dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

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Draft communique shows China seeks deals with 10 Pacific countries

Solomon Islands has rolled out the red carpet for Mr Wang, who was greeted by Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele when he landed in Honiara in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Mr Wang met Mr Manele and Solomon Islands Governor General Sir David Vunagi. He was also expected to meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare a month after it was revealed the two countries signed a security pact.

Australia, the United States, Japan and New Zealand have raised concerns about the deal, which they say could give China a military foothold in the Pacific.

A leaked draft communique shows that China will seek an agreement with 10 Pacific Island countries covering policing, security, trade, marine and data communication.

In Honiara, Mr Wang said China hoped relations with the Solomon Islands could be a model for other Pacific Island countries.

Mr Wang said Solomon Islands gained a "sincere and reliable partner" when it established diplomatic relations with China, according to a statement on the foreign ministry website. Solomon Islands switched ties from Taiwan to China in 2019.

China hopes relations with Solomons could be model for others

"Wang Yi said that China will, as always, firmly support Solomon Islands to maintain national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, safeguard domestic unity and accelerate the country's development and revitalisation, and will continue to provide all the assistance it can," the statement said.

The two sides agreed to "work on landmark projects that belong to the 'Belt and Road Initiative' together … and help [Solomon Islands] fully tap its resource advantages and development potential."

The Solomon Islands government said in a statement Mr Wang would sign a number of cooperation agreements between the two countries in a two-day visit. The Chinese delegation of 44 includes vice ministers in foreign affairs, commerce, environment, and information officials.

Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation reported that Mr Sogavare welcomed the high level visit from China, one of the Pacific nation's key development partners.

"We will always stand true to our policy of friends to all and enemies to none," he said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference in Washington DC the Pacific is New Zealand's home and any security challenges should be addressed by Pacific nations.

"I see [the communique] as China's trying to increase its engagement with sovereign nations, but expanding into a space that — actually the need around security arrangements — we are able to meet within our region," she said.

Dame Meg Taylor, former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, was asked about the prospect of naval bases built on Manus Island in her home country of Papua New Guinea.

"For me, it's very, very important that part Papua New Guinea as a sovereign state is the one that calls the shots and not anybody else," she told RN Drive.

"It doesn't matter how small we are, it's very important that our countries in the region are the ones that make those decisions."

Honiara press to boycott press conference

Few details are known about the details of Mr Wang's trip and that could be compounded by a planned media boycott of a press conference to be held by the Chinese official and his Solomon Islands counterpart, Jeremiah Manele, after media learned of restrictions.

"According to the program, the press will be given the opportunity to ask only two questions," Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) President Georgina Kekea said in a statement.

"One from a Solomon Islands journalists directed to the Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister, and one from Chinese media, directed to their Foreign Affairs Minister," she said.

"How ridiculous is that?"

She said journalists should be able to ask questions on behalf of the people.

"What is the whole purpose of hosting such an event for the press when they are only allowed one question and directed to their Foreign Minister only?"

She said the boycott was not intended to disrespect the government but to showcase the media's disagreement with the restrictions.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/penny-wong-visits-fiji-as-wang-yi-touches-down-in-solomons/101101216

https://twitter.com/FijiPM/status/1529633665147318272

https://twitter.com/henrytpuna/status/1529701342776016896

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 26, 2022, 4:11 a.m. No.16343938 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3942

Deals sought as China casts Pacific net

BEN PACKHAM and GEOFF CHAMBERS - MAY 26, 2022

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Beijing is seeking a deal with 10 Pacific countries offering policing, security, cyber support and a new China-Pacific free-trade agreement, dramatically escalating Xi Jinping’s grab for regional influence.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will seek support for the proposed deal at a meeting of Pacific Island foreign ministers during an unprecedented regional eight-nation trip starting on Thursday, as Australia’s new Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, embarks on her own Pacific blitz to counter China’s efforts to win over the nation’s traditional partners.

Senator Wong said “after a lost decade we’ve got a lot of work to do to regain Australia’s position as the partner of choice in the Pacific, in a region that’s less secure and more contested”.

A draft agreement and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific Island nations, first revealed by Reuters, proposes strengthened “exchanges and co-operation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security“.

Mr Wang will seek agreement on the plan at a meeting on Monday with Pacific foreign ministers in Fiji, midway through his regional trip that will also take in visits to Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

It follows China’s controversial security deal with the Solomon Islands, which Australia and the US fear could open the way for a Chinese base less than 2000km off Cairns.

The proposed agreement says China would provide “intermediate and high-level police training” and forensic laboratory processing for Pacific Islands police forces, as well as cyber security, customs and data network support.

It also flags a China-Pacific Islands free-trade area, and support for action on climate change and health.

Senator Wong will visit Fiji on Thursday in her first Pacific Islands visit, meeting Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and Pacific Islands Forum secretary-general Henry Puna “to discuss how we can best secure our region and help build a stronger Pacific family”.

The trip will be the first in a burst of regional visits by Senator Wong, who is expected to visit almost every one of Australia’s Pacific partners in coming weeks. “China has made its intentions clear. So too are the intentions of the new Australian government,” she said. “We want to help build a stronger Pacific family. We want to bring new energy and more resources to the Pacific.

“And we want to make a uniquely Australian contribution including through our Pacific labour programs and new permanent migration opportunities.”

Anthony Albanese will also begin a series of important regional trips, starting with Indonesia, in coming weeks. He will then visit Papua New Guinea as soon as possible after the country’s national elections, which run from July 2-22.

The Prime Minister exchanged tweets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday, telling him he looked forward to visiting Jakarta and deepening co-operation and economic ties between the neighbours.

“Look forward to working closely with you in advancing our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including the concrete implementation of IA-CEPA,” Mr Joko said.

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Mr Albanese and Senator Wong will also attend the Pacific Island Forum in mid-July, where they will present the nation’s more ambitious climate change policies to show that Australia is listening to its Pacific partners.

The draft China-Pacific deal has already sparked objections, with Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo warning the agreement could spark a new “Cold War” between China and the West.

In a letter obtained by Reuters, Mr Panuelo said the proposed deal would shift Pacific Island signatories “very close into Beijing’s orbit, intrinsically tying the whole of our economies and societies to them”.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute national security program director Michael Shoebridge also warned against the agreement, saying it showed “the scale and speed of Beijing’s ambitions in the South Pacific”.

“It’s a dystopian future they are offering to the people of the South Pacific,” he said.

“It is backed by seemingly free opaque concessional loans, and packaged with lots of schmoozing and cash for Pacific political figures … and it’s got a gravitational attraction that audited investment and aid spending from Australia doesn’t.”

Mr Shoebridge said Australia needed to respond with a Pacific version of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations framework, offering visa-free travel and the ability for regional workers to take up employment in Australia.

“No aid and engagement increase will match that. And nothing Beijing can offer would either,” Mr Shoebridge said.

Senator Wong’s Fiji trip comes less than a day after she returned to Australia from Quad talks in Japan with Mr Albanese where they discussed rising geostrategic competition in the South Pacific with US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The Australian understands Mr Biden’s senior advisers were “very positive” about working with the Albanese government to expand the reach of the Quad and its allies in the Pacific.

But Mr Wang’s latest Pacific tour is aimed at lifting China’s regional diplomacy efforts to new heights, according to the Lowy Institute’s senior fellow for East Asia, Richard McGregor.

“Senior Chinese leaders including Xi Jinping have visited Pacific nations before, but there has never been, as far as I know, a high-profile minister making a trip of this dimension and length,” he said.

“When you consider the extent of China’s global interests and the relatively small size of the Pacific countries, that tells you immediately that Beijing has ambitious long-term plans in the region.”

The trip, which runs until June 4, is “beneficial to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Wang Wenbin said China attached “great importance to developing friendly relations with Pacific island nations”.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said the Chinese Foreign Minister’s one-day visit, with a 20-strong delegation, would be a “milestone” in the two countries’ relationship.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/deals-sought-as-china-casts-pacific-net/news-story/5f25be095f952d3f6df942bd9a5788c1

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 26, 2022, 4:23 a.m. No.16343959 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3961

China to provide South Pacific countries ‘what US, Australia failed to offer’

Yang Sheng and Liu Caiyu - May 25, 2022

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As China and South Pacific island countries are going to strengthen their cooperation to better serve local people's demand for development, some voices from the West or Western media have started to distort the cooperation and hype the fear of a new "Cold War." Chinese experts said the US and Australia always see the island countries as their puppets. So when China help them to become independent and prosperous, the West will definitely feel anxious.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will pay an official visit to the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor upon invitation from May 26 to June 4, and will also visit Micronesia via video and have a virtual meeting with leaders of Cook Islands and Niue. Observers believe this trip will be a milestone for relations between China and the entire region.

Wang's trip will cover cooperation and deals in many fields including economy, infrastructure, climate change, public health, policing and security.The reason why China's presence has been welcomed by the regional countries is that China could promote the livelihood of the locals and activate the economic potentials of those islands, experts said. However, some Western media have focused only on the cooperation about security, and tried to exaggerate that the cooperation could spark "new Cold War" between China and the West in the region.

"I totally disagree with the saying that the cooperation between China and the South Pacific island countries could spark a 'new Cold War,'" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a routine press conference on Wednesday.

He cited the fact sheet published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday reflecting the broad cooperation between the two sides in the fields of economy, trade, maritime environmental protection, poverty relief, tourism, education, culture and sports and said that "the relationship between China and the island countries has become an example of unity and cooperation between the countries with different scales and political systems."

Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Washington and Australia have been hyping the "China threat" mythology with fabrications of the so-called Chinese military base in the region.

"However, the slightest effort of fact-checking would show that the security cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries aims to maintain social order as a way to guarantee a stable business environment, to prevent riots and violent disturbance from taking place again," noted Chen, also director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University.

The Solomon Islands' security cooperation with China is based on real security concerns. The riots in 2021 incurred huge damage to the country's public order and political security, and threatened the safety of local people and expatriates, including Chinese businesspeople in the country. So if the security cooperation has brought about anxiety to the West, it means they are trying to harm the independence and safety of the Solomon Islands and other South Pacific Island countries, said analysts.

Control vs cooperation

Penny Wong, Australia's new foreign minister, said she would travel to Fiji on Thursday, a trip that will coincide with Wang's tour of the eight Pacific Island countries. According to the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday, Wong said that "China has made its intentions clear. So too are the intentions of the new Australian government."

Chen said Australia apparently regards the South Pacific as its exclusive sphere of influence and has attempted to ostracize China. But China's successful cooperation with the island countries based on mutual respect and reciprocal benefits has been accepted and welcomed by the island countries. "China believes that countries, no matter big or small, should be treated equally - they are not there for anyone to win over and to control."

Shen Shishun, an Asia-Pacific expert with the China Institute of International Studies, said that "the most prominent manifestation of Australia's colonial mentality toward the South Pacific region" is that it always assumes itself as "a leader of South Pacific countries" or "a head in a family" that everyone must obey.

So the idea of Australia developing ties with the South Pacific Island countries is about "control" while China's idea is based on "win-win cooperation," and if Australia wants to compete with China in the region, it's about the competition between "control" and "cooperation," said analysts.

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Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that "Western countries, especially Australia, not only require South Pacific countries to copy the Western political and legal systems, but also force them to become a 'voting tool' to serve the West in the international organizations."

"Western troops or military advisers even have de facto control of some countries' army and police such as Palau. Economically, the Western countries have made sure they can enjoy priority to exploit local resources such as mining and fishing wantonly," Yu continued.

The aid from Western countries to the South Pacific, mainly ideological training and indoctrination on civil servants and military or police personnel, is to make sure the governments of these islands are under control, while very few aid was poured into livelihood and local economic development, which is different from the China's cooperation with the South Pacific countries, Yu said.

No one wants to be controlled and made use of by others while receiving very limited benefits. So the West, or Australia's presence in the region, was not welcome. But due to the weak national strengths, the island countries didn't have many choices in the past, analysts said. But now these countries have found that China is a major power which is willing to treat them equally and can provide win-win cooperation and seek no control over them.

Liu Ze, general secretary of Solomon Islands Chinese Business Council, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Australia in recent months has been refocusing on the Solomon Islands, looking to scale up investment to counter what it claimed as "growing Chinese influence." But investments from the West do not bear much attractiveness when compared with those from China, a country known for world-leading infrastructure building capacity and the aquatics industry.

"The economic structure of the Solomon Islands has not made any progress in the past 15 years, which made the ruling party realize that cooperating with the West did not result in development. On the other hand, China - home to the world's most complete industrial and one of the world's largest markets - could not only be an export destination for the island countries' products but also aid them to integrate into the global supply chain," Liu explained.

Help needed

China could explore the possibility to work with the Pacific Island countries in how to provide them with economic development aid, technical training in climate change, ecological protection of mangroves, and infrastructure construction such as power, bridge, and roads which are areas that China is particularly good at, Yu said.

Shen believes that cooperation on the COVID-19 epidemic should be a top priority as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world. China could continue to provide necessary aid.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has provided the Pacific Island countries nearly 600,000 doses of vaccines and more than 100 tons of anti-epidemic supplies, according to the fact sheet published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Although China is geographically far from the Pacific Island countries, it has paid great efforts to support relevant countries in disaster prevention and mitigation. In December 2021, the China-Pacific Island Countries Reserve for Emergency Supplies was officially launched in South China's Guangdong Province, according to the fact sheet.

China provided immediate humanitarian aid when the island countries were hit by natural disasters.In January 2022, a volcanic eruption struck Tonga, which triggered a tsunami and ash fallout. The Chinese government was greatly concerned and acted immediately, making China?the first country to provide assistance to Tonga.

Most of this help was ignored by Western media as they were interested only in exaggerating the security cooperation into a sign of "new Cold War" since they are anxious about China getting more popular in the region. But they can't stop the development of the relations between China and the Pacific Island countries, experts said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266550.shtml

GT Voice: To break ice in China trade, the ball is in Australia's court

Global Times - May 25, 2022

New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday urged China to remove the so-called trade barriers against Australian goods when attending a summit of Quad in Tokyo, Reuters reported.

"It's China that has applied sanctions on Australia. There is no justification for doing that. And that's why they should be removed," he said.

It is not surprising to see the new prime minister repeat some cliché accusations against China when it comes to the bilateral trade issues. After all, he was just sworn in and might have not had the chance to review the current trade issues. Therefore, it must be pointed out that to break the ice in trade tensions between China and Australia, the ball is in Australia's court. It was the Australian federal government that discriminated against Chinese firms and investments and torn apart economic agreements - on top of the tremendous political hostility. China has never announced any economic retaliation or "sanctions" against Australia.

Currently, observers generally believe that while it remains to be seen whether Albanese and his team will restore rationality to their China policy, the new government at least provides an opportunity for the China-Australia relationship to see some improvement. And from the perspective of both its own national interest and its current economic situation, Canberra needs to value this hard-won opportunity.

China has long been Australia's largest trading partner, largest export market and largest source of imports. Even as the China-Australia relationship has been down to a deep freeze since 2020, bilateral trade still accounted for the largest share in Australia's total trade over the past two years. In 2021, Australia exports to China hit $133 billion.

Had Canberra, led by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, not made erroneous remarks and deeds on issues concerning China's core interests and internal affairs, and not gone further down the road of politicizing trade and investment issues by frequently suppressing Chinese companies on grounds of national security, then the Australian economy would have reaped dividends from bilateral trade far beyond its current level.

Due to the geographical distance, there is no territorial or historical conflict between China and Australia. All the so-called national security problems are nothing but imagination by some politicians. But regrettably, the former Morrison government has been keen to serve as an "anti-China vanguard" to show its loyalty and commitment to strengthen the US-Australia alliance, with little regard for its economic ties with China.

In fact, Australia's hostility toward China has always been in the shadow of the US' geopolitical games. For a long time, the US has shown a strong willingness to politicize trade activities, which inevitably affected Australia, contributing to the latter's trade difficulties with China.

If the new Australian government has the willingness to change the situation, they need to find ways to turn a new page for its relationship with China. Of course, given that Australia is one of the US' closest allies, that change may not be easy to come.

But if the new government still wants to make a difference economically, they need to stop politicizing trade activities as the US does to show its sincerity to cooperate with China, at least on the trade front. For instance, they need to grant Chinese high-tech companies like Huawei fair treatment instead of shutting them out citing baseless national security reasons.

If Canberra wants to change course with China, there is actually no short of cooperation opportunities for both countries. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which took effect at the beginning of this year, is supposed to bring more resilient regional supply chains and more export opportunities for countries within the trade bloc.

Moreover, both countries have set ambitious targets for tackling climate change, which could open a new front for cooperation. China will aim to hit peak emissions before 2030 and for carbon neutrality by 2060, while Albanese pledged to set an emissions reduction target of 43 percent by 2030 and boost the share of renewables in the national electricity market to 82 percent.

All in all, we hope that the new government could reduce hostility and show sincerity in its China policy to at least ease tensions for bilateral trade so as to promote trade relations with China in a pragmatic manner. Baselessly accusing China of economic "sanctions" is not a positive first step.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266572.shtml

China seeks region-wide Pacific Islands agreement, Federated States of Micronesia decry draft as threatening 'regional stability'

Stephen Dziedzic - 25 May 2022

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong is promising to blitz the Pacific with a host of visits over coming weeks as Australia grapples with the fallout from a renewed push by China to dramatically expand security and commercial ties with the region.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia had "dropped the ball" and Senator Wong's visit to the region would indicate that his government wants to "step up, genuinely".

"We need to respond to this because this is China seeking to increase its influence in the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice since the Second World War," Mr Albanese told ABC News Breakfast.

"They are sovereign nations and we need to respect that, of course, but we need to be offering more support. Otherwise, we can see the consequences with the deal that was done with the Solomons.

"We know China sees that as the first of many, which is the context of their Foreign Minister's visit to the region."

On Wednesday, Reuters revealed that China will seek a region-wide deal with almost a dozen Pacific islands, covering policing, security and data communications cooperation.

A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific islands ahead of a foreign ministers meeting on May 30 prompted pushback from at least one of the invited nations, which says it showed China's intent to control the region and "threatens regional stability".

In a letter to 21 Pacific leaders, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) President David Panuelo said his nation would argue the "pre-determined joint communique" should be rejected, because he fears it could spark a new "Cold War" between China and the West.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday dismissed "sensational remarks" that the region-wide deal could spark a new Cold War between China and the West in the region.

"China and South Pacific Island countries are good friends and good partners pursuing common development on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit," Mr Wang said at a routine press conference.

The ABC has also obtained a copy of the letter by Mr Panuelo — as well as the "Five Year Action Plan on Common Development" and "Common Development Vision" that China's government has proposed to Pacific states — and verified the contents.

The two documents not only lay out a plan to expand policing cooperation but also propose a new free trade arrangement between China and the Pacific, a new Chinese government envoy to the region, intensified cyber security cooperation and deeper cooperation across a host of sectors from agriculture to fishery and pandemic management.

Senator Wong is due to travel to Fiji on Thursday to meet with top officials and leaders as she begins a regional push to cement Australia's position and press back on Beijing's most recent foray into the region.

"China has made its intentions clear. So too are the intentions of the new Australian government. We want to help build a stronger Pacific family," she said.

"I will be a frequent visitor to the Pacific, starting this week with a visit to Fiji as we lead up to the Pacific Islands Forum."

"We want to bring new energy and more resources to the Pacific. And we want to make a uniquely Australian contribution including through our Pacific labour programs and new permanent migration opportunities."

Multiple diplomats and officials said they were aware of Mr Panuelo's letter warning against the deal, and of China's push to rapidly strengthen ties with the region.

But the officials said several other Pacific island countries were also deeply uneasy about the document and were determined to resist Beijing's push. One Western diplomat predicted it could spark a round of recrimination between Pacific Island countries that recognise China.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 26, 2022, 4:49 a.m. No.16344028 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4719

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit eight Pacific island nations that China holds diplomatic ties with between May 26 and June 4.

He will hold several meetings in Solomon Islands, which recently signed a security pact with China despite objections from Australia, the United States, Japan and New Zealand, which fear it could upset regional security arrangements and give China a military foothold in the Pacific.

Beijing rejects this, saying the pact is focused on domestic policing, and criticism by Western countries was interfering in Solomon Island's sovereign decision-making.

But the simultaneous Pacific visits by Penny Wong and Wang Yi, as well as the deepening controversy over the new pacts pushed by China, both highlight the way intensifying jousting between China and several Western countries is beginning to reshape elements of the Pacific geopolitical landscape.

Shift in China's approach to Pacific

A region-wide agreement covering security and trade between China and Pacific islands would represent a shift in Beijing's focus from bilateral relationships to dealing with the Pacific on a multilateral basis, and would likely increase concerns by Washington and its allies.

The China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision draft document, as well as a five-year action plan, has been circulated by Beijing ahead of the meeting in Fiji.

It states China and the Pacific islands will "strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security".

"China will hold intermediate and high-level police training for Pacific Island Countries through bilateral and multilateral means," the document seen by Reuters says.

The action plan outlines a ministerial dialogue on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation to be held in 2022, and China providing forensic police laboratories.

The draft communique also pledges cooperation on data networks, cyber security, smart customs systems, and for Pacific islands to "take a balanced approach to technological progress, economic development and protection of national security".

Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, which is barred from 5G networks run by several US allies, has been repeatedly thwarted in attempts to build submarine cables or run mobile networks in the Pacific islands by Australia and United States offering rival bids for the sensitive infrastructure, citing national security concerns.

The communique also proposes a China-Pacific Islands Free Trade Area, and support for action on climate change and health.

Pacific at risk of being caught up in China-West conflict

In his letter to other leaders, Mr Panuelo said the communique would shift Pacific islands who hold diplomatic relations with China "very close into Beijing's orbit, intrinsically tying the whole of our economies and societies to them".

Mr Panuelo highlighted the risk of Pacific islands being caught in geopolitical conflict as tensions rise between the United States and China over Taiwan.

"The practical impacts, however, of Chinese control over our communications infrastructure, our ocean territory and the resources within them, and our security space, aside from impacts on our sovereignty, is that it increases the chances of China getting into conflict with Australia, Japan, the United States and New Zealand," he said.

China's provision of customs systems would lead to "biodata collection and mass surveillance of those residing in, entering and leaving our islands", he added.

The letter was also critical of Australia's lack of action on climate change, which Mr Panuelo said was the greatest security threat to the region.

Mr Albanese pledged this week to increase climate financing to Pacific islands, saying climate change was the main economic and security challenge for low-lying island countries.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-25/china-seeks-pacific-islands-policing-security-cooperation/101099978

Peter Dutton 2.0: I’ll be a gentler and caring me

JOE KELLY and SIMON BENSON - MAY 26, 2022

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Peter Dutton has promised that Australians will see another side of his character as opposition leader, arguing the Liberal Party is the natural champion of families, small business and aspirational workers across the nation’s cities, suburbs and regions.

The former defence minister has confirmed he will nominate for the leadership of the Liberal Party and has campaigned on a platform to unify his colleagues and hold Labor to account in an economic cycle dominated by rising inflation and interest rates.

Mr Dutton said he would reveal a gentler side of his character, arguing that the public had grown accustomed to seeing him in “tough portfolios” like defence and home affairs where his job was to deport drug traffickers and child sex offenders.

Amid the debate over whether the party should shift to the right or the left after the teal revolution saw the Liberals lose up to six inner-city seats to Climate 200 independents, Mr Dutton signalled he would lead from the centre.

“We aren’t the Moderate Party. We aren’t the Conservative Party. We are Liberals. We are the Liberal Party. We believe in families – whatever their composition,” he said. “Small and micro businesses. For aspirational, hard-working ‘forgotten people’ across cities, suburbs, regions and in the bush.

“I’ve had tough jobs – firstly as a policeman dealing with serious sexual assaults and murders, to home affairs minister where I deported drug traffickers and child sex offenders.

“Most people have only seen that side of me. I hope now, in moving from such tough portfolios, the Australian public can see the rest of my character, the side my family, friends and colleagues see. The side my community sees, where they have elected me eight times.

“I come from the suburbs and I have never changed my values or forgotten where I come from.”

One of Mr Dutton’s key challenges will be his ability to appeal to female voters, with Scott Morrison having faced severe criticism over his handling of women’s issues, including the response to the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.

Mr Dutton’s wife, Kirilly, said her husband was an “amazing father and the kids adore him”.

The couple has two sons, Harry, 17, and Tom, 16, and daughter Rebecca, 20, from Mr Dutton’s first marriage.

“He has a great sense of humour - very dry and witty but he also has an incredible compassion, particularly when it comes to the protection of women and children,” Ms Dutton said.

“He hides a lot of his emotion from the public but he gets most upset at reports of children or women being sexually abused or harmed. It obviously stems from his time as a policeman working in that area, but it’s also from being the eldest of five kids growing up in the suburbs.”

Mr Dutton said Australians needed a prime minister who “won’t buckle in hard times and will stand up for our country, and I have proved that in the portfolios I’ve had”.

“My work ethic is second to none and I have the skill and experience, having served five leaders and having learnt from each,” he said.

“I have held portfolios in government and in opposition, including defence, home affairs, health, finance, assistant treasurer, sport and employment,

“I was raised by my political mentors John Howard and Peter Costello. I was a minister under John, assistant treasurer under Peter.

“Things are going to be tough under Labor: higher interest rates, cost of living, inflation and electricity prices. Labor talked a big game on the economy.

“They now have to deliver, and we will hold them to account.”

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Mr Dutton said the Liberals would be a “strong alternative at the next election with economic policies to help, not harm people”.

“This will be in stark contrast to what we will get under Labor,” he said.

With Mr Dutton certain to emerge as opposition leader, Labor on Wednesday launched a pre-emptive assault on the future direction of the Liberal Party under his leadership.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said if Mr Dutton was the answer to the problems facing the Liberal Party, then it was “not entirely clear they had heard the questions that were raised during this election campaign”.

Jim Chalmers said Mr Dutton’s elevation would “show they have learned absolutely nothing from the drubbing on Saturday”.

“Peter Dutton has all of the same characteristics that people didn’t like … in Scott Morrison. I think we’re up for a very divided period when it comes to the Liberals and Nationals,” the Treasurer said.

Likely education minister Tanya Plibersek mocked Mr Dutton’s physical appearance on Wednesday, comparing him to the Harry Potter series villain Voldemort.

“There’ll be a lot of children who have watched a lot of Harry Potter films who’ll be very frightened of what they see on TV at night,” she told Brisbane’s 4BC radio.

A spokesman for Ms Plibersek later told The Courier-Mail that she had unreservedly apologised to Mr Dutton for commenting on his appearance.

Mr Dutton has strong defenders within this party ranks, with North Queensland MP Warren Entsch saying the popular characterisation of Mr Dutton in the media was “nothing like the person I know” and “nobody can tell me he isn’t a man of compassion. He has been given some of the most difficult portfolios, and he has had to stick by them despite being vilified by sections of the community.

“He has done incredibly well as minister in adverse positions,” Mr Entsch told The Australian.

Moderate Liberal MPs also poured cold water on reports in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that serious plans to remove Mr Morrison had been canvassed broadly.

Sturt MP James Stevens branded the idea “completely ridiculous … Any experienced political operator knows if any discussion of that nature was occurring, there’s no way the media would not have found out,” Mr Stevens said.

“It would shock me if it was anything more than whispers into an empty beer bottle.”

Mr Entsch said he had been completely unaware of any whispers to roll Mr Morrison, and the only concerns he had heard were from a “couple of constituents”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/peter-dutton-20-ill-be-a-gentler-and-caring-me/news-story/c2592763931229b8c174f23015aa723f

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 26, 2022, 5:04 a.m. No.16344054 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4057

Peter Dutton seeks to recast his image as Tanya Plibersek apologises for likening him to Voldemort

Georgia Hitch and Nour Haydar - 26 May 2022

1/2

Federal Liberal MP Peter Dutton is seeking to change his public image ahead of a vote on Monday to confirm the leader of the Liberal Party and the next opposition leader.

Mr Dutton has formally nominated for the leadership, but he would not speculate on who the deputy leader could be.

Mr Dutton is also attempting to soften his image, saying while he would not be changing who he was he wanted people to be able to see his "complete character".

"Not just what they've seen through sound grabs when I'm talking about boats or all sorts of different issues," he told Nine radio.

"You've got to be a tough person to be the defence minister in this country, you have to be a tough minister to be in charge of ASIO and the Australian Federal Police and Border Force.

"But I've been elected in my seat eight times now and locals who've seen me and interacted with me, I think see a more complete picture and I hope I can show that side as well and people can draw their own conclusions."

Announcing his nomination on social media, Mr Dutton said Australia needed a leader who would not buckle in hard times.

The Liberal nominee said he'd had tough jobs as a government minister and formerly a police officer, but that he also had a softer side.

"Most people have only seen that side of me," he wrote.

"I hope now, in moving from such tough portfolios, the Australian public can see the rest of my character. The side my family, friends and colleagues see."

Earlier, Mr Dutton also appeared to try and differentiate himself from former prime minister Scott Morrison when it came his religiosity.

"I believe in God but I don't attend church on a regular basis, so I'd be a failed Catholic as Tony Abbott would point out, but I don't seek to make that part of who I am," he said.

Mr Morrison was very public about the depth of his Pentecostal Christian faith and regularly attends church.

Yesterday, ousted Liberal MP Dave Sharma said voters in his Sydney electorate believed Mr Morrison was "too religious".

Mr Dutton said as Opposition Leader he would seek to "bring the party together" and restore its position as a "broad church" with voices from both the left and right, but that at the end of the day the Liberal Party was centre-right and would not become "Labor lite".

The 51-year-old conservative hard head has been the centre of his fair share of controversy during his more than 20 years in parliament.

In 2015, he was caught on a "hot mic" making a joke about "water lapping at the door" of Pacific Island nations because of climate change and the next year he made inflammatory remarks about refugees' literacy levels.

He was also the only opposition frontbencher in 2008 to boycott then prime minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generations and personally voted no "and encouraged people to do the same" to same-sex marriage in the 2017 postal vote.

Ultimately, Mr Dutton voted in favour of same-sex marriage in parliament after majority support for it was made clear by the postal vote.

(continued)

>>16344054

2/2

Former environment Minister Sussan Ley is the frontrunner for the deputy leadership position.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Sky News that he hoped he could work cooperatively with Mr Dutton.

"I congratulate him if that is the decision of the Liberal Party," Mr Albanese said.

"The leader of the opposition, I know, isn't an easy task.

"I've got a much better relationship with Peter Dutton than [with] Scott Morrison. Peter Dutton has never broken a confidence I've had with him."

Mr Dutton said he respected and had a good relationship with the Prime Minister, and had been able to work pragmatically with him in the past.

Plibersek apologises for Voldemort comment

Mr Dutton confirmed that senior Labor MP Tanya Plibersek had apologised "to her credit" for likening him to Voldemort, the villain from the Harry Potter series.

Ms Plibersek made the comments on Nine Radio when asked about Mr Dutton becoming opposition leader.

"I think there will be a lot of children who have watched a lot of Harry Potter films who will be very frightened of what they are seeing on TV at night, that's for sure," she had said.

"I am saying he looks a bit like Voldemort and we will see whether he can do what he promised he would do when he was last running for leader, which is smile more."

Mr Dutton told Nine Radio it was "water off a duck's back".

"You read that sort of stuff online and it's sort of the sewer of Twitter… I just don't think you need to be nasty and mean," he said.

He went on to joke that his "head's made for radio" and when his teenage sons give him grief for being bald he reminds them "that I had more hair than they did at 16 and 17" and that they may have the same genes as him.

"I'm not bald by choice, I was diagnosed with a skin condition a couple of years ago, it's all just the reality of getting older," he said.

"I'm not the prettiest bloke on the block but I'm hopeful I'll be pretty effective."

Mr Albanese said Ms Plibersek's remarks were not acceptable and she did the right thing by apologising.

"I do want to change the way that politics functions in this country," he said.

"People do have conflict fatigue."

Morrison looking forward to being 'quiet Australian'

In his first interview since losing the election, former prime minister Scott Morrison says he is looking forward to supporting the new leadership of the Liberal Party.

While he would not comment on who was running to be leader, Mr Morrison told Nine Radio he would support whoever was elected "and the direction they’re taking".

Mr Morrison also said that he was looking forward to "going back to being a 'quiet Australian'" in his local community in Sydney and joked about now doing the drop off and pick-up at school.

"You accept the result and you move on,” Mr Morrison said about Saturday’s defeat.

"You’re just very humbled by the opportunity you’ve had. You can dwell on defeat or you can dwell on the things that led you to go and do what you did.

"You live every day and you take every opportunity you can to achieve what you’re looking to achieve for the country.

"I leave not with regrets but with a great sense of gratitude."

The former prime minister said his faith and his family had allowed him to keep a level head.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/peter-dutton-recast-image-tanya-plibersek-voldemort-comment/101100708

Kevin Spacey charged over four sex attacks

The Hollywood megastar, 62, was charged by the UK’s Metropolitan Police on Thursday and is due to appear in court.

news.com.au - May 27, 2022

Kevin Spacey has been charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men.

The Hollywood megastar, 62, was charged by the UK’s Metropolitan Police on Thursday and is due to appear in court.

He also faces a charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

All of the counts are alleged to have happened between 2005 and 2013.

Four of the alleged offences are said to have taken place in London, while the other is alleged to have happened in Gloucestershire, in the south west of England.

Robert Ainslie, head of the UK Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said: “The CPS has authorised criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men.

“He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation.

“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”

The Met opened an investigation into the House of Cards star in 2017.

Spacey was interviewed under caution by the police in 2019.

His House of Cards character, Frank Underwood, had to be killed off after he was booted from the series as allegations emerged.

Spacey was ordered to pay the studio that created the show $43.7million last year over breach of contract following sexual harrassment claims.

The production company claimed it incurred extra costs as it had already started filming parts of a new series before Spacey had to be cut out.

The former A-lister has a new film coming out, Peter Five Eight, in which he plays a serial killer.

Spacey won the Academy Award for best actor for his performance in American Beauty, and also won the best supporting actor Oscar after starring in The Usual Suspects.

He also starred in Seven, LA Confidential and Baby Driver.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/kevin-spacey-charged-over-four-sex-attacks/news-story/4c0816f584a375a23ea33311390ee460

>House of Cards

Let Me Be Frank

Kevin Spacey

Dec 25, 2018

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

KTWK

Kevin Spacey

Dec 25, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCuuKhjLB0Q

1-800 XMAS

Kevin Spacey

Dec 25, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6_N8uxJQ3g

Q Post #4590

Jul 18 2020 11:18:04 (EST)

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/kevin-spacey-accuser-dies-by-suicide-day-after-actor-posts-kill-them-with-kindness-video

"This marks the third Spacey accuser to die in 2019."

At what point does it become painfully obvious?

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4590

—

Kevin Spacey accuser dies by suicide day after actor posts 'kill them with kindness' video

Spencer Neale - December 26, 2019

A prominent Kevin Spacey accuser died by suicide on Christmas Day.

Ari Behn, 47, was married to Norwegian Princess Martha Louise between 2002 and 2017 and accused Spacey of groping him under a table at a Nobel Peace Prize event in 2007.

"It is with great sadness in our hearts that I on behalf of the very closest relatives of Ari Behn must announce that he took his own life today," Behn's manager Geir Hakonsund told Norway Today.

This marks the third Spacey accuser to die in 2019. In May, Linda Culkin, who accused Spacey, 60, of sexual harassment, was killed when she was struck by a vehicle in Massachusetts. In September, an anonymous massage therapist who accused Spacey of sexual assault died in the middle of a lawsuit against the actor.

Behn's death comes one day after Spacey released a video on YouTube titled "KTWK (Kill Them With Kindness)." Stoking a roaring fireplace adorned with Christmas stockings, Spacey can be seen looking into the camera and saying, "I know what you're thinking. Can he be serious? I'm dead serious."

"The next time someone does something you don't like, you can go on the attack, but you can also hold your fire and do the unexpected," said the Oscar winner as music played in the background. "You can kill them with kindness."

It marked the second video the American Beauty actor has released around the Christmas holiday. In 2018, Spacey published a video titled "Let Me Be Frank," in which he mimicked his character Frank Underwood from the House of Cards TV series.

A statement released by the Royal House of Norway said Behn "was an important part of our family for many years, and we carry warm and good memories of him with us."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/kevin-spacey-accuser-dies-by-suicide-day-after-actor-posts-kill-them-with-kindness-video

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

https://qanon.pub/?q=house%20of%20cards

>House of Cards

Election 2022: Teals were vicious and brutal, says Scott Morrison

JESS MALCOLM - MAY 27, 2022

Scott Morrison says teal independents who unseated up to six moderate Liberals ran a “vicious and brutal campaign” against the Coalition, as he confirmed he would remain in parliament as a backbencher.

In his first interview since Labor won government on Saturday, the former prime minister said he was extremely disappointed but conceded Australians had clearly spoken in favour of change.

Speaking to 2GB radio on Thursday, Mr Morrison said the teal independents had “played hard”. He said he hoped the new independents, who campaigned on ambitious climate change targets and a stronger federal anti-corruption watchdog, followed through on their promises.

“They’ve made all sorts of big commitments about how they think they can change everything – well, we’ll just see, won’t we?” Mr Morrison said. “The newcomers need to be held to account if they did not deliver.”

“I‘m devastated Josh Frydenberg won’t be there,” Mr Morrison said.

“He was a huge part of the party’s future and I certainly hope he still is in some way.”

While refusing to comment directly on the future direction of the Liberal Party, Mr Morrison said he would give his full support to the new team.

“I look forward to giving that new leadership every support, and going back to being a quiet Australian in the (Sutherland) Shire,” he said.

“It’s not the first time that the Liberal Party has lost an election. That happens in various cycles, but the party will regroup under new leadership.”

The new independent MP for North Sydney, Kylea Tink, denied accusations that those backed by the Climate 200 group ran a brutal campaign, as she attacked the Coalition for “refusing to listen” to voter concerns.

“I don’t think our campaign was brutal at all,” Ms Tink told Sky News. “It was the antithesis of that.”

She said the previous Coalition government was one that “was not listening and refused to listen”.

Mr Morrison said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family after a tough few years.

“I’ve got no plans to go anywhere,” Mr Morrison said. “I am going back to the Shire and re-establishing our life back there and getting the girls back into their routine.

“I’ve just dropped them off at school this morning. I’m looking forward to being a dad again – it’s been a while since I’ve been able to spend as much time as I would like with the family. ”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/election-2022-teals-were-vicious-and-brutal-says-scott-morrison/news-story/cd9791df5492b0638a030a7bb241d506

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 27, 2022, 3:04 a.m. No.16349788 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9939

‘Trust and respect’: Macron agrees to rebuild ties with Australia

Trudy Harris - May 27, 2022

Sydney | French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is ready to start rebuilding his country’s fractured relationship with Australia, during his first phone call with new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Mr Macron reminded his new counterpart during the phone call of the “severe breach of trust” that occurred between the two countries over a cancellation of a $90 billion submarine contract that angered Paris.

But in a statement released by the French presidential palace on Thursday (Friday AEST), the leaders agreed to “rebuild a bilateral relationship based on trust and respect to jointly overcome global challenges, foremost among them the climate emergency, and the strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific”.

Mr Macron, who had previously written to Mr Albanese following his election victory on Saturday night, called the prime minister to congratulate him and to discuss the road map ahead, the Élysée statement also said.

“A road map will be prepared to structure this new bilateral agenda, by identifying strategic co-operation between our two countries with the aim of strengthening our resilience and contributing to regional peace and security.”

Mr Macron recalled during the call the “historical ties forged” between France and Australia during World War I and the “immense gratitude of generations of French people” for Australian soldiers’ efforts.

“This sacrifice will never be forgotten, especially when war has returned to the heart of the European continent,” he said of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The French leader had a spectacular personal falling out with Scott Morrison over the Coalition government’s cancellation of the submarine contract with French company Naval Group, and the subsequent creation of AUKUS.

Mr Macron accused Mr Morrison of lying to him, and the two men proved unable to move their governments on from the diplomatic fracas.

Mr Albanese said their conversation was “warm and constructive” in a social media post on Thursday night, with the two leaders discussing their commitment to “a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific, cooperating on climate and energy, and support for Ukraine”.

“I look forward to working together on our shared priorities,” he said on Twitter.

Last October, an outraged France accused its allies of stabbing it in the back when Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines to be built with US and British technology instead of a multi-billion dollar French submarine program.

Departing French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was a bitter critic of the AUKUS pact, and told French media on Saturday that “the defeat of Morrison suits me fine”.

https://www.afr.com/world/europe/trust-and-respect-macron-agrees-to-rebuild-ties-with-australia-20220527-p5aoy6

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1529777358252949506

US greenlights proposed HIMARS rocket launcher sale to Australia

Charbel Kadib - 27 MAY 2022

The State Department has rubber-stamped the proposed sale of half-a-billion-dollars in rocket launch capability to Australia.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has announced the approval of Australia’s proposed request to purchase 20 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) for approximately US$385 million (AU$542 million).

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to the government of Australia of HIMARS launchers and related equipment for an estimated cost of $385 million.

Also included in the proposed deal are:

• 30 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS);

• 30 Alternative Warhead (AW) pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion Systems (IMPS);

• 30 M31A2 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) high explosive pods with IMPS;

• 30 XM403 Extended Range (ER)-GMLRS AW pods;

• 30 EM404 ER GMLRS unitary pods; and

• 10 M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

The Lockheed Martin-built system is billed as a technically advanced, affordable and sustainable artillery solution, designed to offer multiple launch rocket system firepower on a wheeled chassis.

HIMARS can carry a single six-pack of GMLRS rockets or one TACMS missile aboard a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) five-tonne truck and can launch the entire MLRS family of munitions.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States,” the DSCA noted in a statement.

“Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region.

“It is vital to the US national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defence capability.”

Two US government and five US contractor representatives are expected to support the Australian Defence Force’s integration of the capability.

This is the latest of a number of proposed foreign military sales approved by the United States this year.

In April, the Commonwealth government secured approval for its proposed acquisition of 106 Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) terminals for approximately US$42 million ($56 million).

Earlier in the year, the US also greenlit a US$122 million ($168.7 million) purchase request for Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) and related equipment.

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/strike-air-combat/10082-us-greenlights-proposed-himars-rocket-launcher-sale-to-australia

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/australia-himars-launchers

https://www.dsca.mil/sites/default/files/mas/Press%20Release%20-%20Australia%2022-28%20CN.pdf

Missing witness and a change of government: the latest delays in Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case

Trial held up due to Covid and fall of Kabul now waits for evidence release by new attorney general and reappearance of Person 27

Ben Doherty - 27 May 2022

Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case – first filed in 2018 – has borne delays for Covid and national security concerns, been rearranged because of the fall of Kabul, and now, in its final days of evidence, has been further stalled by a change of government and witnesses who can’t be found.

The nearly year-long trial, has only two witnesses left to appear – both subpoenaed by Roberts-Smith: two serving SAS members, anonymised as Person 27 and Person 81.

Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, is suing three newspapers for defamation over a series of reports he alleges portray him as committing war crimes, including murder.

The newspapers are pleading a defence of truth. Roberts-Smith denies any wrongdoing.

Person 27 has already given evidence in this trial, but is being recalled to be re-cross-examined over alleged inconsistencies in his evidence.

But efforts to find him have thus far proven fruitless.

The court heard Friday morning it was believed he was “out of the jurisdiction … that is overseas” on military service, “but we haven’t been able to confirm that,” the barrister for Roberts-Smith, Arthur Moses SC, told the court.

The appearance of the final witness has been delayed by Australia’s change of government at the weekend. Person 81 is a serving member of the SAS, and a senior officer in the regiment.

About 30 defence documents relating to his evidence need to be released by the government, requiring the commonwealth attorney general to sign off because of national security concerns.

With the change in government after last weekend’s election result, that signoff has been delayed. ACT Senator Katy Gallagher has been sworn in as interim attorney general and is expected to make a decision on whether to release the documents early next week.

It is expected that the final two witnesses will give evidence next week. After a break, the trial will then hear closing submissions, before Justice Anthony Besanko retires to make a ruling and deliver his judgment.

Roberts-Smith’s defamation action was filed in 2018, but the trial did not begin hearing evidence until the middle of 2021.

The evidence of three Afghan witnesses was brought forward in July that year due to deteriorating security conditions in Afghanistan. In a brutal and swift coup, Kabul fell back under the control of the Taliban a month later.

The trial was then delayed by Sydney’s Covid-19 delta outbreak and the closure of some of Australia’s internal borders. Many of the SAS witnesses in Perth were unable to attend court in Sydney without becoming stranded because of Western Australia’s strict Covid restrictions. Given the sensitive nature of their evidence relating to national security, they could not appear by video link.

Lawyers for Roberts-Smith told the court he was being disadvantaged by the constant delays in the trial, and argued hearings should be moved to a new city, lest it become indefinitely delayed. Lawyers for the commonwealth argued against moving, citing the extraordinary and costly national security protocols that had been put in place in Sydney to run the trial.

The trial was kept in Sydney, but was put on hiatus for nearly six months, before resuming in February this year.

The last weeks of evidence have been slowed by scheduling issues around witnesses, including one soldier who was forbidden from giving evidence at the last minute by the foreign military with which he now serves.

The trial will resume next week, with evidence expected to be completed by the end of the week. A judgment could be months, even up to a year, away.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/27/missing-witness-and-a-change-of-government-the-latest-delays-in-ben-roberts-smiths-defamation-case

Julian Assange's family says federal election result brings renewed hope for WikiLeaks founder's release

Brendan Mounter and Adam Stephen - 27 May 2022

1/2

The family of Julian Assange is hopeful the election of a federal Labor government will pave the way for the WikiLeaks founder's eventual release and a return to Australia.

It has been almost a decade since Mr Assange, who originally hails from Townsville in north Queensland, has been a free man.

For the past three years, he has been in high security detention at Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom, after seven years of asylum within London's Ecuadorian embassy in a bid to avoid arrest.

United States authorities have sought Mr Assange's extradition from the UK so he can stand trial on charges of espionage and computer misuse relating to hundreds of thousands of leaked cables from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His brother, film producer Gabriel Shipton, said Mr Assange had been persecuted for publishing the ugly truths of war.

"Julian is accused of what investigative journalists do all the time, which is sourcing and publishing materials from a source, Chelsea Manning," Mr Shipton said.

"Those releases exposed war crimes in Iraq, undocumented civilian deaths in Iraq, corruption, government malfeasance … all sorts of things."

American prosecutors allege Mr Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

Family urges incoming government to act

Lawyers for Mr Assange fear he could face up to 175 years in jail if he is extradited to the US and convicted.

But the weekend's election result has buoyed his supporters, with the hope that the new Labor government will intervene and help secure his release.

While in Opposition, newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is reported to have told a February 2021 caucus meeting that "enough was enough" and he "can't see what's served by keeping [Assange] incarcerated".

Mr Albanese is also a signatory to the Bring Julian Assange Home Campaign petition.

Senior Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, who is expected to be appointed Attorney-General, has also expressed a need to "bring the matter to a close".

Mr Shipton is calling on the new government to turn those words into action.

"That was the Labor position before the election so we're very hopeful when there's a new administration, a new government coming in there's always a lot of hope that they will live up to their promises," he said.

"I hope [Mr Albanese] raised Julian's case with [US President] Joe Biden [at the recent Quad meeting]."

The ABC has approached federal Labor to confirm if MPs' positions had changed, whether Mr Assange's case was raised at this week's Quad meeting in Tokyo, and what plans the new government had to intervene or offer consulate assistance.

A spokesperson said the ALP could not comment at this stage, noting the new ministry was yet to be appointed.

(continued)

2/2

UK precedent could offer Assange a lifeline

Mr Shipton said the UK and Australia could also work together to reject the US extradition request, citing a precedent set when former British home secretary Theresa May was in office.

"She rejected an extradition order for Gary McKinnon, who had a similar Asperger's syndrome and severe depression that Julian has, saying that Gary would not get the support that is needed for his conditions in a US prison, so there is a precedent there," he said.

"I think Anthony Albanese could just pick up the phone and call Boris Johnson and implore him to show some compassion on this."

Mr Shipton has grave fears for his brother's welfare, well beyond any life sentence, if he were to be extradited to the US.

"I really believe he won't be kept safe there in the US prison system," he said.

"We know there are people who are part of the security state in the US who really want Julian dead. They've called for it on national television.

"It's really important that we stop this here; that he's not extradited, and he's released and brought home to Australia."

Assange supporters believe his freedom is important for democracy

Mr Shipton had produced a documentary called Ithaka, detailing the efforts of John Shipton, the brothers' father, to secure his son's freedom.

He believes public support for his brother has galvanised during the prolonged incarceration, citing various petitions and a growing number of public figures demanding Mr Assange's release.

"It's not just about Julian, it's about all of us, and I think people around the world are starting to realise that and they're making their voices heard," he said.

"People are beginning to see what this case means for their right to know what the government's doing in their name.

"I really believe that this movement is growing and we will be able to bring Julian home."

Ithaka will be screened on ABC TV and ABC iView over two nights beginning on June 7.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-27/julian-assange-release-family-election-result-brings-hope/101100860

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ithaka-a-fight-to-free-julian-assange

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 27, 2022, 3:53 a.m. No.16349873 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9879

Wong takes on Beijing over climate, debt and influence

Eryk Bagshaw - May 26, 2022

1/2

Singapore: Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned Pacific leaders a region-wide security and trade deal with Beijing could sacrifice their independence, lead to unsustainable debt levels and endanger the region.

Wong spoke in Suva after new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed the former Coalition government for China’s rising influence in the Pacific, arguing Australia had “dropped the ball” by neglecting its closest neighbours.

Albanese said the security deal between Beijing and Solomon Islands signed last month was “just the first of a range of deals that they want to exercise” and that Australia had to increase respect as well as funding for the Pacific.

In her first press conference as foreign minister, at the Pacific Islands Forum on Thursday evening, Wong set off a fight over the future of the region as Canberra and Beijing vie for influence and allies through promises of economic development, security assistance and climate change action.

“Our objective is your independence and your own economic sustainability and prosperity,” she said. “It doesn’t come with strings attached. What we would urge as Australia is consideration of where a nation might wish to be in three or five or 10 years.”

Wong said Australia would help secure the region, appoint a new ambassador for climate change and put its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 into law.

“I understand that climate change is not an abstract threat, but an existential one,” she said. “The triple challenges of climate, COVID and strategic contest will challenge us in new ways”.

Wong acknowledged that Australia had neglected its climate change commitments but dismissed Beijing’s criticism of Australia’s record as “disappointing”, noting that China was Australia’s largest coal export market.

In comments directed at Beijing, Wong told the forum that Australia would not impose unsustainable financial burdens. “We are a partner that won’t erode Pacific priorities or institutions,” she said.

She then took a jab at China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, over Beijing’s record on press freedom.

“I hope that you get the opportunity to ask as many questions of the foreign minister when he comes as you get to ask me,” she said.

(continued)

>>16349873

2/2

Wong and Wang both arrived in the Pacific on Thursday as the Chinese foreign minister landed in Solomon Islands for the first time since a security deal with Honiara was signed. Wang said on Thursday that China had “no intention” of building a military base in the Solomons. The draft text of the security deal revealed plans to allow Chinese ships to be serviced and replenished in the Pacific nation. Wang defended the signing of the deal as “above board, with honesty and integrity”.

China’s President Xi Jinping in 2015 pledged to not militarise islands in the South China Sea, an area that has since seen a steady build up of Chinese military infrastructure.

Wang told Solomon Islands Acting Governor-General Patteson Oti on Thursday morning that China respected Solomon Islands in developing friendly relations with all countries.

But that assurance has done little to manage Australia’s concerns after revelations on Wednesday that China was seeking to establish a 10-country security and trade deal with the Pacific, a move labelled by the President of the Federated States of Micronesia David Panuelo as “the single-most game-changing proposed agreement in the Pacific in any of our lifetimes”.

The deal would establish a Beijing-orchestrated free trade area, climate change cooperation, digital forensics, security training for Pacific Islands police, and diplomatic exchange programs in exchange for Chinese-backed infrastructure investment.

“[This will] shift those of us with diplomatic relations with China very close into Beijing’s orbit, intrinsically tying the whole of our economies and societies to them,” Panuelo warned in a May 20 letter first obtained by Reuters to 20 Pacific leaders, including former prime minister Scott Morrison.

The proposal – which includes a clause committing members to not interfering in China’s internal affairs – is due to be debated at a Pacific foreign ministers meeting on May 30.

Albanese said Australia had to respond by providing $525 million in extra aid, building climate change resilience programs and ramping up migration programs and security exchange programs with the Pacific.

“We know that this has been building for some time. Australia dropped the ball. We can’t afford to do that. We need to reengage with the region,” he told the ABC on Thursday.

“They are sovereign nations, of course. And we need to respect that. But we need to be offering more support. Otherwise, we can see the consequences of the deal that was done with the Solomons. We know that China sees that as the first of many which is the context of their foreign minister’s visit to the region.”

The Solomon Islands security deal will allow China to protect its infrastructure assets by force less than 2000 kilometres from the Australian coast. Fears spread to Washington on Thursday that a similar proposal could be adopted throughout the Pacific.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US was concerned the reported agreements were being negotiated through a rushed and opaque process.

”These recent security agreements have been conducted with little regional consultation, provoking public concern not only in the US but across the Indo-Pacific region,” he said. “We don’t believe that importing security forces from the People’s Republic of China and their methods will help any Pacific Island country.”

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/wong-takes-on-beijing-over-climate-debt-and-influence-20220526-p5aov3.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-27/new-foreign-minister-penny-wong-makes-pitch-to-pacific/101104730

China eyes next Pacific target, says opposition ‘doomed to fail’

Eryk Bagshaw and Anthony Galloway - May 27, 2022

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Singapore: China says attempts by the United States and Australia to sabotage its security plans for the Pacific are doomed to fail, as Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrived in Kiribati to forge ahead with plans for Chinese-built infrastructure in the island nation.

As China and Australia go head-to-head in a diplomatic blitz of the Pacific,Wang accused the US and Australia of treating the region as their “backyard” and said China would help strengthen security cooperation in the region. The comments, after a meeting with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, followed interventions by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the US State Department on Thursday.

“Any smears and attacks on China-Solomon Islands normal security cooperation will be a dead end and any interference and sabotage will be doomed to failure,” Wang said in Honiara.

US officials continue to hold concerns about China’s plans for a two-kilometre runway on the tiny Kiribati island of Kanton halfway between the US and Asia. China’s Foreign Ministry says it has proposed upgrading and improving the airstrip - an ageing stop off on long-haul tourism flights across the Pacific. The Kiribati government maintains China has only provided funding for a feasibility study and any runway will be strictly for civilians. Kiribati’s foreign affairs secretary Michael Foon last week denied the country was in “discussions on a security agreement with any partner” after warnings from the US about a broader deal with China.

Kiribati has control over 3.5 million square kilometres of the Pacific and one of the world’s largest protected fishing areas. Like the Solomons, Kiribati switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019. Taiwan claims Beijing made promises to Kiribati of planes, ferries and economic investment.

The details of Wang’s visit have been closely guarded but the Kiribati government made an exception to its strict COVID-19 border policy for the 20-strong Chinese entourage to arrive on Friday. All officials who meet with Wang during his four-hour visit will have to go into quarantine for a week.

Kiribati opposition leader Tessie Lambourne said on Wednesday she was “gravely concerned” about a security deal between Kiribati and Beijing that would give China access to Kanton Island and its marine zones.

“Our rich marine territory in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) will be under China’s control for sure,” she told 1News in New Zealand.

(continued)

>>16349907

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Washington and Canberra have been lobbying other Pacific nations against signing up to a proposed 10-country Solomons-style trade and security pact with China that could shift the balance of power in the region and see Beijing establish a strategic foothold between Australia, Asia and the United States.

On Friday, China’s ambitions were dealt a blow after Fiji, the region’s largest economy and most significant diplomatic player, announced it would join a US-led Indo-Pacific framework. The framework, which to date is more symbolic than practical, is designed to counter China’s “Common Development Vision,” which offers countries security training and free trade networks in exchange for Chinese-led development.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Fiji had joined the framework because “across geography, we are united in our commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”.

The Fiji announcement came as Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Friday in Suva. Wong denied her trip to the Pacific had anything to do with Wang’s visit to the region. The Chinese Foreign Minister is scheduled to attend a meeting in Fiji on May 30 where China’s proposed development plan will be debated.

“I was very keen to come to the Pacific as soon as I became Foreign Minister,” she said. “It’s for Pacific nations to make their own decisions about who they want to partner with and in which areas.

“We want to be a partner of choice. We want to demonstrate to your nation and other nations of the region that we are a partner who can be trusted, who can be reliable – and historically, we have been.”

Wong said Australia had expressed its concerns publicly about the security agreement between Solomon Islands and China because, like other Pacific nations, “we think there are consequences, we think it is important that the security of the region is determined by the region”.

Wang rejected that criticism. “The framework agreement aims to…support Solomon Islands to better safeguard its social security while also protecting the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Solomon Islands,” he said.

“[This is] reasonable and legitimate with everything being operated in an open and transparent manner.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that competition between China, the US and its allies would continue to escalate, but Washington was not looking for conflict or a new Cold War.

“China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it,” he said.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-eyes-next-pacific-target-says-opposition-doomed-to-fail-20220527-p5ap3g.html

Chinese foreign minister starts Pacific tour, offering security and free trade pacts

South China Morning Post

May 27, 2022

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on May 26 as part of a 10-day tour of the region. The visit comes as China puts forward both a wide-ranging draft agreement on security and economic cooperation and a five-year plan to 10 nations in the Pacific.

Beijing’s security pact with Honiara has raised fears in the region that it could lead to a Chinese military presence in the Pacific island nation. Both Honiara and Beijing have denied plans for a base.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM1_cgb_Zzk

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 27, 2022, 4:55 a.m. No.16350025 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0041

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare Meets with Wang Yi

2022-05-27

On May 26, 2022 local time, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Prime Minister's Office in Honiara.

Sogavare asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese leaders and his heartfelt thanks to China for its strong support and great help for Solomon Islands' development. He expressed that Solomon Islands firmly supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly defends the one-China principle, and always stands shoulder to shoulder with China on the right side of history.

Sogavare said that China has become the largest infrastructure partner and a reliable development partner of Solomon Islands. He thanked China for providing anti-pandemic materials as well as rapid testing equipment and dispatching medical teams to Solomon Islands. He also appreciated China's timely provision of police supplies and sending police advisors to help maintain social security after the riots in Honiara. The cooperation between Solomon Islands and China is based on equal treatment and mutual respect, witnessing increasingly close ties in various fields and bringing tangible benefits to Solomon Islands' people.

Wang Yi conveyed the Chinese leaders' cordial greetings and good wishes to Prime Minister Sogavare, expressing China's appreciation of Solomon Islands' firm will to safeguard national interests, strong desire to develop China-Solomon Islands friendly cooperation, staunch adherence to the one-China principle and its friendship policy toward China. China also firmly supports Solomon Islands in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, maintaining domestic solidarity and unity, and accelerating the realization of national prosperity and strength in accordance with the development path chosen by Solomon Islands.

Wang Yi said that friendship, whenever it happens, is cherishable. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Solomon Islands is not long, but it has a good start and witnesses the steady and rapid development. The two countries witness increasingly deepening political mutual trust and broad prospects for practical cooperation, having become close friends with mutual trust and good partners with mutual support. Facts have showcased that Solomon Islands' political decision to establish diplomatic relations with China is totally in line with the trend of development and progress of the times as well as the fundamental and long-term interests of Solomon Islands' people. China is willing to work with Solomon Islands in the spirit of seizing the day and giving full play to the late starter's advantage so as to make the bilateral relations stronger and promote deeper cooperation for bringing more benefits to the two peoples.

Sogavare thanked China for speaking up for Solomon Islands at the UN Security Council and expressed his willingness to continue to enhance communication and cooperation with China in international affairs. Wang Yi stressed that the evolution of the current changes unseen in a century is accelerating and unilateral bullying acts are rampant, while the collective rise of emerging markets and the peace and development are still inexorable trends. China is willing to work with Solomon Islands to strengthen coordination and cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, adhere to true multilateralism, and promote cooperation on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and climate change response, so as to jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of small and medium-sized countries.

After the meeting, the two sides attended the signing ceremony of cooperation documents on Blue Economy, tariff preferences, health and anti-pandemic, civil aviation, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

On the same day, Wang Yi met with Acting Governor General of Solomon Islands John Patteson Oti. Wang Yi also held talks with Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele and they met the press together.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202205/t20220527_10693326.html

>>16350025

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

Wang Yi Expounds on Three Principles of China-Solomon Islands Security Cooperation

2022-05-26

On May 26, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister of Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele jointly met the press in Honiara.

In response to a reporter's question about the China-Solomon Islands framework agreement on security cooperation, which has aroused some debate and suspicion, Wang Yi said that the framework agreement on security cooperation negotiated between China and Solomon Islands is the cooperation between sovereign countries, which aims to assist Solomon Islands in improving its policing and law enforcement capabilities and support Solomon Islands to better safeguard its social security while also protecting the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Solomon Islands, which is reasonable and legitimate with everything being operated in an open and transparent manner.

Wang Yi further expounded on three principles for China and Solomon Islands to promote security cooperation.

The first principle is to fully respect the national sovereignty of Solomon Islands. China-Solomon Islands cooperation is based on Solomon Islands' needs and requirements, on the premise of Solomon Islands' consent, and on the basis of equal consultation. It is never China's foreign policy, nor is it Chinese style, to impose business deals on others, interfere in Solomon Islands' internal affairs, or damage other countries' interests.

The second one is to help maintain the social stability of Solomon Islands. China-Solomon Islands security cooperation includes assistance in maintaining social order, protecting lives and property in accordance with the law as well as conducting humanitarian relief and natural disaster response at the request of Solomon Islands. The aim is to help Solomon Islands strengthen police capacity-building, offset the security governance deficit and maintain domestic stability and long-lasting peace and security. China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is aboveboard and frank, not imposing on others, not targeting third parties and not intending to establish military bases.

The third one is in parallel with regional arrangements. China supports Pacific Island Countries in strengthening security cooperation and working together to address regional security challenges. China also supports the existing regional security cooperation arrangements. At the same time, China-Solomon Islands security cooperation and the existing regional arrangements complement each other, sharing the same objectives and interests. China-Solomon Islands security cooperation conforms to the common interests of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific region.

Wang Yi stressed that Pacific Island Countries are sovereign and independent states and are not anyone's "backyard"; both countries have the right to make their own choices, not being subordinate to others. Any smears and attacks on China-Solomon Islands normal security cooperation will be a dead end and any interference and sabotage will be doomed to failure.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202205/t20220526_10693195.html

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China-Australia relations: ex-Australian PM Kevin Rudd tells West to offer alternatives to Pacific islands, not ‘lectures’ about their ties with Beijing

Bhavan Jaipragas - 27 May, 2022

Western powers should avoid delivering “stern moral lectures” to Pacific island states about their deepening ties with China and instead offer alternative development proposals, the former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has said.

The comments by Rudd, the ex-leader of the Australian Labor Party that swept to power in last weekend’s election, comes amid duelling visits by the new Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to the Pacific region this week.

The visits follow the Solomon Islands’ recent decision to sign a security pact with China, a move the West believes is a precursor to Beijing bolstering its military presence in the region. China has denied having any such motivations.

“The critical thing for the island states is to ensure that their basic national interests are being properly attended to by the large powers around the Pacific, Rudd said in a dialogue session at Nikkei’s Future of Asia conference.

He said these micronations – with “micro-budgets” crucially required development assistance, policy arrangements to protect their extensive fisheries resources and protection of their territorial integrity as they come under threat from rising sea levels.

What was required was regular face-to-face diplomacy from senior Australian, New Zealand and American officials, he said.

The way forward was “not to issue public declarations condemning any of these countries for beginning to sign agreements with China”, Rudd said.

“These are sovereign states, they’re entitled to do what they wish to do. The challenge for Australia and other partners in the region is to offer different, better and more development-friendly proposals for consideration embraced by these governments rather than delivering them a stern moral lecture,” he said. “The latter is more likely to have an averse reaction.”

On the likely Asia policy of the new government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who served as Rudd’s No 2 during one of his two terms in power, the former leader said the administration had to deliver concrete policy proposals.

“I think the key challenge for Australia is to respond to the legitimate development needs and climate action needs of both Southeast Asia and the South Pacific rather than waving some strategic wand over the top and pretending it will be all right in the morning.”

Rudd was speaking remotely from Washington on the second day of the high-profile conference, which also featured speeches by the prime ministers of Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

In a panel session earlier on Friday, the former Singaporean ambassador to the United Nations Bilahari Kausikan, US foreign policy scholar Bonnie Glaser, and Peking University’s professor of International Studies Jia Qingguo discussed US-China ties in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Beijing’s decision to remain neutral over the conflict.

Bilahari suggested recent events, including the international community’s reaction to the Russian invasion, indicated that the “global correlation of forces” was moving in the direction of the West “and China cannot be very happy about it”.

The conflict has “coalesced the West, coalesced Europe, it has given new energy to the Quad [group of nations],” he said.

Responding, Jia said it was important to note that the West “has a lot of problems mostly not caused by others, but by themselves at home”. He referenced America’s inability to forge a multi-trade trade pact with Asia – choosing instead to launch a looser Indo-Pacific Economic Framework – due to domestic political reasons.

He suggested that the US was seeking an “ideological” international order, while Beijing was seeking a “secular” order that was based on “national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3179402/china-australia-relations-former-australian-pm-kevin-rudd-tells?module=live&pgtype=homepage

Australian scholars call for improvement of China-Australia relationship

Xinhua - 2022-05-27

CANBERRA, May 27 (Xinhua) - Fifteen scholars from Australian universities called for improvement of China-Australia relationship in an open letter released on Thursday.

The open letter, to the new federal government elected last Saturday, was published on the blog platform Pearls and Irritations.

The scholars included former diplomat and visiting professor in the University of Sydney Jocelyn Chey, Australian National University (ANU) professor and economist Jane Golley, Director of the China Studies Center at the University of Sydney David Goodman, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute in the University of Technology Sydney James Laurenceson, and Ben Hillman, director of the Australian Center on China in the World in the ANU.

Addressing to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the letter said, "The change in government presents the opportunity for a circuit breaker in the poor diplomatic relations that have developed between Australia and China in the recent past."

"As professors of China Studies who undertake research on various aspects of China's society and politics, we acknowledge that the new government is likely to avoid the over-aggressive approach of its predecessor. In our view less public aggression is likely to be more effective in dealing with China: international engagement should replace the language of war," it said.

The scholars said the growth of China, as a significant regional and would-be global power, is bound to be disruptive, and two-way communication, rather than "megaphone diplomacy", is needed so that the changing environment is managed as effectively as possible.

"A China policy informed as much by diplomatic and economic interests as by great power strategic concerns may well and more sustainably ensure Australia's national and economic security," they said.

"While appreciating the tremendous difficulties ahead we urge this adjustment in approach to China."

https://english.news.cn/20220527/c8490b3ec28f499f80c900d6a21f61de/c.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 27, 2022, 5:30 a.m. No.16350134 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1309

>>16350130

David Goodman and others – An Open letter to the New Government on relations with China

P&I Guest Writers - May 26, 2022

To Prime Minister Albanese and Foreign Minister Wong,

In the spirit of new opportunities represented by your election, we would like to offer the following thoughts on our country’s relationship to the People’s Republic of China.

The change in government presents the opportunity for a circuit breaker in the poor diplomatic relations that have developed between Australia and China in the recent past. As professors of China Studies who undertake research on various aspects of China’s society and politics, we acknowledge that the new government is likely to avoid the over-aggressive approach of its predecessor. In our view less public aggression is likely to be more effective in dealing with China: international engagement should replace the language of war.

The growth of China as a significant regional and would-be global power is bound to be disruptive. Two-way communication not ‘megaphone diplomacy’ is needed so that the changing environment is managed as effectively as possible. In particular, a China policy informed as much by diplomatic and economic interests as by great power strategic concerns may well and more sustainably ensure Australia’s national and economic security. While appreciating the tremendous difficulties ahead we urge this adjustment in approach to China.

Vivienne Bath, Professor of Law, University of Sydney.

Jocelyn Chey, AM, Visiting Professor of Chinese Studies, University of Sydney

Louise Edwards, Emeritus Professor University of New South Wales

Mobo Gao, Professor of Chinese, University of Adelaide

Jane Golley, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

David S G Goodman, Professor and Director, China Studies Centre, University of Sydney

Yingjie Guo, Professor of Chinese Studies, University of Sydney

Hans Hendrischke, Professor of Chinese Business and Management, University of Sydney

Ben Hillman, Professor and Director, Centre on China in the World, Australian National university

James Laurenceson, Professor of Economics and Director Australia China Relations Institute, UTS

Kam Louie, Honorary Professor of Chinese Studies, University of New South Wales

Wanning Sun, Professor of Media and Communications, UTS

Sue Trevaskes, Professor of Chinese Studies, Griffith University

Mark Yaolin Wang, Professor and Director Centre for Contemporary China Studies, University of Melbourne

Anthony Welch, Professor of Education, University of Sydney

https://johnmenadue.com/david-goodman-and-others-an-open-letter-to-the-new-government-on-relations-with-china/

‘Son of Satan’: Man jailed for 25 years for depraved attacks on women

Erin Pearson - May 26, 2022

Warning: This story contains disturbing content

Andrew Males’ victims call him the son of Satan.

The cruel and sadistic man with links to white supremacy groups took pleasure in raping, bashing and brutalising women across Melbourne’s north and west over two decades.

“I used to think things would always get better with Andrew, but I think I always knew there was evil in him. He’s like the son of Satan,” one victim said.

On Thursday, Males, 43, was jailed for 25½ years for what a judge described as sustained and devastating attacks against four women.

The County Court heard there were no other cases like Males’ recorded in Victoria’s history. Police sources described him as one of the worst perpetrators of sexual and family violence the state had ever seen before he was finally arrested in 2015 and later charged with 20 years of abuse.

Judge Patricia Riddell said Males’ violence and sexual offending included some of the worst examples of the crimes. She praised the courage of the women who not only survived their attacker’s abuse, but took their stories to trial.

Riddell said research showed abused women were less likely to report violence when it came from a partner than a stranger, as feelings of emotional attachment and self-loathing were often complicating features. She acknowledged the crimes left the victims scared, humiliated and ashamed.

The judge told Males: “They have brought you to justice.

“The community is sick of, and sickened by, the cowardice of men like you,” Riddell said.

“The sinister nature of intimate partner violence is exacerbated by the fact it is often hidden. A secret scourge on the community.”

Despite appearing in court almost every year of his adult life, the court heard Males had avoided charges for sexual crimes until recently, offending against new and former victims every time he was released from custody from the age of 18.

While some of his offending is too graphic to detail, the court heard he repeatedly choked his victims until they passed out, raped one victim while she was unconscious and beat another with a hammer.

One of Male’s teenage victims had known him only days when he forcibly held and abused her for weeks in a bungalow behind his Altona North house. He raped another in the dining room of his mother’s house.

The four women were vulnerable, some homeless and others young mothers, the court heard. They had nowhere to go when Males befriended them before they started relationships.

Males was charged with more than 130 offences against nine women in 2017, but five women’s cases did not proceed to trial.

Following two separate trials in 2021, he was found guilty of 24 charges against four women, including nine counts of rape and 10 of intentionally causing injury.

Court records show Males had been dealt with by the courts almost every year of his adult life until his arrest. Those crimes included jail terms and suspended sentences for violence and weapons offences, armed robbery, and placing others in danger of death.

He was on bail, and on parole, for other crimes during his offending against the four women.

Court records also show Males was earlier convicted over violent assaults on two other women with “chilling” similarities.

“Despite repeated involvement with the authorities and periods of incarceration, you continued to commit serious examples of violence and sexual violence,” Riddell said.

“A lifetime in the criminal justice system did not deter you.”

A formal risk assessment has since declared Males to be at the highest risk category of reoffending, and the judge acknowledged he would pose a serious danger to women when released.

Males, who had failed to show any remorse, yelled abuse at his victims on Thursday, but his insults were muffled by the glass in the dock.

Males must serve 20 years and 10 months before he is eligible for parole.

He will also be on the sex offenders register for life.

Outside court, one victim, Julie, whose surname has been withheld, told The Age she hoped the lengthy sentence would encourage others to come forward.

Still physically and emotionally scarred by the abuse she suffered for more than eight years, she urged other women not to stay quiet.

“I never thought police would believe me if I reported it because what he did was so horrible, like something out of a horror movie that no one would think was real. But they did,” she said.

“If you stay, the pain is only going to get worse.”

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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

https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/son-of-satan-man-jailed-for-25-years-for-depraved-attacks-on-women-20220525-p5aodc.html

Queensland MP shares story of child sexual abuse to 'give a voice' to other survivors

Tobias Jurss-Lewis - 26 May 2022

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A Queensland MP has shared her harrowing story as a victim of child sexual abuse in a bid to raise awareness and inspire other victims to speak out.

WARNING: This story contains graphic details that readers may find distressing.

Labor Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon told Queensland parliament she had been "chased by demons" since being "repeatedly raped and abused" as a child – but said she would "recover loudly so others don't die silently".

Ms McMahon was elected to Macalister in November 2017, which is centred on Beenleigh, south of Brisbane.

She is currently a member of Parliament's Mental Health Select Committee and the Crime and Corruption Committee.

Ms McMahon told the house she would seek a leave of absence from parliament, but did not reveal from when or for how long.

"My recovery is not done," she said.

"I know that in standing up here today … will inevitably have ramifications for my own wellbeing in the short term.

"I know I need to take time to rebalance and spend with my family."

Ms McMahon told the house she was first abused at the age of five when "those who were responsible for my supervision after school were derelict in their duty".

"I was subsequently left in the care of a group of older teenagers," she said.

"Most afternoons I was shopped around the neighbourhood to other teenagers and men, often in exchange for a can of soft drink.

"I still vividly remember the first and the second time this occurred to me but mercifully after that it is a blur."

'Look pure evil in the face'

She said her family's "nomadic lifestyle" moved them on, but "the worst was yet to come" and at the age of nine she "would look pure evil in the face for the first time".

"Courtesy of our church, I came into the company and under the supervision of the last person on Earth who should ever be granted such a position — a child sex offender recently released for a particularly heinous child sex crime," she said.

"They declined to notify my family, with whom he was placed again. My hours after school became a personal hell.

"I cannot quite put into words the things that happened to me or what I was made to do."

Before Ms McMahon was elected to parliament in 2017, Ms McMahon enlisted in the Australian army in 1994 at the age of 18.

She then joined the Queensland Police Service in 1997, attaining the rank of sergeant, with her last posting working in the Domestic, Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Unit.

"The sense of dread that I feel whenever an Argos investigation uncovers new amounts of child exploitation material never goes away," she told the house.

While working as a police officer, Ms McMahon continued her army service through the reserves, reaching the rank of major. She was deployed on overseas operations twice from 2008, leading specialist teams in field roles.

(continued)

>>16350240

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'Exhaustion reached its limit'

Ms McMahon said she was "saved" again when her family moved, but she had been haunted by the experience for 40 years.

She said last year her "exhaustion reached its limit".

"My facade cracked … and feelings that I had meticulously tucked away and locked in a box deep down kept threatening to come to the surface," Ms McMahon said.

"I felt like my skin was inside out. I felt raw and exposed walking around.

"I sought [help] where I could — my GP, a counsellor or psychologist, friends and colleagues … [but] earlier this year, I did hit rock bottom."

Ms McMahon described "walking out of the PA hospital barefoot with what is left of my prescription medication" and "giving the answers I knew I had to give to avoid being admitted to a mental health unit".

"Paramedics and police were called to my home," she said.

"My children had found me unresponsive.

"I was resuscitated.

"For the unbearable stress this placed on my family late that night, I am truly sorry."

Authenticity the way forward

Ms McMahon told the house her way forward would be authenticity, "to let go of the facade … acknowledging my past truthfully and fully".

"I will talk about these things so maybe someone else won't wait 40 years to talk," she said.

"I have a voice in here [in parliament] and I will use it to give a voice to those who aren't yet brave enough to."

Ms McMahon said she was "more determined than ever to continue to contribute as a member of this government".

She was congratulated on her bravery by members of both her party and the opposition.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/qld-mp-melissa-mcmahon-shares-child-sexual-abuse-story/101103290

Former Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes’ public parole hearing concludes in Sydney

A former Hey Dad! cast member and convicted pedophile’s sad transformation was revealed when he appeared in court in a bid for freedom.

Ryan Young - May 27, 2022

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Convicted pedophile and ex-Australian TV star Robert Hughes should be released from prison because there is a low risk he will reoffend, a court has been told.

The 73-year-old former star of sitcom Hey Dad!, who was described as looking old and frail, is serving a 10 year and nine-month prison sentence for historic child sex offences, including sexual intercourse without consent and multiple acts of indecent assault.

His six year non-parole period expired in 2020 and the NSW State Parole Authority has twice refused him parole.

The authority held a public hearing in Sydney on Friday after earlier requesting a psychological report about Hughes’ risk of reoffending.

Addressing the hearing, Hughes’ solicitor Hannah Bruce said he had “consistently been assessed as either medium, below risk or low risk of reoffending”.

“Whilst in custody it makes him ineligible for programs, he is ineligible for any sex offender programs … there are no further programs that he can complete whilst in custody that would go to reducing his risk of reoffending,” she said.

“It’s not a situation where he will be completely unmonitored when released to the community.

“He’s a gentleman towards the end of his years. His focus on release is maintaining a very low profile.”

The hearing was told Hughes’ wife, former celebrity talent agent Robyn Gardner, maintained her support for him and had made contact with a psychologist specialising in treating sex offenders like Hughes who maintain their innocence.

If parole is granted Hughes will be immediately deported to the UK after he renounced his Australian citizenship and the federal government cancelled his residency visa.

In the UK Hughes will be required to notify authorities about his whereabouts and personal circumstances, with his legal representative telling the hearing there would be “significant sanctions” if the notification orders were breached.

(continued)

2/2

Several of the victims Hughes targeted in the 1980s and ’90s, including former co-star Sarah Monahan, were present in court for the hearing and he showed no emotion as he appeared via audiovisual link on a screen from prison.

“He looked really, really old,” Ms Monahan told reporters gathered outside the Parramatta Law Courts building where the hearing took place.

“Anybody who’s going through it and they’re scared to go in to the court and see them, absolutely do it because it takes all their power away.

“I wanted him to see me … and that I wasn’t scared anymore.”

Ms Monahan said she had doubts about findings Hughes had a low risk of reoffending.

“He’s an old man and he’s frail but they don’t change,” she said.

“He’s a denier, he still thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong so he’ll keep doing the wrong thing and be like ‘I didn’t do anything’.

“On the one hand I’d prefer him to stay in jail where he’s not hurting kids and on the other hand it’s like, just let him go, let him be someone else’s problem and then I don’t have to deal with it anymore.”

According to court documents, the bulk of Hughes’ crimes were committed before he secured the lead role of widowed dad Martin Kelly on the hit Channel 7 sitcom that ran for seven years.

While in jail, Hughes claimed he was subject to constant verbal and physical abuse that included excrement, urine and boiling water being thrown over him.

Hughes’ sentence is due to expire on January 6, 2025.

The parole board has reserved its decision.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/former-hey-dad-star-robert-hughes-public-parole-hearing-concludes-in-sydney/news-story/611a67affc7f5440ad505d3adeac8abe

President Biden Tweet

I’ve got more good news: 27.5 million bottles of safe infant formula manufactured by Bubs Australia are coming to the United States.

We’re doing everything in our power to get more formula on shelves as soon as possible.

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1530253441708314626

—

Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Tweet

Great that @BubsAustralia is helping out American families in need with clean, safe infant formula

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1530354874700943360

—

Kristy Carr, Founder CEO - Bubs Australia Tweet

Thank you, Mr. President. We know this problem can’t be solved by one company alone but @BubsAustralia hopes that we can help bring some relief to American families by offering a clean, safe formula for their babies during these challenging times.

https://twitter.com/KristyC83940058/status/1530283871383605248

Australian killed in Ukraine remembered as a ‘larrikin’ and ‘battler’

Pallavi Singhal - May 28, 2022

An Australian man who died this week amid fighting in Ukraine has been remembered as “a larrikin [and] always a battler”.

Father-of-three Michael Charles O’Neill, 47, who lived in Hobart, was killed on Wednesday while providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

“Always looking for a cause, he headed to Ukraine to drive trucks helping citizens flee the country,” his sister said online.

“He then assisted driving the wounded and injured from the front line, unfortunately meeting a sad end.”

She said O’Neill drove trucks for the mining industry before going to Ukraine.

O’Neill’s mother said he was killed when the Ukrainian army came under heavy fire in a war zone.

“Our family is grieving, and he has left a huge hole in our lives,” she said online.

“He left two daughters and a son so part of him is still with us. During his time [in Ukraine], he was awarded a commendation for bravery from the Commander of the Ukraine Army so he obviously made his presence felt … Always loved and missed.”

In a death notice in the Hobart Mercury on Saturday, the family wrote: “We are all so proud of you, you did it your way.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that O’Neill’s death was a tragedy.

“This is a tragedy and I want to give my condolences to the family of the person involved,” Mr Albanese said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian killed in Ukraine”.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family,” she said.

The department’s advice for Ukraine remains at “do not travel”, with the government advising that its ability to provide consular assistance is limited due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country.

A memorial will be held for O’Neill at the Kermandie Football Clubrooms in Hobart on June 18.

Russian troops began moving into Ukraine and bombing its cities in February. Fighting is ongoing, especially in the eastern Donbas region.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/australian-killed-in-ukraine-remembered-as-a-larrikin-and-battler-20220528-p5ap9q.html

José Ramos-Horta accuses Alexander Downer of ‘distorting’ issues around 2004 Timor-Leste bugging

Exclusive: President of south-east Asian nation says Australia used cover of ‘supposedly altruistic foreign aid program’ to spy on behalf of oil companies

Christopher Knaus - 28 May 2022

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The president of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, has accused former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer of “avoiding and distorting” the issues around the 2004 bugging scandal, saying recent comments ignored the fact that Australia had spied “on behalf of oil companies and using the cover of Australia’s supposedly altruistic foreign aid program”.

On Thursday, Downer appeared on the ABC’s Q&A program and was questioned about the 2004 Australian Secret Intelligence Service mission to bug Timor-Leste’s government during sensitive talks to carve up oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea.

Downer, who was foreign affairs minister at the time, took care not to comment directly on the operation, but said Australia’s intelligence practices were “no different from any of our other allied countries”.

“What our intelligence services do is collect intelligence,” he said. “That’s what they exist for. The suggestion that we somehow have intelligence services but they don’t collect intelligence is … is absurd.”

The comments have frustrated Timor-Leste, a partner in the Indo-Pacific, at a time when Australia is actively attempting to counteract Chinese government influence in the region.

Ramos-Horta told the Guardian that Downer was “obviously avoiding and distorting the core issue”.

The 2004 spy mission – later exposed with the help of intelligence officer Witness K and his lawyer, Bernard Collaery – was used to give Australia the upper hand in what were commercial negotiations about accessing oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea, which a collection of resource companies, led by the Australian company Woodside Petroleum, were seeking to exploit.

The fledgling and impoverished ally was hoping access to the Timor Sea reserves would lay the foundations for its development.

(continued)

>>16356338

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Ramos-Horta said running an intelligence operation in such circumstances differed significantly from spying on a hostile state.

“One thing is to spy, engage in bugging and other activities when facing unfriendly, hostile and sworn enemy powers like North Korea,” Ramos-Horta said. “Another is when the government of a supposedly benevolent, free and open society like Australia, engages in espionage activities on behalf of oil companies and using the cover of Australia’s supposedly altruistic foreign aid program.

“This is the fact.

“Let’s not forget, at the same time, Australian intelligence were bugging the private phone of the wife of the then president of Indonesia. Was that a legitimate protected intelligence gathering operation? Mr Downer is obviously avoiding and distorting the core issue.”

The case against Collaery – charged with unlawfully disclosing protected information about the operation – continues to be a running sore in the relationship with Timor-Leste.

Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace prize laureate who was elected president earlier this month, has previously called for the prosecution to be dropped and for Witness K and Collaery to be awarded Timor-Leste’s top honour.

In a recent interview with the Nine newspapers, he said Timor-Leste had put “the past where it belongs”, but that:

“At the same time, I wish Australia would be more generous and more compassionate with Bernard Collaery. I would say please drop the case.”

China has named Timor-Leste as an important Belt and Road partner country and its state-owned companies have been involved in significant development projects in the developing nation.

Australia is also a major aid contributor to Timor-Leste, but Ramos-Horta has called for a more significant infrastructure partnership between the two countries, saying it is in Australia’s strategic interests.

Downer was approached for further comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/28/jose-ramos-horta-accuses-alexander-downer-of-distorting-issues-around-2004-timor-leste-bugging

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szDr1nrLrDI

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 28, 2022, 6:42 a.m. No.16356414 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6449

China to consider funding new police training centre in Solomon Islands

Madison Watt and Stephen Dziedzic - 28 May 2022

China will consider building a police training centre in Solomon Islands, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi tours the Pacific in a bid to increase its influence in the region.

In addition to the possible new police training facility in the Solomons, China will also help Samoa build a fingerprint lab to go with the construction of an already announced new police academy.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele announced the proposal during his Chinese counterpart's visit to Honiara on Thursday.

"China… will further a consider a proposal… for a police training centre and support towards police infrastructure and assets given the country's fragile security environment," Mr Manele said during a press conference that was boycotted by local media.

China's Foreign Minister is currently on an eight-nation tour of the Pacific, during which he is seeking a sweeping regional deal on security and trade, ahead of a group foreign ministers meeting with 10 Pacific nations in Fiji on Monday.

Mr Wang met with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa on Saturday and discussed regional priorities of climate change, COVID-19 and security.

After the meeting, Samoa's government released a statement announcing China would help build a new fingerprint laboratory in addition to the previously announced construction of a police academy.

Increase in police training support

The proposal for a Chinese-funded police training centre in Solomon Islands mirrors that of a 2020 promise to build a police school in Samoa, as China seeks to increase its influence in the region through police training support.

In March, Solomon Islands police published pictures of their officers brandishing replica assault rifles donated by the Chinese government, as part of a new police training program run by Chinese police.

At the time, there were questions over the legality of the shipment of the replica guns, as well as the future implications of such firearms training.

Experts and opposition politicians believe the move to bring in replica arms clearly suggested the police force was planning to bring in real weapons from China in the future.

Australian officials are also warning that China might encourage more brutal and confrontational tactics to put down local protests, inflaming existing political and ethnic tensions.

China seeks sweeping multilateral deal

Earlier this week, it was revealed China is hoping to strike a deal with 10 Pacific nations during Mr Wang's tour of the region.

The sweeping agreement covers everything from security to fisheries and is seen by at least one Pacific leader as an attempt by Beijing to wrest control of the region.

A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific nations prompted pushback from the leader of the Federated States of Micronesia, who said it showed China's intent to control the region and "threatens regional stability".

News of the proposed deal follows last month's announcement of a new security pact between Solomon Islands and China, in a move that has concerned traditional regional partners such as the US and Australia, as well as intelligence officials.

That pact has raised fears that China could send troops to the island nation or even establish a military base there, not far from Australia.

Solomon Islands and China say there are no plans for a base.

Mr Wang's Pacific tour coincides with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong's own visit to the Pacific, meeting with Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Friday in her first official trip to the region since being sworn in last week.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-28/china-considering-funding-new-police-academy-in-solomons/101107682

>>16356414

China inks deal on economic technologies with Samoa during FM’s trip, welcomes partnership with Australia, NZ to help PICs

Global Times - May 28, 2022

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa on Saturday - the third stop on Wang's visit to the Pacific region, with the two sides signing a cooperation agreement on economic technology and culture, according to a release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

During their meeting, Fiame, who is also the Foreign Minister of Samoa, said she had visited China many times and admired China's development path and the emphasis on a people-centered approach. She expressed hope to strengthen exchanges with China on economic development, especially on poverty alleviation.

Samoa firmly insists on the one-China principle and not interfering with China's internal affairs on the question of the island of Taiwan, Fiame said.

The Samoan Prime Minister also noted that cooperation with China in all sectors has produced noticeable achievements, helping Samoa to promote its infrastructure and agricultural technologies. Samoa will carry on promoting the bilateral partnership based on mutual respect, trust and benefit.

Wang praised the friendly exchanges between China and Samoa for half a century after the establishment of diplomatic relations and admired Samoa's insistence on the one-China principle to defend China's core interests.

China has always insisted that all countries no matter their sizes and strength are equal. As the biggest development country in the world, China has always stood with the developing countries and called on justice for them since China shared similar experiences throughout history and a common mission for development. China's such diplomatic tradition will never change, Wang said.

Wang also noted that China is willing to do all it can to help developing countries, including island nations in the Pacific to speed up developments, and during this process, China has never interfered with other countries' internal affairs, not attached political strings and has not pursued geopolitical interests. China is willing to achieve development and prosperity with developing countries and to make the world fairer.

Wang stressed that China's cooperation with developing and Pacific island nations does not target the third party nor will it seek exclusiveness. "We have no intention to compete with others and have always opposed a zero-sum game mindset," Wang said, noting that China is willing to strengthen communications with all countries that care for island nations, especially Australia and New Zealand and others, leverage each country's advantages and carry out more tripartite cooperation based on respect toward island nations.

Australia and the US are closely watching Wang's trip to Pacific island nations, trying hard to demonize China's cooperation with these countries.

The two sides also exchanged ideas on climate change. Wang stressed that China has set a China-Pacific Island nations cooperation center and is willing to help these countries to deal with climate change. He also urged developed countries to fulfill their commitment on carbon emissions.

Agreeing with Wang, Fiame also noted that climate change has become an importance field for Pacific island nations to cooperate with China and wished the cooperation center will play an active role.

The two sides also signed agreements on many fields including economic technologies and culture.

Wang also met with Samoa's head of state Tuimaleali'ifano Va'aletoa Sualauvi II on Saturday.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266760.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 28, 2022, 6:53 a.m. No.16356468 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6495

China’s FM visits Kiribati, where fishing ground is at stake

NICK PERRY - 27 May 2022

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — China’s foreign minister on Friday arrived on the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati, where the future of a vast fishing ground is at stake.

The planned four-hour visit by Wang Yi was his second stop on an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region.

Kiribati closed its borders this year as it tries to stamp out an outbreak of COVID-19. But its government made a rare exception to allow Wang and his 20-strong delegation into the country for face-to-face discussions.

At stake in Kiribati is the future of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, a stretch of ocean the size of California that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In November, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau announced the government planned to end the commercial fishing ban that had been in place since 2015 and begin to sustainably fish the area.

Anna Powles, a senior lecturer in security studies at New Zealand’s Massey University, said she expected there would be some fisheries agreements between China and Kiribati that would come from Wang’s visit.

Powles said China, which already dominates fishing in the region, had offered to upgrade an airport runway and causeway in the Phoenix Islands.

“The worry is that this would essentially obliterate the fish stock,” she said. “That it would severely damage fish stocks that are already under pressure.”

She said there were also concerns that any kind of base for Chinese commercial fishing fleets in Kiribati could also be used as an additional hub for Beijing’s surveillance activities.

Kiribati’s president said Wang would visit his residence for bilateral discussions during the visit, and emphasized the health protocols that were in place.

Maamau said in a statement that the Chinese delegation would need to take PCR tests before arriving and stay in a travel bubble while there, and that everybody in Kiribati who came into contact with them would need to quarantine afterward for a week — presumably including himself.

“The high-level state visit is an important milestone for Kiribati-China relations, as it will strengthen and promote partnership and cooperation between our two countries after the resumption of diplomatic ties in 2019,” Maamau said.

China says Wang’s trip to the region builds on a long history of friendly relations between Beijing and the island nations.

A draft document obtained by The Associated Press shows that Wang is hoping to strike a deal with 10 small Pacific nations during his visit. The sweeping agreement covers everything from security to fisheries and is seen by at least one Pacific leader as an attempt by Beijing to wrest control of the region.

Wang is hoping the countries will endorse the pre-written agreement as part of a joint communique after a May 30 meeting in Fiji with the other foreign ministers.

But Australia scrambled to counter the move Thursday by sending its own Foreign Minister Penny Wong to Fiji to shore up support in the Pacific.

In Fiji, Wong said it was up to each island nation to decide what partnerships they formed and what agreements they signed, but urged them to consider the benefits of sticking with Australia.

“Australia will be a partner that doesn’t come with strings attached nor imposing unsustainable financial burdens,” Wong said. “We are a partner that won’t erode Pacific priorities or Pacific institutions.”

On Friday, Wong met with Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands last month in a move that sent shock waves around the world.

That pact has raised fears that China could send troops to the island nation or even establish a military base there, not far from Australia. The Solomon Islands and China say there are no plans for a base.

During his 10-day visit, Wang is also planning to make stops in Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday he’d sent Wong to Fiji because Australia needed to “step up” its efforts in the Pacific.

“We need to respond to this because this is China seeking to increase its influence in the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice since the Second World War,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that in recent years, exchanges and cooperation between Beijing and the island nations had been expanding in a development that was welcomed by the Pacific countries.

https://apnews.com/article/china-new-zealand-beijing-wang-yi-9c1837ca76b55ce69a44d5dd69621b3b

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 28, 2022, 6:59 a.m. No.16356495 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6502

>>16356468

Wang’s visit to Kiribati shows devt opportunities, injects firmness to one-China principle

Zhang Hui and Hu Yuwei - May 27, 2022

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China and Kiribati underscored the remarkable achievements of bilateral cooperation in improving livelihood and economy of Kiribati since the two resumed ties in 2019, during Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to the South Pacific nation on Friday, vowing to further enhance cooperation in tackling climate change, COVID-19, and building Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) amid the US and Australia's intensified demonization of China's role in the region.

Wang's visit has injected more confidence and firmness in both the government and people of Kiribati for their historical decision to develop ties with China on the basis of recognizing the one-China principle, Chinese analysts said, noting more countries in the region will realize that developing ties with the world's second-largest economy will bring them unprecedented development opportunities to better integrate into global development, and will help them make independent decisions free of the Western countries' interference.

Wang arrived in Kiribati on Friday during an eight-nation tour in the South Pacific region. In a meeting with Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, Wang said the president regarded China as a true friend as he received the Chinese delegation at his home.

But the US and its allies have focused their efforts on containing China's development with the essence of not wanting to see non-Western forces succeed in the world and the enhanced cooperation of developing countries, Wang said, noting no one and no force can stand in the way of the development and revitalization of China and other developing nations.

President Maamau said the nation unswervingly adheres to the one-China principle and the resumption in bilateral ties with China proved the world is on the side of China and Kiribati is on the right side of history.

On September 27, 2019, China and Kiribati resumed diplomatic ties.

The president said the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results and the livelihood of the people in Kiribati has improved, which strongly testified to China's sincere friendship.

The first batch of Chinese medical teams arrived in Kiribati along with the Chinese delegation to help the nation fight against COVID-19, and the two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation on tackling climate change, infrastructure, tourism and promote the BRI construction.

The broad cooperation deals between China and Kiribati did not contain a security deal or have any military significance that the US-led West had hyped, and analysts said it's the US that has been excessively focusing on the military value of the region but ignoring the needs of the local people.

Kiribati is of great strategic importance due to its location between Asia and America, and the US has long expected to develop it and other nearby countries into its military relay base and saw it as its sphere of influence, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times. He noted that that's why the US does not want to see any cooperation between China and the regional countries.

Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Centre for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times on Friday that the US has built large military bases and even strategic missile bases in Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati is located right behind the three countries where US built military bases.

"If China sets up a military base in Kiribati, the US' first and second island chains would be meaningless," Yu said.

However, China's cooperation in the region was purely for the livelihood of local people which was deeply welcomed.

Ambassador of Kiribati to China David Teaabo told the Global Times on Friday that China is an "understanding, true and trusted friend," not a destabilizer in the Pacific as some have claimed.

Tinian Reiher, an honorable member of Kiribati parliament, told the Global Times that Wang's visit is highly expected to bring more concrete benefits.

"Many people are saying that we are allowing China to compete with the US and Australia. But in fact, we moved back to China because we believe that it is a wise move and in the best interest of our people and future development, given China's global influence as the fast-developing nation with huge economic wealth and power," Reiher said.

(continued)

>>16356495

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Reiher said biased media reports hyping up a potential security pact between China and Kiribati is unreasonable and with ulterior motives.

Wang's trip to Kiribati was made after his trip to the Solomon Islands. The tour of Pacific islands will also take him to Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. Wang will also visit Micronesia via video and have a virtual meeting with leaders of Cook Islands and Niue.

Unease of Taiwan

The first two countries Wang visited in this trip were both Taiwan island's former "diplomatic allies," which cut off their "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan in 2019.

Taiwan was unease and anxious to see the deepening relations between Chinese mainland and the South Pacific region. The spokesperson for Taiwan's "foreign affairs department" on Thursday called on South Pacific countries to beware of the purpose of Chinese mainland government's help, and some Taiwan media quoted local scholars as saying it's time for Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen to reengage in various cooperation with the South Pacific region through the help of the US.

Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies, told the Global Times on Friday that Kiribati is a late comer in the South Pacific region's relations with China, but it has turned out to be a big achiever, and China's cooperation with Kiribati can serve as an exemplar to China's relations with other countries.

The Kiribati government and people have the wisdom to continue to stand at the right side of history as they know China never attempts to "buy" support and recognition with so-called "dollar diplomacy" as Taiwan's DPP authority has been doing, Chen said.

Taiwan media have revealed that the DPP spent heft amounts of money for its so-called foreign affairs activities each year to woo nations and maintain relations by taking advantage of US' influence.

Condescending attitude of Australia

China's moves in the South Pacific region also unsettled the US and its anti-China spearhead Australia, as the US sees South Pacific region a key component of its "Indo-Pacific Strategy," which is being pushed forward with full speed in Asia.

Fiji is joining the US' Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), the White House said on Thursday, and Reuters said the move makes Fiji the first Pacific Island country in the plan that is part of a US effort to push back on China's growing influence.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at Friday's media briefing that the Asia Pacific region is a highland for peaceful development and should not be turned into a geopolitical ground, and any initiative that truly benefits regional development should be open, inclusive and mutually beneficial instead of building walls to create division. This is the common aspiration of the South Pacific region.

Chen said the US attempted to incorporate the South Pacific region into an exclusive circle with the purpose to isolate China, and the imposition of the IPEF in the South Pacific is politically motivated to distance the local countries from their cooperation with China. Such attempts are irrational and bound to fail.

Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong threatened during a visit to Fiji on Friday, saying there were regional consequences to the Solomon Islands' security pact with China.

Chen said Australia seems to be headstrong to rush into competition and contestation with China in the South Pacific and Australia's new government seems to be still trapped in the Cold War mindset and ready for the engagement in a zero-sum rivalry with China.

In Suva, Penny Wong repeatedly talked about the "Pacific family," trying to play the "geography card" in her purported rivalry with China, Chen said.

"But one thing we still see amiss is a sense of equality and respect without self-interest. Australia still tries to play the role of the head of the family, which once again reveals its condescending attitude in the seemingly warm remarks," Chen said.

Some Australian media have also realized the hyping of "China threat" will not bring benefits to the region. Australia-based The Conversation published an opinion piece on Thursday, saying amplifying China threat narratives in South Pacific region "feeds into Australia's perceived need to compete by playing whack-a-mole with China," rather than by formulating a coherent, overarching regional policy that responds to the priorities of Pacific states.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266745.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 28, 2022, 7:08 a.m. No.16356551 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6554

>>16349907

Wong’s rhetoric of leaving regional security to Pacific region shows hypocrisy, double standard

Global Times - May 28, 2022

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During her first solo trip in Fiji as new Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong outlined Australia's view of security in the Pacific following the signing of a security cooperation framework agreement between China the Solomon Islands, as well as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's tour of the Pacific island countries.

"We think that it is important that the security of the region be determined by the region," Wong said on Friday. She made a point. The thing is, the audiences of her remarks should be Australia itself and its ally, the US.

According to Wong's logic, regional security should be determined by the region itself, then why has Australia been so enthusiastic in carrying out the freedom of navigation operations with the US in the South China Sea, far away from their own regions? And why have both Australia and the US raised their voices in interfering in China's domestic affairs?

Think about Afghanistan, Iraq, the entire Middle East, South China Sea, the Taiwan question … Australia has no right to intervene, and it has even less excuse to do so if taking Wong's statement into account, observers note.

Australia is not a Middle Eastern country, so why did it send troops to Iraq and Afghanistan? Australia is apparently not an East Asian country either, but Canberra and Tokyo sighed a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a bilateral defense and security pact which, according to reports, facilitates faster deployment of Japanese Self-Defense Forces and Australian defense force personnel and eases restrictions on the transportation of weapons and supplies for joint training and disaster relief operations. Why is Australia promoting such military cooperation far away from its own land in East Asia?

What Wong wants to convey is not simply the literal meaning in her rhetoric about the local region, but geopolitical nuances. Wong has been stressing a new construct of a "Pacific family," meaning Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific island countries are of an exclusive grouping. By saying so, she insinuates two connotations. First, China, which locates in Asia, is not a member of that "family", but should be regarded as an outsider. Australia attempts to drive a wedge between China and regional countries with such insinuation. Second, Australia tries to assume the role as the "head of the family," or in other words, the hegemon in the region, so as to impose its will on other "family members," Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told Global Times.

(continued)

>>16356551

2/2

Chen added that South Pacific island countries have no such security concerns as what Australia and the US have been hyping up. In fact, their biggest security concern comes from climate change. The rising sea levels is a matter of existential crisis for them. Even though Wong underlined that the new Australian government is determined to make a difference on climate during her trip, it does not change the fact that Canberra has for a so long time casted a cold eye to the issue.

Peter Dutton, former defense minister and likely Liberal leader, even joked about the plight of Pacific Island nations in 2015 as they're facing rising seas due to climate change in a quip "water lapping at your door." When cracking the joke, Australia's contempt toward the regional countries was well disclosed.

This is why South Pacific island countries resolutely seek and welcome cooperation with China, which is in line with their actual needs. The so-called security threat from China, choreographed by Western countries, does not exist at all for the South Pacific islands. The governments and people in Pacific countries have the political wisdom and sensibility to distinguish truths and rumors, according to Chen.

They are well aware that cooperation with China brings real security, which will in turn, apart from cope with climate change, result in social stability and economic development. All of them are the solid benefits regional countries are most in need of.

On the other hand, like Wong's remarks, Canberra's real attitude toward South Pacific islands is not about whether they are "family," but double standards, arrogant colonialism and imperialism, which is vividly presented when Australia points fingers at the countries' mutual beneficial cooperation with China, which is sovereign countries' legal right and is consistent with the spirit of the UN Charter, Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, told Global Times. What Wong tries to promote is not the rule - regional security should be determined by the region, but colonial rules, Yu added.

Solomon Islands' foreign policy - friends to all, enemy to none - reflects the mentality of regional countries. They have no interests in taking sides, or making decisions on whom to interact with by ideological differences, like the US and Australia. And colonial mentality won't last long in the international community.

When Australian politicians ever attempts to touch upon "regional security" again, it might as well think about its own behaviors in other regions, and the true nature of its own cooperation with them.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266759.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 28, 2022, 7:16 a.m. No.16356601 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6604

Why China’s Pacific sweet talk will fail

Beijing’s plan to corral ten Pacific Island countries into an exclusive grouping is a daring attempt to take control of the region.

PETER JENNINGS - May 28, 2022

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Beijing’s plan next week to corral ten Pacific Island countries into an exclusive grouping, where China provides policing, cyber and security “assistance”, is a daring attempt to take control of the region.

The coup will fail. Most Pacific Island leaders are astute, patriotic and brave enough to resist Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s suffocating sweet talk. Pacific leaders will understand that Beijing’s money comes at the price of losing sovereignty, the support of their own people and their own self-respect.

China’s communist elite would more effectively dominate the region if they better hid their contempt for other countries. Well before starting his 10-nation tour Wang had circulated the “concluded” outcomes of next Monday’s Pacific foreign ministers summit, and a five-year plan that will strengthen “co-operation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security”.

This is how Beijing operates. There is no pretence of a negotiation between equals. The Pacific Islands can have “harmonious relations” and “win-win outcomes” only if it follows China’s lead in every detail.

The communique released after the visit claimed that “the two sides exchanged in-depth views on state-to-state and military-to-military relations and on issues of mutual interest”.

We did nothing of the sort. Over a day of talks at Defence’s Russell Headquarters, the Australian side attempted to shape a plan for defence activities for the coming year. A decade ago the forlorn hope was that practical co-operation would make the PLA a more amenable partner.

We failed to get Guo to agree to defence activities designed to promote the rule of law in the region. The general dismissed any more discussion and with a chuckle pushed a piece of paper across the table. “This is what we’ll do.”

It was a list of highly stylised contacts, more photo opportunity than defence training or exercising. Military music featured heavily.

In time we would establish a “Military Friendship and Culture Week” to “demonstrate the growing relationship between the Australian Defence Force and People’s Liberation Army”.

In September 2013, the People’s Liberation Army Band arrived to play concerts with the Australian Army Band, showing “Australia and China growing understanding and friendship through music”.

It is easy to see when one is being treated with contempt. In Defence we all knew that the pretence of military co-operation with China was a sham.

Pacific leaders will know in their hearts that Beijing wants this agreement because the Pacific Islands are strategically valuable to the PLA. This has nothing to do with respect for Pacific people or a commitment to their interests.

Controlling the islands complicates American military access to the Western Pacific. That remains just as true today as it was in the Pacific War, when the US had to retake island groups in Melanesia and Micronesia as it fought closer to the Japanese mainland.

Xi Jinping’s aim is to weaken America’s dominant military position in the Pacific Ocean, weaken America’s allies and make contact between them harder.

Unlike in the South China Sea where Beijing literally built islands on which to establish military air bases and ports, in the Pacific there is no need to build islands when you can simply buy ones already there or, more accurately, co-opt some leaders with financial inducements, soft loans and lavish trips to China.

One Pacific leader has already dismissed Beijing’s proposed “comprehensive development vision”. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo, said the agreement would allow China to “acquire access and control of our region”.

The FSM is close to the US under a Compact of Free Association and not on Wang’s itinerary, but Panuelo’s concerns will be shared by numerous island leaders.

At best, Beijing’s summitry may yield a few Pacific Islands countries willing to sign up. That could fracture an already damaged PIC tradition of seeking regional consensus through extended negotiation.

Over the longer term I hope Beijing’s attempts to subvert the Pacific Islands will not be successful. Just like in Africa, the Caribbean and elsewhere, the Chinese Communist Party fails to win many Pacific hearts and minds.

It is notable that when instability hits Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and elsewhere, it’s often the local Chinatowns which are unjustly put to the torch. Conservative churchgoing Pacific Islanders do not warm to the CCP and object to their own elites being compromised.

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The shorter-term risk, however, is that some PIC leaders may choose to follow the lead of Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. A region that’s politically split is almost as useful to Beijing as controlling the whole area because it limits the capacity of the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional mechanisms to build a shared response to China.

Penny Wong’s visit to Suva could not be more timely. Wong is not correct to say that Australia has had a “lost decade” in the Pacific. Australia remains the partner of choice for many PICs, and we have natural advantages in people to people relationships which Beijing cannot match.

That said the region needs sustained and senior level attention from government and a willingness to think creatively about rebuilding our once-prominent position there.

The Labor government’s announcement of more development assistance, although welcome, is more of the same approach used over decades. It has done little to arrest our relative decline in influence.

Let’s think instead about finding ways to encourage Australian business back into the region with tax offsets. Let’s harness Australian churches to build ties with Pacific counterparts and Australian religious schools to offer funded places to Pacific children.

I have written earlier that some Australian naval bases in the region would be welcomed. We could help shape a region wide multinational Pacific response force, offering a humane option for PIC military and police forces than the riot training and mass surveillance techniques offered by the China.

Labor is right to plan to reform and expand the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. The thinking needs to be big. Australia has deep workforce shortages that the PIC’s can help solve. By contrast one of the PIC’s biggest problems is chronic underemployment.

There is everything to be gained by looking at options designed to help each other. Beijing is not in this game. An overreliance on China would put the Pacific Islands into a dangerous world some years down the track when co-opted island elites could face their own colour revolutions from local populations angry that wealth is not being shared.

At that point is it inevitable that Australia will be the country the region calls on to help stabilise dangerous situations while Beijing just flies out its nationals?

Beijing’s attempted Pacific coup and the Quad leader’s meeting in Tokyo last week are connected by Xi’s greatest ambition: forcing Taiwan under communist control while Xi is leader.

For the third time as President, and notwithstanding the disgraceful attempts by White House staff to “correct” his remarks, Joe Biden has said that the US will defend Taiwan if Beijing attacks it.

Xi is preparing his country for that very task. He wants the option to use force if coercing Taiwan fails.

It’s not hard to link that to the suddenly urgent PRC interest in locking the Pacific Islands into an exclusive security grouping. A Pacific Islands region that becomes used to the presence of multiple PLA ships, submarines, combat aircraft and intelligence gathering equipment presents a massively complicating problem for an America and its allies intent on helping to defend Taiwan.

There will be Australians, perhaps like West Australian Premier Mark McGowan with his call for the Labor government to “become more diplomatic and more sensible in relation to our dealings with China”, who may be astonished to see a connection between Beijing’s Pacific strategy and what they aspire to do to Taiwan.

We can talk as softly as we like. Nice words won’t change Xi’s intentions, although they may encourage him to think he can hoodwink the gullible while he strives to dominate the region.

Peter Jennings is the former executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a former deputy secretary for strategy at the Defence Department.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/chinas-sweet-talk-to-attain-pacific-domination-will-fail/news-story/13107dd962c28034e0f84b28cdf9e7aa

How a single USB stick led to the rescue of 56 children and the arrest of 26 men

Sally Rawsthorne - May 28, 2022

Warning: Distressing content

It looked like an ordinary USB stick, the type found in office drawers all over the country. But what an Australian Federal Police technician found on it led to the rescue of 56 children and 11 animals, the arrest of 26 men and 154 referrals to international police in what was the nation’s biggest child abuse bust.

“It’s gut-wrenching stuff, the whole of the material for Operation Arkstone is definitely the worst that I’ve seen and on the most extreme end. It is just the worst of the worst,” acting Sergeant Scott Veltmeyer said.

In February 2020, Operation Arkstone investigators arrived at the Central Coast home of Justin Radford, 30, courtesy of a tip from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

It was there they found the USB that would ultimately lead them to an online network of child abusers that spanned the globe.

“We had to delve deeper into his files. A digital forensic specialist could find hidden files and vault applications that revealed this online network that operated locally, nationally and overseas,” Veltmeyer said.

The USB uncovered a horrifying interconnected web of child abusers who would take videos and photographs of themselves sexually abusing children, then swap the content with other paedophiles on commonly used social media platforms including Snapchat, Kik and TikTok.

None of these men knew one another in real life; rather, police interviews reveal they would begin discussing child abuse with strangers on social media.

“It was clear a lot of them had been into child abuse material for a long time, they started off viewing child abuse material, then more extreme child abuse material then, in these particular situations, some of them then proceeded to abusing children.”

Beyond exchanging videos, the websites had a chat function.

“There were group chats of up to 50 people who were able to discuss horrendous crimes. What they wanted to or had done to children, images of bestiality and self-produced child abuse material,” Veltmeyer said.

One man caught in the sting, western Sydney soccer coach Grant Harden, used the online handle Baddad03 to solicit child abuse material from other men and shared hundreds of videos of himself sexually abusing seven different boys.

“28 pervy dad wanting to chat with under 14, Only add if you’re with a boy,” read one of his online solicitations for more child abuse material.

Harden came to the police’s attention on May 7, 2020; investigators worked through the night to arrest him the next day.

“It was a race to find him, we knew he was doing horrendous stuff to the children in his care.”

Harden will remain behind bars until at least 2042.

Other men caught up in the sting include Mid North Coast childcare worker Timothy Doyle, 27, who has pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including sexual intercourse with a person over 14 and under 16 and awaits sentencing.

His partner, 22-year-old Steven Garrad, pleaded guilty earlier this year to more than a dozen charges including sexual intercourse with a child under 10.

Paedophile rings are the focus of the AFP, who warn that child abusers come in many forms.

“It’s no longer the old school days where we have to look out for the man in the trench coat. These offenders are aged 20 to 48, childcare workers, volunteers, soccer coaches, teachers, chefs. It’s your everyday person.”

If this article has raised issues for you, support is available by phoning the National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line - 1800 737 732; Men’s Referral Service - 1300 766 491; Lifeline - 13 11 14.

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

https://www.ntv.org.au/

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

https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-a-single-usb-stick-led-to-the-rescue-of-56-children-and-the-arrest-of-26-men-20220525-p5aohw.html

Embassy of The People's Republic of China in The Republic of Fiji

Statement by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji on the China-Pacific Island Countries Cooperation

2022-05-27

Q: It was reported that, recently, the President of Federated States of Micronesia Panuelo sent a letter to the leaders of Pacific Island Countries on the “China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision” and “Five-year Action Plan”, saying that the draft should be rejected, which essentially binds all Pacific Island Countries to China together,will affect the sovereignty of Pacific Island Countries. What is Embassy’s comments on this?

A: Certain leader’s remarks on China-Pacific Island Countries (PICs) cooperation are a distortion of China's foreign policy and China-PICs comprehensive strategic partnership. The relevant words are completely inconsistent with facts, do not represent the mainstream views of PICs and are not conducive to the in-depth development of China-PICs relations. It cannot be ruled out that the remarks were instigated and manipulated by Western forces.

In developing relations and cooperation with PICs, China has always adhered to the principle that all countries are equal no matter of their sizes, treating each other with sincerity and pursuing shared interests which has achieved fruitful results, and are warmly welcomed by the governments and people of PICs.

The upcoming 2nd China-PICs Foreign Ministers’ Meeting aims to build consensus on promoting peace and development and coping with risks and challenges, deepen friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between China and PICs in various fields, and promote prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. The 2nd China-PICs Foreign Ministers’ Meeting has received positive response and universal support from PICs.

I would like to stress again that PICs are not someone's “backyard” and should become a big stage for international cooperation, rather than an arena for geopolitical games. China’s foreign policy is open and transparent, with no political strings attached, not targeting any third party, and not seeking any self-interests or so-called “spheres of infulence”. China has always been the constructive force for peace, development and cooperation.

I believe that people of insight in the Pacific region can distinguish right from wrong and identify who is their real friend and who are the troublemakers undermining regional peace, stability and development. Any attempt to defame China’s foreign policy or undermine relations between China and PICs is doomed to failure, and has no market.

http://fj.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/sgxw/202205/t20220527_10693738.htm

More than 100 ADF personnel to be sent to PNG to help with election, cyber threats

Anthony Galloway - May 29, 2022

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More than 100 Australian Defence Force personnel will travel to Papua New Guinea in coming months to help the country conduct its national election, combat cyber threats and conduct joint exercises amid a growing tussle for influence between Australia and China in the region.

Following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Samoa on Saturday, the country’s government announced it had signed three deals with Wang, including an “economic and technical co-operation” agreement.

The details of the new deals are unclear, but it comes as Australia races to stop China from signing a new regional security deal with as many as 10 Pacific island nations following the controversial pact between Beijing and Solomon Islands.

Wang arrived in Solomon Islands last week on a 10-day tour of the Pacific that also includes visits to PNG, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and East Timor.

Wang is pushing a new regional security deal that would allow the Chinese government to provide high-level police training and security and data co-operation across the region.

China’s top diplomat said attempts by the United States and Australia to sabotage its security plans for the Pacific were “doomed to failure” as he arrived in Kiribati to forge ahead with plans for Chinese-built infrastructure in the island nation.

At the same time, Australia’s new Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, scrambled to Fiji this week in her first solo visit to another country, where she urged Pacific leaders to weigh up the “consequences” of accepting security offers from Beijing.

PNG will go to the polls in July, which will likely involve a contest between incumbent James Marape and former prime minister Peter O’Neill.

Australia’s closest neighbour has had issues with elections in the past; more than 200 people died in violent clashes during the election in 2017, and the result was heavily disputed.

A Defence spokesperson said Australia would support the PNG election at the request of its government.

This support will include air force, army and cyber personnel to help PNG with logistics and planning, including air lifts to help in distributing and collecting votes.

In addition, about 90 ADF personnel have travelled to PNG since March to conduct joint training exercises with the nation’s military, and more Australian soldiers will arrive in coming months to help with infantry skills and operations.

At the same time, Australia recently signed a new agreement with PNG to provide support to help the country better detect and fight cyberattacks. It will allow the two countries to more easily share information on cyber threats and help train cyber experts in PNG.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the “number, type and sophistication” of cybersecurity threats to Australia and the region were increasing.

“A variety of cyber-enabled means such as cybersecurity incidents and misinformation or disinformation campaigns can represent potential threats,” the DFAT spokesperson said. “We must engage internationally to advance and protect our shared interests.”

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Marcus Thompson, the ADF’s former head of information warfare and an adviser for cybersecurity company ParaFlare, said it was important for Australia to help PNG with cybersecurity.

“There is so much strategic competition occurring in the Indo-Pacific region. Partnerships have never been more important,” Thompson said.

“And that strategic competition is occurring across each of the five domains: land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.

“I think that countries such as Australia that have to have the ability to support our regional partners absolutely should, and to help our regional partners lift their cybersecurity and resilience in cyberspace.”

Michael Shoebridge, director of the defence and security program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said it was hugely important to protect the integrity of PNG’s election.

“It’s best to not be complacent about that. It’s about ensuring there can’t be doubt in the outcome,” he said.

“If we pretend to ourselves and to our South Pacific partners that none of this is happening because of strategic competition, that is dishonest. Some of this is required because of the reach into our region by China and that includes cyber interference.

“China has a history of cyber interference, including hacking and collection through technical and digital means.”

The security pact between Beijing and Honiara could see Chinese naval vessels and troops based less than 2000 kilometres off the Australian east coast and cut vital supply lines to the US and Asia in the event of a conflict.

A draft communiqué and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific islands ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting on May 30 shows China also wants to strike a regional deal covering policing, security and communications.

Shoebridge said he believed China had made a mistake by signing the deal with Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare first, because it revealed Beijing’s intent to militarise the region.

“The over-reach they made was to take opportunity with Sogavare because what that did is it raised awareness about some of the downsides and implications,” he said.

“I think that was a mistake by Beijing, but it’s one I’m glad they made.”

The Samoan government on Saturday said China would continue to provide infrastructure support to the country and there would be a new framework for future projects “to be determined and mutually agreed”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday he would attend the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting later this year and be “proactive in the region”.

“There have been issues in the Pacific for some time,” Albanese said.

“Australia has been the partner of choice for a long period of time in the Pacific, and we intend to continue to be that.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/more-than-100-adf-personnel-to-be-sent-to-png-to-help-with-election-cyber-threats-20220528-p5ap7s.html

New Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton vows to target ‘forgotten Australians’

GREG BROWN - MAY 30, 2022

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New Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton says his leadership will focus on the “forgotten Australians” in suburban and rural Australia, as he claims there will be tough times ahead under the Albanese government.

Mr Dutton was elected unopposed at a partyroom meeting in Canberra on Monday morning. NSW MP Sussan Ley was elected deputy leader.

Mr Dutton said the party he leads “won’t be Labor lite” as vowed to turn the Coalition into a viable alternative ahead of the 2025 election.

“We will have presented a plan to the Australian people which will clean up Labor’s inevitable mess and lay out our own vision,” Mr Dutton said.

“Already they’re breaking promises and foreshadowing policy shifts. They weren’t ready to govern.”

Ms Ley said the party was determined to win back the support of women.

Support for ‘sensible’ action of climate change

Mr Dutton said he was “passionate” about taking action on climate change in a “sensible way”.

He said electricity prices would go up under Labor.

“We have to have policies to help us meet our international obligations which of course we will,” he said.

“We have to be responsible domestically with our own settings and we have to be very mindful (of what) people can afford in what will be a very difficult couple of years under Labor.

“We’ll support policies which aren’t going to turn lights off in small businesses, aren’t going to send families broke in the suburbs because they can’t afford Labor’s power bill.

“And I want to support domestic manufacturing.”

Dutton’s regret over walking out on 2008 apology

Mr Dutton said he was “very happy” to speak to the government about a referendum on a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament.

He issued regret for walking out of Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generation in 2008.

“For me, at the time, I believed that the apology should be given when the problems were resolved and the problems are not resolved,” he said.

“There are little boys and girls in parts of our country in 2022, in this year, that slept in a shipping container last night to get through the hours of darkness in Indigenous communities and it’s completely unacceptable.”

Mr Dutton said he had no regrets about his strong language on China ahead of the last election, despite it costing the Liberal Party support in seats with high numbers of Chinese-Australians.

“The issue of China under President Xi is the biggest issue our country will face in our lifetimes. That’s the reality,” Mr Dutton said.

“That’s the assessment of the American, British, Japanese, Indians and it’s our assessment as well.”

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‘The ABC always brings a smile to my face’

Mr Dutton said he was not going to change but believed being leader would allow Australians to see the totality of his personability.

“I’ve been in the community, a notionally Labor electorate, I won that electorate eight times in a row and people on the ground can see, in a more wholesome way, who I am,” he said. “Hopefully you can tell a different story that I’m not as bad as the ABC might sometimes report.”

When asked if he would smile, Mr Dutton said: “the ABC always brings a smile to my face”.

Mr Dutton said the Liberal Party was not going to abandon any seat at the next election, amid an internal push against focusing too much on winning back affluent seats that were won by teal independents.

“Our policy is going to be targeted at those people who understand the Liberal Party is the best when it comes to economic management so that we can pay for our climate change investment and pay for education and policing and our roads and infrastructure,” he said.

“All I want to do is to make sure that we don’t forget about those in the suburbs and I do think they are the forgotten people.

“I do think those people, and small business and microbusiness, feel the system is against them and I want to be a voice for them and make sure we can help them.”

Mr Dutton said the new frontbench will be unveiled “toward the end of the week”.

He said he was a “strong supporter of the ICAC”, signalling he could support it in opposition.

“I believe very much in transparency. The reason I think it’s more important than ever is that under this Labour government, under the Albanese government, we are going to have a continuation of this unholy alliance with the CFMEU … and the Labor Party,” he said.

Morrison endorses new Liberal Party team

Scott Morrison backed the new Liberal leadership team as he left the partyroom meeting.

The former prime minister said Mr Dutton and Ms Ley were “outstanding” members of his cabinet.

“They are incredibly experienced and well versed, are deeply committed Australians to both the Liberal cause and because of the nation,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison said he used the partyroom meeting to thank MPs for their loyalty and support.

He said there was a “rousing cheer” for Josh Frydenberg, who lost the seat of Kooyong at the election.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/new-liberal-party-leader-peter-dutton-vows-to-target-forgotten-australians/news-story/314e64133397315a4d99873e92987ad0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPQwzEU2wWc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Garpof3bk

David Littleproud elected to lead the Nationals in opposition after post-election leadership vote

Kath Sullivan and Jake Evans - 30 May 2022

David Littleproud will lead the federal Nationals in opposition after a partyroom vote in Canberra.

Senator Perin Davey has been elected as deputy leader of the Nationals.

Mr Littleproud defeated incumbent leader Barnaby Joyce and former minister Darren Chester in a three-way contest to lead the party.

The leadership was determined at the first meeting of Nationals senators and MPs since the Coalition's election loss.

Mr Littleproud said it had been his dream to lead the party since he joined it as a six-year-old boy, 40 years ago.

"I believe passionately in the National Party … we are the conscience of rural and regional Australia right here in this parliament," he said.

"The National Party today starts its journey towards 2025, with a vibrant team, ready to articulate the policies that are important to regional and rural Australia, but also to draw on the experience of two former deputy prime ministers in Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack, to build that bridge of unity and purpose, to make sure that regional and rural Australia isn't forgotten."

Deputy leader Senator Davey said the Nationals would act in the interest of regional Australia from opposition.

"We've got three years to make sure we hold the new government to account, and to make sure they don't forget the regions, and they don't sell us short by doing deals with other parties and other interests," she said.

"So, my focus with David is eyes on the future, and we will continue to build and continue to be a very strong voice for the regions."

In a statement, Mr Joyce congratulated the new leadership team, saying they had "a mighty task ahead of them".

"I suppose you think I am sad. Not really," he said.

"Now, I have a chance to get back to my second greatest love, after my family, and that is my beloved people of New England, where I will have more time to get around my electorate and to be a person of service to them."

Nationals won't abandon 'net zero' climate commitment

The Coalition saw swings against it in urban centres and across regional Australia, amid perceptions that the Nationals were reluctant to embrace action on climate change.

Former leader Mr Joyce was previously a vocal opponent of a 2050 goal for net-zero emissions, but led the Nationals into a net-zero agreement with the Liberal Party.

Mr Littleproud said the leadership vote was not about "lurching" left or right, but finding the "sensible centre", and he would uphold the net-zero commitment.

"We have made a sensible decision to be part of the global community; the global community asked us to sign up to net zero by 2050," he said.

The Nationals party room spills the leadership positions after every election.

It kept all 16 of its lower house seats at the election, but the majority of its MPs suffered swings against them.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/barnaby-joyce-out-david-littleproud-elected-to-lead-nationals/101109494

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We’re turning to China because you neglect us, says East Timor president

RICHARD LLOYD PARRY - MAY 30, 2022

China’s efforts to win over the South Pacific island nations are a warning to Australia and the West, which have neglected the region and bred resentment among its leaders, according to one of east Asia’s elder statesmen.

Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel peace prize winner who is president of the small nation of East Timor, will receive Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, at the end of his eight-nation tour of the South Pacific and southeast Asia.

On his first stop in the Solomon Islands this week Wang finalised a deal that will permit Chinese security forces to operate there, arousing anxiety in the US and especially in Australia, which regards the Pacific as its back yard.

Ramos-Horta, 72, said East Timor would not enter into any such security agreement with China — but he hopes, anyway, that China will invest as much as $AU 4.23 billion in a huge offshore oil and gas field, which Australia has so far failed to do.

Australia ‘wasted time lecturing’

“Why would the Solomon Islands seek out China for support in maritime security and for the police?” he asked The Times. “Maybe because the Solomon Islands’ closest neighbour, in this case Australia, has not responded to their need. Maybe their neighbour wasted time lecturing them on human rights instead of trying to help.”

Speaking from the capital, Dili, where he was elected president this month, Ramos-Horta added: “It’s a wake-up call. The islands in the Pacific have learnt how to play superpower rivalry to their benefit.”

He spoke as Penny Wong, Australia’s new foreign minister, embarked on a hastily arranged tour of her own, intended to woo Pacific leaders. “We want to be a partner of choice,” she said in Suva, the capital of Fiji. “We want to demonstrate to your nation and other nations of the region that we are a partner who can be trusted, who can be reliable. We want to work together as part of the Pacific family.”

Australia has confirmed that it will send defence personnel to the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea to help with an election in July.

Scramble for influence

During the Second World War bloody battles were fought between Japan and the US in the Solomon Islands and Palau for control of their air strips and harbours. In any future conflict between China and the US, they would have similar importance — hence the scramble for influence over them during a time of rising tension.

East Timor, which gained its independence from Indonesia 20 years ago, is part of southeast Asia, rather than the South Pacific, but it faces similar challenges in overcoming poverty, and low standards of healthcare and education.

Ramos-Horta won the Nobel peace prize in 1996 for his lonely campaign in exile for Timorese independence. He said that small nations faced a difficult balance in staying out of what looks to some like another Cold War. “I want the US and Australia to support us because they care about our people, because they care for peace and stability. I don’t want them to feel I’m blackmailing them by playing the China card.”

But when Wang visits Dili next week he is likely to be pressed for help in funding development of the Greater Sunrise offshore oil and gas field. Not everyone believes that the huge investment will bring sufficient returns.

If China steps in it will be a huge boost to East Timor. “I would hope that China will be a big investor,” Ramos-Horta said. “The sooner the better.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/were-turning-to-china-because-you-neglect-us-says-east-timor-president/news-story/e27f7269d2c6cee98dd548143bc10ee8

Fijian vow to hold the line on China influence

STEPHEN RICE - MAY 30, 2022

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China’s aggressive bid to exert power in the South Pacific will meet strong resistance if Fiji’s former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka returns to office this year, with the two-time coup leader vowing to side with Australia as Beijing steps up its battle for dominance in the region.

The pledge comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in Suva for a meeting of regional leaders on Monday, aiming to push as many as 10 Pacific nations to sign a new trade and security deal that has alarmed Canberra.

Mr Rabuka said Beijing’s attempt to tie security issues to trade agreements was dangerous.

“They’re trying to lure us into their camp,” he said. “I think we should be very cautious. The Australian alliance had been tested and this one would be relatively new with a lot of unknowns.”

“I would not be comfortable doing that, we have different systems and we would rather stick with our traditional system,” Mr Rabuka said.

Recent polling suggests Mr Rabuka could beat bitter rival and incumbent Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama at an election due by the end of the year, but possibly as early as July, either on his own or in coalition with the traditionally Indo-Fijian-dominated National Federation Party, headed by economist Biman Prasad.

Mr Rabuka and Professor Prasad were in Sydney at the weekend for talks with expat Fijian leaders and to appear at a series of fundraisers.

Mr Rabuka said there was a real danger that Mr Bainimarama, now facing a domestic economic crisis, would accede to some of Beijing’s lucrative offers simply for his own political survival.

That might extend to selling critical areas of Fiji’s infrastructure such as airport and sea ports to Chinese interests, he said.

“They will think about that, and not just think, their hands are forced, they will have to do something like that but they should know that there are other ways of doing it,” he said, vowing to oppose any such deals. “We don’t want to sell our souls, that is tantamount to selling our soul.

“They are hoping to take over our fishing grounds and all those things. They will probably be offering us facilities to be able to police them better, so that they can use them more freely. In our case, I think we should be very, very cautious, very careful before we say yes. We would not want to put all that into the hands of a powerful fisherman. We’d like to keep it available for ourselves and the world.”

Mr Rabuka and Professor Prasad welcomed the new Labor government of Anthony Albanese. Mr Rabuka described Scott Morrison as a personal friend after many shared prayer breakfasts, but said that relationship had not led to closer official ties.

“I wish we could have extended the personal friendship into co-operation or even exchange of ideas, but we didn’t,” he said. “When the Solomons deal came out I felt that Australia was sleeping on the job, neglecting the region. I think it will be better potentially with a Labor government. They have a better understanding of the plight of these smaller states and our willingness to co-operate with Australia, so I hope they will take advantage of that.”

(continued)

>>16366850

2/2

Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s hasty visit to Fiji ahead of Mr Wang’s arrival was well received in Suva, but Mr Bainimarama’s government has strongly encouraged Chinese investment in the past and is expected to take a lead in any regional agreement.

On Sunday, Mr Bainimarama tweeted that he had “a wonderful meeting” with Senator Wong, but noted that “Fiji is not anyone’s backyard” – echoing word-for-word a warning by Mr Wang about attempts by other countries – implicitly the US and Australia – to intervene in the region.

Professor Prasad said the Bainimarama government was particularly susceptible to offers from China because of Fiji’s dire economic straits.

“That is a real possibility because for … Frank Bainimarama and (Attorney-General) Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, their overwhelming preoccupation right now is to hold on to power and if China offers them something big and be assured that they can remain in power, I think they will go with them,” he said.

“China found an easy partnership because they like to deal with dictatorial autocratic governments, so they found an easy way out in Fiji. I think the Chinese are saying, hey, you know, we’ve helped you, we’ve given you all these things during your time – now let’s get into something big. And this so-called Pacific-wide strategy is designed to do that.”

But the pledge of support for Australia from the two leaders comes with a strong caveat: Fiji cannot be taken for granted, as it has in the past, they said.

Mr Rabuka stressed the importance of regaining a healthy relationship with Australia that has eroded – partly, he concedes, because of his own military coups in 1987: “We need to be looking at long-term partnership not Band-Aid solutions which we have had and hopefully we will get a good deal, we will return to the good partnerships we had in the past. “We don’t want to have to continue to rely on an aid recipient mentality, we want to be strong enough to paddle our own canoe in the Pacific.”

Mr Rabuka and Professor Prasad have signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a future coalition that would counter the government’s racially balanced team of Mr Bainimarama and Mr Sayed-Khaiyum.

Mr Rabuka acknowledged such a combination would be essential to dispel longstanding antipathy by Indo-Fijians over his 1987 coups, which reasserted ethnic Fijian supremacy over Fijians of Indian descent.

He says he is sure the Bainimarama government would go to the Court of Disputed Returns if it loses the election, but is confident it would ultimately accept defeat, contrary to widespread concern that the military might intervene to keep Mr Bainimarama in power.

Mr Rabuka and Professor Prasad were arrested last year following their criticism of government moves to amend land legislation, in an increasingly authoritarian crackdown by the government on opponents.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/fijian-vow-to-hold-the-line-on-china-influence/news-story/cf5c01515c93db1024d377fa5ae43455

China, Pacific islands unable to reach consensus on security pact

Kirsty Needham - May 30, 2022

May 30 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged the Pacific region not to be "too anxious" about his country's aims after a meeting in Fiji with his counterparts from 10 island nations was unable to agree to a sweeping trade and security communique.

Wang hosted the meeting with foreign ministers from Pacific island nations with diplomatic ties with China midway through a diplomatic tour of the region where Beijing's ambitions for wider security ties has caused concern among U.S. allies.

A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by China to the invited nations ahead of the meeting showed China was seeking a sweeping regional trade and security agreement.

But the draft communique, first reported by Reuters, prompted opposition from at least one of the invited nations, Federated States of Micronesia, according to a letter leaked last week.

After the meeting, which included Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Niue and Vanuatu, Wang said the nations had agreed on five areas of cooperation, but further discussions were needed to shape more consensus.

The five areas he listed included economic recovery after the COVID pandemic, and new centres for agriculture and disaster, but did not include security.

"China will release its own position paper on our own positions and propositions and cooperation proposals with Pacific island countries, and going forward we will continue to have ongoing and in-depth discussions and consultations to shape more consensus on cooperation," he told reporters in Fiji. Questions at the media briefing were not allowed.

Wang said some had questioned China's motives in being so active in the Pacific islands, and his response was China supported developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean also.

"Don't be too anxious and don't be too nervous, because the common development and prosperity of China and all the other developing countries would only mean great harmony, greater justice and greater progress of the whole world," he said.

Taking questions after Wang's briefing, China's Ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo, said participants had agreed to discuss the draft communique and the five-year plan "until we have reached an agreement."

"There has been general support from the 10 countries with which we have diplomatic relations, but of course there are some concerns on some specific issues."

Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama told reporters the Pacific nations were prioritising consensus.

"Geopolitical point-scoring means less than little to anyone whose community is slipping beneath the rising seas, whose job is being lost to the pandemic, or whose family is impacted by the rapid rise in the price of commodities," said Bainimarama.

In a written address to the meeting, China's President Xi Jinping said China will always be a good friend of Pacific Island countries no matter how the international situation changes, China's state-owned CCTV reported.

PACIFIC TOUR

Several invited nations want to defer action on the draft communique or have it amended, an official from one Pacific country earlier told Reuters.

The United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand have expressed concern about a security pact signed by Solomon Islands with China last month, saying it had regional consequences and could lead to a Chinese military presence close to Australia.

The new Australian government has made the Pacific islands an early foreign policy priority to counter Beijing's push, despatching the foreign minister to Fiji with the message Australia would put new priority on the region's biggest security challenge of climate change and announcing a new visa programme to allow Pacific island citizens to migrate.

In Honiara last week, Wang condemned interference in the deal and said the Solomon Islands' relationship with China was a model for other Pacific island nations.

With borders closed across the region because of the COVID pandemic, most foreign ministers are attending the Fiji meeting by video link. In several Pacific countries, the foreign minister is also prime minister.

Wang will travel to the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga for a two-day visit on Tuesday.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-hosts-pacific-islands-meeting-fiji-security-ties-focus-2022-05-30/

>>16366881

China shelves Pacific regional agreement

Dominic Giannini - May 30, 2022

China has shelved its plan to sign a regional agreement with Pacific island nations.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been travelling to Pacific nations, and had planned to visit 10 countries in the two week blitz.

Mr Wang says China will instead release a position paper following a meeting with Pacific foreign ministers in Fiji on Monday.

“After meeting, China will release its own position paper on our own positions and propositions and cooperation proposals with Pacific island countries,” he said.

“Going forward, we will continue to have ongoing and in-depth discussions and consultations to shape more consensus on cooperation.”

Mr Yang also tried to disparage commentary about China acting nefariously in the region as it tries to increase its influence.

“Don’t be too anxious and don’t be too nervous,” he said.

“The common development and prosperity of China and all the other developing countries would only mean great harmony, greater justice and greater progress of the whole world.”

The wide-ranging deal was leaked last week and covered free trade and security cooperations, including areas such as police training, cyber security, maritime mapping and resource access.

Micronesia expressed opposition to the regional agreement according to a leaked letter, and had previously publicly expressed concern over the Sino-Solomons pact and what it would mean for the region’s security.

An official from Kiribati told Reuters the country wanted to focus on economic ties rather than a security deal.

Mr Wang says China will provide assistance to Pacific Islands without political strings.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says there remained a “consensus first” approach to regional agreements following the foreign minister’s meeting.

China’s ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo, told reporters after the meeting, the draft communique and five year plan sent by China to Pacific nations would be shelved until an agreement was reached.

“”There has been general support from the 10 countries with which we have diplomatic relations, but of course there are some concerns on some specific issues,” he said.

“We have agreed these two documents will be discussed afterwards.”

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also visited Fiji at the end of last week after returning from the Quad meeting in Tokyo.

Australia and the United States expressed concerns about a Chinese security deal signed with the Solomon Islands and said any military base in the Pacific would be considered a “red line”.

The US has also stepped up its footprint in the Pacific, with its embassy in Solomons’ capital Honiara due to reopen.

Regional security and a more assertive China was one of the main focuses of the Quad meeting between the heads of Australia, the US, Japan and India when they met last Tuesday.

https://www.aap.com.au/news/china-shelves-pacific-regional-agreement/

Lawyers in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide move to subpoena the source code for the encrypted AN0M app

Lawyers representing alleged bikie chiefs, mafia members and drug kingpins are mounting legal challenges to the software at the heart of Operation Ironside – the encrypted AN0M app.

Mitch Mott - May 30, 2022

Adelaide lawyers are mounting legal challenges to the software at the heart of the international crime sting Operation Ironside, which used the encrypted AN0M platform to intercept millions of messages before the app was shut down in June last year.

If successful, the legal move threatens to derail more than 100 cases before South Australian courts, as well as others interstate.

Defence counsel for South Australians arrested as part of the operation are leading the way, along with colleagues in Sydney and Melbourne, to subpoena the source code behind the encrypted app.

The lawyers argue that there is no way a court could be satisfied that what police said were decrypted messages from the app matched what had been typed in.

The Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) are fighting to prevent the release of the source code – invoking immunity and arguing it would not be in the public interest.

It is the latest in a string of legal manoeuvres aimed at discrediting millions of intercepted messages, which police allege show conspiracies to murder as well as the trafficking of vast quantities of drugs.

In South Australia, a challenge to the validity of the warrants used to intercept the messages is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court later this year.

In NSW, top appeals silk Bret Walker SC has been retained by a consortium of around 30 Operation Ironside accused who are also seeking to challenge the warrants.

Those challenges are aimed at the admissibility of large collections of messages which might have been intercepted unlawfully.

However, the latest tactic is aimed at the very origin of the messages – the AN0M platform itself.

It is understood the source code is likely to not even be in Australia, but rather be in the possession of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US.

Last week, Adelaide lawyer Dominic Agresta told the Adelaide Magistrates Court he would be seeking to challenge the legality and functioning of the AN0M platform.

Mr Agresta represents several Ironside accused whose charges range from conspiracy to commit murder, to the trafficking of huge quantities of cannabis and methamphetamine, both in South Australia and interstate.

Representing one of his clients, whose name is suppressed, Mr Agresta asked the court for a temporary stay of the prosecution and for the man to be released on bail because of the federal authorities refusal to hand over various documents, including the source code.

He said he, along with other defence counsel in Melbourne and Sydney, had requested disclosure of various documents from both the AFP and CDPP, including details of the inner workings of the AN0M app.

“The answer charge date is looming and we want these documents in relation to an application which could be made on that day,” he said.

“Effectively we are challenging the very basis for the AN0M application itself and these documents go to that.

“There has been a refusal to hand over details of the functioning of the app. We say we need those details because without them how can this court be satisfied that the decrypted messages are an accurate reproduction of the encrypted messages.”

John Clover, for the CDPP, said Mr Agresta and other lawyers needed to issue subpoenas to the AFP.

“It is the AFP’s claim of immunity and they need to be bought in as a party,” he said.

“Various documents have been identified as having potential relevance but also fall under claims of immunity.

“Just because they have potential relevance, not actual relevance, does not flow that it is exculpatory or helpful to (the accused).”

Claiming privilege over information allows a person or organisation to prevent it being presented to other parties in legal proceedings.

Public interest immunity is a type of privilege that is usually invoked by a government when it argues that disclosure of the information would do more harm than good.

Magistrate John Wells adjourned the hearing for a full argument and to allow the AFP to prepare its case against the release of the source code.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/lawyers-in-melbourne-sydney-and-adelaide-move-to-subpoena-the-source-code-for-the-encrypted-an0m-app/news-story/85c90469ec244c83e267679f0027e3d4

SAS soldier recalled after puzzling evidence in Ben Roberts-Smith case

An SAS soldier who gave evidence about a strange issue at the Ben Roberts-Smith trial has been brought back for one reason.

Perry Duffin - May 30, 2022

An SAS soldier, who testified for Ben Roberts-Smith about a puzzling war story, has been recalled to give more evidence behind closed doors in the marathon defamation case.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine newspapers over a series of articles in which they claimed he committed war crime murders in Afghanistan.

The Victoria Cross recipient denies each allegation and has been calling witnesses for over a month to testify in his case.

The court, on Monday, heard a witness codenamed Person 27 was now being recalled to testify in closed court.

He had been overseas until this weekend and the court had struggled to locate him - but he will now give evidence on Tuesday afternoon.

It‘s not yet clear if the public will learn what Person 27 is being recalled over - but the SAS soldier previously told the court Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawyers were behind a strange comment that has appeared in multiple court documents.

The court has heard claims Mr Roberts-Smith, at the end of 2012, ordered an Afghan special forces soldier to execute a detained civilian after the SAS discovered a weapons cache.

Some soldiers have claimed they witnessed the killing - others, including Mr Roberts-Smith, deny any such shooting took place.

Mr Roberts-Smith and four other SAS soldiers submitted outlines of evidence to the court that said Nine‘s allegation was wrong.

Their reason was simple and clear - an Afghan soldier, which Nine claims was also involved in the killing, was not working with the Australians at that time in 2012.

Person 27 was among those witnesses who said that particular Wakunish soldier, or “Waka”, had been removed from service because he shot a dog.

The bullet ricocheted and hit an Australian soldier in the rear, Mr Roberts-Smith‘s witnesses said in their outline of evidence.

But Person 27, speaking on the stand this month, told the court that the outline of evidence was incorrect.

The Wakunish soldier Mr Roberts-Smith‘s side accused of shooting the dog, known only as Person 12, had not been removed from service, the court has now repeatedly heard.

“Who first used Person 12’s name?” Nine’s barrister asked.

“Ben’s lawyers,” Person 27 responded.

Last month Nine‘s barrister, Nicholas Owens SC, accused Mr Roberts-Smith’s witnesses of “colluding” to give false evidence that would make Nine’s allegation impossible.

Mr Roberts-Smith‘s legal team deny there was any collusion.

Person 27‘s evidence is expected to last just one day before the court prepares to hear from a high ranking SAS officer.

The officer, who cannot be identified, will give evidence on another mission in which Nine claims Mr Roberts-Smith carried out war crimes.

The multi-year case is expected to close on Friday.

https://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/sas-soldier-recalled-after-puzzling-evidence-in-ben-robertssmith-case/news-story/a38b5c367d54bb7fe5daff1f9eb358a8

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 30, 2022, 2:58 a.m. No.16367044 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3206

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet

Memorial Day

Each year on the last Monday of May, Americans honor the men and women who have lost their lives in military service. We express our deepest gratitude for the courageous Americans who have given their lives in service to the United States. #MemorialDay

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1531079296004943874

—

Q Post #1350

May 12 2018 22:24:18 (EST)

If America falls, the World falls.

God bless our brave fighting men & women.

They deserve our deepest gratitude.

Through their strength, and the millions of united Patriots around the World, we will succeed in this fight.

Peace through strength.

Now comes the pain.

Q

—

>Thank you for your service.

>Understanding what's at stake.

>God bless each and every one of you.

>We will not fail.

>WWG1WGA!!!

How Russell Manser went from robbing banks to helping other prisoners | Australian Story

ABC News In-depth

May 30, 2022

Bank robber Russell Manser was destined for a life in prison before he discovered a new path by confronting his hidden trauma. Now he's working to help others seek justice for crimes long buried.

Russell was a notorious bank robber and escapee who seemed destined to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

But behind his repeat offending lay a crippling secret from his teenage years.

When he finally sought justice for these wrongs, life took an unexpected turn

Now the bank robber turned businessman is assisting others who want justice for crimes long buried. But it’s been a rocky road to redemption.

Read more here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/how-russell-manser-went-from-robbing-banks-to-turning-his-life-/100631408

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNl9xq02vhw

—

How career criminal and notorious bank robber Russell Manser turned his life around

Susan Chenery and Jennifer Feller - 30 May 2022

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/how-russell-manser-went-from-robbing-banks-to-turning-his-life-/100631408

Anthony Albanese promises to lead more inclusive government in first speech to caucus

Georgia Hitch - 31 May 2022

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used his first speech in front of his parliamentary colleagues to pledge that his government will do politics in a different, less divisive, way.

Mr Albanese was welcomed by the Labor caucus — which is the meeting of the Labor members of parliament — with cheers and applause, and choked back tears as he finished his speech by thanking his team for the "incredible honour" of being Prime Minister, saying it was "a big deal".

His speech also canvassed the success of the party's campaign, his vision for the next three years and his hope for re-election after that, but he did not reveal who would take what role in his ministry.

The government's frontbench will be officially sworn in on Wednesday morning.

The Prime Minister said he was serious about how the party would go about governing and implementing the policies it promised.

"We have an opportunity to shape the future from this position," he said.

"We need to change the way that politics operates in this country. We need to be more inclusive.

"We need to be prepared to reach out. We need to be prepared to engage on those issues. We can do that in this parliament."

Mr Albanese went on to say that reaching out needed to involve all Australians including multicultural communities, people of faith and the LGBTIQ community.

He said the election result was a rejection of the previous government's attempt to "wedge people" and cause division.

"We saw that during the election campaign, whereby some very vulnerable people were singled out … adding to their vilification," he said.

"We're a better country than that. We shouldn't do that ever. Ever."

The caucus meeting was also the first for a raft of new MPs, including a number from Western Australia where Labor experienced a significant swing toward it.

Mr Albanese used the opportunity to pay tribute to former senator Kristina Keneally and former shadow environment minister Terri Butler who both lost their seats at the election.

He also announced that parliament would return in the last week of July and that he would travel to Indonesia this Sunday.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-31/anthony-albanese-caucus-meeting-new-government/101112802

‘I won’t back down on Beijing’, says Peter Dutton

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 30, 2022

Peter Dutton says he won’t back away from his pre-election warnings about the dangers posed by China, declaring the country under President Xi Jinping’s leadership “is the biggest issue our country will face in our lifetimes”.

