dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

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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

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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.

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>>20890947

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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

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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)

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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/

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‘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

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Scott Morrison explains why evangelical Christians love Trump

Farrah Tomazin - May 21, 2024

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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”.

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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

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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

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

BEN PACKHAM and TRICIA RIVERA - MAY 23, 2024

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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.”

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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

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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

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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/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 May 23, 2024, 4:05 a.m. No.20903692 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4430

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.”

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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)

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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

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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)

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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

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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)

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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

>>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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Marles raises ‘unsafe’ navy encounters in ‘frank’ talks with Chinese defence minister

Lisa Visentin - June 1, 2024

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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)

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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

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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

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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/

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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

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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

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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

>>20954866

Australian transgender healthcare guidelines ‘lack rigour and independence’, say Cass review researchers

NATASHA ROBINSON - APRIL 30, 2024

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

>>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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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

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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

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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/

>>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

>>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

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/

>>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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 10, 2024, 3:55 a.m. No.20998391 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0825

>>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

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“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

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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

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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

>>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

>>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.

>>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

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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

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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

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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

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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/

>>20765147 (pb)

>>20774750 (pb)

PNG offers skilled workers for Australia’s infrastructure sector, pledges no ‘riff raff’

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 13, 2024

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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>>21026584

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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>>21030698

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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

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 16, 2024, 4:12 a.m. No.21030796 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4569

>>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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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/

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

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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

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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

Jerry Seinfeld and pro-Palestinian protester in heated exchange at Australian show

Karl Quinn - June 17, 2024

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Jerry Seinfeld savaged a pro-Palestinian heckler in front of a crowd of thousands of people at his stand-up comedy show in Sydney on Sunday night after the man accused the American comedian of being a Zionist who supported a “terrorist state”.

Two videos of the confrontation have emerged, representing contrasting views of the exchange.

One, shared via the Instagram feed of a pro-Palestinian activist campaign, captures the words of the protester, directed at the vocal support Seinfeld has shown for Israel throughout the current crisis.

Another, posted online by the Australian Jewish Association and widely reported by mainstream media, captures Seinfeld’s response and shows the protester being escorted out of the QUDOS Bank Arena, which has a capacity in theatre mode of about 21,000 people.

“We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen,” Seinfeld responded to the heckler. “He’s solved the Middle East! He’s solved it: It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to [get], they’re the ones doing everything.”

Seinfeld’s put-down was in line with his oft-repeated position that he is merely a comedian, and not in any real sense political.

In the first video, the man, identified in the comments as Aboud, shouts: “It is Israel that has been killing Palestinians for eight decades.

“You are a Zionist, you support Zionism. You support the killing of Palestinians. Forty-thousand people dead, 15,000 children.”

Hamas killed about 1200 people and took 250 others hostage during its October 7 attack, Israeli authorities claim. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its ground invasion of Gaza last year in retaliation; Israel claims 309 of its soldiers have died in the fighting.

The vision shows security moving in to escort the man out as he continues to shout at Seinfeld, who responds: “They’re going to start punching you in about three seconds, so I would try and get all of your genius out so that we can all learn from you.”

To loud cheers, he tells the protester: “It’s a comedy show, you moron, get out of here.

“Imagine if this guy actually did solve the current …,” Seinfeld begins before the protester again shouts and the audience yells back at him.

“You’re really influencing everyone here,” Seinfeld says. “We’re all on your side now because you’ve made your point so well, and in the right venue, you’ve come to the right place for a political conversation. Tomorrow, we will read in the paper, ‘Middle East 100 per cent solved, thanks to a man at the QUDOS Arena stopping Jew comedian’.”

As the man is led away, Seinfeld segues into a classic bit of freewheeling thought association familiar to fans of his comedy routines and his eponymous sitcom.

“I know there are problems here with Indigenous Aboriginal people and the white … so maybe to solve that I will screw up [Australian stand-up comedian] Jim Jefferies at a show in New York. If this works, that will work. You have to go 20,000 miles from a problem and screw up a comedian. That is how you solve world issues.”

(continued)

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Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, visited Israel in December, and toured sites of the Hamas attacks.

On her Instagram, Jessica posted on Christmas Eve that this was her fifth visit, “and I have never seen a more unified country. Among people of all walks of life, from wounded soldiers to families of peace activists whose mothers, fathers or siblings were murdered or are still held captive in Gaza, the horror of October 7th has erased divisions within Israel. Everyone has come together for a greater cause – to defeat Hamas, to build a better and safer Israel, and a better, safer world”.

On October 10, Seinfeld had himself posted an image of a young woman wrapped in an Israeli flag, with the legend “I stand with Israel”.

“We believe in justice, freedom and equality,” he wrote. “We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”

In an interview with podcaster Bari Weiss last month, he described the visit to Israel as “the most powerful experience of my life”.

Though his statements on the conflict have rarely been overtly political (except insofar as he has taken to dismissing so-called “woke” culture), they have been deemed partisan enough for anti-war protesters in the United States to take issue.

Last month, a number of students at Duke University walked out on their own graduation ceremony as honorary guest Seinfeld began a commencement speech.

The protester in Sydney on Sunday night levelled specific accusations at the comedian.

“You went to Israel to a training camp where you simulated killing Palestinians. You and your wife.”

That was a reference to a visit the Seinfelds paid to Caliber 3, a West Bank “anti-terrorism” training camp, in 2018. The visit was widely reported at the time, and sparked a backlash against the comedian when photos of him were posted on the Caliber 3 Facebook page showing Seinfeld holding a machine gun.

“Finally, we are allowed to tell you! Jerry Seinfeld and his family were in Caliber 3,” the facility posted on its Facebook page. “During their visit to Israel last week, they came to us for a special and exciting activity with displays of combat, Krav Maga, assault dogs and lots of Zionism. It was great.”

On Sunday night, as the protester was being told “get out of here” by one attendee and being called “an idiot” by another, he said: “If you all had a conscience, you would walk out.”

As he was led away by security staff, the man added: “It’s got nothing to do with religion.” The video ends with the man saying, “Israel is a terrorist state.”

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/comedy/jerry-seinfeld-savages-pro-palestinian-protester-at-australian-show-20240617-p5jm97.html

https://x.com/AustralianJA/status/1802309319267852487

https://www.instagram.com/littlepalestineatalbos/reel/C8Rq7fphCKy/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1NsP3MOqNR/?hl=en&img_index=1

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 3:10 a.m. No.21042011 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2018

‘Rude, inappropriate’: Albanese toughens language on Cheng Lei incident as Chinese premier departs

Matthew Knott and Olivia Ireland - June 18, 2024

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has insisted his government has improved relations with China without giving ground on core values, as he revealed he complained directly to Chinese Premier Li Qiang about embassy officials’ disrespectful treatment of journalist Cheng Lei.

Albanese toughened his language late on Tuesday afternoon after coming under attack by the opposition for failing to condemn the embassy officials’ behaviour strongly enough. He described the conduct as “rude”, “entirely inappropriate” and “counterproductive”, while the government separately blasted China for “dangerous and illegal” behaviour in the South China Sea.

Albanese said he was confident that China’s remaining major trade blockages would be lifted within weeks, allowing Australian rock lobster and crayfish to again enter the Chinese market in a welcome sign to seafood exporters.

The prime minister said he had discussed lobster with Li and, when asked if China would overturn the restrictions, responded: “Well, we certainly hope to see that in coming weeks.”

Albanese said Li would not have missed the fact that he was served lobster in Perth on Tuesday, as he was in Adelaide two days earlier, in moves designed to showcase the high quality of Australian seafood.

Li departed Western Australia on Tuesday evening, concluding a four-day visit intended to celebrate the improvement in bilateral relations over the past two years, but overshadowed by Chinese embassy officials’ attempts on Monday to block Cheng from being captured by television cameras.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton lashed Albanese for failing to call out the Chinese officials’ behaviour swiftly on Monday, saying the prime minister needed to “grow a backbone” after Albanese initially called the conduct “clumsy” and “ham-fisted” on Tuesday morning.

By Tuesday afternoon, Albanese had said the “idea of standing between a camera and a journalist is just clearly inappropriate”.

“That was rude what occurred and, frankly, just counterproductive from the Chinese side and just drew attention to the fact that Cheng Lei was there,” he said in an interview with 6PR.

Albanese said he raised the matter directly with Li in their discussions and told Beijing’s second-in-command that the embassy officials’ conduct was “unacceptable and not appropriate behaviour”.

“We do have differences. We have different political systems, different values, but we need to work those things through,” he said.

“We’re a democracy, China is not, and I think that is just something that needs to be acknowledged and recognised … We need to uphold our values, but what my government has done is to be able to stabilise the relationship without making any concessions for our values.”

(continued)

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On Tuesday evening the government issued a statement criticising “dangerous and illegal actions” by Chinese vessels that rammed Philippines boats in the South China Sea the previous day, causing injuries to crew and damage to Philippines vessels.

“This is an escalation in a pattern of deeply concerning and destabilising behaviour by China,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

“This conduct endangers peace and security in the region, threatens lives and livelihoods, and creates risks of miscalculation and escalation.”

Cheng was released from a Chinese prison last October after having been detained in August 2020 at the height of tensions between Australia and China over human rights, trade disputes and COVID.

During Monday’s signing ceremony between Albanese and Li, Chinese officials tried to block Cheng from featuring in footage of the event. Public servants from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet tried to move them, but they remained in place.

‘Incredible disrespect’

Dutton told a press conference earlier on Tuesday afternoon that he had met the Chinese premier on Monday and raised Cheng’s treatment.

“I do want to point out that the prime minister clearly misled the Australian people yesterday when he got up and did a press conference and said that he heard nothing of it, he didn’t understand what the question was, or didn’t know anything about it. It’s completely inconceivable,” he said.

“The prime minister needs to stand up today to explain the discrepancy, explain why he didn’t tell the truth yesterday, and, please, grow a backbone and stand up for our country.”

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Chinese officials showed “incredible disrespect to us and our customs and norms to treat a journalist in that way” and said they owed an apology.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham also accused Albanese of being “quite pathetic” by not addressing the matter in the first instance on Monday.

“This was an entirely counterproductive and inappropriate act by Chinese officials. It should have been called out by our prime minister, and government officials had the good sense to try to step in,” he told Sky News on Tuesday morning.

Comment has been sought from the Chinese embassy about the incident and whether it would apologise to Australian officials.

Benjamin Herscovitch, a China expert at the Australian National University, said Li’s visit had been a broad success, but noted that “points of tension and differences kept bubbling to the surface”.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/ham-fisted-clumsy-albanese-breaks-silence-on-chinese-officials-blocking-cheng-lei-20240618-p5jmng.html

https://www.dfat.gov.au/news/media-release/statement-regarding-recent-incidents-south-china-sea

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 3:19 a.m. No.21042044 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2049

Chinese officials were rude and belligerent. Why did that take Albanese so long to say?

Matthew Knott - June 18, 2024

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Rude. Belligerent. Completely disrespectful. Utterly inappropriate. These were some of the words Anthony Albanese could have accurately used when asked on Tuesday morning to describe the behaviour of Chinese embassy officials at a signing ceremony at Parliament House the previous day.

Instead, the prime minister opted for “ham-fisted” and “clumsy”. He used this language in multiple breakfast radio interviews, indicating it had been carefully chosen the night before. It took about eight more hours – and Coalition demands for him to “grow a backbone” – for Albanese to toughen his language.

His initial descriptors were not inaccurate. But they amounted to a paltry form of condemnation after such a boorish display from the supposed diplomats, who tried to block journalist and former detainee Cheng Lei from the view of cameras and refused to move when asked.

Albanese was caught unaware on Monday afternoon when asked about the incident at a press conference, held two hours after the now infamous signing ceremony. By then, footage of Chinese officials blocking Cheng had already gone on viral on social media and been reported prominently by mainstream media outlets.

“I didn’t see that,” Albanese said when asked about the incident.

“I saw Cheng Lei and we smiled at each other during the event. Look, I’m not aware of those issues.”

It was a busy day for Albanese and his advisers, but someone from his team would ideally have briefed him about what occurred so that he could give a considered answer.

Months of planning go into high-level occasions like a visit by a Chinese premier, but it’s important to be nimble enough to respond to unforseeable “black swan” events.

Politicians don’t get to choose the story of the day, but they do get to choose how to respond to it. Indeed, with a bit of boldness and quick thinking, events that at first seem like disasters can turn out to be golden opportunities.

After a night to workshop his response, Albanese hit the morning radio circuit on Tuesday with his “clumsy, ham-fisted” formulation, which seemed to generously imply the embassy officials were little more than bumbling buffoons. Albanese said complaints had been lodged with the Chinese embassy in Canberra, but did not demand an apology or specify what action he wanted to be taken.

Cheng herself, who suffered far worse during her three years in a Beijing detention centre, brushed off the incident, saying it was “amusing that they have shot themselves in the foot”.

It’s true that a foreign official behaving like a pork chop by standing in front of a reporter is a trivial affair in and of itself. Beijing’s systematic repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, its assault on democracy in Hong Kong and cyberattacks on nations, including Australia, are far more significant violations, to name just a few.

Yet what occurred at the signing ceremony was a symbolically powerful moment, one that affronted Australians’ famed sense of fairness. You don’t need a degree in international relations to grasp the sting of being disrespected by a guest.

By refusing to budge despite the protestations of Australian officials, the Chinese embassy official confirmed Australians’ worst fears of China under Xi Jinping: a thuggish superpower so smitten with its sense of superiority that it can throw its weight around at will.

Why comply with the wishes of a remote island continent with a population of just 27 million when you can buy it off with a few pandas on loan and a bulk order of iron ore?

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Anyone doubting the indignation the incident has aroused should check the reaction on social media, where angry Australians are demanding the embassy officials be sent home on the next flight and asking why police didn’t intervene to boot them out of the event.

Determined to oversee a warm and friendly visit, Albanese may have missed the opportunity for a Love Actually-style moment in which he wins plaudits from voters for standing up to a bigger power on a matter of principle.

“We may be a small country, but we’re a great one, too,” Hugh Grant’s inexperienced British prime minister says at a Downing Street press conference as he stands beside a cocky American counterpart. “And since bullies only respond to strength, from now onward, I will be prepared to be much stronger.”

Albanese eventually arrived where he should have started, using an afternoon radio interview to describe the embassy officials’ conduct as “rude”, “inappropriate” and “unacceptable”.

It needn’t have taken so long, and so many attempts, to get around to stating the obvious.

Australians don’t want their leaders picking pointless fights with the country’s biggest trading partner, but they don’t want them to go soft on bad behaviour either.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/did-anthony-albanese-miss-his-love-actually-moment-with-the-chinese-premier-20240618-p5jmrr.html

https://thenightly.com.au/politics/cheng-lei-blocked-by-chinese-officials-during-tense-scenes-in-parliament-house-c-15049201

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 3:38 a.m. No.21042081 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2090

With friends like these … ties still ‘wary’ with China

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 18, 2024

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China’s No. 2 leader, Li Qiang, has committed to a new defence hotline with Canberra to avoid military mishaps and sealed a raft of agreements with Anthony Albanese on visas, trade and climate, in the first visit to Australia by a senior Chinese leader in seven years.

But despite declaring bilateral relations were “on the right track”, Mr Li’s visit was marred by members of his entourage, who stood over Sky News journalist and former Chinese political prisoner, Cheng Lei, trying to prevent her being seen in television footage.

As Chinese propaganda outlets praised the Prime Minister for demonstrating Canberra was not “under the sway of Washington”, Mr Albanese said he had had a “positive” meeting with Mr Li, but declined to say whether he trusted his Chinese counterpart.

“We have differences of opinion, but it’s important that we be able to express those; that we’re able to be constructive about it,” he said. “So, for example, one of the very practical measures that we spoke about was improving military-to-military communication so as to avoid incidents.”

Mr Li said their talks showed “this relationship is on the right track of steady improvement and development”. “We also had a candid exchange of views of some differences and disagreements and agreed to properly manage them in a manner befitting our comprehensive strategic partnership,” the Premier said.

Mr Li was treated to a red-carpet welcome with a 19-gun salute and full honour guard, as an estimated 500 human rights protesters accused the Chinese regime of murdering Uighurs, Tibetans and Falun Gong practitioners, and crushing freedoms in Hong Kong. Scuffles broke out between the protesters and a similar-sized crowd of Chinese patriots, who were summoned to Canberra by Beijing-backed community associations with offers of a free trip to Canberra. Police said one person was arrested but no charges were laid.

Mr Albanese hailed the signing of five memorandums of understanding which are yet to be made public, including one to “enhance” the operation of the nations’ free trade pact, which was ignored by China during three years of trade bans against Australian exports. Others pledged co-operation on the economy, climate change and research.

Mr Albanese said the agreements would “continue to shape and drive our practical co-operation as we continue the process of stabilising the relationship”.

Amid a slump in visitor numbers following the Covid pandemic, Mr Li announced Australian travellers would join New Zealanders in getting visa-free entry into China.

The leaders’ commitment to improved communications between the Australian Defence Force and China’s People’s Liberation Army follows a string of unsafe interceptions by Chinese warships and fighter jets that have placed Australian personnel at risk. Mr Albanese, who raised concerns over the PLA’s conduct in international waters and airspace, said details of the agreement were to be worked out.

The leaders also agreed to a “bilateral maritime affairs dialogue”, amid Australian concerns over Beijing’s unfounded claim to almost all of the South China Sea. The commitments came as a Chinese vessel collided with a Philippines ship near the disputed Spratly Islands, amid a campaign of harassment by Beijing.

Mr Albanese said he covered “the full range of Australia’s interests” during his meeting with Mr Li, including the plight of jailed Australian writer Yang Hengjun, and Chinese interference in Australia’s political system. Mr Li refused the offer of a joint press conference with Mr Albanese, but made a statement to the media standing alongside the Prime Minister.

Moments ahead of the address, two Chinese officials moved to block television cameras from capturing footage of Cheng, a former journalist with China’s state-run CCTV. Australian officials resolved the standoff, after heated discussions with their Chinese counterparts. Cheng said she felt sorry for Mr Li’s minders, saying they were concerned about “keeping their jobs and career security”.

“Personally, I wasn’t hurt. I just found it amusing that they have shot themselves in the foot,” Cheng said.

Asked later about the encounter, Mr Albanese said he wasn’t aware of what occurred, but declared “it’s important that people be allowed to participate fully”.

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Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the Prime Minister’s response to the incident was “totally inadequate”. “It is reminiscent of the Prime Minister’s behaviour after the incident involving HMAS Toowoomba in the East Japan Sea, when Australian navy divers were sonared,” Senator Paterson told Sky News.

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 that of his predecessor, Scott Morrison, who it said had been “under the sway of Washington”. The masthead said Canberra had already demonstrated it was “not willing to unreservedly follow Washington’s lead”, after expressing “critical views” of new US tariffs on Chinese goods.

Peter Dutton, a critic of Chinese coercion and foreign interference, was upbeat on the prospects for an improved relationship between the countries.

“In our offer of hospitality today – and your acceptance of it – I believe that there is hope: hope that tensions of recent years can ameliorate; hope that we can reinvigorate the constructive spirit which defined our signing of a free-trade agreement in 2015,” the Opposition Leader said in a lunchtime toast to the Chinese leader. “Citizens across both of our countries share aspirations for peace and prosperity, for themselves and of course, their families.

“In pursuit of those aspirations, we have a responsibility to ensure that all engagements between our two countries are conducted with due care.”

Mr Li and Mr Albanese flew separately to Perth for talks with Australian and Chinese business leaders on Tuesday. The Chinese Premier will also visit the part-Chinese-owned Tianqi lithium processing facility at Kwinana, and a Fortescue Metals Group hydrogen plant.

Outside parliament, Tibetan community spokesman Tsewang Thupten said he was disappointed at “the red-carpet welcome while human rights are being swept under the rug”. He called for Australia to implement sanctions against Chinese officials involved in the repression of the country’s minorities.

Ramila Chanisheff, from the Australian Uighur Women’s Association, said the government was putting “panda policy before human rights”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/with-friends-like-these-ties-still-wary-with-china/news-story/729da6e3f467cbd736f4d05082762507

All warm on the surface, with little trust below in Australia-China ties

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 18, 2024

When Chinese President Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders, his face is impassive. Perhaps, if the occasion requires it, he might offer the barest hint of a smile.

It was a different story when Anthony Albanese greeted Chinese Premier Li Qiang outside Parliament House, looking like a kid on Christmas Day.

He was positively beaming, shaking Li’s hand so enthusiastically it looked like he might do him an injury.

In what might have been a parallel universe just a few hundred metres away, an estimated 500 Tibetan, Uighur and Falun Gong protesters screamed their lungs out, branding Xi Jinping a “killer” and a “liar”. Many said they had family members in Chinese concentration camps.

They drowned out a roughly equal-sized group of flag-waving Chinese loyalists, who were lured to Canberra with offers of free food and accommodation by Beijing’s United Front network.

After his closed-door talks with Li, Albanese professed – yet again – the value of dialogue with China. But does he trust China to do what it says? Not on your life.

Despite all the smiles and gestures of friendship, the government has zero faith that China will ever be a reliable partner.

But the PM refused to concede the point, obfuscating in a press conference – which Mr Li declined to attend – about the value of “constructive discussions” with China’s leaders.

The surreal nature of the occasion was brought home by the presence of Sky News journalist Cheng Lei, who was jailed by the Chinese regime for three years on trumped-up spying charges. Cheng, who was only released in October 2023, took a seat with other reporters ahead of a joint statement by both leaders.

She happened to sit just behind members of the Chinese delegation, sparking a panic among the Premier’s minders.

Two Chinese officials stood between her and television cameras to block her image being seen on the state-run network, CCTV, for which she used to work before she became a pawn in Beijing’s coercive campaign against Australia.

Several Australian government staffers intervened, and the situation was defused.

“It was farcical,” Cheng said.

“I ended up feeling like an endangered species – like a panda – being protected by these Australian officials.”

The absurdity continued with the signing of five MOUs proclaiming new co-operation on trade, research and climate change.

None were released for scrutiny, but the idea of more research co-operation with Chinese scientists will send a chill through the national security establishment.

In a supremely ironic move after China’s three-year campaign of economic coercion against Australian exporters, Li committed to “enhancing the implementation” of the nations’ free-trade agreement. Meanwhile, Australian lobster remains banned by Beijing.

Later, Albanese hosted Li at a state lunch in parliament’s Great Hall, toasting the bilateral relationship with local Canberra wine that was until recently subjected to punishing Chinese sanctions, costing the industry $1.2bn a year in lost sales.

The PM confirmed in his solo press conference that he raised “the full range of Australia’s interests” during his closed-door meeting with Li, including China’s unsafe encounters with Australian ships and planes, and the plight of detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun.

One reporter asked what the response was when he raised Australia’s concerns.

“On some issues, there’s immediate agreement. On some issues there is not,” Albanese said.

He said one of the “practical measures” they spoke about was about improving military-to-military communication. It’s hoped this will avoid the sort of incident that occurred last month when a Chinese jet dropped flares in front of an Australian helicopter in international airspace, forcing it to take evasive action.

But China has shown its complete disregard for professional norms and international law by repeatedly making such aggressive interceptions. The US has documented hundreds of them, fearing a Chinese miscalculation could escalate into armed conflict.

Li claims the nations’ relationship is “back on track”. But it’s more like an uneasy detente that could blow up at any time. That’s the reality of dealing with China, and for all the bilateral warmth on display, Albanese knows it.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/all-warm-on-the-surface-with-little-trust-below-in-australiachina-ties/news-story/7e918ae18a5b765b2a80ff27a7d88c15

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 3:49 a.m. No.21042111 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2115

Cheng Lei incident diminishes PM, nation

GREG SHERIDAN - JUNE 18, 2024

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At one level it may seem a trivial enough incident, officious Chinese government personnel trying to block Australian journalist Cheng Lei from view of the Chinese Premier, Li Qiang, and Chinese TV cameras.

Cheng Lei is an Australian citizen and a journalist at Sky News. She formerly worked as a broadcast journalist in China. She was held in a Chinese prison for more than three years on ridiculous, trumped-up charges. Key elements of consular agreements with Australia, such as access by our diplomats, were denied in her case. She was a victim of Beijing’s brutal hostage diplomacy, by which it takes foreign citizens into punitive custody, to punish, and establish leverage over, nations it’s annoyed with.

Cheng Lei is now none of the Chinese government’s business. The extreme arrogance of the Chinese state was evident in the behaviour of Chinese officials in Canberra towards her.

In one of his meaningless statements in Canberra, the Chinese Premier talked of “an increasingly open China”. Yet right here in Australia’s own Parliament House, which is decidedly not part of Chinese sovereign territory and where officials of the Chinese state have no authority, their diplomats not only tried to block an Australian journalist, but physically checked members of staff of the Prime Minister’s Office and refused even the most elementary directions from the PMO.

Incidentally, why is the Chinese embassy, unlike all other embassies, allowed to participate in Australian politics by organising bus loads of pro-China demonstrators whenever it wants?

The incident also provides a depressing insight into the Albanese government. When asked about the incident at the press conference at which the normally prolix Albanese performed in a very constipated fashion, the PM claimed to know nothing about it.

This allows only two interpretations. Either the Albanese government runs the most incompetent prime minister’s office in our history, or the PM was being pretty economical with the truth.

Before any press conference, a senior politician is briefed by their staff on likely questions, especially if something new and controversial is likely to come up. The Cheng Lei incident was all over the TV for hours before Albanese came to his press conference.

Having witnessed many heads of government visits at Parliament House, I know the minute-by-minute back-and-forth media management, which is intensely micromanaged by prime ministerial staff. If the PM really hadn’t been alerted to this then his government is the most comprehensively dozy outfit we’ve seen in a long, long while.

But it’s also possible the PM, or his most senior staff, decided intentionally not to know about the Cheng Lei incident. It would have been infinitely preferable for the PM to say something like: I don’t want to overblow this incident, but the junior Chinese officials involved shouldn’t have behaved that way. This is the Australian parliament and in Australia we don’t treat journalists that way.

Instead the Albanese government, and the PM in particular, seem to be constantly in fear of saying something that might upset the Chinese. It’s self-defeating and kind of pathetic. It recalls the Prime Minister’s bizarre performance at the APEC meeting at San Francisco just a few days after the Chinese navy had injured Australian divers by attacking them with sonars. To this day Albanese will not say whether he raised the matter with China’s President, Xi Jinping, in their meeting that week.

It seems almost certain he didn’t as there’s absolutely no reason not to say so if he did raise it. But the PM’s really low-class trickiness in that case was to arrange for the matter to be revealed publicly only after he had done his final press conference, though the incident had occurred several days earlier. By this schoolboy-clever stratagem, the PM avoided having to answer questions about it.

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>>21042111

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Even as crass politics this strategy didn’t work, as the PM’s shiftiness became the issue. So as well as Australian politics rightly condemning Beijing’s behaviour, it also condemned the poltroon-like performance of the PM.

Having covered a number of senior Chinese government ministers’ visits in Canberra, I know how insanely paranoid their officials are about even the slightest democratic disturbance to their preferred Stalinist serenity in public appearances. In October, 2003, the much maligned George W. Bush addressed our parliament and graciously responded to demonstrators with a shrug and a smile, and the remark: “Ain’t democracy grand.”

The incident drove the Chinese to distraction. Their president, Hu Jintao, was scheduled to address the parliament the next day. They were beside themselves with agitation that Hu might be subject to the same treatment as Bush, and officials threatened to cancel Hu’s address altogether if they couldn’t be guaranteed that no such indignity as suffered by Bush would be visited on their president.

It can only be, presumably, that Albanese’s concern about a possible overreaction from the Premier’s visiting party prevented him from making the obvious point that the Chinese officials involved were plainly out of line in their treatment of Cheng Lei. As a result, though, both Albanese, and Australia’s democracy, are at least slightly diminished.

Behaviour that would be unacceptable from any other nation – imagine the uproar if American diplomats tried to prevent some ABC journalist from attending a press conference with the US Secretary of State – is apparently okay from China. Of course, it’s not an analogous situation because Chinese government figures don’t do press conferences.

The incident drove the Chinese to distraction. Their president, Hu Jintao, was scheduled to address the parliament the next day. They were beside themselves with agitation that Hu might be subject to the same treatment as Bush, and officials threatened to cancel Hu’s address altogether if they couldn’t be guaranteed that no such indignity as suffered by Bush would be visited on their president.

It can only be, presumably, that Albanese’s concern about a possible overreaction from the Premier’s visiting party prevented him from making the obvious point that the Chinese officials involved were plainly out of line in their treatment of Cheng Lei. As a result, though, both Albanese, and Australia’s democracy, are at least slightly diminished.

Behaviour that would be unacceptable from any other nation – imagine the uproar if American diplomats tried to prevent some ABC journalist from attending a press conference with the US Secretary of State – is apparently okay from China. Of course, it’s not an analogous situation because Chinese government figures don’t do press conferences.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/albanese-ducks-questions-about-chinas-officials-blocking-cheng-lei/news-story/44956308b97f9fc3f31008a988b79480

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 3:57 a.m. No.21042140 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2146

OPINION: Beijing is not on our side. Let’s not fall for a pair of therapy pandas

Peter Hartcher - June 18, 2024

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The mask is back on again. The Chinese Communist Party removed the mask of friendship four years ago and showed us its true face – the face of a malign bully. Now it wants us to forget what we saw. To “shelve our differences”, in the words yesterday of Premier Li Qiang.

Why? Because the bullying wasn’t working. And because Beijing realised that it had overreached so much that it had alienated and alerted many countries at once in its “wolf warrior” phase. It wants us to relapse into our customary stupor so it can work towards dominance without disturbance.

To show its munificence, it’s generously removing the illegal trade bans on Australian products – as if trade is some kind of favour rather than an exchange for mutual benefit – and giving us a pair of therapy pandas.

You’d imagine that the Albanese government won’t fall for it. To the prime minister’s credit, he did raise directly with Li Qiang several of Beijing’s more egregious harms to Australia. These include the People’s Liberation Army’s dangerous and deliberate harassments of the Australian Navy in international waters, the CCP’s illegal interference operations against Australian citizens on Australian soil, the imprisonment of Australian citizen Yang Hengjun under sentence of death, and the last remaining trade bans on Australian abattoirs and lobsters.

Australian companies have been smart enough to learn from the four years of Beijing’s coercive trade bans. Australia’s export dependency on China stood at a staggering 40 per cent before the bans, the greatest exposure to a single nation since Australia’s naive dependency on Mother Britain in the 1950s and 60s. Today, Australia’s export dependency on China is down from an idiotic 40 per cent to an imprudent 25 per cent.

Some Australian business people have learnt more than others. The Future Fund’s chief executive Raphael Arndt said last week that the fund was keeping its $200 billion in assets more diversified and more domestic because the world “looks much more like the world of the 1930s than recent decades”.

The world is heading towards a great crisis as the US braces for a confrontation with the “no limits” partnership of China and Russia. China’s President Xi Jinping has himself warned of a dire outlook. He addressed a top-level national security meeting last year with these words: “We must be prepared for worst-case and extreme scenarios, and be ready to withstand the major test of high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms.”

A week later he urged China to prepare to operate the economy “under extreme circumstances”. We can’t say he hasn’t warned us. Curiously, Australia claims to be gripped by the importance of the China relationship yet somehow fails to report, to discuss or even to comprehend the speeches of its leader.

And there are more troubling signs that Australia is turning a blind eye to critical areas where Beijing is encroaching on Australian sovereignty and rights.

Why would Albanese go easy? Because the government has adopted a policy of “stabilisation”, a self-imposed trap. If your stated aim is “stabilisation”, you don’t want to do anything that might roil relations. The moment there’s a sign of destabilisation, your policy has failed.

(continued)

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The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t feel so constrained. And we’re indebted to the protester on the lawns of Parliament House on Monday who tried to burn a Chinese Communist Party flag. He didn’t succeed – the police took the flag away – but he reminds us of the vital distinction between China and the Chinese Communist Party; Australia has no quarrel with the people or nation of China, but it has very deep differences with the Chinese Communist Party.

What are the troubling signs of Australian wilful blindness? Most alarming was the disturbing news that agents of CCP influence are threatening the physical safety of Australians, in Australia, as the authorities watch on.

On Saturday, my colleague Matthew Knott broke this story: “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.”

The Australian Federal Police issued these warnings to Drew Pavlou and Vicky Xu 10 months ago, urging them to keep the information secret. The pair decided to speak to Knott “out of frustration that no arrests had been made, or charges laid”.

Pavlou, a former Senate candidate, and Xu, a prominent journalist, are people with high profiles and access to resources. We can only imagine what the party is getting away with among the more vulnerable members of the Chinese Australian community. These are the prime targets of the party and its United Front operatives; they need vigilant protection from Australian authorities.

Seven years since the parliament passed laws against foreign interference, it’s obvious they’re not getting it. The CCP evidently still threatens our people. Is this a condition of “stabilisation” – tolerating aggressive and illegal harassment by a foreign nation’s covert agents? When Knott quizzed Albanese about this at a press conference on Monday, the prime minister dodged.

There are others; ANU’s Elizabeth Buchanan has alerted us to the fact that the CCP has built three research stations on Australian Antarctic Territory, bases with dual civilian and military functions. What is Canberra doing about it? “Missing in action”, says Buchanan.

It took a major CCP security deal with the Solomons to wake Australia to Beijing’s intrusions into our northern approaches. What will it take to get Australia active on its intrusions into our southern territories?

Finally, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s annual report on nuclear warheads reported on Monday that “for the first time China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert”. Not much Australia can do about that, but it should keep us from relapsing into our traditional stupor.

The mask is back on and the tactics have changed, but Beijing’s strategy has not.

Peter Hartcher is international editor.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/beijing-is-not-on-our-side-let-s-not-fall-for-a-pair-of-therapy-pandas-20240617-p5jmec.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 4:03 a.m. No.21042162 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2165

Premier Li meets Albanese; 'visit shows China’s sincerity in improving ties with Australia'

Two countries to expand cooperation in new energy vehicles, renewable energy power generation

Zhao Yusha - Jun 17, 2024

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Monday that China is ready to work with Australia to build a more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership to better benefit the two peoples. Li also announced on Monday that China will include Australia on the list of unilateral visa-free countries.

The premier's visit to Australia has showcased China's sincerity in improving ties with Australia, and it is hoped that Australia will meet China halfway to allow for the evolution of bilateral relations and increased cooperation, said observers.

Looking back at the development of China-Australia relations over the past decade, the most important experience and inspiration is to uphold mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation, and seek common ground while shelving differences, Li said.

Li made the remarks during the ninth China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Since Prime Minister Albanese's visit to China last November, China and Australia have further restored and developed dialogues and cooperation in various fields, achieving a comprehensive turnaround in bilateral relations, Li said.

He said China is willing to work with Australia to maintain and develop the current hard-won positive momentum of bilateral relations.

Li also expressed the hope that the Australian side can provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises, and provide more convenience for personnel exchanges between the two sides.

China is willing to enhance coordination and cooperation with Australia at regional and international levels, oppose bloc confrontation and a "new Cold War" from the perspective of maintaining regional peace and stability, adhere to openness, inclusiveness and common development, and work together to advance regional economic integration and build an open world economy, Li said.

China is willing to stick to its comprehensive strategic partnership with Australia, give full play to the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue and other mechanisms, continuously boost trade, actively expand cooperation in new energy vehicles, renewable energy power generation and other fields, and strengthen sub-national, cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation, he said.

Li said on Monday that China will include Australia in the list of unilateral visa-free countries.

Albanese said that Australia is pleased to see that current Australia-China relations are stabilizing and improving. Australia adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence."

A Statement on Joint Outcomes of the China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting was released on Monday. It reaffirmed mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, stable development and Australia's commitment to the one-China policy. They agreed to continue to grow the bilateral relationship and uphold their respective national interests. They also agreed that both sides would continue to navigate their differences wisely.

'More than stabilizing

The joint statement acknowledged the importance of regular engagement between leaders, ministers and officials on both sides in support of the ongoing stabilization and development of the bilateral relationship. They confirmed plans to resume the Strategic Economic Dialogue in 2024.

The dialogue was suspended in 2021 on the heels of downward spiraling bilateral relations.

China has released enough goodwill during the premier's visit to Australia, including rolling out preferential visa policies for Australian nationals and restarting the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, Ning Tuanhui, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

It is fair to say that China has demonstrated a positive attitude in improving collaboration at all levels, highlighting the importance Beijing attached to this visit and improving ties with Australia, said Ning.

On the other hand, Canberra has also come to realize that its previous strategy of using twisted microphone diplomacy to smear China not only led to a significant deterioration in bilateral relations but also had negative repercussions on its own economy, according to Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University. He believes the pragmatic approach taken by the current Australian government will be conducive to enhancing cooperation.

This dialogue has "allowed us to build a deeper awareness of our respective interests," Albanese said, noting Australia and China had complementary economies and shared interests in addressing climate change.

(continued)

>>21042162

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On Monday, leaders of the two countries witnessed the signature of MOUs on Education and Research, Climate Change, the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, Further Enhancing the Implementation of China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, and the 15th Implementation Program for Cultural Exchanges for 2024-2027 under the 1981 Agreement on Cultural Cooperation.

Both leaders welcomed the implementation of arrangements to facilitate exchanges, including reciprocal access to multi-entry visas of up to three to five years' duration for business, tourism, and visiting family members.

