Welcome To Q Research AUSTRALIA

A new thread for research and discussion of Australia's role in The Great Awakening.

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>>19487470 Q Research AUSTRALIA #32

Q's Posts made on Q Research AUSTRALIA threads

Wednesday 11.20.2019

>>7358352 ————————————–——– These people are stupid.

>>7358338 ————————————–——– All assets [F + D] being deployed.

>>7358318 ————————————–——– What happens when the PUBLIC discovers the TRUTH [magnitude] re: [D] party corruption?

Tuesday 11.19.2019

>>7357790 ————————————–——– FISA goes both ways.

Saturday 11.16.2019

>>7356270 ————————————–——– There is no escaping God.

>>7356265 ————————————–——– The Harvest [crop] has been prepared and soon will be delivered to the public for consumption.

Friday 11.15.2019

>>7356017 ————————————–——– "Whistle Blower Traps" [Mar 4 2018] 'Trap' keyword select provided…..

Thursday 03.28.2019

>>5945210 ————————————–——– Sometimes our 'sniffer' picks and pulls w/o applying credit file

>>5945074 ————————————–——– We LOVE you!

>>5944970 ————————————–——– USA v. LifeLog?

>>5944908 ————————————–——– It is an embarrassment to our Nation!

>>5944859 ————————————–——– 'Knowingly'

Q's Posts referencing Australia

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

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https://qanon.pub/?q=45HarisonHarold

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Q's Posts referencing Australian citizens

Malcolm Turnbull (X/AUS)

Former Prime Minister of Australia, 2015 to 2018

https://qanon.pub/?q=X%2FAUS

https://qanon.pub/?q=call%20details

https://qanon.pub/?q=Threat%20to%20AUS

Alexander Downer

Former Australian Liberal Party politician and former Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

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

Cardinal George Pell

Australian Cardinal of the Catholic Church and former Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy

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

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

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

Julian Assange

Australian activist, founder, editor and publisher of WikiLeaks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Virginia Roberts Giuffre

American-Australian survivor of the sex trafficking ring operated by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

https://qanon.pub/#4568

https://qanon.pub/#4728

https://qanon.pub/#1054

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

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

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

https://qanon.pub/#1001

https://qanon.pub/#1861

https://qanon.pub/#3145

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https://qanon.pub/#3432

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https://qanon.pub/?q=Prince%20Andrew

https://qanon.pub/#4579

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https://qanon.pub/?q=Welcome%20aboard.

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Q's Posts referencing The Five Eyes intelligence alliance (FVEY)

An anglophone intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States

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

https://qanon.pub/?q=Five%20Eyes

https://qanon.pub/?q=Interesting%2C

https://qanon.pub/?q=RAT%20BAIT

"Does AUS stand w/ the US or only select divisions within the US?"

Q

Nov 25 2018

https://qanon.pub/#2501

Notables

are not endorsements

#32 - Part 1

Australian Politics and Society - Part 1

>>19499282 Video: Fearless Aussies put lives on Ukraine frontline - Josh Norman is in daily pain from a shoulder injury he sustained during his time in the Australian Army. Fellow former soldier Damien Solomon was medically discharged after losing much of the hearing in his right ear. Yet both men are on their way to the frontline in Ukraine, determined to help in the fight against Russia, despite the fear they could be punished by Australian authorities for choosing to make what they believe is the only ethical decision. “I’d like to think that if Australia were invaded we’d have a lot of foreigners come over and help us, guys just like us just like us from a different country,” Mr Norman told The Australian, before travelling to serve in a Ukrainian unit with other foreigners. (* Names are pseudonyms)

>>19511987 'Great admirer': Victorian Senator Ralph Babet's letter declaring support to former US president Donald Trump revealed - Ralph Babet has declared his support to the legally-embattled Donald Trump. The former United States president posted a letter penned by the Victorian Senator to his social media Truth Social on Friday. Mr Babet, a Senator for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party, wrote how “pleased” he was to see Trump running for re-election in 2024 and wished him “every success”. “I have always been a great admirer of the United States. But to see the deterioration in American over the past four years has been truly heart breaking,” he wrote. “Watching the way the Biden Administration has brought the US into disrepute around the world through weak leadership, both at home and abroad, has been devastating for lovers of freedom everywhere. “America is meant to be a beacon of freedom and, I have no doubt, will be again under your leadership.”

>>19511987 Donald J. Trump Truth: Thank you to Senator Ralph Babet of Australia!

>>19518173 How Australian cardboard drones became a critical innovation in the Ukraine war - Innovative design choices can have a massive impact in the theatre of war, so it is important to understand the principles behind their development. Recent use of low-cost cardboard drones by Ukraine, supplied by Australia, to attack targets in Russia is a good example of how this can work. Australia has been supplying Ukraine with 100 of the drones per month from March this year as part of an aid package deal worth an estimated $30 million, following an agreement struck in July 2021, according to the Australian Army Defence Innovation Hub. The Australian firm Sypaq, an engineering and solutions company founded in 1992, created the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS) for use in military, law enforcement, border security and emergency services, as well as food security, asset inspection and search and rescue. Ukrainian forces reportedly used the PDDS cardboard drones in an attack on an airfield in Kursk Oblast in western Russia on August 27. The attack damaged a Mig-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets, two Pantsir anti-aircraft missile launchers, gun systems, and an S-300 air surface-to-air missile defence system.

>>19518233 Video: Zelensky’s frontline Aussie raining hell on Russia - Just over a week ago, Ethan McNamara was running through a field in a desperate attempt to avoid Russian artillery fire. It’s become a common occurrence for the 24-year-old from Brisbane, who in late September last year travelled to Ukraine to join the fight on the frontline. Now he is a member of the Ukrainian military; second-in-command of a drone reconnaissance and attack unit, part of GUR - a secretive Ukrainian military intelligence service combat unit. Before this, McNamara had never worked with drones, which he says have completely changed the structure of modern warfare. The former Australian Army soldier is the first Australian to speak in-depth without the cloak of anonymity about his experience on the frontline in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

#32 - Part 2

Australian Politics and Society - Part 2

>>19521787 Chevron Pulls Contract Crew From Australia LNG Project As Strikes Begin - Chevron Corp started withdrawing contractor workers from its Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on Saturday, shortly after staff went on strike at two major projects in Australia. Workers at Chevron’s LNG projects started strike action on Friday after talks broke down, potentially disrupting output from facilities that account for over 5% of global supply. No further talks were scheduled between the unions and the U.S. energy major, according to the website of the Fair Work Commission, Australia’s industrial umpire, which had mediated five days of negotiations. Australia is the world’s biggest LNG exporter and its main buyers are in Asia. The dispute over wages and conditions at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone operations has supported British and European gas prices, as traders anticipate lower Australian supplies would intensify competition from other sources.

>>19523172 Extremists, Neo Nazi plot to infiltrate ADF, ASIO and Defence revealed - Extremists including neo-Nazis are attempting to join the military and or recruit some already within Australian Defence Force ranks in an alarming plot to push their destabilising agenda. ASIO in concert with Defence has identified a rising number of individuals with “ideologically motivated extremism” either actively being groomed in their ranks or trying to join. According to Defence sources, the move is to attain military training to boost their skill set “capabilities” although for what is not clear. The extremism rise in Australia has been linked to conspiracies borne from the Covid-19 pandemic and the emergence of anti-authority sovereign citizens, ultra right-wing nationalists and supremacists and their inciting anti-lockdown violence. Defence has confirmed it was working closely with national security agencies.

>>19535062 Opposition Indigenous Affairs spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says ‘women are under attack’ - Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says pushing back against the transgender movement and its impact on children will be among her next priorities after the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum. Speaking at an event hosted by Liberal senator Alex Antic that featured speakers including Katherine Deves and Moira Deeming, Senator Price said the parliamentary inquiry into gender-affirming care - which refers to medical treatments used to transition people to the gender of their choosing - proposed by One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson should not have been left to “a conscience vote”. “In the Senate, we had an opportunity to vote for an inquiry into gender-affirming treatments for children. It should never have been a conscience vote because this issue speaks to the human rights of our most vulnerable, and that is our children,” Senator Price told the small group gathered in Parliament House. “This debate, this argument, the way it’s being played out, the way in which women are now under attack for standing up for the vulnerable, for standing up for children, is so many steps backward to where we’ve come to fight for our rights as women.”

>>19541925 Mind-boggling lethal Aussie weapons to be deployed by Ukraine, UK and possibly AUKUS - An Australian company’s “spy in the sky” drone that can wipe out entire military squads with its electronically fired bullets, tear gas and rubber baton rounds is to be deployed in Ukraine. The new silent but deadly tactical fire support Cerberus GHL drone will be deployed to shore up munitions stockpiles in Ukraine’s fight with Russia. “It’s spy in the sky technology that infantry under fire on the front line can use to hit back - it can wipe out entire squads,” Michael Creagh, chief executive of the Brisbane-based aerospace company behind the drone, Skybourne Technologies, said.

>>19541984 Librarians to be trained in dealing with abuse after extremist threats - Librarians are dealing with death threats, trolling and intimidation at increasing levels, as protesters try to block drag-themed story time events and ban certain books on shelves. This escalation in abuse - which has sparked a string of drag-themed children’s events being cancelled across Victoria – has prompted a new wave of training for librarians, aimed at teaching them how to protect themselves and the public and defuse potentially dangerous situations. The endgame, says State Library Victoria chief executive Paul Duldig, is never having to cancel a rainbow story time at the library again. “There’s been a lot of anger directed towards librarians, who by their nature are absolutely there for the public good,” Duldig said.

#32 - Part 3

Australian Politics and Society - Part 3

>>19548568 Peter Dutton seeks to overturn ACT legislation decriminalising hard drugs - Canberra is set to become a “boom market” for drug dealers and crime gangs, according to Peter Dutton, as the federal ­Coalition proposes using commonwealth powers to override the ACT government’s decision to decriminalise the possession of ice, heroin, cocaine and other illicit substances. The ACT government’s drug reforms, due to come into effect on October 28, would make Canberra the first city in Australia to decriminalise the possession of small quantities of illicit substances in a bid to divert people away from the justice system and towards treatment services. But the Coalition announced it would move a private member’s Bill in the upper house on Thursday to use commonwealth powers to reverse the laws. The Opposition Leader said the Coalition would take a stand against the “crazy government legislation” that would result in the Labor-Greens government “rolling out the red carpet for drug use and more crime”.

>>19556112 AFP denies our guns fuel PNG tribal wars - The Australian Federal Police says there is “no credible evidence” that large numbers of smuggled guns from Australia are being used to wage tribal wars in Papua New Guinea, after the country’s police commissioner said Australia-sourced weapons were fuelling the deadly conflicts. PNG Police Commissioner David Manning this week said illegal guns were flowing in from Australia for use in tribal wars that have killed more than 150 people this year alone. “Some of these firearms are brought in from Australia, eventually finding (their) way into the tribal fight areas,” he told the Post Courier newspaper. An AFP spokeswoman said Australia, which has some of the world’s strongest gun laws, was not a significant source of illegal weapons. “There is no credible intelligence to suggest large-scale importation of illicit firearms to PNG from Australia, as reported in recent media,” she said.

>>19556208 Military ‘not a disaster relief force’, committee warns - A Labor-led committee says states and territories can no longer treat the Australian Defence Force as “some sort of shadow workforce” to respond to domestic crises, warning that the practice is “unsustainable” and risks degrading ADF warfighting capabilities. In its latest examination of Defence’s annual report, the joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade expressed alarm that more than half of all ADF members had been assigned to domestic disaster relief tasks in recent years. It said diversion of ADF personnel to such tasks carried “genuine and profound” risks that would grow as the climate warmed.

>>19556229 The polite message from Melbourne’s drug dealers to keep customers - A sophisticated drug dealing network operating in Melbourne has encouraged its customers to migrate away from using the soon-to-be defunct encrypted messaging app Wickr to rival platform Signal. Melbourne residents signed up to a Wickr-based drug delivery service have been instructed to stop using the Amazon-owned app before its shutdown on December 31. The app has been widely used by drug dealers, hackers and paedophiles in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. A Melbourne group - advertising more than 15 types of drugs including cocaine, ketamine and MDMA - has instructed Wickr users to maintain the same alias when switching apps to enable them to keep the business running efficiently.

>>19561988 Meet the gurus hanging out on the dark web - The dark web is often characterised as a mythical place, an out of reach portion of the internet where only the most elite criminals frequent to trade stolen credentials, sell illegal weapons and share fraud tactics. But the reality is far more unremarkable than that. Some would even describe the dark web as having a better resemblance to the early days of the internet rather than any kind of high-tech experience. That’s according to Brenton Cooper, an Adelaide man who has for the past six years made a business out of selling access to its content. Cooper is the founder and chief executive of Fivecast, the marketplace for dark web marketplaces, which provides a window into the world of criminal activity. The company is one of several in Australia that operates in a portion of the internet inaccessible to most. While the average Australian won’t ever access the dark web, nor will most leaders at major companies, many are desperate to know if their data and their customers are being bought, sold and traded in illegal forums.

#32 - Part 4

Australian Politics and Society - Part 4

>>19562094 Video: Ukraine’s soldiers plead for Anthony Albanese to give them Hawkei vehicles despite faults - Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the frontline have pleaded for Aus­tralia to supply them with faulty Hawkei light armoured patrol ­vehicles after repeated requests have been stonewalled by the ­Albanese government. At a secret training base in the Donetsk Oblast region in Ukraine’s east, near the site of some of the fiercest fighting of the war, The Weekend Australian shared the back of an Australian-made Bushmaster with soldiers keen to see more help in the “fight for democracy”. While the Bushmasters have been warmly welcomed, Anthony Albanese has rejected desperate calls from Kyiv to supply Ukraine with Australian-built Hawkei vehicles, citing “a range of reasons”.

>>19570662 ‘Threat-to-life messages’: 39 men charged as part of global police sting appear in court - Almost 40 Victorian men charged as part of a global police sting that cracked open an encrypted app have faced court as fresh details of Operation Ironside were aired in a courtroom for the first time. Accused men and their lawyers filled six rows on Monday in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where the police case against the men was tested for the first time. Australian Federal Police digital forensic examiner Keith Fell said he was tasked with examining phones that had the encrypted AN0M application installed. Officers had infiltrated the app over about three years. Fell said while the devices looked like mobile phones, the AN0M part of the device could only be accessed through a password-controlled calculator app. Two codes could be used, he said, one that would allow a user to access the encrypted service and another that would wipe the phone. He said one setting also allowed the user to set a time when messages were automatically deleted. “It’s unique; it’s nothing I’ve come across before,” Fell said.

>>19575766 Potent $1.5 billion upgrade to Australia's maritime surveillance with manned and unmanned aircraft - Australia will purchase a fourth long-range Triton drone for maritime surveillance, despite the US Navy recently halting production of the expensive unmanned platform which critics warn is vulnerable to enemy attack. The contentious American acquisition is part of a $1.5 billion boost to the RAAF being unveiled on Tuesday that includes upgrades to the existing P-8A Poseidon fleet, allowing the patrol aircraft to eventually fire anti-ship missiles up to 1,000km. Under the Poseidon upgrade program, the Department of Defence expects the first of its 14 Boeing-made aircraft to receive enhancements to anti-submarine warfare, maritime strike and intelligence collection capabilities from 2026. The entire fleet is expected to be completed by 2030.

>>19581594 Climate scientists and Pacific activists call on Australia to ramp up ambitions ahead of UN summit - Movers and shakers in the fight against climate change are gathering for the United Nation's Climate Ambition Summit in New York, while climate scientists and Pacific activists call on Australia to ramp up its own ambitions. The summit comes as the Australia Institute has published a full-page ad in the New York Times calling on the Australian government to halt "over 100 new coal and gas projects" in the pipeline. The open letter, signed by over 200 scientists and experts, called on Australia to accelerate climate action, "not climate annihilation". The institute's director, Dr Richard Denniss, is attending the UN climate summit and said Australia "wants to have it both ways" when it came to climate leadership and fossil fuels. "On the one hand, we want the world to support our bid to host a COP," he said, referring to the UN Climate Change Conference. "But at the same time, we're ignoring the UN and indeed, our Pacific neighbours' calls on us to stop expanding fossil fuels."

>>19581607 Australia to support Ukraine at UN's highest court - Australian officials will take a stand in support of Ukraine at the United Nations' highest court as the Balkan country challenges Russia's claims its invasion was carried out to prevent genocide. Days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv filed a case to the International Court of Justice alleging Russian leaders were abusing international law by using false claims of genocide in eastern Ukraine to justify its invasion. Russian representatives have continued to accuse Ukraine of committing genocide. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia is in breach of the UN charter, which protects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every nation. Officials from 32 countries are expected to deliver interventions in support of Ukraine at The Hague's Peace Palace. Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue will deliver Australia's intervention on Wednesday night (AEST) where he will argue the court has jurisdiction to hear the case.

#32 - Part 5

Australian Politics and Society - Part 5

>>19601919 Rupert Murdoch to step down as executive chair of News Corp, co-chair of Fox - Rupert Murdoch, the Australian-born businessman who went from running a small Adelaide newspaper to creating a multi-billion-dollar global media empire spanning news, entertainment and cinema, has announced he is stepping down as chairman of his companies at the age of 92. Mr Murdoch’s eldest son Lachlan, 52, will take over as the sole chair of News Corp and continue as executive chair and chief executive officer of Fox Corporation. “On behalf of the Fox and News Corp boards of directors, leadership teams, and all the shareholders who have benefited from his hard work, I congratulate my father on his remarkable 70-year career,” said Lachlan Murdoch. “We thank him for his vision, his pioneering spirit, his steadfast determination, and the enduring legacy he leaves to the companies he founded and countless people he has impacted.”

>>19601957 Penny Wong to remind UN that Australia wants a Security Council seat by 2029 - Australia will ramp up its push for a seat on the UN Security Council while calling for Russia’s veto powers on the global body to be constrained as a consequence of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. In a major speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Penny Wong was also set to highlight the existential threat of climate change and the need to ensure the world remains free from nuclear weapons. She will warn that tensions over the South China Sea and military build-up in the Indo-Pacific had given rise to “the most confronting circumstances in decades” and would require a greater collective effort to prevent an unwanted war.

>>19601994 US marine stationed in Australia is charged with rape as base is ordered into lockdown - A US marine stationed in Australia has been charged with aggravated assault and sexual intercourse without consent. The 20-year-old marine was arrested in Palmerston, south of Darwin, on Monday in relation to the incident that allegedly occurred there earlier that day. The American has been been granted bail to appear in Darwin Local Court at a later date. Since 2012, The Marine Rotational Force has stationed personnel in the Top End of Australia at several military bases. Starting with just 250 marines in the first year, there is now an air-ground task force of 2,500 personnel. A US Defence spokesperson said the marines were assisting NT Police with the investigation.

>>19606852 Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo stood aside as alleged texts to Liberal powerbroker investigated - The secretary of the Home Affairs Department, Mike Pezzullo, has been asked to step aside as an investigation is conducted into text messages he is alleged to have sent to a Liberal Party powerbroker. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have published the texts said to have been sent over a number of years between Mr Pezzullo and Scott Briggs, an influential figure within the Liberal Party. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil on Monday morning asked Mr Pezzullo to stand aside while the messages are investigated by the Australian public service commissioner. Many of the published messages refer to ministerial appointments under former Coalition governments, including appointments for those with responsibility for Mr Pezzullo's Home Affairs Department. Some of the conversations also appear to show disdain for parliamentary processes like Senate estimates, where senators are given the opportunity to grill departmental officials about policy.

>>19606854 Video: An unprecedented glimpse into politics and power - Running Australia is a big job. But if you think it’s the government of the day in Canberra that’s calling all the shots, after seeing this story you might think again. Tonight, in a joint investigation with the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, we expose the highly inappropriate actions of one of our most senior public servants. Michael Pezzullo is the boss of Home Affairs, the department responsible for Australia’s national security. He’s supposed to be independent and apolitical but as you’ll see, that’s not the way he operates. Pezzullo has been wielding extraordinary power from the shadows, interfering in government and doing all he can to build an impenetrable empire. - 60 Minutes Australia

#32 - Part 6

Australian Politics and Society - Part 6

>>19606948 ‘Scheduling conflicts’: Donald Trump Jr’s Aussie tour pushed back to December - A controversial speaking tour hosted by the son of twice-impeached ex-US president Donald Trump has been delayed for the second time, with organisers saying “scheduling conflicts” are to blame this time. Donald Trump Jr was due to host talks in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney this month as part of his contentious live tour, organised by the Australian arm of conservative not-for-profit organisation Turning Point. It had already been delayed from its initial date in July following a visa stoush. In an email seen by NCA NewsWire, the tour’s organisers Turning Point Australia said Mr Trump Jr had been forced to postpone the week’s events due to “last-minute scheduling conflicts”. “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” the email states. New tour dates in Sydney (December 10), the Gold Coast (December 11) and Melbourne (December 13) have since been organised.

>>19611559 Video: Daniel Andrews resigns as premier of Victoria after three elections, nine years - Daniel Andrews has resigned as the premier of Victoria after nine years in the role. Mr Andrews announced today that he would formally step down at 5pm tomorrow. He said leading the state had been "the honour and privilege" of his life. "It's not an easy job being the premier of our state - that's not a complaint, that's just a fact," he said. "It requires 100 per cent from you and your family. That is, of course, time limited and now is the time to step away." The MP for Mulgrave, who has led Labor to three consecutive election victories since first forming government at the 2014 election, is among the state's longest-serving premiers.

>>19611567 Dan Andrews was reviled by the right but enough voters kept backing him - "Dan Andrews’ ruthless divisiveness was unmatched. He leaves a legacy as contested as the political battlefield that he ruled over, a strategy that was built on winning and holding office at any cost. Andrews was fuelled by a precocious, instinctive talent that, in the end, could not mask the deep flaws that delivered an imperfect pandemic response and a smashed budget. Victoria’s finances are in terrible shape, but don’t expect Andrews to be apologetic. “I am not a regretful person, I don’t look back,’’ he said at Melbourne’s Parliament House. Andrews was Australia’s first truly modern political leader, marketing himself shamelessly at younger, digital era voters while wedging the Greens in the inner city. He wedged everyone, sometimes - in the case of the pandemic - he wedged himself. Andrews was a creature of party headquarters who saw life principally through the prism of numbers - 50 per cent plus one. Reviled by the right but loved by the left, Andrews delivered Labor three election wins and skewered four Liberal leaders. He was an election-winning machine." - John Ferguson - theaustralian.com.au

>>19617085 Video: ‘Honour and privilege’: Jacinta Allan will become Victoria’s next premier - Jacinta Allan is set to become Victoria’s next premier after a messy morning of party-room negotiations finally resulted in a deal that will install Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll as deputy. After a bruising 24 hours, a deal was struck between Labor caucus members on Wednesday afternoon that will ensure no other candidate challenges Allan for the leadership. In return, Labor’s Right faction secured Carroll as its candidate for deputy premier despite a push from Allan’s Socialist Left faction to control both roles. The move has prevented an all-out war within Victorian Labor that would have resulted in party members being asked to vote on who should be the next leader. Allan got emotional as she talked about becoming just the second woman to lead the state, after former premier Joan Kirner. “I also hope it says to young women, older women, women from across different backgrounds … that leadership takes on different shapes and sizes,” she said.

>>19623930 ‘Aussie Cossack’ gets Russian citizenship - Simeon Boikov, a Sydney-born activist and videoblogger dubbed the ‘Aussie Cossack’ in his country for his unabashedly pro-Moscow stance, has been granted Russian citizenship. His name was listed in a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, which granted Russian nationality to 41 foreign-born applicants. Boikov has been drawing the ire of Australian media for years, with critics blasting him as a “propagandist” who is abusing the country’s supposedly relaxed free speech. In January, Ukrainian ambassador to Canberra Vasily Miroshnichenko accused Boikov of exposing him to “a major telephone harassment campaign” by sharing his private phone number in a YouTube video. The diplomat filed a complaint with the Australian federal police over the incident.

#32 - Part 7

Australian Politics and Society - Part 7

>>19623941 Aussie Cossack Simeon Boikov ‘honoured by Putin citizenship gift’ - Self-styled “Aussie Cossack” Simeon Boikov says he is “honoured” to have been granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin, and declared his commitment to serving “the motherland”. Speaking from the Russian consulate in Sydney where he is seeking refuge from NSW police warrants, the pro-Kremlin, anti-voice activist said he did not intend to renounce his Australian citizenship. Russian law prevents its nationals holding dual citizenship with any country except Turkmenistan and Tajikistan but Mr Boikov said an exception had been made in his case because of his “special services to the Russian Federation”. He said he was “extremely thankful” to Mr Putin, and renewed his call to be allowed to leave Australia for Moscow in prisoner swap for a Western hostage. “I’m happy to be swapped for anyone. (Journalist Evan) Gershkovich from the Wall Street Journal, for example,” Boikov said.

>>19643619 Rock band Kiss stuns MCG crowd ahead of AFL grand final between Lions and Magpies - Kiss has stunned crowds at the MCG with a massive performance, shaking off criticisms the rock band is too old to perform at an AFL grand final in 2023. Performing in front of a full house at the MCG ahead of the grand final between Collingwood and Brisbane, the American rockers took to the stage clad in their signature heavy make-up and glam-rock outfits. The band opened with I Was Made for Lovin' You, as columns of flame burst from the ground around the stage. After that came Shout It Out Loud, before the band wowed the crowd with a lively performance of Rock and Roll All Nite, featuring hundreds of dancers forming the word "Kiss" on the MCG turf. Young kids dressed as mini-Kiss band members were the highlight of the show, vigorously strumming imaginary guitars and drums and rocking to a song that came out in 1975.

>>19650072 Shout it out loud: Proud parents watch kids rock with Kiss at the MCG - It’s not every day that your seven-year-old son dances on stage with rock band Kiss in front of 100,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Cuban Casem, 7, wearing the make-up and costume of the band’s Spaceman character, was cool about it and had a ball, rocking out to Rock and Roll All Nite at the MCG before the AFL grand final on Saturday. Cuban’s mum, Carla Casem, said she was the emotional one, looking on from the sidelines. “It was overwhelming. I was in tears most of the time,” she said. Cuban, of Fraser Rise in Melbourne’s west, was one of four kids chosen to dance on stage with the famous American band as the crowd roared during the pre-game entertainment. He said the best part was doing an air-guitar solo while standing “back-to-back” with lead guitarist Tommy Thayer. Three of Cuban’s classmates from hip-hop dance school Kstar Studios in Ravenhall danced next to singer and bass player Gene Simmons, singer and guitarist Paul Stanley, and drummer Eric Singer. Meanwhile, below them, 500 other children performed choreographed dance moves to the song. The dancers, who were recruited from five Melbourne dance schools, rehearsed for weeks but were sworn to secrecy ahead of the game between Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions.

>>19656186 Email addresses of Aus Senators in case you want to express your displeasure

>>19685020 ‘Millions on planes’: Boat focus blinded Home Affairs to real abuses, says Nixon - A focus on stopping migrant boats as millions of people arrived on planes with inadequate scrutiny meant authorities missed widespread exploitation and abuse in Australia’s visa system, according to the former top cop who led the Albanese government’s immigration rorts inquiry. In her most damning comments to date, former Victoria Police chief commissioner Christine Nixon also warned that seismic and sustained reform was needed to address problems in the multibillion-dollar international education sector and to combat the normalisation of foreign worker exploitation.

#32 - Part 8

Australian Politics and Society - Part 8

>>19685030 Martina Navratilova slams Gymnastics Australia for pro trans position - Martina Navratilova has slammed Gymnastics Australia - saying “what is wrong with you guys” for allowing biological males who identify as female, and permitting them access to young girls and women’s changing rooms and competitions. Navratilova, 66, hit out at the national organisation, which boasts of more than 800,000 participants with one of the highest participation sports for children under 12 - for changing its rules to allow transgender people to self-identify and compete in all community gymnastics events. The tennis star and commentator’s high-profile criticism has put the spotlight on Gymnastics Australia’s radical position, which is going against the recent trend of international sporting organisations such as track and field, swimming and cycling to reinforce women’s sport on sex, not gender. On Twitter she posted: ”To say this won’t end well is an understatement. To say Gymnastics Australia just threw females and girls under the bus is an understatement. What is wrong with you guys??? This “inclusion” actually will EXCLUDE biological women and most of all girls. #whataboutthegirls”. Ms Navratilova has been outspoken in her belief that women’s and girls sport should be confined to biological females.

>>19699349 ‘Limit kids’ access to risky gender drugs’ - Leading Australian psychiatrists say puberty blockers should be restricted to children enrolled in rigorous clinical trials, after a new British analysis found the mental health of one-third of adolescents deteriorated while they were taking the controversial drugs. The new UK analysis of an earlier, landmark study found 34 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 reported their mental health had deteriorated after taking puberty blockers for one year, while 29 per cent of children saw their psychological health improve. No mental health change was reported by 37 per cent of the children who had been on blockers for 12 months. Overall, the fresh analysis, published on preprint health sciences website medRXIV, suggests 71 per cent of children taking puberty blockers reported a decline or no change in their mental health after one year of treatment. Yet as the study states: “The main argument for the introduction of puberty blockers in the UK for this age group (under 16) had been their potential to relieve psychological distress’’ while the children explored their gender identity. Philip Morris, a visiting professor of psychiatry at Bond University, said: “To see a third of people getting worse is very concerning.’’

>>19699368 Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe says she ‘stands with’ Palestine - Indigenous senator and No campaigner Lidia Thorpe has publicly rallied behind Palestine in a “foul” and “appalling” move, as the death toll in the Israel-Hamas conflict continues to climb. Senator Thorpe made her stance on the conflict clear in a post on the social media platform X on Sunday night, writing “I stand with Palestine!” The tweet was accompanied with a controversial map of Israel, appearing to show the gradual dispossession of “Palestine land” over several decades. “Unprovoked They said [sic],” the caption of the map reads. Many were quick to condemn the senator on social media, pointing to the atrocities unfolding after Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group, attacked Israel on Saturday. “The most appalling public statement you’ve ever made, and that’s saying something,” wrote Sky News columnist Will Kingston.

>>19706386 Video: Sky News host Sharri Markson in tears as she describes Hamas’ atrocities against Israeli civilians - Sky News journalist Sharri Markson broke down in tears as she catalogued the “pure savagery” of Hamas terrorist attacks on innocent women and children. The investigative journalist, who is Jewish, became emotional as she described how Palestinian forces had killed hundreds of Israelis and taken families hostage. Describing the militants as “barbarians with no limits” she said they had offered the elderly and the vulnerable “no mercy”. “This is the darkest day for Jewish people in decades. It’s being called Israel’s September 11. It is pure savagery,” she said on her Sky News Australia show, Sharri, on Monday night. “But it’s the heinous barbarity that makes this attack by Hamas so sickening and so unexpected for the state of Israel, that prides itself on national security and is surrounded by Arab States endlessly calling for its annihilation. “There was no mercy shown as the elderly, the women, the children - the babies - were kidnapped, seized and carted off by jeering men, away from the safety of their homes, their loved ones and their life as they knew it.” Markson has previously been subjected to anti-Semitic death threats.

#32 - Part 9

Australian Politics and Society - Part 9

>>19706391 Video: ‘Pure savagery’: Hamas attack on Israel the ‘darkest day for Jewish people in decades’ - The war on Israel has passed 48 hours and the shock of the Hamas terrorist attacks have shaken lives across the globe and caused the "darkest day for Jewish people in decades", according to Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson. Ms Markson has condemned the “sickening” acts committed by the “degenerate evil” of Hamas. “It's being called Israel's September 11 … it is pure savagery,” she said. “But it's the heinous barbarity that makes this attack by Hamas so sickening and so unexpected for the state of Israel that prides itself on national security. “There was no mercy shown as the elderly, the women, the children - the babies - were kidnapped, seized and carted off by jeering men - away from the safety of their homes, their loved ones and their life as they knew it. “How can humans be this cruel? To laugh and celebrate as they torture terrified, young souls who had so much ahead of them in life, who were so hopeful for the future.” Warning - this video contains distressing content. - Sky News Australia

>>19706419 Video: NSW Police say ‘no’ to Jewish community: yes to Palestinian rally - NSW police warned Sydney’s Jewish community to avoid the Opera House on Monday as its sails were lit with the Israeli flag to commemorate those killed and kidnapped by Hamas, after green-lighting a pro-Palestinian march to the site. Jewish leaders said it was “sad and disturbing” to be told they were not safe in Sydney, as Greens MPs backed Palestinian marchers who said they supported “resistance” against Israel despite the deaths and disappearances of women and children. Pro-Palestinian protesters, who had marched from Town Hall, threw flares outside the Sydney Opera House and yelled “fck Israel” and “fck the Jews” as the sails were lit in blue and white. A number of police officers guarded the Opera House stairs. An Israeli flag was burned on the steps of the Opera House in one of the most concerning scenes from Monday night’s pro-Palestine rally.

>>19706443 Monday’s pro-Hamas march was a day of shame for Sydney. The premier needs to answer for it - "The NSW government has ensured that October 9, 2023 will be a day that lives in infamy. A national day of shame for Sydney and a failure of character and leadership on multiple levels, both State and federal. Two contrasting images now expose what is an international embarrassment for Australia and an unforgivable offence to the Jewish community. British prime minister Rishi Sunak delivering a speech of solidarity to a Synagogue in London following the demonic horror of the Hamas attack as thousands of Jewish people gathered in solemn embrace underneath the Eiffel Tower. Yet under the sails of Sydney’s Opera House illuminated with the Israeli flag, chants of “f*ck the Jews” and the burning of the Israeli flag sprang from a pro-Palestinian protest that the NSW government and its police force have effectively admitted it was powerless to stop. Never before has a community, the Jewish community, been told by an Australian government to stay inside because the streets they call home aren’t safe. How could this happen? Police Minister Yasmin Catley is now facing widespread condemnation, has been missing in action. Calls for her resignation grow. The NSW Attorney-General, Michael Daley has as much to answer for. His excuse that he didn’t know about it defies credulity. Premier Chris Minns finds himself as a leader under pressure to act and explain why this was allowed to occur. His suggestion that had he known what was to transpire he might have stepped in don’t pass muster. He should have known. He is the premier." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 10

Australian Politics and Society - Part 10

>>19706457 Bob Carr attacked for Palestine posts - Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council national chair Mark Leibler has condemned former foreign minister Bob Carr for saying Palestinians had a right to resist an illegal occupation and would suffer a “disproportionately huge retaliation” from Israel. Mr Carr, a key critic of Israel and prominent supporter of Palestinian recognition, responded to the Hamas terrorist attack in which more than 700 Israelis have been killed – including more than 250 people at a music festival in southern Israel – by saying Hamas had won a “tactical ­success”. “Will be very short-lived. It will draw disproportionately huge retaliation directed at civilians and indifferent to children,” he posted on X. “Between the suicidal instincts of Hamas and the dominance of Israeli air power the losers will be long-suffering Palestinians in what is the world’s largest refugee camp. Palestinians have a right to resist an illegal occupation, the spread of settlements all illegal and apartheid laws - but resist peacefully. Mainstream moderate Palestinians committed to a negotiated solution deserve world attention and support, now more than ever.” Mr Leibler responded, asking: “Bob - just how far does your hatred for Israel and the Jewish people go? You did not even condemn the sickening attack by Hamas against Israel’s civilian population. Shame on you!”

>>19706509 Video: PM calls for calm as concerns grow for safety of Australians in Israel - Hamas has warned it is ready to dig in for a long war as Israel prepared to escalate its response to the Palestinian militant group’s shock weekend attacks, mobilising hundreds of thousands of troops and pelting Palestinian targets with aerial bombardments. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he remained concerned about the fate of Australians in Israel because there were so many of them visiting or living in the country, flagging the possible evacuation of Australian citizens in Israel if required. “We are working on a range of contingency arrangements that I won’t detail publicly for obvious reasons, but we do work on these contingencies,” he told the ABC. Defence Minister Richard Marles said there were no reports of Australians having been killed or hospitalised as a result of the attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address: “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.” Speaking to local officials near Israel’s border with Gaza, Netanyahu said: “What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible; we are already in the campaign and we are just getting started.”

>>19712756 At a celebration of slaughter, Labor looks the other way - "More than once since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel last weekend and slaughtered hundreds of innocent men, women and children in their homes, at a music festival and on the streets, I have felt grateful to call Australia home. It’s deeply distressing for anyone following these events to see vision of mothers and their babies being kidnapped by barbarians and held hostage. But for Jewish Australians this horrifying depravity has felt incredibly personal - even though seemingly a world away from our sparkling way of life here in Australia. A world away, that is, until Monday evening, when the NSW government allowed the barbarians who had murdered entire families in Israel to be celebrated on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Absurdly, NSW police urged Jews to stay in their homes, not to come into the CBD, to keep away from the Opera House and the Town Hall, saying it wasn’t safe to walk the city’s streets. That’s the inexplicable path the NSW government took as pro-Palestinian protesters, chanting “Death to Jews” and “Gas the Jews” and burning the Israeli flag, celebrated the slaughter of innocent Israeli civ­ilians. It was clearly hate speech: unlawful behaviour that drives a terrifying wedge between Australians when we’re supposedly embracing inclusivity. For a Jewish Australian walking down the street, there’s now a discernible feeling of fear and worry. Should we take our children to school, having just seen these people - our fellow citizens – chant “Kill the Jews” and “Gas the Jews” on the streets we love? These are the questions I am now seriously asking myself in the city in which I was born and raised, and where I have always felt safe. In allowing this hateful, divisive, anti-Semitic protest to go ahead, the NSW Labor government, the police and the Greens are fostering an atmosphere of fear and distrust in our beautiful, peaceful country." - Sharri Markson - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 11

Australian Politics and Society - Part 11

>>19712770 John Howard demands Anthony Albanese stop Labor’s ‘pussyfooting’ on Hamas terrorists - John Howard has demanded Anthony Albanese display “leadership from the top” to stop Labor’s “pussyfooting” response to the Hamas terror atrocities and ­labelled anti-Israeli protests at the Sydney Opera House a “catastrophic descent from civility”. Mr Howard on Tuesday called on all sides of politics to condemn Hamas and its sympathisers, as he accused Labor widely of being “hugely conflicted” on the issue. He said Foreign Minister Penny Wong appeared “uncomfortable” in her condemnations, and ­signalled the Prime Minister was not being unequivocal in his support of Israel. “When 9/11 occurred there was unanimity of response. I was in America, Kim Beazley was leader of the Labor Party and there wasn’t a cigarette paper between us. He completely supported our position,” Mr Howard told The Australian. “This should be the same … Mr Albanese should make some unequivocal statements, as should the Foreign Minister. “Instead of that there is pussyfooting and lukewarm condemnation. And then you have the NSW Attorney-General (Michael Daley) saying everyone should remain calm and go home. “How can you remain calm when demonstrators are invoking the memory of the Holocaust? People remain calm in that? “I never thought we would crumple to this … We need leadership from the top; we aren’t getting that at the moment.”

>>19712785 Sydney Opera House ‘screw up’ lambasted by political, religious leaders amid operational autopsy - NSW’s defiant Police Minister has declared officers “successfully” managed a widely condemned pro-Hamas march, despite authorities’ only arrest being an innocent man carrying an Israeli flag . Yasmin Catley was fighting off calls to resign on Tuesday after pictures of police lining the Opera House’s steps amid anti-Semitic chants and burnings of the Israeli flag were broadcast around the globe. Former Australian ambassador to Israel and federal MP Dave Sharma said: “This has been a complete screw up by the NSW government - how on earth did they allow this to happen?” “From the Brandenburg Gate to the Eiffel Tower, thousands gathered peacefully at iconic sights lit in Israeli colours in a show of solidarity,” he said. “In Sydney, we showcased a wild mob, cheering on the most barbaric acts, chanting the most vile slogans.”

>>19712796 Australian grandmother killed in Israeli kibbutz as Hamas issue ultimatum: we will televise Israeli hostage executions - Sydney-born grandmother Galit Carbone is among those killed in Israel, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has confirmed The 66-year-old Australian-born grandmother’s lifeless body was found just metres from the door of her home in the Be-Eri kibbutz, just 5km from the Gaza border, where she had previously worked as a librarian and raised her three children. Ms Carbone, born in Sydney is the first known Australian victim of the brutal conflict. Her cousin Julian Cappe said the family was “numb” after getting confirmation she had been killed. “We’re not sure if she was killed in her home or dragged out and killed, but her body was not found in her house,” Mr Cappe said. Ms O’Neil said she is “devastated” by the death of Galit who died after militants went door to door forcing residents out of their homes. “I’m devastated for the people who knew her, but also the broader Jewish Australian community. “We’ve got brothers and sisters of the Jewish religion around our country who are suffering greatly from what is a brutal, violent, abhorrent and completely unjustified act of terrorism against their country and their citizens.” Ten thousand Australians live in Israel.

>>19712817 Defence Australia Tweet: Thank you and farewell ❤ Up to 2500 @USMC personnel have begun departing Australia as the 12th rotation of @MRFDarwin wraps up. While stationed in Darwin, the MRF-D conducted various combined training exercises with #YourADF, as well as with regional partner nations.

#32 - Part 12

Australian Politics and Society - Part 12

>>19712836 Video: Hillary Clinton to share leadership tips at Aussie public servant talkfest - It takes a brave soul these days to stand in front of an Australian Public Service audience and start going on about leadership, what with the controversy engulfing some of the federal bureaucracy’s highest climbers – Home Affairs boss Mike Pezzullo and former Human Services secretary Kathryn Campbell – over their conduct while leading mammoth federal departments. So whichever genius chose out-of-towner Hillary Clinton - yes, that Hillary Clinton - as the headline act at a Public Sector Women in Leadership talkfest early next year, ought to take a bow. Now, history will remember Clinton as the US presidential candidate who lost to Donald Trump. But remember she also had a decent knock in the demanding role of her nation’s secretary of state during Barack Obama’s administration and would have learnt a thing or two as one half of the famous “Billary” White House, as her husband Bill Clinton’s presidency was often dubbed.

>>19720294 Anthony Albanese reaches out to Jewish community following terror attack - Anthony Albanese has declared that anti-Semitism and hateful prejudice have “no place in ­Australia” and announced plans to evacuate hundreds of Australians from Israel on special government-organised flights from ­Friday after the Jewish homeland was attacked by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The Prime Minister met members of the Jewish community on Wednesday evening, addressing the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation in Melbourne following harsh criticism his government’s response was too soft on the pro-Palestine protests at the Sydney Opera House on Monday night where the Israeli flag was burned and anti-Semitic slogans were chanted. With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing a war of ­retaliation on Hamas and amid reports that 40 babies were slaughtered in a massacre at the kibbutz of Kfar Aza, Mr Albanese said his government would begin “the assisted departure of Australians who want to leave Israel” after 66-year-old grandmother, Galit Carbone, was revealed to be the first Australian citizen killed in the attack. “Many of you will fear a rise in anti-Semitism here at home,” Mr Albanese said. “I want to assure you, that kind of hateful prejudice has no place in Australia. Our country is better than that - and our country is a better place because of you and your community. And my government is committed to keeping the community safe. Over thousands of years, Jewish people have summoned tremendous courage and resilience in the face of trauma. It must feel almost unbearable to have to draw on those strengths again. But I want to say very clearly: you are not alone.”

>>19728711 ABC Middle East correspondent Tom Joyner labels stories about babies being beheaded in Israel ‘bullshit’ - The ABC’s Middle Eastern correspondent Tom Joyner has labelled reports about babies being beheaded by Hamas terrorists in ­Israel as “bullshit” during a fiery exchange in a WhatsApp group with hundreds of international journalists and broadcasters. Joyner, who is reporting on the conflict between Israel and Pales­tine, told a WhatsApp chat group on Tuesday - in now-deleted comments – he did not believe stories being reported around the world about babies being beheaded were true. “The story about the babies is bullshit,” he posted to the large group of media representatives sharing information about the attacks in Israel by Hamas terrorists. WhatsApp messages posted by Joyner, seen by The Australian, were met with condemnation from many members of the media who are part of the chat group set up shortly after the conflict in Israel began at the weekend. One group member responded to Joyner’s “bullshit” comment with “Care to retract this now?” Joyner immediately replied, telling the group he was sorry for his remarks. “I’m sorry about the wording - I regret that. But we still have not seen clear evidence,” he wrote on WhatsApp. “Why hasn’t there been anything unequivocal from the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) or from Netanyahu.”

#32 - Part 13

Australian Politics and Society - Part 13

>>19728751 Jewish leaders urge ABC to stand down Tom Joyner over ‘bullshit’ comments about babies being beheaded - The ABC is facing pressure from Jewish leaders to stand down Middle Eastern correspondent Tom Joyner from reporting on the war in Israel after he labelled reports about babies being beheaded by Hamas terrorists as “bullshit” in a WhatsApp group with international media. The Zionist Federation of Australia’s president Jeremy Leibler has written to the ABC’s director of news Justin Stevens on Friday in a letter outlining that he was left “stunned and appalled” by Joyner’s remarks that “Jewish babies being beheaded and burnt to death in Israel are ‘bullshit’.” In Mr Leibler’s letter, seen by The Australian, he described Joyner’s comments in the WhatsApp group with more than 600 journalists who are reporting on the atrocities in Israel were based on “unfounded scepticism and refusal to report on these crimes that forced the public release today of photographic evidence of charred and mutilated children.” “He was immediately and rightly condemned by the other journalists to whom he made the comment,” Mr Leibler said in the letter. “He must now promptly be denounced and disciplined by the ABC.” He has asked that Joyner no longer report on the attacks in Israel by Hamas terrorists. “I respectfully urge you immediately to stand down Mr Joyner as the ABC’s Middle East Correspondent,” he said. “His continued position is untenable.”

>>19728776 Israeli official says government cannot confirm babies were beheaded in Hamas attack - "The Israeli government has not confirmed the specific claim that Hamas attackers cut off the heads of babies during their shock attack on Saturday, an Israeli official told CNN, contradicting a previous public statement by the Prime Minister’s office. “There have been cases of Hamas militants carrying out beheadings and other ISIS-style atrocities. However, we cannot confirm if the victims were men or women, soldiers or civilians, adults or children,” the official said. Hamas on Wednesday denied the allegations. Izzat al-Risheq, a senior official and spokesperson for the Islamist militant group, said that the international media had “spread lies about our Palestinian people and the resistance claiming that members of the Palestinian resistance beheaded children and attacked women with no evidence to support such claims and lies.” CNN has pored through hundreds of hours of media posted online attempting to corroborate accounts of atrocities committed by Hamas. In one video, which CNN determined to be authentic but has not been able to geolocate, an assailant attacks an injured man with a garden tool in an attempt to behead him. But CNN has not seen anything that would appear to confirm the claims of decapitated children. CNN also visited the ransacked ruins of Kfar Aza on Tuesday and saw no evidence of beheaded youths. Israeli officials have not released any photographs of the incident either." - Matthew Chance, Richard Allen Greene and Joshua Berlinger - cnn.com

>>19728831 Huge crowds attend pro-Palestinian rallies in Canberra, Brisbane and Perth - Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters have begun to gather at rallies across the country as Gaza braces for a ground strike from Israeli forces. Australians in Canberra, Brisbane and Perth have gathered in support of the heavily-bombarded Palestinians as Israel continues to send warplanes into Gaza in retaliation for attacks from Hamas militants. Attendees in Canberra were seen peacefully waving flags, as a small group of counter-protestors stood nearby holding signs. Protesters at the Canberra rally called on the Australian government to do more to support Palestinians under siege. One leader wanted the government to “call out Israel’s breaches of international laws, including the fourth Geneva convention and UN resolutions”.

#32 - Part 14

Australian Politics and Society - Part 14

>>19728896 ASIO war-of-words violence warning over Israel - The nation’s top domestic security agency has warned of the potential for “opportunistic violence” in Australia following Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel, calling on “all parties” to refrain from stoking division amid fears domestic extremists could take advantage of community unrest. As pro-Palestinian groups plan further rallies in coming days, ASIO head Mike Burgess said he had not lifted the national terrorism threat level, but the agency was on alert for indications of planned violence. “I remain concerned about the potential for opportunistic violence with little or no warning,” the ASIO director-general said. Mr Burgess said the potential for such violence was distinct from planned attacks, declaring ASIO was well placed to detect threats to security from politically motivated and communal violence. “In this context, it is important that all parties consider the ­implications for social cohesion when making public statements,” he said. “As I have said previously, words matter. ASIO has seen ­direct connections between ­inflamed language and inflamed community tensions.”

>>19728938 ASIO boss’s call for calm risks stirring the political pot - "ASIO has made an extraordinary intervention into what is an extraordinary situation evolving in Australia. On the surface, it reflects concerns that another tipping point in the nation’s social cohesion may be approaching. While it is rare for a director-general of security to so overtly step into the political arena, Mike Burgess clearly feels that he has been forced to do so. Presumably, the intelligence agency is picking up some disturbing chatter. Burgess’s intervention, however, has had immediate repercussions. Burgess said “all parties” needed to consider the implications for social cohesion when speaking publicly. While he is concerned about the security environment, he has inadvertently added to a volatile political environment. Some may argue that it is not ASIO’s role to be venturing into this debate publicly. And there are valid reasons why. The Albanese government has been quick to seize on Burgess’s warning, backgrounding media that the spy boss’s comments directly contradicted Peter Dutton’s calls for non-citizen hate-preachers to be deported. Burgess has now found himself being verballed by the government when his aim was to point out the escalating implications for the more obvious forms of inflammatory language. When you have protesters chanting “gas the Jews”, you know you have a serious problem from a security perspective." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

>>19728966 Football Australia say they ‘align’ with the Football Association and don’t want Wembley arch lit up to support Israel during the friendly with England - A Socceroos friendly match against England early tomorrow morning has been mired in controversy after the Football Association has decided not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of Israel. One of the reasons given by the Football Association was that it didn’t want to inflame any tensions ahead of Australia’s world cup qualifier against Palestine on November 21. Instead players will respect a minute’s silence and wear black armbands. Football Australia told The Australian it had been consulted by the FA on their proposed plans and public statement and added “which we are aligned on”. The FA has refused to criticise or condemn the Hamas atrocities, describing mass slaughter of some of the most vulnerable as “ongoing conflict”, riling Jewish communities in the United Kingdom.

>>19745137 Video: Thousands attend 'largely peaceful' pro-Palestinian rallies across Australia - Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered for rallies in Australian cities, with the events ending peacefully according to police. Large crowds took over the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide with a heavy police presence. However, no arrests were made. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke said more than 6000 people gathered at the Sydney event. Victoria Police said 10,000 people marched in Melbourne, with no arrests. In Adelaide, a pro-Palestinian rally gathered in front of the State Parliament building. Police escorted the crowd from North Terrace to Victoria square in Adelaide's CBD. South Australia Police said the crowd behaved in a "safe, orderly and lawful manner."

>>19745141 NZ election: Christopher Luxon to boost Australian alliance, defence - Incoming Kiwi prime minister Christopher Luxon will boost New Zealand’s defence spending and alliance with Australia, accelerate its return to the Five Eyes fold, and prioritise its trade relationship with India to reduce its economic reliance on China. Luxon promises a strong, combat-ready, interoperable military able to defend New Zealand and Australia, and fulfil Wellington’s global security responsibilities.

#32 - Part 15

Australian Politics and Society - Part 15

>>19749528 Video: ‘You are not alone’ - Albanese condemns Hamas attacks and urges parliament to stand with Israel - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Hamas attacks as “calculated, pitiless brutality” as he moved a motion calling for parliament to stand with Israel and denounce antisemitism. In his most extensive comments on the conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 1400 Israelis and 2600 Palestinians since Hamas’ October 7 assault, Albanese declared the Islamist militant group an enemy of both Jewish people and Palestinians and urged Australians to resist division at home. “The evil committed by Hamas in Israel has chilled every Australian heart,” he said. “This was no act of war against the army of an enemy. It was the slaughter of innocent people. It was an act of terror.” But Albanese’s call was met by division, with the Greens rejecting the motion after a failed bid to amend it to condemn Israeli war crimes, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton trying to paint the government as weak in its response to pro-Palestine protests. The prime minister’s motion also recognised that Jewish people had been subject to hateful prejudice, called for the release of all Israeli hostages, acknowledged the “devastating loss of Israeli and Palestinian life” and supported international humanitarian efforts. “I want to repeat the message I’ve given to all Jewish Australians since the outset: You are not alone. Your fellow Australians stand with you,” he said.

>>19749556 Teal duo in ‘moral fog’ over savage Israel attack, say Jewish leaders - Two Sydney teal MPs have joined forces with the Greens to accuse Israel of war crimes just nine days after Hamas terrorists murdered more than 1400 Israelis, in a move condemned as “reprehensible” by prominent Jewish leaders. Sydney MPs Kylea Tink and Sophie Scamps, and Tasmania’s Andrew Wilkie, backed an ­attempt by Greens leader Adam Bandt to amend the bipartisan motion, seeking to erase a statement declaring Australia “stands with Israel and recognises its inherent right to defend itself”. In its place, the Greens sought to condemn “war crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel, including the bombing of Palestinian civilians”, and call for an immediate ceasefire. As Israeli troops prepare for a ground invasion of Gaza, Sydney Rabbi Nochum Schapiro blasted the minor party and its independent backers, saying those who sought to weaken Israel’s response to the massacre of its people were akin to “Nazi enablers”. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies condemned the MPs’ position as “completely indefensible and morally reprehensible”, while the Executive Council of Australian Jewry accused them of a “moral fog” that insulted the Jewish people.

>>19749564 Labor Senator attacks ‘killing of innocent civilians in Palestine’ - A Labor Senator has attacked the “killing of innocent civilians in Palestine” saying Israel’s right to defend itself cannot come at the cost of the “annihilation of Palestinian civilians”. In the most forceful contribution by Labor thus far, West Australian Senator Fatima Payman called for an “immediate ceasefire” to come into effect amid concern Israeli missiles would strike residential dwellings in Palestine. The 28-year old Senator described herself as a “Muslim devout to her faith” in her maiden speech to parliament last year. “Israeli missiles strike residential dwellings, civilians, multistorey apartments, health facilities as well as places of worship indiscriminately killing men, women and children. We must condemn it,” she told the Senate. “The price tag of Israel’s right to defend itself cannot be the destruction of Palestine. Israel’s right to defend its civilians cannot equate to the annihilation of Palestinian civilians. I hereby call for an immediate ceasefire to come into effect.”

#32 - Part 16

Australian Politics and Society - Part 16

>>19755118 FBI Hosts Five Eyes Summit to Launch Drive to Secure Innovation in Response to Intelligence Threats - In their first-ever joint public appearance, leaders of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership - the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - traveled to the U.S. at the invitation of FBI Director Christopher Wray. Together they are launching the first Emerging Technology and Securing Innovation Security Summit in Palo Alto, California, the heart of Silicon Valley. In addition to the Five Eyes, the summit is bringing together business leaders and entrepreneurs, government officials, and academics to discuss threats to innovation, coming trends in the use and potential exploitation of emerging tech, and means to work together to advance both economic security and public safety. The summit kicks off with a fireside chat with all five members hosted by Dr. Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state. The intelligence leaders will outline current threats and trends to private sector organizations in their respective countries. Following the fireside chat, the intelligence leaders will sit down with private sector leaders for in-depth discussions about expanding and strengthening private-public partnerships to better protect innovation and the collective security of the five nations and their citizens.

>>19755194 Australia's eSafety commission fines Elon Musk's X $610,500 for failing to meet anti-child-abuse standards - The Australian eSafety commission has fined social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, $610,500 for failing to cooperate with a probe into anti-child-abuse practices. As part of a report by the commission earlier this year featuring X, TikTok, Google, Twitch and Discord, the commission found some of the biggest tech companies were not living up to their responsibilities to tackle the proliferation of child sexual exploitation. The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, can now require online service providers to report on how they are meeting any or all of the expectations as part of the eSafety Act. "This was about the worst kind of harm, child sexual exploitation as well as extortion, and we need to make sure that companies have trust and safety teams, they're using people processes and technologies to tackle this kind of content," she told ABC News Channel.

>>19755227 Video: ‘We will remember them’: PM honours soldiers who died in ADF helicopter crash - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has honoured the four soldiers who lost their lives in a military helicopter crash off the coast of Queensland during a Talisman Sabre exercise. The MRH-90 Taipan fatally crashed into the waters near the Whitsundays in July. The crash claimed the lives of Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs. “The most difficult thing that I have had to do as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia, is to ring and speak with their families in the days which followed this tragedy,” said Mr Albanese. “We honour them, we mourn them. “And with their names held within our hearts, we will remember them - lest we forget.” - Sky News Australia

>>19755254 Liberal senator Alex Antic’s bill to ban child gender therapy = All forms of gender reassignment treatment and surgery would be banned for those aged under 18 - including the controversial and increasing use of puberty blockers – under a bill proposed by conser­vative ­Liberal senator Alex Antic. The private members bill would allow teenagers to change gender only in the most exceptional circumstances when diagnosed with long-recognised sexual development disorders. Senator Antic said he had been motivated by growing community disquiet over the explosion in the number of young people “transitioning” and believed that in many cases youths were making the decision not on the basis of genuine medical issues but pressure from peers and health professionals.

#32 - Part 17

Australian Politics and Society - Part 17

>>19762208 Nationals whip calls for Gaza ceasefire as Labor ministers accuse Israel of collective punishment - Two federal government ministers say civilians in Gaza are being subjected to collective punishment by Israel, exposing tensions within the Albanese government over its position on the war, as a federal Labor senator called for landmarks to be lit in the colours of the Palestinian flag. Industry Minister Ed Husic and Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly, who are the only Muslims in federal cabinet, on Thursday called for Australia to step up support for Palestinians facing a humanitarian crisis. They said Palestinian-Australians felt their lives mattered less in the unfolding political reaction to the Israel-Hamas war. While the Coalition said the ministers’ comments showed Labor was divided over the conflict, Nationals whip Mark Coulton also departed from the opposition’s stance that Israel should show no restraint in retaliating to Hamas attacks. “There should be greater focus on the plight of Palestinians who are caught up in this conflict,” he told this masthead. “My greatest concern is for the civilians and children being killed or maimed, and that there are so many people in danger. I am of the belief that there should be a ceasefire until a plan for a humanitarian solution can be worked out.”

>>19769232 Anthony Albanese and Joe Biden to strike new economic, defence and climate ‘alliance for the future’ - Anthony Albanese and Joe Biden will announce major economic partnerships next week focused on strengthening ties around clean energy, climate change, defence co-operation and critical minerals amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and surging oil prices. The US President will host an official state dinner at the White House for the Prime Minister on Wednesday night (US time), bringing together prominent Australian and US business, defence and diplomatic officials to usher in a new Australia-US “alliance for the future”. Mr Albanese, who will open the new Australian embassy in Washington alongside ambassador Kevin Rudd during the week-long trip, will discuss climate action, clean energy partnerships, AUKUS progress and Indo-­Pacific stability with Mr Biden.

>>19775596 Bill Hayden, former governor-general and Labor leader, dead at 90 - Bill Hayden, who served as Australia’s 21st Governor-General, Labor leader and senior minister in the Whitlam and Hawke governments, has died at age 90. His health had been declining for the past decade and he was in and out of hospital for strokes, pneumonia, heat exhaustion and broken bones. His wife, Dallas, and three children cared for him at home until recently. Mr Hayden was one of the few surviving members of a generation of leading politicians, his death coming after Gough Whitlam (2014), Malcolm Fraser (2015), Bob Hawke (2019) and Andrew Peacock (2021). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised his lifetime of service to Australia. “In a time of forceful personalities, Bill Hayden was notable for his humility,” he said in a statement. “Yet there was nothing modest about his ambition for Labor or Australia. This was the quiet strength of character he brought to the cause of progress.”

>>19775611 Anti-Jewish protests ‘an abomination’, says Josh Frydenberg - Josh Frydenberg has condemned anti-Semitic protests on the Sydney Opera House steps as an “abomination”, warned of the deep fears of Australia’s Jewish community and praised the “piercing moral clarity” demonstrated by the US, UK and Germany in standing with Israel in its hour of need. In his first comments since the Hamas terror attack on southern Israel, the former treasurer ­and prominent member of the Jewish community said he never believed he would feel as his grandparents did amid the rising tide of Jewish hatred that heralded the Holocaust, nor as his parents did amid the threat to Israel posed by the Yom Kippur War in 1973. “But now I do. I stand before you anguished and anxious about the future,” Mr Frydenberg said in a speech in support of victims of terrorism, an extract of which is published in The Weekend Australian.