The former defence minister campaigned heavily before the election on the security threats posed by China, and with Scott Morrison said deputy Labor leader Richard Marles was sympathetic towards Beijing.

The hawkish rhetoric cost the Coalition votes in seats with high numbers of Chinese speakers who flipped to Labor, including Chisholm in Victoria and NSW electorates of Reid and Bennelong.

Speaking after his elevation as Liberal leader on Monday, Mr Dutton said he did not resile from his comments on China “because I feel very passionately about this issue. I have had the benefit of the briefings in the National Security Committee and to be high-level in some circumstances as defence minister,” he said.

He said he wanted Australia to have a productive relationship with China – which slapped $20bn in punitive tariffs on Australian exports and refused to engage with Australian ministers – but said resolving the rift was “an issue for China”.

Ahead of the election, Mr Dutton warned Australians that to preserve the peace, the nation needed to “prepare for war”.

He said on Monday the warning was “realistic”, given Beijing’s stated intent to take Taiwan.

“I'm concerned that if they went into Taiwan, that would change quite dramatically the security settings within our own region,” Mr Dutton said.

The warnings came amid criticism of the Coalition’s failure to head off a Chinese security agreement with Solomon Islands, and slow progress in delivering new capabilities to the Australian Defence Force.

Prior to the campaign, Mr Morrison was forced to apologise to parliament after branding Mr Marles a “Manchurian candidate”.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said at the time that the politicisation of national security had been “not helpful”.

After the campaign, Mr Burgess’s predecessor, Major General Duncan Lewis, also criticised the Coalition’s rhetoric on China, saying that it had been “rather louder than we should have been”.

“We’ve been in the forefront of some of the criticism of states such as China, when we might well have been better to have been one back and one wide,” he said.

The Australian reported during the election campaign that Mr Marles had met with Chinese diplomats 10 times over five years, and had given a draft speech to the Chinese embassy in Canberra before delivering it on a 2019 trip to China.

Mr Marles said after the election that the Coalition’s claims he was too close to China were “a pathetic attempt to distract from their own failings”.

“What we saw here was an attempt to politicise issues of national security, of strategic policy, to create difference where it didn’t exist,” he said.

“And the reason for that was really to distract from the former government’s failings, particularly in handling our relations within our own region, with Solomon Islands in the Pacific.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/i-wont-back-down-on-beijing-says-peter-dutton/news-story/2c90b34c8bd6b42392364d4a495e2c60

China tries to calm Pacific fears after security snub

WILL GLASGOW - MAY 31, 2022

Pacific Islands leaders have rebuffed Beijing’s sweeping security and trade pact while calling on China – the world’s biggest polluter – to do more to address its “greatest threat”: climate change.

Xi Jinping’s top envoy Wang Yi said the region should not be “too nervous” about China’s intentions in the region in comments made after Beijing failed to get agreement for an ambitious security and trade proposal at a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Fiji on Monday.

Mr Wang, China’s Foreign Minister, said concerns expressed by Canberra, Wellington and many of their Pacific Island partners were misplaced.

“Don’t be too anxious and don’t be too nervous,” Mr Wang said in brief remarks in Suva.

Instead of signing on to Beijing’s agreement, Pacific Island leaders called on China to address climate change. “Being a true partner and friend to the Pacific requires urgent and deep climate change action,” said Henry Puna, Secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, on behalf of members.

“We call on China and our international partners to submit enhanced nationally determined contributions in line with the 1.5C pathway and net zero by 2050.”

Beijing has said it will not reach net zero until 2060 – a decade later than America, Japan, the European Union, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited Suva last week after a draft of Beijing’s sweeping agreement was leaked and said the new Albanese government understood the acute concern about climate change in the Pacific.

In a statement after Monday’s meeting, Senator Wong said it was “up to countries in the region to make choices for their people”. “The security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part,” she said.

China had proposed to radically increase its involvement in the security, economy and politics of the region. Ahead of Mr Wang’s visit, China proposed a pact that would see Beijing train Pacific Island police, become involved in cybersecurity, expand political ties, conduct sensitive marine mapping and gain greater access to natural resources on land and in the water.

Beijing also offered millions of dollars in financial assistance and the prospect of a China-Pacific Islands free trade agreement.

Federated States of Micronesia president David Panuelo warned the proposed agreement was “disingenuous” and would “ensure Chinese influence in government” and “economic control” of key industries.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Monday broad agreement would be needed before inking any “new regional agreements”. “As always, we put consensus first,” he said.

China’s Foreign Minister refused to take questions from the media, as has been the case at every stop on his unprecedented 10-day blitz in the Pacific. He is scheduled to be in Tonga on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media after his boss had left, China’s Ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo, confirmed Pacific Island countries had not reached agreement on the Chinese proposal.

“There has been general support from the 10 countries with which we have diplomatic relations, but of course there are some concerns on some specific issues,” he said.

Dr Anna Powles, a senior lecturer in international security at New Zealand’s Massey University, said the outcome was an example of “astute Pacific statecraft”.

The shuttle diplomacy by Australia’s new Foreign Minister has underlined continuing structural tensions in Canberra’s relationship with Beijing. China’s party state media last week accused Senator Wong of “double standards, arrogant colonialism and imperialism” for her concern about Beijing’s outreach in the region. Government-affiliated Chinese foreign policy experts have reacted angrily to the Australian government’s use of the phrase “Pacific family”, which they say is used to exclude China.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/china-fails-to-ink-security-pact-with-pacific-nations/news-story/7663e5465f36a1f5bce9c5fad76e2407

>>16361649

Timing of Wang Yi visit to PNG ‘inappropriate’, says Peter O’Neill

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 30, 2022

Two of Papua New Guinea’s most senior politicians have blasted the timing of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to the country during its national election period, and warned Prime Minister James Marape not to sign any agreements while parliament was dissolved.

Former PNG prime minister Peter O’Neill and Opposition Leader Belden Namah, said the visit was inappropriate and should have been delayed until a new government had been formed.

Their comments came after Mr Wang was forced to shelve a region-wide security and trade pact on Monday after Pacific Islands foreign ministers rejected the deal.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the decision, declaring “the security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part”.

Mr O’Neill, who is considered a contender to return to the prime ministership, told The Australian that PNG’s foreign partners were aware of the election timeline, “and should respect the democratic processes of our country”.

“PNG welcomes our trading and diplomatic partners graciously but now is not the appropriate time for high-level state visits,” he said.

Mr Namah said the visit was “premature and irresponsible” now the election period was in full swing.

“It is not an appropriate time for Wang Yi to visit Papua New Guinea, when the writs have been issued and we are in the campaign period,” he told The Australian.

“Marape is only (leading) a caretaker government. He cannot commit the independent state of Papua New Guinea to any form of agreements, be they international or domestic.”

Mr Wang urged regional leaders not to be concerned about his country’s intentions in the region, after 10 Pacific counterparts had declined to support the sweeping trade and security agreement during a meeting in Fiji.

“Don’t be too anxious and don’t be too nervous,” Mr Wang said.

He added that co-operation with China would deliver “great harmony, greater justice and greater progress”.

China’s ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo, later told reporters that the draft communique and five-year plan had been set aside “until we have reached an agreement”.

The rejection of the proposed deal follows an outcry from Australia and the US over a new China-Solomon Islands security pact, and a snap trip to Fiji by Senator Wong, who urged the region to stick with Australia as its “security partner of choice”.

“Australia will always work with the Pacific family to address shared security challenges, which is why we will boost support for Pacific maritime security and increase defence co-operation,” Senator Wong said on Monday.

“We want to bring new energy and more resources to the Pacific.

“And we want to make a uniquely Australian contribution, including through the culture we share and economic opportunities through our Pacific labour programs and permanent migration.”

Fiji's Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, said Pacific nations had put “consensus first”.

“Geopolitical pointscoring means less than little to anyone whose community is slipping beneath the rising seas, whose job is being lost to the pandemic, or whose family is impacted by the rapid rise in the price of commodities,” he said.

Mr Wang, who is on a diplomatic blitz of the region, is due to depart Fiji for Tonga on Tuesday and head to Vanuatu and PNG.

The Chinese embassy had been in talks with PNG officials about providing funding or equipment to support the country’s election security efforts, but Mr O’Neill said the offer of support had come too late.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/timing-of-wang-yi-visit-to-png-inappropriate-says-peter-oneill/news-story/f5ccaf0caef71c7fd6b0c09267fbdac1

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 31, 2022, 1:40 a.m. No.16372930 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2933

>>16366850

Fiji’s ‘Rambo’ will take the fight to Xi Jinping

China’s aggressive bid for influence in the Pacific will depend in part on the outcome of an epic struggle for power between Fiji’s rival strongmen.

STEPHEN RICE - May 31, 2022

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The last time a Chinese delegation arrived at Fiji’s Grand Pacific Hotel it was to beat up a Taiwanese official in the ballroom for daring to host a celebration of his country’s National Day.

But that was 18 months ago, a lifetime in the world of international relations.

This week, the Chinese came in peace – or what now passes for it in the Pacific – with Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s hefty entourage occupying much of the hotel as Beijing’s island-hopping charm offensive hit town.

It was all smiles at reception, the previous unpleasantness having been quickly swept under the (slightly blood-stained) carpet when the two Chinese embassy thugs were granted diplomatic immunity by a Fijian government anxious to avoid trouble.

Beijing may not have pulled off its desired regional agreement but it was always going to find a receptive audience in Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama’s much-diminished Republic of Fiji. In his 15 years in power, the one-time navy commander has become increasingly reliant on friends in Beijing.

Former Bainimarama media adviser Graham Davis recounts an experience at a reception one evening at State House in Suva when the Prime Minister shocked the gathering by telling the then US ambassador Judith Cefkin “You’re not a true friend of Fiji. See that guy over there” – pointing to the Chinese ambassador – “he’s a true friend of Fiji.”

Now Fiji finds itself suddenly at the forefront of Beijing’s largesse, as the superpower stretches its muscle in the South Pacific.

It could not have come at a better time for Bainimarama.

The rugby fanatic who took power in a military coup in 2006 but reinstated democratic rule to Fiji presides over a ruined economy and a fractured nation. The country is $5bn in debt and almost totally reliant on a tourist industry that was in trouble even before Covid wiped out large parts of it.

For Beijing, Fiji is ripe for the plucking. But for many Fijians, the government of Bainimarama is also on the nose. And many are now considering what might once have seemed unthinkable: a return to Fiji’s archetypal strongman, former soldier Sitiveni Rabuka, instigator of two military coups in 1987, and later democratically elected as prime minister from 1992 to 1999.

The coups led to a mass exodus of the country’s Indo-Fijians; the prime ministership delivered only a partial redemption.

This year’s election will be a clash of sworn enemies in what is likely the last roll of the dice for both men. A win would not just be a remarkable turnaround for Rabuka – and his country – but a nasty blow for China. The wily Rabuka is far more cautious about Beijing’s push into the Pacific than his hated adversary Bainimarama, who calls him “the snake”.

(continued)

>>16372930

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This week, Rabuka – who is still known in friendlier circles as “Rambo” – told The Australian he wouldn’t be trading Fiji’s security for economic benefits under any circumstances. “We don’t want to sell our soul, and that is tantamount to selling our soul,” he said.

Now, at age 74, Rabuka faces the biggest challenge of an already overly dramatic career: to convince the country, especially its 37 per cent Indo-Fijian population, that he is a changed man.

Rabuka was in Sydney at the weekend raising funds for his fledgling People’s Alliance party. The Fijian diaspora in Australia wields considerable sway, with many retaining footholds in both countries. Expats sent back $1.5bn in remittances over the past two years, a lifeline to family and to the national economy.

Crucially, on this visit Rabuka was joined by his coalition partner Biman Prasad, head of the traditionally Indo-Fijian dominated National Federation Party.

They make an odd couple: the charismatic Fijian strongman and the unassuming Indo-Fijian professor. But it was a winning combination, at least, for 500 supporters at a sold-out black tie ball in Bankstown.

Rabuka received a hero’s welcome from the largely iTaukei (ethnic Fijian) audience at the event; but so did Prasad, arriving late in Sydney’s Saturday night traffic to an unexpected ovation.

At another gathering largely attended by Indo-Fijians – some who had left the country in fear after the 1987 coups, and others who were not even born then – Rabuka admits that there were moments of awkwardness.

Have they forgiven him?

“Some of them only know the Rabuka of 1987 and nothing else,” he says. “I’m glad that last night Biman came along and said: this is what he has done since. And it was good for them to see – okay, so you’re different now.”

Rabuka chuckles at the turnaround, as if slightly amazed by it. If he wins this election, there’ll be plenty of upheaval all round.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/fijis-sitiveni-rambo-rabuka-will-take-the-fight-to-xi-jimping/news-story/7ff9f7ef6e296ee2f8d9a8d60d2d6ea3

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 31, 2022, 1:51 a.m. No.16372962 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2965

>>16366881

China, Pacific Island nations expand cooperation at second FMs’ meeting covering poverty alleviation, climate change and agriculture

China respects local countries in signing cooperation, but could be sabotaged by few politicians used as US pawns

Zhang Hui, Liu Caiyu and Shan Jie - May 30, 2022

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One year since the first virtual foreign ministers' meeting between China and the Pacific Island nations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi took a historic trip to eight regional countries and jointly chaired the second foreign ministers' meeting in Fiji on Monday, during which China and the countries reached a new consensus to deepen cooperation on sectors including poverty alleviation, climate change and agriculture.

Chinese analysts believed that any cooperation between China and the Pacific Island nations is conducted on the basis of respecting the countries and their people, and the cooperation will never be imposed on them like some Western countries do. They said that even for some joint document that is not yet finalized, which is a normal process for bilateral relations, China will respect regional countries and continue the discussions.

But they also pointed out that a few people in these countries, under the pressure and coercion of the US and former colonizer, may be willing to serve American interests at the cost of their national and people's interests.

At the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Monday, Wang announced that China will continue to jointly build six new cooperation platforms with regional countries on sectors including poverty alleviation, disaster prevention, climate change and agriculture. The meeting was attended by foreign ministers of China, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Micronesia, the Solomon Islands and Tonga, as well as secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum online and offline.

China and the Pacific Island countries reached a five-point consensus at the meeting, which include deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership, upholding true multilateralism and pursuing common development and prosperity.

Wang said facts proved that China's cooperation with Pacific nations conforms to the trend of the times, benefits the people in the region, and has bright prospects, and China will continue to listen to the voices of the regional countries and their people, respect the current cooperation mechanism of the region and support other countries to increase investment in promoting regional development and carry out three-party or four-party cooperation.

The foreign ministers from the regional countries said they support the Belt and Road Initiative, will continue to firmly pursue the One China policy and look forward to working with China to expand cooperation in various fields and improve infrastructure and people's livelihood.

China also released a 15-point position paper on mutual respect and common development with Pacific Island countries, including jointly promoting regional peace and security and cracking down on transnational crimes, such as cyber crimes, and tackling COVID-19 and strengthening people-to-people exchange.

As for some people who questioned why China was actively helping the South Pacific nations, Wang urged them not to be over anxious and nervous about it, as the common development and prosperity of China and other developing countries will make the world fairer, more harmonious and more stable.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a written speech at the meeting, in which he said China remains committed to the equality of all countries regardless of size, and will always be a good friend, a good brother and a good partner of Pacific Island countries no matter how the international landscape evolves.

Chinese analysts said that the meeting showed China's assistance to and cooperation with the regional countries are truly for the benefit of local people, as China's help has never been interrupted even after changes in local governments.

Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times that the second meeting, which was held in Fiji, went further than the first virtual one on deepening existing cooperation and exploring new fields, and the holding of the meeting was a success for the two sides.

Fiji is the fourth leg of Wang's tour to the South Pacific island nations, which will also take him to Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, as well as Timor-Leste. Before arriving in Suva, Wang visited the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Samoa.

(continued)

>>16372962

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at Monday's media briefing that the foreign ministers' meeting was held successfully, with representatives reaching new consensus on deepening cooperation. While some foreign media reported that China and the regional countries did not sign a planned joint agreement covering security and trade cooperation at Monday's meeting, Zhao said the joint document is under continued discussion and all parties reached a new consensus, marking an important step toward the final agreement.

Chinese analysts said that the fact the two sides have yet to sign the agreement due to different opinions actually reflected China's sincere diplomatic attitude of respecting local countries, and it was a normal process for bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, they warned that opposition to the agreement may also be a deliberate move carried out by a few politicians of some regional countries who are willing to be used by the US at the cost of the interests of the country and people.

Behind the different voices

In reporting that China and Pacific Island countries were unable to sign a sweeping agreement, several Western media outlets cited the previous opposition from President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) David Panuelo, who said the draft of the agreement should be rejected as it essentially binds all Pacific Island countries to China and would affect the sovereignty of Pacific Island countries.

It's not known which country voiced concerns over the joint agreement, but analysts said that all concerns will be taken seriously.

Yang Honglian, a Fiji-based senior researcher at the Pacific Islands Research Center of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times on Monday that voicing concerns is the legitimate right of regional countries, but it is worth deep study on whether the concerns are from the majority or just a few politicians.

If it was a few politicians making irresponsible remarks by kidnapping the will of the people, all regional countries should condemn such selfish actions, Yang said.

A regional pact is difficult by nature and time-consuming, and may last for a decade, which is acknowledged internationally, Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the research center for Pacific Island countries of Liaocheng University in East China's Shandong Province, told the Global Times.

For instance, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was overwhelmingly supported by most countries, but some Western countries represented by the US rejected it out of their own selfish interests. This kind of behavior severely obstructs the worldwide marine pact from being implemented, Yu said.

As for the remarks from FSM, Yu said that in the face of pressure and personal interests, a few people are willing to be led by the US, which would undermine the interests of the country and the people.

Yu said FSM is one of three free associates of the US in the region and home to the world's largest and most advanced strategic missile testing site, adding that it is obvious to all which country is threatening FSM's survival and development.

According to the Pacific Island Times, the US and FSM in 2021 agreed on a plan to build a military base in the Pacific Island nation to serve the Pentagon's strategic ambition of increasing its footprint in the Indo-Pacific region and contain China.

The US and Australia have been smearing China's normal cooperation with regional countries since China and the Solomon Islands signed a security cooperation deal.

Actually, as well as the Solomon Islands, many other regional countries need to improve their police's law enforcement abilities, and lacking national infrastructure and inadequate policing equipment makes it difficult to rely on their own police forces to do the job, Yang said, noting that police security cooperation is urgently needed in the region.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266949.shtml

China's foreign minister visits Tonga after Pacific islands delay regional pact

Kirsty Needham - May 31, 2022

May 31 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday signed agreements in Tonga for police equipment and fisheries cooperation on a tour through the Pacific islands region where Beijing's ambitions for wider security ties has caused concern among U.S. allies.

Pacific island nations were unable to reach consensus in a meeting with Wang a day earlier over a sweeping regional trade and security pact China has proposed.

In Tonga, Wang signed several bilateral agreements with Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni and also visited King Tupou VI at the Royal Palace, Tonga's government said in a statement.

"Both meetings focused on mutual respect and the common interest of the people of China and Tonga," it said.

Agreements between the two countries' disaster management agencies and for China to provide a police laboratory and customs inspection equipment as well as a memorandum on the "blue economy" would assist Tonga's long-term development, it said.

Sovaleni "conveyed Tonga’s gratitude to China with the relief assistances offered after the volcanic eruption … and tsunami".

Tonga, which was hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami in January, owes two-thirds of its external debt of $195 million to China's Export-Import Bank, its budget shows.

Australia and New Zealand are its biggest donor nations, highlighting the squeeze some Pacific islands face as geopolitical tensions between China and U.S. allies ratchet up.

In the aftermath of the eruption, Australia and New Zealand coordinated allies in a relief operation involving defence flights and naval vessels. China also sent aid and equipment on commercial and naval vessels in a highly publicised relief effort.

Tonga appointed the first Australian as police commissioner this month, and has declined to comment on whether it supports a regional policing pact with China.

On Monday, a virtual meeting hosted by Wang in Fiji with counterparts from 10 island nations deferred consideration of a sweeping agreement spanning policing, security, fisheries, data and a free trade zone, proposed by China.

A draft communique and five-year action plan was leaked ahead of the meeting, amid criticism the deal would bind the nations closely to China, and raise geopolitical tensions with the United States.

Despite their small populations and economies, each Pacific state represents a vote at international forums such as the United Nations. They also control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean and access to a region with strategic military significance.

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa was among the island nation leaders who called for a delay, and wants major decisions on the region to go through the Pacific Islands Forum group, Samoan media reported on Tuesday.

"We have not made a decision as we did not have enough time to look at it," Samoan news service Talamua quoted Fiame as saying, in a speech also released by her office on social media.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-foreign-minister-visits-tonga-after-pacific-islands-delay-regional-pact-2022-05-31/

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 31, 2022, 2:20 a.m. No.16373021 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3026

>>16372987

China, Tonga are examples of ‘building a community with shared future’, long-term Chinese investments dwarf US, Australia

Long-term Chinese investments dwarf US, Australia

Li Xuanmin - May 30, 2022

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Chinese enterprises' humanitarian aid to South Pacific island nation Tonga in the face of natural disasters and the pandemic has demonstrated the genuine friendship between China and South Pacific countries and given the world an example of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Chinese businesses said, amid Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's ongoing visit to the region.

Such aid, coming in an active and timely manner and manifested not only in medicine and food but also in long-term personnel and resources, dwarfs offerings from Australia and the US, which deemed the region as their "backyards" and a battlefield for influence, with their investment largely driven by geopolitical factors rather than addressing the interests of local communities, observers said.

"When a volcano erupted in January, our South Pacific subsidiary quickly communicated with local staffers in Tonga, and mobilized our teams in Fiji and Vanuatu to purchase relief supplies. We consulted with and expanded material transport channels to the Tongan government to ensure that supplies were sent to the island country as quickly as possible," recalled a spokesperson of China Civil Engineering Construction Corp (CCECC).

In addition to CCECC, other Chinese state-owned enterprises and local Chinese chambers - in line with the aid from the Chinese government - were also offering humanitarian help to the best of their capacities at that time.

Immediately after the volcanic disaster, the Red Cross Society of China provided $100,000 in humanitarian aid to Tonga, and the Chinese government gathered emergency supplies, including drinking water and food, through the Chinese Embassy in Tonga. It was the first batch of relief supplies the island country received after the natural disaster.

"When the disaster-relief assistance arrived at the Tongan port, our staffers helped Tongan government officials, quickly completing unloading, secondary packaging, and transporting within two days despite stormy weather and adverse sea conditions," a spokesperson from CCECC told the Global Times over the weekend.

He added that Chinese enterprises "always stand in the frontline with local community," as also exemplified by aid after Tonga's encountering two hurricanes in 2015 and 2020, when Chinese firms actively helped in reconstruction and relief efforts, sharing the fate of the local community and solidifying friendship between the two countries.

The 14th Bureau of China Railway Construction Corp, which has dozens of infrastructure projects in South Pacific countries, also donated emergency aid including drinking water, food, tents, electric generators and life-saving equipment to Tonga after the volcanic disaster, a spokesperson of the company told the Global Times.

"Extreme situations such as disasters and the pandemic show the importance of 'building a community with a shared future for mankind,' which corresponds with the global mainstream consensus of peaceful development and win-win cooperation between countries," the spokesperson said, adding that the firm donated anti-virus supplies worth more than1 million yuan ($150,200) to a number of South Pacific nations.

(continued)

>>16373021

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Chinese enterprises also invested in key infrastructure projects that are vitally important to the Tongan people's wellbeing. For example, CCECC built a key water supply project for Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa and neighboring areas, which addressed the water supply issue for locals.

On Monday, the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Fiji, and a sweeping cooperation agreement between China and Pacific island nations is under continued discussion and all parties have reached new consensus on the documents, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Chinese enterprises are in South Pacific nations for the long term, which is in stark contrast to certain Western countries like Australia, which is driven by its geopolitical calculus without respecting individual countries' genuine needs and interests, Chinese observers said.

While Foreign Minister Wang Yi toured the Pacific island countries, Penny Wong, the new Australian foreign minister, made a trip to Fiji on Thursday where she claimed that Australia will maintain its influence in the Pacific, helping "build a stronger Pacific family".

Observers said Wong's remarks laid bare a "parental" role Australia attempted to play to enforce its will on many South Pacific nations, excluding China from Canberra's claimed sphere of influence.

"China and South Pacific island nations such as Tonga have a solid foundation for cooperation in sectors like agriculture, medicine, fishing, climate change and environmental protection. Their friendship, which is also within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation framework, is an example for the world of building a community of shared future," Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times on Monday.

In 2018, the education ministries of China and Tonga signed a memorandum on communication and cooperation in education to support the establishment of the Tonga College of Liaocheng University, which has helped Tonga cultivate high-level talent in applied science, and conduct joint research in marine studies. Tonga also signed a memorandum to join the BRI in 2018.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1266930.shtml

https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1531539031003123712

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 31, 2022, 3:02 a.m. No.16373141 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8590

Child and sex charges rock swimming

JESSICA HALLORAN - MAY 31, 2022

A former Swimming Australia employee has been charged with sexual assault and indecent treatment of children.

The man, who is understood to have worked at the Queensland Academy of Sport and oversaw a number of Olympic swimmers in his time, was charged with three counts of indecent treatment of children under 16 and one count of sexual assault over incidents that allegedly occurred between 2002 and 2010.

“Swimming Australia is aware of the investigation. However, as it is an ongoing police matter, we are unable to comment any further at this stage,” a Swimming Australia spokesman said.

The man was arrested last week following a search warrant being executed at a business. He is expected to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 9.

The news comes as the Australian swimming team is preparing for the World Championships in Budapest and then the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Over the past year, Swimming Australia has embarked on a cultural review and its new president, Tracy Stockwell, has vowed to make Australian swimming a safe place for all athletes. In December 2021, Swimming Australia offered a historic and unreserved apology for the way female swimmers had been treated in the sport after an independent review delivered a scathing assessment.

“Certainly, we acknowledge that there have been some negative experiences for people in the past, and particularly some females, and we’re truly sorry for that,” Ms Stockwell told The Australian earlier this year. “But we welcomed the independent panel report and their findings and believe that the recommendations will provide a strong road map for our commitment to continually improve our sport.”

The review was triggered after Olympic silver medallist Maddie Groves quit the Tokyo team swim trials stating “let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers”.

Groves, who won two silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has repeatedly claimed a sexist and “misogynistic” culture exists in the sport. “You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you so you can earn your annual bonus. Time’s UP” Groves wrote on Twitter, referencing her withdrawal from the trials in Adelaide.

Several other swimmers also spoke up about the pressures around body image and shaming.

In the past, Swimming Australia had been accused of turning a blind eye to the growing number of complaints from female swimmers. Then last year it finally relented and agreed to an independent investigation into the sport as the allegations piled up.

In a six-month review, the independent panel of Chris Ronalds, Katherine Bates and Alex Parker heard from more than 150 participants, including former and current swimmers, parents, coaches, technical officials, volunteers and administrators.

The report also addressed the complaints process, recommending it adopt a “character test” for selecting coaches and support staff for teams.

The report also indicated a wide range of problems, including the way some elite female swimmers were treated, and made 46 recommendations.

Some of the recommendations to the organisation included dropping skinfold tests and the term “physique”, and to adopt a quota for female coaches.

Ms Stockwell vowed to work through the recommendations and make the changes required.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/child-and-sex-charges-rock-swimming/news-story/d7e0fbd6d6b0ef4886910e17edb8485a

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 31, 2022, 3:06 a.m. No.16373148 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3172

Crown Resorts hit with $80m fine by VGCCC over use of China Union Pay cards

JARED LYNCH - MAY 30, 2022

Crown Resorts has been slapped with a record $80m fine from the Victorian gaming regulator over the use of Union Pay cards to illegally transfer funds from China.

But the blockbuster fine – on top of separate action from the financial crimes regulator, Austrac, which alleged Crown broke money laundering laws more than 500 times – could have been higher.

The new Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission knocked $20m off the maximum penalty of $100m, citing good behaviour. But VGCCC chair Fran Thorn warned the group could face further penalties over casino law breaches.

It comes as Crown shareholders overwhelmingly backed an $8.9bn takeover from Blackstone, despite the US private equity giant yet to gain approvals from casino regulators in three states.

Rival Star Entertainment has been accused of similar conduct, with the NSW Bell inquiry hearing that the company disguised almost $1bn in gambling transactions as hotel charges.

Gambling is illegal in China and Union Pay (CUP) cards cannot be used for that purpose. Furthermore, individuals in China can only exchange $US50,000 worth of currency a year.

Ms Thorn said: “While Crown deserved some credit for its cooperative approach to the disciplinary proceedings, the record $80 million fine was appropriate and necessary because of the seriousness of Crown’s illegal conduct.

“Crown’s CUP process was a clandestine, deliberate process, which not only breached the Casino Control Act but was also devised to assist patrons to breach China’s foreign currency exchange restrictions.

“Crown was aware of the risk that the CUP process could be illegal but decided to run that risk. In doing so, it showed no regard for upholding its regulatory obligations. Indeed, it went to some lengths to hide what it was doing.

“Crown benefited handsomely from its illegal conduct. The fine will ensure that Crown is stripped of the revenue it derived from the CUP process and will send a clear message that it must comply with its regulatory obligations.”

Section 68 of the Casino Control Act bans Crown from using debit or credit cards to obtain gambling chips. This aims both to avoid gambling derived from criminal funds, and to support responsible gambling and minimise harm.”

“During these disciplinary proceedings it became apparent that, in addition to the CUP process, there were other mechanisms that persisted after 2016 that enabled cards to be used to access cash at Crown Hotels, which was then potentially used for gambling,” Ms Thorn said.

“Consideration of these transactions did not form part of the current disciplinary proceedings, and Crown Melbourne considers these transactions do not contravene the Casino Control Act. The VGCCC has decided to undertake its own investigation into these transactions and form its own view about whether further breaches have occurred in the period after 2016.

“The VGCCC is also considering further disciplinary proceedings against Crown related to the other findings of the Royal Commission, which may each attract a fine of up to $100m.”

In a statement, Crown said it acknowledged “its historical failing”.

“The China UnionPay process ceased in 2016. Upon becoming aware of this historical conduct, Crown’s Board immediately commissioned an independent investigation and shared the findings with the Victorian Royal Commission, the (VGCCC’s predecessor) and other regulators,” the company told shareholders.

“Crown’s Board and senior management are committed to the delivery of a comprehensive reform and remediation program to ensure Crown delivers a safe and responsible gaming environment and continues to co-operate with the VGCCC on all matters arising from the Victorian Royal Commission Report.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/crown-resorts-hit-with-80m-fine-by-vgccc-over-use-of-china-union-pay-cards/news-story/4720369e1669ae2477b989959fda5d14

Anonymous ID: 838864 May 31, 2022, 3:13 a.m. No.16373172 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3176

>>16373148

Star not suitable to hold casino licence, say lawyers for inquiry

Lucy Cormack - May 31, 2022

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The Star Entertainment Group is not suitable to hold a casino licence, lawyers for an inquiry say, arguing the embattled group is yet to fully grasp what went wrong across its organisations.

More than seven weeks of hearings probing Star’s Sydney casino licence have exposed serious failures in risk management and governance that touched the highest echelons of the company and its board.

The NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority launched the review before Adam Bell, SC, last year following revelations by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes of alleged money laundering, links to organised crime and fraud at the Pyrmont casino.

In her closing submission to the review on Tuesday, counsel assisting the inquiry Naomi Sharp, SC, claimed the revelations raised serious concerns about Star’s susceptibility to criminal influence and exploitation.

“We submit that the evidence in the public hearing establishes that The Star is not suitable to hold the casino licence and that its close associate Star Entertainment is not suitable either,” she said.

“The casino licence is a privilege. And it is a privilege, which confers upon the holder of that licence an ability to earn very substantial revenues”.

She said a casino operator must ensure gaming is conducted honestly, with control over its potential to cause harm to the public interest, individuals and families.

The inquiry follows that of former Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin last year, which found Crown Resorts unfit to hold a casino licence in NSW, blocking it from opening gaming floors in its $2.2 billion Barangaroo resort.

Bergin’s inquiry triggered a Victorian royal commission into Crown’s Melbourne casino licence, which it retained under strict conditions.

The Star inquiry has examined allegations it gave free rein to its major “junket” VIP tour partners and disregarded anti-money laundering procedures to avoid China’s strict capital flight and anti-gambling laws.

The casino also refused to hand over to the financial crimes watchdog AUSTRAC a damning 2018 KPMG audit that found it was failing to tackle money laundering.

In 2013 international VIP gaming revenue at The Star was about 30 per cent of overall gaming revenue, growing to 33 per cent by 2018 before declining.

The inquiry heard Star’s attempt to gain a share of the international VIP market was a reaction to the competitive threat of Crown obtaining a licence for Barangaroo in 2014.

Sharp on Tuesday argued the casino group was “only at the beginning of its journey about what has gone wrong” within its organisations.

“There has not yet been the period of deep reflection, which of course will be necessary in order to develop a concrete plan about [what] can bring these corporations into a position of suitability,” Sharp said.

(continued)

>>16373172

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Fall-out from the inquiry has seen a long line of senior executives resign, led by chief executive Matt Bekier who stepped down two weeks into the inquiry. While he accepted responsibility for the casinos failings he blamed others for giving way to the “dark art” of VIP gambling.

Other high-profile resignations have included executive chairman John O’Neill and board director Richard Sheppard, general counsel Andrew Power.

In the first day of her closing remarks, Sharp canvassed the lengthy list of witnesses to have given evidence, assessing each on their credibility.

Sharp suggested all three of Star’s senior lawyers, who have now resigned, at times displayed unethical and dishonest conduct, singling out Power for what she described as “deliberate obfuscation”.

In her view, chief legal officer Paula Martin “almost entirely failed to make appropriate concessions or take any personal responsibility for the conduct,” Sharp said.

She said Bell must also consider the possible underpayment of duties to the NSW government, by encouraging high-value patrons to make false claims about their place of residence.

Star Entertainment Group holds three different corporations that hold casino licenses: in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast and in Sydney. The last suitability review into Star’s Sydney licence was in November 2016.

The inquiry began in March with explosive evidence to support claims Star disguised $900 million worth of Chinese debit card gambling transactions as hotel expenses and then lied to banks in an attempt to conceal the massive fraud.

It also examined Star’s relationship with notorious junket operator Suncity, which had exclusive use of a gaming salon despite its links to organised crime and suspicious cash transactions.

Sharp will also reflect on Star’s transparency with the regulator, its use of China Union Pay cards and credit to high-rollers and its alleged abuse of legal professional privilege.

The inquiry continues.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/star-not-suitable-to-hold-casino-licence-say-lawyers-for-inquiry-20220531-p5apu6.html

>>16367044

Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Tweet

This Memorial Day, we join our American friends in paying tribute to the lives & legacies of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country & we honour their courage.

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1531311125828186113

—

Australian Embassy, USA Tweet

The Embassy is closed today, Monday 30 May in observance of #MemorialDay. If you are an Australian citizen requiring consular assistance at this time, please call the Consular Operations Center in Canberra from the US on +61 2 6261 3305.

(Photo by) ig/gordonklau

https://twitter.com/AusintheUS/status/1531244532398006272

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wY-t9hhUM/

>>16372884

China wanted a swift diplomatic victory in the Pacific. But the region's leaders won't be rushed

Stephen Dziedzic - 1 June 2022

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Henry Puna has had a torrid time of it recently.

In 2020, the former Cook Islands Prime Minister won a tightly contested and acrimonious ballot to take on the leadership of the Pacific's top regional body, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and promptly found himself in the middle of a political hurricane.

PIF split apart almost immediately, leading to laborious and often painful negotiations as Pacific officials — with assistance from Australia and New Zealand — try to salve wounded egos and hammer out a compromise that will keep Micronesian countries in the big tent.

The secretary-general's fate is likely to be finally resolved — one way or another — at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, which is loosely pegged to be held in the middle of next month, in Suva.

Micronesian leaders have already publicly declared they expect him to walk away from the job and hand it over to one of their candidates, which leaves Puna publicly humiliated and exposed.

But if Puna is a dead man walking, he did not look like that this week.

In fact, he looked very much like a man with something urgent to say.

Pointed remarks with cameras rolling

The stage was a big one. Late on Saturday, all eyes swivelled to Suva as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi landed in Fiji's capital, his fourth stop on an island-hopping tour covering no fewer than eight Pacific Island countries.

His trip came the same week as new Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong touched down in Fiji and pledged to listen to Pacific leaders.

She revealed she would be heading back to the Pacific on Wednesday night, meeting with leaders in Samoa and Tonga "to renew and strengthen Australia's deep ties of friendship and family" and to discuss what further help Australia can offer to Tonga after a disastrous underwater volcanic explosion earlier this year.

Wang's first publicly advertised engagement was with Mr Puna at the PIF Secretariat the next day.

The visit had a somewhat perfunctory air. China is a Dialogue Partner with PIF, but the brute reality is that Beijing is impatient to bypass the regional organisation, and has moved quickly to set up its own direct dialogue with all Pacific Island countries it has ties with.

China talks a lot about consensus, but has done very little to seek it.

Right now, its diplomats are in a hurry, with no time for navigating the careful (sometimes torturous) processes of negotiation and consensus building at the core of PIF.

So it was hard to escape the feeling that Wang's Sunday PIF stop off was a bit of a courtesy call, a polite nod to Pacific regionalism before the Foreign Minister got down to the real business of meeting with Fiji's Prime Minister and regional heavyweight Frank Bainimarama, as well as playing host and impresario for the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The Chinese officials shepherding Wang through the Secretariat certainly weren't treading carefully.

When they saw the ABC's cameraman positioned to film the greeting, they objected loudly and angrily, arguing the visit was limited to Chinese and Fijian media only.

One minder even placed herself directly in front of the ABC's camera.

PIF's impressive media representative, Lisa Williams-Lahari, (not a woman who is easily intimidated) had to rather forcefully remind them that they were visitors rather than hosts, and that PIF — not China — was setting the rules for media.

Fijian journalists also backed in the ABC in an impressive display of solidarity.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 1, 2022, 1:56 a.m. No.16379260 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9262

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But the tension among Chinese government minders didn't dissipate after the Foreign Minister arrived.

When Wang sat down in one of the secretariat's beautiful timber meeting rooms, he nodded politely to Puna, smiled briefly at the gathered cameras and paused, seemingly waiting for them to depart the room.

But before they left, Puna had something he wanted to say.

Instead of delivering pleasantries, the PIF secretary-general laid out three "key issues" that would be at the core of their discussions.

"Firstly, urgent and ambitious climate change action," he said, with cameras rolling.

"Our forum leaders have identified climate change as the single greatest threat facing our Blue Pacific region.

"Action to keep our world below 1.5 degrees is vital for the future prosperity and wellbeing of our region."

This is a message Puna has delivered time and time again to all major countries and big polluters, including Australia. It is not one reserved for China alone.

But putting it directly to the Foreign Minister of the world's largest carbon emitter in front of a live television feed was still a pointed bit of political messaging.

Chinese officials — perhaps expecting nothing more than an anodyne welcome statement and bland formalities — were clearly not happy.

The ABC filmed some of them gesticulating and complaining to PIF staff after media left the room.

China tried to rush through regional security agreement

It wasn't the only time in Suva that things didn't go perfectly to plan for Wang and the Chinese foreign affairs officials following in his wake.

Much has already been written about China shelving — for now — its contentious "Common Development Vision" regional agreement.

The draft text was leaked less than a week before Wang's meeting with foreign ministers, presumably by someone intent on spiking it.

Chinese officials had clearly been instructed to try and get the sweeping pact over the line ahead of Wang's flagship meeting with Pacific foreign ministers, handing Beijing an emphatic (and very public) diplomatic victory while potentially reshaping the region's strategic contours.

They poured considerable time and energy into rushing it through.

But this is not how Pacific diplomacy usually works.

You catch brief glimpses of the diplomatic strain this caused in the carefully weighed statements from some Pacific Island leaders.

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said rather pointedly that, "We have not made a decision [on the pact] as we did not have enough time to look at it."

In other words: This is important. We are not beholden to your timetable. Don't rush us.

Australia and the United States will hardly be celebrating — Beijing has signalled it will press ahead with negotiations and it seems determined to land the agreement in one shape or another.

But they still see clear signs of over-reach from China.

One Western official told the ABC that quite a few Pacific Island nations had reservations about the pact and that several foreign ministers in the gathering didn't want it on the meeting agenda at all.

"When it was leaked, it was dead. It was probably dead before that," they told the ABC.

Prime Minister Fiame has even suggested that the Pacific Island Forum may be best body to discuss China's proposal, in the spirit of Pacific unity.

China will resist that at all costs.

Among PIF's members are four Pacific nations that recognise Taiwan rather than Beijing.

Australia and New Zealand are also PIF members, and it's safe to assume they'd throw all their energies into sinking the pact.

That explains why some analysts are predicting that if the whole debate lands in PIF's lap it will inevitably become the agreement's graveyard.

(continued)

>>16379260

3/3

China warned not to side-step PIF

But for now, this is speculation.

We don't know if other Pacific Island countries would be happy to handball this particular hot potato to PIF.

We don't even yet have a clear idea of what they said to Wang Yi about the pact when they sat down with him on Monday.

In fact, the only public statement from a Pacific Islands representative who attended the meeting has come from the office of — you guessed it — Henry Puna.

And once again, it makes for interesting reading.

The secretary-general made a rather jaundiced reference to the "increasing intensity, of geopolitical manoeuvring in our region today" and the "recent influx of high-level visits to our Blue Pacific".

"Many of these partnerships are not new," the transcript reads, "but have been re-invigorated in recent years, often in direct response to geo-political positioning."

That's aimed as much at the United States — which is hurriedly reopening its embassy in Solomon Islands as Beijing forges new security links with Honiara — as it is at China.

But Puna also seized the chance to remind Beijing that sidestepping his organisation — while racing to build new commercial and security connections throughout the Blue Pacific — risks opening new fault-lines in a region already grappling with mounting challenges.

"Being a Forum Dialogue Partner is not without its own expectations and responsibilities," the transcript reads.

"The chief among which, is to nurture a relationship that is respectful of our shared values, built on joint collaboration and partnership, works with and through our regional mechanisms and progresses mutually agreed priorities."

And the intensifying contest for power and influence in the Pacific means that countries — "including China" have to place "increasing value [on] our collective ability to think, live, engage and deliver, as one Blue Pacific region".

Yes, it's carefully worded. But the message is unmistakable.

Henry Puna may, or may not, be heading for the door soon. But either way, he's not quite done yet.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/china-foreign-minister-pacific-visit-analysis/101116656

>>16372884

US, Western media deliberately blind to China-Pacific Islands cooperation

Global Times - May 31, 2022

On May 30, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Fijian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama co-chaired the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Suva. At a joint press availability after the meeting, Wang said that the success of the meeting can be summarized in a five-point consensus including deepening the two sides' comprehensive strategic partnership.

However, Western media selectively ignored these fruits but focused on the joint document that was not finalized, saying China "falls short" on cooperation with Pacific island countries. Such reports only reflected the zero-sum mentality of some Western elites who see every diplomatic move of China through a geopolitical lens.

It is quite normal for cooperation documents between China and Pacific island countries to come up for more consultations. This is just a normal stage in bilateral cooperation. Many international multilateral documents require lengthy discussions before they are finally signed, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told Global Times.

"The West spares no efforts to say that China 'fails' and 'falls short' in a bid to smear China's diplomacy, portraying a scenario that appears China's diplomacy doesn't work well," Chen said. But no matter how hard they hype China's "setback," they cannot disguise the fact of the US and Australia's diplomatic failure in the region.

Western media's coverage of Wang's trip has shown the West's zero-sum mentality to the fullest. The West believes that if China "wins," that means a loss of the West; but from China's perspective, whether cooperation can be a win-win result matters.

The West focuses on the "security pact," but in a distorted way. China's cooperation with Pacific island countries aims to boost local governance. But the West says it is about military; and this is nothing but a move to pave way for hyping the "China threat theory." The West wishes to pile more pressure on Pacific island countries this way and mislead them to doubt, even reject cooperation with China, so that they can exclude China in the region and realize their zero-sum goals.

Some observers were quoted by Western media as outlining China's so-called "global ambitions" and China's "embarrassment." Such analyses apparently misinterpret China's diplomacy for the sake of smearing. Wang emphasized that the cooperation between China and Pacific island countries aims to "make the world fairer, more harmonious and stable." The consultations for consensus on cooperation between China and local countries demonstrate China's full respect for Pacific island countries to achieve this goal.

"China is willing to listen to Pacific island countries and does not seek to impose anything on them. This is in sharp contrast to Australia's previous efforts to block cooperation between China and those nations," Chen noted. "Although Australia stresses respect for the decisions of regional nations, such 'respect' is entirely based on double standards."

"When Australia exerts its influence over these countries, it does not respect their ideas. Even the new foreign minister, on a visit to Fiji, openly said there would be 'consequences' for Pacific island countries which cooperate with China. This was a blatant threat," Chen said.

As Wang advised, when seeing cooperation between China and Pacific island countries, some people should not "be too anxious or nervous." Forcing Pacific island countries to make a choice with a zero-sum game mentality while ignoring their interests will only hurt those countries' interests, let alone respect them.

China has set an example of policing cooperation with the Solomon Islands and countries like the Philippines and Italy outside the region, Chen said, noting that actions speak louder than words. It is believed the development of cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries will dispel the doubts of all parties and let them witness the benefits of security cooperation with China for social stability.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1267088.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 1, 2022, 2:09 a.m. No.16379287 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9288

>>16372884

GT Voice: Western media in no position to judge FM’s South Pacific trip

Global Times - May 31, 2022

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As Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi continues a remarkable eight-country tour throughout the South Pacific, Western officials and media outlets have spared no efforts in coming up with different narratives to smear and disrupt what should be normal official exchanges between sovereign states. The latest line of attack apparently accepted by almost all major Western media outlets is that the trip has failed to achieve its goals.

Some examples: In an article on Tuesday, Reuters claimed that "China [and] Pacific islands unable to reach consensus on regional pact." "China suffers setback as Pacific nations spurn broad deal," a Bloomberg article claimed on Tuesday. "China falls short on big Pacific deal," asserted an Associated Press report.

First and foremost, Wang's unprecedented trip to the South Pacific underscores China's confidence in expanding pragmatic win-win cooperation in the region, regardless of what the US and its allies think or do. Any attempt by the US or Australia to undermine such cooperation will be countered. Also, a main goal of the trip, like any official visits, is to discuss with regional partners about ways of boosting cooperation and listens to their actual needs. In that sense, it is not up to Western media outlets to judge the outcome of the talks. The fruits of the trip will eventually grow in the years ahead.

Such assertions are grossly inaccurate on multiple levels. Firstly, any fair deal between two or more parties must go through negotiations among all the parties. And such negotiations take time and efforts from all parties. How can carrying out that necessary negotiation process in a professional and respectful manner be a failure? Perhaps, the US and its allies have long been used to bullying others into signing deals on their terms that their politicians and reporters no longer know how agreements are reached properly?

Anyway, that's not how China conducts exchanges with other countries. Chinese officials, including Wang, have repeatedly stated that they will not impose anything to others. In spite of the relentless slander from Western politicians and media outlets, China actually respects other countries' choices when it comes to their own development paths and works to find areas of common interests focused on win-win cooperation. China's ever-strengthening trade and economic cooperation with South Pacific island nations in recent years, which have clearly made the US and its allies jealous and nervous, should be sufficient to attest to that.

(continued)

>>16379287

2/2

That brings us to another problem with the Western media's assertions of China "suffering setback" with the South Pacific island nations - that is the profound bias in Western media outlets' coverage of the trip and China's ties with regional countries. Their continued deceit when it comes to certain issues designed to paint an overly negative picture and blow tiny differences out of proportion - in an attempt to drive a wedge between parties and ultimately disruption ties between China and the South Pacific island countries.

However, the problem with such a tactic is that it will not fool anybody, especially those involved parties. As a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry pointed out on Monday, a joint document between China and the Pacific nations involves an ongoing process of discussion all parties reached new consensus on this, making an important step towards reaching the final agreement. To any reasonable person, that sounds more like a progress rather than a "setback."

Most importantly, lies peddled by the Western media regarding the multilateral deal cannot erase or even obscure the major consensus reached by China and relevant South Pacific island nations in terms of pragmatic cooperation in economic, trade and investment fields. During Wang's interactions with regional officials, strengthening cooperation in a wide range of areas ranging from agriculture and infrastructure to climate change has been repeatedly stressed. There is no doubt that China's economic and trade ties with the countries will only be further elevated following the Chinese Foreign Minister's visit, because that is in line with the interests of regional countries.

As China's Ambassador to Papua New Guinea (PNG) Zeng Fanhua told the Global Times in a recent interview, the governments and people of Pacific island countries such as PNG are fully aware that those countries that spread the "China threat theory" have neglected the development of island countries for a long time, and they view China's rapid development as an opportunity. The US and its allies' meddling will only allow Pacific nations see their true color and become more committed to win-win cooperation with China, Zeng noted.

The bottom line is that Western officials and media outlets can quibble all they want, but there is no failure or setback but progress in China's ever-expanding ties and cooperation with willing partners in the South Pacific region.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1267082.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 1, 2022, 2:14 a.m. No.16379294 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9302

China warns Anthony Albanese not to repeat Scott Morrison’s ‘mistakes’

China has warned Anthony Albanese not to repeat the “mistakes” of his predecessor, saying it will come “at the cost of the whole region”.

Frank Chung - June 1, 2022

1/2

Chinese state media has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “recalibrate” Australia’s stance towards Beijing, warning that repeating Scott Morrison’s “mistakes” will come “at the cost of the whole region”.

The Communist Party-owned China Daily published an editorial on Wednesday describing Labor’s election win as a chance for Australia to “adjust its China policy”, while hitting out at former defence minister and “ardent China-basher” Peter Dutton’s elevation to Liberal Party leader.

The editorial said Mr Albanese stood on “common ground” with Mr Dutton for claiming “China had changed, not Australia” before “hotfooting it to participate in the Quad summit with the leaders of the US, Japan and India”.

“Which means although the election has created the chance for Australia to adjust its China policy, the space is quite limited, as both the ruling and opposition parties blame the souring bilateral ties on China,” it said.

“Nonetheless since they also appear to agree that the relations between the two countries should be restored and productive, there is still an opportunity to review the damage caused by the previous government’s blind support of the US’ China containment policy, which was the root cause of the souring of relations between Beijing and Canberra. Beijing has always kept the door for dialogue and co-operation with Canberra open.”

China Daily said Mr Albanese “should give serious thought to the choice between repeating his predecessor’s mistakes and acting as a mediator between the US and China”.

“The former means it will turn the country’s largest trade partner and major investor into a rival at the cost of the whole region, while the latter would raise Australia’s profile on the world stage, turning it from a US lackey to a responsible global stakeholder,” it wrote.

The comments echoed a similar editorial in the state-run Global Times last month, which said Mr Albanese’s election “provides a turning point for the China-Australia relationship which is currently at a low ebb”.

“It can be said that in recent years Canberra has provided the world with a negative example of how to deal with China,” it said.

“Even Australia’s neighbour, New Zealand, of which China is also its largest trading partner, has advised the Australian Government to show due respect to China.”

The Global Times said there was “no fundamental conflict of interests between China and Australia, nor are there any major historical feuds”.

“A sound economic and trade relationship with China is one of the most important foundations of Australia’s prosperity, and the Indo-Pacific region’s peace and stability is also where Australia’s lie,” it said.

“Canberra often acts in line with Washington’s playbook and assumes Washington’s role in how it thinks about its China policy, but in fact Australia’s national interests are quite different from those of the US.”

(continued)

2/2

In his first act as Prime Minister last week, Mr Albanese jetted to Tokyo for the Quad leaders meeting with US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

While there, Mr Albanese responded to a letter of congratulations sent by China’s Premier Li Keqiang, who praised the “right choices” made by the Labor Party towards China historically and declared he was “ready to work” with the new government.

“The Chinese side is ready to work with the Australian side to review the past, look into the future and uphold the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, so as to promote the sound and steady growth of their comprehensive strategic partnership,” Mr Li said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Speaking from Tokyo, Mr Albanese said he welcomed “all congratulations from all over the world”.

“We will respond appropriately in time when I am back in Australia,” he said at the time.

In a joint statement, the four Quad leaders directly referenced China’s military expansion in the South China Sea and its claims over Taiwan.

“We strongly oppose any coercive, provocative, or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo and increase tensions in the area, such as the militarisation of disputed features,” the statement read.

The Quad meeting came as Chinese officials embarked on a high-level diplomatic tour of the Pacific Islands, with Beijing attempting to expand its foothold in the region following the signing of a controversial security deal with the Solomon Islands.

China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held talks with 10 Pacific nations in Fiji on Monday to discuss radically increasing its involvement in the security, economy and politics of the South Pacific.

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/china-warns-anthony-albanese-not-to-repeat-scott-morrisons-mistakes/news-story/a37e6eb1ee7557703674e819795bed72

>>16379294

Chance for Canberra to recalibrate stance

LI YANG, China Daily - 2022-06-01

Despite the federal election showing that the two primary concerns of the Australian public are climate change and inflation, former Australian defense minister Peter Dutton, who became the new leader of the Liberal Party after the party's recent election defeat, claimed that China is the "biggest issue our country will face in our lifetimes".

An ardent China-basher, Dutton was called an "idiot" by former prime minister Kevin Rudd after airing "hairy-chested" comments about China.

This seems to have prompted him to make his voice just one of many. He said that the "biggest issue" assessment is one shared by the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and India, and to take a seemingly conciliatory line, "I want us to have a productive relationship with China. I want it to be restored", although he put the onus on China to mend relations.

In that, he stands on common ground with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said that China had changed not Australia, before hotfooting it to participate in the Quad summit with the leaders of the US, Japan and India.

Which means although the election has created the chance for Australia to adjust its China policy, the space is quite limited, as both the ruling and opposition parties blame the souring bilateral ties on China.

Nonetheless since they also appear to agree that the relations between the two countries should be restored and productive, there is still an opportunity to review the damage caused by the previous government's blind support of the US' China containment policy, which was the root cause of the souring of relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Beijing has always kept the door for dialogue and cooperation with Canberra open.

The Albanese government should give serious thought to the choice between repeating his predecessor's mistakes and acting as a mediator between the US and China.

The former means it will turn the country's largest trade partner and major investor into a rival at the cost of the whole region, while the latter would raise Australia's profile on the world stage, turning it from a US lackey to a responsible global stakeholder.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202206/01/WS6296a2aca310fd2b29e601c6.html

Pressure on Anthony Albanese to stick to his word on Julian Assange

Latika Bourke - June 1, 2022

Government MP Julian Hill has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stick to his principles and encourage the United States to drop its extradition of Julian Assange.

When opposition leader, Albanese declared Assange’s incarceration in the United Kingdom – pending his extradition to the United States, where he faces spying charges – had gone on long enough and he wanted him freed.

Asked during Tuesday night’s press conference if he would match his rhetoric as opposition leader now he is prime minister and encourage the United States to drop the charges, Albanese said “my position is that not all foreign affairs is best done with the loud hailer”.

Government backbencher Julian Hill, a member of the bipartisan Bring Julian Assange Home parliamentary group, on Twitter attacked the use of “weasel words”.

“I hope one of the first acts of our new cabinet will be to speak up for our fellow citizen and demand the US government drop the shameful prosecution of Julian Assange,” he wrote.

“Loudly and clearly, no weasel words.”

He told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the new government must stand clear and firm on its principles.

“Diplomacy may be quiet or loud but in this case, it’s the results that matter – Assange’s life is at stake. He should not be deported and the charges should be dropped,” he said.

“I’d hope our new government will have something clear and firm to say regarding the principles of press freedom.”

Albanese’s office has been contacted for comment.

Assange’s Australian human rights lawyer in London, Jennifer Robinson, reiterated her plea for the Australian government to use its influence to request the United States let Assange “come home”.

She saw Assange on Tuesday and said his health “continues to deteriorate in prison”.

“We call on the Albanese government to do what previous Australian governments have not: to do the right thing for free speech, for human rights and for this Australian citizen.

“To protect Julian Assange and let him come home.”

The WikiLeaks founder is in Belmarsh Prison and is set to learn his fate within the next three weeks, when the UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel is due to decide whether to order his extradition to the United States per instruction by the British courts.

The former Trump administration first pursued Assange and charged him under the espionage act, for offences relating to the theft of classified cables and documents that WikiLeaks published online.

The request for his extradition from the United Kingdom, where he spent seven years claiming asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy to evade extradition to Sweden, has continued under the Biden administration.

Assange argues he is a journalist, a claim the courts in Britain have rejected. He has been in prison ever since he was kicked out of the Ecuadorian embassy in 2019 and his health has deteriorated while in custody.

A spokeswoman for the UK Home Office said Patel had around three more weeks to decide whether to order his extradition to the United States.

“The Court has, on 20th April, decided to send the case of Julian Assange to the Home Secretary for her decision on whether to order his extradition to the US,” the spokeswoman said.

“He is wanted in the US to face charges relating to computer misuse and the unauthorised disclosure of national defence information.

“The Home Secretary is required to make a decision within two months of the day the case is sent,” the spokeswoman said.

In January, Mark Dreyfus, now attorney-general, cited Assange’s health and said the then-Morrison government should encourage the US government to “bring the matter to a close”.

“Given his ill health it is now time for this long-drawn-out case against Julian Assange to be brought to an end,” he said, on behalf of the Labor opposition, at the time.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pressure-on-anthony-albanese-to-stick-to-his-word-on-julian-assange-20220601-p5aq3j.html

Biden says Ardern’s leadership ‘critical’ as US tackles mass shootings

Farrah Tomazin - June 1, 2022

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Washington: US President Joe Biden has enlisted the help of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in his attempts to tackle gun violence and online-fuelled extremism after this month’s mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo.

As America mourned the victims of the attacks, Biden met with Ardern at the White House on Wednesday (AEST) to discuss the tragedies, along with climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific.

“Your leadership has taken on a critical role in this global stage - it really has - galvanising… the global effort to curb violence, extremism, and online, like what happened in Christchurch,” Biden told Ardern, noting the sweeping gun bans and tech-platform policies New Zealand introduced after that massacre three years ago.

“I want to work with you on that effort, and I want to talk to you about what those conversations were like, if you’re willing.”

The Christchurch attack took place in March 2019, when an Australian white supremacist shot dead 51 worshippers at two mosques and livestreamed the carnage on the internet.

Following the incident, New Zealand banned almost all semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles, and the country has also sought to counter terrorism and violent extremism by identifying content online and collaborating with tech platforms to remove it.

US policymakers, on the other hand, are once again at loggerheads after two mass shootings in as many weeks.

The first took place on May 14 when 18-year-old gunman Payton Gendron, inspired by the Christchurch attack, opened fire at a supermarket in a predominantly black neighbourhood in Buffalo and livestreamed his attack, which killed 10 people and wounded three others.

The second took place 10 days later when another 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, shot dead 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in the South Texan town of Uvalde.

The tragedy was the worst school mass since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a decade ago, when Biden was vice president in the Obama administration.

“I’ve been to more mass shooting aftermaths than I think any president in American history, unfortunately,” he said as he addressed Ardern in the Oval Office ahead of a private meeting that lasted more than an hour.

“Much of it is preventable and the devastation is amazing.”

In response, Ardern gave the president New Zealand’s “sincere condolences”, telling him: “Our experience, of course, is our own, but if there is anything that we can share that would be of any value, then we are here to share it.”

“Well, the work you’re doing with tech companies is really important and I want to work with you there as well,” Biden answered.

(continued)

>>16379313

2/2

Ardern’s meeting was the first time a New Zealand prime minister visited the White House since 2014, capping off a whirlwind US tour that also included a Harvard University commencement speech, an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the signing of an International Climate Partnership with California Governor Gavin Newsom and a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over sustainable meat exports.

Biden supports a ban on sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as expanded background checks - but such reforms would require the approval of Congress, where the president faces a hostile Senate reluctant to act.

Ardern’s White House appearance has taken on heightened importance, not only because of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, but also because of China’s growing presence in the Pacific.

Beijing signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands in late April and since then, China has made a concerted effort to bolster its influence in other Pacific nations, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarking on a 10-day blitz of the region.

New Zealand and Australia have joined Washington in lobbying others against signing up to a proposed 10-country Solomons-style trade and security pact with China, which could fundamentally shift the balance of power in the region.

A White House administration official, speaking anonymously to provide frank details of Wednesday’s meeting, said there was “not a specific discussion” about China’s latest blitz, although the president acknowledged that “we need to make sure that we step up” when it comes to the challenges faced by the Pacific.

A joint statement issued after the meeting also noted “with concern” the security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands.

“In particular, the United States and New Zealand share a concern that the establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region and pose national-security concerns to both our countries,” the statement said.

There had also been earlier reports that the AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US could be expanded to include other allies such as New Zealand or Japan.

However, the senior official said this was not on the table today, “although there is an awareness of the potential that AUKUS offers as a platform for cooperation in the future.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/biden-says-ardern-s-leadership-critical-as-us-tackles-mass-shootings-20220601-p5aq3l.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 1, 2022, 2:29 a.m. No.16379319 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8526

Bridging subs ‘capability gap’ is top priority in defence, says Marles

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 1, 2022

Australia‘s new Defence Minister Richard Marles says bridging the “capability gap” between the retirement of the Collins-class submarines and the arrival of the AUKUS nuclear-powered boats is his top priority in the role.

Potential options to plug the gap include a “Son of Collins” interim submarine, more Hobart-class destroyers, or even buying into the United States’ B-21 bomber program.

Mr Marles claimed the capability gap would be up to two decades long, and addressing it would be “pretty well the number one agenda item in this portfolio”.

“What we saw under the former government was a gap of 20 years open up in terms of capability in relation to our submarines in just ten years,” he told Sky News.

Former defence minister Peter Dutton gave the green light to ten-year “life-of-type-extensions” to all six Collins-class boats, the first of which would commence in 2026 and be completed in 2028.

The first of the upgraded Collins would retire in 2038, with the remaining boats leaving service every two years after that.

But even the most optimistic estimates put delivery of Australia’s first nuclear-powered submarines at 2040 at the earliest.

Former submariners have also warned that without more submarines earlier, the navy will be unable to train the extra crew members needed to operate the larger and more complex nuclear boats.

Mr Marles told ABC radio: “I don‘t for a second pretend this is not going to be a really difficult issue. It is. And I don’t have all the answers right now on day one, but this is a key focus.”

He said the Albanese government would stick to its promise to maintain Defence spending at 2 per cent of GDP, and was committed to the former government’s $270bn procurement pipeline.

“What you will get from Labor is a much more considered spend and a much smarter spend, so that we actually get bang for the buck that we've committed,” Mr Marles said.

Swedish submarine manufacturer Saab Kockums, which built the Collins, is offering a “Block 2” Collins-class, which it says would be largely the same as an upgraded Collins bat bit with a hull that would last another 30 years.

But Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mike Noonan, said embarking on another submarine build on top of the nuclear boats would be unfeasible.

“Introducing an interim submarine, I think, would bring more challenges than it would capability and it would seem inconceivable that a small navy such as ours could viably operate a transition of Collins, to an interim, to a nuclear,” he said.

Mr Dutton also ruled out the option.

“It is not in our national interest to pretend we can have a third class of submarine — somehow, we can buy it off the shelf,” Mr Dutton told the National Press Club during the election campaign.

“I want someone to explain to me where this shelf is, because I don't know”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bridging-subs-capability-gap-is-top-priority-in-defence-says-marles/news-story/cc3c6c74b469ef02ba39ed667cac82a9

Bec Judd takes Bayside crime fight to Daniel Andrews

CARLY DOUGLAS - JUNE 1, 2022

Businesswoman Bec Judd has declared she won’t be silenced when it comes to standing up for her Brighton community over escalating crime.

While the mother of four’s fears for the safety of her community were brushed off by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Ms Judd, the wife of AFL great Chris Judd, doubled down on her concerns about crime on Tuesday.

“I’m glad my voice has shone a light on the escalating aggravated burglaries in Bayside,” she told The Australian.

“We are thankful for low non-aggressive crime rates, the increasing nature of home invasion-type crimes in our local community is what makes residents, particularly women, feel unsafe.

Operation Ibis was launched by Victoria Police on Tuesday last week to target the wave of youth offenders committing crime in the area. A total of 14 offenders have been arrested and charged so far.

Over the past year, her affluent Bayside community has been subjected to a string of violent crimes, many at the hands of teenage boys unknown to the community, including a series of violent home invasions in recent months.

The community witnessed a 10-year high in aggravated residential burglaries last year with 105 recorded – four times that of 2014, according to Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency.

Ms Judd is the co-founder of activewear brand Jaggad.

Following a series of aggravated burglaries, as well as a string of media reports detailing attacks on children in local parks last year, the concerned mum posted to Instagram: “So sick of the rapes, bashings and home invasions at the hands of gangs in Bayside. The state government don’t seem to care. We feel unsafe.”

The Premier brushed off her comments as “sweeping assessments”.

“I’m not interested in having an argument with Ms Judd … I’m also obliged to point out, though, I think there are more than 70 additional police in the Bayside area, and the most recent crime statistics released by an independent agency would not support those sweeping assessments about patterns of crime,” he said.

Victoria Police confirmed the deployment the Premier was referring to had occurred across the Southern Metro Division in 2018, ending in 2021.

In March 2021, media reports highlighted the rape of a 16-year-old girl in a park after a party was crashed by a group of males who located it through Snapchat.

Only a few weeks later, three teenage boys were robbed and assaulted in neighbouring Sandringham by a group of male youths.

The incident was followed by the stabbing of a 17-year-old boy after he was confronted by 20 youths unknown to him and his friends in a Brighton park, and the assault of two 10-year-old boys by a group of teens carrying knives.

Ms Judd said in her social media post that recent home invasions have left the community, especially women, feeling “unsafe.”

Last week, a gang of teenage boys armed with knives attempted to steal the car of an 83-year-old Brighton man. Over the weekend, two boys aged 13 and 14 broke into a nearby property as a family slept and stole two cars.

Aggravated burglaries in the Bayside area, three of which occurred in a single week last month, numbered in the 90s in 2020 and 2021. Victoria Police linked the increase on population growth and an increase in Melburnians being inside their homes during the pandemic.

However, the numbers in Bayside show the two greatest spikes in aggravated burglaries in the past decade occurred between 2014 and 2015 when the number skyrocketed from 26 to 61, and 2018 and 2019 when a 53 per cent increase saw a rise from 64 to 98.

In neighbouring Glen Eira, residential aggravated burglaries remained relatively stable over the same period, while Port Phillip’s 2017 spike has since declined, despite greater population growth in both LGAs. Crime statistics for 2022 are expected to be released this month.

Local Area Commander Inspector Cath Wilkins said while the area had “seen a number of serious incidents recently, Bayside remains an overwhelmingly safe place to live”, assuring that police are regularly patrolling local streets throughout the evening.

While Inspector Wilkins acknowledged that there “has been an increase in offences recently”, she noted that communities were “coming off record lows due to the pandemic”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/bec-judd-takes-bayside-crime-fight-to-daniel-andrews/news-story/8166a2956eaead0cefb6ee090f30145e

Prince Andrew is ‘trying to make amends’, Archbishop of Canterbury says

James Hockaday - 31 May 2022

The Archbishop of Canterbury says the disgraced Duke of York is ‘seeking to make amends’ and urges the nation to be more forgiving.

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

He paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case to a woman he claimed never to have met.

He no longer uses his HRH style and was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages as the scandal brought a great deal of shame on his family.

Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein, accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was 17, which the duke continually denied.

In an interview with ITV News presenter Tom Bradby, the Most Rev Justin Welby called on people ‘to step back a bit’.

The archbishop said the Queen’s second son was seeking to make amends, adding: ‘I think that’s a very good thing.’

However, he stressed that he could not tell people how to respond, saying the ‘issues of the past in the area of abuse are so intensely personal and private for so many’.

The archbishop is no longer delivering the sermon at the Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday after he tested positive for Covid.

Asked how the public should respond to Andrew after his appearance at the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service, Mr Welby said: ‘At a big public occasion the Queen is fully entitled to have one of her children supporting her.

‘Secondly, forgiveness really does matter. I think we have become a very, very unforgiving society. There’s a difference between consequences and forgiveness.

‘I think for all of us, one of the ways that we celebrate when we come together is in learning to be a more open and forgiving society.

‘Now, with Prince Andrew, I think we all have to step back a bit. He’s seeking to make amends and I think that’s a very good thing.

‘But you can’t tell people how they’re to respond about this. And the issues of the past in the area of abuse are so intensely personal and private for so many people. It’s not surprising there’s very deep feelings indeed.’

Andrew took a central role in escorting his mother to Philip’s memorial service in March.

It came as a surprise change to the planned arrangements – only weeks earlier he had been banished from royal public life and paid to settle his court case.

The move was taken as a sign of the monarch’s support for her son, and of Andrew trying to worm his way back into the spotlight.

The archbishop later released a statement in a bid to clarify his comments and said he hoped they would not distract from the Jubilee celebrations.

He said: ‘In tonight’s interview with ITV News I was asked a question about forgiveness, and I said that there is a difference between consequences and forgiveness.

‘Both are essential elements of the Christian understanding of justice, mercy and reconciliation.

‘I also made the broader point that I hope we can become a more forgiving society. These are complex issues that are difficult to address in a short media interview and I hope they do not distract from this week’s joyful celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.’

A spokesperson for the archbishop said he was not referring specifically to the duke when talking about a forgiving society.

‘He was making a broader point about the kind of society that he hopes the Platinum Jubilee inspires us to be,’ the spokesperson said.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/31/prince-andrew-is-trying-to-make-amends-archbishop-of-canterbury-says-16746948/

Senior SAS officer backs Ben Roberts-Smith

Greta Stonehouse - June 1, 2022

A senior SAS soldier who will likely be the final witness to testify in the protracted defamation trial launched by Ben Roberts-Smith has backed the war veteran on a key piece of evidence.

The serving elite soldier dubbed Person 81 began his evidence in the Federal Court on Wednesday nearly a year after the trial began.

He had risen through the ranks to captain and was heading the patrol to a Taliban compound known as Whiskey 108 in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province in 2009.

He ordered the patrol commanders to clear the compound after Australian troops had dropped a series of 500-pound bombs on it.

After the infrastructure had been "significantly destroyed" Person 81 entered and distinctly recalls an Afghan woman was sweeping, and body parts among rocket paraphernalia.

And while he does remember a secret tunnel was found, he is unsure of where he was and how he was told.

Defence barrister Arthur Moses SC, representing Mr Roberts-Smith, asked if anyone informed him if Afghan fighting-aged males were found inside the tunnel.

"No," he said.

The Victoria Cross recipient is suing for defamation The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times over 2018 reports claiming he committed war crimes in Afghanistan including murder, and acts of bullying and domestic violence.

The 43-year-old denies all claims of wrongdoing, while the mastheads are defending them as true.

The newspapers allege two men did willingly surrender from hiding in the tunnel at Whiskey 108, and were subsequently taken prisoner by Australian forces.

The war hero is accused of throwing one of the men who had a prosthetic leg onto the ground and opening fire on his back

"It was an exhibition execution, he wanted people to see he was going to kill someone out there in front of everyone," another soldier dubbed Person 24 previously told the court.

Another former SAS soldier testified that Mr Roberts-Smith forced the other prisoner to kneel and ordered his younger colleague to shoot him.

But the captain at the time denies ever seeing fighting-aged males coming out of the tunnel, nor did he see any prisoners taken captive.

And nobody in his troop told him unlawful activity had occurred that day, he said.

"What would you have done (if they had)?" Mr Moses asked.

"I would have reported it," he said.

Most of Person 81's evidence on Wednesday was concealed behind a closed courtroom.

He is due to resume his testimony on Thursday morning when the trial before Justice Anthony Besanko resumes.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Open Arms 1800 011 046

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

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/crime/senior-sas-officer-backs-ben-roberts-smith-c-7017587

Penny Wong announces eight-year partnership with Samoa, donation of new patrol boat

Joshua Boscaini - 2 June 2022

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced a new eight-year partnership with Samoa to help address human development in the Pacific island nation, as well as a new maritime patrol boat for the country.

The human development and social inclusion partnership will tackle the country's most "critical" challenges, Ms Wong said from Samoa's capital Apia.

She also revealed Australia will next year donate a Guardian-class patrol boat to Samoa, after the country's Nafanua II ran aground on a reef in August 2021.

"We do understand how important these maritime assets are to island nations," Ms Wong told reporters at the joint press conference.

Samoa launched a commission of inquiry after the two-year-old vessel ran aground, and has since left a big hole in the country's maritime surveillance capabilities.

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa welcomed the foreign minister's announcement and said the new vessel would be critical to protecting the Pacific nation's maritime security.

"I think it's very generous on the part of the Australian government and people that they are gifting us yet another patrol boat despite the unfortunate circumstances of our last boat," Ms Fiame said.

On climate change, Senator Wong said Australia was committed to reducing emissions and the new government was "elected with a mandate to do so".

"I want to be very clear that we are deeply committed to taking stronger action on climate," Ms Wong said.

Senator Wong's visit to Apia coincided with the 60th anniversary of Samoa's independence, and was her second visit to the Pacific as Foreign Minister after being sworn into office nine days ago.

She travelled to Fiji last week to spruik the new government's renewed focus on climate change and support for continued aid for the region before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was set to arrive in the country.

After visiting Samoa, Senator Wong will head to Tonga to meet with Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku and Foreign Minister Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu, where it's expected they'll discuss further aid for the archipelago that was struck by a volcanic eruption and tsunami.

Fiame says region needs to consider China's proposals together

Ms Fiame rebuffed claims Samoa had signed a Pacific-wide agreement with China and stressed that Pacific island nations needed to agree on any region-wide proposals before agreeing to them.

Her comments came as Mr Wang visited the region this week to spruik a region-wide deal with 10 Pacific nations, including Samoa, Fiji and Solomon Islands.

Pacific leaders walked away from the wide-ranging security, free trade, police cooperation and disaster resilience proposal after they couldn't reach a consensus decision.

Ms Fiame said her country's position was that Pacific nations cannot agree to an agreement if all involved nations hadn't had an opportunity to discuss it.

"To be called in to have the discussion and have the expectation that there would be a comprehensive decision or outcome was something that we could not agree to," Ms Fiame said of China's proposed agreement.

"I think that the region has come to that conclusion, that we need to meet as a region to consider any proposal that is put to us by our development partners that requires a regional agreement."

Federated States of Micronesia's President David Panuelo warned Pacific nations before Mr Wang's visit that the agreement could spark a new Cold War.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-02/penny-wong-visits-samoa-tonga-pacific/101119512

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 2:05 a.m. No.16384628 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6776

Tonga discusses debt with China, Australia’s Wong to visit

Kirsty Needham - June 1, 2022

SYDNEY, June 1 (Reuters) - Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong will travel to the Pacific island kingdom of Tonga on Friday, days after her Chinese counterpart visited and discussed Tonga's heavy debts to Beijing, Tonga's government said.

Wong will also visit Samoa for its 60th anniversary of independence celebrations, in her second visit to the Pacific islands since being sworn into office last week, her office said. The trip comes as China's foreign minister Wang Yi continues an eight-nation tour of the region, and the United States and its allies express concern about Beijing's ambitions for security ties.

Wong said Australia wanted to listen to Pacific leaders.

"We will increase our contribution to regional security: we understand that the security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part," she said in a statement.

Tonga's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni earlier said six agreements had been signed with China's Wang on his trip to the capital Nuku’alofa, with his office confirming discussions were held about Tonga's loans from China.

Tonga, which was hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami in January, has external debt of $195 million or 35.9 percent of its GDP, of which two-thirds is owed to China's Export-Import Bank, its budget shows.

Debt repayments to China spike in 2024, on a loan used to rebuild its central business district after riots in 2006.

Australia and New Zealand are its biggest donor nations, the budget also shows.

VANUATU VISIT

China's Wang arrived in Vanuatu on Wednesday, where Vanuatu broadcaster VBTC said he met with Prime Minister Bob Loughman at the 1,000-capacity convention centre gifted by China in 2016, to sign agreements and discuss bilateral and international issues.

Other major infrastructure projects China has funded in Vanuatu include its parliament, a highway, a tuna processing plant and a large wharf.

On Monday, a virtual meeting hosted by Wang in Fiji with counterparts from 10 island nations deferred consideration of a sweeping agreement spanning policing, security, fisheries, data and a free trade zone, proposed by China.

China has since released a position paper on "Mutual respect and common development with Pacific Island Countries", listing a range of topics it wants included in a multilateral agreement.

Several Pacific nations have said any regional pact with China would first need to be discussed in the Pacific Islands Forum, a group which also includes members that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan not Beijing, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

U.S. President Joe Biden and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern aired concerns about China's bid to expand its influence in the Pacific on Tuesday.

Biden said Washington had no desire to dictate to the region but to partner with them. "We have more work to do in those Pacific islands," he said.

Despite their small populations and economies, each Pacific state represents a vote at international forums such as the United Nations. They also control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean and access to a region with strategic military significance.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-foreign-minister-travel-tonga-friday-tonga-government-2022-06-01/

>>16379313

China threatens to put NZ in freezer with Australia

WILL GLASGOW and ANNE BARROWCLOUGH - JUNE 2, 2022

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Beijing has threatened New Zealand’s trade access to its huge market and denounced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for joining an American “disinformation” campaign to “discredit China.”

China’s ambassador in Wellington, Wang Xiaolong, said New Zealand should be a “friendly country” and not take its biggest trade partner “for granted”.

In a speech published by China’s embassy in Wellington hours after Ms Adern shared concerns about Beijing with President Joe Biden at the White House, Ambassador Wang said the perception of NZ as a “green, clean, open and friendly country” in the world’s second biggest economy should not be “squandered”.

“This asset of ours did not come out of nowhere or as a matter of course, but has been slowly built up with hard work over the years from both sides,” he said in an address to the New Zealand China Council.

The trade threat was followed by an eruption by China’s Foreign Ministry after New Zealand and America released a joint statement after the Oval Office meeting that said security and defence would become an “ever-more-important” focus of Wellington’s relationship with Washington.

Their statement also warned a Chinese military base in the Pacific would “fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region” and noted shared concerns over China’s menacing of Taiwan, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and political repression in Hong Kong.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the statement “distorts and smears” Beijing’s Pacific outreach, “deliberately hypes up the South China Sea issue” and made “irresponsible remarks on and grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs including issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong”.

“The hype-up of relevant issues in the joint statement by the US and New Zealand is out of ulterior motives to create disinformation and attack and discredit China,” Mr Zhao said in Beijing on Wednesday evening.

“We hope New Zealand will adhere to its independent foreign policy and do more to enhance security and mutual trust among regional countries and safeguard regional peace and stability,” Mr Zhao said.

Geoffrey Miller, international analyst at Victoria University’s Democracy Project, said the Chinese Ambassador’s comments were reminiscent of the threats made by Beijing’s envoy in Canberra in 2020 before China launched sweeping trade strikes on Australia.

“This is a very dangerous moment for NZ,” Mr Miller told The Australian. “It might just be a warning signal to back off, but it could be the beginning of something stronger. The reference to ‘clean and green’ NZ, I took as a reference to agricultural products, which dominate the country’s exports. If NZ was punished by China over, for example, its milk powder, it would be a calamity.”

Mr Miller said the joint statement was a signal that NZ had allied itself with the US over the Pacific.

“That is significant because it put NZ on the same page with the US,” he said. “China doesn’t like joint statements. They’re a pet hate. They see it as countries ganging up on them.”

Last year, Beijing said New Zealand had demonstrated the importance of “mutual respect” in contrast to the “insane” approach of the Australian government.

NZ Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta on Thursday said Wellington stuck by its independent foreign policy and would not be pulled “betwixt and between by the increasing interest here in the Pacific.”.

Speaking to TVNZ, Ms Mahuta said: “China has been active in the Pacific for a very long time, and it’s really important that New Zealand retains its approach which is to be consistent, predictable, and respectful in the way that we work with China because our relationship has matured,” she said.

“We want to make sure in the way we work with China, that the things we say in private are of no surprise when we say it publicly.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong is currently visiting Samoa and Tonga, her second Pacific trip in the first fortnight of the Albanese government.

Ms Mahuta said she welcomed Penny Wong’s visits to Pacific nations, but suggested if she did the same, it would “make us look desperate”.

(continued)

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Prime Minister Ardern has spoken frankly for more than a year about the difficulty of dealing with Xi Jinping’s China.

In a keynote speech to New Zealand’s China Business Summit in 2021, she said: “There are some things on which China and New Zealand do not, cannot, and will not agree … This need not derail our relationship, it is simply a reality.”

New Zealand’s agricultural exporters have watched on nervously as their counterparts in Australia — in the lobster, beef, timber, barley and wine industries — have been targeted by China.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week failed to get support for a sweeping security and trade agreement at a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Fiji, a setback on a trip Beijing has billed as “unusual and historic”.

Beijing’s push into the Pacific dominated the agenda of the meeting on Wednesday morning (AEST) between Ms Ardern and Mr Biden, the first visit to the White House by a New Zealand prime minister since 2014.

Ms Ardern told the President they were meeting at a “critical moment”, as the two leaders spoke of their families’ Pacific service in World War II.

Beijing has dismissed concerns made by Wellington, Canberra and other Pacific Island countries about China’s new security agreement with Solomon Islands, which was signed last month.

New Zealand again made those concerns explicit in its joint statement with America after the leaders’ meeting.

“We note with concern the security agreement between the People’s Republic of China and the Solomon Islands,” the New Zealand-US statement read.

“In particular, the US and New Zealand share a concern that the establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region and pose national security concerns to both our countries.”

The statement also said that “security and defence will become an ever-more-important focus of our strategic partnership”.

Ms Mahuta said New Zealand was closely aligned with Australia’s new government.

“I welcome Penny Wong’s engagement with the Pacific,” Ms Mahuta said.

“She has to establish new relationships across the globe. But in particular she has signalled three things: She wants to focus on the Pacific, she wants to focus on climate change, she wants to ensure that the way in which indigenous issues are brought into Australia’s foreign policy is a part of her legacy contribution.

“On those three points, we align very closely together. It is a shift in the way that Australia is reaching out to the Pacific, and I certainly welcome her engagement.

“But we don’t have to rush into these things because the foundation of our relationship with the Pacific is very strong. We have a very different approach, and we are not defined by China and the way that they are conducting their relationship.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/china-threatens-to-put-nz-in-freezer-with-australia/news-story/9b8cbe0be2e7ff1131a0dad7fc294f19

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 2:36 a.m. No.16384666 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4667

>>16384647

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s Regular Press Conference on June 1, 2022

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Phoenix TV: We noted yesterday that President Biden met with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and they issued a joint statement. They said “We are concerned with growing strategic competition in the Pacific region…we note with concern the security agreement between the People’s Republic of China and Solomon Islands. In particular, the United States and New Zealand share a concern that the establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region and pose national-security concerns to both our countries. …We reaffirm our support for freedom of navigation and overflight, in the South China Sea and beyond, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We oppose unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea.” The joint statement also criticized China on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. What’s your comment?

Zhao Lijian: We noted the relevant contents of the joint statement, which distorts and smears China’s normal cooperation with Pacific Island countries (PICs), deliberately hypes up the South China Sea issue, makes irresponsible remarks on and grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs including issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. China is firmly opposed to this.

I would like to take some time to make a detailed response. China has repeatedly expounded its position on China-Solomon Islands security cooperation, stressing that such cooperation is conducive to peace, stability and development of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific and proceeds in parallel with existing regional arrangements. The security cooperation does not target any third party, nor does it intend to establish a military base. The hype-up of relevant issues in the joint statement by the US and New Zealand is out of ulterior motives to create disinformation and attack and discredit China. The US has military bases all over the world, yet it expresses concerns about normal security cooperation with other countries. Such act is hypocritical and reflects the US' deep-rooted hegemonic mentality. The real security threat is that the US has cobbled together military blocs in the region, stimulated an arms race and brought nuclear proliferation risks to the South Pacific.

I want to stress that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently visited South Pacific Island countries and co-chaired the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Fiji. State Councilor Wang put forward four principles on developing China’s relations with PICs, namely, equality, mutual respect, win-win cooperation, and openness and inclusiveness, which have been widely welcomed and recognized by PICs. This visit has achieved the expected goals of strengthening communication, enhancing mutual trust, building consensus, deepening friendship and expanding cooperation, and achieved positive results. PICs leaders spoke highly of China’s positive role in supporting their economic development, improving people’s livelihood and fighting the epidemic, and expressed high expectations for the future of China’s cooperation with PICs. China and PICs will continue to support and help each other, firmly uphold each other’s core interests and major concerns, constantly consolidate and develop their comprehensive strategic partnership, pursue common development and prosperity, and work together to build an even closer community with a shared future for China and PICs.

(continued)

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I also want to stress that the issues relating to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong are purely China’s internal affairs, which brook no interference from any country or external force. There has never been any problem with the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and there should not be such problem in the future. China is firmly committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, as well as the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law. We always maintain that the development of bilateral relations between countries should be conducive to world peace and stability and should not target or undermine the interests of any third party. At the same time, we are firmly opposed to drawing the ideological line and interfering in other countries’ internal affairs with erroneous words and deeds on issues concerning the sovereignty and security of a third country.

China urges the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop slandering and discrediting China. We hope New Zealand will adhere to its independent foreign policy and do more to enhance security and mutual trust among regional countries and safeguard regional peace and stability.

…..

AFP: Journalists from Pacific Island countries said lately that local media outlets were banned from asking questions during State Councilor Wang Yi’s visit. Some Chinese officials even blocked journalists from filming relevant activities. What is China’s response?

Zhao Lijian: I can tell you that the allegations are completely inconsistent with facts. They are nothing but smears against China.

China believes that all countries, big or small, are equal. Mutual respect and equal treatment is a norm governing China’s diplomacy. And this is the principle we have been following in handling relations with fellow developing countries including PICs. As to which media are invited and how many journalists are allowed into the venue, I suppose they are decided by the host country based on customary practice and the size of the venue. China fully respects the arrangement of the host country. I can tell you that the visit is smooth and successful. Media from various countries have made extensive and thorough coverage of the visit, which is the best rebuttal to US lies.

However, I did hear that some photographers tried to force their way into areas behind the leaders. You may all know that reporters should respect the arrangement of the host when covering diplomatic occasions. This is an international customary practice. The way certain photographers have acted disrupted the order, and was inconsistent with the professional ethics of journalists. If journalists take the stage and film behind me during our regular press conference, would that be allowed?

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220601_10697636.html

>>16379313

>>16384647

NZ shakes off China attack over US talks

Ben McKay - June 2 2022

New Zealand leaders have shrugged off a missive from China in the wake of a joint US-New Zealand statement on engagement in the Pacific.

China has reacted with anger to a communique issued by US President Joe Biden and NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after their White House meeting on Wednesday (AEDT).

The US-NZ communique "notes with concern" the "establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values", citing China's security agreement with the Solomon Islands.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the two counties "distorted and smeared" China's "normal cooperation with Pacific Island countries".

"The hype-up of relevant issues in the joint statement by the US and New Zealand is out of ulterior motives to create disinformation and attack and discredit China," Mr Zhao said later on Wednesday.

"We hope New Zealand will adhere to its independent foreign policy and do more to enhance security and mutual trust among regional countries and safeguard regional peace and stability."

The comments follow China's usual pattern of verbal retaliation when it believes foreign powers are attempting to curtail its influence abroad.

A report in The Australian suggested it was an "unprecedented dressing down" for New Zealand but in Wellington, government and opposition leaders were far from startled.

Acting Prime Minister Grant Robertson and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said they didn't expect a further diplomatic or trade fallout.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee called China's response "grist for the mill".

"They always state their position very very strongly and you'd expect them to do that," he said.

"That doesn't stop us being able to say what we think as well. That's the sign of a mature relationship between countries.

"I don't think that we need to have a "them or us" type attitude forced upon us."

The US-NZ meeting and communique, which pledges further cooperation in the blue continent, comes as China makes its own play to deepen its influence in the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is currently on a multi-nation tour of the Pacific, sealing a a number of cooperation deals with island countries.

Ms Mahuta said "there's a lot of interest in the Pacific and New Zealand welcomes that interest."

"But we are also mindful that being in and of the Pacific, it's important for the Pacific to lead the priorities and the solutions that will determine their long-term resilience," she said.

Coincidentally or otherwise, Ms Mahuta met with the China's new Head of Mission in Wellington's Beehive on Thursday, labelling it a "meet and greet".

Like Australia, New Zealand often finds itself in the middle of the geopolitical tug of war between China and the United States given its heavy trade reliance on Beijing.

However, unlike Australia, New Zealand does not have a free trade deal or military alliance with Washington.

Ms Mahuta scotched suggestions the Biden-Ardern summit and communique were edging Wellington closer to a full-blown alliance.

"There's not an indication that's the case … it's reading a lot into that particular statement," she said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7764467/nz-shakes-off-china-attack-over-us-talks/

Cheng Lei's partner Nick Coyle breaks his silence about her detention in China

abc.net.au - 2 June 2022

The partner of an Australian journalist detained in China says authorities have cut her access to consular officials and tightened her food supply in jail.

Cheng Lei, an anchor for the Chinese government's English TV channel CGTN, has been jailed for close to two years in Beijing, accused of leaking state secrets.

She has been detained since August 2020 and was put on trial behind closed doors in March, but a verdict has been deferred.

Her partner, Nick Coyle, the outgoing head of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, told Sky News authorities claimed COVID was the reason they had to cut her monthly consular calls and supply of fresh food.

"Now, there's been no food restrictions in Beijing … so the idea that, you know, the detention centre couldn't get adequate food — again, it's not acceptable," he said.

He said the last consular virtual visit was on April 21, and "as far as we know, the visits are off indefinitely".

"She's not had one phone call with family, with her children. Nothing," he said.

"These monthly consular visits have literally been what's kept her going for 20 months … that's your only window to the outside world is this 30 minutes."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.

'Am I overreacting?'

Mr Coyle recounted the moments he first realised Ms Cheng was missing in his interview with Sky News.

He spoke to her the day before his birthday, expecting to meet up with her for celebratory drinks.

When he didn't hear from her, he didn't panic at first, thinking she may have been caught up with TV deadlines.

But he then received calls from friends who were worried and hadn't heard from her in 24 hours.

"[I] went into the apartment, and everything kind of looked normal. Until I could see that all the electronic devices, computers, all those sorts of things were gone," he said.

"It was pretty obvious to me then what had happened.

"There's the 'oh s***' moment of what does this mean? But then the practical side kicks in — right, what do we do?"

He spoke to a friend at the embassy.

"Do you think I'm overreacting?" he asked.

His contact said he wasn't overreacting. Later, the embassy told him that she had been detained by the Ministry of State Security.

"That's probably when I was like, yeah, this this is not good. I knew the system well enough to know that that's a pretty difficult one."

Ms Cheng's detention came amid deteriorating relations between Australia and China, and some human rights groups feared her case could be an example of "hostage diplomacy" by Beijing.

Mr Coyle said Ms Cheng was a business reporter and was not focused on political issues between Australia and China.

"It just doesn't make any sense to me. It never has," he said.

Mr Coyle said she was one of the strongest people he knew, but he was worried about health issues she was facing in detention.

Mr Coyle is not the father of Ms Cheng's two children, who live in Australia.

"That's just even more reason why she needs to be back. That's the thing — it's not about me. It's about her and her kids," he said.

"I can't imagine what it would be like for them … they're dealing with things as well as they can deal with them. I think it's tough.

"It's not like they're too young to understand. They absolutely understand. And it's awful.

"I really feel for her mum and dad. …[they] have gone through hell as well."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-02/cheng-lei-partner-nick-coyle-breaks-silence-china-detention/101120570

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 2:58 a.m. No.16384713 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4728

>>16384706

'Totally unacceptable': Cheng Lei's partner speaks out for first time

Sky News Australia

Jun 2, 2022

Nick Coyle, partner of Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei who was formally arrested in China in February 2021, has spoken out for the first time in an exclusive interview with Sky News Australia – raising his concerns on the issue.

Ms Lei, 46, who worked for Chinese state broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN) as an anchor, was detained in August 2020 before being formally arrested in February 2021 on suspicion of “illegally supplying state records overseas”.

Mr Coyle raised concerns about the suspension of consular visits and the decline of her health in detention.

He said regular consular visits have been suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing, which he finds “totally unacceptable” as it’s the one of things that has kept his partner going for 20 months.

“I mean, she’s been able to make no phone calls with anybody, she’s had what? Maybe three visits from her lawyer just to prepare for the trial, she’s not had one phone call with family, with children, nothing,” he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPq5WqgRVQ4

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 3:03 a.m. No.16384728 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4745

>>16384706

>>16384713

Detention of Cheng Lei ‘no problem’ for China-Australia relationship

Andrew Tillett - Jun 2, 2022

The ongoing detention of Australian citizens Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun “should not be a problem” affecting the overall state of bilateral ties between Canberra and Beijing, China’s top envoy to Australia says.

Ambassador Xiao Qian denied Ms Cheng and Dr Yang were political prisoners, amid fresh complaints from supporters over their treatment.

“It’s basically a legal issue matter, I think it would be very helpful for the normal legal jurisdictional process for China be respected, be followed,” Mr Xiao told The Australian Financial Review.

“These are individual cases. It should not be a problem affecting our overall relationship.”

Dr Yang, a writer and pro-democracy advocate, was detained in January 2019 at Guangzhou airport. Ms Cheng, a TV journalist whose young children remain in Australia, was detained in August 2020.

Both have been charged with breaking China’s national security laws but full details of their alleged offences are opaque. Both have been tried behind closed doors in a legal system with a 99 per cent conviction rate, but there has been no word of the verdicts or sentences.

Dr Yang’s supporters say he is in poor health, amid concerns he is not receiving appropriate medical care. He has previously claimed he was tortured and interrogated ahead of his trial.

Ms Cheng’s partner, Nick Coyle, told Sky News on Thursday that Ms Cheng’s health had deteriorated and she was living off a diet of raw white rice. He also said monthly consular visits had been suspended.

But Mr Xiao said their “basic rights” were being protected.

“We have been communicating with the Australian side through diplomatic channels about their recent situation,” he said.

“Recently I’ve been aware there has been concern they have been out of contact with their relatives in Australia and Australian diplomats in China. It’s possibly because of COVID, people are not supposed to meet freely as [they would] under normal conditions.”

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/detention-of-cheng-lei-no-problem-for-china-australia-relationship-20220602-p5aqm5

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 3:13 a.m. No.16384745 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4748

>>16384728

‘Political relationship’ needs to mend before China drops trade bans

Andrew Tillett - Jun 2, 2022

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China’s ambassador to Australia has rebuffed Anthony Albanese’s demand that trade sanctions targeting more than $20 billion of Australian exports be lifted, saying it will not happen until there is an improvement in the “political relationship” between Canberra and Beijing.

But Xiao Qian declared China’s readiness to talk with the new Labor government without preconditions and find areas of potential co-operation, including on climate change and the Pacific. He denied China posed a security threat.

“With this new government in power we are looking forward to a possible opportunity for both sides to make joint efforts so that we can put this relationship back on the right track and let’s move on in the right direction because it’s good for both sides,” Mr Xiao told The Australian Financial Review in an exclusive interview.

“I respect there is process after the election, [there] needed [to be] some time for the new government to be formed, for policies to be decided, but once they’re ready, I’m ready to compare notes and see what we can do together.”

While attending the Quad leaders summit in Tokyo last week, Mr Albanese said China should drop its trade bans and punitive tariffs against Australian exports including wine, coal and barley if it was sincere about mending the bilateral relationship afters years of tension and Beijing’s freeze on ministerial contact.

But Mr Xiao said the “core issue” was the need to improve relations at the “political level” first, putting the onus on Australia to respond.

“The relationship now is in a difficult situation. A bad situation in the political sphere has affected our relationship in other fields, including economic, trade and some other areas as well,” he said.

“If we could have a better political relationship between our two countries, that will perhaps pave the way for improvement of our relationship in other fields as well, including investment, trade and other interactions.”

‘Friendly gesture’

Mr Xiao said a message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang congratulating Mr Albanese hours after he was sworn in as prime minister last week was intended as a “friendly gesture” towards the new government.

The message was approved at the highest levels of the Chinese leadership and noted this year marked 50 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and China, an achievement of the Whitlam Labor government.

Mr Albanese is yet to respond to the message.

Asked why China did not simply drop its trade sanctions, Mr Xiao insisted they had been decisions made by the relevant regulatory authorities, such as responding to complaints about dumping.

“It was not a political decision. It was a decision made on the merits of the individual cases,” he said.

Mr Xiao said there might be a “different interpretation” on which country was at fault for the deterioration in relations, but pointed to the Coalition government’s ban on Huawei’s involvement in Australia’s 5G rollout and rejection of foreign investment applications as cases of discrimination against Chinese businesses.

“It’s very unfortunate that during the previous government’s time, certain measures were taken against Chinese businesses and Chinese investors in the name of so-called national security,” he said.

“These measures have damaged the confidence of Chinese business in Australia.

“I think it is fair to say it is not the Chinese side who started all these problems.”

Productive contacts

Mr Xiao, who took up his post in January, said a “good atmosphere” was also required for resumption of ministerial contact.

“When they [ministers] meet each other and agree on many things, that will be constructive. If they meet and quarrel and fight and criticise each other, it’s going to be worse for our relationship,” he said.

“We need some preparations to pave the way for productive contacts. Instead of meeting with each other for meeting’s sake … we should be expecting a meeting that will be producing some kind of outcome that can contribute to the improvement of the relationship.”

Given the priorities of the new government, climate change was an area of potential co-operation between Beijing and Canberra, Mr Xiao said.

The envoy was hopeful of a positive signal from the Albanese government about China’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, saying Chinese membership was beneficial for both countries. Australia so far has refused to countenance Chinese membership while the trade sanctions remain in place.

(continued)

>>16384745

2/2

‘Different views on strategic issues’

Mr Xiao also identified development in the Pacific as another area, saying China wanted to work with both Australia and New Zealand, describing them as the “traditional powers” in the region.

“Both China and Australia are important players in the Asia-Pacific. We can continue to contribute to regional stability, prosperity,” he said.

“There are, of course, certain areas … [where we have] different views on strategic issues.

He said while there were differences, there was no reason for hostility or for the countries to see each other as enemies or threats.

China’s security agreement with Solomon Islands had been negotiated on the basis of mutual consultation, Mr Xiao said, and was aimed at domestic stability. While the agreement allows Chinese warships to dock in Solomon Islands, Mr Xiao said this was simply to allow ships to refuel and replenish.

“There is no intention for China to set up the so-called military base in the Solomon Islands,” he said. “This is a very clear message.”

Mr Xiao denied Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s mission to sign up Pacific nations to a regional security and economic agreement had been a failure, saying talks would continue.

“There are people talking about ‘Look at this setback for Chinese diplomacy’,” he said.

“It’s not abnormal. Sometimes you don’t have agreement, sometimes you don’t have a joint statement. It happens.

“The Chinese policy is quite flexible. We’re ready to respect the wishes and wills of those countries. We are ready to listen to their suggestions and views, and actually ever since we proposed this agreement all the countries have reached consensus on most of the points in this agreement. It is not a failure but in our view a successful process still going on.”

Mr Xiao rejected the suggestion that China was saddling the Pacific with unsustainable debts, or debt trap diplomacy, saying most Chinese funding was in the form of grants “without any political strings attached”.

Mr Xiao’s comments came as new Defence Minister Richard Marles described China as Australia’s “biggest security anxiety” and said bridging a capability gap that had stretched out to two decades before the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines was his top priority.

Mr Marles is expected to visit Solomon Islands soon, amid the fallout over the security pact. Foreign Minister Penny Wong last night began her second visit to the Pacific, travelling to Tonga and Samoa, as part of moves by the new government to blitz the region and counter Chinese influence.

Mr Wang wraps up his 10-day, eight-country visit to the Pacific on Saturday.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/political-relationship-needs-to-mend-before-china-drops-trade-bans-20220601-p5aq69

Five Eyes Chiefs of Defence Hold Talks in London

The UK is hosting the Chiefs of Defence from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States over three days of events in London.

United Kingdom Ministry of Defence - 1 June 2022

The UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin welcomed his counterparts from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance this week to discuss areas of mutual defence and security interest and to attend Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said:

"The peace and prosperity we have enjoyed over the last 70 years rests in great part on the strength of the United Kingdom’s alliances worldwide.

"The Five Eyes partnership is one such example; and is testament to the mutual trust and admiration that exists between our respective Armed Forces. Today’s meeting was an opportunity to restate our commitment to one another, and to the rules and freedoms which underpin security and stability worldwide."

The senior military leaders, who meet twice a year, will attend the Queen’s Birthday Parade, including the Trooping of the Colour by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards and the flypast over Buckingham Palace by aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

The alliance, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, is a long-standing and trusted collaboration. Partners reaffirmed their commitment to advance defence and security cooperation to protect shared interests and values.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/five-eyes-chiefs-of-defence-hold-talks-in-london

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 3:26 a.m. No.16384775 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3824

>>16356206

Biden gives Bubs a big thumbs up on baby formula delivery

Jessica Yun - June 2, 2022

US President Joe Biden has thanked Australian infant formula maker Bubs Australia at a meeting, as the first batch of Bubs’ product gets ready to land into the hands of desperate American parents late next week.

Biden held a virtual roundtable overnight that invited infant formula manufacturers from around the world – including ASX-listed Bubs’ boss Kristy Carr – to provide updates on ‘Operation Fly Formula’, which fast-tracks formula shipments to the US amid their current shortage.

The Bubs delivery marks the fourth mission of ‘Operation Fly Formula’.

“This flight would bring 4.6 million bottles of infant formula and pave the way for up to 27.5 million total bottles of Bubs infant formula to be supplied to American families in the weeks ahead,” Biden said. “I thank the folks from Down Under.”

Bubs Australia announced over the weekend it was scaling up its production to help ease the months-long baby formula crisis that unfolded after dominant US manufacturer Abbott Laboratories was forced to shut down a major plant after two babies fell sick and another two died from bacterial infections.

“Look, as a father and a grandfather — and I’m sure we all feel the same way — I understand how difficult this shortage has been for families all across the country,” Biden said.

“There is nothing more stressful than the feeling like you can’t get what your child needs.”

Bubs chief Kristy Carr, who joined the US President at the meeting virtually from Melbourne at 4am, said the upcoming shipment would hit supermarket shelves in the West and East Coast and target hardest-hit areas first.

“We will be distributing our products to both the major retailers of infant formula, as well as some of our smaller retail partners, to make sure that we prioritise the states that are most in need and, of course, the vulnerable population areas who need infant formula most,” Carr said.

Thanking the President, she said she was delighted to help in some way and bring Bubs’ product to American families.

“You’re helping out a great deal. Thank you,” Biden said to Carr.

Bubs’ shares jumped almost 6 per cent on the news, ending the session at 62 cents.

Discussion at the meeting was steered by White House senior health policy advisor Christen Young; US National Economic Council deputy director Sameera Fazili; surgeon general Vivek Murthy; and US Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra.

Other global infant formula manufacturers at the roundtable include British multinational Reckitt; American-Irish company Perrigo; Nestle’s Gerber; and US’ ByHeart.

Infant formula makers around the world are now racing to get a foot in the US market, which has until now been tightly held by three dominant players.

Bubs Australia’s much larger rival A2 Milk is awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to get their own product in front of American customers.

https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/biden-gives-bubs-a-big-thumbs-up-on-baby-formula-delivery-20220602-p5aqjl.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 3:33 a.m. No.16384784 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4787

Labor backbenchers urge Albanese to ‘stay true to his values’ on Julian Assange trial

New prime minister says ‘not all foreign affairs is best done with a loud hailer’ when asked if he will intervene on behalf of the WikiLeaks cofounder

Daniel Hurst - 2 Jun 2022

1/2

Australian government backbenchers hope the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will stay “true to his values” and press the US to drop the case against Julian Assange.

Albanese has previously expressed concern about the US government’s efforts to try the WikiLeaks cofounder in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables.

Albanese said in December 2021 he did “not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange” and that “enough is enough”.

But Albanese has kept his cards close to his chest since being sworn in as prime minister.

When asked this week whether he would encourage the US to drop the charges against the Australian citizen, the Labor leader said: “My position is that not all foreign affairs is best done with the loudhailer.”

Labor MP Julian Hill, an active member of the cross-party Australian parliamentary group pushing for Assange’s release, said he was hopeful Albanese would pursue the matter.

“Albo is a man of integrity and values and I’m confident, of course, that he will be true to his values,” Hill told Guardian Australia.

“There are members of the Labor caucus who have had an active involvement in the Assange group based on these critical principles – press freedom and fighting against the chilling effect on the media that this persecution would have – and would hope that our government could achieve an outcome.”

In April a court in the UK formally approved the extradition of Assange to the US on espionage charges, but it is up to the home secretary, Priti Patel, to sign off.

Hill said he believed “that the Australian government needs to advocate to our now-Aukus partners and bring this matter to an end”, but acknowledged achieving a breakthrough for Assange may be “difficult”.

Hill, a Victorian MP, said he had held a “very consistent” and principled position for years about the damaging effect of the case on press freedom.

He said it was “unacceptable” that while the person who leaked the material had had her sentence commuted and was now free, “the person who published it is being handed over for deportation to an effective death sentence”.

Assange is alleged to have conspired with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a password hash to a classified US Department of Defence computer, a US Department of Justice statement said.

Manning was released in 2017, when Barack Obama commuted her 35-year military prison sentence in one of his final acts as president.

(continued)

>>16384784

2/2

Australia’s new minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, said before the election that regardless of anyone’s views about Assange, the case had “dragged on a long time”.

“Certainly, we would encourage, were we elected, the US government to bring this matter to a close,” she said during an election foreign policy debate at the National Press Club on 13 May.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was contacted for comment on Wednesday.

Press freedom advocates and human rights groups have raised fears the prosecution of Assange under the US Espionage Act sets “a dangerous precedent”.

Daniel Ellsberg – the whistleblower prosecuted 50 years ago for releasing the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam war – said last month: “This extradition would mean that journalists, anywhere in the world, could be extradited to the US for exposing information classified in the US.”

In April, Assange’s father, John Shipton, said the election of a Labor government would be a “great opportunity” to free the WikiLeaks co-founder.

Shipton said he had had several lunches with Albanese and had been assured the then-opposition leader would do “whatever he can” to free his son.

The White House has previously declined to comment on the Assange matter, telling reporters it was an “ongoing criminal case” and the president, Joe Biden, was “committed to an independent Department of Justice”.

The US offered a number of assurances that were crucial to a successful appeal against an earlier British court ruling blocking his extradition.

These assurances included that Assange would not be subject to “special administrative measures” or held at a maximum security “ADX” facility and could apply, if convicted, to be transferred to a prison in Australia.

In mid-December, Albanese responded to that British court ruling by saying: “I’ve said for some time that enough is enough … He has paid a big price for the publication of that information already and I do not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange.”

The previous Australian government repeatedly stared down calls to intervene, saying it was monitoring the Australian citizen’s case closely but would “continue to respect” the legal process as Australia was “not a party to the case”.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/02/labor-backbenchers-urge-albanese-to-stay-true-to-his-values-on-julian-assange-trial

Ex-soldier ‘couldn’t say’ whether Roberts-Smith was complicit in murders, court told

Michaela Whitbourn - June 2, 2022

A former senior Special Air Service soldier who served in Afghanistan with war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has told the Federal Court he couldn’t say whether Roberts-Smith was complicit in the murder of two Afghan prisoners and he relied on his subordinates to give truthful reports about any killings.

Person 81, a former SAS troop commander whose identity is suppressed for national security reasons, was the final witness to give evidence in Roberts-Smith’s defamation case against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times. He was cross-examined about a key issue in the trial, namely the circumstances in which two Afghan men died during a mission at a compound dubbed Whiskey 108 in 2009.

Roberts-Smith is suing The Age, the Herald and The Canberra Times for defamation over a series of articles in 2018 he says portray him as a war criminal who was involved in the unlawful killing of unarmed Afghan prisoners. Under the rules of engagement that bound the SAS, prisoners could not be killed.

The decorated former soldier denies all wrongdoing and has said any killings in Afghanistan, including two during the Whiskey 108 mission, happened lawfully in the heat of battle. The media outlets are seeking to rely on a defence of truth and allege Roberts-Smith was involved in six unlawful killings in Afghanistan, including the execution of two men who emerged from a tunnel at Whiskey 108.

Person 81, who was called by Roberts-Smith’s legal team to give evidence, was troop commander in Afghanistan during the Whiskey 108 mission. He said on Wednesday that he was not informed by his soldiers that any men had been discovered in a tunnel.

During cross-examination by the newspapers’ barrister, Nicholas Owens, SC, on Thursday Person 81 agreed he was unable to say one way or another whether there were people in the tunnel, only that he didn’t see any himself.

“I take it, in your role as commander, you are, in fact, quite busy at all times during the mission?” Owens asked. “That is very correct,” Person 81 replied.

Person 81 told the court he had a memory of seeing fighting-age Afghan men inside Whiskey 108, but could not remember where.

Roberts-Smith has told the court no men were found inside the tunnel and two insurgents were killed lawfully outside Whiskey 108, including one man killed by him. He called four SAS witnesses who supported his account about the tunnel. Another soldier, Person 27, said he did not have “any recollection of anyone coming out of a tunnel”, although he was not in the area.

SAS witnesses called by the newspapers have said at least two men were found in a tunnel at Whiskey 108 and taken prisoner. A serving SAS soldier, Person 41, told the court he saw Roberts-Smith execute one unarmed Afghan man that day and direct another soldier, Person 4, to kill a second man. The newspapers allege the men were taken from the tunnel.

Person 81 agreed on Thursday he “wouldn’t know” whether two men killed on the day of the Whiskey 108 mission were prisoners. He also “couldn’t say” whether one of the men was executed by Roberts-Smith, or whether the second man was executed by Person 4 with Roberts-Smith’s encouragement. He did not see anything that made him suspect this had occurred, he said.

Person 81 agreed he relied on patrol commanders, who headed smaller teams of soldiers within the troop, to give honest and accurate information about any killings.

Roberts-Smith will officially close his case on Friday before the parties return to court in July for final submissions.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/ex-soldier-couldn-t-say-whether-roberts-smith-was-complicit-in-murders-court-told-20220602-p5aqlo.html

>>16350310

Hey Dad! actor Robert Hughes granted parole, will be deported to UK

Harriet Tatham - 2 June 2022

Convicted paedophile and former Hey Dad! actor Robert Hughes has been granted parole and will be deported to the United Kingdom.

The State Parole Authority said Hughes, 73, was granted parole as he posed a "below average risk" to the community.

Hughes has been in prison since 2014, after he was found guilty of 10 sexual and indecent assault offences committed in between 1984 and 1990 involving four children.

The victims were aged between seven and 15 years old at the time of the offences.

Following a lengthy trial, Hughes was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years and 9 months in prison, with a non-parole period of six years.

Today, Hughes's third attempt at parole was granted.

Hughes renounced his Australian citizenship in 2019, meaning he will be deported.

It follows a court appearance last week where his lawyer, Hannah Bruce, applied for his release saying the disgraced actor plans to "maintain a very low profile" in the UK.

In granting his parole, the NSW State Parole Authority noted that the offences were historical and "is satisfied release to parole is in the interests of the safety of the community".

"The offences took place in particular settings in which the offender abused his power and his position of trust," the written determination reads.

"He no longer enjoys such power or trust, as a direct consequence of the convictions and the consequent widespread adverse publicity, notwithstanding his defiant denials."

At the time of sentencing, the presiding judge described Hughes's behaviour as "brazen" and "predatory" and that "he abused his position of trust and exploited the naivety and youth of the children".

Today's determination has ruled that Hughes will be subject to the standard parole conditions, including that he must be of good behaviour.

He is also subject to an additional requirement that he "must not be in the company of a person under the age of 16 years unless accompanied by a responsible adult," nor engage with any person under the age of 16 "in written or electronic communication," including through social media.

Last week, Sarah Monahan, Hughes's former co-star and on-screen daughter, travelled from the United States to watch the parole application and once again face her abuser.

Despite the ruling from the parole board, Ms Monahan last week told the media she believed Hughes was still a risk.

"He's an old man and he's frail, but they don't change," she said outside court on May 27.

"He's a denier, so he still thinks he hasn't done anything wrong. So, he'll keep doing wrong things."

Ms Monahan is yet to comment on his release.

The ABC understands Hughes will be transferred from Long Bay Correctional Centre to Villawood Detention Centre ahead of his deportation.

Within the written determination, Interpol confirmed he would be required to report to police within three days of his return to the UK, and annually thereafter.

There is also requirement to notify UK police if Hughes is going to stay for a period of at least 12 hours at a household where a child is present.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-02/hey-dad-actor-robert-hughes-granted-parole/101119740

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 3:49 a.m. No.16384807 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4977

Israeli legislator leaves Knesset after assisting accused Australian pedophile

Ultra-Orthodox former minister indicted for breach of trust and obstruction of justice in Leifer affair when he offered promotions to psychiatrists in exchange for their evaluation that she is unfit to stand trial

Moran Azulay - 06.01.22

Ultra-Orthodox legislator and former minister Yaakov Litzman on Wednesday resigned from the Knesset after 23 years at the head of his United Torah Judaism party.

Litzman's resignation was part of a plea agreement reached four months ago with the prosecution, after he was charged with aiding accused Australian pedophile Malka Leifer's attempts to avoid facing trial in Australia.

The former educator was charged with sexually abusing several former students when she was principle of a Jewish girl's school in Melbourne and had fought extradition through the Israeli courts, for six years, causing strain to Israeli Australian relations.

She was finally extradited in 2020 after a Supreme Court ruling.

Litzman was charged with obstruction of justice and breach of trust, while he was Health Minister in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, when he tried to influence a psychiatric evaluation of Leifer and determine that she was mentally unfit to stand trial.

The prosecution claimed he had offered lucrative promotions, in exchange for the desired professional opinion.

In a plea deal with then attorney general Avichai Mandelblit, the former minister pled guilty to breach of trust in the Malka Leifer affair and received a suspended sentence and a fine in exchange for his immediate resignation from the Knesset.

The ultra-Orthodox lawmaker was also suspected of trying to influence Health Ministry officials to prevent the closure of a restaurant owned by a close associate, whose poor sanitation conditions led several customers to fall ill.

Litzman handed in his resignation letter to Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy.

"I am ending with satisfaction, many years of service in the Knesset, out of gratitude to the all mighty who allowed me to serve the public with dedication and loyalty," Litzman said in a statement.

Litzman is the second ultra-Orthodox member of Knesset to resign over crimes committed. Last week Shas leader Arye Deri resigned his Knesset seat after he was pled guilty to tax evasions.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1qbt04005

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 2, 2022, 4:01 a.m. No.16384827 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4830

>>16366776

Kevin Rudd: I don't believe Peter Dutton regrets walking out on the Apology to the Stolen Generations

Kevin Rudd - June 2 2022

1/2

Australians should be deeply concerned that Peter Dutton - the man who proudly marched out on the Apology to Indigenous Australians - stands unopposed within the Liberal Party as its alternative prime minister.

While his emergence as Opposition Leader has renewed scrutiny of his motivations back in 2008, this was just one of many troubling chapters in Dutton's three-decade career that expose his serial failure to empathise with anyone he perceives as different.

You see it throughout Dutton's attitudes to poverty, to disability, to Pacific Islanders threatened by climate change, to LGBT rights and much more. At best, Dutton is indifferent to other perspectives; at worst, he openly weaponises these differences for crude political gain, as he's done with the toxic politics of race.

Dutton took his boycott of the Apology very seriously. He was so opposed to the government apologising for past injustices that he offered to resign from the Coalition frontbench. It was a matter of deep principle.

Dutton now says he regrets his decision. I don't believe him. More likely he regrets how the Apology brought our country together, rather than inspiring widespread dissent among white Australians as many predicted. Far from becoming a hero, Dutton's boycott made him look petty. What he truly regrets is his damaged reputation, as he now opportunistically pivots from the far right (where he built his career in the Liberal Party) towards the political centre through a cosmetic makeover.

His insincerity is evidenced by his ever-changing explanations for the boycott. Before the Apology, Dutton warned it could expose taxpayers to billions in compensation. After it, he claimed it was a tokenistic gesture. Now he claims he supported apologising, but not until "the problems were resolved".

This attempted reconstruction is intellectually and morally bankrupt. The Apology was recommended by the 1997 Bringing Them Home report, which John Howard had already ignored for more than a decade. Wait much longer and the Stolen Generations would have been long dead before their suffering was acknowledged.

Furthermore, an apology is a starting point for reconciliation, not an end. That's why we introduced "Closing the Gap". You wouldn't advise a newlywed couple to "never apologise until all your problems are resolved". Why embrace that policy in government?

Dutton's walkout was ideological. He couldn't imagine the Apology's meaning from anyone's perspective but his own, just as he couldn't relate to the asylum-seeker families he kept in limbo for years, or the Pacific Islanders whom he laughed at as their homes were inundated by rising seas.

Other the other hand, Dutton eagerly pledged "special attention" for white South African asylum seekers, who he instinctively believed would "abide by our laws, integrate into our society, work hard and not lead a life on welfare" if they were brought to a "civilised country" like ours.

(continued)

>>16384827

2/2

Dutton's lack of empathy has ramifications beyond racial politics. As a new MP, he accused families affected by intergenerational poverty of choosing their fate. As health minister, Dutton fought to abolish bulk billing under Medicare (since no truly sick person would skip the doctor to avoid spending money). As defence minister, when he should have been stopping multibillion-dollar cost overruns and capability gaps, he banned his officials from wearing rainbow pins in solidarity with LGBT comrades, in an appeal to the far right and the Murdoch media.

As employment minister, Dutton became obsessed with cutting disability support pensions, believing large numbers were faking their disabilities. This instinct reared its head again recently, when Dutton attacked his Labor opponent in the seat of Dickson, Ali France, for living in a house specially designed for her wheelchair because it was in a neighbouring electorate.

Dutton's contempt for scrutiny, manifested in his resistance to independent anti-corruption commissions, also has deep roots. In 1989, when Queenslanders overwhelmingly backed Wayne Goss to clean up Joh Bjelke-Petersen's corrupt police state, Dutton personally stood for election against Goss's deputy, Tom Burns. As Goss's chief of staff, I remember thinking: "What side of history does he want to be on?"

However, fate has granted Dutton one big opportunity to change course: the Uluru Statement from the Heart. While politicians are wary of backing constitutional referendums given their high rate of defeat, even more dangerous is opposing a referendum that wins massive public support.

I am confident most Australians will embrace our First Australians' gracious request to be formally consulted on laws affecting them, through a constitutionally entrenched Voice - just as Australians voted for Indigenous rights in 1967 with 90.8 per cent voting Yes. Like the Apology, the Uluru Statement can bring Australians together in common cause and optimism.

If Dutton again seeks to divide Australians against each other on race, he will once more find himself on the wrong side of history. For what remains of a political career built on division, that would be terminal.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7762895/dutton-says-he-regrets-boycotting-the-apology-i-dont-believe-him/

>>16350310

>>16384797

Actor and sex offender Robert Hughes granted parole after two failed attempts

9 News Australia

Jun 2, 2022

Disgraced ‘Hey Dad!’ star and convicted paedophile Robert Hughes, 73, has been granted bail and will be deported to the United Kingdom after the NSW State Parole Authority ruled. He must be released by June 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg7sZZ98eTM

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 7, 2022, 3:55 a.m. No.16408416 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8431

>>16403494

China warns Australia to stop 'dangerous' actions over the South China Sea after RAAF interception

Joshua Boscaini - 7 June 2022

China has warned Australia to stop "provocative" actions in the South China Sea region after a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) surveillance plane was dangerously intercepted in an area near the Paracel Islands.

It was the first official confirmation from Chinese defence officials that the interception happened.

The Australian Department of Defence revealed on Sunday that a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft flew close to an RAAF P-8 maritime surveillance plane on May 26 while it was conducting a routine patrol in international airspace.

Defence said the Chinese aircraft released flares while flying alongside the RAAF plane, before cutting in front of the P-8 and releasing a bag of "chaff" into its flight path.

The department said the "chaff" included aluminium fragments that were sucked into the engine of the Australian plane.

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said while the Australian aircraft did not enter international airspace claimed by China near the Paracel Islands, the plane seriously threatened China's sovereignty and security.

"The measures taken by the Chinese military were professional, safe, reasonable and legal," Mr Tan said.

"The Australian side has turned black and white, repeatedly spread false information, and advocated confrontation. China firmly opposes this.

"We are warning the Australian side to immediately stop such dangerous and provocative actions and strictly restrain the actions of naval and air forces, otherwise it will bear all the serious consequences arising therefrom."

China claims numerous small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and says the area around these outcroppings are its territorial waters and airspace.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday that Australia should respect China's national security interests, without confirming the interception by the Chinese military.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in Indonesia on Monday, labelled the interception a dangerous act of aggression.

"In the Australian government's view, in the Defence Department's view, this was not safe, what occurred, and we've made appropriate representations to the Chinese government expressing our concern at this," he said.

Last week, the Canadian military accused Chinese planes of not following international safety norms on several occasions and putting a Canadian crew at risk.

A statement said the Chinese planes tried to divert a Canadian long-range patrol aircraft from its path, and that the crew had to change direction quickly to avoid a potential collision.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-07/china-warns-australia-after-raaf-south-china-sea-interception/101133128

>>16408416

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China

Chinese defense spokesperson responds to Australia's hype of China-Australia military aircraft encounter

Lin Congyi, China Military Online - 2022-06-07

BEIJING, June 7 - On June 7, 2022, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), responded to the reporter's question on the recent China-Australia military aircraft encounter.

Reporter: The Australian Department of Defence said in a recent statement that an Australian warplane was intercepted by a Chinese military aircraft on May 26 while conducting the reconnaissance mission in airspace over the South China Sea. The Australian side also claimed that "the intercept resulted in a dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew". What is China's comment on that?

Chinese Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Tan Kefei: On May 26, an Australian P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft entered the airspace near China's Xisha Islands for close-in reconnaissance and continuously approached China's territorial airspace over the Xisha Islands in disregard of repeated warnings from the Chinese side. The Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command dispatched naval and air forces to identify and verify the Australian warplane and warn it off. The Australian warplane has seriously threatened China's sovereignty and security and the countermeasures taken by the Chinese military are professional, safe, reasonable and legitimate. It is the Australia side that confuses black and white, repeatedly disseminates false information and instigates the hostility and confrontation. China firmly opposes all such deeds. We urge the Australian side to immediately stop such dangerous and provocative acts and strictly restrict the operations of its naval and air forces, or it will bear all the serious consequences arising therefrom.

http://eng.mod.gov.cn/news/2022-06/07/content_4912457.htm

>>16399548

Federal Court orders Twitter to release information on controversial @PRGuy17 account

David Estcourt and Nick Bonyhady - June 7, 2022

1/2

The Federal Court has ordered Twitter to release information that could reveal the identity of the person behind a high-profile political account that attracted large audiences during the pandemic with its pro-lockdown and pro-Labor commentary.

The anonymous account is being sued for defamation by right-wing commentator Avi Yemini.

Justice Debra Mortimer on Tuesday gave the social media giant 14 days to hand the basic subscriber information of @PRGuy17, including the name and email address connected to the account, to Yemini, so he could pursue legal action.

PRGuy17, whose profile photo is of The Simpsons character Troy McClure, built a following during the pandemic, often in vociferous defence of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and critical of various conservative political leaders and mainstream news media.

Yemini filed proceedings in the Federal Court in February, promising to unmask the identity of the Twitter account. Yemini, a journalist at far-right media outlet Rebel News, was critical of the Andrews government’s management of the pandemic and clashed with the account on Twitter.

Mortimer’s order stipulates that Twitter must also disclose the date the account was registered and known internet protocol addresses for the period from December 31, 2021, to February 11, 2022, and March 21, 2022, to May 20, 2022.

If @PRGuy17’s identity is not revealed from the registered email address or name, which could be a further pseudonym, Yemini may have to seek further court orders to force @PRGuy17’s internet service provider to hand over billing details associated with the account’s online address.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have contacted @PRGuy17 for comment via direct message on Twitter, but there is no indication they have seen the message. The account had also not filed any documents with the Federal Court over the matter or nominated any legal representation.

@PRGuy17 said in a recent tweet that they worked at a cafe, and they were identified as “J.M.” in an online fundraiser launched last month that has raised more than $18,000.

Labor-linked lobbying firm Hawker Britton has previously debunked claims that one of its staffers is PRGuy17.

Twitter, which consented to the Federal Court orders, declined to comment via a spokesman.

(continued)

>>16408454

2/2

Yemini told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald he believed the order was a win for transparency because the account often posted messages about political issues in Victoria.

“I think it’s a win for Victorians to finally know who is behind this account which controlled the entire conversation about Daniel Andrews and the Labor government on Twitter,” he said.

“The confines of free speech doesn’t give you the right to hide behind a fake profile to defame or do a lot of the things that PRGuy has done. It doesn’t stop the consequence of your actions.”

Yemini has pledged to bring a defamation suit against the account holder, but can’t do it until he knows their identity. Twitter previously told the court it would not hand over user details without an order.

Yemini has a long history as a fringe provocateur, including calling himself a “Jewish Nazi” in what he later claimed was a joking barb at left-wing intolerance. He has been fundraising off his stoush, urging supporters to tip into a legal fund.

@PRGuy17 and Yemini traded barbs in tweets on the platform over the Andrews government’s approach to the pandemic.

It is not the first time plaintiffs have attempted to unmask the identity of online users who have posted negative messages, comments or reviews about them.

In March 2021, gangland lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson said she intended to take a court fight directly to Google after the Federal Court dismissed her bid to force the search engine giant to reveal who was behind negative online reviews.

And in June 2020, Northcote dentist Matthew Kabbabe compelled the search engine to hand over data to help identify an anonymous reviewer called “CBsm 23”.

University of Sydney media law professor David Rolph said court rules to identify people potentially subject to a defamation claim were long-established and increasingly used to penetrate social media pseudonyms.

“These steps where you have to take court action to unmask the user responsible for the content are occurring with increasing frequency,” Rolph said.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has agreed to buy Twitter but is now backpedalling from the deal, has mused about requiring all users to authenticate that they are real people in an effort to crack down on spam accounts.

However, it is not clear if that would force users to publicly identify their real names.

Yemini has not yet filed the defamation claim.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/federal-court-orders-twitter-to-release-information-on-controversial-prguy17-account-20220607-p5arpo.html

>>16399548

Man who struck police horse and threw traffic bollard at officer during Melbourne lockdown protests pleads guilty

Danny Tran - 7 June 2022

1/2

A former prospective Hells Angels member who struck a police horse with a flag pole and hurled a traffic bollard at a mounted officer during Melbourne's infamous lockdown protests has implored a judge to show him mercy, as prosecutors denounced his "cowardly" crimes.

Dennis Basic appeared in the County Court of Victoria where he pleaded guilty to several violent charges including assaulting an emergency worker, recklessly causing injury, animal cruelty and possessing a "cache" of weapons including knives and fireworks.

The charges date back to two incidents which happened while Melbourne was under a strict lockdown imposed by the Andrews government to limit the transmission of COVID-19.

Basic, who was once a prospective member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, appeared from the Metropolitan Remand Centre where he has been on remand for close to year.

In October 2020, Basic marched to the Shrine of Remembrance with thousands of other protesters before making his way to a roadblock on St Kilda Road, near the Arts Centre, where he confronted Senior Constable Jamie Brown.

The court was shown footage of Basic, who was in a balaclava, yelling obscenities at the police officer and waving a pole with a flag in a "threatening manner", according to prosecutors.

He then confronted another officer, Leading Senior Constable Jess Walsh, who was on a horse, and struck the animal on the head multiple times.

Bodycam footage played to the court showed the horse's head rearing backwards as it was struck multiple times.

Basic was arrested weeks later at his home in Narre Warren South, where police found fireworks, flick knives and capsicum spray.

He was granted bail and ordered not to breach lockdown rules again as his case made its way through the justice system.

But in July 2021, just four days after Premier Daniel Andrews announced that lockdown would be extended, Basic again marched into Melbourne's CBD with thousands of other protesters.

"Within eight months he's back at another demonstration making a pest of himself," Judge Douglas Trapnell said to Basic's barrister, Oliver Smith.

"Yes, your honour, Mr Basic makes no excuses," Mr Smith said.

(continued)

>>16408480

2/2

Officer suffered months-long headache after second incident

Security footage obtained by investigators shows Basic picking up an orange traffic bollard with a weighted base and hurling it at Senior Constable Christine Brown, who was on horseback, striking her head and shoulder.

"I felt angry and concerned for the safety of myself, my horse Unity, and my colleagues," she said in a victim impact statement read to the court today.

"Unity got a fright which caused her anxiety. I know this because she became nervous after the incident. She felt light under saddle and I was concerned that she might shy, rear or kick out."

The court heard that Senior Constable Brown developed a headache which lasted for two months.

"I did not take any time off work. We were extremely busy and I didn't want to let my team down," she said.

Senior Constable Brown has since made a full recovery but said the attack still annoyed her.

"I feel it is important that the accused understands how dangerous his actions were," she said.

"There was a real risk that I could have fallen off my mount which would have resulted in a riderless horse running through a crowd."

Prosecutor Michelle Zammit said Basic's actions were "unwarranted, disrespectful and appalling".

"The accused was not in any way being provoked by police. He wasn't being chased or being arrested at the time," she said.

"His actions on both occasions were deliberate and completely inexcusable.

"The offending against Leading Senior Constable Brown … was particularly cowardly and reprehensible given that the bollard was thrown at her back."

Court hears Basic 'embarrassed' by his conduct

Mr Smith, who is defending Basic, told the County Court that his client had extended his apologies to the officer.

"He accepts that the victim was simply going about her job, he's embarrassed by his conduct," Mr Smith said.

Judge Trapnell asked if that meant "protecting the community from him and others like him".

"Yes, your honour," Mr Smith said.

Mr Smith told the court that Basic's crimes did not indicate a "persistent lawlessness".

But Judge Trapnell said it showed a "continuous pattern of disobedience".

"This is the very conduct that needs to be denounced … and his case specifically deterred, given having done it on one occasion, he went back and did it again," the judge said.

Basic will be sentenced later this month.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-07/guilty-plea-striking-police-horse-melbourne-lockdown-protests/101131392

>>16366975

AFP targeting Italian mafia figures in next phase of AN0M probe

Mark Reddie - 7 June 2022

Intelligence gained from a secret app planted on the mobile phones of organised criminals has revealed the Italian mafia is "pulling the strings" of bikie gangs responsible for recent violence in Australia.

The Australian Federal Police is investigating 51 Italian organised crime clans — including 14 from the 'Ndrangheta — as well as 5,000 members living across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Investigators have accused them of working closely with Middle Eastern crime gangs, Asian triads and South American cartels to smuggle tonnes of illegal drugs into the country.

"They are pulling the strings of outlaw motorcycle gangs who are behind some of the most significant violence in our communities," AFP Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan said.

"They are responsible for 70 to 80 per cent of the world's cocaine and they are flooding Australia with illicit drugs."

Assistant Commissioner Ryan said millions of dollars in dirty money was being washed through the economy each day.

"They funnel their illegitimate wealth into their legitimate construction, agricultural and catering businesses," he said.

"This is really a warning to Italian organised crime that they are on our radar."

The AFP has managed to compile a family tree of the mafia from data obtained from Operation Ironside.

It was a three-year undercover sting in which authorities infiltrated the phones of organised crime figures through an encrypted app, called ANOM.

Criminals were convinced to use the messaging service through word of mouth in the underworld, believing it was secure and off the police radar.

Little did they know that the 25 million messages sent on the platform were being closely monitored by the AFP and FBI.

Since authorities revealed the truth about AN0M a year ago, 383 alleged Australian criminals have been charged with more than 2,340 offences.

Italian mafia bosses are now the next major target — with the AFP operation also involving US, Spanish, Brazilian and Italian authorities.

"Unfortunately they invested in the wrong technology when they invested in the ANOM app," Assistant Commissioner Ryan said.

"Unleashing this next phase will be long and challenging but the AFP is up to the challenge.

"If we don't cut off the head and tail of organised crime then we face living in a very different Australia."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-07/afp-target-italian-mafia-ndrangheta-activities-in-australia/101131092

>>16366975

>>16408493

Australian Federal Police issue crack down on Mafia-style crime families

Police are conducting a nationwide sting to crack down on Italian organised crime families they believe are pulling the strings of bikie gangs.

Adelaide Lang - June 7, 2022

After obtaining crucial intelligence, the Australian Federal Police are focusing on Italian organised crime syndicates that ‘wash’ billions of dollars through the Australian economy every year.

According to police, information gleaned from the ANOM platform used by criminal networks had painted a clearer picture of the scale of illegal drug importation facilitated by the Mafia-style crime organisations, the amount of money they made, and the level of association with bikie gangs.

Australia is home to about 51 Italian organised crime families, including 14 confirmed ‘Ndrangheta clans with thousands of members.

The ‘Ndrangheta are a Mafia-esque organised crime society based in Calabria and characterised by family ties, a code of silence and loyalty, keeping a low-profile, international reach and intimidation.

According to the AFP, the crime network is responsible for trafficking 70 per cent of the world’s cocaine. In Australia, that also extends to methamphetamine and cannabis.

Police alleged the Australian-based ‘Ndrangheta have been involved in money-laundering since the 1970s through legitimate businesses by using bitcoin dealers, and corrupt lawyers and accountants.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Crime Command Nigel Ryan said the Mafia-style clans have insidiously integrated themselves into the Australian underworld.

“The ‘Ndrangheta are flooding Australia with illicit drugs and are pulling the strings of Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs, who are behind some of the most significant violence in our communities,” he said.

“They have become so powerful in Australia that they almost own some Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, who will move drugs around for their ‘Ndrangheta financiers, or carry out acts of violence on behalf of the ‘Ndrangheta.”

The Assistant Commissioner said police have been mapping the familial relationships of the group in Australia for years, with the assistance of Italian authorities.

Mr Ryan said understanding the operations of the ‘Ndrangheta would help authorities crack down on members of the Italian crime clans, who have been able to avoid detection by living in modest homes and mixing their illegal funds with profits from their legitimate businesses.

Over the past year, police have arrested and charged a number of ‘Ndrangheta members under Operation Ironside, the biggest organised crime sting ever conducted by the AFP.

Mr Ryan said the AFP is targeting the finances, communications, and operations of the Italian organised crime networks.

Police estimate millions of dollars a day are laundered through the Australian economy to wash drug profits. By dismantling the billion-dollar money laundering operations, police aim to disrupt the drug-trafficking industry in Australia.

A recent report from the New South Wales’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre revealed there were around five drug-related deaths a day in 2020 – the highest level since 1997.

“On a macro level the trafficking of illicit drugs impacts on our national security, social security and our economy,” Mr Ryan said.

“On a micro level, it makes our roads less safe, law-abiding citizens are at risk of becoming collateral damage in the wars of organised criminals who shoot at each other in public.”

In the year since its inception, Operation Ironside has charged 383 alleged offenders with 2340 offences. The nationwide sting has seized more than 6.3 tonnes of prohibited drugs, 147 weapons and $55 million.

https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/australian-federal-police-issue-crack-down-on-mafiastyle-crime-families/news-story/c0b249d00c37d91bf8c0c06490fe4d25

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 7, 2022, 4:49 a.m. No.16408526 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1766

Ex-SA corrections officer Stewart Iain Berry to stand trial over allegations he indecently filmed children

A top public servant will stand trial over allegations he indecently filmed children as part of an online SA pedophile syndicate.

Sean Fewster - June 7, 2022

A former senior Correctional Services officer has denied any involvement in an SA-based online pedophile ring and will stand trial over the allegations.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Stewart Iain Berry pleaded not guilty to multiple charges relating to the possession and dissemination of child exploitation material.

He also denied indecently filming children in order to produce child exploitation material.

The charges against Mr Berry, 37, of Salisbury Park, arise from investigations into the online syndicate led by Australia’s worst-ever child sex offender, Jadd William Brooker.

Prosecutors alleged Mr Berry and his husband, Mathew Campbell, 38, of Salisbury, installed hidden cameras in their home to film children.

Mr Campbell has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in the District Court.

Last month, prosecutors filed additional charges against Mr Berry – a senior Correctional Services officer – accusing him of abusing a child over a three-year period.

On Tuesday, counsel for Mr Berry said their client was not yet required, nor prepared, to enter pleas to the newer charges.

SA Police prosecutors confirmed that was so, saying the Director of Public Prosecutions had recommended the two sets of allegations be dealt with separately.

Magistrate Simon Smart remanded Mr Berry on continuing bail to face the District Court in September for a pre-trial hearing.

He ordered he face the Magistrates Court again, on the newer charges, next month.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/exsa-corrections-officer-stewart-iain-berry-to-stand-trial-over-allegations-he-indecently-filmed-children/news-story/b793741a225f0551be944a46b4e9733d

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

June 7, 2022

SOUTHERN JACKAROO 22

“There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them”

-Winston Churchill

On the day we remember the brave Soldiers at Normandy, we look to strengthen our alliances around the world in support of freedom, and to stand against tyranny.

#mrfd

#usmc

#ADF

#JGSDF

#FreeandOpenIndoPacific

U.S. Marine Corps video by Corporal Emeline Molla

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/381457307350092

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 8, 2022, 3:13 a.m. No.16413268 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5152

Port of Darwin lease to be reviewed: Anthony Albanese

James Massola - June 8, 2022

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed a review of the lease of the Port of Darwin will be undertaken, raising fresh questions over the future of the 99-year lease by Chinese-owned company Landbridge.

During the election campaign, Albanese blasted the 2015 decision to lease the port for 99 years to Landbridge for $506 million.

A review of the lease by the Defence department ordered by the Morrison government reportedly found late last year that there were insufficient national security grounds to overturn the lease.

Any move to scrap the lease would probably further damage relations between Canberra and Beijing, which are already in a parlous state, primarily due to China’s economic sanctions on Australian goods and a recent incident involving an Australian surveillance plane and Chinese fighter jet.

During a press conference alongside Northern Territory’s Labor Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, Albanese gave his most definitive statement yet when asked whether his government would look again at the controversial lease of the port.

“What I’ve said is what I said prior to the election – and I will do what I said I would do on this and every other issue – which is we’ll have a review of the circumstances of the Port,” he said.

“The chief minister is conscious of the fact that we will do that, and we’ll do that in an orderly way.”

NT Labor used the lease to campaign against the Country Liberal Party during the federal election and successfully retained both lower house seats in a tight result.

Albanese also said he was prepared to use the federal government’s foreign veto laws to cancel contracts between Australian entities and Chinese state-owned companies.

“We supported the change in the Foreign Relations Bill. They went through [the parliament] with our support and hence, we believe that the federal government should be in charge of our foreign relations. That’s why we supported that legislation, we’ll always take the advice of DFAT on any issues which arise.”

Both major parties have committed to a $1.5 billion promise for new, separate port facilities in the Middle Arm precinct of the harbour and that development is being treated separately from the Landbridge-leased Port.

The seven-year-old lease became a flash point during the second debate of the recent federal election campaign, with Albanese criticising the former government for its handling of the matter.

“When I was a minister, we put US Marines into Darwin. When you have been a minister we have had the Port of Darwin sold to a company connected with the Chinese Communist Party,” he said at the time.

Scott Morrison denied the federal government could have played a role in stopping the lease. However, Defence or security agencies could have raised concerns about the lease at the time if they had any, but none were identified.

Former US president Barack Obama expressed concern about the lease at the time, while China hawks in the Defence establishment have also questioned the leasing of the Port undertaken by the former NT Liberal government.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/port-of-darwin-lease-to-be-reviewed-anthony-albanese-20220608-p5as1e.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 8, 2022, 3:28 a.m. No.16413315 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3318

>>16366975

>>16408493

AFP intel aids global crackdown

The Australian Federal Police is helping hunt down Italian organised crime syndicates in Europe, with intelligence gathered through the Trojan horse app AN0M.

ELLEN WHINNETT - June 7, 2022

1/2

The Australian Federal Police is helping hunt down Italian organised crime syndicates in Europe, with intelligence gathered through the Trojan horse app AN0M handed to authorities targeting mafia groups overseas.

AFP Assistant Commissioner crime command Nigel Ryan confirmed police had provided 54 intelligence briefs to international law enforcement agencies to assist in the investigation and prosecution of several high-level criminals.

Police refused to say in which countries targets of the intelligence were residing but it’s thought several European police forces that worked closely with the AFP in the original Operation Ironside busts in June 2021 were working off AFP intelligence.

Europol and the FBI both confirmed last year that Italian organised crime figures were among the more than 800 people arrested globally when the AN0M busts went down.

“The AFP has developed 54 target packages for our international partners who are using this intelligence to take further action against alleged offenders in their own countries,’’ Mr Ryan said. “This global takedown in organised crime was enabled because of the dedication of the AFP, the FBI and our key partners.’’

More than 12,000 AN0M devices were in use when police pulled the plug on the covert sting operation, with the majority in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Serbia.

More than 300 devices were also active in Italy.

The AFP used two “influencers’’ to spruik the devices to their alleged underworld associates.

One was Hakan Ayik, the Australian drug kingpin and Comanchero bikie associate who is now hiding out in Turkey.

The other was a man in Australia whom police allege is a member of an Italian organised crime family. He is before the courts on significant charges and his details are not able to be reported.

The AFP has embarked on a renewed push to target Italian organised crime in Australia, particularly the Calabrian mafia, or ’Ndrangheta, who are responsible for more than 70 per cent of the global supply of cocaine, and who are washing billions of dollars in illegal wealth through the economy every year.

Under the coverage of mass Italian migration to Australia, the mafia has become so entrenched in the Australian community that people don’t know their neighbours are involved in organised crime.

Mr Ryan on Tuesday said the ’Ndrangheta had been operating in Australia since the 1920s, staying off law enforcement’s radar by living “modest lives in modest houses’.’

They had successfully concealed their illicit wealth by funneling money through legitimate construction, catering and agricultural businesses.

“They had intentionally kept a low profile and avoided shows of wealth or power as they quietly laundered their profits through their seemingly legitimate businesses.

“It’s entirely possible that people can be living next door to members of the ’Ndrangheta without knowing,’’ Mr Ryan said.

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The AFP first signalled in December it would be targeting Italian organised crime and the people who enabled its drug-smuggling and money-laundering, including allegedly corrupt officials, aviation and port workers, lawyers and accountants, as part of phase two of Operation Ironside. Police identified 160 immediate targets in Australia.

Mr Ryan confirmed that drug overlord Ayik, who has since changed his name to Joseph Reis, remained a top priority target, along with former Sydney man Mark Buddle,

A dual Turkish-Australian citizen from Sydney, Ayik last year renounced his Australian citizenship while hiding out in Turkey, as Turkish authorities are reluctant to extradite their citizens.

Bikie heavyweight Buddle is thought to be hiding out in Cyprus and setting himself up as a global leader of the Comanchero motorcycle gang.

“They’re still on our radar, they are still No 1,’’ Mr Ryan said of Ayik and Buddle. “Obviously a lot of the issues we have in Australia are born of the fact that a lot of our targets are offshore and they’re attacking Australia from offshore.

“Those people are still our priority targets and hopefully we can have them continually destabilised, as they are now.’’

The Italian organised crime groups in Australia are working closely with outlaw motorcycle gangs, with bikies distributing drugs across the country, collecting money and providing the enforcement and violence required to keep discipline.

The mafia figures sit behind the bikies and let them carry out the dirty work, and assume the risk.

The Australian revealed on Tuesday that police had identified 51 Italian organised crime clans operating in Australia, of which at least 14 were ’Ndrangheta clans.

“The Italians have been able to fly under the radar for many, many years,’’ Mr Ryan said.

“They are flooding Australia with illicit drugs. They are pulling the strings of Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs who are behind some of the most significant violence in our communities.

“Multimillion dollars a day are being laundered in Australia on behalf of illicit drug syndicates that try to conceal their source of wealth.’’

The AFP is analysing more than 28 million messages sent on the encrypted AN0M platform by members of the underworld, who wrongly believed it was safe from the eyes of law enforcement. In fact, it was being run and monitored by the AFP and FBI, giving police specific information about who was behind some of the nation’s largest drug hauls.

Of messages obtained by police, Mr Ryan said most “involved Italian organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs, particularly the Comanchero.’’

They revealed the mafia had a significant footprint in South Australia and several regional areas, including Griffiths in NSW.

“This is really a warning to Italian organised crime that they are on our radar,’’ Mr Ryan said, adding the AFP was “re-prioritising’’ its investigations to focus on money-laundering.

“The AFP is working with Italian, US, Spanish and Brazilian authorities to begin severing the significant power of the ’Ndrangheta,’’ he said.

“This next phase will be long and challenging, but the AFP is up to the challenge. And we need to be.

“If we don’t cut off the head and tail of organised crime, we face living in a very different Australia.

“I want to underscore that the AFP targets criminal syndicates – not countries, or ethnic groups.

“The ’Ndrangheta is a criminal syndicate … responsible for serious crime across the world.’’

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/mafia-members-so-entrenched-in-australia-they-fly-under-the-radar-afp/news-story/88a55eae8a8364deaf8d872fd31aee98

Queensland man charged over impersonating AFP commissioner

Anna Macdonald - June 8, 2022

Australian Federal Police have charged a man in Queensland with impersonating a commonwealth official.

A video posted by the man to social media showed a person allegedly claiming to be the AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw. The AFP says the man in the video is not the commissioner.

The video, circulated on social media, detailed false plans by the AFP to overthrow the federal government.

The man has also been charged with importing fake AFP badges. The charges were laid under the ongoing Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) investigation.

The police allege 500 counterfeit badges were part of a delivery from China to the man; 470 badges have been recovered.

AFP assistant commissioner for counter-terrorism Scott Lee emphasised investigations are ongoing.

“While there is no evidence the group had the ability to carry out any specific violent acts, the AFP and its partners take all threats of this nature seriously, and we have not hesitated to bring people before the courts to answer for their alleged criminal acts,” Lee said in a statement.

It is the third arrest of the investigation, with a Western Australian man charged last August and a South Australian woman charged last September.

The Queensland man appeared in Cooktown Circuit Court and was granted bail, and is scheduled to appear next on July 13.

Queensland Police Service (QPS) security and counter-terrorism command assistant commissioner Debbie Platz said the collaboration between the federal and state forces will continue.

“Our agencies continue to work collaboratively, not just in investigating and prosecuting offenders but also in the field of prevention and early intervention through to responding and disrupting criminal activity.

“Working together in the Queensland JCTT ensures we can provide ongoing attention and resources to keep Queenslanders safe,” Platz said.

The charges brought against the man carry a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment.

https://www.themandarin.com.au/191813-queensland-man-charged-over-impersonating-afp-commissioner/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 8, 2022, 3:42 a.m. No.16413349 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3353

Suspected Islamic State terrorist has Australian citizenship returned

STEPHEN RICE - JUNE 8, 2022

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A suspected Australian Islamic State terrorist who was stripped of his Australian citizenship has had it effectively reinstated by the High Court, a decision that opens the door for up to twenty other convicted or suspected Islamic State fighters to have their citizenship returned.

Delil Alexander — a dual Australian-Turkish citizen — won his appeal against a decision by then Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews last year to strip him of his citizenship after ASIO assessed that he was a member of Islamic State with close ties to several notorious terrorist leaders.