Stabilization alone is insufficient to characterize the future of China-Australia relations. As the bilateral relationship continues to evolve, progress is necessary. China is committed to advancing such progress, and it is hoped that Australia will also demonstrate strategic prudence and political wisdom in meeting China halfway, according to Chen.

Common interest

Divergences still exist despite that the bilateral ties are warming up. Albanese told reporters in Canberra that "one of the very practical measures that we spoke about was improving military to military communication so as to avoid incidents."

In May, Australia claimed that a Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter jet released flares in the flight path of an Australian navy Seahawk helicopter deployed from the Australian air warfare destroyer HMAS Hobart. Later, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the truth is that an Australian military aircraft deliberately flew within close range of China's airspace in a provocative move that endangered China's maritime and air security in the name of enforcing UN Security Council's resolutions.

In the joint statement released on Monday, both leaders agreed to continue or expand engagement in political dialogue, including through the Defence Strategic Dialogue and Defence Coordination Dialogue, and convening an initial session of a bilateral Maritime Affairs Dialogue.

Disputes on military, human rights, South China Sea are the long-existing divergences between China and Australia, said Ning. He believes such differences will continue to exist as the US is pushing for its Asia-Pacific strategy, with Australia being the core member of all US-led small cliques in the region, including AUKUS and QUAD.

China has always opposed Australia's joining of those groups; thus how to develop relationship with China while answering to US pressure remains a difficult task for Canberra in the future, said Ning, noting that it is a positive sign that both side agreed to have dialogue on military level.

Beijing and Canberra share a common interest in defending the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Chen stated that turmoil in this region would harm the interests of both countries. Therefore, they should make joint efforts toward this goal instead of serving the interests of extraterritorial countries.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314301.shtml

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 4:08 a.m. No.21042176 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2181

What do the 'back on track' China-Australia ties reveal?: Global Times editorial

Global Times - Jun 18, 2024

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Will China-Australia relations officially break the ice? Are China-Australia relations still testing the waters? Can China-Australia relations stabilize and continue to improve? Before the annual meeting between Chinese Premier and Australian Prime Minister, public opinion on the current state of China-Australia relations was still divided. However, with China unilaterally granting visa-free entry to Australians, the initiation of cooperation on giant panda conservation, and a series of pragmatic achievements, including bilateral cooperation documents in strategic economic dialogue, further promotion of free trade agreement implementation, climate change response, education, and culture, dominating media headlines, the relationship between the two countries has not only achieved the goals of rebuilding dialogue and stabilizing, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned, but also, as Chinese Premier Li Qiang noted, has been "back on track after a period of twists and turns."

The state of China-Australia relations, particularly the economic and trade relationship as a stabilizer and booster of bilateral ties, has been clearly reflected. According to Australian data, last year, Australia's total trade with China reached a record A$219 billion (approximately 1.047 trillion yuan), far exceeding the A$168 billion in 2019. For instance, in April alone this year, Australia exported high-quality wine worth about A$86 million (approximately 410 million yuan) to China, with industry players noting that they've been very busy as sales orders have been constant. Moreover, since the beginning of this year, Australia has become the fifth largest source country for inbound tourism to China, with inbound tourism orders increasing by 155 percent year-on-year. These indicators show that China-Australia economic relations have not only stabilized and recovered but have also achieved new growth.

The "spring blossom" in China-Australia relations is not a coincidence. A survey released by the Global Times Institute on Monday shows that in 2024, the average favorable rating of Chinese people towards Australia increased to 69.2 points, higher than the scores of the past three years. A recent poll from Australian think tank Australia-China Relations Institute indicates that 61 percent of respondents believe Australia should continue to try to build strong connections and ties, and have a strong relationship with China, and 54 percent said that without close economic engagement with China, Australia would not be as prosperous as it currently is. Clearly, a more stable and friendly China-Australia relationship is the common aspiration and expectation of the people of both countries.

Whether in terms of economic and trade relations or people-to-people exchanges, the steady warming of China-Australia relations since 2022 has been due to the appropriate path taken to restore ties. It is well known that the past two years have not been entirely smooth for China and Australia, but both sides have always provided opportunities to manage differences through dialogue. Frequent contacts at various levels, smooth diplomatic channels, and a rational public opinion environment have supported the recovery of bilateral relations. The resumption of the annual high-level meetings between the two countries, along with the deepening of a series of cooperation mechanisms on the existing foundation, is expected to provide more assurance for the continuous improvement of bilateral relations.

(continued)

>>21042176

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What is more important is whether the two sides can clearly recognize and adhere to the mutually beneficial and win-win nature of the China-Australia relationship. In the final analysis, any country's foreign policy should ultimately return to serving its own national interests. The economic and trade structures of China and Australia are still highly complementary, and the function of economic and trade relations working as a "ballast" of bilateral ties has not changed. China's market is highly irreplaceable for Australia and there is still a lot of growth potential. Both sides' economic prosperity depends on regional peace and stability. Only if we can get rid of the tendency of third-party interference, pan-politicization and ideologization of economic issues, the basic outlook of the bilateral relationship that seeks mutual benefit and win-win can be restored. This in turn will bring real benefits and gains for the people of the two countries.

There are some countries in the world, similar to Australia, that have neither historical grudges nor real geopolitical conflicts of interest with China, and their economic structures are highly complementary to China's, forming a close, interdependent relationship with China in terms of international trade. They have the same demand for the global economic and trade order as well as regional peace and stability. But under the influence of Cold War mind-set like "de-risking" and "decoupling," they are filled with suspicion and even self-imposed constraints in their economic and trade cooperation with China. Australia during the previous ebb with China has exemplified this trait. This also impacted a lot of normal bilateral cooperation. However, Australia is now back on the relatively correct path after weighing the created geopolitical anxiety and the self-development interests. It should also give other countries a wake-up call.

In the Global Times survey, we noticed that Chinese and Australian respondents reached a surprising consensus in terms of which areas of future bilateral cooperation they are most optimistic about. Respondents from both countries are most optimistic about these five areas: international trade - topping the chart, climate change and environmental protection, tourism, energy, and high-tech industries. This also means that if we can look at each other with the right perspective and rational attitude, the development of China and Australia is definitely an opportunity rather than a challenge for each other, and the relationship between the two countries can develop to a higher level.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314307.shtml

Chinese premier's Western Australia tour spotlights global race for critical minerals

Kirsty Needham and Melanie Burton - June 18, 2024

SYDNEY, June 18 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited a lithium processing plant in resource-rich Western Australia state on Tuesday, highlighting China's push to secure critical minerals as Washington tries to break Beijing's supply dominance.

Western Australia supplies more than half of the world's seaborne iron ore, with China its top customer, and half of its lithium used in electric vehicles, smartphones and other electronic devices.

Li's visit to Australia, which began Sunday, is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years and marks a stabilisation in ties between the U.S. ally and the world's second-biggest economy.

While China has largely lifted suspensions imposed on $20 billion worth of Australian exports in 2020, after Canberra sought an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, it continues to express concerns about obstacles to Chinese investment in Australia's vast resources industry.

The issue of how Australia screens Chinese investment in its critical minerals sector was expected to be discussed at a business roundtable in Perth attended by Li and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Critical minerals including rare earths have become an area of intense competition between China and the U.S., which sees Australia's deposits as a way to break China's strangehold over global supply.

Australia last month blocked several Chinese investors from increasing stakes in a rare earths miner on national interest grounds, and last year blocked the acquisition of a lithium mine by Chinese interests.

The U.S. this year extended its support for the first time to back two Australian-listed rare earths projects to help build out the supply chain.

Li said on Monday that China hoped Australia would provide "a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises", and told the business roundtable the two countries benefit from each other's development.

Cooperation was important for stabilising industrial supply chains and boosting economic growth, Li said, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Albanese told the Australian and Chinese executives that three-quarters of Australia's exports to China come from Western Australia.

He also said his government wants to create jobs in critical minerals processing, refining and manufacturing, and sell to a broader range of markets.

"Our commitment to investing in local manufacturing doesn’t mean cutting trade ties or pulling-up the economic drawbridge. Far from it," he said.

"International partnerships and the inflow of foreign investment will continue to be crucial for Australia as we modernise and diversify our economy, even as we take steps to secure our economic sovereignty and build resilience in sectors that are vital to our national interest," he added.

Ahead of the roundtable, Li toured a lithium hydroxide processing plant owned by Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia, 51% owned by Shenzhen-and Hong Kong-listed Tianqi Lithium and 49% by Australian miner IGO, that is considering whether it will more than double production.

Australia said last month it would consider Chinese ownership when deciding whether companies qualify for tax credits under a new programme of incentives and support for the critical minerals sector.

Tianqi Lithium Chief Executive Frank Ha told the Australian Financial Review on Monday the company had not sought incentives but now that they were on the table it wanted a "fair go".

"CLUMSY ATTEMPT"

Albanese told ABC Radio on Tuesday that Australian officials had expressed concern to China's embassy over an incident at parliament house involving Chinese officials and Australian journalist Cheng Lei.

Cheng, who was jailed for three years in Beijing on national security charges until her release in October, was among media covering Li's visit to Canberra on Monday when Chinese officials stood in front of her to prevent her appearing on camera.

Cheng has said it was likely the Chinese officials did not want her to appear on domestic Chinese news coverage. The incident dominated Australian media coverage of Li's Canberra meeting.

"When you look at the footage it was a pretty clumsy attempt," Albanese told the ABC, adding Australian officials had intervened.

"There should be no impediments to Australian journalists going about their job. And we've made that clear to the Chinese embassy."

China's embassy did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-premier-li-meet-business-leaders-mineral-rich-western-australia-2024-06-17/

>>20868824 (pb)

>>20873227 (pb)

>>20937517

Labor Senator calls for Palestinian state, as party split deepens

RHIANNON DOWN - JUNE 18, 2024

Labor Senator Fatima Payman has urged her Albanese government colleagues to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, rejecting criticism that the Greens are seeking to score “cheap points” by backing the bid for statehood.

In an opinion piece published in Al Jazeera, Senator Payman said Palestinian statehood was a “moral and ethical imperative” that would bring peace to the Middle East, and accused Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip under the “guise of self-defence”.

The West Australian first-term senator broke ranks with her own government on Israel last month when she made a defiant address which she closed by repeating the controversial “from the river to the sea” chant.

In her latest remarks on the Hamas-Israel war, Senator Payman distanced herself from the Prime Minister’s claims that the Greens were playing politics by moving a motion in parliament to recognise Palestinian statehood.

The motion failed in the House of Representatives after 80 MPs voted against it.

“My party, the Australian Labor Party, has consistently argued that such motions are political machinations on the part of the Greens in order to score ‘cheap points’ and sway the public,” she said.

“Even if that were the case, this ‘politicking’ does not detract from the underlying fact that a genocide is ongoing, and the Australian public knows it.

“Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been slaughtered, among them 15,000 children.”

Senator Payman accused Anthony Albanese and the ALP of backing away from its support for Palestine since being elected, calling on her colleagues to stand on the “right side of history”.

“In opposition, our Prime Minister and the Labor Party were fierce champions of Palestine and passionate voices for justice,” she said.

“I ask that we summon that spirit of old and do the same in power.

“Let historians write of us that we were on the right side of history, that we boldly reinforced international law, and that we were a shining beacon and voice for freedom.”

Senator Payman said Australia’s “global standing and democratic values” placed it in a strong position to push for peace, arguing that an “important step in this direction” was recognising a Palestinian state.

“By recognising a Palestinian state, Australia would be affirming its commitment to this universal principle and frustrate Israel’s bid to crush such aspirations of the Palestinians,” she said.

“Israel is seeking to erase the agency of the Palestinian people. Australia must stand up to restore and reinforce it. Our country must not become one that smothers voices calling for justice, or one that censors the oppressed seeking freedom.”

She also praised activists who unleashed a wave of protests on university campuses across the country, which culminated in the establishment of pro-Palestine encampments which she compared to anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.

“Australian hearts have an affinity for justice,” she said.

“This is the reason why our students across the country are standing up as their predecessors did when they denounced the wars in Vietnam, and Iraq, and Afghanistan.

“The students were right on each of these generation-defining conflicts.

“Will it be that history repeats itself again by which we ignore them again?.”

Senator Payman’s comments last month prompted the Senate to condemn the use of the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, with the Prime Minister declaring that it was “not appropriate” for Senator Payman to use the phrase.

Senator Payman has since resigned from her position on two parliamentary foreign affairs committees, following Coalition calls for her to step down.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin urged Senator Payman to use her platform to call on Hamas leadership to “accept the ceasefire that Israel and all meditating parties have supported” rather than promote a position against her own party.

“Senator Payman has taken positions on the conflict utterly antithetical to her government’s own policies, including the use of a chant that our own prime minister called ‘violent’ and contrary to a two-state solution,” he said.

“Her deceitful rhetoric on genocide has endangered our community and her own colleagues whose offices are now being targeted by thugs and vandals.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/labor-senator-calls-for-palestinian-state-as-party-split-deepens/news-story/7f170f3ea6496a86ee76c35300268765

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 18, 2024, 4:34 a.m. No.21042279 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2285

>>21042253

Australia must recognise Palestine to promote peace

Such a move would support the peace efforts, not undermine them, as some have argued.

Fatima Payman, Labor Senator for Western Australia - 17 Jun 2024

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Over the last eight months, we have witnessed the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians and the devastation and destruction of Gaza carried out by Israel under the guise of “self-defence”. As the Israeli government continues to disregard its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and cease genocidal acts, it is imperative for influential nations to take a definitive stance.

Australia, with its global standing and democratic values, is in a strong position to facilitate peace. An important step in this direction is recognising a Palestinian state. It is also a moral and ethical imperative.

On May 29, a motion was presented to the lower house of the Australian parliament by the Greens to vote on whether Australia should follow Spain, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, and the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations in recognising Palestinian statehood, but it failed to pass as 80 MPs voted against it.

My party, the Australian Labor Party, has consistently argued that such motions are political machinations on the part of the Greens in order to score “cheap points” and sway the public.

Even if that were the case, this “politicking” does not detract from the underlying fact that a genocide is ongoing, and the Australian public knows it. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been slaughtered, among them 15,000 children.

Australians have seen for themselves the image of seven-year-old Sidra Hassouna hanging from a wall with her legs blown off and the footage of a man holding the corpse of 18-months-old Ahmad beheaded by an Israeli bombing. They have heard the sound of six-year-old Hind Rajab’s last words, desperately pleading for help as Israeli tanks closed in on her.

Social media is rife with images and videos of children with multiple limbs amputated. Entire families have been wiped off the registry. According to the Geneva-based Euro Med Human Rights Monitor, more than 70,000 tonnes of bombs have been dropped on Gaza between Oct 2023 and April 2024.

Australians have read the endless human rights reports from the likes of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even Israel’s own B’Tselem describing the governance in Israel as akin to “apartheid” and Gaza as an “open-air prison”.

They have heard Israeli ministers calling for the ethnic cleansing and occupation of Gaza. They have seen the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rule that there is a plausible case of genocide in Gaza. They have watched the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) request arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes.

France has affirmed its support for the ICC. Sweden has done the same. Germany has announced it would arrest Netanyahu if the ICC warrant is issued. US Senator Elizabeth Warren has stated that there is ample evidence for international courts to find Israel guilty of genocide.

Renowned American Professor John Mearsheimer who came to Australia’s Centre for Independent Studies, has emphatically asserted that Israel is choosing between apartheid and ethnic cleansing in its treatment of Palestinians.

UN experts have stated that Israel has committed at least three acts of genocide over the past eight months. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has stated that “Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is an escalatory stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure”.

This is why a recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders is imperative. Australia’s recognition would be a symbolic and bold rejection of Israel’s current bid to erase the Palestinian people. Recognition of a Palestinian state would not frustrate a peace process; rather, it would rescue that very peace process and keep it alive.

(continued)

>>21042279

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This is the reason why Ireland, Spain, Norway and Slovenia moved to recognise a Palestinian state. It was not to reject or antagonise Israel. It was to rescue the process Israel is frantically trying to destroy.

Australia must reinforce the fundamental moral principle at the heart of the conflict: the right to self-determination. The Palestinian people, like any other, have an inherent right to govern themselves, to live freely on their own land, and to build their future. This right is enshrined in international law, including in the United Nations Charter.

By recognising a Palestinian state, Australia would be affirming its commitment to this universal principle and frustrate Israel’s bid to crush such aspirations of the Palestinians.

Israel is seeking to erase the agency of the Palestinian people. Australia must stand up to restore and reinforce it. Our country must not become one that smothers voices calling for justice, or one that censors the oppressed seeking freedom.

Australian hearts have an affinity for justice. This is the reason why our students across the country are standing up as their predecessors did when they denounced the wars in Vietnam, and Iraq, and Afghanistan. The students were right on each of these generation-defining conflicts. Will it be that history repeats itself again by which we ignore them again?

In opposition, our prime minister and the Labor Party were fierce champions of Palestine and passionate voices for justice. I ask that we summon that spirit of old and do the same in power. Let historians write of us that we were on the right side of history, that we boldly reinforced international law, and that we were a shining beacon and voice for freedom.

It is time to recognise Palestine.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/6/17/australia-must-recognise-palestine-to-promote-peace

Liberal MP Matt Kean resigns from NSW Parliament

JESSICA WANG - JUNE 18, 2024

Former NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has announced his resignation from state parliament, ending his 13 years as the member for Hornsby.

Mr Kean dashed rumours he was making a tilt for federal politics, saying he would be pursuing opportunities in the private sector.

The Liberal MP made the announcement with his wife Wendy and four-year-old son Tom in a snap press conference at 4.20pm, just hours after Labor Treasurer Daniel Mookhey handed down his second NSW state budget.

Despite his own big news, he did not miss the opportunity to take a dig at the government’s efforts.

“Thank you for coming out and I’m sorry to take you away from the worst NSW budget in modern history, but I’ve got another announcement to make,” he began.

“Today, after 13 years as the member for Hornsby, I’ll be retiring from parliament.”

Mr Kean said he had made the decision over the weekend and denied he timed the announcement to detract from the budget.

“I’ve been thinking about this for some time and over the weekend, I made up my mind,” he said.

“This is the last sitting week before the winter break and I don’t intend on coming back to the parliament in the August sittings.”

His announcement was attended by several Liberal MPs, including Opposition Leader Mark Speakman, Felicity Wilson, Eleni Petinos and NSW Liberal state director Richard Shields.

While he said hadn’t confirmed a new role, he said he intended to pursue a role in the “energy and climate-related space”.

“I’m passionate about energy, and I’m passionate about the transition (to renewable energy). This transition is inevitable,” he said.

“I’ve made an impact when it comes to public policy and I want to make an impact ensuring that not only energy users benefit from this transition but our economy benefits and our environment benefits.”

Under the former Perrottet government, Mr Kean served as the energy minister, treasurer, and was the deputy NSW Liberal Party leader until the Liberals lost the state election in March last year.

His resignation will trigger a by-election in the northwestern Sydney seat.

While Hornsby has been held by the Liberal Party since its creation in 1950, and remains a safe blue seat, Labor won an 8.8 per cent swing against Mr Kean in the last election.

His resignation comes amid growing speculation about the departure of former premier Dominic Perrottet, who holds the nearby seat of Epping.

However when asked, Mr Kean declined to offer his pick for his successor, saying it was “a matter for the Liberal Party.

“A by-election isn’t a new thing in public life. This won’t be the first by-election, and it certainly won’t be the last by-election, that’s the NSW political process,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/liberal-mp-matt-kean-resigns-from-nsw-parliament/news-story/111f43f2ccdd8aebe9decc4ad00bccd6

>>20895231

Former PM Scott Morrison prepared to take witness stand in Reynolds, Higgins row

Jesinta Burton - June 18, 2024

Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been named among the high-profile witnesses prepared to climb into the witness box in WA Senator Linda Reynolds’ high-stakes defamation trial against former staffer Brittany Higgins.

Reynolds’ lawyer Martin Bennett told the WA Supreme Court Morrison had filed and signed a witness outline on Tuesday, as the parties gathered to finalise the exchange of documents before the trial in late July.

The court was told the bundle of evidence adduced by Reynolds’ legal team would also contain sworn testimony from WA Senator Michaelia Cash, Cash’s former chief of staff, and medical professionals who would attest to the toll the saga had taken on Reynolds’ health.

But Cash’s attendance in-person will hinge on parliamentary sitting dates, with Higgins’ lawyers continuing a push to delay the slated July 24 start date until at least July 29 to accommodate new WA-based counsel Rachael Young.

The court has previously been told Channel 10, journalists Lisa Wilkinson and Samantha Maiden, and Senator Katy Gallagher had been hit with subpoenas to provide evidence for both cases.

Bennett also sought leave to amend the statement of claim to attach another allegation of defamation, after evidence surfaced during disclosure that he argued demonstrated Higgins collaborated on another publication he claims was defamatory of the senator.

Higgins’ lawyer Teresa Ward told the court her client had already handed over the first tranche of documents expected to form evidence in the case, including dozens of personal messages, and was preparing to send the remaining files within the next 48 hours.

Outside court, Bennett told the waiting press pack Morrison was expected to be overseas at the time of the trial, but was prepared to give evidence remotely if required.

In 2021, Higgins alleged she was raped in Reynolds’ parliamentary office by her colleague Bruce Lehrmann — a claim Lehrmann has long denied, but was found to be true to the civil standard by Justice Michael Lee.

Lehrmann is appealing a decision handed down by Federal Court Justice Michael Lee in Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten earlier this year that found, on the balance of probabilities, he did rape Higgins.

A rape charge against him was withdrawn in after his 2022 criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct.

As the pair’s former boss, Reynolds has found herself in the firing line over the then-government’s handling of Higgins’ rape allegation.

The senator alleges Higgins in 2023 made several social media posts she claims were false and defamatory of her, and is suing for damages, as well as aggravated damages.

Reynolds also launched an almost identical action against Higgins’ husband David Sharaz, who bowed out several weeks ago after declaring he did not have the financial means to take the matter to trial.

Higgins has fiercely defended the action.

Reynolds, who made a surprise appearance at court, mentioned Morrison by name while sharing her gratitude to her former parliamentary colleagues for their support throughout the past three years.

The senator said the ongoing fallout had a significant impact on her and others, and continued to call upon those involved to accept Lee’s judgment, which dispelled long-held claims of a political cover-up.

“This is not just about clearing my name, but also to get justice for the many people whose lives have been destroyed,” she said.

“It’s absolutely essential that all parties accept Justice Lee’s findings, all of his findings, so that the many people who have been damaged by this whole saga can get justice and get peace.

“Justice Lee was very clear in terms of the fact that there was never any political conspiracy and that Ms Higgins was looked after, by myself and my chief of staff Fiona Brown, and it is time that those people who have perpetuated that agree they were wrong, apologise.”

The matter is expected to return to court for a second directions hearing next week.

Reynolds is also still working to establish who controls a trust in Brittany Higgins’ name, which she claims was established to safeguard Higgins’ $2.4 million federal government pay-out for lost earnings and hurt, distress and humiliation.

The WA senator wants to have the trust set aside amid fears it may prevent her from getting damages if she wins the defamation case, which she has mortgaged her own home to pursue.

https://www.smh .com.au /national/ western- australia/ former-pm- prepared-to- take- witness -stand-in- reynolds- higgins- row- 20240618- p5jmvv. html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 19, 2024, 4:47 a.m. No.21049225 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9235

Sky News journalist Cheng Lei blocked by Chinese from second media event

WILL GLASGOW and JOANNA PANAGOPOULOS - JUNE 19, 2024

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Sky News Australia journalist Cheng Lei was blocked from covering Peter Dutton’s meeting with China’s Premier Li Qiang, adding to a diplomatic controversy that has gone entirely unreported on the Chinese internet.

The Opposition Leader criticised Anthony Albanese over his initial response to an earlier effort in Parliament House by Chinese diplomats to block Ms Cheng from television cameras, telling the Prime Minister to “grow a backbone”.

But on Wednesday, Ms Cheng revealed she had also been blocked from attending the opening remarks of a meeting between Mr Dutton and the Chinese Premier at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra, despite a member of the opposition’s staff assuring her: “I’ll get you in.”

Ms Cheng, who was imprisoned in Beijing for almost three years on dubious national security charges, said she was blocked after an intervention by the same two staff at the Chinese Embassy who had shadowed her at an earlier press event in Parliament House.

“This is our turf, we can veto it,” Ms Cheng said she overheard one of the Chinese officials saying to their counterpart.

Ms Cheng, whose bureau chief had registered her for the event, said an Australian official shortly afterwards told her she would not be allowed to go in.

“But I’ve been registered since last week,” said Ms Cheng, in her account which was first published by Sky News Australia.

“Well … that’s only an expression of interest. Dutton’s team can decide who gets to come in. You’re not on there,” the Australian official replied.

Mr Dutton’s office on Wednesday declined to comment on Ms Cheng’s account.

A person involved with the event told The Australian that it was a “pic fac”, with only photographers and cameramen allowed in.

The Chinese delegation had insisted that no Australian journalists were allowed to ask Mr Li a question during his visit. The same demand was made during the Chinese Premier’s earlier stop in New Zealand.

An earlier tussle between Australian and Chinese officials in Parliament House has been the most discussed event in Australia’s media during the trip by China’s Premier, overshadowing the positive message Beijing had intended to send with the rare visit.

The Prime Minister described the behaviour by the Chinese diplomats as “rude” and “inappropriate”. But while the episode has been debated on Australian newspaper front pages, television bulletins and radio programs, it has not been mentioned anywhere on Chinese media or even social media, which are both subject to tight censorship.

(continued)

>>21049225

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Chen Hong, the director of Australian studies at Shanghai’s East China Normal University, disputed suggestions there had been a ban on reporting the episode.

“I don’t think there is any deliberate screening. This is a storm in a teacup,” Professor Chen told The Australian.

“I don’t even think it is an ‘incident’. Why should we be exaggerating such an issue?” he said.

The starkly different coverage of the visit by Chinese and Australian media has demonstrated the vast gulf in the two countries’ political systems and media environments.

Recent polling has also revealed dramatically different perceptions in the two countries, with most Chinese having a favouring opinion of Australia while most people in Australia are anxious about China.

China’s coverage has been positive throughout Mr Li’s four day visit, with the front page of Wednesday’s China Daily declaring: “Beijing, Canberra to expand co-operation.”

Professor Chen said there was a frustration among many in China who work on Australian issues with our media’s continual focus on the “dark side” of the relationship.

He said the Chinese Premier had been frank during the trip that there remain “differences” between the two countries, but said the “bright side” of the relationship should be the most important takeaway from the trip.

Ms Cheng said it had been an emotionally draining experience. “The worst thing about being bilingual and bi-cultural is that I see it all. The Chinese side and the Australian business community would prefer the friendly facade,” she wrote.

“Some of my Aussie business contacts went silent after my story broke … I wondered if all the Canberra bureaucrats were annoyed at me.

“I do not like the feeling I am fodder for China hawks or an unfortunate existence for China doves,” she wrote.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/sky-news-journalist-cheng-lei-blocked-by-chinese-from-second-media-event/news-story/167c2e22a9bc9f54fa9b80456857e141

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4QIwY6BKg

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/defence-and-foreign-affairs/tv-journalist-cheng-lei-blocked-from-entering-a-second-major-government-press-event-hours-after-bizarre-diplomatic-incident/news-story/cb090791b7cbdd927195824776d1414f

https://jinpeili.substack.com/p/journalist-cheng-lei-is-made-to-disappear

https://x.com/ajphelo/status/1803331828696358918

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 19, 2024, 4:56 a.m. No.21049260 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9264

Anthony Albanese’s last word on press freedom to Chinese Premier Li Qiang

PAUL GARVEY, WILL GLASGOW and JOE KELLY - JUNE 18, 2024

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Anthony Albanese directly raised concerns about press freedoms with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as the senior Chinese leader’s final day in Australia ended without any breakthrough on the last key industry still suffering from Chinese-imposed trade barriers.

Australia’s lobster industry was the last major export still subject to trade impediments that sprung up when relations between China and Australia soured during the pandemic, and there had been growing hopes in the lead-up to Mr Li’s visit that this week could mark the point at which those impositions were lifted. The hundreds of guests at a banquet in Perth honouring Mr Li were all served lobster as an entree.

But those trade barriers remained in place as Mr Li boarded his China-bound 747 on Tuesday afternoon, with China’s second-highest ranked official instead focusing on celebrating the deep commodity export ties with Australia and the potential for both countries to benefit from growth in renewable technologies.

Mr Li’s final day in Australia started with a direct discussion with the Prime Minister about the treatment of Australian journalist and former Chinese political prisoner Cheng Lei at a media event in Canberra on Monday, after members of Mr Li’s entourage attempted to stand over her and block her from being seen in TV footage.

Mr Albanese described it as a “ham-fisted” response.

“There was a clumsy attempt, really, to just stand in between where the cameras were, and Chang Lei,” the Prime Minister said on Perth Nova radio.

In a statement released after Mr Li’s departure, Mr Albanese – while not directly addressing the lobster issue – noted that some trade barriers remained.

“Trade remains the cornerstone of our relationship and my government’s steady engagement has resulted in the removal of almost all trade impediments on Australian exports to China, but there is still more work to do,” he said.

Mr Li’s visit brought large parts of the Perth metro area to a standstill on Tuesday, as his enormous motorcade crisscrossed from a lithium refinery in the south, back up to Kings Park for a business roundtable, through to the city for a banquet, then out to the research and development facilities of Andrew Forrest’s iron ore and energy company Fortescue, before heading for the airport.

Lobster limbo aside, this week’s visit was the latest sign of the thawing of relations between Australia and China after a tumultuous few years between the trading partners. Trade barriers imposed on the likes of coal, barley and wine had all been eased in recent years as China softened its stance.

Taiwan’s representative in Australia, Douglas Hsu, said China’s easing of those other trade barriers showed that “China needs Australia more than Australia needs China”.

“The lift of those trade bans should not be seen as a favour of China,” he said. “The (Australian) government decided to stand firm on its own position – and that made China back down.

“In the past couple of years, the economic downturn inside China has raised to a level that China has to find ways to get back to the world community … China considers Australia as a source for their energy, for their iron ore, for their agricultural products. So they had to tone down their wolf warrior diplomacy.”

(continued)

>>21049260

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The Albanese government had spoken confidently about the lobster ban being removed in the months leading up to Mr Li’s trip. The trade, which used to be worth $700m, is the final product remaining from the coercion campaign Beijing waged on Australian exports that once amounted to $20bn a year.

Australian lobster farmers said it was frustrating that they still had no idea if they could again export to what had been by far their most lucrative market.

“It does consume your life whether you want it to or not,” one told The Australian.

Beijing has always claimed the lobster ban was a “technical and scientific” matter concerning cadmium levels in Australian produce, and not economic coercion.

Ben Herscovitch, a close watcher of the bilateral relationship and research fellow at the Australian National University, said the Chinese government was likely trying to avoid looking “nakedly transactional” but said he expected the ban to end in the coming weeks.

“I think they would want to maintain that it’s not actually been coercion – that it’s been a technical, scientific issue,” Dr Herscovitch told The Australian.

Shortly after Mr Li’s departure, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released a statement expressing its “grave concern” about the “dangerous and illegal actions” by China’s vessels against Philippine vessels the previous day.

According to DFAT, China’s vessels rammed Philippine vessels taking part in a routine mission to Second Thomas Shoal, inside The Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, on Monday.

“This is an escalation in a pattern of deeply concerning and destabilising behaviour by China. This conduct endangers peace and security in the region, threatens lives and livelihoods, and creates risks of miscalculation and escalation,” the statement read.

There was no mention of Australia’s position on China’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for trans-Pacific Partnership in the joint statement of outcomes released after Mr Albanese and Mr Li’s discussions in Canberra.

Australia has maintained that Beijing’s application to join the trade pact was a non-starter until all of China’s trade sanctions were lifted, with the lobster ban the final one holding it up.

By contrast, the Chinese CPTPP pact bid was “noted” in China’s joint statement with New Zealand after the Wellington leg of Mr Li’s trip.

There was a total blackout on the Cheng Lei incident on China’s internet. No Chinese news outlets mentioned the encounter, there was not a single mention of the incident on China’s popular Weibo social media platform, and a search of China’s most popular internet browser Baidu returned zero results.

Peter Dutton criticised the Prime Minister for failing to act sooner in response to the incident.

“Grow a backbone and stand up for our country,” the Opposition Leader said. But Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Mr Albanese’s discussion of the Cheng Li incident with Mr Li showed why engagement between the two countries was important.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albaneses-last-word-on-press-freedom-to-chinese-premier-li-qiang/news-story/fb522d2855ed6910f89fd93091d8e4ed

Dutton reveals locations for seven nuclear power plants under Coalition plan

Mike Foley - June 19, 2024

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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has unveiled long-awaited details of his pledge to build nuclear reactors in Australia, confirming that two nuclear plants would produce electricity by the middle of next decade and be built with public funding under a government-owned business model.

The Coalition revealed seven nuclear plants would be built at the sites of former coal power plants: Lithgow and the Hunter Valley in NSW, Loy Yang in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, Tarong and Callide in Queensland, Collie in Western Australia and Port Augusta in South Australia.

“We know the government has renewables only policy which is not fit for purpose. No other country in the world can keep the lights on 24/7 with the renewables-only policy,” Dutton said at an announcement in Sydney on Wednesday morning.

“Today we announce seven locations that we have looked at in great detail over a long period of time that can host new nuclear sites, and that’ll be part of an energy mix with renewables and significant amounts of gas into the system, particularly in the interim period.”

He said the assets would be owned by the Commonwealth, which would form partnerships with experienced nuclear companies tasked with building and operating them.

But he conceded his policy had not yet been costed. “We will have more to say in relation to the cost in due course, and, as you know, we’ve done this in a step-by-step process. The focus today is on the sites,” Dutton said.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who set a legislated target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030, on Wednesday accused the opposition of formulating a nuclear policy to boost the life of fossil fuels.

“They say they want to pause renewable energy, and that is what this policy is designed to do – to slow or stop renewable energy, to rely on coal for longer as we wait for this nuclear fantasy to come about,” Bowen said.

“The Australian people now have a very clear choice, stick with the plan, or go with this uncosted, unmodeled fantasy that Mr Dutton is proposing today.”

Dutton also acknowledged he would need to convince state premiers to overturn nuclear bans. He said the Commonwealth could apply a national interest test and compulsorily acquire land from states for reactor sites.

“Somebody famously said: I would not stand between a premier and a bucket of money, and we’ve seen the premiers in different debates before, where they’ve been able to negotiate with the Commonwealth. And we’ll be able to address those issues,” Dutton said, referring to a statement made by former prime minister Paul Keating.

(continued)

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NSW Premier Chris Minns on Wednesday said he would not remove the prohibition on nuclear power production.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan also said her government would not allow nuclear energy to be established in the state and vowed to fight against the Coalition’s proposal to build a power station in the Latrobe Valley.

Dutton said a Coalition government would start by building either small modular reactors, which are not yet in commercial production, or a large-scale reactor. He said the small reactors could be operating by 2035, while the larger would produce electricity by 2037.

The CSIRO has found the first nuclear reactors could not be built until 2040 and would cost up to $16 billion each to build in Australia. CSIRO said construction costs could fall to $8.6 billion but noted the first reactor would likely cost double because of the expense of kick-starting the industry from scratch.

The owners of some of the coal plant sites targeted for nuclear development, including AGL, Origin, EnergyAustralia and Alinta, have previously said they have no plans to develop nuclear energy in Australia.

Prime Minister calls Dutton’s plan a ‘fantasy’

Dutton’s announcement ended months of speculation about the proposed locations and will sharpen the political debate after he reignited the nation’s climate wars by pledging to dump the government’s climate target.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Wednesday described the Coalition’s nuclear policy as a “fantasy” that markets would not fund because it is 15 years away.

“This is a recipe for higher energy prices, for less energy security, less job creation. This is economic madness,” he said on ABC Melbourne.

Dutton said last week the Coalition remains committed to net zero emissions by 2050 but would not reveal its interim climate targets until after the federal election, due by May next year.

The opposition leader has criticised the Albanese government’s renewable energy plans – which centre on driving clean energy to 82 per cent of the grid by 2030 – by arguing that they will drive up power bills and destabilise the grid.

On Wednesday, Dutton claimed the federal government’s plans to supercharge renewable energy would cost more than $1 trillion and said nuclear energy would “cost a fraction of that”.

But the renewable energy industry rejected Dutton’s claims about the technology, including his assertions that boosting the share of renewables in the grid would increase power prices and the risk of blackouts.

“Australia has no nuclear power industry, so building new reactors would take at least 20 years and cost six times more,” Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said. “The Coalition’s nuclear policy is a recipe for delay and skyrocketing energy bills.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-reveals-locations-for-seven-nuclear-power-plants-under-coalition-plan-20240619-p5jmyp.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwxxJ32awOs

https://www.9news.com.au/national/opposition-leader-to-unveil-nuclear-energy-plan/71158855-c44f-41b0-b35d-866a0d2866d4

https://x.com/JacintaAllanMP/status/1803315077153787972

Peter Dutton has put the energy debate on its axis and radically reshapes the next election

SIMON BENSON - JUNE 19, 2024

Peter Dutton has just radically reshaped the political contest. He has staked his leadership and the Coalition’s election prospects on a contest over nuclear power.

Anthony Albanese might well be thinking: “I can’t believe my luck”.

