dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

2/2

However, many naval experts believe that by the late 2030s and ’40s, the Collins-class submarines, which were designed in the 1980s, would be sitting ducks for newer, more sophisticated submarines being built by China.

They also say it is unrealistic to expect that each Collins-class submarine can be refitted under the complex LOTE plan in just two years, leading to a likely slippage in the schedule.

The need to extend the life of the Collins-class submarines has become an urgent priority since the formation of the 2021 AUKUS pact in which the plan to acquire French Attack-class boats was scrapped in favour of acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered boats.

The three US built Virginia-class submarines under that deal are not due to arrive in Australia until 2032, 2035 and 2037.

They will be followed by the construction in Adelaide of the next generation British-designed SSN-AUKUS submarine, the first of which is not expected to be delivered until the early 2040s.

The prospects of slippage in the delivery dates of the Virginia-class and SSN-AUKUS is considered very high, given the complexities involved, making it even more essential that the LOTE program succeeds.

Although the AUKUS plan to acquire Virginia-class submarines from the US has received broadly bipartisan support in Washington, some Republicans have questioned whether the move would undermine US naval capability.

They point to the fact that the production of Virginia-class boats has fallen behind scheduled US navy targets even before the US sells any of its submarines to Australia.

The presumptive Republican nominee for president Donald Trump last week gave his strongest signal yet that he would back the AUKUS plan for Australia to acquire US submarines if he becomes president, telling former prime minister Scott Morrison in a meeting in New York that he believed AUKUS played a critical role in deterring China.

It was the first public comments made by Mr Trump in support of AUKUS, a three-nation pact that was jointly created by the administration of Mr Trump’s presidential rival, Joe Biden.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/new-report-warns-plan-to-extend-life-of-the-collins-class-submarine-is-a-high-risk-endeavour/news-story/69f0e57b018476401ee130b1c8b42265

https://www.asc.com.au/what-we-do/collins-life-of-type-extension-lote/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 20, 2024, 4:28 a.m. No.20890891 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3732

>>20686729 (pb)

>>20741593 (pb)

Chinese ambassador to New Zealand critical of AUKUS Pillar Two

1News Reporters - 20 May 2024

The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand has issued a stern warning over AUKUS as NZ explores the possibility of joining Pillar Two of the US-led security pact.

Speaking at the China Business Summit in Auckland today, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong spoke about China’s economic outlook and its trade relationship with New Zealand.

It comes as the Government considers joining AUKUS’s non-nuclear second pillar, which would move New Zealand further away from China – our biggest trade partner.

AUKUS is a deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States under which Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines for its defence force. The stated aim of Pillar Two is about sharing advanced technology, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The tech could also include drones or support systems for hypersonic weapons.

In his speech, Wang said China and New Zealand’s relationship was at a “critical juncture”.

“Profound changes are taking place both in the international environment and in our respective countries,” he said.

He was heavily critical of AUKUS and said it would only serve to heighten tensions in the region.

"The sole purpose of the second pillar is to serve and support nuclear-related military cooperation under the first pillar rather than being an innocent platform for technology sharing," he said.

"Many people in New Zealand and beyond believe that joining such an alliance in whatever form is indeed taking sides."

He said China respected the sovereignty of other nations, including the development of their foreign policy.

“Military alliances are better at winning wars rather than keeping the peace,” he cautioned.

“By binding others, and even entire regions, to the war chariot of countries seeking hegemony, military alliances tend to exacerbate confrontation and trigger, escalate, and expand the conflict rather than the contrary."

Wang criticised countries that see China as aggressive – and said it was only being “responsive” and “defensive” in the face of “provocations”.

“China is not a threat to New Zealand, rather, as has been pointed out by both the Prime Minister [Christopher Luxon] and Minister [Todd] McClay, China represents for New Zealand an opportunity and a mutually beneficial partner.”

He said the AUKUS alliance was less about sharing technology and more about supporting a nuclear standoff in the region, but it was ultimately "up to New Zealand" as to what happens next.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said there were "powerful reasons" for New Zealand to join Pillar Two of AUKUS as he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month.

But Peters later said in a speech that the Government was still a "long way from this point of being able to make a decision".

Wang also talked about China's economy and said it was an “important powerhouse” driving global growth “for many years to come”.

He said the growth comes as the West attempts to put pressure on its economy.

“Despite the constant technological blockades, embargoes and protectionist measures levelled against Chinese companies by the US-led efforts to erect ever higher walls around allegedly small yards that keep expanding."

Speaking about China’s economic outlook, Wang said: “Intriguingly, there are now, in some Anglo-Saxon media, two diametrically opposing narratives".

“One says that China has already peaked as an economy, and some nay-sayers even come to the conclusion that China is on the brink of imminent collapse.

“The other narrative says that the Chinese economy is so strong it threatens to flood the rest of the world market with its overcapacity."

He said: “By common sense, these two opposing narratives can’t also be right at the same time.

“They are, in fact, both wrong.”

Speaking to Q+A yesterday morning, Trade Minister Todd McClay said he wouldn't expect there to be any implications for New Zealand's trade with China if the Government were to sign up to AUKUS Pillar Two.

"I don't expect that there would be as long as we're open and talking about the reasons that we are doing these things," he replied.

"One of the most challenging things for any country, in the world, is when things happen as a surprise, and they don't understand."

https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/20/chinese-ambassador-to-nz-critical-of-aukus-pillar-two/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 20, 2024, 4:50 a.m. No.20890947 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0952

>>20686820 (pb)

Abuse victim sues parole board for letting paedophile priest Michael Glennon access children

Chip Le Grand - May 20, 2024

1/2

A man who says he was raped as a boy by paedophile priest Michael Glennon is suing Victoria’s parole board for failing to restrict Glennon’s access to children after his release from jail.

Lawyers involved in the Supreme Court case believe it is the first attempt in Victoria to extend culpability for historical clerical abuse beyond the Catholic Church to the government statutory body responsible for releasing convicted paedophiles into the community.

John Rule, a principal lawyer for Maurice Blackburn who specialises in abuse cases, said the church, the Adult Parole Board and the parole officer responsible for supervising Glennon had all failed to protect his client, who is suspected to have been one of dozens of children sexually abused by Glennon in the 1970s and ’80s at a youth camp near Lancefield.

“They knowingly and almost expressly allowed Glennon to work with the Peaceful Hand Youth Foundation while fully aware that he had been convicted of serious sexual offences against a child,” Rule said.

Glennon, one of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles, died 10 years ago while serving a jail sentence for child sex convictions and awaiting trial on further charges. Aside from the cynical nature of his repeated offending and legal manoeuvres to avoid judgment, he came to national prominence as the Catholic priest at the centre of a contempt case that landed broadcaster Derryn Hinch in jail.

Glennon is currently the subject of a separate damages claim before the Supreme Court in which two Aboriginal men are attempting to sue the Pope over Rome’s failure to defrock the paedophile priest despite successive Melbourne archbishops petitioning the Vatican to do so.

Pope Francis, in documents filed with the court, has flagged his intention to claim legal immunity from Australian laws as a foreign head of state. That case returns to court in August.

Monash University criminologist Arie Freiberg, the inaugural chair of Victoria’s Sentencing Advisory Council, which reviewed Victoria’s parole system, said there was a tension between the duty of care owed by the members of the parole board and the need to protect them from being sued for doing their job. “The liability of public authorities for negligence is a very complex area of law,” he said.

The closest precedent is a 30-year-old case in South Australia, where a finding of negligence was made against the state after a convicted paedophile raped a seven-year-old child while on parole. That decision was overturned on appeal by a full bench of the Supreme Court of South Australia.

The case against the parole board centres on allegations of sexual assault against Glennon that were never tried in criminal proceedings. The plaintiff, a sales manager in his 50s, said he was an adolescent when he attended Karaglen, a youth camp run by Glennon, an ordained priest and self-styled karate teacher.

In his statement of claim, the man said that in 1979, Glennon came to his tent in the middle of the night, sexually assaulted him and then led him into bushland, where he raped him. The man said Glennon told him the abuse was part of a “bravery test.” The man claimed that because of his ordeal, he dropped out of school and experienced life-long mental health disorders and substance abuse.

At the time of the alleged abuse, Glennon was on parole for a previous child sex conviction, having served 12 months of a two-year jail term for rape, attempted carnal knowledge and indecent assault of a girl.

(continued)

>>20890947

2/2

According to church documents referenced in the statement of claim, senior figures in the Melbourne Archdiocese knew of Glennon’s offending against children and that, upon his release from jail, he intended to continue his work with the Peaceful Hand Youth Foundation, which ran the Karaglen camp.

Despite Glennon’s parole officer also having a direct involvement with the youth foundation and knowledge of Glennon’s intention to keep working with children, neither the church nor the parole officer asked the parole board to make Glennon’s release from jail conditional on him staying away from children.

The plaintiff claims that both the parole board and the parole officer, who was employed by the Victorian government, were negligent in permitting Glennon to access children after his release.

The Adult Parole Board in 1979 was chaired by John Starke, a Victorian Supreme Court judge who died in 1994. Starke was best known for handing down the death sentence against Ronald Ryan, the last person hanged in Australia, despite the judge’s personal objection to capital punishment.

The board’s 1978-79 annual report shows that of 2,362 cases considered that financial year, 568 were released on parole.

A spokesperson for Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli declined to comment while the case was before the court.

The case is scheduled for mediation in October and trial in December.

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.theage.com.au/national/abuse-victim-sues-parole-board-for-letting-paedophile-priest-access-children-20240519-p5jert.html

ICC chief prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli PM and Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes

Reuters/AP/ABC - May 20, 2024

1/2

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) says he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over alleged war crimes.

ICC prosecutor Karim AA Khan KC has made applications for the warrants, claiming he has reasonable grounds to believe Mr Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant bear responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Israel-Gaza war.

Arrest warrants have also been sought for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Both Israel and Hamas have previously dismissed allegations of war crimes.

The prosecutor must request the warrants from a pre-trial panel of three judges, who take on average two months to consider the evidence and determine if the proceedings can move forward.

The allegations against Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant include bearing responsibility for starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, wilfully causing great suffering and wilful killing or murder as a war crime.

Speaking of the Israeli actions, Mr Khan said in a statement that "the effects of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, together with other attacks and collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza are acute, visible and widely known.

"They include malnutrition, dehydration, profound suffering and an increasing number of deaths among the Palestinian population, including babies, other children, and women."

Mr Netanyahu said the decision to seek an arrest warrant against him was absurd, and that the move was meant to target all of Israel.

"I reject with disgust the comparison of the prosecutor in the Hague between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas," Mr Netanyahu said.

"With what audacity do you compare Hamas that murdered, burned, butchered, decapitated, raped and kidnapped our brothers and sisters and the IDF soldiers fighting a just war?"

The Hamas leaders face allegations of bearing responsibility for crimes including extermination and murder, the taking of hostages, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence.

Of the Hamas actions in Israel on October 7, Karim Khan said that he saw for himself "the devastating scenes of these attacks and the profound impact of the unconscionable crimes charged in the applications filed today".

"Speaking with survivors, I heard how the love within a family, the deepest bonds between a parent and a child, were contorted to inflict unfathomable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme callousness. These acts demand accountability," he said.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the decision "equates the victim with the executioner".

He also said the move encouraged Israel to continue its "war of extermination" in Gaza.

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney served on a five-member expert panel that advised Mr Khan.

She said the panel had agreed unanimously there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that both the Hamas and Israeli leaders had committed war crimes, according to a statement.

Israel is not a member of the court, and even if the arrest warrants are issued, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant do not face any immediate risk of prosecution.

(continued)

2/2

Biden: 'What's happening in Gaza is not genocide'

US President Joe Biden strongly defended Israel on Monday, saying Israeli forces were not committing genocide in their military campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza.

"What's happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that," Mr Biden said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House.

Mr Biden has faced protests at many of his events around the country from pro-Palestinian advocates who have labelled him "Genocide Joe" for his steadfast support for Israel.

He said US support for the safety and security of Israelis was "ironclad."

"We stand with Israel to take out [Yahya] Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas. We want Hamas defeated. We're working with Israel to make that happen," he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the move could jeopardise efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.

The announcement by the ICC's top prosecutor deepens Israel's isolation as it presses ahead with its war, and the threat of arrest could make it difficult for the Israeli leaders to travel abroad.

Both Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri are believed to be hiding in Gaza as Israel tries to hunt them down.

However, Ismail Haniyeh — the supreme leader of Hamas — is based in Qatar and frequently travels across the region.

The ICC is the world's first permanent international war crimes court.

Its 124 member states are obliged to immediately arrest the wanted person on their territory, but the court has no means to enforce arrest warrants.

If arrest warrants are issued, it would severely curtail the ability of the leaders to travel outside of Israel and Qatar.

Israel and Qatar are not signatories to the Rome Statute — an agreement that sees countries compelled to arrest people who are wanted on allegations of war crimes.

Israel withdrew its signature in 2002.

After a brief period of international support for its war, Israel has faced increasing criticism as the conflict has dragged on and the death toll has climbed.

The Gaza health ministry said more than 35,562 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, with 79,652 other people injured.

Israel launched its war in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage.

The UN has said 80 per cent of the population in Gaza has been displaced, with hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation.

Israel is also facing a South African case in the International Court of Justice accusing it of genocide.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not comment on the ICC decision.

He said "every life matters, whether it be Israeli or Palestinian" in the Middle East.

"From the time that, on October 7, the terrorist atrocity committed by Hamas — we opposed that," he said.

"We have called for the release of hostages. We've called for a humanitarian ceasefire. We've called for increased humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-20/icc-seeks-arrest-warrants-for-netanyahu-hamas-leaders/103871928

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

Australia backs ICC’s role but says ‘no equivalence between Israel and Hamas’

Matthew Knott and Olivia Ireland - May 21, 2024

1/2

The federal government has insisted there is no moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas while backing the International Criminal Court’s role upholding international law after its top prosecutor sensationally requested arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defence chief as well as three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.

In a notable divergence from US President Joe Biden, who blasted the requested warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sidestepped questions about the issue on Tuesday, prompting Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to accuse him of “selling out Australia” by failing to back Israel.

If the international court were to find Netanyahu, Gallant or the Hamas leaders guilty of war crimes, they would not be allowed into Australia, as the government is a signatory to the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the court.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson, responding on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, said: “Australia respects the ICC and the important role it has in upholding international law.

“The decision on whether to issue arrest warrants is a matter for the court in the independent exercise of its functions.

“It is not appropriate to comment on matters before the court.”

The department spokesperson continued: “There is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organisation.

“It is proscribed as such in Australia … Any country under attack by Hamas would defend itself. And in defending itself, every country is bound by the same fundamental rules. Israel must comply with international humanitarian law.”

The international court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, said on Monday he believed Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh bore criminal responsibility for war crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Khan alleged Netanyahu used starvation as a method of warfare, intentionally directed attacks against a civilian population and wilfully caused great suffering.

Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza, faces allegations of responsibility for extermination and murder, as well as the taking of hostages, torture, rape, other acts of sexual violence and cruel treatment.

Khan’s request has gone to a pre-trial chamber, which will decide whether to issue arrest warrants.

Asked about Khan’s allegations at a press conference in Parramatta on Tuesday, Albanese said: “I don’t comment on court processes in Australia, let alone court processes globally to which Australia is not a party.”

Regarding the Middle East, he said that it was important to condemn Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the conflict and focus on the release of Israeli hostages, a humanitarian ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

“We’ve said that every life matters, whether it be Israeli or Palestinian, and we’ve called for progress towards a two-state solution,” he said.

Albanese’s comments differed from those of Biden, who called the prosecutor’s effort to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant outrageous.

“Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said.

An estimated 1200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage when Hamas militants stormed into Israeli towns on October 7.

The war has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. About 80 per cent of the population of 2.3 million Palestinians has been displaced within the territory.

Dutton on Tuesday backed Biden’s stance, saying Khan’s allegations were antisemitic.

“[Albanese is] not showing leadership in relation to antisemitism and he’s tarnishing and damaging our international relationships with like-minded nations when he’s not strong enough to stand up alongside President Biden … it’s an abomination, the ICC, and it needs to be ceased, this action is antisemitic,” Dutton said in Melbourne.

“We need to make sure the international rule of law is applied fairly and not on a political basis and to draw an equivalence between Israel and Hamas I think is repugnant.”

(continued)

2/2

Energy Minister Chris Bowen, whose western Sydney electorate has a large Muslim population, criticised Dutton’s comments as irresponsible.

“I respect the International Criminal Court and … the work they do. International law must be respected and, of course, [it] was not respected by Hamas. Israel must respect international law,” he said on Sky.

“I heard … Peter Dutton’s comments which were, in and of themselves, highly irresponsible by Peter Dutton to drag this through a domestic political debate … international law must always be observed and nobody gets a free pass for that.”

The allegations of war crimes have received mixed reactions from key representative groups, with the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network welcoming Khan’s application while the Executive Council of Australian Jewry condemned the allegations.

The council’s co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, said Khan’s allegations were “a dangerous politicisation of the ICC” and “obliterates the moral and legal distinction between terrorists and democratic states”.

“When an ally comes under a mendacious political attack such as this, it needs its friends in the international community to stand with it,” he said.

“President Biden demonstrated true friendship and we expect no less of our government.”

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the application had been “a long time coming” and urged Australia to align with the court’s application and use its voice to “end the genocide and ensure justice is done”.

Liberal senator Dave Sharma, who served as Australia’s ambassador to Israel, blasted the application, saying: “The moral equivalence being practised here is sickening and preposterous. This decision completely undermines the seriousness and credibility of the International Criminal Court.”

Greens foreign affairs spokesman Jordon Steele-John said: “The findings of the ICC prosecutor have reinforced what so many in our community already knew: there have been serious and sustained breaches of international law in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and Hamas’ attacks on civilians on October 7th and the treatment of hostages since.

“Australia must immediately sanction Netanyahu and his war cabinet, stop arms exports to Israel and expel the ambassador until Israel fully complies with the orders of the ICJ [International Court of Justice] and investigations by the ICC.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-sidesteps-questions-on-icc-warrant-requests-for-netanyahu-hamas-20240521-p5jfcw.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 21, 2024, 3:30 a.m. No.20895062 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5063

Alexander Downer slams International Criminal Court over ‘outrageous’ arrest move

JANET ALBRECHTSEN and ELLIE DUDLEY - MAY 21, 2024

1/2

Former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer has accused prosecutor Karim Khan of “destroying” the International Criminal Court in requesting arrest warrants of Israeli leaders alongside those of Hamas terrorists, and says he would, if still in government, withdraw from the court if judges proceed with prosecution.

Mr Downer, who led Australia to joining the ICC under the Howard government, says Mr Khan has drawn a “moral equivalence” between Israel’s functioning democracy and a “terrorist organisation which is determined to destroy and kill the Jewish people and eliminate their country”.

He said the decision to issue the warrants “makes me sick”, labelling the move as “so, so wrong” and saying he is “absolutely heartbroken” at what the ICC has become.

Mr Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence chief Yoav Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh – for crimes against humanity and alleged war crimes on Monday evening.

In a statement, he said that he was seeking warrants against the Israeli leaders for crimes including “wilful killing”, “extermination and/or murder”, and “starvation”.

He said Israel had committed “crimes against humanity” during the war, started by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack, as part “of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population”.

Khan also said the leaders of Hamas “bear criminal responsibility” for actions committed during the October 7 attack. These included “taking hostages”, “rape and other acts of sexual violence”, and “torture”, he said.

“International law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all,” Khan said. “No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader – no one – can act with impunity.”

But Mr Downer told The Australian on Tuesday the decision to issue the warrants is “absolutely outrageous” and said it makes him “sick” to see parallels drawn between the Israeli government and Hamas.

“It’s the moral equivalence between a liberal democracy, with a functioning and effective … legal system, including judicial system, Israel, and a terrorist organisation which is determined to destroy and kill the Jewish people and eliminate their country,” he said.

“To think that there is some moral equivalence between the two, he’s (Khan) done that for political reasons. It makes me sick. It makes me sick. It’s so, so wrong. He has singlehandedly destroyed what was in principle in a good idea.”

Mr Downer said it was “just monstrous” for Mr Khan to make the allegations against the Israeli government, and called on the Albanese government to “ask questions” of the court about the decision to issue the arrest warrants.

“If I were the minister today, I’d be going to the ICC demanding answers to these questions,” he said.

Mr Downer said he felt personally “let down” by the ICC – which he fought hard for Australia to become signatory to – but said, more than that, Mr Khan had “destroyed” the court.

“You have massively let me down and in the process of doing what you have done, you have destroyed the International Criminal Court. You have just destroyed it,” he said. “Unless this is somehow rectified, I think it’s the end of the International Criminal Court.”

Mr Downer said, if he were still in government, he would “withdraw all together” from the ICC if the judges continue to prosecution, saying he feels “absolutely heartbroken” at Mr Khan’s decision.

“If the judges decided to proceed with the prosecution I would withdraw all together from the statute,” he said. “That’s what I would do … I am absolutely heartbroken about what this guy has done. I think it’s just shocking. I think he has destroyed the international criminal court. It’ll never, and there will never be in a western country any sort of consensus or support for a court like that.”

Mr Downer said he agreed to the ICC in a “burst of idealism”.

“I thought as a concept it was a good idea,” he said.

(continued)

>>20895062

2/2

When the Howard government ratified the Rome Treaty setting up the ICC, Mr Downer said he expected that the safeguards - that the court only deal with cases which a domestic legal system refused to prosecute or was incapable of prosecuting - would “hold out” in a situation such as this.

“Have cases been brought against both Netanyahu and the Defence Minister in the Israeli courts for war crimes? I’m just not aware of it,” he said. “Maybe there is a case, but I would have thought I would have read about it. On what basis are the Israeli courts not able to handle such a claim?”

Anthony Albanese on Tuesday refused to weigh in on the ICC’s bid to issue the war crimes arrest warrants, with Peter Dutton saying the Prime Minister has “squibbed it” and is “selling out Australia” in failing to act.

The Opposition Leader said he backed Joe Biden after the US President labelled the ICC arrest move as “outrageous”.

“Australia should stand shoulder to shoulder with President Biden. He has shown leadership by standing up against this equivalence, to compare the Israeli Prime Minister to a terrorist organisation leader and to not have some clarity in relation to it, I think is appalling,” Mr Dutton said.

“The Prime Minister squibbed it today when he was asked about this issue. And the Prime Minister had the opportunity at the ICC where Australia was consulted in relation to this matter, they didn’t weigh in and say they were against this measure. Instead, they sat on the sideline and had nothing to say about it at all.

“(Mr Albanese) is not showing leadership in relation to anti-Semitism and he’s tarnishing and damaging our international relationships with like-minded nations when he’s not strong enough to stand up like Joe Biden.

“Either the Prime Minister is not across the detail, or he’s trying to please a domestic audience here for political purposes. Either way, he’s selling out Australia.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/alexander-downer-slams-international-criminal-court-over-outrageous-arrest-move/news-story/11a314a17418b87a2b561a7f61b5c996

>>20886492

Julian Assange wins right to appeal US extradition

JACQUELIN MAGNAY - MAY 21, 2024

1/2

Julian Assange has won the right to appeal his extradition to the US to a full British appeals court.

The significant legal win for the WikiLeaks founder came after the High Court judges ruled they were not satisfied that Assange, 53, would not face discrimination under the US Constitution’s first amendment because of his Australian citizenship.

But Assange, who was too ill to attend the court hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, will face many more months in Belmarsh jail as a remand prisoner until the courts can find time for the full appeal to be heard.

The two judges hearing the case said they had carefully considered the submissions in writing and orally.

“We have decided to give leave to appeal,’’ they said.

Outside the court a bevy of supporters with placards and some waving Palestinian flag cheered loudly as the news filtered along The Strand with cars honking their horns after being held in traffic.

Stella Assange said outside the court that the US administration “should drop these shameful charges immediately”. She called for her husband’s release saying that the ongoing legal battles was imposing a dreadful toll on his health.

Mrs Assange said that as well as being immediately freed, her husband should receive compensation as well as the Nobel Peace Prize.

She said the only time her children had been able to see their father, including their eldest son Gabriel, who just turned seven, was in the visiting room of Belmarsh prison.

“We are relieved as a family that the courts took the right decision today but how long can this go on for, our eldest son just turned seven,’’ she told supporters.

“All our memories of their father is in the visiting hall of Belmarsh prison.”

She demanded that the Biden administration distance itself “from this shameful prosecution”, adding, “Julian must be freed, the case should be abandoned, there should be compensation, he should be given the Nobel prize and he should walk freely with his feet in the sand and should be able to swim in the sea again.”

WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Krstinn Hfrafsson said the US had a losing case. “Drop the case now, you are losing,” he said.

“It is quite something that a high court in this country has told the US ‘we just don’t believe you’,”.

Further details about the upcoming appeal will be decided on May 24.

Assange’s legal team had successfully argued that US assurances given to the High Court in London “is not a knockout” and that the WikiLeaks founder should be refused extradition to face trial on espionage charges even though the death penalty had been taken off the table.

The two High Court appeal judges had asked the US government to provide three assurances before authorising any extradition. These were based around removing the death penalty and whether Assange would not be discriminated because of his Australian nationality and whether he could rely on the US Constitution’s first amendment for protections.

Monday’s ruling means Assange will not face immediate extradition to the US and the case, which has been ongoing for five years, will be fully argued again.

(continued)

2/2

The US wants him to face 18 counts of espionage and computer hacking in relation to alleged offences in 2010 and 2011 for publishing classified US military documents and war logs.

The judges had discounted the US argument that the first amendment rights and nationality issues were not relevant to the extradition.

James Lewis, acting for the US government, had submitted that the issue of the first amendment was irrelevant and that not even Chelsea Manning, whom Assange is accused of conspiring with, had been afforded the first amendment protections.

Mr Lewis told the court: “No one, neither US citizens nor foreign citizens, are entitled to rely on the first amendment in relation to publication of illegally obtained national defence information giving the names of innocent sources to their grave and imminent risk of harm.”

Assange’s counsel said while the US assurances about the death penalty being removed from consideration “were adequate”, other aspects were not.

He said the other two assurances about Mr Assange not being discriminated because of being a foreign national had been “grossly inadequate”.

“It is not a knockout (US assurance),’’ Mr Fitzgerald said.

“The assurance does not promise Mr Assange can rely on first amendment, only that he can raise it and seek to rely upon it … this is not an assurance at all,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“It assures only that Mr Assange ‘may seek to’ raise the first amendment. It does not even assure that (Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor) Mr (Gordon) Kromberg will not oppose that argument.”

Mr Fitzgerald criticised Mr Kromberg for being silent, saying his omission to make promises to the court was “significant”.

But he added that even if Mr Kromberg had given a promise, the US court still had overriding discretion.

Mr Fitzgerald said there was “no doubt” the US trial court remains free to raise the point that Assange as a non-US citizen is not entitled to rely on the first amendment.

“It is exclusively within the purview of the US courts, no way the US courts can be bound or debarred from taking the point themselves,’’ Mr Fitzgerald said.

“Even if it did purport to be an assurance of outcome, which it does not, it could not be a binding one. Based on the principle of the separation of powers, the US Court can and will apply US law, whatever the executive may say or do.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/not-a-knockout-assange-lawyers-reject-us-extradition-assurances/news-story/cc47592893a065d6a243708f127af952

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6g9WBSzPc

>>20808099

Australia keen to keep police in Solomon Islands

Dominic Giannini - May 21 2024

Australia stands ready to help Solomon Islands build a military force, as Defence Minister Richard Marles seized the opportunity to hold talks with the nation's new prime minister.

Mr Marles has travelled to Honiara for high-level meetings as the Pacific nation transitions to a new government under the leadership of Jeremiah Manele.

The defence minister, who pledged $50 million for border management and a health centre on Tuesday, said Australia would help establish a military as previously put forward by former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare.

"If Solomon Islands wishes to walk down that path, we stand ready to assist Solomon Islands in the establishment of such course," he said.

Mr Marles said the government was "very open" to ensuring an ongoing presence of Australian police remained in Solomon Islands.

A security deal inked with Beijing in 2022 by Mr Sogavare, who encouraged Chinese investment in the Pacific Island nation, alarmed Australia and the US.

Mr Manele said his nation was ready to discuss a "much, much larger bilateral co-operation" with Canberra.

"Australia remains Solomon Islands' partner of choice and I want to see our relationship grow to new heights during my tenure as prime minister," he told Mr Marles in his first meeting as leader, a statement read.

In addition to Mr Manele, the defence minister met with deputy Bradley Tovosia and other top ministers.

A border management system delivered in partnership with Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomons will get $3.2 million to help visa processing and revenue collection through a new system.

A birthing and health centre in East Honiara will get $45 million to support mothers accessing pre and post-natal care. Australia will also provide medical equipment and staff training.

Mr Marles' visit comes against the backdrop of heightened competition in the Pacific, with the Solomons being the first regional nation to sign a major policing pact with China.

Mr Manele has indicated the pact would remain under his government.

Australia sought to be the Solomons' go-to security partner and had to work to earn that right, Mr Marles said.

Mr Manele, the previous minister for foreign affairs, was elected prime minister on May 2.

Pacific expert Tess Cains said hopes of returning to a time before Beijing signed a security pact were likely to be dashed, despite the new leader.

Friction points between Australia and the Solomons under Mr Sogavare, partly due to his "more natural fieriness", were likely to subside somewhat under Mr Manele, Dr Cain said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8636081/australia-keen-to-keep-police-in-solomon-islands/

https://solomons.gov.sb/pm-manele-and-dpm-marles-held-fruitful-discussions/

>>20676399 (pb)

>>20736640 (pb)

>>20808182 (pb)

‘Heading for trial’: Linda Reynolds, Brittany Higgins mediation talks break down

PAIGE TAYLOR - MAY 21, 2024

Senator Linda Reynolds has told the Albanese government it must accept that it paid $2.45m to Brittany Higgins based on claims identified as untrue in the civil court judgment that also found Bruce Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.

Senator Reynolds made the comments outside court on Tuesday as she pressed on her with her defamation case against Ms Higgins, her former media adviser, and Ms Higgins’ partner David Sharaz.

She is suing them over social media posts from 2022 and 2023.

In court, Senator Reynolds’ lawyer Martin Bennett has previously described those posts as attacks on Senator Reynolds and as a “concerted plan”.

A long day of mediation to avoid a trial failed in March. A second attempt at mediation on Tuesday also failed after three hours.

Senator Reynolds emerged from the David Malcolm Justice Centre in the centre of Perth shortly after 1pm local time on Tuesday and told waiting media: “Unfortunately, it appears at this stage that we still will be heading to trial in July.”

Tuesday’s mediation was the first attempt at a settlement since Network Ten successfully defended itself in a defamation case brought by Mr Lehrmann over a story on The Project.

That story featured Ms Higgins’ rape allegation and claims of a political cover-up in which Ms Higgins was forced to choose between her career and justice.

In a lengthy judgment in that case in April, Justice Michael Lee found that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins in the ministerial suite of Senator Reynolds in the early hours of March 23, 2019. At the time, Senator Reynolds was the defence industry minister.

Ten won the case because Ms Higgins’ rape allegation was found to be true. However Justice Lee said “the cover-up allegation was objectively short on facts, but long on speculation and internal inconsistencies – trying to particularise it during the evidence was like trying to grab a column of smoke”.

On her way in and out of the mediation on Tuesday, Senator Reynolds said all of Justice Lee’s findings must be accepted by all parties. She said this included the Finance Minister, the Attorney-General and his department.

“It’s time for them to admit they got it wrong,” she said before the mediation began.

Senator Reynolds later confirmed she was talking about Ms Higgins’ payout, which – according to documents made public in court – included $400,000 for the way she was treated at work.

“Justice Lee made some very comprehensive findings in his judgment and it is time for all parties to accept all of his comments and I think that will help us all move forward,” she said.

When Senator Reynolds was asked which findings, her lawyer Mr Bennett referred to six paragraphs about the Commonwealth deed that underpinned Ms Higgins’ payout.

Justice Lee said it was evident several things being alleged were untrue and gave examples, including that “minister Reynolds did not engage with [Ms Higgins] at all during the election campaign. She avoided [Ms Higgins] and made clear that she did not want the claimant attending events with her”.

Standing outside court with Senator Reynolds after the failed mediation, Mr Bennett said the relevant paragraphs of the judgment were “where Justice Lee identified that the warranties given by Ms Higgins in the deed of settlement were false”.

A reporter then asked Senator Reynolds: “But in saying that the Attorney-General was wrong … is that in terms of awarding her the payout?” Senator Reynolds replied: “Yes”.

Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins were not present for the mediation in Perth. Ms Higgins’ and her lawyer may have participated by video link, The Australian has been told.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/admit-you-got-it-wrong-reynolds-fronts-court-ahead-of-higgins-mediation-talks/news-story/543d2487783b56448e0374090ca20a59

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PP4sN9duys

>>20873174 (pb)

Scott Morrison explains why evangelical Christians love Trump

Farrah Tomazin - May 21, 2024

1/2

Washington: He’s been found liable for sexual abuse, bragged about grabbing women by the genitals and is on trial for allegedly falsifying documents to cover up an affair with a porn star.

But Donald Trump’s status as a political outsider amid “deep disenfranchisement” with government institutions is what makes him so appealing to evangelical Christians, according to his ally Scott Morrison, Australia’s first Pentecostal prime minister.

Criss-crossing America to promote his new book about faith, Morrison shared his insights of the former US president, who heads towards the November election against President Joe Biden, with more support from evangelical Christians than ever before.

Campaign rallies often begin with prayer sessions for the 77-year-old Republican; merchandise worn and sold at his events feature slogans such as “Jesus is my saviour, Trump is my president”; and Trump himself recently launched a new Bible for $US60 ($90) as part of his fundraising efforts, spruiking the need to “Make America Pray Again”.

Asked to explain Trump’s appeal among evangelicals, Morrison told this masthead: “He is very much outside the political orthodoxy and mainstream, where I think there’s a deep disenfranchisement, and that’s where he connects with people.

“There is a sense that he will stick up for people against the things that seek to hold them down, and I think that is something that resonates very strongly. The external commentary about President Trump often fails to get that.”

Morrison’s comments came after his high-profile meeting with Trump in New York last week, where they discussed the AUKUS submarine deal and China’s advances in the Indo-Pacific.

The pair have had a good relationship since they were both in power, culminating in 2019 when Trump welcomed Morrison to the White House with a lavish state dinner, the highest diplomatic honour for an ally.

But the former Liberal Party leader said he first got a rare insight into Trump’s appeal during a trip to Ohio that year when they visited a new cardboard box factory owned by Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, who also happens to be a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and a possible witness in his classified documents trial.

The event was filled with enthusiastic Trump fans waving the American flag, or cheering in “Make America Great Again” caps, some of whom had lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the president’s motorcade.

“It was quite amazing,” Morrison said of the welcome the Republican received in the small town of Wapakoneta.

Five years later, Trump support from evangelicals and other Christian conservatives continues to grow, with voters often citing his role in overturning federal abortion laws and their opposition to transgender rights as some of the factors.

A new video is also occasionally played at his rallies portraying the presumptive Republican nominee as the messiah, featuring a narrator declaring:“God looked down on his planned paradise and said, I need a caretaker. So God gave us Trump”.

(continued)

2/2

With six months until the election, figures from the Pew Research Centre have found that most registered voters who are white Christians would vote for the Republican over Biden if the presidential election were held today.

By contrast, 77 per cent of black Protestant voters say they would vote for Biden over Trump, along with more than eight in 10 agnostic or atheist voters.

According to the survey released last month, more than half of white Christians also think Trump was a “great” or “good” president and don’t think he broke the law in a failed effort to change the outcome of the 2020 election.

Nonetheless, Trump faces four trials as he campaigns for office: one in Florida over classified documents; one in Washington for trying to overthrow Biden’s election victory; one in Georgia for attempting to subvert the results in that state; and the current trial in New York.

The latter descended into chaos on Tuesday (AEST) after Trump’s defence team called witness Robert Costello, a bombastic lawyer who used to represent disgraced lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Costello consistently challenged Judge Juan Merchan’s rulings – rolling his eyes and at one point muttering “geez” – prompting the judge to eventually clear the entire courtroom, so he could admonish the witness about his lack of “decorum”.

Prosecutors have framed the New York case as about an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won over Hillary Clinton, by allegedly covering a payment designed to silence an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.

Morrison came to the Republican’s defence after their meeting at Trump Tower last week, describing the challenges Trump faces in the US as a “pile on” and telling this masthead: “When politics start creeping into the justice system … or when institutions that are an important part of democracy are being co-opted and weaponised in politics, that’s not a good day for democracy.”

The day after their meeting, Morrison was in Washington to promote his book, Plans for Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness, at an Australian embassy event with guests including Trump’s former vice president and evangelical Christian Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.

In a notable moment of bipartisanship, former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd helped launch the book, noting during his introduction that Trump and Pence “don’t always agree”, an apparent reference to their falling out over the January 6 Capitol riots of 2021, when Pence’s life was threatened by Trump supporters convinced the election was stolen.

“Only Scott Morrison could bring together such a broad church,” joked Rudd, who is now Australia’s ambassador to the US.

Farrah Tomazin is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/scott-morrison-explains-why-evangelical-christians-love-trump-20240521-p5jf87.html

>>20868824 (pb)

>>20873227 (pb)

Labor senator Fatima Payman joins Melbourne uni protest

JORDAN MCCARTHY - MAY 22, 2024

Under fire Labor senator Fatima Payman has shown up to support University of Melbourne students currently involved in the protest occupying one of the faculty buildings.

Senator Payman last week broke rank with the Labor Party and accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and called on the government to sanction Israel.

The WA senator ended a speech last week with the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which was the catalyst for the phrase being condemned in a motion in parliament.

It is unknown how much planning went into Senator Payman’s university visit with the senator seen talking with student activist leaders and posing for photos.

In one picture she posed with student protesters in front of a Gaza solidarity encampment sign with her fist raised in the air.

Earlier, activists at the university blocked access to a second building as pro-Palestine protesters continue to disrupt classes.

An Instagram post by group Disrupt Wars shows university furniture blocking the front doors of the Old Arts building as well as a notice posted to a window that reads “building out of order”.

It is not known if the University of Melbourne for Palestine group that are currently camped in the Arts West building were aware or took part in this action.

The post by Disrupt Wars threatened more disruptions.

“We will not allow the university to operate business as usual while they are complicit in a genocide currently taking place,” it read.

“We will continue to liberate our places of learning until there is no longer any blood on our degrees.”

The University of Melbourne has claimed that more than more than 16,800 students had their classes disrupted already by the University of Melbourne for Palestine group.

A spokesperson for the University of Melbourne said the second blockade was short lived with the activists moved on by Wednesday morning.

“We can confirm that there was a minor incident overnight where people entered the Old Arts building,” they said.

“They have since left and the building is fully operational.”

Students at the University of Melbourne have occupied the Parkville campus’s Arts West building since last Wednesday, and despite warnings of police action and expulsion for the past six days, the academic institution has failed to make good on its threats.

Politicians and Jewish leaders have called for the “rule of law” to be enforced, but Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that she has full confidence in the universities, which are trying to resolve the situation with police.

“I really do think we have reached the point … where many Victorians are frustrated, are fed up with some of the reckless behaviour we have seen,” Ms Allan said on Tuesday. “I know I certainly am,” she said.

The university said 601 classes had been disrupted, with 16,800 students impacted as a result of the pro-Palestine protesters’ occupation of the building.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/protesters-block-second-melbourne-uni-building/news-story/a6d0ee80f50576d42b09137ff577b7da

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7PbxkRyi_Z/?img_index=7

Jewish groups condemn Sydney bakery for Hamas-themed birthday party

ELIZABETH PIKE and NOAH YIM - MAY 22, 2024

A Sydney bakery is under fire for posting images of what appears to be a Hamas-themed birthday party, including cupcakes and cake decorated with images of a notorious terrorist.

Oven Bakery by Fufu uploaded the photos to Instagram on Tuesday and then took them down when the posts were flooded with criticism.

One of the images was of a boy dressed in the same red keffiyeh and camouflage jacket as the infamous terrorist depicted on the birthday cake – Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida. The birthday cake read, “Omar is 4”.

A boy was photographed mimicking the action as Obaida, with his finger pointed in front of his face just like the masked terrorist.

The business is registered at an Auburn address in western Sydney.

Jewish groups were quick to condemn the bakery for promoting terrorism to young children.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the bakery and the parents of the child should be held accountable for “glorifying extremism”.

“It takes a rare kind of psychosis to want to teach infant children that Hamas terrorists are to be admired and emulated,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“Boys with normal parents will be celebrating with Batman or Real Madrid themes, which nurture an understanding of good versus evil, healthy role models and striving for excellence. This boy is being taught to look up to suicide bombers, rapists and torturers of children no older than him. If this is what is happening in some Sydney homes, we should prepare for a generation of violent extremists,” he said.

Mr Ryvchin also called for police to become involved in the matter in his condemnation of the incident.

“The parents and the baker who thought it was acceptable to glorify proscribed terrorists should be ashamed.

“The authorities should be aware of this incident,” he said.

Dvir Abramovich, Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said the apparent “glorification” of terrorism was particularly shocking for members of the community, himself included, who have lost family at the hands of Hamas.

“As someone who lost a relative to Palestinian terrorism, I feel like I have been kicked in the stomach, and I certainly would not want to buy from this bakery,” he said.

“To see the public glorification and endorsement of the October 7 Hamas atrocities and to portray these evil monsters as heroes by a local business is sickening and will shock the conscience of most Australians.”

While the business’ Instagram account has since been deleted, screenshots shared with The Australian shows some Instagram users had complimented the child and called him a “cutie masallah” and a “champion”.

It is understood Oven Bakery originally defended the party in a follow-up Instagram story, claiming “some people may find this controversial but whatevs,” before the account was swarmed with criticism.

Another screenshot shared with The Australian shows that the business had previously commented on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Don’t give up on your fight, for what is rightfully ours!” the bakery wrote on 15 October, just a week after the October 7 terrorist attacks.

The image was of a man in front of the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem – one of Islam’s holiest sites – with a large hand superimposed on top grasping the Palestinian flag.

“The future generation of the world will know your courage, your honour, your fight against Israel, the greatest tyrants of all time!” the caption read.

“More importantly the world will know your freedom! It is inevitable!”

Premier Chris Minns labelled the incident “horrifying” and condemned “Hamas (as) an evil terrorist organisation,” according to The Daily Telegraph.

“Kids parties should be innocent and fun, not hateful,” Mr Minns said.

Dr Abramovich said the images have left Jewish communities particularly on-edge as pro-Palestine university protests continue across the country.

“Let’s be clear, this dangerous call to arms is an incitement to violence and only flames an already dangerous climate of anti-Semitism that is spiralling out of control in this country and which puts not only Jewish lives at risk but the lives of everyone,” he said.

“In a time of escalating radicalism and a growing rhetoric of intolerance against anyone who is Jewish or who supports Israel, words and images do matter and can have real-world consequences.

“It is not surprising that the Jewish community in Sydney and across the nation is feeling on edge, leaving many to ask whether this extremist sentiment and conduct will end in tragedy.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/jewish-groups-condemn-sydney-bakery-for-hamasthemed-birthday-party/news-story/5c72f1edd876941bacbb6921498c8580

https://x.com/AustralianJA/status/1792877353007456599

‘Terrorism pays’: Israeli fury as allies recognise Palestine

AFP - MAY 22, 2024

Israel has recalled its ambassadors from Ireland, Spain and Norway for “urgent consultations” after the three European nations announced they would formally recognise a Palestinian state.

The co-orindated move prompted a furious response from Israel, with Foreign Minister Israel Katz saying: “Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: terrorism pays.

“After the Hamas terror organisation carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after committing heinous sexual crimes witnessed by the world, these countries chose to reward Hamas and Iran by recognising a Palestinian state.

“This distorted step by these countries is an injustice to the memory of the victims of 7/10, a blow to efforts to return the 128 hostages, and a boost to Hamas and Iran’s jihadists, which undermines the chance for peace and questions Israel’s right to self-defence.”

The three nations will formally recognise the state of Palestine on May 28.

Hamas seized on the announcement. “These successive recognitions are the direct result of this brave resistance and the legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian people … We believe this will be a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue,” Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas political bureau member, said.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation praised the moves as “historical moments in which the free world triumphs for truth and justice”.

The leaders of Ireland, Spain and Norway made separate announcements within an hour of each other. “A two-state solution is in Israel’s best interests,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the first of the leaders to speak. He justified it as “a means of supporting the moderate forces which have been losing ground in this protracted and brutal conflict”.

“In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security,” he said.

Ireland’s Prime Minister, Simon Harris, spoke next, saying it was a “historic and important day for Ireland and Palestine”, comparing it to Ireland’s struggles for independence from Britain.

He said the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas was “barbaric” but added that “a two-state solution is the only way out of the generational cycles of violence, retaliation and resentment”.

Speaking in parliament, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “This recognition is not against Israel, is not against the Jews. It is not in favour of Hamas. This recognition is not against anyone, it is in favour of peace and coexistence.”

Most Western governments, including the United States, say they are willing to one day recognise Palestinian statehood, but not before agreement is reached on borders and the status of Jerusalem. However, Mr Sanchez claimed his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign of “pain and destruction” in the Gaza Strip was putting the two-state solution in “danger”.

According to the Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the occupied West Bank, 142 of the 193 UN member countries recognise a Palestinian state, including the European nations of Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

Malta and Slovenia have also suggested they might recognise Palestine, saying a two-state solution is vital for lasting peace.

The reports came after Palestinians relaunched an application to become a full member state of the United Nations, after being granted non-member observer state status in 2012.

The move has so far been blocked by the US, most recently in April by vetoing a draft resolution calling for the UN General Assembly to hold a vote for broader Palestinian UN membership.

The diplomatic moves came as air and artillery strikes were reported on the southern Gazan city of Rafah, the last bastion of Hamas.

Ten people were also killed in the central town of Al-Zawaida during the night, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

The World Health Organisation has said northern Gaza’s last two functioning hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, were besieged by Israeli forces, with more than 200 patients trapped inside.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/terrorism-pays-israeli-fury-as-allies-recognise-palestine/news-story/20e90f4951c440766f5e877c5bf443ec

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 23, 2024, 3:31 a.m. No.20903643 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3648

Stand on the right side of history, rabbis implore Anthony Albanese

BEN PACKHAM and TRICIA RIVERA - MAY 23, 2024

1/2

The nation’s leading rabbis - who were personally assured by Anthony Albanese he would “unequivocally fight anti-Semitism” - have implored him to show moral clarity and reject a bid to put Israel’s Prime Minister on trial, as Labor refused to say if it would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he set foot in Australia.

The rabbis’ call came as Peter Dutton warned that a future Coalition government could cut ties with the International Criminal Court over its prosecutor’s bid to arrest Mr Netanyahu and his Defence chief Yoav Gallant alongside three Hamas terrorists.

If the ICC issues the warrants, the Albanese government will be technically obligated to arrest the Israeli leaders if they travel to Australia. But a government source refused to speculate on such a possibility, saying “we don’t engage in hypotheticals”.

Mr Dutton urged the Prime Minister to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with US President Joe Biden to condemn the warrants bid, as America flagged possible sanctions against the ICC.

A day after Mr Albanese refused to comment on ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s warrants bid, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australia respected the role of the court and the issuing of any warrants was “fundamentally an issue for the ICC”.

But Dr Chalmers said there could be “no equivalence between Hamas, the terrorist organisation, and Israel”.

Rabbi Levi Wolff, from Sydney’s Central Synagogue, said the government needed to be “clear and decisive” on the warrants application, and stand “on the correct side of history”.

“In this sensitive and difficult time for Jewish Australians, we look to our leaders for strong moral clarity on issues pertaining to Israel’s self-defence war against Hamas, triggered by the unspeakable violence perpetrated on October 7, and (Hamas’s) outspoken desire to repeat such actions,” Rabbi Wolff told The Australian.

“The preposterous allegations by the ICC demand strong language, such as the statements we heard from Joe Biden, Peter Dutton, and Alexander Downer, who, like us, feel ashamed of Australia’s status as a signatory (to the ICC) following yesterday’s news.”

Chabad Youth Rabbi Moshe Kahn said it was “absolutely shocking” that Israel’s democratically elected Prime Minister had been subjected to the same treatment by the ICC prosecutor as Hamas terrorists.

“Australia should be unequivocally denouncing the ICC’s decision and aligning with President Biden’s stance,” Rabbi Khan said. “Nonetheless, I appreciate the clarification that there is no moral equivalence between Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas.”

The rabbis were among those who attended a meeting with Mr Albanese this month, when the Prime Minister dismissed pro-Palestine protesters encamped at universities as “Trots” and troublemakers, and vowed to take a hard line on anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Kahn said Mr Albanese had “indeed taken a stronger stance” against anti-Jewish hate speech. “However, further actions by all are necessary to comprehensively address anti-Semitism and support the Jewish community.”

(continued)

>>20903643

2/2

Mr Dutton on Wednesday said he was “very open” to rescinding Australian support for the ICC over the prosecutors’ warrants application. He called on Mr Albanese to reject the prosecutor’s “terrible decision”.

His comments came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was prepared to work with Republicans to develop bipartisan sanctions against the ICC. Mr Blinken said he was committed to taking action against the “profoundly wrong-headed decision” which would complicate efforts to secure peace in Gaza. “I welcome working with you on that,” Mr Blinken told Republican senator Lindsey Graham in a congressional hearing.

Former UN assistant secretary-general Ramesh Thakur, who helped establish the ICC, said the prosecutor’s pursuit of Israeli leaders alongside Hamas terrorists was “a grotesque inversion of international criminal justice”.

Mr Thakur said he had come to question his role in its creation. Writing in The Australian, he said: “I never expected the ICC would be weaponised against democracies defending themselves against savage terrorist groups.” He said Israel’s conduct could not be compared with Hamas’s “mini-Holocaust” on October 7, in which it boasted Israel would “taste new ways of death”.

“In this context, I think it is reasonable to ask whether Khan would have indicted both (Winston) Churchill and (Adolf) Hitler for mass civilian deaths in World War II,” Mr Thakur said.

Mr Downer, who signed Australia up to the ICC, accused Mr Khan of “destroying” the court. Former deputy prime minister John Anderson backed his former colleague, describing the ICC’s decision as a disgrace.

“We ought to make absolutely clear what we think of it and I don’t see how it could be supported,” Mr Anderson told The Australian.

“The decision looks and sounds disgraceful. It is absolutely repugnant for (the ICC) to draw a moral equivalency between what Hamas has done and what Israel has done. Does anybody seriously suggest that we should have stopped pursuing the Nazis during the Second World War because German civilians were being harmed?”

He said the Albanese government needed to show greater leadership in combating the rise of anti-Semitism.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said if the ICC granted the prosecutor’s application to issue the warrants, then those named in the warrants would no longer be able to travel to Australia, or any of the 124 countries that were parties to the court.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/stand-on-the-right-side-of-history-rabbis-implore-anthony-albanese/news-story/80df56c1faf5bc6caf44efa3f49c1e83

Anthony Albanese abandons principles and fails own leadership test

GEOFF CHAMBERS - MAY 23, 2024

1/2

Anthony Albanese is leading the country down a dangerous path that risks polarising our closest allies by putting domestic politics ahead of Australia’s longstanding support for like-minded liberal democracies and a rules-based global order.

The Prime Minister is shirking responsibility in favour of doublespeak and having a bob each way, assuming that Australians won’t notice.

In a National Press Club address before the 2022 election, Albanese delivered a scathing assessment of Scott Morrison’s leadership.

“Never before has Australia had a prime minister with such a pathological determination to avoid responsibility,” the then Labor opposition leader said. “He declares: it’s not my job, it’s not a race, it’s a matter for the states. He doesn’t hold a hose – and he doesn’t give a rats.

“Every action, every decision has to be dragged out of him. And so often, after all of the build-up, he gets it wrong anyway. And it’s always too little, too late. Australia needs leaders who first show up and then step up.”

Albanese – who promised from opposition to run a more transparent government that would be as pro-business and strong on national security as the Coalition – is falling short of his own standards. The Labor leader’s refusal to offer any coherent position on the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor applying for arrest warrants against top Israeli and Hamas leaders, implying equivalence between the democratic nation and the murderous terror group, continues a trend of divergence from the US, Britain and other western allies.

In the course of a single press conference on Tuesday, Albanese claimed he wouldn’t “comment on court processes in Australia let alone processes globally” before declaring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be released.

While Labor denies a clean-up job, Jim Chalmers and Mark Butler on Wednesday rejected any equivalence between Israel and the “vile terrorist organisation” that massacred and took hostage innocent Israelis on October 7.

One week, Albanese tells leading Australian rabbis that pro-Palestine protesters encamped at universities are “Trots” who are ignorant of Middle East history; the next he refuses to reprimand Labor senator Fatima Payman for accusing Israel of genocide and declaring “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Albanese’s mixed rhetoric targeting selective audiences is influenced by politics. The pro-Palestinian Greens are eating into Labor’s vote across the country and senior cabinet ministers hold seats with large Muslim populations. There are a combined 161,418 Islamic voters in the western Sydney seats held by Jason Clare, Tony Burke, Chris Bowen, Ed Husic and Michelle Rowland.

The Albanese government has drifted from projecting Australia’s middle power status on the global stage, choosing not to follow the US in key UN votes, rebuffing US requests for naval support in the Red Sea and joining New Zealand and Canada to support positions that don’t align with Washington.

On China, Albanese has provided soft responses to two incidents where the People’s Liberation Army put the lives of Australian Defence Force personnel at risk. During his visit to Washington last October, US officials were privately concerned about Albanese’s understanding of the existential threat posed by Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party. Within weeks of being feted at the White House, Albanese became the first Australian prime minister since Malcolm Turnbull in 2016 to receive Xi’s red carpet treatment in Beijing.

(continued)

>>20903669

2/2

After meeting Xi again at the APEC summit in San Francisco, Albanese dodged questions about whether he raised the PLA’s sonar pulse attack on Royal Australian Navy divers. Conveniently for Albanese, the incident was publicly revealed hours after he met the Chinese President.

Asked about Chinese aggression and whether trade tensions could resume following the PLA’s dangerous interception of a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R helicopter in the Yellow Sea, Albanese said on May 7: “We need to make sure that we have a mature response”.

With Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Australia next month in mind, Albanese said: “Dialogue is always important … it’s important we communicate, whether that be communicating areas of agreement or areas of disagreement. We’ll agree with China where we can, we’ll disagree where we must, but we will engage in our national interest.”

Albanese – whose government has diminished the influence of national security agencies in Canberra despite unprecedented geostrategic competition – has also been caught out over claims that he never discusses when national security committee of cabinet meetings are held.

Under pressure from Peter Dutton over why NSC meetings weren’t held in the wake of the October 7 Hamas massacre, Albanese said: “What I don’t do is foreshadow either past, present or future, talk about (the) national security committee”.

The Prime Minister has, in fact, referred to NSC meetings multiple times. Following the alleged Wakeley church terror attack and Bondi Junction stabbing murders, Albanese said on April 16: “This morning we have had a meeting of the national security committee to receive formal briefings.”

Albanese has also found others to blame over the release and management of 154 dangerous non-citizens from immigration detention following the NZYQ High Court ruling.

After the alleged home invasion and bashing of Perth grandmother Ninette Simons by a group of men including released immigration detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, Albanese criticised the Community Protection Board (which his own government set up for cover) and said he wouldn’t have granted the Kuwaiti-born man bail in relation to a previous matter. “I think that’s a wrong decision by that board (to not have an ankle bracelet on Doukoshkan), but they make the decisions … independent (of government),” he said.

As opposition leader, Albanese talked a big game about leadership and responsibility.

Less than 12 months out from the next election, voters will make their assessments on whether the Prime Minister has lived up to his own standards.

Geoff Chambers is The Australian’s Chief Political Correspondent.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-abandons-principles-and-fails-own-leadership-test/news-story/652841cefdf2cc72a02fdbfdb27bf5f9

>>20886418

Man accused of training Chinese pilots airs ASIO claims

Dominic Giannini and Kat Wong - May 23 2024

A former fighter pilot accused of aiding China's military will claim Australia's intelligence agency knew about his actions and tried to bring him on board as a spy.

Daniel Duggan, 55, has spent 17 months in a maximum-security prison as he fights a US extradition order.

He was arrested in Australia at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching American arms trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.

He received about $100,000 for his services, US lawyers said as they were successful in a bid to freeze the sale of his house after they argued the cash was illegally gained and could be frozen.

The former US top gun stands accused of training the Chinese military to land on aircraft carriers. He renounced his US citizenship in 2012 and became an Australian citizen in the same year.

Duggan and his family argue the charges are politically motivated given the deterioration of the Sino-American relationship and how long ago the alleged actions occurred.

In a letter from prison, seen by AAP, Duggan said he believed his activities weren't illegal and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the US Naval Central Intelligence Service (NCIS) knew of his work.

"Neither ASIO or NCIS made any claim or gave any warning that the activity was considered illegal," he wrote.

When he offered not to return to South Africa or China to intelligence agents, he said they were "indifferent" about his work and told him they didn't want to interfere with his business in the region.

And it was ASIO agents who brought up being able to meet Chinese generals and the topic of intelligence in a 2012 interview, leading to him believe they were trying to recruit him as a spy, Duggan said.

ASIO said it was unable to comment because the matter was before the court.

Duggan's wife, Saffrine, presented a petition with 25,000 signatures to politicians in Canberra, calling on Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to release her husband and end his extradition.

"We would like him to exercise his right as attorney-general to step in here and help an Australian citizen," she told AAP.

Mr Dreyfus declined to comment.

Duggan's imprisonment has also impacted his six kids, with Australian Paediatric Society vice president Paul Anthony Bauert expressing serious concerns.

The children exhibited "unmistakeable signs of stress and severe anxiety," Dr Bauert wrote in a separate letter.

"The single important cause in these children's deteriorating health is the separation from and uncertainty for their father's future."

Duggan's case returns to court in Sydney on Friday.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8638124/man-accused-of-training-chinese-pilots-airs-asio-claims/

Assange case shows world what US-style ‘press freedom’ means: Chinese FM

GT staff reporters - May 22, 2024

The case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange shows the world what US-style "freedom of the press" really is, said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Wang said the case shows the US believes exposure of other countries' secrets should be rewarded, but exposure of its own should be punished. The remarks came after Assange won a victory in his ongoing battle against extradition from the UK to the US, after the High Court in London granted him permission to appeal.

Wang said freedom of the press, like so-called democratic human rights, is just a tool that the US uses to suppress dissidents and maintain its own hegemony.

The spokesperson stated that Assange has won a round in his struggle against US hegemony, but whether he can ultimately emerge victorious in this contest remains to be seen.

Assange, 52, is wanted by the US for allegedly disclosing national defense information following WikiLeaks's publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked military documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars a decade ago.

These included Apache helicopter video footage of the US military gunning down journalists and children in the streets of Baghdad in 2007, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Assange's backers celebrated upon hearing the court's decision. Although he was absent from court on Monday due to health issues, his wife Stella was among those present.

"The judges reached the right decision… As a family we are relieved, but how long can this go on? The US should read the situation and drop this case now. Now is the moment to do it. Just abandon the shameful attack on journalists, on the press and on the public," Stella Assange was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency while she talked to supporters outside the High Court.

The 52-year-old was not in court Monday on health grounds, and an NPR report said that if judges determine that he would not receive the same legal safeguards in a US court as he would under the British legal system, it might eventually result in his release.

Assange's case reveals the fact that policies formulated by elites in the US are not based on the well-being of the country and the people. Instead, they serve narrow, short-sighted, and special interest groups and classes, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

This is also why Assange, who exposes and reveals the truth, faces the danger of being extradited to the US, Li said.

Permission for extradition would be granted if the US government could demonstrate that Assange, an Australian citizen, would not face bias during the trial based on his nationality and would receive the same legal protections as a US citizen. Additionally, the US authorities have to guarantee that Assange would not face the death penalty if found guilty, media reports said.

It can be expected that the US will continue to hunt Assange in order to set an example and prevent other people from revealing the truth about the dirty policies of the US government, Chinese experts predicted.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1312763.shtml

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202405/t20240521_11309207.html

https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1793285747870486924

>>20868933 (pb)

PLA holds joint drills surrounding Taiwan island to punish secessionist forces

Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan - May 23, 2024

1/2

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday morning launched a military exercise surrounding the island of Taiwan in a move to punish "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and to send a warning to belligerent external forces following Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's separatist inaugural speech on May 20.

Designed to surround the island of Taiwan from both the east and the west, the exercises display the PLA's strike capability across all directions of the island without any blind spots, forming a situation where the island is pinned down from both sides, experts said.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command started joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan from 7:45 am on Thursday, the theater command said in a press release early on the day.

The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Straits, the north, south and east of Taiwan Island, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, the theater command said, attaching a map depicting nine exercise zones surrounding the island of Taiwan.

Senior Captain Li Xi, a spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said that military services including the army, navy, air force and rocket force of the theater command are being organized to conduct the joint drills, code-named Joint Sword-2024A, from Thursday to Friday.

The drills focus on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, and joint precision strikes on key targets, Li said, adding that the exercises involve the patrol of vessels and planes closing in on areas around the island of Taiwan and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the real joint combat capabilities of the forces of the command.

Li said the drills also serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of "Taiwan independence" forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces.

The exercises by the PLA came after Lai, the new regional leader on the island of Taiwan, made an inaugural speech on Monday in which he stubbornly adhered to "Taiwan independence," loudly propagated the fallacy of secession, incited confrontation and antagonism across the Taiwan Straits, and intends to "rely on external forces to seek 'independence'" and "seek 'independence' by force."

Since then-US house speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to the island of Taiwan in August 2022, the PLA has organized several rounds of large-scale exercises as countermeasures to provocations by "Taiwan independence" secessionists and their collusions with external forces, in addition to holding regular patrols and training exercises in the region.

Tong Zhen, a research fellow at the Academy of Military Sciences of the PLA, told the Global Times on Thursday that the latest exercises feature an integrated plan covering the main island of Taiwan and its outlying islands.

For the outlying islands, the drills cover the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, while for the main island of Taiwan, combat alert patrols surround the island, with warships and warplanes closing in on multiple locations only steps away from its coastlines, effectively pressuring the island's so-called space for military defense, Tong said.

(continued)

>>20903719

2/2

Meanwhile, in addition to the PLA's exercises, the coast guard of East China's Fujian Province on Thursday launched a comprehensive law enforcement exercise in waters around Wuqiu and Dongyin islands in a move to test its joint patrol, rapid reaction and emergency response capabilities, Gan Yu, a spokesperson of the China Coast Guard, said on Thursday in a press release.

It is the first time the mainland's coast guard vessels have entered waters around Wuqiu and Dongyin islands, Tong said.

Designed to serve as strong deterrence and warning, the exercise destroyed the notion of so-called restricted waters imposed by the island of Taiwan, Tong said.

The PLA's exercises are designed with both the east and the west of the island of Taiwan in mind, Tong said. "To the west of the main island of Taiwan, the main operations are being held in waters around Wuqiu and Dongyin islands, while to the east of the main island of Taiwan, joint forces are organized to carry out sea and land assault drills, showing that the PLA has the ability to strike all directions of the island without any blind spots, forming a situation where the island is pinned down from both sides," she said.

The exercises have showed the features of employing the acts of destroying, trapping and blocking in one move, experts said.

"Destroying means to remove and paralyze the support of the 'Taiwan independence' forces by simulating strikes on major military and political targets in the northern part of the island under the PLA's strong reconnaissance, early warning and information support systems. Trapping means to target the bases of the 'Taiwan independence' forces, as the PLA will pinch the island's maritime gateways such as Kaohsiung and trap the island's naval forces within their ports. Blocking means to cut off the external logistics support, as the PLA forces are carrying out simulated strikes in the sea and air near the offshore routes off Hualien, demonstrating the ability to seize power and control the island," Tong said.

It forms a powerful deterrent against the separatist Lai administration and issues a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces, Tong said.

Observers also noted that the codename of the exercise, Joint Sword-2024A, indicates that there might be more exercises to come with code-names Joint Sword-2024B and Joint Sword-2024C should "Taiwan independence" secessionists and external interference forces continue to provoke.

'Cross-Straits Lethality'

As the exercises are underway, the PLA Eastern Theater Command released a set of posters themed "Cross-Straits Lethality," depicting some of its weaponry aimed at "Taiwan independence" secessionists, including the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the J-16 multirole fighter jet, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer, the Type 071 comprehensive landing ship, the DF-16A short-range ballistic missile, and the modularized long-range multiple launch rocket system.

These are just some of typical weapons and equipment in the military preparations to deal with the Taiwan question, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday.

In the air, the J-20 can take advantage of its stealth capability and break down hostile air defense, while the J-16 can drop a large number of munitions on ground targets; at sea; the Type 052D can seize control and block maritime access to the island, while the Type 071 can carry heavily equipped landing troops to cross the Straits; the DF-16A can conduct precision strikes on high-value military and political targets; the modularized long-range multiple launch rocket system can ensure artillery fire superiority with relatively low cost, the above-quoted expert said.

The PLA has a complete arsenal available to resolve the Taiwan question if a prospect for a peaceful reunification no longer exists, and the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and external interference forces should fully realize that the PLA is fully determined and capable of safeguarding China's national sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests, analysts said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1312852.shtml

>>20890891

>>20903719

‘No obligation’ to go to war under AUKUS, US general says

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 23, 2024

One of the US military’s top Indo-Pacific commanders says America will not “kidnap” Australian sailors serving on its nuclear submarines if it finds itself in a war with China, declaring there was “no expectation” that Australia would follow the US into such a conflict.

As Beijing launched “punishment” exercises in the Taiwan Strait following the inauguration of the territory’s new president, Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka said the US was on the alert for a Chinese invasion of the self-governing island within the next three years.

General Sklenka, the deputy commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, said the Chinese were “bullies” harassing other nations’ ships and aircraft with “dangerous behaviour” that could escalate into conflict.

The heightened security environment comes as the US pushes to get 440 Australian sailors serving on its nuclear-powered subs to prepare them to operate Australia’s promised Virginia-class and AUKUS boats.

Joe Biden’s No. 2 diplomat Kurt Campbell in April suggested that Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarines could one day be deployed against China in a conflict over Taiwan but General Sklenka told the National Press Club that the AUKUS pact did not obligate Australia to fight alongside the US in any future conflict.

“When they’re on our submarines, we don’t kidnap them,” he said. “There’s no expectation of anybody participating in any conflict with us because those decisions are national sovereign decisions. The US can’t, and we don’t, dictate that.”

China launched two days of military drills near Taiwan on Thursday, describing the move as “strong punishment” for the swearing-in of the territory’s new President, Lai Ching-te.

The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command said the drills, involving army, navy, air force and rocket force troops, were being conducted in the Taiwan Strait and around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin.

General Sklenka said the drills were expected but “just because we expect that behaviour does not mean we should not condemn it, and we need to condemn it publicly”.

He said the US took seriously Xi Jinping’s direction to his forces to be prepared for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

General Sklenka said China’s sustained pressure campaign against Taiwan was evidence of its intent, but the US did not see conflict as inevitable.

Australia has been subject to repeated unsafe intercepts by Chinese forces in recent times.

In an incident earlier this month, a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares in front of an Australian Seahawk helicopter in the Yellow Sea, forcing the aircraft to take evasive action.

The Australian government opted against releasing video of the recent helicopter incident but the US commander said such footage was important to “show the rest of the world what they’re up to”.

General Sklenka said the incident was part of “a pattern of revisionism” by China to claim territory that wasn’t theirs, believing it would create a new status quo.

He said the US had tracked 300 such “risky and coercive” intercepts by Chinese forces in the region since 2021.

“They not only contravene rules and norms governing behaviour by militaries, but they also frankly endanger lives and create conditions for escalation,” he said.

These incidents included China’s hostile use of water cannons against Filipino sailors, injuring six sailors in one recent encounter.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/no-obligation-to-go-to-war-under-aukus-us-general-says/news-story/b0818e2cdd11e97146a87bae87ed1315

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N57uCsJdMjA

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 24, 2024, 7:12 a.m. No.20908931 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8933

Vote with your feet, Peter Dutton urges students amid soaring anti-Semitism

GEOFF CHAMBERS, NOAH YIM and JOE KELLY - MAY 24, 2024

1/2

Peter Dutton has urged students to vote with their feet and parents to speak out against indoctrination amid soaring anti-Semitism on campuses, as he warned Jewish leaders the Albanese government has “lost its moral compass”.

In a closed-door speech at the Central Synagogue in Bondi Junction on Friday night, the Opposition Leader ramped-up calls by the Coalition, minor parties and independents for Anthony Albanese to order a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses.

Ahead of parliament returning on Tuesday and Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser putting forward a private members’ bill for a judicial inquiry, Mr Dutton said the key to fighting anti-Semitism and indoctrination is “addressing the crisis in education”.

The Weekend Australian can reveal a Monash University poll of 7,611 Jewish Australians conducted in November found 68 per cent of Jewish students at Australian universities personally encountered hostility towards Israel from other students and 46 per cent had experienced hostility towards Israel from university lecturers and staff.

Speaking at the same synagogue where the Prime Minister three-weeks ago dismissed pro-Palestine protesters encamped at universities as “Trots” who are ignorant of Middle East history, Mr Dutton criticised actions taken by university heads, the government and law enforcement as “woefully inadequate”.

“Nothing short of a societal-wide effort is needed to reject indoctrination and bring about a renaissance of education. Parents must speak out – because the disruption and brainwashing on campuses is affecting your children’s future,” Mr Dutton said.

“Students must vote with their feet – do not waste your time and money at institutions which don’t have your best interests at heart.”

Less than one-year out from the election, Mr Dutton flagged the need for a major refocusing of education standards in schools including re-prioritising reading, writing and maths curriculum.

“I believe that the federal government must be more willing to penalise taxpayer-funded institutions which are not enforcing their own codes or keeping people safe on campus. I believe the anti-Semitism taking place on campuses today is symptomatic of a wider crisis in education,” he said.

“Young people are increasingly being taught ‘what to think’ – not ‘how to think’. Places of education have increasingly become places of indoctrination. Critical thinking is being replaced by prescribed thinking. The interplay between propaganda on campuses and online is only entrenching ideologies, historical distortions, and untruths in young minds.”

Mr Dutton said reversing the education crisis must start with a “renewed focus on teaching our young children the basics through explicit instruction”.

“A Coalition government will ensure a prioritisation on reading, writing and maths – the bedrock for open minds and critical thinking. We also want to see every Australian schoolchild visits a Holocaust museum. The lessons of history serve as a shield of knowledge which helps to deflect anti-Semitism and other propaganda.”

Mr Dutton, a former home affairs and immigration minister, said a Coalition government would also cancel visas and deport “non-citizens who incite or choose violence”.

With the Prime Minister under pressure over his response to moves by the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas, Mr Dutton said Mr Albanese’s “silence is inexcusable and shameful … the chief prosecutor’s actions are an abomination and anti-Semitic”.

He attacked the government’s decision to back Palestine’s bid for full UN membership as “utterly inappropriate, illogical, ill-timed and immoral”.

“In supporting this bid, the government has sent a clear message that it tolerates the use of terrorism and barbarism to achieve political ends.”

“On both issues, the Albanese government has again displayed misjudgment and weak leadership, while treating our ally, Israel, with disdain.

“I would go as far as to say that the government has lost its moral compass.”

(continued)

>>20908931

2/2

Former prime minister Scott Morrison on Friday slammed the ICC arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as “absurd”: “Any pretension that the ICC’s actions do not create moral equivalence between the actions of the sovereign nation of Israel in the current conflict and a recognised terrorist organisation in Hamas, is wilful blindness at best and potentially far worse”.

In the first comprehensive study of Jewish Australians since the October 7 terrorist attacks, a Monash University-led poll of more than 7,600 people found 64 per cent believed anti-Semitism was “very much” a problem. This was ten-times higher than responses to a similar question in 2017.

The November survey, commissioned by Jewish Communal Appeal NSW and conducted by the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, revealed in the five-weeks following October 7, one-in-five Jewish Australians had experienced an insult or harassment because of their faith and 43 per cent of those aged 18-29 reported harassment. One-in-five respondents (22 per cent) said they had been less open about their Jewish identity in public.

“Behind the statistics are the hard facts that Jewish Australians have been threatened and harassed on university campuses, vilified on social media and on the street, and discriminated against at work,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Peter Wertheim said.

Mr Dutton said since Hamas’ “barbaric terrorist attack, anti-Semitic incidents in Australia have increased by 700 per cent”, with few arrests made. He said a Coalition government would “provide the moral and political leadership that makes it abundantly clear that we expect the law to be enforced readily – not reluctantly – against those inciting hatred and violence”.

“Let’s be clear about the sinister agenda of these self-proclaimed ‘pro-Palestinian’ protesters. Using the pretext of free speech, these protesters have engaged in hate speech to intimidate Jewish students and to drive them off campuses.”

The Weekend Australian understands Mr Albanese has not replied to a formal request from the Coalition, minor parties and independents to establish a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on campuses in response to verbal attacks, harassment and intimidation of Jewish staff and students.

