors promised Epstein when he pleaded guilty that they would not prosecute her.

When Epstein agreed to plead guilty and go to state prison, the United States agreed not to prosecute him or his alleged co-conspirators. This is in black and white: “the United States . . . will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein.”

Despite its promise not to go after Maxwell, federal prosecutors in New York brought a federal case against her after Epstein died, arguing that it does not need to live up to the deal struck by federal prosecutors in Miami.

But that reasoning makes no sense. We have one federal government, and the agreement says clearly that the United States would not prosecute Maxwell.

And just like in Cosby’s case, the New York prosecutors want to use Maxwell’s depositions against her even though the government had said there would be no charges. The trial court, just like the trial court and intermediate appellate court in Cosby’s case, has agreed to let the government out of its deal.

The case against Ghislaine Maxwell is extremely weak — based on 25-year-old, uncorroborated allegations made only after Epstein died. A jury should reject those flimsy and stale charges. But in the event of a conviction, she should get relief on appeal for the same reason Cosby did — prosecutors should have to live up to the deals they make. As that court explained: “A contrary result would be patently untenable. It would violate long-cherished principles of fundamental fairness. It would be antithetical to, and corrosive of, the integrity and functionality of the criminal justice system that we strive to maintain.”

The Cosby case reaffirms that a prosecutor is bound to act with integrity and the public must be able to rely on his word. What a concept.

David Oscar Markus is Ghislaine Maxwell’s appellate counsel.

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-cosby-maxwell-free-20210630-gqlcsn6yczaivp5h7g7x73lfzu-story.html

Exclusive: Planting 'consultants,' blocking vaccine approval, threatening officials – Australia sabotages China-PNG cooperation by all means

Global Times - Jul 02, 2021

By planting Australian consultants in Papua New Guinea to manipulate local epidemic prevention policies targeting China, obstructing the authorizing of Chinese vaccines' emergency use, threatening senior officials from welcoming Chinese vaccines, Australia has been found sabotaging and disturbing Pacific Island nations' cooperation with China on vaccines and anti-virus measures, with experts criticizing Australia's actions as hurting people's interest in the Pacific Island countries out of a pure Cold War mentality.

The Global Times has learned exclusively from sources that Australia has been racking its brain to undermine China's vaccine cooperation with Pacific Island countries. For example, it has planted several "consultants" in the national epidemic prevention center in Papua New Guinea and manipulated the country's policies in the fight against COVID-19. Under Australia's colonial-style dominance, some of Papua New Guinea's new prevention policies target Chinese.

Despite that China has effectively controlled the epidemic domestically, PNG still lists China as "high risk" and requests foreigners arriving from in the country to wear electric location finders with high charges. But the fact is that currently, only Chinese travel to PNG to resume work in the country's projects.

As for China's supply of vaccines to Papua New Guinea, Australia has also proactively tried to set up hurdles to block the authorization for emergency use of Chinese vaccines. In February, China announced it would offer vaccines to Papua New Guinea and also provided the trails data on the vaccines, but with Australia working in the shadows, Papua New Guinea's epidemic prevention center did not approve the emergency use of Chinese vaccines until the end of May, when Australia provided vaccines had already arrived in the country.

Sources also told the Global Times that when the Chinese vaccines arrived in Papua New Guinea, the country's president had planned to welcome them at the airport, but he was blocked by Australia, which also threatened Papua New Guinea's officials by saying that if they would welcome the Chinese vaccines, they must bear the consequence of Australia ceasing investment in the country's road projects.

Australia has closely followed the US and a small group of Western countries to hype the issue of tracing virus origins, attacking and smearing China's vaccines and groundlessly accusing China of expanding its influence by donating vaccines to developing nations.

But the reality is that Australia is actually pushing for political influence in the name of anti-virus cooperation, with the purpose of spreading Australia's vaccines throughout Pacific Island countries and showcasing its influence in the area.

In March, Australia offered 8,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine sent via military helicopters, becoming the first foreign aid of vaccine to Papua New Guinea.

If Pacific Island states choose China's vaccines in the fight against the virus, it means the economic recovery of these countries in the post-COVID-19 era would be boosted with China's leadership, and would demean Australia's reputation and influence in the area, according to Australian think tank, Lowy Institute.

Regarding the South Pacific as its own backyard and sphere of influence, Australia has taken a hostile attitude against China for China's cooperation with countries in this area, although China has expressed its willingness to also work with Australia. Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, criticized Australia for its "colonialism mentality."

Australia has a clear Cold War mentality and is sabotaging China's cooperation with Pacific Island countries at the cost of the people's health, said Chen, noting that weaponizing the anti-virus fight for political purposes is shameful.

Chen said that instead of increasing its influence in the area, Australia's moves would actually damage its reputation as its malicious purposes have been fully exposed and witnessed by the international community.

Chen also noted that the vaccines that Australia has offered to Papua New Guinea are restricted to be used only among citizens above 60 years old, with their safety for other groups being questioned by scientists. Under this scenario, Australia is "dumping" its stock-piled, unsafe vaccines to other counties in its pacific playground.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1227658.shtml

Arlington National Cemetery Tweet

Earlier today, Australian Ambassador to the U.S. @A_Sinodinos viewed the Changing of the Guard and participated in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He was greeted upon arrival by @KDurhamAguilera and ANC Superintendent Charles R. Alexander Jr.

https://twitter.com/ArlingtonNatl/status/1409949791878991873

https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil

>>14036004

Arthur Sinodinos Tweet

Today, Elizabeth & I; and Maj. Gen Andrew Freeman and Jane Freeman had the great honour of laying a wreath on behalf of Australia in remembrance of US fallen service men & women at @ArlingtonNatl. This year (Australia) & (United States) commemorate 70 years of our unbreakable #ANZUS alliance

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1410016863447289856

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

June 29 2021

Walk It like I Talk It

Last week, U.S. Marines, Australian Army soldiers and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct a rehearsal of concept before their final training event during #SouthernJackaroo. The event exercised their combined capabilities to give mounted and dismounted support to small unit ground maneuvers, while utilizing multiple weapons systems, at Mount Bundey Training Area, NT, Australia.

(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Micha Pierce)

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/163077602521398

>>14020199

Covid-19 vaccine targets to unlock the path to freedom

OLIVIA CAISLEY and GREG BROWN - JULY 3, 2021

1/2

Scott Morrison has clinched a deal with premiers to return life to normal by tying the national ­reopening to new vaccination targets, under a plan that will leave potential lockdowns and a ­shuttered international border in place for at least another six months.

National cabinet agreed to a four-step blueprint on Friday for a phased easing of restrictions once Australians have met the new vaccine thresholds, which will be set using scientific modelling from epidemiologists at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne.

But, to secure the support of national cabinet, Mr Morrison was forced to accept demands from Labor states to slash the number of international arrivals by 50 per cent, amid concern over the more-infectious Delta strain.

The numbers of foreign arrivals will be cut to 3034 a week from July 14 with no end date in sight, dampening the repatriation hopes of 34,000 Australians stranded overseas and alarming business, which is warning of critical skills shortages driven by a “Fortress Australia” mindset.

The Prime Minister sealed the breakthrough agreement in separate late-night conversations with NSW Premier Gladys ­Berejiklian and her Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews on Thursday, following a week of political conflict between the states and commonwealth over vaccine supply.

In his first in-person appearance since returning from the G7 summit in Cornwall and France, the Prime Minister said further restrictions on international travel represented a “prudent action while we remain in this suppression phase of the virus”.

Mr Morrison said the first phase of his plan would include new trials of at-home quarantine – most likely in South Australia – and the introduction of a vaccine authentication regime on the international border. Lockdowns would only be used as a “last ­resort.”

He rejected suggestions that the halving of overseas arrivals was the result of hotel quarantine system failures, after community outbreaks flared across the nation and plunged 11 million people into lockdown. Rather, it was “about the Delta variant”, he said.

“It’s simple,” he said. “The delta strain is more contagious, and so we’re just seeking to take precautionary steps to overall reduce the risk. I mean infection rates in quarantine are 1 per cent.”

Mr Morrison signalled the abandonment of any pursuit of an elimination strategy, making it clear he wanted to get to a stage where Australians had enough protection through vaccinations so that Covid-19 “would be like the flu”.

Australians would need to “learn how to live with those strains, learn about them, and modify our approaches as required”, he said.

Just over 8 per cent of the ­Australian population is fully vaccinated. The nation broke through the 8 million dose mark on Friday, making it one of the slowest rollouts in the OECD.

Medical experts welcomed the plan on Friday, but suggested the delta strain would require an unlikely vaccination take-up of more than 80 per cent to allow for the full unwinding of restrictions.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said the plan recognised that the “road out of this crisis is vaccination”. “The four stages of the plan announced today show a ­future that includes a reduction in restrictions, a limited use of lockdowns, an increase in travel caps, and potential return of international outbound travel – particularly for those who are vaccinated,” Dr Khorshid said.

“By the final stage of the plan, we see a vaccinated population and as a result, a health system prepared to treat Covid similar to how we manage the flu.”

(continued)

>>14041172

2/2

University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely said vaccination was “not sufficient” to unlock restrictions and warned that Australians would need to practice Covid-safe living – such as masks, QR tracing and social distancing – for the next two years.

Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said the plan provided hope.

“We are pleased to see plans to trial alternative quarantine options and the return of international students and economic visa holders,” Ms Westacott said. “We think we can be more ambitious and provide more incentive for getting the vaccine: for example vaccinated residents should be able to return to Australia as soon as possible. Also, vaccinated residents should be exempt from domestic restrictions.”

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said it was a “major step forward that ­finally delivers some hope to the Australian community” but he was disappointed at the “unwelcome six-month 50 per cent cap on international arrivals”.

Group of Eight universities chief executive Vicki Thomson said she backed the plan’s inclusion of commercial trials for the limited entry of student and economic visa holders during the first phase. “It seems likely that we may not see significant international student numbers returning to Australia until well into 2022, which is not unexpected but still sobering for the sector – notwithstanding our first priority of keeping Australians safe,” she said.

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said home quarantine could be more safe than the current hotel system, arguing there was ­“decreased interaction with staff”,

Professor Kelly said there would need to be a shift in the national psychology to “concentrate increasingly on severe illness rather than (on) numbers of cases”.

The slashing of arrival caps was a win for the Victorian, West Australian and Queensland governments, which had been pushing for a decrease until more of the population was vaccinated.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she didn’t agree with the decision but would respect her fellow state and territory leaders.

While timelines under the four-step plan have not been agreed, Mr Morrison said a new phase could be entered once a yet-to-be specified vaccine threshold was achieved. He was optimistic all Australians would be offered a first jab by the end of the year. “I would hope that we were living in that second phase next year,” he said.

Anthony Albanese said the plan had come too late, arguing that the nation was already 18 months into the pandemic. “We need to fix the rollout of the vaccine and we need to fix the national quarantine,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/covid19-vaccine-targets-to-unlock-the-path-to-freedom/news-story/047c2dbe63338c594ba4a350f07c350b

>>14020199

Lockdowns ‘can stop in two months’ when Covid-19 vaccines hit 30pc

NATASHA ROBINSON - JULY 2, 2021

Epidemiologists believe there will be sufficient Australians fully vaccinated within the next two months to make lockdowns unnecessary in any state.

As the number of vaccinations hit a daily record of more than 163,000 on Friday, Deakin University’s chair in epidemiology Catherine Bennett said the proportion of people fully vaccinated to avoid the need for lockdowns would be in the order of 30 per cent – a prospect that was likely to be only a couple of months away.

“Thirty per cent is probably enough that it slows the spread of the virus and means contact tracers should be able to do their job,” she said. “It should mean that we’re less likely to need to go to these extreme measures.”

Once the vaccination rate reached between 50 and 65 per cent of a population, transmission of Covid-19 was significantly slowed, allowing the easing of restrictions and a gradual opening of international borders while keeping mitigation measures such as home quarantine in place.

More than 30 per cent of Australians now have received at least one vaccine dose, with 7,970,153 doses administered. The proportion of the population fully vaccinated is 8.37 per cent, and this will rise quickly within the coming weeks with millions of people scheduled to receive their second AstraZeneca shot.

International modelling has indicated that vaccine coverage of about 80 per cent would be required to allow for fully open borders and the easing of all restrictions aimed at curbing Covid-19. Professor Bennett said Australia might never get to that level.

“Eighty per cent coverage is what people would like to see, but that’s completely opening up and removing your quarantine,” Professor Bennett said.

“So it’s about how you step your way up to that. But at the end of the day, I think if you say ‘actually, we’re opening up the borders regardless at the end of March’, because that’s when everyone can be vaccinated, then I think you can’t be saying ‘we haven’t quite met the 80 per cent, therefore we’re not going to do it’.”

The federal government has commissioned modelling to identify the threshold of vaccination required to begin to open up international borders and that work is not yet complete.

Burnet Institute director Brendan Crabb said announcing that the threshold level was yet to be determined was “honest” of the Prime Minister.

“The reason why being cautious is important is because you can start to open without relying on some force shield immunity,” Professor Crabb said. “Of course we want herd immunity, that’s the ultimate goal, but we could be waiting forever for that.”

He said a minimum threshold for beginning to open up borders in a managed way was 60 per cent of all people vaccinated, including children.

“If your only goal is preventing serious illness and death you’d need less vaccine coverage than if your goal was preventing all transmission,” he said. “But I think 60 per cent is the point at which you can start to think there is a chance that community-based immunity is going to stop transmission chains.

“What should be the aim is high enough vaccine coverage with non-vaccine mitigations including mask wearing, the judicious use of border protection and, most importantly, well-ventilated workplaces and recreational facilities of any sort.”

La Trobe University epidemiologist Hassan Vally agreed about 60 per cent vaccine coverage was likely to have a significant impact on disease transmission and would see minimal deaths and hospitalisations. But he was doubtful herd immunity could ever be achieved.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/science/lockdowns-can-stop-in-two-months-when-covid19-vaccines-hit-30pc/news-story/d443aa225caae36497ebec2261c2b4cf

George Pell’s $3m legal bill to clear his name

JOHN FERGUSON - JULY 3, 2021

George Pell received a $3m legal bill to battle the sex crime charges and convictions that were eventually thrown out by the High Court.

Cardinal Pell confirmed the huge bill is yet to be fully paid off after supporters, both wealthy and battling, helped fund the elite legal team that helped end his 404-day incarceration.

He said there was still a “significant” amount of money to be paid, despite having walked free more than a year ago.

The Archdiocese of Sydney said on Friday that Cardinal Pell had received $390,000 in costs from the state of Victoria after the hung jury of the first County Court trial.

Cardinal Pell’s legal team initially applied for $800,000 in costs, with most of the 26 original charges falling away in the early phase of the battle.

An archdiocese spokesman said Cardinal Pell, 80, had not have any of his legal defence covered by the church but was afforded the same help as other retired clergy. “The church does not fund criminal defences as it has consistently maintained. Cardinal Pell is retired. Any matters related to his legal affairs are private,” he said.

Cardinal Pell discussed the size of the legal bills during an ­interview in Rome, although he has now returned to Australia.

It is almost four years to the day since Cardinal Pell was originally charged with 26 offences, most of which were withdrawn or dropped or didn’t pass the committal phase. Hell was eventually convicted of sexually molesting two 13-year-old choir boys in the sacristy of Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996 and 1997.

After a first jury was deadlocked, he was then sentenced to six years in prison.

The High Court found there was reasonable doubt in the testimony of his sole living accuser, whose story was deemed improbable because of the timing, nature and location of the alleged ­offending.

Eight weeks ago while promoting the second volume of his prison diaries, Cardinal Pell spoke about the burden of the legal bills and who had helped pay them.

“The debts were very considerable,” he told religious TV network EWTN.

“There is still a significant amount that remains to be paid. I was disconcerted but I am not particularly worried about it.

“I am very grateful to all the people who have kicked in and sometimes very generously. Many, many ordinary battlers put in money to the defence fund.”

Cardinal Pell had been in Rome for months where he had a papal audience and was involved in talks about corruption at the Vatican. He was also able to clean out his old apartment, which he used while being head financial officer for the Vatican.

The publication of the Pell prison diaries has attracted global attention. They carry rare insights into prison and spiritual life, investigating the mundane nature of solitary confinement and the burden of the convictions.

Lawyer Peter Kelso, who specialises in abuse cases, said the large sum spent on defending Cardinal Pell showed that celebrities and the wealthy had a better opportunity to fight allegations.

“When you have the money you can afford a full-on defence,” he said. “That is, you can afford not only the lawyers but their team behind them … whereas the ordinary punter accused of anything can’t afford that.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/george-pells-3m-legal-bill-to-beat-jail/news-story/29e2f4a5783b83df1081a09ab39a9976

>>14041638

EWTN Bookmark with George Cardinal Pell

EWTN

Jun 29, 2021

Airs on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET

Encores on Monday at 5 a.m. & 5 p.m. ET

and on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. ET.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGcZf8UwCHU

>>14028446

Julian Assange’s 50th birthday marked with Parliament Square picnic

Press Association - 3 July 2021

Supporters of Julian Assange will hold a picnic opposite Parliament on Saturday to mark the 50th birthday of the WikiLeaks founder.

There will be giant picnic blankets in Parliament Square stencilled with a Free Assange slogan, and the Australian’s partner Stella Moris will cut a birthday cake.

It will be the third birthday he has spent in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London.

His supporters sailed past Parliament and the US Embassy earlier this week as part of a growing campaign to free him.

An attempt to extradite Assange to the United States was rejected in January, but he continues to be held in prison pending an appeal.

Ms Moris told the PA news agency that the US case had “sunk”, adding there is growing support across the world for Assange to be released.

She said: “The longer this goes on the clearer it is that this is a political case. Julian should be at home with me and our two children.

“This has gone on far too long – it has to stop. He is not a criminal.”

Ms Moris has asked the authorities in Belmarsh if the couple can get married, saying it should be a right for anyone.

She hopes Assange will be granted permission to get married outside the prison.

“We will celebrate his birthday – and have cake,” she added.

A number of Australian politicians have appealed to the US Government to drop its Espionage Act charges against Assange.

The MPs and Senators urged US President Joe Biden to take the “opportunity for urgent reconsideration”, following a UK court’s decision to deny the US extradition request earlier this year.

John Rees, who organises events to keep up the pressure for Assange’s release, said: “Momentum is building across the world for our campaign. The case against Julian is collapsing.”

https://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/national/19417535.julian-assanges-50th-birthday-marked-parliament-square-picnic/

—

Q Post #3341

May 23 2019 21:01:32 (EST)

>Q

>What can you tell us about Assange??

>>6572364 (/pb)

Under protection.

Threat is real.

Key to DNC 'source' 'hack' '187'.

Q

https://8kun.top/qresearch/res/6571752.html#6572364

https://8kun.top/qresearch/res/6572498.html#6572667

https://qanon.pub/#3341

Dutch court approves alleged drug syndicate leader Tse Chi Lop for extradition to Australia

Reuters/ABC - 2 July 2021

A Dutch court has approved an Australian request to hand over the alleged leader of an Asian drug syndicate who has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national, was arrested in January at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport at the request of Australian police while in transit from Taiwan to Canada.

The defence said it would appeal, and the matter will be decided by the Dutch Supreme Court.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) claims Mr Tse's organisation dominates the $90 billion-a-year Asia-Pacific drug trade.

A final decision on extradition will be made by the Dutch government.

Mr Tse has denied wrongdoing and contested his arrest, saying the Australian authorities in effect engineered his expulsion from Taiwan to Canada on a flight with a stopover in the Netherlands so that he could be detained there.

The defendant is alleged to have led a drug syndicate that is dominant in the Asia-Pacific crystal methamphetamine trade, which increased fourfold in the five years to 2019, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

He is wanted in Australia for his connection to Operation Volante, which dismantled a global crime syndicate operating in five countries.

According to the AFP, the operation resulted in the arrest of 27 people for importing and trafficking "substantial quantities" of heroin and methamphetamine into Australia in 2013.

Police seized 42 kilograms of drugs and more than $4 million in cash in the operation.

Jeremy Douglas, South-East Asia and Pacific representative for the UN drugs agency UNODC, said in 2019 that Tse Chi Lop is in the league of El Chapo or maybe Pablo Escobar referring to Latin America's most notorious drug lords.

Mr Tse has denied he is a drug kingpin.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-02/court-approves-tse-chi-lop-extradition/100264964

Top SA arts identity Timothy Sexton’s spectacular fall from grace revealed after sentencing for teen sex offending in the 1980s

At the apex of his career, one of SA’s top arts identities was exposed as a manipulative teen sex predator – kicking off a spectacular and deserved fall from grace.

Sean Fewster - July 2, 2021

It was a moment of artistic and personal triumph – the unexpected translation of a seminal Australian novel into, of all things, an opera.

In 2016, the much-anticipated production of Cloudstreet was about to take its first bow, all under the guiding hand of the State Opera of SA’s artistic director, Timothy Sexton.

The opera told the story of characters navigating “a changing world, tragedy, love and forgiveness” over a 20-year period.

At the time, few knew Sexton was not only the steward of a piece of grand art, but also the source of more than 20 years of torment for two women.

The pair had, as teenage girls, been beguiled, groomed, sexually abused and then discarded by Sexton – who also manipulated them into believing they had seduced him.

He had immersed them in his lies so successfully that they kept his criminal secrets for decades, fearing they might derail his stratospheric career in the arts.

On Friday, their pain ended – and their new leases on life began – when the District Court jailed Sexton, 60, for a near-record 14 years.

The women, whose identities remain suppressed, embraced one another to celebrate the end of a heinous experience that, prior to charges being laid, they had not realised they shared.

SONG SHEET

By his mid-20s, Sexton was already a recognised conductor and musician in high demand.

Colleagues and especially students considered him charming, dashing, handsome and easy to talk to.

His eventual victims met Sexton separately, in the 1980s, but through the same medium – his work as a singing teacher – and were immediately infatuated.

“Because of their feelings of affection, they wanted to be around him, to please him, to be liked by him,” prosecutor Carmen Matteo told jurors.

“They didn’t want ‘their Mr Sexton’ to get into trouble … each girl had a crush on him, and he would have known that.”

For a creative person, Sexton played from the most basic paedophile song sheet available – his style of grooming was spectacularly pedestrian.

Tragically his little gifts, flirtatious comments, nickname for his penis and making each girl feel “adult” worked, leaving them vulnerable to repeated abuse.

When he was done with them, he casually severed contact, demanding his victims be “mature” about it while paying no heed to their distress.

It was a mindset he would maintain to the bitter end.

REJECTED

From the moment of his arrest – which saw the State Opera request his resignation – Sexton maintained, and has continued to insist, he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

On the witness stand, he sought to convince jurors the girls had initiated all inappropriate contact – a move that echoed the allegations against him.

“There was nothing sort of coquettish or really, really flirtatious,” he said.

One girl, he claimed, had “planted a kiss” on him but he did not discipline her because “everyone gets to make a mistake”.

He was, he explained, the target of adolescent fantasy and the victim of misunderstood teaching techniques.

“Because singing is an internal physical activity, it was necessary to make certain corrections … quite often, the issue with students is bad posture,” he said.

Jurors rejected Sexton’s evidence and found him guilty, prompting him to file an appeal which is scheduled to be heard next month.

In their victim impact statements, the girls – now women – dubbed Sexton “an astounding narcissist”, a “weak human being” and “conceited, self-opinionated, cruel-hearted” predator.

In sentencing, Judge Geraldine Davison stopped short of agreeing with them.

“You are undoubtedly a very intelligent man who is hardworking and talented,” she said.

“The very reason you were able to commit these offences is the fact you were a talented man who ingratiated himself to all around him.

“You attracted, and took advantage of, young people who were susceptible to your charms.”

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/top-sa-arts-identity-timothy-sextons-spectacular-fall-from-grace-revealed-after-sentencing-for-teen-sex-offending-in-the-1980s/news-story/b5b0301adea640d27a40e95b2df17b34

50 years after Whitlam’s China visit, it’s imperative for Canberra politicians to learn his political sagacity

Chen Hong - Jul 02, 2021

1/2

Fifty years ago on July 3, a very special delegation from Australia arrived in Beijing, led by the then Australian opposition leader, Gough Whitlam. This visit was history-making, as called by Stephen FitzGerald, later Australia's first ambassador to China, "an expedition of bravado and exposure, but great political judgment and luck." Canberra at that time was still bogged down in the Cold War trap, stubbornly refusing to recognize the fact that Beijing had already been the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Whitlam was lambasted by the anti-China forces Down Under as making Australia a pawn of China, and himself, a "lickspittle Sinophile." It indeed had taken extraordinary political judgment and enormous courage for him to take this ice-breaking step.

Whitlam was a visionary au fait with the changing tides of the times. As early as 1954 he advocated diplomatic recognition of Beijing. His ground-breaking decision to visit China in 1971 was both wisely cognisant of the geopolitical reality of the world, and perceptively mindful of the historic inevitability to proactively engage and cooperate with the rising Asian giant with the biggest population and the greatest potential.

As then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai pointed out during his mid-night conversation with Whitlam and his delegation on July 5, "All things develop from small beginnings." After Whitlam took office as prime minister following his overwhelming victory in the federal parliament election in 1972, he decisively established formal diplomatic relationship with the People's Republic of China, steering Australia onto a speed track of constructive cooperation with China.

China never forgets Whitlam's pioneering efforts to promote mutual understanding, trust and friendship between the two countries. China always remembers Australia's invaluable contribution to its economic growth and national development. Recently declassified documents of the Australian government show that between 1959 and 1962, Australia increased wheat exports to China in defiance of the US' embargo on the fledgling People's Republic.

Since the late 1970s, China's reform and opening-up have greatly benefited from the Australian investments and joint ventures, which in turn also provided vibrant momentum to Australia's economic growth thanks to China's increasing and enormous imports of energy and mineral, food, dairy and other products from Down Under.

In 1972 the merchandise trade between China and Australia was valued at a meager A$100 million, but in 2020 bilateral trade volume skyrocketed to as high as A$ 229.623 billion, in spite of the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent Chinese poll indicates that Australia still ranks among the first as a preferred destination for Chinese students, although Chinese parents are becoming increasingly nervy of the resurgence of racist sentiments and sometimes occurrences of violently verbal and even physical assaults.

It is therefore imperative that today's politicians in Canberra should modestly learn the political sagacity of Whitlam and other like-minded judicious Australian political leaders. A constructive bilateral relationship is the critical keystone to both countries' national interest, which any mature and independent government should do its best to ascertain and safeguard against ulterior motives of some foreign power.

(continued)

>>14042279

2/2

It was thought-provoking that Whitlam's 1972 visit to China was ferociously condemned by Australia's then Liberal government led by prime minister Billy McMahon, who was timorously worried about his imagined vehement reactions from Washington. He criticized Whitlam's late night meeting with Premier Zhou as "an impertinence to the United States, and it is not likely to be forgotten by the American administration." However McMahon was dumbfounded and humiliated when Washington announced that on July 9 Henry Kissinger had also visited China and that US president Richard Nixon would be flying to Beijing in early 1972, on which Whitlam vindictively commented about his denigrators, "They're f..ked."

The current administration in Canberra needs to come to terms with its relations with China, in which pragmatism overrules ideological bigotry and recalcitrance. Australia's anti-China campaign has reaped in for itself nothing but economic and political losses. Australia's Morrison administration might also be massively stunned to know that "at present Australia's exports of food and beverage to China has dropped from 5.6 percent to 3.5 percent, while those of the other countries in the so-called Five Eyes alliance rose from 22 percent to 35 percent.