But having on Wednesday announced the first phase of the nuclear plan – the seven regional locations - the Liberal leader has strongly signalled that he too wants a fight with Labor over energy.

Dutton has split the climate change debate into a dual question for voters.

On one hand, he is seeking a revival of the public debate on realism and ambition. Can Labor meet its climate change targets? And at what cost.

On the other, he has wedded the Coalition to a nuclear power future. This is a stark contrast in policy approach to the energy and climate change problem.

There is no Labor version of what Dutton is offering that Albanese can adopt.

There are now two defined paths, both leading to net zero 2050.

The contest now is one of cost and credibility.

The central appeal underlying Dutton’s approach is a cost-of-living argument over energy prices.

The significance of Dutton’s announcement on Wednesday will be overstated by some.

This is based on two fundamental principles that Dutton seeks to overturn. The first is the obvious; tearing up Australia’s nuclear ban. The second is the ownership structure.

Dutton’s plan for commonwealth ownership challenges the party’s broader market-based principles.

This is where Dutton has surprised, in demonstrating pragmatism over orthodoxy.

The approach is based on a simple truth that many people believe that it was mistake by state governments to privatise electricity assets. Much of this was pursued under Labor state governments.

Regarded as an essential service, many consumers often wrongly equate price increase to corporate greed, in the same way they equate inefficiency with government.

This is another important step in Dutton’s socialisation of nuclear power generation as a real option. He will argue that off-budget assets that provide a return on capital is not nationalisation.

Dutton is, however, exposed on the question of cost and his refusal to so far outline the investment required. Again, he is happy to have the argument.

At $5 billion for a small modular reactor – of $35 billion for seven based on Rolls Royce’s estimation in the Australian context – this is still going to be less than Labor’s renewables plan when transmission infrastructure is factored in.

Dutton believes that the broader macro-politics favours him on this issue.

At worst the politics aren’t as electorally good or bad as either side may argue.

While there are obvious political risks for Dutton, Albanese is risk exposed on how Labor takes this argument on.

The more hysterical the prime minister and his colleagues are inclined to become, the more he is lured into presenting as an opposition leader rather than a prime minister.

His personal approval ratings, and only marginal favourability over Dutton in the polls, will have alerted him to the danger of this.

The electoral interpretation of the nuclear option is also not as controversial as some may believe.

Voters like visionary leaders, even if they don’t necessarily agree with the vision. And on nuclear, people are nowhere near as hung up about it as they once were.

At another level, the nuclear plan is also a platform for the rebranding of Dutton as leader.

It shifts the dynamic from a Coalition opposition always opposed to things as to one fighting for something.

The politics of the voice proved that Dutton’s negative approach was right for that policy. On energy, however, if the Coalition is going to maintain parity with Labor on net-zero, it needed a point of significant differentiation on delivery.

Nuclear has given Dutton that option and completely swung the axis on the energy debate.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/peter-dutton-has-put-the-energy-debate-on-its-axis-and-radically-reshapes-the-next-election/news-story/43d83455e23beec6b5db311bb0bf5473

>>21015592

Australia announces new initiatives to help improve PNG's internal security, law and justice as part of major bilateral security agreement

Marian Faa - 19 June 2024

Australia has announced a package of initiatives aimed at strengthening Papua New Guinea's internal security and law and justice priorities under a major bilateral security agreement.

A delegation of Australian officials — including Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minster for International Development Pat Conroy — are in PNG to attend the 30th Ministerial Forum.

The measures agreed upon today will be delivered under a long-discussed bilateral pact reached last year while Prime Minister James Marape was visiting Australia.

Senator Wong said the two nations shared inextricable ties.

"This is the only country with whom we have this type of ministerial engagement and it reflects who we are to one another," she told a press conference.

Australia will give additional support for stability in the PNG Highlands as part of the agreement, including a new program to help PNG improve weapons management.

It comes more than a year after one of PNG's worst massacres, which left at least 49 people dead and drew attention to the stacks of illegal firearms and ammunition making their way through the region.

"A stronger and safer Papua New Guinea is good for PNG and it is good for Australia," Senator Wong said.

As well as the weapons management program, Australia will provide support for PNG's legal system to help it investigate and prosecute financial crime and assist with making its correctional facilities safer and more secure.

The new initiatives also include investments in programs to improve access to justice for young people and remote and regional communities and the supply of 12 armoured LandCruisers to Papua New Guinea's Defence Forces.

Transport hangar and labour mobility plan also announced

Under a swathe of announcements made on Wednesday, Australian and Papua New Guinean ministers agreed to the opening of an Australian-supported refurbished Air Transport Wing hangar in Port Moresby to accommodate aircraft supplied by Australia.

It follows the gifting and commissioning of a large police patrol vessel to PNG yesterday — the largest in the country's fleet — which will be used to combat trans-border organised crime, particularly in the Torres Strait Region.

PNG's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchencko said the security cooperation was in both countries' interests.

"A strong, resilient, safe, prosperous Papua New Guinea will equate to the same in Australia," he said during a bilateral meeting with Senator Wong.

"We look forward to this very important 30th ministerial dialogue between Australia and Papua New Guinea to continue strengthening our relationship, taking our levels higher and higher than they've ever been before."

Australia will also help develop a labour mobility plan to boost PNG's participation in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and support PNG's ambition of sending 8,000 workers overseas by 2025.

In his closing remarks, Mr Marles acknowledged the forum was being held in the shadow of the landslide tragedy in Enga Province last month.

He said the Australian delegation will travel to the area tomorrow.

"This meeting has happened with a heavy heart and we stand ready to provide assistance," he said.

Australia's finalisation of the bilateral security agreement with PNG last year came after China signed a police cooperation deal with PNG's neighbour, Solomon Islands.

Mininster Tkatchencko yesterday reiterated that his country was not considering similar policing and security offers made by China to PNG.

"We have chosen not to entertain that at all, made that very, very clear," he said.

"We need to now strengthen our partnership with Australia, who is our traditional partner."

In November, Mr Marape told the ABC his country was caught in a "confluence of interests" in the region, but said PNG's relationship with Australia ranked as number one.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-19/australia-announces-initiatives-to-improve-png-internal-security/103990486

>>20998305

Albanese says MP office attack is a major escalation in local tensions over Gaza

Paul Sakkal and Olivia Ireland - June 19, 2024

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Vandals smashing windows and using flammable liquid to set fires at the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns represent a troubling escalation of radical pro-Palestinian activism in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.

Burns said he was worried about the safety of MPs and their staff after his Melbourne inner-city office was targeted at about 3.20am on Wednesday. Police said five people sprayed the St Kilda office with red paint, which has been used across Australia by activists targeting a group of Labor MPs they regard as too close to Israel.

Burns held a press conference on Wednesday morning and said police inspectors found flammable chemicals on the office site. Two small fires were lit: one to the left of the office entrance and another outside the street-facing door to apartments on the floor above the office.

The attackers smashed the front windows and entered the office, the inside of which was sprayed with red paint.

Burns said the incident put the lives of the apartment residents at risk and said he was worried about the safety of his Labor colleagues, whose offices have also been targeted, and his staff.

“I’m nervous about someone getting hurt, or worse,” he said, adding that the vandalism was politically motivated. “How is this a peaceful act?”

“It didn’t bring about peace in the Middle East. If it did, I would have vandalised my own office.”

“Zionism is fascism” was scrawled on an image of Burns, and horns were drawn on his head. Independent MP Monique Ryan said the image amounted to antisemitism because of the trope of portraying Jews with demonic features.

The prime minister said the attack went further than any previous pro-Palestine attacks.

“This is an escalation of the attacks that we’ve seen. We’ve been talking about this, we’ve got to dial this down,” Albanese said on ABC Radio Melbourne.

“The people who were responsible for this attack should face the full force of the law, it is very distressing for Josh and for his staff. I spoke to Josh this morning, this is a pretty serious attack, windows broken, graffiti everywhere, fire.

“This has got to be seen as an attack on someone who’s a Jewish MP, someone who is running an office that looks after people’s interests.

“It does nothing, it undermines the cause that people purport to represent.”

(continued)

>>21049413

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In parliament earlier this month, Labor and the Coalition accused the Greens of lending support to sections of the pro-Palestinian movement that have blockaded and vandalised MPs’ offices.

Labor pointed to footage of Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi encouraging protests outside of Albanese’s office as proof of the party’s support, but the Greens argued Labor had misled the public to distract from criticism about its response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Greens leader Adam Bandt condemned the overnight attack on social media. He did not mention antisemitism.

“Violence has no place in our community & vandalism and damage like this are completely unacceptable,” Bandt said. “My thoughts are with Josh Burns, his team, and the local community. They have the right to feel safe.”

Burns has been one of Labor’s most pro-Israel voices. He criticised the Albanese government’s decision to vote for greater rights for Palestine at the United Nations as he fights to stave off a Greens challenge in his progressive electorate which has a large Jewish population.

This masthead reported earlier this week on vandalism at Melbourne University’s Baillieu Library inspired by Lions’ Den, a Palestinian militant group that operates in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and attempts by the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir to infiltrate pro-Palestine protests at universities. It is not suggested that either group had anything to do with the office attack.

Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who recently led a Sky News documentary on antisemitism, said political leaders and law enforcement had not done enough to counter violent activism. Nobody has been arrested over a series of attacks on Labor MPs’ offices.

Frydenberg said a “mob” had “free rein since October 7 to act in a violent, hateful and un-Australian manner”.

“It is not just the Jewish community that is under attack its Australia’s social cohesion that is under attack and the very values that underpin it. This is Australia’s fight,” he said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said he was devastated, describing Burns as one of the most decent people he knew.

“Zionism is the idea that the Jews are a people bound by their history, their culture and traditions and have a right, like all peoples, to choose to live in peace in their own homeland. Josh is proudly Jewish and this is why he was targeted,” Ryvchin said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/josh-burns-office-vandalised-20240619-p5jmye.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 19, 2024, 5:47 a.m. No.21049442 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9452

Pro-Palestine activists disrupt second Jerry Seinfeld show

JOANNA PANAGOPOULOS - JUNE 19, 2024

A second Jerry Seinfeld show has been disrupted by pro-Palestine hecklers, as the US Jewish comedian told them their activism was misplaced and they were “ruining the night”.

Video appears to show a number of protesters standing up, waving a Palestinian flag and yelling that he was “a hack and a fraud” during the comedy routine at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Sydney, before Seinfeld fired back.

“It’s working … Yes, yes, you’re doing so good. You have strong political feelings … but you don’t know where to say them,” he said, as the crowd laughed and booed.

“You think ruining the night … It doesn’t affect me … all these people, you’re ruining their night,” he said to cheers and clapping.

He added, to laughter: “This is all set up by me. This is a friend of mine, let me introduce him, his name is Hymie Goldstein. And this is all set up”.

A woman appeared to yell “I love you”.

“Thank you sweetheart, I love you too,” Seinfeld responded. “I love them too, they just need a little direction, where to use their tremendous brain power.”

The protesters continued yelling “free, free Palestine” as they were escorted out of the venue.

“Thank you for coming. Did you like the horse bit before you left?” Seinfeld asked.

His show at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday was also disrupted by a pro-Palestine heckler who yelled “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

“We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen, he solved the Middle East,” Seinfeld said, as a man in the crowd yelled, inaudibly in the video.

The crowd laughed after booing the heckler.

“It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get – they’re the ones doing everything!” Seinfeld said mockingly.

“Go ahead, keep going. They’re going to start punching you in about three seconds so I would try to get all of your genius out so we can all learn from you.

“It’s a comedy show, you moron, get out of here.”

As the men were escorted out, Mr Seinfeld said “you’re really influencing everyone here”.

“We’re all on your side now because you’ve made your point so well. And in the right venue. You’ve come to the right place for a political conversation.

“Tomorrow we will read in the paper, ‘Middle East 100 per cent solved thanks to man at the Qudos Arena stopping Jew comedian, they stopped him, and everyone in the Middle East went, oh my god, let’s just get along, we can’t do that’.

Seinfeld made headlines last month when his commencement address at Duke University was interrupted by pro-Palestine students. Seinfeld visited Israel following the October 7 terrorist attacks and has expressed support since.

The Seinfeld star is on a tour of Australia and is scheduled to be in the country for another week before departing for New Zealand before returning to the US.

A spokesperson for the Adelaide Entertainment Centre said the venue was “very much looking forward to hosting Jerry Seinfeld tomorrow evening”.

“As with all major events held at the Centre, Adelaide Venue Management is liaising closely with the promoter to ensure a comprehensive level of security, and other services, is provided in accordance with requirements of both the artist and his audience. As such, we are confident of a safe and an enjoyable experience for all involved.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/propalestine-activists-disrupt-second-jerry-seinfeld-show/news-story/b848e3acd94b99e9b2ed4194e8108595

https://x.com/AustralianJA/status/1803010533169520715

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 19, 2024, 5:53 a.m. No.21049452 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9454

>>21049442

Jerry Seinfeld tells activists they’re in the wrong place at his Australian shows. Here’s why they persist

Karl Quinn - June 19, 2024

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Announcing his forthcoming stadium tour last November, Jerry Seinfeld said: “I have loved Australia since my first tour there in 1998, and I cannot wait to come back to visit some of the greatest comedy fans in the world.”

Three shows into that tour, he might now be having second thoughts.

For the second time this week, the 70-year-old US comedian became embroiled on Tuesday night in a heated exchange with pro-Palestinian protesters at a stand-up comedy show in Australia.

The exchanges at Sydney’s 9000-seat Aware Super Theatre were, like Sunday night’s events, captured in videos posted online by the Australian Jewish Association, which claimed “Australia is earning a shocking reputation for antisemitism” around the world, and by pro-Palestinian activists.

Seinfeld has become the target of protesters over what has been interpreted as his support for Israel’s military response to the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, in which 1200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage.

Since then, Israel’s campaign of retaliation has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 37,500 Palestinians, including a claimed 15,000 children. Israel’s military says 309 of its troops have died in the fighting.

“You’re a hack and a fraud,” a protester yells in the Tuesday night video posted by activists. “Fifteen thousand children dead … you’re complicit in genocide. You went to Israel to [live your] fantasies of killing Palestinians.”

That was a reference to a 2018 visit by Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, to Caliber 3, an “anti-terrorist” training camp in the occupied West Bank, where participants simulate attacks on Palestinians and the comedian was photographed holding a machine gun.

“Ah, you’re doing great. You’re getting them on your side, can you hear it?” Seinfeld mocks in return, in the video posted by the AJA. “You think that ruining the night … it doesn’t affect me. All these people, you’re ruining their night. That’s all you did.”

As the protesters were led away by police – no arrests were made or charges laid – Seinfeld tried to reclaim the moment for comedy by saying their heckling had been part of the show. “This was all set up by me. This is a friend of mine, let me introduce him, his name is Haime Goldstein. This was all set up.”

Responding to an audience member who said she loved him, he said: “Thank you, sweetheart, I love you too. I love them too – they just need a little direction of where to use their tremendous brain power.”

(continued)

>>21049452

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In a statement issued to this masthead, activists associated with the two actions explained why they had targeted the comedian.

They said they hoped to “raise awareness for both Seinfeld’s audience and the wider community of the current and ongoing illegal occupation and genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians” and to “generate conversation around the issue and encourage others to educate themselves and engage more deeply” with it.

Comments posted in response to videos on the activist Instagram page littlepalestineatalbos suggested many people had been unaware of Seinfeld’s position on the conflict prior to the actions, they said.

Accepting that their protests might make patrons uncomfortable, the activists said “but such discomfort surely pales in comparison to our community’s collective trauma at the devastating loss of life in Gaza and the West Bank for the last eight months (and indeed since 1948)”.

The activists, who claim not to have bought tickets to Seinfeld’s shows but to have received them from people who had decided against attending after becoming aware of the comedian’s views, insist they are not antisemitic.

“Criticising Israel and/or Zionism should never be equated with antisemitism. Standing against genocide should not be controversial, and anyone who comes to our rallies and speaks with our community will see that many of the people standing in solidarity with the Palestinians are multi-faith, including Jewish people and groups.”

However, some of the comments on the video on the Instagram page draw comparisons between Seinfeld, Zionism and Israel with Nazism, while the account administrators posted “the Zionist entity will fall”, a reference to the state of Israel.

Both those viewpoints could potentially be considered expressions of antisemitism under the terms of a new hate-speech bill being drafted by the federal government.

That legislation is expected to adopt the definition of antisemitism proposed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which includes “the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity”, a definition whose broadness has been criticised by many human rights activists, including prominent lawyer Geoffrey Robertson and some progressive Jewish organisations.

Seinfeld is due to perform in Brisbane on Wednesday night, Adelaide on Thursday, and at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Saturday (two shows) and Sunday.

Management at Rod Laver Arena did not respond to questions about security measures that might be taken in anticipation of further protests, while the activists said they were unaware if anything had been planned.

“But if it happened,” they added, “we would see it as a legitimate form of protest.”

Seinfeld declined to comment for this story.

https://www.theage.com.au/culture/comedy/jerry-seinfeld-tells-activists-they-re-in-the-wrong-place-at-his-australian-shows-here-s-why-they-persist-20240619-p5jmy0.html

https://x.com/GyrDaniel/status/1803111821689131339

https://www.instagram.com/littlepalestineatalbos/

‘We failed’: Victoria flags truth-telling process for child abuse victims

Bridie Smith and Rachel Eddie - June 19, 2024

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For Glen Fearnett, the past few years have been about hope. Hope that he would be heard. Hope that those who heard would listen. And hope that by speaking out about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at a Melbourne bayside school, things would change.

On Wednesday, the Allan government announced it would adopt all recommendations in a board of inquiry report that found a cluster of abuse at Beaumaris Primary School in the 1960s and ’70s was insidious but not isolated.

Fearnett had pinned his hopes on recommendation three in the board of inquiry’s findings, delivered in February.

Of the nine recommendations, this was the one he most wanted to see adopted: a truth-telling process that would give victim-survivors a voice. A chance to be heard in a supportive setting.

“I’m now hopeful that things have changed,” Fearnett said, following Premier Jacinta Allan’s commitment that survivors of child sexual abuse would be given a platform to tell their stories.

As Fearnett expressed hope, Allan acknowledged failure. Victoria had not kept children safe from a cluster of historical abuse cases at schools, including Beaumaris Primary School.

“We make a clear and simple acknowledgement – we failed,” Allan said as she stood beside Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, who is also education minister.

“We failed to keep these children safe. We failed to listen when they spoke out. We failed to act to ensure that it did not happen again,” she said.

The statewide independent truth-telling process will hear from victim-survivors about abuse at government schools before 2000.

However, Karen Walker – whose brother Ian Walker was a victim of abuse by Darrell Ray at Beaumaris Primary – said she had concerns for the wellbeing of victim-survivors who participated in the truth-telling process.

Walker said while an important part of justice, truth-telling risked compounding the trauma.

“Truth-telling is a big burden to put on survivors when, potentially, nothing will come from that,” she said. “Many survivors have had difficult journeys through the legal system, and it can add to existing trauma.”

Walker also described the government’s response as political tokenism.

She pointed to recommendations made by the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, although a national inquiry, as evidence of a lack of action taken by the Victorian government.

“They’re coming out and saying they are going to do something when they have had recommendations for years that they’ve never responded to,” Walker said.

Olivia Nicholls, as an adviser to then Justice Party MP Stuart Grimley, worked with victim-survivor Fearnett and uncovered the extent of abuse at Beaumaris Primary.

She said she was optimistic now that abuse survivors from Beaumaris and other schools had been listened to.

“The Education Department has been disgraceful in dealing with these claims in the past, but with these recommendations, that could change and that’s really positive,” Nicholls said.

“It will allow all survivors to have their voices heard.”

(continued)

>>21049488

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Other recommendations in the report include a public apology, a memorial acknowledging historical abuse at Beaumaris Primary, and potential memorials related to other schools.

The report also recommends the Education Department establish a restorative engagement program and a dedicated phone line for information, and provide help to those seeking access to records held by the department.

An independent monitor will oversee a review of the way the department responded to abuse allegations.

Once those processes are complete in 2026, the government will publish the findings and deliver a formal apology in parliament.

For Fearnett and Nicholls, the apology would be worth waiting for as victim-survivors’ stories needed to be heard before one could be made.

“You have to know what you’re apologising for,” Fearnett said.

Liberal MP Brad Rowswell, who campaigned for a parliamentary inquiry into abuse in state schools, welcomed the government’s acceptance of all recommendations, but added it had been a long campaign.

“For close to two years, my colleagues and I have called for the government to enable every victim-survivor of historical child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools to have their voices heard and their stories told,” he said in a statement.

“Many of the board of inquiry’s recommendations are matters that, independent of this formal process, we have been advocating for both privately and publicly.”

Sam Carroll, Victorian head of abuse law at law firm Slater and Gordon, said victim-survivors were entitled to a formal apology and compensation.

“It can help provide them with the acknowledgement and financial security needed to move forward with their lives,” Carroll said.

Fearnett said: “The one thing I keep coming back to is hope. That people can speak up and have their stories listened to.

“You don’t want to be getting around with no hope.”

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/politics/victoria/victoria-accepts-beaumaris-inquiry-findings-announces-truth-telling-process-for-child-abuse-victims-20240619-p5jmzo.html

https://www.Beaumarisinquiry.vic.gov.au/

https://www.Beaumarisinquiry.vic.gov.au/report

https://content.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-03/Executive_Summary_Digital.pdf

https://qresear.ch/?q=Beaumaris

>>20781023 (pb)

What to expect from the Tucker Carlson, Clive Palmer roadshow

Nick Dent - June 19, 2024

When asked how Clive Palmer had approached him to come to Australia, American uber-conservative commentator Tucker Carlson revealed his waggish side.

“A text message. Which is an emerging technology in the United States where you use your phone to do some chat with people,” he said.

Of course there is more to Carlson than sarcasm. He has been called “the most influential voice in right-wing media”.

A former Fox News commentator who continues to argue that the 2020 US presidential election was rigged, Carlson now runs his own media outlet and broadcasts on X.

He recently became the first Western journalist to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Ukraine war started, but was roundly criticised for his soft line of questioning.

Now he’s the star attraction at Palmer’s Australian Freedom Conference tour, which begins in Cairns on Friday before travelling to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.

Carlson tops a bill of speakers that also includes Queensland GP and anti-COVID vaccination campaigner Dr Melissa McCann and American filmmaker and conspiracy theorist Dinesh D’Souza.

The magnate and the pundit joined forces in Brisbane on Wednesday to launch the tour, where an often-combative Carlson described Palmer as “refreshing”.

“It’s nice to see someone with billions of dollars who’s asking honest questions about what the government is doing. No one else is doing that, at least in my country,” he said.

The 55-year-old said one reason he wanted to visit Australia was his outrage over the lockdowns, vaccination mandates and quarantine hubs (which he described as “camps”) that formed the country’s response to the pandemic.

“Two years ago, when I watched the government eliminate freedom of movement for Australian citizens, and freedom of speech, and then put people in camps, I thought to myself, something really profound is happening,” he said.

“The government can force you to take a drug against your will? Are you freaking kidding? That’s insane …

“And the media not only went along with it, they abetted it, and they attacked anyone who pushed back against it. It’s one of the most shameful moments in the history of the West.”

Carlson said he would vote for Donald Trump, despite the exposure in court of a series of text messages from 2021 in which the commentator wrote: “I hate him passionately … I can’t handle much more of this.”

“That day I had received news about information that I’d gotten from the Trump campaign that dead people had voted. I put that on television … and of the six, three turned out to be alive,” he explained.

“I was humiliated, and I blamed the Trump campaign [when] I should have blamed myself.”

Carlson said he was frustrated with the former president for not building his promised wall along the Mexican border, but that he was “affectionate towards Trump personally, and always have been”.

As for Palmer, he used the launch of his conferences to weigh in on the federal Coalition’s plan to build seven nuclear power plants, saying “nuclear power makes sense”.

“There are no emissions with nuclear power whatsoever and, of course, Australia has got unprecedented resources in uranium, so this makes common sense,” he said, arguing that nuclear power stations were now “very safe”.

Carlson agreed that cheap energy was a good thing, but added that those concerned about climate change should be more worried about Ukraine.

“We are on the cusp of nuclear war, right now,” he said. “That’s also a form of climate change, nuclear war. It heightens the temperature pretty intensely.”

When asked about local politics, Carlson admitted he did not know who Queensland Premier Steven Miles was.

“My purpose is not, of course, to lecture Australians on their country,” he said.

“I do know who Steven Miles is,” quipped Palmer. “And I think he’s going to destroy the Olympics and destroy Australia’s reputation.”

Tickets to the Australian Freedom Conference originally started at $200 but have been reduced to as little as $80.

Palmer said the price reduction was possible because they had already covered their costs.

“We just want to get more people in there,” he said. “I mean, I have got another income besides running these events, as you’ll probably appreciate.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/what-to-expect-from-the-tucker-carlson-clive-palmer-roadshow-20240619-p5jn5o.html

https://iccsydneytheatre.com/event/australian-freedom-conference/

https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TUCKERCA24

>>20998305

>>21049413

Carlton Trades Hall defaced with vile anti-cop graffiti as vandals lashed

Vile messages have been spray-painted on one of Australia’s iconic halls in another incident of pro-Palestine vandalism, with vandals lashed for “performative activism”.

Duncan Evans - June 20, 2024

The iconic Trades Hall union building in Melbourne was defaced early Thursday morning with vicious anti-police graffiti in the latest incident of pro-Palestine vandalism to strike the city.

Messages in orange paint reading “cops defend genocide” and “ACAB”, which stands for “all cops are bastards”, were written on the pillars of the legendary 19th-century hall, the home of Victoria’s trade union movement.

“Free Palestine” and “cops out of trades hall” were also painted onto the building.

Victoria Police is investigating the defacement.

“Police are investigating after a building near the intersection of Victoria and Lygon streets was graffitied around 3.30am this morning,” the police said.

“The investigation into the incident is ongoing.”

Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari slammed the act as “cowardly”.

“These people are broadly some left wing anarchists who think you make change through the end of a spray can rather than actually doing real work,” he said.

“It’s performative activism.

“The people who have something to say they don’t hide behind masks. This is cowardly.”

A video posted to the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance Facebook page shows at least three people in black outfits and masks spray-painting the messages in the dark.

Rock band Rage Against the Machine plays as background music to the footage.

Mr Hilakari said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen, and Police Association of Victoria and City of Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece had reached out to offer their support to the union.

“We’ve been vocal in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, but I think they’re got other agendas at play here,” he said.

WACA calls itself a “grassroots alliance supporting communities to campaign to end war, defend human, environmental and civil rights and confront corporate corruption.”

The defacement of the union hall comes one day after a shocking pro-Palestine vandalism attack on the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns in St Kilda in which the words “Zionism is fascism” were painted over Mr Burns’ image.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Mr Burns said the attackers, who also smashed in windows and lit fires, were “politically motivated”.

“At 3.20 this morning, six people turned up to my office,” he said.

“They came with kerosene, they smashed in windows with a hammer, they spray-painted on the outside of my office, they spray-painted in the inside of my office.

“They lit two fires, one on the left-hand side of my office and one outside the door to the residential apartments upstairs.

“It was a very reckless and dangerous vandalism of my office.

“This was really ugly behaviour.”

Anthony Albanese condemned the incident and said those responsible should face “the full force of the law”.

“This is a serious attack. The targeting of a Jewish MP is very distressing,” the Prime Minister said.

“There is no place for political violence in Australia.”

Tensions over Israel and Palestine have erupted into Australian streets since the Hamas terror attack on the Jewish state on October 7 last year.

Pro-Palestine protests have mushroomed across major cities, with protesters incensed by Israel’s campaign in Gaza and the sharp rise in Palestinian deaths.

There has also been a dramatic spike in anti-Semitic prejudice, with Jewish Australians suffering a 738 per cent spike in abuse across October and November 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, according to an interim report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

In one example, the words “bring back Hitler, finish the job” were discovered in a bathroom in Sydney.

ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin claimed the two attacks showed the emergence of a “new fascism” in Australia.

“Yesterday the target was a Jewish member of parliament, today it is Trades Hall,” he said.

“The message from those responsible is clear. Whoever fails to submit to their ideology is an enemy. No room for dissent. No room for debate.

“That is called fascism. But just as the attack on Josh Burns was principally an attack on a Jewish public figure, this attack is an assault on the labour movement and working Australians.

“Nazism targeted Jews and unionists. This new fascism is doing the same.

“We stand with the staff and members in condemning this intimidation and cowardice. It has no place in Australia.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/carlton-trades-hall-defaced-with-vile-anticop-graffiti/news-story/2185679b4cf252d381253e2ece605d40

Senate crossbench leans to ending nuclear power ban

MATTHEW DENHOLM - JUNE 20, 2024

Much of the Senate crossbench is at least open to considering removal of the federal ban on nuclear power, in a boost for Peter Dutton’s energy policy.

With Labor and the Greens opposed to removing the ban, introduced during Senate horse-trading in 1998, a Coalition government if elected would likely need crossbench support.

Tasmanian crossbench senators Tammy Tyrrell and Jacqui Lambie on Thursday indicated they were willing to consider removing the legislated prohibition.

Even ACT independent David Pocock, who is critical of the Coalition’s nuclear policy, did not rule out supporting the ban’s removal, saying he would consult at the time.

Much of the crossbench, meanwhile, is openly enthusiastic about nuclear energy and removing the ban.

This includes Pauline Hanson and her One Nation colleague Malcolm Roberts, the United Australia Party’s Ralph Babet and independent David Van. Senators Roberts, Lambie and Van are up for re-election at the next election.

“I support nuclear – it’s one step cheaper than the Bowen, Albanese wind and solar pipe dream – and we should absolutely remove the ban,” Senator Roberts said, referring to Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Anthony Albanese.

Only one Senate crossbencher, independent Lidia Thorpe, said she would definitely not support removing the ban.“I can’t believe we’re taking this nonsense policy seriously,” Senator Thorpe said. “It’s like an episode of the Simpsons.

“My (Indigenous) people have known for thousands of years that uranium is poison and needs to stay in the ground. Nuclear doesn’t make sense economically, technologically or environmentally.”

Senator Tyrrell said she was willing to consider dumping the ban, but remained unconvinced about taxpayer investment in nuclear power.

“I’m keeping an open mind on lifting the ban on nuclear power in Australia – if we’re serious about reducing emissions, I don’t think we should take anything off the table,” Senator Tyrrell said.

“But lifting the ban isn’t the same as throwing taxpayer dollars at it. The private sector and the science says nuclear doesn’t stack up economically. I’m not convinced federal funds should go towards it.”

Senator Lambie was yet to form a view on the Coalition’s policy and removing the ban.

“Nuclear should be in the mix but we haven’t done any R&D on this,” said Senator Lambie’s spokeswoman. “So Jacqui would look into all of it but doesn’t have an opinion on the legislation at this point.”

ACT independent Senator David Pocock attacked the Coalition’s nuclear policy as “reckless and unrealistic” but did not rule out supporting repeal of the ban.

“If re-elected, I would treat a bill to overturn the current ban on nuclear power the same as I do every other piece of legislation - I would consult with the community I represent and with experts,” Senator Pocock said.

“While I’m not ideologically opposed to nuclear energy, based on the feedback I have received to date, the costs and timeline and the urgent need to decarbonise our economy now, nuclear just doesn’t make sense for Australia.

“The Coalition proposing a nuclear pipedream in 2024, given the urgent need for climate action and Australians facing a cost of living crisis, is reckless and unrealistic. The proposal just doesn’t stack up.”

Australia is one of just a few countries to ban nuclear energy. The prohibition was introduced via a Greens amendment in the Senate in 10 December 1998, with little debate.

The then-Howard Coalition government needed Senate support to build a new nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney and accepted the amendment to secure it.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/senate-crossbench-leans-to-ending-nuclear-power-ban/news-story/e8cdaac6005ccbf16244aae2d6ec8e1b

Nuclear power strategy would plug holes in planning for subs

GREG SHERIDAN - JUNE 20, 2024

Peter Dutton’s plan for Australia to build a nuclear energy industry provides the best chance of the AUKUS agreement actually delivering something for Australia.

All leading nations are masters of nuclear technology. Almost all use nuclear energy. Dutton’s plan is a huge commitment to nation building. It would be the first substantial economic supply side and productivity-enhancing reform in Australia since the introduction of the GST. Its application to AUKUS is central.

One of the many unresolved contradictions at the heart of AUKUS is that Australia is planning to become the only nation that builds, possesses and operates nuclear submarines without also having nuclear energy for electricity generation.

The US, Russia, China, India, Britain and France operate nuclear-powered subs. They also operate substantial nuclear energy programs. They also, incidentally, possess nuclear weapons.

This means they have hundreds, thousands, of nuclear engineers, technicians and workers who are masters of nuclear technology in all its stages and guises. No first-rate nation is without nuclear technology.

Part of the air of unreality over the Albanese government’s AUKUS plan is that it is not preparing the nation, nor preparing the infrastructure, nor making any of the hard decisions, which even buying nuclear subs from the US would involve, much less building them ourselves in Adelaide.

If we are developing nuclear power, we’re much more likely to be able to build, sustain, operate and expand a nuclear-powered submarine fleet. Against all the evidence so far, AUKUS might actually come to mean something for Australia in terms of military capability.

The arguments against nuclear energy on grounds of safety or waste are rendered ridiculous by our embrace of AUKUS. How can it possibly be safe to have eight small modular nuclear reactors, surrounded by military weapons, speeding around the oceans, under water, going often into hostile territory, and resting for long periods in ports in major Australian cities, yet at the same time be unsafe to have settled, proven, globally safe, stationary, purpose-built nuclear energy plants?

Similarly on waste. The government will eventually have to store waste from our nuclear submarines. It won’t say where. Similarly it is so pusillanimous about the realities of AUKUS that it won’t even nominate the site for an east coast submarine base. But if the government accepts it’s fine to store waste from nuclear submarines, the same is true for waste from nuclear reactors.

Nuclear energy is good for the climate. It’s barely conceivable that it could cause delay in the reduction of some greenhouse gas emissions, though the Albanese government is the only entity on the planet that believes it will reach its 2030 progressive target for greenhouse gas reductions. But globally, greenhouse emissions are rising. The use of coal, oil and gas are at record high levels globally. That doesn’t mean Australia should abandon trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But there’s no reason to panic over whether we get to a target a few years later. Such marginal difference in performance from Australia will make not the slightest difference to the climate, in Australia or globally.

But the great thing about nuclear energy is that it solves the problem long term.

An over-reliance on renewable energy will be highly expensive and unreliable. A CSIRO study on the comparative costs of energy types has been subject to devastating critique. But, in any event, such speculative economic prognosticating is not the CSIRO’s core task. If it goes on like this it will become as politicised, and as useless to the nation, as have so many other institutions.

The politics of nuclear energy may prove impossible. But it’s the right move for Australia in energy, climate, military capability and international standing. But then, as a nation, we so often reject the best option.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/nuclear-power-strategy-would-plug-holes-in-planning-for-subs/news-story/fb2c2150d8b6ecd3f00a0bdef49a5007

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 20, 2024, 4:21 a.m. No.21054410 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4415

OPINION: Peter Dutton is crazy brave to the point of being reckless. He’s also outsmarting Anthony Albanese

Shaun Carney - June 20, 2024

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Peter Dutton has always been heading for this moment, when his politics would meet an issue that could give him a chance to break the world open.

Dutton is his own man, fashioned by his own experiences and inclinations, but he is also something of a mash-up, recalling aspects of other leaders. Like John Howard, he is a naturally gifted communicator, one of the very best in the current parliament. Dutton’s greatest good fortune is to have Anthony Albanese, a weak communicator who is bad on detail and a mostly hopeless policy advocate, as his direct opponent.

Like John Hewson and Tony Abbott, Dutton is crazy brave and at times reckless, willing to back himself to an extraordinary extent. He also has plenty of Pauline Hanson about him. When you go through his positions on social issues, immigration, climate change, external and internal threats to the country, and a view of society as good guys versus bad guys, with rorters and clueless hand wringing inner-city lefties around every corner, the two are not worlds apart. As leader, Dutton has built up the Liberals’ primary polling numbers by attracting Hanson’s supporters, all but sidelining One Nation.

The key to understanding Dutton’s crusade for nuclear energy is the deep belief, shared widely in the Liberal and National parties at the parliamentary and membership levels, that the theory of anthropogenic climate change and the consequent need to shift to renewables to avoid an existential threat, are bulldust – part of a global left-wing plot. The calculus is simple: it must be wrong and should be thwarted with whatever argument comes to hand.

It’s no accident that Dutton’s first bid to become Liberal leader was prompted by revulsion in the Liberal party room at the prospect of adopting Malcolm Turnbull’s national energy guarantee, which went way too close to embracing the reality of climate change. Turnbull had to go, and Dutton almost got up in the ballot against Scott Morrison.

The beauty of climate change for politicians such as Dutton lies in the long timelines of the effects of global warming. They allow leaders and ministers who just want to give the impression that they’re doing something meaningful on emissions to get away with it. Morrison tried to take advantage of it by committing his government to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, way off into the future. Dutton retains the 2050 commitment, which means nothing, since he’s rejected the need for a 2030 target.

According to Wednesday’s announcement, two nuclear energy plants will be up and running by 2035 or 2037 depending on the technology being used, with the remaining five coming online during the 2040s.