Last Thursday, 13 prominent MPs and senators including Mr Dutton, Jacqui Lambie, Pauline Hanson, Allegra Spender, Zali Stegall, Bob Katter and Rebekha Sharkie wrote to Mr Albanese requesting urgent action.

The letter said “we believe that a judicial inquiry will provide the best way to achieve broader cultural change in the university sector”. The MPs and Senators said if the Albanese government refused to instigate a judicial inquiry, they would support a Senate inquiry as an alternative.

“We are seeking a judicial inquiry as the most authoritative form of inquiry. An inquiry led by an independent respected jurist with the powers to grant privileges and immunities,” the letter said.

Addressing the Adelaide Holocaust Museum on Friday, Mr Leeser laid out the terms-of-reference for his judicial inquiry and attacked Labor’s plan for a general inquiry into racism to be conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Announced earlier this month by Education Minister Jason Clare and due to report in mid-2025, the AHRC study was a response to the Universities Accord report and will address anti-Semitism alongside Islamophobia, racism and the experience of First Nations people in the university sector.

Mr Leeser said since the October 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas, the AHRC had said “nothing about the rise of anti-Semitism in our community.”

The terms of reference for Mr Leeser’s judicial inquiry were devised after consultation with the ECAJ, the Australian Academic Alliance Against anti-Semitism, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students and Universities Australia.

Mr Leeser said the judicial inquiry would report on anti-Semitic activity on Australian university campuses, including instances of “harassment, intimidation, violence, advocacy or glorification of violence and/or support for listed terrorist organisations” both before and after October 7.

It will also examine the response of university regulators, leaders, governing bodies, Vice-Chancellors, student and staff representative bodies, student clubs and organisations.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/julian-leeser-reveals-judicial-inquiry-details-in-challenge-to-anthony-albanese/news-story/49ec2e00ed31be5915c92d9d4b0dd461

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 24, 2024, 7:21 a.m. No.20908964 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8967

More chaotic than coherent on Israel: Anthony Albanese under fire on ICC

BEN PACKHAM and LYDIA LYNCH - MAY 23, 2024

1/2

Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether Australia would enforce International Criminal Court arrest warrants against top Israeli officials, while declaring in a chaotic press conference that his government had adopted a “coherent” and “principled” position on the war in Gaza.

The government has for days defended the ICC’s independence after the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, applied for warrants to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas terrorists for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Amid condemnation of the move by international leaders including Joe Biden, the Prime Minister would not commit to enforcing the warrants if they were issued and the Israeli leaders set foot in Australia.

After initially declaring Australia would “make its own decisions”, Mr Albanese said he was not prepared to get ahead of the court. “I’m not about to go into hypotheticals about things that have not happened,” he said, amid repeated questions on the matter.

“There’s been an application. There’s been no determination by the ICC against any individual or anybody.”

Asked whether Australia supported the ICC, Mr Albanese declared the question “very broad”.

“The ICC exists. They haven’t made a determination. They haven’t made a decision,” he said.

Mr Albanese, who days earlier refused to comment on the warrants bid at all, said his government supported Israel’s right to defend itself, but “how it defends itself matters”.

He said there was “no equivalence” between Israel’s actions and those of Hamas, and reiterated the government’s call for the terrorist group to release its remaining hostages.

“What we actually need going forward is a coherent position, which is what we have taken. We will continue to do that, take a principled position going forward,” Mr Albanese said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Australians deserved a prime minister “who can take and defend a position that stands by our democratic values and allies”.

“Mr Albanese has variously squibbed, dodged, been wilfully inconsistent, and ultimately found incapable of explaining a position,” Senator Birmingham said.

“This is a test of how to respond to a terribly difficult issue and the Prime Minister is failing miserably. All he had to do was mirror the clear position taken by (US) President Biden, but Mr Albanese can’t even do that, and can’t or won’t explain why not.”

A day earlier, Peter Dutton rejected the prosecutor’s warrants application and declared a future Coalition government could cut ties with the ICC. Cabinet Minister Ed Husic said he was astonished at the prospect of a Coalition boycott of the court.

“The Coalition talks big about law and order but then wants to pick what law and order it’ll follow,” Mr Husic told the ABC. “It’s staggering that you can have a mainstream political party determine – on the basis of something that is uncomfortable to them – that they would then just turn their back on a court of law.”

He accused the Coalition of failing to express concern over the deaths of 35,000 Palestinians in the conflict.

(continued)

>>20908964

2/2

Mr Dutton accused the government of abandoning the nation’s Jewish community, which he said had been left “completely and utterly bewildered” by Labor’s response to the warrants application.

“I think Australians of good faith are bewildered as well that their Prime Minister doesn’t have the ability or the wit to be able to stand up for what is in our country’s best interests and to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, including the United States, to condemn an obvious anti-Semitic act by the ICC,” the Opposition Leader said.

The nation’s leading rabbis have implored Mr Albanese to show moral clarity and reject the court’s bid to put Mr Netanyahu on trial. Mr Biden rejected Mr Khan’s warrants application as “obscene”. His Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, flagged US sanctions against the court.

Australia is one of 124 nation states to have ratified the Rome Statute that established the ICC, making it technically obligated to enforce the court’s warrants. Neither the US nor Israel is a party to the court.

On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “Australia respects the ICC and the important role it has in upholding international law. The decision on whether to issue arrest warrants is a matter for the court in the independent exercise of its functions.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said if the ICC granted the prosecutor’s application, “then those who are named in the arrest warrants will no longer be able to travel to Australia, or any of the 124 countries which are parties to the (court)”.

“This is the first time an ICC prosecutor has requested the ICC to arrest and prosecute the political leaders of a democratic country engaged in a war of self-defence,” ECAJ co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said. “If the (court) agrees … it will set a precedent that may well paralyse democratically elected governments … in defending their countries against future armed attacks by terrorist organisations, and others.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/more-chaotic-than-coherent-on-israel-anthony-albanese-under-fire-on-icc/news-story/04080d92c4e9e6829092310e31ac3e38

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 24, 2024, 7:31 a.m. No.20909003 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9007

>>20903669

Peter Dutton ‘is nothing more than Scott Morrison 2.0’, says Anthony Albanese

GEOFF CHAMBERS - MAY 23, 2024

1/2

Anthony Albanese will launch a major political attack on Peter Dutton in an election-style speech warning voters it is “too important to go back to fear and division” and accusing his rival of being a carbon copy of Scott Morrison.

The Prime Minister – who makes no reference to Indigenous Australians or the voice referendum in a speech marking two years since his election victory – will say the nation faces challenges that are “too urgent for a retreat to denial and delay”.

While the bulk of Mr Albanese’s Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue address on Friday is dedicated to the government’s achievements, the Labor leader will frame the Opposition Leader as an anti-business wrecker focused only on “political self-interest”.

Following last week’s budget, Mr Albanese will sharpen the government shift from identity politics to a broad-based election pitch around tax cuts, energy bill relief, higher wages and stronger Medicare for “all Australians”.

The pivot comes amid polling and focus groups showing that voters in outer-suburban areas are becoming disillusioned with the Albanese government as cost-of-living pressures mount.

“I understand Australians are doing it tough right now – and I haven’t forgotten what it’s like to struggle and strive, to worry about your family’s economic security, to wonder if you’ll get the opportunity to pursue your aspirations,” Mr Albanese will say.

While Mr Dutton pledged to “turbocharge mining” during a visit to Western Australia on Thursday, Mr Albanese joined Industry Minister Ed Husic in Brisbane to spruik the government’s national battery strategy.

Painting himself as a nation builder with the vision to accelerate Australia’s future economy and jobs, Mr Albanese on Friday will accuse Mr Dutton of wanting to drag the country “back to the era of conflict fatigue”.

“My opponent goes around telling business leaders who look to work with us that they are ‘supine’ and weak,” he will say.

“But there is a world of difference between talking tough and working hard.

“In politics, wrecking is always easier than building.

“And looking for someone to blame is much simpler than finding a solution.

“But that’s not strength – that’s the soft option. And we know where that takes us.

“We have seen what happens when the only test that politicians apply is their own political self-interest.

“We saw it with Scott Morrison, we’re seeing it again with Peter Dutton.

“Saying no to everything is the easiest thing to do in opposition – but it builds nothing, it helps no one and it takes our country nowhere.

“Governing Australia requires more than sound bites – you need substantial propositions.”

(continued)

>>20909003

2/2

Mr Albanese will say the “stakes right now are too high for the shallow and shambolic approach we see too often from the opposition … the opportunities we have before us are too big for small-minded negativity”.

In contrast to his election night address that led with a commitment to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart “in full”, Mr Albanese’s two-year anniversary speech will not reference the voice referendum defeat or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mr Albanese will say that “two years ago – almost to the day – I promised as Prime Minister to lead a government for all Australians … our budget kept faith with that in every way: a tax cut for every taxpayer. Help with energy bills for every household – and for small business. Getting wages moving again for workers in every industry. Making Medicare stronger in every community.”

With Labor expected to come under pressure in outer-suburban seats at the next election, Mr Albanese will say “western Sydney reflects the aspiration that drives Australia”.

“While western Sydney may not have vast reserves of nickel or lithium, you are home to a wealth of resources that are absolutely critical to our future,” he will say.

“Great universities and researchers, Australia’s largest health and biomedical research precinct, one of the largest industrial and distribution hubs in the southern hemisphere, dynamic small businesses and start-ups … and diaspora communities that help build and strengthen our international relationships and trade ties.”

Just under a year out from the next election, Mr Albanese will say his government is focused on “Helping with the challenges Australians are facing here and now, building for the opportunities of the decade ahead, delivering the reforms that ensure no one is held back (and) achieving the progress that sees no one left behind.”

In a speech to the Australian Education Union on Thursday, Mr Albanese accused Mr Dutton of “attacking” teachers.

“Peter Dutton … sees a group he’s ready to scapegoat every time they aren’t on his same bleak, negative wavelength,” the Prime Minister said.

“I’d encourage him to get out of his grim little echo chamber, park his anger for a few minutes, and take a look at the Be That Teacher campaign.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/peter-dutton-is-nothing-more-than-scott-morrison-20-says-anthony-albanese/news-story/6a2a5c7325db212ce0f622a39316c77e

>>20751248 (pb)

Elon Musk's X can be liable for hate speech published on platform in landmark QCAT ruling

Lexy Hamilton-Smith and Angie Lavoipierre - 25 May 2024

1/2

Social media company X, formerly Twitter, has lost a key fight over whether it's legally responsible for its activities in Australia.

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) has made a landmark ruling that the company can be held liable for hate speech published on its platform.

The decision is a win for the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN), which lodged a complaint in July 2022 accusing X of being responsible for publishing denigrating and hateful comments from a far-right conspiracy group, about Muslims being "an existential threat" to the world.

Social media companies such as X have often relied on the legal argument that they're not responsible for what happens on foreign soil because they don't do business there.

But that principle has now been challenged.

AMAN's legal advisor Rita Jabri Markwell said, when she was first preparing the case, there was no other precedent — so this was the first of its kind.

"The significance of this decision is that we now know that local hate speech laws do apply to social media companies," she said.

"Usually people will bring vilification complaints against other individuals.

"But now they can take direct action against the companies that are profiting from that hate."

Community needs protection from online 'hate mongering'

The posts in question were published in the aftermath of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, in which 51 people were killed.

Islamophobic incidents surged in Australia in the aftermath of that atrocity.

But despite requests from AMAN, X refused to remove or geoblock posts that allegedly vilified Australian Muslims, under Queensland's Anti-Discrimination Act.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who owns the company — which is based in Delaware in the US — argued that the company should be exempt.

But this week's ruling rejects that.

"They were claiming that it would be preposterous for a Queensland tribunal to exert some sort of power over a global social media company," Ms Markwell said.

"We contested that, on many levels and at the end of the day, it was enough to show that they are profiting from local markets and communities here, through collecting data and advertising.

"This could become a precedent that will carry weight in other jurisdictions, whether it's at the federal level, or whether it's under other vilification laws.

"Previously it's been very uncertain whether those laws apply to social media companies, it's been assumed by many that they do, but the tribunal's initial finding is significant because it pierces a favourite legal shield of social media giants.

"Now, we are on much firmer terrain because we have a very detailed set of reasons using a range of very established authorities to show that vilification laws do apply to social media companies.

"There's also been a lot of research showing how dangerous this kind of dehumanising disinformation is, in that it has driven people to acts of terrorism."

With Australia being the home of the Christchurch attacker — he was born in Grafton, NSW — Ms Markwell said "Muslims here are very sensitive to the fact that we need to protect our communities from that kind of hate mongering online".

(continued)

>>20909090

2/2

Ruling follows bishop stabbing

The QCAT decision comes after a stoush between Australia's online safety regulator and X over its refusal to take down video footage of the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in April, which was live streamed.

Tension rose after X hid 65 tweets containing video of the attack, rather than agreeing to the take down order — the eSafety commissioner Julie Inman won an interim order in the Federal Court, but failed to make the ban permanent.

University of Queensland free speech expert Kath Gelber said it was an important win.

"Every time that there's a public decision like this — that draws the line in the sand and says that you can't vilify an entire group of people based on their identity — then that is a win and I'm pleased to see the result of this case," she said.

"It is an important precedent that anti-vilification law applies to material that can be viewed and seen in the jurisdiction in which that law operates.

"It is interesting and important because recently we've seen pushback by some global internet companies, trying to say that because the home base of their jurisdiction is outside of Australia, and because they have global remit, that Australian law shouldn't necessarily be applicable to them.

"So it's a win for the target communities, because they can continue to say 'look the law is designed to educate people about how to exercise their free speech rights responsibly, in ways that don't harm others'."

However Professor Gelber said the ruling wouldn't allow an immediate order to make X take down the "hate speech" comments, as it would first require mediation between the two parties.

"I think it would be a pretty good bet to suggest that that mediation wouldn't work," she said.

"After that process has been attempted at least, then it is within the rights of any complainant to refer them either to a tribunal or court, depending on the jurisdiction.

"In that event, there could be an order to take down material at the end of the day."

The company can appeal the tribunal's decision via the Queensland Supreme Court.

The Muslim Advocacy Network is still awaiting a separate decision as to whether X breached the law by failing to remove or hide the alleged hate speech.

AMAN also has a legal complaint against Meta and Facebook Australia, currently before the Human Rights Commission.

Meta, which owns Facebook, has also been fighting a case against the national privacy commissioner over the Cambridge Analytica scandal on jurisdictional grounds, arguing that it's not subject to Australian law.

The ABC has contacted X for comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-24/x-twitter-landmark-queensland-court-ruling-muslim-discrimination/103888058

https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/147408

https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2024/QCAT24-201.pdf

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 24, 2024, 8:07 a.m. No.20909118 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9138

>>20886418

Ex-pilot has 'no arguments' to make against extradition

Jack Gramenz and Miklos Bolza - May 24 2024

An ex-US fighter pilot's lawyers have conceded they have no case to mount against his extradition as he faces prosecution in the US on allegations of unlawfully aiding the Chinese military.

Former top gun Daniel Duggan has spent 19 months in a maximum-security prison before Friday's hearing in a Sydney court on the US extradition order.

Magistrate Daniel Reiss will deliver a decision on his eligibility for extradition on Friday afternoon after barrister Bret Walker SC told a court Duggan could not legally mount a defence.

Asked by the magistrate if Friday's hearing would be contested, Mr Walker told the court: "Not really, no."

There was no argument to written material provided by lawyers for the US, he added.

The magistrate can order Duggan to stay in custody to await extradition, an order he can appeal for review within 15 days, lawyer Trent Glover, acting for the US, told the court.

Mr Reiss noted that the position from Duggan's lawyers had "streamlined the considerations significantly".

The 55-year-old was arrested in Australia at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching arms-trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012, allegedly receiving about $100,000 for his services.

Duggan's wife, children and supporters had gathered outside Downing Centre Local Court before the extradition hearing to call for his freedom.

"This deliberate torture has to stop today," Saffrine Duggan said.

Her husband has been kept in a maximum-security prison in solitary confinement, preparing his defence with handwritten notes, while her house has been seized and applications for Legal Aid were rejected, she said.

"They have done everything in their power to make this difficult for my family, to try and break Dan and to break us, but we will fight no matter what," she said.

Ms Duggan again called on Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to release her husband.

"He has the power to free Dan … Australians won't stand for the US threatening our sovereignty, this is Australia, we are Australian citizens," she said.

Duggan blew kisses and made heart gestures from the dock as the courtroom filled with supporters on Friday, some of whom were reminded about laws regarding contempt.

Some remained seated on the floor of the packed courtroom, while one man accused the magistrate of presiding over a "kangaroo court".

The ex-pilot and his family argue the charges are politically motivated given the deterioration of Sino-American relations and how long ago the alleged actions occurred.

In April, he failed in a court bid to postpone the hearing after claiming he had racked up $800,000 in legal bills and was unable to fund his future defence.

In a prison letter seen by AAP, Duggan said he believed his activities were lawful and that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the US Naval Central Intelligence Service knew of his work.

Ms Duggan has presented a petition with 25,000 signatures to politicians in Canberra, calling on Mr Dreyfus to release her husband and end his extradition.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge said he would table the petition in parliament.

"Our government should show some guts, our government should make it clear that being an Australian citizen matters, and that when another country comes for you, they'll protect you as best they can … but we've seen none of that," he said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8639520/ex-pilot-has-no-arguments-to-make-against-extradition/

>>20886418

>>20909118

Daniel Duggan loses fight against extradition to US over allegedly training Chinese pilots, magistrate rules

Australian former US marine pilot faces potential prison sentence of up to 60 years on charges of arms trafficking and money laundering.

Ben Doherty - 24 May 2024

Daniel Duggan, an Australian citizen and former US marine pilot wanted in the United States over allegations he trained Chinese fighter pilots, is eligible to be extradited, a Sydney magistrate has ruled. .

Duggan appeared in court for the first time since his arrest 19 months ago, dressed in a grey suit jacket, white shirt and blue tie. From behind the security glass of the dock he blew kisses to his family and supporters, and made a love-heart symbol towards his wife, Saffrine, mouthing the words “I love you”.

The magistrate, Daniel Reiss, told the court Duggan was “eligible for surrender” to the US and ordered that he be committed to prison.

Duggan has 15 days to seek a review in the federal court. The extradition process, which involves several levels of review and appeal before a final decision by the attorney general, could remain before Australian authorities for years.

The US is seeking the extradition of Duggan, 55, on charges of arms trafficking and money laundering arising from his alleged training of Chinese fighter pilots more than a decade ago. The allegations have not been tested in court.

A US indictment alleges he taught Chinese fighter pilots to land jets on aircraft carriers – known as “carrier-arrested landings” – in defiance of arms trafficking laws. The indictment details payments Duggan allegedly received in 2011 and 2012 for training Chinese fighter pilots at a test flight academy “based in South Africa, with a presence in the People’s Republic of China”.

The father of six – whose children are aged between six and 18 and are all Australian citizens – faces a potential 60-year prison term if convicted in the US.

Duggan, who has no criminal history anywhere in the world, has faced significant isolation in prison, having been classified as a high-risk inmate. He has consistently denied the allegations against him as politically motivated, and has claimed the indictment is filled with “half-truths, falsehoods and gross embellishments”.

In his formal decision, Reiss wrote: “Mr Duggan has not pressed any extradition objections and has not tendered any documentation that might support any such objection.

“Mr Duggan has not satisfied the court that there are substantial grounds for believing that there is an extradition objection in relation to the offences.

“I therefore conclude that Mr Duggan is eligible for extradition to the USA.”

The extradition hearing was chaotic, even shambolic. The courtroom was moved twice before proceedings started well over an hour late, after dozens of observers had been expelled from the court.

Before the hearing began, the magistrate expelled any observers without a seat, leading to protests from the floor, saying: “We demand a bigger court,” and, “This is an important case for Australia.”

The magistrate was implacable and did not start the hearing until dozens of Duggan’s supporters had been ushered out. One remained by hiding behind a pillar, unseen by the magistrate.

A protester then repeatedly yelled that the magistrate was running a “kangaroo court” and that the hearing was in defiance of the Magna Carta.

Threatened with contempt by Reiss, the man told the bench: “You’re the one in contempt.” He left before sheriffs arrived to expel him.

Saffrine Duggan spoke outside the Downing Centre court after the magistrate’s decision. She said the order “was simply about ticking boxes”. Her husband “had always denied the allegations”, she said, and would continue to fight the charges.

“We want my husband to come home here in Australia,” she said.

Saffrine Duggan added that the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, had the power to defy the US extradition request and to release her husband.

“We respectfully ask the attorney general to take another look at this case, and to bring my husband home.”

Duggan’s daughter Molly told supporters her father’s arrest and imprisonment had left the family “in a constant state of crisis and turmoil”.

“Dad is going through a horrible, alienating, dehumanising experience. He may never be the same.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/24/daniel-duggan-extradition-us-allegedly-training-chinese-pilots-trafficking-money-laundering

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 24, 2024, 8:24 a.m. No.20909164 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9169

Daniel Duggan case: ‘Mr Duggan is eligible for surrender’ over Chinese fighter pilots training claims

CLAREESE PACKER and ADELAIDE LANG - MAY 24, 2024

1/2

A former US marine pilot who has been accused of unlawfully training Chinese fighter pilots has been deemed eligible for extradition to the US after his lawyers conceded they have no legal grounds to fight the request.

Daniel Duggan has been in custody since October 2022 over charges of conspiracy, arms trafficking and money laundering after the US requested he be extradited.

US authorities allege Duggan breached money laundering and arms export control laws while teaching foreign pilots at a flying academy in South Africa more than 12 years ago.

They also claim Duggan taught pilots – including Chinese citizens – how to land atop an aircraft carrier, and therefore breached US arms control laws. Duggan was allegedly paid more than $110,000 for his expertise but he had not sought the government’s permission to undertake the role.

Magistrate Daniel Reiss confirmed Duggan is eligible for extradition on Friday afternoon, with the final decision to be handed down by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

“Section 19 of the criteria have been met and Mr Duggan is eligible for surrender in relation to the counts particularised,” he said.

“(I) hereby order the relevant police to commit Daniel Edmund Duggan to a correctional facility in the state of NSW to await in relation to the particularised offences.”

Duggan will have 15 days to appeal for review, Mr Reiss said.

Lawyers for Duggan asked that he be taken to a Lithgow facility.

“I merge to seek an expression from yourself to have Mr Duggan return to Lithgow closer to his family. If your honour would lend your words to that issue he’d be grateful,” Bernard Colleary said.

Mr Reiss replied he has “limited involvement or powers in those matters”.

Mr Colleary indicated Duggan will continue to fight the extradition speaking outside court after proceedings on Friday afternoon.

However, when asked if he will be seeking a review of the order, Mr Colleary said: “No, not the section 19 of it”.

Mr Colleary emphasised Friday’s proceedings was an administrative hearing rather than a judicial hearing, and said Mr Duggan is “equally determined” to defend his cause.

It comes after high-profile silk Bret Walker SC, representing Duggan, earlier said: “The arguments advanced in writing can’t be maintained”.

“I’m submitting there are no arguments I can properly put against the way our friends written reply dealt with the written response on behalf of Mr Duggan,” he said. “I hope that’s clear enough, Your Honour.”

Mr Reiss adjourned the court until 2pm Friday afternoon to come to a decision.

“In the current circumstances, I can finalise, at this stage today … given the position now being adopted on behalf of Mr Duggan, (it has) streamlined the considerations significantly,” he said.

(continued)

>>20909164

2/2

Duggan’s wife, Saffrine, pleaded for Mr Dreyfus to “bring (her) husband home” outside court on Friday afternoon. “Now we respectfully ask the attorney general to take another look at this case and bring my husband home.”

“There was no place to battle. There was no opening in the local court for my husband to run his case … It’s time to move onto the next stage.”

Duggan’s daughter, Molly, asked the Australian government to “save (their) family” following the decision.

“I just hope that our Australian government and our politicians find the heart and soul to save our family from this huge and massive injustice, and that they find it in themselves to set the right precedent for the future.”

A spokesperson for the Attorney-General said the government does not comment on extradition matters.

Duggan, who has consistently denied the allegations, appeared in person at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court, waving and blowing kisses to his family and supporters.

Proceedings were initially delayed Friday morning due to the number of people trying to file into the courtroom, with Mr Reiss warning protesters not to call out negative comments and risk putting themselves in contempt of court.

“If people can hold their tongues, I’ll see if that’s possible,” he said.

However one protester was asked to leave the room after interrupting, claiming Mr Reiss is “the one in contempt”.

“I think Mr Duggan is very well represented,” Mr Reiss said.

Supporters had earlier gathered outside the Downing Centre with signs reading “Let my dad free” and “Free Dan”.

The former operator of Top Gun Tasmania and a former US Marines pilot, Duggan was living in Orange with his wife and family before he was arrested in October 2022.

His wife Saffrine earlier claimed the allegations “defy common sense or even the slightest scrutiny”.

“The basic legal and human rights of my hardworking family have been forgotten in this case due to apathy, political bias and a complete lack of due diligence by the bureaucrats who advised the (Australian) government on this matter,” she said.

“To make matters worse, our government’s agents have now assisted the United States to confiscate my property, which has left me unable to properly mount Dan’s legal defence”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/daniel-duggan-case-no-arguments-to-fight-extradition-over-chinese-fighter-pilots-training-claims/news-story/88f525433b7331b3771456c0c19da2fa

Ex-US Marines fighter pilot loses bid to block extradition to the United States over China training allegations

Hilary Whiteman - May 24, 2024

Brisbane, Australia (CNN) - The fate of former US Marines pilot Daniel Duggan now rests with Australia’s attorney general after a magistrate ruled he was eligible to be extradited to the United States to face charges related to the alleged training of Chinese military pilots.

After a short hearing on Friday, Magistrate Daniel Reiss found that Duggan met the conditions for extradition and ordered him to be moved to prison while lawyers for the US wait for Attorney General Mark Dreyfus to approve his removal.

Duggan has 15 days to seek a review of the order, which comes 19 months after his arrest in rural New South Wales, just weeks after returning from China to join his family in Australia.

Duggan’s wife Saffrine stood outside court with their six children, as she appealed to the Australian authorities to intervene.

“We are absolutely heartbroken and still don’t understand how this could be happening to us,” she said as supporters held up signs saying “Free Dan Duggan.”

“My husband is a good man, a great father, a wonderful friend and husband. He faces no Australian charges and has no criminal background whatsoever. Yet he is locked up by the say-so of the United States government,” she added.

She described Friday’s hearing as “simply about ticking boxes.”

“Now, we respectfully ask the attorney general to take another look at this case and bring my husband home.”

A 2017 indictment alleges Duggan trained Chinese military pilots between November 2009 and November 2012, when he was still a US citizen. Duggan met his Australian wife in 2011 and took Australian citizenship the following year.

The indictment said that “as early as 2008,” Duggan received an email from the US State Department telling him he was required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and apply for permission to train a foreign air force.

Instead, it claims he conspired with others – including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) – to export defense services in violation of an arms embargo on China.

In a statement to CNN in 2023, TFASA said it complies with the laws of every jurisdiction in which it operates.

The statement said Duggan undertook one test-pilot contract for the company in South Africa between November and December 2012, and “never worked for TFASA on any of its training mandates in China.”

Duggan maintains the students he trained were Chinese civilians, including plane enthusiasts and people with ambitions within the civilian aviation industry.

His supporters believe he’s been caught up in geopolitics during a time of strained relations between the United States and China and have accused authorities of using him to send a message to former military personnel.

Friday’s hearing at Downing Centre Local Court was delayed for almost an hour due to protests that required the proceedings to be moved to a smaller courtroom that became so crowded that some members of the public sat on the floor.

Further delays occurred after Reiss asked the floor-sitters to leave the room, warning that anyone who didn’t “hold their tongue” could be prosecuted for contempt of court.

A spokesperson for the Australian attorney general said the government doesn’t comment on extradition matters.

Under Australia’s Extradition Act, Duggan is entitled to appeal directly to the attorney general as to why he shouldn’t be sent to the US.

There is no set time period for the attorney general to make a decision, but by law it should be made as soon as practicable.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/24/australia/daniel-duggan-us-extradition-hearing-intl-hnk/index.html

NSW magistrate rules ex-marine pilot Daniel Duggan can be handed over to US over claims he trained Chinese pilots

Ethan Rix - 24 May 2024

A former US marine pilot accused of unlawfully aiding the Chinese military has been deemed eligible for surrender to America by a NSW court, leaving his hopes of avoiding extradition in the hands of the federal attorney-general.

Daniel Edmund Duggan, an Australian citizen, denies allegations by the US he helped train Chinese military pilots more than a decade ago, which relate to his work at the Test Flying Academy of South Africa.

US authorities allege Mr Duggan was paid about $100,000 for his services but had not sought permission from the US government to provide the training.

The 55-year-old has been held in a maximum-security jail in NSW for the past 19 months after he was arrested in October 2022 at the behest of the US.

Duggan found eligible for surrender

At Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, Magistrate Daniel Reiss told Mr Duggan he was eligible for surrender to the US and made an order for the father-of-six to be committed to prison.

Mr Duggan's legal team were expected to make submissions against his extradition earlier on Friday, but his high-profile barrister, Bret Walker SC, told the court they would not be making any argument in the hearing to fight the 55-year-old's eligibility for surrender.

"I am submitting there are no arguments that I can properly put against the way in which our friend's written reply dealt with the written response on behalf of Mr Duggan," Mr Walker said.

Mr Duggan now has 15 days to appeal for review.

Speaking outside court after the ruling, Mr Duggan's wife, Saffrine, said her husband still denies all the allegations and called for the attorney general to "take another look at this case and bring my husband home".

His daughter Molly added that the decision was essentially a "death sentence".

"I'm mainly concerned about my three younger siblings who as a result of that will grow up without a father, which is just a horrible alienating thing to do," she said.

The ruling does not initiate Mr Duggan's transfer to the US because the federal Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus KC, must now decide whether the surrender should proceed.

According to the Extradition Act, there is no set time frame for the attorney- general to make this decision following a magistrate's ruling, but the act states a decision should be made as soon as practical.

That decision can also be appealed for review by the Federal Court.

In a statement provided to the ABC, a spokesperson for the attorney general said the government does not comment on extradition matters.

Mr Duggan sat calmly in the dock behind a glass panel, smiling and waving to his family and supporters in court.

At one point he mouthed "I love you" to his wife and blew her a kiss.

He also made a heart shape with his hands.

A petition calling for the Australian government to release Mr Duggan has received 25,000 signatures.

Supporters gather outside court

Before the hearing began, Mr Duggan's wife, children and supporters gathered outside court calling for his immediate release.

Friday's ruling comes after Mr Duggan failed to delay his extradition hearing last month, claiming he had already spent up to $800,000 in legal fees and couldn't fund his future defence after his wife was prevented from selling their multi-million-dollar estate near Kiama in October

Mr Duggan faces US charges of conspiracy, arms trafficking and money laundering.

He faces up to 65 years in jail if found guilty.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-24/nsw-ex-pilot-loses-legal-battle-for-surrender-to-us/103890232

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRiVQzd9pWk

Ex-US pilot accused of training Chinese military loses legal bid to block extradition

Miklos Bolza - May 24, 2024

An ex-US fighter pilot and Australian citizen has been ruled eligible for extradition to his former home country for prosecution on allegations of unlawfully aiding the Chinese military.

Former top gun Daniel Duggan has spent 19 months in a maximum-security prison before today's hearing in a Sydney court on the US extradition order.

Magistrate Daniel Reiss ruled him eligible for extradition this afternoon after barrister Bret Walker SC told the court Duggan could not legally mount a defence.

Asked by the magistrate if today's hearing would be contested, Walker told the court: "Not really, no."

There was no argument to written material provided by lawyers for the US, he added.

The magistrate ordered Duggan be held in custody to await extradition under a temporary surrender warrant, an order he can appeal for review within 15 days.

Reiss noted the position from Duggan's lawyers had "streamlined the considerations significantly".

The 55-year-old was arrested in Australia at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching arms trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012, allegedly receiving about $100,000 for his services.

Duggan's wife, children and supporters gathered outside Downing Centre Local Court before the extradition hearing to call for his freedom.

"This deliberate torture has to stop today," Saffrine Duggan said.

Her husband has been kept in a maximum-security prison in solitary confinement, preparing his defence with handwritten notes, while her house has been seized and applications for Legal Aid were rejected, she said.

"They have done everything in their power to make this difficult for my family, to try and break Dan and to break us, but we will fight no matter what," she said.

Duggan blew kisses and made heart gestures from the dock as the courtroom filled with supporters today, some of whom were reminded about laws regarding contempt.

Some remained seated on the floor of the packed courtroom, while one man accused the magistrate of presiding over a "kangaroo court" before leaving the room.

The ex-pilot and his family argue the charges are politically motivated given the deterioration of Sino-American relations and how long ago the alleged actions occurred.

An April court bid failed to postpone the hearing after claims Duggan had racked up $800,000 in legal bills and was unable to fund his future defence.

In a prison letter seen by AAP, Duggan said he believed his activities were lawful and that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the US Naval Central Intelligence Service knew of his work.

Ms Duggan has presented a petition with 25,000 signatures to politicians in Canberra, calling on Dreyfus to release her husband and end his extradition.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge said he would table the petition in parliament.

"Our government should show some guts, our government should make it clear that being an Australian citizen matters, and that when another country comes for you, they'll protect you as best they can … but we've seen none of that," he said.

Dreyfus has been contacted for comment.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/former-us-military-pilot-accused-of-aiding-china-fights-extradition/812c89fa-3a69-4415-bf2d-438403b17879

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 24, 2024, 8:59 a.m. No.20909278 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7555

Police charge disgraced AFL player Barry Cable with sexual abuse of young girl in 1960s

abc.net.au - 24 May 2024

WA police have charged disgraced AFL footballer Barry Cable with child sexual abuse after he allegedly assaulted a young girl in the 1960s.

Child Abuse Squad detectives say they charged the 80-year-old as a result of their investigation into historical child sexual abuse allegations.

It will be alleged during 1967 and 1968, Cable sexually assaulted a girl who was between nine and 10 years old at the time.

He has been charged with five counts of indecently dealing with a girl under 13 and two counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 13 years.

Civil suit findings

The charges come less than a year after Cable was found to have abused a young girl in the 1960s during a civil matter.

A Perth judge ruled he had sexually abused the woman – now aged in her 60s – starting from when she was just 12 years old.

She launched a lawsuit against the disgraced former footballer in 2019 and was awarded $818,700 for the "catastrophic" damage she suffered.

Four other women gave evidence against Cable during the proceedings, with Judge Mark Herron accepting their testimony that they, too, had been sexually abused by Cable.

Cable has always categorically denied all the allegations.

He had not faced criminal charges until Friday.

Stripped of accolades

Cable was removed from the Football Hall of Fame following the civil judgement last year.

AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder described the findings as "incredibly serious and distressing" when he made the announcement in June last year.

"The thoughts of the AFL Commission are entirely with the victim, who bravely told her story and the other women who courageously came forward during the course of the trial to tell their stories," Mr Goyder said at the time.

The WA Football Commission and the Western Australian Institute of Sport had also removed Cable from their respective Halls of Fame.

Lengthy career

Cable had a lengthy and successful playing career in the Victorian and West Australian Football leagues.

He was regarded as one of the greatest Australian footballers in history.

Cable won two VFL premierships with North Melbourne, four WAFL premierships and three Sandover medals for being the WA competition's best and fairest player.

His playing career lasted from 1962 and 1979, and he also spent time as East Perth's captain-coach.

Cable will appear before the Perth Magistrates Court next week.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-24/barry-cable-charged-with-sexual-abuse-young-girl/103891766

https://qresear.ch/?q=barry+cable

Jewish women call on Penny Wong to speak louder about the horrors of Hamas

CAMERON STEWART - MAY 25, 2024

Australian Jewish women have called on Foreign Minister Penny Wong to view the harrowing Hamas footage of bloodied female Israeli hostages and speak out on their behalf, saying violence against women is not an Israeli or a Palestinian issue but a human rights issue.

Families of the five 19-year-old hostages released the shocking vision to highlight the plight of their daughters, who have been held captive by Hamas for 230 days.

In it, the five women – Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy, whose cousin Nikki Perzuck lives in Melbourne – lie terrified and bloodied as Hamas terrorists tie their hands, subject them to vicious abuse, and abduct them on October 7.

One of the terrorists is heard telling the others: “Here are the girls who can get pregnant.” Another tells one of the women: “You are so beautiful.”

Melbourne-based mother and Jewish community activist Lillian Kline led a group of five Jewish women to Parliament House in Canberra to call on the government to speak out on behalf of the women and the sexual violence used against women by Hamas. “What was done to these women can never be justified or swept up in political debates about the history of the conflict. These are horrific crimes against women inflicted by men” Ms Kline said.

“Hamas have used rape and sexual torture to destroy these women in body and soul and to terrorise. We have a duty to save these five women plus the other 14 women still enslaved and being tortured by their male captors.”

She called on Senator Wong and the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, to “lead the campaign to alert the world to their plight and to call for their immediate release”.

“This is not an Israeli or Palestinian issue, it is a women’s issue and a basic human rights issue,” Ms Kline said.

UN bodies and women’s rights organisations have been criticised for their silence on the issue of Hamas’s sexual violence against Israeli women on October 7, despite those women’s groups being vocal about the deaths of Israeli women in Gaza. The rape, sexual torture and other crimes against women committed by Hamas and Gazan civilians on October 7 and afterwards have since been widely documented by the UN as well as by released hostages, survivors and investigators.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the world had failed these young hostages.

“A few months ago, I stood in the room where these horrors occurred. I saw the memorial candles marking the spots where fifteen young women were burned alive by Hamas terrorists. Seeing the footage of the surviving women, bloodied and tormented, being brutalised by these men, is heartbreaking,” he said.

“The fact that 230 days later, Liri, Karina, Agam, Daniella and Naama are still in captivity, still suffering unimaginable horrors at the hands of monsters, shows how badly we have all failed them. As a community, we echo the plea to the Foreign Minister. Please watch the footage and please use your voice and your office to bring these girls home.”

The video shows dozens of gunmen tying up the female Israeli soldiers, who were captured while sheltering from heavy rocket fire on the morning of October 7. Their faces bloodied, barefoot, they had run out of bed to seek cover. The scenes are chaotic, with black-clad gunmen shouting abuse in Arabic and then, in another scene, praying as the women look on.

Around 240 hostages were abducted by Hamas and other groups and taken to Gaza on October 7. Around 128 remain there, according to Israeli authorities, although at least 30 of these are believed to have died.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/jewish-women-call-on-penny-wong-to-speak-louder-about-the-horrors-of-hamas/news-story/6c2db50bc15b73a8cb235c2a549dd0bb

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 25, 2024, 5:40 a.m. No.20912444 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4579

US bans imports of all poultry products from Victoria

abc.net.au - 25 May 2024

The United States Department of Agriculture has banned imports of all Victorian poultry products following an avian influenza outbreak.

The H7N3 strain of the virus commonly known as bird flu was found on an egg farm in Meredith, west of Melbourne, on Wednesday and has since been linked to another site 130 kilometres south-west in Terang.

The two properties share joint management, staff and machinery.

More than 500,000 birds have had to be euthanased this week.

The H7N3 is a high pathogenic strain of avian influenza and resulted in 400,000 chicken deaths at the Meredith farm in a bid to control the spread of the virus.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said it was restricting the importation of "poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and by-products, and certain fresh poultry products from the State of Victoria, Australia".

The ban applies to products originating or transiting through Victoria as of May 22.

Victorian Farmers' Federation vice president Danyel Cucinotta said the state's agriculture industry was focused on preventing infection.

"While export restrictions are never good news for farmers, our focus remains on containing the spread on our farms," she said.

Both Victorian farms impacted by the avian influenza outbreak have been placed under quarantine and orders are in place restricting the movement of poultry, equipment and vehicles around the properties.

Victorian government statistics say the state exported $36 million in the year 2021-2022, which accounted for 2.5 per cent of the state's food exports.

Papua New Guinea is the largest market for Victorian poultry exports ($10 million), followed by Philippines ($8 million) and the Solomon Islands ($4 million).

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-05-25/united-states-of-america-bans-victorian-poultry-products/103893610

https://x.com/VicGovAg/status/1793934232936468969

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-product-import

https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAAPHIS-39ea186

>>20755608 (pb)

Former NASA boss arrives to boost Australian space race

Stephen Brook - May 25, 2024

Australia’s space effort is taking a leap forward after recruiting a retired US Air Force lieutenant general and NASA administrator.

Lieutenant General Larry D. James’ 46-year career has led him from the US Air Force to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He retired from there in March as deputy director and chief operating officer after 11 years’ overseeing 6000 staff who explored solar systems and researched astronomy, physics and Earth sciences.

James flew into Australia last Tuesday and starts work on June 1 at Monash University as a professor of space innovation. He will also work at the Adelaide research consortium, SmartSat, as a strategic adviser.

“Australia is really doing a lot to boost its space capabilities. And this would be a good time to join in that effort,” James said from Sydney, where he will be based.

He said his role would be to “continue to raise the bar for space in Australia, which is an incredible ally for the US”.

The SmartSat Co-operative Research Centre, part government-backed, comprises 135 participating organisations in Australia and overseas to create technologies used in satellites and the space effort.

“It’s not that Australia has to become the US in terms of the space capabilities,” James said.

“Australia should mine the incredible technical capabilities they have to, number one, support Australian requirements and needs.”

Space technology can help us to keep a closer eye on Earth.

AquaWatch Australia, which aims to create an integrated ground-to-space national water quality-monitoring system, was one such project that could benefit from having a space component to boost its aim of providing predictive forecasting, James said.

“It’s not like you have to become a behemoth in terms of capabilities compared to the US. But you can absolutely create capabilities that are important for the nation and important for their allies.”

Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, welcomed the appointment.

“Lieutenant General James brings a wealth of experience in daring mighty things at JPL, which will help steer and elevate the work of SmartSat CRC and Monash University – driving further growth and investment across Australia’s space industry,” said Palermo.

James was a lieutenant general with the US Air Force who retired from active duty in 2013 after working as air force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at the Pentagon.

He worked with Australian military and scientists throughout his time in the air force, and during his civilian career at NASA. “I deployed with them during Iraqi Freedom, worked with them during my intel time and my air force time and JPL time,” he said.

While at NASA, James formed a relationship with Monash University and National Indigenous Space Agency lead Christopher Lawrence, a Wadjak/Ballardong Noongar man and Monash University associate dean (Indigenous).

They developed a program which led to NASA hosting a cohort of First Nations interns who studied space science in Pasadena, California, for 10 weeks.

At Monash, James will work to grow the university’s space curriculum.

Australia has had a long involvement in space research, including the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla outside of Canberra. Andy Thomas and Paul Scully-Power are Australia’s most famous astronauts.

Its space industry is growing. Two years ago, the Defence Department created Defence Space Command to secure Australia’s interests in space.

In April, Katherine Bennell-Pegg became the first Australian to graduate as an astronaut at the European Space Agency.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/former-nasa-boss-arrives-to-boost-aussie-space-race-20240524-p5jgc3.html

University of Sydney pro-Palestine ‘Trots’ ambush Jewish event, abuse former deputy prime minister

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - MAY 26, 2024

1/2

Pro-Palestine “Trots” behind encampments at Australia’s oldest university ambushed a Jewish organisation’s event dressed as terrorists and harassed former deputy prime minister John Anderson, peppering him with slurs and abuse.

It has led to doxxing concerns and a police complaint in an escalation of the crisis engulfing some of Australia’s most prestigious universities.

On Wednesday, activists from the “USYD Muslim Encampments” group – a spearhead behind the University of Sydney encampments – orchestrated a “Zoom bombing” of the Australian Jewish Association’s online event with former Nationals leader Mr Anderson, with one activist calling him a “c*nt

That activist, who hid behind a turned-off camera and a fake “Tony Abbott” name, hurled abuse at the former deputy prime minister, telling him to “shut the fck up” and “shut your mouth you old cnt”.

“You’re a bunch of Zionists, grubs … stop yapping,” the activist continued. Another accused him of being a “professional racist”.

The event was not about Israel but on Australia’s foreign and domestic policy, which its organisers have said rubbishes the protesters’ claims they are solely opposing Zionism and not targeting Jewish people.

“We will be Zoom bombing this meeting – (there will be instructions) … please follow them to ensure maximum interference,” one of the group’s WhatsApp admins wrote.

AJA president Dr David Adler spoke with NSW Police over the weekend, and will formally send the material as part of a complaint on Monday. The organisation’s CEO, Robert Gregory, called the university the “headquarters of harassment and intimidation”.

“The university stood by while Jewish students and staff have been intimidated, now the campus has become the headquarters for the harassment of the wider community,” he said, saying the “lie” that encampment activists were “only” targeting Israel had been exposed.

“It’s clear that the university campus is being used to target the Jewish community.”

Mr Gregory urged the university to expel any student involved and said he hoped police would consider charging anyone with using a carriage service to harass or menace.

It’s understood at least one person involved is a board member of the Sydney University Muslim Students’ Association, who have been contacted for comment.

“Dressing up as Islamic terrorists while doxxing members of the Jewish community is intended to intimidate Jews,” Mr Gregory said.

A “Zoom bombing guide” told members to create “dummy emails… which cannot be traced back” and a list was circulated for members to choose display names that “looked legit” and weren’t “obvious”.

“Don’t make it like ‘Abu Yahood’ or something,” an admin wrote, encouraging members to tape over their cameras so they were “safe”.

About 15 members “Zoom bombed” the event with one wearing attire similar to Hamas militants.

Videos were then plastered across social media, platforming the activists’ ambush, but also those members of the public who were on the call.

Mr Gregory said that many elderly participants were now scared to attend future events and one, who wished not to be named, said it was “frightening”.

“I am concerned that (the activists) got my name and also what I look like…. I never imagined this could happen,” they said.

(continued)

>>20916892

2/2

Federal Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson called it an “appalling anti-Semitic attack” and said she hoped it would be “fully investigated”.

“The university must determine whether anyone responsible for infiltrating this event are students and, if so, take appropriate disciplinary action, including expulsion,” the senator said.

“Failure to treat this incident seriously would provide further evidence the university is not a safe place for Jewish students.”

Senator Henderson said the Coalition remained “deeply concerned” about the rise of anti-Semitism across universities, urging the government to back its bid for a judicial inquiry into the issue.

It follows federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton at Bondi’s Central Synagogue urging parents to speak out against indoctrination amid soaring anti-Semitism on campuses, telling Jewish leaders that the Albanese government had “lost its moral compass”.

At the same synagogue three weeks ago the prime minister dismissed pro-Palestine protesters encamped at universities as “Trots” who were “just looking to instigate trouble”.

A Monash University-led poll of more than 7600 Jewish Australians found 64 per cent believed anti-Semitism was “very much” a problem since October 7 – ten-times higher than responses to a similar question in 2017.

A University of Sydney spokeswoman said it had been in “regular contact” with activists about “expectations of conduct” and that it was making inquiries into the incident.

“We are seeking further information in relation to this incident and we will not hesitate to take action if we find there is a breach by a student or a staff member of our bullying, harassment and discrimination policy, or other policies,” she said, saying the university was in “daily contact” with protesters.

“So far, the encampment has been largely calm and respectful and we have investigated any incidents that have involved inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour.

“Our absolute priority is the safety of our community, and we’ve increased our security presence as a precautionary measure. We continue to carefully monitor the gathering at our Quadrangle and actively engage in a civil and peaceful manner.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/university-of-sydney-propalestine-trots-ambush-jewish-event-abuse-former-deputy-prime-minister/news-story/1fbdea1e33064305b3bbcb2f25a3d4c3

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 26, 2024, 2:25 a.m. No.20916896 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6900

‘Groomed in minutes’: Warning issued over notorious app Kik

TRICIA RIVERA - MAY 26, 2024

1/2

Kik, a dark corner of the internet where child abuse material and users with sinister intentions lurk have authorities warning parents that their children can be groomed “in a matter of minutes.

The instant messaging app was founded in 2010 by Canadian company Kik interactive, and shot to popularity upon its release, attracting one million users in the first 15 days.

But its reputation is one plagued with stories of child abuse material, pedophiles and minors exchanging explicit content with sometimes adult users.

The platform was destined to be shelved after its founder Ted Livingston announced Kik would shut down in October, however holding company Medialab, who also oversee brands Genius, imgur and Whisper, swept in the same month to acquire the app.

Kik has more than 300 million registered users and over 15 million monthly unique users.

The Australian Federal Police’s Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is more than familiar with the notorious app, and have arrested offenders who have accessed illegal content on Kik.

AFP acting commander ACCCE and Human Exploitation Stephen Jay said that the centre has received referrals from the United States’ National Center for Missing & Exploited Children relating to Kik and other platforms.

“The functionality of messaging and file sharing applications means that offenders can exploit them for a wide range of illegal activity, including accessing and distributing child abuse material,” he told The Weekend Australian.

“The experience at the ACCCE is that offenders will gravitate to any platform known to be used by children.”

He said the ACCCE refers matters that require investigation to AFP members in the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Teams or Child Protection Operations teams.

Victoria Police say they have seen the app used in a range of its investigations.

“Unfortunately, younger people could be naïve to some of the risks around these sites and apps and so become a target for predatory offenders,” a police spokesperson said.

“Victoria Police is working closely with our law enforcement partners across Australia and the world to identify any emerging trends and actively target online predators.”

They said it is crucial for parents to educate their children on online safety, and, if required, have access to their devices and accounts so risky behaviour can be identified before it escalates.

“Children can be groomed in a matter of minutes – these offenders are often master manipulators – and their operations can be quite sophisticated,” the police spokesperson continued.

(continued)

>>20916896

2/2

Just last week, a retiree was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in the Victorian County Court after he pleaded guilty to one charge of transmitting child pornography and one charge of possession or control of child abuse material obtained using a carriage service.

Stewart Jinkins, 70, used messaging platform Kik under the alias “evilsteve999” to hunt for child abuse material from September 2018 to January 2019 and joined nine group chats, some of which named #oldmenandyunggurls, #babygirls14, #schoolgurlz and Melbourneteengay, according to a court judgement.

After joining the group chats, Jinkins would then message members privately.

In a chat with another user, the man sent the following messages.

“I want to see everything the wilder the better”

“Show me the worse you have and I will tell you if it is too much”

“Got any teen stuff”

“nice got any young g & b playing”

“have you got younger”

But police soon caught onto Jinkins’ perverted activities, after an investigation in December 2019 to target child abuse material on Kik was launched.

They pinpointed evilsteve999’s location to a home address in Dingley Village in Victoria and seized his iPhone 6S, iPhone 4 and CoolerMaster computer tower.

While Jinkins offending occurred for less than four months, police retrieved 330 child abuse material files from the computer tower’s iOS iTunes backup function.

When broken down, it was found that 200 files, including 197 images and three videos, contained content depicting a real pre-pubescent child under 13 years old, and 129 files, including 129 images and one video, contained other illegal content depicting a child under 18.

The material contained disturbing images, including an infant, toddler, pre-pubescent and pubescent females involved in sexual activity predominantly with adult males, and a few with adult females.

Some images show the children restrained and shown in a physically-degrading manner, including small cages.

The videos, which capture acts too graphic to detail, include young boys, a four-year-old girl and an 11-year old girl.

Judge James Parish said both charges involved serious offences, and noted that Jinkins believed he deleted the material.

“The offending was deliberate and premeditated. In particular, it was not isolated, impulsive or opportunistic and is inconsistent with your version of being a passive member of any chat group,” he said in his May judgement.

A report from Jinkins’ psychologist said that he missed the “social interaction of the workplace” after he retired from teaching and joined online chat groups as a social outlet.

She said the duration of the offending behaviour would not warrant a diagnosis of paedophilia.

“(You) realised the error and stopped it; it was very disturbing material. (You) thought (you) had deleted it,” she wrote in the report.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said there is an urgent need for platforms to strengthen protections against child sexual exploitation material.

“There also must be a cultural shift that prioritises the safety of children over the profits of companies,” she said.

“Platforms must take more responsibility for the safety of their users by implementing robust moderation practices and ensuring the swift removal of harmful material.

“The prevalence of child sexual exploitation material and abuse online is a significant and growing concern.”

In 2023, the eSafety Commission received five complaints relating to sexually explicit material and the promotion of crime and violence on Kik.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/groomed-in-minutes-warning-issued-over-notorious-app-kik/news-story/5196ffb51adb23057dc729167070214a

The Aussie pop star who became queen of the Trump party scene

CHARLOTTE IVERS, THE TIMES - MAY 26, 2024

1/2

For those of a certain political persuasion and bank balance, there will be only one party in London on June 7 at which to be seen: Donald Trump’s fundraiser.

“It will be the best party,” one Republican operative told me. “It’s kind of a must-attend, if you can afford a ticket.”

Tickets cost up to AUD$150,000 (USD100,000) per couple. If you’re feeling flush, you can pay an extra $25,000 for a picture with two of the hosts: Donald Trump Jr and his fiancee, a former Fox News anchor called Kimberly Guilfoyle. The former president will not be there.

But there’s another name on the host list that stands out: the Neighbours star and Kiss Kiss singer, Holly Valance Candy, 41. For those on the right-wing social scene, her name on the invitation is a promising sign. “It’s a Holly party,” said Nigel Farage, who will, of course, be there. “So you can guarantee it’s going to be enormous fun.”

To some of her fans the Australian celebrity’s political views might come as a surprise. “She kept quiet for many, many years,” Farage said. The pair have been discussing their shared views for nearly a decade, but the politician always warned Valance that “once you go public there’s no way back”.

Now she has taken the plunge. Trump is, she told me last week, “charming, polite, very quick-witted. Most surprising of all, a great listener. That was not expected.”

She met the former – and perhaps future – president through Farage, who invited Valance and her husband, the billionaire property developer and Tory donor, Nick Candy, 51, to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s home in Florida, in April 2022.

When Farage posted a picture of the four together on Twitter/X, all hell broke loose. “Great dinner at Mar-a-Lago!” he wrote, in a photo that was liked 17,000 times and, intriguingly, has a photo of Trump with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, on the wall behind him.

Some fans threatened to boycott Valance’s music, expressing horror at this hint towards her political persuasion.

For those on the political right in London, however, it was no surprise.

Valance and Candy, who met in 2010 at a dinner party, married in Los Angeles in 2012 and have two daughters, have for more than a decade been at the heart of a glamorous and wealthy right-wing social circle that wields great influence on both sides of the Atlantic.

They were guests at Boris Johnson’s third wedding and attended the glitziest Tory fundraising bashes, as well as being noted hosts in their opulent west London and Cotswolds homes. But it is only recently that Valance has started to talk publicly about her political views.

In a series of GB News interviews, she has spoken about Farage ("Ambassador Nigel Farage would be fantastic"), Greta Thunberg ("demonic little gremlin high priestess of climatism"), climate change ("I just think the climate crisis – or lack of – is not a crisis. The air is better than when I was growing up"), and her home country ("the woke stuff’s really gone big in Australia").

Valance did not intend to “speak out”, she told me last week. “It was a funny sliding doors moment because I didn’t think anything I said was particularly edgy or profound or revolutionary. But maybe it was a good moment for someone in the entertainment industry to buck the trend of only contributing their latest project pitch or their pronouns.”

(continued)

>>20916909

2/2

Not everyone was thrilled by her candour in airing her views, least of all her half-sister Olympia, 31, who also starred on Neighbours. “It was like, ‘Oh my God,’ when she said all that stuff,” she told the Australian radio show Allan & Carly. “I’m like, ‘Oh God! Everyone’s going to think that that’s what I think!’ And I don’t.” But within Valance’s circles, she is a hero. A top Australian diplomat said she was “one of the reasons we secured such a favourable free trade agreement for Australia” in 2021.

“She had all of the right of the Tory party eating out of the palm of her hand.” Several times the Conservatives discussed making Valance their London mayoral candidate, but in the end she decided against it.

Instead, she will vote for Reform UK. Her political priority is leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). “There seems to be this idea that if we did, Britain would fall into this lawless hellhole with nothing set in place to protect people’s rights. This is Britain? We wrote the book on this stuff, for God’s sake, for countries the world over to follow … I understand at the time it had merit. But it’s a very different world now. And by the way, some may say we’re already a lawless hellhole.” Valance did not intend to “speak out”, she said.

Meanwhile, Team Trump is delighted. “She’s glamorous. She doesn’t fit into the pigeonhole. She doesn’t fit into the woke agenda of Hollywood and people don’t expect that,” said one admirer. Among the grey suits of the Westminster social circuit, she stands out: “She is definitely a star.” Another politico who moves in the same circles said: “She plays that scene very well. Everyone adores her.”

“That scene” is a circle of wealthy Londoners who are pro-Trump or at least Trump-adjacent. It includes the likes of the former US ambassador Woody Johnson, GB News owner Paul Marshall, the former prime minister Liz Truss and her acolytes, a scattering of other Tory politicians and Brexit backers, and any number of hedge funders.

Their haunt is Mayfair’s private members’ club 5 Hertford Street, a hangout not far from the Ritz that has played host to celebrities including the actors Margot Robbie and George Clooney. All this makes London a highly profitable place for a Trump fundraiser, with organisers expecting to raise well into seven figures.

Earlier this year the must-have ticket for that crowd was Farage’s 60th birthday party on April 3: a boozy affair at Boisdale, an old-school steak restaurant in Canary Wharf, beloved of the Brexit set.

Valance was one of three people – along with Farage’s son and Trump via video link – to give a speech in honour of someone she describes as “one of the bravest men I know”. As Valance spoke, a heckle came from the crowd: the comedian Jim Davidson wanted to know whether she would stand as an MP for Reform. Valance laughed: “Not this time, but maybe next time.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/the-aussie-pop-star-who-became-queen-of-the-trump-party-scene/news-story/2320415bae18d11e1405557c99fd28e2

>>20899389

>>20916892

‘Anti-Semitic’: Education Minister Jason Clare slams ‘Israel should not exist’ UniMelb protesters

NOAH YIM - MAY 27, 2024

Education Minister Jason Clare has slammed as “repugnant” and “anti-Semitic” a statement from pro-Palestine student protesters at the University of Melbourne that “Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The inflammatory comment came just a week after the group proudly claimed victory over the university after they occupied a campus building for over a week.

The ‘unimelbforpalestine’ Instagram account on Monday shared with its 20,000 followers a post that said “calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The account was sharing a post from Palestinian-American blogger Mariam Barghouti, who claimed on social media that “Israel has lost all legitimacy … No more simple calls for the end of bombs, no more calls to ceasefire, the calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The account chose to share specifically the frame that called for the end of the Jewish state.

Mr Clare, when contacted by The Australian, said of the comment: “it’s repugnant and anti-Semitic”.

“There is no place for anti-Semitism on our university campuses or anywhere else,” he said.

“Universities should be enforcing their student codes of conduct.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the students were a “stain on our education system”.

“It may come as a shock to these students but Israel exists, has existed in its modern form for 76 years, and will continue to exist on the same lands the Jewish people called home more than 3,000 years ago,” co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said.

“It is a shining example of decolonisation and an exiled people returning to their ancestral lands. The ignorance and prejudice of these students prevents them from seeing that. The days when the Jewish people plead for their rights and acceptance are over.

“These students are a stain on our education system but they should at least be commended for dropping any pretence to seeking peace and now openly aligning with the genocidal aims of Hamas. This makes it much easier for the university to pursue disciplinary action against them.”

Zionism Victoria president Yossi Goldfarb said the statement was a product of “weak leadership in our parliaments and on our campuses”.

“Who can honestly be surprised by the extreme anti-Semitism of these civic terrorists?” He asked. “No longer masking their hatred and openly calling for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world.

“We know what comes next, we’ve heard this refrain before. Next they’ll call for Jews to be eradicated. Heaven help whoever is next in their targets.

“This is what happens as a result of weak leadership in our parliaments and on our campuses. Too gutless to call out or act against anti-Semitism, our leaders are happy to allow these radicals to pour salt on to the festering anti-Semitic wounds their permissiveness has created.

“Enough is enough.”

The inflammatory comment by the student protesters comes just a week after they proclaimed victory against the University of Melbourne following their 10 days-long occupation of the Arts West building on campus.

Last Thursday, the activists claimed a victory in negotiations after the university committed to being more transparent in its research, apparently following protesters’ demand that the university disclose and cease research partnerships with weapons manufacturers.

They have since left the Arts West building.

The Australasian Union of Jewish Students president Noah Loven said the protesters’ comment “once again demonstrates the hateful nature of these protests that promote division on our campuses”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/israel-should-not-exist-unimelb-protesters/news-story/84aebb0011ded43cd1f07ffc84654ff8

https://x.com/MenachemV/status/1794915656359612545

ABC: Hamas rockets a ‘show of resilience’

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - MAY 27, 2024

Jewish leaders have slammed the ABC for an “activist-like” Instagram post, which called the terror group’s rocket launch towards Tel Aviv a “show of resilience”.

It has led to formal complaints made to the broadcaster by leading Jewish organisations, who have said it appeared the news organisation was placing “activism over journalism”.

It comes after Hamas on Sunday launched rockets towards Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with warning signs heard in the Israeli city as the Israel Defence Forces confirmed eight projectiles launched from Rafah had been identified and a number intercepted.

The “resilience” turn of phrase was included in a Monday morning Instagram post from the ABC News account, promoting a story about Israeli air strikes killing 35 people in Rafah.

“The Israeli air strike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv,” the post read.

“… In a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry formally lodged a complaint on Monday morning to the broadcaster about the post, which remained online at the time of publication, with its co-CEO taking to social media querying the terminology.

“Hamas rockets fired from densely populated civilian areas at Israeli civilian centres are a double war crime,” Alex Ryvchin wrote on X.

“They endanger Palestinians by turning the launch site into a lawful military target and their aim is to kill as many Israelis as possible. How dare the ABC laud war crimes as ‘resilience’.”

Mr Ryvchin told The Australian that “glamourising war crimes is immoral and dangerous”.

“The post should never have been made and the fact it remains up is unacceptable,” he said, saying that “appropriate steps” needed to be taken to ensure similar didn’t happen again.

The Australian understands that the Zionist Federation of Australia was also set to lodge a complaint, with its president Jeremy Leibler saying that the ABC should “immediately review” its social-media practices.

“The ABC seems to forget that launching rockets at civilians is a war crime, not a show of resilience,” Mr Leibler said.

“For the ABC’s social media team, it seems activism takes precedence over journalism. First the ABC on TikTok encouraged an economic boycott of Israel, and now on Instagram it’s celebrating rockets indiscriminately fired towards civilian populations by a proscribed terrorist group.”

Fighting has centred around Rafah, where Israel has vowed to destroy the last remaining Hamas battalions, although it comes as the UN’s top court ordered its forces to stop its invasion of the city last week.

Israel began its invasion of parts of Rafah earlier this month and at least 800,000 Palestinians have fled from the city since.

The copy itself was taken from a story from a wire service, as opposed to an ABC journalist’s own.

The ABC were contacted about the Instagram post and phrasing used.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/abc-hamas-rockets-a-show-of-resilience/news-story/9325cab54661f556bacca74b17e37cc0

https://www.instagram.com/abcnews_au/p/C7crhZNSvdC/?hl=en&img_index=5

https://x.com/AlexRyvchin/status/1794887003902996700

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 27, 2024, 2:56 a.m. No.20921910 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9188

>>20864839

Australia had almost no submarines available for more than four years as China awakened

CAMERON STEWART - MAY 27, 2024

In one of the most tightly held national security secrets in the country’s history, Australia had almost no submarines available to defend itself for at least four years from 2009 to 2012 during the Rudd/Gillard governments.

It was an embarrassing bungle that could have had tragic consequences in a conflict but was considered too sensitive to reveal publicly at a time when China was aggressively expanding its navy.

The shocking history of the mismanagement of the six-boat Collins class submarine fleet at that time had the effect of delaying any discussion inside the government of building new submarines for years.

That delay has led to the current crisis-point for the government, as it is forced to implement a high-risk plan to extend the life of its six ageing submarines until the new fleet of nuclear submarines arrives in the 2030s.

The Australian revealed last week that the government had been warned in a new classified report that the $5bn plan to extend the life of the navy’s ageing fleet of Collins-class submarines for another decade was a perilously high-risk endeavour that was not guaranteed to succeed.

The revelation of the parlous state of the nation’s submarine fleet a decade ago, caused by poor planning, no spare parts, shoddy maintenance and a lack of crews, is contained in the first comprehensive history of the Collins class fleet by defence analyst Andrew Davies, to be published by ASPI on Tuesday.

It reveals that the then Labor defence minister Stephen Smith, now Australia’s High Commissioner in London, was told in 2010 that there was all but zero submarine capability available to defend the country at that time – a fact that could not be released publicly.

“(Mr Smith) was being told that the number of Collins submarines in the water at most times was either zero or one, with what seemed to him to be remarkably lax readiness requirements, given the supposedly critical nature of a robust submarine capability in Australia’s military strategy,” Mr Davies writes in a new book, Nobody Wins Unless Everybody Wins.

The book quotes Stuart Whiley, chief executive and managing director of the government-owned submarine builder ASC, saying that the then prime minister Kevin Rudd became involved in finding solutions to the litany of problems in the submarine fleet, which was then less than 10 years old.

“It was obviously very difficult; there were a number of reliability issues inside Collins,” Mr Whiley recalls.

“There were issues related to the supply chain, funding, crewing and availability of submarines. And we had a number of cases where we essentially had zero availability of submarines, which was an event that triggered a prime ministerial discussion.”

These were problems that had festered ever since the submarine fleet was launched between 1996 and 2004 under the Howard government but which came to a head from 2009 to 2012.

Mr Smith said the terrible state of submarine availability at that time made it politically impossible to argue the case to build more submarines for the future.

Mr Smith recalled that he would tell people at that time: “There’s no way in the world we can start a future submarine program process with the national security committee, or the expenditure review committee, or my colleagues, unless and until we’ve actually made some progress on problems and have outcomes of Collins being in the water.”

The book outlines how in 2010 the ASC simply “ran out of parts” for the Collins class submarines and how there was a desperate shortfall of qualified submariners to crew the few boats that were operationally available.

Former Navy chief Ray Griggs recalled how when he took over as chief of navy in June 2011 they had only three crews for six submarines.

“And the experience level in those crews was low,” Mr Griggs said. “I knew the exact cumulative experience level of each group. We used to monitor and we would move people around to balance out experience levels across the three crews. That’s how dire it was.”

Mr Davies’ book recounts how Mr Smith ordered the Coles Review into the Collins class fleet two weeks after The Australian revealed in June 2011 that not a single submarine was available for deployment.

But he says that review was a success and that between 2012 and 2016, the management, sustainment and availability of the Collins class fleet finally reached acceptable international benchmarks.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/australia-had-almost-no-submarines-available-for-more-than-four-years-as-china-awakened/news-story/d8ad8807adf4e1e709609cf1f8640095

>>20665462 (pb)

>>20789168 (pb)

Ukraine pleaded for help from Australia six months ago. It hasn’t received a reply

Matthew Knott and Rob Harris - May 27, 2024

1/2

Ukraine has appealed directly to Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong for an urgent shipment of Australian coal to help meet its energy needs as Russia bombards its power plants with missile and drone attacks.

The Eastern European nation lodged an official request with the government in December for a supply of coal but has yet to receive a response, leading officials to become increasingly worried a shipment may not arrive in time for the European winter.

In a letter to Wong sent on May 6, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said that “events over the last five months have increased Ukraine’s need for energy security and the assistance of its allies in that regard”.

“The stark reality is that no power plant in Ukraine has been exempt from Russian targeting or not sustained [damage], and this is having direct impact on Ukraine’s people and the quality of their lives,” he wrote, adding that Russia had targeted Ukrainian power plants, oil refineries and heating facilities.

“You would appreciate that the need for energy security, including ensuring Ukraine’s remaining hydro-thermal generation capacity, has increased as a result of the most recent wave of attacks, and I therefore again ask for Australia’s consideration.”

Myroshnychenko said Ukrainian officials had assured him the country can make good use of Australian coal despite Russian attacks on Ukrainian thermal power plants.

Such a shipment would free up resources for Ukraine to invest in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, he added.

Ukrainian officials have been concerned that Labor may be reluctant to send coal to Ukraine because of fears it could damage its climate change credentials.

Myroshnychenko told this masthead a decision would be needed soon for coal supplies to reach Ukraine by October when temperatures start falling, as it can take up to four months for a shipment to arrive.

“This is not a lifestyle choice for us. We need it to survive,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The Australian government is actively considering ways in which we can provide additional support to meet Ukraine’s high-priority needs.”

The spokesman noted the government announced a new $100 million assistance package for Ukraine in April, taking Australia’s total contribution to over $1 billion.

However, Australia ranks among the lowest donors of all countries supporting Ukraine as a proportion of gross domestic product, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

The Coalition has attacked the government for declining to commit to sending coal to Ukraine. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the initial December request should have received a speedy yes. He said it was “embarrassing” that the government had not provided an answer to Ukraine’s coal request.

“For six long months Labor has swept Ukraine’s request for thermal coal under the carpet when it should have been approved immediately,” he said. “Of all the goods that Australia can give to Ukraine, thermal coal is one of the easiest for us, so why is it so hard for the Albanese government to say yes?”

(continued)

>>20921946

2/2

Whitehaven Coal, which shipped 70,000 tonnes of coal to Ukraine in March 2022 under a $30 million deal with the Morrison government, has said it stands ready to provide more help.

“If called upon once again by an Australian government to make a shipment of coal available to support energy security for the people of Ukraine, we would look upon that request favourably,” the company said in February.

Three major Labor-affiliated unions – including the Mining and Energy Union – have urged the government to grant Ukraine’s request, telling Resources Minister Madeleine King in December: “Ukrainian lives are at stake. Our unions will do all we can to facilitate this urgent humanitarian project.”

The government also looks likely to disappoint Ukraine by declining to send a senior minister to a peace summit being held at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Switzerland in mid-June.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wong will be in Australia for a planned visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang while Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has plans to travel in the Indo-Pacific at that time.

Myroshnychenko said the Ukrainian government would be “extremely disappointed” if Australia only sends a junior minister to the summit, which will be attended by world leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden will not attend the summit, intended to map a pathway out of the war.

Targeted assaults on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure are part of Moscow’s attempts to hamper the production of weapons for the military and diminish public morale since the February 2022 invasion.

Kyiv has been forced to introduce planned power outages since strikes escalated in March to prevent Ukraine’s remaining energy infrastructure from being overloaded, causing disruption to civilian life.

On May 8 Russia initiated yet another assault on Ukraine by launching 55 cruise and ballistic missiles, accompanied by 21 attack drones, on Kyiv’s critical infrastructure, destroying several thermal power plants across the country.

This included the Trypillia plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts. At least two hydroelectric power plants also had to be decommissioned as a result.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy last week disclosed plans to import a staggering 19,484 megawatt hours of electricity from its neighbouring countries, surpassing the previous record of 18,649 megawatt hours in March.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/ukraine-pleaded-for-help-from-australia-six-months-ago-it-hasn-t-received-a-reply-20240526-p5jgol.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 27, 2024, 3:22 a.m. No.20921983 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9901

Operation Ironside: Aussies at heart of global criminal plot smashed by cops

Two Australians have entered guilty pleas amid new revelations police are still rounding up those connected to a trojan horse app “designed by criminals for criminals”.

Tom Minear - May 27, 2024

Two Australians at the heart of a global plot to help crime gangs communicate on encrypted devices have pleaded guilty, three years after the scheme was smashed in the police sting of the century.

Sydney pair Edwin Kumar and Osemah Elhassen – who distributed the AN0M devices without realising they were being secretly monitored by law enforcement – are the first of 17 foreign nationals charged by the FBI to admit to their role in the conspiracy.

It marks a major breakthrough in the world-first investigation, spearheaded by the Australian Federal Police, in which 27 million intercepted messages helped police allegedly foil murder plots and block a multibillion-dollar drug trade involving the Mafia, bikies and South American cartels.

Kumar’s plea agreement revealed how he told his co-conspirators: “I’m AN0M Australia and look after Australia … I have an entire country to look after.”

“Welcome to Team Australia, this team is solid and we will conquer Australia … Nothing will stop us,” he said in another message less than a month before the plot came crashing down.

It can also be revealed US authorities have arrested two other alleged device distributors – Dragan Nikitovic and Miwand Zakhimi – in the past six months as they continue to round up those allegedly behind the app that its creators bragged was “designed by criminals for criminals”.

Kumar was arrested in Australia in 2021 and extradited to the US in April last year, shortly before Elhassen was extradited from Colombia. Their guilty pleas to racketeering conspiracy charges were accepted last week by the US District Court for California’s Southern District.

Both Kumar and Elhassen distributed AN0M devices “to criminal end-users” between October 2019 and June 2021, according to their plea agreements, while knowing they would be used to facilitate the trafficking of drugs including cocaine and methamphetamine.

At the outset of the plot, Kumar sent a message to Hakan Ayik – one of Australia’s most wanted men until his arrest last year and an alleged AN0M administrator – saying he was “touching base” about obtaining an encrypted device for Elhassen.