#32 - Part 18

Australian Politics and Society - Part 18

>>19775642 OPINION: As a Jew, I can despair or look to the lessons of history - "Thirteen days ago, my world changed, our world changed, forever. The medieval slaughter of innocents representing the single biggest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust punctured the aura of invincibility that surrounded the Israeli Defence Force. Terror has ushered in widespread trauma leaving a whole nation grieving for the more than 1400 lost and 200 missing. It has left deep psychological scars in the Jewish community in and beyond Israel’s shores that may never heal. As a person of Jewish faith who has only ever known of a confident and strong Israel, I never thought I would feel, as my parents did in 1973 during the Yom Kippur war, the existential threat facing Israel. But now I do. As a person of Jewish faith growing up in a tolerant and multicultural Australia, I never thought I would feel, as my grandparents did in 1933, the rising tide of European antisemitism which would consume their families in the flames of the Holocaust. But now I do. I am anguished and anxious about the future. These are indeed the darkest of times. Every day innocent lives are being lost in both Israel and in Gaza. We cannot lose our common humanity as Hamas makes victims of the people of Gaza, too. It is my hope that, despite all that has happened, the light will eventually shine through." - Josh Frydenberg, former treasurer of Australia - theage.com.au

>>19775684 Colours of Palestinian flag take over streets in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as thousands attend rallies - The streets of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth have turned into a sea of green, red, black and white as thousands take part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In Sydney, attendees stretched from the steps of Town Hall along the tram tracks of George Street in the city's centre, chanting "free free Palestine" and "shame shame Albanese". A number of speakers addressed the crowd including representatives from the Indigenous and Palestinian communities, Jenny Leong from the Greens NSW and Michelle Berkon from Jews Against the Occupation. The march was given late approval on Friday as NSW Premier Chris Minns promised a "zero tolerance" approach to any violence or hate speech.

>>19780599 Thousands left shaken by earthquake in Victorian tourist hotspot - A 5.0 Magnitude earthquake has left residents of a Victorian tourist hotspot shaken up - and caused damage close to the centre of Melbourne. The quake struck near Colac and Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road just after 2am on Sunday morning with people as far away as Melbourne feeling the tremors. Over 5,000 “felt reports” have been submitted to Geoscience Australia by people across Victoria. Siesmologist Adam Pascale said the earthquake was the largest to happen in Victoria since September 2021, when the state was hit by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake. The initial quake in Colac was followed by a 3.6 magnitude aftershock in Apollo Bay just before 6am. There have been reports of minor damage but no injuries, according to the Victoria State Emergency Service.

>>19792260 ABC Middle East correspondent Tom Joyner is under investigation over ‘bullshit’ beheaded baby comment - ABC managing director David Anderson has revealed its Middle Eastern correspondent Tom Joyner is under investigation after he labelled reports about babies being beheaded by Hamas terrorists as “bullshit” in a WhatsApp group with international media. At Senate estimates on Tuesday, Mr Anderson said the public broadcaster is “certainly looking into it, investigating it.” “I am sorry that happened, and I am sorry that event occurred and that was then distressing to other people as well, it shouldn’t have happened,” he said. “He was at the time doing what journalists were doing, and that was trying to verify what sources could back up what claims are being made at the time.” Joyner, who has been reporting on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, told a WhatsApp chat group earlier this month - in comments that have since been deleted – that he disputed reports from around the world about babies being beheaded being true.

#32 - Part 19

Australian Politics and Society - Part 19

>>19792436 Victorian Labor MP Will Fowles arrested over sexual assault allegations - Disgraced Victorian Labor MP Will Fowles has been arrested and interviewed over allegations he sexually assaulted a state government employee. Mr Fowles was forced to resign from the parliamentary Labor Party in early August, at the request of then-premier Daniel Andrews’s office, following allegations that he was involved in the “serious” assault. He remains a member of the wider Labor Party. In September he announced he would not attend parliamentary sittings until the conclusion of a police investigation, which was initiated following a referral from the premier’s office. On Tuesday, Victoria Police confirmed Mr Fowles had earlier this month been arrested, interviewed and released without charge as part of their ongoing investigation. “Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad executed a warrant at a Ringwood address on 12 October as part of an ongoing investigation into an incident in the Melbourne CBD,” police said in response to questions from The Australian. “A 45-year-old Ringwood man was arrested at the property and interviewed by police. He was released without charge pending further inquiries. “As the investigation is ongoing and given the sensitive nature of the matter, we will not be commenting further at this time.”

>>19798395 Wong joins allies asking for ‘humanitarian pause’ to hostilities in Gaza - Foreign Minister Penny Wong has joined international allies to call for a humanitarian pause on hostilities in Gaza so that food and water reach civilians and people can move to safety, in the federal government’s strongest statement yet on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Her intervention comes alongside appeals from the United Nations, United States, Canada and New Zealand for a humanitarian pause to allow safe deliveries of aid in the besieged territory, as Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli air strikes had killed more than 700 Palestinians overnight. Wong said the way Israel chose to defend itself against the terrorist group’s attack on October 7 mattered and should not lead to the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians. While she acknowledged some humanitarian aid had been delivered to Gaza in recent days, she said it was “nowhere near enough”.

>>19805135 Video: Extraordinary footage resurfaces of Anthony Albanese at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney - Extraordinary footage has resurfaced of Anthony Albanese addressing supporters at a free Palestine rally early on in his political career. The decades-old grainy footage shows the future Prime Minister condemning the actions of the Israeli military at a protest at Martin Place in Sydney's CBD. The clip obtained by Sky News shows Mr Albanese among a crowd of protesters standing next to a banner that reads, 'Stop the Israeli slaughter, free Palestine now'. He's seen using a megaphone to condemn Israel's actions. 'The response of Israel has been to meet children throwing rocks with helicopters, with tanks and with missiles,' the future Prime Minister is heard saying. The footage captions Mr Albanese as a 'federal Labor MP'. He's been the member for Grayndler since 1996.

>>19805159 Video:'True colours': Anthony Albanese’s past appearances at pro-Palestine rallies laid bare in resurfaced protest video - Resurfaced news footage has revealed Anthony Albanese’s past appearances at pro-Palestine rallies earlier in his parliamentary career. Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson revealed the clip on Wednesday evening while covering the Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States to visit President Joe Biden. “Albanese has over his entire Parliamentary career spoken out against Israel and in support of Palestinians,” she said before cutting to the resurfaced footage. In the grainy video, Mr Albanese can be seen protesting against Israel’s “occupation” of Palestine in Sydney’s Martin Place next to a sign reading “Stop the Israeli Slaughter: Free Palestine now”. Mr Albanese also uses a microphone to condemn the Israeli military.

#32 - Part 20

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 1

>>19548649 Moderna set for Covid and flu ‘superjab’ in early 2026 - Australians will be able to roll up their sleeves for a “superjab” to protect them from both Covid and the flu by early 2026 if Moderna has its way. The US biotech company has slated its anticipated launch date for the product, which will combine vaccines for the flu and Covid-19 into a single shot for the first time. The northern hemisphere will be able to access the jab from late 2025 for its flu season, subject to regulatory approval, with a launch Down Under to follow in 2026.

>>19581632 Albanese to announce 12-month COVID inquiry - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will finally announce the long-awaited inquiry into Australia’s response to COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday. The 12-month inquiry will not be a royal commission but is expected to have wide-ranging powers to call witnesses and it will examine the response of federal and state governments to the pandemic since it began in January 2020. Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler will on Thursday release the terms of reference for the inquiry, which will be led by a panel of medical and economic experts. Albanese has never promised a royal commission into the country’s response to COVID-19 and instead has said, repeatedly, that he supported holding a “royal commission or some form of inquiry” into the country’s handling of COVID-19. The federal government has argued that the pandemic is still ongoing when explaining the delay in announcing the inquiry.

>>19587828 State and territory decisions will be excluded from inquiry into COVID pandemic responses - Decisions made by state and territory governments - such as state-based lockdowns and border closures – will be outside the scope of the COVID inquiry announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday. A three-person panel led by a public service expert, epidemiologist and health economist will be given 12 months to probe the Commonwealth’s response to the COVID pandemic and make recommendations for how Australia can better prepare for similar events. The inquiry will review the provision of vaccinations, treatments and key medical supplies to Australians, mental health support for those impacted by COVID-19 and lockdowns, financial support for individuals and business, and assistance for Australians abroad. Coalition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said it was essential that an inquiry probed state and territory responses as well as the Commonwealth’s. She called for leaders to be compelled to give evidence so that the investigation was not politicised against the former Coalition federal government. Coalition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said it was essential that an inquiry probed state and territory responses as well as the Commonwealth’s. She called for leaders to be compelled to give evidence so that the investigation was not politicised against the former Coalition federal government.

>>19587850 Covid pandemic royal commission refusal ‘a protection racket’, says Coalition - The Coalition has accused Anthony Albanese of running a ­“protection racket” for Labor premiers after refusing to hold a royal commission into the Covid-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister and Health Minister Mark Butler are on Thursday expected to announce an inquiry into the handling the pandemic, but it will not have the investigative powers of a royal commission. The inquiry will reportedly last for 12 months and be led by a panel of experts including an epidemiologist and an economist. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said there was “no doubt in my mind” Mr Albanese fell short of announcing a royal commission into the management of the pandemic to protect Labor premiers, particularly Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

#32 - Part 21

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 2

>>19587888 PM’s panel members backed hard lockdowns - Two-of-the-three experts hand-picked to lead the government’s Covid-19 inquiry publicly supported Victoria’s hard lockdowns, fuelling Peter Dutton’s concerns that Anthony Albanese has been “rolled” by Labor premiers in excluding state and territory pandemic decisions. Independent inquiry panel member Angela Jackson, an economist and former deputy chief-of-staff former Labor finance minister Lindsay Tanner, in July 2021 said that Victoria needed “a hard lockdown and a dose of luck to get through this”. In another June 2021 tweet, Dr Jackson declared that “Melbourne has suffered its share of lockdowns helping to keep the rest of Australia Covid free”. “Time to bloody step up Sydney because personally could do without lockdown 5.0. And yes would prefer that we had hit vaccination targets and this option was redundant,” she said. In another tweet, Dr Jackson slammed a “group of six adults (that) my husband asked to either mask up or leave the middle of the playground yesterday”. “Thanks for being irresponsible adults and making our kids lives that little bit harder,” she tweeted.

>>19587905 Half-baked Covid-19 inquiry will only deliver half-baked answers - "How do you learn the lessons of Australia’s response to the coronavirus pandemic without examining its most glaring mistakes? That is exactly what the government is trying to do in announcing a national inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic while excluding the decisions by the states including lockdowns and border closures. So for example, there will be no questions asked about the pros and cons of why Victorian Premier Dan Andrews locked Melbourne down for 262 days, a record which made headlines around the world? There will be no questions about whether any lessons can be learned from harsh policies like closing children’s playgrounds or imposing street curfews or sudden and inflexible border closures? In the case of Victoria, it certainly seems that federal Labor has handed Labor premier Dan Andrews a get-out-of-jail free card for excluding the states from scrutiny." - Cameron Stewart - theaustralian.com.au

>>19601885 Experts reject narrow Covid inquiry terms - The nation’s peak doctors’ group has rejected the narrow terms of Anthony Albanese’s Covid-19 inquiry, saying that carving out the unilateral actions of the states will mean the probe will be operating with “one hand tied behind its back”. Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson is urging the government to expand the scope of the inquiry, saying the key issues that affected the health workforce and that continue to cripple public health systems in the wake of the pandemic relate largely to management and decisions of state governments. “I am scratching my head as to how you can run an inquiry and come out with recommendations for next time that don’t include a lot of the state and territory stuff,” Professor Robson said. “We really are concerned that while the intentions are good, if you’re running the inquiry with one hand tied behind your back … we’re not really sure it’s going to be achieving its stated aims. We’ll be bringing up all of the issues, whether they like it or not.”

#32 - Part 22

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide - Part 3

>>19601905 Covid inquiry: Why light must be shone on state leaders’ responses - "The most significant unforeseen consequence of the Australian response to the global Covid-19 pandemic was the sudden promotion of the nation’s premiers. During those dark lockdown years of 2020 and 2021, as the nation confronted its greatest threat since World War II, we needed unifying national leadership. Instead, we woke up one morning and found it wasn’t the prime minister or federal government that would run much of this show. We would be under the control of parochial premiers and their ­previously faceless state public ­servants who were armed, and willing, to use crushing health laws in pursuit of a “Covid zero” political fantasy. “To hell with more than a century of federation, I’m in charge” was the mantra, as our mostly Labor premiers who sell themselves as progressives transformed into progressive dictators and slammed their borders shut, and kept them shut for too long. To understand just how outrageous Anthony Albanese’s decision to shield the premiers from his Covid inquiry is, you need to remember the above. Premiers are quick to make the point that these were unprecedented times. They are right. They had to act, and mistakes were inevitable. This is the reason to shine a light on them, not shield them." - Damon Johnson, Victorian Editor - theaustralian.com.au

>>19606877 Pandemic inquiry useless without admitting to failures - "Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s remarks at the United Nations last week, in a session related to “pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”, were a stark reminder of why it’s too early to institute any inquiry into Australia’s Covid-19. Senator Wong blamed the pandemic for “hardship and suffering” and for “exacerbating inequities of our global system”, pointing out that 124 million people fell back into poverty. But much of the suffering over the past few years was caused by governments, not “the pandemic”. Covid-19 didn’t print trillions of dollars, euros and pounds, which have prompted rampant inflation, years of declining living standards, higher interest rates and a massive surge in inequality. The virus didn’t close schools and universities, ruin small businesses, delay medical treatments, sow intergenerational discord and isolate people from their loved ones. It didn’t force millions of people to take a rushed vaccine against their will, or censor doctors and medical professionals who turned out to be right. These were all political decisions. Until our political leaders are able to speak honestly about the role of government in the hardship and suffering of the past few years, any sort of inquiry will be a waste of time, whatever the terms of reference happen to be." - Adam Creighton - theaustralian.com.au

>>19804919 Australian Court Rules Against Carnival in Landmark COVID-19 Case - Carnival Corp’s Australian unit has been ordered to pay the medical expenses of a woman who contracted COVID-19, with a judge ruling that the cruise ship operator misled passengers about safety risks in a landmark class action ruling. The decision from Australia’s Federal Court is the first class action win against a cruise ship operator in the world, according to Shine Lawyers, who represent about 1,000 plaintiffs in the suit. Justice Angus Stewart found Carnival Australia misled passengers about the measures it had in place to keep passengers from contracting the virus and that it should have cancelled the March 2020 return voyage from Sydney to New Zealand. Lead plaintiff Susan Karpik was awarded A$4,423.48 ($2,826) for out-of-pocket medical expenses but no damages. The courts must now decide on the common claims of the remaining parties to the class action, a spokesperson for Shine Lawyers told Reuters.

#32 - Part 23

Julian Assange Indictment and Extradition - Part 1

>>19493339 Parliamentary delegation will visit Washington to urge US to ditch extradition of Julian Assange - A multi-party delegation of federal MPs and senators will travel to Washington DC this month as part of the campaign to release WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The United States is seeking to extradite Mr Assange from the United Kingdom on 18 charges related to the publication of thousands of military and diplomatic documents. He has been detained in the Belmarsh Prison in London for more than four years, and is currently appealing the UK's decision to agree to his extradition. The parliamentary delegation will include former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, Labor MP Tony Zappia, Liberal senator Alex Antic, independent MP Monique Ryan, and Greens senators David Shoebridge and Peter Whish-Wilson. The group will urge US politicians and officials to abandon their extradition efforts, when it travels to Washington on September 20.

>>19548542 Julian Assange: more than 60 Australian MPs urge US to let WikiLeaks founder walk free - More than 60 Australian federal politicians have explicitly called on the US to drop the prosecution of Julian Assange, warning of “a sharp and sustained outcry in Australia” if the WikiLeaks founder is extradited. With a small cross-party delegation due to fly to Washington next week, the Guardian can reveal the lobbying trip has won the open support of 63 members of Australia’s House of Representatives and Senate. In a letter, the 63 MPs and senators said they stood in support of the trip to the US and were “resolutely of the view that the prosecution and incarceration of the Australian citizen Julian Assange must end”. They said the matter had “dragged on for over a decade” and it was “wrong for Mr Assange to be further persecuted and denied his liberty when one considers the duration and circumstances of the detention he has already suffered.

>>19581618 Brazil's president says Julian Assange can't be punished for 'informing society' in a 'transparent' way - Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said at the United Nations in New York City on Tuesday that it is "essential" to preserve the freedom of the press and that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should not be prosecuted for informing the public. "It is essential to preserve the freedom of the press. A journalist like Julian Assange cannot be punished for informing society in a transparent and legitimate way," Lula said. The president's comments come a day before a cross-party delegation of Australian politicians meet in Washington, D.C., with U.S. officials, members of Congress and civil rights groups. The group is bringing a letter signed by more than 60 members of parliament calling on the U.S. to drop the prosecution against Assange, who is fighting against extradition to the U.S., where could be sentenced to as many as 175 years in an American maximum security prison. U.S. President Joe Biden will host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in late October. Albanese has repeatedly called on the U.S. in recent months to end the prosecution of the Australian journalist.

#32 - Part 24

Julian Assange Indictment and Extradition - Part 2

>>19587750 Unlikely alliance pleads for Julian Assange’s release in US - The US-Australia alliance faces a fresh test after Canberra politicians descended on Washington to demand the immediate release of Julian Assange and warned that his extradition would spark a backlash from America’s key AUKUS partner. With the Wikileaks founder running out of options, Australian politicians from across the aisle have met with members of US Congress and officials from the State and Justice departments to call for the Australian citizen, who’s being held in London’s Belmarsh prison, to be sent home by Christmas. “We’ve made it very clear that the continued prosecution of Julian Assange is not the action of a friend of Australia,” said Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who added that extradition would be “a blow to the relationship between Australia and the United States”.

>>19686008 United in the States: Assange family pins hopes on Albanese-Biden meeting - Julian Assange’s family is working out of the United States to fight his extradition, beseeching lawmakers there for help ahead of a looming meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Joe Biden. They live in fear that their phones will light up with news that the WikiLeaks founder is about to be whisked from detention in the United Kingdom to a US prison - where they will lose him forever. This heightened anxiety is fuelling their efforts to campaign for Assange’s release. They are meeting with key Democrats and Republicans, seeking the support of international leaders and drumming up public support to end the 13-year saga over his fate.

>>19816452 ‘Enough is enough’: Albanese talks to Biden about Assange - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has raised the plight of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in talks this week with United States President Joe Biden, stepping up efforts to find a way to release the Australian from jail. Albanese discussed Assange in his private talks in Washington DC after making public calls in recent months for a resolution to the US charges against him for releasing state secrets. The talks came as Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, told this masthead that he feared for his brother’s life because of the impact of the detention on his mental health. Shipton, who saw Assange last week, said a visit to his brother was always “full of anxiety” about his brother’s condition. “He’s still fighting, he’s hanging in there despite what he’s been through and despite the adversary he’s taken on,” he said. “He’s not the same man he was a year ago or even before that - it’s really taken its toll on him.” Shipton said it would be unacceptable for Assange to face trial in the US given the case is set down for a Virginia court where the community - and the jury pool - included defence and security workers. “I don’t believe that Julian would receive a fair trial in the United States,” he said. “It’s a bit of a fairytale, to be honest, this idea that Julian would receive a fair trial or a fair deal that wouldn’t see him suffering more.”

#32 - Part 25

Brittany Higgins Rape Trial and Sofronoff Inquiry into ACT Criminal Justice System - Part 1

>>19587792 Shane Drumgold’s case against Sofronoff inquiry to be heard by Victorian judge - Former ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold’s case against the inquiry that ended his career will be heard by a Victorian Supreme Court judge, due to a potential conflict of interest preventing it from being heard by a judge in his own jurisdiction. Mr Drumgold last month launched extraordinary legal action challenging both his “termination” by the ACT government and the findings of the inquiry that he engaged in serious malpractice and grossly ­unethical conduct in Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial. The ACT Supreme Court on Thursday heard Chief Justice Lucy McCallum had decided it “would not be appropriate for any resident judge of this court to hear these proceedings.” ACT Registrar Jayne Reece wrote to parties last week saying there was a potential “conflict of interest” due to Mr Drumgold’s standing in the ACT Supreme Court, which was further “complicated” by the fact Chief Justice McCallum presided over Mr Lehrmann’s trial. As such, the court heard Chief Justice McCallum had written to Victorian Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Ferguson requesting she allow one of her justices to become an acting member of the ACT Supreme Court. Chief Justice Ferguson obliged, and Justice Stephen Kaye is in the process of becoming appointed to oversee proceedings.

>>19805233 Bruce Lehrmann charged with two counts of rape in Toowoomba - Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been charged with two counts of rape in relation to an incident alleged to have occurred after a night out in Queensland in October, 2021. For the first time, it can be revealed that Mr Lehrmann is the “high-profile man” accused of rape in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. The matter was first listed in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court in January, 2023 but Mr Lehrmann has never been named until now. The two charges pertain to an alleged incident with a woman Mr Lehrmann met in a Toowoomba nightclub weeks after he appeared in an ACT court over unrelated allegations he raped Brittany Higgins. That trial collapsed following an allegation of juror misconduct. Mr Lehrmann was never convicted and strongly denied all allegations. Queensland Supreme Court judge Peter Applegarth rejected an application by Mr Lehrmann to continue an ongoing suppression order on his name at 5pm on Thursday, October 26.

#32 - Part 26

Brittany Higgins Rape Trial and Sofronoff Inquiry into ACT Criminal Justice System - Part 2

>>19805258 Bruce Lehrmann in dock on new rape charges - Bruce Lehrmann has been charged with rape after a young woman he met in a Toowoomba strip club Googled the Brittany Higgins rape case and then alleged she recognised him as the man who had unprotected sex with her without consent. The alleged victim told police she realised it was the same man who introduced himself as “Bryce” when they met at the club in October 2021, only a few weeks after he first appeared in court over allegations he raped Ms Higgins in Parliament House. Mr Lehrmann allegedly had consensual sex with the woman that night but failed to wear a condom when they had sex twice the next morning. Failing to wear a condom without a partner’s permission is considered sexual ­assault under Queensland law. The 28-year-old was named on Thursday as the well-known Australian facing rape charges in ­Toowoomba after the Supreme Court of Queensland lifted a suppression order that had protected his identity. The prosecution and media outlets, including The Australian, had fought in court to remove the non-publication order, arguing that it went against the principles of open justice and that Mr Lehrmann had no automatic protection under the new laws. The former Liberal staffer was not present in court for the hearing, and remains on bail. He is expected to plead not guilty to the charges.

>>19805276 Why we couldn’t tell you Bruce Lehrmann was charged with rape until now - The media have not been legally able to report on the identity of Bruce Lehrmann until now under Queensland laws that suppressed the identity of the accused in sexual assault cases until or unless they are committed to stand trial. Those laws were changed in September, bringing Queensland into line with most other states and territories to allow the naming of accused sex offenders after they are charged. Despite the change in the law, the legal fight to name him has continued to play out in the Queensland Supreme Court and the Toowoomba Magistrates Court after his legal team sought a suppression order. The media has instead reported on multiple court hearings in relation to the matter for the past year by simply referring to a “high-profile man” accused of rape in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. That was until today. The two charges pertain to an alleged incident with a woman Mr Lehrmann met in a Toowoomba nightclub weeks after he appeared in an ACT court over unrelated allegations he raped Brittany Higgins. That trial collapsed following an allegation of juror misconduct. Mr Lehrmann was never convicted and strongly denied all allegations. Queensland Supreme Court judge Peter Applegarth rejected an application by Mr Lehrmann to continue an ongoing suppression order on his name at 5pm on Thursday, October 26.

#32 - Part 27

Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry and Ben Roberts-Smith Defamation Trial

>>19511867 Australian War Memorial adds panel with context of Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation case to uniform display - The Australian War Memorial (AWM) has added information to a plaque commemorating Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith's Victoria Cross medal, to reflect recent court rulings over his alleged conduct in Afghanistan. The AWM has added details about a Federal Court ruling in a defamation case brought by Mr Roberts-Smith against media groups, which found there was substantial truth to allegations he had been involved and complicit in unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Mr Roberts-Smith is currently challenging the ruling with an appeal, and has not been charged with any criminal offence. The revised text panel reads in part: "Accounts of alleged misconduct by a small number of Australian Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan began appearing in the media from late 2016. Claims were later heard in a civil defamation case brought by Roberts-Smith against media outlets and journalists. In June 2023 a Federal Court Judge determined that there was "substantial truth" to the allegations that Roberts-Smith had been involved and complicit in unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Roberts-Smith has appealed this decision. Roberts-Smith has not been charged with any offence under criminal law."

>>19656323 Death threats from Ben Roberts-Smith supporters aimed at journalist - Supporters of disgraced former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith have directed a number of death threats at investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Nick McKenzie since May, when a judge ruled in favour of his reporting on alleged war crimes committed by Roberts-Smith. In June, Justice Anthony Besanko ruled that on the balance of probabilities Roberts-Smith was guilty and complicit in the murder of four unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan. It was a decision several years in the making, following extensive reporting by McKenzie and Chris Masters, who were both subsequently sued for defamation by the former soldier and former Seven Network executive. “Good morning Nick. I hope you receive the same punishment that Ali Jan allegedly received… just sleep on it mate,” McKenzie was told in a phone message in July, referencing one of the victims of Roberts-Smith. Members of a Facebook group “We stand with Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG” lobbied others to attend scheduled dates for McKenzie’s and Masters’ book tours in July and August. The group, which has more than 3700 members, was made private in July after one of its admins, Western Australian woman Linda Deval, was contacted by this masthead over a post claiming it had the support of Roberts-Smith and his family. “Will be there in Canberra July 26th to let him know fear,” read one comment under the username Gary Redman, residing in the NSW town of Bermagui, on a post urging members to attend dates on McKenzie’s book tour.

>>19712747 British army ‘was told SAS lied to justify killing of Afghans’ - Senior British military officers were warned that SAS units were planting evidence to try to justify the killings of dozens of innocent civilians during raids in Afghanistan, an inquiry has been told. The deaths allegedly stemmed from an unofficial policy within the British special forces to “execute Afghan males of fighting age” even when they posed no threat. High-level concerns about the alleged killings prompted one senior military officer to say that justifications given were “logic-defying”. Other staff used internal emails to lament a “casual disregard for life”. Details of the killings emerged on the first day of a public inquiry into the behaviour of elite military units. It will examine claims that more than 80 Afghans were summarily killed between 2010 and 2013. The Ministry of Defence ordered the inquiry last year after campaigning by victims’ families and claims by the BBC program Panorama that one unit may have unlawfully killed 54 people in one six-month tour. Opening the inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, the chairman, said the allegations were “extremely grave”. The inquiry would examine claims that the allegations were “covered up at all levels over the last decade” and that investigations by the Royal Military Police were not fit for purpose. The inquiry heard evidence from internal emails between officials in which they referred to the official explanation about raids as “bollocks”.

#32 - Part 28

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 1

>>19505163 Video: AUKUS deal not moving through US Congress as smoothly as hoped, senator warns - Congress is at risk of "doing Beijing's work" if it fails to pass legislation necessary to the AUKUS deal, the US Senate's foreign relations chairman has warned. Two years since the deal to supply Australia with American submarines was announced, senior members of congress are urging their colleagues not to hold up laws to authorise their delivery. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, told a hearing in Washington that congress's implementation of the deal had "not gone as smoothly as some of us would have hoped". But he said China's recent behaviour towards Australia meant "time is of the essence" in the trilateral agreement between Australia, the US and the UK. "They [China] are aggressively trying to influence Australian politics and civil society, buying critical infrastructure like port facilities in Darwin, making political donations, even hacking Australian parliament and major political parties," Senator Menendez said.

>>19562030 Two years after AUKUS announcement, American politicians are divided on delivery of subs to Australia - A Republican senator has renewed calls for the US to step up its production of nuclear-powered submarines before selling them as part of AUKUS, arguing America is as "unprepared" as it was ahead of the Pearl Harbor attack. The US is set to transfer at least three Virginia-class submarines to Australia from the early 2030s under the AUKUS agreement. However, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee, Roger Wicker, told a hearing in Washington this week that the US was failing to meet its own shipbuilding targets. "We should be producing somewhere between 2.3 and 2.5 attack submarines a year to fulfil our own requirements as we implement AUKUS," he said. "Instead, we're down to building 1.2 attack submarines per year… and the path back toward two per year is based on hopes and wishes. We are as unprepared as our fleet was for the Japanese attack on the eve of Pearl Harbor in 1941. We need to act."

>>19575834 Are AUKUS and Marles killing our defence force? - "There’s every chance AUKUS could turn out to be the enemy of Australian defence self-reliance, or of any defence capability at all. Worse, it could ultimately go the way of the French submarines. People will lose faith in it because it’s not remotely on track to deliver anything at all in a meaningful timeframe. Nothing much is happening about AUKUS in the physical universe. We haven’t even seriously begun upgrading the Stirling submarine base in Western Australia that is meant to host nuclear-powered subs by 2027. Richard Marles must already be judged a failure as Defence Minister. He tried to get more money for Defence and failed. As a result, the whole show is in shocking disarray. Any nation that acquires nuclear-powered subs needs to spend a lot more money. If it doesn’t radically increase its defence budget it can spend that money only by eating up other defence capabilities. We’re getting nuclear subs, but we’re not increasing defence spending within these forward estimates, and promises after that are just science fiction. So far, the government is overseeing the decline of Australian defence capability. It really is a national tragedy." - Greg Sheridan - theaustralian.com.au

>>19601944 Senior US Democrats senator Bob Menendez charged with corruption - One of the most senior Democrats in Washington, Senator Bob Menendez, has been charged with corruption after the FBI found hundreds of thousands of dollars, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz at his private home, allegedly provided by three Egyptian-American businessmen for favours. The explosive allegations against the senator for New Jersey, who is also chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, emerged on Friday (Saturday AEST) and come amid tense negotiations over funding the government in a senate where Democrats hold a slim 51 to 49 margin. Damian Williams, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, which has brought the charges, alleged the senator had between 2018 and 2022, along with his wife, accepted bribes from three businessmen with links to Egypt, including $US480,000 ($745,000) in hidden cash and three gold bars worth around $US150,000 found at the chairman’s home. Senator Menendez, a supporter of the AUKUS agreement, introduced legislation into the senate in July to enable the transfer of nuclear submarines to Australia as part of the three way security pact. After Mr Williams’s press conference Senator Menendez released a statement blaming the charges on “forces behind the scenes” that had “repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave”.

#32 - Part 29

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 2

>>19601950 Gold bars, cash-stuffed envelopes: Indictment of Democratic senator alleges vast corruption - US Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has been called on to resign hours after he was indicted on bribery charges that involved alleged gifts of gold bars and cash from foreign governments. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy called on his state’s senior senator to step down after the charges were announced. Menendez, as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, defended the AUKUS agreement from Republican resistance. Murphy, a fellow Democrat, could appoint a successor should Menendez agree to step down. In a statement released late Friday afternoon, Murphy said the allegations were “deeply disturbing.” “These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system,” he added. He said that while Menendez and his co-defendants - his wife, Nadine Menendez, and three businessmen - were entitled to defend themselves, “the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation”.

>>19623918 Luxury car, gold bars: Australian ally in US Senate won’t step down over bribery charges - One of the most high-profile AUKUS allies in the US Congress is facing a growing stampede of Democrat colleagues urging him to resign after he pleaded not guilty over an alleged scheme that involved taking bribes in exchange for helping the Egyptian government with military aid. Days after federal prosecutors revealed the explosive allegations against Senator Bob Menendez, more than half of the Senate’s Democrats are now demanding he step down amid fears the case could undercut their attack against Donald Trump’s criminal charges ahead of next year’s election. The most damning shift came from party whip Dick Durban, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the chamber, who had initially declined to say Menendez should leave office but changed course on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) saying it was clear his colleague “could no longer serve”. But despite facing calls from at least 30 of the 51 Democrats in the Senate, Menendez remained defiant as he and his wife, Nadine, pleaded not guilty to a bribery scheme that allegedly involved receiving gold bars, a luxury car and cash.

>>19650060 Congressional ‘poison pill’ could scuttle AUKUS nuclear subs deal - A senior defence policy adviser to the Clinton administration has warned AUKUS was “doomed to failure” without a significant revamp of US defence technology export regulations, amid growing concern that congress might ultimately baulk at the sale of nuclear powered submarines to Australia. Jeffrey Bialos, partner at law firm Eversheds-Sutherland and former deputy undersecretary of defence during the Clinton ­administration, told The Australian that the three-way defence alliance would be “dead on ­arrival” based on the as-yet legislated proposals to operationalise the landmark deal. “None of these measures do more than put Band-Aids on longstanding issues. The idea of an exemption for Australia and the UK isn’t new, we tried it in the late ’90s and it failed,” he said. Mr Bialos, who was also one of the architects of an effort to ­reform of US defence technology export regulations in the Clinton administration, said the regulatory standards that would be ­required of Australia and Britain were so stringent that the countries wouldn’t agree to them and in practice co-operation couldn’t occur, even if the White House was under the impression it could.

>>19650066 Aukus: UK defence giant BAE Systems wins £3.95bn submarine contract - Britain's biggest defence firm, BAE Systems, has won a £3.95bn ($4.82bn) contract to build a new generation of submarines as the security pact between the US, UK and Australia moves ahead. In March, the three countries announced details of the so-called Aukus pact to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines by the late 2030s. The pact aims to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Beijing has strongly criticised the three countries over the deal. "We're incredibly proud of our role in the delivery of this vitally important, tri-nation submarine programme," BAE Systems Chief Executive Charles Woodburn said. BAE said the funding will pay for development work to 2028, with manufacturing of the vessels expected to start towards the end of this decade. The first SSN-Aukus submarine is scheduled to be delivered in the late 2030s. Both the UK and Australia will use the SSN-Aukus submarines, which will be based on a British design.

#32 - Part 30

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 3

>>19664434 Scathing new report hands AUKUS sceptics firepower - An accident by the Australian navy operating US-made nuclear-powered submarines could result in American warships being banned from foreign ports, a new report warns US legislators, providing fresh ammunition for congressional sceptics to scuttle the AUKUS deal. The Congressional Research Service report also reaffirms American doubts that Australia might not use nuclear-powered submarines bought from the US in a war over Taiwan. That suggests that at least some of Canberra’s messaging about AUKUS not tying Australia irrevocably into a US-led war with China is being heard in Washington. “Virginia-class boats are less certain to be used in a US-China conflict over Taiwan, or less certain to be used in such a conflict in the way that the United States might prefer, if they are sold to Australia rather than retained in US Navy service,” the report said. Conversely, the report said approving the sale would see Australia become a “second allied decision-making centre” for operating nuclear-powered submarines in the Indo-Pacific, “which would enhance deterrence of potential Chinese aggression by complicating Chinese military planning”. Released late last month, the report follows concerns Republican senators raised in a July letter to President Joe Biden, which requested more money for the US submarine industrial base to boost production to fulfil the AUKUS agreement.

>>19679708 Video: Trump allegedly discussed US nuclear subs with foreign national: Source - ABC News' Katherine Faulders reports former Pres. Donald Trump allegedly revealed potentially sensitive information about U.S. nuclear submarines to Australian billionaire, Anthony Pratt. - ABC News (USA)

>>19679775 Video: Donald Trump accused of sharing nuclear submarine details with Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt - Former US president Donald Trump reportedly discussed "potentially sensitive" details of America's nuclear submarine program with an Australian billionaire. The American ABC news outlet reported that Mr Trump told Anthony Pratt the supposed number of nuclear warheads on US subs, and how close they could get to a Russian submarine without being detected. The conversation is said to have taken place at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, several months after he left office. ABC - which is not affiliated with ABC in Australia - also reported that Mr Pratt allegedly then shared the information with at least 45 people, including journalists and employees, as well as 10 Australian officials and three former prime ministers. The alleged conversation with Mr Pratt was not mentioned by federal prosecutors when they charged Mr Trump with mishandling classified documents this year. However, ABC reported that Mr Pratt had been interviewed on the matter at least twice, and that he told investigators he was not sure if the information was accurate. The New York Times said the businessman was among dozens of people identified as possible witnesses who could testify against the former president at trial. A spokesman for Mr Trump criticised what they described as "illegal leaks" that lacked "proper context and relevant information".

>>19679792 Video: Donald Trump allegedly discussed US nuclear subs with Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt - Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt has been identified as a ­potential witness against Donald Trump in his classified documents trial after he allegedly received ­secret information on US nuclear submarine capabilities from the former president. America’s ABC News reported that Mr Pratt was interviewed by prosecutors and FBI agents over the alleged 2021 disclosure by Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The Pratt Industries and Visy boss reportedly said in the interviews that Mr Trump disclosed the exact number of nuclear warheads carried by US nuclear subs, and how close they could get to a Russian submarine without being detected. Mr Pratt, whose office did not return calls on Friday, allegedly ­relayed details of the exchange to at least 45 people, including three former prime ministers, six journalists, 11 of his company's employees, and 10 Australian officials, ABC News reported. Former prime minister Tony Abbott told The Weekend Australian that he had “no recollection of any such discussion” with Mr Pratt, while his successor, Malcolm Turnbull, said Mr Pratt did not speak to him about the matter. Scott Morrison, who was close to Mr Pratt and was in office at the time of the alleged Trump disclosure, did not respond to inquiries. Anthony Albanese’s office also ­declined to comment. The Trump-Pratt conversation allegedly happened soon after Mr Trump’s election defeat and about five months before the AUKUS pact was announced.

#32 - Part 31

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 4

>>19679836 ‘It’s on Wikipedia’: Debate flares over Trump’s submarine disclosures to Anthony Pratt - Former prime ministers have distanced themselves from revelations that Donald Trump allegedly disclosed classified information about United States’ submarines to Australian packaging mogul Anthony Pratt as debate flared about the national security implications of the alleged leak. Pratt, the executive chairman of Visy Industries and Pratt Industries, is among more than 80 people whom prosecutors have identified as possible witnesses who could testify against the president at his classified documents trial. The revelations about Trump’s alleged indiscretion regarding sensitive national security information have revived fears among officials in Canberra about the volatile scenario they would face if Trump wins next year’s presidential election. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Pratt did not disclose the conversations to him. “Trump did ask me in early 2017 why we were buying French rather than US subs,” Turnbull said. “I explained that it was important that they be a sovereign capability, and that we did not have the means at that stage to sustain and maintain nuclear-powered submarines ourselves.” Scott Morrison did not respond to request for comment, while Tony Abbott said: “I don’t have any recollection of it.”

>>19684137 Trump denies telling Aussie billionaire sub secrets - Donald Trump says reports he disclosed secret information regarding US submarines are false, but he will always encourage countries such as Australia to purchase American weaponry. A report this week suggested the former president told Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt confidential information about US nuclear submarines during a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, of which Mr Pratt is reportedly a member. US outlet ABC News reported Trump told Mr Pratt sensitive information in April 2021, including how many warheads the subs routinely carry and how close they can get to a Russian submarine without being detected. Mr Trump is currently being investigated for allegedly hoarding classified documents after leaving office. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday local time, Trump labelled ABC's report "false and ridiculous". "Other than the fact that I will often state that we make the best submarines and military equipment anywhere in the world," Mr Trump said. "A pretty well known fact!"

>>19684154 Video: Lawrence: Australian billionaire bought ‘exactly what he wanted’ from Trump - MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell details the “incriminating” breaking news that Donald Trump reportedly revealed nuclear submarine secrets to an Australian billionaire member of Mar-a-Lago who “purchased his access” to Trump while he was president as Trump moves to dismiss or delay the criminal cases against him. - MSNBC

>>19684171 Video: TRUMP SPIES; GAVE NUKE SUB SECRETS TO AUSSIES - TRUMP IS FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES A FOREIGN SPY, who in April 2021 gave away nuclear submarine secrets to an Australian manufacturer of boxes, 'potentially endanger(ing) the U.S. fleet." The businessman promptly told at least 45 other people, including 11 of his own employees, 10 Australian officials, and THREE FORMER Australian Prime Ministers. We must do to Trump what we would do to any other trafficker in top secret information: arrest, detention without bail, prosecution for espionage. - Keith Olbermann

>>19684200 Video: Maggie Haberman: This is the latest example of Trump's 'melding' persona, presidency and business - CNN's Anderson Cooper breaks down a new ABC report that former President Donald Trump allegedly discussed sensitive nuclear submarine information with a Mar-a-Lago member, and discusses with a panel of experts. - CNN

#32 - Part 32

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 5

>>19729249 Rudd slams ‘crazy’ US red tape slowing AUKUS - Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, has slammed “ridiculous” US bureaucracy holding back faster progress on the AUKUS submarine pact between the two countries. The former prime minister said tough export controls on sensitive military technology could slow the sharing of nuclear propulsion technology between the allies under AUKUS. China’s aggression in the Pacific and the AUKUS pact have spurred US politicians on both sides to recognise tough export controls on Australia need to be eased. But there are some concerns that loosening controls could allow “bad actors” to gain access to valuable US military secrets. Many of the export controls could be overlooked quickly by the Biden administration, without having to pass through Congress, as has been the case with supplying some technology to Ukraine. Other rules, especially around nuclear intelligence, need Congress approval. Mr Rudd said he has reminded members of Congress of long-standing intelligence sharing arrangements between the two allies. “Well guys, we’ve been sharing the highest classified intelligence information with each other since 1946. Here we are in 2023 … and we haven’t done that in terms of defence kit. So we should ask the question, why not? There is no good reason. We need to move ahead.”

>>19729271 Kevin Rudd delivered a blunt rebuke of congress for slow progress on AUKUS changes - Kevin Rudd has slammed “really crazy” and “ridiculous” US regulations that could thwart the transfer of US nuclear submarines to Australia as part of the AUKUS security pact, urging senior Biden administration officials to put pressure on a paralysed congress to expedite the necessary changes to facilitate the landmark agreement. Dr Rudd, ambassador to the US, also said Australia would remain “rock solid” with the US in the face of “challenges which lie ahead [that] are beyond our imagining”, referring to the prospect of war in the Middle East, Ukraine and China’s growing threat in the Indo-Pacific. Provisions to approve the transfer of Virginia-class submarines to Australia, which is expected to buy between three and five from the US in the early 2030s, remain bogged down in debate in congress as Republicans and Democrats thrash out an annual defence spending bill. “Waiting for weeks, months or even years for spare parts or stocks to be replenished is no longer viable … One of the many military lessons from Ukraine is that defence materiel depletes quickly in a conflict.”

>>19762239 Six US senators have demanded extra information on submarines before backing AUKUS - A bipartisan group of US senators has demanded the Pentagon release details on how much extra money it will need to provide Australia with nuclear powered submarines in the 2030s at the same time as satisfying the US Navy’s own expanding fleet requirements. In a further escalation of a months-long standoff between congress and the White House over how to proceed with AUKUS, the three-way security pact among the US, Australia and the UK, three Republican and three Democrat senators have insisted the Pentagon release an already- completed study on the US submarine base by the end of this month. “Congress must have a comprehensive understanding of the current status of the submarine industrial base as well as the future resource investments necessary to meet our nation’s requirements,” the senators wrote in a letter dated 12th October that was release by Senator John Wicker on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).

>>19769266 Anthony Albanese’s AUKUS meetings stifled by congress chaos - Anthony Albanese’s plans to meet with legislators and smooth over concerns about the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal during his four-day visit to Washington have not been locked in amid chaos and delays in appointing a new US Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister, who is expected to strike new deals on critical minerals and clean energy with US President Joe Biden next week, will meet with key congress figures to help expedite legislative changes and make AUKUS fully operational. The leading candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives, hardline Republican Jim Jordan, on Thursday (Friday AEDT) said that he still intended to seek the speakership despite failing in two floor votes this week to secure the required number of votes. The dysfunction in America’s second arm of government makes it unclear who Mr Albanese would meet, at least among Republicans, who have a majority in the House of Representatives but not the Senate.

#32 - Part 33

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 6

>>19775706 Chinese spies target nuclear submarine secrets ‘as high priority’ - China is attempting to steal nuclear technology secrets from Britain and disrupt AUKUS, one of its most crucial security agreements, the head of MI5 has said. Ken McCallum, the director-general of the security service, warned about attempts to infiltrate the AUKUS pact, the nuclear submarine agreement with the US and Australia, developed to counter an increasingly provocative China. The trilateral initiative, which was announced by Boris Johnson in 2021, will equip the Royal Australian Navy with nuclear-powered vessels for the first time. It was seen as an attempt to check China’s growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, where its naval force has more than tripled in two decades. China has accused the three western countries of going down a “dangerous path” over the deal which would “motivate an arms race, damage the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and harm regional stability and peace”. McCallum said: “If you saw the wider public Chinese reaction when the AUKUS alliance was announced, you can infer from that they were not pleased. “Given everything else you know about the way in which Chinese espionage and interference is taking place, it would be safe to assume that it would be a high priority for them to understand what’s happening inside AUKUS and seek to disrupt it if they were able to.”

>>19780628 Anthony Albanese to 'urge support' for AUKUS in Washington ahead of meeting with Joe Biden - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be "urging support" for all legislation needed for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal to go ahead during his four-day visit to Washington next week. As part of the trilateral agreement, Australia will receive at least three US-built Virginia class submarines and then begin building its own, with a US combat system. However, the necessary Congress approval has faced challenges. Ahead of his departure on Sunday, Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra that foreign politicians should avoid intervening in legislation directly "but this is important". "Our AUKUS pact is absolutely critical, and I'll be having important meetings with members of Congress and Senate about the legislation that's required to ensure that AUKUS can continue to forge ahead," he said.

>>19785552 Donald Trump calls billionaire Anthony Pratt ‘red haired weirdo from Australia’ as he denies discussing submarines - Donald Trump has described Anthony Pratt, one of Australia’s richest men, as a “red haired weirdo” as he lashed out at extraordinary reports about their personal conversations. Earlier this month, reports suggested Trump had shared top-secret details of US nuclear submarines with Pratt, an Australian billionaire who runs the paper and packaging giant Visy. New recordings and documents - reported by Australia’s Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes programme as well as the New York Times – have shed extraordinary further light on Pratt’s relationship with Trump and other key global and Australian figures. The reports suggest Pratt spent hundreds of thousands dollars on memberships at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort, helping him cultivate a close relationship with the president and leading to regular private conversations between the pair.

>>19785586 ‘Being rich is my superpower’: Tapes reveal Pratt’s pursuit of the powerful - Secret tapes have revealed Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt’s extraordinary private dealings with Donald Trump, a $1 million promised payment to Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and financial dealings with then-Prince Charles in the hope he would become king. After recent allegations Trump had leaked classified US submarine fleet details to Pratt, the covert recordings reveal the billionaire claimed the former president also disclosed non-public details about US military action in Iraq and a private conversation with Iraq’s leader. The tapes, along with internal documents from Pratt’s company, Visy, and briefings from over a dozen sources in the United States and Australia, reveal how the packaging titan uses relationships with powerful figures to obtain an advantage in global business and politics. Pratt gained access to Trump by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on membership and event fees at the ex-president’s private Florida club, Mar-a-Lago. Pratt is heard on the tapes simultaneously admiring and besmirching Trump and comparing him to a mafia figure “with balls” who uses henchmen to do his dirty work.

#32 - Part 34

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 7

>>19785601 Video: Revealed: Donald Trump's leaked conversations with Anthony Pratt - Nick McKenzie discusses the leaked recordings, during which billionaire Anthony Pratt details the former president’s ‘outrageous’ private conversations. - The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

>>19785607 Video: Donald Trump Spills Secrets - 60 minutes uncovers tape recordings of Australian Billionaire Anthony Pratt sharing the classified information former president Donald Trump told him. - 60 Minutes Australia

>>19785767 Anthony Albanese to lobby US Congress to back Joe Biden’s bill for AUKUS, Israel and Ukraine - Anthony Albanese will lobby US congress members to pass Joe Biden’s bill promising billions for the AUKUS submarine program and military aid for Israel and Ukraine, as he launches a four-week international blitz headlined by meetings with the US President in Washington and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Mr Albanese on Sunday confirmed he would be the first prime minister in seven years to visit China after Beijing agreed to review trade sanctions on Australian wine following the government’s decision allowing Chinese-firm Landbridge to continue operating the Port of Darwin. Mr Albanese, who will meet Mr Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing and attend the Shanghai International Import Expo between November 4 and November 7, flew out to Washington on Sunday for an official state visit and dinner at the White House. Amid escalating wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and ahead of high-level meetings with Mr Biden and top US officials, Mr Albanese said he would urge the US President at their ninth meeting since the election to “remain focused on the Indo-Pacific ­region” as a counterbalance to Beijing. “We do have strategic competition in this region,” he said.

>>19792290 Albanese, Biden to tighten alliance at ‘Love Shack’ dinner - United States President Joe Biden has arranged for band The B52s to perform at a state dinner for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a sign of the effort being made in Washington DC to welcome the Australian leader on a visit that has been undercut by chaos in Congress. The new wave band, known for hits such as Love Shack and Rock Lobster, will be the star act at the dinner on the south lawn of the White House when more than 100 guests join the two leaders and their partners on Wednesday night. Albanese, an avowed fan of 1980s music, has been tight-lipped about the event after arriving in the US capital on Sunday night with a stated mission to use four days of meetings to cement the AUKUS defence pact, act on climate change and deepen cooperation on the supply of critical minerals. But the state dinner is being watched closely as a guide to the relationship between Biden and Albanese and how their personal ties will influence the next phase of the AUKUS alliance, which assumes the US will sell several nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and transfer technology to help build a new fleet in South Australia.

>>19792299 PM plays down fears submarine pact could be put on back-burner - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played down concerns that time is running out to pass a raft of legislation to facilitate the AUKUS submarine pact, as he embarks on a four-day blitz to lobby members of a divided Congress paralysed by Republican infighting. Hours after landing in Washington for a highly anticipated meeting with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Albanese said US politicians from all sides understood the value of AUKUS and wanted “to get it right”. Diplomats and politicians fear that unless AUKUS progresses over the next few months, the plan could be put on the back-burner once America enters a volatile election year in which Donald Trump is attempting a return to the White House. Multiple pieces of legislation still need to be passed to make AUKUS a reality, including laws to enable US Virginia-class submarines to be transferred to Australia; a bill that would categorise Australia as a “domestic source” for military production under the US Defence Production Act; and a $3.4 billion White House funding request to strengthen the US Navy’s industrial base amid concerns from some Republicans that AUKUS could stretch it to “breaking point”.

#32 - Part 35

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 8

>>19792368 PM won’t increase Australia’s $3bn AUKUS pledge to boost US, UK industry - Anthony Albanese will not increase Australia’s $3bn commitment to boost US and British submarine industrial bases, as he launches a three-day blitz of meetings with US Congress members to lock-in legislative support for the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact. The Prime Minister, whose hopes of delivering a rare address to a joint session of Congress was blown-up by the ugly Republican fight over the US House of Representatives Speakership, said he believed Australia’s existing funding for AUKUS was “appropriate”. Amid a messy internal Republican struggle to appoint a new Speaker following the departure of Kevin McCarthy, Mr Albanese is expected to deliver a major speech advocating key AUKUS legislative changes at the US State Department on Friday (AEDT). Mr Albanese is due to meet key congressmen from the influential Friends of Australia Caucus on Thursday morning local time, including Democrat Joe Courtney and Republican Mike Gallagher, both keen supporters of AUKUS.

>>19798348 ‘Internal politics’: Pratt told me nothing about subs he gleaned from Trump, says Albanese - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared he was never told by Australian businessman Anthony Pratt about sensitive nuclear submarine information that former president Donald Trump allegedly shared in an alleged risk to national security. But Albanese has refused to weigh into the scandal engulfing the billionaire packaging tycoon, telling reporters in Washington ahead of a dinner with President Joe Biden, he wasn’t “going to comment on US internal politics”. The response comes after a joint investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes uncovered separate audio recordings of Pratt talking about his relationship with “mafia”-like Donald Trump and his claim of a $US1 million payment to Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. The covert recordings also reveal that Pratt had claimed Trump disclosed non-public details about US military action in Iraq and a private conversation with Iraq’s leader. Trump has dismissed those accounts, posting on social media that the stories “about a red haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News.”

>>19798362 Anthony Albanese Tweet: (7 January 2021) Democracy is precious and cannot be taken for granted - the violent insurrection in Washington is an assault on the rule of law and democracy. Donald Trump has encouraged this response and must now call on his supporters to stand down.

>>19798362 Video: (7 January 2021) Anthony Albanese blames Donald Trump for US Capitol violence - sbs.com.au

#32 - Part 36

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 9

>>19606895 AUKUS consensus is collapsing under weight of Labor blunders - "Committing to Morrison’s AUKUS is the most consequential decision of the Albanese government. The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates it will cost $50bn between 2027 and 2033 alone. Our navy, already under-resourced, will have to make painful savings. Splintering a bottle of champagne over the snout of an Attack-class French sub in the early 2030s would plainly have been a simpler option with less stress for other defence assets. The whole fleet would have been a bargain at a trifling $90bn compared with the half-trillion-dollar price tag for the Loch Ness monster alternative arriving in the 2050s." - Bob Carr, longest-serving premier of NSW and former Australian foreign minister - theaustralian.com.au

>>19805035 ‘All downhill from here, my darling’: PM’s one regret about US state dinner - The White House was adorned with a large Australian flag. The decor inside was inspired by the shared landscapes of both countries. And guests arrived to a band playing an instrumental version of Crowded House’s hit Don’t Dream It’s Over. Five months after abruptly cancelling a much-anticipated trip to Australia to deal with a looming debt crisis in Washington, US President Joe Biden gave Prime Minister Anthony Albanese the highest diplomatic honour reserved for an ally: a lavish state dinner. After a day filled with ceremony and diplomacy - a 21-gun salute on the White House south lawn; a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office - the two world leaders reconvened in the evening for a glitzy black-tie event with more than 300 guests to celebrate their enduring alliance. And as the leaders prepared to give a toast before dinner was served, Albanese joked that he “only had one regret about tonight, which is I’m not quite sure how I top this for date night with Jodie, at any time, anywhere in the future”. “It’s all downhill from here, my darling,” he told her.

>>19805051 Albanese and Biden stress importance of AUKUS pact amid global tensions - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden have presented a united front amid current global uncertainty after holding talks in Washington. Albanese arrived at the White House on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) as a military band played and 4000 guests watched from the South Lawn. The pair later held a press conference during which they reiterated the importance of the Australian-United States alliance in what Biden said was a difficult time, with ongoing conflict in the Middle East. It was part of a state visit intended to bolster American ties in the Pacific against the backdrop of fighting between Israel and Hamas. The US President said AUKUS was not a threat to China but about maintaining stability in the Indo Pacific region. "It is about maintaining stability, stability in the straits, the Indian Ocean, the whole area. "It is going to increase the prospects for long-term peace rather than anything else."

>>19805059 Albanese quotes Biden’s late son in White House speech - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed the “moral clarity” of United States President Joe Biden in his response to the conflict in the Middle East, in an address at the White House that amplifies Australian support at a time of American concern about the rise of China. Albanese cited words spoken by Biden’s late soldier son to highlight the strength of the alliance between the two countries, two weeks before he visits Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Quoting an American talking about his time in the Iraq war, Albanese cited a soldier saying: “You know when there’s an Australian with you, they’ll always have your back.” He will then tell the crowd at the White House that the remark came from Major Beau Biden. The president’s son died of cancer in 2015, at the age of 46. Biden told the story of his son’s remark when he visited Australia as vice-president in 2016.

#32 - Part 37

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 1

>>19487613 Video: No vote for Voice tips over 50 per cent as Coalition leads Labor on Newspoll primary vote - The Coalition has leapt ahead of Labor on primary votes for the first time since last year’s election and ­Anthony Albanese has dipped into negative territory, as support for the voice dropped further following the ­referendum date announcement and the official launch of a six-week ­campaign. An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows ­support for an Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government falling to 38 per cent and those intending to vote No rising to 53 per cent. This marks the first time that ­opposition to a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament and executive ­government has achieved an outright majority.

>>19493285 Anthony Albanese is burning through his political capital as the voice falters - "The political damage has begun. Anthony Albanese can no longer take comfort in the Yes campaign’s ability to win over ­undecided voters. Even if it did, it appears this won’t be enough. It now also has to convince a significant number of voters to change their minds. There are only six weeks to make up significant ground as support for the voice referendum ­continues to retreat. Something remarkable is going to have to happen, if it’s not already too late." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

>>19493287 Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto confirms he’ll say No on Indigenous voice to parliament - John Pesutto has declared he will vote No in next month’s referendum, arguing that the objectives of the voice can be achieved without changing the Constitution. The Victorian Opposition Leader, in announcing his position, said he wanted a positive outcome for First Nations people and said this sentiment was shared between Yes and No voters alike. “Putting aside whether one supports or opposes the voice, I ­believe the objectives of the voice can be achieved without constitutional change,” Mr Pesutto said.

>>19493306 Warring Indigenous groups unite against voice - The Yes campaign in Tasmania is being cruelled by power struggles between warring Indigenous groups whose opposition to the voice is driven by fear their rivals will control it. Yes campaigners are most ­confident in the left-leaning south, but No sentiment is fuelled by bitter conflict between Indigenous groups, particularly in the more conservative north and northwest. The longstanding peak Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, ­associated with prominent family groups, is battling what it claims are attempts by “tick-a-box” Indigenous people to gain influence and control over land and organisations. Hostility between the TAC and newer, regional-based Aboriginal corporations is most acute in the northwest, where the Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation has growing influence. The two groups are often at loggerheads - over Aboriginal identity, voting rights and land access - but are in furious agreement on one issue: the voice is no good.

>>19499246 Opponents to an Indigenous voice to parliament concede their campaign is ‘low-key’ - Opponents of an Indigenous voice to parliament are running a “low-key” ground campaign that’s “not as flash” as the Yes side, according to leading No spokesman Warren Mundine, with the focus on reaching voters through social media platforms such as TikTok rather than door-knocking and holding daily public events. As the official campaign enters its second week, Mr Mundine declared the No camp’s greatest campaigning technique was to let supporters knock on doors and talk with Australians because “they can’t answer the questions”.

>>19499267 Indigenous voice to parliament: Say Yes to embrace future of hope for our First Nations - "With the date of the referendum set, many Australians are now turning their attention to the choice they will make in just six weeks. On October 14, Australians will be asked a simple question: Do you support a change to the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice? Yes or no. The choice is simple: we can take the next step forward as a nation by embracing practical reconciliation or we can choose to close the door on recognition for Indigenous Australians. Embracing this moment, and choosing yes for constitutional recognition through a voice is our best chance of addressing the injustices of the past, and create structural change that will ensure Indigenous communities are listened to, so we can get better results." - Linda Burney, Indigenous Australians Minister - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 38

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 2

>>19505142 Marcia Langton says the government must explain what happens if the Indigenous voice to parliament vote fails - Indigenous leader Marcia Langton has urged the Albanese government to lay out what the future holds for Aboriginal Australians in the event of a No vote for the voice referendum on October 14, fearing it could give governments a mandate to “do nothing and to make our lives worse”. Declaring this was Australia’s “one chance” to achieve constitutional recognition, leading Yes campaigners joined with Professor Langton on Wednesday in warning they would not work with Peter Dutton on a second “voiceless” referendum if the poll next month failed because it was not what they wanted.

>>19505149 Langton makes emotional plea to voters as Yes campaigners face threats - Indigenous leader Marcia Langton has claimed death threats and abuse are being aimed at the key advocates for a Yes vote at the October 14 referendum, in an emotional call on voters to save lives by voting for change. Langton said there was “nothing to fear” from the Indigenous Voice and warned voters against the “deceit” of No campaigners who had claimed the outcome would divide the country on race. But she called on the government to prepare for the aftermath of the national ballot by setting out how it would ensure consultation with First Nations people, saying a No vote would be falsely seen as a “mandate to do nothing” that would entrench disadvantage and cost lives.

>>19511644 Indigenous voice to parliament: Noel Pearson’s caution over welcome to country - Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has called for Australia to scale back use of welcome to country in the wake of the upcoming referendum, noting that the practice can often be overdone. The prominent Yes campaigner on Friday said Australia was still learning about when the ceremony should and should not be used, saying there was a need to develop a consensus on the most appropriate practices. “People often don’t know what to do. We’ve got to adopt a sensible approach to these things,” he said. “When someone opens a meeting, that’s fine. But … every speaker then subsequently does the welcome and it cuts into the meeting, I can tell you.”

>>19511677 Even the left now calling out ‘elite’ grip on voice to parliament - Much like other social media platforms, Reddit forums in Australia skew to the young and to the left. With the average age of a Reddit user estimated at 23, it’s no surprise that political discussions often lean towards green-left perspectives. Nevertheless, recent discussions about the upcoming voice referendum have revealed a surprising mix of viewpoints within this demographic. And what is intriguing is the number of individuals expressing a No stance for reasons that do not neatly align with traditional or conservative ideals. “What a waste of time and money. Voting NO on this nonsense. Imagine if they put $364m into social services in Alice Springs,” wrote one commenter in r/AusFinance, a subreddit of nearly half a million members engaged in discussions about financial issues in Australia. Left-leaning No voters do not appear to oppose the voice because they are diehard constitutional conservatives, or because they lack compassion. It’s not about being racist either. Their frustration stems from the perception that the Labor government is not adequately addressing the issues that matter to them most, and is instead focusing on the higher-order matter of constitutional change. And if there is one overarching theme that emerges from these discussions, it is that there is a divide in Australia, but it is defined by class and asset ownership - not race.