Clearly, in light of the cost and construction overruns that plague every big public build, these predictions are pretty much rubbish. But let’s be generous and treat the 2037 deadline as credible. In 2037, Dutton will turn 67 and his Liberal deputy Sussan Ley will turn 76; both will have been in parliament for 36 years. Nuclear energy will be easier to announce than to deliver.

The announcement – without costings and firm decisions about technology, it can’t be called a policy yet – will sound good to many Australians because to an increasing number of them Dutton looks good compared with his opponent. The government is in genuine trouble, and Dutton bringing forward his announcement from July to Wednesday shows that he knows that.

(continued)

>>21054410

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More and more voters are giving up on Albanese and instead want to listen to Dutton, a trend that’s been clear for more than 12 months. Dutton is offering solutions that he frames as easy, and consequence and cost-free. In a cost-of-living crunch, those who are fearful of making ends meet will naturally find that opposition argument appealing if the government is not rebutting it with a persuasive counter-argument. They will want to deal with the challenges of today ahead of problems that are years away. Let the future take care of itself.

Albanese has only himself to blame for his increasingly dire situation. He may see himself as a public housing kid made good but in the eyes of an increasing number of Australian voters, he is Elmer Fudd, constantly being outsmarted while he slowly goes about his business.

Two decisions are killing him. The first was his panicked choice to back Scott Morrison’s AUKUS boondoggle. By endorsing the switch to nuclear submarines and thus the establishment of a more developed nuclear industry, he helped open the way for Dutton to advocate for nuclear energy.

The other decision was his election night pledge to hold a referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to parliament. That now rivals Tony Abbott’s backing of Joe Hockey’s first budget in 2014 and Kevin Rudd’s 2010 postponement of an emissions trading scheme under pressure from Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan as the worst decision by a newly elected prime minister in recent history. The referendum campaign led many voters to either reconsider or abandon their belief in Albanese as a leader who understood them.

As every week passes, the unlikelihood that Albanese can win back those voters increases.

What times we live in, when a shift as profound as the adoption of nuclear energy, which John Howard’s Coalition government outlawed, stands at least an intellectual chance of being implemented, chiefly to stymie all the people Peter Dutton has come to disdain.

Shaun Carney is a regular columnist, an author and former associate editor.

https:// www.smh .com.au/ politics/ federal/ peter-dutton-is-crazy-brave -to-the-point-of-being-reckless-he-s-also- outsmarting-anthony-albanese -20240619- p5jmyv. html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 20, 2024, 4:41 a.m. No.21054473 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8792

>>20589296 (pb)

ASIO boss Mike Burgess has been reappointed for five more years

The Albanese government has announced the head of Australia’s top security agency Mike Burgess has been reappointed for another term.

Joanne Williamson - June 20, 2024

ASIO boss Mike Burgess will continue to lead the spy agency for another term.

Federal Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil confirmed Mr Burgess’ appointment will remain as Director-General of Security for an additional five-year term.

“Mr Burgess has made an extraordinary contribution to Australia’s national security and his leadership of ASIO has been invaluable in an increasingly complex security environment,” Ms O’Neil said in a statement.

“ASIO is a critical part of our national security community and plays a crucial role in protecting Australians from security threats.

“For the past 75 years ASIO’s operational and analytic efforts have helped keep Australians safe from threats like terrorism, espionage, and foreign interference.

“ASIO’s people are its greatest asset and every Australian is safer because of their diligent work.”

Ms O’Neil later posted to X.

“On a personal note, Mike has been an incredibly important and trusted adviser to me since I was appointed Home Affairs Minister. I congratulate him on his reappointment,” she said.

Mr Burgess is Australia’s 14th Director-General of Security and has led ASIO since September 2019.

He has in recent years delivered forthright information about the threats to Australia’s security, but courted controversy this year when he used his annual threat assessment address to reveal an ex-politician was recruited by a foreign intelligence service “several years ago” but declined to name them.

In May, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw was reappointed for two years to October 26, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Vice Admiral David Johnston would be the new Chief of Defence.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/asio-boss-mike-burgess-has-been-reappointed-for-five-more-years/news-story/37f0c228603dd3ed4cd542d114685d5e

https://x.com/MikePBurgess/status/1803676277519556887

China renames hundreds of villages in Xinjiang to scrub away Uyghur identity: Human Rights Watch

Lisa Visentin - June 19, 2024

Singapore: China has renamed at least 630 villages in Xinjiang, erasing references to Uyghur culture in what human rights advocates say is a systematic propaganda rebrand designed to stamp out the Muslim minority group’s identity.

In a research brief released by Human Rights Watch on Wednesday, the organisation said it had identified a mass renaming process by Chinese authorities in the country’s north-western region, with “Happiness,” “Unity,” and “Harmony” among the most common replacement names for villages.

The renaming involved deleting references to religion, Uyghur history and cultural practices.

The report found, for example, that since 2009 all but six of the 47 villages in Xinjiang with the word mazar (shrine) in their names had been renamed by 2023, while 25 of the 28 villages that had a reference to Hoja (religious teacher) in 2016 had been renamed.

“This is part of a broader effort to really scrub Uyghur identity. We’ve seen numerous measures by the Chinese government to do this, but changing the names of villages, particularly those with religious or Islamic significance, has a huge bearing on people,” said Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division.

The Chinese embassy in Australia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. During Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s four-day visit to Australia this week, protesters in Adelaide and Canberra drew attention to human rights violations in Xinjiang, where up to 1 million Uyghurs were reportedly detained in re-education camps.

Human Rights Watch identified the mass renaming of villages by scraping the website of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, which publishes lists of villages.

In co-operation with Norway-based organisation Uyghur Hjelp, HRW uncovered more than 3600 village names changes since 2009, most of which were mundane.

However, using an algorithm to compare Uyghur language with Chinese translations, the researchers identified 630 changes that “remove a religious, historical, or Uyghur cultural terms and replace it with a name that is generic or one that fits the Chinese Communist Party’s ideology”.

They found that most of the renaming occurred between 2017 and 2019, when China’s crackdown on Uyghurs intensified, and predominantly occurred in the Kashgar, Aksu and Hotan prefectures in southern Xinjiang, home to large populations of the Muslim ethnic group.

These included the renaming of Aq Meschit, meaning “White Mosque” village, in Akto County, to Unity in 2018. In Karakax County, Dutar village, named after a Uyghur musical instrument, was renamed Red Flag in 2022, the report said.

Uyghur World Congress spokesperson Zumretay Arkin, who grew up Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi before moving to Canada, said the report’s findings aligned with other measures used by the Chinese government to assimilate the minority group, including education programs aimed at changing traditional Uyghur food culture and halal preparations.

“It is not a surprise,” she said of the village name changes. “They’re really targeting every level of our identity and our cultural heritage”.

China has repeatedly denied committing human rights abuses in Xinjiang. In addition to mass incarceration, media investigations and research reports have levelled claims of Uyghur persecution by China through forced labour, forced sterilisation and torture.

A United Nations report in 2022 found that “serious human rights violations have been committed” in Xinjiang “in the context of the government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-‘extremism’ strategies”. It said these included possible crimes against humanity.

In a rare visit to Xinjiang last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged local officials to further encourage assimilation of Muslims, telling them: “We must further promote the Sinicisation of Islam and effectively control all kinds of illegal religious activities.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-renames-hundreds-of-villages-in-xinjiang-to-scrub-away-uyghur-identity-human-rights-watch-20240618-p5jmnw.html

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/18/china-hundreds-uyghur-village-names-change

—

China: Hundreds of Uyghur Village Names Change

Part of Broader Government Effort to Erase Uyghur Culture in Xinjiang

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/18/china-hundreds-uyghur-village-names-change

US Navy admiral highlights WA's strategic role in AUKUS deal, alongside warning about power-hungry China

Rebecca Trigger and Daryna Zadvirna - 20 June 2024

A US Navy chief has accused China of planning to dominate the Asia-Pacific during a speech in Perth, one day after the Chinese premier's visit to the city.

Commander of the US Pacific fleet, Admiral Stephen Koehler, emphasised Western Australia's strategic importance to the AUKUS partnership in his address at the Perth USAsia Centre Wednesday evening.

Western Australia is set to be the base for Australia's nuclear-powered submarines under the plan, with HMAS Stirling hosting rotations of US and UK submarines from 2027.

"That starts here in Perth," Admiral Koehler said.

"[The rotating submarine force] employs Perth's unique combination of positional advantage and strategic depth to maximize a key allied capability."

In the same breath, he condemned what he described as confrontational and illegal actions by China towards other nations in the strategically important South China Sea.

Admiral Koehler said China's Pacific strategy was "fixated on power" and sought to undermine a rules-based international order.

"From my vantage point, the PRC's intentions are clear," he said.

"In 2010, then-PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi expressed Beijing's view on the primacy of power in its relationships with its neighbours when he said at an ASEAN meeting that 'China is a big country and you are small countries, and that is a fact'.

"Fourteen years later this attitude persists."

Economic ties a deterrent: Koehler

The powerful US admiral appeared in Perth just one day after Chinese Premier Li Qiang who, accompanied by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, visited the WA capital to meet with business leaders.

Admiral Koehler said he viewed Australia's economic ties with China - particularly the export of iron ore - as a deterrent to any potential conflict.

"The economic peace that you have enjoyed with China, I consider that an opportunity of leverage," he said.

"They want the iron ore. There is an opportunity, as an instrument of power economically, to use that as deterrence value."

Premier Li took part in a series of soft diplomacy activities such as banquets and mining facility tours, but there were no opportunities for Western media to ask him questions during his visit.

This was despite an incident the day before in Canberra when Chinese officials appeared to try to block Australian journalist Cheng Lei from view of the cameras.

Premier Li's visit was the first since relations between the two nations soured, leading to punishing trade sanctions on Australia's agricultural products to China.

'I don't think we should be bullied'

It has been hailed as a thawing of relations but led to questions over WA's position, caught between economic reliance on sales of iron ore to China and its strategic role in the AUKUS alliance.

"That game back and forth in the economic sphere, I think, is one of competition, and we're going to have to continue to work through it," Admiral Koehler said on Wednesday.

"And so - personal opinion now - I don't think we should be bullied economically.

"Which means you have to be able to, if you're going to use anything economic as a deterrent, show the will to use that."

The admiral paid a visit to the Henderson marine precinct, which is set to play a pivotal role is the AUKUS alliance, and said he was impressed with its "huge capacity and capability."

But responding to a question from Senator Linda Reynolds about Australia's preparedness for AUKUS, Admiral Koehler acknowledged there was work to do.

"There are some specific decisions of exactly how is this going to look and I know that those decisions are pending," he said.

"I know that the right people are talking."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-20/us-navy-chief-warns-of-china-power-play-in-wa-visit/103998738

>>21049488

Anglican Church defends decision not to inform WACA about paedophile Roy Wenlock

David Weber - 20 June 2024

Victims of abuse at the hands of a serial paedophile and WA cricket identity Roy Wenlock are attempting to sue the Anglican Church, alleging it failed to protect them by disclosing what they knew about his behaviour.

Wenlock, who's now deceased, offended against children when he worked for Anglican Church hostels between 1963 and 1977, and continued abusing boys during a 29-year career at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA).

The extent of his abuse was laid bare in a sweeping 2012 parliamentary inquiry investigating systematic sexual abuse at state-run hostels in WA.

On Thursday, in the District Court in Perth, lawyers for two men who claim they were abused by Wenlock while he was employed by the WACA in the early 1990s argued to include the Anglican Church in their legal action.

But the church's lawyers say it did not have a duty of care to inform the WACA that a known paedophile had gone to work for the organisation and is seeking to have the claims struck out.

Geoffrey Bourhill SC told the court a legal duty of care "could not be found to exist".

Mr Bourhill said courts had emphasised that a person did not have a duty to protect someone from the conduct of a third person.

He said there was "no basis on which it can be said" the church "had any control over what happened to the plaintiffs".

Mr Bourhill said it would have been "pure speculation".

"Based on speculation, a duty of care cannot be found," he told the court.

Judge Terence Palmer pointed out that the Anglican Church had made a conscious decision not to sack Wenlock, and he'd resigned.

John Gordon, representing the alleged victims, picked up on this point, referring to a 2012 report by Justice Peter Blaxell into historical abuse at Anglican hostels.

'Glowing reference'

Mr Gordon said if Wenlock had been dismissed by the Anglican Church instead of being allowed to resign, future harm may have been avoided.

He said if Wenlock was dismissed, and told why, any future application for employment could not say he had simply resigned.

Instead, Mr Gordon told the court Wenlock had been given what was effectively "a glowing reference".

He said a key issue was what the Anglican Church knew "at relevant times about child sexual abuse being perpetrated" during Wenlock's employment, and later.

Mr Gordon said "a decision was made not to do anything that would impact the reputation of Wenlock".

Judge Palmer reserved his decision on whether the claims against the church should be struck out.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-20/roy-wenlock-waca-paedophile-anglican-church-court-case/104002414

>>21026659

>>21030796

Hundreds take part in final Latin mass at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral

TESS LIVINGSTONE - JUNE 20, 2024

“We shall return,” a buoyant Father Glen Tattersall said after the final traditional Latin mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on Wednesday evening.

The cathedral was packed with a crowd of 850 people, every pew from the front the back and across the cathedral transepts were taken. They came in business suits, in strollers, on trams, and in fluoro tradie gear. Most were rugged up in heavy coats against the Melbourne winter, which did not dim the spirit of the cathedral lit with candlelight and optimism.

The crowd of all ages left no doubt that demand for this mass will remain strong

Archbishop Peter Comensoli sat in the Sanctuary, but did not address the crowd.

Acting on an edict from the Vatican, Archbishop Comensoli has been forced to stop the popular mass which has been held weekly since 2011.

Despite the people’s disappointment, there was a sense of optimism that Cardinal George Pell’s prediction that Pope Francis’s edict against the traditional mass, Traditionis Custodes, would not extend past the current pontificate.

Many of the people said they sometimes went to the new mass in English, but preferred the traditional mass for the greater transcendence it offered.

In his sermon, Fr Tattersall recalled the words of the then-Bishop Pell, who was the auxiliary bishop of Melbourne, when he celebrated the traditional Latin mass in St Patrick’s in June 1992.

“Tonight my mind goes back to Saturday, 13th June, 1992.

“It was the first traditional mass celebrated by a Bishop in an Australian Cathedral since 1970.

“From 1970 to 1985, the old mass had been under a putative ban, until the more enlightened and tolerant approach of John Paul II began to reverse this,” Fr Tattersalll said.

In that memorable sermon, he said, Bishop Pell acknowledged the widespread interest in the Mass.

“Bishop Pell said: ‘This is a precious inheritance; it is not ours to improve or to prune. It is the source of faith and repentance, the source of everlasting renewal. To the extent that we depart from this central tradition of worship and conversion, that we damage or pollute this core, we are weakened and enfeebled.’”

The then-Bishop Pell also said: “I cannot promise you a second spring. I can only promise you a hard slog. The external pressures on us will remain formidable. I hope and pray that this mass strengthens you for this long struggle.”

In a feisty touch, Fr Tattersall reminded the congregation that persecutions of Christians were nothing new. In their first three centuries (under the Roman Empire), Christians persevered through ten distinct persecutions, often underground, until the time of hard won freedom.

“Under the most adverse conditions, the foundations of Catholic civilisation were forged, and a beautiful and complex union between faith and culture then blossomed through centuries of development,” Fr Tattersall said.

“The essence of this is bequeathed to us in the priceless pearl of the historical form of the mass.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/hundreds-take-part-in-final-latin-mass-at-melbournes-st-patricks-cathedral/news-story/cec188e414784c8f3627c522b138963c

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 21, 2024, 8:31 a.m. No.21060743 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0747

Peter Dutton in nuclear strike at Anthony Albanese

SIMON BENSON - JUNE 21, 2024

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Peter Dutton has the support of a majority of residents in regional communities where nuclear power generators will be built under the Coalition’s controversial plan, as he accuses the Prime Minister of international “appeasement” on renewable energy and climate change targets.

The Opposition Leader on Saturday will rally the Liberal Party faithful around his nuclear ambitions at a meeting of the party’s federal council, claiming that Labor’s renewable-energy-only plan will cost the nation $1.3 trillion.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on Friday refused to rule out the total cost of Labor’s renewable energy model running to more than $1 trillion as a war over cost, energy prices and climate change targets now looms ahead of the next federal election.

Mr Dutton will address the meeting armed with tightly held polling conducted separately by the Liberal Party and the Nationals, and obtained by The Weekend Australian. It shows more than 50 per cent of residents in communities support a nuclear replacement option for coal across all seven sites, taking in two Liberal held seats, four Nationals seats and one Labor seat.

While the research doesn’t signal electoral enthusiasm for nuclear, and could be regarded as soft support, those in favour significantly outnumbered those opposed in most seats polled.

Liberal Party strategists believe the results expose a political risk for Anthony Albanese’s attempts to build a safety scare campaign around nuclear, with the number of people who support nuclear in some seats almost double the number opposed.

Mr Dutton, in his speech on Saturday, will accuse Mr Albanese of steamrolling communities concerned about large-scale renewable projects and declare a renewables-only rollout will “destroy” the economy and send businesses broke.

“The government’s renewables rollout and rewiring the nation will cost $1.3 trillion at a conservative estimate,” he will say. “Labor’s domestic energy policy has become a policy of international appeasement. Yet the government won’t even meet its 2030 targets …

“We shouldn’t forget that Australia contributes a little over 1 per cent of global emissions.

“I will not sign up to an arrangement where unachievable emissions targets and a reckless ‘renewables only’ rollout destroys our economy, makes businesses go broke, and sends families bankrupt.”

Mr Dutton will say that the Coalition’s plan is a credible path to meeting commitments for net-zero emissions by 2050.

“The Coalition’s energy policy will see Australia achieve our three goals of cheaper, cleaner and consistent power … And we will join the other 19 top economies in the world which use zero-emission nuclear power, or are taking steps to put it in their mix,” he will say.

Former Liberal prime minister John Howard has also hit out at Labor for running a “pathetic” meme scare campaign depicting three-eyed fish, claiming therehad been a sea-change on nuclear energy since he was last in office.

Mr Howard said he had been blackmailed by the Greens and the Democrats in 1998 to accept an amendment that banned nuclear energy, in order to extend the life of the Lucas Heights nuclear medical research facility “because Labor wouldn’t support it”.

“But there has been a sea-change on this issue,” Mr Howard said. “And Labor’s response has been pathetic. Fancy having cartoons and memes on a serious subject. Where is the serious intellectual response?

“I was told by CSIRO and the chief scientist when I was PM, that the only reliable source of baseload power was fossils fuels and nuclear.”

The Weekend Australian has obtained the detailed polling data for four of the seven sites in the Liberal held-seats of O’Connor in Western Australia and Grey in South Australia, the Queensland seat of Maranoa held by Nationals leader David Littleproud and the Victorian Nationals-held seat of Gippsland.

The highest level of support according to the polling conducted over the past two months, was in Maranoa where 59 per cent of those polled supported replacing the Tarong coal-fired power station with nuclear when it is due to retire in 2037. This compared with 33 per cent saying they were opposed.

Support was also high in Gippsland, held by Nationals MP Darren Chester, with 55 per cent supporting nuclear to replace the Loy Yang power station which is due to close in 2035, compared with 40 per cent opposed.

In O’Connor held by Liberal MP Rick Wilson, replacing the Collie coal-fired power station with a nuclear option had 52 per cent in favour compared with 38 per cent opposed.

(continued)

>>21060743

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Support was tightest in Grey held by Liberal MP Rowan Ramsay, where 51 per cent were in favour of a nuclear plant to replace the Port Augusta coal-fired power station, with 45 per cent opposed.

The remaining Nationals seats – the NSW seat of Calare, where the Mt Piper power station isn’t due for closure until 2040 and the Gladstone-based seat of Flynn –also recorded support above 50 per cent but opinion was believed to be more tightly contested than in other seats.

The Labor-held NSW seat of Hunter, home to the Liddell power station, also recorded majority support for a nuclear replacement but on thinner margins.

The appeal of well-paid long-term jobs was the greatest incentive for most of those surveyed, according to the research, alongside the promise of greater energy security.

The Liberal Party and Nationals’ research was conducted by Freshwater Strategy.

Political research company Crosby Textor, which has traditional links to the Liberal Party, has marked Mr Dutton’s announcement this week of the seven proposed sites for nuclear power generators as the official start of the election campaign.

But Crosby Textor Australia director Mark Gorter said Mr Dutton faced an uphill battle to sell the nuclear plan, even in Coalition-held seats.

“That the Coalition faces an uphill battle selling nuclear energy cannot be understated,” Mr Gorter writes in The Weekend Australian.

“It has been reported that the party’s internal polling suggests 55 per cent of voters in Gippsland support nuclear.

“The challenge is that the sitting Nationals MP Darren Chester was elected on a two-party preferred vote of 70.57 per cent in 2022. That means there is around 15 per cent of voters who supported Chester last election who currently do not support nuclear.

“The critical question is whether this dynamic is replicated across other seats, particularly the marginal seats that will decide the outcome of the next election.

“If so, there is potentially considerable political gain for Labor. Even if a small amount of these “Coalition but not nuclear” voters could shift to Labor on the basis of a ‘nuclear referendum’, it potentially opens up a pathway for Labor to retain majority government.”

However, he said Labor’s scare campaign using emotive memes around the safety of nuclear power also risked backfiring.

“Make no mistake though: memes and political games won’t cut it with economically stressed voters looking for real leadership on the issues that matter to them,” he said.

“The Coalition, by launching the policy now, has given itself time to both reassure its base on the merits of the policy and work to persuade largely disengaged soft voters.

“It would not have been possible to achieve both these objectives in a 30-day election period. In this context, Labor must surely be weighing an early election if they see support swing back to them.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/peter-dutton-in-nuclear-strike-at-anthony-albanese/news-story/119a78f83b666aa67b7791c87be28016

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 21, 2024, 8:44 a.m. No.21060788 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0799

Israeli ‘extremist’ tells Australian audience Gaza should have been reduced to ashes

Chip Le Grand - June 21, 2024

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A former Israeli parliamentarian who once held a position in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government told an online gathering of Australian Jews this week that Israel should have abandoned adherence to international law and reduced Gaza to ashes.

In a series of incendiary claims, Moshe Feiglin, the leader of Israel’s far-right Zehut party, said there was no such thing as Palestinians, Palestinian statehood was the biggest lie of the 20th century and that Gaza should be resettled by Jewish Israelis and Arab families encouraged to leave.

“What Israel should have done to Gaza, on the 8th of October, was exactly what the British people did in Hamburg and Dresden, and exactly what the American people did in every Japanese city they could reach,” he told a Zoom meeting hosted by the Australian Jewish Association (AJA).

“They burnt them to ashes. No ridiculous humanitarian aid. The burnt those cities.

“If we had done that, we would have won the war in a few days and many of the hostages would be free today.”

The association’s invitation for Feiglin to speak, at a time when the war has bitterly divided Australian communities and unleashed antisemitic attacks on Jewish people, businesses and politicians, was condemned by Palestinian and Jewish community organisations.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler denounced Feiglin’s views and the association’s decision to host him.

“He is an extremist, who does not reflect the mainstream views of Israelis, nor of Australian Jews,” Leibler said. “No mainstream Jewish community organisation would provide him with a platform.

“It is outrageous and unacceptable to hold any Israeli or Jewish Australian responsible for the hate promoted by Moshe Feiglin because we have as much sway over this unelected extremist as we do over any other far-right extremist in Australia.”

The Australian Jewish Association is a non-representative public affairs organisation with a punchy social media presence and political views to the right of more established Jewish community organisations.

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the association was “promoting fascist ideologies” and said Feiglin had no place in civil discourse.

“It should alarm all Australians that the AJA, which has been linked to extremist Israeli settler movements, and has a history of promoting anti-Palestinian racism, should choose to actively amplify Feiglin’s dangerous and genocidal message,” Mashni said.

The Jewish Council of Australia, a self-appointed expert panel of largely anti-Zionist Jewish intellectuals, accused the AJA in a submission to a Senate inquiry into right-wing extremism of being violently Islamophobic and supporting ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

“It’s disgraceful that the AJA platforms figures like Feiglin,” the council’s executive officer, Sarah Schwartz, said. “We should all be concerned that extremist views such as Feiglin’s are becoming more and more normalised within Israeli society and political discourse.”

AJA president David Adler defended the decision to host Feiglin, who he said was previously a “major player” in Israeli politics and remained a frequent media commentator in Israel and through international outlets including the BBC.

Feiglin also has strong family ties to Australia. Although born in Israel, his great-grandfather was a prominent fruit grower in the Victorian town of Shepparton, and his family lived here until the 1960s. During his time in the Knesset, Feiglin chaired the Australia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group.

“AJA has hosted hundreds of speakers from across the political spectrum,” Adler said. “We never claim to share particular views, but we don’t do censorship or cancel culture.”

Feiglin spoke from his West Bank home to an online audience of about 500 people on Wednesday in livestreams arranged by the AJA. When asked whether his comments would make life more difficult for Jewish people living in Australia, Feiglin was unapologetic.

Two weeks ago, one of his grandsons, IDF sergeant Yair Levin, was killed serving in the southern Gaza town of Rafah when he and other Israeli soldiers entered a booby-trapped building.

“We are losing the war because we tie our hands to these rules, these European rules that did not help one Jew in Europe,” he said.

“My grandson was killed because he was sent into the building instead of destroying the building from air as we should have done, and with bulldozers. Destroying the building was the moral thing to do. Sending my grandson inside was immoral.”

(continued)

>>21060788

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He said antisemitism was rising not because of civilian deaths in Palestine, but due to Israel’s inability to win the war.

“They don’t care if one Arab was killed or not,” he told the AJA event. “It is not about the Arabs, it is about the Jews. When the Jews are weak, it means there is no room for the Jews in the world. It is not about what you do or don’t do to the Arabs – it is about are you winning or losing.”

Feiglin’s reference to the bombing of Dresden in 1945 – an indiscriminate, British-led attack that caused an inferno in the German industrial city and killed an estimated 25,000 civilians – invokes one of the most contentious operations by allied forces in World War II.

Feiglin is part of broader Jewish nationalistic movement which supports the idea of a Greater Israel – expanding the national borders to include the boundaries of the “promised land” that God is fabled to have described to Abraham.

Taken literally, this would expand Israel west to the Nile River and east to the Euphrates. In contemporary terms, it means abandoning the Oslo Accords and the establishment of a sovereign Palestine state and annexing occupied territories seized in 1967 during the Six Day War – Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights.

Although Feiglin’s policy proscriptions are extreme, his vision of post-war Gaza is consistent with what Israel’s hardline government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich publicly advocate.

National Security Minister Ben-Gvir this week posted a message on Telegram encouraging “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza and reiterating his commitment to West Bank Jewish settlements. Finance Minister Smotrich has also called for the return of Jewish settlements in Gaza. “We will occupy the Gaza Strip,” he said earlier this month.

Since the October 7 atrocities in which Hamas killed 1200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, and the subsequent war in Gaza, estimated to have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, public opinion in Israel appears to have hardened on the question of Palestinian self-determination. A survey by Channel 12 news taken in November found that about one-third of Israelis supported a permanent IDF presence in Gaza and the return of Jewish settlements along the strip.

The mood among Australian Jews shortly after the October 7 attacks was captured in a survey conducted by the Monash University Australian Centre of Jewish Civilisation, in partnership with the Sydney-based Jewish Community Appeal. The results, published last week, reflect an “extraordinarily high level of distress” in the community, with two-thirds of respondents agreeing that antisemitism was a big problem and nine out of 10 expressing an emotional attachment to Israel.

The centre’s director, associate professor David Slucki, said while they represented a small number of right-wing Jews, the survey results suggested that October 7 had shifted Jewish community sentiment in Australia. “After what happened in October, there was a heightened sense of fear among Jews in Australia about what that will mean for them,” he said. “That does shape political attitudes.”

Feiglin served as the Knesset deputy speaker between 2013 and 2015 as a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party before breaking away to form Zehut, the Hebrew word for identity. At previous elections, his party failed to secure the minimum 3.5 per cent of the vote required for representation.

Michael Chaitow, chief executive of the Australian chapter of the New Israel Fund, an international organisation which supports human and civil rights projects in Israel, said Feiglin offered an “extremely dangerous perspective” which had the potential to distort public debate in Australia.

“The average punter isn’t following this too closely,” he said. “They see that this is someone who used to sit in the Knesset and therefore, might make the assumption that this is where the Israeli government is trying to lead the direction of the war. That is really harmful to the Australian public, to see this kind of narrative permeating through local Jewish groups.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/israeli-extremist-says-gaza-should-have-been-reduced-to-ashes-20240620-p5jnac.html

>>20998381

>>20998391

Dan Andrews joins pro-Israel group, denounces ‘antisemitism and terrorism’

Paul Sakkal - June 21, 2024

Daniel Andrews has thrown his weight behind Israel and urged Australians to rally against antisemitism and terrorism as debate rages about activists vandalising MPs’ offices.

The former Victorian premier has been named as an inaugural patron of Labor Friends of Israel, which was created earlier this year to emphasise support for the state of Israel within the labour movement. Former Labor senator Nova Peris will join him in the role.

Publicly expressing support for Israel has become politically tricky for Labor MPs as the Netanyahu government wages a military campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.

Andrews said it was crucial Australians spoke out to support the local Jewish community but did not directly mention the war.

“I have always supported Israel and the Jewish community. It’s important now more than ever to stand against antisemitism and terrorism, I am proud to work with Nova Peris, an outstanding Australian,” he said in a written statement.

“I am appalled by the rise of antisemitism in Australia and want to ensure the Labor Party stays true to its values of respect and equality for all Australians.”

Andrews’ comments will serve as a boost to figures within Labor trying to maintain the party’s support for Israel in the face of growing local and international condemnation of the war. The conflict began after Hamas fighters killed an estimated 1200 people in Israel and took 250 hostages, according to the Israel Defence Forces. Gazan health authorities report more than 37,000 people have died during the subsequent invasion of the strip.

Labor Friends of Israel was formed by former Labor minister Mike Kelly, former NSW treasurer Eric Roozendaal, and academic and author Nick Dyrenfurth of the John Curtin Research Centre.

“The Labor Friends of Israel is delighted to announce that Mr Andrews and Ms Peris have agreed to serve as inaugural patrons. We count them both as among the strongest supporters of the Jewish community and Israel in the Australian Labor Party,” the group’s conveners said.

Andrews’ new role will feed into a bitter row that has emerged within the left wing of Australian politics since the outbreak of the war. Labor has grown increasingly frustrated with the Greens suggesting the Albanese government has supported Israel militarily as the crossbench party seeks to gain support from Muslim and left-leaning voters.

The prime minister, the Coalition and Greens leader Adam Bandt condemned vandals who set fires and smashed windows at the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns this week. Burns said he was scared for the safety of his staff as well as colleagues whose offices had also been vandalised.

Andrews, Victoria’s longest-serving Labor premier, has not been scared to take firm stances on foreign affairs. His call to sign up Victoria to China’s Belt and Road agreement was overturned by the Morrison government over concerns about the program’s use to further Chinese influence across the globe.

He was the only current or former state premier invited to this week’s Canberra lunch to toast the visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Andrews’ former adviser on Chinese affairs, Marty Mei, teamed up with Andrews to form two businesses earlier this year.

Andrews, who retired late last year after almost nine years as premier, was recognised as a Companion of the Order of Australia this month for “eminent service to the people and parliament of Victoria, to public health, to policy and regulatory reform, and to infrastructure development”.

His supporters praised the announcement while his critics, including former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett, argued Victoria’s long lockdowns and nation-topping pandemic death toll should have kept him off the honours list.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dan-andrews-joins-pro-israel-group-denounces-antisemitism-and-terrorism-20240620-p5jner.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CTevUyvN5c

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 22, 2024, 9:13 a.m. No.21066001 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6003

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton rallies supporters for next election and calls Anthony Albanese ‘a child in a man’s body’

TRICIA RIVERA and JOANNE WILLIAMSON - JUNE 22, 2024

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Liberal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has likened Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “a child in a man’s body”, as well as a political appeaser who has compromised his own office. Labor responded that Mr Dutton had displayed “the same nasty negativity” and “personal attacks”.

In an address to the Liberal Party Federal Council on Saturday, Mr Dutton outlined how the party could beat the first-term Albanese Labor government at the election due by May next year, and launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister.

“He’s a man with a mind still captured in his university years, he’s a child in a man’s body,” the Opposition Leader told the Liberal faithful.

He offered Mr Albanese some credit, calling him a “decent man who cares deeply about his country”, but said he was out of his depth as Prime Minister.

“I believe he’s compromised the honour of the office he holds. He certainly broke at least 12 core promises most egregiously and promised Australians prior to the election, that they would be better off under a Labor government,” Mr Dutton said.

The Liberal leader said the Prime Minister loves to “jet around the world” and is more interested in appeasing the international climate lobby over the interests of everyday Australians.

“Whatever audience Mr Albanese is addressing, he tells them what they want to hear, not what needs to be said,” Mr Dutton said.

“He’s a political appeaser not a leader of conviction, avoids the hard and necessary decisions and discussions because he places a higher value on political survival and statesmanship.”

Afterwards, Labor’s Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Jenny McAllister, slammed Mr Dutton over his comments about the Prime Minister as well as his “risky nuclear plan” for power generation.

“Today Peter Dutton could’ve answered the many questions Australians have about his risky nuclear plan but all they got was more of the same nasty negativity and politics … Peter Dutton demands a mature debate but instead launches personal attacks,” Senator McAllister said in a press conference.

“Peter Dutton demands lower power prices but opposes energy price relief and is unable or unwilling to say how much his nuclear plans will cost Australian taxpayers. Australians deserve better.”

The Saturday party speech comes just days after Mr Dutton rolled the dice on one of the biggest electoral issues in history by making his nuclear energy policy the centrepiece of the election debate.

But it also follows recent polls where he has made gains on the Prime Minister and taken control of the political debate.

The cost of living – taking in inflation, interest rates and high energy prices – is the major concern of voters and the area the Coalition is focusing on.

“The forthcoming election matters more than others in recent history. The stakes are higher,” Mr Dutton told the party faithful.

“The next election will not only define the next political term, it will define the future and fate of this nation.

“It will be about the kind of country Australians want their nation to be.”

(continued)

>>21066001

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Mr Dutton said Mr Albanese, whose Labor Party narrowly defeated the nine-year-term coalition at the 2022 election, had dedicated the first 16 months in power of trying to win the voice referendum at a cost of $500m to taxpayers.

“In the last two years, Labor has made our economy more vulnerable. Our nation less safe and less secure. Our society less cohesive,” he said.

“Australians are worse off at every level.”

Mr Dutton has narrowed the gap since the election loss, edging out Mr Albanese as the preferred leader at recent polling – done before the nuclear debate – which showed support for Labor is decreasing on critical issues.

It’s the first time Mr Dutton has eclipsed Mr Albanese as the preferred prime minister in the Resolve Political Monitor, the surveys regularly conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald.

The findings published by the masthead show the Opposition Leader has gained a narrow lead over his opponent with 36 per cent of voter support compared with 35 per cent for Mr Albanese.

The Coalition has a lot of ground to make up after it lost 18 of its 76 seats at the last election – 10 to Labor, six of its blue ribbon seats to the teals and two inner-Brisbane seats to the Greens.

And despite losing the last year’s Aston by-election and a relatively poor showing at the Dunkley by-election, Mr Dutton is showing signs of optimism.

He said the battle of ideas had already started and he called on the party “to find strength in our unity” to win back government.

“Do I think the Coalition can win the next election? We can and we must,” he said.

“Not because we seek to win for winning’s sake, but because we are here to do something for our country.

“We are here to get our country back on track.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/opposition-leader-peter-dutton-rallies-supporters-for-next-election-and-calls-anthony-albanese-a-child-in-a-mans-body/news-story/53fd4569301a6b8dd87ebbfcedd8bf55

>>21025516

Australians deploy for nuclear sub training mission

William Ton - June 22 2024

The first workers tasked with maintaining and operating Australia's future nuclear-powered submarines have been sent to the US for training.

The cohort of 30 skilled submarine workers from the government's ASC shipbuilding company departed for Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to get hands-on experience maintaining US Virginia-class undersea vessels.

More than 100 ASC workers are expected to be sent overseas by mid-2025 for naval propulsion skilling.

Once they complete their training, the workers will return to Western Australia where they will take up key roles to train other workers and lead the maintenance of rotating US and UK nuclear-powered submarines.

A UK Astute-class submarine and up to four US Virginia-class submarines will be on rotation at WA's HMAS Stirling base.

The program supports local industry gaining experience before Australia acquires its own Virginia-class submarines and the subsequent entry of the AUKUS nuclear submarines.

Australia will buy at least three Virginia-class vessels from the US from early next decade under the trilateral AUKUS agreement that also includes Britain.

The three nations are co-operating on a new class of submarines, the SSN AUKUS, which Australia is set to acquire in the 2040s.

As part of the submarine construction process, Australia will hand $4.6 billion to the British shipbuilding industry to boost capacity at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby and bankroll the design costs of the boats that Australia will build.

While defence firm BAE Systems will build the submarines at the Osborne shipyards in Adelaide, the nuclear reactors used to propel the vessels will be made by Rolls-Royce in the UK.

The submarines will be constructed from a UK design with input from the AUKUS nations, and have a US weapons system embedded.

Defence Minister Richard Marles hailed the international AUKUS placements as an exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Australians to gain unique education, training and career development.