Elhassen later focused on distributing and setting up devices in Colombia, the world’s cocaine capital, writing in one message: “I am anom colombia.”

Kumar dealt with hundreds of devices in Australia and spoke to Zakhimi, a citizen of the Netherlands, about creating “the ultimate (AN0M) user guide”.

Elhassen and Kumar sent multiple messages that were intercepted by authorities about drug trafficking, with Kumar selling and setting up devices for a gang that shipped 156 kilograms of pseudoephedrine – a methamphetamine precursor – from India to Australia in 2020.

Both men also admitted they had remotely deleted content from AN0M devices that were seized by police, obstructing law enforcement operations, and that they had laundered drug trafficking profits including through cryptocurrency.

They are expected to be sentenced in July, and while both face a maximum of 20 years in prison, prosecutors indicated in court filings that they would seek for them to be sentenced at the “low end of the advisory guideline range recommended by the government”.

More than 12,000 AN0M devices were used by at least 300 criminal syndicates operating in some 100 countries before a stunning two-day operation three years ago in which more than 500 people were arrested worldwide, including at least 100 in Australia.

Device distributors like Elhassen and Kumar charged fees of about $1700 every six months and provided technical support to organised crime gangs seeking to hide their dealings from law enforcement agencies that had secretly commandeered the AN0M app.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/aussies-at-heart-of-global-criminal-plot-smashed-by-cops/news-story/6c1118c7862722f234253875400bd710

Former student alleges historical sexual abuse at St Cecilia's Catholic Primary School in Port Hedland, WA

Rosemary Murphy - 27 May 2024

A former Catholic school student has taken legal action against the church, alleging harrowing sexual abuse at one of its primary schools in northern Western Australia.

In a writ lodged with the District Court by former student Michael Cornes, he alleged he was one of several children abused by a teacher and a school chaplain at St Cecilia's Primary School in Port Hedland during the 1990s.

Mr Cornes, who has given permission to be identified by the ABC, said he started Year 4 at the school in 1994 and the alleged abuse began days later.

The writ, filed in January this year, alleged he was subject to repeated abuse by school chaplain Father Walter McNamara, known as Father Wally, and teacher Brother David Austin Christian, known as Brother David.

The court document stated the first time Mr Cornes was abused was when one of the men took him into room to "get cleaned up" after water was spilt on him in a corridor.

"During recess, the perpetrators took the plaintiff to the room on the pretext of a punishment for things such as forgetting his hat or his socks not being pulled up," it said.

"The plaintiff was then abused.

"The abuse sometimes occurred alone and sometimes occurred with another boy."

Mr Cornes alleged in the court document that the abuse occurred nearly every day and involved different boys.

"It often happened at recess and then one of the perpetrators would take the plaintiff back to his classroom," the writ stated.

"Class had usually started by the time he was taken back."

The court document alleges Father Wally and Brother David "rewarded" the boys with chocolates, which were put in a stocking to be collected by the boys at the end of the year.

Lawyers from Maurice Blackburn are representing Mr Cornes, who launched civil proceedings in the District Court earlier this year against three institutions that were responsible for the school and the alleged perpetrators.

The defendants are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Geraldton, which continues to operate St Cecilia's; the provincial leader of the Australian and Papua New Guinea Province of Catholic order the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers, of which Walter McNamara was a member; and the provincial of the Star of the Sea Province of the Catholic order, the Marist Brothers, of which David Christian was a brother.

The claim alleged the predecessors of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers Australia and Papua New Guinea, as well as the Australian Province of the Marist Brothers, had exercised care, supervision or authority over children and were "vicariously liable" for the abuse perpetrated by the men.

It also alleged the Roman Catholic Diocese of Geraldton had a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to ensure Mr Cornes was protected from reasonably foreseeable risks of personal injury arising from attending the school, and that it had been breached.

Mr Cornes said he had experienced pain, trauma and embarrassment as a result of the alleged abuse, and had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder.

The Marist Brothers have declined to comment, citing the ongoing legal action, but have filed a defence in the District Court.

A spokesperson for the Holy Ghost Fathers referred all inquiries to the Catholic Diocese of Perth, which declined to comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-27/historical-abuse-allegations-at-st-cecilias-in-port-hedland-wa/103845122

Threats, abuse, as Deborah Conway targeted by pro-Palestine protest at gig

MATTHEW DENHOLM - MAY 28, 2024

A video has emerged of ugly scenes at a Hobart theatre as pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a performance by Jewish singer songwriter Deborah Conway, who accused those involved of “extreme intolerance”.

Palestinian-flag bearing protesters demonstrated outside Hobart’s Playhouse Theatre on Saturday night and some then disrupted the performance inside.

Conway, appearing alongside husband and musical collaborator Willy Zygier, had to repeatedly suspend the performance due to shouted questions, accusations and flag waving from protesters.

At one point, a woman appears to break a glass and threaten one of the protesters, while audience members are heard abusing protesters.

Tasmania Police on Tuesday night advised it had received a formal complaint relating to the disturbances and was investigating.

A self-described “autonomous group of pro-Palestine protesters” said the theatre disruption was a response to “publicly hateful” statements Conway had made about Palestinian children.

They said this included an ABC interview last year when, after being challenged to condemn the mass murder of Palestinian children, responded: “It depends on what you call kids.”

Conway, a leading figure in Australia’s music scene for decades and former lead singer of Do Re Me, was later quoted as explaining her remarks:

“I was trying to tell listeners, in the cut and thrust of a live interview situation, that when Hamas put guns in the hands of their adolescent sons to point at the enemy, Hamas steals their childhood, turns them into fighters and then turns them into casualty figures.

“It’s unbearably cruel. I wasn’t talking about babies or little children, nor was I defining what I think to be a child. It goes without saying that the deaths of innocents are always tragic.”

In the wake of the protest, Conway praised security staff for their handling of the situation and accused the protesters of “a dreadful display of extreme intolerance”.

“We were all confronted with a micro example of civilisational breakdown but the forces for civil discourse triumphed in the end,” Conway and Zygier posted on social media. “We completed our show.

“No matter how much we try to understand this movement, it defies understanding. Whoever funded this (and it’s hard to believe the protesters paid for their own tickets but if they did, thank you, it’s nice to have a sold out show!) they must be smart enough to realise they will not achieve any kind of altered course in the Middle East.

“They choose a few words out of a long interview and twist them to turn Deborah into a villain. It is the classic ancient blood libel, centuries old. In the interview Deborah was trying to explain how Hamas uses children, not who she thinks is a child, let alone who is worthy of life and death.”

The protest group said the Playhouse had ignored pleas to cancel Conway’s show in light of her “hateful statements”.

They accused some of her audience members of responding with “aggression … to our non-violent protest”. “We are disgusted yet unsurprised by the aggressive response,” they said in a statement.

The group vowed to continue to target venues that featured performances by “Zionists”.

Audience members described the event as “tense” and unsettling. However, Hobart Repertory Theatre Society president David Clements praised security and volunteer staff for their handling of the disruptions to the “Book of Life” performance.

“There were three interruptions which were managed by security and Playhouse staff and the performance was able to continue each time,” Mr Clements said.

“Patron safety and enjoyment are very important to us and we are grateful that no one was injured, although we acknowledge it may have been confronting for some of our patrons attending the performance.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/threats-abuse-as-deborah-conway-targeted-by-propalestine-protest-at-gig/news-story/050086a7810a5a906524fbfbb7323dae

https://www.facebook.com/conwayzygier/posts/1008210440676587

https://tasmaniantimes.com/2024/05/anti-genocide-protest-at-deborah-conway-performance/

>>20793584 (pb)

Trio of rapists on the Andrew Giles visa leniency list

PAUL GARVEY and RHIANNON DOWN - MAY 28, 2024

1/2

A trio of child rapists are among the growing list of pedophiles and sex offenders allowed to remain in the country under Andrew Giles’s call for greater tolerance for foreign offenders with ties to Australia, as the Immigration Minister refuses to say if he will intervene in any of the visa approvals.

Abdul Wahab Trad, a 45-year-old Lebanese citizen who permanently relocated to Australia in 2013 escaped deportation in March over his 2020 rape of a 13-year-old girl after the Administrative Appeals Tribunal found that the man’s ties to Australia weighed heavily in favour of revoking the cancellation of his visa.

His case is one of dozens identified by The Australian in which the AAT’s decision has been shaped by Mr Giles’s Direction 99. The direction’s biggest change was to make the “strength, nature and duration of an individual’s ties to Australia” a primary consideration for the tribunal when considering appeals against the cancellation of visas.

Since the direction was handed down in January 2023, dozens of convicted non-citizens – including rapists, drug traffickers, pedophiles and repeat domestic violence perpetrators – have avoided being kicked out of the country after successfully arguing to the AAT that they had ties to Australia. That cohort includes Sudan-born Emmanuel Saki, who was charged over a stabbing murder in Queensland weeks after the AAT agreed to revoke the cancellation of his visa.

In addition to the Trad case, The Australian has identified two more cases of convicted child rapists allowed to remain in Australia at least in part due to the Direction 99 guidance.

One of those cases, referred to only as ZJFQ, involved an Afghan citizen who raped a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl in separate incidents in the space of six months in 2020 and who the AAT found was a “moderate to high risk” of committing further sexual offences.

In the other case, dubbed XLFM, a Kenyan-born man who raped the 17-year-old younger sister of the mother of his child and who also robbed a female service station attendant using a meat cleaver was also spared deportation.

Those three cases are in addition to the recent decision in CHCY, in which a New Zealand-born man who raped his stepdaughter while his wife was giving birth also successfully argued that his ties to Australia meant he should be issued a new visa.

The latest examples emerged as opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan vowed to scrap Direction 99 if the Coalition were returned to power at the next election. Mr Tehan called on Mr Giles to reveal if he planned to rescind the order that contributed to CHCY having his visa restored.

“We will on day one, as a priority, rescind that Andrew Giles ministerial direction if we are elected at the next election,” Mr Tehan said.

“And the fact that this child rapist, the most heinous of crimes to rape a stepdaughter while your partner is giving birth in hospital, what it shows is that ministerial direction is clearly failing.

“I don’t think that you could get a worse example that the ministerial direction is clearly failing, and that is why it needs to be rescinded. And it’s why Andrew Giles needs to come out today and explain why he won’t rescind it.

“We raised this last week; he did nothing.”

(continued)

2/2

The growing number of cases of convicted foreign criminals allowed to remain in Australia in the wake of Direction 99 will add to pressure on the Albanese government over its handling of immigration matters.

The Trad decision describes how the man was driving along a road in Bankstown, in Sydney’s southwest, when he encountered the victim who got into his van. He then drove the girl to a park, where he touched her breast and digitally penetrated her vagina.

Trad’s case was decided by former Labor senator Linda Kirk, who found that primary consideration 3 – the strength, nature and duration of ties provision introduced under Direction 99 – weighed heavily in favour of revoking the cancellation of Trad’s visa.

“The applicant’s immediate family members provided statements in which they state the love and support for their husband and brother, and their desire for him to return to live with them in the community,” Dr Kirk’s decision said.

“The evidence is that the applicant’s wife, children, sister and brother will be highly distressed if he is returned to Lebanon.

“(Trad’s wife) and the two children will be emotionally devastated and financially disadvantaged if the applicant is unable to return home and resume employment as the family’s primary breadwinner.

“The tribunal finds that if the applicant’s visa is not reinstated, his immediate family will suffer considerable emotional and practical hardship due to the absence of their husband and father, and financial distress as a consequence of him not being able to contribute to the family’s finances.”

Dr Kirk also found Trad had made a “positive contribution” to the economy during his time in Australia, through his employment as an installer of wardrobes, kitchens and shower screens.

Dr Kirk was also responsible for an AAT decision revoking the cancellation of the visa of a 29-year-old Afghanistan citizen who had arrived in Australia in May 2017.

The man, ZJFQ, had twice been convicted of sexual offences against teenage girls, had been found to lack empathy for his victims, had not engaged in any sex-offender rehabilitation programs, had not demonstrated that he understood the concept of consent or that sex with underage girls is unlawful, and did not take responsibility for his actions.

“The tribunal finds that the likelihood that the applicant will engage in further criminal or other serious conduct, specifically sexual offences, is moderate to high,” Dr Kirk wrote.

The AAT found that the “strength of ties” consideration in ZJFQ’s case weighed in favour of revoking the cancellation of his visa, noting that separating him from his siblings and parents in Australia would cause them emotional distress.

The decision in the man’s case was, however, more heavily influenced by the lack of mental health services and treatment in Afghanistan, with Dr Kirk noting he would likely become homeless and destitute if he was sent there.

A spokeswoman for Mr Giles did not address questions about whether the minister would rescind any of the latest decisions. Instead, she said that while the rulings had been guided by Direction 99, AAT members ultimately exercised their own discretion.

“The ministerial direction places a significant emphasis on serious offending and family violence – which need to be considered in all matters,” Mr Giles’s spokeswoman said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/trio-of-rapists-on-the-andrew-giles-visa-leniency-list/news-story/3fd0b4e03127f56ab7ed6201c7cb9964

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

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 28, 2024, 2:47 a.m. No.20926922 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7541

AUKUS submarines ‘bigger, better, faster, bolder’ than existing US versions

BRENDAN NICHOLSON - MAY 28, 2024

The nuclear-powered submarines to be built in Australia under the AUKUS agreement with the US and Britain will be substantially bigger than the US Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian Submarine Agency director-general Jonathan Mead tells The Australian’s defence special report that at 10,000 tonnes, the conventionally armed SSN-AUKUS will be a “bigger, better, faster and bolder”, evolution of Britain’s Astute-class submarines.

By comparison, Australia’s six Collins-class submarines are each about 3300 tonnes and the US existing Virginia-class boats are just over 7000 tonnes.

The SSN-AUKUS will have strong US technological input. Its nuclear reactor will be built by Britain’s Rolls-Royce but with significant American enhancements.

Vice-Admiral Mead says all five of Australia’s SSNs will be built at Osborne in South Australia, which will become one of the world’s most advanced technology hubs. They will be built from Australian steel if the metal passes rigorous testing now under way.

The US has ordered the same Australian steel to assess its suitability for its submarine construction industry.

The massive scale of the program and the nuclear element has attracted strong attention, including criticism and questions about how skilled workforces will be found to build and crew the boats. Commentary has included suggestions that AUKUS is “dead in the water”.

Vice-Admiral Mead is emphatic the program can be completed as planned via an “optimal pathway” to build the expertise to give Australia a highly effective deterrent force rapidly in the face of a deteriorating strategic situation.

About 100 Australian naval personnel will be on US training programs this year and will serve in US subs. Others training in Britain will serve in Royal Navy boats. Some have already passed nuclear training courses.

Two Australian officers topped their courses.

Australian military personnel and civilians are undergoing intensive training designing, building, maintaining and crewing SSNs. Some have been training aboard the US submarine tender USS Emory S. Land for several months and will work on a US Virginia-class boat that will visit the HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia for maintenance later this year.

Senior American military officials say that as the program develops, they are planning to have several hundred Australians gaining long-term operational experience as fully integrated crew members in 25 US Navy SSNs. American officials have said they saw big advantages in Australia having SSNs, and in the US having access to the HMAS Stirling.

The optimal pathway plan is intended to see the first of several US and UK submarines operating from HMAS Stirling as Submarine Rotational Force-West from 2027.

In 2032, the US will transfer the first of three Virginia-class submarines to the RAN. The goal is to have the first SSN-AUKUS completed in Australia by the early 2040s.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/aukus-submarines-bigger-better-faster-bolder-than-existing-us-versions/news-story/8cfeb940506c3bb5d551551daf190454

>>20868933 (pb)

>>20903719

‘Intimidatory’: Chinese government bullies NSW MPs over Taiwan

Eleven MPs from NSW attended a gala to celebrate the inauguration of Taiwan’s new president. Three days later, they all received an unexpected email from the Chinese consulate.

James O'Doherty - May 27, 2024

The Chinese government has been caught trying to blatantly bully Australian politicians over the “Taiwan Question,” urging them to adhere to Beijing’s belief that “Taiwan is a province of China”.

The Daily Telegraph has obtained an extraordinary letter sent by an unnamed Chinese government official to 11 MPs, including federal Liberal frontbencher Paul Fletcher, after the politicians attended an event celebrating the inauguration of Taiwan’s new president.

The email, titled: “Concerns Regarding Attendance at the Taiwan-related Event,” was sent to every MP that attended the function in Rhodes last Monday.

The gala dinner was organised to celebrate the inauguration of Lai Ching-te as Taiwan’s president last week.

The galling email sent to 11 MPs said that the Consulate-General “firmly opposes” their attendance at the dinner.

The email outlined China’s position on “the Taiwan Question,” insisting that “Taiwan is a province of China”.

The email criticised MPs for attending the Taiwan inauguration event, suggesting the politicians could be putting Australia’s ties with Beijing at risk.

“The Consulate-General hopes that you will adhere to the fact that “Taiwan is a province of China” and properly handle Taiwan-related issues with prudence and rein, so as to truly honor (sic) the one-China principle and avoid unnecessary interference or damage to the hard-earned momentum towards improving China-Australia relations,” the email said.

Chinese government officials appear to have sent the unsolicited correspondence after a photo was published online showing who attended last week’s function. The email was sent from a Gmail email address listed on the Consulate’s website as the contact for its “Political & Media Affairs” section.

Strategic Analysis Australia Founder and Director Michael Shoebridge said the correspondence was a “deliberate” act which was “hard not to see as intimidatory”.

“This is another example of the Chinese government trying to intervene to affect domestic policy making and decisions in Australia,” he said.

“This is not accidental intimidation, this is a deliberate state act.”

“What Australian MPs should do is adhere to Australia’s one-China policy … We acknowledge that its Beijing’s view that they have sovereignty over Taiwan but we’ve never agreed with that,” he said.

Premier Chris Minns said his MPs would not be “bullied” over what events they attend.

“We’re not going to be in a situation where any Labor MP is going to be bullied or intimidated about going to a function, that’s their job as a member of parliament,” he said.

Opposition foreign spokesman Simon Birmingham said the email was “counter-productive” and “risks undermining the resumption of dialogue and engagement with China,” he said.

State government MP Hugh McDermott, who received the correspondence, said he was “extremely concerned” at the attempted interference.

“The dictates of the CCP have no place in Australian politics,” he said.

Independent MP Rod Roberts also got the email after attending.

“I find it both alarming and disturbing that a foreign power would try and influence what an elected parliamentarian can say and what events I could attend in my own country,” he said.

Opposition Treasury spokesman Damien Tudehope said he was “shocked” to get the email.

“This was a shocking interference to try to prevent an elected MP from engaging in a community event,” he said.

The other MPs who attended were all Liberals: Jordan Lane, Rachel Merton, Chris Rath, Tim James, Ray Williams, Jacqui Munro, and Mark Coure. Those MPs all confirmed they received the same email.

Revelations of the email come a week after Beijing blasted Australian MPs over a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan for the inauguration.

At the time, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade defended the trip.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “Australia adheres consistently to our longstanding and bipartisan One China policy”. Ms Wong did not directly address the email sent by the Chinese consulate to MPs from NSW.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-28/nsw-mps-china-taiwainese-function-letter-politicians/103899904

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 28, 2024, 3:25 a.m. No.20926971 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6976

Former US president Donald Trump says he will give 'very serious consideration' to pardoning Julian Assange if he takes office

Former US president Donald Trump has revealed he is giving "very serious consideration" to pardoning Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange if he is returned to office in November.

Patrick Hannaford - May 28, 2024

1/2

Former US president Donald Trump will give “very serious consideration” to pardoning Julian Assange if he is returned to office in the upcoming presidential election.

The Australian Wikileaks founder is currently fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges carrying a maximum 175-year sentence for publishing classified information obtained from whistle-blower Chelsea Manning.

Trump was asked whether he would pardon the Australian citizen during a podcast interview with Youtuber Tim Pool

"Well I'm going to talk about that today, and we're going to give it very serious consideration,” the former President said.

The interview was recorded on Saturday evening (local time), prior to Trump’s speech at the 2024 National Convention of the US Libertarian Party.

“And we're going to have a couple of other things to say in the speech - that I think you’re going to love,” he added.

“You’ve gotten so much out of me I should leave a little bit for the speech, don't you think?”

The former US president is all but guaranteed to win the Republican nomination, which will set up a re-run of the 2020 contest with current US President Joe Biden.

The Australian government has been lobbying the Biden administration to pardon Mr Assange since the election of Anthony Albanese in 2022, with the Prime Minister telling ABC Radio in February that it was “time Julian Assange was brought home”.

When President Biden was asked whether the US was thinking about the proposal, he said they were “considering it”.

Mr Assange was last week granted leave by the UK’s High Court to make a final appeal against his extradition to the US, with his lawyers arguing there is no guarantee he could avail himself of press freedom protections under the first amendment of the US Constitution because he is not a US citizen.

The Australian citizen is being held in the UK’s Belmarsh Prison while he awaits his fate.

The Wikileaks founder has been charged with 17 counts of breaching the US Espionage Act of 1917, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, all related to the publication of classified information obtained by Manning.

The charges make the Australian the first publisher in history to be charged under the WWI-era Espionage Act, and his prosecution has caused concern among press freedom advocates.

(continued)

>>20926971

2/2

In a 2021 letter, a group of 23 press freedom, civil liberties and international human rights advocacy organisations wrote to US Attorney General Merrick Garland arguing the case against Mr Assange “poses a grave threat to press freedom both in the United States and abroad”.

“Journalists routinely engage in much of the conduct described in the indictment: speaking with sources, asking for clarification or more documentation, and receiving and publishing official secrets,” the letter said.

“News organisations frequently and necessarily publish classified information in order to inform the public of matters of profound public significance.

“We appreciate that the government has a legitimate interest in protecting bona fide national security interests, but the proceedings against Mr Assange jeopardise journalism that is crucial to democracy. In our view, a precedent created by prosecuting Assange could be used against publishers and journalists alike, chilling their work and undermining freedom of the press.”

President Trump went on to speak at the Libertarian Party National Convention but was booed and heckled throughout, with Mr Assange not being mentioned during the tense exchange.

However, the Wikileaks founder was mentioned by Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also spoke at the convention.

The son of former Attorney-General Robert Kennedy and nephew of former president John F. Kennedy took aim at President Trump, attacking him for his failure to "defend press freedom" during his time in office.

“President Trump assaulted the First Amendment, or failed to defend press freedom, when he continued President Obama’s persecution and prosecution of Julian Assange,” RFK said to rapturous applause.

“Assange should be celebrated as a hero for doing exactly what journalists are supposed to do which is to expose government corruption. We shouldn’t be putting (Julian Assange) in prison, we should have a monument to him here in Washington, DC.”

The nephew of former US president John F Kennedy continued to praise Mr Snowden, who has lived in Russia since 2013 after leaking confidential information about global surveillance programs, many run by America’s National Security Agency (NSA).

“The same is true for Edward Snowden who exposed illegal spying by the NSA and congress went ahead and passed legislation because of the findings of Edward Snowden,” RFK Jr. said.

“If he hadn’t told us we wouldn’t know about it.

“He’s a hero, not a criminal. So I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna do what President Trump should have done on my first day in office. I’m gonna pardon Edward Snowden and I’m gonna drop all charges against Julian Assange.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/united-states/former-us-president-donald-trump-says-he-will-give-very-serious-consideration-to-pardoning-julian-assange-if-he-takes-office/news-story/acea5cd840e1eb3dc4f1ba26bc3559c0

https://x.com/TPostMillennial/status/1795272275031433500

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 29, 2024, 3:13 a.m. No.20932063 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2065

Rapist attacks 25 women, teen … and allowed to retain his visa

RHIANNON DOWN and PAUL GARVEY - MAY 29, 2024

1/2

A remorseless serial rapist who attacked 25 women and a child kept his visa as a result of Andrew Giles's catastrophic push to give more leniency to foreign-born criminals with ties to Australia, as it was revealed the embattled Immigration Minister was warned his policy would lead to a huge rise in offenders successfully beating deportation.

The Australian can reveal a man who had “some of the worst child abuse material in the world”, a rapist who molested four children and a criminal who laundered more than $5m also kept their visas as a by-product of Mr Giles’s Direction 99.

As Labor was consumed on Tuesday by revelations of offenders who kept their visas as a result of Mr Giles’s direction, the minister declared he would prioritise a possible appeal of cancelled criminal deportations months after they were first overturned and days after the cases were uncovered by The Australian.

But Senate estimates late on Tuesday night uncovered a study by Mr Giles’s own department that estimated 25 per cent of foreign-born criminals could overturn their visa cancellations under Direction 99.

The study considered 10 cases that had been determined under the previous Direction 90, eight of which had ended in the visa cancellations being affirmed and two in which the cancellation was revoked.

Under the exercise, Home Affairs found that two of the eight cancellations would be revoked under Direction 99.

“The two changed decisions both had relatively low sentence length (12 months and 18 months), (the offender) had lived in Australia since they were children and did not involve family violence,” the ministerial briefing said. “The two favourable decisions remained unchanged, but it was noted that they became a relatively more straightforward decision to revoke the cancellation.”

In a new case uncovered by The Australian, British-born masseur and rapist Charles William Davidson in February had the cancellation of his visa revoked despite having been convicted of eight counts of rape, 48 counts of sexual assault, and three counts of indecent treatment of children under 16.

The sentencing judge said the serial rapist had demonstrated “absolutely no remorse whatsoever”.

“In fact, during your evidence, you took every opportunity to gratuitously attack the character of some of the complainant women,” the judge said during sentencing. “Your evidence was quite obviously rejected by the jury, and understandably so. It was rife with inherent implausibility, inconsistency, and appeared frequently to be – to consist of recent fabrication.”

In an earlier unsuccessful appeal by Davidson against his conviction and sentence, Queensland’s Supreme Court noted that the trial judge had factored the likelihood that Davidson would be deported upon his release from prison into his decision to grant him an earlier parole date. That deportation however was cancelled after the AAT ruled that a “very heavy level of weight” should be given to the strength of Davidson’s ties to Australia. Although Davidson was born in Scotland, he had moved to Australia at the age of five.

“I am of the view that the applicant’s ties with … his immediate family members in Australia are very strong and that those ties militate in favour of the allocation of a very heavy level of weight in favour of the Applicant pursuant to this Primary Consideration 3,” the tribunal wrote.

Late on Tuesday, Emergency Services Minister Murray Watt told Senate estimates that Mr Giles had asked his department to add Davidson to the list of criminals whose visas would be cancelled for a second time.

Department of Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster told the Senate her department had “failed to meet its obligations” over the crisis caused by Mr Giles’s direction and claimed that her officials had not told Mr Giles that the visa cancellations had been reversed.

Ms Foster said she “regrets very much” what occurred and claimed she was “ultimately” responsible, not just as the head of the department but in her capacity as associate secretary of immigration at the time of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal decisions.

She told senators that a two-part process had been put in place to advise the minister about cancellations in the future.

The Australian understands Mr Giles has used his powers in recent days to overrule the AAT on at least one case – alleged killer and domestic violence perpetrator Emmanuel Saki – and is preparing to overturn dozens of other cancelled deportations. But Mr Giles is refusing to rescind his controversial visa policy despite his urgent review of failed deportations, as he blamed the AAT and his department for the growing number of criminals successfully challenging their visa cancellations off the back of Direction 99.

(continued)

>>20932063

2/2

Multiple AAT members, including former Labor speaker of the House of Representatives, Anna Burke, have said Direction 99 influenced their decisions to overturn visa cancellations, and in particular Mr Giles’s instruction that the tribunal make the strength, nature and duration of a criminal’s ties to Australia a primary consideration

Criminals can still appeal Mr Giles’s overruling of AAT decisions in the Federal Court, potentially keeping them in the country for months.

Anthony Albanese was sticking by his floundering minister on Tuesday amid the Direction 99 debacle and the ongoing border crisis caused by the High Court’s decision to free hundreds of criminals from immigration detention.

Peter Dutton and the Coalition used the first day of the sitting week to ramp up pressure on the Prime Minister and call for Mr Giles’s sacking.

Mr Giles used a chaotic question time performance to blame his department and the AAT for criminals who kept their visas under his ministerial direction.

“I advise the House (of Representatives) … that I have prioritised a number of cases for urgent cancellation consideration,” Mr Giles told parliament on Tuesday. “A number of cases were not raised with me by my department, and I’ve asked my department for an explanation why. My department is now looking at all these cases as a priority, and they are all under cancellation consideration.”

The Australian has identified another rapist who were allowed to remain in Australia after the tribunal cited Mr Giles’s Direction 99 guidance, as well as a case involving a man who was convicted over his possession of an enormous cache of child pornography including multiple copies of “the most notorious child abuse video ever produced”.

The deportation of a Chilean citizen who had sexually molested three of his wife’s nieces and the child of a friend was stopped after the AAT again cited the strength of the man’s ties to Australia. The pedophile had moved to Australia in 1987 at the age of 29. While noting community outrage towards sexual violence against children, AAT member Paul Fairall noted that the man’s two adult children had given “powerful evidence” in support of their father.

The tribunal described the material held by one Chinese man as being at the “most extreme end of child abuse material”.

“There were many more heinous indescribable sexual acts,” the tribunal said.

But the tribunal found that Direction 99’s primary consideration of the strength of ties to Australia weighed heavily in favour of setting aside the visa cancellation.

“The applicant’s ties to the Australian community must be found to be very strong especially in circumstances where he has spent his formative years here,” the AAT decision said. “This finding is augmented by the reality that (1) he has made contributions to the Australian community via his active involvement in the cultural and community life the tertiary institution he attends; and (2) that he otherwise has no other criminal history in this country.”

Mr Giles had initially argued that the decision by AAT member Stephen Boyle, when he cited Direction 99 in his decision to overturn the cancellation of Sudan-born Emmanuel Saki, was “inconsistent” with his ministerial direction. But The Australian has since unearthed dozens of other decisions in which the AAT cited Direction 99 and in particular Primary Consideration 3 – the strength, nature and duration of an individual’s ties to Australia provision introduced under the direction – when deciding to revoke the cancellation of visas held by criminals.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/rapist-attacks-26-women-kids-and-allowed-to-retain-his-visa/news-story/a53c42c480c2a9d6ca9d88819ffe72e3

Greens to push Palestinian statehood in hung parliament

JOE KELLY - MAY 29, 2024

1/2

Greens leader Adam Bandt has made clear he will elevate the recognition of a Palestinian State in any discussions for minority government should the election return a hung parliament, fuelling opposition concerns about the prospect of a Labor-Green coalition.

NSW Liberal MP Julian Leeser expressed alarm early on Wednesday that a hung parliament at the next election could see the Greens making the “unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state and the weakening of the Western alliance a price of government.”

Following the comments, Mr Bandt told The Australian that “in any future minority parliament, the Greens will use every lever at our disposal to push for an end to the invasion of Gaza and the occupation of Palestine, as well as for Australia to recognise the State of Palestine”.

However, Mr Bandt said it “shouldn’t have to be a point of negotiations after the next election, as Labor has the power to recognise Palestine today.” He also clarified the Greens would continue to push for progress for Palestine in the current parliament.

On Wednesday morning, Labor and the Coalition teamed up to oppose a Greens motion in the House of Representatives recognising the state of Palestine, with Mr Leeser telling The Australian after the vote that Labor needed to take key steps to distance itself from the minor party.

“It’s time Labor stopped preferencing the Greens on their ballot paper,” he said. “It is bad enough that Labor foreign policy is made on the floor of their national conference where they sell out one ally – Israel – to placate the Corbynites from attacking AUKUS,” Mr Leeser told The Australian. “But how much worse would it be if Labor allowed the Greens to dictate our foreign policy as the price of government?”

“This is not an environmental party,” he said. “This is party that is obsessed with Israel and Jews.”

Only five people supported the Greens motion, including the four lower house Greens MPs and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie, while 80 MPs voted against it.

Mr Bandt also clarified his position on Israel, telling The Australian that the Greens were “not questioning any state’s right to exist, but no state has the right to be an apartheid state or commit war crimes and genocide”.

Speaking in support of his own motion in the House of Representatives, Mr Bandt said that recognition of Palestine was long overdue and was not “just a symbolic move”.

“It is a critical step towards peace and towards ending the slaughter we are seeing with the invasion of Gaza,” he said. “It is a concrete step towards peace.”

“As the Prime Minister of Norway said last week, there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”

Mr Bandt said the “scale of the slaughter and the genocide that we are witnessing is now topping 36,000 people”.

“A health system has been destroyed. There are mass graves in hospitals. Aid has been blocked. Children are now dying because they do not have enough to eat or drink.”

He warned that a “human engineered famine” was now taking its toll on the civilian population in Gaza that “amounts to collective punishment of these people”.

Mr Bandt said that Labor’s credibility was also on the line, declaring that a two state solution could not be realised if you “recognise just one side”.

“Labor backs to the hilt a genocidal war that is destroying the possibility of a state of Palestine,” he said. “Labor has stood with the extreme Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.”

(continued)

2/2

Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts took aim at Mr Bandt for the motion, arguing it was a stunt and an exercise in politics that would divide the community.

“Why he would be deliberately setting up a vote on Palestinian recognition to fail is something that only he can answer,” Mr Watts said.

“Simplistic wedge motions in the House do nothing to advance the cause of peace,” he said.

“Wedge politics only divides the community,” he said. “Anyone who is serious about peace knows that that requires a two state solution … but the Greens aren’t serious. They prefer slogans to policy. A two state solution requires working together and the recognition of each other.

“On the question of recognition, we have made clear that we will be guided by whether recognition will advance the cause for peace. Like many countries Australia has been frustrated by the lack of progress in this regard,” he said. “Australia no longer sees recognition as only occurring at the end of the process. It could occur as part of a peace process.”

But Mr Watts said there would need to be serious governance reforms, noting that Hamas was a terrorist organisation. “We see no role for them in this,” he said. “A Palestinian state cannot be in the position to threaten Israel’s security.

“We want to see a reformed Palestinian governing authority … We want to see a commitment to peace and how the Palestinian authority leads its people.”

Mr Leeser, who spoke against the motion, told the parliament that recognition should only occur after a peace agreement with Israel had been reached and negotiations on the ground had concluded.

“This motion … sends the message that Hamas’ violent terrorist attacks, its murders, its abductions, its gang rapes, and its dismemberment of innocent children and its torture of people should somehow be defendable,” he said. “This motion means recognising a Palestinian State when Hamas refuses to release more than 130 Israeli hostages.”

He also took aim at the Greens, saying that it was a party that promoted women’s rights and those of the LGBTI community but which was also advancing the “cause of organisations like Hamas which are among the greatest abusers of women (and) LGBTI people in the world”.

Mr Leeser, who describes himself as a proud and public Jewish MP, also said that anti-Semitism had “become a central plank of Green philosophy”.

“The Greens voted against the bipartisan motion that condemned the 7 October terrorist attacks that passed this House on 16 October – even before Israel had begun its operations in Gaza,” he said. “They refused to condemn Greens MP Jenny Leong for her comments that said Jews have tentacles and that Jews should not be able to participate in the public life of this country.”

Mr Leeser also noted that Mr Bandt, when directly asked on the ABC’s Insiders program about whether he supported the idea of a Jewish homeland state, would not answer.

Reflecting on the Greens motion, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the minor party had exposed “how hateful their ideology is and why the major parties should both pledge to preference this despicable party last”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/greens-push-for-palestinian-statehood-fails-sparks-warning-of-labor-preferences/news-story/6a2f225ac13e6d1a72641c803840bc1d

https://x.com/AdamBandt/status/1795575085321122095

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 30, 2024, 3:56 a.m. No.20937481 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7483

Andrew Giles under fire as PM rips up deportation rule book

Angus Thompson - May 29, 2024

1/2

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles is under pressure to fix the detainee crisis and save his job as he scrambles to rewrite the rule used to allow violent criminals to stay in Australia, including serial rapists and paedophiles the government was fighting to deport.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to back his embattled minister in a fiery question time following growing opposition calls for Giles to be sacked.

“The new directive will ensure that the protection of the community outweighs any other consideration,” Albanese told federal parliament on Wednesday amid growing government criticism of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal’s decisions.

This followed revelations Giles’ departmental secretary kept him in the dark about a slew of cases reinstating the visas of serial rapists under “direction 99”, which was issued by the minister last year.

Direction 99 states: “Australia will generally afford a higher level of tolerance” based on the length of time a non-citizen has spent in the Australian community, particularly in formative years.

Adding to Giles’ woes, Home Affairs officials admitted in Senate estimates that ankle monitors were not issued to at least three murderers, 26 sex offenders and seven domestic violence perpetrators released after the High Court’s November decision overturning indefinite detention.

There is growing disquiet among some Labor MPs, including members of the ministry, about Giles’ performance as immigration minister, as the future of his portfolio is discussed in caucus.

Though he is a factional close ally of Albanese, who puts a premium on loyalty, some MPs – who asked not to be named so they could discuss the situation freely – said Giles was approaching the point where his position in the portfolio was untenable.

Giles told the ABC he would stay put as minister.

“I owe the Australian community to work day and night to keep the community safe, to do everything I can do with strong laws and resources,” he said. “I owe my colleagues my absolute focus on continuing doing my job.”

He said the government would deliver a revised ruling that would put a premium on community safety “but also deals specifically with some additional concerns that we see around victims and their families being heard”.

Giles said the New Zealand government would be consulted on the changes. The 2023 ruling that made ties to Australia a primary concern was introduced after then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern lobbied against the deportation of New Zealanders who had lived in Australia for a long time.

(continued)

>>20937481

2/2

Albanese and Giles hit back at the opposition in question time by producing departmental figures that showed 102 sex offenders and 40 domestic violence perpetrators had been released from immigration detention by the Coalition government between 2014 and 2021.

Albanese said Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was “wallowing in his hypocrisy” because he was attacking Labor after similar migration cases had been decided under the Coalition.

“I cancelled more than 6300 visas – more than any minister since federation,” Dutton said in his defence.

“The cancellation power was exercised within the limits of the Constitution. Mr Albanese watered down the law under direction 99 and that’s why you are seeing the complete failure by this government and the hapless Andrew Giles.”

This masthead also revealed two men convicted of accessory to murder were released from federal detention when Dutton was the minister in charge of immigration and home affairs.

Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson in Senate estimates accused the government of using public resources to launch a political attack before government minister Murray Watt replied Labor was holding the Coalition to the same standards.

The beleaguered Home Affairs Department also came under sustained attack as hours of parliamentary hearings exposed multiple failings in immigration detention.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil would not say if departmental secretary Stephanie Foster should keep her job when asked on Seven’s Sunrise on Wednesday morning, while Foster attributed her failure to warn Giles about high-stakes deportation cases to staff and budget shortages.

It is the second political controversy for Foster this year after she blindsided Giles and O’Neil by releasing a document to the Senate on February 12 detailing the number of murderers, rapists and violent offenders freed from immigration detention since November.

During the same hearing, Australian Border Force officials revealed just a third of 39 sex offenders released from immigration detention following November’s High Court ruling were required to wear ankle monitors. The officials also said three out of seven murderers, and seven out of 16 domestic violence offenders were not required to wear ankle monitors.

Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson asked why so many people had been released without close supervision. “This cannot meet any public interest test,” he said.

Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram replied the emergency laws passed after the High Court decision were not infallible. “Even if you electronically monitored and [applied curfews to] all these people, they may well still be reoffending,” he said.

This masthead reported on Tuesday that 29 – almost a fifth of the 153 former detainees – had been charged with fresh offences since they were released. This included three people not required to wear ankle monitors and four not subject to curfews ahead of allegedly committing crimes including robbery, kidnapping and impersonating a police officer.

The fresh changes have also compounded pressure on the government to lock up high-risk offenders, with Giles revealing on Wednesday afternoon that six applications for preventative detention were being reviewed by experts, and another 26 were in preparation.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/giles-under-fire-as-pm-rips-up-deportation-rule-book-20240529-p5jhin.html

Giles says he’s using drones to track freed foreign criminals

Angus Thompson, Matthew Knott, James Massola and Olivia Ireland - May 30, 2024

1/2

Beleaguered Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has claimed the government is using drones to track former immigration detainees following revelations that murderers, sex offenders and domestic attackers released since last year’s High Court decision were not being electronically monitored.

After a bruising week of question time attacks, several caucus colleagues are privately discussing Giles’ future in the portfolio after a ministerial direction he issued last year was used by a tribunal to allow visa holders who had committed serious crimes to stay in Australia.

However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told colleagues that he places a premium on stability, does not want a reshuffle and will not let Opposition Leader Peter Dutton dictate terms.

Giles, a close factional ally of Albanese, has begun to ramp up his own attacks on Dutton’s handling of the Home Affairs portfolio when the Coalition was in government.

Labor’s move to rewrite ministerial direction 99 – which mandates the consideration of a foreign criminal’s Australian ties before cancelling their visa – prompted New Zealand to warn against deporting Kiwi citizens who had spent little time in the country.

While juggling that crisis as well as fresh Home Affairs figures showing three freed murderers and 26 sex offenders were not wearing monitors, Giles told Sky News the government had invested $250 million to boost monitoring through various means of the broader cohort released after the High Court ruled indefinite immigration detention was unlawful.

“And that’s enabled things like using drones to keep track of those people we know,” he said.

The claim has surprised security experts, who told this masthead that drone surveillance was unworkable.

Dr John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said it would be an incredibly expensive and impractical exercise to watch people continuously with drones, adding it could require recruiting more than a dozen people a day to monitor one individual.

Human Rights Law Centre managing lawyer Sanmati Verma said such a measure was “extraordinarily invasive”.

“We should all be deeply concerned about our government unilaterally deciding who it may track via drones as we go about our daily lives,” she said.

Australian Border Force refused to comment on the use of drones, saying only that: “Under Operation AEGIS, ABF and Australian Federal Police are working closely with state and territory authorities and law enforcement to ensure community safety.”

This masthead spoke to seven Labor MPs on Thursday, who asked not to be named so they could speak freely, and they confirmed there was internal chatter about Giles’ future in the portfolio.

One scenario being canvassed is Agriculture Minister Murray Watt taking over the home affairs portfolio from Clare O’Neil, with O’Neil – who has an economics background – to take housing and small business from Tasmanian MP Julie Collins.

Giles would remain in the outer ministry but could be moved to a less contentious portfolio such as defence personnel and veterans’ affairs in a swap with Matt Keogh, though not before the winter break begins in July.

“Albanese places a premium on stability, he does not want a reshuffle. And we are just not going to let Dutton dictate our agenda,” one member of the cabinet said.

(continued)

>>20937493

2/2

The Albanese government softened immigration laws as part of an effort to improve diplomatic ties with New Zealand, which had complained about the deportation of Kiwi citizens who had spent little time in the country.

Regarding deportation of non-citizens who have committed crimes, direction 99 states: “Australia will generally afford a higher level of tolerance based on the length of time a non-citizen has spent in the Australian community, particularly in formative years.”

After the government moved to scrap the ministerial direction, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, urged Labor not to send Kiwi criminals who had lived in Australia for most of their lives across the Tasman.

“We accept that Australia has the right to determine what level of offending by non-citizens is unacceptable. But we do not want to see deportation of people with little or no connection to New Zealand whose formative experiences were nearly all in Australia,” Peters said in a statement.

“We are engaging with Australia at a political level on this matter.”

During question time on Thursday, Dutton accused Albanese of putting his “close and sycophantic relationship with [former NZ prime minister] Jacinda Ardern ahead of the safety of Australians”.

Albanese said it was “absurd” and “completely wrong” for the opposition to allege that he decided to implement direction 99 after meeting Ardern, saying that was not how leader-level diplomacy worked.

Albanese also accused the Coalition of releasing 1300 “hardcore criminals” from detention during its time in office.

Giles said during a media blitz on Thursday that a new version of the direction would be released as soon as it was ready.

“I’ve been meeting with my senior officials of the department last night to ensure that the expectations that I’ve set out to the parliament are put into practice,” he told the ABC.

“We believe that these decisions [on whether to allow visa holders to stay in Australia] need to be guided by two clear principles, the protection of the Australian community and by common sense.”

The Coalition government cancelled 1015 visas on character grounds in 2019-20, of which 50 per cent had been held by New Zealanders. That number dropped to 244 in the six months to December 2023.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/new-zealand-warns-australia-not-rip-up-deportation-deal-20240530-p5jhwe.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 30, 2024, 4:06 a.m. No.20937501 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3605

NZ seeks talks with Canberra over Direction 99 reform

RHIANNON DOWN - MAY 30, 2024

New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is seeking urgent talks with Australia over Direction 99 reform, saying he doesn’t want to see Australia deport New Zealanders who have little connection to their country of origin.

The Albanese government has committed to reforming the controversial Ministerial Direction, which was introduced last year to appease New Zealand’s anger over a string of deportations of long-term Australian residents with few ties to their country of citizenship.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles announced he would repeal the directive on Wednesday, after The Australian revealed multiple cases of rapists and pedophiles being allowed to stay because of their ties to Australia.

But Mr Peters, who is also NZ’s foreign minister, suggested he would appeal to Anthony Albanese’s “common sense” approach to the issue.

“We understand Australia intends to make changes to its deportation policy,” Mr Peters said in a statement.

“We accept that Australia has the right to determine what level of offending by non-citizens is unacceptable.

“But we do not want to see deportation of people with little or no connection to New Zealand, whose formative experiences were nearly all in Australia.

“We note Prime Minister Albanese’s previous commitment to take a ‘common sense’ approach to deportation of people to New Zealand who had effectively spent their entire lives in Australia. We intend to engage with Australia at a political level on this matter as soon as possible.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nz-seeks-talks-with-canberra-over-direction-99-reform/news-story/8a6c11231fd819a5057891836d0a4b9c

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 30, 2024, 4:14 a.m. No.20937517 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3088

>>20868824 (pb)

>>20873227 (pb)

>>20899389

Fatima Payman resigns from parliamentary committees after ‘genocide’ comments

Matthew Knott - May 30, 2024

Fatima Payman has stepped down from two parliamentary foreign affairs committees after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the Labor senator for using the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Payman accused Israel of conducting a genocide in Gaza, in a dramatic intervention two weeks ago, also calling for Australia to end trade with Israel, implement sanctions and immediately recognise a Palestinian state.

Government sources confirmed that Payman had resigned from the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

“The government’s policy is clear – we support a two-state solution,” a government spokesperson said.

Labor MPs said they did not believe Payman had been ordered to step down by government leadership, but had instead decided to do so herself to avoid being targeted by the Coalition and the Greens.

Payman did not respond to a request for comment.

Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who called for Albanese to remove Payman from her committee positions, said: “Someone who uses a phrase that calls for the violent destruction of the Jewish people has no place on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.”

Jewish groups regard the “From the river to the sea” slogan as a coded call for the elimination of Israel, while others have insisted it is simply a call for freedom and equal rights for Palestinians.

Speaking at Parliament House during budget week, Payman said: “Instead of advocating for justice, I see our leaders performatively gesture defending the oppressor’s right to oppress, while gaslighting the global community about the rights of self-defence.

“My conscience has been uneasy for far too long and I must call this out for what it is.

“This is a genocide and we need to stop pretending otherwise.

“The lack of clarity, the moral confusion, the indecisiveness is eating at the heart of this nation.”

Labor senators joined with the Coalition to condemn the “river to the sea” slogan Payman used at the end of her remarks, while Albanese said he considered Payman’s use of the phrase inappropriate.

The Senate voted 56-12 to criticise the slogan, saying it “opposes Israel’s right to exist, and is frequently used by those who seek to intimidate Jewish Australians via acts of antisemitism”.

Payman, 29, was born in Afghanistan and is the first woman to regularly wear a hijab in the federal parliament.

Asked about Payman’s comments during question time in the House of Representatives, Albanese said: “The chant, ‘From the river to the sea’, has been used from time to time by some in the pro-Palestinian movement, by some who argue that Israel should be just one state as well and that Gaza and the West Bank should be wiped out. It is inappropriate.

“I very strongly believe in a two-state solution. I strongly believe in the right of Israel to exist within secure borders. I strongly believe as well in the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/fatima-payman-resigns-from-parliamentary-committees-after-genocide-comments-20240530-p5ji2q.html

>>20710546 (pb)

>>20878221 (pb)

Anthony Albanese to protest guilty verdict for Aussie Gordon Ng in Hong Kong

BEN PACKHAM and DENNIS SHANAHAN - MAY 30, 2024

Anthony Albanese will lobby Chinese Premier Li Qiang on behalf of an Australian citizen facing a life sentence after being convicted by a Hong Kong Court on national security charges.

Dual Australian-Hong Kong national Gordon Ng was among 14 pro-democracy activists found guilty of subversion by the territory’s High Court on Thursday under laws introduced by Beijing to smash dissent in the former British colony.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was “deeply concerned” at the verdicts and would raise Mr Ng’s plight with the Chinese government “at the highest levels”.

His conviction comes just weeks ahead of the Chinese No. 2 leader’s visit to Australia for talks with the Prime Minister on a raft of difficult bilateral issues.

In an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of the trip, Beijing moved on Thursday to drop bans on Australian beef shipments from five meatworks in NSW and Queensland.

Two days earlier, the federal government’s Anti-Dumping Commission quietly delayed a report that was set to recommend an extension of tariffs on Chinese railway wheels.

The move means Industry Minister Ed Husic won’t have to sign off on an extension of the tariffs to prevent “material injury to Australian manufacturers” until July 16 – well after Mr Li’s visit.

Chinese trade bans continue to apply to two Australian meatworks, as well as Australian lobster exporters.

Mr Ng, who went to high school in Sydney, was arrested in 2021 for his involvement in an unofficial pre-election ballot that authorities labelled a “vicious plot” to paralyse the territory.

The convicted activists will be sentenced at a later date, and face prison terms ranging between three years and life.

Senator Wong said: “The Australian government raises consular and human rights concerns directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments regularly and at the highest levels. We will continue to do so, including in the case of Mr Ng.

“We also continue to request consular access to Mr Ng from Hong Kong authorities.”

She said Australia had expressed strong objections to Hong Kong authorities over the use of the territory’s Beijing-imposed national security laws to clamp down on opposition groups and pro-democracy figures.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the Coalition was “appalled” at the guilty verdicts, urging the government to pile pressure on Beijing over the matter.

Premier Li is expected to visit Canberra and Perth from June 16-18. He will meet with political and business leaders and is expected to visit a resources project in Western Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/china-lifts-trade-bans-on-five-beef-exporters/news-story/390b1b3b2182f55bdc410be19a7a93ce

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 30, 2024, 4:26 a.m. No.20937541 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4848

>>20926922

Defending Australia: AUKUS subs to be armed with hypersonic missiles

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 30, 2024

Australia’s AUKUS-class nuclear submarines will be capable of firing next-generation hypersonic missiles, giving the nation a potent strike capability near-impossible for adversaries to defeat.

Australian Submarine Agency director-general Jonathan Mead said the AUKUS boats would have “more firepower” than the US’s current Virginia-class boats, as well as space for underwater drones and special forces.

“It will be able to fire more long-range missiles or hypersonic missiles,” he told The Australian’s Defending Australia summit.

“It’ll be able to fire more long-range torpedoes. It will be able to carry a larger reactor for more power. It will be able to carry uncrewed autonomous vehicles.

“It will be able to accommodate special forces components.”

The Australian revealed this week that the AUKUS boats, at more than 10,000 tonnes, would be larger than Virginia-class submarines that displace just over 7000 tonnes. Australia’s six conventionally powered Collins-class submarines are about 3300 tonnes. Asked how many missiles the AUKUS subs would carry, Vice-Admiral Mead said “many”.

Advanced hypersonic weapons will be developed under AUKUS’s “Pillar Two” technology partnership.

China and Russia have so far led the race to develop hypersonic missiles but the US is pouring money into their development in a bid to catch up.

Vice-Admiral Mead also revealed a push to get Australian investors to plough money into US submarine production.

“We want Australian companies to invest in the US production yards,” he said. The move, which follows an injection of $4.6bn by Australian taxpayers, is aimed at boosting US submarine production to ensure the country can deliver a promised three Virginia-class boats to Australia.

Vice-Admiral Mead said his biggest concern over the AUKUS program was finding and training the people to deliver it.

“Workforce has always been identified as the No. 1 issue. That is the one that we really need to focus on,” he said.

He said 100 workers from commonwealth submarine builder ASC would complete training in US shipyards this year, followed by 100 a year for three years.

“When the submarines come to Western Australia in 2027, we will have a workforce of over 400 people that will be skilled and competent on Virginias,” he said.

Former Labor defence minister Kim Beazley told the Defending Australia summit that the ASA director-general was “the most important man in this country’s defence at this moment”.

Earlier, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas warned that Anthony Albanese’s plan to slash immigration would undermine the AUKUS program.

He said the competition between federal Labor and the Coalition to dramatically slow the immigration rate overlooked the need for a massive influx of skilled workers to “backfill” positions vacated by Australians who were going to be needed to build nuclear submarines.

Labor unveiled deep cuts to immigration numbers in the recent federal budget, pledging to wind back the net overseas intake from 395,000 this financial year to 260,000 in 2024-25, and 235,000 in the following two years.

Peter Dutton has vowed to cut even harder, reducing net overseas migration to 160,000.

While workers from non-AUKUS countries would be unable to work on the submarine program for security reasons, Mr Malinauskas said skilled foreigners would be needed to fill shortfalls elsewhere across the wider economy.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/defending-australia-aukus-subs-to-be-armed-with-hypersonic-missiles/news-story/2723d577a8677defe722634e41e0e64d

>>20909278

Ex-AFL Hall of Famer Barry Cable pleads not guilty to child sexual abuse charges after arrest

Joanna Menagh - 30 May 2024

Former Australian Rules footballer Barry Cable has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a young girl decades ago.

Cable, 80, appeared in a Perth court this morning to face five counts of indecently dealing with a girl under 13, and two counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 13.

Police allege Cable sexually assaulted the complainant between January 1, 1967 and April 27, 1968, when she was between nine and 10 years old.

He was arrested on Friday.

Represented by high profile lawyer Tom Percy K.C., Cable appeared in court on Thursday supported by his sons.

He pleaded not guilty to all seven charges.

It is the first time Cable has appeared in public since a District Court judge's finding, in a civil case, that he repeatedly sexually abused a young girl in the 1960s and 70s when he was at the height of his playing career.

The judge found that the abuse started when the girl was 12.

The woman was awarded more than $800,000 for what Judge Mark Herron found was the "catastrophic" damage she suffered.

Despite the ruling, the woman's lawyers said it was unlikely she would receive any money because the court was told before trial Cable had been declared bankrupt.

The standard of proof in civil cases is the "balance of probabilities", which is a lesser standard than in criminal cases, which requires a finding of "beyond a reasonable doubt".

Cable has always denied the allegations and he has never been charged with any offences relating to the woman.

He did not take any part or a have a lawyer represent him in last year's civil trial, which also heard evidence from four other women who alleged they, too, were abused by him when they were young, in the 1980s and 90s.

It is understood the complainant in the criminal charges Cable is now facing is not the complainant in the civil case, or any of the four other women who testified at the civil case.

Football honours revoked

Cable was widely regarded as one the greatest West Australian football players of all time having had a lengthy and successful career in both the WA and Victorian Football Leagues in the 1960s and 70s.

He won two VFL premierships with North Melbourne - a club he went on to coach - as well as four WAFL premierships and three Sandover medals for being the competition's best and fairest player.

After last year's civil judgement, Cable was removed from the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the West Australian Football Hall of Fame.

His bail has been renewed until his next court appearance in early August.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-30/barry-cable-pleads-not-guilty-to-child-abuse-afl/103909708

Donald Trump guilty in hush money trial

Adam Vidler - May 31, 2024

1/2

Former US President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial in New York.

The verdict makes Trump the first former US president to be convicted of a felony.

Judge Juan Merchan has set the sentencing date for July 11.

Outside court, a furious Trump continued his claims that the trial had been "rigged" and accused Merchan of being "conflicted" and "corrupt".

"This was a rigged decision right from day one with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case," Trump said.

He said "the real verdict" would come in on November 5 - the date of the upcoming US presidential election for which Trump is the presumed Republican nominee.

"This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent," Trump said.

Jurors had been on the verge of being sent home for the day when they sent word they had reached a verdict.

Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records at his company in connection with an alleged scheme to hide potentially embarrassing stories about him during his 2016 presidential election campaign.

The charge, a felony, rose from reimbursements paid to then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen after he made a $US130,000 ($195,000) hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to silence her claims that she and Trump had sex in 2006.

Trump is accused of misrepresenting Cohen’s reimbursements as legal expenses to hide that they were tied to a hush money payment.

Trump pleaded not guilty and contended the Cohen payments were for legitimate legal services.

He has also denied the alleged extramarital sexual encounter with Daniels.

Trump's lawyers previously indicated he would appeal the verdict if convicted.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge — who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations — would impose that punishment even if asked.

The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the political significance of the outcome.

(continued)

>>20945186

2/2

How the trial unfolded

The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump's past, when his 2016 campaign was threatened by the disclosure of an "Access Hollywood" recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.

Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a secret recording of a conversation with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a US$150,000 ($226,147) hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: "What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?" Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.

Daniels herself testified, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament.

The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal's story.

Jurors also heard from Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.

He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.

But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider's view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump's detailed knowledge of it.

"Just take care of it," he quoted Trump as saying at one point.

He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organisation described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.

And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president's personal fixer.

"To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family," Cohen told the jury.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-verdict-reached-us-news/6b7de28f-b142-401b-83ae-816913eb0e55

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4s-djzHIkQ

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 31, 2024, 6:59 a.m. No.20945225 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4628

>>20945186

Australia reacts: Anthony Albanese ‘wishes the US well’ as Penny Wong says she’s open to meeting Trump

THE NIGHTLY - 31 MAY, 2024

Australia’s political leaders have vowed to maintain the relationship with the United States regardless of who is elected president in the wake of Donald Trump’s criminal conviction just months out from a bitterly contested poll.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had no doubt the news would be “the global story of the day” but it was inappropriate for him to comment on the case.

“We’re not a party to this court proceedings. So we regard that as a matter for the United States and their system, as we regard the election of the US president to be a matter for the people of the United States as well,” he said.

“We would probably object to a New Zealand prime minister or a US president, or a German chancellor, or a French president, telling us how we should conduct our political system and I have no intention of telling the United States.”

He noted his close personal relationship with current president Joe Biden, but said the US-Australia alliance was a relationship between countries not individuals.

“I wish the United States well. They’re an important relationship that we have,” he said.

The sentiment was echoed by cabinet ministers and senior Opposition figures.

Senior Albanese frontbencher Jason Clare describing it as “the biggest news in the world that’s happening right now”.

“We haven’t seen anything like this before,” Mr Clare said on Sunrise.

Despite his conviction, Foreign Minister Penny Wong left open the option of meeting Mr Trump if she visits the United States ahead of the November election.

“I will always seek to engage with both sides of politics appropriately and if I go to the United States, that would be something I take advice on,” Senator Wong said on Friday.

“Our relationship goes beyond partisan politics and it always has.”

Senator Wong said she did not wish to comment directly on the guilty verdict for Trump.

“You wouldn’t expect the foreign minister of Australia to engage in commentary about legal processes on another country including our most important strategic partner and ally and I won’t,” she said.

“The United States of America is our most important strategic partner. We have a relationship that goes back decades and an alliance which is enduring.

“We have a friendship and we have very strong relationship across people and institutions and that will continue.”

As Trump decried the “rigged” trial, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the former president will likely use the verdict to rev-up the Republican base ahead of the “exciting” US November election.

Explaining that Trump was “despised” in New York where the jury trial was held, Mr Dutton said the verdict would further divide America.

“If you look back to 2016, he won no electoral votes in New York. He’s despised there,” Mr Dutton said on breakfast television.

“There’s obviously two tribes here and the one tribe who detest him and hate him. And you saw some of the emotion in some of the interviews, just then.

“And the other tribe, love him and adore him, and for different reasons on both sides. And all it will do is reinforce the views on both of those camps, but obviously it will make for an even more exciting election, I suppose, in November.”

Senior figures from both sides of politics said the verdict and any influence it has on domestic US politics will not impact the country’s close relationship with Australia.

Speaking on Sunrise in the moments after the verdict was handed down, Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said: “The relationship we have with the US is more important and bigger than any one individual, any one leader or any one government”.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said that the Australia/US alliance would endure regardless of who won the presidential election.

“The American political system will throw up who they’ve got to throw up,” Mr Shorten told Today.

“I think governments of both sides in Australia will deal with whoever the American political system elects. I think the alliance is stronger than the personalities.”

https://thenightly.com.au/world/trump-guilty-dutton-says-hes-despised-there-as-australia-reacts-c-14857174

>>20937493

Doubts over drone program after under-fire minister’s detainee claim

Angus Thompson and David Crowe - May 31, 2024

1/2

The existence of a drone program to monitor former detainees has been thrown into doubt after under-fire Immigration Minister Andrew Giles made the claim in defence of the government’s handling of multiple visa crises.

Despite Giles’ assertion, government sources say drones are not being used to track detainees after the practicality of the program was questioned by a security expert and the Coalition demanded to know details of the secret measures.

While facing a political storm fresh over his ministerial direction 99 being used by a tribunal to justify reinstating the visas of a series of serious criminals, Giles also responded to fresh Home Affairs figures showing three freed murderers and 26 sex offenders were not wearing monitors.

He told Sky News on Thursday the government had invested $250 million to boost monitoring through various means of the broader cohort released after the High Court ruled indefinite immigration detention was unlawful.

“And that’s enabled things like using drones to keep track of those people we know,” he said.

Giles’ office refused to provide more information on the claim, except to say that it was accurate, while the Australian Border Force – which conducts surveillance of immigration detainees released following last year’s High Court decision – declined in a statement to confirm it was using drones in its operations.

ABF last year grounded its drone fleet after the manufacturer, which has been blacklisted in the US over security concerns, was accused of having links to the Chinese military. The Australian Federal Police, which is the other federal agency responding to the High Court fallout, does not surveil in its role on the taskforce with ABF.

AFP deputy commissioner Ian McCartney told a Senate estimates hearing on Friday evening the agency was not using drones on the cohort and he had no knowledge of drones being used as part of the taskforce’s operations. “We believe there hasn’t but as a matter of completeness we’ll take it on notice,” he said.

Victoria Police confirmed it was not using drones to monitor released immigration detainees while NSW Police said it was a Commonwealth issue.

Dr John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute previously said it would be an incredibly expensive and impractical exercise to watch people continuously with drones, adding it could require recruiting more than a dozen people a day to monitor one individual.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the government should urgently clarify what Giles meant. “Who is operating these drones? What are the safeguards for Australians living nearby? Why was this never previously disclosed publicly?” he said.

A spokesperson for Giles said that “the minister’s comments were correct”.

Giles vowed earlier in the week to rewrite direction 99 to put a premium on community safety, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese trashed the Administrative Appeals Tribunal over its decisions on Friday, vowing a reset under a new, Labor-created body.

During a Senate estimates hearing on Friday afternoon, AAT officials revealed half the cases considering Giles’ direction so far this financial year overturned the government’s initial decision to deport foreigners on character grounds.

The direction mandates a person’s ties to the Australian community be a central consideration in their visa status.

AAT registrar Michael Hawkins said 184 visa cancellations had been set aside out of 367 decisions this financial year, with 100 cases still in the pipeline.

(continued)

>>20945256

2/2

Following coverage of rapists’ visas being reinstated and a man being released from detention to then allegedly murder somebody, Hawkins said members of the tribunal were “hurting” because of the difficult decisions they had to make about whether people stayed in Australia.

“You own the decision because you had uppermost in your mind, whether you were denying someone the opportunity to come to Australia who should genuinely be here, but their case wasn’t sufficient,” Hawkins told Senate estimates.

“You would be concerned that that person could be gunned down on their return to their own country.”

But Albanese blamed the Coalition-stacked tribunal for allowing foreign-born criminals to stay, describing it as a dysfunctional body riddled with failed Liberal candidates.

“If you’re a former Liberal councillor somewhere who’d lost preselection, chances are you could put your hand up and get a guernsey on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal,” Albanese said.

“We’ve abolished it, gotten rid of it and replaced it with the Administrative Review Tribunal, which will be more rigorous, which will not be full of former party political appointments.”

The government this week passed legislation to create the Administrative Review Tribunal which will have a merit-based hiring process instead of government appointments.

Former Coalition attorney-general Michaelia Cash attracted Labor criticism shortly before the 2022 federal election for a slew of Liberal-linked appointments to the AAT, tasked with independently reviewing government decisions.

However, one of the most cited cases in the deportation controversy was presided over by former Labor MP and Speaker of the House Anna Burke, who cited Giles’ direction in allowing a New Zealand citizen who raped his stepdaughter to stay in Australia.

Despite disquiet in Labor ranks about Giles’ tenure in the portfolio, Albanese said there would be no “imminent” changes to his ministerial lineup, and assured he maintained a good relationship with the New Zealand government after Labor announced it would change the rule.

The Albanese government had softened immigration laws as part of an effort to improve diplomatic ties with New Zealand, which had complained about the deportation of Kiwi citizens who had spent little time in the country.

During a press conference earlier on Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he regretted Australia’s decision to scrap direction 99.

“We’ll be advocating very strongly,” Luxon said. “I raised my concerns with the prime minister yesterday morning during our phone call.

“We understand Australia is a sovereign nation, and it can make its own decisions, but we have great concern about that decision because we don’t think that people who have very little attachment to this country but with strong connections to Australia should be deported here.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dysfunctional-albanese-blames-coalition-stacked-tribunal-for-deportation-debacle-20240530-p5jhye.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 31, 2024, 7:15 a.m. No.20945301 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9181

>>20726614 (pb)

>>20726638 (pb)

Bruce Lehrmann lodges appeal against Network Ten, Lisa Wilkinson verdict

ELLIE DUDLEY - MAY 31, 2024

Bruce Lehrmann will represent himself in an appeal against the judgment that found he raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, as his supporters abandon him and he is left alone to tackle judge Michael Lee’s landmark verdict.

Mr Lehrmann, a law student, on Friday afternoon lodged the appeal against findings that Network Ten and presenter Lisa Wilkinson did not defame him when airing an interview with Ms Higgins on The Project in 2021.

The Australian understands Mr Lehrmann will argue Justice Lee denied him procedural fairness, and will claim Ms Higgins’ evidence had serious credibility issues.

He is calling on the Federal Court to set aside the judgment against him, a verdict be made in his favour, and for Ten and Wilkinson to pay his legal bills for both the appeal and the defamation proceedings.

The long-awaited judgment of the matter brought by Mr Lehrmann was handed down last month, finding Ten successfully made out its truth defence and proved, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in the office of Liberal senator Linda Reynolds.

However, Justice Lee found the network failed to make out its qualified privilege defence and acted unreasonably in its treatment of Mr Lehrmann when airing The Project interview.

Mr Lehrmann had until Friday to file the appeal, after Justice Lee extended the usual 28-day window until May 31.

Mr Lehrmann will claim Justice Lee’s ultimate findings were never put to him in cross-examination, and he was therefore denied procedural fairness.

He will also argue there were serious credibility issues with Ms Higgins’ evidence, specifically in relation to an image of a bruise she shared with The Project team in the lead up to her interview.

During Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial, Ms Higgins claimed the bruise was caused during the rape. However, she later admitted the bruise could have occurred earlier in the night when she fell over at Canberra’s 88mph nightclub.

In delivering judgment, Justice Lee found Mr Lehrmann would have only received $20,000 had he won his defamation fight “because he is only entitled to be compensated for the reputation he deserves”.

But in his appeal, Mr Lehrmann will argue that because Justice Lee agreed Wilkinson’s Logies speech - which delayed Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial by three months - had impinged in the administration of justice, he is entitled to greater damages.

The Australian understands while Mr Lehrmann had been provided expert advice from top silk Guy Reynolds SC, he ultimately filed the appeal himself and will self-represent in any subsequent hearings.

Mr Lehrmann also sought assistance from former crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen SC, who has extensive experience with rape trials. Ms Cunneen, now a criminal barrister, most recently won a sexual assault case for ex-Wallaby Kurtley Beale.

Justice Lee earlier this month ordered Mr Lehrmann to pay the rumoured $6 million legal bills of both Ten and Wilkinson, criticising the former Liberal staffer for bringing the defamation matter based on a “fanciful and knowingly false premise”.

He ruled the broadcaster could recover costs from Mr Lehrmann on an indemnity basis – covering about 90 per cent of its legal bill – in relation to its truth defence, and on an ordinary or party-party basis – about 70 per cent of its legal bill – in relation to its qualified privilege defence.

Mr Lehrmann is currently unemployed, and it is unlikely Ten will be able to recover costs.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bruce-lehrmann-lodges-appeal-against-network-ten-lisa-wilkinson-verdict/news-story/d297c5f223e7c311387f6253742c2a4a

>>20921946

Ukraine gets $31m aid boost, but no coal

Tess Ikonomou - May 31 2024

Australia will provide $20 million to an energy support fund for Ukraine amid pleas for an urgent shipment of coal.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Friday a $31 million package for Ukraine's energy and humanitarian needs.

Kyiv has requested the coal shipment as Russia bombards its power plants with missile and drone strikes.

Instead of providing coal, funds will be used to provide heat and electricity for Ukrainians, amid concerns the conflict could continue into the European winter.

The Albanese government has been criticised after a call for help by Ukraine went unanswered for six months.

Senator Wong said the government remained unwavering in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty.

"Australia's $20 million contribution to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund will be used meet the highest priority energy needs and support the Ukrainian people," she said.

Opposition foreign spokesman Simon Birmingham said Australia's responsiveness to Ukraine's requests should be swift, not "drawn out and delayed".

"Ukraine's request for coal gathered dust in Australia through one long, cold winter and the Albanese government needs to explain how this funds transfer is preferable to giving the actual coal that Ukraine asked for," he said.

An extra $10 million of emergency humanitarian aid will go to the United Nations to increase access to essentials including water, food and shelter.

To help rehabilitate and care for people with disabilities and war injuries, an additional $1 million will be provided.

International Development Minister Pat Conroy said Australia was proud to stand with the Ukrainian people.

"The Australian government remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine and contributing alongside partner nations so that Ukraine can end this conflict on its terms."

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8647397/ukraine-gets-31m-aid-boost-but-no-coal/

https://x.com/AmbVasyl/status/1796333066547568951

>>20827002 (pb)

>>20831574 (pb)

Marles raises ‘unsafe’ navy encounters in ‘frank’ talks with Chinese defence minister

Lisa Visentin - June 1, 2024

1/2

Singapore: Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles has used a face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, to raise concerns directly about the dangerous tactics used by People’s Liberation Army in recent confrontations with the Australian Navy.

Marles met Dong for a 45-minute discussion on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit on Saturday, marking the first face-to-face talks between the pair since the admiral was appointed China’s defence minister in December.

Describing the talks as “frank”, Marles declined to go into detail of the substance of the discussions but confirmed that he raised the recent incidents between the PLA forces and the Australian Navy.

“It was a good meeting. We certainly set out our different positions, but it is positive that there is dialogue,” Marles told this masthead at the summit.

The meeting marks the first occasion that Australia has voiced its concerns at a minister-to-minister level since it accused China of “unsafe and unprofessional” behaviour last month after a PLA fighter released flares in the path of an Australian naval helicopter in international waters. Until now, the federal government has only raised the issue at a diplomatic level and in public statements, prompting criticism from the Coalition that Labor should have “picked up the phone” and raised it directly at a leadership or ministerial level.

Marles rejected criticism that he could have elevated the issue sooner, saying Saturday’s meeting was the first ministerial face-to-face since the incident, and noted no such dialogue existed with Chinese ministers under the former Coalition government.

Last month’s incident followed another encounter in November in which Australia said a Chinese warship had deployed sonar pulses while Australian naval divers were in the East China Sea in November. China has previously disputed Australia’s characterisation of both incidents and sought to blame Australia for the confrontations.

Marles would not be drawn on the scenario canvassed by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr earlier at the summit, in which he said an attack by China in the South China Sea that killed a Filipino citizen would be “very, very close” to an act of war.

Asked whether this would be a red line for Australia as well, if another encounter with the PLA resulted in casualties, Marles said hypotheticals were unhelpful.

“It is a matter of making sure that we are doing everything we can to avoid that situation,” he said. “The deeper the understanding we have with the People’s Republic of China about our behaviours and theirs, the better.”

(continued)

2/2

The meeting with Dong followed a speech by Marles at a panel discussion earlier on Saturday in which he highlighted the incidents with Australian naval forces, China’s aggression in the South China Sea, and its recent military drills around Taiwan as undermining confidence in China’s role in maintaining global stability.

“As China steps up to a larger role it must accept, like all great powers, that there will be much greater scrutiny on the way it uses its strength and which countries it chooses to partner with. Acceptance of such restraints is the key to any successful and durable international order,” Marles said in the speech, as he questioned China’s support for Russia.

Marles’ speech was significantly more pointed in directly calling out China’s actions than the addresses given by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Marcos, who also addressed the summit. They canvassed similar concerns about military aggression in the South China Sea and disrespect for international law, but largely without naming China directly.