On Wednesday the High Court struck down as unconstitutional the legislation on which several Islamic State members have had their Australian citizenship cancelled, a decision which will have far reaching implications for security agencies.

A majority of the High Court held that s 36B of the Citizenship Act was invalid on the basis that it gave the Home Affairs Minister the exclusively judicial function of judging and punishing criminal guilt.

By the time he made his way to the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, Islamic State had been listed as a terrorist organisation.

‘Close associate’

In 2021, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation assessed that Alexander had joined Islamic State by August 2013, his travel to Syria facilitated through a Sydney based network developed by convicted terrorist Hamdi Al Qudsi.

ASIO said the 35-year-old was a “close associate” of Mohammed Ali Baryalei, the most senior Australian leader of Islamic State and ringleader of a plot to execute a random Australian by beheading.

Alexander’s enlistment in Islamic State was discussed by Al Qudsi and Baryalei in an intercepted phone call, according to ASIO.

“He travelled to Syria to join Islamic State, did so, and then entered an area of Syria that Islamic State controlled as a member of Islamic State. He did not stumble unwittingly into al-Raqqa Province,” counsel for the minister earlier told the High Court.

ASIO has stated that although Islamic State was defeated in Syria, “attempts by some terrorist fighters to return to Australia [remain] a matter of the gravest security concern”.

In November 2017 Alexander was arrested by Kurdish militia in Syria. His lawyers said the court should infer he was tortured and forced to sign a document without reading it. He was then handed over to the Syrian custody, convicted of unspecified offences and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, later reduced to five years.

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>>16413349

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Imprisoned in Damsacus

In June last year, Alexander was transferred to the notorious Branch 235 prison in Damascus, a torture centre operated by Syrian intelligence.

ASIO furnished a classified Qualified Security Assessment to the then Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews, who determined that Alexander “ceased to be an Australian citizen”.

His family have not been able to contact him since is transfer to Branch 235, so the case was brought on his behalf by his sister Berivan. The family believes that if he is an Australian citizen it will improve his chances of being released.

Lawyers for his sister maintain there is no evidence he was a foreign fighter or undertook any terrorist training.

The family sought to overturn the ruling on several grounds but the key question was whether s36B of the Citizenship Act – under which Alexander lost his citizenship – is constitutionally valid, in particular whether it is within the scope of “the aliens power”.

The law was introduced in 2015 and amended in 2020 allowing Australians with dual citizenship to be stripped of their Australian citizenship if the Minister for Home Affairs concludes that they have repudiated their allegiance to Australia. The Minister must be satisfied they have another citizenship, and that citizenship stripping would not make them stateless.

This was the first time the High Court has considered whether the laws are valid.

Alexander’s lawyers argued that citizenship stripping is punitive in character, and therefore unconstitutional unless it is based on a criminal conviction by a court.

In this case, Alexander was convicted by a Syrian court of terrorist offences, but his family said the confession was obtained under torture.

The High Court examined whether the citizenship stripping law in s36B was within the scope of the “aliens power” of the Constitution, in this case whether an Australian born citizen could be treated as an alien, at the Minister’s discretion, by virtue of their conduct.

By a majority the court found that s36B was within the scope of the aliens power, but that it was invalid on the basis that “it reposed in the Minister the exclusively judicial function of adjudging and punishing criminal guilt.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/suspected-islamic-state-terrorist-has-australian-citizenship-returned/news-story/5d66e350cfb84ee7f38222d188095e03

NASA launching three rockets from Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory

Dana Morse and Lauren Roberts - 8 June 2022

American space agency NASA will be heading Down Under this month for a series of rocket launches in Arnhem Land.

Three rockets will be launched over a period of a month from the Arnhem Space Centre on the Dhupuma Plateau.

The government says the rockets will be used to investigate heliophysics, astrophysics and planetary science phenomena that can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.

It is the first time NASA rockets will be launched in Australia in over a quarter of a century.

The traditional owners, the Gumatj people, have been consulted over the campaign and NASA will collect and remove all spent motor cases and payloads when the launches are finished.

Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic says it marks a new era for the Australian space sector.

"This is an important milestone that will further enhance Australia's position as a launch destination," he said.

PM in Darwin to announce launch

Seventy-five NASA personnel will travel to Australia for the launches, planned to be held from June 26 to July 12.

On the June 26 launch, the rocket will travel more than 300km in space.

Each rocket is about 13 meters in size and will arrive in Nhulunbuy via barge.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially announced the launch in Darwin this morning, on his way back from his first bilateral talks in Indonesia.

Mr Albanese described the project as "really exciting", and something all Australians could be proud of.

"These three launches are important, they're for universities to do scientific research," he said.

"These rockets will go some 250km north into the sky to collect data on the physics of the sun and its relationship with the earth."

Russell Shaw, from site operator Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), said each rocket had a "specific mission" that could only be conducted in the Southern Hemisphere because of its climate.

"They will be looking at particular transmissions coming out of those particular planets or suns which are closest to our solar system and then the other one is around the interstellar rays," Mr Shaw said.

Mr Shaw said ELA saw the launches as the "first step" in the Arnhem Space Centre "becoming part of Australia's sovereign launch capability".

"Over the next few few years, we know that getting into space from Australia is real and it's sustainable," he said.

"We plan to further develop the Arnhem Space Centre in the next couple of years to be capable of launching more than 50 launches per annum."

Arnhem Space Centre 'very attractive' to global companies

Arnhem Space Centre is 12 degrees south of the equator on the Gulf of Carpentaria and "the only commercially-owned and run multi-user equatorial launch site in the world", according to site operator Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA).

ELA executive chairman Michael Jones said the site's geographic location, proximity to the equator and the extensive services offered nearby made the area "very attractive to global rocket companies".

"The ASC offers Australian space businesses and international rocket and satellite companies a unique opportunity to launch from a site which provides cost-effective access to virtually any orbit they desire," Mr Jones said.

Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, says the launch will "further cement" Australia's reputation as "a nation that global space players want to do business with".

"The growth of launch-related activities in Australia is helping to open up the full value chain of space activities, which will grow the sector and create new businesses and job opportunities here at home," he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-08/nasa-launching-three-rockets-from-australia-northern-territory/101133750

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 8, 2022, 4:12 a.m. No.16413438 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3442

Julian Assange's wife Stella Moris reveals how they raise children together while he is in jail waiting an extradition decision

Stella Moris - 8 June 2022

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My Australian husband Julian Assange is fighting for his life from within the confines of a three-by-two-metre cell in Britain’s harshest prison, Belmarsh.

The US has accused him of espionage as a result of his work with WikiLeaks in 2010-2011 and wants to extradite him to face court.

If his extradition goes ahead, Julian faces a maximum 175-year prison sentence. As his wife, I fear he will be buried in the deepest, darkest corner of the US prison system until he dies.

During another extradition hearing last year a UK magistrate blocked Julian's transfer to the US over fears of "oppressive" conditions that could drive him to take his life.

On July 3, Julian turns 51. It will be the fourth year he has spent his birthday alone in a cell, without conviction.

Is our time together running out?

When Julian is taken from his cell to the prison yard he tilts his head up so his eyes can focus on the distance. If he narrows his eyes, the double razor wire above becomes a blur. Beyond is the open sky.

Julian recently discovered a family of nesting magpies. He spotted their home subversively nestled between the razor wire. I think our family is like those magpies.

When we are together, we are always a few metres from their nest. Our children — Gabriel, who is five, and Max, three — only have memories of their father within the brutal surroundings of Belmarsh prison.

We don't know how long our children have left with their father. We don't know if we can visit him or even talk to him on the phone. If the extradition goes ahead, US authorities retain the right to put Julian in conditions so cruel that no one in his position is likely to survive.

It is impossible for Julian and me to escape a feeling that he is on death row. Our weekly visits may be the only time we have left together. But for how much longer? A few months more, a few weeks, a few days and then only a few hours? I fear in the end we will count the minutes and the seconds.

Guards search inside my children's mouths

Were it not for our children, this approaching catastrophe would be all-consuming. But Julian and I know these may be the only memories that our children will have of their father. We make our visits as joyous as possible.

I don’t need to explain to Gabriel and Max the reality of this place where we go to visit their father. They live it. The children walk under razor wire and past layers and layers of security to reach their daddy.

Guards search inside their mouths, behind their ears and under their feet. The prison dogs sniff them head to toe, front and back.

Last week, Gabriel slipped some daisies he had picked by the prison walls into his pocket to give to his father. After he passed through the metal detector his daisies were confiscated during the pat-down search by one of the guards, albeit reluctantly.

During visits, our family is allowed to embrace at the beginning and end. We can hold each others’ hands across the table. Julian and I are not allowed to kiss. But Julian would rather kiss his wife and be penalised than have that taken away from him too. So, we kiss.

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Precious moments for life lessons

The children love visiting their daddy. Julian reads them stories. Gabriel shares his father’s fascination with numbers. Julian teaches them nifty tricks: the best way to peel an orange, how to open chips without losing any of the contents.

These things may sound small to most people, but they are our precious moments together. A canteen selling chips and oranges and the prison’s collection of children’s books are all that is on offer in the visitor’s hall we share with 30-or-so prisoners and their families once or twice a week.

On March 23, we were married in Belmarsh. The prison – normally filled with tragedy and isolation – was turned on its head for a few hours to celebrate our love and commitment. Our nest in the razor wire.

The last time the media photographed Julian was in 2019, through the scratched windows of a prison van. The UK Authorities insist that our wedding photos not be made public ‘on security grounds’. In court, Julian has not been permitted to sit with his lawyers. And despite many applications since January 21, he has not been allowed to attend his own court hearings in person.

It feels like a deliberate effort to remove Julian from view and turn him into Prisoner X: faceless, voiceless and with no-one to bear witness to his treatment. But Julian is not Prisoner X. He is my husband and the father of our young children. We bear witness.

Last week, news broke in Spanish media that Mike Pompeo, the director of the CIA under Donald Trump, had been summonsed by a Spanish High Court judge to testify in relation to alleged plans by the US intelligence agency to kidnap and assassinate Julian.

I am confident history will vindicate Julian, but time is running out.

In October, he suffered a mini stroke. There is only so much more his body can take.

We wish the Australian government would do more to assist Julian in this fight for his life.

Because his treatment is at odds with democratic values. Because our children need him. But above all, because he deserves to come home.

Stella Moris is a lawyer and wife of Julian Assange. Ithaka: A Fight To Free Julian Assange is a two-part documentary screening on ABC TV and ABC iview. Filmed over two years across the UK, Europe and the US, it follows 76-year-old retired builder John Shipton's tireless campaign to save his son.

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ithaka-a-fight-to-free-julian-assange

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-08/stella-moris-my-life-with-julian-assange-extradition/101132624

>>16379319

Labor must not torpedo crucial submarine plan

PETER DUTTON - JUNE 8, 2022

When the AUKUS agreement was signed last September, it was historic because the US had only ever shared their nuclear submarine technology with the UK – and that was in 1958.

The UK operates the Astute-class nuclear sub and the US operates the Virginia-class. AUKUS meant both countries were willing to allow us to acquire either the Astute or Virginia design.

Why do we need a fleet of nuclear subs? We need the nuclear technology because the advice from our experts was clear: diesel-electric submarines would not be able to compete against the Chinese in the South China Sea beyond 2035. The diesel-electric submarine needs to come to the surface to “snort” – recharge her batteries – and would be detected by emerging radar technologies.

The current-generation nuclear reactor onboard powers the submarine for 32 years without needing to refuel and underpins the stealth capability essential to the operation of a submarine. It does not need to resurface and can lurk at great depths for months at a time and is therefore very difficult to detect. It provides an incredible deterrent capability against any adversary.

As we weighed up the alternatives it became obvious to me that the Virginia-class was our best option. It is capable of launching missiles vertically, and is a mature design.

The British option would have involved a new design, which is problematic in any ship build because time and cost blowouts and design faults are inevitable.

But there was another very important reason. I believed it possible to negotiate with the Americans to acquire, say, the first two submarines off the production line out of Connecticut. This wouldn’t mean waiting until 2038 for the first submarine to be built here in Australia. We would have our first two subs this decade. I had formed a judgment that the Americans would have facilitated exactly that.

The further eight subs (we had always said at least eight), making 10 in total, could have been built in South Australia, which honours our commitments.

To honour and respect our British partners, we could have accompanied the decision to go with the US Virginia design with an order for more Hunter-class frigates, or other British defence materiel acquisition.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has this plan laid out in front of him, but his early comments on the topic are alarming. He is now talking about a mid-2040s delivery date – and even worse, he is talking about building a new class of diesel-electric submarines.

Simplistic suggestions that there can be a “son” of Collins – that is, a new class of submarines designed and built in Australia before the nuclear subs arrive – shows Marles hasn’t sought advice from his naval advisers, or he has rejected their strong advice that this option is unfeasible.

It is unfeasible because he wouldn’t have the new class of subs (with old diesel-electric systems) in the water before the Chinese have the technology making them easily detectable and inoperable. And as defence leaders here and in the US strongly advised me, Australia doesn’t have the construction workforce, let alone the crew capability, to run three classes of submarines.

I am speaking out on this topic because Labor is on the cusp of making a very dangerous decision which would clearly be against our national security interests.

As the Chinese fighter jet incident has demonstrated in recent days, we are living in uncertain and dangerous times. We should continue to encourage the Americans to base some of their Virginia-class subs here in our waters. I believe this is achievable and should be pursued vigorously.

The Americans – like the UK, India, Japan and many others who are reading the intelligence – understand the threat environment in which we live in the Indo-Pacific.

Peter Dutton is the leader of the federal opposition.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/labor-must-not-torpedo-crucial-submarine-plan/news-story/bfe37713892d105203cdca255d86743c

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 9, 2022, 2:23 a.m. No.16418546 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8549

China’s military aggression is risking disaster

PETER JENNINGS - JUNE 9, 2022

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Information released by Richard Marles on Monday about the incident between a J-16 Chinese combat aircraft and an Australian P-8 surveillance plane over the South China Sea is deeply concerning.

Marles said that after flying close to the side of the P-8 and releasing a flair, “the J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at very close distance. At that moment, it then released a bundle of chaff which contains small pieces of aluminium, some of which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft.”

It’s unlikely the chaff would have been sufficient to cause an engine failure on the P-8, but it is a dangerous and aggressive move, signalling a new level of Chinese military assertiveness combined with a lack of professionalism in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

That’s a potentially deadly combination which could well see incidents leading to the loss of aircraft and flight crew. A downing of a military aircraft over the South China Sea would create serious doubt about the safety of commercial airlines in the region and plunge Australia-China relations into even deeper distrust.

Continuing Australian surveillance operations will require rethinking how they are conducted and should also lead the government to consider how to put more international pressure on Beijing to change its military behaviour. We are regularly told that the Albanese government will deliver smarter, more engaged diplomacy. Here is a great opportunity to show how that can be done.

Australia is not the only target of aggressive and dangerous PLAAF behaviour. A Canadian CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft has also recently been targeted when operating out of Japan to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea.

On June 1, the Canadian Defence Force released a statement saying that “PLAAF aircraft did not adhere to international air safety norms” and were “unprofessional” in forcing a Canadian aircraft on several occasions to “avoid a potential collision with the intercepting aircraft.” Chinese combat aircraft fly daily into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone, which is not illegal but is clearly designed to test Taipei’s response capabilities. There are signs that the constant scrambling of aircraft reacting to PLA incursions is damaging Taiwanese air readiness.

At sea, in the past couple of years, Chinese “fishing vessels” have been used to ram Japanese and Taiwanese naval ships.

In 2020, a Chinese warship locked its weapons targeting radar on a Philippines naval vessel, an act that signals an imminent missile launch.

Naval vessels of any country operating in the South China Sea are routinely subject to aggressive behaviour from PLA Navy and coast guard ships. The smaller and generally less capable navies of Southeast Asian countries are regularly harassed by Chinese “fishing boats”, coast guard and increasingly the PLA Navy in efforts to reinforce Beijing’s illegal claim of sovereignty over contested islands. This broader pattern of activity shows that heightened PLA aggression is sanctioned by Beijing. Individual PLA units may devise their own tactics, some sensible and others too dangerous even for their own safety, but the overall effect is designed to raise the costs of any encounter with the PLA.

(continued)

>>16418546

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Chinese military planners will have thought through the likely consequences of PLA actions leading to the downing of a foreign aircraft or sinking of a ship. If high-risk PLA behaviour continues, that means Beijing’s generals and Communist Party leaders don’t think an incident like that would really damage their broader strategic objectives.

In 2001, a Chinese fighter pilot, Wang Wei, died when his aircraft clipped a US intelligence-gathering P-3C surveillance aircraft near Hainan Island in the South China Sea. Wang is today lauded as a martyr, has been given the title of “Guardian of Air and Sea” and is used in CCP propaganda to promote defence recruiting.

A serious risk here is that over-enthusiastic displays of patriotic zeal on the part of PLA pilots and naval officers could well lead to more risky military interactions. The pilot of the J-16 that intercepted Australia’s P-8 is more likely to be lauded for his actions than disciplined for unprofessional behaviour.

Marles’ decision to reveal the detail of the incident publicly is an important way to overtly highlight the high risks of a military incident in the South and East China Seas. It contrasts with the Defence Department’s earlier tight-lipped media statement about a “dangerous manoeuvre” which ended by saying “Defence will not be commenting further on this matter”.

Marles should reach out to his Canadian counterpart and to other defence ministers with interests in Indo-Pacific security to develop a shared position countering the PLA’s increasingly risky behaviour.

It’s clear that the PLAAF aircraft did not follow international air safety norms. China is a member of the Chicago Convention and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which acts to set “standards and procedures for peaceful global air navigation.

This is the right moment for Australia to raise concerns about the security of civil aviation in the South and East China Sea.

Beijing is sensitive to co-ordinated criticism of its bad behaviour. Just as there has been an organised international push back against China’s cyber hacking and intellectual property theft, so too should the PLA’s increasingly Russian-like risk-taking be both highlighted and condemned.

In Jakarta, Anthony Albanese stressed “plans to elevate our defence co-operation” with Indonesia and condemned “the actions of China in this area as being an act of aggression and a dangerous act against the Australian Air Force”. An obvious area for expanded defence co-operation would be to assist the Indonesian air force and navy to strengthen its own presence in the South China Sea and to help prepare them to manage their own risky encounters with the PLA.

Labor has made the right call to continue surveillance patrols in the South China Sea. These patrols could be strengthened by adding combat aircraft to accompany the P-8s or by internationalising the activity and joining with units from Japan and the US.

The recent close calls with PLA aircraft show a clear trend towards greater military risk in our region. Australia can’t back away from maintaining our own strategic interests, but neither will China. We and our friends and allies should be ready for more military incidents.

Peter Jennings is the former executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/chinas-military-aggression-is-risking-disaster/news-story/f16117575574c866de0d4dde956417bb

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 9, 2022, 2:35 a.m. No.16418564 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8573

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw warns Five Eyes about hostile governments

ADELAIDE LANG and COURTNEY GOULD - JUNE 9, 2022

Hostile foreign governments are helping criminal organisations to traffic drugs and launder money, according to the nation’s police boss.

In an address to the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group in Sydney on Wednesday night, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw argued that international police co-operation was more important than ever before.

He told the assembled authorities from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia that the world “has never been smaller” for criminal organisations.

“Criminals are no longer bound by, or deterred by, state borders,” Mr Kershaw said.

“State actors and citizens from some nations are using our countries at the expense of our sovereignty and economies,” Australia’s top policeman told representatives from international agencies.

Mr Kershaw emphasised the continued significance of geopolitics in policing and blamed “the inaction of certain governments” for fuelling the increase in crime.

“We cannot ignore that some countries are producing (drug) precursors at an eye-watering scale,” he told the meeting.

“We also cannot ignore that some countries, I’d argue, are turning a blind eye to the proceeds of crime washing through their economies.”

While Mr Kershaw did not single out a particular country, his US counterpart pointed to Russia, China and Iran as “getting in the way of justice”.

“Each of those countries … actually leverage criminals, nefarious cyber actors, to commit attacks against our countries, to steal from our countries, to break the laws within our countries,” Deputy FBI director Paul Abbate told Sky News.

“It’s well beyond just providing a safe haven for traditional criminal groups, criminal actors.”

From cartels to working across borders, a major concern for the Five Eyes is the number of individuals radicalised online.

“We’ve seen a change away from the large organised terrorist groups towards individuals who are self-initiated, who are radicalised online, finding their ideologies on the internet,” UK Metropolitan Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes said.

“Sadly, we’ve seen a lot of mental ill health in those cases, and tragically, many, many young people increasingly drawn not just to twisted religious ideologies but also to extreme ideological motivations from the far right.”

Forty-one per cent of the arrests made in the UK last year by Metropolitan Police were related to right-wing terrorism.

“Three out of four of the late stage plots we disrupted were extreme right-wing terrorism,” Mr Jukes said.

Despite the continuous efforts of the Australian Federal Police, Mr Kershaw said federal crimes had increased in Australia.

Australia’s top policeman claimed billions of dollars were being laundered through the country’s economy and drugs imported by organised crime syndicates were “indiscriminately killing and maiming law-abiding citizens”.

“We are worried about what the future holds if we cannot sever the growing tentacles of organised crime,” Mr Kershaw told the crowd, which included newly appointed Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

“We have a long way to go.”

Australia couldn’t defeat “the global plague” of international serious organised crime without the help of its international policing partners, Mr Kershaw admitted.

He urged the assembled Five Eyes member authorities to work together to ensure “policing transcends politics”.

“We know how devastatingly effective we can be when we work together,” Mr Kershaw said.

“The largest syndicate in the world is us – law enforcement. Our ability to immobilise serious crime is limited only by our collective will.”

The alarming speech follows an announcement earlier this week that the AFP will be targeting Italian organised crime clans laundering billions of dollars through Australia.

In announcing the nationwide sting on syndicates involved with illicit drugs and money laundering, the AFP noted that it had consulted with international authorities and would continue to do so.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/afp-commissioner-reece-kershaw-warns-five-eyes-about-hostile-governments/news-story/d1201ac7397aded7db0f60ef53226787

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 9, 2022, 2:43 a.m. No.16418573 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8575

>>16418564

Police probe into Chinese money laundering syndicate headquartered in Australia

Nick McKenzie and Anthony Galloway - June 8, 2022

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Police have uncovered a suspected Chinese money laundering syndicate headquartered in Victoria and NSW that is moving hundreds of millions of dollars annually to China and across the globe, raising serious questions about whether Beijing is turning a blind eye to organised crime.

Australian law enforcement agencies, in partnership with officials from the United States and Canada, have also compiled intelligence that suggests Chinese companies and brokers are supplying the vast majority of precursor chemicals used to make illicit drugs on the Australian market.

The suspected money laundering syndicate, known as the “Chen Organisation”, counts as its customers a relative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with Asian triads and bikies, according to briefings from officials.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw told his “Five Eyes” counterparts on Tuesday night that some “countries … [are] producing precursors at an eye-watering scale”, and governments were “turning a blind eye to the proceeds of crime washing through their economies”.

The speech in Sydney to the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group did not identify the Chinese Communist Party by name, but his remarks appeared aimed at Beijing. The Five Eyes group – Australia, the US, New Zealand, Britain and Canada – share intelligence to target serious transnational organised crime. The speech was also attended by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, the minister responsible for the AFP.

“State actors and citizens from some nations are using our countries at the expense of our sovereignty and economies,” Kershaw said. “Unfortunately, federal crime in Australia is increasing. Contributing to this increase is the long shadow of organised crime and state aggression.”

In what was a veiled reference to the Chen Organisation, Kershaw described “money-laundering organisations from one region alone [that] are clearly visible in all Five Eyes countries”.

“They maintain global financial flows by exploiting illicit and legitimate industries across our countries,” the police chief said.

Money-moving businesses linked to the Chen Organisation include a company based in a nondescript house in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. The business has been investigated by state and federal agencies since 2016 over allegations it transferred hundreds of millions of dollars in suspect wealth for figures linked to organised crime, including criminally linked Victorian Simon Pan.

Law enforcement and intelligence officials have also tracked money movements from one of Pan’s business partners, Ming Chai, who is the cousin of Xi. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald previously reported how Chai was of particular interest to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) due to his family ties with the Chinese president and business links with Chinese crime figures and Chinese Communist Party operatives in Melbourne. Chai, who has not been charged with any criminal offence, previously worked for a Chinese public security agency and telecommunications company with documented ties to the Chinese military-industrial complex.

Pan, who runs a brothel and escort agency in Melbourne along with a business providing short-term loans and transport to high-wealth Chinese gamblers, has moved more than $200 million via the Chen Organisation, some of which officials believe is the proceeds of crime.

Chai has moved at least $1 million via entities tied to the Chen Organisation, a network of money remitting agencies operating in Australia, Canada, the US and New Zealand. Officials suspect the organisation is controlled by a Chinese-born New Zealand citizen and his wife, who also holds a New Zealand passport.

(continued)

>>16418573

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The Chen Organisation’s operations have been detected in probes by the federal police, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and state agencies over 15 years. The ACIC’s Operation Hoffman detected Australian drug lord Hakan Ayik using the Chen Organisation to shift funds around the world, while the AFP’s Operation Zanella identified suspected drug funds moving from Chinese high rollers at Crown Resorts casinos in Perth and Melbourne to the Chen Organisation’s businesses, to be wired offshore.

Hong Kong and Macau’s Sun City casino high-roller business – which has been repeatedly implicated in organised crime and whose Macau-based founder, Alvin Chau, has been charged with money laundering and illegal gambling – used the Chen Organisation to move tens of millions of dollars from Australia to China.

China’s multibillion-dollar precursor industry lacks strict laws aimed at stopping organised crime exploitation. It has helped fuel the synthetic fentanyl drug crisis in the US that has prompted a growing political controversy in America.

In February, Democrat David Trone, who co-chairs the US Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, told website Politico: “China’s critically involved in the 64,000 [overdose] deaths we had because they are pretty much the lone supplier of precursor chemicals and pre-precursor chemicals, which they are shipping to Mexico” for manufacture into synthetic fentanyl.

The AFP has for several years juggled a complicated relationship with Chinese government policing agencies. Chinese authorities have on occasion provided critical information to the AFP about suspected organised crime activity, leading to large drug busts and money laundering operations.

In 2020, in a 60 Minutes interview, then federal police assistant commissioner Karl Kent refused to criticise China over the rampant supply of precursors, instead praising the “joint operation between the AFP and Chinese police” targeting methamphetamine production in mainland China.

Federal police are currently pursuing several civil proceeds-of-crime actions in Australian courts that were initiated by information passed by Chinese authorities.

But over the past five years, state and federal policing agencies have consistently linked figures with ties to the Chinese government to organised crime in Australia. For instance, a Victoria Police strategic intelligence briefing in 2020 linked money laundering casino activity to wealthy business figures working for Chinese Communist Party United Front organisations, while the ACIC and AFP have previously identified a drug import suspect carrying identification that suggested he was working for the Chinese military.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/police-probe-into-chinese-money-laundering-syndicate-headquartered-in-australia-20220608-p5as2t.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 9, 2022, 2:55 a.m. No.16418585 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8588

China-Solomon Islands security deal could lead to a 'difficult' situation for Australian troops in Honiara

Peter McCutcheon - 8 June 2022

A former Australian diplomat is warning the new Solomon Islands and China security pact could see both Australian and Chinese troops on the ground in the Pacific Nation at the same time.

"Given the radically different backgrounds of our two countries, that's a potentially quite difficult situation," said James Batley, former Australian high commissioner to the Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Islands and China signed a wide-ranging security deal in April that opens the way for Beijing to send police and military forces to the Pacific nation.

Australia currently has security forces stationed in the capital of Honiara in response to a request from the Solomon Islands government in the aftermath of anti-Chinese riots last November.

Australia also led the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) between 2003 and 2017 to help the country deal with ethnic violence.

But Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told Chinese TV last month that it is important for the Pacific nations to have other security partners as well.

"If there's a riot here, and we cannot handle it locally, we will need all our friends to come on board to help us," he said.

Former Solomon Islands prime minister and currently serving MP Rick Hou is concerned about how the new security agreement with China will operate.

"Sogavare is not short of controversy, he will come up with [something] that will trigger another riot or another demonstration," he told 7.30.

"And who knows what will happen? Instead of calling the Australians, he will call the Chinese military here. I don't know, but that's very, very possible."

James Batley led RAMSI in 2006 when Prime Minister Sogavare — then in his second term in office — had a falling-out with Canberra over Australia's management of the mission.

"I think the relationship has been pretty up and down over quite a long period of time," Mr Batley said.

"I don't think Mr Sogavare has any real experience and background in Australia, so I don't think he's got natural sympathies there.

"He's certainly appreciated some of the things Australia has done for his country, particularly through the RAMSI intervention.

"But he's certainly a very nationalistic leader."

Upcoming election critical

Pacific analyst with the University of Hawaii, Dr Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, says the next critical development could be the timing of the Solomon Islands general election.

"The election is planned for next year, [but] the government is trying to push it back another year," he said.

"There is resistance to extending the life of the parliament. The government, however, does have the numbers."

"It will be interesting, given there has been a lot of discussion, particularly amongst young people, about the relationship with China, [and] whether that will influence the election."

The change of government in Australia may help relations with the Solomon Islands, according to Dr Wesley Morgan from the Griffith Asia Institute.

The change of rhetoric on climate change, he argues, is important.

"There's no doubt that Australia's reluctance to cut emissions at home impacted the relationship with Pacific nations including the Solomon Islands," he said.

"Prime Minister Sogavare has said climate change is a matter of life and death for his country.

"It is going to be an ongoing conversation."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-08/solomon-islands-china-security-australian-and-chinese-troops/101134982

>>16418585

The Solomon Islands, China and their ambitions for the Pacific

ABC News (Australia)

Jun 9, 2022

China is continuing to expand its military presence in the region with reports it's building a naval facility in Cambodia. While Prime Minister Albanese called on Beijing to be transparent about its intentions, his new government is still assessing the fall-out from China's recent diplomatic blitz in the Pacific. The one country where China has arguably made the biggest impact continues to be Solomon Islands, as Peter McCutcheon reports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxS2VH1Iq18

>>16373141

Former Australian Olympic swimming team physio Peter John Wells accused of child sex offences

Talissa Siganto - 9 June 2022

A former Australian Olympic swimming team physiotherapist accused of child sex offences allegedly spanning across several years has had his matter briefly heard in court.

Brisbane man Peter John Wells was arrested last month and charged with several offences including three counts of indecent treatment of a child under the age of 16.

Police allege the incidents occurred between 2002 and 2010 at the 51-year-old's physio practice in Kelvin Grove and a sports complex in Chandler.

Mr Wells, who is on bail, was meant to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for the first time since being charged on Tuesday, but his appearance was excused.

His lawyer adjourned the case, and it is expected to be heard again next month.

Mr Wells has had an extensive career as a physiotherapist, including working for Swimming Australia for several years, and was part of the Olympic swimming teams at the Beijing, London and Tokyo Games.

He was also the lead physiotherapist at the Australian Olympic Team Headquarters Clinic at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-09/qld-former-aus-swim-team-brisbane-court-peter-john-wells/101138532

>>16272770 (pb)

Rina Oh alleges Virginia Giuffre sexually assaulted her during 'horror' encounter with Jeffrey Epstein

Ashley Collman - Jun 8, 2022

Jeffrey Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre is being accused of sexually assaulting another woman in Epstein's orbit, according to court documents viewed by Insider.

Artist Rina Oh sued Giuffre for defamation in October, after Giuffre accused Oh of pretending to be an Epstein victim to get money from the victims' compensation fund.

Oh maintains that she was also a victim of Epstein's, and told Insider in an interview earlier this year about how Epstein and his longtime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, tried to sex-traffic her to older men when she was in her early 20s.

Giuffre is fighting Oh's lawsuit, and in May filed a counterclaim in which she accused Oh of cutting and slashing her during "sadomasochist" sex acts "for Epstein's pleasure."

Oh called the abuse allegations "lies" in a filing on Monday, and said that it was Giuffre who in fact sexually assaulted her during an encounter with Epstein in one of his infamous massage rooms. Insider reached out to attorneys representing Giuffre for comment on the filing on Tuesday but did not immediately receive a response.

According to the court filing, Oh said she was once called into Epstein's massage room and was surprised to find both Epstein and Giuffre "waiting for her."

Oh said Giuffre "proceeded to touch" her without her consent "and much to her horror." Oh "did not reciprocate or sexually touch" Giuffre, the court filings state.

The Monday filing went on to accuse Giuffre of sexually assaulting Oh on another occasion with other females, while Epstein watched. But that detail was changed significantly in an amended filing on Tuesday. The new filing blames the second sexual assault on an unidentified woman.

Insider asked Oh's lawyer, Ira Meyerowitz, to explain the change on a phone call on Tuesday, and he said that it was his mistake to have included Giuffre in the description of the second assault.

"Virginia was not involved in that one," Meyerowitz said, so he corrected the filing.

Meyerowitz went on to say that this lawsuit isn't about questioning whether Giuffre was abused or not. It's about affirming Oh's victimhood and standing up against someone who is claiming she's not one.

"I'm not saying that she isn't a survivor and that she wasn't a victim of Epstein's house of horrors. Or that she wasn't subjected to the same manipulations and psychological games that Epstein and Maxwell used to manipulate these young women. I think that she was," Meyerowitz said of Giuffre. "But I know it happened to Rina too."

"For some reason Virginia has targeted Rina and made these false allegations against her, saying that Rina wasn't a survivor and wasn't a victim and that's just patently untrue," Meyerowitz added.

https://www.insider.com/rina-oh-accuses-epstein-victim-virginia-giuffre-of-sexual-assault-2022-6

>>16220055 (pb)

Magic of Camelot comes to Australia

Caroline Kennedy has the judgment which was evident in both her father and her uncle, senator Robert F. Kennedy.

STEPHEN LOOSLEY - June 10, 2022

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The gifted and personable incoming US Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, is the living link to a period in American public life that is now the lost legend of Camelot: “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot.” The myth of Camelot endures and still has power in both American and Australian politics to move people.

Sir Robert Menzies was the only Australian prime minister to meet the ambassador’s father, President John F. Kennedy. It was Sir Robert who told President Lyndon Johnson that there was only one qualification for a US ambassador to Australia to meet. This was simply having the capacity to pick up the phone and call Washington and speak directly to the president. Caroline Kennedy has this capacity and is recognised for it. As US ambassadors represent the president of the republic, this is of critical significance in being able to achieve goals of both a bilateral and multilateral nature.

Ambassador Kennedy has already served in Tokyo, where she distinguished herself in the difficult and sometimes Byzantine world of Japanese politics, while reinforcing the strength of the US-Japan relationship. The Japanese government recognised the value of her service, and she was decorated with the historic Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

But equally, ambassador Kennedy has the judgment which was evident in both her father and her uncle, senator Robert F. Kennedy. She distils politics into an essence and then makes decisive interventions. She did this in both 2008 and 2020 during the Democratic primaries for the presidency. On both occasions, she endorsed the eventual winner in senator Barack Obama and vice-president Joe Biden. Both endorsements were contrary to the conventional wisdom as to who the nominee ought to be. The ambassador demonstrated that she has the hard-headed realism of Boston Democrats in her bloodstream.

AUKUS is at the threshold of co-operation across the board in technology and capability. Much needs to be done to bring certainty to its potential and meaningful accretion to its capabilities.

Ambassador Kennedy is extraordinarily well positioned to influence the discussions in both Canberra and Washington and will be a trusted advocate for the US and a trusted adviser to Australia.

The South Pacific looms large in the challenges for both Australia and the US, where ambassador Kennedy’s father, JFK, has a spectral presence.

In 1994, I was leading an Australian parliamentary delegation to Bougainville to assist with finding ways out of the impasse between the government of Papua New Guinea and the secessionist movement styled as the Bougainville Revolutionary Army. We were on a small island named Buka in the Solomons, just off the island of Bougainville.

It was a mission that was met with success in that at least the fighting gave way to negotiation. But there was an intriguing feature about the guesthouse in which the Australian MPs and their advisers were staying.

In the common room there were wartime photographs around the wall. One of these featured a very youthful, smiling Lieutenant (J.G.) Jack Kennedy on the PT-109. Kennedy gave yeoman service in the South Pacific during World War II, serving with Australian allies. In August 1943, famously, his Patrol Torpedo boat, while on night-time picket duty, was cut in half by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri during the Battle for New Georgia. The young commander displayed great bravery in making certain that all members of his crew who survived the collision were saved.

A member of the Harvard swim team, Kennedy struck out into the islands near where his boat had gone down. Eventually reaching Naru, the young Kennedy sought assistance and rescue finally arrived. The coconut upon which JFK carved an SOS message came to rest on the “Resolute” Desk in the Oval Office during his presidency.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 10, 2022, 5:53 a.m. No.16424785 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4790

2/3

It is reasonable to assume that the Kennedy link to Australia begins with the Pacific war. And JFK’s service was mirrored by the presence of other future US presidents in the same; Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson; Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and finally the truly heroic George H.W. Bush. The 41st president was rescued from hostile waters off the island of Chi Chi Jima in 1944 by the US submarine USS Finback, having been shot down on a mission. Bush Snr’s ambassador to Australia, Melvin F. Sembler, was fond of showing Australian visitors to the Embassy the wartime film of the future President Bush Snr being brought aboard the rescuing submarine.

This Pacific wartime link to the White House served Australia well and continues to do so.

For Australians in the 1960s and beyond to the present day, Jack Kennedy represented the promise of what the US could be at its very best. He made it clear on his inauguration on January 20, 1961, that he represented a new generation, “tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace”. This generation, argued the new president – the first Catholic and youngest ever – was selfless to the point that the burdens of the Cold War and the challenge of Soviet adversaries would be born without complaint. It was truly inspiring. Ambassador Kennedy inherits this legacy.

JFK changed Australian perspectives on America and politics in the broadest possible sense. It is why Anthony Albanese, our new PM, could assertively quote the 35th president during our recent election campaign: “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.”

No one should minimise the impact of JFK’s soaring rhetoric or the compelling narrative which he embraced about the American and international future. In so doing, he joined a class of presidents that includes Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and later Ronald Reagan. In his book Profiles in Courage, Kennedy maintained Winston Churchill had “mobilised the English language and sent it off to war”. For the duration of the Cold War, this is exactly what Kennedy achieved, often with the guidance of his brilliant speechwriter Theodore Sorensen. Australian Labor leaders sometime likened the great wordsmith Graham Freudenberg to Sorensen.

But it was the mother of our new ambassador, Jackie Kennedy, who created the myth of Camelot. Theodore White was a senior journalist from LIFE magazine. Sometime after the slain president had been laid to rest, he interviewed his widow in the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port. She told him that each evening Jack had liked to play the soundtrack from Camelot by Alan J. Lerner. American culture shifted.

It was Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy’s successor as president, who gave form to JFK’s civil rights program, stalled in Congress. But there was no doubt about JFK’s sentiments about civil rights. At the Kennedy Library, you can listen to a recording of the President and his brother, the Attorney-General Robert Francis Kennedy, talking to Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett during the crisis in that state involving confrontations between police, segregationists and civil rights demonstrators.

It was at LBJ’s urging that Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) that fundamentally transformed American politics. It was the realisation of JFK’s legacy.

(continued)

>>16424785

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One of the interesting linkages between the Kennedys and Australian Labor is to be found in the Harvard Trade Union Training Program. Australian unionists, particularly from the NSW Right, flourished in a Boston environment still characterised by the smarts and welcoming bonhomie of Irish Catholic Democrats.

For Boston, the Kennedys were always the First Family. Indeed, from the time they arrived in London accompanying ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Senior, they became exceptional. The tragedies of assassinations made them American royalty, which not even Chappaquiddick could extinguish.

At the JFK Presidential Library, Jack’s beloved sailboat, Victura (Latin for “about to conquer”), purchased in 1932, and survivor of hurricanes and lightning strikes, stands proudly on display on the lawn each summer. It suggests that JFK is still young and vigorous and will return to take Victura out again. At heart, Jack was always a sailor.

The notion that the boat can still set sail symbolises the continuing promise of an American future that Kennedy painted on to a canvas of shining optimism. This sense of optimism will soon reside in the US Embassy in Canberra.

Stephen Loosley is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and a former senator for NSW.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/magic-of-camelot-comes-to-australia/news-story/b935d53a10dd7fc4c88f1ce0a6564f0a

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 10, 2022, 5:56 a.m. No.16424802 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4739

Q Post #703

Feb 10 2018 03:33:29 (EST)

“Rest in peace Mr. President (JFK), through your wisdom and strength, since your tragic death, Patriots have planned, installed, and by the grace of God, activated, the beam of LIGHT. We will forever remember your sacrifice. May you look down from above and continue to guide us as we ring the bell of FREEDOM and destroy those who wish to sacrifice our children, our way of life, and our world. We, the PEOPLE.”

Prayer said every single day in the OO.

JFK - Secret Socities.

Where we go one, we go all.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#703

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

US-Australia alliance remains force for good

Americans and Australians believe in democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We feel it in our bones. This foundation is under threat.

MICHAEL GOLDMAN - June 10, 2022

During my tenure as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy, we’ve been through a lot. A worldwide pandemic, Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, and strategic challenges in the Pacific. It is a time of great change in the region. It has also been a time of great opportunity, with cause for celebration and for tremendous optimism.

Throughout it all, one thing has been clear. Our alliance with Australia remains a force for good in the world – constant, adaptive, and capable of overcoming challenges.

Our alliance is not one of convenience or transaction. It is built on a foundation of shared values, cemented through generations of personal ties between Americans and Australians. We’re looking forward to ambassador Caroline Kennedy’s arrival, and I know she’s committed to building even stronger relationships.

The past year and a half have seen major milestones in our relationship, and I was proud to stand with my Australian friends as we remembered the shared sacrifices on which our alliance is built. The 80th anniversary of the Battle of Coral Sea and the 70th anniversary of ANZUS were signal events, deserving of attention and reflection. We celebrated the 10th anniversary of our annual Marine Corps rotation in the Top End. And we witnessed the birth of AUKUS, a trilateral security agreement that will shape the security environment for decades to come.

Through our scientific collaboration, we are paving the way for a return to the Moon, safeguarding peace and stability in Antarctica, and helping develop life-saving medicines. Thanks to an innovative public-private partnership, a world-leading U.S. company, Moderna, is building a manufacturing facility in Melbourne – making Australia the first country in the Southern Hemisphere to be able to make mRNA vaccines.

Whether we call it a “fair go” or “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, Americans and Australians believe in democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We feel it in our bones. And these aren’t just our values. They are universal aspirations, shared across the world. They are the foundation of an international order that ushered in decades of prosperity out of the devastations of war.

This foundation is under threat. United States and Australia are determined to defend the rules-based international order that has benefitted so many people around the world. The United States and Australia have been in lockstep in our response to Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We have supported Australia as it stands against economic coercion, working together on economic diversification, supply chain security, and frontier technologies. Our cooperation is a source of inspiration and optimism.

My time in Australia has been full of celebrations, challenges, and unprecedented cooperation. I know that, just as we have over the past 70 years, the United States and Australia will rise to meet the challenges of the next 70 years – together.

Michael Goldman is an American diplomat who has served as the Charge d’affaires ad interim to the Commonwealth of Australia since January 2021.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/usaustralia-alliance-remains-force-for-good/news-story/3a5d092e99db5c66e3be6645077544ed

Albanese and Ardern affirm ‘reset’ of trans-Tasman partnership

Deborah Snow - June 10, 2022

Looking about as relaxed in each other’s company as two national leaders could be, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern have talked up their determination to deepen and broaden trans-Tasman relations in a world beset by security challenges, energy shocks and the overarching threat of climate change.

“Together, I think Australia and New Zealand acting as one produces an outcome that’s greater than the sum of the two,” Albanese said at a joint press conference in Sydney on Friday.

Hosting his first visit by an overseas leader, Albanese said he was intent on taking the relationship to “a new level”, while Ardern framed the visit as an “opportunity for a reset because there were obviously some points of friction”.

A perennial irritant in the relationship has been Canberra’s over-zealous (in NZ’s eyes) use of section 501 of the Migration Act, under which many hundreds of New Zealanders convicted of criminal offences have been deported even though they may have lived in Australia since early childhood.

Some, Ardern said, were “for all intents and purposes Australian, sometimes not even having stepped foot [across the Tasman].”

Ardern has raised the issue with successive Australian leaders and while she got no specific assurances from Albanese on Friday, it seemed he was listening more sympathetically than predecessor Scott Morrison, with whom she publicly clashed in 2020.

“I have said that section 501 … should be maintained,” Albanese said, but “we deal with each other in a mature way which deals as well with common sense”.

“We’ve listened to the concerns and there’s more work to do … [but] if people look at some of the cases that have been held, it’s not surprising that the prime minister would make the strong representations that she had because I would … if I was in the same position.”

As expected, Ardern warmly welcomed the new Australian government’s commitment to stronger climate action, which she placed in the context of needing to elevate the voices of Pacific Island nations.

“New Zealand is heartened [by that] … because it is good for our region and good for the world when we work collaboratively on this extraordinary challenge,” she said.

“The Pacific region has listed climate change as its number one threat. And that is not out of symbolism, that is out of the reality that right now we already see the considerable effects of coastal erosion, of severe weather events and of displacement in our backyard.”

China received only a fleeting mention, despite the recent flurry of diplomatic activity by both Australia and NZ to head off Beijing’s security overtures to Pacific Island nations, though there were plenty of references to security challenges in “the region”.

Asked if NZ should seek to join the Quad (which brings together India, Japan, Australia and the United States) or the AUKUS defence pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the US, Ardern sidestepped, saying what she wanted to see was “an increasing elevation of the Pacific Island voice within our region”.

Other “arrangements” were welcome, she said, as long as they “follow the values which we hold dear, are transparent and have at their core peace and stability”.

Albanese said there were no proposals to expand the Quad but “that doesn’t mean our friends and allies can’t have input through that process”. The two leaders will meet again, alongside key ministers and business representatives, at the Australia-New Zealand Leadership Forum in Sydney next month.

The pair also discussed labour mobility and skills transfer as well as what Albanese described as a potentially “easier” pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders.

Lowy Institute executive director Dr Michael Fullilove said the meeting was notable as for the first time in 15 years, the relationship was being conducted by Labor prime ministers on both sides of the Tasman.

“I think you are seeing the start of more strategic convergence between Wellington and Canberra,” he said.

“Ardern was quite forward-leaning in her [recent] discussions with [US] President [Joe] Biden in Washington in relation to China. That led to a rebuke from Beijing … At the same time, I think Ardern will have noticed the premium that the new government in Canberra has put on relations with the Pacific in a very short period of time.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-and-ardern-affirm-re-set-of-trans-tasman-partnership-20220610-p5asut.html

‘Evil people’: Peter Dutton issues chilling warning

Ellen Ransley - June 10, 2022

Peter Dutton says the Labor government is so divided on its asylum seeker policy it’s sending the wrong message to “evil” people smugglers.

Two asylum seeker boats have been intercepted since the May 21 election, with the latest incident earlier this week.

At least 15 Sri Lankan men were deported under Operation Sovereign Borders after entering Australian waters by boat. It’s understood they left Sri Lanka on the day of the election.

They were flown back to Colombo from Christmas Island on Thursday morning.

The Opposition Leader said the Coalition would support whatever policies the government put forward to keep a strong position on asylum seekers.

“People smugglers aren’t stupid. They’re organised criminal syndicates, they’re evil people taking money off innocent men, women and children,” Mr Dutton told the Nine Network.

“What we don’t want to see is a repeat of Labor’s latest disaster.

“So the mixed messages coming out of the government that are heard in places like Sri Lanka are concerning because not everybody within the Labor Party is singing from the same hymn sheet.

“I hope that the government doesn’t change what we had in place because we got all of the children out of detention that Labor put in, we stopped the boats, stopped the drownings at sea.

“I don’t want to see it restart, but the people smugglers know that the same people who are now in government made terrible decisions before, and that’s what they’re preying on.”

Employment Minister Tony Burke said Labor was not changing its policy.

“People who try to come by boat get turned around and sent back,” he told the Nine Network.

“One good thing the previous government came up with was how to handle this issue.

“That (policy) is not changing at all. It won’t.”

The latest boat intercepts follows an unorthodox move by the Morrison government to send out a text message on the day of the election, warning a Labor government would be weak on borders.

An economic crisis in Sri Lanka is likely to result in more boat intercepts over coming weeks and months.

Senior Sri Lankan military officials have been trying to help Australia stop the vessels before they leave the country.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/peter-dutton-warns-labor-not-to-go-soft-on-asylum-seekers-as-boat-intercepted/news-story/da282f573c8b0971003eccbc4bdd3e59

The illegal transfer of nuclear weapons materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied: Chinese envoy

Global Times - Jun 10, 2022

The Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) trilateral nuclear submarine cooperation violated the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the comprehensive safeguards agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and additional protocol signed between Australia and the IAEA, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna Wang Qun said on Thursday, noting the US, the UK and Australia must give an account to the international community.

No matter what name the three countries give to the AUKUS and how they handle relevant nuclear weapon materials, the essence of the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied, Wang said.

Wang made the remarks when addressing a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, which deliberated the issue of the transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT.

The Chinese envoy said the AUKUS has a far-reaching negative impact on global strategic stability, security order and regional peace and stability, which should be politically responded to by relevant international and regional security mechanisms.

The three countries cannot repeatedly stick heads in the sand and must earnestly fulfill their legal obligations on non-proliferation. As a nonnuclear weapon state under the NPT, Australia must promptly and comprehensively declare its nuclear weapons materials and related facilities at all stages, Wang said, noting paper cannot wrap up fire.

The US and the UK have applied double standards on nuclear proliferation issues, as they imposed unilateral sanctions on civilian nuclear programs of some nonnuclear weapon states, while at the same time blatantly transferred nuclear weapon material to Australia, Wang said.

Such double standards have a disastrous impact on the international non-proliferation regime and the resolution of hotspot issues, including the Iran nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue, the Chinese envoy said.

Some countries insist on "centralism" and "exceptionalism," Cold War mentality and hegemony and pursue bloc politics, which goes against the trend of history and will only trigger conflicts and split the international community, Wang said.

In September 2021, the US, the UK and Australia announced the establishment of AUKUS, under which the US and the UK will assist Australia in its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1267784.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 10, 2022, 6:26 a.m. No.16424947 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9598

>>16395527

>>16395571

Trade Minister Don Farrell’s bid to end China row

SIMON BENSON - JUNE 10, 2022

Trade Minister Don Farrell will issue an invitation to meet with his Chinese counterpart to try to break the damaging two-year trade war against Australian exporters, amid heightened geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Canberra.

Senator Farrell will also seek to revitalise talks for a European free-trade agreement with some EU countries, citing Labor’s more closely aligned climate change targets as removing a previous stumbling block to negotiations.

In an exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian ahead of travelling to Europe for a meeting of the World Trade Organisation, Senator Farrell said he would be offering to meet with China’s Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao.

If agreed, it would be the first senior-level meeting between Australian and Chinese officials since the diplomatic freeze imposed in 2020 and the issuing of Beijing’s list of 14 grievances against Australia following the Morrison government’s push for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.

However, the starting point of any meeting would be that Australia’s position on China’s unwarranted actions had not changed.

Anthony Albanese has claimed that there could be no restoration of relations until China dropped its trade sanctions against Australia.

“China is our largest trading partner,” Senator Farrell said. “Both sides have benefited from our economic ties.

“I look forward to an early opportunity to engage with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.”

Australia’s defiance of China’s economic coercion has been closely watched by other countries, with Canberra’s position widely regarded as a benchmark for dealing with China’s aggressive actions.

Senator Farrell will travel to Geneva next week for a meeting of the WTO, where Canberra has lodged formal complaints with the governing global trade body against Beijing for its sanctions on Australian wine and barley.

The Prime Minister said this week he would put trade and investment at the top of his priorities for his regional and international agenda, but he said Australia also needed to diversify its trade relationships with China, which until recently accounted for 45 per cent of the nation’s total trade.

Senator Farrell said he would put free-trade agreements with Europe and India among Australia’s top trade priorities for the new Labor government.

He will meet European officials next week to progress negotiations on a European FTA, which had stalled because of Europe’s concerns about the Morrison government’s softer climate change targets and the diplomatic stoush with France over cancelled submarines.

Senator Farrell said as Labor’s emissions-reduction targets was more aligned with Europe’s, he expected negotiations that began in 2018 to be put back on track and accelerated to an outcome.

“During my visit to Europe, I look forward to meeting my EU counterparts to energise our free-trade agreement negotiations,” Senator Farrell said.

“The EU has publicly welcomed the Australian government’s commitment to taking ambitious action on climate change and said this commitment will help to finalise the agreement.

“The EU FTA will open valuable export opportunities for Australia – as a bloc, the EU is a $US15 trillion economy of 450 million people.”

Senator Farrell said he would also seek early meetings with Indian counterparts on moving to a comprehensive free-trade agreement. “Australia is committed to boosting our trade relationship with India and following through on the Australia-India Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement,” Senator Farrell said.

“I’m looking forward to working with my Indian counterpart to further this relationship, including under the comprehensive strategic partnership.

“We are looking forward to commencing negotiations on a comprehensive free-trade agreement in the coming weeks to address, among other things, deeper market access for goods and services and cross cutting issues such as co-operation and digital trade.”

Mr Albanese, while speaking on trade in Jakarta this week, said China’s trade sanctions against Australia must be lifted before relations could be improved between the two countries.

He signalled the federal government’s priority to diversify economic and trade links, identifying Indonesia as a key partner, to reduce Australia’s reliance on trade with China. Senator Farrell said diversification of trade relationships was central to Australia’s future trading relationships.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/trade-minister-don-farrells-bid-to-end-china-row/news-story/5579539afd3e55960eb048838b4304e5

>>16384807

Haredi Lawmaker Convicted Under Plea Deal Over Malka Leifer Affair

Former Health Minister Yaakov Litzman pleaded guilty to breach of trust in the sex abuse case of Malka Leifer, but is expected to remain politically active

Chen Maanit - Jun. 9, 2022

The Supreme Court approved the plea deal of former Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on Thursday for breach of trust in the Malka Leifer case.

Litzman, of the United Torah Judaism party, retired from Knesset last week as part of the plea bargain signed with former Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and the Jerusalem Prosecutor’s Office. By resigning, Litzman evaded the court’s ruling on whether his conduct constitutes moral turpitude, which can only be made if he is still a lawmaker. As per Israeli law, such a ruling would forbid him from holding public office for seven years.

Under the lenient deal, he will also confess to committing breach of trust in the sex abuse case of Malka Leifer, a former school principal. Furthermore, he will be fined 3,000 shekels (about $900) and given a suspended sentence.

In the Leifer case, Litzman is suspected of attempting to thwart Leifer's extradition to Australia – where she is charged with raping and sexually assaulting her former students at a Jewish school – by pressuring the Jerusalem District Psychiatrist to change his opinion and deem her mentally unfit to stand trial.

In his statement released in January, former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said Litzman used his position as deputy health minister "with the intention of preventing or thwarting a judicial proceeding." By acting "contrary to the persecution and public interest," Litzman committed a breach of trust, he said.

The deal also includes closing an investigation into Litzman's alleged offering of perks to Health Ministry officials in order to keep them from shuttering a restaurant run by an associate of his, despite serious sanitation violations.

By leaving the Knesset, Litzman will be following in the footsteps of Shas Chairman Arye Dery, who was convicted of tax offenses as part of a plea deal in January.

Litzman said in December that he would not run for the Knesset again. However, UTJ sources said he does not plan to quit political activity and, like Dery, plans to attend his party’s Knesset meetings and run it from the backseat.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-06-09/ty-article/.premium/haredi-lawmaker-convicted-under-plea-deal-over-malka-leifer-affair/00000181-487a-deea-add9-d9fff6160000

Sean Turnell’s trial to proceed, rules Myanmar court

Grant Peck - June 10, 2022

Bangkok: A court in Myanmar has ruled that prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Australian economist Sean Turnell and three other defendants to continue their trial on charges of violating the official secrets law.

Turnell served as an economics adviser to Suu Kyi, who was arrested when her elected government was ousted by the army on February 1, 2021.

The military’s takeover triggered peaceful nationwide protests that security forces quashed with lethal force, triggering armed resistance that some UN experts now characterise as civil war.

Turnell was arrested in Yangon, the largest city, a few days after the coup. He is being tried in the capital, Naypyidaw, with Suu Kyi and three former cabinet members charged in the same case.

Violating the official secrets law carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The colonial-era statute criminalises the possession, collection, recording, publishing or sharing of state information that is “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.

The exact details of Turnell’s alleged offence and those of the others have not been made public, though state television, citing government statements, has said the Australian academic had access to “secret state financial information” and had tried to flee the country.

Turnell is also being prosecuted under the immigration law, which carries a punishment of six months to five years’ imprisonment. Immigration prosecutions are common for foreigners being held for other alleged offences.

A legal official who is familiar with Turnell’s case said he and his co-defendants were formally indicted on Thursday, allowing their secret trial to continue. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release information.

Under Myanmar law, a judge can order an end to a trial after the prosecution has presented its case if it is found to not have merit. If the judge finds the prosecution case credible, the trial continues into a second phase in which the defence presents its case and a verdict is rendered.

In coming weeks, the court will hear the defence arguments, including a re-examination of the prosecution’s witnesses.

The legal official said Turnell, who is detained at a prison in Naypyidaw, appeared to be in good health.

Suu Kyi is currently being tried on several charges including corruption and election fraud. The cases against her, lodged at the behest of the military-installed government, are widely seen as an effort to discredit her to prevent her return to politics.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/sean-turnell-s-trial-to-proceed-rules-myanmar-court-20220610-p5asr2.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 10, 2022, 6:50 a.m. No.16425058 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5067

>>16418599

Jeffrey Epstein accuser alleges second accuser, Virginia Giuffre, 'sexually assaulted' her

Virginia Giuffre and Rina Oh have accused each other of defamation and sexual abuse or assault, several court papers show

Stephanie Pagones - June 9, 2022

1/2

One of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims has accused a second woman, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, of sexually assaulting her in a new federal court filing, as the women engage in an ongoing legal defamation battle over their respective involvement with the disgraced financier.

Rina Oh, an artist and alleged victim of Epstein's sex crimes, charged in court papers on Tuesday that Giuffre sexually assaulted her, and that Giuffre often referred to herself "as Epstein’s ‘number one’ girl." Oh further described how Giuffre "employed tactics of intimidation and false allegations to dissuade [Oh], a witness in the criminal investigations, from testifying for government agencies and other parties involved."

Oh's attorneys submitted their claims in response to Giuffre's staggering allegations made in a counterclaim filed in Manhattan last month. In her counterclaim, Giuffre accused Oh of carrying out "sadomasochist sexual and physical abuse" against her. Giuffre further alleged that Oh called Epstein her "older rich boyfriend" and scarred Giuffre emotionally and physically – including with the use of "cutting, slashing and other physical injuries during the sadomasochist sessions."

On Tuesday, Oh further said she "never perpetrated any sadomasochistic acts or sexual abuse," and it was actually Giuffre who "sexually assaulted her."

Oh "was surprised when she was called to the massage room to see Epstein, and found Epstein and Defendant (Giuffre) waiting for her," the filing states. "[Giuffre] then proceeded to touch Plaintiff (Oh) without Plaintiff’s consent and much to her horror."

The document adds that Oh "did not reciprocate or sexually touch [Giuffre]. [Oh] never engaged in any sadomasochism, nor did she ever cut or slash Defendant. These are lies."

Giuffre’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday, but told the New York Post: "The allegations of sexual assault against Ms. Giuffre are not true."

(continued)

>>16425058

2/2

The she-said-she-said saga began in October 2021, when Oh sued Giuffre for defamation in the Southern District of New York.

Oh cited a series of tweets in which Giuffre asserted that Oh was Epstein’s girlfriend and recruited girls for him to abuse.

"Rina- if you read this I hope you live in shame for the rest of your life," said a portion of one tweet cited in the 2021 lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which sought $20 million in damages, was aiming at stopping what it called "false and defamatory bile."

Giuffre previously said Epstein and his now-convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, when she was 17 years old. Andrew denied the allegations.

She sued the duke in 2021, and they reached a settlement in February for an estimated $12 million, the New York Post reported. The pair agreed to a settlement in which the prince would donate to Virginia Giuffre’s charity and make the declaration about her character.

In her counterclaim against Oh, Giuffre accused Oh of changing her characterization of herself from Epstein’s "girlfriend" to his "victim" "when an opportunity to profit presented itself." She allegedly received a payout from the victim compensation fund created from Epstein’s estate after the convict died in 2019.

Giuffre’s counterclaim further accuses Oh of defamation.

Meanwhile, Oh’s Tuesday response describes how the FBI interviewed her many times and fully investigated her before determining that she was a victim of Epstein’s sex crimes.

She said Giuffre "participated" in Epstein’s and Maxwell’s grooming of her and other women.

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. She appealed the conviction.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-alleges-virginia-giuffre-sexual-assault

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/60683637/amen-v-giuffre/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.568806/gov.uscourts.nysd.568806.29.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 11, 2022, 6:29 a.m. No.16430017 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9598

Australia to pay French company $830 million over scrapped submarine deal

MADELEINE ACHENZA - JUNE 11, 2022

The Albanese government has reached an $830 million settlement with French shipbuilder Naval Group after last year’s decision to scrap a $90 billion contract to build 12 submarines.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday his government had agreed on the deal after the Morrison government’s decision to scrap the contract.

The contract was scrapped by the Morrison Government following advice on the capability requirements of the Australian Defence Force.

Australia will settle the dispute for $830 million, but since the deal has been scrapped, it will essentially receive nothing in return.

While some details would remain confidential, Mr Albanese said Australia would pay the Naval Group $555 million euros ($AUD 830 million), bringing the total cost of the dumped policy to $3.4 billion.

“This is a fair and an equitable settlement that has been reached,” Mr Albanese said.

“It follows as well as discussions that I’ve had with President Macron and I thank him for those discussions and the cordial way in which we are establishing a better relationship between Australia and France.

“It brings the total cost of the former government’s failed policy to $3.4 billion. This is a savings from the $5.5 billion that Senate estimates was told would result from that program.

“But it still represents an extraordinary waste from a government that was always big on announcement but not good on delivery and from a government that will be remembered as the most wasteful government in Australia’s history since Federation.

“Tens of billions of dollars wasted across a range of programs that have resulted, of course in, have contributed to, the trillion dollars of debt that the incoming Labor Government has inherited.”

Mr Albanese said France was an important ally for Australia.

“(An ally that) we have a history of fighting alongside in two world wars and an ally that has a significant presence in the Pacific at a time when tension in the Indo-Pacific means that we need to work with our partners,” he said.

The French submarine program was abandoned last year when the Morrison government announced it would pursue nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS partnership with the United Kingdom and United States.

Scott Morrison defended tearing up the contract for French submarines as “exactly the right decision to make for Australia”.

Mr Morrison in April said Australia’s strategic environment had changed since the French deal was inked in 2016 to the extent that its submarines wouldn’t have been suitable.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/australia-to-pay-french-company-830-million-over-scrapped-submarine-deal/news-story/9baebcf29fef58065d0393bf7d8b7e3d

Australian defence minister warns China risks sparking arms race

Richard Marles outlines vision of economic cooperation and military deterrence but warns lack of transparency can upset balance

Guardian staff and Australian Associated Press - 11 Jun 2022

China’s military buildup must be accompanied by transparency and reassurances to its neighbours or risk triggering an arms race, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, has said.

Speaking in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Marles laid out a vision of economic cooperation balanced with military deterrence, but sounded a warning about militarisation in the Asia Pacific.

“China’s military buildup is now the largest and most ambitious we have seen by any country since the end of the second world war,” he said.

“So it is critical that China’s neighbours do not see this buildup as a risk to them. Because without that reassurance, it is inevitable that countries will seek to upgrade their own military capabilities in response. Insecurity is what drives an arms race.”

However, China was not going anywhere and its economic success was connected to Australia’s own, he said.

Marles said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had shown economic interdependence was not enough to dissuade conflict between nations.

Investment in military deterrence would continue to be necessary to show the risks of conflict outweighed any benefits.

“China is not going anywhere and we all need to live together and hopefully prosper together,” Marles said. “China’s economic success is connected to that of our own and the region.

“Australia’s approach will be anchored in a resolve to safeguard our national interests, and our support for regional security and stability based on rules.”

He said the rule of law, not power, would govern conduct between states.

Paraphrasing the former Australian prime minister Paul Keating, Marles said China would need to accept restraints on its power as it looked to take a leadership role in the region.

The communist superpower’s militarisation of the South China Sea was intended to “deny the legitimacy” of its neighbours’ claims to the waterway.

Marles said it should give nations “concern” that China had failed to criticise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine despite committing to principles of sovereignty.

“When it comes to the security and stability of our own region, there will be continuity in Australian defensive policy,” he said.

This would mean a continuation of the Australia-US alliance, commitment to Aukus and an “accelerated” push to military quantum technology, AI, undersea warfare capabilities and hypersonic munitions.

“Australia’s investments in defence capability are a necessary and prudent response to the military buildup we see taking place in the Indo-Pacific,” Marles said.

“They aim to contribute to an effective balance of military power. A balance of ensuring no state will ever conclude here that the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks.”

On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the deputy prime minister recommitted to the 50-year-old Five Power Defence Arrangements group involving Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

Reuters reported on Saturday the Malaysian senior defence minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, expressed concern incidents and accidents could “spiral out of control” in the region, while Marles was reported to have said the arrangement was not something Australia took for granted.

A war of words erupted between the US and Chinese defence ministers over Taiwan after Wei Fenghe reportedly told his counterpart, Lloyd Austin, Beijing would “not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost” if Taiwan declared independence.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/11/australian-defence-minister-warns-china-risks-sparking-arms-race

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 11, 2022, 6:38 a.m. No.16430047 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0051

Marles takes aim at China over bid to wield power ‘by force’

Chris Barrett and Eryk Bagshaw - June 11, 2022

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Singapore: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has castigated China for its military build-up in the South China Sea in his first major speech on the global stage, accusing Beijing of readying to challenge by force the sovereignty of neighbouring countries.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore on Saturday, Marles acknowledged China’s growing power would grant it a bigger say in world affairs, but as Australia’s new defence minister, he made it clear he believed the actions of Xi Jinping’s regime were placing regional security at risk.

“Chinese militarisation of features in the South China Sea needs to be understood for what it is: the intent to deny the legitimacy of its neighbours’ claims in this vital international waterway through force,” Marles said.

“Australia does not question the right of any country to modernise their military capabilities consistent with their interests and resources. But large-scale military build-ups must be transparent and they must be accompanied by statecraft that reassures. China’s military build-up is now the largest and most ambitious we have seen by any country since the end of the Second World War. It’s critical that China’s neighbours do not see that as a risk to them.”

Denouncing Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, he said it was cause for concern that China had not done the same, “especially given the investments it is making now in its own military”.

But Marles also used his first big speech on the global stage to vow that “under Anthony Albanese you will also see a change in Australia’s tone”.

“It’s in the character of Australians to be frank and we’ll always be forthright in articulating our national interest and in advocating for our regional security. But this government will be respectful including with countries where we have complex relationships and that includes China. Australia values a productive relationship with China. China is not going anywhere. We all need to live together and hopefully prosper together.”

Marles sat opposite Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe at the summit’s opening night dinner on Friday on a table that also included United States defence chief Lloyd Austin and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

After a series of conversations with other defence ministers gathered in Singapore for the summit, Marles was holding a trilateral meeting on Saturday with Austin and Nobuo Kishi, his counterpart from Japan. Marles heads to Tokyo on Monday.

A separate, ice-breaking one-on-one meeting between Marles and Wei is also a possibility, although in a careful diplomatic dance, Anthony Albanese’s number two had not formally sought a sit-down.

Wei is scheduled to speak in Singapore on Sunday, where he is also likely to respond to a speech by Austin earlier on Saturday.

Marles’ speech followed a blunt assessment of Indo-Pacific security from Austin, the US defence chief, who hit out at China for its dangerous confrontations with an Australian aircraft over international waters.

Austin met face-to-face with Wei Fenghe for the first time on Friday, with the American reinforcing the need to “maintain open lines of communication” between the superpowers and the Chinese general encouraging “sound and stable major-country relations”, according to official statements.

But if there was a conciliatory tone to those talks, Austin did not miss the opportunity to call out Beijing and its armed forces less than 24 hours later, taking aim at China’s “coercive and aggressive” approach to its territorial claims in the South China Sea and with Taiwan.

Austin slammed the interception of an Australian surveillance plane near the disputed Paracel Islands last month in which a People’s Liberation Army Air Force fighter jet cut in front of it and released chaff that was ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engines. Canada has also accused of China of harassing one of its patrol planes flying near North Korea last week.

“We’ve seen an alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea by PLA aircraft and vessels,” Austin said.

“In February a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, seriously endangering everyone on board. In the past few weeks PLA fighters have conducted a series of dangerous intercepts against Allied aircraft operating lawfully in the East China and South China seas. This should worry us all.”

(continued)

>>16430047

2/2

After the latest Australian incident, China said it had repeatedly warned the surveillance plane that it was approaching airspace China claims as its own, and forecast “serious consequences” for breaches of its sovereignty.

Austin, however, said it was further evidence of Beijing’s unacceptable intimidation and that the US and allies would continue to fly, sail and operate where international law allowed.

He said the “stakes are especially high in the Taiwan Strait”.

“Our policy is unchanged and unwavering. We are determined to uphold the status quo that has served this region for so long,” he said.

The US did not seek an Asian version of NATO with the region split into hostile blocs, according to Austin. But he said Putin’s war “has reminded us all of the dangers of undercutting an international order rooted in rules and respect” and Washington would “defend our interests without flinching”.

Austin’s speech came after Kishida warned the meeting of defence leaders that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow”.

In his strongest foreign policy speech since he became prime minister, Kishida said it was time for Japan to step up its defence capability and diplomatic power to prevent war in the region.

“The responsibility Japan must fulfil is heavy,” he said. “We must be prepared for the emergence of an entity that tramples on the peace and security of other countries by force or threat without honouring the rules.”

The speech was a significant escalation in Japan’s diplomatic posturing towards China after years of more cautious negotiations with Beijing.

Tokyo has positioned itself as a quiet negotiator that could raise its concerns with China behind closed doors but is increasingly alarmed at China’s intentions towards Taiwan, which has islands 230 kilometres off the coast of Japan.

In comments targeted at Beijing, Kishida said international laws in the South and East China Seas were being broken.“Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is located between these two seas, is also of extreme importance,” he said.

“Unfortunately, much of activities not respecting people’s diversity, free will, and human rights is also taking place in this region.”

Kishida singled out Australia for promoting “security cooperation” in the region and said Japan, the US, India and Australia would spend $80 billion on infrastructure investment through the Quad in the Indo-Pacific over the next five years.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/us-defence-chief-warns-china-s-intercept-of-australian-plane-should-worry-us-all-20220611-p5aszt.html

China's 'dangerous' behaviour towards RAAF planes should 'worry us all', US Defence Secretary says

Matthew Doran - 11 June 2022

United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says China's recent "dangerous" behaviour towards Royal Australian Air Force planes should "worry us all".

He was addressing an international summit in Singapore.

Earlier this year, a RAAF surveillance plane was targeted with a laser shone from a Chinese navy ship as the aircraft flew over the Arafura Sea, north of Australia.

Last month, a Chinese fighter jet intercepted another Australian surveillance plane as it flew over the South China sea, releasing a flare and dropping a load of aluminium chaff, some of which was sucked into the plane's engines.

The Australian government has complained about both incidents, accusing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of putting the lives of Australian servicemen and women at risk.

The comments have been received a frosty reception from Beijing, which has accused Australia of being in the wrong.

Mr Austin, a former US army general, said there had been "an alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea by PLA aircraft and vessels".

"That should worry us all," he told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

"The stakes are especially stark in the Taiwan Strait."

The defence chief insisted the US and its allies would not be deterred by Beijing's "more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims".

"We will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows," Mr Austin said.

"And we'll do so right alongside our partners, and we'll continue to be candid about the challenges that we all face.

Mr Austin met with China's Defence Minister, Wei Fenghe, for the first time on the sidelines of the summit.

Mr Wei warned the United States there would be war if Taiwan sought independence from China.

"Our policy on Taiwan has not changed," Mr Austin said.

"We remain committed to a One China policy, and we also remain committed to providing Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.

"I know that countries across the region and across the globe are really focused on this issue."

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, who met with Mr Austin at the summit, was also questioned about aggression with regards to Taiwan.

"What will serve the region and the world is that the resolution of tensions in respect of the Taiwan Strait is done so in a way which is peaceful and which involves the mutual agreement of both sides of the Taiwan Strait," Mr Marles said.

"In terms of Australia's involvement, all we would seek to do was play whatever role we could in facilitating that."

Mr Marles, who was criticised extensively by the Coalition during the recent election campaign for what it said was his wavering on China, said the new federal government's position was clear.

"China is not going anywhere and we all need to live together and hopefully prosper together," he said.

"China remains Australia's largest trading partner; China's economic success is connected to that of our own and the region.

"So Australia's approach will be anchored in a resolve to safeguard our national interest, and our support for regional security and stability based on rules."

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Zhang Zhenzhong, a senior Chinese military officer, called Mr Austin's speech a "confrontation".

"There were many unfounded accusations against China," he said.

"We expressed our strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to these false accusations," Lieutenant General Zhang, vice chief of the joint staff department of China's Central Military Commission, told reporters.

"The United States is trying to form a small circle in the Asia-Pacific region by roping in some countries to incite against some other countries. What should we call this other than confrontation?"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-11/chinese-actions-involving-raaf-planes-worry-us-defence-secretary/101145766

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 11, 2022, 6:50 a.m. No.16430076 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0086

China slams theory coronavirus originated from Chinese lab leak

China has slammed the controversial ‘lab leak’ theory as the World Health Organisation calls for a deeper probe into the pandemic’s origin.

AFP - June 11, 2022

China has furiously rejected claims the coronavirus pandemic originated as a leak from a Chinese laboratory after the World Health Organisation called for a deeper probe into the theory.

In a scathing daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian shut down claims that China refused to fully cooperate with investigators and accused the WHO of pushing a politcally-motivated lie.

“The lab leak theory is totally a lie concocted by anti-China forces for political purposes, which has nothing to do with science,” Zhao said.

“We always supported and participated in science-based global virus tracing, but we firmly opposed any forms of political manipulation,” he said.

China has repeatedly refuted claims the pandemic started in a lab and rejected further investigations into the origins of the deadly virus.

When Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the pandemic, China responded by imposing sanctions on Australia.

China’s fury comes after the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), set up by WHO, said further studies were needed into whether the disease escaped from a lab.

In a preliminary report released this week, the team of 27 scientists tasked to investigate the origins of Covid-19, stressed that they had no conclusive findings behind the worst global pandemic in a century.

“There are key pieces of data that are not yet available for a complete understanding of how the Covid-19 pandemic began,” they acknowledged in their report, stressing that a range of further studies were needed “to follow up on several gaps in our knowledge.”

‘Zoonotic transmission’

The experts evaluated a wide range of existing research, including the findings of a joint WHO-China scientific mission last year.

They seemed to back a key finding by the joint mission that the virus most likely jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal, so-called zoonotic transmission.

“The strongest evidence is still around zoonotic transmission,” SAGO chair Marietjie Venter said.

However, the original host, intermediate hosts or how the virus had jumped to humans have not been identified.

But while the joint mission had deemed a competing theory that the virus may have escaped due to a laboratory incident was “extremely unlikely” and proposed no further investigation into that hypothesis, the SAGO team insisted that this issue too required further study.

Among a long line of studies requested, the team stressed that “it remains important to consider all reasonable scientific data that is available either through published or other official sources to evaluate the possibility of the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into the human population through a laboratory incident.”

The issue is highly controversial, and SAGO acknowledged that three members of the team, from China, Russia and Brazil, had objected to including the recommendation.

‘Need to be open-minded’

Venter told reporters it was important to be open to various hypotheses.

“Having it in the report doesn’t say that that’s definitely what we think it is,” she said.

“We are open to scientific data … so if anything comes up that’s new, we will not ignore it”.

Co-chair Jean-Claude Manuguerra agreed, stressing that so far there had been no real investigation into the lab leak theory.

“We need to be open-minded and cover all the hypotheses, including that one,” Mr Manuguerra said.

Among other things, the experts said access was needed to staff and data from labs both in China and elsewhere that work with coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, to assess biosafety and biosecurity practices.

This could be tricky, especially in the case of China, which has so far pushed back against suggestions of fresh international missions to the country.

WHO chief Tedros Ahanom Ghebreyesus insisted that it was vital that the scientific work to determine Covid’s origins “be kept separate from politics”.

In a briefing to member states, he said the UN health agency would strive to follow SAGO’s advice, emphasising that “all hypotheses must remain on the table until we have evidence that enables us to rule certain hypotheses out”.

“The longer it takes, the harder it becomes. We need to speed up and act with a sense of urgency.”

https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/global/china-slams-theory-coronavirus-originated-from-chinese-lab-leak/news-story/d527856880f9f212281edf28d3c02354

>>16430076

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s Regular Press Conference on June 10, 2022

Bloomberg: A group of advisers to the WHO have said in a report that more information and research are needed to investigate, first of all, the possibility that a laboratory incident in Wuhan was the source of the coronavirus strain that set off the global pandemic. In addition, they’re also saying that further study of the market in Wuhan that has been identified as another possible source is also necessary. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this report by the group of advisers to the WHO?

Zhao Lijian: China’s position on the study of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is consistent and clear. We always support and participate in science-based global origins-tracing. At the same time, we firmly oppose all forms of political manipulation. Since COVID-19 broke out, the Chinese side has twice received WHO experts for origins-tracing cooperation, which produced a scientific and authoritative joint report and laid a solid foundation for global origins-tracing. After the WHO established the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins on Novel Pathogens (SAGO), China recommended experts to join the group and organized events for Chinese experts to share research findings with the WHO Secretariat and SAGO.

China is the only country that has invited more than once WHO expert groups to come into the country to conduct joint SARS-CoV-2 origins study. It is also the only country that has provided multiple opportunities for its experts to share progress on origins-tracing with SAGO. China has shared more data and research findings on SARS-CoV-2 origins study than any other country. This fully demonstrates China’s open, transparent and responsible attitude and its support for the work of the WHO and SAGO.

I would also like to stress the following points. First, origins study must be conducted on the basis of science and free from political interference. The lab leak theory is a false claim concocted by anti-China forces for political purposes. It has nothing to do with science. The Chinese side has invited WHO experts to visit the Wuhan lab, and the joint report reached the clear conclusion that “a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely”. Since the SAGO report has called for investigation into biological laboratories “located worldwide where early COVID-19 cases have been retrospectively detected” for the next phase of study, investigation should first target highly suspicious laboratories such as those at Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina in the US.

Second, more and more clues from the international science community are pointing the origins of SARS-CoV-2 to sources around the world. The WHO and SAGO should take a close look at these clues, effectively cooperate with these relevant countries, and share research findings with all parties in a timely way.

Third, according to its mandate, SAGO should focus more on emerging pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential in the future while conducting SARS-CoV-2 origins study. The recent outbreaks of hepatitis of unknown cause in children and monkeypox reported in the US, the UK, Canada and elsewhere have drawn much attention worldwide. The WHO and SAGO must take prompt action accordingly.

In a word, we hope the WHO Secretariat and SAGO will keep their position on this issue objective and just, and contribute their part to science-based global origins research and a united response to COVID-19.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220610_10701735.html

Chinese Consulate General in Sydney Tweet

Ties between the Australian and Chinese people are very strong, which is good for the improvement of the two countries' relationship, former Australian ambassador to China Geoff Raby has said.

https://twitter.com/ChinaConSydney/status/1535526497011777536

(Google translation)

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Ambassador Xiao Qian meets with Premier of Western Australia McGowan

2022-06-11

On June 10, Ambassador Xiao Qian met with the Premier of Western Australia, McGowan, in Perth.

Ambassador Xiao expressed his appreciation to Governor McGowan for his long-term adherence to an objective and rational view of China and his active promotion of cooperation with China. Ambassador Xiao said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia 50 years ago, the close cooperation in various fields reflects the nature of mutual benefit and win-win results. The Australian and New Zealand governments have just been established, and the Chinese side is willing to work with the Australian side to push forward the development of bilateral relations along the right track. Western Australia is a model of actively developing friendship with China and the main force of China-Australia pragmatic cooperation. The two sides have achieved fruitful results in mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and culture, and have broad prospects for cooperation in education, scientific research and other fields. It is expected that the Western Australian government will further deepen the pragmatic cooperation between China and Western Australia to better benefit the people of both countries.

McGowan said that I have visited China many times and have always attached great importance to cooperation with China. Not long ago, I just attended the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of a sister province and state between Western Australia and Zhejiang Province. The Western Australian government will continue to support mutually beneficial and pragmatic cooperation with China and promote friendly exchanges between the two peoples. I also look forward to visiting China as soon as possible after the epidemic has passed.

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/sghdxwfb/202206/t20220611_10701885.htm

—

Ambassador Xiao Qian Meets with Bishop, Chancellor and Former Foreign Minister of ANU

2022-06-11

On June 10, Ambassador Xiao Qian met with Bishop, Chancellor and former Foreign Minister of the Australian National University, in Perth.

Ambassador Xiao said that over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia, the two sides have carried out extensive practical cooperation in various fields such as economy, trade and people-to-people and cultural engagement, which reflects the nature of mutual benefit and win-win results. The Australian and New Zealand governments have just been established, and the Chinese side is willing to work with the Australian side to push forward the development of bilateral relations along the right track. Ms. Chancellor has been a member of the Commonwealth of Western Australia for a long time. Western Australia has long been at the forefront of the Australian federal states (territories) in developing relations with China, and is the main force of China-Australia pragmatic cooperation in various fields. China has always viewed and developed China-Australia relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. It is hoped that Ms. Chancellor will continue to exert her unique influence in Australian politics and contribute to the healthy and stable development of China-Australia relations.

Bishop said that she attaches great importance to Australia-China relations. The Australian side welcomes the positive gesture that China has shown in improving the relations between the two countries after the formation of the Australian and New Zealand federal government. Exchanges and cooperation in the field of education are an important part of China-Australia relations. As Chancellor of ANU, I am willing to continue to make efforts to promote the improvement of China-Australia relations. ANU will continue to welcome Chinese students to study and live in Australia and create a good environment for them.

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/sghdxwfb/202206/t20220611_10701886.htm

Jailed Ghislaine Maxwell barred from seeing her brother

Ian Maxwell turned away after 3,000 mile trip, despite pre-arranging prison visit to socialite convicted of sex trafficking charges

Robert Mendick - 10 June 2022

Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother was barred from seeing his sister in jail, despite making a 3,000 mile trip for a pre-arranged visit.

Ian Maxwell was turned away at the gates of the Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn, on Wednesday. He had flown from London after agreeing the visit with prison authorities.

Maxwell, 60, the daughter of Robert Maxwell, the late media tycoon, will be sentenced on June 28. She faces a maximum 55 years in prison, after being convicted at the end of December on sex trafficking charges.

Mr Maxwell said he was “not holding his breath” over the sentence handed down to his sister. Only after sentencing can she launch an appeal against the conviction. She will also make an application to US authorities to be returned to the UK to serve the rest of her sentence.

Maxwell’s family believe the socialite - a close friend of the Duke of York and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile - has been subjected to inhumane treatment after spending almost two years in solitary confinement.

Mr Maxwell arrived at the Brooklyn prison, only to be told it was in lockdown over an incident in the male wing of the jail and that the visit was off.

The meeting, due to take place at 12.30pm, would have been their first in more than two years following Maxwell’s arrest in the US in July 2020. She has been in detention and almost entirely in isolation ever since. She was only recently moved into the general prison population that allows social visits.

Mr Maxwell, 65, said: “I flew to New York on Tuesday, stayed the night in Brooklyn and then walked over to the prison on Wednesday, only to discover that the whole prison was in lockdown that had been imposed a few hours earlier.”

He spoke to officials and explained he had flown 3,000 miles and pleaded with them to “make this visit happen”.

“The official put a call into the legal office and they said ‘no’,” he recalled, adding: “If I had flown from the moon, it would not have made any difference. They were not going to change.

“They wouldn’t even allow me a video call or a phone call. The whole place was shutdown. I was later told there was some incident on the male wing but, because the prison is treated as one unit, the whole jail was shut down.”

The refusal to allow Mr Maxwell to visit his sister means she has had just one family visit since her arrest.

She was found guilty of grooming and procuring underage girls for Epstein, a financier, who was found hanged in his prison cell a year before Maxwell was arrested.

Her family have accused US authorities of making Maxwell a scapegoat for failing to bring Epstein to trial.

Since being moved out of isolation, where she was on round the clock suicide watch, Maxwell has been allowed just one face to face visit from a family member. Her sister Isabel was allowed into the prison on April 19. A visit the week before was also cancelled.

Under prison rules, Maxwell is allowed one visitor a week on Wednesdays, but those can be scrapped at short notice.

“In two years, this girl has had one family visit,” said Mr Maxwell. “It is unreal. It is really horrible. It is inhuman. For me, it’s just tiring. I flew 6,000 miles for no reason. But for her, it’s just terrible.

“I am just angry at the way it has worked out. I feel very sorry for Ghislaine.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/06/10/ghislaine-maxwell-barred-seeing-brother-jail/

Australian deputy PM meets with China defence chief in diplomatic breakthrough

Chris Barrett - June 12, 2022

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Singapore: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has held talks with China’s defence chief in what is the first face-to-face meeting between ministers from the two countries in almost three years.

Marles said on Sunday he had engaged in a “full and frank discussion” with China State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit, which has been held in Singapore over the weekend.

Marles described the meeting as “a critical first step” in improving relations.

The get-together is the first of its kind since November 2019, before tensions between Canberra and Beijing escalated and China imposed trade sanctions on Australia amid an extended diplomatic freeze.

Marles and Wei sat on the same table at the opening-night dinner of the summit on Friday and the Australian said they had “agreed it was important that our two countries meet”.

“We want to take this in a very sober and very deliberate manner,” he said. “We don’t underestimate the difficulties that we’ve had in our bilateral relationship. The fact this is the first meeting at a ministerial level in almost three years is very significant. We will take this in a step-by-step process but the fact we’ve had this meeting today is an important step.”

Marles said he raised several issues of concern with Wei including the “dangerous” interception of an Australian surveillance plane near the Paracel Islands last month and Australia’s desire “to ensure that the countries of the Pacific are not put in a position of increased militarisation”.

The meeting lasted for more than an hour and was hosted by China at the Shangri-La Hotel.

“China is our largest trading partner and we value a productive relationship with China,” Marles said. “It’s a point we’ve made for a long time. That said, we have a whole lot of national interests and we’re not going to waver from asserting those in the strongest possible terms.”

The landmark meeting came after Australia announced it would pay French shipbuilder Naval Group $830 million in compensation over a cancelled submarines contract, signalling a restoration of relations that were badly damaged when Morrison tore up the deal last year to pursue a nuclear-powered fleet.

Marles also met with Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Singapore leader Lee Hsien Loong and United States Defence chief Lloyd Austin at the summit, as well as with a range of other counterparts from around the world including Solomon Islands National Security Minister Anthony Veke and Fiji Defence Minister Inia Seruiratu.

Australian leaders have expressed anxiety over the past six weeks at the expansion of China’s influence in the South Pacific, most notably with the shock establishment of a security pact between Xi Jinping’s regime and the Solomon Islands.

And while the ousting of Scott Morrison’s government last month has provided the landscape for a diplomatic thawing with China, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said Beijing will need to remove the trade sanctions for ties to properly resume.

(continued)

2/2

The challenges of restoring the relationship were also laid bare in a forthright speech here on Sunday by Wei and as Marles called out China’s intimidatory behaviour and military build-up in the South China Sea.

Wei accused Australia of meddling in others’ affairs in the South China Sea in an hour-long appearance at the summit on Sunday, in which he also declared that the People’s Liberation Army would not hesitate to “fight to the end” if pushed into a confrontation or if Taiwan sought to secede from the mainland.

China had warned Australia to “act prudently” or face “serious consequences” after the interception by a PLA fighter jet of an Australian patrol plane in the South China Sea late last month.

Asked on Sunday about Beijing’s message for Australia, Wei did not detail what was meant by serious consequences but replied: “The question is right now there are countries, non-regional countries, meddling with issues in the South China Sea, stirring up trouble. The South China Sea issue should be resolved by countries in the region.”

He also took a thinly veiled swipe at the formation of blocs such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and AUKUS – both of which Australia is a member of, as is the US – saying that “no country should impose its will on others or bully others under the guise of multilateralism”.

“To us, the [US] strategy is an attempt to build an exclusive small group in the name of a free and open Indo-Pacific to hijack countries in our region and target one specific country,” he said. “It is a strategy to create conflict and confrontation to contain and encircle others.”

He added: “China will not be the bully. We are all clear-eyed who is the bully”.

Wei described ties with Washington as being “at a critical and crucial juncture”, calling on “the US side to stop smearing and containing China, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop harming China’s interests”.

“Confrontation will benefit neither our two countries. It would be an historic and strategic mistake to insist on taking China as a threat, an adversary or even an enemy.”

China was committed to creating “a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, fairness and justice and co-operation”, he told delegates in Singapore.

“We will not provoke troubles but we will not flinch in the face of provocation,” he said. “Our doctrine is that we will not attack until we are attacked. If anyone dares to attack us the PLA will not hesitate to fight back and defeat the aggressor.”

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/australia-stirring-up-trouble-in-south-china-sea-says-beijing-defence-chief-20220612-p5at3g.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 3:41 a.m. No.16434646 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9627

Australia's Defence Minister meets Chinese counterpart, marking the end of a two-year diplomatic freeze

Jane Norman - 12 June 2022

Defence Minister Richard Marles has held a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Singapore, officially ending a two-year diplomatic freeze between Canberra and Beijing.

Taking place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La security summit, Mr Marles's meeting with General Wei Fenghe marked the first high-level contact with Australia's biggest trading partner since January 2020.

Angered by the Morrison government's call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, China ceased contact with Canberra, at a political level, and imposed billions of dollars worth of trade strikes on Australian exports.

Mr Marles described the meeting as a "frank and full exchange" in which he raised a number of issues of concern to Australia, including China's recent interception of an Australian air force plane over the South China Sea.

"This was an important meeting between two countries of consequence in the Indo-Pacific meeting," he said.

"It was a critical first step.

"Australia and China's relationship is complex and it's precisely because of this complexity that it is really important that we are engaging in dialogue right now."

Alarm expressed at South China Sea build-up

The meeting was set against a backdrop of increasing aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea.

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday there had been, "an alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea" by Chinese planes and ships.

General Wei Fenghe rejected his "smearing accusation" and accused the US and unnamed countries of "meddling" in the contested waters and "stirring up trouble".

"Some big power has long practised navigation hegemony on the pretext of freedom of navigation," he told the conference.

"It [US] has flexed the muscles by sending warships and warplanes on a rampage in the South China Sea."

In a co-ordinated pushback against Beijing by Western allies, Mr Marles expressed alarm at China's military build-up and rapid expansion in the region.

"Chinese militarisation of features in the South China Sea needs to be understood for what it is: the intent to deny the legitimacy of its neighbours' claims in this vital international waterway through force," he said.

Those comments were echoed by Canada's Defence Minister, Anita Anand, who expressed concern with China's "increasingly assertive behaviour in the South China Sea".

"We believe China's actions have heightened tensions and undermined the rules-based international order," she said.

The South China Sea is considered one of several potential flashpoints in a region where strategic competition is on the rise.

China says it would fight Taiwanese independence 'at all costs'

On Taiwan, General Wei Fenghe reaffirmed China's long-held position that it seeks a "peaceful reunification" with the island but cautioned Beijing would "crush" any push for Taiwanese independence.

"We will resolutely crush any attempt to pursue Taiwan independence," he told the conference.

"We will fight at all costs. And we will fight to the very end."

Mr Marles's meeting with his Chinese counterpart will be seen as a positive step that could pave the way for more high-level talks between the two countries.

But the Albanese government has previously said it wants Beijing to demonstrate its desire to repair the strained relationship by dropping its trade sanctions against Australia.

“In moving forward, while there is a change in tone, there is absolutely no change in the substance of Australia’s national interest,” Mr Marles said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-12/chinese-and-australian-defence-ministers-meet-in-singapore/101146690

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 3:45 a.m. No.16434651 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4656

AFP arrests alleged international drug kingpin extradited from Thailand

AAP/ABC - 12 June 2022

Australian Federal Police (AFP) have extradited a man from Thailand to Melbourne, who they allege was a senior figure in an international organised crime syndicate accused of conspiring to traffic illegal drugs into Australia.

Working with Royal Thai Police, the AFP extradited the 66-year-old man from Bangkok to Melbourne on Saturday.

The AFP confirmed the man was Chinese-British national Chung Chak Lee.

It will be alleged the man was part of a conspiracy to traffic five separate quantities of methamphetamine — or derivatives of the drug — totalling 40kg over a number of months in 2012.

They said he was a senior criminal associate of a transnational drug cartel.

Thai authorities arrested the man in his Bangkok apartment in October 2020, carrying out an arrest warrant based on charges to be laid in Australia.

The dual national appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Saturday afternoon facing a charge of conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug of which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett said his extradition was part of a long-running investigation into a prolific transnational organised crime syndicate.

"The extradition of someone we allege to be high on the pecking order of this serious criminal syndicate is a significant milestone for the AFP," she said.

"It shows the AFP and its partners remain one step ahead in working tirelessly to keep our community safe."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-12/afp-extradite-arrest-alleged-senior-drug-figure/101146234

>>16434651

Alleged senior crime syndicate member extradited to Australia

12 June 2022

A Chinese-British dual national, 66, accused of being involved in a conspiracy to traffic multiple quantities of illegal drugs in Australia has been extradited from Thailand to face court in Australia.

Australian Federal Police officers, with assistance from the Royal Thai Police, extradited the man from Bangkok to Melbourne on 11 June 2022. His extradition is part of a long-running investigation into a prolific transnational organised crime syndicate.

He was arrested in his Bangkok apartment on 1 October 2020 by the Royal Thai Police, Narcotics Suppression Bureau, executing a provisional arrest warrant issued in Thailand, based on charges to be laid in Australia.

The man is alleged to be a senior criminal associate of the syndicate’s head, and the AFP will allege the man was part of a conspiracy to traffic five separate quantities of methamphetamine (or derivatives or the drug) totaling 40kg over a twelve-month period in 2012.

The man appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon to face a charge of conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, contrary to subsection 11.5(1) and subsection 302.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the persistent work of investigators over several years leading to this arrest demonstrated the AFP’s commitment to tracking down criminals who attempted to operate overseas in the hope of avoiding Australian law enforcement.

"The Australian Federal Police has an international network of partners committed to pursuing transnational organised crime offenders and bringing them to justice. If you commit an offence, there is nowhere to hide, and the AFP will track you down," Assistant Commissioner Barrett said.

“The extradition of someone we allege to be high on the pecking order of this serious criminal syndicate is a significant milestone for the AFP. It shows that the AFP and its partners remain one step ahead in working tirelessly to keep our community safe.”

Editor’s note: Announcement, footage and pictures available via Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/xZ2CRaWZOo

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/alleged-senior-crime-syndicate-member-extradited-australia

Redacted reports, letters to The Hague: secretive investigations coinciding with BRS’ defamation lawsuit

With all eyes on Roberts-Smith’s defamation case, it’s easy to forget a team of war crime investigators are picking through allegations against the SAS and writing letters to The Hague with criminal prosecutions in mind.

Perry Duffin - June 12, 2022

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The coming verdict in Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial is unlikely to silence war crime allegations against the SAS – instead it is potentially the first of many public reckonings with Australia’s war in Afghanistan.

Now-Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia “must act on the Brereton Report findings and never hide from the truth of our past” as the Morrison Government established a new investigative body and an oversight panel.

Major General Paul Brereton, head of the IGADF, concluded there was credible information that 39 Afghans were murdered by Australian special forces in 23 incidents after interviewing many SAS soldiers.

“None of these alleged crimes was committed during the heat of battle. The alleged victims were non-combatants or no longer combatants,” the damning report concluded in November 2020.

The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) works with Australian Federal Police investigators to pick through the evidence that went before Brereton and likely much more.

The Brereton report, with pages after page entirely blacked out, offers no insight into exactly which incidents and soldiers the OSI has in its sights.

As the report made headlines across the world, Nine was quietly finalising its truth defence against Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawsuit.

The decision essentially transformed the civil case into a proxy war crime trial but, unlike the IGADF, it would take place largely in public.

For many of the 99 days of evidence that followed the doors to the court were shut in order to protect the closely guarded identities of the SAS witnesses.

A videolink, instead, beamed out images of the multimillion-dollar legal teams, Justice Anthony Besanko or the silver coat of arms on the courtroom wall as soldiers audibly described prisoners shot dead in dusty compounds.

They told the court Afghans were killed as part of exhibition executions or macabre bonding rituals known as “blooding”.

Others denied the claims, saying medal envy over Mr Roberts-Smith’s Victoria Cross had birthed a jealous conspiracy in the broken squadron.

But the closed-circuit of the case broke in May when one witness, who had testified for Mr Roberts-Smith, was arrested by the AFP hours before he was to leave the country.

(continued)

>>16434662

2/2

The witness was returning to his room in the Pitt Street Marriott hotel, after drinking with Mr Roberts-Smith, when the AFP confronted him with a warrant for his phone, a bail court would hear.

The former SAS soldier, whose name and even pseudonym are suppressed, allegedly resisted police after they stopped him trying to leave the hotel, police claim.

He spent the night in custody and is not charged with any war crime offences.

The soldier’s arrest was a very rare reminder that investigators outside the court were paying close attention to the civil lawsuit.

The progress of the criminal and institutional shifts appears to have been deliberately obscured from the public as focus remains on the trial.

It was reported, earlier this year, that successive Coalition Defence Ministers had been given six reports detailing how the ADF was undergoing cultural change in the wake of Brereton.

The ministers, most recently Peter Dutton, had reportedly chosen not to release the updates publicly.

Meanwhile the OSI revealed in February this year that they had written to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The ICC prosecutes war crimes only when a nation has shown it is unable or unwilling to handle such cases on its own.

The OSI’s Director General, in a June 2021 letter, assured prosecutors at the ICC that the OSI would exist as long as it needed to fulfil its functions.

“The establishment and work of the OSI demonstrates Australia’s resolve to thoroughly and independently investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute the allegations of criminal offences in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016 by members of the ADF” the letter reads.

The same day the OSI wrote to The Hague Mr Roberts-Smith was facing cross examination by Nine’s barrister – denying an allegation he kicked a Person Under Confinement off a cliff in a war crime murder.

“That’s the piece of terrain off which you kicked a PUC, isn’t it?” Nine’s barrister asked.

“No, it’s not,” Mr Roberts-Smith shot back.

Mr Roberts-Smith launched legal action against Nine newspapers in mid-2018 saying they falsely claimed he was involved in war crime murders in Afghanistan while serving with the Special Air Service.

He has never been charged with war crimes or any other wrongdoing.

By the time Mr Roberts-Smith filed his lawsuit, he was one of many SAS soldiers who had given evidence before a secretive inquiry run by the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/redacted-reports-letters-to-the-hague-secretive-investigations-coinciding-with-brs-defamation-lawsuit/news-story/e933a806641e38d1f10cf955c836349c

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 4:05 a.m. No.16434665 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4292

>>16430216

Former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell who is facing 55 years in a US prison will ask to serve the bulk of her sentence for child sex trafficking in the UK so she can have family visits

CAROLINE GRAHAM - 12 June 2022

Ghislaine Maxwell will ask to be transferred to a British prison to serve the bulk of her sentence for child sex trafficking, The Mail on Sunday understands.

The former socialite, who faces up to 55 years in jail after being convicted of procuring young girls for the late paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, will be sentenced on June 28.

Under US law, she will have to spend the first three years in an American prison, but can then apply to return to the UK to be closer to her family.

'Ghislaine will apply to serve out the remainder of her sentence, whatever that may be, in the UK as soon as she is able,' a source told The Mail on Sunday.

'She wants to be in the UK to be closer to her family so she can have family visits. The prisons in Britain are far superior to those in the US and the Brits treat prisoners more humanely. The American system is a disgrace.

'If she has to spend time in prison she would rather do it in the UK, where people are treated fairly and with a measure of decency.'

Maxwell was convicted in December of five counts of grooming and procuring underage girls for Epstein, who was found hanged in his prison cell in 2019.

For almost two years since her arrest in July 2020, she had been kept in solitary confinement at the maximum-security Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, because officials feared she would kill herself before her trial, but last month she was moved into an area with 40 other inmates.

Maxwell's brother Ian, 66, revealed yesterday that he was prevented from visiting the 60-year-old after the prison went into lockdown following a fight. It remains in lockdown this weekend.

The daughter of shamed newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell has British, American and French citizenship and has complained of being kept in 'inhumane' conditions in jail.

On one day recently she claims to have eaten only a boiled egg and three slices of processed cheese.

Sources also claim that she has been unable to prepare adequately for her sentencing hearing because the video link that allows her to view legal documents is not working properly, meaning that she was given just 60 minutes to review a 70-page report.

'She's not getting adequate access to the documents she needs to see,' said one insider.

More than a dozen of Epstein's victims say they intend to appear at the sentencing, including Virginia Giuffre, who earlier this year reached an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew after he consistently and vehemently denied her claims that he sexually abused her.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10907299/Ghislaine-Maxwell-ask-serve-sentence-child-sex-trafficking-UK.html

>>16200019 (pb)

>>16200037 (pb)

Border Force missed evidence of sexual abuse then it continued for years: victim

Nick McKenzie - June 12, 2022

1/2

Border security officials failed to thoroughly search the mobile phone of one of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles at Melbourne Airport in 2015 despite being warned the 64-year-old was a suspected child sex offender travelling overseas with a minor.

The victim, Tiffany Skeggs, has now told The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes that at the time, both her phone and that of offender James Griffin contained “extremely exploitative and pornographic material of myself [aged 15] for certain”.

Griffin was a pediatric nurse who was employed at several Tasmanian government institutions who may have abused or groomed up to 30 children. Tasmanian police have already faced searing public scrutiny for their failures to act on multiple tip-offs over many years about Griffin. He killed himself before any of his victims could see him face justice.

After the failed search in 2015 the pair, who were returning from Turkey, went back to Tasmania. Skeggs was 17 at the time of the trip, and her abuse at Griffin’s hands did not stop until she was 19. Until now the details of his interaction with the Australian Border Force have remained clouded by agency secrecy.

Skeggs says the failure to adequately search the notorious offender at the airport may have also enabled Griffin to seek and find other victims. She has now publicly shared her battle to uncover why multiple agencies missed opportunities to stop his offending until he was finally charged in 2019 after Skeggs gave Tasmanian detectives a statement.

Skeggs says Griffin had near complete control over her between 2008, when she was 11 years old, and 2017, and that he was raping her several times a week. Griffin groomed Skeggs as a child netballer. He was a volunteer at Netball Tasmania.

An ongoing commission of inquiry into child sex abuse in Tasmania was ordered last year by the state government in connection to the Griffin scandal, as well as allegations of abuse in the Ashley Youth Detention Centre. However, the inquiry does not have jurisdiction to look at the action or inaction of federal agencies.

Skeggs said the ABF missed damning and easily retrieved evidence in May 2015 when border security officials at Melbourne International Airport approached the pair and demanded to search some of Griffin’s possessions. ABF were acting on a federal police international passenger alert that Griffin was a suspected child sex offender travelling overseas with an unnamed child.

Skeggs says there was video evidence on her mobile phone, and the phone of Griffin, of the pediatric nurse raping her as a 15 year old while he was about 64 and in a position of authority.

Skeggs said that if ABF had conducted a forensic search on one or both of the phones, they would have discovered “a particular set of images and videos that were of he and I in his bedroom, in his bed. And the video is a recording of him penetrating me and sexually assaulting me aged 15.”

Skeggs said the failure of ABF to conduct a more thorough search meant “that I still had years of abuse to come”.

“I would never have another opportunity like that for any authority in this state or this country to help me. I was on my own. I had to fend for myself and continued to be raped by him, as did others.”

(continued)

2/2

Seven years after the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service temporarily seized Griffin’s phone at Melbourne Airport’s international terminal, the agency is not willing to respond to specific questions. In a brief statement, the ABF said a thorough internal review has shown it “took the appropriate action in compliance with our legislative obligations”.

Skeggs also revealed she had been involved late last year in confidential briefings, where she took detailed notes, with a senior Border Force officer who had told her that a possible technology failure was the reason why no electronic forensic phone search or download was conducted.

Skeggs insists ABF took possession of both her phone and that belonging to Griffin, although ABF records from the evening only record Griffin’s phone being taken and then manually searched.

This masthead has confirmed that ABF did not conduct a forensic search on either phone, a process which involves a computer scanning photo thumbnails to detect indicators of pornography, such as a high proportion of skin tone.

The ABF did not respond to a list of specific questions, including why a forensic search was not conducted or whether it disputed Skeggs’ clear recollection that her phone was seized in addition to that of Griffin.

One possible explanation for the failure to conduct a more thorough search is that the ABF believed it was under federal police direction not to alert Griffin that he was the subject of law enforcement interest, rather than the subject of a random border phone seizure. However, Skeggs dismisses this, noting that the moment ABF approached the pair at the airport, Griffin panicked, fearing he was an abuse suspect.

Skeggs said this belief increased as the pair had to wait at least 1½ hours at the airport while ABF conducted its search.

“After they handed back our phones and let us go, he made me delete the images and videos off my phone,” she said.

This masthead also asked the AFP if it had given Border Force express instructions not to conduct a forensic phone search. The ABF conducts searches at airports of passengers listed by the AFP as suspects or potential targets, but is often given limited information about the underlying federal police inquiry.

The AFP said it could not comment while the commission of inquiry is underway.

The AFP also referred its intelligence about child sex abuse, Griffin and his travel overseas with a minor to Tasmanian police at the time of the 2015 trip.

Last year, Tasmania Police apologised to sexual assault victims after revealing the force was also tipped off about Griffin in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Three state police officers were disciplined as a result of an internal police review, which recommended reforms to ensure tip-offs are more thoroughly investigated.

This weekend, this masthead and 60 Minutes also revealed how whistleblowers had exposed the mishandling of abuse allegations at the Ashley youth jail in Tasmania. Griffin worked at Ashley in 2017, despite suspicion he was an abuser. It is unknown if he offended against children in detention in addition to his other Tasmanian child victims.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/border-force-missed-evidence-of-sexual-abuse-then-it-continued-for-years-victim-20220609-p5asjl.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 4:44 a.m. No.16434710 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4470

Survivors fight back against trafficking

Farid Farid - June 12 2022

When Tsvetelina Thompson confronted her trafficker in a Dutch court after a 10-year legal fight, she felt a brief moment of victory. But to this day, she still fears for her life.

The Bulgarian survivor, 36, was trafficked into bonded prostitution in her native country at the age of 16. She was then taken to Greece before ending up in Amsterdam's infamous red-light district, from where she managed to escape her indentured life.

"For years I lived in fear … even now if I go back to Bulgaria for a visit I always look over my shoulder because (the trafficker's) people are still there," she told AAP from Florida, where she runs Twentyfour-Seven, an organisation dedicated to empowering trafficked women.

This week, Mrs Thompson will address a modern slavery summit bringing together Australian law enforcement officials, policymakers and technologists.

Her advocacy group developed a QR code that can be easily scanned through a smartphone to provide critical information in several languages to trafficked women who want to contact law enforcement agencies.

It also allows businesses such as hotels, where many underage girls are effectively trapped through constant sex work, to report incidents of trafficking to relevant authorities.

The code has the ability to capture the exact location of where a report of human trafficking is made and provides a way for victims to ask for help without them needing to self-identify as a victim.

Australia is not immune from the scourge of modern slavery in its many guises.

There is no national data reporting the number of identified victims, but the most recent Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day in 2016 there were 15,000 people living in conditions of modern slavery across Australia.

This is a concerning number to NSW Detective Chief Inspector Darren Jameson, who is also speaking at the summit.

He identified four major types of modern slavery - forced marriage, forced labour, sexual slavery and human trafficking - that authorities are focused on tackling.

Det Chief Insp Jameson noted 1900 reports relating to modern slavery were received by the Australian Federal Police between 2020 and 2021. Forced marriage reports made up 35 per cent of the total.

"It's our highest contributor at the moment in the modern slavery network … and we're starting to see the expansion of other forms of modern slavery," he told AAP.

"These people subjected to modern slavery are normally the most vulnerable and disadvantaged so their susceptibility to the crime is very, very high".

NSW is the first state in Australia to introduce standalone modern slavery legislation to complement national laws.

Its regime, which came into effect this year, requires government agencies, local councils and corporations to make sure the goods and services they procure are not the product of modern slavery.

It also created the country's first Anti-Slavery Commissioner, an independent office with oversight over government agencies.

In March, the federal government ordered a statutory review of its 2018 Modern Slavery Act to improve compliance.

Det Chief Insp Jameson lauded the landmark NSW laws and steps by the federal government as necessary legal boosts in the fight against modern slavery.

However, he also advocated for a holistic approach to tackling an illegal enterprise that was worth billions of dollars to criminal cartels.

"I don't think the battle is about just cutting the head off," he said.

"The battle is at a community level, raising the awareness and then disrupting (cartels') criminal activities … to the point where it can no longer be viable for them."

For Mrs Thompson, the transnational nature of sexual slavery has become more sophisticated, with victims now able to be lured via social media. In order to prevent more victims being trafficked, communities must be vigilant - starting with parents.

"Traffickers right now are targeting kids online … when you don't talk about it, it's swept under the rug," she said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7776476/survivors-fight-back-against-trafficking/

Modern Slavery Online Summit - June 15-16, 2022

https://freedomforhumanity.org.au/

>>16424802

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet

“On Friday, I was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Australia. I am grateful to President Biden for his leadership and for giving me the chance to represent America to our vital ally Australia" -Ambassador Kennedy (1/2)

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1535840765523333120

—

"I am excited to work with @SecBlinken and colleagues in the State Department to implement U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific at this critical time. Can’t wait to get there!” - Ambassador Kennedy

#USwithAUS

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1535840768669020160

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 10:14 p.m. No.16439000 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9003

Richard Marles and Wei Fenghe take first step to Beijing thaw

JOE KELLY - JUNE 13, 2022

1/2

Beijing has ended its diplomatic deep-freeze of Australia after a breakthrough meeting in Singapore between Richard Marles and his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, with “full and frank” discussions focusing on rising tensions in the Pacific and South China Sea.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister said he met for more than an hour with General Wei on Sunday morning on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, arguing it was important to maintain “open lines” of communication to manage new and complex strategic challenges.

Mr Marles said he raised the May 26 incident in which a Chinese J-16 fighter aggressively challenged a RAAF maritime surveillance aircraft in international airspace over the South China Sea, firing flares and “chaff” countermeasures, and the increasing militarisation of the Pacific.

“This was an important meeting between two countries of consequence in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr Marles said. “It’s three years since defence ministers of our country have met … Australia and China’s relationship is complex. (It) is precisely because of this complexity that it is really important that we are engaging in dialogue right now.”

Conflict between the US and China dominated the weekend defence summit, with both nations clashing over their strategies in the Indo-Pacific and General Wei warning that Beijing would “fight to the end” if Washington initiated a confrontation over Taiwan.

“If anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight. We will fight at all costs and we will fight to the very end. This is the only choice for China,” he said.

Mr Marles described his meeting with General Wei as a “critical first step”, with discussions having taken place without either side having imposed conditions. He said several Australian concerns were raised.

“I raised a number of issues of concern to Australia, including the incident involving Australia’s P-8 aircraft on the 26th of May and Australia’s abiding interest in the Pacific and our concern to ensure that the countries of the Pacific are not put in a position of increased militarisation,” Mr Marles said.

He clarified Labor would maintain support for Australia’s existing “One China” policy, but would continue to uphold the international rules-based order, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in the South China Sea.

The comments represent a change in emphasis from the former Coalition government. Last November, former defence minister Peter Dutton said it would be “inconceivable” for Australia – as a US alliance partner – not to join in and assist in a military action in the Taiwan Strait.

Mr Marles said on Sunday that “Australia does not support Taiwanese independence”.

“We have good relations with the people of Taiwan. What we don’t want to see is any unilateral action on either side of the Taiwan Strait which changes the status quo,” he said.

Mr Marles said any solution should be achieved through “peaceful negotiation”.

“That’s been a longstanding bipartisan position within Australia for decades now.”

(continued)

>>16439000

2/2

The meeting ends nearly three years without high-level ministerial contact in what has been the most tumultuous period in relations since 1972, with ties deteriorating after the former government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19. In response, Beijing slapped trade sanctions on $20bn worth of Australian exports and has issued Australia with a list of 14 grievances.

The head of the Business Council of Australia’s global engagement committee, Warwick Smith, said the discussions in Singapore “must be seen as sensible and positive”. Mr Smith, a former Howard government minister with unparalleled ties to China and who accompanied Anthony Albanese on his recent visit to Indonesia, told The Australian: “The realism is that China and Australia have a strong mutual trading relationship.

“A mature approach between governments manifestly means they must talk to each other.”

Executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Justin Bassi, said the meeting and broader ministerial engagement was “definitely positive as it enables dialogue” but stressed it was not a “thawing of relations just yet”.

“The differences that existed yesterday, such as China’s economic coercion of Australia, its destabilising actions in the South China Sea or arbitrary detention of Australians, still exist today. Until China’s actions change, the structural issues in the relationship will remain. But dialogue without conditions means that Australia can engage with China on these differences in a clear and transparent way.”

The Lowy Institute’s senior fellow for East Asia, Richard McGregor, said neither country had “changed any of their positions on security issues”. “That was clear from their speeches. All that has changed is that they are talking to each other again. If that helps to reduce the risk of a possible military accident, which in turn could lead to something worse, than that’s a good thing.”

Mr Marles said the commencement of a new dialogue with Beijing was not contingent on a compromise on sovereignty or values, arguing that Australia had a “whole lot of national interests” and the government was “not going to waver from asserting those in the strongest possible terms”.

He said the meeting was set up at dinner on Friday night when he was sitting opposite General Wei.

“We both agreed that it was important that our two countries meet,” Mr Marles said. “That’s how the meeting came about today. It was hosted by China. The meeting went for more than an hour.”

Mr Marles said he would not disclose further details of the meeting, but argued it was a “full and frank discussion”.

“We want to take this in a very sober and very deliberate manner. We don’t underestimate the difficulties that we’ve had in our bilateral relationship. The fact that this is the first meeting at a ministerial level in almost three years is very significant.”

The Shangri-La Dialogue was also the first opportunity for US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with General Wei, with the pair discussing defence relations for nearly 60 minutes on Friday.

Mr Austin told the summit on Saturday that America did not support Taiwanese independence but was increasingly concerned by the “growing coercion from Beijing”.

General Wei urged Washington not to view Beijing as an adversary or an enemy.

“China’s position is very clear. If you want to talk, we should talk with mutual respect. If you want to engage, we should seek peaceful coexistence,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/richard-marles-and-wei-fenghe-take-first-step-tobeijing-thaw/news-story/9efe2b60e0b87eda82cb9e7d3e4d19ce

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 10:30 p.m. No.16439068 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9082

Barnaby Joyce urges caution after Richard Marles breaks silence with Beijing

ELLEN RANSLEY - JUNE 13, 2022

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has urged caution after Australia’s first ministerial contact with China in more than two years.

His successor, Defence Minister Richard Marles, had a “frank” discussion with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Singapore on the weekend.

It’s the first time since early 2020 there has been any such high-level interaction between Canberra and Beijing.

Mr Marles said he raised the controversial attack on an Australian aircraft by a Chinese jet last month as well as broader issues in the Pacific.

“They are a threat if they want to set up military bases near us and put lasers on to our Royal Australian Air Force patrols and if they want to put aluminium chaff into the engines, which could have brought down that P8 Poseidon aircraft with the death of the crew on-board, then that’s a threat,” Mr Joyce told Channel 7.

“I like the words, but let’s see the actions.

“The actions are that they stepped down from this forward push into our area, that they stop their military might that they’re using as a mechanism to put a foot on our throat – I’ll be as frank as that – to intimidate us.

“We’ve seen this before. We’ve seen the discussions, we’ve seen that everything is going to get better and at the same time they continue on with their plan in the background … (which) remains absolutely and utterly targeted, which is the domination of the South Pacific and the intimidation of us to work under their terms.”

Mr Joyce held firm against accusations his government had made a mistake in putting diplomatic distance between Beijing and Canberra, saying the Morrison government had “stood up” for Australia.

“You have to stand up for Australia and you have to be honest,” Mr Joyce said.

His co-panellist, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, said Mr Marles’ discussions with China had been a step in the right direction.

“Talking is always better than not talking. It was a very important meeting,” Ms Plibersek said.

“It gives us the opportunity to raise some of these issues.”

On Sunday, Mr Marles said his discussion with Mr Wei – a side talk at the Shangri-La Dialogue ministerial conference in Singapore – had been a “critical first step”.

“It was an opportunity to have a very frank and full exchange in which I raised a number of issues of concern to Australia, including the incident involving Australia’s P-8 aircraft on May 26 and Australia’s abiding interest in the Pacific and our concern to ensure that the countries of the Pacific are not put in a position of increased militarisation,” Mr Marles said.

Earlier in the day, he had delivered a speech to the conference in which he called on China to be transparent about its military build-up and criticised Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea.

“Australia and China’s relationship is complex, and it’s precisely because of this complexity that it is really important that we are engaging in dialogue right now,” he said.

Former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson said he did not expect a major breakthrough in Australia’s relationship with Beijing.

There are still a lot of fundamental differences between China and Australia which the new government is fully aware of,” Mr Richardson told ABC Radio.

“I don’t think they will be looking for any startling breakthrough anytime soon.”

Mr Richardson said it was “nonsense” that Australia had not been able to talk at a ministerial level with China, considering other countries had maintained such communication.

“A lot of that has been because of what China has done, and not done it. I think it’s a very good thing that were at least able to communicate,” he said.

“The easiest part of any government is at the beginning. It is over time that the complexities and the difficulties emerge and the compromises you make start to catch up with you.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/barnaby-joyce-urges-caution-after-richard-marles-breaks-silence-with-beijing/news-story/d1364f640129edd45f27c3886289727f

>>16439068

China Australia relations on the mend after new meeting

7NEWS Australia

Jun 13, 2022

There's been a promising development in Australian-Chinese relations after a "full and frank" exchange between the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chinese defence minister. It comes after almost 3 years of diplomatic distance, with no phone calls or meetings between Beijing and Canberra since early 2020. There's now hope that relations with our largest trading partner might be on the mend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKLfTJbX4LE

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 12, 2022, 10:40 p.m. No.16439093 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9103

‘Accusations of sabotage’ from within Liberal Party during federal election

Sky News Australia

Jun 13, 2022

Sky News host Sharri Markson says there have been “accusations of sabotage from within the Liberal ranks” during the federal election.

“The New South Wales Treasurer and climate change champion, Matt Kean, has been caught intervening in the election campaign Scott Morrison was bitterly fighting,” Ms Markson said.

“Just 11 days before polling day, Kean messaged a young journalist on the road with Morrison, encouraging her to pursue the political controversy over the Warringah candidate Katherine Deves.”

Ms Markson said the NSW Treasurer has denied the claims and maintains he was "doing everything in his power to help Morrison win".

Mr Kean told Sky News Australia on Sunday there had only been "light-hearted banter" on his behalf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdb2DH7Ebr4

>>16439093

David Elliott accuses Matt Kean of ‘treachery‘ for backgrounding against former PM Scott Morrison

MAX MADDISON - JUNE 13, 2022

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott has accused his cabinet colleague Matt Kean of “treachery”, saying his efforts to undermine Scott Morrison will be “repaid in kind”.

As revealed by The Australian, Mr Kean, the NSW Treasurer and leader of the moderate faction, sent text messages to a female political journalist on the former prime minister’s campaign bus, encouraging her to ask tough questions about the Liberal’s Warringah candidate Katherine Deves.

With Mr Morrison battling to retain power, Mr Elliott told 2GB’s Ben Fordham he was “disgusted” by Mr Kean’s effort to undermine the prime minister.

“Matt Kean’s behaviour is nothing short of treachery and will be repaid in kind,” Mr Elliott said.

The cabinet-level dispute poses a major headache for NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet just eight days out from the delivery of the Coalition’s critical budget.

Mr Kean denied pushing the journalist to ask questions about Ms Deves – whose controversial comments about transgender children plagued Mr Morrison throughout the election campaign – instead saying the exchange was just “lighthearted banter”.

“I wouldn’t normally comment on private conversations but … all I’ll say is a reporter that worked in the NSW gallery contacted me about a political matter, I responded with some lighthearted banter,” he told Sky on Sunday.

“The suggestion I was asking the reporter to ask questions of anyone in particular is just false.”

A centre-right factional ally of Mr Morrison – who ultimately lost the election to Anthony Albanese on May 21 – Mr Elliott has previously taken issue with the NSW Treasurer, previously labelling his analysis of the Coalition’s election loss “bizarre”.

“Is (Mr Kean) suggesting people in our North Shore seats were so stupid they didn’t know they were ditching progressive Liberals?,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/david-elliott-blasts-kean-for-treachery-for-allegedly-backgrounding-against-former-pm-scott-morrison/news-story/ac0e5c461b206be0f2e705bbb2b6ae3a

Re-elect PM? Turns out some weren’t so Kean

SHARRI MARKSON - JUNE 11, 2022

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/reelect-pm-turns-out-some-werent-so-kean/news-story/21e6e4ab69ccb9f2f92bcbfbbb26c173

Malcolm Turnbull labels Peter Dutton a 'belligerent blusterer' over nuclear submarines claim

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has criticised previous defence minister Peter Dutton over the handling of the nuclear submarine deal with France.

AAP / SBS - 13 June 2022

Claims from Opposition leader Peter Dutton he tried to buy two US nuclear submarines to meet a capability shortfall have been labelled as "belligerent" bluster by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Turnbull heavily criticised the former defence minister's role in the scrapping of a French submarine deal in favour of acquiring nuclear vessels as part of the AUKUS alliance.

With Australia set to get its own nuclear submarines by the late 2030s, Mr Dutton said he had planned to buy two Virginia-class subs from the US by 2030 in order to plug a gap for the vessels.

"It was just more blustering from Dutton … he's a belligerent blusterer who wrecked a submarine contract," Mr Turnbull told ABC radio on Monday.

"We're now in a position where we don't have any submarine program at all.

"Between (former prime minister Scott) Morrison and Dutton they did enormous damage to Australia's national security."

Former defence department secretary Dennis Richardson said it was wishful thinking that Australia could have received two American nuclear submarines by the end of the decade.

He took issue with the comments raised about the acquisition of US vessels as part of AUKUS.

"The more the Americans hear senior Australians talk about the possibility of getting them in five years' time or in 10 years' time, the more people in the American system scratch their heads and ask themselves whether they're dealing with a country that seriously understands the depth of the challenge," he said.

"It's a long shot to think that we'll get nuclear-powered submarines from the Americans by 2030."

Mr Richardson said Australia did not have the port facilities needed to service nuclear submarines from America, even if they were acquired.

His comments come after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Saturday Australia had agreed to pay the French-based Naval Group $830 million over the scrapped submarine contract.

Mr Richardson said in the circumstances the settlement was a good outcome.

"The $850-odd million is well spent in terms of moving on and properly compensating the French for the effort they've put in over the last five years," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia's relationship with France was now able to move forward following the settlement.

"The speed with which we have moved to settle this matter, put a line underneath it and to move forward was very much welcomed by the French minister (for defence Sebastien Lecornu)," Mr Marles said

"France and Australia have so much in common," he added, noting the European nation's strong presence in the Pacific region.

Mr Albanese is reportedly planning to visit Paris in the coming weeks to further repair the diplomatic relationship.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/malcolm-turnbull-labels-peter-dutton-a-belligerent-blusterer-over-nuclear-submarines-claim/ar32yufld

>>16430017

>>16424947

AUKUS settlement reveals Australia being unrealistic about China ties

Global Times - Jun 12, 2022

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Saturday a $583 million settlement, which is "fair and equitable," over a controversial decision last year to scrap the French submarine deal, an apparent move to repair the rift between the two countries.

Essentially, the large payment, which is nearly enough to afford a Kilo-class or Type 209 submarine, is a result of the US effort to advance the AUKUS alliance and shows that Australia has completely abandoned this military cooperation with France. Albanese is following the footsteps of his predecessor in this regard, that is, to strengthen military ties with the US and UK.

Albanese claimed that given the "gravity of the challenges" that Australia and France face both in the region and globally, it is essential that both countries once again "unite to defend our shared principles and interests." The statement reflects that the new Australian government is still under the manipulation of the US and sees China as a threat and a major adversary.

According to Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, Australia's unshakable consideration of China as an important imaginary enemy is rooted in the US' control of the AUKUS alliance and Australia's position in the US' blueprint as the backbone of its Indo-Pacific strategy.

In addition, there are so-called common values and ideologies between the US and Australia, let alone Australia's ambition to become a global power through the US that makes it difficult to properly position itself. The result is a wrong estimation of China-Australia relations, which is based on the premise of the relationship between Australia and the US.

A healthy China-Australia relationship must be independent of any other bilateral relations, must transcend ideology or values, and develop a broad consensus on many issues. However, despite Canberra's previous olive branch which Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell extended to Beijing to restore trade ties, remarks by Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles sent bleak signals.

In a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, Marles emphasized the country's support for "regional security and stability based on rules," claiming that Australia does not question the right of any country to modernize their military capabilities consistent with their interests and resources, but "large-scale military build-ups must be transparent."

According to Song, this reflects that Australia is unrealistic and not objective in dealing with China-Australia relations. Canberra is still taking the US view of international security and order to lecture China.

The US is determined to use Australia as a frontline country to achieve the forward movement of US military power by promoting the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, in spite of the alleged cooperation with allies to protect common interests. But how is it possible for a country which has turned its back on countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria to value the interest of its allies like Australia?

Marles affirmed in Singapore that there will be no cuts to Australian defense spending. The Albanese government has committed to spending 2 percent of GDP on defense, of which AUKUS will be central.

Of course, behind this large spending on defense is pressure from the US, since a huge amount of the Australian expenditure will be used to purchase American weapons and equipment, Song said. Canberra needs to think carefully about who benefits most from the China and Russia threat theory that the US hypes. It is not that Australia is really threatened by the two countries, but the US arms dealers are beyond happy as a large amount of dollars flow into their pockets.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1267921.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 13, 2022, 3:19 a.m. No.16439627 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9631

>>16434646

Australia urged to show real actions to reset China ties amid confusing messages at key security meeting

Deng Xiaoci and Wan Hengyi - Jun 13, 2022

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Only one day after alleging that "China's military build-ups" would cause inevitable upgrade of military capabilities of its neighbors in his speech at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles met on Sunday with China's State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe who is also attending the event, a first time for three years, which Australian local media hailed as a sign of breaking a two-year diplomatic stalemate between the two countries and marking a first step toward improved bilateral relations.

However, Chinese observers expressed caution, saying the meeting shows Beijing's expectations to restore ties with Canberra especially after new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office, while pointing out that Canberra is still living in the shadow of the former Morrison government where it continues to embroil itself in an unnecessary arms race, posing China as its imaginary enemy, and serves as a vanguard of the US against China in the region, and that would still complicate the relationship.

Their meeting marked the first high-level contact between the two countries since January 2020, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said.

The Chinese Department of National Defense had not announced details of their meeting as of press time.

Before their Sunday meeting, Marles, however, in his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, mentioned China for over twenty times.

While admitting that "Australia values a productive relationship with China," and China remains our largest trading partner," Marles claimed that "it is critical that China's neighbors do not see this build-up as a risk for them. Because without that reassurance, it is inevitable that countries will seek to upgrade their own military capabilities in response."

Marles said that "Insecurity is what drives an arms race," which Chinese observers believed it is an excuse for its role to serve as vanguard for the US in Washington's so-called Indo-Pacific strategy that is essentially targeted against China, which would eventually harm Australia's own interests.

Australia is heavily dependent on China economically, but it acts as a vanguard of the US against China in its foreign policy and regional security issues, the main reason why China-Australia relations are complicated, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told Global Times on Sunday.

Australia's high-profile announcement that it would build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the US and the UK is seen as an important way for the US to expand its "integrated deterrence" by beefing up Australia's military power and further offset China's growing regional influence.

Australia is embroiling itself in an unnecessary arms race, picturing China as its imaginary enemy which is fundamentally undermining its own interests, and the Australian government should reflect on its unprincipled role as the vanguard of the US' anti-China campaign and have a sober and rational understanding of China, Chen noted.

(continued)

>>16439627

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Besides, Australia's series of moves including elevating its defense budgets and increasing military investment in patrols in South China Sea and other regions around China, are all for the interests of the US and against the interests of Australia, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

It would be wise if it gives up anti-China groupings and alliances such as the AUKUS, if it intends to repair ties with China, Song noted.

Marles told a press conference Sunday that the meeting was a "frank and full exchange" in which he raised a number of issues of concern to Australia, including China's recent interception of an Australian air force plane over the South China Sea, according to reports.

Australia's Defense Ministry unilaterally claimed that an Australian military aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese military aircraft while conducting a reconnaissance mission over the South China Sea on May 26, endangering the safety of the Australian aircraft and its crew.

In response, China's Ministry of National Defense said in response that the PLA Southern Theater Command organized maritime and aerial forces to identify and warn away an Australian P-8A ASW aircraft, when it repeatedly approached the Chinese airspace of the Xisha Islands for close-in reconnaissance on May 26 despite repeated warning from the Chinese forces.

The latest meeting reflects expectations for improved bilateral relations after Albanese took office and it is hoped that bilateral relations will develop in a positive direction, the expert added.

Canberra should deeply understand that it is in line with their national interests to develop normal relations with China, and that the new Albanese government would cease following the wrong path of the former Morrison government to undermine the bilateral ties and cause harm to the country's interests, Song noted.

Not so long ago, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about the prospects of China-Australia relations at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Soroi Eoe of Papua New Guinea on June 3, when concluding a 10-day visit to the South Pacific.

Wang said the crux of the difficulties in China-Australia relations in recent years lies in the fact that some political forces in Australia are determined to see China as an adversary rather than a partner and portray China's development as a threat rather than an opportunity. This has led to a significant reversal of Australia's previous positive and pragmatic policy toward China.

According to Wang, the solution to the problem is that Australia should view China and its relations with China rationally and positively, respect China and seek common ground while putting aside differences, creating necessary conditions for the two countries' relations to return to the right track.

Wang stressed that there is no "autopilot" mode for China-Australia relations. Concrete actions are needed to reset bilateral ties. This conforms to the aspirations of the two peoples and the trend of the times.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1267930.shtml

>>16430199

China’s envoy to Australia says 2 nations at ‘new juncture’

ROD McGUIRK - 13 June 2022

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China’s ambassador to Australia says relations between the two countries are at a “new juncture” with the election of a new Australian government and the first minister-to-minister talks in more than two years.

Ambassador Xiao Qian gave an upbeat assessment of the potential for the bilateral relationship in a weekend speech to the Australia-China Friendship Society in the west coast city of Perth. The speech was published Monday on the embassy’s website.

“The international, political and economic landscape is undergoing profound and complex changes. The China-Australia relationship is at a new juncture, facing many opportunities,” Xiao said.

“My embassy and the Chinese consulates-general in Australia stand ready to work with the Australian federal government, state governments and friends from all walks of life to move forward the China-Australia relationship along the right track to the benefits of our two countries and two peoples,” Xiao added.

Xiao’s speech Saturday came a day before Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe’s hourlong meeting with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles on the sidelines of a regional security summit in Singapore.

Marles described the meeting as a “critical first step” in repairing bilateral relations. But observers are wary of describing the meeting as a thawing of a diplomatic deep freeze between the countries.

Dennis Richardson, a former head of Defense, Foreign Affairs and the spy agency Australian Security Intelligence Organisation as well as a former Australian ambassador to the United States, noted that both governments took their first opportunity to have ministerial contact since Australia’s government changed at elections May 21.

Bilateral relations had soured in the nine years that a conservative coalition had held power.

“The fact that they agreed to talk at the very first opportunity is noteworthy,” Richardson told Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday.

“I don’t think we should get too far down the track on this. We have a long way to go,” Richardson added.

Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst in defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, warned against overstating the significance of the meeting.

“They had an hourlong meeting where they exchanged, in a frank and full manner, their respective views. That does not equate to restoring the status quo ante of the Australian relationship as it existed prior to 2015 when the relationship was reasonably good,” Davis said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wrote to congratulate Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese days after his election victory in a gesture seen by some as China seeking to reset the relationship.

Albanese responded by urging China to show goodwill by lifting a series of official and unofficial trade barriers created in recent years to a range of Australian exports worth billions of dollars including coal, wine, barley, beef and seafood.

Bates Gill, a Macquarie University expert on Chinese foreign policy, suspected Beijing would not budge on trade sanctions.

“It would have to come at some price of Australia agreeing to Chinese demands. I just don’t think the politics at the moment are going to allow for that,” Gill said.

Bilateral relations plumbed new depths early in the pandemic when Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of and responses to COVID-19.

China’s latest ambassador to Australia has set a more conciliatory tone since he arrived in Canberra in January than his predecessor, Cheng Jingye, did.

Cheng warned in 2020 of Chinese trade boycotts if Australia persisted with its call for a COVID-19 inquiry.

https://apnews.com/article/china-elections-australia-canberra-perth-85bf4b5f45d048e3c6e9ae7c4562c8d5

—

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Review the Past, Look into the Future, Open a New Chapter for China-Australia Relationship

—Speech at the National Conference of Australia China Friendship Society by Ambassador XIAO Qian

2022-06-11

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/sghdxwfb_1/202206/t20220612_10702011.htm

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 13, 2022, 3:42 a.m. No.16439673 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3912

>>16395641

‘Immunity is waning’: Andrews seeks fourth shot for hospital workers

Melissa Cunningham - June 13, 2022

Premier Daniel Andrews will push the federal government for all healthcare workers in hospitals across Victoria to get a fourth dose of coronavirus vaccine, amid concerns over waning immunity.

He revealed his intention to approach the Commonwealth over the second booster shots on Monday, saying hospital chiefs had raised it as a “real priority” following a recent spate of COVID-19 outbreaks seeded by staff bringing the virus into work.

“The CEO of Barwon Health, a nurse herself, made it very clear to me that a number of their COVID outbreaks in their hospital had been via staff bringing the virus in unknowingly and [despite] following all the right protocols,” he said.

“Some of their immunity is waning, so getting them fourth jabs as fast as possible is very important to help keep COVID out of the hospital. That’ll be something that I’ll be raising with the Commonwealth as soon as I can.”

There are no plans to mandate a fourth dose for healthcare workers in Victoria. However, it is mandatory for workers in healthcare, aged care, disability, emergency services, correctional facilities, quarantine accommodation and food processing and distribution to be “up to date” with their vaccination doses.

At present, this means they require a third dose to work on site and must have it within a set time frame once they are eligible.

Experts say boosters have been critical in reducing serious illness and fighting spread of the virus, with mounting evidence that the third dose provides ongoing protection, particularly against the vaccine-evasive Omicron variant.

Victoria’s front-line healthcare workers were among the first to be immunised against coronavirus and their third-dose boosters were fast-tracked and mandated during the Omicron wave.

“When you’re the very first cab off the rank getting vaccinated … you’re the first ones to become eligible, from an immunity waning point of view, for the fourth dose,” Andrews said.

“So we are going to do something about it … and try to make sure that all of our staff have got access to a fourth dose as quickly as possible.”

Andrews will urge the nation’s chief vaccine advisers to consider including healthcare workers in the cohort eligible for a fourth dose and request vaccine supply from Canberra.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation presently recommends a fourth dose only for Australians aged over 65 and those at increased risk of severe illness, including young people with underlying conditions. The fourth dose can be given four months after the booster.

People aged 64 and younger who do not have underlying risk factors are not eligible for a winter booster.

Asked whether a fourth dose could be mandated for healthcare workers in the future, Andrews pointed to the state’s pandemic legislation, indicating the responsibility for key health decisions now lies with Health Minister Martin Foley.

Under new pandemic-specific legislation, Foley makes public health orders following regular pandemic briefings and expert advice from Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and his team.

A Victorian government spokeswoman said the state was continually assessing the need for vaccine mandates.

“Healthcare workers have higher levels of exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases, and they are supported with investments in personal protective equipment, mask fit-testing and effective vaccines,” she said.

“Vaccines protect both workers and their patients from getting COVID, getting sick, ending up in hospital or, in tragic circumstances, death. Getting COVID also affects their ability to work and therefore impacts health services’ ability to staff their hospitals.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/immunity-is-waning-andrews-seeks-fourth-shot-for-hospital-workers-20220613-p5atbt.html

>>16356206

>>16384775

>>16390587

Australia sending two shipments of baby formula amid ‘shocking’ US shortage

Australia has sent a massive care package to the US after Joe Biden warned of a mounting crisis gripping thousands of Americans.

news.com.au - June 13, 2022

Australia has sent 95,000 tins of baby formula to the US amid a mounting supply shortage.

The care package will offer some relief to thousands of families who have struggled to find formula in recent weeks.

Bubs Australia struck a deal with American grocery chains Kroger Co. and Albertsons Companies to import bulk amounts of formula under the fourth flight of Operation Fly Formula.

Altogether, the shipments have brought more than 4 million 8-ounce (236g) bottles of baby formula to Albertsons and Kroger shelves starting on June 20.

“We extend our thanks to our retail partners, who will [endeavour] that our products quickly get to retail shelves in the States and stores in most need with the highest stock-out rates,” Bubs Founder and CEO Kristy Carr said in a statement.

Subsequent shortages were particularly worrying to parents of infants with allergies or with certain metabolic conditions.

Their concerns became so acute that President Joe Biden met virtually this week with infant-food executives and insisted his administration was doing everything it could to help.

The crisis, coming at a time when soaring inflation and supply-chain delays have fanned a growing sense of unease among many ordinary Americans, has been seized on by Biden critics to question the competence of his administration.

“We’re working hard to fulfil the steps necessary to restart production of Similac and other formulas,” a spokesman from the Abbott Nutrition baby formula plant said last week.

“We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements.”

The formula shortages, initially caused by supply chain blockages and a lack of workers due to the pandemic, were exacerbated when Abbott closed its Sturges plant.

The plant was shut down amid complaints the plant lacked adequate protections against contamination from bacteria — complaints echoed after a six-week inspection by US Food and Drug Administration agents.

“Frankly, the inspection results were shocking,” FDA chief Robert Califf told members of a House subcommittee last month.

There was standing water in key equipment that presented “the potential for bacterial contamination,” plus leaks in the roof and a lack of basic hygiene facilities, he said.

But Abbott officials, while apologising for the formula shortage, have said there is no conclusive evidence linking the formula to infant illnesses or deaths.

For Biden, the issue had blown up into a political maelstrom. He told reporters Wednesday that he was only informed about the looming problem in early April and that he had pulled all the levers of government to resolve shortages ever since.

“I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact of the shutdown of one facility,” Biden said at a virtual meeting with the executives from five companies helping to take up the slack caused by Abbott’s problems.

“Once we learned the extent of it and how broad it was, it kicked everything into gear,” Biden said.

However, some executives said they had been able to tell immediately in February that a crisis was imminent.

“We knew from the very beginning,” said Robert Cleveland, a senior vice president at Reckitt.

Other executives taking part in the video session represented Gerber, ByHeart, Bubs Australia and Perrigo. Notably absent was anyone from Abbott.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/babies/australia-sending-two-shipments-of-baby-formula-amid-shocking-us-shortage/news-story/ed6b3d8681b24f7fd3aac56f527fd25f

The defence deal between Lynas and the US speaks of the highest level of commercial trust

TICKY FULLERTON - JUNE 14, 2022

The US Defense Department’s decision to award Australia’s Lynas the job of building a heavy rare earths facility in Texas is a watershed moment for supply chain security.

It speaks to the highest level of commercial trust within the US-Australia alliance.

This contract, four years in the making, is a triumph for Lynas chief executive Amanda Lacaze. The $US120m ($172m) from the DoD will fund the new plant in full.

When operational in 2025 the plant will go a long way to correcting the West’s highly precarious supply chain position. Rare earths are a vital ingredient in future facing technologies – from renewables to defence weaponry.

Staggeringly, since the Mountain Pass mine became defunct in 2002, the US has been without rare earths separation capability.

“It signals the opportunity to commence redevelopment of a rare earths supply chain in the US,” says Lacaze. “This is really significant because heavies are not able to be separated outside China and you cannot have a high performance magnets without a small proportion of heavy rare earths.”

Lacaze says Lynas won the contract for two reasons: first, its proven performance in separating and finishing light rare earths at its plant in Malaysia. The company will send some its top operations people to Texas.

The second reason is that Lynas has guaranteed feedstock in the huge Mount Weld mine in Western Australia, a body rich in rare earths.

Despite reports that America First manufacturing might get in the way of Lynas ambitions, Lacaze says the DoD’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program sees allies as part of the US defence industrial base.

She says Lynas benefited from high level focus on both sides of the Pacific including Arthur Sinodinos as Australia’s Ambassador in Washington, former deputy mission head in Washington DC, Katrina Cooper, as well as former ambassador Joe Hockey.

At the corporate level the focus was on securing Lynas’s intellectual property under the contract.

“Whilst it is great for our shareholders that this is funded off the US government, not our own balance sheet, at the same time our shareholders don’t want us to be sacrificing the crown jewels which is the IP that we have developed,” says Lacaze.

The stars are aligning for Lynas, which has strong ties with Japan going back over a decade. After Japan and China fell out over island politics in 2010, China cut off its rare earth supply. Japan responded by diversifying away from China and funding Lynas.

Lacaze says the relationship with the Japanese government, which now has the backdrop of the Quad Leaders dialogue, remains very strong.

“We continue to work with them on further opportunities to develop our relationships and the quality of the supply chain. We have to find ways to increase production. That means we need new facilities, we need to invest in our facilities, we even need to invest in exploration at Mount Weld so we can increase production and still sustain a long mine life,” she says.

In the last five weeks, Lacaze has spent four nights in her own bed – all part of the rich tapestry of the company’s growth program, she says.

In Kalgoorlie, where Lynas is building a new processing plant, the last part of the kiln shell was lifted into place on Friday. Lacaze has a good relationship with new Resources Minister Madeleine King, who was on site for the sod turning ceremony.

And in Malaysia, Lacaze says the operation is truly hitting its straps and she stresses the ongoing importance of the operation.

“As we seek to grow, throughput in Malaysia remains part of the plan. Any time you are developing brownfield rather than greenfield, you can pick up capacity faster.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-defence-deal-between-lynas-and-the-us-speaks-of-the-highest-level-of-commercial-trust/news-story/14b746161c322de1b19912d7c616fc06

Threat of right wing terror ‘real’, lone actor attacks concerning

ANGELICA SNOWDEN - JUNE 14, 2022

The threat posed by far-right terrorism is real and authorities are concerned about attacks by lone actors, a Victorian parliamentary probe has heard.

As well, Covid restrictions increased distrust in governments and some anti-lockdown groups may have served as a “gateway” to nationalist and racist violent extremism ideas, according to evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday.

But all people who marched in anti-lockdown protests should not be “lumped” into the same category as right-wing extremists because – paradoxically – they could be alienated and radicalised, Liberty Victoria president Michael Stanton said.

“No doubt some (right-wing extremists) are using those rallies,” he told The Australian. “But it is unhelpful to lump protesters (in) with extremist groups. If they are concerned about curfew (or) loss of employment, it is unhelpful to stigmatise that entire group.

Mr Stanton also told the committee the threat of far-right extremism is real. “It only takes one person to commit the most horrendous act. The difference is how do we provide security and safety to people in a way that protects (and) safeguards … our democracy,” he said.

The inquiry was established following a motion by the Greens last year to investigate the rising threat of right-wing terror in the state, amid concerns extremist groups had sought to exploit genuine community fears about the pandemic and spread misinformation. A state government submission reported Victoria Police agreed with ASIO’s 2022 annual threat assessment that a lone-actor attack was the most probable right-wing terror threat.

“Lone-actor attacks are difficult to detect and potentially occur with little to no warning. Currently, established (nationalist and racist violent extremism) groups are anticipated to continue to focus on radicalisation and recruitment efforts, rather than the perpetration of acts of violence,” the submission read.

Victoria Police has identified platforms hosting “prominent” right-wing groups include Instagram, YouTube, Gab, Twitter, VKontakte (VK), Telegram and Element, according to the submission. It also said there are two prominent such groups in Victoria, but did not name them.

Charles Sturt University researcher Kristy Campion told the committee while right-wing extremism has existed for more than a century, the threat posed by lone attacks is relatively new.

“There is a level of unpredictability we didn’t see in the past,” Dr Campion said. “Groups can act as a handbrake for violence. Lone attackers are subject to no one other than themselves.

“What we have seen in Australia is a series of small cell attackers. (We) can’t say it is quantitatively getting worse, but it’s different.”

Children are also being targeted after being more vulnerable due to the significant time they spent online during the pandemic.

Nine investigative journalist Nick McKenzie told the probe extreme right-wing groups target young people, and deradicalisation programs appear to be ineffective. “The majority of people in these groups are idiots … (and) sloppily organised. Just because they are idiots does not make them less dangerous,” he said.

Children as young as 10 are being targeted and Victoria Police is overwhelmed by the amount of threatening language online, Mr McKenzie said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/threat-of-right-wing-terror-real-lone-actor-attacks-concerning/news-story/142da4bf7bd597a126d35134542e4f9f

Trump a clear and present danger to the great republic

TROY BRAMSTON - JUNE 14, 2022

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The US House of Representatives select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol and Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election should serve as a sobering reminder of the fragility of democracy everywhere and the threat posed by populist demagogues.

The extraordinary evidence revealed by the January 6th committee demonstrates that Trump was at the centre of the attempt to subvert the democratic process, encouraged and incited the deadly riot at the Capitol, and remains a clear and present danger to the great republic.

The committee, with Democrat and Republican members, is undertaking the most important congressional investigation since the Watergate hearings that probed Richard Nixon’s cover-up of the “third-rate burglary” at Democratic National Committee headquarters 50 years ago.

Nixon had many domestic and foreign policy achievements but was a criminal president. He differs from Trump in two critical respects. Nixon resigned and expressed regret over what he did, whereas Trump has no shame and no remorse. And Nixon’s crimes are dwarfed by Trump’s attempted coup d’etat.

Ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the legitimately elected president, Trump examined ways to remain in power. The certification of the electoral college vote by vice-president Mike Pence on January 6 – a routine rubberstamping exercise – was seized on as the opportunity to overturn the election.

Former US attorney-general Bill Barr told Trump his claims of vote fraud and a stolen election were “bullshit”. Trump looked to those who reassured him that his unproven and erroneous claims were true. But even his daughter, Ivanka Trump, said she accepted Barr’s judgment.

Undeterred, Trump encouraged supporters to come to Washington for the certification. His incendiary speech that day incited the storming of the Capitol. There is no doubt the rioters wanted to sabotage the election. They did so in Trump’s name, with his authorisation and encouragement. The Capitol insurrection resulted in five people losing their lives, hundreds injured and 140 police officers assaulted. As the rioters rampaged through the Capitol building, it is a miracle Pence, Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, and others were not captured or killed.

It is chilling and frightening to hear the testimony of those who witnessed the insurgency. Yet Trump ignored pleas to initiate a defence of the Capitol. It was Pence, with his life threatened, who urged Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley to send the National Guard to restore order.