"These highly skilled workers already have decades of combined submarine experience having sustained our Collins class submarines and now have the opportunity to be upskilled by our US counterparts in sustaining nuclear-powered submarines," he said.

"Such unique education and training opportunities for Australian workers reflect the rock-solid commitment of our US and UK partners to our nation-building AUKUS program."

ASC workers will continue maintaining Australia's Collins class submarines during transitions to a nuclear-powered fleet.

Australia will be among seven countries operating nuclear-powered submarines, and all nuclear submarine work will remain consistent with the nation's non-proliferation obligations.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8671424/australians-deploy-for-nuclear-sub-training-mission/

AUKUS Shines Spotlight on Power of Partnerships, Pentagon Official Says

Joseph Clark - June 21, 2024

The security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, known as AUKUS, is aimed at promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific and represents a tangible example of the Defense Department's longstanding commitment to deepening alliances, a senior Pentagon official said today.

Madeline Mortelmans, acting assistant secretary of defense for strategies, plans and capabilities, underscored the core role allies and partnerships serve in carrying out the 2022 National Defense Strategy and the lasting impact AUKUS will have on DOD's approach to strategic competition.

"When I talk about the NDS, the 2022 NDS, and what's different about it, I always highlight and observe that almost every U.S. strategy, for years, has emphasized the importance of our allies and partners," Mortelmans said during a panel discussion hosted by the Center for a New American Security, a public policy think tank in Washington, specializing in national security issues.

"What's different about this NDS is a call to action to do things differently, to drive change in breaking down barriers to how we work with allies and partners to bring them in sooner to our planning processes, to actually think at every stage of planning, operations [and] activities about how we can do this better with allies and partners," she said. "In that context, AUKUS is exactly in-line with our National Defense Strategy."

The partnership, which was agreed to in September 2021, is aimed at fostering technology exchanges among the three countries and building Australia's nuclear-powered submarine force.

Under "Pillar 1" of the plan, Australia will purchase three Virginia-class, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines in time to replace its current fleet of diesel electric subs in the 2030s.

The three countries will also develop a state-of-the-art platform designed to combine and leverage their shared submarine technology. The "SSN-AUKUS" as the future platform is known, is slated to be fielded by the U.K. in the 2030s and by Australia in the 2040s.

The second pillar of the agreement is focused on developing joint capabilities to further enhance interoperability among the participating nations with a focus on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities.

Mortelmans said today that the three countries have made long strides since the agreement was first announced.

She noted that over the last year, the U.S. has increased submarine visits to Australia, and hosted Australian naval personnel at U.S. training schools. Australia has also begun to set the foundation with industry for the future production and maintenance of nuclear-powered submarines.

Under Pillar 2, she said, the partner nations are well underway in developing, experimenting and fielding new technology together.

In the coming years the partnership will continue pay dividends, Mortelmans said.

"I want to emphasize that AUKUS is not static," she said. "It will continue to grow. The ideal vision is that AUKUS becomes part of how we, at the Department of Defense, operate together — breaking down those barriers, realizing the vision of our 2022 NDS that said that we're going to figure out how we plan, how we develop, how we field, how we operate together earlier and more effectively."

"AUKUS is critical to realizing that vision," she said.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3813985/aukus-shines-spotlight-on-power-of-partnerships-pentagon-official-says/

Australia’s Fears Over Trump’s Return Are Baseless, Ex-Prime Minister Says

Ben Westcott - 5 June 2024

Australian concerns about Donald Trump’s potential return to power are “baseless hyperventilation,” ex-Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, adding the former president is a major supporter of the US-Australia alliance.

Morrison, one of the primary architects of the Aukus security pact with the US and UK, said he had worked with both Trump and President Joe Biden during his time in office from 2018 to 2022. Asked about the implications of a second Trump administration for Australia, he said it would mean “a president who was deeply committed to the alliance.”

“There’s been a lot of baseless hyperventilation about this,” Morrison said in an interview on Tuesday. “People are getting themselves tied up in knots over things looking from this side of the Pacific into a US polity which they, I don’t think, understand. They’re overreading any number of things here.”

Morrison met with the former president during a visit to the US in May, after which he said Trump had expressed a positive opinion toward the Aukus pact. Since leaving parliament, the former prime minister has joined the private sector, including a consulting firm run by former Trump national security adviser Robert O’Brien.

Under the Aukus agreement, which Morrison signed with Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, the three countries have committed to delivering a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia by the 2030s.

Morrison was adamant that if Trump won the presidential election in November, he would keep the Aukus agreement in place. “There is nothing to suggest he would do anything other than support it,” the former prime minister said.

“His administration was the big disrupter when it came to how the world was looking at China — economically, strategically, militarily — and so to think that a Trump administration would somehow not be supportive of an initiative that was designed to counter that? I just don’t understand the premise,” Morrison added.

Warning to Business

Morrison said he was concerned about the speed at which Australian businesses were rushing back into China in the wake of a relaxing of tensions over the past two years. Most of the curbs imposed by Beijing against Australian exports after Morrison called for an independent investigation into the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 have since been lifted.

The former Australian leader, who in his final speech before the parliament earlier this year warned against the threat of China, said on Wednesday that businesses dealing with the world’s second-biggest economy “should properly price that risk.”

“This is not the pre-end of Cold War, globalization period. That’s finished,” Morrison said. “That finished when Xi Jinping became the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.”

“Don’t think the People’s Republic of China won’t seek to turn off your business and your revenue on any given afternoon if they see fit,” he added.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-04/australia-s-fears-over-trump-s-return-are-baseless-ex-pm-says

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 23, 2024, 3:21 a.m. No.21070659 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0660

Charlatan, opportunist, climate change denialist: Keating unloads on Dutton

Natassia Chrysanthos - June 23, 2024

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Former prime minister Paul Keating has compared Peter Dutton to the “most wicked and cynical of individuals” in a searing statement that accuses the opposition leader of opportunism and climate change denialism in his advocacy for nuclear power.

As the political debate over nuclear energy became increasingly personal over the weekend – with the Coalition mounting character attacks on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and teal MPs – Keating released a statement late on Sunday that began: “[Peter] Dutton is a charlatan – an inveterate climate change denialist.”

“A denialist now seeking to camouflage his long-held denialism in an industrial fantasy [nuclear power] … Dutton, like [former prime minister Tony] Abbott, will do everything he can to de-legitimise renewables and stand in the way of their use,” Keating wrote.

“Only the most wicked and cynical of individuals would foist such a blight on an earnest community like Australia. A community which fundamentally believes in truth and decency and which relies on its political system to advance those ideals.”

The former Labor prime minister, known for his biting insults, issued his statement a day after Dutton made a personal attack on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by calling him a “child in a man’s body”, a fraud and an appeaser, in off-script comments at a Liberal Party function on Saturday.

In a further escalation of rhetoric on Sunday morning, Nationals Leader David Littleproud backed Dutton’s characterisation while also describing teal MPs – the female independents who won seats from the Liberals on a climate change platform last election – as entitled, self-righteous and sanctimonious.

“It is so entitled for them, to look down their nose, dripping with self-righteous sanctimony, saying ‘this [renewables] is the only pathway’,” Littleproud said on Sky News.

The commentary offers a potential preview of election campaign attack lines the Coalition will deploy as it seeks to spruik its controversial nuclear policy, announced last week, which would build seven government-funded and -owned nuclear power plants by the middle of the century.

Keating, in his statement, claimed nuclear power was the most dangerous and expensive energy source “on the face of the earth”.

“In advocating this, Dutton continues his party’s manic denialism, first articulated by Tony Abbott over a decade ago… Dutton, in his low-rent opportunism, mocks the decency and earnestness which recognises that carbon must be abated and with all urgency,” Keating wrote.

“No person interested in public policy – regardless of their affiliations or beliefs, should consider, let alone endorse Dutton’s backwardness, his unreal world view that the most lethal technology of another age is a contemporary substitute for nature’s own remedy.”

(continued)

>>21070659

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Dutton has claimed he wants to lead a mature conversation about nuclear power and on Saturday said that cartoon memes about the safety risks of nuclear that had been posted on social media by Labor politicians – including images of three-eyed fish and koalas – showed “the juvenile nature of our prime minister”.

“He’s a man with a mind still captured in his university years. He’s a child in a man’s body,” Dutton said.

Littleproud, when asked on Sunday if he agreed with Dutton’s description, said: “Well, I do.”

“Unfortunately, the prime minister had an opportunity to lead, and to look at this and work through the issues that we’re putting forward … But instead he’s used some churlish view to put out memes,” he said.

“He is leading this country and he’s about to put Australian submariners [sleeping next to] this technology every night. Why would you demean it in such a puerile way when this is safe technology?”

He then singled out the teals when making an argument that regional Australians had been overlooked in the push by Labor and independents to take an “all-renewables” approach to the country’s energy supply.

Kooyong independent MP Monique Ryan said Littleproud’s comments insulted people in those electorates who cared deeply about climate change and wanted a responsible transition to a clean energy economy.

“We need a respectful debate,” she said. “Instead of childish insults, let’s have a serious conversation about how the nuclear path will keep coal burning for decades longer and maim the economy by causing Australia to lose the billions in clean energy investment set to land soon.”

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek told Sky News she thought the Coalition’s nuclear policy was completely irrational.

“I think it’s a bit strange that Peter Dutton, having run around the country during the Voice referendum saying ‘give us the details, give us the details’, would object to people calling for the details on how his expensive, risky nuclear plan is going to work,” she said.

Asked for her reaction to Dutton’s comments about Albanese, Plibersek said: “Well, that was the same speech where he was calling for a mature debate. And he’s gone straight to the personal attacks. I think that speaks for itself.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/dripping-with-self-righteous-sanctimony-littleproud-lashes-teal-mps-in-nuclear-debate-20240623-p5jnyp.html

Jerry Seinfeld opens up on time in Australia in exclusive 7NEWS interview amid heckler-plagued tour

In his most in-depth interview while touring Australia, the legendary comedian has paid a compliment to a 7NEWS journalist.

Jordan Bissell and Warren Barnsley - 20 June 2024

Jerry Seinfeld says Australia is “the best place to be a comedian”, while urging hecklers at his shows to “go where things are political” if they want to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza.

In his most in-depth on-camera interview while touring Australia, the legendary funnyman told 7NEWS of his “love” of the country despite his stand-up shows twice being interrupted by pro-Palestine hecklers.

“I love Australia, of course,” he told 7NEWS in Brisbane on Thursday, the morning after his only show in the Queensland capital.

“It’s just the best place to be a comedian. Australia’s comedy heaven.

“We’re having the time of our life. I’m having such a good time.”

Asked about his favourite thing about Australia, he responded, “the people”.

“The people love to laugh and they’re so nice. There’s just a warm feeling in every show, that I love,” he said.

After being heckled at both shows in Sydney, he said the “very polite” and “great” Brisbane crowd on Wednesday night did not follow suit.

Seinfeld, 70, flew to Adelaide on Thursday morning ahead of a show that night, before appearances in Melbourne across the weekend then travelling to New Zealand.

A supporter of Israel in its war on Hamas which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, he encouraged his audiences to keep their political views to themselves.

“I don’t care what your politics are, but go where things are political,” he said.

“This is where we go to, kind of, forget about politics.

“We all want to forget about it for a couple of hours. That’s the whole idea of the show. Forget about everything for a couple of hours.”

Earlier this week, he mocked people at his Sydney shows who heckled him over his support for Israel, telling them, “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen, he solved the Middle East.”

On Thursday, he couldn’t resist a comedic jibe at a 7NEWS camera operator after praising journalist Jordan Bissell for meeting him at Brisbane airport for the early morning interview.

“This is amazing that you got up, you got dressed, (turns to camera operator) … you want credit too? No, you don’t look as nice as her,” he said.

On another note, the New York native revealed a fondness for an Australian delicacy.

“Tim Tam, what’s that?” he said.

“Oh, the little chocolate candies — the chocolate?

“There was one of those in my (hotel) room and I ate the whole thing.”

https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/jerry-seinfeld-opens-up-on-time-in-australia-in-exclusive-7news-interview-amid-heckler-plagued-tour-c-15083556

‘Just gave money to a Jew’: Seinfeld faces more pro-Palestine hecklers in Melbourne

Cameron Woodhead - June 23, 2024

US comedian Jerry Seinfeld didn’t back down when hecklers interrupted his Melbourne show on Saturday night, sending the crowd at Rod Laver Arena into laughter.

Ten minutes before the evening show was due to finish, at least two protesters chanted “free Palestine”, prompting Seinfeld to draw on his trademark black comedy.

“You need to go back and tell whoever is running your organisation (that) ‘we just gave more money to a Jew’,” the 70-year-old US comedian told the protesters.

The response drew raucous laughter from the crowd as he continued with a two-minute spiel in response to the interruption.

“Listen, dude, listen, listen, let me explain something. You and I are in the same business,” he said.

He went on to tell the protesters that they were in the wrong place. “Our business is to get people to see things the way we see it,” he said.

Later, before taking questions from the audience, Seinfeld mused that the protesters might’ve taken so long to make their presence known because they were enjoying the show.

A handful of protesters had gathered at the entrances to Rod Laver Arena. At least 10 police officers were also on hand, but no trouble was reported. Event organisers had been expecting a crowd of up to 500 protesters.

It follows incidents at two of Seinfeld’s recent Sydney shows, where he was targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters during his performances.

In a statement issued to this masthead last week, activists associated with the protest actions in Sydney explained why they targeted Seinfeld.

They said they hoped to “raise awareness for both Seinfeld’s audience and the wider community of the current and ongoing illegal occupation and genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians” and to “generate conversation around the issue and encourage others to educate themselves and engage more deeply” with it.

Accepting that their protests might make patrons uncomfortable, the Sydney activists said “but such discomfort surely pales in comparison to our community’s collective trauma at the devastating loss of life in Gaza and the West Bank for the last eight months (and indeed since 1948)”.

The activists, who claim not to have bought tickets to Seinfeld’s shows but to have received them from people who had decided against attending after becoming aware of the comedian’s views, insist they are not antisemitic.

Seinfeld has become the target of protesters over what has been interpreted as his support for Israel’s military response to the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, in which 1200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage.

Since then, Israel’s campaign of retaliation has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 37,500 Palestinians, including a claimed 15,000 children. Israel’s military says more than 300 of its troops have died in the fighting.

Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, visited Israel in December and toured sites of the Hamas attacks.

On her Instagram, Jessica posted on Christmas Eve that this was her fifth visit, “and I have never seen a more unified country. Among people of all walks of life, from wounded soldiers to families of peace activists whose mothers, fathers or siblings were murdered or are still held captive in Gaza, the horror of October 7th has erased divisions within Israel. Everyone has come together for a greater cause – to defeat Hamas, to build a better and safer Israel, and a better, safer world”.

On October 10, Seinfeld had himself posted an image of a young woman wrapped in an Israeli flag, with the legend “I stand with Israel”.

“We believe in justice, freedom and equality,” he wrote. “We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”

In an interview with podcaster Bari Weiss last month, he described the visit to Israel as “the most powerful experience of my life”.

Though his statements on the conflict have rarely been overtly political (except insofar as he has taken to dismissing so-called “woke” culture), they have been deemed partisan enough for anti-war protesters in the United States to take issue.

Last month, some students at Duke University walked out on their own graduation ceremony as honorary guest Seinfeld began a commencement speech.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/just-gave-money-to-a-jew-seinfeld-shuts-down-pro-palestinian-hecklers-in-melbourne-20240622-p5jnx1.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/seinfelds-brutal-comeback-as-propalestine-hecklers-crash-another-show-on-aussie-tour-from-hell/news-story/17f5f1a059b4e4d5ac956a1aac5e8cbf

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 24, 2024, 3:34 a.m. No.21076925 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6936

>>21042300

Matt Kean named head of Climate Change Authority

SARAH ISON - JUNE 24, 2024

Anthony Albanese has announced former NSW energy minister and Liberal MP, Matt Kean, as the new head of the Climate Change Authority.

Mr Kean announced his retirement earlier this month after 13 years in NSW parliament, ruling out a run as a federal Liberal candidate.

The Prime Minister said Mr Kean was an “outstanding appointment” to chair of the Climate Change Authority.

“Matt Kean is uniquely qualified to lead the Climate Change Authority and I am so pleased that he has accepted the government’s invitation to take up the vacancy which is there due to the resignation of Grant King,” he said.

“I worked very closely with Mr Kean when we introduced … our energy price relief plan in partnership with the New South Wales state government and other state governments as well.

“Mr Kean understands the opportunity that the transition to clean energy represents for our nation … and he also understands the folly that walking away from the renewables transition represents.”

Mr Kean said despite initially looking to move into the private sector, he could not turn down the opportunity of Climate Change Authority chair.

“The Climate Change Authority has an important role to play in providing independent advice to the government of the day based on facts, science, evidence, engineering and economics,” he said.

“I intend to follow that tradition and continue to carry myself as I did as the New South Wales energy and environment minister, the Treasurer of New South Wales who oversaw the $115bn budget, and that’s to take a pragmatic approach to ensuring that we deliver for families, the economy and protect the environment and build bipartisan consensus where possible.”

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said he could think of no better replacement to Mr King than Mr Kean.

“The role that he has played as energy minister in the most populous state in the country, knowing that the opportunities to seize renewables (puts) pressures on bills and reduces emissions (and) creates jobs … across New South Wales but of course across the country,” he said.

Mr Kean signalled he will not be looking at nuclear as part of the country’s energy mix.

“In 2019 … I was appointed as Energy Minister by Gladys Berejiklian and I was told the first day on the job that in the next decade … the state’s coal-fired power stations would come to an end and we needed a mechanism to replace that capacity,” he said.

“We looked at all options. Including nuclear … The advice that I received at the time which was most compelling was from the chief scientist of New South Wales … his advice to me was to bring nuclear into the system it would take far too long and would be far too expensive for New South Wales.”

Mr Kean said his new job was “to advise the government based on evidence”.

“The latest scientific engineering and economic advice that has looked at these matters (of nuclear energy) … from the CSIRO, they can very clearly say that the cheapest way to transition our electricity system is to move towards renewables backed up by firming and storage,” he said.

“That is what the CSIRO says, that is the evidence available to us. I’m not aware of anything different.”

Anthony Albanese “there are just questions to be answered” by the Coalition on its nuclear plan.

“(Labor) has a real plan, and what Peter Dutton has done is applied for denial and delay which is what they did for 10 years,” he said.

Mr Bowen confirmed he had recommended to Mr Albanese and the cabinet to appoint Mr Kean as chair of the Climate Change Authority because “he was best for the job”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/matt-kean-named-head-of-climate-change-authority/news-story/e0920ae86dc08c276500865aeff9faa4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paurH2fGTt8

>>21042300

>>21076925

Matt Kean’s appointment as Climate Change Authority chair is frankly astounding

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JUNE 24, 2024

Matt Kean’s appointment as Climate Change Authority chair without any due diligence or formal recruitment process is astounding and diminishes the independent, expert advice expected of the role.

Kean – a vocal proponent of renewables who conveniently is now anti-nuclear – is a career politician whose 13-year tenure in the NSW parliament ended with a whimper.

Putting Kean’s CV next to his three predecessors at the CCA illustrates just how comparatively unqualified he is for a part-time job that pays $65,170.

The inaugural chair was Bernie Fraser, a former Reserve Bank governor and Treasury secretary.

Fraser was followed in 2015 by Dr Wendy Craik, a former Productivity Commissioner, National Competition Council president, National Farmers Federation executive director and Murray-Darling Basin Commission chief executive.

Grant King, who was Origin Energy managing director for 16 years, a former Business Council of Australia president and currently chairs HSBC Australia and Sydney Water, will depart as chair in early August.

Kean, a NSW Liberal Party moderate-faction powerbroker and protege of lobbyist Michael Photios, made his name as one of Australia’s most senior Liberal figures backing renewables and batteries as the future.

Elected to the NSW parliament in 2011 as a 29-year-old after previously working as a Liberal staffer, Kean enjoyed a meteoric rise into Cabinet by age 35.

As Energy Minister from 2019 and Treasurer from 2021, Kean fast-tracked renewable energy zones across NSW and announced a 70 per cent emissions reduction target by 2035. As CCA chair, Kean will have major input into the Albanese government’s 2035 target.

In April this year, Kean questioned the need to bailout the Eraring coal-fired power station despite fears the plant’s early exit would trigger blackouts between 2025 and 2027.

Thankfully, NSW Premier Chris Minns in May announced a package extending the life of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station.

Standing alongside Kean and Anthony Albanese in the Prime Minister’s courtyard on Monday, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed the former Liberal politician was a captain’s pick.

Asked about the process of selecting Kean, Bowen said he recommended the former NSW treasurer to Albanese and the Cabinet approved the appointment because “he was the best for the job”.

Kean is a solid communicator with plenty of energy and ambition.

But at a time when business leaders, investors and Australian families are desperate for certainty and an end to the climate and energy wars, Kean’s appointment is hyper political.

It is hard to imagine Fraser, Craik and King waxing lyrical at a press conference smashing Peter Dutton’s nuclear policy.

Geoff Chambers is The Australian’s Chief Political Correspondent.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/matt-keans-appointment-as-climate-change-authority-chair-is-frankly-astounding/news-story/5e0a9fa9a6a979f7ef6fca7d592d790c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3WSZvBAP8U

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 24, 2024, 3:49 a.m. No.21076973 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6978

Anti-voice activists launch pre-election attack on the Greens

GEOFF CHAMBERS - JUNE 24, 2024

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The conservative activist group that torpedoed Anthony Albanese’s voice referendum will pump millions of dollars into a sole election campaign vehicle designed to drag down the Greens’ vote and expose the party’s radical policies.

The Australian can reveal that Advance, backed by 306,000 supporters and 32,000 donors, will spend $5m on phase one of a national election campaign titled “Greens Truth”, aiming to inflict “significant damage” to the left-wing party’s brand.

Armed with a post-voice war chest and new research showing voters remain disillusioned by the major political parties, Advance is launching its pre-election campaign to disrupt and halt the expanding electoral success of the Greens.

Amid rising speculation of an early election, and Peter Dutton’s Coalition making ground on the Albanese government, there is growing probability the Prime Minister could be forced into striking a deal with Adam Bandt to form minority government in a hung parliament.

With Greens preferences helping Mr Albanese claim victory after Labor secured a paltry 32.6 per cent primary vote at the 2022 election, Advance is warning voters of “catastrophic” outcomes for families if the left-wing party’s agenda is implemented.

The Greens, who have come under fire over accusations they are fanning anti-Semitism, push a range of extreme economic, defence, health, education and social policies that the major parties warn would wreck Australia’s economy and undermine national security.

Advance, initially established as a rival to left-wing activist group GetUp, has raised just over $900,000 from more than 5000 donations since soft-launching the Greens Truth campaign with supporters in May.

New donations data obtained by The Australian shows Advance continues to attract grassroots backing following its influential role in the Indigenous voice referendum campaign.

In the past 12 months, 18,492 out of 22,485 donations up to $499, were received, 3652 of $500-$4999, 329 of $5000-$24,999, 71 of $25,000-$99,999, and 31 of $100,000-$999,000.

A key driver of the anti-Greens campaign, which has been in the works since January, is the dramatic shift away from major parties and rise in protest voting.

Almost 32 per cent of Australians voted for a minor party or did not vote at the 2022 election, representing the biggest drift from the major parties in a century. Highlighting the protest vote trend, almost 258,000 people voted for the Greens in 2022 but preferenced the Liberal Party higher than Labor.

Research by Advance reveals 52 per cent of voters still believe the Greens look after the environment, water and wildlife, 26 per cent think they take action on climate, 20 per cent feel they stand for nothing, 8 per cent believe they look after the disadvantaged and 6 per cent categorise them as left-leaning, progressive and socialist.

Advance executive director Matthew Sheahan said the Greens Truth campaign would be an “all-out assault on the party that is a toxic and extreme influence on Australian politics”.

(continued)

>>21076973

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The campaign is targeted at erasing House of Representatives and Senate electoral gains made by the Greens over eight years and shining a light on extreme policies and culture, with Advance warning voters the party founded by Bob Brown is “not who they used to be”.

“Australian voters need to know that every election sees the Greens with more influence and closer to implementing their full agenda, which would be catastrophic for mums and dads, and their kids,” Mr Sheahan told The Australian.

“The Greens are not who they used to be, and there is no greater threat to Australia’s freedom, security or prosperity. This election day no reasonable Australian mum or dad should be voting Green.”

The campaign will publicise darker sides of the party, including “the lie that the Greens are a party of transparency and integrity (and the) litany of cover-ups of toxic and sexist behaviour”.

Mr Sheahan said this includes “the cover-up of assaults, accusations of bullying, claims of rape, and even MPs resigning over sex scandals”.

“The Greens have a track record of being a disgraceful and dysfunctional party that has failed its female supporters, volunteers and candidates time after time,” he said.

Advance said the Greens, who have won major concessions from the Albanese government in return for their votes, have been left unchecked for more than 40 years.

With the Greens eyeing off government seats Macnamara and Richmond at the next election, after winning Griffith off Labor and Brisbane and Ryan from the Liberals in 2022, Mr Sheahan said the left-wing party’s free ride “ends today”.

A campaign priority is exposing the Greens’ “fraudulent brand positioning as a party that is only concerned with the environment”. Advance research shows when voters think of the Greens, “they think of who they used to be – an environmental movement who fought against the Franklin Dam in the 1980s, who stood in front of old-growth forests”.

“Forty years later, this is obviously untrue and, when tested, voters start looking for an exit.”

Mr Sheahan said Advance research shows “Australians are not across some of the Greens’ more extreme policies including defunding non-government schools, implementing an inheritance tax and decriminalising hard drugs including ice and heroin”.

“Australian families have every reason to fear this agenda and its impact on not only cost of living, but the future and safety of their children.”

He said another major line of attack focused on debunking the Greens’ “outsider reputation”.

“The Greens like to perpetuate the idea that they are a protest party with no influence. The reality is much different. The Greens are already deciding what legislation passes or at least having a major say in parliaments across the country.

“Their policies are already being implemented as they hold Labor governments to ransom with their preferences all over the electoral map.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/antivoice-activists-launch-preelection-attack-on-the-greens/news-story/3538b043c620aa608a22776a962ba476

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 24, 2024, 4 a.m. No.21077001 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7008

Journos fall for spin as they tiptoe around China

CHRIS MITCHELL - JUNE 23, 2024

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If facts can no longer be accepted by the community, let alone by reporters, then journalism is being destroyed by opinion.

Social media certainly gives the ill-informed the ability to trumpet opinions more widely than in earlier eras, but much of the wider triumph of opinion is down to cheap clicks to online media businesses and shouty content in traditional media that consumers can agree with. Reporters have a duty to swim against this tide.

News coverage of last week’s visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang is illustrative.

Had China’s diplomats not tried to shut out Sky News Australia reporter Cheng Lei from two Canberra events, our media would have let Prime Minister Anthony Albanese get away with a largely false narrative: he and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are repairing the China relationship broken by Albanese’s predecessor, Scott Morrison.

Patricia Karvelas said as much on Friday when she introduced Defence Minister Richard Marles on ABC Radio National.

Australia, Karvelas said, had made progress in re-setting its “once shattered” relationship with China.

Yet public outrage at China’s bullying of Cheng Lei, an Australian wrongly jailed for three years by Beijing, effectively undermined that Labor narrative. If ever Australians could see the ugly face of China’s bullying, watching Chinese officials inside Australia’s parliament trying to stop cameras filming an Australian journalist left no doubt China disrespects Australia.

Political journalists who have played along with the myth of the Coalition destroying Australia’s China relationship should hang their heads in shame.

The rift started during Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership when, in August 2018, Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei was banned from the 5G telecommunications rollout on security advice.

Other countries followed soon after, including the US, Japan, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Norway and Denmark. In April 2019, Labor ruled out reversing the Huawei ban if it was to win that year’s election.

The Huawei ban here came only months after Turnbull first flagged new foreign interference legislation in June 2018. Turnbull was right on both counts.

The Australia-China relationship really hit the rocks at the end of January 2020, when prime minister Morrison banned flights from China in the early stages of the spread of Covid-19, and then called for an international investigation into the emergence of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan. Morrison was right on both counts.

China responded with a series of bans and restrictions on Australian exports. Barley, wine, lobsters and beef from some abattoirs was banned. Some local restrictions were applied on shipments of Australian coal. This all came despite the China-Australia free trade agreement signed in 2015 by Tony Abbott’s Coalition government.

Last week on Sky News’ Sunday Agenda and on ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday, Trade Minister Don Farrell was given soft treatment to claim the Labor government’s diplomatic efforts were succeeding in having those bans reversed.

The truth is that just as China’s bullying of Cheng Lei backfired, its strategy of using trade to punish Australia for speaking up on Covid was a spectacular own goal. Some of the world’s leading economics and foreign policy journals, including The Economist, The Atlantic and Foreign Policy, have not only called out the failure of China’s bullying but praised Australia for resisting pressure from the world’s number two economy.

In November 2021, Foreign Policy wrote: “But if Beijing hoped to punish Canberra for its defiance with economic pain – and send a warning to other countries not to oppose China – it has failed on both counts. The impacts on Australia have so far been surprisingly minimal. That fact will not be lost on other countries that have differences with China.”

Many Australian journalists during the China freeze seemed unaware of the reality of our economic position. Partly because of rising coal and iron ore prices – and partly because our most affected exporters found alternative markets – China’s bans were estimated by a Productivity Commission report to have cost us nine one-thousandths of a percentage point of GDP, or less than $225m.

As The Australian’s Tom Dusevic reported on July 24 last year, if anything, the bans “have been an inglorious own goal for our largest trading partner”.

(continued)

>>21077001

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While that sum would have been tough for some producers, many journalists reacted as if Australia was on its knees. And while it’s better in diplomacy to shout as little as possible and have disagreements behind closed doors, the evidence is China was determined to subjugate Australia, at least economically, and had been doing so for decades before the export bans.

A report by Peter Hartcher in The Sydney Morning Herald on November 7 last year argued “we received public notice of Beijing’s intentions to dominate Australia in a revelation in 2005”.

A Chinese diplomat working at the Sydney consulate defected. The diplomat, Chen Yonglin, said the Communist Party of China “had begun a structured effort to infiltrate Australia’’ because it saw us as a “weak link in the Western camp”. This was much more than just spying.

“The party ran an influence campaign, partly through its United Front organisations operating in Australia. Rich business people were dispatched to live in Australia to set up empires of influence. Their methods included political donations, sponsored trips to China, major investments and board appointments,” Hartcher wrote.

Between 2005 and the start of the pandemic, China’s share of our exports rose from 12 per cent to 38 per cent.

Even the US thought Australia could flip. Hartcher quotes White House Indo-Pacific co-ordinator Kurt Campbell confirming that Washington thought this possible.

But by early 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the SMH: “I think China has lost more than Australia has in its efforts to squeeze Australia economically.”

This newspaper’s foreign editor, Greg Sheridan, last Tuesday nailed the real import of the Cheng Lei incident: it revealed Albanese’s weakness. The PM had already appeared weak when he seemed not to have raised with China’s President, Xi Jinping, at an APEC meeting in San Francisco last November the Chinese navy’s firing of sonar at Australian naval divers only days before.

While many journalists tiptoe around such issues, the public pounced last week. Why was an Australian journalist being bullied by Chinese officials inside Australia’s parliament?

Discussing our China trade relationship, reporters should have been led by the facts rather than by Labor’s spin. The Coalition did a lot wrong during the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison years, but it mostly got China right and it certainly got the AUKUS submarine partnership with the US and UK right.

Journalists need to take care not to appear to be pushing the false narratives of their preferred side of politics.

ABC 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson on Wednesday interviewed Liberal energy spokesman Ted O’Brien about the Coalition’s new nuclear power policy. Why could Ferguson not concede O’Brien’s point about the many unknown costs in Labor’s renewables rollout across large tracts of the continent?

She sounded like an ALP staffer. Many countries rely on nuclear power but none rely exclusively on wind and solar. Countries relying on renewables largely tap hydro-electric power.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/journos-fall-for-spin-as-they-tiptoe-around-china/news-story/e69d31c913b8befa059bd28df9dbcbc4

>>20808099 (pb)

Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele seeks budget bailout

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 24, 2024

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele will seek an urgent budget bailout for his country when he meets Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Wednesday amid improving relations between Canberra and Honiara.

Mr Manele is in Australia on his first international trip as the country’s leader, before heading on to Beijing and Tokyo.

The six-day trip comes amid ongoing Australian concerns over Solomon Islands’ security ties with China, which have been exacerbated in recent weeks by an alleged covert visit to Honiara by a delegation of Chinese police.

Sources in both countries said the Australia-Solomon Islands relationship had stabilised since Mr Manele replaced former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare on May 2.

Mr Manele flagged three weeks into his term that he would be seeking substantial budget support from Solomon Islands’ partners, noting such funding “will further cement our relations”.

After a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Mr Manele said he wanted to discuss “the possibility of much, much larger bilateral co-operation partnerships” to fast-track his country’s development.

Mr Manele is expected to make a similar pitch to China, but Beijing typically doesn’t provide cash, preferring loan-funded infrastructure projects.

The Solomons’ budget is in disarray, with Mr Sogavare – who is now Treasurer and Finance Minister – conceding days ago that the government would be forced to implement cost-cutting measures due to “(tax) exemptions, mismanagement and corruption”.

Solomon Islands’ MP Peter Kenilorea, who leads a bloc of nine independents in the country’s parliament, said Mr Manele’s trip was “all about finances”.

“The coffers here are really dry in terms of government revenue collection. And there’s big promises that they need to deliver on. There’s money they need to get for the so-called CDF – the Constituency Development Fund.”

The fund needs to deliver about $860,000 for each of the country’s 50 electorates, requiring the government to come up with about $43m.

Mr Kenilorea urged the Albanese government to “keep those purse strings tight”. “Why would Australian taxpayers bail us out when we don’t have our house in order?” he asked.

Rather than giving cash, he said Australia should fund specific programs such as the purchase of much-needed medicines.

Mr Kenilorea said the Prime Minister’s trip came amid divisions in the country’s police force, with two factions now in dispute over an allegedly unauthorised visit to the country by four Chinese police officers.

The Australian has seen copies of the passport details of the four alleged officers, but the force’s commissioner has denied they ever entered the country.

Former Australian high commissioner to Solomon Islands James Batley said Solomon Islands security ties with China – cemented in a bilateral agreement signed by Mr Sogavare – remained the biggest thorn in the bilateral relationship.

He said Australia’s willingness to help the country climb out of its budget black hole would likely depend on whether Mr Manele was prepared to heed Australia’s concerns on China.

“If he can provide sufficient assurances, his case will be listened to more seriously,” Mr Batley said.

The May budget revealed Australian taxpayers gave a $600m budget support loan to Papua New Guinea in 2023-24.

It’s understood Solomon Islands is seeking direct funding from Australia’s aid program.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/solomon-islands-pm-jeremiah-manele-seeks-budget-bailout/news-story/6d4ccec3a94c19709b785f2aed92925c

Judge lashes Xavier College’s ‘troubling’ conduct in school abuse claim

David Estcourt - June 24, 2024

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The religious order that runs Catholic boys’ school Xavier College is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit after a Supreme Court judge overturned a settlement struck to compensate the victim of a “serial recidivist paedophile” who abused a student at the elite school.

The victim, a 69-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, successfully appealed the agreement struck in August 2011 between him and the Society of Jesus in Australia, which included a term that Xavier College in Kew cover tuition for his two sons and pay him $150,000.

In a decision released last week, the victim claims priest Noel Bradford abused him in 1968 and 1970 while he was a boarder. The former student is now claiming loss of past earnings and superannuation of between $1,248,791.62 and $4,952,307.62 in damages.

The Society of Jesus in Australia, more commonly known as the Jesuits, runs Xavier College and would be financially liable for any settlement. The college declined to comment.

The Jesuits have accepted the 1968 abuse allegation but have not admitted the alleged instance of abuse in 1970.

Supreme Court associate justice Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou overturned and criticised the settlement deed because the victim did not have a lawyer when it was struck, and no Jesuit or school staff told him to report the matter to police.

“The defendant did not ensure that the plaintiff was adequately supported or informed in his negotiations, which led to the settlement deed. He was not legally represented,” Ierodiaconou found.

“Information about other abuse complaints against Bradford was not disclosed. Medical information enabling a proper assessment was not sought … He was not encouraged to make a complaint to the police.

“If the plaintiff is successful in this proceeding, there is a strong prospect that will result in a significant award of damages that will substantially exceed the settlement sum.”

Bradford was appointed to Xavier College by the Jesuits and worked and lived at the college for 15 years. He held numerous positions including second division prefect, teacher, master, cricket coach and football coach.

The court heard he was known as “Brick” and had a “large presence” at the school.

Ierodiaconou also sharply criticised the conduct of Jesuit priest Father Michael Head who worked at Xavier, provided pastoral care to the victim and counselled him about his abuse.

But, Ierodiaconou found, it was “troubling” that while Head acted as a confidant for the victim, he was also acting as an agent of the school when the deed was struck in the 2011 settlement.

“Based on Fr Head’s file notes, this afforded the plaintiff a space to openly vent his feelings and emotions. There appears to be an element of pastoral care,” Ierodiaconou said.

“The plaintiff did not have the benefit of ongoing independent legal advice at this time. The capacity in which Fr Head held his informal meetings with the plaintiff is troubling. He provided pastoral care to the plaintiff whilst serving the defendant’s interests in negotiating the settlement deed.”