However, Marles’ remarks were toned down in parts from the draft excerpts circulated to journalists a day earlier. An explicit reference to regional order being impossible “without a leading Chinese role” and if China continued to ignore the “sovereign rights of its neighbours, or the obligations imposed by international law”, was pared back to a more generalised statement about this responsibility falling to “all countries – but especially big ones”.

In a question-and-answer session following his speech, Marles was confronted by Chinese delegate Qichao Zhu, dressed in military uniform, who complained about “mistakes” in his remarks. Zhu asserted that Taiwan was a province of China, claimed that a Philippines ship had “intentionally collided with China’s coast guard” and suggested that Marles’ concept of a rules-based international order was one centred on Australia’s national security interests.

In response, Marles said international arbitration mechanisms existed for working through disputes about international rules.

Austin also met Dong at the summit, and in his speech stressed the importance of dialogue with his Chinese counterparts saying that war with Beijing was neither imminent nor unavoidable.

Chinese military academic Cao Yanzhong asked Austin whether the US was trying to create an Asian version of NATO with its emphasis on partnerships and alliances. He suggested that could trigger conflict with China, citing the claim by Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO expansion had led to war in Ukraine.

Austin said the US was simply co-operating with “like-minded countries with similar values” and was not trying to create a NATO-type alliance, while rejecting Cao’s interpretation of the cause of the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to address the summit on Sunday to build support among Asian leaders for his country’s war efforts against Russia and to appeal for them to support a peace summit in Switzerland next month, to which Russia was not invited and China is not attending.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/marles-raises-unsafe-navy-encounters-in-frank-talks-with-chinese-defence-minister-20240601-p5jige.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRULF9WRCyA

Richard Marles confronted by Chinese PLA officers at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

Monte Bovill - 1 June 2024

Officers from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) have confronted Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles at an international security conference over Australia's criticisms of Beijing's military build-up.

Mr Marles, who is also the defence minister, used a speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore to call out China for its recent confrontations with Australian naval forces, as well as to express concern over the country's aggression towards the Philippines and provocation of Taiwan.

"Actions by Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea, such as the use of water cannons and the ramming of Philippine vessels, are a serious escalation of tensions," Mr Marles told the room of senior defence officials and ministers.

"China's behaviour towards Taiwan creates similar concerns. People's Liberation Army exercises that practice attacks and blockades of Taiwan do not inspire confidence that China prioritises — or is planning for — a peaceful settlement to the status of this island and its 22 million people.

"Activities that the Australian Defence Force has conducted in the region for decades, safely and consistent with international law, are increasingly contested by the PLA."

In response to Mr Marles's speech, PLA officer Hanwen Ge, who was in the audience, said China cooperated with countries in the region.

"Since the end of the Cold War, China has never been at war against its neighbouring countries," he said.

"As a sovereign country, China has the natural right to defend its national security."

Another PLA member, Qichao Zhu, said there were "at least two mistakes" in his speech.

"Taiwan is one province of China, and we will not endanger the Taiwan people's security and life," he said.

"You didn't mention that the Philippines, their ship, intentionally collided with China's coast guard ships.

"The rules of law is a very important concept. China sticks to the rules of law."

Following the speech, Mr Marles met with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, where he raised his concerns face-to-face.

Philippines warns of growing risk of war

It was not just Australia that expressed concerns over China's acts of aggression in the region, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr warning of dangerous consequences if Chinese militia vessels continued to challenge his nation's territorial waters.

"If a Filipino citizen is killed by a wilful act, that is, I think, very, very close to what we define as an act of war," he said.

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also addressed the conference, insisting the "United States can be secure only if Asia is secure".

"Every country, large or small, has the right to enjoy its own maritime resources," he said.

"The harassment the Philippines has faced is dangerous, pure and simple. We all share an interest in ensuring the South China Sea remains open and free."

Mr Marles's speech also addressed China's support for Russia, saying it "raises important questions about the role it intends to play as a global actor".

"As China steps up to a larger role, it must accept, like all great powers, that there will be much greater scrutiny on the way it uses its strength and which countries it chooses to partner with," Mr Marles said.

"There has been a view, sometimes expressed by Chinese officials, that its strategic partnership with Russia is a necessary buffer against anti-China hostility. That is totally wrong."

Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should be playing a bigger role in making Australia's concerns known.

"We have to be prepared to stand up to China when they put our national interest at risk," he said.

"We need the prime minister to be the one standing up and saying to China: 'We need you to abide by the rules-based order, and we need you to abide by international law.'"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also attending the conference, where he plans to meet Mr Austin, take part in a panel discussion on Sunday, and ask attendees to support a peace summit to be held later this month in Switzerland.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-01/australia-china-peoples-liberation-army-singapore-conference/103923760

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fay3YrvgNXg

>>20841352 (pb)

Secret Covid documents in Victoria to be released after almost 4 year fight

Chantelle Francis - June 1, 2024

Secret government documents behind Victoria’s controversial Covid lockdowns are set to be released after the state’s Department of Health lost an almost four year long fight to keep them concealed.

Melbourne had some of the toughest Covid rules in the world and the longest lockdown on the planet.

A judge at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal this week ordered the department to process freedom of information requests it had refused for the briefings provided to the Chief Health Officer, Deputy Chief Health Officer and Minister for Health relating to public health orders made in 2020.

Liberal MP David Davis made four requests for the briefings to be handed over back in 2020 under the FOI Act – three requests within ten days in July and the fourth request made in December.

The department refused them all, saying the work would substantially and unreasonably divert resources.

Mr Davis sought a review by the Victorian Information Commissioner but the commissioner did not reach a decision within the statutory time frame. The MP then took the cases to VCAT in late 2020 and early 2021.

Then Covid-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar claimed it would take an estimated 169.4 to 208.4 working weeks (about four years) to process Mr Davis’ combined FOI requests, in a statement dated October 2021.

Michael Cain, the department’s manager of FOI and legal compliance, then claimed it would take 61 to 74 work weeks, in a statement dated November 2023. He argued the cost would run into tens of thousands of dollars.

But Judge Caitlin English, who is Vice President of VCAT, didn’t accept this as grounds for refusal.

In her decision, she said she was not convinced the department had reasonably estimated the resources required to process the requests, and noted the “strong public interest” in the information.

She acknowledged the resources required to process the request were substantial, but said it was manageable for the department.

“The Department, bearing the onus, has not satisfied me on the evidence that the work involved in processing the request would substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the agency from its other operations,” her order stated. “I direct the agency to process Mr Davis’s requests in accordance with the FOI Act.”

More than 115 briefs supporting the state government’s public health orders could be released, at an average of 40 to 60 pages each.

Mr Davis argued there was high public interest in release of the documents because of the nature of the way the pandemic was dealt with in Victoria compared to other states.

He said there was limited public information justifying the reasons on which certain public health orders were based, and there was significant public interest in the reasons for, and data and rationale behind them.

“The second wave as it surged into effect in July 2020 drove my series of freedom of information requests on 7 July, 13 July and 17 July of the then Department of Health and Human Services for the briefings behind the decisions to impose the public health orders,” he said.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/secret-covid-documents-in-victoria-to-be-released-after-almost-4-year-fight/news-story/0742ab4b20de073b6b742bef6ac62300

>>20852084 (pb)

US Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander highlights key alliance at Australian Space Summit

Capt. Keith Peden - May 31, 2024

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) - Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander, participated in the Australian Space Summit at the International Convention Center in Sydney, Australia, May 27-28.

The Australian Space Summit aimed to provide presentation to critical funding issues and unveil fresh opportunities for international collaboration with the goal of growing Australia’s space sector.

During the two-day event that explored space collaboration and competition in the Pacific, Mastalir delivered a keynote address and participated in panels which discussed space capabilities and the U.S.-Australian alliance in the Indo-Pacific.

Mastalir opened his keynote address by highlighting the importance and growth of space specialties in industry and national security sectors and spoke on the value of space support toward global economy and natural disaster response.

“Space capabilities are a critical enabler of national security,” Mastalir said. “U.S. and allied forces rely heavily on space-based capabilities to project and employ power globally. That’s why we’re moving rapidly toward becoming more resilient and interoperable with our allies and partners as we prepare the joint force for great power competition with our focus on the Indo-Pacific.”

Joining Mastalir on the panel was Royal Australian Air Force Maj. Gen. Gregory Novak, Defence Space Command, Australian Defence Forces commander. The panel focused on emphasizing collaboration as a critical component in enhancing the U.S.-Australian partnership for securing the Indo-Pacific.

“There are many similarities in what we’re doing here,” Novak said. “The space domain has always been a strong part of the U.S.-Australian military-to-military relationship and our alliance. One thing that struck me over the past six months is just how much it’s deepened and broadened over that time.”

On the panel, Mastalir and Novak both highlighted space operations in the Pacific region while exploring how Space Force components interact with their counterparts in allied countries. The panel also provided examples of recent and planned coalition operations that benefit all participants.

“Last year, we executed Exercise Pacific Sentry together,” Mastalir said. "It was the most integrated component-level exercise we have executed to date, with a campaign plan synchronized across the Joint Force Space Component commanders in Australia, Hawaii and California and exchange officers embedded in the operational planning cells across those locations.”

Mastalir then highlighted the expansion of trilateral exercise Keen Edge that involved collaboration between the U.S., Australia and Japan, while noting the value in additional multilateral exercises in the future.

The panel members went on to discuss the importance of allied interoperability for the promotion of security and stability within the region. Both commanders shed light on why the rules-based international order is critical in supporting stability in the Pacific and discussed how a free and open Indo-Pacific is upheld by space efforts.

“The interests we pursue are all about assured access to space,” Novak said. “They are about promoting security and stability and we do that through encouraging responsible behaviors and doing everything we can as a collective to invest in norms that assure that access, which is ultimately in everyone’s interest.”

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3792723/us-space-forces-indo-pacific-commander-highlights-key-alliance-at-australian-sp/

>>20561119 (pb)

>>20705439 (pb)

>>20705580 (pb)

Doctors blast opaqueness of gender clinics

JESS MALCOLM and MACKENZIE SCOTT - APRIL 12, 2024

Australia’s major gender clinics have refused to confirm whether they are tracking long-term health outcomes of thousands of young children they have treated, despite a landmark British review that criticised the opaqueness and secrecy of the medical care.

Children’s hospitals in NSW, Queensland and Victoria have given no indication they will be changing treatment options for young people with gender dysphoria, despite serious issues raised by the Cass review and growing international evidence over the safety and clinical effectiveness of the drugs.

As an increasing number of voices call for an independent inquiry into the prescription of puberty blockers to young teens, medical experts have urged Australian hospitals to release up-to-date information on treatment plans and long-term outcomes of hormone treatments, warning that the current lack of transparency is leading to harmful outcomes.

Clinicians have also hit out at the nation’s peak body for transgender health, AusPATH, after it this week dismissed findings of the Cass review, saying that the medical body was “digging their heeds in” despite increasing alarm over the rising prescription of puberty-blocking drugs in young teenagers.

British health authorities in March banned the routine prescription of puberty blockers to young teens in response to interim findings of the Cass review, following extensive examination of the care being provided to children at London’s Tavistock clinic.

Handing down her final report this week, chairwoman Hilary Cass found the entire field of medicine aimed at enabling children to change gender was “built on shaky foundations”.

The Australian approached several gender clinics, including the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, The Children’s Hospital in Sydney’s Westmead, the Children’s Health Queensland Gender Clinic and Maple Leaf House in Newcastle, NSW, asking how many children were being treated and whether institutions could detail their follow-up policies for previous patients.

The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne forwarded questions on patient figures and reaction to the Cass review to the Victoria Health Department, which failed to respond.

The question of follow-up procedures and outcomes was sent to the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, but a spokeswoman said the key researcher was away on leave.

Queensland Health refused to provide answers to the questions put forward by The Weekend Australian, citing an independent review of practices within the state’s Children’s Gender Service.

NSW Health did not directly respond to questions asked but provided figures on the number of patients seen in 2022 and 2023. In those two years, 294 patients under the age of 16 were treated by The Children’s Hospital while 1787 people under the age of 25 were given care at Maple Leaf House.

Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine president Roberto D’Angelo warned of a lack of transparency around the treatment of young children with gender dysphoria, saying the inadequate sharing of clinical information was “one of the most serious failures noted by the Cass review”.

AusPATH vice-president Portia Predney this week said the Cass review was “at odds with the current evidence base, expert consensus and majority of clinical guidelines around the world”.

Paediatrician Dylan Wilson called on the commonwealth to immediately ban all new puberty blocker prescriptions, saying gender clinics had “absolutely no idea what state of health their former patients are in”.

He also called for a review into why governments and heath organisations ignored the “warnings, red flags and whistleblowers” expressing concern for the use of drugs on young children.

Melbourne-psychiatrist Alison Clayton said there was a lack of “publicly available information about the numbers of 18 year olds being prescribed puberty blockers, oestrogen or testosterone at the public child and adolescent gender clinics or at community or hospital adult clinics.”

Sydney psychiatrist Tanveer Ahmed said debate around the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones was being driven by identity politics rather than science.

He said gender issues were “ground zero of the culture wars”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/doctors-blast-opaqueness-of-gender-clinics/news-story/09e329da4a537afde2af0fc3101348de

>>20954706

>>20705542 (pb)

Trans ‘lab leak’ unleashed a scandalous medical experiment

Gender medicine is not like any other medicine. Powerful drugs used off-label and surgical castration have introduced to the world a new eunuch gender identity. Now the scientific foundations are emerging as threadbare.

BERNARD LANE - April 13, 2024

1/2

Equality Australia, a transgender activist lobby, issued a curious media statement this week deploring England’s Cass review into the medicalisation of distressed minors alienated from their birth sex. The statement ran to almost 900 words, but none could be spared to spell out puberty blockers or synthetic cross-sex hormones.

Hiding behind the euphemism of gender-affirming care, the clinicians and activists quoted in the statement would have us believe the medical scandal documented by British pediatrician Hilary Cass is simply not relevant here in Australia. Yet it is, of course. Same hormonal drugs likely to sterilise minors and rob them of sexual pleasure as adults, same low-quality evidence base, same zealous affirmation of gender as the cause of distress.

Teenagers turn up at gender clinics primed with the diagnostic checklist for gender dysphoria, but the true causes of their unhappiness may lie elsewhere. Maybe undiagnosed autism, awkward same-sex attraction, mental health disorders, past sex abuse or just the unsurprising confusion of teenage brains exposed to a pseudoscientific celebrity culture of gender diversity.

Cass can’t pull the plug on social media, but the final report she released this week should be enough to shut down blockers and hormones as routine treatment for gender-distressed minors in England. More cautious, less medicalised treatment policies already have been adopted in Finland and Sweden; in the US, almost half the states – those run by Republicans – have restricted hormonal and surgical interventions for minors.

Elsewhere in what we call the developed world, ideologically qualified gender clinicians carry on regardless, affirming the latest disembodied gender identity of a troubled teenager and doing what can be done to create an opposite-sex facsimile with drugs and surgery. In Australia, private surgeons have performed double mastectomies on girls as young as 15 who imagine they can identify out of being female. Our federal and state governments still appear locked in uncritical expansion of gender-affirming medicine as if it were lifesaving. Cass is not the first to point out that the evidence to justify the “transition or suicide” campaign simply isn’t there.

So, how did we end up here?

It has been likened to a lab leak. Cass explains: “Based on a single Dutch study, which suggested that puberty blockers may improve psychological wellbeing for a narrowly defined group of children with (gender dysphoria), the practice spread at pace to other countries.” This “Dutch protocol” of not-too-early puberty blockers, followed by cross-sex hormones and surgery, entered the scientific literature not long before a troubling shift in the culture.

Around 2010-15, when teenagers began to spend more time home on social media and less time in the rough and tumble of life outside, clinics started to witness an unprecedented explosion of would-be gender patients.

Before, the classic patient was one of the few males whose early childhood distress had not been resolved by time and normal development. Now, the typical profile internationally is a teenage girl with plenty of other problems but no early history of rejecting her birth sex. And now puberty, with its yuck factor, can be stopped – just like hitting a pause button – and there’s time to explore cool gender identities. In melodramatic mode, activists even speak of “the wrong puberty” as inflicting irreversible harm.

But weaknesses in the Dutch research have become more obvious with time, and it isn’t clear if the claimed mental health benefits even apply to today’s very different patient group starting puberty blockers as young as ages eight to 12. In reality, blockers seem not a pause but the first step on a potentially lifelong medical path; international data suggests almost all those begun on blockers will go on to cross-sex hormones.

How can such young children consent to trading away future rights to having a family and sexual fulfilment for what may be short-run satisfaction with a new, unstable identity?

(continued)

>>20954768

2/2

If you read the Cass report, you will note her surprise that gender medicine is not like any other medicine. Powerful drugs were introduced as routine treatment for children before any good evidence of their risk-benefit ratio or long-term effects. Puberty blockers are approved for hormone-dependent cancers, endometriosis and precocious (or premature) puberty. Their use with gender dysphoria is off-label. Children’s hospitals across the world, including Australia, skipped clinical trials, offered gender-affirming care as the gold standard and only later launched research projects to get the missing data on safety and efficacy. Definitive results are years away.

Meanwhile, some European health authorities were worried enough to order a systematic review of the evidence base.

This is considered the best way to gauge the quality of research said to justify a treatment; the method for searching the scientific literature and rating the studies is upfront, alert for bias and repeatable by sceptics. Since 2019, there have been systematic reviews of the evidence for hormonal treatment of gender-distressed minors in Finland, Sweden, England, Germany and Florida. Cass had another done. Each of these reviews, undertaken independently, has concluded that the evidence base is very weak and uncertain, especially for puberty blockers, the effects of which on the adolescent brain are unknown.

How did reputable hospitals come to allow experimental treatment of children? Like the rest of us, the medical profession swims in the same cultural soup where trans rights are human rights and gender medicalisation is somehow progressive; scepticism is career-ending transphobia. Many otherwise thoughtful people have not thought to check the sources for alarming predictions that 50 per cent or so of trans youth will attempt suicide if they don’t get gender-affirming care.

And from health ministers down to hospital managers, those worried about medicalisation of children have drawn comfort from the reassuring claim that all treatment strictly follows recognised guidelines. These clinical guidelines play an outsize role in gender medicine precisely because good quality evidence is absent. Systematic reviews sit at the top of the evidence pyramid; guidelines and other forms of bias-prone expert opinion are at the bottom.

Two of the three guidelines invoked in Australia are relied on by the health sector in many countries. These come from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society. The third, issued by the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne (RCH), has been the vehicle for importing and entrenching the gender-affirming model in Australia. Cass had these gender dysphoria guidelines independently evaluated. Only Finland’s and Sweden’s survived scrutiny. On the key measure of the rigour of their development, Sweden’s scored 71 per cent; RCH was rated at 19 per cent. This is the document that persuaded our Family Court judges to wind back their supervision of treatment decisions involving minors.

The RCH guideline, which argues that psychosis in a child should not necessarily prevent medicalised gender change, drew heavily on those from WPATH and the Endocrine Society.

The most recent WPATH guideline, which introduced to the world a new eunuch gender identity calling for “medically necessary” castration, cites an RCH paper to bolster its evidence claims.

In fact, that 2019 paper contains no evidence but merely describes the hospital’s belated research project, Trans20, which disarmingly admits the “urgent need for more evidence”.

Cass notes this circularity whereby low-quality gender-affirming guidelines reference one another, creating “an apparent consensus on key areas of practice despite the evidence being poor”.

Meagre evidence, no real consensus among clinicians and a risk of lifelong harm to children. If this isn’t enough to prod our politicians towards a national inquiry, they may find it harder to ignore the negligence lawyers and medical indemnity insurers.

Bernard Lane, a former journalist with The Australian, writes the newsletter genderclinicnews.com

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/deceptive-promise-of-the-dutch-protocol/news-story/9b745c5e92eb10cef50b22943fdbcf57

https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/

https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CassReview_Final.pdf

>>20954706

>>20954768

People are in denial following the Cass report - it’s like deprogramming cult members

The reactions of gender zealots to their folly being exposed range from notably silent to dangerously delusional

SUZANNE MOORE - 23 April 2024

1/2

I suppose if I had been cheering on a vast medical experiment on children that was now shown to be extremely harmful, I might be keeping my head down. If I had been interning as a witch hunter, I might say, “I only helped with the pyres, I didn’t actually light the fire.” If I needed other people’s small children to prove my very “existence” as an adult, I may keep rather quiet.

Indeed, the reaction to the Cass Review has been notable in that many who have previously intoned trans rights slogans have just changed the subject. Their silence is deafening.

The other reaction is almost Trumpian in its delusion. When presented with the biggest survey of the evidence by a top paediatrician, some zealots simply come out with their own “alternative facts”. The disinformation they have spread has meant that Dr Hilary Cass, the report’s author, has been threatened and advised not to travel on public transport.

These people, quite frankly, disgust me. One of them, Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, was asked five times on the Today programme whether he accepted Cass’s findings and he would not answer. Thankfully, he is not in charge of NHS Scotland, which has now also paused the prescription of puberty blockers and will not give cross-sex hormones to new patients under 18.

Harvie keeps repeating the rubbish that we saw some of our MPs expressing in the House of Commons last week: that Cass ignored certain evidence (she didn’t), that no one should debate the existence of trans people (we are not), that a four-year review of medical care is somehow in itself evidence of transphobic attitudes (you what?). Dawn Butler, Ben Bradshaw and Lloyd Russell-Moyle all embarrassed themselves. Stella Creasy, in her best “not so much angry as disappointed” manner, wanged on about all the “trans children” on waiting lists.

But where do all these “trans children” come from? At some point this cult has to ask itself this, surely? Even that glorified estate agent and twig painter Kirstie Allsopp and the singer, Mr Sexuality Billy Bragg have to question whether giving drugs that we use to castrate sex offenders to children is “kind”. But no, they prefer self-righteous and deliberate ignorance.

Nothing that Cass said has not been voiced before: the whistle-blowers, the detransitioners, the clinicians who left in droves let us know. Puberty blockers were not used until 2011, but 10 years ago the prescription age was dropped to 11. Private doctors were giving them to nine-year-olds. What happened since? Well, part of the problem is lack of records and refusal to hand over data. This is either incompetence or a cover-up from the adult clinics.

(continued)

>>20954866

2/2

But even with this data, it is now obvious that because the gender cult defended all this as “gender-affirming” care, as about “identity” rather than psychology, they will not back down. Their very existence depends on these growing numbers of “trans children”.

Remember, one of the “pluses” of blockers for girls is that they will not grow the breasts that will later have to be cut off, and for boys they will be less masculine and therefore “pass” more easily. So this is not “a pause” but a one-way ticket to a life of hormones and surgery.

Having told children there are zillions of genders and provided schools with “trans-inclusive” information packs, lobbyists have spread the idea that unless kids conform to regressive stereotypes (the trans flag is literally pink and blue) then they may, in fact, be the opposite sex. Parents and teachers have gone along with this rather than be cast out of this new world of “inclusivity”.

How does anyone who has enforced this row back? How do we deprogramme a cult? Cult thinking, after all, involves unquestioning commitment; thinking one is on a special mission to save humanity; an “us versus them” mentality; peer pressure that may induce guilt or shame; the cutting of ties with family and friends; and being very fearful of ever leaving.

Anyone who has questioned the gender cult has been deemed “far right” or transphobic, but Cass has put a spanner in the works. Neither she nor people like me want to take away the right for adults to transition. Either cult members accept there is a difference between adults and children, and begin to understand safeguarding, or they will have to operate a dark, underground web of selling drugs to children.

They may continue to worship at the altar of “gender identity”, but they can no longer expect all public institutions to go along with their dodgy faith. Instead, this new religion should assume its rightful position among the many strange but unscientific beliefs that we co-exist with: astrology, reiki, and past-life regression, for instance. You can’t stop folk believing weird stuff, but when something is harmful to women, to gay people, to children, then we have every right to refuse this faith in the public sphere.

Until fairly recently, it has been heresy to do so. Those still defending the sterilisation and mutilation of children are exposing themselves daily. Of course, they are squirming because it was never about the children for them; it was about proving their own purity to the other cult members. The kids were just collateral damage in a culture war we were told was not actually real.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2024/04/23/suzanne-moore-cass-review-report-cult/

>>20954706

>>20954768

>>20954866

Australian transgender healthcare guidelines ‘lack rigour and independence’, say Cass review researchers

NATASHA ROBINSON - APRIL 30, 2024

1/2

Australia’s guidelines on gender-affirmative medicine lack rigour and independence, and fail to recommend formal assessment processes that screen for body image problems, autism spectrum disorder, sexual orientation, or physical health conditions, according to international researchers commissioned by the UK Cass review.

University of York researchers conducted a study analysing international standards of care in gender-affirming medicine.

The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne guidelines, which are followed by all Australia’s children’s hospitals, were examined.

The review found all guidelines around the world, including Australia’s, recommend a multidisciplinary approach to assessment, but few provide specific detail or clarity on the purposes of assessment. For instance, very few guidelines recommend formal measures or clinical tools to assess gender dysphoria.

Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne guidelines in Australia were found to contain no recommendations for the discussion of body image, neurodiversity or autism spectrum disorder, sexuality, sexual functioning or sexual orientation, or physical health or conditions.

A past president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Hillary Cass was commissioned to carry out a review of London’s Gender Identity Development Service following patient and clinician concern over an activist-driven approach adopted at the flagship Tavistock clinic that was deemed to have unduly overridden clinical governance and decision-making, risking harms to children who were routinely rushed on to puberty blocker medication.

The review’s recommendations reflect a culmination of four years of investigation and consultation, as well as eight independent systemic reviews of the global research literature found a lack of reliable evidence for the key gender interventions used in the gender affirming model of care, including social transition, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

The review also examined international evidence and gender-affirming medicine guidelines, including in Australia where RCH guidelines were first published in 2018 in the Medical Journal of Australia. Written by gender-affirming clinicians at RCH, they became known as the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines.

These guidelines are endorsed by the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health and in turn have been modelled on the World PATH endorsed standards of care.

In the University of York’s examination of international guidelines, the RCH Standards of Care ranked very poorly. Australia’s guidelines were given a very low score of 19 per cent on “rigour of development” and 14 per cent on “editorial independence”.

The Cass report found WPATH and various national guidelines tended to reference each other in a “circular” fashion to back up their methods despite objectively poor evidence underpinning the gender-affirming medical approach.

(continued)

>>20954935

2/2

The RCH said when approached about the issues that its gender service “delivers a world-leading, multi-disciplinary model of care with a strong emphasis on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the children and young people referred to our service”.

“As always, our Gender Service is underpinned by both national and international research methodology, and we will continue to monitor outcomes that will inform best practice,” the hospital said in a statement.

Queensland child psychiatrist Jillian Spencer, who was stood down from her job in a children’s hospital over her opposition to gender-affirming medicine, said she believed that since the release of the Cass review, “the College of Psychiatry appears to be defending a gender-affirmative approach for children”.

Despite the mantra that Australian gender clinics are multidisciplinary and holistic, she said we could not be sure, as the same was once said of the Tavistock.

“Such similarities indicate the need for an inquiry to investigate how Australian gender clinics are actually functioning on the ground,” Dr Spencer said.

“Concerns are reinforced by Freedom of Information data showing Australian paediatric gender clinics continue to prescribe puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones at high rates.

“I am concerned Australian gender clinics are providing a standard of care significantly worse than the Tavistock clinic on several measures.”

For children approaching puberty, Australian clinics offer a three- to four-session assessment phase before referral for hormones, whereas the Tavistock clinic was criticised as “rushing” children into hormonal interventions using a four to six-session assessment phase.

The UK gender clinic prescribed cross-sex hormones from “around the time of the child’s 16th birthday”, whereas Australian clinics routinely prescribe cross-sex hormones to children aged 14. While the Cass review did not comment on gender surgeries, which are not provided to minors in Britain, in 2018 the Australian Family Court gave the green light for adolescents with decision-making capacity to undergo gender surgeries.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is facing ongoing calls to release a statement acknowledging the findings of the Cass review.

There is also growing concern at the dearth of information on the outcomes of the children who have been treated at public hospital gender clinics around the country, which have published very little data or outcomes based on patient research.

The college re-released a statement it gave to The Australian two weeks ago.

“The RANZCP is reviewing the findings of the Cass Review,” a spokesperson said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/australian-transgender-healthcare-guidelines-lack-rigour-and-independence-say-cass-review-researchers/news-story/ecca70816e066740d70adb7d888cb299

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 2, 2024, 12:30 a.m. No.20954971 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4995

Cass Down Under

Centre-right politics in Australia is alert to the message of paediatrician Hilary Cass, who is about to make a virtual visit to the country

BERNARD LANE - MAY 28, 2024

1/2

Members of the centre-right Liberal Party in Australia’s most populous state have endorsed a motion urging a ban on medicalised gender change for minors.

The motion, passed at Saturday’s state council meeting of the party’s New South Wales (NSW) division, calls on “the federal and state governments to ban chemical (drug) and surgical gender dysphoria treatment for minors due to the inability of a child to provide informed consent to these types of procedures.”

The motion is not binding on the parliamentary Liberal Party, which is in opposition, but the overwhelming support shown by members and delegates on Saturday sends a signal to the leadership ahead of a vote on legislation that would allow minors easier access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

The NSW Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023, a private Bill introduced by independent member Alex Greenwich, would allow gender-distressed minors aged 16-17 to authorise their own irreversible hormone treatment, with risks including sterilisation and sexual dysfunction. The Bill would also permit doctors in some circumstances to give children younger than 16 puberty blockers without the knowledge or consent of parents.

Under centre-left Labor premier Chris Minns, the state of NSW continues the expansion in supply of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones begun by the previous Liberal health minister Brad Hazzard.

Last month, the Liberal opposition leader in Western Australia, Libby Mettam, announced a policy to prohibit medical gender transition for children under 16, should she be elected to govern.

“In light of the recent publication of the Cass review in the UK, a WA Liberal Government would ban the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone treatments and surgical intervention for children under the age of 16 for the purpose of gender transition,” Ms Mettam said.

“We would also initiate a comprehensive review to examine the suitability of these interventions for treating gender incongruent children to ensure the treatment of young people and children with gender dysphoria is safe in the long and short term.

“This policy is consistent with recent restrictions on medical interventions for treatment of gender incongruent children in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, the UK, and the US.”

England’s Cass report - which deplored the “remarkably weak evidence” for youth gender medicine and confirmed the experimental status of puberty blockers - was cited in support of Saturday’s motion at the state council meeting of the NSW Liberals.

The motion, put up by the Coffs Harbour branch of the party, was carried by a show of hands, according to a person at the meeting, who estimated that perhaps a dozen of the 500-plus members and delegates in the room voted against the motion.

Upper house member Jacqui Munro, who describes herself as “the NSW Liberal Party’s first LGBTQI+3 woman parliamentarian”, reportedly spoke against the motion as contrary to a family’s right to choose healthcare for children.

(continued)

>>20954971

2/2

Dr Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health who led England’s 2020-24 review of youth dysphoria care, has agreed to take part in a webinar on the relevance of her report to Australia.

The July 2 webinar will be moderated by Professor Philip Morris, president of the National Association of Practising Psychiatrists (NAPP), which in 2019 became the first Australian medical society to call for an inquiry into paediatric gender medicine.

The NAPP takes a cautious approach to managing gender dysphoria, stating: “Individualised psycho-social interventions (e.g. psychoeducation, individual therapy, school-home liaison and family therapy) should be first-line treatments for young people with gender dysphoria/incongruence.”

Outlining her policy, Western Australia’s Liberal leader, Ms Mettam, said: “Appropriate, compassionate, comprehensive, and accessible psychotherapeutic support will be the first priority of a WA Liberal Government in treating young people with gender dysphoria.”

She said a ban on hormonal and surgical interventions was urgently needed, given the rise in patient numbers at the Perth Children’s Hospital gender clinic and international concern about harm to vulnerable young people.

“When experts are telling us the potential permanent side effects of these treatments can include infertility, sexual dysfunction, obesity, heart and liver disease, blood clots and atrophy of the genitals, we need to investigate,” Ms Mettam said.

“In the meantime, we should be more cautious and careful when it comes to using these treatments on our children, that’s why a ban first to allow for a comprehensive review is the right approach.”

Last September, Canada’s opposition Conservative Party adopted a resolution to prohibit medicalised gender change for minors. Delegates at the party’s national convention in Quebec City passed the resolution with a Yes vote of 69 per cent.

The resolution says -

“A Conservative government will protect children by prohibiting life-altering medicinal or surgical interventions to treat gender confusion or dysphoria, and encourage positive mental and physical health support for all Canadians suffering from gender dysphoria and related mental health challenges.”

In August last year, the national committee of America’s Republican Party passed a resolution stating that children have a fundamental right to be protected from medicalised gender change and should be encouraged to “love and accept their bodies.”

The resolution endorsed at the summer meeting of the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee claims that “sex-trait modification procedures” - puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and transgender surgery - are “permanent, risky, and experimental,” with potential harms including infertility, low bone density and heart disease.

Last week, South Carolina became the 25th American state to restrict or prohibit medicalised gender change for minors.

GCN has sought comment from the NSW Liberal Party and Ms Munro

https://www.genderclinicnews.com/p/cass-down-under

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dr-hilary-cass-says-children-124223320.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hilary-cass-i-cant-travel-on-public-transport-any-more-35pt0mvnh

The Dr Hilary Cass Report on Gender Dysphoria in the UK – is it relevant for Australia?

2nd July 2024 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm AEST

https://napp.org.au/the-cass-report-webinar/

—

Q Post #1735

Jul 27 2018 13:13:18 (EST)

There is nothing more precious than our children.

Evil has no boundaries.

https://genius.com/Slayer-evil-has-no-boundaries-lyrics

The choice to know will ultimately be yours.

These people are SICK!

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/07/27/cbs-honcho-les-moonves-will-be-accused-sexual-misconduct-in-latest-ronan-farrow-bombshell-report-says.html

To those who are courageous enough to speak out - we stand with you!

You are not alone in this fight.

God bless.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#1735

>>20950649

China defence chief says Beijing ready to 'forcefully' stop Taiwan independence

AFP/ABC - 2 June 2024

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun has told a security forum in Singapore that Beijing's military is ready to "forcefully" stop Taiwan independence.

The remarks at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue come one week after China held military drills around self-ruled Taiwan and warned of war following the inauguration of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

"The Chinese People's Liberation Army has always been an indestructible and powerful force in defence of the unification of the motherland, and it will act resolutely and forcefully at all times to curb the independence of Taiwan and to ensure that it never succeeds in its attempts," Mr Dong told the forum on Sunday.

"Whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and suffer his own destruction."

Mr Dong also warned of "limits" to Beijing's restraint in the South China Sea, where China has been involved in increasingly hostile confrontations with Philippine vessels.

"China has maintained sufficient restraint in the face of rights infringements and provocation, but there are limits to this," Mr Dong said.

'A new level of intimidation'

National security expert Professor Rory Medcalf called it the "most pointedly intimidating speech" he had heard from a Chinese representative in the past 20 years.

"There was some very pointed remarks, threatening both Taiwan and the Philippines, and I think a lot of the audience went away with a sense that this was a new level of intimidation," Mr Medcalf said from the dialogue in Singapore.

Although he did not interpret Mr Dong's rhetoric as a sign that military action was imminent, Mr Medcalf said the comments were "particularly violent" and created a "frightening ambiguity" to the terms of Chinese aggression.

"Traditionally, China has said the red line for military action against Taiwan is independence, and observers have always assumed that means that a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan would be the red line.

"But what he's now saying is that there is a kind of incremental salami slicing-approach towards independence by the new Taiwanese leadership," he said.

Ongoing US-China tensions

Alongside warnings, Mr Dong also called for greater military exchange with the US.

"We have always been open to exchanges and cooperation, but this requires both sides to meet each other halfway," Mr Dong said following a meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday.

This was the first substantive face-to-face talks in 18 months between the two countries' defence chiefs.

China scrapped military communications with the United States in 2022 in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

China is also furious over the United States' deepening defence ties in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with the Philippines, and its regular deployment of warships and fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

Beijing views this as part of a decades-long US effort to contain it.

The two sides agreed after a summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden last November to restart high-level military talks, including over military operations near Taiwan, Japan and in the South China Sea.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-02/china-defence-chief-says-beijing-will-forcefully-stop-taiwan/103924938

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 2, 2024, 3:17 a.m. No.20955125 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5128

The $50 billion gas deal Australia hopes will keep China quiet

Andrew Probyn - June 2, 2024

1/2

Australia is offering Timor-Leste a multi-billion-dollar lifeline to fast-track the Greater Sunrise offshore gas project, which promises generational wealth for the fledgling nation while keeping Beijing at bay.

Australia has offered Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao’s government a sizable package of incentives that would effectively give Timor-Leste 90 per cent of revenue from the project.

Senior diplomatic and government sources say ensuring the development of the long-stalled Greater Sunrise field, 450km northwest of Darwin and 150km south of Timor-Leste, is one of the Albanese government’s top strategic priorities.

“We don’t want Timor to become another Solomons,” one high-level political source told this masthead.

Timor-Leste has forged closer relations with China, with Gusmao signing a strategic partnership with President Xi Jinping in September.

The offer includes a dedicated infrastructure fund, financed by Australia’s share of the gas revenues, and an acceleration of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program that would see more Timorese come to Australia for work and training.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s handpicked negotiator, former Victorian premier Steve Bracks, confirmed a “significant offer” had been made.

“It shows the determination of the Australian government to get this project up because we believe it’s in the best interests of Timor-Leste and its people for this project to proceed,” Bracks said.

He said Australia wanted Timor-Leste to view it as the international “trusted partner”.

“We don’t want to push them to the extent that they need to even think of going to China.”

But the unresolved issue is where gas from the Greater Sunrise reserve would be piped and processed.

Under a 2018 treaty between the nations signed in New York, if the gas field is processed in Timor-Leste, Australia would receive 30 per cent of the revenues and Timor 70 per cent.

But if the gas is instead piped to Australia and processed at an already existing LNG processing plant in Darwin, the Timorese share would increase to 80 per cent, with Australia receiving 20 per cent.

This treaty was reached after Timor walked from an earlier agreement when it became known that Australian spies had bugged the Timorese parliament to get the upper hand in negotiations two decades ago.

There is up to $50 billion worth of gas in the Greater Sunrise field.

Gusmao’s preference is to process the gas on the southern Timorese coast, believing the industrial and job opportunities would outweigh the extra revenue from the Darwin alternative.

“We don’t want a pipeline for the sake of a pipeline,” Timorese president Jose Ramos-Horta told this masthead.

“A pipeline coming to Timor-Leste would power the diversification … the industrialisation, modernisation of our economy.”

(continued)

>>20955125

2/2

But many analysts and oil and gas experts believe the Timor option is commercially unviable and the project will remain unfulfilled unless the gas is processed in Darwin.

As a potential sweetener, Timor-Leste would potentially be offered an equity stake in the Northern Territory gas facility.

Ramos-Horta said he believed that compared to the “stratospheric” cost of Australian labour and tax imposts, the Timor option would be no more expensive.

“I’m personally ready to read the paper and if it is persuasive enough, if it is tempting enough, if it’s really going to prove beyond any doubt that this is the best option for Timor-Leste I’m sure the government would consider it,” he said.

Steve Bracks said: “We don’t know yet whether it would be viable for (Greater Sunrise) to be undertaken in Timor Leste.”

“It very well could be and if that’s the case, well then all the support that we can give in Australia will be given to this project to get this project done.”

There is growing urgency in Timor to establish the project, which would have a 30-year life. Timor’s most valuable oil and gas field Bayu-Udan has been exhausted, leaving it with no petroleum revenue.

As an extra incentive, Australia has pledged to consider using Bayu-Undan for carbon capture and storage of greenhouse gases emitted from Darwin processing. That would be another source of funding for Timor-Leste.

Ramos-Horta said Australia should not worry about Timor’s relationship with China, saying Beijing was “just an economic trade competitor”.

“I have had conversations with the Chinese for many, many years. They are very sensitive, not wanting to make the Australians or Americans perceive, suspect that they have some ulterior motives in Timor-Leste,” Ramos-Horta said.

“So there is no reason for Australia, the US to always pick on China as if China is going to take over the world.

“China might want to have world dominance in technology, in trade, but not necessarily in subduing, dominating countries.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-50-billion-gas-deal-australia-hopes-will-keep-china-quiet-20240531-p5jidz.html

Federal government to introduce ban on sharing of non-consensual deepfake pornography

Monte Bovill - 2 June 2024

People who share deepfake pornography will face serious criminal penalties as part of legislation being introduced into federal parliament.

A deepfake is an image or video in which a person's face or body has been altered to make it appear they are doing or saying something that never actually happened.

There has been an increase in pornographic deepfake images generated by artificial intelligence, prompting the move from the federal government to ban the sharing of non-consensual digitally created and altered sexually explicit material.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the non-consensual sharing of such images was a "damaging and deeply distressing form of abuse".

"We know it overwhelmingly affects women and girls who are the target of this kind of deeply offensive and harmful behaviour. It can inflict deep, long-lasting harm on victims," Mr Dreyfus said.

"The Albanese government has no tolerance for this sort of insidious criminal behaviour.

"The government's reforms will make clear that those who share sexually explicit material without consent, using technology like artificial intelligence, will be subject to serious criminal penalties."

The sharing of non-consensual deepfake sexually explicit material will carry a penalty of six years in jail.

If a person also created the deepfake shared without consent, there will be an aggravated offence that carries a higher penalty of seven years' imprisonment.

The new offences will only apply to sexual material depicting adults, with child abuse material continuing to be dealt with under dedicated separate offences.

In May, state and federal leaders met to address Australia's gendered violence crisis, and at the time, the federal government committed to introducing the legislation.

Earlier this year, fake images of Taylor Swift flooded the internet, with one sexually explicit image of the singer reportedly being viewed almost 50 million times.

The legislation will be introduced this week, and Mr Dreyfus said he expected it would be supported by the whole parliament.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-02/deepfake-pornography-sharing-image-based-abuse-criminal-prison/103923814

>>20731815 (pb)

>>20759602 (pb)

>>20769978 (pb)

No investigation into terror-praising preacher after bishop stabbing comments

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 2, 2024

A terror-praising Sydney preacher who applauded a teen for “standing up for prophet Mohammed” when he allegedly stabbed Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel will not be investigated by police, as political leaders said authorities have “to get serious” on hate speech.

The Australian can reveal that a southwest Sydney cleric known only as “Brother Ismail” made the intervention on the alleged stabbing to a packed crowd at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in late May.

But that praise does not fall foul of commonwealth legislation outlawing “praising” a terrorist act, with state police confirming it would not investigate the cleric.

“These are our red lines and insults from a man (Bishop Emmanuel) followed by billions … it’s not a good idea, and this was the outcome and consequences,” the preacher said, referring to the Wakeley alleged terror incident on April 15.

“That kid, in his actions, stood up and defended the honour of Mohammed …”

A boy, 16, was charged with committing a terror offence after allegedly stabbing Bishop Emmanuel, who sustained, but recovered from, multiple injuries.

Police later launched raids to break up what they alleged was a teen terror cell, with six boys arrested and charged.

The sermon, posted to an online video platform, also appears to cut as Brother Ismail continues criticising the bishop and he lashed mainstream Islamic leaders for urging social cohesion in the wake of the attack.

“(Mainstream leaders) said ‘we don’t know him (the teenager), this was against Islam and is not the approach of Islam’,” he continued.

“Other (mainstream leaders) said they were praying for the bishop’s recovery. What kind of leadership is that? They (the bishop) stepped on our team and red lines, and yet our leadership did nothing about it.”

The cleric won’t be investigated for possible breaches of section 80.2C (1) in the criminal code, which outlaws a person “praising” a terrorist act, “in circumstances where there is a risk that such praise might have the effect” of motivating a person to commit another.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said police and prosecutors “have got to get serious”.

“Open praise for alleged terror attacks must result in investigation, charges and prosecution,” the senator said.

“Right now our laws are being openly defied and mocked. Inaction and weakness will only lead to more tragedy.”

A NSW Police spokesman said: “the force has sought legal advice and it has been determined that the comments in question do not meet the (criminality) threshold”.

The Australian Federal Police had no comment.

It is the same preacher who, in November, warned of “security risks” if the Muslim community were pushed and that Muslims were “looking forward to joining the mujahideen”, and comes as both the federal and state governments separately looked at strengthening “ineffective” hate-speech laws.

Brother Ismail is a regular speaker at Bankstown’s Al Madina Dawah Centre, run by Abu Ousayd, who is also known as Wissam Haddad.

The country’s peak Jewish body has lodged vilification complaints against the centre and Mr Ousayd at the Australian Human Rights Commission, who has given a raft of incendiary and anti-Semitic sermons since October 7.

It comes as the federal government prepared to legislate stronger hate-speech provisions, possibly expanding the breadth of criminality and introducing new penalties. A NSW government review into its own “inoperable” hate-speech provisions, instigated in January, is expected to reveal its recommendations soon.

The Al Madina Dawah Centre was contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/no-investigation-into-terrorpraising-cleric-after-bishop-stabbing-comments/news-story/9f1a335eaabf127e6f226029c41fe525

https://rumble.com/v4whj8b-the-reality-of-our-leaders-firday-khutbah-brother-ismail.html

>>20647150 (pb)

US Marine on rape charge placed on bail, denied trip home to await trial in America

A member of Marine Rotational Force Darwin has been placed on bail conditions one day before his employment contract was due to expire ahead of a planned return to the United States.

Jason Walls - June 2, 2024

A US Marine charged with rape while on rotation in the Top End has had his plans to return home to await trial put on ice after being placed on bail in the Darwin Local Court on Friday.

The court heard the 24-year-old - who cannot be named before being committed to stand trial - had been issued with a notice to appear after the charge was laid on May 1.

But prosecutor Rhiannon McGlinn said her office had requested the case be relisted a day before his Marine Corps contract was due to lapse to ask that he be placed on bail instead.

“I understand he then had plans to return to the United States of America,” she said.

“However the US Marine Corps has been in contact with my office and has notified us they will keep him here if there is a bail order requiring him to remain in Darwin.”

The man’s lawyer, Brooke Houen, said bail was opposed as her client “wants to return to America and then come back for an eventual trial”.

“He was on a six-year contract and that has now expired so he would be de-enlisting from the marines on the expiry of that contract, he would no longer be a serving member of the Marine Corps,” she said.

“He is 24-years-old so he is a young man, he doesn’t have any reason to be in Australia other than his orders.

“I am instructed that he would be in a position to personally be responsible for his travel back to Australia.”

Judge John Neill asked Ms Houen what “recourse” there would be “if (he) changes his mind and decides not to return to Australia”.

“The alternative, if these things cannot be explained to my satisfaction today, is for me to assist your client with accommodation and feeding by placing him in custody,” he said.

But Ms Houen said “that won’t be necessary”.

“My instructions are that, essentially, if your honour puts (him) on a bail order today, his contract with the Marine Corps will then be extended so he will remain an enlisted member,” she said.

In granting bail, Mr Neill ordered the man to live at the Defence Establishment Berrimah and not travel more than 100km from Darwin while surrendering his travel documents and steering clear of the airport.

“I’m satisfied that circumstances exist which warrant the imposing of bail conditions on the defendant because of his situation with the US Marine force and his potential to depart the jurisdiction,” he said.

“That being so, bail is allowed on the defendant’s own recognisance in the sum of $5000.”

The man returns to court on June 12.

https://www.ntnews.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nt/us-marine-on-rape-charge-placed-on-bail-denied-trip-home-to-await-trial-in-america/news-story/201e08e206122c84c0d8662509595fc8

Labor cancels visas of 20 foreign criminals in Direction 99 fallout

SARAH ISON, DENNIS SHANAHAN and SIMON BENSON - JUNE 3, 2024

The number of visas re-cancelled by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles more than doubled to 20 at the weekend, as he faces a new attack from the Coalition over his claims that drones are being used to monitor foreign criminals.

As senior Labor figures deny the government made “a mistake” in implementing Direction 99 under pressure from New Zealand last year, opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan demanded the government reveal whether it was indeed flying drones near schools to track foreign-born criminals and prevent them coming into contact with children.

“The Albanese Labor government needs to come clean: are they now saying that drones are flying over schools?” Mr Tehan said.

“If this is the case, which schools? And have the parents of schoolchildren who attend these schools been notified? Once again this sounds like fantasy land to defend the indefensible, which is the sheer incompetence of Andrew Giles.”

Mr Tehan’s comments follow Australian Federal Police officials saying they were not aware of drone programs being used to track foreign criminals, as Mr Giles claimed last week.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Mr Giles needed to be clear on whether he had disclosed a top secret drone program that the AFP were not able to talk about or had made up the claim.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt confirmed on Sunday that the government was using drones to photograph the residences of detainees released after the High Court’s NZYQ decision.

“My understanding is that drones are being used as part of this operation, but more in the sense of monitoring the accommodation people are living in, for example, ensuring it’s not too close to schools,” he said.

Senator Watt also said the government had not made a mistake in implementing Direction 99 – which requires the AAT to consider an individual’s community ties when reviewing deportation appeals – and that the AAT was to blame for the unintended consequences of the policy. “They interpreted it in a way it was never intended by the government, and that’s why we’re now taking action to fix it,” he told Sky News.

“What (Direction 99) aimed to do was to recognise the difficult situation where some people involved have been in Australia for a long time – in some cases since they were a toddler or a baby – but that doesn’t mean that we intended for community safety to be relegated below that as a priority.”

Within days of revoking Direction 99, Mr Giles had re-cancelled the visas of eight foreign criminals who had originally been allowed to stay thanks to the AAT’s decision. There is still no clarity on when a new Direction will be put in place.

As the Coalition is expected to maintain its pressure on Anthony Albanese and his role in the debacle during parliament this week, new figures show public support for Labor’s handling of border protection and immigration has fallen four points in the past three months on the index of JWS Research and nine points in the past 12 months.

According to JWS Research polling of 1000 people last week, 24 per cent of those polled thought immigration and border protection was a major issue, up from 15 per cent in June 2023, pushing the issue into the top five.

The debacle in the immigration portfolio has prompted questions over whether the Prime Minister will reshuffle his cabinet, but senior government figures said the challenge faced by Labor leader was that “no one wants the job” of immigration minister.

Several frontbenchers pointed to Matt Keogh as a potential replacement for Mr Giles, given his success in “cleaning up” backlogs in the Veterans’ Affairs portfolio.

Another senior government source said there was a good chance things could “get even harder” for the Immigration Minister, which was a disincentive for anyone new to step into the role.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/labor-cancels-visas-of-20-foreign-criminals-in-direction-99-fallout/news-story/9a0d7adaa7079b9046bc6af448a23742

>>20937493

>>20945256

Minister admits there are no detainee drones

Angus Thompson and Olivia Ireland - June 3, 2024

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has admitted that drones are not being used to track released detainees in a fresh gaffe for the frontbencher.

Giles made the sensational statement in a TV interview last week during a bruising week for the government over its handling of former detainees convicted of serious crimes and revelations a ministerial directive he issued last year led to a tribunal allowing a number of foreign criminals to stay in Australia.

In a statement released on Monday, Giles corrected the record after doubts were raised over the use of drones to monitor detainees, when the Australian Border Force declined to confirm it was using them in its operations and the Australian Federal Police saying it had no knowledge of the operation.

“Last week, in an interview on Sky News, I stated that Operation AEGIS was using drones. I relied on information provided by my department at the time, which has since been clarified,” Giles said.

“As part of the work monitoring and supporting community safety, Operation AEGIS draws on information from a range of sources using different technologies including aerial open-source and other imagery through their work with state and territory law enforcement bodies.”

As well as the evidence of AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney before a Senate estimates hearing on Friday, government sources said no drone program was being undertaken to monitor any of the 153 people released from detention following last year’s High Court ruling that indefinite detention was unlawful.

Giles’ office insisted on Friday he was correct.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan seized on Monday’s development to accuse Giles of “gross incompetence”, while opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said: “When it comes to community safety and national security, this government has no clue.”

Giles’ admission is the latest embarrassment for the minister, who has vowed to fix a major deportation upset caused by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal’s interpretation of his ministerial direction 99, and overturned a series of visa cancellations for people convicted of serious crimes.

Following extensive lobbying from New Zealand, the policy directed a person’s ties to Australia to be a primary consideration, alongside the nature of the crime, in deciding whether someone should be deported. However, the government has now pledged to make community safety the biggest factor.

Giles said he had now cancelled 30 visas of people with serious criminal histories after their status had been reinstated by the tribunal.

“It is clear that the AAT’s decision to reinstate these visas did not meet community expectations, and ministerial direction 99 has not been working as the government intended,” Giles said. “The government is on track to overhaul this regime and put in place a new direction before the end of the week.”

The tribunal has also cited earlier rules, including direction 90 under the previous Coalition government, to overturn similar decisions by the Department of Home Affairs to cancel visas and seek to deport criminals.

In a tit-for-tat over both major political parties’ stance on immigration, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also accused the Coalition of releasing 1300 “hardcore criminals” from detention during its time in office.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/minister-admits-there-are-no-detainee-drones-20240603-p5jiuz.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 3, 2024, 2:56 a.m. No.20959166 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9172

‘You are collaborating’: Wong attacks Greens over violent Gaza protests

Matthew Knott - June 3, 2024

1/2

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has accused Greens politicians of collaborating with violent pro-Palestine protesters and inciting attacks on Labor MPs’ offices that have led to public servants being injured, a claim rejected by the Greens as a false smear.

In fiery scenes at Senate estimates on Monday, Wong also accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of acting recklessly and undermining Australia’s efforts to convince China to abide by international law by calling for Australia to consider withdrawing from the International Criminal Court.

Wong later revealed the government would ban Israeli settlers regarded as extremist from receiving visas to travel to Australia, responding to a call first made by Labor MP Julian Hill in January.

Asked during the hearings about restrictions on extremist settlers travelling to Australia, Wong said: “We will deny anyone identified as an extremist settler a visa to travel to Australia, which is in line with the approaches taken by like-minded countries.”

The United States and United Kingdom last year imposed visa restrictions targeting individuals believed to be involved in undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank, including extremist settlers.

Questioned by Greens senator Jordon Steele-John earlier about whether the government had applied double standards by not imposing sanctions on Israel over its conduct in the war in Gaza, Wong said: “It is double standards to engage in violent and aggressive protests and incite them and think that you’re doing something about peace.

“On social media, we have posts which target people personally, we have posts which are threatening and violent, and you are collaborating with them.

“That is not leadership. So if you think you are for the cause of peace, maybe you should start practising it in this country.”

Wong said Greens MPs had spoken at rallies that led to Labor MPs’ offices being invaded and electorate staff being injured, as well as the storming of Labor’s Victorian state party conference in May.

Steele-John responded by saying Wong’s comments were inappropriate, adding: “This is beneath you.”

A spokesperson for the Greens said: “Senator Wong’s statements today are not correct.

“The protest at an MP’s event Senator Wong refers to was not addressed by a Greens MP; a former Greens candidate spoke.”

Government sources, who asked not to be named to speak freely, said the protest where an electorate officer was injured occurred at the Melbourne office of Labor MP Ged Kearney and involved a former Greens candidate who had not been elected to parliament.

The Greens spokesperson said: “The Greens support peaceful protest. As long as Labor fails to take action against the state of Israel to stop the invasion of Gaza and the occupation of Palestine, including sanctions, the community will continue to be concerned.”

(continued)

>>20959166

2/2

Greens leader Adam Bandt said the party rejected any violence last week, and that protesting should not lead to breakage or property damage.

The electorate offices of senior Victorian MPs Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten were vandalised in a co-ordinated action that began about 4am on Friday, before planned protests throughout the day.

Wong also said it would damage Australia’s national interest to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a move Dutton has said the government should consider after the court’s top prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly committing war crimes during the war in Gaza.

Wong told Senate estimates hearings in Canberra that Australia must be consistent in promoting a rules-based international order in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

“We do nothing to help make it happen by recklessly threatening to pull out of the bodies that uphold international law,” she said.

“That kind of talk might sound tough, but it undermines Australia’s core security interests.

“For example, we cannot insist China abides by international legal decisions in the South China Sea but threaten to pull out of the International Criminal Court.

“We do nothing to shape the kind of region Australia needs by picking fights, blowing up relationships, or beating the drums of war.”

Wong urged the Israeli government and listed terrorist group Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal outlined by US President Joe Biden last week, saying the government supported its terms.

“The death and destruction is horrific,” Wong said of the situation in Gaza. “This human suffering is unacceptable.”

Biden last week said the first phase of the proposed deal would last for six weeks and would include a “full and complete ceasefire”, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/you-are-collaborating-wong-attacks-greens-over-violent-gaza-protests-20240603-p5jis9.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wjL2Y9Y1mA

>>20945301

The four reasons Bruce Lehrmann thinks his appeal should succeed

Michaela Whitbourn - June 3, 2024

Bruce Lehrmann has urged an appeal court to overturn a finding that he raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, arguing that the evidence before the court did not support that conclusion.

In a notice of appeal, filed in the Federal Court on Friday, Lehrmann sets out four grounds of appeal against the landmark decision of Justice Michael Lee on April 15 to dismiss his defamation suit against Network Ten and high-profile presenter Lisa Wilkinson.

Lehrmann has asked the Full Court of the Federal Court to set aside Lee’s decision and enter judgment in his favour. The handwritten words “Bruce Lehrmann” appear next to a line on the appeal form asking who prepared the document.

It is not yet clear if a solicitor or barrister will act for him during any hearing.

‘Credibility problems’

The former federal Liberal staffer claims he was denied procedural fairness during his defamation case. He alleges Lee made findings in relation to Ten and Wilkinson’s successful truth defence that were not put to him when he gave evidence in the Federal Court last year.

The judge’s finding that the truth defence was established was “contrary to evidence” and did not meet the standard of proof, Lehrmann claims.

He alleges Higgins had “significant credibility problems” and the court should not have been satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann had raped Higgins in Parliament House in 2019, in light of a principle known as the Briginshaw standard that requires a court to proceed cautiously in making grave findings.

Lee said in his judgment that he had “considerable doubts about the authenticity” of a photo purportedly of a bruise on Higgins’ leg. The judge said he fell “well short of being satisfied” Lehrmann caused a bruise, and was not satisfied Higgins fell up a flight of stairs at a nightclub “so as to sustain the bruise”.

Lehrmann claimed that Ten and Wilkinson regarded this photo as “cornerstone ‘evidence’ ” and, following the judge’s finding about this photo and other evidence, it “was not open to the Judge to find the case he did”.

Hypothetical damages inadequate

Lehrmann also says Lee’s assessment that he would only have been entitled to $20,000 if he had won the defamation case was “wholly inadequate”.

Lehrmann launched defamation proceedings against Ten and Wilkinson last year over a February 2021 interview with Higgins, aired on The Project.

Defamatory meanings

He claimed the broadcast conveyed a series of defamatory meanings including that he raped Higgins in Parliament House, continued to rape her “after she woke up mid-rape and was crying and telling him to stop at least half a dozen times”, and “crushed his leg against her leg so forcefully as to cause a large bruise”. Lehrmann denied there was any sexual contact between the pair at all.

Lee found on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann had raped Higgins, and was indifferent to whether she was consenting. The judge did not accept that it had been established that Higgins woke up mid-rape and was crying and telling Lehrmann to stop, or that he caused a large bruise on her leg.

But the judge found that the “defamatory sting” of each of the meanings was that Lehrmann raped Higgins, and the truth defence had been established by proving that assault.

Lehrmann has fashioned an appeal ground from that finding. He says that The Project broadcast suggested “a violent rape” and this was “contrary to the non-violent rape … which was ultimately found”.

Funds for appeal

It is not yet clear how Lehrmann, who is an unemployed law student, would fund an appeal.

War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith agreed last year to orders requiring him to pay almost $1 million as security to cover the legal costs of Nine newspapers in the event he loses his appeal against his own devastating defamation loss. Ten and Wilkinson may also seek security for costs from Lehrmann.

An appeal would not require witnesses, including Higgins and Wilkinson, to give evidence afresh.

If the appeal proceeds, either of Wilkinson or Ten may opt to challenge the judge’s finding that their fallback defence of qualified privilege would have failed if the truth defence had not been established.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-four-reasons-bruce-lehrmann-thinks-his-appeal-should-succeed-20240603-p5jisf.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 3, 2024, 3:09 a.m. No.20959188 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9837

>>20921910

Corroding subs raise capability fears

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 31, 2024

Half of the nation’s Collins-class submarines are out of service amid unexpected corrosion problems with two of the ageing boats, prompting capability concerns and fresh questions over plans to extend the fleet’s life by a decade.

The commonwealth’s submarine maintenance corporation, ASC, revealed on Friday three of the navy’s six Collins boats were in maintenance – the first time that has occurred since 2012.

The opposition said the lack of availability was “a disastrous setback for Australia’s submarine capability”, and undermined trust in the government’s ability to deliver the AUKUS submarine program.

ASC managing director Stuart Whiley said HMAS Sheean – one of the youngest of the Collins boats – was out of the water at South Australia’s Osborne shipyard with corrosion in weapons and exhaust areas that had not previously been encountered.

One of the oldest Collins boats, HMAS Farncomb, was undergoing maintenance at Western Australia’s Henderson shipyards with “very different” corrosion issues, Mr Whiley said. A third submarine, HMAS Rankin, was tied up at Osborne ahead of a two-year “full cycle docking” maintenance period, he said.

Mr Whiley said the corrosion was in hard-to-reach places and repair works were yet to commence. “You have to basically remove all the corrosion. So you have to grind that, then replace the metal you have removed … by welding techniques,” he said, under questioning by opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham.

“Then you have to machine the weld to effectively get the tolerances to fit for the equipment that then goes on to it. And these are in fairly difficult, unique places to do.”

He said a testing process would have to be carried out after the repairs to ensure integrity.

HMAS Farncomb is not due to re-enter service until October, and HMAS Sheean will be out of the water until at least the end of the year.

The problems have emerged ahead of a high-risk program of upgrades to extend the life of each Collins boat for another 10 years to avoid a capability gap before the navy’s promised nuclear submarines arrive.

The minister responsible for ASC, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, said the corrosion issues had not been brought to her attention until they were raised publicly on Friday. “No, it hasn’t. But it would not normally be, I wouldn’t have thought. It would come through Defence,” she said.

Senator Birmingham said the problems being encountered with the submarines should have rung alarm bells across the government, but had instead been met with indifference. “The Albanese government is showing an appalling lack of urgency and disinterest in the availability of our critical defence assets,” he said.

“Astonishingly, the Labor’s minister responsible for ASC didn’t even know of these major gaps in our defence capability and said that she wouldn’t have expected to be told.”

The government has been warned in a classified report that the $5bn life-extending upgrades present major challenges and are not guaranteed to succeed.

The report by former US Navy deputy assistant secretary Gloria Valdez warned ASC lacked the design and engineering experience to undertake the “life of type extension” works, and recommended the boats’ original Swedish designer, SAAB Kockums, be given a larger role to ensure the project’s success.

The six Collins-class submarines were originally due to retire progressively from 2026. Under the new plan they are all due to undergo two-year refits, extending their lives until 2038 for the first boat and 2048 for the last.

Defence analyst Marcus Hellyer said the corrosion revelations showed the boats “aren’t going to make it”.

“I don’t think they’re going to make it out of the 2030s. And sometimes I wonder if they’re going to make it out of the 2020s,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/corroding-subs-raise-capability-fears/news-story/b1369d2845a2828f15a57052c5e39bee

>>20950649

>>20955115

GT Voice: Australia’s ‘security anxiety’ toward China unwarranted

Global Times - Jun 02, 2024

Despite the challenges posed by so-called security issues in recent years, pragmatic cooperation has always been essential for the continued advance of China-Australia relations.

In a Bloomberg Television interview on Saturday, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that Australia still has "security anxieties" in its relationship with China despite the warming trade ties between the two countries.

His remarks underscore the intricate considerations in Australia's relationship with China, which stem from the intertwined nature of trade collaboration and security concerns.

On the one hand, China is Australia's largest trading partner, and economic and trade cooperation is crucial to both sides. With the resumption of a series of official exchanges between China and Australia, efforts have been made in resolving some of the uncertainties affecting bilateral economic and trade issues, and promoting the improvement of economic and trade relations.

The interactions not only help enhance mutual understanding, but also help resolve some long-standing trade disputes. For instance, five more major Australian beef exporters have been granted permits to resume exports to China, according to media reports.

This is undoubtedly another positive development in China-Australia trade relations. Previously, China's Ministry of Commerce announced a decision to cancel anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs levied on Australian wine. Also, exports of Australian coal, barley and cotton to China gradually gained momentum last year.

On the other hand, it is undeniable that the security issue has always been the biggest negative factor testing China-Australia economic and trade relations. Australia often perceives China as a threat in terms of security, despite lacking concrete evidence or justification for this stance. This perception not only deepens mistrust between the two countries but also hinders economic cooperation. An example of this is the Australian government's decision to ban Huawei from participating in the development of 5G networks.

To a certain extent, Australia's vigilance may be attributed to the divergent political systems, values and ideologies of Australia and China. But more importantly, Australia's China policy is significantly influenced by its alliances, particularly with the US.

Washington's move to label China as a strategic competitor undoubtedly plays a crucial role in shaping Australia's approach to China.

It should be pointed out that the so-called "security anxieties" in Australia do not stem from the actual threat posed by China to Australia, but rather from the anxiety the US has created in its attempt to make Australia a strategic pawn in containing China.

Australia's security concerns in its economic exchanges with China have been generalized and politicized, far beyond normal national security concerns. This tendency of generalizing security, particularly creating tensions targeting China, is a significant barrier to the progress of China-Australia economic and trade cooperation.

Australia should understand that security issues should not be an obstacle to cooperation. On the contrary, increased collaboration can enhance mutual understanding and reduce misunderstanding and suspicion, creating more favorable conditions for resolving disagreements and trade disputes.

Australia needs to turn this anxiety into an impetus for pragmatic cooperation with China. There is vast potential for collaboration in various areas including the economy, science, technology and education. However, unlocking this potential requires not only political wisdom from both governments but also a more holistic and unbiased understanding of China-Australia relations from Australian politicians.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1313483.shtml

>>20859919 (pb)

>>20864771 (pb)

>>20864786 (pb)

AFP stopped allowing Chinese police to operate in Australia over foreign interference concerns, Senate hearing told

Echo Hui and Dylan Welch - 3 June 2024

1/2

The Australian Federal Police has told a parliamentary hearing it halted a years-long policy of allowing Chinese police to come and operate in Australia, following a 2019 incident exposed by the ABC's Four Corners program.

AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney told the hearing that the 2019 case was "a turning point", and that the policy was ended due to the agency's greater awareness of foreign interference threats.

"After this matter in June 2019, the one that's referred to in the Four Corners report, this is the last time we applied these processes and guidelines," Deputy Commissioner McCartney said.

"2019-2020 was a pivotal moment in terms of our relationship," Deputy Commissioner McCartney later said, adding that the decision to stop the Chinese police visits was due to the growth of foreign interference.

"We made a conscious decision in executive that we weren't going to apply that guidance again," he said.

The AFP were questioned following revelations in a Four Corners episode last month that the federal police had allowed Chinese officers to come to Australia, and those officers then escorted a 59-year-old female Australian resident back to China.

The visit occurred under protocols and guidelines established by the AFP after a 2014 incident when Chinese police officers slipped into Australia unannounced in an attempt to convince a Melbourne bus driver to return to China.

The guidelines state that officers of China's national policing and security agency, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), could only come to Australia if the matter being investigated was serious, the suspect was not an Australian citizen, and they were willing to engage with MPS officers.

Four Corners reported the MPS officers breached agreed protocol during the 2019 visit that led the AFP to reassess their agreement with the MPS about police visits.

But under questioning from Liberal senator and Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson, Deputy Commissioner McCartney said that was not the case.

"It's been referred to in the Four Corners report, I'm not sure what protocols [were being referred to]," he said.

When pressed by Senator Paterson, Deputy Commissioner McCartney added: "Just to clarify, 2019 was pretty much as per the protocols. We made a conscious decision after that."

"So in your view the MPS did nothing wrong in that 2019 incident?" Senator Paterson asked.

"Correct," Deputy Commissioner McCartney replied.

Chinese police interviewed six people in Australia, AFP says

The senate committee, sitting late Friday, also heard the AFP allowed six Australian residents to be interviewed by Chinese police in Australia between 2015 and 2019.

The AFP said five out of the six Australian suspects returned to China voluntarily. One of the six refused to return to China and remained in Australia.

Three of the six have since returned to Australia and two remain in China. One of them served a prison sentence, Deputy Commissioner McCartney said.

All six were interviewed in Australia under the operational guidelines developed by the federal police, he added.

The 2019 meeting - between MPS officers and a 59-year-old woman, known only as Ms Wang, occurred in an AFP office and under the supervision of federal police officers, Deputy Commissioner McCartney said.

Deputy Commissioner McCartney said the AFP did not believe the woman was coerced into returning to China.

"If it was successful coercion, they won't tell you, would they?" Greens senator David Shoebridge asked. "This is a common pattern of this police agency to use coercion. Did you monitor their communications?"

"No," Deputy Commissioner McCartney said.

When asked the 2019 woman's whereabouts, Deputy Commissioner McCartney said she had not been criminally pursued by the MPS and she remained in China today.

"She is in China dealing with it. She has not been prosecuted. There's no investigation in relation to her," Deputy Commissioner McCartney said.

While China maintains the term "economic criminals" refers to corruption suspects, human rights groups have said it is also used to target enemies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"What we consider to be economic crime and what the Chinese government considers to be economic crime might not always be the same thing — it might sometimes be used to go after political dissidents and other people of interest," Senator Paterson told senior AFP officers during the hearing.

(continued)

>>20959239

2/2

Cooperation with Chinese police necessary, AFP says

A recent report by human rights group Safeguard Defenders uncovered 16 cases of Beijing successfully returning Australian residents to China.

Four of the six cases referred by the AFP were not contained in the Safeguard Defenders report, meaning at least 20 Australian residents have been returned to China by MPS since 2015.

Senator Shoebridge asked why the AFP would work with MPS knowing its officers secretly entered Australia in 2014 to intimidate the Melbourne bus driver, named Dong Feng, to return to China to face trial.

"These arrangements have been put in place following on from you knowing the Chinese secret police had come here without seeking your permission, without cooperating with you, to extract Mr Dong Feng to China," Senator Shoebridge said.

Deputy Commissioner McCartney acknowledged the 2014 case had caused "great concern" in Australia, but he said the AFP needed to maintain a relationship with the Chinese police agency.

"I think we have the ability to do two things at the one time," he said.

"We understand on one side of our business there is the threat of foreign interference.

"On the other side of our business, there's a need for us to work with Chinese police."

Senator Shoebridge criticised the AFP for creating their own "unofficial extradition process" in the same period that the Australian government failed to get an extradition treaty through parliament.

"When the AFP had their arrangements in place between 2015 and 2019 to facilitate Chinese police investigations onshore for the purposes of returning their targets to China, did the AFP ever reflect on the fact that there was a reason the government had no extradition treaty?" Senator Shoebridge asked.

"That was the arrangements you had — your own unofficial extradition process."

AFP Deputy Commissioner Lisa Gale replied: "I disagree. These were Chinese citizens that expressed a desire to speak to MPS … It is up to them whether they want to return to China. This wasn't an extradition process."

Sydney spying network targeted multiple Australians, AFP says

The AFP has also confirmed a number of Australians were targeted by a spying network that was disrupted in Sydney last year.

"We did speak to a number of individuals … and we actually did disrupt the threat through the [anti-foreign interference] task force activity that we undertook," said AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett.

Deputy Commissioner Barrett said the investigation was ongoing.

Four Corners revealed that one of the targets of the spy network was controversial Chinese dissident "Edwin" Yin Ke.

Mr Yin told Four Corners: "They (AFP) told me they disrupted an intelligence agency in Australia in an action. They acquired some information and materials that indicated the CCP was looking for me in Australia through the intelligence agency."

AFP renewed agreements with Chinese authorities

Other than the now-abandoned protocols governing Chinese police visits to Australia, the AFP has had numerous formal agreements with Chinese security agencies. Two are with MPS — one relates to organised crime while the other deals with "economic crime".

Despite examples of such agreements being misused, the AFP re-signed both agreements in March for a further five years.

The text of the agreements are not public, despite repeated calls for greater transparency from federal politicians and international NGOs who are concerned about MPS's actions around the world.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw travelled to Beijing to renew the MPS agreements.

The Chinese official who oversees MPS, Wang Xiaohong, met with Mr Kershaw and urged the AFP to "comprehensively deepen practical cooperation in law enforcement" via China's Global Security Initiative, China's Xinhua state news agency reported.

The Global Security Initiative, created by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been used to boost ties with African and Latin American nations through military training, intelligence sharing and counterterrorism partnerships.

"[Commissioner] Kershaw expressed the willingness to enhance practical communication and cooperation in law enforcement with the Chinese side," the Xinhua report said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-03/afp-stopped-allowing-chinese-police-to-operate-in-australia/103925174

https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202403/20/content_WS65fa3193c6d0868f4e8e540f.html

Foreign Minister Penny Wong demands end to suppression of freedoms in China on anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre

On the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has denounced the tragic events as reports surface of Chinese dissidents being arrested for trying to recognise the historic day.