It is now high time for Canberra to come to grips with the present day international realpolitik, in which China will continue to be one of the biggest players. Meaningless contestation and confrontation with China will only result in Australia's losses while China goes on with its dynamism toward stability and peace and greater economic prosperity.

The author is president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies, and professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1227674.shtml

Chief of Navy Australia Tweet

I have just conducted my inaugural call with incoming Japanese Defence Attache, CAPT Reona Aso & his predecessor COL Shigehiro Noshita

#AusNavy's partnership w @ModJapan_en is founded on shared strategic interests & building a secure, prosperous & inclusive Indo-Pacific

https://twitter.com/CN_Australia/status/1410362982429642754

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Tweet

#Marines Posted during #ExerciseDarrandarra

Sharpening our embassy reinforcement skills with #yourADF

@USMC (photo) by Cpl. Colton K. Garrett

https://twitter.com/MrfDarwin/status/1410742514307538945

III Marine Expeditionary Force Tweet

“It was important for us to interact with the community so we could show our appreciation for the opportunity to train in Nhulunbuy. .”

-Australian Army Lt. Col. Daniel Gosling

Read about @MrfDarwin and @AustralianArmy’s training in Nhulunbym, Aus.

https://dvidshub.net/r/89la9z

https://twitter.com/IIIMEF/status/1409678132525756420

>>14042879

>>14042885

U.S. Marines in Australia complete embassy reinforcement and noncombatant evacuation operations exercise

1st Lt. Gabriel Lechuga - 06.24.2021

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin successfully completed an embassy reinforcement and noncombatant evacuation operations exercise called “Darrandarra,” last week at the Australian Defence Force’s Northern Command depot in Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia.

The focus of Darrandarra was to enhance Marine Rotational Force – Darwin’s ability to assist the U.S. Department of State with reinforcing embassies in the Indo-Pacific region and evacuating American citizens whose lives are in danger due to rising civil unrest or political tensions.

The exercise was conducted in coordination with members of the Australian Defence Force who assisted the Marine Corps with logistical planning, exercise control and community engagement.

The planning phase of the exercise began at Robertson Barracks, where Marines and ADF members developed a plan that allowed Marine Rotational Force – Darwin to transport troops and equipment to Nhulunbuy using an Australian C-130 Hercules in addition to U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys.

Once in Nhulunbuy, Marines conducted various training activities at the simulated embassy on the depot, such as using non-lethal force to deescalate civilian riots, enhancing embassy security, and preventing unauthorized people from entering the embassy.

“Working side-by-side with the Australians proved critical to the success of the exercise. Sharing resources makes MRF-D and Northern Command a more efficient and capable force,” said exercise forward command element officer in charge, Capt. Zach Ball.

As the exercise scenario reached a point where the simulated embassy needed to be shut down completely, MRF-D’s Logistics Combat Element established an emergency evacuation center, which is used to safely process and evacuate American citizens. Marine Rotational Force – Darwin used Marines as role-players to make the training as realistic as possible.

An additional MRF-D and ADF priority while in Nhulunbuy was to conduct community engagements. Marines and members of the ADF showed support for the local community by attending the opening ceremony of the new East Arnhem Regional Council building, interacting with locals in Yirrkala—a small town in East Arnhem Land—and hosting a community engagement on June 18th.

The community engagement involved a static display of the Marine Corps’ MV-22B Osprey, where locals were able to tour it to get an idea of what it would be like to ride one. Additionally, Marines played sports with local children, let them try on their protective equipment like flak jackets and Kevlar helmets, and discussed their jobs and experience in the Marine Corps and in Australia.

“It was important for us to interact with the community so we could show our appreciation for the opportunity to train in Nhulunbuy. Everyone was friendly and excited to interact with Marines and ADF soldiers and see Ospreys,” said Headquarters Northern Command Operations Officer, Australian Army Lt. Col. Daniel Gosling.

Darrandarra, meaning “together,” demonstrated the Marine Corps' ability to operate with the Australian Defence Force, reinforce embassies, and conduct noncombatant evacuation operations to maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise was a tangible demonstration to the Marine Corps and Australian Defence Force’s commitment to strengthening the current alliance and interacting with the community.

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/399591/us-marines-australia-complete-embassy-reinforcement-and-noncombatant-evacuation-operations-exercise

>>14036029

Department of Defence Tweet

Exercise Southern Jackaroo.

#YourADF, @USMC & @Japan_GSDF participated in the combined exercise recently, which included more than seven live-fire traces open simultaneously and the first Javelin fired in the Mount Bundey Training Area.

bit. ly/3AjNvWe

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1410497372950499339

>>14042906

Tactical capability focus of Exercise Southern Jackaroo

Private Jacob Joseph - 30 June 2021

With more than seven live-fire traces open simultaneously, the culminating activity of Exercise Southern Jackaroo, held from June 15-24, took months to plan, and included forces from the US Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defence Force.

Private Brendan Hannam, from 5 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR), fired the first Javelin in the Mount Bundey Training Area.

“I didn’t realise I would actually get to fire a Javelin on this exercise,” Private Hannam said.

Private Hannam’s action involved a direct attack while the US Marines, just meters away, simultaneously fired a top down attack.

A coordinated fire mission from Australian MAG 58 and US .50cal machine guns followed against targets on the adjacent hillside.

Watching the heavy weapons at the support by fire position, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Officer In Charge bilateral exercises Major Mitsuo Matsuda observed a way to improve his soldier’s training with more barrel change drills.

“Japanese soldiers do not fire the same amount of ammunition on our live fire ranges so they do not get to change barrels very often,” Major Matsuda said.

Japanese forces also took advantage of the larger Australian ranges on day one, firing their Type 01 LMAT anti-tank missile at moving targets for the first time.

It was also the first time snipers from the three nations participated in a two-day, live-fire practice, which included moving targets travelling up to 40kmph and long-range shooting beyond 2km.

Australian and US gunners from 103 Battery and US Marine Corps Mike Battery used the exercise to test a digital link between gun detachments, according to Bravo Detachment Commander Bombardier Eduardo Osborne.

“There’s a digital radio inside the gun that can send trajectory and elevation information between computers,” Bombardier Osborne said.

While the exercise aimed to develop a combined arms relationship between militaries, there were also personnel exchanges, according to 5RAR Lance Corporal Joshua Young, who worked with Japanese and US forces at the urban training facility.

“We showed them how we did our individual up to section level SOPs, like quartering drills and signals, so they could operate without talking,” Lance Corporal Young said.

Soldiers practised urban clearances and explosive breaching serials, and received a visit from Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell who spoke about the importance of Australia’s strategic partnerships.

US Marine Rotational Force–Darwin Commanding Officer Colonel David Banning said Exercise Southern Jackaroo was a key exercise for the United States Marines based in Darwin with the rotational force.

“This is a critical building block in terms of our ability to gradually increase the complexity of what we’re doing with our partners,” Colonel Banning said.

“We’re focused on maintaining our tactical capability so we have the flexibility to respond to whatever situation we might encounter.”

The US Marines will participate in exercises Talisman Sabre and Koolendong in the coming months. The Japanese forces will return home in early July.

See all the images of Exercise Southern Jackaroo on the Defence News Gallery.

https://images.defence.gov.au/assets/S20212094

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/tactical-capability-focus-exercise-southern-jackaroo

'The Alliance' | Episode 1

Sky News Australia

Jul 3, 2021

Kieran Gilbert, Annelise Nielsen & Adam Creighton look back at how a shared sacrifice in both WW1 & WW2 established a close bond between Australia and the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15g9MmyS5Ck

>>14036029

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

July 2 2021

Here comes the guns

U.S. Marines participate in support to ground maneuvers training during Exercise #SouthernJackaroo at Mount Bundey Training Area, NT, Australia, June 23, 2021. The training exercised U.S. Marines’, Australian Army soldiers’ and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers’ combined capabilities to give mounted and dismounted support to small unit ground maneuvers while utilizing multiple weapons systems.

(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Micha Pierce and Cpl. Sarah E. Taggett)

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/164490145713477

Vatican indicts cardinal, nine other people in London realestate deal

FRANCIS X. ROCCA - JULY 4, 2021

The Vatican said it indicted Cardinal Giovanni Becciu and nine other people in connection with a costly investment in London real estate, the source of one of the biggest scandals of Pope Francis’s reign.

Cardinal Becciu, who was the second highest official at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State when it acquired the property, was indicted on charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and subornation. His trial will be the first of a churchman with his rank in Vatican City’s criminal court.

Pope Francis ordered an investigation in 2019 after the Vatican bank flagged as suspicious a request by the Secretariat of State for a €150m ($A236m) loan to refinance the acquisition costs of a building in London’s upscale Chelsea district.

Through a series of complex transactions, the secretariat had paid the equivalent of more than $US400m ($A531m) by 2018 for the property, which had sold for half that amount six years earlier, Vatican prosecutors told a London court last year. The Vatican was seeking the extradition of a middleman, Gianluigi Torzi, accused of extortion, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.

Cardinal Becciu, 73, was a leading adversary of Cardinal George Pell during the Australian’s time as Vatican treasurer from February 2014 to June 2017. Cardinal Pell’s focus was on cleaning up the Vatican’s entrenched financial corruption and imposing modern accounting standards and transparency on its finances.

“I am the victim of a plot hatched against me, and I have been waiting for a long time to know any accusations against me, in order to promptly deny them and prove to the world my absolute innocence,” said Cardinal Becciu in a statement on Sunday.

According to the official Vatican News outlet, prosecutors didn’t originally consider Cardinal Becciu a suspect but concluded last May that he was behind efforts to acquire the London property.

They also allege that he tried to get a witness in the investigation to change his account.

Under Vatican law, the pope is required to sign off before a cardinal may be tried in a Vatican City court.

Four other former Vatican officials were indicted on various counts, including a former head and deputy head of the Vatican’s internal financial watchdog, and two former employees of the Secretariat of State.

“This matter constitutes a procedural blunder that will be immediately clarified by the organs of Vatican justice,” said Rene Brulhart, a former head of the Vatican financial watchdog, who has been indicted on a charge of abuse of office. “I have always carried out my functions and duties with correctness, loyalty and in the exclusive interest of the Holy See and its organs.”

Five outsiders were also indicted, including Mr Torzi, a lawyer for whom, Marco Franco, said he was preparing a comment on his client’s behalf. Other accused or their lawyers didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Vatican said that the trial would begin with a hearing on July 27.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/vatican-indicts-cardinal-nine-other-people-in-london-realestate-deal/news-story/fb3bf6faf925bde3abbfee6653695eae

>>14050764

Holy See Press Office Communiqué

Saturday 03.07.2021

By decree issued today, the President of the Vatican Tribunal has ordered the summons to trial of the defendants in the case related to the financial investments of the Secretariat of State in London. The trial will begin at the hearing on 27 July next.

The request for the summons for trial was submitted in recent days by the Office of the Promoter of Justice, in the persons of the Promoter Gian Piero Milano, the Deputy Alessandro Diddi and the Applicant Gianluca Perone, and regards ecclesiastical and lay personnel of the Secretariat of State and senior figures of the then Financial Intelligence Authority, as well as external figures active in the world of international finance.

They are:

• René Brülhart, who is accused of abuse of office;

• Msgr. Mauro Carlino, who is accused of extortion and abuse of office;

• Enrico Crasso, who is accused of embezzlement, corruption, extortion, money laundering and self-laundering, fraud, abuse of office, forgery of a public deed committed by a private individual and forgery in a private document;

• Tommaso Di Ruzza, who is accused of embezzlement, abuse of office and breach of confidentiality;

• Cecilia Marogna, who is accused of embezzlement;

• Raffaele Mincione, who is accused of embezzlement, fraud, abuse of office, embezzlement and self-laundering;

• Nicola Squillace, who is accused of fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and self-laundering;

• Fabrizio Tirabassi, who is accused of corruption, extortion, embezzlement, fraud and abuse of office;

• Gianluigi Torzi, who is accused of extortion, embezzlement, fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and self-laundering;

and against the companies:

• HP Finance LLC, referable to Enrico Crasso, to whom the indictment alleges the crime of fraud;

• Logsic Humanitarne Dejavnosti, D.O.O., attributable to Cecilia Marogna, accused of embezzlement;

• Prestige Family Office SA, attributable to Enrico Crasso, who is accused of fraud;

• Sogenel Capital Investment, which can be traced back to Enrico Crasso, to which the indictment alleges the crime of fraud.

Some of the aforementioned offences are also alleged to have been committed "in complicity".

The investigations, launched in July 2019 following a complaint by the Institute for the Works of Religion and the Office of the Auditor General, involved full collaboration between the Office of the Promoter and the Judicial Police Section of the Gendarmerie Corps. The investigations were also carried out in close and fruitful cooperation with the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome and the Economic and Financial Police Unit - G.I.C.E.F. of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome. The cooperation of the Public Prosecutor's Offices of Milan, Bari, Trento, Cagliari and Sassari and their respective judicial police sections was also appreciated.

Elements also emerged against Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who is being prosecuted, pursuant to the law, for the crimes of embezzlement and abuse of office, also in collaboration, as well as subornation.

The investigations, carried out also with rogatory commissions in several other foreign countries (United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Jersey, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland), have brought to light a vast network of relationships with operators in the financial markets that have generated substantial losses for the Vatican finances, having also drawn on the resources intended for the personal charitable works of the Holy Father.

The judicial initiative is directly related to the indications and reforms of His Holiness Pope Francis, in the work of transparency and rehabilitation of Vatican finances; work that, according to the accusation, was countered by speculative illegal activities and detrimental to reputation in the terms indicated in the request for trial.

Vatican City, 3 July 2021

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/07/03/210703a.html

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/07/03/210703a.pdf

Court documents shed new light on man behind moniker 'Witness K' and how he met lawyer Bernard Collaery

Elizabeth Byrne - 4 July 2021

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I can't tell you who Witness K is.

Even if I knew I couldn't say without risking jail time, because as a former spy for Australia's overseas intelligence service, his identity is protected under strict security laws.

But his notoriety has grown since he was charged with conspiracy to reveal classified information about alleged Australian espionage in East Timor, with his former lawyer Bernard Collaery.

It has been a long, curious and partly secret prosecution involving the discovery of key evidence in a handbag, the international courts in the Hague and the unwelcome exposure of alleged Australian espionage in East Timor.

When he finally fronted a Canberra court last month to be formally charged and sentenced, he and his wife were hidden behind tall black screens, in a room where even the glass doors were blacked out.

"Guilty your honour," were his only words to the court.

The voice that emerged from behind the screens was not deep or loud, instead sounded like the voice of a man in his late 70s you might say hello to on the street and pass by without a second thought.

When Witness K entered his plea and was sentenced to a three-month suspended sentence, it was the first time he had stepped foot in the court — despite multiple sessions in the lead up as lawyers fought over how secret the case should be, and what facts would be agreed.

Witness K's case has been polarising from the start, with a loyal crowd of supporters gathering outside every time it appeared in court.

Now documents cleared by the Canberra courts for public release have revealed something of the man, and the circumstances which led to this extraordinary chapter for Australia's intelligence community.

A career characterised by danger and trauma

Witness K had had a career of nearly four decades, starting in the navy in Vietnam and ending as a senior Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) spy.

But three psychiatric reports to the court gave perhaps the best insight into the man, who had suffered episodes of depression and anxiety since he was sent to Vietnam when still a teenager, and was more recently diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder.

One report noted his mother said he had been "crazy" when he returned from Vietnam.

The trauma listed by the doctors included his service on the "gun line" when he had been fired at and feared he would die.

Another said, "two major incidents seemed to have had a significant effect on his mental state, however, he never sought treatment or support for many years".

But the trauma did catch up with him, leading to several periods of stress leave, after breakdowns at work.

According to court documents, in 2005 it all came to a head when he missed out on a job he had been acting in for some time.

Witness K was profoundly disappointed and called for an independent inquiry.

And that is when Bernard Collaery was appointed his lawyer to help him through the legal process.

At the time Mr Collaery was also representing the government of East Timor.

(continued)

>>14050787

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'A process of vindication'

One of the key pieces of evidence in the case was a letter Mr Collaery wrote to Witness K in February 2013, in which he reflected on how the alleged spying operation arose in their discussions.

"As I have said to you I was troubled for some considerable time about the knowledge you unwittingly passed to me in my dual role as adviser to the Timor-Leste government," Mr Collaery said, as he also noted he had sought legal advice to confirm that there was no conflict of interest with him acting in both capacities.

In the letter, he advised Witness K his best legal option for his own case would be to seek an ex-gratia payment but noted his real objective was not money, but vindication.

"I set about for you a process of vindication that welded together two interlocking issues," Mr Collaery said.

"The interlocking issues are that you seek a remedy through the scope of the Timor-Leste government to have an independent inquiry into the actions that you most disapproved of, namely the activities of your clandestine mission in Timor-Leste that had nothing to do with national security."

The letter came only weeks before Timor Leste launched action against Australia in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague.

East Timor alleged a negotiated treaty on maritime arrangements in the Timor Sea was invalid because Australia had not negotiated in good faith and had engaged in espionage.

But as hearings were about to begin, ASIO swooped on the homes of Bernard Collaery and Witness K.

Key evidence found in Witness K's wife's handbag

The statement of facts released by the court revealed the letter from Mr Collaery to Witness K, as well as copies of letters exchanged between East Timor's then-prime minister Xanana Gusmao and Australia's then-prime minister Julia Gillard, were found in Witness K's wife's handbag.

The summary of facts said the key piece of evidence was found in a camera tripod bag in the hallway linen cabinet.

It was an affidavit intended for the International Arbitration Court, dated May 7, 2013, using Witness K's own name, and containing information consistent with statements made to the media by Mr Collaery.

The summary also stated a second affidavit signed in November was also found, both witnessed by Mr Collaery.

Documents were also seized from Mr Collaery's home, with TV footage from the time showing the agitated bees from his hive swirling around, as ASIO agents went to work inside.

Mr Collaery was in Europe preparing for the hearing at the Hague, but the raids put a stop to his star witness.

After all of that, the pair was not charged, even after Commonwealth prosecutors recommended a prosecution to then-federal attorney-general George Brandis.

It was not until 2018 that a new attorney-general, Christian Porter, authorised the case to proceed.

Court hears Witness K is now like any other retiree

While Witness K pleaded guilty and was sentenced last month, Mr Collaery, who is facing other charges, is fighting the case in the ACT Supreme Court.

Currently the parties are locked in a battle over what evidence is of national security significance and should stay secret, to be heard in a closed court.

Lawyers for the federal Attorney-General won round one, but Mr Collaery is awaiting the results of an appeal, as others including the ACT's Bar Association call for the prosecution to be abandoned altogether.

For Witness K, the matter is now at an end, and he is no doubt relieved he will not spend time in jail.

His barrister Robert Richter QC did his best to avoid even a conviction, telling the court Witness K had been a highly decorated officer but was now an elderly man, married with children.

"His retirement occupations are genteel and admirable," he said.

One of his doctors listed those activities.

"[Witness K] reports to be using playing music, fixing guitars, physical fitness and endurance exercises as his main coping mechanisms", he said.

Mr Richter also noted it had been many years since Witness K had known there would probably be a prosecution.

"The mental anguish he has suffered has been amplified," he told the court.

"There is no utility in convicting Mr K."

But Magistrate Glenn Theakston found Witness K had still deliberately breached security laws, convicting him, handing him a suspended sentence with a 12-month good behaviour order, and an opportunity to move on with his life.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-04/court-document-witness-k-bernard-collaery-cleared-public-release/100263168

>>14003983 (pb)

‘Eat a bat and die’: Vile threats against Wuhan lab conspiracy-buster

Wendy Tuohy - July 4, 2021

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Before she agreed to run a fact check on a February 2020 article claiming COVID-19 probably leaked from Wuhan Institute of Virology as part of Chinese bioweapons research, Australian virologist Danielle Anderson was relatively unknown outside her highly specialised field.

Dr Anderson, who has extensive experience in bat-borne virus research, was one of two scientists asked to examine claims in the New York Post that the People’s Liberation Army had dispatched Major-General Chen Wei to Wuhan “to try and put the genie back in the bottle” after the SARS-CoV-2 virus escaped the lab.

Soon after she and her counterpart declared the claims to be misleading, the Victorian, who is the only foreign scientist to have worked in the Wuhan institute’s high-security BSL-4 lab, had her name trashed so viciously by extremists she had to call in police.

Dr Anderson’s crime, according to conspiracy theorists, was to have defended the professionalism of colleagues she had met in Wuhan as an unpaid visiting scientist during regular short trips from her lab at the National University of Singapore’s Duke Medical School.

“It is difficult to respond to this article because it is infuriating on a personal and professional level,” she wrote on the website Health Feedback of the Post’s claims.

“I have worked in this exact laboratory at various times for the past two years. I can personally attest to the strict control and containment measures implemented while working there. The staff at [Wuhan Institute of Virology] are incredibly competent, hard-working, and are excellent scientists with superb track records.”

The theory that the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan lab is being investigated by US intelligence on the orders of President Joe Biden.

A joint China-World Health Organisation investigation, hampered by Beijing’s lack of transparency, said in February that COVID-19 was most likely to have been transmitted through an intermediate animal host and may have been spread through frozen wild animals in a Wuhan market. Former US president Donald Trump’s administration, on the other hand, enthusiastically promoted the theory that the virus leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology – regarded as the least likely scenario of those examined by WHO’s medical experts.

Dr Anderson was last in Wuhan in November 2019 when, it is now believed, the virus was beginning to spread. She has known the director of the lab’s emerging infectious diseases section, Shi Zhengli, since meeting her at the CSIRO in Geelong in 2003. She refuted claims that scientists in the Wuhan lab became ill, saying had this been true she would have known.

Facebook’s decision to remove large amounts of misinformation about COVID-19 and replace it with fact-checked material, including Dr Anderson’s, infuriated extremist conspiracy websites so much that one published her email address.

The man dubbed America’s “most prolific” conspiracy theorist, Texan Alex Jones, named Dr Anderson as “the woman running projects with weaponised COVID” and claimed she “ran all the censorship for Facebook … and silences the president”.

Geelong-born Dr Anderson had no idea she was being targeted until a friend from New York asked: “Why am I seeing your face?”

The first email to hit her inbox read simply: “Eat a bat and die, bitch.”

When the onslaught became intense enough for her to call Singapore police, they took it seriously.

“They said to be aware of my surroundings, and that freaked me out a bit,” Dr Anderson said from Melbourne, where she returned to work last month. “I’m a runner and on one of the apps I use, Strava, it shows where your running route [is], so you can watch someone and figure out where they live, so I had to lock down my Strava.”

(continued)

>>14050812

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For Dr Anderson – now a senior research fellow at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity – being dragged into the global information wars has “shaken” her trust in the way parts of the media industry work.

She is particularly concerned about the Australian book What Really Happened in Wuhan by journalist Sharri Markson, which is being marketed in part on the strength of an “unearthed” video showing scientists with bats at the Wuhan lab.

“To my knowledge, that was a video made several years ago to promote the lab,” Dr Anderson said.

“I didn’t know who [the author of the book] was until I saw the headline about the bat video, a ‘secret’ bat colony. There are many labs working with bats and have bat colonies in multiple countries.

“There are scientific meetings dedicated specifically to bat virus research and the last such meeting that I attended was in Colorado, USA.”

When she saw the “secret video” claim, “I thought, ‘This is just rubbish’ … It’s crazy and it gives the public a terrible impression of scientists.

“A colleague said to just think about what happened to climate change scientists, we’re in their shoes now, and that’s a really good point. I kind of want to reach out to climate scientists and say, ‘I know what you’re going through.’ ”

In response to Dr Anderson’s claims, Ms Markson said the video was important because WHO investigators had called it a conspiracy to suggest there were bats in the Wuhan labs.

“Contrary to Anderson’s claims, the video is not secret and the WHO should have examined it prior to insisting there were no bats in the Wuhan labs. Yet the WHO report did not once mention there were bats at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”

Dr Anderson is sticking by her belief COVID-19 has a natural origin, saying: “The reason I think the virus escaping from the lab is a less likely scenario is if we look in the last 50 years, so many of the diseases and outbreaks that have happened have come from animals.”

But she is open to reading evidence to the contrary.

“If someone comes from a lab in China and says, ‘Look, this is what we’re working on and here’s the way it got out of the lab,’ I would not discount [it] and I am open to changing my view.

“My opinion is based on the evidence I have in front of me, and my collective research background. Virology training is my background and I am using that to make my decisions, not a politician saying, ‘This is what we should think.’

“Science is a self-correcting mechanism. If the evidence does change I expect as scientists our opinions will change. We constantly gain new knowledge and this is how we learn and advance the field.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/eat-a-bat-and-die-vile-threats-against-wuhan-lab-conspiracy-buster-20210701-p5861i.html

>>14035776

Ben Roberts-Smith's long wait to face accusers

Sam McKeith - JULY 4 2021

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After 12 gruelling days in the witness box at his defamation trial, Ben Roberts-Smith now faces an anxious wait to hear from those accusing him of war crimes in Afghanistan.

Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing three newspapers in the Federal Court in Sydney over claims in 2018 media reports he says paint him as a criminal who broke the moral and legal rules of engagement during his military deployments.

Australia's most decorated soldier is also pursuing the outlets over an allegation he assaulted a woman at a Canberra hotel.

The war hero, who completed six tours of Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012, denies all claims. His accusers maintain they are true.

On Tuesday, the landmark trial was adjourned in its fourth week for at least a month after Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak prevented the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times opening their defence.

It nonetheless gives Mr Roberts-Smith time to gather his forces after a lengthy stint in the witness box laying out his case against the papers.

Bruce McClintock SC opened by painting the Victoria Cross winner as a courageous, highly organised and disciplined leader who risked his life in battle under the SAS motto "Who Dares Wins".

In what is expected to be the veteran barrister's final trial, Mr McClintock described the 2010 Battle of Tizak, where Mr Roberts-Smith earned his VC, as a "high water mark" for the SAS and his client's devotion to duty and self-sacrifice.

He also alleged the defamatory articles were the result of a lying campaign against Mr Roberts-Smith by soldiers jealous of his stellar career and achievements.

Mr McClintock submitted his client lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after his reputation was smashed by the media reports and his speaking business "evaporated".

When he took the stand himself as first witness, Mr Roberts-Smith told the court the VC made him a tall poppy within the SAS and served to broaden attacks on him from envious associates out of "pure spite".

"It put a target on my back," he told the court.

The two-metre tall former corporal said the media reports left him devastated.

He also stridently defended his actions at several key engagements in Afghanistan that are the subject of the serious misconduct claims against him.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the trial of an April 2009 SAS mission in Uruzgan where he says two insurgents were killed near a compound known as Whiskey 108.

The respondents allege what in fact occurred was that two unarmed Afghans - one a man with a prosthetic leg - were brought out of a tunnel and taken prisoner.

The outlets claim an SAS soldier, codenamed Person Four, shot the older Afghan in the head with a silenced firearm on the orders of another SAS operator, codenamed Person Five.

They allege Mr Roberts-Smith carried the Afghan with the fake leg out of the compound and shot him with an extended burst of machine gun fire.

Mr Roberts-Smith vehemently denied the claim.

"There were no men in the tunnel," he said under oath.

(continued)

>>14050829

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Another engagement where versions are diametrically opposed centres on an SAS mission in the village of Darwan, also in Uruzgan province, on September 11, 2012.

On Mr Roberts-Smith's version, he moved up an embankment with another soldier, person 11, and engaged an insurgent "spotter" in a cornfield.