>>19511755 Qantas flights for Indigenous voice to parliament opponents urged in ‘spirit’ of fair go - Incoming Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson is being urged to restore the airline’s damaged reputation by ensuring the national carrier matches its “offer to the Yes camp with free flights for No supporters”. Former deputy prime minister John Anderson - a long-serving transport minister in the Howard government and leading critic of the voice to parliament – warned that Qantas had played a key role in dividing the nation by straying into the realm of social and political activism. Mr Anderson called on Ms Hudson to go back to the drawing board and extend the same hospitality for Yes campaigners - who are receiving free flights that Qantas expects to cost up to $500,000 – to supporters of the No campaign.

#32 - Part 39

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 3

>>19518014 Palmer launches court bid to force AEC to count ‘X’ as ‘No’ in Voice vote - Mining magnate Clive Palmer and United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet have launched a Federal Court bid to force the Australian Electoral Commission to count crosses on Voice referendum ballot papers as a vote against the proposal. The urgent court challenge comes just five weeks before the historic Voice to parliament referendum on October 14. The Electoral Commission has made clear that a tick will be counted as a Yes vote but a cross, which may be ambiguous, will not be counted as a No vote on Voice referendum ballot papers, consistent with legal advice that has been provided for decades. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has previously claimed this would give the Yes campaign an advantage.

>>19518077 The latest poll for the Voice to Parliament shows Yes trailing No by greatest margin yet - With 34 days until polling day, advocates for a Voice to Parliament would almost certainly be wishing they were in a stronger position right now. From extremely high levels of support a year ago, when the referendum question hadn't been finalised and the Voice was a vague concept in people's minds, support has fallen a long way. The latest poll from RedBridge, published on Saturday, estimates 61 per cent of Australians are opposed to the Voice, while 39 per cent are in favour. It’s the single lowest poll result we've seen for Yes (worse than the 38 per cent in Newspoll this week because that poll included 9 per cent undecided), albeit from a pollster which has tended to produce poorer numbers for Yes than other polls. With this new data point, along with Newspoll and Essential polls published this week, Yes is sitting at an average of 43.7 per cent across the polls. No is sitting more than 12 percentage points ahead on 56.3 per cent.

>>19518144 Labor voters abandon Albanese’s bid to establish a Voice to Parliament - Aussies are abandoning the Prime Minister on the Voice to Parliament, with new polling revealing just 39 per cent of the nation plans to vote Yes in the upcoming referendum. The latest poll from RedBridge, released today, marks the lowest poll result for the Yes campaign so far - with an overwhelming 61 per cent planning to vote No. The poll was conducted in the first week of September, following Anthony Albanese’s announcement the referendum would be held on October 14. Unlike some other polls, RedBridge requires voters to make a choice between Yes and No, rather than allowing them to reply that they are undecided. The poll also found that Labor voters are deserting the party line, with 57 per cent of its supporter base planning to vote Yes and 43 per cent No. By contrast, the RedBridge poll found that 87 per cent of Coalition supporters were planning to vote in line with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s No camp.

>>19523142 Anthony Albanese ‘not sorry’ after parking voice campaign for world stage - Anthony Albanese has defended his decision to be out of the country for an entire week of the voice referendum campaign, which he has described as “a once-in-a-generation chance to bring our country together”. The Prime Minister, who attended the ASEAN, East Asia and G20 summits and squeezed in a side trip to the Philippines, refused to take questions during the trip on the foreign affairs implications of an Indigenous voice to parliament. Mr Albanese, who was due to arrive back in Canberra on Monday morning, said it was vital that Australia was represented at such international forums.

>>19523154 Pearson says Dutton’s second referendum is a ‘mirage’ - and hopes the Voice isn’t ‘unrequited’ - Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has attacked Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s proposed second referendum and expressed optimism that the public will accept Indigenous Australians’ outstretched hand of friendship by backing the Voice. Dutton said last Sunday that if the Voice referendum failed, and he won the next election, he would call another referendum to recognise Indigenous Australians but exclude a constitutional Voice. The Coalition’s Indigenous affairs spokeswoman and leading No campaigner, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, days later failed to declare support for the idea, which Pearson claimed had eviscerated the Coalition’s reconciliation plans and proved it was not Dutton who set party policy.

#32 - Part 40

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 4

>>19529127 Voters continue to turn against the Voice - and Albanese along with it - Support for the Indigenous Voice has slumped to 43 per cent after the opening week of the formal campaign for the referendum, with NSW and Victorian voters shifting against the proposal and putting it on track for defeat on October 14. Voters have swung against the Voice for the fifth month in a row and are backing the No case in every state except Tasmania, despite a forceful campaign by Yes supporters to assure sceptical voters they had nothing to fear from the change. An exclusive survey also shows that Labor has lost core support and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has suffered a fall in his net performance rating to minus 7 per cent, driving this measure into negative territory for the first time since the election. Albanese retains a clear advantage over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister, ahead by 43 to 28 per cent, but this has narrowed from 46 to 25 per cent one month ago. The survey, conducted by Resolve Strategic, shows that 35 per cent of voters support the Voice and 49 per cent oppose it when asked about the government proposal for change, with another 16 per cent undecided.

>>19529135 Tasmania the lone state in support of Voice: poll - Tasmania is currently the only state with a majority in support of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament proposal, according to the Resolve Political Monitor survey, published in Nine newspapers on Monday. With just under five weeks until polling day, 56 per cent of poll respondents in the island state said they were in support of the Voice, with 43 per cent against the proposal. Speaking at a Yes23 event in southern Tasmania on Sunday, Tasmanian Elder and Yes campaigner Rodney Dillon said an unsuccessful referendum would equate to Australia accepting permanent disadvantage of Indigenous peoples. "By having a 'No' vote I think that we're saying that it's OK for people to live 10 years less. It's OK for kids to stay in that prison system and become career criminals. It's OK for the housing standards of Aboriginals right around the country to stay like it is," he said. The Aboriginal Heritage Council chair and Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance (TRACA) co-founder said the Voice would be the "greatest step this country will make in my lifetime", saying he was not prepared to "keep accepting what happened in the past".

>>19529150 Army of under-18 Yes campaigners hoping to turn referendum tide - The Yes campaign is hoping an army of under-18 volunteers can help convince the adults in their lives to back the Indigenous voice, as support for No strengthens in the polls. In Sydney’s inner city, mirrored across the country, students have learned the tricks of the trade in leafleting, door knocking and campaigning to try and convince swing voters to put a Yes on the ballot. A vote, to their chagrin, they cannot cast themselves. “We still have the power to talk to people around us about why they should vote Yes,” said 17-year-old Rosanna Cartwright, who is juggling her International Baccalaureate with door knocks and leafleting. The youth drive - U18 For Yes23 - drew on Yes23’s materials, tweaking them for under-18 campaigners, and has since created a national platform for ­students across Australia to download the body of leaflets or register to volunteer.

>>19529155 No campaign against an Indigenous voice to parliament stronger on TikTok while Yes23 targets Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - Opponents of an Indigenous voice to parliament say social media has been crucial in “levelling the playing field” at next month’s referendum, as new data shows the No campaign’s TikTok videos are most likely to reach young women in Australia’s biggest cities. But the Yes campaign’s following on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are much larger than Fair Australia’s, with Yes23 insiders saying engagement on their posts was double that of the No camp’s. “On social media platforms, we are reaching millions of Australians each week,” a Yes23 campaign spokeswoman said. “On the ground, our 35,000 volunteers are out in force every day, at train stations, shopping centres, knocking on doors and holding community forums.” Declaring Fair Australia’s TikTok videos were “no doubt putting pressure on the Yes campaign”, the No Camp clocked up nine million video views on the platform between August 24 and last Thursday and has been averaging one million views a day since the ­referendum date was announced by Anthony Albanese on August 30.

#32 - Part 41

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 5

>>19534922 Voice ‘can be refined’, Noel Pearson tells Indigenous No groups - Local Aboriginal groups should not assume their state will have only two representatives on the voice to parliament, with “ample opportunity” to “refine” its design, says Indigenous leader Noel Pearson. The prominent Yes campaigner on Monday urged Indigenous groups not to oppose the voice out of concern its size or voting system would disenfranchise them, as its final form was yet to be decided. “I would just urge our people to not put the cart in front of the horse - there will be ample opportunity to get the design right after the referendum,” the Cape York leader said, as he rallied the Yes campaign in Tasmania.

>>19534951 No campaign’s ‘fear, doubt’ strategy revealed - The campaign to sink the Voice has instructed volunteers to use fear and doubt rather than facts to trump arguments used by the Yes camp. In an online training session, the national campaigning chief for leading No activist group Advance, Chris Inglis, detailed the anti-Voice movement’s core strategy of playing on voters’ emotions. Inglis instructed volunteers not to identify themselves upfront as No campaigners as they make hundreds of thousands of calls to persuadable voters, but instead to raise reports of financial compensation to Indigenous Australians if the Voice referendum were to succeed.

>>19534980 Video: Claims made by No voice case based on racism, stupidity: Marcia Langton - Indigenous leader Marcia Langton says No campaigners in the voice referendum are using racist tactics but she doesn’t believe the majority of Australians are racist, after comments she made at the weekend sparked outrage. The Bunbury Herald reported on Tuesday that Professor Langton told a forum on Sunday: “Every time the No cases raise their arguments, if you start pulling it apart you get down to base racism - I’m sorry to say that’s where it lands - or sheer stupidity.” Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley demanded Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney condemn the comments, which she said “accused No voters of opposing the referendum because of ‘base racism … or sheer stupidity’, but Professor Langton told Nine newspapers she was not calling No voters racist and stupid. “I’m saying the claims being made by the No case are based in racism and stupidity - and appeal to racism and stupidity,” Professor Langton told Nine. “And they are appealing to Australians to frighten them into adopting highly racist and stupid beliefs. I am not a racist, and I don’t believe that the majority of Australians are racist. I do believe that the no campaigners are using racist tactics.”

>>19534996 Video: Marcia Langton labels No voters ‘racist, stupid’ in exclusive footage - Sky News host Sharri Markson has obtained exclusive footage of prominent Voice campaigner Marcia Langton accusing Australians voting No in the referendum of “base racism” or “sheer stupidity”. The professor’s controversial comments were made during a forum hosted by Edith Cowan University after being asked why so many Australians were undecided on the referendum. “Every time the No cases raise their arguments, if you start pulling it apart you get down to base racism - I’m sorry to say that’s where it lands - or sheer stupidity,” Professor Langton said. “If you look at any reputable fact-checker, every one of them says the No case is substantially false. They are lying to you.” Ms Markson obtained the footage after the professor’s comments were splashed on the front page of the Bunbury Herald on Tuesday.

>>19541754 Does Marcia Langton’s dismissal of No case signal the death knell of the Indigenous voice? - "Will Marcia Langton’s dismissal of the referendum No case as either “base racism or sheer stupidity” be the Indigenous voice’s campaign death knell as was Hillary Clinton’s dismissal of Donald Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables” in her US Presidential election campaign? Will it be seen as Mark Latham’s aggressive handshake of a much older John Howard during the dying days of the 2004 election campaign? It is too early judge, just as the full extent of Clinton’s gaffe was not recognised until later, but, as the Yes campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament flounders, loses momentum and is given up for being lost there cannot have been a worse intervention. If the referendum fails there will be fingers pointed to the statements of the Yes supporter and architect of indigenous voice proposals on Sunday as an emotional turning point just as was Clinton’s dismissal of at least half of Trump’s supporters. This will be especially the case if Yes campaigners are looking for someone to blame for the failure." - Dennis Shanahan - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 42

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 6

>>19541800 Indigenous voice to parliament: Marcia Langton has no one to blame but herself - "It is easy to understand why Marcia Langton is seeking to play down and clarify her comments about the No campaign against the referendum for an Indigenous voice to parliament being built on “base racism” or “sheer stupidity” - she has created a furore which is damaging the Yes campaign and for which she will be blamed. And, she has no one to blame but herself. The problem for Langton is that she has dropped an incendiary claim into a febrile political atmosphere which is directly working against the latter-day Yes campaign tactics of treating No voters with respect and seeking to claw back failing support from so-called “soft No voters”. Langton is a respected campaigner for Indigenous rights, a forceful academic and lawyer who is true to herself and has never taken prisoners. But, she is not a politician used to campaigning and has unleashed a furore which will only serve to strengthen opposition to the Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government and has provided political ammunition to Peter Dutton and the Coalition." - Dennis Shanahan - theaustralian.com.au

>>19541817 Video emerges of Marcia Langton saying ‘hard No voters’ are ‘spewing racism’ - Professor Marcia Langton has been filmed saying "hard No voters" of the Voice to Parliament are "spewing racism", after earlier defending her remarks at a forum. Sky News Australia Political Editor Andrew Clennell revealed on Wednesday another video has surfaced of the professor labelling those against the Voice "racist".

>>19548454 Yes campaigners told to accuse No camp of vilifying Aboriginal people - Trade union campaigners are being instructed to tell Australians the No side is vilifying Aboriginal people in the Voice to parliament referendum campaign, which has sparked another intense political feud over racism allegations. Yes campaigners accuse their opponents of sparking the viciousness of the Voice debate. A Victorian Trades Hall Council “key messages” document shows its thousands of volunteers are being told to convince voters that the anti-Voice movement punches down on Indigenous Australians. “Call out the tactic and who’s behind it: Point to their motivation Creating division (eg by vilifying Aboriginal people); Distracting (eg by insisting on ludicrous detail),” the document states. The union training sheet tells campaigners to claim the No campaign is driven by a desire to “divide the working class”, “safeguard mining interests” and “sell newspapers with shock”, before recommending a comparison with the same-sex marriage plebiscite.

>>19548476 Indigenous voice to parliament: Marcia Langton has form in ‘racism’ attacks - Prominent Indigenous campaigner for the voice to parliament, Marcia Langton, has previously described Jacinta Price and her mother Bess as the “coloured help” for conservative think tanks and accused one in every five voters at the upcoming referendum of “spewing racism”. In an article published in the Saturday Paper on August 25, 2018, Professor Langton said Senator Price and her mother – a former member of the NT parliament – had appeared to be “sincere in their comments about the impact of violence on their own lives”. But she said their “failure to extend sympathy to other Aboriginal victims raises questions about their motives”. “Leaving aside appearances on mainstream television, many of Bess Price’s speaking engagements have been at the invitation of the rightwing think tanks,” Professor Langton wrote.

>>19548487 No alternative: Jacinta Price’s Indigenous voice to parliament pitch - Jacinta Price hopes a No vote at the referendum will mean governments take greater accountability for improving the lives of First ­Nations people, warning a voice will only become “yet another ­battle ground for many Aboriginal voices to disagree, fall out and ­create division”. In a draft version of her speech to the National Press Club in Canberra obtained by The Australian, the opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman will on Thursday say a voice to parliament will “undermine the importance of the Aboriginal members of parliament” who are “fighting to affect real change via the democratic structures by which they were elected”.

#32 - Part 43

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 7

>>19548513 Indigenous Australians benefit from colonisation, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price tells press club - Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says colonial settlement has delivered a “positive impact” for First Nations people and has backed the abolition of stand-alone Indigenous Australians ministers. In a National Press Club speech that lacked substantive detail on how the Coalition would Close the Gap if the October 14 referendum goes down, Senator Price said she remained cautious of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s plan to legislate regional and local voices. On the impact of colonial settlement on Indigenous Australians, Senator Price said colonisation has had a positive effect providing Aboriginal people with “running water and readily available food”. “Everything that my grandfather had when he was growing up because he first saw white fellas in his early adolescence we now have. Otherwise he would have had to live off the land, provide for his family,” Senator Price said. “Aboriginal Australians … have the same opportunities as all other Australians in this country. We certainly have one of the greatest systems around the world in terms of the democratic structure in comparison to other countries.”

>>19548520 Price says colonialism has been good for Indigenous Australians - The Opposition’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says colonisation has been good for Indigenous Australians, as she failed to support the Coalition policy of local and regional Voices in a fierce, provocative speech met with cheers by her frontbench colleagues. In a National Press Club address that challenged widely held views of Indigenous and intergenerational disadvantage, Price claimed political leaders had been unwilling to apply common-sense approaches to Indigenous policy issues for fear of being branded racists. The 42-year-old has become one of the most important figures in the Voice debate since Dutton gave her the Indigenous affairs portfolio in April. Yes campaigners believe she has been key in convincing Australians the Indigenous community is split on the Voice, and the National Party leader David Littleproud described her speech as one of the most powerful he had ever heard.

>>19555745 ‘Treaty not needed, we were never at war’, says Indigenous voice to parliament No campaigner Jacinta Price - No campaigner and opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has rejected a treaty with First ­Nations people because they were never at war with British colonists and declared as “fantasy” the idea of a utopian society before colonisation. Speaking at The Great Voice Debate hosted by The Australian in Canberra on Thursday, Senator Price warned Australians to not accept a “romanticism” of Aboriginal culture and traditions as pushed by elite Indigenous activists. She said there was too much violence and sexual misconduct in remote communities, with women at risk because the issue was being downplayed.

>>19555788 Ailing Dodson puts faith in ‘goodness of Australians’ - Senator Pat Dodson was not going to see a doctor on March 31. He was due at the Winnunga Aboriginal medical service in Canberra for a Covid jab. To describe the timing of that appointment as fortuitous is a massive understatement. Once there, Dodson told doctor Eric Sambaiew he had been feeling sick. That was an understatement too. The father of reconciliation was staring at death. Sambaiew sent Dodson straight to the emergency department at Canberra hospital, where he was found to have a life-threatening infection on his oesophagus and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. He has been absent from parliament and public life since, though Dodson told The Australian he hopes he will soon be well enough to join the campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

>>19555843 Pat Dodson: Indigenous voice to parliament a battle of principles - Pat Dodson, the father of reconciliation, has conceded the No case in the referendum debate has been “effective” and that a lack of detail has made promoting the voice more difficult, as Yes23 prepares to launch a more aggressive campaign to claim victory. The Western Australia Labor senator, who is seriously ill and has so far been unable to campaign for Yes23, said the October 14 referendum to constitutionally enshrine a voice to parliament and executive government was “a contest of Australia’s integrity and honesty, and its future”.

#32 - Part 44

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 8

>>19555945 South Australia’s Indigenous voice to parliament Yes numbers ‘not adding up’ - The No campaign is increasingly convinced that South Australians will reject the voice to parliament despite Yes campaigners hailing the state as a must-win at the ­October 14 referendum. With the national Yes campaign officially launched by ­Anthony Albanese in Adelaide’s northern suburbs on August 30 framed around an appeal to the state’s progressive political traditions, there has been little sign since of the public groundswell needed to deliver a Yes win in SA. Opposition Leader David Speirs told The Weekend Australian that he believed the state’s Yes vote was “in freefall” and that he would almost bet his house on a No victory.

>>19555995 Video: Indigenous voice to parliament: Libs and Nats bolster No campaign, as Yes23 launches new ad - Liberal and Nationals divisions across the country have agreed to co-ordinate resources with the No campaign and boost volunteer stocks, as Yes23 launches a nationwide advertising blitz to claw back voters ahead of the ­October 14 voice referendum. In a major boost for the No campaign, The Weekend Australian can reveal that all Liberal Party state divisions and the Nationals have pledged to actively support members who volunteer and hand out on referendum day and at pre-poll booths. With Yes23 boasting around 40,000 volunteers - bolstered by union and ALP members - the number of No volunteers is now expected to be significantly higher than the 15,000 anti-voice supporters who have already pledged to hand out and actively campaign at polling booths.

>>19556052 Referendum offers us the chance to choose hope over spread of fear and confusion - "Tens of thousands of Australians will gather in every major Australian city this weekend to walk in visible support of a Yes vote in the October 14 referendum. Thousands more will be wearing T-shirts and badges as they knock on doors to talk to their fellow citizens in suburbs across the country to explain what is being asked in the referendum, and encouraging them to vote yes. Our campaign has just over four weeks left to run. There is so much positivity in the conversations on the ground - you’ll see it again in the walks this weekend - that we are optimistic Australians will choose Yes." - Dean Parkin, campaign director of Yes23 - theaustralian.com.au

>>19561548 A surprise voice seeks end to separatism - Australian democracy is about to be shaken up. It has been a nasty week on the campaign trail and in parliament, where the voice is in trouble. But something else is emerging - an assertion that rejecting the voice is the gateway to a better destiny for Indigenous peoples. If the voice is rejected on October 14 much can be attributed to indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who is turning into a new and powerful figure on our landscape – among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples – and whose vision is a systemic rejection of the orthodoxy surrounding the voice and Indigenous political power.

>>19561603 Thousands rally in Adelaide in Yes campaign event ahead of Voice to Parliament referendum - Thousands of Voice to Parliament supporters have gathered in Adelaide in one of the Yes campaign's biggest South Australian events ahead of the referendum. The Yes campaign said the turnout demonstrated there was "overwhelming" backing for the Voice in South Australia, a state supporters have described as pivotal to its hopes of referendum success. Supporters gathered in Victoria Square before marching through central Adelaide, with musician Paul Kelly also performing for the crowd. Similar rallies are being held across the country this weekend, with most taking place on Sunday.

>>19561661 Indigenous leader Noel Pearson slams divisive politics in Voice - Indigenous leader and lawyer Noel Pearson has welcomed a substantial change for the Yes campaign as he says it moves out of the realm of politics and into the hands of the people. Speaking at a community gathering in Redfern, in Sydney, on Saturday morning, he said the Yes campaign would focus on a message of unity in the lead up to the Voice to Parliament referendum. “We’re so very pleased that the politics of division and anger and suspicion and fear generated by politicians is now behind us,” he told the crowd in Sydney’s inner west. “We’ve got the next four weeks to have conversations with our fellow Australians about the power of listening.”

#32 - Part 45

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 9

>>19561705 Don’t be distracted by ‘controversy bombs’, Pearson urges Yes campaign - The Yes camp will use rallies for 50,000 people and concerts in capital cities on Sunday to try and draw a line under a messy opening fortnight, after the Voice referendum campaign became mired in a verbal crossfire about racism and the impact of colonisation. Voice co-architect Noel Pearson said at a Yes23 rally in Sydney’s Redfern that the campaign would need to avoid “controversy bombs” over the remaining four weeks to referendum day on October 14, as he dismissed comments by Coalition frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price that British colonisation had no lasting negative impacts on Indigenous Australians.

>>19561768 Why the Indigenous voice to parliament is a Thatcher-esque project - "Earlier this week I received an email from a constituent named Les. Les is a retiree and shared with me how he is being squeezed with rising medicine, food and power costs. He didn’t hold back in asking me why I was advocating for the voice when so many Australians were hurting financially. It was a legitimate question to ask. I think many Australians are asking: why should we vote Yes in this referendum when the economy is so tight? Surely there are better priorities. My answer to Les, and the many who share his view, is that the voice gives us the means to tackle the economic challenges facing so many Indigenous communities. By tackling these challenges we also can make our economy and the budget stronger." - Julian Leeser, Liberal member for Berowra in Sydney - theaustralian.com.au

>>19566036 ‘History is calling us’: Yes campaign ramps up as thousands join in rallies across Australia - Thousands of supporters of the Voice to Parliament have taken to the streets across the country, with a crucial message for Aussies that “history is calling us” ahead of the October referendum. Supporters of the Yes campaign turned out in record numbers on Sunday afternoon across major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. It marks one of the biggest campaign pushes for the Yes vote since the referendum date was announced. Minister for Indigenous Australians told a roaring crowd in Melbourne’s CBD that “history is calling us” and that “each and every one of you can help answer the call from generations of Indigenous people.”

>>19566045 Video: Leading No campaigner Warren Mundine claims a treaty process will be more successful if No vote wins - Leading No campaigner Warren Mundine has backed a treaty process, claiming it's more likely to succeed if the No vote is successful. Mr Mundine, a Bundjalung man, also called for the date of Australia Day to be changed. Speaking on the ABC's Insiders program, Mr Mundine said there should be multiple, individual treaties, recognising Aboriginal nations. "We've got to recognise Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal culture is our First Nations and the first thing we learn about life is one nation cannot talk about another nation's country," he said.

>>19566056 OPINION: The movie that erased my doubts about the Voice - "I had reservations about the Voice until seeing a movie. I’ve long opposed a charter of rights because it might steer policymaking away from parliament and into courts. If there was someone on the Labor side who might have needed assurance the Voice would not do this, it might have been me. But not after the opening scene of High Ground. This 2020 movie, directed by Stephen Johnson, is set in Arnhem Land in the early 1920s. It is about race relations on the Australian frontier. It opens with Aboriginal people at a waterhole, an oasis of palms and running water. This peace is shattered by fire from repeater rifles. When it stops, the only sound is the flight of waterfowl and the buzzing of flies around black corpses. Blood runs in the sand. My response to the terrifying scene that opened High Ground went like this: “The survivors of this are saying that all they want is a pipeline to parliament called the Voice. That’s all? Only access? Just give it to them. No argument. No delay.” Metaphorically, the gunshots still echo. Only one group suffered massacres and now it’s time to make amends. High Ground’s footage is dramatised, but it’s not fake. Doubters might stream it on SBS On Demand, where they can also find Rachel Perkins’ The Australian Wars. It’s time to let kindness have its day in public policy." - Bob Carr, former foreign affairs minister and NSW’s longest serving premier - theage.com.au

#32 - Part 46

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 10

>>19566073 Anthony Albanese has miscalculated and the Indigenous voice to parliament could be doomed - "Anthony Albanese is letting down Indigenous Australians because of a lack of real leadership and a failure in his duty, not only to Indigenous people but also to the nation. The Prime Minister has miscalculated on the political strategy for the October 14 referendum for an Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government, having already lost enormous public goodwill and designing a debate without substance. As a result, public support for the Yes campaign has slumped and the referendum already could be doomed to failure. There has been an inability to explain how the voice would work and, in the absence of substance, the vacuum has filled with trivia and invective. Indigenous Australians have been given what looks like a false hope and the nation has been delivered division." - Dennis Shanahan - theaustralian.com.au

>>19570657 No campaigner Warren Mundine walks back support for treaties should Voice referendum fail - Leading No campaigner Warren Mundine has walked back his previous support for treaty processes should the Voice referendum fail, while also hurling accusations that the Yes campaign are launching “racial attacks and abuse”. While Mundine previously claimed treaties were more likely to be progressed if a No vote was successful, when asked to clarify his position, the No advocate instead referred to “Native Title and land rights”. “These things have huge commercial outcomes for Aboriginal people in regard to jobs, in regards to training, and in regard to running their own business, and it's done a tremendous job for Aboriginal communities,” Mr Mundine told Sky News on Monday. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

>>19575597 Video: Anthony Albanese says ‘racist pigs’ abuse hurled at Indigenous voice to parliament opponents was ‘nasty’ - Anthony Albanese has condemned “nasty behaviour wherever it occurs” after No campaigners were labelled “racist pigs” and “racist dogs”, conceding some of the tone of the voice referendum debate has been unfortunate. As leading No campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price declared the Prime Minister had to take responsibility for the racism and division in Australia, Mr Albanese urged voters to be respectful and debate the referendum question before them. Peter Dutton also urged Australians to participate in the voice debate respectfully, lashing the “deeply disturbing” protest. Video taken by South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic walking into Fair Australia’s No campaign launch in Adelaide on Monday evening shows protesters yelling “racist dog”, “racist pig” and “crazy wankers”. Senator Price and Indigenous leader Warren Mundine were the headline speakers of the event. “I condemn nasty behaviour wherever it occurs,” Mr Albanese said.

>>19575624 Video: Jacinta Price breaks down in tears at packed out No rally as she describes the Voice as the 'biggest gaslighting event' in Australia's history - Wild scenes of jubilation erupted during a raucous No campaign rally in the must-win state of South Australia on Tuesday night. More than 1,000 people, many wearing 'No' supporter T-shirts, packed into the Adelaide Convention Centre to hear leading campaigners including Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO. South Australian Senator Kerrynne Liddle was also in attendance to rail against the Voice to Parliament, which would enshrine a Indigenous-led advisory body into the Constitution. In an emotional speech, Senator Price broke down in tears when she spoke of her role as a 'vessel' for Indigenous people who she said had been ignored by mainstream politics and media. 'I was a vessel for the women sitting in that room, the cousin of a young girl murdered, hanging from a tree,' she said, referencing her address at the National Press Club last week.

#32 - Part 47

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 11

>>19575654 Video: Voice opponent Jacinta Nampijinpa Price breaks down at Adelaide No campaign event - A leading opponent of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has broken down in tears while delivering an address at a No campaign event in Adelaide, also accusing supporters of the Yes campaign of "bullying" and "gaslighting". Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told about 1,000 attendees of the event that she and her fellow Indigenous politicians already provide a voice for their people in federal parliament. Senator Price became emotional as she recalled speaking on behalf of them, including at a National Press Club speech last week. "I was a vessel for the women sitting in that room, the cousin of a young girl murdered hanging from a tree, the old woman in the middle of chemo who came to my office seeking to be heard because native title have written her and her family out of the history books," she said. "Her days are coming to an end and she just wanted her voice to be heard."

>>19575725 AFLW 2023: Gillon McLachlan apologises to Brisbane Lions fan forced to remove a T-shirt showing support for the Yes movement - AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has apologised to an AFL Women’s fan who was forced to remove a T-shirt showing support for the Yes movement at a game at Springfield on Sunday. The Brisbane Lions fan, named Michelle, has detailed her account of attempting to enter the ground while wearing the shirt and said security at the ground made her take it off, claiming it was making a “political statement”. The AFL conditions of entry contained in the terms and conditions of tickets includes policies relating to political statements. “That was a mistake by the security guard - that should not have happened,” McLachlan said.

>>19575743 LGBT groups call for advisory board amid NSW government faith council establishment - Sydney’s LGBT community is ­demanding Premier Chris Minns keeps his promise to set up a voice-like advisory council for gay and trans people, after he set up a similar body for religious leaders who have promised to use it to push Labor on policy priorities. The state government last week announced the establishment of a “milestone” NSW Faith Affairs Council to advise ministers on policy that could affect ­religious communities, such as - one faith leader suggested – changes to voluntarily-assisted dying or conversion practices. LGBT groups, although welcoming the move to give ­religious figures a forum, want the government to ensure a similar olive branch will be extended to them.

>>19581483 Anthony Albanese has no regrets sending Australians to polls for referendum - Anthony Albanese says if he had his time over, he would still be holding the Voice to Parliament referendum despite the debate turning “nasty and divisive” at times. When Mr Albanese claimed victory in May last year, the first thing he committed the Labor government to was implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart “in full”, with a referendum on enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament the first step. But, with just more than three weeks until Australians vote in the first referendum since 1999, debate has at-times taken an ugly turn. When asked whether he would still make the same commitment to hold the referendum if he had his time again knowing now how “nasty and divisive” the debate would become – Mr Albanese was emphatic. “Yes because when are we going to get this done (otherwise)? It’s been 122 years,” he told 2SM radio.

>>19581498 Indigenous voice to parliament’s Yes campaign ‘not about separatism’, says Noel Pearson - Noel Pearson has declared Indigenous Australia will not return to “assimilation” as the co-architect of the Indigenous voice moved to counter No campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s calls for an end to separatism. The Cape York leader expressed concerns the debate over the Indigenous voice to parliament was sending the country backward into old territory where assimilationist ideas were accepted. He argues for an alternative concept of unity in which Indigenous people have a special but not separate place in the nation’s story, a reference to John Howard’s landmark speech on constitutional recognition in 2007. “It’s too late for us now to be talking about assimilation. We’re not gonna turn into whitefellas tomorrow,” Mr Pearson said. “Our children are gonna remain Aboriginal. And I think we can accept that I think Australians accept that. You can’t turn the clock back. It’s gonna be an enriching thing for the country when we do this.”

#32 - Part 48

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 12

>>19581536 Anti-Voice rallies organised by pro-Putin conspiracy theorist - Rallies opposing the Indigenous Voice to parliament planned around Australia this weekend are being organised by a pro-Kremlin activist and anti-vaccination campaigner living in the Russian consulate in Sydney. The official No campaign has distanced itself from the latest iteration of the “world freedom rallies”, which have long been organised by Simeon Boikov, who is also known online as “the Aussie Cossack”. While posters for the rallies were originally framed around opposing Australian aid to Ukraine and an array of conspiracy theories, they have now been rebranded as anti-Voice events and are expected to draw crowds in the thousands. A spokesman for the major No outfit, Fair Australia, said the events scheduled for Saturday were “not supported, endorsed or funded by us in any way”.

>>19587705 Clive Palmer loses bid to force AEC to count ‘X’ as ‘No’ in Voice vote - Mining magnate Clive Palmer and United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet have lost a Federal Court bid to force the Australian Electoral Commission to count crosses on Voice referendum ballot papers as a vote against the proposal. In a judgment delivered late on Wednesday night after an urgent court hearing, Federal Court Justice Steven Rares said an “X” was “inherently ambiguous” and could not be counted as a No vote in the historic referendum on October 14. Rares said that “a cross is used in daily life both as a means of selecting one of two or more choices and as indicating a negative choice”. “Often one is asked to select a choice with a cross and … this was an early form of voting after Federation,” he said. “The use of a cross placed in the answer to the single question on the ballot paper for the referendum (namely, ‘Do you approve this proposed alteration?’) is inherently ambiguous as to the intention that the voter is intending to convey as to the proposal”. Rares said a tick was unambiguous. “Unlike a cross, which has more than one signification as either a disapproval or a selection of an answer, being approval, the tick both approves or selects the affirmative as the voter’s answer,” he said. “A tick signifies assent or approval. It is not a symbol that conveys a negative response.”

>>19587714 1.2 million postal votes could delay voice count - A record 1.2 million Australians have applied for postal votes and millions more are expected to vote at prepoll booths in the two-weeks ahead of Anthony Albanese’s voice referendum, potentially delaying a final result in the event of a tight count. The Australian Electoral Commission has also put a call out for workers to staff booths across the country, particularly in rural and remote areas, with 63,000 out of a required 100,000 confirmed. After rolls were closed on Monday night, AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers on Thursday said more than 17.6 million Australians were eligible to cast their vote on October 14. Mr Rogers said the surge in postal applications could impact the count if the result is close.

>>19587731 Voice politics don’t belong in our concert halls - "Across the country, concertgoers have been hijacked by orchestras that have used the opportunity of a captive audience to campaign openly for the Yes vote in the upcoming referendum. When my husband and I recently attended one of the dozen or so Sydney Symphony Orchestra concerts we enjoy each year, we were shocked that the usual acknowledgment of country was followed by a statement read out by an orchestra musician that the SSO supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Yes vote, and by implication exhorted us to do the same. To put it mildly, we were displeased by this blatant politicking in a most inappropriate place. When we enter the concert hall and take our seats, most of us are keenly aware that it offers us one of the last refuges where we as individuals of all backgrounds, faiths and political persuasions can come together and experience a human connection that transcends politics and borders on the sublime. Let us fight to preserve that sacred quality. We need it now more than ever." - Dr Rachael Kohn AO, award-winning producer and broadcaster, presenter of The Spirit of Things and The Ark on ABC Radio - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 49

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 13

>>19597168 'I'm with you': US rapper MC Hammer throws support behind Voice to Parliament sparking fiery debate on Twitter - MC Hammer, famed for his 90s smash hit U Can't Touch This, has thrown his support behind the Yes vote ahead of the Voice referendum - but the move has sparked fiery debate on social media. The American rapper said he had spent time reading articles and "getting up to speed" on the Voice to Parliament referendum, which is just three weeks away. Hammer took to X overnight to back the proposal, telling his 3.1 million followers: "I'm with you. Australia it's time. Repair the breach. #Yes2023." He pointed out Australia "has no treaty with its Indigenous people and has done little in comparison to other British dominions like Canada, New Zealand and the United States to include and uplift its First Nations people". Hammer also referred to prominent Yes campaigner Professor Megan Davis and credited her efforts in educating people on the importance of Indigenous constitutional recognition. Quoting Ms Davis, Hammer said: "A successful referendum will set a precedent that will be 'really useful for other indigenous populations around the world in relation to recognition'."

>>19601872 Hundreds of anti-Voice protesters rally in Sydney, Melbourne - Anti-Voice rallies in Sydney and Melbourne today were much smaller in scale than the official Yes campaign marches last weekend. Several hundred people gathered in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Saturday for the rally, with some carrying “Vote No” signs associated with the formal No campaign, despite attempts by the campaign to disassociate themselves from the rally. In Melbourne, neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell gatecrashed the end of the No rally with a group of people wearing black masks, unfurling a banner on the steps of Victoria’s state parliament that read “Voice = anti-white”. The group performed a Nazi salute and were heckled by other protesters, who were largely drawn from the anti-lockdown rallies that filled the city’s streets during the pandemic but have since dwindled in numbers to about 500 on Saturday. The rallies, which were held in cities around the country, were organised by pro-Kremlin activist and anti-vaccination campaigner Simeon Boikov, who is known online as “the Aussie Cossack”.

>>19606805 No vote gains more ground amid a loss of support for Peter Dutton - National support for the Indigenous voice to parliament has failed to gain the expected campaign momentum heading into the final weeks before the October 14 referendum, with only slightly more than a third of surveyed voters now saying they will vote yes. But the further decline in support has also coincided with a sharp fall in Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s approval ratings following a heated political debate over race, with satisfaction in the ­Opposition Leader’s performance now at a record low. According to an exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian, 36 per cent of surveyed voters say they intend to vote yes. This reflects a two-point fall in the past three weeks and a continuation of the erosion in support since the beginning of the year.

>>19606828 RedBridge poll finds voters don’t think Voice to Parliament is a top-5 priority - Hardly any Australians rank the Voice as the top priority issue for the federal government, according to a new poll that has also found support for the referendum has fallen to 38 per cent. The latest RedBridge poll, taken last week, found that despite Yes23 and the Uluru Dialogue stepping up their advertising spend, support for the Voice is still falling. The poll found that nationally the percentage of people planning to vote for the Voice has dropped by another percentage point since the start of the month. The last RedBridge poll, taken at the start of September, found support had fallen 5 per cent to 39 per cent in the month since its previous survey.

#32 - Part 50

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 14

>>19611589 Video: Uluru statement a ‘symbolic declaration of war’, says Warren Mundine - The Uluru Statement from the Heart, which first proposed a Voice to parliament, is a symbolic declaration of war against modern Australia, according to leading No campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine. In a firebrand speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, less than three weeks before Australians will vote in a historic referendum, Mundine claimed the Yes campaign is built on a “litany of lies”, as he disputed the claim that 80 per cent of Australia’s first people back the Voice proposal and that Indigenous Australians aren’t listened to by policymakers. Uluru Dialogue co-chair Megan Davis hit back at Mundine’s characterisation of the document, released in 2017. “The Uluru Statement from the Heart was an expression of peace and love to the Australian people, it is about belonging and unifying the nation and I find it really repugnant the notion it could be associated at all with the language of the declaration of war,” she told the ABC.

>>19617030 Leading Yes campaigner for Voice to Parliament Noel Pearson makes impassioned Press Club plea - Leading Yes campaigner and Indigenous academic Noel Pearson has made an impassioned speech to the National Press Club, pleading for Australians to support the Voice to Parliament in a show of "unity". On October 14 the country will head to the polls to vote on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament - a referendum Mr Pearson described as "the largest mirror we will ever look into as a nation". "[Twenty-four million] people will look into the mirror on October 14 and see ourselves like we never have before," he told the Press Club. Mr Pearson said the love of country should be why Australians vote Yes to the constitutional amendment. "I say today - it is the love of country that is our driving motivation for the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian constitution," Mr Pearson said. "I've come to see - it is the love of our country that joins us all as Australians. "I said it's not the same as patriotism, because there's nothing political about this love of country."

>>19617036 Noel Pearson says Indigenous voice to parliament referendum is test of Australia’s democracy - Prominent Yes campaigner Noel Pearson has declared the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum will be a test of Australia’s democracy and a No vote will ensure cultural wars – including a debate on whether Aboriginal people are worthwhile – will continue indefinitely. In a speech to the National Press Club titled “for the love of country”, the Cape York leader conceded supporters of a voice were filled with hope and terror about the outcome on October 14 but said “out of naivety or faith” Indigenous people wanted to ask Australians if they “supported a better future”. “This really is a test of whether our democracy can sustain a discourse for good,” Mr Pearson said in a sometimes emotional appeal to voters.

#32 - Part 51

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 15

>>19617051 Stand delivers as Liberals’ opposition to Indigenous voice to parliament pays off - There has been no sadder place in the world these past few years than the Liberal Party stand at the Perth Royal Show. Perched opposite the Police Pavilion and just a few metres down from the Agriculture Hall of Fame, the pop-up tent has long been a forlorn sight at the annual show as the party suffered through humiliating state and federal election defeats. This year, however, the MPs, staffers and volunteers manning the stand have noticed a distinct change in mood. More and more people have approached the stand this week - grabbing the Liberal-branded show bags stuffed with notebooks, fridge magnets and a mini Australian flag – than have done so for years. Amid petting the farm animals, watching the woodchopping competitions and perusing overpriced show bags, punters from across the Perth metropolitan area have taken time to stop in and engage with the party. “It’s fair to say that the level of engagement and the number of people voluntarily coming up and wanting to talk with us is vastly different to 12 months ago,” says one Liberal staffer who has been manning the stand. The key difference, they say, is the voice. Liberal senator Michaelia Cash has been one of the opposition’s loudest voices on the referendum. She told The Australian the “overwhelming feedback” from the Royal Show tent was praise for the party’s stance on the referendum. “I’ve spent a lot of time talking directly with Western Australians about the referendum and it is clear to me that they want the best for Indigenous Australians, but many have failed to be convinced the voice is the best way to go about it,” she said.

>>19623862 Video: ‘Vote for best voice’: Julia Gillard launches UK Yes campaign - Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has told a London audience of how the family stories of indigenous people are imbued with “trauma and exclusion,” and accused the country of failing to listen to the voice of “those who can make the biggest difference.” Launching the Yes campaign for the indigenous voice to parliament referendum in Britain’s capital early this morning (AEST), Ms Gillard urged a yes vote because: “What the voice will ensure is that we always hear, that we always have, the best, best voice telling us what needs to be done by our nation next.” Ms Gillard who celebrates her 62nd birthday later this week said a female indigenous counterpart born in the same year would have been at real risk of being part of the Stolen Generation, taken from her family for no reason with documents showing it was for no reason other than “being aboriginal”. She said if the woman wasn’t taken from her family, then she would know of people who were.

>>19623889 Video: Australian expats at world’s largest AEC voting booth urged to vote Yes - Former prime minister Julia Gillard has urged a large contingent of expat Australians to make their vote count at next month’s referendum, saying an Indigenous Voice to Parliament enshrined in the constitution would ensure future generations listen to those who have suffered from a century of policies imposed on them. Gillard, who made a point of mentioning her 62nd birthday this week, told a crowd of around 150 Australians gathered for the Yes23 campaign launch in London, that an Aboriginal woman born in 1961 had been largely failed by governments of all stripes and had likely suffered “generational trauma”. The UK-based Gillard joined youth advocate Yasmin Poole, Irish social rights campaigner Tiernan Brady and a drag queen called Karla Bear, who sang John Farnham’s anthemic hit You’re The Voice in Camden ahead of early voting in the UK capital beginning next week. More than 15,000 people - both Australian citizens living in the UK and holidaymakers – are expected to vote at the High Commission in London, making the booth the largest run by the Australian Electoral Commission anywhere in the world.

#32 - Part 52

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 16

>>19623899 The Voice changes Australian law and risks reparations - "Former ALP president later turned Liberal, Nyunggai Warren Mundine, has declared the Uluru Statement from the Heart a declaration of war against modern Australia. Immediately other Indigenous Australians disagreed. But this week I was privileged to receive a detailed legal opinion on the implications of the Uluru statement for modern Australia from Terence Cole, KC, one of Australia’s best known jurists having been a judge on the NSW Supreme Court and presiding over a number of royal commissions. Cole does not endorse Mundine’s war prediction but warns Australians about the future reparations they may face and the fundamental changes that implementation of the Uluru statement would bring to the Australia’s legal system. He concludes: “The potential for great and irremediable harm to Australian society means that The Voice should never be incorporated in the constitution.” Cole points out that some Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders want much more than recognition. They want the constitution changed to incorporate their Uluru claimed rights so that in the future, those Uluru rights cannot be abolished. And already three demands of the Uluru statement have accepted entirely by our Prime Minister - the Voice body, a Makarrata commission and “truth telling about our history”. Cole concludes that when asked to vote to amend the constitution to incorporate the Voice, Australians need to understand that some will use it to support the demands for recognition of coexisting sovereignty, a Makarrata commission designed to produce a treaty, monetary compensation for past events, and a rewriting of Australian history. Cole might not attach Mundine’s description of Uluru as a “declaration of war” but he shows how the proposed changes to property rights will create deep divisions among the population." - Robert Gottliebsen - theaustralian.com.au

>>19623907 Albanese government says far-right influencers are infiltrating the campaign against an Indigenous voice to parliament - Senior government minister Murray Watt has accused far-right influencers of “appearing to hijack the No campaign”, as Fair Australia dismisses Yes camp warnings Warren Mundine was “encouraging violence” through a controversial tweet. Both sides of the voice referendum debate have accused each other of violence and abuse, with a clash between Yes and No supporters outside a No campaign event in Brisbane on Wednesday night the latest confrontation on the campaign trail. A member of the local chapter of the Proud Boys Ben Shand, known as the Dusty Bogan, was at the event headlined by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Mr Mundine. Government sources said this appeared to be part of a larger pattern of infiltration of the Proud Boys in the official No campaign, with Mr Shand asking his followers to “jump on the bandwagon boys” and volunteer for Fair Australia.

>>19631056 Indigenous voice to parliament: Clive Palmer pays out $2m to say No - Clive Palmer will spend $2m promoting the No vote, including a final-week advertising blitz in South Australia and Tasmania, amid rising concerns that Yes23’s $50m war chest could fall short in swinging enough votes for a come-from-behind victory in the voice referendum. Yes23, No and third-party organisations are on track to spend more than $30m on advertising ahead of the October 14 referendum, with the bulk of funding quarantined for a final two-week push to win over soft and undecided voters. “We’re spending the money to put our point of view forward. We’re targeting Tasmania and South Australia. We’ll be advertising in all the states but will be ­focusing on them. It’s cheaper to spend advertising in Tassie and South Australia,” Mr Palmer said. “I think the No case will win. My prediction is 30 per cent Yes when we get to the polling date. If you look at it in the proper context, the most important thing in Australia is not Yes or No at the moment, it’s the cost-of-living and how the average Australian is going to make his way.” The UAP founder, who confirmed he had not consulted with Indigenous leaders, said his campaign reflected a “personal view” and was not associated with the official No campaign.

#32 - Part 53

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 17

>>19637799 ‘Blak sovereignty’ leaders switch to Yes, isolating Lidia Thorpe - Key opponents of the Indigenous Voice have switched sides in the final weeks of the referendum to back the Yes case after rising fears that a No victory would align them with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton or One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. The moves reveal the concerns among “progressive No” activists who initially rejected the Voice in favour of stronger action - such as a treaty first – but have moved away from the hardline stance taken by Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe. But Thorpe said the Blak Sovereignty movement, which she leads, was “growing exponentially” and would continue to oppose the Voice, saying she would not switch sides despite calls from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for her support. Melbourne activist Tarneen Onus Browne said they were a “hard No” and actively campaigned against the Voice until changing their mind when they saw the risk of a No victory. “It is dangerous to those of us in Indigenous communities because of the racism and discrimination it amps up, and I hope to never see another community group be put in danger of right-wing conservatives in a national vote,” they said. Onus Browne is a community organiser for Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance and made headlines five years ago for telling an Invasion Day rally they hoped Australia would “burn to the ground” – a remark they said was about the need for total change to the political system. “I agree with much of what the progressive No represents, not the racist No - they are two very different campaigns,” they said.

>>19637818 Black Peoples Union rallies to say No to the Voice - The radical No vote to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament found its own voice in Canberra on Saturday, with the revolutionary Black Peoples Union holding a meeting to reject moderation and reconciliation in favour of a “reckoning” with Australia’s past and political foundation. Keiran Stewart-Assheton, a Wani-Wandi man of the Yuin Nation and national president of the BPU, wants voters to reject the Voice, which would embed an Indigenous-led advisory body into the Constitution, in favour of a revolution to overthrow the liberal foundations of modern Australia. Speaking before the meeting, Mr Stewart-Assheton said he wanted to replace the current political structure with the governance models that existed in First Nations communities before European settlement, what he terms a “proto-communist” model. “Our systems governments are very different, the closest I suppose in similarity would be some form of communism or socialism, but ultimately it’s not those either,” he said. “It’s very much its own thing that hasn’t been properly documented and labelled in English.”

>>19637828 Indigenous voice to parliament referendum fatigue is kicking in on the final run home - As Australians fire up barbecues and stock eskies for the footy finals long weekend, Yes and No campaigners will have a brief reprieve from the gruelling slog of the voice referendum campaign trail. The 16-month trek towards constitutionally enshrining a voice to parliament and executive government has worked against the Yes campaign. For many Yes campaigners, who reflect on polls last year showing emphatic support for an Indigenous voice, time has become the enemy. ALP and Yes23 campaigners are not giving up. Backed by more than 40,000 volunteers, a $20m advertising blitz and a ground game assisted by unions and activist groups, the Yes side is working to pull off a come-from-behind win. The stakes for Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are high. Whoever lands on the losing side will carry residual damage all the way to the 2025 election.

>>19650010 Anthony Albanese says one-on-one conversations will be key to a Yes victory for an Indigenous voice to parliament - Anthony Albanese insists undecided Australians will arrive at a Yes vote “pretty comfortably” during one-on-one conversations about the Indigenous voice to parliament, saying this will be the key to a referendum win on October 14. With no signs of a turnaround in the polls less than two weeks before polling day, the Prime Minister said the voice “isn‘t a radical proposal, nor is it a conservative proposal, it’s a mainstream proposal” while attempting to contrast a “negative” No campaign with a “positive” Yes campaign. Mr Albanese hit out at disinformation as he declared the voice won’t advise the Reserve Bank of Australia or where Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines are located, despite Indigenous leaders and Yes campaigners previously saying it could. Both sides of the referendum said they were confident they’d be able to effectively man booths to engage voters for the final sprint, with prepoll open in all states and territories from Tuesday October 3.

#32 - Part 54

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 18

>>19650029 Voice campaign gets ugly as early voting begins - Special Minister of State Don Farrell has urged anyone who feels threatened during the voice referendum to contact police, as Yes and No campaigners trade barbs over which side has more extremists. Ahead of pre-polling commencing on Monday, No campaigners have written to the Australian Electoral Commission complaining their volunteers were worried about their safety standing at booths. But a Labor spokeswoman described the Advance Australia letter as a “cynical attempt by the No campaign to distract from the extreme and dangerous far-right influencers they’ve attracted”. “If Advance Australia are aware of threatening or criminal behaviour they should report it to the police,” the spokeswoman said. “The No campaign only focus on creating fear, they offer no solutions and no progress.” The Albanese government last week accused far-right influencers of hijacking the No campaign after a member of the Proud Boys and neo-Nazi Tom Sewell attended their rallies.

>>19650055 Albanese looking to blame Dutton for his voice misjudgment - "In the final two weeks of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum campaign, Anthony Albanese is refining a new political narrative aimed at minimising culpability for his misjudgment and maximising blame for Peter Dutton The Prime Minister’s apparent intent, in prudent political expectation or perhaps even anticipation of a defeat for the referendum, is to argue he was misled on the vital issue of bipartisanship by the Coalition and betrayed by the craven political opportunism of the Opposition Leader. A deflection, in case of defeat, away from his own miscalculation that bipartisanship on a referendum no longer counted because things had changed and the Australian public was more inclined to listen to the elites of business, sport and religion than to leaders of political parties. If there is a yes vote, it will not matter what is being said now about Dutton and the lack of bipartisanship… but if there is a no vote, Albanese will be the one under pressure for a failed political campaign that has caused potential damage to Australian society and the Labor government." - Dennis Shanahan - theaustralian.com.au

>>19656285 Video: No campaigners warn against complacency at Perth event as Voice referendum draws closer - More than 1,000 people have gathered at an event in Perth to hear leaders of the No campaign warn against complacency ahead of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. With the polls already open for early voting and less than a fortnight until referendum day, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine were greeted like rock stars at the event on Monday night. Speaking to the crowd at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mr Mundine warned volunteers and campaigners for the No camp not to get complacent. "The battle is not over yet, we've still got to get out there and fight every day," he said. The room was a sea of orange "No" posters, hats, and T-shirts, which featured the slogan "Vote no to a Voice of division". Senator Nampijinpa Price was greeted with a standing ovation when she addressed the audience. "It's such a pleasure being back here in Western Australia in Perth, you guys are absolutely bringing it," the Northern Territory senator for the Country Liberal Party said.

>>19656295 Yes23 warned by AEC on ‘potentially misleading’ purple signs - The Australian Electoral Commission has warned the Yes23 Voice campaign that some of its signs could be potentially misleading and demanded it move them away from polling stations. Some Yes23 signs - which say “Vote YES” – use the same purple colour as the commission’s signs, which have the words “voting centre” on them and are used to inform voters about polling booth locations for the Voice referendum. The commission said in a statement late on Monday, the first day of early voting, that it had become aware of signs that could “potentially mislead voters”, who might see the official purple colours and become confused about whether a Yes vote was perhaps mandatory, or encouraged, by authorities. “To be absolutely clear - the signs were erected by the Yes23 campaign, not the AEC,” the statement said. “When we were alerted to this signage, the AEC requested the Yes23 campaign to rectify the situation by ensuring their signs are not placed in the proximity of AEC voting centre signs. “The Yes23 campaign has agreed to comply with this request.”

#32 - Part 55

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 19

>>19656309 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Voice plea as he urges voters to drown out misinformation - Anthony Albanese has pleaded with the thousands of undecided voters to drown out the “absurd” conspiracy theories and vote Yes, as Australians begin to vote in the Voice to parliament referendum. The Prime Minister, insistent that a Yes vote will prevail on October 14 despite polls pointing towards a defeat, says he is confident Australians will look at the question before them and accept the “very modest request”. It comes as early voting centres open across the country, with the Australian Electoral Commission confirming 124,000 people in Victoria, Tasmania, WA and the NT voted on the first day of operations. Mr Albanese said he was hopeful that undecided and “soft no” voters could tune out the “full sweep of misinformation”, citing examples of claims made regarding the Reserve Bank, private land ownership, and the United Nations. “The idea that the Voice will have a say on the Reserve Bank determination of interest rates is quite frankly absurd, just absurd,” he said on the hustings in Tasmania.

>>19664314 Indigenous voice to parliament Yes case can’t escape its own fatal contradictions - "Whichever side wins the voice referendum - Yes or No - the tone leaders of both sides take on the night of the vote count and immediately after will be of great consequence for Australia. We don’t have to come together on policy, for bipartisanism in support of bad policy is disastrous. But we should acknowledge that most people who participated in this debate, on both sides, did so with goodwill towards the nation and goodwill towards Indigenous Australians. This in fact is why the Yes campaign was so grievously misled by the early polling that showed overwhelming support for the voice. These polls didn’t accurately measure support for changing the Constitution. They measured instead the pure goodwill to Indigenous Australians. It has been a fatal slander by the Yes case to argue goodwill to Indigenous Australians requires everyone to vote Yes, that people voting No can be motivated only by ignorance or malice - a typical identity politics false binary. The whole Yes construct that this is a campaign by the marginalised against the powerful is colossally absurd and a complete reversal of the truth. This is a campaign of massive institutional power – the government, the ABC, the richest corporations, trade unions – all attempting to browbeat and morally coerce the Australian people into voting Yes. A No vote will be a magnificent declaration of independence by voters." - Greg Sheridan - theaustralian.com.au

>>19664325 Close the Gap? No camp’s lack of vision is staggering - "With voting on the referendum to establish a voice to parliament under way, now is the time for those who are planning to vote No to reconsider and vote Yes, ignoring the shrill calls to war and rage, and embrace this simple, modest, low-risk constitutional change that will enlarge and uplift our nation, and reconcile us with the past. The voice to parliament and government will be an Indigenous consultative body tasked with providing information, suggestions and feedback to policymakers about matters that affect Indigenous Australians so we can improve the health, employment, education, housing, justice and safety outcomes of Indigenous Australians. The No camp is led by populist reactionary conservatives, many of whom have been propagating lies and misinformation about the voice, and some have peddled unadulterated racism. It has been sickening to observe organisations such as CPAC Australia provide a platform for bigotry. And dangerous to see them attack the integrity of the Australian Electoral Commission. This referendum is about recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the Constitution and establishing an advisory body to improve policy outcomes. It is about listening to and respecting them and their unique place in the story of this continent. It is an act of reconciliation. And it offers a chance for all of us to embrace change for a better future for all Australians." - Troy Bramston - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 56

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 20

>>19664349 Marcia Langton and Tom Calma say the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum has been shaped by our racist history - Key voice architects say the ­referendum campaign has tapped into “a deep well of historical ­racism” and warn that Indigenous people will need to work “very closely” with politicians in the event of a Yes vote to ensure voice legislation “realises their ambitions for greater control over their lives”. In an article for world-leading medical journal The Lancet, Marcia Langton and Tom Calma join fellow Indigenous academics Ian Anderson, Yin Paradies and Ray Lovett in cautioning a No vote will have a “profoundly negative effect” on Indigenous Australians who have worked on reconciliation for nearly two decades. “We posit that this is partly ­because the referendum process taps into a deep well of historical racism that originated on the Australian frontier when Indigenous peoples ‘were violently dispossessed from their lands by the British’,” they say in the September 28 Lancet article, quoting Indigenous activist and human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade. “This history has shaped the 2023 referendum and an increasingly divisive campaign between those advocating a Yes and a No position. The voice referendum process creates a substantial cultural load for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Indigenous peoples are being asked, and expected, to engage in conversations around this topic and, often, are then challenged to defend their position.”

>>19664382 Yes campaign can’t distract from real issue of voice’s power - "With voting now open and the Yes and No campaigns in full throttle, replete with exaggerations, distortions and racist claims, there is almost no focus on the central issue of the referendum - the constitutional power of the voice in representing the Indigenous peoples. For many people the voice is seen in both First Nations terms and in racial terms. After 30 years of debate in this nation about racial issues this is hardly a surprise. Voice advocates are anxious to argue the issue is not about race. For the Yes case, that’s an electoral necessity. Advocates say, correctly, the voice is a body that represents First Nations people as the Indigenous people of Australia. But surely there are two truths here - it is about First Nations people and it is about race. Isn’t this how most Australians see the issue? When leading No campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says the voice is dividing the country “along fractures of race”, that resonates with many people who have reservations about the way race is now embraced in our society as a celebratory badge of group identity. The point for the referendum is that the voice is contentious at multiple levels and around its core principles. If the voice fails, the judgment will be that such a contentious proposal in its design should never have been advanced short of a convention and bipartisanship support." - Paul Kelly - theaustralian.com.au

>>19664399 Jacinta Nampijinpa Price embarks on Indigenous voice to parliament referendum unity drive - A busy cafe run by Vietnamese-Australians was an ideal setting for Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s message about a united yet diverse nation living with the sinister threat of racial divide. In the office district of West Perth on Tuesday morning, Senator Nampijinpa Price worked the coffee machine with members of the Luong family at Epic Cafe, later saying: “I mean, they are an example of the Australian story, and as I keep saying to Australians around the country, it doesn’t matter whether we were here 60,000 years ago or six months ago: you are Australian, it doesn’t matter your racial heritage.” Yes advocates thought they would own the concept of bringing Australians closer together in this referendum. But Senator Nampijinpa Price has taken it from them and it appeared to be working on undecided voters and Hard Nos alike. The first-term politician received a rapturous reception at Perth’s biggest convention centre the previous night as she walked on stage to the sound of husband Colin Lillie singing the opening lines of his country rock song, Renegade: “I’m the bringer of change.”

#32 - Part 57

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 21

>>19664413 Bizarre road sign vandals popping up in one state - Police are hunting for vandals who defaced speed limit road signs to read ‘No’ across regional South Australia in another mark of a growing ugliness in the Voice to parliament referendum campaign. Motorists across the state reported the altered signs, with the 110 speed limit figure vandalised to read “No” in an apparent reference to the campaign, now in its final two weeks before the October 14 vote. A Department of Transportation spokesman confirmed on Wednesday at least two speed signs, one on the Barrier Highway at Burra and another on Worlds End Highway at Robertson had been vandalised. “Road signs and infrastructure are very important for driver safety,” the spokesman said. “Maintenance crews are currently checking other signage in the area for vandalism. “Defacing road infrastructure is a criminal offence which carries a maximum penalty of $5000 or one year imprisonment.” A South Australian Police spokesman said the police were aware of the vandalism and were investigating.