Court documents say there is no evidence that the defendant undertook any investigations into Bradford’s conduct regarding the victim, with Head writing in July 2008 that the victim “knows of several other boys who (claim) they were molested by [Bradford] over some years”.

“He did not give names and I did not ask for them,” the file note written by Head says.

(continued)

>>21077046

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Bradford’s abuse had devastating consequences for his life, the victim said in an affidavit filed with the court, causing him to suffer profound depression and struggle with alcohol and drug addiction.

“I have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts for decades. I turned to drugs and alcohol to help me hide my emotional suffering from others,” the judgment quotes him as saying.

“The abuse had a huge impact on my education and what I’ve been able to achieve since leaving school. Before I was abused, I was a very good student. After Bradford abused me the first time, I ran away from school three times that year.”

He said he struggled in higher education but failed most of the coursework, failing to hold jobs for a long period of time and often relying on his family for support.

“I’ve moved around a lot as an adult. I’ve had dozens of short-term jobs, and long periods of unemployment. There have been a number of occasions when my family have helped me get work. Without their help, I would have been unemployed,” he said in the document.

The victim argued in court that Bradford was “a serial recidivist paedophile who repeatedly sexually assaulted young boys” but this information had not been provided to him during negotiation of his settlement.

Right Side Legal partner Michael Magazanik told The Age that the victim was in poor health and the Supreme Court had ordered his claim be fast-tracked as a result.

“Yet, the Jesuits still thought it appropriate to try and get his claim thrown out on the basis of a paltry payment made years ago when my client was effectively legally powerless and unrepresented,” he said.

“The Jesuits have fought so hard to deny my client his day in court that it makes you wonder how many other legally worthless deeds they are sitting on. How many other victims of abuse at Xavier have been paid off with small sums of money?

“This decision sends a message to those students: you have legal rights, you’re entitled to proper compensation. My client is grateful and pleased with the decision and is looking forward to his day in court.”

In 2022, an alleged victim of historical sexual abuse by different Xavier College staff members, Eldon Hogan and Father Patrick Stephenson, filed suit against the school, also seeking millions of dollars in compensation.

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/judge-lashes-troubling-conduct-by-xavier-as-school-faces-abuse-claim-20240624-p5jo4x.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 24, 2024, 4:22 a.m. No.21077070 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7079

>>21077046

Victorian Supreme Court judge: ‘reasonable’ to set aside alleged sex abuse settlement deed for former Xavier College student

TRICIA RIVERA - JUNE 23, 2024

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A former Xavier College student could seek almost $5m in damages after a judge ruled it was just and reasonable to set aside a settlement deed over historic sex abuse claims against a priest alleged to be a “well known toucher of boys” at the Melbourne elite private school.

The plaintiff, a 69-year-old who will be referred to as “P”, alleges he was abused twice by priest Noel Bradford in 1968 and 1970 while he was a student and is now seeking to claim between $1,248,791.62 and $4,952,307.62 in damages for past pecuniary loss and loss of future earning capacity.

A settlement deed inked in August 2011 between P and The Society of Jesus in Australia stated that the victim would receive a $150,000 payout and free tuition for his two sons to attend Xavier College, in exchange for the defendant to be released from any future lawsuits.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou last week ruled it was just and reasonable to set aside the settlement deed reached in 2011, and a variation deed in 2016, which changed to cover P’s sons’ attendance at St Joseph’s College instead of Xavier College.

Justice Ierodiaconou found that legal barriers, namely the plaintiff’s claim was subject to a statute of limitations and legal identity barriers, materially impacted his decision to enter into a settlement deed.

P’s evidence stated that the only way he knew to get compensation at the time was to ask for it, and that he engaged in “glorified begging”.

The court was told P knew he was “out of time” as the alleged abuse occurred decades ago, and he had received legal advice advising him it was impossible to sue the defendant because of their organisational structure.

In his deposition, P said: “I had no idea what my claim was really worth. In the end, the Jesuits offered me $150,000 and I took it.

“It seemed like a modest sum, given what I had been through, but I was very aware that this was my only avenue for getting some compensation from them.”

He also submitted that children at Xavier College were abused by staff and priests before his alleged abuse, and that the school ought to have known this.

Bradford, who was also known as “Brick”, worked and lived at the school from 1964 to 1979 and held roles including second division prefect, master and sports coach.

“Bradford had a large presence at the school and according to a website titled xavier-college-kew-abuse.com … regarding Xavier College abuse he was ‘a well known toucher of boys’,” P submitted in his court documents.

In evidence, P said the alleged abuse had “devastating consequences” on his life and he had struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts for decades, and in the past turned to alcohol and drugs. “Before I was abused, I was a very good student,” he said. “I did not go on to university, even though I wanted to.

“My marks and my mental health weren’t good enough to allow me to study at university after school.”

(continued)

>>21077070

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A psychiatrist who undertook an independent psychiatric assessment of P in October 2023 said the alleged abuse and their long-term impacts contributed to about 75 per cent of the plaintiff’s ongoing emotional vulnerability and distress.

“It is clear that the trajectory altering effects of the abuse period caused the disruption in the crucial periods of education which caused his academic achievement to be scuttled,” the psychiatrist said.

“His working career has been hampered by persistent alcohol and drug abuse, poor self-worth and low confidence, difficulties interacting with male figures and poor stress tolerance.“

The judge noted that P’s brother, who also attended Xavier College, is a senior barrister and it is “plausible” P would have had a successful career.

“The defendant may not have been aware of Bradford being an abuser at the time of the alleged abuse in this proceeding, however … the defendant knew or ought to have known about the existence of other pedophiles at Xavier College at the time,” Justice Ierodiaconou’s judgment stated.

“The total compensation paid by the defendant in 2011, being $150,000, is a modest sum compared to what he would have received in 2011 had the matter proceeded to trial. Per the variation deed, the total compensation was ultimately … around $261,000. The same analysis applies. It is a modest sum.

“The compensation paid to the plaintiff is heavily discounted in comparison to the damages that he might be awarded now.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/victorian-supreme-court-judge-reasonable-to-set-aside-alleged-sex-abuse-settlement-deed-for-former-xavier-college-student/news-story/4ea8693cdf8c52b1c96ef2e7a31b8d63

http://xavier-college-kew-abuse.com/

https://web.archive.org/web/20230602060718/http://xavier-college-kew-abuse.com/

https://web.archive.org/web/20230307091950/http://xavier-college-kew-abuse.com//offenders.php?oname=Noel_Bradford

Anonymous ID: 535a31 June 24, 2024, 4:25 p.m. No.21080059 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3236

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange strikes plea deal with the U.S.

Carrie Johnson June 24, 2024 7:05 PM ET

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has entered into a plea deal with the U.S. government, bringing an end to a years-long international saga over his handling of national security secrets.

Assange is preparing to plead guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose information related to the national defense in a U.S. federal court in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific, this week, according to newly filed court papers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Assange faces a sentence of 62 months, equivalent to the time he has already served at Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition to the United States. He is expected to be released and to return to his home country of Australia following the court proceeding later this week.

Australian leaders have been lobbying the Biden administration to drop the criminal case for years. President Biden confirmed at a news conference in April that American authorities had been “considering” such a move.

A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Assange on espionage and computer misuse charges in 2019, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest compromises of classified information in American history.

The indictment accused Assange of conspiring with then-military Private Chelsea Manning to obtain and then publish secret reports about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables. Prosecutors said Assange published those materials on his site Wikileaks without properly scrubbing them of sensitive information, putting informants and others at grave risk of harm.

“No responsible actor, journalist or otherwise, would purposefully publish the names of individuals he or she knew to be confidential human sources in a war zone, exposing them to the gravest of dangers,” said former Assistant Attorney General John Demers at the time of that indictment.

Manning was arrested in 2010 and served seven years in prison before President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.

Assange’s case attracted support from human rights and journalism groups including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, fearing the Espionage Act case against Assange could create precedent for charging journalists with national security crimes.

More:

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/24/nx-s1-5017953/julian-assange-plea-deal

>>21080059

Julian Assange released from jail, after accepting US plea deal

BEN PACKHAM - 25 June 2024

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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been freed from a British prison and will return to Australia within days after agreeing to a US plea deal over his role in the publication of troves of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Assange, who has spent more than a decade trying to avoid extradition to the US, boarded a flight from London on Tuesday AEST en route to the US territory of Saipan, where the plea deal is expected to be finalised.

The dramatic turn of events follows high-level lobbying by Australia of US and British officials, including by Anthony Albanese who publicly called for his release.

The Prime Minister’s office was cautious at the news of Assange’s release, saying his legal proceedings were yet to be finalised.

“Given those proceedings are ongoing, it is not appropriate to provide further comment,” Mr Albanese’s spokesman said.

“Prime Minister Albanese has been clear – Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration.”

Assange is expected to plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to obtain and distribute classified information, according to court papers and people familiar with the matter.

The charge relates to Wikileaks’ publication of thousands of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables about America’s actions in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s.

Assange is expected to be sentenced to the 62 months he has already spent in a London prison, and be allowed to return to Australia.

The deal, which must be approved by a judge, will end his long-running legal drama that spanned three continents.

Assange’s legal team – which was adamant he would not travel to the US – reportedly reached a deal with the US Justice Department that would allow him to plead guilty to a felony charge without having to appear in suburban Virginia, where the original case was filed.

The deal was applauded across the Australian political spectrum.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said: “We have consistently said that the US and UK justice systems should be respected. We welcome the fact that Mr Assange’s decision to plead guilty will bring this long running saga to an end.”

Labor MP Julian Hill said: “Whatever you think of Assange he is an Australian and enough is enough. The prime minister deserves enormous personal credit for his Judgement and determination, never giving up in pursuing resolution of this case.”

Nationals MP Keith Pitt said Assange offered his congratulations, declaring “I hope this works out”.

He said all those involved in advocating for the Wikileaks founder deserved credit.

“(The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) are always the quiet achievers. They get around, they do some very, very difficult things at a consular level, all over the world,” he said.

“I’m sure Penny Wong has also been involved, as were previous foreign affairs ministers and prime ministers.”

Greens’ leader Adam Bandt hailed the outcome but lamented his lost decade fighting extradition to the US.

“Julian Assange will finally be free,” he wrote on X. “While great news, this has been over a decade of his life wasted by US overreach. Journalism is not a crime.”

(continued)

2/2

Assange had spent almost 2000 days in the UK’s Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the US, after years holed up in Ecuador’s London Embassy.

Footage posted by Wikileaks showed him completing paperwork and walking up the stairs to board his flight from London. He appeared healthy, despite concerns his fight for release had left him mentally and physically damaged.

Stella Assange asked supporters to help her husband’s “new chapter” in life in a video on YouTube that was recorded on June 19.

“I’m visiting Julian in a high security prison. But this, this period of our lives, I’m confident now has come to an end,” Ms Assange said.

“And I think that by this time next week. Julian will be free. Things are moving very quickly, and it’s very difficult for us to plan or even play out the next few hours and days,” she said.

“But, if everything goes well, Julian will be on a plane on the way to freedom.”

She said an “incredible” movement had formed around the WikiLeaks founder, but “we still need your help”.

“What starts now, with Julian’s freedom, is a new chapter,” she said. “In the coming hours, we intend to start an emergency fund for Julian’s health and recovery.”

Assange had revelled in his role as a champion of “radical government transparency”. But Wikileaks’ disclosures undermined American diplomacy and – the US argued – threatened the lives of US military personnel and intelligence sources.

Public perceptions of him soured after the 2016 election, when WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of documents the US says were stolen from Democrats by Russian government hackers.

Former President Donald Trump’s first CIA director, Mike Pompeo, called the website a “nonstate hostile intelligence service”.

US prosecutors charged Assange in 2019 in connection with the Iraq and Afghanistan leaks, accusing him of conspiring to help former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning break into a Defense Department computer system by trying to help her crack a password.

They added further charges under US espionage laws, leaving him to face 18 counts of conspiring to disclose classified information and hack a military computer.

Assange’s legal team had argued the Wikileaks founder was a journalist and his publication of leaked information should be protected by America’s First Amendment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/julian-assange-released-from-jail-leaves-uk-for-saipan/news-story/45a0a0ce52cf3df000dd614a4ef51108

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68881226/united-states-v-assange/

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nmid.6474/gov.uscourts.nmid.6474.1.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 25, 2024, 3:03 a.m. No.21083246 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3253

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange to be freed after pleading guilty to US espionage charge

Sarah N. Lynch and Alasdair Pal - June 25, 2024

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WASHINGTON/SYDNEY, June 24 (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty on Wednesday to violating U.S. espionage law, in a deal that will end his imprisonment in Britain and allow him to return home to Australia, ending a 14-year legal odyssey.

Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

He is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at a hearing in Saipan at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2300 GMT Tuesday). The island in the Pacific was chosen due to Assange's opposition to travelling to the mainland U.S. and for its proximity to Australia, prosecutors said.

Assange left Belmarsh prison in the UK on Monday before being bailed by the UK High Court and boarding a flight that afternoon, Wikileaks said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

"This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations," the statement said.

A video posted on X by Wikileaks showed Assange dressed in a blue shirt and jeans signing a document before boarding a private jet with the markings of charter firm VistaJet.

He will return to Australia after the hearing, the Wikileaks statement added, referring to the hearing in Saipan.

"Julian is free!!!!" his wife, Stella Assange, said in a post on X.

"Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU - yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true."

The only VistaJet plane that departed Stansted on Monday afternoon was headed to Bangkok, FlightRadar24 data shows. A spokesperson for Assange in Australia declined to comment on his flight plans. VistaJet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Australian government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been pressing for Assange's release but declined to comment on the legal proceedings as they were ongoing.

"Prime Minister Albanese has been clear - Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration," a government spokesperson said.

A lawyer for Assange did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(continued)

>>21083246

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HISTORIC CHARGES

WikiLeaks in 2010 released hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents on Washington's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - the largest security breaches of their kind in U.S. military history - along with swaths of diplomatic cables.

Assange was indicted during former President Donald Trump's administration over WikiLeaks' mass release of secret U.S. documents, which were leaked by Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. military intelligence analyst who was also prosecuted under the Espionage Act.

The trove of more than 700,000 documents included diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts such as a 2007 video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Iraq, killing a dozen people including two Reuters news staff. That video was released in 2010.

The charges against Assange sparked outrage among his many global supporters who have long argued that Assange as the publisher of Wikileaks should not face charges typically used against federal government employees who steal or leak information.

Many press freedom advocates have argued that criminally charging Assange represents a threat to free speech.

"A plea deal would avert the worst-case scenario for press freedom, but this deal contemplates that Assange will have served five years in prison for activities that journalists engage in every day," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of free speech organization Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

"It will cast a long shadow over the most important kinds of journalism, not just in this country but around the world."

LONG ODYSSEY

Assange was first arrested in Britain in 2010 on a European arrest warrant after Swedish authorities said they wanted to question him over sex-crime allegations that were later dropped. He fled to Ecuador's embassy, where he remained for seven years, to avoid extradition to Sweden.

He was dragged out of the embassy in 2019 and jailed for skipping bail. He has been in London's Belmarsh top security jail ever since, from where he has for almost five years been fighting extradition to the United States.

Those five years of confinement are similar to the sentence imposed on Reality Winner, an Air Force veteran and former intelligence contractor, who was sentenced to 63 months after she removed classified materials and mailed them to a news outlet.

While in Belmarsh Assange married his partner Stella with whom he had two children while he was holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/wikileaks-assange-expected-plead-guilty-us-espionage-charge-document-says-2024-06-24/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zcajHDjqlM

WikiLeaks Tweet

JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE

Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.

This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible.

After more than five years in a 2x3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.

WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people's right to know.

As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom.

Julian's freedom is our freedom.

[More details to follow]

https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1805390138945528183

Stella Assange Tweet

Julian is free!!!!

Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. tHANK YOU. THANK YOU.

Follow @WikiLeaks for more info soon…

https://x.com/Stella_Assange/status/1805393089819033890

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 25, 2024, 3:19 a.m. No.21083277 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9153

Mike Pence Tweet

Julian Assange endangered the lives of our troops in a time of war and should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Biden administration’s plea deal with Assange is a miscarriage of justice and dishonors the service and sacrifice of the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families. There should be no plea deals to avoid prison for anyone that endangers the security of our military or the national security of the United States. Ever.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna158695

https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1805426412670570928

Anthony Albanese tells parliament he wants Julian Assange 'brought home to Australia'

Guardian Australia

Jun 25, 2024

Anthony Albanese has shared his thoughts on Julian Assange's release in parliament, saying, 'the case has dragged on too long'.

'There is nothing to be gained from his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia,' the prime minister said. Assange has been released from British prison and is expected to plead guilty to violating US espionage law, in a deal that would allow him to return home to Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZPRcr7jJZ4

Penny Wong nods to Julian Assange's supporters after plea deal sees WikiLeaks founder freed

Guardian Australia

Jun 25, 2024

Penny Wong, the foreign minister, acknowledges Julian Assange's supporters after a plea deal sees the Australian WikiLeaks founder released from prison.

'There are many here in parliament who have advocated for Mr Assange to come home, as have supporters in Australia and around the world,' says Wong. 'We have consistently stated that there is nothing to be said for the ongoing incarceration of Mr Julian Assange'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evrUnG7XylU

'The end has not arrived': Barnaby Joyce on Assange plea deal with US justice department

Guardian News

Jun 25, 2024

The former deputy PM cautiously welcomed developments that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the US justice department that will allow him to walk free.

Joyce was part of the delegation to lobby US law makers over Julian Assange.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_SlBAL19Ec

Stella Assange Tweet

Julian calling into Sydney from Stansted airport last night (his day time).

#AssangeJet #AssangeFree

https://x.com/Stella_Assange/status/1805489643246567873

—

WikiLeaks Tweet

Approaching Bangkok airport for layover.

Moving closer to freedom.

#AssangeJet

https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1805523516130722200

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 26, 2024, 2:41 a.m. No.21089005 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9012

Pit stop for a guilty plea and Julian Assange is homeward bound

BEN PACKHAM - 26 June 2024

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Julian Assange has landed on the US territory of Saipan Island and is on his way to court, where he will plead guilty to a single felony charge of conspiring to obtain and distribute classified information, before heading home to Australia.

The WikiLeaks founder flew in to the remote Northern Marianas Islands on a private jet from Bangkok, an almost six-hour journey, and will face court at 9am (AEST).

The flight tracker website Flightradar24 said Assange’s jet was the most tracked flight on Wednesday.

Assange’s wife says she is “elated” at her husband’s release from prison and the family’s top priority is to help him regain his health following a plea deal with US authorities to end his long-running legal saga.

Assange landed in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon, AEST, accompanied by Australia’s high commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith, after a dramatic breakthrough that saw him released from a British prison after nearly 2000 days on remand fighting extradition to the US.

Under the deal, the US Justice Department will end its pursuit of Assange over his release of hundreds of thousands of classified documents, allowing him to return home to Australia.

The deal follows lobbying by Anthony Albanese of Joe Biden and successive British leaders, and a relentless campaign by Assange’s family and global network of supporters. Stella Assange told the BBC from Australia she had experienced “a whirlwind of emotions” in recent days as the plea deal moved closer to being finalised.

She said the family had not yet had a chance to discuss their plans for the future, but the priority was “for Julian to get healthy again”.

Ms Assange said her husband had “been in a terrible state for five years” and they wanted “time and privacy” to start a new chapter of their lives with their children.

“It’s always been quite extraordinary,” she said. “But I’m just so emotional now. You know, this is finally over.”

The Prime Minister was cautious on Tuesday as news of Assange’s release broke, fearing any misplaced comments could jeopardise the carefully negotiated agreement allowing his release. “While this is a welcome development, we recognise that these proceedings are crucial and they are delicate,” Mr Albanese said. “As these proceedings are ongoing, it isn’t appropriate to provide further details.”

He said he had been clear in opposition and government that “regardless of the views that people have about Julian Assange and his activities, the case has dragged on for too long”. “There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him home to Australia,” he told parliament. “We have engaged and advocated Australia’s interests using all appropriate channels to support a positive outcome.”

According to the New York Post, Assange is believed to have shelled out $US500,000 ($752,000) for a private jet to fly to the remote island of Saipan in the US territory of Marianas Islands, in the northwest Pacific, to avoid returning to the American mainland.

Assange, 52, is scheduled to appear at 9am AEST on Wednesday in the US District Court in Saipan. He is expected to be sentenced to 62 months already served in a London prison, and be allowed to return to Australia.

His guilty plea, which must be approved by a judge, follows years of legal efforts by the “radical transparency” advocate to avoid charges in the US over WikiLeaks’ document dumps that embarrassed America and its allies.

According to a court document, Assange will plead guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain and distribute classified information.

(continued)

>>21089005

2/2

The charge relates to WikiLeaks’ publication of troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables about America’s actions in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s. He had previously faced 18 charges under US espionage laws.

His legal team had been adamant he would not travel to the US to face court in suburban Virginia, where the original case was filed.

The plea deal followed signs of a looming resolution to the case, including a comment by Mr Biden in April when he was asked by the press about Australia’s request for Assange to be freed. “We’re considering it,” Mr Biden said.

Assange’s release was applauded across the political spectrum. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said: “We have consistently said that the US and UK justice systems should be respected. We welcome the fact that Mr Assange’s decision to plead guilty will bring this long-running saga to an end.”

Labor backbencher Josh Wilson said it was an “enormously heartening development”.

Nationals MP Keith Pitt said all those involved in advocating for the WikiLeaks founder deserved credit. “(The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) are always the quiet achievers. They do some very, very difficult things at a consular level, all over the world,” he said. “I’m sure Penny Wong has also been involved, as were previous foreign affairs ministers and prime ministers.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt welcomed the outcome but lamented Assange’s lost decade fighting extradition to the US.

“Julian Assange will finally be free,” he said. “While great news, this has been over a decade of his life wasted by US overreach. Journalism is not a crime.”

Assange’s fight for freedom has been at times surreal. He was pursued by Sweden in 2010 on rape charges that were later dropped, and sought asylum in Ecuador’s Embassy in London two years later. He remained there for five years, receiving Ecuadorean citizenship and fathering two children.

Assange has sought sanctuary in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, but outstayed his welcome by failing to clean up after his cat, skateboarding in the hallway and allegedly leaking personal information about Ecuador’s president to a rival.

He was stripped of Ecuadorean citizenship in 2019, kicked out of the embassy, and immediately arrested by British police.

Assange revelled in his role as a champion of free speech, arguing he was a journalist and his publication of leaked information should be protected by the US first amendment. But WikiLeaks’ disclosures undermined American diplomacy and, the US argued, threatened the lives of military and intelligence personnel. Former president Donald Trump’s first CIA director, Mike Pompeo, said the website was a “non-state hostile intelligence service”.

US prosecutors charged Assange in 2019, accusing him of conspiring to help former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning break into a Defence Department computer system.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/julian-assange-released-from-jail-leaves-uk-for-saipan/news-story/45a0a0ce52cf3df000dd614a4ef51108

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 26, 2024, 2:58 a.m. No.21089028 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9034

Why the hearing to free Julian Assange happened on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific

Emily Clark, Basel Hindeleh and Riley Stuart - 26 June 2024

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Julian Assange's long-running legal odyssey has moved around the world, involving high-level negotiations across Australia, the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ecuador.

And now, more than 14 years after WikiLeaks dropped a cache of classified US defence documents alleging war crimes in Afghanistan and Syria, his case has reached a courtroom on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The Northern Mariana Islands is a US territory and one of the closest to mainland Australia. It shares a time zone with Australia's east coast.

Assange arrived on the island of Saipan about 6:30am, accompanied by Australia's ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd.

Just over an hour later, he walked into the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, where he entered a guilty plea as part of a deal with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that brought his fight for freedom to a close.

The terms of the deal meant Assange was sentenced to time served, meaning at the close of proceedings, he was free to travel to Australia.

After seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy and five years in Belmarsh Prison, Assange now returning to Australia.

And like his legal battle has done plenty of times before, it brought another dramatic twist — one that has taken him from a high-security jail cell in England to the big blue of the Pacific.

Why the Northern Mariana Islands?

If you needed to be in an United States District Court, far from continental USA and close to home in Australia, the Northern Mariana Islands are a good option.

Saipan is the largest island and the capital of the territory, which begins roughly 70 kilometres north of Guam and stretches across 14 islands.

Like Guam or Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands are part of the US without the full status of a state.

After time as a colony of Spain, Germany and then Japan, the United States took control of the island in World War II after the Battle of Saipan in 1944; residents voted to become a US territory in 1975.

Residents are US citizens, but cannot vote in presidential elections.

Crucially, some of the islands, like Saipan, also host US district courts.

As the court hearing started, Judge Ramona Manglona who is presiding over the case said: "Not many people recognise we are part of the United States, but that is true."

On Tuesday, WikiLeaks posted on the social media platform X a video showing Australia's High Commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith, in a vehicle with Assange.

It said the pair were in Bangkok. Assange's jet arrived in the Thai capital earlier in the day and took off again, bound for Saipan, just after 10:30pm local time (1:30am Wednesday, AEST).

When Assange was in court on Wednesday, he was roughly 3,000km from Australia. Hawaii is more than twice as far away, California further still.

US prosecutors said the location was important to Assange and that he wanted to go to a court close to Australia.

In a letter filed to the US court on Saipan, a Department of Justice official thanks the court for accommodating the matter "at the joint request of both of the parties".

The letter notes "the defendant's opposition to travelling to the continental United States to enter his guilty plea and the proximity of this federal US District Court to the defendant’s country of citizenship, Australia".

Assange and his legal team have long believed it would not be safe for him to enter the United States, but under the terms of the plea deal, it appears a compromise was found.

"He has to front up to charges that have been brought under US law," professor at the University of Sydney's law school Emily Crawford told Reuters.

"It had to be US territory, but it had to be the US territory closest to Australia that wasn't a US state like Hawaii."

(continued)

>>21089028

2/2

Inside the courtroom

Assange's case started at 9am when he entered the court room wearing a black suit.

Sat behind him were Mr Rudd, Mr Smith, and human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

All stood up as Judge Manglona entered the court room.

The judge then told the court the charge was "conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information," which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10-years in prison.

Assange was then asked to enter his plea to the specific charge, to which he said "guilty".

However, in a last act of defiance against the US legal system, he said there were caveats to his guilt.

The judge then said she accepted the plea.

In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Assange's wife Stella said there was an agreement "in principle" with the US Department of Justice but the judge must have signed off on it before it became official.

"Once the judge signs off on it, then it is formally real," she said.

Judge Manglona has been serving as the court's chief judge since her nomination in 2011 by then US president Barack Obama after eight years as an associate judge.

The Saipan native was a trailblazer in the US federal legal system where among other achievements she was the first Indigenous woman to pass the local bar exam and the first and only woman to serve on this court.

Ms Assange said all the details of deal they made with the US would be "made public, and I think it's a very interesting deal".

"The important thing here is that the deal involved time served — that if he signed it, he would be able to walk free," she told the BBC.

Under the deal he will be sentenced to 62 months of time that he has already served.

Assange left the island after the hearing and made his way back to Australia.

A surprise stop at island court

Until yesterday, the next date on the calendar for Assange's legal matters was in early July when a UK court was due to hear his appeal against his extradition to the US.

The Australian government has long been pushing the US to resolve the case and recently US President Joe Biden said "we're considering it" when asked if he had a response to Canberra's request that he end Assange's prosecution.

So there was some pressure and indication a deal might be possible, but little clue it would involve a trip to the Northern Mariana Islands.

As news of the plea deal broke, pre-prepared videos from Ms Assange and WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson were released.

In one, Mr Hrafnsson said: "If you're seeing this, that means he's out."

Meanwhile, the High Court in London on Tuesday sealed an order that revealed a "plea agreement" was signed between Assange and the US government on June 19.

While Assange has left the United Kingdom, he was due in court next month for an appeal hearing, and the proceedings still need to be formally terminated.

The order said conditional bail was approved to allow Assange to travel to Saipan to attend Wednesday's court hearing.

Assange was charged with 18 criminal offences in the US, including obtaining, receiving and disclosing classified information.

American officials declined to publicly discuss the plea deal before the hearing.

"While the matter is pending, it's important for me not to comment on it at all," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. "Maybe tomorrow, we'll have more to say."

But the order released by the High Court in London says the agreement is for Assange to plead guilty to one of the 18 charges, with a "proposed sentence of time served".

It says it is "anticipated that a plea will be entered on Wednesday" and that after it is, "the United States have undertaken to withdraw the extradition request".

Following the conclusion of the court proceedings the DOJ released a lengthy statement revealing under the plea agreement Assange was prohibited from returning to the US without permission.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-26/julian-assange-hearing-pacific-island-mariana-islands/104020120

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2-jScoqJ5M

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-pleads-guilty-and-sentenced-conspiring-obtain-and-disclose-classified

‘He did the right thing’: Assange’s father ready for reunion

David Crowe - June 26, 2024

No matter what a United States court says about Julian Assange, one man wants all Australians to know the Wikileaks founder should be declared not guilty when he returns home.

Assange’s father, John Shipton, arrived in Canberra on Tuesday night in the hope he could embrace his son on Australian soil for the first time in 15 years.

“He stood his ground, he did the right thing,” Shipton says of the controversial work by WikiLeaks to reveal alleged war crimes, diplomatic cables and other secrets others wanted to hide.

“He stood in the icy, cold wind of truth and remained upright – he remained upright for 15 years. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to that man.

“And the smears, the lies, the calumnies, the double-dealing and the effort by certain members of the legacy press to climb up on his corpse, or at least attempt to, that was off-putting. But I don’t care. The fight was to bring him home to Australia.

“I believed in my heart that Australians would respond to the call for righting an injustice and seeing a sense of justice being done. And I was not wrong in that.”

Shipton last saw his son in Australia about 15 years ago, before Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant over sexual assault allegations, the first legal step in what became a long effort by US authorities to extradite him to an American court to face espionage charges.

“Julian has been fitted up,” he says. Shipton never believed the claims against his son and praises legal experts who, he says, picked apart the sexual assault accusations. (One of them, Nils Melzer, was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture for six years.)

Shipton believes Assange was and is a journalist who revealed news others wanted to keep secret, and says he is just as deeply Australian as other expatriate journalists such as John Pilger or Phillip Knightley.

While he did not get involved in the formal negotiations over a plea deal, Shipton spent years campaigning for Assange on seven trips around Australia. He recalls the welcomes he received in places like Castlemaine in Victoria and Wagga Wagga in NSW.

He praises Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and others, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the two key diplomats involved, Kevin Rudd in the US and Stephen Smith in the UK. But he emphasises the cross-party support in federal parliament from Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals, the Greens and independents.

He names members of parliament ranging from Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie to Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, former Nationals resources minister Matt Canavan and former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.

“If you want to do something, here’s the lesson: make it cross-party,” he says.

“That’s the lesson, because they’re all Australians, these people, and they want to advance Australia. So make umbrella ideas the public can support and both sides of parliament can weld themselves around.”

Shipton is seen by some as an apologist for Russia because they claim he has spoken at a pro-Russian rally after the invasion of Ukraine, but he denies this and says he was speaking about his son. “I was ambushed by Cossack people who surrounded me with Russian flags and took photographs,” he says. Of the invasion, he says he is against all war.

The claim against him is another reflection of the concern that Assange used information from Russian hackers to release emails that undermined Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign. While Shipton was photographed in Canberra on Wednesday morning wearing a Russian hat, with an Assange badge on the front, he says he was given this during a New York winter.

Shipton saw Assange in Belmarsh Prison in the UK when he could, most recently last month, but still sounds stunned that he can see his son in Australia once more.

“I think it’s staggering. Can believe that the entirety of the institutions of the United States – the Pentagon, the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Justice, the Department of State – all lined up against Julian Assange,” he says.

“And the Australian government managed to unpick that Gordian knot and allow him to return. It’s just astonishing.”

There are challenges ahead for Assange. His wife, Stella, says the family is broke and will have to start a fundraising campaign to find about $750,000 to cover their costs, including the charter flight to bring him home.

Shipton says his son will at least be able to hear the call of a magpie in the morning and see and smell the Australian bush.

“He’s got here just in time to see the wattle bloom,” he says.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/he-did-the-right-thing-assange-s-father-ready-for-reunion-20240626-p5josa.html

https://x.com/mopeng/status/1805747571002064907

Julian Assange freed after pleading guilty to one espionage charge at a hearing in Saipan

James Oaten - 26 June 2024

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Julian Assange is a free man after pleading guilty to one charge of espionage in a federal United States court as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

But inside the room, he had one last act of defiance.

The tension was palpable as the chief judge entered the US federal court of the remote Northern Mariana Islands, deep in the Pacific Ocean.

After more than a decade of highly publicised legal battles and fierce debate over the publication of highly sensitive material, one of the biggest court cases of the year was to be resolved on a little-known US territory.

So little-known, the US federal judge felt compelled to address the matter in court.

"Not many people recognise we are part of the United States, but that is true," Chief Judge Ramona V Manglona said.

Assange was facing one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, which carries a maximum 10-year jail penalty.

Julian Assange spoke directly and calmly when it was discussed if he was willing to enter a plea.

"Guilty," he said.

Eventually, the decision everyone expected was handed down.

Chief Judge Manglona said had Assange faced court in 2012, she would not be inclined to accept the deal.

But with the passage of time, she accepted there had been no physical injury as a result of his actions, and he had already served five years in one of the UK's harshest prisons.

She sentenced Assange to time already served in prison, meaning he is now a free man.

"I hope you start your new life in a positive manner," Chief Judge Manglona said.

After years of communicating through lawyers and advocates, there was a moment in the hearing when Assange spoke about his case in his own words.

He spoke calmly and confidently before the court, stating there were caveats to his guilt, and spoke of the US Constitution's First Amendment, which upholds free speech and freedom of the press.

It was another act of defiance against the US legal system that has pursued him for more than a decade.

"Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified in order to publish that information," Assange told the court when asked to explain his understanding of the charge.

"I believed the First Amendment protected that activity.

"I believe the First Amendment and the Espionage Act are in contradiction."

Outside court, Australian human rights lawyer and Assange's longest-service counsel, Jennifer Robinson, said today was "a historic day".

"Julian Assange can go home a free man," she said.

"This also brings to an end a case which has been recognised as the greatest threat to the First Amendment in the 21st century.

"There has been a global movement behind Julian to protect free speech and it is because of the global movement of support that today's outcome is possible."

Ms Robinson said: "This prosecution sets a dangerous precedent that should be of concern to journalists everywhere."

"The US is seeking to exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction over all of you without giving you constitutional free speech protections.

"Anyone who cares about free speech and democratic accountability should stand against it."

The US Department of Justice released a statement as proceedings concluded.

"Unlike news organisations that published redacted versions of some of the classified documents that Assange obtained from [Chelsea] Manning and then shared with those organisations, Assange and WikiLeaks disclosed many of the raw classified documents without removing any personally identifying information," the statement read.

"Specifically, in many instances, the classified documents [were released] … in a raw or unredacted form that placed individuals who had assisted the US government at great personal risk."

The department also confirmed it was part of the plea agreement that Assange would not be allowed to enter the United States without permission.

(continued)

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Assange was initially facing multiple charges of disclosing and publishing highly sensitive material, which could have seen the 52-year-old sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.

Under the terms of the plea deal, by admitting guilt to one charge, Assange is now a free man and can go home — a relief for him, his family, and his supporters.

And now a bilateral headache for the US and Australia is over.

Assange and WikiLeaks have long argued the disclosure of the highly sensitive material was public interest journalism, which is protected under the US Constitution.

His detractors argued that he recklessly dumped unfiltered material online, which put the lives of US personnel in jeopardy.

Even with his final act of defiance, Assange is now a convicted felon and has publicly admitted his work — at least part of it — overstepped the mark.

How this impacts journalism going forward is one of the many unknowns of this deal.

High commissioner, former PM by his side

Assange arrived at the courthouse in a white SUV wearing a black suit and a smile as he walked past security.

He entered the federal US court, a place he has made every attempt to avoid for 14 years, flanked by former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd.

His expression was one of anticipation — positive and very much ready for the legal formalities to get underway.

He was supported by Australian High Commissioner to the UK Stephen Smith, who accompanied him on the journey out of Britain.

Ms Robinson was also by his side. After years of representing Assange, both legally and as an advocate to politicians and the public, she too walked into court with an obvious look of cautious optimism and a hint of relief that a mammoth job was about to conclude.

Inside the courtroom, Assange stood as the chief judge entered and then the start of the end to his epic legal battle began.

While the hearing was underway, WikiLeaks announced Assange's flight out of the US territory would depart shortly after the court appearance ended and have him in Canberra by the end of the day.

The time on the ground in the Northern Mariana Islands was really just a detour on his way home, albeit the stop that would ultimately set him free.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-26/julian-assange-freed-as-court-hearing-concludes-in-saipan/104022842

WikiLeaks Tweet

Just a moment -

https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1805825779130831061

—

Stella Assange Tweet

Julian walks out of Saipan federal court a free man. I can’t stop crying.

#AssangeFree #AssangeJet

https://x.com/Stella_Assange/status/1805799041558888555

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 26, 2024, 3:47 a.m. No.21089129 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9132

Julian Assange's lawyer says WikiLeaks founder 'cannot, and should not, be silenced'

James Oaten and Andrew Thorpe - 26 June 2024

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is on a flight home to Australia after pleading guilty to a felony espionage charge in a US court, under a deal negotiated with the Department of Justice.