More than 800 pro-Trump protesters have been charged. The most troubling is Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, and dozens of their supporters, who have been indicted for their role in the attack, including conspiracy to commit sedition. During the election, Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”.

(continued)

>>16443877

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The January 6th committee has interviewed 1000 witnesses and collected 140,000 documents as part of its investigation. The most damning evidence that shows Trump committed crimes against the US constitution comes from Republicans, including those once in his inner circle, not partisan Democrats.

The house committee’s task is not just to probe the events at the Capitol, which were organised rather than spontaneous, but to demonstrate how it was the culmination of a systematic attempt to sabotage a democratic election led by Trump. The evidence presented so far has been compelling.

House committee Republican vice-chair Liz Cheney has been relentless in seeking to hold those accountable for the attack on the Capitol and the attempted coup. She has lashed fellow Republicans for defending the indefensible. “There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonour will remain,” she said.

Some house committee members believe they have already made a case for the Justice Department to consider a criminal indictment of Trump. Trump has likely violated at least two federal criminal statutes: obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the US.

A federal judge in California found in a civil case in March it was “more likely than not” that Trump committed federal crimes. A prosecution of Trump, following his second impeachment by the house last year, would be fitting but would unleash even more divisions in the US.

However, Trump’s attempt to replace democracy with dictatorship by seeking to remain in office despite the will of the voters is not a threat that has passed. It is ongoing because Trump has refused to accept he lost the election, take responsibility for the riot and the attempted coup, and has millions of Americans who believe his lies.

Trump maintains the 2020 election was “rigged and stolen”. He has attacked those who testified, including his daughter. “January 6th was not simply a protest, it represented the greatest movement in the history of our Country to Make America Great Again,” he wrote on his social media site last week. This is utterly delusional and dangerous.

The risk for the US is that Trump or his surrogate runs for president in 2024 and we see a more sophisticated attempt to overturn democracy that succeeds. The Republican Party, like the US, is best served by moving on from Trump. Those who defend him share his dishonour.

Troy Bramston is a senior writer and columnist with The Australian. He has interviewed politicians, presidents and prime ministers from multiple countries along with writers, actors, directors, producers and several pop-culture icons. He is an award-winning and best-selling author or editor of 11 books, including Bob Hawke: Demons and Destiny, Paul Keating: The Big-Picture Leader and Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics. He co-authored The Truth of the Palace Letters and The Dismissal with Paul Kelly.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/trump-a-clear-and-present-danger-to-the-great-republic/news-story/fbe8abb180e5385e77f200997b99ab11

https://qresear.ch/?q=Troy+Bramston

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 4:03 a.m. No.16443924 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3927

Marles vows to continue flying over Paracels, increase military exercises with Japan

Eryk Bagshaw and Katina Curtis - June 14, 2022

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Singapore: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will call for stronger military ties between Australia and Japan after he lands in Tokyo, arguing the relationship between the two countries is at the centre of Australia’s role in the region.

Saying Australia would not be deterred by China’s threats to Australian military missions, Marles flew to Japan on Monday pledging to conduct more joint operations in the middle of the most complex strategic circumstances since the end of World War II.

Fresh from meeting Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore on Sunday, Marles also said Australia would continue to fly over the South China Sea and near the disputed Paracel Islands despite a Chinese jet damaging an Australian air force plane in May.

“We’re not going to be deterred from doing that in the future,” he said. “It obviously directly goes to our national security. Most of our traffic traverses that body of water.”

On Tuesday he will meet Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi to cement what Marles, who is also defence minister, described as a “relationship of affection”.

“Our relationship with Japan has never been more important than it is right now,” Marles told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age from the government plane on his way to Japan. “We regard this relationship as front and centre.”

He said he would push for more military exercises with Japan after the two countries signed a reciprocal access agreement in January.

“What this does is open the door to a much greater tempo of operational engagement,” the deputy prime minister said.

The deepening relationship between Tokyo and Canberra has triggered blowback from Beijing. China’s Foreign Ministry has accused Japan, along with Australia and the US, of smearing its human rights record while “baselessly” building up its military in response to a perceived Chinese threat.

Marles said Australian ships and submarines would also continue to uphold the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the Taiwan Strait.

“Our national interest lies in asserting the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said. “That is the case everywhere”

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Chinese military officials had begun repeatedly asserting during meetings with their US counterparts that the Taiwan Strait was not in international waters. The threat opens up the possibility of blocking the ships of the United States and its allies in the strait or triggering accidental conflict in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

(continued)

>>16443924

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The air force incident between Australian and Chinese warplanes in May was raised by both sides in Sunday’s meeting, which focussed heavily on defence disputes. China said it warned the Australian plane before releasing a flare and metal scraps which endangered the crew of the Australian plane flying near the Paracel Islands.

The conversation in Singapore on Sunday was direct, with both countries raising their concerns while avoiding long-winded speeches and formulaic exchanges that can drag out bilateral discussions with few substantive results.

By the end of the meeting, which went overtime, both sides were prepared to begin discussing future dialogue, signalling defence engagement may be the path via which other ministries – including foreign affairs and trade – resume having direct conversations that have been frozen for almost three years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made it clear that the relationship cannot get back on track until China lifts $20 billion in trade sanctions on Australia, a threshold that was spoken about in general terms on Sunday.

Said Marles: “We’ve got a lot of issues to work through and this is still just the first step, but yes, it’s definitely positive.”

Marles said other regional ministers at the Shangri-La security conference had reacted positively to the meeting. “I think that there was a general feeling that this was returning dialogue to the Australia-China relationship,” he said.

University of Sydney history professor James Curran said there had been a tonal shift in the Australian government’s approach to foreign policy.

“Let’s not flick the switch immediately to the euphoria of ‘breakthrough’ kind of language. But let’s also be positive in acknowledging that it’s a resumption of some kind of dialogue,” he said.

Chinese state media have spent the past month campaigning for a reset on China’s terms, urging Australia to come to the negotiating table ahead of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Labor’s election win in May was also the trigger for a direct message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Albanese. On Saturday, China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, told the Australia China Friendship Society that the relationship was at “at a new juncture, facing many opportunities”.

Asia-Pacific expert Bates Gill, a professor at Macquarie University, said the positive step of the meeting did need to be tempered by the scale of the challenge faced in reaching any compromise on the range of issues that have plagued the relationship.

“I think we have to have low expectations going forward about how far and how fast this kind of discussion can go,” he said. “So let’s take this as a win but with our eyes wide open and understanding that it’s just a very small step, really, in the large picture of things.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/marles-vows-to-continue-flying-over-paracels-increase-military-exercises-with-japan-20220613-p5atcw.html

>>16395527

Australia-China relations: Albanese says Beijing must lift sanctions on exports to reset ties

Bloomberg - 14 Jun, 2022

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played down the possibility of a reset in relations with the Chinese government after a high-profile meeting between the two countries on Sunday, saying Beijing must first lift sanctions on a wide-range of Australian exports.

China is Australia’s largest trading partner and the biggest customer for its iron ore - its largest export earner - but diplomatic relations have been strained in recent years.

In imposing its sanctions, China listed 14 grievances with Australia ranging from its call for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, a ban on China’s telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co. building a 5G network, and screening foreign investment for national security risks.

Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, on Sunday met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Singapore, where both were attending the annual IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. It was the first public meeting between Australian and Chinese government officials in more than two years, following a diplomatic freeze amid rapidly deteriorating relations.

Marles said the meeting had been a “very frank and full exchange” but also a “critical first step” in restoring relations with Beijing.

At a press conference in Brisbane on Tuesday, Albanese said it was “always a good thing that people have dialogue and have discussions”, something which he said had been “missing” under the previous Australian government.

But the new Australian leader, who was sworn into office after winning an election on May 21, said any further warming of relations with the Chinese government would depend on whether they agreed to remove trade sanctions and barriers on Australian exports.

“It is China that has imposed sanctions on Australia. They need to remove those sanctions in order to improve relations,” he said. “It is China that has imposed sanctions, it is China that has changed, and it’s China that needs to remove those sanctions.”

Following a call by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April 2020 for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19, Australian exports including timber, coal, meat and wine began to face difficulties entering Chinese ports, including tariffs and long customs delays.

Australia’s former government described China’s sanctions on its agriculture and energy commodities as “economic coercion”.

China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Albanese had responded to a message of congratulations from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on his election win last month, adding that it too wanted to see action for ties to improve.

“To improve China-Australia relations, there is no ‘auto-pilot’ mode. A reset requires concrete actions,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing in Beijing. He did not elaborate on the action China wanted.

Albanese declined to elaborate on what he had said to Li. “I responded appropriately,” he told reporters.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3181596/australia-china-relations-albanese-says-beijing-must-lift

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 4:25 a.m. No.16443970 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4020

>>16331689 (pb)

Chinese FM confirms receiving of appreciation letter from Aussie Prime Minister

Global Times - Jun 13, 2022

The Chinese side has received an appreciation letter from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, said Chinese Foreign Ministry when asked if China has got any feedback from the Australian side after Li sent a congratulatory message to his newly elected Australian counterpart.

A sound and stable China-Australia relation suits the fundamental interests and common aspirations of people of both countries, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday.

"Just as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, there is no 'auto-pilot' mode to improve China-Australia relations, and a reset requires concrete actions," the spokesperson noted, wishing the Australian side to treat China and China-Australian relations with rationality and to meet China halfway with a spirit of mutual respect and common ground seeking while respecting each other's differences.

Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message to Anthony Albanese on his assumption of office as prime minister of the federal government of Australia on May 23. China is ready to work with Australia to review the past and look into the future to promote the sound and steady growth of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Li said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1267992.shtml

---

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on June 13, 2022

Xinhua News Agency: Not long ago, Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese on his election. As Premier Li noted in his letter, China is ready to work with Australia to take stock of the past and stay forward-looking, and uphold the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit in advancing the sound and steady development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership. The Australian side said it would respond appropriately. Has China received any response yet?

Wang Wenbin: The Chinese side has received Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s letter of reply to express appreciation to Premier Li Keqiang. I would like to reiterate that a sound and steady relationship between China and Australia meets the fundamental interests and common aspiration of the two peoples. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out in a recent interview with media, to improve China-Australia relations, there is no “auto-pilot” mode. A reset requires concrete actions. This meets the aspirations of people in both countries and the trend of our time. It is hoped that the Australian side can look at China and China-Australia relations in a sensible and positive way, work with China in the same direction in the spirit of mutual respect and seeking common ground while putting aside differences, in an effort to promote the sound and steady development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

.....

AFP: Australia and China’s defense ministers have met for the first time in three years yesterday. The talks were described by Australia as “an important first step”. What’s China’s view on this?

Wang Wenbin: As to the meeting between Chinese and Australian defense ministers, I would refer you to the Ministry of National Defense.

Here I would like to reiterate China’s position. We hope the Australian side will work with China in the spirit of mutual respect and seeking common ground while shelving differences to promote sound and steady development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership. This meets the two peoples’ aspiration, and serves their fundamental and long-term interests.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220613_10702460.html

>>16443970

Chinese Consulate General in Sydney Tweet

Chinese FM spokesperson: It is hoped that the Australian side can look at China and China-Australia relations in a sensible and positive way, work with China in the same direction in the spirit of mutual respect and seek common ground while putting aside differences.

https://twitter.com/ChinaConSydney/status/1536543447737245696

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 4:42 a.m. No.16444036 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4047

Albanese government needs to open up new path, resetting relations with China

Wen Sheng - Jun 12, 2022

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Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Australia, who is described by Australian voters as a man of "a different character" while his predecessor Scott Morrison had prided himself as being the "anti-China errand boy of the US government".

The change of government in Canberra is hoped to offer a rare and hard-won opportunity to reboot or rebalance the relationship between Australia and China. It seems the previous government's "Trumpist" hyper-politicization of national security has been categorically rejected by the Australian voters who yearn for a new policy approach from Canberra, favoring an inclusive and multidimensional approach to regional peace and cooperation.

Albanese had previously held the ministerial post of infrastructure and he outshone Morrison in the election with his persistence and expertise in seeking low-carbon green growth for Australia. China, the world's most entrepreneurial industrial power, owns enormous experience in infrastructure construction and de-carbonization by developing hydropower, solar panels, wind turbines and new-energy cars.

The two countries share a range of areas to cooperate to cool down our living planet by combating climate change through curbing carbon dioxide emissions, and bring about tangible economic benefits to improve the livelihood of our peoples, instead of embroiling in endless ideological dispute and fight that the previous Morrison government was fond of. Morrison himself desperately played politics on China whenever he was in opinion poll trouble during the election.

By all metrics, Chinese people are elated with the change of government in Australia as they are hoping for a change in tone toward China, because the feud orchestrated by the previous two Australian governments must stop, otherwise inexorable damage would be made to bilateral ties. Also, China promptly sent the olive branch. Premier Li Keqiang sent an elaborate letter to his counterpart Albanese congratulating his election win over Morrison, which shows China's goodwill to improve relations.

In the message, Premier Li said that the Chinese side was "ready to work with the Australian government to review the past, look into the future, and uphold the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, in order to promote the sound and steady growth of our comprehensive strategic partnership".

Truly, Beijing wants Australia to treat China as an important partner, not a competitor or even an adversary as described by the China-haters in the US. China and Australia have abundant reasons to act as substantive stakeholders to promote peace and development in the promising Asia-Pacific region.

(continued)

>>16444036

2/2

Albanese said that his Labor government will deal with China "in a mature manner", suggesting his government will probably move away from Morrison's aggressive anti-China rhetoric and stop the plunge of Canberra-Beijing ties. It will be quite a feat for his government and a blessing for the whole Asia-Pacific region if Albanese could deliver it. China and the Morrison's team had not communicated above the ministerial level for more than 2 years, and if the new Albanese government makes a breakthrough on this, the tensions of the relationship will certainly be thawed, and a phase of bilateral engagement will open up.

China is the prime engine of the world's economy, and also is a key trading and investment partner for Australia. Even during Morrison's tenure when economic and trade exchanges soured, up to 40 percent of Australian exports went to China, and Chinese nationals normally constitute the largest number of international students and inbound tourists to Australia. As a matter of fact, the jobs and prosperity of many Australians are hinged on China.

Observers on Beijing's diplomacy rightly say that, after a new foreign government is formed, China will usually adopt a "wait-and-see" approach, and will reciprocate that new government if it is cooperative and friendly, such as a pledge to abide by the one-China principle and a genuine welcome for Chinese nationals to visit and Chinese companies to invest.

The previous Morrison government did the worst thing by demonizing and antagonizing China, as the Australian conservative-controlled media had promoted his reckless talk of "war" and the fear-mongering that was the hallmark of the Morrison administration. His hawkish inflammatory rhetoric wrecked the two country's traditional partnership, sending the relations to the abyss.

It's time for a new path. China and Australia have in place a free trade agreement and are both members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. Prime Minister Albanese said during the election he believes in the strength of working with other people, rather than to seek division and conflict, and, he is a purposeful leader who will seek to build rather than to tear down.

Right now, China, after containing a fierce resurgence of Covid-19 in Shanghai and Beijing and other cities, policymakers are resorting to wide-scale implementation of regular nucleic acid testing, and easing on all fronts including monetary, fiscal, housing, education and big-tech regulation, which is expected to lead to a full-fledged economic recovery in the second half of 2022. A Chinese boom is likely to rejuvenate the whole region, as displayed by the surging trade between China and ASEAN, and other economies in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia included.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Australia diplomatic relations, which provides an opportunity to look back at all those good years and reassess the two countries' engagement and partnership. Now, let's open our eyes to see what measures the Albanese government will take to mend the broken relationship, and how Beijing will reciprocate.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1267863.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 4:53 a.m. No.16444065 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4067

We needed China deal to protect ‘domestic security’, says key Solomon Islands official

Exclusive: Collin Beck, who is believed to have been involved in negotiating the pact, offers most comprehensive defence yet of the controversial deal

Georgina Kekea - 14 Jun 2022

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The controversial security deal struck between Solomon Islands and China that caught the western world off guard was needed to maintain internal security and help fight climate change, a leading Solomon Islands official has said, defending his country’s right to choose its allies.

Speaking to the Guardian in his first interview since the deal between China and Solomon Islands was leaked, Collin Beck, the permanent secretary of foreign affairs and a senior figure in the Solomons government, also said Australia should question whether it had been “fair” to Solomon Islands in its intense scrutiny of the deal.

Beck, who is believed to have been involved in negotiating the deal with China, presented one of the most comprehensive defences of it from a Solomons’ government official yet, saying the deal was designed to address development needs in the Pacific nation and to address “domestic security threats”.

Beck said Solomon Islands faced domestic challenges, including a population growing at a faster rate than the economy could support. “When we look at the security vulnerability of the country, you know, we have youth population, about 18,000 youth looking for jobs every year.”

Chronic unemployment, as well as frustrations with the policies and leadership of the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, were thought to be behind riots in Honiara last year that left three people dead.

The draft deal, which was leaked in March, allows Solomon Islands to call on China to send “police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement” to the country for various reason including “maintaining social order” and “protecting people’s lives and property”. Opposition politicians have raised concerns Solomon Islands could use Chinese armed police and military personnel to quash democratic dissent and hold on to power.

But Beck said these were only measures of last resort. “At all costs, we should never, ever trigger any of the security agreements,” he said.

He reiterated that despite international concerns, Solomon Islands had no intention of allowing China to set up a permanent military presence in the country. “It has nothing to do with the establishment of a military base,” he said.

Concerns were raised after the draft deal contained a provision that allowed China to “make ship visits to, carry out logistical replenishment in, and have stopover and transition in Solomon Islands”.

Beck added that focusing on the security deal with China instead of the causes of instability in the country was like focusing on which “fire station” the country was turning to to assist in a disaster rather than looking at the causes of the fire.

“What we should be talking about is actually preventing the fire,” he said. “Security and development are two sides of the same coin. Now we need to address our development agenda … Solomon Islands, first of all, is a small island developing state, its vulnerability to climate change is real.”

(continued)

>>16444065

2/2

In recent years, Solomon Islands has lost five islands to rising sea levels. The islands were all vegetated reef islands of significant size.

“We are basically heading to 2.7 to three degrees [of global heating]. More than three degrees. What does this mean? It basically means the sinking of many of our islands, the impact on the economy, the impact on tourism, the impact on fisheries, etc. So when you look at – even for climate change alone – it needs more partnership, not less partnership.”

Beck also suggested the intense international attention that the deal had provoked was unwarranted.

“No one is actually looking at other treaties that exist in the region. The question is why?” he said.

“We have various alliances that exist within the Pacific, which talk about the Pacific but the Pacific is not in the room,” he said, listing the Quad grouping between the US, Australia, India and Japan, and the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the US and UK.

“In international relations, one thing that is really important is equality and fairness. So if it is good for others to do it, to guarantee the national security interest, then if we’re doing the same and we’ve been scrutinised the way we are being scrutinised, we really need to step back and say: are [they] being fair with Solomon Islands in Australia?

“I think we’ve taken eyes away from the big picture. So it’s important for us to try to look at the fact that we have always continuously explained that the security arrangements we have with China are similar. We have a security treaty already with Australia. We also have a regional [security] framework … within the Pacific”.

The text of the final deal has not been released despite strong urging from opposition MPs and the media. When pressed on whether the government would make the deal public, Beck said: “It’s actually between two governments, it’s actually between the two states. So if the matter of going public with it, it will be a matter between the two governments to consider.”

He added that the agreement was based on equality, respect for sovereignty and noninterference into the domestic affairs of each of the countries.

“I just want to say that the security cooperation we have with China also respects Solomon Islands’ nuclear-free Pacific.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/14/we-needed-china-deal-to-protect-domestic-security-says-key-solomon-islands-official

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 5:10 a.m. No.16444093 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4123

AFP warned child predator Naim Anderson about online behaviour months before arrest, court told

A sex predator who preyed on children online has been told he destroyed the lives and innocence of his victims before he was captured by police.

Jordanna Schriever - June 12, 2022

A child predator who groomed and blackmailed young girls into engaging in sexual activity via video calls was warned about his online behaviour months before he was arrested attempting to meet with a teenager, a court has heard.

Naim Anderson was arrested in late August 2020 when he attempted to meet with a 14-year-old girl at a suburban train station to engage in sexual activity.

The teenager was actually a police officer posing as a child after a tip-off from the FBI to the Australian Federal Police.

Eight months earlier, an AFP officer had warned the predator about his online conduct with female children.

Anderson, 21, of Evanston Gardens has appeared in the District Court where three victim impact statements were read – including one prepared by Commissioner for Victim’s Rights Brownwyn Killmeir.

In the statement, read by lawyer Craig Fabbian on her behalf, Ms Killmeir said Anderson’s crimes were neither victimless nor harmless.

“As a society we must acknowledge that the creation, distribution and sharing of this material has long-lasting, widespread and devastating consequences,” she said.

She said it could take as little as three minutes for a predator to introduce a sexual topic to conversation with a child, creating “insidious ripples” which move through the children, families and wider community.

“(The victims) experience shame and fear people will often believe they were willing participants.”

A father of one of the victims, who lives overseas, said Anderson had “meant nothing but evil” for his daughter, whose innocence he stole.

He said the emotional scars were lasting.

“My child was so afraid to even make eye contact with me. It hurt to see a bright, capable, kind, loveable spirit turned into a depressed traumatised child that felt alone and lost,” he said.

The sister of another victim said Anderson had “destroyed the normal childhood and teenage years” her sister deserved.

“She told me she is living in fear that one day her future partner or husband will see inappropriate photos of her on the internet,” she said.

Commonwealth prosecutor Bonnie Russell, said Anderson had pleaded guilty to multiple child abuse charges including transmitting indecent material and procuring a child for sexual activity.

She said an AFP officer contacted Anderson in December 2019.

“He was specifically warned about engaging with female children online and sexualised communications and about the illegal nature of that,” she said.

Jason Evitts, for Anderson, said his client been “living in this fantasy land online” and little life experience. He said investigations were underway to determine whether Anderson had autism and that he would better rehabilitate if he was given a merciful sentence that allowed him to access services to rehabilitate while in the community.

Anderson’s bail was revoked in February after he was caught accessing child abuse material online.

He will be sentenced later this month.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/afp-warned-child-predator-naim-anderson-about-online-behaviour-months-before-arrest-court-told/news-story/76aeff0a0f713c402b3abe3e04fe3f87

>>16444093

Paedophile jailed for 'aggressively' seeking child abuse material through social media

Claire Campbell - 14 June 2022

A South Australian man who ignored a police warning and used Snapchat, WhatsApp and Instagram to sexually abuse young girls around the world has been jailed for at least three years.

WARNING: This story contains graphic content that readers may find distressing.

Naim Anderson, 21, pleaded guilty in the South Australian District Court to 13 child sex offences, including using a carriage service to procure sexual activity with a child under 16, and accessing, transmitting and soliciting child abuse material.

The offending – which involved girls as young as four – occurred over an 18-month period between February 2019 and August 2020.

Anderson used social media platforms to "aggressively" sexually communicate with and film several young girls, including in the United States and Canada.

During sentencing, Judge Julie McIntyre said the majority of the victims had not been identified but would have suffered from Anderson's offending.

"The recordings demonstrate you encouraged, persuaded and instructed the victims about what you wanted them to do," she said.

"You used these unfortunate girls for your own sexual gratification with no thought for them.

"No-one could be unmoved by the distress and suffering you have caused to these young girls and their families.

"Not only do they have to cope with what happened during these communications, but they also have to live with the fear that images and videos of them may exist on the internet to resurface at any time."

Anderson also "actively" sought out and shared child abuse material.

He had about 150 images and 24 "highly depraved and degrading" videos on his mobile phones.

Anderson caught from FBI lead

Judge McIntyre said there were more uncharged acts.

She said the offending came to light in May 2019, when one of the victim's parents contacted the FBI in the United States, who referred the information to police in Western Australia, where Anderson was living at the time.

Police spoke with Anderson, who lied about the allegations, saying he was not aware of the girl's age and that communication between the two had stopped when he realised.

"Regrettably, you did not heed the police warning; you continued to offend until your arrest," Judge McIntyre said.

Anderson was arrested at the Kilburn railway station in South Australia more than a year later believing he was meeting a 14-year-old girl.

He then went on to breach his bail, including by using his mobile phone to view pornography.

He has been sentenced to six years in prison with a non-parole period of three years, backdated to February when his bail was revoked.

"Your offending was not a one-off or fleeting incursion into criminality, rather it was a deliberate course of offending over a period of 18 months," Judge McIntyre said.

"You continued with it despite a warning from police.

"Indeed, there was an apparent escalation in your offending in that you increasingly sought material relating to very young children."

In setting a lower than usual non-parole period, Judge McIntyre said Anderson's personal circumstances "excited sympathy" and he was unlikely to receive the psychological and psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation he needed while in prison.

Outside court, Anderson's family laughed when asked about his offences.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-14/paedophile-naim-anderson-sentencing/101151468

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 5:31 a.m. No.16444172 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4183

>>16350310

>>16384797

Paedophile Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes is released from jail and will be deported to the UK within hours despite continuing to deny all of his crimes

MAUREEN DETTRE and ASHLEY NICKEL - 14 June 2022

1/2

Disgraced Hey Dad! actor and convicted child sex offender Robert Hughes has been released from prison and will be deported to the UK today after being granted parole.

The 73-year-old was granted parole on June 2 by the NSW State Parole Authority, which determined he be released no later than Tuesday.

He was released from Long Bay Correctional Facility just after midnight on Tuesday and is at Villawood Detention Centre awaiting deportation from Sydney Airport.

The paedophile actor was released under the cover of darkness as the clock ticked over and into the custody of Australian Border Force officers, who are expected to ensure he is flown straight out of the country.

Hughes renounced his Australian citizenship in 2020, thus becoming a non-lawful citizen requiring deportation upon release.

Australian Border Force, who usually handles the deportation of convicted criminals who are not Australian citizens, said it did not comment on operational matters.

During his parole hearing the SPA said it had been satisfied that after eight years behind bars Hughes' release was in the interests of the safety of the community.

Hughes, who starred as Martin Kelly in the TV comedy from 1987 to 1994, was previously rejected twice by the SPA.

'The offender has been assessed as below average risk,' SPA chairperson David Frearson and four panel members said.

'He intends to live with his wife and does not intend to seek employment.'

Hughes was jailed in 2014 for 10 years and nine months with a non-parole period of six years, which expired in April 2020.

A jury found him guilty of 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts perpetrated on four young girls in the 1980s and 1990s.

Hughes continues to deny his crimes despite 'overwhelming evidence'.

The victims included his former on-screen daughter Sarah Monahan, who attended his third parole hearing.

'He's an old man and he's frail, but they don't change, and he's a denier,' Ms Monahan said.

'He still thinks he hasn't done anything.'

The SPA acknowledged the 'profound and deleterious effects on the victims… continue to this day and will probably be lifelong consequences'.

'It must be particularly galling for the victims to observe the offender's continued and obstinate denials in the face of compelling and overwhelming evidence from multiple witnesses,' it said.

(continued)

>>16444172

2/2

The SPA accepted expert evidence that Hughes was consistently assessed as a below-average risk of sexually reoffending.

This prevented his accessing any sex-offender treatment programs while in custody.

Hughes will live with his wife Robyn Gardiner in the UK. Ms Gardiner told the parole authority she will keep him away from children when unsupervised.

He and his wife gave undertakings that once back in the community he will seek treatment with Rachel Pike, a clinical psychologist specialising in convicted sex offenders who deny their crimes.

This would assist with his reintegration and reduce his risk of re-offending.

'The offender's wife expressed her intention to continue to provide emotional support upon his release,' the authority wrote in its decision.

'Additionally, she advised that she has arranged post release accommodation for the offender to reside with her upon his eventual return to London.

'Whilst she believes in his innocence, she expressed her intention to ensure that the offender does not have unsupervised contact with children.

'She advised that she intends to encourage him to engage in psychological counselling.'

The SPA noted the last of his crimes took place three decades ago.

'The offences took place in particular settings in which the offender abused his power and his position of trust,' it said.

'He no longer enjoys such power or trust, as a direct consequence of the convictions and the consequent widespread adverse publicity, notwithstanding his defiant denials.'

His victims included a family friend, friends of his daughter, and Ms Monahan.

Hughes made his third attempt at parole following two failed attempts. His minimum sentence of six years made him eligible for parole on April 6, 2020.

Judge Peter Zahra, who died suddenly last month, handed down the sentence with strong condemnation against Hughes.

'He engaged in brazen predatory behaviour; he planned and orchestrated the occasions when the conduct occurred. His conduct was persistent and calculated,' he said.

'He abused his position of trust and exploited the naivety and youth of the children.

'The profound and deleterious effects on the victims for many years, if not the whole of their lives. The victims here remain deeply disturbed by the conduct of the offender.'

Australian Border Force advised it will notify British authorities of Hughes' imminent return.

Hughes will be monitored in the UK under the Sexual Offences Act 'notifications requirements'.

He must report to police within three days of his return to the UK, and once a year from then on and within three days of changing his details.

He will be required to provide passport and banking details and must notify police of any intention to travel out of the UK.

Hughes must also provide details of where he lives and where he regularly stays if different to his home address.

'There is a requirement to notify police if he going to stay (for a period of at least 12 hours) at a household where a child is present,' the parole authority noted.

He will be sent back to jail for up to six months if he fails to fulfil these conditions.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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

Lifeline 13 11 14

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

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10913611/Paedophile-Hey-Dad-star-Robert-Hughes-released-jail-awaiting-deportation-UK.html

Craig Kelly staffer Frank Zumbo allegedly showed woman his penis, court told

ADELAIDE LANG - JUNE 14, 2022

A trusted adviser of controversial former federal MP Craig Kelly has been hit with fresh charges of indecent assault as he faced court to fight 20 charges of indecently assaulting five women.

Francesco “Frank” Zumbo, 55, appeared in a Sydney Downing Centre on Tuesday morning for a special hearing in the Local Court.

Police allege the Maroubra resident indecently assaulted five women on multiple occasions between 2014 and 2020. Police allege he assaulted four women and one teenager who worked as his employees.

According to police allegations, Mr Zumbo kissed, rubbed, and groped the women at their shared workplace in the Sydney suburb of Sutherland. Police claim the long-time political staffer also pulled his penis out of his pants in front of one of the women.

Mr Zumbo has previously been charged with 18 offences, but the court was told a fifth alleged victim had recently come forward to police.

The court was told she was formally included in the proceedings last Wednesday, and a “substantial amount of material” had been added to the case.

Crown prosecutor Shaun Croner told the court “the wealth of material” relied upon in the case included 4000 pages of text messages and transcripts of recordings.

The court was told the prosecution would rely on recordings captured by one of the alleged victims, some of which run for several hours.

Mr Croner said the transcripts of the recordings are hundreds of pages long and would need to be properly edited to ensure redacted information was removed.

Due to the need to thoroughly review the extensive documentation and give the defence the opportunity to do the same, the prosecution lawyer asked to adjourn the first day of the hearing.

Defence lawyer Carolyn Davenport SC agreed that an adjournment was necessary.

“As we stand here now, we don’t have the material to go through,” she said.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi said it was frustrating to adjourn a hearing that had been granted a special fixture.

“It’s disappointing that we’re not ready to proceed with a hearing that was set down in October last year and confirmed in May,” he said.

He noted the hearing was also subject to time pressure as the prosecution was “pessimistic about the expectation of completing the case within 10 days”.

The court was told that witnesses from overseas and interstate would be called to give evidence during the hearing.

Mr Christofi granted the adjournment and directed Mr Zumbo’s hearing to begin on Wednesday. His bail will continue.

Despite the allegations, Mr Zumbo remained employed by United Party Australia leader Mr Kelly as a senior staffer. When the charges were laid in June last year, Mr Kelly said “every citizen is entitled to the presumption of innocence and protection by the rule of law.”

Mr Kelly lost his seat at the 2022 federal election to local solicitor Jenny Ware who was the Liberal Party candidate and became the federal MP for Hughes.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/craig-kelly-staffer-frank-zumbo-allegedly-showed-woman-his-penis-court-told/news-story/94f42550860e2abaeef294a760dec70b

US Marines Put to the Test in Australia’s Top End

Steve Milne - June 14, 2022

Amid the backdrop of the United States and Australia strengthening military co-operation while tensions in the Indo-Pacific ramp up, U.S. Marines are currently undertaking protection and evacuation training in Australia’s Northern Territory.

The group, part of a contingent of more than 2,000 marines based in Darwin until October, are stationed on Bathurst Island, part of the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin, and have spent the past week training to carry out evacuation missions.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), marines are taking part in Exercise Darrandarra and are training with a replica of a U.S. Embassy.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Robert Robinson said marines carried out non-combatant evacuation exercises about once a year.

“We can always be called upon to do it and we never know when that time’s going to happen, so we have to be prepared when the time comes,” he told the ABC.

Young marines need to be alert for days on end during the scenarios, as angry mobs threaten to breach security fences and challenge them.

“What we want to do is prod them and poke them over a couple of days and see if we can’t get under their skin,” Robinson said.

Dealing with intruders, suspicious packages thrown over the fence, and suicide bombers are some of the challenges the marines are confronted with, and the command team meets daily to come up with new ways to test them.

Lieutenant Tess Miller said inserting new role players lifts the tension, giving the marines a more realistic experience.

“We start off very small and then build up and build up and then like … it gets like the worst case scenario,” she said.

“And then how do you respond? We kill off their leadership or we take away comms and then they have to deal with it.”

Exercise Darrandarra is as part of the Marine Rotational Force Darwin (MRF-D), which started in 2012 and sees a contingent of U.S. marines and their equipment stationed in northern Australia during the dry season, from May to October.

Working with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and regional partners, the MRF-D participate in a range of activities, exercises, and training.

Team members also engage broadly with local communities, volunteer at schools and in Aboriginal communities, and support natural disaster clean ups.

Another major event to be held soon is Exercise Talisman Sabre, the principal Australia-U.S. bilateral military training activity, conducted biennially and focuses on high-end warfighting.

John Coyne of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said deploying marines in Darwin was pivotal for the United States.

“It provides the U.S. military with a forward operating base from which it can launch into the [Indo-Pacific] region,” he said. “There is clear evidence that the U.S. government is going to invest more, ensuring that supply chain defence logistics facilities are present in northern Australia and ready to support a range of contingencies.”

Coyne went on to say the U.S. military presence in northern Australia provided a strong deterrent, and displayed the commitment the United States had to the ANZUS Alliance and bilateral ties between Australia and the United States.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-marines-put-to-the-test-in-australias-top-end_4531438.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 5:48 a.m. No.16444260 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9772

US Marines take part in protection and evacuation training scenario on the Tiwi Islands

ABC News (Australia)

Jun 14, 2022

Exercise Darrandara is a simulated embassy security exercise for Marines who'll likely one day be involved in securing or evacuating a U-S embassy compound.

More than a decade after annual deployments started to the Northern Territory, the United States Marine Corps has undertaken a crucial training exercise on the Tiwi Islands just north of Darwin. It's the first of it's kind run by this year's Marine Rotational-Force, and a clear sign the U-S has turned its focus to North Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz-tob0Gqtg

>>16430216

>>16434665

Ghislaine Maxwell will ask to serve sex trafficking sentence in British prison

Former socialite faces up to 55 years in jail after being convicted of procuring young girls for Jeffrey Epstein

Robert Mendick - 12 June 2022

Ghislaine Maxwell will ask to serve her sex trafficking sentence in a British prison, sources have revealed.

The former socialite, and the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, faces up to 55 years in jail after being convicted of procuring young girls for the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

She will be sentenced in New York on June 28.

Maxwell, 60, then plans to make a formal application to the US authorities to be transferred back to the UK for the bulk of her jail term.

Under US law, she must spend the first three years in an American prison, but can then apply to return to the UK to be closer to her family.

Maxwell’s brother Ian, 66, told The Telegraph: “She is going to be sentenced and obviously we are going to challenge the conviction on appeal.

“We are going to see what the sentence is. Inevitably, we want her to serve the sentence here in the UK. You can’t visit if she’s in the US.

“There is a programme where overseas nationals can serve their time in the country of their nationality. There are precedents.”

The family has said British prisons are “far superior” to those in the US and treat prisoners more humanely. They branded the American system “a disgrace.”

Maxwell has already spent almost two years in custody since her arrest in July 2020 and until recently, was kept in solitary confinement at the maximum-security Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn because officials feared she would kill herself before her trial.

Last month, she was moved into an area with 40 other inmates and is now allowed social visits.

However, Mr Maxwell revealed that he had been prevented from visiting her last week after the prison went into lockdown following a fight. It remained in lockdown this weekend.

He had made a 3,000-mile trip for the arranged visit but was turned away following an incident in the male wing of the jail.

It would have been Maxwell’s second visit since being convicted in December of grooming and procuring underage girls for Epstein, the billionaire financier who was found hanged in his prison cell a year before Maxwell was arrested.

The family believes Maxwell has been kept in “inhumane” conditions with inadequate food.

'It is inhuman'

Whilst awaiting trial, her living conditions were said to have "weakened" her "physically and psychologically", placing her in a "seriously imbalanced position" to defend herself against the charges.

She was kept in isolation in a cell measuring 9ft by 7ft and was "awakened constantly at night" during more than 500 days of detention.

Maxwell has previously described spending her days in confinement surrounded by vermin and under the constant gaze of prison guards.

Mr Maxwell added: “In two years this girl [Maxwell] has had one family visit. It is unreal. It is really horrible.

"It is inhuman. For me it's just tiring. I flew 6,000 miles for no reason. But for her it's just terrible."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/06/12/ghislaine-maxwell-will-ask-serve-sex-trafficking-sentence-british/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 6:29 a.m. No.16444470 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4481

>>16434710

She was sex trafficked by her boyfriend as a teenager. A decade later, one question freed her

Tsvetelina fell in love with a man who was ‘picture perfect’. Then, she found herself trapped in a life where she no longer felt human.

Summer Woolley - 14 June 2022

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When Tsvetelina Thompson was 17 she met a man who was “picture perfect”.

It was the beginning of a whirlwind romance that ended the day he sent her to a hotel room with a strange man for sex.

At the time, the Bulgarian teen didn’t know what trafficking was, and when she realised, she was “so far in, it was hard to get out”.

Almost a decade later, while standing at a window in Amsterdam’s infamous red light district, a question from a concerned client helped free her.

Tsvetelina is one of an estimated 40.3 million people impacted by modern slavery worldwide. Now she’s using her story to help others stuck in similar situations – including in Australia, where reports of human trafficking have tripled over the past decade.

“To say that we don’t have modern slavery practices here in Australia would be simply naïve,” NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Darren Jameson told 7NEWS.com.au.

A relationship that would change everything

Tsvetelina was working as a waitress in Bulgaria when she met him - he was “good looking”, had a “great sense of humour” and lots of friends, she said.

“The most important thing (was the) way he treated me in the beginning, he made me feel very special, loved, needed. He gave me the feeling of belonging somewhere,” the now-36-year-old told 7NEWS.com.au.

Her parents were divorced and her mother was rarely home - factors she says he “took advantage of”.

Within weeks, they had moved in together, he convinced her to quit her job and they didn’t spend a moment apart.

“Everything was going well, it was like a (normal) girlfriend-boyfriend relationship,” she said.

But over time, and without her realising, he managed to separate her from her family and friends, even deleting their contact information from her phone.

So, three months in, when the relationship soured and he told her that she needed to return to work, she had no one to call.

In her mind, she was returning to waitressing. Instead, he dropped her at a hotel to have sex with a man she didn’t know.

Tsvetelina said she had “no idea how to feel”.

“I felt betrayed, but I was also confused. My young brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Especially when you are tossed in a hotel room with a man you don’t know,” she said.

“By the time you figure out what is going on, you’re so far in that it’s hard to get out.”

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 14, 2022, 6:31 a.m. No.16444481 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4495

>>16444470

2/3

Tsvetelina said she was also made to feel as though it was her choice, that they were going to save money together and live “happily ever after”.

“But I was basically his way of making his money … the only money I had was for cigarettes and condoms,” she said.

After a year, Tsvetelina was introduced to another trafficker who had girls working in Amsterdam. Weeks later, she was transported across the border and sent to work.

For years that followed, Tsvetelina worked seven days a week, sometimes for up to 18 hours without a break.

She said her traffickers beat and threatened her, telling her they would go after her family if she tried to escape. They also starved her and forced her to use drugs.

“At the end of the day, you feel so dirty and disgusting … you no longer feel human because no one treats you like one,” she said.

Tsvetelina’s final client

After almost a decade of being treated like someone’s object, one unusual client offered Tsvetelina the chance to escape.

“We were just talking, that’s all that he wanted. He couldn’t understand why I was there. And he asked me, ‘what are you doing here? You’re wasting your life’,” she said.

“That was the moment when I broke down because he made me feel like, for the first time, I was human.”

Many had offered to help before, but the words he said next made Tsvetelina believe he really meant it.

“I’ll never forget, he said, ‘Listen, I know, you’re afraid. I know you’re taking a risk but keep in mind I’m taking the same risk as you’.

“I didn’t have anything (to lose), so the only thing I could have lost at that point was my life and I thought I would rather lose my life trying to be free than just sitting there and waiting to die.

“I am where I am today thanks to (him).”

The man, who feared her traffickers might come after him, picked Tsvetelina up the following morning and accompanied her as she reported her ordeal to the police. The months that followed were “terrifying”, she said.

“I lived in fear for a very, very long time … I was constantly looking (over) my shoulder.

“I couldn’t sleep for years because every time when I go to bed, images would appear in my head.”

In January 2021, Tsvetelina confronted her trafficker in a Dutch court where he was sentenced to 36 months.

She says that penalty was just a “slap on the wrist”.

(continued)

>>16444481

3/3

‘I didn’t know where to go’

Now living in Florida, with a husband and two children, Tsvetelina is the managing director of Twentyfour-Seven, an organisation dedicated to delivering life-saving information to trafficked women.

“I was in a country where I barely spoke the language … I didn’t know where to go for help, I didn’t know that I had rights … I also couldn’t go back to my native country because I knew my trafficker was going to look for me there,” she said.

“Once I managed to run away, I went back to the places where I was trafficked and started talking to girls, I started helping them and providing them with the information that wasn’t provided to me.”

In 2019, Twentyfour-Seven developed QR code contact points to deliver critical information in several languages to trafficked victims at hotspots such as hotels or brothels worldwide. That QR code is also available in Australia.

“One of the biggest problems is knowing their rights and being able to access this information in their native language. So (while) it started just for victims, now companies … and law enforcement are using it (too).”

Tsvetelina encourages everybody - including businesses and schools - to talk openly about trafficking no matter how “sensitive” or “uncomfortable” it may be.

NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Jameson agreed that a level of community awareness was needed to identify modern slavery and create “opportunities to investigate, disrupt, and more importantly rescue victims”.

Over the past decade, reports of human trafficking to the Australian Federal Police have tripled in Australia, from 70 in the 2013-14 financial year to 224 in 2020-21. Of those, 42 related to sexual exploitation.

These figures are believed to be just the tip of the iceberg, with a February 2019 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology estimating that for every victim known to police, there are four others that go undetected.

This week, both Tsvetelina and Detective Chief Inspector Jameson will address a modern slavery summit hosted by the Australian charity Freedom for Humanity.

It’s all part of a life Tsvetelina never dared to dream about.

“You have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow, so you don’t even dare to think about the future,” she said.

“I never ever thought in a million years that I was going to get out of there and have a normal life.”

The Modern Slavery Online Summit will be held on Wednesday, June 15 and Thursday, June 16. More details and tickets are available at Freedom For Humanity.'

https://freedomforhumanity.org.au/

Anyone with information about human trafficking should call the Australian Federal Police on 131 AFP (131 237).

https://7news.com.au/politics/law-and-order/she-was-sex-trafficked-by-her-boyfriend-as-a-teenager-a-decade-later-one-question-freed-her-c-7018181

—

Reporting human trafficking

Assist the AFP in combating this global problem. Use our online form to report information regarding human trafficking for the purposes of sexual and/or labour exploitation, organ harvesting, forced marriage and slavery or call 131 AFP (131 237).

https://forms.afp.gov.au/online_forms/human_trafficking_form

In case of an emergency, call 000.

https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/crime-types/human-trafficking

—

Twentyfour-Seven

Twentyfour-Seven is a human right anti-trafficking organization, dedicated to bringing intelligence, and services to victims and survivors of sex trafficking.

Twentyfour–Seven was founded by Ms. Tsvetelina Thompson in 2019. Twentyfour-Seven is a Florida based not for profit 501(c)3 Anti-Trafficking human rights organization.

The organization is named Twentyfour-Seven, because trafficking occurs twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week. As such, our organization is currently building the infrastructure to respond to trafficking victims twentyfour hours a day seven days a week.

http://twentyfour-seven.org

https://247informationservices.in

Brave whistleblowers expose one of Australia's worst child abuse scandals

60 Minutes Australia

Jun 12, 2022

The story you’re about to see is a blight on Australia - a shameful episode in our recent history that powerful people have tried to ignore or cover up. And they might have succeeded but for the courage of one woman. Her name is Alysha and she made a choice that in reality was a no-brainer; what she decided was that no matter the cost or consequence, there is nothing more important than the protection of children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N__spMr3Ims

Penny Wong to visit New Zealand, Solomon Islands amid concern over climate change, China security pact

Reuters/ABC - 15 June 2022

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will travel to New Zealand and Solomon Islands this week to discuss climate change and regional security in what will be her third visit to the Pacific since being sworn in last month.

Senator Wong will fly to Wellington Wednesday evening and is expected to meet with NZ Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta on Thursday.

"New Zealand is an indispensable partner in our ambitions for a stronger Pacific family," Senator Wong said in a statement.

"As part of our discussions, we will consider ways we can work together, to make the most of the new energy and resources the Australian Government is bringing to the Pacific."

"There are new possibilities for collaboration with New Zealand in support of regional security and on climate change.

This was echoed by Ms Mahuta in a statement released ahead of Senator Wong's visit.

"At a regional level, the number one security issue for the Pacific is the impact of climate change," Ms Mahuta said.

"I look forward to talking to the new Foreign Minister in more detail on Australia's climate change agenda, and further ways we can assist Pacific Island nations on mitigation and adaptation measures."

The importance of indigenous perspectives in foreign policy, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, and the war in Ukraine will also be on the agenda.

"I also look forward to drawing on New Zealand's experiences as Australia develops a First Nations foreign policy," Senator Wong said.

Senator Wong will travel to Solomon Islands on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and a number of cabinet ministers, amid concern over the regional impact of a security deal between the Pacific island nation and China.

Australia said it was committed to deepening cooperation with the Solomon Islands on shared challenges including climate change, and Senator Wong would meet with Mr Sogavare, the statement said.

"I look forward to discussing the ways we can continue to make progress on pandemic recovery, economic development and labour mobility priorities, and addressing our shared security interests," she said.

The Solomon Islands security pact, as well as a proposal by China for a sweeping security and trade agreement with 10 Pacific islands nations, will be discussed at next month's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Suva, several island nations have said.

China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, met with Mr Sogavare in Honiara last month, as part of an eight-nation Pacific tour, agreeing to deepen cooperation between China and Solomon Islands in fisheries, mining, infrastructure and trade.

Mr Wang said the security pact with the Solomon Islands would improve policing and protect Chinese citizens and institutions there.

"China supports Pacific Island countries in strengthening security cooperation and working together to address regional security challenges," he said during the visit.

Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States have said they are concerned Beijing could establish a military presence in the Pacific, although Mr Sogavare has denied the pact would allow a military base.

Fiji told a security conference in Singapore over the weekend that climate change was the most pressing security concern for the Pacific islands.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-15/penny-wong-to-visit-new-zealand-and-solomon-islands/101154380

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 15, 2022, 3:15 a.m. No.16449737 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9742

GT Voice: What’s the right way for Australia to warm up trade with China?

Global Times - Jun 14, 2022

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that any further improvement of China-Australia relations would hinge on whether or not China would lift "sanctions" on a wide-range of Australian exports, Bloomberg reported. Bilateral relations finally showed some signs of thawing after the defense ministers met in Singapore on Sunday, but Albanese's remarks only sent mixed signals when it comes to the possibility of a reset in relations with China.

Given Australia's current economic doldrums, it may be understandable the new prime minister's eagerness to remove obstacles to economic and trade ties with China, but that doesn't mean Australia can put the cart before the horse.

No good purpose could be served with groundless accusations if Australia still wants to pursue greater economic interests in its relationship with China. Australia should first resolve whether to follow the US strategy to make an enemy of China or to treat the country as a cooperation partner.

The current difficulties in China-Australia trade are entirely due to the unprecedented, irrational anti-China policies of the former Morrison government, which created tension and obstacles in the trade environment. Australia launched more than 100 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against Chinese products and turned down Chinese investment projects. In particular, its ban of Chinese tech company Huawei from the 5G network on "national security" grounds is a signature political event. Under such circumstances, it would be a bit arrogant and frivolous for Australia to ask China to first improve trade before changing its hostility toward China. If anything, it needs to show its sincerity first by removing the ban on Huawei.

Australia is the obvious disrupter of China-Australia political relations. It has joined the US alliance aimed at containing China and participated in the US strategy of pressuring China when it comes to issues like regional security, human rights, among others. How can the hostility toward China ensure the economic and trade relationship between the two sides?

So if China-Australian economic and trade relations are to be improved, changes must be made to Canberra's political and diplomatic policy direction to repair ties. Australia needs to stop viewing China as an adversary. The hostility is unjustified. There are no historical grudges between China and Australia, and there is no geopolitical conflict, either.

China has never positioned Australia as a rival. It is always hoped that Australia would be more active in the development of the Pacific region to play the important role it is supposed to play, rather than following the US lead.

Since Albanese was sworn into office, the Chinese side has released quite a few goodwill gestures to the new government. Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said recently that a healthy and stable relationship between Australia and China is in the interests of our two countries, and "We are expecting a friendly response from the Australian side," according to the Daily Mail.

Australia is blessed with vast reserves of natural resources, while China offers a huge consumer market and massive manufacturing capacity. The two countries have the economic foundation to be partners and friends.

The Albanese government needs to see improvement in bilateral relations is a win-win for both countries and to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding Australia's real interests.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268122.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 15, 2022, 3:22 a.m. No.16449749 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9752

Derryn Hinch announces plan to run for Victorian parliament

Annika Smethurst - June 15, 2022

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He’s a former shock jock, TV current affairs host and newspaper man who has been jailed three times. He’s been a senator, bankrupt, had a life-saving liver transplant and been married five times, including twice to beloved Australian actor Jacki Weaver.

The night Robert Kennedy was shot, he was at the Ambassador Hotel. He had a cameo in the film clip for John Farnham’s You’re the Voice and even competed on Dancing with the Stars.

But there is one thing missing from the CV of Derryn Hinch: a seat in the Victorian parliament.

Hinch, who last month failed in his bid to return to the Senate, wants to harness the public’s frustration with the major parties, and is launching a bid for the balance of power in Victoria’s Upper House where his party holds two seats.

If successful, he would be the oldest person when first elected to the Victorian parliament, pipping Thomas Harwood who was elected aged 74 in 1899. Hinch will celebrate his 79th birthday weeks after polling day.

“I don’t feel old,” Hinch said. “And I am still younger than Joe Biden.”

At the last state election in 2018, Hinch’s Justice Party won three upper house seats with a primary vote of 3.7 per cent, but lost one member within weeks of the election when former councillor Catherine Cumming defected to sit as an independent.

Hinch will nominate for the Southern Metropolitan region, where he lives, which takes in the state seats of Brighton, Hawthorn, Caulfield and Kew – many of the suburbs where voters turned to independent candidates at last month’s federal election.

With the major parties expected to win two spots each, Hinch will attempt to snare the fifth spot currently held by Sustainable Australia MP Clifford Hayes. “It’ll be a tough fight,” Hinch said.

During the federal election campaign, Hinch covered more than 10,000 kilometres across Victoria and said he picked up on the powerful trend where voters turned their backs on the two major political parties.

“The thing I heard the most was that Shakespearean quote that there was a pox on both the houses,” Hinch told The Age and the Herald.

“It didn’t surprise me that both Labor and the Liberal Party had a primary vote around 30 per cent. People are fed up with both of them and the teals came along at a good time.”

(continued)

>>16449749

2/2

As a journalist, Hinch has had a box-seat view when observing Australia’s political theatre. He has grilled every prime minister from Robert Menzies to Malcolm Turnbull and interviewed “hundreds of politicians”.

As far as premiers go, he admired former Labor NSW premier Neville Wran as well as long-serving Victorian premier, Sir Rupert “Dick” Hamer.

Hinch believes former Liberal leader Andrew Peacock, who was best man at his 1983 marriage to Weaver, would be “shattered” by the current state of the Victorian Liberal Party, which he believes has “shifted too far to the right”.

While deeply critical of the Victorian government’s powerful emergency pandemic laws and the hotel quarantine saga, Hinch believes Premier Daniel Andrews, for the most part, “handled COVID-19 well”.

“The hotel quarantine thing was handled disgustingly and the fact everyone in a senior position seemed to lose their memory during the inquiry was a disgrace. No one had been held accountable,” Hinch said.

But Hinch, who lobbied for a federal integrity commission during his stint in Canberra, said he was concerned that after two terms in office and with a diminished opposition, there is a “a lack of transparency and accountability from the Andrews government”.

If elected, he would fight for more powers for the state Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and backed calls from the boss of the anti-corruption watchdog, Robert Redlich, for legislative changes to speed up investigations.

Hinch, who has faced criticism for drinking alcohol after receiving a life-saving liver transplant, described himself as a “socialist when it comes to health and aged care”.

“We pay taxes, and we should be able to go to a public hospital and get fantastic treatment for free.”

He said he supported the Andrews government’s multi-billion dollar infrastructure program but is concerned that regional Victorians are missing out. He wants to improve the standard of food and care on offer in Victoria’s public aged care homes and wants to see improvements to ambulance and hospital wait times.

Hinch, who has received three custodial sentences for contempt during his journalistic career, insists he remains conservative on law-and-order issues and would use his position in the upper house to push for stricter bail conditions and a mechanism to challenge judicial appointments.

He also wants the Andrews government to introduce a legal panel to hear complaints about judges and magistrates.

“If the sentences or actions of any judge are found to be manifestly inadequate by community standards then there should be a system to immediately remove them from office,” Hinch said.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/derryn-hinch-announces-plan-to-run-for-victorian-parliament-20220614-p5athd.html

>>16200056 (pb)

Paedophile Bronte Ciracovitch sentenced to 14 years' jail for multiple child sex offences

Claire Campbell - 15 June 2022

A South Australian judge says a paedophile childcare worker who groomed and abused children in his care continues to be "a danger to the community", jailing him for 14 years.

Bronte John Ciracovitch, 31, admitted to multiple offences, including maintaining a sexual relationship with a child at his home and producing child abuse material while working at a childcare centre in Adelaide's north.

There were at least four victims of Ciracovitch's offending, who were aged between four and nine.

Ciracovitch — who had worked in childcare for nine years — was working as an educator at a childcare centre in Adelaide's north when he was arrested in 2020.

During sentencing, District Court Judge Timothy Heffernan said Ciracovitch had groomed two young children at the centre since they were 15 months of age.

The judge said that, on occasion, Ciracovitch turned off the lights and CCTV-monitoring in the centre's "baby room" after entering with his young victims.

Educators also reported seeing Ciracovitch with his personal mobile phone, which was against the centre's policy.

'Revulsion and anger'

Judge Heffernan said Ciracovitch had shown limited remorse or insight into his "abhorrent behaviour" and had never apologised to the victims or their families.

"[A victim's] mother asked one question which must have occurred to the parents of all of your victims of your offending: 'How were you able to look them in the eyes knowing what you had done?'" the judge noted.

"Tragically for you, you have previously been a good professional carer with many children, of course. It was that very factor that enabled you to be in a position of trust, which you so comprehensively abused.

"At this point in your life, I regard you as a danger to the community."

Ciracovitch also had multiple photos and videos of "extremely serious" child-exploitation material on his mobile phone, including a 41-minute video.

Judge Heffernan said Ciracovitch's crimes created "revulsion and anger" in "right-thinking" members of the community.

He said Ciracovitch's offending was also an "insult" to hard-working and under-paid childcare workers.

"The trust and confidence of the community is a vital requirement for them to properly perform a nurturing role for the children placed in their care," Judge Heffernan said.

"Your conduct was a gross abuse of the trust placed in you by your employer and the parents.

"Most importantly, it was a gross abuse of the trust placed in you by your very young victims, who would have looked to you for care and comfort and as a role model."

Ciracovitch has been jailed for 14 years.

He will be eligible for parole in 2031.

Families of the victims gasped in court and said, "Yes" when the sentence was handed down.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-15/bronte-ciracovitch-sentenced-for-child-sex-abuse-offences/101153226

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 15, 2022, 3:46 a.m. No.16449772 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9773

>>16444260

'Combat credible' US marines train on NT's Tiwi Islands as US continues focus on Indo-Pacific region

Melissa Mackay - 14 June 2022

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On an isolated block of defence land north of Darwin, a group of United States marines has spent the past week war-gaming their response to a fake embassy siege on the tropical Tiwi Islands.

With marines stationed at every US embassy around the world, the annual Exercise Darrandarra is crucial training on securing and evacuating US assets in foreign countries.

The exercise is held each year in a remote Northern Territory location as part of the annual six-month rotation of marines to the Top End.

While the drills on the Tiwis' Bathurst Island were a make-believe scenario, Master Gunnery Sergeant Robert Robinson said the marines were likely to be deployed in similar real-life operations throughout their careers.

"I think we probably do some type of a non-combatant evacuation maybe once a year," Sergeant Robinson said.

"We can always be called upon to do it and we never know when that's going to be, so we have to be prepared to do it."

Despite searing midday heat and unseasonally damp evenings, the marines were tested almost 24 hours a day for a week straight during the exercise.

At the gates of the "US Embassy Tiwi", marines role-played as local protesters, while others took on the role of local guards from the fictional host nation.

Machine gunners, medics and even a legitimate representative from Canberra's US Embassy took part in the training.

As the week drew on, the scenarios thrown at the young marines – with an average age of about 21– became more complicated.

What started as loud but non-violent protests along the "embassy" fence line were overtaken by suicide bombings and mass casualty events.

Suspicious packages and embassy intruders were thrown into the mix as well.

Each night, as the marines took a brief break, their commanders would sit down to dream up new challenges to throw at the young men and women.

"We have a bit of fun with it … we start off very small and then build up and build up and then it gets to the worst-case scenario," Lieutenant Tess Miller explained.

"We kill off their leadership or take away [communications] and then they have to deal with it."

Sergeant Robinson said the main test for the young marines on the ground was making sure they kept their cool.

"What we want to do is poke them and prod them over a couple of days and see if we [can] get under their skin," he said.

Sergeant Jacob Sullivan, who oversaw a team of machine gunners during the exercise, said security and evacuation operations required marines to have a different mindset than they would in a typical combat situation.

"If a guy is banging a stick … at the fence, I had one marine ask me 'do we engage?'," Sergeant Sullivan said.

"And [the answer is] 'no' because he's behind a fence, he's a civilian and you're trying to compare a rifle to a stick.

"You have to think about the force you're using and the force they're using."

(continued)

>>16449772

2/2

US training a signal of things to come

The training is an annual component of the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D), the six-month training deployment borne out of a deal between the US and Australia now in its 11th year.

In 2022, the marines who took part were the most capable and combat-ready group ever deployed.

"With Fifth Marine Regiment [which makes up the MRF-D] already being a standing regiment, we were able to fall in on this mission as already combat-credible," Sergeant Robinson said.

"We are prepared to continue to train here with the Australians and our other partners in the region and also we are prepared to respond to crisis anywhere in the Pacific region."

As tensions in the Indo-Pacific region continue to simmer, one expert said the step-up in experience of the marines now based in northern Australia was a subtle but significant shift.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Dr John Coyne said the increased US presence in northern Australia signalled the region's strategic importance to both countries.

"There's clear evidence the US government is going to invest more in ensuring that supply chains [and] defence logistics facilities are present in northern Australia and ready to support a range of contingencies," he said.

Around 2,000 marines are based in the Top End this dry season as part of the 2022 rotation.

Only 200 marines were deployed in 2012. Dr Coyne expects the number to keep increasing.

"Forward deployment in Darwin and northern Australia really provides proximity to the region, it provides a capacity [for the US] to leapfrog operations," Dr Coyne said.

"It provides the US military with a forward operating base from which it can launch into the region."

But Dr Coyne said he believes the US would stop short of establishing a formal, permanent American military base in the NT.

"There will be increased ship visits and increased force visits in the coming years," he said.

"I think the concept of bases as we understood them in the Cold War — very few governments are welcoming of a more formal US-basing arrangement."

As for whether an increased US footprint in Darwin makes northern Australia a target for conflict, Dr Coyne said he believed the presence of American forces was actually a deterrent.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-14/us-marines-darwin-nt-training-exercise-darrandarra/101147660

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 16, 2022, 3:38 a.m. No.16455152 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5156

>>16413268

Labor must cancel Darwin port lease as part of China strategy

PETER JENNINGS - JUNE 16, 2022

1/2

Unexpectedly, Anthony Albanese has announced another review into the 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin by a Chinese company. In Darwin on June 8, he was asked what Labor would do about the lease: “What I’ve said is what I said prior to the election – and I will do what I said I would do on this and every other issue – which is we’ll have a review of the circumstances of the port,” he said.

In fact, Labor made no specific election promise to review the Port of Darwin lease. Albanese criticised the previous government’s handling of the lease and said he was part of the Gillard cabinet that “proudly put US Marines in Darwin”.

Prior to the election, on the May 5 ABC program Q+A, Albanese declined to say what Labor would do about the port because of “legal implications”. He said Labor opposed the lease “at the time” in 2015 and “the idea that the Port of Darwin does not have national security and national implications for us is, to my mind, quite obviously absurd”.

Albanese has a brilliant opportunity to reshape Australia’s national security by resuming ownership of the Port of Darwin and greatly expanding its facilities to support a larger defence and allied presence in the north.

The first physical meeting of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore on the weekend brought together many defence ministers and regional leaders, most of whom engaged in pointless word games – calling for increased transparency of military planning but seldom mentioning China in the same sentence.

Delivering the keynote speech, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, was more pessimistic, saying: “I myself have a strong sense of urgency that Ukraine today may be east Asia tomorrow.” Kishida pledged to “fundamentally reinforce Japan’s defence capabilities within the next five years and secure a substantial increase in Japan’s defence budget needed to effect such reinforcement”.

Australia needs to develop the same sense of urgency. Consider the past few months in which Beijing has sent warships along our north, east and west coasts and engaged in dangerous gamesmanship with Australian aircraft over the South China Sea and the Arafura Sea.

At the same time, China concluded a security agreement with Solomon Islands and then faced a diplomatic rebuff when a larger grouping of Pacific Island countries rejected a similar deal.

Beijing rebuked Jacinda Ardern – hardly a security hawk – for the temerity of discussing regional security with Joe Biden. While China’s Defence Minister, Wei Fenghe, delivered the most bellicose speech at Shangri La, saying, “Let me make this clear: if anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight. We will fight at all costs. We will fight to the very end. This is the only choice for China.”

None of these moves can be taken as signs of a thawing in Australia-China relations, which was the standard media reaction to Defence Minister Richard Marles meeting with Wei. There is no warming in the bilateral relationship. In fact, China under Xi Jinping is becoming openly hostile and is intent on making quick strategic gains in the Indo-Pacific aimed at weakening the position of the US and its key partners.

(continued)

>>16455152

2/2

For its own reasons – perhaps because the strategic problems are so large and so pressing – the Australian national security community seems incapable of acknowledging the threat. Towards the end of 2021, it appears that the Defence Department would not shift from advising the Morrison government that it could see no strategic reason to end the Port of Darwin lease.

Why Defence takes this position is mystifying. It runs against the highly transparent way in which Beijing is strengthening its position throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific; it ignores the obvious concerns and military planning of the US, which sees northern Australia as critical strategic territory; and it downplays the views of our neighbours.

President Jose Ramos-Horta told The Sydney Morning Herald on May 23: “We in Timor-Leste are worried about how China is so much present in Australian life. Even our neighbours in the Northern Territory … they leased their Darwin port for 100 years to China. Can you imagine if we were to lease the Dili port to the Chinese just for five years? The Australians and Americans would go berserk.”

Ramos-Horta has a point. We can hardly object to PRC port and airport construction in the Indo-Pacific when so much of our own critical infrastructure has been leased or sold to companies under Beijing’s political authority.

This is the context for Albanese’s review of the Port of Darwin lease. If the Prime Minister hands that task to Defence, you will instantly know that Labor has no real plan for change because Defence will not change its stripes on the port. Albanese should instead fold the Port of Darwin review into a bigger plan to assess the posture of the Australian Defence Force. This was part of Labor’s election platform and promises to assess “whether the ADF has the posture and infrastructure to mobilise quickly if required, particularly (facing) immediate challenges in the Indo-Pacific region”.

Importantly, this review is to be independently chaired with a remit to assess “regional circumstances, including Australia’s role in the Indo-Pacific, particularly Northern Australia and North-West Australia”.

Given the deterioration of our strategic outlook, Labor’s force posture review needs to be done urgently. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Michael Shoebridge correctly calls for Australia to consult with the US and Japan on the Port of Darwin, especially around alternate uses that the ADF and our allies and partners might have for the port.

Albanese’s force posture review is an opportunity for policy creativity, focused on strengthening deterrence, increasing allied access and boosting our northern military presence. It goes without saying that China will not welcome an Australian decision to resume control of the Port of Darwin. Then again, China will not welcome any Australian move to strengthen our security.

We should hope that an interest to resume talks with Beijing won’t get in the way of Albanese taking necessary action on Defence in the north. Beijing could well make keeping the lease on Darwin Port its price for talks. That would be the ultimate victory of symbolism over substance. Talk or no talk, no one in Beijing is listening today to calls for transparency and adhering to the rules-based international order.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/labor-must-cancel-darwin-port-lease-as-part-ofchina-strategy/news-story/beaa1097acf0e23a6c0e73433c073c5a

>>16384706

Cheng Lei’s partner says Australia must put her at the centre of negotiations with China

Eryk Bagshaw - June 16, 2022

1/2

Singapore: The partner of detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei has urged the Labor government to put her case at the centre of diplomatic negotiations with China.

Nick Coyle, the executive director of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, said that now was the time to push Chinese authorities to end Lei’s two-year-long detention on vague national security charges.

“I would hope that Senator [Foreign Minister] Penny Wong and [Prime Minister] Anthony Albanese make Cheng Lei’s case front and centre of any engagement,” Coyle said.

“An opportunity exists with the incoming government, positive messages coming from both sides and the meeting between [Richard] Marles and General Wei over in Singapore. Hopefully, the chance of finding a decent solution is better than it was a couple of months ago.”

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Cheng’s close friend, Haze Fan, was released in January. However, the Chinese reporter’s colleagues at Bloomberg have been unable to contact her since. It remains unclear if the cases are linked but news of Fan’s release has also fuelled hopes of a breakthrough in Cheng’s case.

“We really have no idea whether the two cases are related or not,” said Coyle.

Coyle said the treatment of Cheng had been “frankly unacceptable”. Chinese authorities have cut off Cheng’s monthly contact visits this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, despite the visits being conducted remotely. The video calls were one of the few ways Cheng had of obtaining information about the outside world, developments in her case, or hopes for her release.

“The monthly consular visits have been absolutely critical to her mental and psychological well-being,” he said.

Coyle said Cheng has also faced food shortages while in prison, and was surviving on white rice, raising concerns about her physical health.

The 47-year-old mother of two remains unaware of the specific allegations against her. The Australian government has been told that they involve supplying state secrets, but no other details have been released since her closed-door trial in March.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Cheng was suspected of providing “state secrets to foreign forces”. “Therefore, holding a closed-door trial by the relevant court is legitimate, lawful, and beyond reproach,” he said after the hearing. “China is a country under rule of law.”

The state TV anchor, who was close to the Australian business community in Beijing, became increasingly critical of China’s handling of COVID-19 in Facebook posts to friends in early 2020 but had stuck to China’s censorship guidelines while on air.

(continued)

>>16455215

2/2

Cheng is one of two Australians detained in China on national security charges. Her Chinese-Australian compatriot Dr Yang Hengjun has also been stuck in jail for three years on vague claims of espionage. The pro-democracy writer has faced torture and interrogations to extract a confession but has repeatedly and publicly maintained his innocence.

“I will not give in under any pressure from any forces,” Yang said in a message dictated in January to his wife Yuan Xiaoliang, lawyers and friends. “I want the Chinese government to open my case and publish it, to provide details to the world, the Australian government and the country.”

Both cases have been linked to the deteriorating relationship between Australia and China under the Coalition government, with little substantial evidence presented of crimes that would warrant the three years to life in jail the pair are facing. The Chinese legal system has a conviction rate of 99 per cent.

Yang’s friend, University of Technology Sydney academic Dr Feng Chongyi, said getting Yang and Cheng out of detention should be the government’s priority. “It is their duty,” he said. “It will look silly to the entire world if they do not raise this issue when they have diplomatic discussions. This should be their priority issue if the Chinese side wants to resume contact in any way.”

Albanese has repeatedly insisted that $20 billion in trade sanctions against Australia must be removed if the relationship is to improve but has not mentioned Yang and Cheng since he became prime minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles would not be drawn this week on whether he raised the cases directly with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore. The discussion was the first ministerial-level meeting between the two countries in almost three years, fuelling hopes of a resumption of diplomatic dialogue between Canberra and Beijing.

“We’ve got a lot of issues to work through and this is still just the first step, but yes, it’s definitely positive,” Marles said.

Coyle told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that he wanted Cheng’s case to be raised at the highest levels. “You would hope there is an opportunity for her to get reunited with her kids,” he said.

The two young children have been in Melbourne since she was first detained in August 2020. “They are doing the best they can, but at the end of the day, they need their mum back,” Coyle said.

Coyle has requested a meeting with Wong and Albanese within weeks to push for Cheng’s release

“The next steps will be to meet with Senator Wong and hopefully the PM and ensure that her case has given the appropriate level of urgency in any bilateral discussions,” he said. “I’ve been in touch with their office, and they’ve been responsive, which is a good start.”

Cheng’s verdict and sentence are expected to be handed down later this year.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/cheng-lei-s-partner-says-australia-must-put-her-at-the-centre-of-negotiations-with-china-20220615-p5atuk.html

Ukraine President asks Albanese to visit Kyiv

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 16, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Anthony Albanese to visit Kyiv when he is in Europe later this month.

Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroschnychenko said he hoped to convey the invitation to the Prime Minister personally next week. “If there is a time to visit Ukraine, it is now,” he said.

Mr Albanese is due to travel to Madrid for the annual NATO summit from June 28-30, with a side trip to France to repair relations with President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Myroschnychenko said Mr Zelensky hoped to host Mr Albanese in Kyiv, in a show of solidarity against Russian aggression and witness first-hand the cause of Australia’s energy cost woes.

Senior Labor sources suggested the proposed trip might not be feasible, given Mr Albanese was facing a domestic energy crisis, and needed to balance his time at home and abroad.

But Mr Myroschnychenko said, “if not now, then when?”

“Now Ukraine is at the top of the global security agenda,” he said. “The price of petrol, gas, electricity – the reason Australian people are suffering – is because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has pushed up energy prices across the world.”

He said Ukraine was grateful for the weapons donated by Australia, but the country desperately needed more.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/ukraine-president-asks-albanese-to-visit-kyiv/news-story/505bf22db91ee6f0bf2e5f58890d28be

>>16444292

Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers plea for trafficking sentence ‘well below’ 20 years

Larry Neumeister - June 16, 2022

New York: Lawyers for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell told a judge Wednesday that she should face no more than four to five years in prison for her sex-trafficking conviction and role in financier Jeffrey Epstein’s decade-long sex abuse of teenage girls.

They said in a Manhattan federal court submission that Maxwell deserves leniency, calling it “a travesty of justice for her to face a sentence that would have been appropriate for Epstein,” who took his life as he was awaiting a sex-trafficking trial in 2019.

“Epstein was the mastermind, Epstein was the principal abuser, and Epstein orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification,” the lawyers wrote. “Indeed, had Ghislaine Maxwell never had the profound misfortune of meeting Jeffrey Epstein over 30 years ago, she would not be here.”

They added in advance of a June 28 sentencing that Maxwell “is not an heiress, villain or vapid socialite” and hasn’t deserved the “drumbeat of public condemnation calling for her to be locked away for good”.

They said her life has been ruined and the onerous jail conditions she had endured since her July 2, 2020 arrest should earn her a significant downward departure from sentencing guidelines. Probation officials recommended a 20-year sentence but said her conviction could call for 25 to 30 years.

Her lawyers said probation calculated the guidelines wrong and that a proper calculation would result in no more than four to five years in prison.

The lawyers wrote that she now lives in the jail’s general population but had recently been the target of a credible death threat from a fellow female inmate who told at least three others that she planned to strangle Maxwell in her sleep. Still, they added, she has eagerly assisted other female inmates, providing GED tutoring.

Included in their submission were letters from six siblings.

The lawyers said leniency was also deserved because she had a “difficult, traumatic childhood with an overbearing, narcissistic, and demanding father” that made her “vulnerable to Epstein”.

Maxwell met Epstein shortly after her father, British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell, died in 1991 under suspicious circumstances after falling off a yacht named for her and while he faced allegations that he had illegally looted his businesses’ pension funds.

“It is the biggest mistake she made in her life and one that she has not and never will repeat,” they said of their client, who was Epstein’s girlfriend for a time in the 1990s.

They added that she has had two committed, long-term, loving relationships with men who had young children in the 15 years since her relationship with Epstein ended. They cited an eight-year relationship with a Miami lawyer and a 2013 relationship that led to a marriage that they wrote “could not survive the negative impact of this case nor a husband’s association with his dishonoured wife”.

The sentencing submission also cast Maxwell as the sole target by prosecutors to fill “Epstein’s empty chair” after his suicide, saying that charges were not pursued against the four other women named as co-conspirators or accomplices of Epstein during a prosecution over a decade ago.

Prosecutors declined comment through a spokesperson. They will submit their own written arguments in advance of sentencing.

The Oxford-educated Maxwell, 60, who holds US, British and French citizenships, was convicted in December of recruiting teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse from 1994 to 2004.

In April, US District Judge Alison Nathan upheld Maxwell’s jury conviction, saying it was “readily supported” by extensive witness testimony and documentary evidence at a month-long trial.

Earlier this year, Nathan refused to toss out Maxwell’s conviction on the grounds that a juror during deliberations told other jurors he had been sexually abused as a child even though he had not revealed it in a written questionnaire given to prospective jurors.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/ghislaine-maxwell-s-lawyers-plea-for-trafficking-sentence-well-below-20-years-20220616-p5auau.html

>>16444292

Ghislaine Maxwell asks court for sex trafficking sentence of ‘well below’ 20 years

The disgraced British socialite’s lawyers argued that she was threatened in jail and cannot be made proxy for Jeffrey Epstein

Victoria Bekiempis - 16 Jun 2022

1/3

Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorneys argued on Wednesday that the disgraced British socialite should be sentenced to “well below” the 20 years imprisonment that probation authorities have recommended in her New York federal sex-trafficking case.

In a pre-sentencing report, Maxwell’s attorneys provided detailed descriptions of her allegedly perilous conditions in jail, and described an emotionally distressing upbringing, as part of their argument for leniency.

They made the shocking allegation that “an inmate in Ms Maxwell’s unit threatened to kill her, claiming that an additional 20 years’ incarceration would be worth the money she’d receive for murdering Ms Maxwell”.

“One of the female inmates in Ms Maxwell’s housing unit told at least three other inmates that she had been offered money to murder Ms Maxwell and that she planned to strangle her in her sleep,” her attorneys claimed.

They also claimed that Maxwell’s father, the late disgraced publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, was abusive toward her and his other children. “Ghislaine vividly recalls a time when, at age 13, she tacked a poster of a pony on the newly painted wall of her bedroom. Rather than mar the paint with tape, she carefully hammered a thin tack to mount the poster,” the attorneys wrote. “This outraged her father, who took the hammer and banged on Ghislaine’s dominant hand, leaving it severely bruised and painful for weeks to come.”

Maxwell was convicted on 29 December of sex trafficking and related charges for luring girls, some aged just 14, into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit, for him to abuse. She insists on her innocence.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender who once counted Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton among his rich and powerful associates, was arrested by federal authorities in July 2019, on sex-trafficking counts. He killed himself while awaiting trial in a New York City federal jail.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 16, 2022, 4:39 a.m. No.16455320 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5331

>>16455317

2/3

Maxwell is scheduled to be sentenced on 28 June and she faces up to 55 years behind bars. However, authorities calculate sentencing recommendations based on guidelines that take into account a variety of factors, such as a person’s criminal history.

The US probation department, which makes sentencing recommendations, has suggested a punishment of 240 months imprisonment. Maxwell’s sentence is ultimately up to the judge.

In asking for a lighter-than-recommended sentence, Maxwell’s lawyers argued that she can’t be a surrogate for Epstein, writing “this Court cannot sentence Ms Maxwell as if she were a proxy for Epstein simply because Epstein is no longer here”.

“Ms Maxwell cannot and should not bear all the punishment for which Epstein should have been held responsible. Ms Maxwell has already experienced a hard time during detention under conditions far more onerous and punitive than any experienced by a typical pretrial detainee, and she is preparing to spend significantly more time behind bars,” they wrote. “Her life has been ruined.”

“Ms Maxwell is not a dangerous criminal or a habitual offender. She is someone who wants nothing more than to live a normal family life – something she was denied because of her association with Epstein and will now almost certainly never have,” they also wrote. “The public does not need to be protected from Ms Maxwell and such considerations should have no weight in determining her sentence.”

They also claimed that her experiences as a youth created susceptibility to Epstein. “She had a difficult, traumatic childhood with an overbearing, narcissistic and demanding father,” they wrote. “It made her vulnerable to Epstein, whom she met right after her father’s death. It is the biggest mistake she made in her life and one that she has not and never will repeat.”

Maxwell’s siblings made additional claims about their father’s impact on her relationship with Epstein, with two writing in a sentencing submission that “we witnessed our father taking Ghislaine under his wing whereby she became over dependent on his approval and vulnerable to his frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections”.

“This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature,” they said. “It is striking that Ghislaine did not show any perverse behaviour before she met Epstein. Nor did she show any after leaving him, which she eventually managed to do.”

“The effect of our father’s psychologically abusive treatment of her, foreshadowed Epstein’s own ability to exploit, manipulate and control her,” they claimed.

(continued)

>>16455320

3/3

Maxwell’s attorneys also insisted that she wasn’t hiding when federal agents arrested her in July 2020, but rather feared for her safety following Epstein’s arrest and death – claiming she had gotten “death threats”.

“Tragically, this experience was not new for Ms Maxwell,” her legal team wrote. “Decades earlier, when Ms Maxwell was just a child and her father was a member of Parliament, UK authorities found a ‘hit list’ of potential kidnapping/assassination targets in a safehouse used by the Irish Republican Army. Ms Maxwell’s name was first on the list.”

Maxwell’s sentencing will take place nearly three months after Judge Alison Nathan rejected her request for a new trial following revelations that a juror in her case did not disclose childhood sexual abuse during jury selection.

Juror No 50, Scotty David, sat for interviews following Maxwell’s trial during which he talked about experiencing childhood sexual abuse. David claimed that he told other jurors about this, in order for them to understand facts from a victim’s point of view.

Nathan questioned David on 8 March about this omission. David, who was granted immunity to testify, claimed that he was distracted while completing the screening questionnaire.

Nathan ruled that she believed David’s explanation – that he had made an “honest mistake” – was true and “that Juror 50 was not biased and would not have been stricken for cause even if he had answered each question on the questionnaire accurately.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/15/ghislaine-maxwell-sex-trafficking-sentence

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.663.0.pdf

—

Q Post #4565

Jul 2 2020 12:53:00 (EST)

Possible Epstein was a puppet [not the main person(s) of interest]?

Financed by who or what [F] entities?

[Primary] gather blackmail on elected pols, dignitaries, royalty, hollywood influencers, wall street and other financial top level players, other high profile industry specific people, etc.
Feed an addiction [controllable]

Maxwell family background?

Robert Maxwell history [intel, agency, wealth, [CLAS 1-99]]?

Sometimes it's the people in the background that are of greater significance.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4565

—

Q Post #4568

Jul 2 2020 17:25:22 (EST)

Eb7QXABU8AAr1f8.jpg

https://qanon.pub/#4568

>Sometimes it's the people in the background that are of greater significance.

UK orders extradition of Julian Assange to United States

Latika Bourke - June 17, 2022

London: Julian Assange will be extradited to the United States to face spying charges over the WikiLeaks publication of classified documents more than a decade ago.

The announcement was made in a statement on Friday by a Home Office spokesperson.

“On 17 June, following consideration by both the Magistrates Court and High Court, the extradition of Mr Julian Assange to the US was ordered,” the statement read.

“Mr Assange retains the normal 14-day right to appeal.

“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange.

“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

Assange’s legal team will appeal to the High Court.

Assange’s wife, Stella, hit out at Home Secretary Priti Patel.

“It was in Priti Patel’s power to do the right thing,” she said in a statement.

“Instead, she will forever be remembered as an accomplice of the United States in its agenda to turn investigative journalism into a criminal enterprise.

“The path to Julian’s freedom is long and tortuous. Today is not the end of the fight. It is only the beginning of a new legal battle.”

Assange is in Belmarsh prison where he will remain as his appeals take place.

He is charged by the United States under the espionage act relating to the theft of hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables that WikiLeaks published, unredacted, online.

His lawyers argue that he is a journalist and editor and that his prosecution is political persecution.

These arguments were previously rejected as reasons for barring his extradition by a British judge and will form the basis of the next legal appeal.

His Australian human rights lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said that the Australian government needed to ask the Biden administration to drop the charges.

“His health is suffering, he’s lost weight, he’s had a stroke since I last saw him – it very much looks like punishment by process,” she said, speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age at Doughty Street Chambers.

As opposition leader, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Assange should be returned to Australia, but he has refused to say if he’s pressured the US government on the issue since winning the election.

Albanese’s office was contacted for comment.

Greg Barns SC, an adviser to the Australian Assange Campaign, said Albanese should not wait any longer to press Assange’s case to Australia’s allies.

“This is an appalling decision,” he said.

“We appreciate the new Australian government is conscious of highly significant issues in this case – freedom of the press and most importantly Julian Assange’s human rights.

“We bid now is the time for the government to work with its key allies in Washington and London to end this case.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/uk-orders-extradition-of-julian-assange-to-united-states-20220617-p5auoa.html

Kevin Spacey granted bail over sexual assault charges

Marie Jackson - 16 June 2022

US actor Kevin Spacey has been given unconditional bail after appearing in a London court on four charges of sexually assaulting three men.

The 62-year-old is also facing a fifth charge of causing a man to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

He was not asked to enter pleas for the alleged offences from 2005 to 2013.

Mr Spacey's next appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court on 14 July for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

Ahead of the short preliminary hearing, the Hollywood star was steered by his legal team and two police officers through a mass of photographers and camera crews towards the court entrance.

Mr Spacey, dressed in a pale blue suit, dark tie and wearing glasses, was seated in the dock. His case was heard by deputy chief magistrate Tanweer Ikram.

Patrick Gibbs QC, who is defending Mr Spacey, said: "Mr Spacey strenuously denies any and all criminality in this case."

Media scrum awaits US actor

The actor arrived at the court surrounded by an enormous scrum of cameras and journalists as he tried to get into the building.

Security had to clear a path as he was jostled by photographers trying to film him.

In Court One, Mr Spacey, wearing a light blue suit, sat in the dock. He was asked to stand and give his name, address and date of birth.

He said he was called Kevin Spacey Fowler and was addressed by the court as Mr Fowler although his own lawyer called him Mr Spacey.

Asked by the magistrate if he'd prefer to be called Mr Spacey, the actor gave a small smile and shrug, and said either was fine.

The charges were read out to him. He wasn't asked at this first court appearance to plead guilty or not guilty but his solicitor said he denies all and any criminality.

The magistrate told him he would be granted bail. After a court hearing of just half an hour, Mr Spacey left the building to face the cameras again.

The charges he is facing are:

• Two counts of sexual assault on a man in March 2005

• Sexual assault on a man and causing him to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent in August 2008

• Sexual assault on a man in April 2013

The most serious charge of causing a man to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent is an indictable-only offence, meaning it can only be tried in a Crown Court.

Mr Spacey lives in the US where he has family and a nine-year-old dog, the court heard.

In his decades-long career in films and on stage, Mr Spacey has received Oscars for American Beauty and Usual Suspects, and won acclaim for his appearance in the long-running Netflix hit, House of Cards.

He was also artistic director at London's Old Vic theatre.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61823521

>>16449726

Solomon Islands seeks to reassure Australia on China security deal, Penny Wong announces 200,000 paediatric vaccines

Prianka Srinivasan - 17 June 2022

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Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has sought to reassure Australia there will not be a military base in the Pacific island nation as a result of its security pact with China.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with Mr Sogavare in Honiara on Friday, in Australia's first high-level visit to Solomon Islands since the controversial deal was signed in April.

The deal fuelled concerns of the potential for a military base to be established in the region, sparking alarm in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

"Obviously, we did talk about regional security," Senator Wong said.

"Australia's view does remain that the Pacific family should be responsible for our security, and the Pacific family is more than capable of providing that security.

"I welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare's reassurances that there will not a military base or persistent foreign military presence here in Solomon Islands.

"And I welcomed his assurance that Australia remains Solomon Islands' first security partner of choice and development partner of choice."

Education, labour mobility and climate change were also part of discussions, Senator Wong said.

She flagged better cooperation in areas such as climate change after her government nearly doubled Australia's 2030 carbon-cutting targets.

Senator Wong's day trip to Honiara marks her third visit to the Pacific, having already met with leaders in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga since being sworn in last month.

On Thursday, Senator Wong met with her New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta in Wellington where regional security, climate change and labour mobility were on the agenda.

Earlier this week, Australia played host to Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Senator Wong and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy.

Australia to deliver 200,000 paediatric vaccines to Solomon Islands

During her visit, Senator Wong announced the delivery of approximately 200,000 paediatric COVID-19 vaccines to Solomon Islands.

"It's the people of Australia who are demonstrating their friendship through their government and their willingness to work with you as part of the Pacific family to improve your outcomes, particularly for your young people," Senator Wong said.

"I'm very pleased to announce today that we will deliver approximately 200,000 COVID vaccinations for kids of 11 years and under to try and ensure we can get younger children back into the classroom safely."

Solomon Islands suffered a deadly Delta wave at the beginning of the year, leading to thousands of cases, which overwhelmed hospitals.

Following her meeting with Mr Sogavare, Senator Wong had a private lunch with a number of female community leaders, including Chamber of Commerce chief executive Natalina Hong and senior journalist Dorothy Wickham, Samantha Tuti and Joana Zoloveke to discuss youth, women and media.

Senator Wong's visit comes just two months after news broke that Honiara had signed on to a controversial security pact with Beijing, fuelling concerns of the potential for a military base to be established in the Pacific island nation.

China and Solomon Islands have each dismissed fears among the United States and its allies that it could lead to the construction of a Chinese military base.

(continued)

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Wong's visit an 'important start' to repair ties

Senator Wong criticised the former government for mishandling its relationship with the Pacific leading up to the Honiara-Beijing deal, a situation which she has called the "worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific" since the end of World War II.

In April, Prime Minister Sogavare lashed out at Australia's response to his deal with China, mocking the Morrison government's complaints about the secrecy around the agreement.

Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii, said Senator Wong's visit to the Solomon Islands was an "important start" to repair relationships between the two countries.

"On the question of what Australia does to strengthen this relationship, I think this is a good start with the Labor government in power," he said.

"And listening to what Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island countries see as really important… such as climate change."

Dr Kabutaulaka said he was "certain" China would be a feature of talks between Senator Wong and Mr Sogavare, but said it was unlikely that Australia could influence Honiara's partnership with Beijing.

"There will be expressions of concern from Canberra, but it's also important to note that China is a power to stay in the region," he said.

"Therefore the challenge for both Solomon Islands and Australia is having that relationship with Beijing, while at the same time maintaining and strengthening the relationship between the two countries."

China is also looking to forge a sweeping region-wide Pacific Islands agreement with almost a dozen Pacific countries, after Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Pacific leaders during his tour of the region.

The initial proposal was shelved after a number of Pacific Island leaders raised concerns about the pact and China's approach, but it is expected to be discussed again during the Pacific Islands Forum meeting next month.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-17/solomon-islands-seeks-to-reassure-australia-on-china-deal/101159206

>>16449726

Aussie FM's frequent visit to S.Pacific nations 'charm offensive' to exclude China from region

Zhao Yusha - Jun 16, 2022

The new Australia government recently launched what Chinese observers called a "charm offensive" and "salami tactics" trying to exclude China from this region, as Australia's foreign minister is scheduled to travel to the Solomon Islands on Friday, the third visit to the South Pacific region, in less than a month after she took office.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a news release that she would travel to the Solomon Islands and New Zealand. Australia was committed to deepening cooperation with the Solomon Islands on shared challenges including climate change, and Wong would meet with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, the statement said.

"I look forward to discussing the ways we can continue to make progress on pandemic recovery, economic development and labor mobility priorities, and addressing our shared security interests," she said.

The visit will be her third visit to the South Pacific nations since being sworn in last month, the frequency and level described by Chinese observers as "unseen" in recent Australian administrations.

The new Australian administration harbors one purpose in such frequent and high level visits to the region, and that is to exclude China, Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Chen said what is different is that this government sugarcoated its aggressive goal with polite gestures and "salami tactics" as the foreign minister visited those countries one by one.

Wong's visit came after Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up his island-hopping visit to Pacific Island countries earlier this month and China confirmed in April it officially signed the intergovernmental framework agreement on security cooperation with Solomon Islands.

In a meeting with her New Zealand counterpart, Nanaia Mahuta, Wong said that Australia should be more engaged in the Pacific, something the previous government failed to do sufficiently, and that "Pacific security should be provided by the Pacific family. We do have concerns about the security of the Pacific being engaged outside of the Pacific family."

On the second day of her trip to Fiji last month, Wong warned of the potential consequences for other Pacific nations following the Solomon Islands in signing security pacts with China.

China has repeatedly criticized reactions from countries such as the US and Australia over the pact. Chen also said Australian officials' wincing at the pact exposes its lingering colonial myth and coercive diplomacy. Why does a third country point fingers at a pact signed by two independent countries, asked Chen, noting that by calling the "Pacific family, Australia just assumed its role as patriarch, or at least big brother of the family, instead of treating the other countries equally."

Taken aim at Australia, Sogavare told parliament in May that the country was being treated like kindergarten students "walking around with Colt 45s in our hands" who needed to be supervised.

Aside from cooperation on security, China's ties with the Pacific countries deepened in term of other fields such as trade, climate change, medical and education, while Australia's investment in the region shrunk.

Trade between China and the Pacific countries that China shares diplomatic ties with soared from $153 million in 1992 to 5.3 billion in 2021, with an annual increase of 13 percent, according to official statistics.

Australia's official development assistance (ODA) to Solomon Islands declined 12.6% from $179m in 2014-15 to $156m in the 2021-22 budget, government figures showed.

Chinese observers said that what China offered to regional countries is assistance and cooperation that brings palpable development, such as improving their infrastructure, and improving their social development. That is why Chinese investment and cooperation are generally welcome in the region.

What Australia is doing, according to Chen, is trying to exclude China, cut those countries' mutually beneficial cooperation with China, and make Australia the only choice for those nations. "I believe those independent South Pacific countries have the political wisdom to judge by themselves," Chen noted.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268333.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 17, 2022, 5:28 a.m. No.16461243 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1245

>>16403499

Difficulties can be overcome by Canada, Australia to ease China ties: Global Times editorial

Global Times - Jun 16, 2022

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Both Canada and Australia have released the signals of "hoping to mend their relationship with China", which is a notable trend. The two members of the "Five Eyes," who inexplicably acted as Washington's "geopolitical pawns" around 2018, leaving their relations with China in a difficult plight. This abnormal situation has been going on for three or four years, and it is indeed time to adjust.

The industrial and business sectors of Canada and Australia are particularly eager, and even a little in haste. They represent the most pragmatic and rational groups in the two countries' exchanges with China. Economic and trade cooperation is the most active and dynamic driving force in China-Canada and China-Australia relations.

However, in the past few years, the voices of the industrial and business sectors of the two countries have been pushed aside by political, security and ideological arguments, and their vital interests and economic and trade cooperation have been affected and damaged by the deterioration in political relations with China.

This is not just the loss for the group of the business community, but a collective one for Canada and Australia. In other words, ordinary people in both countries have paid the price to varying degrees for their politicians' paranoid and wrong decisions toward China. From this perspective, improving and repairing relations with China is a compensation for the interests of the people of the two countries.

Both Canada and Australia have expressed their willingness, through different ways, to "reset" their relations with China, which is a welcome step. We have also seen a certain return of rationality toward China. However, sometimes there is a long way to go from will to reality. There is a saying in China that it takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep, and it's impossible to defrost in a short period of time. The elites in Canada and Australia also mentioned this point in their public discussions on China policy, pointing out that the beginning may be easy, but there will be difficulties ahead.

(continued)

>>16461243

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China has never offended Canada and Australia, but they blindly followed Washington to provoke China again and again, and then constantly found they shot themselves in the foot. For Canada and Australia, easing China ties depends on whether they can jump out of the framework set by the US. This key factor that led to the deterioration in their relations with China has not vanished, but may be strengthened. It will inevitably interfere and hinder Canada and Australia's tentative efforts to ease relations with China. In addition, during the period of their worsened relations with China, the cognition toward China in Canadian and Australian societies has been distorted and poisoned to a large extent, and it will take a long time to correct this.

"Difficulty" is conceivable, but it can be easy as long as decision-makers in Canada and Australia bypass the psychological barrier they have set for themselves. There are three points: First, take a positive and objective view of China and pursue a steady and pragmatic China policy; second, respect each other's core interests and do not set new obstacles to bilateral relations; and third, adhere to autonomy and get rid of unnecessary external interference. It should be emphasized that these three points do not mean that Australia and Canada need to compromise on their so-called values. Harmony in diversity is one of the foundations of China's diplomatic philosophy.

Canada and Australia have both hammered some nails in their relations with China, and now they need pull the nails out first and heal the wounds. If warships and military aircraft of these two countries still conduct frequent close-in reconnaissance on China, can they expect Chinese people to change the perception of them being pawns of a big power? Australia wants China to lift trade sanctions imposed on it, but it engages in a smear campaign against China in the name of "values." Where is the respect to China reflected? If the two countries truly want to improve China ties, they must regain the trust of the Chinese people with practical actions.

China is in no hurry and it doesn't hurt to put the issue aside. It's strategic composure, and also practical experience. Take Australia. Canberra underwent three leadership changes in four years during which "friendly" gestures were made, but it was never translated into real actions and its China policy was never really adjusted. Now, Ottawa and Canberra are smiling at China. We will not reciprocate with anger, but we won't be naïve to believe that all previous grievances are gone with the smile. We all know that action is the real remedy to mend mutual trust.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268346.shtml

>>16350130

>>16350134

>>16390500

Exclusive: Peak body of Aussie elite universities urges Canberra to refresh China policy, offer more incentives to attract Chinese students

'Actions speak louder than words' as Chinese experts call for actual measures

Xu Keyue and Zhang Changyue - Jun 16, 2022

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While the new government has yet to bring relief to the Australian education sector, which has suffered talent losses and financial stress during the pandemic, the peak body representing elite Australian universities has called on Canberra to recalibrate its China policy, given that Chinese students could be the "key to recovery."

Vicki Thomson, chief executive of the Group of Eight (Go8), which represents elite Australian universities, expressed her strong wish to boost connections with China in an exclusive interview with the Global Times.

Citing a report by The Australian newspaper, which called Chinese students the "key to recovery," Chinese observers pointed out that the loss of Chinese students was a great economic shock to Australia, which is suffering from severe stagflation.

But observers warned that although people from the education and business sectors in Australia couldn't wait any longer to repair ties with China, Australian policy-makers could be showing a lukewarm sincerity and motivation to improve scientific and educational exchanges.

"Currently, the majority of those students are studying at home in China, online. We look forward to welcoming them back as soon as possible," Thomson said in an e-mail to the Global Times on Wednesday.

"The new Australian government must recalibrate how it communicates with our valued international students. They are not a stopgap measure to fill low-wage vacancies, nor are they just a source of institutional and national revenue. They are the world's next generation of highly qualified professionals, for which there is an urgent skills shortage here and overseas," Thomson said, noting that Australia is faced with skills shortages in critical areas such as engineering, IT and the medical workforce.

Australia should be reviewing incentives to encourage international students to remain in Australia after completing their study - such as renewed visa settings "that allow our quality graduates to stay here and work if that's what they chose to do," Thomson suggested.

The Go8 chief executive elaborated on the benefits flowing from Chinese students spending time in Australia, calling them "far-reaching."

"It fosters mutual understanding and respect and much more. The collaborations borne out of our international partnerships lead to life-changing and lifesaving research, which impacts people around the globe," Thomson said, giving an example of the collaboration between Professor Eddie Holmes from the University of Sydney and Chinese colleague Professor Yong Zhen, who uncovered the genome sequence of the SARS-Cov-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

The Go8 chief executive on June 10 made a speech in Sydney, warning that Australia will "struggle to make economic headway" without the return of Chinese students.

Criticizing the former government's message of telling international students to go home as misguided and clumsy, Thomson urged the new government to refresh its policy toward China and admit the high value Australia receives from Chinese students and to "reflect the fact that the Go8 does not want our Chinese students treated as cash cows."

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 17, 2022, 5:50 a.m. No.16461315 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7877

>>16461309

2/2

Australian universities are facing severe financial difficulties and have to reduce pay, cut teachers and employees, and drop some disciplines, said Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, who listed some of the main factors that lie behind the strong wish from the Australian education sector to attract more Chinese students back.

Yu told the Global Times on Thursday that due to very limited government support, Australian universities have to raise nearly half of their funding, for which international students are important providers, especially Chinese students who once accounted for more one-third of all international students at most universities in Australia.

International education is Australia's fourth-largest foreign exchange earner, and China sends the most international students, Reuters has reported.

According to the data provided by the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment, there were 166,319 Chinese students in Australia in January-September 2021, dropping nearly 13 percent year-on-year. There were 190,926 and 211,965 Chinese students in Australia in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Not only the pandemic but also the worsened China-Australia relations and the increasing hatred among locals in Australia toward China have contributed to the decreasing number of Chinese students in Australia, observers said.

The loss of Chinese students is a great shock to Australia's economy, which is suffering from severe stagflation, pointed out Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University.

More than just boosting the international education industry by paying tuition, Chinese students have brought comprehensive economic benefits to Australia through hospitality consumption, travel, home buying and introducing their friends to study, Chen said.

As Chief Executive of the Go8, Vicki Thomson has a relatively fair and objective view of China-Australian educational cooperation and bilateral relations, Chen said, noting that the return of Chinese students could not only inject vitality into its flagging economy but provide an important bridge to narrow bias and promote mutual understanding.

Meanwhile, Chinese experts warned despite the strong call from Australia's universities, actual actions must be taken first to solve the existing problems that dissuade Chinese students from coming to the country.

Chen listed the guarantee of a safe study and living environment without racism, hatred or attack, the reopening of subjects such as engineering and bio-industry for Chinese students without application limitation, the end of crackdowns on bilateral cooperation in higher education institutions, and approval of visa applications and border entry.

"The current situation resulted from the former Australian government's COVID-19 border ban on Chinese students as well as the domestic hostility and violent attacks on Chinese students, which were triggered by some Australian politicians' hyping of China threat and smears on the 'China virus'", said Chen.

Australia hurried to shut its border to all foreign nationals travelling from the Chinese mainland from February 1, 2020, a day after the US' border restrictions on China.

Yu expressed concerns on the inaction of Australian politicians and people from the military and intelligence agencies, who rely on government finance. Since they are dependent on the US' support, they could lack the sincerity and motivation to repair China-Australian exchanges on scientific research and education or to improve the bilateral relations, Yu warned.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268341.shtml

https://go8.edu.au/about/team

—

Australia China Business Council

Speech: Recover, Refresh Connect

Australia-China Education Symposium, Dockside

Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight

10 June 2022

https://go8.edu.au/speech-recover-refresh-connect

https://acbc.com.au/event/acbc-nsw-acbc-education-symposium-2022-recover-refresh-and-reconnect/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 17, 2022, 5:56 a.m. No.16461326 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1375

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation to visit Kyiv

Nicholas McElroy - 17 June 2022

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will take advice on whether to accept an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Kyiv.

Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroschnychenk, confirmed Mr Zelenskyy had extended a formal invitation for Mr Albanese to visit his country.

Leaders from France, Germany, Italy and Romania met with Mr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday local time, where he said Russia's invasion of his country amounted to aggression against all of Europe.

Mr Albanese said security issues around any visit needed to be considered.

"I will take appropriate advice and obviously there are security issues as well in terms of such a visit," Mr Albanese said after holding his first national cabinet meeting.

"I appreciate the spirit in which it has been offered."

Mr Albanese is due to visit Europe for a NATO summit later this month.

"One of the reasons why Australia has been invited to NATO is that Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to give support to Ukraine in its defence of its national sovereignty against Russia's illegal, immoral invasion, and we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine," he said.

It came as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was "grateful" to be the "first premier blacklisted by [Russian President] Vladimir Putin" after he was added to a sanctions list overnight.

"I am very grateful for the fact that Vladimir Putin has paid attention to the leading role that South Australia is paying for standing up for the democratic values that we collectively as a country hold dear," Mr Malinauskas said.

"My government has sought to do a number of things to send a very clear message that the people of South Australia stand firmly with Ukraine, as does every state and territory, and I am just grateful for the fact that Vladimir Putin took notice."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-17/anthony-albanese-considers-ukraine-invitation-from-zelenskyy/101161600

>>16461326

Russia sanctions hundreds of Australians including journalists

smh.com.au - June 17, 2022

London: Russia’s Foreign Ministry has sanctioned a broad list of 121 Australian media executives, mining bosses, academics, defence officials and journalists, including the editors of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

The move, announced in Moscow on Wednesday evening, cited the “Russophobic agenda” from the individuals named.

The Kremlin’s “stop list”, which bans those named from entry to Russia “indefinitely”, was compiled in response to the growing sanctions of the Australian government, the ministry said.

It includes Herald editor Bevan Shields, The Age editor Gay Alcorn as well as Peter Costello, who is also chairman of Nine Entertainment Group that owns The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and chief executive Mike Sneesby.

Mining magnates Gina Rinehart and Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest had sanctions imposed, along with ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose, co-chairman of News Corp Lachlan Murdoch and chairman of Seven Group, Kerry Stokes.

Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, property tycoon Harry Triguboff and Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott will also be banned from entering Russia.

“Entry to the Russian Federation for these persons is closed on an indefinite basis in response to the growing sanctions of the Australian government, which apply to an increasing number of Russian citizens - both officials and their families, as well as representatives of the business community and the media,” the statement said.

The names of journalists and commentators such as Herald international and political editor Peter Hartcher make up roughly half the list, including a spread of foreign correspondents, many who have covered the war, and their editors.

Several Defence officials are also named, including Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell, department secretary Greg Moriarty, navy chief Rear Admiral Mark Hammond, Royal Australian Air Force’s Air Vice-Marshal Darren Goldie and the Australian Defence Force’s Vice Admiral David Johnston.

New South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas is the only elected official included, potentially because of his Lithuanian heritage. The Kremlin slapped a similar ban on all 227 members of the House of Representatives and the Senate in early April.

The statement said the Kremlin reserved the right to add more names to the list.

“Taking into account the fact that Canberra does not intend to abandon the anti-Russian course and continues to produce new sanctions, work on updating the Russian ‘stop list’ will continue,” the statement said.

Russia announced a similar move against dozens of British journalists on Tuesday.

In April, Moscow announced entry bans on the leaders of Australia and New Zealand in tit-for-tat measures after Canberra and Wellington imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Australia has imposed sanctions on Russian military commanders and close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, and Foreign Ministry Director of Information Maria Zakharova were among those sanctioned.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/russia-sanctions-hundreds-more-australians-including-journalists-20220616-p5auef.html

https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1818118/

https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1818118/?lang=en

New Bill Would Allow Australian Sailors to Train With the U.S. Navy

Up to two Royal Australian Navy officers per year could attend the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Officer Basic Course and then deploy on a U.S. Navy submarine. The move would help facilitate important knowledge from the United States Navy to the Royal Australian Navy as the country begins pursuing a nuclear submarine program.

Royal Australian Sailors could soon train with U.S. submariners, pending the passage of a bill that creates a pipeline for the Australians. The bill, called “The Australia-U.S. Submarine Officer Pipeline Act,” would allow up to two Royal Australian Navy officers per year to attend the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Officer Basic Course, Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program, and then deploy on a U.S. Navy submarine.

“The AUKUS alliance is the most important national security partnership that America has entered into in decades. Its centerpiece is creating an Australian nuclear-powered undersea fleet of submarines, which all three allies are actively designing. While that work is ongoing, it makes sense to open the U.S. Navy’s nuclear training programs to Australia’s naval officers to acquire proficiency in the operation of nuclear submarines,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.

“The Australia-U.S. Submarine Officer Pipeline Act is a major milestone in the successful implementation of AUKUS. Our bill will authorize an education and training program for Royal Australian Navy submariners to receive formal instruction in the highest standard of U.S. Navy technology, and will begin rotating in the first cohorts of Australian sailors who will command their future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. This bipartisan bill has the full support of the AUKUS Working Group, and we should waste no time in moving it forward towards a final vote.”

Leaders of the AUKUS alliance, named for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, announced the creation of the group last September. Though Australia exports some nuclear fuel and operates a single nuclear reactor for scientific research purposes, the country does not have a civil or military nuclear program of any significant size.

Sharing the crown jewels of American and British nuclear deterrence, their nuclear submarine technology, came as a big surprise to many observers and underscored the deep mutual trust the three countries have for each other. It also speaks to the importance Canberra, Washington, and London place on the security of the Indo-Pacific — and how they view China’s increasingly revanchist rhetoric and actions.

Building a nuclear submarine program for Australia is anticipated to be a complex and expensive undertaking. In order to jumpstart the process, Australia could first begin training on American or British nuclear submarines or potentially lease older retired American submarines until they are able to field their own indigenous designs.

Once put through the United States Navy’s nuclear submarine program, Australian submariners will be well on their way to an autonomous nuclear naval capability.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/new-bill-would-allow-australian-sailors-train-us-navy-203071

>>16461400

New AUKUS Caucus Bill Calls for U.S.-Australia Sub Training Pipeline

Mallory Shelbourne - June 15, 2022

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A bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled legislation that would help the Royal Australian Navy train its future submarine warfare officers with U.S. sailors.

Dubbed the “The Australia-U.S. Submarine Officer Pipeline Act,” the legislation would allow Australia to send at least two of its submarine warfare officers to train with American sailors each year. The Royal Australian Navy officers would first attend the Navy Nuclear Propulsion School, then take the Submarine Officer Basic Course, and finally deploy aboard a U.S. submarine after finishing the basic course, according to text of the bill.

“The new bipartisan bill will establish a joint training pipeline between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, and will enable the start of U.S.-based training of Commanding Officers for Australia’s future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS alliance,” the AUKUS working group said in a news release.

The bill would mandate that the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy begin the training exchange in 2023 and continue it in the years to follow.

The legislation is the product of Congress’ AUKUS working group, which lawmakers created in April to help advance the new partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

The bill comes as the U.S., the U.K., and Australia continue an 18-month evaluation period to determine what’s necessary for Australia to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

“The AUKUS alliance is the most important national security partnership that America has entered into in decades. Its centerpiece is creating an Australian nuclear-powered undersea fleet of submarines, which all three allies are actively designing. While that work is ongoing, it makes sense to open the U.S. Navy’s nuclear training programs to Australia’s naval officers to acquire proficiency in the operation of nuclear submarines,” Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), a member of the AUKUS working group who is also the chair of the House Armed Services seapower and project forces subcommittee, said in a statement.

(continued)

>>16461444

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Courtney, Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Blake Moore (R-Utah) and Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) – all co-chairs of the AUKUS working group – sponsored the bill, as did Reps. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.).

“The Australia-U.S. Submarine Officer Pipeline Act will help facilitate the delivery and ensure the future success of Australia’s fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS alliance. Because the delivery of such submarines to Australia will require the appropriate training and development of future commanding officers, and in order to uphold the stewardship of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the bill establishes a program for Australian submariner training between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy,” the AUKUS working group said in the release.

Last September the Biden administration announced the new trilateral AUKUS alliance, which includes both broader technology sharing and sharing the nuclear propulsion technology required to develop nuclear-powered submarines. The United States has only ever shared nuclear propulsion technology with the U.K. in 1958.

Building nuclear-powered submarined would require billions of dollars and years of investment in infrastructure on Australia’s part, as the country does not have a shipyard that can build or maintain nuclear-powered vessels, USNI News understands.

“It is imperative that we strengthen our undersea capabilities and increase submarine production for our national security interests, and the training exchange program outlined in the legislation will help us achieve that goal,” Moore said in a statement about the bill.

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/15/new-aukus-caucus-bill-calls-for-u-s-australia-sub-training-pipeline

https://gallagher.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-aukus-working-group-introduce-new-bill-establish-officer-training

https://gallagher.house.gov/sites/gallagher.house.gov/files/Navy%20Training%20Pipeline.pdf

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 17, 2022, 6:35 a.m. No.16461493 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1541

Former Labor staffer Benjamin John Waters spared jail over child abuse material

Meagan Dillon - 17 June 2022

A former South Australian Labor staffer will spend at least eight months on home detention for viewing and sending child abuse material, in what a District Court judge described as a "serious social evil".

Benjamin John Waters was handed a one-year and three-month sentence with a non-parole period of eight months, which Judge Ian Press ordered to be served on home detention.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing more than 600 child abuse images and videos on two USBs found at his house.

He also admitted to one federal offence of using encrypted messaging app Telegram to view and send child exploitation material.

For that offence, Judge Press suspended a three-month jail sentence on the condition he enter a two-year good behaviour bond.

Judge Press rejected Waters' evidence that he only viewed the images and videos to gain an understanding of why other people would be interested in it.

He said Waters and Victorian paedophile Thomas Donaldson used Telegram to send child abuse material and the conversation between the two was "offensive" and "highly disturbing" over six days in January 2021.

"I'm satisfied you did derive some sexual gratification from engaging with an adult male on these topics," he said.

"You fostered and maintained a relationship with Donaldson, and you did so by engaging in communications that you knew he would also enjoy.

"You were prepared and willing to pander to the desires of Donaldson by transmitting child abuse material."

Judge Press described child exploitation material as "a serious social evil".

"You now understand your offence is not a victimless crime – you have contributed to the sexual exploitation of these children and the international market in such material," he said.

"Those who are part of the market share the responsibility for what is done to the children depicted."

Judge Press said Waters had worked as a political adviser in both South Australia and the United Kingdom before his arrest in March 2021.

He had been working for Labor MP Nat Cook at the time, and Judge Press said the stressful nature of his employment led to Waters drinking alcohol to excess.

"Loneliness, isolation, social ineptitude, and excessive alcohol consumption … contributed to the offending," he said.

Judge Press said the three weeks that Waters spent in jail after his arrest had been "harrowing" and he had complied with all the conditions of his home detention bail.

He said there were "exceptional circumstances" in Waters' case because of his mental health struggles – including autism, bipolar disorder and social anxiety – that meant he would not be "well equipped" for prison.

The court heard Waters had remained sober since his arrest and was getting therapy, which meant the chances of reoffending were low.

"You have turned your life around in the past 14 months," Judge Press said.

After Judge Press explained to Waters that any breach of his home detention or suspended sentence would result in him going back to jail, he responded: "I won't let you down, Your Honour".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-17/ben-waters-sentenced-over-child-abuse-material/101161500

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 17, 2022, 6:47 a.m. No.16461541 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1545

>>16461493

Paedophile Benjamin John Waters sentenced to eight months home detention because of ‘harrowing’ time in jail after arrest

An ex-ALP staffer who pleaded guilty to child abuse offences has been sentenced to eight months home detention – because a judge says he had a “harrowing” time in jail.

Sean Fewster - June 17, 2022

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Fallen political adviser Benjamin John Waters pleaded guilty to child abuse offences – but those confessions also triggered a litany of excuses.

The former SA Labor staffer tried to blame his crimes on a co-offender, a computer glitch and even autism to deny a sexual interest in children and secure a lenient sentence.

Not even his own chat logs, in which he called himself a “proud pedo babe” and encouraged the abuse of a child “before he’s too old and can talk”, shook his stance.

On Friday, the District Court rejected the excuses Waters – who even viewed abuse material while at work – gave for his crimes.

However, Judge Ian Press ruled some of those factors, particularly Waters’ fragile emotional state and his “harrowing” three-month prison stint after his arrest, warranted a merciful punishment.

“That I am satisfied you are not willing to face up to all the motives for your offending is a matter which has caused me significant concern,” he said.

“But there are positive signs for your rehabilitation … of most significance is that you spent three months in prison.

“That you know what awaits if you return to any offending is, I consider, the most significant consideration in your favour.”

Waters, 39, of Adelaide, faced a maximum 15-year prison term for accessing, transmitting and possessing child abuse material.

He is the latest member of the online syndicate run by Australia’s worst-ever child abuse offender, HIV-positive paedophile Jadd William Brooker, to be sentenced.

In sentencing on Friday, Judge Press said much of the case had revolved around whether Waters had a sexual interest in children.

He rejected, beyond reasonable doubt, all of Waters’ explanations, saying it was clear he had a sexual interest in children.

He said he rejected Waters’ claims that his offences came from “a compulsion to understand why some people were sexually interested in children”.

He accepted Waters was “socially isolated, neuro-atypical, and drinking alcohol excessively” while offending, and those factors contributed to his crimes.

“However I have no doubt he knew his actions were wrong,” he said.

“I’m satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he was prepared to use children for the purpose of driving and maintaining relationships with (other syndicate members).

“I am satisfied that he derived some sexual gratification from discussing such topics with (them).

“I am also satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he did have sexual interest in child exploitation material.”

(continued)

>>16461541

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Waters had, he said, been given some of the exploitation material by another member of the syndicate, with whom he had previously been in a romantic relationship.

“You say he has continued to attempt to exert control over you to some degree since that time, and that you have been fearful of him in the past,” he said.

Those 30 files were viewed, by Waters, on five occasions – Judge Press said that was “clearly” for sexual gratification.

His other offences involved online communications with a second member of the syndicate with whom he was pursuing a romantic relationship.

“You were willing and prepared to pander to (his) desires by transmitting material to him to deal with your loneliness and insecurity – and because you enjoyed those communications,” he said.

Judge Press said the offending occurred during a period in which Waters was drinking to excess, experiencing blackouts and dealing with the effects of two “mental health breakdowns” triggered by his work in politics.

“You did not enjoy your work because it required you to meet and liaise with many different people, and this contact stretched the limits of your social capacity,” he said.

He said those mental health issues likely also contributed to Waters attempting to take his own life on two occasions following his arrest.

Sentencing Waters was, he said, a difficult exercise given the many competing factors – including his demonstrated “commitment” to rehabilitation, therapy and sobriety while on home detention bail.

“Whilst I consider there’s strong evidence you now understand the seriousness of your offending, I do not consider you have been completely honest – certainly not with yourself,” he said.

Judge Press imposed a three-month prison term for the transmission offences, suspended on condition of a two-year, $100 good-behaviour bond.

For the possession offences, he imposed a 15-month and 15-day home detention sentence, with an eight-month non-parole period.

He ordered Waters continue his therapy and treatment and, if unemployed, perform 15 hours of community service each week for five months.

The Advertiser sought comment from MP Nat Cook, for whom Waters worked during his time in the SA Labor Party, but has yet to receive a response.

Attorney-General Kyam Maher expressed disappointment with the sentence.

“The vile monsters who prey on children should spend as much time in jail as possible,” he said.

“This matter was prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

“I’ve asked the South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions to liaise with his Commonwealth counterpart about the prospects of an appeal against this sentence.”

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/paedophile-benjamin-john-waters-sentenced-to-eight-months-home-detention-because-of-harrowing-time-in-jail-after-arrest/news-story/1bdebe7af30df8e3f0ecceef9bd314f9

Ridsdale pleads guilty to 13 more offences

Former priest Gerald Ridsdale, who is already behind bars, has admitted to another 13 child sexual abuse charges.

Karen Sweeney - 17 June 2022

Prolific paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale has admitted to more child sex offences.

Ridsdale, who is already expected to die behind bars, pleaded guilty to another 13 offences on Wednesday.

The 88-year-old was charged in March with the sexual abuse of two boys in Mortlake, in western Victoria, between May 1981 and November 1982.

Prosecutor Marcel White withdrew 11 charges, leaving Ridsdale to plead guilty to four charges of indecent assault and nine of sexual penetration of a child aged between 10 and 16.

"I plead guilty Your Honour," Ridsdale said, appearing by videolink in Warrnambool Magistrates Court.

He'll face a pre-sentence hearing in the County Court, sitting at Warrnambool, at a later date.

Ridsdale was already behind bars in 2020 when he was given an even longer prison sentence for a dozen rapes and sexual assaults against four victims aged seven to 16 in the 1970s.

"It seems you knew no boundaries or had any sense of restraint," Judge Gerard Mullaly said, extending Ridsdale's non-parole period until he is 90.

He was previously eligible for parole this year.

https://7news.com.au/news/crime/ridsdale-pleads-guilty-to-13-more-offences-c-7196361

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 17, 2022, 7:24 p.m. No.16465020 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9876

>>16395713

Mike Pompeo Tweet

Good on UK Home Secretary @pritipatel for approving extradition of indicted hacker Julian Assange, whose goal was always to imperil American security through his non-state hostile “intelligence” service. One step closer to protecting the young men and women who protect America.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1537857305810968577

‘Assassination bid’ part of Assange appeal

Claims made in a media report of CIA plans to assassinate Julian Assange will feature in an appeal against his extradition to the US, his brother says.

REUTERS, AAP - JUN 17, 2022

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The wife of Julian Assange has vowed to fight using every possible legal avenue after UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the WikiLeaks’ founder’s extradition to the United States to face criminal charges.

Assange is wanted by US authorities on 18 counts, including a spying charge, relating to WikiLeaks’ release of vast troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables which its officials say had put lives in danger.

His supporters say he is an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised because he exposed US wrongdoing in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that his prosecution is a politically motivated assault on journalism and free speech.

His wife Stella said Assange would appeal after the Home Office said his extradition had been approved as UK courts had concluded it would not be unjust or an abuse of process.

“We’re going to fight this. We’re going to use every appeal avenue,” Stella Assange told reporters, calling the decision a “travesty”.

“I’m going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free, until justice is served.”

His brother, Gabriel Shipton, told Reuters the appeal would include new information not previously taken to the courts, including claims made in a report last year of plans to assassinate him.

“It will likely be a few days before the (14-day appeal) deadline and the appeal will include new information that we weren’t able to bring before the courts previously. Information on how Julian’s lawyers were spied on and how there were plots to kidnap and kill Julian from within the CIA,” Shipton said.

He was referring to a Yahoo News report from September 2021 on alleged US plans to kidnap or assassinate Assange when he was holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London.

The CIA has declined to comment on the report.

Originally, a UK judge ruled Assange, 50, should not be deported, saying his mental health meant he would be at risk of suicide if convicted and held in a maximum security prison.

But this was overturned on an appeal after the US gave a package of assurances, including a pledge he could be transferred to Australia to serve any sentence.

The Home Office said the courts had not found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that he would be treated appropriately.

(continued)

>>16466287

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The Australian-born Assange has been involved in a legal fight in the United Kingdom for more than a decade and it could now go on for many more months.

He has 14 days to appeal to London’s High Court, which must give its approval for a challenge, and he could ultimately seek to take his case to the United Kingdom Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

“We’re not at the end of the road here,” Stella Assange said, calling Patel’s decision “a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy”.

Nick Vamos, the former head of extradition at Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service, said verdicts were regularly overturned by the High Court.

Assange would be able to claim again it was politically motivated and use new evidence, such as his allegations the CIA had plotted to assassinate him.

“I think he might get some traction,” Vamos told Reuters.

Assange and his supporters argue that he is being punished for embarrassing those in power and faces 175 years in prison if found guilty, although the US lawyers have said it would be more like four to six years.

The Australian government said it would continue to tell the UK and US that the case had “dragged on for too long and should be brought to a close”.

The legal saga began at the end of 2010 when Sweden sought Assange’s extradition from the UK over allegations of sex crimes.

When he lost that case in 2012, he fled to the Ecuador’s embassy in London, where he spent seven years.

When he was finally dragged out in April 2019, he was jailed for breaching UK bail conditions although the Swedish case against him had been dropped.

He has been fighting extradition to the US since June 2019 and remains in jail.

During his time in the Ecuadorian embassy he fathered two children with his now wife, who he married in Belmarsh high-security prison in London in March at a ceremony attended by just four guests, two official witnesses and two guards.

Shipton on Friday said the decision set a dangerous precedent and urged US President Joe Biden’s administration to drop the charges.

“UK government and judiciary at the highest level has found that if you publish evidence of corruption, war crimes and torture in the UK you may be extradited to a third country,” Shipton said.

“It is now up to President Biden to drop this prosecution and restore faith in the ability of the fourth estate to play their role in functioning democracies.”

https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/06/17/assassination-bid-part-of-assange-appeal/

https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2022/06/17/julian-assange-statement-and-extradition-factsheet/

Andrew Wilkie urges government to intervene after UK approves Julian Assange's extradition

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday approved the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the US where he is wanted on 18 charges, including espionage and hacking.

Tom Canetti - 18 June 2022

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to lobby the leaders of the US and the UK to stop the extradition of Julian Assange.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday approved the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the US where he is wanted on 18 charges, including espionage and hacking.

If convicted, lawyers for the 50-year-old Australian have said he could face a jail term of 170 years. US lawyers said they believe the jail term would be more like four to six years.

"Don't wait til Monday, Albo… this has gone long enough," Mr Wilkie said on Saturday.

"I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese has enough influence over the British prime minister to bring this to an end if he picks up the phone and says, 'end this madness'.

"I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese has a good enough relationship with Joe Biden to pick up the phone to the US President and say, 'end this madness'."

Legal adviser to the Australian Assange Campaign, Greg Barns, said he was pleased to see Mr Albanese shift the government's tone on the issue, compared to former prime minister Scott Morrison.

"We respect the fact he doesn't want to use megaphone diplomacy, because these matters are delicate, as we saw with the [David] Hicks' matter," he said on Saturday.

"We want to see action, but we are there to support Mr Albanese and Senator Penny Wong in their effort to bring this Australian back to safety so he doesn't face what is an effective death penalty of over 170 years."

Mr Assange's wife, Stella, said the decision to approve her husband's extradition was a "travesty".

"We're going to fight this. We're going to use every appeal avenue," she told reporters in London.

"I'm going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free, until justice is served."

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) said Mr Assange's extradition to the US would be "a dangerous assault on international journalism".

"We urge the new Australian government to act on Julian Assange’s behalf and lobby for his release," MEAA media section federal president Karen Percy said in a statement on Friday.

"The actions of the US are a warning sign to journalists and whistleblowers everywhere and undermine the importance of uncovering wrongdoing."

"Our thoughts are with Julian and his family at this difficult time."

Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International also expressed its concern.

"Allowing Julian Assange to be extradited to the US would put him at great risk and sends a chilling message to journalists the world over," Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard said.

"If the extradition proceeds, Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Assange faces a high risk of prolonged solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition on torture or other ill-treatment.

"Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history.”

"We call on the UK to refrain from extraditing Julian Assange, for the US to drop the charges, and for Assange to be freed."

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide consular assistance and that Australian officials will convey to US and UK authorities the need for Mr Assange to have "due process, human and fair treatment".

"The Australian government has been clear in our view that Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close," she said in a joint statement with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

"We will continue to convey our expectations that Mr Assange is entitled to due process, humane and fair treatment, access to proper medical care, and access to his legal team."

Mr Assange has 14 days to appeal to London's High Court, which must give its approval for a challenge, and he could ultimately seek to take his case to the United Kingdom Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/andrew-wilkie-urges-anthony-albanese-to-intervene-after-uk-approves-julian-assanges-extradition/1yjmusy2e

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/uk-decision-extradite-julian-assange

Julian Assange's wife appeals to Anthony Albanese over extradition

SBS News

Jun 18, 2022

Stella Assange, the wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, said on Friday (June 17) that she would appeal Britain's decision to approve his extradition to the United States to face criminal charges.

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

FPA Press Conference: Priti Patel discloses decision for Assange's extradition

Dont Extradite Assange Campaign

Streamed live on Jun 17, 2022

UK Home Secretary approves extradition of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to the US where he would face a 175 year sentence - A dark day for Press freedom and for British democracy

The decision will be appealed:

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/assangeappeal/

Join live Stella Moris & Tim Dawson at the Free Press Association conference

https://www.fpalondon.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Lcoi3Mr3Q

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 18, 2022, 5:52 a.m. No.16466517 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6525

‘Crushed’ Julian Assange on medication after stroke

Gabriel Shipton reveals his brother has lingering effects of a mini-stroke suffered during the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition fight, as the family finds hope in US congress.

Justin Vallejo - June 18, 2022

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As Julian Assange nears the end of his extradition battle in the United Kingdom, his father and brother are in the US pressuring the White House to drop spying charges.

“I’ve watched him been slowly crushed by this whole process,” Gabrielle Shipton told News Corp Australia in New York.

“This never-ending snakes and ladders. Demonisation of Julian over the years. The pressure of the world’s media. The pressure has worn away on him. That’s why he had a stroke.”

Assange collapsed during an extradition hearing in October at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he remains since he was arrested in 2019.

Mr Shipton revealed that his brother remained on medication as a result of the stroke to deal with its lingering effects.

Assange received another crushing blow when the British government approved a US request for the WikiLeaks founder to face trial over the publication of secret military files from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

He has 14 days to appeal the ruling, which Mr Shipton said they had already prepared for given the UK government’s unsurprising willingness to push it forward.

“The rejection of the application to appeal at the Supreme Court level was already a sign that the UK wants to speed this process up and extradite Julian as quickly as they can,” he said.

“We were always expecting it, it’s just inching one step closer to extradition to the United States,” he said.

Expecting the move, the family held a press conference outside the British Consulate in New York to urge the US Department of Justice to drop the prosecution.

“All it will take is a simple telephone call from Attorney-General Merrick Garland to the home secretary” Assange’s father, John Shipton, said outside the consulate. “

Home Secretary Priti Patel, Britain’s interior minister, signed an order on Friday authorising Assange’s extradition.

For 10 days before the order, Assange’s father and brother have travelled through Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York meeting with the offices of US congress people from both the Democratic and Republican parties, along with Australian consulate officials.

While Mr Shipton would not confirm who precisely he met, he said they have been “receptive”.

Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna have previously spoken out against the prosecution of Assange, saying using the Espionage Act to persecute those who publish information violates the US Constitution’s right to free speech.

They have also had success in lobbying European leaders, where they will also appeal the case before the European Court of Human Rights.

French politician Jean-Luc Melenchon promised on Friday to grant Assange French nationality if left-wing parties win a majority in parliamentary elections on Sunday.

“If I am prime minister on Monday, Mr Julian Assange — I believe he has already asked for it — will be naturalised as French and we will ask for him to be sent to us,” Mr Melenchon told reporters.

“Mr Assange should be decorated for all his services to French people.”

(continued)

>>16466517

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It’s more than then received from Australia’s new Labor government, with neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nor his cabinet ministers speaking directly to the family.

But Mr Shipton said they were heartened by the prime minister’s one reference to Assange when he said not all foreign affairs matters are best dealt with a loudhailer, suggesting there could be private machinations.

“We’d love to see them doing more and putting a stop to the extradition before its gets to the USA,” Mr Shipton said.

“An Australian solution really is what is needed in this circumstance.”

The seeming shift in political sentiment has come after a sustained two-year publicity campaign. On this fifth visit to the US, Mr Shipton has done a media blitz of interviews with Tucker Carlson on the right, Mehdi Hasan on the left, and mainstream news organisations including NBC, AAP, Reuters, and AFP.

“The narrative is shifting away from the old, ‘he’s responsible for Trump’, these sexual assault allegations hanging over his head; now it’s more toward the principle of the case,” Mr Shipton said.

The principle of the case is the “grave threat” it poses to press freedom, said Assange’s Australian defence lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

She called on the Biden administration to drop charges for the danger it poses to free speech everywhere, adding that they would use “every appeal mechanism available” to prevent the extradition from going forward.

“He faces 175 years for publishing information for which he’s won journalism awards the world over, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,” she said after the ruling.

“This should shock and concern everyone, every citizen, every journalist, every editor, every media organisation.”

Mr Shipton is on his way to the UK for the June 23 premiere of Ithaka, a feature documentary that follows John Shipton’s battle free his son.

If they see Assange while there, it’ll be the first time since his March 23 wedding to Sella Moris.

Guests at the small prison wedding included Mr Shipton and his dad, John Shipton, as well as Stella’s mother, Teresa, brother, Adrian, and her two children, Gabrielle and Max.

“We only had water to drink, and in the prison, there are these emergency buttons. Panic buttons. And the kids were running over to push these panic buttons and everyone had to stop them,” Mr Shipton recalled fondly.

“We talked about our families and things like that. Julian asked about my daughter, and asked what she’s up to. She was one when he saw her last, and now she’s eight.”

“That was a bittersweet moment,” he added.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/crushed-julian-assange-on-medication-after-stroke/news-story/4c5a0ce76abdcc48e3dbaadda419eaf2

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 18, 2022, 6:16 a.m. No.16466610 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6615

Catholic church uses paedophile priest’s death as shield against new allegations in NSW

Lismore diocese wins halt on civil case after arguing woman had never complained before Clarence Anderson died in 1996

Christopher Knaus - 18 Jun 2022

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The Catholic church has used the death of a known paedophile priest to shield itself from being sued over new complaints of child sexual abuse.

Earlier this month, the Lismore diocese won its argument for a permanent stay of civil proceedings brought by a woman who was 14 years old when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Father Clarence Anderson in 1968 inside her family home.

The woman, referred to as GLJ, brought the claim against the church in the New South Wales supreme court, alleging it was liable for an attack she described as opportunistic, violent, invasive and highly traumatic.

She alleged that the diocese was negligent and breached the duty of care it owed to her, because it knew or ought to have known that Anderson had abused other children.

Documents before the court make it clear the church knew Anderson was abusing boys at least four years before her alleged assault, but did not remove him from the clergy, instead shuffling him through parishes, where he continued to abuse boys.

Knowledge of his abuse was held at senior levels of the church, including by the then bishop of Lismore, who wrote in 1971: “[Anderson] has had a recurring trouble in sexual matters, especially homosexuality. This first came to my notice about some six years ago, and in every case young boys were involved. We have made persistent efforts to help him to overcome his problem, but apparently without any appreciable result.”

Another clergy member, Monsignor Ryan, who had early dealings with Anderson in Kyogle, wrote that he once witnessed him “handling boys in the school playground and in his car”.

“From the upper floor of the Presbytery I saw him on one occasion with a boy spreadeagled under him over the car bonnet, performing what seemed to be sexual movements upon the boy,” he said.

Ryan said he received a complaint in 1965 from a parent who alleged Anderson had abused his son. The parent told him that “it was common knowledge that other boys had been similarly used and supplied the names of six of them”.

Anderson was moved between parishes, first to Macksville, then to Maclean, and then to Lismore. Church records show there were complaints of abuse against Anderson in all four parishes.

Despite that history, the church has now twice attempted to have GLJ’s civil case thrown out.

It argued that the woman had never complained before Anderson died in 1996. That left them unable to investigate the veracity of her accusations, the church argued, and would make any trial unfair.

(continued)

>>16466610

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Last year, the NSW supreme court rejected the church’s application for a permanent stay, saying it had not “discharged the onus of demonstrating on the balance of probabilities that the continuation of the proceedings would be unjustifiably oppressive to the [Lismore Trust] or bring the administration of justice into disrepute in a sense that a fair, albeit not perfect, trial can no longer be had”.

But this month the appeal court overturned the earlier decision and granted the permanent stay, saying the “trial could not be a fair one”.

“Although Father Anderson is not a defendant, he is a critical witness. Father Anderson died in 1996, before the Lismore Trust was on notice of the allegations,” the court ruled.

“It follows that the Trust did not have an opportunity to confront him with the detail of GLJ’s allegations and obtain instructions for the purposes of its defence of her claims, nor will it be able to call him as a witness if it so chose.”

The child abuse royal commission made it clear that child sexual abuse complaints could often take decades to emerge, because of the shame, trauma and fear associated with surviving crimes of that type. The royal commission’s findings led to the removal of limitation periods for civil claims in many jurisdictions.

The court of appeal’s ruling could have significant consequences for other civil claims relating to historical child abuse, many of which are made after the death of perpetrators.

It has already been cited in a separate NSW case brought by a child allegedly abused at Trinity Grammar School, who was fighting a decision to have his proceedings permanently stayed. The court said it was having “difficulty in reconciling that case and the present”.

The Lismore Diocese said it could not comment due to the potential for a high court appeal.

But, in a statement from its lawyers, the church said its strategy for responding to child abuse claims would “continue to be guided by the unique facts and circumstances of each case”.

“Whilst our client normally desires to assist the media it is inappropriate to make any further statements whilst the time period for applying to the High Court has not yet expired,” the church’s lawyers said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/18/catholic-church-uses-paedophile-priests-death-as-shield-against-new-allegations-in-nsw

New info on AUKUS sub deal ‘shortly’: US National Security Council’s Kurt Campbell

Campbell, the NSC's coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, said the US will launch a new effort next week to help the Pacific islands, including initiatives to build new embassies.

COLIN CLARK - June 17, 2022

SYDNEY: The first detailed glimpse into the controversial AUKUS nuclear attack submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States would be be offered “shortly,” President Biden’s top man on China, Kurt Campbell, said.

“I think we’ve made, behind the scenes, quietly remarkable progress in areas associated with technology where not only the three countries (Australia, the UK and the US) are deeply engaged, but other partners are also supporting working groups,” Campbell said in remarks at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. “And we will have more to say shortly with regard to the submarine initiative, and I just want to underscore that, as we see a new government coming, finding its legs in Australia, the partnership on AUKUS could not be stronger.”

In a sign of just how important the Indo-Pacific is to the Biden administration, Campbell said they plan “to step up our game substantially in the Pacific. This is an area of enormous strategic importance. We have historical and moral responsibilities. Both from the Second World War and subsequent the nuclear age.”

The US effectively took over a range of Pacific territories after World War II. And, of course, nuclear tests were carried out in the Marshall Islands, destroying at least four islands and depositing long-lasting nuclear fallout on Bikini and Eniewetok. Nuclear waste and contaminated material were stored under what’s known as the Runit Island dome.

While he offered no details, Campbell said the US also will launch a new effort next week to help the Pacific islands, which have come into such sharp relief recently with the secret security pact signed between the Solomon Islands and China. Also, China’s foreign minister toured the islands for the first time and tried to push through a regional trade and security agreement. It was not adopted by the nations he visited, which included Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Niue and Vanuatu, but the effort was a klaxon warning to US and Australian officials.

“We are trying to meet the Pacific where they live, and I’m gratified to say not only are we doing this on a bilateral basis, but we will be launching next week an initiative to work with a variety of like minded countries on an open, very detailed set of engagements in which we share our views work closely with partners from the Pacific Island Forum to ensure that like-minded countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United States, Great Britain, France and others, are able to make clear our desire to keep a Pacific environment that’s open that’s healthy, that’s productive and free from coercion,” Campbell said.

He pointed to “maritime domain awareness, unexploded ordinance, climate change, illegal fishing, all the things that matter in the Pacific” as areas the administration is focusing on.

Asked if the US has sufficiently funded its pivot to the Pacific, he acknowledged that was “a valid criticism.” He added that “what you will also see is specific initiatives to build more embassies where we don’t have any in the Pacific,” as well as “more coast guard initiatives” and “more money for things like the tuna treaty.”

Finding new money not just for weapons but for USAID and other efforts is “appropriate and necessary,” Campbell said. But it’s going to be hard.

“But over time, one of the hardest things in government is to make choices among existing, you know, priorities and regions. And that’s very difficult,” he said. Campbell pointed to high demand around the world for American leadership and engagement. At a time of what he called “economic uncertainty,” it may be even harder.

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/06/new-info-on-aukus-sub-deal-shortly-nscs-kurt-campbell/

https://conference.cnas.org/

>>16466717

US, Australia’s recent moves in South Pacific eye new small clique to contain China

Leng Shumei - Jun 18, 2022

With recent intensified moves in the South Pacific together with Australia, the US is eyeing another small clique in the South Pacific region to contain China following previous moves to organize AUKUS and expand NATO, experts said as Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong kicked off a visit to the Solomon Islands on Friday.

Media said that Wong had addressed a security pact between the Solomon Islands and China signed in April during talks with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, but no details were released.

Sogavare has sought to reassure Australia there will not be a military base in the Pacific island nation as a result of its security pact with China, media reported.

"Australia's view remains that the Pacific family should be responsible for our security and the Pacific family is more than capable of providing that security," she told reporters at a press conference.

China has repeatedly criticized reactions from countries such as the US and Australia over the pact.

Chinese experts also said Australian officials' wincing at the pact exposes its lingering colonial myth and coercive diplomacy. Australia wants to play the role of the head of the so-called Pacific family, but the colonial era ended long ago. It has no right to judge other regional countries' domestic affairs, experts noted.

According to the Australian foreign ministry's website, Wong had vowed to deliver up to 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Solomon Islands under Australia's pledge to support the country to administer COVID-19 vaccines to protect its citizens.

No more details have been officially released so far. But Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, estimated that Wong would promise other petty favors to the Solomon Islands like vaccine donation.

The epidemic and vaccination is not an urgent issue for the Solomon Islands, so such acts have more symbolic than practical significance as they simply flaunt Australia's desire to be closely involved in various aspects of the Solomon Islands. Public health, for example, is an area in which Australia wants to demonstrate its strength and influence, Chen told the Global Times on Friday.

Before visiting the Solomon Islands, Wong met with her New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta in Wellington on Thursday where regional security, climate change and labor mobility were on the agenda.

The move came three days after Mahuta's video call with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday.

Chen warned that by including New Zealand and the Solomon Islands in the same visit, almost immediately after Wang Yi and Mahuta's constructive video call, Australia is obviously making efforts to draw over New Zealand to its side to join the "arena of contestation" in the South Pacific region against China.

Australia's moves aim to serve the US' Indo-Pacific strategy, analysts pointed out.

Wong's visit to the Solomon Islands is her third one to the South Pacific region less than a month after she took office, along with recent frequent visits by US officials to the region that observers said target China's boosting cooperation for development and security with the island nations in the South Pacific.

On Thursday, Kurt Campbell, a senior official for Asia in the US national security council, said at a forum that the US planned to propose a new initiative to address issues in the Pacific next week as it scrambled to offset China's thrust into the region, media reported.

Washington is "stepping up across the board" its engagement with Pacific island nations to address their concerns over everything from relations with Washington to illegal fishing, climate change and regional security,

Proposing the alleged "new initiative" shows the US is aiming to set up one more small cliques in the Asia Pacific to contain China just like its previous moves to establish AUKUS, and revive Quad, Chen said.

The US is playing a deceitful trick to discuss so-called issues of concerns of the South Pacific Island countries (PICs) as it would start another round of scare and smear campaign and fabricate fake news and falsehoods about illegally fishing and biodiversity so as to impede cooperation between the PICs and China in areas such as blue economy and environmental protection, Chen warned.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268399.shtml

The Five Eyes are now fixed on China again

Xin Ping - Jun 18, 2022

1/2

The Five Eyes are fixed on China again. It is learned recently that the alliance has decided to collect and fabricate evidence that could show China is infiltrating politically into Western countries, with the aim of tarnishing China's image in the world.

This is not the first time that the Five Eyes have conspired to target China and other countries. As an alliance designed for intelligence sharing, it has been conducting covert or overt operations like theft, interference, infiltration, subversion and coercion.

Under the auspices of the US, the Five Eyes have created the "Clean Network," an irony to its "dirty schemes." The US National Security Agency (NSA) devised Dirtbox, a wiretapping program, to steal data from phones by impersonating signals of base stations. At least 62.5 million phones have fallen prey as a result. PRISM, another infamous NSA program, harvested huge reserves of data from social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Skype. The UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the NSA have also reached their hands into the Cloud, where servers of Google and Yahoo were compromised and hundreds of millions of personal information records were raked in. The Five Eyes have not spared game apps that are vulnerable to intelligence operations either. Irritant Horn, jointly initiated by the NSA and the intelligence authorities of other Eyes, has turned apps for fun to vaults of personal data.

Knowingly violating basic norms in the virtual and the real world, the Five Eyes have been going out of their way to undermine the growth of certain foreign companies. In the name of protecting national security, the US has been tightening its grip on the export of chips and other high technologies to China. It also abetted Canada to detain the CFO of Huawei, a leading Chinese provider of smart devices in ICT, for about three years for no legitimate reasons at all. The Five Eyes also arbitrarily add foreign competitors onto the blacklists of technological blockade and exclusion. Indeed, all the five countries have decided to ban China's Huawei and ZTE from their 5G networks.

And the Five Eyes alliance is not so much as an intelligence-sharing group as an anti-China club. The alliance has been obsessed with making up cases of China's "espionage" and "infiltration" merely based on shoddy intelligence. In 2020, Australian spy authorities raided New South Wales state legislator Shaoquett Moselmane's home for alleged links with China. But the cited political influence in Australia on behalf of China was never proven by evidence. Intelligence agencies in other Eyes willfully interrogate and harass Chinese students and scholars on questionable or no grounds at all. Some even approach Chinese communities and pressure them to become agents for the Eyes. Although the Eyes are not so sharp at telling the truth from falsehood, they are adept at meddling in the internal affairs of China, among other countries in the world. In Hong Kong, the consulates of these countries have become the headquarters and command of interference and subversion where their consular officials reached out to anti-China forces and separatists to incite violence by providing financial support and training.

(continued)

2/2

Apart from taking relatively secret means to achieve its political agenda, the Five Eyes also resort to brutal and bloody wars to overthrow regimes of other countries, showing no respect to international law, sovereignty and human life. Take the 20-year-long war in Afghanistan as an example, where hardly any participating country pulled out with their hands untainted with blood. Back in 2019, 11 British detectives told an investigation team from the BBC and Sunday Times that there was credible evidence of war crimes and ensuing cover-ups in Afghanistan. In 2020, Australia released the Brereton Report on its troops' misconduct in Afghanistan. It found evidence linking 25 Australian Defence Force personnel in the killings of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners of war. Scandals like this are nothing new. In 2009, Australian troops were shown in some photos drinking beer out of an Afghan's prosthetic leg in Uruzgan province. Before the hasty withdrawal, the US killed 10 civilians including two-year-olds in a drone strike, only to find the target were civilians like so many times before.

Turning their eyes and dirty hands to other countries, the five countries have shown no interest in getting their own house in order. Most of the countries have not addressed their dark legacy of mistreating indigenous population by slaughter, expulsion and forced assimilation. They are yet to pay the historical debt and make compensations as the indigenous communities are deprived of the right to life and other basic rights on economic, cultural and political fronts.

The script for the Five Eyes' underhand moves may keep changing, but the end result would remain the same. The scheme to discredit and disrupt the development of other countries would only be met with disdain, and eventually lead to outright failure.

Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs. He can be reached at xinping604@gmail.com

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268410.shtml

>>16390500

Maoist China under Xi can never be our friend

PAUL MONK - JUNE 18, 2022

1/2

Geopolitically, economically and in terms of immigration and multiculturalism, China is the biggest challenge we face as a country.

The biggest mistake we keep being invited to make is to think that China is well governed and just another country.

It is vital that there be a deeper and more serious understanding of how it is actually governed.

John Fitzgerald’s newly published study of this subject, Cadre Country, is required reading on this subject.

Here are three excerpts from Cadre Country that explain life under Xi Jinping’s rule:

Abolishing the rule of law

On April 28, 2017, the No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court in China’s northern port city of Tianjin announced the conviction and sentencing of lawyer Li Heping for subversion of state power.

Two years earlier, the authorities had ordered the arrest and detention of more than 300 lawyers in the infamous “709 crackdown” (July 9, 2015) targeting China’s professional legal defenders.

Li was one of them. Over two years in detention, pending trial, he was tortured by electric shock and forcibly medicated with a drug that, by his wife’s account, caused “muscle pains, lethargy and blurred vision”. One month was spent in shackles, leaving him unable to stand.

On that same day, in Tianjin’s sister city of Melbourne, former prime minister Paul Keating took to the stage and mocked critics of China’s human rights record for being “hung up” about legal defenders in China. Speaking at a La Trobe University event, Keating dismissed concerns about the abuse of legal process in China as a trivial blip in the record of the “best government in the world of the last 30 years. Full stop”. Critics of China’s government in Australia, Keating said, were “hung up about the fact that some legal detainees don’t get legal representation”.

A giant of the Australian Labor Party and master of the larrikin idiom, Keating spoke to an adoring audience. Packed into the Melbourne Recital Centre, they laughed on cue and nodded in affirmation. To be fair, they were probably unaware of the trial under way in their sister city; but it is also unclear that knowledge would have made any difference to their responses. A lot is forgiven for the Communist Party of China for having – in one of the more widely circulated phrases of the past half century – “lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty”. One outspoken lawyer might have been dismissed as a fair price to pay.

In fact, Li was one of hundreds of legal defenders who had recently been rounded up, imprisoned and tortured on charges of subversion. This assault on the legal profession was no robust rebuff of overpaid lawyers, as Keating’s sideways swipe might have suggested, but a signal to China and the world that three decades of experimentation with the rule of law were over. The end was marked by the rise to power of Xi Jinping, son of senior party veteran and government leader Xi Zhongxun. Since assuming office, Xi has undertaken several measures to end the process of Reform and Opening (c1979-2009) that made China the most successful developing country in the world over the preceding three decades.

Li’s conviction, announced early in Xi’s second term, was one of many signs that the party was no longer tolerating restraints on its exercise of power.

The Communist Party erases history

One way the party curates the historical record is to erase events from history and public memory, a practice that earned China the title of “People’s Republic of Amnesia” in the work of Australia-based media analyst Louisa Lim. The party takes several approaches to historical erasure. One is to close the archives to historians, another is to outlaw publication on all but the most mundane topics, a third is to legislate against voices critical of the party and its “heroes”.

In Xi Jinping’s New Era, the preferred method for neutralising critical inquiry involves intimidating professional historians and history teachers through a political campaign targeting “historical nihilism”.

Some years before he took command of the party, Xi told a meeting of party historians that “the harm of historical nihilism is basically denying the leading position of Marxism and the historical inevitability of China moving towards socialism, denying the leadership of the Communist Party of China.” In April 2013, once Xi was in power, this insight was converted into a prohibition on “historical nihilism”. And in the lead-up to commemoration of the party’s centenary, in July 2021, according to BBC reports, leading cadres elevated historical nihilism to the highest level of national security with the claim that the gravest threat to the country was neither American imperialism nor the independence of Taiwan but “historical nihilism”.