Oscar Godsell - June 4, 2024

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has commemorated the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and urged China to “cease suppression of freedoms”.

On June 4, 1989, after seven weeks of protests against corruption, inflation and authoritarianism, Tiananmen Square hosted one of the darkest days of China’s history.

The Chinese Communist Party declared martial law and deployed troops to the square, where hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were killed.

The number of students who died has not been confirmed but estimates have ranged from several hundred to more than 10,000.

Ms Wong observed the 35th anniversary of the “tragic events” on Tuesday and recalled “the use of brutal force against student protesters in Beijing”.

“We remember the tragic events and loss of life on 4 June 1989, along with the international community,” Ms Wong said.

“As we have consistently said, Australia remains concerned about ongoing restrictions on freedom of association, expression and political participation in China.

“We call on China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society and to release those detained for peacefully expressing their political views.”

Shadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham also reflected on the tragedy as he called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be tougher on Beijing.

“Thirty-five years ago in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, peaceful protests were ended by a shameful use of Chinese military force,” Mr Birmingham said.

“Australia remembers the tragic loss of life on 4 June 1989, and we continue to call upon Chinese authorities to accept responsibility.

“The Coalition remains deeply concerned about continuing and increasing constraints on freedom of association, expression and political participation in China.

“We call on the Albanese Government to uphold Australia’s position of making strong representations to the Chinese Government to cease suppression of freedoms and to release those detained for peacefully expressing their political views.”

In April 1989, tens of thousands of students began a peaceful protest in Beijing, which would spread to other cities and lead to the Pro-Democratic Movement of 1989.

Protesters, with support from a large part of the population, demanded greater transparency from the communist government while condemning corruption and inflation.

After weeks of growing protests and threats from the military, the People’s Liberation Army entered the streets of Beijing in tanks.

Soldiers fired their way into the square and tanks crushed people in the streets, according to some sources.

China’s dream of democracy evaporated on June 4 as the military cleared the square and hung the portrait of Chairman Mao on the Gate of Heavenly Peace.

The “Tank Man” or “Unknown Rebel” depicts a photograph of an unidentified individual who stood in front of a column of tanks in an attempt to block them from the square.

Beijing has since banned the image and all references to the Tiananmen Square incident in China or Hong Kong.

The government has also banned images or mentions of yellow rubber ducks after the toy became a replacement image to reference the event.

Human rights groups have reported several dissidents being arrested and put under surveillance in the weeks leading up to the Tiananmen Square anniversary on Tuesday.

The Freedom to Write index reported more than 100 people have been arrested because of published statements critical of the Chinese government in 2023.

Freedom House has declared China a “not free” country with a freedom score of nine out of 100 due to oppression “over all aspects of life and governance”.

“Following a multiyear crackdown on political dissent, independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and human rights defenders, China’s civil society has been largely decimated.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/foreign-minister-penny-wong-demands-end-to-suppression-of-freedoms-in-china-on-anniversary-of-tiananmen-square-massacre/news-story/30e5c8b63af2c30ab3b97a007b090697

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 4, 2024, 3:47 a.m. No.20964564 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4568

‘Can’t get story straight’: Confusion over plan to allow foreigners to serve in ADF

Matthew Knott - June 4, 2024

1/2

The federal government has scrambled to clarify that only citizens from Five Eyes nations will initially be able to serve in the Australian Defence Force after the announcement of an overhaul of recruitment rules became mired in confusion.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused the government of creating a “dog’s breakfast” with its announcement that foreigners would be allowed to enlist in the military to help address a dire personnel shortage, with ministers providing conflicting explanations about how the policy would work.

The government’s initial media release suggested that only permanent residents from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network – the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada – would be eligible to enlist.

Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh later said that permanent residents from “any other countries” living in Australia would be able to apply to join the ADF, prompting questions about whether permanent residents from autocracies such as China could be recruited.

Defence Minister Richard Marles subsequently told reporters that “the focus is on Five Eyes and the Pacific”, with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy saying Pacific Islanders would be able to serve from next year.

A spokeswoman later said the government had an eye to the Pacific, but was looking to get the initial policy right before expanding beyond the five intelligence-sharing nations.

Marles said the announcement, which was welcomed by many military experts, “does represent a crossing of the Rubicon for Australia” given foreigners were previously barred from military service except in rare circumstances.

He said the ADF was currently about 4400 people short of its personnel target, a shortfall that is hampering its effort to increase the number of uniformed personnel by about 30 per cent by 2040.

The scheme to enlist permanent residents with foreign citizenship is expected to boost ADF numbers by 350 people a year.

“That is a relatively small number in terms of what we need to be doing going forward,” Marles said.

The Coalition’s approach also caused confusion, with opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie withholding support for the policy even though he previously urged the government to consider allowing foreigners to serve in the ADF.

Under the government’s plan, New Zealand permanent residents living in Australia will be able to apply to join the military from next month. From the start of next year, permanent residents from Canada, the US and UK will be included in the scheme.

Hastie, a former special forces soldier, said that “Labor can’t keep their story straight” and accused the government of being “ham-fisted” on an issue of vital national importance.

“We want clarity,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve cleaned this up for something as important and huge.”

Accusing the government of giving up on recruiting Australians to the military, Hastie said: “There’s a lot of questions that need answering before we support this.”

Hastie told this masthead last year that “with immigration about to increase, we should consider opening service in the ADF as an accelerated pathway to citizenship”.

“If someone is willing to fight and die for our country we should take them over a $5 million golden visa any day of the week,” he said.

(continued)

>>20964564

2/2

As well as meeting ADF entry standards and security requirements, permanent residents wishing to join the ADF will be required to have lived in Australia for at least a year immediately before applying and to have not served in a foreign military in the previous two years.

Once foreign nationals have served for 90 days, they will be expected to apply for Australian citizenship.

The government previously introduced a $50,000 retention bonus, dropped the ADF’s one-size-fits-all fitness test – which requires recruits to be able to complete dozens of sit-ups, push-ups and sprints in a set time – and made it easier for people with medical conditions to serve in the military as a way to boost personnel numbers.

New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins said she was not concerned about the proposal depleting her nation’s defence force, because of the eligibility criteria.

“Australia is New Zealand’s only ally, and we continue to have a very close relationship,” she said.

The New Zealand government expressed its anger last week at the Albanese government’s plan to change an immigration rule known as direction 99 to make it easier to deport criminal non-citizens.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi welcomed the initiative as “very positive” and a “sensible idea”.

Asked about possible security concerns, he said: “I think a baby-steps approach involving New Zealand and then branching out in terms of the Five Eyes and the Pacific is the way to go.”

Friendly countries should be “white-listed” for acceptance, instead of problematic countries being blacklisted, he said.

Retired major general Fergus McLachlan said the policy was a “good start, but lots more to do” to address the ADF’s recruitment issues.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said in April that he would be delighted for his citizens to serve under the Australian flag.

“As soon as you change the laws, we will be ready,” he said. “You will find our soldiers will be very loyal.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/can-t-get-story-straight-confusion-over-plan-to-allow-foreigners-to-serve-in-adf-20240604-p5jj5j.html

https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2024-06-04/adf-opens-its-ranks-non-citizens

>>20912444

Third Victorian poultry farm declares outbreak of avian influenza, source under investigation

Fiona Broom and Emma Field - 4 June 2024

A third poultry farm has declared an outbreak of avian influenza in Victoria.

Farm Pride Foods announced this morning the viral strain detected at its Lethbridge aviary site was "the same strain found on the egg farm at Meredith" about 10 days ago.

Those farms are about 10 minutes' apart by road in the Golden Plains Shire in central Victoria.

A different strain of avian influenza - H7N9 - was discovered at a farm at Terang on May 24.

Farm Pride Foods said it had been collaborating with Agriculture Victoria to conduct hen health assessments.

Tests on June 1 showed hens kept in sheds were free of bird flu.

But tests carried out on Sunday, June 2 showed free-range hens had the H7N3 strain, with the results received on Monday.

Second outbreak for producer

Farm Pride Foods said in a statement there were 80,000 free-range hens at the Lethbridge Aviary site, which is about 8 per cent of the company's total production capacity.

The company has a further 40,000 birds in the Lethbridge area, which are also subject to monitoring and testing.

This is the second bird flu outbreak for the egg producer in four years.

In 2020, Farm Pride Foods faced two avian influenza outbreaks on its Lethbridge properties.

Those outbreaks led to the culling of 380,000 egg-laying caged, barn and free range hens – 33 per cent of the company's stock.

Poultry owners to keep bird in cages in restricted area

Agriculture Victoria has confirmed it is responding to the detection of avian influenza at three Victorian poultry farms.

"This new infected property is located within the current 5-kilometre restricted area in the Golden Plains Shire," Agriculture Victoria said.

"Tests have now confirmed the high pathogenicity H7N3 strain of the avian influenza virus at the property.

"This property has been placed in quarantine and all poultry will be safely disposed of. The sites will be cleaned and cleared of the infection."

The H7N3 strain of bird flu has previously been detected in wild birds.

Disposal options being considered

The new farm outbreak is no surprise, Agriculture Victoria deputy chief vet Cameron Bell told the Victorian Country Hour on ABC Radio.

"It's clearly as a result of the ongoing and intensive surveillance activities that we're undertaking within the restricted and control area," Dr Bell said.

Authorities are examining disposal options for hens at the centre of this latest bird flu outbreak.

"At this stage, no activities have commenced but we'll be determining the most feasible options in collaboration with the owners," Dr Bell said.

About a quarter of the state's eggs are produced in the Golden Plains region where the avian influenza-hit farms are located.

"Having a concentration of poultry enterprises there does mean that owners need to be on the lookout and report any unexplained deaths to Agriculture Victoria," Dr Bell said.

Movement controls that include a housing requirement for all birds within the restricted areas and control areas are now in place in Meredith and Terang.

Under the housing requirement, all poultry farmers and backyard flock and bird owners must house or keep their birds enclosed in cages or sheds as much as practical.

Agriculture Victoria says staff are on the ground supporting the businesses and working with industry to contain and eradicate the virus.

Contact tracing is also underway to determine the source and spread of the infection.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-06-04/third-victorian-poultry-farm-declares-outbreak-avian-influenza/103932694

>>20945186

>>20945225

Malcolm Turnbull urges world leaders to follow his example: stand up to Donald Trump

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 4, 2024

Malcolm Turnbull has blasted Donald Trump as a ‘volatile, narcissistic gaslighter’, urging world leaders to follow his own example and stand up to Mr Trump should he return to the White House next year.

Mr Turnbull, whose term as prime minister overlapped with Mr Trump’s presidency until 2018, wrote in the prestigious journal Foreign Affairs that “character, courage and candour may be the most important aid [foreign leaders] can render to the United States in a second age of Trump”.

“There has never been such an effective and relentless gaslighter,” Mr Turnbull wrote, referring to the former Republican president, who remains the favourite to win against Joe Biden in November despite his conviction for election interference in New York last week.

“A powerful narcissistic self-belief has given him the strength to defy not just his many enemies but even reality itself,” Mr Turnbull wrote in an article published on 31st May entitled How the World Can Deal With Trump – Advice for Leaders Facing the Potential Return of ‘America First’.

Mr Turnbull recounted his famous phone call with a newly elected Mr Trump in early 2017, where the prime minister sought to obtain assurances the new Trump administration would honour a deal to struck the former president Barack Obama to take some of Australia’s undocumented arrivals.

“On the call, I told Trump that Australia expected the United States to stick to its word. Trump was furious, raging that the deal was a terrible one, that it would kill him politically, that Obama had been a fool to do it,” Mr Turnbull wrote.

“It was daunting to be yelled at by the president of the United States, but I stood my ground. By the end of the call, Trump had, with great reluctance, agreed to go along with it”.

A few months later the two leaders met in person and were on good terms, joking with each other about the conversation and the deal, Mr Turnbull recounted.

“[Trump] may not like strength and directness from other leaders, but after his rage subsides, he respects them for it,” Mr Turnbull wrote.

Mr Turnbull also said he persuaded Mr Trump to back down from a promise to impose tariffs on Australian steel imports, which would have contravened the Australia-US free trade deal struck by the Howard government with former president George W Bush.

“I wrote a pithy letter to Trump summarising our arguments, which Matt Pottinger, one of his key national security advisers, helpfully read to him. He listened and he changed his mind,” Mr Turnbull wrote.

The former prime minster predicated a second Trump administration would be more “volatile and alarming” than the first.

“He will return to office perhaps no wiser but certainly more experienced and more convinced than ever of his own exceptional genius…. his instinct to crush critics and stack the executive branch with yes men will likely get even stronger.”

In his essay Mr Turnbull also suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders had been wrong in their expectation that Mr Trump would govern more conventionally as president than his 2016 campaign rhetoric had suggested.

“President Xi told me at the APEC summit that he was relaxed about the new US president. Xi thought Trump’s campaign rhetoric would have no bearing on how he would govern, and most significantly, the Chinese president believed the US system would not allow Trump to act in a way that undermined the American national interest”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/malcolm-turnbull-urges-world-leaders-to-follow-his-example-stand-up-to-donald-trump/news-story/08c4ecd26d0ed104134620cf5a60d5f2

https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/827002559122567168

https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/972242845636669440

>>20964628

How the World Can Deal With Trump

Advice for Leaders Facing the Potential Return of “America First”

Malcolm Turnbull - May 31, 2024

1/4

In this year of major elections around the world, none is more consequential than that in the United States on the first Tuesday in November. Polling suggests Donald Trump will enter the White House again in January 2025. If he does, he will return to office perhaps no wiser but certainly more experienced and more convinced than ever of his own exceptional genius. More ominously, he will be determined to rectify in his second term what he insists was the major failing of his first: that both his own advisers and Washington officialdom got in his way.

Like most people, Trump is often wrong. Unlike most people, however, he is never in doubt. A powerful narcissistic self-belief has given him the strength to defy not just his many enemies but even reality itself. For four years, he has denied the outcome of the 2020 election and persuaded most of his party, and millions of Americans, to agree with him. There has never been such an effective and relentless gaslighter.

As president, he sought to surround himself with people who told him what he wanted to hear. When they stopped doing so, they were quickly sent packing. If Trump returns to the Oval Office, his instinct to crush critics and stack the executive branch with yes men will likely get even stronger. He will characterize his domestic critics as political opponents if they are Democrats and as traitors if they are Republicans. Trump will feel as invincible in his triumph as a Roman emperor, but he won’t have a slave by his side whispering, “Remember, you are mortal.”

Other leaders, especially those of countries that are close U.S. allies, have an opportunity and a responsibility to speak to Trump with a blunt but respectful candor that few of his advisers will be able to offer him. My own experience with Trump, when I was prime minister of Australia, is that he may not like strength and directness from other leaders, but after his rage subsides, he respects them for it. Around the world, leaders are once again fretting about how they can flatter Trump and avoid his wrath. But that pliant approach is not just the wrong strategy; it is the last thing the United States needs.

A NEW NORMAL

After Trump became president in 2017, most leaders around the world found themselves laboring under two incorrect assumptions. The first was that Trump’s wild rhetoric on the campaign trail would be abandoned there. The office and its responsibilities, some leaders believed, would constrain him. In November 2016, a few weeks after Trump’s surprising victory, the leaders of many of the world’s largest economies met in Lima at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. It was Barack Obama’s last summit as U.S. president, but it was Trump who overshadowed the whole APEC conference. By way of reassurance, many quoted former New York Governor Mario Cuomo’s remark: “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.” The line was repeated so often that a frustrated President Michelle Bachelet of Chile observed wryly that she had not seen many signs of poetry in the campaign that had just ended.

Many leaders expected that Trump would become more typically “presidential” once he entered the White House. That was certainly the view held by Chinese President Xi Jinping. He told me at the APEC summit that he was relaxed about the new U.S. president. Xi thought Trump’s campaign rhetoric would have no bearing on how he would govern, and most significantly, the Chinese president believed the U.S. system would not allow Trump to act in a way that undermined the American national interest.

And that was generally the consensus view: the institutions of government would keep Trump grounded in a conventional, administrative reality. His colorful campaign would be followed by business, more or less, as usual.

Trump in office was, if anything, wilder and more erratic than he had been on the campaign trail. Four extraordinary years finished with him encouraging a mob to storm the U.S. Capitol in a brazen attempt to overthrow the constitutional transfer of power to the new president. If Trump returns to the White House in 2025, only the willfully deluded could imagine that a second Trump administration would be less volatile and alarming than the first.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 4, 2024, 4:44 a.m. No.20964725 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4730

>>20964719

2/4

DON’T GIVE IN

The second misapprehension world leaders held was that the right way to deal with Trump was how Benjamin Disraeli, the nineteenth-century British prime minister, advised people to deal with royalty: to use flattery and “lay it on with a trowel.” Of course, men like Trump invite sycophancy. They use their power and caprice to encourage others to tell them what they want to hear. But this is precisely the wrong way to deal with Trump, or any other bully. Whether in the Oval Office or on the playground, giving in to bullies encourages more bullying. The only way to win the respect of people such as Trump is to stand up to them.

But that defiance brings with it great risks. Almost all world leaders hope to have a good, or at least cordial, relationship with the United States. And they know that if they have a falling out with the U.S. president, there is no guarantee that their own people, let alone their own media, would take their side. This is particularly so in countries where a right-wing, so-called conservative media generally support Trump and his style of politics. Trump’s biggest echo chamber in the United States is the Fox News network, owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also controls extensive media assets in Australia and the United Kingdom.

When Trump became president, I had been prime minister of Australia for nearly 18 months. I had never done business with him but knew a lot of people who had, and more important, I had dealt with many men like Trump—including big, dominating billionaires and media barons such as Conrad Black, Jimmy Goldsmith, Bob Maxwell, Murdoch, and Kerry Packer. So when my collision with Trump came, I was shaken but not surprised.

In 2016, I had reached an agreement with Obama that a number of asylum seekers who had sought to enter Australia irregularly by boat could be settled in the United States, subject to the usual security vetting. Australia had learned over the years that the only way to stop human smuggling was to ensure that nobody who came unlawfully by boat could settle in our country. This policy had been strictly applied under Liberal Prime Minister John Howard, who held the office from 1996 to 2007, but was modified under his Labor successors Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. The result was a dramatic increase in human smuggling. When Rudd returned as prime minister for a few months, in late 2013, he tried to reinstate the Howard-era policies, and as a consequence, several thousand asylum seekers were intercepted and detained in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

The Liberals returned to government in October 2013 under Tony Abbott, whom I replaced as prime minister in September 2015. Our governments and all those that succeeded us have followed a strict zero-tolerance approach to human smuggling. And it has worked. But there were still the asylum seekers who had been diverted to Papua New Guinea and Nauru. If they were brought to Australia, I feared, the flow of boats would start up again. So the deal with Obama was a practical and humane solution. In return, Australia had agreed to accept some very difficult immigration cases for the United States.

From the moment Trump was elected, my government sought assurances that the deal would be honored, and we had every indication it would be. But then, just before a scheduled call with the president a few days after his inauguration, Vice President Mike Pence called Julie Bishop, Australia’s foreign minister, and Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, called his counterpart in my office, Justin Bassi, to say that under no circumstances should I raise this issue on the call because Trump would not honor the agreement we had entered into with his predecessor.

I did raise the issue. On the call, I told Trump that Australia expected the United States to stick to its word. Trump was furious, raging that the deal was a terrible one, that it would kill him politically, that Obama had been a fool to do it. It was daunting to be yelled at by the president of the United States, but I stood my ground. By the end of the call, Trump had, with great reluctance, agreed to go along with it. He ended by telling me it was the most unpleasant call he had had that day. A call to Putin, on the other hand, had been pleasant by comparison, he said.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 4, 2024, 4:46 a.m. No.20964730 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4739

>>20964725

3/4

Trump made it clear that he was proceeding with the deal unhappily. But he also accepted, as I had suggested, that he could honor the deal his predecessor had made without endorsing it as a good one. Details of the call were leaked in Washington, eventually with a transcript, all designed to show that Trump went along with the deal with reluctance.

There was enormous anxiety in Canberra about how this would play out. Would he actually honor the deal? As it turned out, he did. Would this row adversely affect other aspects of the relationship? And most important, would Trump bear a grudge?

We met again in May 2017, only four months later, and by this time, he was joking with me and our wives about the refugee deal, complaining that he had agreed to it but in the way he might have about paying too much for a building. I was “a tough negotiator,” he told his wife, Melania Trump. “Just like you, Donald,” she replied.

A combination of character and circumstance allowed the relationship between Trump and me, as leaders, to get off on the right foot. By standing my ground, arguing my case, and not backing down, I had not only persuaded him to stick to the deal I had made with Obama but also won his respect.

MAKE THE CASE

Most presidents and prime ministers delegate considerable authority, formally and informally, to their advisers and officials. Meetings with foreign leaders are negotiated well in advance by ambassadors and officials. The outcome of the meeting is as scripted as the talking points.

The Trump White House did not work like that. Trump was the only decision-maker. Staff could advise him however they pleased, but most didn’t last long anyway. The only word that mattered was Trump’s, and he did not like being scripted—in any event, he rarely read from the script. He was the dealmaker, so he wanted to do the deal, on the spot, in the room.

In my experience with Trump, this meant that ambassadors and foreign ministers, no matter how capable, could offer much less assistance or influence. The key relationship lay between Trump and the foreign leader.

This practice poses both a challenge and an opportunity for foreign leaders trying to gain traction in the White House. It means that their ambassadors are less influential. On the other hand, if it is possible to persuade Trump that it is in his interest to change course, he will. But to do that, a foreign leader has to win Trump’s respect and make a strong case.

I observed such a scenario when I handled another difficult issue that threatened ties between Canberra and Washington during Trump’s first term: trade. In March 2018, Trump announced he was going to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports of 25 percent and ten percent, respectively. Not only was Trump keen on these tariffs, but so were some of his key advisers, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Trump’s views on trade were simplistic. But they were strongly held. He viewed a trade deficit as evidence that the United States was losing and a trade surplus as a sign it was winning. He gave Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a hard time on the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, as he did other allied leaders, but his greatest anxiety was the huge trade deficit with China.

I had two arguments for Trump on tariffs, and he listened to both, despite resistance from his key trade officials. First, Australia exported a modest quantity of steel to the West Coast of the United States only because the cost of shipping steel, almost all for roofing, across the Pacific was less than half the cost of shipping it to California from steel makers in the Midwest and on the East Coast. A 25 percent tariff on Australian steel would not make U.S. steel more competitive on the West Coast; it would simply raise the price of steel roofs. We went through the numbers several times. He knew the building industry, and he knew the product, and he listened more attentively than usual.

(continued)

>>20964730

4/4

Second, I said that if Trump’s argument for tariffs was to correct trade terms with other countries that were not fair and reciprocal, why should he impose any tariff on Australian exports? Australia and the United States had maintained a free trade agreement for years. The United States also enjoyed a large trade surplus with Australia. “No tariffs and no quotas,” I said to him. “In fact, it cannot get any better. And a massive $25 billion surplus in your favor. Truth be told, you have the best possible trade deal ever with Australia.”

If the United States imposed tariffs or an import quota on Australia, with whom it had the best possible trade deal, it would be seen as doing so simply because it could. “People will be able to say,” I told Trump, that “‘the Aussies give you the best possible deal and they still get a quota. So this is not about fair and reciprocal trade at all.’”

We had several direct discussions on the tariff question, both in person and on the phone. I wrote a pithy letter to Trump summarizing our arguments, which Matt Pottinger, one of his key national security advisers, helpfully read to him. He listened and he changed his mind because he was persuaded that it was in his interest to do so.

SPEAKING TRUTH TO TRUMP

The caricature of Trump as a one-dimensional, irrational monster is so entrenched that many forget that he can be, when it suits him, intelligently transactional. Like most bullies, he will bend others to his will when he can, and when he cannot, he will try to make a deal. But to get to the deal-making stage, Trump’s counterparts have to stand up to the bullying first.

Foreign leaders who need to get business done with Trump should be able to do so, but they will need to deal with him directly and persuade him why their proposal is a good deal for him. Leave the sentimental stuff about alliances and friendship for the press conferences. Trump’s question is always, “What’s in it for me?” His calculus is both political and commercial, but it is very focused. That should be no surprise—“America first” is his explicit slogan.

A Trump returned to the White House, convinced of his own genius, and with the evidence of an election win to prove it, will be surrounded by more yes men and sycophants than ever. In that environment, who will be prepared to tell him what he doesn’t want to hear?

The leaders of the countries that are the United States’ friends and allies will be among the very few who can speak truthfully to Trump. He can shout at them, embarrass them, even threaten them. But he cannot fire them. Their character, courage, and candor may be the most important aid they can render to the United States in a second age of Trump.

MALCOLM TURNBULL was Prime Minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/how-world-can-deal-trump

https://archive.vn/wkhwL

https://qanon.pub/#479

https://qanon.pub/#908

https://qanon.pub/#910

https://qanon.pub/#819

>Which conversation leaked?

>POTUS & AUS?

>Why that specific conversation?

>Signal?

>We (they) hear what you are saying?

>Threat to AUS?

>Why?

>What do they know?

>Trapped?

>Forced?

>Blood.

Fury on the floor: Dutton and Albanese clash with Greens over Gaza protests

David Crowe - June 5, 2024

1/2

Labor and the Coalition have berated the Greens for lending support to pro-Palestinian activists who have targeted federal MPs and vandalised electoral offices, sparking a fierce debate in parliament over domestic protests and the war in the Middle East.

Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the government of being complicit in the Israeli invasion of Gaza after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton blamed the Greens for encouraging the protests.

Stung by the criticism from the two leaders, Bandt sought to condemn the government for shipping arms to Israel but was shut down after Labor MPs branded him a “fraud” and a “liar” who was spreading misinformation.

The final vote left the Greens isolated in parliament when Labor, the Coalition and crossbenchers including Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Rebekha Sharkie, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall and Kylea Tink voted in favour of adjourning the debate.

Labor MPs are increasingly angry about pro-Palestinian protests that have vandalised the electorate offices of caucus members including Peter Khalil, Ged Kearney, Lisa Chester and Daniel Mulino as well as ministers including Government Services Minister Bill Shorten, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

With tempers flaring during an hour of argument on Wednesday, Speaker Milton Dick ordered Dreyfus to leave the House of Representatives for heckling Bandt, while the Greens leader received several warnings for yelling over others.

Albanese responded to a question from independent MP Sophie Scamps about the need for social cohesion during the war in the Middle East, saying the parliament condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israelis on October 7 and that the government had backed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Right now, our communities are distressed. People, especially with relatives either in Israel or the occupied territories, are distressed,” he said.

“We have a responsibility to not add to that distress through misinformation. It is unacceptable that misinformation is being consciously and deliberately spread by some Greens senators and MPs who have engaged in this at demonstrations outside offices and online.

“That includes knowingly misrepresenting motions that are moved in this parliament.”

At issue is the way the Greens have portrayed a vote in the House that denied them time to put a motion calling for Palestinian statehood. Some Greens said this was a vote by the parliament to reject a Palestinian state. Labor MPs were incensed at this because they regarded the vote as a procedural matter, not a decision by the parliament on statehood.

Labor and the Coalition support a two-state solution including statehood for Palestinians on a settlement with Israel, although Foreign Minister Penny Wong has raised the prospects of other paths to recognition.

Albanese said the Greens should not make any remarks that encouraged protests that shut down electorate offices, saying they were anti-democratic because they stopped the work of elected MPs and their staff.

“Enough is enough. The time for senators and members of parliament to continue to inflame tensions outside these offices must end,” he said.

(continued)

2/2

Dutton spoke after Albanese to give bipartisan support for condemning acts of violence wherever they take place, adding that a Jewish school he visited recently in Sydney required armed guards to keep students safe.

“We are seeing now the offices of elected members of parliament being targeted with red paint, with vile messages of hate, and discrimination and antisemitism – and it should be condemned,” Dutton said.

When Bandt rose to respond, he criticised Albanese and Dutton but made no criticism of the protests outside electorate offices or the vandalism that had been spoken about.

“This House is united in condemning antisemitism and condemning Islamophobia, and we also condemn the invasion of Gaza,” Bandt said.

“I will not be lectured to about peace and non-violence by people who backed the invasion of Gaza.”

Bandt spoke again after question time to intensify his attacks on Labor, saying the party was complicit in the Israeli invasion of Gaza and complicit in genocide.

“The prime minister, backed up by the leader of the opposition, come in here and make wide-ranging sprays, attempting to connect peaceful protests of people who are seeking to make their views heard about Labor’s complicity with genocide,” he said.

Bandt tried to move a motion to condemn the government because Australian suppliers made parts for the F35 fighter aircraft, which was used by Israeli forces to bomb people in Gaza.

Health Minister Mark Butler moved that Bandt be no longer heard so the parliament could move onto its scheduled business, leading to 92 members from Labor and the Coalition voting in favour of this. The five votes against comprised the four Greens and crossbencher Helen Haines.

As the count progressed, Bandt again accused Labor of being complicit in the invasion and refusing to call for a ceasefire.

This infuriated Labor MPs, given that Wong called for “steps toward a ceasefire” on November 12 and had made several calls for a ceasefire since. Australia voted with 152 countries at the United Nations in favour of a ceasefire six months ago.

Employment Minister Tony Burke ended the debate by accusing the Greens of trying to “harvest votes” by misrepresenting the vote on statehood and misleading voters.

“I don’t see why misinformation coming from the left is somehow noble when misinformation coming from the right is so wrong,” Burke said.

“People in our electorates genuinely have a real fear of what is happening, and for them, it is not a political game.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/fury-on-the-floor-dutton-and-albanese-clash-with-greens-over-gaza-protests-20240605-p5jjj5.html

Anthony Albanese locked out of Sydney electorate office by anti-war protests

DENNIS SHANAHAN and ROSIE LEWIS - JUNE 5, 2024

1/2

Anthony Albanese has been locked out of his Sydney electorate office this year because of pro-Palestinian protests, amid official security warnings that Islamist extremists are attending anti-Israel demonstrations on university campuses and outside parliamentarians’ offices.

The Prime Minister’s Marrickville office has not been used since January because of fears for the safety of staff from continuous protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators and warnings from federal police.

Security around Mr Albanese, other MPs and in Parliament House has been tightened since late last year after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel in October and the conflict in Gaza sparked protests and vandalism at MPs’ offices and even in parliament.

Parliamentarians requested a security briefing from the AFP and ASIO as concerns rose about protests and security. The Australian understands there was formal advice Islamist extremists and political activists were appearing together at university campus protests around the nation, outside ministerial offices and at public demonstrations.

The official advice was that there could be co-ordination between extremists and political activists, and they were certainly appearing together at protests and demonstrations.

One aspect of the security concerns was the ability of the groups to organise flash protests when the Prime Minister was at a venue, even a private one.

Mr Albanese has raised the security concerns with Peter Dutton as late as Tuesday afternoon in parliament.

Tensions between Labor and the Greens over the war in Gaza also deepened on Tuesday after Mr Albanese denounced the “blockade” at electorate offices of Labor MPs, which he said was being supported by Greens senators and state Greens.

During a Labor caucus meeting in which three of his MPs expressed concerns about the protests and behaviour of the Greens, the Prime Minister declared “actions to intimidate have no place in a democracy”.

The Opposition Leader backed the Prime Minister’s concerns and told The Australian: “A violent protester who breaks the law by attacking a person of Jewish faith on a university campus or seeks to intimidate an MP should be dealt with by the police.

“The fact no one has been arrested for the hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to electorate offices just encourages the next criminal protester to trash another office. We celebrate peaceful protest but criminal behaviour by these anti-Semitic hate protesters should result in arrests and strong penalties.”

Mr Albanese noted it had been a difficult period for a number of Labor MPs and their staff whose electorate offices were targeted.

Referencing his own office in Marrickville, Sydney, Mr Albanese said the idea constituents would be blocked from getting help on social security or immigration matters was “appalling”.

(continued)

>>20969717

2/2

But Greens leader Adam Bandt said Mr Albanese’s attack was a “shameful attempt” to distract from Labor’s “backing of the invasion of Gaza, their refusal to recognise Palestine and their refusal to take any meaningful action to prevent a genocide that has claimed over 34,000 lives”.

Greens sources said the protests mentioned by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Penny Wong had not been organised by the minor party.

“The Greens support peaceful protest, we will continue to do so, and we support the protest organisers’ calls for no property damage or breakage,” Mr Bandt said.

“Instead of admitting that his own electorate is disappointed and angry at Labor’s refusal to take action on a genocide, the Prime Minister is attacking people in the community who are calling for peace.

“People are opposing Labor’s support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s invasion because every day they see the impact of the attacks – children killed by bombs and gunfire, and civilians on the cusp of starvation.”

One Labor MP said in caucus on Tuesday that electorate staff had been assaulted, while another congratulated Senator Wong for calling out the behaviour of the Greens and said the Muslim leadership had been keen to distance itself from the “violent” protests.

A third Labor MP told colleagues they previously had to close their office over a Greens protest on a different issue, with extreme misinformation fuelling the anger.

The vandalism began in Parliament House last year with threats and slogans being written on lavatory walls in the public part of the building calling for MPs “to end the killing”.

Pro-Palestinian vandals have defaced the electorate offices of Mr Albanese, Richard Marles, Bill Shorten, Chris Bowen and Mark Dreyfus as well as backbenchers Ged Kearney and Peter Khalil, with most being in Melbourne.

Vandals also attacked the US Consulate General in St Kilda Road, where red paint was splashed on the front and the slogan “Free Gaza” was tagged on the front of the office.

Red paint was splashed across the front of the suburban offices of Mr Dreyfus and Mr Shorten by vandals who also wrote slogans accusing the government of being complicit in genocide in Gaza.

“Vandalism or acts of violence which aim to call out violence is counter-productive,” Mr Shorten said on Friday.

Senator Wong has urged Mr Bandt, who she said had been part of the protests, to condemn the violence seen at electorate offices, including smashed windows.

“If you speak to many workers who are being confronted with what they have seen over a long period of time, including the occupation of offices and the destruction of property, I think people have felt unsafe,” Senator Wong said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-says-greensbacked-propalestine-blockade-at-electorate-offices-undemocratic/news-story/cf0ddd7442e945108e530d1a45c2a17f

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 5, 2024, 3:51 a.m. No.20969809 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9815

>>20769978 (pb)

>>20793447 (pb)

Judge grants bail to alleged teen terrorist, branding case 'thin' in bruising ruling for AFP

Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop - 5 June 2024

1/2

A Supreme Court judge has granted bail to a Sydney teenager accused of terrorism and branded the case against him as "thin", in a bruising ruling for the Australian Federal Police.

The 15-year-old was among six boys arrested in sweeping police raids on an alleged Sydney terrorist network in April, after another teenager stabbed an Assyrian Orthodox bishop in a church in Wakeley, in the city's west.

Four of those boys are accused of planning a terrorist attack in the wake of the stabbing, allegedly plotting to obtain guns and exchanging messages about their willingness to kill and die as so-called martyrs.

The 15-year-old was part of a chat group called "Plans", on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where they allegedly conspired to plan a terrorist act between April 18 and 24.

The boy, who cannot be identified because he is a juvenile, allegedly wrote: "I really want to target the yahood [Jewish people] … we will plan it".

In another message, he allegedly said: "I really wanna do an attack now … because I have so much hatred for these kuffar [nonbelievers] it's not funny and I wanna do jihad now."

But late yesterday afternoon, NSW Supreme Court Judge Deborah Sweeney questioned whether Crown prosecutors could prove the boy had agreed to plan for an act of terrorism or had done "any overt act in support of that agreement beyond talking".

"It's clear this young person expresses violent views," Justice Sweeney said.

"He talks in concerning ways, but … the [police] facts statement seems a bit thin. In my view, the Crown case does not appear strong."

Despite his "violent intentions", she said the public would be safer if he was released from youth detention, put under house arrest and treated for his "mental health and self-esteem issues".

"If those issues are treated, community safety will be enhanced, especially in what will be a long period of two years or so until his trial," Justice Sweeney said.

She said the need for psychological treatment was among the "exceptional circumstances" justifying bail, including his age, the long time to trial and the "lack of strength of the prosecution case".

Sitting in the public gallery, the boy's father burst into tears when the judge announced her decision, while the teenager watched the proceedings via video link from youth detention.

The 15-year-old's parents had watched silently as the court heard of their struggles to manage his behavioural issues since kindergarten.

His barrister, Avni Djemal SC, described him as "a troubled kid" with a disrupted education, who was "neglected a lot" as a young child when a sibling died in hospital from illness.

Justice Sweeney described them as "dedicated, concerned parents" who had done their best to provide him with an education despite "significantly disrupted schooling".

(continued)

>>20969809

2/2

Under stringent conditions, the teenager is banned from leaving home without his parents and from possessing or using mobile phones, smart devices, internet devices and encrypted communications.

The court heard police uncovered the Signal chat group in April after arresting the boy and another alleged terror plotter over an alleged attack on a bottle shop owner in Lurnea in south-west Sydney.

Crown prosecutors opposed bail, arguing community protection was at risk and saying his parents had struggled "to no avail" to manage the teenager's behaviour.

Prosecutor Rebekah Rodger said the boy's behavioural issues had continued in detention, where Youth Justice NSW officials reported he was fighting with other inmates.

The court heard Youth Justice NSW officials found no basis to the boy's claims that inmates had threatened to stab him.

The court also heard the teenager's terrorism risk was low, provided he was not in contact with others who could influence him and who he wanted to impress, according to a report by youth extremism expert Peta Lowe.

The 15-year-old at the beginning of May made an unsuccessful bid for bail in Parramatta Children's Court. His three alleged co-conspirators remain behind bars.

They were arrested as part of Operation Mingary, an investigation into an alleged Sydney terrorist network by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which includes the AFP, NSW Police, ASIO, and the NSW Crime Commission.

Another two boys, aged 14 and 16, were charged with possessing extremist material, including Islamic State videos of beheadings. Those boys have both been granted conditional bail.

Under the Commonwealth Crimes Act, the judge was required to consider the protection of the community as "paramount", while treating the best interests of the juvenile as a "primary" consideration, in determining bail.

The 15-year-old's legal team argued community safety would be improved if the boy could receive an "intense regime of treatment" while under house arrest.

Sydney solicitor Ahmed Dib, who is representing the teenager, declined to comment.

The court heard the investigation is continuing.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-05/sydney-alleged-teen-terrorist-granted-bail/103935126

>>20959188

US torpedoes ‘unviable’ subs missile plan

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 5, 2024

The Albanese government has abandoned plans to arm the navy’s ageing Collins-class submarines with Tomahawk missiles, scuttling hopes the 1990s boats could be transformed into potent long-range strike platforms.

The move follows a feasibility study and advice from the US on launching the missiles through the Collins’ torpedo tubes that said integrating the weapons into the subs was “not viable and does not represent value for money”.

The decision comes as the government finalises the scope of life-extending upgrades to the Collins fleet from 2026, with one of the oldest boats – HMAS Farncomb – confirmed as being the first of the submarines to undergo the works.

Three of the subs – or half of the fleet – are out of service, with two, including the Farncomb, showing unexpected corrosion.

Australia has ordered 200 of the US-made Tomahawk missiles – which have a range of more than 1500km – to arm the nation’s Hobart-class air warfare destroyers. But the government has been unable to say when the $1.3bn missile purchase will be delivered, amid pressure on the US supply chains.

The Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines promised to Australia under the AUKUS partnership will be equipped with Tomahawks, but the first of them isn’t due until the early 2030s.

The government has also agreed to fit the navy’s future Hunter-class frigates with Tomahawks, subject to a technical study.

When Australia finally receives the weapons it will be one of just three countries, alongside the US and Britain, to operate them.

It is understood Defence was warned arming the Collins with Tomahawks would complicate their $5bn upgrades and undermine the boats’ ability to defend themselves by cutting the number of torpedoes they could carry.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Collins “life-of-type extension” works would get under way in Adelaide on schedule, ensuring the boats would continue to provide a deterrent until they were replaced by the nuclear-powered subs.

“The life-of-type extension program is a sensible approach that underscores the Albanese government’s unwavering commitment to keeping Australians safe by ensuring the ADF has the capabilities it needs to deter potential adversaries,” Mr Conroy said.

“The sustainment and upgrade work on the Collins-class submarines give industry the certainty it needs and will provide a further boost for Australians who will benefit from the creation of highly skilled and well-paid jobs.”

The government will face questions over the LOTE program in Defence estimates hearings on Wednesday, amid growing concerns over the condition of the boats and the high-risk nature of the upgrades. The submarine maintenance corporation, ASC, revealed last week that three of the navy’s six Collins boats were undergoing maintenance at the same time – the first time that had occurred since 2012.

ASC managing director Stuart Whiley said rust had been detected in areas on HMAS Farncomb and HMAS Sheean where it had not previously been found.

The government has been warned in a classified report that the LOTE plan presents major challenges and is not guaranteed to succeed.

The report by former US Navy deputy assistant secretary Gloria Valdez warned ASC lacked the design and engineering experience to undertake the works, and recommended the boats’ original Swedish designer, SAAB Kockums, be given a larger role to ensure the project’s success.

The six Collins-class boats were originally due to retire progressively from 2026, but will be needed for years to come to avoid a capability gap before Australia begins to operate nuclear submarines.

Defence analyst Marcus Hellyer said the latest corrosion revelations were bad news. “I don’t think (the subs) are going to make it out of the 2030s. And sometimes I wonder if they’re going to make it out of the 2020s,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/us-torpedoes-unviable-subs-missile-plan/news-story/9d43120b6ffa47e59aa259f7743a4da8

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 5, 2024, 4:14 a.m. No.20969901 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9907

>>20921983

Operation Ironside: How biggest sting in history brought down world’s toughest criminals

ELLEN WHINNETT - JUNE 4, 2024

1/2

It was March 2020, the start of the Covid pandemic, and like half the planet, Australia’s most wanted gangster Hakan Ayik was coming to grips with meeting work colleagues online via Zoom.

The prolific drug smuggler was sitting in the cafe of the Kings Cross Hotel that he owns and runs in the Turkish city of Istanbul, talking about how to turbocharge his illicit business, flogging encrypted phones. The phones and their encrypted platform, known as AN0M, were proving popular with international drug cartels and money-laundering syndicates, and Ayik wanted to maximise profits.

Three other men were in the meeting, and one of them, identified only as Afgoo, had dialled in, and appeared on Ayik’s laptop. Afgoo was the global head of the AN0M business.

Ayik, who had fled Sydney more than a decade earlier and had managed to stay a step ahead of law-enforcement ever since, was new to Zoom. “It’s crystal clear,’’ Ayik commented to Afgoo and the two other men, adding: “Zoom is amazing, isn’t it.’’

What’s really amazing is that Ayik had no idea that every detail of the meeting was being monitored by police and the FBI. And he didn’t know Afgoo was the man who secretly sold the AN0M platform to law enforcement and was now operating as a confidential informant to the FBI.

The details are contained in a compelling new book by investigative tech journalist Joseph Cox, which is being released this week in the US. The book, Dark Wire, is being translated into several European languages, and is under development by Netflix as a film.

Dark Wire is the first book to delve into the extraordinary global sting carried out by the FBI and Australian Federal Police, in which 28 million messages exchanged by criminals on AN0M were intercepted and copied by the police, resulting in thousands of arrests worldwide.

It contains some eye-popping new details about the extraordinary sting of the century, including that Ayik knew Afgoo for several years before they embarked on the AN0M venture.

Afgoo – identified only by the handle or nickname he used on the AN0M platform – previously worked as a seller of encrypted phones for Canadian company Phantom Secure.

Cox describes him as the “tech expert’’ who Ayik first consulted about whether he too should put his trust into Phantom Secure.

While it had previously been revealed by police that Ayik was a key influencer and distributor of AN0M phones, and that a confidential source had sold AN0M to the FBI in return for $US180,000, it was not known that Ayik and Afgoo were old associates.

The revelation heaps further pressure on Ayik, who remains in a Turkish prison after being arrested in November when Turkish police rounded up 42 foreigners accused of criminality on Turkish soil, including Ayik’s Australian associates Erkan Dogan, Baris Tukel, Jimmy Awaijan, and Melbourne model-turned bikie boss Hasan Topal

Ayik, who renounced his Australian citizenship and is a Turkish citizen, is unlikely to be extradited to Australia or the US, where he is wanted on racketeering charges relating to AN0M. He faces local charges in Turkey.

Cox also reveals in his book that the collapse of two other encrypted phone companies popular with the criminal underworld, Encrochat and Sky, may not have been the coincidence law enforcement originally implied.

Encrochat was hacked by European police in 2020, and Sky in 2021, leading to police raids against those who had used the messaging platforms to organise drug deals and other criminal activity. The fall of the two platforms drove users onto AN0M – where the AFP and FBI were monitoring and collecting the messages sent across the globe.

“Initially when I started, I believed it was just a nice, happy accident,’’ Cox said of the downfall of Europe-based Encrochat and Canadian company Sky.

“But the more people I spoke to, including the European officials I spoke to, there’s a Dutch one in there, he explicitly phrases it as a master plan. And I think that’s one of the biggest revelations of the book.

“These operations weren’t conducted in silos, or as a vacuum. The Americans were talking to the Europeans about much of their plans. Not everything, it was bit by bit. Enough for people to understand, ‘OK, we’re going to hack Sky, you’re going to indict, and then the users were probably going to go to AN0M’.’’

(continued)

>>20969901

2/2

Cox, who runs his own company 404 Media, spent 10 years covering the encrypted phone industry through his previous role with Vice Media’s Motherboard. He has revealed that Lithuania was the third-party country that helped Australia and the US find a way to legally store the millions of messages and provide them to the FBI.

He said Lithuania agreed to store the messages on secure servers within its boundaries, and, under a mutual legal assistance treaty, sent them to the US on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the FBI to process.

Messages taken from AN0M devices within the US were stripped out of the message bundles as the FBI did not have approval for a domestic wire tap, and Lithuania was able to do what Australia wasn’t able to – provide the messages to a foreign agency.

The AFP played a key role in the AN0M sting – known locally as Operation Ironside – after working with the FBI on the 2018 take-down of Phantom Secure.

An Australian tech expert working for the AFP, known in Cox’s book as CIN325, developed a backdoor entry into the AN0M platform which allowed police to read and copy the messages as they were being sent.

Cox reveals how CIN325 met Afgoo in a hotel suite overseas, “geeking out’’ in a corner over the details of how to develop the backdoor into AN0M.

He goes into amusing detail about how the AFP and FBI worked 14-hour days developing AN0M, living on takeaway food and at one point, drinking two bottles of grocery store whiskey as they sat around the edge of the hot tub with their feet in the bath.

He also reveals how the FBI was intimately involved in the AN0M business, at one stage flying 1000 phones into locations on an FBI jet to ensure all criminals eager to get their hands on a phone were able to access one.

This immediate access was something Ayik had identified in the Zoom meeting in Istanbul in March 2020.

“It goes back to efficiency and getting the product out there,’’ he tells his criminal associates.

“Look at McDonald’s, they go and get the burgers out there. You’re not waiting. That’s why people go there.’’

Cox reveals that the assassination of a low-level criminal in Sweden named Sascha had been planned over AN0M, two weeks before Swedish police were given access to the AN0M messages.

Australian police had been deeply concerned about such a scenario playing out here but were able to act on any threats to life identified.

Cox reveals AN0M was shut down in June 2021 just as it risked collapsing under the weight of its own popularity and size.

Crooks, including Ayik, had got their hands on a black box that allowed the phones to be set up without needing to be programmed by Afgoo, meaning law enforcement started to lose control of who was registering as an AN0M user. A portal was also established which accelerated the sign-up rate of AN0M users.

With more than 12,000 devices active across the criminal underworld, law enforcement eventually pulled the pin in June 2021, resulting in thousands of arrests worldwide, including 392 arrests in Australia.

Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever, by Joseph Cox, published by Public Affairs.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/how-biggest-sting-in-history-brought-down-worlds-toughest-criminals/news-story/a65263e373de4e2d52a0e2ed6b8c978e

>>20751248 (pb)

>>20909090

eSafety drops case against Elon Musk's X over church stabbing videos

Jake Evans and Jordyn Butler - 5 June 2024

1/2

A legal battle to have graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney removed from Elon Musk's social media platform X will be abandoned by the eSafety commissioner.

Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant confirmed the Federal Court case would be abandoned, after several blows in court and an attempt to temporarily force the footage to be hidden expiring.

"After weighing multiple considerations, including litigation across multiple cases, I have considered this option likely to achieve the most positive outcome for the online safety of all Australians, especially children," Ms Inman-Grant said.

"Our sole goal and focus in issuing our removal notice was to prevent this extremely violent footage from going viral, potentially inciting further violence and inflicting more harm on the Australian community and I stand by my investigators and the decisions eSafety made."

The case was seen as a test of Australia's ability to enforce online safety requirements on the social media platforms.

Posting on social media, X's government affairs arm celebrated the announcement.

"This case has raised important questions on how legal powers can be used to threaten global censorship of speech, and we are heartened to see that freedom of speech has prevailed," the company said.

Mr Musk also posted, saying "freedom of speech is worth fighting for."

Platforms 'monetising misery': News Corp boss

The social media platform initially refused an eSafety notice to remove the graphic stabbing videos, later deemed an act of terror, but the Federal Court temporarily ordered X to hide the videos.

X again refused to comply with that court order, arguing the initial take down order was not valid.

Mr Musk has repeatedly taunted the commissioner over her attempt to remove footage of Wakeley bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being stabbed, calling her a global "censorship commissar".

News Corp Australia's executive chair Michael Miller has told the National Press Club that social media companies are "monetising misery", and profiting from violent and harmful content.

Mr Miller said the days of the digital Wild West had to stop.

"These companies have immense power, and it is critical that they do not undermine Australia’s sovereignty," Mr Miller said.

Responding to the eSafety commissioner dropping its legal challenge, Mr Miller said the case for change may in fact be proved "by losing in court, rather than by winning".

He said "social licence" laws should hold tech platforms accountable for the content they host if they want access to the Australian market.

(continued)

>>20969930

2/2

Musk taunts led to commissioner's children being doxxed

In an exclusive interview with ABC Afternoon Briefing, Ms Inman-Grant argued the way the social media companies are structured meant content must be removed "globally", and Australia should have the right to issue those take downs.

"The idea of global deletion or wanting to 'globally censor' the internet is really a furphy … the simple fact of the matter is with all of these companies, they don't have internet infrastructure or servers here, the only way you can remove that content is at scale, at the source, which is in California," she said.

Ms Inman-Grant noted X routinely complied with take down notices, and that other major social media platforms had complied with the request to remove the stabbing footage.

She also told the ABC Mr Musk's attack against her resulted in a pile-on from his millions of followers, and the personal information of her children being exposed online.

"He issued a dog-whistle to 181 million users around the globe, which resulted in death threats directed at me, which resulted in doxxing of my family members, including my three children, so I think with great power comes with great responsibility," the commissioner said.

"Targeting a regulator who is here to protect the citizens of Australia is really beyond the pale, but it's not surprising [from Mr Musk]."

In Question Time, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton both condemned the threats directed at Ms Inman-Grant.

"The government backs our regulators, and we back the eSafety Commissioner, particularly in light of the reprehensible threats to her physical safety, and the threats to her family, in the course of doing her job," Ms Rowland said.

"Julie Inman-Grant is one of the finest public servants in the employment of the Commonwealth of Australia," Mr Dutton said. "And the treatment and the personal abuse and attacks that she has been subject to, the threats and intimidation, should be absolutely condemned."

Ms Inman-Grant said she would not be cowed, and other litigation against X would continue.

The commissioner said she would now focus her efforts on those matters and an independent review of her removal notice issued to X by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-05/esafety-elon-musk-x-church-stabbing-videos-court-case/103937152

https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/statement-from-the-esafety-commissioner-re-federal-court-proceedings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KfdNs2ISW4

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1798223581668896817

US, 'Five Eyes' allies warn China recruiting Western military trainers

Jonathan Landay and Michael Martina - June 6, 2024

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. and other "Five Eyes" countries on Wednesday warned that China has been circumventing measures aimed at halting its recruitment of current and former Western military pilots and other personnel to train the Chinese military.

"Western recruits who train the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) may increase the risk of future conflict by reducing our deterrence capabilities," said a public bulletin issued by the U.S., British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand intelligence services.

The notice is the latest warning by the English-speaking "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance about rising concerns with Chinese government-directed espionage, cyber hacking and intellectual property theft as Beijing's growing might has roiled relations with Washington and its allies.

China's embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The PLA is using private companies in South Africa and China to hire former fighter pilots, flight engineers and air operations center personnel from Western countries to train its Air Force and Navy aviators, the services said in the notice.

"The PLA wants the skills and expertise of these individuals to make its own military air operations more capable while gaining insight into Western air tactics, techniques, and procedures," the notice said.

It said the efforts represented a "persistent, adaptive threat," with the insight gleaned by the PLA a threat to "U.S. and allied security."

EXOTIC AIRCRAFT

In one high-profile case, former U.S. Marine pilot Daniel Duggan is fighting extradition from Australia on U.S. charges of training Chinese military pilots through a South African flight school in how to land on aircraft carriers.

Duggan, a naturalized Australian citizen, faces U.S. charges including money laundering and breaking arms control law. He denies the allegations.

Personnel are often contacted through headhunting emails or personal acquaintances from the military, or by privately owned companies with hidden ties to the PLA, the notice said.

The Five Eyes agencies asked people to guard against such offers, which they said often entail promises of lucrative salaries or excessive flattery, and to report any attempts to the FBI or military investigators in their countries.

One official from the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), speaking on condition of anonymity, said the governments issued the warning at this time because China "has been adapting" to countermeasures aimed at thwarting recruitment.

Western pilots have been lured into training Chinese pilots by "tons of money" and opportunities "to fly really exotic" Chinese aircraft, said a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that the Chinese military had recruited at least five former pilots from New Zealand and some 30 from Britain, as well as former pilots from Germany and other countries.

The U.S. Commerce Department last year sanctioned more than a dozen companies in China, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the U.K, and the United Arab Emirates for their roles in recruiting Western military talent for PLA aviation training.

The U.S. official said the Test Flying Academy of South Africa is "one of the biggest companies" that has been hiring Western former military pilots to train Chinese pilots and has continued doing so despite U.S. sanctions.

The company did not respond immediately to Reuters' request for comment.

In a statement on its website last year, the company said it "does not provide any classified military training, nor train frontline pilots, and all training is based on open-source material or material provided by clients."

It has said it operates with the approval of South African government agencies, does not employ U.S. nationals and had terminated the employment of British nationals following "legal challenges in the U.K. in 2023."

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-five-eyes-allies-warn-china-recruiting-western-military-trainers-2024-06-05/

https://www.dni.gov/index.php/ncsc-newsroom/3832-fvey-partners-warn-of-evolving-efforts-to-recruit-current-and-former-western-service-members-to-bolster-the-prc-s-military

https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/products/Safeguarding_Our_Military_Expertise.pdf

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 6, 2024, 4:14 a.m. No.20976380 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8386

>>20969930

eSafety chief Julie Inman Grant pushes powers to ban tech giants from local advertising cash and data

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JUNE 5, 2024

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is pushing for “business disruption powers” restricting advertising revenue and siphoning of Australians’ personal data as punishment for tech companies that breach online safety rules.

After abandoning her Federal Court case to remove videos of the Wakeley terrorist stabbing from Elon Musk’s social media platform X, Ms Inman Grant warned that the 2021 Online Safety Act had been “leapfrogged” by overseas jurisdictions.

Ms Inman Grant, who has been the country’s online safety tsar for more than seven years, said Australia’s enforcement powers and penalties must be on par with domestic and global regulators.

As the Albanese government reviews the Online Safety Act, Ms Inman Grant said “we should be looking at business disruption powers”.

“Why should these companies that aren’t abiding by our laws be monetising our citizens’ personal data and taking our advertising funds? This is where we need to look, particularly with the more recalcitrant players,” she told The Australian.

“If a company did not comply with our laws, Australian advertisers shouldn’t be giving them money. They shouldn’t be able to siphon our personal data and monetise it.”

Ms Inman Grant, who has overseen staff growth from 35 to 210 and is scheduled to finish her term in 2027, said withdrawing her Federal Court action against X was “strategic” as the watchdog manages multiple litigations in the courts and Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

“The decisions made are beyond the boundaries of one lawsuit or one set of litigation. As the commissioner, I have to make prudent decisions about responsible use of public funds but also responsible use of my investigative and legal resources,” she said.

Ms Inman Grant said since the Online Safety Act passed under the Coalition, the EU and Britain now had stronger powers under their Digital Services Act and Online Safety Bill, which includes fines “along the margins of 10 per cent of overall revenue and turnover”.

“I think that would carry a lot more weight. If you look at the Online Safety Bill (in the UK), they have a range of powers if there is lack of compliance with some of their hard-hitting rules.

“I’m not sure I agree with the idea of jailing executives … X Corp has removed all of their executives here. The reason I have a concern about that is the local Meta, Microsoft and Google people are also here to represent the interests of Australians and pushback on their corporate headquarters.”

Ms Inman Grant said Australian agencies were working closely with the White House and would support congress taking decisive action around online safety and preventing the hosting and distribution of illegal content, including child sex abuse and violent extremism material, in the US.

“We’re working very closely with the US right now on a global partnership to counter child sexual exploitation and maybe we expand that to terrorism content as well.”

After lifting a temporary order for X Corp to hide videos of the western Sydney stabbing, which the platform formerly known as Twitter did not comply with, Federal Court judge Geoffrey Kennett said a global ban was not a “reasonable” step under Australian law because it would be “ignored or disparaged in other countries”.

Amid concerns about freedom of speech and violent online content, Ms Inman Grant said enforcing powers across international jurisdictions was an issue for all countries. “So many governments around the world are focused on how do we rein in the global tech giants, how do we prevent them from causing more damage to our citizens?”

“Maybe this requires a Bretton-Woods of digital disarmament or more of a convention or treaty to work through what we as democratic sovereign nations should expect from US-based companies in terms of complying with our laws and common decency.”

Ms Inman Grant said the AAT case, brought by X, would independently test the “merits” of the eSafety Commissioner’s powers, weaknesses “or where there needs to be further definitions about what removal means and what is sufficient”.

“Our next Federal Court case with X Corp (will) be very significant in that they did not comply with our transparency notice around what they were doing to combat child sex abuse material.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/esafety-commissioner-abandons-court-fight-with-x/news-story/2d50bbd3df645e3b3e4df1575d528265

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 6, 2024, 4:28 a.m. No.20976422 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6430

An abuse victim got $50,000 through the National Redress Scheme. He fought on, and settled for $500,000

Cameron Houston - June 6, 2024

1/2

A victim of historical sexual abuse at the former Bayswater Boys’ Home has reached a $500,000 settlement with the Salvation Army, after receiving just $50,000 under the National Redress Scheme.

The case raises significant concerns about the capacity of the redress scheme to adequately compensate victims of historical abuse. Under the scheme, payments are capped at $150,000 and require recipients to waive their legal rights to sue the organisation involved.

Geoff, who asked for his surname not to be used because he is a victim of sexual assault, was initially sent to the former Baltara Reception Centre in Parkside, in Melbourne’s north-east, which provided accommodation for boys involved in minor offending or who were wards of the state.

He was transferred to the Bayswater Boys’ Home in about 1971, where he was abused by three staff members over almost four years.

Two of the men accused in court documents of the sexual assaults were later jailed after being convicted of assaulting other vulnerable children in their care.

Geoff received a $50,000 payment in 2019 from the National Redress Scheme, which identified the state government and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services as being culpable for the abuse.

“As Baltara Reception Centre no longer exists, the state of Victoria is their representative. I found the Department of Health and Human Services equally responsible,” says NRS correspondence from August 2019.

The decision by the NRS to ignore the abuse that occurred at Bayswater Boys’ Home allowed Geoff to launch a separate civil court action against the Salvation Army in 2022, which was recently settled before trial with a payment of $500,000.

The disparity in payments casts doubt over the ability of the redress scheme to provide fair compensation.

The scheme was created after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and has made average payments of $89,000 to more than 15,000 victims of abuse. The payments are funded by the institutions signed up to the scheme.

However, several victims who have opted to pursue civil action against religious orders and other institutions have recently received multimillion-dollar settlements, or been awarded massive damages payments at trial.

In November, a Supreme Court jury awarded $3.3 million to the victim of paedophile priest Vincent Kiss, after lawyers for the Catholic Church argued the victim should have only received $250,000 in damages for pain and suffering.

The Western Bulldogs were ordered to pay $5.9 million in compensation to a child sex abuse victim last year, when a Supreme Court jury ruled the football club was negligent and failed to stop a former volunteer from preying on boys between 1984 and 1990.

(continued)

>>20976422

2/2

Geoff’s lawyer, Cameron Doig from Arnold Thomas & Becker, accused many institutions responsible for child sexual abuse of supporting the NRS because it saved them money and reduced their exposure to liability for historical wrongdoing.

“The NRS pays vulnerable Australians an average of less than $90,000 for a lifetime of suffering caused by child sexual abuse,” Doig said.

“This is grossly inadequate and takes advantage of applicants’ lack of understanding of their rights. The scheme offered [Geoff] barely 10 per cent of what we were ultimately able to secure as compensation.”

Doig said survivors were required to permanently sign away their rights to sue the institution, similar to the Catholic Church’s contentious redress scheme known as the Melbourne Response, which also caps payments at $150,000.

Geoff, who continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, said the abuse he suffered at Bayswater Boys’ Home had disrupted his ability to form relationships and hold down permanent work.

“I still remember all the details; I can even remember their faces. It’s had a huge impact on my life. I couldn’t shake another man’s hand until I was in my 50s because I just struggled with trust,” he said.

Now 64, Geoff recognises he was fortunate to be able to launch civil action against the Salvation Army, despite already receiving a payment under the NRS. But he said the settlement could never compensate for his lost childhood.

“Even if you got a billion dollars, nothing can make up for what happened during those 3½ years. But it gives me a bit of closure and obviously some financial security.”

A Department of Social Services spokesman defended the redress scheme.

“The average payment amount of $89,000 is significantly higher than the $65,000 estimated by the royal commission,” the spokesman said.

“While the maximum monetary payment may be lower through the redress scheme, it is simpler for survivors to access than through civil litigation. Redress applications are assessed using a lower evidence threshold than civil litigation, meaning timeframes to achieve an outcome are shorter.”

The Salvation Army was previously the subject of an investigation by the Victorian Parliamentary “Betrayal of Trust” Inquiry, which examined how religious and other organisations handled child abuse cases.

In 2013, after that inquiry, the Salvation Army’s own professional standards unit investigated the organisation’s historical responses to child sexual abuse.

The 2015 report from that investigation found the Salvation Army failed at a systemic level to protect children from child sexual abuse and failed to appropriately respond to claims of such sexual abuse.

The royal commission reviewed the Salvation Army’s investigation and went further, finding that by not reporting allegations of child sexual abuse to the police, abuse was effectively concealed and perpetrators protected.

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/an-abuse-victim-got-50-000-through-the-redress-scheme-he-fought-on-and-settled-for-500-000-20240605-p5jjd0.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 7, 2024, 8:24 a.m. No.20983445 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3449

Peter Dutton tells Anthony Albanese: put Adam Bandt’s Greens party last

JOE KELLY and DENNIS SHANAHAN - JUNE 7, 2024

1/2

Peter Dutton has called on Anthony Albanese to reject the anti-Semitism “flourishing within the Greens political party” and put its candidates last on Labor how-to-vote cards at the next election.

After joining the Prime Minister this week in condemning the Greens for “pouring fuel on the fire” of social division and anti-Semitism, the Opposition Leader shifted greater responsibility on to the government for allowing fear to “fester” within the Jewish community.

In an interview with The Australian on the second anniversary of his becoming Opposition Leader, Mr Dutton said protesters chanting hateful slogans – including “from the river to the sea” and promoting “intifada” – had been “allowed to coexist on the Prime Minister’s watch”.

He doubled down on his criticism of the Greens, saying they were an anti-Semitic party – a claim strongly refuted by Adam Bandt – with Mr Dutton branding the minor party leader a “radical … unworthy of public office”.

“I think the Prime Minister should join our commitment to put the Greens last at this election,” Mr Dutton said. “Should the Greens be condemned for encouraging these extremists? Yes. And it is absolutely appropriate to condemn them, and I join the Prime Minister in doing that.”

Mr Dutton warned that Labor could “form government” with the Greens in the event of a hung parliament, demanding in question time the Prime Minister rule out any governing coalition.

“If the Prime Minister has any strength of leadership, the call that he must make is that the Labor Party will preference the Greens last at the next election,” Mr Dutton told The Australian. “Anti-Semitism, for which we should have zero tolerance, is flourishing within the Greens political party and that the Prime Minister could go into minority government with them would make a complete mockery of every statement he has made.”

Pressed in parliament, Mr Albanese said preferences were a matter for the party organisation and Labor would not be “taking lectures from the mob who want to preference One Nation”.

He provided an assurance there were no plans to govern in partnership with the Greens or anyone else, declaring “we seek, as the Australian Labor Party, to govern by ourselves”.

“The Australian Labor Party proudly does not govern in coalition with any political party, nor will we in the future,” he said.

Mr Albanese said the only political coalition was that between the Liberals and Nationals. He said that when it was last in government, the Coalition had “refused to publish” the governing agreement between both parties.

Mr Bandt on Thursday also hit back at the accusations levelled against the minor party, and threatened legal action over claims the Greens were “encouraging” violence at pro-Palestinian protests outside MPs’ offices.

“The Greens condemn anti-Semitism. The Greens condemn Islamophobia. And the Greens condemn the invasion of Gaza,” he said. “They (the government) made a series of outrageous accusations, attempting to link the Greens to certain events that have happened at electorate offices.”

(continued)

>>20983445

2/2

Mr Dutton said he wanted stronger leadership from Mr Albanese, warning that the Prime Minister had taken too soft an approach to demonstrators over several weeks. “I understand the Prime Minister’s passion and desire in wanting to protect MPs and their staff. But … these same people with their hate-filled chants of ‘river to the sea’ and ‘intifada’ have been tolerated for weeks now.

“All of these radicals have been allowed to coexist on the Prime Minister’s watch.

“There are people in the Jewish community now who are living in fear and afraid as they drop their children off at school. And the Prime Minister has allowed that to fester, and allowed these groups to continue on essentially unhindered for months since October.

“In all my quarter of a century in politics I have never seen such fear in the Jewish community, and I don’t think in our lifetime have we seen the fear within a particular segment of our community that we are seeing now.”

Mr Dutton cited former prime minister John Howard’s example in 2000 when he committed the Liberals to putting One Nation last on Liberal how-to-vote cards because of its divisive policies.

Mr Albanese continued his political assault on the Greens in parliament on Thursday, after the minor party’s housing spokesman, Max Chandler-Mather, accused Labor of supporting Israeli company Elbit Systems, which he said was one of the “largest suppliers of the Israeli military as it carries out a genocide in Gaza”.

Mr Chandler-Mather asked why the government would not cancel a $917m contract with Elbit Systems, but Mr Albanese accused him of promoting misinformation.

“It is a fact that there have been no weapons or ammunition exported to Israel in the last five years,” he said. “That information was confirmed in Senate estimates.

“Just this week Defence officials confirmed that recent data published by DFAT referring to the export of arms to Israel in February refers to the export of a single item for the Australian Defence Force that will return to Australia once it’s fixed.

“It is beyond my comprehension why anyone in this place would seek to suggest that Australia were participants in a conflict when we are not … when we have called repeatedly, repeatedly, for a ceasefire.”

The Prime Minister accused the Greens of trying to weaponise the reality that Australia was one of about 18 nations – alongside Norway, Canada and The Netherlands – that operated the F-35 fighter jet and contributed to its global supply chain.

“They seek in a divisive way to raise these issues in order to then weaponise them and cause division in the Australian community,” Mr Albanese said.

Earlier in the day, Labor shut down a parliamentary debate on the Coalition’s push to establish a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses after NSW Liberal MP Julian Leeser attempted to suspend standing orders on Thursday morning to bring on a vote.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/peter-dutton-tells-anthony-albanese-put-adam-bandts-greens-party-last/news-story/f85451d47d372e159ef246f963d837ca

>>20969717

Anthony Albanese’s electorate office ‘targeted’ by Hamas symbol with a ‘history of violence’

ALEXI DEMETRIADI and NOAH YIM - JUNE 6, 2024

Anthony Albanese’s electorate office has been tagged with terror group Hamas’s symbol indicating its Israeli military targets as police across Australia said officers would clamp down on protest activity that spilt into criminality.

The Australian on Wednesday revealed how the Prime Minister had been locked out of his Sydney Grayndler electorate office since January because of a pro-Palestinian encampment on its doorstep amid safety concerns, with the office since plastered with red inverted triangles, used by Hamas and associated with a “history of violence”.

The symbol is used in videos by Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, to illustrate the Israeli targets it intends to fire at.

It has since been embraced by pro-Palestine activists, who use it for both graffiti and at protests.

The symbol predates Hamas but has become intrinsically linked and used by the terror group, a security expert explained.

“It (the symbol) has form: there’s a long history associated with it,” Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s John Coyne said.

“It dates back to old revolutions and can signify the blood lost from those who rebelled against the Ottoman Empire.”

Mr Coyne, ASPI’s head of strategic policing and law enforcement program, said Hamas had used it for years but it had transcended borders and taken on wider popularity with the onset of pro-Palestine protests after October 7. “There’s a certain irony in its usage at protests and people using it,” he said.

“It is not a symbol of peace. It’s very controversial for Israelis and Jewish people, whose usage it upsets deeply.”

Mr Coyne said he doubted many using it at Australia-based protests, particularly at universities, would realise its meaning. “Unlike wearing a keffiyeh and saying you’re supporting peace, it’s not the case with this,” he said. “That’s how the symbol has been adopted, but many people I don’t think understand its significance or association with violence.”

Lebanese Muslim community leader Jamal Rifi agreed, saying Hamas’s military wing routinely used the symbol in its videos to showcase which Israeli targets it was about to destroy.

“That was where it originated, but it’s become a ‘trendy’ symbol for a lot of people,” he said.

While not condoning its usage or those who graffitied the Prime Minister’s office, Dr Rifi, a leading voice on social cohesion, said Mr Albanese had become a nonviolent target for protesters.

It comes as concerns were raised in federal parliament about the escalating disruption of, and graffiti on, electorate offices.

State and territory police said each force would respect peaceful protests but would investigate those that spilt into criminality.

“If police detect or receive reports of offences being committed under any act, they are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said any activity “must be conducted lawfully, respectfully and peacefully”, while NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the state force “closely monitored protest activity”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albaneses-electorate-office-targeted-by-hamas-symbol-with-a-history-of-violence/news-story/9777a77456f6ded05e13c49cfd4153ff

>>20937501

NZ upset by Giles decision to replace ‘direction 99’ rule on deporting criminals

Matthew Knott - June 7, 2024

New Zealand has expressed its disappointment at a new direction that will lower the threshold to deport foreign criminals from Australia as the Albanese government seeks to regain control over the troubled immigration portfolio.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles released a new rule – known as “direction 110” – on Friday morning to replace the previous “direction 99” which was blamed for dozens of convicted criminals being released into the community rather than returned to their country of citizenship.

The federal opposition quickly attacked the government for not going far enough, saying it should have toughened the direction’s language even further to ensure that as many former criminals as possible are removed from the country.

Giles, who has faced ferocious attacks and calls to resign from the opposition, said the new direction would instruct administrative review officials to prioritise the “protection of the Australian community and common sense” when making their decisions.

“The new revised direction will make crystal clear that the Australian government expects community protection to be given greater weight when it comes to visa decisions,” Giles said of the new direction, which will take effect on June 21.

“It makes it clear that the safety of the Australian community is the Albanese government's highest priority and includes this as a key principle of the decision-making framework.

“It also elevates the impact on victims of family violence and their families into one of the existing primary considerations, reflecting the government’s zero-tolerance approach to domestic and family violence.”

Asked by a New Zealand journalist whether the new policy was a “betrayal of New Zealand”, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that “we regret the decision Australia has made”, while noting the country was allowed to set its own immigration rules.

“It’s just not right that people with no connection to New Zealand are deported to New Zealand,” Luxon said on Friday.

“We need to monitor the implementation of it.

“I note that prime minister Albanese has also assured me that a common-sense approach will continue to apply.”

Luxon has campaigned on reducing crime in New Zealand and cracking down on criminal gang activity.

The new direction still says decision makers must consider the impact on a non-citizen’s family members and their connection to Australia when deciding whether they should be deported for committing a crime.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said that “this new Direction 110 doesn’t give much change in circumstance at all, and it will still give rise to the sort of outcomes that we’ve seen in allowing these people to stay in our community”.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said he had “no confidence” the new direction would keep Australians safe “because it continues to have ties to the Australian community as a primary consideration and that will leave the [Administrative Appeals Tribunal] to make decisions like they have been before”.

“What the government should have done is gone back to the old direction under the previous government that had ties to the Australian community as a secondary consideration [and] that put community safety first,” he said.