>>19672517 Dutton, Price want Indigenous spending audited - A row over federal spending is clouding the final phase of the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to parliament, with No campaigners demanding an audit of the money spent on First Australians and a former federal minister backing the call. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton linked the spending to the Voice debate by saying the money should be checked to ensure it was going to the “most deserving” people, hours after leading No campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price called for the audit. But Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said she had made changes in June to address an audit that highlighted what she called the “clearly deficient” safeguards in place during nine years of Coalition government. Former Indigenous affairs minister Amanda Vanstone argued for a complete audit to discover where the spending was doing most good and where it was not working, after days of debate over total federal and state outlays worth about $33.4 billion. “I don’t think anyone could genuinely say that Indigenous people are getting value for money,” said Vanstone, who was responsible for Indigenous affairs during the Howard government.

>>19672524 Indigenous voice to parliament: Yet another audit is not the answer, Yes camp says - The Yes campaign has hit back at the latest calls from Peter Dutton and Jacinta Price for an audit of ­Indigenous spending, noting that the Coalition conducted almost two dozen such examinations ­during its time in government. Speaking to reporters in Perth on Wednesday morning, Yes23 campaign director Dean Parkin said Mr Dutton and the Coalition had offered nothing to deliver real change for Indigenous Australians. “Peter Dutton was a senior cabinet minister in a government over nine years, and they conducted 22 audits into the Indigenous Affairs space … The result was a widening … in many key areas at the Closing the Gap targets for ­Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” he said. “What Peter Dutton is proposing is more of the same. That is what a No vote will give all Australians in this campaign, it’ll get us nowhere with respect to progress in Indigenous Affairs, and more of the failed outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

>>19672552 Marcus Stewart, Blair Cottrell and ECAJ say Indigenous voice to parliament No campaign target of far-right - Indigenous leader Marcus Stewart says it is concerning that far-right activist Blair Cottrell was supporting the No campaign, triggering a rebuke from voice to parliament opponents who say the Yes case is “gratefully receiving” support from the Communist Party of Australia. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry also denounced “the paranoid, demented mind of the antisemite” after footage emerged of a man handing out flyers at an anti-voice event in Brisbane that says “every aspect of the Aboriginal voice to parliament is Jewish”. A No campaign spokesman completely rejected the suggestion it had been “hijacked” by anyone, including Proud Boy members and neo-Nazis, amid calls from Mr Stewart to ensure voice opponents were protecting volunteers on polling booths “from these nasty characters”. Mr Cottrell, a high-profile extremist and former United Patriots Front leader, last week reposted The Australian’s story headlined ‘Far-right ‘hijacking’ Indigenous voice to parliament No campaign, says Labor’ with: “Of course we are.” “It’s politics. Everybody is trying to infiltrate everything in politics. Actually, the ‘far-right’ (read: white Australian workers with access to the internet) has been significantly less successful at infiltrating Australian politics than international Judaism and its leftist rhetoric, which has penetrated every level of social life and is the only reason we’re having this referendum in the first place.”

#32 - Part 58

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 22

>>19672573 Video: Senator Lidia Thorpe accuses police of failing to protect her after Neo-Nazi racist abuse - Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has said the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have failed to protect her after becoming the target of far-right extremist racist abuse. A warning that this story contains offensive images that may cause distress to our audience. The Indigenous senator was tagged in a video of a masked Neo-Nazi burning an Aboriginal flag while performing a Nazi salute this week. In Melbourne on Thursday, she stood in front of the Royal Exhibition Building and described the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum as an "act of genocide against my people". Senator Thorpe made allegations that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the AFP are not doing enough to protect her from the far right. "His violent force that he has sent to protect me can't even protect me, refuse to protect the Blak sovereign woman because the police are part of the problem in this country," she said.

>>19672594 Video: Lidia Thorpe blames PM for Nazi video - Progressive No campaigner Lidia Thorpe has vowed to speak out in the final nine days of the voice referendum campaign and says she’s not scared, after releasing a video of a masked man threatening her, burning an Aboriginal flag and doing the Nazi salute. The independent senator’s defiance came as Anthony Albanese, senior ministers and Peter Dutton denounced the “quite horrific” and “unhinged” video, which Senator Thorpe blamed on the Prime Minister. The Australian Federal Police is investigating the video, which has been taken down from X, and the account that posted it has been deactivated.

>>19679087 Regardless of referendum result, Jacinta Price will be biggest winner - "Regardless of whether the October 14 referendum succeeds or fails, the biggest winner will be Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. The 42-year-old Indigenous woman, a mother of four, has made her mark on the country so quickly and so profoundly it’s hard to imagine national politics without her. Indeed, if the Liberal parliamentary party is smart, it will move her to the lower house and start testing her for the leadership. The party should be planning for the day when Liberals and the country are led by the first female Indigenous prime minister. Not because Price is female. Nor because she is Indigenous. But because after a challenging time she is already leading a large part of the country on a new path. After the referendum, Price’s talents will be needed to bring an end to a long era of separatism, welfarism and victimhood. Price could become the pre-eminent politician of our time if she slays these old agendas that many fear will be embedded for generations to come if the voice is inserted into the Constitution." - Janet Albrechtsen - theaustralian.com.au

>>19679141 Indigenous voice to parliament: The ball is in your court, Australia - "When I was a little girl, I remember hiding under the bed so I wouldn’t be taken from my mum. You wouldn’t know how terrifying that was for a kid, even now. I grew up in an Australia where being Aboriginal was frankly unfair and cruel. Many of my childhood memories have stayed with me through my life. I remember how lucky I felt to be scouted at a young age. And I have never forgotten this simple thought: if the 1967 referendum had happened three years later, I wouldn’t have been able to leave Australia without permission; maybe I wouldn’t have won Wimbledon. But the ’67 referendum did happen. We did it then, let’s do it again. I’ve been on this journey of constitutional recognition for a long time and this is the last chance of my lifetime. I know how far our country has come, together. I know we can take the next step, together. I believe in the simple goodness of every Australian heart. In particular I say to Australians from my generation, the people who gave me such wonderful and warm support on the biggest stage: stand with me now to help Australia grab this great opportunity. You’ve cheered for me. Now, please, vote with me: vote Yes." - Evonne Goolagong Cawley, former tennis world No.1 and a Wiradjuri woman - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 59

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 23

>>19679310 Video: Voice to Parliament Referendum: TV icon Ray Martin says ‘d*ckheads and dinosaurs’ Australians will vote no - Veteran TV journalist Ray Martin has labelled Australians who vote no as “d… heads and dinosaurs” in an extraordinary spray at an event in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese‘s Sydney electorate of Grayndler. The Nine TV presenter, who is of indigenous heritage, took the stage at a Yes rally on September 28 at Marrickville’s Factory Theatre in Sydney’s inner west, where he took aim at the No side’s campaign slogan: “If you don’t know, vote no”. “What that slogan is saying is if you’re a dinosaur or d… head who can’t be bothered reading, then vote No,” Martin told attendees. “If you don’t know, find out what you don’t know.” A video of the speech was uploaded to social media platform TikTok, gaining thousands of views and almost two hundred comments. Laughter and cheering can be heard from the crowd after the remarks.

>>19679378 Video: Ray Martin stands by ‘dinosaurs and dickheads’ comment that lashed No campaign - Veteran journalist Ray Martin has stood by his scathing comments attacking the No campaign after he accused its key slogan of being “nonsensical” and likened it to being a “dinosaur or a dickhead who can’t be bothered reading” the referendum proposal. The five-time gold Logie winner was interviewed on Channel 9’s A Current Affair program by host Ally Langdon on Thursday night and during the interview she asked if he regretted the comments. “No, I don’t,” Martin said. “I think this is a really important referendum and I would never call No voters dinosaurs or anything else.” Langdon refuted these claims and said, “But you did call them dinosaurs and another word.” Martin repeatedly rejected Langdon’s comments. “No I didn’t. What I said I found offensive was this slogan, this stupid slogan, if you don’t know, vote No. “That’s just an endorsement of ignorance, if you don’t know find out what you don’t know.”

>>19679432 Dutton attacks Ray Martin over Voice as Jacinta Price weighs in against ABC - Coalition leader Peter Dutton has taken aim at prominent broadcaster Ray Martin for suggesting the No side’s Voice slogan is aimed at “dickheads”, as Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price railed against alleged bias at the ABC. Dutton raised Martin’s comments during an interview on Sydney radio station 2GB this Thursday and referred to the former presenter on five occasions. “People aren’t stupid, they aren’t dinosaurs,” the federal opposition leader said. “The prime minister preaches inclusiveness and tolerance and all of the woke agenda that they’re pushing out. “But the prime minister was actually at the speech that Ray Martin made, right? And he praised it on ABC Radio the next day to say that it was a great speech.” In an interview on ABC Radio Adelaide on Thursday, Price, the federal opposition’s Indigenous Affairs spokeswoman, claimed the national broadcaster, a common target for conservatives, had treated her as a token conservative. “If you’re a conservative Aboriginal woman, as far as the ABC is concerned, you are controversial or not part of the status quo,” she said. “You’re generally made to feel it’s unacceptable.”

>>19685067 Video: Support for the Voice to Parliament continues to dwindle, just a week out from the referendum. - According to a Roy Morgan poll, 46 per cent of Australians intend to vote No, while 37 per cent of people would vote Yes and 17 per cent of voters remain undecided. Victoria and Tasmania are the only states where people are inclined to vote Yes in the referendum. Queensland saw the largest amount of 'no' responses. The majority of men across the country say they are against the Voice - citing fears of losing land.

#32 - Part 60

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 24

>>19685172 Support for ‘No’ case now at 46% well ahead of ‘Yes’ case on 37% as early referendum voting starts - The latest Roy Morgan poll shows 46% of Australians (up 2% in a week) now say they will vote ‘No’ to establish an ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice’ compared to only 37% (down 2%) say they would vote ‘Yes’ and a further 17% (unchanged) are ‘Undecided’ on how they would vote. Respondents around Australia were asked: “Next month’s (Asked on September 25-30, 2023) / This month’s (Asked on October 1, 2023) referendum proposes a law to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. At the referendum to be held on October 14, will you vote yes, no, or are you undecided?” If ‘Undecided’ respondents are removed the split in favour of the ‘No’ vote is 56% (up 3% in a week) cf. 44% (down 3%). However, past experience with surveys conducted before previous referenda shows that ‘Undecided’ voters are far more likely to end up as a ‘No’ rather than a ‘Yes’ vote meaning the actual figure is likely to be a larger majority in favour of ‘No’ than indicated here.

>>19685360 Indigenous voice to parliament won’t fix crisis in Northern Territory, say John Howard and Tony Abbott - John Howard and Tony Abbott have declared the Northern Territory is a failed state because of its inability to provide basic services to remote communities, including education, and believe a voice to parliament will not improve practical outcomes for Indigenous people in central Australia. The former Liberal prime ministers, who implemented the Coalition’s 2007 intervention into the Northern Territory, which ­included grog bans and placing military personnel in some ­remote communities, said little had changed for Indigenous Australians in the 15 years since the Coalition government’s action. Mr Howard said changes to the Constitution to include an ­Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government would be tied up for years would not do anything to address the problems facing Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory. Mr Abbott said a Yes vote for the voice would only “entrench Indigenous separatism” that had not helped disadvantaged communities.

>>19685520 Indigenous voice to parliament division was predicted by former High Court chief justice Harry Gibbs - A three-decade old warning sounded by former high court chief justice Harry Gibbs on the dangers of enshrining special rights for ­Aboriginal people in the Constitution has been seized upon by the Coalition as evidence a successful referendum next Saturday would permanently divide the nation. Gibbs, chief justice from 1981 to 1987, was deeply concerned about the potential for the constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians to split the nation along racial lines. As founding president of the Samuel Griffith Society, established in 1992, Gibbs wrote Australia Day messages to members and, in 1993, one year after the Mabo case, he expressed alarm that even a simple statement ­recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution could have far-reaching consequences. “The most dangerous change that could be made would be to ­include in the constitution a provision giving special rights to the Aboriginal people,” he said. Gibbs warned that “nothing could do more to divide the Australian nation than a constitutional change that gave the Aboriginal people special rights and privileges based solely on race”. “The Aboriginal people, like all other peoples in Australia, are not a uniform group. Some have successfully integrated into 20th ­century society; others are successfully living a traditional mode of life, albeit a modified one; ­others unfortunately are greatly in need of help, which various governments have tried without much success to give them,” he said. “Those in need should be succoured, but that does not mean that all those who are of Aboriginal race should be given special constitutional rights which would not be enjoyed by other Australians, even by those in equal need.”

>>19685549 Indigenous voice to parliament: Migrants ‘unaware’ voting is imminent - A large proportion of the migrant community in a part of Sydney’s inner west doesn’t know the voice referendum is approaching, says Strathfield MP Jason Yat-sen Li, as he makes a final pitch to multicultural Australians on the voice. Mr Yat-Sen Li, who earlier this year highlighted the extent of voice misinformation circulating in Chinese migrant communities, said he had had to build a compelling narrative for Yes among the large Chinese diaspora and other multicultural groups in his electorate. The Labor MP says many migrants, including his parents, have not had an opportunity to engage deeply with 65,000 years of Indigenous history, making some people susceptible to misinformation.

#32 - Part 61

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 25

>>19685600 Key voice battleground South Australia is ‘leaning to no’, campaign volunteers say - At a South Australian shopping centre, Philip Colebatch is handing out flyers for the Indigenous voice to parliament no campaign. And as the campaign heads into its final days, he’s getting a “sniff” from voters he’s talking to that “it’s leaning to no”. “I just get the nods and the winks,” he says. South Australia has become a key battleground state in the lead up to the voice referendum. On Friday - just over a week from the vote - all state and territory leaders descended on Adelaide, including the sole Liberal, Tasmania’s Jeremy Rockcliff. They all support the federal voice to parliament. But polling for South Australia has dipped below a winnable level, and according to people on the ground, many people are voting no. Another no campaigner, Alistair Crooks, says the shopping centre crowds are fairly polarised - and his years on polling booths have taught him you can’t always take them at their word. He, too, has heard more support for the no campaign, “but that’s skewed,” he says. “It’s older people who’ve got the time to come down here. The young are still working. I don’t think we can read anything too much into it.”

>>19685699 Voice to Parliament: Hard No for WA as referendum vote looms - Fifty-four per cent of West Australians are now hard No voters and won’t be changing their minds in the final week of polling for the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Final polling for WA by Fair Australia shows a total of 59 per cent of people plan to vote No compared with 36 per cent who plan to vote Yes. Five per cent remain unsure. But significantly, the proportion of hard No and hard Yes voters stands at 54-31. Fair Australia, part of the No camp and led by senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, polled 637 people. WA Liberal senator Michaelia Cash said it was clear West Australians were “hardening” their resolve to vote No.

>>19685753 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese casts Voice vote in home electorate of Marrickville - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has cast his vote early in the historic Voice to Parliament referendum with the company of his son from his home electorate of Marrickville. Mr Albanese was in the inner-western Sydney suburb on Saturday morning where he emphatically dropped his ballot, presumably with a ‘Yes’ vote, into the ballot box at the Marrickville Town Hall early polling station. He was met by a small crowd who had turned out to cast their own vote ahead of the official Voice vote day on October 14. Volunteers, both with the ‘Yes’ campaign and the Electoral Commission, were all smiles as the nation’s leader entered the polling area, accompanied by his son Nathan. “Yes for recognition, Yes for listening, Yes for better outcomes,” Mr Albanese wrote in a social media post, accompanied by a photo of he and his son voting.

>>19691563 Anthony Albanese confirms his government will walk away from the Indigenous voice to parliament altogether if No vote succeeds - Anthony Albanese says his government will walk away from the Indigenous voice to parliament altogether if the referendum is voted down next weekend, warning that trying to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people won’t be as effective without a constitutionally enshrined advisory body. The Prime Minister also questioned why the Coalition had the position of an Indigenous Australians spokesperson, held by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, if they didn’t want to listen to Aboriginal people. Mr Albanese hit out at what he said was a deliberate strategy by the No campaign to confuse voters, including “absurd debates” over whether the voice will advise the Reserve Bank of Australia on interest rates or the length of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. “That is all a conscious decision to wreck and to confuse,” Mr Albanese told ABC’s Insiders program.

#32 - Part 62

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 26

>>19691573 Anthony Albanese says Voice won’t be legislated if referendum fails - Anthony Albanese has defiantly ruled out legislating a Voice to parliament if the referendum fails next weekend, saying it would be “inappropriate”. When asked if he would “walk away altogether” from the Voice in the event of a No vote, the Prime Minister responded: “correct”. “Indigenous Australians have said they want a Voice that’s enshrined (in the constitution),” he told ABC’s Insiders. “What they don’t want to do is what they’ve done time and time again, which is to part of establishing representative organisations, only to see, for opportunistic reasons, a government to come in and just abolish it.” On Saturday, Australians will head to the polls to vote in the first referendum since 1999, where they will be asked whether they agree to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the constitution. Already, about two million people, including the Prime Minister, have voted in pre-polling. All published polls have the referendum on track to fail, but Mr Albanese says he remains hopeful that Australians will come together and vote Yes.

>>19699247 Video: Labor’s stocks fall, support for the Indigenous voice to parliament hits new low: Newspoll - Support for the Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government has weakened further heading into the final week of the campaign, with just a third of voters now backing the proposed constitutional change amid a critical loss of support among younger voters. The Albanese government has also suffered electorally, with Labor’s primary vote slipping to its lowest level since the election and Anthony Albanese’s personal approval rating dipping to a new low as his lead over Liberal leader Peter Dutton narrows to its tightest margin. An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows support for the voice falling a further two points in the past fortnight to 34 per cent as Australians prepare to cast their vote this coming weekend.

>>19699269 Albanese has spent his and Labor’s political capital on a debate which has divided the country - "For Anthony Albanese, the voice referendum can’t be over soon enough. Not only has the Prime Minister failed to energise the nation into supporting his key election pledge, Labor is suffering pre-fallout damage as a consequence. Albanese has expended his political capital on a debate that has divided the country and ­assisted in driving down the Labor Party’s electoral stocks. Albanese is now paying a political price. Labor’s primary vote has dipped to its lowest level since the election at 34 per cent. Albanese’s approval ratings are now also at their weakest point. While these are early warning signs for the government that its focus must shift, Peter Dutton isn’t reaping electoral rewards as a result. The Coalition’s primary vote has improved, but only to the point that it has returned to its election-losing level of 36 per cent. And while the leadership margin has narrowed to its tightest since the election, Albanese still remains comfortably ahead of the Liberal leader as preferred prime minister. Albanese, however, cannot escape his attachment to the broader rejection of the voice at a time when the primary focus for most Australians is on their household budget." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

>>19699279 Paul Keating makes case for voice to improve Indigenous lives - Paul Keating has given his full support to the referendum to provide constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians through a voice to parliament and government, as the campaign enters its final week. The former prime minister, who negotiated the Native Title Act in response to the High Court’s Mabo judgement with Indigenous leaders, told The Australian that a constitutionally enshrined advisory body would lead to systematic improvement in policy results across the board. Mr Keating said his seven-month negotiation with Indigenous leaders on the complex issues of native title through 1993 showed that a standing advisory body could significantly enhance the policymaking process and increase living standards for Indigenous Australians. “A voice can dramatically improve outcomes,” he said in a statement provided exclusively to The Australian. “The idea of a ‘voice’ has been tried and it worked. For this demonstration and a host of other reasons, I will be voting ‘yes’ on Saturday.”

#32 - Part 63

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 27

>>19699287 A voice can dramatically improve outcomes for Indigenous Australia, former PM Paul Keating writes - "A voice can dramatically improve outcomes. How can such a claim be reasonably asserted? It can be asserted because we have already had demonstration of a “voice” in respect of deeply complex issues once before, and the overall outcome was sharply enhanced. The voice, on that occasion, was the concentrated consultation employed over a period of seven months between the commonwealth and Aboriginal and ­Islander people in respect of ­Native Title, indeed the only structured consultation by government that Indigenous Australians have been party to since the referendum in 1967. The long and tortuous seven months of extended consultation through the native title process was the first and so far only example of a “voice” in the full throat of its advisory mandate but as it turned out, a mandate that went a long way to settling perhaps the primary Indigenous grievance; the theft of their estate. That “voice” also went ­beyond the matter of land. In the consequence, I set up the inquiry into the Stolen Generations under former High Court judge Ronald Wilson, as my government also did the Indigenous Land Fund with $2bn allocated to buy back pastoral leases, allowing native title to revive. Thirty years on, Indigenous people now enjoy title to approximately 55 per cent of the Australian continent and when all the cases are heard, more likely two- thirds of the national land mass. The idea of a “voice” has been tried, and it worked big time. For this and a host of other reasons, I will be voting Yes on Saturday." - Paul Keating - theaustralian.com.au

>>19699303 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urges Aussies to ‘Vote Yes’ in opinion piece - Anthony Albanese has appealed to all Australians in an article for news.com.au ahead of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. Urging Aussies to vote Yes at Saturday’s referendum, Mr Albanese says: “When governments listen to people, they make better decisions, they save money and they get better results. That’s why we consult doctors and health care workers about health policy, it’s why we talk to farmers about agriculture policy, it’s why we ask scientists about science policy. The one area where governments from both sides of politics have consistently failed to listen, sometimes even failed to ask, is when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We know the consequences this has had for Indigenous Australians: an 8 year gap in life expectancy, an infant mortality rate twice as high, communities where children are suffering from diseases that have been eliminated nearly everywhere else in the world. On October 14, you can vote Yes to change this. You can make a powerful statement about Australia’s history and take positive action for Australia’s future - and all you have to do is write one word: Yes.” - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese - news.com.au

>>19699323 Corporate Australia has ‘misread national mood’ on voice - Simon Fenwick, one of the top five donors to the No campaign, has hit out at corporate Australia for misreading the national mood on the Voice to parliament, warning that conservative viewpoints were being deliberately stamped out of the nation’s boardrooms. The 53-year-old who left Brisbane in the mid-1990s for London and New York where he helped start up the multibillion-dollar fund management firm International Value Advisers has voiced alarm at what he believes is a growing gulf between corporate Australia and the average Australian. He warned there was a double standard, where wealthy donors to progressive causes did not face the same stigma or backlash as conservative donors and that start-ups he was working with had been targeted because of his stance on the referendum.

>>19699336 ANZ, CBA, Westpac and NAB donate about $7m to Indigenous voice to parliament Yes vote - The big four banks have donated around $7m to the Yes campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament, sparking claims from the Coalition the case for change was “made by our elites, for our elites and funded by our elites”. The extent of the donations have been revealed to federal parliament for the first time just days out from Saturday’s referendum, with Westpac contributing $1.75m, National Australia Bank donating $1.5m and Commonwealth Bank providing $2m. The ANZ’s roughly $2m donation was confirmed during a parliamentary committee on bank closures in regional Australia last month. If ANZ’s donation was exactly $2m, the total amount from the major banks would equate to $7.25m.

#32 - Part 64

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 28

>>19706372 Liberals hit back at Anthony Albanese’s Indigenous voice to parliament misinformation claims - Senior Liberal frontbenchers have hit back at Anthony Albanese’s claim that misinformation was undermining the voice referendum amid dwindling support for the government’s proposal. Mr Albanese has repeatedly blasted misinformation he said was being peddled by the No campaign to wreck the referendum and confuse voters. He said misinformation and disinformation were preventing voters from considering the “very simple” referendum question before them. He has pointed to misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories when asked why the voice was losing support, including among Labor voters. Five repeated claims by Mr Albanese include that it is “nonsense” that the voice would advise the RBA or on nuclear submarines, that the length of the Uluru Statement from the Heart was just one page, that the detail on the voice was simple, and that the voice referendum had nothing to do with treaty. Opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash told The Australian there was “little in the PM’s claims which is supported by the facts” and Mr Albanese was unable to rule out issues that the voice would advise on. “If anyone is dealing in misinformation, it is the Prime Minister himself,” she said. “He certainly cannot rule out issues the voice will advise on and it is clear that the Uluru statement contained much more material than the single page he claims.”

>>19706380 Voice holds promise of hope for our most vulnerable - "Australia faces a moment in history where the decision we make about whether to recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution with an advisory body to parliament and government will have profound implications for this generation and the next. The constitutional referendum proposed is both an act of recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as the first people of this continent with respect for their 60,000 years of continuing culture and also the establishment of a mechanism to improve policy outcomes. A Yes vote gives hope, opportunity and agency to the pressing need to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. A No vote gets us nowhere. The No camp has not put forward an agreed, coherent or compelling alternative plan to improve policy outcomes for Indigenous Australians that also fosters responsibility and accountability. It is confused and divided on questions of recognition, treaties and advisory bodies. There is a yearning deep within the Australian soul for reconciliation. There is, as Noel Pearson says, a whispering in our hearts about unfinished business. We have an opportunity, with the eyes of the world on us and our consciences telling us there is another way. These are the better angels of our nature and it is time we heed their call. In the final analysis, constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians through a voice to parliament is a sensible, logical and rational step for a mature nation. It is not radical or revolutionary. It is modest, simple and straightforward. If we vote Yes, it can make a real difference. If we vote No, nothing will change. We have two paths ahead of us. We must take the right one and vote Yes." - Troy Bramston - theaustralian.com.au - https://qresear.ch/?q=Troy+Bramston

>>19720209 Australians to reject Indigenous Voice in referendum - final YouGov poll - Australians are set to overwhelmingly say 'No' to a proposal to constitutionally recognise the country's Indigenous people in a referendum on Saturday, one of the final opinion polls ahead of the vote showed. Australians have to vote 'Yes' or 'No' to a question asking whether they agree to alter the 122-year-old constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, and create a body, called the Voice to Parliament, that can provide advice to the government. More than 4 million people have already cast their ballot after early voting began on Oct. 2. With less than two days to go before voting day on Oct. 14, those opposed to the proposal lead the 'Yes' camp by 56% to 38%, according to the final poll by YouGov published on Thursday. Some 6% of those polled were undecided. YouGov polled 1,519 voters for the survey. "Our final poll indicates a sweeping ‘No’ victory - with nearing six in 10 voters intending to cast a ‘No’ vote," said Amir Daftari, YouGov Director of Polling and Academic research. "Our detailed analysis indicates that it is very unlikely that 'Yes' will win anywhere apart from a number of inner metropolitan seats.”

#32 - Part 65

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 29

>>19720215 Voice referendum: Patrick Dodson says nation faces path akin to post-apartheid South Africa if Yes fails - Patrick Dodson says Australia will need to take a path similar to South Africa following the abolishment of apartheid if the voice referendum is voted down and must develop a new way of ascertaining the views of Indigenous people. The father of reconciliation said he was hopeful an Indigenous voice to parliament would be legislated by the next election, due in 2025, if the Yes vote won while issuing several stark warnings three days out from polling day, including that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people “can’t live in your own country and not be recognised”. The West Australian senator, who has lost his beard and is still recovering from cancer, gave his only public speech during the voice referendum campaign to the National Press Club on Wednesday. “If we say No … we’re going to have to look in the mirror and say who the hell are we, what have we done, and now what are we going to do about it?” Senator Dodson said.

>>19720229 Noel Pearson urges voters to consider future generations at last-ditch Yes campaign rally for the Voice - Prominent Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has compared the politicisation of the Voice to Parliament referendum to vandalism, in a last-minute pitch to voters. Speaking at a Yes event in central Perth today, the co-architect of the Uluru Statement From the Heart attempted to appeal to undecided voters. "My last pitch, on behalf of this referendum campaign, is to say to those Australians who are undecided, who are still thinking about yes or no - don't slam the door on the children," he said. "This is not about Noel Pearson or Patrick Dodson, or Jacinta Price or Warren Mundine - we are the past, the children are the future, we're doing this for them." Australians will vote on Saturday on whether an Indigenous Voice to Parliament should be enshrined in the constitution. The Voice would be an independent body advising parliament and government about matters affecting the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, but would have no legal power to enforce its recommendations.

>>19720267 Defeated voice is a victory for the status quo - "In two days, after 15 years of work under seven prime ministers, Australians will vote on a proposal that came from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are not putting this proposal to politicians but taking it as a request to the Australian people. We chose the people over the politicians whose solutions have continuously, tragically, failed despite best intentions. We chose the Australian people because we had - and still have – faith in everyday Australians. Although many politicians undoubtedly come with good intentions, as a group there’s no denying they have proven incapable of delivering meaningful change for Indigenous communities on the ground. Our positive campaign with its message of hope has had its challenges, particularly in a year in which Australians have struggled making ends meet in a once-in-a-generation cost-of-living crisis. This weekend, your vote counts. Enough people writing three letters on to a ballot paper will propel Australia a step further along the path of reconciliation. To a future where we get more done for Indigenous people, together. We have faith that Australians know Yes is the right response to the invitation of Indigenous Australians on this question, and that is the answer they will give." - Dean Parkin, director of the Yes23 campaign - theaustralian.com.au

>>19720280 Keep clothing neutral or face vote ban: AEC - The Australian Electoral Commission has urged voters not to wear any clothing that could be construed as campaign material as they go to vote in the voice referendum. “The rules surrounding what people can or cannot wear into a polling place in a referendum are the same as for elections,” a statement from the AEC reads. “Campaigning is not allowed inside the polling place or within six metres of the entrance. “Our staff will take a commonsense approach to conversations with voters regarding these matters - to either cover up or to make sure people behave appropriately when inside the polling place. “The AEC understands that passions are often high around referendum events, and people want to proudly display their voting intentions – either way – when coming to vote. Please don’t fall foul of the law,” the statement appeals. “Simply wear or display campaign material outside the polling place instead.”

#32 - Part 66

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 30

>>19729093 The voice referendum is Australia’s chance to get it right - "Earlier this week, I had the privilege of meeting the Anangu women who painted the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Sitting with them in the red dirt in the centre of our continent, I thought about how remarkable their artwork is. Not only does it match the power of the words it surrounds, its greatest beauty is that leaves room for all of us to do what Australians have done so many times before: seize the chance for a better future. And we can do that by voting Yes. Yes means recognising Indigenous Australians as the original inhabitants of this continent. Yes means listening to them on matters that affect them so we get better outcomes. And as the Solicitor-General put it, Yes will enhance our democracy. Yes means rejecting the option of doing nothing. That is no option at all. Yes means recognising this is the best chance of a way forward we’ve ever had. And because Australians are a fair, compassionate and courageous people, I believe we’re ready to take this step together. With Yes, all Australians can win." - Anthony Albanese - theaustralian.com.au

>>19729112 Voice referendum Yes activists driven by revenge and retribution - "Our democratic system has been the source of our stability and progress for 122 years. A voice would be the most consequential change to our system in history. There is nothing “modest” about it. Whether you are an Indigenous Australian, were born Australian, or have come from around the world and become Australian, we are all Australians and are treated equally under the law. A voice will change this fundamental democratic principle conferring a privilege on one set of Australians based on ancestry. We all recognise the disadvantages facing Indigenous Australians, especially in remote communities. But a voice will not deliver improvements we desire. The voice will be more Canberra bureaucracy that hoovers up more taxpayer dollars. Thomas Mayo said the voice was “a black political force to be reckoned with”. Teela Reid said the voice was “the first step in redistributing power”. The longer version of the Uluru Statement mentions the goals of “self-government”, “self-determination”, “reparations” and “a financial settlement”. Does this sound like a “gracious request”?" - Peter Dutton - theaustralian.com.au

>>19729130 On the voice referendum, we’ve nothing to lose, and everything to gain - "For the first time in more than half a century, Australians can vote to heal our country. On your ballot paper is a 92-word vision for recognition, a modest request to be heard. On Saturday, Australians must collectively pause, for a moment, to think about our country, its deep past and its future. This is a nation-building moment, a chance to make a change of profound symbolism, a change that also delivers a practical benefit. And it can be achieved with just a few words. With these words we are poised to accept the great richness of our history and the truth of our nation’s foundation from which we’ve been hiding for more than 200 years. These words are a question to every Australian. At its heart, you must decide this: do you believe that in being Australian you are part of human history on this continent, a history that traces our combined experience, 2500 generations, 65,000 years. Hopelessness is a fair description of life for a great many Indigenous people. Helping us to take responsibility for our communities is precisely what the voice will do. It will speak to parliament, but it will also bring an eye and ear to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The voice will face the truth. It can’t succeed without facing it. We’ve nothing to lose in giving it a chance, and everything to gain." - Rachel Perkins, co-chair of Yes23 and proud Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 67

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 31

>>19729143 On voice referendum day, don’t let this dangerous proposition tear us apart - "There are any number of reasons why Australians should vote No to the voice. It is a proposal that lacks any detail or evidence as to how it would work. Legal experts have repeatedly warned about the inherent risks and the unknowns of how it may be interpreted by the High Court. The government has made empty promises about its form, they have lied about how many Indigenous Australians support the voice, and they have failed to explain that this proposal has come from only a small number of people, not all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. For me, the reason to vote No is even more simple: I don’t want to see our country divided along the lines of race. Since the 1967 referendum, this country has grown increasingly more unified. The prominence of race in our social discourse fell rapidly, our multicultural character has shone through, and we have become a beacon around the world as a place accepting of all. We need to be real about the fact “the gap” is more about place than race, and acknowledge that it is widest in remote and rural Australia, in communities where English is not a first language, where education levels are low, food and clean water are scarcer, unemployment is higher, and medical care flies in once a week. The voice, and its proponents, ignore that reality. The voice is a dangerous proposal. It is full of legal risks, unknowns and empty promises. It is the first step in dividing our country, when we should be working towards unity. By voting No, Australians are saying that we want to remain unified, that we want to solve our problems together, and that we want to be one together, not two divided." - Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, CLP Senator for the Northern Territory - theaustralian.com.au

>>19729190 Indigenous voice to parliament: it’s time to embrace this chance for good of the nation - "Six years ago, 250 Indigenous elders and leaders gathered at Uluru after the most extensive consultations with First Nations people this country has ever seen. After more than a decade of discussion about constitutional recognition, long supported by both sides of parliament, the First Nations people gathered at Uluru for the National Convention finally had their say. In the Uluru Statement from the Heart they called for constitutional recognition through a voice. Not symbolism. But structural change that will help improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and move our great country forward together. At its core the Uluru Statement from the Heart is a statement of hope – a gracious request for all Australians to walk together to a better future. On Saturday, Australians have the opportunity to accept that generous invitation and give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a greater say in their future." - Linda Burney, federal Minister for Indigenous Australians - theaustralian.com.au

>>19729226 Low voter turnout threatens No victory - No and Yes campaigners have warned of a record low voter turnout between 80 and 85 per cent, which could narrow the final voice referendum result amid an expected final week swing to Yes. Ahead of Saturday’s referendum, senior No campaign figures have tempered expectations of a landslide result due to rising fears that up to two-in-ten Australians will snub Anthony Albanese’s vote to constitutionally enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government. The No campaign, which will have 25,000 volunteers manning booths across the country supported by Liberal and Nationals party members, remains concerned that low voter turnout could deliver a closer than expected final result. Last year’s 2022 federal election recorded an 89.82 per cent voter turnout, which was the lowest turnout since compulsory voting was introduced ahead of the 1925 federal election. The 1999 Republic referendum registered a 95.1 per cent turnout, which was three per cent higher than turnouts for the 1988 and 1977 referendums. With many voters not engaged and focused on cost-of-living pressures, the Yes camp believes voter turnout could fall below 85 per cent. Combined with an expected final week swing, Yes campaigners were hopeful of a closer result but still believed they would ultimately fall short. No campaigners on Friday were urging supporters to get out and vote to ensure that turnout doesn’t plunge as low as 80 per cent.

#32 - Part 68

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 32

>>19733764 Tears and calls to action as Australians decide the fate of the voice referendum - Anthony Albanese has issued a tearful last pitch to voters to support the voice in one of his final pit stops along the referendum campaign trail in his Sydney electorate of Grayndler. In a longwinded and emotionally-wrought address that evoked the legacy of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, the Prime Minister called on Australians to “unite” behind the voice and be on the “right side of history”. Mr Albanese stopped to take selfies with constituents and patted dogs outside voting booths at Balmain Public School before lashing sections of the media for “extraordinary ignorance” and criticised the No campaign for “stoking division”. Dressed in his signature campaign battle armour of an akubra hat and Yes T-shirt, Mr Albanese fought back tears as he spoke about how some critics had called on Australians to boo the welcome to country at the AFL and NRL grand finals. “We must do better. We can do better,” he said. “This is not a radical proposition. This is a hand outstretched of friendship from the First Australians to every Australian, just asking for it to be grasped in that spirit of reconciliation and friendship.”

>>19733778 Voice referendum: Double trouble for the Yes camp - Yes campaigners in Queensland and Western Australia are ­bracing for a bruising defeat at Saturday’s referendum, despite a flurry of volunteer-driven last-minute action in the outlying states. In published polling on support for the voice referendum, the two jurisdictions – which make up about 30 per cent of the national voting population – have consistently remained at the bottom of the national tally. The Yes campaign has mobilised about 70,000 volunteers nationwide - eclipsing the 25,000 estimated by the No side - and Yes23 director and Quandamooka man from Queensland’s Minjerribah Dean Parkin issued a final plea to voters to back the proposal. “A very simple act by all Queenslanders and West Australians in voting Yes can lead to a practical change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the country,” he said. A Labor volunteer working on the Yes campaign told The Weekend Australian the result would “go down the gurgler” in those two states, a prediction backed by No campaign insiders. “If we get 40 per cent in Queensland it would be a good result … and in WA, the cultural heritage laws really stuffed us over there,” the volunteer said.

>>19733828 In Peter Dutton country, No holds its ground as voters question a lack of detail - The No campaign is confident it will secure victory in the Voice to parliament referendum, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton suggesting a record number of Australians could oppose the constitutional change. While Dutton did not invite media to attend a polling place when he voted in his electorate of Dickson on Saturday afternoon, prominent No campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine was out on the hustings and the opposition’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was on Saturday afternoon due to fly from Alice Springs to Brisbane, where the official No campaign will gather to watch the vote count. The federal opposition leader told Channel Seven’s Weekend Sunrise that Anthony Albanese’s decision to hold a referendum had divided the country. “I wrote to the prime minister in January of this year with 15 reasonable questions, he’s never replied to that letter. He’s never answered the queries that millions of Australians have,” he said. “He was told all year not to go down this path. If he was going to have a referendum, do it on recognition because 70, 80, 90 per cent of Australians would support recognition being enshrined in the Constitution, but he didn’t do that, and because the Voice is in there, people now it seems, in record numbers are going to vote against it.”

#32 - Part 69

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 33

>>19733848 PM war-games all outcomes ahead of Saturday night Voice speech - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will address the nation on Saturday night regardless of the outcome of the Voice to parliament referendum in a speech that will seek to knit the country back together after a bitterly fought and divisive referendum campaign. Albanese is expected to make the address from Canberra on Saturday evening as Yes and No votes are counted rather than attending an event hosted by the Yes campaign. The prime minister and his team have war-gamed all possible scenarios including a comprehensive No victory, a Yes victory and a close result in which postal votes play a key part. For example, if four states backed Yes but the national vote was close, or the national vote succeeded but the target of winning four states was still too close to call. A source in the No campaign who was not authorised to speak publicly said their event would look nothing like the typical election night event that major parties hold. In Melbourne, the No side will not have an event, reflecting the reluctance of the Victorian Liberal division to campaign on the Voice. “It will be very low-key. I think most MPs will be in their electorates, thanking their volunteers,” the source said.

>>19734009 No campaign confident of victory as Albanese remains hopeful - The campaign against the Indigenous Voice is confident of victory after voting closed on Saturday in the referendum to decide whether to enshrine the new body in the nation’s Constitution. The Yes campaign mobilised up to 70,000 volunteers and gained a powerful presence at polling stations around the country but privately conceded the numbers were against them. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese brushed off questions about a defeat for the Voice at a final event in Sydney on Saturday morning to back the change, saying he remained “very hopeful of a Yes vote”. “What I see is hope and optimism. That’s what this campaign has been about,” he said. “A Yes campaign that’s been positive. A Yes campaign that has spoken about the future. A Yes campaign that spoke about us embracing each other and enlarging our country. “And a No campaign that is based upon fear and us shrinking into ourselves. “I want to lead a country that is outward looking, that is confident. That’s why I said this is about respect for Indigenous Australians.”

>>19734087 PM'S VOICE REFERENDUM HAS BEEN LOST - Anthony Albanese’s $365m voice referendum has been rejected by Australians, with a majority of voters in all states and nationally on track to inflict a heavy defeat for the Yes campaign. Millions of Australians delivered an emphatic rejection of the Prime Minister’s referendum to constitutionally enshrine a voice to parliament and executive government following a bruising campaign between Yes23 and No. Yes campaigners and ALP strategists acknowledged the vote was lost inside an hour of counting, with NSW, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia voters swinging hard towards No. No was also leading Yes in Victoria and was expected to claim a sizeable victory when counting begins in Western Australia. Yes campaigners, who needed a double majority including victory in four states and more than 50 per cent of the national vote, have conceded the heavy defeat. They will blame the result on the cost-of-living crisis and difficulties in engaging disconnected Australians on the merits of a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament and executive government. With Yes trailing No in all states and the national majority, Mr Albanese will address the nation from parliament house after Yes23 concedes.

#32 - Part 70

Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 34

>>19739995 ‘We have given our all’: Albanese pledges unity after defeat on Voice - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for a “new national purpose” to tackle Indigenous disadvantage after a resounding defeat for the Voice, with 59 per cent of voters rejecting the proposal at Saturday’s referendum. The campaign for change gained only 41 per cent of the national vote and lost in every state after years of debate over constitutional reform, igniting claims from the Yes camp that its rivals engaged in lies to fool the electorate. Albanese took responsibility for the result but told voters he was a “conviction politician” who honoured his promise to Indigenous leaders to embrace the Voice and take it to a referendum. “This moment of disagreement does not define us and it will not divide us,” he said. “We are not Yes voters or No voters, we are all Australians. And it is as Australians, together, that we must take our country beyond this debate without forgetting why we had it in the first place.” The prime minister sought to calm advocates for change who accused the No side of “horrible” tactics to destroy the Voice, which was proposed by Indigenous leaders in a statement at Uluru six years ago. “The Uluru Statement from the Heart was an invitation extended with humility, grace and optimism for the future,” Albanese said. “Tonight, we must meet this result with the same grace and humility.”

>>19740004 Voice lost, Albanese vows to focus on closing gap - Anthony Albanese’s $365m voice referendum has been rejected by a majority of voters in every state, after millions of Australians backed a No vote and torpedoed a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous advisory body. In a disastrous result for the Prime Minister that closely reflected The Australian’s Newspoll, the No vote was on track to claim majority support in NSW, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory. Yes23, which was prepared for defeat but not the scale of the loss, required a double majority including victory in four states and more than 50 per cent of the national vote. Late on Saturday night, the national vote showed No leading Yes by almost 60-to-40 per cent. Speaking at Parliament House after polls closed in WA, Mr Albanese said: “I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people and the democratic process that has delivered it”.

>>19740015 Video: Tearful Anthony Albanese admits defeat in the Voice referendum - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered an emotional speech declaring he “gave my word” to Indigenous Australians to hold the referendum, win or lose. Red-eyed and clearly rocked by the result, Mr Albanese said he never imagined it would be easy but conceded he was disappointed by the result. The No camp had the vote tied up by 7.25pm, with decisive victories being won in all major states. “My fellow Australians, at the outset, I want to say that while tonight’s result is not one that I had hoped for, I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people,’’ he said. Asked why the No vote won, Mr Albanese appeared to lay the blame at the feet of the Liberal Party. “The analysis will go on for some time, no doubt. But the truth is that no referendum has succeeded without bipartisan support in this country,’’ he said. During the press conference, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney openly wept as she urged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people not to be defeated by the result. “I know the last few months have been rough,’’ she said. “Be proud of the 65,000 years of history and culture. We will carry on and we’ll move forward. This is not the end of reconciliation.”

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 35

>>19740031 Voice referendum result reveals Australia’s city-country divide - The voice referendum has exposed the chasm between the nation’s inner-city electorates and the outer suburbs and regions, with the key metropolitan seats in capital cities defying the national trend by voting to embrace change. Despite the decisive national defeat of the voice, the proposition has exposed geographic divisions reflecting a major gulf in attitudes between those living in the heart of the nation’s capital cities and those in the rest of the country. The divide also reflects key differences in opinion between those living in more wealthy areas who were more likely to vote Yes, and opponents of change in the outer suburbs where cost of living pressures were more keenly felt. The Northern Territory - where Indigenous Australians represent about 30.8 per cent of the population according to the 2021 census - was on Saturday night returning a strong vote against the voice to parliament, with about 65 per cent of people voting No. In the Labor seat of Lingiari, more than 60 per cent of people were voting No while, in the Labor held seat of Solomon, which is home to Darwin, about 64 per cent of people were voting No.

>>19740040 Voice referendum result in Tasmania delivers Yes camp’s biggest shock - Tasmania has voted No in the voice referendum, 60pc to 40pc, shocking the Yes camp, which had seen the island state as a likely stronghold. The result was described as ‘heartbreaking’ by figures in the Yes campaign, which had the benefit of a pro-voice premier, in Liberal Jeremy Rockliff. No is leading in the northern electorate of Bass (62pc to 58pc), despite having a pro-voice Liberal federal MP, Bridget Archer, and in northwest Braddon (72pc to 28pc), and in sprawling Lyons (67pc to 32pc). Only in Hobart-based Clark (60pc to 40pc) and southern Franklin (51pc to 48pc) is the Yes campaign ahead. The result is devastating for the Yes campaign, which had seen Tasmania, as well as Victoria, as its strongest states and best chance of pulling off a national victory. Yes campaigners had to battle opposition to the voice by several peak Indigenous groups, including the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania and the Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation. The scale of the No win in Tasmania has shocked the Yes campaign, which had believed the island state was the most likely to vote Yes. However, ALCT chair and No advocate Michael Mansell told The Australian the results in Tasmania and nationally were unsurprising, reflecting Indigenous opposition to the voice.

>>19740043 Victoria votes against the Voice despite strong support in inner Melbourne - Victoria has rejected the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, with 55 per cent of the state voting No. With 74 per cent of the state vote counted on Sunday morning, Victoria returned a clear No vote, albeit by the lowest margin of the six states. The referendum was defeated nationally after NSW, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania also rejected the proposal. Victoria was tipped by commentators to be the state with the highest level of support for the Voice, even as surveys found the Yes campaign consistently losing ground throughout 2023. Election analyst Antony Green told the ABC Melbourne had some of the highest Yes votes in the country in inner suburban electorates. But the city’s outer suburbs were favouring No. “What we’re seeing is the pattern of inner versus outer in both of the major capital cities,” Green said.

>>19740055 SA voters deliver a massive blow to the Voice to parliament -Every state in Australia rejected the Voice to parliament on Saturday but only one state said No in all of its electorates. South Australia recorded a whopping 64.4 per cent No vote, the second highest in the country after Queensland. Even the state’s inner-city seats delivered tight No victories, while inner-city electorates in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane backed Constitutional change. Voters in the seat of Adelaide, held by Labor’s Steve Georganas, supported No with 50.4 per cent of the votes, the tightest margin in the state. The No wave broadened as the electorates moved away from the city’s core. Hindmarsh, held by Health Minister Mark Butler, takes in working-class Port Adelaide, the Adelaide Airport and the beach suburbs to the north, and voted 61.6 per cent for No. Regional and outer suburban South Australia delivered crushing blows to the Yes camp, with the seats of Grey, Spence and Barker all producing No percentages above 70 per cent.

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 36

>>19740086 How South Australia killed the voice to parliament - The failure of the Yes campaign to read the public mood resulted in complete humiliation in South Australia, with the state earmarked as a likely Yes delivering the second-biggest No vote in Australia with all 10 of its federal electorates rejecting the voice. Anthony Albanese and Yes tacticians placed so much store in the SA result that they started and ended their formal campaign in SA, the Prime Minister officially launching the Yes campaign in the northern suburb of Elizabeth on August 30 and ending with a photo shoot in the seaside beach suburb of Glenelg last Friday. Their thinking was that an appeal to SA’s progressive traditions as the first state to embrace female suffrage, land rights laws and the decriminalisation of homosexuality would help get the voice over the line. The complete reverse happened, with Saturday’s resounding result showing that the more South Australians saw and heard about the voice, the less they liked it. From a crowded field, how’s this for a statistic - in Elizabeth, where the Yes campaign was launched, the home of Jimmy Barnes and the former Holden factory, the No vote stands at 72 per cent, the highest in any Labor seat in Australia. The result echoes the analysis in The Australian a month ago that Yes tacticians were placing too much store on Adelaide’s inner-city, arts-loving liberal voters, ignoring the fact that SA’s suburban and regional population is much older and much poorer than in the eastern states.

>>19740101 Heritage laws debacle fuelled voice referendum failure in WA - The Western Australian government’s disastrous introduction of its Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act has been blamed for propelling the state to an emphatic rejection of the Indigenous Voice to parliament. The defeat of the referendum had already been confirmed well over an hour before polling centres in WA closed on Saturday and before an official post-vote after party by the Yes23 campaign in Perth had opened its doors. As results from WA finally began to filter in, it quickly became clear that WA had joined all other states and the Northern Territory in strongly rejecting the constitutional amendment. Just over 40 per cent of counted votes in WA were for Yes. WA’s new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act came into force in July, just as debate about the Voice was heating up, and the new state-based laws immediately attracted a fierce backlash from across the community amid fears that it would significantly inhibit the rights of landowners. After less than a month, Premier Roger Cook announced that the act would be repealed. Polling since then had consistently shown that support for the Voice was lower in WA than in any other state.

>>19740165 Queenslanders voted against the Voice to Parliament, more than any other state or territory in Australia - It only took a little over an hour for polls to close in the Sunshine State before the ABC's election analyst Antony Green came into frame. "It's absolutely clear that the No vote has won Queensland." More than 3.6 million Queenslanders were enrolled to vote in the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament - and with more than 70 per cent of ballots counted, just three of the state's 30 federal electorates supported the proposal. Nationally, Queensland saw the strongest No vote of any state or territory, while the federal electorate of Maranoa also returned the largest No vote in Australia. The rural seat, which extends from Warwick, Dalby and Kingaroy to the NT border, saw 84 per cent of voters reject the Voice.

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 37

>>19740235 Indigenous Yes campaigners fall silent as they grieve referendum result - Indigenous Australian campaigners for the Voice to parliament say they will fall silent for a week as they grieve the outcome of the referendum, and have called for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be lowered to half mast to reflect the loss they feel. A statement by Indigenous Voice supporters, which the Yes23 campaign circulated on their behalf on Saturday night, labelled the referendum defeat a “bitter irony”. Indigenous Voice supporters said they would take a week of silence to “grieve this outcome and reflect on its meaning and significance”. It was not immediately clear whether the statement represented all Indigenous campaigners who had backed the Voice. Yes23 and the Uluru Dialogue said they endorsed the statement, and it was shared on social media by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and the Central Land Council. “That people who have only been on this continent for 235 years would refuse to recognise those whose home this land has been for 60,000 and more years is beyond reason. It was never in the gift of these newcomers to refuse recognition to the true owners of Australia,” the statement said. “To our people we say: do not shed tears. This rejection was never for others to issue. The truth is that rejection was always ours to determine. The truth is that we offered this recognition and it has been refused. We now know where we stand in this, our own country. Always was. Always will be.” The Indigenous Voice advocates said they would not rest long but would “pack up the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Fly our flags low. Talk not of recognition and reconciliation.” They would “re-gather our strength and resolve, and when we determine a new direction for justice and our rights, let us once again unite. Let us convene in due course to carefully consider our path forward.”

>>19740312 Voice referendum result sees ‘recognition refused for the true owners of Australia’ - Indigenous leaders across Australia who supported the voice have lamented the defeated referendum as a “bitter irony” in that newcomers who had been on the continent for 235 years would “refuse recognition to the true owners of Australia”. “The referendum was a chance for newcomers to show a long-refused grace and gratitude and to acknowledge that the brutal dispossession of our people underwrote their every advantage in this country,” the leaders said. Yes23 campaign chief Dean Parkin earlier in the night declared supporters of an Indigenous voice to parliament weren’t able to cut through to Australians because of the “single largest misinformation campaign this country has ever seen”. The extraordinary claim came as fellow leading Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo blasted the “disgusting” No campaign following an emphatic defeat of the voice referendum pushed by Anthony Albanese and Indigenous leaders. Mr Mayo labelled Anthony Albanese courageous but said Mr Dutton led a “horrible’’ political campaign against the voice. “We put our faith in the Australian people. And, as I said, I think they were ready,” he said. “But there has been some really horrible political campaigning from Peter Dutton and his No campaign. It‘s been disgusting to be frank. We‘re gonna take stock now - Indigenous people, Indigenous leaders. One thing we do know is we’re never going to give up fighting for our rights, our rightful place in this country, for recognition and a Voice because, as I said, it was the right thing to do.”

>>19745124 Jacinta Price thanks nation for goodwill after voice referendum result - Opposition leader Peter Dutton says the defeated referendum is “good for our country” and paid tribute to Warren Mundine and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price for leading the No campaign and enduring “personal and offensive attacks”. Mr Dutton said “what matters tomorrow (is) that this result doesn’t divide us”. He said he respected Yes voters’ decision, even though he thought the voice was divisive, and a bad idea. “This is the referendum Australia did not need to have,” he said. Senator Price thanked the Australian people for “believing in our great nation and the goodwill of this country”. “The vast majority of Australians want what’s best for everyone of us, including the most marginalised Indigenous Australians,” she said. Senator Price said Australians had said No to division, gaslighting, and bullying, and the idea that Australia was a racist country. “It’s time for Australians to believe that (we’re a great country), to be proud, to call ourselves Australian,” she said.

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 38

>>19745129 Video: Voice referendum result heralds ‘new era,’ says Jacinta Price - The Coalition and the No campaign, piloted by Jacinta Price, have promised a “new era in Indigenous policy” that rejects the politics of grievance following the comprehensive defeat of the voice to parliament. Senator Price, the Opposition’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman, said the result meant that Australians had “said No to grievance and the push from activists to suggest that we are a racist country.” She argued the defeat of the referendum offered a new opportunity for Australians to show that “we are one of the, if not the, greatest nation on the face of the earth - and it is time for Australians to believe that once again, to be proud to call ourselves Australian.” “Because until we can be proud, we can’t form a position where we can be strong to tackle our tough issues within our country,” she said. “For those of you who voted Yes, please know that we as a Coalition have always got the best interests of all Australians at heart. We want to make sure that we are fighting for a better future for all Australians.”

>>19745190 Video: Warren Mundine blasts journos at fiery post-Voice press conference in defence of Jacinta Price - Warren Mundine has blasted sections of the media for their treatment of fellow No campaigner and shadow Aboriginal Australians minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price at a press conference Saturday, saying journalists needed to “wake up” to themselves. “Wake up to yourselves, people are committing suicides in these communities, people are being raped and beaten and this is the questions you come up with?”, Mr Mundine said after a series of questions about voting results in remote Aboriginal communities. “We’re about getting results - reducing suicides and instead of this nonsense that you people carry on with,” he said. “People need to stop turning a blind eye to the violence, abuse, coercive control and destructive behaviour that goes on in some Indigenous communities.” Mr Mundine continued, launching a broadside at the architecture behind the Voice, and particularly the contents of the longer form of the Uluru Statement from the Heart that became a major point of dispute during the campaign. “(The Voice) sees Indigenous Australians as trapped in victimhood and oppression. This is a lie. It includes a self-proclaimed history of Indigenous Australia, called Our Story. Written to shame Australians about their non-indigenous ancestors and Australia’s founding,” he said. “No nation has had a perfect beginning. Most have had bloody and brutal beginnings founded in invasion, conquest, revolution or war. I don’t judge a nation by the worst of its history, but how it seeks to become its better self.”

>>19745191 Video: ‘Wake up to yourselves’: Warren Mundine unleashes on reporters - Prominent No campaigner Warren Mundine lashed out at reporters following the Voice referendum defeat. About nine million Australians voted at one of the 7,100 polling places around the country on the referendum day. “Wake up to yourselves, people are committing suicides in these communities, people are being raped and beaten and this is the questions you come up with?” Mr Mundine said at a press conference on Saturday. “We’re about getting results - reducing suicides and instead of this nonsense that you people carry on with. “It’s about time we had a vote tonight that said Australians want to get things done - well stop talking about all this other nonsense … wake up to yourselves and tart asking real questions and making governments accountable.” - Sky News Australia

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 39

>>19745195 ‘Ugly, Trumpian tactics’: Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore blasts ‘No’ camp - Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore has blasted the “ugly, Trumpian tactics” and “harmful misinformation” perpetuated by the ‘No’ campaign following the crushing defeat of the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. “It’s a sad, sad day,” the lord mayor said in a statement released on Sunday following the referendum defeat, adding that the outcome was “devastating and tragic”. “While I’m grateful that the vast majority of the City of Sydney accepted the generous invitation from First Nations communities, I share your profound disappointment and sadness at the overall result and the rejection of this opportunity to build a brighter future for all.” Moore confirmed Aboriginal flags would be flown at half mast this week across all council buildings in response to the referendum result. Flags will also be flown at half mast throughout Sydney’s Inner West Council from Monday. Mayor Darcy Byrne said the decision was “in recognition of what a sad event this is, and just to show respect. Imagine how a young indigenous person feels, waking up this morning, looking at that result.”

>>19745203 How the world reacted to the rejection of the Voice - The Australian public’s decision to vote against enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the Constitution has made headlines around the world, with descriptions of a fraught and often “ill-tempered” referendum campaign. The result of all states rejecting the proposal, and roughly six in 10 voters, has sharpened global attention on the plight of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their relationship with generations of federal governments. Human rights experts at the United Nations in Geneva had urged Australians to vote Yes before the poll, saying it would “pave the way to overcome the colonial legacy of systemic discrimination and inequalities” that had undermined the ability of Indigenous peoples to realise their rights to development and self-determination.

>>19745215 Eight reasons why the Yes case failed - "This is not an account of why the No case won the referendum. That will be written, triumphantly, by others. This is the story of why the Yes case was lost. It needs to be told now, while the disaster is fresh, if supporters of Indigenous recognition are to profit from our mistakes. Otherwise, excuses and distortions will cover the truth. It is quite straightforward to trace the causes for the implosion of the Yes case. Tragically, all were or should have been known to its leaders. But they were denied, derided or discounted. There were eight fundamental reasons for failure." - Greg Craven, constitutional lawyer and former vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University - theaustralian.com.au

>>19745243 Make no mistake, the No win was an act of insurrection - "If there were ever any doubts Australia had made the right decision on Saturday, they were quickly put to rest by a group of Indigenous leaders who released a statement later that evening. The statement blamed “newcomers” who had refused to acknowledge “that the brutal dispossession of our people underwrote their every advantage in this country”. “That people who have only been on this continent for 235 years would refuse to recognise those whose home this land has been for 60,000 and more years is beyond reason.” The oldest person in Australia is Catherina van der Linden, who celebrated her 111th birthday in August. She arrived as a hardworking migrant from The Netherlands in 1958 and has never dispossessed anyone or anything, as far as we know. The prosaic truth that no one currently alive occupied this continent much more than a century ago explains why many Australians regarded the voice as unjust. Saturday’s result was a repudiation of the black-armband approach to history. Australians outside the Tesla zone have told the elite they’ve had enough of the national guilt trip. They’re sick of the self-flagellating speeches, national apologies, welcome to country and all the other politically correct performances." - Nick Cater, senior fellow at the Menzies Research Centre - theaustralian.com.au

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 40

>>19749368 Price pushes bipartisan action plan - Jacinta Price says there can be no return to the status quo in Indigenous policy following the referendum defeat and will seek to push the Albanese government towards a bipartisan effort aimed at “bringing Indigenous Australians into the fabric of this nation”. The Opposition Indigenous Affairs spokeswoman and face of the No campaign told The Aus­tralian that “if the government doesn’t want to undertake that responsibility you can expect that this is what I will challenge them on at the next election. I know that, throughout this process, I have had the support of my Coalition colleagues and I have their support going forward to … bring about a much more unified country.” She said the premise for the ­referendum was “supposedly about doing something different”. “We should not be doing the same things we have done for ­decades … we can’t accept that.” Acknowledging that people were suffering from “referendum fatigue”, Senator Price also revealed that her preference was not to take a second referendum for constitutional recognition to the next election as previously committed to by Peter Dutton. She stressed this would be determined by the Liberal and Nationals through their partyroom processes, but suggested that “what the partyroom will likely want to do is to respect the will of the Australian people”.

>>19749373 Voice referendum: Anthony Albanese says next steps ‘wont be developed in days’ amid pressure on treaty, truth-telling - Peter Dutton has demanded Anthony Albanese “come clean” on whether the government remains committed to establishing a Makarrata commission to oversee treaty and truth-telling following the voice referendum’s defeat, as the Prime Minister warns next steps towards reconciliation won’t be developed over days. The political stoush between the major parties over how to tackle disadvantage in Indigenous communities came as Greens First Nations spokeswoman Dorinda Dox cautioned Mr Albanese not to “abandon our people”. The government is reviewing Labor’s commitment to a Makarrata commission after the resounding No vote at the voice referendum and is facing pressure from Indigenous leaders, the Greens and crossbenchers to prioritise truth-telling. Mr Albanese said the Uluru Statement from the Heart – which asks for voice, treaty and truth – was developed over decades and a “new path” forward would be devised in a considered, constructive way.