Mr Roberts-Smith maintains he fired at the insurgent who was moving around in the field and later found a radio, known as an ICOM, near the fighter's body.

But that scenario was queried by the respondents' barrister, Nicholas Owens SC, who suggested in cross-examination the man was handcuffed, kicked off a cliff, dragged across a creek bed into the cornfield and shot.

"That is completely false," Mr Roberts-Smith told the court.

The trial has also been told of alleged assaults on Afghans, accusations Mr Roberts-Smith bullied another trooper and the practice of soldiers at the SAS pub in Afghanistan known as the "Fat Lady's Arms" drinking from the prosthetic leg of the man killed at Whiskey 108.

Mr Roberts-Smith denies ever drinking from the leg but concedes possessing two engraved glass replicas of the leg given to members of his squadron.

Australia's most acclaimed living soldier has also denied, after his exit from the SAS, writing threatening letters to another SAS veteran, burying USBs with secret material in his backyard or dousing his laptop with petrol and burning it out of panic.

"When I'm getting rid of a laptop that's what I do", he told the court.

On the domestic violence allegation, Mr Roberts-Smith gave some of his most impassioned testimony.

Asked if he punched the woman, Person 17, in the temple causing her to stagger and fall onto a bed in a Canberra hotel room in March 2018, Mr Roberts-Smith said: "I've never struck any woman and I certainly didn't strike Person 17".

"This a complete fabrication," he said.

He also denied photographing Person 17 while naked and asleep and later showing her the photos with the intention of having a "hold over her".

On Mr Roberts-Smith's version, the woman, with whom he had an extra-marital affair, was injured when she fell down stairs drunk at an event at Parliament House.

Once the trial resumes, it is expected to hear evidence from 21 current and former SAS members, and several Afghan villagers.

It has already heard from former Liberal MP Brendan Nelson - a reputation witness for the applicant - who described Mr Roberts-Smith as the most respected, admired and revered soldier Australian soldier in half a century, since Vietnam veteran Keith Payne VC.

Other notable witnesses set to testify include federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie and Mr Roberts-Smith's ex-wife Emma Roberts.

The matter is next listed for mention on July 19 before Justice Anthony Besanko.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Open Arms 1800 011 046

https://www.lifeline.org.au

https://www.openarms.gov.au

https://www.mandurahmail.com.au/story/7325098/roberts-smiths-long-wait-to-face-accusers/

Resignations in the news

Tasmanian Labor leader David O'Byrne resigns amid sexual harassment allegations investigation

Emily Baker and James Dunlevie - 4 July 2021

David O'Byrne has resigned as Tasmanian Labor leader over allegations he sexually harassed a junior union employee more than a decade ago.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr O'Byrne said the "allegations raised will be dealt with through the confidential process initiated by the [Labor] state secretary".

"I intend to respect the confidentiality of that process and I will make no further public comment on it."

Mr O'Byrne was made Labor leader only in June, following the resignation of Rebecca White.

Mr O'Byrne announced on Wednesday he was stepping aside from his role while Labor investigated a complaint from one of his former employees at the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union about alleged behaviours in 2007 and 2008.

The complainant, who was 22 at the time, alleged Mr O'Byrne sent inappropriate text messages, twice kissed her without consent outside of work, then gave her a verbal warning regarding her performance when she asked him to stop.

On Wednesday, Mr O'Byrne apologised to the woman publicly and in a private letter, and thanked her for coming forward.

Mr O'Byrne said he had thought the "kiss and text exchanges" were consensual at the time but now realised that was not the case.

Today, Mr O'Byrne said "ongoing speculation about this matter is not in the best interests of the party".

"The focus of the party needs to be on holding the [Peter] Gutwein government to account and the current debate is a distraction from this central task."

"I have a life-long commitment to the cause of Labor and my decision to resign from the Leadership reflects this.

"I intend to remain in the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Member for Franklin. I will continue to represent the people of Franklin and to represent them to the best of my ability.

"I will neither seek nor accept any shadow portfolios and will give my strong support to a new Labor leadership team."

It is understood the complaint about Mr O'Byrne was sent early last month but the investigation did not start until last week.

A second, separate complaint sent to Labor has alleged the Tasmanian branch has a broader "serious problem with sexual harassment".

The parliamentary Labor Party will meet on Wednesday, where Mr O'Byrne will formally resign the leadership.

It is not clear who will take over the role.

Former leader Ms White recently gave birth and was effectively forced out of the role after two election losses.

Braddon MP Shane Broad, who contested the leadership, is unlikely to have the support of the broader party.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr Broad said: "I'm having discussions with my colleagues and will have more to say in the coming days."

O'Byrne should go altogether, independent says

Kristie Johnston, the newly elected Member for Clark, said Mr O'Byrne should quit from politics altogether.

"I remain firmly of the view that he needs to resign from Parliament, not just the leadership position," she said on Sunday.

Referring to the former Tasmanian Labor president who resigned as a candidate in the April election, Ms Johnston said it was "hypocritical of the Labor Party to consider that Ben McGregor was not a fit and proper person to even be a candidate but now allow David O'Byrne to remain as an elected member".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-04/david-o-byrne-resigns-as-labor-leader/100266864

Heather was sexually assaulted by her chiropractor when she was a teenager, but took decades to report it

Kelly Hughes - 4 July 2021

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One afternoon in 2016, Heather Wynands got in her car and drove along a dusty rural road towards the nearest police station.

She had just finished a dance recital in the South Australian regional town of Berri and was ready to report a crime that happened 30 years ago.

"Something just came over me," Ms Wynands said.

"I knew in that moment, I just had to go and do it."

She was raped by her chiropractor in 1988. It was the day of her end-of-year dance performance at the Chaffey Theatre in Renmark.

"I was so excited, I was on my Ps and mum had let me borrow the car for the first time to go to my chiropractors appointment," she said.

Through dance, she had developed issues with her hips and also had a mild scoliosis of the back.

"During that appointment I told him I was having trouble doing the splits, so he asked me to get down on the floor and do the splits for him, which I did," she said.

She could only go so far before she felt her hip locking.

"That's when he said, 'Oh, we're doing a new treatment that can help with that issue, it's an internal examination, it should only take 10 to 15 minutes'."

He asked her to undress and put a robe on.

"When I got into the change room, I thought this is really odd," she said.

"It dawned on me what was going to happen and I thought, 'He can't do this, surely?'"

At the time, she thought she had an escape. She was on her period.

"But, instead, he said, 'That's fine, take out whatever you're using and just get on the chiropractic bed when you're ready'," Ms Wynands said.

Not wanting to question his professionalism, she did what he told her.

"At that stage, I knew I lost all chances of getting out," she said.

"It took me years to understand the extent of what he did to me that day in the clinic room."

Heather did not want to be known as 'that girl'

All throughout high school and well into her adult life, she struggled with immense feelings of shame and guilt over what happened to her.

For years after the abuse, she battled with bulimia and substance abuse, and had "little care for herself".

"You grow up in a small country town, and everyone knows who you are," she said.

"No-one wants to talk about it, it makes them uncomfortable because it could be someone you know or someone you're related to."

She went to school with the chiropractor's daughter, making her more reluctant to come forward and report her assault.

"I wanted to protect her … and I wanted to protect myself from the shame of what we would have been subject to at school had it all come out," Ms Wynands said.

She also knew, if she spoke out about what happened, things would never be the same.

"If I had gone through with reporting my abuse, I would have been known as 'that girl'," she said.

Living in such a community, she said, the label would have "stuck" and she would have been an "outcast".

She and her mother believed the chiropractor's status in the community as a well-respected medical professional would make the police and people in the town doubt her story.

"We didn't go to the police because we were fearful the police wouldn't believe me and that would have added more pain," she said.

So, she buried her secret, trying desperately to "fly under the radar" in her small town, hoping no-one would find out.

(continued)

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Barriers to getting help

Support group Relationships Australia said experiences like Ms Wynands's were not uncommon, and that perpetrators in small towns were often people considered to be pillars of their local communities.

"People who are likely to engage in these sorts of behaviours could be very charismatic figures in the community, they could have stature and status," NSW Relationships Australia chief executive Elisabeth Shaw said.

"Because of their privilege in the community, they could get away with it. And in small towns, everyone knows your business and that's a very hard and unique set of circumstances when trying to report sexual assault."

Regional communities are often described as "tight-knit", but in cases of sexual assault, that becomes part of the problem.

While country towns often act as their own support networks in times of crisis, such as bushfires, they can also turn against those who disturb the status quo, and become places of exclusion and ostracism.

"Your popularity and your social connection rises and falls on your reputation and stature in the community," Ms Shaw said.

"So if anything happens to question that … it can feel catastrophic in terms of how you hold your own in that community."

She said for victims living in regional and rural communities, "there is a real fear and anxiety" over whether to report abuse.

"If you go to the police station, everyone [might] know you … so there's that sense you can't necessarily get a fair hearing … and that makes it extra tough," she said.

"There are very real barriers to getting help."

An abuse of power

In May, Ms Wynands's chiropractor Robert Linke was sentenced in Adelaide's District Court to five years in jail with a non-parole period of two years.

In sentencing remarks, Judge Patrick O'Sullivan described the assault as "an abuse of power."

"A young patient presented herself to you seeking chiropractic treatment," Judge O'Sullivan said.

"You were in a position of power in relation to your victim … you abused your power and you raped her."

For Ms Wynands, not being able to speak out at the time of the assault, made her question the seriousness of the crime.

"When I received the phone call about the decision, I just burst into tears," she said.

"I was relieved, because I was being believed.

"It was validation that what he had done … he should never had done."

No-one should be stopped from speaking out

At the time Ms Wynands was assaulted, she said the pressures of living in a small community meant she did not feel safe or supported reporting her abuse.

But she wants to change that culture.

"No-one should be stopped from speaking out," she said.

She said the decision to talk about what happened to her all those years ago has been "life-changing" and wants other women hearing her story to feel empowered.

"Do it. Without a doubt, do it," she said.

"We need to stand up, and report these people. We need to show them we are stronger than them and we won't put up with it anymore.

"I finally feel free, I feel like I can be me, and I don't have to hold my head in shame anymore."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-04/woman-speaks-out-after-sexual-assault/100235518

—

1800RESPECT - National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24 hour helpline

1800 737 732

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

Lifeline Australia - 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention service

13 11 14

https://www.lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue - Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support

1300 22 4636

https://www.beyondblue.org.au

Kids Helpline - Free Australian telephone and online counselling service for young people aged between 5 and 25

1800 55 1800

https://kidshelpline.com.au

Department of Defence Tweet

Allies unite!

#YourADF is taking part in the multi-national Joint Warfighting Assessment in USA, practising fighting against a notional enemy alongside the @USArmy, @canadianarmy and @BritishArmy.

bit. ly/JWA-21

#AusArmy #CommonGoals

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1411550358120378370

>>14051007

Allies unite for exercise in US

Captain Taylor Lynch - 28 June 2021

Personnel from Brisbane’s 7th Combat Brigade and supporting elements from the 6th Brigade are taking part in the multi-national Joint Warfighting Assessment 2021 (JWA 21) at Fort Carson in the United States.

The 141 ADF personnel participating in the exercise left Gallipoli Barracks in early June, with the aim of strengthening ties with strategic allies and partners.

In the US, they are practising fighting against a notional enemy alongside the US, Canadian and British armies, with the Australians using a computer-generated concept of what the Army would look like in the year 2028.

Working long days and nights, the Australian contingent planned their manoeuvre for the notional war for weeks before the exercise commenced via a 24/7 digital simulation.

Brigade Major, Major Sam Thackray, said he was impressed with the contingent’s efforts during the planning phase, which gave the Australians a decent start when the simulated conflict began.

“JWA 21 presents a unique opportunity to work in a multi-national division, assessing our interoperability with our partners in a simulated environment,” Major Thackray said.

“The 7th Combat Brigade team was extremely well-prepared for the activity, conducting two exercises prior to deploying to Fort Carson to develop the knowledge required to participate effectively.”

Major Thackray said there were many advantages to working in person with the ADF’s strategic partners in the US, Canadian and British armies, and was grateful for the opportunity to deploy to the US.

“7th Combat Brigade has made a significant contribution to the ADF’s support on domestic operations including floods, bushfires and COVID-19 in the past 18 months, so we are making the most of the experience to update our warfighting foundations,” he said.

“For many of our people, this is their first time training in a multi-national team; they are enjoying the experience of employing future capabilities and are learning plenty.

“It’s a privilege to represent the ADF overseas.”

Commander of the 7th Combat Brigade Brigadier Jason Blain said he was pleased with how JWA 21 was progressing, outlining the importance of combined exercises with strategic partners.

“At any time, Australia has around 500 Defence personnel in the United States, working alongside our counterparts,” Brigadier Blain said.

“Our alliance is our strongest defence relationship, forged through fighting side-by-side on combat operations for over 100 years.

“The relationship is underpinned by cooperation through training exercises like the Joint Warfighting Assessment, combat operations, shared intelligence, capability development and deep people-to-people links.

“To be able to also share this learning experience with partners from the British and Canadian armies is a unique and valuable opportunity.

“Exercises like this remind us of our strong ties.”

All ADF personnel deployed on JWA 21 will continue to fight the simulated battle from Fort Carson until the end of June.

They will complete 14 days of quarantine on their return to Australia before going back to work.

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/allies-unite-exercise-us

Japan boosts military links to fend off China

BEN PACKHAM - JULY 4, 2021

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Japan will step up joint military training and regional infrastructure projects with Australia, with the nation’s top diplomat in Canberra declaring the strategic partners must work together to prevent the Indo-Pacific becoming “a lawless jungle”.

Japanese ambassador Yamagami Shingo said Australia would not resist Chinese economic coercion alone, and vowed to work with Australia and other free countries to provide “a counterweight against such a dominant power”.

He said China’s “blatant ­attempt to change the status quo” in the East and South China Seas had direct relevance to Australia, which needed free access to the waterways for its economic security, and warned Australia could face disruption of its supply lines even closer to home.

Mr Yamagami said he hoped a new Reciprocal Access Agreement for the nations’ militaries, agreed in-principle between Scott Morrison and Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga last November, would be finalised by the end of the year, paving the way for “more complex and sophisticated” defence co-­operation.

The landmark defence treaty, which was delayed over concerns about legal indemnities for Australian troops on Japanese soil, will set out a clear framework to allow each nation’s military to operate in the other’s country, streamlining arrangements for joint exercises and humanitarian missions across the region.

Mr Yamagami suggested Japan was interested in making greater use of Australia’s remote training facilities and weapon ranges in the future, and undertaking more joint exercises with the Australian Navy.

“I am quite sure that with the conclusion of the RAA, we will have more of those exercises in Australia, and in Japan, because you have the advantage of a huge, tremendous land size – less populated compared with Japan – and the strategic importance of the Northern Territory, especially the Port of Darwin, is obvious to any strategist,” he said.

Mr Yamagami said there was no proposal yet for long-term rotations such as those by US Marines, but “in terms of conducting efficient military exercises, I think it is possible for them to stay here longer than they used to do.”

Greater interoperability was vital, he said, because “at the time of contingencies, we have to work closely together”.

At a “2+2” meeting last month between Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Defence Minister Peter Dutton and their Japanese counterparts Motegi Toshimitsu and Kishi Nobuo both countries committed to “opposing coercion and destabilising behaviour by economic means, which undermines the rules-based international system”.

The statement was a clear show of Japanese support for Australia, which has suffered targeted sanctions on more than $20bn of exports to China.

Mr Yamagami said the two nations would “speak out together” to maintain the rules-based order.

“The important principle we need to keep upholding is the rule of law; otherwise we will end up living in a lawless jungle,” he said.

(continued)

>>14053439

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Mr Yamagami said Japan’s trilateral infrastructure program with Australia and the US aimed to provide “higher quality” projects than Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, helping developing nations to withstand Chinese pressure.

“If you look at Southeast Asia and Pacific island countries, nobody wants to be dominated by any particular hegemonic power. They need a counterweight against such a dominant power.

“We are also not here to lecture and hector. We are here to strike an equal partnership. In that regard we can make a lot of difference.”

He said the projects would offer wider benefits, without the money ending up “in the pocket of a small number of people”.

Mr Yamagami said there was also strong potential for Australia and Japan to co-operate more closely on space science and technology, noting the two countries were at effectively the same longitude, allowing the sharing of information from geostationary satellites.

The former head of the intelligence branch of Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said his country shared “values and strategic interests” with Five Eyes countries, but wasn’t ready to pitch for formal membership of the intelligence sharing alliance.

He said Japan had “a lot of homework” to do in relation to its legal and organisational frameworks around the collection of intelligence.

“We have tremendous challenges in front of us … so rather than talking about the institution, on the ground we can keep building specific blocks of co-operation.

“That might be the most solid, and the shortest cut, to what we can achieve together.”

Mr Yamagami said his country was on the “frontline” of Chinese harassment, with Beijing using its coastguard and maritime militia to challenge Japanese sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

“If it can happen in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, it can happen anywhere,” he said.

“This is an issue for Australia too. Your cargo ships – their number one destination is China, number two destination is Japan, number three destination is South Korea.

“All of those cargo ships carrying Australian minerals go through the East China Sea, so this is an issue for Australia as well.”

Japanese Self Defence Force soldiers participated in Exercise Southern Jackaroo in June with Australian and US troops, and will take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre with the ADF and US Marines this month.

In May, Anzac Frigate HMAS Parramatta joined ARC 21 amphibious exercises off Japan, while the nations’ air forces conducted their first bilateral air combat exercises in Japan last year.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/japan-boosts-military-links-to-fend-off-china/news-story/b60b3e0b6bfcd3d93b6dfc6ebdb4d137

At 27, Claire's husband forced her to join a cult. They were preparing for the world's end.

BILLI FITZSIMONS - JULY 4, 2021

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The end of the world is near. Days are filled with preparations. Fear is high, as eternal blackness is nigh.

Women need to be covered from their neck to their elbows and ankles. Their clothing must be loose so that men cannot see the shape of a woman’s body and be tempted to commit a sin. Women need to learn how to make bread from scratch and how to sew clothes - to be self-sufficient when the apocalypse arrives on their doorstep.

The women prepare the menu and meals for all community members. They serve and clean-up afterwards, too.

There is no contraception. Women should have as many babies as possible. If you look around, there are pregnant 16-year-olds expecting ‘mystical’ babies.

The man is the head of the house. He is the breadwinner, working at the local convenience store for minimum wage.

There is mandatory mass and prayers three times a day. There is a strict hierarchy that includes a leader, an inner circle, and princesses and queens.

Welcome to The Order of St Charbel. On a “sacred” property in Nowra, nestled in NSW’s South Coast, 200 people live in a doomsday cult.

One of them was Claire Ashman.

Ms Ashman had joined the fringe religious group, who claim to be part of the Roman Catholic Church, in February 1997.

It was her husband, whom she had married when she was 19 years old, who forced her to move there. He told her he was attracted to the lifestyle of living in a small community. He was also interested in end-of-the-world prophecies.

“Since he was the breadwinner and controlled all the money, he literally sold our house in Melbourne from underneath us and we moved up to Nowra,” Ms Ashman explains.

“I thought, I'll sacrifice myself for my husband for a few years and then he'll see the futility of it and then we'll move on. But that wasn't the case.”

The concept of a strict religious group was not completely foreign for Ms Ashman. She had been brought up in Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a sect which was a breakaway from the Catholic Church.

In the strict religion, Ms Ashman was taught that women are submissive and obedient. They don’t aim for higher education and they sacrifice their lives for their husbands. She had left that group, but it wasn’t long before she was forced into joining another one.

So at 27 years old and with four children - the eldest of whom was seven years old - Ms Ashman joined the now-infamous Order of St Charbel.

The group was founded and led by William Kamm, who claimed he was the first person in history who could ask the Virgin Mary questions and receive answers.

“You could write a letter asking any question that you wanted of the Virgin Mary,” Ms Ashman explains to Mamamia. “The Virgin Mary would give Kamm the answer and he would write it down and give it back to the person. But whatever the answer was, you had to follow it, otherwise you would lose your special graces and any kind of special mission that would be given to you in the new holy era.”

The cult was even worse - even darker and more apocalyptic - than she had anticipated. And she had little choice but to be submissive and suppressed.

“I had no access to any money. I didn't have any friends. I couldn't go anywhere, even if I wanted to.”

(continued)

>>14057769

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It wasn’t until she read a book, The Beautiful Side of Evil, about a religious cult in America, that she began to realise what was happening around her. From the hierarchy to the indoctrination, she knew she was in a cult.

After about three years of living on the property, Ms Ashman began having suspicions that their leader, William Kamm, was impregnating young girls.

“They were apparently ‘mystical babies’ but obviously over time, you see that they're not mystical - he's the father.”

“I told my husband that I was horrified and disgusted and didn't want to live there anymore,” Ms Ashman remembers. “He just said William has permission from the Virgin Mary to be able to do this.”

There was, she explains, little she could do except protect her own daughters.

Whilst in the cult, Ms Ashman had four more kids - making her the mother of eight children. They all attended a primary school on the property, where they learnt that the world was going to be decimated.

When the kids returned home, they knew their house had been prepared for doomsday.

“You're just constantly fearing some new prophecy. You're hoarding food and clothing and blankets and making sure that the black plastic fits over everything. It's all prepared and hanging off of the windows so you can just drop it at a moment's notice…

“Surely God does not want us to live like this?” Ms Ashman remembers constantly asking herself.

In 2005, Kamm was convicted with aggravated sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl in 1993, and sentenced to five and a half years in jail.

“You got what you deserved. Hopefully they’ll take you to jail,” Ms Ashman remembers thinking when she learnt of his arrest.

In 2007, he was convicted of five counts of aggravated sexual assault in relation to another 15-year-old girl in 1994 and 1995.

He was sentenced to 10 years in jail, and was released on parole in 2014.

Kamm’s conviction saw the closure of the cult.

For Ms Ashman, this wasn’t the end she was preparing for but the one she had been hoping for.

But returning to the ‘outside world’ wasn’t simple.

“It’s not just about being physically free, it’s about being mentally free as well.”

At 38 years old, Ms Ashman needed to learn how to set up a bank account for the first time and to wear ‘normal’ clothes.

It took several years for her to come to terms with what she had been through and to find her feet back in normal life.

Now, she often shares her story to reduce the shame and stigma many people who have escaped cults feel. At Vivid Sydney in August, she will share more of her story at the Sects, Lies & Cults panel, alongside other Australian cult survivors.

Meanwhile, in April, paedophile William Kamm won a legal battle to return to his “sacred” land in Nowra.

https://www.mamamia.com.au/the-order-of-st-charbel-cult/

OPINION: Greg Hunt has failed to vaccinate the nation and must go

Kevin Rudd, Former Australian prime minister - July 5, 2021

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A defining quality of our Westminster parliamentary democracy is that cabinet ministers are held personally responsible for serious policy or performance failures in their portfolios. Across the decades, ministers have been kept on track by the knowledge that grave errors on their watch will result in their removal. This principle lies at the heart of accountable government.

In 2009, I had to lose Joel Fitzgibbon as defence minister after his office hosted a meeting between defence officials and his businessman brother. Nothing came of the meeting, but Joel acknowledged he had to go.

But this pales into insignificance with the rolling series of ministerial disasters we have witnessed under Scott Morrison, where the new rule has become one of bluffing and blustering through crises in the expectation that all will fade into political memory with no price ever being paid.

Around Morrison’s cabinet table sits: Michaelia Cash, who refused to fully cooperate with police investigating leaks from her office; Angus Taylor, who was caught trading in a falsified annual report; Bridget McKenzie, the architect of sports rorts; Alan Tudge, whose car park rorts put McKenzie to shame; Linda Reynolds, who mishandled an alleged rape in her office, then called the complainant a lying cow; Peter Dutton, another pork-barreller who wouldn’t let Border Force officials appear at the Ruby Princess inquiry; Christian Porter, who resisted an inquiry to establish that he was fit and proper for ministerial office; and the list goes on. They are now all part of political blur – in fact that’s Morrison’s strategy. But in the process he has effectively destroyed an essential Westminster convention.

Breakdowns of fundamental standards of governance don’t come much bigger than the Morrison government’s medley of pandemic policy and performance failures on aged care, quarantine and vaccination. For these reasons, Health Minister Greg Hunt should resign, or else Morrison should dismiss him now.

In February last year, Hunt’s department volunteered to take control of residential aged care nationwide and this was codified in his department’s pandemic manual. However, aged care has borne the brunt of coronavirus deaths on Hunt’s watch.

Three-quarters of Australia’s 910 coronavirus deaths have been in aged care. With no specific plan to protect residents, one-third of confirmed infections in aged care ended in death. This was despite Hunt publicly assuring residents and their families that the sector was “immensely prepared”.

Hunt’s aged care failures continue. Despite a raging pandemic, staff were quietly cleared to resume working across multiple facilities. Two-thirds are still not vaccinated. Hunt was the cabinet minister for aged care, and he failed.

His second area of policy failure is quarantine. Coronavirus can only enter Australia through a failed, leaky quarantine system. Although quarantine is a clear-cut federal responsibility, the states helped out in March 2020 by agreeing to hotel quarantine. It was a reasonable stopgap, but Hunt abused the states’ trust by treating hotels as a permanent solution.

Hunt’s failure to build regional quarantine hubs is inexplicable. Did he imagine hoteliers would act as quarantine stations forever? Wasn’t he alarmed by evidence of airborne spread through ventilation ducts? Didn’t he notice Howard Springs in the Northern Territory had a perfect record while hotels elsewhere across Australia leaked again and again?

Hunt planned to bring all Australians home by last Christmas. More than six months later, vulnerable Australians remain trapped overseas and exposed to ever more dangerous variants. When they tried coming home from India, Hunt threatened them with five years’ jail.

Sixteen months later, Hunt is finally looking at new quarantine stations in Melbourne and Brisbane. Neither facility will be open this year, leaving aside the question of whether it’s wise to place them in the middle of suburbia. Queensland’s developed plan for Toowoomba continues to be rejected, seemingly because Hunt is too obstinate to accept a Labor government’s idea. Quarantine was Hunt’s responsibility, and he failed.

(continued)

>>14057811

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Hunt’s greatest failure, however, has been on vaccination. At virtually every stage, bad decisions have sabotaged the rollout of safe, effective vaccines for the Australian people. As other countries rushed to sign vaccine contracts last year, Hunt’s department became notorious for not returning calls. An early overture from Pfizer, which was searching for partners to demonstrate the large-scale effectiveness of its vaccine, resulted in prolonged haggling between the company and Hunt’s officials — his department says no detailed offer for a nationwide rollout was put on the table. Scientists’ calls to bring online domestic manufacturing of mRNA vaccines were ignored.

By moving quickly, various European governments banked on an array of vaccines including Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline and are now returning to a kind of normality. But not Australia. Hunt foolishly bet the house on a single “workhorse” vaccine, AstraZeneca, which could be manufactured cheaply in Melbourne.

Australia was not “well prepared” for the vaccination phase as Hunt arrogantly claimed. Nor were we at the “front of the queue” for the Pfizer mRNA vaccination. When the opposition warned the government to sign more contracts, Hunt lashed out at the comments as “weird and irresponsible” and claimed Labor had “no idea what you are talking about”.

Australia was slow to start vaccinating, guided by the fiction that we were “not in a race” and could safely hang back. Hunt dismissed calls for federal mass-vaccination centres, instead urging all eligible patients to start booking in with their GPs. This swamped clinics, which had to turn patients away because many doctors weren’t told how many doses to expect.