The resolution, which played out in the US District Court on the island of Saipan, brings to a close more than a decade of legal fighting sparked by WikiLeaks' release in 2010 of a cache of classified US defence documents alleging US war crimes in Afghanistan and Syria.

Speaking outside court, Assange's US lawyer Barry J Pollack called the prosecution of his client "unprecedented" and said Assange should never have been charged with an espionage offence for publishing the documents.

"He has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world community gets truthful and important newsworthy information," Mr Pollack said.

"We firmly believe that Mr Assange never should have been charged under the Espionage Act as he engaged in an exercise that journalists engage in every day, and we are thankful that they do.

"It is appropriate, though … for the judge, as she did today, to determine that no additional incarceration of Mr Assange would be fair."

Mr Pollack said WikiLeaks would continue its work, which often involves publishing leaked government documents, and Assange himself would remain "a continuing force for freedom of speech and transparency in government".

"He is a powerful voice and a voice that cannot, and should not, be silenced," he said.

Mr Pollack added that Assange had refused to plead guilty to any charges that would have "required him to accept allegations that are simply not true" — but the charge of accepting and publishing national security documents was acceptable as he had done just that "in the world's interest".

Assange's Australian lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said it was a "historic day" and the deal had come as a "huge relief to Julian Assange, to his friends, family, supporters, to us, and to everyone who believes in free speech around the world".

"There has been a global movement behind Julian to protect free speech and it is because of that global movement of support that today's outcome is possible," she said.

"In particular, I want to thank our prime minister, Anthony Albanese, for his statesmanship, his principled leadership, and his diplomacy, which made this outcome possible."

(continued)

>>21089129

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Assange flew into Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, on Wednesday morning as part of a plea deal that saw him sentenced to time served in exchange for a guilty plea to the espionage charge, which carried a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Chief Judge Ramona Manglona, an Obama appointee, approved the plea deal though she said if Assange had faced court in 2012 she would have been less inclined to accept it, as it was only the passage of time that showed no one had been physically harmed due to the leak.

She sentenced Assange to time served, given the five years he had spent in the UK's Belmarsh Prison while he fought extradition to the United States.

The plea deal resolves a 14-year battle over Assange's future, however, it has sparked renewed concerns about the case's potential chilling effect on press freedom, with free speech advocates highlighting the need for Assange's style of activist journalism to keep governments honest.

The resolution to Assange's case also follows years of diplomacy from the Australian government, with the case becoming a thorny issue in the US-Australia relationship.

Speaking after the court accepted the plea deal, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the resolution was "a welcome development" but it should be recognised that the US court proceedings were "sensitive and should be respected".

"This isn't something that has happened in the last 24 hours," Mr Albanese said.

"This is something that has been considered, patient, worked through in a calibrated way, which is how Australia conducts ourselves internationally."

He added that Assange had been provided with consular assistance throughout the plea deal process, including the presence of its ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, and ambassador to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, at the hearing.

Assange spent five years in the UK's Belmarsh Prison fighting moves to extradite him to the United States in relation to the WikiLeaks publications.

He had previously spent seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London fighting moves to extradite him to Sweden on a charge of rape, saying he was concerned he would be extradited to the United States if he went to Sweden in person to fight the charge.

The UK government maintained a 24-hour guard outside the embassy for the majority of his stay there, preventing his escape to Ecuador, where he had been granted asylum.

The charge in question was eventually dropped in 2019, with prosecutors citing insufficient evidence to proceed.

Assange is due to arrive in Australia on a flight to Canberra later on Wednesday.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-26/julian-assange-wikileaks-guilty-conspiracy-mariana-islands/104022410

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw6OWYGHWyA

https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1805743347165761842

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/VJT199

>>21083277

Julian Assange: Fittingly pathetic end to tawdry tale of a traitor

MICHAEL WARE and JUSTINE A. ROSENTHAL - 26 June 2024

Finally, at long last, Julian Assange has confessed to being a traitor.

For who else disseminates our military or diplomatic secrets in a time of excruciating and bloodcurdling wars he never had to fight, bleed for, or watch his friends die in, and does so with unabashed “look at me” abandon?

Materials he disseminated without a conscious thought for the safety of the people or methods named in the documents he paraded, without a thought to anyone’s actual lives. Documents that, in the hands of a journalist, would have been equally revealed but with ethical and moral guardianship.

In the end, perhaps fittingly, the self-aggrandising saga of Assange has ended ignominiously on an island, in a far-off tiny commonwealth of the US in the Pacific Ocean, where he is due to plead guilty to a single US felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security material.

It may be a Pyrrhic victory, but it’s a victory nonetheless. Not only for our national security services, but for journalists as well.

For in the courtroom of public opinion and in the halls of justice, Tuesday was a condemnation not only of treason but a validation of high journalism. Julian Assange will no longer play the poster child of national security secret dumping masquerading as heroic selflessness in the name of freedom of the press.

As we have said before in the pages of this publication, there is a worthy, storied place for whistleblowers with the courage to stand up against those who wish to conceal secrets that should be made public – the ugly truths that must be told.

But at some feverish and ludicrous point, Assange went from theatre, to farce, to tragedy. Until, finally, his story became about a sad little man with seemingly agonising personal issues who thought he was somehow more divine than the world of realpolitik he egotistically bumbled into.

A relentless but vital world in which he was proverbially run over by a tank.

It’s an evisceration that should, finally, give all true journalists some relief and breath.

For Assange sought to defraud the public, and his acolytes, into thinking he represented our journalistic profession. A profession some of us have lived or died for. Assange doesn’t have a clue where free speech begins nor ends. He doesn’t know when not to cry “fire” in a crowded theatre. He’s merely a digital garbage bin behind the great halls of true reporting. Indeed, he even derided on Twitter to never wanting to identify as a journalist. Undermining, one supposes, not only his legal defence but his own manufactured sense of identity and purpose.

Feted by those in foolish fugue and confused, who, now, will be saddled with him upon his release?

It would seem it will not be the Ecuadorians, not the Brits, nor the Americans who must now live with the soiled imprint and presence of Julian Assange. But us. Australia. For he is, after all, one of our “own”?

Should that be so, then let us be grateful because, if there is justice in this world, at least the Assange anguish could be over. For there is no winning, or winners, in his tale.

Thus, it is time to at last bury his lede. Headlines are his heroin. Maybe Australia will let him rest. Forget him, even? For to keep enabling this kind of headline-seeking addict is to promote precisely the wrong type of freedom of the press and services of truth to power to which we all aspire. And which truly serves our democracy.

For Assange is now yesterday’s news. Lest he cannot help himself. And betrays us again. But in any event, he should not be abetted. It’s beyond time we deprive Assange the attention he craves like the oxygen we breathe. There remain, and will continue to emerge, true whistleblowers to laud. It’s in them our energies and devotion must lie. Not in vacuous hacking vessels who crossed lines too numerous to count.

Yet Assange may yet still serve a noble purpose – as a cautionary tale. He may illuminate genuine whistleblowers, such as US Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman who, at career-ending cost, called out what he saw as Russian interference in Ukraine and US elections.

It’s time to bury Assange’s headline. For, after all, haven’t we all now served our time? Assange has served his, which we’ve read about endlessly. Let us hope he does not trouble us once more, and that we, all, do not have to serve our time again because of him.

Under law. Without question.

Michael Ware is a former CNN war correspondent. Justine A. Rosenthal is a former executive editor of Newsweek Magazine. Both are award-winning documentarians.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/julian-assange-fittingly-pathetic-end-to-tawdry-tale-of-a-traitor/news-story/693af67b7573213a104d5768b5334fa5

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 26, 2024, 4:04 a.m. No.21089163 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2356

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet

STATEMENT BY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRALIA CAROLINE KENNEDY

“The return of Julian Assange to Australia brings this longstanding and difficult case to a close. The United States is grateful to the Government of Australia for their commitment and assistance throughout this process.”

https://x.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1805810310277906746

Julian Assange reunites with family after he arrives in Canberra

Jake Evans - 26 June 2024

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has landed in Australia, ending the former fugitive's decade-long diplomatic saga.

Assange's plane touched down just after 7:30pm in Canberra as his family, supporters and media watched on.

Crowds erupted in cheers as Assange waved at supporters and hugged his wife on the tarmac.

As he stepped off the plane, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking from parliament, welcomed his return.

"Earlier tonight I was pleased to speak to Mr Assange to welcome him home and had the opportunity to ask him about his health and have my first discussion with him," he said.

"His safe return to Australia as we know means so much to his family."

Assange's family and media then raced to East Hotel in Kingston, where his wife Stella Assange and legal team addressed media and celebrated his return.

Ms Assange thanked the government and opposition, public servants and the Australian people for their tireless advocacy.

"It took all of them, it took millions of people, it took people working behind the scenes, people protesting on the streets for day, and weeks, and months and years," Ms Assange said.

"And we achieved it."

Assange's lawyer, Jen Robinson, said he spoke with the prime minister on the phone as soon as he landed, and expressed his thanks for his return.

"[Assange] told the prime minister he had saved his life, and I don't think that's an exaggeration," Ms Robinson said.

"That Julian came home today is the product of 14 long years of legal battles, political advocacy and ongoing campaigning — not just by us, but by so many people in this community.

But his legal team repeated their frustrations that Assange had to plead guilty in order to be freed, and said that amounted to the criminalisation of journalism.

Ms Assange added that Julian wished to pass on his thanks, but he needed time to recuperate.

"You have to understand what he's been through," she said.

"Julian should never have spent a single day in prison, but today we celebrate because Julian is free."

Earlier on Wednesday, Assange pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy with a sentence of "time already served", in a deal that concluded the United States' pursuit of him for more than a decade.

The US had sought Assange's extradition from the United Kingdom since 2012 over the publication of classified US military intelligence through WikiLeaks.

Julian Assange touches down in Australia

Mr Albanese said regardless of what people think of Assange, it was clear his case had dragged on for too long.

He said in his phone call with Assange expressed "praise" for the Australian government's efforts in returning him home, saying it took patient diplomacy.

Outside the East Hotel in Kingston, the mood was jubilant as a crowd of Assange's supporters gathered to welcome his return.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-26/julian-assange-touches-down-in-australia/104025444

Assange’s defiant gesture on return as wife asks for time to recover

Matthew Knott, David Crowe and Paul Sakkal - June 26, 2024

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has returned to Australia with a clenched-fist gesture in emotional scenes in Canberra on Wednesday night, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to always stand up for citizens in trouble overseas.

Assange made a symbolic show of victory, his arm outstretched and his fist clenched, after stepping onto Australian soil for the first time in 14 years, as he hugged his wife, Stella Assange, and his father, John Shipton, on the tarmac.

A crowd gathered in Canberra to greet the controversial figure, hailed a hero by some and traitor by others, when he landed in Australia after a plea deal in a remote Pacific island courthouse to end years of legal pursuit by United States authorities.

Assange told Albanese “you saved my life” in a phone conversation as soon as the charter flight landed, with the prime minister saying the WikiLeaks founder described the arrival as a “surreal and happy moment” after years in prison.

Stella Assange made an emotional plea for her husband to be given privacy while he reunited with their children, while she also signalled a campaign to secure a presidential pardon for Assange in the years ahead.

“Julian wanted me to sincerely thank everyone,” she told a packed press conference in Canberra, as supporters jostled to see the Assange family and his lawyers, Jennifer Robinson and Barry Pollack, and others clamoured to enter the room.

“But you have to understand what he’s been through. He needs time. He needs to recuperate. And this is a process. I ask you - please - to give us space, to give us privacy. To find our place. To let our family be a family before he can speak again at a time of his choosing.”

She argued for a pardon for her husband not only for his sake but because, she said, the US prosecution against him set a disturbing precedent and put all journalists at risk.

Robinson, the key lawyer who has acted for Assange in London for many years, also described the prosecution under the US Espionage Act as a grave threat to free speech.

In a key statement to critics of Assange who claim his revelations put lives at risk, Robinson cited the court decision on Wednesday as proof this was not so, given the judge said nobody had been harmed as a result of his activities.

Assange arrived in Australia after appearing in a courtroom in the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States commonwealth in the Pacific, earlier in the day, where he pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information.

His arrival in Australia for the first time in 14 years brought a dramatic end to a legal saga that tested the boundaries of press freedom and required skilful lobbying by the Albanese government and Assange supporters to secure his release.

Albanese said at a press conference at 8pm, just as Assange disembarked from a chartered flight, that the release of Assange had taken years of diplomatic effort and showed the government was “not in a contest of machismo” because it worked quietly behind the scenes rather than talking in public about its negotiations with the US.

“I believe in standing up for Australian citizens,” he said of his talks with US President Joe Biden and the broader effort to settle the case.

(continued)

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Albanese acknowledged the strong opinions about Assange and did not take sides on the dispute about whether he was a journalist and had been unfairly pursued.

While the prime minister welcomed Assange home, there are no plans for a public show of support in a joint press conference or other event together in coming days.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton remained silent in question time on Wednesday when Albanese spoke about Assange, while other Coalition frontbenchers have criticised the WikiLeaks founder this week and said his work had undermined the US and its allies.

Stella Assange told the BBC that her husband “will have to pay the Australian government $US520,000 ($777,000) back for the chartered flights” that brought him from London to Canberra via Bangkok and Saipan.

She said Assange’s supporters had already raised more than half the sum required through a crowdfunding appeal.

The US Justice Department on Wednesday defended its six-year-long pursuit of Assange, accusing him of behaving differently to traditional journalists and putting individuals who helped the US government “at great personal risk” by not redacting their names.

Assange will be banned from returning to the US without permission as a result of the conviction, the Justice Department said.

At his Mariana Islands plea, Judge Ramona Manglona said it was important to recognise that Assange had been jailed for 62 months in a London prison, roughly equivalent to the time US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning served for disclosing classified information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to WikiLeaks.

“I hope there will be some peace restored,” she said, wishing Assange a “happy birthday” as his 53rd birthday falls next week.

Assange was originally charged with 18 felony counts, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 175 years.

The Justice Department said that, unlike traditional news organisations, “Assange and WikiLeaks disclosed many of the raw classified documents without removing any personally identifying information”.

“Assange’s decision to reveal the names of human sources illegally shared with him by Manning created a grave and imminent risk to human life,” the department said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/assange-celebrates-australian-return-with-clenched-fist-salute-family-embrace-20240626-p5joya.html

https://x.com/Stella_Assange/status/1805912602482291195

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 27, 2024, 3:37 a.m. No.21094308 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4310

Anthony Albanese first on the phone as convicted felon Julian Assange tastes freedom at last

BEN PACKHAM, RHIANNON DOWN and TRICIA RIVERA - June 26, 2024

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Australia’s highest profile fugitive Julian Assange has returned home a convicted felon, reuniting with his wife and father after five years in prison and more than a decade on the run from US authorities over his publication of troves of top secret documents.

He disembarked from a charter flight from Saipan in the western Pacific at about 7.55pm on Wednesday, raising a fist as he walked across the tarmac at Canberra’s RAAF Fairbairn terminal.

He embraced wife Stella Assange on the tarmac, lifting her off the ground before hugging his father John Shipton amid cheers from supporters.

Moments after his arrival, Anthony Albanese declared: “We have got this done.” The Prime Minister revealed he was the first person Assange spoke to after he touched down. According to one of the WikiLeaks founder’s lawyers, Assange told Mr Albanese he had “saved his life”.

Mr Albanese claimed credit for Assange’s release, saying his government was focused on “making a difference”.

“This is what standing up for Australians around the world looks like,” he said. “It means getting the job done; getting results and getting outcomes; having the determination to stay the course.”

But the Prime Minister declined in an evening press conference to say whether he believed Assange was a journalist – as the WikiLeaks founder claims – who was wrongfully pursued by the US over his disclosure of hundreds of thousands of classified documents. “There will continue to be different views about Julian Assange and his activity,” Mr Albanese said. “My role as Prime Minister has been to firmly say that whatever the views that people have, there was no purpose to be served by this ongoing incarceration.”

Ms Assange said after her husband’s arrival that freedom of speech was “in a very dangerous place”, and there needed to be a conscious pushback against efforts to stifle reporting.

“Julian needs time to recover, to get used to freedoms,” she said, saying she wanted her husband to “have that space to rediscover freedom slowly”.

Assange’s return to Australia followed his guilty plea in the US District Court in Saipan to a single count of conspiring to obtain and distribute classified information under the US Espionage Act. But he stood defiantly by his claim to have acted as a journalist in dumping the files on the internet.

“Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide material that was said to be classified,” the 52-year-old told the court. “I believe the first amendment and the Espionage Act are in contradiction with each other, but I accept that it would be difficult to win such a case given all these circumstances.“

(continued)

>>21094308

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Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the conviction was a “chilling” precedent, arguing the US Espionage Act should never have been used to pursue a publisher or journalist such as Assange. “Mr Assange revealed truthful, newsworthy information, including revealing that the United States had committed war crimes,” he said. “He has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world community gets truthful and important newsworthy information.”

But the US Justice Department said Assange’s guilty plea was an admission of a conspiracy with former US soldier Chelsea Manning – who served seven years in jail – to release top-secret information without caring about the harm it would cause. “After obtaining classified national defence information from Manning, and aware of the harm that dissemination of such national defence information would cause, Assange disclosed this information on WikiLeaks,” it said.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Assange is barred from travelling to the US. He was also required to “take all action within his control” to return or destroy any unpublished classified documents in his possession, or held by WikiLeaks.

Ms Assange, who said her husband would seek a pardon, launched a funding drive to raise about $778,000 to cover the cost of the chartered jet that brought her husband home, already reaching $629,518 late on Wednesday.

District Court judge Ramona Manglona said the 62 months Assange had already served in a British prison “was fair and reasonable and proportionate to Manning’s actual prison time”.

Assange was accompanied in court, and on the flight to Australia, by Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, and high commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith. Mr Albanese paid tribute to the efforts of both men in lobbying for Assange’s freedom. US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy thanked Australia for its co-operation, saying Assange’s return “brings this longstanding and difficult case to a close”.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said Mr Assange’s release was “thrilling news”, but his conviction set an “alarming” precedent.

“It’s the sort of thing we’d expect in an authoritarian or totalitarian country, it is not what we would expect from the US or a similar country like Australia,” he said. “Julian Assange is a Walkley award-winning Australian journalist who did his job.”

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Mr Assange was “no hero”, and had drawn out the resolution of his own case by “evading lawful extradition requests”. “It is a credit to the US that they are showing such leniency towards someone accused of such a serious crime,” Senator Paterson said.

Former Home Affairs Department secretary Mike Pezzullo said it would be “deeply troubling” if Assange was given “celebrity status”, arguing it would be inappropriate for senior government figures to personally welcome him home. “He shouldn’t be treated as a hero, but he is an Australian citizen who was deserving of consulate support,” he told Sky News.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Assange’s freedom was the result of “careful, patient and determined efforts”, comparing his release with the government’s success in securing the freedom of Cheng Lei from a Chinese prison, and Sean Turnell from detention in Myanmar. “The approach we have taken is to pursue outcomes. We haven’t taken the approach of seeking headlines,” she said.

A group of more than a dozen MPs who supported Assange gathered in Parliament House on Wednesday. Among them were Mr Wilkie, Labor MPs including long-term supporter Josh Wilson, Liberal MP Bridget Archer, Nationals senator Matt Canavan, and Greens senators Peter Whish-Wilson and David Shoebridge.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-first-on-the-phone-as-convicted-felon-julian-assange-tastes-freedom-at-last/news-story/05f6da4152e7d0f7ca010429fb0934b7

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68881226/united-states-v-assange/

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nmid.6474/gov.uscourts.nmid.6474.2.0.pdf

https://x.com/AlboMP/status/1805913003168305645

It took ‘creative nous’: Rudd on behind-the-scenes efforts to secure Assange release

Matthew Knott - June 27, 2024

US ambassador Kevin Rudd has suggested he played an important role in convincing Julian Assange to accept a plea deal with the United States Justice Department as a partisan stoush erupted over the WikiLeaks founder’s return to Australia.

The opposition accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of giving Assange, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, an overly warm welcome by calling him just after he touched down in Canberra on Wednesday night.

In his first public comments since Assange’s departure from London’s Belmarsh Prison, Rudd said it had taken “creative nous” from Australia to secure his release.

Asked if he persuaded Assange to accept a plea deal to bring the matter to a close, Rudd told the ABC: “You could say that, I couldn’t possibly comment. Ultimately, it was a matter for the parties.”

Assange’s lawyers have credited Albanese and Rudd with playing a pivotal role in securing their client’s release.

Rudd said he acted as the principal point of contact between the US Justice Department and Assange’s legal team after becoming ambassador in early 2023, adding it was crucial that Albanese had granted him a “clear prime ministerial mandate” to pursue the matter with the Biden administration.

Asked if he acted as a linchpin in the negotiations, he replied: “That’s your term, not mine.”

Rudd said he feared the Assange case would have become a “long-term irritant” in the US-Australia relationship if it continued to drag out through the courts.

Earlier in the day, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Albanese had failed a test of judgment by speaking by telephone to Assange after his arrival in Australia.

“I don’t think it’s at all appropriate that Anthony Albanese picked up the phone to Julian Assange,” Birmingham told reporters.

“Yesterday, Julian Assange pleaded guilty in a United States court to charges under the US Espionage Act, and by nightfall, he was welcomed home by the Australian prime minister.

“That just sends all of the wrong signals and is irresponsible and inappropriate of Anthony Albanese to welcome home Julian Assange on the same day he’s pleaded guilty to US charges related to espionage.”

The US Department of Justice maintains that the 2010 release of thousands of classified US military documents put lives at risk as names were not redacted. Assange was indicted during the Trump administration and faced 18 charges carrying a total sentence of up to 175 years.

Birmingham said Assange should not be classified as a political prisoner and should not be treated as a hero for publishing sensitive US national security secrets.

“Julian Assange is not Cheng Lei, he’s not Sean Turnell, he’s not Kylie Moore-Gilbert,” he said, referring to other Australians who have recently returned from imprisonment overseas.

“He was not held in a Chinese jail or an Iranian jail or a jail in Myanmar against his will, without access to a court, legal representatives or a system of justice.”

Albanese posted a photo on social media platform X of him talking to Assange on the phone on Wednesday night.

“As prime minister, I have been clear – regardless of what you think of his activities, Mr Assange’s case had dragged on for too long,” Albanese said.

He has not met with Assange face-to-face.

Nationals MP Michael McCormack said the government was behaving “disgracefully” by welcoming Assange to Australia.

“What Mr Assange did was unforgivable – shamelessly publishing and handing our enemies uncensored information of actively serving defence personnel on a platter,” he said.

US judge Ramona Manglona said there was “no personal victim here” as a result of the information published by WikiLeaks, and Assange’s lawyers have insisted no human sources were harmed as a result of the website’s disclosures.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Assange spent so long in confinement because he evaded lawful extradition requests and had pleaded guilty to “very serious national security offences”.

“They’re offences against the Five Eyes intelligence gathering alliance, including Australia, because they put the sources of that alliance at grave risk,” he said.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher believed most Australians welcomed Assange’s return to Australia.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/opposition-blasts-government-for-picking-up-the-phone-to-assange-20240627-p5jp59.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 27, 2024, 4:02 a.m. No.21094388 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4403

Australian leaders celebrate Julian Assange's freedom but opposition says he is 'no martyr'

Peter Hobson and Kirsty Needham - June 27, 2024

CANBERRA, June 27 (Reuters) - Julian Assange spent his first night in 14 years as a free man back at home in Australia as the conservative opposition on Thursday cautioned the government against hailing the WikiLeaks founder as a hero.

Assange landed in Australia to an ecstatic welcome on Wednesday evening after pleading guilty to violating the U.S. Espionage Act. He was then freed by a U.S. court on the remote Pacific island of Saipan, having served more than five years in a British high-security jail.

His wife, Stella Assange, said it was too soon to say what her husband would do next and requested privacy for him.

"Julian plans to swim in the ocean every day. He plans to sleep in a real bed. He plans to taste real food, and he plans to enjoy his freedom," she told reporters on Thursday.

Assange's supporters and free speech advocates view him as a victim because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing and potential crimes, including in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, when WikiLeaks published thousands of classified military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010.

However, the U.S. government has long said his actions were reckless and by publishing the names of government sources he had put agents' lives at risk.

Assange has not spoken publicly since being released. Overnight a judge in the U.S. state of Virginia formally dismissed all charges outstanding against him.

Australian lawmakers had called for Assange's release for several years, and his case was a rare point of tension in bilateral relations with the United States.

"For some time now, the incarceration of Julian Assange was a thorn in the side of that relationship, it was just niggling away on the margins," said independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie, co-chair of a parliamentary committee that advocated for Assange's release.

"That has now been fixed, so I now see reason to be very optimistic about the bilateral relationship. That thorn has been pulled out," he told reporters.

Assange, who had holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for seven years before going to jail, had battled extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations as well as to the U.S., where he faced 18 criminal charges tied to WikiLeaks' release of the classified U.S. documents.

(continued)

>>21094388

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'NO MARTYR'

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who supported Assange's release years before taking office in 2022, welcomed him home in a phone call. He said he "had a very warm discussion" with Assange.

However, the conservative opposition raised concerns about portraying Assange as a hero after he spent more than a decade trying to avoid prosecution and then pleaded guilty to one criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defence documents.

The opposition leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, welcomed Assange's release but said the WikiLeaks founder was "no martyr" for the mass data leak.

"That wasn't an act of journalism. It wasn't like these were edited or curated documents. It was simply a data dump, a data dump from a leak and a data dump that came with consequences for the U.S. in terms of how they managed their operations and their officials because of the safety risks that were created," he told Reuters in an interview.

He cautioned Albanese against meeting Assange and said the celebration of his release was likely to lead to disquiet among some members of the U.S. Congress.

"I do suspect that there are a few people in the Congress and elsewhere who would raise an eyebrow and think it inappropriate for Anthony Albanese to so publicly and personally welcome Julian Assange back to Australia," he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC Radio Assange's release posed no threat to Australia-U.S. ties.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday said its involvement in the resolution of Assange's case was very limited and reiterated its position that his actions had put lives at risk, although the U.S. judge who accepted his guilty plea said there had been no personal victim.

The White House was not in any way involved in the case, national security spokesman John Kirby said, adding it was a Department of Justice matter.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australian-leaders-celebrate-julian-assanges-freedom-opposition-says-he-is-no-2024-06-27/

‘He needs time to heal after 14 years of hell’, says Julian Assange’s wife Stella

JOANNA PANAGOPOULOS - 26 June 2024

Julian Assange’s wife has made an emotional plea for the WikiLeaks founder to be given time to recuperate from a 14-year ordeal avoiding extradition to Sweden over rape allegations that were later dropped and the US over the release of classified documents relating to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Assange embraced his family as a free man for the first time in 14 years after he touched down in Canberra on Wednesday night.

Holding back tears, Stella Assange said: “Julian wanted me to sincerely thank everyone. He wanted to be here. But you have to understand what he’s been through. He needs time. He needs to recuperate. And this is a process.

“Julian needs time to recover. To get used to freedoms. Someone told me yesterday who had been through something similar that freedom comes slowly. And I want Julian to have that space to rediscover freedom.

“I ask you – please – to give us space, to give us privacy. To find our place. To let our family be a family before he can speak again at a time of his choosing.”

Ms Assange said “things finally started to move” towards a plea deal as an extradition appeal was set to be heard in the UK High Court. “I think that it revealed … how uncomfortable the United States government is, in fact, of having these arguments aired, because this case … is an attack on journalism,” she said.

“It’s an attack on the public’s right to know. And it should never have been brought. Julian should never have spent a single day in prison. But today we celebrate because today Julian is free.”

Ms Assange thanked Anthony Albanese and the Australian people “who have made this possible”.

“Without their support, there would not be the political space to be able to achieve Julian’s freedom,” she said.

“And that support is across the board. I thank the opposition for also supporting Julian’s release.

“It took all of them, all of them … It took millions of people. It took people working behind the scenes, the people protesting on the streets for days and weeks and months and years.”

Ms Assange declined to comment on whether her husband planned to return to work with WikiLeaks.

Assange was greeted at Canberra airport by his wife, his young sons, Max and Gabriel – who were meeting their father for the first time out of detention – and his father, John Shipton.

Ms Assange was in tears earlier on Wednesday, as her husband walked out of Saipan Federal Court in the US jurisdiction of the Mariana Islands a free man.

“I can’t stop crying,” she wrote on social media.

She provided social media updates on the proceedings throughout the day, as her husband entered a guilty plea to one count of “conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defence information”.

“The judge’s sentencing remarks have finally put an end to this baseless smear,” she wrote.

As Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed the government would not pay for the cost of Assange’s $782,190 private jet home, Ms Assange shared a crowdfund by the group Free Julian Assange to raise the funds, saying his “freedom comes at a massive cost”.

“Julian will owe $US520,000, which he is obligated to pay back to the Australian government for charter Flight VJ199. He was not permitted to fly commercial airlines or routes to Saipan and onward to Australia. Any contribution big or small is much appreciated,” she wrote.

Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, said the family was “very much looking forward to having him home and safe on Australian soil”.

Mr Shipton said he expected his brother would want to live “a quiet life” with his family.

“I imagine he wants to be somewhere he will be left alone to just chill out for a bit,” he said. “So I imagine (he’ll be based) somewhere quite remote in the countryside or the bush.”

Assange’s father, who arrived in Canberra on Tuesday night, said he was excited to watch his son live an “ordinary life” with his family.

“There may be some questions to be resolved by the lawyers and the diplomats in the future, but having Julian home to an ordinary life after 15 years of incarceration in one form or another – house arrest, jail and asylum in an embassy – is pretty good news,” John Shipton told ABC News.

“As you can easily imagine, his spirits have lifted.

“(He will) be able to walk up and down the beach and feel the sand through his toes in winter, that lovely chill, and be able to learn how to be patient and play with your children for a couple of hours. All of the great beauty of ordinary life.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/julian-assange-returns-home-for-the-ordinary-life-with-family/news-story/1f216f6e2f31c9548e9004a6ab8f8de9

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 27, 2024, 4:16 a.m. No.21094430 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4436

>>20903692

Settling Assange's case helps US consolidate ties with Australia, strengthen small cliques in Asia-Pacific: expert

GT staff reporters - Jun 26, 2024

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The curtain has closed on Julian Assange's saga as the WikiLeaks founder pleaded guilty to violating US espionage laws and walked out of court as a free man on Wednesday. Yet his case has exposed the hypocrisy of the US' long-flaunted freedom of speech and the ugliness of the country's relentless efforts to crush those who have "got in the way."

The US' gains from settling this high-profile case are multi-dimensional. Not only did the US intimidate people trying to expose US' dirty laundries, but it also removed one obstacle in its relationship with Australia, where Assange is from and where there has been advocacy for his release, observers noted. Consolidating coordination with Australia can help the US counter China's influence in the Western Pacific region through the creation of alliances, said experts.

Assange walked free on Wednesday from a court on the US Pacific island territory of Saipan after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law, in a deal that allowed him to head straight home to Australia, per Reuters.

His release ends a 14-year legal saga in which Assange spent more than five years in a British high-security jail and seven years in asylum at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London battling extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations and to the US, where he faced 18 criminal charges.

Those charges stemmed from WikiLeaks' release in 2010 of hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents on Washington's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - one of the largest breaches of secret information in US history.

During a three-hour hearing in Saipan, Assange pleaded guilty to only one criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defense documents but said he had believed the US Constitution's First Amendment, which protects free speech, shielded his activities.

"He [Assange] has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world community gets truthful and important newsworthy information," Assange's US lawyer Barry J Pollack said outside court in Saipan, Australian media reported.

The decades-long saga basically tells the world US political power can crush any form of freedom and legal terms, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Assange has endured a great deal over the past 14 years, yet his power and resources are too limited to effectively combat the US political machine, said Lü. While Assange's guilty plea is unjust and unfortunate, his experiences, along with WikiLeaks, have further exposed the real US to the world.

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

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.

(continued)

>>21094430

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Secret diplomatic maneuvers

Behind closed doors, an Australia-US-UK diplomatic dance opened the way for a plea deal to free the WikiLeaks founder, analysts and a diplomat previously involved in the case told AFP.

The tide shifted strongly in Assange's favor after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was elected in May 2022 and made his release a priority, a diplomat who did not want to be named told the AFP.

Assange and his family had been advised previously that he should plead guilty and strike a deal because it would be difficult for the US to drop the charges, said the diplomat.

In February this year, Albanese said he hoped for an amicable end to the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after Australian lawmakers ramped up pressure on the US and UK by passing a motion calling for Assange to be allowed to return to his home country.

The release of Assange has helped to remove a major obstacle between Washington and Canberra, strengthening their coordination. Washington had the current Asia-Pacific situation in mind when deciding to settle the case, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

The US and Australia have strong cooperation in both political and security aspects. Strengthening cooperation with Australia can help US counter China's influence in the Western Pacific region through the creation of alliances, Li explained.

"I think part of the reason this has happened today is because it was becoming a significant issue for the relationship," Emma Shortis, senior researcher in international and security affairs at The Australia Institute thinktank, told media, noting that notably since London, Washington and Canberra agreed on a nuclear-powered submarine pact, AUKUS.

Li said after 14 years, the US has come to the conclusion that continuing to pursue the Assange case is no longer worth the effort. Therefore, Assange's confession and return to Australia are seen as a means for the US to save face and for the relationship between the US and Australia to be repaired.

What is even more tragic than Assange's guilty plea is that his fate is not the outcome of his own actions, but rather the result of a compromise and coordination among various governments for geopolitical reasons, said Li.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314843.shtml

>>21049530

Tucker Carlson Responds to Julian Assange’s Release During Australia Speech

Tucker Carlson

Jun 27, 2024

Tucker Carlson speaks Down Under from Canberra and assesses Julian Assange's release. We also answer questions from an adversarial press corps.

Watch more here: https://watchtcn.co/49CDF2t

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

2:31 Tucker reacts to Julian Assange's release

16:13 Christianity

21:49 Q&A

21:55 Who's the most difficult person Tucker has interviewed?

27:32 Tucker clashes with journalist over Putin

32:33 Assange

37:05 Is China a threat?

43:22 Heated exchange between Tucker and liberal journalist on immigration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dka2i27sxgs

https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-speech-australia

>>21049530

>>21094541

Tucker Carlson Tweet

Meet the Australian media.

https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1806034521369776406

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 28, 2024, 9:58 a.m. No.21104531 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4540

‘Welcome home, Julian Assange: don’t leak again’, warns Penny Wong

BEN PACKHAM - June 27, 2024

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Penny Wong has said the government will not tolerate the leaking of top secret information like that published by Julian Assange, as the Coalition accused Anthony Albanese of welcoming the convicted felon back to Australia like a “homecoming hero”.

Opposition frontbencher Simon Birmingham accused the Prime Minister of a “grave error of judgment” for phoning Assange after he landed in Canberra on Wednesday, and the WikiLeaks founder was neither hero nor journalist as claimed.

The political row came as Assange’s wife refused to rule out the prospect he could reprise his former role as a publisher of classified leaks. “Julian is the most principled man I know and he will always defend human rights and speak out against injustice, and he can choose how he does that because he is a free man,” Stella Assange said.

Ms Assange was joined at Parliament House on Thursday by her husband’s lawyers and a cross-party group of supporters who hailed the WikiLeaks founder as a free speech champion.

Assange was nowhere to be seen. He was believed to have left the capital for a beach house on the NSW south coast.

The Foreign Minister defended Mr Albanese’s decision to speak personally with Assange, who told the Prime Minister he had saved his life, but she said Mr Albanese’s welcome for Assange should not be interpreted as a signal the government tolerated the leaking of secret documents.

“We have laws in Australia in relation to national security information. We expect those laws to be observed by all citizens and by all entities. That is our position,” Senator Wong said.

“In relation to Mr Assange, we have taken the view that this matter had gone on for too long, and as the Prime Minister has said, nothing would be served by further incarceration of Mr Assange.”

Moments after Assange’s arrival, Mr Albanese said “We have got this done”, saying he was the first person to speak to the former hacker after his plane landed.

Senator Birmingham said Mr Albanese should not have called Assange, and the move could undermine Australia-US ties.

“It is completely unnecessary and totally inappropriate for Julian Assange to be greeted like some homecoming hero by the Australian Prime Minister,” he said. “Julian Assange yesterday pleaded guilty to charges under the Espionage Act for acts against Australia’s closest ally.

“How do you think that is interpreted to, on the same day, plead guilty to charges under the Espionage Act against the US and then receive a welcome home phone call from the Australian Prime Minister?”

(continued)

>>21104531

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Senator Birmingham said he backed the government’s consular support for Assange and the WikiLeaks founder’s return to Australia but Assange should not be “feted” like Australians, including Cheng Lei, Sean Turnell and Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who had returned home after being wrongfully detained”.

Senator Birmingham said what Assange did was “not careful journalism … Instead, he simply published around half a million documents without having read them, curated them, checked to see if there was anything that could be damaging or risking the lives of others in there,” he said. “He simply dumped them on the internet. That is not journalism and shouldn’t be feted as such.”

His comments were in stark contrast to those of some of his Coalition colleagues, including Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who hailed Assange as an “Australian hero”, declaring “his brave reporting helped expose the tragic folly of the wars we started in recent years”.