>>19749377 After Australia said No on voice, Anthony Albanese to review Labor’s treaty pledge on treaty and truth-telling - Anthony Albanese will review Labor’s commitment to establish a Makarrata commission after the voice referendum failure, as Indigenous leaders, the Greens and crossbenchers increase pressure on the government to back truth-telling and treaty. In his first parliamentary showdown with Peter Dutton following Saturday’s referendum, the Prime Minister could not confirm whether his government would fully implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart without a constitutional voice. Ahead of rallying the troops at his first post-referendum Labor caucus meeting on Tuesday, Mr Albanese on Monday accepted personal “responsibility” for the crushing defeat but fell short of strongly endorsing treaty and truth-telling processes. The Australian understands the government will wait to consult with key Indigenous leaders following their week of silence before reviewing Labor’s pre-election pledge to fund a $27m Makarrata commission super­vising treaty-making and truth-telling. A senior government source on Monday suggested the resounding defeat of the voice referendum undermined remaining requests from the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which are treaty and truth-telling via a Makarrata commission.

>>19749397 Failed voice referendum shines light on division - "The societal split that emerged in the referendum duplicates what is happening in the UK, the US and other western democracies. But in Australia, it took a race-based referendum to understand just how deep the community division has become. Neither the prime minister nor business leaders understood the depth of the national division. Business leaders, PMs and/or their older children often live in the pockets of Australia that are totally different to the rest of the nation. Anthony Albanese represents the Sydney seat of Grayndler, where voters are disproportionately concerned with indigenous affairs, racism and the environment than the rest of Australia, which is far more concerned with economics and practical situations. There was a 75 per cent Yes vote in Grayndler. Albanese did not understand that his electorate is very different to the rest of the nation, where most ALP voters live." - Robert Gottliebsen - theaustralian.com.au

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 41

>>19749421 After No vote, new leaders’ summit to seek new way to constitutional recognition - Indigenous leaders who have spent years working towards constitutional recognition are ­expected to regroup next Sunday to begin working on a response to the failed voice referendum. Voice supporters across the government and opposition said the dust had to settle before the country could consider what to do next on reconciliation. Many Indigenous leaders were participating in a week of silence. The Australian has been told the government will wait to learn the outcome of talks between the Indigenous leaders. Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who quit the opposition frontbench to campaign for the voice, said the country would need to reflect on what the No vote meant and move slowly towards any second referendum solely on constitutional recognition, as proposed by Peter Dutton. “We need to commit to the reconciliation process,” Mr Leeser told the ABC. “I think the one thing all sides agreed last night was that Indigenous disadvantage is the top issue. That’s around closing the gap, recommit to the closing the gap process.” Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said the Albanese government had “squandered a generational opportunity” through its referendum process and model, and there needed to be a recovery “from this shambles” before a conversation on reconciliation.

>>19749445 Video: ABC reporter says Indigenous communities to rethink whether ‘kindness is the best approach’ - An ABC journalist says the failure of the Voice referendum may cause Indigenous communities to rethink how they interact with the rest of Australia and whether “kindness is the best approach”. Indigenous leaders may no longer restrain their “black anger”, according to the ABC’s Indigenous Affairs reporter Isabella Higgins, who predicts a rise in “black sovereignty” and a rejection of the “Australian regime”. Asked about the mood among Indigenous Australians at the Yes event in Sydney’s inner-west on Saturday night following the result, Higgins said the community was “resilient” and had “risen from the ashes many times”. “They said, our communities won’t stop running if this is a No vote,” she said. “I think often in the community, it is well understood that black anger is not tolerated and so we see leaders pull in their rage, pull in their sadness and constantly use language of generosity, use graciousness to try and appeal to the Australian people. And after, this I think there will be a generation of leaders who have been burnt by this and who won’t be interested in doing that any more. I would not be surprised if more people pushed towards that message that comes from Lidia Thorpe about not engaging so much with mainstream Australia, not bowing to them, challenging the Australian regime,” she said.

>>19749474 Why Indigenous leaders have agreed to a vow of silence after Voice rejection - Some of Australia’s top Indigenous Voice campaigners began drafting a statement vowing a week of silence before polls closed on referendum day. The historic statement, which was not signed by any individuals, was released on Saturday evening after the referendum result became clear and called for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags to be lowered to half-mast for the week. “Now is not the time to dissect the reasons for this tragic outcome. This will be done in the weeks, years and decades to come. Now is the time for silence, to mourn and deeply consider the consequence of this outcome,” the statement said. “The truth is that we offered this recognition and it has been refused. We now know where we stand in this our own country.” A number of Voice figures are not fully comfortable with the silence. They believe the voices of the black leadership should be heard in the immediate aftermath of the result, to avoid the narrative about the loss being set only by the prime minister and other politicians. Sources abiding by the vow of silence said some leaders were frustrated that Albanese and other pro-Voice politicians were, in their view, downplaying the potential role of racism and misinformation in an attempt to minimise political fallout and allow the government to move on from the loss.

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 42

>>19749486 Voice referendum: Aboriginal groups speak up amid concerns about week of silence - A leading Indigenous human rights lawyer has rejected calls for a week of silence in the wake of the voice referendum, declaring now was the time to discuss a path to improving the lives of some of Australia’s most impoverished communities. As many Indigenous Australians grappled with the disappointment of Saturday’s result, some called for seven days of silence while others directed their anger towards the campaigning against the voice by independent senator Lidia Thorpe and the so-called “Progressive No” movement. Noongar human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade, an associate professor and member of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues, told The Australian that the call for a week of silence was “ridiculous”. “They shouldn’t be telling other people how to behave. That’s part of the problem of Aboriginal affairs,” she said. “They can have silence if they want, but this is the time to talk about everything, I would have thought.” She urged the federal government to redouble its efforts around closing the gap in the wake of the referendum result, particularly on issues around Indigenous incarceration, suicide and child protection. “It can’t end here,” she said. “The Prime Minister and (Indigenous Australians Minister Linda) Burney should call a roundtable meeting urgently with Indigenous leaders, particularly those who have supported this campaign, to make sure that we don’t slip further behind.”

>>19749502 ‘Truth-telling must be priority’, say crossbenchers - Crossbenchers in the lower and upper houses say truth-telling must be prioritised by governments after the voice referendum’s resounding defeat, as Labor weighs up whether to maintain its full commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Victorian independent MP Zoe Daniel, whose electorate of Goldstein voted 56-44 for an Indigenous voice to parliament enshrined in the Constitution, said federal parliament should heed Indigenous Australians’ appeal to be listened to on policies to address disadvantage. The Greens are pushing for a $250m truth and justice commission after the father of reconciliation, Patrick Dodson, last week suggested the country would need to follow a path similar to post-apartheid South Africa if the referendum were rejected, pointing to its truth and reconciliation commission. “I agree with Senator Pat Dodson that we have reopened the scar around the sore that Indigenous Australia thought we were dealing with through the Apology, Wik and Mabo,” Ms Daniel said. “We do need truth-telling in some form, whether it be a truth and reconciliation commission as in South Africa. We must ask Indigenous Australia whether that is what they want and in what form.”

>>19749507 Voice referendum: ‘We have got to keep going’, says Mick Gooda - Indigenous leader Mick Gooda says there is a way forward for practical change in remote communities, despite the failed voice referendum, with Queensland’s Treaty Institute to begin work early next year. Mr Gooda, a member of the senior advisory group that designed the voice proposal and who was an architect of Queensland’s treaty laws, said he “felt sick” watching results come in on Saturday night, with 68.9 per cent of his home state voting No in the referendum. “It was a bit of a reality check, but then I thought, we have the legislation and the resources in place (for treaty and truth-telling). so we have something a bit positive” he told The Australian. “We’ve got to keep going, this treaty is once in a lifetime and so we are putting our heads down and making sure these things work.” Mr Gooda said even though the voice referendum had failed, treaties would give opportunities for Indigenous people to have a say on how health, housing and justice services were run in their communities. “That is what I am in there fighting for, exactly that,” he said. “We're just going ahead fullbore. We don’t have an option, we have to keep going. “We are working on having the Treaty Institute and truth-telling inquiry stood up early next year, as close to January as possible.”

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 43

>>19755365 Indigenous voice to parliament: Labor hits pause on treaty and truth telling - Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has retreated from his post-referendum commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, as Labor refuses to endorse its election pledge on treaty and truth-telling. Under pressure from the Coalition and Greens, Anthony Albanese and Mr Marles on Tuesday would not re-commit to Labor’s $27m election promise to establish a Makarrata commission overseeing treaty-making and truth-telling processes. Following the crushing referendum defeat, Mr Marles on the weekend declared the government had “made clear we support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and (truth-telling) is part of it”. “The principal commitment to everything that’s contained in there we have made and we don’t move away from,” Mr Marles told the ABC on Sunday. Government sources have since confirmed that treaty and truth-telling commitments were under review pending consultation with Indigenous leaders following their week of silence.

>>19762073 Yoorrook Justice Commission to investigate injustices of Indigenous ‘land, sky and waters’ in Victoria - Victoria’s Aboriginal truth-telling body is preparing a campaign to get Indigenous Victorians “redress” for losing control of “land, sky and waters” in the wake of the voice referendum. Yoorrook Commission chair Eleanor Bourke, noting the “really challenging” months in the lead-up to the referendum that was defeated on the weekend, said it was time to look ahead. “Now that the referendum is over, we must find ways to move forward together,” Professor Bourke told The Australian. “Truth-telling and the work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission is more important than ever. Truth telling can help us come ­together. We can listen to each other with respect and hope and healing. Together we can find common ground and work towards a better shared future for everyone in this place we all call home.

>>19762095 NSW will push on with First Nations treaty despite Voice referendum's defeat - While the referendum on the Voice to Parliament suffered a resounding defeat on the weekend, states are pushing ahead with their own plans to implement one of the other main pillars of the Uluru Statement from the Heart: treaty. But while New South Wales has the biggest Indigenous population, it's the only state or territory not to have already started the treaty process. Treaties have been negotiated with Indigenous people in other former colonies around the world, including Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Greenland and Japan. NSW Premier Chris Minns has said he remained committed to kickstarting treaty discussions with Indigenous people in the state. So what might a treaty look like in NSW and what happens from here?

>>19762116 LNP’s David Crisafulli pulls support for treaty laws in Queensland after Indigenous voice to parliament vote fails - Queensland’s Liberal National Party has withdrawn support for state Indigenous treaty laws it helped pass this year that would pave the way for a truth-telling inquiry and hundreds of millions of dollars in reparations. In a spectacular retreat, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli announced he no longer backs the Palaszczuk government’s legislation that enables separate treaty deals with up to 150 First Nation groups across the state. Mr Crisafulli, who, polling suggests, is on track to win government at next year’s state election, has faced criticism over his support of the laws, including from the LNP membership and the federal opposition. His backdown comes days after Queensland delivered the strongest rejection of the voice, with 68.9 per cent voting no in the referendum, some 4 per cent higher than the next state against constitutional change, South Australia.

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 44

>>19762128 Time to stop the Indigenous voice to parliament vitriol and move on, says Warren Mundine - Leading No advocate Warren Mundine has said the “vitriol” and “hatred of people” in the days after the referendum result are the “worst I’ve seen”. Speaking to The Australian, Mr Mundine called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “pour cold water” on the lingering post-vote attacks to “calm the situation down”. “We can’t go on as a country like this,” Mr Mundine said, referencing the egg attack on CLP senator Jacinta Price’s parents and threats to No voters across the country. “I know of people that are scared - the threats we’ve seen and things happening are just as bad as what happened during the campaign,” he said. He said attacks from Yes supporters pertaining to alleged misinformation and education of No voters showed they were “still attacking the public”. “I know that both Yes and No voters want to get things working for First Nations people struggling in terrible conditions - let’s put personal things aside, we can’t keep throwing rocks at each other,” he said.

>>19769156 Jacinta Price’s plan for Aboriginal child abuse royal commission savaged by Indigenous leaders - Nearly 100 of Australia’s leading Indigenous figures and organisations have condemned the ­Coalition’s call for a royal commission into child sex abuse in Aboriginal communities, breaking the “week of silence” and opening a national fracture on Indigenous policy five days after Saturday’s referendum defeat. A joint statement issued by the alliance - which includes the ­Coalition of Peaks, Reconciliation Australia, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and Professor Marcia Langton – warned the Coalition the safety of children “should not be politicised or used as a platform to advance a political position.”

>>19769183 Voice defeat delivers opening salvo against identity politics - "Probably for the first time anywhere an issue of identity politics has been put to the people and, here in Australia, resoundingly rejected. Given that the classic notion of the absolute equality of every human being - regardless of race, religion, gender and culture – is now under sustained assault, this should be the vote that rang round the world. Indeed it needs to, given the susceptibility of governments almost everywhere to bad policy based on muddled thinking about group rights and a misguided apology mania in what are the world’s least racist societies. The constitutional entrenchment of an Indigenous voice to the parliament and to the executive government would have given some Australians a greater say over how all Australians are governed, based on their declared identity as Aboriginal. In the immediate aftermath of the vote, the international reaction was of one pained surprise that Australians had somehow rejected rights for Aboriginal people, rather than just special ones. This simply shows the global pervasiveness of identity thinking - due to the left’s long march through the institutions – and reveals how seismic our vote could be; provided we appreciate the magnitude of what we’ve just done and have the self-confidence to build upon it." - Tony Abbott, 28th prime minister of Australia, 2013-15 - theaustralian.com.au

>>19769209 Annastacia Palaszczuk set to pull the pin on treaty plans - Queensland’s path to treaties with First Nations groups has collapsed, with Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warning the process cannot go ahead now the Liberal National Party opposition has withdrawn support. Just days after the state posted the biggest No vote of the voice referendum, Ms Palaszczuk moved to abandon laws - passed this year with the support of the LNP – enabling treaty deals and reparations for up to 150 Indigenous groups. After the LNP announced on Wednesday night it had backflipped on treaty, Ms Palaszczuk would only commit to going ahead with truth-telling hearings, due to begin early next year. “For the treaty process, you would need bipartisan support,’’ she said at a press conference. “I can’t predict what is going to happen in the future.”

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 45

>>19775463 Victoria pushes ahead with a treaty despite other states going cold - Victoria will push ahead with a treaty process with the state’s Indigenous people despite Queensland and NSW slowing down plans for their own treaties. The resounding rejection of the federal Voice to parliament in the two northern states has prompted their leaders to reconsider plans to negotiate an agreement with local First Peoples and had fuelled speculation Victoria could follow suit. Victoria recorded the best result for the Yes campaign compared to all other states, but the referendum proposal was defeated as 55 per cent of the eligible population voted against it. Regional areas and Melbourne’s outer suburbs were more likely to have No majorities while Yes support was strongest across the inner city. Although other states are reconsidering their approach, the Allan government has committed to push ahead with the treaty process and early work on negotiations are underway before the formal process in early 2024.

>>19775516 After a bruising Voice vote, Aboriginal Victorians turn focus to treaty - Beyond the headline-grabbing claims and counter-claims of the Voice campaign, Victoria has been quietly progressing its ambition to treaty with its First Peoples. The process is intended to secure a series of treaties, both at statewide level and individually with First Nations groups recognised through their respective clans, language groups and relationship with Country. It will acknowledge the ongoing harms caused by dispossession and create a broad legal framework for greater self-determination. The loss of the Voice referendum has, for the foreseeable future, ended any prospect of constitutional recognition of Australia’s Indigenous people. It also reminds Ian Hamm, a Yorta Yorta man who has worked for decades in government and business to advance the interests of Aboriginal people, of a truism in Australian politics. “A wise head in politics said something to me many years ago,” he recalls. “We were just having a chat and he said ‘Ian, as much as it pains me to say this, there are no votes in black fellas. You won’t win an election on Aboriginal stuff, but you can damn sure lose one.’ That is what played out last weekend.”

>>19775546 ‘Has to serve his time’: Liberals oppose Yes campaigner’s cabinet return - Liberal MPs are pushing back against the prospect of Julian Leeser returning to the Coalition frontbench, arguing his resignation to campaign for the Voice to parliament should not be rewarded. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has cautiously tested the mood among trusted colleagues in recent weeks to gauge whether Leeser’s return would be accepted, according to two Liberal sources speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail private talks. Leeser quit his position as shadow attorney-general and Indigenous Australians spokesman in April after the Liberal Party forced frontbenchers to campaign for No. As someone who was intrinsically involved in the development of the Voice, Leeser moved to the backbench to campaign for Yes. Several sources said Liberals, particularly those in the party’s right flank who strongly opposed the Voice, had been urging Dutton to keep the Berowra MP on the backbench for the remainder of the parliamentary term.

>>19780518 Key land council ends voice silence with blast at No victory - The Central Land Council, which represents 24,000 remote Indigenous people, says Australia does not know itself. After a week of silence to grieve last Saturday’s failed referendum, the land council, comprising 90 elected delegates, has spoken about the resounding defeat of the proposal for an Indigenous voice to parliament. “On 14 October Australia voted NO. But Aboriginal people in all our Central Land Council communities voted YES,” the Central Land Council wrote in a statement issued on Saturday night. “In fact, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people all over remote Australia voted YES. “The referendum results tell us an important story: We as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are united. “We know who we are. We know what we need. And we know things need to change. But we live in a country that does not know itself.”

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 46

>>19780537 Indigenous Yes campaigners divided on Voice response, draft reveals - Indigenous leaders are divided over the wording of a joint statement following the Voice referendum defeat, with several objecting to the tone of a draft open letter, which lays blame for the loss on the Coalition and is critical of No voters. The draft document, intended as the first collective response of Indigenous leaders supporting the Yes campaign after declaring a week of silence following the referendum defeat last Saturday, lays bare the grief and pain among the Yes campaign group and the broader Indigenous community. It says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were “hurting and bewildered by what they feel is the viciousness of the repudiation of our peoples and rejection of our efforts to pursue reconciliation in good faith”. The document, dated October 20, a leaked copy of which has been obtained by this masthead, is the latest in a series of draft versions circulated among about 50 Indigenous people and organisations, including those associated with the Yes 23 and Uluru Dialogue campaigns. It is unclear who has written the statement or who would endorse it, but multiple sources confirmed to this masthead that, after the draft was circulated on an email chain on Friday, several Indigenous leaders declined to be part of it, saying they disagreed with the tone and some of the points made. Those who objected included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar, co-chairman of Queensland’s Interim Truth and Treaty Body Mick Gooda, and Coalition of the Peaks lead convener Pat Turner. They were contacted for comment.

>>19780543 ‘Declaration of war’: Mundine rejects criticism from Yes campaign - Leading No campaigner in the Voice referendum Nyunggai Warren Mundine has dismissed as ridiculous and racist a claim from Indigenous leaders for Yes that he is a puppet of right-wing think tanks, as Anthony Albanese declares the referendum created a new national awareness of the disadvantage confronting First Nations peoples. A draft document dated October 20 intended to be the first collective response of Indigenous leaders supporting the Yes campaign was to be released after a week of silence marking the referendum defeat. A leaked copy of the statement was published by this masthead on Sunday and had been circulated among about 50 Indigenous people and organisations, including those associated with the Yes 23 and Uluru Dialogue campaigns. The draft letter says Indigenous leaders Price, Senator Kerrynne Liddle, and Mundine who opposed the Voice to parliament “were just front people for three right-wing organisations”. “It is an old colonial tactic to use black people to fight black people,” the statement says. Mundine said he opposed the referendum because it was divisive between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. He said the draft letter “was a continuation of that”. “So much for reconciliation and uniting the country,” he said. “This is a declaration of war, metaphorically. This insulting idea that we’re some sort of puppet is just totally ridiculous. Saying that the No campaign had a racist base is just ridiculous.”

>>19780548 Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh challenges state truth-telling body - Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh has challenged the work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, as he warned “the time for virtue-signalling is over”. The state shadow Indigenous Australians minister declined to comment specifically on the Aboriginal truth-telling body’s latest “land, sky and waters” inquiry but said he did not support the work of Yoorrook so far. “Their last report, on the justice system, one of the recommendations was for a totally stand-alone Indigenous court system. And our view is that we are all Victorians and we’re all equal before the law. We supported Indigenous courts for youth, which I think has delivered good outcomes, but as part of the current legal system of Victoria, we do not support a totally separate legal system.” The state Nationals leader said he could not take a stance on a potential treaty until he had all the detail. “It’s a bit like Albanese’s voice. A lot of people voted against it because they didn’t know what it was. And this time we have nothing before us that says anything about treaty.”

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 47

>>19780557 ASIO chief Mike Burgess slaps down claims foreign governments were spreading ‘disinformation’ in Australia - The head of ASIO Mike Burgess has slapped down speculation the voice referendum was influenced by disinformation spread by foreign governments, adding that his organisation had no interest in policing misinformation or disinformation that is propagated by Australians. In what could also be seen as a veiled swipe at pending federal legislation to police speech on social media platforms, Mr Burgess said he hadn’t seen evidence China, Russia or any other governments were seeking to influence Australian opinion. “There‘s lots of people who claim it is there, during elections or referendums, people like to think it’s there, but we haven’t seen that,” he told The Australian at a Five Eyes conference near San Francisco last week. “We don’t see very much of that at all, but we’re on the look out for it”.

>>19784085 "DON’T FEEL SHEEPISH ABOUT STARING DOWN THE ABSURD" - "The Voice campaign stands out as one of the greatest herding scenarios since the first sheepdog trotted down a gangplank in old Sydney Town and started harassing terrified sheep way back when.? Much to the surprise of the dogs, however, more than one sheep has stood its ground and refused to be herded into the Yes pen.? This was not supposed to happen. When the dogs snapped at their hindquarters the flock was supposed to trot into the pen without question.? For daring to stare down the dogs, holding their ground and refusing to be cajoled and bullied, they have been branded as very bad, un-Australian sheep.? The extension of government power into our lives, the presumption that we will meekly submit to being told what we must accept without question, has been incremental? We are snowed in with faux science, directed to “do the right thing”, toe the line, feel the “vibe” - whatever that might be - and generally cop anything that Big Brother says is good for us.? Quite frankly, I’ve had a gutful of it." - Mike O'Connor - couriermail.com.au

>>19785746 Indigenous groups vow to be heard after ‘racist’ referendum result - The leaders of the Yes campaign have flagged their intention to establish an Indigenous voice despite the referendum’s defeat, as a week of silence ended with accu­sations of racism, dishonesty and ignorance towards No voters. In a statement released late on Sunday, a group that described itself as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, community members and organisations that supported Yes said it was now clear that no constitutional change recognising Indigenous Australians would ever succeed. In a sign the Indigenous affairs debate will increasingly turn to treaty in the wake of the referendum defeat, the statement addressed the “occupation” of an Australia that belonged to Indigenous people. “We accept that the majority of non-Indigenous voting Australians have rejected recognition in the Australian Constitution. We do not for one moment accept that this country is not ours,” the statement said. “It is the legitimacy of the non-Indigenous occupation in this country that requires recognition, not the other way around. Our sovereignty has never been ceded.”

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Indigenous Voice To Parliament Referendum - Part 48

>>19792233 Labor wants more to hear more Indigenous voices before it speaks up - Labor is refusing to make any new policy push in Indigenous affairs until it hears from Aboriginal leaders and groups that it believes either abstained from or privately disagree with a strident statement from Yes leaders declaring the reconciliation project all but dead. The government is now dealing with five responses from Indigenous collectives, land councils and organisations since the resounding defeat of the voice referendum on October 14. Four of the five statements published since referendum night refer to racism as a factor, three refer to misinformation or lies from the No campaign and none advocate for reconciliation. The Australian understands the government believes there could be more responses coming from leaders and groups that have different or specific points to make. For example, the government wants to hear from Pat Turner, the co-convener of Closing the Gap, about the practical measures built into that national agreement. The deal signed in 2020 by all levels of government is a promise to make decisions in partnership with Indigenous communities for better results. It was hailed as revolutionary at the time but a Productivity Commission report published in July found the states in particular were not holding up their end of the bargain. Ms Turner told The Australian on Monday that she wished to “let things settle down a bit more” before talking to the media about the future role of the Closing the Gap agreement.

>>19792246 Overwhelming No vote for Indigenous Voice called ’embarrassing’ - Australia’s failure to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in its founding document is an “embarrassing” moment and should push the country to deal with entrenched disadvantaged facing First Nations people, according to a leading Yes campaigner. Indigenous advocate Thomas Mayo said the overwhelmingly rejected Voice referendum on October 14 was a painful event for many Indigenous Australians. “I think it’s embarrassing. It’s hard for Australia to talk about human rights to other countries like China when we still have such a marginalised people,” Mr Mayo said on Tuesday. “We are one of the only ones who don’t have a treaty with Indigenous people, so it will be very difficult now as far as international relations.” Mr Mayo’s comments come after Indigenous leaders and organisations broke their week-long silence to grieve the No result on Monday in an open letter that condemned “a shameful act unknowingly committed by the majority of Australians”. While supporting the general feelings expressed by the letter, Mr Mayo added that he did not sign his name to it. “It’s a general statement of the feelings of Indigenous people,” he said. “There’s a lot of pain out there that such a modest proposal was rejected by the Australian people.”

>>19798315 Anonymous letter-writing Indigenous leaders to blame for Voice loss: Liddle - The Liberal Party’s sole Indigenous MP has questioned the courage of the authors of an anonymous letter censuring people who voted No in the Voice referendum. Coalition frontbencher Senator Kerrynne Liddle says she was astonished that key Yes campaigners did not have “the courage to put their names to a statement like this”, and urging the authors of the statement released on Sunday to accept responsibility for the democratic outcome. In an unpublished draft version of the open letter, revealed in this masthead on Sunday, Liddle was accused of being a “front person” for right-wing think tanks that “used black people to fight black people”. “I wasn’t a front person for anybody. I’m a proud Indigenous woman. I’m also a member of parliament and a contributing member of my community,” she said, adding that she had seen the draft that named her. “This wasn’t a political decision for me. I held this position way before I came into politics.” The former journalist and resources industry executive was involved in various Indigenous organisations before she was elected to the Senate last year and has opposed the Voice for years. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said in April her anti-Voice stance was influential in shaping his own views.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 1

>>19505156 Anthony Albanese agrees to visit China this year after seven-year freeze-out - Anthony Albanese has formally accepted an invitation to visit to Beijing this year - the first by an Australian Prime Minister since 2016 - during bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Jakarta. The Prime Minister raised with Mr Li the plight of Australians detained in China, including Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, and called for the resumption of “unimpeded trade” between the countries. He said he also expressed Australia’s concerns over China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong during the “frank and constructive” talks, and its disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea and over Taiwan. “Australia seeks to work towards productive and stable relations with China based on mutual benefit and respect,” Mr Albanese said after the meeting, which lasted about 50 minutes. He said he confirmed “I would accept an invitation and will visit China later this year at a mutually agreeable time”.

>>19511829 China moves to repair damage it caused to relations with Canberra - Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit is another breakthrough moment in the slow restoration of the China-Australia relationship. Beijing is now primarily driving this rebalance through conciliatory words and actions that stand in stark contrast to its wolf warrior, wrecking ball behaviour of recent years, which led the relationship to crumble. Mr Li, in his meeting with the Prime Minister, spoke of a renewed relationship that “has continued to show a positive momentum of movement” and of his hopes “to work with you to further improve and grow the bilateral relationship”.

>>19535089 Top gun Daniel Duggan, seeks documents showing why he was deemed a high-risk inmate - The former US top gun accused of training Chinese military pilots has gone to court seeking to find out why he was initially deemed an “extreme high-risk restricted’’ prisoner, a designation usually reserved for terrorists. Daniel Edmund Duggan has two appeals lodged with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal seeking documents from NSW prison authorities. The Australian citizen is trying to ascertain why he received such a high-level designation when he was first detained after being ­apprehended on a provisional ­arrest warrant last October. He does not face any charges in Australia but the US is seeking to extradite him to face charges ­alleging he helped train Chinese fighter pilots, and for money-laundering. The indictment relates mainly to his activities training Chinese pilots through a South African flying academy during a short-term contract more than 10 years ago. The US alleges the academy was a front group for China, training People’s Liberation Army pilots, and that Mr Duggan’s training breached US laws related to the exporting of defence services. Mr Duggan denies any wrongdoing, and his supporters say the pilots he trained were civilians.

>>19548631 Australia toughens ban on training 'certain foreign militaries' after pilot case - Australia will toughen laws stopping former defence staff from training "certain foreign militaries", introducing a penalty of 20 years prison and widening the ban to stop any Australians offering military training to countries seen as a national security risk. A series of cases where former military pilots living in Australia had worked for a South African flight school training Chinese pilots, which the United States alleges are Chinese military pilots, has prompted the crackdown.

>>19581567 Xi Jinping’s pick for foreign minister, Qin Gang, dismissed over love child - Xi Jinping’s pick for foreign minister, Qin Gang, was dismissed after only seven months because Beijing worried a love child with a Chinese television journalist made him vulnerable to American intelligence agencies. Senior Chinese officials have been told Mr Qin, 57, was abruptly removed from his job as China’s top diplomat because of “lifestyle issues”, a party euphemism for his widely discussed affair with Phoenix television host Fu Xiaotian. “The probe found that Qin had engaged in an extramarital affair that led to the birth of a child in the US,” the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the internal communist party investigation. “The investigation is continuing with Qin’s co-operation … and it is now focusing on whether the affair or other conduct by Qin might have compromised China’s national security.” The salacious dismissal is hugely embarrassing for Xi, who had overseen Qin’s unusually fast promotion. It has exposed huge gaps in Beijing’s vetting process, a problem underlined by the additional recent removal of China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 2

>>19587772 Scott Morrison to visit Taiwan, warns against ‘appeasing’ Beijing - Scott Morrison will travel to Taiwan in early October to show his support for the self-governed ­island, just weeks before Anthony Albanese visits China to patch up relations with Beijing. The former prime minister will visit Taipei for the October 11-12 Yushan Forum, where Tony Abbott branded China a “bully” and urged “solidarity with Taiwan” in a speech two years ago. Declaring that the region’s security would not be achieved through “appeasement”, Mr Morrison said his trip would present an “interesting contrast” to the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to ­Beijing. He said Mr Albanese’s scheduled trip to China before the end of the year carried significant risks, and Beijing could use it to create the impression of “a backdown by Australia”. “I certainly don't think that’s what the intention is. But once you get on that plane and go there, well, they are controlling how that is represented, and their microphone is very big,” he said.

>>19601965 Solomon Islands PM snubs meeting with US president, praises China's 'global security initiative' in UN speech - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has declined a White House invitation to meet with US President Joe Biden at next week's Pacific leaders' summit. In a move that will further stoke Australian and US concerns over Mr Sogavare's perceived lean towards China, Mr Sogavare will return to Solomon Islands capital Honiara next week after delivering his speech to the United Nations General Assembly Friday night. United States authorities are reportedly disappointed by Mr Sogavare's decision to decline the invitation. He is the only Pacific leader to decline, apart from Vanuatu's new Prime Minster Sato Kilman, who has remained in Port Vila to navigate a brewing political crisis after taking power two weeks ago.

>>19601978 Solomon Islands PM shuns Joe Biden as Timor-Leste signs deal with China - The Unites States is disappointed Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will not attend a Pacific Islands summit with US President Joe Biden next week, the White House said. Biden will host a second summit with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum at the White House on Monday as part of his efforts to step up engagement with a region where the US is in a battle for influence with China. Sogavare’s withdrawal came after China and Timor-Leste announced on Saturday they had upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, potentially giving Beijing more influence in the region while satisfying the young half-island nation’s desire for stronger ties with major economies.

>>19611675 Beijing-Timor ties signal critical moment in our region’s security - "There was a touch of Fidel Castro in Manasseh Sogavare’s speech at the UN last week. In a collarless Mao suit the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare delivered an ardent tirade against the “toxic mix of geopolitical power politics” afflicting the Pacific. China was lavishly praised for delivering a model of “South-South co-operation” that was “less restrictive, more responsive and aligned to our national needs”. The most worrying Sogavare line was a veiled reference to AUKUS. “We remain concerned on the development of military nuclear investment in the Pacific region and its potential to trigger a nuclear arms race and its implications for our nuclear-free status,” he said. That is, of course, breathtaking nonsense. Compare the Australian plan for eight nuclear-powered submarines arriving some time in the 2040s with China’s massive expansion of nuclear weapons to more than 1000 warheads, the Pentagon estimates, by the end of the 2020s. Note also that China’s interest in the Solomons has become more intense since AUKUS was announced. A People’s Republic of China military presence in the Solomons would horribly complicate Australia’s defence planning and threaten the activities of a new east coast submarine base location." - Peter Jennings - theaustralian.com.au

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 3

>>19611687 Taiwan lobbies Australian lawmakers on supporting its bid for Pacific trade pact - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday called on Australia to support its bid to join a pan-Pacific free trade pact during a meeting with a group of visiting Australian lawmakers. Taiwan and China both applied in 2021 to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), but China says it opposes adding Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. The CPTPP is a landmark trade pact agreed upon in 2018 by 11 countries including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Britain was accepted as a member this year. Tsai, meeting a cross-party delegation at the presidential office in Taipei, noted that Australia was Taiwan's largest energy supplier and a major source of agricultural goods. "We look forward to the continued strengthening of economic and trade cooperation between Taiwan and Australia," Tsai said in comments released by her office. "We also hope that the Australian government and parliament will support Taiwan's accession to the CPTPP to jointly promote economic growth and sustainable development of the Indo-Pacific region."

>>19611699 On a visit to Taiwan, Australian lawmakers call for warmer relations with self-ruled island - On a visit to Taiwan, a delegation of six Australian lawmakers called Tuesday for warmer relations with the self-ruled island increasingly threatened by Beijing. The visit comes as Australia has been working at recalibrating its relationship with China, which had been tense in the past few years over disputes on the origin of COVID-19. China in response had imposed tariff barriers on several Australian exports, such as barley. Taiwan, with a population of 23 million compared to China’s 1.4 billion, has never been part of the People’s Republic of China and while increasingly isolated diplomatically and threatened militarily by Beijing, has maintained an international presence separate from the mainland. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said she was grateful for Australia’s role in regional security, citing its new partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom called AUKUS and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. “In recent years, Australia has continued to play an important role in upholding peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” she said. “It has also used major international gatherings to emphasize the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and support Taiwan’s international participation. For this, I want to express sincere gratitude.”

>>19617086 - Beijing has warned Anthony Albanese that the “provocative behaviour” of a bipartisan delegation of Australian politicians visiting Taiwan could stall negotiations over China’s crippling tariff on wine from Australia. Communist Party mouthpiece the Global Times said the Australian delegation – which is being jointly led by Labor MP Josh Wilson and Liberal MP Paul Fletcher – risked upsetting a “critical juncture” in Australia-China relations ahead of Prime Minister Albanese’s planned trip to Beijing. “The provocative behaviour of [the] Australian lawmakers is a test for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,” the party-state masthead editorialised. “By playing the Taiwan card, these MPs aim to create troubles in bilateral relations, seek international attention and gain political capital.” The warning was issued hours after the group of eight Australian politicians met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen late on Tuesday, part of a series of meetings with senior economic, foreign ministry and security officials in Taipei during the four-day trip.

#32 - Part 88

Australia / China Tensions - Part 4

>>19617095 MPs’ Taiwan visit brings embarrassment, test to Australian government - "A cross-party delegation of six Australian lawmakers started their four-day visit to the island of Taiwan on Monday. At this critical juncture when China and Australia are endeavoring to improve their strained ties, the provocative behavior of Australian lawmakers is a test for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Looking back over the past three years, China-Australia relations have transitioned from a frozen winter to a warm spring, although each step has come with its ups and downs. China and Australia held a high-level dialogue earlier this month. The Australian government has recommenced the visa process for Chinese group travelers. China has dropped anti-dumping tariffs on Australian barley imports. Albanese will also reportedly pay a visit to China later this year. These series of positive signals are a result of the bottoming out of bilateral relations after being damaged by the previous Morrison government. Currently, the mutual trust between the two countries is still somewhat fragile, and the thawing of relations without trust can hardly be sustained. If China and Australia join hands, the improvement of ties is foreseeable, but if one side intentionally obstructs the process, it may add hurdles to this process. By playing the Taiwan card, these MPs aim to create troubles in bilateral relations, seek international attention and gain political capital." - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>19637842 Scott Morrison hits back at China envoy over Taiwan comments - Scott Morrison has lashed China’s top diplomat in Australia, declaring the envoy has no right to tell Australian MPs they cannot travel to Taiwan or decide how Australia applies its One China policy. China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, warned Australian politicians on Thursday - including the former prime minister – that MPs’ visits to Taipei undermined progress in stabilising ties between the countries. His comments, at a function in Sydney to mark 74 years of Communist Party rule over China, came just days after an Australian parliamentary delegation met with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei. “Their words, their actions on Taiwan will absolutely bring about a negative effect on the ongoing improvement of our relationship between China and Australia,” Mr Xiao said. The ambassador expressed concern over Mr Morrison’s scheduled Taiwan trip in early October, declaring even former prime ministers wear “political hats”. But Mr Morrison - whose government pushed back against surging Chinese coercion – said Australian MPs were free to travel where they chose. “The Chinese government in Beijing does not get to decide whether Australian members of parliament can visit Taiwan or not, nor do they get to tell Australians or the world what Australia’s One China policy means,” he told The Australian. “I’m very much looking forward to visiting Taiwan and ­celebrating their many achievements as a successful representative democracy that has built a highly sophisticated and remarkable market-based economy, which plays such an important role, both in our region and globally.”

>>19644829 After years of brutal repression, China's Communist Party tries to turn Xinjiang into a tourism hotspot - For several years, the region of Xinjiang has been shut off from most of the world's media, amid a highly secretive government campaign to stamp out extremism amongst the Uyghur population and other Muslim minorities. The crackdown came after decades of unrest, including riots in the capital Urumqi where hundreds were killed in 2009 and a car attack on pedestrians in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 2013, that killed five. When a knife and explosive attack on Urumqi train station overshadowed President Xi Jinping's trip to the province in 2014, he ordered officials to "strike hard" against terrorism. Since then, a chorus of academics, researchers, journalists and legal scholars have meticulously documented widespread abuses at the hands of the government, including mass internment camps, forced labour and birth prevention policies. The United States has labelled the crackdown "genocide", but Australia hasn't used that word. For its part, China first denied the existence of the camps, before later insisting all of its "vocational centres" were closed in 2019. Now the province is moving to a state of "normalisation". The great rebranding of Xinjiang is in full swing.

#32 - Part 89

Australia / China Tensions - Part 5

>>19664451 Daniel Duggan: US extradition case could be delayed due to fight over AFP and ASIO documents - Lawyers for an ex-US navy pilot accused of training Chinese airmen say delays in obtaining crucial material from the government mean an upcoming extradition hearing will have to be delayed. Daniel Edmund Duggan, 55, was arrested in October last year after the US government accused him of arms trafficking by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012. He is also accused of money laundering while a US citizen. The father of six denies all the charges. Appearing at Downing Centre local court on Wednesday, Duggan’s lawyer Dennis Miralis said his client would seek to vacate an upcoming hearing on 23 November for the United States’ extradition application. The 55-year-old is trying to get hold of documents from government agencies such as the Australian federal police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the US Department of Justice regarding the allegations against him. Miralis said the agencies had opposed handing over material to the former navy pilot, citing secrecy and the possibility of interference in international relations.

>>19664477 Bondi businessman accused of selling secrets to China can only be accused of plagiarism, lawyers argue - Lawyers for a Bondi businessman accused of selling Australian secrets to China say simple artificial intelligence tools used to check for plagiarism at universities verified his claim he only provided publicly available information. Alexander Csergo watched on via video link from Sydney’s Parklea prison on Wednesday as prosecutors told Downing Centre local court they would ask the federal attorney general’s department if it wanted to continue his case. Csergo has been held in prison on remand after he was arrested in Bondi in April. He was the first person in Australia to be charged with reckless foreign interference, an offence created as part of a suite of national security laws introduced in 2018. The 55-year-old is alleged to have swapped reports on business and politics with two Chinese handlers, known to him by their anglicised names of Ken and Evelyn, in exchange for envelopes of cash while he was living in Shanghai during the pandemic.

>>19679658 Anthony Albanese hits security turbulence: VIP plane at risk in Beijing - Anthony Albanese’s upcoming trip to Beijing has been thrown off course by security advice that he should avoid travelling in his RAAF jet because its systems could be hacked by Chinese spies. It’s understood a number of options are being considered, including using one or more of the RAAF’s smaller jets, or flying the Prime Minister’s plane to a nearby country and using a different aircraft for the final leg into Beijing. Mr Albanese’s primary aircraft for international trips is one of the air force’s seven KC-30A air-to-air refuellers that has been modified with VIP sleeping and working ­facilities, and a mix of business class and economy seats for staff and the media. It has advanced communication and navigation systems, and electronic self-­protection capabilities to shield against surface-to-air missiles. Multiple high-level sources said the security warnings had been issued. It was not yet clear how Mr Albanese would get to Beijing. The Prime Minister has said he will travel to China by the end of the year to restore bilateral ties at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is yet to release his travel dates but late October or early November are likely, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s historic visit to China.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 6

>>19712663 Cheng Lei ‘elated’ to return to her family after release from Chinese jail - Cheng Lei, the Australian journalist detained on national security charges by China, has returned to Australia, bringing to an end a three-year ordeal that saw put her at the centre of a bitter diplomatic dispute between Canberra and Beijing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Cheng, a Melbourne mother-of-two, was elated to be home after years of negotiations with Chinese officials finally secured the release of the 48-year-old. Albanese confirmed on Wednesday she was met at Melbourne airport by Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “Her return brings an end to a very difficult few years for her family,” Albanese said. “The government has been seeking this for a long period of time and her return will be warmly welcomed not just by her family and friends but by all Australians.” Cheng’s release removes a key hurdle from Albanese’s visit to Beijing following years of hostility between Australia and its largest trading partner. “It will be this year,” he said. Cheng was detained in August 2020 at the height of tensions between Australia and China over human rights, trade disputes and COVID, leading her supporters to claim that she was a victim of arbitrary detention.

>>19712740 China worried security support for Timor would bring ‘overreaction’: Ramos-Horta - Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta says China has stopped short of forging greater links with Dili in supporting its military and police forces out of concern about how it would be received in Australia. The upgrading of diplomatic relations between South-East Asia’s youngest nation and Beijing last month elicited comparisons with China’s police co-operation deal with Solomon Islands, an agreement that triggered anxiety about China expanding its influence in the Pacific. Ramos-Horta has insisted that the new comprehensive strategic partnership signed by his Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and Chinese President Xi Jinping is focused mostly on infrastructure development and on industries such as agriculture, and is no worry for Australia. “We could have had more Chinese support, for instance, in infrastructure to our defence forces, to our police force. And sometimes when I chat with the Chinese about increasing their support to our police force, like building our whole compound, they’d say they’d be willing to do it, but they would be concerned about the overreaction or potential overreaction in Australia and elsewhere,” he told ABC radio on Monday. “The Chinese are actually sensitive to the sensitivities of our neighbours. They are more respectful of Australia’s position than Australia is of the Chinese position.”

>>19720309 Cheng Lei’s release is a remarkable feat of diplomacy - Three years was three years too long for Cheng Lei. Three years of missed sunshine, three years of missed birthdays, three years without her children, now aged 12 and 14, who moved between primary and high school while she imagined what trees looked like in her three-metre cell. But it was a remarkable feat of diplomacy from the Department of Foreign Affairs negotiators and two Australian governments to extract the 48-year-old Melbourne mother of two from the world’s greatest exponent of arbitrary detention in that span of time. Cheng was released despite two daunting obstacles: she was born in China and the Australian government had limited hard leverage to use in her release. Australia had no Meng Wenzhou, the Huawei chief financial officer released by Canada to secure the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor after three years in Chinese jails. That left Australian officials, foreign ministers, trade ministers and prime ministers imploring their Chinese counterparts to do the right thing, while hoping that the time would come when China’s use of Cheng as a diplomatic pawn would no longer be in the nation’s interests. The inflection point came when the Albanese government was elected last year. The Coalition government had weathered $20 billion in trade strikes, but with a new government in Canberra and no policy concessions from Australia, the position of rolling hostility became counterproductive for Beijing. Albanese now has a much-needed foreign policy win that he can claim through both persistence and circumstance.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 7

>>19720316 Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei deported by Chinese state security authorities after serving sentence - "Cheng Lei, an Australian national, who had worked for a Chinese media outlet, was deported from China, after serving a sentence of two years and 11 months for illegally providing state secrets to a foreign agency, China's Ministry of State Security announced on Wednesday. Cheng was born in June 1975, and was originally employed at a Chinese media outlet. In May 2020, Cheng was lured by a member from an overseas organization. In violation of the confidentiality agreement signed with her employer, she illegally provided the foreign organization the state secrets that she grasped during her work using her mobile phone, the ministry said. In August 2020, Beijing State Security Bureau took criminal measures against Cheng after an investigation. Cheng confessed the facts of the crime, and voluntarily pleaded guilty. The No.2 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing, through trial, sentenced Cheng to an imprisonment of two years and 11 months, plus deportation. Cheng did not appeal, according to the authorities." - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

>>19720328, >>19720340 Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on October 11, 2023 - "After a trial, the Beijing No.2 Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Cheng Lei to two years and 11 months of imprisonment and deportation for illegally providing state secrets to an overseas party. After serving her sentence, Cheng Lei was deported out of the country by the Beijing Municipal State Security Bureau in accordance with the law. I would like to stress that China’s judicial authorities tried the case and delivered the sentence in accordance with the law. The rights of the individual concerned under the law were fully protected, and Australia’s consular rights including the right to visit and the right to be notified were respected and implemented."

>>19720351 Chinese envoy eyes new start of China-Australia ties - China and Australia should not only maintain the steady and positive momentum of bilateral relations, but also go beyond stabilization to promote the continuous improvement and development, as the relations are at an important moment for a new start, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said on Wednesday. Xiao made the remarks at the Asia Briefing LIVE 2023 Organized by Asia Society Australia in Melbourne. Xiao said last year was a year of stability for China-Australia relations. This year is a year of exchanges, dialogue and improvement for China and Australia, said the ambassador, noting that the two countries have seen exchanges and visits in various fields and at various levels, and made positive progress in bilateral ties in 2023. - Xinhua - english.news.cn

>>19720377 Quad must engage with Taiwan, says Scott Morrison - Scott Morrison has called for Australia to update its “One China” policy to strengthen security ties with Taiwan - including through the Quad - in response to rising aggression from Beijing that threatens to upend the inter­national order. In an address in Taipei on Wednesday evening, the former prime minister said “no other place on the planet” was more central to “ the cause of liberty and democracy” than Taiwan. “When my government took the decision for Australia to swiftly provide lethal support to assist Ukraine … this was as much a decision to support Ukraine, as it was to demonstrate our alignment with a global Western resolve to resist the aggression of authoritarianism, especially given the tacit endorsement of the invasion by Beijing. I was as concerned about Beijing as I was about Moscow.” Mr Morrison said Australian and other liberal democracies needed to push back on Xi Jinping’s claims over Taiwan: “One can reasonably ask, if Taiwan, then what and who is next?”

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 8

>>19755135 Video: ASIO director tells Five Eyes intelligence summit that alleged Chinese spy was removed from Australia - Australia's domestic intelligence chief has revealed a Chinese national was removed from the country after a foiled attempt to infiltrate a prestigious research institution. ASIO Director General Mike Burgess has revealed details of the alleged espionage last month, while meeting his Five Eyes counterparts in the United States this week. Mr Burgess says the spying plot against an unnamed Australian organisation was disrupted before any damage was done. "The plot involved a visiting professor - a genuine academic who had also been recruited by Chinese intelligence," Mr Burgess told reporters. "Their spymaster gave them money and a shopping list of intelligence requirements and sent them to Australia." The meeting in Silicon Valley is the first-ever public gathering of the Five Eyes intelligence partners, which includes Australia, the US, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. At the meeting, the domestic intelligence chiefs of Australia and the United States issued a scathing criticism of China, accusing it of intellectual property theft on an unprecedented scale. Mr Burgess said the decision to step outside their normally secretive meetings reflected the nature of the threat they were facing. "We recognise nations will spy, we recognise nations will seek strategic advantage," he said ahead of the summit. "But what we're talking about here, this is behaviour that goes beyond traditional espionage. "The Chinese government are engaged in the most sustained, sophisticated and scaled theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history.

>>19755159 Video: ASIO director says alleged Chinese spy was removed from Australia - Australia's domestic spy chief Mike Burgess has revealed an academic, recruited by Chinese Intelligence, was removed from the country after a foiled attempt to infiltrate a research institution. The ASIO boss detailed the case during an historic public meeting of five eyes partners in the US. - ABC News (Australia)

>>19762222 Australian businessman being used as ‘guinea pig’ for reckless foreign interference charge, lawyers say - More than six months after Sydney businessman Alexander Csergo was arrested on allegations he was providing sensitive material to Chinese agents, Australia’s attorney general has still not consented to his prosecution. Lawyers for Csergo say he is being used as a “guinea pig” on a never-before-proven charge, and will seek to have him released on bail after prosecutors secured more time to confirm the charge against him. Csergo, charged with one count of reckless foreign interference, is alleged to have swapped reports on business and politics with two Chinese handlers, known to him only by the anglicised names “Ken” and “Evelyn”, in exchange for envelopes of cash.

>>19762229 Fijian prime minister 'more comfortable dealing with traditional friends' like Australia than China - Fiji’s prime minister said Wednesday on a visit to Australia’s capital that his government was “more comfortable dealing with traditional friends” such as Australia as China pursues closer security ties in the Asia-Pacific region. Sitiveni Rabuka and Australia’s Anthony Albanese met during the Fijian’s first state visit to Australia since he most recently came to power in December last year. The 75-year-old former army colonel and coup leader had previously been Fiji’s prime minister from 1992 until 1999. Rabuka sided with Australia in what he described as the “rivalry” and “one-upmanship“ between the United States and China. “We’re more comfortable dealing with traditional friends, that we have similar systems of government, that our democracies are the same brand of democracy, coming out of the Westminster system,” Rabuka told reporters.

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 9

>>19769319 Federal government will not cancel Chinese company Landbridge's Port of Darwin lease - The federal government has announced that it will not strip a Chinese company of the Darwin port lease, just weeks before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Beijing. Mr Albanese said last year that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet would review the 99-year lease held by the Australian subsidiary of Chinese company Landbridge. Landbridge is reported to have links to the People's Liberation Army of China, and the US Obama administration raised concerns with the Turnbull government after the Northern Territory awarded it to the company in 2015. In a statement, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet said that there was "a robust regulatory system in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure" and that it "was not necessary to vary or cancel the lease." "Monitoring of security arrangements around the Port of Darwin will continue," it said. "Australians can have confidence that their safety will not be compromised, while ensuring that Australia remains a competitive destination for foreign investment." The federal government had accepted that advice, the department said.

>>19769341 Security experts criticise decision to leave Port of Darwin in Chinese hands - Defence experts have criticised a decision to leave a Chinese company’s 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin in place, warning that it leaves investment decisions on critical national infrastructure in the hands of a potential foreign adversary. The federal government announced on Friday afternoon that a review by key security agencies of the Darwin port lease had found “robust” systems were in place to manage the risks. The head of the Northern Australia strategic policy centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, John Coyne, and Australian Defence Association director Neil James both criticised the review for failing to examine the broader implications of a Chinese-owned company controlling a critical deep water port. Coyne said the issue with the Darwin port lease was not that it could open the door to spying but that the Landbridge lease left “future development in the hands of Landbridge and I don’t think their interests will align with ours”. “Beijing will be happy, it reinforces their capacity to invest in critical infrastructure. Did the government consider the broader impact on development in Darwin harbour and how the lease will affect that? If you keep asking the same agencies the same questions, you will get the same answers,” he said. “There is no doubt in Washington this won’t be well received either. It hardly shows that we are looking at national security holistically.”

>>19775719 Wife of jailed former Top Gun pilot calls on prime minister to intervene on one-year anniversary of arrest - The wife of a former US military pilot and Australian citizen arrested one year ago on charges of training Chinese airmen has called for the Albanese government to release him. Daniel Edmund Duggan, 55, was arrested on October 21, 2022, in regional New South Wales after the US government accused him of arms trafficking by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012. He is also accused of money laundering while a US citizen. The father of six denies all the charges. Duggan's wife Saffrine today called on the government to set her husband free ahead of a court hearing on Monday in which his legal team will press for his extradition hearing, set for November 24, be vacated. She urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise her husband's detention when he meets US President Joe Biden in Washington DC next week for talks. "We demand they reject the advice of faceless departmental bureaucrats in Canberra," she said. "We demand transparency and an end to the secrecy and deception that has marred this case from the beginning. And we ask that the prime minister deliver a message on his visit to the US, a message that he will not support the extradition of Dan Duggan."

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 10

>>19775766 Anthony Albanese urged to halt Daniel Duggan’s US extradition during meeting with president - Showing that their home-baked cake had made it safely to school was important in itself, but the Duggan family had little inkling of the happy snap’s broader significance. The photograph of Daniel Duggan with his kids outside their country New South Wales school captured one of his last moments of freedom. “That (cake photo) is the last photo of Dan with us,” his wife, Saffrine, said, ahead of Saturday, the day which marks a year since her husband was arrested. “Every photo that I take or have since, there is one massive hole in our family - their father and my husband.” Duggan, a former US military pilot who became an Australian citizen in 2012, is accused of breaching US arms trafficking laws by training Chinese military pilots while working at a flight school more than a decade ago. Duggan has consistently denied the allegation. But if convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison. “We feel that it’s been an act of violence and cruelty on our family to take away a beautiful man, my husband, under allegations that are clearly political, that we flatly deny, are unproven and are 12 years old,” Saffrine Duggan said. She holds hope his case could be raised when the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, meets with US president Joe Biden and other officials during a state visit next week. Any agreement for extradition to the US must be approved by the federal government, specifically the attorney general. “I ask the prime minister to deliver a message … that he will not support the extradition of my husband,” Saffrine Duggan said. “He belongs with us, in Australia.”

>>19780612 China agrees to lift ‘coercive’ tariffs on Australian wine - Beijing has agreed to review its crippling tariffs on Australian wine, a breakthrough for the Albanese government that leaves only the live lobster trade and a clutch of beef abattoirs on China’s trade blacklist ahead of Anthony Albanese’s trip to meet Xi Jinping. The Prime Minister unveiled the deal on Sunday as he revealed he would travel to Beijing and Shanghai from November 4 to 7 to meet with President Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. “I look forward to visiting China, an important step towards ensuring a stable and productive relationship,” Prime Minister Albanese said in a statement. “I welcome the progress we have made to return Australian products, including Australian wine, to the Chinese market. Strong trade benefits both countries.” The trade win comes days after the Albanese government announced that it would allow Chinese company Landbridge to continue its controversial lease over the Port of Darwin.

>>19785776 PM entrapped in crisis of symbolism over outcome - "Anthony Albanese is now entrapped in a crisis of symbolism over outcome. It is a political crisis of his own making. Failure to secure strategically significant benefits in Washington on AUKUS will reflect a weakness of influence. A reluctance to raise the dominant issue of Chinese military aggression - in light of the Pentagon’s recent warning of China’s acceleration of nuclear capability – will be seen as weakness toward Beijing. Albanese, a damaged leader in the wake of the voice referendum, now seeks a narrative that elevates him as a leader that can traverse the chasm: a maintenance of US-Australian cultural and military hegemony against a restoration of Australia-China pragmatic relations. The US will be acutely aware of the fact that several days after standing for photos in the Rose Garden, Albanese will be standing in the same spot as Vladimir Putin last week, as a guest of the Chinese dictator. They will be wondering about Australia’s commitment as it urges the US not to repeat the Obama mistake of taking its eye off the Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, average Australian families struggling with their ballooning mortgages will be wondering what it all means for them." - Simon Benson - theaustralian.com.au

#32 - Part 95

Australia / China Tensions - Part 11

>>19785789 Albanese government has failed strategic test in northern Australia - "Yet another review has defended the absurd 2015 Northern Territory decision to lease the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company for 99 years. The review released by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet last Friday points to a “robust regulatory system in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure”. The bigger picture is clear: China is becoming militarily aggressive in our region. Since the lease of the Port of Darwin, Beijing illegally took over disputed territory in the South China Sea, building new military air bases and sea ports. Chinese military power projects much further south to the Indonesian archipelago. Routine Chinese air and naval patrols and intelligence-gathering ships now operate in Australian waters. The Albanese government should have overturned the lease because we, and our key ally, the US, need that facility to expand and secure a larger military presence in the north. Albanese is not moving on the urgent work needed to strengthen our security in the north for the sake of promoting a content-free trip to Beijing to mark Gough Whitlam’s 1973 visit. China will not offer any concession on its military growth, threatening Taiwan or bullying neighbours. Publicly, the Chinese will afford Albanese every opportunity to indulge his hero worship of Whitlam’s visit half a century ago. The Chinese know how to gull foreign leaders - recall Emmanuel Macron’s fawning performance of a few months ago. The risk for Albanese is that the visit will make him look weaker on China in Australia by celebrating small concessions in trade and ignoring the big strategic changes sweeping the world." - Peter Jennings - theaustralian.com.au

>>19785888 Former US fighter pilot Daniel Duggan in ‘existential fight’ one year on - A former top gun fighting an extradition bid by the US will spend at least six more months in possible solitary confinement in a NSW maximum security prison, as his wife urges the Prime Minister to oppose the handover request during his visit t0 Washington. Downing Centre Local Court heard a date for Daniel Edmund Duggan’s extradition hearing was set for May next year, with his lawyer Dennis Miralis saying that further time in custody was necessary if they were to successfully fight the potential 65-year maximum-security prison term he faced if extradited to the US. The court heard Mr Duggan would make an application late next month to access a Department of Defence report which deals with Australian Defence Force members allegedly providing military services to China. Mr Miralis said that material was “critical” to his client’s ability to properly and successfully defend himself, and demonstrated the “political nature” of the US extradition request. His legal team are also hoping to get their hands on 430 documents from the AFP later this month which include communications between ASIO, the Department of Justice, the AFP and the FBI around their investigation of Mr Duggan.

>>19792379 Video: Microsoft to help Australia build 'cyber shield', Anthony Albanese announces in Washington - Tech giant Microsoft will help Australia build a "cyber shield" to fend off global online threats under a plan to sink billions of dollars into securing and expanding the national digital economy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Microsoft president Brad Smith unveiled the plan at the Australian embassy in Washington, DC on the first day of the PM's official visit to the US. Microsoft says the project is part of its biggest investment in Australia in its 40-year history: a $5 billion plan to expand infrastructure and skills, with a focus on cloud technology and artificial intelligence. The company will work with the Australian Signals Directorate - the national agency responsible for cybersecurity and online warfare — to build the cyber shield, dubbed MACS (Microsoft-Australian Signals Directorate Cyber Shield). Without naming specific countries, Microsoft said it would have a focus on "defending against sophisticated nation-state cyber threats". Asked about the plan being aimed at countering the threat of China, Mr Albanese said it was "aimed at strengthening Australia".

#32 - Part 96

Australia / China Tensions - Part 12

>>19792384 Video: “Five Eyes” intelligence leaders warn of China’s global espionage campaign - War in the Middle East has the FBI tracking more potential threats of terrorism in the United States. Tonight, the bureau's director, Christopher Wray, tells us his main concern is not an organized attack but lone actors inspired by the violence. We met Wray, Wednesday, for an unprecedented interview that included him and the intelligence directors of our english-speaking allies. Together, they know more about the threats in the world than perhaps anyone. They're known as the Five Eyes and they have never appeared in an interview together. They're doing it now because they're alarmed by China which they say is the greatest espionage threat democracy has ever faced. - 60 Minutes USA

>>19792391 Five Eyes accustomed to fabricating, spreading lies about China: Chinese FM - The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday refuted the Five Eyes’ remarks hyping the “China espionage threat.” The so-called accusations are groundless, and full of slander and smears against China, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press briefing on Monday. “China doesn’t accept and firmly opposes it,” Mao said. China attaches great importance to and is committed to protecting intellectual property rights, and safeguarding international security. The “Five Eyes Alliance” is the world’s biggest intelligence association, which is accustomed to fabricating and spreading false information about China, Mao said. The US, with its technological advantages, unscrupulously conducts eavesdropping and spying on a global scale without distinction, even not sparing their own allies, Mao noted. - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>19792399 China-Australia ties ‘warming’ ahead of Albanese visit - China welcomes Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit China and attend the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday. A sound and stable bilateral relationship serves fundamental interests of the two countries and their people, and it is conducive to regional and world peace and stability, it noted. Observers said the visit, adding to a flurry of consensuses and business exchanges between the two sides in recent days, marks another positive step toward repairing China-Australia relations, which have shown signs of thawing and improving since the beginning of this year. It also underscores Australia's desire to expand business ties with the world's second-largest consumer market and boost exports of products such as wine to cope with rising economic uncertainties and global headwinds. But moves to warm up bilateral economic ties are only the first step, and observers cautioned that Canberra needs to make more concrete efforts and show more sincerity to bring bilateral relations back to the right track. It is also of vital importance for Australia to be diplomatically independent from the US, and not to continue with what some describe as a "semi-decoupling" attempt with China, analysts noted. - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

>>19792423 Police questioned on why they allowed Hong Kong officers to visit cyber centre - An Australian lawyer with a police bounty on his head in Hong Kong has questioned why officers from the Chinese territory were allowed into Australia for training, calling it "traumatising" for pro-democracy activists being targeted by Beijing. The Coalition is also grilling Australian Federal Police's top brass about why the Hong Kong officers were allowed to visit a cyber coordination centre in Australia, given ASIO head Mike Burgess recently accused China of "unprecedented" cyber espionage to obtain intellectual property. Six members of the Hong Kong Police Force recently completed Australian Institute of Police Management programs and toured AFP sites in Canberra and Perth. AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw defended the program, telling Senate estimates on Monday night that Australia needed to maintain cooperation with police in both China and Hong Kong to help crackdown on drug smuggling. "We do actually continually share intelligence with [China] … we are actually a net receiver of intelligence and that intelligence has led to protecting a lot of Australians from harm, particularly from illicit drugs," he said. "It's a challenging situation that we're faced with, with the complexity of the world we're in at the moment."