As the rollout creaked along, Hunt shifted blame onto the states. In March, his minions planted a dodgy story in the Murdoch press insisting supply limitations had been resolved and accusing the states of hoarding vaccines. NSW’s Health Minister Brad Hazzard hit the roof.

Hunt’s vaccine targets were clear: 4 million jabs by April; the nation “fully vaccinated” by October; and “widespread international travel” by the New Year. Those targets have all now slipped from view.

It isn’t Hunt’s fault that AstraZeneca proved too dangerous for younger people, but it was his responsibility to invest in a broader portfolio of vaccines. British citizens will start receiving their third “booster” jabs in September, while many Australians are left waiting for their first.

These policy failures have been compounded by communications failures. Where is the Australian advertising campaign to rival those fronted by Dolly Parton, Michael Caine and Elton John? Hunt personally poured fuel on the fire of hesitancy in May by suggesting older Australians could all receive mRNA vaccines later in the year. Having failed to ease fears about the safety and effectiveness of the AstraZeneca jab, Hunt hopes to boost the vaccination rate by pushing it among younger people.

Other failures include Hunt’s COVIDSafe app and the government’s failure to secure surplus mRNA vaccines from the United States, as Canada and South Korea did last month.

Over many months, Morrison and Hunt have unveiled a series of new “plans” to reset the rollout, each of which promised much but delivered little. Last Friday’s announcement by Morrison — a “four-phase plan” with hazy targets and no timeline — is part of the same. If you remove the wrapping paper it’s just another political mirage designed to project an image of competence after yet another week of chaos. But little actually changes.

For all these reasons, Hunt has failed as Health Minister. He must go.

What are the realistic chances of Morrison sacking Hunt? Unlikely, judging how Morrison has made a mockery of ministerial accountability throughout his term. Aside from the countless ministers who should already have been sacked, Morrison has failed to deliver a national integrity commission; he has attempted to de-fund the Auditor-General and the ABC; and he has deployed a politicised public service to cover up his government’s misdeeds.

After this pandemic, there will no doubt be numerous inquiries into what transpired at various stages of the crisis. I wholly expect Hunt to throw Brendan Murphy under the proverbial bus, given how Liberals have already started briefing against him to journalists. But the buck doesn’t stop with officials; it stops with ministers.

Kevin Rudd, who has received one AstraZeneca jab, is a former Labor prime minister.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/greg-hunt-has-failed-to-vaccinate-the-nation-and-must-go-20210703-p586jq.html

Department of Defence Tweet

#AusNavy's HMAS Brisbane sailed into Sydney Harbour on 3 July with (Japan) @jmsdf_pao_eng destroyer JS Makinami, (South Korea) Navy destroyer ROKS Wang Geon and (United States) #USSRafaelPeralta.

The contactless, COVIDSafe port visit is ahead of Exercise PACIFIC VANGUARD.

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1411210613200769032

>>14057971

TalismanSabre Tweet

Exercise Pacific Vanguard is the Air Maritime Integration Exercise workup activity, prior to Exercise #TalismanSabre!

#TS21 #TalismanSabre2021 #YourADF #AusNavy

@USNavy @jmsdf_pao_eng @Australian_Navy @AusAirForce

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1411833342639575040

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation

ASIO Corporate Plan 2021-2025

Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security - 1 Jul 2021

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I am pleased to present the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s (ASIO) Corporate Plan 2021–25, as required under section 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.

ASIO protects Australia and Australians from threats to their security. Our corporate plan sets the foundation for ASIO to fulfil this purpose—describing the environment we operate in, articulating our key priorities, and detailing how we will measure our success.

ASIO’s work protecting Australia and Australians remains vital in a complex, challenging and changing security environment.

Threat to life

Australia’s national terrorism threat level remains at PROBABLE. There are individuals and groups that have the capability and intent to conduct an act of terrorism. This threat is not going away.

• The legacy of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant endures, and we have continued to see religiously motivated attacks in Australia and around the world. In the last year, we have worked closely with law enforcement counterparts to disrupt multiple terrorist plots.

• Ideologically motivated extremists—such as nationalist and racist groups—are now more reactive to world events, and in the last year this threat has grown in scale. Investigations are approaching 50 per cent of ASIO’s priority onshore counter-terrorism caseload, reflecting an international trend and our decision to allocate more resources to the threat.

Threats to our way of life

Our adversaries seek to covertly undermine our sovereignty, interfere in our democratic institutions and steal classified or sensitive information—across government, defence, academia and private industry.

All foreign states seek to influence others on matters of importance to them. This is a common feature of statecraft, and not of concern when it occurs in the open. Clandestine and deceptive interference and espionage, however, has the potential to cause serious harm to Australia’s democratic institutions, sovereignty, economy, and national security capabilities.

In the last three years, ASIO has seen examples of espionage and foreign interference targeting all levels of government, and in every state and territory.

• Foreign intelligence services and their proxies persistently seek to develop relationships with Australian Government figures, academics, journalists, and Australian businesses and their representatives in order to pursue objectives detrimental to Australia’s security.

• This includes attempts to obtain information about Australia’s national security priorities and capabilities, our defence technology, and our trade relationships. It also includes attempts to monitor diaspora communities in Australia. In some cases, foreign interference extends to intimidation and threats of physical harm against Australians.

In coming years we expect espionage and foreign interference will supplant terrorism as Australia’s principal security concern.

(continued)

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Our partners

ASIO’s purpose is enabled by our strong partnerships with law enforcement; the National Intelligence Community; Australian state, territory and federal governments; industry; academia; and our international counterparts. These relationships are vital to our success.

COVID-19

The pandemic had a profound impact on our operating environment, evolving and intensifying the security landscape and introducing new challenges. Among other things, it placed a greater emphasis on how the online world shapes our environment—exacerbating the threat from extremism, and also from espionage and foreign interference.

We are meeting and defeating these challenges through the agility, ingenuity and diversity of our staff. ASIO officers are creative thinkers and problem solvers. We take advantage of new opportunities and technologies, adapting to our changing environment to counter the security threats we face.

Capability

The government has approved $1.25 billion in new funding for ASIO over the next 10 years, giving the Organisation an unprecedented ‘capability uplift’ and the assurance it can maintain its core capabilities and infrastructure. The capability program will support ASIO’s human-led, data-driven and technology-enabled approach, improving our capacity to operate in a more complex threat environment.

The investment will future-proof our response to security challenges posed by rapid technological change and an exponential growth in the volume of multi-source, multi-format and multi-language data. Smart use of technology, developed by partnering with the Australian technology sector, will sustain ASIO’s ability to ‘join-the-dots’ across this data.

Conclusion

ASIO’s success is enabled by the trust and confidence placed in us by government, our partners and the broader public. I am determined to build on this through a commitment to accountability and transparency. We act ethically, carry out our work impartially, and engage honestly and proactively with Australia’s intelligence oversight frameworks.

As Director-General, I am committed to being as open and transparent as I can be while safeguarding what needs to be protected. This corporate plan, and its performance measures, provide a window into what ASIO does to achieve our purpose, while protecting the sensitive capabilities that allow us to deliver operational outcomes.

While the security challenges facing our country are significant and evolving, ASIO remains determined to secure Australia and protect its people.

https://www.asio.gov.au/corporate-plan.html

https://www.asio.gov.au/sites/default/files/ASIO%20Corporate%20Plan%202021-25.pdf

Afghanistan angels left for dead as Taliban closes in

BEN PACKHAM - JULY 6, 2021

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Hundreds of Afghans linked to Australian-funded “hearts and minds” projects will be left vulnerable to advancing Taliban forces after being denied access to a ­special visa program for those who supported Australia’s two-decade presence in the country.

Correspondence sent on behalf of Foreign Minister Marise Payne to one Afghan aid worker who helped deliver a $6.7m AusAID ­infrastructure project makes it clear he would not be considered for the Locally Engaged ­Employee Visa.

The former Central Asia ­Development Group employee is among about 50 Afghan aid workers heavily involved in Australian-led projects, including the flagship Children of Uruzgan program ­delivered by Save the Children.

The local workers and their family members, together with 100 contracted security guards and their families, will be forced to join the offshore asylum-seeker queue with millions of other ­Afghans seeking to flee the country. An estimated 200 Afghan interpreters directly employed by the Australian government are also still in the country awaiting immigration rulings.

The Department of Foreign Affairs ruling comes as the Taliban continues to gain territory across the country after the US, Britain and Australia pulled out their remaining forces, leaving the crumbling Afghan National Army to battle the insurgency alone.

The aid worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing ­security risks if his identity was ­revealed, was told on June 21 that he could not apply for the special Australian visa because he had been engaged through a subcontractor.

“The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has considered your application,” the letter, obtained by The Australian, reads. “Unfortunately, you are not eligible for certification under this visa policy as you were not considered an employee of one of the Australian government agencies identified in the legislative instrument.”

The man, who is now in hiding with his wife and five children, said his work on the Uruzgan Municipal Infrastructure Program from 2011 to 2015 had made him a Taliban target.

“I put my life at risk. It’s not just me, it is a risk for my family. If you were in my shoes what would you do? If I will die, the responsibility will be on the shoulders of the ­Foreign Minister,” he said in a ­recording from Afghanistan.

“I did honest work for (for Australia), I tried my best, and I always tried to spend the funds provided by the Australian government honestly, I did not give it to the mafia, or share the funds … with the Taliban or terrorist groups.

“They asked me several times and I said no.”

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Retired Army Major Stuart McCarthy said the rejection letter was an effective “death warrant”, with 15 of the man’s former colleagues already feared murdered.

“These people delivered projects that were vital to our counter-insurgency campaign at the height of Australia’s involvement in the war in Afghanistan, and yet we are leaving them to be slaughtered,” Major McCarthy said.

He said the failure to evacuate Afghans who had helped Australia could have long-term national security implications.

“What we are saying to the world is if you work for Australia in a conflict zone, you could be left behind when the going gets tough,” Mr McCarthy said.

Australian National University academic William Maley, who has spent decades researching ­Afghanistan, said the government had taken “a highly legalistic approach” in determining who could apply for LEE visas.

“The Taliban doesn’t care if a person was an employee or a subcontractor. It’s a meaningless distinction from their point of view,” he said. Professor Maley said there were also many recipients of Australian scholarships, which were heavily promoted by Australia through social media, who were now in danger.

“There is a much wider circle of people who are vulnerable by virtue of their connection to Australia,” he said.

Afghans who worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade must first seek ­approval from the department before applying for an LEE visa, while those who worked for the Australian Defence Force must initially apply through Defence.

The categories of eligible applicants date back to 2012, with the current government opting not to open up the program to contracted workers. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said: ­“Locally engaged staff who worked for us, and who have a legitimate case for a visa are being provided with an opportunity to come to Australia.

“The Australian government is working to ensure each case is considered swiftly and those at risk of harm who meet visa requirements are resettled to Australia as soon as possible. For privacy reasons, we do not comment on individual cases.”

The Department of Home ­Affairs said it was “urgently processing” Afghan LEE visa applications.

It said more than 230 Afghans had been granted the visas since April 15, including employees’ family members. Other nations are also struggling to evacuate their own locally-engaged employees, amid growing chaos within the country.

In recent days, the US abandoned Bagram Airfield – the centre of its operations over two decades – in a clear indication its withdrawal from the country was all but complete. The last of Australia’s soldiers are also believed to have left the country, but ­Defence refused to confirm or deny whether any remained.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/afghanistan-angels-left-for-dead-as-taliban-closes-in/news-story/22a4ac3a7ae4c642432dac6c19128237

>>14020145

Australia backed by 11 countries after calling foul play over China’s reef ‘in danger’ push

The Chinese-backed World Heritage committee draft decision to list Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as "in danger" has been rejected by the Morrison Government who claims the move was politically motivated.

Brianna McKee - July 6, 2021

Environment Minister Sussan Ley is at the helm of an internationally backed push to block the possible downgrading of the Great Barrier Reef by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee which is currently chaired by a Chinese Communist Party diplomat.

Ms Ley made clear the federal government’s frustration with the move to reclassify the reef as "in danger" in a conference call with 16 nations on Monday.

It comes after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef was unexpectedly hit with a draft World Heritage Committee decision on June 22 recommending the site’s environment alert be lifted without proper consultation.

The Environment Minister blamed UNESCO’s move against the Great Barrier Reef on a Chinese push to punish Australia on the call which included diplomats from New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Spain, South Africa and Norway.

Eleven nations have supported Australia’s concerns over UNESCO’s verification process by signing a letter to the United Nation’s organisation’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said UNESCO officials have not visited the site since 2015 leaving on-the-ground verification of the reef’s current state notably absent from the draft document.

He told Sky News Australia in an exclusive interview on Sunday that 14 of the 21 countries on the World Heritage Committee this year have signed up to China’s Belt and Road agreement.

Representatives of these nation’s will officially meet on July 16 to decide on the ratification of the draft decision under the guidance of World Heritage Committee Chair Tian Xuejun who is coincidentally Beijing’s Vice-Minister for Education.

China has slammed Morrison Government claims the draft decision was politically driven as “groundless smear and slander”.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin advised the Morrison government to “face up to its serious failings” in world heritage protection instead of politicising technical issues.

Mr Wang accused the government of “wantonly hurling unfounded accusations” at UNESCO in a bid to “shift the blame to others” during a Monday press conference.

Mr Canavan admitted the Morrison Government had to some extent brought the current contention over the Great Barrier Reef on themselves because the World Heritage Committee was using official Australian reports to back their decision.

“We’ve got ourselves to blame to some extent because when you read the UNESCO draft decision … they quote Australian government reports that say the reef is terrible and in very poor condition,” he said.

Despite government concerns China is pulling strings behind the scenes, environment groups in Australia and the United states have supported the reef being placed on the "in danger" list on the basis not enough is being done to address the impact of climate change.

A 2019 outlook report for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park noted climate change posed the most danger to coral reefs world-wide but the overall value of Australia's largest reef site was intact.

This comes after an "in danger" proposal was put forward by the World Heritage Committee in 2014 which triggered the development of the Reef 2050 Plan - the result of collaborative efforts between the Queensland and federal governments.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/defence-and-foreign-affairs/australia-backed-by-11-countries-after-calling-foul-play-over-chinas-reef-in-danger-push/news-story/ccf470a1d5b8dcb3d5c317824f56d7da

>>14064520

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 5, 2021

The Paper: According to media reports, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee announced on June 22 that it's considering to put Australia's Great Barrier Reef on a list of world heritage in danger. Australia's Environment Minister claimed "there were politics behind it". Australian media believed the Australian government was pointing the finger at China, as it chairs the committee. Do you have any response?

Wang Wenbin: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently recommended that the Great Barrier Reef be listed as a world heritage site "in danger", which represents a recommendation made by this professional advisory body of the World Heritage Committee based on long-term evaluation.

As a party to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and especially a member of the World Heritage Committee, Australia should lead by example and respect the opinion of the professional evaluation institution. It should face up to its serious failings in world heritage protection and earnestly step up preservation efforts instead of politicizing technical issues, wantonly hurling unfounded accusations at UNESCO and its professional evaluation body and shifting the blame to others. Still less should it pressure the World Heritage Committee through innuendo and sensational media reports to sway the Committee's impartial and just decision.

We urge the Australian side to earnestly fulfill its obligations under the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, take seriously the opinion of the professional body, take concrete measures to preserve the Great Barrier Reef world heritage site and take care of the treasure of the whole mankind.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1889823.shtml

Chinese ties ‘vital’ to trade survival, say resource states

RICHARD FERGUSON - JULY 5, 2021

Queensland and Western Australia say their ties to China must continue unimpeded to secure billions of dollars’ worth of trade and thousands of jobs, as the resource states’ deals with the Asian superpower come under the scrutiny of the Morrison government.

Months after cancelling the controversial Belt and Road Agreement between China and the Andrews government in Victoria, Foreign Minister Marise Payne is set to decide whether to allow nearly 50 deals between Chinese entities and other state governments.

While many of the deals with China are likely to survive, the Queensland government warned Canberra on Monday that its agreements with the communist nation were helping to preserve government-to-government contact in the midst of a low point in bilateral relations.

And the West Australian government said it was vital it keep its ties with China to support $110bn worth of trade.

The NSW Department of Education has also handed over half a dozen “sister school” deals it has struck between its public colleges and primary and high schools in China to assess whether they are still in the national interest.

A spokesman for Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her state’s agreements with China helped to partly power its $63bn export industry and ensured the federal government maintained people-to-people contacts in the Asian superpower. “Trade equals jobs. That’s why Queensland has its own trade commissioners to help Queensland businesses gain access in overseas markets,” he said on Monday.

“(Trade and Investment Queensland)’s offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu provide in-market support to importers and distributors of Queensland products and services and are our advocates on the ground, an invaluable resource while travel ­restrictions are in place.”

The Foreign Arrangement Scheme (FAS) was introduced by the Morrison government earlier this year amid growing concerns that states and universities were engaged in foreign deals that contradicted Canberra’s foreign policy objectives, particularly with China.

More than 6000 university deals with foreign powers have been submitted to the foreign deals scheme for scrutiny, amid higher education sector claims that overseas partners had begun to withdraw from research due to the legislation.

Queensland’s 30-year sister state agreement – renewed in 2019 – includes department-to-department deals on science and technology research between Brisbane and Shanghai. South Australia has similar deals with Shandong Province which includes sub-department deals with the pair’s agricultural ministries. Western Australian has memorandums of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s Investment Promotion Agency and Beijing’s National Development and Reform Commission.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has called on Canberra to repair its relationship with China and labelled recent comments of senior Canberra officials on China as “insane”.

A state government spokeswoman said on Monday that China accounted for 56 per cent of the state’s good exports last year and the trading relationship made up a major share of its state revenue and gross product.

“It’s vital Western Australia continues to retain a strong relationship with its biggest trading partner which as a result creates and supports WA jobs,” she said.

In NSW, the deals submitted to FAS include a 2011 memorandum of understanding with the ­Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell earlier this year cancelled her department’s engagement with the Beijing-backed Confucius Institutes.

Australian Strategic Policy ­Institute executive director Peter Jennings said every deal with China had to be scrutinised due to its attempts to influence through different channels.

“Deals involving hard science research are probably more important, but the schools and council links are all part of the Chinese United Front influence network,” he said. “We spectacularly misread China and thought if our state and local governments reached out to the CCP we would have more influence in its direction, but that’s turned out not to be the case. “It’s absurd that Queensland has four offices in the ­People’s Republic of China. It has no business in foreign affairs and it shows our investment in China.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/chinese-ties-vital-to-trade-survival-say-resource-states/news-story/0fe58979cff04dbbc9ef48633741d74a

>>14035922

China accuses Australia of COVID-19 vaccine sabotage in the Pacific

Natalie Whiting, Marian Faa and Annika Burgess - 6 July 2021

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The Australian government has denied accusations it has been "sabotaging" China's aid programs with Pacific nations and using "political manipulation" to interfere in COVID-19 vaccine rollouts in the region.

Articles in Chinese state-owned media this week claim Australia has been "planting" consultants in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to obstruct the authorisation of Chinese-supplied vaccines.

The Global Times said it had "learned exclusively from sources" that Australia had been "racking its brain to undermine China's vaccine cooperation with Pacific Island countries," even accusing Australian authorities of threatening PNG officials.

Australia's Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, who arrived in PNG this week for the first time since the pandemic began, told the ABC this was "absolutely not the case".

"Obviously, when we see that, it's rejected by the Australian government," he said.

"My message to people who may have read that, or other articles, would simply be to look at Australia's record during this period, and over a long period of time, of providing high-quality healthcare support and providing vaccine support."

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday repeated the claims, warning Australia to "stop interfering with and undermining vaccine cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries".

"Some people in Australia use the vaccine issue to engage in political manipulation and bullying, which is a disregard for the life and health of Papua New Guinea people, goes against the basic humanitarian spirit, seriously interferes with the overall situation of global cooperation against the pandemic," Mr Wang said.

Jonathan Pryke, director of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands Program, said the accusations levelled at Australia were unfair.

He said Australia had stepped up its support to PNG during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing vaccines, medical equipment, and services to administer vaccines as the country works to control its outbreak.

"It's a bit unfair to be characterising it this way, that Australia is undermining Chinese actions," Mr Pryke said.

"I think, rather, we're just providing better alternatives than what China is offering to Papua New Guinea."

PNG initially held off accepting vaccine donations from China, until they received emergency use approval from the World Health Organisation.

200,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine arrived in the country a little over a week ago, but it has not been approved for general use yet.

"Once we complete the rollout plan and other critical details, we can make this vaccine available through the national program, but currently it's only for Chinese citizens," PNG's COVID-19 incident manager Dr Daoni Esorom said.

PNG's pandemic controller said earlier this week that the country was looking to ramp up its vaccination program now that it has AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and soon Johnson & Johnson doses.

(continued)

>>14064583

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Pacific nations caught up in regional vaccine diplomacy battle

A rollout of China's Sinopharm vaccine began in the Pacific in May after it was approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite the WHO approval, Sinopharm is not being administered in Australia.

In the same week Sinopharm was launched in the Pacific, Australia pledged to donate tens of thousands of additional doses of its AstraZeneca jabs to Pacific nations, in what some say points to a growing diplomatic rivalry between China and Australia in the region.

Sinopharm is said to be a key component of China's "vaccine diplomacy", where hundreds of millions of doses of Chinese-made vaccines are being offered to low-and middle-income countries around the world.

And while experts say China's efforts may deepen the coalition of developing countries that increasingly look to China for "global leadership," Mr Wang said Beijing's vaccine rollout in PNG had "no geopolitical purpose and no political conditions attached".

In the Global Times report, China instead accused Australia of using vaccines to push for political influence in the region.

Australia initially donated 8,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to PNG, and has since committed to supplying 10,000 doses every week, along with medical support.

Mr Seselja said the Australian government was simply "fulfilling our moral and economic responsibility".

"We come to these issues in good faith, and we'll continue to do things that are in the interests of our region and in the interest of our friends and neighbours, most particularly PNG," he said.

"As our region thrives, so does Australia thrive."

PNG willing to embrace any support

Pacific health officials have said they are not concerned about where their vaccines come from — they just want them to protect their citizens.

Dr Orovu Sepoe, an expert in PNG politics, said the country's foreign policy stance was to be a "friend to all and enemy to none".

"Because of the desperation for vaccines, and for other forms of assistance, our government will just stick their hand out and embrace the support of friends who are coming in to assist," Dr Sepoe said.

But she said growing diplomatic tensions between Australia and China needed to be managed carefully by PNG.

PNG had a worrying surge in coronavirus cases from March to May and has faced logistical issues getting immunisation programs running across the country.

The country, which has a population of 9 million, has so far administered just under 55,000 jabs.

PNG has officially recorded just over 17,000 cases and 173 deaths since the pandemic began.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-06/china-accuses-australia-papua-new-guinea-covid-vaccinations/100269320

>>14035922

>>14064583

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 5, 2021

CCTV: According to media reports, Australia has planted several "consultants" in the national epidemic prevention center in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and proactively tried to set up hurdles to delay and thwart the authorization of and access to China-assisted vaccines, even blocking PNG leaders who want to welcome the Chinese vaccines. Does China have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: Those in Australia who take advantage of vaccine issues to engage in political manipulation and bullying coercion are being callous to the life and health of the people in PNG. What they've done is a breach of the basic humanitarian spirit and gravely undermines global anti-pandemic cooperation. China voices its deep concern over and firm opposition to such irresponsible behavior.

China is committed to forging a community of health for all. We always see vaccines as a global public good and do our utmost to help developing countries save more innocent lives. We have no geopolitical agenda and attach no political strings. We urge the Australian side to stop disrupting and undermining vaccine cooperation between China and Pacific island countries and work together with us to help protect the health and wellbeing of people in island countries and advance international anti-pandemic cooperation with concrete actions.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1889823.shtml

>>14050812

Exclusive: Western scientists face government probe, death threats for opposing COVID-19 lab-leak theory: source

GT staff reporters - Jul 05, 2021

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Prominent US and Australian scientists focused on the COVID-19 origins tracing are now facing tremendous political pressure, and some have been sidelined for not yielding to politicians-driven conspiracy theory on the matter and received anonymous threatening letters with bullets, the Global Times learned from people familiar with the matter. Chinese experts have urged the US to stop politicizing the origin-tracing research and conduct a comprehensive investigation in the US.

Since the Biden administration ordered in May US intelligence agencies to report on COVID-19 origins within 90 days, several US scientists have been put at the center of the political storm. These scientists have been facing the suppression of Republicans. For example, Anthony Fauci, who advises US President Joe Biden and leads National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been a target of the GOP. Elise Stefanik, the House Republicans conference chair, sent a fundraising email recently with the subject "Fire Fauci" and senator Josh Hawley also tweeted that Fauci's recently released emails and investigative reporting about COVID-19 origins are shocking. The time has come for him to resign and for a full congressional investigation into the origins to take place, according to US media reports.

Under such growing political pressure, Fauci has been increasingly ambiguous on his rhetoric. Another US scientist, who also took part in the WHO-China joint team on the origins research, has also been a target of such attacks, the Global Times learned. After collaborating in the project with China, Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, was recused from the UN-backed commission work on the origins of the epidemic.

A source close to the matter told the Global Times earlier that the US scientist is being personally threatened by emails, phone calls and messages on social media, and people who attacked him generally have far-right and even white supremacism leanings. GOP members of Congress are whipping those extremists up now.

"There is a coordinated political campaign to undermine anyone involved in the origins work if they do not fit the lab leak narrative. This is coming mainly from the right wing circles in the US, Australia, and in Europe, mainly the UK," the source said.

In the meantime, some so-called "international scientists" seeking attention have been making grandstanding campaigns by issuing open letters to call for an investigation into the COVID-19 origins.

It's revealing that some so-called "international scientists" who recently called for a COVID-19 origins inquiry were politicians with political agendas. But many scientists who truly uphold the spirit of science - objectivity and impartiality - have been attacked by some governments and extremists, or even received death threats, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at Monday's routine press conference. Wang said that the right idea was to carry out more in-depth and detailed scientific studies in a wider range.

Death threats, unable to continue work

Letting politics to override science is not only prevailing in the US but also in Australia. Evolutionary biologist Edward Holmes at the University of Sydney, who released an open letter back in last April, is being probed by the Australian government. In the letter, Holmes claimed that there was no evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, originated in a lab in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. Like many others who oppose the lab-leak theory, Edward Holmes has received a number of threatening letters with real bullets, the Global Times learned from the people familiar with the matter.

He was threatened that if he continued expressing opinions on the origins of the virus, he may face even further crackdown, a source close to the matter said. Due to the tremendous pressure Holmes faces, he is undergoing psychotherapy and is unable to carry out normal scientific research work, the source said.

(continued)

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According to a Sydney Morning Herald report in October, 2020, Holmes became the target of online harassment after he co-authored a paper in Nature Medicine debunking the pervading conspiracy theory that the virus was engineered in or escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan. He also received "death threats" from conspiracy theorists, the report said.

Though the US government and politicians have been pushing forward their political agenda in bashing China with the lab-leak theory, targeting a number of global scientists and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), most scientists spoke out and dismissed the theory, reiterating that the most likely scenario is that the virus has a natural origin.

For instance, Danielle Anderson, the only foreign scientist who once worked at the WIV, was quoted as saying in a Bloomberg report on June 28 that no one she knew at the Wuhan institute was ill toward the end of 2019. Recently the Wall Street Journal falsely claimed three researchers from the lab were hospitalized with flu-like symptoms in November 2019. She also described the place as having the highest biosafety designation with very strict procedures.