Giles refused to say whether he had made a mistake with the previous direction, saying: “I’m taking responsibility for putting in place a direction that sends a clear signal to decision makers and the Australian community about how they should go about making these decisions.”

Giles said he had discussed the change with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who said last week he was concerned that the new direction would lead to the mass return of Kiwi criminals with little connection to the country.

The Coalition has blamed Labor for dozens of decisions by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that cited direction 99 as a factor in letting applicants stay in Australia despite decisions by the Department of Home Affairs to deport them because of their criminal convictions.

A key concern about direction 99, which Giles signed in January last year, was that it made the “strength, nature and duration of ties to Australia” a primary consideration in visa decisions, unlike earlier directions under the Coalition.

Giles last week said the government was using drones to track released detainees, a claim he later retracted.

“I’ve been clear in the parliament that I relied on information provided by my department and I clarified that,” Giles said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/giles-replaces-direction-99-in-attempt-to-regain-control-of-immigration-20240607-p5jk0p.html

>>20955115

War over Taiwan would change world, says Australia ambassador to US Kevin Rudd

Kirsty Needham - June 7, 2024

June 6 (Reuters) - Australia's ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, cautioned in a speech that the global consequences of a war over Taiwan would be as great as the impact of the Second World War, making the world "a radically different place".

If Chinese President Xi Jinping, who turns 71 this month, wanted to achieve "final national unification" with Taiwan he would likely act in the next decade before he reaches his 80s, Rudd said in a speech in Honolulu on Thursday.

"We would be foolish to ignore the increasing clarity of China's military signalling, including the pattern of its most recent military exercises," said Rudd, who was twice Australia's prime minister in the previous decade.

Whether China acts will depend on its perception of the strength of U.S. deterrence, he said.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.

The United States has expressed concern about Chinese military activity near Taiwan, including after the island's presidential election and the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te last month. China has warned the U.S. should not interfere in China's affairs with Taiwan.

Taiwan and the United States have no official diplomatic relationship, as Washington formally recognises Beijing but is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and is the island's most important international backer.

The United States recognized that if China was successful in annexing Taiwan it would impact U.S. credibility and have "profound, and potentially irreversible effect on the perceived reliability of U.S. alliances worldwide", Rudd said.

The United States, China and Taiwan have a common interest in avoiding open military confrontation on the future of Taiwan, said Rudd, a China scholar who was president of the Asia Society in New York until last year.

"The economic costs, domestic political impacts, and unknowable geo-strategic consequences that such a war would generate would likely be of an order of magnitude that we have not seen since the Second World War," he said.

"Whatever the outcome (an American victory, a Chinese victory, or a bloody stalemate), the world is likely to become a radically different place after such a war than it was before."

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/war-over-taiwan-would-change-world-says-australia-ambassador-us-kevin-rudd-2024-06-07/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 7, 2024, 9:12 a.m. No.20983654 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8450

>>20950665

Former CDC chief Dr Robert Redfield has blasted Covid-19 vaccine mandates, lockdowns as a ‘terrible mistake’.

ADAM CREIGHTON - JUNE 7, 2024

Robert Redfield, the former head of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said mandating Covid-19 vaccine was a “terrible decision” and lockdowns and school closures were a “big mistake”.

Dr Redfield, an esteemed virologist who led the CDC from 2018 to 2021, said the pharmaceutical giants had a “huge influence” over convincing governments that everyone including children should be coerced into being vaccinated and boosted during the pandemic.

“We absolutely never should have mandated vaccines, it was a terrible decision … the rationale for mandating vaccines for healthy firefighters and policemen, those in the military, hospital workers, teachers, was emotional, it shouldn’t have happened,” he said in an interview with Chris Cuomo published on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

Dr Redfield, 72, said the Covid-19 vaccines, which the Biden administration tried to mandate for all workers in late 2021, worked to prevent serious illness and death for vulnerable, older patients “over 65” but weren’t suitable for healthy young people, didn’t prevent transmission and wore off after six months at most.

“If you came down and visited me and interviewed my patients, you’d interview patient after patient that did not have Covid, but are very sick, long covid patients, and it’s all from the vaccine,” he added, in comments that would have been censored on social media and censured publicly during the pandemic.

A ‘v-safe’ survey by the CDC released in late 2022 found 7.7 per cent of around a million American recipients sought medical attention after their Covid-19 vaccination. Western Australian data published last year found the Covid-19 vaccines, which were lauded as safe and effective, caused injuries at 24 times the rate of other approved vaccines.

“I remember Biden saying, you know, this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. … I was saying, wait a minute, two thirds of the people that I’m seeing infected in Maryland have been vaccinated, these vaccines don’t last”.

Dr Redfield, who continues to practise medicine privately in Maryland, was sidelined in 2020 for suggesting SARS-Cov2, the virus that causes Covid-19, might have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology rather than ‘spilt over’ from the animal kingdom naturally, a theory that’s since become more credible.

In a one-hour interview with Mr Cuomo, whose brother Andrew Cuomo as New York governor became the face of tough Covid-19 mandates in 2020, Dr Redfield said countries “made a big mistake and paid a big price” by locking down their societies for months, on and off for up to two years.

“You know, I’m not sure people will accept responsibility, those people that really pushed it, because it was unfortunate, it was emotional,” he said. “There’s no question there was overreach,

Following China’s example, most governments imposed lockdowns from March 2020, lasting well into 2021 in some jurisdictions, unprecedented policies that triggered massive public borrowing, record unemployment, inflation, social unrest and permanent learning loss, in the US at least, for students from low-income families.

“I was very much against closing schools, I thought the kids were probably safer in schools, most kids were getting infected in the community and from the dinner table, not from the school, a lot of that was emotionalism with teachers,” he said.

Dr Redfield’s interview emerged a few days after Dr Anthony Fauci, president Joe Biden’s former top Covid-19 adviser, admitted in widely reported congressional testimony that the ‘lab leak theory’ was no longer a conspiracy theory and pandemic measures should “consider the balance” of costs and benefits next time.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/former-cdc-chief-dr-robert-redfield-has-blasted-covid19-vaccine-mandates-lockdowns-as-a-terrible-mistake/news-story/ecc446107b54bb8db1d3a99ede4314dd

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 8, 2024, 7:12 a.m. No.20988386 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6625

>>20969930

>>20976380

Musk’s X in fresh legal stoush with Australia’s e-safety commission

STEVE ZEMEK - JUNE 8, 2024

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner will take on Elon Musk’s X Corp in court later this year after it issued the social media giant with a six-figure fine, a court has heard,

eSafety in December last year announced that it had commenced civil proceedings in the Federal Court against X Corp relating to its response to a “transparency notice”.

In a statement, eSafety said the notice required the company to explain how it was “meeting the Basic Online Safety Expectations in relation to child sexual exploitation and abuse material”.

eSafety has alleged that X Corp “failed to respond or failed to respond truthfully and accurately to certain questions” and issued the company with a $615,500 infringement notice.

X Corp is separately seeking judicial review of the infringement notice and has launched proceedings which will run alongside the case launched by the eSafety Commissioner.

In a concise statement filed in the Federal Court, eSafety says it issued the notice to Twitter in February 2023, before the social media company merged with Musk’s X Corp - which is incorporated in Nevada in the United States - in March last year.

The case relates to the company’s response in March 2023, which was said to be from Twitter Inc, which did not exist by that time.

eSafety argues in its concise statement that although the notice was initially issued to Twitter Inc, X Corp was capable of responding to the notice.

X Corp is defending the case, with the court hearing on Friday that two legal experts will be called when the matter goes to hearing later this year.

The court heard the case would hinge on how foreign regulatory obligations are treated under Nevada law.

The matter will return to court later this year

Earlier this week, X had a big legal win over the eSafety Commissioner, which announced it had dropped its battle with the social media company relating to its refusal to remove videos of a stabbing attack on a Sydney bishop.

The eSafety Commission was attempting to force X to remove videos of footage of an alleged terror attack in which Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed during a live-streamed sermon.

X Corp initially agreed to “geoblock” the content, which restricted local access, but claimed the Australian government lacked authority to force a global ban.

Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant Inman Grant announced on Wednesday that those proceedings would be discontinued.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/musks-x-in-fresh-legal-stoush-with-australias-esafety-commission/news-story/296507722434370fe1daf78a0f9acf46

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 9, 2024, 3:09 a.m. No.20993031 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8398

Labor blasts Peter Dutton’s threat to withdraw from 2030 climate targets

ELEANOR CAMPBELL - JUNE 9, 2024

Energy Minister Chris Bowen says Peter Dutton’s vow to axe Australia’s 2030 climate emissions target would be a “wrecking ball” for the country’s relationships with its key foreign partners.

The Opposition Leader has said if he wins the next federal election, he would scrap Labor’s legislated target for 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and focus on nuclear energy to reach net zero by 2050.

The decision would place Australia at odds with its legally binding targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement, where nearly 200 countries committed to their own plans to reduce planet-warming emissions.

Mr Bowen said a weakened climate emissions goal could leave the nation out of step with Pacific Island states and a significant portion of the international community.

“I’m not going to speak on behalf of Pacific leaders, but if Australia was to leave the Paris Accord I think the Pacific would have very, very strong views indeed,” he told reporters.

“It’s not just about the Pacific. You look at what’s happening in our region, you look at the partnerships in Australia is engaged in with United States, and climate and energy is the third pillar of our alliance. You look at what we’re doing with Germany on green hydrogen.

“Peter Dutton would be a wrecking ball, a risky wrecking ball when it comes to our foreign policy.”

Under the Paris Agreement countries excluding Iran, Libya and Yemen vowed to limit the rise in the earth’s average global temperatures “well below” 2 degrees and make an effort to stay at 1.5 degree Celsius.

Scientists have warned that if global temperatures were to exceed that level dangers from severe floods, wildfires, drought and heatwaves could become unmanageable.

When elected in 2022, Labor leader Anthony Albanese enshrined into law an emissions cut target of 43 per cent by 2030, up from the former Coalition government’s 26-28 per cent.

Mr Dutton in an interview with the Weekend Australian on Saturday argued there was “no sense” in signing up to the target which he claimed was unachievable.

Despite current projections indicating that Australia has fallen short of the 43 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, Mr Bowen insisted it was still achievable.

He said cabinet would consider advice from the Climate Change Authority on the upcoming 2035 emissions target under the Paris agreement “in due course”.

“We’re obliged to put in our NDC by February. We’ll certainly comply with that,” he said.

The state governments of NSW, Victoria and Queensland have each already set a 2035 target of at least 70 per cent.

Speaking on Sunday, opposition communications spokesman David Coleman said the party would reveal its alternative to the federal government’s 2030 climate target in due course.

“We’re committed to the Paris Agreement and committed to net zero by 2050 and will have more to about targets well in advance of the election,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/labor-blasts-peter-duttons-threat-to-withdraw-from-2030-climate-targets/news-story/0d735a8a66e728e8fd1f6c66f6ffd12c

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 9, 2024, 3:18 a.m. No.20993059 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4539

Bandt challenges Labor to sanction Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘extreme war cabinet’

TRICIA RIVERA - JUNE 9, 2024

Greens leader Adam Bandt has challenged Labor to punish Israel’s “extreme war cabinet” and has told the pro-Palestine camp that the Albanese government is attempting to slander them.

After coming under fire this week from both Labor and the Opposition and threatening to sue Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Mr Bandt took to the stage at a Free Palestine rally in Melbourne to demand the Albanese government slap Benjamin Netanyahu’s government with sanctions, expel the Israeli ambassador, and cut a contract with weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.

He also called on the Prime Minister to join South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Criminal Court, and ensure F-35 fighter jet parts are not used “in acts of aggression”.

“Our government could have recognised Palestine, our government could … in the last 35 weeks, have put sanctions on this extreme war cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu that is now subject to court orders to stop genocide,” Mr Bandt told the hundreds of activists on Sunday afternoon.

“If you (the Albanese government) think there’s been some misrepresentation of your position … then turn up next week at a press conference and announce that the government will recognise Palestine.”

He said until Labor met their demands, people would continue to “peacefully and powerfully” hold them to account.

Mr Bandt’s comments came after Anthony Albanese last Wednesday took aim at pro-Palestine supporters targeting the electorate offices of MPs, and claimed the demonstrators had been whipped-up by Greens MPs who had “consciously and deliberately” spread misinformation about the government’s position on the Middle East war.

“The other strategy that (the government) are deploying at the moment is to slander all of you, and say that not only are you misinformed, but that somehow what you’re doing is wrong or even in the words of our Prime Minister, has no place in a democracy,” Mr Bandt told the rally.

“We all know that there is no place for violence against people, against politicians, against the people who work for them or against their offices. We all know that. What we are pushing for is peace.”

On the rescue of four hostages held in Central Gaza, Mr Bandt told The Australian that all hostages should be freed.

Gaza officials said 210 Palestinians were killed in the Israel Defense Forces rescue operation in al-Nuseirat.

“All the political prisoners should be released, and I hope that the government will also make comment on the reported one-to-two hundred Palestinians who have been killed over this period as well,” Mr Bandt said.

“We need an immediate ceasefire now, our government still continues to put conditions on its call for a ceasefire.

“The Labor government needs to put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s extreme war cabinet otherwise this horror will continue.”

The rally MC introduced Mr Bandt by speaking of the “ludicrous claims” against the progressive minor party “by our Prime Minister cry baby Albanese” and “fascist Dutton”.

“It is these cronies that are actually spreading misinformation. It is the so-called members of Labor and Liberal parties that are the evil ones,” she said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said there were “tears of joy” in Jewish households at the news the Israeli hostages had been rescued.

He blamed Hamas for the Palestinian lives lost as a result of the mission.

“I don’t view it as a trade, I view it as a tragedy. It’s a tragedy entirely from Hamas’ choosing,” the ECAJ boss said.

“No doubt civilian casualties will occur. They’re a tragedy. But this is the war that we’re in. This is the situation that Hamas has chosen.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bandt-challenges-labor-to-sanction-benjamin-netanyahus-extreme-war-cabinet/news-story/b15f9e9ca39ffe4041be29ff9b636de2

>>20937517

Labor to pick first Palestinian Australian to replace veteran MP

Paul Sakkal - June 9, 2024

The first Palestinian-Australian federal politician is likely to be installed in place of a veteran Labor MP, providing a new voice for the government in its ferocious political dispute with the Greens over the conflict in Gaza.

Maria Vamvakinou, one of the party’s most sympathetic Palestinian supporters, told this masthead she had informed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese she would end her 23-year-long political career at the next federal election.

Basem Abdo, a communications specialist, has won the support of key Socialist Left figures, including Vamvakinou. Preselection for the seat will take place later this year, but Abdo’s backing from the Socialist Left means he is poised to replace the veteran MP.

Born in Kuwait to parents from a village in the occupied West Bank, Abdo’s family sought refuge in Jordan during the Gulf War before migrating to Australia in 1991.

Labor sources said Abdo had been a mature and conciliatory voice during a heated factional dispute over the wording of a motion on the Middle East conflict at last month’s Victorian Labor conference.

Abdo told this masthead his father had “left Palestine as a result of the 1967 war and my family has lived through displacement. My grandparents died living under occupation.

“We need to see the advancement of justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people, and their right to self-determination. Advancing peace can only come about through the application of justice and international law,” he said.

Vamvakinou said Abdo would be a formidable voice in parliament as a person with genuine understanding of the community of Calwell, where he lives. Abdo has been working in Vamvakinou’s office in recent years.

“Calwell has grown remarkably in the ensuing years and continues to write the history of contemporary multicultural Australia, a focus which has guided and informed my work over the years,” she said.

About a quarter of voters in the outer-Melbourne seat are Muslim, according to the 2021 census. Labor insiders fear a backlash among some Muslim and other, largely left-wing, voters sympathetic to the Palestinian cause in multicultural seats and inner-city progressive ones.

Labor suffered significant swings against it in working-class Melbourne and Sydney seats at the previous election, including a 10 per cent primary vote drop in Calwell, which is now held by a 12 per cent margin.

A fierce debate erupted in federal parliament last week when Labor and the Coalition berated the Greens for lending support to pro-Palestinian activists who have targeted federal MPs and vandalised electoral office.

Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the government of being complicit in the Israeli invasion of Gaza after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton blamed the Greens for encouraging the protests.

Labor senator Fatima Payman quit an internal party committee last week, in a further sign of the West Australian’s isolation within the government following her comments on Gaza. She had earlier stepped down from two parliamentary foreign affairs committees following a rebuke from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the first-term senator used the controversial phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Labor sources said Abdo, as well as being a broadly well-credentialed candidate, would be able to authoritatively counter what they described as false Greens claims that Labor has sided with Israel in its military response to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.

Even before the war in Gaza created tension between Labor and an Arab diaspora that has long backed the party, senior party figures raised the alarm about a lack of culturally diverse candidates in seats with large migrant populations.

The Socialist Left faction in Victoria has not selected a culturally diverse MP since Vamvakinou entered parliament in 2001.

Before the Gaza conflict, Bandt said his focus was on winning the Labor seat of Macnamara to add to the Greens’ tally of four federal seats. But recently the party has shifted focus to Wills, which has a large Muslim population and is the heart of the left-wing pro-Palestine protest movement in Melbourne.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-pick-first-palestinian-australian-to-replace-veteran-mp-20240609-p5jkbx.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 10, 2024, 2:22 a.m. No.20998305 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8311

>>20983586

Australia PM condemns graffiti attack on US consulate in Sydney

Sam McKeith - June 10, 2024

SYDNEY, June 10 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese on Monday condemned vandalism of the U.S. consulate in Sydney after the building was defaced in what local media said appeared to be a pro-Palestinian protest.

The building in the northern suburbs of Australia's largest city was attacked and sprayed with paint by a person carrying a small sledgehammer at around 3 a.m. local time on Monday.

"I would just say that people should have respectful political debate and discourse," Albanese said in a televised media conference from Canberra when asked about the incident.

"Measures such as painting the U.S. Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is of course a crime to damage property," he added.

Nine windows of the consulate were damaged and the building's door was graffitied, police said.

"CCTV has been sourced that shows a person wearing a dark coloured hoodie with their face obscured carrying what appears to be a small sledgehammer," a police spokesperson told Reuters by phone.

A spokesperson for the U.S. consulate confirmed the building had been damaged but said staff and operations were unaffected.

"Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police are investigating the incident," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Photos of the consulate on the website of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper showed inverted red triangles sprayed on the building's front. The symbol is used by some pro-Palestinian activists, it reported.

The same building was sprayed with graffiti in April, while the U.S. consulate in Melbourne was graffitied by pro-Palestine activists in May, according to the newspaper.

Long a stalwart ally of Israel, Australia has become increasingly critical of its conduct in Gaza, where an Australian aid worker was killed in an Israeli attack earlier this year.

Last month, camps sprang up at universities in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and other Australian cities protesting Israel's war in Gaza and claiming the Australian government has not done enough to push for peace.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australia-pm-condemns-graffiti-attack-us-consulate-sydney-2024-06-10/

>>20983586

>>20998305

NSW Premier Chris Minns blasts ‘reprehensible’ US consulate damage, warns of rising anti-Semitism

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 10, 2024

NSW Premier Chris Minns has warned of “rising anti-Semitism” across the state as he slams “reprehensible” damage to the United States consulate, which was smashed and tagged with Hamas symbols on Monday morning.

The North Sydney consulate, on Miller St, was left with nine hammer holes and two red inverted triangles, commonly used by Hamas in propaganda videos to identify the Israeli targets it seeks to destroy.

NSW Police has said it’s investigating the incident, and that CCTV footage captured a hooded person holding a small sledgehammer.

Mr Minns said the incident alienated the “overwhelming majority of Australians”.

“It (the damage) is a criminal act and you’ll be charged by police,” Mr Minns said.

“It’s not the kind of public debate the overwhelming majority of Australians want to have … no one wants to see violence or malicious damage, and I think it’s reprehensible.”

Mr Minns also made a clear warning against rising anti-Semitism in NSW, something he said was “regrettable”.

“I particularly want to say vilification of the Jewish community … anti-Semitism in NSW is on the rise,” he told reporters on Monday.

“That (anti-Semitism) is a shameful and regrettable event, and we need to make sure that we’ve got the laws in place to keep pace with contemporary events.”

The premier also lamented the “coarsening” of public debate and damage to electorate officers, urging people to make their point “without resorting to violence or malicious damage”.

“There’s a level of arrogance (of) occupying or preventing other constituents from seeing a local member of parliament, or even damaging a public building like the US consulate,” Mr Minns said.

“In the long run it probably does more damage to your cause by disrupting public life … It is malicious, often violent and it’s not what we want.”

Earlier on Monday, Anthony Albanese said it was “not the Australian way” and urged for tensions to be cooled.

“People should have respectful political debate and discourse that is in everyone’s interest,” the Prime Minister said.

“I reiterate my call to turn the heat down … measures such as painting the US consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is a crime.”

Hamas’ red triangle symbol has been used often by pro-Palestine activists in recent months, who tagged Mr Albanese’s electorate office with it last week.

Mr Minns also touched on NSW recording its first conviction under the state’s hate-speech laws, enclosed in section 93Z of the crimes act.

“Hate-speech laws, vilification laws in NSW are serious, they’re strong and they’ll be applied,” he said.

On Friday, in the first successful conviction since the offences 2018 enactment, an Indian man had an appeal to quash a 93Z conviction dismissed after his involvement in threats and a brawl in southwest Sydney in mid-2020.

“This is the first conviction and my government made a decision to allow police more authority and discretion to charge people with these offences,” Mr Minns said.

“Everybody has got a responsibility to ensure that when you live in NSW, there are obligations to not vilify and not incite hatred within our community.”

The US consulate is closed today for the King’s Birthday public holiday.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said officers were attending and investigating.

“Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command were called to Miller St after a person damaged nine windows with a hammer shortly after 3am today,” she said.

“Graffiti was also painted on the door.

“Police have sourced CCTV following a canvass of the area which shows a person wearing a dark-coloured hoodie – with their face obscured – carrying what appears to be a small sledgehammer.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nsw-premier-chris-minns-blasts-reprehensible-us-consulate-damage-warns-of-rising-antisemitism/news-story/47ded51bd8a6546542c4e195447215e7

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 10, 2024, 2:48 a.m. No.20998335 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8337

‘My heart burns, my blood boils’: Houli’s vow to speak up on Gaza suffering after King’s Birthday award

Michael Gleeson - June 9, 2024

1/2

Three-time Richmond premiership player and Muslim community leader Bachar Houli says he feels conflicted about receiving a King’s Birthday Honour while the Israel-Hamas war continues and that his blood boils at the suffering of innocent people in Gaza.

Houli has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Islamic community, multiculturalism and Australian rules football. The 36-year-old former AFL champion used the occasion to urge the federal government to push harder for a ceasefire.

“The conflict that is happening around the world, particularly in Gaza, is affecting us, mate, and this recognition for me is quite hard at this given time,” said Houli, who retired from football in 2021.

“But the reality is this is not about me; it is about celebrating what the community has contributed to my life and doing our best to celebrate it while there is so much bad stuff happening around the world which nobody prays for. Everyone prays for peace, everyone prays for happiness, and that’s exactly what I hope for.”

Since October 7, when Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into southern Israel, killed 1200 Jews and took some 250 hostages, Hamas officials say more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed.

The Albanese government has called for a humanitarian ceasefire “so civilian life can be protected”, for the release of all Israeli hostages by Hamas, and for Israel to allow aid to flow into Gaza.

“They are his [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s] words, and hopefully, he sticks by that; that’s all our community and the wider community asks for,” Houli said.

“My culture, my background is Lebanese, and they are Palestinians, but the reality is we have something in common. That is that they are my brothers and sisters in faith, and my heart burns, my blood boils. The fact is that so many innocent people, civilians, are suffering as a result of this.”

Houli was the first devout Muslim to play top-level AFL when he was drafted to Essendon in 2006. He became a hero for the Tigers as an important player in the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premiership sides, and used his profile to advance understanding of Islam.

He created the Bachar Houli Foundation, a non-profit organisation run in collaboration with, and out of offices at, Richmond Football Club. The foundation gives about 5000 young Muslims each year the opportunity to participate in organised sport.

The retired footballer was criticised last October for reposting to social media a pro-Palestine video that he deleted several hours later after it was explained to him it had caused offence as it included factually incorrect information.

Houli said the incident had made him feel “sick in the guts because my intention was to create awareness”.

(continued)

>>20998335

2/2

He is not the only sporting figure to have run into controversy while trying to make public statements about the conflict in the Middle East.

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja was blocked from displaying a dove on his shoe and bat by the International Cricket Council last summer because the message was deemed too political, and instead opted to wear shoes bearing the names of his two daughters.

Houli said he did not consider himself a political person but vowed to continue to raise awareness of the suffering in Gaza.

“It’s not rocket science what’s happening around the world,” he said. “It’s out there and thank god for social media today, the fact that what we’re seeing today is what has been happening for a long, long time.

“I just looked at this thing from [soccer champion] Cristiano Ronaldo as well. He said, ‘I stand with you, with the Gaza kids.’ We need role models out there to continue to raise awareness. And once again, it comes back to peace.

“So if people want to look at it as otherwise, then you need to think twice and you need to really evaluate your thoughts and opinions because that’s what we asked for. That’s what we ask for. We ask for peace and happiness around the world, and we don’t want to see anyone suffer as a result,” Houli said.

“I personally want to continue to raise awareness, purely just say peace. I urge the Australian government and people in positions of power just to do their best to put a stop to this.

“That’s it, no message of hate. I’ve been always on the front foot working with our Jewish brothers and sisters. We’ve had interfaith programs and I’m the No.1 advocate for that and I will continue to be that, but we’re seeing what’s unfolding is affecting us all [and] I mean everyone.

“When you see innocent kids starved to death or women dying as a result, at the end of the day it’s humanity and that is all I stand for, and I will continue to stand for that no matter what faith or culture you belong to.”

Houli has established his own independent senior secondary school, the Islamic College of Sport, for young athletes in Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs who might not fit in at other Islamic or mainstream schools.

“It is for kids who traditional academia was not for them but at the same time [are] being told by numerous Islamic schools you have to find another avenue in life or another school to continue your pathway,” he said.

“This is something I would have craved as a young man. I was pretty smart at school but far more into my sport than education, and for me this would have been ideal.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/my-heart-burns-my-blood-boils-houli-s-vow-to-speak-up-on-gaza-suffering-after-king-s-birthday-award-20240606-p5jjr7.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 10, 2024, 3:07 a.m. No.20998353 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1999

Vandals behead King George V statue in Melbourne on King’s Birthday

Najma Sambul - June 10, 2024

A statue of King George V has been beheaded and covered in red paint in Melbourne’s CBD in the latest attack by activists on colonial monuments in Victoria.

Police were called to the King George V statue in Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue, near the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, just after 9am on Monday.

Victoria and most other states in Australia held a public holiday on Monday to observe King Charles III’s birthday.

“It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument,” a police spokesman said in a statement.

In a 54-second video posted to X by the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance account @akaWACA, a group of people deface the statue as the song God Save the Queen by UK punk rock band the Sex Pistols plays.

One person, wearing a fluorescent green high-vis jacket, uses a power tool to cut off the head of the former British monarch’s statue in the early morning darkness.

As the video continues, a man in a black hoodie spray paints “the colony will fall” on the statue’s plinth, that was already red with paint.

In another shot, the video shows the statue’s head on the floor, with the words “Happy Birthday Motherf-cker” edited over the image.

The account @akaWACA did not claim responsibility for the act but did caption the video.

“We’ve been sent a birthday greeting for his majesty. Happy birthday mofo! #thecolonywillfall #landback #freepalestine From the river to the sea #alwayswasalwayswillbe,” the group wrote.

Some X users celebrated the statue’s demise, and one user wrote: “Down with all empires”.

A spokesman for the City of Melbourne said the council was aware of the “alleged incident of vandalism” at Kings Domain.

“The incident was reported to Victoria Police and council has covered the damaged statue while we assess the next steps,” the spokesman said.

Other statues have been the target of vandals this year, including a statue of Captain James Cook that was cut at the ankles before it toppled in Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne on February 27.

Another Captain Cook statue in St Kilda’s Jacka Boulevard was also sawn off at the ankles the day before Australia Day. At an Invasion Day rally in Melbourne on Australia Day, protesters cheered when a speaker mentioned that the statue had been damaged.

That same day, a statue of Queen Victoria at Queen Victoria Gardens, near the CBD, was covered in red paint and graffiti.

A second monument to Captain Cook at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy was found broken and covered in graffiti over the Australia Day long weekend.

The repeated vandalism of statues depicting colonial figures has increased over the years, with memorials for Cook becoming the focal point of Australia Day protests amid growing discomfort over the country’s colonial past.

Two inner-city councils, Port Phillip and Yarra, have debated over the past year whether to remove Captain Cook monuments altogether.

According to the City of Melbourne, the King George V Memorial statue was erected in 1952 and funded by the council and public subscription. It was sculpted by renowned artist William Leslie Bowles.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/vandals-behead-king-george-v-statue-in-melbourne-on-king-s-birthday-20240610-p5jko8.html

https://www.instagram.com/aka.waca/reel/C8A5tPghsWO/

https://x.com/akaWACA/status/1799992568379592818

>>20841352 (pb)

>>20950665

Andrews, McGowan catch pair of Covid honours

Australia’s most polarising Covid-era premiers have been awarded the nation’s highest honour, with both recognised for their health policies

RACHEL BAXENDALE and PAUL GARVEY - June 9, 2024

1/3

Australia’s most polarising Covid-era premiers have been awarded the nation’s highest honour, with both recognised for their health policies despite one presiding over one of the world’s longest lockdowns and a botched hotel quarantine program that led to the deaths of more than 800 people, and the other having closed the borders of his state for almost two years.

Daniel Andrews has received a Companion of the Order of Australia for “eminent service to the people and parliament of Victoria, to public health, to policy and regulatory reform, and to infrastructure development” while Mark McGowan receives the same award for “eminent service to the people and parliament of Western Australia, to public health and education, and to international trade relations”.

The former Labor leaders are the biggest winners from the 2024 King’s Birthday honours, along with incoming governor-general Samantha Mostyn. Other well-known recipients include cricket great Glenn McGrath, Future Fund chairman and former ALP minister Greg Combet, cancer researcher Karen Canfell, international arts boss Jonathan Mills. Late opposition leader and minister Simon Crean received a posthumous AC.

Both premiers were most prominent on the national stage at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and their citations for “eminent service … to public health” largely refer to these roles.

Mr McGowan’s citation for services to “international trade relations” comes after he pushed for a softer stance on China and labelled the Morrison government’s security-led position on the superpower “insane”; Mr Andrews’ citation for “policy and regulatory reform” and “infrastructure development” comes after he left his state budget on a trajectory to hit more than $187bn in net debt within the next four years.

Victoria’s representative on the 19-member body that considers nominations for the awards – the Council for the Order of Australia – is Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Jeremi Moule. While The Australian is not suggesting Mr Moule has in any way acted improperly, his position on the council is likely to raise questions over the potential for a conflict of interest, given he was appointed to his $700,000-plus role as Victoria’s most senior public servant by Mr Andrews.

Mr Andrews, who has registered two companies since he left office last year, issued a statement this week saying he was “honoured to have been nominated” for his AC and “grateful to every Victorian who contributed to some of our state’s best times and who worked so hard to see us through our most challenging”.

“I thank the Victorian community for their support for me and my team in leading our state for nine years. That remains the greatest honour of my life,” he said.

Mr McGowan, who now has a number of consultancy and advisory roles, said in a statement he was “very humbled and honoured” to receive the award “and would like to thank whoever nominated me”.

“My deep gratitude goes to the people of WA for being so kind to me,” he said

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 10, 2024, 3:44 a.m. No.20998384 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8386

>>20998381

2/3

Mr Andrews and Mr McGowan led the Labor Party in their respective states for more than a decade, with the Victorian serving as premier for almost nine years before resigning in September, and his West Australian counterpart spending six years in that state’s top job ahead of his resignation a year ago.

During the pandemic, Mr Andrews inspired admiration from some and loathing from others for an authoritarian approach to controlling the spread of the virus.

“You won’t be able to go to the pub because the pub is shut,” Mr Andrews famously said in one of his early Covid-19 press conferences in March 2020. “That doesn’t mean you can have all your mates around to (your) home and get on the beers, that’s not appropriate.

“It’s not essential, it’s not needed, and all it will do is spread the virus.”

Melburnians were subjected to six lockdowns totalling 262 days, with the restrictions at times extending to 8pm curfews and bans on children using playgrounds.

Victoria’s longest lockdown, which lasted 111 days from July to October 2020, was sparked by infection-control breaches in the hotel quarantine program established by the Andrews government. The hotel quarantine leaks ultimately led to the deaths of 801 people, including 642 in aged-care facilities.

An inquiry established by Mr Andrews and led by retired judge Jennifer Coate ultimately found that the Andrews government’s fateful decision to use security guards to enforce infection control was not made by any single person, but was the product of Victoria Police commissioner Graham Ashton’s preference that the role not be performed by police.

When Victoria’s final lockdown ended in October 2021, the state accounted for almost two-thirds of Covid deaths in Australia.

Mr McGowan’s award will similarly reignite debate about his handling of the pandemic in WA.

Under him, the state shut itself off from the rest of the country for almost 700 days, a move that caused heartache for families cut off from one another during that period but won him an extraordinary amount of popularity among state voters.

The border closure effectively kept Covid out of the state, allowed the mining industry to continue largely uninterrupted, led to the fewest days of lockdown of any state, and meant the vast majority of the WA population was vaccinated by the time Covid gained a foothold there. The border closures tapped into the West’s sense of parochialism and propelled Labor in 2021 to the biggest election victory of any party in Australian history – reducing the Liberals to just two of 59 lower house seats and giving his party absolute control over both houses of parliament – even as it fractured Mr McGowan’s relationship with members of the Morrison government and national cabinet colleagues such as then-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.

The citation’s mention of Mr McGowan’s services to health will raise eyebrows, given the state’s hospital system was arguably the biggest black mark of his time in office. WA’s health system groaned through the pandemic years with record-high levels of ambulance ramping, widespread cancellation of elective surgeries, and surging discontent among doctors and nurses.

The death of seven-year-old schoolgirl Aishwarya Aswath after she was left waiting for hours for help at the Perth Children’s Hospital became emblematic of the state’s health system woes.

(continued)

>>20998384

3/3

In Victoria, Mr Andrews won three elections and earned a reputation as one of the most ruthlessly effective Australian politicians of the modern era, but less than a year after his departure from politics, the state is headed for $187.8bn in net debt by 2027-28 — more than the projected net debt of NSW, Queensland and Tasmania combined.

A significant source of the rising debt has been the ballooning of the public service, with a wage bill forecast to reach $39.9bn in 2027-28 — more than double the $18.7bn Labor inherited when it came to government in 2014.

Attempts to keep the debt in check have led to Victoria becoming the highest-taxing state in the nation, with the introduction of a raft of property taxes, as well as payroll tax levies to fund mental health initiatives and Covid debt repayment. Another key contributor to state debt has been blowouts in the Andrews government’s infrastructure “big build”.

Mr Andrews succeeded initially with the electorally successful level crossing removal program and the soon-to-open Melbourne Metro rail tunnel, but the government found itself increasingly unable to control spending. The level crossing removals, Metro tunnel, West Gate tunnel and countless smaller initiatives have collectively contributed to infrastructure cost blowouts totalling more than $40bn since Labor came to power.

The rising debt and a failure to foresee the cost of hosting the Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria in 2026 forced Mr Andrews into making an embarrassing decision to cancel them.

Meanwhile, doubts abound about the government’s capacity to build the former premier’s signature major infrastructure commitment, the Suburban Rail Loop, with the federal government so far committing $2.2bn for the $34.5bn first stage of the project, which Victoria’s Parliamentary Budget Office estimates could cost as much as $200bn to complete.

Labor under Mr Andrews implemented a range of policy and regulatory changes, including reforming rental laws, introducing voluntary assisted dying, enabling Victorians to choose the sex on their birth certificates, legalising medicinal cannabis, and establishing a state Indigenous voice to parliament.

Mr Andrews will also be remembered for his capacity to shrug off damning findings of multiple anti-corruption inquiries into his government, relating to government grants to unions, ALP branch-stacking and the premier’s personal links to a property developer.

With some questions arising over the role of his once-top civil servant on the honours committee, a spokesman for the Council of the Order of Australia said the organisation did not comment on individual considerations when asked whether Mr Moule recused himself in discussions about Mr Andrew’s AC.

“However, speaking generally decisions are made by consensus and informed by the original nomination and subsequent independent research. Council members may advise their colleagues of any prior relationship with a nominee,” he said.

Mr Moule, a former journalist and women’s basketball league commissioner, was promoted in October after his predecessor, Chris Eccles, resigned when it was revealed he had phoned Mr Ashton at the height of deliberations over the establishment of Victoria’s hotel quarantine program, contradicting his evidence to the inquiry into the failed scheme.

Beyond Covid, Mr McGowan’s key political achievement was securing the GST floor deal with the Turnbull government. That has guaranteed WA keeps at least 70c of every dollar of GST it raises and has delivered billions of extra dollars into the state’s coffers.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/daniel-andrews-and-mark-mcgowan-made-companions-of-the-order-of-australia/news-story/87f465a668e9999b0aeda75a06139151

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZOR0jlUKzY

>>20998381

Jeff Kennett: Awarding Daniel Andrews a Companion of the Order of Australia devalues it beyond recognition

Bestowing the highest civilian award in Australia on Daniel Andrews has devalued it beyond recognition and reeks of political interference. The decision must be overturned.

Jeff Kennett - June 10, 2024

Victorians, every Australian should be outraged that the individual who has so destroyed the opportunities for generations in this state has been granted the highest civilian award in Australia.

In doing so, the awards under the Order of Australia have been devalued beyond recognition.

In awarding the highest honour to Mr Andrews, the Governor-General, and the Secretariat that manages the awarding of honours, have rewarded gross financial mismanagement of Victoria, the deaths of more than 800 Victorians, and manifest failure of Mr Andrews to discharge his responsibilities under the Westminster system.

Worse the awarding of the AC to Mr Andrews reeks of political interference and direction to the Governor-General and the Secretariat.

Rarely, if ever, does a politician get an award while in office, so you can assume the process for awarding Mr Andrews only started when he resigned on 26th September last year, only eight months ago.

Certainly, individuals get recognised for their positive contribution to Australians and Australian life.

You could say that was certainly the case of the former premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan, who also received an AC.

He resigned on June 8 last year but left his state in a much better condition than when he inherited it.

But Mr Andrews by no definition meets this.

On two measures in the citation that accompanies Mr Andrews’ award - health and infrastructure - he has failed.

Certainly, the third, reform, when he failed to accept responsibility for his actions that so disadvantaged his community.

Australians, and certainly Victorians, who have been adversely affected by these activities should write to the Governor-General, requesting this award be immediately withdrawn.

This award has either been lodged well before the nominee resigned from office or was fast-tracked.

The process behind this nomination needs to be clearly transparently and publicly established.

Normally citizens get recognised for community work they have done over and above their paid employment.

To my knowledge not only has Mr Andrews not done any eminent community service, but he has also abjectly failed any objective test on the matters for which he received the recognition.

Victorian citizens are going to pay heavily, for decades, for the failures of Mr Andrews.

Under no circumstances should he have been recognised for an Order of Australia Award.

He should give it back, or we Victorians should write to the Governor-General asking that he revoke the award.

Write to: His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Government House, Dunrossil Drive, Yarralumla, ACT 2600, or email the Governor-General here:

https://www.gg.gov.au/office-official-secretary-governor-general/email-contacts

If this award is not rescinded, one would have to ask whether awards under the Order of Australia have any relevance given in Mr Andrews’ case they have been so totally and Actually Corrupted (AC).

Jeff Kennett was premier of Victoria from 1992 to 1999, served two stints as Hawthorn Football Club president and was the founding chairman of Beyond Blue.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/jeff-kennett-awarding-daniel-andrews-a-companion-of-the-order-of-australia-devalues-it-beyond-recognition/news-story/df9f6512f3a58d947d6fa855a891971c

>>20993031

Stop using Trump-like tactics on climate change, independent MPs warn Dutton

Shane Wright - June 10, 2024

Teal independents have accused Peter Dutton of putting the country’s economic and environmental future at risk by abandoning the Paris Agreement, while sharpening their pre-election attack lines on the Liberal Party as it seeks to win back wealthy seats in the capital cities.

Independents Allegra Spender, Monique Ryan and Zoe Daniel said Dutton’s decision to ditch Australia’s 2030 targets to cut emissions by 43 per cent while promising to achieve net zero by 2050 would push investment out of the country to nations that recognised the environmental risks.

Dutton told The Australian newspaper on Saturday that he would take a radically different energy policy to the next election, with a focus on natural gas in the short term with a longer-term commitment to nuclear power.

“There’s no sense in signing up to targets you don’t have any prospect of achieving,” he said, in reference to the government’s 2030 target.

The government said it was already on track for a 42 per cent reduction in emissions, before policies that were included in last month’s budget.

Spender, the MP for Wentworth in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, described Dutton’s plan as reckless. It would add 2.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over the next five years.

She said withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would destroy Australia’s international reputation and investor confidence in the country.

“I’m really concerned about the impact of this on business confidence and business investment,” she told this masthead.

“This isn’t just a disaster for the environment, this is an economic disaster that would deliver long-term problems.”

Last week, Dutton visited Ryan’s seat of Kooyong in Melbourne, which she won from then treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the 2022 election.

Ryan said Dutton did not mention his change in policy during the visit, knowing that the people of Kooyong would have deep concerns about such a “ridiculous” position that appeared to be driven by the Nationals and elements of the fossil-fuels industry.

She said abandoning the 2030 target while focusing on nuclear power would effectively stall investment now under way nationally in renewables and critical minerals.

“I think moderate members of the Liberal Party will have real problems with this. It just brings into question his [Dutton’s] leadership,” she said.

Zoe Daniel, who won the neighbouring Melbourne seat of Goldstein from Liberal Tim Wilson, said Dutton was trying to reignite the political war over climate change on the back of policy backsliding and a “campaign of misinformation”.

“I doubt the Goldstein community will take kindly to Mr Dutton spouting unedited lines out of the [Donald] Trump playbook, blaming migrants for every problem from congestion to pressure on the health system while following Trump’s example of pulling out of Paris,” she said.

“The choice for those who voted out Liberals to elect independents will be very clear at the next election – do you want positive, forward-focused, reasoned and collaborative policymakers or do you want to return to the politics of fear where everything from climate to immigration is weaponised?”

The opposition’s plan would break from the terms of the Paris Agreement, which demands signatories increase their emissions goal every five years. The Albanese government is committed to set a 2035 target by February.

The plan is also at odds with findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the United Nations’ expert science body – that fossil fuels must be rapidly phased out to meet the Paris Agreement. The Abbott government signed Australia to the agreement in 2015.

Liberal frontbencher David Coleman said the Coalition would make clear its emissions policy by the next election, which is expected in May next year.

He told ABC television that the Coalition was still committed to the Paris Agreement and to reaching net zero by 2050, saying the government’s own 2030 target could not be met.

“We are absolutely committed to the 2050 target and to the Paris Agreement, but we won’t maintain a Chris Bowen fantasy when it plainly won’t happen. Why would we?” he said on Sunday.

But Bowen, the climate change minister, said under the Coalition’s plans, emissions would climb, power bills would increase, and Australia risked being ignored by investors who were prepared to sink cash into net zero projects.

“If you take Australia out of the Paris accord, by reducing your targets or not having one, you are sending the message to investors around the world that you’re not open for business, that you want to be considered alongside Libya, Iran and Yemen,” he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/stop-using-trump-like-tactics-on-climate-change-independent-mps-warn-dutton-20240609-p5jkd9.html

Top US general Stephen Sklenka says an Asia-Pacific NATO would help him sleep at night

Peter Hartcher - June 10, 2024

A top Chinese general recently accused the United States of a hidden agenda to create a version of NATO in the Asia-Pacific, and now a senior American officer has welcomed the idea.

As the number of Asia-Pacific security arrangements has been increasing year by year, China’s Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this month: “The true motive of the US is to converge small circles into a big circle, that is an Asian-Pacific version of NATO, to maintain the US-led hegemony.”

Jiang, deputy chief of China’s Joint Staff Department at the Central Military Commission of the People’s Liberation Army, said Washington was “tying the region’s countries to the US war chariot”.

In response, America’s Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka said he would “sleep better at night” if there were a NATO-type collective defence treaty in the region, but that no such plans were afoot.

The Chinese Communist Party should “look in the mirror” and ask why countries in the region were forming new partnerships with each other but not with Beijing, said Sklenka.

“If it didn’t notice, none of these countries are running to the Chinese to look for partnerships,” he said, because the region was “nervous” about China’s intentions.

Asked whether a collective defence treaty between the US and its Indo-Pacific allies was conceivable or desirable, Sklenka told this masthead: “Those of us at Indopacom would sleep better at night if we had something like a NATO out here, but that’s not happening.

“But my retort to that is no, instead of castigating those relationships, the Chinese should probably look in the mirror and ask themselves why have these arrangements come into fruition.

“Why did the Quad [a security dialogue embracing the US, India, Japan and Australia] come into play? Because these countries are nervous, they’re nervous about the direction the CCPs going,” said Sklenka, a US Marines officer and the deputy commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, the largest of the US regional commands. He was in Australia as the 2024 Australian-American Leadership Dialogue scholar.

The US has no collective military alliance in Asia like the 32-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Instead, it maintains a series of alliances, a so-called “hub and spoke” set-up. These include defence treaties with Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.

But as China’s territorial ambition has grown and the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency looms, countries in the Indo-Pacific have banded together in a range of new or enlarged defensive arrangements. Most, but not all, include the US.

The US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, told the Shangri-La Dialogue that Washington recently “secured a series of historic agreements with our allies and partners to transform our force posture throughout the Indo-Pacific”.

US, Japanese and South Korean forces were training together in “unprecedented” ways, he said. And this was “just a starting point”, Austin added. Regional nations were engineering a historic “convergence” of their defence interests by creating a “set of overlapping and complementary initiatives and institutions”, he said.

Sklenka said in the interview that recent Chinese military manoeuvres against the Australian navy in international waters were “aggressive actions against you, but it’s not just against you – it’s against the entire system [of rules] and that’s why it concerns so many people. I’m not entirely sure the PLA truly understands this”.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-us-general-says-an-asia-pacific-nato-would-help-him-sleep-at-night-20240609-p5jkdt.html

>>20710546 (pb)

>>20937530

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says China Premier Li Qiang will visit this week

Reuters/ABC - 10 June 2024

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced that China's premier, Li Qiang, will visit the country this week.

It will be the first trip to the nation by a Chinese premier since Li Keqiang's visit in 2017.

Mr Luxon, speaking at a post-cabinet press conference on Monday, local time, said the visit would be a valuable opportunity for exchanges on areas of cooperation between the two countries.

"New Zealand and China engage where we have shared interests, and we speak frankly and constructively with each other where we have differences," he said.

"Our relationship is significant, complex, and resilient.

"The challenging global outlook makes it vital that we are sharing perspectives and engaging China on key issues that matter to New Zealand," he added.

China is New Zealand's top trading partner, with two-way goods and services trade reaching nearly NZ$38 billion ($35 billion) in the year ending March 2024, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Mr Li's visit will mark the second high-profile visit from a high-ranking Chinese official to the country this year, with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting in late March.

New Zealand has long been seen as a moderate or absent voice on China in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, but in recent years has spoken up about what it considers to be concerning actions by Beijing.

During Mr Yi's March visit, ministers discussed trade, business and security in the Pacific, as well as "areas of difference" including human rights and the situation in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, according to a statement after the visit.

Mr Luxon said on Monday he was confident that trade with China would continue to grow, supporting the government's goal to double the value of exports in the next decade.

The government has not yet released the dates for Mr Li's visit.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-10/new-zealand-pm-says-china-premier-li-qiang-to-visit-this-week/103960622

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 10, 2024, 4:29 a.m. No.20998450 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8455

>>20983654

Anthony Fauci: ‘America’s doctor’ put under the microscope

Former US Covid-19 tsar Anthony Fauci amusingly said he ‘had kept an open mind’ about the origins of Covid-19 after originally rubbishing the idea the virus might have leaked from a lab.

ADAM CREIGHTON - June 8, 2024

1/2

“When you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bullshit and they get vaccinated.”

Dr Anthony Fauci didn’t appear to enjoy being reminded of his 2021 advocacy of de facto compulsory Covid-19 vaccination during his interrogation by congress this week, quibbling that he’d been misunderstood.

It was a humiliating four hours of testimony on Monday for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose role in convincing governments to impose lockdowns, school closures, mask and vaccine mandates is looking more and more destructive as time goes by.

If only there’d been more respect for “ideological bullshit” – also known as human rights, including free speech – throughout the pandemic the US and the developed world might have avoided one of the greatest public policy fiascos in history.

“What’s funny is everything I was censored on, I was proven to be right,” said Republican congressman and former emergency room physician Rich McCormick, who railed against bureaucrats dictating how he could treat his patients during the pandemic.

“I want to point out that I’m probably the only member of congress that actually treated patients during the pandemic from the very beginning to the very end,” he said, noting that Fauci had treated none.

The select subcommittee hearing featured fiery attacks from Republicans, including from congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who demanded Fauci be jailed. “Children were put in plastic bubbles because of your repulsive evil science, healthy children were forced to wear masks, muzzled in their schools, forced to learn from home,” she said. But the histrionics weren’t necessary to condemn the former Covid-19 tsar.

Fauci, 83, conceded the “six feet apart” rule, the intellectual underpinning of lockdowns, wasn’t based on science or even logic. “It just sort of appeared,” he said, referencing a policy that induced world war levels of debt, money printing and inflation.

“It was felt that transmission was primarily through droplets, not aerosols, which is incorrect because we know now aerosol does play a role,” Fauci said, pointing out that SARS-CoV-2 floats in the air, making a mockery of masks, distancing and the costly plastic barriers that popped up in shops everywhere.

No wonder evidence that the draconian measures made any difference remains scant, in the US and globally, not least because Sweden, which eschewed Fauci’s advice, ended up with among the lowest cumulative excess deaths of any nation.

By contrast, evidence that children, especially from low-income families, have suffered permanent learning loss equivalent to years of education has become incontrovertible.

Fauci, in his first public testimony since retiring at the end of 2022, even said he agreed with the erstwhile head of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, who last year conceded lockdowns were a mistake.

At a conference in July last year, Collins said the public health advice was concerned only with saving lives from Covid-19: “It doesn’t matter what else happens … This is a public health mindset and I think a lot of us involved in trying to make those recommendations had that mindset and that was really unfortunate. It’s another mistake we made,” Collins said. Next time, Fauci surmised, public health officials should “consider the balance”.

Once dubbed “America’s doctor”, Fauci told the subcommittee that deaths of “5000 a day” from Covid-19 early in the pandemic justified a tough response. But, according to official data, deaths never exceeded 2500 a day in 2020 in the US, a nation of 330 million people. Indeed, adjusted for years of life lost, the Covid-19 toll would be much less shocking given the advanced age of the vast bulk of the disease’s victims.

(continued)

>>20998450

2/2

It wasn’t only the quality of Fauci’s advice, pushing measures that no nation’s pandemic plan ever recommended for a virus with a lethality as small as Covid-19, that was proved wanting. US health officials even may have had a hand indirectly in the creation of the virus given US grant funding of the Chinese lab, which could carry out the risky gain-of-function research that was restricted in the US.

Fauci insisted he’d “kept an open mind” about Covid’s origins, despite repeatedly pushing academic papers in 2020 that discounted what by now has become the likeliest explanation for the pandemic: SARS-CoV-2 leaked accidentally from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“I cannot account, nor can anyone account, for other things that might be going on in China,” Fauci told the subcommittee, conceding the virus might well have been engineered and leaked in Wuhan – a radical change from his previous public statements.

Fauci also conceded one of his top assistants, David Morens, potentially had broken the law by communicating with him and other top scientists by private email to avoid freedom of information laws.

The resurrection of the demonised lab leak theory, once censored vigorously by social media giants at the government’s insistence, has been remarkable.

In 2021 The New York Times’ science writer said it had “racist roots”. This week that same newspaper ran an essay suggesting a lab leak was the likeliest origin. “A growing volume of evidence – gleaned from public records … digital sleuthing through online databases, scientific papers analysing the virus and its spread, and leaks from within the US government – suggests that the pandemic most likely occurred because a virus escaped from a research lab in Wuhan, China,” molecular biologist Alina Chan wrote on Monday.

Perhaps Fauci’s greatest humiliation is yet to come, as the near religious veneration accorded to the Covid-19 vaccines begins to crumble.

This week British newspaper The Telegraph reported studies suggesting the vaccines in part could be behind the surge in excess deaths in developed nations after the rollout began, something unthinkable only a year ago.

Fauci had assured Americans the vaccines, developed under emergency authorisation, stopped transmission and infection, despite clear evidence from the start they did not.

“It’s important to point out something that we did not know early on that became evident as the months went by: the durability of protection against infection and hence the transmission was relatively limited,” he testified this week.

In fact, in late 2020 the US Food and Drug Administration already had concluded that “data were not available to make a determination about how long the vaccine will provide protection, nor is there evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from person to person”.

Fauci’s testimony was an extraordinary reminder of how much top bureaucrats arrogantly got wrong early in the pandemic, conclusions that surely will become only more damning.

“If you came down and visited me and interviewed my patients … you’d interview patient after patient after patient that did not have Covid but are very sick,” former US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield, who was shunned by Fauci and others early in the pandemic for arguing the virus might have leaked, told journalist Chris Cuomo this week. “You would say very sick, long Covid patients. And it’s all from the vaccine.”

The reckoning is far from over.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/anthony-faucis-testimony-before-congress-reveals-experts-got-little-right-during-the-pandemic/news-story/90d2c551a80a7290b87f0eda96ba9554

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 11, 2024, 4:29 a.m. No.21004539 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4542

>>20993059

Marles enforces his veto on all potential defence shipments to Israel

David Crowe - June 10, 2024

1/2

Australian defence exports are facing tighter scrutiny under federal rules that alert Defence Minister Richard Marles to every potential shipment to Israel, ensuring no military equipment has been supplied to the country since the invasion of Gaza.

Approvals are being escalated to Marles regardless of the value of the defence contract, superseding an earlier protocol that allowed low-value deals to be approved by a delegate within the Defence Department.

On Monday, the government revealed more about its exports after rejecting claims by the Greens last week that it was “complicit in genocide” and supported the “slaughter” by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza.

Labor accused the Greens of spreading lies about defence exports, because no weapons or ammunition had been sent from Australia to Israel over the past five years.

The rules have ensured no other military components have been supplied to Israel since October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed 1200 people and Israel responded with an incursion into Gaza that is estimated by Palestinian health authorities to have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.

The dispute over claims of Australian complicity has intensified after pro-Palestinian activists blockaded and damaged the electorate offices of federal Labor MPs in recent weeks. In the latest instance of vandalism, protesters sprayed red paint on the windows of the US consulate in North Sydney on Monday and sought to smash the reinforced glass.

Asked whether the incidents damaged Australia’s reputation overseas, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “I think they damage our reputation with ourselves, how we see ourselves. It’s not the Australian way.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the attack reprehensible.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said some items had been sent from Australia to Israel in recent months but all involved equipment being repaired or modified so it could be returned for use by the Australian Defence Force. The equipment is not used by the Israel Defence Forces.

“Since the conflict has begun, we’ve been only approving export permits to Israel for equipment that is returning to Australia for the ADF – that is really, really important to say,” he told ABC Radio National.

“What we’ve been saying is that, due to the high-intensity nature of this conflict and the complex circumstances, we’ve been applying the existing export control system. And since the conflict began, no permits have been approved except for items that have been returned to Australia.”

In one example, a $917 million contract with Israeli company Elbit Systems, cited by the Greens as proof of defence exports, involved sending a small amount of armoured steel to Israel so the company could design a turret prototype to be fitted to infantry fighting vehicles for the ADF. The turrets are to be made in Australia.

The federal government has a $7 billion contract with South Korean company Hanwha to build 129 Redback vehicles in Geelong. Hanwha has signed the subcontract with Elbit Systems and has promised to use Australian steel from Bisalloy, which is based in the Illawarra region of NSW.

In another example, Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has a joint venture with Australian company Varley Group to supply missile equipment for use on new armoured vehicles for the ADF.

The federal government signed a $5.2 billion contract with German company Rheinmetall six years ago to make the Boxer vehicles in Queensland.

While Varley Rafael Australia will make launch equipment for the missiles at its base in the NSW Hunter region, the missiles will be supplied by Rafael from Israel. The government said this meant no weapons or components would be exported to Israel.

(continued)

>>21004539

2/2

In a third example, the government said one Australian defence company had taken an example of its technology to a trade fair in Israel after gaining export approval. The item was returned to Australia and was not supplied to the Israel Defence Forces.

Conroy argued that halting all contracts with companies that supplied military equipment to Israel, if followed to its logical conclusion, would mean Qantas and Jetstar should not buy Boeing aircraft because the US company sells military aircraft to Israel. He added that the government did not support a boycott of Jewish companies.

The government has acknowledged that Australian companies are making components for the F-35 joint strike fighter, which is made by Lockheed Martin in Texas and supplied to more than a dozen countries.

Brisbane company Ferra Engineering supplies weapons adaptors, which the Greens say include bomb-release equipment for the F-35. Melbourne company Marand Precision Engineering makes ground support equipment to remove and install the F-35 engines.

While a Dutch court has ordered a halt to its country’s supply of parts for the F-35, this appears unlikely to have a significant influence because Israel received its most recent F-35 from the US in November 2022.

Greens NSW senator David Shoebridge said on Monday that the “constant denial” from the government would not stop people from looking into the deals.

“The Albanese government relies on secrecy and misrepresentation to muddy the waters and distract the public from its role in the genocide in Gaza,” he said on social media.

Conroy said the Greens were making false claims about Australian military help for the invasion of Gaza.

“What the Greens have been doing is lying to the Australian public about Australia’s involvement in the conflict in order to further social division for short-term political advantage,” he said.

“You saw that last week when they continued to lie about Australia’s supplying arms and ammunition to Israel, and that is hurting our community, dividing our community, and it has to stop.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt said last week that Labor was complicit in genocide, supported the slaughter in Gaza and had refused to call for a ceasefire, but the claims are at odds with government statements since October.

Australia abstained from a vote on a ceasefire at the United Nations on October 28 and then voted in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire on December 12.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for “steps towards a ceasefire” on November 12, drawing criticism from the Coalition, and made repeated calls for a ceasefire in subsequent months. She called again for a ceasefire last week, endorsing a proposal from the US to end the conflict and adding in a statement: “This war must end.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/marles-enforces-his-veto-on-all-potential-defence-shipments-to-israel-20240610-p5jkly.html

>>20710546 (pb)

>>20937530

Chinese premier visit to include both ‘panda diplomacy’ and difficult issues

Matthew Knott - June 11, 2024

1/2

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to use a four-day visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to raise difficult issues including provocative military actions by China’s People’s Liberation Army as hopes grow that Chinese pandas will remain in Australia as a symbol of improved relations between the two nations.

Li – who is second-in-command in the Chinese system to President Xi Jinping – will visit Australia from June 15-18, the first visit by a Chinese premier in seven years and the latest sign of stabilisation in a bilateral relationship that soured dramatically during the Morrison government.

Albanese said he would warn China not to put the lives of Australian military personnel at risk, raise the suspended death sentence handed to Chinese-Australian academic Yang Hengjun and push for the resumption of Australian shellfish exports.

After arriving on Saturday evening, Li will first visit Adelaide Zoo, home to the only giant pandas in the southern hemisphere, before travelling to Canberra and Western Australia.

Li could use his Sunday zoo visit to announce an extension of the prized panda loan agreement between Australia and China, which was due to expire at the end of this year.

Such a deal would be a coup for Australia given the only remaining giant pandas left the United Kingdom last year and most pandas have been removed from the United States since 2019 as relations between the superpowers deteriorated.

Washington DC’s National Zoo announced on May 30 that two pandas would be sent to its currently empty enclosure by the end of the year.

Beijing has used “panda diplomacy” to promote a positive global image and to signal which nations are in and out of favour with top leaders.

Pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni, aged 18 and 17 respectively, arrived in Adelaide in November 2009 under a $1 million-a-year loan agreement that was extended for another five years in 2019.

Asked if there would be an announcement about a renewal of the panda lease agreement during Li’s visit, Albanese said: “If I answered that then there might be a preempting of what may or may not occur.”

He added that the pandas had brought a “great deal of joy to families” who have visited the zoo and that they were an important tourist attraction for Adelaide.

Albanese used a visit to China last year to call for pandas to remain in Australia, saying: “Let me just say this: I’m pro-panda.

“I would on behalf of Australia’s kids and families like to see pandas maintain a presence in Australia.”

A Zoos South Australia spokeswoman said last year: “We do not know if Wang Wang and Fu Ni will remain at Adelaide Zoo or return to China.

“Formal discussions will soon commence with China Wildlife Conservation Association about our giant pandas and exploring whether a further loan extension is possible.”

(continued)

2/2

Albanese said he would tell Li directly that the Chinese military behaved inappropriately when a Chinese fighter jet fired flares into the path of an Australian navy helicopter that was helping enforce United Nations sanctions in May.

“Australia was engaged in legitimate international activity and [the incident] should never have occurred because it was dangerous” Albanese said.

“It should not happen again.

“So we will definitely be putting that forward.”

During his trip to Adelaide – the hometown of Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Trade Minister Don Farrell – Li will also dine with Australian wine exporters to celebrate the return of Australian wine to the Chinese market.

The Chinese government announced in March that it would remove crippling duties on Australian wine, leading Australia to drop a legal challenge in the World Trade Organisation.

China has removed restrictions on imported Australian coal, beef, barley, timber and hay it introduced from 2020, leaving lobster and crayfish as the main exports yet to be resolved.

Albanese said: “I certainly would like to see that any impediments to our lobsters and crayfish, our magnificent seafood, being removed.

“Australia has an interest in trade with China; China has an interest in receiving our magnificent goods because of the quality. So this is a win-win.”

Li will meet with Albanese in Canberra on Monday for the annual Australia-China leaders’ meeting before travelling to Perth.

While in Perth on Tuesday, Li will visit the Chinese-controlled Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia processing plant to highlight the importance of mineral exports to China to the Australian economy.

Li will also attend a chief executive round table event hosted by the Business Council of Australia and meet with Perth’s Chinese-Australian community before returning to Beijing.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on radio station 2GB he wanted to strengthen trade ties with China while working to preserve peace in the Indo-Pacific.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham welcomed the visit, but said it “must fully address the difficulties and dangers presented by China’s risky regional military operations”.

“Australians will judge the visit on results, including progress on outstanding trade and consular cases, and dealing with incidents of cyberattacks and foreign interference,” he said.

https://www.smh.com.au/ politics /federal /panda-diplomacy-takes-centre-stage-during-chinese-premier-visit -20240611 -p5jkvv. html

>>20959239

Coalition wants annual intelligence analysis of China

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 10, 2024

The Coalition wants the nation’s peak intelligence assessment body to issue annual threat assessments calling out Chinese foreign interference, saying Beijing’s relentless propaganda operations could not go unanswered.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson will propose the new role for the Office of National Intelligence in a major speech on Tuesday, arguing its “unparalleled situational awareness” is not being sufficiently utilised.

Senator Paterson will tell the Global Information Conference in Adelaide that China has long placed “information warfare” at the centre of its strategic plans, and Australia needs to fight back with truth and transparency.

Pointing to the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, he will flag similar yearly statements by ONI if the Coalition is elected.

The proposed assessments would focus on Australia’s immediate region and “should provide specific examples of foreign interference, cyber-attacks, corruption and coercion”, Senator Paterson will say.

The director-general of intelligence, Andrew Shearer, could be called upon to deliver an annual speech on his agency’s assessment, like those provided each year by ASIO boss Mike Burgess, Senator Paterson will suggest.

“These kinds of disclosures serve to shine a light on false narratives perpetuated by Beijing, which can deter China from undertaking coercive activities targeting countries in our region, and equip those countries to recognise and respond to activities when they occur,” he will say.

The plan comes as Labor continues a hyper-cautious approach to dealing with Beijing, with Anthony Albanese refusing on Monday to confirm a widely anticipated visit to Australia this week by China’s No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang.

The Prime Minister said he welcomed the nations’ re-engagement, and the trip would be announced “in the usual way” with simultaneous statements in Canberra and Beijing.

Senator Paterson will point to China’s coercion and corruption of Pacific officials, saying its policing and security agreements in countries such as Solomon Islands are “a beachhead for more malign influence on the region”.

He will argue that Beijing’s “elite-capture model” is corrosive to democracy and would be deeply unpopular among the region’s ordinary citizens if it was fully understood.

The Coalition has also called for a crackdown on Chinese social media app TikTok if elected, saying Australia needs to pass legislation similar to that in the US to force the company’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest to a non-Chinese owner.

Senator Paterson has said if Australia did not regulate, it could be locked out of a safer version of the app forced by the US move.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coalition-wants-annual-intelligence-analysis-of-china/news-story/ac593740a2ba7494d27466c71f353474

>>20976344

Plea to NSW premier for ex-pilot facing extradition

Miklos Bolza - June 11 2024

The wife of a former US pilot facing possible extradition to the United States for unlawfully training Chinese pilots has asked the NSW premier for help after her husband was transferred to another prison.

Ex-fighter pilot Daniel Duggan spent 19 months in the maximum-security prison at Lithgow before a magistrate ruled him eligible for extradition in May.

He has since been transferred to Macquarie Correctional Centre in Wellington weeks before federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus determines whether he should be surrendered to the US.

On Friday, his wife Saffrine Duggan sent a letter to NSW Premier Chris Minns saying the ex-pilot's conditions had "significantly deteriorated" and he was further away from his family and legal team.

"I can only assume this is a mistake … which you can remedy as a matter of urgency given the horrendous impact it has had on my family," she wrote.

Because of the transfer, Duggan had lost access to a computer to prepare his case for the attorney-general and meetings with his legal team had been "cancelled, delayed and changed," she said.

On Tuesday, after visiting her husband at the prison in the state's central west, Ms Duggan reiterated that she and the couple's children "want Dan home".

"Dan needs the ability to defend himself and fight for his freedom without all these barriers being put up to waste our precious time," she told AAP.

Mr Minns' office directed queries about Duggan's status to Corrective Services NSW, whose spokeswoman said inmates were transferred between prisons for many reasons, including changes in classification, bed availability, access to programs or operational needs.

With almost 13,000 inmates, the needs of individuals could not always be facilitated, she said.

However, the spokeswoman said each inmate was entitled to regular access to legal services via scheduled phone calls and remote audio-visual visits.

"Any suggestion an inmate would have access to their legal services restricted is untrue," she said.

Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching arms-trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.

He allegedly received about $100,000 for his services.

In a prison letter, Duggan said he believed his activities were lawful and that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the US Naval Central Intelligence Service knew of his work.

Ms Duggan has presented a petition with 25,000 signatures to politicians in Canberra, calling on Mr Dreyfus to release her husband and end his extradition.

Meanwhile, the US and other "Five Eyes" countries on Thursday warned western pilots about training the Chinese military.

"Western recruits who train the PLA (People's Liberation Army) may increase the risk of future conflict by reducing our deterrence capabilities," said a public bulletin issued by the US, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand intelligence services.

While Duggan was not named in the announcement, his wife said the timing was "highly suspect and political" and an attempt to influence the Australian government in its extradition decision.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8659277/plea-to-nsw-premier-for-ex-pilot-facing-extradition/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 11, 2024, 5:02 a.m. No.21004642 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4651

>>20964628

>>20964719

Malcolm Turnbull issues warning over what a second Donald Trump presidency might bring to the world

Paul Johnson - 10 June 2024

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned a second term as US president for Donald Trump could lead to him being surrounded by more "yes-men" and a shift in US foreign policy.

Trump was recently the first US president to have a criminal conviction recorded, when he was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Speaking to 7.30, Mr Turnbull, who was Australian PM when Trump was first elected to office, said he feared Trump would only be more emboldened should he defeat President Joe Biden in the race for the White House.

"In a second term, Trump will be surrounded by more yes-men and yes-women than ever, and he will feel unassailable, because he will have done the impossible and got himself re-elected," Mr Turnbull said.

He then warned that leaders of nations who were allies with the US would have to stand up to Trump.

"Trump is a bully, with a domineering personality," Mr Turnbull told 7.30.

"And most people's instinct and dealing with him is to suck up to him and be deferential and tell him what he wants to hear.

"Personalities like that surround themselves with people who do tell them what they want to hear.

"If a foreign leader takes the approach of essentially sucking up to Trump and telling him what he wants to hear, then they will just be treated with disdain, and they will get more bullying."

Europe and a 'very different' US

While Mr Turnbull said any Australian PM should stand up for the national interest, doing so could incur the wrath of some political elements at home but in the face of a changing global situation, it would be worthwhile.

One such changing situation is occurring in Europe right now.

French President Emmanuel Macron has just called a snap election after far-right parties achieved big gains at European Parliament elections.

Mr Turnbull said he felt it was concerning and that a second Trump administration would likely do things differently than the US has under Mr Biden.

"It's very concerning because the right-wing parties in Europe that are having some real success are not committed to the values of liberal democracy, as we understand it," Mr Turnbull said.

"And a number of them have very close ties to Vladimir Putin.

'[Some] have opposed the support of Ukraine.

"Viktor Orban in Hungary, even though he's a member of NATO, he went to see Trump at Mar a Lago recently, and emerged triumphantly saying 'when Trump is president, there will not be one more dollar of American aid to Ukraine'.

"So we may be dealing with a very different America under Donald Trump than it is under Joe Biden"

Mr Turnbull himself had an acrimonious relationship with Trump when the pair were leaders of their respective countries.

Mr Turnbull's insistence that Trump honour a deal that the Australian government had done with the US when Barack Obama was president was the source of the problem.

The then-Australian PM had insisted Trump honour the resettlement agreement to America for some people from Nauru and Manus Island.

Trump did not want to honour it but eventually relented, while calling it the "most unpleasant" call he had on a day where he spoke to Japanese leader Shinzo Abe and Putin in 2017.

But if he had his time again, Mr Turnbull told 7.30 he would not change a thing and felt standing up to Trump was the right decision and the reason he earned his respect.

He said he would recommend that any Australian PM do the same while remembering that Trump's "Make America Great Again" mantra is at the core of what he does.

"Donald Trump is particularly transactional," he said.

"You've got to make sure that the point you're pushing with Trump is one that you can say it is in his interest and make him understand that it's in his interest to work with you. "

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-10/malcolm-turnbull-donald-trump-emboldened/103961550

>>20964628

>>20964719

>>21004642

Malcolm Turnbull on how to deal with Donald Trump | 7.30

ABC News In-depth

Jun 10, 2024

Elections in Europe have once again raised the spectre of a shift to the right across the globe. In response President Emmanuel Macron has just called a snap election to try to head off the rise of the far right in France. But no election result is more anticipated than the one in the United States later this year which could see Donald Trump return to the White House. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull famously had a run in with President Trump and he's now published an essay in Foreign Affairs magazine, "How the world can deal with Trump".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85B2OHpwkp0

https://qanon.pub/#479

https://qanon.pub/#908

https://qanon.pub/#910

https://qanon.pub/#819

>Which conversation leaked?

>POTUS & AUS?

>Why that specific conversation?

>Signal?

>We (they) hear what you are saying?

>Threat to AUS?

>Why?

>What do they know?

>Trapped?

>Forced?

>Blood.

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 12, 2024, 4:21 a.m. No.21009097 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9104

>>20846807 (pb)

Muslim leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi driving the bid to topple Labor in southwest Sydney

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 12, 2024

1/2

Community leader Wesam Charkawi is mobilising the Muslim vote across key southwest Sydney federal seats to topple Labor at the next election as prominent figures warned the ALP of electoral abandonment.

Sheik Charkawi, a Western Sydney University PhD candidate, is the brains and organiser behind The Muslim Vote campaign, The Australian can reveal.

It is one among many websites to emerge recently targeting Muslim Australians to support pro-Palestine candidates or oust sitting members who are not, including some Labor ministers, and rates them on their voting record and stance on Israel.

The emergence of such campaigns, and popular and well-connected figures such as Sheik Charkawi driving them, will remain a headache for Labor HQ until and during the federal election, likely to be early next year.

Last month Sheik Charkawi - a Sunni Muslim - led calls for the dismissal of ASIO chief Mike Burgess, who had said Sunni Islamic extremism posed the “greatest religiously motivated threat in Australia”.

The Australian revealed in April how Labor feared key Sydney heartlands, such as Jason Clare’s Blaxland, Anne Stanley’s Werriwa and Tony Burke’s Watson, could be at risk, given community anger about the Gaza war.

Sheik Charkawi, a frequent presence at the University of Sydney’s pro-Palestine encampment, was unreachable but has told his large following “things were in motion” for the next election and the Muslim vote had been “taken for granted”.

Outside Parramatta MP Andrew Charlton’s electorate office - another seat the campaign has targeted - Sheik Charkawi said it was “time to change the status quo” and a campaign was “mobilising for the election”.