(continued)

>>16466818

2/2

For the benefit of insiders, between April and June 2021, party propaganda teams launched intensive study sessions and published an extensive series of authoritative articles through key institutions in party and government, in each case targeting historical nihilism as a threat to national security, understood to mean the security of the Communist Party-state. At the same time, internet monitors and censorship agencies removed two million items posted on the web by (independent scholars) who told different stories about the party.

Millions of commercial sites modified their online web presence to reflect greater sensitivity around words and phrases to which the party could possibly object.

Brutal executions

Around 2010, Beijing’s counter-intelligence services uncovered telling signs of foreign penetration of key agencies in China’s intelligence, government and party systems. As they picked at the threads, over following months, counter-intelligence agents unravelled a widespread CIA human-source network woven into the highest levels of the party-state apparatus. Counter-intelligence forces responded case-by-case, executing compromised cadres (and their families) as they found them, often in front of horrified fellow workers.

A decade later, in December 2020, security specialist Zach Dorfman revealed that the CIA’s point of entry into China’s military and government cadre systems was to pay the informal promotion fees that had become the standard price of cadre advancement. As Dorfman describes it, “the anger in Beijing wasn’t just because of the penetration by the CIA but because of what it exposed about the degree of corruption in China”.

The further that compromised cadres are able to rise in a penetrated system, the more valuable the intelligence they can supply to their handlers. There was a time when picking junior cadre assets was regarded as a consummate art among foreign intelligence agencies. Tracking their climb through the cadre hierarchy in the former Soviet Union or eastern Europe was considered an arduous and perilous task.

In China, however, corruption was so commonplace in the cadre promotion and transfer system that it opened the door to any promising recruit willing to be bought off. A foreign agency could identify a likely candidate and offer to fund their way up and across the system to virtually any position worth buying. The most highly prized positions were those near the top among secretaries of ministers and agency heads.

“‘It was quite amazing the level of corruption that was going on,” Dorfman reports one former CIA official as saying. The more widespread the corruption, the more plentiful the opportunities to penetrate key military, security, government and party agencies.

This is the regime in Beijing that has imposed extraordinary economic sanctions on Australia and is seeking to extend its influence and military presence across the South Pacific. This is the regime that its Australian friends urge us to mollify, in the interests of better relations, claiming that the recent deterioration in those relations has been the consequence of tactless rhetoric by the Coalition government.

Its routine behaviour towards its own people, as shown in these excerpts, is ruthless. And they are merely the tip of the iceberg, as Fitzgerald shows in detail.

This is not a regime which any of us should want to see flourish, or expand its influence. On the contrary, we have every reason to seek change in the way it behaves, for our own good and that of the Chinese people. If the other significant states of East Asia, starting with Japan and then including South Korea and Taiwan, can change from developmental dictatorship to liberal democratic governance and political decency, why not China? Change China? The problem isn’t China or the Chinese. It’s the Communist Party’s Maoism.

Paul Monk is the former head of the China desk in the Defence Intelligence Organisation, the author of Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China (2005), The West in a Nutshell (2009) and Dictators and Dangerous Ideas (2018), among other books.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/maoist-china-under-xi-can-never-be-our-friend/news-story/4761b93acf3be79591d97e08c098e453

>>16466818

Q Post #4021

Apr 30 2020 17:46:38 (EST)

https://twitter.com/johnrobertsFox/status/1255972553950220288

Think SIGINT

Think CIA

Think Double agents

China thought they eliminated all in-country assets.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/asia/china-cia-spies-espionage.html

Some things are better left untold [cov].

Public truths of some events force wars.

WWIII prevent.

Hello, Feinstein.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4021

https://archive.ph/20200501071620/https://twitter.com/johnrobertsFox/status/1255972553950220288

https://archive.ph/20210812235813/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/asia/china-cia-spies-espionage.html

—

Q Post #4813

Oct 6 2020 19:04:22 (EST)

How close did we come to losing it?

What if she got in?

What if she got (3+) SC Justice(s)?

What if she got 300+ Judges?

What if rogue elements remained [+ more added] within FBI, CIA, NSA, State, DNI, WH, IRS, DHS, ICE, WHO, CDC, ……..?

What if our MIL remained financially starved?

What if [F]oreign backers continued to control America's policies?

What if our borders remained open?

What if China was given the keys?

What if ………?

This is not about R vs D.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4813

—

Q Post #4821

Oct 7 2020 14:23:24 (EST)

WHAT HAPPENS IF BIDEN BECAME POTUS KNOWING HE [THROUGH HUNTER + 2] TOOK MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BRIBES TO CHANGE [LOOK THE OTHER WAY] US POLICY TOWARDS CHINA [IN FAVOR OF CHINA]?

WOULD CHINA OWN AND CONTROL THE WHITE HOUSE?

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4821

>>16418599

>>16444292

Plaything of perverts… and a Prince: NIGEL CAWTHORNE takes a forensic look at the abuse suffered by Virginia Roberts - the ex-sex slave Prince Andrew just paid £12m - in a new book with details that make the Duke's behaviour all the more repugnant

NIGEL CAWTHORNE - 18 June 2022

1/5

As Ghislaine Maxwell barked 'Stop!', the chauffeur slammed on the brakes and looked around to see what had caught her attention. It was a young blonde girl — perhaps aged 14, he thought.

In fact, Virginia Roberts was 15 but she looked younger in her white uniform. She had just come out from the spa of Donald Trump's exclusive Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, where she was working as a $9-an-hour locker-room attendant.

Business had been slow that Tuesday in 1998, so she had gone outside to read a book on anatomy. Having watched the club's masseuses at work, she had set her heart on becoming a massage therapist herself.

Sitting in the warm sunshine, she looked up to see a good-looking woman in her late 30s walking towards her. To her surprise, the woman introduced herself, then asked Virginia about the book she was reading.

It was Virginia's first encounter with Ghislaine Maxwell, socialite daughter of the disgraced British newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell and procuress for billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

She had excellent manners, a 'prim and proper' English accent and seemed very friendly. After they had chatted for a while, Ghislaine asked if Virginia did massages. The teenager explained that she wanted to, but had yet to start her studies.

Ah, said Ghislaine, 'It's so funny that you're reading a book on that because I know this older gentleman who's looking for a travelling masseuse. He's super-rich. He flies around everywhere. If you want, you can come by for an interview.'

Virginia declined: she didn't yet know enough about the human body to risk a trial, she admitted. But Ghislaine said that didn't matter: if the gentleman took a shine to her, he would get her the finest training.

'He's got amazing abilities to help people out. That's what he likes to do.'

Then came the flattery. You have a cheery personality, said Ghislaine — just the sort of thing my rich friend is looking for. And, from the Post-It notes stuck on the edge of the pages of your anatomy book, it's clear you're an enthusiastic learner.

By THE time they parted, Virginia had agreed to let her know if she could come over for a 'trial' after work.

With high hopes, she hurried over to the tennis courts, where her father, the club's maintenance manager Sky Roberts, was working. Far from raising any objections, he thought Ghislaine's proposition sounded like a wonderful opportunity to get accreditation as a massage therapist.

That evening, he drove her to Epstein's pink waterfront mansion. Ushered in, they were greeted by Ghislaine, who shook Mr Roberts's hand and thanked him for bringing his daughter.

Nervously, Virginia followed her upstairs, past long tables laden with pictures of beautiful women and young girls, some of whom were naked.

They entered a room containing a king-size bed and a turquoise massage table. The carpet, Virginia noticed, was Burberry. A nude man was lying face down on the table. She tried not to gawk.

Ghislaine made the introductions, then said she would show Virginia the ropes, starting at Epstein's toes and working her way upwards. Virginia steeled herself. As a masseuse, there were clearly some things — such as nudity — she would have to learn to accept.

Epstein looked up with a Cheshire-cat grin and asked her to call him Jeffrey. Somehow that was reassuring; at least he didn't seem scary.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 18, 2022, 8:05 a.m. No.16467106 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7111

>>16467100

2/5

Ghislaine did most of the talking, telling Virginia that if she did well, she would travel around the world as Jeffrey's masseuse and be well paid. It sounded like a dream come true.

Both of them softened their hands with rich body butter, then Ghislaine started with Epstein's feet — with Virginia mimicking her every move for about 40 minutes. During that time, she was peppered with questions about her life.

She answered them frankly, telling them she had been sexually abused as a young child. Epstein made light of this, telling her she was a 'naughty girl'.

Then he rolled over. Virginia remembers going red with embarrassment. She was even more surprised to find Ghislaine had taken off her own top. Suddenly the older woman started undressing her, licking her breasts and sliding up her skirt. 'Oh, you've still got little-girl undies,' crowed Ghislaine, exposing Virginia's 'love-heart' panties. Epstein snickered.

Moving around her, Ghislaine — now completely naked herself — began caressing her intimately from behind. Then Epstein had sex with Virginia.

No one asked if she was comfortable with what was going on. She wasn't, but she didn't dare protest.

So why did she let it all go so far? A large part of the reason was that she had already been sexually abused by older men.

During these nightmarish experiences, she had learnt the survival tactic that would help get her through the next few years. She simply numbed herself to what was happening and forced her mind to drift elsewhere.

What made this latest abuse all the more devastating was that Virginia had made a determined effort to draw a line under her troubled past. She was going to have a normal life. A profession. Maybe get married one day. During the first 40 minutes with Ghislaine and Epstein she had even been on a kind of high, congratulating herself that she was already getting a valuable lesson in massage technique. Then they had sexually assaulted her.

For a girl who had already suffered terrible abuse, it was relatively easy to retreat to that familiar feeling of numbness. At the same time, she consoled herself with the thought of the golden future she had been promised.

Afterwards, Epstein — acting as if nothing had happened — asked Virginia to resume massaging his feet while he rambled on about how clever he was and how much money he had made. She knew he was pleased because he told her he would become her mentor and she'd be his teacher's pet.

He paid her $200 for the 'massage' and Ghislaine asked her to return the next day.

When Virginia Roberts fell into the hands of two rich and sophisticated predators, she didn't stand a chance. At the age of seven, she had been sexually abused by a close family friend who used to tuck her in at night.

Dreading to come home at night, she started staying out as long as she could, smoking weed with a group of misfits. Often, she ran away from home, staying at friends' houses.

Unable to cope, her parents sent her to a centre for juvenile delinquents — but she escaped one day and bought a one-way ticket to Miami. There, she lived on the streets, sleeping with at least two older men in return for food.

Virginia remembers sitting on a kerb one day and weeping. She was 13 years old and hadn't eaten in three days. Just then, a black stretch limousine pulled up and the back door opened.

A fat, balding man, who was accompanied by a striking young blonde, asked her: 'What is such a sweet little girl like you doing sitting alone on the street looking so upset?'

Although she was suspicious, at least these strangers were showing some concern. So Virginia told them she was very hungry, hoping the man would give her money for food. Instead, he invited her into the car so they could talk some more. She got in.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 18, 2022, 8:06 a.m. No.16467111 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7117

>>16467106

3/5

The man introduced himself as Ron Eppinger, owner of the modelling agency Perfect 10. It was, in fact, a front for international sex trafficking.

The girl beside him was Yana, a teenage model and illegal immigrant from the Czech Republic — one of many he rented out to his uber-rich clients for more than $1,000 an hour.

After treating Virginia to a restaurant meal, Eppinger took her to GAP Kids, where he bought her some tight shirts and cut-off shorts, then back to his marble-floored apartment.

She was introduced there to five Czech girls, all either nude or wearing just a G-string. Her common sense told her to run, but where to? Childishly, she pretended to herself that everything would be OK.

It wasn't, of course. Eppinger took her to the bathroom, where he gave her two blue pills that he said would relax her.

It was the start of a terrible ordeal: repeatedly raped by him over the succeeding days and nights, Virginia soon realised there was no escape. Keeping her for his exclusive use, he controlled every second of her time.

Months later, on her 14th birthday, she stood at an open window many storeys up, trying to muster the willpower to jump. But Eppinger hauled her back and forced her to take more pills.

One day, in desperation, Virginia crept into an empty guest room and made the first of several calls to her first boyfriend from school, Tony Figueroa. She told him all about her life as a sex slave, adding that she didn't dare ring her parents.

Unfortunately, Eppinger noticed the repeated calls to a number he didn't recognise. Incandescent with rage, he accused Virginia of trying to get him caught and told her he was passing her to another man. She had five minutes to pack.

Eppinger's driver drove her to her new owner, a balding man called Charlie who owned a club-restaurant. He didn't even bother to ask her name before taking her to his bedroom.

From then on, she was never allowed to leave his side. They would go shopping and meet his friends and business associates, none of whom questioned why Charlie was with a girl young enough to be his granddaughter.

Feeling utterly hopeless, Virginia resigned herself to a life of sexual servitude, believing that if she tried to escape, Eppinger would surely find her and kill her.

What she didn't know was that FBI agents had tapped Tony's phone and had been tracking her for weeks. They had discovered where she was staying, then followed the car when she was driven to Charlie's.

At 6am one morning, an FBI SWAT team burst in, dressed in black with helmets, visors and rifles. It was over. Eppinger fled to the Czech Republic but was later extradited to stand trial on charges of smuggling aliens for prostitution, interstate travel for the purposes of prostitution and money laundering. He died in jail.

Virginia was accepted back home by her parents. At 15, she got a job in a fast-food outlet, then a pet shop — and finally at Mar-a-Lago.

The day after her first encounter with Epstein, Virginia was back. Again, Ghislaine undressed her, took off her own top and molested her. Again, the financier wanted sex — as always, without a condom.

This soon became a daily routine. Sometimes there were variations: Virginia would have to perform sexual acts with Ghislaine, or soap the older woman in the shower.

At home, she had difficulty sleeping at night, although she kept telling herself it would all be worth it in the end.

One evening, while she was massaging Epstein's feet, he asked her to quit her job at Mar-a-Lago. If she worked full-time for him, he said, he would be paying for several massages a day at $200 a time.

It was a dizzying amount of money to a girl in her mid-teens. Swallowing her qualms, Virginia told her parents she had passed her trial and got the massage job.

In the morning her father drove her to work. Epstein came out to shake his hand and reassure him he'd take good care of his daughter.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 18, 2022, 8:06 a.m. No.16467117 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7125

>>16467111

4/5

There was certainly no shortage of luxury in Virginia's new job: she travelled with Ghislaine and Epstein on his black Gulfstream G500 private jet and was bowled over by the opulence of his mansion in New York.

His office, she noted, was draped with hangings depicting salacious scenes.

Elsewhere, there were numerous pictures of young girls in a state of undress, and pictures of Epstein with politicians and royalty — even with the Dalai Lama. Her bedroom had an intercom, so Epstein could summon her at any time of the day or night.

That first day, he gave her a bundle of $100 bills so she could go out and enjoy her first visit to New York. Having no idea where to go, she bought a camera and just started snapping anything that took her fancy.

When she returned at dusk, Ghislaine was furious. Virginia had been gone too long, she said, and Jeffrey needed to know where she was at all times. The next day, she was given a mobile phone.

In the weeks that followed, Virginia was allowed to go out but only if she agreed to return at a moment's notice to attend to Epstein. Then he upped the ante: he would pay her double if, on her peregrinations, she picked up other pretty young girls and brought them back — either for sex with him or to put on a lesbian show.

What she had to do, he said, was get them to agree to a first meeting with him. She should use her charm, then tell them she worked for a multi-billionaire with contacts in the acting and modelling professions.

He was very clear about the type of girls he wanted. There were to be no African-Americans, no goths, no prostitutes or drug users, no piercings or tattoos. He wanted girl-next-door types with blue eyes and blonde ringlets.

His new demands brought Virginia fresh anxiety. She began to get headaches and started taking tranquillisers — which did little for her anxiety but at least dulled the pain of what she was being asked to do.

Her 16th birthday was celebrated on Epstein's private island, Little St James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As Virginia blew out the candles on her cake, Ghislaine remarked that she'd be getting too old for Epstein soon and they would have to trade her in.

The arrival on the island of a girl called Sarah made her think this was about to happen. But Sarah, an ash-blonde with big brown eyes, turned out to be a little older. She had got to know Epstein when he'd promised to help her with her acting career.

Sarah, said Epstein, was brilliant at procuring young girls for him, and he suggested Virginia watch her do it.

She learnt fast. Back on the mainland, Virginia was soon supplying fresh blood for Epstein — as was Ghislaine.

When Virginia asked the older woman why she did it, Ghislaine said it relieved her of the pressure of satisfying Epstein's voracious sexual appetite.

As she had been taught, Virginia would lead the paedophile's fresh prey into the massage room, where he would already be lying naked on the table. She and the new girl would massage him until he instructed them to take off their clothes.

If the newcomer didn't balk at this, he knew he had her. Incredibly, according to Virginia, none of the girls ever refused.

He would then tell the two to touch themselves or perform lesbian acts while he watched. Afterwards the girls would get $200, with Virginia getting an extra $200 as a finder's fee.

She soon proved herself so useful to Epstein that he let her live rent-free in two of his apartments, in Royal Palm Beach and New York City.

By then, unable to stand the thought of continuing to spin lies about her job, Virginia was completely alienated from her family. She had also begun to smoke marijuana and take LSD and ecstasy with old friends from school.

When she told them she was a massage therapist, some girls asked if they could meet her boss. They were easy pickings.

Although she felt very uncomfortable betraying friends, the drugs and the extra money helped numb her conscience.

(continued)

>>16467117

5/5

One day, Epstein called Virginia and told her to go to a hotel in Palm Beach called The Breakers, to see to a married couple named Glenn and Eva. She was to massage Eva gently as she was pregnant, but treat Glen just as she treated him.

Eva turned out to be one of the financier's exes whom he had married off to an acquaintance when she got too old for his tastes. The massage went well, and then Virginia bedded Eva's husband in the next room.

The following day, Epstein made her tell him every detail. Her humiliation was complete: she was now little more than a prostitute to be loaned out whenever her master felt like it.

Ghislaine now had a new evening routine: she would strip Virginia bare, then force the teenager to have lesbian sex with her, always in front of Epstein.

Virginia found this degrading. Even so, she tried to please her captors, hoping for occasional crumbs of friendliness — such as when they watched TV together, or Ghislaine taught her to use a knife and fork English-style.

Such moments were never enough. How could they be? But at 16, Virginia could no longer see any way out . . .

Adapted from Virginia Giuffre: The Extraordinary Life Story Of The Masseuse Who Pursued And Ended The Sex Crimes Of Millionaires Ghislaine Maxwell And Jeffrey Epstein, by Nigel Cawthorne, published by Gibson Square on June 30 at £9.99.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10928569/NIGEL-CAWTHORNE-takes-forensic-look-abuse-suffered-Virginia-Roberts.html

—

Q Post #4923

Oct 21 2020 20:55:05 (EST)

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1319071346282778624

Dearest Virginia -

We stand with you.

Now and always.

Find peace through prayer.

Never give up the good fight.

God bless you.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4923

https://archive.ph/20201022023115/https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1319071346282778624

ADF kicks off election support to PNG

Major Martin Hadley - 16 June 2022

The main body of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel deployed on Operation Kimba has touched down in Papua New Guinea to provide support for the country’s upcoming national election, at the request of the PNG Government.

The joint task group members arrived at Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby on a RAAF C-17A Globemaster.

Commander of the joint task group responsible for Operation Kimba Wing Commander Michael Rouhan said 130 ADF personnel would work closely with the PNG Electoral Commission, the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary.

“Our personnel are providing specialist planning, logistics and air transport support to PNG authorities to assist with their national election,” Wing Commander Rouhan said.

“This mission is enabled by the niche capabilities of the ADF, particularly the Royal Australian Air Force’s C-27J Spartan and C-130J Hercules aircraft.

“These aircraft will support the transport of election material and personnel before, during and post the election period.”

This is the second ADF deployment by Wing Commander Rouhan in support of PNG’s national elections. He was part of the ADF’s support to the PNG national election in 2012.

“I’m excited to be in PNG once again among the smiling faces of the locals and to support their country’s democratic process,” Wing Commander Rouhan said.

“I’m certain our people have the right training, capability and attitude to make a significant contribution over the coming weeks.

“The team are very excited to be here helping.”

The ADF’s support is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs-led whole-of-government assistance to the national elections, which is an extension of the ADF’s long-standing partnership with the PNG Defence Force, through the ADF’s Defence Cooperation Program.

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/adf-kicks-election-support-png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keLd5FTcvTA

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 19, 2022, 4:11 a.m. No.16471614 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1617

WACA employed paedophile junior coaching co-ordinator Roy Wenlock for 29 years

Russell Jackson - 19 June 2022

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The Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) created a job for a now-notorious paedophile who subsequently worked for the organisation for 29 years between 1979 and 2007, the WACA has confirmed.

WARNING: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse.

Roy Wenlock, for whom the WACA created the full-time role of 'development officer' in 1979, was one of three sex offenders investigated in WA Supreme Court Justice Peter Blaxell's 452-page parliamentary inquiry into historical child sexual abuse at Anglican hostels, published in 2012.

WACA chief executive Christina Matthews confirmed to ABC Sport that the organisation became aware of Wenlock's offending during the 2012-13 summer and has since taken a range of measures to address the issue, which is the subject of ongoing civil litigation against the WACA.

In Justice Blaxell's report, Wenlock, who died in 2007, was revealed to have been a prolific abuser who gained sexual gratification from "wrestling" sessions — simulated sex in which Wenlock would ejaculate — with boys placed in his care between 1963 and 1977. In some cases, Wenlock's offending escalated to masturbation and oral sex with the boys.

Blaxell's report was also unequivocal in its conclusion that Wenlock's grooming and abuse of boys continued at the WACA.

One of those boys, now a man in his mid-40s, confirmed to ABC Sport that while performing WACA "drinks boy" duties under Wenlock's direction in the late 1980s, he was taken back to Wenlock's house with other boys and witnessed abuse.

Between 1979 and 2007, Wenlock fulfilled a range of roles at the WACA, most of which gave him unsupervised access to children.

For decades, he was the organisation's full-time development officer, conducting junior coaching clinics around the state, and also served as WACA ground announcer, museum curator, and as a WACA pennant umpire. He also umpired in junior competitions and was secretary of the Western Australian Youth Cricket Council.

In 2000, Wenlock received the Australian Sports Medal for services to cricket.

'Whatever you do, don't go to his house'

In 2012, Justice Blaxell concluded there was "ample evidence to show that Wenlock would engage in grooming behaviour" with boys he encountered across his four decades at the WACA.

"In this position he was required to engage in various cricketing activities with young teenagers, and he would sometimes invite individual boys back to his home," Blaxell wrote.

There, Wenlock would "encourage them to engage in 'wrestling'. The reputation that Wenlock acquired as a result of these activities was such that young cricketers would warn their friends: 'whatever you do, don't go to his house'."

'Darren' (not his real name) was not aware of Justice Blaxell's findings when he spoke to ABC Sport, but he was among the boys who were taken from the WACA to Wenlock's house and says what he saw there mirrored the experiences of witnesses in the inquiry.

In 1989, when Darren was in his early teens, Wenlock selected Darren and a male school friend to perform "drinks boy" duties for a Sheffield Shield game at the WACA ground.

Darren said he was excited because the fixture in question — Western Australia vs New South Wales — featured Darren's idols, the Waugh brothers.

"My mate had done it previously," Darren told ABC Sport.

"I thought, 'This will be awesome'. I was excited because it meant we got to take food into the change rooms for the players and take turns to take the drinks out. It was really cool."

Darren said his discomfort started after play. Wenlock had arranged with parents that Darren, his friend and a few other boys would not be picked up from the WACA, but from Wenlock's house after a swim and some icy poles.

At the house, Darren said, Wenlock encouraged the boys to wrestle him, something that struck Darren as "so unusual and weird" that he declined Wenlock's invitation. Darren said other boys did wrestle Wenlock.

"I found it quite confronting," he said. "And it went on for quite a while."

Darren said that in his eagerness to meet more of his heroes, he volunteered for another day as a drinks boy, but he declined a second invite to Wenlock's house and resolved not to do the job again.

"I was uncomfortable with what was happening," he said.

"I can visualise it, and the feeling I associate with what I saw was that it was very uncomfortable."

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 19, 2022, 4:12 a.m. No.16471617 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1622

>>16471614

2/3

The 'spiritual father' of the WACA museum

Roy Hamilton Wenlock was once a ubiquitous and sometimes divisive figure in Western Australian cricket.

As an umpire in the elite WACA competition, Wenlock was unpopular with players, who thought he was out of his depth and reliant on WACA support for ongoing selection. Regardless, in 1995 Wenlock was made a life member of the Western Australian Cricket Umpires' Association and remains so.

Among colleagues in the WACA administration, Wenlock was considered gruff and strange, but the organisation valued his enthusiasm to take on duties others wouldn't, particularly the creation and administration of junior cricket programs and Wenlock's curation of the memorabilia collection that became the WACA museum.

Following Wenlock's death at 75 in 2007, tributes in the WACA annual report described him as the "spiritual father" and "inspiration" of the museum and, and on account of his ground announcing duties, one of the WACA's "most recognisable voices, if not faces".

A former bank clerk whose rise to prominence in elite cricket belied his self-confessed inability to play the game, Wenlock's parallel life as an abuser of boys is most extensively documented between 1963 and late 1977, when he served as a warden at St Christopher's House, the residential hostel at Northam High School.

It is likely that Wenlock came to the attention of his eventual bosses at the WACA during his years as president of the Northam Cricket Association, for whom he administered a junior competition too, becoming a life member.

"The WACA created a new position of Development Officer in 1979 and encouraged Roy to apply," read his WACA obituary.

"He was successful and became an integral part of the administration."

Initially, Wenlock's wages were partly subsidised by the Western Australian government.

"He arranged coaching trips to the North West, pre-season cricket camps for umpires, and was unofficial collector and guardian of cricket trophies and photos that were often given to him. In 1983 he was appointed as the ground announcer at the WACA on match days. This caused him to curtail his umpiring ambitions."

But Wenlock, who had not faced police charges at the time of his death, gained greater notoriety posthumously, admonished by his former employers at the Anglican Church for the "depravity" of his offending against boys placed in his care.

Wenlock's activities were described by an Archbishop as "abhorrent – exploitative and abusive – and a gross breach of trust."

'A powerful man with an intimidating presence'

In the Anglican hostels inquiry, one former St Christopher's House pupil described Roy Wenlock as "a powerful man with an intimidating presence … calculated and cunning… someone that you could never say 'no' to."

"Whatever he said you had to do, or you knew there would be consequences."

The consequences were a range of sadistic punishment rituals, including violent canings that left at least one boy with a disfigured finger. But it was a practice of Wenlock's that became known among boys as "bruting" that caused the greatest damage.

For 'bruting' sessions, Wenlock would invite boys to his private flat on the hostel's grounds for what Justice Blaxwell called "the same bizarre and ritualistic form of physical contact which the boys had to perform for Wenlock's sexual pleasure."

The boys were forced to strip to their underpants and Wenlock usually did too, with one or the other often wearing leopard skin underpants or bathers provided by Wenlock. The pretence of 'wrestling' ended with Wenlock on his back on the floor, forcing the boy to straddle his pelvic area so the boy's buttocks were resting on his groin.

Blaxwell explained: "Wenlock would bounce around and pretend to try to buck the boy off while at the same time continuously moaning and repeating the words: 'you brute', 'you brute'."

"The effect of this was that the boy's anal area would bump and grind against Wenlock's groin. Some former students distinctly recall Wenlock's erect penis rubbing against their bodies and of him ejaculating as a result."

The inquiry heard that boys endured these ordeals for up to two hours at a time. Some of the 18 men who gave evidence said they experienced the abuse only once, but one witness suffered the assaults on a weekly basis for his entire five years at the hostel. Others detailed feelings of disgust and shame in the aftermath.

(continued)

>>16471617

3/3

Evidence was also heard of graver assaults than the 'bruting' sessions. Wenlock plied one boy with alcohol and groped his genitals. Another boy was forced to masturbate Wenlock, abuse that escalated to oral sex and being forced into 'wrestling' sessions as an unidentified priest watched.

Multiple students made complaints about Wenlock between 1975 and 1977, with one boy's story briefly attracting the attention of police, but their investigations amounted to nothing.

In the inquiry, Justice Blaxell's harshest assessment was of then-St Christopher's board chairman and Archdeacon (later Bishop) Michael Challen who, in 1977, politely asked Wenlock to resign and offered the abuser "effectively a glowing reference", rather than sacking him and making it clear to prospective employers that Wenlock should not be given a job that put him in contact with children.

Blaxell concluded that Challen's decision "revealed a questionable sense of moral priorities for a clergyman."

"By allowing him to leave 'quietly' they gave a higher priority to the reputation of the Hostel than to any concern for the future wellbeing of teenage boys with whom Wenlock might come into contact," Blaxell wrote.

"By these actions Bishop Challen increased the prospects that Wenlock would be able to sexually misconduct himself with young males in a similar fashion again."

'We will deal with it openly and honestly'

WACA chief executive Christina Matthews told ABC Sport that the organisation has taken several measures to address its historical child sexual abuse problems and assured survivors they would be supported if they reported their abuse.

"I encourage anyone that has experienced any form of abuse when they have been involved in WACA programs to come forward and we will deal with it openly and honestly," Matthews said.

The WACA is the only one of Australian cricket's powerful state associations to have signed up to the National Redress Scheme in response to the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

Matthews said the WACA joined the scheme willingly and immediately, and that one survivor of Wenlock's abuse has already had his claim processed and approved.

Matthews said the WACA first became aware of Wenlock's history during the 2012-13 summer, when a survivor approached the organisation to raise awareness and ensure child protection measures that had been lacking in the past were now in place.

"We reviewed our practices and became what you would probably call more aware of some of the dubious things these people do and how to prevent them," Matthews said.

"At the same time, child protection regulations were changing, so it all blended into that."

In recent months, former WACA staff who were colleagues of Wenlock told ABC Sport they'd been interviewed by lawyers acting for the WACA and asked for their recollections of Wenlock.

Matthews confirmed that the WACA appointed external legal counsel in June 2021, in response to civil litigation being launched by a survivor of abuse by Wenlock. That case has not yet been resolved.

"Our position has always been to not hide from these things, and to try and make the process as less painful as possible for the victim," Matthews said.

"You've got to deal with the truth."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-19/waca-employed-paedophile-coach-roy-wenlock-in-cricket-role/101160766

Beijing’s third carrier sets out to rule the waves

DIDI TANG, THE TIMES - JUNE 18, 2022

China has launched its third and most advanced aircraft carrier as it aims to rival the US Navy as the dominant power on the seas. The carrier, with a displacement of 80,000 tonnes, is bigger than the British flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth.

It is the Asian superpower’s first carrier with an electromagnetic ejection and interception system for aircraft take-offs and landings, a system already in development on US carriers.

Just before noon on Friday, the Fujian, named after the southeastern province, was launched. Fireworks were let off and water jets sprayed over the deck as it sailed out of a dock in the state-owned Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai.

A slogan was displayed vowing to build a world-class navy as desired by President Xi Jinping. The carrier faces sea trials before it enters service, possibly in one to two years.

Shao Yongling, a Chinese military expert, said the Fujian would weaken America’s strength against China as tensions rise over the sovereignty of Taiwan and claims in the South China Sea.

She said the Pentagon’s two carrier strike groups in the region would be outnumbered by China’s three carriers.

The Fujian is the country’s first home-developed carrier. It is believed to have an integrated electric propulsion system.

Its launch is “a powerful strike against the US Indo-Pacific strategy”, Shao said. “If the US doesn’t change tack it will be the US, not China, that will sink into a quagmire in the Indo-Pacific.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/beijings-third-carrier-sets-out-to-rule-the-waves/news-story/5c9d4cae9b6bda86d5a9a1c989c74d7a

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-tests-us-resolve-with-new-aircraft-carrier-hsjkj3f2k

Exclusive: Five Eyes alliance fabricating evidence, building rumors of China infiltration: source

GT Staff reporters - Jun 19, 2022

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The Five Eyes Alliance is collecting and fabricating evidence that intends to show China is “infiltrating politically into Western countries,” with the aim of tarnishing China's image in the world, the Global Times learned from a source close to the matter.

Analysts said this is not the first time that the Five Eyes have conspired to target China and other countries. As an alliance designed for intelligence sharing, it has been conducting covert or overt operations like theft, interference, infiltration, subversion and coercion. The Five Eyes alliance is not so much as an intelligence-sharing group but an anti-China club.

The Global Times learned that intelligence agencies in the Five Eyes willfully interrogate and harass Chinese students and scholars on questionable or no grounds at all. Some even approach Chinese communities and pressure them to become agents for the Eyes. Although the Eyes are not so sharp at telling the truth from falsehood, they are adept at meddling in the internal affairs of China, among other countries in the world.

In Hong Kong, the consulates of these countries have become the headquarters and command of interference and subversion where their consular officials reached out to anti-China forces and separatists to incite violence by providing financial support and training, the source said.

The alliance has been obsessed with making up cases of China's "espionage" and "infiltration" merely based on shoddy intelligence. In 2020, Australian spy authorities raided New South Wales state legislator Shaoquett Moselmane's home for alleged links with China. But the cited political influence in Australia on behalf of China was never proven by evidence.

In recent years, Five Eyes alliance is also stepping up its efforts to steal and attack other countries in the area of cybersecurity.

A latest report from Anzer, a cybersecurity information platform, showed that the US military and government cyber agencies have remotely stolen more than 97 billion pieces of global internet data and 124 billion phone records in the last 30 days, which are becoming a major source of intelligence for the US and other "Five Eyes" countries.

The report obtained by the Global Times once again revealed the "black hand" operations of Tailored Access Operations (TAO), the cyber warfare intelligence agency under the US National Security Agency (NSA), which has been using advanced cyberattack weapons to indiscriminately "grab" data from internet users around the world.

A cybersecurity analyst told the Global Times on condition of anonymity earlier that TAO is the largest and most important part of the intelligence division of the NSA.

Founded in 1998, the main responsibility of the TAO is to use the internet to secretly access insider information of its competitors, including secretly invading target countries' key information infrastructure to steal account codes, break or destroy computer security systems, monitor network traffic, steal privacy and sensitive data, and access to phone calls, emails, network communications and messages.

TAO also assumes an important role. When US president issues an order to disable or destroy communications networks or information systems in other countries, TAO will provide relevant cyberattack weapons, and the attacks will be carried out by the US Cyber Warfare Command, the report revealed.

(continued)

>>16471670

2/2

According to the report, the various departments of TAO are composed of more than 1,000 active military personnel, network hackers, intelligence analysts, academics, computer hardware and software designers, and electronics engineers. The entire organizational structure consists of one "center" and four "divisions."

The "center" employs more than 600 people and is responsible for receiving, sorting and summarizing account passwords and important sensitive information stolen from around the world by network information systems controlled remotely by TAO.

Knowingly violating basic norms in the virtual and the real world, the Five Eyes have been going out of their way to undermine the growth of certain foreign companies.

In the name of protecting national security, the US has been tightening its grip on the export of chips and other high technologies to China. It also abetted Canada to detain the CFO of Huawei, a leading Chinese provider of smart devices in ICT, for about three years for no legitimate reasons at all. The Five Eyes also add foreign competitors onto the blacklists of technological blockade and exclusion. All the five countries have decided to ban China's Huawei and ZTE from their 5G networks.

Apart from taking relatively secret means to achieve its political agenda, the Five Eyes also resort to brutal and bloody wars to overthrow regimes of other countries, showing no respect to international law, sovereignty and human life.

Take the 20-year-long war in Afghanistan as an example, where hardly any participating country pulled out with their hands untainted with blood. Back in 2019, 11 British detectives told an investigation team from the BBC and Sunday Times that there was credible evidence of war crimes and ensuing cover-ups in Afghanistan.

In 2020, Australia released the Brereton Report on its troops' misconduct in Afghanistan. It found evidence linking 25 Australian Defense Force personnel in the killings of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners of war. Scandals like this are nothing new. In 2009, Australian troops were shown in some photos drinking beer out of an Afghan's prosthetic leg in Uruzgan province. Before the hasty withdrawal, the US killed 10 civilians including two-year-olds in a drone strike, only to find the target were civilians like so many times before.

Turning their eyes and dirty hands to other countries, the five countries have shown no interest in getting their own house in order. Most of the countries have not addressed their dark legacy of mistreating indigenous population by slaughter, expulsion and forced assimilation. They are yet to pay the historical debt and make compensations as the indigenous communities are deprived of the right to life and other basic rights on economic, cultural and political fronts, the source said.

The script for the Five Eyes' underhand moves may keep changing, but the end result would remain the same. The scheme to discredit and disrupt the development of other countries would only be met with disdain, and eventually lead to outright failure, the source stressed.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268445.shtml

Australia won’t conduct ‘megaphone diplomacy’ on Julian Assange amid calls to intervene

Labor government urged to do more to stop Australian WikiLeaks co-founder’s extradition to US from UK

Sarah Martin - 19 Jun 2022

The Albanese government insists it will not conduct “diplomacy by megaphone” as it faces calls to do more to prevent the extradition of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange to the US.

On Saturday, the British home secretary, Priti Patel, approved the extradition of Assange to the US, where he is charged with breaching the US Espionage Act and faces up to 175 years in jail if convicted. He has 14 days to appeal the decision.

Supporters of the Australian citizen, including on Labor’s backbench, have urged the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to do more to pressure the United States to drop the case, which has been running since 2010, when WikiLeaks published a trove of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars along with diplomatic cables.

The minister for employment and workplace relations, Tony Burke, said the government’s view was that the case had gone on too long and that conversations were happening.

“We’re not going to conduct diplomacy by megaphone. This case has gone on for far too long. We said that in opposition, we’ve repeated that in government,” Burke told Sky News on Sunday.

“The issue needs to be brought to a close. Australia is not a party to the prosecution that’s happening here [and] each country has its own legal system.

“The days of diplomacy being conducted and conversations with government being conducted by megaphone, text messages being exposed – that was the way the previous government behaved. We’ve been building constructive relationships again with our allies and they’re conversations that happen government to government.”

Labor MP Julian Hill, who has been a vocal advocate for Assange, described Patel’s decision to approve the extradition as “appalling”, and compared his plight with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was the source of the leak.

“Manning, who leaked classified material exposing US war crimes, has been pardoned, yet Assange who published it (a journalistic activity), is facing an effective death sentence,” he said on Twitter on Saturday.

“There can never be a legal solution to this case. It is inherently political. Political cases should never be the subject of extradition. We should speak up for our fellow Australian and request these charges be dropped and he not be extradited.”

Manning was released in 2017 after Barack Obama commuted her 35-year military prison sentence in one of his final acts as president.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie called on Albanese to make an immediate and direct appeal to the US president, Joe Biden, and the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, on behalf of Assange.

“I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese has enough influence over the British prime minister to bring this to an end if he picks up the phone and says, ‘end this madness’,” Wilkie said on Saturday.

“I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese has a good enough relationship with Joe Biden to pick up the phone to the US president and say, ‘end this madness’.”

Karen Percy, the federal president of the media division of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, said the potential extradition of Assange to the US was “a dangerous assault on international journalism”.

“We urge the new Australian government to act on Julian Assange’s behalf and lobby for his release,” Percy said.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who was also a vocal supporter of Assange, said the new government needed to pressure the US to drop the case, saying he did not believe a soft diplomatic approach would be sufficient to secure his release.

“The new government has to make a clear statement, because if you speak in riddles, you are saying nothing at all,” Joyce told Guardian Australia.

He said that while he had attempted to rally support for Assange, “I had a different position to the previous government”.

In a joint statement on Friday, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, issued a response to the extradition ruling.

“We will continue to convey our expectations that Mr Assange is entitled to due process, humane and fair treatment, access to proper medical care, and access to his legal team,” the statement said.

“The Australian government has been clear in our view that Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close.

“We will continue to express this view to the governments of the United Kingdom and United States.”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/19/australia-wont-conduct-megaphone-diplomacy-on-julian-assange-amid-calls-to-intervene

'Resolve this with appropriate urgency': David Pocock steps into Julian Assange case

Karen Barlow - June 19 2022

New independent ACT Senator David Pocock has added his weight to efforts to end the long-running international legal case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, saying there is a "real need to resolve this with appropriate urgency".

In his first comments on the Assange case, the influential crossbencher has joined calls for an end to the more than decade old action against the 50-year-old Australian citizen. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel decided on Friday to allow his extradition to the US where he is wanted on 18 charges, including espionage and hacking.

It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated views, expressed in opposition, that "enough is enough" and that it was time for Assange to be returned to Australia.

Senator Pocock has told The Canberra Times he was mindful the Assange case is difficult, but it has been going on for too long.

"The new Albanese government obviously has to navigate appropriate diplomatic channels with our key allies in resolving Mr Assange's case among many other things," he said in a statement.

"But it's also the case that this matter has dragged on for more than a decade now and I think there is a real need to resolve this with appropriate urgency."

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has gone further, calling for Mr Albanese to lobby the leaders of the US and the UK to stop the extradition of Julian Assange.

The Prime Minister is due to attend the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of the month, which US President Joe Biden will also attend.

Asked about Mr Assange's extradition, Mr Albanese told Nine newspapers that he stood by the comments he made in December that the Wikileaks founder had "paid a big price" already and that he did "not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange".

He also told a Labor caucus meeting in February last year that he didn't have sympathy for many of Mr Assange's actions, but "essentially I can't see what is served by keeping him incarcerated".

He is wanted by the US on 18 criminal matters including a spying charge relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential military records and diplomatic cables, which Washington alleges endangered lives.

Mr Assange's wife Stella says she will appeal the decision while he remains in Belmarsh prison in southeast England.

The Australian government continues to offer consular assistance.

"We will continue to convey our expectations that Mr Assange is entitled to due process, humane and fair treatment, access to proper medical care and access to his legal team," said a statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus late on Friday.

"The Australian government has been clear in our view that Mr Assange's case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close.

"We will continue to express this view to the governments of the United Kingdom and United States."

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7786101/resolve-this-david-pocock-seeks-urgent-end-to-assange-case/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 19, 2022, 4:52 a.m. No.16471718 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1724

Federal government lobbying behind the scenes for Assange’s freedom

James Massola and Latika Bourke - June 19, 2022

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The federal government is lobbying US counterparts behind the scenes to secure the freedom of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after the United Kingdom’s decision to approve his extradition to the United States.

The Trump administration brought charges against Assange under the Espionage Act relating to the leaking and publication of the WikiLeaks cables a decade ago.

The UK Home Office announced late on Friday (AEST) that “after consideration by both the Magistrates Court and High Court, the extradition of Julian Assange to the US was ordered”.

“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange.

“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

Assange’s legal team has 14 days to appeal the decision to the High Court and will do so while he remains in Belmarsh prison.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while still opposition leader in December, said “enough is enough” and that it was time for Assange to be returned to Australia.

Asked about Assange’s extradition on Saturday, he told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age that he stood by the comments he made in December.

At the time, Albanese said “he [Assange] has paid a big price for the publication of that information already. And I do not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange”.

Albanese met US President Joe Biden at the Quad meeting in Tokyo in late May, days after the federal election, but there has been no indication that he raised the Assange matter with him during their meeting.

A source in the federal government, who asked not to be named so they could discuss the matter, has confirmed to The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age that Assange’s case has been raised with senior US officials.

Former foreign minister Bob Carr said the discussions over Assange’s release would be “governed by sensitive, nuanced alliance diplomacy appropriate between partners”.

“I trust the judgment of Prime Minister Albanese on this, given his recent statement cautioning against megaphone diplomacy and his comments last December,” he said.

But Carr predicted that “in the end the Americans can’t say no [to his release], given that President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning for exposing the very war crime that Assange went on to publicise worldwide”.

“The Yank has had her sentence commuted; the Aussie faces an extradition and a cruel sentencing.”

(continued)

>>16471718

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday that “Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close. We will continue to express this view to the governments of the United Kingdom and United States”.

Albanese is due to attend the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of the month, which US President Joe Biden will also attend, though it is not clear if he will raise the matter there.

Assange’s wife, Stella Moris, hit out at UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for approving the extradition.

“It was in Priti Patel’s power to do the right thing,” she said in a statement. “Instead, she will forever be remembered as an accomplice of the United States in its agenda to turn investigative journalism into a criminal enterprise.”

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd tweeted that he disagreed with the decision to approve the extradition, even though he did not support Assange’s actions and “his reckless disregard for classified security information”.

“But if Assange is guilty, then so too are the dozens of newspaper editors who happily published his material.”

Labor MP Julian Hill said there could never be a legal solution to the case as it was inherently political and that “we should speak up for our fellow Australian and request that these charges be dropped and he not be extradited”.

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John said the extradition to the United States would set a dangerous precedent for press freedom and called on the prime minister to pick up the phone to his British and American counterparts.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, the chair of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group, has called Britain’s decision an outrageous betrayal of the rule of law, media freedom and human rights.

“This matter is so deeply wrong on so many levels … time’s up for the new federal government hinting at caring and then doing nothing,” he said.

“The new Australian government is now to be condemned for abandoning an Australian hero journalist facing the very real prospect of spending the rest of his life rotting in a US prison.”

Amnesty International is urging the UK to refrain from extradition and the US to drop all charges.

The secretary-general of the human rights organisation, Agnes Callamard, says allowing the Australian to be sent to the US for trial would put him at great risk.

“Assange faces a high risk of prolonged solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition on torture or other ill treatment,” Callamard said.

“Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history.”

Adviser to the Australian campaign to free Mr Assange, Greg Barns SC, says Britain’s decision is unsurprising given past approaches.

“The UK does not regard the extradition as being political when it clearly is,” he told ABC News on Saturday.

He says further appeals in British courts could rely on media reports last year that the CIA had planned to assassinate the WikiLeaks founder.

“There’s absolute validity to these matters … the real issue is do we let this matter go back into the court system for another couple of years or do we say there are important principles here.”

There had been a change in rhetoric on the matter from the new government and statements from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ms Wong had heartened the campaign, Barns said.

“We’re certainly urging and hoping that now is the time for Australia to get involved with its key allies in London and Washington and bring this matter to an end.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-government-lobbying-behind-the-scenes-for-assange-s-freedom-20220618-p5auq3.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 19, 2022, 11:26 a.m. No.16472974 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2978

>>16467100

'The snickering noises Andrew was making suggested he was enjoying it. But I felt like a prostitute': NIGEL CAWTHORNE reveals how Virginia Roberts was introduced to the Duke of York and the role of sex-trafficker and disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell

NIGEL CAWTHORNE - 19 June 2022

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Later this month, Ghislaine Maxwell is due to be sentenced for sex-trafficking. In the first extract of our serialisation from a new book, the Daily Mail told yesterday how she had procured her most famous victim, Virginia Roberts, at the age of 15. Here, investigative author NIGEL CAWTHORNE explains how the troubled teenager was introduced to Prince Andrew.

Sometimes, Virginia Roberts managed to kid herself that she was incredibly fortunate. Who else, at the age of just 16, could boast of flying by private jet to Los Angeles? Or of chatting with Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons who was one of the few other passengers? During the flight, she'd offered him an innocent foot massage and he'd kindly given her original drawings of Homer and Bart. But her feeling of elation didn't last long.

The next day, Virginia was back as sex slave to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

She'd been with him for more than a year, providing sexual services for him and his fixer, Ghislaine Maxwell. So she shouldn't have been shocked at what happened next.

It had started straightforwardly enough: breakfast in an LA restaurant with Epstein's personal assistant Sarah Kellen and a Swedish model Virginia hadn't met before.

Afterwards, they went to a one-bedroom cabin rented by Epstein on Malibu Beach. There were five women waiting for him in the living room and they immediately started vying with each other for his attention.

He was clearly annoyed by this – or may simply have thought they were too old for him. Ignoring them, he asked his assistant to show Virginia and the Swede into the bedroom and provide them with sex toys. Then he ordered a private 'lesbian show', during which he had sex with each of the women in turn. Virginia readily complied.

Epstein was in all senses her master: he paid her well and allowed her to dip into his luxurious lifestyle. Significantly, she was well aware that he had the police in his pocket, often boasting about how he paid them to keep their distance.

If Virginia wondered what had motivated the Swedish model to demean herself, she soon found out. That evening, the three of them went to a production studio to meet the producer of a soap opera.

Business was quickly concluded: the model got the part she wanted, which would eventually lead to a considerable career in TV and film.

Later, as Virginia headed to the airport with Epstein to fly back to New York, he explained that he had met the Swede after Ghislaine Maxwell, his procuress in chief, had lured her back to his home when she was just 13.

Just as Ghislaine had done with Virginia herself, she'd enticed her with the promise of a large payment in return for giving a massage to a rich and kindly man. As usual, Ghislaine had selected her victim well: not only was she just a child but she was feeling vulnerable because her father had recently died.

Afterwards, Epstein went on to pay for the Swede's education – while comprehensively ruining what remained of her childhood.

Listening to him talk on the way to the airport, Virginia felt nauseous. Epstein had criminally exploited a mere child – and she knew he'd do so again. Yet here she was, still at the heart of his corrupt and perverted enterprise, with no hope of escaping his grasp.

Not long afterwards, at Epstein's mansion in New York, Virginia awoke one day covered in blood. The housemaid called an ambulance. When Maxwell and Epstein insisted on accompanying Virginia to hospital, she was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps they really cared about her!

She was quickly disillusioned.

On learning that she had just suffered a miscarriage, she realised they'd come with her only so they could stop her saying anything incriminating. Afterwards, she fell into a debilitating depression.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 19, 2022, 11:27 a.m. No.16472978 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2983

>>16472974

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As far as Epstein was concerned, though, her feelings hardly mattered: she was a slave and he expected her to do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted now was for Virginia to fly to Little St James, his private island in the Virgin Islands, to show an Ivy League university professor around and 'keep him happy'.

The professor – decades older than her – was a small man with white hair who looked like a mad scientist. After touring the island with her on a quad bike, he asked if she'd give him one of the massages Epstein had told him so much about.

Virginia agreed, while dreading the forthcoming ordeal so much that she first excused herself to take some tranquillisers.

By the time they had sex, the pills had kicked in, bringing welcoming numbness.

Having been sexually abused as a child, she'd long ago learned that numbing her mind gave her the best chance of enduring successive horrors. And there were plenty of those. In a legal declaration made in 2015, Virginia admitted: 'There were times when I was physically abused to the point I remember fearfully thinking that I didn't know whether I was going to survive.'

Indeed, documents from New York Presbyterian Hospital show she was once admitted after three weeks of vaginal bleeding.

Not that her entire life was a living nightmare.

One day, out of the blue, Epstein gave her $1,000 to spend on designer clothes. She, Epstein and Maxwell were to fly to St Tropez in France for the birthday party of supermodel Naomi Campbell. For a while, Virginia could pretend she was one of the rich elite. In a fancy new designer outfit, she joined pre-party drinks on a yacht. Then, with Maxwell and Epstein, she moved on to the main event, which was packed with celebrities and rich men showing off their young model girlfriends.

Epstein proudly introduced his young 'masseuse' to acquaintances – probably men with similar tastes for very young girls.

But the rest of the party was undeniably fun: at one point Virginia danced with a prince, and at another she was photographed with Naomi. (There is no suggestion the supermodel knew anything about Epstein and Maxwell's sex-trafficking operation.)

On the way back to the hotel, Epstein offered a lift to a rich man from a well-known family of hotel owners. When they arrived, Virginia was told to go off with the short, balding man and give him a 'massage'.

Her spirits plummeted. In the man's bedroom, she valiantly tried to give him the impression she was just a professional masseuse rather than a bonbon to be handed out at the end of an evening.

It didn't work. Nor was he put off when she started asking him about his wife and children. Instead, he unzipped her designer dress.

In due course, scores of other young girls came and went, clutching $100 notes after Epstein sexually assaulted them. But Virginia remained his No 1 girl, one of the very few he loaned out to 'important' contacts.

Constantly on the move with Epstein, she dined with billionaires, political figures and famous scientists. Among those who accepted her body as a 'gift' – according to court papers filed several years later – were 'numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known prime minister and other world leaders'.

For Virginia, it was easy to get accustomed to the lifestyle, though harder to accept the price she had to pay. She knew she was exchanging any chance of a normal life for sexual servitude, dulled by ever more tranquillisers.

(continued)

>>16472978

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One day, she was flown to London and taken to Maxwell's townhouse in Belgravia. The following morning, Maxwell came into Virginia's bedroom and told her to get up. They had a big day planned for her. First, they had to buy her a new outfit as she'd be going out dancing later with Prince Andrew, the Queen's then 41-year-old son. Knowing what was expected of her, Virginia pretended to be excited.

You never know where it might lead, said Maxwell, telling her that Andrew had divorced five years before and was a bachelor. Privately, Virginia was appalled, and gulped down some tranquillisers.

Andrew later insisted he couldn't recall ever having met her.

According to Virginia, however, the adults chatted for a while about his ex-wife. Maxwell then asked Andrew how old he thought Virginia (whom Maxwell called 'Jenna') was. Virginia claims he guessed correctly – 17.

During the evening, she couldn't resist sending a text message to fellow sex slave Carolyn Andriano, who'd been recruited at 13. 'You'll never guess who I'm with,' she teased. Carolyn recalled later: 'She said, 'I'm in London with Jeffrey and Maxwell and Prince Andrew.' She said she was going to see if she could get a picture.'

The quartet went out to dinner, followed by Andrew's driver and two royal protection officers.

Virginia had been told to flatter him but she was so nervous that she said very little. Was she telling the truth? Eighteen years later, in his Newsnight interview, Andrew said he was in Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, with his daughter Beatrice at 4pm or 5pm that day, and could not possibly have had dinner in London. He insisted he had no recollection of ever meeting Virginia.

In her version of the evening, Virginia says they all went to Tramp nightclub in Mayfair, where Andrew danced with her – caressing her, sweating profusely and kissing her neck.

'He was the most incredibly hideous dancer I had ever seen and I couldn't help but laugh on the dance floor and shoot glances of embarrassment to Jeffrey and Ghislaine, who were having a good time laughing at my expense,' Virginia said.

Back at Maxwell's house, Epstein took a quick photo of Andrew with his arm around Virginia's bare midriff. (Andrew doesn't remember the picture being taken.)

Then she was left to what she scathingly calls her 'royal duties'.

'He was groping me,' she said. 'He touched my breasts. He touched my ass. He was not my type, but I'd been trained not only to not show my emotions but to do what's wanted. He started licking my toes, between my toes, the arches of my feet.' What ensued, she said, was 'the longest ten minutes of my life'.

The following morning, Maxwell wanted all the details and she and Epstein laughed about the Prince's fixation with feet. 'You did well,' she told Virginia. 'He had fun.'

Epstein gave her $15,000 for services rendered, the most he'd ever paid her. Job done, the trio flew back to the US.

According to Virginia, she had two more encounters with Prince Andrew. The second was in Epstein's office in New York, where she found Andrew sitting with his caricature from the satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image on his hand.

Maxwell paraded Virginia around the room like a show pony, before plonking her on Andrew's lap. At that point, he moved his hand, still wedged in the puppet, on to her breast. Everybody laughed.

Upstairs in the massage room, she steeled herself to have sex with him again. 'He couldn't have cared less about me as a young woman,' she said. 'He was being treated to sex for which someone else was paying. From the snickering noises he was making, he was really enjoying the whole thing but I felt like a total prostitute.'

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 19, 2022, 11:28 a.m. No.16472988 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2994

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Although not the first time Virginia had been loaned out for sex, these latest encounters took her over the edge. Feeling 'abhorrent and ashamed' at what she'd become, she took consolation in pills and cocaine. Dark circles appeared under her eyes, and she lost so much weight she looked almost skeletal.

Epstein abruptly lost interest and stopped paying her rent. Without money, she came off drugs and concentrated on becoming an average teenager again and working as a waitress. She felt happier than she'd been for a long time.

It was just after she lost her job – through no fault of her own – that Epstein came steaming back into her life. Weakly, she agreed to work for him again.

Although Epstein was now in his late 40s, there was no diminution in his sexual appetite. If anything, it had grown: he was now staging orgies with girls as young as 12.

They were provided, Virginia said, by Jean-Luc Brunel, who ran the MC2 model agency. After recruiting young girls from the former Soviet republics and Latin America, he'd bring them to the US on forged visas and force them into prostitution and pornography.

Now back on the staff, Virginia had to participate in the orgies to keep Epstein happy. It was a new low. In addition, she was back to her old duties of having lesbian sex with Maxwell for Epstein's gratification. Soon she was back on the tranquillisers.

'Jeffrey and Ghislaine's way of keeping us under his thumb, under his rule, under their control, were invisible chains,' Virginia said. 'And it was that constant – 'We own the police. You can't run. You can't tell anybody. We'll never be held accountable for this.' '

They also resorted to threats: 'One of the scariest was when they told me they knew where my little brother went to school, and if I didn't do what they said, I'd know the outcome.'

For Virginia, there was nothing much to celebrate about turning 18. She spent her birthday on Little St James, and was told the following day that Brunel [who died in prison in February aged 76 while being investigated on suspicion of the rape of minors] was about to arrive on the island with eight models.

She claimed: 'A group of Russian girls who didn't speak a word of English turned up… That night, there was a dinner and Andrew was there. He said 'Hi' to me.'

In Epstein's cabana, the girls staged an orgy – stripping Virginia bare and sexually assaulting her. Looking on, she said, were Epstein, Brunel and Prince Andrew.

'Jeffrey and the Prince were laughing… and then they undressed and then I performed a sex act on them – Jeffrey first and then Andrew. It was disgusting. There was no pleasure in it.'

Buckingham Palace strongly denies Virginia's claims, as does Prince Andrew. In 2015, a judge ordered them to be struck from the court record in a legal case that she'd filed.

Then, one day, out of the blue, Epstein asked her to bear his child. He'd buy her a house and give her a generous allowance, he told her. Maxwell chipped in, promising that Virginia would have 24-hour nannies. There were caveats. She'd have to agree to fly with the child to anywhere Epstein wanted her to be. And if they split up, the child would belong to him alone.

This last clause was too much for Virginia. Careful not to rile him with an outright no, she said she wanted to get professional certificates in massage therapy first – then maybe she'd consider having a baby the following year.

Pleased with her answer, Epstein and Maxwell were in a good mood over dinner. Virginia, on the other hand, had taken a double dose of tranquillisers. Later that night, when they ravished her body, she felt nothing.

(continued)

>>16472988

5/5

On her 19th birthday, Epstein announced he was sending her to Thailand for eight weeks to study for her massage therapy certificates. It wasn't the kind of course she would have chosen herself, but she studied hard during the day and partied at night.

One evening, she was invited to watch a kickboxing tournament. It was there that Virginia met an Australian called Robert Giuffre. After sharing a pepperoni pizza with her, he walked her to her hotel. The following evening, they talked and talked. She ended up telling him quite a bit about her sordid life – but rather than condemning her, he reacted with compassion.

Before the end of her massage course, Giuffre had proposed and she'd accepted. Nervously, Virginia called Epstein's office. When he answered, she blurted out: 'I'm getting married.'

She then gabbled on about Robert and how wonderful he was.

'Have a good life,' said Epstein, and slammed the phone down.

In Australia, Virginia and Robert Giuffre married and would eventually have three children. She tried never to think of her degrading past – until one day, in 2005, three men knocked on their door. Two were Australian federal agents. The other was from the FBI.

Other under-age victims had been speaking to the Miami police and they needed her testimony.

Petrified that Epstein might retaliate, Virginia initially hesitated but in the end gave a statement.

The story of Jane Doe #3 (as she was referred to in legal documents) turned out to be remarkably similar to that of the other girls. Photographs, records and other witnesses confirmed large parts of what she'd said.

When the case against Epstein went to court in Florida three years later, his formidable defence team secured a plea bargain.

He was sentenced to only 13 months, much of it in a cushy work-release programme.

In the meantime, along with other victims, Virginia had sued Epstein for damages. She received a considerable sum in 2009.

Resuming her normal family life in Australia, she imagined that was the last time she'd be connected to him in any way.

What changed her mind, though, was the photo of Epstein – now a convicted paedophile – strolling nonchalantly with Prince Andrew in New York's Central Park in 2010. Appalled, she decided it was time she went public – this time under her real name.

Determined to see justice done, Virginia's next step was to accuse Ghislaine Maxwell of recruiting and abusing her.

And when Maxwell called her a liar, Virginia sued for defamation. The case never went to trial: it was settled for $5 million in 2017.

By the following year, more victims were speaking out. The sheer scale of abuse was becoming impossible to ignore.

Rearrested and charged in July 2019, Epstein then apparently hanged himself 35 days later in a high-security jail.

For her part, Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of sex trafficking and is due to be sentenced later this month. She is likely to spend the rest of her life in jail.

Inevitably, news had leaked of Prince Andrew's friendship with them both. Accused of having sex with Virginia when she was 17 – under-age by US law – the Prince had tried to draw a line under the allegations in 2019 by giving his infamous Newsnight interview.

Last August, Virginia filed a lawsuit against him, alleging sexual assault in London, New York and on Epstein's private Caribbean island.

Rather than give evidence in a public trial, Andrew settled in February for about £12 million, with no admission of liability.

Virginia Giuffre is now 38. The process of exacting justice for herself and other victims has, at times, been unbearably stressful. Yes, she's richer than she ever expected. But her best revenge is to remain happily married to a man who's never doubted her true worth.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10930179/NIGEL-CAWTHORNE-reveals-Virginia-Roberts-introduced-Prince-Andrew.html

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1217617031912030208

>>16443877

Former US envoy Arthur Culvahouse key adviser at Jan 6 inquiry

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 20, 2022

Donald Trump’s former ambassador to Australia, Arthur Culvahouse, has popped up as the top legal adviser to a key witness for the January 6th commission, which is seeking to link the former president with a plot to overturn the 2020 election.

Mr Culvahouse, an establishment Republican-aligned lawyer, flashed across American television screens during the third public hearing of the January 6 commission on Thursday (Friday AEST), sitting behind Greg Jacob, who was former vice president Mike’s Pence’s top legal adviser during the January 6th riots in 2021.

Broadcast live by most US news channels, Mr Jacob savaged one of Mr Trump’s then top legal advisers, John Eastman, who had tried to convince Mr Trump that the vice president had the constitutional power to overturn the election result.

“Greg Jacob was an O’Melveny partner on my team that vetted then Governor Pence to be the Republican nominee for Vice President in 2016,” Mr Culvahouse told The Australian, declining to comment further.

Mr Culvahouse has since returned to his old law firm, O’Melveny & Myers, as ‘chairman emeritus’, according to the firm’s website. Mr Jacob worked at the same firm until March 2020, when he joined Mr Pence’s staff, and has also since returned.

“It is unambiguous that the vice president does not have the authority to reject electors, there is no suggestion of any kind that it does in the 12th amendment,” Mr Jacob said during the hearing. ”Critically, no vice president in 230 years of history had ever claimed to have that kind of authority”.

Mr Culvahouse, a former senior White House legal adviser to Ronald Reagan, also vetted Sarah Palin’s vice president bid for John McCain in 2008.

The hearings have divided Republicans over the extent of Mr Trump’s culpability in instigating and encouraging the January 6 riots, which saw the Capitol Building overrun by hundreds of pro-Trump protesters, who had demanded Mr Pence overturn the result.

The hearings have complicated the former vice president’s prospective candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, in which Mr Trump is also widely expected to run.

High-profile Democrat congressman Jamie Raskin, a member of the January 6th committee, suggested Mr Trump should be charged with criminal offences and praised Mr Pence as a “hero” on Sunday (AEST).

“In a time of absolutely scandalous betrayal of people’s oaths of office … somebody who does their job and sticks to the law will stand out as a hero on that day. And on that day, he was a hero,” Mr Raskin said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

The third hearing also revealed how Mr Pence had been as close at 40 feet to the protesters on the day of January 6th, and had withstood repeated and significant pressure from Mr Trump to overturn the result of the election in the lead up to January 6th.

Mr Trump has repeatedly slammed the committee, which appears to be publicly divided over whether to recommend criminal charges against Mr Trump, as a partisan witch hunt.

The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday 1pm EST.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/former-us-envoy-arthur-culvahouse-key-adviser-at-jan-6-inquiry/news-story/f80bf36eb666792afb930c457bfcd4a1

Greens leader Adam Bandt has Australian flag removed from press conference, argues the symbol is 'hurtful' to Indigenous people

Greens leader Adam Bandt has refused to stand in front of the Australian flag during a press conference, arguing it is “hurtful” to Indigenous people and that the country has "work to do" combatting racism.

Joseph Huitson - June 20, 2022

Adam Bandt has refused to stand in front of the Australian flag, saying the country has “work to do” on racism.

ABC journalist Isobel Roe said prior to Mr Bandt’s arrival at a press conference, a Greens staffer put the Australian flag to the side of the room, leaving just the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

Ms Roe said she asked Mr Bandt why he refused to stand in front of the flag.

“He says the country has work to do on racism, and that the symbol is hurtful to many Indigenous Australians,” she wrote on Twitter.

“He also says he usually has it removed before he speaks.”

Mr Bandt was in Sydney to address the energy crisis impacting the nation, sating it was caused by coal and gas companies.

“Australia is in an energy crisis that has been caused by the big coal and gas operations that have taken an essential service, made billions of dollars in profit out of it and are now holding homes and businesses to ransom,” he said.

“Coal and gas co-operations are the cause of this energy crisis, they are not the answer.

“The answer’s to stop these cooperations gouging the public and businesses and instead fast track the switch to renewables but help businesses and homes get off gas and onto cheap renewable electricity.”

Earlier in the day Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the country is “through the worst” of the crisis.

“The National Energy Market continues to function under pressure but nevertheless we are in a situation where more generation has come back on board,” Mr Bowen told reporters on Monday.

He was also forced to concede the importance of coal in the short term when quizzed about fossil fuels – a position at odds with Mr Bandt and the Greens.

“In the short-term, they play a very important role, absolutely,” he said.

“And their failure has been by and large. There have been many factors including geopolitical, by and large what is driving the factors in recent weeks.”

His comments come following Labor’s pledge to legislate its target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030.

The Opposition has signalled it won’t be supporting it when parliament returns in July.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/greens-leader-adam-bandt-has-australian-flag-removed-from-press-conference-argues-the-symbol-is-hurtful-to-indigenous-people/news-story/8c0322a20cfede2782912f45b4071d46

https://twitter.com/isobelroe/status/1538733802037846016

Gladys Liu eyes seat in Victorian parliament

Sumeyya Ilanbey - June 20, 2022

Former federal MP Gladys Liu has confirmed her nomination for Liberal Party preselection to contest a Victorian upper house seat and claimed her ultra-marginal seat of Chisholm was “unfairly targeted” in the election.

Liu, who said she still had “fire in the belly”, said the state opposition needed an experienced team to take on Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party at the November election, and announced she had nominated to represent the Liberals in the North-East Metropolitan Region.

“My political career was terminated prematurely due to a massive national swing against the Liberals and the fact that my seat was heavily and unfairly targeted,” Liu said in a statement to The Age.

“I believe I still have a lot to offer. I started as a state candidate in this upper house region and progressed to have a career as an adviser to the then-premiers Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine. I am now coming back with a lot more experience under my belt.”

Liu’s nomination came as Colleen Harkin, who stood as Liberal candidate for Macnamara in the May election, mounted a challenge against the party’s two most senior Victorian MPs: shadow treasurer David Davis and health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier.

Harkin has nominated for spots one, two and three on the Southern Metropolitan ticket. She unsuccessfully challenged Liberal frontbencher James Newbury for the seat of Brighton last year. Newbury received 115 votes, Felicity Frederico 66 and Harkin 14.

“[Harkin’s] a serial candidate. The economy and health are the two issues that we’re battling Daniel Andrews on,” one senior Liberal said.

“No real Liberal who wants to see the end of Labor would be mounting a challenge against the two Liberals responsible for those portfolios.”

During the federal election campaign, Harkin said that describing global warming as a climate emergency was almost child abuse, and she defended the views on trans women of Warringah candidate Katherine Deves.

In a statement to The Age at the time, Harkin said: “I accept my language was clumsy; the point I was seeking to make was that we should be teaching our children hope, not fear.”

Macnamara was the final seat to be called for the ALP following a three-way tussle between Labor, Liberal and the Greens. Harkin recorded a 7 per cent swing against the Liberals on a two-party preferred basis. She was contacted for comment on Monday.

Chisholm was one of the most marginal electorates heading into the 2022 federal election campaign, after Liu previously won the seat on a 0.57 per cent margin.

Labor’s Carina Garland now holds the eastern-suburbs electorate, centred around Box Hill, on a 6.32 per cent margin.

Twelve candidates ran in the seat, more than any electorate in Australia. Liberal leader Scott Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese visited the seat several times over the course of the six-week campaign.

During one visit, Albanese announced federal Labor would commit $2.2 billion for the Andrews government’s signature Suburban Rail Loop project which will run through Box Hill.

“Corrupt, bankrupt and out of touch can sum up pretty well what the current Andrews government is,” Liu said.

“I have been on the ground listening to people day in and day out for the last four years. The arrogance of the Andrews government is obvious to even Labor supporters. People have been telling me Dan Andrews is all about himself and he has absolutely taken all Victorians for granted.

“Matthew Guy is desperate to form a competitive team leading up to the November election. With a low number of lower house MPs (many of them have margins less than 4 per cent) to start with, and a number of long-serving upper house members either left the party or announced retirement recently, Victorian Liberals would need candidates who have experience and are campaign-ready.”

Bruce Atkinson, the long-serving Liberal MP for Eastern Metropolitan (which has been renamed North-East Metropolitan), announced his retirement from politics last week and said he wanted an “outstanding woman” to replace him.

He is backing Ranjana Srivastava, an oncologist and Guardian columnist.

Several Liberal Party sources said Liu was unlikely to have the support of local branches but they did not believe there were any frontrunners in the race, although Srivastava was seen to have a greater chance at winning preselection because she had the support of Atkinson.

Nominations for preselections closed at noon, and the successful candidates are expected to be confirmed within the next month.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/gladys-liu-eyes-seat-in-victorian-parliament-20220620-p5av45.html

FINA votes to restrict transgender women's participation in elite swimming competitions

Reuters / ABC - 20 June 2022

Swimming's world governing body, FINA, has voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women's competitions and create a working group to establish an "open" category for them in some events as part of its new policy.

The decision — the strictest by any Olympic sports body — was made during FINA's extraordinary general congress after members heard a report from a transgender taskforce comprising leading medical, legal and sports figures.

Its new eligibility policy for FINA competitions states that male-to-female transgender athletes are eligible to compete only if "they can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 [of puberty] or before age 12, whichever is later".

The policy was passed with a roughly 71 per cent majority after it was put to the members of 152 national federations with voting rights who had gathered for the congress at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

"We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women's category at FINA competitions," said FINA's president, Husain Al-Musallam.

"FINA will always welcome every athlete. The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level," he said.

"This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way. I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process."

The new FINA policy also opens up eligibility to those who have "complete androgen insensitivity and, therefore, could not experience male puberty".

Swimmers who have had "male puberty suppressed beginning at Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later, and they have since continuously maintained their testosterone levels in serum [or plasma] below 2.5 nmol/L" are also allowed to compete in women's races.

Female-to-male transgender athletes — transgender men — are fully eligible to compete in men's swimming competitions.

New rules will exclude current athletes

The issue of transgender inclusion in sport is highly divisive, particularly in the United States, where it has become a weapon in a so-called "culture war" between conservatives and progressives.

That debate intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women's 450-metre freestyle earlier this year.

Thomas has expressed a desire to compete for a place at the Olympics, but the new FINA rule would block her participation.

Politicised issue divides swimming world

Advocates for transgender inclusion argue that not enough studies have yet been done on the impact of transition on physical performance, and that elite athletes are often physical outliers in any case.

Athlete Ally, an advocacy group for LGBTQI+ people in sport, condemned FINA's decision.

"FINA's new eligibility criteria for transgender athletes and athletes with intersex variations is discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC principles" the group said in a post on Twitter.

"If we truly want to protect women's sports, we must include all women."

Former swimmer Sharron Davies — who won Olympic silver at the 1980 Games and has been a vocal campaigner for a more restrictive policy — welcomed the decision.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of my sport, FINA and the FINA president for doing the science, asking the athletes [and] coaches, and standing up for fair sport for females.

"Swimming will always welcome everyone, no matter how you identify, but fairness is the cornerstone of sport."

The International Olympic Committee issued a "framework" on the issue, leaving eligibility decisions up to individual sports bodies, but adding that "until evidence determines otherwise, athletes should not be deemed to have an unfair or disproportionate competitive advantage due to their sex variations, physical appearance and/or transgender status".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-20/fina-votes-to-restrict-transgender-swimmers-in-competition/101166220

>>16476467

‘Shame on everyone’: Australian swim stars divided on transgender ban

Reuters / theage.com.au - June 20, 2022

Top Australian swimmers are divided on FINA’s decision to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women’s swimming.

Madeline Groves, a former national champion swimmer who won a butterfly silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games, took exception to former teammate Cate Campbell’s comments and was scathing of FINA’s ruling.

“You’re okay with ostracising an already marginalised group? Real accepting,” the 27-year-old Australian said on social media.

“Shame on everyone that supported this discriminatory and unscientific decision.”

Earlier, four-time Olympic champion Cate Campbell told FINA’s extraordinary general congress (EGC) in the early hours of Monday morning (AEST) that she supported a restriction on transgender athletes competing in women’s categories and urged people to “listen to the science and experts”.

“Women, who have fought long and hard to be included and seen as equals in sport, can only do so because of the gender category distinction,” Campbell said before delegates voted in favour of the ban.

“To remove that distinction would be to the detriment of female athletes everywhere.”

Also on Monday morning, Australian Olympic gold medallist Emily Seebohm welcomed FINA’s decision, saying the sport could now move on with certainty.

FINA made the decision at its EGC after members heard a report from a transgender task force comprising leading medical, legal, and sports figures.

Five-time world champion Seebohm, who won a medley relay gold medal for Australia at last year’s Tokyo Games, said the decision would encourage swimmers to stay in the sport.

“I’m finally happy that we have a decision, and we know where the sport’s going and what we’re going to be doing,” the 30-year-old told Sky News on Monday.

“We just didn’t know what was going to happen and when we just don’t know, it’s hard to commit fully to our sport if we have no idea the direction it’s going to go.

“We can all move on. We can all just go back to the sport that we love…and know that we’re getting in the pool, and it’s going to be a fair, level playing field and that’s what we want.”

Athlete Ally, an advocacy group for LGBTQI+ people in sport, said FINA’s decision was “discriminatory” and “harmful”.

“If we truly want to protect women’s sports, we must include all women,” the group tweeted.

Transgender rights has become a major talking point as sports seek to balance inclusion with fairness.

The debate intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle earlier this year.

FINA said it will create a working group to establish an “open” category for them in some events as part of its new policy.

Australian women won eight of the country’s nine gold medals at the Tokyo pool.

The Australian Olympic Committee also backed FINA’s decision, saying sports were bound to ensure participation was “fair and safe.”

“While inclusivity must be respected, fairness in competition is a core value of sport,” a spokesman said.

“FINA has made a decision based on the circumstances in the sport of swimming to achieve that balance.”

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/swimming/shame-on-everyone-australian-swim-stars-divided-on-transgender-ban-20220620-p5av5e.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 20, 2022, 3:45 a.m. No.16476515 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6519

>>16476467

Swimming transgender vote: Caitlin Jenner celebrates FINA’s decision, Hannah Mouncey’s dark revelation

JULIAN LINDEN, EMMA GREENWOOD and ERIN SMITH - JUNE 20, 2022

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Transgender athlete Hannah Mouncey has joined Olympic medallist Madeline Groves in condemning FINA’s decision to ban transgender athletes as Swimming Australia, Olympic champion Cate Campbell and arguably the world’s most famous transgender woman celebrate the landmark call as a win for fairness in women’s sport.

The diversity of opinion - and passion of the sentiments - reflects the division on the subject after FINA became the first sporting body in the world to take such a strong stance on the issue.

But their call, which includes creating separate “open” races that will cater for transgender athletes who don’t fit into the traditional gender categories, has been backed by an overwhelming majority of voters in a News Corp poll, with 96 per cent of the more than 25,000 respondents, agreeing with the decision.

Mouncey, an elite handball player and former footballer who unsuccessfully fought the AFL in an attempt to enter the AFLW draft, believes the decision is highly political in a debate around trans people in sport that is becoming more and more “weaponised”.

“For someone like Lia, for whom swimming is clearly her passion … the decision to not allow her to swim is going to totally break her,” Mouncey said.

“The media attention, she’s not even going to start processing that for another couple of years - and when she does, she’s going to be really messed up from it.

“I am beyond messed up from all the media attention that I had. And to be honest, it’s probably only going to become apparent to her in the years afterwards.

“She’s going to need really, really long-term support and I really hope that swimming supports her much better than other sports have supported other trans athletes when they’ve been excluded.”

Mouncey believes there need to be restrictions on trans athletes competing in women’s categories - “to be honest, I’m all for it” - but said recent debate about fairness of competition had become about “everything except the actual facts around performance”.

Mouncey’s views are in complete opposition to arguably the world’s most well-known trans woman, Caitlin Jenner though, who tweeted that the decision was “fair”.

“I took a lot of heat - but what’s fair is fair!” said Jenner, who won Olympic decathlon gold as a male pre-transition.

“If you go through male puberty you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period.”

Groves has been one of swimming’s most outspoken critics of any moves to segregate transgender athletes from competition and the decision by FINA has angered the 2016 Rio butterfly silver medallist.

“I will say I think this decision from FINA is deeply shameful,” Groves told News Corp via text message on Monday.

“The decision is unscientific and goes against the IOC’s framework of fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations.”

(continued)

>>16476515

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But Groves’ view isn’t shared by her own governing body or indeed athletes within the Australian swimming team as triple Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown praised FINA’s bold call after winning a silver medal at the world titles overnight.

Australia’s leading athletes, including Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus, had always spoken of the need for FINA to reach a “fair” decision and the belief of McKeown is that result was reached by the sport’s powerbrokers after a lengthy investigation that included discussions with leading scientists, ethics professors and world class athletes.

“I’m all for a fair sport,” McKeown told News Corp in Budapest.

“And if that’s what the professionals thinks is fair then I’m happy to stick with what they’re doing. It’s an opinion. I believe that FINA’s done the right thing.”

Swimming Australia had been one of the sport’s leading organisations pushing FINA to find a resolution to the hot topic, while Cate Campbell stepped forward as a voice for women athletes to provide a balanced yet firm view on what the sport could do to protect women’s sport while aspiring towards an inclusive solution.

Campbell, who addressed FINA’s congress in Hungary before the decision to ban transgender women, said while inclusion and fairness usually went hand in hand, it was not the case when assessing transgender, gender diverse and non-binary athletes’ inclusion in the female category of elite sport.

But Mouncey said that did not need to be the case - and excluding trans athletes from the decision-making process was unhelpful.

“I think this is the thing, is there’s a lack of education out there and a lot of the information that’s out there is sensationalised,” she said.

“If they do want to have that middle ground, let’s sit down and talk about it. But at the moment trans people are being totally excluded from the conversation.”

In a statement, Swimming Australia said: “FINA has conducted a comprehensive process to form this policy, consulting scientific, medical, legal and human rights experts, as well as athlete representatives”.

“Swimming Australia endorses a competitive environment that is fair and equitable for all athletes at the High Performance level, and we believe this new policy reflects that position.

“We also firmly believe in inclusivity and the opportunity for all athletes to experience the sport of swimming in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity and expression.

“It is both our responsibility and commitment to continue to learn and educate ourselves on the appropriate balance in this space.

“Work will now continue on our domestic policy to provide guidance to our broad swimming family at the community level.

“Finally, we commend FINA on their pledge to create an open competition category, a first in world sport, and look forward to working with the committee established to find the most effective ways to implement this category.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/swimming-transgender-vote-maddie-groves-slams-fina-for-exluding-trans-athletes/news-story/9ca0993901ab29063661d47891359cb0

Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide hears of wait for psychiatrist appointments, hazing at Townsville base

Chloe Chomicki - 20 June 2022

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Townsville's most senior serving ADF member has acknowledged "frustrations" among Defence personnel in accessing mental health support and ongoing hazing practices at the city's barracks.

Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is holding a nine-day hearing in Townsville, home to the 3rd Combat Brigade at Lavarack Barracks.

Brigadier Kahlil Fegan, Commander of the 3rd Combat Brigade, is the first witness to be examined.

During the examination led by Counsel Assisting Kevin Connor SC, the Brigadier spoke about cultural pressures within Defence whereby some personnel refrain from seeking medical attention for mental and physical health issues to remain ready for deployment.

When asked if he believed there were any shortcomings preventing personnel from seeking help, the Brigadier said some personnel were waiting up to between four and eight weeks for an appointment with the only psychiatrist at Lavarack Barracks.

"One of the frustrations is how long it takes to get an appointment if it is not a priority issue," Brigadier Fegan said.

He believes it acts as a disincentive for people from "putting their hand up".

"They know they are not going to necessarily be able to get the assistance unless in the case of an emergency," he said.

In his written submission to the royal commission, Brigadier Fegan wrote that there was only one psychiatrist based at Lavarack Barracks being available only two days per week.

More than 3,000 personnel assume the 3rd Combat Brigade.

When asked whether having one psychiatrist on base for two days a week was "adequate" the Brigadier said it is a challenge when the brigade is preparing for deployment or the return of soldiers.

"In those circumstances at those times, I don't think it is adequate," he said.

Hazing practices at barracks

The commission has heard of ongoing hazing practices at Lavarack Barracks, which the Brigadier confirmed have been the subject of two inquiries.

"I became aware of an incident that had occurred approximately a year prior to my assumption of command," Brigadier Fegan said.

"It involved absolute unequivocally inappropriate behaviour by a small group of soldiers towards another soldier.

"An incident where a group of soldiers on an exercise chased another soldier in the bush and tried to tie him up and it was in line with some sort of stupid initiation that that particular unit had engaged in over a number of years.

"It was an example of stupidity."

The royal commission heard that the incident had led to a court martial hearing, and two Lavarack Barracks personnel were charged over the incident were found guilty.

Despite that process, the Brigadier said hazing remained an issue at the base.

"That was the most significant incident that caused me concern," he said.

"There are other examples that have manifested since that incident that we continue to deal with today."

The Brigadier said that there had been two inquiries relating to hazing on Lavarack Barracks and that the response was still being implemented.

(continued)

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Military discipline in focus

Commissioner Peggy Brown raised concerns about military discipline with the Brigadier.

"We've certainly heard accounts where there has been disciplinary charge after disciplinary charge," Dr Brown said.

"In one instance that I can think of there was a death by suicide.

"I think blind Freddy, quite frankly, could or should have been able to see there was some issue that was actually contributing to this, and yet that was not picked up."

In his answer, the Brigadier described the example given by Dr Brown as "tragic and exceptionally regrettable".

"In terms of that oversight, it is doing everything that we can reasonably do to ensure that we appreciate what are the potential for unforeseen implications of taking that action," he said.

The Brigadier explained earlier to the royal commission that the Brigade did not take disciplinary action against individuals if there was an assessment that that action may compound an issue, being welfare or psychologically.

Chief of the Defence Force to appear

The Townsville hearing will mark the first time during the royal commission that deployment and First Nations experiences in Defence will be examined.

During her opening address, Counsel Assisting Erin Longbottom QC said the royal commission would not hear standalone lived experience in Townsville, unlike other hearings.

Ms Longbottom said the Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, is scheduled to appear on Thursday.

"It will cover abuse and other unacceptable behaviour in the ADF," she said.

The royal commission has received more than 1,600 submissions, with Commissioner Nick Kaldas describing each one as "unique".

Prior to the nine-day hearing, the commission heard from 14 people in private sessions in Townsville and visited Lavarack Barrack and The Oasis, a defence and veteran support hub.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-20/royal-commission-into-defence-and-veteran-suicide-townsville/101166496

>>16395733

Ian King: former cricket coach pleads guilty to historical child sex charges

Former professional cricket player and junior coach Ian King has pleaded guilty to child sex charges.

Julia Kanapathippillai - June 20, 2022

A former professional cricket player and junior coach - and convicted paedophile - has pleaded guilty to two historical child sex offences.

Ian Harold King, 79, was committed to the ACT Supreme Court by Magistrate Robert Cook on Monday after entering guilty pleas to two counts of an act of indecency to a child aged 10 to 16 years.

The charges relate to a single male complainant who played cricket via ACT Cricket from the late 1990s to the late 2000s, attending the Ginninderra Cricket Club in Kippax where King was a coach.

The facts state in the late 1990s , when the boy was 13, King picked him up for a one-on-one training session, and drove him to Phillip Oval where they trained for roughly 45 minutes.

King then drove the boy to Woden Plaza (Woden Westfield) for lunch where King told the boy he could show him certain muscle groups and areas of the body that need to be strengthened to become a better fast bowler.

Following this King drove the boy to his Lyons residence, and once in his apartment King directed the boy to stand in front of a full-length mirror.

King told the boy to remove his tracksuit pants, and later his shorts to make his muscles visible.

The boy complied and stood before the mirror in his underwear.

King then leaned over the boy and touched his groin area and said words to the effect of “These are the muscles that you need to be strengthened because they all – they’re all interconnected with your bowling. So if they’re not strong, your core isn’t strong. Your core isn’t strong, your glutes aren’t strong, your hamstrings not strong”.

He then told the boy to remove his underwear, and after attempting to hide his genitalia with his hands King told him to stop.

King touched the boy’s groin again and said words to the effect of “Your groin needs to be strong because if your groin’s not strong, your quads aren’t strong”.

He asked the boy if he ever masturbated and told him, “Masturbating is good. It releases endorphins and chemicals which help with muscle development,” before groping the boy and moving his hand up and down the boy’s penis.

When the boy ejaculated King said words to the effect of “you must like it because you came”.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s healthy, normal, natural, and it’s good for your development, muscle growth and strength,” he told the boy.

After the ordeal King asked the boy if he looked at porn before driving him home.

In 2012 King was convicted of 25 child sex offences relating to five complainants and was sentenced to 12 years jail.

King is remanded in custody until he appears at the ACT Supreme Court for sentencing.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/canberra/ian-king-former-cricket-coach-pleads-guilty-to-historic-child-sex-charges/news-story/7f8ab5a94553d71afcb9d18864b85831

‘Strong action’ needed to free Julian Assange: Andrew Wilkie

Anthony Albanese has been urged to take “strong action” rather than “whispers and secret handshakes” to free Julian Assange.

Ellen Ransley - June 20, 2022

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has declared the time for “whispers and secret handshakes” to free Julian Assange is over.

He is calling on the Albanese government to take “strong action” to secure the WikiLeaks founder’s freedom.

“Julian Assange has been incarcerated for near on a decade both in the Ecuadorean embassy and must be about three years now in Belmarsh prison in London,” Mr Wilkie told Sky News.

“I, and I think a lot of people, have given the new government time to resolve this.

“But there we were last Friday and the British home secretary actually signed off the extradition of Julian Assange to the US.”

Mr Wilkie said Mr Assange had suffered enough and called on the Prime Minister to act.

“Anthony Albanese, you’ve got a good relationship with Boris Johnson and Joe Biden, please pick up the phone and demand that this madness end,” he said.

“When you boil it all down, we’ve got a Walkley Award-winning Australian journalist and Australian citizen who in 2010 revealed hard evidence of US war crimes.

“Surely he’s suffered enough, surely he can be released from Belmarsh, the extradition can be dropped and he can be allowed to return home if that’s his wish.”

Earlier, Mr Albanese indicated he did not believe telegraphing the government’s diplomatic representations would help the imprisoned WikiLeaks founder.

“I have made clear on what my position is publicly. I made it clear last year,” Mr Albanese said.

“I stand by my comments that I made then.

“I make this point as well, there are some people who think that if you put things in capital letters on Twitter and put an exclamation mark that somehow makes it more important. It doesn’t.

“I intend to lead a government that engages diplomatically and appropriately with our partners.”

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday approved the extradition of the Australian-born WikiLeaks founder to the US, where he is wanted on 18 charges, including hacking and espionage.

He faces up to 170 years in prison.

Mr Assange’s wife Stella told ABC Radio that there had been a “shift” in the federal government’s approach to the case since Labor won the election.

She said the government needed to act immediately, and she would appeal against the UK’s decision to approve his extradition.

“It’s obvious that the Australian government can and should be speaking to its closest allies to bring this matter to a close,” Mrs Assange said.

“This is an extremely controversial prosecution, including in the United States.”

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said the Albanese government’s position was that “enough is enough” when it comes to Mr Assange’s treatment.

“I’m very confident in the work happening behind the scenes by Foreign Minister Penny Wong,” he told ABC Radio.

Senator Wong said in a joint statement with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would provide consular assistance.

“The Australian government has been clear in our view that Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close,” they said.

Mr Assange has 14 days to appeal to London’s High Court.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/anthony-albanese-calls-out-twitter-activists-over-julian-assange-extradition/news-story/43ae09f445df2c560cdb0a9d889b3ac9

OPINION - If Albanese asks for Assange’s freedom, Biden has every reason to agree: Bob Carr

Bob Carr - June 20, 2022

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Two years ago at my local ALP branch, I moved a motion urging the party to support dropping extradition proceedings against Julian Assange. Maroubra ALP is not inner city. It might be regarded as a bastion of the right. The motion was carried, near unanimously. After the debate, one member came up and said: “I think Assange is probably a narcissistic bastard but he’s ours.”

That is, he’s an Australian.

It was the Trump administration – probably at the insistence of then-CIA chief Mike Pompeo – that pursued Assange’s extradition. The Morrison government declined even the faintest whinny of protest. It was as if we were not a sovereign government but some category of US territory like Puerto Rico and an Australian passport holder didn’t rate protection from the vengeful anger of one corner of the American security apparatus. A France or Germany – a New Zealand – would not have been as craven.

Here lies Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s most potent argument as he proceeds to winkle out of the Biden administration a decision to quietly drop its pursuit of Assange, even after Britain announced on Friday that it had approved his extradition to the US. Albanese can say that, to Australian public opinion, it looks like one rule for Americans, another for citizens of its ally.

Albanese can gently remind Washington that President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning. That is, he lifted her sentence for gifting to Assange the material that he published on Wikileaks in 2010. This was the collateral murder video that showed soldiers in a US Apache helicopter mowing down civilians with their automatic weapons in Iraq in 2007. The video exposed America’s lack of rules of engagement but, more than that, tore away the justification for the neocon high adventure of the Iraq war.

Manning, the American who slipped the material to Assange, goes free while the Australian who published it faces extradition, trial in Virginia and the rest of his life in cruel confinement in a high-security prison, likely on the plains of Oklahoma.

Albanese doesn’t have to state – because the Americans know it – that we are a darn good partner. A request on Assange is small change in such an alliance relationship. We host vital US communication facilities that likely make Australia a nuclear target. We host ship visits, planes and marines, about which the same baleful point could be made. And, as the capstone, we are spending about $150 billion purchasing US nuclear submarines.

We’ve elected a new prime minister who within hours set off for a meeting of the Quad – the US, Japan, India and Australia – talking continuity in Australian policy on the so-called Indo-Pacific. He arrived in Tokyo with positive policies on climate – music to Biden’s ears – and commitment on the South Pacific. A re-elected Morrison would have turned up with surly, shop-worn, adversarial rhetoric on China – welcome enough to the US, but adding no more value than a poodle yapping at its master’s heels.

Put like this, the US can barely say no – that is, to an Australian prime minister who makes it known with firmness and confidence he believes, as he said in December about Assange, “Enough is enough.” That is, it’s enough he suffered the three years in Belmarsh prison, sometimes with arms and legs shackled as if Hannibal Lecter, on top of eight years of self-imposed exile in the Ecuadorian embassy.

In the context of Australia’s role as an ally – the heft we deliver for the US empire – a decision to let Assange walk free rates about five minutes of President Biden’s Oval Office attention. And our ambassador in Washington should be deputed to trot up and down the Senate corridors telling Republicans that, if they value our friendship, they might lay off the president for listening to Canberra on this one.

(continued)

>>16476675

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In any case, Biden and his advisers might conclude, it’s time all the baggage of Afghanistan and Iraq were let go. Afghanistan was America’s longest war undertaken to eliminate al-Qaeda and, later, drive out the Taliban. After 20 years of squandered blood and treasure, the Taliban are firmly in control and al-Qaeda again claims the wretched country as haven.

The Iraq War proved only the paradox of unintended consequences, unleashing Islamic State on the world and delivering a boon to Iranian power projection. Pursuing Assange makes it look like the unfinished business of these wars devolves on the pursuit of one shackled Australian, even as if snatching Assange is the last expression of American frustration at the battlefield defeats by ragged insurgents. It’s time the restless giant closed the books on the disasters unloosed by George W. Bush.

Last week Bill Clinton said for the first time he feared for the future of America as a “constitutional democracy”. He was referring to laws enacted by Republican state governors that make it harder to vote and easier for state officials to overturn the popular vote. And the return of Trump. Fifty per cent of Americans think their country is headed for civil war; a similar number think their country will end up a dictatorship.

Yet as it sinks lower on the list of democracies published by Freedom House, the battered American republic can teach the world a thing or two about its First Amendment right to freedom of expression. Its claim to be a nation of laws is stronger if Assange, this dissident publisher, has the threat of extradition lifted. If he were sentenced to die in jail, The New York Times and Washington Post would suffer a precedent against them anytime they might want to expose bad wars and the atrocities that follow in their wake.

The military in the US and Australia have had to admit no lives were lost because of Assange. But we wouldn’t have heard of serious war crimes in a counterproductive war were it not for the haggard prisoner in Belmarsh.

Our new prime minister can say: “We’re not fans of the guy either, Mr President, but it’s gone on long enough. We’re good allies. Let this one drop.“

And if Albanese asks, my guess is America will agree.

Bob Carr is the longest-serving premier of NSW and a former foreign minister of Australia.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/if-albanese-asks-for-assange-s-freedom-biden-has-every-reason-to-agree-bob-carr-20220619-p5autd.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 20, 2022, 4:49 a.m. No.16476698 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6757

>>16476675

Fairweather foe: Bob Carr changes tack on Assange

Bob Carr now lauds Julian Assange for "delivering on our right to know". But when he could do something about Assange's treatment, he had a very different view.

BERNARD KEANE - OCT 14, 2019

Here’s one for the “if only they’d ever been in a position to do something about it” files: former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and former foreign minister Bob Carr expressing concern about the United States trying to prosecute Julian Assange for Wikileaks’ exposure of war crimes and misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/barnaby-joyce-joins-calls-to-stop-extradition-of-assange-to-us-20191013-p53080.html

Assange currently faces extradition to the US from the UK for Wikileaks’ publication of material exposing US crimes provided by Chelsea Manning, under charges of conspiring with Manning to obtain and publish classified information.

Bob Carr described Assange as “in trouble because he delivered on our right to know”. “We have an absolute right to know about American war crimes in a conflict that the Australian government of the day strongly supported — we wouldn’t know about them except for Assange,” Carr said.

That marks quite a turnaround for Carr from his position when he was foreign minister under Julia Gillard. Back then, Carr argued Assange hadn’t delivered on our right to know. In 2012, he accused Assange of releasing “secrets … for the sake of being released without inherent justification”.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2012/06/25/bob-carr-in-full-flight-from-the-facts-on-assange/

In dismissing any public interest in what Wikileaks revealed, Carr also attacked comparisons of Assange with Daniel Ellsberg. It was “not like Daniel Ellsberg’s Pentagon Papers which revealed huge American deception, huge deception by the American government of the American public”. Too bad Ellsberg himself disagreed.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210328030343/https://www.ellsberg.net/public-accuracy-press-release/

That was the time when Carr also derided — in the face of extensive evidence — the idea that the Americans would try to extradite Assange, saying “there’s not the remotest evidence that that’s the case. There was one allegation that appeared somewhere of something called a sealed indictment. No US figure has confirmed that to us.”

Evidently Carr has had a change of heart since he actually boasted in his memoir Diary of a Foreign Minister about trolling Assange. In his entry for June 2, 2012, Carr writes:

“Another consular issue rears its head: Julian Assange. And I decide to take this one head-on. Fed up with complaints from his family suggesting he hasn’t been supported by Australia and the opposition spokesperson saying the same thing, I stride out of an Estimates Committee in the morning-tea break to do a press conference and point out that he has had more consular support in a comparable time than any other Australian. Strictly speaking, I don’t know whether this is the case. But it is a broad, healthy truth that I don’t think anyone could disprove. I do it to needle his self-righteousness. Let him go to Sweden and face questioning for sexual assault and rape…. Sure enough, my needling has an effect.”

Funnily enough, Carr doesn’t mention that the Manning material outed him as a US intelligence source in the 1970s.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/bob-carr-washingtons-man-in-australia-20130408-2hgut.html

https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/10/14/fairweather-foe-bob-carr-changes-tack-on-assange/

>>16476698

Bob Carr: Washington's man in Australia

Philip Dorling - April 8, 2013

Bob Carr may have been Foreign Affairs Minister for only 12 months, but he started talking to United States diplomats about internal Labor politics nearly 40 years ago.

Previously secret US embassy and consulate reports incorporated into a new searchable database unveiled by WikiLeaks on Monday reveal that Mr Carr was a source for US diplomats seeking information on the Whitlam government and the broader Labor movement in the mid-1970s.

Then a rising star in NSW Labor, Mr Carr was quick to join in criticism of prime minister Gough Whitlam as the federal Labor Government encountered growing political and economic difficulties after the May 1974 federal election.

In August 1974, the US Embassy in Canberra reported at length on what it described as "a pervasive sense of gloom and anxiety" as the Whitlam government “struggle[d] in [a] disorganised fashion to stem growing inflation”.

Together with NSW Labor president John Ducker, Mr Carr candidly told the US consul-general in Sydney that "economic policy has never been Whitlam's bag" and criticised the prime minister's "tendency to delegate practically everything".

A former Australian Young Labor president and then education officer with the NSW Labor Council, Mr Carr later "expressed deep concern to [the US] consul general over [the] impact of Labor disputes on the prospects of [the] Labor Government".

Asked about his 1970s contacts with US diplomats, Senator Carr said on Monday: "I was in my 20s. I could have said anything."

The once-confidential cables also suggest that US diplomats turned to Mr Carr as a source of background information on Labor political figures: for example Mr Carr explained that a speaker at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in 1975 – left-wing Labor parliamentarian George Petersen – was "a NSW equivalent of Victoria's [Bill] Hartley".

Senator Carr has long been a very strong supporter of Australia's alliance with the United States and has a keen interest in US politics and history.

In his early conversations with US officials, he appears to have followed the lead of Mr Ducker, his NSW Labor right faction mentor, who advised the US on industrial relations issues and internal Labor politics, and dismissed critics of the US alliance as being engaged in "emotional, silly expression lacking in substance and characteristic of the silly left-wing fringe of the ALP".

US embassy cables leaked to WikiLeaks in 2010 revealed that another senior NSW Labor right faction leader, former Senator Mark Arbib, was a more recent "protected" US embassy source providing inside information and commentary on Labor politics.

About 11,000 cables from the US embassy in Canberra and consulates in Sydney and Melbourne between 1973 and 1976 are part of a massive trove of more than 1.7 million electronic documents that were transferred to the US National Archives and Records Administration in 2006.

However the records have been largely neglected by historians, owing to the absence of an effective search engine.

WikiLeaks has incorporated a copy of the entire electronic archive into an easily searchable database that also includes the more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables leaked by United States Army private Bradley Manning.

With more than two million documents and more than a billion words, WikiLeaks's Public Library of US diplomacy is the largest electronically searchable diplomatic archive available to historians, journalists and other researchers.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/bob-carr-washingtons-man-in-australia-20130408-2hgut.html

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1974CANBER05670_b.html

https://file.wikileaks.org/oc/2474.2/118153.pdf

>>16384628

Vanuatu joins China’s islands cheer squad against foreign ‘interference’ over human rights

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 19, 2022

Vanuatu is the latest of Australia’s Pacific partners to throw its support behind China as it pushes back against global criticism of its human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, heightening concerns the island country has drifted further into Beijing’s strategic orbit.

The Pacific Islands country joined Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Kiribati to back a statement to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, condemning foreign “interference” in Beijing’s sovereign affairs. They were among 69 countries to back the statement, including Russia, North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

“Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet-related issues are China’s internal affairs,” the Cuban-led statement said. “We oppose politicisation of human rights and double standards, or interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.”

PNG, Solomon Islands and Kiribati backed a similar statement last year, but it was the first time Vanuatu had sided with China on the matter.

At the same time, Australia was among 47 countries to back an opposing Netherlands-led statement expressing “grave concern” about the human rights situations in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.

The statements come ahead of a report by UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet on human rights violations in Xinjiang, following what China called “a friendly visit” that should not be seen as an “‘investigation under the presumption of guilt”.

ANU researcher Graeme Smith, an expert on Chinese influence in the Pacific, said Tonga was a “notable absence” on the pro-China list after its endorsement of last year’s statement.

He said the list of countries defending Beijing’s human rights violations was a reflection of those that were “more economically beholden to China than other countries”. “Once you have signed on to the Belt and Road Initiative, there is an expectation that when you are called upon you will step up,” Dr Smith said.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute director Justin Bassi said Pacific nations’ criticism of Australia for describing the region as its “backyard” was in stark contrast to their inability to express concern “about Beijing’s climate hypocrisy or its treatment of Muslim and Christian minorities”.

He suggested Pacific backers of China’s human right abuses had been won over “elite capture and fear of economic coercion”.

“For a region which prides itself on sovereignty and religious freedom, it reveals that access to money is a powerful driver of many elite choices and decisions across the Pacific,” Mr Bassi said.

He said Australia needed to work more closely with regional partners to strengthen their confidence that standing by the rule of law and protecting human rights “will not result in punishment”.

Human Rights Watch Australia researcher Sophie McNeill said the votes “show how much work Australia has to do in the Pacific … It’s why … we have called on the Albanese government to strengthen support for the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the region, and reinvest in development aid that boosts civil society.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/vanuatu-joins-chinas-islands-cheer-squad-against-foreign-interference-over-human-rights/news-story/769dadd36fed19b2d7e7be7df9ab7413

Five Eyes ‘dim-sighted’ when hyping ‘China infiltration’: Global Times editorial

Global Times - Jun 19, 2022

The Five Eyes is collecting and fabricating "evidence" and plans to concoct rumors of the so-called China's "political infiltration in the West" to slander China's international image, according to information the Global Times obtained exclusively on Saturday. This is the latest round of attacks by the Five Eyes against China.

The alliance has been behind issues including the origins-tracing of COVID-19, issues related to China's Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and the South China Sea. The Five Eyes has moved from a secret espionage and intelligence organization in the past to a coalition that becomes more and more China-phobic, and resorts to more and more abominable methods.

During the Cold War era, the Five Eyes mainly monitored the Soviet Union and its allies. Because it has been operating in secret, the outside world once even believed that this spy organization that "lost its target" had disbanded since the end of the Cold War. However, after the 9/11 attacks, it was suddenly revived. In the name of global anti-terrorism, it divided the world into "our own people" and "non-me races," and carried out widespread mass spying on the world, including Germany and other European countries. In recent years, in order to meet Washington's strategic needs to suppress China, the Five Eyes alliance has once again used the so-called China threat to prolong its existence, and has gradually transformed from an intelligence-sharing mechanism to an "information command" dedicated to anti-China policy coordination.

An organization that should have hidden only in the dark and used disgraceful means to "contain its opponents" suddenly began to act ostentatiously by simply relying on anti-China propaganda. For example, intelligence agencies in Australia and other countries frequently approach and harass the Chinese communities in those countries, coercing them to become informants for the Five Eyes. The consulates of the Five Eyes member countries stationed in Hong Kong have almost become the "commander-in-chief of interference and subversion." The alliance, in the name of "protecting national security," also smears and attacks high-tech companies in other countries, especially China, without any evidence. It is not clear that if the Five Eyes could come up with anything new this time, but there is no doubt that every new rumor will refresh our understanding of its nature of "acting with no boundaries."

(continued)

>>16476813

2/2

As a matter of fact, the Five Eyes has become a "gangster group" with obvious racism. Its hostility and anxiety toward China come from its deep-rooted values of white supremacy and racial discrimination, and it is unwilling to see Chinese people's lives getting increasingly better. In terms of blood bonds, apart from the US and the UK, whose "blood is thicker than water," the other three - Canada, Australia and New Zealand - are Commonwealth members. In other words, the core link that maintains this alliance comes from British colonization in North America and Oceania, and the consequent sense of superiority in Anglo-Saxon "civilization." When responding to the so-called China's challenge, the evil idea of racism, like this "alliance," is not visible, but can be felt everywhere.

Nominally, the five countries share intelligence, but the truth is that the four eyes rely on and take orders from the "one eye" - the US. Even Western media have to admit that most of the intelligence shared within the Five Eyes alliance comes from Washington. When it comes to New Zealand, an intelligence review conducted in 2017 found that for every 99 pieces of intelligence New Zealand received through the alliance, it contributed just one. As Washington's attitude toward China is becoming more and more hysterical, the five countries have failed to synchronize with each other. There have been analyses saying that Washington believes the "Five Eyes" is not enough, so the US has developed the Quad, AUKUS and other repetitious, dazzling small circles.

Being good at creating "imaginary enemies" has always been an inherent feature of the US' strategy, but the US' decision-making and intelligence departments have become increasingly paranoid in implementing the strategy of "creating enemies." The way the US government has been conducting diplomacy in recent years is more and more like the way an intelligent agency or the CIA does. US intelligence departments provide decision-making departments with analysis that distorts the truth and meets specific political needs, and decision-making departments follow these highly hostile playbooks to handle related diplomatic issues. Such phenomena have completely poisoned US diplomacy, and now the US is instigating the Five Eyes alliance to slander China as having "politically infiltrated" the West. This is playing the despicable trick of "a thief crying 'stop thief'" in front of the whole world. They are framing China for what they themselves have been doing.

China has acted honorably. It does not believe in fallacy and has never been afraid of dirty tricks. A decades-old Chinese song goes like this, "Fine wine for friends and shotguns for jackals." Be it Five Eyes or Ten Eyes, as long as they dare damage China's interests, they will definitely get themselves into trouble.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268501.shtml

Australian Federal Police issues warning over rise in sexual extortion targeting boys

Online criminals have been duping kids into sending explicit photos and then demanding cash not to share them.

Hamish Goodall - 20 June 2022

A chilling warning has been issued to parents following a concerning spike in the number of children falling victim to sexual extortion.

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) says an increasing number of Australian boys are being targeted by online predators.

The sick practice involves offenders duping or coercing kids into producing sexual photos and videos which are then recorded or saved.

Internet criminals, often based overseas, then threaten to share the intimate material unless they receive payment from their victim.

Australian Federal Police Commander Hilda Sirec says the number of reported incidents have quadrupled between mid-2021 and this year.

“Tactics can vary, but child sex offenders commonly pose as girls and befriend boys via social media platforms, image-sharing apps or online games,” she said on Monday.

“These predators reveal they had footage of the child in compromising positions and demand money in return for not sharing the vision with family and friends or posting it online.

“We have seen predators initially demanding an impossibly large sum of money, then negotiating with the victim on a lower amount they could actually pay.

“Once that money was paid – either by bank transfer, online game, gift cards or even cryptocurrency – the predator would demand even more money.

“They are not deterred by the age of the victim, they care only about the profit they can make.

Sirec said the AFP was urging parents and children to watch out for warning signs and for victims to seek help and report the crime.

Warning signs include inconsistencies with an online profile, meeting on one app and then being asked to continue a conversation on a different platform or the person claiming they are unable to video or make a phone call due to their camera or microphone not working

“These crimes have devastating effects on children and their families,” she said.

“These offenders are very manipulative and they will threaten and frighten children to get what they want, including telling victims they will be in trouble with law enforcement if they speak up.

“We are appealing to parents and carers to talk to their children about online safety, how to recognise suspicious behaviour online and speak out if they have been targeted.

“If your child is or has been a victim, reassure them that it’s not their fault and that there is help available.

“By reporting what has happened, they may help us catch an offender and prevent other children being harmed.”

Victims are urged to collect evidence such as screenshots and conversations and to make a report to police as soon as possible.

• Avoid sending any more images;

• Collect evidence such as screenshots of conversations and make a report to police;

• Don’t blame yourself and speak to someone you trust for advice and support. This could be a friend, sibling, trusted adult or support service;

• Change your passwords for all online accounts and review your privacy and security settings.

• If you think a child is in immediate danger call triple-0, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or your local police.

https://crimestoppers.com.au/

Cases of sexual extortion involving children (under the age of 18) can be reported to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation at:

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/australian-federal-police-issues-warning-over-rise-in-sexual-extortion-targeting-boys-c-7223370

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 20, 2022, 5:46 a.m. No.16476888 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6893

>>16476851

Child sex offenders preying on Australian boys for money

20 June 2022

1/2

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is warning that Australia is seeing a global trend in the crime of sexual extortion, with a spike in the number of Australian boys being preyed on by international sex offenders, who are grooming them into producing explicit images and then extorting them for money.

The ACCCE has taken the unusual step of releasing police intelligence to warn Australian parents and carers of the emerging risk. These reports involving boys have more than quadrupled between mid-2021 and this year, driven by a sharp rise in offshore offenders targeting Australian boys for financial gain.

Commander ACCCE and Human Exploitation Hilda Sirec said while coercing and blackmailing minors for sexually-explicit videos and images was not new – it was previously very rare for police to receive reports about offenders demanding money from children.

“Tactics can vary, but child sex offenders commonly pose as girls and befriend boys via social media platforms, image-sharing apps or online games,” Commander Sirec said.

Once the pair connected, the ‘girl’ would request they communicate privately and engage in sexualised conversations before sending explicit images of her fake self, often sourced from a victim of previous offending. The boy would then be asked to send nude images or videos in return.

Commander Sirec said the predator might also manipulate the boy into engaging in explicit activity on camera, which they secretly recorded.

“These predators reveal they had footage of the child in compromising positions and demand money in return for not sharing the vision with family and friends or posting it online,” Commander Sirec said.

“We have seen predators initially demanding an impossibly large sum of money, then negotiating with the victim on a lower amount they could actually pay.

“Once that money was paid – either by bank transfer, online game, gift cards or even cryptocurrency – the predator would demand even more money. They are not deterred by the age of the victim, they care only about the profit they can make.”

The ACCCE works with many international law enforcement partners who are also seeing an increase in the number of boys being blackmailed for money.

Commander Sirec said authorities were issuing the warning to urge victims to seek help and report the crime, and that they will not be in trouble for coming forward.

“These crimes have devastating effects on children and their families,” Commander Sirec said.

“These offenders are very manipulative and they will threaten and frighten children to get what they want, including telling victims they will be in trouble with law enforcement if they speak up.

“We are appealing to parents and carers to talk to their children about online safety, how to recognise suspicious behaviour online and speak out if they have been targeted.

“If your child is or has been a victim, reassure them that it's not their fault and that there is help available.

"By reporting what has happened, they may help us catch an offender and prevent other children being harmed."

(continued)

>>16476888

2/2

Warning signs could include inconsistencies with an online profile or language, meeting on one app and then being encouraged to continue a conversation on a different platform, or the person claiming their webcam or microphone was not working for video calls.

The Australian Federal Police ThinkUKnow program has developed a new resource for young people on how to recognise and respond to this method of sexual extortion. The ‘Online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit’ includes key indicators that an online interaction may be a sign of sexual extortion using de-identified reports from the ACCCE, as well as how to get help and support. More information is available at:

http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/

If you are a victim of this crime:

• Avoid sending any more images;

• Collect evidence such as screenshots of conversations and make a report to police;

• Don’t blame yourself and speak to someone you trust for advice and support. This could be a friend, sibling, trusted adult or support service;

• Chance your passwords for all online accounts and review your privacy and security settings.

If you think a child is in immediate danger call Triple Zero, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or your local police.

https://crimestoppers.com.au/

Cases of sexual extortion involving children (under the age of 18) can be reported to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation at:

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

The ACCCE is committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and is at the centre of a collaborative national approach to combatting online child sexual 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.

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button at:

https://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, visit to learn more:

https://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.

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/child-sex-offenders-preying-australian-boys-money

>>16476851

Hilda Sirec - Commander ACCCE, Human Exploitation addresses 'Sextortion' trend

Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation

Jun 20, 2022

Boys are being coerced into sending sexualised images and videos of themselves and then being blackmailed by offenders who threaten to share them.

It’s a worrying global trend. And it’s happening right here in Australia.

The ACCCE wants you to know:

That sexual extortion (#sextortion) is a crime - if the victim is under the age of 18 it is online child sexual exploitation

The police are here to help

Victims will not get into trouble by reporting

We have developed resources to support you and to help prevent it from happening to others.

What can you do about it? Share this video and help us spread the message that sexual extortion #sextortion is a crime and the police are here to help.

If you or someone you know is a victim and under the age of 18, you can make a report to us at:

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1z1UZJzClg

https://www.accce.gov.au/

>>16476851

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Tweet

#Australian #boys are being coerced into sending sexualised images of themselves and then being blackmailed by offenders who threaten to share them. We've put together a simulated #textchat to show what #sextortion can look like. http://accce.gov.au/report

https://twitter.com/ACCCE_AUS/status/1538794279241273344

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 21, 2022, 2:47 a.m. No.16481772 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3231

Judge takes aim at Lisa Wilkinson's mention of Brittany Higgins in Logies speech as Bruce Lehrmann's rape trial delayed

Elizabeth Byrne - 21 June 2022

ACT Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucy McCallum has agreed, "through gritted teeth", to delay the trial of the man accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.

Bruce Lehrmann is accused of sexually assaulting Ms Higgins inside an office in Parliament House in 2019.

He was charged last year after Ms Higgins went to police, and has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Lehrmann was preparing to stand trial in the ACT Supreme Court over the alleged rape next week.

But Chief Justice McCallum said today the landscape had changed since a speech by journalist Lisa Wilkinson at the Logies about her interview with Ms Higgins.

The decision came after Mr Lehrmann's lawyers successfully argued the speech and the intense media and social media response that followed would prevent him from getting a fair trial.

Chief Justice McCallum agreed, saying much of the material had obliterated the distinction between an allegation and guilt.

She took particular aim at Ms Wilkinson who won a Logie for her interview of Ms Higgins.

Distinction between allegation and guilt was lost, Chief Justice says

The court heard there had been a briefing between Ms Wilkinson and the prosecutors last week, when she raised the matter of her nomination for a Gold Logie.

Part of the evidence included an exchange where the Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold warned her that the defence might use anything she said to reinstate a stay application.

Chief Justice McCallum said instead Ms Wilkinson openly referred to Ms Higgins, praising her courage.

She said comments made on the radio by Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones had assumed the rape had occurred, despite the fact there had been no trial.

Chief Justice McCallum said there was no way of knowing the full impact on the public.

"The distinction between an allegation and the fact of guilt has been lost," she said.

She also noted the irony that the discussion about an important debate about the lack of justice for women had evolved into the single biggest impediment to just that.

"The delay serves the interests of no-one," Chief Justice McCallum said.

"Unfortunately the recent publicity does change the landscape."

She said she was not satisfied any directions to a jury could help the situation and that the only option was to temporarily vacate the trial.

The case will be back in court on Thursday, when the prosecution is considering making an application for a restraint on commentary by Ms Wilkinson, The Project, Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones, and Ms Higgins, ahead of the trial.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-21/act-bruce-lehrmann-granted-temporary-stay-delaying-trial/101170550

>>16476399

Greens leader Adam Bandt refuses to stand with Australian flag

PAUL GARVEY, JOE KELLY and ALEXANDRA MIDDLETON - JUNE 21, 2022

Adam Bandt’s refusal to stand in front of the Australian flag as Greens leader has been labelled divisive and “childish virtue-signalling” by Indigenous community leaders, who say it is contrary to the spirit of reconciliation.

Political opponents of Mr Bandt also questioned why Greens MPs would want to represent Australians in the federal parliament if they were ashamed of their own country.

It comes as the NSW government on Sunday announced that, by the end of the year, the Aboriginal flag would permanently fly alongside the Australian flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Mr Bandt’s practice since becoming Greens leader in 2020 has been to remove the Australian flag from behind him when conducting press conferences.

“For many people, this flag represents dispossession and the lingering pains of colonisation,” he said. “Through treaty with First Nations’ people and by moving to a republic, we can have a flag that represents all of us.”

Carol Martin, the first Indigenous woman to be elected to any Australian parliament, said Mr Bandt’s decision to remove the Australian flag could cause division at a time when unity was needed to help deliver an Indigenous voice to parliament.

“The question is, what is it going to achieve?” the former Labor member of the WA Legislative Assembly said. “We are having a discussion now about a voice and the Statement from the Heart, and if you want to bring people on board why would you kick them in the goolies?

“It doesn’t work.

“If you want to move forward, the way to do that isn’t to offend the majority.”

Ian Trust, an Indigenous elder who runs employment programs in the Kimberley town of Kununurra and is a longtime advocate for Indigenous children, said Mr Bandt’s decision went against the spirit of reconciliation that was central to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

“Having the three flags together is all part of the reconciliation and that’s what we are trying to achieve here,” he said.

“You don’t achieve reconciliation by removing one of those flags. That goes against the grain of everything it’s about.”

He described Mr Bandt’s move as “shortsighted”. “Personally, if I was an Australian -politician, even though I recognise the Aboriginal flag, I would have the Australian flag there as well. That’s part of the country you’re in,” he said.

Hannah McGlade, a lawyer and lifelong advocate for the human rights of Aboriginal women and children and an expert adviser to the UN on the rights of Indigenous peoples, slammed the move. “I went to law school with Adam Bandt, who never showed an interest in Aboriginal issues,” she said.

“I was also a Noongar activist supporting elders protecting our heritage sites, and racism and racist violence – he never spoke once to me about our fight for justice.

“Adam Bandt doesn’t have any track record on Aboriginal rights in my state, and his comments about the flag reflect symbolism which is rejected by Aboriginal people because we know it’s actually rights we want.”

At his first press conference as Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese displayed all three flags.

Northern Territory senator-elect for the Country Liberal Party Jacinta Price said the removal of the flag was “very disrespectful to all Australians.”

“It’s becoming a little bit childish for leaders to be virtue-signalling about who loves Aboriginal people more,” she said.

“There’s a lot of Aboriginal people out there who I’m sure like myself can see right through it. Just get on with representing all Australians, that’s what we are all elected to do regardless of our backgrounds. It is racist of Bandt to continue to paint Aboriginal Australians as helpless victims in need of rescuing by the likes of privileged woke MP’s.”

Opposition legal affairs and Indigenous Australians spokesman Julian Leeser said all parliamentarians should have the nation’s flag in view. “If it is good enough for Indigenous servicemen to fight under the Australian flag, it should be good enough for our parliamentarians to respect the flag by holding their press conferences in front of it,” he said.

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine also branded Mr Bandt’s reasoning as “childish and stupid … We are all trying to bring Australia together. That’s why we put the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags together with the Australian flag, so we are seen as one nation.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/greens-leader-adam-bandt-refuses-to-stand-with-australian-flag/news-story/697aac352edbe781d45dba2e54206be6

Bradley Pen Dragon - Notorious paedophile who thinks sex with children is 'natural' will be released into the community TODAY

PADRAIG COLLINS and SAM MCPHEE - 21 June 2022

1/2

One of Australia's most notorious paedophiles is set to be released from jail on Tuesday.

Bradley Pen Dragon, 62, who has spent half of his life in jail, will walk out of a Western Australia prison despite believing his sexual interest in children is 'natural'.

Dragon had been kept in custody on an interim detention order under the High Risk Serious Offenders Act until Supreme Court Justice Larissa Strk ruled on Tuesday that he could be released.

'Having weighed all the evidence, I am satisfied that the risk that is presented by releasing the respondent on a supervision order can be reduced or guarded against to a level that is reasonably acceptable and will ensure the adequate protection of the community,' she said.

Dragon, who spent 13 years in jail in Thailand for the 'prolonged and depraved' abuse of young girls, will be subject to a 10-year supervision order and will have to follow 62 strict conditions.

The conditions include anti-libidinal and psychological treatment, verbal or written accounts of all of his movements and no unauthorised contact with anyone aged under 18.

The high-risk serious offender has a 'long-held strong belief that sexual contact with children is a positive experience for the child'.

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said he shared in the public's concern 'with a recidivist child sex offender being released into the community' but that police would watch Dragon from the moment he stepped out of prison.

'We will have to make sure that we monitor and we will, very very closely,' he said earlier this month.

'I can assure you … we are highly vigilant in our work with the high-risk serious offender groups; there are very strict conditions and we'll be doing everything we can to protect the community.'

WA Premier Mark McGowan said if Dragon 'breaches them (conditions), he'll go back into custody … He'll be watched like a hawk'.

State Liberal Leader David Honey said Dragon's imminent release was 'extremely disturbing'.

'It is very clear that he is a long term child offender … it's hard to see why his behaviour would change given his enormous long history in this area,' he said.

As well as 13 years in a Thai prison for sexually assaulting girls, Dragon also committed a string of other crimes including holding a knife to a woman while she was putting her child in their car.

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Most recently he has been serving time for looking up child abuse material on the internet.

The WA District Court heard Dragon spent almost five hours on a public computer at a backpacker hostel in August of 2017.

Among the terms he searched online were 'pre-teen porn' and 'child incest'. When questioned by police, Dragon denied searching the sickening material.

'These things just keep popping up when I use the internet,' he told officers at the time.

Judge Hylton Quail didn't accept Dragon's explanation for his depraved behaviour, before going onto describe the offending as 'brazen.'

'Some of the material, albeit animated, … is horrifying,' he said.

The paedophile was sentenced to five years behind bars for holding a knife to a mother, before he was locked up again for looking up the child abuse material just two days after being released.

Dragon has been diagnosed with 'paedophilic disorder' of the non-exclusive type - meaning he is attracted to both girls and boys.

He previously told a psychiatrist that 'much of the society doesn't agree with laws relating to the restriction of access to pornographic material about children or sexual contact with children, and much like homosexual relationships, this may be something which is legalised in the future'.

The 62-year-old had been waiting for a Supreme Court decision on his release date since completing his time in December, 2021.

The authorities were deciding whether Dragon is still considered 'high risk and serious offender', with Justice Strk saying he could be released under a strict set of conditions.

Dragon's 10-year supervision order will also include him being electronically monitored, having to live at a specified address and being subject to a curfew.

The paedophile told the court he would be willing to undergo physical castration, but a psychiatrist said there no clinic in Australia offered such an operation.

WA's Shadow Treasurer Steve Thomas said releasing Dragon was 'absolutely worrying' and the state government should be taking a harder stance on repeat offenders.

'I think we've developed to a stage where we're quite soft on law and order issues these days, and it's time for a far bigger focus on holding people responsible for their behaviour,' he said.

'I absolutely believe that a tougher on crime approach and going back to making the punishment fit the crime is where we want to see this government and this society go.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10936623/Bradley-Pen-Dragon-WA-paedophile-set-released-jail-thinks-child-sex-natural.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 21, 2022, 3:25 a.m. No.16481831 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1833

Bradley Pen Dragon: High risk paedophile to walk free from prison today

Sarah Steger - June 21, 2022

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Notorious paedophile Bradley Pen Dragon will be released from prison within hours.

The 62-year-old, who has spent half of his life behind bars, will walk free from prison on Tuesday despite having “significant unmet treatment needs” and a belief his sexual interest in children is “natural”.

Upon his release, the convicted paedophile — who has a “long-held strong belief that sexual contact with children is a positive experience for the child” — will be placed on a 10-year supervision order and will be subject to 62 strict conditions.

As a high-risk serious offender, it is hoped that the array of measures will protect the community “against the unacceptable risk” that Dragon will commit another serious offence.

Some of his conditions include anti-libidinal and psychological treatment, providing authorities with his intended daily movements, and no unauthorised contact with anyone aged under 18.

Dragon, who has been diagnosed with “paedophilic disorder” of the non-exclusive type (meaning he is attracted to both girls and boys) will also be subject to GPS monitoring.

Earlier this month, WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said he shared in the public’s concern “with a recidivist child sex offender being released into the community” but promised police would be watching Dragon closely from the moment he stepped out of prison.

“We will have to make sure that we monitor and we will, very very closely,” he said.

“I can assure you … we are highly vigilant in our work with the high-risk serious offender groups; there are very strict conditions and we’ll be doing everything we can to protect the community.”

Premier Mark McGowan made similar comments, saying “if he breaches them (conditions), he’ll go back into custody”.

“He’ll be watched like a hawk,” he said.

WA Liberal Leader David Honey said news of Dragon’s release was “extremely disturbing”.

“It is very clear that he is a long term child offender … it’s hard to see why his behaviour would change given his enormous long history in this area,” he said.

Attorney-General John Quigley said: “It is always a concern when an offender with a serious criminal history is released, however, under the Constitution it is not possible to keep people locked up forever beyond their sentence.”

Dragon was due to be released from prison in December after completing his latest sentence for accessing child pornography at a Perth backpacker hostel just days after being released from jail for another violent crime.

But he had been kept in custody on an interim detention order under the High Risk Serious Offenders Act until Supreme Court Justice Larissa Strk on Tuesday made a ruling on his future.

Under the Act, a person can be placed on an ongoing detention or supervision order after their sentence expires if they are deemed an unacceptable risk to the community.

Justice Strk ruled Dragon should not be kept in custody indefinitely but should instead be placed under strict supervision for the next decade, which will include GPS monitoring.

“Having weighed all the evidence, I am satisfied that the risk that is presented by releasing the respondent on a supervision order can be reduced or guarded against to a level that is reasonably acceptable and will ensure the adequate protection of the community,” Justice Strk said.

Experts said Dragon had “unmet treatment needs” and Justice Strk found there were “more resources available” to meet those needs in the community rather than in prison.

Justice Strk warned Dragon there were “serious consequences” for any breach of the 62 conditions.

(continued)

>>16481831

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Earlier this month, it was revealed the dangerous paedophile, who has spent 31 yeas of his life behind bars, had been given housing ahead of his release date — jumping ahead of the hundreds of families stuck on WA’s public housing waitlist.

At the time, Community Services Minister Simone McGurk acknowledged that while those families could feel frustrated by the move, housing Dragon upon his release from prison was important for authorities to be able to properly monitor him.

He has been provided with housing support through a non-for-profit organisation that isn’t linked to the State Government and the home is a private rental.

It came after Mr McGowan assured people that “homeswest is not providing him with a property”.

Dragon has a decades-long criminal history which began in 1982 and spans several States including New South Wales, Queensland and also Thailand (where he was first convicted of a sexual offence in the early 1990s).

In 1997, Dragon was jailed for 13 years over his “prolonged and depraved” abuse of young girls.

After his release and settling in WA, Dragon served jail time following his conviction for possessing child exploitation material on several occasions between 2007 and 2010.

Dragon was then jailed for five years for brandishing a knife at a young mother as she placed her 11-month old daughter in the back of a car in Mt Lawley in 2012. Dragon was given his latest sentence, of four years and four months in jail, for accessing child pornography at a Perth backpackers hostel just two days after being released from jail for another violent offence in 2017.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/crime/bradley-pen-dragon-high-risk-paedophile-to-walk-free-from-prison-today-c-7237072

Sri Lanka commits to fighting asylum-seeker boat surge as Clare O’Neil meets leaders

AMANDA HODGE and SUSITHA FERNANDO - JUNE 20, 2022

Sri Lanka’s most senior officials have assured Australia that their administration remains committed to battling people smuggling following a fresh wave of asylum boats trying to reach Australia spurred by the economic meltdown in the Indian Ocean country.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and, separately, with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister G L Peiris in Colombo on Monday where she announced $50m in aid for the South Asian nation now facing its worst economic crisis since independence, and reasserted Australia’s commitment to help the government tackle transnational crime, including people smuggling and drug smuggling.

Ms O’Neil also promised Australian government help to promote Sri Lanka to Australian investors and tourists at a time when the country is in desperate need of foreign currency and economic stimulus.

On Tuesday she will open a new fisheries monitoring centre, to provide maritime surveillance of the country’s multi-day fishing trawler fleet – the boat of choice for people smugglers attempting to ferry Sri Lankans to Australia.

Australia has intercepted at least four Sri Lankan asylum boats in recent weeks while Sri Lankan naval authorities say they have intercepted at least 400 asylum seekers in their own waters.

Ms O’Neil told Mr Rajapaksa that her new Labor government remained committed to the previous administration’s Operation Sovereign Borders and would continue its “Zero Chance” advertising campaign to dissuade illegal migration, a statement issued by the President’s office said.

The Sri Lankan leader – who is under intense pressure to quit over the catastrophic situation in the country, which many Sri Lankans blame on his former government’s mismanagement – said he understood “Australia is on high alert for security in the Indian Ocean”.

“President Rajapaksa stated that the Sri Lankan government would extend its fullest support to maintain the Indian Ocean as a security zone,” the statement added.

Some 50 Sri Lankan navy personnel are in Australia on a specialist training program.

The two governments will hold an eighth round of the Sri Lankan Australian joint working group on countering people smuggling and other transnational crimes “when conditions permit”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/50m-sri-lanka-aid-linked-to-asylum-boat-surge/news-story/cf8910bff816161f36840cb1308f2a49

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 21, 2022, 3:39 a.m. No.16481860 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1864

Anthony Albanese’s NATO trip must include a visit to Ukraine

PETER JENNINGS - JUNE 21, 2022

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Should Anthony Albanese go to Kyiv at the end of this month and meet Ukraine’s remarkable President, Volodymyr Zelensky? Absolutely, he should. The Prime Minister will never make an easier decision in office.

Last week Albanese was hesitant about accepting Zelensky’s invitation. He said at a press conference on Friday, “I will take appropriate advice. And obviously there are security issues as well in terms of such a visit.”

Albanese needs to make a decision, not take advice. Going to Kyiv is the right thing to do, not only to support Ukraine but also to make the point that all democracies must work together to resist growing threats from authoritarian Moscow and Beijing.

Albanese’s security is not to be taken lightly, but he will be no less secure than British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has visited Kyiv twice, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and dozens of other European and world leaders who have gone to the Ukrainian capital.

The reason for going would not simply be for a photo opportunity with Zelensky, who has emerged out of a comedy and acting background to become one of the leading political figures of this century. The reason for going is because Australia has a desperate interest in Ukraine enduring through this war.

Albanese should continue to help Zelensky in Ukraine’s moment of greatest need in the same way we want international support to resist Beijing’s bullying and attempts to dominate the Indo-Pacific.

We have a good story to tell. With solid bipartisan backing the Morrison government provided ammunition, artillery, Bushmaster and M113 armoured vehicles, personnel equipment, a substantial shipment of coal and humanitarian support. However, Ukraine’s needs are growing because of the grindingly destructive nature of Russia’s artillery and missile bombardments.

Kyiv has, I think, permanently defeated the Russians in achieving Vladimir Putin’s ambition to take over the capital and install a puppet government. The Russian military now seems intent on destroying in the east of Ukraine what they can’t take by force.

Ukraine still could find its economy smashed and its ability to export severely constrained by Russian assaults on key port cities in the south of the country.

While the Ukrainian military targets its Russian military foes, the Russians are indiscriminately killing civilians by hitting cities with artillery barrages.

Unless more international support is forthcoming the risk is that Ukraine will be ground into submission through exhaustion and lack of military and humanitarian supplies.

An Albanese visit would be a reminder to his own government, the Australian people and the world that we need to keep supporting Ukraine so as not to send a message to authoritarian bullies that the democracies will give up when the pressure is sustained.

Australia cannot afford for Chinese President Xi Jinping to conclude that he can take over Taiwan and dominate the Indo-Pacific simply by being willing to hold out for longer than the democracies in a tough conflict.

A visit to Kyiv should therefore see Albanese offer more support to Ukraine including more military equipment and humanitarian and economic assistance.

One of Kyiv’s most pressing needs is for long-range 155mm artillery ammunition. We could quickly accelerate production of this and other munitions. We could draw on Australian Defence Force Bushmaster and Hawkei protected mobility vehicles with remote weapons stations and rapidly replace them from working production lines.

Soon Ukraine will need sea mine countermeasures equipment and patrol vessels to enable a reopening of the Odesa port. Australia has the technology and intellectual property to provide this equipment.

Whatever support is provided now will be returned across time with the economic opportunities that will come from helping to rebuild Ukraine and, more important, in the political support that we can expect from a democratic Europe facing shared security concerns.

(continued)

>>16481860

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Albanese’s visit to Europe is to participate in a heads of government NATO summit in Madrid at the end of the month. NATO meetings come and go, but this one will be important after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Finland’s and Sweden’s requests to join the alliance. NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has said the Madrid meeting will agree “a major strengthening of our posture (requiring) more robust and combat-ready forward presence, even higher readiness, and more prepositioned equipment and supplies”.

During the Afghanistan conflict the Rudd and Gillard governments pressed to have a seat at the NATO table as one of the most consequential non-NATO coalition members. Australia has since provided Defence secondees into NATO headquarters in Brussels working on China and Indo-Pacific security.

Albanese’s presence at the NATO meeting creates an opportunity for Australia to recast its relationship with the alliance and, indeed, to restart a flagging set of European relationships since Mathias Cormann left the previous cabinet. This would be a departure for Labor, where the policy tendency has been to show Australia’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific by underplaying European connections.

The world has changed. On Monday The Australian’s Commentary page had an article from Britain’s First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, writing on Britain’s Indo-Pacific tilt, while Germany, France, The Netherlands and other European countries have developed Indo-Pacific strategies.

We have no reason to expect practical European interest in our security concerns unless we are prepared to engage with their key issues. This is a point Tokyo understands because Russia presents a continuing danger to Japan’s northern islands.

The key message for Australia is that, facing the emerging authoritarian threat, the security of the world’s true democracies is indivisible. We should remember Benjamin Franklin’s comment at the signing of the US Declaration of Independence: “We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

At Madrid, Albanese should press for a formalised special relationship between NATO and Australia, lifting us beyond the superficial “partners across the globe” relationships that NATO maintains with many countries.

Australia’s previous role with NATO in Afghanistan, our support for Ukraine and our shared interests with European countries in resisting Moscow and Beijing mean that our ties to this key alliance are more consequential than either side recognises.

Just as previous Labor governments did, Albanese has a chance to press for a senior seat at the NATO table, not least to have a voice on Ukrainian developments and to engage NATO planners on Beijing.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/anthony-albaneses-nato-trip-must-include-a-visit-to-ukraine/news-story/31b413acad6f74dab21f312115e11f54

>>16408480

Melbourne man jailed for more than two years over assaults at anti-lockdown protests

Danny Tran - 21 June 2022

An anti-lockdown protester who struck a police horse with a flag pole and tossed a bollard at a mounted officer during Melbourne's violent rallies has been jailed for his "appalling" crimes, but will be eligible for parole in less than a year.

Dennis Basic today appeared in the County Court where he was ordered to spend two years and two months behind bars over the incidents, which occurred during the height of the city's strict COVID restrictions.

The 42-year-old, who pleaded guilty to a number of charges including assaulting an emergency worker and animal cruelty, has already served 326 days on remand.

Judge Douglas Trapnell said Basic, who once wanted to join the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, displayed "aggressive and violent behaviour".

"Your attacks on two police officers and the police force in two separate incidents, nine months apart, show a continuing disregard for the law, and disrespect towards those charged with enforcing the law on behalf of the Victorian community," the judge said.

"Your offending conduct at the rallies towards the police officers and the police horse was unwarranted, disrespectful and appalling.

"It was also dangerous, unprovoked and completely lawless."

Bodycam footage shows violent attack at 2020 protest

In October 2020, Basic marched to the Shrine of Remembrance with thousands of other protesters who were rallying against the strict lockdowns imposed by the Andrews government to limit the spread of COVID-19.

It was there that he physically confronted Senior Constable Jamie Brown at a roadblock on St Kilda Road, near the Arts Centre.

Footage from the police officer's bodyworn camera shows Basic rushing at him.

"You grabbed hold of Senior Constable Brown and struggled with him. You ripped his police-issue baseball cap from his head," Judge Trapnell said.

"While standing in front of him, you yelled obscenities, waved the flag pole you were holding in a threatening manner and gestured as if you wanted him to fight you.

"Senior Constable Brown was performing his lawful duty, protecting the public from the very type of unprovoked and aggressive violence you engaged in. Your conduct is to be denounced in the strongest terms."

A short time later Basic then turned his attention to Leading Senior Constable Jess Walsh, who was on a horse.

"You used the flagpole to forcefully strike the head of the troop horse … multiple times," the judge said.

Confronting bodyworn camera footage shows the horse's head rearing backwards as it was battered.

Basic defies court orders to protest

Basic was arrested weeks later at his home in Narre Warren South, where police found fireworks, flick knives and capsicum spray.

He was granted bail and ordered not to breach lockdown rules again as his case made its way through the courts.

But in July 2021, just four days after another lockdown was extended in Victoria, Basic again marched into Melbourne's CBD with thousands of other protesters.

Security footage shows Basic picking up an orange traffic bollard with a weighted base and hurling it at Senior Constable Christine Brown, who was on horseback, striking her head and shoulder.

Judge Trapnell told the court that the police officer felt a large object strike the back of her head, jolting it forward.

In a victim impact statement, Senior Constable Brown told the court that she was in pain for two months after the attack.

"I feel it is important that the accused understands how dangerous his actions were," she said.

"There was a real risk that I could have fallen off my mount which would have resulted in a riderless horse running through a crowd."

Judge Trapnell said that Basic then blended into the crowd.

"She could easily have fallen off," the judge said.

"This was a cowardly, and unprovoked attack on a mounted police officer performing her duty, committed by a person who shouldn't even have been present at the rally."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-21/melbourne-lockdown-protest-horse-assault-sentencing/101169568

Daniel Andrews introduces a LAW instructing schools to teach students about the 'trauma' of white colonisation and to mark the day Kevin Rudd said sorry to the Stolen Generation

BRETT LACKEY - 21 June 2022

Schools will teach kids about the 'significant trauma' of white colonisation, commemorate 'Sorry Day' and fly the Aboriginal flag under new laws in Victoria.

Premier Dan Andrews said he expected every school to adopt the reconciliation initiatives and that every year level would take part.

'Being reconciled is just that. You can't be reconciled if you're not prepared to acknowledge some pretty awful stuff that happened in the past,' Mr Andrews said on Tuesday.

'It's about making sure that everybody feels equal, everybody feels included and everybody feels safe.'

'I think it might be the whole school and I don't see anything wrong with that.'

Victorian Opposition leader Matthew Guy said it was important for kids to learn about history but it must be done carefully not to create division in children.

'It is important that they do learn lessons of fact from the past, but that is done respectfully,' he said.

'When it involves kids, we've got to make sure that we're not pitting one against the other.'

The new legal standards require that from next term all educational facilities including universities and high schools but also primary schools, kindergartens and childcare centres provide a 'culturally inclusive' environment.

This includes a recognition that will affect teaching frameworks that 'Australia's colonial history has caused significant trauma and hurt that individuals, families and communities still feel'.

Days marking significant reconciliation steps will also be commemorated including Close the Gap Day on March 18, Mabo Day on June 3, and Sorry Day on May 26.

National Close the Gap day, held annually since 2009, is part of a social justice campaign advocating for equality and the health of First Nations people.

Mabo Day marks the concept of 'terra nullius' or land belonging to noone being overturned in a legal case which gave Indigenous Australians land rights.

While Sorry Day notes the apology issued by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the 'stolen generations' who were removed from their families and communities and raised in colonial settings.

In addition to the national days, schools will be encouraged to display plaques noting traditional ownership and take steps to respect Indigenous culture and stamp out racism.

The standards will also apply to government departments, hospitals, councils and also to businesses where children attend such as play gyms and party venues.

The new laws are part of revised Child Safe Standards overseen by the Victorian Commission for Children and Young People.

Principal commissioner Liana Buchanan said compliance would be achieved by working with and supporting educational facilities as well as sanctions for those lagging behind.

New laws to create an independent authority to oversee Victoria's treaty negotiations are also set to pass with bipartisan support.

The Victorian coalition initially reserved backing the Treaty Authority Bill after the Andrews government introduced it in state parliament a fortnight ago.

But Opposition Leader Matthew Guy confirmed the Liberals and Nationals would vote for the bill without amendment after a joint partyroom meeting on Tuesday morning.

'We'll be supporting the legislation when it comes to parliament tomorrow,' he told reporters.

'Reconciliation is a topic that should be around uniting Australians … that's why this is an important step.'

The Victorian coalition announced its support for treaty negotiations in May after Mr Guy suggested a federal process would 'make more sense' before the 2018 state election.

Liberal MP Tim Smith, who will not recontest his seat in November after a drink-driving crash, said he does not support 'illiberal and divisive tokenism' and will vote against the legislation.

'I will be crossing the floor,' he tweeted.

Shadow Aboriginal affairs minister Peter Walsh would not say if Mr Smith or others spoke out against the bill in the partyroom.

'Tim, as an individual, is entitled to his opinions,' he said.

If the legislation passes, as expected, the treaty authority will have legal powers to oversee treaty talks and resolve any disputes between the state government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.

It will be led by Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people elected by an independent panel and be grounded in culture, lore and law.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10936571/Daniel-Andrews-introduces-LAW-schools-teach-students-white-colonisation.html

Julian Assange's brother urges Anthony Albanese to publicly condemn US extradition

James Glenday - 21 June 2022

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Friends and family of Julian Assange are urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to publicly call for the WikiLeaks co-founder's extradition to the United States on espionage charges to be stopped.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel gave the green light at the weekend for Mr Assange to be sent to America, where he faces 18 charges related to his role in publishing classified cables and sensitive military material from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

7.30 has been told the federal government has raised the Australian citizen's plight behind the scenes with our close allies, and senior ministers have said publicly they won't conduct diplomacy via "megaphone".

But some of Mr Assange's closest allies fear quiet, behind-the-scenes representations to the US and UK might not be enough.

They claim there is a serious chance Mr Assange could be on a plane within weeks and are urging the PM to now make a public statement, clearly expressing Australia's displeasure.

"There will be some diplomacy behind the scenes, but publicly just make the position clear," Gabriel Shipton, Mr Assange's brother, urged Mr Albanese.

"Be clear what the Australian people are asking you to do, which is to bring Julian home.

"It puts them in a position where they have to say no to a strategic ally. I don't really see the Biden Administration turning around and saying no to one of its most strategic allies at this time."

Last year, Mr Albanese said he failed to see what purpose was being served by the ongoing incarceration of Mr Assange.

"There's been a heavy price paid," the then-opposition leader said.

"Now, I don't agree with a whole range of Julian Assange's views but there needs to be a point at which you say that enough is enough," he added.

On Monday, Mr Albanese declared he stood by his previous comments but did not repeat them.

"I'll make this point as well. There are some people who think that if you put things in capital letters on Twitter and put an exclamation mark that somehow makes it more important. It doesn't," he said.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has long advocated for the release of the WikiLeaks co-founder and believes support for him has grown substantially in the federal parliament.

He said the PM could rely on significant, cross-party support, if he does make a public statement.

"We've run out of time for polite backchannels and diplomatic manoeuvres. What we need now is the strongest possible action by the Australian government," Mr Wilkie said.

"I'm in no doubt if Anthony Albanese was to make a strong comment… it would make a difference.

"Now more than ever the Australian government has to stop mincing its words, hiding behind every excuse and take action."

Mr Assange's lawyers plan to appeal the UK Home Secretary's extradition decision within the next two weeks.

(continued)

>>16482064

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Mixed views within government over Assange's plight

Mr Assange's lawyers have always maintained he is a journalist, or publisher, who is being persecuted by America for embarrassing it by exposing military wrongdoing.

But the US Justice Department accuses him of being involved in illegal hacking and helping Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst, get the classified information.

There are a variety of views with the federal Labor Party about Mr Assange's plight and what should be done.

Backbencher Julian Hill labelled the extradition "appalling".

"[Chelsea] Manning, who leaked classified material exposing US war crimes, has been pardoned, yet Assange who published it (a journalistic activity) is facing an effective death sentence," he wrote in a tweet.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles is among a group of MPs who seem less interested in intervening.

In a statement, a spokeswoman said "this is a matter for the United Kingdom", adding that Mr Assange could expect consular assistance like other Australians facing legal proceedings abroad.

Some Labor MPs dislike Mr Assange because he published unredacted documents. The US has long said that put some of its secret sources at risk.

Other MPs don't like that he fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations, an investigation that was discontinued several years ago.

Some share similar views to Democrat politicians in the United States. They suspect he damaged Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign when he published emails from the Democratic Party and her campaign chairman ahead of the 2016 election, which was ultimately won by Donald Trump.

"This case is not about the 2016 publications," Jennifer Robinson, one of Mr Assange's lawyers, explained.

"It is not in any way part of this case, so whatever your political views are… it is not the reason for which Julian faces his whole life in a US prison."

Assange accrues more high-profile allies

There has been a persistent campaign by Mr Assange's supporters to lobby politicians about his case.

A few MPs told 7.30 they have received a large number of phone calls since the federal election.

But in recent months, the Wikileaks cofounder has also received the backing of high-profile Australians outside politics.

"I might not agree with Assange and everything that he and Wikileaks have done in the past but I don't think he is a spy," said Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an academic and author who was detained in Iran, falsely accused of espionage.

She said being imprisoned with no clear end date is akin to torture and takes an enormous mental toll.

"If you're just being kept in such conditions with no hope of a reprieve and no end in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel, that's part of the torture," she said.

"You despair, you give up, perhaps you self-harm, perhaps you want to end it all and, you know, kill yourself.

"Reports about Assange suggest he is in that place right now. It is very, very disturbing to me."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-20/julian-assange-brother-urges-albanese-to-condemn-extradition/101168826

>>16482064

Julian Assange's brother urges Anthony Albanese to publicly condemn US extradition | 7.30

ABC News (Australia)

Jun 21, 2022

Supporters of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange are urging the Albanese government to make a clear public statement, demanding his extradition from the UK to the United States be stopped. There's a perception that successive Labor and Coalition governments have not made his situation a priority, and so the question now is whether the new Albanese government will. Here’s political reporter James Glenday.

Read more here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-20/julian-assange-brother-urges-albanese-to-condemn-extradition/101168826

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu8voU9KTN8

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on June 20, 2022

CCTV: It is reported that on June 17, the UK home secretary approved the extradition of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, to the US. Wikileaks said in a statement that Assange is a “journalist and a publisher” who “is being punished for doing his job”. Do you have any comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: We have taken note of the reports. Wikileaks, founded by Julian Assange, released large numbers of documents on US-launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and disclosed facts about CIA’s cyber hacking operations. Over the past decade or so, the US government has responded by making up charges against Assange including sexual assault, espionage and computer misuse and clamping down on him through secret surveillance, global hunt, backroom deals, etc. with the single purpose of putting him behind bars.

The UK has spared no effort in assisting the US in arresting and extraditing Assange and processed the case at top speed. This puts on full display the UK’s allegiance to its special relationship with the US, and highlights the fact that the US and the UK have worked hand in glove to bring transnational repression against particular individuals.

The case of Julian Assange is a mirror. It reflects the hypocrisy of the US and the UK on “press freedom”: people are free to expose other countries but subject to severe punishment if they expose the US, the UK and their allies; people are treated either as heroes if they expose other countries or as criminals if they expose the US, the UK and their partners; in other countries, holding the media accountable amounts to “political persecution”, while in the US and the UK, clamping down on media is to “act in accordance with the law”.

All eyes are on Assange’s human rights conditions and what may become of him. Let us hope and believe that at the end of the day, fairness and justice will prevail. Hegemony and abuse of might will certainly not last forever.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220620_10706597.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 22, 2022, 3:37 a.m. No.16487659 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7682

Olympic swim coach Dick Caine charged after allegedly sexually abusing teenage girls

Hamish Spence - June 22, 2022

Celebrated swim coach Dick Caine has been charged after allegedly sexually abusing teenage girls he trained more than 40 years ago in Sydney’s south.