After she told Health Feedback that it's "simply false" to label the WIV as a bioweapons research lab, she had her name "trashed so viciously by extremists she had to call in police," the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Sunday.

"I really find it hard to think that if something escaped from a laboratory it would be this difficult to prove that concept. Among other things, it is an unknown virus that has no signs of genetic engineering inside," said Massimo Galli, director of Infectious Diseases at Milan's Luigi Sacco Hospital, the Adnkronos reported on June 22.

He said that there is a 99-percentage chance that the spread of the virus is a natural event. "This story of the laboratory virus does not have the slightest basis from a scientific point of view to be carried forward," added Galli.

Next country for tracing virus origins: the US

The US National Institute of Health issued a new antibody testing study that suggested the virus was present in some states in late December 2019, earlier than the first case reported in the country in January 2020. With some US scientists reporting more earlier cases, Chinese scientists have urged that these cases should serve as evidence for the next-stage virus-tracing investigations in the US.

In the All of Us study, by the US institutes released on June 15, researchers analyzed more than 24,000 stored blood samples contributed by program participants across all 50 states between January 2 and March 18, 2020. "In this study, the first positive samples came from participants in Illinois and Massachusetts on January 7 and 8, 2020, respectively, suggesting that the virus was present in those states in late December," it said.

However, the study authors noted several limitations to their study. While the study included samples from across the US, the number of samples from many states was low.

Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist from Wuhan University, told the Global Times on Monday that the research has shown the epidemic in the US probably emerged earlier than in Wuhan. In other words, the epidemic in the US was probably caused by a domestic virus rather than one transmitted from Wuhan.

But more large-scale epidemiological surveys are needed in the US to identify the relationship between these cases and those in other countries and regions, including Wuhan, to determine the origin and transmission route of the virus.

Yang mentioned the outbreaks of flu and pneumonia related to the use of E-cigarette in the US prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for the US to release epidemiological surveys into these outbreaks, if they did any, to find out if they were COVID-19 cases.

The US has nearly all the variants spreading around the world, based on this, the virus most likely originated in the US rather than the Wuhan lab, according to Yang.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1227825.shtml

>>14050812

>>14064624

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 2, 2021

The Paper: Helga Zepp-LaRouche, President of the Schiller Institute, a US think tank, said recently that to accuse China of making the novel coronavirus is a malicious effort and an old trick by the West to smear China. She said if there was to be an investigation, then it should be carried out everywhere, not just in China. What is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: China has stressed many times that origin-tracing is a scientific matter that should not be politicized. This position is supported by many scientists in the international community who uphold science, reason and objectivity. In addition to Ms. LaRouche, many other experts have also made their positions clear.

Dominic Dwyer, an Australian immunologist and infectious disease expert and a member of the WHO expert team, said there was no evidence to back up the lab escape theory. He said the "lab leak" theory plays into the political discourse of some countries, and is even supported by individual governments. The spread of this theory reeks of deliberate maneuver. Origin-tracing is extremely complicated work, and there is no evidence that China is concealing key information. Countries should stop fighting and start cooperating with each other. It's also important to carry out origin-tracing study in other parts of the world.

The Swedish Research Council recently held a webinar on how to discern false information and conspiracy related to COVID-19. At the event, Professor Andreas Önnerfors of Uppsala University said the allegations of "China virus" and "lab leak theory" are all conspiracy theories. By spreading such conspiracies, some aim to establish a narrative that China should be held accountable for the outbreak and transmission of the virus. Such practice distorts science, stokes racial discrimination, exacerbates division and poses threats to democracy at multiple levels.

Dr. Danielle Anderson, an Australian virologist who once worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, said the WIV "was a regular lab that worked in the same way as any other high-containment lab". She said there were strict protocols and requirements aimed at containing the pathogens being studied. She believes the virus most likely came from a natural source. She is convinced no virus was made intentionally to infect people and deliberately released. Anderson does think an investigation is needed to nail down the origin of the virus once and for all, but she's dumbfounded by the portrayal of the lab by some media outside China, and the toxic attacks on scientists that have ensued.

Massimo Galli, head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the University of Milan-affiliated Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, Italy, said at a committee for social affairs of the Chamber of Deputies that the coronavirus is an unknown virus with no signs of genome engineering inside and the "lab-leak" theory has no scientific basis at all. Galli and three other Italian experts believe that the virus is 99% likely to be the result of natural spillover.

We hope that all parties can respect facts and science, and jointly reject political manipulation of vilification under the pretext of origin-tracing, so as to create a favorable environment for global cooperation in origin-tracing and solidarity in fighting the epidemic.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1889275.shtml

Queensland detectives create huge sex abuse database to help fight crime

Queensland Police’s Task Force Argos has compiled the largest database of child exploitation images in the southern hemisphere - a horrid collection that has helped rescue children and take abusers off the streets.

Danielle Buckley - July 5, 2021

Queensland detectives have created the largest database of child exploitation images in the southern hemisphere to help in the global fight against child sexual abuse.

The cache of 150 million child abuse images compiled by Queensland’s Task Force Argos has been shared with the Australian Federal Police and Interpol and will allow international agencies to swap data on cases of child sexual abuse.

It comes as the state’s dedicated child sex abuse unit has rescued more than 200 children and charged 49 child sex offenders in the past 12 months.

Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson of Argos said by giving each image a serial number or “fingerprint”, the unit can prevent officers from wasting precious time chasing down old leads.

It also limits the number of images officers are exposed to, reducing their vicarious trauma.

“That is 150 million images that other police won’t have to categorise themselves,” Det Insp Donaldson said.

“When we’ve already seen an image before, we don’t want to have to expose our officers to that same image, we don’t want them spending time trying to find that child when that child’s already been found in Sweden or somewhere else.”

Every month the serial numbers of photos that have already been viewed are categorised and imported into Queensland Police’s software.

“So every month we’re increasing the size of that library which reduces the images our staff have to see,” he said.

Task Force Argos was set up to invest­igate institutionalised child abuse in 1997 and in the past two years the unit has rescued 451 children who were being sexually harmed.

In the past year there has been a major shift in the way material is categorised, following a 2017 report by the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council.

Detectives used to comb through hundreds of thousands of images for one case – clogging up their time and delaying court cases.

Now Queensland Police have a “threshold” of 1000 images and 50 videos which gives prosecutors enough for the brief of evidence and allows officers to move onto victim identification.

“It was getting to the stage where we were seizing hundreds of thousands of images and under the old system, our staff had to visually inspect every single image and categorise it,” Det Insp Donaldson said.

The nine-category Oliver Scale, the system used to grade abusive material, was also changed to the four category Interpol system.

“Historically it was always whoever had the most images they were deemed the worst and they were given bigger sentences based on the number of images,” Det Insp Donaldson said.

“It’s a focus now on the nature of the images and the nature of the offender.”

https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/queensland-detectives-create-huge-sex-abuse-database-to-help-fight-crime/news-story/a1d8ed0d8b298fac6ef23c8b0d3a927d

>>14064810

Crack Aussie unit joins international hunt for pedophiles and victims

Mark Saunokonoko - Jul 6, 2021

The tiniest of clues can sometimes catch the biggest monsters.

And few in the world are more adept at catching online pedophiles, a task which requires painstaking and horrifically confronting work, than a specialist police unit in Australia.

Queensland Police's Taskforce Argos leads the world in hunting pedophiles who film and photograph sexual abuse of children and then share that content in the darkest corners of the internet.

Taskforce Argos and Australian Federal Police officers last month joined a two-week international operation, poring over the most sickening footage imaginable, hoping to identify a location where abuse of minors is happening so that a child can be rescued.

The vast Europol operation involving 19 countries led to six victims of child abuse being successfully identified and removed from harm.

"Participation in Europol's Victim Identification Taskforce is one way Argos investigators share their expertise," a Queensland Police spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

"The outcomes highlight the importance of international law enforcement cooperation in responding to the global nature of Internet-facilitated child sexual abuse offending."

Sadly, Europol has over 59 million unique images and video files in its child sexual abuse dedicated repository.

To prepare for its worldwide June operation, Europol specialists selected footage of child abuse victims whose location and identity had not yet been established.

As part of a team of 41 specialist detectives, QPS Argos and AFP officers helped assess over 300 documented series of abuse, including film and photos.

Eagle-eyed detectives zeroed in on accents and seemingly obscure background detail in footage, like tags on clothing, barcodes on household items, a poster on a wall or the sound on a television or radio show.

In 47 cases, a likely country of production was identified and law enforcement in those jurisdictions was alerted.

As part of its efforts to catch pedophiles and stop child abuse material, Europol regularly makes public photographs of some evidence to catch offenders and rescue victims.

Non-confrontational details of images extracted from child sexual abuse cold cases are made public in the hope that someone recognises a detail to narrow down the location of the victim.

The Europol initiative is called Trace an Object.

Since its launch in 2017, 12 children victim of child sexual abuse have been identified and removed from harm, and four offenders have been prosecuted.

Taskforce Argos detectives have busted open many cold cases, and are regularly called on by global law enforcement bodies for help in this most difficult arena of policing.

In the last year alone, their work has led to the identification of 201 children in circumstances of sexual harm, nationally and internationally.

Forty-nine child sex offenders have been arrested and hit with 402 criminal charges in the same period, because of Argos.

The crack Australian unit has referred 690 cases to law enforcement agencies in Australia and around the world in the last year alone.

https://www.europol.europa.eu/stopchildabuse

https://www.accce.gov.au/what-we-do/trace-an-object

https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-police-afp-join-international-hunt-for-pedophiles/03887cb3-01e9-43e3-8236-a84c6498eb97

>>14064810

>>14064818

THE CHILDREN IN THE PICTURES

2021 DOCUMENTARY | 90MINS | POST-PRODUCTION

With unprecedented access, we go inside Task Force Argos, the world’s best investigative team dedicated to rescuing the children being sexually abused by highly organised dark web networks. As technology reaches into every corner of the globe, this has become the fastest growing serious crime in the world. Tens of thousands of children are being exploited and tortured. Argos is often the only hope these children have of being found.

https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/the-children-in-the-pictures-2021/36520/

—

The Children in the Pictures

These cops have the toughest job in law enforcement – protecting our children from online predators

'The Children in the Pictures' takes us inside Task Force Argos, a specialised police investigative team dedicated to protecting children from online sexual abuse. Argos infiltrates these global criminal networks, catching the predators and rescuing their victims. This is the fastest growing serious crime in the world and Argos is the thin blue line fighting a hi-tech, cat and mouse game where the stakes are the lives of innocent children.

The UN estimates that over 750,000 people are accessing child abuse images every second. The world of the abuse is secretive, seductive and successful. There is no platform where they do not exist. But at the heart of every image is a child- the most vulnerable members of our society. And this crime type shows no sign of slowing down. We aim to show the scale of the crime and what we all must do as a society to identify and rescue the children in the pictures.

We aim to bring a subject long kept in the dark into the light. We aim to show that this issues transcends crime and is about the way we use technology. The issues dealt with are issues that effect the growth and stability of society as the Internet spreads to more and more areas globally and carries with it ideas and behaviours that are not always beneficial.

The Children In the Pictures will carry the message of hope and promote citizen activism. Audiences will learn how we can all make a profound contribution to keeping our children safe. Our goals are to bring the issue into global mainstream consciousness; develop educational tools to reach schools, parents, victims and the families of victims and offenders; and promote community participation by providing a mechanism to enable any citizen to donate to the evolving tech that is vital in the process of identification and rescue of children.

However capacity to reach the broadest possible audience for a documentary and for the issues it raises the result from the million dollar grant that we have for the impact campaign. Education on the exact nature of the issues. Activism in changing definitions and legislation around the distribution of child abuse material. Promotion of initiatives where citizens can show support by donating to the technology used in investigations. Lobbying of media companies and telcos to protect the right of a child.

We are working with the elite in law enforcement and NGO's in this space. We have forged a partnership with the federal police and their new national centre to gather information and launch impact campaign

Additionally we are partnering with Entertainment for Change (EFC) whose sole responsibility is to manage the milestones of the impact campaign.

The audience will come away feeling that there is hope in the world by seeing those that devote their lives to the cause and will be able to assist in their own way.

We hope that parents will encourage internet hygiene in their children to lessen the threat of them becoming victims. Children themselves will learn how to identify potential threats to their safety.

''Support this project''

https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/the-children-in-the-pictures/

https://vimeo.com/564022452

‘Settle in for the long haul’: White House’s China warning for Australia

WILL GLASGOW - JULY 7, 2021

US President Joe Biden’s key Asia adviser has warned the Morrison government to settle in “for the long haul” as Beijing’s “harshness” towards Australia “appears to be unyielding”.

In a deeply pessimistic assessment that will unease Australians with personal and business links to China, the White House’s Indo-Pacific co-ordinator Kurt Campbell warned Beijing was in no mood to adjust its policy towards Canberra.

“I’m not sure that they have the strategic thinking to go back to a different kind of diplomacy towards Australia right now,” Campbell said at an Asia Society online forum chaired by former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

“I see a harshness in their approach that appears to be unyielding,” Campbell said.

“I would have thought that we were basically settling in for the long haul, in terms of tensions between China and Australia,” he added.

The bleak assessment from the White House was given hours after Beijing’s foreign ministry continued its almost daily trolling of Canberra, calling Australia a “cat’s paw” of the United States.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday also warned further measures could be taken to cut Australia off from the world’s second largest economy.

“We will not allow any country to reap benefits from doing business with China while groundlessly accusing and smearing China and undermining China’s core interests based on ideology,” Mr Zhao said at a daily press conference in Beijing.

“When a certain country acts as a cat’s paw for others, it is the people that pay for misguided government policies,” he said.

In a fiery speech last week, President Xi said his China would not be pushed around by America or its allies.

“Anyone who would attempt to do so will find themselves on a ­collision course with a great wall of steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people,” Mr Xi said to huge applause in a speech marking the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary.

Xi also said his China would not tolerate “sanctimonious preaching from those who feel they have the right to lecture us”.

Campbell said Beijing’s current approach was a departure from previous Chinese administrations, which were more responsive to international sentiment.

“I would have thought previously that given what we had seen and the success of President Biden’s visits to Europe and a sense of other countries finding common cause with United States that China would be in the midst right now of a recalibration, a sense of pulling back some of its actions, particularly against Australia,” he said.

“But I think that is completely gone now.”

Campbell said Xi’s China had also demonstrated an unprecedented willingness to engage in multiple disputes at the same time.

Beijing has launching almost daily verbal attacks on Japan, while tens of thousands of People’s Liberation Army troops remain in a tense stand-off with India on their shared border.

“I see little yield, and if anything a rising sense of nationalism and a sense of aggrievement and a determination to continue to prosecute a very assertive case internationally across the board,” he said.

Campbell said the Biden administration believed China’s trade coercion campaign on Canberra was an attempt to “cut Australia out of the herd” of US allies “and see if they can affect Australia to completely change how it sees itself and sees the world”.

He said that attempt had completely backfired, a point reinforced in a spate of recent opinion polls showing overwhelmingly negative sentiment towards China in Australia.

President Biden is likely to host Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Washington in September for the first in-person leaders’ meeting of the Quad grouping.

Campbell said he expected the meeting would deliver “exciting” and “decisive” commitments on infrastructure funding in the Asia-Pacific, as well as the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

The co-ordination with Australia, Japan and India is part of the Biden administration’s increased commitment to the region.

“I think we recognise that the United States has a lot of work to do (in Asia),” said Campbell.

“We historically have a strong position in Asia. That position has slipped,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/settle-in-for-the-long-haul-white-houses-china-warning-for-australia/news-story/4c5625e3ba64ff43e0f87f12970d19ef

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on5brIIInrI

>>14071638

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 6, 2021

China News Service: Statistics show that Australian agricultural products' loss of market share in China provides an opportunity for US products to fill the gap. Over the past year, US exports of wine, beef, cotton, timber, coal and other products to China have all increased. In February this year, US export of wine in containers of two liters or less to China more than tripled compared with the same month last year. Commentators in Australia point out that Australia and the US are competitors in agricultural exports, the US will not protect Australia's economic interests, and the Australian government should not blindly follow the US, but adopt a more rational attitude in handling relations with China. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: China is stepping up efforts to foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. China is committed to achieving higher-quality development in a more open environment, which will unleash huge opportunities and space for cooperation. In the next 15 years, China is expected to import more than $30 trillion worth of goods. Committed to international economic and trade cooperation, China stands ready to share development opportunities with other countries and jointly build an open world economy.

That being said, mutual respect is the foundation and safeguard of practical cooperation between countries. We will not allow any country to reap benefits from doing business with China while groundlessly accusing and smearing China and undermining China's core interests based on ideology. When a certain country acts as a cat's paw for others, it is the people that pay for misguided government policies. From what you mentioned in your question, we can see how such a practice has served the country concerned.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1890104.shtml

New South Wales man charged with sexually abusing children overseas and possessing child abuse material

6 July 2021

A 35-year-old New South Wales man appeared in court today (Tuesday, 6 July 2021) after the Australian Federal Police charged him with 15 child abuse-related offences allegedly committed in two countries.

The investigation began in April this year after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a person uploading illegal material, including some suspected of being self-produced in the Philippines, to a cloud storage device.

Investigators from the AFP's Eastern Command Child Protection Operations (CPO) team allegedly linked a Chippendale man, who is a New Zealand citizen, to the email addresses associated with the account.

A search warrant was executed at the man's home today (6 July 2021), with investigators seizing three mobile phones and an external hard drive. The digital devices will now be subject to further forensic examination.

The man was arrested and charged with 15 offences:

• Three counts of sexual intercourse with a child outside of Australia, contrary to section 272.8(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);

• Sexual activity (other than sexual intercourse) with a child outside of Australia, contrary to section 272.9(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);

• Six counts of producing child abuse material outside of Australia, contrary to section 273.6(1)(ii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);

• Four counts of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and

• Using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The maximum penalty for the offence of sexual intercourse with a child outside of Australia is 20 years' imprisonment. The other offences each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.

He appeared before Sydney Central Local Court today (6 July 2021). He has been remanded in custody with his next court appearance scheduled for Wednesday, 1 September 2021.

AFP Child Protection Operations Detective Sergeant Joel Wheeler said the Sydney lockdowns had not slowed down the work of investigators who would continue to arrest people allegedly abusing children no matter the circumstances.

"This arrest should serve as a warning that law enforcement is dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse and bringing those who commit these offences before the court even through lockdowns," Detective Sergeant Wheeler said.

The ACCCE is at the centre of a collaborative national approach to combatting organised child abuse.

The Centre brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into child sexual abuse and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online.

http://www.accce.gov.au/report

If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available.

http://www.accce.gov.au/help-and-support/who-can-help

Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protection children online can be found at ThinkUKnow, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

http://www.thinkuknow.org.au

Note to media:

Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL NOT 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY'

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

Use of the phrase "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.

Editor's note: Vision of the arrest is available via Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/we3JCFGJB9

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/new-south-wales-man-charged-sexually-abusing-children-overseas-and

>>14035776

Ben Roberts-Smith secures hospital records after claim ‘mistress’ faked pregnancy

Hospital documents have been handed to Ben Roberts-Smith’s lawyers that could be key in determining if his ‘mistress’ faked a pregnancy.

Perry Duffin - July 7, 2021

A hospital has handed over documents which could be important in stacking up Ben Roberts-Smith’s claim his “mistress” may have faked a pregnancy and abortion.

The SAS veteran‘s defamation trial is on hold because of Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak, but administrative hearings are continuing in the background in the Federal Court.

Mr Roberts-Smith‘s lawyer, Paul Svilans, asked the court on Wednesday for documents produced by Greenslopes Private Hospital.

The contents of the documents were not revealed, but it is understood they could be crucial to determining the credibility of one of Nine’s key witnesses.

Nine newspapers, who are being sued by the soldier, claim Mr Roberts-Smith was having an extramarital affair with a woman who is known only as Person 17 in the final months of 2017.

Mr Roberts-Smith denied the woman was his “mistress”, as she was described by Nine, and said he was secretly separated from his wife at the time.

Nine claimed Mr Roberts-Smith punched Person 17 in the face while at a hotel in Canberra after she drunkenly embarrassed him in front of dignitaries, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in early 2018.

Mr Roberts-Smith denies that, with the court hearing Person 17 was caught on CCTV falling down a staircase – he repeatedly said that was the cause of her head injury.

His barrister, Bruce McClintock SC, called the woman a “fabulist”.

The elite soldier told the court he had tried to break up with Person 17 multiple times and, during one bust up in early 2018, she claimed she was pregnant.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court he feared Person 17 was lying about the pregnancy to manipulate him – but she flew to Brisbane for an abortion at Greenslopes.

The SAS veteran said he sent private investigator John McLeod to follow Person 17 and film her at Greenslopes.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court she appeared on Mr McLeod‘s video to walk out of the hospital well-dressed and picked up her luggage without physical difficulty.

But, he continued, when Person 17 met him at a hotel she had a bandaged arm and appeared frail.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he and Person 17 argued upstairs when he confronted her with the video and she changed her story twice.

Person 17, Mr Roberts-Smith told the court, said she had the abortion earlier at a different hospital and then changed her story again to say she had a miscarriage.

Medical records from Greenslopes could be the key to determining the truth.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine over claims he committed domestic violence against Person 17 and committed multiple unlawful killings – war crimes – while in Afghanistan. He says the claims are false and highly defamatory.

The trial itself is expected to resume on July 19, but Sydney‘s extended lockdown will run at least until July 16.

Even if the lockdown lifts on time, the trial may not be able to resume because most of Nine‘s witnesses live interstate, chiefly in Western Australia.

Those witnesses, many of whom are former or serving SAS soldiers, would be subject to WA‘s strict border quarantine controls which include weeks of quarantine for anyone returning from a Covid hotspot.

The court previously heard those witnesses and their lawyers would be, by and large, unable to fly to Sydney and then spend weeks in quarantine upon their return home.

Video links are not an option for the SAS soldiers giving evidence for and against Mr Roberts-Smith for a few reasons including national security concerns and because of the disadvantage it could cause for cross examination.

The court, on Wednesday, heard other documents are still being passed between lawyers and the Commonwealth government to determine if they disclose national security information.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/ben-robertssmith-secures-hospital-records-after-claim-mistress-faked-pregnancy/news-story/3d22a7804ef471ebc022ff595c9b3109

James David Ryan Sharp imported a child-like sex doll, Mount Gambier court hears

Jessica Ball - July 6, 2021

A child-like sex doll, school uniforms, underwear and child abuse material were among the discoveries uncovered in a raid on a South East man’s home, police allege.

James David Ryan Sharp – the first South Australian arrested under new Commonwealth laws last year – has admitted to a string of child abuse material offences.

He faced the Mount Gambier District Court on Tuesday after entering guilty pleas to all major indictable offences in the Mount Gambier Magistrate Court in December.

Sharp’s defence lawyer Nick Healy asked for the matter to be held to the October circuit while a psychological assessment was completed.

In a previous hearing, the court heard the man in his 30s was forced to relocate to Victoria after heavy media attention at the time of his arrest led to death threats.

Sharp was arrested in January 2020 after purchasing the doll from a consignor in China in December 2018, using a PayPal account and now faces a maximum 15 years in prison for possessing the doll.

Sharp was arrested by officers from SA’s Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Taskforce (JACET) after New South Wales Police and AUSTRAC, the financial intelligence and regulation agency, sent information to local police.

The man’s house was raided and the doll, computer, phone and bank card were seized with police alleging child exploitation material was found on the computer.

The man is also accused of buying children‘s clothing including school uniforms and underwear, online.

At the time of his arrest AFP South Australia Acting Commander Gail McClure said the dolls objectified children and desensitised their users.

“Some dolls are even robotic and designed to respond positively to the abuse,” she said.

“The Australian Federal Police does not condone any form of child exploitation, or activity of any kind that reinforces the sexualisation of children.”

“This includes sexual gratification activity using items depicting children – these anatomically correct dolls are legally considered child exploitation material.”

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/mount-gambier/james-david-ryan-sharp-imported-a-childlike-sex-doll-mount-gambier-court-hears/news-story/890d300af5565b4e017c585b953cc02c

From fresh produce to seafood, supermarkets are under pressure to stamp out modern slavery

Isabelle Lane - Jul 6, 2021

1/2

Supermarkets in Australia and around the world are under growing pressure to clean up their supply chains and rid them of modern slavery.

Discount chain Aldi last week became the first of Australia’s supermarkets to sign up to the Slave-Free Alliance, an offshoot of global anti-slavery organisation Hope for Justice.

Under the agreement, Aldi committed to conducting a human rights risk assessment of its operations as well as providing modern slavery awareness training to its employees and business partners, so suppliers and staff with product sourcing responsibilities can identify the signs of modern slavery and take action.

But University of Technology Sydney Business School modern slavery expert Martijn Boersma said Aldi’s decision to sign up to the Slave-Free Alliance was “more on the symbolic side of things than on the substantive side of things”.

Dr Boersma called on Australia’s supermarkets to address “structural pricing pressures” that put downward price pressure on suppliers, leading to them “cutting corners, underpaying people and other kinds of exploitation”.

“I think that specifically for a supermarket like Aldi, which positions itself as a ‘price fighter’, there’s a structural problem that needs to be addressed, and this goes for the other supermarkets as well,” he said.

“It’s nice that Aldi joined this alliance, but it is a symbolic measure, whereas dealing with those systematic price pressures is where they can take substantive action.”

What is modern slavery?

Modern slavery is an umbrella term that describes a range of labour and human rights abuses.

More than 40 million people around the world are estimated to be in slavery today, including 25 million in forced labour in factories, farms and fishing.

Traditional slavery was based on an ownership relationship, but in modern times slavery is “more of an illegal form of control over someone else, for example, through the confiscation of an ID or a passport, by incurring a particular debt that has to be paid off”, Dr Boersma explained.

“The common elements to it is that there is real coercion in the work that you do, and there’s an exploitative factor,” he said.

“Basically, it’s about those people being in slavery, losing control over their working conditions, and not being able to leave, not being able to exit the employment relationship.”

(continued)

>>14071821

2/2

In 2018, Australia passed a Modern Slavery Act, requiring some companies to report on “the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains and actions to address those risk”.

The act’s mandatory reporting requirements have resulted in some of the nation’s biggest retailers revealing cases of modern slavery in their supply chains.

Last year, Wesfarmers, which owns stores including Bunnings, Kmart, and Target, identified more than 340 “critical breaches” across its supply chain.

Woolworths Group revealed its audits had found seafood, cocoa and nuts suppliers in Bolivia, Ivory Coast and Vietnam had extreme risks of forced labour.

“This is due to the inherent risks in agriculture, high levels of product exported from high-risk countries, and substantiated cases of forced and child labour associated with a product category,” the company said.

In December, the federal government released a National Plan of Action to Combat Modern Slavery, a five-year plan for preventing, disrupting and prosecuting crimes of modern slavery.

Ripe for exploitation

One of the main areas of concern in Australia is the fresh food supply chain, Dr Boersma said.

Farmers rely on large, transient workforces, often migrant workers on visas and backpackers, to pick fruits and vegetables at ‘piece rates’.

Last year, Woolworths revealed it had found 332 Australian fruit and vegetable suppliers within its supply chain where workers were at risk of slave-like conditions, while Coles admitted that some farms supplying it with fresh produce were not covered by its ethical sourcing program.

“Australia has a very unique situation in that, specifically in fresh food supply chains, we rely on a large migrant workforce,” Dr Boersma said.