Last month the campaign warned Labor its stance on the war would cost it at the election, particularly among young voters, saying it was “alienating its base”.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 of the 151 federal electorates have 5 per cent or more people of Islamic faith – 27 of those 29 seats are held by Labor.

Of those 29, 16 are held by Labor on margins of 10 per cent or more, and at the previous election it suffered primary vote swings against it of up to 18.5 per cent.

Six of the 10 biggest swings were in seats with large Muslim communities. Mr Clare’s Blaxland and Mr Burke’s Watson are each held with about a 15 per cent margin. Muslim voters make up 35 per cent and 27 per cent respectively in the two seats.

(continued)

>>21009097

2/2

Southwest Sydney Muslim leaders said the party would be naive to think it wouldn’t suffer at the polls.

“You’d have to be absolutely naive to think there wouldn’t be electoral backlash,” Lebanese Muslim Association general secretary Gamel Kheir said

He stressed that the community was appreciative of Mr Burke and Mr Clare, and it would be aimed at the party at large. “There’s a sense that they (Labor) will be punished for the stance they’ve taken on Palestine.”

Mr Kheir said although the community wasn’t homogenous, it would no longer default to Labor. “The community is younger and clear on who is going to best represent them,” he said, adding that they felt their voice was “not being heard”.

Mr Kheir said it “hurt more because it’s Labor”, comparing Anthony Albanese’s vocal criticism of damage to the US consulate with what he said was a lack of criticism of Israel.

“Labor has traditionally looked out for minorities and migrants, we held them to a higher standard,” he said.

Although Sheik Cherkawi’s campaign may not run candidates, several pro-Palestine independents will run as viable protest votes and likely would be endorsed by it.

The Greens’ pro-Palestine stance is also rising in popularity, although the party would struggle for widespread support.

Of the sheik’s campaign, Mr Kheir said it could be “revolutionary”. “Our community is nuanced, filled with second or third-generation migrants, a patchwork of Australia … there’ll be collective backlash (against Labor),” he said.

Community leader Dr Jamal Rifi said although most elections were fought over the economy, the next would have more emphasis on foreign policy, namely the conflict. “It will play a bigger part than before,” he said.

Dr Rifi noted that it was the same government who reversed a relocation of Australia’s embassy to Jerusalem.

“When they made that decision the local reaction was one of happiness, their score was high,” he said.

“That score is now low – but it remains the same government (who did that).”

Dr Rifi pointed to a “tightrope” the government had to walk, especially given Hamas’ terror designation, and pointed to an “incremental but gradual” shift in its approach to Palestinian statehood and its people, revealing that meetings between the community and government were bearing fruit.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/muslim-leader-sheik-wesam-charkawi-driving-the-bid-to-topple-labor-in-southwest-sydney/news-story/94e5bb2c9118374e0488d95130a5e27e

https://themuslimvote.com.au/

Protest clashes to mar China’s panda diplomacy

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 12, 2024

1/2

Police are preparing for potential clashes between “patriotic” Chinese and anti-China protesters when Premier Li Qiang visits Canberra next week, after Beijing urged its Australian supporters to show up in force to welcome the country’s No. 2 leader.

The call-out came as Anthony Albanese framed Mr Li’s trip as a boost for Australia’s economic prosperity, noting China’s hunger for the nation’s resources including critical minerals.

Xi Jinping’s right-hand man will kick off his June 15-18 Australian trip in Adelaide, where he is expected to announce that two pandas on loan at the city’s zoo will have their stay extended.

Mr Li will meet winemakers in the South Australian capital on Sunday and attend a state lunch hosted by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Trade Minister Don Farrell, before heading to Canberra for talks with Mr Albanese on Monday. The Prime Minister will accompany the Chinese leader to Perth the following day for talks with business leaders and tours of a Chinese-backed lithium venture and a Fortescue Metals Group hydrogen plant.

Chinese community associations linked to Beijing’s United Front Work Department sent out messages to their members in recent weeks offering free trips to Canberra to show their support for Mr Li. “We want to show our patriotism,” one of the messages said. “Food, accommodation and transport will be provided.”

Human rights activists will also be in Canberra to protest against China’s treatment of Uighurs, Tibetans, Hong Kong residents, and detained Australians including writer Yang Hengjun. They sought an all-day permit to gather on the lawn in front of Parliament House, but were asked to delay their protest until 12pm – well after the Premier’s arrival.

They are expected to ignore the request, creating a potential headache for the Australian Federal Police. An AFP source said: “We are prepared for anything and everything.”

The Prime Minister announced details of Mr Li’s trip on Tuesday afternoon, just a day after rebuffing questions on the matter and describing it as a “potential visit”. The trip will be the first by a Chinese premier to Australia in seven years, and follows Mr Albanese’s visit to Beijing last November for talks with Mr Li and Mr Xi.

Writing in The Australian, the Prime Minister says his government’s “patient, calibrated” diplomacy has rescued the nations’ trade relationship, allowing the rollback of $20bn worth of Chinese trade bans on a raft of Australian exports.

“All of this matters,” Mr Albanese writes. “Trade supports one in four Australian jobs, it underpins one in every three dollars of our economic output and China is far and away our largest trading partner. Australian resources have played a pivotal role in China’s extraordinary economic transformation and the growth of our entire region.

“Our government’s plan for a future made in Australia will build on this success by catering to growing global demand for the critical minerals and rare earths essential to reach net zero.”

(continued)

2/2

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Mr Li and Mr Albanese would discuss the state of the bilateral relationship and international and regional issues of “common concern”.

“China is willing to take this visit as an opportunity to work with Australia to strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and trust, deepen pragmatic co-operation, and jointly build a more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership,” Mr Lin said.

The trip comes amid hardening public sentiment towards China, with a survey revealing a fall in the proportion of Australians who believe the nation’s economic success is dependent on China. The UTS-Australia-China Relations Institute poll of more than 2000 people found 54 per cent believed Australia’s economic prosperity was closely linked to China, down from 63 per cent in 2021. The survey also revealed deep resentment over the role of Chinese buyers in Australia’s property market. Eighty per cent of respondents blamed Chinese investors for driving up property prices, and nearly three quarters said they had played a role in skyrocketing rents.

Half of respondents said military conflict with China was “a real possibility” in the next three years, while only 26 per cent backed the government’s decision to allow a Chinese-owned company to retain its lease over the Port of Darwin.

Mr Albanese said he hoped to see a Chinese ban on Australian lobsters lifted during Mr Li’s visit, saying China had an interest in receiving “our magnificent goods”.

He said he would raise Australia’s concerns over a Chinese jet’s “dangerous” confrontation with an Australian helicopter over the Yellow Sea last month, when it dropped flares in front of the navy Seahawk, forcing it to take evasive action. “He, of course, will be very aware of Australia’s position, which is that Australia was engaged in legitimate international activity, and that that should never have occurred,” Mr Albanese said.

The Prime Minister is also expected to raise Australia’s concerns over China’s threats against Taiwan, its aggressive conduct in the South China Sea, its human rights record and its treatment of detained Australians.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Australians expected the Prime Minister to be frank with his Chinese counterpart over Beijing’s unacceptable behaviour.

“This is a welcome visit but one where discussions must fully address the difficulties and dangers presented by China’s risky regional military operations, including endangering Australian Defence Force personnel operating in international waters,” Senator Birmingham said.

Giant pandas Fu Ni and Wang Wang have been on loan from China since 2009 in an agreement due to expire in November. Adelaide Zoo has been waiting to hear whether China will renew its contract to host the pair.

The Business Council of Australia, which will host a business roundtable for Mr Li and Mr Albanese in Perth, said the improvement in the Australia-China relationship was vital for exporters, particularly in the mining, education, agriculture and services sectors.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/protest-clashes-to-mar-chinas-panda-diplomacy/news-story/641e965b0b7ba765f0f3737cf11fd1e1

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202406/t20240611_11424873.html

Security barrier to China’s panda diplomacy

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 12, 2024

Police will erect a fence on the lawn in front of Parliament House to separate “patriotic” Chinese from human rights protesters when China’s No.2 leader visits Canberra on Monday amid fears of clashes between the two camps.

As pro-Beijing Chinese community associations rally their members to welcome Premier Li Qiang, a coalition of human rights groups have called for peaceful protests against the “henchman of dictator Xi” – a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Australia Tibet Council executive director Zoe Bedford said the anti-China protesters would target Beijing’s “appalling” human rights record, and the Albanese government’s failure to take a more forceful stand against Mr Xi’s regime.

The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on security arrangements but AFP plans seen by The Australian show a physical barrier will be set up on the parliamentary lawn to keep the rival groups apart.

Dr Bedford said: “We understand the Chinese embassy and pro-China groups are organising people to counter-protest and we are concerned about our safety as they have been aggressive and violent towards our peaceful human rights protests in the past.

“This is a part of China’s transnational repression – where the Chinese embassy is attempting to intimidate our community, most of whom are former political prisoners from Tibet.”

The Australian earlier revealed Chinese community associations linked to Beijing’s United Front Work Department sent out messages to their members offering free trips to Canberra to show their support for Mr Li. “We want to show our patriotism,” one said. “Food, accommodation and transport will be provided.”

The security plans came as Anthony Albanese defended China’s investment in a Perth lithium venture, arguing Australian critical minerals would help China slash its carbon emissions.

Mr Li will visit the part-Chinese owned Tianqi lithium processing facility on Tuesday, less than a fortnight after the federal government ordered Chinese companies to divest shares in rare earths miner Northern Minerals.

Asked how China’s stake in the Tianqi venture fitted with the government’s Future Made in Australia agenda, the Prime Minister said: “We export resources to the world, including to China. That’s a source of revenue and wealth here in Australia, as well as contributing globally.

“We have all of the minerals and resources that will power the world in the 21st century. We’ll continue to export our resources. We continue to value foreign investment, but we want to make sure as well that we do move up the value chain.”

Mr Albanese will join Mr Li in Perth for a CEO roundtable organised by the Business Council of Australia. At least 10 Chinese companies are expected to be represented, including the state-owned conglomerate CITIC, the Bank of China, Beijing Energy Group, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

Rio Tinto, Woodside, Fortescue and Wesfarmers will be among the Australian companies represented.

Mr Li will kick off his June 15-18 Australian trip in Adelaide, where he is expected to announce that two pandas on loan at the city’s zoo will have their stay extended. He and Chinese Trade Minister Wang Wentao are also scheduled to meet with winemakers in Adelaide – just a month after Beijing removed punitive sanctions on Australian wine.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australia had exported $86m in wine to China since the duties were axed. “This is a great outcome for our wine producers, after three years of trade disruptions, along with natural disasters and global reductions in demand,” Senator Farrell said

But former defence official Peter Jennings said it was absurd that “somehow we are supposed to be grateful China is now removing its coercive sanctions”.

“Is there ever a point where we are going to operate with a bit of self respect in this relationship?” Mr Jennings said.

He said Mr Albanese needed to stand up for Australia in his talks with Mr Li, “but instead we get panda diplomacy”.

“China hasn’t changed any of its strategic objectives. In fact, it has become more aggressive on Taiwan and in its military posturing in the South China Sea,” Mr Jennings said. “The dialogue Mr Albanese is focused on is only possible because it does not deal with any issues of substance. It’s just a sham, really.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/security-barrier-to-chinas-panda-diplomacy/news-story/dacc620d5376cb7d4c8ff63db9cad3a4

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 12, 2024, 4:57 a.m. No.21009172 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9216

Working productively with China will benefit everyone in the region

ANTHONY ALBANESE - JUNE 12, 2024

1/2

From our first day in office, our government has made it a priority to invest in Australia’s capabilities and invest in our relationships: our national defence and our international diplomacy.

We are strengthening both because we know a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific is essential to the security and prosperity of every Australian.

As part of this important work, next week Australia will be hosting an official visit from Premier Li Qiang of China.

This is the first visit by a Chinese premier to Australia since 2017, signalling another step forward in the patient, calibrated and deliberate efforts of our government to rebuild dialogue with China and stabilise the relationship between our nations.

Australia’s approach has been consistent and clear: co-operate with China where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in our national interest.

Welcoming the Chinese Premier to our shores is an opportunity to advance our interests by demonstrating our national values, our people’s qualities and our economy’s strengths.

While in our country, Premier Li will visit Parliament House in Canberra, the seat of our free and robust democracy.

We will both participate in a CEO roundtable in Perth, reflecting the breadth of our business ties with China and recognising the progress we have made on trade.

When we came to government, trade impediments imposed by China on Australia were costing our exporters more than $20bn a year. Today, our farmers, growers, miners and exporters are benefiting from being able to sell their cotton, copper, coal, timber logs, oaten hay, barley and wine to China again.

Equally, the people of China are benefiting from high-quality Australian exports, which is why I’m hopeful we will see further progress for our shellfish exporters.

All of this matters. Trade supports one in four Australian jobs, it underpins one in every three dollars of our economic output, and China is far and away our largest trading partner.

Australian resources have played a pivotal role in China’s extraordinary economic transformation and the growth of our entire region.

Our government’s plan for a future made in Australia will build on this success by catering to growing global demand for the critical minerals and rare earths essential to reach net zero.

The fact that 92 per cent of the global economy is committed to net zero presents a profound opportunity for Australia: a chance for us to make more things here, to create secure, high-paying jobs in processing, refining and manufacturing.

As more nations draw an explicit link between their economic security and their national security, we will ensure Australia’s foreign investment framework is more efficient and transparent and more effective at managing risk.

In all this, our vision for a future made in Australia is about building on our strengths, engaging in our region and succeeding on our terms.

(continued)

>>21009172

2/2

Something else Premier Li will experience is our multicultural society, including more than a million members of the Chinese-Australian community whose hard work and aspiration have made a profound contribution to our nation.

Our government has worked to bring this diverse combination of Australian strengths to our dealings with China, so that we always engage with China as ourselves, in the service of our national interest and in the spirit of our Australian values.

Australia’s commitment to peace helped establish the international rules-based order and we continue to advocate for an Indo-Pacific where sovereignty is respected, human rights are upheld, prosperity is driven by shared opportunity and stability is secured through collective responsibility.

As an outward-looking economy, we champion the benefits of trade and investment.

As a loyal member of the Pacific family, we support the sovereign right of every country, big and small, to choose its own destiny and secure its own future.

As a steadfast ally of the US, we build on our rich history and draw on our shared ideals.

And as a nation enriched by people of every faith, background and tradition, Australia has stronger connections with China and the world because of our diaspora communities.

Through two years of engaging in Australia’s national interest, our government has never sought stabilisation for its own sake, or at any price.

We have been upfront: China and Australia are two very different nations, with different systems of government and different ways of looking at the world.

Points of contention are inevitable; what matters is how you manage them.

I take the view that whatever our differences might be, it is always better when we can deal with each other directly, through dialogue.

This is how we firmly and calmly call out unacceptable risks to Australian naval personnel on duty in international waters, as well as making clear Australia’s resolute position on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and our unwavering support for the territorial integrity of our neighbours.

This is not always a smooth process, or a swift one, but while issuing threats and delivering ultimatums may be the easy road, it never takes you very far. In a world of increasing complexity, the true measure of foreign policy strength is the ability to effectively manage differences, not manufacture confrontations.

That’s why, as well as reminding ourselves of the benefits we have been able to secure through dialogue, we must always remember the potentially devastating cost of the alternative.

Australia, China and every nation in our region has a role to play in upholding the rules based-order, respecting our neighbours’ sovereignty and maintaining the stability of the Indo-Pacific.

What’s more, we all have much to gain from it.

In this spirit, our government will continue to use dialogue to advance Australia’s interests, articulate our values and build a more prosperous and secure future for all who call the Indo-Pacific home.

Anthony Albanese is the Prime Minister of Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/working-productively-with-china-will-benefit-everyone-in-the-region/news-story/00f8eba72768581bce13d30234cdb865

https://x.com/AlboMP/status/1699619733119865014

Assange's UK appeal against US extradition to begin on July 9

AFP - 11 June 2024

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's appeal against a UK court ruling that approved his extradition to the United States to face trial for breaking national security laws will begin on July 9, a judicial spokesman said Tuesday.

Assange, 52, won his bid to challenge the ruling last month, and the two-day hearing will now take place at the High Court in London next month.

The Australian publisher is wanted by Washington for publishing hundreds of thousands of secret US documents from 2010 as head of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

Had he lost at last month's hearing, Assange - who has become a figurehead for free speech campaigners - could have been swiftly extradited after a five-year legal battle.

In written submissions for the hearing, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald, representing Assange, accepted as "unambiguous" US government assurances that he would not face the death penalty.

But he queried whether his client could rely on the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which covers freedom of speech and freedom of the press, at trial.

James Lewis, representing the US government, told the court Assange's conduct was "simply unprotected" by the First Amendment.

It does not apply to anyone "in relation to publication of illegally obtained national defence information giving the names of innocent sources to their grave and imminent risk of harm", he submitted.

Assange has been detained in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019.

He was arrested after spending seven years holed up in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced accusations of sexual assault that were eventually dropped.

US authorities want to put Assange on trial for divulging US military secrets about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is accused of publishing some 700,000 confidential documents relating to US military and diplomatic activities, starting in 2010.

The United States has accused Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act, which his supporters warn mean he could be sentenced to 175 years in prison.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/assanges-uk-appeal-against-us-111841009.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 12, 2024, 11:08 p.m. No.21014848 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4852

>>20937541

US Army deploys a completely new type of cyber missile unit as part of Aukus alliance

China wants ‘anti access’ for Taiwan and the Nine Dash Line. Here’s the medicine for that

GEORGE ALLISON - 12 June 2024

1/2

The United States Army’s newly established Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) in the Pacific is a completely new kind of military unit. Armed with an array of cutting-edge technologies, such as high-altitude balloons, Precision Strike Missiles, cyber warfare units and unmanned systems, the MDTF is also the first real world manifestation of the lesser-known second pillar of the Australia-UK-US defence pact – Aukus.

Although Aukus Pillar 1, which concentrates on nuclear-powered submarines, has garnered much attention. Pillar 2 is less known. It involves advanced capabilities, including hypersonics, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence, and is equally, if not more, significant.

In the words of the agreement itself: “Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are pooling the talents of our defence sectors to catalyse, at an unprecedented pace, the delivery of advanced capabilities.”

The 3rd MDTF, headquartered in Hawaii, really illustrates this kind of thinking and it also indicates how seriously the US Army takes its dedication to Multi-Domain Operations. Multi-Domain Operations refers to the strategic integration of capabilities across all domains of warfare—land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

The task force will welcome five Australian and three British officers this summer. General Charles Flynn, the US Army Pacific Commander, referred to this as the “initial seed corn of creating that combined capability,” showcasing the collaborative nature of Aukus Pillar 2.

Pillar 2 of the agreement aims to integrate science, technology, industrial bases, and supply chains related to security and defence in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The goal is to expedite the adoption of critical technologies and warfighting concepts, guaranteeing that allied forces remain at the forefront of contemporary warfare and ready to defend Western values.

The MDTFs are a major part of this. In accordance with a very wordy US Army Chief of Staff Paper, MDTFs are “theatre-level manoeuvre elements” that are “designed to synchronise precision effects and precision fires in all domains against adversary anti-access/area denial networks in all domains, enabling joint forces to execute their operational plan.”

What does all that jargon mean? Simply put, MDTFs are specialised units that integrate various advanced technologies to disrupt enemy defences and guarantee the freedom of movement and operation of US and allied forces, even in highly contested areas full of many bad guys with modern kit. China might think that its arsenal of missiles and interlocking sensors – combined with its growing naval power – could keep Aukus forces out of any fight over Taiwan or the Nine Dash Line. The 3rd MDTF is there to prove Beijing wrong.

At the heart of the MDTF’s formidable firepower is the Precision Strike Missile – successor to the powerful Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) which is now changing the shape of the battlefield in Ukraine. Co-developed with Australia, and planned for the British army, this missile enables strikes on high-value targets deep within enemy territory. As a ballistic weapon, it is considerably harder to defend against than cruise missiles such as the well known Tomahawk.

(continued)

>>21014848

2/2

The MDTF also fields Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) weapons, mobile rocket artillery essential for rapid deployment and strike capability. The addition of Mid-Range and Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon batteries further strengthens the task force’s ability to deliver precise, long-range strikes crucial for penetrating – and crippling – sophisticated air defence networks.

You’ve probably heard of GMLRS, possibly under the name “Himars”. In fact the Himars vehicle can be used to carry GMLRS, ATACMS or Precision Strike. The system has proven to be an invaluable asset against peer forces, demonstrating its effectiveness in the fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has even credited GMLRS missiles with significantly altering the course of the war against Russia.

The US-made system has been pivotal in hitting dozens of Russian targets, including command posts and ammunition depots, and disrupting supply lines to Russian-occupied territories. These missiles can reach up to 50 miles, more than double the range of classic howitzer guns most nations operate.

In Ukraine, GMLRS has been used effectively against fixed targets such as command centres, ammunition depots, and critical bridges, creating significant logistical challenges for Russian forces, something the MDTFs would be keen to emulate.

Beyond its impressive firepower, the MDTF integrates advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets. High-altitude balloons, for instance, offer persistent surveillance and communication relay capabilities. Unmanned aircraft systems enhance this capability, providing extended operational reach and real-time intelligence gathering.

The staff paper on the concept also holds up electronic warfare as another critical component of the MDTF’s operations, something we’re seeing the importance of in Ukraine. The ability to locate the enemy is often as important as jamming or intercepting his communications.

It is hoped that by integrating cyber, space, and electromagnetic spectrum capabilities, the MDTF can disrupt enemy communications, gather crucial intelligence, and protect its networks from cyber threats. The MDTF’s Intelligence, Information, Cyber, Electronic Warfare, and Space battalion forms the backbone of these efforts, bringing together military intelligence, signal companies, and extended-range sensing capabilities. This is vital for the MDTF’s ability to operate independently in remote and contested areas.

Exercises like the recent Talisman Sabre, the most significant bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States, highlight the practical applications of these technologies. Colonel Michael Rose, commander of the 3rd MDTF, commented on the importance of these efforts after the exercise: “We have a continued set of work with the Australians and now, more and more, the United Kingdom partners, to build coordination mechanisms so that we can really accelerate our interoperability and ultimately achieve interchangeability.”

Rapid response to crises or conflicts necessitates this interoperability. The new MDTFs will play an increasingly critical role in the Indo-Pacific region by ensuring stability, enhancing the effectiveness of joint forces in the region, and deterring adversaries.

The UK stands to benefit significantly from this effort by gaining access to cutting-edge tech and thinking, not to mention strengthening its position in the Pacific through close cooperation with the US and Australia. The US Army’s Pacific revolution is underway.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/12/us-army-mdtf-cyber-precision-strike-missile-pacific-aukus/

>>20868956 (pb)

Marine Corps Osprey lands on Australian warship 3 months after flight ban was lifted

SETH ROBSON, STARS AND STRIPES - June 12, 2024

An MV-22 Osprey touched down on an Australian warship last week, another indicator the tiltrotor is returning to routine service with the Marine Corps after a series of deadly crashes.

The aircraft - part of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin - landed aboard the HMAS Adelaide on June 4 as it cruised off Australia’s northern coast, Capt. Edwin Myers, who commanded a detachment of Marines on the helicopter flight deck, told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday.

The U.S. military grounded its fleet of about 400 Ospreys between Dec. 6 and March 8 as it investigated the Nov. 29 crash of an Air Force CV-22 Osprey that killed eight airmen off Japan’s southern coast.

An Osprey assigned to last year’s Marine rotational force crashed in August north of Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory, killing three Marines and injuring 20 others, three seriously.

Neither accident investigation report has been released, although the Air Force initially found “a materiel failure of a V-22 component” in the November crash, according to a March 8 news release from the Pentagon, which did not identify the component.

The Osprey has been plagued by a problem called hard clutch engagement that caused loss of control in some instances and was blamed for the deaths of five Marines in a June 2022 Osprey crash in California.

After the November crash, the Marines put their Ospreys in the air again less than a week after Naval Air Systems Command cleared them for flight on March 8. Navy Ospreys are not yet flying passengers to aircraft flight decks, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Air Force Special Operations Command, whose tiltrotor crashed in southern Japan, has yet to resume flying its aircraft stationed in the country.

Ten Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced), based at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, arrived in Darwin last month to join the annual six-month training rotation of about 2,000 Marines.

The crew of the aircraft that landed on the Adelaide were making their first trip to the vessel, the squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Brandon “Jammer” Pope, said by email Tuesday.

“All were experienced shipboard pilots with years of experience landing on multiple types of ships,” he said. “Shipboard landings are a key skill we maintain as a maritime force.”

Since the helicopter-plane hybrids returned to flight, the squadron’s pilots have completed a warmup syllabus before advancing into unit-level training, Pope said.

“From night system training to low altitude tactics, shipboard operations are just another core skill we continue to train across the squadron,” he said.

The return to flight has been methodical to re-establish the aircrew proficiency required to safely execute training such as the deck landing, Pope said.

“Since arriving in Darwin, we have invested heavily into the proficiency and training of our aircrew and are now starting large scale aviation operations,” he said.

Two Ospreys rendezvoused with 38 Marines and a Navy corpsman who arrived June 8 in Townsville, Queensland, on the amphibious ship. The aircraft flew the troops 1,500 miles to Darwin, Myers said.

Forty-seven Marines, the corpsman and three Navy medical officers departed Darwin on the warship June 3, he said.

“The ship is a little more spacious than what we are used to on an American ship, but the capability is similar,” Myers said. “The Australian amphibious force has similar methods to the U.S. Marines.”

The Marines and sailors on the ship worked with the amphibious force, akin to a Marine expeditionary unit, that helps Australian army units conduct amphibious operations, he said.

Logistics Marines brought a pair of Humvees aboard. At sea, the Marines and Australian troops practiced moving the vehicles onto landing craft as they would in a ship-to-shore movement, Myers said.

The Marines practiced target shooting from the warship and established an operations center that allowed them to communicate with their headquarters in Darwin, he said.

During the trip, the Marines called in theoretical strikes on simulated targets at sea and on shore, Myers said.

“It proved that regardless of what ship Marines find themselves on, we can be combat effective,” he said.

The medical officers and logistics Marines remained on the Adelaide to work with about 500 Australian troops who on Saturday will practice moving from the ship to a beach north of Townsville, Myers said.

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2024-06-12/marine-corps-osprey-landing-australia-14155720.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 13, 2024, 12:23 a.m. No.21015132 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5138 >>5613

Gender diversity a ‘normal variation’, doctor tells court

ELLIE DUDLEY - JUNE 11, 2024

1/2

A doctor advising a young girl on whether to take cross-sex hormones told the child some side effects of taking testosterone, including vaginal atrophy, were reversible or would not last forever, and said there was “scientific debate” about whether the treatment could have an impact on her fertility.

The doctor, who works for one of Australia’s largest public gender clinics, also says gender diversity is a “normal variation of human development” and refuses to admit it could be influenced by “external pressure”.

The case emerged as the latest development in a highly complex family law matter in which the parents are divided over whether their child can medically transition to become a boy.

One parent opposes the prescription of the cross-sex hormones, previously telling the child they will “grow out of it”. The other supports the transition, and is trying to claim full parental responsibility.

The matter is on the brink of becoming a “royal commission” into the Australian model of care for gender dysphoria, the Federal Circuit and Family Court heard on Tuesday, as lawyers debate the legitimacy of Britain’s Cass review which found Australia’s guidelines on gender-affirmative medicine lacked rigour and independence.

The Australian is bound by a strict suppression order that prevents – among other things – the publication of either parent’s gender, or the name of any clinicians that have treated the gender dysphoric child.

The doctor was asked by barrister Belle Lane, acting for the parent opposed to the child’s transition, how she could be sure whether a child’s gender identity would remain into adulthood before prescribing them medical treatment.

“You don’t have any test that gives with absolute certainty that a child’s gender identity will continue through their adult life,” Ms Lane said.

The doctor responded: “No such test exists and gender identity changes over time. There is no specific test to determine how someone will feel in the future about their gender identity but that doesn’t mean we … take it on face value.”

The doctor continued: “There is no way to predict in the future who someone will be, but we go with what we have and we make a prediction.”

Ms Lane questioned whether “those people for whom your prediction is not accurate” will be subject to life-altering changes caused by testosterone, such as “facial hair, male patent baldness, alopecia”.

The doctor admitted “there will be some changes that cannot be undone” such as “clitoral enlargement”. But she told the court that, when conducting a consultation with the child, she said vaginal atrophy was “reversible”.

“When the administration of testosterone is ceased, your body’s natural hormones will increase again, unless there has been surgical intervention to your ovaries,” she said.

Ms Lane requested the doctor provide “peer-reviewed evidence” to support the fact vaginal atrophy is reversible, but the doctor could not.

Asked about conversations she had had with the child about the impact testosterone would have on her fertility, the doctor said there was “scientific debate” around lasting effects.

“(The child) is someone who had had regular menstrual cycles, who had not had puberty blockers, and the impact on fertility on someone like that is different,” she said.

“What I told (the child) was … it could have an impact on fertility.”

(continued)

>>21015132

2/2

The doctor took issue with a suggestion that “social contagion” caused adolescents to change their gender identity, saying there was “no evidence that someone can develop gender incongruence due to external pressure”. But Ms Lane pushed her on this.

“If you leave aside the social contagion … you’d agree with me peer influence is something significant in adolescents,” she probed.

The doctor agreed.

“And you’d agree with me that young people, including (the child), have access to social media … and may well have some influence, positive or negative, from social media,” Ms Lane continued.

The doctor said “yes”.

Ms Lane: “And this influence, social media, can influence aspect of identity?”

Doctor: “Yes.”

Ms Lane: “Including gender dysphoria?”

The doctor disagreed, saying any presentation of gender incongruence that had been caused by peer pressure did not persist.

“Gender identity, if it is influenced by peers … or related to peer pressure or questioning sexuality or wondering if you could be friends with this group or that, does not persist,” she said. “It fades. It dissipates over time.”

Judge Peter Tree used a hypothetical scenario in an attempt to summarise the doctor’s thesis.

“Often adolescents have a friendship crush,” he said. “If my friendship crush decides that they are transgender, I might entertain it. I might even go along with it for a bit. But is your point that … unless I have this as my core identity, my crush influence isn’t going to influence my core identity?”

Doctor: “Yes, yes, Your Honour.”

She continued to say that, by the time a child appeared at her clinic, they had “done the work”.

“I don’t see everyone the day they realise they are not cishet (a person who is both cisgender and heterosexual),” she said. “(The patients) are the ones that tell their parents, tell the GP, wait months to see a nurse … this cohort has done the work before they get to my door.”

The doctor also dismissed a suggestion that the child wants to transition to “appear straight”.

The court heard the child had been in a relationship with a biologically female peer. Justice Tree asked whether there was a chance the child was a “confused lesbian” and was “there is a possibility … that a natal female who presents as gender dysphoric but who is same-sex attracted might be responding to a lesbian orientation in a way that isn’t recognising it, but rather seeking to subvert it” by transitioning to become male.

The doctor agreed that was a possibility but said it was not the case for the child at the centre of the proceedings.

“That could be a possibility for some people, but for (the child) I did not find any evidence of that for him,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/gender-diversity-a-normal-variation-doctor-tells-court/news-story/6bdc67601d9e9703774d561bd88766eb

Australia, NZ more wary on China as Premier Li visits

Kirsty Needham and Lucy Craymer - June 12, 2024

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - Regional security concerns will overshadow lucrative trade ties when China's Premier Li Qiang visits New Zealand and Australia this week, with the mood markedly different from the last Chinese premier's visit seven years ago.

Li arrives in New Zealand on Thursday, before travelling to Australia at the weekend, China's foreign ministry said.

Australia is the top supplier of iron ore to China, its largest trading partner, but there is competition for Australia's rare earths needed for electric vehicles and defence from Western security allies.

New Zealand was the first Western nation to strike a free trade agreement with China in 2008, and China remains its largest export market for milk and agriculture products, with two-way trade of nearly NZ$38 billion ($23 billion).

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Li's visit was an opportunity for businesses to strike deals, and there was "massive areas of cooperation with China, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, climate change".

Differences would also be discussed, he added.

Once a moderate voice on China, New Zealand has toughened its stance, this year calling out Beijing for hacking the country's parliament and noting the growing threat China poses to security in the Pacific.

"Since 2017, the relationship has moved from one which was primarily focused on opportunity to one that is also concerned about resilience and over-dependency," said Jason Young, director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre at Victoria University.

China's ambassador, Wang Xiaolong, last month told a China Business Summit in Auckland that Beijing was not a threat, cautioning against "groundless accusations, which would erode the precious trust we have built up".

PANDA DIPLOMACY

In Australia, Li first visits the city of Adelaide, where a panda pair are due to return to China but locals are anticipating their stay to be extended or replacements to be sent.

The panda diplomacy, and lunch with wine exporters until recently shut out of the Chinese market, will smooth over a political dispute that saw A$20 billion ($13 billion) in Australian agriculture and mineral exports suspended by Beijing between 2020 and last year.

A poll released on Wednesday by the Australia China Relations Institute in Sydney showed the fallout of the trade blocks was deep public mistrust: 74% said Australia was too economically reliant on China, and 71% saw Beijing as a security threat.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said Li's visit shows ties had stabilised, even as the two nations compete for influence in the Pacific, and defence force encounters are tense.

Australia and China will sit down in Canberra with a "more realistic attitude of what they have in common", said Richard McGregor, Lowy Institute senior fellow for East Asia.

"China still sees value in Australia as a reliable supplier of commodities and they are especially keen to head off any efforts to restrict their access to critical minerals, from rare earths to lithium," he said.

While China was Australia's biggest customer and an early investor in its mining sector, the U.S., Japan and Europe are catching up and now want Canberra to restrict Chinese investment, he said.

"But how do you cut off your biggest customer? And will Australia's friends make up for the lost income and investment?"

In Western Australia, Li is expected to tour Chinese company Tianqi Lithium's processing plant, and Australian mining and energy company Fortescue.

In an opinion article published in The Australian on Wednesday, Albanese underscored both the importance of trade with China and his government's ambition to cater to global demand for critical minerals with a "made in Australia" policy.

"As more nations draw an explicit link between their economic security and their national security, we will ensure Australia's foreign investment framework is more efficient and transparent and more effective at managing risk," he wrote.

Businessman Warwick Smith, who will attend a business leaders roundtable with Li and Albanese in Western Australia, said China was likely to raise Australia's screening of foreign investment, particularly rare earths, as an issue where it wanted partnership.

Australia China Business Council president David Olsson said the council expects China's remaining trade ban, on seafood, to be lifted, and also hoped for an easing of visas.

"There is a real need for Australian businesspeople to reconnect and refresh their relationships in China," he said.

($1 = 1.6284 New Zealand dollars, or 1.5124 Australian dollars)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-nz-more-wary-china-premier-li-visits-2024-06-12/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 13, 2024, 3:38 a.m. No.21015592 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5596

>>20765147 (pb)

>>20774750 (pb)

PNG offers skilled workers for Australia’s infrastructure sector, pledges no ‘riff raff’

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 13, 2024

1/2

Papua New Guinea will urge the Albanese government to help it dramatically increase the number of temporary workers it supplies to Australia, saying it has thousands of skilled tradesmen from the oil and gas sector who could work on major infrastructure projects.

Seven federal government ministers, led by Richard Marles and Penny Wong, will travel to Port Moresby next week for the 30th Australia-PNG ministerial forum, with labour mobility and policing support at the top of the agenda.

PNG hopes to send 8000 of its workers to Australia by 2025, but by June 30 last year had supplied less than a quarter of that figure.

PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said PNG had 20,000 qualified tradies who worked on the country’s ExxonMobil LNG project who could bolster Australia’s infrastructure workforce.

He said the country could also supply more workers to Australia’s horticulture sector and other rural industries such as abattoirs.

“So this is something that we will be discussing at the highest level to open up the doors in that regard,” Mr Tkatchenko told The Australian.

He said the plan could be a “win-win” for both countries, but weeding out unsuitable candidates would be key to its success.

“I think the biggest concern is making sure you get good Papua New Guineans that are not going to cause you any problems down there with unfortunate situations,” Mr Tkatchenko said.

“We need to make sure that those that we send have gone through a proper process so we don’t get any riff raff problems for both of us.”

The Albanese government is expected to look favourably at the request, given the nation’s dire skills shortages and the need to ensure Australia retains its edge over China as PNG’s closest partner.

But the number of available positions for PNG workers will ultimately be determined by the demand of Australian employers.

Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Foreign Minister Wong will be joined on the June 19-20 trip by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, International Development Minister Pat Conroy, Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt, and Assistant Trade Minister Tim Ayres. They will meet with 14 PNG counterparts.

PNG’s internal security woes will be a major focus of Wednesday’s talks, amid soaring crime rates and ongoing tribal fighting in the country’s remote highlands.

Mr Tkatchenko said his country was keen to bed down Australian support for police training promised under the nations’ December 2023 security pact, so it could get more officers onto the streets and into the country’s provinces.

“This is about getting the bilateral security agreement moving forward, and making sure that that’s not only talk. We want to make sure everything is being actioned,” he said.

Mr Marles and Senator Wong will travel from Port Moresby to Enga Province on Thursday to inspect the site of a devastating landslide last month that killed an estimated 670 people.

(continued)

>>21015592

2/2

Beijing’s efforts to sign a security agreement with Port Moresby will loom over the ministerial talks, but Mr Tkatchenko said PNG’s relationship with China was strictly an economic one.

“I want to make this crystal clear – Australia does not have to worry at all about any security agreements with China,” he said.

“They put that all on the table, but I made it very clear, we will only be entertaining agreements on an economic and trade basis between China and Papua New Guinea.

“And China knows that. They know the boundaries, and they know that we have our traditional partners.”

The ministerial forum follows Anthony Albanese’s visit to PNG in April when he walked the Kokoda Track with counterpart James Marape. They commemorated Anzac Day together in a demonstration of the nations’ close historical ties.

Australia is on track to provide $500m worth of aid to PNG this financial year on top of a $600m loan revealed in the May budget to help keep the country solvent.

The Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands program project director Mihai Sora said PNG was “sliding against pretty much every human development indicator right now”.

“The country really is approaching a real point of tension in terms of services and security that the government can provide for its own people,” he said.

“There’s a huge need to address security and law enforcement across the country. Economically, the extractive industry is kicking along, but there really is a need to expand its narrow economic base and to continue to address governance reforms.”

Mr Sora said the country’s 50th anniversary of independence next year would mark an important milestone in the bilateral relationship.

“I think Australia will be doing what it can to use that moment to demonstrate that we have an enduring and special relationship with Papua New Guinea,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/png-offers-skilled-workers-for-australias-infrastructure-sector-pledges-no-riff-raff/news-story/b24fc74abc8f444105431db6cf4fa25e

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 13, 2024, 3:50 a.m. No.21015613 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5619

>>21015132

Doctor’s defiance on child’s sex swap

ELLIE DUDLEY - JUNE 13, 2024

1/2

A doctor from one of Australia’s largest public gender clinics says a gender dysphoric child who believed taking cross-sex hormones would help her grow male genitalia is still able to show mature thinking in the area of gender.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court on Wednesday heard the child, whose parents are divided over whether she should be allowed treatment, exhibited a “lack of understanding” that could indicate she was not ready for medical intervention.

The doctor, however, said while the comments might indicate the child’s juvenile grasp of how testosterone would impact her genitals, it does not necessarily show an overall lack of critical thinking in the area of gender.

The matter – in which one parent opposes the prescription of cross-sex hormones and has previously told the child they would “grow out of it”, and the other who supports the transition – is in the midst of a multi-day hearing, in which various expert witnesses are giving evidence.

The Australian is bound by a strict suppression order that prevents – among other things – the publication of either parent’s gender or the names of any clinicians who have treated the gender dysphoric child.

The child’s doctor on Wednesday was asked whether she feared the child’s mental health would plummet if the testosterone did not have the desired affect. The court has previously heard the child was distressed by their gender dysphoria but not suicidal because she feared the afterlife.

Belle Lane, the barrister acting for the parent opposing the treatment, questioned whether the testosterone could “destabilise” the child’s mental health “if it doesn’t achieve her expectations … She might be severely disappointed with the results of the testosterone and that could destabilise her mental health, do you agree?”

The doctor disagreed.

“Testosterone will cause masculinisation, which is what (the child) would want, which would see an improvement of mental health and a decrease in distress about being misgendered or outed,” she replied.

The court heard the child told a separate clinician she believed testosterone would “grow her clitoris into a penis … but she would not be able to penetrate with it”.

The doctor said the child may be referring to “clitoromegaly” – the enlargement of the clitoris after taking testosterone – which is referred to colloquially among young transgender people as “t-dick”.

“(The child) shows a lack of understanding about how testosterone works on genitals,” Ms Lane suggested.

The doctor said “based on this interview, yes”.

Ms Lane continued to probe.

“What (the other clinician) concluded … is that (the child’s) responses do not show mature or critical thinking in the area of gender,” she said. “You’d agree with that?”

The doctor disagreed.

(continued)

>>21015613

2/2

The court also heard debate over whether the doctor, when consulting the child on medical treatment, should have pressed the child on their desire for surgical intervention.

Ms Lane put to the doctor that if the child was “unable to undergo a double mastectomy as an adult, she will have aspects of a male body and aspects of a female body as well”.

The doctor agreed.

“If (the child) were to start testosterone prior to the age of 18, there would be a period where (the child) would have breasts still and have masculinised features,” Ms Lane asked. “What I’m putting to you is that combination could worsen (the child’s) gender dysphoria.”

The doctor disagreed, saying “I have not encountered that in my practice”.

Ms Lane: “You discount that as a possibility?”

Doctor: “Yes.”

Ms Lane pressed the doctor on why she didn’t “reality test” the child’s expectations of getting surgery in adulthood.

“You didn’t discuss phalloplasty or metoidioplasty, did you?” she asked.

The doctor said the point of the consultation was to determine whether the child “understands what testosterone does”.

“Young people can (want) a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean we discuss it with them when they cannot access it,” she said.

“I have not explicitly discussed (the child’s) expectations about those (surgical) interventions because that was not what I was asked to do.”

Judge Peter Tree later tried to clarify the point Ms Lane was making.

“I have a bent finger,” he said. “If I went to the doctor and said, ‘I want you to straighten my bent finger’ but I let slip my whole goal in this was to become the world’s best concert pianist, would a doctor be obliged to tell me my goals of becoming the world’s best concert pianist are slim?”

Ms Lane said Justice Tree’s point was “not a relevant example” but he said he was asking the witness “whether the extent to which you go down the chain of purpose of intervention is relative and contextual”.

The hearing continues.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/doctors-defiance-on-childs-sex-swap/news-story/3fe1e0bf9daeecfe34c8b9810b583f57

>>20570458 (pb)

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas fails in legal bid to qualify for Paris Olympic Games

JACQUELIN MAGNAY - JUNE 13, 2024

Transgender United States swimmer Lia Thomas has lost any chance of competing in the Paris Olympic Games after losing a significant case against World Aquatics in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Thomas, 25, had taken the case to the Lausanne-based court to try and force World Aquatics to overturn its rules which bars anyone who has undergone any part of male puberty from competing in the female category of the sport. But the court has ruled against Thomas and the swimmer will not be eligible to try for Olympic Games selection in the female category.

British swimming champion Sharron Davies tweeted after hearing the court decision: “Good, no elite female athlete will have to lose out to this mediocre 6’4ft male swimmer.”

Valentina Gomez, a former US swimmer, supported Davies, saying: “As a former NCAA division one swimmer, with an older brother, who is an Olympian, These are great news. Keep women’s sports female! That dude couldn’t hack it in swimming so he hijacked our sport.”

Thomas was born male and went through puberty as a male ranked in the mid 500s in men’s competitions, and a career high of 65th in the 500 yards freestyle in 2019 before becoming a trans woman and winning the female 500m NCAA college title in March 2022, sparking a flurry of controversy. In a separate legal case that is still ongoing, 16 US women have since lodged a legal claim from that race claiming the National Collegiate Athletics Association had institutionalised discrimination and cheating against them.

World Aquatics maintained that Thomas was not eligible to contest their rules because she wasn’t a member of World Aquatic’s affiliated organisation, USA Swimming.

Thomas had argued that the World Aquatics rules made it impossible for her to both qualify and to register for a World Aquatics competition and that they should be made invalid and unlawful. However the three person panel ruled on Wednesday that Thomas “lacks standing to challenge the policy and the operation requirements in the framework of the present proceedings”.

The 24 page Judgement said: “The panel concludes that since the Athlete is not entitled to participate in ‘Elite Event’ within the meaning of USA Swimming Policy, let alone to compete in a World Aquatics competition, which occurs upon registration with World Aquatics prior to a competition or upon setting a performance which leads to a request for registration as World Aquatics world record, she is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in World Aquatics competitions.

“The policy and the operational requirements are simply not triggered by her current status.”

World Aquatics officials said the decision was a major step forward in efforts to protect women’s sport.

“World Aquatics is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge,” the organisation said in a statement. The stance of international sports federations is somewhat different to the Australian Sports Commission which encourages trans participation in women's sports at community levels.

The decision centred around Thomas’ eligibility to challenge the rules, and not on the many physical advantages scientists say are conferred on male born athletes who transition to become a woman after going through puberty.

Meanwhile the International Olympic Committee executive board has recommended the next Winter Olympics to be held in the French Alps in 2030 and then in Salt Lake City-Utah in 2034. The two bids will be put to the IOC session before the Paris Olympics for ratification.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/womens-sport/transgender-swimmer-lia-thomas-fails-in-legal-bid-to-qualify-for-paris-olympic-games/news-story/4aad7cac35da358d80daddc486ca40bb

https://x.com/sharrond62/status/1800937112415391846

>>20916909

Trump Jr and Farage attend London fundraiser hosted by Holly Valance

The biggest fundraising event outside the US has so far raised more than $2 million for Donald Trump’s re-election bid

David Brown - June 12 2024

Donald Trump Jr and Nigel Farage are among the guests at a London fundraiser that has so far raised more than $2 million (£1.6 million) for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

The reception, believed to be the biggest fundraising event outside the US for Trump’s re-election bid, is being hosted by Holly Valance, the Australian actor and singer, in the Chelsea mansion she shares with her husband, the billionaire property tycoon Nick Candy.

Farage, the leader of Reform UK and prospective MP for Clacton, took a break from his election campaigning to attend the event alone. He arrived holding a copy of the Gospel According to St John.

When asked if he had any reservations about donating to a convicted felon, he responded: “I can’t donate, I’m British.” Last month, before announcing his bid to become an MP, he said he had a “firm job offer” related to Trump’s re-election campaign.

Derek Chisora, 40, the British boxer, arrived wearing a red “Make America great again” baseball cap. Matthew Elliott, the former chief executive of Vote Leave, who was made Tory peer by Liz Truss, declined to comment as he arrived.

More than 100 guests were given just 60 minutes’ notice of the location, which was close to the banks of the Thames in Chelsea, west London.

Staff hired for the event were only informed that they would be serving at a “big Conservative fundraising dinner” and were unaware that it was associated not with the UK election but with the US election, nor that it was linked to Trump’s re-election campaign.

As guests began to arrive, Valance’s well-heeled neighbours responded largely negatively. One, a woman originally from New York, shouted repeatedly from her rooftop terrace: “Vote Biden!” Others described Trump as “ghastly” and “embarrassing”.

To join the host committee, a contribution of $100,000 (£78,000) per couple was required. A $50,000 contribution secured attendance at the reception, a photo opportunity and a “roundtable”. To attend the reception cost $10,000 — with an extra $15,000 required for a photo opportunity.

Because of US election funding law, contributions were only accepted from US citizens or holders of green card residency permits.

Valance, 41, who found fame as Felicity Scully in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, has a green card as a result of her Hollywood acting career. She gave a speech along with Donald Trump Jr, 46, who was accompanied by his fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, 55, a television news personality.

The party was attended by several Trump-era ambassadors, including Robert “Woody” Johnson, 77, who served in London from 2017 to 2021, and business figures including Howard Lutnick, 62, the billionaire financier.

Guests were served Mediterranean food at the 40,000 sq ft mansion and two acres of ground. Valance and Candy, 51, attended a dinner with Donald Trump and Farage at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in 2022.

A source close to the couple said: “This is a huge fundraising event. It is a real ‘Holly party’ and she has thrown herself into it. It raised at least $2 million but the total is expected to be much more.

“They both know the president and his family very well and are active supporters. They are deeply concerned that the US is becoming a banana republic and are determined to help the greatest country in the world.”

Truss, the former prime minister, was invited but did not attend.

Trump’s son said in a statement about the reception: “After the bogus conviction of my father [in his recent hush-money trial in the US], we have seen an explosion in financial support from American citizens across the globe who are rejecting Joe Biden’s attempt to use the courts to interfere in the presidential election.

“I’m excited to see my friends in London, who are all ready to make America great again this November.”

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/trump-jr-and-farage-attend-london-fundraiser-hosted-by-holly-valance-9wc6bff92

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/how-an-ex-neighbours-star-came-to-host-the-largest-trump-fundraiser-outside-the-us-20240613-p5jlhs.html

>>20550344 (pb)

>>20998353

‘Scumbag’ defaces Australian War Memorial in Canberra

SARAH ISON - JUNE 14, 2024

The Australian War Memorial has been defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti in what has been described as an “abhorrent” act of disrespect that will serve as a “kick in the guts” to veterans across the country.

ACT police confirmed on Friday they were hunting for an individual captured on CCTV graffitiing three areas of the War Memorial with “pro-Palestinian slogans”, which were quickly covered up with black tarpaulin in a bid to stop similar crimes being incited.

The officer in charge of Canberra’s City Police Station, Acting Inspector Lisa Broomhall, said police were “very disappointed” by the targeting of the War Memorial.

“We would like to remind the community that while peaceful protest is part of a healthy democracy, criminal acts will not be tolerated,” she said.

“Police will be investigating this matter thoroughly in an effort to ensure those involved are brought before the courts.”

Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson said he was “saddened by graffiti which desecrated the heritage building”.

‘The War Memorial’s purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war or on operational service,” he said. “It is the Memorial’s view that the vandalism is both inappropriate and offensive.

‘The matter is being handled by the Australian Federal Police.”

The incident comes about two weeks after a national day of action caused the electoral offices of Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten and Labor MP Peter Khalil all vandalised, along with the US consulate building in Victoria.

Anthony Albanese’s own electoral office is also being targeted by protesters with graffiti and blockades.

However, NSW, ACT and Victorian police all confirmed no arrests or charges had been laid so far in relation to the most recent incidents of vandalism.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said that while Australians had the right to peaceful protest, the use of the Australian War Memorial as a political platform was “abhorrent”.

“Those who have chosen to vandalise our national memorial to those who have fought and died for our country should reflect on the purpose of the Australian War Memorial,” he said.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, who served in the Special Air Service Regiment between 2010 and 2015, branded the activists carrying out the vandalism “deranged”.

“(They) will stop at nothing to make their point: even dishonouring our war dead and desecrating their sacred memorial. It’s no wonder they make easy allies with Hamas,” he said.

Mr Hastie’s Liberal colleague and fellow Australian Defence Force veteran, Phil Thompson, said the vandalism was “a kick in the guts” to all who had served.

“It is disgraceful criminal behaviour, and this scumbag should be arrested, and the full weight of the law should be dumped upon them,” he said.

Former Department of Defence deputy secretary Peter Jennings has said there has been a “steady radicalisation” following October 7 and Australian police were “partly to blame because they have tolerated it”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/scumbag-defaces-australian-war-memorial-in-canberra/news-story/6091c294d19e583e8410a0353f62b2e5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrDaw8KoUk8

AUKUS and foreign interference raised in discussions with Chinese premier - Christopher Luxon

Lillian Hanly - 14 June 2024

AUKUS and foreign interference have been discussed as part of official meetings between Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit New Zealand in seven years. The trip coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

He received a full official welcome on Thursday for the official meeting at Government House in Wellington, where a range of topics were discussed, namely - our two-way trade.

The meeting also came against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions.

China has made no secret of its displeasure toward the AUKUS defence pact - which New Zealand supports and has considered joining in a second-tier capacity.

China's Ambassador to New Zealand has said joining would be akin to "taking sides".

China's blighted human rights record has also caused friction.

In 2021, the full New Zealand parliament passed a motion expressing grave concern about China's treatment of Uighur Muslims.

And the government this year denounced China for backing a cyber-attack on New Zealand's parliament years earlier.

Both condemnations prompted fierce denials from the Chinese embassy at the time.

But on Thursday, both leaders praised the longstanding relationship between the two countries, and committed to expanding cooperation on trade and investment.

In a joint media conference, Luxon said trade, people, education and tourism linkages between the two nations had benefited both countries, supported economic growth and created jobs.

"New Zealand has much to offer China as a source of high quality food and innovative products and services, which can boost productivity and improve economic output."

Li agreed it was important to expand cooperation on trade and investment.

"China is ready to be part of New Zealand's endeavour to double the value of exports in the next decade.

"The growth of our relations has not only benefited the two peoples but also contributed to regional peace, stability, and prosperity."

Luxon said he also raised a number of issues important to "New Zealand's interests", including "issues on which our perspectives differ".

Luxon said it was probably a "50-50" split on whether the conversation was more about differences or shared interests.

Li acknowledged those differences too.

"Given our different national realities and stages of development, it is natural that we don't always see eye to eye with each other on everything. But such differences should not become a chasm that blocks exchanges and cooperation between us."

Li did not front the media for questions, and it was in the stand-up that followed the media conference where Luxon alone confirmed AUKUS and foreign interference were put on the table for discussion.

"We canvassed AUKUS, and they raised their concerns. And, you know, we raised a number of concerns and different differences that we have as well … I expressed our view that foreign interference is something that we do not support from any country."

The two leaders concluded the meeting with a host of agreements in the areas of trade, education and tourism, with China allowing visa-free visits for New Zealanders.

New Zealand will also be the guest country of honour at China's International Import Expo in Shanghai later this year.

Li will continue his engagements in Auckland, meeting with Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/519495/aukus-and-foreign-interference-raised-in-discussions-with-chinese-premier-christopher-luxon

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 15, 2024, 2:01 a.m. No.21025479 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5480

>>21025476

Premier Li visits New Zealand as two countries to expand trade, exchanges

China-New Zealand ties ‘a model of cooperation between countries with different social systems’

Zhao Yusha - Jun 13, 2024

1/2

China-New Zealand cooperation has set a model of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems, historical cultures, and stages of development, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said during his visit to New Zealand on Thursday, adding that the respective development of China and New Zealand is an opportunity for each other rather than a challenge.

Observers said China-New Zealand ties are a "model" of relations between China and Western countries. They said Li's visit highlights the fact that China is willing to retain friendly ties with Western countries if they seek pragmatic cooperation and hold on to strategic autonomy.

Li arrived in New Zealand on Thursday for an official visit, the first leg of his three-nation tour from June 13 to 20.

Li said his visit to New Zealand is intended to continue traditional friendship, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and drive common development.

Noting that the two countries have achieved fruitful results in cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, science and technology, and cultural exchanges, Li said that their cooperation has set a model of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems, historical cultures, and stages of development.

Li's visit to New Zealand marked the first time a Chinese premier has visited the country since 2017. In recent years, the ties between Beijing and Wellington have long been dubbed by observers as "model and forefront" of relations between China and Western countries.

The Premier's visit came shortly after New Zealand's new government was sworn in late last year, and the bilateral ties need to be further consolidated and strengthened, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The visit will not only help sustain long-term friendly relations, it will also open door to new opportunities, said Chen, explaining that as the upgraded free trade agreement between the two countries took effect, the cooperation potential is huge.

Li expressed his belief that with the joint efforts, China-New Zealand relations will surely usher in an even brighter future, bringing greater benefits to the people of both countries and contributing more to world peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

Cooperation mainstream

Li on Thursday called on New Zealand and China to eliminate non-economic disruptions in their economic and trade relations, so as to provide businesses with stable expectations and a favorable business environment. Li made the remarks during his meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Li said that the respective development of China and New Zealand is an opportunity for each other rather than a challenge, calling on the two countries to continue as partners of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit that learn from each other and foster unity and coordination.

China stands ready to work with New Zealand in continuously expanding trade, exploring cooperation potential in sectors including digital economy, green economy, new energy vehicles and creative industry, and jointly promoting regional economic cooperation, said the Chinese premier.

(continued)

>>21025479

2/2

Noting that China is willing to deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges with New Zealand, Li said China will include New Zealand in the list of unilateral visa-free countries and expressed the hope for New Zealand to facilitate easier travel for Chinese citizens visiting the country.

Overall, New Zealand's China policy remains rational and pragmatic, as it did not take the lead among Western countries to provoke China; however, divergences between China and New Zealand do exist, and that is also part of the bilateral relation, Ning Tuanhui, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

What matters most is managing those differences and not allowing those differences define our ties with New Zealand, Chen added. He believes cooperation prevails over divergences in the bilateral relation.

One proof is the strong economic ties that connects the two nations. In April, New Zealand Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said "China is our largest export market accounting for more than 26 percent of our goods exports."

New opportunities in the Chinese market will play a key role in achieving the target of doubling New Zealand exports by value within 10 years, said the minister after his visit to China.

Strong economic connections will cement and strengthen political relations between two countries, and vice versa, said Chen, noting that the current dispute still fail to erode into the solid cooperation foundation between China and New Zealand.

At the same time, Washington is ratcheting up efforts in pulling New Zealand into its small clique against China, and the Western media has begun to hype that New Zealand is "pivoting to the US."

The Straits Times reported New Zealand seemed to have toughened its stance in 2023, calling out Beijing for hacking the country's Parliament and noting the growing threat China poses to security in the Pacific. New Zealand has agreed to officially explore the potential benefits of joining the AUKUS pact.

Despite pressure from US and certain Western countries, Wellington has kept sufficient strategic autonomy, which is also beneficial for its own development, Chen said. Hopefully New Zealand will be able to retain such autonomy and political maturity, and continue to contribute elevating bilateral ties.

Li's visit to New Zealand highlights the fact that China is willing to remain friendly and pragmatic relation with Western countries, as long as those countries eye cooperation rather than differences, said experts.

Track of improvement

New Zealand marks the first leg of the Chinese premier's visit. Li will also pay official visits to Australia and Malaysia, and will co-chair the ninth China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Recently, relationship between China and Australia has "warmed up" after a slew of high-level exchanges. In November last year, Albanese paid official visit to China. In March this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid visit to both Australia and New Zealand.

Chen noted that China-Australia relations are now improving after the recent series of high-level visits, and Premier Li's visit can be seen as an announcement that the "unpleasant past" has ended.

However, discrepancies between China and Australia still remain. Albanese has said Li's visit shows ties had stabilized, even as the two nations compete for influence in the Pacific, and defense force encounters are tense, per Reuters.

Once the high-level exchanges become frequent, it will help to boost political trust between the two countries, and put under control the differences in a timely manner, said Ning.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314083.shtml

Albanese’s three fudges on China yield nothing — and weaken us

The price Australia pays for Anthony Albanese’s stabilised engagement with communist China – with the mantra ‘co-operate, disagree, engage’ – is that all substance is drained from the relationship.

PETER JENNINGS - June 15, 2024

1/3

The price Australia pays for Anthony Albanese’s stabilised engagement with communist China is that all substance is drained from the relationship. That’s why the most concrete aim mentioned by the Prime Minister in his commentary piece in The Australian last Wednesday was to “see further progress for our shellfish exporters”. He has nothing to say about Beijing’s open challenge to regional security.

Albanese’s article did not touch on China’s military threats against Taiwan. He raised no issues about Chinese cyber malware planted into Australian critical infrastructure. He said nothing about China’s relentless intellectual property theft, about unprecedented levels of espionage, about threats and bullying of Chinese Australians, or about attempts to bribe Australian politicians.

The most pointed reference in his article was to “how we firmly and calmly call out unacceptable risks to Australian naval personnel on duty in international waters”.

This coded language referred to one of several incidents where Chinese ships and aircraft have endangered the lives of Australian Defence Force sailors and aviators.

Albanese avoided raising with Chinese President Xi Jinping the Chinese sonar attack on divers from the frigate HMAS Toowoomba last November. The Prime Minister dodged the opportunity at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in San Francisco.

The US Defence Department has identified more than 200 Chinese attacks on ships and aircraft in the East and South China seas since 2021. Failing to raise this at the right political levels ensures that such highly risky behaviour will continue.

The attack on the Toowoomba should be high on Albanese’s list to raise this weekend with visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang. It’s unlikely Albanese will mention it. He has created his own excuse for not doing so: “The true measure of foreign policy strength is the ability to effectively manage differences, not manufacture confrontations.”

Complaining about Chinese attacks on ADF personnel is manufacturing a confrontation? Albanese is channelling the Chinese Communist Party’s talking point that everything negative in the relationship is Australia’s fault.

We are left with the one vacuous observation on China that the Prime Minister has used on dozens of occasions since the 2022 election: “co-operate with China where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in our national interest”. Albanese deploys this line in speeches, at media conferences, during parliament’s question time, in his interactions with Chinese and other world leaders.

It is as though the line is the only thing he can remember about the relationship.

The Prime Minister has had the benefit of sitting for two years in the national security committee of cabinet and has daily access to some of the best intelligence analysis in the world from the Office of National Intelligence. Has he truly learned nothing new to think or say about China over this time?

The “co-operate, disagree, engage” mantra is the tactic Albanese uses to avoid substance. In language Beijing might adopt, these are the “three fudges”.

Is there a problem with Beijing’s espionage? Is Albanese concerned about China’s use of secret police officers in Australia to threaten ethnic-Chinese people? Is he outraged that China is trying to subvert neighbouring Pacific Islands leaders or is undermining Australia’s reputation in Asia by lying about the nuclear weapons proliferation “risk” from AUKUS?

On these issues one can expect no substance from him or his government. Instead he talks non-specifically about “co-operate, disagree, engage”.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 15, 2024, 2:20 a.m. No.21025495 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5498

>>21025492

2/3

In practical terms, the Albanese approach has yielded nothing of substance.

It is clear that Beijing was glad to see the back of Scott Morrison. Xi hated Morrison’s call to investigate the origins of Covid-19 because, as is becoming increasingly clear, that would reveal a laboratory leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Beijing also was genuinely disturbed by Morrison’s ability to produce AUKUS, working with US President Joe Biden and British prime minister Boris Johnson. This somewhat unlikely trio produced one of the most useful mechanisms to push back against Chinese militarism.

China’s leaders would have been happy at the arrival of Albanese. But it is wrong to claim the thawing in bilateral relations was the result of Labor’s “patient, calibrated and deliberate efforts of our government to rebuild dialogue with China”.

Recall the “14 grievances” statement written by the Chinese embassy and handed to journalists in November 2020?

That statement attacked the modest but necessary steps taken by Australian governments to limit China’s influencing of politicians with financial payments; excluding Huawei from the 5G rollout; and making “a statement on the South China Sea to the United Nations”. The Chinese grievance list attacked the government for “providing funding to anti-China think tank” the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, an organisation I then led. ASPI’s crime was “peddling lies around Xinjiang and so-called China infiltration”.

Some of my staff at ASPI paid a heavy price at the time, subjected to appallingly abusive and co-ordinated attacks on social media. Family of ASPI staff in China came under direct duress from police and security.

China’s new ambassador to Australia in January 2022, Xiao Qian, cranked back the angry rhetoric. This quieter approach was also happening in Europe and the US. By the time of Albanese’s election, Beijing had partially shelved the wolf warrior diplomacy that had done so much to damage China’s international reputation.

In January last year its lead exponent of wolf warrior diplomacy, Zhao Lijian, was quietly removed from his job as a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry to become a deputy in the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs.

The Prime Minister can fool himself that the less offensive Chinese diplomacy is the result “of the benefits we have been able to secure through dialogue”. A more accurate assessment is that China shelved the wolf warrior nonsense because Beijing realised it was doing harm. The resumption of dialogue under Labor happened precisely because it has no substance. China has not changed its strategic behaviour in any way and actually has become more militarily aggressive. Beijing gets a more quiescent Canberra because Albanese is desperate for the fiction of the stabilised relationship.

Concerns about China’s aggression towards Taiwan, Japan, The Philippines, the Pacific Islands and Australia will not be put to Premier Li. What we know in advance of his visit is that Li will attend some “cultural” events primarily for the benefit of Chinese media.

So-called patriotic supporters – mainland Chinese students – will be paid and organised by the Chinese embassy to surround visit venues such as Parliament House. Protesters will be kept away and airbrushed out of Chinese media reporting. Australian media will not be allowed to put questions to Li, nor will there by any opportunity to cover the substance when the leaders “exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues”.

We know from Albanese’s trip to Beijing in November that pandas were front and centre of the talks. The Prime Minister declared himself to be “pro-panda”, said he thought (twice, in fact) they were “wonderful animals” and Xi “reminded us of the fact that not all pandas are cute, by relaying the Kung Fu Panda story”.

(continued)

>>21025495

3/3

To help address the likely absence of policy substance, I offer here my own 14 demands on the People’s Republic of China. Consider these the “14 stops” that Albanese should be prepared to put to Premier Li.

First, China should stop using potential lethal force against ships and aircraft of the Australian Defence Force and our friends and allies operating legally in international waters.

With hundreds of such incidents recorded it is inevitable that people are going to be killed by Chinese aggression. If one sailor or aviator tragically killed is Australian, what then for the stabilised relationship?

The risk of Chinese malware being implanted into critical infrastructure – the electricity grid, for example – is one increasingly concerning US officials.

Without mentioning China, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess warned in February: “ASIO is aware of one nation-state conducting multiple attempts to scan critical infrastructure in Australia and other countries, targeting water, transport and energy networks.”

Burgess didn’t mention China but readers can be assured that the threat does not come from New Zealand.

On the demand to stop bribing Australian politicians, recall Labor senator Sam Dastyari resigning his Senate seat in December 2017 over comments made to Chinese media that “the South China Sea is China’s own affair”. That followed an offer of a $400,000 payment to Labor – one that did not eventuate.

Millions of dollars from Chinese mystery businessmen were donated to political parties in the previous decade. As recently as this year Burgess has spoken at length of politicians being compromised by a “foreign regime”.

My 14-point list is hardly exhaustive. All points address Chinese activities that are thoroughly publicly reported. Most describe forms of behaviour that Beijing pursues in several countries, not just Australia.

The Australian government should find ways to raise these 14 points, not “to manufacture confrontation” but to make it clear that it is impossible to have a normal relationship when Beijing is relentlessly focused on undermining Australian sovereignty.

More likely, though, we will just have more pro-panda diplomacy. While Adelaide Zoo is being allowed to keep its two giant pandas, reports say they will be replaced by a new pair: at age 18 and 17 Wang Wang and Fu Ni are reaching their natural life expectancy. They are actually here on a loan agreement for which the zoo pays China $1m a year. Thanks for the memories, Beijing.

Until such time as China can manage a respectful relationship with Australia, or until we can handle ties with a hint of backbone, it would be best for our national security and self-respect that Premier Li return home and take his pandas with him.

Peter Jennings is director of Strategic Analysis Australia and was executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute from 2012 to 2022. He is a former deputy secretary for strategy in the Defence Department (2009-12).

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/albaneses-three-fudges-on-china-yield-nothing-and-weaken-us/news-story/91bee4478d25a28cf78c4f1609e4275c

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 15, 2024, 2:31 a.m. No.21025506 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5509

>>21025476

>>21025492

Anthony Albanese told by Trump adviser to ‘have eyes open’ on Li Qiang

WILL GLASGOW and BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 15, 2024

1/2

Donald Trump’s former Asia tsar Matt Pottinger has urged Anthony Albanese to have his “eyes wide open” when he meets visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as former Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo warned Labor’s preoccupation with stabilising ties with Beijing risked emboldening Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mr Pottinger told The Weekend Australian leader-level contact with Beijing was important, but Mr Albanese said should not expect any real improvement in Beijing’s behaviour.

“I’m usually more sceptical about the sorts of activities that the Chinese Communist Party likes to lure governments into at the working level, where no real progress ever gets made,” the former deputy US national security adviser said ahead of Mr Li’s arrival in Australia on Saturday.

“It’s usually a system to stall and buy time and advance Chinese Communist Party interests.

“I think it’s reasonable that Australia’s Prime Minister and New Zealand’s leader would be meeting the Premier as well as the General Secretary (Xi Jinping), but to do so with eyes wide open.”

The advice from one of America’s most influential China advisers came as Mr Pezzullo warned it was a mistake to believe cautious diplomacy would have any impact on Chinese belligerence.

“There is now a risk of a new ‘imagined China’ emerging and embedding itself in official thinking,” the 2009 defence white paper author wrote in an article for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “Instead of continuing to work to rally like-minded nations against Chinese coercion, as we did in 2021, the alternative approach of quiet engagement … might yet entrench a dangerously benign view of the China challenge in official thinking.”

Mr Albanese has insisted his efforts to reopen dialogue with China have delivered real benefits to Australian exporters and enabled the government to call out dangerous conduct by the Chinese military in international waters and airspace.

But Mr Pezzullo, who was forced out of his job last year over a string of leaked messages in which he was critical of former ministers, said the Albanese government’s approach excused Chinese belligerence “on the basis that all great powers behave so”.

“This will see Australia abandon the hard-won gains of its resistance over recent years. China wants our silence – over human rights, Taiwan, territorial aggression, unsafe military activities, and more besides. We should not give it so readily,” he wrote.

The government’s policy appeared to be a “vain attempt at seeking an equilibrium” between the US and China, playing into Beijing’s efforts to undercut US alliance structures, he added.

“We should, however, resist such equivalence. We have a stake in this contest playing out such that US primacy, including its military superiority, is maintained,” he said.

(continued)

>>21025506

2/2

Preparations for Mr Li’s visit were in full swing in Canberra on Friday, with temporary security barriers erected around Parliament House and the city’s nearby Hyatt Hotel where the Chinese delegation will stay.

China’s No. 2 leader will fly into Adelaide on Saturday, where he will toast the resumption of Australian wine sales to his country and announce the loan of two new giant pandas to the city’s zoo.

He will meet behind closed doors with the Prime Minister in Canberra on Monday, amid fears of clashes between “patriotic” Chinese loyalists and human rights protesters who have vowed to descend on the capital.

Business leaders were cautiously upbeat ahead of Mr Li’s arrival, hoping for improved travel arrangements with China after the Premier granted visa-free entry to New Zealanders in talks with the country’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, on Thursday.

Zichen Wang, a research fellow at Beijing’s Centre for China and Globalisation, said the decision was “extraordinarily notable”, given New Zealand’s status as a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network.

Australia China Business Council president David Olsson said his members would welcome the end of time-consuming visa processes, which requires prospective travellers to leave their passports at Chinese consulates for at least three days. “I would be pretty hopeful there will be a similar outcome here. It makes a lot of sense for China,” he said.

“They need to get people up there as much as we want to get up there – and it will eliminate all the frustrating processing issues.”

When Mr Albanese was in Beijing last November, he and Mr Li agreed to reciprocal three- to five-year multi-entry visas to kickstart business travel. But there has been no progress in the six months since his trip.

Australia’s omission from China’s visa-free list would be a pointed illustration of Beijing’s ongoing wariness about Canberra. US allies Japan and South Korea, whose leaders Mr Li met last month in Seoul, have both not been put on China’s visa-free list.

Australia’s lobster and beef industries, whose exports are still affected by Chinese trade bans, were yet to receive confirmation by Friday that Beijing’s almost four-year long blockages on their products would end. One businessman said there would be “deep despair” if the bans weren’t lifted during Mr Li’s visit.

Australian Grape & Wine chief executive Lee McLean, whose members will attend a lunch with Mr Li on Sunday, said the industry was feeling “pretty positive” about the resumption of wine sales to China after Beijing axed its punitive trade bans on their products.

“There is a sense of relief, obviously,” Mr McLean said.

“But with just $86m in Australian wine exported to China in the past month, sales remain a long way off the $1.2bn worth of product the industry sold into the market in 2019.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-told-by-trump-adviser-to-have-eyes-open-on-li-qiang/news-story/2568a9957181cb587475817dfc6808c8

AUKUS: First Royal Australian Navy Enlisted Sailors Begin Training at U.S. Submarine School

Lauren Laughlin, Naval Submarine School - June 13, 2024

GROTON, Conn. - The U.S. Naval Submarine School in Groton welcomed its first cadre of nine enlisted sailors and the second cadre of three officers from the Royal Australian Navy on June 3rd and 10th respectively. These 12 Australians will train alongside their American counterparts to operate conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).

The enrollment of Royal Australian Navy sailors at the Submarine School marks a significant step in the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) Pillar 1 Optimal Pathway, aimed at helping Australia acquire a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

“We’re excited to welcome these sailors and officers to Groton and build on the momentum of the first cohort of Australian officers to graduate from Submarine Officer Basic Course (SOBC) in April,” said Capt. Matthew Fanning, commanding officer, Naval Submarine School. “It is an honor to be part of the team that is delivering game-changing capabilities to one of our country’s closest and staunchest allies.”

The Submarine School trains officers and enlisted personnel through two distinct but interrelated tracks: Submarine Officer Basic Course (SOBC) and Basic Enlisted Submarine School (BESS).