#32 - Part 97

Australia / China Tensions - Part 13

>>19798327 Biden White House raises concerns about Chinese intimidation ahead of PM visit - Senior Biden administration officials have raised concerns about Chinese intimidation, coercion and maritime claims in the South China Sea, and warned that the world faces a “great deal of pain” if Beijing cuts off its dominant critical minerals supply chain. Joe Biden’s National Security Council strategic communications co-ordinator John Kirby on Wednesday (AEDT) rejected suggestions that conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine had shifted their focus away from the Indo-Pacific region. Ahead of Anthony Albanese travelling to Beijing on November 4 for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, Mr Kirby said “President Biden believes it is important that we keep lines of communication open with China”. “We view China as a strategic competitor. It’s a competition that we need to succeed in. That means being able to co-operate where we can, communicate where we must, and obviously, as appropriate, work to counter some of the (People’s Republic of China) PRC’s intimidation, coercion, excessive maritime claims,” Mr Kirby said.

>>19798334 Anthony Albanese’s critical minerals funding boost for ‘unbreakable US alliance’ - Anthony Albanese will lift support to unlock Australia’s critical minerals deposits to $6bn, amid a high-stakes global contest to dig up, process and manufacture unprecedented volumes of minerals for clean energy, tech and defence products. The US, EU, China, India, Gulf States and Southeast Asian economic powerhouses are clamouring for access to Australia’s vast critical minerals resources to achieve net zero emissions, diversify away from fossil fuels and drive new artificial intelligence and defence tech advancements. In a major win for US President Joe Biden ahead of Thursday’s state dinner at the White House, the Prime Minister will on Wednesday (AEDT) announce his government is topping up its critical minerals financing measures by $2bn. Mr Albanese, who will unveil the funding boost at a roundtable in Washington to be hosted by ­Resources Minister Madeleine King and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, said “Australia is committed to building sustainable and secure critical minerals supply chains with the US”.

>>19805097 ‘Trust but verify’: Biden warns Albanese on risks of dealing with China - United States President Joe Biden has warned Australia about the risks of dealing with China and vowed to press ahead with the AUKUS pact on nuclear-powered submarines, in a press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that emphasised America’s commitment to stability in Asia. Biden said his administration would take on China and present the US as a more reliable partner in the region, but he made it clear that this “extreme competition” did not mean he wanted conflict. The president made the remarks while standing with Albanese at a press conference in the rose garden of the White House after a ceremonial welcome and a meeting in the Oval Office to project the strength of the Australian alliance with the US. With Albanese due to visit Beijing within a fortnight to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the comments in Washington sent the message that Australia could trust the US more than China. “Trust but verify is the phrase,” Biden said when asked if Australia could trust China. “China is having their own internal and external difficulties right now. “China’s economic growth is stagnant compared to what it was. China has engaged in activities, that Russia and many others have engaged in, in terms of intimidation with other countries.”

>>19805201 Video: Chinese gangsters accused of laundering $228m through business spruiked by ex-minister - A transnational crime syndicate is accused of laundering $228 million in dirty funds and tainted cryptocurrency via a money moving business spruiked by a former Howard government minister and allegedly secretly controlled by Chinese gangsters. On Wednesday morning, Australian Federal Police officers from Operation Avarus-Nightwolf swooped on seven suspected Melbourne members of what agents called the “Long River” – an Australia wide crime syndicate – accusing them of serious financial crime. Police suspect the syndicate laundered funds via the Changjiang remittance empire, which the crime group allegedly controlled and which was also used by unwitting members of the Chinese-Australian community to send billions of dollars abroad. Operation Avarus-Nightwolf is significant not only due to the amount of the funds allegedly laundered but the premise that underpins the police case: that a Chinese criminal organisation was brazen enough to set up an Australian government licensed international money moving service, with dozens of shopfronts across Australia, and recruit unwitting former Howard government immigration minister Gary Hardgrave as a spruiker in 2022.

#32 - Part 98

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 1

>>19493562 Let police use artificial intelligence amid ‘tsunami’ of online child sex abuse - Authorities will continue fighting a “tsunami” of online child abuse with their hands tied behind their backs if they can’t use tools such as artificial intelligence, warning the voices of privacy advocates are ­stifling those of victims and ­survivors. Jon Rouse, a former Queensland detective inspector who worked in child protection for nearly 30 years and spearheaded Australia’s first operation targeting internet child sex offenders, said AI technologies such as Clearview AI - a platform banned in Australia - should be used. “If we are going to do the worst job, we need access to the best tools, simple as that,” he said. “We need access to the best tools because we are fighting with our hands behind our back. (Offenders) have end-to-end ­encryption, they have anonymised platforms, they have obfuscation. We are fighting with a very small force for the rights of children globally.”

>>19493577 More than 100 child sex charges laid against six Queensland men, 15,000 cases referred to child safety since July 2022 - Six Queensland men have been charged with more than 100 child sex offences following extensive investigations by taskforce Argos detectives. Detective Acting Superintendent Glen Donaldson said the alleged offences committed by the men were "extremely serious, and in some cases truly shocking". As part of the investigation, a 46-year-old Fortitude Valley man was charged with more than 20 child sex offences and is accused of photographing children in public toilets as well as running a hidden network inside a child exploitation website.

>>19493588 Video: Australian Federal Police release images in search for cold case victims of child sexual abuse - The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has released new images giving the public a glimpse into the rooms where child sex abuse is perpetrated, in the hope it will lead to identification of the abused children. In four images, the AFP's victim identification specialists have released photos of two rooms, with distinctive curtains, wall paint, a bed frame, and a fireplace. Acting Assistant Commissioner for the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), Helen Schneider said finding the children abused in the rooms had proven to be like finding a "needle in a haystack". "We believe the child victims in these matters are now adults but we accept that the trauma of this kind of offending does not fade away. Victim identification specialists have the painstaking task of going through images and videos frame-by-frame to identify anything that helps with the origin, location or the identity of a victim.” The screenshots are from videos found on the dark web that the AFP has confirmed took place in Australia. Acting Assistant Commissioner Schneider said the images contain clues that will help find victims and offenders. "We want any information," she said. "We want to hear it because every one of those images involves a real child who is being abused somewhere."

>>19493588 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation - Stop Child Abuse - Trace an Object - ''We need your help in the fight against online child sexual exploitation. The smallest clue can often help solve a case. Can you help us recognise these objects? The below objects have been taken from the background of sexual abuse material involving children. Sometimes it is necessary to edit the imagery to focus on a specific area or object. If you recognise any of these objects, click on the item and provide the ACCCE with the information you have. We specifically want to trace their origin (location/country). Reports can be made anonymously. We are convinced that more eyes will provide more leads and ultimately help to remove children from harm. - https://''www.accce.gov.au/what-we-do/trace-an-object

#32 - Part 99

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 2

>>19505187 Child sexual abuse inquiry to investigate three teachers and 18 schools over historical offences - An inquiry into historical child sexual abuse at Beaumaris Primary School will investigate whether abuse was also committed at 18 government schools in Victoria. The Board of Inquiry was set up to investigate abuse committed by a cluster of Beaumaris Primary offenders including former teacher and principal Gary Arthur Mitchell. Mitchell is a convicted paedophile who taught at numerous Victorian primary schools from the 1960s through to the 1990s. The investigation will also look into alleged abuse committed by two other teaching staff who are yet to be named by the Board of Inquiry. The inquiry is now open to submissions from people who want to talk about their own experiences of abuse at the schools in question. There will be private hearings from September until November, and public hearings will be held from the end of October until December. The Board of Inquiry will deliver its report to government by February 28, 2024. - https://www.beaumarisinquiry.vic.gov.au

>>19505211 One in 100 Filipino kids are victims of online sexual abuse. Australians are driving the demand - Technology companies and financial institutions are being urged to take a tougher stand against child exploitation after an alarming new report found 500,000 children in the Philippines were trafficked in a single year to produce livestreams and other sexually abusive content, with Australian offenders a key driver of demand. A landmark two-year study by the International Justice Mission and the University of Nottingham Rights Lab lays bare the magnitude of online child abuse for profit in the South-East Asian archipelago. It estimates that one in 100 children in the Philippines were victims in 2022 alone, while almost 250,000 adults in the country trafficked children to record new material. Australia has been identified as the third-highest contributor to payments for such content behind the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council, a government agency in Manila.

>>19511910 Australia to require Google, Bing to clamp down on AI-created child porn - Australia has unveiled regulations requiring internet search engines to crack down on child sexual abuse material created by artificial intelligence. The online safety code announced on Friday will require services such as Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo to take “appropriate steps” to prevent the spread of child exploitation material, including “synthetic” images created by AI. The announcement comes after the eSafety commissioner delayed the implementation of an earlier version of the code in June after Microsoft and Google introduced AI functionality for their internet search engine services. “The use of generative AI has grown so quickly that I think it’s caught the whole world off guard to a certain degree,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.

>>19518366 Inside JACET: The SA police officers who rescue children from depraved sex predators - For once, it wasn’t the perverse images of child exploitation or deceptive messages of grooming that most disturbed Detective Leading Senior Constable Steve Hegarty. A veteran member of SA’s elite child-rescuing police team, such appalling material never ceased to horrify him, but he’d learned to steel himself against it. Instead, as he plumbed the torrid depths of a pedophile’s child abuse chat logs, Hegarty was more concerned by the long silences between the victims’ replies. As he scrolled thousands of pages of data, he worried the vulnerable children targeted by the predator had harmed themselves, or worse, due to their psychological torment. “That was a traumatic day at work … I said to someone ‘it’s like reading a real-life horror story, but it’s back in time and there’s nothing you can to do change the outcome’,” he said. “You’re halfway through it, you don’t know how it’s going to end, so you’re flicking quicker and quicker to get to the point of ‘how quickly can I find this child?’.” Fortunately, the work of Hegarty, his dedicated teammates and their law enforcement allies around the world saved the children and secured the pedophile’s guilty pleas. It was another win for SA’s Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team, a combined SA Police/AFP group that is changing the face of child protection both here and around the world. It also epitomised the core ethos that bind the tight-knit, elite team as they investigate some of the worst criminal acts that go before the state’s courts.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 3

>>19523025 In a perfect world, Kirsty Clarke’s job wouldn’t exist - Kirsty Clarke views some of the most vile images and videos of sexually abused children every day. In the perfect world, her job wouldn’t exist. But so bad is the horrific child abuse in Australia and across the globe, she and a team of victim identification specialists in the Australian Federal Police spend hours every day combing images for clues. Frame by frame. Anything that could help save an abused child or catch a child sex offender. It could be the accent of a person or an item in the room such as clothing or an accessory that helps the team solve a case. Working as a victim identification specialist, seeing horrific images, takes a toll as the abuse material can’t be unseen, but Ms Clarke said the job which was like “finding a needle in a haystack” was worth it if children were saved. “And that’s what makes us stay in the job,” she said. “This is probably one of the worst areas that you can work in, but it’s also one of the best areas that you can work in because the level of satisfaction knowing that that child is no longer subjected to that type of behaviour and that child is removed from harm. “And a child can be a child again and be happy in their environment and not be subjected to that type of horrific behaviour – there’s nothing more satisfying.”

>>19523059 Video: After school 'Satan Club' event at Southern California library draws protests - "Dozens of protesters made their religious beliefs known outside a back-to-school night event hosted by the Satanic Temple at the Lancaster Library. The group said the goal was not to introduce any type of religion or belief system but rather, to promote free rational thinking. "I just want people to know that the Satanic Temple, we are about personal liberty and free rational inquiry. We’re not worshiping the devil or anything like that. We’re just trying to have fun and help the children have a good time," said Satanic Temple spokesperson René Grigori. The event was described as a "family-friendly" with arts and crafts, science experiences and live demos. Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered outside the library holding signs and participating in prayer groups. "We’re representing Jesus Christ. The Lord and Savior. We’re not trying to have the enemy destroy this town. We got enough issues here, in Jesus Name!" a protester told a news photographer at the scene. The protesters argue the group is trying to entice children with gifts and games to turn away from their beliefs. However, the Satanic Temple’s after-school club says it only plans events where other religious groups are operating to provide a safe alternative to students." - Mario Ramirez and Kelli Johnson - foxla.com

>>19523059 Q Post #4545 - Humanity is good, but, when we let our guard down we allow darkness to infiltrate and destroy. Like past battles fought, we now face our greatest battle at present, a battle to save our Republic, our way of life, and what we decide (each of us) now will decide our future. Will we be a free nation under God? Or will we cede our freedom, rights and liberty to the enemy? If America falls so does the world. If America falls darkness will soon follow. Only when we stand together, only when we are united, can we defeat this highly entrenched dark enemy. This is not about politics. This is about preserving our way of life and protecting the generations that follow. We are living in Biblical times. Children of light vs children of darkness. United against the Invisible Enemy of all humanity. Q - https://qanon.pub/#4545

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 4

>>19529197 The case of paedophile William Landman shows why Daniel Andrews's inquiry won't 'go where it needs to go' - ""The person who's running the inquiry … we've given to her the power to go where the evidence takes her." So said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last Thursday, explaining the role Kathleen Foley SC will play in leading the government's recently-launched Board of Inquiry "into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools". In the case of Beaumaris Primary, where a cluster of paedophile teachers abused alarming numbers of children in the 1960s and 70s, the evidence is likely to take Foley and her inquiry on hellish journeys that sometimes end in cemeteries. And to be clear, those who survived, the loved ones of those who didn't, and the brave few who ensured this inquiry is even taking place, certainly deserve its fullest attention and respect. But on launch day, even the inquiry's title, trailing off into vagueness, already begged uncomfortable questions. "Certain other government schools"? Which ones? Any and all to which, using the premier's description of Foley's role, "the evidence takes her"? To be blunt, probably not. Two weeks ago, ABC Investigations revealed that the Victorian Education Department not only knew about the widespread sexual abuse of children in its schools in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, it spent at least three decades covering it up and enabling abusers. It was a system personal injury lawyers have likened to the worst excesses of the Catholic Church." - Russell Jackson - abc.net.au

>>19529255 Roman Catholic Archbishop Tim Costelloe fronts WA parliamentary inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse - The difficulties survivors of child sexual abuse face when attempting to pursue justice is a reality of complexities of the church, the Catholic Archbishop of Perth says. Timothy Costelloe made the statements while testifying before the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee's inquiry into the options available to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in Western Australia who are seeking justice. He also rejected claims that he was trying to evade responsibility of being "dishonest" in his communication on the issue. Described variously as a "war of attrition" and an "attempt to break you down", survivors have spoken of unnecessarily long delays in legal proceedings and unreasonable demands for information.

>>19561865 Report finds decades of violence and sexual abuse allowed to go unchecked in Victoria's racing industries - Harassment and abuse have gone unchecked in Victoria's racing industry, with victims subjected to ritualised violence and physical and sexual assaults, the racing watchdog has found. The Racing Integrity Commissioner, Sean Carroll, has issued a long-awaited report into victim support and complaint processes in the industry, saying it has fostered a community filled with people who have lived and breathed racing for generations. However, the sense of community has led to an "environment where harassment, abuse and assault have taken place unchecked", the report said. "The dark flip side of loyalty has been a culture of silence across the industry that is underpinned by an historical and widespread, tacit discouragement of reporting," the commissioner's report said. "At times, those who have raised complaints have been the subject of overt retaliation. "A number hold the perception that perpetrators of abuse have been protected."

>>19575912 Broome bishop preyed on young Aboriginal males: Vatican investigators - A longstanding Catholic bishop of Broome was a “predator” who sexually assaulted four Aboriginal men and boys and groomed dozens more, the Vatican’s own investigation has found. Christopher Saunders, who spent decades serving the church in Broome before resigning in the wake of alleged sexual misconduct and bullying, hosted multiple “bunga bunga” parties for him and young Aboriginal men and boys at various church properties, according to Vatican investigators. The investigation under the Vatican’s Vos Estis Lux Mundi papal inquiry powers also found Bishop Saunders spent thousands of dollars of church money each month on cash payments, mobile phones, alcohol and cigarettes for “vulnerable” Aboriginal men and boys. The bishop strongly denied the allegations when the Vos Estis Lux Mundi investigation - the first of its kind in Australia - was first announced and police have not charged him in relation to any of the allegations.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 5

>>19575967 Video: Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders: Pope-ordered investigation alleges as many as 71 victims - A top-secret investigation ordered by the Pope into an Western Australian Bishop - the first of its kind in Australian history – has found he is likely to have sexually assaulted four youths while potentially grooming another 67. The bombshell 200-page report also found that 73-year-old Bishop Christopher Saunders spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in church and charity funds to groom the young men. A 7NEWS investigation exclusively obtained a copy of the final report that has been handed to the Vatican for action by Pope Francis. The report was completed six months ago in April and sent to Rome - but no decision has yet been made on the future of the former Bishop of Broome. Only a Pope can appoint a Bishop - and only a Pope can de-frock one. Since the acquittal of Cardinal George Pell in the High Court in 2020, Saunders has become the highest-ranked Catholic in the country to face a sex crimes investigation.

>>19581648 ‘You stole my voice’: Former primary school teacher guilty of historical child sex abuse - Almost every day, Ben* passes the mobile phone towers on a hill by the Western Ring Road that serve as a reminder of the place where he was abused. Ben says it recalls the day when as a 10-year-old boy, he believed he was going to be killed to keep his abuser’s secret. While reading his victim impact statement, Ben faced his attacker, former Melbourne primary school teacher and swim coach Gary Bloom, for the first time in almost four decades, after the 58-year-old pleaded guilty to historical child sex abuse offences. The court heard that in 1985, Bloom was working as a teacher at Sacred Heart Primary School in Diamond Creek, in Melbourne’s north-east, and as a swimming coach when he began visiting a paddock not far from the present-day Western Ring Road that children were known to frequent. Prosecutor Emma Fargher said Bloom visited the area almost every second day, and he regularly approached children and spoke to them, showing interest in what they were doing. One day in 1985, he told Ben to follow him to an area on the other side of some thick trees, where Ben was abused. The court heard Ben reported the abuse to police in 2019. Bloom - by then living overseas - was charged and released on bail during a trip back to Australia in December 2021. The case was due to head to trial, but Bloom later pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.

>>19602020 Two FBI agents uncovered a paedophile ring, leading to their murders, then a Perth arrest - Perth man Stephen Paul Asher, a self-confessed paedophile, was jailed this week after an investigation that had its origins in the murders of two FBI agents. Asher had the technical ability to fly under the radar as he scanned the dark web for images of naked pubescent and prepubescent girls, some under 13 years old. But after automatic gunfire killed FBI special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger as they stood on the doorstep of a Florida apartment in February 2021, further investigations revealed their killer was part of a child abuse network that stretched as far as Australia. They knocked on the door of reclusive IT worker, 55-year-old David Lee Huber, to execute a search warrant for child abuse material. It’s believed Huber saw the agents through his doorbell camera and fired his assault rifle through the door. Alfin and Schwartzenberger died and three more agents were wounded. Huber then turned the gun on himself. But the officers’ work continued after their deaths, and a year later the FBI discovered Huber was part of a child abuse network that stretched as far as Australia.

#32 - Part 103

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 6

>>19611723 Prominent Zoologist guilty of 60 bestiality, animal abuse and possessing child exploitation material charges - A renowned zoologist has pleaded guilty to dozens of sickening charges including animal cruelty, bestiality and possession of child exploitation material. Darwin crocodile expert Adam Robert Corden Britton, 52, was unmasked as the serial animal abuser in the Northern Territory Supreme Court on Monday. His name had previously been suppressed from the public due to the depravity of his crimes, which threatened his right to a fair trial, the NT News reported. Britton pleaded guilty to 60 charges, including the torture, rape, and killing of at least 39 dogs. The court heard he referred to the animals as “f*ck toys”, raped puppies and operated a nightmarish “torture room” on his property in McMinns Lagoon, half an hour outside Darwin. Additionally, the court heard that Britton used Telegram’s encrypted messaging service to share videos of his despicable acts through accounts named “Monster” and “Cerberus.” He engaged in discussions with other users about bestiality, animal abuse, the acquisition of dogs, and methods for disposing of their bodies. A search of Britton’s laptop uncovered 15 files of child abuse material he had sourced online, including content involving toddlers being subjected to horrifying acts. He has been remanded in custody and will return to court for sentencing later.

>>19611731 Zoologist Adam Britton guilty of 60 bestiality, animal abuse and possessing child exploitation material - A well-known zoologist who sadistically tortured, sexually exploited and killed pet dogs before telling their former owners they were “settling in well” has pleaded guilty to 60 beastiality, animal cruelty, and possessing child exploitation material charges. Adam Robert Corden Britton’s name had previously been suppressed from the public due to the details of his crimes being so depraved they threatened his right to a fair trial. At the Supreme Court on Monday the 52-year-old admitted to killing at least 39 dogs which he called “f-ck toys”, raping puppies, running a “torture room” on his McMinns Lagoon property, and advising others in “zoo-sadism”. Crown prosecutor Marty Aust told the court Britton had a sadistic sexual interest in animals - in particular dogs – dating back to at least 2014 when he began engaging in sexual activities with his two Swiss-Sheppard’s Ursa and Bolt. Between November 17, 2020, and April 22, 2022, he sourced 42 dogs of varying breeds and ages which he later tortured and sexually exploited for sadistic sexual pleasure, killing most of them, the court heard. Mr Aust said Britton set up alerts on Gumtree for when a new dog or puppy was listed for sale in the Darwin area, building rapport with owners, “many of whom had to reluctantly give their pets away due to travel or work commitments”. In one case, the owners of a large brown dog “Wolfe” met with Britton twice to “ensure he would be a suitable person who would properly care for Wolfe”. Britton sent the owners a picture he had previously taken of the dog, with a message saying “Wolfe was relaxed and eating well and enjoying her new home”. “Unbeknownst to the previous owners the dogs had already been sexually exploited, tortured and killed,” Mr Aust said.

>>19611751 (2022) Bestiality allegations so ‘abhorrent’ as to prejudice right to fair trial, judge rules - The details of allegations against a man facing more than 200 charges, including bestiality and animal cruelty, are so “abhorrent” they could prejudice his right to a fair trial if publicised, a judge has ruled. The 51-year-old Rural Area man has been on remand in Holtze Prison since he was arrested and charged over “a significant number of videos depicting animal cruelty and bestiality” in April. At the time, detective acting Senior Sergeant Jon Beer said if members of the public had come across the videos, “they would be revolted”. “It is incomprehensible that an individual could imagine such acts let alone carry them out,” he said. “The depravity is deeply disturbing.”

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 7

>>19611774 (2022) Alleged bestiality details so depraved as to ‘offend public decency’, court rules - A Rural area man charged with bestiality and aggravated animal cruelty will face court for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, following a raid on a property last week. The man, aged in his 50s, who cannot be named under NT law due to the nature of the charges, was due to appear in the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday morning where his lawyer, Julie Franz, successfully applied for an adjournment. In a statement released on Saturday, a spokesman for the NT Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team said officers had been tipped off to the man’s alleged activities after a video depicting animal cruelty “surfaced on the internet”. During the raid, further material, including “a significant number of videos depicting animal cruelty and bestiality” were also allegedly recovered on computers, mobile phones, hard drives and digital cameras. At the time, detective acting Senior Sergeant Jon Beer said the contents of the videos was allegedly “abhorrent”. “If members of the public came across this material they would be revolted,” he said. “It is incomprehensible that an individual could imagine such acts let alone carry them out. The depravity is deeply disturbing.”

>>19611836 Video: Married British zoologist - who worked for BBC alongside his wife and David Attenborough - admits raping and torturing dozens of dogs at his animal shelter in case that has shocked Australia - A British crocodile expert has pleaded guilty to raping puppies and torturing more than 40 dogs - including his own pets Ursa and Bolt - at his Australian animal shelter after luring pet owners to give him custody of their beloved canines. Adam Britton, 51, who grew up in West Yorkshire before moving to Australia, began his offending in 2014 and tortured and sexually exploited more than 42 dogs he had called 'f*ck toys' until his arrest in April 2022. Britton, an academic at Charles Darwin University in northern Australia who once hosted legendary broadcaster David Attenborough at his home, tortured 39 of those dogs to death in a horrific case of animal cruelty that has shocked the nation. The married zoologist had sexually abused his own Swiss Shepherd pets, Ursa and Bolt, for almost a decade before he eventually expanded to Gumtree Australia to source more dogs to torture and kill at his sprawling rural estate at McMinns Lagoon on the northern tip of Australia. Britton would even film himself torturing the defenceless animals in what he called his 'torture room' - a shipping container fitted with recording equipment - until most of them died before posting the sick material online, the court heard.

>>19617118 Child abuse inquiry scathing of Peter Renshaw over mishandling of allegations at Launceston General Hospital - Tasmania's child abuse inquiry has delivered scathing findings against the former head of medical services at the Launceston General Hospital over his handling of allegations against a notorious paedophile nurse and other medical personnel. The commission of inquiry's final report into the Tasmanian government's responses to child sexual abuse was tabled in parliament on Tuesday. The commission has made 75 findings and 191 recommendations designed to protect young people from abuse. While most of the findings relate to institutions, it made five specific findings against Peter Renshaw, including misconduct. "Dr Renshaw's omissions and fabrications amount to misleading our Commission of Inquiry," it stated. "We do not make this finding lightly. "Misleading a Commission of Inquiry undermines public trust and confidence in the process. Such an act by a senior state servant is unethical and unprofessional and brings the State Service into disrepute." The commission described Dr Renshaw as an "unhelpful witness" who was "defensive and pedantic" during his appearance before the commission. "Each of the concessions he made, once confronted by the evidence, had to be extracted from him during hearings," it stated. "We consider that Dr Renshaw failed to accept responsibility for his failures. "He did not demonstrate even a modicum of self-reflection during our hearings." The commission said this "frustrated" victim-survivors and their families, who were seeking acknowledgement, reflection and apologies.

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Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 8

>>19644845 Prosecutors seek stretch in jail for cardinal Angelo Becciu - Prosecutors in Rome have asked that the disgraced Cardinal, Angelo Becciu, be sentenced to seven years and three months in prison and forced to pay more than €14m ($23m) in fines for embezzlement as the so-called Vatican “trial of the century” enters its final chapter. Two and a half years after the chief prosecutor, Alessandro Diddi, opened proceedings in the Holy See, judges have recommended that the 10 defendants accused of an array of financial crimes serve sentences totalling more than 73 years. If found guilty, Angelo Becciu, a former papal chief of staff and arch nemesis of a raft of financial reforms led by the late Australian cardinal George Pell, will be the first cardinal to be convicted in a criminal trial within the Vatican.

>>19656358 Unmasked: the face of Australia’s worst alleged pedophile - Ashley Paul Griffith - This is the face of the childcare worker alleged to be Australia’s worst pedophile. Ashley Paul Griffith can be identified for the first time under new Queensland laws that allow alleged sex offenders to be named before they are committed to stand trial. The 45-year-old former childcare worker stands accused of 1623 charges relating to the abuse of 91 little girls over a 15-year period in a dozen centres spanning states and continents. The Australian could reveal his identity as of 12.01am on Tuesday when new laws came into effect to “modernise” the reporting of such offences and hold perpetrators to account, with media now able to name those accused in a slew of cases before the courts. However, other accused serious sex offenders, including a high-profile Australian man and two reality show contestants, can still not be named due to court-issued suppression orders that override the legislative changes. Griffith has remained anonymous since his arrest by the Australian Federal Police in August 2022. The case was made public by the AFP a year later in August after more than 1000 child exploitation charges were laid against him for offences at 10 centres in Brisbane, one in Sydney’s inner-west and another in Pisa, Italy between 2007 and 2022. It followed an eight-year-long investigation that had allegedly connected the Gold Coast man to child abuse material posted online in 2014, AFP officers said while announcing his arrest eight weeks ago. Court documents viewed by The Australian allege he systematically recorded each assault and rape on phones and cameras, keeping meticulous files of each of his victims. The charges revealed a pattern of escalating offending, with two little girls at one centre raped more than two dozen times each over several months.

>>19664500 Binjun Xie: Alleged sex trafficking boss deported over underground prostitution network - An alleged human trafficking boss who exploited Australia’s migration regime to set up a sprawling underground sex worker racket has been hunted down and deported amid a major shake-up of border security. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will on Wednesday unveil the latest in a series of reforms to the visa system aimed at stopping what an inquiry led by ex-police chief Christine Nixon has described as the grotesque exploitation of foreign workers. Among the reforms are the establishment of a new immigration compliance division within the Department of Home Affairs. A new multi-agency taskforce investigating suspected sex and drug traffickers, known to specialise in obtaining visas via fraud, will also run for at least two more years. The reforms have been prompted by the Trafficked series of reports by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, 60 Minutes and Stan, which also forced the Albanese government to commission the Nixon inquiry. This masthead has also confirmed that Border Force agents recently swooped on Binjun Xie, the alleged Sydney-based human trafficking kingpin who has been on the run since several serious allegations against him were exposed in the Trafficked investigation in November. The reforms are aimed at helping the Albanese government wrest back control of a migration and visa system racked with rorting, worker and student exploitation and delays.

#32 - Part 106

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 9

>>19686068 Alleged childcare pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith attacked by inmate in Wolston jail - One of Australia’s worst alleged pedophiles was rushed to hospital after an inmate tipped boiling water over him at a Brisbane jail. The Courier-Mail can reveal Ashley Paul Griffith was assaulted in unit S3 at Wolston on Friday. Griffith was taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital suffering facial burns after the incident which happened just after midday. He was taken to the hospital to assess his burns. The Courier-Mail was told the prisoner who assaulted Griffith may have even added jam to the hot water for the “napalm” attack to make the assault more painful and stick to him. The assault on Griffith comes just days after the alleged pedophile was named for the first time under changes to Queensland laws which allow alleged sex offenders to be named after they are charged. Griffith is facing more than 1600 charges relating to 91 young girls from 10 Brisbane childcare centres, a Sydney childcare centre and an international centre between 2007 and 2022. The Gold Coast man has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10. He has also been charged with more than 600 counts of indecent treatment of a child and more than 600 counts of making child exploitation material. He allegedly photographed and filmed the girls.

>>19691621 SA pedophile mastermind Jadd William Brooker discussed sex trafficking babies and toddlers before arrest, court told - The HIV-positive pedophile who led the state’s online child abuse syndicate could have escalated to trafficking babies and toddlers for sex if not apprehended, a court has heard. This week, the Supreme Court was taken inside the mind of Jadd William Brooker - and told he is a deceitful, manipulative and dishonest pervert with no remorse for his crimes, no empathy for his victims and a grandiose view of himself. Prosecutors urged the court to declare Brooker an uncontrollable predator and jail him indefinitely, using laws created following a campaign by victim advocates and The Advertiser. Giving sworn evidence, Dr Narain Nambiar, clinical director of the state’s Forensic Mental Health Service, told the court Brooker posed a high risk of reoffending. He said Brooker’s conversations with other syndicate members demonstrated the extreme lengths to which he was prepared to go to abuse children. “Brooker demonstrates a particular attitude that supports sexual exploitation and violence, and encouraging others to engage in that behaviour,” he said.

>>19691646 International Australian sports star - turned top school teacher - is sensationally charged with producing child abuse material - An Australian baseball hero and former international sports star immortalised with a 'Golden Glove' award in his name has been charged with offences against young girls. Neil John Barrowcliff, affectionately known as 'Barrows' in baseball circles, has been charged with 29 offences including indecent assault of a girl aged between 14 and 15. The 69-year-old award-winning player, coach and manager, who has received the country's highest accolades over a five-decade career, is also charged with multiple counts of producing and possessing child abuse material. The alleged offences were committed between 2011 and 2022 in northwestern and western Sydney and included allegedly recording material on an Apple iPhone 4. Mr Barrowcliff was arrested and charged with two offences in July last year, and a further 27 in July this year, and is expected to fight the charges. Neil 'Barrows' Barrowcliff played for Hunter's Hill, then for Sydney University baseball team for five years in the 1960s and 1970s. The University named him in its 2004 'team of the century' and introduced its Neil Barrowcliff Golden Glove Award in 2009 to commemorate his career.

#32 - Part 107

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 10

>>19720463 Virginia Giuffre Tweet - There are so many more people involved in the #EpsteinClientList that haven’t been penalised & most likely never will be. Even though I have named some of the participants publicly to help fill in the gaps for you smart people who can read between the lines & also I have named privately -( for the safety of my family) -to the authorities to be made aware of those who participated in the sex trafficking of minors & women including some of the upmost respected and influential members of society. The current laws prevent me from holding every single MF accountable and when I do speak out I end up in a lawsuit that forces me to face some of the worst memories and having the perpetrators in the same room with me, scowling at me, it still haunts me to this very day. I wish I could do so much more but I got so lost trying so hard to get justice for me and so many other victims that I confused my priorities, which #1 is being a mom & a wife. Now I realise I need to take a step back, take a few breaths and find my inner strength again. Hoping one day I’ll find peace.

>>19720463 Q Post #4923 - 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

>>19755331 Victim of historical sexual abuse sues Western Bulldogs for damages - The Western Bulldogs have been accused of turning a blind eye to a sexual predator, who preyed on young boys at the football club four decades ago. Adam Kneale, now 51, is suing the club for damages after enduring abuse at the hands of Graeme Hobbs, a former club volunteer who lured young victims with the promise of money, tickets and memorabilia. Mr Kneale's lawyers said the club, then known as Footscray, acted negligently by failing to take action to stop Hobbs and is liable for the lifelong damage Mr Kneale suffered. Barrister Tim Hammond said Hobbs, whose nickname was Chops, was a "sick and disturbed sexual predator" who raped Mr Kneale countless times over seven years. Mr Hammond said the abuse led Mr Kneale to develop substance addictions, and that he continued to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety that had affected his ability to work.

>>19762161 Julia Gillard’s ex, Tim Mathieson, found guilty of sexual assault - Tim Mathieson, the former long-term partner of Julia Gillard, has been convicted and fined $7000 after admitting to sucking and licking his female friend’s breast while she slept in her own home. Raymond Timothy Mathieson, once known as Australia’s ‘First Bloke’, appeared in a grey suit before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday afternoon where he pleaded guilty to sexual assault. The court was told the complainant invited Mathieson over for an early dinner where the two shared a meal and three bottles of wine, before they both fell asleep at separate ends of a couch while watching a Whitney Houston documentary. However at 8:30pm, the sleeping complainant awoke to the 67-year-old sucking and licking her nipple.

>>19762187 Prince Andrew's Accuser Scores Major Win - Prince Andrew's accuser has won a two-year lawsuit brought by a fellow survivor of Jeffrey Epstein after an "undoubtedly difficult" legal struggle, her lawyer told Newsweek. Virginia Giuffre sued Prince Andrew through a New York federal court and settled in February 2022 for an undisclosed sum, though he continued to deny the allegations. However, Giuffre has spent the intervening year-and-a-half fighting a separate case that appeared to pit survivor against survivor and required her to relive her trauma during deposition, discovery, and gruelling casework. Rina Oh, who also describes herself as an Epstein victim, sued Giuffre for libel in 2021 over posts on X, formerly Twitter, describing her as Epstein's girlfriend. Giuffre's lawyers framed Oh's case as an attempt to stop her speaking out. They countered using what are known as anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) laws. Giuffre applied to the New York Supreme Court to have the case thrown out using a new law, passed in 2021, designed to protect sex trafficking victims from being sued for acts they were forced to perform by their abusers. Giuffre has chalked up a key win which for the first time applied the new laws to protect survivors in a civil case. START had been used before in criminal cases only.

#32 - Part 108

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 11

>>19780602 Home Affairs let pedophile suspect work in Indonesia embassy for five months - Home Affairs allowed a suspected pedophile to keep working in Australia’s Indonesia embassy for at least five months with a security clearance before ordering him home to be arrested. Public servant Stephen Mitchell was sentenced to 13 years’ jail in May over a string of child sex offences committed against six girls between 1994 and 2008, including charges of persistent abuse of a child and maintaining a sexual relationship with a child. The Australian Federal Police first contacted Home Affairs about Mitchell on September 15, 2021, seeking help with its inquiries, and formally confirmed in early December 2021 that the former sports coach was under investigation. Home Affairs let him keep working as a strategic intelligence analyst in the Jakarta embassy until mid-February 2022. In a tabled answer to a question by Greens senator David Shoebridge, Home Affairs said it allowed Mitchell to remain in his job at the embassy at the request of investigators. “Notwithstanding Home Affairs’ obligations to provide a safe workplace for employees, ACT police requested Home Affairs preserve the integrity of the investigation by not informing Mr Mitchell of the investigation,” it said.

>>19785810 Why was pedophile suspect Stephen Mitchell allowed to stay in our Indonesia embassy, victims ask - Victims of serial pedophile Stephen Mitchell have demanded to know why he was allowed to keep working in Australia’s Indonesia embassy – with potential access to local and embassy staff children – for eight months after they reported his crimes to police. On Monday, Home ­Affairs chief operating officer Justine Saunders told Senate Estimates her department “wasn’t even aware that there was a formal investigation underway” into Mr Mitchell in September 2021 when Australian Federal Police first contacted the department. But Sophie Vivian, one of at least six girls groomed and abused by the former national rock climbing coach, had given a detailed statement to the AFP in July 2021 and says police told her in September they would be laying criminal charges against him of trafficking in children for sexual purposes.

>>19785838 Inquiry into child sex abuse at Victorian state primary schools hears of survivor heartbreak - "Why did this happen? And why did it continue for so long?" They're the questions sexual abuse survivors have been asking for decades. Today, the same queries were posed by Kathleen Foley SC, on the opening day of an inquiry examining the horrors that took place at Victorian state-run primary schools over four decades. The $4.5 million inquiry - which will hear evidence from survivors, Department of Education and Training staff and others — will try to piece together some answers. The inquiry's key focus is on Beaumaris Primary School, and four alleged paedophile teachers who destroyed the lives of numerous children. Timothy Courtney was the inquiry's first witness. He said he was preyed upon by Gary Arthur Mitchell and another teacher, Wayne*, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. "I'm not sure how I managed to get through," Mr Courtney said of the abuse, which started when he was in year 3 in 1972. "I had my trust in authority absolutely destroyed by what took place at that primary school." More than 50 years on, Mr Courtney said he hoped sharing his story would help reduce the stigma many others feel when talking about their experiences. "Silence is the enemy of the survivor," he said.

>>19785904 How legal challenge in Pell case will affect 'secondary' victims - A legal challenge is seeking to block the parents, siblings, friends and families of abuse victims from suing for damages. Legal experts say the High Court bid, launched by the Catholic Church, has far-reaching consequences for personal injury claims in Victoria. If successful it would prohibit “secondary” victims from seeking damages against a range of organisations for psychological injury. They could include the state government, WorkSafe, the TAC, schools, clubs, kinders, religious organisations and ­social and cultural groups. The case centres on a claim brought by the father of a dead former choirboy who claims his son was assaulted by Cardinal George Pell. He is seeking damages for mental harm suffered as a result of being informed of the alleged abuse of his late son and by reason of his son’s death. In a decision upheld on ­appeal, Victoria’s Supreme Court has ruled the claim can proceed. Legal experts say the ruling “opened the floodgates” to a range of actions that could now be brought by secondary victims of abuse. The High Court has been asked to overturn the ruling.

#32 - Part 109

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 12

>>19798406 Melbourne man pleads guilty to sexually abusing Melbourne boy and children overseas -A man was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a child in Melbourne, as well as multiple children procured through a paedophile network operating overseas. Michael Corbett, 61, pleaded guilty to historical offences relating to grooming and abusing a child under 16 in Melton South and recent offences relating to raping three children in the Philippines, during a case heard in the County Court of Victoria on Tuesday. Police arrested Corbett after investigations into an overseas paedophile network found the Australian citizen had paid a facilitator to procure children who were brought to his house in the Philippines for him to abuse on multiple occasions. Corbett paid the three boys, who were all aged between 9 and 13, the equivalent of between $7 and $14 after abusing them in his home. The man responsible for facilitating the abuse in the Philippines was arrested by the country’s national police force in February 2019, which lead to the rescue of six children.

>>19798419 SA JACET says two girls allegedly abused by Andrew Donald Steele rescued from sexual slavery by international investigation - Two young girls have been rescued from alleged sexual slavery in the Philippines following investigations into an Adelaide man by SA’s elite child-rescuing police team. The Advertiser can reveal the children are the alleged victims of Andrew Donald Steele, who faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with exploitation crimes. Mr Steele, prosecutors have previously alleged, paid international pedophiles almost $50,000 over six years to abuse little girls while he watched and directed their crimes via the internet. They further alleged the offending was so “intense and severe” that his victims were abused as frequently as 300 times in just 24 days. On Wednesday, they told the court more charges would soon be laid - alleging Mr Steele had travelled overseas and physically abused his victims in person.

>>19805332 Grant Holland's story of abuse by paedophile teacher Grahame Steele is being heard after 48 years - On Monday morning, in a sleek office building in Melbourne's inner north, public hearings commenced for the Victorian government's board of inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools. The setting was corporate, but, for several survivors and secondary victims who were greeted warmly and submitted their stories in the past month, the validatory impact of the Inquiry's work so far has been nothing short of extraordinary. One of them is a 61-year-old social worker named Grant Holland. "I felt listened to for the first time in 48 years," Holland tells ABC Investigations. "I'm happy that I was able to go to a place that wasn't tokenistic. It was genuine. I could tell my story and they were responsive. I couldn't praise them enough." Until the Inquiry's recent decision to publicise its interest in the offending of former Beaumaris Primary teacher and sports coach Grahame Harold Steele, Holland had long suspected that nobody cared about stories like his. Dead for a decade, never criminally prosecuted or publicly outed by survivors, Steele had sexually abused boys for decades and simply gotten away with it - although not for lack of trying on Holland's behalf. In the mid-1970s, Holland was a student at Ormond East Primary, Steele's next Victorian Education department posting after Beaumaris Primary, just 10 kilometres away in Melbourne's bayside south-east. Three times in the 26 years following his abuse by Steele in 1974, Holland says, he bravely attempted to have Steele prosecuted. Three times, he says, the story he told to police fell on deaf ears.

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CURRENT DOUGH

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yummy

>>19785746 (pb)

Jacinta Price calls voice leaders’ response pathetic and cowardly

PAIGE TAYLOR - OCTOBER 27, 2023

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has questioned the legitimacy of Indigenous leaders who pushed for the voice referendum, describing their collective response to defeat as pathetic, cynical and cowardly.

Senator Price, the Coalition’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman, was referring to an unsigned, open letter to Anthony Albanese and all members of parliament that said Australians who voted against an Indigenous voice in the Constitution on October 14 had committed a shameful act, knowingly or not.

Distributed on Sunday, it was later posted online by the Uluru Dialogue co-chaired by Megan Davis and Pat Anderson. The Weekend Australian has confirmed the 12-point statement was supported more widely, including by Sean Gordon, from constitutionally conservative group Uphold & Recognise.

Senator Price writes in The Weekend Australian that the reason the referendum failed was obvious. “On October 14 Australians sent a clear and unmistakeable message: we won’t be divided by race,” she writes.

“It’s a lesson that the Yes campaigners and so-called ‘Indigenous leaders’ are yet to learn.

“Despite a six-state and 60 per cent majority result, they continue to push guilt and grievance politics, playing the victim and doing everything they can to twist this result into an attack on Indigenous Australians.

“In a cowardly, anonymous open letter to parliamentarians, they have tried to make this referendum result about rejection.”

Senator Price’s essay is published in Inquirer as the Uluru Dialogue flags its intentions to use the support of Yes voters in a new phase of advocacy for “justice and peace”.

In a video published on TikTok by the Uluru Dialogue, Ms Anderson – an Alyawarre woman from Alice Springs – says: “We are not done. We will continue”.

“Following the referendum outcome we were asked by remote area organisations to observe a week of silence,” Ms Anderson says in the video.

“We took that time to reflect, to regather, to come to terms with the rejection. It is still very raw. Most First Nations people across the country felt personally and deeply the resounding rejection by Australians to recognise us and the rejection of the invitation to walk with us for a better future.

“We thank you, the 5.5 million Australians who voted Yes.”

She described the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a voice as an offer of peace and a road map forward. Speaking directly to Yes voters, she said: “You accepted that offer. This is a most powerful alliance of Australians that was forged on the 14th of October.

“We will need every one of you on the next phase of the journey … five million voices talking together is a powerful thing.”

Former federal transport minister John Sharp has weighed into the debate over corporate backing of the Yes case, declaring business should not “tell people how to vote”.

Mr Sharp, deputy chairman of Rex Airlines, said businesses should concentrate on providing goods and services and not get involved in social issues.

Mr Sharp’s comments reflect growing concerns that companies such as Commonwealth Bank, Wesfarmers, Woolworths and BHP have overstepped the mark by donating millions of dollars in shareholder funds to the failed Yes campaign.

“We don’t believe it is our role to tell people how to vote,” he said. “It is up to our staff, our customers and shareholders how they vote. Business should not be telling the world how to vote or what to believe. The role of business is to look after the interests of the business.”

While not directly criticising any particular company for their support of the Yes case, Mr Sharp said “there are enough things in business to concentrate on … rather than getting carried away with all these social issues”.

Shark Tank investor and tech rich-lister Steve Baxter said the companies backing the Yes case had not thought through the reasons deeply.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/price-calls-voice-leaders-response-pathetic-and-cowardly/news-story/1fcf15a38706f0000aaa92111713c820

https://www.tiktok.com/@ulurustatement/video/7294485313508936962

>>19822566

The message Australians sent is clear: we won’t be divided by race

JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE - OCTOBER 28, 2023

1/2

As they do, political experts, campaigners, party officials, commentators and the like will be analysing the referendum results for months to come.

They’ll pore over every detail looking for trends. They’ll send out surveys, online polls and hold focus groups to understand how the voice failed.

But I think the reason it failed is obvious.

On October 14, Australians sent a clear and unmistakeable message: we won’t be divided by race.

It’s a lesson the Yes campaigners and so-called Indigenous leaders have yet to learn. Despite a six-state and 60 per cent majority result, they continue to push guilt and grievance politics, playing the victim and doing everything they can to twist this result into an attack on Indigenous Australians.

In a cowardly, anonymous open letter to parliamentarians, they have tried to make this referendum result about rejection.

“Rejection of constitutional recognition will not deter us from speaking up to governments, parliaments and to the Australian people.”

This letter is a pathetic, cynical attempt to keep race in the national conversation and to keep Australians divided. They know that this wasn’t simply about recognition, and no one was trying to silence the voices of Indigenous people.

But their letter highlights a failure of understanding, the same failure of understanding that plagued the Yes campaign for the past six months.

October 14 was not a rejection of recognition, it was not a rejection of reconciliation and it was not a rejection of the significance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in our nation’s history.

The referendum was not a rejection of anyone’s right to be heard.

This referendum was not a rejection at all.

It was an affirmation of every Australian’s equal right to be heard, of every Australian’s equal right to have a say – of every Australian’s equal right to a voice.

This is something the voice advocates never understood, and from the beginning the road to the referendum was one of exclusivity.

The Referendum Council’s final report – the report Anthony Albanese failed to read – describes how delegates were chosen for the initial Uluru Dialogues. It was a process of selection and invitation, where local host organisations invited 100 delegates to one of 13 First Nations Regional Dialogues.

“Delegates were selected according to the following split: 60 per cent of places for First Nations/traditional owner groups, 20 per cent for community organisations and 20 per cent for key individuals.”

It was from this pool that the 250 signatories to the Uluru statement came.

The referendum clearly showed that the 250 signatories do not represent the views of all Indigenous Australians. What should be even clearer to anyone is that it has always been paternalistic and wrong for anyone to claim they have the ability or the authority to speak on behalf of all Australians of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

But that hasn’t stopped them from claiming they do.

(continued)

>>19822579

2/2

In their open letter they write: “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are in shock and are grieving the result. We feel acutely the repudiation of our peoples and the rejection of our efforts to pursue reconciliation in good faith.”

Far from a message of unity, this letter is a clear example of the division and disharmony the voice would have delivered and is a continuation of the lies peddled by the Yes campaign across the past 12 months.

Not all Indigenous Australians are “in shock and grieving” because a constitutionally enshrined body that gave an extra say to just one group of people based on nothing more than racial heritage was democratically voted down.

We do not all feel “acutely the repudiation of our peoples” because many of us – about 40 per cent according to polling the week before the vote – voted No ourselves.

The letter goes on: “That people who came to our country in only the last 235 years would reject the recognition of this continent’s First Peoples – on our sacred land which we have cared for and nurtured for more than 65,000 years – is so appalling and mean-spirited as to be utterly unbelievable a week following. It will remain unbelievable and appalling for decades to come.”

The “us and them” language continues; the division instigated by the Prime Minister last year continues.

The results on October 14 signal that Australians want our country to turn a corner, to leave all of that behind and unite as one Australia.

There can be no denying that the prevalence of race has increased in our national discourse. No one can deny the increase is heated rhetoric, name-calling and unfounded accusations of racism. The authors of this letter go so far as to claim there is “racism imbued in the Australian Constitution”.

If we want to move forward, we must acknowledge that the people who need our help most in this country are not all Indigenous Australians, just as not all Indigenous Australians are in need of our help.

There are, of course, some Indigenous Australians who genuinely need our help, but our focus must be on need, not race.

In the areas where some Indigenous communities need help, our solutions need to be targeted in a way that reflects that.

That’s why my colleagues and I have called for a thorough audit of the structures that exist, to see where problems exist, to see what is working and what isn’t, and take action to implement real change where it’s needed.

It’s why the Coalition is calling for a royal commission into Indigenous child sexual abuse, so we can provide a targeted solution.

This year – this campaign – has been the most divisive period in recent Australian history. Now, we must put it behind us.

We need to come together to focus on need, to look for those who need help – no matter their background – and work together to help them.

Because whether they are of Indigenous heritage or otherwise, whether they were born here or are a new citizen, this country belongs to all Australians.

And our government needs to work for all Australians.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is a CLP senator for the NT and the opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/the-message-australians-sent-is-clear-we-wont-be-divided-by-race/news-story/2211a2e0714068692059098498b55503

With Maine gunman on the run, Vice-President Kamala Harris points to Australia's gun laws

Brad Ryan - 27 Oct 2023

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Australia's gun laws prove the US does not have to live with its senseless mass shootings, America's vice-president says.

Kamala Harris made the comments while standing alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a function in Washington, as police in Maine searched for a gunman who killed 18 people on Wednesday (local time).

"Once again, routine gatherings, this time at a bowling alley and a restaurant, have been turned into scenes of horrific carnage," Ms Harris said.

"Gun violence has terrorised and traumatised so many of our communities in this country.

"And let us be clear, it does not have to be this way — as our friends in Australia have demonstrated."

Police have been searching forests, waterways and towns in Maine, the US's most north-eastern state, since the shooting in the town of Lewiston.

A large group of police and FBI agents have gathered outside a home in the small town of Bowdoin.

CNN reported they placed a spotlight on a window and used a loudspeaker to say "you are under arrest" and "we don't want anyone else getting hurt".

However, it was not known if anyone was in the house.

Push to ban high-capacity magazines

Mr Albanese began his speech at the State Department function by expressing his condolences.

"It is the case that we look, every time there is one of these events, and are grateful that Australia did act in a bipartisan way after the Port Arthur massacre in Australia," he said.

"And my heart goes out to those who will be grieving today."

President Joe Biden, echoing other officials, said in a statement that he mourned "yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting" in a nation where deadly gun violence is commonplace.

He again urged congress to pass a ban on high-capacity magazines and other gun regulations.

Guns are lightly regulated in Maine, where about half of all adults live in a household with a gun, according to a 2020 study by RAND Corporation, an American think tank.

Maine does not require a permit to buy or carry a gun, and it does not have so-called "red flag" laws seen in some other states that allow law enforcement to temporarily disarm people deemed to be dangerous.

(continued)

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Towns shut down

Lewiston, a former textile hub of 38,000 people, and neighbouring communities largely shut down to enable hundreds of officers to expand their manhunt with an arrest warrant for Robert R Card.

Local law enforcement officials said the 40-year-old had been temporarily committed to a mental health facility over the summer.

Police circulated photographs of a bearded man in a brown hooded sweatshirt and jeans at one of the crime scenes armed with what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.

Many local businesses appeared to be closed in the town today, where there were almost no cars on the roads and just a few people outside.

An illuminated "Shelter in Place" sign was stationed on Lewiston's Main Street.

Public school districts cancelled classes and police cordoned off the roads leading to the shooting sites.

Rifle-toting security agents in bulletproof vests guarded the entrances to the Central Maine Medical Center hospital, where many of the shooting victims were taken.

Search heads south

In Lisbon, about 11 kilometres south-east of Lewiston, local police found a white SUV they believed Mr Card used to get away, parked at a boat ramp on the river.

The US Army said Mr Card was a petroleum supply specialist at the Army Reserve base in Saco, Maine, who had never been deployed in combat since enlisting in 2002.

A Maine law enforcement bulletin described him as a trained firearms instructor who recently said he had been hearing voices and had other mental health issues.

He threatened to shoot up the National Guard base in Saco and was "reported to have been committed to [a] mental health facility for two weeks during summer 2023 and subsequently released", according to the bulletin from the Maine Information & Analysis Center, a unit of the state police.

The largely rural state of Maine borders Canada, where that country's border authority said it was also on the lookout and said it had issued an "armed and dangerous" alert to its officers.

The 18 fatalities are close to the annual number of homicides that normally occur in Maine, which has fluctuated between 16 and 29 since 2012, according to Maine State Police.

The number of US shootings in which four or more people are shot is projected to reach 679 in 2023, up from 647 in 2022, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/albanese-harris-maine-shooting-gun-laws/103029720

Anthony Albanese tells Kamala Harris and Antony Blinken he is ‘clear-eyed’ ahead of Xi meeting

GEOFF CHAMBERS and ADAM CREIGHTON - OCTOBER 27, 2023

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Anthony Albanese says Australia is “clear-eyed” about its efforts to stabilise relations with China ahead of his meeting with Xi Jinping, telling senior US politicians and diplomats that his government’s approach in dealing with Beijing has been “patient, calibrated and deliberate”.

Amid anxiety in Washington about China’s re-engagement with the Albanese government, after Beijing imposed damaging trade bans and state-sponsored cyber attacks on Australia, the Prime Minister said “as a constructive middle power with global interests we understand the value and importance of dialogue”.

Following warnings from Joe Biden about trusting promises made by the Chinese Communist government one-week out from his meetings with the Chinese President and Premier Li Qiang, the Prime Minister said Australia and the US are working to “stabilise” relations with Beijing.

“We are clear-eyed about this. We are two nations with very different histories, values and political systems. Australia will always look to co-operate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage, in our national interest,” Mr Albanese said.

“Our approach has been patient, calibrated and deliberate. And that will continue when I visit Beijing and Shanghai next month.”

Speaking at a US State Department lunch hosted by Vice-President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mr Albanese expressed deep loyalty to the alliance and strongly backed US global leadership “at a time when our world faces a set of profound challenges”.

In his speech, titled “An Alliance for the Future’, Mr Albanese said Australia supports the Biden administration’s efforts to “maintain open lines of communication between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China”.

“As a great American President (John F. Kennedy) and the father of the current US Ambassador to Australia (Caroline Kennedy), proved 60 years ago, during the Cuban Crisis, the true measure of a superpower’s strength is the ability to pull the world back from the brink of conflict,” he said.

“Once again, that has become the test of our time. China has been explicit: it does not see itself as a status-quo power. It seeks a region and a world that is much more accommodating of its values and interests.”

Mr Albanese, who throughout the week-long Washington visit largely avoided publicly discussing China, said it was the responsibility of every nation that has benefited from the stability and prosperity of the international rules-based order over the last 75 years to “work together and protect it”.

“Securing the sovereignty that confers every nation’s right to determine its own destiny. Protecting the freedom of navigation which is central to our shared prosperity. Upholding the human rights which are central to every individual’s life and liberty.”

“And working together to maintain peace – not just in the Taiwan Strait but wherever it is at risk. This means investing in our capabilities to prevent competition escalating into conflict. And investing in our relationships to maintain the dialogue that safeguards stability.”

Mr Albanese said the US was carrying the “weight of global leadership” as the world confronts threats to peace and tests of the international rules-based order. As “leader of America’s steadfast ally”, Mr Albanese said Australia would stand with the US “in the cause of peace (and) to build a more free, stable and prosperous world”.

“Eight decades ago, Australia looked to America when our own need was most dire. We recognise the world is looking to you now. And we know it does not look in vain. American leadership will meet this moment. And as allies we will face the future together.”

Mr Albanese said “we are not looking for conflict – we are seeking to prevent it”: “Making it crystal clear to any aggressor that the risk of conflict far outweighs any potential benefit”.

(continued)

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As a leader in the Indo-Pacific region and a middle power, Mr Albanese said Australia is not “looking for a free ride”.

“Australians always pay our way. We pull our weight. We do our part. We always have. We always will. That’s one of the points I took the opportunity to make to key members of the House and the Senate in person today. The AUKUS bills before Congress represent a multi-billion dollar boost to America’s industrial base – and a game-changing manufacturing opportunity for Australian workers.”

“It will mean Australians and Americans can work and train side-by-side in allied shipyards. And beyond submarines, AUKUS will enable seamless co-operation between our two nations in defence science, technology and industry to help meet the new strategic challenges of our time.”

On his final day in Washington, Mr Albanese held a 10-minute meeting with newly minted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who won a tight vote on Thursday (AEDT) to become the top Republican in Congress.

Speaking in the House meeting room, the Louisiana representative met Mr Albanese in the corridor to shake his hands and the Prime Minister congratulated him on becoming Speaker after a weeks-long impasse that stalled all business in the House of Representatives. Mr Albanese quipped that “it might be too late for me to address Congress”, to which Mr Johnson said “unfortunately”. He raised the AUKUS enabling legislation and told Mr Johnson he hoped that Congress could pass the bill by year’s end.

The Prime Minister and Ambassador Kevin Rudd also held a 45-minute meeting with the Senate leadership, including the Majority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, and Minority Leader, veteran Republican Mitch McConnell.

Earlier in the day, Mr Albanese attended a breakfast and reception hosted by the Friends of Australia Congressional Caucus in a Senate meeting room. The bipartisan caucus is led by Democrats and Republicans including Joe Courtney, Mike Gallagher, Dan Sullivan and Dick Durbin. Defence and Foreign Affairs committee chairs Jack Reed, Benjamin Cardin and Mike Rogers also attended.

Mr Albanese joined Ms Harris and Mr Blinken for the signing of the Technology Safeguards Agreement, which will protect sensitive US space technology to be used in Australia for launch and return. The agreement allows US rockets and satellites to be launched from Australia, supporting a domestic launch sector and spaceports.

Earlier in his speech, Mr Albanese said Australia “unequivocally condemns the atrocities committed by Hamas and the destruction their acts of terror have inflicted on innocent lives in Israel and Gaza”.

“And we stand with our international partners in calling for access to lifesaving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.”

He said “striving for peace is hard work” that demands new effort and resources, creativity and resolve.

“But whenever we consider the costs, the obstacles or the difficulties of this course – we need only consider the alternative. Because the closing-off of economies, the collapse of diplomacy, the cutting of ties, the burden of conflict and the devastation of war are catastrophic for the world.”

Mr Albanese visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency before flying back to Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-tells-kamala-harris-and-antony-blinken-he-is-cleareyed-ahead-of-xi-meeting/news-story/64da00bfd6d2c4dc203d6908455536f6

>>19822734

Anthony Albanese China trip just became riskier

SIMON BENSON - OCTOBER 27, 2023

Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing next week has just become complicated and even more laden with risk.