“Those people form a very precarious group of people that are easily exploited.

“We’ve seen, for example, backpackers being exploited, which is not quite modern slavery, but we’ve seen them be systematically underpaid.”

Tinned tuna and seafood’s slavery problem

Seafood is one of the industries plagued by modern slavery, with reports of people deprived of their liberty and forced to work under in appalling conditions in nations like Thailand.

The humble tinned tuna is a favourite cheap and nutritious of protein for many, but there’s a dark side to this product that can’t be ignored.

In 2019, researchers found that just one brand of tinned tuna on Australian supermarket shelves could confidently claim slavery was not involved in its supply chain.

Seafood is a “high-risk sector” for modern slavery “because it is sourced from overseas from areas such as Thailand that have a reputation for modern slavery and very poor working conditions in the industry”, Dr Boersma said.

Supermarkets should be directing their attention to these ‘high-risk areas’ and “put in place more due diligence in their sourcing”, he said.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2021/07/06/australia-aldi-modern-slavery

https://hopeforjustice.org

TalismanSabre Tweet

A message from Air Commodore Stuart Bellingham, ADF Director for Exercise #TalismanSabre2021.

Since 2005, #YourADF and the @DeptofDefense forces have been welcomed into the @QldGov communities, and we are grateful for your ongoing patience and support!

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1411983228169330691

>>14036029

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Tweet

We ride at dawn during #SouthernJackaroo trilateral support by fire training with #yourADF, and @Japan_GSDF

@USMC (photo) by Cpl. Sarah E. Taggett

https://twitter.com/MrfDarwin/status/1412216624816394241

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Tweets

Thank you for all of your support helping spread the word of the #TraceAnObjectAUS initiative, but the fight continues! Can you identify any of these objects that have been taken from the background of child sexual abuse images and videos? Report at http://accce.gov.au/trace

https://twitter.com/ACCCE_AUS/status/1411918690476457986

—

Trigger Warning: contains content that may be distressing to some people.

https://twitter.com/ACCCE_AUS/status/1411918823343624194

Stop Child Abuse - Trace an Object

The smallest clue can often help solve a case.

http://accce.gov.au/trace

US granted permission to appeal UK court's Assange extradition decision

ABC/AP - 8 July 2021

The US government has been granted permission to appeal a British judge's decision that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be sent to the United States to face espionage charges.

The judicial office said Wednesday that the appeal had been granted and the case would be listed for a High Court hearing.

No date has been set.

In January, a judge refused an American request to send Assange to the US to face spying charges over WikiLeaks' publication of secret military documents a decade ago.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied extradition on health grounds, saying Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

The judge ordered that Assange must remain in prison during any potential US appeal, ruling that the Australian "has an incentive to abscond" if he were freed.

Assange, 50, has been in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was arrested in April 2019 for skipping bail seven years earlier during a separate legal battle.

Assange spent seven years holed up inside Ecuador's London embassy, where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed.

US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

The prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published. Lawyers for Assange argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment freedom of speech protections for publishing documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Assange 'very unwell' in prison

Assange's fiancée, Stella Moris, urged US President Joe Biden on Wednesday to drop the prosecution launched under his predecessor Donald Trump.

Ms Moris, who has two young sons with Assange, said outside the High Court that the WikiLeaks founder was "very unwell" in prison.

"He won his case in January, why is he even in prison?" she asked.

"I'm appealing to the Biden administration to do the right thing.

"This appeal was taken two days before the Trump administration left office, and if the Biden administration is serious about respecting the rule of law, the First Amendment and defending global press freedom, the only thing it can do is drop this case."

Ms Moris said she spoke to Assange about the decision, and described his situation as "endless purgatory".

"It's been six months and we haven't had any news," she said.

"But at the same time, it doesn't end here and so we have to prepare for we don't know how long this will go on for, and how long he will be imprisoned for in that terrible place.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-08/us-granted-permission-to-appeal-assange-extradition-decision/100276332

>>14078813

US wins bid to appeal Assange extradition ruling | ABC News

ABC News (Australia)

Jul 8, 2021

The US government will be allowed to appeal a British court's decision to block Julian Assange's extradition to the US.

In January, a judge refused an American request to send Assange to the US to face spying charges over WikiLeaks' publication of secret military documents a decade ago.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied extradition on health grounds, saying Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urYjIN_4sFE

Court of Appeal almost doubles sentence handed to pedophile Christopher Stain and calls for better education for judges

The soft sentence handed to a pedophile Bible studies teacher shows judges must be educated about the long-term effects of sex crimes on children, SA’s top court has ruled.

Mitch Mott - July 8, 2021

An inadequate sentence handed to a pedophile teacher who abused a 13-year-old student for more than a year shows a need for judges to be better educated about the long-term effects of abuse on child victims, South Australia’s top court has ruled.

Christopher Wright Stain, 67, was initially sentenced to three years, 10 months and 25 days in prison with a non-parole period of 14 months for maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child in the 1980s.

The Court of Appeal on Thursday unanimously agreed to increase Stain’s head sentence to six years and more than double his non-parole period to 3½ years.

It said the original sentence was so low it risked jeopardising public confidence in the courts and that the new non-parole period was “relatively merciful” in all the circumstances.

Court of Appeal president Trish Kelly, Appeal Justice Chris Bleby and Auxiliary Appeal Justice Malcolm Blue were critical of District Court Judge Joana Fuller’s sentencing remarks.

Judge Fuller took into account Stain’s claims he had been “blinded by his love” and his behaviour towards his victim had been dictated by “misguided compassion”.

The victim reported the abuse to police in 2020 while Stain himself had told several people, including a pastor and counsellor, about his crimes.

Stain went on to work at numerous other schools around South Australia.

Judge Fuller said the length of time before the victim made a complaint and Stain’s guilt and efforts to rehabilitate were factors against a longer sentence.

“In doing so, the judge has not taken into account that it is notorious that, in cases of sexual offending against young children, victims are often reluctant to come forward and make any complaint for many years after the offending,” the court said in its published judgment.

“In the words of (former Chief Justice John Doyle), to place excessive weight on the passage of time and the lack of criminal history in cases of this kind is to allow offenders to escape due punishment.

“It was not appropriate to attribute significant weight to delay and rehabilitation in circumstances where the delay in reporting was due to the very nature of the offending.

“The sentencing process in this matter has miscarried, resulting in a manifestly inadequate sentence.”

The court concluded there was a need for “continuing legal education of judges to ensure that they properly understand and appreciate the dynamics involved in the sexual predation of children, the profound harm caused to those children and the need to impose adequate punishment for these crimes”.

Stain was working as a teacher at a regional school when he met the victim in the early 1980s, when she was only 12.

He started a Bible study group at his home on Friday nights and invited the victim.

Over more than a year, Stain groomed the victim and started a sexual relationship, which only ended when the girl wrote him a letter begging him to leave her alone.

“The context of the relationship, and the complainant’s position as a child, made the conduct of the respondent predatory in nature from the outset,” the court said.

“The fact that (Stain) believed that he was in love with the complainant cannot, and does not, detract from this.”

Stain will be eligible for parole in late 2024 when he will be 70.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/court-of-appeal-almost-doubles-sentence-handed-to-pedophile-christopher-stain-and-calls-for-better-education-for-judges/news-story/ab2af14098566e6eae3ed15f22aaa392

Resignations in the news

Family Law judge Joe Harman resigns over ‘inappropriate’ conduct

NICOLA BERKOVIC - JULY 8, 2021

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A family law judge has resigned after an independent investigation found he had engaged in behaviour that was “sexualised in nature and otherwise inappropriate” towards two women.

The investigation recommended Federal Circuit Court judge Joe Harman be referred to Attorney-General Michaelia Cash for possible removal from the bench.

Judge Harman, who is based in Parramatta, instead resigned, effective on Thursday. He would not have reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 until about 2034.

Judge Harman, appointed by the Rudd government in 2010 but on leave since August, was the subject of two complaints – from a court employee last July and a former law student in September – that were upheld by an independent conduct committee appointed by Chief Judge Will Alstergren.

The investigating committee found the women’s allegations were substantiated. The conduct involved inappropriate communication in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020, with one complaint also involving “two unwelcome hugs”.

Chief Judge Alstergren said he had personally met with each of the complainants and apologised on behalf of the court for Judge Harman’s conduct.

“The judge’s conduct is of great concern to the court, as is the harm caused to these young women,” he said in a statement.

“The court is ashamed that such conduct could occur, especially by someone of such standing and responsibility as a serving judge and in circumstances where he held a position of trust in respect to each of the complainants.

“The behaviour was totally unacceptable and inexcusable.”

He said he had acknowledged in writing the significant impact of the judge’s conduct on them and thanked them for their courage and fortitude in coming forward.

The investigating committee, made up of former Victorian Supreme Court judges Julie Dodds-Streeton QC, David Habersberger QC and Katharine Williams QC, and industrial law barrister Tessa Duthie as counsel assisting, found that “neither the judge’s medical condition nor his workload could justify or excuse his inappropriate conduct towards either of the complainants”.

The committee recommended the complaints be referred to the Attorney-General for her consideration as to whether procedures should be initiated for investigating whether a judge’s misbehaviour or incapacity warranted their removal from office.

Under the Constitution, a judge cannot be removed other than by the Governor-General on a recommendation from both houses of parliament for proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

The Chief Judge adopted the committee’s recommendations on July 1. He said the court had already made improvements to its judicial conduct procedures and was continuing to do so.

Judge Harman, admitted to practice in 1986 and the recipient of a NSW Premier’s Stopping Domestic Violence award in 2005, has lectured at the University of Sydney and Western Sydney University. He has a reputation among family lawyers for a fierce intellect but had a chequered judicial career and concerns have been raised about his mental health since at least the year after his appointment and his at times erratic behaviour on the bench.

He has spoken out numerous times about under-resourcing of the family law system and the pressure this placed on judges.

Judge Harman’s exit amid complaints about his behaviour has prompted renewed calls for a judicial commission to handle complaints about federal judges.

Revelations about the complaints come a year after former High Court judge Dyson Heydon was found to have sexually harassed six female associates.

In 2011, Judge Harman was suspended from sitting for a month and provided with judicial education and counselling following criticism of his behaviour in two appeal judgments.

He had refused to disqualify himself from a case involving a female lawyer with whom he’d had an extramarital affair and an “extremely hostile” breakdown of their business relationship.

Judge Harman had emailed at least 17 lawyers denigrating the woman the year before his appointment, alleging they had been involved in a three-year extramarital relationship, and then refused to stand aside from a family law case in which she was appearing before him.

The appeal court said he should have disqualified himself because of a reasonable apprehension of bias, noting that the “uncomplimentary email” had been sent only 15 months earlier.

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In the other case he had charged and threatened to jail an elderly man, who suffered from dementia and spoke via an interpreter, for contempt after he was dissatisfied with the man’s answers and threatened to arrest the managing director of a bank.

The appeal court found Judge Harman had “failed to comply in almost all respects” with the rules and well-established authorities relating to contempt of court.

Several months later in 2011, a mother received a written apology from the court’s then chief, John Pascoe, after her three children were removed by Judge Harman from her care for refusing to visit their father.

Slamming the under-resourcing of the family courts, in a 2015 judgment Judge Harman said a 600 per cent blowout in western Sydney court lists was “distressing” for judges and had left children at risk.

He said he was juggling more than 700 cases and regularly sitting eight to 10 hours a day, could not address the “tsunami” of work.

He said delays in parenting cases poorly served the interests of children, who were “the future of our society” and likened sitting on the court to a doctor in an emergency ward.

“This situation is, for the judges of this court, analogous to a doctor operating upon a patient in a busy emergency room with the known certainty that two more patients will bleed out and die in the corridor while working on this patient and knowing full well that with more resources, two more sets of hands, no life need have been lost,” he said.

In a 2017 judgment, he said the delays litigants faced in Parramatta were “severe” and in 2014 he said the registry had five judges, which had dropped to two before rising again to just four.

In June last year, he said the court’s work had increased during the pandemic and his calendar was “significantly overfilled”.

Christian Porter, the former attorney-general, had sought legal advice on the design of a federal judicial complaints body – which has the backing of the Law Council of Australia, the Australian Judicial Officers Association and the federal opposition.

Senator Cash said the complaints involving Judge Harman were a matter for the court, which had been “thoroughly investigated and reviewed” by an independent conduct committee and Chief Judge Alstergren.

“Due to the highly sensitive nature of these matters, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific details,” she said.

“It is an essential feature of the Australian system of government that our courts are independent and free of interference from the executive arm of government, and any oversight of federal judges must respect the independence of the courts.”

Federal Circuit Court judges are not eligible for a judicial pension, but can apply for a disability pension. The Finance Department declined to comment on Judge Harman’s remuneration.

Law Council president Jacoba Brasch QC said her organisation had “long advocated for a federal judicial commission”. She said the recent budget increases to family law were “most welcomed”.

“Under-resourcing is a problem but hopefully we’re turning the corner,” she said.

One of the two women whose complaints were investigated by the committee is being represented by Maurice Blackburn.

The Australian sought comment from Judge Harman through the court and his law firm but did not receive a response.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/family-law-judge-resigns-over-inappropriate-conduct/news-story/92197bc7f79c66fd81e50868a2f73c17

>>14035776

Taliban circle as Afghan witnesses in Ben Roberts-Smith case wait in a safe house

Harriet Alexander - July 7, 2021

Four Afghan civilians holed up in a Kabul safe house while waiting to give evidence in former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation lawsuit are in mounting danger from Taliban forces, who have seized nearly a third of the country and are reportedly in striking distance of the capital.

Mr Roberts-Smith’s action against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times and three journalists was adjourned for at least three weeks on June 29 when COVID-19 border restrictions meant interstate witnesses would be locked out of their home states or forced to quarantine for two weeks on their return.

But as the proceedings wait for the threat of coronavirus to recede in Australia, the danger is advancing for three men and one woman on the other side of the world who claim to have witnessed alleged war crimes at the centre of the case. They are set to give evidence via video link from the offices of a law firm in Kabul.

The Taliban has been gaining ground in the north following the withdrawal of American and allied forces from Afghanistan, with 10 districts in Badakhshan province to the militant group in the past two days, according to Afghan officials, eight of them without a fight.

In Oruzgan province, where Australian troops spent much of their efforts during the war and where the alleged war crimes are alleged to have occurred, several districts have been taken over in the past week. The provincial capital of Tarin Kowt is the only district not under Taliban control.

The Afghan villagers are witnesses to the alleged murder of Ali Jan, who is alleged to have been kicked off a cliff and then shot in 2012 while he was under the control of Australian soldiers, contrary to the Geneva Convention. Two of the witnesses say they saw a tall soldier kick Ali Jan off the cliff before hearing gunshots. The witnesses say they later saw gunshot wounds to Ali Jan’s face and body.

Lawyers for the media outlets asked the Federal Court at the closure of Mr Roberts-Smith’s evidence last week if the Afghan witnesses’ testimony could be brought forward in light of the worsening security situation, but Justice Anthony Besanko opted for a longer adjournment to avoid the disruption of a stop-start timetable.

The media outlets are considering whether to ask when the case briefly appears in court on July 19 for the evidence by the Afghan witnesses to be brought forward. Hearings are not due to recommence until July 26.

Australian National University Professor William Maley, who specialises in Afghan politics, said Afghan towns that had fallen were now subject to strict totalitarian control, the women had been locked away and the Taliban were “on a roll”.

“In Afghanistan, what tends to predict big political change is not people becoming more or less popular but people calculating who’s likely to come out on top, because it doesn’t pay to be on the losing side in Afghanistan,” Professor Maley said.

“The American decision to withdraw, which the Australians have followed, played a role in the mass psychology of the nation and the security situation is starting to unravel.”

Adding to the complications, Mr Roberts-Smith’s legal team does not want to cross-examine the witnesses until it has seen documents that relate to the Brereton inquiry into the conduct of Australian troops in Afghanistan, which probed the same events. These are yet to be released by the Commonwealth.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/taliban-circle-as-afghan-witnesses-in-ben-roberts-smith-case-wait-in-a-safe-house-20210706-p587co.html

Australian Federal Police decision on Brittany Higgins charges will be made in coming weeks

A decision on whether to charge the man accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins will be made in coming weeks.

Samantha Maiden - JULY 8, 2021

The Australian Federal Police has received advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Brittany Higgins case and will now decide whether or not charges will be laid in coming weeks.

ACT DPP Shane Drumgold SC has confirmed he has now examined the partial brief of evidence provided by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and returned his advice to the police investigating.

“As previously advised, on Monday, June 21, 2021 the ODPP (Office of Director of Public Prosecutions) received a partial brief of evidence, and a request to provide advice for consideration of prosecution,’’ Mr Drumgold told news.com.au.

“The Director of Public Prosecutions provided the advice to the Australian Federal Police on Monday, June 28, 2021.

“The content of that advice is subject to Legal Professional Privilege, and cannot be disclosed by the ODPP.”

AFP sources said the matter was progressing and a decision was expected in coming weeks. A partial brief of evidence can suggest further information and interviews need to be conducted.

On May 25, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw revealed that a brief of evidence would be sent to the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions over the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins within “weeks”.

“A brief of evidence is likely to be submitted to the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions in coming weeks,’’ Commissioner Kershaw said.

But Commissioner Kershaw cautioned MPs over asking him questions over the allegations now that it would potentially go to a “jury trial” if the matter is prosecuted in the courts.

“All of us would want justice for any victim in these circumstances,’’ Commissioner Kershaw told Senate estimates.

“I take an oath to protect the Australian community and to make sure that we do our job in investigating serious crimes.”

News.com.au broke the story on February 15, 2021 that a Liberal staffer alleged she was raped at Parliament House in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ ministerial office by a colleague.

In explosive allegations detailing the Morrison government’s handling of the incident, media adviser Brittany Higgins told news.com.au that she spent the last two years “internalising the trauma”.

She revealed that she was brought to a formal employment meeting about the incident in the room where the incident occurred – a decision the Morrison government has now accepted was an error by then Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds.

Ms Higgins was just 24 at the time of the incident and only months into her “dream job” of working at parliament.

The alleged incident occurred in the early hours of March 23, 2019, just weeks before Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the election on April 10, 2019.

During his evidence in May, Commissioner Kershaw has also revealed the fallout from the Higgins matter had now sparked multiple reports of unrelated sexual misconduct allegations at Parliament House involving federal MPs and their staff.

“As at 17 May 2021, 40 reports have been received by the AFP since 24 February relating to 19 different allegations. Twelve reports were identified as sensitive investigations, 10 were referred to state and territory police for assessment, one is with the AFP for ongoing inquiries and one has been finalised,’’ he said.

“Seven matters do not relate to electorate officers, ministerial staff or official establishments, of those, five have been referred to state and territory police and two concluded with no criminal offence identified.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/australian-federal-police-decision-on-brittany-higgins-charges-will-be-made-in-coming-weeks/news-story/90b325207c60fa6b845236631090775c

Spectacular delivery of extra Chinooks, as ADF's MRH-90 Taipan helicopters remain dogged by safety issues

Siobhan Heanue - 8 July 2021

Australia has taken delivery of two new CH-47 Chinooks as part of a half-billion-dollar boost to its fleet of heavy-lift helicopters.

The delivery comes days ahead of major war games with the US taking place in Queensland, and as Australia's $3.8 billion fleet of 47 MRH-90 Taipan helicopters remains grounded because of safety and maintenance problems.

The first two of an extra four Chinooks arrived from the US to Townsville, carried aboard the largest military transport aircraft used by the US Air Force.

“The Chinook is Defence’s largest helicopter, with a long and proven track record of supporting ADF operations in Australia, our near region and further afield," Defence Minister Peter Dutton said.

Chinooks have been in service in Australia for 50 years, and again proved their dependability during the 2019-2020 bushfires, when they were used to evacuate people in cut-off towns and deliver firefighters, food and water to fire-ravaged areas.

In contrast, the MRH-90 multi-role helicopters, which are worth about $50 million each, have been suspended from flying since maintenance issues were discovered in May.

The fleet was also suspended in 2019 when problems with a tail rotor on one airframe was discovered.

The MRH-90s, made by Airbus, only started arriving in Australia in 2007.

The multi-role helicopters are unlikely to be available for the biennial military exercise Talisman Sabre, which begins in just days.

Soldiers 'stoked' to receive extra Chinooks

The Army's 5 Aviation Regiment, based in Townsville, took delivery of two of the new Chinooks, which were spectacularly disgorged from an American military transport plane.

"Every member of 5 Aviation [Regiment], whether they're an aviator or non-aviator, is super excited to see these coming in," said Major Nicholas Ludwick, one of the Regiment's Squadron Commanders.

"They're all very stoked, and it's just a huge vote of confidence from the government [in 5 Aviation]," Major Ludwick said.

He said gearing up for Exercise Talisman Sabre against the background of a global pandemic had been exceedingly challenging.

"It certainly adds a layer of complexity," Major Ludwick said.

"Planning in a lack of information is actually one of the strengths of the Defence Force.

"The plans leading up to Talisman Sabre remained deliberately flexible".

The large military event will see 17,000 troops mainly from the US and Australia exercising together in various locations around Queensland.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-08/chinook-fleet-boost-adf-ahead-of-war-games/100276144

>>14079317

Heavy-lift aviation capability bolstered with arrival of new Chinooks from US.

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 8, 2021

The Australian Defence Force’s current fleet of Chinook helicopters has increased from 10 to 12, and eventually to 14, with the delivery of two CH-47F helicopters from the United States.

A US Air Force C-5 Galaxy transported the two helicopters to RAAF Base Townsville for Army's 5th Aviation Regiment, with the final two Chinooks expected to arrive in Australia in mid-2022.

The increase to the Chinook fleet will strengthen Army's airlift capability into the future and increase the ADF's ability to support operations globally.

More here: https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/new-chinooks-boost-heavy-lift-capability

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbxoE2IE9Vw

Opinion: Olympic values will deepen Japan’s ties with Australia

Yamagami Shingo - Jul 7, 2021

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Are the Olympics still on? The answer is “yes”.

This comes despite tremendous difficulties and with the belief that the Tokyo Games will become a symbol of global unity in overcoming the pandemic.

Japan has an extensive list of thank-yous to those who are helping to pull off this enormous mission. At the top is the Australian softball team.

Last month, these true-blue embodiments of the Aussie Spirit became the first athletes to arrive in Japan. So touched was I that I sent them Tim Tams to signify my never-ending gratitude (the packets themselves were admittedly the non-endless type).

Australia’s support comes as no surprise.

Following the Tohoku earthquake, the then prime minister Julia Gillard was the first foreign leader to cross oceans and speak with survivors. True friends are with us during times of adversity.

But in the way that good friends often do, we’ve grown prone to complacency. We are yet to reach our peak potential.

More to offer

There is more Australia can offer the world’s second-largest advanced economy and its 126 million consumers.

For wine, the time is right. As of April this year, all tariffs on bottled wine (from champers to chardy) have been reduced to zero, thanks to our Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

Yes, the Japanese market is competitive, but not impenetrable.

For many Australian industries, Japan is one of their best customers. More than half of all Japan’s coal and iron ore is bought from Australia, as is almost half of our LNG. Aussie cheese, beef and sugar dominate supermarket shelves with respective market shares of 23, 45 and 82 per cent.

As Australia’s second-largest investor, with a whopping stock of $132 billion, Japan has good reasons for wanting to see industries here flourish.

The Ichthys LNG project alone amounts to an investment of $US40 billion ($53 billion) and is Japan’s single-largest overseas investment.

Japanese beverage giants such as Asahi and Kirin are heavily involved in this nation’s beer production. Australia’s share of the global production of rare earths has likewise been boosted by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and Sojitz’s backing of Lynas.

And there’s more to be gained than capital. Emerging industries could utilise the technology and expertise of their Japanese counterparts.

The big one of course is clean energy. Just as Australia aims to become a leader in the supply of hydrogen, Japan is working towards increasing its use tenfold to 20 million tonnes by 2050.

Both nations are committed to a technology-led response to climate change. Both see hydrogen as their future.

Partnership on decarbonisation

We reconfirmed this just last month in our partnership on decarbonisation. But there are already about 20 Japan-supported clean energy initiatives throughout Australia.

In Victoria, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, J-Power, Iwatani, Marubeni and Sumitomo Corporation have commenced a pilot for the world’s first global hydrogen supply chain. Toyota has opened up a hydrogen refuelling station to complement its launch of the leading fuel cell vehicle on Australian roads.

In NSW, Idemitsu is supporting the H2N project to transform the Hunter into a hydrogen valley, and in SA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has backed H2U’s Eyre Peninsula Gateway. More is on the way.

In Queensland, the long list of Japanese-sponsored projects is set to grow with Itochu’s potential investment in Gladstone. In Tasmania and WA, IHI is working with Australian counterparts to study the feasibility of ammonia production and transportation.

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Australia’s global reputation for liveability also stands to gain. Japan’s know-how in the construction of smart cities and advanced railway systems can be leveraged more. The development of Greater Sydney has led to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, SMBC, Hitachi, UR, NEC and NTT signing agreements to partner with the state government on a range of pioneer initiatives.

Likewise, Marubeni has helped to significantly shorten commute times in Sydney’s northwest through Australia’s first fully automated railway. I join many Australians in dreaming of the day when high-speed rail dramatically transforms Australia’s economic and social landscape.

With the establishment of the Australian Space Agency, Australia’s space industry is ready for launch.

As the fourth country to successfully send a satellite into orbit, Japan is well placed to assist. There is no greater indication of this than the landing of Japan’s Hayabusa 2 capsule in Woomera last year.

This reinforced the co-operative framework built with the Australian Defence Force during the original Hayabusa’s landing, and is the first of many milestones to come in the history of collaboration between our space agencies.

Strengthening our economic co-operation and its underlying values will have a ripple effect beyond our shores. Our shared commitment to the liberalisation of trade led us to co-operate on the establishment of APEC, the conclusion of our EPA and the entry into force of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

But there is more to be done. Together, our nations can work towards the expansion of the CPTPP and the successful implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

We can engage more at the OECD. As staunch believers in the rules-based multilateral trading system, our co-operation is vital for the reform of the WTO, including its dispute settlement mechanism.

When the Aussie Spirit squad steps out on to the field with Japan for the opening match of the Games, I’ll be waving the Japanese flag. But I’ll also have on another emblem of Australia’s support for the Tokyo Olympics – the green and gold necktie John Coates gifted me.

This, along with the encouragement towards Japan’s hosting of the Games expressed in parliament by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, is indicative of the mutual trust our nations have fostered.

Thanks to this trust, our relationship has come to exemplify two of the three core Olympic values: friendship and respect. But we need to set our sights on gold. Because we can go further. Together we can achieve excellence.

Yamagami Shingo is the Japanese ambassador to Australia.

https://www.afr.com/world/asia/olympic-values-will-deepen-japan-s-ties-with-australia-20210707-p587kc

>>14078813

U.S. offers that Assange could serve sentence in Australia in extradition appeal

William Booth and Rachel Weiner - July 8, 2021

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LONDON — Should he be convicted of espionage in Virginia federal court, the United States has offered that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could serve his sentence in Australia, a British court said Wednesday.

The assurance came as the Justice Department seeks to extradite Assange from London, where he is currently in custody.

A judge in Britain blocked his transfer to the United States in January, ruling that he was at extreme risk of suicide and might not be protected from harming himself in a federal prison.

Now, the United States has been granted an appeal before Britain's High Court, on the grounds that the lower-court judge did not hear assurances of how Assange would be treated in American custody.