The 76-year-old, who coached more than a dozen Olympic and world champions, has been charged with nine offences over alleged incidents that occurred in the 1970s.

He was charged with six counts of carnal knowledge by a teacher of a girl aged 10-17 years and three counts of assault female and commit act of indecency of a girl aged between 14 and 16.

Police received information in January 2021 about sexual and indecent assaults of a teenage girl at a swim school in Sydney’s south during the 1970s.

Strike Force Coco was subsequently established by Kings Cross detectives to investigate the matter.

Police received information during the course of the investigation about additional sexual abuse incidents involving another teenage girl at the same swim school.

Police allege the incidents took place in in south Sydney locations in the mid-1970s while the girls were under Mr Caine’s authority as a swimming coach.

They were 15 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending.

Following extensive inquiries, detectives arrested Mr Caine at a Condell Park home about 7.10am on Wednesday.

He was taken to Bankstown Police Station where he was charged and refused bail.

He will appear before Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday.

Acting Superintendent Chris Nicholson encouraged all victim survivors of sexual abuse to contact police.

“I would like to acknowledge the courage and bravery of the victims who have come forward in relation to this matter,” he said

“It is never easy for a victim of sexual violence to come forward and tell their story to police.

“What today should show is that whether the NSW Police Force receives an allegation of sexual violence that occurred yesterday, last week, last year or 50 years, we will investigate all matters that come to our attention with our full potential and wrap our full support around victim survivors as they tell their story.”

Mr Caine was the head coach at Carss Park Swimming Pool for more than 40 years before it closed in 2020.

The charges come after he was inducted into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame earlier this year.

The police investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

https://crimestoppers.com.au/

https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/former-swim-coach-arrested-after-allegedly-sexually-abusing-teenage-girls/news-story/bf3915c0a83dbc1ec1ce6120b2b468e2

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 22, 2022, 3:56 a.m. No.16487682 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7685

>>16487659

Legendary swim coach Dick Caine bailed on historic sex abuse charges has months to live

Renowned swim coach Dick Caine, charged with abusing two teenage girls in the 1970s, has been bailed after a court heard he is terminally ill.

Josh Hanrahan and Perry Duffin - June 22, 2022

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Famed swim coach Dick Caine, charged with abusing two teenage former students in the 1970s, has been bailed after his wife revealed he is dying of cancer and has only months to live.

Investigators say the alleged victims were “courageous” in speaking out as endorsements from prominent Australian athletes and politicians are unearthed from the coach’s past.

Caine, 76, was arrested on Wednesday morning at his Condell Park home after police began investigating allegations made by one girl in January 2021, Superintendant Chris Nicholson told media.

Police will allege the girl was a swim school student in the mid-1970s and formed Strikeforce Coco to investigate the claims.

A second alleged victim came forward, another former student, to make claims she was abused at about the same time, police allege.

Caine appeared in Bankstown Local Court via videolink on Wednesday afternoon charged with nine historic charges; six counts of carnal knowledge as a teacher of a girl aged 10-17 and three counts of indecent assault.

The coach appeared on the screen from a grey room at Bankstown Police Station, wearing a grey hoodie and wide glasses, as solicitor Bryan Wrench applied for his release on bail.

His wife, Jennifer, stepped into the witness box to explain Caine has lung and throat cancer and is in palliative care as an outpatient.

“He has strokes, he has cancer of the lung, cancer of the throat. He has seizures, he has heart problems, he has a pacemaker,” she explained.

Caine has “maybe six months”, his wife told the court.

Mr Wrench said Caine’s good standing in the community and poor health gave them real fears he may die in prison if not bailed.

The Caines have been inundated with support from former students since news of his arrest broke, Mrs Caine told the court.

The court heard Caine had not left the country in more than a decade because of his health and he would follow all bail conditions imposed.

He invited the police into his home for an interview in 2021 and did not flee the country, the court heard, and the police returned to charge him on Wednesday morning.

The police prosecutor told the court there were “concerning” allegations against Caine and he could be put behind bars if found guilty.

The magistrate noted the delay in the NSW District Court, where such a trial would likely be held, was longer than Caine’s expected life.

He was released on bail with conditions including a $10,000 surety and reporting to police.

(continued)

>>16487682

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Mr Wrench, outside court, said he would ask police to discontinue the case against Caine.

“Today NSW Police charged an innocent man, a terminally ill man, for an offence that occurred 46 years ago,” the solicitor said.

“He is going to fight to his dying last breath to clear his name, it’s a terrible situation.”

Caine walked from Bankstown Police Station shortly following the court hearing.

“I would like to acknowledge the courage and bravery of the victims who have come forward in relation to this matter,” Supt Nicholson said earlier on Wednesday.

“It is never easy for a victim of sexual violence ot come forward and tell their story to police.”

“Standing here today I would like to say, to all victims of sexual abuse living in our community, that the NSW Police Force wants to listen to your story.”

Police will claim the abuse took place over almost two years in the 1970s and “at various locations” around southern Sydney.

Supt Nicholson said he could not comment on whether police believed there were other alleged victims - but pledged investigators wanted to hear from everyone who claimed to have been abused whether recently or 50 years ago.

“We will investigate all matters that come to our attention with our full potential and we will wrap our full support around victim survivors as they tell their story,” he said.

Police claim the alleged victims were aged 15 and 16-years-old at the time of the abuse.

Caine’s website features dozens of photos of the coach with students but also with famous boxers, swimmers and supporters in the decades before the allegations against him were known by police - and now the public.

An undated letter from then-NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian congratulates Caine on 45 years of “hard work, persistence and dedicated service” to the community.

Ms Berejiklian, in the letter, notes Caine trained 11 Olympic and World champions and his impact on multiple generations of children as they learned to swim.

Former shock jock Alan Jones, in a 2015 letter, agrees with Caine’s assessment of political polls, the “treachery” against Tony Abbott and the coach’s hatred of Malcolm Turnbull.

Prime Minister John Howard, in 2003, congratulated Caine on winning the Centenary Medal.

A biographical piece on the coach’s website says the medal is proudly displayed in the pool.

The same profile describes Caine’s personal motto, displayed over some old squad jumpers in the office, “Sweat, Sacrifice, Success”.

Cane told the profile writer that he was waiting until he turned 80 to have a restful retirement.

His case will return at a later date.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/legendary-swim-coach-dick-caine-arrested-over-alleged-sex-abuse/news-story/32869faed622d0437b8d317a0f2dab4a

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 22, 2022, 4:01 a.m. No.16487690 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7699

‘Sex terrorist’ pedophile Geoffrey William Moyle’s eight-year sentence revoked on appeal, replaced with 12-year term

The Adelaide-based “sex terrorist” who pioneered the dark web’s vile global child exploitation industry has been resentenced in a decision set to change Australian law.

Sean Fewster - June 22, 2022

An Adelaide man dubbed a “sex terrorist” for pioneering the global child exploitation industry will remain behind bars until 2032 – setting a new Australian standard for such crimes.

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal revoked Geoffrey William Moyle’s existing eight-year sentence, for abusing and filming child sex slaves, and replaced it with a 12-year term.

The sentence is just shy of the 14-year term sought by Commonwealth prosecutors and sets a new punishment standard for Australians who abuse children overseas.

Moyle – aka “Waka”, the pedophile whose child abuse images and videos helped start the dark web – was eligible for release in 2024, but now cannot apply for parole until February 2027 at the earliest.

Moyle, 49, of Westbourne Park, was known online as “Waka” and praised, by perverts, as the man who “wrote the Bible on child abuse”.

He was among the first pedophiles to post his crimes – committed against child sex slaves overseas – online for others to view.

After a 20-year international manhunt, Moyle was finally apprehended by SA’s elite Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team in 2019.

Although the District Court jailed him for nearly a decade, it backdated his sentence – leaving Moyle eligible for parole in 2024.

Prosecutors dubbed that penalty “inadequate” and filed an appeal, saying Moyle’s crimes made him “a sex terrorist”.

In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal granted the prosecution’s challenge.

Chief Justice Chris Kourakis, and Justices David Lovell and Sam Doyle, said Moyle should be resentenced.

They ordered he serve 12 years’ jail, with a seven-year non-parole period, for the Commonwealth offences.

They further ordered that sentence commence after Moyle’s nine-month term for SA crimes – a period that was backdated to his arrest in 2019.

In its judgment, the court said there was “a great disparity” in Moyle’s sentencing, rendering his original term “manifestly inadequate” and in need of “correction”.

The court said it would have imposed a 16-year term if not for Moyle’s guilty pleas.

“(The original sentence) fails to recognise the harm caused to the many victims of Moyle’s persistent offending,” the court said.

“(Its) manifest inadequacy is indicative of an error of principle in its failure to reflect the societal expectation that the enforcement of the statutory provisions would protect children in developing countries from the predatory conduct of visiting Australian residents.”

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/sex-terrorist-pedophile-geoffrey-william-moyles-eightyear-sentence-revoked-on-appeal-replaced-with-12year-term/news-story/028ae6ca3d13234128fb2d37700fb58f

>>16487690

Adelaide paedophile Geoffrey William Moyle has sentence extended to 12 years

Rebecca Brice - 22 June 2022

An Adelaide paedophile jailed for filming himself sexually abusing children in Cambodia will spend an extra three years in jail after a prosecution appeal.

Geoffrey William Moyle was jailed for eight years, nine months and 19 days for pleading guilty to sexually assaulting multiple children between 2002 and 2005.

But the Court of Appeal found that sentence did not reflect society's expectations for protecting vulnerable children overseas from Australian predators.

Moyle was caught through a US investigation into an online bulletin board used to advertise and distribute child exploitation material.

The 49-year-old was identified by the username 'waka', which was traced back to his Cambodian residence through his computer use.

When he posted comments and other pictures on the bulletin board from Australia, Australian Federal Police tracked him down and he was arrested in 2019.

Sentence fails victims

Commonwealth prosecutors argued the jail sentence – which could have seen Moyle released on parole after four-and-a-half years — was inadequate.

A panel of three judges — Chief Justice Chris Kourakis, Justice David Lovell and Justice Sam Doyle – agreed, stating it was "so substantially below the range of sentences warranted" that it needed correcting.

"It fails to recognise the harm caused to the many victims of Mr Moyle's persistent offending," the court ruled.

The court found the original sentence did not reflect society's expectations of a penalty which would "protect children in developing countries from the predatory conduct of visiting Australian residents".

The court also found Moyle was fortunate that the sentencing judge accepted his argument that he offended because he was lonely.

It stated that Moyle's offending, his detailed and sophisticated recordings and the "cold commentary" accompanying his online posts, demonstrated "a worrying lack of empathy in the pursuit of his sexual gratification".

"The victims of Mr Moyle's offending are not limited to the nine victims of each of the offences of which he was convicted," the appeal judgement stated.

"Mr Moyle's participation in the commercial exploitation of children played its part in supporting the ongoing trade of those who peddle in the misery of children.

"Opportunistic participants in that trade can have no empathy for the suffering of the victims."

The court set a new head sentence of 12 years for the offences Moyle committed in Cambodia.

He will be eligible for parole after serving seven years behind bars.

Moyle is also serving a nine-month sentence for possessing child exploitation material in Australia.

Last year, Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Gail McClure put out a stern warning that police will "work relentlessly to bring these sort of evil perpetrators to justice".

Described as an Australian first, a "very generous" out-of-court settlement was reached between Moyle and one of his child victims in 2021, though an exact dollar figure was not specified.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-22/adelaide-paedophile-geoffrey-william-moyle-sentence-extended/101173814

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 22, 2022, 4:13 a.m. No.16487707 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7725

Babysitter pleads guilty to raping baby and sexually abusing other children

A 24-year-old babysitter has pleaded guilty to one of the most monstrous of crimes as well as sexually abusing several other children.

Angie Raphael - June 21, 2022

A babysitter has pleaded guilty to more than 100 offences, including raping a baby and sexually abusing several other children.

Jareth Thomas Harries-Markham was originally charged with 221 child sex offences, but this week he faced Perth Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to 141 charges, including multiple counts of sexual penetration of a child under 13.

Other charges included multiple counts of indecently recording and indecently dealing with a child.

The remaining charges against the 24-year-old were discontinued.

Police previously revealed Harries-Markham committed his crimes between July 2020 and August last year while he was working as a babysitter.

“It is alleged that the man advertised his services through an online babysitting service,” police said in a statement at the time.

Harries-Markham was arrested on August 22 at his Bennett Springs home after a police raid.

Police revealed at the time that they seized child exploitation material as well as several gel blasters and “edged weapons”.

Harries-Markham is scheduled to face the West Australian Supreme Court on September 27.

https://www.news.com.au/national/western-australia/babysitter-pleads-guilty-to-raping-baby-and-sexually-abusing-other-children/news-story/8888d2d44bf2f2f740177c4d2ba09797

>>16487707

Babysitter, 24, admits to raping an infant and molesting more than a DOZEN other children after gaining the trust of parents

TITA SMITH - 21 June 2022

A paedophile babysitter has confessed to committing 141 sex crimes against kids entrusted into his care after he successfully advertised his child minding services online.

Jareth Thomas Harries-Markham, 24, fronted Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with 221 child sex offences relating to more than a dozen children he babysat between July 2020 and August last year.

Appearing via video link with a black left eye, Harries-Markham pleaded guilty to 141 of the offences, which included raping a baby and molesting several other children.

The remaining charges were dropped and Harries Markham will face a sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court in September, The West Australian reports.

The court heard Harries-Markham used two websites to spruik his babysitting services, claiming on one that he loved 'helping bring up kids to be the best that they can be'.

After gaining the trust of parents, he took jobs across Perth and the state's North West where he committed the crimes - which included 10 counts of sexually penetrating a child under 13.

On website WeNeedANanny.com, he claimed he had more than four years of experience, a Working With Children card, police checks, and a first aid certificate.

'I'm a pretty easy going guy who is open to care for any age any hrs. Open to handling things anyway the family wants,' he wrote.

In an ad on another site, he offered to babysit for $20 to $25 an hour and said his babysitting experience spanned more than five years.

Harries-Markham was arrested after police raided his Bennett Springs home on August 22 and found child exploitation material.

Child abuse detectives also seized several gel blasters and 'edged weapons' they found at the premises.

He was initially charged with 14 child sex offences, including sexual assault of a child under 12 months and producing child abuse material, as well as possession of prohibited weapons.

As the investigation progressed, further charges were laid after detectives discovered more victims.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10937039/Babysitter-24-admits-raping-infant-molesting-DOZEN-children.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10009021/Perth-babysitter-faces-194-child-sex-charges-including-sexually-abusing-baby-11-kids.html

From Rose Bay to riot squad raid: police target alleged Dark Web dealers

Sally Rawsthorne - June 22, 2022

Two Sydney brothers enjoyed stellar reviews for their alleged large-scale online drug business, sending up to 60 deliveries a day that police say earned them millions.

“30,000 sales on here,” read Aussiepillimporter’s advertisement. “Similar sales off platform.”

Claiming 60,000 transactions wasn’t an idle boast, police say; for seven years, brothers Alexander Busse of Rose Bay and Ioan Busu of Chatswood allegedly sold cocaine, MDMA, prescription drugs and other illicit substances in small amounts to thousands of users across the country via the Dark Web.

It came crashing down when half a dozen Riot Squad officers broke down the door of Busse’s Rose Bay apartment last month, removing him from the building in handcuffs, charging him with a raft of drug supply offences, participating in a criminal group and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

His younger brother is also facing counts of drug supply, participating in a criminal group and dealing with the proceeds of crime. A failed bail application by Busu heard the investigation is “at its infancy and appears to be getting stronger and stronger”, with further charges expected to be laid.

Both remain before the courts.

The Dark Web is a hidden collective of websites typically offering illicit goods or services on which users remain anonymous.

It now represents a global $14 billion industry according to Chainalysis’ annual Crypto Crime Report, with illicit sites doubling their revenue from 2020’s $7 billion.

Operating similarly to legitimate businesses, the brothers allegedly purchased drugs from wholesalers and then packaged them into small amounts - half a gram of cocaine or one or two pills - for home delivery.

The brothers were among the state’s biggest Dark Web dealers when they were arrested in April, the culmination of a two-year investigation by the State Crime Command’s cybercrime squad.

The length of time they had been allegedly selling drugs made them stand out among the thousands of Dark Web drug vendors across the state and “hundreds” of organised or serious criminal players in the space, cybercrime commander detective superintendent Matt Craft said.

“It started as we do with any investigation, looking at the individuals and who may be involved and working backwards from there,” he said from the cybercrime squad’s top-secret headquarters, a nondescript high-security building in Sydney’s west where the 70-strong squad investigates Dark Web dealings, online scams and business email compromise.

Like most vendors on the Dark Web, who depend on positive reviews to generate new business, the brothers’ alleged operations were highly professional.

“Your reputation is everything,” Craft said.

Investigators seized cocaine, MDMA, powders suspected to be drugs, thousands of tablets and about 17 kilograms of lollies police say were laced with THC during the raid on Busse’s high-end Rose Bay unit from where they were allegedly running their operation.

Close to $60,000, multiple phones, computers and a ring worth $100,000 were also seized, with the NSW Crime Commission having begun proceedings to confiscate Busse’s assets.

“If you look at what we’ve been able to seize in terms of property, it’s been millions of dollars that we would allege would be obtained as a consequence of criminal behaviour,” Craft said.

Police also seized millions of dollars worth of assets from married Lake Macquarie couple Matthew Crawford and Nicole Wood when investigators swooped on the pair in April.

From an e-cigarette shop in Belmont that police say was a front, the couple were allegedly selling vape pens containing tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, the primary psychotic compound in marijuana.

Wood has been charged with 10 drug supply offences, while her husband is facing 14 charges.

They both remain in prison on remand.

Craft said these two arrests show the challenge of policing across borders where anonymity is built into the crime.

“If people are operating on the Dark Web, it’s only a matter of time before NSW Police or our partner agencies are knocking on your door. We will take your assets and we will put you before a court.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/from-rose-bay-to-riot-squad-raid-police-target-alleged-dark-web-dealers-20220616-p5auea.html

>>16252718 (pb)

Victoria parliament passes bill banning Nazi symbol, with offenders facing up to a year in jail

abc.net.au - 22 June 2022

Victoria has become the first Australian jurisdiction to ban the Nazi swastika, with those who defy the ban to face jail terms and hefty fines.

Legislation passed both houses of parliament on Tuesday making it a crime to publicly and intentionally display the Nazi symbol — known as the Hakenkreuz.

Those who do so could face up to 12 months in jail and a $22,000 fine.

The symbol will still be able to be used in appropriate contexts, given its cultural and historical relevance.

The swastika, an equilateral cross with the arms bent at 90 degrees to the right, is an ancient symbol that is 15,000 years old and used in a number of religions as a symbol of divinity.

The state government said it consulted "religious, legal and community groups … to understand the religious use of the swastika and ensure exceptions are in place for appropriate displays of the Nazi symbol, such as for educational or artistic purposes".

The government will fund a campaign to educate the public on the importance of the symbol to these communities, and how it is different from the Nazi symbol.

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said in a statement that the symbol "does nothing but cause further pain and division".

"It's a proud moment to see these important laws pass with bipartisan support – I'm glad to see that no matter what side of politics, we can agree that this vile behaviour will not be tolerated in Victoria," she said.

Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, welcomed the ban, for which he has been campaigning for the past five years.

"As our nation confronts the deep stain of a resurgent white-supremacist movement that peddles a dangerous and dehumanising agenda, this parliament has declared that the symbol of Nazism will never find a safe harbour in our state," he said.

The legislation will come into effect in six months.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-22/victoria-passes-bill-banning-nazi-swastika/101172344

‘Very appealing’: US vaccine giant looks to amp up Australian trials

Emma Koehn - June 22, 2022

COVID-19 vaccine maker Novavax is looking to do more clinical trials in Australia, including further research to develop its combined coronavirus and influenza vaccine.

The US biotech’s chief medical officer Filip Dubovsky told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the strength of Australia’s medical research sector has been a significant drawcard for the company.

“We find this a very appealing place to do work — it is very sophisticated, the medical infrastructure is very good, and the regulatory and political structures are favourable,” he said.

“We’re kind of scoping out to see where we [can be] doing additional work in the future.”

Novavax supplies one of the four COVID-19 vaccines available in the Australian market and has already undertaken a range of research projects here.

Dubovsky said the company was “agnostic” about the locations and partners it could use in future, saying Novavax had done work in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland but was open to other sites.

The company will be advancing trials for its combined coronavirus and influenza vaccine, which it started researching in Australia last year in a phase 1 study.

The next stage of trials will launch in Australia before the end of this year, Dubovsky said.

Fellow US vaccine maker Moderna is also racing to develop a one-shot vaccine for both COVID and the flu, with the company telling this masthead this week that the product could be made in its Melbourne manufacturing facility once it opens in 2024.

Dubovsky would not comment on whether Novavax’s product was more advanced in its development than Moderna’s at this stage, but said the industry was moving towards developing vaccines that target more than one respiratory virus at a time.

“We are in the position where we [think we] will get to annual boosting for COVID,” he said.

Current booster uptake figures around the world suggest that “people are getting tired of having to get re-vaccinated”, he said.

Australia has been focused on its sovereign vaccine manufacturing capability over the past two years, and is soon set to get two new manufacturing facilities. CSL is building at $800 million flu vaccine manufacturing facility at Tullamarine, while Moderna will set up an mRNA vaccine plant at a to-be-announced location in Melbourne.

Novavax is unlikely to join them as a local manufacturer, however, with Dubovsky confirming the company does not currently need any new production sites to meet demand for products.

“We can meet all global needs from the facilities we have right now.”

Instead, Australia looks set to become more of a research hub for the business.

Novavax’s product pipeline includes vaccines for malaria, ebola, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/very-appealing-us-vaccine-giant-looks-to-amp-up-australian-trials-20220622-p5avnu.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 22, 2022, 4:52 a.m. No.16487812 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7815

>>16471670

>>16476813

FM demands explanation following report of Five Eyes building China infiltration rumors

Global Times - Jun 21, 2022

While the Five Eyes Alliance is interfering and infiltrating into China, they are distorting the facts and blaming China of "infiltration" instead, which reveals their deep-rooted Cold War mentality and ideological bias, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on the Five Eyes Alliance's action to tarnish China's image in the world.

When asked about the Global Times' exclusive report on the Five Eyes Alliance which is fabricating evidence that intends to show China is "infiltrating politically into Western countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Tuesday that China demands an explanation from relevant countries.

In terms of political infiltration, Western countries such as the US have considerable expertise in practicing it, Wang noted.

In the name of "freedom and democracy," the US instigated "color revolutions" in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and other places to create regional turbulence to achieve its own geopolitical goals, Wang said.

In the American writer William Blum's book, America's Deadliest Export: Democracy - The Truth about US Foreign Policy and Everything Else, Blum noted that the US had attempted to overthrow more than 50 foreign administrations and had interfered in elections in at least 30 countries.

Politicians in the US, the UK, and other countries are in collusion with secessionists in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Acting as a pawn and white glove of the US government, the National Endowment for Democracy has repeatedly interfered in Hong Kong's affairs, attempting to turn the city into a bridgehead for subversion and infiltration, Wang added.

The fact that the US and the UK are interfering and infiltrating into China, while distorting facts and blaming China instead, reveals their deep-rooted Cold War mentality and ideological bias, Wang said.

In the name of "anti-infiltration," relevant countries have carried out political persecution against persons engaged in normal exchanges and cooperation with China, to create a chilling effect and to bring McCarthyism back to life, which has not only seriously damaged the bilateral relations between these countries and China, but also encouraged racial discrimination and hateful words and deeds in these countries, Wang noted.

Wang asked what it meant to the Five Eyes Alliance that Taiwan authorities have reportedly spent $140,000 in buying phone calls with the US president and opportunities for making contact with top American officials.

China urged relevant countries to stop political infiltration, stop spreading false information about China, and stop containing and suppressing China with unscrupulous tactics, Wang said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268700.shtml

>>16487812

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on June 21, 2022

Global Times: It is reported that the Five Eyes alliance is collecting and forging evidence to fabricate rumors that China is conducting “political infiltration” into Western countries, with the aim of tarnishing China’s image in the world. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: We have noted the reports. Countries concerned must give an explanation for this.

“Political infiltration” is a signature act of countries like the US and the UK. In the name of freedom and democracy, the US instigated color revolutions and created turbulence in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, Latin America, etc. to serve its own geopolitical agenda. As American writer William Blum noted in his book America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy, since the end of World War II, the US has made attempts to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments and grossly interfered in elections in at least 30 countries. Politicians in the US, the UK and other countries frequently colluded with anti-China rioters in Hong Kong. The US co-opted with other Five Eyes countries to lecture China on Hong Kong affairs by issuing joint statements. The National Endowment for Democracy acted as the “henchman” and “white glove” of the US government and meddled repeatedly in Hong Kong’s political agenda to make Hong Kong a “bridgehead” for subversion and infiltration against the mainland. These plain facts are for all to see.

On top of all their infiltration and interference activities in China, countries like the US and the UK have sought to deflect the blame on China. This reveals their deeply held Cold War mentality and ideological bias. In the name of preventing “infiltration”, certain countries have politically persecuted individuals having normal exchanges and cooperation with China, creating a chilling effect and reviving McCarthyism. Such moves not only gravely undermined bilateral relations with China but also fed racial discrimination and hate speech and act domestically. The “China Initiative” launched by the US and the “China Research Group” set up by anti-China lawmakers in the UK are typical cases in point. As disclosed by media reports, the Tsai Ing-wen authorities paid big bucks for phone calls with US leaders and interactions with senior US officials. I wonder what the Five Eyes make of this?

We urge relevant countries to stop political infiltration, stop spreading disinformation on China and stop relentlessly containing and suppressing China.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220621_10707226.html

>>16461309

>>16461315

Increase in number of Chinese students depends on Australia

Global Times - Jun 21, 2022

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Thursday, Vicki Thomson, chief executive of the Group of Eight, which represents elite Australian universities, expressed her strong wish to boost connections with China. She said, "We look forward to welcoming them [Chinese students] back as soon as possible."

However, a report by the Chinese version of the Voice of America said that Thomson's review has been criticized by those who accused the Australian universities of sacrificing Australian values and even Australian security in order to increase earnings.

The idea of linking ideology with academic fields turns out to be really absurd. Some Western countries, including Australia, have portrayed themselves as advocates of academic freedom. But on the other hand, they tend to put ideological differences above academic freedom. Haven't they realized how hypocritical they are?

Australia labels itself as "the world's most successful multicultural society," and claims that the country was once one of the favorable destinations for education among Chinese students, which contributes a lot to its economic development.

However, with the deterioration in China-Australia ties, some Australian politicians politicized quite a few China-related topics. Some Chinese students were groundlessly deported for concealing military training, and some Australia research institutes have suspended their collaboration with Chinese organizations.

Such a situation goes against the trend of the times and is not conducive to the sound development of China-Australia relations. Many Chinese students are reluctant to go to study in Australia given its hostile atmosphere, undermined by some Australian politicians.

International education is a big contributor to Australia's economy and Chinese students accounted for a big portion of international students in Australia. In 2019, before the severe and evident deterioration in China-Australia ties, international education contributed A$40 billion ($29 billion) to Australian economy. But the number of Chinese students in Australia is declining. According to data provided by the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment, there were 166,319 Chinese students in Australia in January-September 2021, dropping nearly 13 percent year-on-year. There were 190,926 and 211,965 Chinese students in Australia in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Before the pandemic, Chinese nationals reportedly accounted for about one-third of the international enrollments at Australian universities.

"In this context, it is completely illogical and insensible to rampantly impose political barriers on educational and academic freedom toward Chinese students, which is detrimental to the Australian economy," Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Thompson's remarks are representative of Australian education and business circles, many members of which have been dissatisfied with the federal government's China policy. Fifteen scholars from Australian universities also called for an improvement in China-Australia ties in an open letter released on May 26.

With the decline of the number of Chinese students, some Australian universities are undergoing grave financial difficulties and have to reduce pay, cut teachers and employees, and drop some disciplines. This will gravely affect Australia's education and research.

However, in addition to Australia, Chinese students' destinations for education are diversified. Australians should be aware that when their education market for Chinese students is replaced by other countries and regions, it will be difficult for Australia to resume its attraction to Chinese students.

Although Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeated some harsh clichés on China-Australia relations, many still see the Labor Party's coming into power as an opportunity to reset Australia's ties with China. China has sent sufficient goodwill. For example, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message to Albanese on his assumption of office.

"Whether the number of Chinese students studying in Australia will increase and whether China-Australia relations will improve depends entirely on Australia. One month has passed since Albanese won, and it seems that his administration has yet to formulate its China policy." Chen noted, "It is hoped Australia's China policy can be rational and takes into consideration of more Australia's national interest, instead of blindly following the US' anti-China strategy and continuing to be Washington's anti-China vanguard."

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268699.shtml

https://www.voachinese.com/a/chinese-students-seen-as-key-to-australia-s-economic-recovery-20220620/6624743.html

Russian victory over Ukraine would embolden China: envoy

Andrew Tillett - Jun 22, 2022

A Russian victory over Ukraine would embolden China and may spark open hostilities in the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine’s top local diplomat warns, as he steps up pleas for more weapons ahead a crucial leaders’ security summit Anthony Albanese will attend next week.

Mr Albanese also hinted he was likely to take up an invitation to visit Kyiv, saying he was continuing to take advice from security officials but he could not divulge details.

Mr Albanese spoke to the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday ahead of his attendance at the NATO leaders summit in Madrid, where Russia’s unprovoked invasion will dominate talks.

But the summit will also have a Chinese dimension, with leaders from South Korea, Japan and New Zealand joining Mr Albanese to provide an Indo-Pacific perspective.

Addressing the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on Wednesday evening, Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko praised Australia for the weapons it had already supplied to Ukraine, which have included armoured vehicles and ammunition.

He said it was time for other countries to follow Australia’s lead in recognising the deteriorating global strategic environment caused by Russia and China and responded by building up its military.

“The world, and Ukraine in particular, needs Australia’s example and Australia’s influence if we – all of us – are to preserve the sovereign community of independent nations that we have come to expect as the normal state of the world,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.

The envoy said Russia’s invasion was not just a challenge for Europe and the US.

“However much Australia quite rightly will focus on the Indo-Pacific, this much is true: Australia’s Indo-Pacific focus will become immeasurably more difficult and more threatening to Australia’s regional security aspirations and environment if Russia wins in Ukraine,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.

“If Russia loses its military invasion of Ukraine then the reputation and reliability of global collective action will be reinforced, and it will be a victory for principles and values that will stand for a generation.”

“If Russia wins, then the hybrid or ‘Grey Zone’ tactics Australia sees in the Indo-Pacific may well transition to open regional hostilities in one form or another.

“Ukraine may be 13,000 kilometres from Australia, but the outcome of the war, one way or another, will show up in your backyard sooner rather than later.”

Mr Myroshnychenko said he remained optimistic Mr Albanese would accept Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to visit Kyiv, following in the footsteps of other leaders including UK PM Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron.

“My president delighted to host world leaders who come to Ukraine and I’m sure he would be delighted to host Prime Minister Albanese,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.

Asked on Wednesday whether he would go to Kyiv, Mr Albanese said he was still taking advice from security agencies and Defence and would respond as appropriate.

“Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the effort supporting the sovereignty of Ukraine and their struggle against the barbaric and illegal war being undertaken by Russia,” he said.

“So we’ll deal with the other issues, though, as appropriate. And from time to time, as you’d be aware … those issues aren’t released publicly.”

Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove said Mr Albanese should visit Kyiv to show support for Ukraine because Australia had a big stake in the preservation of the international rules-based order.

“A Russian victory would make more invasions like this – would make invasions like this more common. It would be a big win for countries that challenge the international order,” Mr Fullilove told the National Press Club.

However, there is still no indication when the government will reopen the Australian embassy in Kyiv, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirming diplomats continued to work from Poland.

“The location of embassy staff is subject to operational, safety and security considerations. It is being regularly reviewed,” the department said in a statement.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/russian-victory-over-ukraine-would-embolden-china-envoy-20220622-p5avno

Government right to avoid megaphone diplomacy on Assange, Joe Hockey says

Matthew Knott and Katina Curtis - June 22, 2022

Australia’s former United States ambassador Joe Hockey says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is wise not to engage in “megaphone diplomacy” in a bid to persuade the Biden administration to drop espionage charges against Julian Assange.

The federal government’s behind-the-scenes efforts to secure the WikiLeaks founder’s freedom have divided the Coalition, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton arguing Australia should let the US legal process play out without trying to influence the outcome.

Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce disagreed, saying that allowing Assange to be extradited to the US would set a dangerous precedent.

Hockey, who served as Australia’s US ambassador from 2016 to 2020, said Australians should not underestimate how sensitive the Assange issue is with both Democrats and Republicans in Washington.

“Megaphone diplomacy doesn’t work well at all with the US,” Hockey said.

Asked about the government’s strategy of lobbying the Biden administration privately to secure an outcome, he said: “This judgment is right.”

Herve Lemahieu, an expert in diplomacy at the Lowy Institute think tank, agreed, saying: “Once you pick up the megaphone it could backfire and have the unintended consequence of hardening the existing positions of the US or UK.

“The government will have to exert all options in terms of backroom diplomacy before it escalates the requests in the public sphere … This is definitely a sensitive issue.”

The British government has ordered Assange be extradited to the US to face charges relating to the theft and publication of secret diplomatic cables a decade ago.

If convicted, Assange could face decades in jail.

Dutton said on Tuesday the government should provide regular consular assistance to Assange but not otherwise seek to intervene in his case.

“I think people should conduct themselves according to the law and I think they should be answerable to their conduct according to the law,” he told 2GB.

“We’re not talking about a country where they don’t have a developed legal system.”

Dutton said that in a similar situation, Australia would expect to let its own legal system operate “without international interference”.

“I think Mr Assange has protracted this particular issue for years and years and years through his own conduct,” he said.

Joyce said he believed Assange was a “total ratbag” but he should not be extradited to the US because he was not in the country when he was accused of breaching the Espionage Act.

“I am talking about this on the premise of principle,” he said. “That is, if we believe that it is right to stand back and let an Australian citizen be extradited to a third country of which they are neither citizen nor were they there when an offence was committed, where are we going to draw the line?”

Joyce, who first spoke out against extraditing Assange last year, urged the government to be more transparent about what it wanted from the Biden administration.

“You’ve told us you’re talking behind the scenes. So you might as well tell us what you’re talking about,” he said.

Walkleys Foundation chair Adele Ferguson, an investigative journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, said Assange had been languishing for years and it was time for him to be brought home.

“Press freedom and human rights are vital to our society and what is happening sets a very dangerous precedent at a time when press freedom in this country is being chipped away,” she said. “This is the time for the government to stand up for press freedom.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/government-right-to-avoid-megaphone-diplomacy-on-assange-joe-hockey-says-20220621-p5avdk.html

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says his country would 'open its doors to Julian Assange'

Reuters / ABC - 22 June 2022

Mexico's President says he will ask US President Joe Biden to address WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's case when the two men meet in July.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador raised Mr Assange's case at a regular news conference on Tuesday, saying his country would open its doors to the Australian if he was released.

On Friday British Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the WikiLeaks founder's extradition to the United States to face criminal charges.

Mr Assange's wife Stella Moris vowed to fight using every possible legal avenue.

"I'm going to ask President Biden to address this issue … humanism must prevail," Mr Lopez Obrador said.

Mr Lopez Obrador is set to meet his US counterpart in July.

He skipped the recent US-hosted Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to protest against the White House's exclusion of the Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan governments from the event.

Mr Assange is wanted by US authorities on 18 counts, including a spying charge, relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables, which Washington said had put lives in danger.

His supporters say he is an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised because he has exposed US wrongdoing in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that his prosecution is a politically motivated assault on journalism and free speech.

The Mexican President praised Mr Assange.

"He is the best journalist of our time in the world and has been very unfairly treated, worse than a criminal," he said.

"This is an embarrassment to the world."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-22/mexico-president-says-his-country-would-open-doors-to-assange/101173540

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 22, 2022, 5:38 a.m. No.16487997 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3320

Assange critic says detained WikiLeaks founder isn’t Albanese government’s ‘only priority’

A prominent Australian critic of Julian Assange has issued a fresh warning about the detained WikiLeaks founder.

Catie McLeod - June 22, 2022

A top foreign policy analyst and prominent critic of Julian Assange says the detained WikiLeaks founder shouldn’t be the Australian government’s “only priority”.

Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove has urged the Albanese government to be careful if it intervenes in Mr Assange’s looming extradition to the United States.

Anthony Albanese earlier this week said he wouldn’t publicly intervene after the UK Home office ordered Mr Assange’s extradition to the US, where he is wanted on spying charges and faces a 170-year prison sentence.

However, the Prime Minister said his position hadn’t changed since he said in December that didn’t “see the point” of US authorities’ “ongoing pursuit” of Mr Assange.

Mr Assange’s legal team has been given 14 days to appeal his extradition in the British courts.

Asked about the matter on Wednesday, Mr Fullilove wouldn’t be drawn on whether he thought Australia should intervene in the case.

“I think every Australian who gets into trouble abroad deserves the support of the Australian government,” he told the National Press Club.

“I happen to think Mr Assange’s case is a little more complicated than any of the media allow. There’s probably no reason for me to go into that.”

Mr Fullilove has over the past decade blasted Mr Assange and his website WikiLeaks, which published leaked government documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as classified diplomatic cables.

He used his verified Twitter account, on which he identifies himself as the Lowy Institute’s executive director, to criticise an imprisoned Mr Assange in 2019.

“Poor Mr Assange. No longer able to dodge the consequences of his actions. Finally having to live according to the rules that apply to everyone else,” Mr Fullilove wrote at the time.

Mr Fullilove in 2011 wrote a magazine article in which he compared WikiLeaks’ rationale to that of notorious British tabloid News of the World.

On Wednesday, as protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in Canberra to demand Mr Assange’s release, Mr Fullilove said Australia should consider the ramifications on its allyship with Washington.

“The US is a proud democracy. They have prosecutors, they have the rule of law, they have prosecutors who look at the evidence and don’t take nicely to political instruction from the White House,” he said.

“I think Australia has to be careful about that element, just as we would we would be a bit tetchy about someone trying to bigfoot us about our legal processes.

“That doesn’t mean that there’s not lots of room for the Australian government to make representations on his behalf.”

Mr Fullilove urged people not to forget there are other Australians detained overseas such as journalist Cheng Lei in China.

“I don’t wish Mr Assange ill, but I do wish that I more often got questions about other Australians in difficulty.”

The Albanese government has said it will not conduct “diplomacy by megaphone” and that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide consular assistance to Mr Assange.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/breaking-news/assange-critic-says-detained-wikileaks-founder-isnt-albanese-governments-only-priority/news-story/2ecffdf7dc6dfa3bd8acfd2c9466cb34

>>16481772

Judge urges Lisa Wilkinson not to make further comments about Brittany Higgins as Bruce Lehrmann's trial date delayed until October

Elizabeth Byrne - 23 June 2022

Journalist Lisa Wilkinson and others in the media have been given until the close of business tomorrow to agree not to make further public comments about the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.

Bruce Lehrmann, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime, was to have gone on trial next week.

But the ACT's Chief Justice Lucy McCallum deferred that plan after a storm of publicity in the wake of a speech by Wilkinson at the Logie Awards.

Wilkinson won an award for an interview with Ms Higgins.

Chief Justice McCallum said in the commentary that followed, the right of the presumption of innocence had been overlooked.

Today, the court heard Wilkinson and her employer, Network 10 and others had indicated they were now prepared to offer written undertakings not to make further public comments.

The ACT's Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, told the court as long as the undertakings were received he would not seek an injunction against Wilkinson and the others involved.

He said the undertakings would acknowledge the issues in the trial were subjudice and that any breach would be a contempt of court.

Chief Justice McCallum also said even wider discussions about the issues raised by the allegation could be problematic.

"Even the discussion of a workplace culture has to do a delicate dance," she told the court.

She added it would be very difficult to have that discussion without suggesting the allegation was true.

"I think it would be a masterpiece of rhetoric and subtlety to avoid breaking the rules," Chief Justice McCallum said.

Judge allows three-month delay, rejects request for six-week trial

Chief Justice McCallum said the three months until the trial should allow the issue to fade in the minds of jurors.

But Mr Lehrmann's lawyer, Stephen Whybrow, expressed concern, saying he would like a trial date next year.

"The bushfire is still burning, in effect," he told the court.

But Justice McCallum refused, saying it was the proximity of the media attention so close to the trial that led to it being postponed.

"The problem [was] that … few people could have failed to connect her name with the publicity about a true story," she said.

She also rejected Mr Whybrow's application to set aside six weeks for the trial.

"I don't see how a single incident with a single complainant could take that time," she told the court.

The court was also told there were about five books currently being written about the case, by authors including journalists Samantha Maiden, Nikki Savva and Peter Van Onselen.

The court heard they would also be contacted about restrictions until the trial is over.

The new trial date is set for October 4.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-23/bruce-lehrmann-trial-delayed-october-lisa-wilkinson-logies/101176384

Deputy premier among four senior Victorian ministers set to retire

Sumeyya Ilanbey - June 23, 2022

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Four of the Victorian government’s most senior ministers will announce their retirement from politics at the next election, joining two other ministers who have already announced they will retire and forcing a major rethink of Labor’s leadership team.

Deputy Premier James Merlino, Health Minister Martin Foley, Police Minister Lisa Neville and Martin Pakula, minister for industry support, tourism and sport, are expected to announce their intention to retire at the November state election, according to several sources with knowledge of the plans.

The Labor Party has already lost several senior ministers over the past three years. Former special minister of state Gavin Jennings retired from politics in 2020, while former attorney-general Jill Hennessy and Planning Minister Richard Wynne have already announced they will leave politics this year.

Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce the retirements tomorrow.

The ministers did not respond to The Age’s requests for comment, while the premier’s office refused to comment.

Outside parliament on Thursday evening, Merlino told Nine News he would not be “feeding into the rumours that speculate” his future.

“These are individual decisions for people to make, and I’m not going to speculate on my future or the future of my colleagues,” he said. “Governments win or lose on their record and what they commit to do, and … I can tell you I’m 100 per cent energised for the election.”

Wynne paid tribute to Merlino and his Labor colleagues and said the government had an “excellent middle bench”.

“It’s an opportunity for renewal of this government, and we have a very good crop of ministers going forward, and I look forward to this rejuvenation of cabinet,” Wynne told Nine.

“James [Merlino] has been a wonderful friend, a wonderful minister. Truly the work he has done in education has been quite extraordinary … he has a wonderful legacy to celebrate.”

Five of the retiring ministers were part of cabinet’s eight-person crisis council set up at the start of the pandemic, highlighting the seniority of experience Labor is set to lose in November.

Between all seven retired and retiring ministers, the party has lost more than 110 years of parliamentary and eight decades of ministerial – and shadow ministerial – experience in the past two years.

Merlino has been deputy Labor leader since 2012 and education minister since 2014.

Foley was appointed health minister at the end of 2020 following the forced resignation of Jenny Mikakos over the bungling of the hotel quarantine program that led to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neville took a lengthy leave of absence last year after revealing she had been battling Crohn’s disease. While Pakula’s lower house seat of Keysborough had been abolished in the latest redrawing of electoral boundaries, he had been expected to move to the upper house.

The ministers are expected to remain in cabinet until the November election, but the premier could announce their replacements as soon as next month.

(continued)

>>16493239

2/2

During question time in parliament on Thursday, Foley, Neville, Pakula and Merlino all gave ministerial statements that were described by Labor sources as “sounding like valedictory speeches”.

“We are in the position of being one of the nation’s leading areas of public health achievements through this global pandemic through the efforts of our nurses, doctors, ambos, allied health professionals and ward clerks,” Foley said.

“That is because it is this side of the house that has spent every day over the past 7½ years building that relationship and building that workforce with our healthcare workforce.”

Neville paid tribute to Victoria Police, Merlino spoke of the government’s mental health investment in schools, while Pakula said the “state was humming again” after 18 months of pandemic-induced restrictions.

This week, Merlino and Foley said they were both looking forward to “making a contribution” at the election in November.

It remains unclear who will replace Merlino as deputy Labor leader. Under Labor’s factional convention, the deputy comes from a different faction to the premier. Andrews is part of the Socialist Left while Merlino is from the Right faction.

Roads Minister Ben Carroll, a Right MP, has been touted as a potential replacement.

Some Labor sources have suggested the premier could handpick Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, from the Left. However, that would lead to significant backlash.

Labor’s Right is divided due to a bitter factional brawl following an Age and 60 Minutes investigation that revealed dumped powerbroker Adem Somyurek’s industrial-scale branch-stacking operation.

Elements of the Right, including the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association and former senator Stephen Conroy’s faction, signed a stability pact with the Socialist Left earlier this year following the power vacuum left by Somyurek’s exit from the Labor Party.

Right faction caucus MPs met throughout Thursday to resolve their pick for deputy.

One Right faction source said: “The Right is currently a bit of a mess, and that means if Daniel [Andrews] wants JA [Jacinta Allan] as his deputy, and we don’t get our shit together, then that will happen.”

Andrews has long favoured Allan as his successor, but the senior minister who has been in parliament since 1999 does not have the majority support of either her Left MP colleagues or the wider caucus of 71 Labor parliamentarians.

Many expected Hennessy and Merlino to contest for the leadership when Andrews leaves politics, which is widely tipped to be shortly after the state election.

Labor’s factions will spend the coming week determining who their picks are for cabinet, but Steve Dimopoulos, Colin Brooks and Lizzie Blandthorn are among the frontrunners from the Right.

Sonya Kilkenny, Vicki Ward and Harriet Shing from the Left are being touted as possible replacements for Foley and Wynne.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/four-more-senior-victorian-ministers-to-announce-retirement-20220623-p5aw3j.html

>>16476399

Peter Dutton continues attack on Greens leader Adam Bandt over Australian flag

Peter Dutton has blasted Greens leader Adam Bandt over a controversial stunt with the Australian flag.

Catie McLeod - June 23, 2022

Peter Dutton has continued to criticise Greens leader Adam Bandt over his decision not to stand in front of the Australian flag.

Mr Bandt had the Australian flag removed from the background of his press conference in Sydney on Monday, choosing to appear in front of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

He explained his decision by saying: “It’s time to understand that the history of this country and the symbols that represent this history of this country are very hurtful to First Nations people.”

The move was labelled divisive “virtue-signalling” by Labor and Liberal MPs and criticised by Indigenous community leaders.

Mr Bandt has since becoming Greens leader in 2020 removed the Australian flag from the backdrop to his press conferences.

It was picked up on this week after Labor began including the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal flag – along with the Australian one – in its press conferences after forming government.

The Opposition Leader on Thursday said Mr Bandt’s decision was “more about self-attention” and accused him of “craving the public limelight”.

“He’s well known for making these sort of statements. And generally they’re more about himself than about the causes he’s trying to promote or pretending to promote,” Mr Dutton told 2GB.

“If nothing else, it sets up an opposition between progress on Indigenous affairs and the nation itself. And so this will actually undermine progress on those sorts of issues.”

Mr Dutton made similar remarks on 2GB radio earlier in the week when he said: “I think it’s all about a publicity stunt and frankly I just don’t think we should give him the publicity that he craves.”

Anthony Albanese said he was “quite surprised” by what Mr Bandt said about the Australian flag on Monday.

“I’m always very proud to stand in front of the Australian flag and I think anyone who is a member of the Australian parliament should do so as well,” the Prime Minister said.

“Reconciliation is about bringing people together … It is undermined if people look for division rather than look for unity.”

Mr Albanese has committed to holding a referendum on enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution within the next three years.

The voice is one of the reforms outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which Mr Albanese has promised to enact in full.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/peter-dutton-continues-attack-on-greens-leader-adam-bandt-over-australian-flag/news-story/8e5d25518270672e2b6615a87aa61a76

>>16461400

>>16461444

Navy Attack Sub PEO Goggins to Lead American AUKUS Effort, Says SECNAV

Heather Mongilio - June 22, 2022

The admiral who oversees U.S. attack submarine construction has been appointed to lead the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) partnership that promises to develop a nuclear-powered attack boat for the Royal Australian Navy, the Department of the Navy announced Friday.

Goggins, who currently serves as the program executive officer for attack submarines, will report to the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, according to the sea service’s news release. He will turn the PEO over to Rear Adm. Jonathon Rucker.

As the special assistant in support of AUKUS, Goggins will lead the planning and standup of the Navy’s implementation of the approach selected by Australia after a consultation period, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said in the release.

“Adm. Goggins selection to lead AUKUS will further our efforts to strengthen our strategic partnerships with Australia and the United Kingdom,” Del Toro said in the release. “Dave comes to us at a critical time in the consultation period of AUKUS and is the right person to spearhead the analysis of the submarine development production and testing efforts. Under his leadership, I’m confident the AUKUS team will help meet the objective of determining the best path toward equipping the Royals Australian Navy with a nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed class of attack submarines by March 2023.”

Goggins previously served as the Virginia-class program manager. He oversaw the delivery of three submarines for the Navy and started the design for the Block V Virginia Payload Module and Acoustic Superiority upgrades as part of the Virginia-class submarines.

He also previously worked on the Columbia-class submarine as the program manager.

The AUKUS partnership, announced in September and formalized in December, allows Washington and London to share technical secrets of nuclear submarine propulsion with Canberra. The move caused Australia to abandon its deal with the French to buy conventionally-powered submarines that would replace the RAN’s Collins-class boats.

The AUKUS effort is now in the middle of an 18-month study period to determine the best way to move forward with the effort.

In addition to nuclear propulsion, the agreement is designed “to spur cooperation across many new and emerging arenas: cyber, AI – particularly applied AI – quantum technologies and some undersea capabilities as well,” according to a summary of the agreement.

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/22/navy-submarine-peo-goggins-to-lead-american-aukus-effort-says-secnav

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/3066852/rear-admiral-dave-goggins-to-support-aukus-program/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 23, 2022, 3:25 a.m. No.16493269 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3272

Royal commission hears of 'ad hoc and inconsistent' suicide reporting as Australian Defence Force Chief testifies

Chloe Chomicki - 23 June 2022

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Defence is not doing enough to address suicides, according to the Australian Defence Force Chief, who has told the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide the ADF has inconsistent data on such deaths among its members.

The royal commission, which is holding hearings in Townsville this week, has so far heard from the Commander of the 3rd Brigade and two former ministers.

The Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, gave evidence to the inquiry today.

General Campbell admitted Defence "was not getting it right" when it came addressing suicide.

"Defence is not doing enough to reduce the incidents of suicide and suicidality," General Campbell said.

"Defence is doing a great deal, but as with many endeavours, there is more to do."

General Campbell said culture, privacy, information and support were key areas that needed improvement.

"I think that is a system which we are in the right direction to create," he said.

"We do not have time to realise perfect.

"We are trying to get to an aspired best place but, in doing so, we are using every opportunity to implement and apply as we go.

"We are not getting it right and there is a lot of work to do."

The commission heard there were "significant shortcomings" in Defence's ability to obtain data about suicide within the veteran community.

In his written submission, General Campbell said he became aware of suicides among the veteran community through "ad hoc and inconsistent mechanisms".

"There is no process of advice that consistently and comprehensively informs Defence of a death by suicide of a former ADF member," General Campbell wrote.

General Campbell told the inquiry it would be "very helpful" if police and state and territory coroners could work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide that information.

But General Campbell was intensely questioned about why he had not already made such efforts.

Counsel Assisting Kevin Connor SC asked: "Have you taken steps at all for identification on the police report to the coroner as to whether the person is a Defence member or a former Defence member?"

"I haven't … and this is something that we can do," General Campbell replied.

Mr Connor said the Chief of Defence Force could improve such reporting "within a few weeks, depending on their attitude".

"I would wish to and I think that they probably would too," General Campbell said.

In some instances, General Campbell said Defence was not made aware of veteran suicides "at all".

"If a person declines to engage with ESOs (ex-service organisations) and is not registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs, then it will be an after-the-event awareness, if at all, at this stage," he said.

(continued)

>>16493269

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Conflicting data

The commission also heard there was conflicting data on the number of permanent ADF members who had died by suicide since 2000.

The Defence Suicide Register indicated there had been 159, while the Consolidated Register of Suspected and Confirmed Suicide indicated there had been 178.

The Defence Force Chief said the anomaly was due to inconsistencies in the way data on death by suicide was recorded.

"This is an area which needs to be improved by Defence," General Campbell said.

The inquiry heard General Campbell intended to raise the issue with the new federal government.

Suicidal thoughts 'very serious issue'

The inquiry was shown data of the number of ADF members who had attempted suicide since January 2015 and had approached Defence for care.

"You can see that the rate is about four or more times the number of deaths per suicide each year," Mr Connor said.

Twenty-two ADF members had reportedly attempted suicide and sought care from Defence during 2022.

A 2015 survey of serving ADF members and transitioned ADF members showed 8.8 per cent of serving ADF members had suicidal thoughts within the past 12 months.

Mr Connor said to General Campbell: "It needs to be addressed, doesn't it?"

"I suggest to you that Defence has been a little slow in responding to this. Do you reject that?" Mr Connor asked.

General Campbell described it as being an "extremely complex challenge".

"There is a great deal of effort going on but more is needed," he said.

"Where issues of culture are at play, these things can take a number of years.

"I realise that we don't have a number of years. It is a very, very serious issue."

From the same data, the commission heard that of those people who had transitioned out of the ADF from 2010-15, 28.9 per cent had felt life was not worth living within the past 12 months, with 21.2 per cent feeling so low they thought about attempting suicide within 12 months.

"This is a very good indicator of the transition effect that we don't want," General Campbell said.

General Campbell will finish his tenure in the role next month.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-23/royal-commission-into-defence-and-veteran-suicide-townsville/101169340

Lifeline 13 11 14

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

Open Arms 1800 011 046

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

>>16487997

>>16455215

Outcry for Assange oddly absent for those held by China

JUSTIN BASSI - JUNE 23, 2022

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As the Julian Assange extradition case proceeds through Britain’s justice system, the publicity of his supporters is constant and loud with its demand the Australian government intervene in another democratic country’s legal process. The hypocrisy is even louder.

Allegra Spender, shortly after becoming the new member for Wentworth, took to Twitter to demand Anthony Albanese call President Joe Biden to “urge him to intervene so Julian Assange isn’t unjustifiably imprisoned”. Spender joins the calls from the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group, chaired by Andrew Wilkie, and former parliamentarians including George Christensen, Bob Carr and Craig Kelly, who are demanding the US drop the case and, in some instances, implying or stating the US legal proceeding is politically motivated.

Supporting Assange is everyone’s right but the freedom to criticise the US, and in this case make demands of Britain, is not a freedom that is applied equally around the world – not by the business community, our universities or parliament. There are those such as Carr who argue that Chelsea Manning, the former US Army private who admitted to passing classified information to WikiLeaks, is no longer in jail so Assange shouldn’t be either. These comparisons are a stretch given Manning went through a trial, at which she was found guilty and would later have her sentence commuted. Assange and his supporters do not only claim innocence but also that the justice system should not be allowed to test that. Assange is therefore above the law.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has said, correctly, it “is a matter for the United Kingdom”. But calls to intervene in other countries’ democratic judicial systems show the extent of the hypocrisy when we deal with our biggest trading partner.

It boils down to this: global fear of being punished by China for any criticism versus the confidence that the US and Britain will rationally engage. Punishment could include more economic coercion against Australia or a death sentence being carried out. So much for freedom and sovereignty when it is available only with those countries that aren’t constantly threatening us.

The hypocrisy is matched by many Muslim-majority countries that have the freedom to criticise Israel in relation to its treatment of Palestinians but are too scared or don’t care about Muslim minorities in China.

Forty-seven countries recently signed a UN Human Rights Council statement expressing concern about human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Albania was the only member of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation to join. The rest chose silence or joined China’s counterstatement that Xinjiang should be off limits to international discussion.

What’s the difference between Muslims in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific? Money and power.

(continued)

>>16493320

2/2

Similarly, we see the different treatment of the US and the authoritarian regimes of Russia and China through international responses to the invasion of Ukraine. In 2003 Megawati Sukarnoputri, the Indonesian president at the time, called the US invasion of Iraq “an act of aggression, which is in contravention of international law” and “threatened the world order”. Although joining the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia, Indonesia has not done so separately, instead looking at “the aspirations of all parties in a balanced manner”.

In arguing why they won’t speak against the Russian invasion, many in the Indo-Pacific argue they are neutral or non-aligned and the US shouldn’t expect support given the Iraq war.

But herein lies the hypocrisy – they can criticise the US-led war in Iraq freely but are unable to condemn Russia. True neutrality would be a consistent approach. This inconsistency serves only to boost the confidence of authoritarian states such as Russia and China to carry on with their malicious and egregious activities.

The hypocrisy is also shown by those who rightly call out Saudi Arabia, whether it be the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi or the criticism of golfers playing in the new Saudi Arabia-backed professional golf league, but fail to apply those same standards to Beijing. Many companies and brands continue to operate in Xinjiang, with some still partnering with factories across China that are using forced Uighur labour. Outside of the Women’s Tennis Association in relation to Peng Shuai, how many global sports organisations or indeed individual sports stars put human rights above Beijing’s money?

The freedoms we enjoy in Australia, including to express ourselves and to assemble and protest, are at the heart of our national sovereignty and that of other liberal democracies. Discretion and balance in how we use such freedoms are important, but we risk constraining sovereignty and promoting self-censorship if we and our partners speak out only against those who cannot or will not hurt us.

There is, of course, the valid principle that we should hold the US and other democracies to a higher standard than that we expect of authoritarian regimes. This is true, but we should hold ourselves as nations and individuals to that same high standard. This means parliamentarians, business and academe putting human rights ahead of economic gain. It also means being frank with countries with which we claim to be friends that true neutrality is not criticising democratic partners while remaining silent on China or Russia.

The ability to speak up for Assange, with all his renowned wealth and contacts, is a sign of Australian freedom. Our inability to speak up for Yang, Cheng and all those who have no such luxuries is a sign that our freedom is limited by money. We should demand that the individual rights of all are worth speaking up for no matter the country involved.

Justin Bassi is executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/outcry-for-assange-oddly-absent-for-those-held-by-china/news-story/b89c6a60a5cd7adb4d280116ab532638

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 23, 2022, 4:02 a.m. No.16493345 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3348

China's 'consistent and clear' position on Beijing-Canberra relations amid calls for trade sanctions to be lifted

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said Beijing has a "consistent and clear" position on relations with Canberra as he again addressed the issue of tariffs amid calls for trade sanctions to be lifted.

Bryant Hevesi - June 23, 2022

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin has insisted the tariffs Beijing slapped on Australian goods are "lawful and beyond reproach" as he called on Canberra to handle bilateral relations "in the spirit of mutual respect".

Mr Wang made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday in a response to a question about whether he thought Beijing's actions towards Canberra was responsible for a decline in how Australians viewed China.

"What I would like to tell you is that the measures China has taken on imported foreign goods are strictly consistent with Chinese laws and regulations and WTO rules with a view to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of relevant industries in China and the safety of our consumers," he said.

Relations between China and Australia deteriorated in early 2020 after then prime minister Scott Morrison called for an independent enquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China retaliated by imposing a series of trade sanctions against Australia targeting beef, wine, barley and coal exports, and issuing Canberra with a list of "grievances".

Mr Wang last week earlier insisted a "reset" between Beijing and Canberra "requires concrete actions" from respective leaders, in the wake of Anthony Albanese becoming Prime Minister.

He also urged the newly elected government to look at China-Australia relations in a "sensible and positive way" and to work with Beijing "in the same direction in the spirit of mutual respect and seeking common ground while putting differences aside".

"Our position on China-Australia relations is consistent and clear," Mr Wang added on Wednesday.

"We hope the Australian side will handle bilateral relations in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit and work with China to promote the sound and steady development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership."

Mr Albanese last week insisted China has to drop its trade sanctions on a number of Australian industries before his government will begin to resolve the once strong trade partnership.

"It is China that has imposed sanctions on Australia. They need to remove those sanctions in order to improve relations," the Prime Minister said.

"It is China that has imposed sanctions, it is China that has changed, and it's China that needs to remove those sanctions."

Canberra and Beijing have only just begun face-to-face communications again following a diplomatic freeze that lasted almost three years.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe met early this month in Singapore where they discussed one another's concerns in a "very frank and full exchange" during a one-hour meeting.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/defence-and-foreign-affairs/chinas-consistent-and-clear-position-on-beijingcanberra-relations-amid-calls-for-trade-sanctions-to-be-lifted/news-story/671b89195adb7fa0ab6d0961cceda9e4

>>16493345

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on June 22, 2022

Bloomberg: Just over one in ten Australians have faith in the Chinese government to act responsibly in international affairs, according to a Lowy Institute survey today, down from 4 years ago when 52% of Australians had a positive view of China. How does China respond to this? And does China think that Chinese action such as tariffing Australian goods is responsible for this decline?

Wang Wenbin: We generally don’t comment on specific poll findings.

What I would like to tell you is that the measures China has taken on imported foreign goods are strictly consistent with Chinese laws and regulations and WTO rules with a view to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of relevant industries in China and the safety of our consumers. The measures are legitimate, lawful and beyond reproach.

Our position on China-Australia relations is consistent and clear. We hope the Australian side will handle bilateral relations in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit and work with China to promote the sound and steady development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

…..

Bloomberg: You said you urge Australia to use mutual respect in relations. Is it your position that Australia is responsible for making the first move to improve relations? What specific steps do you want to see from the new Australian government?

Wang Wenbin: I stated China’s position on China-Australia relations earlier. We hope the Australian side will handle bilateral relations in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit and work with China to promote the sound and steady development of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220622_10707996.html

>>16430199

Labor national secretary Paul Erickson meets China’s top diplomat, Xiao Qian

James Massola - June 23, 2022

Federal Labor’s national secretary, Paul Erickson, has met with Beijing’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian to discuss the trade sanctions on Australian exports and a recent incident involving a Chinese fighter jet and RAAF surveillance aircraft in a further sign the new government is intent on improving relations with China.

The meeting came at the embassy’s request and took place last Tuesday in Canberra, after the Labor Party official sought advice from the government to confirm the meeting was appropriate.

The embassy posted a picture of the pair on its website after the meeting and said the pair “exchanged views on the relationship between the two parties, the two countries and issues of mutual concern”.

In a statement in response to questions about the meeting Erickson said it “was an opportunity to share the Labor Party’s view that a constructive relationship between Australia and China is in both of our countries’ interests”.

“I reinforced Labor’s view that trade restrictions against Australian exporters are unreasonable and should be lifted in order to stabilise the relationship,” he said.

“I also took the opportunity to raise concerns about the treatment of Australians detained in China, and reinforced the deep concerns raised by Defence Minister Richard Marles about recent PLA behaviour towards an Australian aircraft.”

That incident saw a Chinese fighter jet release flares and small pieces of metal known as chaff dangerously close to an Australian RAAF P-8 surveillance aircraft, threatening the safety of the plane and the crew.

The episode was described by Defence Minister Richard Marles as “very dangerous” and raised his concerns directly with Beijing.

Marles met with China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe for an hour during the Shangri La dialogue in Singapore last week, the highest level contact between ministers from the two countries in more than two years.

Since arriving in January, Xiao has met Foreign Minster Penny Wong, former prime ministers John Howard and Paul Keating and former foreign ministers Marise Payne and Julie Bishop.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison rejected Xiao’s request for a meeting.

Xiao’s efforts to meet senior figures in both major parties have been interpreted as the beginning of a potential thaw in relations between Australia and China.

Diplomatic relations between Canberra and Beijing have been in a diplomatic deep freeze because of more than $20 billion in sanctions and tariffs on Australian goods including beef, barley, wine, coal and lobsters.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-national-secretary-paul-erickson-meets-china-s-top-diplomat-xiao-qian-20220623-p5aw57.html

>>16430199

(Google translation)

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Ambassador Xiao Qian meets with former Australian Foreign Minister Carr

2022-06-23

On June 22, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian met with former Australian Foreign Minister and University of Technology Sydney professor Bob Carr in Sydney. The two sides exchanged views on China-Australia relations and international and regional issues.

Ambassador Xiao said that the Australian federal election will produce a new government, and China-Australia relations are facing possible opportunities for improvement. There is no "autopilot" model for improving China-Australia relations, and a restart requires practical action. Only by looking at China and China-Australia relations rationally and positively, respecting each other, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and properly handling differences, can the relations between the two countries be brought back on track.

Carr expressed the hope that Australia and China will strengthen communication, enhance understanding, properly manage and resolve differences, continue to expand areas of cooperation, expand common interests, and promote the stable development of bilateral relations.

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/sghdxwfb/202206/t20220623_10708664.htm

—

Ambassador Xiao Qian meets with former Australian Prime Minister Howard

2022-06-23

On June 22, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian met with former Australian Prime Minister Howard in Sydney. The two sides exchanged views on China-Australia relations and international and regional issues.

Ambassador Xiao said that the Australian federal election will produce a new government, and China-Australia relations are facing possible opportunities for improvement. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia. China is willing to work with Australia to promote the healthy and stable development of China-Australia relations based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results. There is no "autopilot" model for improving China-Australia relations. Restarting requires practical actions, which is in line with the aspirations of the two peoples and the trend of the times.

Howard said that the mutually beneficial and stable development of Australia-China relations conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples.

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/sghdxwfb/202206/t20220623_10708661.htm

Chinese Consulate General in Sydney Tweet

China-made world's largest container ship delivered

https://twitter.com/ChinaConSydney/status/1539876409677647872

>Evergreen

Victims say Catholic Church failed to inform them about paedophile priest Vincent Gerard Ryan's death

Giselle Wakatama - 23 June 2022

Abuse survivors have lashed out at the Catholic Church claiming they were not told about the death of a paedophile priest and only found out weeks after he died.

Vincent Gerard Ryan preyed on children in the NSW Hunter Valley for decades. He was jailed for more than 20 years for abusing 37 victims.

But when the 84-year-old died in April, there was no public announcement or pastoral notice.

Survivors also say there were no phone calls from counsellors linked to the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle's child protection unit.

Abuse survivor Scott Hallett said he was livid Ryan's death was only made public six weeks later.

"The Catholics keep denying and denying and denying, and as I said years ago, they are just waiting for all the old victims and survivors to die and say, 'Let's just sweep it under the rug," Mr Hallett said.

The faith and the fury

This week, Maitland-Newcastle's diocesan administrator Reverend Gregory Barker sent parishioners a pastoral letter, obtained by the ABC, expressing deep regret at the abuse at the hands of paedophile priests and lay people.

Reverend Barker is in charge of the diocese in the absence of a bishop following the death of Bishop Bill Wright last November.

"I continue to be saddened and regret deeply what has happened to so many innocent young people and their families," Reverend Barker wrote.

"I reaffirm the diocese of Maitland-Newcastle's commitment to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons not only within our church but also to the wider community."

There was no mention of Ryan by name, which has sparked anger from some of his abuse survivors and their families.

In the letter, Bishop Wright was described as a tireless crusader in the prevention of abuse in the church.

Survivors of Ryan have told the ABC they disagreed and remained angry that while Ryan had his priestly faculties removed in the years before his death, he retained the title of Father.

Secrecy request from the grave

Survivors believe Ryan left a will specifying that his death not be made public, which has incensed Geoffrey Nash whose brother Andrew committed suicide in 1974.

"Some priests of the diocese, who my mother Audrey had known for 50 years, had told her that Ryan left a will," Mr Nash said.

"The wishes of his will were followed closely to the extent of completely ignoring the damage he had done to the families and the people of the Hunter Valley. "

When the ABC contacted the church, it would not comment on Ryan's will.

Instead, Reverend Barker reaffirmed the diocese's commitment to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons.

He said Ryan's remains were dealt with respectfully but privately and without ceremony.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-23/fury-at-catholic-church-response-to-death-of-paedophile-priest/101176666

Social media warning amid community concern over WA paedophile’s release

Holly Thompson - June 23, 2022

Residents in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs have been warned that posting the address of notorious West Australian paedophile Bradley Pen Dragon on social media is a criminal offence.

Worried and angry community members have expressed their concerns in private Facebook groups after discovering the 62-year-old serial child sex offender was living near them after his release from prison this week.

But the posts have since been removed, and there are warnings that posting any information about Dragon’s whereabouts on social media was a criminal offence.

Dragon has spent half his life behind bars on child sex abuse charges, and is subject to more than 60 strict conditions while living in the WA community.

He was given housing upon his release, and people soon discovered he would be living in their postcode after searching the WA Sex Offenders Registry.

In one online group related to the area Dragon would be residing, a concerned member called for others to “please keep your children safe. Released into the [suppressed] area,” followed by a link to a story covering his release.

It was shared to other local groups and met with outrage, sparking further posts.

An admin on one of the pages warned people to be careful with what they were posting, after receiving notifications from Facebook that comments had been deleted for violating the site’s community rules.

On the sex offenders registry website, it states it is a criminal offence to “misuse the information made publicly available by this website”.

Misuse of information includes engaging in conduct that will create, promote or increase animosity toward or harassment of a person identified, or any publication, distribution or display of photographs or personal information without written approval from police minister.

There is also a court suppression order in place, banning any publication of Dragon’s proposed address.

The posts were deleted on Thursday afternoon.

Criminal lawyer John Hammond said anyone sharing the postcode could be in contempt of court and most likely fined, but he was more concerned about vigilante action.

“The police would have to make the call to press charges, and my view is that this would be unlikely because it would be such an unpopular prosecution, although I would still advise against posting his address,” he said.

“However I do have concerns about vigilante action. A few people may think they can take the law into their own hands and go after someone like Dragon.”

Radio 6PR journalist Gareth Parker also issued a warning to listeners on Thursday, and said: “my fear is that people don’t know, and could find themselves in a fair bit of strife.”

“I have no idea if WA Police intend to investigate this … but the law of the land is that you could go to jail for up to 10 years,” he said.

“I think that’s a stupid law. I think you should be able to share this information.”

WA Premier Mark McGowan was not concerned about vigilante action, despite comments on social media, but labelled Dragon a “a very strange and offensive person,” who he would rather was still locked up.

“The Director of Public Prosecutions applied to the court to keep him in jail for longer, the court decided to release him,” he said.

“The police will watch him very, very closely … he’s the sort of person who they’ll crack down on immediately.

“Sixty-two conditions apply to him including an ankle bracelet. If he breaches the conditions he will be held to account.”

Dragon’s case would not be the first where a community have tracked down a convicted paedophile’s address.

In 2016, convicted child rapist Ryan Trevor Clegg was bailed to an address in North Fremantle.

The community soon figured out he was living just a few doors down from a childcare centre and less than 100 metres from a primary school and revolted against the living arrangement.

Clegg was soon taken back into custody.

Dragon served a 13-year term in Thailand for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and was then deported to New South Wales, before moving to Perth and committing further offending.

Then, two days after he was released from prison in 2017, he was arrested again for searching child exploitation material on a computer at a backpacker hostel in Northbridge.

He maintains his belief that his attraction to children is natural, but police have said they will be watching Dragon closely.

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/social-media-warning-amid-community-concern-over-wa-paedophile-s-release-20220623-p5aw1a.html

‘Utter lack of remorse’: Feds say Ghislaine Maxwell ‘deserves at least 30 years’ in jail

Larry Neumeister - June 23, 2022

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New York: British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison, federal prosecutors have argued in a written submission about her sentencing, for her role in the sexual abuse of teenage girls over a 10-year period by her onetime boyfriend, financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Prosecutors said she should serve between 30 years and 55 years in prison, reflecting the federal sentencing guidelines. They made their recommendations to the judge who will preside over a sentencing hearing on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court.

The 60-year-old Maxwell was convicted in December of sex-trafficking and other crimes after a month-long trial that featured testimony from four women who said they were abused in their teens.

Defence lawyers said in a sentencing submission last week that she should spend no more than five years in prison and shouldn’t pay for Epstein’s crimes, since he was the mastermind and principal abuser and “orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification”. Epstein took his own life in 2019 in jail as he awaited a Manhattan federal sex-trafficking trial.

But prosecutors said Maxwell played an “instrumental role in the horrific sexual abuse of multiple young teenage girls” between 1994 and 2004 at some of Epstein’s palatial residences. They called her crimes “monstrous”.

“As part of a disturbing agreement with Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell identified, groomed, and abused multiple victims, while she enjoyed a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege. In her wake, Maxwell left her victims permanently scarred with emotional and psychological injuries,” prosecutors wrote.

“That damage can never be undone, but it can be accounted for in crafting a just sentence for Maxwell’s crimes,” they added.

Prosecutors also urged the judge to reject Maxwell’s pleas for leniency on the grounds that she has suffered in extraordinary ways in jail while awaiting trial and afterward. Defence lawyers said she has faced death threats and harsh conditions that have caused her to lose hair and weight.

Maxwell’s appearance at trial proved those claims were wrong, prosecutors said, adding: “The defendant is perfectly healthy, with a full head of hair.”

They said Maxwell “has enjoyed remarkable privileges as a high-profile inmate that vastly exceed the benefits accorded to the average inmate. It is unsurprising that a woman who had led a life of incredible luxury should complain about her life as a prisoner, but that fact does not come close to meriting leniency at sentencing, much less the extraordinary degree of leniency the defendant seeks.”

(continued)

>>16493508

2/2

Prosecutors also attacked claims by Maxwell’s lawyers that she suffered “a credible death threat” in jail, saying that an internal probe of the purported threat revealed that an inmate remarked to someone in passing something to the effect of: “I’d kill her if someone paid me a million dollars.” As a result, they said, someone who overheard the remark reported it and the inmate was moved from the housing unit.

They also cited what they described as Maxwell’s “complete failure to address her offence conduct and her utter lack of remorse. Instead of showing even a hint of acceptance of responsibility, the defendant makes a desperate attempt to cast blame wherever else she can.”

Maxwell’s efforts to cast aspersions on the motives of the government for prosecuting her and her claim that she is being held responsible for Epstein’s crimes are “absurd and offensive,” prosecutors said.

“Maxwell was an adult who made her own choices. She made the choice to sexually exploit numerous underage girls. She made the choice to conspire with Epstein for years, working as partners in crime and causing devastating harm to vulnerable victims,” they said.

Prosecutors said nearly all of the $US22.5million ($32. 6million) in assets that Maxwell claimed in a bail proposal that was never granted was given to her by Epstein.

“The defendant’s access to wealth enabled her to present herself as a supposedly respectable member of society, who rubbed shoulders with royalty, presidents, and celebrities. That same wealth dazzled the girls from struggling families who became the defendant and Epstein’s victims,” prosecutors said.

The sentencing submission also included quotes from letters written to the judge by women who testified during the trial, including Kate, an ex-model from Great Britain who said “the consequences of what Ghislaine Maxwell did have been far reaching for me”.

“I have struggled with, and eventually triumphed over, substance use disorder. I have suffered panic attacks and night terrors, with which I still struggle. I have suffered low self esteem, loss of career opportunities. I have battled greatly with feeling unable to trust my own instincts, in choosing romantic relationships,” she wrote.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/utter-lack-of-remorse-feds-say-ghislaine-maxwell-deserves-at-least-30-years-in-jail-20220623-p5aw4l.html

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.670.0.pdf

>>16493508

Prince Andrew's sex accuser to speak at Ghislaine Maxwell's sentencing

Virginia Giuffre is one of six women set to speak at Ghislaine Maxwell's sentencing for recruiting Epstein victims next week as Maxwell faces up to 55 years in prison

Christopher Bucktin and Milica Cosic - 22 Jun 2022

Prince Andrew’s sex accuser Virginia Giuffre is set to address the sentencing of Ghislaine Maxwell.

The 38-year-old is one of six women listed by US Government prosecutors who have been informed they have the right to provide impact statements to the New York Court on Tuesday.

Along with Ms Giuffre, “Jane, Annie, Kate, Carolyn and Melissa” have also been listed as women who are allowed to address Judge Alison Nathan before she passes sentence.

In a filing today, US Attorney Damian Williams wrote to the courts arguing all six had a right to be heard.

“The Government respectfully submits this letter in response to the Court’s Order dated June 21, 2022 directing the Government to confirm that victims have been notified of the rights described in the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) in advance of the sentencing scheduled to take place on June 28, 2022,” it read.

“Consistent with the CVRA, the Government has provided notice of the right to be heard in connection with sentencing to the six individuals who were proven at trial to be directly and proximately harmed by the defendant’s criminal conduct.

“Specifically, the Government provided such notice, through counsel, to the individuals identified at trial as Jane, Annie, Kate, Carolyn, Virginia, and Melissa.”

Jane and Kate were both victims of Maxwell and provided evidence during her trial.

Carolyn used only her first name during the proceeding but later revealed herself to be Carolyn Andriano.

Annie Farmer gave evidence using her own name.

Melissa is thought to be Melissa Solomon who has previously spoken about her claims against Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

Victim impact statements are testimonies presented to the court which outline the effects of an offender's actions.

While guidelines and reports are what are primarily used to determine the length of a sentence, a judge should also consider victim impact statements.

Maxwell faces up to 55 years in prison on Tuesday but has appealed to Judge Nathan to be handed little more than three years behind bars.

The daughter of crooked media tycoon Robert Maxwell was found guilty of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the American financier, who committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial.

If given the maximum sentence possible, she would be 115 by the time she was released.

However, US sentencing guidelines state she be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years and five months, while the probation service recommends 20 years.

But Maxwell wants that reduced to between "51 to 63 months".

Ms Giuffre has made repeated claims in court she was abused by Maxwell and Epstein.

She also alleged she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.

She sued the 62-year-old royal in New York which led to a £12 million out-of-court settlement.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/prince-andrews-sex-accuser-speak-27304758

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.669.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 4:39 a.m. No.16499225 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9228

>>16493239

Victorian ministers confirm resignations from Andrews government ahead of November election

Judd Boaz - 24 June 2022

1/2

Four of Victoria's most senior government ministers will resign at the next election and have stepped down from their portfolios ahead of the November vote.

Deputy Premier and Education Minister James Merlino, Health Minister Martin Foley, Police Minister Lisa Neville and Sports Minister Martin Pakula will serve on the backbench until the end of their terms.

The exodus has forced a significant shake-up of Premier Daniel Andrews' front bench ahead of the November vote.

The four outgoing ministers join Planning and Housing Minister Richard Wynne, who announced last year he would not recontest his seat at the next election.

They join the long list of ministers who have left the ministry since the Andrews government's re-election 2018, including former Attorney-General Jill Hennessy, former Health Minister Jenny Mikakos, Gavin Jennings, Adem Somyurek, Marlene Kairouz, Luke Donnellan and Robin Scott.

The opposition has seized on the "unprecedented" turnover, pointing towards the appointment of four different health ministers in four years as a sign of instability within the government.

Cabinet reshuffle expected by 'Tuesday at the latest'

The Parliamentary Labor Party will convene for a caucus meeting on Saturday morning to confirm the new appointments to the cabinet, with the new ministry to be sworn in by "Tuesday at the latest".

Mr Andrews said the party would look to break from convention, where a premier from the left of the party is counterbalanced by a deputy from the right.

"I can confirm that the new leadership team has met this morning and we will together, make a recommendation to our colleagues at tomorrow morning's caucus meeting that Jacinta Allan be named as deputy premier," Mr Andrews said.

Ms Allan, who has previously stepped into the role of acting premier, is from the same Socialist Left faction as the Premier.

"I don't think it's right to talk about that sort of tradition," Mr Andrews said.

"Let's not get into these sorts of games. I am very confident, just as my senior leadership team colleagues are very confident, that the caucus will make the right decision."

Today's appointment of five new coordinating ministers — the most senior minister in a government department — provides insight into the makeup of the incoming new cabinet, with Saturday's caucus meeting the final step in rubber-stamping the changes.

Mary-Anne Thomas, Lily D'Ambrosio, Danny Pearson, Natalie Hutchins and Ben Carroll will become new coordinating ministers across five government departments.

Treasurer Tim Pallas, mooted Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan and Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes will retain their current roles as coordinating ministers of their departments.

Deputy Leader calls time ahead of November election

Mr Merlino will step down from the frontbench, leaving his roles as Minister for Education and Minister for Mental Health.

He said he would not contest the seat of Monbulk at the election in November, ending a 20-year stint in parliament.

Once considered a possible successor to Premier Daniel Andrews, James Merlino stood in as Acting Premier last year while Mr Andrews recovered from a serious back injury.

In a statement, Mr Merlino said the strain of political life had bled over into his personal life, and that stepping down from his role was the right decision for his family.

"Politics undoubtedly puts a greater burden on your partner than should ever be the case," he said.

"My kids are so excited that their dad is retiring from politics. That's all I need to know that this is the right decision for my family and for me."

The Premier was effusive in his praise for Mr Merlino and said Victoria "never had a better acting premier."

"There's no one better under pressure, especially when the stakes are high. He always delivers," Mr Andrews said.

Health Minister to step down from Albert Park

Mr Foley, who guided Victoria through much of the COVID-19 pandemic, announced he would not contest his seat of Albert Park at the election.

Mr Foley said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

"I am looking forward to contributing to a better, fairer, sustainable Victoria in a different capacity," Mr Foley said.

"One that allows me more time to focus on my family and wellbeing and different interests."

(continued)

>>16499225

2/2

Mr Andrews credited Mr Foley with a raft of achievements, including establishing Victoria's first medically-supervised injecting room and driving Australia's first Royal Commission into mental health.

"Martin has never been afraid to face difficult issues, and make difficult decisions, when he knew it was the right thing to do – and when he knew it would help people," he said.

Police Minister ends two-decade stint as Member for Bellarine

Minister for Police Lisa Neville cited health concerns for her resignation, announcing her intention to step back from politics as she deals with Crohn's disease.

Ms Neville was forced to take medical leave from parliamentary duty last year due to complications associated with the disease.

She has served as Member for Bellarine since 2002 and became Victoria's first female Minister for Police in 2021.

Ms Neville told ABC Radio Melbourne's Drive program she was glad to have returned to the role after being hospitalised, but said she could no longer balance the workload with her own health.

"Because of the health issues, just not able to give the community the same drive and energy that's required to maintain these ministerial portfolios," Ms Neville said.

"I've thrown myself into public life full-on, I can't do it part-time, and I didn't feel I had another four years in me to do that."

Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said Ms Neville had shown exceptional commitment during her time in the role, with her stewardship coinciding with "arguably the most challenging environment in the history of Victoria Police".

"The minister leaves her position with the utmost respect of the Police Association and the gratitude of our members," Mr Gatt said.

Mr Andrews complimented Ms Neville's tireless work in expanding the police force, and said her resignation was well-earned.

"She's put her job ahead of her health for a very long time – and now it's time for Lisa to put herself first," he said.

Sport Minister to resign from extensive portfolio

Martin Pakula also announced his resignation, ending a 16-year career as Member for Western Metropolitan, Lyndhurst and Keysborough.

His seat was scrapped in a boundary redistribution ahead of the November vote, but he was tipped to move to the upper house if he stayed in politics.

"A decade in the ministry has taught me that a government with big ambitions for the state, its people and its future is something to be cherished," Mr Pakula said.

"It's certainly not something I have ever taken for granted, and if the rest of my working life is half as rewarding as this chapter has been, I will consider myself truly fortunate."

Mr Pakula leaves behind an expansive portfolio, with the Premier now needing to fill the roles of minister for industry support and recovery, minister for trade, minister for business precincts, minister for tourism, sport and major events, and minister for racing.

Serving as attorney-general from 2014 to 2018, Mr Pakula oversaw the Labor government's National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, work that Mr Andrews said he "can be rightly proud of".

The Premier was also complimentary of Mr Pakula's work in championing events and tourism in Victoria through the pandemic.

Opposition bristles at claims exodus represents 'renewal'

Outgoing Mr Wynne framed the announcements as making way for "renewal", but Opposition Leader Matthew Guy rejected the idea.

"This is more a revolt than renewal," Mr Guy said.

"Renewal is not ministers jumping ship before an election, renewal is a change of government and a new premier."

Mr Guy said the number of ministers leaving cabinet since the last election should ring warning bells for Victorians.

"Daniel Andrews has lost more than half of his cabinet since his last election, that is unprecedented," he said.

"If he can't even keep his own team together, why should the rest of the state have faith that the team he's putting in place will be there longer as well?"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-24/labor-party-andrews-government-ministers-resign/101178976

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 4:48 a.m. No.16499242 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9269

>>16408454

Twitter hands over PRGuy17 account and IP details following court order

Avi Yemini wants Telstra to provide information on 26 IP addresses as part of defamation case against anonymous pro-Labor account

Josh Taylor - 22 Jun 2022

Twitter has handed over account and IP address information linked to the pro-Labor PRGuy17 account as part of a defamation case brought by a far-right figure.

The tech company complied with the orders from the Australian federal court earlier this month as part of defamation proceedings brought by Rebel News’s Avi Yemini against the anonymous account in an attempt to “unmask” the person behind the PRGuy tweets.

Justice Debra Mortimer had ordered Twitter to hand over within 14 days “basic subscriber information” including the name of the account and associated email address at the date of registration.

The consent orders also asked for the IP addresses associated with the account at the time of registration, as well as between the end of December last year and 11 February 2022, and between 21 March and 20 May this year.

Yemini tweeted on Wednesday that the IP address information handed over by Twitter revealed 26 direct IP addresses associated with Telstra and that Telstra would hand over the account information.

But Telstra said the company was yet to receive a formal request for the data. “Any such request needs to be made by the appropriate authorities under a lawful request,” a spokesperson said.

As with previous online defamation cases, telecommunications companies can hand over identifying account information it holds to find the owner of an account. Telstra said the company “carefully assesses each request and only discloses customer information if the request is in accordance with the law”.

PRGuy17 tweeted on Wednesday that after Twitter handed over the data they had received an email from a law firm to the email address associated with the Twitter account.

Guardian Australia attempted to reach the lawyer named in the letter through the email address but received a bounceback from Gmail saying the email address did not exist. The law firm does not appear to exist. The phone number in the email is not connected and the address is for a meeting room hire venue in Melbourne.

Guardian Australia contacted the only Melbourne lawyer with the same name mentioned in the email and was informed they had never heard of those involved and were not part of the case.

Yemini said the email did not come from his lawyers as the IP address information he obtained through Twitter was sufficient to identify a Telstra account.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/22/twitter-hands-over-prguy17-account-and-ip-details-following-court-order

>>16408454

>>16499242

User behind pro-Labor Twitter account PRGuy publicly reveals identity

David Estcourt - June 24, 2022

The man behind the high-profile and controversial Twitter account @PRGuy17 has publicly revealed his identity to head off attempts by a right-wing commentator to expose it and bring legal action against him.

The Age and Herald spoke on the phone with a man purporting to be Jeremy Maluta, who provided identifying documentation and images proving he was the user of the account.

Maluta went public after Twitter provided personal information connected to the account to right-wing rival Avi Yemini, who has previously pledged to pursue defamation action against Maluta.

While this masthead confirmed he was the user of the account, Maluta would not reveal personal details, such as where he worked or lived. He said he wanted to maintain his privacy.

“I’m just a normal everyday person. I don’t want to be a celebrity,” he said. “This has meant being really careful about what I put online.”

“I’m OK with putting my name out there, but I just … want to have a bit of privacy too.

“I can confirm I don’t work for [Premier] Dan Andrews or any political thing whatsoever. Those theories are completely cooked.”

To confirm Maluta was the account holder, The Age and Herald independently found a phone number this masthead suspected was connected to Maluta and called it. Maluta called back shortly after and, on request, provided a form of photo identification with some information obscured.

He then provided a photo of an unsent draft tweet immediately before it was posted to the account.

Maluta appears to use different variations of his name in different settings and online profiles.

Yemini said that he is reviewing his legal options, but said he “has no plans of suing anyone by the name of Jeremy Maluta” at this stage.

On Friday afternoon, the PRGuy account tweeted a message to followers with a link to a video recorded with Sydney political YouTuber Jordan Shanks-Markovina claiming to be the author of the account.

“Hi, I’m Jeremy Maluta,” the tweet says, mimicking a famous line from The Simpsons character Troy McClure, the avatar used by PR Guy. “You may remember me from such hashtags as #IStandWithDan and #ICantBelieveItsNotAStaffer. I caught up with FriendlyJordies so I could finally meet you all face-to-face. Enjoy!”

In the hour-long interview with Shanks-Markovina, an ally on Twitter, the pair discussed the reasons why Maluta came forward ahead of further Federal Court action by Yemini.

“It’s a two-sided thing because, on one hand, the anonymous thing has been hanging over my head for a while. It’s a bit of pressure. I’m keen to kind of get this all over and done with, get my name out there, out in the open,” Maluta said.

“On the other hand, it hasn’t been done on my terms. It’s someone who’s gone absolutely bonkers … playing the system to try and out me because he thinks I’m some kind of spook working for the government.”

Maluta and Shanks talked at length about their criticism of the media’s coverage of the Andrews government and the Labor Party. Maluta’s face was partially obscured during the interview by a watermark containing a message criticising Yemini.

Yemini vowed to return to court, this time seeking information from Telstra in his quest to unveil the identity of the user and lodge legal action over comments posted by the account at the height of the pandemic.

Yemini obtained a Federal Court order last week directing Twitter to hand over the account details of PRGuy, who he is intending to sue over social media posts he says defamed him.

Twitter complied with that order and supplied Yemini with several IP addresses. The name and email provided by Twitter did not offer enough information to identify the owner of the account.

As the account’s following grew – it now has more than 90,000 followers – PRGuy and its supporters repeatedly clashed with politicians, journalists and other commentators who were critical of Premier Daniel Andrews and other Labor figures.

Yemini is well-known polemicist and correspondent for Canadian alt-right website Rebel News which was connected to the anti-lockdown movement.

Maluta said he had been planning to leave Twitter, but Yemini’s legal action spurred him to remain on the platform.

“If he was trying to shut me down, you could probably say he f-cked that up a little bit,” he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/pro-labor-twitter-account-prguy-publicly-reveals-identity-20220624-p5awfc.html

>>16499269

PRGuy Tweet

Hi, I'm Jeremy Maluta. You may remember me from such hashtags as #IStandWithDan and #ICantBelieveItsNotAStaffer. I caught up with FriendlyJordies so I could finally meet you all face-to-face. Enjoy! #PRGuyUnmasked

https://twitter.com/PRGuy17/status/1540198519931252736

PRGuy Unmasked

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhDCJ506dhs

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 5:08 a.m. No.16499339 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9429

>>16499269

>>16499308

PRGuy Unmasked

friendlyjordies

Jun 24, 2022

Australia's most wanted man PRGuy has finally been unmaksed, but not by Avi Yemini.

Is he a Dictator Dan staffer? Is he paid by the WHO? All will be revealed.

For the story behind this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W78w5VdEbw

To support PRGuy: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-prguy-fight-for-justice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhDCJ506dhs

>>16499308

>>16499339

Q Post #1713

Jul 26 2018 13:42:54 (EST)

The author of the post…..

The face is never the author.

Direct comms come in many different forms.

Q

https://qalerts.app/?n=1713

https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/179647411/#179647703

>The face is never the author.

>Keep digging, Anons.

China envoy offers hope for better relations with Australia

Matthew Knott - June 24, 2022

1/2

The election of a new federal Labor government has opened an opportunity for China and Australia to improve their troubled bilateral relationship and put it back “on track”, China’s ambassador to Australia has said in a rare public address.

Ambassador Xiao Qian, who took up his post in January, also insisted that an infamous 14-point list of grievances handed to journalists by officials at the Chinese embassy in 2020 did not amount to a set of demands or preconditions Australia must fulfil in order for normal diplomatic relations to resume.

Xiao’s speech and question-and-answer session at the University of Technology Sydney was regularly interrupted by anti-Chinese Communist Party protesters chanting “free Tibet” and “free Hong Kong”, while accusing the regime of genocide against Uighurs in the Xinjiang region.

Xiao was clearly annoyed by the heckling, organised by anti-CCP activist Drew Pavlou and supporters, and said that free speech did not extend to disrupting public discussions.

“Those who are attending should respect the law and order,” Xiao said, saying there was no such thing as “absolute freedom”.

Xiao said the election of the Albanese government in May had “provided [China and Australia] with an opportunity of possible improvement of our bilateral relations”.

“Looking into the future, China-Australia relations include good potential for co-operation and bright prospects,” he said in prepared remarks.

Xiao singled out climate change as a potential avenue for co-operation, saying the new Labor government’s position on emissions reduction was “pretty strong”.

It was revealed on Thursday that Labor’s national secretary Paul Erickson met with Xiao in Canberra last week to discuss the trade sanctions on Australian exports and a recent incident involving a Chinese fighter jet and RAAF surveillance aircraft.

Noting that Defence Minister Richard Marles recently met with Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Singapore, Xiao said the question now was how to “keep the momentum and put our relationship back on the right track” as the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries approaches in December.

“A reset requires some concrete actions,” he added, but did not announce any softening of Chinese trade sanctions towards Australia or provide hope that detained Australians Cheng Lei or Yang Hengjun would be released any time soon.

(continued)

2/2

Xiao denied that Chinese tariffs on Australian exports such as wheat, barley, wine and seafood were a punishment for Australia’s push for an independent international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.

Instead, he said they were a response to the “dumping” of Australian goods in China.

However, Xiao made clear that Chinese citizens had been deeply offended by suggestions that the virus may have escaped from a lab in Wuhan.

“That’s absolutely unfounded, that’s absolute nonsense,” he said of the so-called lab-leak theory. “This is absolutely something the Chinese people, 1.4 billion people, absolutely cannot accept. So if that happens I think it’s fair and reasonable for 1.4 billion Chinese people to be very angry.”

He said the list of 14 grievances provided to journalists was intended to help educate reporters about China’s concerns with Australia, but had been “twisted” in subsequent reporting to be a set of demands. The list included the banning of Chinese telco Huawei from Australia’s 5G rollout, foreign interference laws and calls for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

“If the Australian side expresses their concerns on certain things to the Chinese side, I’m not going to characterise it as a precondition,” he said. “It’s just that they’re concerns and we’re going to talk about this.”

Asked about China’s detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei and academic Yang Henjun, Xiao said there had been “intense communication” between Australia and China, but added that the legal process should be allowed to play out.

He said many foreign diplomats, journalists and tourists remained in China without problems. “So long as they respect the rules and laws, there’s no need for them to worry,” he said.

On the widely documented persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, Xiao said: “The question of Xinjiang is not a question of human rights or freedom whatsoever. It’s a question of national unity or separatism, peace and order or terrorism … Necessary measures have been taken in the interests of both the people in Xinjiang and China.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/china-envoy-offers-hope-for-better-relations-with-australia-20220624-p5awc3.html

—

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Promote Healthy and Stable Development of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the Spirit of Mutual Respect and Mutual Benefit

Ambassador XIAO Qian - 2022-06-24

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/sghdxwfb_1/202206/t20220624_10709529.htm

We can ‘get relationship back on track’: China ambassador Xiao Qian says

HEIDI HAN - JUNE 24, 2022

Beijing’s Envoy to Australia said China hoped the relationship can get “back on the right track at an early date” and he remained “optimistic”, despite being repeatedly interrupted by protesters during his first public speech.

At least five protesters, including anti-Chinese Communist Party activist Drew Pavlou, led several intervals at the beginning of Xiao Qian’s speech at a hybrid event hosted by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, causing streaming of the event to be temporarily halted multiple times. The protesters, who were carrying signs and shouting “Free Tibet, Hong Kong” and “Stop genocide” against Uyghurs, were removed before Mr Xiao pressed on his speech.

Mr Xiao urged Australia to respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, political system, and development mode, and suggested China was “an opportunity, not a so-called threat to Australia”.

“There is every reason for China and Australia to be friends and partners, rather than adversaries, or even the so-called enemies,” he said.

“China’s policy towards Australia remains unchanged,” Mr Xiao said, adding China hoped the Labor government could “join a considerate effort” and “bring our bilateral relations to the right track”.

“We are having some problems now. That doesn’t mean we have to negate the past 50 years, “ said Mr Xiao, referring to the 50th Anniversary of the diplomatic relation by the end of the year and suggesting China is “ready to discuss” a temporary note to a joint celebration.

On China’s trade ban against Australian export, Mr Xiao said “it all started” from the former Morrison government, and attributed the tariff to “Chinese businesses’ complaints” and “reactions of the Chinese public” to “policies, actions, and rhetorics by some people in Australia”.

Responding to questions around the prolonged detention of UTS alumnus Dr Yang Hengjun and Australian journalist Cheng Lei, the ambassador called to respect China’s jurisdiction system, as the host, Director of ACRI James Laurenceson pressed concerns.

Mr Xiao this week met ALP national secretary Paul Erickson, former Prime Minister John Howard, and former foreign minister Bob Carr. Before that, he visited some of the largest miners of the country including BHP, Rio Tinto, FMG, and Chinese new materials company Tianqi Lithium, and shook hands with a media mogul, dancers, educators, politicians, and CEOs during an intensive four-day journey to Western Australia early this month.

Praising WA as a “role model” and “pacesetter” in promoting co-operation between the two countries, Mr Qian gave a thumb-up to Premier Mark McGowan’s “long-term adherence to an objective and rational view of China and active promotion of co-operation with China” when the two met in Perth. He also met WA governor Kim Beazley and his successor Chris Dawson, president of the upper house Alanna Clohesy, speaker of the lower house Michelle Roberts, influential former WA politician Julie Bishop, and newly elected Malaysian-Australian MP Sam Lim.

When he met former Chairman of the Seven West Media Kerry Stokes, the ambassador spoke highly of the group’s “long-standing objective and balanced” coverage around China and thanked Mr Stoke’s contribution to “enhancing friendly exchanges and cooperations over the years” before taking a private tour of the billionaire’s art collections.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Mr Stokes used the front page of The West Australian newspaper to call on then Prime Minister Scott Morrison to “mend relations with China” amid Australia’s push for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/we-can-get-relationship-back-on-track-china-ambassador/news-story/7636482d98a7a58d17b27ba6544ac754

https://www.facebook.com/thewestaustralian/photos/in-tomorrows-paper-a-must-read-interview-with-billionaire-businessman-kerry-stok/10158423331484439

Protesters interrupt Chinese ambassador’s event in Sydney

CATIE MCLEOD - JUNE 24, 2022

Protesters have gatecrashed a speech by China’s ambassador to Australia to question Beijing’s record on human rights.

Several people interrupted Xiao Qian’s address to the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney on Friday.

Well-known anti-Chinese Communist Party activist Drew Pavlou was among the protesters to be removed from the event by security guards.

One woman shouted “It’s committing genocide in Tibet” as she was ushered out by a staff member who said “Madam, could you please leave the room now”.

Moments into Mr Xiao’s speech, an audience member shouted “How about freedom of speech in China?”

Another person in the room then called out “Stop the genocide” and “Tibet remains colonised”.

Mr Xiao continued with his speech on Australia-China relations each time he was interrupted.

“I think it’s a good opportunity … we have different views, but they should be expressed in a way that is appropriate,” he said at one point.

Protesters also raised the large-scale detention of the Uyghur ethnic minority group in China’s northwestern province of Xinjiang.

Mr Xiao said what was happening in Xianjang was a question of “national unity” rather than one of separatism and that “necessary measures have been taken”.

Mr Xiao, who was appointed to his diplomatic post in January, used his speech to outline the “good potential for co-operation” between Canberra and Beijing in the near future.

“After the recent federal election, Australia has a new Labor government. This is a choice for the Australian people and it’s a domestic affair of this country,” he said in his address.

“Nonetheless, it has provided with an opportunity of possible improvement of our bilateral relations.”

The ambassador’s speech comes after months of mounting uneasiness in the Pacific over China’s expansion into the region, sparked by the signing of a controversial security pact with Solomon Islands.

Mr Xiao did not in his speech address the Solomon Islands directly but said China’s development should be viewed as an “opportunity” rather than a “so-called threat to Australia”.

“And there is every reason for China and Australia to be friends and partners rather than adversaries or even so-called enemies,” he said.

The frosty relationship between Australia and China reached a low point earlier this month when a Chinese fighter jet threatened the safety of an RAAF crew.

Anthony Albanese is expected to raise the matter of Chinese expansion with regional leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum next month.

The Prime Minister has also called on Beijing to remove trade punishments it has imposed in the past two years on Australian exports, including wheat and barley.

Mr Xiao on Friday objected to the use of the word “sanctions” and didn’t indicate that Beijing would change its position.

Following his speech, the ambassador took part in a Q+A-style discussion with Australia-China Relations Institute director James Laurenceson.

Professor Laurenceson was effusive when thanking Mr Xiao for his participation in Friday’s event.

“The easiest thing in the world for the ambassador to have done today would have been to not accept our invitation to attend a public event,” he said.

“He could have stayed in the walls of the Chinese Embassy in Canberra comfortably.”

Professor Laurenceson noted that his questions had already been vetted by Mr Xiao’s office.

“Just a reminder – and I want to be transparent with our audience – the questions I am putting to the ambassador will not come as a surprise to him,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/protesters-interrupt-chinese-ambassadors-event-in-sydney/news-story/f2f219d8be7924201bbf3fb60ae5aa0f

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 6:29 a.m. No.16499719 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3727

>>16499706

Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian interrupted by protesters during speech

Guardian Australia

Jun 24, 2022

Protesters have repeatedly interrupted a speech by China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, in Sydney. Xiao was speaking about relations between Australia and China after they had become strained in recent years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfHtoOKu3aU

>>16499706

Chinese ambassador claims address protest is not an 'expression of free speech'

Sky News Australia

Jun 24, 2022

China's ambassador to Australia has been repeatedly interrupted by protesters at a controversial address at a Sydney university.

There were no less than half a dozen interruptions at Xiao Qian’s address at the University of Technology in Sydney on Friday.

The protesters held signs saying “Free Tibet” and yelled concerns about China’s human rights records and the abysmal treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang.

Mr Xiao claimed the protest was not an “expression of freedom of speech”.

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

>>16499706

IN FULL: Protesters interrupt Chinese Ambassador's address on relations with Australia

ABC News (Australia)

Jun 24, 2022

The Chinese Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, is introduced to deliver a speech on the relationship between China and Australia.

03:59 - Protesters infiltrate the address voicing human rights concerns in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

06:54 - Speech resumes.

10:18 - Second protester is removed from the room.

11:54 - Third protester is removed.

14:45 - Fourth protester is removed.

24:02 - Question and answer session begins

26:36 - Was the breakdown between Australia and China because of the COVID-19 inquiry?

32:06 - Will Australia need to make policy concessions for relations to improve?

38:19 - Is it unreasonable to expect Beijing to allow similar free speech in China as representatives are afforded in Australia?

46:20 - Protester stands up to make comment and is removed

47:20 - Is there hope for Australians detained by Beijing officials and why have they been jailed?

56:00 - Is there hope for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations of Australia and the CCP to be celebrated?

1:00:14 - Another protester is removed.

1:00:59 - Xiao Qian tries to address audience but another protester shouts him down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JL4uKqH20g

Chinese Ambassador says trade tariffs were in response to Morrison's 'nonsense' calls for inquiry into coronavirus origins

In a rare public appearance - which was momentarily hijacked by protesters - China's ambassador to Australia has blamed former prime minister Scott Morrison's call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 as the reasoning behind the strict trade sanctions currently imposed.

Jack Mahony - June 24, 2022

China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian has taken a swipe at former prime minister Scott Morrison for calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

Mr Morrison suggested the World Health Organisation needed stronger powers to investigate the origins of the virus during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020.

The Chinese government reacted fiercely by imposing strict trade sanctions on Australian exports including wine, wheat, barley and beef.

ACRI Director Professor James Laurenceson questioned why China responded in that manner when “95 per cent” of Australians believed calling for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 was reasonable.

In response Mr Xiao explained China’s “public policy” was to find out about the origins of the virus and to prevent a similar event from happening again - but said it was for the scientists to determine and not for other countries to point fingers.

“If somebody or certain countries declare the COVID-19 virus as the so-called China virus, or they accuse China (by) publicly saying the Chinese laboratory is creating and inventing this new virus and by mistake it is leaked to the market and causing the of the spread of the pandemic in China and globally that is absolutely unfounded,” Mr Xiao said.

“That is absolutely nonsense this is absolutely something the Chinese people 1.4 billion people cannot accept so if that happens, I think it’s fair and reasonable for 1.4 billion Chinese people to be very angry about it.”

Mr Xiao also defended the tough reaction saying the Australian government’s comments at the time had caused a groundswell of anger from the Chinese population.

The ambassador then claimed the trade sanctions and “punishment” imposed on Australia was not at the hands of the government.

“As for the so-called punishment, I'm not sure is there any punishment from part of the Chinese government,” he said.

“I know there is very strong reaction among the Chinese public if you search the Internet round that period of time. Very, very strong. Very, very strong.

“The question about the source and the original COVID-19 is scientific issue. But what happened then with the previous government of this country with Chinese people was something more complicated.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeated his calls to China to remove the trade sanctions amid his attempts to begin repairing the fractured bilateral relationship.

Canberra and Beijing have begun face-to-face communications again following a diplomatic freeze that lasted almost three years under the Morrison government.

Defence Minister Richard Marles met with his Chinese counterpart earlier in the month and Mr Albanese said there had been some “improvements” but conceded there was “a long way to go”.

"I said that before the election - regardless of the outcome - China has sanctions against Australia that should be removed,” he told ABC’s 7:30 program.

"They're damaging the Australian economy and jobs, but they're causing damage to the Chinese economy."

He added it would be a "problematic relationship" if the sanctions remained in place.

Mr Xiao’s rare public appearance was halted momentarily as protesters described the ambassador as “representative of a dictatorship” and accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

“Free the Uyghurs, stop the ongoing genocide,” the protester said.

As the demonstrator was ushered out of the hall Professor Laurenceson said “UTS welcomes freedom of speech on campus let me make that clear, that right however does not extend to speaking over invited guests and disrupting members of our audience from today’s event”.

https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/china/chinese-ambassador-says-trade-tariffs-were-in-response-to-morrisons-nonsense-calls-for-inquiry-into-coronavirus-origins/news-story/3d5381ca72212c0b825b9f58f8b0fe60

>>16399572

>>16465020

Mike Pompeo Tweet

Make no mistake, the Chinese Communist Party has been at war with the American economy for decades. The Biden Administration needs to wake up to this threat, not lift the tariffs we placed on China in the Trump Administration.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1540083034065698819

Marles’ rhetoric driving a wedge between China and India disgraceful

Global Times - Jun 23, 2022

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles kicked off his four-day visit to India on Monday. On Wednesday, he held discussions with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

According to their joint press statement, their discussions were only for normal exchanges between the two defense chiefs. Australia's new government may intend to seek mutual understanding with India through interactions among their defense ministers, and continue the previous government's India policy.

"Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been in office for one month. So far, there has been no sign of the new government's distinctive diplomatic thinking. Instead, it has inherited almost all mind-sets of the two prior governments, including the attitude toward China, the US and the 'Indo-Pacific Strategy,'" Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Australia has been attempting to woo India in recent years. In Washington's 'Indo-Pacific Strategy,' India plays a big role. The strategy will not run smoothly without US having good ties with India. As a follower of the US, Australia believes that India must be firmly locked in the "Indo-Pacific Strategy."

Furthermore, after losing some Chinese markets due to its deteriorating ties with China, Australia has been looking for alternative markets and India is one of them. It can also explain why Canberra has launched a charm offensive toward New Delhi.

"Australia has long followed Washington's lead, but it has realized that with the US' decline, what Washington is doing is just providing lip services in the Indo-Pacific region," said Lan Jianxue, director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies. "This has triggered Australia's nerves on edge. Against this backdrop, Canberra would like to ramp up cooperation with other countries to defend its interests."

During his visit in India, Marles' rhetoric on China had also drawn wide attention. In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, he said Australia and India have been drawn together because both countries are wrestling with the "difficult problem" of how to reconcile strong economic ties with China and shared anxieties over China's growing military might.

Marles is trying to rope in India to counter China. Today, Canberra is making Beijing an enemy. India, whose population comes second across the world, is also a big market of China. From the perspective of Canberra, if India maintains open or even proactive cooperation or interactions with China, Australia will not be able to realize its plan to contain China. Therefore, Marles has tried to persuade India to take sides with Australia in dealing with China.

Marles also said, "The assault on Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 was a warning we should all heed. Australia stood up for India's sovereignty then and continues to do so now."

His lines are to incite India's confrontation with China. Australia hopes to achieve its geopolitical purposes by driving a wedge between China and India. Chen noted that when the border situation between China and India tended to become stable and normal exchanges between the two countries and the two militaries take place, Marles' remarks are almost vicious provocations, in an attempt to trigger India's hostility toward China. Marles' rhetoric is disgraceful. Any responsible power should promote peace and stability, rather than incite confrontation.

"The intent of exploiting the China-India border disputes to make trouble demonstrates that Australia has limited means to sow discord between China and India," said Lan.

The joint statement did not refer to China. As of press time, there is no report about Singh's response to Marles' words on China. This indicates that India has different views on China and its relations with Australia and India's willingness to strengthen ties with Australia seems not as strong as that of Australia.

In the Quad mechanism, in which India and Australia are members, the four countries' manners differ. That all Quad members have their own calculations determines that it remains uncertain what role this bloc can play in the region.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268907.shtml

>>16466717

U.S. vows more high-level engagement with Pacific islands amid China push

Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom - June 24, 2022

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Thursday he expects more high-level U.S. officials to visit Pacific island countries as Washington steps up its engagement to counter China in the strategically important region.

Campbell said the United States needed more diplomatic facilities across the region, and more contact with Pacific island countries that at times "receive lesser attention."

"You will see more cabinet-level, more senior officials, going to the Pacific … recognizing that nothing replaces, really, diplomatic boots on the ground," he told Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Biden administration has vowed to commit more resources to the Indo-Pacific as China seeks to boost economic, military and police links with Pacific island nations hungry for foreign investment.

Beijing's growing influence was highlighted by its security pact with the Solomon Islands this year, a move that fanned concerns in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

"Sovereignty is central in terms of how we see the Pacific overall. Any initiative that compromises or calls into question that sovereignty, I think we would have concerns with," Campbell said, without referring to China.

Washington has said it will expedite the opening of an embassy in the Solomon Islands, announced earlier this year when Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Fiji, the first trip there by America's top diplomat in four decades.

Campbell said he envisioned Fiji would be one of the United States' "hubs" of engagement.

"Our mantra will be nothing in the Pacific without the Pacific … we do not take these bonds for granted," he said, acknowledging perceptions that Washington had not always sufficiently taken the needs of islanders into account.

Monica Medina, responsible for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the U.S. State Department, said areas where Pacific islands particularly needed help included coping with climate change and countering illegal fishing.

"We know we have much, much, much more work to do," she said.

Fiji's U.N. ambassador, Satyendra Prasad, told the CSIS event the islands needed "great predictability" and no "stop-start" in ties with Washington.

"Pacific people and their governments would welcome an enduring partnership with U.S. that is there for the long-term,” he said.

Samoa's U.N. envoy said there was a need to see whether a U.S. treaty with the Pacific covering tuna could be expanded into a wider trade agreement.

"I think that is already under consideration," Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru said. "That’s something that would be very helpful."

Washington could also help by supporting the U.N.-driven Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index to help island nations access concessional financing.

In apparent reference to China's attraction, Luteru said politicians had a responsibility to their people.

"If … you ask a particular country and they are not able to help you, you then have a choice to say no, we're not going to provide that service to the people; or you go to another country that perhaps is not the traditional partner, and you say to them, can you help us?" he said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/more-us-cabinet-level-officials-visit-pacific-island-region-2022-06-23/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 7:16 a.m. No.16500004 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0011

Anthony Albanese to push unity on China at Pacific Islands Forum

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 23, 2022

1/2

Anthony Albanese will urge regional leaders at the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum to stand together and guard against coercion and threats to their sovereignty, relying on the Pacific’s tradition of consensus decision-making to hold the line against further Chinese security agreements.

It’s understood the Albanese government believes the Solomon Islands-China security pact is unlikely to be rolled back, and is banking on the collective efforts of Pacific nations to constrain the way it is implemented.

The government was heartened by last month’s rejection by 10 Pacific nations of a proposed security agreement with China, on the grounds the broader region needed to consider it before a decision could be reached.

The Prime Minister will attend this year’s PIF meeting in mid-July with Foreign Minister Penny Wong. They are expected to be warmly welcomed after committing Australia to an accelerated path to net-zero emissions.

Senator Wong, who has visited five Pacific Island countries since the election and is preparing to embark on a trip to Southeast Asia next week, told The Australian China would continue to seek greater influence in the Pacific.

But she said the region, if unified, could shape the way it engaged with the aspiring superpower. “Things will not go back to where they were in the Pacific,” Senator Wong said.

“This is fundamentally the foreseeable result of a more assertive China trying to maximise its power.”

But she said Australia and its Pacific partners “can’t be distracted by what others are doing”.

“We need to stay focused and disciplined about what we are doing,” Senator Wong said.

“We have the view that security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific family.

“We all need to work to support and reinforce Pacific unity – that’s a message I have received loud and clear in my travels. So far, I have found a lot of resonance with our commitment to listen, our commitment to work within the Pacific family, and to support the unity of the PIF.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi returned to Beijing last month without the 10-nation Pacific security agreement it had hoped for, after a backlash against the deal led by Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and Samoa’s Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

“The Pacific needs genuine partners, not superpowers that are super-focused on power,” Mr Bainimarama said at the time.

Senator Wong said: “The reality is, everyone’s sovereign decisions can affect the security of others. The PIF needs to operate as the primary regional architecture that it is.”

(continued)

>>16500004

2/2

The new Foreign Minister has moved rapidly to renew relationships across the Pacific, visiting Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands and New Zealand since she was sworn into the job.

She also visited Japan and Indonesia with the Prime Minister, and will next week visit two Southeast Asian countries. One is expected to be her country of birth, Malaysia.

Senator Wong said she hoped she had brought her own brand of “authenticity” to the job, mixing with everyday people and engaging with local media, in contrast to the typical behaviour of Chinese officials. This was on display in Solomon Islands, where she visited the community of Honiara suburb Burns Creek, telling residents “you can count on Australia to be your partner”.

“We think of you as family. And as family we try to look after each other and care for each other,” she said. “We try to care for your security, your prosperity and your health.”

Senator Wong said Australia was a relatively smaller player in Southeast Asia, but would work with the nation’s partners to try to influence the “reshaping of the region”.

“And all of the countries of Southeast Asia in their different ways are navigating their own interests at this time,” she said.

“What we have to do is work as hard as we are able to, to maximise our engagement, our influence, our voice, in the reshaping that is happening.”

Senator Wong said Australia would work particularly through Indonesia, Australia’s closest ASEAN partner, which was why the Albanese government was working hard with President Joko Widodo to make the country’s hosting of the G20 summit in November a success.

Her comments came as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declared Beijing‘s trade sanctions on $20bn worth of Australian exports were “legitimate, lawful and beyond reproach”.

Mr Wang said China’s stance was “strictly consistent with Chinese laws and regulations and (World Trade Organisation) rules, with a view to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of relevant industries in China and the safety of our consumers” .

Senator Wong said Australia’s position was clear. “Those sanctions should be lifted,” she said.

Australia argues the sanctions are in violation of WTO rules, and has lodged challenges on the bans on Australian wine and barley.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-to-push-unity-on-china-at-pacific-islands-forum/news-story/59d421f2c701e6fbf007962847d3c8b3

United States Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade

ABC/Reuters - 25 June 2022

The United States Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision which recognised Americans' constitutional right to abortion and legalised it nationwide, handing a momentous victory to Republicans and religious conservatives who want to limit or ban the procedure.

The court, in a 6-3 ruling, upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.

The majority of justices found Roe v Wade was wrongly decided because the US constitution makes no specific mention of abortion.

It will now be up to individual states to decide if abortion is legal.

A draft version of the ruling written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was likely to overturn Roe v Wade was leaked in May, igniting a political firestorm.

Friday's ruling authored by Alito largely tracked his leaked draft.

"The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision," Mr Alito wrote in the ruling.

Roe v Wade recognised that the right to personal privacy under the US Constitution protected a woman's ability to terminate her pregnancy.

The Supreme Court in a 1992 ruling called Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v Casey reaffirmed abortion rights and prohibited laws imposing an "undue burden" on abortion access.

"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division," Mr Alito added.

More to come.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-25/united-states-supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade/101183036

—

Q Post #3405

Jul 10 2019 12:03:12 (EST)

Reality is hard to swallow.

FAKE NEWS keeps you asleep (sheep) and fixed in a pre_designed false reality (narrative).

Google altering search results to 'support' the pre_designed narrative and 'prevent' (make harder) for one to learn the TRUTH?

Those (w/ influence) who challenge the narrative are banned, shunned, threatened………

[Planned Parenthood is GOOD]_narrative

[China is NOT a threat]_narrative

Do you know the market price for a fetus?

Correlation of market price & days old of fetus/baby?

As age (days) increases so does the value?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-to-vote-on-born-alive-bill-to-protect-infants-who-survive-a-failed-abortion

D's block 'born alive' bill?

Planned Parenthood political donations?

What party?

Do you believe this has anything to do w/ a Woman's Right to Choose?

Welcome to the Real World.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#3405

>WAR is real.

>Good vs Evil is real.

>Never retreat from the battlefield

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 2:08 p.m. No.16503174 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3208

US braces for riots after court strikes down right to abortion

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 25, 2022

1/2

The US is bracing for mass riots after the Supreme Court reversed its historic 1973 Roe V Wade judgement, abolishing the constitutional right to abortion and returning the decision to the fifty states, at least 13 of which appear poised to drastically curtail abortion rights.

President Joe Biden slammed the 5-4 decision, which quashes almost 50 years of precedent in one of the most consequential decisions of the 9-member court in its history, as a “tragic error” that would hurt poor American women hard and vowed to pursue national legislation in Congress to enshrine abortion rights.

“This fall, Roe is on the ballot,” Biden said, speaking from the White House soon after the decision, referring to the November mid-term elections, where Democrats are expected to capitalise on the Supreme Court’s decision, widely seen as a legacy of Donald Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices — Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“Personal freedoms are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality — they’re all on the ballot. Until then, I will do all in my power to protect a woman’s right in states where they will face the consequences of today’s decision,” the President said.

The court, in a highly anticipated decision that had been leaked to a journalist in early May, upheld in Dobbs v Jackson a law from Mississippi, which had banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before the permissible abortion term of roughly two trimesters that had been permitted by Roe v Wade.

“The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives,” the court said in its majority ruling.

Justice Samuel Alito, who penned the majority decision, said the 1973 decision, which provided for a constitutional right to an abortion up to the third trimester was “egregiously wrong,” the arguments “exceptionally weak” and amounted to “an abuse of judicial authority.”

The decision, a rare occasion of the Supreme Court rejecting one of its earlier verdicts, will polarise US public opinion, which has for decades been deeply divided on the question of abortion across both party and states lines, and sharpen political battlelines in the upcoming midterm congressional elections in November.

Polls consistently find that a majority of Americans support legal abortion, although opinions vary over to what point in the pregnancy they should be permitted.

Crowds of hundreds celebrated and commiserated outside the gleaming white Supreme Court on Friday (Saturday AEST), where barricades had been erected to keep protestors at bay, following heightened concern for the judges safety after threats on their life.

The decision came a day after the court struck down a New York law that had restricted the carriage of guns outside the home, inflaming Democrat concerns with a court whose newly conservative hew has prompted calls among Democrats to ‘pack the court’ to neutralise the conservative majority.

(continued)

>>16503174

2/2

Former secretary of state Hilary Clinton said the decision would “live in infamy”, reflecting an anger that rippled throughout Democrat politicians throughout the nation on Friday.

“Most Americans believe the decision to have a child is one of the most sacred decisions there is, and that such decisions should remain between patients and their doctors,” Ms Clinton said on social media.

Both ends of the political spectrum in the US sought to capitalise on the decision.

Left-wing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, speaking outside the court, said the decision was “illegitimate”, urging Americans to “get into the streets”.

Police in Dallas and New York were put on high alert reflecting concern among law enforcement authorities of a repeat of Black Lives Matter style protests that rocked the US in 2020.

Right-wing Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, appeared as well, declaring the decision “awesome… a miracle”.

“I can’t believe they just did it.. I’m trying not to cry,” she said, on the short walk from the Capitol building to the front of the court.

As in Australia, US states will be able to make their own rules on abortion.

Thirteen US states had adopted trigger laws to ban abortion following any move by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe, a longstanding goal among conservative and religious activists, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Banking giant JP Morgan told employees it would pay travel costs for its employees to travel to states that permitted abortion, reflecting moves by other US corporate giants.

The three liberal justices on the court, Breyer (who has since been replaced by the first female black Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson), Sotomayer, and Kagan, in a scathing dissenting opinion said the court had “discarded balance”.

“Whatever the exact scope of the coming laws, one result of today’s decision is certain: the curtailment of women’s rights, and of their status as free and equal citizens,” they wrote.

“With sorrow — for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection — we dissent,” they concluded.

The court had to weigh the question of maintaining precedent, with its view the US constitution never did provide for the constitutional right to abortions, which are not mentioned in the US constitution.

Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by George Bush in 2005 and increasingly seen as moderate on the court, voted in favour of the majority decision but said it had gone too far in a consenting, separate opinion of his own.

“The Court’s decision to overrule Roe and Casey is a serious jolt to the legal system—regardless of how you view those cases,” he wrote.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/us-supreme-court-strikes-down-constitutional-right-to-abortion/news-story/e97a4a9dd9dbf9bd7854d468d987abf3

https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1540345482186309632

Q RETURNS!

Q Post #4954

Jun 24 2022 20:26:19 (EST)

Shall we play a game once more?

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4954

—

Q Post #4955

Jun 24 2022 21:09:39 (EST)

>Throw us a bone Q, we’ve all been waiting for what seemed like an eternity.What’s going on?

>>16505361

It had to be done this way.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4955

—

Q Post #4956

Jun 24 2022 22:04:01 (EST)

Are you ready to serve your country again?

Remember your oath.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4956

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 8:50 p.m. No.16508151 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2958

Elise Thomas Tweet

Oh ffs. Ron's realising his Congressional campaign isn't grifting enough money and no one's into the aliens thing, so it's back to Ol' Faithful.

https://twitter.com/elisethoma5/status/1540531585464008709

2022 Karma @2022_Karma

Q is back and QAnons are in a frenzy.

https://twitter.com/2022_Karma/status/1540518991554158598

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 24, 2022, 10:26 p.m. No.16509777 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9982 >>2958

QAnon Creator ‘Q’ Returns After Nearly Two-Year Hiatus

In a surprise move, Q returns to tease a new “game” in cryptic posts.

Will Sommer - Jun. 24, 2022

The anonymous message board user known as “Q,” whose cryptic announcements spawned the fascist pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, has returned to posting after a nearly two-year hiatus.

On Friday night, someone with access to Q’s login credentials posted on 8kun, the anarchic internet community where Q last posted in December 2020.

“Shall we play a game once more?” the first post marking Q’s return to the board read, signed “Q.”

The message was written in the same clue-like format as thousands of earlier Q posts, dubbed “Q Drops” by their fans, that led to the creation of QAnon in late 2017. Q’s followers believe the messages explain the world as it really is, controlled by Satan-worshipping, child-eating pedophiles in the Democratic Party, finance, and other institutions.

In QAnon’s telling, Donald Trump was recruited by the military to run for president in 2016 to take down that nefarious “cabal.” QAnon believers await “The Storm,” an event in which they believe Trump enemies like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be executed via orders from a military tribunal, or imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.

The Q poster followed up with two more messages on Friday night. Asked why they had disappeared for more than a year, they wrote, “It had to be done this way.”

“Are you ready to serve your country again?” Q wrote in another post. “Remember your oath.”

Despite its ludicrous claims, QAnon has managed to become a faction within the Republican Party. Two current members of Congress, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), have voiced support for QAnon in the past, and more Q backers are expected to win office in the midterms. A 2021 poll found that QAnon’s core tenets have a significant amount of support, with 15 percent of people surveyed saying they believed the world is run by a Satanic pedophile cabal.

Q stopped posting on 8kun in December 2020, shortly after Trump’s election defeat. Ron Watkins, the former 8kun administrator who has often been accused of controlling the QAnon account, is currently running as a longshot candidate for an Arizona House seat.

Watkins, who has denied posting as Q, didn’t respond to an immediate request for comment on Q’s return. It’s not clear whether the new Q posts are meant to coincide with the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday overturning abortion rights.

QAnon has won backing from a number of prominent Trump supporters, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, comedian Roseanne Barr, and MAGA lawyers Lin Wood and Sidney Powell. A QAnon leader has successfully organized a coalition of secretary of state candidates who could be poised to win control of elections in some battleground states.

The conspiracy theory has also inspired terrorism and multiple murders, as well as providing the inspiration for a number of Capitol rioters.

Will Sommer is a politics reporter for The Daily Beast and the co-host of the podcast FEVER DREAMS. He previously worked as a campaign editor at The Hill, and as a political columnist for Washington City Paper. He’s writing a Book on QAnon for HarperCollins.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-creator-q-returns-after-nearly-two-year-hiatus

>PANIC mode.

>People awake is their greatest fear.

After two years, QAnon's creator Q returns in the wake of Roe v Wade decision

Harry Fletcher - 25 June 2022

The ruling on Roe v Wade is having a seismic effect in the US, and it also appears to have prompted the return of QAnon's creator Q.

QAnon is a movement that has gained prominence, particularly in the United States. Its followers believe that there is an anonymous top-secret government agent named “Q” who operates within the “deep state” with access to secrets.

The identity of Q has been the subject of much speculation over recent years, and now they’re back after time away following the ruling on Friday.

It comes after the Supreme Court released their ruling in the case Dobbs v. Jackson making the right to an abortion unconstitutional thus reversing the landmark 1972 case.

Earlier this year a draft opinion from the Court leaked revealing the Court's intention to overturn the right to an abortion leading to intense backlash from people. As the decision comes to fruition, nearly half the states issued near total bans on abortion.

Someone using Q’s log in returned to posting after nearly a two year hiatus, writing on the 8kun page where the user last posted in 2020.

“Shall we play a game once more? Q,” they wrote on the message board.

Q also replied to a question asking where they had been, saying: “It had to be done this way.”

“Are you ready to serve your country again?,” they added. “Remember your oath.”

Little is known about the return of Q, of whether the timing was linked with the Roe v Wade ruling - but it's certainly put the followers of QAnon on high alert.

QAnon has emerged as one of the most high-profile online conspiracy theories over recent years, with believers claiming that Hollywood is in fact a playground for paedophiles, accusing celebrities of widespread children sex trafficking and drinking the blood of infants.

https://www.indy100.com/viral/qanon-returns-roe-v-wade

>>16508151

>>16509777

Shayan Sardarizadeh Tweet

Q's return has forced me to properly read 8kun for the first time in over a year. I'd almost forgotten the feeling of having to read through 8kun several times a day. That website really is a snapshot of the absolute worst of humanity.

https://twitter.com/Shayan86/status/1540545626383040512

>Compare & Contrast

>Then v Now

>They are in full blown panic mode.

>Enjoy the show.

>Each FAKE NEWS article written or attack is a badge of honor - military grade.

Julia Gillard Tweet

I fully endorse these words and Michelle Obama’s call to all of us to keep fighting for women’s rights.

https://twitter.com/JuliaGillard/status/1540491941812772864

Michelle Obama @MichelleObama

My thoughts on the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/1540345715616006148

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweets

Statement from @SecBlinken on today’s Supreme Court decision: “As Secretary of State, I usually avoid commenting on Supreme Court rulings. But today’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade has raised understandable questions and concerns across the world and within our workforce.” 1/3

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1540525069465960448

—

“So let me be clear: under this Administration, the State Department will remain fully committed to helping provide access to reproductive health services and advancing reproductive rights around the world.” 2/3

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1540525071634415616

—

“And this Department will do everything possible to ensure that all our employees have access to reproductive health services, wherever they live.

We will not waver from this commitment.” 3/3

https://twitter.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1540525073211486209

Today’s Supreme Court Decision - PRESS STATEMENT - ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE - JUNE 24, 2022

https://www.state.gov/todays-supreme-court-decision/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 25, 2022, 7:50 a.m. No.16513373 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3382

Mike Pompeo Tweets

JUST IN – Prayers answered. SCOTUS votes YES to life in its landmark reversal of Roe v. Wade. Those who believe every life bears the image of our Creator must now persevere in our fight to save the unborn.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1540339305171877888

—

I applaud the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade today. This is not the end of the fight to save the lives of the unborn. We owe it to them to joyously defend this most fundamental right - the right to life.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1540340756614942721

—

Well done faithful servant.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1540402266569687041

—

Historians will write about you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump. Returning America to its Constitution with your Court picks matters. Well done. Americans, born and unborn, will benefit for decades.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1540426263055290368

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

>>16513373

>>16252586 (pb)

Q Post #55

Nov 2 2017 13:44:21 (EST)

Look to Twitter:

Exactly this: "My fellow Americans, the Storm is upon us......."

God bless.

https://qanon.pub/#55

Bradley Pen Dragon: Notorious paedophile arrested about 48 hours after release from Perth prison

Shannon Hampton - June 24, 2022

Paedophile Bradley Pen Dragon is already back behind bars — about 48 hours after he walked free from prison — amid allegations he possessed images of children.

Officers took Dragon into custody on Thursday, The West Australian revealed. He was due to spend the night in custody before facing Perth Magistrates Court on Friday.

It is unclear if the images fall into the category of child abuse material.

Nonetheless, Dragon is prohibited from having any pictures, drawings or sketches whatsoever of children, whether indecent or not, as part of his release conditions.

His swift arrest proves authorities have been watching Dragon’s every move after Mark McGowan promised he would be monitored “very closely”.

“He’s the sort of person that we will crack down on immediately,” Mr McGowan said on Thursday, hours before his arrest.

“If he breaches, a tonne of bricks will come down on him.”

The 62-year-old was granted freedom from Acacia Prison on Tuesday on a strict supervision order, which includes 62 strict conditions under the WA Government’s High Risk Serious Offender laws.

He was given his last sentence after he spent hours viewing child abuse material on the internet in a backpacker hostel just two days after he was released from prison for holding a mother at knife point in front of her baby in Mt Lawley in 2012.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr McGowan admitted he would have preferred if Dragon was still locked up.

Mr McGowan added he was not worried about the prospect of a “lynch-mob” of concerned parents hunting down the “strange and offensive person”.

His comments were in response to revelations parents had launched into a social media witch-hunt to find Dragon. It is believed he was staying in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/crime/bradley-pen-dragon-notorious-paedophile-arrested-about-48-hours-after-release-from-perth-prison-c-7281620

Victorian man travelled to Sydney to meet girl under 10 for sex: police

Sally Rawsthorne - June 25, 2022

A Victorian man police allege travelled to Sydney for a “sexual encounter” with a child under 10 faced court on Saturday.

The 66-year-old from Yallourn North, in the La Trobe Valley, allegedly travelled to Sydney after communicating online with what he believed to be the mother of the child.

In fact, police say that he was speaking to a detective from the Child Exploitation Investigation Unit’s Strike Force Trawler, an elite unit who use online stings to catch alleged would-be child abusers by impersonating children online on sites and apps known to be popular with predators.

“It will be further alleged that the man arranged to meet the mother and girl and had driven from Victoria for the purpose of a sexual encounter in NSW,” NSW Police said in a statement on Saturday morning.

He was arrested in Liverpool on Friday morning and taken to Liverpool police station. He was charged with using a carriage service to procure a person under the age of 16 years for sexual activity.

The man appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday and did not apply for bail. As NSW school holidays approach, Strike Force Trawler boss Detective Chief Inspector Chris Goddard said parents should be across what their children are doing online.

“Parents and guardians need to have regular conversations with children about how they can keep themselves safe online,” Chief Inspector Goddard said.

“For young people, engaging with people who they do not know on any online platform can put them at risk.

“Our priority is protecting children from any type of harm, and we will always utilise every resource at our disposal to locate anyone who uses the internet for criminal activity.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/victorian-man-travelled-to-sydney-to-meet-girl-under-10-for-sex-police-20220625-p5awit.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 25, 2022, 8:17 a.m. No.16513588 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9939

Australia looks to mend French ties with prime minister's visit after submarine row

Renju Jose - June 24, 2022

SYDNEY, June 24 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit France next week as his new Labor government looks to repair relations strained last year when Australia scrapped a French submarine deal.

Australia cancelled the multi-billion-dollar order with France's Naval Group and chose an alternative deal with the United States and Britain to buy nuclear submarines, angering France.

"We do need to reset, we've already had very constructive discussions," Albanese told ABC television in an interview late on Thursday, confirming he had accepted an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit Paris.

Albanese, in power for just over a month, has already reached a 555 million euro ($584 million) settlement over the submarine deal - valued at $40 billion in 2016 and reckoned to cost much more now - in his efforts to repair the rift.

"Next week's visit is a very concrete sign of the repair that's been done already," Albanese said.

"It is important that, that reset occur. France, of course, is central to power in Europe, but it's also a key power in the Pacific in our own region as well."

Albanese will travel to Europe on Sunday for a NATO summit in Madrid on June 29-30, and then travel on to Paris, his office said in a statement.

Australia was invited to the meeting along with some other non-NATO members as the alliance looks to strengthen its ties in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Amid reports he might also visit Ukraine, Albanese said the government was "getting national security advice on that".

Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the West's support for Ukraine, has been supplying aid and defence equipment and has banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia.

It has also placed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australia-looks-mend-french-ties-pm-visit-after-submarine-row-2022-06-24/

Albanese should be 'picking up the phone' to get Julian Assange home

Sky News Australia

Jun 25, 2022

Julian Assange's extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States has been approved but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will not be pressured into publicly intervening in the case.

Academic Dr Kylie Moore Gilbert, who was held in an Iranian prison for 804 days, says she hopes the Australian government is conducting traditional diplomacy “behind the scenes”.

It comes as Mr Albanese ruled out “megaphone diplomacy” as a way to repatriate Mr Assange.

“There hasn’t been much evidence of either the previous Labor government ten years ago or the various situations of the Liberal government … that diplomacy has born much fruit,” she told Sky News Australia.

“I really hope given Albanese’s prior statements prior to being elected in support of resolving this issue of Julian Assange that that means Penny Wong and Albanese himself are behind the scenes picking up the phone.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEnkzH6g3Gw

>>16455215

>>16493320

Senator Penny Wong Tweet

Our thoughts are with Cheng Lei - especially today on her birthday.

Our hearts go out to her children, whose birthday messages will be passed on during a consular visit to her next Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/SenatorWong/status/1540514699573309441

>>16499719

Drew Pavlou Tweet

This CCP supporter attacked me and destroyed my “Free Tibet, Free Uyghurs” sign at the Chinese Ambassador’s speech today

https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/1540218756642680832

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 25, 2022, 8:42 a.m. No.16513777 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4302

Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Tweet

Great to join @NZAmbassadorUS, Ambassador @CarolineKennedy, & representatives of the Pacific island nations tonight to strengthen our long-standing alliance & work together to advance peace & prosperity in the Pacific region & beyond.

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1540170826946953217

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 25, 2022, 8:52 a.m. No.16513860 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3871

China reopens visas for Australians, but those with a past COVID-19 infection will have to take six PCR tests

Nicole Gong - 25 June 2022

1/2

After studying for years in Australia, Lynn Luo cannot wait to return to China: She has already booked her ticket home for August.

However, when the 24-year-old international student tested positive for COVID-19 after a getaway with friends in April, she knew she would have to jump through several extra hoops before her departure.

Now she will be required to take six PCR tests over two months.

Each test can cost up to $120 from private providers, which supply the approved paperwork required by the Chinese embassy.

This week, the embassy announced changes for foreign travellers, meaning Australians can apply for work or family reunion visas for the first time since March 2020.

However, like Ms Luo, anyone with a previous COVID-19 infection — even if it was two years ago — will face a more complicated and costly process.

Ms Luo said she was "devastated" and thought the rules were "unreasonable".

"I was a little bit scared when I was first diagnosed," she said.

Yet hers was a mild case.

"After I recovered, I felt it was just a big cold," she said.

"I don't think people need to spend so much time [doing the tests] once they've recovered."

What's changed for Australians?

China suspended the entry of foreigners at the start of the pandemic.

Visas were only granted for "necessary economic" or "technological activities", or for "humanitarian reasons", such as mourning or visiting critically ill relatives.

However, earlier this month, dozens of Chinese embassies — including in the United States, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea and Australia — announced foreigners can now apply for work visas or for family reunions.

Monash University associate professor of preventative medicine and general practice, Hui Yang, said this change was a "good development in China's gradual opening up".

"Reopening is much harder than shutting down, but it's inevitable," Dr Hui said.

Visa applications for tourism and medical treatment are not yet available.

Rules around quarantine are changing too. In Beijing, travellers must undertake hotel quarantine for 10 days, down from 14, and complete an additional week in home quarantine.

Some other cities require a week of hotel quarantine.

What are the rules for travelling to China?

Those who have never tested positive for COVID-19 are required to undertake two PCR tests at different facilities, 48 hours before they travel.

However, it's a different story for those with a prior infection.

Entry requirements for China-bound passengers have also shifted in recent months.

From April 1 this year, the number of PCR tests for previously infected people entering China from Australia increased from two to six, and authorities also required a lung X-ray or CT scan to show passengers had "fully recovered".

The latest rules — which came into effect on May 20 — removed the need for a lung X-ray, but the testing regime remains for now.

However, the notice on Australia's Chinese embassy website did not explain the rationale for six tests, but said the procedure had been updated "according to the current situation of COVID-19 and the virus variation".

Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past must take two initial PCR tests, 24 hours apart, and deliver them to the embassy or consulate six weeks later for a review.

After that, they are then required to take two more PCR tests and complete a 14-day self-monitoring form about their health.

They must then take two more PCR tests 48 hours before their departure, including one on the day of travel.

The entire process takes at least eight weeks, and the consulates do not accept test results in the form of SMS, leading people like Ms Luo to pay pathology labs for the results.

(continued)

>>16513860

2/2

However, the scientific basis of the regulations has been questioned by some experts.

"The six weeks wait after the first two negative PCR tests makes no sense at all," Dr Michael Toole, an epidemiologist at the Burnet Institute, told the ABC.

"If the PCR is negative then the person is not infectious."

He said it might, however, make sense to insist on 14 days of quarantine after a COVID-19 infection, with a test on day 10, followed by two PCR tests within 48 hours of their departure.

Dr Yang said that having different rules for previously-infected and never-infected passengers was more of an "administrative regulation" rather than a "public health management measure based on medical evidence".

"I believe that the COVID-19 regulations will be adjusted and improved over time … to [become] more reasonable and feasible," he said.

International travellers entering Australia are not required to undertake any PCR tests in their country of departure.

The ABC contacted the Chinese embassy in Australia and the consulate-general in Melbourne and Sydney for comment but has received no response.

'We are ostracised as a virus'

Apart from the cumbersome testing process, some previously infected people in China have also reportedly faced social discrimination.

In May, a Chinese blogger went viral after she posted a video saying she was removed from her job as a Russian language teacher into an administration role because of her previous COVID-19 infection history.

"We defeated the virus but we are ostracised as a virus," she said in the video.

"I hope that society will be more tolerant and understanding towards people who have been infected with COVID-19 before."

Human Rights Watch researcher Yaqiu Wang told the ABC that social discrimination against people previously infected with COVID-19 was "long-standing" in China.

"Any practices of treating them differently without scientific basis are considered discrimination," she said.

"There is a common fear of people with infection history in China because scientific knowledge is not widely disseminated and accepted."

Sydney resident Becky Xu tested positive for COVID-19 in January and travelled to China in May to visit her family.

When she began the process of arranging her flight to China, just two PCR tests and a lung scan were required.

Ms Xu said that, if she were working in China, she would not disclose her infection history, to avoid possible unfair treatment.

"There is a chance that you will be discriminated against or treated unfairly if you tell your colleagues [about your infection history], but nothing will happen if you don't mention it," Ms Xu said.

Ms Luo said she would also probably keep her previous infection under wraps in the workplace in China.

"They treat COVID-19 as something terrible and huge, but from my perspective, it's actually OK," she said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-25/people-recovered-from-covid19-have-a-long-journey-enter-china/101166606

>>16439673

Advice on fourth COVID shot for many Australians may be delayed

Melissa Cunningham - June 25, 2022

1/2

Australia’s vaccine advisory panel is considering delaying a recommendation that more people get a fourth COVID booster shot until a better Omicron-targeting vaccine is available.

Omicron sub-variants, including BA.4 and BA.5, are fast becoming the dominant COVID-19 variants in Australia and there is growing concern the sublineages are becoming more effective at reinfecting people.

Professor Allen Cheng, who is a voting member and the former chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, said the expert group was watching the United States closely, where Moderna will imminently file clinical data on its Omicron-containing bivalent booster to the drug regulator.

“One of the big considerations we are looking at is, do we recommend the fourth dose more broadly in Australia, knowing that there might be a better fourth dose to get down the line?” he said.

Cheng said the expert panel had no immediate changes to the advice on fourth doses in Australia, adding three doses still appeared to provide ongoing protection against severe disease for those under the age of 65, who were otherwise healthy.

But the respected infectious disease physician said there were many complexities being considered in Australia, including the benefits of fast-tracking a fourth dose of the current vaccines against the risks, and determining what the alternatives could be.

“The alternatives are that maybe there will be a better variant vaccine and if we just wait a few months longer we will have access to that in Australia,” he said.

Moderna released preliminary results earlier this month on its updated coronavirus vaccine, after the company’s researchers tested a booster dose, combining the spike protein of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus that originated in Wuhan with one specifically targeting Omicron’s BA.1 variant.

The combination produced 1.75 times the level of neutralising antibodies against Omicron as the existing Moderna vaccine, the company said. These results, while promising, are yet to be scrutinised through peer reviewing.

If Moderna’s booster is approved for use in the US as predicted, the company’s chief medical officer Dr Paul Burton said it was poised to deploy the booster quickly to “as many people around the world as possible”.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is also creating an updated booster, which it said would be better at fending off Omicron.

Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases expert who has been the principal investigator for seven COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, said the evidence around fourth doses for younger people with no risk factors for serious disease, still remained unclear.

“At the moment, there remains no convincing evidence for people who don’t have risk factors to urgently get that fourth dose,” he said.

But this could change quickly. Griffin said the new Omicron sub-variants were displaying partial immune evasion to existing vaccines, leading to people getting reinfected more readily – even if they had had their third dose or been infected with coronavirus recently.

This is because genetic mutations in the spike protein of subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 allow them to evade the immune system’s radar and some antibodies we might have made against other variants.

“There are concerning signs this is leading to an increase in severity and an increase in hospitalisations globally,” Griffin said.

In the UK coronavirus hospitalisations are rising sharply again. Griffin said there are early signs this trend in severity may already be happening in NSW.

“A fourth dose of an Omicron-specific booster may be needed in the not too distant future,” he said. “It is increasingly looking like this might be the case.”

(continued)

>>16513912

2/2

Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious disease physician at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, said the crucial question was: what is likely to happen with new variants, such as BA.5, and our antibody levels over the next few months?

“My bet will be that it will decline enough that we will need to give a fourth dose,” Cunningham said.

Asked about waning immunity for people who had received their third dose at the end of last year, Cunningham said data from Israel had shown there was stable protection against severe disease for up to five months. His view was that a variant-specific fourth dose may be needed beyond six months, particularly for high-risk groups such as healthcare and aged care workers.

According to a large new study from Israel, a fourth shot of the Pfizer vaccine provides additional short-term protection against Omicron infections and severe illness among older adults. But it wanes after just four weeks.

Griffin said variant-specific boosters were the future of coronavirus vaccines and could be adjusted just like seasonal flu jabs.

But he warned fatigue and scepticism about booster shots must be overcome with careful and considered health messaging.

“A lot of people think the need for boosters suggests we got things wrong at the start,” he said. “But the fact is the vaccines do work. This is about the continual evolution of the virus and the increasing challenges it poses.”

A fourth dose is currently available to anyone aged over 65, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over 50 and Australians under 64 who are immunocompromised.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/advice-on-fourth-covid-shot-for-many-australians-may-be-delayed-20220621-p5avb4.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 25, 2022, 9:03 a.m. No.16513955 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3818

Former US police officer who shot Australian woman dead to be released from prison on Monday

Associated Press - Jun 25, 2022

The former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot unarmed Australian woman Justine Ruszczyk is scheduled to be released from prison next week, months after his murder conviction was overturned and he was resentenced on a lesser charge.

Mohamed Noor, 36, is scheduled to be released from custody on Monday, according to online Department of Corrections records.

Noor was initially convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk, a 40-year-old dual US-Australian citizen and yoga teacher who was engaged to be married. But last year, the Minnesota Supreme Court tossed out his murder conviction and 12 1/2-year sentence, saying the murder charge didn't apply to the circumstances of this case.

He was resentenced to four years and nine months on the manslaughter charge.

In Minnesota, it's presumed that a defendant with good behaviour will serve two-thirds of a sentence in prison and the rest on parole. The DOC's website says Noor will be on supervised release until January 24, 2024.

Justine's father, John Ruszczyk, said the family was disappointed that Noor's third-degree murder conviction was overturned.

"His release after a trivial sentence shows great disrespect to the wishes of the jury who represented the communities of Minneapolis and their wish to make a statement about the communities' expectations of police behaviour and actions," Ruszczyk wrote in response to emailed questions from The Associated Press.

After his conviction, Noor began serving his time at Minnesota's maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, but the Star Tribune reported he was transferred to a facility in North Dakota in July 2019 for his own safety. Department of Corrections spokesman Nicholas Kimball said Noor is still out of state, but did not specify where.

"For safety reasons, we aren't able to provide more detail than what is available on the public website, which is the scheduled date of release," Kimball said.

It wasn't clear whether Noor would return to Minnesota. His attorney, Tom Plunkett, declined to comment, saying, "at this point I just want to respect Mr Noor's privacy."

Ruszczyk's killing angered citizens in the US and Australia, and led to the resignation of Minneapolis' police chief. It also led the department to change its policy on body cameras; Noor and his partner didn't have theirs activated when they were investigating Ruszczyk's 911 call.

Noor testified at his 2019 trial that he and his partner were driving slowly in an alley when a loud bang on their police SUV made him fear for their lives. He said he saw a woman appear at the partner's driver's side window and raise her right arm before he fired a shot from the passenger seat to stop what he thought was a threat.

Ruszczyk had called police to report a suspected sexual assault in the alley behind her home.

Ruszczyk was a meditation teacher and life coach who was killed about a month before her wedding.

Her fiance, Don Damond, declined to comment on Noor's pending release, but said during Noor's resentencing that he had forgiven the former officer, and that he had no doubt Justine also would have forgiven him "for your inability in managing your emotions that night."

John Ruszczyk said in his email to the AP that his family believes state investigators and the Minneapolis Police Department did not fully cooperate with the investigation into his daughter's killing and he was disturbed by the agency's culture.

He said he believes the department accepts using violence as a way to control challenging situations, which he said contributed to her death. He cited a recent report from the state Department of Human Rights which found that the agency has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade, including using force more often on people of colour.