SOBC is the last step in the U.S. Navy’s submarine officer training pipeline, graduating over a thousand officers annually. BESS introduces enlisted sailors to the fundamentals of the construction and operation of today’s nuclear-powered submarines. The course covers everything from shipboard organization to submarine safety and escape procedures. Following BESS, enlisted sailors will complete their pipeline training with classroom and skills training specific to their intended technical rating.

Upon graduation from pipeline schools, the Royal Australian Navy officers and sailors will be assigned to U.S. SSNs for their first sea tour to further their knowledge and training.

“The Royal Australian Navy officers and sailors commencing their training at the U.S. Naval Submarine School represent the leading edge of Australia’s future submarine fleet,” said the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Adm. Mark Hammond.

“Three Australian officers have already completed 14 months of intensive shore-based training, including Nuclear-Power School, nuclear propulsion training, and the Submarine Officer Basic Course before being assigned to U.S. Virginia class submarines. Our people are receiving world class training through our U.S and U.K partners, and will play a crucial role for Australia’s future SSN capability. I’m incredibly proud of their achievements representing the Royal Australian Navy.”

“Australians are exceptional submariners,” said Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, the U.S. Navy’s AUKUS Integration and Acquisition program manager. “The training they receive at Submarine School will set them up for a successful tour aboard an American SSN, moving the Royal Australian Navy that much closer to operating sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.”

The number of Royal Australian Navy personnel training across the U.S. will increase to over 100 people in the next 12 months. Training Royal Australian Navy sailors alongside their American counterparts will enhance interoperability across the submarine forces, which is a cornerstone of establishing Australia's sovereign nuclear-powered attack submarine capability.

The AUKUS partnership is a strategic endeavor that aims to strengthen the industrial bases of the three partners and promote a safe, free, and open Indo-Pacific, ensuring the international, rules-based order is upheld in the region. Australia will acquire conventionally armed SSNs for the Royal Australian Navy under AUKUS Pillar 1. The AUKUS I&A program office is responsible for executing the trilateral partnership to deliver conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines to the Royal Australian Navy at the earliest possible date while setting the highest nuclear stewardship standards and continuing to maintain the highest nuclear nonproliferation standard.

https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/3805558/first-royal-australian-navy-enlisted-sailors-begin-training-at-us-submarine-sch/

Chinese premier Li Qiang arrives in Adelaide, Jim Chalmers hails ‘important’ visit

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 15, 2024

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has arrived in Australia for a four-day visit, declaring he wants to leave the nations’ differences in the past.

China’s No. 2 leader arrived in Adelaide about 4.50pm on Saturday, where he was met by Penny Wong, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian and Australia’s ambassador to China, Scott Dewar.

He is the most senior Chinese leader to visit Australia in seven years, and the Albanese government is hailing the trip as a fresh milestone in its stabilisation of the nation’s China relationship.

In a statement released by the Chinese Embassy, Mr Li said “shelving differences” had helped get the bilateral relationship “back on track after a period of twists and turns”, and China was looking forward to renewing the nations’ cooperation and “friendship”.

“China stands ready to work with Australia,” he said. “A more mature, stable and fruitful comprehensive strategic partnership will be a treasure shared by both countries.”

Mr Li is accompanied on the trip by a senior delegation including Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Science and Technology Minister Yin Hejun, and the Vice Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, Liu Sushe.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers talked up the economic significance of the trip, saying it was “significant step in the relationship” that would deliver dividends for everyday Australians.

Dr Chalmers revealed he would sign a memorandum of understanding with Mr Liu concerning the nations’ annual strategic economic dialogue, which was restored last year after a three-year hiatus.

He said the government’s re-engagement with China had seen “billions of dollars of trade restrictions eased”.

“This relationship has no shortage of complexities, no shortage of challenges, but it’s a really, really important relationship for Australia,” Dr Chalmers said.

He said Labor believed “you get more for Australia and its people and its economy when you engage meaningfully … in the interests of our workers and our employers and our investors and our economy”.

On Sunday, Mr Li will announce Adelaide Zoo will be leased two new giant pandas, and will meet with South Australian winemakers whose products are once again flowing into China after Beijing dropped its punitive sanctions against the sector.

He will meet Anthony Albanese for bilateral talks in Canberra the following day, amid a major security lockdown aimed at preventing clashes between “patriotic” Chinese and human rights protesters.

Temporary fencing has been set up around Parliament House and the city’s Hyatt Hotel where the Chinese delegation will stay.

Dr Chalmers said the arrangements reflected the status of the visit and said he would not second-guess the scale of the precautions.

Mr Albanese will accompany Mr Li to Perth for meetings with business figures on Thursday, and tours of Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana processing plant and a Fortescue Metals Group hydrogen project.

The visit follows China’s removal of almost all of its trade bans on $20bn worth of Australian exports that were put in place after the Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.

Australian rock lobster and red meat from a small number of abattoirs are the only products that remain sanctioned by Beijing.

Donald Trump’s former Asia tsar Matt Pottinger urged Mr Albanese to have his “eyes wide open” when he met with Mr Li, warning him not to be lured into believing the visit would result in any real changes to Beijing’s behaviour.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said dialogue with China was important, “but we should also expect China to use its influence globally to support good and not tolerate evil”.

“Immense human suffering and economic disruption has been caused by Russian provoked war and Iranian sponsored terrorism, yet China still undertakes military exercises with these nations and offers them economic lifelines,” Senator Birmingham said.

“Closer to home, the conduct of China’s military forces endangers our own region by unnecessarily pressing boundaries and crossing lines of acceptable engagement or conduct.

“Everyone wishes this to be a positive visit, but for a positive future the world needs a lot more than panda diplomacy. We need China to play a constructive role in pursuing peace and stability, not one that empowers those destabilising the world.”

Mr Li arrived in Australia from New Zealand, where he announced visa-free travel for Kiwis, in a move the Australia-China Business Council hopes will be replicated for Australian travellers.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-premier-li-qiang-arrives-in-adelaide-jim-chalmers-hails-important-visit/news-story/b63810fdc56345622c14d4db4275ac54

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 15, 2024, 8:58 a.m. No.21026584 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6597

‘I’ve agonised over this’: Suspected foreign interference victims break silence

Matthew Knott - June 15, 2024

1/2

Federal police told prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party they were suspected targets of a foreign interference operation, warning them to avoid adopting a predictable daily routine to prevent putting themselves in danger.

Activist Drew Pavlou and journalist Vicky Xu told this masthead the Australian Federal Police (AFP) asked them not to speak to anyone about the investigation, but they had decided to go public out of frustration that no arrests had been made, or charges laid, since they were informed about the probe 10 months ago.

Details of the secretive foreign interference probe have come to light as Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Adelaide for a four-day Australian visit, highlighting the significant difficulties that remain in the Australia-China relationship despite markedly improved trade ties.

Pavlou and Xu urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise concerns about foreign interference in his discussions with Li, a call backed by the federal opposition.

Pavlou, a University of Queensland student who ran for the Senate in the 2022 federal election on an anti-Beijing platform, said he was called in for a meeting at the AFP’s Brisbane offices last August.

“I was informed by three AFP officers that there was an ongoing investigation into foreign interference that had unearthed attempts by agents of foreign interference to find my address and where I live,” Pavlou wrote in a contemporaneous note provided to this masthead.

“Search warrants had been issued and searches had taken place, but no arrests … There would be a possibility that I would have to be a Crown witness in a foreign interference trial.”

He said he strongly suspected the operatives were seeking his address for a nefarious purpose. Pavlou, who lives with his parents, said: “I’ve agonised about whether to come forward on this. They said I shouldn’t tell a single soul, not even my mum.”

He said he had decided to speak publicly because he found it “mind-boggling” that no legal action had yet been taken against those involved in the operation.

Pavlou has conducted several high-profile and controversial protest actions against China, including at the Australian Open and Wimbledon tennis tournaments. In 2022, he was detained by British police after the Chinese embassy in London reported a bomb threat sent under his name. Pavlou insisted the email was a fake, and UK police later cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Pavlou said the AFP told him they had taken unidentified measures to disrupt the attempted foreign interference and that he did not require security protection as there was no ongoing threat to his safety.

He called for Albanese to raise foreign interference with Li. “The government should make clear this is a completely unacceptable breach of Australia’s sovereignty,” he said.

(continued)

>>21026584

2/2

Xu, who wrote an influential 2020 report on Uyghurs being used for forced labour in China, said she received a call from the AFP in August while living in Germany.

The comedian and researcher said police told her they had identified persons of interest in a foreign interference investigation relating to her.

“The AFP said do not go to the media about this because it may go to court,” she said. “I was told not to talk to anyone.”

Xu said police advised her not to regularly visit the same cafe and to switch between walking and running while in public to avoid becoming a target. She said she was baffled why no action was taken nor had she heard anything since from police about the matter.

Xu said she no longer felt safe living permanently in Australia after being followed and sent death threats following her work on repression in China.

“I travel constantly, I move every few months,” she said. “My theory is that if I move around a lot, it will push up the budget so much China will eventually give up on following me.”

While welcoming the improvement in trade relations between Australia and China, Xu said: “We must not forget that Australian sovereignty is the basis of everything, and the government has a duty to protect its citizens.”

An AFP spokesman said that “espionage and foreign interference represent a serious threat to Australian sovereignty and security and the integrity of our national institutions”.

“The AFP is a member of the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce, which is investigating a range of foreign interference matters,” the spokesman said. “It would be inappropriate to comment further on the status of those investigations.”

Under questioning from opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett told Senate estimates hearings this month that police were conducting “an active and ongoing” foreign interference investigation that involved “a number of potential victims”.

“Yes, we have taken some overt action, but there are still aspects of the investigation that I can’t talk about in a public forum,” Barrett said.

While declining to discuss the possibility of charges being laid, Barrett said police had identified the concerning behaviour at an early stage. “I think that should give the community confidence that we are aware and that we are taking action,” she said.

Paterson said he was disappointed that landmark foreign interference laws had been used just twice since being passed in 2018, despite ASIO director-general Mike Burgess identifying espionage and foreign interference as Australia’s most serious national security threats.

“If there are no consequences there is no deterrence,” Paterson said. “No Australian citizen should have to change their behaviour because of fears they will be harassed by foreign agents.”

Paterson called on Albanese to raise concerns about foreign interference in his meetings with Li as well as the suspended death sentence handed to Chinese-Australian academic Yang Hengjun, state-sponsored cyberattacks and dangerous military encounters between China’s People’s Liberation Army and the Australian Defence Force.

In February, Melbourne businessman Di Sanh Duong was jailed for two years and nine months for trying to influence a federal politician on behalf of the Chinese government, becoming the first person to be jailed under the foreign interference laws.

Sydney businessman Alexander Csergo has pleaded guilty after being charged last year with reckless foreign interference over a series of reports he wrote for two Chinese nationals about Australian defence arrangements, mining projects and other matters.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/i-ve-agonised-over-this-suspected-foreign-interference-victims-break-silence-20240613-p5jlky.html

>>20988386

Elon Musk chases ‘overpayments’ from Australia’s sacked Twitter staff

Calum Jaspan - June 12, 2024

Elon Musk’s social media platform X is threatening to take some former Australian employees to court, demanding they return entitlements it claims were overpaid to them after it bungled the currency conversion from US to Australian dollars on the payments.

Acknowledging its “conversion error”, the platform formerly known as Twitter is asking former employees, some sacked more than 18 months ago, to repay amounts of up to $70,000 in some cases.

At least six former X employees have received legal notices, according to people speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“It has come to our attention that you received a significant overpayment in error in January 2023,” X’s Asia Pacific human resources department said in an email, seen by this masthead, to a number of former staff this year.

“We would be grateful if you could arrange the repayment to us [using the account details below] at your earliest convenience.”

The company said the overpayment was related to “deferred cash compensation”, in the form of employee shares issued to the staff when they joined Twitter. These shares were valued at $US54.20 ($82) each, the price at which Musk bought Twitter in 2022, and the total number of shares acquired by an employee was based on the length of their tenure at the company.

The currency conversion errors made by X when employees were paid their entitlements once they were made redundant had led to overpayments of between $1500 and $70,000. According to one account, X paid out the share entitlements at a conversion rate 2.5 times the value of the shares.

Separate correspondence seen by this masthead from representatives for X told former staff members if they failed to comply with the demand set out, Twitter Australia Holdings Pty Ltd reserved the right to commence proceedings for the recovery of the overpayment “together with interest”.

None of the former employees have complied with X’s request, this masthead was told.

Twitter was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after Musk bought the company. He subsequently brought about sweeping changes, making between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of its employees redundant, rebranding it to X, as well as loosening free speech on the platform, including the reintroduction of controversial figures such as right-wing public intellectual Jordan Peterson and misogynist influencer Andrew Tate.

Advertisers have since started pulling back on their spend on the platform, while official correspondence with the company has become increasingly difficult with a lack of local presence.

The platform has also recently been asking former employees to return company laptops, almost 18 months after they were sacked. In some cases, employees have said they made several attempts to return X-owned devices with no success.

X was approached for comment, responding with an automatic reply of: “Busy now, please check back later.”

The associate director for corporate matters at boutique legal firm Burch&Co, Victoria Moffat, said it was unlikely Australia’s laws would limit X’s ability to chase up the payments.

Employee share schemes of this type typically were not regulated by Australia’s Fair Work Act, she said.

“I couldn’t speak specifically to this particular plan, also given it was a US plan, rather than an Australian one,” she said.

Employment law specialist Hayden Stephens said it sounded like an odd mistake. He suggested the best thing for the former Twitter staff involved to do would be to ask X to clearly explain how the error occurred and ask for supporting documentary evidence.

Stephens said that under Australian employment law, when there had been a genuine mistake, “there is usually an obligation to repay that money”.

Musk, also chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has faced off against Australia’s eSafety commissioner and the Albanese government this year after refusing to remove a video of the Wakeley church stabbing. Meanwhile, Tesla shareholders will vote on Musk’s controversial $80 billion pay package this week.

The eSafety Commissioner dropped its Federal Court last week, which Musk labelled a victory, saying: “Freedom of speech is worth fighting for.”

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/elon-musk-chases-overpayments-from-australia-s-sacked-twitter-staff-20240611-p5jku0.html

Pope Francis bans traditional Mass at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s

TESS LIVINGSTONE - JUNE 15, 2024

1/2

In a move that has shocked and upset hundreds of Catholics in Melbourne, the Vatican has banned the traditional Latin Mass from the city’s St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The final traditional Mass will be offered on Wednesday, June 19, at 5.30pm. By essentially ordering traditional Catholics to get out of their own cathedral, the ban is stirring up tensions and divisions.

On Wednesday evening Mass, which has been a regular feature of cathedral worship for 13 years, drew a crowd of more than 150, mainly young people, including city workers not aligned with traditional parishes.

Veronica Sidhu, who attended the Mass, said it was solemn, uplifting and sad because worshippers knew it was coming it an end, as well as devotional, with “heavenly’’ choir singing.

“There was a mix of people - city workers and tradies - including a dad who went to Communion with one toddler on his shoulders and was holding another by the hand,’’ she said. “Has Pope Francis or Archbishop Comensoli ever attended a Mass like it?’’

Ms Sidhu said that after years of contributing energy and resources to the church in Melbourne she felt “appalled’’ to be excluded from her own Cathedral.

The priest who said that Mass, Father Shawn Murphy, 34, who was ordained a year ago, told The Australian: “The Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese and like a mother should be welcoming to all her children.’’

Father Murphy, the Assistant priest of the St John Henry Newman old rite parish in Caulfield North in Melbourne where he leads the young adults’ group, said members of the group were distressed, shocked and disbelieving about the decision.

“What is so tragic is that unlike previous oppressions of the Mass and the faithful, in England under the Tudors, during the French Revolution and in prison camps of the Soviet Union and China, this oppression is coming from within the church,’’ Fr Murphy said.

It was a blow against Christian and Western cultural heritage and causing confusion, especially among the young, he said. St Patrick’s Cathedral had been built for the traditional Mass in the late 19th century, he said.

The ban was imposed by Archbishop Peter Comensoli, who had no choice, following a direction from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship.

It is the next step in a campaign by Pope Francis to crush the traditional rite, which evolved through the early centuries of the church and was largely unchanged for about 1500 years until the mid-1960s. It was phased out following the second Vatican Council, replaced by the more prosaic novus ordo (New Mass), usually said in the vernacular.

The traditional Mass was given fresh impetus by Saint John Paul II in the 1980s and by Pope Benedict in 2007, who affirmed the right of all priests to say Mass using the traditional rite (now known as the “extraordinary form”), without the permission of bishops. Benedict’s letter also clarified the fact that the Traditional rite was never abrogated.

While those changes were initially expected to accommodate older Catholics who remember the pre-1969 Latin Mass, the growth in attendance stunned church leaders as young families and 20-something and 30-somethings discovered the Old Mass and stayed. Along with Pentecostalism, it is one of the main growth areas of Christianity around the world, with new societies of priests established in the US and Europe to train priests in the Old Rite.

Francis overturned his predecessors’ initiatives three years ago, in a document ironically entitled Traditionis Custodes (Custodians of Tradition), which crushed centuries of tradition.

Cardinal George Pell, an adherent of the New Mass, who respected the principle of choice and inclusivity for Catholics who preferred the Old Mass, predicted that Traditionis Custodes “would not outlive the current pontificate’’.

In June 1992, an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne, the then Bishop Pell celebrated the first Solemn Pontifical Mass (an extraordinary form High Mass said by a bishop) in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, or in any Australian cathedral, since 1969.

(continued)

>>21026659

2/2

Ms Sidhu said the latest decision from the Vatican was divisive, denied Catholics choice, and had an element of coercion – trying to force worshippers to attend the New Mass against their will.

Traditionis Custodes stipulates that the traditional Mass is “not to take place any longer’’ in normal parishes. But bishops around Australia, including Archbishop Comensoli, have used their authority and discretion in implementing it, with a view to the pastoral needs of growing numbers of worshippers, especially the young and converts, who were drawn to the transcendence and gravitas of the Old Rite.

The Wednesday evening Cathedral Mass survived, until Archbishop Comensoli sought further guidance from the Vatican.

In a letter to Archbishop Comensoli, Archbishop Vittorio Viola, Secretary of the Dicastery for Worship, said it was not “appropriate for the antecedent liturgy to be celebrated in the place that should serve as an example for the liturgical life of the entire diocese’’.

Father Glen Tattersall, Parish Priest of Newman parish in Caulfield in Melbourne, said the weekly traditional Latin Mass began at St Patrick’s in 2011, granted in response to a petition by Catholic laity. “I had the privilege of celebrating the majority of those Masses over the following years,’’ Fr Tattersall said. “There was a pause during Covid, but we returned after the lockdowns.

“This Mass was loved by many. It was fitting that the rite of Mass for which the Cathedral was built was returned to it, and had an honoured place in the life of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

“It was also a particular demonstration of the communion of Catholics attached to this form of the Mass, with the Archbishop of Melbourne. The Mass was celebrated peacefully up to now with the blessing of the former and current Archbishops.

“I can personally attest to the many graces, including those of conversion, that have been granted through this Mass. It has borne only good fruit. But now, we learn that the Holy See has directed that the Mass be discontinued - causing widespread sadness and distress.

“In fact, the historical form of Mass is a constituent part of tradition and cannot be lawfully suppressed or forbidden. But in this Pontificate neither orthodox doctrine nor the law of the Church counts for anything.

“Everything is about power, and those in power in Rome insist that this Mass must stop. Archbishop Comensoli has been treated by the Holy See not as a Successor of the Apostles - which he is as Archbishop - but as the flunky of a remote and heartless bureaucracy. It seems that Pope Francis has suppressed Vatican II as well as the old Mass!’’

Archbishop Comensoli declined to be quoted for this article.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/pope-francis-bans-traditional-mass-at-melbournes-st-patricks/news-story/af2d609bfea7fadcc4aea5e202d745a2

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 16, 2024, 12:28 a.m. No.21030435 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0436

FBI investigating Two by Twos for historical child sexual abuse claims, including in Australia

Tobi Loftus - 28 Apr 2024

1/3

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an international investigation into child sexual abuse within a secretive Christian sect that has followers throughout Australia.

The global fundamentalist sect does not have an official name. It is referred to by believers as The Truth or The Way, or by non-believers as the Two by Twos, or the Church with No Name.

WARNING: This story contains details that may be distressing to some readers.

Believers of the church meet in people's homes for prayer sessions, with the group's ministers moving between the different cities and countries where followers are based.

In February in the United States, the FBI launched a probe into the group after widescale reports of abuse were publicised by the BBC earlier this year.

A hotline for former members who have experienced sexual abuse within the sect in Australia and New Zealand has received allegations involving about 130 separate people.

Victim wants to be heard

Lisa Smith clearly remembers the moment her dad, a member of the sect, began to sexually assault her.

Lisa is not her real name. The ABC has chosen not to identify her for legal reasons.

She was 10 years old and living in Brisbane when the abuse began.

"I was the only one in my bedroom. Dad came in and said, 'I need to check if you're developing properly'," Ms Smith said.

"I had no clue what he was talking about. I knew nothing about my body, about periods, about sex. We were so sheltered."

Now 55 years old, the personal horrors she experienced remain strong memories.

Ms Smith said the assaults by her father continued daily until she was about 15.

Over subsequent years she disclosed the abuse to various members of the sect but was often told to "forgive and forget" and pray. She left the sect in 2014.

Ms Smith said her father, who was considered a local bishop, continued to be part of fellowships until he was sent to prison.

He pleaded guilty in the Queensland District Court during 2020 to seven charges of indecent treatment of girls under 14 and was handed a three-year prison sentence, suspended after four months.

"Unless you can wipe my memory, it's not going to go away," Ms Smith said.

Hotline provides support

Jillian Hishon runs a hotline called The Brave Truth, which connects former members who have experienced sexual abuse within the sect in Australia and New Zealand to support services.

Since its launch a year ago, she estimated about 100 alleged victims had contacted the hotline, reporting about 130 separate people.

Ms Hishon grew up in the sect around the Toowoomba region but left in October 2011 after Queensland leadership did not approve of her marriage because her husband was not a part of the sect.

She said some of the alleged offences reported to the hotline dated back 80 years.

"Not everybody wants their report to go through the court system. Not everyone wants it on a police database," Ms Hishon said.

"Sometimes they ring so someone will believe them and hear their story."

The hotline is similar to one set up in the United States called Advocates for The Truth, which the BBC recently revealed had received complaints against 700 individuals in the sect.

"It's not a church full of paedophiles and awful people. There are so many good people that have now been caught up in this horrible, horrible situation," Ms Hishon said.

Group 'truly sorry' for 'historic cases'

In a joint statement, the sect's Australian leaders Malcolm Clapham, Graeme Dalton, Wayne Dean, Trevor Joll, Alan Mitchell, Steven Thorpe, who are based across several states, told the ABC they took allegations of child sexual abuse seriously.

"We are aware of some historic cases where individuals who were respected within the fellowship abused people's trust," they said.

"We acknowledge that these matters were not always appropriately addressed in the past, and we are truly sorry for any immeasurable long-term damage to victims.

"We have learnt from these experiences and are constantly reviewing our current practices to keep children safe in our fellowship."

They said their intention is to partner with an expert external organisation to review their "policies and procedures and provide independent, unbiased advice and recommendations, particularly in relation to dealing with allegations received from third parties where information can be lacking and difficult to substantiate".

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 16, 2024, 12:30 a.m. No.21030436 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0448

>>21030435

2/3

What is 'The Truth'?

The sect was established in Ireland during the late 1800s by Scottish evangelist William Irvine, with the belief system quickly spreading around the world.

It is estimated there are about 100,000 believers worldwide, the majority in the United States.

There are roughly 8,000 followers in Australia.

The sect strictly follows teachings of the New Testament and believers shun modern media, such as like television, films, and books. They wear conservative clothing and women keep hair long.

Documents seen by the ABC show the group has minsters, known as workers, in most parts of the country except the Northern Territory.

In the towns where the group operates, multiple prayer sessions are held each week in followers' homes.

They are officiated by the workers who travel in groups of two and often live with followers and their families.

Every year, special conventions are held in larger districts. In Queensland, conventions are held in areas like Toowoomba, Brisbane and Mackay.

At these conventions, followers stay in dormitories for several days and hold prayer meetings and services in large festival-style tents.

'Homestays increase risk'

Ms Hishon said she believed Toowoomba, in Queensland's Darling Downs region, was a major centre for the sect in Australia.

She said there were many reasons she believed child sexual abuse flourished in the sect, but most prominently it was because of its secretive, strict nature and the encouragement for followers to have a blind trust in its authority.

"They say they are the one true way … there's that level of trust that you think you can trust anybody in the church, but that's not the case," Ms Hishon said.

She said most of the sect's followers are born into it and the number of converts was extremely low.

The sect's workers give up their jobs and possessions to travel around the world spreading the gospel.

Ms Hishon said workers regularly stayed in families' homes where there could often be children.

She wanted those in the sect to understand the extent of the problem so real changes could be made.

"Is that something you want to accept, in a place where you want to be meeting with God?," Ms Hishon said.

'Response not good enough'

Rachel lives in regional Queensland. She spent her life travelling around the world hosting fellowship meetings in countries like Hungary.

Rachel has asked for her surname to be withheld, to protect her employment.

She claims she was fired from her role after reporting bullying allegations — stemming from experiences she endured in Hungary — and raising concerns about child sexual abuse.

"I had people in my area that I was working with that were adult victim survivors of child sexual abuse. They made disclosures to me and chatted with me to their concerns," Rachel said.

"I conveyed this to senior ministers, and they didn't ever respond. They didn't acknowledge or address it at all.

"But I think they kind of upped the ante as far as hammering me and not giving me any support."

The ABC has spoken with several women across Australia who allege they were sexually assaulted as children while a part of the sect.

Many did not want to be identified.

Control exposes victims

Charlie Blundell's family has been in the sect for several generations, with some family members holding senior leadership positions in Queensland.

Her great grandmother gave a piece of land near Mackay to the sect to be used for hosting annual conventions.

The land is owned by followers of the sect, with the owners generally living on the properties. It holds several buildings that are used for dormitories and kitchens when the yearly conventions are held.

Now 50 years old, the Gladstone resident said she was sexually abused when she was a toddler by someone who had since died.

"[That was] the minor part of the abuse," Ms Blundell said.

"The physical and emotional abuse had far more detrimental effects in my adult life than the sexual abuse."

(continued)

>>21030436

3/3

Ms Blundell said she felt her life was controlled from a very early age and she was not able to embrace her life, and what she wanted to do with it, because she was expected to become "a wife and a mother".

"The control is really around using fear to control basically your behaviours … to make sure that you fit in and conform to [their] expectations," she said.

"Most women don't have their own bank accounts or have a very limited education in my generation."

She left the sect in 2017 and is among a number of survivors in Australia making submissions to the FBI investigation.

FBI investigation ongoing

An FBI spokesperson confirmed to the ABC an investigation was underway and it was seeking the "the public's help in identifying potential victims".

"In order to preserve the integrity and capabilities of the investigation, I cannot share any details of the ongoing process," the spokesperson said.

According to the FBI's website, it is "seeking the public's help in identifying victims or individuals with knowledge of abuse and/or criminal behaviour that has occurred within a religious group that traditionally has not had a name".

The sect's Australian leaders said they had a "zero-tolerance" to "any child being harmed" and would "cooperate fully" with the FBI or other law enforcement if contacted.

"Any allegations are dealt with according to the law and reported to the police. Anyone with allegations against them is stood down pending investigation," they said.

"Perpetrators are not permitted to attend gatherings arranged by the ministry. All workers undertake formal and refresher training in keeping children safe.

"Police checks and working with children checks are required for all workers, and we require all workers to review and sign a code of conduct.

"Reporting of child sexual abuse is actively encouraged. Police investigations are cooperated with fully."

Speaking up for justice

For Lisa Smith, she hopes by speaking up she will be able to bring justice to victims who are yet to see it.

When her father pleaded guilty to her abuse, she wrote a victim impact statement that was filed to the court.

"Your actions have impacted pretty much every aspect of my life," she wrote.

"When I was pregnant, I feared having a girl. What would I do if she was touched inappropriately?

"I do want you to know you f*cked my life up pretty well and affected it in so many ways, and you still do, but I'm not going to let you rule me any longer."

It is unknown if her father is still a part of the sect.

Ms Hishon said she understood there had also been several other court cases in Australia where offenders who were members of the sect had been jailed.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-28/fbi-investigating-historical-sex-abuse-claims-against-two-by-two/103767698

—

FBI Seeking Victim Information in 2x2 Investigation

The FBI Omaha Field Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying victims or individuals with knowledge of abuse and/or criminal behavior that has occurred within a religious group that traditionally has not had a name. The group has often been referred to by others outside of the group as “2x2,” “The Way,” “The Truth,” and “The Church With No Name,” among others.

https://forms.fbi.gov/2x2

—

The Brave Truth - Australia and New Zealand

Giving a voice to survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Abuse, and exposure and accountability to perpetrators.

Confidential Hotline:

AUSTRALIA: 0489 994 566

NEW ZEALAND +61 489 994 566

https://thebravetruthaunz.org/

https://www.facebook.com/TheBraveTruthAustralia

bravetruth@thebravetruthaunz.org

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 16, 2024, 3:27 a.m. No.21030663 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0666

‘Twists and turns’ in Australia-China ties are over, Li Qiang says – but Penny Wong highlights tensions

Coalition blunders have left countries locked in ‘permanent contest’ over Pacific, minister says

Amy Remeikis - 16 Jun 2024

1/2

China’s second-most powerful leader has announced that the “twists and turns” in Australia-China relations are over – and invited Australian officials to pick a new pair of pandas for Adelaide’s zoo.

But Penny Wong chose to highlight the tensions that remain in the relationship before a series of talks with Premier Li Qiang, who arrived in Australia on Saturday evening and was met by protesters outside the zoo on Sunday.

Li Qiang’s arrival marks the first time a Chinese premier has visited Australia since Li Keqiang accepted Malcolm Turnbull’s invitation in 2017.

Li is in Australia for the annual leaders meeting, which both sides see as central to stabilising relations between the nations.

Australia’s foreign affairs minister welcomed Li’s visit, which Wong said was the result of “two years of very deliberate, very patient work” by the Albanese government to “bring about a stabilisation of the relationship” with Australia’s largest trade partner. She acknowledged that tensions remained.

But Wong also noted that Australia was in a “permanent contest” with China over the Pacific, a state she blamed the former Coalition government for.

“That is the reality,” she told the ABC. “I wish there was a rewind button to recover the last 10 years but we don’t, we have to deal with what we have now which is a permanent contest in Pacific.”

Wong and a delegation of senior Albanese ministers will leave for Papua New Guinea at the conclusion of Li’s visit.

When Li arrived at Adelaide airport on Saturday evening he said Australia was “uniquely positioned to connect the west and the east” and added that bilateral relations between the two countries were “back on track after a period of twists and turns”.

“A more mature, stable and fruitful comprehensive strategic partnership will be a treasure shared by the people of both countries,” Li said.

While Wong was to spend Sunday engaged in panda and trade diplomacy with Li, as he visited Australia’s only giant pandas, Wang Wang and Fu Ni at Adelaide zoo, followed by lunch at a South Australian winery, she said Australia remained focused on areas of disagreement.

That includes China’s attitude to Taiwan, which Wong called one “of the riskiest flashpoints in the world”.

“We support the maintenance of the status quo, that the status quo is the best path for us to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and in the world,” Wong said.

“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo. In terms of the military activities and in and around the Taiwan Strait, you’ve heard me and others speak very clearly about this. We are deeply concerned about the increased activities and the risk of miscalculation, the risk of mistake. And that is a view we’ve put publicly and we have put directly to China.”

(continued)

>>21030663

2/2

Wong said Australia also continued to advocate for the Australian academic Yang Hengjun, who has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, and for China to use its “special responsibility” and “great power” as a permanent member of the UN security council to exert its influence to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We have expressed concerns similar to those expressed by the G7 about potential activities of Chinese firms and we will continue to express to China our views about the importance of the war ending and Ukraine being able to secure peace on its own terms,” Wong said.

Anthony Albanese will meet Li in Canberra on Monday, where the pair will discuss some of the hangover trade embargo issues, as well as the region’s security. Li will also hold a side meeting with the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, before travelling to Western Australia for meetings with business leaders and Chinese-Australian community members.

Australia’s expansion of its critical minerals industry is expected to be among the agenda items during Li’s meeting with Albanese. Under the Albanese government, stricter foreign investment oversight protocols were put in place, and there have been questions over whether Chinese investment in the critical mineral sector in Australia would be welcomed.

Wong said Australia “welcomed foreign investment, in accordance with the national interest”.

“It is clear which sectors we would take particular interest in as we consider foreign investment applications [and] critical minerals is one of those sectors,” Wong said.

At an event at Adelaide zoo on Sunday, Li announced the current pandas housed there would return to China, and a new pair would be sent in their stead.

“Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been a way from home for more than 15 years, I guess they must have missed their home a lot,” Li said. “So they will return to China before the end of the year.

“But what I want to tell you is that we will provide a new pair of uniquely beautiful, lovely and adorable [pandas] to the Adelaide zoo.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/16/twists-and-turns-in-australia-china-ties-are-over-li-qiang-says-but-penny-wong-highlights-tensions

https://x.com/stephendziedzic/status/1802166954377056474

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 16, 2024, 3:37 a.m. No.21030682 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0687

Chinese premier kicks off Australia visit, as bilateral relations ‘get back on normal track after frosty years’

Cui Fandi - Jun 15, 2024

1/2

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Adelaide on Saturday to kick off his official visit to Australia, following his trip to New Zealand. The visit, which is the first in seven years by a Chinese premier, shows that the bilateral relations have returned to a normal track following frosty years, analysts said.

Arriving in Adelaide, Li said on Saturday that the exchanges between China and Australia have a long history, and the friendship between the two peoples remains ever new over time. A more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership will be a shared asset for both peoples, Li said, adding that China is willing to work with Australia to that end.

Last year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid a successful visit to China, getting bilateral relations back to the right track after twists and turns, the Chinese premier said. History has proven that mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and mutually beneficial cooperation are valuable experience in the development of China-Australia relations, and need to be upheld and carried forward, he noted.

Noting that his visit came on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Li said he looks forward to having in-depth exchanges of views with Australian leaders and friends from all walks of life on China-Australia relations and issues of common concern, as well as jointly discussing cooperation, development and friendship.

This is the second leg of Li's three-nation tour following his official visit to New Zealand. During his four-day stay, Li and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will co-chair the ninth China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting and jointly attend a China-Australia CEO Roundtable Meeting.

The attendance of both leaders at the roundtable meeting reflects the importance both sides attach to economic and trade exchanges, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times. "In the meantime, avoiding misjudgment, increasing trust and dispelling doubts will also be an important topic of discussion during this visit," Chen added. As important countries in the Asia-Pacific region, China and Australia need to seek common ground and jointly promote peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region, Chen said.

Chen noted that the Chinese Premier's visit to Australia symbolizes that China-Australia ties have returned to a normal track after frosty bilateral relations under the government led by Scott Morrison. Albanese's visit to China last year and Li's current visit indicates that the annual meeting mechanism between the two countries' prime ministers has been fully restored, and that bilateral relations are developing and warming up once more.

(continued)

>>21030682

2/2

The current Australian government has demonstrated willingness to improve bilateral relations and has made an effort to bring ties back onto the right track, which can be seen from the meetings between the leaders of both nations in Bali, Indonesia in 2022 and then again during Prime Minister Albanese's visit to China in 2023, Chen said.

Premier Li's visit has also received high expectations from the Australian officials. "Premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia is an important opportunity to engage directly on key issues for both our nations," Albanese said, as quoted by AP News. "Australia continues to pursue a stable and direct relationship with China, with dialogue at its core."

At the same time, Australia's Assistant Defense Minister Matt Thistlethwaite stressed the importance of having a stable relationship with China, while Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said that there's a willingness on both sides to remove all of impediments to the relationship, according to local media reports.

The current Australian government has recognized that the previous government went too far in handling Australia's relations with China, ultimately damaging the interests of the Australian people. Within Australia, there is a growing call for the government to improve dialogue with China. From the current situation, it appears that the new government has taken a series of proactive measures to stabilize the relationship between the two countries, Yu Lei, a professor at the Department of International Politics and Economics at Shandong University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Both sides will continue to engage in dialogue, with economic and trade relations placed on a path to recovery. This will play a role in boosting all aspects of the relationship between the two countries, he noted.

However, Yu believed that it is still early to judge whether the relationship between the two countries can return to its previous high point. On the one hand, as an important member of the Western camp, Australia may face pressure from allies, especially the US. On the other hand, there are still certain differences in security concerns between the two sides, especially in the advancement of AUKUS.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314179.shtml

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 16, 2024, 3:43 a.m. No.21030698 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0704

>>21025476

China wants to keep New Zealand as a passive friend in the Pacific

JOHN LEE - JUNE 16, 2024

1/2

Chinese Premier Li Qiang passed through New Zealand before landing in Adelaide. Many Australians see the New Zealand stop as a minor component of Li’s Australasia trip, the main purpose of which is to endorse Anthony Albanese’s approach of stabilising ties with China. To downplay the New Zealand component is to misunderstand Chinese strategy and intention in our region.

One of the things that really enraged Beijing during the Turnbull-Morrison period was not just that they introduced many policies against Chinese interests. It was very effective activism of the two previous Coalition governments that really fanned the fury. China obviously disliked Coalition policies such as banning Huawei from its 5G network, taking measures to combat foreign interference, and calling out Chinese aggression in Northeast and Southeast Asia.

But it was the success these two Coalition governments had in persuading others to do similarly that became intolerable to Beijing. Especially during the Morrison period, Australia assumed a critical role in the frontline of a regional and global pushback against China by many advanced economy liberal democracies, in groupings such as the Quad and by organisations such as the Group of Seven. It is why Chinese officials and state media constantly berated Australia as an upstart.

If overt tensions with China increased significantly with almost all liberal democracies over the past few years, New Zealand was a notable exception under John Key and Jacinda Ardern. Although Australia’s ally and a member of the Five Eyes intelligence network, Wellington took a small-target approach with China. In practice, this meant turning a blind eye to extensive Chinese infiltration and interference in New Zealand’s institutions, retaining a studied silence vis-a-vis Chinese aggression and transgressions around the world, and being the only Five Eyes nation to formally sign on to Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

This matters to China because a fundamental pillar of its strategy in the Indo-Pacific is to intimidate, nullify or else neutralise America’s allies and strategic partners. The fewer active allies and partners there are, the more isolated and less relevant America becomes, and the easier it is for China to overwhelm the rest of the region. In every element of power – militarily, economically, institutionally, diplomatically or normatively – there is no balance without America.

New Zealand is hardly a regional, let alone, global power. But Wellington is a potential complication for Beijing’s designs in the Pacific and Antarctica as it expands its presence in both these subregions. As Australia has shown, small countries can achieve outsized impacts through effective advocacy and example. For this reason, Beijing has long been delighted New Zealand did not follow Australia’s approach.

(continued)

>>21030698

2/2

China is not yet alarmed but is wary. Under the coalition government led by Chris Luxon, Wellington is reassessing its previously nonconfrontational approach. Luxon and his forthright Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, have gone out of their way to openly express serious concern about aggressive Chinese activities in the South China Sea and malign intentions in the Pacific. Chinese foreign interference in New Zealand was raised by Luxon when he met with Li. Wellington is even expressing interest in joining Pillar Two of AUKUS, the part that doesn’t concern nuclear-powered submarines. AUKUS might be a stretch too far for New Zealand at this stage given the considerable increases in defence investment and immense changes to strategic policy that would entail. But it is further evidence that changes are afoot in New Zealand.

Beijing issued both inducements, in the form of investment promises and visa free travel into China for New Zealanders, and veiled threats. For example, offerings were accompanied by warnings from Beijing’s ambassador in Wellington that relations were at a “critical juncture” and progress will be destroyed if New Zealand takes sides against China.

There will still be many voices in New Zealand arguing for maintenance of the previous reasoning: let bigger powers take on the hard work of balancing against China, do what it takes to maintain friendly relations with Beijing, and focus on selling exports into the huge Chinese market. It’s the second part of that reasoning that is becoming less attractive for the Luxon government. Doing what it takes to maintain friendly relations means continuing to turn a blind eye to pernicious Chinese activities inside New Zealand and tolerating growing Chinese presence and challenging behaviour in areas New Zealanders care about – the Pacific and Antarctica.

In a sense, Li has contrasting objectives on this Australasia visit. In foreign affairs, he wants the Albanese government to be less like its predecessor and the Luxon government to be more like what came before it. The common thread is that Beijing wants both countries to be less of a complication, which means a less activist Australia and continued Kiwi timidity. For China, this is what enduring stability looks like.

Dr John Lee is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-18, he was senior adviser to the Australian foreign minister.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/china-wants-to-keep-new-zealand-as-a-passive-friend-in-the-pacific/news-story/46b79e3a85860ecf0679d4d2cda53561

>>20686594 (pb)

>>20789170 (pb)

>>20837133 (pb)

Chinese boat arrival intercepted by Australian authorities

PAUL TOOHEY - JUNE 16, 2024

Nine Chinese citizens attempting to reach Australia have been rescued by fishermen off southern Java and detained after they claimed they were pushed back into Indonesian waters by the Australian Border Force.

The nine, along with three Indonesian crew members, were taken to the western port town of Pelabuhan Ratu, telling local authorities they had been turned back after being held at sea by an Australian naval vessel for five days.

They told Indonesian police their wooden boat had become disabled and was drifting about 65km off Java, when they were rescued by fishermen and taken to Pelabuhan Ratu – which has long been a departure point for illegal smuggling vessels – on Saturday afternoon.

The group’s detention is the fourth known attempt by groups of Chinese nationals to break through to Australia this year, having been told by smugglers that asylum awaits them should they make landfall.

A spokesman for the Australian Border Force said it would not comment on operational matters.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said that yet another attempt by smugglers to breach the country’s borders showed the government’s “failure” to properly monitor and secure it.

“People-smugglers are continuing to test Australia’s borders because of the Albanese government’s failure to deliver adequate maritime patrol data and aerial surveillance hours,” the senator said.

“Unless Labor shows strength and restores Operation Sovereign Borders, the boats will continue to come, and some will break through all the way to the Australian mainland again.”

The Indonesian crew members have given local authorities differing statements.

One said they had been “captured by the Australian navy” which transferred them to a new “lifeboat” and pushed them back towards Indonesia, while another claimed the navy had sent them back in their original boat.

An Indonesian intelligence source also questioned whether the men had actually been rescued by local fishermen or retrieved by members of the smuggling network, who were trying to conceal their involvement.

The Chinese citizens and the smugglers continue to be interrogated in Pelabuhan Ratu.

Their detention marks an increase in attempts by small groups of mainland Chinese – who in the past have been more likely to fly in and claim asylum – to reach Australia by boat.

A group of 10 Chinese reached the mainland in early April; a group of six Chinese and six smugglers was intercepted by Indonesian authorities in Kupang while trying to make for Australia, also in April; and Indonesian media reported that in late May two Chinese nationals almost made land near Darwin when they were put on a new boat and sent back to Indonesia after their original vessel was burned at sea.

In February, a boat carrying 39 Pakistani and Bangladeshi men reached the mainland north of Broome.

They, along with the Chinese nationals who reached the mainland, have been transferred to Nauru.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/boatload-of-chinese-citizens-run-into-strife-after-being-turned-back-from-australia/news-story/71e1ca085dd03ce9516bb474b705912b

Australia among 93 countries in show of support for ICC

Holly Hales - June 15 2024

Australia has joined almost 100 other countries to sign a statement in support of the International Criminal Court.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the move on Saturday after Belgium, Jordan, Chile, Senegal and Slovenia initiated the statement.

"Australia is among 93 countries reiterating our commitment to the independence of the International Criminal Court," she wrote on social media platform X.

Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and France also committed to the statement.

"As States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, we uphold that the Court, its officials and staff shall carry out their professional duties as international civil servants without intimidation," the pledge read.

"The ICC, as the world's first and only permanent international criminal court, is an essential component of the international peace and security architecture.

"We therefore call on all States to ensure full co-operation with the Court for it to carry out its important mandate of ensuring equal justice for all victims of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, grave crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world."

The Rome Statute was the treaty that established the International Criminal Court in 1998.

Earlier this month, Senator Wong defended Australia's vote in support of Palestine at the United Nations and the role of the International Criminal Court.

The three-stage offer called for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and Gaza's reconstruction.

Weeks earlier, Opposition MPs backed Peter Dutton's call to consider boycotting the International Criminal Court after chief prosecutor Karim Khan sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Mr Khan found there were reasonable grounds to suspect Israeli ministerial involvement in possible war crimes, including starvation and intentionally attacking civilians.

Mr Dutton branded the decision an "obvious anti-Semitic act", called for its reversal, and said withdrawing from the court in protest could not be ruled out.

However, Mr Albanese noted Australia became a party to the Rome Statute under former Liberal prime minister John Howard.

He said he was not going to "go into hypotheticals about things that haven't happened" given the court had not officially issued warrants.

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, according to local authorities.

A counter-offensive in Gaza has since killed more than 35,000 people, the local health ministry says, with many more Palestinians facing starvation as Israel chokes the flow of aid into the territory.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8663689/australia-among-93-countries-in-show-of-support-for-icc/

https://x.com/SenatorWong/status/1801780500371280148

>>21026659

Senior Cardinal backs Australians’ right to celebrate Latin mass despite Vatican ban

TESS LIVINGSTONE - JUNE 16, 2024

A senior Roman cardinal has backed the right of Melbourne Catholics to attend a weekly traditional Latin mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral after it was banned by Archbishop Peter Comensoli on the orders of the Vatican.

Speaking from Rome, Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was the church’s top canon law authority under Benedict XVI, said: “The centuries-long proven beauty of the more ancient usage (Usus Antiquior) of the Roman rite, which continues in its vitality to the present day, will endure. While the use of Latin, the ancient language of the church, is integral to its beauty, the beauty is in the form or usage itself.”

Cardinal Burke’s view is in stark contrast to that of Francis, who has waged a three-year campaign to eliminate the traditional rite, which evolved through the early centuries of the church and was largely unchanged for about 1500 years until the mid-1960s.

It was replaced by the more prosaic novus ordo (New Mass), usually said in the vernacular.

The traditional mass was given fresh impetus by Saint John Paul II in the 1980s and by Pope Benedict in 2007. It has become one of the strongest growth areas of Christianity around the world.

The final traditional mass in St Patrick’s will be said on Wednesday, June 19, at 5.30pm. By essentially ordering traditional Catholics to get out of their own cathedral, the ban has stirred tensions and divisions.

Last week, the mass attracted more than 150 people.

The priest who said that mass, Father Shawn Murphy, 34, the assistant priest of the St John Henry Newman old rite parish in Caulfield North, who was ordained a year ago, told The Australian: “The cathedral is the mother church of the archdiocese and like a mother should be welcoming to all her children.’’

Archbishop Comensoli, who declined to comment, had no choice after a direction from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship. Francis overturned his predecessors’ initiatives three years ago, in a document ironically entitled Traditionis Custodes (Custodians of Tradition), which crushed centuries of tradition.

Cardinal George Pell, an adherent of the New Mass, respected the principle of choice for Catholics who preferred the Old Mass. Before his death in January last year, he predicted that Traditionis Custodes “would not outlive the current pontificate’’.

The differences between the New and Old Masses run much deeper than language, Latin or vernacular. The themes and form differ markedly. Both are grounded in Christ’s Last Supper but the Old Mass’s emphasis is on transcendence and the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, with attendees receiving communion on the tongue, while kneeling. The New Mass, at which most worshippers receive communion in the hand, while standing, places greater emphasis on community. The text of the New Mass is much simplified.

Traditionis Custodes stipulates that the traditional mass is “not to take place any longer’’ in normal parishes but Australian bishops, including Archbishop Comensoli, have used their authority and discretion implementing it, with a view to the pastoral needs of growing numbers of worshippers, especially young people.

The Wednesday evening cathedral mass survived until Archbishop Comensoli sought further guidance from the Vatican.

Father Glen Tattersall, parish priest of Newman parish in Caulfield in Melbourne, who has said most of the traditional masses in St Patrick’s since 2011 when permission was granted in response to a petition by Catholic laity, said the mass “was loved by many’’ and “celebrated peacefully up to now’’.

“It was fitting that the rite of mass for which the cathedral was built was returned to it,’’ Father Tattersall said. “I can personally attest to the many graces, including those of conversion, that have been granted through this mass. It has borne only good fruit.’’

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/senior-cardinal-backs-australians-right-to-celebrate-latin-mass-despite-vatican-ban/news-story/d4b2cb20cc298b843f36c9c8d25f72f6

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 17, 2024, 3:41 a.m. No.21036085 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6088

Penny Wong claims Liberals’ climate stance helps China in Pacific, as Li Qiang heads to Canberra

BEN PACKHAM and ROSIE LEWIS - JUNE 17, 2024

1/2

Penny Wong says Peter Dutton’s plan to ditch the nation’s 2030 climate target will strengthen Beijing’s hand in the “permanent contest” in the Pacific, as Anthony Albanese prepares to welcome Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Canberra by lauding the contribution of Chinese Australians “to the story of our modern nation”.

Framing the coming election as a battle over climate change with national security implications, the Foreign Minister declared the Coalition had “abandoned the field in the Pacific, and others have filled that space”.

“We’re in a state of permanent contest in the Pacific. That’s the reality,” she told the ABC, alluding to China’s sustained push for influence across the region.

“I wish there were a rewind button (so) we could recover the last 10 years, but we don’t. We have to deal with what we have now, which is a permanent contest in the Pacific.”

China’s No. 2 leader arrived in Adelaide at the weekend declaring the nations’ bilateral relationship was “back on track”, and deploying Beijing’s trademark “panda diplomacy”.

He announced the city would get two new giant pandas to replace Adelaide Zoo’s current pair – Wang Wang and Funi – who are to return home in November.

Mr Li said the outgoing pandas had been “ambassadors for Australia-China relations” and their replacements would be as “beautiful, lovely and adorable”.

He said the “shelving of differences” between Australia and China had opened the door to “a more mature, stable” relationship, and declared: “China stands ready to work with Australia.”

The Prime Minister will hail the improving ties between Australia and China at a state lunch for Mr Li in Canberra on Monday, paying tribute to the nation’s 1.4 million Chinese Australians “at the heart” of the bilateral relationship.

“What connects our nations today – and will into the future – goes beyond our economic opportunities and the dynamic region we are both part of,” Mr Albanese will say, according to an advance copy of his speech.

“Just as diplomacy and economic co-operation add to our prosperity, our human links add to the connection between our nations.

“The Chinese-Australian community is a powerhouse of innovation, creativity and drive. These diverse communities are an important part of the story of our modern nation.”

(continued)

>>21036085

2/2

The government faces criticism from supporters of detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who accused Mr Albanese of prioritising pandas and wine exports over the plight of their friend, who is languishing in a Chinese jail on a suspended death sentence.

“It’s a very weak position,” his friend Chongyi Feng said.

“They should have put Yang’s release as the top priority.”

In a preview of his likely reception in the capital, Mr Li was met by hundreds of shouting protesters in Adelaide, including Uigher and Falun Gong activists and patriotic Chinese who had been called out by community organisations linked to Beijing’s United Front Work Department.

The Australian Federal Police has been preparing for potential clashes, erecting temporary fencing around the parliament and providing separate locations on the parliamentary lawn for the rival groups.

Security preparations have also been under way inside the building, with an unknown number of temporary “burner phones” issued to key government officials amid fears the Chinese delegation could include intelligence operatives.

The Australian has learned those provided with the phones include figures in ministerial offices. Parliamentary staff working on level one of the building have also been told to avoid carrying their phones around several committee rooms that will be used by Chinese officials on the day.

The improved economic relationship between China and Australia will be a key theme of the visit, with Trade Minister Don Farrell declaring that the government had not “kowtowed” to have Beijing’s punitive trade bans removed.

“We’ve continued to represent our national interest and our national security. But what we have done is to stabilise the relationship with our largest trading partner,” Senator Farrell told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program.

“That has resulted in … almost $20bn of resumed trade with the Chinese government. In the last month since the bans on wine were removed, we’ve sold $86m worth of new wine into China.”

Responding to Senator Wong’s charge that the Coalition’s climate policies would embolden China in the Pacific, Mr Dutton said the government had “talked a big game on the Pacific prior to the election, but they just haven’t delivered”.

“In government, the Coalition supported our Pacific family and Southeast Asian partners, including through our Covid-19 vaccine assistance, our economic recovery support, our infrastructure initiatives, our security and defence assistance, our labour mobility programs and our recognition of their sovereignty,” he said.

Mr Dutton, who pledged to oppose Labor’s interim 2030 emissions target of 43 per cent, said the government’s priority when setting its climate targets “needs to be the Australian people”.

He will have talks with Mr Li on Monday afternoon but dismissed suggestions he would “shirt-front” him.

Mr Dutton said he was “very happy” to be meeting Mr Li and China was “an incredibly important trading partner … I’d love to see the trading relationship increase two-fold”.

“Equally, as I say, with any partner where we have difficulties … it’s important to raise not just the opportunities but the grievances, or the concerns we have.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/penny-wong-claims-liberals-climate-stance-helps-china-in-pacific-as-li-qiang-heads-to-canberra/news-story/cc3d08b13f7dd01336d1cb470911ed17

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 17, 2024, 3:49 a.m. No.21036111 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6116

China Daily praises Anthony Albanese for not being ‘under the sway of Washington’

WILL GLASGOW - JUNE 17, 2024

1/2

Beijing has praised Prime Minister Albanese for not being “under the sway of Washington”, as China’s propaganda machine has tried to explain away Australia’s high levels of distrust towards its rising power.

As Chinese Premier Li Qiang was given a ceremonial welcome in Canberra on Monday, Mr Albanese was applauded in an editorial in Beijing’s most authoritative English language masthead, China Daily, for “taking steps in the right direction” and demonstrating that “Canberra can balance relations with Beijing and Washington”.

China Daily contrasted Mr Albanese’s approach with his “confrontational” predecessor Scott Morrison, who it accused of being “under the sway of Washington”.

“The fast recovering curve of Sino-Australian ties over the past two years should prompt both Beijing and Canberra to foster a more mature, stable and fruitful partnership that is resistant to outside interference,” the China Daily said.

The masthead also claimed Canberra had “already demonstrated that it is not willing to unreservedly follow Washington’s lead having expressed critical views on the US’ tariff attack on Chinese goods and export restrictions targeting Chinese technology development”.

It is not clear which comments the Chinese masthead was referring to.

Beijing is worried about the increasing number of countries imposing tariffs on Chinese made electric vehicles after the European Union last week followed similar tariffs imposed by Washington.

Canberra, with no domestic car industry to protect, is not contemplating such measures, a welcome respite for Chinese officials.

In the lead up to Premier Li’s visit, Chinese media has reported on the huge increase in Chinese EV sales to Australia, as consumers benefit from falling prices as firms in China ramp up production even as domestic demand remains sluggish.

China’s fellow English language masthead, the Global Times, on Monday published select findings from a poll it had commissioned on Chinese and Australian attitudes towards each other.

The survey of 1,200 people in China and 1,075 people in Australia was done by the Global Times’s research institute and researchers at Beijing Foreign Studies University’s Australian Studies Centre of Beijing Foreign Studies University. The Australian has requested a copy of the full survey, but was still to receive it late on Monday.

The Global Times poll found that Chinese attitudes towards Australia remain far more positive than the attitudes of Australians towards China, a consistent finding since the survey began in 2020.

It found 69 per cent of people in China had a favourable perception of Australia, up 7 points from the last survey in 2022.

However, it found Australian attitudes towards China were much cooler, with a goodwill score of 41. Recent polling of Australian attitudes towards China done by both the Lowy Institute and UTS’s Australia-China Relations Institute have found Australia sentiment is even worse that level.

The Chinese poll found most Australian respondents viewed China as a “security threat” or “competitor”. Less than 40 per cent viewed China as an “economic partner”.

(continued)

>>21036111

2/2

Chinese academics told the Global Times these results revealed manipulation by the United States and “misperception” by Australians.

“Data show that Australia’s foreign strategy is influenced by the US,” said Liu Qing, vice president at the China Institute of International Studies.

“China has never seen Australia as a threat, and there are significant differences in security perceptions between the two sides,” he said.

Fellow Chinese academic Chen Hong said the Morrison government had worsened sentiment by calling Beijing’s trade strikes on Australian exports previously worth $20 billion a year “economic coercion”.

“Trade problems should not be subject to political manipulation. The previous Australian government tended to escalate trade quarrels to the political level and smeared China,” said Professor Hong, director of Australia studies at Shanghai’s East China Normal University.

As Premier Li visits Canberra, Chinese media is full of retired Australian diplomats, sympathetic Australian academics and authors from niche Australian news websites celebrating the departure of the Morrison government and agreeing that America is now the main impediment to relations.

Warwick Powell, an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology, on Monday told readers of China’s nationalist masthead Guancha that Australia remained an “anxious nation” that was easily manipulated.

“Australia’s attitude toward Asia in general, and China in particular, will unfortunately be closely tied to Washington’s every move,” wrote Mr Powell, a researcher at Beijing’s Taihe Institute, who worked with Kevin Rudd in the Queensland state bureaucracy in the mid-1990s.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/china-daily-praises-pm-for-not-being-under-the-sway-of-washington/news-story/a58195684f119465ead9ec60cb21a4ba

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202406/16/WS666ebceaa31095c51c509218.html

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314203.shtml

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 17, 2024, 4:09 a.m. No.21036156 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6163

Chinese officials block Cheng Lei from view at Australia-China press event

RHIANNON DOWN - JUNE 17, 2024

Sky News Australia journalist Cheng Lei says while it’s unfortunate Chinese officials repeatedly attempted to block her from view during a historic joint press event with Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, she’s not surprised.

The bizarre scene unfolded when Cheng – who was detained in a Chinese prison for three years – was seated among other Australian journalists to watch the Prime Minister and Premier Li speak on a series of agreements struck between Beijing and Canberra.

Video of the incident shows a man in a blue suit and a woman in a brown coat repeatedly manoeuvring in an attempt to prevent Cheng from being captured by news cameras.

Mr Albanese and Premier Li used the speech to assert that the relationship between Australia and China had been “renewed and revitalised” and the two countries were focused on stability in the Asia-Pacific.

Mr Albanese declined to condemn the conduct of Chinese officials attempting to block Cheng from the view of news cameras.

The Prime Minister said it was important that everyone is able to participate in the day’s events, but he did not see the incident in question which was captured on camera.

“Well, I didn’t see it, but I saw Cheng Lei and we smiled at each other during the event,” he said.

“I’m not aware of those issues and it is important that people be allowed to participate fully, and that is what should happen in this building, or anywhere else in Australia.”

Cheng said the officials’ attempt to block her was borne from a desire to ensure she did not appear in vision for the TV news and fear that she would seek to sow discord or disrupt the event.

“Personally, I wasn’t hurt. I just found it amusing that they have shot themselves in the foot,” she told The Australian.

“Yes, it’s unfortunate, but it’s actually not that surprising the way they behave, because this is what trying to have utter control actually does.”

The veteran journalist said the incident highlighted the Chinese government’s desire to enforce control, adding that she did not wish to become a sideshow to the diplomatic visit.

“I’m sympathetic to the Prime Minister for not being aware of the incident,” she said.

“He did have a state lunch to host, and this is a very big visit with a lot of pressure placed by the Chinese, on making it look good.

“We’ve just had so many DFAT officials working so hard, and I don’t want to be the sideshow to distract everyone from what’s really happened, which is improvement in the relationship that we hope should be good for business and for resolving a lot of the differences.”

Cheng was born in China but migrated to Australia aged 10 and was working as an anchor for the Chinese government’s English-language TV channel, CGTN, when she was detained in August 2020.

She was charged with providing state secrets to foreign organisations and detained by the Chinese Ministry of State, with Chinese authorities providing few details about the reasons for her arrest.

Following her release in October 2023, Cheng revealed she had broken an embargo relating to a Chinese government briefing before it was announced publicly by a few minutes, which led to her arrest.

Since her release she has returned to journalism as a host for Sky News.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-officials-block-cheng-lei-from-view-at-australiachina-press-event/news-story/90f3853370333a2ef18cf3e51e84a16f

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/video/politics/x90gga0/chinese-officials-appear-to-block-journalist-cheng-lei/

>>21036156

Cheng Lei wanted to do her job. A Chinese embassy official had other ideas

Matthew Knott - June 17, 2024

Even in Canberra’s Parliament House – Australia’s monument to democracy – Cheng Lei cannot avoid being hassled by the Chinese government.

Just eight months ago, Cheng was locked up in a detention facility in Beijing, facing a long prison sentence after being accused of vague national security charges.

She was released last October following strenuous lobbying by Australian officials. The Chinese-Australian journalist is now living freely in Australia and working as a journalist for Sky News.

In this capacity, Cheng attended a signing ceremony on Monday morning following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Under conditions demanded by the Chinese government, no questions would be taken from the media, but the two leaders would deliver some brief remarks.

All very civil and formal, supposedly. Then something strange happened.

As Li and Albanese arrived at the event, a junior official from the Chinese embassy in Canberra planted himself in front of Cheng, who was sitting silently among a group of other Australian journalists. He then started filming the event on his iPhone.

At first, it was unclear exactly what was going on. Then it became apparent. The Chinese official, named Thomas, and a female colleague in a brown coat were trying to ensure Cheng would not feature in any footage or photographs of the event.

Public servants from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet figured out what was happening and implored Thomas to move. One asked, then another, then another.

But Thomas remained in place, solid as a statue, as if superglued to the floor. More senior Chinese embassy officials watched on.

A female PM&C official approached Thomas and physically tried to move him aside, yet he remained. Thomas was not for turning, or moving, so much as one step.

As this was happening, Albanese and Li were delivering warm remarks about stabilising the relationship. They spoke of signing memorandums of understanding on climate change, trade and higher education.

In the media seats, a far less friendly view of the Australia-China relationship was playing out.

A quick-minded Australian official motioned to Cheng to move a few seats across, to an aisle seat where she would not be blocked.

Even then, Thomas remained in place, obstructing the view of other Australian journalists. He refused to budge despite pleas from multiple Australian officials.

Albanese and Li beamed for the cameras, but the Australian public servants were ropeable.

“That was the height of rudeness,” one seethed, her face red with anger as she upbraided Thomas.

In his remarks at the event, Li vowed that “China will work with Australia in a spirit of mutual respect”.

A lovely sentiment. In practice, little respect was on display for Cheng, the other journalists in the room or Australian officials.

Australia was hosting this event, but the Chinese side thought it was setting the rules.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/cheng-lei-wanted-to-do-her-job-a-chinese-embassy-official-had-other-ideas-20240617-p5jmb9.html

>>20550378 (pb)

Australian writer Yang Hengjun’s supporters criticise ‘weak’ Albanese government

WILL GLASGOW - JUNE 17, 2024

Supporters of Australian Yang Hengjun have criticised a “weak” Albanese government for prioritising pandas and wine exports over their imprisoned friend.

Hopes the visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang could improve the plight of Dr Yang have faded among his supporters, who in recent months had urged the Albanese government to make his release to Australia on medical parole a precondition for the trip.

“I’m quite disappointed,” Feng Chongyi, a close friend of the pro-democracy writer, told The Australian. “It’s a very weak position. They should have put Yang’s release as the top priority, but instead they put pandas [and] the sale of lobster and wine. They got it wrong,” Professor Feng said.

Supporters of journalist Cheng Lei were able to successfully use Anthony Albanese’s visit to China last November to secure her release from Chinese prison on vague national charges.

Cheng, now a presenter on Sky News Australia, was released weeks before the Prime Minister’s visit.

The Australian government has always privately argued that Dr Yang’s former career as a junior agent working for China’s Ministry of State Security made his case much more complicated.

Dr Yang was given a suspended death sentence in February on espionage charges, shocking Canberra and devastating his friends and family.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday indicated Dr Yang’s sentence and conditions would be raised in talks on Monday in Canberra with China’s second most senior leader.

“We will continue to advocate for Dr Yang wherever we are able, and we will continue to advocate, including for appropriate medical treatment,” Senator Wong told the ABC.

Instead of respite before the Chinese Premier’s visit, Dr Yang’s supporters say his conditions have worsened. Despite waiving his right to appeal his suspended death sentence in February in an attempt to improve his access to treatment, Dr Yang remains in a detention facility run by the Ministry of State Security, awaiting transfer to a formal prison.

Professor Feng, who teaches China studies at the University of Technology Sydney, said his friend’s kidney remained painful.

He said Dr Yang last year received no medical assistance after he fainted and was so weak he had barely moved for 40 days.

Repeated requests for independent, Australian-government supervised medical assessments have been ignored.

China’s ambassador Xiao Qian recently said Dr Yang’s “health problems are not as serious as that has been described publicly”, an assessment his supporters dismissed.

“His life is really in danger,” Professor Feng said.

The Australian government’s monthly consular access was suspended in June, apparently as preparations are under way to transfer Dr Yang to a formal prison.

In a rare bit of good news, an exit ban on Dr Yang’s wife, Yuan Xiaoliang, has finally been lifted, allowing her to leave China for the first time since her husband was snatched by Chinese state security in January 2019.

Diplomats at Australia’s embassy in Beijing had pressed for an end to the exit ban.

The Chinese Premier on Monday will meet Mr Albanese for leader-level talks in Canberra after a Sunday agenda that began at the panda enclosure at Adelaide Zoo and then moved to a lunch to toast the Australian wine industry, until recently one product on Beijing’s trade sanction list.

The Sydney-based Professor Feng said he would be in Canberra on Monday to join Australian Tibetans, Uighurs, Hong Kongers, Falun Gong practitioners and other human rights protesters. Australian Federal Police have erected barricades in an effort to separate the two groups.

“We want the Chinese [Premier’s] team to see us. See that we are Chinese people and we are different from the Chinese government,” he told The Australian.

“We want to make our position clear: we care about human rights in China. We want Yang Hengjun back in Australia. We need to show our determination and our anger.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/australian-writer-yang-hengjuns-supporters-criticise-weak-albanese-government/news-story/e26857c8020778beef71678f21e8211a

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 17, 2024, 4:38 a.m. No.21036210 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6219

OPINION: We can’t pander to China. Hong Kong Australians need us to speak up for them

Caoilfhionn Gallagher and Jennifer Robinson - June 16, 2024

1/2

As Australia hosts China’s Premier Li this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the visit is an “opportunity for Australia to advance our interests by demonstrating our national values” and that “Australia continues to pursue a stable and direct relationship with China, with dialogue at its core”.

The visit is indeed an important moment to raise three core Australian values: democracy, human rights and press freedom. And the prime minister should take the opportunity to highlight how quickly these values are vanishing in Hong Kong, home to one of the largest Australian communities abroad: 100,000 Australians live there.

In the lead-up to this landmark visit, increasingly brazen steps have been taken to crack down on freedoms in Hong Kong. New, draconian national security laws have been introduced despite significant human rights concerns raised by the UN. Peaceful protesters, as well as booksellers, journalists and children’s book authors have been arrested and prosecuted. Fourteen pro-democracy activists have been convicted of “subversion” for peacefully participating in political activities. Even singing a protest song, Glory to Hong Kong, can now result in prosecution.

The prime minister and the foreign minister should raise one particular emblematic case: our client, the media owner and pro-democracy activist, Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned since December 2020 under the sweeping National Security Law. Lai was one of Hong Kong’s most successful businessmen and his newspaper, Apple Daily, was Hong Kong’s most popular Chinese language newspaper. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021. Amnesty International described it as “the blackest day” for media freedom in Hong Kong.

At 76, Lai is Hong Kong’s oldest and most high-profile political prisoner. He is currently on trial and is in solitary confinement. He could spend the rest of his life in prison for his pro-democracy writing and campaigning. In recognition of the political persecution he has faced, he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The British and US governments, the European Parliament, the Canadian parliament and six UN experts have all called for Lai’s immediate and unconditional release. Australia should join them.

As these governments, parliaments and experts recognise, this is not just about Jimmy Lai. From our media defence work around the world, the targeting of Lai is one of the worst we have seen. The clear message to all media and journalists in the region is stay silent, or you’ll be next. Beijing continually says press freedom is “respected and protected” but Lai’s case shows otherwise. As does the fact Hong Kong’s prisons now hold 1800 political prisoners – journalists, lawyers, pro-democracy campaigners, parliamentarians who dared to speak out. Little wonder that, according to Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong has plummeted from number 18 to 140 on the global press freedom index. It now sits alongside countries such as South Sudan and Syria.

(continued)

>>21036210

2/2

Lai’s case is emblematic of the crackdown on free speech, democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong, which is also affecting Australians. Just last month, 14 democracy activists were convicted under the national security law, including an Australian citizen. As part of the crackdown, Hong Kong has issued “bounties” for the arrest of high-profile activists living in exile, including for former legislator Ted Hui and lawyer Kevin Yam, who is also an Australian citizen. Both live in Australia.

Australia has a large Hong Kong community: around 86,000 people born in Hong Kong now call Australia home. This growing transnational repression threat makes it all the more important that Australia raises it.

There are also promising signs for opportunity for real dialogue on these issues. During his visit to New Zealand, Li made his intentions clear, saying it is “natural that we don’t always see eye to eye but such differences should not become a chasm that blocks exchanges and co-operation between us”.

Australia must raise free speech and democracy in Hong Kong and call for the release of Jimmy Lai and all journalists and pro-democracy campaigners.

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC is an international human rights lawyer and lead counsel for Jimmy Lai. Jennifer Robinson is an Australian barrister working in London and a member of Jimmy Lai’s international legal team.

Caoilfhionn Gallagher will appear at the National Press Club in Canberra on Monday, July 1 with Jimmy’s son, Sebastien Lai, to discuss the trial, press freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/don-t-pander-to-china-pm-hong-kong-australians-need-you-to-speak-up-for-them-20240616-p5jm42.html

https://www.npc.org.au/speaker/2024/1336-sebastien-lai-caoilfhionn-gallagher-kc

>>20695650 (pb)

Political, Jewish leaders urge crackdown on activists’ Hamas, Hezbollah symbols

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 17, 2024

Pro-Palestine activists in Melbourne have been displaying and wearing Hezbollah and Hamas emblems unimpeded, despite criminal legislation outlawing the usage of the two terror groups’ symbols.

Photographs obtained by The Australian from recent Melbourne pro-Palestine rallies stretching back weeks show a cohort of activists wearing Hamas’ distinctive emblem on their clothing – one activist donning the insignia is pictured less than a metre from Victoria Police officers.

In another from early June, two activists hold up a cardboard poster of the Hezbollah flags.

One of those pictured, and a prominent leader of the rallies, is Mohammad Sharab, shown wearing a Hamas badge while leading one of the protests.

Sharab was charged in February after an alleged abduction, alongside another prominent activist, Laura Allam, after an incident in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

The entirety of both Hamas and Hezbollah are recognised by the federal government as terrorist organisations, and in certain circumstances the public display of the groups’ insignias is a breach of section 80.2 of the commonwealth criminal code.

The outlawing of the groups’ emblems was introduced into the criminal code in January, alongside the display of Nazi symbols. For someone to be charged with the offence, one further element is that the display of the symbols would also have to incite others to offend, insult or intimidate people of a certain race or religion, or advocate “hatred” of that group.

It is punishable with up to a year imprisonment.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the prevalence of the terror groups’ symbols was concerning.

“It is alarming so many Australians are openly and proudly displaying the symbols of listed terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah,” the Liberal Senator said.

He urged authorities to “prosecute every single person” found to be breaching the law, saying failure would “embolden the extremists on our streets”.

Hamas’s emblem depicts two crossed swords in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem while Hezbollah’s flag is a distinctive green rifle on a yellow backdrop.

In other instances during pro-Palestine Melbourne rallies, Hamas bandannas can be seen worn by activists, T-shirts with the group’s logo and of its spokesman, Abu Oubaida, as well as one protester wearing a shirt with the words “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad soufa yaoud” in Arabic, which translate to an anti-Israel call that: “Oh, Jews, the army of Mohammed will return.”

Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory – the group as been active in finding and highlighting on social media the symbols’ usage – said it was “concerning” to see insignias of terror groups flying in major Australian cities. “There’s little point in having anti-terror laws if they are not enforced,” he said, adding that anti-Israel rhetoric and the display of the symbols had been “steadily escalating”.

“Many people are questioning why the authorities are so timid in the face of Islamist extremism.

“Extremists will likely interpret the failure to act as a green light for further escalation.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force respected the right for peaceful protest but unlawful behaviour would “not be tolerated”.

“Victoria Police provide a visible presence at rallies in Melbourne to keep the peace and ensure the safety of those attending and the broader community,” she said. She also said Victoria Police would investigate any specific alleged incidents brought to the attention of the force.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/political-jewish-leaders-urge-crackdown-on-activists-hamas-hezbollah-symbols/news-story/8755b02e2228335c6128ba86d1fc6c9d

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 17, 2024, 11:19 a.m. No.21037715 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7726