The message from Washington during the Prime Minister’s visit to the US capital was one of concern that Australia might be going soft on China.

How Albanese handles himself when he lands in Beijing has become ever more important.

The US has signalled clearly it will be watching very closely.

This had added another layer of complexity to an already politically risky excursion.

US President Joe Biden himself could not have been less subtle. “Trust and verify” was his publicly stated view about the thawing of relations between Canberra and Beijing, during their press call in the Oval Office.

To stress the point, US intelligence big guns were brought to bear in reminding Albanese about the China threat during a visit he was trying to bill as about everything else. Not that any of it would have been news to him: our intelligence agencies have been giving him the same assessments.

It always carries more weight having it delivered in person by US intelligence chiefs in DC.

Albanese would have taken notice. He would have respected their appraisal. Yet for the China hawks, the signs of a softening driven by DFAT and Treasury, are self-evident.

The abandonment of World Trade Organisation complaints about China’s unjustifiable sanctions against Australia, the concession on the Port of Darwin and apparent cessation of any criticism of China’s military build-up in the region would have all been apparent to the US.

Albanese’s domestic political objectives have been perceptively challenged by a strident and public evaluation by Biden of the US position on China.

The commemoration of Gough Whitlam’s visit to Beijing is clearly important to Albanese. He also seeks to make the domestic political point that he has stabilised a relationship damaged by the brutish posture of the Morrison government.

This lets China off the hook and assumes there was blame to be shared on both sides.

Biden’s comments, and the emphasis on China that the administration rolled out during the visit, were designed to send Canberra a message that there is a much bigger strategic game at play here that transcends Australia’s domestic politics.

This adds an extra complication to Albanese’s visit and there now may be a rethink under way on how he manages the China trip in the context of US concerns. He wants a positive image conveyed, but will he raise some of the more difficult and obvious issues with Xi Jinping?

What the US trip has achieved, beyond positive outcomes that Albanese secured, is a sharpening of the focus on the more delicate balancing act he now faces over the strategic alliance with the US and the economic relationship with China.

For the past two decades, Australian governments have had their cake and eaten it too.

Biden has made it clear that the US view is now of a fundamentally changed world in which Australia will have to consider whether or when the two-hand strategy it has been successfully playing for decades becomes no longer supportable.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-china-trip-just-became-riskier/news-story/b1aeab7daef04ff490dd775bb171e2fd

>>19822734

>>19822746

Australia’s understanding of China ties should not be hijacked by US clichés

Global Times - Oct 26, 2023

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The two visits in these two weeks by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, one to the seemingly close security ally the US and the other to the largest trading partner China, will be a major test for him.

Albanese visited the US before heading to China. US President Joe Biden met with Albanese at the White House on Wednesday, telling reporters he was not worried about Canberra improving relations with China. Nonetheless, he warned the Australian leader against fully trusting China. In the joint statement released by the two leaders after their meeting, the US still tried to drive a wedge between China and Australia with statements like, "we strongly oppose destabilizing actions in the South China Sea," "we also recognize that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award is final and legally binding," "we are concerned about China's excessive maritime claims," and "we reaffirm the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and our shared opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo."

Qin Sheng, a research fellow at the Center for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said such statements are clichés. While the US lacks fresh ideas when wooing Australia to confront China, Australia does not want to provoke China ahead of Albanese's visit and it is unlikely that the pragmatic China policy adopted by the Albanese government will change any time soon.

"Given that Albanese linked his visit to the first visit to China by then Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1973, he attaches great importance to his upcoming visit and his meetings with Chinese leaders are expected to yield positive results," said Qin.

But Qin warns that the US will not give up its efforts to woo Australia. Biden described Australia as "an anchor to peace and prosperity" while standing alongside Albanese at the White House, to deliver his flattering of the country. In the eyes of Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, this is the sugar-coated bullet Washington shoots at Canberra.

"The US uses words of excessive praise to woo Australia and other allies and partners such as South Korea and Vietnam, because it believes that these countries could serve its strategy," Chen told the Global Times.

The US regards Australia as its important military capability guarantee in the Indo-Pacific region. Once a military conflict breaks out, the US needs Australia as the center of its strategic outreach. The US is selfish and would rather harm its so-called closest allies such as Australia than harm itself.

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Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, believes that under such circumstances, Australia can hardly become "an anchor to peace and prosperity," but only "an anchor to war" and a strategic bridgehead for the US to contain China. While Australia avoided being involved in WWI and WWII, it risks being dragged into a conflict if it continues following US' chariot.

It is worth noting that in the US-Australia joint statement, the two leaders announced their intention to explore trilateral cooperation with Japan on Unmanned Aerial Systems to "enhance interoperability and accelerate technology transfer in the rapidly emerging field of collaborative combat aircraft and autonomy." Song said that the military technology cooperation among the US, Australia and Japan has already been extensive, with more of the pattern of the US selling technology and allied countries providing funds. The US aims to control the arms market of the two countries by selling them arms, and the more shares the US has in their arms market, the more control the US holds over the two countries.

Meanwhile, Chen told the Global Times that unmanned aerial systems are effective combat weapons in modern warfare. Australia has neither the technology nor the funds to develop such systems, and it can only play the role of a testing ground due to its vast geographical area. It is also possible that unmanned aerial vehicles would take off from Australia in future military operations. "This actually brings security risks to Australia," said Chen.

For the US, allies are to be exploited. Once they cannot help protect US interests, they will be abandoned like worn-out shoes by the US and their interests will not come to US' mind even for a second. Hopefully, Albanese can realize that normal China-Australia relations serve his country's interests. China is an irreplaceable market for Australia, and the US will not make up for the Chinese market Australia might lose due to worsened relations with China. Australia should have a clear understanding of the significance of its relations with China and avoid being hijacked by the US to maximize its interests.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202310/1300673.shtml

China's former premier Li Keqiang has died, months after leaving office, state media says

Stephen Dziedzic, Bang Xiao and Toby Mann - 27 Oct 2023

China's former premier Li Keqiang has died from a heart attack, state media reports.

Mr Li was premier serving under President Xi Jinping from 2013 until March this year.

"Comrade Li Keqiang, while resting in Shanghai in recent days, experienced a sudden heart attack on October 26 and after all-out efforts to revive him failed, died in Shanghai at 10 minutes past midnight on October 27," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

An obituary will be published later, CCTV added.

The elite Peking University-educated economist was once viewed as a top Communist Party leadership contender, but became increasingly sidelined by Mr Xi in recent years.

Mr Li was an advocate for private business but was left with little authority after Mr Xi made himself the most powerful Chinese leader in decades and tightened control over the economy and society.

In line with China's official practice, Li Keqiang's farewell ceremony will be held in Shanghai on Friday or Saturday, after which his remains are expected to be transported to Beijing.

Mr Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan are expected to welcome Mr Li's remains in a Beijing airport, accompanied by other senior CCP officials.

Mr Li's body is expected to be cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing on around November 1, and a memorial service will be held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing the following day.

Thereafter, Mr Li's ashes will be placed according to his wishes and those of his relatives.

The announcement of Mr Li's death came one week before Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to China.

If the Chinese government repeats funeral arrangements for other high-profile leaders, Mr Albanese would still be expected to visit China next week and meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Mr Xi as originally planned.

A soured political relationship

When he took office in 2013, the ruling party faced growing warnings the construction and export booms that propelled the previous decade's double-digit growth were running out of steam.

As the top economic official, Mr Li promised to improve conditions for entrepreneurs who generated jobs and wealth.

Mr Li gave his first annual policy address in 2014 and was praised for promising to pursue market-oriented reform, cut government waste, clean up air pollution and root out pervasive corruption that was undermining public faith in the ruling party.

But as his time in office went on, his relationship with Mr Xi soured.

Li Keqiang was seen as Beijing's key political elite in the Chinese Communist Party's Youth League faction, in contrast to the "princeling" faction represented by President Xi Jinping.

Although the Chinese Communist Party still insists on concealing its factional struggles, some China watchers believe that Li Keqiang was already viewed as a dissident by Xi Jinping during his first term as premier.

"Li Keqiang was supposed to continue China's path of economic reform, but his influence was only for a year or two," Professor Willy Lam, Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation told the ABC.

"Xi Jinping soon saw Li as a threat to his authority.

"His passing means Xi's authority no longer has any threat posed by the Communist Youth League faction."

Mr Li was dropped from the Standing Committee at a party congress in October 2022 despite being two years below the informal retirement age of 70.

The same day, Mr Xi awarded himself a third five-year term as party leader, discarding a tradition under which his predecessors stepped down after 10 years.

Mr Xi filled the top party ranks with loyalists, ending the era of consensus leadership and possibly making himself leader for life.

Mr Li's death comes at a time when China is facing an economic downturn after three years of COVID-zero strategy.

The Chinese Communist Party is currently undergoing its most significant intensive reshuffling of power since the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.

This week, Mr Xi ousted defence minister Li Shangfu, making him the second high-ranking minister and state councillor to be removed from the party's upper echelons.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/li-keqiang-dead/103030730

https://twitter.com/AmboRudd/status/1717725525714653561

>>19822772

Li Keqiang, Chinese ex-premier who helped shape economic policy, dies at 68

JAMES T. AREDDY and CHUN HAN WONG - OCTOBER 27, 2023

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Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang died Friday after suffering heart failure, state media said. He was 68.

Li, who served a decade as premier until March, was in Shanghai when he experienced a sudden heart attack on Thursday, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report.

The former premier died shortly after midnight after “all-out efforts to rescue him failed,” said Xinhua, which didn’t provide further details.

Li was the Communist Party’s No. 2 official from 2012 to 2022. He stepped down from his positions in the party leadership at a twice-a-decade party congress in last October, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping secured his third term as the party’s general secretary.

Li was being tipped as China’s possible next leader in March 2007 when he visited the Beijing residence of then-US Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr.

Over dinner, the rising Communist Party official made a frank declaration: China’s official economic statistics are “man-made,” and therefore unreliable, according to a leaked diplomatic cable.

Li never reached the pinnacle of party rule in China, but he got close, and his assessment of official economic data fundamentally altered how economists measured the country’s development.

As premier under Xi, the enigmatic party man with a friendly face fell in line behind the leader and remained there for a decade before retiring in 2023. Li’s reasoned policymaking softened the sharp edges of Xi’s politicised rule – but ultimately had limited impact.

He was born on July 1, 1955, to a county level Communist Party official in one of China’s traditionally poorest provinces, Anhui. In his late teens, Li was dispatched to an agricultural commune as a “sent-down youth,” a deprivation of Maoist rule where young people were told to learn from peasants, according to a biography produced by Brookings Institution.

Li later joined the party, and jumped into a post-Cultural Revolution wave of entrants to college. With degrees in law and economics, Li earned an intellectual image that set him apart from the engineers China usually produced.

As a PhD student in economics at Peking University, Li studied under Li Yining, a well-known economist whose theories were instrumental in steering state-owned enterprises toward profitmaking, according to the Brookings biography.

After school, Li climbed the party ladder quickly and before he was 50 had run two provinces.

Li’s reputation took a hit in the early 2000s when he appeared to play down and mismanage a Chinese AIDS health crisis while in charge of Henan province. Tens of thousands were infected when they sold their blood plasma because local authorities never screened for AIDS. By failing to blow the whistle on the subsequent cover-up Li and other politicians likely worsened the epidemic, according to human rights and civil society groups at the time.

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To offset the narrative of a tainted political rising star, government-controlled media later lauded Li as a combatant against AIDS and a champion of its victims. A prominent Chinese AIDS activist, speaking to the Associated Press, graded Li differently: “He’s probably not a bad guy, but he’s not shown himself to be very capable of managing crises in a strong and responsible way.” Li was hoisted toward the apex of power by the political faction led by Hu Jintao, who helmed the Communist Party in the first decade of the 2000s. By 2007, Li had a seat on the party’s board of directors, the Politburo Standing Committee, and was positioned to potentially succeed Hu.

But in its then-once-a-decade leadership reshuffle in 2012, the party instead gave Xi the top job and installed Li as premier.

As with the US vice presidency, the importance of the Chinese premiership hinges on the top leader. Like Mao Zedong’s premier, Zhou Enlai, Li had the superior education, and apparent competence in domestic and international affairs, including English skills, but served a domineering autocrat.

Soon Mr Xi was establishing himself as China’s most consequential leader since Mao. He consolidated power by taking personal charge of portfolios like the economy that were traditionally handled by the premier, marginalising Mr. Li and sparking questions of what could have been.

Sometimes when Mr Li failed to parrot political slogans being promoted by Mr Xi, or seemed to contradict him in speeches, speculation arose of tension between the two. Since Mr Li never revealed his true thoughts about Mr Xi publicly, they remained a mystery.

Subordinated, Mr Li made technocratic contributions.

He pledged to “tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism” – red tape – and got credit for slashing the time it took to register a business in China to under 10 days by the time he left office, from close to 35 when he started, according to World Bank numbers. Yet, Mr Xi’s anti-entrepreneur policies undermined the achievement.

One area where Mr Li made a lasting impact: his scepticism about Chinese statistics, which echoed through global markets when it came to light in 2010 courtesy of Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks. According to the U.S. ambassador’s leaked cable, Mr Li said he tracked Chinese electricity consumption, railway cargo volumes and loan dispersals since the official gross domestic product “figures are ‘man-made’ and therefore unreliable.” It was cold water from a senior official on ever-sizzling GDP numbers, at the time one of China’s proudest achievements. Soon a cottage industry of alternative ways to gauge Chinese economic activity appeared, and in honour of Mr Li those unofficial measures were collectively dubbed “Likonomics.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/former-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-dies-of-heart-attack-state-media/news-story/a6f27de944d046c080d2a8d3197b1579

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese takes AUKUS hopes to new US House Speaker Mike Johnson

Brad Ryan - 27 Oct 2023

Anthony Albanese has personally lobbied America's new house speaker to help cement the AUKUS submarines deal by the end of this year – just a day after his appointment to the powerful job.

Mike Johnson was voted into the speakership on Wednesday morning, ending three weeks of paralysis in the US congress.

On Thursday, he met Mr Albanese, who is in the US trying to lock down support for AUKUS, which involves supplying nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

"We, of course, have important legislation required for AUKUS," Mr Albanese told Mr Johnson during their meeting.

"And we're certainly hoping that the congress can pass that legislation this year."

The AUKUS deal can only go ahead if congress approves several key law changes.

But in July, 25 Republicans raised concerns with President Joe Biden, telling him the deal could short-change America of its own naval needs and "unacceptably weaken" the local fleet.

Mr Biden, who recently requested another $US3.4 billion to support shipbuilding work to allay those fears, yesterday urged congress to pass the legislation.

Australian officials have been anxious to see the necessary laws passed this year, ahead of next year's US election race and possible return to an unpredictable Trump presidency.

Mr Albanese told a State Department lunch, hosted by Vice-President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that Australians "are not looking for a free ride" with the deal.

"We are a middle power and we're a leader in our own region," he said. "And Australians always pay our way."

Don't 'fumble the ball': congressman

Today, Mr Albanese said he believed the extra funding had alleviated legislators' concerns, and he was feeling "very confident" about the deal.

"I've met this week with various congress and senate members, and all of them have been very supportive of AUKUS," Mr Albanese told Insiders host David Speers in an interview to be broadcast Sunday.

Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, who co-chairs the AUKUS working group, said there was "an urgency" to the deal and the US must not "fumble the ball".

But he said he was heartened the new speaker was prioritising the key legislation for the remaining working weeks of the year.

"I think we're still in, actually, pretty good shape to hit an end of December deadline," Mr Courtney said.

The speaker's appointment came too late for Mr Albanese to address a joint sitting of congress – an opportunity generally afforded to foreign leaders on official visits.

"He still had, I think, a really good section of people that he met with," said Mr Courtney, who also co-chairs the bipartisan Friends of Australia Congressional Caucus.

"Hopefully we're going to get him back and we'll do a full joint address, which I think really is important to both countries."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/anthony-albanese-washington-aukus-speaker-meeting-state-lunch/103029362

Anthony Albanese says he won't ask Joe Biden to intervene in Julian Assange case

Georgia Roberts - 29 October 2023

The prime minister says he discussed the case of Julian Assange with the US president during their Oval Office meeting this week – but he isn't demanding Joe Biden intervene in the justice process.

Assange has been held in London's high-security Belmarsh prison since 2019 – as the United States seeks his extradition over the release of classified documents in 2010.

His supporters want the US to drop the case and argue that President Biden should intervene.

Last month, a bipartisan group of Australian politicians visited Washington to lobby members of Congress for the 52-year-old's release.

Mr Albanese has repeated his view on the drawn-out saga that "enough's enough" and said he wants the case brought to a conclusion – but not necessarily through a presidential intervention.

"[It's] time this issue was brought to conclusion," he told ABC's Insiders on Sunday.

"Joe Biden doesn't interfere with the Department of Justice - Joe Biden is a president who understands the separation of the judicial system from the political system. That's an important principle."

When asked if it was time to work on a plea deal, the prime minister said: "Australian officials are working very hard to achieve an outcome which is consistent with the position I've put."

Fresh off his trip to Washington, Mr Albanese now heads to China where he said he will raise concerns with President Xi Jinping about China's support for Russia and its refusal to condemn terrorist group Hamas.

Mr Albanese's highly-anticipated visit to Beijing is the first by an Australian prime minister in seven years.

He has suggested Australia, as a "middle power", can help play a role in improving engagement between Beijing and Washington.

He vowed to deliver some straight talk on China's role in global affairs – and express concerns about human rights abuses.

"I think both China and the United States probably see Australia as playing a role. We are a middle power," Mr Albanese said.

"My concern with the relationship between the United States and China is that there has been good engagement at the diplomatic level, at senior ministerial level equivalent in Australian terms, but military-to-military, there is still a lack of engagement. We need to build in guardrails."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-29/pm-says-biden-wont-intervene-in-assange-case/103036314

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-foT3BVHRmU

Tony Burke blasted on ‘appalling’ stance on Israel

BEN PACKHAM and SARAH ISON - OCTOBER 28, 2023

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Labor’s split on Israel has widened as cabinet minister Tony Burke refused to repudiate suggestions of “genocide” against Palestinians, and members of the party’s Right faction condemned the downplaying of the Hamas “acts of evil”.

The fresh fractures in the party came amid new national security warnings that the escalating ­Israel-Hamas war is threatening social cohesion in Australia, and posing risks to Australians abroad.

Questions were raised on ­Friday about the decision to go ahead with flying nine Palestinian flags at Melbourne’s Federation Square for Palestinian National Day weeks after the Hamas ­attacks that killed 1400 Jews.

Mr Burke backed the flying of the Palestinian flag in his western Sydney electorate and allowed suggestions of Israeli “genocide” and “apartheid” against Palestinians to stand during an ABC interview. “I don’t want to get into the ­debate about the labels,” he said in comments that infuriated Jewish groups. Mr Burke said his constituents, who are 25 per cent Muslim, were distraught over “so many ­images of dead babies”, and warned ­Gazans were “moments away from horrific impacts”.

His comments followed ­accusations of Israeli war crimes by cabinet colleague Ed Husic, who said Israel‘s siege on Gaza amounted to collective ­punishment.

Pro-Israel Labor figures hit back in a letter to the wider labour movement that Hamas had crossed a line into “barbarism”, hitting out at Australians who “sought to downplay, minimise, or excuse these acts of evil”.

The mainly state Labor figures from the party’s right faction said: “We are angry that a minority of elected representatives of the Australian people failed to condemn apologetics for Hamas or qualified their condemnation.”

The letter also suggested Hamas had crossed a line into “genocidal chaos”.

Signatories included former Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner, former senator Jacinta Collins, former NSW treasurer Eric Roozendaal, and former Victorian government minister Jaala Pulford.

Some federal Labor MPs also expressed concern that a lack of discipline shown by some cabinet ministers was exposing the cracks in the party on the issue.

Senior members of the government argued Mr Burke had undermined Anthony Albanese’s position on the Middle East conflict by freelancing on foreign ­affairs policy and were disappointed he did not push back on claims Israel was engaging in genocide. While not criticising Mr Burke for his comments directly, senior minister Bill Shorten said on Friday it was “important that Australia‘s political leaders build social cohesion”.

(continued)

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National security agencies fear the fallout from the war in ­Israel could pose threats to Australians in Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the United States, and may inspire domestic attacks as the conflict escalates.

Media representatives at a ­national security briefing on Friday heard authorities were on alert for the potential for violence in Australia by Islamist and neo-Nazi groups, amid fears terrorist groups could take advantage of community tensions.

Officials fear the tensions will permeate Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, and there are concerns Australians in Western Europe and the US could also be caught up in ­violence inspired by the war.

The domestic terrorist threat level remains at “possible”, with the risk of sporadic violence ­inspired by the war.

In Melbourne, Palestinian flags were hoisted – reportedly booked a year before – for what was supposed to be a Palestinian National Day celebration at Federation Square.

The Palestinian Advocacy Network said the celebration would be turned to a vigil for the war dead in Gaza. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the city council had no control over what flags flew in the CBD’s central square.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said he did not think the Palestinian flag was an insensitive symbol, but that Federation Square was reckless to fly now.

While there have been calls by international terrorist groups ­including ISIS and al-Qaeda for ­attacks on Jews, there are no signs yet that attacks are being contemplated in Australia. But the prospect of a full ground invasion of Gaza worries security agencies.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO, Alex Ryvchin, lashed Mr Burke‘s comments and those of ABC ­interviewer Patricia Karvelas.

“Genocide isn’t a buzzword. It is the most heinous crime a nation can commit and involves the ­deliberate extermination of an ethnic group,” he said. “Likening Israel’s war with Hamas and mission to rescue its captives to that crime degrades the understanding of actual genocide and inflames passions locally. Language matters and leadership matters. We ­expect better.”

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein also condemned what he called “vile and ridiculous statements” by Mr Burke, accusing the minister of playing to his local voters.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Australia should not draw a “false moral equivalence” ­between the actions of Hamas and Israel.

“Hamas launched a targeted, deliberate assault against civilians,” he said. “Israel, in defence of their ­nation, are trying to disable Hamas from being a terrorist threat in the future.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/tony-burke-calls-for-israel-to-abide-by-humanitarian-laws-as-it-launches-attack-on-gaza/news-story/64eb817117ddcfd78bdf2874abc33099

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Muslim leaders frustrated by UN vote as Labor tensions rise over Burke comments

Paul Sakkal and Angus Thompson - October 29, 2023

The decision to abstain from a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas has fuelled frustrations with Labor in Australia’s Muslim community, according to Australian Federation of Islamic Councils chief executive Kamalle Dabboussy.

Some Muslim leaders were discussing blocking Labor MPs from mosques and community centres, Dabboussy said, over the government’s support for Israel, as tensions rise within Labor’s caucus over contradictory messaging on the Middle East conflict from senior cabinet ministers.

“I am hearing of talk about non-engagement with the government and not welcoming them in our centres,” Dabboussy said. “There is anger in the community and there is talk of questioning the value of engagement.”

Australia’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, James Larsen, said Australia abstained because the resolution failed to recognise Hamas’ responsibility for the October 7 massacre of 1400 innocent Israelis.

Dabboussy said the Muslim community had for many years developed a close relationship with Labor but the community felt it had been “dropped like a hot potato” since the outbreak of war.

The nation’s living ex-prime ministers were in discussions over the weekend about a joint statement of support for Israel, but Paul Keating issued his own statement on Sunday saying he would not be a signatory, casting doubt on the show of support.

Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke, whose western Sydney seat has a large proportion of Muslims, last week reflected the feelings of those who believed Palestinian deaths were not being grieved by Australia’s political establishment.

In an escalation of the domestic political fallout from the war, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should give Burke a “dressing down” after Burke refused to say in an ABC radio interview if he thought Israel was committing genocide.

Dutton, who Trade Minister Don Farrell claimed was trying to score political points through a war, said Australia should have stood with “our long-standing allies” on the UN vote.

“The prime minister had an opportunity here in the United Nations to send a clear message about our values and where we stand. And he failed that test. And I think it was an incredibly weak display of leadership from the prime minister,” Dutton said on Sky News.

Albanese said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s refusal to condemn Hamas over its attacks was among the topics he would raise when he visits China this week in a highly anticipated trip.

“We have a very different position when it comes to the actions of a terrorist group like Hamas, and we’ve seen the dreadful consequences,” Albanese told the ABC’s Insiders program in a pre-recorded interview aired on Sunday.

The General Delegation of Palestine in Australia, which represents the Palestinian Authority, released a statement on Sunday saying it was “deeply disappointing” Australia did not support the UN declaration, which passed with 120 members voting yes and 14 voting no.

Burke’s comments have raised eyebrows in some quarters of Labor’s caucus. Some MPs believe his rhetoric was at odds with the government’s support for the Middle East’s only liberal democracy in a fight against a listed terror group.

Senior members of the government have had conversations about Burke’s language, which came after Muslim cabinet ministers Ed Husic and Anne Aly made earlier remarks criticising Israel’s response to Hamas’ terrorist attack.

One MP said: “Albo and Penny [Wong] have been super careful getting the tone right. What Burke did was totally reckless.”

Burke has been contacted for comment.

Mike Freelander, a Jewish Labor MP and strong supporter of Israel, said Burke was speaking for his constituents and did not deserve to be criticised.

“There’s sadness on both sides and I think the government’s response has been right,” he said.

Senior government ministers have in recent weeks held talks with top Muslim leaders to discuss the war, which is exposing divisions within Labor and the broader community.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/weak-display-dutton-slams-albanese-over-un-abstention-on-gaza-20231029-p5efut.html

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>>19728776 (pb)

ABC management praised Tom Joyner’s Israel reporting before David Anderson apologised for his ‘bullshit’ remarks

SOPHIE ELSWORTH - OCTOBER 29, 2023

Hours before ABC managing director David Anderson said he was “sorry” that Middle East correspondent Tom Joyner described reports about babies being beheaded by Hamas terrorists as “bullshit”, news management at the taxpayer-funded broadcaster was praising his “powerful reporting” in Israel.

In an email seen by the Australian at 8.56am last Tuesday – three hours before Mr Anderson was questioned by a Senate estimates committee in Canberra – ABC news management told an aggrieved reader that at the time Joyner made the offensive remarks in a WhatsApp group, “there were good reasons to be sceptical.”

The reader described Joyner’s remarks as “egregious, uncaring, inhumane commentary” and said he should be removed from Israel.

Joyner is under investigation by his employer following the revelations of his comments by The Australian on October 13.

Joyner earlier this month told a group of more than 600 international media representatives on WhatsApp that stories that were being reported globally about babies being beheaded in Israel soon after it was attacked by Hamas on October 7 were “bullshit.”

But an email response to an aggrieved reader on Tuesday, signed by “ABC News Management”, stated that despite Joyner’s position being “premature” and his language “inappropriate”, he had done some great reporting on the war in Israel.

“Tom has done some of the most powerful reporting by the ABC regarding deaths to Israeli’s during the recent conflict,” the email said.

“His stories about Adi Maizel, a young Israeli who was at the Supernova Festival, were personal and horrific accounts of an Israeli killed and the family’s associated grief.”

Mr Anderson revealed at estimates that the embattled reporter had “rotated out of Israel and is taking a break”.

He also said Joyner would return to his normal base in Istanbul and not go back to Israel for the foreseeable future.

Despite Joyner’s “bullshit” remarks, Israel later confirmed the reports of babies being burnt and decapitated in Hamas’s assault on the Kfar Aza kibbutz on October 7.

Photographs were also shown to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The ABC was asked by The Australian why its news management team was defending Joyner despite his remarks being met with condemnation and prompting an investigation.

“The full (email) response (to the reader) says that Tom Joyner regrets his form of words in the WhatsApp post, is deeply apologetic for any offence caused and that his manager has spoken with him about the matter,” a spokeswoman said.

“It also says it’s worth noting that Tom is doing powerful reporting, especially regarding deaths of Israelis in the recent conflict.”

In recent days Joyner has featured in multiple Instagram posts in Israel alongside his colleagues including ABC South East Asia correspondent Lauren Day, who shared a picture of herself with Joyner and digital producer Riley Stuart and wrote: “Couldn’t have asked for a better team for the last fortnight in Israel.”

At the time when Joyner made the comments, The Australian contacted him multiple times about his remarks but he did not respond.

The ABC later issued a statement and said: “Tom recognised the language of his comment was inappropriate and apologised to the group.”

The ABC also said his comments were “not on social media, published, publicly available, or intended to be shared or reported”.

Mr Anderson partly contradicted this at estimates, saying Joyner’s comments were on social media.

“I do think, given it is social media, it is something that we’ll be looking into and something we’ll be investigating. He has a right to procedural fairness.”

At the Andrew Olle Lecture in Sydney on Friday night, ABC chair Ita Buttrose spoke of the risks taken by journalists reporting in war zones including in Ukraine and Gaza and how “it’s becoming more and more dangerous.”

“The walls in Ukraine and Gaza show no signs of safety,” she said.

“I want to pay tribute to our media colleagues who are prepared to risk their lives to tell us and the rest of the world what is going on. I worry about the safety of our brave ABC journalists and other media organisations in these waters.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/abc-management-praised-tom-joyners-israel-reporting-before-david-anderson-apologised-for-his-bullshit-remarks/news-story/d5695cbb6b3b257247ba0eb7042e1364

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Thousands protest across Sydney and Melbourne in support of Palestine, Israel

Jack Quail - 29 October 2023

Palestinian and Israeli supporters have congregated in their thousands in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday after Tel Aviv declared the “second stage” of its war with Hamas, commencing a long-threatened ground offensive that took them into the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

In Sydney, members of the Jewish community have organised a rally in solidarity with the people of Israel, bringing to attention the plight of the estimated 200 people, including 30 teenagers and young children and 20 people over the age of 60, who are being held hostage by militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Organisers of the pro-Israeli “Bring them home” rally held in Martin Place on Sunday morning, arranged empty prams alongside empty shoes to represent the children and adults taken hostage.

Protesters subsequently marched to Circular Quay, where the demonstration concluded with a song and prayer on the Museum of Contemporary Art’s eastern forecourt.

Addressing the crowd, protest organiser Avi Efrat said the Australian Jewish community would not be cowed by the escalating conflict.

“The reason we are doing [this] in the city is to give back confidence to the Jewish community in Australia and in Sydney,” he told the crowd.

“Some of our community is scared to even go out. I have an answer to these people: not under this generation. This generation is a different generation. We will not be scared, we will come here and say what we have to say.”

A similar pro-Israeli demonstration also occurred in Melbourne on Sunday, with protesters set to gather in Caulfield Park to call for the release of Israeli hostages.

Separately, pro-Palestinian supporters have gathered outside Melbourne’s State Library for the third week in a row.

Holding signs and waving flags, demonstrators chanted “free Palestine” and demanded an immediate ceasefire to safeguard the two million citizens ensnared in the Gaza strip.

Speaking before the crowd, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni, said history would “judge” this moment.

“We’re taking receipts and we won’t forget it,” he said.

Later on Sunday, thousands are anticipated to attend a rally in support of Palestine held in Sydney’s Hyde Park from 2pm on Sunday.

Hosted by the Sydney arm of the Palestine Action Group, organisers expect to top attendance numbers for a protest it held last weekend. The group claimed some 30,000 people attended in opposition to the government’s support for Israel.

“The Australian government continues to give full support to Israel's war crimes, even sending troops to the Middle East to act as Israel’s protector,” the rally’s organisers said in a statement on Facebook.

“End the Australian government’s support for apartheid Israel and its war crimes against the Palestinians!”

More than 1000 police officers are expected to be present at the demonstrations in Sydney to ensure the safety of protesters.

The Australian government has supported Israel’s right to defend itself after the bloody incursion by Hamas in Israel that killed 1,400 people on October 7.

In Gaza, the death toll has climbed to 7,650, according to the Palestinian health ministry, since Israeli air strikes began three weeks ago.

Speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton condemned the pro-Palestinian protests held earlier this month where some participants shouted anti-Semitic chants.

Mr Dutton claimed similar events could rubbish Australia’s international standing.

“Nobody wants to see a loss of life in the Middle East or anywhere else, nobody will tolerate discrimination against any Australian regardless of their religious faith or their background,” Mr Dutton said.

“The scenes we saw at the Sydney Opera House, where people were cheering the slaughter of Israelis by Hamas terrorists, they're scenes that don’t belong in our country otherwise.”

Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “destroy the enemy above ground and below ground.”

Warning that the war would be “long and hard”, Netanyahu reiterated his appeal for Palestinian civilians to evacuate to the south of the Gaza Strip, however air strikes have plunged the besieged enclave into communications blackout.

“This is the second stage of the war whose goals are clear - to destroy Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home,” Netanyahu told reporters.

https://thewest.com.au/news/thousands-protest-across-sydney-and-melbourne-in-support-of-palestine-israel-c-12363816

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/thousands-expected-to-attend-melbourne-propalestine-rally-at-state-library/news-story/d311f4e5c064fac319397c4e2381f1c6

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Former prime ministers join to condemn Hamas, urge Israel to protect civilian lives

Jake Evans - 30 October 2023

All of Australia's living prime ministers except for Paul Keating have joined to express their support for Israel and call for solidarity with Jewish Australians, in a rare statement undersigned by former leaders of both major parties.

The joint statement by Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and John Howard also called upon Hamas to release hostages taken in the October 7 terror attacks, and urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and sustain humanitarian access into Gaza.

The former prime ministers called upon Australians to treat each other with love and respect.

"If our hearts are filled with hatred, then we will be doing the terrorists’ work," the statement read.

"No complaint or concern about international affairs justifies hate speech against any Australian, or any Australian community.

"We believe we speak for the vast majority of Australians, of all faiths and of none, when we say we stand in solidarity with Jewish Australians at this time.

"Likewise, we stand too with the Australian Palestinian community whose families are dying and suffering in this terrible conflict."

Former PMs caution Israel to avoid killing civilians

The former leaders expressed their condemnation of Hamas, saying it sought to provoke Israel and had "no more interest in the safety of Palestinians than they do of Israelis".

However, they said Israel in its response must keep its promise to avoid civilian deaths.

"On the battlefield in Israel and Gaza we do not presume to give strategic advice to Israel.

"But the legitimate objective of defeating Hamas must be accompanied by support and protection for the civilian population of Gaza. Israel promises it will do all it can to avoid civilian casualties, we urge it to do so with all of its humanity and skill.

"We are horrified by the thousands of deaths and injuries inflicted on innocent Palestinian civilians, including many, many Palestinian children."

The letter was coordinated by lawyer and political activist Mark Leibler, according to a statement by Mr Keating.

Mr Keating yesterday published a statement saying he would not sign onto the letter "drafted by" The Zionist Federation of Australia.

The letter comes as Israeli military begin a ground operation into Gaza, as Israel's war against Hamas escalates.

Israeli air strikes have pounded Gaza in a weeks-long campaign, reportedly killing more than 8,000 Palestinians, following the murders of a reported 1,400 Israelis in a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.

The United Nations has called on Israel and Hamas to negotiate a "humanitarian pause" to allow aid into blockaded Gaza.

In a statement published by the Zionist Federation of Australia, association president Jeremy Leibler said the statement demonstrated "Australia is a country that produces leaders of moral principle".

"The fact that the former prime ministers are from both major political parties highlights that the condemnation of Hamas and its terror campaign, and support for Israel's right to defend itself transcends politics," that statement read.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said it was alarmed that the group of prime ministers had "allowed themselves to be used" by the pro-Israel lobby.

"The statement's reference to 'Australian values of love and respect' rings hollow, given that the former prime ministers failed to acknowledge the tens of thousands of Australians expressing their horror about Israel's behaviour, and ignored the anguish that many thousands of Palestinian Australians are currently feeling," the advocacy group's statement read.

"The prime ministers have failed in their duty as states people to equally uphold international law. Their significant platform should have been used to echo calls by the United Nations for an immediate ceasefire."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-30/former-prime-ministers-join-to-condemn-hamas-israel-solidarity/103039764

https://twitter.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1718885483059765450

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Paul Keating declines to sign former Prime Ministers' joint statement supporting Israel and condemning Hamas

Paul Keating has declined to sign a joint statement condemning Hamas, declaring reports he would be part of a joint statement from Australia's seven former PMs "untrue" and "without foundation".

Patrick Hannaford - October 29, 2023

Paul Keating has declined to be part of a joint statement supporting Israel and condemning Hamas.

The Herald Sun reported on Sunday that Australia’s seven living former prime ministers were set to sign a joint letter stating their support for Israel and laying the blame for the current conflict at the feet of the Gaza-based terrorist group.

The letter, organised by the Zionist Federation of Australia, comes just three weeks after Hamas launched a large-scale attack on October 7 killing more than 1,400 Israelis – mostly civilians – and taking hundreds more hostage.

But in a statement on Sunday, former prime minister Keating said he would not be signing the joint letter, calling the report “untrue” and “without foundation”.

“Today’s Melbourne Herald Sun carries a story that, along with other former Australian Prime Ministers, I will be a signature to a statement drafted by The Zionist Federation of Australia, condemning the attack by Hamas on Israel,” Mr Keating said.

The former Labor leader and Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996 said former Zionist Federation president Mark Leibler had contacted him about the letter but he had declined to be involved.

“Mark Leibler contacted me earlier last week proposing the prospective joint statement for my agreement and signature,” Mr Keating said.

“I told Leibler in a written message that I would not be agreeing to join other former Prime Ministers in authorising the statement. That remains my position.”

Mr Keating’s position puts him at odds with former Labor Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, as well as the former Liberal holders of the office, John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.

The decision further highlights division among the Labor Party over the Israel-Palestine conflict, with senior Labor minister Tony Burke recently failing to refute suggestions of “genocide” and “apartheid” levelled against Israel.

Joining ABC RN on Friday, the Employment and Workplace Relations Minister said he did not want to “get into a debate about labels” and that “listeners will find their own words” to describe situation occurring in Israel and Palestine.

Minister Burke also backed the Canterbury-Bankstown Local Council’s decision to fly the Palestinian flag until a cease fire is declared – a decision Jewish groups compared to flying the German flag after Kristallnacht or the Taliban flag after September 11.

Speaking to Sky News Australia’s Sunday Agenda, opposition leader Peter Dutton said Mr Burke was, “to his great shame”, playing to a constituency within his electorate rather than acting in the national interest.

“He's a leader of the House of Representatives and he should have… had a response which was more consistent with where I think the majority of Australian people are,” Mr Dutton said.

“The Prime Minister should have picked the phone up immediately to Tony Burke and really given him a dressing down because to not condemn Hamas and to use, you know, that sort of form of words sends a terrible message.”

The Zionist Federation of Australia’s letter is far from the first time Mr Keating has been out of step with a matter of broad bi-partisan political consensus in Australia.

During a National Press Club address in March, the former Labor leader launched a vitriolic attack on the Albanese government’s decision to acquire nuclear submarines as part of the AUKUS agreement.

Following the address, The Australian’s foreign editor Greg Sheridan said Mr Keating had effectively declared war on the Albanese government, speaking about the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Foreign Minister in “ contemptuous and contemptible terms”.

According to Greg Sheridan, it was the performance of a “very sad figure” who was destroying the small amount of influence he still had.

“He’s sad, bitter, isolated, irrelevant and unhappy,” Sheridan told Sky News Australia.

“I think today he was so crazy and so unreasonable that the little bit of residual influence he has, he will have just about wiped it out by today.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/paul-keating-declines-to-sign-former-prime-ministers-joint-statement-supporting-israel-and-condemning-hamas/news-story/26799a3e46f7532d7df1d1ac26de6a9d

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nsw/all-living-australian-pms-are-united-for-peace/news-story/65bc9a1a512e0739cecf44dbc1654fbb

https://twitter.com/TroyBramston/status/1718441076569289197

https://twitter.com/ZionistFedAus/status/1718811482912354771

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No deal for Australians stuck in Gaza

GREG BROWN and RHIANNON DOWN - OCTOBER 29, 2023

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and counterparts in the Middle Mast about providing a safe exit for Australian citizens stuck in Gaza, but there has been no breakthrough as Israel escalates its military response to Hamas.

After Israel expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip in a “second phase” of the Jewish state’s military response to the Hamas terror attacks, Senator Wong spoke to Mr Blinken about securing the safe exit from the war zone for civilians, including 88 Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family.

But there has been no solution struck for at-risk Australians, given the opening of a border crossing for humanitarian reasons would need to be endorsed by the US, Israel, Egypt, Hamas and other governments in the region.

The Albanese government is pushing for the temporary opening of the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt, allowing civilians to flee ahead of a potential large-scale ground invasion.

Senator Wong has also spoken about the plight of Australian citizens with the foreign ministers of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and counterparts in the Middle Mast about providing a safe exit for Australian citizens stuck in Gaza, but there has been no breakthrough as Israel escalates its military response to Hamas.

After Israel expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip in a “second phase” of the Jewish state’s military response to the Hamas terror attacks, Senator Wong spoke to Mr Blinken about securing the safe exit from the war zone for civilians, including 88 Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family.

But there has been no solution struck for at-risk Australians, given the opening of a border crossing for humanitarian reasons would need to be endorsed by the US, Israel, Egypt, Hamas and other governments in the region.

The Albanese government is pushing for the temporary opening of the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt, allowing civilians to flee ahead of a potential large-scale ground invasion.

Senator Wong has also spoken about the plight of Australian citizens with the foreign ministers of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

The high-level diplomatic discussions came as Paul Keating distanced himself from a proposed letter to be signed by former prime ministers backing Israel and condemning Hamas.

Mr Keating said he had rejected the proposal by Jewish businessman Mark Leibler for all former prime ministers to sign a letter being drafted by the Zionist Federation of Australia.

The Australian understands other prime ministers have considered signing the statement, including John Howard.

Peter Dutton accused the government of being divided on the ­Israel conflict, after Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke last week refused to reject suggestions Israel was committing “genocide” against Palestinians.

The Opposition Leader said Mr Burke was “playing to his constituency in his own electorate when he should be acting in the national interests”.

“I think the Prime Minister should have picked the phone up immediately to Tony Burke and really given him a dressing down,” Mr Dutton told Sky News. “And the government should be speaking with one voice of condemnation against Hamas at the moment and instead, you’ve got people running off doing their own thing.

“And Tony Burke, to his great shame, is playing to his constituency within his own electorate, when he should be acting in the national interest.”

Mr Dutton said Hamas would not be satisfied until they “drive the Jewish people into the sea”, ­defending Israel’s response to the attack earlier this month.

“They don’t believe that people should exist and Hamas, given an opportunity they would wipe out, would slaughter every Jewish person to the last child standing,” he said. “And so should there be a reaction to a terrorist attack.

“The Australian public would demand exactly that from our Australian government if ­Australian citizens were in the same scenario.”

Trade Minister Don Farrell said all members of the government had “condemned the actions of Hamas terrorists a couple of weeks ago”.

“Obviously, individual ministers represent their particular communities,” Senator Farrell told Sky News. “Nobody wants to see the death of innocent civilians in this terrible conflict.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/no-deal-for-australians-stuck-in-gaza/news-story/6acd9fd4a6f4574645020ce295f3c6b0

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong says 'Australians in Lebanon should leave now' as Israel-Hamas conflict appears set to spread

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Australians to evacuate Lebanon as the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to spread north through Hezbollah.

Max Melzer - October 29, 2023

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says "Australians in Lebanon should leave now" as Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to spread north through Hezbollah.

The Lebanese militant group has been increasingly involved in skirmishes with Israel's Defence Forces on the border between the two nations following Hamas' brutal assault on October 7.

While the fighting has not escalated into a significant conflict, Hezbollah's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem warned last Sunday that they were "in the heart of the battle" between Israel and Hamas prompting fears of a full scale war in the Middle East.

Those fears have now prompted Senator Wong to act, issuing a statement on Twitter, now X, where warned a broader conflict could trap citizens in Lebanon without access to government assistance.

"Australians in Lebanon should leave now, while commercial flights remain available," she wrote.

"If armed conflict increases, it could affect wider areas of #Lebanon and close Beirut airport.

"The Australian Government may not be able to assist you to leave."

Senator Wong included a link to the government's SmartTraveller website, which carries a warning for Australians not to travel to Lebanon due to the risk of "armed conflict."

SmartTraveller's advice also includes a reminder that "terrorist attacks could occur anytime and anywhere, including in Beirut."

On October 16, Israel began evacuating all citizens who lived within two kilometres of the border with Lebanon as it prepared for a potential conflict with Hezbollah.

The IDF has also been shelling parts of Lebanon's south, targeting militant outposts and supply lines.

Israel has long considered the Hezbollah as one of its most serious threats, estimating the group has around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at targets across the country.

The two fought a bitter month-long war in 2006, which saw as many as 1,300 Lebanese killed along with 165 Israelis.

Iran, which heavily backs both Hezbollah and Hamas, provided significant support to the militants before and during the conflict, leading some analysts to label the clash a proxy war between Tehran and Israel.

Analysts are concerned that if Hezbollah enters the current conflict it could reignite that proxy war or even see Iran directly attack Israel, a move which could potentially spark a full scale war across the Middle East.

Despite this, neither side appears set to back down, with both the IDF and Hezbollah stepping up their rhetoric amid further clashes.

On Sunday, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said an IDF shell had struck the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Lebanese coastal border town of Naqoura.

UN peacekeeping force spokesman Andrea Tenenti confirmed a wall around the headquarters had been hit, but caused only minor damage and no inquiries.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/foreign-minister-penny-wong-says-australians-in-lebanon-should-leave-now-as-israelhamas-conflict-appears-set-to-spread/news-story/24e2a0e8b27f2cabf9de9a398922ffe3

https://twitter.com/SenatorWong/status/1718463636551930340

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

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Australia tries to lower China’s expectations ahead of Albanese meeting with Xi

WILL GLASGOW - OCTOBER 30, 2023

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Canberra is trying to lower Beijing’s expectations ahead of Anthony Albanese’s trip to China where President Xi Jinping will press the Prime Minister to support his CPTPP bid, loosen restrictions on Chinese investment and dilute security co-ordination with the US in the Indo-Pacific.

Albanese’s elaborately choreographed visit comes after an 18-month “stabilisation” campaign by the federal government has been more successful than its architects had thought possible.

Canberra has sent a clear signal of its priorities for the three-night trip, which begins on Saturday, telling the China-focused Australian business community that Albanese’s visit to Beijing will be “purely political” with no room for non-government engagements.

He will limit his contact in China with the Australian business community to a one-night trip to Shanghai, flying in on Saturday and attending a tourism and trade lunch on the sidelines of the China International Import Expo, at which he will also visit the Australian pavilion.

He may also briefly attend a roundtable of Australian and Chinese CEOs in Shanghai before flying to Beijing on Sunday, although the event has not been confirmed.

Four sources familiar with the situation said Australian government officials had made it clear that there would be no room in the Prime Minister’s diary for business engagements during his two-night stay in Beijing where he will meet separately with Xi and Premier Li Qiang.

“Don’t even think about Beijing – that’s not going to happen,” summarised one business figure who had received an Australian government briefing on the trip.

The Beijing-Shanghai division is part of Canberra’s strategy to compartmentalise trade ties from the difficult geopolitics that hang over the relationship.

Canberra is acutely conscious of the international attention on the trip, the first since the bilateral relationship imploded during the years of the Turnbull and Morrison governments.

During the past six years, Australia transformed in the eyes of many capitals from being a cautionary tale for dealing with China to a model for how to push back on Beijing’s assertiveness. The Turnbull, Morrison and Albanese governments have put co-ordination with partners and allies at the centre of their China policy.

Speaking at the end of last week’s visit to Washington, Albanese said he was travelling to China with “eyes wide open”. Days earlier, President Joe Biden advised him to “trust but verify” in dealings with Beijing.

Speaking in Sydney on Sunday, Albanese said the upcoming trip was the result of a “more stable relationship” and his priority was to keep communication channels open. “I say consistently we should co-operate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest … Dialogue is always a good idea.”

Albanese noted that Xi would visit San Francisco at the APEC leaders’ meeting next fortnight where the Chinese leader would also have a bilateral meeting with Biden. “What we need to do is to have more dialogue and discussion because out of that comes greater understanding and it can also avoid mistakes,” he said.

Albanese will be the first Quad or AUKUS leader to visit China since 2019.

New Zealand’s now former prime minister Chris Hipkins was the only Five Eyes leader to have visited China since its Covid closure. On his July trip, he took a 100-plus entourage of China-­focused business figures, including the chairs of dairy and kiwifruit giants Fonterra and Zespri, university vice-chancellors, tourism leaders and the Air New Zealand CEO.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron caused angst in Brussels when he declined an offer to travel to Beijing on a joint trip earlier this year with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and instead travelled with a delegation of 60 French business leaders.

One Chinese official told The Australian that Beijing was dis­appointed by the size of the Albanese’s delegation. “We want (it) to be bigger,” the official said.

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Trade Minister Don Farrell will accompany Albanese to Shanghai and meet with many of the more than 100 Australian companies exhibiting at the CIIE trade show in Shanghai.

Beijing has worked towards the visit since Albanese won government last May, linking the trip to the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s first visit to China as prime minister.

In their meeting in Beijing early next week, Albanese will raise the black-listing of Australian live lobsters and restrictions on a clutch of beef abattoirs. He will also raise the case of Yang Hengjun, an Australian citizen who has been in Chinese prison since January 2019 on vague espionage charges.

Dr Yang’s family hopes his case will get more attention, and a humane resolution, following the release of Cheng Lei.

Xi is expected to press for Albanese to support China’s bid to join the CPTPP trade block, which would require Canberra isolating Tokyo, its closest regional partner.

In a recent scene-setting meeting ahead of Albanese’s trip, a senior figure in Xi’s central government told Australian officials that, by Beijing’s analysis, it had already met “95 per cent” of the agreement’s terms.

“We suggest Australian friends take a more active role [supporting Beijing’s application],” the senior Chinese official said.

The Australian government has made it clear to Beijing that its economic coercion made its application a non-starter. The Japanese government has publicly dismissed Beijing’s chances of joining, and senior Australian govern­ment officials have told The Australian that Canberra’s position is unchanged.

Xi will also press Albanese on Canberra’s treatment of Chinese investment into Australia, particularly in its renewable energy sector and in resources such as lithium.

Beijing has welcomed the Albanese government’s pre-trip decision to allow a continuation of Chinese firm Landbridge’s ownership of the Port of Darwin but Chinese officials continue to complain that Australia’s security agencies have too much sway over foreign investment decisions. “It’s necessary to recognise China’s development as an opportunity rather than a threat to Australia,” Xi’s top foreign affairs adviser Wang Yi told an Australian delegation in Beijing in September.

Canberra has told Chinese officials that investment will continue to be considered on a “case-by-case basis”.

The two are expected to find some co-operation on climate change and the energy transition. Canberra’s Anti-Dumping Commission has recently recommended that tariffs on Chinese wind towers should be removed.

Xi will also raise Beijing’s frustration with Australia’s security co-operation with the US. Wang in September said “the two sides need to advance China-Australia relations independently and without any influence or interference from any third party”.

Well-informed Chinese foreign policy thinkers believe Canberra’s policy settings towards China are unlikely to change. It hasn’t been lost on them that incoming ambassador to China Scott Dewar will assume his Beijing post from a senior job overseeing the AUKUS security partnership.

“In the foreseeable future under the [Albanese] government, a couple of structural and systematic factors have deeply rooted … to keep this relationship in a sort of a stable, but low level status,” said Shanghai Institute for International Studies professor Chen Dongxiao in a recent interview.

“The Labor Party government, despite its more professional … China policy, has largely inherited the narratives or perception [of] its predecessors, believing that challenges of China’s rise outweigh its opportunities. We need a better management of our expectations.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/australia-tries-to-lower-chinas-expectations-ahead-of-albanese-meeting-with-xi/news-story/f09d65404bd2fa75a044991207da982a

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Albanese's visit to serve as booster for ties with China

LIU JIANQIAO - 2023-10-30

An impending visit by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to China is likely to help improve the relationship between the two countries and promote more collaboration, an expert says.

Albanese is expected to be in the country from Nov 4 to 7, when he will attend the sixth China International Import Expo in Shanghai, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

It will be the first visit to China by an Australian prime minister since 2016.

Improving ties with China has been a top priority for Albanese since he took office last year, said Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University in Shanghai. Australia has adopted a stance on China closely mirroring that of the United States on many issues, Chen said.

Albanese's visit would serve as a boost for the China-Australia relationship, said Chen, who described the trip as "ice-breaking", both economically and politically.

On Oct 22 Albanese said it is in Australia's best interest to have good relations with China. "I look forward to visiting China, an important step toward ensuring a stable and productive relationship," he said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic visit to China by the then-prime minister, Gough Whitlam, in 1973. "Whitlam's historic visit laid the groundwork for the diplomatic, economic and cultural ties that continue to benefit our countries today," Albanese said.

Trade and investment are the bedrock of the bilateral relationship, Chen said, China being Australia's largest trading partner in goods and services.

Trade in goods between the two countries was worth $220 billion last year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

The value of China's trade with Australia rose 19.8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, with exports to Australia rising 19.3 percent and imports from Australia rising 20 percent, according to China's customs data.

"In recent years the two countries have been dedicated to solving trade disputes within the framework of the World Trade Organization," Chen said.

When Albanese's visit was announced, China's Ministry of Commerce said the two countries had agreed to settle a dispute over wine as well as a dispute over Australian duties on Chinese wind towers.

'Conducive attitude'

"This development aligns with the conducive attitude exhibited by both China and Australia, signaling a willingness to resolve problems and improve economic ties, which creates a favorable condition for political interaction between the two nations," Chen said.

Relations between the two countries had reached a low point, he said, with high-level dialogue being halted since 2016 because of the previous Australian government's adversarial stance toward China.

In 2021 Australia entered a partnership with the United Kingdom and the US known as AUKUS relating to the supply of nuclear-powered submarines. It was already a member of security partnerships and alliances such as the Quad and the Five Eyes involving the US and other countries.

"These cooperation mechanisms, pursued by the previous Australian administration and its Western allies, are targeted at encircling China, which in turn has boomeranged to damage Australia's own interests," Chen said. "Since Albanese won the election he has taken a conducive and proactive attitude toward China."

Albanese was in the US last week, and by announcing his trip to China beforehand he showed he was keen to manage a balance between China and the US to protect Australia's interests, Chen said.

Australia should be more open and rational in handling its relationship with China, Chen said, and as a major country in the Asia-Pacific region, it should give priority to maintaining a positive relationship with China. "Seeking common ground while respecting differences is key to the continued success of the China-Australia relationship."

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202310/30/WS653f0bb7a31090682a5eb64b.html

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Julian Assange’s brother urges Anthony Albanese to ‘up the ante’ over WikiLeaks founder’s case

Prime minister pushed back on idea of US president personally stepping in, but Gabriel Shipton calls prosecution ‘entirely political’

Daniel Hurst - 30 Oct 2023

Julian Assange’s brother has urged the Australian government to “up the ante” after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed he raised the WikiLeaks founder’s case with Joe Biden last week.

Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, told Guardian Australia: “If his government can get back Cheng Lei from China, why is he so impotent when it comes to Julian and the USA?”

Assange remains in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a US attempt to extradite him to face charges – including under the Espionage Act. The charges are in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables, in 2010 and 2011.

Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program, Albanese reiterated his position that “enough is enough – it is time that this issue was brought to a conclusion”.

Albanese said he had “raised the issue of Julian Assange with the administration on all of the occasions in which I’ve met members of the administration”, including with Biden during meetings in Washington DC last week.

But Albanese played down the idea of the US president personally stepping in to order the case be dropped.

“Joe Biden doesn’t interfere with the Department of Justice,” Albanese said. “Joe Biden is a president who understands the separation of the judicial system from the political system. That’s an important principle.”

Asked whether that meant it was time for Assange to enter into a plea deal, Albanese said Australian officials were “working very hard to achieve an outcome which is consistent with the position that I’ve put”.

Shipton said the US president’s rhetoric about not influencing the Department of Justice (DoJ) was not surprising “given the number of prosecutions against Biden’s main political opponent”, Donald Trump.

But Shipton said Assange’s prosecution was “unique and a novel use of the law developed during the Trump administration” and was “entirely political”.

“Unwinding it would be a restoration of DoJ independence,” Shipton said.

Shipton noted the government’s recent success in securing the release of Cheng, an Australian journalist after more than three years of detention in China. “It’s time for the prime minister to up the ante,” he said.

Greg Barns SC, adviser to the Assange campaign, said the efforts to reach a breakthrough were not solely focused on Biden but also the attorney general, Merrick Garland. The US House of Representatives and Senate were also a focus of lobbying.

“It’s not a one-pronged approach,” Barns said.

“When you’ve got an extradition matter, particularly when it’s highly political, you work at a number of levels.

“The president has the power to pardon, including in circumstances where a person hasn’t been tried and convicted, so at the end of the day there are powers that a president can use but there are other powers that an attorney general has.”

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has previously pushed back at the Australian government’s complaints that the pursuit of Assange had dragged on too long.

After talks in Brisbane in July, Blinken said it was “very important” for “our friends” in Australia to understand the US concerns about Assange’s “alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country”.

Assange’s supporters argue that it was in the public interest to publish information about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and say his prosecution sets a bad precedent for press freedom.

Last month more than 60 Australian federal politicians explicitly called on the DoJ to drop the prosecution, warning of “a sharp and sustained outcry in Australia” if the WikiLeaks founder was extradited.

A small cross-party delegation then flew to Washington DC in late September to lobby Biden administration officials and US lawmakers in the lead-up to Albanese’s visit.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/30/julian-assanges-brother-urges-anthony-albanese-to-up-the-ante-over-wikileaks-founders-case

Police probe neo-Nazi over possible breach of salute laws outside court

David Estcourt and Alex Crowe - October 27, 2023

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An investigation has been launched into a possible breach of Victoria’s Nazi salute laws after a prominent Melbourne white supremacist lifted his arm in a gesture comparable to the now-banned action outside court.

Jacob Hersant will be investigated for potentially performing the Nazi salute in front of media outside Melbourne County Court on Friday, while celebrating avoiding further prison for assaulting hikers in regional Victoria.

The 24-year-old stood alongside the self-proclaimed leader of the National Socialist Network Thomas Sewell, his co-offender in the bushwalkers case, who said “Heil Hitler” as they left the court.

Hersant repeated “Heil Hitler” and lifted his arm before appearing to remember the salute had recently been outlawed in Victoria.

“Nearly did it,” he said. “It’s illegal now, isn’t it?” he said, laughing and lowering his arm.

Victoria Police said in a statement issued on Friday night that it was investigating allegations that “a man performed the Nazi salute and said Heil Hitler outside the Melbourne court.”

“We will locate and interview this person in relation to this behaviour,” the statement said.

“Police will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to any breach on the prohibition on performing Nazi salutes or displaying Nazi symbols in public.”

The Summary Offences (Nazi Salute Prohibition) Bill received royal assent last Friday, which means it has been illegal to undertake a Nazi salute in Victoria for just a week.

This is the first time an alleged incidence of a Nazi salute has been reported to police since the new legislation came into effect on October 21.

A decision to strengthen the anti-vilification laws was confirmed after a far-right protest at Parliament House in March attended by the National Socialist Network, who performed Nazi salutes on parliament’s steps before being led away by police.

Sewell and Hersant were sentenced in the County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to violent disorder against three bushwalkers who filmed the pair’s group as they gathered at the Cathedral Range State Park at Taggerty in May 2021.

During the sentencing, Judge Kellie Blair said the pair were both young fathers who had little prior contact with the criminal justice system and their offending was at the lower end of the spectrum.

“I do not consider the offending to be directly or causally related to your political views. I accept that your offending was reactive in nature to the situation that unfolded on the day,” she said.

Blair said she believed the prospects of rehabilitation for the pair were good.

“I agree … that the offending of each you should be seen towards the lower end of seriousness for offending of this type,” she said.

“Good luck with the future gentlemen,” she added as she left the bench.

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It is the second time Sewell, Australia’s most prominent neo-Nazi, has been sentenced for violent behaviour in the last 12 months.

During a plea hearing in September, Sewell’s barrister Michael McGrath said his client had held white supremacist, far-right beliefs for a long time, and was likely to hold them into the future.

“This is a belief that he’s held for a long time, and he’s likely to have into the future, and as long as he’s not breaching the law, whether people agree with it or not, he’s entitled to have it,” McGrath said in September.

Blair’s comments prompted disbelief and stiff rebuke from extremism experts. Josh Roose, a Deakin University expert on the far-right, said his study of the National Socialist Network indicated that Sewell has for a long time held far-right and extremist ideas that are inherently undemocratic and hate-filled.

“It beggars belief that this person could be considered to have good rehabilitative prospects,” he said.

“This is someone who leads the biggest group of far-right extremists in the country … to argue that an individual with that track record has good rehabilitative prospects calls for some sort of reflection about what that actually means in practice.”

Victoria University extremism expert Mario Peucker said he was confused by Blair’s finding that the attack was not motivated by the group’s beliefs given two members were heard yelling “ANTIFA” before setting upon the car – a term he said they use to describe their political enemy on the left.

“That suggests there’s a political element in the action that unfolded,” he said.

Shadow Attorney-General Michael O’Brien said: “Rather than wishing “good luck” to these thugs, perhaps the judge should have wished good luck to the rest of the community.”

Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Jewish-Australian community group the Anti-Defamation Commission, said he expected the community would be “shocked that the prospect of rehabilitation was considered as realistic given what we have witnessed over several years”.

Sewell and Hersant both complained police were targeting them with unfair and unwarranted attention because of their beliefs. Police had been surveilling the group, members of the network and European Australian Movement, as they hiked to the peak of Sugarloaf Saddle.

The victims were attacked after filming the group in the car park. Masked group members smashed the windscreen and passenger window of the victims’ vehicle, threatening them with knives. Hersant reached into the car in an attempt to keep it from leaving, the court heard.

The driver of one of the cars drove into a rock while trying to escape, before restarting the car and dialling triple zero.

Blair said Sewell’s DNA and fingerprints were found on the VW, as was Hersant’s DNA, and that Hersant had been identified by a victim. Blair accepted they had not been wearing face coverings and had not been armed with knives.

“All the occupants of the car were in fear of being assaulted or killed,” she said. Sewell was sentenced to a month and seven days’ jail over the incident and Hersant to three days and an 18-month community corrections order with 200 hours of community work.

They walked free immediately with time served, hugging and congratulating each other as they left the dock. Timothy Lutze, previously a director of Legacy Boxing Gym in Sunshine West, a venue that has held multiple gatherings of neo-Nazis, also attended court on Friday.

At the time of the violent disorder offence, Sewell was on bail over an attack on a security guard outside Channel Nine’s Docklands headquarters before an A Current Affair broadcast a segment about his group in March 2021.

Sewell was later found guilty of that attack and placed on an 18-month community corrections order with 150 hours of community service.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/judge-wishes-prominent-neo-nazis-good-luck-as-they-avoid-further-jail-20231027-p5efh5.html

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Paedophile teacher kept Victorian Education Department job for seven years after conviction

Russell Jackson - 25 Oct 2023

A former primary school teacher at the centre of the Victorian government's latest historical child sexual abuse inquiry remained an education department employee for seven years after he was convicted of sexually abusing two of his students.

Warning: This story contains references to child abuse

ABC Investigations has found David Ernest Keith MacGregor was convicted of two counts of indecent assault on a person under the age of 16 and sentenced to three years' probation in Melbourne Magistrates' Court in September 1985.

MacGregor is one of four alleged perpetrators currently being examined by the Board of Inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and other government schools.

Despite his conviction, MacGregor remained an employee of the Victorian Education Department until at least 1992, working in the department's regional offices in Frankston and Dandenong.

Former education department officials confirmed to ABC Investigations that MacGregor had taught at Kunyung Primary School in Mount Eliza at the time of his conviction, which ended his teaching career.

A former Kunyung Primary student, who was taught by MacGregor in 1985, told ABC Investigations MacGregor's abrupt disappearance from the classroom in May that year was explained away as a holiday.

But within a week, members of the school community read about MacGregor's sexual abuse charges in a local newspaper, The Mornington Leader.

MacGregor was convicted in the Melbourne Magistrates's Court on August 16, 1985, on two counts of indecent assault on a person under the age of 16. Victorian Education Department records state his final day as a teacher at Kunyung Primary was May 27, 1985.

Former staff at Kunyung Primary told ABC Investigations that in the wake of MacGregor's conviction, his parents attended the school and apologised on his behalf.

MacGregor was a classroom teacher, athletics and soccer coach and guitar teacher at Beaumaris Primary between January 1968 and December 1976, a period which has brought him to the attention of the board of inquiry.

As well as the Beaumaris and Kunyung Primary schools, MacGregor taught at five other Victorian government schools — Bundalong South Primary, Warragul Primary, Drouin South Primary, Cowes Primary and Chelsea Heights Primary.

In response to questions from ABC Investigations, a Victorian Education Department spokesperson said: "We deeply regret David MacGregor remained a department employee after he was convicted, and have introduced significant reforms to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in schools since this time."

A champion track athlete in his youth, MacGregor was also a state-level athletics coach. A citation for MacGregor's life membership of the Sandringham athletic club in Melbourne's bayside region states that he is "remembered for his work with the junior boys" and had been "a versatile athlete running 100m to marathon".

"He held the club 800m record and was national champion in 4 x 440 yards. He served as vice-president, secretary, club captain and committee member," it reads.

Sandringham athletic club's Under-14 boys trophy is named after MacGregor.

The board of inquiry is due to deliver its final report in late February 2024, and the deadline for survivors and witnesses to make submissions has been extended to October 31.

''Do you have more information about this story? Contact Russell Jackson at jackson.russell@abc.net.au''

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-25/david-macgregor-paedophile-teacher-employed-vic-education/103019380

The day an Aussie plucked JFK from the sea

BRETT MASON - OCTOBER 28, 2023

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On a moonless night in August 1943, a US torpedo boat commanded by the future US president Lt John F. Kennedy, on patrol in Solomon Islands, was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Left clinging to wreckage, Kennedy’s crew eventually struggled ashore. Missing, presumed dead, behind enemy lines, and with no food or water, the future looked bleak for the shipwrecked Americans.

Fortunately, Australian coast watcher Lt Reg Evans witnessed the immediate aftermath of the collision from his nearby jungle hideaway and, over the next five days, he worked with two Solomon Islander scouts — Eroni Kumana and Biuku Gasa — to locate Kennedy and his crew and ensured their rescue.

For years, Evans’s identity was obscured, and misreported. But then, in April 1961, he received a note from Kennedy – who had by then become president of the United States – to “drop by the White House on May 1st, at 11:30am.”

Kennedy was, he said, “look[ing] forward to the opportunity of reliving the hectic days in the Solomons” and he concluded his notes with the words, “I am certainly happy that all the confusion about the true identity of my rescuer has been cleared up.”

It will surprise nobody to know that a huge media scrum was on hand to greet Evans at Idlewild Airport (now the John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York, on the day of his arrival.

“New Yorkers today turned on a hero’s welcome”, reported The Daily Telegraph. “Mr Evans was besieged by reporters, photographers, newsreel and television cameramen when he stepped from the plane which brought him from Australia.” It was not something that a middle-aged suburban accountant was used to.

Shortly before noon, Evans and the journalist Bob Curran, who accompanied him to the White House, entered an anteroom to the Oval Office, and then into the President’s White House study. President Kennedy himself opened the door, greeting Evans with a handshake and introducing him to vice-president Lyndon Johnson, who was on his way out.

Sounding much as he had in 1943, Kennedy told Evans, “I am extremely glad to see you today,” adding later, “I am very grateful for what you did”.

Employing Kennedy humour, he apologised for not leaving Evans’s Japanese rifle in the canoe, as promised. For his part, Evans said he “was amazed to find [Kennedy] scarcely changed in appearance from our last meeting in the Solomon Islands … But as I told him he was better dressed this time”.

Eighteen years on from their initial conversation on Gomu Island, the rescuer and the rescued – or the Sydney accountant and the American president as they now were – hit it off immediately. Evans “felt at home with President Kennedy from the first moment”.

“We chatted on like two old cobbers”, the Australian veteran said, paying the American president the ultimate compliment. They both shared a love of the sea; the president pointed to models of ships in the Oval Office and paintings on the walls and said, “You notice the maritime atmosphere here”.

Kennedy then presented Evans with a PT-109 tie clip, while Evans and Curran gave the president a painting by a magazine illustrator, which captured the moment Kennedy stepped ashore on Gomu from the canoe paddled by the Islanders.

Later, Kennedy took Evans outside to the White House verandah, as Reg called it, but light rain deterred them from taking a quick stroll through the gardens. All in all, they chatted for half an hour, twenty minutes of it in private. There is no official transcript of the meeting, and only a minute-long piece of silent black-and-white footage of the two of them in the Oval Office supplements Evans’s memory of the event.

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As the meeting came to a close, JFK walked Evans out to the steps of the White House, toward the waiting media.

“I am all for Australia,” Kennedy said. They were among his last words to the Australian who had rescued him. He also said: “I will see you tonight. I think you will enjoy it”. For a second, Evans was puzzled, but then remembered he was scheduled to appear on The Jack Paar Show on TV from New York that night. The president had indicated that he would be watching.

The Jack Paar Show was a high-rating night-time chat show, in later years hosted by Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and Jimmy Fallon. Himself an army veteran of the South Pacific, albeit as an entertainer for the troops, Paar hit the big time in the late 1950s, hosting his show under the Tonight Show franchise for NBC. Airing at 11:15pm – Kennedy must have stayed up quite late that night – Jack Paar’s guests that evening included comedian Stan Freberg, comedian Cliff Arquette, and singer Peanuts Taylor of Nassau, as well as Evans. Having met the president earlier in the day, Evans told his story to Jack Paar with a viewing audience that was twice the size of Australia’s then population of 10 million. With his modesty and unassuming manner, no doubt assisted by his Australian accent, Evans was a hit.

Evans was busy for the rest of his stay in America, attending Battle of Coral Sea commemorations and a garden party at the residence of the Australian ambassador, Sir Howard Beale, where he was a guest of honour, as well as events in Manhattan and Chicago. There is no doubt, however, that the half an hour with the former lieutenant Kennedy was the highlight of his American trip.

In June 1961, Cavalier published its article, Found! The Unsung Hero Who Saved President Kennedy’s Life. On a daffodil-yellow cover, an attached red sticker highlighted the drama: “Exclusive! How I saved Jack Kennedy’s Life by Reg Evans”. Evans had been assisted in his telling of the story by D’Arcy Niland, a well-known Australian novelist married to writer Ruth Park. He was truly famous now for saving the life of a president who, at the time of their White House meeting, had a little over two years to live.

This is an edited extract from Saving Lieutenant Kennedy (UNSW Press) by Brett Mason. It has been 80 years since Reg Evans’ heroic rescue of JFK and his crew off the Solomon Islands during WWII. In November, it will be 60 years since JFK was assassinated.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brett Mason is chair of the Council of the National Library of Australia and Adjunct Professor in the School of Justice at the Queensland University of Technology. He was a Senator for Queensland, before being appointed Australia’s Ambassador to The Hague and Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/books/the-day-an-aussie-plucked-jfk-from-the-sea/news-story/987c48508c10a1197c2953beba8a06dd

PNG military leader to serve as deputy commander of Australian Army's 3rd Brigade in Townsville

Rachael Merritt - 30 October 2023

A military leader from Papua New Guinea will become the second-in-command of one of Australia's combat brigades in a historic move designed to shore up military ties between the two nations.

It is the first time a foreign military officer has been appointed to such a senior role in the history of the Australian Army.

Lieutenant Colonel Boniface Aruma from the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) will become deputy commander of 3rd Brigade in Townsville, Australia's largest garrison city, from next year.

"For us back home, it's a big deal … this is really a giant leap for us as an organisation," Lieutenant Colonel Aruma said.

"It's the most senior appointment that we have ever exported overseas."

Lieutenant Colonel Aruma has served in PNG's army for 27 years.

He studied in Australia, earning two master's degrees in international relations and defence studies from Deakin and Australian National University.

He said the defence capabilities of both nations were set to benefit from his involvement in the high command at the Australian brigade.

"You now have someone from the Pacific region who sits here, who has a little bit more understanding of how the dynamics work back home," Lieutenant Colonel Aruma said.

"We share the same values and the same idea and what we want our region to be like – safe, secure and stable."

A growing relationship

The outgoing deputy commander of 3rd Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Ken Golder, said Chief of the Australian Defence Force Angus Campbell approached his PNG counterpart Mark Goina last year to discuss the possibility of a military embed.

While troops from 3rd Brigade have long been involved in training exchanges with PNG, Lieutenant Colonel Golder said the appointment would foster a "tangible, person-to-person" relationship inside the headquarters.

"It was mutually agreeable and in fact, strengthened what we've been doing," he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Aruma recently travelled to Canberra to complete ADF training to deepen his understanding of the local position.

"He'll be intimately involved with the support and mentoring of the commanding officers of this brigade," Lieutenant Colonel Golder said.

"He's going to be influential in maintaining and strengthening the relationship not only with the PNGDF [Papua New Guinea Defence Force] but the Townsville community."

Lieutenant Colonel Aruma said he hoped the move would pave the way for more Pacific Islands to strengthen their own defence with ADF support.

"This is one of the ways we can empower those smaller nations," he said.

"The PNGDF wants to be a credible partner in the region and I think this is the best way."

A message of equality

Defence analyst John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said a foreign appointment to the role of deputy commander had been done before between allied partners.

Australian Major General Chris Smith is currently serving as the Deputy Commanding General for the US Army Pacific based in Hawaii, and senior Australian officers have been deputised under US commanders in wartime operations in the Middle East.

"We've never seen this with our Pacific family and our Pacific neighbours," said Mr Coyne, head of the Northern Australian Strategic Pacific Policy Centre.

"We're going to get a greater appreciation of how the PNGDF undertake strategic planning, operational activities, and tactical activities.

"It sends a message of equalness in the relationship — not of any sort of paternalistic approach."

This month, Townsville's 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment completed a six-week deployment to upgrade Lombrum Naval Base and school classrooms on Manus Island on PNG's northern reaches.

Mr Coyne said the latest appointment signalled a cultural "reset" in the ADF's ongoing commitment to the region.

"Unfortunately, fighting two decades of wars against terrorism has meant that we've had a very big focus within the Middle East and in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq," Mr Coyne said.

"That has often come at the cost of our near neighbour relationships."

It comes as Australia and PNG continue to hash out the details of a proposed bilateral security agreement that was meant to be finalised earlier this year but has hit several road bumps.

PNG has already signed a defence deal with the US but is also being courted by the leaders of several other countries wanting similar pacts.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-30/papua-new-guinea-defence-force-pacific-townsville-military/103020448

>>19712817 (pb)

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

October 28, 2023

Until next time

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 23 concludes its 12th iteration in Australia, achieving several milestones contributing to a safe and prosperous Indo-Pacific alongside Pacific Allies and Partners.

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/videos/3606961156291654/

>>19822566

‘Evil’: Stan Grant breaks silence on failed Voice to Parliament referendum

ELI GREEN - OCTOBER 30, 2023

Stan Grant has broken his silence over the Voice to Parliament result, saying he is grateful he did not participate in the debate.

The journalist criticised No voters for inflicting pain on Indigenous people and the Australian psyche in a speech delivered at the 2023 JG Crawford Oration held at the Australian National University on Monday.

“The champions of no have won,” he said in his address.

“It doesn’t make them right, it doesn’t make them superior, it makes them winners. That’s democracy.”

More than 60 per cent of Australians voted no at the referendum, with each state and territory voting against the Voice, except for the ACT.

In the wake of the overwhelming result, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conceded that the Yes campaign had fallen short of its “high” goals but argued that there was room to move forward.

“We are not yes voters or no voters, we are all Australians,” he said on the night of the loss.

“And it is as Australians together, that we must take our country beyond this debate without forgetting why we had it in the first place.”

Grant had a different take on the state of the nation in the wake of the decision, arguing that Australia felt “soulless” as it turned its back on a complex and painful history involving harm towards First Nations people.

“It is hard to think of Australia as a place of evil, there is just so much sunshine, smiling faces and wide open spaces - but evil has happened here,” he said.

“What else should we call it? People beheaded, flour poisoned, frontier raiding parties. That it happened in our past, does that make the evil any less?”

Grant also described his sorrow on the night of the referendum as the votes rolled in, saying he was thankful that he had not waded into the noise of the debate.

“With no surprise, I watch the television as the votes are tallied, grateful that I have resisted the invitation to participate,” he said.

“On a night my people would be denied a Voice I will not add mine.”

Asking if “history is over”, Grant argued that the impact of colonisation was still a reality for Indigenous people, who face a considerable gap in terms of healthcare, education and employment.

“My historical wounds are Australian…the evil is known to us - the First People of this country - and this may be our curse, to see an Australia others don’t see and have no words to convince others it is real,” he said.

Challenges facing First Nations people include an eight-year lower life expectancy, twice as high suicide rates, substantially higher rates of disease and barriers in education and employment.

Grant went on to condemn the actions of the Yes campaigners, arguing that they turned the Voice into a “lecture about unity” rather than a moment to “lay our burdens down”.

“The Voice was never a modest ask, it was monumental, perhaps this was the opportunity lost by the yes campaign, to not let the Voice truly speak.

“Instead it was shushed…shrunk small enough to fit into politics.

“In the consultants’ suites and the lawyers’ dens, it was determined that if the Voice was made so inoffensive people may say yes - instead it was so inoffensive people found it so easy to say no.”

Mr Albanese went to great lengths during the campaign to downplay the impact of the Voice on the majority of Australians.

“It won‘t make any difference, directly to your life, but it just might make a positive difference to the three per cent of Australians who are Indigenous Australians,” he said before votes were cast.

Sharing some harsh words on those who reacted bitterly to the loss, Grant also argued that some Yes campaigners saw “no defeat” in the result.

“They cast their ballots and they get their Australia - an Australia without trust, an Australia irredeemable.

“I hear them: ‘I told you so. What else did we expect from white people?’

“It is the flip side of the callous victory of No…this other No that rejoices in resentment.”

His speech also featured veiled references to No campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a Warlpiri woman and the Opposition’s Indigenous affairs spokeswoman, who argued that colonisation had a “positive impact” on Australia, citing running water and readily available food.

“I drink from a bubbler and I give thanks for running water, that’s the measure of history, we have running water now,” Grant said sarcastically.

“Thank you colonisation”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/evil-stan-grant-breaks-silence-on-failed-voice-to-parliament-referendum/news-story/6a705c46a57ba2886abbeb05f1bb60d5

>>19822566

>>19835781

‘Cold heart’: Stan Grant unloads over No vote

Journalist Stan Grant has taken a veiled swipe at “devastatingly convincing” Senator Jacinta Price in a scathing response to Australia’s referendum result.

Samantha Maiden - October 31, 2023

Journalist and academic Stan Grant has taken a veiled swipe at Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and slammed Australia as “a cold-hearted no of a country so comfortable it need not care” over the referendum result.

In a speech at the ANU’s Crawford Leadership Forum on Monday night, the Wiradjuri man suggested that the strategy championed by Anthony Albanese to say the Voice did not deliver radical change was part of the problem.

“In the consultants’ suites and the lawyers’ dens, it was determined that if the voice was made so inoffensive people may say yes. Instead it was so inoffensive people found it so easy to say no,’’ Professor Grant said on Monday night.

“The voice was never a modest ask, it was monumental. Perhaps this was the opportunity lost by the yes campaign, to not let the voice truly speak.”

In his speech, titled The witness of poetry: how history is too heavy for democracy, he said the result left him in despair on the morning after the result.

“Our nation is set in stone: one word, no. Whatever hope there may be for a different Australia, I likely won’t live to see it,” he said.

“This morning I am hearing that word: no. That word without love. That word of rejection. That word from which no other word can come. This morning in the darkness I am hearing the cold-hearted no of a country so comfortable it need not care.”

Professor Grant said he felt closer to his black grandfather than his white grandmother on October 14.

“That’s what this vote has done, this is its cruelty: it has robbed me of you. Australia has decided who we are. It has reminded me of the space between us,” he said.

“The weary leaders will now return to the flinty ground of Indigenous suffering in Australia. They will chip away with what tools they have. God bless them.”

Professor Grant said he was sick of being portrayed as a troublemaker for raising important issues.

“We who dare to speak of justice or racism, we are cast as the provocateurs. We are the troublemakers. We are the truth that dare not speak its name,” he said.

“Better we speak of fairness or equality or unity. Emaciated words starved of truth.”

Professor Grant does not refer by name to No campaigners including Warren Mundine and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price but does criticise those that say the no vote “puts an end to the politics of grievance”

“And in a pithy, media tested, inane sentence the hurt of my parents, my grandparents, the early deaths, the youth suicides, the lives lost to imprisonment, the snotty noses, itchy skin, and dazed look of another generation of inherited trauma – the solemn truth of what a nation has done to the First People – is waved away as mere contrivance. A collective gripe,” Professor Grant said.

“But the politician is so devastatingly convincing. The politician has no tolerance for history, pain is negated by progress.”

“I drink from a bubbler and I give thanks for running water. That’s the measure of history, we have running water now. Thank you colonisation.”

Ultimately, he suggested it was a missed opportunity.

“The voice, to me, was never about resentment. It was never about identity … But Australia would not shoulder that load. Instead we got a lecture about unity. Those who own history, claimed for themselves history’s final word: no,” he said.

“A nation is not written in a constitution, it is written in the heart. And our constitution was not big enough for our call from the heart,” he said.

“This is the Australia I bequeath to my children. Like all orphans they will have their memories and however pained they may be, they can never be reconciled. My dead: black and white – my ancestors – lie restless in this land.

“We have laid the sod over them, sealed them in. I thought in me they may be able to speak, that those two sides of me might find a common voice. “But we said no to that. My country has buried my ancestors for a second time.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/cold-heart-stan-grant-unloads-over-no-vote/news-story/ff34b502b2848a7170d02b8a5d707664

>>19822566

>>19835781

Stan Grant laments Indigenous voice to parliament referendum defeat: ‘People found it easy to say No’

ROSIE LEWIS - OCTOBER 31, 2023

Journalist Stan Grant has ­rebutted the suggestion by Yes campaigners the Indigenous voice to parliament was a ­“modest” ask, declaring it was ­actually “monumental” as he blasted the No vote at the ­referendum.

In an emotive speech delivered in Canberra on Monday night as part of the ANU’s Crawford Leadership Forum, the Wiradjuri man and ex-ABC presenter said the referendum’s failure meant Australians had lost a voice through which to speak to each other.

“The voice was never a modest ask, it was monumental,” Grant said, according to a pre-released copy of his speech.

“Perhaps this was the opportunity lost by the Yes campaign, to not let the voice truly speak. Instead it was shushed, shrunk small enough to fit into politics.

“In the consultants’ suites and the lawyers’ dens, it was determined that if the voice was made so inoffensive people may say Yes.

“Instead, it was so inoffensive people found it so easy to say No.

“The Constitution is not our problem. Our conscience is our problem.

“The Constitution does its job. It is an invisible hand and that’s how Australians like it.

“A nation is not written in a Constitution, it is written in the heart. And our Constitution was not big enough for our call from the heart.”

Supporters of the voice, including Anthony Albanese, repeatedly said the change to the Constitution was a modest request from Indigenous Australians for recognition and to be listened to.

Grant, who has been ­appointed Monash University’s inaugural director of the Constructive Institute Asia Pacific after he quit the ABC, also ­revealed during the oration that as he watched the votes being tallied on referendum night he heard “nothing that does not make me feel sore”.

He has admitted to describing Australia as “mean” during a recent trip to Europe and criticised No campaign slogan “if you don’t know, vote No”.

“Our nation is set in stone: one word, ‘No’. Whatever hope there may be for a different Australia, I likely won’t live to see it,” he said at Canberra’s Hyatt Hotel.

“This is the Australia I bequeath to my children. Like all orphans they will have their memories and however pained they may be, they can never be reconciled. My dead: black and white – my ancestors – lie restless in this land.

“We have laid the sod over them, sealed them in. I thought in me they may be able to speak, that those two sides of me might find a common voice. “But we said no to that. My country has buried my ancestors for a second time.”

Grant reflected on the “evil” of Australia’s past and questioned if history was over while also referencing German philosopher Theodor Adorno’s famous phrase “to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric”.

Comparing the voice to “a thing of poetry” and labelling the referendum outcome “a judgment on me and all the others like me”, Grant said he felt closer to his black grandfather than his white grandmother on October 14.

“That’s what this vote has done, this is its cruelty: it has robbed me of you. Australia has decided who we are. It has reminded me of the space between us,” he said.

“The weary leaders will now return to the flinty ground of Indigenous suffering in Australia. They will chip away with what tools they have. God bless them.”

Aboriginal author Jackie Huggins also said during the ­referendum campaign Australians would cast their vote based on “what people think of us”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/indigenous/stan-grant-laments-the-voice-referendum-no-vote-in-anu-jg-crawford-oration/news-story/305e13ce4f66dec9eaaffb2556c01933

>>19712663 (pb)

>>19720309 (pb)

Detained Australian Yang Hengjun’s sons’ plea for Anthony Albanese to save their dad

BEN PACKHAM - NOVEMBER 1, 2023

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Detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun’s sons have pleaded with Anthony Albanese to make it clear before he travels to China on Saturday that there will be no stabilisation of the countries’ fractured relationship until their father is released.

Their appeal, in a five-page letter to the Prime Minister, says Dr Yang’s health has “rapidly declined” in recent weeks, and he risks dying from “calculated medical neglect”.

It comes amid calls by Australian Uighur, Tibetan and Hong Kong communities for Mr Albanese to speak out publicly against China’s “crimes against humanity” during his November 4-7 visit to Shanghai and Beijing.

The Australian can reveal Mr Albanese will be accompanied by Penny Wong on the Beijing leg of his trip, and the Foreign Minister will sit in on his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday vowed to raise Dr Yang’s case with China’s leaders and press the need for Beijing to abide by international laws, particularly in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels are harassing rival territorial claimants including The Philippines.

Dr Yang’s sons said they were inspired by Australian journalist Cheng Lei’s release by Chinese authorities more than a fortnight ago, and hoped the Prime Minister and his team could “achieve a second miracle by saving our father”.

Their letter, dated October 28, includes notes by Australian officials who were allowed to see Dr Yang in detention last week, revealing the dissident writer was now largely bedridden, and struggling to walk 4m from his cell bed to the toilet.

“The risk of our father being left to die from calculated medical neglect is clear to anyone who has read Wednesday’s consular report,” they said. “We request that you do all in your power to save our father’s life and return him immediately to family and freedom in Australia.”

Dr Yang’s sons, who asked not to be identified, urged Mr Albanese to “act now, in this narrow window of opportunity prior to your departure”, to convey that their father’s release is crucial to improving bilateral ties.

“We ask that you make clear that it is not possible to stabilise the bilateral relationship with a government that is holding an Australian citizen just a few kilometres south of where you will be hosted,” they said. Australian embassy officials said in their latest report on Dr Yang, previously diagnosed with a 10cm cyst on a kidney, that he “looked pale and had lost weight”. He told them: “I’m sick, I’m weak, I’m dying.”

(continued)

>>19841244

2/2

Dr Yang, who has been charged for alleged espionage offences without an official verdict against him, has now been detained by Chinese authorities for four years and nine months.

His sons described him as “an extraordinary father” and “a proud Australian who loves this country and all it has given us”.

Dr Yang’s doctoral supervisor, Chongyi Feng, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney, said Mr Albanese’s visit provided “a rare chance” to save his friend, urging the Prime Minister to prioritise his release over repairing the countries’ trade ties.

“It’s morally indefensible to put short-term commercial interests ahead of safety and human rights of Australian citizens and fully normalise relations with China when the (Chinese Communist Party) keeps Yang as a hostage,”

Australian authorities always believed Dr Yang’s case would be a tougher one to resolve than that of Ms Cheng, as he is believed to have once worked for China’s main intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security.

Mr Albanese said on Tuesday: “Each case is different, but each case is important. And we will continue to raise these issues and continue to raise Australia's national interest.”

Australian Uighur community activist Ramila Chanisheff also warned Mr Albanese to put human rights first in his talks with President Xi and Premier Li, amid the ongoing detention of an estimated one million Turkic-speaking Muslims in re-education camps in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang.

“The Chinese government is committing crimes against humanity against Uighurs, including the forcible removal of Uighur children into Chinese boarding schools, whose parents are in exile or interned and detained,” she said. “Trade must not trump human rights abuses during the Prime Minister’s visit to China.”

Australian Tibetan community spokesman Tsewang Thupten said Mr Albanese “can no longer ignore the fact that Australia’s economic partnership aids in normalising China’s egregious human rights abuses in Tibet, where nearly a million Tibetan children have been forcibly separated from their families”.

The Prime Minister confirmed he would raise human rights issues during the trip, and “the importance of the rite of passage” in the South China Sea.

He also emphasised the economic importance of the trip following years of Chinese trade bans on Australian products, noting “one in four of Australia’s export dollars is dependent upon the China relationship”.

Labor has worked to take the heat out of the Australia-China relationship through painstaking diplomacy and cautious public statements, after tensions flared under the Turnbull and Morrison governments, sparking a three-year campaign of economic coercion by Beijing.

Mr Albanese said the China visit was in itself a positive thing, as he lauded “real breakthroughs” in Australia-China relations.

“We have different political systems, of course, and different values, but it always makes sense to have dialogue and to be talking,” he told ABC radio.

But Scott Morrison urged caution, warning China was likely to “misuse” the visit to bolster international support for its foreign policy.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/detained-australian-yang-hengjuns-sons-plea-for-anthony-albanese-to-save-their-dad/news-story/49c0482cd070757d02c114ef5e53a830

>>19841244

Two brothers are hoping for another Australian ‘miracle’ in Beijing

Eryk Bagshaw - November 1, 2023

Yang Hengjun has two gaps in his Beijing prison cell through which he interacts with the outside world.

One is where his food comes in. The other is where it goes out.

The father, writer, and pro-democracy agitator has spent four years pacing the 11 steps that make up this dungeon of a cell. He has rarely been able to read books or write letters home.

Occasionally, some rays of sunlight might flicker through a glass pane, but he has not felt the direct heat of sunlight in years.

Last month, Yang’s family watched on as fellow Australian Cheng Lei was released from jail in China.

“We have been inspired by the wonderful news of Cheng Lei’s release and return to Melbourne after three years in detention,” Yang’s two sons said in a letter to Anthony Albanese released on Wednesday ahead of the prime minister’s arrival in China this weekend.

“We hope that you, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Ambassador Graham Fletcher can achieve a second miracle by saving our father, who has now spent four years and nine months in detention.”

After years of torture and isolation, Yang’s family is no closer to finding out why the 57-year-old is in jail. In Cheng’s case, the national security charges of espionage were vague. She was detained for three years because she broke a media embargo by just a few minutes.

Yang and his supporters claim he is the victim of political persecution for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government.

The University of Technology PhD graduate was detained in 2019 as relations between Australia and China began their spiral into a four-year freeze that is only now beginning to thaw.

Yang’s sons, who asked not to be identified, said their parents moved to Australia because they wanted them to be brought up in “the most beautiful country in the world, where the rule of law is strong and human rights are guaranteed”.

“But now he is without human rights, and his situation is critical,” they said.

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs officials on consular visits have reported that Yang’s health has rapidly declined in the past four weeks, noting he now has trouble standing and that he had collapsed several times.

Chinese medical officials have identified a kidney cyst, but his family worries it is being left untreated.

“The risk of being left to die from medical maltreatment is especially clear to our father because he has seen it happen to his friends,” Yang’s sons wrote.

Dozens of political prisoners have died in Chinese jails in the past few decades after being denied treatment for curable diseases.

Yang’s sons urged Albanese to do everything he could while he was in Beijing to get Yang out of jail.

“We ask that you make clear that it is not possible to stabilise the bilateral relationship with a government that is holding an Australian citizen just a few kilometres south of where you will be hosted,” they said.

Wong said it was clear from the letter that Yang had a strong love for his country and was greatly missed by his sons.

“Since Dr Yang was detained, the Australian government has called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be afforded to Dr Yang, including medical treatment, in accordance with international norms and China’s legal obligations,” Wong said.

Yang’s memories have trickled back to him while he spends endless hours in the dark walking between the hole that makes up his toilet and the one that delivers his food.

“I remembered leaving my home in Sydney to go to China,” he said in one letter released from prison. “My youngest son, who was in junior high school, suddenly appeared on the balcony and pleaded, ‘Can you stay, Daddy?’”

It has been more than two years since Yang had his closed-door trial in Beijing. Any reprieve is unlikely to come during Albanese’s visit. In October, the deadline for that verdict was extended for another three months to January 9.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/with-cheng-lei-released-this-family-is-hoping-for-another-australian-miracle-in-beijing-20231031-p5egcp.html

>>19805233 (pb)

>>19805258 (pb)

Bruce Lehrmann fires back at Brittany Higgins after being named as Toowoomba rape accused

Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann says Brittany Higgins has a “total disregard” for how the justice system works and warned his team would be “considering their position’’ after she came out in support of a Queensland woman who has accused Mr Lehrmann of sexually assaulting her.

Mr Lehrmann, who was accused of raping Ms Higgins in Parliament House in 2021, was last week named as the “high-profile man” charged with the rape of a young woman he met in a Toowoomba strip club after the Supreme Court of Queensland lifted a suppression order that had protected his identity.

The 28-year-old woman alleges she Googled Ms Higgins’ rape case and recognised Mr Lehrmann as the person she had unprotected sex with her without consent in October 2021.

Mr Lehrmann had introduced himself as “Bryce” when they met at the club, she told police, which was just a few weeks after he first appeared in court over allegations he raped Ms Higgins.

She said they had consensual sex the night they met but claims he failed to wear a condom without the permission when they had sex twice the next morning, which is considered sexual assault under Queensland law.

He is expected to plead not guilty to the charges.

Following the lifting of a non-publication order on the Toowoomba case last week, Ms Higgins posted on social media last saying her “heart broke” for the young woman at the centre of it.

“When I first found out about the alleged assault my heart broke for you,” she wrote on Instagram.

“To know that this has allegedly taken place while he was out on bail in 2021 is devastating. I note the fact you’ve decided to come forward despite seeing the horrific championing of this individual in the media all year. I am so, so sorry this allegedly happened to you.”

Ms Higgins clarified Mr Lehrmann was “charged with two counts of raping a woman in October 2021, with the case working its way through early committal proceedings at Toowoomba magistrates court since January”.

“He has not yet been committed to stand trial,” she wrote.

Ahead of a court mention for the Toowoomba matter on Wednesday, Mr Lehrmann put out a statement lashing Ms Higgins for her comments.

“The non-publication order we sought unsuccessfully last week would have ensured the subsequent prejudicial and often inaccurate reporting would not have occurred,” he said in the statement.

“In particular we have seen Ms Brittany Higgins blatantly prejudice a person’s right to a fair trial with a total disregard for how our justice system rightly operates with the presumption of innocence at its core.

“Her statement was public and widely reported.

“As such my team will be considering our position and the relief the justice system rightly has available to us now.

“The recent ACT Criminal Justice Inquiry and its findings should not be forgotten. The only verdict of any substance that’s been handed down this year was that of Mr Sofronoff’s condemnation of the behaviour of the DPP and Mr Shane Drumgold,” he said.

He was not be required to appear at court on Wednesday, but his lawyers were granted a six week adjournment to review hundreds of files from the alleged victim’s phone.

The prosecution and media outlets, including The Australian, fought in court to remove the non-publication order, arguing that it went against the principles of open justice and that Mr Lehrmann had no automatic protection under the new laws.

Mr Lehrmann’s barrister, Andrew Hoare, argued that his client had experienced suicidal ideation during the past two years and was at risk of “catastrophic” self-harm, including suicide, if the non-publication order was lifted.

The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions dropped charges against Mr Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Ms Higgins in Parliament House ahead of a potential retrial last year. A juror in the first trial was found to have brought outside material into the jury room and the matter had to be aborted.

He denies he and Ms Higgins ever had sex.

An inquiry ACT Criminal Justice Inquiry into the handling of Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial found that Mr Drumgold had lost objectivity during the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins and “did not act with fairness and detachment as was required by his role”.

Mr Drumgold then announced his resignation as DPP and conceded he made mistakes in his prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins but rejected the key findings of the inquiry that he had lied to the Supreme Court and engaged in serious malpractice and grossly unethical conduct.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bruce-lehrmann-fires-back-at-brittany-higgins-after-being-named-as-toowoomba-rape-accused/news-story/5133bc33d4902ec7b7cba261193875e1

ACT’s ‘liberal’ voluntary assisted dying bill to reject death time frames

RHIANNON DOWN - OCTOBER 31, 2023

The ACT is set to introduce the most liberal euthanasia laws in Australia, with no need for a predicted time of death for terminally ill patients to access the scheme, which will also be available to residents in nearby towns in NSW with “links” to the nation’s capital.

Former ALP candidate and anti-euthanasia advocate Brendan Long told The Australian he understands the Labor-Greens cabinet had endorsed what will be the Territory’s first assisted suicide legislation, due to be introduced in the ACT parliament on Tuesday.

Dr Long said the laws would buck the trend of other Australian jurisdictions by not requiring doctors to give patients a life expectancy timeline of six to 12 months to be eligible for an assisted death.

He said the Barr government’s ­assisted suicide program will also be accessible to people with a link to the ACT, including residents of nearby NSW towns such as Queanbeyan.

A spokeswoman for the ACT government confirmed the legislation would be tabled in the Territory parliament on Tuesday, but would not comment on its details.

Terminally ill people in Queensland are able to access ­assisted suicide if doctors say they have fewer than 12 months to live, and the time frame is six months in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW, South Australia and Western Australia.

The ACT was given the green light to legalise euthanasia in 2022, after federal parliament repealed 25-year-old laws banning Territory governments from implementing assisted suicide schemes.

ACT Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne told The Australian in June she was considering allowing teenagers as young as 14 to access the euthanasia scheme. The controversial push to allow minors to access assisted suicide was later abandoned.

However, the Barr government has committed to investigating how terminally ill minors and people with dementia could be included in the euthanasia framework in the future.

Dr Long, a senior research fellow at Charles Sturt University’s Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, said the model would be the most “liberal” in Australia and warned the removal of all life expectancy requirements would open the gates to “state-sponsored suicide”.

“The government will have to be open to amendments to tighten this scheme or it will simply become a vehicle for people accessing state-sponsored suicide rather than a compassionate approach to end-of-life care,” he said. “The problem also exists that people will be able to shop between jurisdictions that are most favourable to them, and a real risk people from NSW who may not fit the test in that state will travel to Canberra to end their lives – so-called suicide tourism.”

Dr Long’s comments were made in his personal capacity and do not represent his employer.

Ms Cheyne, who led development of the legislation, previously described the requirement for patients to have a prognosis of six to 12 months to live as “arbitrary”, and community feedback had been overwhelmingly that the age limit of 18 was “considered to be an arbitrary limit”.

“Certainly, what we have heard loud and clear is that a time frame to death that has been applied in Victoria, and in all of the ensuing states of being 12 or six months, and that being the prognosis to death, has been problematic within the states,” she told The Australian in June.

“There are some people who do receive a terminally ill ­diagnosis, but it may be several years until they are given a ­prognosis that they have less than 12 months or less than six months to live.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/acts-liberal-voluntary-assisted-dying-bill-to-reject-death-time-frames/news-story/e5c2d6eae6f5f88803aecfc69635ecba

>>19841272

ACT euthanasia laws to give nurses green light to discuss assisted suicide with patients

RHIANNON DOWN and ROSIE LEWIS - NOVEMBER 1, 2023

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Nurses, social workers and counsellors will for the first time be able to initiate discussions about voluntary assisted dying as an option for terminally ill people in the ACT, under what will be the most liberal framework in the country if enshrined into law.

The legislation, which the Labor-Greens government introduced to the ACT parliament on Tuesday, also elevates the position of nurses to play a role in conducting assessments of a patient’s eligibility and administering the life-ending medication.

In another unprecedented move, the bill departs from the rules in other jurisdictions by allowing patients to access assisted suicide without having a predicted time of death of 12 months or less.

Terminally ill people are able to access ­assisted suicide if doctors say they have fewer than six months to live in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW, South Australia and Western Australia, or 12 months in Queensland.

Canberrans will need to have been diagnosed with a condition that is “advanced, progressive and expected to cause death”, be enduring intolerable suffering and to have lived in the ACT for a year or be able to demonstrate a “substantial connection” to the territory to access the scheme.

They will also be required to be at least 18-years-old, after the ACT government shelved a proposal to abandon the “arbitrary” age cap in place in other jurisdictions by opening the scheme to minors.

A disability, mental disorder or mental illness alone is not a relevant condition in order to qualify, as in other states.

The ACT was given the green light to legalise euthanasia last year when federal parliament overturned laws banning territory governments from implementing euthanasia, which had been in place for more than two decades.

ACT Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne, who took carriage of the reforms, said the legislation protected the “autonomy and dignity” of Canberrans enduring intense suffering at the end of their lives.

“We have consulted widely in developing our evidence-based model, which responds to the known issues in other jurisdictions and reflects the ACT’s unique circumstances, together with the Canberra community’s views,” she said.

“This is a historic day for Canberrans. With so many in the community supporting voluntary assisted dying, I am proud to have delivered this reform within a year of our Territory rights being restored.”

The Barr government has the numbers to pass the legislation through the legislative assembly unamended.

ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said the Canberra Liberals would have a conscience vote on the laws, after it is reviewed by a committee of Legislative Assembly Members.

Ms Lee said the suggestion health professionals other than doctors could initiate conversations about assisted dying “raises some alarm bells”, as well as the rejection of any “time frame in relation to death”.

Medical oncologist Cameron McLaren, who is the inaugural president of Voluntary Assisted Dying Australia and New Zealand, said doctors in Western Australia, Queensland, NSW and Tasmania could already initiate discussions about euthanasia as part of a broader conversation about a person‘s treatment and palliative care options.

But the ACT‘s legislation marked the first time nurses, social workers and counsellors could also start those discussions.

“This goes a step further to ensure patients are aware of their options. I don’t see that as a deficit or weakness, I see that as a strength,” Dr McLaren said.

“A lot of people have intimate discussions with nurses and other allied health team members such as social workers. It’s not uncommon for social workers to come to doctors to say ‘we had a discussion about this, this is what they told me they want’. They’re often positioned really well to have these discussions.”

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Dr McLaren was critical of the so-called gag clause in jurisdictions like Victoria, where doctors aren’t allowed to initiate conversations about VAD.

“It’s like telling people who have heart disease, ‘I can talk to you about stents but unless you initiate it I can’t talk to you about surgery’. It doesn’t lend itself to fully informed consent. We think what’s appropriate to discuss with a patient should be left out of legislation and entrusted to the people who know the patients the best; their doctor, and their multidisciplinary treatment team,” he said.

The ACT legislation specifies that health professionals including social workers and counsellors will be able to “initiate a conversation about voluntary assisted dying” if the individual has a terminal condition, inform the patient of palliative care options and ensure they discuss the options with their doctor.

Doctors and nurse practitioners can discuss assisted suicide as an option if they are satisfied they have the expertise to raise palliative care and other treatment options.

However, a patient must make their first official request to access VAD to a health practitioner, a doctor or nurse practitioner, in writing or orally.

Queensland University of Technology expert on end-of-life law Ben White said he supported provisions in the bill that empowered nurse practitioners to assess patient’s eligibility for the scheme, saying that it balanced “safety with accessibility”.

“One sensible change is allowing one of the practitioners assessing eligibility to be a nurse practitioner, considering the challenges in other states where there have been difficulties finding willing doctors,” Professor White said.

“Nurse practitioners are a trusted group of practitioners; we trust them in other end of life settings, and it‘s safeguarded in the legislation that if they’re not sure if someone is eligible they have to refer it to someone else.”

Nurses already play a role in administering voluntary assisted dying schemes in WA, Tasmania, Queensland and NSW once its active on November 28.

Go Gentle Australia chief executive Linda Swan also said she welcomed the elevated role of nurse practitioners within the scheme.

“Nurse practitioners are highly experienced and autonomous healthcare professionals. We are confident their role alongside doctors will help improve access to VAD in the ACT,” she said.

Dr McLaren, who consulted the ACT government on its proposed reforms, was particularly supportive of the territory removing the prognosis guidelines where a patient’s relevant condition must be expected to cause their death within six or 12 months to access euthanasia.

“It’s hard to tell someone you haven’t suffered for long enough. We’re very supportive of the removal of prognostic requirements, it’s more based around suffering and patient autonomy,” Dr McLaren said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/act-gives-nurses-and-social-workers-green-light-to-initiate-euthanasia-discussions/news-story/e961b85cc2bebeccff21e9b6cac6982a

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Israel-Gaza war: anti-Semitism creating ‘palpable fear’ in Victorian Jewish community

TESS MCCRACKEN and TRICIA RIVERA - OCTOBER 31, 2023

As anti-Semitic behaviour continues across Australia, Jewish leaders say there is “palpable fear” within Victoria’s Jewish community.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said the rise in anti-Semitic violence was increasingly “troubling” for the community.

“In light of the skyrocketing anti-Semitism spreading like wildfire since the Israel-Hamas war, there is palpable fear in the Jewish community that feels under siege, especially when Jewish scrolls posted on doors are being ripped off, homes and cars with Israeli flags are being vandalised, posters comparing Israel to Nazi Germany are paraded in the streets, and Jewish businesses are singled out for stomach-churning intimidation,” Dr Abramovich told The Australian.

“The sickening reality is that we are getting very close to a point where many young Australians will be hiding their Jewishness and support for Israel, knowing that this may lead to them being viciously attacked and dehumanised. Words matter.

“I have been contacted by concerned Jewish parents who are worried whether their kids are safe walking the streets and whether they will (be) verbally and physically abused if they have Star of David necklaces or anything with Hebrew writing.

“We need our elected (representatives), federal, state and local, CEOs of companies, public figures, sports people to come out and say, this is unacceptable, anti-Semitism is wrong and not who we are as people. If they do not, history will judge them harshly.”

Speaking to The Australian under the terms of anonymity, a Victorian Jewish school principal said parents in the school community were worried about student safety and the school had increased security measures.

“We are not aware of parents keeping children home from school,” he said. “Parents are very nervous about their children’s safety in the streets.

“We have increased our level of security, but we are always secure.”

The Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory said he was aware of students in Sydney and Melbourne being kept home from school.

“There have been several incidents of anti-Semitic bullying at public and private schools and I am aware of parents at public schools who have kept their children home on certain days,” Mr Gregory said.

“There is no question that there are people who now live in Australia who want to hurt us.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/israelgaza-war-antisemitism-creating-palpable-fear-in-victorian-jewish-community/news-story/10b06881ed803de8ae4fd0408f62f6d7

Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika wins High Court bid to restore his Australian citizenship

Patrick Bell and Tahlia Roy - 1 November 2023

One of Australia's most notorious convicted terrorists, Abdul Nacer Benbrika, will have his citizenship restored after the High Court ruled against its cancellation.

In 2008, Benbrika was found guilty of leading a terror cell that plotted to blow up Australian landmarks.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but remained in custody on a continuing detention order.

Later, in 2020, former home affairs minister Peter Dutton cancelled his citizenship.

Benbrika challenged the validity of the part of the citizenship act which allowed his Australian citizenship to be stripped.

In a 6-1 split, the High Court today found the law was invalid, restoring Benbrika's Australian citizenship.

"The Commonwealth parliament cannot repose in any officer of the Commonwealth executive any function of sentencing persons convicted … of offences against Commonwealth laws," the judgement read.

"Nor can the Commonwealth parliament vest in any officer of the Commonwealth executive any power to impose additional or further punishment."

Had Benbrika lost the case, he would have likely faced deportation.

Benbrika's continuing detention order in a Victorian prison expires shortly before Christmas.

A Victorian judge has reserved her decision on whether to extend the order, or release him on a supervision order.

PM seeks advice, opposition calls for continued detention

Speaking shortly after the ruling, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would seek advice on any implications of the decision.

"We will examine the ruling and respond appropriately," Mr Albanese said.

"Quite clearly there was an issue with the former government's legislation, which is what this ruling relates to.

"When it comes to the legal consequences, we will seek advice for the ruling and respond appropriately," he added.

Asked whether the ruling demonstrated overreach by the former government, opposition spokesman Simon Birmingham defended the Coalition's actions and urged the Albanese government to consider "whatever means are necessary" to ensure Benbrika would not pose a risk to the community.

"As a Coalition government, we sought to take every possible step to ensure that Mr Benbrika, as a convicted terrorist, posed no future threat to Australians," Senator Birmingham said.

"The government, having received this High Court action, needs to act with urgency to ensure Mr Benbrika can pose no threat to Australia, to ensure his continued detention, and look at whatever means are necessary to keep Australians safe."

Senator Birmingham pledged bipartisan cooperation on potential "actions that may be necessary legislatively or otherwise".

At the time, former home affairs minister Peter Dutton had described the now overruled decision as "appropriate".

"I cancelled the Australian citizenship of convicted terrorist Benbrika, [making him] the first individual to have lost citizenship onshore," Mr Dutton had said in 2020.

The ABC understands Benbrika is the only person this ruling is expected to affect.

In 2005, Benbrika was arrested, along with 16 other men, and charged with various offences.

He was later convicted of intentionally being a member of a terrorist organisation and intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organisation.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-01/terrorist-abdul-benbrika-citizenship-restored-in-high-court/103047952

https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/showCase/2023/HCA/33

https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/downloadPdf/2023/HCA/33

‘A slightly more dangerous place’: Australia is in its eighth COVID wave

Aisha Dow - November 1, 2023

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Australia is in the grip of an eighth COVID wave, but health officials remain confident in their decision to end the country’s emergency response, arguing the nation will now take a “new business as usual” approach.

Infectious disease experts and doctors say the pandemic has left the world with a new and nasty respiratory virus that will challenge health systems indefinitely. But they agree Australia is past the emergency phase, with the latest wave of infections predicted to be less severe than before.

The country’s chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, said when it recently became clear Australia was in another COVID-19 wave that he wondered whether it was the right time to end the classification of COVID as a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance (CDINS).

However, he said he and state chief health officers agreed they would go ahead and issue an October 20 statement heralding an end to the nation’s COVID-19 emergency response.

Kelly said Australia was now well protected by immunity built up through millions of vaccinations and previous infections, and could afford to shift to a “new business as usual” response to COVID.

“Each of the waves we’ve had this year have been less and less severe,” said the chief medical officer in an interview this week.

“There’s still a possibility that we could have a brand new variant of concern, but when we look at what’s happened since late 2021 when Omicron came into being … we’ve had literally hundreds of subvariants … of Omicron, but nothing’s really pushed ahead in a different way.”

Kelly said the end of the CDINS declaration would have no significant impact on the management of the disease in Australia, but the National Incident Centre in Canberra, which had been running since 2019 through a number of disasters, has been closed for the first time in more than four years.

From this month, national COVID data will be reported monthly rather than weekly.

There were 1239 Australians hospitalised with COVID-19 last Friday – the highest number since July, though well down on the earlier winter COVID wave, which peaked at 2771 hospitalisations in early June. Just over 3375 deaths were caused by COVID in the first nine months of this year in Australia, compared with 8622 over the same period in 2022, Australia’s deadliest pandemic year.

Professor James McCaw, one of Australia’s top pandemic advisers, said observers had seen the latest COVID wave coming for about a month.

He said it was not yet possible to predict when it would peak, noting that because it was rising slowly, it would also decrease slowly.

“We don’t expect notifications or, more importantly, hospital numbers to get too much higher or too high,” he said.

The mathematical biologist and epidemiologist said it was a sensible time for an official end to the emergency response, but said it was important that Australia maintained its pandemic improvements in monitoring infection spread, and expand them to other pathogens such as the flu.

“The sad, unavoidable fact is the world is now a slightly more dangerous place because not only is influenza circulating, but so is SARS-COV-2,” he said.

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GP registrar Dr Ashley Van Leeuwestyn, who works on the NSW Central Coast, said she started noticing an uptick in COVID diagnoses about three or four weeks ago.

It was being detected in patients of all ages, she said, but the hardest hit were older people with respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A small number have required hospitalisation for oxygen and other support.

Van Leeuwestyn said many patients think COVID is “gone”. In reality, it’s one of the key conditions she is considering when people see her with a range of different symptoms, from fevers to gastrointestinal upset.

“It’s a new normal,” she said. “A couple of years ago, we didn’t know anything about it … now it’s a big part of lots of presentations.”

McCaw stressed that the elderly and other vulnerable groups should be up to date with their booster vaccines.

It is a view shared by Kelly, who urged people not to wait for new vaccines to arrive.

“My clear message is, if you’re in those vulnerable groups, the best vaccine you can get is the one that’s available for you today,” he said.

The latest vaccine recommendation is for everyone aged 75 or older to receive a COVID booster if it has been more than six months since their last vaccination.

Those aged over 64 and younger adults who are severely immunocompromised should also have a discussion with their doctor about whether a booster might be suitable for them.

Kelly also said people in vulnerable groups should speak to their GPs about their plan to get oral antivirals immediately after they test positive to COVID (all those aged 70 or over are eligible for the medication, regardless of their risk factors).

This week, Melbourne GP Dr Vyom Sharma had his last shift at a general practice respiratory clinic that is no longer funded by government. He can’t remember the last time he sent a COVID-19 patient to hospital, but emphasised it remains a costly disease for many.

“We’ve just had some … quite robust research come out showing that the percentage of people who are getting long COVID is sitting at about 3 per cent,” he said.

Sharma was recently reinfected with COVID. He had to take four days off work. It meant patients at two aged care facilities could not be seen, and about 60 GP patients missed appointments.

The health commentator said he was seeing positive trends in people being allowed to work from home while sick, but stressed the importance of staying away from others when you have respiratory symptoms.

“I think that’s something we should absolutely retain and, frankly, [it] shouldn’t really take COVID to teach us that.”

Australian virologist Associate Professor Kirsty Short also caught COVID recently, for the first time.

“Any time I tried to do something, I would just get a fever … I’d hate to think what it would have been like if I hadn’t been vaccinated.”

Short said there was a hope early in the pandemic that COVID would quickly settle into a seasonal virus like influenza, where there was typically one large wave each year. Instead, the most recent pattern in Australia had been at least two waves every 12 months, peaking in winter and summer.

“I’m not sure we’ll fit that all into a seasonal pattern in the next year or so. I think that might take longer than that.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/a-slightly-more-dangerous-place-australia-is-in-its-eighth-covid-wave-20231030-p5eg5k.html

Catholic church loses landmark case over tactics that shield it from Australian abuse claims

Guardian investigation found the church routinely uses deaths of paedophile priests to avoid paying or to reduce amount of settlements

Christopher Knaus - 1 Nov 2023

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The Catholic church has lost a landmark case over its controversial use of the deaths of paedophile priests to thwart survivors’ attempts at justice.

The high court on Wednesday delivered a significant blow to the church’s use of permanent stays in historical abuse matters, where it has sought to argue that delay, the death of perpetrators, and the loss of records render it unable to receive a fair trial.

Earlier this year, a Guardian investigation found that the church was now routinely using permanent stays in cases where perpetrators have died, either to defeat active claims before the courts or to low-ball survivors in settlement negotiations.

The tactic is causing profound harm to an already vulnerable group.

Critics say it is also immoral, given the church’s own role in delaying justice for decades, which included hiding abuse complaints from law enforcement and destroying or deliberately not keeping records.

Survivor groups argue the approach is at odds with the intent of Australian parliaments, which all removed time limits on bringing civil claims in recognition of the significant barriers to survivors coming forward.

One survivor, known as GLJ, whose case for compensation was permanently stayed, asked the high court to intervene and allow her case to proceed. GLJ alleges she was abused as a 14-year-old by Lismore priest Father Clarence Anderson.

Anderson died in 1996, well before GLJ’s complaint, and the Lismore diocese argued it was put in an unfair position, unable to properly investigate the allegation or mount a defence. The church says it was left “utterly in the dark” on whether the abuse occurred.

But GLJ’s lawyers say the church had held evidence about his abuse of other children from 1971, the year of his defrocking, and had ample opportunity to investigate his conduct more broadly in the 25 years prior to his death. Instead, it did nothing, her lawyers say.

The high court on Wednesday ruled in GLJ’s favour, saying permanent stays should only be granted in “exceptional” cases.

In their decision, chief justice Susan Kiefel and justices Stephen Gageler and Jayne Jagot said any other use of stays would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

“If a court refuses to exercise its jurisdiction to hear and decide cases in other than exceptional circumstances and as a last resort to protect the administration of justice through the operation of the adversarial system, that refusal itself will both work injustice and bring the administration of justice into disrepute,” they wrote.

The judges also said reforms removing time limits on survivors’ claims had changed the legal context.

“In this new legal context, the Diocese’s contention that any trial of the proceedings would be necessarily unfair must be rejected,” they wrote. “As the Diocese acknowledged that its case for a permanent stay for abuse of process was based only on necessary unfairness of a trial and not undue oppression or unfairness otherwise, no permanent stay is justified. The proceedings must go to trial.”

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GLJ’s lawyers, Ken Cush and Associates, say their client is relieved and delighted at the outcome.

“GLJ hopes this landmark decision will also be able to help others right across Australia to bring their claims before courts despite the Catholic church again seeking to mount technical legal defences to their claims,” the firm said in a statement.

“GLJ is hopeful that this decision combined with the learnings and recommendations from $343,000,000 Royal Commission about the damage done by childhood sexual abuse will mean the Catholic church will take this opportunity to reflect on the morality of its continuing to mount these technical legal defences.”

Documents before NSW courts make it clear the church knew Anderson was abusing boys at least four years before GLJ’s alleged assault. It did not remove him from the clergy and instead shuffled 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.”

Survivors take an average of 22 years to come forward, according to the child abuse royal commission, and GLJ’s lawyers argued that made the loss of evidence and the deaths of perpetrators common.

Perry Herzfeld SC told the high court earlier this year that meant there needed to be a greater tolerance for the loss of evidentiary records in historical abuse cases, or the use of permanent stays would become routine, rather than exceptional.

“The inevitability of the long passage of time and the inevitability of the impoverishment of the evidentiary record means that one has to approach these applications with a greater tolerance for that,” he said.

The decision will be welcomed by survivors and advocates for reform.

Various jurisdictions, including New South Wales, where the use of stays is most prevalent, have been awaiting the outcome of the GLJ case before responding to calls for legislative change.

The Australian Lawyers Alliance has already met with the NSW attorney general to lobby for limits to be placed on the use of stays in historical abuse cases.

“In general these institutions have taken great care not to take records or to make sure that records go missing. In particular, some of them have kept no proper records of complaints made in respect of particular abusers,” Dr Andrew Morrison KC, ALA spokesperson, said in June. “So it’s a disgraceful situation that they should be able to take advantage of that to avoid proper compensation.”

• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International.

https://kidshelpline.com.au/

https://bravehearts.org.au/

https://blueknot.org.au/

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/

https://napac.org.uk/

https://www.childhelphotline.org/

https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/child-helplines/child-helpline-network/

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/01/catholic-church-loses-landmark-case-death-of-paedophile-priests-historical-abuse-cases

https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/showCase/2023/HCA/32

https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/downloadPdf/2023/HCA/32

AFP blocks 10 child abuse websites using internet domain for Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Jane Murphy and Xander Sapsworth-Collis - 1 November 2023

Federal police have shut down a network of websites responsible for distributing hundreds of thousands of child abuse pictures and videos through an internet domain connected to a tiny island off the Australian coast.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has been working with the Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands to investigate websites using the personalised geographical domain .cc to distribute sexual abuse materials.

The .cc domain, which is geographically assigned to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and managed by a tech giant in the United States, has appeared on watchlists for child exploitation over the past decade.

But in a targeted crackdown, the AFP said it had identified and blocked 10 websites responsible for distributing almost 1 million child abuse pictures and videos.

Tens of thousands try to visit

AFP Acting Cybercrime Inspector Cody Nagel said since the sites were blocked in early October, tens of thousands of people had tried to visit them.

"There has been more than 60,000 attempts from over 176 countries to access this material," Inspector Nagel said.

"We have been logging all of this information and we have been working in collaboration with the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation."

The AFP said investigations into the sites' administrators, contributors and users continued, and it would provide the IP addresses and identities of people who had visited the sites to the law enforcement agencies in all relevant countries.

A take down notice issued by the AFP has been put on the blocked websites, where visitors can no longer access abuse material.

Shire CEO disgusted by crime

The Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands said it was a great outcome after many months of collaboration with the AFP and other agencies.

Chief executive Frank Mills said he was disgusted that the tropical islands' reputation had been marred by underbelly crime.

"It certainly paints an awful picture for the Cocos Keeling Islands and certainly the shire as the owner of the .cc domain," Mr Mills said.

"Cocos is a wonderful place and has pretty much zero crime.

"To have this awful blot is abhorrent, particularly for it to be related to child sex abuse material."

A history of domain misuse

Inspector Nagel said creators and administrators of child abuse websites often used foreign domains as it was cheaper.

"In this case cost is definitely a factor because .cc is one of the cheapest domains to register," he said.

AFP Acting Commander of Cybercrime Tim Stainton said Australian domain names should not be a safe haven for illegal content.

"These videos and images show real children being exploited, physically harmed and traumatised for the perverse gratification of offenders," Acting Commander Stainton said.

"Each time these files are shared it perpetuates the harm caused to these children."

The AFP, Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts and the domain administrator were involved in the months-long investigation.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the investigation was part of a broader mission to target child exploitation online.

"With our partners in law enforcement, we continue to chip away at one of he most distressing and abhorrent violations of human rights: the sexual abuse of children," she said.

"This challenge is of epic, global proportions, and I urge all Australians to help eradicate this content by reporting it to eSafety.gov.au. You can report anonymously and should only report the URL, rather than store or screenshot the illegal content."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-01/afp-child-abuse-websites-blocked-cocos-keeling-islands-domain/103002856

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/afp-blocks-10-child-abuse-websites-and-tracks-thousands-predators-who

https://www.esafety.gov.au/report