Days after Noor's conviction, Minneapolis agreed to pay US$20 million ($28.8 million) to Ruszczyk's family, believed at the time to be the largest settlement stemming from police violence in Minnesota. It was surpassed last year when Minneapolis agreed to a US$27 million ($38.88 million) settlement in Floyd's death just as Chauvin was going on trial.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/mohamed-noor-justine-ruszczyk-shooter-being-released-from-prison-us/9eb2b136-42ec-42c8-8f1a-af9a4d117500

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 26, 2022, 2:17 a.m. No.16524670 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4680

Ghislaine Maxwell seeks to curb accusers' testimony at sentencing

Jonathan Stempel - June 25, 2022

1/2

NEW YORK, June 24 (Reuters) - Ghislaine Maxwell urged a U.S. judge not to admit testimony from four female accusers at her sentencing next Tuesday for aiding the financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls.

In a Friday letter to Circuit Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over Maxwell's trial and will sentence the British socialite, Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said it would be "unduly prejudicial" to publicize the women's "victim impact statements" or consider them when imposing sentence.

"The sentencing proceeding should not be a bully pulpit for anyone who claims abuse," Sternheim wrote.

Prosecutors and Maxwell's lawyers agreed that two other accusers, Annie Farmer and Virginia Giuffre, qualify as victims under the federal Crime Victims' Rights Act.

Farmer and the accuser "Kate," who both testified at Maxwell's trial, plan to attend her sentencing in Manhattan federal court while the other accusers do not, prosecutors said.

Maxwell, 60, was convicted on Dec. 29 on five of the six counts she faced, including sex trafficking, for recruiting and grooming four girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004.

Prosecutors want Maxwell to spend at least 30 years in prison, citing her "utter lack of remorse" as she blamed others for her own "shockingly predatory" conduct.

Maxwell wants a shorter prison term than the 20 years recommended by probation officers.

(continued)

>>16524670

2/2

Friday's filings included written statements from Farmer, Kate and Giuffre about how Maxwell affected their lives.

"This toxic combination of being sexually exposed and exploited, feeling confused and naïve, blaming myself all resulted in significant shame," Farmer wrote.

Kate described being around Maxwell as "like a roller coaster ride, designed to disorient and disempower me as a vulnerable, young girl."

Giuffre addressed her statement to Maxwell directly.

"You opened the door to hell," she wrote. "But Ghislaine, I want you to know that while you tried to break me, you didn't succeed."

Epstein, 66, was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

https://www.reuters.com/world/ghislaine-maxwell-seeks-curb-accusers-testimony-sentencing-2022-06-24/

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.672.0_1.pdf

Prince Andrew's sex accuser says Ghislaine Maxwell 'opened door to hell' for abuse

In a victim impact statement made public for the first time, Virginia Giuffre says she was "chosen" by Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago hotel in Florida to be abused - claiming she acted like a "wolf in sheep's clothing"

Abigail O'Leary - 24 Jun 2022

Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre says Ghislaine Maxwell "opened door to hell" amid her abuse alongside convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In a victim impact statement made public for the first time, Giuffre says she was "chosen" by Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago hotel in Florida to be abused.

She claims Maxwell 'used her femininity' to procure her to indulge Epstein and Maxwell's sick abuse fantasies.

Her statement read: "Your honour, my name is Virginia Roberts Giuffre. For more than two years, from the age of 16 to 19, I was abused by Ghislaine Maxwell.

"Before I begin, I want to acknowledge and profusely thank the police, FBI investigators, prosecutors and judges who have invested their time and integrity in this case to hopefully set a precedent for victims and the hunters who prey upon them.

"Now, if it pleases the court, I would like to address my victim impact statement directly to Ghislaine Maxwell.

"Ghislaine, twenty-two years ago, in the summer of 2000 you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida and you made a choice.

"You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time.

"Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually and emotionally. Together, you did unspeakable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day.

"I want to be clear about one thing: without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible pedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you.

"For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it."

Ms Giuffre also alleged in a US civil claim that she was forced by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with the Duke of York on three occasions after being trafficked by the pair.

Prince Andrew settled the civil claim for sexual abuse against him by Giuffre for an unconfirmed sum said to be in the region of $12million.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied the allegations. His settlement included no admission of wrongdoing.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/prince-andrews-sex-accuser-says-27324570

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.674.0.pdf

>>16524741

Virginia Giuffre says Ghislaine Maxwell was a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’

Sam Corbishley - 25 Jun 2022

One of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims has said Ghislaine Maxwell used her ‘femininity to betray us’ like she was ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’.

Virginia Giuffre had no involvement in the 60-year-old British socialite’s trial, at the end of which she was convicted of sex trafficking and other crimes but has become one of Epstein’s most well-known accusers after settling a sexual assault case against Prince Andrew.

In a victim impact statement submitted to a Manhattan federal court ahead of Maxwell’s sentencing on Tuesday, Ms Giuffre said she should spend the rest of her life ‘trapped in a cage’.

Ms Giuffre wrote: ‘I want to be clear about one thing: Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it.’

She added: ‘I worry every single day and night that you will get away with it and evade being punished. I will worry about that until you are brought to justice.

‘And what should that justice look like? Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.’

Documents filed on Friday show that two of the four victims who gave evidence at Maxwell’s trial may speak at her sentencing hearing on Tuesday, or have their statements read aloud.

They are Kate, an ex-model from Great Britain, and Annie Farmer, who identified herself in court by name after speaking out publicly.

In her statement, Ms Farmer called on the judge to take into account the ‘ongoing suffering of the many women (Maxwell) abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us’.

She also said: ‘I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell’s unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and wellbeing for much too long now. These things cannot be replaced.’

Maxwell was convicted of conspiracy and sex trafficking charges in December after a month-long trial.

Her lawyers have asked that she serve no more than five years in prison and should not pay for Epstein’s crimes, since he was the mastermind and principal abuser and ‘orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification’.

Prosecutors, though, say she should spend 30 to 55 years behind bars for recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein from 1994 to 2004.

They have also urged the judge to reject Maxwell’s pleas for leniency on the grounds that she has suffered in extraordinary ways in jail while awaiting trial and afterward.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/25/virginia-giuffre-ghislaine-maxwell-was-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing-16889491/

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.674.0.pdf

>>16524741

Ghislaine Maxwell deserves to be 'in a cage forever', says Virginia Giuffre

Ms Giuffre claims the British socialite 'opened to door to hell' for her and many others by introducing them to Jeffrey Epstein

Nick Allen - 25 June 2022

Ghislaine Maxwell should be kept "in a cage forever" after "opening the door to hell" for her victims, the Duke of York's accuser has told a court ahead of the ex-socialite's sentencing.

Virginia Giuffre submitted an impact statement to the judge who will sentence Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstien, in New York next week.

In the statement, addressing Maxwell directly, Ms Giuffre wrote: "I want to be clear about one thing. Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell.

"And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it."

Ms Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, added: "I worry every single day and night that you will get away with it and evade being punished.

"Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims."

Maxwell was convicted in December of sex trafficking and other crimes.

Ms Giuffre was not a witness in the month-long trial but is one of the highest-profile accusers of Epstein.

In February, Ms Giuffre reached a multi-million pound settlement with the Duke over claims he abused her, which the royal has denied.

Ms Giuffre, who had begun a civil claim against the Duke, accepted a reported sum of £12 million.

The Duke has always vehemently denied the allegations, insisting he had no recollection of meeting Ms Giuffre.

Prosecutors in New York have argued that Maxwell should be jailed for between 30 and 55 years.

Annie Farmer, one of the victims who gave evidence at Maxwell's trial, also submitted an impact statement.

Addressing Judge Alison Nathan, she wrote: "I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell's unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice."

She said that fight had felt "like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and wellbeing for much too long now".

Ms Farmer also asked the judge to take into account the "ongoing suffering of the many women abused and exploited" as they "continue to live with the memories of the ways she [Maxwell] harmed us".

She added: "This toxic combination of being sexually exposed and exploited, feeling confused and naïve, blaming myself all resulted in significant shame."

Maxwell's legal team has argued that she should spend no more than five years in prison.

They argued that she should not pay for Epstein's crimes and that she has suffered in jail, including receiving death threats.

In a letter to the judge Bobbi Sternheim, Maxwell's lawyer, argued that statements from several other women should not be considered as part of the sentencing.

She wrote: "The sentencing proceeding should not be a bully pulpit for anyone who claims abuse."

Prosecutors and Maxwell's lawyers have agreed to the submission of the statements by Ms Farmer and Ms Giuffre, and another accuser, known as "Kate", who gave evidence at the trial.

In her impact statement, "Kate" described being around Maxwell as "like a roller coaster ride, designed to disorient and disempower me as a vulnerable, young girl".

Ms Farmer and "Kate" plan to attend the sentencing hearing, according to prosecutors.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/06/25/maxwell-deserves-cage-forever-says-virginia-giuffre-ahead-sentencing/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 26, 2022, 3:15 a.m. No.16524870 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4877

>>16455317

Old school pal only friend to plead for ‘monstrous’ Ghislaine Maxwell

DIPESH GADHER, THE TIMES - JUNE 26, 2022

1/2

She is perhaps the most vilified woman in the world, a “monstrous” predator, according to US prosecutors, who was abandoned even by her own husband at her child sex-trafficking trial in New York.

Yet Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, will have a glowing character reference from an old schoolfriend from Marlborough College when she appears at a sentencing hearing this week that will determine if she will die behind bars.

Harriett Jagger, a wealthy former fashion executive at Tatler and Vogue magazines, will be the first, and only, friend to vouch for Maxwell in court. She risks criticism by asking the trial judge to be lenient with “my loyal, trusted and great friend”.

The pair first met when Maxwell was 15 and “running down a corridor at school carrying two pairs of corduroys, one green, one black”, Jagger says.

In a reference submitted to Judge Alison Nathan by Maxwell’s defence team, Jagger, 62, writes: “I can only plead for the court to show her some form of mercy and understanding with a sentence that is survivable, as I honestly believe she has so much more in her life to give.”

Maxwell could, in theory, be jailed for a maximum of 55 years on Tuesday after being convicted in December of helping her former boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, the late paedophile financier, sexually abuse girls as young as 14.

A series of victims, including Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was repeatedly forced by the couple to have sex with the Duke of York, hope to explain to the hearing in Manhattan how their lives were ruined by their ordeal. The duke denies any wrongdoing.

Public expressions of support for Maxwell have been scant, apart from her siblings and a handful of former staff.

Friends and associates who backed her unsuccessful bid for bail in 2020 had their names redacted from court filings after defence lawyers argued that they could face “threats” and a backlash.

Even Maxwell’s husband, Scott Borgerson, 46, an American tech entrepreneur, failed to attend her trial last year. Some reports suggest that he is in a new relationship.

Jagger, who has worked with some of the world’s top models, including Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer, says in her reference that she has known Maxwell for 45 years, “since we were at school together”.

Marlborough College in Wiltshire is one of Britain’s most prestigious and expensive boarding schools. The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Eugenie are former pupils.

Jagger writes that Ghislaine “had great energy, a huge smile and I liked her immediately. She was very popular at school – bright, kind, engaging and fun … I totally trust Ghislaine to always be there for me; the same as I am for her.

“When I was going through a sad separation from my husband and living in a lowly rental, Ghislaine would often ring me with a ‘Call me if you need cheering up’. Knocking on the door to see if I was OK: ‘Do you want me to nip to the supermarket for anything?’ ”

Jagger separated from Simon Gaul, her multi-millionaire husband, in 1999. He is the godson of the late Prince Rainier of Monaco and the former owner of the Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill, west London, the inspiration for the shop in Notting Hill, the film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Jagger and Gaul have three grown-up children. After their divorce, Jagger lived in Percy Lodge, a grade II listed former hunting lodge near Richmond Park once owned by the Duke of Northumberland.

The address appears alongside the name “Harriett Gaul” in Epstein’s infamous “black book” of contacts.

In 2014 she put the property up for sale for just under 10 million pounds.

(continued)

>>16524870

2/2

In her letter to Judge Nathan, Jagger says she last saw Maxwell in New York “a few years ago” and reveals that she has been writing to her old schoolfriend in prison since her arrest by the FBI in July 2020 – almost a year after Epstein killed himself in a US jail aged 66 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.

Recalling their last meeting in America, Jagger writes: “I listened to her as she spoke of her wish to find the security and happiness within a family unit.

“She was visibly upset that this, the simplest of things for so many others, had still not been part of her own life. I felt hugely sorry for her … I gave her a huge hug on departing.”

Referring to Maxwell’s secretive marriage to Borgerson, which only emerged after her arrest, Jagger adds: “I was thrilled to learn that she had finally met and married someone and was helping to bring up his young children, but then desperate to hear that this much sought-after joy was so short-lived.”

Jagger, who also worked at Elle and Harpers & Queen magazines, writes: “I am of course aware of the charges of which she has been convicted but my love, care, support and lifelong friendship for her remains unchanged.

“I believe that true friendship and understanding of what a person’s life journey takes, with its many twists and turns, is always a test.

“I read constantly in papers and social media about her, often from those who have never met her, but this is not the Ghislaine I know and have known for 45 years. This is not a true representation of the real person, my loyal, trusted and great friend.”

The US Probation Office, after preparing a pre-sentence report, has recommended that Maxwell be jailed for 20 years. Prosecutors believe that she should serve a minimum of 30 years.

Although the case against Maxwell revolved around four victims who testified at her trial, prosecutors believe that Giuffre and another woman, known only as Melissa, who was also allegedly abused, should be factored into the sentencing.

Maxwell’s lawyers have argued that she should receive a sentence of only up to five years and three months. They have repeatedly claimed that she is being used as a “proxy” for Epstein after he evaded justice.

Maxwell’s older brother, Ian, 66, said this weekend that his sister is planning a “full-bore” appeal. “It will be based on contested legal issues pre, in and post-trial,” he added.

Maxwell has already been detained at New York’s tough Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn for almost two years, much of it in solitary confinement.

She has received only one family visit during that time, although one of her US-based twin sisters, Isabel and Christine, has sought to see her again in recent days.

After being sentenced on Tuesday, Maxwell is likely to be transferred to a women’s jail. One contender is Danbury prison in Connecticut, where Piper Kerman, the author of Orange is the New Black (later made into a Netflix series) served time for money-laundering offences.

Ian Maxwell said: “Leaving MDC for pretty much any other facility would have to be counted as a blessing.”

He claimed that reports that his sister will eventually seek a transfer to a UK prison to serve out her sentence were “premature”.

“Surviving wherever she is incarcerated and preparing her appeal will be Ghislaine’s primary focus,” he added.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/old-school-pal-only-friend-to-plead-for-monstrous-ghislaine-maxwell/news-story/9f06c83439aa6de95451df8f3fb8ef31

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.663.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 26, 2022, 3:38 a.m. No.16524948 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4961

>>16524741

Ghislaine Maxwell put on suicide watch ahead of sentencing

Jonathan Stempel - June 26, 2022

1/2

WARNING: Graphic content

New York: Ghislaine Maxwell has been put on suicide watch at a Brooklyn jail, and may seek to delay her Tuesday sentencing for aiding Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls, her lawyer said.

In a letter to the judge overseeing Maxwell’s case, Maxwell’s lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, said her client is “unable to properly prepare, for sentencing,” after officials at the Metropolitan Detention Centre on Friday declared the suicide watch and abruptly moved Maxwell to solitary confinement.

Sternheim said Maxwell was given a “suicide smock,” and her clothing, toothpaste, soap and legal papers were taken away.

The lawyer also said Maxwell “is not suicidal,” a conclusion she said a psychologist who evaluated the 60-year-old British socialite on Saturday morning (US time) also reached.

“If Ms Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment,” Sternheim wrote.

A spokesman for US Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan, whose office prosecuted Maxwell, declined to comment.

Epstein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where the financier was awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

Maxwell was convicted on December 29 on five criminal counts, including sex trafficking, for recruiting and grooming four girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004.

Prosecutors have said Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison, citing her “utter lack of remorse”. Maxwell wants a term shorter than 20 years.

The sentence will be imposed by US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan federal court.

Maxwell has been held in the Brooklyn jail since shortly after her July 2020 arrest.

Her lawyers objected multiple times before trial about the confinement conditions there, including last November when Sternheim likened them to Hannibal Lecter’s from the 1991 Oscar-winning film The Silence of the Lambs.

Seven women who were Maxwell’s accusers have asked a judge to consider their pain as she decides what prison sentence she will dispense.

Their statements were put in the public case file late on Friday by Manhattan prosecutors.

In a statement, Annie Farmer, who testified at trial and spoke at Epstein’s bail hearing before he killed himself, said Maxwell’s lack of remorse and her repeated lies about victims forced “a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy and wellbeing”.

Defence lawyer Bobbi Sternheim included the victim statements in a submission to the judge Friday after the defence asked for a sentence of no more than five years, but she heavily redacted portions in asking the judge to disregard some entirely because they were not directly a part of the case that resulted in Maxwell’s conviction.

(continued)

>>16524948

2/2

Prosecutors, though, said no redactions were required or necessary because any privacy interests belonged to victims and none asked for their statements to be sealed. They added that no “due process interest is protected by withholding victim impact statements from the public.” Three victims may speak at sentencing.

Included were nine graphic pictures of Sarah Ransome taken in a hospital bed after two suicide attempts she blames on the trauma of over a half year spent as a “sex toy” for Epstein and Maxwell and others that left her so distressed that she once considered jumping from a cliff into shark-infested waters off Epstein’s sprawling Virgin Islands estate.

Ransome, who wrote a book Silenced No More and travelled from her England home to observe Maxwell’s trial, said she was stopped from taking the plunge by “Maxwell and company” moments before jumping but that at the time, “that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time.”

One woman, “Kate,” a former British model who testified at trial, spoke of the “silent screams” inside the minds of girls who were not yet adults when Maxwell and Epstein flashed wealth and ties to famous and powerful people before subjecting them to sex abuse and then fear so they would never disobey their prurient quests.

Calling Maxwell “dangerous and devious,” Maria Farmer said her intersection with the pair and sexual assault by Epstein during a trip to Ohio cost her a promising career as an artist and leaves her still feeling unsafe outside, firm in a belief that Maxwell will harm her “if she ever has a way”. She is the sister of Annie Farmer.

Another, Virginia Giuffre, said Maxwell “opened the door to hell” as she joked that she was like a new mother to dozens of girls and young women she fed to her financier boyfriend and later boss. “Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it.”

She added: “You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in. You could’ve called the authorities and reported that you were a part of something awful. … Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.”

National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line: 1800 737 732 - Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: 13 11 14

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

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

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/ghislaine-maxwell-put-on-suicide-watch-ahead-of-sentencing-20220626-p5awof.html

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.677.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.674.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 26, 2022, 4:03 a.m. No.16525042 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5052

Suddenly 'Q' of the QAnon conspiracy theory has returned after a years-long hiatus

But, something isn't quite right…

Matt Binder - June 25, 2022

1/2

Suddenly 'Q' of the QAnon conspiracy theory has returned after a years-long hiatus

But, something isn't quite right.

As if enough currently isn't going on in the world, a major name in far right-wing communities has returned and conspiracy theorists are ecstatic.

Q, the anonymous person (or persons) who created the QAnon conspiracy theory in 2017, suddenly started posting on 8kun once again on Friday night, the same day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It had been 563 days since Q had last posted to his followers on the site.

"Shall we play a game once more?" posted the Q account to 8kun for the first time in over a year and a half. The post was signed "Q."

The individual now using the Q account continued with two more posts later that night.

When asked by another 8kun user about their absence, Q replied, "It had to be done this way."

"Are you ready to serve your country again?" Q wrote in the third post. "Remember your oath."

QAnon is a far right-wing conspiracy theory that claims, among many other things, that former President Donald Trump is waging a war against a cabal of global Satanic baby-eating child-trafficking pedophiles made up of Hollywood elites and Trump's political opponents.

Q posts, known as "Q Drops" to QAnon believers, first began shortly after then-President Trump mentioned the "calm before the storm" in front of the press during a meeting with senior members of the military in 2017. QAnon followers believe Trump was referencing an event they've dubbed "The Storm," in which Trump's political enemies would be arrested. For example, in the earliest days of QAnon, in October 2017, Q posted about how former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was soon to be arrested. (Nearly 5 years later now, that claim has yet to come to fruition.)

When a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in favor of Trump, a number of individuals in the crowd were QAnon believers. Perhaps the most well-known of the rioters went by the name "QAnon Shaman."

Since then, QAnon believers have spent the past 18 months denying QAnon is a real thing in order to evade social media bans and speculating that President Joe Biden is imminently going to be removed from office. With so much disappointment from events that didn't come to pass, many QAnon believers were thrilled to see the return of Q on 8kun.

However, researchers who have been debunking these conspiracy theories since their inception have made an interesting observation.

(continued)

>>16525042

2/2

Something is off with the Q account on 8kun.

8kun, formerly known as 8chan, is an anonymous imageboard much like 4chan but filled with even more extremism and far-right rhetoric. Users on the site post completely anonymously. There is no need to sign up for an account.

However, users can choose to associate themselves with a tripcode, a random string of characters assigned to a user's posts. This basically helps others identify that the same user is behind a multitude of posts on the website.

The user behind the new Q posts has the same tripcode as the user behind the old Q posts on 8kun. (Note that Q first started posting on 4chan in 2017 before moving to the site then known as 8chan months later. Researchers have determined that it's very likely the Q posting on 8kun since 2018 and the original 4chan Q are separate individuals.)

So, this means that these new Q posts are from the "real" Q, right? Sure, but as Frederick Brennan, the former owner of 8chan who sold the site to its current owner Jim Watkins, claims, the tripcode for Q shouldn't be the same.

Jim's son and "former" administrator of 8kun, Ron Watkins, previously claimed that the site's tripcodes are regenerated every few months and become completely different. This means that the Q account should not have the same tripcode it had when it last posted on 8kun around 18 months ago. The only way this could happen is if an administrator or someone else with access to 8kun's backend altered the tripcode manually, according to Brennan and other QAnon researchers. Even some QAnon believers are getting skeptical about the recent posts.

QAnon researchers have long believed that Jim and Ron Watkins either posted as Q on their website, 8kun, or knew who was posting as Q. In the HBO documentary, Q: Into the Storm, filmmaker Cullen Hoback spoke to Ron Watkins a number of times. In an interview in the final episode of the series, Ron slips up and all but admits to Hoback that he is Q, although he has later denied being behind the account.

8kun owner Jim Watkins, for his part, claims to have been giving a speech when the new Q posts were published. However, Watkins also confirmed that the posts "look legit."

So, why has Q returned?

As of now, it's unclear. But the timing is certainly interesting if you believe Ron Watkins is Q. Ron is currently running for Congress in Arizona. So far, the campaign hasn't been going very well.

Perhaps Q is back to conveniently endorse Watkins in order to help his fledgling campaign, some QAnon researchers have speculated. Or maybe Q has bigger plans. After all, Hillary Clinton has yet to be arrested and Joe Biden is still the President of the United States.

https://mashable.com/article/q-qanon-conspiracy-theory-returns-8kun

‘QAnon’ conspiracy poster sending messages again, filmmaker says

Jesse Brooks - Jun. 26, 2022

(WVUE) - An anonymous online message board poster, known as ‘Q’, that has been accused of spreading false narratives through political conspiracy theories is active again after being dormant for two years, according to documentarian Cullen Hoback.

The QAnon poster has claimed for years to be a top-secret government official involved in a battle of good vs. evil. While claims posted by QAnon are routinely and widely discredited, investigators and critics have long warned that followers of Q have engaged in dangerous activity related to messages they receive from Q.

Critics of Q say that the poster’s intentions are mainly to spread disinformation. Hoback, whose documentary “Q: Into the Storm” was released by HBO about a year ago has been following the message board poster’s activity on 8chan in recent years. After former President Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 to Joe Biden, Hoback said that Q has been dormant online for two years, until now.

Over the course of Hoback’s documentary, he spent time trying to identify who could possibly be behind the QAnon account. Among those he spent time with were Jim and his son Ron Watkins, the owners and operators of the 8chan message board site Q used to rise to fame. Toward the end of the documentary, Hoback concludes that Ron Watkins was the author of the Q account while his father bankrolled the site.

Ron Watkins is currently a congressional candidate in Arizona.

“Ron has received zero campaign endorsements from his former allies in Trump’s inner circle,” Hoback tweeted on Saturday, June 25. “The primary is August 2nd.”

https://www.fox8live.com/2022/06/26/qanon-conspiracy-poster-sending-messages-again-filmmaker-says/

https://twitter.com/CullenHoback/status/1540520130613878785

https://twitter.com/CullenHoback/status/1540801686964297729

https://twitter.com/Shayan86/status/1540554995757731840

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 26, 2022, 4:23 a.m. No.16525139 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4911

>>16413391

NASA to launch rocket in Australia tonight in ‘landmark’ first

ADELAIDE LANG - JUNE 26, 2022

In a first for Australia, US space agency NASA will launch a rocket from a remote area of the Northern Territory on Sunday night.

The rocket will launch from the Arnhem Space Centre near Nhulunbuy, on the lands of the Gumatj people who were consulted throughout the process.

The rocket is due to launch from the red dirt at about 10.45pm on Sunday, but it will only be visible for ten seconds before disappearing.

It is a 13m “sounding rocket” which will carry an atmospheric observation platform to examine the Alpha A and B constellations. The rocket is expected to travel 300 km during the 15 minutes it moves through space.

It will be the first time the internationally renowned space agency has launched a rocket from a commercial port outside the USA.

The rocket will also be the first to leave Australian soil in 26 years, since the 1995 launches from the Royal Australian Air Force Woomera Range Complex.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles called it “a landmark occasion for the Top End”.

“NASA is adding capacity and rocketing East Arnhem Land into the global spotlight for investors — this will help our industry grow, create more jobs for locals and more opportunities for businesses to expand,” she said.

The rocket is the first of three NASA-designed rockets to be launched from the remote NT space centre, which will not enter orbit but instead collect valuable scientific information into the physics of the Sun, astrophysics, and the type of planetary science which can only be conducted in the southern hemisphere.

In a joint announcement between the NT government and the federal government, the rocket launches were praised as a watershed moment for the Australian space industry.

“This project will bring together global and local industry to take Australia’s space sector into a new era,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Both governments hope the collaboration with NASA will encourage future joint scientific endeavours between Australia and the USA.

Australian Space Agency head, Enrico Palermo, said the launch was a significant milestone in the growth of space activities.

“This is another signal that Australia is go for launch — and will further cement our reputation as a nation that global space players want to do business with,” he said.

The launches mark a historic collaboration between some of the world’s foremost scientists and the world’s oldest living continuous culture.

The launch pad is on traditional land, which NASA has pledged to clean up after the launch by returning all the material and debris back to the US.

The Arnhem Space Centre is owned and operated by Equatorial Launch Australia, which hopes to drastically increase its capability to host 50 launches a year by 2024.

CEO Michael Jones said the site’s geographic location and proximity to the equator would attract international space agencies.

“Our proximity to the equator being 12 degrees south gives us an astrodynamic and physics advantage over a lot of launch sites around the world and is highly desirable for large and complex orbital solutions in space,” he told SKY News.

The launch will be livestreamed at ntnews.com.au from about 10pm on Sunday.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nasa-to-launch-rocket-in-australia-tonight-in-landmark-first/news-story/229879e4e8335818879d214a2ecfa8b0

https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/nasa-launch-to-be-livestreamed-on-ntnewscomau/news-story/67e75e6939764ae5f532fdb9b9c75254

Beijing’s olive branch to Australia for 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

SARAH ISON - JUNE 24, 2022

China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian says Beijing wants to restart the relationship with Australia by the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries in December, as the Albanese government says it remains open to talking to China on the sidelines of upcoming multilateral summits.

In a rare appearance that experts said represented a clear shift in tone and tactic from the Chinese Communist Party, Mr Xiao said the 14 grievances controversially briefed out to media in 2020 were not demands that needed to be met before the relationship could be repaired.

“I’m not going to characterise it as a precondition. It’s just that they’re concerns and we’re going to talk about this,” he said in a rare appearance hosted at the University of Technology Sydney on Friday, which was interrupted on a number of occasions by protesters bearing signs that included the call to “free Tibet”.

It follows Defence Minister Richard Marles meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this month, with Mr Xiao urging for a continuation of that momentum to “put our relationship back on the right track” ahead of the 50th anniversary.

While assigning blame over the damaged relationship to Canberra, which he said fired “the first shot” by banning the Chinese-owned telecommunications company Huawei from the nation’s 5G network five years ago, he alluded to “brighter” times ahead.

“Looking into the future, China-Australia relations enjoy greater potential for co-operation and bright prospects,” he said, in a rare appearance hosted at the University of Technology Sydney on Friday.

“That is the message that I brought with me from China.”

Australian National University Professor of International Security and Intelligence John Blaxland said the change in tone spoke “volumes”.

“This is part of a significant journey, he (the ambassador) has been doing the rounds, he’s been hitting VIPs and working the ground, he has clearly got a mandate to change the dynamic,” Professor Blaxland said. Graeme Smith, a fellow at ANU’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, said the absence of the typical language invoking the “Cold war mentality” used so frequently by officials was important.

“The speech was significant for what was not in it, while of course he also talked very favourably about how things are going,” he said. “And the fact is if they (China) want to achieve their growth targets, they have to keep their economy going and part of that is through trade and investment.”

Mr Xiao said the election of a new government in Australia presented an opportunity for the two countries to work together, with “great potential for co-operation” on issues such as climate change and education. The Albanese government said it was open to speaking with Chinese counterparts at future international forums but pointed out Trade Minister Don Farrell’s requested meeting with his counterpart at the WTO conference was “denied”.

China’s sanctions on Australian exports such as wine and barley, which were slapped with tariffs of up to 218 and 80 per cent respectively, remain in place.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took a firm stance on the trade sanctions and their impact on the relationship, declaring that for the relationship to mend China needed to “remove those sanctions”.

Head of ANU’s National Security College Rory Medcalf said the ambassador “chose his words carefully”.

“But behind them is an awareness that economic coercion is not achieving China’s goals,” he said.

“The reality is that global perceptions of China have fundamentally changed in recent years, just look at the mistrust in Europe and India for instance – and the Chinese government know full well that isolating Australia is not an option.”

University of Technology Sydney Australia-China Relations Institute director James Laurenceson, who hosted the Q and A with the ambassador, said “the fact that Mr Xiao even showed up was significant”.

“I think there’s now scope to move forward,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/beijings-olive-branch-to-australia-for-50th-anniversary-of-diplomatic-ties/news-story/567fc68fa90efcaf40749288f7581749

>>16399572

Pompeo urges recognition of Taiwan

GLOBAL STRATEGY: Indo-Pacific alliances need reinforcement to prevent Chinese occupation of Taiwan, which would threaten Japan, Hawaii and Australia, Pompeo said

Su Yung-yao and Jake Chung - Jun 26, 2022

The US should officially recognize Taiwan as a free, independent nation and establish official diplomatic ties, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington on Friday.

Every US president since Harry Truman has considered Taiwan’s existence to be of utmost importance to US national security, Pompeo said.

Taiwan is a principal US partner in technology and economic matters, and if China were to capture Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain, it would severely hamper the US economy, Pompeo said.

Should China occupy Taiwan, it would severely weaken US influence in the Indo-Pacific region and its surrounding areas, Pompeo said.

An occupation could be a breakthrough in controlling the first island chain and increase China’s influence throughout the region, including a force projection that could threaten Guam, Hawaii, Japan and Australia, Pompeo said.

The US must expand the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — known as the Quad — between Australia, India, Japan and the US, and also include South Korea, the UK and France, Pompeo said,

The AUKUS security pact between Australia, the UK and the US should be incorporated into the Quad format, he added.

“It is my steadfast view that our government should immediately confer diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, for it is a free and sovereign country. Our recognition of Taiwan should not hinge on what will occur. Taiwan is already an independent country. Our government should simply reflect that fact,” Pompeo said.

The US must help build three “lighthouses for liberty,” Pompeo said, referring to Taiwan, Israel and Ukraine.

These countries could become security architecture hubs, linking alliances of free nations globally, including NATO and Indo-Pacific regional formats, he said.

Pompeo said Russian President Vladimir Putin is an “inhumane murderer” perpetrating acts of mass slaughter.

With Putin in power, no neighbor of Russia is safe, he added.

Pompeo decried the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a planned genocide, similar to the Holodomor, a famine orchestrated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin that in 1932 and 1933 killed millions of Ukrainians.

If Russia were to consolidate domination over the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region and the country’s access to the Black Sea, Putin would next seek control of energy resources in other countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, Pompeo said.

“We must aid Ukraine, for to do so in part is our first duty to America and to Americans,” he said, adding that by empowering Ukraine, the US is demonstrating to China the cost of invading Taiwan.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2022/06/26/2003780588

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 26, 2022, 5:10 a.m. No.16525367 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5382

E-commerce platform Made-in-China.com selling sex dolls modelled off of toddler girls

Our investigation uncovers VAST range of child sex abuse dolls

Collective Shout - June 24, 2022

1/2

WARNING: Graphic content

We have uncovered a huge range of child sex abuse dolls including replica toddler girls marketed for men's sexual purposes on China-based online shopping platform Made-in-China.com. Some were just 88cm tall and resembled infants.

We found numerous other listings for the replica female children designed with penetrable orifices for men's simulation of child rape.

The products are listed with descriptors including 'young', 'child', 'girl', 'flat chest', 'real' and 'loli'. The number of penetrable 'holes' - mouth, vagina + anal orifices - is usually listed.

One supplier offers made-to-order replica, penetrable female children based on customer-supplied images. Men can send pics of real children and their team will create a child sex abuse doll from it.

In 2020, a US based mother was alerted to a child sex abuse doll for sale on Amazon which bore a striking resemblance to her daughter Kat. One picture appeared to recreate a photo of her daughter she had previously shared to Facebook. Read more here:

https://www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/9/10/not-a-victimless-crime-how-child-sex-abuse-dolls-facilitate-crimes-against-children

We documented the same child sex abuse doll + promo image on Made-in-China.com. The listing for the 128cm doll included the descriptor 'baby': 'She can please you with her mouth, vagina and anus.'

(continued)

>>16525367

2/2

One Made-in-China supplier offers to send potential buyers 'more sexy photos' of replica toddler girls - in other words, child sexual abuse material. Suppliers assure buyers that through discreet packaging, their purchases of child sex abuse dolls will stay 'secret'.

Child sex abuse doll sellers offer delivery via TNT, DHL, UPS and FedEx.

According to sellers, payment for the child sex abuse dolls can be made using PayPal and MoneyGram.

We are calling on Made-in-China to immediately remove all child sex abuse doll listings + permanently ban suppliers.

Take action

Tell Made-in-China to STOP selling child sex abuse dolls + ban all sellers:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/b2b.made.in.china

Twitter: https://twitter.com/madeinchina_b2b

For more evidence, see our Twitter thread here (strong content warning):

https://twitter.com/CollectiveShout/status/1539892067773853696

https://www.collectiveshout.org/made_in_china_com_toddler_girls_sxdolls

—

Made-in-China.com Tweet

Replying to @CollectiveShout

Thanks for your feedback and reminder. We are urgently removing these products and improving the review rules to prevent vendors from re-posting them.

If you find products that violate children in the future, please send us a private message, or report to: jxs@made-in-china.com

https://twitter.com/madeinchina_b2b/status/1540220946857852930

—

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

‘Devastating’: Australian politicians respond to US supreme court’s decision on abortion rights

Some politicians say decision in Roe v Wade will ‘save lives’ but prime minister emphasises ‘in Australia, this is not a matter for partisan political debate’

Daniel Hurst - 27 Jun 2022

The US supreme court’s decision to wind back abortion rights is “a setback for women and their right to control their own bodies and their lives”, the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said.

The minister for women, Katy Gallagher, said the “devastating” decision, while directly affecting people in America, also reinforced the need for Australians “to remain vigilant because hard-fought-for wins before our parliaments can be taken away easily”.

The US supreme court on Friday overturned a ruling that had guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion for almost half a century, with at least 26 states expected to ban abortion immediately or as soon as practicable.

Albanese, who was flying to Spain for a Nato summit on Monday morning, responded to the ruling by saying people were “entitled to their own views, but not to impose their views on women for whom this is a deeply personal decision”.

“That is, in my view, one for an individual woman to make based upon their own circumstances, including the health implications,” Albanese told the ABC AM program in an interview broadcast on Monday.

“This decision has caused enormous distress. And it is a setback for women and their right to control their own bodies and their lives in the United States. It is a good thing that in Australia, this is not a matter for partisan political debate.”

Gallagher echoed Albanese when she said it had been fortunate in Australia that this issue has not been at the “centre of our politics”.

“I think the decision over the weekend in America was devastating for many women,” Gallagher told ABC Radio National.

“Obviously it directly affects women in America and we’re seeing some of that on our TVs at the moment and I know that many women who have reached out to me over the weekend feel the impact of this decision here locally and right across the world.”

Gallagher underlined the need for termination procedures to remain safe and legal in Australia.

“Vigilance is the message – to make sure women in Australia have access to safe and legal abortion, that that matter is resolved between her and her medical practitioner,” she said.

Several Australian politicians cheered the US decision.

The Queensland Liberal National party senator Matt Canavan tweeted: “A wonderful day to protect human life.”

Bernie Finn, a Victorian state MP who was expelled from the Liberal party over his comments that survivors of rape should not be allowed abortions, said the US decision was “a momentous day for humanity”.

“My very warmest congratulations to my friends in the United States who have been fighting for years to overturn Roe,” he wrote on Facebook.

“This will save lives. This is just the beginning.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/27/devastating-australian-politicians-respond-to-us-supreme-courts-decision-on-abortion-rights

Consider adoption over abortion, David Littleproud says

The new Nationals leader says while he doesn’t want to see Australia import “unhealthy” US talking points, he wants people to consider adoption.

Courtney Gould - June 27, 2022

The US Supreme Court decision to overturn a landmark abortion ruling is a reminder Australians must remain vigilant, the federal Minister for Women says.

Katy Gallagher said the ruling to overturn the Roe v Wade decision – which gave women the federal right to access abortion services – was devastating and served as a warning.

“Hard-fought-for wins before our parliaments can be taken away easily,” she told ABC RN on Monday.

“I think vigilance is the message to make sure that women in Australia have access to safe and legal abortion and that matter is resolved between her and her medical practitioner.”

But the new Nationals leader said he would like more consideration given to adoption over abortion.

David Littleproud, whose older brother is adopted, revealed on Monday that he was “leaning more on the pro-life” side but had caveats.

“There are circumstances where we need to think about the mother’s wellbeing as well as the circumstances in which that pregnancy, particularly in abhorrent cases like rape and incest, that we need to just use a little bit of common sense,” he told Sky News.

“You can’t get too pure in this.

“But I just encourage as many people as possible to take the adoption route.”

Anthony Albanese said the US decision was a setback for women and their right to control their own bodies.

“People are entitled to their own views, but not to impose their views on women for whom this is a deeply personal decision,” the Prime Minister told ABC’s AM.

“This decision has caused enormous distress.

“It is a good thing that in Australia, this is not a matter for partisan political debate.”

Every state and territory in Australia has legislation to provide women with access to safe and legal termination of pregnancy and abortion services.

But more needs to be done to ensure access is equal across the country, Senator Gallagher acknowledged.

“It’s costly and it’s an added burden. It’s a challenge across the board to make sure people living in rural and remote Australia get access to the healthcare services they need,” she told Sky News.

The Rural Doctors Association said while telehealth services had helped, more needed to be done to bridge the gap for those requiring access to surgical procedures.

“I do think it is about encouraging more GPs to take up (and) complete the training and provide the service and maybe looking at incentives for rural doctors in particular to provide access to medical abortion,” chief executive Peta Rutherford said.

But the Australian Christian Lobby has celebrated the upheaval. National director Wendy Francis said she hoped the Supreme Court decision would impact Australian politicians.

“There is a pro-life movement rising up around the world and I think this is just indicated by what’s happened in the US,” she told Sky News.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/roe-v-wade-warning-for-aussies/news-story/81343abcaf4aadecd0afcd44f56d03e1

China pushes for Pacific foreign ministers meeting at same time Pacific Islands Forum meets

Stephen Dziedzic - 27 June 2022

1/2

China is making an audacious attempt to muscle in on the Pacific's most important high-level gathering, pushing for a meeting with the region's foreign ministers on the same day leaders come together in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

The ABC has been told that Beijing has invited ministers from all 10 Pacific Island states it has diplomatic relations with to a virtual meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 14.

The timing is deeply contentious because that is the same day Pacific leaders are due to hold their final retreat at the end of the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Fiji's capital Suva.

The PIF leaders meeting is particularly crucial this year because it is their first in-person gathering since the pandemic hit in 2020.

They last met face-to-face in Tuvalu in 2019.

The forum is also hoping to use the meeting in Fiji to heal a damaging internal split over leadership after a small group of leaders struck an interim deal in Suva earlier this month.

It has already moved to postpone a formal in-person dialogue with PIF dialogue partners — including the United States and China – partly because some Pacific representatives do not want intensifying geo-strategic competition in the region to weigh too heavily on the meeting in Fiji.

Pacific leaders push back against China's meeting proposal

But Beijing's proposal to hold its own meeting with the Pacific leaders during the forum seems to signal that the Chinese Foreign Ministry remains determined to push forward its agenda during a crucial week of regional diplomacy.

One Western government official told the ABC that at least two Pacific Island states were pushing back against the proposal because they did not believe the timing was appropriate.

Pacific Island foreign ministers last met the Chinese minister just one month ago, when he hosted them for a virtual meeting from Fiji in the midst of a long Pacific tour.

Mr Wang was forced to shelve a sweeping regional economic and security pact with the Pacific in the wake of that meeting after some countries raised concerns.

Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo warned the deal could stoke geopolitical tensions and undermine the sovereignty of the Pacific, while Samoa's Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, suggested the process had been rushed.

Pacific expert Anna Powles from Massey University told the ABC "very little" was currently known about the meeting but it seemed to be part of China's broader attempts to sideline the PIF.

"It appears to be an attempt to deliberately disrupt existing regional mechanisms which China is not a part of," she said.

"The proposed economic and security pact between China and the 10 Pacific countries reflected Beijing's interest in creating competing regional mechanisms.

"Scheduling a meeting to be held on the final day of the PIF leaders meeting could be seen in this light."

Dr Powles predicted the meeting was "unlikely" to go ahead given some Pacific nations were uncomfortable with the idea.

"This also suggests that Beijing hasn't learned any lessons from overplaying it's diplomatic hand in May," she said.

"Attempting to sideline the PIF is unlikely to be received well in the Pacific and will be regarded as disruptive."

(continued)

>>16534625

2/2

Australia among those vowing to 'increase ambition' in the Pacific

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson did not comment directly on China's proposal, simply saying: "Australia looks forward to participating in the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting."

"We respect the right of our Pacific partners to choose with whom they engage and how," they said.

The controversy comes as strategic competition continues to intensify in the region.

Over the weekend, Australia signed up to a new "Partners in Blue Pacific" initiative with the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and New Zealand.

The five countries are vowing to coordinate their efforts in the region more effectively and intensify efforts to tackle a range of issues ranging from climate change to illegal fishing.

A joint statement issued by the countries says they want to "increase ambition" in the region.

"We will map existing projects and plan future ones, seeking to drive resources, remove duplication, and close gaps, which will avoid greater burdens and lost opportunities for Pacific governments and Pacific people," it says.

The statement also repeatedly emphasises the importance of the PIF, vowing to "further elevate Pacific regionalism, with a strong and united Pacific Islands Forum at its centre, as a vital pillar of the regional architecture and of our respective approaches in the region".

But the Financial Times cited a United States official saying there was also an "undeniable security component" to America's push to re-engage with the Pacific.

The newspaper quoted the official saying that the United States might take "security steps" to "buttress" its position in the region, suggesting it was contemplating boosting its military presence.

"I imagine we're going to have more ship visits, more engagement. And there may be even something a little bit more permanent," the paper quoted him saying.

The ABC has contacted the Chinese embassy in Canberra about the proposed meeting but it has not yet responded.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-27/china-pushes-for-pacific-foreign-ministers-meeting/101186148

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 27, 2022, 2:28 a.m. No.16534644 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4696

‘Completely out of order’: ABC requests interviewee not to make ‘anti-China’ comments

LIAM MENDES - JUNE 27, 2022

The ABC asked an interview subject “not to make any anti-China comments” just days after China’s ambassador Xiao Qian visited the national broadcaster’s Sydney HQ, according to the academic involved.

The national broadcaster has now defended the request, claiming they were requesting the story “remain focused on the technology of space solar, and not further discussion of geopolitics”.

Dr Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at think tank ASPI, was appearing on Geraldine Doogue’s Radio National program, which was being hosted by Kathryn Robinson, in an interview about space based solar power.

Dr Davis told The Australian a producer facilitating the interview made the request, claiming the ABC was seen to be “anti-China”.

The request came just two days after Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian visited the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters on Thursday.

“This person then said to me, ‘Oh, look, we’ve come under a lot of pressure, because we’re seen to be anti-China, so can you please not make any anti-China statements?’,” Dr Davis told The Australian.

Dr Davis said he responded to the request by saying he would only be speaking “factually about space-based solar power” and that he had no intention of making anti-China comments.

“The actual request was completely out of order in my opinion,” Dr Davis said.

“You don’t ask someone not to have freedom of speech, which is what this person was asking me to do.”

In a press release published on Friday, China’s embassy published photos of the ambassador’s visit and wrote that it hoped the ABC would report on China and Australia’s relations “more rationally and objectively”.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia,” the embassy wrote.

“It is hoped that ABC will give full play to its unique advantages in information dissemination, introduce and report China-Australia relations more rationally and objectively, and make positive contributions to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.”

Dr Davis says he “put two and two together” after seeing the release about Mr Qian’s visit to the ABC.

“I thought maybe that’s where the pressure has come from.”

“This is the first time I’ve had someone actually say ‘can you please not say something essentially anti-China’,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say anything anti-China anyhow, I will criticise the Chinese government, but I wouldn’t say anything anti-China,” he said.

“It could have been one staffer who was not thinking things through,” he said. “I think it was just one staffer who didn’t think, spoke out of turn,” he said.

Several staffers at the ABC said the ambassador’s visit came as a surprise, with one source remarking the visit was “highly unusual” and that it had “certainly caught people off guard” that the red carpet had been rolled out.

On Monday afternoon, the ABC hit back at the claims, claiming Dr Davis misunderstood the request.

“Before the interview the producer explained that Greg Sheridan had just been on that morning’s program talking about the Chinese Ambassador’s speech, including making criticisms of China,” the ABC said.

“The intention for this story was to remain focused on the technology of space solar, and not further discussion of geopolitics. Unfortunately it appears this was misconstrued as being a request to “not criticise China”, which was not the intention.”

Dr Davis later acknowledged the ABC referenced Greg Sheridan in their request.

“Even so, not to ask any anti-China statements is out of order,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/completely-out-of-order-abc-requests-interviewee-not-to-make-antichina-comments/news-story/a9ea745d4783025433da143127e1e895

>>16534644

(Google translation)

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Ambassador Xiao Qian visited the headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

2022-06-24

On June 23, Xiao Qian, Chinese Ambassador to Australia, visited the headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Sydney. On behalf of ABC colleagues, Fang Gaiwen, Deputy Director of ABC News, and Whitby, Director of Domestic and International Editorial Department, welcomed Ambassador Xiao's visit and accompanied him to visit the ABC News Production Center.

Ambassador Xiao said that ABC is an Australian media organization with important international and regional influence, and it is also a witness and recorder of the exchanges and cooperation between the people of China and Australia. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia. It is hoped that ABC will give full play to its unique advantages in information dissemination, introduce and report China-Australia relations more rationally and objectively, and make positive contributions to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Fang Gaiwen and others said that China is a world power with important international and regional influence, and the Australian people are eager to have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding and understanding of China and its development. China and Australia-China relations have always been one of the priorities and priorities of ABC news coverage. The ABC is willing to make positive efforts to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Established in 1932, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a national public radio and television media agency funded by the Australian government. In 1973, ABC became one of the first Western media to set up a reporter station in China.

http://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/sghdxwfb/202206/t20220625_10710023.htm

>>16461400

AUKUS: Nuclear subs possible for Australia by 2030: US defence expert

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 27, 2022

Australia could have two nuclear powered submarines of its own by 2030, a decade ahead of the timetable laid out under the AUKUS security pact, according to a US defence expert close to the Pentagon.

Bryan Clark, a former adviser to the head of US naval operations, said a new bipartisan bill in Congress to allow Australian naval officers to train on US nuclear submarines signalled the US would provide “one or two” nuclear submarines by 2030.

“Previously I thought the US would not be willing to follow through with the subs part of AUKUS – because of a reluctance to give up domestic submarine production to Australia - but it sounds like there’s been movement on that, that the US may be willing to divert some of its new submarines,” he told The Australian.

“I think the US is now looking at giving Australia one of the final block IV Virginia class subs, within the next few years, as it comes off production, with a second one by the end of the decade,” Mr Clark, a defence technology expert at the Hudson Institute, who earlier spent 25 years in the US navy, said.

The Australian Submarine Officer Pipeline Bill, which will see Australian sailors train on US nuclear-powered submarines, became part of the US military budget negotiations last week, helping ease its passage through the Senate.

“Inclusion in this year’s [military budgeting] is a clear signal that our effort and the underlying AUKUS alliance both have strong, bipartisan support in Congress,” said Democrat Congressman Joe Courtney, who first introduced the bill.

The AUKUS security pact between Australia, the US and UK, which emerged in September, provided 18 months for the three nations to develop a concrete path for Australia to acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines using UK and US technology.

“It’s an open question over how the rest will be built though, the US doesn’t have the capacity to provide six or eight,” Mr Clark said.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton was criticised earlier this month for revealing plans in train when he was defence minister to obtain two nuclear powered submarines before 2030.

The AUKUS pact envisages the prospective nuclear-powered submarines would be built in Australia, but experts have suggested the earlier submarines at least would be made in the US or UK.

“It’s more likely they’ll be US built and they’ll establish maintenance and overhaul facilities in Australia,” Mr Clark said.

Kurt Campbell, Joe Biden’s National Security Council Co-ordinator for the Indo-Pacific, said last week the three-way security deal was “behind the scenes making quietly remarkable progress in areas associated with tech”, flagging an “announcement about the submarine initiative shortly”.

The Biden administration has praised the Albanese government for maintaining the previous government’s focus on AUKUS and for working with the US to push back against Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Establishing a joint training pipeline between our navy and the Australian navy is a critical step that will take our security partnership to the next level,” said Congressman Mike Gallagher, a Republican, who also sponsored the joint training bill.

The government agreed earlier this month to pay France, where Prime minister Anthony Albanese will meet president Emmanuel Macron this week, a 555-million-euro settlement over Australia’s severance of an earlier contract with French industry to build a fleet of conventional submarines to replace the ageing Collins class.

Charles Edel, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies specialising in Australia, said shared manning of submarines would “jump-start” the AUKUS process.

“One of the key requirements for Australia to field nuclear propelled submarines is ensuring that they have the sailors to crew those subs,” he told The Australian.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/aukus-nuclear-subs-possible-for-australia-by-2030-us-defence-expert/news-story/0dc07fc6c316651f5198ca0f5b577729

AUKUS pact our ticket to victory according to Senator James Paterson

Senator James Paterson says that the Albanese government must work with the US and Britain to fast-track Australia’s access to technological advancements for cyber warfare.

Tom Minear - June 26, 2022

Winning the race on artificial intelligence and quantum computing will deliver a strategic advantage similar to the atomic bomb, according to the Opposition’s cyber security spokesman, who says the AUKUS pact is Australia’s ticket to victory.

Senator James Paterson says that the Albanese government must work with the US and Britain to fast-track Australia’s access to their technological advancements for cyber warfare.

“If totalitarian states, authoritarian governments, win the race on AI or quantum computing, that will be like winning the race to get the bomb in the 20th century,” Senator Paterson said.

In a wide-ranging interview about his new shadow ministry, which also includes countering foreign interference, Senator Paterson blasted the new government for dismantling Home Affairs by shifting key agencies out of the security super-department.

He acknowledged changes were needed to the foreign influence transparency scheme implemented by the former government, and vowed to focus more on protecting diaspora communities from the tentacles of foreign powers.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, the Victorian Liberal senator said it was crucial Labor took advantage “of the opportunities we’ve left them”, including activating critical infrastructure laws, using new sanctions to target cyber criminals, and tapping into the AUKUS agreement beyond acquiring nuclear submarines.

“These things are on the shelf and ready to go, and had we been re-elected, we would have been making the most of it so I want to make sure they make the most of it,” Senator Paterson said.

But he said it was a “crazy decision” for Labor to reverse the Coalition’s reforms that moved the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and financial crimes watchdog AUSTRAC from the Attorney-General’s portfolio to Home Affairs.

“It’s either driven by ideology or it’s a power grab … but we don’t know because they haven’t publicly articulated their rationale,” Senator Paterson said.

He said that the AFP needed to work with ASIO on foreign interference and counter-terrorism.

Senator Paterson said too many organisations and people linked to overseas powers had “fallen through the cracks” of Australia’s foreign influence register, and that changes needed to be considered.

He said the powerful parliamentary intelligence and security committee – which he used to chair – was “almost at breaking point” and needed greater resources.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/aukus-pact-our-ticket-to-victory-according-to-senator-james-paterson/news-story/8727b0e9be654c1223a628d1e23a6390

'Lack of action' over Tasmanian pedophile nurse James Geoffrey Griffin

A Tasmanian inquiry has been told an alleged pedophile nurse was reported to police and breached patient boundaries across decades before being charged.

Ethan James - 27 June 2022

A "notorious" alleged pedophile nurse in Tasmania was reported to police and breached boundaries with patients across almost two decades before he was criminally charged.

Tasmania Police was provided with child exploitation-related evidence about James Geoffrey Griffin 19 years before he was charged with sexually abusing children in 2019, an inquiry heard on Monday.

There were multiple occasions where Griffin overstepped boundaries with young patients while working at the Launceston General Hospital's paediatric ward 4K.

A commission of inquiry into Tasmanian government responses to child sexual abuse allegations in the public service is for the next fortnight examining the health system.

Griffin took his own life in October 2019 not long after being charged with child sexual offences.

In September 2000, a person told Tasmania Police they found child exploitation material and links to child abuse websites on a computer they had purchased from Griffin, then a student nurse.

In March 2001, the person sent a follow-up email to police, counsel assisting the inquiry, Elizabeth Bennett SC, said during opening submissions.

"I find it very distressing that I have heard nothing about any inquiries," the email read.

"I do not want to think he is working in a kids ward somewhere in Tasmania unsupervised, given what I have found."

Ms Bennett said the inquiry had been unable to determine the outcome of the complaint.

Griffin started at ward 4K in September 2001.

He received a written warning about a boundary breach in 2004 after hugging a child, allegedly kissed a child on the head in 2005, and in 2009 offered to stay overnight with a young female patient

In March 2009, police received a report Griffin had "upskirted" young girls while working as a medic on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry service.

His house was searched, with police noting he cleared his computer browser history daily and had a "large number" of photos of young girls.

Ms Bennett said the matter was "filed for intelligence".

"There is no record of formal notification from Tasmania Police to the Launceston General Hospital at this time," she said.

In March 2015, Tasmania Police was provided with "credible information" that Griffin had discussed child abuse online.

"A source provided (further) information to police in April 2015 … it appears the information was not accessed and no further action was taken," Ms Bennett said.

Tasmania Police representatives are set to provide evidence to the inquiry in coming weeks.

In 2017, the hospital noted Griffin called a patient pet names, resulting in a third written warning that matters could be escalated if his behaviour continued.

Police allegedly found child abuse material at Griffith's house in mid-2019 after a survivor made accusations against him.

He was suspended from work and charged with several counts of indecent assault, possessing child exploitation material and sexual intercourse with a young person.

"The case of James Griffin is one of rumour, notoriety and fear," Ms Bennett said.

Tasmania Police in 2021 issued a formal apology for deficiencies in their investigation into Griffin.

Survivor Ben Felton said he was abused by a different male nurse at the hospital in 1989 as a 13-year-old and his complaints fell on deaf ears.

The inquiry was told 11-year-old Zoe Duncan, who suffered epilepsy and died in 2017, was raped by a doctor at the hospital in 2001.

Lifeline 13 11 14

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

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

https://kidshelpline.com.au/

https://7news.com.au/politics/law-and-order/health-system-focus-for-tas-abuse-inquiry-c-7308793

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 27, 2022, 3:34 a.m. No.16534819 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1890

Pedophile nurse tip off ignored

MATTHEW DENHOLM - JUNE 27, 2022

Tasmanian authorities allowed a pedophile nurse to work with children for 18 years after complaints were first raised about him, leading to the sexual abuse of multiple children.

This damning evidence was presented to Tasmania’s royal commission-style inquiry into state agencies’ response to child sexual abuse on Monday.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Elizabeth Bennett SC, outlined a litany of failures by police and health authorities to take action against James (Jim) Geoffrey Griffin, who abused children while working at Launceston General Hospital from 2001 to 2019.

Ms Bennett told the hearings in Launceston that the state’s anti-corruption body, the Integrity Commission, referred a complaint about mishandling of the Griffin complaints to the same bureaucrats responsible for the failures.

The commission also heard of wider child abuse by staff at the LGH, including from abuse survivor Ben Fenton, who gave evidence he was assaulted by a man referred to in proceedings as “George”.

There was also evidence 11-year-old girl Zoe Duncan, since deceased, was assaulted and raped in 2001 at the LGH by a doctor referred to in proceedings as “Dr Tim”.

Ms Bennett said a man who purchased a computer from Jim Griffin found child exploitation material on the device and reported this to Tasmania Police in September 2000.

After not hearing back from police, the man emailed them in March 2001 to say: “I find it very distressing that I have heard nothing about any inquiries. I do not want to think that he (Griffin) is working in a kids’ ward somewhere in Tasmania, given what I have found.”

That is exactly what Griffin was doing. Ms Bennett said Griffin started work at the LGH in February 2001 and in September 2001 began work on pediatric ward 4K.

“He remained working on that ward, with some exceptions, for the next 18 years (until charged by Police with multiple child sex offences in 2019),” she told the commission.

Ms Bennett detailed a series of concerns and complaints about Griffin raised by staff and parents from 2004 to 2017. Only in 2019, following an abuse allegation to police, was a full police investigation launched. Griffin killed himself in October 2019 while awaiting trial.

Both Mr Fenton and Zoe Duncan’s parents, Anne and Craig Duncan, were critical of the handling of their complaints by Peter Renshaw, LGH director of clinical services since 1987.

Mr Duncan told the commission Dr Renshaw “downplayed” an initial complaint, including that Dr Tim had touched his daughter’s breasts, and had not taken the matter seriously.

Dr Renshaw provided a statement to the commission saying he had thought the complaint – which at that stage did not include rape – was a “professional boundaries issue”.

However, he now accepted he should have “mandatorily reported” the complaint earlier and apologised for this failure.

Mr Duncan said the rape and failures to adequately respond to it had completely changed Zoe and contributed to illnesses that caused her death in 2017. “The stress and the hurt… literally killed her,” he said.

The commission continues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/paedophile-nurse-tip-off-ignored/news-story/d71c66e4db7c3725f729e23f898651f2

BMX champion Rhys Kember jailed for soliciting nude photos from multiple teenage girls

Elizabeth Byrne - 27 June 2022

Olympic hopeful and professional BMX champion Rhys Kember, who partly blamed the sport's "groupie culture" for soliciting child abuse material from five teenage girls, has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Kember, 34, was charged with soliciting and possessing child abuse material and procuring a child for sex.

Details revealed in the ACT Supreme Court showed over four years, Kember had asked the girls to send nude photos of themselves, sometimes in exchange for alcohol.

Police recovered more than 50 photos from his phone, which has now been forfeited.

ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum told the court, Kember had been on track to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, but that and his professional career representing a breakfast cereal and working as a stunt rider, had come to an end with his arrest.

"Some people have a steeper fall from grace than others," Chief Justice McCallum said.

"He had the world at his feet and that is lost."

During sentencing submissions, prosecutor Patricia McEniery told the court Kember had shown no remorse, and appeared to have a limited understanding of the impact of his crimes on the victims.

"They were actual child victims," she said.

"They were known to the offender.

"He requested the material … despite their reluctance."

Court documents also showed Kember had sent nude images of himself to one of the girls, who was 13 at the time, telling her: "I don't like a person who doesn't send back."

Later he sent a message saying, "If you really care for me you'll send me this."

Chief Justice McCallum said he ignored the girl's reluctance.

"He encouraged her in a way that can only be regarded as manipulative," she said.

The court heard Kember had also delivered a takeaway to another girl's school in exchange for a daily photo.

When that girl asked him to buy her alcohol, he said he would do so only if she sent him photos, which she refused.

Kember delivered alcohol to girl at school

In an exchange with another girl, aged 15, he first demanded pictures of her breasts and later proposed a sexual act in exchange for alcohol.

The court heard Kember had delivered the alcohol to the girl at school during lunchtime, but there was no evidence any sexual contact was made.

Kember's lawyer Stephen Robinson told the court his client had grown up with no role models.

"Rhys Kember raised himself, he left home at 15 and was working and going to school," he said.

Mr Robinson told the court he had been neglected by his mother, who suffered with addictions and his father who was an alcoholic.

He said Kember was now getting on with his life and had applied to be a helicopter pilot.

Mr Robinson urged the court not to jail him for more than a few months.

Chief Justice McCallum told the court she believed he was likely to embrace rehabilitation.

She also said Kember he had minimised his responsibility, though he had not simply blamed the sport's culture.

"The so-called groupie culture of the BMX sport does not exculpate him, but it does explain his offending was opportunistic rather than predatory," she said.

Kember was sentenced to three years in jail but will be eligible for release on his own recognisance after eight months.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-27/rhys-kember-jailed-for-child-abuse-material-grooming-teen-girls/101186910

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 22: Member of Australian Army receives Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

Photo by Cpl. Cameron Hermanet - 06.24.2022

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Duncan French (center), the executive officer for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 22, and Sgt. Maj. Justin Stokes, the sergeant major of MRF-D 22, present Australian Army Capt. Jarrod Johnson (left), the future operations planner with 1st Brigade, Forces Command, with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal at Robertson Barracks, NT, Australia, June 24, 2022. Johnson was awarded the medal for his meritorious service while working alongside Marines with Marine Rotational Force-Darwin 21. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Cameron Hermanet)

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7290489/mrf-d-22-member-australian-army-receives-navy-and-marine-corps-commendation-medal

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

https://www.rollofhonor.org/public/htmldetails.aspx?Cat=award&EntID=4104

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal

>>16413391

>>16525139

NASA successfully launches its first rocket from newly created Arnhem Space Centre

Matt Garrick - 27 June 2022

NASA has successfully launched its first rocket from Australian soil in more than a quarter of a century.

After rain and wind delayed the launch by more than an hour, the suborbital sounding rocket took off just after midnight on Monday morning from the newly constructed Arnhem Space Centre, on the remote eastern edge of the Northern Territory.

It marks the first commercial space launch in Australia's history and NASA's first rocket launch from a commercial spaceport outside of the United States.

The rocket — which is expected to fly about 300 kilometres into space above Arnhem Land — is conducting astrophysics studies that can only be undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere, NASA said.

Sky lights up 'in the blink of an eye'

Around 100 VIPs — scientists, politicians, local community members, Indigenous leaders and the media — were shuttled out to watch the launch, from a viewing platform about 800 metres away and not far from the site of the annual Garma Festival.

One person watching on was Yirrkala School co-principal Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, who said it was "unbelievable for something like this to happen here on Yolngu country".

"It was in the blink of an eye, but to me, it was like it was in slow motion because the whole area just lit up," she said.

"It went up, and then the sound, it was just like a rumbling boom, like nothing I've ever heard.

"And I just shook with amazement."

The rocket was visible for about 10 seconds, until just before it exited the earth's atmosphere.

Others in the nearby township of Nhulunbuy also had a chance to catch a brief glimpse of the rocket on its journey skyward, as did residents in nearby remote Yolngu communities and homelands.

Before the launch, dignitaries from both the United States and Australia gathered to speak about the historic moment.

US Consul-General Kathleen Lively said it reaffirmed the "deep partnership" between the two nations.

"Our collaboration is furthering space exploration, to improve our understanding of the solar system and the universe," she said.

"Today marks a moment that will go down in history for the United States and Australia, in our space collaboration efforts."

The launch happened from land owned by the Yolngu people and was heralded by a senior leader of the Gumatj clan, Djawa Yunupingu.

"I've always thought this was going to be a new beginning [for the region]," he said.

Two more launches scheduled from Arnhem Land

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, who was among the VIPs flown in for the occasion, said it was an "extremely proud" moment for Australia.

"Here on Yolngu land, young Territorians can look up at the sky and know what can be done," Ms Fyles said.

"When we see the oldest living culture combining with the science of space, as we have here, it's something we can all reflect on and be very proud."

The inaugural launch was the first of three NASA launches scheduled to take place during June and July this year, with the next expected to blast off on July 4.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-27/nasa-launch-rocket-arnhem-land-success/101183776

Abdallah family invited to speak in Rome two years after children killed in Oatlands crash

Two years after losing three of their children to a drunk and drugged driver, the Abdallah family says it’s been ‘humbled’ by a major announcement.

Digital Staff - 30 May 2022

Two years after losing three of their children to a drunk and drugged driver, the Abdallah family says it has been “humbled” and invited to share their story with the Pope.

Danny and Leila Abdallah’s daughters Sienna and Angelina and son Antony were killed alongside their cousin in February 2020.

The parents have largely credited their faith in being able to move forward following the tragedy.

They started the foundation i4give.

On Saturday, Leila announced on Instagram that she and Danny had been invited to share their story on a global scale.

“Danny and I feel humbled and honoured that our Bishop Antoine Charbel Taraby invited us to attend the WMOF 2022 (World Meeting of Families 2022) all glory to God always.

“Our mission is to serve the Lord and our children for the rest of our lives.

“Please pray that we can have i4give on a global platform starting at the Vatican.

“We thank all our fellow Australians for their love and ongoing support, you have showed Danny and I the true meaning of the Aussie spirit and we are grateful.”

The World Meeting of Families takes place in Rome at the end of June.

It comes after the family welcomed a baby daughter in March.

“The Abdallah family are proud to announce the birth of our 7th child into our family,” Mrs Abdallah announced on Instagram.

“Our little girl is in good health. Antony, Angelina, and Sienna in heaven, Liana, Alex and Micheal with us.

“God has answered our prayers.”

The little girl was named Selina, a combination of Sienna and Angelina.

https://7news.com.au/news/nsw/abdallah-family-invited-to-speak-in-rome-two-years-after-children-killed-in-oatlands-crash-c-6973896

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 27, 2022, 4:37 a.m. No.16535025 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5029

>>16535021

Sydney's Abdallah family has been given a standing ovation at The Vatican

7NEWS Australia

Jun 26, 2022

Sydney's Abdallah family has been given a standing ovation at The Vatican after sharing their story of forgiveness following the horrific deaths of their children.

Antony, Angelina, Sienna and their niece Veronique Sakr, were run down at Oatlands in 2020. Bishops are now seeking to grant them an audience with Pope Francis.

More: https://7news.link/3LX0SAx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvK3aaZlAcw

>House of GOD?

>Evil surrounds us.

>One must only look to see.

>[Symbolism will be their downfall]

>>16535021

>>16535025

Q Post #191

Nov 22 2017 01:34:58 (EST)

popes snake pit.jpg

>anon meme makers please make some memes of the popes audience hall looking like a snake pit. That sum sik shit

https://qanon.pub/#191

—

Q Post #1002

Apr 3 2018 20:18:12 (EST)

If_Satanists_Took_Over_the_Vatican.png

Symbolism will be their downfall.

MONEY.

POWER.

INFLUENCE.

The BITE that has no CURE - NSA.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#1002

—

Q Post #4481

Jun 18 2020 17:36:06 (EST)

https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1273676937089749000

Only when evil is forced into the light can we defeat it.

Only when they can no longer operate in the [shadows] can people see the truth for themselves.

Only when people see the truth [for themselves] will people understand the true nature of their deception.

Difficult truths.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4481

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 2:22 a.m. No.16543746 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7000

Abandoning God: Christianity plummets as ‘non-religious’ surges in census

Matthew Knott and Angus Thomson - June 28, 2022

Australia has become strikingly more godless over the past decade, with the latest census data showing the proportion of self-identified Christians dropping below 50 per cent for the first time and a soaring number of people describing themselves as “non-religious”.

The first tranche of data from the 2021 census, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday, shows that just 44 per cent of Australians now identify as Christian, down from 52 per cent five years earlier and 61 per cent in 2011.

When the first census was conducted in 1911, 96 per cent of Australians listed a form of Christianity as their religion.

The proportion of Australians identifying as Catholic declined from 23 to 20 per cent over the past five years while self-identified Anglicans dropped from 13 to 10 per cent.

By contrast, the share of Australians identifying as “non-religious” has surged.

Thirty-nine per cent of Australians now identify as non-religious, up from 30 per cent in 2016 and almost double the 22 per cent of Australians who ticked the “no religion” box a decade ago.

In the mid-1960s, less than 1 per cent of people in Australia identified as having no religion.

Based on current trends, non-believers could overtake Christians as the biggest religious bloc in Australia by the time the next census is conducted in 2026.

The move away from Christianity accelerated rapidly over the past decade after previously being in a steady long-term decline.

Sydney student Alexandra Wright, 24, exemplifies the national drift away from Christianity.

As a child growing up in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Wright was raised in a devout Irish Catholic family whose members attended church every Sunday.

Wright felt so connected to her faith that she insisted on attending a Catholic high school, St Vincent’s College in Potts Point.

By age 15, however, she began to have an “inkling” that religion was no longer for her; a few years later she no longer identified as Catholic.

When filling out last year’s census, she chose “no religion” without hesitation.

Wright said religion undoubtedly had a “beautiful” side, as seen in the comfort her grandfather drew from the promise of an afterlife before he died. But she had seen a more negative side too

“There is the corruption in the church, the power-tripping of priests,” she said.

Wright said her siblings and many friends had moved away from religion as they grew up.

“It’s this generation,” she said. “We all grew up with religion but when you start living your life you realise you don’t identify with it.”

The Church’s socially conservative teachings on same-sex marriage and sex before wedlock seem outdated to most young people today, she said.

The census results show that some non-Christian religions are growing in strength - even as they continue to make up a small share of the national population.

The number of people who identified as Hindu in the census surged by 55 per cent over the past five years, reflecting an influx of migrants from countries such as India and Nepal.

Around 684,000 people in Australia, or 2.7 per cent of the population, identify with Hinduism.

Islam’s share of the national population has grown to 3.2 per cent, up from 2.6 per cent in 2016. Around 813,000 people in Australia identify with Islam.

Australian Statistician David Gruen said the religion question holds a “special place” in the census because it is one of a few topics that has featured in all 18 censuses and is the only question that is voluntary.

Despite being voluntary, the proportion of people answering the question rose from 91 per cent in 2016 to 93 per cent in 2021.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/abandoning-god-christianity-plummets-as-non-religious-surges-in-census-20220627-p5awvz.html?btis

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 2:37 a.m. No.16543785 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3365

CNN reporter on Q's return: 'As dumb as it is dangerous'

CNN

Jun 28, 2022

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan and John Avlon report that the "Q" persona at the center of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, has posted online for the first time since December 2020, after former President Donald Trump lost the election.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJ-UlN8sPk

>This is called 'PANIC'.

Marles laments ‘drift’ over submarines and frigates as defence chiefs’ terms are extended

James Massola - June 28, 2022

Defence Minister Richard Marles has blasted the former government for letting Australia’s major defence purchases, including new submarines and Navy frigates, drift for years.

In a move designed to get these purchases, which will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, back on track, Marles took the unusual step of extending by two years the terms of three of the country’s top military leaders, while appointing new heads of the army, navy and air force as expected.

Defence Force Chief General Angus Campbell, Vice Chief of the ADF Vice Admiral David Johnston and Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant-General Greg Bilton will now all serve until July 2024.

Of the three new services chiefs, Rear Admiral Mark Hammond was named Chief of Navy, Major-General Simon Stuart Chief of Army and Air Vice-Marshal Robert Chipman Chief of Air Force.

Marles said the Morrison government, which cancelled a $90 billion contract to purchase French Attack-class submarines in favour of a still-to-be-selected British or American nuclear boat under the AUKUS defence pact, had seen “a number of procurements fall behind”.

He also acknowledged the $45 billion future frigates program had slipped behind schedule and said “there might be others”.

It was the fault of the former government, not the reappointed Defence chiefs, that these signature purchases had fallen behind schedule because it had “allowed the nation to drift right across the board, not just in terms of defence, but in terms of our economy, in terms of wage growth”.

“In respect to defence and national security, the former government was big on rhetoric. It was appalling on action. And it let the nation drift. And as a result, a range of key procurements are behind time,” Marles said.

Extending the terms of the ADF chief and vice chief meant there would be continuity of advice to governments, he said, on the submarine and frigate purchases.

“We’re going through a process right now of evaluating the options for what will be the solution for submarines under the framework of AUKUS, which will deliver the next generation of submarines, the nuclear-powered submarine for the country,” he said.

“In doing that, we’re also looking at how quickly that can be delivered and that really will answer the question as to what capability gap arises. And from there, we will look at a whole range of options in terms of dealing with that capability gap. And there are many options which remain.”

In practice, those options could include a so-called “son of Collins” diesel-electric submarine, which some experts have called for, or a US Virginia-class boat – as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has flagged – though there are serious doubts about whether US production capacity could be ramped up quickly to build the boats for Australia.

Dutton, who was previously defence minister, said it was a great decision to extend the terms of the ADF chiefs but rejected suggestions the previous government had left a significant capability gap.

“It defies logic. When Labor were [last] in government, they reduced spending in defence to the lowest level since 1938,” he said, adding the former government had spent more money on troops, training and equipment.

“I think it’s an absurd comment for him to make and frankly beneath him on a day when we should be celebrating the extension of General Campbell and the other [chiefs].”

The decision to extend the appointments of General Campbell, Vice-Admiral Johnston and General Bilton is unusual but not unprecedented. The last Defence chief to have their term extended was Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston, who was appointed by former prime minister John Howard in 2005 and had his term extended by Kevin Rudd until 2011.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/marles-laments-drift-over-submarines-frigates-as-defence-chiefs-terms-are-extended-20220628-p5ax75.html

>>16513955

Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor who fatally shot unarmed Australian woman Justine Ruszczyk released from jail

AP / ABC - 28 June 2022

The former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot unarmed Australian woman Justine Ruszczyk after she rang to report a possible rape behind her home has been released from prison on parole.

Mohamed Noor, 36, walked free on Monday, just months after his murder conviction was overturned and he was sentenced instead on a lesser charge.

His release comes just 18 days shy of the fifth anniversary of the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk, a 40-year-old dual US-Australian citizen and yoga teacher who was engaged to be married to US citizen Don Damond.

Ms Ruszczyk called the 911 emergency services number to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home, minutes before she was shot dead by Noor in Minneapolis.

The former officer was initially convicted in 2019 of third-degree murder and manslaughter, but last year the Minnesota Supreme Court tossed out his murder conviction and 12-and-a-half-year sentence, saying that charge did not apply to the case.

He was sentenced instead to four years and nine months on the manslaughter charge.

In Minnesota, it is presumed that a defendant with good behaviour will serve two-thirds of a sentence in prison and the rest on parole.

The former police officer will be on supervised release until January 24, 2024, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Ms Ruszczyk's stepmother, Maryan Heffernan, said in a phone interview on Friday that the timing of Noor's release — so close to the anniversary of Ms Ruszczyk's death — was painful.

"We're very disappointed," she said.

"But we're not surprised."

"We've been watching events in Minneapolis from miles away and we're still bewildered about the charge being dropped and we're still bewildered about the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department," Ms Heffernan said.

Noor testified in 2019 that he and his partner were driving slowly in an alley when a loud bang on their police SUV made him fear for their lives.

He said a woman appeared at the partner's driver's side window and raised her right arm before he fired a shot from the passenger seat to stop what he thought was a threat.

Corrections Department spokesman Nicholas Kimball said he could not confirm where Noor will be living, but that released offenders are generally supervised by the county where they live.

He said Noor was held in North Dakota for most of his sentence and had no disciplinary issues in prison.

Long history of Minneapolis police misconduct, brutality

The Minneapolis Police Department has long held a reputation for acting with impunity.

Minneapolis residents had been outraged when Philando Castile was shot dead after a routine traffic stop, a year before Ms Ruszczyk's death.

In 2021, a police officer "mistakenly" fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, after pulling him over for an expired car registration.

Noor, who is Somali American, was believed to be the first Minnesota officer convicted of murder for an on-duty shooting.

Since Noor's conviction, former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was convicted of murder in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, a Black man who was pinned to the pavement under Chauvin's knee.

After Noor's conviction, Minneapolis agreed to pay $20 million to Ms Rusczczyk's family.

Noor's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

On Friday, he said he wanted to respect Noor's privacy.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-28/minneapolis-mohamed-noor-released-jail-shooting-justine-rusczyzk/101188614

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 2:52 a.m. No.16543835 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3859

Royal commission hears of problems in Defence Abuse Response Taskforce

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has heard that a taskforce set up to probe abuse in the Australian Defence Force struggled to cope with a series of challenges.

Leighton Smith - June 28, 2022

A GOVERNMENT taskforce set up to probe abuse in the Australian Defence Force had a limited scope and had no legal powers to compel anyone to speak to it.

The former chair of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce (DART) Leonard Roberts-Smith gave his frank assessment of the body as he gave evidence before the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in Townsville.

DART was established in November 2012 to provide respite to people who claimed to have suffered physical or sexual abuse within the ADF prior to April 2011.

This included 24 serious allegations of abuse at Australian Defence Force Academy and other abuse allegations at the tarnished HMAS Leeuwin.

The former judge told the commission DART was initially given six staff members and a 12 month time frame to achieve its goals but that when abuse claims started pouring in it didn’t even have an office or a computer system to record them.

“As at day one, there were seven of us and we had to build the taskforce and everything that that entailed,” he said.

“Once the announcement had been made by the government, we started receiving allegations of abuse from complainants directly to the taskforce.

“Our first task was simply to collect these (allegations) as they came in to log them, yet bearing in mind we didn’t even have a computer system at that time and we had to log them physically.”

He said that as horrific stories of abuse were logged with DART the team was tasked with finding office accommodation, setting up computers, case management, accounting and logistics systems and recruiting more staff.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the taskforce faced a number of legal and confidentially challenges, including initially accessing information from Defence although this issue was eventually resolved.

“It was a rather challenging environment in which to operate,” he said.

He said DART received extensive support from the then Attorney-General, Minister for Defence and the then Chief and Secretary of the Defence Force.

“There were some practical problems which were not in any way contrived,” he said.

“There is quite often still a general resistance in some parts of Defence given the beast that it is … but we overcame all of those.”

During his evidence Mr Roberts-Smith described poor record keeping and archiving of files and records, which in some cases had been disposed of or never made in the first place.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the commission multiple abuse victims who spoke to DART expressed they had contemplated suicide or actually attempted to take their lives.

He said another collective message from complainants was that they felt “failed” or “betrayed” by their service and that this was the fundamental driver for them to come forward about their abuse.

“It is no exaggeration to say that in very many, if not most of the cases that came to the taskforce the person who had been abused had his or her life literally destroyed as a consequence,” he said.

“What we found we were getting more commonly than not was the reaction that: ‘no I don’t actually care about the (person/s) that did this to me. What really disturbed me is the fact that the service I was in … let me down’.”

“They are supposed to look after me but they let it happen to me. I reported it and they didn’t do anything’.”

He said Defence brushed off reports of serious abuse at the Fremantle Navy Training base HMAS Leeuwin as simply historical.

“Defence in responding to anything we might say about (historic abuse at HMAS Leeuwin) in responding to anything we might say about that, would characterise it as being historical and of no particular relevance.

“Even though these might have been quite historical events … the effects of the abuse suffered … was still current,” he said.

“We are talking about men in their 60s and 70s whose lives had been destroyed by the abuse.”

The taskforce, among other things, ultimately found that allegations of serious abuse at ADFA and HMAS Leeuwin were more widespread and persistent than previous government inquiries found and were present at other ADF training institutions.

DART made reparation payments to 1723 people totalling $66.63 million, referred 133 complaints to police and 132 complaints to the Chief of the Defence Force, a government report says.

Former Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force, Mr Roberts-Smith is the father of Victoria Cross recipient and accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/townsville/royal-commission-hears-of-problems-in-defence-abuse-response-taskforce/news-story/fe9f05d73706b9f40ee2d4e309172bc0

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 3 a.m. No.16543859 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3863

>>16543835

If we fail to prosecute war crimes, the law is a ‘dead letter,’ says inquiry judge

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters - June 18, 2022

1/2

The senior judge who led the biggest and most damning war crimes inquiry in Australian history has said that investigating and prosecuting war crimes is vital to preserve the nation’s “reputation and standing”.

In a rare public foray, NSW Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton warned in a speech earlier this month that Australian laws prohibiting war crimes “are pointless if they are not enforced, and a law which is not enforced soon becomes a dead letter”. He also flagged “the risk that national chauvinism might trump justice according to the international law of armed conflict”.

Brereton conducted the long-running military inspector-general’s inquiry into war crimes in Afghanistan, which issued its explosive public report in November 2020.

His comments come as the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) parallel war crimes inquiry passed its four-year anniversary this month, having not laid a single charge or absolved any suspect since beginning in June 2018. Since May 2020, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Sarah McNaughton, SC, has been analysing interim briefs of evidence compiled by the police inquiry.

Complicated investigations can take years for police and prosecutors to resolve, either by reaching a decision to prosecute or by concluding there is insufficient evidence to charge. But the four years and counting timeline of the AFP’s Afghan war crimes investigation is causing concern among lawyers and supporters of witnesses.

According to sources dealing with police witnesses, some have not heard from the AFP in many months and they are concerned that, as more time passes, memories will fade.

Concern about the AFP’s ability to handle the multiple war crimes allegations arising out of the Brereton inquiry led to the creation of a dedicated war crimes agency, the Office of the Special Investigator, in early 2021. While the OSI has launched its own inquiries, the AFP has retained carriage of the probes it began in 2018.

In a lecture at the Military History Society on June 4, Brereton did not mention Afghanistan and spoke only of war crimes case studies dating back decades. But his public comments are significant because his investigation was the catalyst for the police inquiries into multiple Australian soldiers over allegations they executed prisoners in Afghanistan.

The judge’s speech was made all the more remarkable by the attendance of another judicial heavyweight, Len Roberts-Smith, a former West Australian Supreme Court judge and the father of Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith. In his role as military inspector-general probing alleged war crimes, Brereton referred Roberts-Smith and two other former soldiers to the Chief of the Defence Force in May 2018, triggering the AFP’s ongoing inquiry.

Roberts-Smith jnr has previously publicly attacked the work of the Brereton Inquiry, claiming it was based on rumours rather than evidence.

Len Roberts-Smith, also a former judge advocate general for the Australian Defence Force, sat in the front row of the small auditorium, a few feet from Brereton, during the speech. Earlier this year, Roberts-Smith snr regularly attended the defamation trial launched by his son against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times for implicating him in war crimes allegations.

In June last year, Roberts-Smith snr issued a statement attacking the allegations. “We never expected that our son would be unfairly attacked in this manner after he served his country in Afghanistan with distinction and risked his life,” it said.

(continued)

>>16543859

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In Brereton’s speech, titled “War Crimes in Australian History: from the Boer War to Vietnam”, he detailed key themes and issues that have clear parallels with those that form part of his 2020 Afghanistan war crimes report. The judge, who is also a major-general, spoke of the critical role of soldiers who, in the face of immense pressure, break ranks to expose war crimes in a bid to “seek atonement”.

He said “significant themes” that fuelled the atrocities committed by infamous Australian soldier Breaker Morant in the Boer War had reappeared in modern war crimes cases, including that of American special forces soldier Eddie Gallagher. Gallagher was unsuccessfully prosecuted in 2019 for executing an Islamic militant taken prisoner in a high-profile US case in which Gallagher won backing from then US president Donald Trump.

The historical war crimes themes that Brereton listed in his speech, and that mirror those in his 2020 report, also include: the alleged “use of subordinates” to execute prisoners; the use of “cover stories” to conceal crimes; and the “deterrence of reporting by threats and fear”.

In his final Afghanistan war crimes report, Brereton detailed multiple accounts of subordinates allegedly killing Afghan prisoners and how the “fear … of reporting misconduct to the chain of command has deterred some from doing so”.

Brereton argued in his speech that it was both vital and in the national interest to ensure war crimes are both investigated and prosecuted, despite the difficulty in doing so.

“It is not only because there is an international law obligation to do so. Fundamentally, laws are pointless if they are not enforced, and a law which is not enforced soon becomes a dead letter,” he said. “War crimes differ from other crimes, in that they affect not only the individuals concerned, but also the nation’s reputation and standing.

A nation’s preparedness to investigate war crimes by its own is a mark of a mature civilisation and one way in which it can remedy the stain on its reputation occasioned by the commission of crimes in its name by its service personnel.”

Brereton, who has interviewed hundreds of soldiers as part of his recent inquiry, also reflected broadly on the experience of veterans who encounter alleged war crimes.

“Those who have been compelled to participate in, or have failed to prevent, serious transgressions of what they believe to be right, are amongst the most seriously traumatised,” he said.

“Moral injury is about serious internal conflict, associated with guilt and shame, caused by perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. The injunctions of the laws of armed conflict seem to coincide with deep-seated human morality.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/if-we-fail-to-prosecute-war-crimes-the-law-is-a-dead-letter-says-inquiry-judge-20220617-p5auk8.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 3:05 a.m. No.16543873 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0210

>>16534625

Australia commits to Pacific islands defence training as China plans rival meet

Kirsty Needham - June 28, 2022

SYDNEY, June 28 (Reuters) - Australia will set up a defence school to train Pacific island militaries, Canberra's new Pacific minister said, amid mounting competition for security ties in the region and as China lays plans for a rival meeting to next month's Pacific Islands Forum.

Australia will double its funding for aerial surveillance of the Pacific islands vast fishing zone, and provide financing for Pacific islands to build more resilient infrastructure as Pacific sea level rises are forecast to be four-times the global average, Minister for International Development and Pacific, Pat Conroy, told a Pacific conference on Tuesday.

"The Australian Government knows that the issue of security is inseparable from the issue of climate change," he said in a video address to the conference in Fiji's capital, Suva.

During the Pacific Islands Forum taking place in Suva next month, regional leaders are expected to discuss China's push to strike a trade and security deal with 10 Pacific island nations that hold diplomatic ties with China.

A leaked draft of the deal showed it covered fisheries and maritime security as well as police training.

The forum includes Australia and New Zealand, which have expressed concern at China's recent security deal struck with the Solomon Islands, as well as several nations that recognise Taiwan and not Beijing.

China, which is not a PIF member, is seeking to host a video meeting with the 10 nations it wants to sign to a multilateral pact on July 14, to coincide with the final day of the PIF leaders meeting, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The political leadership dialogue planned by the Communist Party's international department also coincides with the day a communique would be expected to be issued by the forum leaders. It is unknown if the meeting with China will go ahead, after some nations were reported to be upset by the timing.

China's foreign ministry didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, but on Monday denied its foreign minister would host a meeting.

A similar event last year was hosted by the minister for the Communist Party's international department.

Tensions between China and the island states that hold diplomatic ties with Taiwan were highlighted when Tuvalu's foreign minister withdrew from a United Nations oceans conference on Monday after China blocked three Taiwanese members in the Tuvalu delegation from attending.

Conroy said the Pacific Islands Forum had brought the region together for 50 years, and it was "the heart of Pacific regionalism".

Ahead of the meeting, he outlined the new Australian government's commitments to support the region, including an Australia Pacific Defence School would provide training for defence and security forces.

The pledge, first made at the election, to double funding for aerial surveillance of the Pacific exclusive economic zones would increase maritime security and recoup US$150 million lost each year to illegal fishing, he said.

Australia worked with Pacific island nations on a break-through agreement at the World Trade Organisation this month to restrict fishing subsidies, used by China's high-seas fishing fleet, that had encouraged unsustainable over-fishing, he said.

"This will be good news for the Pacific Ocean environmentally – and it will be good news for Pacific countries economically," he said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-commits-pacific-islands-defence-training-china-seeks-rival-meeting-2022-06-28/

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 3:19 a.m. No.16543912 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3916

Woman abused by Launceston General Hospital paedophile James Griffin flagged risk to children, inquiry hears

Ellen Coulter - 28 June 2022

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In 2011, Kylee Pearn told the Launceston General Hospital that there was a child abuser working in the hospital's children's ward.

She knew the nurse was a paedophile, because years earlier, she had been abused by him.

"I just knew I had to do something… I felt he was a risk on that ward," she said.

But Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry into Government Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard that her complaint went nowhere.

James Geoffrey Griffin continued to work on Ward 4K for another eight years, racking up more and more complaints until he was finally charged by police.

WARNING: This article contains content that some readers may find distressing.

Kylee Pearn had known James Griffin since she was four years old — he was a family friend.

She told the inquiry, which is holding hearings in Launceston, that he started sexually abusing her when she was about seven years old, and that continued on a regular basis for a number of years.

Her coping mechanism had been to lock away the abuse; it was something that had happened, but it was not who she was, and she doesn't like to label herself a victim-survivor.

As an adult, Ms Pearn worked as a social worker in family violence support, and then in 2011 she began a secondment at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH), working on the same floor as Griffin.

"I would see him coming and going and ran into him a few times," Ms Pearn told the inquiry.

"It was incredibly confronting, and on a couple of occasions he approached me and kissed me on the cheek."

Despite her coping mechanism of locking away what had happened, Ms Pearn told the commission that two events that year made her feel the need to report Griffin.

Firstly, a chance conversation with a friend who revealed she too had been abused by Griffin.

"That was a very big realisation for me, that I wasn't the only one," Ms Pearn said. "Because that's something I'd told myself for a long time, it was probably just me."

Then, Ms Pearn's own child had to spend a night on Ward 4K.

James Griffin was working, and she was too petrified to leave her child alone.

"I just thought how incredibly unfair it was that I could protect my child, but no one else in this ward knew that information," Ms Pearn said.

"It wasn't just about me, it was about my profession, being a social worker, being a mum, wanting to protect other kids on that ward."

She told her manager, Stewart Millar, about her abuse and they arranged a meeting with the hospital's Human Resources department.

"I felt he was a risk of abusing other children."

Ms Pearn hoped he would be removed from the children's ward.

(continued)

>>16543912

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'He'll make too much of a fuss'

Ms Pearn said she couldn't fully remember which representative or representatives from HR attended the meeting, but believed it was likely Gino Fratangelo and maybe James Bellinger, and they seemed to have "come prepared".

Ms Pearn said she told HR that Griffin had sexually abused her and her friend, and that she believed he was a risk on Ward 4K.

"They said things like 'we have looked into him … he has been on the ward too long'.

"They said things like 'he will make too much of a fuss if we move him', they told me he was an ANMF (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation) member or rep," she told the inquiry.

Ms Pearn said she got the strong sense that the responsibility was back on her, and that the hospital wouldn't do anything about Griffin unless she got a conviction or put her name to her complaint.

"I thought I had given them information that they would take seriously and act on.

"There was no follow-up whatsoever … I don't believe it was taken seriously."

No explanation for lack of action

In later evidence, Ms Pearn's manager, Stewart Millar, told the inquiry that he was almost certain that two HR representatives had been at the meeting and that they were James Bellinger and Gino Fratangelo.

The inquiry heard that Mr Fratangelo did not recall being at the meeting.

Mr Bellinger gave evidence later in the day that he did not work at the hospital until 2012, did not recall attending the meeting, and did not believe it was possible that he did.

He told the inquiry that he learned about Ms Pearn's report in 2019, and the fact there had been no action taken.

Counsel assisting Elizabeth Bennett asked him if he had taken any proactive steps at that point to make the hospital safer.

Mr Bellinger said he had not, and that he could not explain why.

Ms Pearn said she and her friend spoke to police but did not go through with trying to have Griffin charged, partly because of fear on her part and because she was unsure of the likelihood of a conviction.

"I made a promise to myself that if anyone else ever came forward, I would 100 per cent follow through and have him charged."

'I felt fobbed off' by Peter Renshaw

In 2019, Kylee Pearn started hearing rumours that other people were coming forward about Griffin, and went to Tasmania Police.

"I wanted to stop him and keep other children safe, as well as support another person who had come forward."

She said the police process and the detective she dealt with were "fabulous", but her subsequent dealings with the National Redress Scheme were not trauma-informed and involved "horrendous" questioning.

Around the same time, Ms Pearn said Griffin's abuse was starting to gather media attention, and she decided to tell the hospital's director of clinical services, Dr Peter Renshaw, about her 2011 disclosure to the hospital's HR team.

"He was very dismissive, didn't really want to spend a lot of time on the phone to me," she told the inquiry.

"I didn't get any concern from him, I felt quite fobbed off."

Ms Pearn said she had a phone conversation with the then Health Minister Sarah Courtney, who "appeared concerned", and Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry was announced the next day.

Griffin was charged with offences relating to Kylee Pearn, and others, in 2019.

He was bailed and died by suicide that year before he could be tried.

(continued)

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Ms Pearn told the inquiry that the most difficult things for her had been what came after the abuse and police process — dealing with multiple government departments, requesting information, the loss of control of her own information and the constant media reporting and and use of images of Griffin.

Ms Pearn resigned from the state service last year.

"There was information coming out about the way staff had been treated and I wasn't proud to be a state servant anymore, "she said.

"Child safety is at the core of who social workers are, and I can't ignore that or work in a place that doesn't respect that or value that."

Nurse tried to keep Griffin away from young girls

The inquiry also heard from Maria Unwin, a registered nurse who was senior to Griffin on the children's ward.

She said Griffin had a "strong preference to care for teenage girls", and he would do unusual things like touch patients on the arm and call them "sweetie".

Ms Unwin said she raised her concerns with the nursing unit manager, but the manager's only response was that "everyone has something to offer".

From then on, Ms Unwin said she tried to allocate teenage female patients to other nurses.

In 2019, Ms Unwin said one of her former colleagues contacted her to tell her about the allegations surrounding Griffin.

"I was horrified," she told the inquiry.

"The first thing I remembered was the words of my nurse unit manager that 'everyone has something to offer' and I felt incredibly sick."

Ms Unwin told the inquiry she believed there was a culture in the hospital of not taking complaints seriously.

When asked where she believed that culture was coming from, she said she was aware that "Peter Renshaw has a role in handling complaints and legal issues that occur in the hospital and … I had been told by a number of colleagues that he can be quite dismissive and deflective of complaints that are brought before him."

She said she had not had that level of interaction with Dr Renshaw herself.

Dr Renshaw is expected to give evidence later this week.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-28/woman-abuse-lgh-paedophile-nurse-griffin-risk-to-children/101188748

Ghislaine Maxwell will be sentenced overnight. Here's what we know about the case and Jeffrey Epstein's former partner

ABC/wires

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former partner of globetrotting financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will soon face her fate.

The jetsetting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires will be sentenced on Tuesday local time for helping her then-boyfriend abuse girls between 1994 and 2004.

If the prosecutors get their way, she could face between 30 and 55 years in prison.

Here's what we know about the long-running case.

Maxwell was part of Epstein's inner circle

Raised in Oxford in the UK, the 60-year-old is the daughter of the late Robert Maxwell, a British media magnate, who founded a publishing house and owned tabloids such as the Daily Mirror.

After moving to New York in the early 1990s to work in real estate, she began her romantic relationship with Epstein, a financier who lived in lavish style and attended high-society parties.

Epstein considered her to be a longtime member of his inner circle, describing her as his "best friend" in a 2003 Vanity Fair article.

In 2019, he took his life in a New York jail cell where he was being held without bail on sex-trafficking charges.

The 66-year-old former hedge fund manager was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.

Maxwell was found guilty of luring girls for Epstein

Epstein’s death led to further investigations into Maxwell. And in 2020 — after months spent seemingly flying under the radar — she was arrested during a raid on her secluded New Hampshire mansion.

She was formally charged with facilitating the sex-trafficking operation, and during a month-long trial late last year, the court heard sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls at Epstein’s palatial homes.

After five days of deliberations, a jury found her guilty of five of the six charges.

"The verdict screams loud and clear — if you make it easier for another to sexually abuse children, you too will be held accountable for your role in that abuse," Robert Glasman, the lawyer for one of Maxwell's accusers, known as Jane, said.

Where is Maxwell now?

She is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York.

Last week, Maxwell was placed on suicide watch after she reported being threatened by jail staff, prompting her lawyers to ask for a delay to her sentencing.

Prosecutors argued no delay was needed because Maxwell had her legal documents and could get the same amount of sleep.

"Given the defendant's inconsistent accounts … the chief psychologist assesses the defendant to be at additional risk of self-harm, as it appears she may be attempting to be transferred to a single cell where she can engage in self-harm," prosecutors said in a court filing.

Maxwell could die in prison

In written arguments, prosecutors have asked for the British socialite to serve between 30 years and 55 years in prison.

Describing her crimes as "monstrous", they said Maxwell left her victims "permanently scarred with emotional and psychological injuries".

"That damage can never be undone, but it can be accounted for in crafting a just sentence for Maxwell's crimes," they wrote.

Lawyers for Maxwell have submitted that the 60-year-old should spend no more than five years in prison because Epstein had been the mastermind and principal abuser — a suggestion rejected by prosecutors, who have described her role as "instrumental".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-28/jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-sentencing-sex-trafficking/101189560

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 28, 2022, 3:34 a.m. No.16543948 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3953

>>16543926

Ghislaine Maxwell sentencing: Who will speak, where will she be imprisoned and how long will she spend behind bars?

She intends to appeal her conviction post-sentencing, which significantly restricts what arguments her legal team can offer in mitigation. There will therefore be no apology for her role in the sex-trafficking of young women because she still maintains her innocence.

Joe Pike - 28 June 2022

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Ghislaine Maxwell will be sentenced on Tuesday following her conviction on five counts of sex trafficking.

The 60-year old, a friend of presidents and princes, was found guilty in December of grooming and recruiting vulnerable underage girls for wealthy paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The victims

Mr Epstein abused girls as young as 14 at his mansions in New York, Florida, New Mexico and on his private Caribbean island, Little St James, dubbed 'Paedophile Island' by locals.

Four victims gave evidence at Ms Maxwell's trial but six are due to speak at the sentencing hearing about the impact of the abuse. They include Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew's accuser, as well as Annie Farmer, 'Kate', Teresa Helm, Sarah Ransome and Elizabeth Stein.

Some lawyers estimate more than 160 women and girls may have been victims of Jeffrey Epstein.

The sentence

Ms Maxwell's lawyers argue that between four years three months and five years three months would be an appropriate punishment.

The US probation service has recommended a 20 year sentence. This would lead to Ms Maxwell leaving prison in her late seventies. She has already spent almost two years in a federal detention centre.

Government prosecutors are pushing for Ghislaine Maxwell to be sentenced to between 30 and 55 years which would mean she would likely die in jail.

It is up to Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over the trial, to decide on a prison term.

The prison

Since her arrest in July 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell has been housed in Brooklyn's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center. Moving her to another facility is likely to be a priority for her legal team.

They argue their client has been subjected to "discriminatory and punitive" treatment, including solitary confinement, "unjustified sleep deprivation" and "excessive" strip searches where Ms Maxwell's "breasts and genitalia were touched in a rough and reckless manner".

Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers claim her weight has dropped by 20lbs (9kg) and she has suffered hair loss.

The court has no jurisdiction over where she is incarcerated. Instead it is up to the Bureau of Prisons, an organisation which Ms Maxwell's lawyers have been publicly complaining about for months.

It is possible they will push for her to be transferred to a low-security women's prison at Danbury, Connecticut, the setting for the TV series Orange Is The New Black.

(continued)

>>16543948

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The defence case: 4.25 to 5.25 years

Ghislaine Maxwell intends to appeal her conviction post-sentencing, which significantly restricts what arguments her legal team can offer in mitigation. There will therefore be no apology for her role in the sex-trafficking of young women because she still maintains her innocence. This is a high risk strategy and may backfire.

In a 77-page submission Maxwell's lawyers avoid exploring her relationship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Instead they rehash arguments from the trial claiming that their client has already had her life destroyed, been subjected to a media witch-hunt, and is being punished for Mr Epstein's crimes

They also focus on her difficult childhood, writing that she was "anorexic while still a toddler" and was physically and emotionally abused by her father, the disgraced media owner Robert Maxwell.

In court documents, Ms Maxwell's lawyers argue that Mr Maxwell would "explode, threaten and rant at" his children and use corporal punishment. They recount an incident where Robert Maxwell struck his daughter's hand with a hammer leaving it "severely bruised and painful for weeks".

Ms Maxwell has no prior criminal convictions.

The prosecution case: 30 to 55 years

The US government rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's claim that she is being punished for Mr Epstein's crimes as "both absurd and offensive", arguing she was instrumental and as part of a "disturbing agreement" she "identified, groomed, and abused multiple victims".

"[Maxwell] made the choice to conspire with Epstein for years, working as partners in crime and causing devastating harm to vulnerable victims," they write.

'Jane', a victim who gave evidence at the trial, was 14 years old when she was first abused.

In a 55-page submission, prosecutors accuse Ms Maxwell of failing to address her offences and displaying an "utter lack of remorse".

They write: "Instead of showing even a hint of acceptance of responsibility, the defendant makes a desperate attempt to cast blame wherever else she can."

Claims Ms Maxwell has been mistreated in prison are "inaccurate" according to the government. "In fact", they say, "the defendant has enjoyed remarkable privileges as a high-profile inmate that vastly exceed the benefits accorded to the average inmate".

https://news.sky.com/story/ghislaine-maxwell-sentencing-who-will-speak-where-will-she-be-imprisoned-and-how-long-will-she-spend-behind-bars-12641544

>>16543926

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in jail for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls

ABC/wires - 29 June 2022

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Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the sex offender and globetrotting financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.

The British socialite was convicted in December for recruiting and grooming four girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, her then-boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004.

Speaking at her sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court before learning the sentence, Maxwell called Epstein a "manipulative, cunning and controlling man" who fooled everyone in his orbit.

She said she was "sorry" for the pain that his victims experienced.

"It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein," Maxwell said.

In imposing the sentence, US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell did not appear to express remorse or accept responsibility.

"Maxwell directly and repeatedly and over the course of many years participated in a horrific scheme to entice, transport and traffic underage girls, some as young as 14, for sexual abuse by and with Jeffrey Epstein," Judge Nathan said.

"The damage done to these young girls was incalculable."

The months-long trial was widely seen as the reckoning that Epstein — who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial — never had.

It was one of the highest-profile cases in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse, often at the hands of wealthy and powerful people.

Prosecutors last week called Maxwell's conduct "shockingly predatory" and said she deserved to spend at least 30 years behind bars for the five charges on which she was convicted, based on their interpretation of federal sentencing guidelines.

Maxwell's lawyers had earlier said in court papers that she should be sentenced to no more than five years and three months, arguing that she was being scapegoated for Epstein's crimes and that she had already spent significant time in jail.

(continued)

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'I became what I am today in spite of her'

In often emotional and explicit testimony during the trial, four women testified that Maxwell was a central figure in their abuse by Epstein.

During Tuesday's hearing, Annie Farmer, who is now a psychologist, said her experience being exploited by Maxwell "resulted in significant shame" that sometimes left her feeling like she wanted to "disappear".

A woman known as "Kate" said she was proud to help hold Maxwell accountable.

"Today, I can look at Ghislaine and tell her that I became what I am today in spite of her and her efforts to make me feel powerless and insignificant, and I will cast that empowerment on my daughter," Kate said.

Bobbi Sternheim, a lawyer for Maxwell, said Maxwell would appeal, arguing the public scrutiny of the case before the trial "left little room for her to be treated fairly".

"We all know that the person who should have been sentenced today escaped accountability, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain and receiving the punishment he truly deserved," Ms Sternheim told reporters.

"Clever and cunning to the end, Jeffrey Epstein left Ghislaine Maxwell holding the whole bag."

Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and repeatedly denied bail.

Since then, she has been held mostly at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC), where she has complained of vermin and the scent of raw sewage in her cell. Her lawyer has compared her confinement conditions to those of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.

Maxwell was placed on suicide watch over the weekend. However her lawyers said she was not suicidal.

In April, Judge Nathan rejected Maxwell's bid for an acquittal, but set aside guilty verdicts on two counts because they overlapped. That reduced Maxwell's maximum possible sentence to 55 years from 65 years.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-29/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-jail-jeffrey-epstein/101191878

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 2:19 a.m. No.16553595 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3600

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex crimes

Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell spoke in court about her biggest “regret” before being jailed for 20 years.

Benedict Brook - June 29, 2022

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She apologised in court for her crimes telling her victims, many of who were present, that she hoped her jail time brought them “closure”.

“I acknowledge with that I have been a victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes,” she told the judge, claiming meeting the predator was “the biggest regret” of her life.

One victim said outside court that “sorry doesn’t cut it”.

The sentence is far shorter than the maximum 55 years that prosecutors were seeking. Despite that, Maxwell’s lawyers have said they will appeal and that the jail time reflected the late Epstein’s crimes rather than her own.

Maxwell, 60, was sentenced in a New York court after being convicted in December of sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three other related charges. All the charges were related to Epstein.

Judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell’s criminal activity was “extensive” and characterised her as Epstein’s “number two” and the “lady” of his house.

She will spend 20 years in prison with five years of supervised release. Maxwell will also have to pay a $US750,000 ($A1.1m) fine.

‘Opening the door to hell’

In court, Australian victim Virginia Giuffre accused Maxwell of “opening the door to hell”. Another of her victims said in a statement that Maxwell was a “monster” who deserved the maximum sentence possible.

The British socialite was ushered into the New York Southern District federal court at 11am local time on Tuesday, shackled and dressed in blue scrubs.

She barely reacted when the sentence was handed down.

Over the weekend, she was reportedly placed on suicide watch at the New York prison where she is being held. High-flying financier and friend of the rich and famous Epstein killed himself at a Manhattan prison in 2019.

Judge Nathan said Maxwell’s wealth had no effect on her punishment.

“Whether you are powerful or entirely unknown, nobody is above the law”.

(continued)

>>16553595

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‘Sorry doesn’t cut it’

Outside court, victim Sarah Ransome shrugged off Maxwell’s courtroom apologies.

“To take someone into a room to be raped, there aren’t enough sorrys in the world.

“I’m sorry doesn’t cut it.”

Maxwell’s lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said the “extremely long” sentence would be appealed. Her client, she said, had been “tried and convicted” by public opinion.

“Clever and cunning to the end, Jeffery Epstein left Ghislaine Maxwell holding the whole bag,” said Ms Sternheim.

‘Why did you enjoy hurting us so much?’

A lawyer for Australian-American Ms Giuffre read a statement to Maxwell during the sentencing.

“Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day,” she wrote.

“I want to be clear about one thing: without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you.

“For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell.

“You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in. You could’ve called the authorities and reported that you were a part of something awful.”

Ms Giuffre asked Maxwell “Why? Why, Ghislaine, did you enjoy hurting us so much?”

“Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.”

‘Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster’

The victim statement of Juliette Bryant also pulled no punches.

“Simply put, Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster,” the South African said.

“Ever since she and Jeffrey Epstein got their hands on me, I have never felt OK.

“Thinking about them still gives me frequent panic attacks and night terrors.”

She called for the judge to impose the maximum sentence.

Maxwell: ‘I hope my incarceration brings you closure’

Maxwell also read out a statement. Looking at the various victims who attended court she said, “I am sorry for the pain that you experienced. I hope my conviction and harsh incarceration brings you closure”.

She said Epstein was “manipulative, controlling and cunning”. But she added, “today is not about Epstein. It is for me to ultimately be sentenced“.

Prosecutors called for a stiff sentence for Maxwell of anything between 30 and 55 years in jail.

Maxwell’s defence team said a sentence of that magnitude would be a “travesty of justice”. They argued for between four and 5.25 years behind bars.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/ghislaine-maxwell-to-be-sentenced-for-her-role-in-jeffrey-epsteins-child-sex-crimes/news-story/e28430dad2ebdc93a38326ba738e87b2

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 2:48 a.m. No.16553709 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3715

‘No one is above the law’: Ghislaine Maxwell gets massive sentence for sex trafficking

Ghislaine Maxwell has received a massive prison sentence for sex trafficking as she lashed out at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Megan Palin, Justin Vallejo and AFP - June 29, 2022

1/3

Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse.

The fallen British socialite - who once called princes and presidents close friends - was given “240 months” in prison followed by five years supervised release at her sentencing hearing in a Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday local time.

She was also ordered to pay a $US750,000 fine (A$1.08m), which her legal team said she is unable to afford.

Maxwell, 60, wearing a grey T-shirt over a white, long sleeve top, and baggy trousers didn’t appear to shed any tears upon learning her fate.

Her siblings including two sisters and brother were sitting behind her, in a show of support.

Moments earlier, several of her victims delivered powerful impact statements, before Maxwell took to the stand for the first time.

“It is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed here today,” Maxwell said, after removing her Covid mask and putting on her trading glasses.

“The terrible impact on the lives of these women is difficult to hear and absorb. I want to acknowledge their suffering. I empathise deeply with all the victims in this case.”

Maxwell said her “association with Epstein and this case will forever and permanently stain me”.

“It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein,” she added.

Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the late billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein at his mansions and estates in Manhattan, New Mexico, Florida and the Virgin Islands between 1994 and 2004.

A jury found her guilty on five of six counts, the most serious being for sex trafficking minors. Two of the counts were later dropped for being redundant.

Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges, was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019. He died by suicide, aged 66, in his jail cell one month later while awaiting his own sex crimes trial in New York.

Maxwell - who has been jailed in a notorious New York prison since her arrest two years ago - told the court that she’s “had a lot of time to think” and that she’d come to the realisation that Epstein had “fooled all of those in his orbit”.

“Jeffrey Epstein should have been here before all of you,” Maxwell said at the podium, her legs shackled.

“It is not about Epstein, ultimately. It is for me to be sentenced.”

Maxwell acknowledged that she had been convicted of helping Epstein but stopped short of taking responsibility for her role in the sex-trafficking of young women.

“I am sorry for the pain that you’ve experienced,” Maxwell said.

“I hope my conviction … brings you closure.”

Maxwell’s lawyer Bobbi Sternheim told reporters outside court that Jeffrey Epstein was “cunning until the end” and had left her client “holding the whole bag”.

She said they had resisted speaking before the sentence was delivered “out of respect for the court” but that “the mask” is now “off”.

Ms Sternheim claimed Maxwell had been “vilified”, “pilloried”, and treated poorly by the criminal justice system and the public.

“Even before she stepped into this courthouse, she was being tried and convicted in the court of public opinion.”

Ms Sternheim said the jury had convicted the wrong person.

“We all know the person who should have been sentenced today escaped accountability, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain, and receiving the punishment he truly deserved,” she continued.

“Clever and cunning to the end, Jeffery Epstein left Ghislaine Maxwell holding the whole bag.

“We recognise that the public at large has little sympathy or compassion for inmates, of course until they themselves or their families have brushes with the law and find themselves thrust into the criminal justice system.”

She said Maxwell will appeal.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 2:49 a.m. No.16553715 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3721

>>16553709

2/3

US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement tweeted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York that “today’s sentence holds Ghislaine Maxwell accountable for perpetrating heinous crimes against children.”

“This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law and it is never too late for justice,” he said.

Maxwell’s sentencing came just days after her lawyers said she had been placed on suicide watch and asked for the sentencing to be postponed.

While four victims gave evidence at Maxwell’s trial, the judge granted requests from a total of eight women to give victim impact statements either in writing or in person at the sentencing.

They included Prince Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre, Annie Farmer, ‘Kate’, Sarah Ransome and Elizabeth Stein.

Giuffre has yet to publicly comment on the outcome.

She was not available for comment when News Corp paid a visit at her Perth home on Wednesday, hours after the sentence was handed down.

A young male at the door said they did not wish to comment.

A woman arrived at the house carrying flowers.

In her victim impact statement, Farmer asked the judge to consider the lasting effects of Maxwell’s behavior on her victims.

“Judge Nathan, I hope when you consider the appropriate prison sentence for the role Maxwell played in this sex trafficking operation, you take into account the ongoing suffering of the many women she abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us,” she wrote.

“I hope you weigh the systemic effects of the crimes she perpetrated - the ways that our family members, romantic partners, and friends have been hurt through our suffering.”

Outside the court, Farmer described Maxwell’s sentencing statement as “a very hollow apology”.

“She did not take responsibility for the crimes that she committed and it felt like, once more, her trying to do something to benefit her and not at all about the harm she had caused,” she said.

Farmer was one of four women who testified during Maxwell’s trial late last year.

During her testimony, Farmer described how Maxwell’s presence had initially made her more comfortable when she had visited Maxwell and Epstein in 1996 on Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico.

But that soon gave way to growing discomfort as Farmer, who was 16 at the time, described how Maxwell touched Farmer’s bare breast during a massage she gave the teenage girl. Epstein later molested Farmer in her bed, which she only escaped by hiding in the bathroom.

In her victim impact statement read out in court by her attorney, Giuffre - who did not testify and was not in court for the sentencing - told Maxwell she would not have met “terrible paedophile Jeffrey Epstein if it was not for you”.

“You opened a door to hell,” she said.

“And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it.”

In their sentencing submission, federal prosecutors also cited Maxwell’s crimes against Giuffre, who said she was recruited by Maxwell as a teenager while working as a spa attendant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, and another woman using the name Melissa, who said she first met Epstein when she was 16.

Another victim, identified only as “Kate,” said Maxwell’s “final insult” was her lack of remorse after being found guilty. She said Maxwell had endless opportunities to stop the abuse.

“You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in,” Kate said in court.

(continued)

>>16553715

3/3

The US Probation Office earlier recommended that Maxwell be sentenced to 20 years in prison, while federal prosecutors asked for her to be sentenced to between 30 and 55 years in prison calling her crimes “monstrous” and saying she played an “instrumental role in the horrific sexual abuse of multiple young teenage girls.”

In a filing, prosecutors said Maxwell “enjoyed a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege” while preying on troubled young girls, prosecutors for the Southern District of New York wrote in the sentencing submission.

“In her wake Maxwell left her victims permanently scarred with emotional and psychological injuries,” the filing says.

Maxwell’s lawyers argued she should receive no more than five years and three months.

In handing down her sentence, Judge Nathan said Maxwell failed to accept responsibility for her role in the crimes or show remorse.

“Today’s sentence will attempt to acknowledge the harm that Ms Maxwell has caused,” Nathan said.

The court has no jurisdiction over where she is incarcerated. Instead it is up to the Bureau of Prisons, an organisation which Ms Maxwell’s lawyers have been publicly complaining about for months.

It is possible they will push for her to be transferred to a low-security women’s prison at Danbury, Connecticut, the setting for the TV series Orange Is The New Black, according to reports.

Since her arrest in July 2020, Maxwell has been housed in Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center. Her legal team argued that she should serve less than five years in prison because of the treatment she has already been subjected to by the media, prison guards, and inmates.

Her legal team has argued that their client has been subjected to “discriminatory and punitive” treatment, including solitary confinement, “unjustified sleep deprivation” and “excessive” strip searches where Ms Maxwell’s “breasts and genitalia were touched in a rough and reckless manner”.

The Oxford-educated daughter of the late British press baron Robert Maxwell and former international jetsetter grew up in wealth and privilege as a friend to royalty.

Her circle included Britain’s Prince Andrew, former US president and real estate baron Donald Trump, and the Clinton family.

Prosecutors in her trial said Maxwell was “the key” to Epstein’s scheme of enticing young girls to give him massages, during which he would sexually abuse them.

In February, Prince Andrew settled a sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who said she had been trafficked to the royal by Epstein and Maxwell.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-to-20-years-prison/news-story/4065ced1f47175c507dc8e53aa17476a

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 3:14 a.m. No.16553858 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3866

Maxwell's final supporters: How Ghislaine's millionaire siblings have defiantly stood by the disgraced socialite despite her convictions for sex trafficking

DAVID AVERRE and KATIE FEEHAN - 29 June 2022

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The siblings of convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell have maintained their support for their 'beloved' sister as she was sentenced for crimes they say she didn't commit.

Maxwell was handed 20 years in prison today for her role in the abuse of underage girls by sex offender and globetrotting financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The socialite, 60, was found guilty in December of recruiting and grooming girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004.

She has said she will appeal her conviction and her sentence amid claims that she was made a 'scapegoat' for Epstein.

Her siblings have consistently remained united in support of their disgraced sister throughout the trial, blaming Epstein for 'sucking her into his web' and criticising the conditions she was subjected to behind bars.

Speaking outside court today, her brother Kevin said they had nothing to add to the 'heartfelt statement' Ghislaine made in court and confirmed she would be appealing her conviction and her sentence.

Kevin said: 'Ghislaine will be exercising her right to appeal her conviction and sentence and we the family will be solidly behind her all the way.'

Minutes earlier Ghislaine's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim issued a statement outside court and said: 'Our client Ghislaine Maxwell has been vilified, pilloried and left little room for her to be treated fairly because even before she stepped forward into this courthouse, she was being tried and convicted in the court of public opinion.

'Ghislaine will appeal this case and we are confident that she will prevail on appeal.'

The family have appeared either together or individually throughout her trial and stood by her in a determined gesture of family support, despite the risk of tarnishing her own reputations by not condemning her over her relationship with Epstein.

Three of the Maxwell siblings - Isabel, Christine and Kevin - were pictured arriving at the Manhattan courthouse today ahead of the sentencing hearing.

(continued)

>>16553858

2/2

Ian Maxwell meanwhile has argued his 60-year-old sister has been wronged by the US justice system and is set to spend decades behind bars because of 'unsubstantiated allegations'.

He maintains his sister's innocence and says she could've fled to France - a country which has no extradition treaty with the United States - but decided to stay in the UK and face authorities because she has a 'clear conscience'.

Writing in the Telegraph, he said: 'I believe her when she says that she has committed no crime whatsoever and, apart from the fact that I believe her because I know her so well, the fact of her staying convinces me even more.'

In January, Ian said he did not believe Ghislaine would 'flip' and help prosecutors convict others close to Epstein.

Speaking to Sky News shortly after she was convicted, he said: 'The prosecution has said that they have never made her any offer and she has never made them any offer. I don't think that's going to change.

'I don't know what Ghislaine has to say about anyone else.

'Her position is she did not participate or was aware of these terrible activities, so her logical position must be that's to be continued. Therefore why is she suddenly going to start producing names or who knows what. I don't think that's going to happen.'

The 66-year-old also revealed he was barred from a pre-arranged prison visit with his sister earlier this month.

He had arranged with prison authorities to visit his sister inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn when he was told he could not enter the facility.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Maxwell said: 'I flew to New York on Tuesday, stayed the night in Brooklyn and then walked over to the prison on Wednesday, only to discover that the whole prison was in lockdown that had been imposed a few hours earlier.

'The official put a call into the legal office and they said "no". If I had flown from the moon, it would not have made any difference. They were not going to change.'

Mr Maxwell said they would not be able to put a call through to his sister because of the situation inside the men's section of the jail.

He claimed his sister is being held in in-human conditions and is being made a scapegoat.

Earlier this year, Maxwell's family expressed shock that she was denied a retrial despite revelations that a member of the jury that convicted her failed to disclose he was sexually abused as a child.

In a statement shared in April this year, the family said: 'Our family is profoundly shocked and troubled by the denial of a retrial for our sister, Ghislaine Maxwell,' adding: 'The court's ruling in this matter is as tainted as the original verdict is unsafe.'

The statement said that the issue over Juror No 50's revelations to media outlets after the trial would be one among many issues that will be appealed to the second US circuit court of appeals in Manhattan.

'Our family is optimistic about Ghislaine's success on appeal,' they wrote.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10961839/Ghislaine-Maxwells-siblings-court-support-beloved-sister-ahead-sentencing.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 3:40 a.m. No.16553971 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4164

RealGhislaine Tweet

Ghislaine’s Statement made to the Court at her Sentencing:

…d-4338-88ee-63f8ce48d2ce.usrfiles.com/ugd/ba2454_c18…

https://twitter.com/RealGhislaine/status/1541884712809119744

https://ba2454cd-c37d-4338-88ee-63f8ce48d2ce.usrfiles.com/ugd/ba2454_c180d9eef29a468fa85f5a3cc206806d.pdf

—

Your Honor, it is hard for me to address the Court after listening to the

pain and anguish expressed in the statements made today.

The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear

and even more difficult to absorb, both in its scale and extent.

I acknowledge their suffering and empathize deeply with all the victims

in this case.

I also acknowledge that I have been convicted of helping

Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes.

And despite the many helpful and positive things I have done in my

life- and will continue to do to assist others during my sentence-

I know that my association with Epstein and this case will forever

and permanently stain me.

It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein.

I have had plenty of time to think, having spent two years in solitary

confinement.

I believe that Jeffrey Epstein was a manipulative, cunning and

controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life

and fooled all those in his orbit.

Variously, his victims considered him a godfather, mentor, benefactor,

friend, lover.

It is unfathomable today to think that that is how he was viewed

contemporaneously.

His impact on all those who were close to him has been devastating.

And today, those who even knew him briefly

or never met him but were associated with someone who did

have lost relationships, jobs, and had their lives derailed.

Jeffrey Epstein should have been here before all of you.

He should have stood before you years ago

in 2005

in 2009

and again in 2019

all the many times he was accused, charged, prosecuted

He should have spared victims the years of chasing justice.

But today is ultimately not about Epstein.

It is for me to be sentenced

and for the victims to address me alone in court.

To you I say: I am sorry for the pain you experienced.

I hope my conviction along with my harsh incarceration brings you

closure.

I hope this brings the women who have suffered some measure of

peace and finality

to help you put the experiences of those so many years ago

in a place that allows you to look forward and not back.

I also acknowledge the pain this case has wrought to those I love,

the many I held and still hold close, the relationships I have lost and

will never be able to regain.

It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom

and all those outside

that this day brings a terrible chapter to an end.

And to those of you who spoke here today and those who did not,

may this day help you travel from darkness into light.

>>16553971

Q Post #133

Nov 11 2017 23:29:35 (EST)

Hard to swallow.

Important to progress.

Who are the puppet masters?

House of Saud (6+++) - $4 Trillion+

Rothschild (6++) - $2 Trillion+

Soros (6+) - $1 Trillion+

Focus on above (3).

Public wealth disclosures – False.

Many governments of the world feed the ‘Eye’.

Think slush funds (feeder).

Think war (feeder).

Think environmental pacts (feeder).

Triangle has (3) sides.

Eye of Providence.

Follow the bloodlines.

What is the keystone?

Does Satan exist?

Does the ‘thought’ of Satan exist?

Who worships Satan?

What is a cult?

Epstein island.

What is a temple?

What occurs in a temple?

Worship?

Why is the temple on top of a mountain?

How many levels might exist below?

What is the significance of the colors, design and symbol above the dome?

Why is this relevant?

Who are the puppet masters?

Have the puppet masters traveled to this island?

When? How often? Why?

“Vladimir Putin: The New World Order Worships Satan”

Q

https://qanon.pub/#133

—

Q Post #3050

Mar 13 2019 19:28:01 (EST)

Dkdb7P5W0AEl0_N.jpg

This is not just about sex trafficking [1].

Will the rich & powerful influence the court to prevent the unsealing?

THE TALE OF TWO:

[1] - Sex Resort (non_temple_resort_only) trafficked & drugged underage girls

[2] - Occult / Worship of Evil (temple) [CLAS 1-99]

Haiti

Pray for the victims.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#3050

—

Q Post #3147

Mar 20 2019 21:46:42 (EST)

ClipboardImage.png

>Rachel Chandler had the possible Epstein Island security cam pic on her instagram

https://qanon.pub/#3147

—

Q Post #3399

Jul 9 2019 22:07:09 (EST)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNue92Gta3s&feature=youtu.be

Welcome to Epstein Island.

Ask yourself, is this normal?

What does a 'Temple' typically symbolize?

What does an 'OWL' symbolize (dark religion)?

Tunnels underneath?

How many channels captured on RC's pic?

Rooms indicate size.

Hallways shown?

[CLAS 1-99]

Symbolism will be their downfall.

These people are EVIL.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#3399

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 4:33 a.m. No.16554238 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3982

AUKUS nuclear submarine plan to be revealed by March 2023

Andrew Greene - 29 June 2022

Australia's future nuclear submarine plans are expected to be unveiled early next year, with the government also looking to detail its moves to fix a looming capability gap.

Defence Minister Richard Marles is working to announce by March which nuclear submarine Australia will acquire, in line with the original 18-month time frame set out when the AUKUS partnership was first revealed last year.

Within nine months, Labor also hopes to know whether an "interim" conventionally powered submarine fleet is needed to bridge the gap between the retirement of the Collins class and the arrival of nuclear-powered boats.

The Morrison government had previously suggested a decision on nuclear-powered submarines could be brought forward to before the end of this year.

But Mr Marles said that suggestion was "optimistic in the extreme" and it is clear the former government's plan would have delivered submarines by the 2040s.

"We will be looking at every option available to try and bring that time forward," he said.

"I think bringing that time forward to eight years from now would be extremely optimistic."

In recent weeks, numerous retired defence figures have warned Australia needs a so-called "son of Collins" fleet because the country will be left exposed before the AUKUS submarines are due to enter service in the 2040s.

Last week, outgoing Navy Chief Vice Admiral Mike Noonan said a new class of submarines to be built as an "interim" capability could not be ruled out.

"I think we're going to see a period of study and reflection and we're going to look at all options, so I don't rule out any decision that our government might make with respect to realising our future navy capabilities," Vice Admiral Noonan said.

On Tuesday, Mr Marles announced the surprise decision to extend the terms of Australia's Defence Chief, Vice Chief of Defence and Chief of Joint Operations by two years, in part to help oversee the massive naval project.

"The former government left a lot of major procurements to fall behind time. Australia has a number of capability challenges – most significantly delivering the next generation of submarines," Mr Marles said.

"And as a country, it's important that we are bedding down the new AUKUS arrangement.

"Against this backdrop, in considering the new service chiefs the Albanese government has placed an emphasis and a premium on continuity," he told reporters.

While the ADF's most senior leaders will remain beyond their initial four-year appointments, new service chiefs have been announced for Navy, Army and Air Force.

Rear Admiral Mark Hammond will become Chief of Navy, Major General Simon Stuart Chief of Army and Air Vice Marshal Robert Chipman will become Chief of Air Force.

Mr Marles said the senior Australian Defence Force leadership appointments came at a time that was "as strategically complex as any since the end of the Second World War in terms of our national security and the needs of our defence procurement".

Labor is also expected to complete a promised Defence Force Posture review next year.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-29/richard-marles-defence-projects-submarines-aukus/101190876

Anthony Albanese keen to open Kyiv embassy

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 28, 2022

Anthony Albanese has revealed Australia is considering reopening its embassy in Kyiv, as he joined world leaders in condemning Russia’s missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping centre that killed at least 18 people.

The Prime Minister, who is in Madrid for NATO talks, said it was too soon to say whether the renewed attacks would prevent him visiting the Ukrainian capital this week at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Two Russian missiles slammed into a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, when at least 1000 people were inside. Mr Albanese said the latest “act of aggression” by Russia would only harden the resolve of democratic nations to maintain the pressure on Vladimir Putin.

“This is a civilian target. This reinforces that atrocities are being committed in this illegal war of aggression by Russia, and why it must stop,” he said.

“It’s one of the reasons why I’m here at NATO, and (there) will be a focus on the democratic nations which make up NATO, and also the ‘Asia-Pacific Four’ who’ve been invited to this important forum.”

Mr Albanese said Australian officials had been weighing up in recent days whether to reopen the nation’s embassy in Kyiv, which was shut in February days before the Russian invasion.

“We would like to have a presence on the ground there to assist and to be able to provide that on-ground presence, and I’ll have more to say on that in coming days and weeks,” he said.

The EU reopened its post in Kyiv in April, and US diplomats returned the following month, but Australia’s ambassador to Ukraine, Bruce Edwards, continues to work from Poland.

The NATO meeting in Madrid is the biggest yet, bringing together the alliance’s 30 member states, and 25 partner nations, including the “Asia-Pacific Four” – Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

The meeting will agree on a new “strategic concept” to outline the alliance’s priorities for the next decade. It will also, for the first time, respond to growing China assertiveness and its “no limits” partnership with Moscow, describing the rising Asian superpower as a “systemic challenge”.

Mr Albanese said the “strategic disaster” of Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and the democratic world’s response to it, sent a strong signal to China.

He said NATO members were well aware that China had been “more forward-leaning in our region”. “We’ve seen actions from China against Lithuania, for example,” he said. “China has been prepared to make sanctions not just against Australia, but to be more aggressive in its stance in the world.

“It requires the world to move towards peace and security, but to do so in a way which says that we are prepared as democratic nations to ensure that when something happens like the invasion of Ukraine, the world is prepared to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and provide practical and real support.”

Kremenchuk, an industrial city of 217,000, lies on the Dnipro River in the region of Poltava and is the site of Ukraine’s biggest oil refinery. The region’s governor, Dmytro Lunin, said it was too soon to talk of a final death toll as rescuers continued to trawl through the rubble.

Mr Zelensky said the attack was one of the “most brazen terrorist acts in European history” and the mall had no strategic value. “Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object,” he added.

The leaders of the G7 group of richest nations, who are meeting in Germany, said the attack was a “war crime”. At their meeting, they prepared a raft of new sanctions, including a price cap on oil and higher tariffs on goods.

Russia remains defiant, warning the West that any encroachment on its disputed territory in the Crimea could trigger “world war three”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-keen-to-open-kyiv-embassy/news-story/a5a7f81594c859ccbb899046e8411afc

Albanese ‘is not Scott Morrison and that’s a big advantage’, Malcolm Turnbull tells French media

Former Australian PM calls successor’s conduct over submarine deal ‘disgraceful’ ahead of Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Macron

Kim Willsher and Daniel Hurst - 29 Jun 2022

1/2

Australia’s new prime minister will have an easier time mending relations with the French “because he is not Scott Morrison and that’s a big advantage”, the former leader Malcolm Turnbull has told journalists in Paris.

Turnbull said Anthony Albanese, who will meet the French president in Paris on Friday, was honest and “never had a reputation for being deceitful and untruthful”.

This would help in thawing the freeze in relations between Canberra and Paris that followed Morrison cancelling a A$90bn (£48bn) submarine deal with French defence contractor Naval Group last September.

The new Australian Labor government remains committed to acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus agreement with the US and the UK – the decision at the heart of the rift with France.

It is understood to be working to a March deadline to make major decisions on how and when those submarines will be built, along with any interim solution to bridge a “capability gap” in the nation’s defences.

Albanese, who arrived in Madrid on Tuesday to attend a Nato summit, signed off on a €550m (A$830m) settlement with Naval Group and is due to meet with Emmanuel Macron in Paris later in the week.

Turnbull, who announced the original submarine deal with France in 2016 and has become one of Morrison’s fiercest critics, said restoring trust was “really important” but would take some time.

“The meeting this week will be important because Mr Albanese can in effect turn the page on a unedifying episode, and he is not Scott Morrison and that’s a big advantage,” Turnbull told a group of mainly French journalists and The Guardian this week.

“I have a good relationship with your president [Macron] and what I’d say about Anthony Albanese is that I’ve known him for a very long time, he’s on the other side of politics from me but we know each other well.

“He’s an honest man and he’s got a reputation for being honest. He never had a reputation for being deceitful and untruthful and he’s very competent. I think he will do well, I hope he does well.”

Turnbull was in Paris last week and returned to the French capital after travelling to London on Thursday and Friday. He said the timing of his visit was a “coincidence”.

But he said he had spoken to French government ministers and contacts at the Quai d’Orsay, the French foreign ministry.

Australian-French relations hit a historic low at the end of last year when Morrison dumped a contract with France to build 12 diesel-powered submarines in favour of a deal with the US and the UK aimed at acquiring at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.

France said it had known nothing of the Aukus deal in advance and had been “betrayed”, “stabbed in the back” and “deceived”.

Macron accused Morrison of lying to him, and France recalled its ambassador from Canberra.

(continued)

>>16554328

2/2

Morrison has repeatedly defended his handling of the project cancellation, saying he acted in Australia’s national interest. He cited advice that the country needed less easily detectible nuclear-propelled submarines in light of the deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific.

Turnbull has always been scathing of Morrison’s handling of the matter, but Labor has said it was also “a profound mistake” for Turnbull to announce the partnership with the French bidder prior to the 2016 election before the design was finished.

The new defence minister, Richard Marles, has argued it would have been better for the Turnbull government to keep “some competitive tension” in the process by allowing the final two bidders to compete on the submarine design.

But Turnbull reiterated his view on Monday that Morrison’s conduct had been “shocking” and “disgraceful” and that he “sacrificed Australian honour, security and sovereignty”.

“I said at the time, my message to France and my friend President Macron was that with Mr Morrison, we may have a deceitful prime minister, but we are not a deceitful nation,” Turnbull said.

“If Emmanuel Macron had been the only person he had lied to, it may not have been so consequential – but regrettably that was a big issue, and Macron’s experience was not unique.”

While Peter Dutton, the former defence minister, had been hoping to announce whether Australia would opt for a British or American design within months of the election, the new government is working to the original March 2023 deadline for the joint US and UK study.

Despite speculation the government is weighing up an interim solution – such as acquiring conventional “Son of Collins” submarines from Sweden – the Guardian understands the government is unlikely to announce any such step before the broader Aukus plans are settled.

Labor sees the decision on the nuclear-powered submarines and the timeframe for when they will be operational as crucial to knowing what, if any, capability gap will exist. The government is also planning a broader defence force posture review.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/29/albanese-is-not-scott-morrison-and-thats-a-big-advantage-malcolm-turnbull-tells-french-media

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 5:01 a.m. No.16554395 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4400

Commission hears medical officers on the ground with troops did not “necessarily” have psychological training

Ashley Pillhofer - June 29, 2022

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THE level of mental health support available to ADF troops deployed in potentially traumatic environments overseas is unclear.

A panel examined how the Australian Defence Force manages critical incidents and provides mental health support to members during deployment before the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicides during the eighth day of public hearings in Townsville.

Joint Operations Command Director of Personnel Group Captain Karen Breaden told the commission “no and yes” when she was asked if it was standard for deployed contingents to include mental health professionals.

The commission was told the decision to call in emergency mental health support following a traumatic incident was left in the hands of a single person who has no formal mental health training.

Group Captain Breaden told the commission troops on deployment could access mental health support but said whether this was deployed with them, flown in as needed or available over the phone depended on the context.

She said a psychological element was on standby permanently to move within 24 to 48 hours.

“So if there is an incident overseas and we need to move those people quickly we have the ability to do so,” she said.

She said depending on the size of a contingent, a psychologist or another clinical professional would be “embedded in the contingent to deploy forward” - it was unclear through her evidence if the psychologists were embedded with troops or ready to deploy forward to support troops.

“(In) the larger the contingent, generally there will be a medical element that deploys,” she said,

“If that is not the case, or the numbers are smaller, then we can either call on our coalition partners … but there is always a reach back to Australia for any support.

“Any time during that deployment … if a commander assesses a requirement … we will immediately … move a psychological capability forward.”

She said medical officers on the ground with troops did not “necessarily” have psychological training.

Although it was unclear if deployed contingents had mental health support sent with them, the commission was told a chaplain would “often deploy forward with (a) contingent” to provide spiritual and welfare support to members.

Counsel Assisting Erin Longbottom questioned Group Captain Breaden about how an individual member would access support if they needed it.

The Group Captain said Joint Operations would send in mid-deployment mental health support if requested by the deployed commander.

“It would depend on what the incident would be, how the commander has assessed that incident and the advice that the commander has received from medical health professionals,” she said.

The commission was told, in some circumstances, the chain of command would be informed if a member reached out privately for support.

“But at the end of the day if a member wants mental health support a member will be provided with that support - they can email, they can pick up the phone,” Group Captain Breaden said.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 5:02 a.m. No.16554400 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4404

>>16554395

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‘Shame and threats’: ADFA culture discouraged reporting abuse

A TASKFORCE set up to examine abuse in the Defence Force found more than 60 alleged perpetrators linked to serious issues at the Australian Defence Force Academy in the 1980s to 2000s were still serving in the ranks when it handed down its report.

The Defence Abuse Reform Taskforce (DART) and its 2014 report remains a focus as the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide continues its public hearings in Townsville.

Retired judge and former DART chair Leonard Roberts-Smith told the government at the time that it should hold a Royal Commission into sexual abuse claims at ADFA in the 1990s.

DART assessed 50 accusations at ADFA as having one or more plausible allegations of abuse with 33 cases reporting sexual abuse and 18 reporting sexual harassment.

He told the commission he was “disturbed” that the task force’s 2014 report was not more accessible online.

“I think they would be a very valuable resource … there is no point doing this over and over again from the start,” he said.

He said the taskforce reported a number of allegations to the Chief of the Defence Force for potential administrative or disciplinary action but that even after his tenure ended he was not aware of any action against alleged abusers who were still serving.

During his evidence, Mr Roberts-Smith said the culture at ADFA did not support reporting abuse, in many cases, protected the abuser and treated abuse as an “integral” part of life at the institution.

“Those who did report were subject to stigma and shame and threats and fear of reprisals,” he said.

“It not only dissuaded reporting but encouraged further abuse.

“These officer cadets go through ADFA and get their commissions and the very next day they go out in leadership roles … and what they carry with them will be how they start their leadership careers.”

He told the commission that DART identified at least 60 individuals from the 1980s to 2000s who were allegedly responsible for alleged sexual and physical abuse or harassment and bullying at ADFA who were still serving in the permanent or reserve force.

DART also identified another 10 alleged abusers who had been transferred to the inactive standby or standby reserve forces.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the community was dissatisfied with Defence’s response to the number of abuse claims linked to the academy.

“The response generally, certainly to the end of my tenure … was Defence was unable in broad terms to take any further action in relation to these cases,” he told the commission.

Mr Roberts-Smith said while this was the case in some situations where complainants would not consent to action being taken, it was not always the case.

“It was difficult simply receiving the constant response that because, primarily, these are historical cases there is nothing we can do about them and that was certainly not a response which was well received by the community,” he said,

“In relation to the ADFA cases … it seemed to me that whilst these responses from Defence might well be right, I wasn’t entirely sure that was the case.

“And it seemed to me that there was scope for further examination.”

Former Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force, Mr Roberts-Smith is the father of Victoria Cross recipient and accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith.

(continued)

>>16554400

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Post deployment mental health screening a ‘tick and flick’ process:

DEFENCE’S post deployment mental health screening process has been described as a tick and flick exercise which is easy for soldiers to outwit.

The measures in place to detect trauma and deployment related mental health problems in Australian Defence Force personnel have gone under the microscope as the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide entered its seventh day of hearings in Townsville on Tuesday.

Some personnel with high-tempo roles who are deployed on back to back deployments can miss out on post-operational psychological screening because they are sent off on another trip before it takes place, the commission has been told.

Joint Health Command director of mental health and strategy Colonel Neanne Bennett gave evidence as part of a panel and drew on her two decades experience as a psychologist in the Army.

She accepted that troops under reporting mental health problems through the screening process was a “potential concern”.

“I have certainly heard the phrase “tick and flick” previously. The process does require people to fill in the form and tick so there is an element there that reflects how to complete the form,” Colonel Bennett said.

She said the process involved more than just a form and that mental health professionals assessed the forms and other information to determine if soldiers were healthy.

The commission was told troops underwent two health and mental health screens prior to leaving, one on return to Australia, but that troops were not screened until they were about to return home unless commanders called in psychology teams following a traumatic incident.

A Return to Australia Psychological Screen is done seven days before troops return home.

Before deploying personnel take a health screening checklist and had their service records checked for anything of concern, the commission was told.

The checklist includes a handful of questions related to their mental health including questions which asks if they’ve ever been returned from a deployment due to a mental health issue or if they had accessed mental health services since their last deployment.

Post-operational screening includes PTSD and other psychological checks, an alcohol questionnaire, an interview and a briefing, the commission was told.

Troops also complete a traumatic stress exposure scale, the commission was told.

Colonel Brown could not answer questions from Commissioner Peggy Brown about why troops waited between three to six months after their return to undergo mental health screening.

“Is there a clear rationale for having two lots of screenings prior to going and then, when you come back, you’ve got the one (just) prior to return and then it is three to six months later,” Commission Brown asked.

Commissioner Brown said people had told the commission that the system allowed people to come back from deployment and redeploy without undergoing the required post-operational psychological screening.

Colonel Bennet said this happened in some roles.

“There would be some individuals and some roles that if they are deploying frequently would not be required to do a post-operational psychological screening until their last deployment rotation,” she said.

“If it is likely that they will go in and out of an area of operation a number of times over a six-month period for example, we would not be asking them to do a (screening) after each return.

She said screening in these cases would commence after the final trip.

https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/veteran-suicide-royal-commission-puts-spotlight-on-soldiers-mental-health-screening/news-story/d3e52726ebc5e8e16d70572886396c6e

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

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

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

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

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 29, 2022, 5:11 a.m. No.16554457 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4465

Launceston General Hospital staff kept in the dark about paedophile co-worker James Geoffrey Griffin

Ellen Coulter - 29 June 2022

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Nursing staff at the Launceston General Hospital were told their colleague had retired and to respect his privacy, when he had actually been suspended because of child sexual abuse allegations, Tasmania's commission of inquiry has heard.

Keelie McMahon and her mother Annette Whitemore have given evidence at the inquiry into child sexual abuse in government agencies, which is this week focusing on the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) and James Geoffrey Griffin, the now notorious paedophile who worked on the children's ward of the hospital for almost two decades.

Ms Whitemore was a registered nurse and worked with Griffin, and their families became friends and went on camping trips together.

WARNING: This article contains content that some readers may find distressing.

Ms McMahon told the inquiry she was sexually abused by Griffin from when she was 14, around late 2011, but did not tell anybody.

At the end of July 2019, a police investigation into Griffin was underway because of other complaints, but Ms Whitemore said an email was sent to staff at the LGH saying "Jim had retired".

She said the email stated that "he will let us know when he wants a celebration, can we please respect his privacy and he'll contact us when he feels like he's able to."

"I thought the bit in the email 'respect his privacy' was a little bit odd and staff that had worked with him for 18 years sent him messages to see how he was.

"And then it all came out."

Ms McMahon said she didn't tell anybody about her abuse until her mother told her that someone else had made a complaint about Griffin.

"My first thought went to, people aren't going to believe her," Ms McMahon told the inquiry.

"To begin I didn't want to make a formal statement but then I thought about it and I thought 'no, I need to do this for the other people more so than myself'."

Ms McMahon made a police complaint in September 2019.

Ms Whitemore was still working at the hospital, and said she told her managers what had happened and took some time off.

(continued)

>>16554457

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'Please don't talk about it'

Griffin was charged in October of 2019 over child sexual abuse and child exploitation material, but he was bailed and died by suicide before he could be tried.

Ms Whitemore said an email sent to staff only said that "a colleague had passed away", with no mention of Griffin's name.

"Then it went straight into confidentiality as nurses, 'please don't talk about it'," Ms Whitemore told the inquiry.

"So there was a feeling of we couldn't talk about someone we'd known upwards of 15, 20 years that had passed away."

"And even thought he'd done all these vile things… there were so many mixed emotions around finding out what he'd been accused of, finding out what he'd done to my daughter and finding out that a colleague had died."

She told the inquiry that the nurse unit manager Sonja Leonard and the nursing and midwifery director Janette Tonks were "trying to keep a lid on things so were telling us not to talk about it", until the director of clinical services, Peter Renshaw, returned from overseas.

Ms Whitemore said trauma-informed professionals should have been brought into the hospital straight away.

"The feeling was it was just being swept under the carpet," she said.

She said she had "no respect" for Dr Renshaw, who had initially been supportive.

"It changed from, 'We'll support you, we'll support the nursing staff with whatever they need,' to 'You all should have been mandatory reporting.'"

Dr Renshaw is expected to give evidence later this week.

Ms Whitemore said while nurses at Ward 4K knew in general terms that they were mandatory reporters, it had not been clear to them that they could go outside of the hospital to make complaints to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Emily Shepherd from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation told the inquiry that in a staff meeting after Griffin's death in 2019 there was a "collective recognition that there had been a pattern of reporting over a number of years" about him.

But she said there was a lack of clarity on which specific medical staff were responsible for mandatory reporting and that everyone had the obligation to report, and many nurses had not known they could go to AHPRA, and were also unclear on how they might escalate a complaint.

Asked about the apparent failings at the hospital, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was "horrified and frankly devastated" by the revelations.

"I've just reflected on the fact that there have been those opportunities in the past and we have failed, and we have failed the people who have suffered at the hands of abusers and that's destroyed their lives."

Mr Rockliff thanked the people giving evidence, "our victim survivors who have the courage and bravery to come forward in what is essential to shine a light on past failures, massive past failures of government over successive decades".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-29/lgh-staff-kept-in-dark-paedophile-james-geoffrey-griffin/101192124

NATO ready to take on the China challenge

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 30, 2022

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Anthony Albanese has told NATO leaders his government is “not afraid to stand up” against threats to peace and freedom, whether in Europe or the Indo-Pacific, as the military alliance upgrades its 10-year strategic framework to include the challenge posed by China.

At the alliance’s annual summit in Madrid, Mr Albanese held his first bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and reaffirmed Labor’s commitment to the trilateral AUKUS security partnership with the US and UK under which Australia is to receive a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

The two leaders discussed their commitment to climate change, the pressures facing the global economy and the importance of upholding the global rules based order. The Prime Minister also held an informal meeting with US President Joe Biden after the gala dinner to open the summit.

As the 30-member NATO alliance releases a new strategic road map that will for the first time consider the threat posed by China, Mr Albanese drew parallels with the Ukraine conflict and rising threats in the Indo-Pacific.

“By supporting peace and sovereignty in Europe, we are underscoring our iron-clad commitment to these norms in our own region, the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Albanese told NATO leaders.

“We recognise there is strategic competition in our region, and Australia is not afraid to stand up with all the countries of our region for an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Under my government, it will be through Australia’s actions that you will see our resolve.”

NATO’s new 10-year strategic concept will declare Russia as “the principal threat” to the security of the Atlantic alliance. China is set to be framed as a “systemic challenge”.

Attending the largest NATO meeting ever held, Mr Albanese said Australia shared a common purpose with the European security grouping, condemning Russia’s “brutal, illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine”.

He said Russia was an “authoritarian state seeking to impose its will by force”, and he vowed to work with “trusted friends” to oppose threats to freedom and sovereignty, arguing the Russian invasion had seen the “world united and brought together with our common sense of purpose”.

(continued)

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Mr Albanese, who attended the summit as part of the Indo-Pacific delegation along with the leaders of Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, said Australia was committed to working through “agile and flexible groupings” such as NATO, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the Pacific Island Forum “to address the significant challenges we all face in an increasingly contested world”.

He and partner Jodie Heydon attended an official gala dinner to open the NATO summit on Tuesday night, local time. His next stop on his international tour is Paris, where he will address a special session of the OECD and meet French President Emmanuel Macron to try to reset relations after the former government’s cancellation of the $90bn submarine project with Naval Group.

The government is hopeful restoring relations with France will help accelerate the discussions for a free-trade agreement with the EU, with Mr Albanese describing the deal as “critical.”

He said the former government’s position on climate change was also a sticking point. “Australia just wasn’t seen as being fair dinkum … on taking action on climate change,” he said. “That was having an impact on our relations with our friends here … Europe is considering, for example, penalties on nations that aren’t taking action on climate change.”