According to the High Court, the United States consented to transferring Assange to his native country of Australia to serve any prison sentence. Should he serve time in a U.S. facility, the government pledged that Assange would not be held in total isolation or imprisoned at a "Supermax" facility in Colorado.

No date has been set for the hearing. The United States could also argue that the lower-court judge misapplied extradition law in how she weighed Assange’s health.

Experts said it was rare but not unprecedented for the U.S. government to agree to let a defendant serve a potential sentence in another country.

“Under the circumstances, it’s a concession that makes a lot of the sense for the U.S. to offer,” said Jacques Semmelman, a New York lawyer who specializes in extradition cases. “Otherwise, they are at risk of losing” any ability to try Assange. “It’s an interesting and rather creative move by the U.S. government.”

Amy Jeffress, former Justice Department attaché to the U.S. Embassy in London, cited similar assurances made in the case of accused hacker Gary McKinnon. Like Assange, McKinnon argued he was at risk of suicide in a U.S. prison. Similar assurances from the U.S. government won court approval, but then-Home Secretary Theresa May ultimately blocked his extradition.

“It is unusual … but the U.S. has agreed to conditions like this in prior cases,” Jeffress said.

The 50-year-old Australian publisher and hacktivist remains in London’s Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since the Ecuadoran Embassy in London revoked his political asylum two years ago. He spent almost seven years in a few cramped rooms at the embassy before he was arrested by British police for jumping bail.

In the United States, Assange is charged with 18 federal crimes, including conspiring to obtain and disclose classified diplomatic cables and sensitive military reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His lawyers and supporters say he is a journalist who did nothing more than publish leaked information that embarrassed the U.S. government.

(continued)

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His former lawyer and fiancee, Stella Moris, said she had spoken with Assange on Wednesday about the ruling that the U.S. appeal can go forward.

Moris, who has two young children with Assange, called the case “an endless purgatory.”

“We don’t how long this will go for and how long he will be imprisoned for in that terrible place,” she told SBS News in Australia.

Moris has pleaded, first to President Donald Trump and now President Biden, to drop the case.

Under Biden, the Justice Department has pledged to stop seizing journalists’ communications in leak investigations and to hold accountable Capitol rioters who attacked members of the media.

But the administration has continued the case against Assange, who prosecutors say crossed the line from publisher to conspirator.

Former WikiLeaks associate Sigurdur Thordarson gave an interview last month saying he lied to U.S. investigators when claiming to have stolen information from Icelandic politicians, police and a bank.

WikiLeaks supporters, including Edward Snowden, have argued that the interview undermines the criminal case against Assange. But the Icelandic article, which contains no direct quotes from Thordarson, does not touch on the core allegations against Assange.

In the indictment, Thordarson’s claims are used not as the basis for charges but as background for what Assange told Chelsea Manning, who as an Army soldier exposed classified information through WikiLeaks in 2010.

Thordarson in the article also does not deny involvement in the hacking of U.S. targets, and tells the publication his activities were “something Assange was aware of or that he had interpreted it so that this was expected of him.”

In blocking his extradition in January, British District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said she had no doubt Assange could get a fair trial with an impartial jury in the United States.

Instead, she focused on evidence presented by Assange’s legal team that their client suffered from severe depression, had written a will and had sought absolution from a priest, and that a razor blade was found hidden in his cell.

She said that if Assange were convicted of espionage, he could be sent to a federal supermax prison, the Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colo., a facility where some inmates are kept in lockdown 23 hours a day with almost no human contact.

Baraitser said from the bench, “I am satisfied the procedures described by the U.S. will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide.”

In a subsequent hearing, Baraitser refused to grant Assange bail and release him from British prison, noting that the appeal process was not over and Assange “still has an incentive to abscond.”

Nick Vamos, a former head of extraditions for the Crown Prosecution Service and now a partner at the law firm Peters & Peters in London, said, “I don’t know why this appeal is taking so long.”

He said it was possible that behind the scenes lawyers for Assange, the Crown Prosecution Service and the U.S. government might have been negotiating charges or conditions of his confinement.

When the High Court does hear the U.S. appeal, the session could take a day or two. Even then, it may not be over. The losing side could make a further appeal to Britain’s version of the Supreme Court.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/julian-assange-extradition-appeal/2021/07/07/41bc3914-df2e-11eb-a27f-8b294930e95b_story.html

>>14035922

>>14064583

Covid-19: Australia ‘talks softly and carries a big ­vaccine’ in Pacific

WILL GLASGOW - JULY 9, 2021

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It’s Australia’s other vaccine rollout – and this one’s not going too badly.

On Friday, a third plane in two days will fly from Australia to the Pacific carrying lifesaving doses of the Melbourne-produced AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Its cargo follows two flights on Thursday carrying 70,000 doses to Fiji and 40,000 doses to Timor-Leste.

Those 120,000 doses are the first since the Morrison government’s decision to send up to 15 million vaccines to its near neighbourhood before mid-2022.

“Supporting our neighbours through this pandemic is a moral and economic responsibility,” says Zed Seselja, Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific.

It’s the silver lining of the decision to reduce the amount of AstraZeneca in Australia’s domestic rollout.

Some of the same actors undermining Australia’s domestic rollout – including the Queensland state government – are complicating what could be one of the country’s greatest aid efforts.

Claims by some Pacific churches that vaccines are “the work of Satan” are another problem.

Looming over it all is a high stakes battle for influence with China.

“The quantum from Australia is clearly influenced by them keeping an eye on the Chinese,” says Colin Tukuitonga, associate dean of the Pacific at Auckland University’s medical school.

Not that Professor Tukuitonga – who until late 2019 ran the ­region’s key scientific and technical organisation, Pacific Community – thinks the Morrison government’s commitment will entirely sideline Beijing.

“My suspicion is that regardless of that, some islands will continue to roll out the Chinese vaccines,” he says. “There are bigger issues at play here.”

“I have not been magnetised”

The speed of the rollout in Fiji is amazing by Australian standards. Almost 60 per cent of Fiji’s adult population – more than 330,000 people and rising – have had their first jab. Almost 10 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Along with the vaccines, Australian and New Zealand medical officers are on the ground helping Fijians in what is ground zero of the Pacific’s battles with a once-in-a-100-years pandemic.

Dan McGarry, an independent journalist based in Vanuatu, characterises Australia’s assistance as “talk softly and carry a big ­vaccine”.

That low-key approach is partly out of respect for a region whose leaders act with humility.

It is also out of respect for less internationally minded pockets of the Australian electorate.

The challenges are tremendous. On Wednesday, Fiji recorded 791 new cases of Covid-19. Another three deaths took the country’s official total to 39.

Misinformation has become a huge problem.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama addressed some of the theories swirling around the country in an extraordinary address on Thursday.

“I can tell you I have not been magnetised or ­microchipped by the vaccine,” he said.

“I have not received the mark of the beast, or any other creature.”

For all those challenges, Fiji’s vaccination drive demonstrates the heft of Australia’s Astra­Zeneca supply in the Pacific.

The weekly production at CSL’s Melbourne factory of about one million doses goes a long way in a region with a total adult-age population of about nine million.

Australia’s new commitment this week could shave 18 months off the rollout timeline for the tourism-dependent region.

McGarry, a Canadian citizen who used to edit Vanuatu’s Daily Post, says the Morrison government’s decision is the most consequential decision for the region since the pandemic started.

“There’s nothing bigger,” he says.

(continued)

>>14085663

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Beijing is not impressed

China’s foreign ministry this week timed a tantrum for Senator Seselja’s visit to Papua New Guinea.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused Australia of undermining the health of PNG’s 8.5 million people.

“Those in Australia who take advantage of vaccine issues to engage in political manipulation and bullying coercion are being ­callous to the life and health of the people in PNG,” Mr Wang said in a tirade remarkable even by the hardball standards of the Xi ­Jinping-era.

Those comments followed a story by the state-controlled Global Times that claimed Australia had “planted” consultants in PNG’s health system to delay approval of the Chinese-made Sino­pharm vaccine.

China’s new envoy, Zeng Fanhua, had his photo taken as he received the Sino­pharm doses at Port Moresby’s Jacksons International Airport with PNG Planning Minister Rainbo Paita.

Two weeks later, only Chinese nationals working in the country are allowed to be injected with it.

“Australia has been racking its brain to undermine China’s vaccine co-operation with Pacific Island countries,” the Global Times reported.

Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang was still grumbling by the end of the week.

On Thursday evening he repeated that the Global Times report – denied by the Morrison government – revealed how Australia had “obstructed and sabotaged” China’s vaccine help.

“Compared to denying it all, it would be much better if the Australian side can state publicly that it welcomes China’s vaccine co-operation with Pacific island countries,” said Wang from his Beijing podium.

Jonathan Pryke, the director of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Program, says China has been “largely absent” during the region’s most profound health crisis.

“Where’s the financial support? Where’s the broader support for the health systems? They’ve provided some PPE and vaccines, but it’s really been piecemeal and tokenistic,” Pryke tells The Australian.

“They’ve found themselves on the backfoot and now they are trying to fight their way out of it through smearing.”

“Shooting ourselves in the foot”

Supply is not the problem right now in PNG.

Tens of thousands of AstraZeneca doses are soon to expire, such is the hesitancy among a population that has never had an adult vaccination program.

PNG Health Minister Jelta Wong has singled out Facebook as his country’s “biggest conspiracy theorists platform” and one of its chief obstacles to vaccination.

Queensland rugby league legend Mal Meninga has been enlisted to increase trust.

Other voices in Australia – including Queensland’s state government – have been less helpful.

Premier Annastacia Palas­zczuk’s warning last week about the use of AstraZeneca on Australians under 40 ricocheted around PNG and the wider Pacific.

Mr Pryke – who is based in Sydney and received his first Astra­Zeneca jab on Wednesday – says Australians, particularly political leaders, needed to be aware that their words travelled.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot here,” he says.

(continued)

>>14085666

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Back up from Biden?

Vanuatu on Friday will join the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste in adding a Chinese vaccine to its rollout.

Prime Minister Bob Loughman was the first to get the Sinopharm vaccine – and smile for the Chinese embassy cameras – after the first doses arrived three weeks ago in Port Vila.

Yet even in the three countries that have allowed Chinese vac­cines, the majority of jabs in ­Pacific arms have been donated by the COVAX program to which China hasn’t contributed at all.

Graeme Smith, an expert on China in the Pacific, says Beijing’s approach is often “more about the photo op”.

“There’s a huge gap between the reality of Chinese support and the public perception,” says Dr Smith, a fellow at the Australian National University.

Fiji has the best health network in the Pacific, allowing it to speed up its vaccine distribution rate as Australia has ramped up supplies.

Timor is also jabbing at an ­impressive rate.

And some of the Pacific’s micro-states are almost entirely vaccinated, including Nauru, Palau and the Marshall Islands — three countries which, as it happens, all recognise Taiwan instead of the People’s Republic of China.

Nauru’s easy-to-reach population was covered by COVAX-supplied AstraZeneca. The US donated its Moderna vaccine to take care of Palau and the Marshall Islands.

New Zealand has also rolled out Pfizer doses across the Cooks Islands and Niue.

The outlook is much trickier in the far flung corners of the Solomons, Vanuatu and — most difficult of all — the provinces of PNG.

Senator Seselja says Australia’s help goes far beyond the delivery of vaccines.

“We are working with our partners across the region to strengthen their response and recovery from the pandemic, including through logistics, communi­cations, training, testing, economic and technical support as needed,” he says.

As the rollout gets into the ­Pacific’s most remote terrain, that Australian assistance could involve a request from its security ally. The single-dose American-made Johnson & Johnson vaccine looks ideal for the Pacific’s hardest to reach areas.

“You can have a team with a chiller bag and they go from island to island – and they don’t need to worry about going back again,” says Professor Tukuitonga.

The geopolitics are also promising.

US President Joe Biden’s top Asia adviser Kurt Campbell this week said the US was planning several “major initiatives” involving Pacific island nations.

It could be just the thing to complement the Morrison government’s latest Pacific step-up.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/covid19-australia-talks-softly-and-carries-a-big-vaccine-in-pacific/news-story/036fef4c97e0c755a81e367ca2665093

>>13884365 (pb)

Pedophile tradie Bryan Michael Grange jailed for 30 years over ‘depraved’ child sexual abuse

LANE SAINTY - JULY 8, 2021

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WARNING: Confronting

A Sydney tradie who sexually abused an eight-week-old infant and two girls under five has been sentenced to 30 years prison by a judge who lashed his actions as “shocking and depraved in the extreme”.

Stomach-churning details of the abuse Bryan Michael Grange inflicted on three children between 2014 and 2018 were aired in Downing District Court on Thursday as his sentence was handed down over several hours.

He will be in prison until at least 2044 after Judge Kara Shead sentenced him to 30 years’ prison for child sexual abuse as well as four and a half years for possessing child abuse material.

One of his victims was an eight-week-old baby who he opportunistically abused while the infant’s mother and Grange’s wife smoked a cigarette outside.

“All right-minded members of the community would be disgusted and disturbed,” Judge Shead said as she described the rape of the infant, for which Grange was sentenced to 21 years.

Another victim was a toddler, aged one or two when she was abused by Grange as he accompanied her in a public toilet.

A third girl was repeatedly molested by Grange over a number of years when she was aged between infancy and five years old.

“You are getting good at it,” he told the girl as he filmed her while inciting her to expose her genitalia to the camera.

He made numerous videos depicting him molesting the girls as well as filming their genitalia from carefully crafted camera angles.

Many details of the abuse are too graphic to publish.

The girls were known to Grange and his abuse was a severe breach of trust, both for the girls and their parents, the court heard.

Grange also amassed more than 30,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse, storing the sickening material across seven devices.

Hundreds of his videos and images were classified as the very worst kind, including videos of children who were restrained, forced into bestiality, and subject to highly degrading sexual acts.

(continued)

>>14085854

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Grange used his own name and credit card details to sign up to a subscription website where he spent $7156 on child abuse material.

Judge Shead stressed that possessing such images was not a victimless crime and often involved impoverished children in underdeveloped countries who had few protections.

“Those who make use of this product feed on that exploitation and abuse,” she said.

Judge Shead noted Grange had expressed some remorse to a psychiatrist and in a letter, but found it was “limited”, as was his insight into his crimes.

“He said he did not believe the victims would remember his offending and subsequently would not be affected by his actions,” she said.

“The suggestion that they suffered no harm because they were too young to remember must be rejected outright.”

“Further, equating sexually assaulting a child victim with cheating on his wife speaks volumes about the offender’s lack of insight into the true nature of his abhorrent offending.”

Grange pleaded guilty to a string of child sex offences, under both state law, concerning his abuse of the girls, and Commonwealth law, regarding his possession of abuse material.

Judge Shead noted his co-operation with police and early plea — which entitles him by law to a 25 per cent discount on his sentence — but said it was countered by the “overwhelming” prosecution case he faced.

“His voice, face, hands, home and car were shown in the footage he took,” she said.

“The Commonwealth charges involved the use of his name, his credit card, and he was in physical possession of the material.”

Grange appeared by video link from Parklea Correctional Centre, where he is in protective custody and permitted to leave his shared cell for 7.5 hours each day.

He continues to have the support of his wife, who saw him in prison twice a week before Covid-19 restrictions halted visitation.

Grange looked glum and stared at the floor as Judge Shead spent hours detailing his crimes on Thursday.

In the morning break, he asked his lawyer how much longer the sentence would go for.

“I don’t know,” the lawyer replied.

Grange chuckled and said: “Not that I’m going anywhere.”

He will be eligible for parole on March 29, 2044.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/pedophile-tradie-bryan-michael-grange-jailed-for-30-years-over-depraved-child-sexual-abuse/news-story/351937d65a05e3cef1913966b3805fc4

—

Q Post #925

Mar 10 2018 14:49:25 (EST)

This is not about religions or party affiliation.

EVIL is everywhere.

There are no drawn lines.

No boundaries.

Good vs Evil.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#925

—

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

https://qanon.pub/#1735

Victims of serial rapist Daniel Hanson tell court of 'monstrous impact' on them

Giselle Wakatama - 9 July 2021

Newcastle women who were raped by former band frontman Daniel "Jimmy" Hanson have choked back tears, delivering emotional victim impact statements in court.

Hanson, 34, pleaded guilty to 23 counts of sexual and indecent assault relating to the abuse of 14 teenage girls and young women between 2005 and 2014.

Police facts tendered to the Newcastle District Court said Hanson would meet young girls at live gigs and ask for their phone numbers.

At the time of the offending, he was the frontman for the bands We built Atlantis and Falling for the Beloved.

They had minor success in the pub and festival scene in Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne.

The court heard Hanson was aged between 18 and 24 when he abused his victims, the youngest of whom was 12.

Raped in school uniform in stormwater drain

The court was packed with supporters of Hanson's victims today, with media forced to sit in an overflow room.

Six of the 14 women he attacked when some of them were barely in their teens, told the court of the horrific impact Hanson's actions have had on their lives.

The first woman to give a victim impact statement fought back tears when describing her ordeal.

"I was the victim of sustained sexual and psychological abuse between 14 and 15, I was manipulated and coerced behind doors," she said.

"He encouraged me to skip school and took me to a stormwater drain and raped me in my school uniform … This man stole my innocence."

A second woman, who was just 12 when Hanson abused her, said he passed off the sexual abuse as something that normal best friends or "besties" do.

"He said If you want to be best friends you have to do bestie things," she said.

"I often have flashbacks, and feel alone, disgusted and sad but I was led to believe it was normal and what besties do."

A third victim described freezing when Hanson turned up at her workplace in 2018, years after he had abused her.

"From the age of 14 he took advantage of me mentally and psychically," she said.

The woman said she would never forget the crimes committed against her.

"I re-live it [the abuse] every single day, remembering the taste and smell are the worst parts."

Another woman said she regretted delaying her report to police.

"I am just ashamed I didn't come forward sooner," she said.

"You affected my social work and family life."

She went on to describe a constant downward spiral in her life, before demanding: "What gives you the right to have such a monstrous impact on my life?"

Another woman said her days of being a victim were over.

"I have finally found my voice and I will not be known as a victim of your abuse but someone who put a stop to it," she said.

The sixth victim impact statement read out in court described how the woman now lived a life of anxiety and trauma.

"I have an inability to trust people, I live daily imagining what I might have been if I had not met him."

My actions were 'unforgiveable'

A letter written by Hanson was read out in court as part of his defence.

He said he was remorseful.

"The way I acted and things I did are totally unforgivable and I am extremely sorry for the pain and humiliation I have caused these women and their families," he said.

"I will spend every day of my sentence to better myself, using every resource I can."

Crown prosecutor Carl Young rejected Hanson's insight into his crimes.

"A psychologist says he maintains distortions about certain behaviours he engaged in and seemed to struggle to accept responsibility for his conduct," Mr Young told the court.

"There is a lot more work to do for Mr Hanson as for his insight."

Hanson, who remains in custody, will be sentenced on July 15.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/rape-victims-of-newcastle-singer-daniel-hanson-at-court/100281468

The Queensland government paid child-sex predator Bob Montgomery to help 'protect' children

Josh Robertson - 9 July 2021

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A celebrity psychologist now in jail for child sex offences was hired by the Queensland Government for years to assess the risk of paedophiles to children in its care.

ABC's Background Briefing has revealed Bob Montgomery was commissioned by Queensland's Department of Child Safety as an expert psychologist more than 20 times before he was jailed last year for raping boys in the 1960s.

A former child protection worker said case managers did not want to use Montgomery because "his reports always returned a 'low risk' to children", but he was one of the few experts in the field.

Documents obtained by the ABC under Right to Information laws show the one-time Big Brother psychologist charged up to $5,000 a report, receiving almost $70,000 from the department between 2009 and 2016.

Max*, who was raped by Montgomery at the age of 13, said it was "a hell of a lot of money paid by the government to this fellow who was actually living an incredible lie and deceiving everyone".

An improbable rise

A Background Briefing investigation has traced Montgomery's improbable rise from undetected serial predator and psychiatric patient to one of Australia's most influential psychologists and a go-to expert for authorities on sex offenders.

"I'm perplexed as to how he, with any degree of conscience, could navigate his way through that career and deceive so many people along the way," Max said.

"It's absurd that someone should even contemplate doing that and thinking they could get away with it."

Background Briefing has also found Montgomery was recruited to head up Bond University's psychology department in 1994 by another high-profile academic who was later jailed for child sex offences, the criminologist Paul Wilson.

Montgomery was also president of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and a Family Court-appointed expert in custody disputes involving child sex abuse claims.

A prolific media commentator who once boasted to a newspaper "my IQ is actually beyond measure", Montgomery appeared on TV shows including Big Brother, the Biggest Loser, the 7.30 Report and the Don Lane Show.

He is also the brother of James Alwyn Montgomery, a fraudster, bigamist and military impostor. By examining James' history, a psychiatrist in the US found him to have strong psychopathic traits.

Psychiatrist Warwick Middleton, one of the world's leading experts on trauma who has treated victims of high-profile Australian abusers, told Background Briefing that Bob Montgomery could also be a psychopath.

"Everything that is on the public record is not inconsistent with somebody who has significant psychopathy and who seemingly is fairly narcissistic," Dr Middleton said.

"He seems to take an inordinate sort of pleasure in his achievements and prominence."

(continued)

>>14086036

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Reports 'always returned a low risk'

Montgomery was used as a report writer and expert witness by child protection workers in Brisbane, Logan, the Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and Toowoomba.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one former child protection worker said that she was "shocked" to learn of Montgomery's historical child sex offences, but at the same time she was also "not surprised".

"Because his reports always returned a 'low risk' to children, it became questionable," she said.

"We just didn't want to use him. But he was the only one that we knew of that completed risk assessments on offenders that had been convicted of crimes against children.

"Sometimes, the feedback from team leaders was, 'That's all we've got to use', or 'Don't even bother with that family because it's going to come back low risk anyway'."

While his reports "didn't change the outcome in court … it made our job harder" when pressing for conditions around offenders' contact with children, she said.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs said Montgomery was used as a report writer "prior to the establishment" of its in-house legal unit.

"In making its decisions on child protection cases, the department relies on a range of evidence – Mr Montgomery's reports were but one piece of the evidence considered," the spokeswoman said.

Justin Dowd, a former New South Wales Law Society president and one of Australia's most experienced family lawyers, said "the fact [Montgomery] was involved in so many cases specifically involving care of children is enormously disturbing".

He said Montgomery was given "special recognition as somebody who can make recommendations to the court about what's in the best interests of children".

"It is a role that courts rely on heavily, so to have somebody in that position who has their own secret agenda is very disturbing indeed."

'I felt I had to be compliant'

Max was sexually assaulted by Montgomery, then his 22-year-old Sydney Catholic school teacher, while on a camping trip in 1966.

He said it took half a century before he learned there were other victims.

He told no one about the abuse at the time.

"It was painful, uncomfortable. I felt I had to just do what he said because he was my adult friend, an authority figure. I felt I had to be compliant and didn't know any better," Max said.

Three years earlier, Montgomery raped another 13-year-old boy in his care as a Scouts leader, but this also went unreported to police.

But Scouts NSW terminated Montgomery's membership in June 1965 after concerns were raised by parents about his behaviour with other children.

Scouts NSW said in a 2019 statement it cooperated with the recent investigation over several years and gave police as much information as possible.

After he was kicked out of Scouts in June 1965, Montgomery entered a Sydney psychiatric facility for treatment.

Months later, with nothing on his record to show what he'd done, he landed a job at Max's school.

Max said Montgomery's grooming of him included showing him a research lab with caged mice at the University of Sydney where Montgomery was studying psychology.

Max said years later others discouraged him from pursuing charges against Montgomery "due to the fact that it will be just too hard, he's too powerful, he's got too many rich or powerful or influential friends and I'd be outgunned".

(continued)

>>14086039

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But in 2016 he gave evidence to the Royal Commission into child sex abuse, which led to a phone call from a NSW detective.

When he learned during the police investigation that there was another man alleging rape by Montgomery, Max said his shock gave way to "relief — they can't not believe me".

"There were other victims out there but just a few that were prepared to stand up [in court]," he said.

Montgomery denied the offences when he was arrested in 2019.

But last year he pleaded guilty to eight charges involving four victims, including two counts of buggery – the only charge applicable at the time – and five counts of indecent assault.

'The perfect con'

On December 7, 2020, Montgomery was sentenced to four years' jail in the NSW District Court.

Police braced for more victims in the wake of publicity around the court case but none have come forward.

Montgomery's wife Laurel Morris said he had confessed to the family about his offending before his arrest but "spent his whole life trying to make good".

She said it wasn't fair to suggest "somebody who's done something wrong when they were young, that they've never changed". She added she didn't believe it would make somebody's work biased.

A psychological report commissioned by Montgomery's lawyers said there was no evidence of psychopathy and that Montgomery was remorseful.

Dr Middleton said a diagnosis for psychopathy — a partly-genetic form of anti-social behaviour which "in simple terms [means] a person who has no conscience" — would require a proper, lengthy assessment.

But the facts of Montgomery's offending against his extensive public "pronouncements" suggested someone who could be a psychopath, he said.

"Not a lot of humility coming across is what I'm picking up … Bob Montgomery's life was just one giant lie," he said.

Dr Middleton said Montgomery's professional status was "the perfect con".

"When you're overly sympathetic to sex offenders under the guise of being an expert, you're also rationalising your own behaviour," he said.

Dr Middleton said it was unusual for an offender with multiple victims like Montgomery to "suddenly shut down [after] moving up to severe trauma, anal rape and things of that nature by the time he was in his early 20s".

He said he thought the coincidence of Montgomery working alongside Wilson was "a bit incredible".

"One of the things I've noticed over the years is the propensity for child sex offenders to find other child sex offenders. It's almost like they have greeting cards somehow," he said.

A Bond University spokesman said: "While Bob Montgomery left the university two decades ago, we are deeply disturbed and concerned that a man who operated under the pretence of being a person entrusted to help survivors, had actually been a perpetrator of serious crimes.

"We extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the survivors."

The Australian Psychological Society declined an interview request with the ABC.

*Name has been changed

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/bob-montgomery-disturbing-rise-from-sex-predator-to-go-to-expert/100272888

The Russia Inquiry Ended a Democratic Lobbyist’s Career. He Wants It Back.

Tony Podesta turned to art dealing after becoming ensnared in the Trump-Russia scandal. With his friends running Washington, he is eying a return to lobbying.

Kenneth P. Vogel - July 8, 2021

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WASHINGTON — The collapse of Tony Podesta’s $42-million-a-year lobbying and public relations firm in 2017 amid a federal investigation shook K Street and rendered him toxic — a rare Democratic victim of the Trump-era scandals.

But that was only the beginning of his troubles.

Mr. Podesta, long an outsized character in the influence industry and Democratic fund-raising, turned to his enormous collection of modern art for solace and income. But when the pandemic sent the art market reeling, he sold the penthouse condo in Washington he had been using to show and sell his collection, and secured a loan from the government’s Paycheck Protection Program for struggling small businesses.

Discussions about consulting gigs and a return to a fund-raising circuit that had turned its back on him were halted by a combination of his declining income, pandemic restrictions and an infection from knee surgery that left him hooked to an intravenous antibiotic drip for months.

To top it off, he said, his email accounts and website were frozen after Chinese cyberthieves launched a wide-ranging phishing campaign using one of his domain names.

“It’s not been an easy time,” Mr. Podesta said in an interview, recalling a low point when he was being attacked on Twitter by former President Donald J. Trump and a television crew was on his block anticipating an indictment.