As NATO leaders gathered in Madrid this week, Turkey lifted its block on Finland and Sweden’s prospective membership of the grouping, further strengthening the alliance as it faces its greatest threat since its creation after World War II. The three countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Madrid ahead of the formal NATO summit.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg revealed the alliance would increase the size of its rapid reaction force from about 40,000 to 300,000 troops. He said the allies would discuss how to deal with Russia and China in NATO’s “southern neighbourhood”.

Mr Albanese said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had invested the military alliance with a new sense of vitality and strategic purpose. “These are nations that have a history of standing apart, of neutrality, over such a long period of time. But here you have NATO strengthened,” he said.

“And those nations that are prepared to stand up for democratic values, for human rights, for respect of the sovereignty of nations and for the UN Charter will continue to stand up for those values and those rights.”

Mr Albanese used the summit to meet with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

He also met with the other members of the Asia Pacific Four, including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/nato-ready-to-take-on-the-china-challenge/news-story/f66f50fbacd38d261b87334129296640

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 30, 2022, 3:28 a.m. No.16563906 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3927

NATO declares China a security threat

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 30, 2022

NATO has for the first time declared China as a security threat, warning its ambitions and coercive behaviour “challenge our interests, security and values”.

The 30-member alliance’s new ten-year strategic blueprint calls out China over its “malicious” cyber operations, its strategic partnership with Russia, its efforts to dominate key supply chains, and its rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal.

It says Russia’s “brutal and unlawful invasion” of Ukraine has “gravely altered our security environment”, and recommits the alliance to collective defence “against all threats from all directions”.

The updated “Strategic Concept”, endorsed at the NATO summit in Madrid late on Thursday AEST, replaces a 2010 document that did not mention China and said Russia was a “strategic partner”.

“The People’s Republic of China’s stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values,” it says.

“The PRC employs a broad range of political, economic and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power, while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build-up.

“The PRC’s malicious hybrid and cyber operations and its confrontational rhetoric and disinformation target allies and harm alliance security.”

China reacted swiftly, saying NATO should “stop trying to mess up Asia and the world after messing up Europe”.

“They should also stop trying to launch a new Cold War. What they should do is give up their Cold War mindset, zero-sum games, and stop doing things that create enemies,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

But Anthony Albanese warned China to heed the lessons of the Ukraine conflict and distance itself from Russia.

“China must look at what is happening, look at the result that is there throughout the world, and should be condemning Russia’s actions,” the Prime Minister said on the sidelines of the summit.

Earlier, Mr Albanese told NATO leaders that Beijing and Moscow shared a “lack of democratic values”, and declared the two nations’ increasing closeness of posed a risk to all democracies.

“Just as Russia seeks to recreate a Russian or Soviet empire, the Chinese government is seeking friends, whether it be … through economic support to build up alliances to undermine what has historically been the Western alliance in places like the Indo-Pacific,” he told a NATO gathering on Wednesday.

Mr Albanese said Australia was a victim of Chinese “economic coercion”, and urged democratic leaders to diversify their trade relationships to avoid a similar fate.

As the summit got underway, Mr Albanese met with his Japanese, South Korean and New Zealand counterparts – known as the ‘Asia Pacific Four’ – declaring the nations were “not distant from the challenges” being faced in Europe.

“The events in Europe have real and significant implications for our own region of the Indo-Pacific, just as the actions in the Indo-Pacific affect European nations,” he said before the closed-door meeting.

“Only by working together can partners offer a real choice … in the region and take tangible steps to promote, peace, stability and prosperity for the Indo Pacific.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the invasion of Ukraine had shaken the foundations of the global order.

“The security of Europe and the security of the Indo-Pacific cannot be decoupled,” Mr Kishida said.

NATO’s new Strategic Concept warns authoritarian regimes “challenge our interests, values and democratic way of life”, interfering in democratic processes and testing nations’ resilience.

It calls out both Russia and China over their investment in sophisticated conventional and nuclear missile capabilities “with little transparency or regard for international norms and commitments”.

The document also singles out China for its efforts to control key technologies, critical infrastructure, and strategic materials.

“It uses its economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and enhance its influence,” the strategic blueprint says.

“It strives to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reflected “a new reality” for the alliance.

“China is not an adversary but, of course, we need to take into account the consequences to our security when we see China investing heavily in new modern military capabilities, long range missiles, nuclear weapons, and also trying to control critical infrastructure, for instance, 5G networks in our own countries,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/nato-declares-china-a-security-threat/news-story/4474a819540785d4fcd342642ffe52ac

>>16563906

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s Regular Press Conference on June 29, 2022

MASTV: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that NATO’s Strategic Concept will speak very directly and in a clear-eyed way to the multifaceted challenge posed by China. The number-one priority with respect to China, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is that China not become militarily supportive of Russia through the provision of equipment. Number two is that they not engage in undermining or evasion of US sanctions. He added that China has the responsibility to urge Russia to cease fire. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We have made our position clear on the developments concerning China with regard to NATO’s Strategic Concept. NATO has publicly stated on many occasions that it will remain a regional alliance, it does not seek a geopolitical breakthrough and it does not seek to expand to other regions. However, in recent years, NATO has repeatedly made forays into the Asia-Pacific region. Some NATO member states keep sending aircraft and warships to carry out military exercises in China’s nearby waters, creating tensions and fanning up disputes. NATO has sought to make advances into new areas and domains and clamored for bloc confrontation. The world needs to keep its vigilance and firmly reject it. NATO should stop drawing ideological lines, stoking political confrontation, or seeking to start a new Cold War. It should discard the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset and stop making enemies. NATO has already disrupted Europe. It should not seek to destabilize Asia and the world.

I want to stress that China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdictions that have no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council. Reality has shown that toughening sanctions is not an effective way to resolve conflict, nor can a continuous supply of weapons bring peace. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has taken a heavy toll on Europe politically, economically and socially, while the US benefits from it, with arms-dealers popping champagne and American grain and energy industries making exorbitant profits.

As the one who started the Ukraine crisis and the biggest factor fueling it, the US needs to reflect on its disreputable role it has played in the Ukraine crisis and stop smearing China.

…..

China Daily: French writer Maxime Vivas recently published his new book Les Divagations des Antichinois en France, or The Ramblings of Anti-China Forces in France. In this book, he has unmasked anti-China organizations like the World Uyghur Congress, the National Endowment for Democracy, and Human Rights Watch and wrote about how they made and spread lies against China with funding from the CIA. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I have seen relevant reports and noticed that Mr. Vivas said in an interview that he has faced repeated attacks, threats and slanders for his work on debunking the lies of Western anti-China forces.

Over the years, the US and some Western countries have sought to manipulate international public opinion through propaganda machines and made up numerous lies on Xinjiang-related issues. These countries have not only been oblivious to the authoritative facts made available to the public by China, but also jointly attacked people like Mr. Vivas who speak the truth, and launched political witch-hunts against them. Is this what they call “freedom of speech” and “freedom of the press”? No, this is 21st-century McCarthyism.

No matter what the anti-China forces do, nothing can hide the truth and reality from the world. Recently, Australian scholar Jaqueline James released reports on Xinjiang-related anti-China propaganda materials published by ASPI, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. She debunked and questioned the numerous lies and fallacies in those articles with detailed analysis. She asked these organizations to answer honestly whether their donors are paying for human rights advocacy or a “China bad” story?

More people have now joined the effort to expose the fact that individuals and organizations like ASPI are funded by the US and Australian governments to falsely accuse and smear China. We believe that more and more thoughtful people will see through the dishonorable action of the US and some Western countries, who use Xinjiang to contain China and spread rumor and lies about China. We believe people will choose to stand on the side of justice and truth.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202206/t20220629_10712209.html

Chinese media blasts ‘ignorant’ Anthony Albanese, claims Australian PM is being ‘misled by NATO’

Chinese media has taken aim at Anthony Albanese, claiming Australian PM is being “misled by NATO” and that hopes for bettering relations were “diminishing by the day”.

Alex Blair - June 30, 2022

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China has lashed Anthony Albanese in a pointed column, declaring the new Australian Prime Minister was “ignorant”, “ill-informed” and being misled by NATO on geopolitical matters.

In an opinion piece published this week, Beijing-backed publication China Daily said hopes for a reset in relations between Australia and China were “diminishing by the day”.

The publication claimed Mr Albanese had drawn parallels between the Ukraine war and China’s interest in the Pacific, particularly Taiwan, prompting swift backlash from the Communist Party.

In a recent interview with the Australian Financial Review, the Labor leader condemned “attempts to impose change by force on a sovereign country meet resistance”, claiming Russia had become a “global pariah” for its renewed attempt to expand its borders and influence.

“It is hard to believe that the new Australian leader can be so ill-informed as to not know China’s stance on the Ukraine crisis, which it has clarified on multiple occasions, or that he can be so ignorant as not to understand the status of Taiwan,” the China Daily column read.

“The take-away from his words then is that while he might talk of wanting to improve his country’s relations with China, he is either going to have to make dedicated efforts to better understand the issues that have led to bilateral ties deteriorating precipitously or be more diplomatically astute.”

The state-backed media outlet claims Beijing “has displayed goodwill in the hope that Canberra will be willing to work with it to improve bilateral ties” following the recent Federal election.

“But so far, Canberra has not reciprocated with a message expressing its willingness to resolve its differences with China and put bilateral ties back onto the right track,” the column continued.

The Communist Party also took aim at Australia’s opposition to China’s recent attempt at securing a security deal with the Solomon Islands, a pact that would reportedly allow military operations on Australia’s doorstep.

“From deliberately playing up and smearing China‘s normal security cooperation with the Solomon Islands to eagerly jumping on the US bandwagon drumming up support for its containment policy against China, the current Australian government has displayed no signs of changing the course set by its predecessor,” the China Daily wrote.

NATO on Wednesday, for the first time in its guiding blueprint, said China’s power challenges the alliance and Beijing’s closer ties to Moscow went against Western interests.

“The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values,” NATO’s strategic concept published at a summit in Madrid said.

“It strives to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains.”

NATO accused China of targeting NATO members with its “malicious hybrid and cyber operations and its confrontational rhetoric”.

Leading NATO power the United States has pushed for the alliance to pay greater attention to China, despite reluctance from some allies to switch attention away from its focus on Europe.

NATO’s guiding document - updated for the first time since 2010 - said Russia was the “most significant and direct threat to allies’ security” after its invasion of Ukraine.

And it said that increasingly close ties between Moscow and Beijing “run counter to our values and interests”.

(continued)

>>16563962

2/2

In a sign of the increasing concerns about China, the leaders from regional partners Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand were attending a NATO summit for the first time.

“China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbours and threatening Taiwan,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

“China is not our adversary. But we must be clear eyed about the serious challenges it represents.” Stoltenberg said “NATO will step up cooperation with our Indo-Pacific partners, including on cyber defence, new technologies, maritime security, climate change and countering disinformation”.

“These global challenges demand global solutions,” he said, adding: “We will also do more with our partners.” Ahead of the unveiling of NATO’s new strategy, Beijing already pushed back against the alliance for increasing its attention on Asia.

“In recent years, NATO has been pushing for expanding its area and field, advocating group confrontation,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.

It came as the United States vowed to reinforce Europe’s defences in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as NATO declared Moscow the West’s greatest threat - prompting Vladimir Putin to lash out at the alliance’s “imperial ambitions”.

NATO leaders said Russia “is the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area”.

This came as NATO welcomed Sweden and Finland as invitees to join the alliance, and US President Joe Biden announced new deployments of US troops, ships and planes.

Biden boasted that the US move was exactly what Putin “didn’t want” - and Moscow, facing fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces equipped with Western arms, reacted with predictable fury.

Putin accused the alliance of seeking to assert its “supremacy”, telling journalists in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat that Ukraine and its people are “a means” for NATO to “defend their own interests.”

NATO leaders have funnelled billions of dollars of arms to Ukraine and faced a renewed appeal from President Volodymyr Zelensky for more long-range artillery.

“Ukraine can count on us for as long as it takes,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said, announcing a new NATO strategic overview that focuses on the Moscow threat.

The document, updated for the first time since 2010, warned that the alliance “cannot discount the possibility” of an attack on its members.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/chinese-media-blasts-ignorant-anthony-albanese-claims-australian-pm-is-being-misled-by-nato/news-story/87ed773e9b705aa5f7ea2a7e8339fd06

>>16563962

>>16554238

Albanese must not be misled by alliance: China Daily editorial

chinadaily.com.cn - 2022-06-29

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review while en route to Spain to attend the NATO Summit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed his lack of diplomatic nous and poor grasp of political realities.

Saying that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been a "strategic failure" for Russia that has made it a "global pariah", he said that it was something about which China should take note. Stating that "attempts to impose change by force on a sovereign country meet resistance", he drew a parallel between Taiwan and Ukraine.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman gave him the requisite lesson, stating that a parallel cannot be drawn between Ukraine and the Chinese island as "Taiwan is not a sovereign country".

It is hard to believe that the new Australian leader can be so ill-informed as to not know China's stance on the Ukraine crisis, which it has clarified on multiple occasions, or that he can be so ignorant as not to understand the status of Taiwan.

The take-away from his words then is that while he might talk of wanting to improve his country's relations with China, he is either going to have to make dedicated efforts to better understand the issues that have led to bilateral ties deteriorating precipitously or be more diplomatically astute.

Unfortunately, the NATO Summit is not conducive to that — rather the opposite.

As its new mission guidelines make clear, the transatlantic club is keen to expand its sphere of influence to encompass the Asia-Pacific by portraying China as an adversarial straw-man.

Since Albanese took office, Beijing has displayed goodwill in the hope that Canberra will be willing to work with it to improve bilateral ties. But so far, Canberra has not reciprocated with a message expressing its willingness to resolve its differences with China and put bilateral ties back onto the right track.

From deliberately playing up and smearing China's normal security cooperation with the Solomon Islands to eagerly jumping on the US bandwagon drumming up support for its containment policy against China, the current Australian government has displayed no signs of changing the course set by its predecessor.

Last month, when Albanese's Labor Party came to power, there were high hopes in both countries that it offered the opportunity to reset Australia's ties with China. Those hopes are diminishing by the day, but there have been a few positives keeping the embers alive. Although Albanese has continued the hardline stance toward China adopted by his predecessor, defense chiefs from China and Australia met on the sidelines of the regional security forum in Singapore earlier this month, marking the first high-level bilateral contact between the two sides in several years.

On Wednesday, Canberra's new defense minister also appeared to tone down Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS, a trilateral alliance Australia went into with the US and the United Kingdom, by 2030, describing the timetable as "optimistic in the extreme".

Albanese should heed the reasonable voices calling for improving ties with China rather than letting the US-led NATO Summit fill his head with nonsense.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202206/29/WS62bc3f13a310fd2b29e695bb.html

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Tweet

Australia has become a major non-NATO supplier of military aid to Ukraine. (Australia) is so far from (Ukraine), yet is one our closest partners! Our nations share a love of freedom and respect for the environment. Your weapons will help us with pest control of our fields. Thank you!

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1541979769348038656

—

Q Post #4822

Oct 7 2020 14:25:52 (EST)

WHAT HAPPENS IF BIDEN BECAME POTUS KNOWING HE [THROUGH HUNTER + 1] TOOK MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BRIBES TO CHANGE [LOOK THE OTHER WAY] US POLICY TOWARDS UKRAINE [IN FAVOR OF UKRAINE]?

WOULD UKRAINE OWN AND CONTROL THE WHITE HOUSE?

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4822

Australia part of Asia, minister says on visit to Malaysian birthplace

Kirsty Needham - June 30, 2022

SYDNEY, June 30 (Reuters) - Visiting the Malaysian city where she was born, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her story showed that Australia was part of Asia, as new data showed more than half of Australians were born overseas or had an immigrant parent.

Wong visited Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state, where she lived for eight years as a child before migrating to Australia, as part of an official visit to Malaysia.

"One in two Australians are either born overseas or have parents who were born overseas so this is a very Australian experience," she told media on her first visit to Malaysia since a Labor government won office last month.

"It matters that Australia speaks to South East Asia in a way that recognises that we are part of this region and our futures are shared," she said.

Results of a census conducted every five years and released on Tuesday showed for the first time more than half of the Australian population (51.5%) were born overseas or had a migrant parent.

"We are a multicultural and diverse nation … It is one of the strengths of who Australia is and we should tell that story in the region more," she said.

Wong recalled a day earlier in a speech that her grandmother, of Hakka Chinese descent, had raised her children alone in Sabah after most of the family died in World War Two.

Wong's father won an Australian scholarship to study architecture at the University of Adelaide, which "meant he could climb out of the poverty he experienced as a child".

He married an Australian woman, and the couple returned to raise a family in Kota Kinabalu.

Wong's comments and official visit to Malaysia come two decades after a former Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, famously said Australia could not join an East Asian diplomatic group because "they are Europeans, they cannot be Asians".

Britain, India, China, New Zealand and the Philippines were the biggest source nations for the almost one-third of Australian residents who were born overseas, the census showed, with Asian countries combined a bigger source than Britain and New Zealand.

Mahathir, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, had predicted in a 2019 newspaper interview that migration meant Australia would in future "be more Asian than European".

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-part-asia-minister-says-visit-malaysian-birthplace-2022-06-30/

James Griffin’s boss breaks down amid claims paedophile ‘manipulated’ a ward in disarray

The boss of paedophile nurse, James Geoffrey Griffin, says the “dysfunctional” nature of Launceston General Hospital’s children’s ward created opportunities for the abuser to strike.

Amber Wilson - June 30, 2022

Sonja Leonard was Jim Griffin’s boss for an entire decade.

The pair had a friendly working relationship.

For years, the Launceston General Hospital children’s ward nurse unit manager saw how Griffin hugged his young patients and referred to them as “baby”, “babe” or “princess”.

Griffin also committed a number of “boundary violations” over the years – like cuddling a child on a recliner and giving his phone number to patients.

But the complaints system at the hospital was unclear – and often undocumented.

The first port of call on the paediatric ward 4K was to notify Ms Leonard.

But as she admitted before the child sexual abuse commission of inquiry on Wednesday, she had “a negative relationship with a lot of staff on the ward”.

Ms Leonard also admitted the culture on the paediatric 4K ward was “complicated” and “dysfunctional”, and that there was a practice of keeping complaints “in-house”.

She said she “couldn’t recall” whether it took until 2017 – just two years before Griffin was charged with numerous child sexual abuse offences, and then died by suicide – to tell him the behaviour was inappropriate.

At that point, Ms Leonard drafted a letter with the support of the hospital’s human resources department to inform Griffin “this is not the first instance of a complaint of this nature” and “external agencies have been made aware”.

Ms Leonard began crying as she claimed her team had been “manipulated” by a paedophile who took advantage of a ward in disarray.

“The culture and the conflict and the undermining that was going on in the ward at the time, unfortunately, were a perfect storm for Mr Griffin to take advantage of,” she said.

“I have a lot to learn, as we all do.

“I feel deep, deep, deeply that we were deceived, we were manipulated, and we were sold a version of Mr Griffin that he wanted us to believe.”

Also on Wednesday, former human resources consultant Luigino Fratangelo said he couldn’t remember meeting with whistleblower and hospital social worker Kylee Pearn in 2011 when she raised the alarm that Griffin was a paedophile.

Mr Fratangelo said he couldn’t remember if he advised Ms Pearn that Griffin couldn’t be removed from 4K unless he had a conviction.

But he admitted if he had met Ms Pearn, he would have told her to go to police, and that he understood under the state service code of conduct, suspending a staff member required a conviction.

The inquiry also heard that Griffin was the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation delegate for the 4K ward for 16 years.

Tasmanian branch secretary Emily Shepherd told the commission the union had “no knowledge” of his offending until after his 2019 death.

“It was absolutely shocking to the ANMF that an ANMF delegate had these allegations against him,” she said.

The commission of inquiry will continue its Launceston hearings until July 8.

https://www.themercury.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-tasmania/james-griffins-boss-breaks-down-amid-claims-paedophile-manipulated-a-ward-in-disarray/news-story/d8ab3b7f4579045ad523afe45d2f2daf

'Catastrophic' failings allowed Tasmanian hospital abuse

Ethan James - June 30, 2022

The CEO of a hospital in Tasmania has acknowledged catastrophic failures in relation to a pedophile nurse who worked on a children's ward for nearly two decades.

Senior Launceston General Hospital (LGH) figures have told an inquiry that staff had no training about how to identify grooming, and that current nurses may not be fully aware of mandatory reporting requirements.

A commission of inquiry examining Tasmanian government responses to child sexual abuse allegations in the public service is this week focusing on James Geoffrey Griffin.

Griffin took his own life in October 2019, shortly after being charged with multiple child sexual abuse offences.

Several survivors have told the inquiry they were abused by Griffin, including Tiffany Skeggs, who met him at her netball club, where he was a volunteer.

Griffin sexually abused and emotionally controlled Ms Skeggs from the age of 12 and through her teenage years.

The inquiry has been told Griffin breached professional boundaries at the LGH multiple times and was warned, but the matters weren't escalated.

In 2011 a colleague of Griffin's disclosed to LGH human resources that she had been sexually abused by him as a child, but the "matter went nowhere".

Eric Daniels, chief executive of the hospital, agreed there had been a catastrophic failure of LGH structures and management.

"With the information I've received this week, it's not robust," Mr Daniels said on Thursday.

"It doesn't provide for an appropriate amount of accountability. It doesn't provide for … ensuring the safety of children in our care is appropriate."

He said he didn't order an investigation into Griffin after his death, and was told by subordinates that workplace conduct allegations made against Griffin had been investigated and not substantiated.

Mr Daniels agreed the only reason he knew more about Griffin's conduct was because the inquiry had investigated.

"Why did you not ask for there to be a robust investigation when you found out there had been a pedophile on a children's ward?," counsel assisting the inquiry, Elizabeth Bennett, SC, asked.

"I can't answer that I'm sorry," Mr Daniels replied.

Nursing and midwifery director Janette Tonks said that before 2019 no one at the hospital had been trained to identify grooming.

The hospital's executive director of nursing, Helen Bryan, said she could not guarantee every nurse currently employed was fully aware of a mandatory requirement under law to report child sexual abuse suspicions.

Ms Skeggs, who came forward to police in 2019, said she was later told by a detective Griffin had been on their radar for some time.

Griffin died by suicide while on bail.

"I cannot for the life of me fathom how anyone, whether it was the initial police bail or the subsequent court bail, could deem he was safe to return to the community," Ms Skeggs said.

"I had made police aware … of him stating 'I will f*cking kill myself before I go to prison', and they still released him."

The inquiry was called in November 2020, largely in response to allegations against Griffin receiving media coverage.

Lifeline 13 11 14

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

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

https://kidshelpline.com.au/

https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/law-and-order/perfect-storm-for-abuse-at-tas-hospital-c-7350269

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 30, 2022, 5:03 a.m. No.16564172 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4185

Launceston General Hospital executive heard details about paedophile James Griffin from a podcast

Ellen Coulter - 30 June 2022

1/2

A senior executive at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) has told a child abuse inquiry that she got most of her information about an investigation into paedophile nurse James Geoffrey Griffin from two podcasts.

WARNING: This article contains content that some readers may find distressing.

Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has been told this week of catastrophic failings at the hospital around its handling of Griffin and the aftermath of revelations about him.

Helen Bryan has given evidence at Tasmania's Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which is this week focusing on paedophile James Geoffrey Griffin, who was a nurse on the children's ward for almost two decades.

Ms Bryan is an executive director of nursing at the LGH.

She told the commission of inquiry she heard about Griffin in July 2019, when the executive director of medical services, Dr Peter Renshaw, told her that there was a police investigation into allegations that he was a paedophile.

Ms Bryan told the inquiry she agreed that it was a critical incident — the discovery a paedophile had been working on the ward for 18 years — but that it wasn't responded to, as such, and that she should have been actively involved, but wasn't.

She said she had been excluded from "multiple meetings".

"That doesn't dissolve my responsibility and accountability, and I accept that, and I would do things very differently if this happened tomorrow," she said.

"I do want to apologise that I didn't properly, or I committed to properly fulfil my full responsibilities, and I let others exclude me from the process."

Ms Bryan told the commission that Dr Renshaw took over the running of the hospital's response and review following the 2019 revelations about Griffin.

"I didn't see a report. I had no further input or feedback," she said.

"I got a lot of my information from the two podcasts that I listened to."

Journalist Camille Bianchi's podcast, The Nurse, was one of the catalysts for the commission of inquiry.

Ms Bryan conceded she should have sought out more information.

The chief executive of the hospital, Eric Daniels, told the inquiry that, when he found out about Griffin, he was out of his depth. He "unreservedly apologised" for the failings.

"I was not prepared for an event like this. I'd never encountered this problem previously and I don't think I was prepared to manage it effectively."

He told the commission that there had been catastrophic failures at the hospital over its handling of Griffin.

'Complaints system inadequate

Another senior manager conceded that none of the hospital's complaints systems was adequate to identify child sexual abuse, and no one had had the training needed to identify such abuse or grooming.

Janette Tonks is the hospital's nursing and midwifery director of women's and children's services, and Griffin's direct manager reported to her.

The commission of inquiry has this week heard that were multiple reports and warnings given to Griffin about professional boundary breaches while he worked at the hospital.

Ms Tonks told the inquiry that reports could be made through a patient liaison complaint form, by going straight to the nurse unit manager or through a system called SLRS, which was designed for clinical safety reports.

However, she said, none of those systems could satisfactorily identify child sexual abuse, and there was no central repository to identify instances or potential flags for child sexual abuse or grooming at the hospital.

"Subsequently, I'm aware that none of us had any education and training in child sex abuse or grooming behaviours," Ms Tonks said.

Ms Tonks told the inquiry that she had not heard anything until this week about a 2011 report made to the hospital by Kylee Pearn, who earlier told the commission that she had warned the hospital that Griffin was a paedophile and had abused her.

Ms Bryan told the inquiry she also had not heard about Ms Pearn's report until today.

"That's absolutely unacceptable and … I should have known about it. I didn't know about it," Ms Bryan said.

(continued)

>>16564172

2/2

The inquiry heard earlier this week that a nurse, Will Gordon, made a complaint about Griffin's behaviour with adolescent girls in 2017.

Ms Tonks told the inquiry that at the time, Griffin's manager, Sonja Leonard, spoke to her about the complaint and alerted her that there had been previous breaches of professional boundaries but didn't go into detail, and she didn't ask any questions about them.

The inquiry heard Mr Griffin was given a warning about boundary breaches.

Ms Tonks said she was happy at the time with how that complaint was dealt with.

"Now, I believe, I should have been more actively involved and provided more help to Sonja [Leonard] given she had no experience," she said.

Counsel assisting the commission Elizabeth Bennett asked Ms Tonks why no one had noticed that Ms Leonard was overwhelmed and under-trained on a ward that had a toxic culture.

"I would have been more than happy to provide her with any upskilling and education had I been alerted to that at the time," Ms Tonks responded.

Will Gordon went to the Integrity Commission in November 2019 to ask it to look into potential cover-ups and failures to report misconduct at the health service.

The head of the Integrity Commission, Michael Easton, looked into the complaint and it was sent back to the health department.

"This was a workplace in crisis," he told the commission.

"When we investigate it comes with a whole lot of baggage and branding and impact … we weren't convinced that … it was going to necessarily help anyone, and in fact it could further harm people."

Survivor warned police Griffin would take his own life

Griffin was charged after Tiffany Skeggs told police that she was abused by him from the age of 12 until her late teens.

He was later charged over the abuse of more children, but killed himself before he could be tried.

Ms Skeggs has spoken of her dismay at learning that he was being granted bail, despite her warnings that he was a risk and likely to take his own life.

"I cannot for the life of me fathom how anyone, whether it was the initial police bailing or the subsequent court bailing, could deem that he was safe to return to the community, that he didn't pose a risk to the community or children or his accusers and, more to the point, that he didn't pose a risk to himself," she said.

"I had made police aware. I had given them the evidence of his stating that, to quote his words, 'I'll f***ing kill myself before I go to prison', and they still released him."

Ms Skeggs told the inquiry that police had told her that Griffin had been "on their radar" for some time, and that they just needed someone such as her to come forward.

She said she had not been aware of Ms Pearn's report to the hospital and to police in 2011.

"It shouldn't have been up to her to protect herself and the rest of us," she said.

"She did her bit. She handed it over to the right people and they did nothing."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-30/hospital-executive-learned-of-griffin-details-from-podcast/101195724

—

The Nurse

Camille Bianchi'

A nurse lives in a quiet town in Tasmania, Australia. He spends his life working with children and is the ultimate father figure, but he has a dark secret.

People who still hold positions of power protected him. They are still protecting others.

Hear from childhood sexual assault survivors sharing their stories for the first time, and know that there are countless others waiting to be heard.

If you have any tips, information contact thenursepodcast@gmail.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-nurse/id1533629268

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 30, 2022, 5:25 a.m. No.16564258 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4262

Victim’s complaint against paedophile nurse Jim Griffin ‘shut down’ after his death

A victim-survivor of paedophile nurse James Geoffrey Griffin knew he would never go to prison.

Amber Wilson - June 29, 2022

1/3

WHEN serial child sexual abuser Jim Griffin was released on bail in 2019, one of his victims knew he’d soon be dead.

“I think from the moment I found out he’d been let out on bail, I just had this inward feeling that he’s going to die,” Keelie McMahon told the commission of inquiry on Wednesday.

“I just internally knew there was no way he would end up in jail.”

Ms McMahon had finally come forward to the police about the abuse she’d suffered at Griffin’s hands as a teenage girl – and her initial experiences with the force were positive.

But once Griffin died by suicide later the same year in the wake of a string of child abuse charges, her entire police complaint was simply “shut down” with no further investigation.

“I asked ‘what happens from here? What do we do now? And I specifically remember him (the police officer) saying ‘that’s it, there’s nothing we can do’,” she said.

“That was it. I never heard from the police again. It felt like I’d put my trauma on the table and they’d picked it up and thrown it in the cupboard.

“They signed off on the paperwork … and didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

“There was no contact from the police, there was no contact from the hospital … It was just radio silence – there was nothing.”

Ms McMahon’s mother – who had worked on the children’s ward at Launceston General Hospital with the paedophile nurse – said she and her colleagues felt they were silenced after his death – with the matter “swept under the carpet”.

“(Before) Griffin died … when he left the ward at the end of July, we were sent an email to say Jim had retired, he will let us know when he wants a celebration, can we please respect his privacy, and he’ll contact us when he feels like he’s able to,” Annette Whitemore told the commission.

“When he died … there was another email to say a colleague had died over the weekend.

“There was no mention of who it was, and then it went straight into confidentiality as nurses, ‘please don’t talk about it’.”

Ms Whitemore said the fact she and her colleagues felt silenced made the situation more traumatic.

“We were told not to talk about it. That is not how you treat trauma,” she said.

Feeling their concerns and complaints were shut down after Griffin’s death, the mother and daughter spoke to interstate journalist Camille Bianchi in her podcast, The Nurse.

Ms Whitemore felt it was more important for the truth to come out than to protect her career at Launceston General Hospital.

“I was prepared to lose my job, I found another job to go to.”

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 June 30, 2022, 5:26 a.m. No.16564262 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4269

>>16564258

2/3

Nurse reveals how paedophile always wanted to ‘care’ for teens

JIM Griffin was always eager to put up his hand to “care” for teenage girls at Launceston General Hospital’s paediatric ward.

He was especially keen whenever the girls had mental health issues, eating disorders, or long-term chronic illness.

“The response was always ‘that’s just Jim’,” nurse Maria Unwin said.

Ms Unwin worked with the serial paedophile nurse from when he started on the children’s 4K ward during 2021.

While in charge on shifts, Ms Unwin started to feel “uncomfortable” with Griffin, saying she had “an uneasy gut feeling”.

“He had a strong preference to care for teenage girls when it came to patient allocation,” she told the child sexual abuse commission on Tuesday.

“He’d be very quick to put his hand up and say ‘I’ll take them’, especially young girls with mental health issues or eating disorders or other long-term chronic illness, and sometimes younger children as well with complex backgrounds or illnesses.”

Ms Unwin said Griffin liked to develop “a new best friend kind of relationship” with his young patients.

She said even though she had concerns, she felt she didn’t have a clear complaint to lodge with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Instead, she tried to allocate the patients he’d be interested in to other staff members.

Griffin wasn’t pleased.

Once he made eye contact with Ms Unwin, “a very intimidating glare, as if to say ‘why did you do that?’”

“He confronted me in the small kitchen … and said ‘why won’t you let me look after them? Have I done something wrong?’” Ms Unwin told the inquiry.

“I felt intimated … I responded with something like, ‘it’s somebody else’s turn today’.”

She said concerns had been raised with her manager, but “dismissed”.

“There was a strong group of staff who really admired Jim. He was extroverted and confident, he was very friendly,” she said.

“(Whenever I raised) my concerns with Jim, that something doesn’t quite seem right, the response was always ‘that’s just Jim’. There was that support and that acceptance that that’s just Jim.”

Ms Unwin said coming forward to speak out put her career in the Tasmania Health Service at “very real risk” in being considered for future positions.

“In the end, I decided that I needed to do it for the victims and the families.”

‘Wet kiss’: Complaints about paedophile nurse went nowhere

A WET kiss. An inappropriate conversation with a group of girls about a nurse he called “titsy”, who he wanted to “shag”. Two or more “deficient” reviews about a string of complaints. A transfer to a children’s detention centre in the midst of a scandal.

Before 2019, when serial child sexual abuser James Geoffrey Griffin was finally charged, not one staff member at the Launceston General Hospital was trained in how to identify child sexual abuse or grooming.

Not one single person had oversight of child safety at the institution.

And there was no central repository where complaints of child abuse were handled.

On Tuesday, those “significant failings” that allowed child abuse and grooming to go unnoticed were admitted by the Department of Health human resources manager, James Bellinger.

Mr Bellinger admitted to the child sexual abuse commission of inquiry that prior to 2019, there was no child sexual abuse and grooming training provided to staff.

He admitted the hospital’s incident reporting system, SLRS, was not designed to capture child abuse and grooming behaviours.

“Is it fair to say it took Griffin’s offending to put this on people’s radar?” Elizabeth Bennett SC, counsel assisting the commission, asked.

“Yes,” Mr Bellinger answered.

(continued)

>>16564262

3/3

He agreed the three pathways of reporting complaints did “not end up in a central repository”, not one single person had oversight of them, and no person who handled the complaints along the way was trained in the identification of child sexual abuse or grooming.

“That was a system that was capable of permitting grooming behaviour to go unnoticed?” Ms Bennett said.

“That’s precisely what happened in this instance … there’s a chance that had they (all the complaints about Griffin) been put together and analysed together, that a pattern might have been identified.”

She said there had been a report that Griffin had planted a “wet kiss” on a child on the ward, at night – but the matter hadn’t been escalated because of a “lack of training and a lack of awareness of the processes”.

Mr Bellinger said he’d reviewed a number of complaints against Griffin, starting with the “wet kiss” incident – but denied they’d been “considered in a silo”.

He admitted in hindsight, it was a “significant failing” that a complaint about Griffin – who told a group of young girls about a nurse called “titsy” who he wanted to “shag” – wasn’t escalated.

Mr Bellinger agreed Griffin was transferred to Ashley Youth Detention Centre in the wake of this complaint, which he said in hindsight was an “error”.

Mr Bellinger also admitted subsequent reviews into complaints about Griffin were “deficient”, and that it was a “really significant failure of the hospital” not to take action on a credible 2011 report that he was a paedophile.

“Did you take any proactive steps to make the hospital safer at that time?” Ms Bennett asked.

“No,” Mr Bellinger replied.

The commission of inquiry will continue its hearings in Launceston until July 8.

If you or a loved one are struggling, further support is available:

• Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14

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

• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 46 36

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

• Rural Alive and Well – 1300 4357 6283

https://www.rawtas.com.au/

• Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800

https://kidshelpline.com.au/

https://www.themercury.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-tasmania/wet-kiss-string-of-complaints-about-paedophile-nurse-went-nowhere/news-story/f4c4961bd35b408b6a22bff6a2a38b3c

>>16513777

Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Tweet

It was a great pleasure for Elizabeth & I to host dinner for Ambassador Caroline Kennedy ahead of her posting as (United States) Ambassador to Australia. We wish her all the best & know she will make an outstanding contribution to our ever stronger bilateral relationship

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1542318244173955072

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 1, 2022, 6:12 a.m. No.16572753 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2765

>>16403499

Beijing issues stark warning to Australia over South China Sea

WILL GLASGOW - JULY 1, 2022

Beijing has warned Australia will “bear the consequences” of any military accident between Chinese and Australian forces operating in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

China’s Defence Ministry said Canberra had been involved in “risky and provocative” behaviour by flying an Australian surveillance plane near the Paracel Islands in the first week of the Albanese government.

Canada, which last month complained about dangerous encounters with People’s Liberation Army fighter jets, was also scolded in a joint dressing down on Thursday evening.

“Whenever they come, [the PLA] will counteract,” said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei at a press conference in Beijing.

“Those who come uninvited shall bear the consequences,” said Colonel Tan, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defence.

Hours earlier Anthony Albanese had his first meeting as Prime Minister with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Madrid.

On May 26 — as Mr Albanese was returning from a meeting of the Quad in Tokyo — a Chinese J-16 fighter challenged an RAAF maritime surveillance aircraft in international airspace over the South China Sea, flying close to the Australian jet and firing flares and “chaff” countermeasures.

Canberra lodged a furious protest with Beijing over the mid-air incident, which took place near the Paracels, which China calls “Xisha”. The disputed islands are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Canada’s aircraft have also been repeatedly harassed by PLA jets in recent months as they attempted to carry out a surveillance mission to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

Beijing said the Canadian planes — which had flown out of Japanese air bases — were undertaking reconnaissance of China “under the pretext of enforcing UN Security Council resolutions”.

“What is the duty of a soldier? That is to defend the homeland,” said Colonel Tan on Thursday evening.

“No matter what the name or excuse is, it is completely unreasonable to send military planes to the door of others to provoke and jeopardise the national security of other countries. The armed forces of any country will not sit idly by, and the Chinese military is no exception,” he said.

This week NATO’s members endorsed a new 10-year strategic road map that identified China for the first time as a strategic “challenge” to the alliance’s “interests, security and values”.

Australia is not a NATO member, but was invited to this year’s summit along with Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, as the Atlantic alliance becomes increasingly concerned about China’s threats of war against Taiwan after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said China was “not our adversary”, but warned NATO “must be clear-eyed about the challenges it represents”.

“China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbours, threatening Taiwan … monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

At the summit on Wednesday, Mr Albanese said China should take note of the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“China must look at what is happening and look at the resolve from throughout the world and should be condemning Russia’s actions,” Mr Albanese said.

The China Daily, a Communist Party mouthpiece, attacked Mr Albanese in an editorial, saying it was “hard to believe that the new Australian leader can be so ill-informed”.

“Last month, when Albanese’s Labor Party came to power, there were high hopes in both countries that it offered the opportunity to reset Australia’s ties with China. Those hopes are diminishing by the day,” the editorial said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/beijing-issues-stark-warning-to-australia-over-south-china-sea/news-story/bbedd642e4e03c048423f56a35775d47

>>16572753

Chinese military spokesperson responds to provocations of Australian, Canadian military aircraft

Xinhua - 2022-07-01

BEIJING - A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday responded to provocative acts of Australian and Canadian military aircraft, and warned that those who come uninvited will bear the consequences.

Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to Australia and Canada's hyping up of the so-called "interceptions of their military aircraft" by the Chinese military.

Tan said that the Chinese side is justified to take forceful response measures and has handled the situation in a safe and professional manner.

The Australian military aircraft entered the airspace close to China's Xisha Islands for close-in reconnaissance, and continuously approached the territorial airspace of the Xisha Islands in disregard of China's repeated warnings; and the Canadian military aircraft have increased close-in reconnaissance and made provocations to the Chinese side in the name of implementing UN Security Council resolutions, undermining China's national security, according to Tan.

China firmly opposes such acts and urges relevant countries to stop spreading disinformation, said Tan.

He also urged those countries to stop activities that endanger China's national security and raise tensions in the air and sea, and take concrete actions to safeguard regional peace and stability.

China will surely take countermeasures in response to each of such provocations and those who come uninvited will bear the consequences, said Tan.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202207/01/WS62be534da310fd2b29e69bf4.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 1, 2022, 7:15 a.m. No.16573173 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3186

Ugly scenes at Australia vs China FIBA World Cup qualifier

There were ugly scenes at a FIBA World Cup qualifier between China and Australia in Melbourne last night.

Ben Graham - July 1, 2022

There were ugly scenes at a FIBA World Cup qualifier between China and Australia in Melbourne last night, as Chinese “nationalists” clashed with Hong Kong human rights protesters.

Basketball fans had gathered at John Cain Arena in Melbourne for the clash when tense scenes broke out.

Anti-CCP activist Max Mok alleges he was “assaulted” after he began shouting “free East Turkestan” and “Hong Kong independence” during the game.

Footage uploaded onto social media shows him yelling and holding a poster before he is pushed by a larger man as his girlfriend tries restrain him.

Mr Mok’s poster was demanding the release of Mirzat Taher, an Uyghur political prisoner held in China.

Another protester could be seen brandishing a Tibetan flag - used since the 1960s as a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement.

The flag is banned in mainland China because the communist party claims Tibet as its territory, and therefore says the flag of the People’s Republic of China should represent it.

Security at John Cain Arena were forced to break up the confrontation and police were called in to assist them.

Fellow anti-CCP activist Drew Pavlou was also at the game and claims to have been dragged down the stairs by a security guard.

“Security dragged me head first down the stairs for peacefully holding a sign raising awareness for Uyghur political prisoners at the China vs Australia basketball match,” he said.

Victoria Police said the group of protesters was small.

“Police were pleased with the overall crowd behaviour, however, seven spectators were ejected for breaching the conditions of entry during the game,” a spokesperson said.

“There was no physical violence or any injuries related to these incidents.”

Fox Sports reports that the inexperienced Boomers side made a narrow escape from its FIBA World Cup qualifier against China, winning 76-69.

Featuring six debutants, the Boomers, led by the cool head of NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova, found a way to hold off a Chinese team as it produced an intense finish that threatened to steal the game away from Melbourne’s John Cain Arena in front of an impressive 8113.

Without all but one Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist, former NBA men Dellavedova and Thon Maker were the biggest names in a side packed with Australia’s finest NBL performers.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/basketball/ugly-scenes-at-australia-vs-china-fiba-world-cup-qualifier/news-story/74a0368c2001ff3c3840ab8e2f04596a

>>16573173

Drew Pavlou Tweets

Chinese ultra-nationalists violently assault Hong Kong human rights protestors at the China vs Australia basketball match

https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/1542438904829071360

—

Watch this to see how ugly Chinese ethno nationalism can get. We held a small protest today outside the Australia vs China match. I yelled “Free the Uyghurs, One million Uyghurs in concentration camps,” Chinese ultranationalists yelled “shut the fuck up” and “fuck your mother”

https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/1542499129070301185

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 1, 2022, 7:27 a.m. No.16573236 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3243

>>16513912

‘No time to wait’: Virus experts push for fourth COVID booster shots

Timna Jacks - July 1, 2022

1/2

Australia should approve a fourth COVID-19 booster shot for the entire adult population within months if the wait for vaccines that target new Omicron variants drags on, epidemiologists say.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said a third wave of Omicron infections was on the way, after announcing a major review of COVID-19 vaccine purchases on Friday morning.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration is considering an application from vaccine manufacturer Moderna for a new COVID-19 booster shot that targets the Omicron variant B4.1, as well as the original Wuhan strain of the virus.

But epidemiologists and immunologists caution against waiting too long for a premium vaccine, saying that a fourth booster shot of the current vaccine could be more effective if rolled out sooner.

This week the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted to allow an Omicron-specific vaccine to be rolled out from September this year, and went a step further, advising manufacturers to update their vaccines to target both the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants. The precise formula has not been tested in people yet.

Pfizer and Moderna have developed their shots to target the original version of the variant, BA.1, and will need to redesign their vaccines to target the later strains.

Australia’s vaccine advisory panel is considering delaying a recommendation that more people get a fourth COVID booster shot, until a better Omicron-targeting vaccine is available. Professor Allen Cheng, who is a voting member and the former chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, said the expert group was watching the United States closely.

“The alternatives are that maybe there will be a better variant vaccine and if we just wait a few months longer we will have access to that in Australia,” Cheng said last week.

But Jamie Triccas, a senior immunology professor at Sydney University, said waiting for data about the efficacy of vaccines targeting new Omicron sub-variants could be problematic.

“I would think if it looks like there’s going to be a delay in approving those new variant boosters, or if there’s going to be issues with access – so how much can they produce in a short period of time – I would think that we’d have to look closely at maybe scheduling a fourth dose just to keep the level of protection to the community,” Triccas said.

“If for most people it’s been six months since the last dose and high levels of Omicron are circulating and the emergence of BA.4 and BA.5 is ticking up as well, I would say [the need for a fourth dose] should be a conversation we should seriously be having now.”

(continued)

>>16573236

2/2

Epidemiologist Nancy Baxter, head of Melbourne University’s School of Population and Global Health, said an Omicron-specific booster would be highly beneficial. But it would be detrimental to wait any longer than three months for it, she said.

“The problem would be if we are planning in six months to have a normal Omicron booster … in six months, who knows what’s going to happen? But if we’re planning in the next three months to have an Omicron booster, that makes a lot of sense.

“This is going to be a winter without respite. So if they do have an effective Omicron-specific vaccine, it might make sense to roll it out in three months.”

Baxter said it was likely we would be in an “Omicron phase” for a while, but pointed out that committing to a booster shot that targets specific COVID-19 variant strains posed challenges when the virus was continually mutating.

Head of Monash University’s epidemiological modelling unit James Trauer said Australia’s high death rate from COVID-19 meant there should be no delay in approving fourth booster shots. He said improving the rate of third and fourth vaccinations should be a matter of priority. More than 300 Australians are losing their lives to COVID-19 each week.

“We’ve got fairly high death rates, they are higher than a lot of countries in western Europe at the moment,” Trauer said. “I think people have lost quite a bit of protection from when they were vaccinated.”

A Department of Health and Aged Care spokesman said Moderna had submitted an application for provisional registration for a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine that would target the original, ancestral strain and the Omicron BA.1 strain.

“As the evaluation progresses, the TGA will continue to seek information from Moderna Australia, until all required information is provided and a regulatory decision can be made.”

Butler said Australia was “not performing well” on the third and fourth dose take-up. Almost 6 million Australians who are eligible for a third dose have not yet had it. Sixty-four per cent of eligible aged care residents have received their fourth dose.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/no-time-to-wait-virus-experts-push-for-fourth-covid-booster-shots-20220701-p5aya5.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 1, 2022, 7:35 a.m. No.16573288 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3336

'No inquiry' about Tasmanian nurse child abuser

Ethan James - July 1 2022

The former chief executive of a Tasmanian hospital didn't make any inquiries about a male pedophile nurse who had worked at the facility's children's ward under his watch.

A commission of inquiry into child sexual abuse in the state's public service has this week examined the Launceston General Hospital and the case of James Geoffrey Griffin.

Griffin worked at the hospital for almost two decades and took his own life in October 2019 after being charged with child sexual abuse offences.

Stephen Ayre, who was the chief executive of the hospital from 2004-08, said he learned about "the issue" of Griffin "around the time of 2019".

"I'd have to say that I took a very peripheral interest because I didn't have any knowledge of it," Mr Ayre, the current director of medical services at the Royal Hobart Hospital, told the inquiry on Friday.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Elizabeth Bennett QC, asked Mr Ayre whether he made any inquiries between 2019 and 2021 about Griffin's conduct.

"I did not make any inquiries. I had confidence the issues were being dealt with and would be uncovered and we would have knowledge of the issues as they unfolded and information became available," he said.

Hospital chief executive Eric Daniels on Thursday acknowledged "catastrophic" system failures in relation to how Griffin was handled.

Several survivors have told the inquiry about abuse by Griffin, who was the subject of multiple professional boundary breach reports at the hospital.

Hospital social worker Kylee Pearn said she informed human resources at a meeting in 2011 that Griffin had abused her as a child but was told nothing could be done without a conviction.

No physical record of the meeting exists.

Friday's public hearing ended during Mr Ayre's evidence following a medical episode in the hearing room.

The evidence of executive director of medical services Dr Peter Renshaw and department of health secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks has been pushed back to August.

The inquiry was called in late 2020, largely in response to allegations against Griffin receiving media coverage.

Lifeline 13 11 14

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

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

https://kidshelpline.com.au/

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7802655/no-inquiry-about-tas-nurse-child-abuser/

>>16573288

‘Medical emergency’ interrupts child sexual abuse commission of inquiry hearings

A medical emergency has interrupted hearings of Tasmania’s child sexual abuse commission of inquiry, in the midst of the tense examination of Launceston General Hospital’s former CEO.

Amber Wilson - July 1, 2022

A “MEDICAL emergency” has interrupted a public hearing of Tasmania’s child sexual abuse commission of inquiry, which unfolded during a tense examination of Launceston General Hospital’s former chief executive Stephen Ayre.

It is understood Mr Ayre collapsed while giving evidence, and required hospitalisation.

Prior to the medical emergency, hospital nursing and midwifery director Sue McBeath told the commission she had a conversation in February 2021 with Mr Ayre – who was CEO between 2004 and 2008 – about his prior knowledge of paedophile nurse James Geoffrey Griffin.

She said that conversation came in the wake of Camille Bianchi’s podcast The Nurse, which revealed Griffin’s identity in the media for the first time and the extent of his crimes.

“During that period, Stephen had been the CEO and so I expressed my shock and absolute horror at what was in the podcast,” Ms McBeath said.

“I said ‘I knew nothing of this’. And he said that he had been contacted by the police during the time that he was the CEO and that on the advice of HR he was advised to let the police investigation take its course.”

Ms McBeath – who previously held the role of nursing director overseeing the paediatric ward – said if she’d known Griffin was being investigated by police while she was in that role, she would have seen his “confused professional boundaries” as a newly qualified registered nurse as something “much more sinister”.

“I suppose I was shocked there had been evidence at that time,” she said.

“I would have seen (Griffin’s) behaviours differently had I known there was a police investigation … that’s really regrettable that I didn’t have that information. As a professional, duty of care is something we hold very strongly.”

Mr Ayre is currently medical services executive director of the statewide Tasmania Health Service.

He gave evidence after Ms McBeath, strongly denying he had previous knowledge of Griffin’s conduct from the time he was CEO of Launceston General Hospital.

“Did you disclose to her that you in 2021 had previous knowledge of Griffin’s conduct?” counsel assisting the commission, Elizabeth Bennett SC, asked.

“Absolutely not,” Dr Ayre responded.

“I told her that I hadn’t listened to the podcast and that I was surprised by the allegations that had come forward as other people were.”

He said he hadn’t spoken with Ms McBeath “at all” about Griffin’s conduct, not even what he’d subsequently learned about the paedophile in the wake of his arrest and death.

“I haven’t followed any of the information that was forthcoming from his death in 2019,” he said.

Ms Bennett suggested it was “an astonishing lack of curiosity” that Dr Ayre hadn’t made enquiries about a paedophile nurse that had worked on the children’s ward while he was CEO.

“I guess there was some interest in that but as I didn’t have any knowledge of that prior to 2019, I did not take particular interest,” Dr Ayre said.

“I had confidence that the system had actually addressed that issue.”

He admitted he realised in 2019 there was “something to learn from the example of Griffin” – although he took no steps to learn about what had unfolded and made no enquiries.

Due to give evidence on Friday were Peter Renshaw, the hospital’s executive director of medical services, who has received a number of child sexual abuse notifications during his decades-long tenure at the institution.

Also due to give evidence was Department of Health secretary Kathryn Morgan-Wicks.

The pair will now give evidence in August.

Ms Bennett told the commission the decision to adjourn was made given the effect of the medical emergency on those present in Launceston.

She noted “many nurses and police officers” responded to the incident and did so “with enormous professionalism and care and concern”.

The Launceston hearings will continue until July 8.

https://www.themercury.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-tasmania/medical-emergency-interrupts-child-sexual-abuse-commission-of-inquiry-hearings/news-story/7b7b7c2a860bbc758d9de7bcb375f0e4

>>16543785

QAnon returns and targets Cassidy Hutchinson in new post

CNN

Jul 1, 2022

In a new post, online conspiracy theorist QAnon targets former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan explains what it means now that the account is back active.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA4qLxU5ZVM

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 1, 2022, 7:58 a.m. No.16573455 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3462

Q is back. What happens to QAnon now?

Sarah Manavis - July 1, 2022

1/2

When the anonymous ringleader of the conspiracy theory QAnon, known only to the world as “Q”, went silent following Donald Trump’s election defeat at the end of 2020, it felt like a mask-off moment – an end point for the viral movement.

The unfounded theory, which first emerged in 2017, argued that Donald Trump’s presidency was part of a secret war that Trump was waging against a group of Satanic paedophiles, including several A-list celebrities and members of the US Democratic Party. For years, the theory’s most devout followers obsessively awaited updates from the Q account, which regularly appeared to announce that it had access to confidential documents that proved the veracity of the claims.

At Trump rallies and protests during his reelection run, it was rare to not see a placard bearing an enormous Q, with the message “Q sent me”.

But as it became clear by mid-November 2020 that Trump was not going to retain the presidency, Q’s posts became more erratic – visibly flailing to try to justify his previous claims that a Biden defeat was certain. Fans urged for him to release the fabled smoking-gun documents, but they, of course, never materialised.

In his final post on 8 December, 2020, Q implied that, in time, Trump would find a way to cling onto his seat before Biden’s January inauguration. Q’s subsequent disappearance was seen by most as irrefutable proof that he was simply a random person making things up, capitalising on gullible Trump supporters during his time in office. (His supporters, in the meantime, came up with increasingly wild reasons as to his disappearance, such as his being “taken out”).

For 18 months, Q vanished: allowing theories to swirl about who he was, why he had stopped posting, and – reflecting after the fact – how he had managed to gain such a quick and rare hold over his supporters. That was until last weekend, when Q re-emerged, posting a series of cryptic messages on the notorious messaging board 8kun (formerly known as 8chan), hinting at a permanent return to the internet and a new chapter for QAnon. “Shall we play the game once more,” the account wrote, followed by another post ending with: “Remember your oath”.

The question now naturally arises: what happens next? Or maybe: why now? Given Q’s exceptional ability to become a magnet for attention, it’d be fair to assume that his celebrity within the movement will go on to rise again. To pick up where it left off.

But despite Q’s former relevance and singular grip over this expanding community, his importance is questionable after the last year and a half. How much has QAnon changed in Q’s absence? Does this ever-expanding movement still need its ringleader to survive? And could it be that QAnon is more powerful and dangerous if it moves on without him?

While QAnon may seem as far fetched as conspiracy theories come, its potency and rapid spread has been unique in the modern era. In the last four years, it has gained tens of thousands of followers – if not more – all over the world, drawing in powerful supporters including two current US congresswomen, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

It was borne off the back of an earlier conspiracy theory, Pizzagate, that grew in prominence during the 2016 US presidential election, which made the equally unfounded claim that Hillary Clinton was running a child sex-trafficking ring out of a pizza parlour owned by her campaign manager John Podesta, in Washington, DC.

What made QAnon different from most conspiracy theories, though – aside from its extreme absurdity juxtaposed against its extreme popularity – was the way it managed to fold other conspiracy theories into its own, borrowing from existing and emerging theories to grow its following. Aided by the pandemic, which created real uncertainty, economic and social instability, and pushed everyone inside and online, it rose alongside other interconnected theories, such as the “Plandemic”, anti-vaccine beliefs, and antisemitic theories about a “New World Order”, the villains of which were almost always the same.

(continued)

>>16573455

2/2

Because of this, throughout 2020, when QAnon’s popularity really began to spike, you would begin to find QAnon theories appearing hand in hand with more popular conspiracy theories in mainstream spaces, such as on Facebook groups and pages, dedicated Instagram accounts, and on copy-pasted images reshared in Snapchat and TikTok posts. Not just in forums.

“Conspiracy communities that have previously only brushed past each other like schools of fish borne along on different currents are suddenly, abruptly, swimming in the same direction,” the disinformation journalist Anna Merlan wrote for Vice in the summer of 2020. “Call it the conspiracy singularity: the place where many conspiracy communities are suddenly meeting and merging, a melting pot of unimaginable density.”

This barrage of intersecting and overlapping conspiracy theories meant that the specifics of QAnon became gradually unimportant over time – supporting QAnon wasn’t just about being pro-Trump or being concerned about powerful paedophile networks, but instead about simply being anti-establishment, pro-freedom, and against following any rules or systems set out by those in power (or those on the Left). It was no longer just a belief; it was an identity.

All of this means that – while Trump still remains a major part of many QAnon supporters’ beliefs – by the time Trump lost and Q disappeared, the movement had transcended the initial details of its founding. Speaking to the New York Times in December, Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy theory researcher and author of a book on QAnon’s rise, said that “the evolution of Q is that it is leaving behind the iconography of the Trump era and becoming a conspiracy of everything” and that, rather than sticking to Q’s specific claims, many followers have seen it as more of a “choose your own adventure” conspiracy theory.

Now, just believing that there is a greater conspiracy at play in the world more generally is all it takes to be part of the QAnon movement.

This should, by most measures, spell a disaster for Q, who would have no doubt been aware of his increasing irrelevance. So why return now, when the movement built around your gospel is thriving despite your absence?

Theories about who the real Q is help to answer this question, the most likely answer being that Q is Ron Watkins: 8kun’s former administrator and the son of 8kun’s owner, Jim Watkins. While it has always been denied by Watkins himself, the evidence that he is behind Q appears convincing. An HBO documentary released in 2021 significantly initially linked Watkins to the account, and in February of this year two different linguistic studies concluded it was likely that he was the account’s current owner (having taken it over from a South African engineer, Paul Furber, in 2018, who did Q’s original posts). Watkins being the owner also explains the timing: he is currently running for a congressional seat in Arizona that he is heavily tipped to lose and has a primary election coming up in just over a month.

Despite the intrigue generated by Q’s return – and the potential it has to galvanise the select supporters who still care about Q himself – all evidence suggests that QAnon now exists in a post-Q era, where who Q is and what he has to say may be of interest, but is ultimately extraneous. It is no longer part of the dogma.

Now, QAnon has morphed into something far broader and, in being so, something much more insidious. By ditching Q and the specifics he brought to QAnon, it can become even bigger, appealing to a much wider audience. It seems likely that, in returning, Q isn’t picking up the old baton, but riding an entirely different movement’s coattails.

https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/next-qanon-conspiracy-theory-eclipsed-founder-1715099

—

Q Post #4958

Jun 29 2022 02:23:20 (EST)

What is at stake?

Who has control?

SURPRISE WITNESS.

Who was surprised?

Who will be surprised?

Use your logic.

Can emotions be used to influence decisions?

How do you control emotion?

Define 'Plant'.

How do you insert a plant?

Can emotions be used to insert a plant?

Who is Cassidy Hutchinson?

Trust the plan.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4958

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 1, 2022, 8:07 a.m. No.16573504 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3509

Q Is Back and It’s Tearing the QAnon World Apart

“Q drops” have resumed, but believers are divided over whether they’re real.

David Gilbert - 01 July 2022

1/2

Jim Watkins clearly doesn’t know how his own website works.

The owner and operator of 8kun, the fringe message board that the anonymous leader of QAnon calls home, has, over the course of the last week, made multiple egregious and obvious errors that provide clear evidence that he is behind the first new Q posts after 18 months of silence.

On 8kun, the members of the qresearch board, where Q posts their “Q drops” are angry—very angry— at what they see as a clear and obvious violation of the rules of the website.

But outside of this small circle of believers, the wider QAnon community is still celebrating the return of Q, oblivious to the fact that the new Q drops appear to be written not by a secret military intelligence insider, but by a 58-year-old pig farmer who’s obsessed with fountain pens.

The first new post since Dec. 8, 2020, was posted on Friday, posing the cryptic question: “Shall we play a game once more?”

Several more posts followed soon after, but members of the qresearch board quickly realized something was off. They noticed that just before the first new drop was posted, site administrators had changed the way the site generates the secure tripcodes used to verify anonymous users, such as Q. The one user whose tripcode didn’t change was Q.

Watkins tried to explain away this error by claiming Q’s tripcode was “whitelisted,” but this is just something that is not possible, said Fred Brennan, who created 8chan (as 8kun was known prior to 2018) and worked closely with both Jim and Ron Watkins.

“There’s no way without Q’s password to make a whitelist,” Brennan told VICE News, signaling that Watkins is either lying, or he is Q.

Next, members noticed that the ID on the new Q posts was 00000, which is used when members post updates using the anonymity-focused Tor browser, something which had been disabled since September 2021. The site admins had switched the feature back on just before Q’s first post in 18 months, again suggesting they knew what was coming.

Finally, on Wednesday, Watkins appears to have forgotten that he was logged in as Q, when he responded to an 8kun user calling Watkins “clueless” and “dopey.” Initially, the post and the subsequent Q drop both featured the same ID, but later the ID of the Q drop was changed to 00000, something only Watkins or his administrators could do.

Watkins has tried to explain these errors in a series of posts on other sites, including Gab and Telegram, where he tried to explain away the errors by vaguely suggesting that he had access to quantum computing technology—which he does not.

Watkins also claimed that his son, Ron Watkins, who is currently running for Congress in Arizona, had created many special secret tools that would explain all the strange errors that appeared in recent days.

(continued)

>>16573504

2/2

Brennan believes Jim Watkins is posting the latest updates because he doesn’t think Ron, who was the site’s administrator until November 2020, would have made those errors.

The hamfisted attempts to claim that the new posts came from Q, and Watkins’ effort to explain away those mistakes, have been blasted by many on the qresearch board, with one member writing on Wednesday the new drops were “a fraud, like everything the Watkins are connected to.”

Brennan says that such backlash is almost unprecedented, and that he’s never seen this sort of internal dissent on 8kun.

And yet, despite all the evidence suggesting the new Q drops were not real, or were at the very least facilitated by Watkins and his team, the wider QAnon community continues to celebrate Q’s return.

“Q is back” is now a popular refrain among QAnon supporters across sites like Gab, Telegram, and former President Donald Trump’s platform Truth Social, where a version of Q that had emerged in recent months was seen by some as a replacement for the original Q.

The reason that the vast majority of the QAnon faithful don’t have the questions and doubts that their 8kun compatriots do is that most QAnon supporters have never even visited 8kun, and many don’t really know who Jim Watkins is.

Most QAnon supporters get their information from one of the dozens of influencers who have leveraged the popularity of QAnon to grow their own followings.

As a result, most QAnon supporters will only renounce the new Q drops once the influencers they follow do the same–and so far, those influencers, starved of new content for the last 18 months, don’t appear willing to see the evidence in front of them.

“Ultimately what this means is that the symbiotic relationship between Q and QAnon influencers acts as a buffer between the majority of the community from the hardcore community on the boards that are pushing back on the current Q,” Marc-André Argentino, a PhD candidate at Concordia University who studies QAnon, tweeted.

Over the course of Q’s 18-month silence, the power within the movement has shifted from their anonymous account on 8kun to a group of more than a dozen influencers, all of whom have their own way of interpreting what QAnon is and what it means. This situation has spawned the emergence of the JFK cult in Dallas and the QAnon Queen movement in Canada. If Watkins’ attempt to restart Q on 8kun fails, that trend is likely to accelerate.

“If Jim loses the 8kun users. It’s gonna represent a greater decentralization of the movement,” Brennan said.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxn8bz/qanon-q-is-back-jim-watkins

>>16554164

RealGhislaine Tweet

R Kelly 30 years and 100,000

Harvey Weinstein 23 years

Bill Cosby 10 years and 25,000

G Maxwell 20 years 750,000 fine

How is this justice?

https://twitter.com/RealGhislaine/status/1542608458423353345

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 3:47 a.m. No.16579939 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9943

>>16349788

>>16513588

>>16554328

Anthony Albanese not to blame for subs rift, Emmanuel Macron says, as leaders reset ties

BEN PACKHAM - JULY 2, 2022

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Anthony Albanese and Emmanuel Macron have formally reset relations between Australia and France, with the French President declaring the Prime Minister was not responsible for the rift caused by the cancellation of the Attack-class submarines.

Mr Albanese declared “a new start for our countries’ relationship”, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday. “Australia’s relationship with France matters. Trust, respect and honesty matters. That is how I will approach our relations,” he said.

Asked whether Mr Albanese had apologised for the submarine decision, Mr Macron said he did not blame his Australian counterpart for the decision that sparked a diplomatic row between the countries.

“We will speak about the future, not the past. He is not responsible for what happened.”

Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte welcomed Mr Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon to his official residence, nine months after Scott Morrison’s surprise announcement that Australia would cancel its $90bn contract to buy 12 French-built submarines, and instead acquire nuclear boats in partnership with the US and Britain.

Mr Macron and Mr Albanese shook hands warmly, while the French President kissed Ms Haydon on the hand.

Mr Albanese said he was proud to stand alongside Mr Macron “to commit to deepening our collaboration in defence and security, resilience and climate, and education and culture”.

Mr Albanese earlier told The Weekend Australian that the restoration of the relationship would kickstart economic and security co-operation with the major European and Pacific power, and open doors for Australia across the EU.

He said the renewal of the bilateral partnership would accelerate two-way investment between the countries, and enable the nations to undertake joint maritime exercises in the Pacific.

Friday’s meeting was “an appropriate time, with the new year [July 1], to enter a new dawn and a new arrangement between Australia and France”, he said.

Mr Albanese said the details of his conversation with Mr Macron would remain private, but declared they had “moved beyond” the point where an apology was needed for his predecessor’s handling of the matter.

He said the diplomatic reset, after his government paid $835m in compensation to French submarine Naval Group, had set the relationship between the countries on an upward trajectory, offering “real opportunities” for Australia.

“My objective isn’t to get the relationship back to where it was, my objective is to strengthen the relationship going forward,” Mr Albanese said. “France is a critical power in Europe, but also in the Pacific. And so this relationship is so important.”

The meeting followed Mr Macron’s accusation last year that Mr Morrison lied to him, allowing him to believe the submarine contract was going ahead, before cancelling it to pursue nuclear boats under the AUKUS partnership with the US and UK.

He said the falling out had been “a tragedy”, undermining Australia’s interests across the continent, and with the Biden administration, which also suffered a French backlash.

Mr Albanese, who met a string of European leaders at the NATO summit in Madrid this week, said the reset with France, and his government’s climate change policies, had restored the nation’s “good standing and credibility”.

“It was very clear to me, reinforced by the bilaterals that I had at the NATO summit, that the relationship breakdown with France also damaged our relations with Europe, and indeed with North America as well,” he said.

“Our changed position on climate change, and resolving the issue with France, will have a direct positive impact on the Australian economy and Australian jobs.”

(continued)

>>16579939

2/2

In Mr Macron’s first conversation with Mr Albanese, soon after he was elected, the French President said there had been a “profound breach of trust” between the countries over the submarine issue.

The falling out derailed Australian co-operation with France in the South Pacific, where it has a vast exclusive maritime zone thanks to its sovereignty over French Polynesian and New Caledonia.

Defence’s contract with Naval Group did not entitle the company to compensation beyond a contractual-break fee of €90m ($136m).

But Mr Albanese said it was “very clear that there were obligations that needed to be dealt (with)”, noting the Morrison government put the total cost of the cancelled submarine contract at $5.5 bn. He said his government saved taxpayers $2.1bn, winding up the contract for a fee of $3.4bn.

“It’s very clear that there were issues created. I’m about fixing those issues and making sure we can emerge stronger,” Mr Albanese said.

“It is the right decision to have AUKUS. It’s the wrong decision to leak text messages and to not have straight relations with people.”

They signed a communique pledging to “shape a new defence relationship”, including undertaking more joint exercises, sharing intelligence, and delivering coordinated humanitarian support in the event of Pacific disasters.

The nations would “explore initiatives” to increase defence industry cooperation - despite the failure of the Attack-class submarine program - and strengthen cooperation in space and counter-terrorism activities.

They agreed to have further discussions on critical minerals and hydrogen technology, and expressed support for the ongoing free trade negotiations between Australia and the EU.

The leaders committed to working on “low emissions technology”, clean infrastructure and “nature-based solutions”.

They also pledged to strengthen cultural bonds, and work together to bring home Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remains held in French institutions.

France’s anger with the Morrison government stalled Australia’s trade negotiations with the EU, with scheduled talks between the parties delayed several times.

But Mr Albanese said the Paris meeting, and earlier talks with EU commissioner Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid, led him to believe the free-trade deal could be finalised by the first quarter of 2023.

His meeting with Mr Macron in Paris followed a lifelong affection for the city that began 34 years ago. “I love Paris. The first time I came here was in ’88, you know with a backpack,” he said. “I did six months in Europe, always staying in places that were sort of smaller than the bathroom I have now.”

In just six weeks as Prime Minister, Mr Albanese has already travelled to four countries: France, Spain, Indonesia and Japan. He met fellow Quad leaders in Tokyo, visited President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, and met key counterparts at the NATO summit including Mr Sanchez, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl.

He said the hectic travel schedule, as the nation confronts soaring inflation and an energy supply crisis, was about “repairing relations and acting in Australia’s national interests”.

Mr Albanese said his diplomatic style was consistent with the way he engaged people at home in Australia.

“I’m someone who is straightforward in my dealings, someone who will be honest and look towards achieving practical outcomes, and dealing with people respectfully,” Mr Albanese said.

On Thursday, he addressed the OECD and was hosted by the peak French business group MEDEF, to discuss trade and investment opportunities. He said the renewed relations would help Australian firms wanting to do business in France, and provide a springboard for French companies operating in Australia, such as defence contractor Thales, and infrastructure company Bouygues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/french-reset-to-open-new-doors-anthony-albanese-says/news-story/b80268e61bf4ff0cbe34003f50b80a15

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 3:52 a.m. No.16579953 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9980

Rudd to help investigate ways to deter future aggression against Ukraine

Anthony Galloway - July 2, 2022

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has been appointed to an international panel that will investigate how the rest of the world can provide a security guarantee to Ukraine so Russia won’t invade it again.

Rudd, who was named part of the advisory group on Friday night, said Ukraine was rightly focused on winning the current war with Russia but it was also important that it came up with ways to deter Moscow in future.

“Russia’s unprovoked attacks against the people of Ukraine aren’t just barbaric – they violate repeated public commitments by Moscow to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence,” he said.

Rudd was appointed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and former NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who were tasked in March with setting up the panel.

As well as Rudd, the 12-person panel will include former British secretary of state William Hague, former senior Pentagon official Michele Flournoy and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt. It will be co-chaired by Yermak and Rasmussen.

The working group has three months to come up with recommendations on how to better protect Ukraine from foreign aggressors such as Russia in the future.

Ukraine wants other countries to provide some kind of security guarantee comparable to Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, which states that an armed attack on any of the alliance’s members shall be considered an attack on all of them.

Kyiv wants to join the NATO military alliance, but such a move is untenable while it has ongoing border disputes with Russia and Moscow-backed separatists.

Following his appointment, Rudd said the non-binding commitments Russia had given Ukraine in the past “weren’t strong enough to prevent Ukraine being invaded in either 2014 or 2022, nor were ambiguous commitments by other countries to support Ukraine’s defence”.

“Ukrainians are rightly focused on winning this war,” he said. “But when it ends, Ukrainian leaders will want to clearly understand what sorts of domestic and international mechanisms might deter further aggression against their country by Russia or any other state.”

Rudd said the working group’s recommendations would “support Ukraine’s legitimate desire to rebuild as a strong, free and sovereign country pursuing its own destiny”.

Rudd advised the Australian government he would be accepting the invitation to join the working group ahead of the announcement. The role, which will last for about three months, will be part-time and unpaid.

Rudd, a former Labor prime minister and foreign minister, is currently president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Ukraine has faced renewed assaults from Russia in recent days, including attacks on the centre of the capital Kyiv and a missile strike on a shopping mall that killed at least 20 people.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/rudd-to-help-investigate-ways-to-deter-future-aggression-against-ukraine-20220701-p5ayaw.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 4:01 a.m. No.16579980 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9983

>>16579953

Andriy Yermak and Anders Fogh Rasmussen held the first meeting of the Group on International Security Guarantees for Ukraine

PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY Official website - 1 July 2022

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Opening the meeting, Andriy Yermak noted in his speech that the unprecedented task of this group is to develop effective comprehensive security guarantees for Ukraine, which would protect it from new potential aggression from Russia.

“These guarantees must be included in legally binding and duly ratified international agreements with guarantor states,” he said.

Andriy Yermak noted that Ukraine has an extremely negative experience of security assurances in the framework of the Budapest Memorandum and categorically refuses to repeat it.

The Head of the President's Office noted that it is necessary to ensure Ukraine's ability to exercise the right to self-defense. In particular, it is about the further provision of modern conventional weapons and military equipment without any restrictions and politically motivated obstacles.

The next important element, according to Andriy Yermak, is the construction of a system of bilateral and/or multilateral treaties, which will provide for detailed mechanisms of action by the guarantors in the event of aggression against Ukraine.

He also said that the last block of guarantees should be the sanctions policy, which should become an effective tool for preventing the recurrence of aggression. That is why the introduced packages of sanctions and restrictive measures should be in effect not only until the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, but also until Russia fulfills two conditions: provides adequate assurances and guarantees of non-repetition of aggression against Ukraine and provides full compensation for the damage caused to our state and citizens.

An effective mechanism for the implementation of preventive sanctions should also be envisaged in the future - in the event of a threat of aggression.

Andriy Yermak reminded that the idea of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is that security guarantees for Ukraine in the future will become the basis of a new world security system.

“The U24 format (United 24) is a kind of rescue service for countries. A club of responsible states that provide specific assistance within 24 hours - military-technical, economic, political, humanitarian. Which promptly and without delay implement sanctions and involve other restrictive mechanisms against the aggressor,” he said.

For his part, Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted that this group should prepare recommendations on what security guarantees can be provided for the period until Ukraine joins NATO, as the corresponding intention is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine.

He urged the experienced politicians and scientists who joined the group to think unconventionally and outside the box, to work efficiently and purposefully to develop ideas for providing guarantees for Ukraine.

(continued)

>>16579980

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During the first meeting of the Group on International Security Guarantees for Ukraine, Andriy Yermak and Anders Fogh Rasmussen introduced its members. The invited politicians and scientists noted that they were extremely happy to join that important initiative, and expressed their admiration for the leadership of the President of Ukraine and the heroism of the Ukrainian people.

Former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd noted, among other things, that during the work of the group, it is necessary to carefully analyze the consequences of the involvement of various countries of the world in the circle of guarantors of Ukraine's security.

Former US Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy is convinced that practical steps should be found to prevent similar aggression against Ukraine in the future. In her opinion, clear commitments to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities are absolutely necessary.

Former British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs William Hague believes that the development of security guarantees for Ukraine is important for the whole world, and it is worth paying attention to whether these guarantees can be turned into a mechanism of multilateral obligations.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy Andriy Kostin, for his part, noted that the system of security guarantees should protect Ukraine from potential aggression in the future. In addition, it is very important to ensure that Russia's hopes that countries that strongly support Ukraine will refuse to provide it with clear security guarantees after the end of the war do not come true.

The group included: former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, former US Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, former Swedish Prime Minister and former Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, former British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs William Hague, former Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany Norbert Röttgen, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Member of the European Parliament Anna Fotyga, director of ECFR's Wider Europe Programme, French diplomat Marie Dumoulin, President of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, diplomat Giampiero Massolo, Director of the Center for Eastern Studies (OSW), Polish PhD in political science Adam Eberhardt, political expert Roxana Cristescu, people's deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy Andriy Kostin.

The members of the working group act as experts on their own behalf and do not represent the governments of their countries or the organizations in which they work.

Oleksandr Bevz and Daria Zarivna will be project managers of the group on the Ukrainian side, and Fabrice Pothier and Harry Nedelcu on the side of Rasmussen Global.

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/andrij-yermak-i-anders-fog-rasmussen-proveli-pershe-zasidann-76185

Julian Assange submits High Court appeal to fight extradition

Helena Wilkinson and Andre Rhoden-Paul - 1 July 2022

Julian Assange is seeking permission to appeal against a decision to extradite him to the United States.

Last month, the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the Wikileaks founder's extradition to the US.

The High Court in London confirmed to the BBC an application by Mr Assange has been submitted.

The Australian is wanted by American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011, which the US says broke the law and endangered lives.

The documents are related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Mr Assange had until Friday to decide whether or not to appeal against his extradition.

The Australian is being held at Belmarsh prison in London after mounting a lengthy battle to avoid being extradited.

Extradition allows one country to ask another to hand over a suspect to face trial.

Previously, Mr Assange's wife, Stella, said her husband had done "nothing wrong" and "he has committed no crime".

"He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job", she said.

The Wikileaks co-founder is wanted by the US on 18 counts, including a spying accusation, after his organisation published confidential military records and diplomatic cables.

He faces up to 175 years in jail, according to his lawyers. However, the US government has said the sentence is more likely to be between four and six years.

Media company Wikileaks is a whistle-blowing platform that publishes classified material provided by anonymous sources.

Supporters of Mr Assange gathered outside the Home Office on Friday morning to protest against his imprisonment.

Mr Assange's legal team claims Wikileaks publishing the documents - which related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - exposed US wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

Those documents revealed how the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan, while leaked Iraq war files showed 66,000 civilians had been killed, and prisoners tortured, by Iraqi forces.

Mr Assange has been in prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019 and arrested by British police, after Ecuador withdrew his asylum status.

He sought asylum in 2012 in the embassy, fearing US prosecution, and stayed there for seven years. He claimed he was a victim of human rights abuses and would face a life sentence if extradited.

The Supreme Court ruled in March that Mr Assange's case raised no legal questions over assurances the US had given to the UK about how he was likely to be treated.

UK judges had previously blocked his extradition because of concerns about his mental health.

Earlier this month, Australia's new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed calls to publicly demand the US drop its prosecution.

Mr Assange's wife had expressed hopes Mr Albanese's government would intervene.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62008245

>>16395713

>>16466287

The CIA Plot to Kill My Husband Julian Assange | Stella Assange

Double Down News

May 17, 2022

Julian Assange’s wife on the CIA plot to kill her husband for exposing war crimes & fight to save his life

Free Assange ► https://dontextraditeassange.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u8xedWY2Ek

Stella Assange Tweet

"Have you allowed yourself to think what happens next should you be successful at some point?"

#FreeAssangeNOW

#Assange

https://twitter.com/StellaMoris1/status/1540469626756370434

>Can you see clearly?

>What do you notice?

'Increasing pressure' nationally to return to masks amid worsening COVID wave

Audrey Courty - 2 July 2022

Queensland's Chief Health Officer says there is "increasing pressure" nationally to return a mask mandate.

There were 34,931 new COVID cases reported in the past 24 hours and COVID-related deaths across the nation had steadily increased over recent months, with the daily death count reaching its highest level since February.

Queensland's CHO John Gerrard told 4BC radio that the return of mask mandates was being "discussed" with his counterparts from other states.

"I can say that nationally, there is increasing pressure, there is a school of thought that we should be mandating masks again," he said.

Dr Gerrard told the ABC on Saturday that "we are continually reviewing all aspects of our pandemic response including the potential need for mask mandates in different settings".

"At this stage, no changes are being made," he said.

But Dr Gerrard said he would personally prefer to wind back public health mandates.

"We want to move away from restrictions, towards more self-regulation and self-responsibility – that means being up-to-date with your vaccines," he said.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the progression of COVID-19 was "very concerning".

"In terms of masks, we haven't received any health advice about that at this point at the federal level. Those decisions do tend to be made by state governments," he said.

"I know this is something that health officials have been discussing nationally but we haven't received any advice on that at this point."

Third COVID wave putting pressure on hospitals

Currently 3,272 COVID patients are in hospitals across Australia, according to figures reported so far today.

Authorities have warned of a third COVID-19 wave, driven by two new variants BA.4 and BA.5, which was expected to put pressure on the health system.

Earlier this week, Dr Gerrard said we were entering a "different phase" of the pandemic.

"There will be ongoing waves with new variants going on for months, or even years, and the era of public health directions is coming to an end," he said.

Dr Gerrard said people over the age of 65, and those who are immunocompromised, should get a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as it prevents severe illness and hospital admission.

"I really am concerned that almost all the patients we're seeing in hospital are not up to date [with their vaccination], they're mostly people over the age of 65," he said.

"This variant is particularly nasty in so far as it can evade immunity, whether it's through vaccine or through natural infection."

Dr Gerrard said while he does not necessarily support the return of restrictions, he is concerned about the upcoming wave.

"It could well be a similar number of patients or even more as in that first wave, in the coming weeks, because we're heading into winter."

The ABC contacted Queensland Health for comment on whether it was seriously considering reinstating the mask mandate.

"The Chief Health Officer regularly meets with his colleagues and other key stakeholders to discuss public health measures as part of the response to COVID-19," a department spokesperson said.

"Any changes to existing measures will be communicated to the public."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-02/mask-mandate-national-cho-covid-coronavirus-restrictions/100013842

>>16580078

Bob Carr Tweet

A relief. But as the speaker at an event yesterday I sat at main table and was only one wearing mask and insisting on elbows not hands. Today one of the guests advises they have tested positive. Why this resistance to basic precautions? Why aren’t we all wearing masks?

https://twitter.com/bobjcarr/status/1542747119865712641

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 5:02 a.m. No.16580124 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0129

Thousands across Australia demonstrate in solidarity with US after abortion access ruling

Margaret Paul, Alexandra Humphries and Harriet Tatham - 2 July 2022

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Thousands have rallied across Australia in a show of solidarity with abortion rights protesters in the US following the overturning of Roe v Wade.

As well as responding to the limiting of abortion access in the US, the gatherings across cities including Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart were organised to draw attention to how expensive and difficult abortions can be within Australia.

More than 3,000 people demonstrated outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne's CBD.

Claudia Schiavello said she came along "to protect women's rights".

"It's really important for women to have the right to health care," she said.

"The US Supreme Court can't take people with uteruses' rights away because of religion, because of any other thing."

Her friend, Hannah Linke, said she was concerned to see politicians in Australia celebrating Roe v Wade being overturned.

She described the turnout at the Melbourne protest as "absolutely amazing".

In Sydney, protesters braved the wet weather to meet at Town Square and hear from speakers including NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong.

While official numbers are yet to be confirmed, anecdotal estimates from organisers and security suggest thousands of protesters were in attendance.

That number would likely have been much higher had the city not been pelted with pouring rain.

Amy Behringer drove five hours from Port Macquarie to attend the event.

She said it was vital to ensure women could access safe and legal abortions.

(continued)

>>16580124

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People streamed into Hobart's Parliament Lawns to express their anger on Saturday morning, many waving hand-drawn signs.

Tasmania is no stranger to abortion protests and speakers pointed out that rights in the state have been hard-won.

The state's only abortion clinic closed almost five years ago but surgical terminations are available in state-run hospitals.

Kathy and Jess Cepeniuk were among those in attendance.

"It's really upsetting that we've come so far — not far enough, but we've come so far — in human rights and women's rights, and the fact people are now trying to back-pedal and take rights away from us," Jess said.

"We need to show solidarity, we need to stand together, and show that we're not going to stand for this, we're not going to let this happen, we're going to fight back."

In Canberra, 400 protesters gathered at Garema Place to listen to speakers before marching down London Circuit.

"Why should someone get to choose what's right for my body?" one participant said.

"I am really, really scared that [the US ruling] is going to come here in Australia," her friend said.

"So much so that I don't want to fall pregnant."

In Adelaide, protesters made their mark with a march down Rundle Mall and King William Street on Friday evening.

A Saturday anti-abortion event that South Australian Opposition Leader David Speirs planned to attend before withdrawing had to change to a secret location after allegedly receiving violent threats.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Forrest Place in Perth.

Speakers said they were showing solidarity with women in The US.

They also sought to highlight access issues in Australia, particularly in the regions.

They called for a change to the situation in WA, where women seeking an abortion after 20 weeks are required to go before a panel of six medical practitioners.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-02/australians-demonstrate-support-for-abortion-access/101203588

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 5:21 a.m. No.16580173 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0176

Vatican Cardinals Laud US Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision

Cardinals Burke, Pell, Kasper, Müller and Czerny welcome last week’s landmark decision and discuss its implications.

Edward Pentin - July 1, 2022

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VATICAN CITY — Several senior Vatican prelates have praised the June 24’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, telling the Register the historic decision is “just reward” for persistent efforts to protect defenseless human life, and urging the faithful to continue to defend the unborn in the public square.

“Thanks be to God, the fundamentally unjust Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade has been overturned,” said U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura, adding it is a victory that’s the “fruit of the perseverance of citizens in fulfilling their duty to safeguard and foster human life, especially the innocent and defenseless human life of the unborn.”

Cardinal George Pell, prefect emeritus of the Secretariat for the Economy, called the landmark decision “an important victory for life, human rights, and indeed the best traditions of our Western way of life.”

“It is immensely encouraging to the forces for good, not just in the United States, but especially in the Anglophone world — and throughout the West,” the Australian cardinal said. “It is a just reward for nearly 50 years of wise and brave, prayerful and persistent, spiritual and political activity.”

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, made public on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a federal right, along with the subsequent Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that reaffirmed it in 1992.

The ruling means that it is now up to states to decide if they wish to restrict or outright ban abortion at any point during a pregnancy, as was the case before Roe v. Wade federalized the issue.

Cardinal Burke recalled that the battle to defend all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death “is integral to the restoration of the foundations of life in society on the fundamental rights inherent in nature, taught by human reason, and confirmed by faith.

“Rights derive from nature, from objective reality, not from sentimentalism and self-interest, and their ideologies,” he explained. In “giving thanks” for the decision, he urged the faithful to “recommit ourselves to the work of assisting mothers and fathers who have conceived a child to do what nature teaches them, namely, to protect and to bring to term the incomparable gift of new human life.”

Cardinal Pell said the ruling gives a clear message: “We live in democracies which still retain the right to free speech; we have a right to political activity. This victory shows that we should never withdraw from the public square, must continue to intervene regularly in public discussion, and persuade the decent majority of the validity of our claims.”

Cardinal Kasper

In comments to the Register, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president emeritus of the Dicastery for Christian Unity, also welcomed the decision.

“If I am correctly informed, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the American Constitution doesn’t recognize a right to abortion,” he said. “I would also like to add that, even more, the Gospel doesn’t recognize such a right. Thus for us as Christians it is obligatory to engage ourselves in the protection of life.”

The German cardinal, who is a theological adviser to Pope Francis, stressed that “to be in favor of protection of life includes the obligation to help as much we can pregnant women who are facing difficult problems to find a positive solution for the baby and for themselves. Threat of punishment alone is no solution.”

(continued)

>>16580173

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Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, abortion is now banned, soon-to-be banned or made difficult in about 60% of U.S. states. Thirteen states have “trigger bans,” which immediately prohibited abortion and came into force following the decision. These states have varying exceptions, but in all of them medical providers are liable to face criminal charges for performing abortions. Mothers who have had abortions will not be prosecuted but, instead, in states such as Texas, considered victims in need of physical and mental healing and material help.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, stressed that the “whole community needs to provide solid assistance to mothers, couples and the unborn, encouraging mothers in difficulty to see the pregnancy through and entrust the infant to reliable foster parents.” Life, he added, “is sacred in all its stages, and, as such, all stages of life should be protected under law.”

“The protection and defense of human life is a matter not just of individual rights but of broad social significance,” Cardinal Czerny told the Register. “Adequate sexual education, accessible health care, affordable housing and sound legislation are needed to protect motherhood and the family and to overcome persistent inequities.”

Cardinal Burke noted the significance of the decision being handed down on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus had particular significance.

“The glorious, pierced Heart of Jesus, supreme sign of God's immeasurable and unceasing love of all human life, is the font from which human hearts received the grace to love in the same pure and selfless way,” he said.

President Biden Censured

Some of the prelates criticized President Joe Biden for his reaction to the Supreme Court decision. A baptized Catholic, the president told reporters on June 24 the Dobbs ruling was a “sad day for the Court and for the country” and the “realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court.”

Cardinal Burke said Biden “claims to be Catholic” but responded to the decision “in a way which denies the Catholic faith in favor of the anti-life ideology and its advance of so-called rights to privacy and to choice.”

“His remarks are offensive to right reason and totally reprehensible in a Catholic,” the U.S. cardinal continued. “Catholics who practice their faith are good citizens — first, faithful to God’s law written on the human heart, they serve faithfully their homeland.” He said they will therefore “rejoice” in the Supreme Court decision “and recommit themselves to the work of safeguarding and protecting all human life.”

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, observed that although Biden is a Catholic, “unfortunately he does not act accordingly.” But he contended that “neither he nor the Democratic Party nor the activists of the culture of death have the last word, but God in heaven, who told us: ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”

The German cardinal noted that, in light of this, “you can see the difference between the good shepherds and the hirelings, that the true followers of the apostles are guided by the truth of Christ instead of the approval of the mass media.”

Looking to the future, Cardinal Pell said, “this is not the end of the story, but it might be the beginning of the end,” and he urged the faithful “to practice what we preach.”

This requires working to “improve the civility of public discourse and to work to ensure that great decisions are decided after discussion and debate — rather than through the exercise of raw power and totalitarian oppression,” he said. “In many ways, the Catholic Church in America, with its faith and vitality, its persistence in the midst of weakness, division and scandals, is a model for every local Church confronting modernity.”

He concluded by saying that he “would like to congratulate all the pro-life forces, and especially the U.S. Catholic Church, on a magnificent victory.”

https://www.ncregister.com/news/vatican-cardinals-laud-us-supreme-court-s-dobbs-decision

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 5:36 a.m. No.16580210 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9077

>>16543873

China, Solomon Islands see security cooperation progress

Shan Jie and Zhao Juecheng - Jul 02, 2022

China and the Solomon Islands have seen achievements in their security cooperation. A demonstration of joint police training was held on Friday, with the local police force of the island country showcasing their new skills acquired from the Chinese police officers.

The demonstration, which lasted more than three hours at Rove, Solomon Islands, showed training outcomes including response to "public disorder such as riots, criminal attacks in the public and on VIP guests," using replica guns and martial arts skills, according to Solomon Business Magazine.

"I feel safer," Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said after seeing the demonstration, which was also attended by Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands Li Ming.

The joint police training kicked off on March 14, according to the Chinese Embassy to the Solomon Islands.

China and the Solomon Islands inked a bilateral security cooperation framework agreement on March 30, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the following day. The two countries established diplomatic ties in September 2019.

"I was surprised to see such a great effect after a short training period," Li Ze, secretary of the Solomon Islands Chinese Association who also attended the Friday activity, told the Global Times. "I heard Chinese police officers said that the Solomon Island policemen were eager to learn."

Li said that Australia also conducted police training, but it was not very effective. "Now we Chinese here have gained more sense of security. Our association is setting up a contact center between the police and residents."

Riots that took place in Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, last November caused losses for Chinese nationals in the city, most of whom are retailers, as their shops were smashed, burned and looted and their personal safety was put in jeopardy.

Cooperation on police affairs came after the riots. In December 2021, and January and February 2022, along with virus prevention supplies, China also sent police supplies and equipment to the Solomon Islands. A Chinese police advisory group was also sent to the island country on January 26.

At the Friday demonstration, Sogavare mentioned the riots. "As a sovereign country, this is not acceptable. We cannot continue to allow our sovereignty and democracy to be held to ransom with violence by a few people," local media quoted him as saying.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202207/1269575.shtml

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 5:44 a.m. No.16580227 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4377

Australia and the United States: an Allied Defense Experience to Recognize this 4th of July

Capt. Joseph DiPietro - 06.28.2022

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA. – While Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) is the most notable and visible defense interchange between Australia and the United States, a host of other exchange and partnered opportunities exist between the two allied forces.

Though Independence Day is a uniquely American holiday, it is always important to recognize our allies and partners who made our independence possible, and those who continue to share our aspirations for peace today. Australia is at the top of that list, and we share a defense bond worth recognizing on this 4th of July.

“Having spent two and a half years flying with the Royal Australian Air Force, I gained unique insight into one of our most lethal allies,” said MRF-D executive officer Lieutenant Colonel Duncan French, who served as an exchange F-18 pilot with the Australian Defence Force. “The RAAF pilots are ultimate professionals, very good at what they do, and have a wealth of knowledge from which the USMC can gain a great deal. They opened my eyes to employing tactical fighters in a novel yet effective manner. Following my tour, I returned to the Marine Corps with a heightened perspective on how to employ the best tactics of each service.”

Both the United States and Australia provide service members to their allies to not only enhance shared tactics, techniques, and procedures, but also to enhance cultural ties between the forces. The exchanged service members train, work, and live alongside their designated partnered unit, and serve in operational billets as if they were part of the same service. The Marine Corps currently provides an exchange officer to 1st Aviation Brigade in the Northern Territory, a pilot who flies alongside Australian Tiger attack helicopter pilots and provides USMC insight to ADF operations.

I had the pleasure of working alongside two Australians during my time as a tank officer. As far as proficiency and professionalism go, there was zero drop-off and I learned a tremendous amount of technical and cultural knowledge from both Soldiers.

“I am proud to say that my role as an Abrams Master Gunner Instructor has been the most rewarding experience of my military career. I was pleased to see the highest level of military professionalism and dedication to excellence at the Abrams Master Gunner School,” said School of Armour instructor Warrant Officer Ewan Jack, who instructed at the U.S. Army’s Armor School as a Master Gunner Instructor alongside both U.S. Soldiers and Marines. “My posting to the U.S. was highly rewarding and provided myself and my family a life experience that will unlikely occur ever again. I gained valuable experience, friendships and connections that will last a lifetime.”

Warrant Officer Jack is just one of a long line of Australian tankers to serve as part of U.S. armor formations. Retired Warrant Officer Class Two Finley Steel served as the tank leader for Alpha Company, 1st Tank Battalion in 2015 and 2016, helping to lead and mentor Marine armor crewmembers. Warrant Officer Steel embraced his role not only as a leader, but as an ambassador of Australia to the United States.

“Being embedded into the Marine Corps shaped me and influenced me as a warrior,” said Warrant Officer Steel, who I shared many memorable exercises and events with in the unit. “I felt like a part of an elite brotherhood and forged relationships that will last my lifetime.”

Along with direct exchange personnel, ADF and U.S. service members often work alongside one another during international training and operations.

“Working with the USN and USMC over the course of my career has been a rewarding experience at every stage," said Australian Northern Command public affairs officer Lieutenant Gordon Carr-Gregg, who served onboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln as a surface warfare officer. “We operate in such similar ways, so much of the time that the minutia of differences in our tactics, techniques, and procedures are often novel. Whether on the bridge of a warship or out in the field in a HMMWV, it’s awesome to know that while we may be marching to different beats - we are all heading in the same direction, together.”

The American-Australian military connection is over 100 years old and rich with successful integration. The two militaries fought alongside one another in nearly every major conflict for a century, including action during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and operations in the Middle East. MRF-D is honored to be a part of this historic relationship.

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/424096/australia-and-united-states-allied-defense-experience-recognize-4th-july

Marine Rotational Force-Darwin 22: Darrandarra

Cpl. Frank Webb - 06.14.2022

U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 22 and Australian Army soldiers participate in exercise Darrandarra at Mount Bundey Training Area and the Tiwi Islands, NT, Australia, during June, 2022. Exercise Darrandarra 22 increased MRF-D 22’s readiness to respond to realistic crises throughout the range of military operations within the region. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Frank Webb)

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/849102/mrf-d-22-darrandarra

Rocky’s US ‘invasion’

Terry Dunn - 02/07/2022

1/2

When Central Queenslanders think of the US military, chances are they will know about the large biennial exercises the Australian Defence Force holds with the US and other countries at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, north of Rockhampton.

The start of the long relationship central Queenslanders have had with the US military though goes back to the early stages of Second World War in the Pacific.

In the months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, the US launched its first big invasion in the Pacific theatre. It wasn’t though a Japanese-held island. Instead, it was Australia, Central Queensland in particular. The rapidly expanding wave of Japanese army and naval forces moving swiftly against American, British and Dutch territories to the north now stoked fears Australia would soon be in Japanese cross-hairs.

In early 1942, Rockhampton, with a population of 35,000, became a major focal point for a massive build-up of American troops, equipment and camps. Eventually, more than 70,000 American military personnel assigned to several US Army divisions and their numerous support units would call the Rockhampton region their temporary home from 1942 to 1944 as they trained, left for battle, and then returned to Rockhampton to recuperate and refit.

Large expanses of available pastoral land, jungle and nearby beaches made the Rockhampton region in the minds of US Army planners an ideal location for its inexperienced and undertrained troops to acclimate to hot, humid weather and, crucially, to practise the beach landings and other tactics that would need to be executed countless times in operations to recapture New Guinea, the Philippines and the other battlegrounds that lay between Australia and Japan.

Aside from these advantages, Major General Robert Eichelberger, commander of American forces gathering in Rockhampton, wanted to be closer to the battle front and to put as much distance between himself and Douglas MacArthur, the commander of US forces in the Southwest Pacific. MacArthur, in the minds of many an aloof, publicity-seeking leader, was comfortably ensconced in a hotel suite in Brisbane. As MacArthur had refused Eichelberger permission to live with his troops at the front, Rockhampton was as close as he could get for the moment.

Eichelberger was genuinely fond of Australians and thought Rockhampton was the friendliest place in Australia towards Americans. He took up residence in a stately house at the top of Ward Street, The Range. Local boys thought Eichelberger cut a grand, heroic figure in his Army uniform and followed him on his short walks down Ward Street to play tennis on the grounds of a nearby mansion where one of his division commanders lived. The boys were though somewhat dismayed by Eichelberger’s thin, pale legs, as revealed by his tennis outfit.

Eichelberger’s officers found lodgings in several of the Rockhampton’s large hotels, including the Criterion and the Commercial (known now as the Heritage). Many private residences were also borrowed from their owners. Many of these buildings are still standing today.

For others — the GIs, doctors, nurses, engineers and other specialists — a home consisted of a tent or a temporary building scattered around town or in two sprawling camps located outside of the city – Camp Rockhampton, running from Moores Creek, north along the Bruce Highway and then out the Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road to Ironpot; and Camp Caves, lying between Etna Creek Road and Alligator Creek. Nerimbera, Thompson’s Point, Keppel Sands and Yeppoon hosted camps as well.

(continued)

>>16580333

2/2

To accommodate the huge influx of troops and the services required to support their needs, the Americans together with Australians built the necessary infrastructure: warehouses, roads, water pumping stations, electrical power plants, miles of pipes and cables, hospitals, mess halls, latrines, air raid shelters and an airfield to supplement Rockhampton’s existing aerodrome.

Northeast of town artillery units set up a huge practice area at Ironpot among the range of jutting volcanic plugs. Remnants of the entrance gate to the camp of an artillery unit can still be seen along Artillery Road.

For recreation, there was an American Red Cross in downtown Rockhampton. The town had no shortage of places to get a drink; like most typical Australian towns, there seemed to be at least one hotel at every major street intersection. Buses struggled to ferry the Americans to the long, pristine beaches at Yeppoon and Lammermore.

To bolster morale, Eleanor Roosevelt visited briefly in 1943. Gary Cooper, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the day, devoted several weeks visiting the troops in and around Rockhampton and the popular comedian Joe E. Brown, put on shows.

It was a time that radically transformed Rockhampton and its citizens. GIs were often hosted by Australians in their homes for meals. Friendships resulted and romances too. Rockhampton contributed its fair share of war brides, many of whom relocated to the US after the war.

There are numerous reminders, remnants and memorials to the American presence. Most prominent is St. Christophers Chapel, an open-sided building in Nerimbera, erected by US Army engineers in 1943. The chapel still stands and a mass is conducted every year on the Sunday closest to the 4th of July to commemorate the enduring partnership between Australia and the US. Written on the support beams of the chapel are the names of GIs and their home states who set records in athletic competitions held for morale and physical conditioning. The records are especially impressive considering the GIs were wearing full combat gear and their backpacks.

As many locals will know, before the Covid pandemic, the US usually dispatches tens of thousands of Marines, sailors and soldiers, along with aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and their escorts to the Talisman Sabre exercise. In 2021, the exercise was drastically scaled back in size but expanded international participation with small contingents of British, Japanese, Canadians, South Koreans and New Zealanders.

The next Talisman Sabre exercise, if normal timing holds, will be held in 2023. Perhaps by then, conditions will permit a return to large scale participation by Australians, Americans and others. As always, the exercise will harken back to the days when Central Queensland was the genial home for so many American troops in the early, dark days of the war in the Pacific.

The annual celebration of the United States’ Independence Day will be held at St Christopher’s Chapel, Nerimbera, on Sunday, 3 July, at 2pm.

https://cqtoday.com.au/news/2022/07/02/rockys-us-invasion/

>>16580333

Independence Day service to be held this Sunday

cqtoday.com.au - 02/07/2022

The Star Spangled Banner and Advance Australia Fair will both ring out from St Christopher’s Chapel this Sunday 3 July when local residents and visitors gather to acknowledge and remember the strong bonds of friendship that were forged between our region and the United States Forces during World War 2.

During that time St Christopher’s Chapel, a small, rustic chapel located in Nerimbera, was built by the visiting US Army in 1943 to provide respite to recuperating soldiers with a place of solace, reflection, and worship.

The area around the chapel was largely used as a convalescent camp for American troops based around Rockhampton, with around 70,000 soldiers stationed in the area during World War 2.

Mayor Andy Ireland said Council is honoured to have the Chapel located within our Shire, as it is the only structure of its kind in the world and was designated the honour of being named as a World Heritage site in 1992.

“The unique story behind the construction of the Chapel makes it a significant landmark for our region and is a wonderful location for the community to reflect and celebrate the rich history at this Service of Remembrance,” said Mayor Ireland.

“I encourage all residents to join us on Sunday to remember those soldiers who supported our country and help us in celebrating a significant part of the Shire’s history.”

https://cqtoday.com.au/news/2022/07/02/independence-day-service-to-be-held-this-sunday/

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 2, 2022, 6:41 a.m. No.16580408 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0415

>>16554164

RealGhislaine Tweet

"The whole system was designed to convict, not to find the truth".

…d-4338-88ee-63f8ce48d2ce.usrfiles.com/ugd/ba2454_950…

https://twitter.com/RealGhislaine/status/1542902631726727168

https://ba2454cd-c37d-4338-88ee-63f8ce48d2ce.usrfiles.com/ugd/ba2454_950c9105f68c478790312b2c7231623d.pdf

>>16580408

My sister Ghislaine was denied justice

The whole system was designed to convict, not to find the truth

Ian Maxwell - 1 July 2022

There is a cartoon doing the rounds this week that shows two women having a drink. One says to the other ‘My dream is to travel back in time’. Her friend replies ‘Just book a ticket to the USA’. No doubt the cartoonist had in mind the topical issues of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs Wade and its striking down New York’s law requiring ‘proper cause’ to carry guns in public.

But it could equally apply to a federal court’s decision this week to impose a 20-year sentence of imprisonment on a 60-year-old woman, my sister Ghislaine. This cruel sentence arises from her conviction at trial six months ago and follows two years of incarceration in the medieval Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Based on a manifestly flawed judicial process, the sentence is a genuflection by a politically appointed judge to a mob whipped up by an embarrassed attorney general, William Barr, who was denied Epstein when he died on his watch. Following his death, Ghislaine became a replacement for Epstein.

The conviction and sentence will be the subject of appeal to an independent tribunal where it can only be hoped that a more dispassionate consideration of the many legal issues the defence has contested throughout this case will find a more sympathetic ear. The evidence is clear that Ghislaine believed herself to be free of guilt. Had she even suspected that she might be arrested she would have fled beyond the reach of the US legal system to France, of which she is a citizen, from where she would have fought to clear her name.

Her good reputation was eviscerated following her arrest in a TV spectacular, a press conference organised by the FBI and Barr’s Department of Justice. Denied bail, it left my sister guilty in the eyes of the world months before the trial itself began.

The judicial process that followed had one objective and that was to convict her. Professional accusers, who have made millions of dollars, were allowed free rein to make vicious statements that would have been struck down for contempt of court in the UK. Significant exculpatory evidence was excluded from presentation to the jury as one pre-trial defence motion after another was denied. Highly contentious judicial directions to the jury during the trial itself were proceeded with despite strenuous defence objections. We also know of course that at least one juror, by his own admission, lied on the jury form and improperly swayed a hung jury in favour of conviction. Granted immunity from prosecution in the subsequent inquiry, he could say whatever he wanted to paint his unworthy actions in a favourable light.

The whole process stinks from beginning to end; Barr’s victimisation of Ghislaine would not be tolerated in Britain. Huge sums of money are involved. Victims of Epstein have shared more than $125 million (£100 million), herded along by a connected coterie of lawyers who have scooped at least $60 million (£50 million). The accusers who appeared at Ghislaine’s trial received $13.5 million (£11 million) but her principal accuser Virginia Giuffre, who did so much to sway global public opinion against Ghislaine, has never had her credibility nor her unsubstantiated accusations tested in court.

What Ghislaine said about Jeffery Epstein in her statement at her sentencing applies equally to my sister: ‘the impact on all those who were close to him has been devastating. And today, those who even knew him briefly or never met him but were associated with someone who did have lost relationships, jobs, and had their lives derailed’. We, her family, will never stop fighting for justice and I believe that eventually Ghislaine will get her life back through proper due process that so far she has been denied.

WRITTEN BY Ian Maxwell

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/my-sister-ghislaine-was-denied-justice

Supporters hold Julian Assange rally to mark his birthday

COURTNEY GOULD - JULY 3, 2022

Hundreds of people have gathered in Melbourne’s CBD to mark the birthday of Julian Assange.

Crowds assembled outside the state library holding placards before marching through the city towards the UK Consulate.

Calls for the government to intervene in the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder from the US to the UK were among the list of supporters’ demands.

“Not one more birthday should he spend incarcerated,” the group said.

Similar protests occurred in London over the weekend.

His wife, Stella Assange, and supporters gathered outside of the British Home Office to call for his release from Belmarsh Prison.

It comes after Mr Assange lodged a last-ditch appeal to the UK High Court over the British government’s decision.

The appeal is the latest twist in the decade-long saga sparked by the publication of classified US documents.

In the US, he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse.

Home Secretary Priti Patel signed an order on June 17 approving the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly refused to comment publicly on Ms Assange’s case since being elected in May.

Instead, he insisted “not all foreign affairs is best done with the loud hailer”.

Greens senator Janet Rice, who addressed the Melbourne rally, called on Mr Albanese to “pick up the phone” and demand US President Joe Biden drop the charges.

In a statement last month, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said they wanted to see the case brought to a close.

“We will continue to express this view to the governments of the United Kingdom and United States,” they said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/supporters-hold-julian-assange-rally-to-mark-his-birthday/news-story/b82f3f4b7c0927f945e5d05861b517e1

COVID-19 vaccination requirements to be scrapped for international arrivals into Australia

Tom Lowrey - 3 July 2022

Foreign travellers arriving in Australia will no longer need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 from Wednesday morning.

It marks the end of significant COVID-based restrictions on travel into Australia, more than two years after the pandemic began.

Currently, anyone arriving in Australia needs to declare their vaccination status before arriving.

While Australian citizens can arrive unvaccinated, most foreign travellers need to seek an exemption on limited grounds.

From 12:01am on Wednesday morning, those requirements will be scrapped altogether — opening the international border in full to unvaccinated travellers.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the decision was being made now on medical advice.

"The Chief Medical Officer has advised it is no longer necessary for travellers to declare their vaccine status as part of our management of COVID," he said.

"Unvaccinated Australians, as well as certain groups of visa holders, have been able to travel to Australia for some time.

"We will continue to act on the medical advice as needed."

Relatively few requests were being made from unvaccinated travellers looking to enter Australia.

In May, just over 1,000 applications were received and only 158 were approved — largely on compassionate grounds.

Incoming arrivals still need to comply with other COVID-19 restrictions, like wearing masks on flights bound for Australia.

'Digital passenger declarations' scrapped

All international arrivals into Australia have been required to fill out a Digital Passenger Declaration, which records their vaccination status.

The DPDs were rolled out earlier this year, but with this decision, they will no longer be used.

It is expected the DPD system will eventually take the place of the paper international arrival cards, currently filled out by anyone landing in Australia.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neill said this decision would allow the technology to be worked on before that change was made.

"I know anyone who has travelled internationally since the borders have opened will find this as one less thing to worry about — especially as more Australians get back to travelling overseas," she said.

"We've also listened to feedback about the DPD.

"While in time it will replace the paper-based incoming passenger card, it needs a lot more work to make it user friendly"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-03/covid-border-rules-lifted-vaccination-status/101204570

‘Jane would light up the room’: Victorian MP Jane Garrett dies, aged 49

Rachel Eddie - July 2, 2022

Victorian Labor MP and former minister Jane Garrett has died from cancer, aged 49.

Garrett was due to leave Parliament at the November state election, having announced her resignation in December last year, after more than a decade in politics.

Garrett took leave in 2016 after being diagnosed with breast cancer, which recently returned.

Her family confirmed the death in a statement on Saturday night.

“We are devastated by the passing this afternoon of our beloved mother, sister, daughter, dear friend Jane Garrett, following a long battle with cancer,” the family said.

“Unfortunately, Jane’s cancer recently returned after some time in remission, and she was admitted to hospital earlier this week. We wish to thank the staff at the Epworth Freemasons for their love and care of Jane over the last years and in particular over the past week.”

Garrett leaves behind three children, Molly, 19, Sasha, 15, and Max, 10.

“The Garrett family’s priority is on their welfare at this impossibly difficult time for them,” the family said, requesting privacy.

“We will remember Jane always for her contagious love of life and people; her intense compassion and the drive which made her a very fierce advocate for women and those most disadvantaged. Her intellect, wit, and generosity are irreplaceable, and her loss leaves a huge hole in the Garrett family.”

The Victorian Government has offered a state funeral “to mark her significant contribution to Victoria”.

“I offer our deep condolences to Jane’s family, friends and colleagues – and all those who knew and loved her,” Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement on Saturday night. “I cannot imagine the grief her family, particularly her three children, must be feeling at this incredibly difficult time – my thoughts are with them.”

Garrett entered Parliament in the lower house seat of Brunswick in 2010 and was promoted to cabinet in 2014 as a rising star, viewed as a potential Labor leader, before being permanently sidelined in 2016.

She resigned as emergency services minister in the fallout from a bitter dispute with the firefighters’ union that pitted her against Andrews and union leader Peter Marshall.

After a bruising preselection, Garrett moved to the upper house in 2018, representing eastern Victoria.

In December, during an exclusive interview with The Age in which she announced her decision to leave Victorian politics, Garrett said she was still being targeted by bullies in the United Firefighters Union.

In May 2021 the Victorian government refused to release a long-suppressed report into sexism and intimidation in the fire services, five years after it was commissioned by Garrett.

Close friend Luba Grigorovitch, the former state secretary of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, who is now contesting the seat of Kororoit, said Garrett was a mentor to many young women.

“Jane was a wonderful person who was always very positive and an amazing mum to her three beautiful children.

“Jane would light up the room when she entered with her gregarious personality and charm and will be very sadly missed by her many friends.”

Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan tweeted that Garrett was a hardworking MP “who fought for working people for her entire career.”

Like many social media tributes about Garrett on Saturday night, Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll noted her ability to light up a room, or even a Zoom call, with her presence.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said her death was “immensely sad” and described her as “bold and brave”.

“She won’t be forgotten. May she rest in peace.”

Friend and former Labor MP Philip Dalidakis said Garrett “was a remarkable person and a real talent”.

“Tonight we have lost a good woman but her family has lost so much more,” he said.

Labor MP Martin Pakula shared a picture of himself with Garrett on social media, writing he was “very, very sorry to hear of the passing of my dear friend Jane”.

Liberal MP Tim Smith said he was “completely devastated” by her death. “Jane was one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said her condolences went to Garrett’s family, loved ones and colleagues.

Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said Garrett served Victoria with integrity and commitment. “A loving, fun, caring and super smart person and lifelong bluebagger, taken too soon,” Jenkins said.

Garrett was a close friend of Fiona Richardson, the former MP for Northcote, who died of breast cancer in 2017, aged 50.

At Richardson’s funeral, Garrett paid an emotional tribute to the MP, Australia’s first minister for the prevention of family violence, for her “fierce intellect, her drive and sense of justice”.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/victoria/victorian-mp-jane-garrett-dies-aged-49-20220702-p5aykk.html

Tasmania to review hospital handling of abuser

The Tasmanian government is establishing its own review of a Launceston hospital where a pedophile nurse was able to keep working despite multiple complaints.

Farid Farid - 3 July 2022

Tasmania has launched a review into how a pedophile nurse had worked in a children's ward of Launceston General Hospital amid harrowing evidence from victims at an inquiry.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Sunday said the state government will establish a Child Safe Governance Review of the hospital and its human resources, to focus on the handling of serious misconduct such as institutional child sexual abuse.

"We will not be waiting to take action where it is clear it is needed. It is critical that there is a culture of accountable leadership in our hospitals," he said.

A commission of inquiry into child sexual abuse in the state's public service last week examined the LGH and the case of James Geoffrey Griffin.

Griffin worked at the hospital for almost two decades and took his own life in October 2019 after being charged with child sexual abuse offences.

Several survivors have told the inquiry about abuse by Griffin, who was the subject of multiple reports of breaching professional boundaries at the hospital.

The review will be led by the Department of Health's secretary and will be informed by a governance advisory panel of independent experts in child trauma, governance and hospital administration.

Hospital staff and unions will be invited to participate as members to make recommendations, through a child safeguarding lens, on the hospital's management and leadership structures.

The move was welcomed by the state's medical professionals, with the Australian Medical Association Tasmanian president John Saul saying it was important to act sooner rather than later.

"We need to understand the ability of HR to act when a serious complaint is raised against an employee, while also balancing the need for natural justice principles to be upheld," he said.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation's Tasmanian branch secretary Emily Shepherd said while significant work will be required to improve systems and restore confidence, the review was a step in the right direction.

The review's recommendations will be handed to the department's secretary by November this year.

https://7news.com.au/news/public-health/tas-to-review-hospital-handling-of-abuser-c-7389763

>>16434662

Give time for ‘shameful episode’ to be investigated, Richard Marles says

COURTNEY GOULD - JULY 3, 2022

A probe into alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan must be given time to run its course, Defence Minister Richard Marles has said.

The Office of the Special Investigator is working with federal police to investigate allegations of criminal offences by ADF members in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016.

The acting prime minister said it was important investigators were given time to follow through on evidence unearthed by former NSW judge Paul Brereton.

“It is dealing with a shameful episode in Australia’s military history,” Mr Marles told Sky News on Sunday.

“It matters in terms of who we are as a nation, who we are as a people, that our country deals with this itself.”

Mr Marles refused to put a timeline on when Australians could expect charges to be laid, when asked.

“What I'd commit to is that we will follow this through to its completion in the timeliness that has been set out,” he said.

“There is going to be no stepping back in relation to this because it is a fundamentally important process for who we are as a people.”

But Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, who served in the special forces, said he wanted the process wrapped up.

“We want to see this resolved,” he told Sky News.

“We don’t want to see young soldiers who had nothing to do with events in Afghanistan being tarred with the same brush.

“So hopefully this will be wrapped up soon and we can turn the page completely and start a new chapter for our special forces.”

The Brereton inquiry found “credible” evidence of war crimes by special forces while serving in Afghanistan, including 39 murders and cruel treatment of two others.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/give-time-for-shameful-episode-to-be-investigated-richard-marles-says/news-story/23bdf92e0c21df8c53ae180d23516591

Opposition now claims China is gunning for military base in Solomon Islands

Katina Curtis - July 3, 2022

The Coalition has conceded China does appear to be aiming to establish a military base in Solomon Islands, a change of tack from former prime minister Scott Morrison’s insistence no such thing would happen.

But acting Prime Minister Richard Marles, who is also defence minister, is hopeful Australia’s relationship with China is on track to improve after his meeting last month with China State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe.

On Sunday, Marles said the meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was longer and more interactive than he expected despite having “traversed pretty difficult ground”.

He said the discussions started and ended with a desire from both sides “to get the relationship to a better place”.

“I hope that it opens the door to a change of tone in our relationship,” Marles told Sky News.

“We’re not going to be about the chest-beating that we saw from our former government. We’re about engaging with the world in a more professional, diplomatic, sober way.”

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said the world had seen “continuity, not change” from Marles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in their approach to China.

“When you’ve got the Chinese newspapers online condemning Mr Albanese for being no different from his predecessor, Mr Morrison, he’s obviously continuing on with our policy,” he told Sky News.

Hastie pointed to rapid changes in the Indo-Pacific region as China increased its military capacity and sought more influence in the region.

The Solomon Islands government signed a security pact with China during Australia’s election campaign, leading to questions about Morrison’s engagement with Pacific leaders.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has since assured Foreign Minister Penny Wong China would not have a persistent military presence in his nation.

But Hastie said it appeared China wanted one.

“China is rapidly militarising; by 2030 they’ll have more than 450 battleships,” he said.

“We’re seeing military bases in Djibouti, Cambodia, and I reckon they’re going pretty hard for one in Solomon Islands.”

Nevertheless, he applauded NATO’s opposition to China’s expansionist behaviour and the G7’s commitment to countering the Chinese Belt and Road initiative with more investment and said Albanese’s entry on the world stage had been positive.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/opposition-now-claims-china-is-gunning-for-military-base-in-solomon-islands-20220703-p5ayn2.html

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 3, 2022, 3:02 a.m. No.16586884 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6886

Enter the naval dragon: China can already control most of our region

NATO’s game-changing commitment to boost high-readiness forces will transform the European balance of power. The opposite is occurring here.

ALAN DUPONT - July 1, 2022

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NATO’s new strategic roadmap is a game changer. Once a strategic partner, Russia is now considered the main threat to the expanding alliance. Equally important is the belated recognition of China as a strategic challenge to the alliance’s “interests, security and values”. The commitment to boost military spending and bolster its high-readiness forces from 40,000 to “well over 300,000” will tilt the European balance of power in favour of democracies. But the opposite is occurring in our strategic neighbourhood, where maritime power will be decisive.

Slowly, but surely, the balance of naval forces in the Pacific is shifting against the democracies, presaging an end to a long period of Western dominance of an ocean which is the maritime gateway to northern Australia and carries most of our trade.

Last month, China launched its third aircraft carrier. The Fujian is an 80,000-tonne behemoth three times the size of our navy’s largest ship and the Asian power’s most advanced so far. Three more are on the way along with a suite of locally built, highly capable aircraft designed to fly from its decks. The next carrier is expected to be nuclear-powered. Soon, China’s rapidly expanding navy will be able to emulate the carrier groups Washington sends around the world to project power and buttress America’s influence.

At the turn of the century, China possessed an ageing and under-resourced green-water navy barely able to patrol the country’s coastal waters. It was dwarfed in size and strike power by the multi-ocean blue-water fleets of the US navy. All that has changed. Beijing has ramped up defence spending to produce an armada of modern ships in the biggest ever military build-up in peacetime. In the four years from 2014 to 2018, the country built and deployed more warships than the combined navies of India, Germany, the UK and Spain.

Today, China has 355 battle force ships and is projected to have 460 by 2030, surpassing the combined number of warships in the US and Indian navies. Retired US navy intelligence officer Captain James Fanell says that China could match the 11 aircraft carriers in the US inventory by 2049. Conversely, America’s once dominant navy is older and smaller than at any time since World War II, numbering 297 battle force ships. While still powerful, attempts to grow and rejuvenate the force have stalled for budgetary, capacity and political reasons.

The gap is even more marked when China’s coast guard and fishing fleet are added to the mix. The coast guard is essentially a blue-water, paramilitary force which co-ordinates closely with the navy. Many of its 140 ocean-going ships are former naval vessels. Sixty of them are 2500 tonnes or greater, which makes them comparable in size to our Anzac-class frigates. They are also armed. China’s fishing fleet is the world’s largest and has been used by Beijing as an auxiliary force to support China’s military objectives, notably by paving the way for the occupation and militarisation of disputed islands in the South China Sea. In the increasingly contested South Pacific, the number of Chinese-flagged vessels grew tenfold between 2009 and 2020 – from 54 active vessels to 557, according to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation. More are on the way.

Why has China invested so heavily in its navy? The answer, says Beijing, is to defend the country from unspecified enemies and protect the ocean highways that carry the trade and energy critical to its economy. Western defence analysts have a different answer. Beijing wants to use its newly acquired naval power to dominate the western Pacific and control the vital sea-lanes running from Asia to Europe.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 3, 2022, 3:03 a.m. No.16586886 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6888

>>16586884

2/4

Its goals may be even more ambitious. Leading American strategist Aaron Friedberg writes in the US Naval Institute Proceedings that if China can “undermine US alliances in East Asia, push US forces back to the second island chain, and assert control over the waters of the western Pacific it will be well-positioned to construct a new Eurasian order”. This would be a Sino-centric system in which China’s “continental and maritime neighbours” are economically dependent on and politically subordinate to China “and from which the US is largely excluded”.

Until recently, the major constraint on China’s expanding maritime clout has been the lack of access to ports and supporting infrastructure that can serve as strategic access points. Without them, China’s formidable new navy would be largely confined to its home waters.

England ruled the waves in the 19th century because it had a world class navy and an empire to support it. China doesn’t yet have an empire. But it has begun to create the next best thing – a string of port facilities and military bases that could eventually rival the extensive network of overseas bases and places that enable America to project and sustain power globally.

Of the 95 commercial port facilities overseas which China owns, leases or otherwise controls 21 are in the Pacific, 25 in the Indian Ocean, 31 in the Atlantic and 16 in the Mediterranean. The leases include two Australian ports. Darwin is operated by the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group on a 99-year lease. China Merchants Port Holdings company is a 50 per cent partner in a consortium that owns and operates the port of Newcastle on a 98-year lease.

Many of these ports are located near strategically important waterways and potential chokepoints such as the Malacca Strait, the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar. Chinese state-linked companies even help to operate and maintain the Panama Canal raising concerns that in the event of a conflict with the US, the Peoples Liberation Army could deny the US navy access to the canal.

An analysis of China’s port strategy for The Washington Times by veteran national security correspondent Bill Gertz makes clear that Beijing’s geo-economic objectives are to gain control over international shipping hubs, guarantee markets for Chinese goods, expand China’s influence, consolidate its control of supply chains, increase the number of pressure points that can be brought to bear on recalcitrant states, and create economic dependencies.

It’s equally clear that China’s commercial and military objectives are completely intertwined – explicitly so under its “military-civilian fusion” program. This aims to eliminate barriers between China’s civilian research and commercial sectors, and its military and defence industrial sectors. Where possible, commercial ports and airfields constructed by Chinese companies are built to military specifications so they can support the country’s navy and air force.

Retired US navy captain Stu Cvrk says that China’s port network is part of a wider strategy that includes “ringing and neutralising rival India, shifting the military balance in the Middle East from the US to China, and eventually providing strategic port encirclement” of the US itself.

But China can’t achieve these ambitious aims through control of commercial port facilities alone. That’s why it has embarked on a critical second phase of the strategy – the establishment of stand-alone military bases or dual-purpose facilities that have military utility.

In 2017, China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti which is strategically located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the confluence of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean and within easy sailing distance of vital oil shipping routes running through the Strait of Hormuz. A second, more controversial Chinese military facility is being built in Cambodia’s Ream naval base in the Gulf of Thailand.

In 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported that China had signed a secret agreement to allow its military to use the base. Commercial satellite imagery shows the site being extensively redeveloped and expanded.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 3, 2022, 3:03 a.m. No.16586888 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6891

>>16586886

3/4

Beijing and Phnom Penh have gone to extraordinary lengths to deny its purpose despite evidence to the contrary. According to The Washington Post, when foreign officials visit Ream, Chinese military personnel wear uniforms similar to their Cambodian counterparts or no uniform at all to avoid suspicion.

Knowledgeable Western officials say that China’s military will have exclusive use of the northern portion of the base which will be able to accommodate large naval ships. When linked with its bases in the Spratly Islands, this will consolidate China’s ability to control the whole of the South China Sea.

In an interview last month with The Washington Post, Richard Fontaine, the chief executive of US think tank the Centre For a New American Security, said that a base in Cambodia was intrinsic to Beijing’s aspiration of having a more “dominant military presence throughout the Asian rimland and in the South China Sea, allowing Beijing to hold at risk – and have political influence over – countries quite far from the Chinese shore.”

A 2021 Pentagon report on Chinese military developments assessed that China wants facilities in several other regional countries to support “naval, air ground, cyber and space power”. They include Thailand – which is at risk of falling into China’s orbit – Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan. Heavily indebted Sri Lanka already hosts a Chinese-controlled port at Hambantota. China also operates a base in Tajikistan’s Pamir mountains and is reported to be building a second base in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan.

Overseas military bases are likely to come with a full set of capabilities to support the PLA’s regional and global operations. They include intelligence collection, missile targeting and covert operations. Ream is likely to host a ground station for the Beidou navigation satellite system that can be used for missile guidance. Military radars, eavesdropping and tracking systems have been extensively installed across disputed islands occupied by the PLA in the South China Sea despite President Xi Jinping’s promise not to militarise them.

Another danger from China’s base-port network, writes Gertz, “stems from the PLA’s development of long-range missiles capable of being fired from launchers disguised as shipping containers”. When fully developed, the system could turn Chinese-controlled container ports “into cruise missile bases”.

The next most likely candidate for a Chinese military base is Solomon Islands, which is closer to the Australian coast than Melbourne is to Townsville. The leaked secret agreement between Honiara and Beijing is a classic case study of China’s methodology for establishing military beachheads in targeted host countries.

First, strengthen aid, investment and trade. Leverage them for political influence and elite capture. Bring in construction crews which then require “protection”. Deny any intention to build a military base. When confronted with incontrovertible evidence there is one, argue that China’s military presence is part of a joint facility or a minor part of a civil infrastructure project.

From Beijing’s perspective, Solomon Islands is ripe for plucking. In 2020, China accounted for nearly two thirds of the island country’s exports. Its strategic approach to trade and aid is beginning to wean small, Pacific Island states away from their longstanding ties with Australia, the US and New Zealand. Despite the debt trap risk, they are particularly susceptible to the notionally “no strings” infrastructure investment that China purports to offer.

Don’t think that the rejection of China’s proposal for a regional economic and security pact will dissuade the aspiring superpower from continuing its push into the South Pacific. This ignores Xi’s uncompromising nature, the enormous resources at his disposal and the success of his strategy to harness China’s control of ports and strategic infrastructure around the world for commercial and military gain. But we need to be careful about criticising China-funded port development in our region when we’ve granted Chinese companies long-term leases to run Darwin and Newcastle ports. This is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.

(continued)

>>16586888

4/4

The controversial Landbridge lease is a particular problem given what we know about China’s port-base strategy which is completely at odds with the objectives of our defence, aid and foreign policies. With pressure on the Albanese government to step up northern Australia’s defences, the Landbridge lease is a serious obstacle to developing Darwin Harbour into a major naval base and alliance hub. Taking back this lease on national interest grounds would send a clear message to our Pacific neighbours that our actions are consistent with our rhetoric.

The Prime Minister has an opportunity to take a leadership position in a democratic push-back against China’s port-base strategy. He should start by adding Australia’s major ports to the list of critical infrastructure, and barring foreign companies from owning, leasing or operating them.

Albanese should also advocate for an international port’s initiative off the back of the G7’s recently announced $US600bn Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment which is designed to give developing countries a democratic alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The port initiative would require investor countries and companies to submit transparent, high-standard development proposals. These should demonstrably benefit the people of host countries and preclude foreign control, especially the establishment of exclusive, de facto sovereign enclaves. Loans should not exceed the capacity of developing countries to pay and debt for equity swaps would be proscribed.

Albanese should move quickly to build on the previous government’s Pacific Step-up because the G7 infrastructure and investment partnership won’t come on stream until 2027 and there are no guarantees that the funds will be forthcoming.

Trade is another area that needs attention. We have performed poorly here by allowing China a free hand. Solomon Islands is illustrative. While China increased its share of the country’s exports more than five-fold to 64.4 per cent between 2000 and 2020, Australia’s share declined from 2.8 per cent to a paltry 1.1 per cent. Small wonder that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is beholden to Xi.

Albanese also needs to reverse the decline in Australia’s regional hard power. This means expanding the reach and reconfiguring the posture of the defence force, particularly in northern Australia. We should never have allowed ourselves to be in a position where the navy cannot adequately respond to the presence of Chinese warships in our Exclusive Economic Zone because our Perth and Sydney based frigates are five to six-days steaming time away from our northern waters.

Alan Dupont is chief executive of geopolitical risk consultancy The Cognoscenti Group and a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/enter-the-naval-dragon-china-can-already-control-most-ofour-region/news-story/8b254d067b70b5791901d88c13c64aba

>>16543746

ABC News Tweet

#ANALYSIS: The Census has a message: God is dead. But what comes next?

https://twitter.com/abcnews/status/1543315345850527746

The Census has a message: God is dead. But what comes next?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-03/census-religion-christianity-no-religion-god/101201640

>>16587000

The census shows Australians are becoming less religious but why have we chosen to live without God?

Stan Grant - 3 July 2022

1/2

So Friedrich Nietzsche was right, God is dead and we have killed him.

That's what the latest census tells us: the number of faithless is closing in on the number of faithful.

In my lifetime I have seen Australia change from being an almost completely Christian country to one where now just 44 per cent practise Christianity.

This is no surprise. It mirrors a widespread shift away from religion by citizens of the Western world, most of whom were traditionally Christian, alongside increases in religions like Hinduism which has grown more than 55 per cent in Australia since 2016 as our communities diversify.

Yet the numbers reporting no religion is also increasing and the impact is rapidly gathering pace.

The death of God

Philosopher Charles Taylor, in his book A Secular Age, warned: "Modern civilisation cannot but bring about a "death of God."

Taylor said we have seen the rise of an "exclusive humanism". We have swapped God, he wrote, for a "culture of authenticity, or expressive individualism, in which people are encouraged to find their own way, discover their own fulfilment, "do their own thing".

Scholar of religion and politics Jocelyn Cesari has traced the evolution of secular modernity in her book, We God's People. We have now reached a point in Western Europe, she says, where "worldly" things are all there is.

There is a division between the immanent and the transcendent – between what is Caesar's and what is God's. The immanent is the realm of politics.

Believers, she says, "are expected to keep the transcendent to themselves".

Cesari says the nation is now "the superior collective identification" overtaking "religious allegiances."

The Enlightenment elevated reason above faith

This is where the West was bound to end up. The tension between secularism and faith emerged out of the Thirty Years War – the wars of religion – that laid waste to Europe between 1618 and 1648. It's estimated as many as 8 million people were killed.

It led to the birth of the modern state and coincided with an explosion of new ideas that we call the Age of Reason or The Enlightenment.

Across Europe reason was elevated above faith. People were encouraged to break with tradition. Thinkers like Rene Descartes – the father of modern philosophy – told us "I think therefore I am."

The mysteries of the universe were no longer the province of God.

Immanuel Kant summed up the Enlightenment with three words: dare to know.

While historically the West was founded on Christianity, the modern West was shaped by the break with God. People were sovereign. Liberalism prized the individual above all.

Sociologist Phillip Rieff said we swapped a sacred order for a social order. That accelerated in the 20th century with social revolutions up-ending society and demolishing old ethical and moral boundaries.

French writer Olivier Roy says "secularisation has given way to large scale de-Christianisation." There is now, he says, "a serious crisis surrounding European identity and the place of religion in the public sphere".

The Church has found itself out of step with changing societal values on issues like divorce, abortion or same sex marriage.

Roy says: "Little by little, the very definitions of sexual difference, family, reproduction and parenthood have been redrawn." The scandal of child sex abuse in the church has further stripped religion of its moral authority.

Personal freedom, Roy writes, "prevails over all transcendent standards." Society is now ordered on "new values…founded on individualism, freedom and the valorisation of desire."

Does tradition still have a role?

The West is a place beyond history. The past is another country. Tradition is seen as stifling, old fashioned. No doubt some traditions are well rid of. Which woman or person of colour would want to return to the white, male, dominated 1950s? But what are we left with? Is there still a role for tradition?

Historian Tim Stanley thinks so. He says the "war on tradition" has "translated into a soulless consumerism, and, while some flourished, many felt alienated and unfulfilled."

In his new book Whatever Happened to Tradition, Stanley fears our "liberal order is out of ideas, that's partly because we have deprived ourselves of valuable experience".

(continued)

>>16587007

2/2

For some, the response to this soulless void has been a retreat into fundamentalism. We see this in radical Islamic groups like Al Qaeda or Islamic State which represent a rejection of Western modernity.

Similarly right-wing or white-supremacist groups reach back to "tradition" as an attempt to recover some lost glory.

Stanley warns against this fundamentalism, yet he wonders what the secular West offers in response. Across the West, he says, "there is a dearth of purpose and spirit: we can't agree on who we are or what we are about, or even of these big existential questions matter."

A faith without religion

Yet if people have turned away from religion it does not mean they are without faith.

Atheism in its own way can become an article of faith.

The new radical atheists quote the likes of scientist Richard Dawkins with the certainty of scripture. They proselytise with evangelical vigour. In the West, identity is the new faith.

We are free to re-imagine and reinvent ourselves, untethered from the past; from family or faith.

Beyond the West, religion is booming

It is a peculiarly Western phenomenon. Elsewhere religion is booming. The heart of Christianity has shifted from Europe to Africa and Latin America.

Officially atheist, China has experienced what's been called a Christian revival. It is estimated that by 2030 China may have the world's largest Christian population.

And despite what the census tells us is happening here, Christianity is not dying. Pew Research shows that in the century between 1910 and 2010, the number of Christians grew from 600 million to more than two billion.

Pew says that by 2060 Christianity will remain the world's largest religion with more than three billion followers.

Islam is the world's fastest growing religion driven significantly by a higher fertility rate. By the end of this century it is thought there will be more Muslims than Christians in the world.

This is a reminder – if one is needed — that the West is not the world. Indeed in many parts of the world the turn to religion is connected with a rejection of colonialism and Western values.

Sudipta Kaviraj, Columbia University Professor of Indian History, asks: "Why should the history of Europe happen elsewhere?" In Bengal, he says, Hindus in the 19th century "rejected an unconditional embrace of the package of moral values of Western modernity". Modern individualism, he says, was seen as "impoverishing the character and content of collective life".

In modern India, he writes, even the secular "need and desire transcendence as intensely as the devout."

Kaviraj cautions against seeing the world through eyes of the West, not to speak, he says, "the facts of one history through the language of another." Yes, the West is more secular, less religious, and hyper-individualistic but that is not how most people live.

Western ideas of progress are founded on burying the past, killing God, and making the human divine. It can be liberating and holds the promise of freedom. But it doesn't speak to all. It doesn't even speak to all in the West who replace old faiths with new faith, who feel alienated and alone and long for somewhere to belong.

As Charles Taylor sees it, the journey of the secular West is from an enchanted age, to an age of disenchantment.

If as Nietzsche said, "God is dead", we in the West might ask what comes next?

Stan Grant is the ABC's international affairs analyst and presents China Tonight on Monday at 9:35pm on ABC TV, and Tuesday at 8pm on the ABC News Channel, and a co-presenter of Q+A on Thursday at 8.30pm. He also hosts the Religion and Ethics Report on RN.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-03/census-religion-christianity-no-religion-god/101201640

>>16587000

>>16587007

Q Post #4429

Jun 6 2020 13:32:28 (EST)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/lifesite/Open_Letter_President_Donald_Trump.pdf

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Have faith in Humanity.

Have faith in Yourself.

Have faith in God.

The Great Awakening.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4429

https://web.archive.org/web/20211102220931/https://s3.amazonaws.com/lifesite/Open_Letter_President_Donald_Trump.pdf

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 4, 2022, 3:07 a.m. No.16594041 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1708

Three quarters of US doesn’t want Joe Biden to stand for re-election in 2024

ALISTAIR DAWBER, THE TIMES - JULY 4, 2022

More than 70 per cent of Americans do not want President Biden to stand for re-election in 2024, according to a new poll, as the economic downturn and questions over competency take a toll.

Biden’s Democrats are on course for heavy losses in November’s midterm elections, when the party could lose its razor-thin majorities in both houses of Congress. A Republican-led Congress would make the president’s legislative agenda, including voting reform, almost impossible to implement.

The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that 71 per cent of Americans did not think Biden, 79, should seek a second term. That would make him the Democrats’ first one-term president since Jimmy Carter, who lost the 1980 election.

A third of respondents thought that Biden was too old - he will be 82 at the election, while 45 per cent said he was not up to the job. The president’s overall approval rating was only 38 per cent.

Reports from the White House suggest Biden has become irritated by the speculation about his future. Soaring inflation, foreign policy setbacks and difficulties in passing legislation have all compounded the problem.

“President Biden may want to run again but the voters say ‘no’ to the idea of a second term, panning the job he is doing as president,” Mark Penn, co-director of the polling group, told The Hill website. “Only 30 per cent of Democrats would even vote for him in a Democratic presidential primary.”

Carter was the last Democratic president to face a serious primary challenger, but eventually saw off an attempt by Ted Kennedy to unseat him.

Donald Trump is believed to be considering an early announcement that he will stand for the White House for a third time. The former president is still wildly popular among Republican grassroots members. It had been widely assumed that Trump, 76, would wait until after November’s elections before deciding whether to run again, so that he could gauge his popularity from the success of candidates he is backing in congressional and gubernatorial races.

Serious presidential candidates typically wait until about a year before the election to declare, yet some of Trump’s backers are urging him to confirm that he is standing within the coming weeks.

Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, has argued that an early announcement would allow voters to concentrate on Trump’s policy differences with the Biden White House. “It’s up to him if he runs or not,” Graham said in an interview. “But the key to him being successful is comparing his policy agenda and policy successes with what is going on today.”

Others argue that Trump has been damaged by the congressional hearings into the events of January 6 last year when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election. An early declaration would allow him to reassert control, they suggest.

Testimony last week from Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief-of-staff, suggested the former president’s staff knew that the crowd could get violent days before the riot and that Trump was desperate to join them at the Capitol. Trump has dismissed Hutchinson’s testimony as “all lies” and “bull”.

Independent voters are less keen on a Trump candidacy, with 61 per cent of respondents in the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, saying he should not run again. Among those polled, 36 per cent said he was erratic, a third said he would divide the country, and 30 per cent said he was responsible for the January 6 insurrection.

A majority of those polled said they would consider a moderate independent candidate in 2024, with 60 per cent saying that they could support a third person if Biden and Trump ended up securing their parties’ nominations.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/three-quarters-of-us-doesnt-want-joe-biden-to-stand-for-reelection-in-2024/news-story/11a8597036e79474c1188dc1ce3b982d

Anthony Albanese visits war-torn towns of Ukraine, surveying bombed airport and buildings

RICHARD FERGUSON and BEN PACKHAM - JULY 3, 2022

Anthony Albanese has visited war-torn Ukraine and toured towns ravaged by the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister has visited the areas of Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, where Ukraine says Russia committed atrocities against civilians – including massacres and rapes – and mass graves were found after Ukrainian forces retook the towns.

Mr Albanese on Sunday night surveyed bombed-out residential buildings, toured the destroyed Antonov airport and met with Ukrainian leaders.

Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Facebook on Sunday night that Mr Albanese was “amazed” by the devastation and pledged to continue supporting the Ukrainian people.

“He was amazed by what he saw: destroyed civilian houses, traces of mines, destroyed Antonov airport,” Mr Kuleba wrote.

He said Mr Albanese had said that Australia “supports Ukraine and advocates fair punishment for the crimes that have taken place here”.

“Grateful to the delegation for their personal visit to Kyiv region. The war in Ukraine, in the centre of Europe, must remain on the world agenda,” Mr Kuleba wrote.

The tour came as Mr Albanese last week condemned Mr Putin and the invasion as “brutal, illegal and unjustified” in front of world leaders in Madrid at the largest NATO summit ever held, as the defence alliance labelled Russia a strategic threat. He also told the summit the West’s united front against Russia and the fallout from the war served as a warning to an increasingly aggressive China.

A total media blackout was declared for the duration of the trip, on Australian Defence Force advice, with Australian media ordered not to report on it until Mr Albanese returned to Poland. But foreign media and the Kyiv Governor revealed the visit.

The airspace over the country has been closed since the February 24 invasion, and the roads into Kyiv are mostly inaccessible due to heavy fighting, which raged on Sunday as Russian troops intensified their offensive in parts of the eastern city of Lysychansk and missiles continued to rain down across Ukraine, killing dozens.

AFP reports that representatives of foreign governments and international organisations will descend on the Ukrainian city of Lugano on Monday with the aim of providing a road map for the war-ravaged country’s recovery.

Before Mr Albanese’s visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, saying Ukraine “requires colossal investments – billions, new technologies, best practices, new institutions and, of course, reforms”.

Mr Zelensky also warned people in the west of the country – who have faced fewer attacks in recent weeks as the Russians focus on taking the east – that the nation cannot relax. “The war is not over,” he said. “Unfortunately, its cruelty is only increasing in some places, and it cannot be forgotten.”

Mr Albanese’s visit came a day after powerful Russian strikes on the southern city of Mykolaiv, which borders the vital Black Sea port of Odesa, sending residents racing for underground shelters.

Kyiv said Moscow has intensified missile attacks on civilian targets far from the frontline, as Russian forces make gains in the east, pounding urban areas with artillery fire.

Mr Albanese’s visit came just days after Indonesian President Joko Widodo made the trip.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also made a surprise second trip to Kyiv last month, where he promised to train up 10,000 Ukraine soldiers every 120 days.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-visits-wartorn-towns-of-ukraine-surveying-bombed-airport-and-buildings/news-story/01cb5f81616326e2b2dddc0f6f93a457

Anonymous ID: 838864 July 4, 2022, 3:23 a.m. No.16594069 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4074

>>16594051

Inside Anthony Albanese’s top secret visit to Ukraine

BEN PACKHAM - JULY 4, 2022

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When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, Australian embassy staffer Nadia Teriokhina had one thought on her mind - she didn’t want to get trapped behind enemy lines.

She told Anthony Albanese she counted herself among the lucky ones.

Hundreds were massacred in Bucha, outside of Kyiv, and about 10 minutes from her home in Irpin, including women and children. Some women were raped before they were killed.

“We didn’t know what to do, how to behave or where to run,” she said.

“I said to my husband, ‘I just don’t want to be in the occupied territory, so we went to Kyiv.”

Ukrainian tanks were headed in the opposite direction as they fled.

The executive assistant embraced her boss, Australian Ambassador Bruce Edwards, when they reunited outside what was left of her apartment block.

Both are waiting for the Australian Embassy to reopen again so they can start work in the city again.

Ms Teriokhina’s own flat was undamaged, but the building was condemned as unsafe.

“I had somewhere to stay, in Kyiv right now. But some of my neighbours, especially the elderly people, have nowhere to go,” Ms Teriokhina said.

The Prime Minister entered the country from Poland under a veil of secrecy, travelling on an armoured diplomatic train used by a string of world leaders in recent months.

He travelled with a party of seven, including his social media photographer, foreign affairs adviser, national security adviser, a senior member of his department and one of his personal political staffers.

He also brought in just three members of the media, including this reporter, a photographer, and a television cameraman, whose names were drawn from a hat.

Other members of the parliamentary press gallery who travelled with him to Madrid and Paris over the past week, were barred from the trip on security grounds.

At least a dozen Australian Special Forces soldiers were on the ground to ensure the Prime Minister’s safety, dressed in sports coats, chinos and dark sunglasses.

They were discretely armed, but the travelling party was assured there was “no way in hell” that any harm would be allowed to befall them. Their vehicles carried additional weapons, body armour for the Prime Minister and other members of his team, and mobile medical facilities in case of emergency.

Ukrainian special forces, in full battle kit, also shadowed the Prime Minister’s every move.

Mr Albanese travelled first by motorcade to Bucha, to pay his respects at the mass grave where 416 civilians were buried by Russian forces after the were executed.

“Bucha is now a notorious name,” local council head Tars Shaprovskiy told him.

“This is a very sad place.

“Every one of them shot. This was not collateral damage, this was intentional.

“One of the slaughter house was a summer camp. There were four volunteers there. They were all shot.”

Mr Albanese told him: “Australia shares your desire to seek justice for these war crimes, and we will continue to do so.”

The grave, behind the town’s Church of St Andrews, has become a pilgrimage site for visiting dignitaries.

In a chapel underneath the church, Mr Albanese joined the congregation, lighting a candle for the victims of the massacre.

Mr Albanese travelled in an armoured Land Cruiser in a motorcade of about ten vehicles. Local traffic was blocked wherever they went, with soldiers and police stationed along the route.

Central Kyiv appeared largely undamaged to the visitors, but concrete blocks and sandbags protect major buildings, and large welded steel road spikes sit at the sides of key routes into the city, ready to be deployed of the invaders try and attack the city again.

Shops and hotels are open once again and daily life has returned to the city. There was even a small group of tourists milling around near the Intercontinental Hotel, which Mr Albanese’s team used as a base during the visit.

But 30 minutes to the north of the city, the signs of the war are obvious - blown out buildings, missile craters, broken windows, piled-up wrecks of burned out cars and sandbagged foxholes under the cover of trees.

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Ahead of his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday afternoon, Mr Albanese also visited the destroyed Hostomel Airport, the site of the failed Russian paratrooper assault in the initial days of the invasion, aimed at securing an the facility to surge in troops and supplies by air for the battle of Kyiv.

He shook his head as he surveyed the wreckage of the what was once the world’s largest aircraft the Anatov Mriya, which translates to “The Dream”.

He spoke to members of the national guard unit that repelled the Russian attack in the face of a determined attack by Russian forces to land helicopters at the airfield, which could have changed the course of the war.

As he left, they gave him a model of the famous Anatov plane to take home to Canberra.

Mr Albanese said as a former aviation minister, he was touched by the gesture, and the model would take “pride of place” in his prime ministerial office.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroschnychenko, travelled to Kyiv for the visit, which he agitated for behind the scenes after delivering an official invitation for President Zelensky.

At first, Australian Foreign Affairs officials pronounced the trip “impossible”. But within weeks, plans were underway to make it happen.

An advance security team comprising 2nd Commando and Special Air Service Regiment personnel were deployed to the country to work with Ukraine, Ukrainian Defence Force and the Australian Embassy - now based temporarily in Poland - to make the visit happen.

A member of the team said the capital was mostly safe. The main risk was a potential missile strike. Russia has recently upped its use of rockets against targets across the country in retaliation for Ukraine’s use of American-donated HIMARS missiles.

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said things were “much more difficult in the east”, where Ukrainian forces are being pounded relentlessly by Russian artillery.

“If you look at the quantity of her artillery, it is one to seven (to Russia),” he said.

“That’s why we appreciate Australia’s support, in Bushmaster (protected vehicles), and M777 artillery. They are very effective.”

The trip was made under a strict media blackout imposed by the prime minister’s office on the advice of the Australian Defence Force.

Mr Albanese’s presence in the country was supposed to remain a secret until he was back in Poland. The media’s phones and other devices had to be surrendered in order to make the trip.

But his presence in the country was revealed on social media, as he travelled around the Ukrainian capital, and its surrounds.

Mr Albanese also met the Australian Embassy’s driver, Oleksander Lazarachuk, who fled the fighting in February with his elderly mother, taking her 400km to Lutsk, in the country’s west.

“She didn’t want to leave, but I just took her and off we went,” he said.

Mr Lazarachuk had mixed about meeting the Prime Minister who was driven by his special forces team.

“I should be driving you today,” he said. “I am the embassy driver.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/inside-anthony-albaneses-top-secret-visit-to-ukraine/news-story/5b5aa70b86d3a32056be0ba692daa324