But the indictment never came.

The Justice Department dropped its investigation, Mr. Podesta’s health began improving and pandemic restrictions were lifting. Mr. Trump was defeated and Mr. Podesta’s longtime allies took control in Washington.

Now Mr. Podesta is exploring a return to a landscape he once dominated.

“I don’t want to recreate what I had, but I sort of miss working, and art alone doesn’t sustain me, because I love politics,” he said.

The reception he gets could help answer some questions about life in Washington after Mr. Trump. Did the backlash to the open access-peddling and corporate influence of the Trump era result in brighter lines between corporate lobbying, fund-raising and governing? Or has the capital simply returned to the clubby culture in which lobbyist fund-raisers like Mr. Podesta held sway?

Early indicators are mixed.

President Biden, who came to office with decades-long ties to Washington’s Democratic establishment, pledged not to accept campaign money from lobbyists or to allow them to serve in government agencies they had recently lobbied without a waiver. Nevertheless, he has drawn criticism from progressives and independent watchdogs for selecting former corporate lobbyists, consultants, lawyers and officials for a number of top administration posts, while lobbyists and consultants with close ties to his administration have capitalized on increased demand for their services.

Mr. Podesta, who has known Mr. Biden and some of his closest aides for decades, noted approvingly that the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee had accepted a combined $2,750 in donations from him last year, and that he had been welcomed at a virtual fund-raiser hosted by the campaign’s chairman, Steve Ricchetti, a longtime friend who once sold his lobbying firm to Mr. Podesta.

Mr. Ricchetti is now a counselor to Mr. Biden in the White House, while his brother Jeff Ricchetti, a former employee of Mr. Podesta’s lobbying firm, has seen his lobbying income increase significantly.

“They hire all these former lobbyists,” Mr. Podesta said. “They shouldn’t not take money from another former lobbyist.”

(continued)

>>14086073

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Mr. Podesta is not just any former lobbyist.

Over the course of three decades, he built one of the highest-grossing firms in Washington, representing companies and interests across industries and ideologies, including military contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, big banks, a tobacco company, pharmaceutical makers and foreign governments including that of Hosni Mubarak, the authoritarian former Egyptian leader, Myanmar’s military junta and entities connected to the Saudi government.

His firm benefited from the perception that he had access to Democratic administrations and congressional offices — a perception enhanced by his fund-raising and personal connections to top Democrats. In 2016, Mr. Podesta donated or raised nearly $900,000 for the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton.

Her presidential campaign chairman was Mr. Podesta’s younger brother John, himself a stalwart of Washington’s Democratic establishment.

Both Podesta brothers became characters in the Russia investigation that loomed over much of Mr. Trump’s presidency. Emails stolen from John Podesta’s personal Gmail account by Russian intelligence revealed embarrassing rifts roiling Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign and Washington’s Democratic establishment.

Over the years, Tony Podesta became known for his flashy Italian suits and loafers and his pricey collections of art and real estate. At various times, he owned a Louise Bourgeois sculpture that was featured on the cover of the catalog for Sotheby’s prestigious contemporary art evening auction, as well as a three-bedroom condo in Manhattan’s Flatiron district and waterfront homes in Tasmania and Sydney, Australia; Venice, Italy, and the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington — each adorned with sometimes provocative art from his collection.

While he sold the lakefront home in Northern Virginia in 2007, former neighbors still discuss an installation in his guest bathroom consisting of a closed-circuit video camera installed inside a toilet allowing users to observe their bodily processes from a unique angle.

His primary residence now, a 7,000-square-foot house in Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood, houses a rotating display of his art, as well a wine cellar with thousands of bottles.

The art and the real estate attracted wide attention during Mr. Podesta’s headline-grabbing divorce from his second wife, Heather, 26 years his junior, in 2014, which involved teams of lawyers.

His firm’s demise stemmed primarily from its involvement in one strand of the special counsel’s investigation. The firm took on a client with ties to Viktor F. Yanukovych, who was president of Ukraine, in 2012, but initially failed to register with the Justice Department under foreign lobbying laws and found itself in the midst of a tangled investigation involving the Republican lobbyists Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, who had worked for Mr. Yanukovych’s political party before joining the Trump campaign and becoming central targets of the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.

Though Mr. Podesta’s firm had disclosed the client under less-detailed congressional lobbying rules and retroactively registered with the Justice Department, that did not stop the special counsel’s office from subpoenaing the records and employees of his firm and others that worked with Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates.

Mr. Podesta questioned the motives and methods behind the special counsel’s investigation. He referred to one of the investigation’s lead prosecutors, Andrew Weismann, as “Inspector Javert,” the police character in Les Misérables who became obsessed with ensuring the capture and punishment of a parolee who had been convicted of stealing bread to feed his family.

“I didn’t even steal a loaf of bread,” Mr. Podesta said, asserting that he was targeted at least partly because the special counsel “thought it was a good idea to have a Democrat, clearly.”

(continued)

>>14086074

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Mr. Podesta said his firm’s finances were stretched thin, partly because it paid as much as $5 million in legal fees for employees who were subpoenaed by prosecutors, and partly because the investigation spooked clients, who left the firm.

Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates were charged with unregistered foreign lobbying, tax fraud and other crimes in October 2017. The indictment identified the Podesta Group and a firm with which it worked on the Ukraine effort, Mercury Public Affairs, though not by name, as having worked as part of a “scheme” with Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates to gain support for Mr. Yanukovych, while evading foreign lobbying disclosure requirements.

Within a day, the Podesta Group’s bank, citing the special counsel’s investigation and the draining of the firm’s accounts to pay the staff’s legal fees, canceled its credit line, rendering the firm illiquid, Mr. Podesta said.

He told his employees in a staff meeting that he was stepping back from the firm, citing attacks from Mr. Trump and his allies in the conservative media as making it “impossible to run a public affairs shop,” according to people in attendance.

The firm almost immediately began winding down. Mr. Podesta’s art was removed from its office walls and employees began leaving en masse, with a number of them banding together to start a new firm.

“We lost some clients over this, but the bank stuff was the killer,” Mr. Podesta recalled.

Months later, the special counsel referred the investigation of Mr. Podesta’s firm and Mercury to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. They conducted more interviews with lobbyists who worked on the Ukraine account, but informed Mr. Podesta, Mercury and their lobbyists in September 2019 that they would not be charged.

In the meantime, art had gone from being a hobby to a profession for Mr. Podesta, who sold the Bourgeois sculpture for $5.6 million. He had purchased it for $238,000 in 1994, he said, adding that he would have preferred to have donated it to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, to which he has made previous donations. That way, he said, “everyone could see it. Now it’s in some rich person’s home.”

He said, “In my life, I’ve donated a lot of more to museums than I’ve sold. In the last few years, I’ve probably sold more than I’ve donated.”

He continued paying his curator, Debra Corrie, whose salary had previously been paid partly by the firm. They relocated some of his art and their offices to a penthouse condo in Washington that Mr. Podesta bought for $2.6 million in 2018, where they showed the art by appointment.

Mr. Podesta said he was relying on art sales as his primary source of income, supplemented by Social Security and some investment income.

But when the pandemic hit, “the buyers all sort of left,” he said.

He sold the penthouse condo at a slight loss, unloaded his Flatiron district condo and secured a P.P.P. loan of nearly $43,000 to help cover his own salary, Ms. Corrie’s and that of a part-time employee, as well as rental fees and utilities at a professional art storage facility.

He said he did not think the loan ran afoul of the program’s mission of helping small struggling businesses. “Lots of people much bigger than I got loans,” he said, including Washington lobbying shops, high-priced law firms and special-interest groups like those with which he used to work.

Lately, he’s been operating his art dealership out of his Kalorama home, where his neighbors include the Obamas, and where he hosted a recent dinner for collectors and museum officials highlighting the works of Brian Dailey, a Washington-based visual artist whose work was featured in a Washington gallery show and on a monitor in Mr. Podesta’s kitchen.

Looking back at the investigation into his Ukraine lobbying that forced his exit from lobbying, he said “if I had known what I know now, I never would have taken this client,” adding “there were all sorts of places where errors were made, but there was no malice.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/us/politics/tony-podesta-lobbying-democrats.html

—

Q Post #1918

Aug 16 2018 17:08:07 (EST)

>>2633258

https://www.fara.gov/docs/5926-Short-Form-20170817-348.pdf

https://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&filingID=09B71870-0B05-4D45-A4B7-1B5AF0618975&filingTypeID=1

https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/50428

Nothing to see here.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#1918

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

China criticises Australia's human rights record at the United Nations

Stephen Dziedzic - 9 July 2021

China has launched another furious attack on Australia's human rights record at the United Nations, accusing the federal government of spreading "misinformation" and failing to prosecute troops who committed war crimes overseas.

In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council held its regular review of Australia's human rights performance, with several countries pressing Australia to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility, improve the treatment of Indigenous people and end the mandatory detention of asylum seekers.

A number of nations also pushed Australia to make sharper cuts to carbon emissions, with the Marshall Islands calling on the federal government to phase out coal-fired power in order to limit global warming.

But by far the strongest public criticism came from China, which has been using increasingly strident language to criticise Australia in international forums as the bilateral relationship sours.

China's representative at the UN, Jiang Duan, took aim at alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan, which are being probed by a special investigator.

"Australian troops indiscriminately killed civilians in overseas operations, committed war crimes, yet they are still at large today," Mr Jiang said.

Mr Jiang also took aim at Australia's system of offshore detention, saying asylum seekers were "forcibly detained for long times, even indefinitely, with their basic human rights violated."

He also criticised "long-lasting and systematic discrimination and hate crimes against African, Asian and other minority groups" in Australia and accused the federal government of "spreading misinformation out of political motivation."

Australia accepted more than 150 human rights recommendations made by other countries, but it defended its border protection measures and did not back the call to phase out coal.

The Marshall Islands representative, Sam Lanwi, said he regretted Australia's decision because of the urgent threat posed by climate change.

"We hope that this recommendation will be considered in the future as it will be a key step in working towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement," he said.

Calls to raise age of criminal responsibility in Australia

Australia, represented at the United Nations in Geneva by Sally Mansfield, also did not back calls made by more than two dozen countries to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to at least 14.

Ms Mansfield told the Human Rights Council that state governments played a key role in determining when criminal responsibility should begin.

"Responsibility for criminal justice is shared between the federal, state and territory governments who are engaged in a process to consider this question, with some having announced an intention to raise the age within their respective jurisdictions," she said.

"Ultimately it will be a decision for each jurisdiction whether to raise the age."

But Simon Henderson from Save The Children told the committee that Australia's federal government needed to take the lead and press for reform.

"Children should be in school, not in detention," he said.

"These laws disproportionately impact Indigenous children. We urge Australia to reverse its position."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/china-criticises-australia-un-human-rights-council/100280736

>>14089200

United Nations Human Rights Council

Australia, Universal Periodic Review Report Consideration - 28th Meeting, 47th Regular Session Human Rights Council

8 July 2021

Adoption of reports by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of Australia

35:12 - 36:40 - China, Mr. Jiang Duan

https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1woxfqfkz

>>14089200

>>14089209

China urges Australia to face up to severe human rights violations at UN body

Liu Xin - Jul 08, 2021

1/2

Together with some countries and a UN body on refugee, China expressed grave concern over Australia's severe violations of human rights, including its soldiers' killing of innocent civilians in overseas military actions, detaining immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in offshore detention centers, and its domestic systematic race discrimination on Thursday at the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"It is with regret to see Australia not take China's suggestion… China urges Australia to take the universal periodic review as an opportunity to face up to and repent its own severe problems on human rights, stop various violations of human rights and take concrete measures to protect human rights," a Chinese representative said on Thursday.

Other countries and organizations also expressed similar concerns including Russia and Syria and the UN Refugee Agency.

Every five years each country's record and policies on human rights are put under the spotlight as part of a UN process known as the universal periodic review (UPR). Australia had its UPR on Thursday.

The Chinese representative pointed out that Australia's severe violations of human rights include its soldiers killing innocent civilians in overseas military actions and committing severe war crimes.

Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 Afghan civilians unlawfully in an environment where "blood lust" and "competition killings" were reportedly a norm, according to a long-awaited official report unveiled in November 2020.

Aside from the war crimes, Australia was criticized for setting up detention centers to forcibly detain immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers for a long time.

Representatives from other countries and non-governmental organizations also criticized Australia and called an end to the offshore processing of asylum seekers arriving by sea and to prohibit detaining children in immigration detention centers at the Thursday meeting.

Calls from 30 countries for Australia to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to at least 14 - amid concerns about the over-incarceration of Indigenous children - have simply been "noted," with the government pointing to the role of state and territory governments in legislating any such change, The Guardian reported.

But Australia rejected all these proposals.

(continued)

>>14089243

2/2

Australia's rejection has brought dissatisfaction to NGOs in Western countries. "Australia paints a picture of itself for the global stage that doesn't match the reality at home," said Sophie McNeill, Australia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Government claims that Australia is committed to the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers are absurd so long as harmful offshore detention policies continue and people remain for years in immigration detention."

Some NGOs also criticized Australia for its poor record on Indigenous communities' human rights and treatment. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) revealed in an article on July 2 that Indigenous Australians had most of their human rights at risk. Seventy-one percent of experts surveyed believe Indigenous people are at risk of having their freedom from arbitrary arrest violated.

The Chinese representative pointed out that Australia also has long-term and systematic discrimination against Africans, Asians and other minorities and Muslims and indigenous people. It also has serious hate crimes.

However, instead of reflecting on its own problems on human rights, out of political purpose, Australia has kept spreading disinformation and uses human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries' international affairs, the Chinese representative said.

Closely following the US and a small group of Western countries, Australia has joined the anti-China campaign to smear China by hyping human rights topics, especially on China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

For example, in a joint statement on March 23, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta called on China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for United Nations experts, and other independent observers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the door to Xinjiang is always open. We welcome any unbiased foreigners to Xinjiang, but firmly oppose any so-called "investigation" and "accountability" with presumption of guilt, and stand against anyone using this for political maneuver to pressure China.

"Speaking of 'accountability,' I wonder how Australia is doing with those investigations into their soldiers' grave crimes in Afghanistan that were exposed not long ago? Have they held the perpetrators accountable and punished them to do justice to the innocent victims? Will Five Eyes countries including the US and the UK, and the EU consider sanctions on Australia?" Hua asked.

The spokesperson added that "Besides, in Australia, there was the infamous White Australia Policy, under which genocide was committed against aboriginal people and 100,000 aboriginal children were forcibly taken away from their families. Did Australia hold accountable those who caused pain to the Stolen Generation?"

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228217.shtml

—

Infographic: Australia's Stained Human Rights Record

Deng Zijun - Jul 08, 2021

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228224.shtml

China is the ‘big international bully at the moment’

Sky News Australia

Jul 4, 2021

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Peter Jennings says he cannot see any country around the world currently which is “seeking to bully China”.

Instead, he said China is the “big international bully at the moment”.

Mr Jennings spoke to Sky News about Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent speech, marking the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efN5wa33_fo

>>14089310

Australia browbeating China as a ‘bully’ only reveals the true oppressors

Li Haidong - Jul 09, 2021

In an interview with Australian media Sky News, which was broadcast on Saturday, Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said he cannot see any country around the world currently which is "seeking to bully China." Instead, he said China is the "big international bully at the moment."

Portraying China as a "big bully," Jennings slandered China on the international stage to mobilize ordinary people at home and abroad. This is to pave the way for the following fierce competition or confrontation against China at the public level. These so-called scholars are in essence stirring up troubles in politics.

The true bullies are the countries that stigmatize China as a "bully." Take Australia. The country has started a rumormongering campaign on China's domestic affairs. Australia is acting as a little brother of the US and provoking China in various fields. These are bully practices.

When delivering a keynote speech on the Communist Party of China (CPC) and World Political Parties Summit on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, "China will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence."

Labeling China, a country that pursues peaceful development and mutual benefits, as a "bully" is to interpret China's development path in a malicious way. But they are clearly aware that they are playing this set of discourse with malicious intent, and they deliberately interpret China's development this way.

They are dark and twisted inside, so in their eyes, everything looks dark. As a result, their malevolence against China will become deeper with China's development, and the slander against China by these fake scholars and real politicians will intensify.

For centuries, the West has always been in an advantageous position. They are not accustomed to seeing a non-Western civilization that can rival them. China's global influence is mounting, and China tends to lead other countries in multiple domains. China does not pursue dominance, but China's impact has gradually got approval, which is in sharp contrast to the West, which has expanded its influence by means of wars and colonization. They describe China as "an elephant in the room," hyping China's threat. This embodies their narrow-mindedness. Haven't many Western countries themselves already been the "elephant in the room?"

When virtually delivering an address at the 9th World Peace Forum held in Beijing on Saturday, Singapore's Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also used the metaphor of an elephant when talking about China's rise. He said "China was like an elephant entering a swimming pool where there were other smaller animals. No matter how gentle the elephant was, it still needed to be careful of its every move, because it might, even unintentionally, step on the toes of the other animals."

This shows that adjacent countries have certain doubts about China's development, but it also reflects their comprehensive understanding of China and their positive acknowledgement of China's role in the region. Portraying China as an elephant indicates that they believe China will not attack and plunder them like the West. Meanwhile, it also reminds China and its neighboring countries that both sides need to attach more importance to each other's thoughts and claims.

With China's rise, it is inevitable to have some frictions with some countries on certain agendas. It requires every country to maintain its independent judgment on how to deal with these frictions. Xi said at the CPC and World Political Parties Summit on Tuesday that human society has "once again found itself at a historical crossroads" that leads to either hostile confrontation or mutual respect, seclusiveness and decoupling or openness and cooperation, zero-sum game or win-win results. He said, "the choice is in our hands and the responsibility falls on our shoulders."

China will handle the divergences with a mindset of equality and mutual benefit. Other countries involved should also try to put themselves in China's shoes and meet China halfway. These countries should avoid being misled by some countries outside the region with ulterior motives, such as Australia. This is a test for the political wisdom of all countries, especially those surrounding China.

The author is a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228258.shtml

>>14064810

The net is closing on child sexual abuse images

There are 150 child sexual abuse laws around the world. Metadata is being used to bring them closer together

MATT BURGESS - 08.07.2021

1/3

Each day, a team of analysts faces a seemingly endless mountain of horrors. The team of 21, who work at the Internet Watch Foundation’s office in Cambridgeshire, spend hours trawling through images and videos containing child sexual abuse. And, each time they find a photo or piece of footage it needs to be assessed and labelled. Last year alone the team identified 153,383 webpages with links to child sexual abuse imagery. This creates a vast database of abuse which can then be shared internationally in an attempt to stem the flow of abuse. The problem? Different countries have different ways of categorising images and videos.

Until now, analysts at the UK-based child protection charity have checked to see whether the material they find falls into three categories: either A, B, or C. These groupings are based on the UK’s laws and sentencing guidelines for child sexual abuse and broadly set out types of abuse. Images in category A, for example the most severe classification, include the worst crimes and against children. These classifications are then used to work out how long someone convicted of a crime should be sentenced for. But other countries use different classifications.

Now the IWF believes a data breakthrough could remove some of these differences. The group has rebuilt its hashing software, dubbed Intelligrade, to automatically match up images and videos to the rules and laws of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US and the UK, also known as the Five Eyes countries. The change should mean less duplication of analytical work and make it easier for tech companies to prioritise the most serious images and videos of abuse first.

“We believe that we are better able to share data so that it can be used in meaningful ways by more people, rather than all of us just working in our own little silos,” says Chris Hughes, the director of the IWF’s reporting hotline. “When we share data [currently] it is very difficult to get any meaningful comparisons against the data because they just simply don't mesh correctly.”

Countries place different weightings on images based on what happens in them and the age of the children involved. Some countries classify images based on whether children are prepubescent or pubescent as well as the crime that is taking place. The UK’s most serious category, A, includes penetrative sexual activity, beastiality and sadism. It doesn’t necessarily include acts of masturbation, Hughes says. Whereas in the US this falls in a higher category. “At the moment, the US requesting IWF category A images would be missing out on that level of content,” Hughes says.

All the photos and videos the IWF looks at are given a hash, essentially a code, that’s shared with tech companies and law enforcement agencies around the world. These hashes are used to detect and block the known abuse content being uploaded to the web again. The hashing system has had a substantial impact on the spread of child sexual abuse material online, but the IWF’s latest tool adds significantly new information to each hash.

(continued)

>>14089665

2/3

The IWF’s secret weapon is metadata. This is data that’s about data – it can be the what, who, how and when of what is contained in the images. Metadata is a powerful tool for investigators as it allows them to spot patterns in people’s actions and analyse them for trends. Among the biggest proponents of metadata are spies, who say it can be more revealing than the content of people’s messages.

The IWF has ramped up the amount of metadata it creates for each image and video it adds to its hash list, Hughes says. Each new image or video it looks at is being assessed in more detail than ever before. As well as working out if sexual abuse content falls under the UK’s three groups, its analysts are now adding up to 20 different pieces of information to their reports. These fields match what is needed to determine the classifications of an image in the other Five Eyes countries – the charity’s policy staff compared each of the laws and worked out what metadata is needed. “We decided to provide a high level of granularity about describing the age, a high level of granularity in terms of depicting what's taking place in the image and also confirming gender,” Hughes says.

Improvements in abuse detection technologies and more thorough processes by technology companies mean that more sexual abuse content is being found than ever before. Although some companies are better than others. Last year the non-profit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 21.4 million reports of abuse content from technology companies, which are required by US law to report what they find. It was more than any other year on record and the reports contained 65.4 million images, videos and other files.

Despite the increase in reporting of child abuse material one of the big challenges faced is the different reporting processes and standards around the world. It’s difficult to gather a full picture of the true scale of child sexual abuse online because of the differences in approaches. A 2018 legal review from the US-based nonprofit the International Centre of Missing and Exploited Children found a lot of inconsistencies. The review claims 118 countries have “sufficient” child sexual abuse material laws, 62 have laws that are insufficient and 16 countries don’t have any. Some countries with poor laws don’t define child sexual abuse, others don’t look at how technology is used in crimes and some don’t criminalise the possession of abuse content.

Separately, European Union-funded research conducted by international policing group Interpol and ECPAT International, a series of civil society organisations, found that there are “substantial challenges” with comparing information about child sexual abuse content and that this hampers efforts to find the victims. “This situation is complicated by the use of different categorisation approaches in ascribing victim characteristics and experiences of victimisation, which prohibit meaningful comparison between studies,” the February 2018 report says.

The IWF hopes its Intelligrade system will help out with some of these problems. “It almost reduces that need to create one law around the world that exists for child sexual abuse,” says Emma Hardy, the IWF’s director of communications. Previous academic research has recommended countries work on making their laws against child sexual abuse the same; although this is a logistical and political challenge. “The technology is filling the big gaps of legal harmonisation,” Hardy says. The IWF is now researching more countries where its tool could plot images against the laws – 20 countries are on a long list.

(continued)

>>14089673

3/3

A spokesperson for Google, which receives data from the IWF, says the increased granularity in the data should prove to be useful. “This new system will help this fight by making it easier for companies – large and small – to know what hashes are in IWF’s Intelligrade and how they correspond to imagery that is illegal under different and complex legal regimes,” the spokesperson says. They add that the “additional metadata” can help in the fight against child sexual abuse online. “Having a clear mapping of the classification across jurisdictions will help NGOs, industry and lawmakers identify differences in policies and regulation and hopefully result in better legislative outcomes,” the spokesperson says.

But beyond trying to close some of the legal gaps, Hughes says including more metadata in the work the IWF analysts do will help everyone understand the types of abuse that are happening and fight back against them. This is worth the extra time it will take IWF staff to review images, he says.

By including details such as the sexual abuse seen in photos and videos, analysts will be able to more clearly evaluate the types of abuse they are seeing and determine if criminal behaviour is changing. The IWF will be able to know how many instances of specific types of abuse are happening and the broad age groups of victims. It will also be able to tell which types of abuse are most commonly shared to which websites. Intelligrade is also being used to pull in and store the file names of child sexual abuse content, which can be used to understand the coded language child abusers use to talk to each other.

And adding extra data to images means that machine learning systems can be trained to more successfully detect different types of abuse. A database with more labels means images can be better understood by AI – the IWF is currently in the process of classifying millions of category A and B images it has access to from the UK government’s Child Abuse Image Database. “The plan is to be able to train classifiers not just to say ‘are these images criminal or not’, but to fine tune that classification to be able to say: ‘is this image containing beastiality’, for example,” he says.

The approach will allow the IWF to scour the web in search of new images and videos of child sexual abuse. “That's when we can start to reap the benefits for our own use,” Hughes says. “It means that we can better target content.”

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/child-sexual-abuse-images-metadata-iwf

https://www.iwf.org.uk

>>14064818

>>14071884

Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation

CLOSING THE NET - A podcast about online child sexual exploitation

‘Closing The Net’ is a brand new 10-part podcast series that for the very first time takes you inside the world of the Australian Federal Police and those policing the ‘borderless crime’ of online child sexual exploitation.

Hosted by father and Australian actor, Rodger Corser, the series highlights the work of the ACCCE, which is leading a collaborative response to pursue and prosecute offenders in this crime type and also to remove children from harm.

Throughout the series, listeners will meet some incredible people who dedicate their lives to ending this horrendous crime type – people who work tirelessly to track down and bring online child sex offenders to justice and to protect children, plus those who have a commitment to preventing abuse through education and by providing tools, knowledge and resources.

Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 has shown that in Australia today, only around half of all parents talk to their children about online safety. 50% of parents don’t know what to do to keep their kids safe online. Just 3% of parents are concerned about online grooming. And sadly, most believe online child sexual exploitation is too repulsive to even think about.

‘Closing The Net’ is working to change that, showcasing that knowledge is power and that our only chance to eradicate this issue is if we bring a ‘whole-of-community’ response.

The series will provide listeners with an understanding of what constitutes online exploitation and just how easily children can be targeted by anyone from anywhere.

The series also contains tips and advice for parents and carers around how to protect kids online, as well as how to identify and report offensive online behaviour.

Although some listeners may find parts of the content confronting, these are stories that need to be told. The issues they raise need to be acknowledged and talked about by parents, carers, teachers and community members.

https://www.accce.gov.au/closingthenet

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/closing-the-net/id1572951697

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL2Nsb3NpbmctdGhlLW5ldC9wbGF5bGlzdHMvcG9kY2FzdC5yc3M

https://open.spotify.com/show/4qkpQTDKpOami5cJ2DLqSG

https://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/638077

https://tunein.com/podcasts/True-Crime-Podcasts/Closing-The-Net-p1457583/

>>14090039

Closing The Net - Official Podcast Trailer

Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation

Jun 24, 2021

Our new ten-part podcast series takes you inside the world of those policing the ‘borderless crime’ of online child sexual exploitation.

Hosted by Rodger Corser, the series highlights the work of the Australian Federal Police and the ACCCE, and will give you an understanding of what constitutes online child sexual exploitation, offer tips and advice on how to protect kids online, as well as how to make a report.

You will hear from 58 incredible people who have been personally touched by the issue and those who dedicate their lives to fighting the crime.

#ClosingTheNet is now available on all major podcast platforms, or at accce.gov.au/podcast

Due to themes of child sexual abuse and exploitation, the content of this podcast may be distressing to some people. It is not suitable for children and listener discretion is advised.

For advice and support, please visit accce.gov.au

#ACCCEpodcast #ChildProtection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT5SA7VQwlA