Assange’s American lawyer, Barry Pollack, said his client’s publication of top secret files, including revelations of civilian casualties during the Iraq War, was “journalism at the highest level”.

Mr Pollack said he hoped the international campaign on Assange’s case would again gather momentum to push for his client to be pardoned.

By late Thursday, Assange’s supporters had raised more than $796,000 to cover the cost of his chartered flight from Britain to the Northern Marianas Islands, where he made his guilty plea to a US court, and on to Canberra.

Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, a key player in the effort to have Assange freed, said his plea deal with the US Justice Department was “plainly the way to go”.

Mr Rudd, who accompanied Assange on his flight home, said he was “relieved” his ordeal was over, crediting Mr Albanese for the outcome. “The truth is it doesn’t matter how good your diplomatic team is, you need prime ministerial authorisation, prime ministerial direction, and frankly, a clear prime ministerial mandate to engage the US system at a level of seniority that would make a difference. And that’s what made this possible,” he told the ABC.

The Greens used the return to demand more whistleblower protections, saying former army officer David McBride – who leaked classified documents on Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan – was in prison because “broken whistleblower laws failed him”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/welcome-home-julian-assange-dont-leak-again-warns-penny-wong/news-story/f4beeb65fd7b07f68cb78b1e6bc163b2

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 29, 2024, 7:47 a.m. No.21110047 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0053

Why the confusion? Assange is neither a victim nor a hero

PAUL MONK - June 28, 2024

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The media is buzzing with human interest stories about the release by the US government of Julian Assange, after a 14-year stand-off and a plea of guilty to a single charge of espionage.

His family are delighted and relieved. Those who have always seen him as a maligned hero and a victim of the national security state feel vindicated.

But what’s getting lost in all the brouhaha about the return of an Australian citizen are the underlying issues to do with freedom of speech and the classification of official information.

Assange is not a hero, intellectual or moral. He has for many years been an avowed anarchist and hacker who, while running WikiLeaks, openly declared that his ambition was to make it impossible for the machinery of state (in the US and among its allies) to function.

As early as 2011, his own former WikiLeaks colleague, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, wrote at book length (Inside WikiLeaks, 2011) about what he saw as Assange’s character flaws and abuse of power at WikiLeaks itself. He and his co-author, Tina Klopp, dedicated their book “To the First Amendment and those defending the world’s most precious bastion of freedom of speech”.

Ironically, as Domscheit-Berg stated in his Author’s Note, an organisation that had begun as a visionary project to champion openness and accountability became, within a few years, itself a wormhole of corruption and secrecy. That led him and others to leave the project in September 2010.

Even if we allow that the ordeal Assange has endured over the past decade and a half is, as the Albanese government is stating, punishment enough, there are multiple grounds for not seeing Assange as a celebrity whose behaviour should be applauded or emulated.

The first of these, as Alan Howe made clear in a feature essay in this newspaper in April, is that the man doesn’t deserve admiration as an individual.

Neither does his attitude to information and state security. There’s no doubt secrecy impedes the accountability of government and especially of its clandestine agencies.

Far too much is classified and kept classified, or if released is too heavily redacted, making a mockery of freedom of information legislation, not only in the US but here in Australia. The problem is how to tackle that without undermining those measures of confidentiality vital to the conduct of diplomatic dialogue, intelligence collection and strategic preparedness.

Assange has never exhibited the slightest sensitivity or responsibility in regard to such matters. His flagrant disregard for them was exhibited when he insisted on releasing vast quantities of documents regardless of their content. Did he seriously expect, in doing so, that the US government and its allies should declare such behaviour legitimate under the First Amendment and encourage him and others to freely keep doing such things?

(continued)

>>21110047

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Let’s imagine that a comparable individual, or a well-placed intelligence or policy analyst in Canberra, was to get hold of and leak online hundreds of thousands of pages of classified material about the Albanese government’s exchanges with China about normalising relations, with the US about the future of extended nuclear deterrence in the Western Pacific and East Asia, and about cabinet discussions on Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, and release the lot.

Would the Prime Minister and his colleagues be expected to wave all that away and insist that said leaker was just exercising their rights under freedom of speech? What if the individual in question publicly stated that their purpose was to make it impossible for the Australian government to function in foreign and defence affairs?

When Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971, he expected to go to jail for the rest of his life and publicly declared he was willing to do that if it helped bring an end to the Vietnam War. But he wasn’t jailed. The prosecution of him became a landmark in American freedom of speech case law. Assange has always insisted he shouldn’t face prosecution at all. Given the Ellsberg precedent, why would that be?

Here’s what might be useful in all the circumstances: Assange should confess that he made irresponsible choices that he regrets, that he has learned the hard way that he needs, at the age of 52, to finally grow up, and that, on reflection, he believes there is a case for the confidentiality of much government business, but that this raises complex issues to do with accountability and freedom of speech.

Will he be open to doing any such thing, having been given a hero’s welcome back to Australia? One rather doubts it. But if he has any serious mentors, that is the path they ought encourage the ageing delinquent to embark upon.

If he applies himself to it with the diligence with which he developed his skills as a hacker and a fugitive from the law, he might give us a readable and even useful book. If, instead, he now indulges in unrepentant grievance and self-justification, he will be wasting our time and, ultimately, his own.

Paul Monk is a former senior defence intelligence analyst and the author of Dictators and Dangerous Ideas (2018), which includes essays on Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/why-the-confusion-assange-is-neither-a-victim-nor-a-hero/news-story/7ac8a91987f81781bf39476714074ebf

>>21042253

‘I walked for humanity’: Labor senator Fatima Payman crosses floor to recognise Palestine

Angus Thompson - June 25, 2024

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Labor senator Fatima Payman has become the party’s first member to cross the floor in decades after she voted with the Greens to recognise Palestinian statehood in a vote on Tuesday.

The federal government moved quickly to quell expectations the WA senator would be expelled from Labor, despite the fact MPs have previously been thrown out for not toeing the party line. Payman, a first-term senator, said she was proud she had upheld her convictions, although she was bitterly disappointed her Labor colleagues had not joined her.

“My decision to cross the floor was the most difficult decision I have had to make, and although each step I took across the Senate floor felt like a mile, I know I did not walk these steps by myself, and I know I did not walk them alone,” Payman said during a snap press conference held minutes after the vote.

“I walked with the people of Palestine, for the 40,000 killed, for the hungry and scared boys and girls who now walk alone without their parents, and for the brave men and women who have to walk alone without their children. I walked for humanity. I am proud of what I did today, and I’m bitterly disappointed that my colleagues do not feel the same way.”

Asked if she expected to be expelled from Labor, Payman said: “That is a prerogative for my party.

“I believe that I have upheld the party ethos and called for what the party’s platform has stipulated.”

Labor rules bind caucus members to the party’s collective decisions, and MPs who vote against those risk being thrown out.

While not ruling out expulsion, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office said: “There is no mandated sanction in these circumstances, and previous caucus members have crossed the floor without facing expulsion.

“The senator says she maintains strong Labor values and intends to continue representing the Western Australians who elected her as a Labor senator.”

Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Payman’s decision to vote with the Greens “directly challenges the leadership of the prime minister”.

“It’s a matter for Labor whether or not they expel Senator Payman from the party, but this proves that there’s no appeasing the extreme views in Labor,” he said.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said Payman “had the courage to do the right thing”. “Senator Payman’s courageous actions now show up every Labor MP who has refused to cross the floor,” he said.

(continued)

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Payman said she had only made up her mind over the vote while on the Senate floor and had not spoken to Albanese about her plans. “The Australian Labor Party’s policy platform recognises both Israel and Palestine,” she said. “We cannot believe in two state solutions and only recognise one.

“I was not elected as a token representative of diversity. I was elected to serve the people of Western Australia and uphold the values instilled in me by my late father. Today I have made a decision that would make him proud.”

Payman said she had received mixed treatment from her caucus colleagues. “There’s been many comrades who feel the same way, but don’t agree with the method I’ve gone about conveying my message,” she said.

“Everyone who would ask me until today what I was going to do with this motion, I said, ‘I will follow my conscience and I will, you know, I’m in the hands of God and I will do what’s best for the people that I represent, and that I pledged to represent when I got elected two years ago.’”

The Greens put an urgency motion recognising a State of Palestine to the Senate on Tuesday, after an attempt to bring the motion on the House of Representatives last month was blocked by parliament.

Payman accompanied independent senator David Pocock to sit with the Greens and vote for the motion late on Tuesday afternoon, while her Labor colleagues voted against it.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong had earlier on Tuesday proposed to change the motion to say: “The need for the Senate to recognise the State of Palestine as a part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace.”

But the Greens rejected the amendment and Bandt accused the government of a “cowardly delay tactic” in fulfilling its intention to recognise a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, the Coalition doomed the prospect of any motion succeeding by putting forward its own lengthy criteria involving security guarantees, the eradication of Hamas, and the reform of the Palestinian Authority governing the West Bank.

Payman, who has been outspoken over the conflict, stepped down from two parliamentary foreign affairs committees after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rebuked her for using the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” earlier this year.

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.

Payman has also accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-senator-fatima-payman-faces-expulsion-after-crossing-floor-over-palestine-20240625-p5jom4.html

Labor senator Fatima Payman vows to keep voting by ‘conscience’ on Israel-Palestine

SARAH ISON - June 28, 2024

Labor senator Fatima Payman insists the backlash from within the party over her decision to cross the floor on a vote for Palestinian statehood “won’t derail me from continuing to vote with my conscience”, as Anthony Albanese refuses to say whether he sought her assurance she would vote with the party going forwards.

The 28-year-old Muslim senator broke with 130 years of Labor tradition on Tuesday night in voting against her party while refusing to tender her resignation, prompting calls for her immediate expulsion or a long-term suspension from the party.

But the Prime Minister instead barred Senator Payman from attending just one scheduled caucus meeting next week, drawing criticism from Labor stalwarts over his lack of stronger action.

Mr Albanese was asked by this masthead several times on Friday whether he had explicitly sought assurances from Senator Payman in his meeting with her this week, but did not confirm or deny he had made such a demand.

“We expect that people will participate in our caucus processes and comply with them. The important thing to note about this week is that Senate motions do not determine Australia’s foreign policy,” he said.

Asked a second time if he’d sought Senator Payman’s assurance, he said: “I’ve made my position clear to Senator Payman. I made clear to her that she won’t be attending the caucus for the rest of this session.”

Mr Albanese and other Labor members, including Melbourne Jewish MP Josh Burns, have sought to turn the attention to the Greens and their efforts to “score political points” on the issue of Palestinian statehood.

“The leader of the Greens has made it clear he wants to keep testing Labor members’ loyalty and that tells you everything about what their intentions are,” he said. “It’s not to … bring peace to the Middle East but to try to play politics.”

While discussion within the party continues over Senator Payman’s future, The Weekend Australian understands the issue was not on the agenda of the national executive’s quarterly meeting on Friday.

Senator Payman, whose family fled Afghanistan for Perth when she was a child, did not rule out voting against Labor again on the Palestinian statehood issue.

“When I was crossing the floor, I crossed it knowing there was going to be the potential expulsion as a consequence but … it was for my conscience,” she told streaming Channel 6 News on Thursday night.

“There’s been a mixed response. Obviously the reception of me crossing the floor or my statement … has upset some colleagues of mine, it’s made some feel there’s been unfair judgment passed on.”

Senator Payman said she hoped she could convince her colleagues to “come on board” and support the Palestinian statehood cause as she had, and vowed to continue voting in line with her convictions.

“I still have my Labor Party values and people not being overly supportive or eager to jump on board won’t derail me from continuing to vote with my conscience but also advocating for this very important cause,” she said.

Responding to criticism from fellow Western Australian senator Louise Pratt that crossing the floor on a Senate motion would “not create peace in the Middle East”, Senator Payman said the “incremental step” she had taken was still significant.

She hosed down the possibility of defecting to the crossbench or joining a party such as the Greens.

“This wasn’t to appease the Greens … I haven’t had any discussions with (fellow senators such as) David Pocock, for example, it just so happened we entered the chamber together,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/labor-senator-fatima-payman-vows-to-keep-voting-by-conscience/news-story/35f8dafbe9d738735a4b703481a20004

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 29, 2024, 8:31 a.m. No.21110210 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0214

Australian-US intelligence alliance ‘phenomenal’ countering adversaries, says top US spy

GREG SHERIDAN - June 25, 2024

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The US and Australia are leading an intense intelligence co-operation effort in the Indo-Pacific to combat the unprecedented, hostile intelligence activities of Western adversaries China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, says Avril Haines, US Director of National Intelligence.

Ms Haines visited Australia to become only the second foreign national to be awarded the Australian Intelligence Medal, our highest honour for distinguished service to the national intelligence community. (The only other foreign recipient was Shigeru Kitamura of Japan in 2022.)

In an exclusive interview with The Australian, the first a serving DNI has done with an Australian journalist, Ms Haines hailed the Australia-US intelligence partnership – part of the Five Eyes arrangements that also involve Britain, Canada and New Zealand – as “phenomenal”.

She said the partnership between the Pacific allies was fundamental in working throughout the Indo-Pacific and driving intelligence outcomes for the allies.

She said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were all making greater intelligence efforts than ever, co-operating more closely with each other and integrating artificial intelligence into activities directed against Western nations and their allies.

“They are expanding their efforts,” she said.

“Let me take Russia as an example. We have called out their use of intelligence services to promote sabotage and other hybrid activities in Europe that are intended to weaken the resolve of those countries to support Ukraine without triggering an Article 5 response.” (Article 5 of the NATO treaty provides for allies to respond militarily to attacks on any NATO member.)

“It’s extremely challenging to manage such activities but one thing is certain, which is that the intelligence work we do together to promote resilience against such activities is crucial.”

Among developments making US and Australian efforts to counter malign actors more challenging is the increasing role of AI. “I would say AI is having a big impact on our work,” Ms Haines said. “Are our adversaries using AI? Yes. One area we can point to as an example of this is information campaigns, and more specifically, in efforts by our adversaries to influence elections.”

Adversary nations use AI, she said, “in part by making the contents more sophisticated for the audience they’re trying to reach. They use AI to produce content that is compelling. They use AI to more effectively target which audience they want to reach.”

I asked whether China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were reaching levels of co-operation comparable to the intimacy enjoyed by the Five Eyes partners. “They’re not co-operating in the way we do in the Five Eyes or more generally in the way that allies like the US and Australia do,” she said. “But there’s no doubt we’re seeing more co-operation among the countries you mention on a bilateral and sometimes trilateral basis.

“Russia is getting munitions from North Korea, advanced weaponry from Iran, dual use items from China. This all allows Russia to reconstitute its military on an accelerated basis.”

Ms Haines said she believed increased co-operation among the authoritarian nations was having an impact on the way the international system worked generally. “Their co-operation can also insulate, for example, North Korea from international pressure with respect to nuclear non-proliferation norms that we historically apply,” she said.

“Australia and the US are both strong proponents of non-proliferation norms. Traditionally, when North Korea has taken certain actions in violation of those norms, Russia has joined UN Security Council resolutions that enact sanctions for such behaviour but now North Korea has more leverage over Russia and we may find they are no longer willing to join in international approbation for such actions.”

Nonetheless, she said US analysts didn’t see co-operation among authoritarian regimes getting to the level of NATO nations.

Ms Haines became DNI in January 2021. In an earlier part of her career, she had been deputy director of the CIA. Her back story is amazing for a person of her accomplishments and seniority and includes: running a bookshop; working as a car mechanic; learning judo in Japan; and attempting to fly to Europe in a private plane and having the engines fail.

(continued)

>>21110210

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During her time as DNI, the US has embarked on a new practice of publicly disclosing sensitive intelligence in order to affect strategic events in real time. This tactic has been especially relevant in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Our success is very much tied to our capacity to be accurate, and to do so without compromising sources and methods,” Ms Haines said.

“Through disclosing intelligence, we helped to prevent Russia from being able to propagate a pretext for their invasion. I think it also helped to prepare our populations for what was to come, and perhaps made it possible for our leaders to engage in responses and to support Ukraine even while understanding that doing so might require some sacrifice.

“(Sharing intelligence publicly) can produce a more sophisticated conversation in public.”

Naturally, though she didn’t say this explicitly, the decision on sharing intelligence publicly is up to national governments, not intelligence agencies. Logically, the agencies have to produce very reliable information for it to be effective if released publicly.

Ms Haines struck me as warm and charming, and a strong figure in institutional leadership. She was determinedly complimentary and enthusiastic about the quality of the Australian intelligence agencies she works with.

“I would describe the (intelligence) partnership (between the US and Australia) as phenomenal,” she said.

“I really want to give a tremendous amount of credit to the Australian intelligence community. Andrew Shearer (the director-general of the Australian Office of National Intelligence and principal adviser to the Prime Minister on intelligence matters) is my principal interlocutor in this context and I cannot say enough about his leadership in driving collaboration, not just between Australia and the US, but across the Five Eyes and with our Indo-Pacific partners, which I think has been fundamental to our capacity to lay out the intelligence landscape to our policymakers and military leaders.”

This work is critical in the complex geo-strategic environment today, she said: “Intelligence has never been more important to our policy. It’s both the complexity and the nature of the threats today which makes our collaboration and our collective contribution so important.

“It allows our policymakers to prioritise. We all feel resource-constrained. There’s nothing we can address alone. We need to work together to manage challenges. Having integrated intelligence services is fundamental to our ultimate success.”

Ms Haines confirmed that the US and Australia each had personnel embedded in the other’s intelligence agencies.

Her deep regard for Australian agencies is reciprocated by her Australian counterpart. Mr Shearer said US-Australian intelligence co-operation was more important to both nations now than at any time since the end of World War II.

“Our intelligence co-operation is broadening in scope to encompass economic, security and advanced technology in addition to its more traditional focus on military threats and terrorism,” he said. “Avril Haines has been nothing short of outstanding as a partner; I was so pleased to be there when the Governor-General presented her with the Australian Intelligence Medal.”

Mr Shearer said Ms Haines had removed barriers to sharing intelligence and had taken intelligence co-ordination between Washington and Canberra “to a new level across the full range of threats and challenges facing both countries”.

Ms Haines received the intelligence medal on Monday before leaving Australia.

The Albanese Government has had an exceptionally strong week in intelligence with three good decisions following good process. It reappointed the highly respected Mike Burgess to head ASIO for another five years, showing sensible disregard for the hysterical and personalised campaign against Burgess run by former Prime Minister, Paul Keating.

It secured the release of Julian Assange without engaging in any hectoring of the US or criticism of either the British or American legal systems.

And it awarded the Intelligence Medal to Avril Haines, absolutely justified in itself, and about the smartest single thing it could do in international intelligence diplomacy.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/united-we-stand-against-adversaries-hostility/news-story/4187bbefdb8e02857585730237b45224

https://qresear.ch/?q=Avril+Haines

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 29, 2024, 8:39 a.m. No.21110238 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7753

>>21077018

Police pledge for Solomon Islands to ‘strengthen regional stability’

BEN PACKHAM - June 26, 2024

Anthony Albanese has pledged Australian support to help Solomon Islands double the size of its police force as the country’s new Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele vowed a Pacific-first security policy cementing Australia’s role as its primary partner ahead of China.

In bilateral talks in Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Albanese said Australia would come up with a plan to help Solomon Islands increase the size of its police force from 1500 to 3000 officers to strengthen its sovereignty and improve regional stability.

Mr Manele laid out a three-tier security framework for his country prioritising domestic policing, co-operation with Melanesian partners, and strengthened ties with Pacific Island Forum nations including Australia.

The policy which pointedly excludes China follows Solomon Islands’ controversial security partnership with Beijing signed by the country’s mercurial former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare.

Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw attended the leaders’ talks to help flesh out details of an upcoming support package that is expected to include a major police training boost.

Mr Albanese said he had tasked ministers and officials to “work together on next steps”.

“Australia and Pacific Island nations are well placed to meet the security needs of our region,” the Prime Minister said. “We regard security as the job of our Pacific family.”

Mr Manele, who received a ceremonial welcome to Parliament House, said he wanted to “lift the current Solomon Islands-Australia relationship to another transformational partnership”.

“I’ve committed to ensure our relationship with Australia goes from strength to strength. I have also committed to finding win-win solutions to any areas of our partnership that may require attention,” he said.

He downplayed Solomon Islands’ security pact with China as a “domestically-focused” agreement that was aimed at helping the country to address “internal security challenges”.

Mr Manele’s visit to Australia is his first since he was elected Prime Minister and comes amid improving bilateral ties. He will head to China after departing Australia, and then travel to Japan.

The Solomons’ budget is in disarray, prompting a plea for a cash injection from Australia. The Albanese government is considering the request but a funding package is yet to be finalised.

Mr Manele is expected to make a similar pitch to China, but Beijing typically doesn’t provide cash, preferring loan-funded infrastructure projects.

China’s state-owned Global Times said the Beijing leg of Mr Manele’s trip would be the “highlight” of his inaugural overseas tour, citing analysts who predicted a boost to bilateral ties.

Mr Manele said his major focus as Prime Minister was strengthening his country’s economy, and he wanted to work with both Australia and China to create sustainable employment in key sectors.

“Going forward, I believe creating permanent jobs … in Solomon Islands is critical,” he said.

“Our focus is on the productive sector – forestry, fisheries, tourism. Those sectors are critical for us.”

Mr Albanese said Australia was committed to supporting Solomon Islands’ economy, flagging fresh support for the country’s renewable energy sector and skills development for Solomon Islanders through Australia’s Pacific workers scheme.

“Our position when it comes to the Pacific and economic development is very clear, which is we provide support for the Pacific family because that’s who we are,” he said.

“It’s not a transactional thing. It’s not something in which we seek to do anything other than have mutual benefit.”

Mr Sogavare – who is now Solomon Islands’ Treasurer and Finance Minister – conceded days ago that the country would be forced to implement cost-cutting measures due to “(tax) exemptions, mismanagement and corruption”.

Solomon Islands’ MP Peter Kenilorea, who leads a bloc of nine independents in the country’s parliament, said Mr Manele’s trip was “all about finances”.

But he urged the Albanese government to “keep those purse strings tight”.

“Why would Australian taxpayers bail us out when we don’t have our house in order?” he asked.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/police-pledge-for-solomon-islands-to-strengthen-regional-stability/news-story/a7d44c24cff6e9e78c66f6b2477f3c84

>>20741589 (pb)

Russia’s Kremlin sanctions former PMs John Howard and Tony Abbott

BEN PACKHAM - June 28, 2024

John Howard and Tony Abbott are among the latest Australians to be sanctioned by Russia for their role in what the Kremlin says is a “Russophobic campaign by the collective West”.

Moscow has released a list of 27 Australians that have been added to its sanctions list, which also includes Sydney priest Bill Crews, Vice Chief of Defence Robert Chipman, and former NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the individuals would be denied entry to Russia for an “indefinite term”, and warned more names would be added to its catalogue of banned Australians.

“Considering the fact that official Canberra does not intend to renounce its anti-Russia line and continues to impose new sanctions, we will update the Russian stop list still further,” it said in a statement.

Mr Abbott, who once vowed to “shirtfront” Russian president Vladimir Putin, said he was pleased his advocacy for Ukraine had been so prominently recognised by Moscow.

“I’m surprised it’s taken them so long and am proud to be in such company,” he told The Australian on Friday.

The list dated Wednesday includes Federal Court judges Michael O’Bryan and Geoffrey Kennett, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chair Alex Ryvchin, and three former Australian ambassadors to Kyiv: Robert Tyson, Doug Trappett and Bruce Edwards.

Ed Cavanough and Nick Dyrenfurth, who head the Labor-linked McKell Institute and John Curtin Research Centre, are on the list, along with former Coalition pollster Mark Textor.

Melbourne financial adviser Chris Garnaut, Business NSW president Lyall Gorman, former CEO of Lifeline Pete Shmigel and Sydney banker Sergey Budkin have also been sanctioned, along with Royal Prince Alfred Hospital director of psychiatry Tanya Dus, and University of Sydney, sociologist Olga Boichak.

A day before the new sanctions were issued, Mr Abbott had told Sky News that Australia needed to boost its aid to Ukraine to help it win its war against Vladimir Putin’s forces.

“They have been given enough not to lose but they haven’t been given enough to win,” the former prime minister said.

“Australia has been, frankly, embarrassingly dithering… It’s relatively puny assistance to Ukraine.”

Mr Howard’s spokesman declined to comment on new sanctions list.

Moscow said the bans were in answer to sanctions imposed by Australia, which has slapped travel bans and seized assets from more than 1200 Russian individuals and entities.

“In response to politically motivated sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities, imposed by the Government of Australia as part of the Russophobic campaign by the collective West, Russia denies entry to Russia for an indefinite term for an additional 27 Australians,” the Kremlin said.

Some of those named on the list are linked to Australia’s the Supporters of Ukraine Network, which has appealed for government support for a plan to use Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine.

“We make this plea because Australia can punch well above its weight at no cost to the Australian taxpayer,” said the letter, whose signatories included Mr Howard, Dr Dus and Reverend Crews.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said the Kremlin wanted to punish his country’s supporters across the world, even though they were unlikely to visit Russia “now or ever”.

He said there was growing Australian support for the need to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction, and urged the Albanese government to work with the G7 to find a legal mechanism to transfer $300bn in frozen Russian assets to Kyiv.

“It would serve as a strong deterrent to other potential aggressors, forcing them to consider the financial consequences of attacking other nations,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.

The new sanctions come 12 months after the federal government evicted Russia from an embassy site close to parliament house, where it had planned to build a new diplomatic mission.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/russias-kremlin-sanctions-former-pms-john-howard-and-tony-abbott/news-story/905be60481a4bac4e2db2c3c3e80033f

https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1959710/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 29, 2024, 9:20 a.m. No.21110395 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0410

China expels former defence minister Li Shangfu accused of violating Communist Party principles and 'discipline'

ABC/AP - 27 June 2024

Former Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party (CCP), months after being removed from office in an abrupt leadership shake-up.

State-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday Mr Li was removed over allegations of corruption and bribery, which he was undergoing investigation for.

The general was ousted from his positions as defence minister and state councillor last October, with no explanation being provided for the dismissal.

Prior to that, he had gone missing from public view for about two months amidst a clampdown on corruption by the Xi Jinping government.

Xinhua said CCP leadership decided on Mr Li's expulsion due to his "serious violation of Party discipline and the law", determined by China's Central Military Commission (CMC) through a probe running since August.

"According to the investigation results, Mr Li seriously violated political and organisational discipline," the news agency reported.

"He sought improper benefits in personnel arrangements for himself and others, took advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others, and accepted a huge amount of money and valuables in return. He is suspected of the crime of taking bribes.

"He was also found to have offered money to others to seek undue benefits, constituting the suspected crime of offering bribes."

It added that Mr Li's apparent contraventions also went against the party's "original aspiration and principles" and hindered growth of the nation's powerful military.

Scant clarity on alleged crimes

Such charges have been levelled in past by numerous military leaders under the rule of Mr Xi, who also heads the armed forces as chairman of the CMC and has made a crackdown on corruption a hallmark of his rule since taking power more than a decade ago.

Another former defence minister, Wei Fengshe, was also expelled by the party's Political Bureau on Thursday for the same reasons.

Both leaders were previously members of the CMC. The commission had been behind the decree to remove them from military posts last year.

Mr Li's "suspected criminal case" is now set to be transferred to the procuratorial organs of the Chinese military, which could likely sentence him to life in prison.

Details on what the graft allegations against him relate to are yet to be made clear.

In its statement, the ministry only said alleged crimes were "exceptionally pernicious" and that they posed "an enormous danger".

Mr Li spent most of his career as a specialist in the missile and procurement branches, and was under travel and financial sanctions from the United States when he dropped from view last September.

That roughly coincided with the sudden disappearance of then-foreign minister Qin Gang and several leading officers in the rocket corps amid unproven allegations of misconduct.

Mr Li was replaced in December by Admiral Dong Jun.

China has the world's largest standing military, its biggest navy, and a rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, but it has not been tested in warfare in half a century.

It has a highly politicised and bureaucratic structure, led by Xi as head of the party's Central Military Commission, with the defence minister playing a subsidiary role who has few contacts with counterparts from foreign nations.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-27/china-former-defence-minister-li-shangfu-expelled/104033298

https://english.news.cn/20240627/ed54cc4029c44a8e9a163d47fb8c77cd/c.html

>>21110395

Defence ministers charged in Xi Jinping’s latest anti-corruption purge

RICHARD SPENCER - June 28, 2024

China’s previous two defence ministers are to be tried for dereliction of duty and bribery, as President Xi Jinping’s campaign to modernise and clean up his military takes its most prominent scalps yet.

General Li Shangfu, who disappeared from view last summer and was formally replaced as defence minister in October, is to be stripped of his rank and handed to the judiciary, the ruling politburo said.

An investigation found that he had given and taken bribes, “betrayed his original mission” and failed to act in accordance with Communist Party principles.

A similar finding was made in the case of his predecessor, General Wei Fenghe, whose offences may be even greater: he retired in March last year after five years as minister, something that often puts officials beyond the reach of anti-corruption drives.

The men rose to prominence in related fields, China’s missile, nuclear and space programs, with Wei at one point heading China’s nuclear forces. These linked programs are the focus of a significant upgrade by the People’s Liberation Army and are subject to a corruption inquiry in which 70 officers have been purged.

As often with the Communist Party, an opaque dual judicial system for officials, where the courts are involved only after internal party investigations have been conducted, makes it hard to be sure the purge is truly to do with corruption rather than an attempt to root out dissent against party leaders.

In practice, once senior officials come before the courts after a party investigation they are inevitably convicted, normally after a brief hearing involving a confession and guilty plea.

However, Xi is known to be genuinely concerned about the state of China’s missile inventory and nuclear arsenal, which is one area where Beijing continues to lag far behind the United States.

According to a leak to US intelligence, reported by Bloomberg this year, a Chinese inquiry had discovered water in missile fuel tanks and missile silos with improperly fitted covers.

The credibility of the leak was challenged in some quarters, but satellite photographs show that China has been building a missile launch pad in the Xinjiang region. A report last week confirmed that China was increasing the size of its nuclear arsenal faster than any other major power.

Li and Qin Gang, the foreign minister, both of whom were appointed in March last year, were seen as personally loyal to Xi, who was then starting his controversial third term in office. So their disappearance last summer set off a wave of speculation about the internal state of the party leadership.

The statement said Li had “seriously violated political and organisational discipline” and used similar wording about Wei.

Both are certain to serve lengthy jail sentences.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/defence-ministers-charged-in-xi-jinpings-latest-anticorruption-purge/news-story/61a129b801299dc75b0b12d41511c2b1

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 30, 2024, 3:43 a.m. No.21114370 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4372

Diplomacy, distrust and the last-minute hiccup that almost sank the Assange deal

DENNIS SHANAHAN - 30 June 2024

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After more than a year of quiet diplomacy, the whole deal on the criminal espionage case against Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, almost collapsed at the last minute because of mutual mistrust between Assange and the American justice authorities.

Simultaneously, there was a threat from London because Britain’s prosecution service feared it would be held responsible if the Australian charged with espionage against the US, held in an English prison, did “a runner” after being released from the British justice system.

There had been the key change in negotiations of Assange’s legal team and the US Department of Justice agreeing to talk directly about a settlement but the execution of the deal was under threat.

It was here that the legal and symbolic involvement of Australia’s two top diplomats – UK high commissioner Stephen Smith and Australian ambassador in Washington Kevin Rudd – became essential to the finalisation of the deal in the last days.

Smith, a former foreign affairs and defence minister who had been critical of Assange’s actions, had to act legally as a “bailiff” signing a legal agreement that he would “hold” Assange’s passport and “accompany” him to a US jurisdiction as well as take responsibility if he failed to appear.

Rudd, a former prime minister and foreign minister who had been embarrassed by WikiLeaks exposures, had to agree to be on American soil – Saipan in the Mariana Islands – to meet and greet Assange, appear in the court and then accompany him on the plane to Australia.

These last-minute conditions had to be met to ensure the plea deal ended years of Assange’s imprisonment in connection to extradition orders in Britain.

Smith didn’t have to handcuff himself to Assange and Rudd didn’t have to act as a hostage but the effect was the same.

Assange was able to demand Australia provide its top diplomats, who had been working for his release for more than a year, to accompany him on a 40-hour charter plane odyssey.

Both Smith and Rudd had an antagonistic relationship with Assange in their previous lives – Smith was highly critical of the leaking of thousands of secret documents that threatened the lives of allied forces – but both had spent the past year in London and Washington seeking to get a resolution of what Rudd described on Friday as an irritant in the US-Australia relationship.

All sides feared the Assange issues was developing a momentum that would damage the priority AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine and intelligence relationship between the three nations and antagonise the Labor left against the US.

There were concerns that if anything happened to the Australian citizen while in a British prison fighting US extradition charges, there would be serious damage to all AUKUS partners.

Assange. however, refused to set foot on mainland US territory and the US Department of Justice refused to allow him to appear in a Covid-style virtual court to submit his plea bargain.

No side trusted the other or wanted to take responsibility for Assange escaping judgment, not appearing for a real US court judgment or a reneging on a solemn undertaking to meet the plea bargain of treating Assange’s years in prison as satisfying the sentence for espionage.

Britain did not want to run the risk of letting Assange free and then not agreeing to face US justice; Assange did not want to risk the US reneging on its deal and putting him in jail; and the US did not want Assange to avoid a physical appearance in a US court.

There was also the growing electoral pressures of a general election in Britain, a US presidential election in November and an Australian election having to be called with nine months.

It was here that Smith, who had worked to establish a relationship with Assange in the past year or more, and Rudd, who pestered US officials with prime ministerial endorsement, built on their previous work to save the deal that was so threatened at the last moment.

(continued)

>>21114370

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In London, at a closed court session last week, Smith had to agree with British prosecution authorities to sign as Assange’s guarantee for his release from London’s Belmarsh prison; agree to accompany him out of British territory at Stansted airport; and “hold” Assange’s passport and travel documents until the chartered plane arrived in Saipan.

While Smith had no legal right to act as a sheriff’s officer and compel Assange to get on the plane or to control his passport, British authorities accepted the deal to “accompany” him and to “hold” the passport and visas.

Then Rudd, as Australia’s US ambassador, had to agree to meet the plane on US soil, with Smith and Assange on board, and work out the due diligence of organising the trip from the airport to a hotel, to the US court and then back to the airport for a departure to Australia.

For the two diplomats, working at the highest levels as political appointees, it was about quiet diplomacy; for Anthony Albanese, there was an irresistible attraction to claim a victory for freedom that will be difficult to explain in the US and falls short of his treatment of Australian Defence personnel threatened and injured by dangerous Chinese naval actions.

In the Saipan court, there was no simple tick and flick but a rigorous test to ensure Assange was agreeing to the guilty plea and to justify that the four years spent in prison in Britain on the extradition process was the equivalent of time spent by others in the WikiLeaks espionage cases.

The US wanted to count the extradition period in jail – four years – not the seven years spent in self-imposed exile in the London Ecuadorean embassy avoiding sexual assault charges as the equivalent of punishment meted out to others.

While neither Smith nor Rudd had supported Assange previously, while they did not wish to spend days travelling on planes or appearing in public with Assange, and nor while they did not speak publicly without the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs – Rudd gave one interview, Smith none – they both worked for a settlement of the “irritant” and did not seek to make political points, despite claims they were seeking publicity.

Both have returned to Britain and the US, where they have to explain how the deal was done, why, and their involvement.

It is the Prime Minister who is faced with a backlash on his treatment of Assange as a returning hero who deserved a late-night press conference to announce his freedom and a first phone call from him as a welcome home without the same condemnation Smith, and Julia Gillard, delivered so many years ago as defence minister.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/diplomacy-distrust-and-the-lastminute-hiccup-that-almost-sank-the-assange-deal/news-story/fd7c96d6a0580693c98a5160d920ada2

Forget the media circus, Julian Assange put our brave soldiers’ lives in danger

PETER JENNINGS - June 29, 2024

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Julian Assange emerged from his charter jet in Canberra on Wednesday night in a dark suit, white shirt and thin tie, raising his right arm in a clenched-fist salute. Perhaps Assange wanted to echo the image of Nelson Mandela walking out of the Victor Verster prison on February 11, 1990.

But Assange is no Mandela. He will not go on to lead this country or be a global figure of reconciliation. Assange is and will remain a disrupter. Now that he is out of His Majesty’s Belmarsh Prison, we will come to know the real Julian, not the figure managed so artfully over the past decade by the Assange fan club.

Anthony Albanese is, as usual, describing the situation rather than defining it. “Look, I think that there will continue to be different views about Julian Assange and his activity,” he told a media gaggle on Thursday. The Prime Minister is just relieved that “this saga is over”.

Albanese should be worried that the next phase of the saga is about to begin. Whatever Assange has in mind for his future, it won’t involve being obliging to Albo.

Could the Prime Minister even articulate the “different views” that people are supposed to have about Assange? We are unlikely to find out.

Albanese had the sense to stay away from Canberra airport although the instinct must surely have run deep to jump into C1 with Toto and charge for a photo opportunity. The challenge for the PM will be to milk what credit he can from facilitating the return of a driven, deeply idiosyncratic individual with the potential to become a deep headache for the political left.

Assange’s WikiLeaks shot to global prominence on July 25, 2010, when it released online what it called the Afghanistan War Diary – 91,000 reports “written by soldiers and intelligence officers, and mainly describing lethal military actions involving the United States military, (and including) intelligence information, reports of meetings with political figures, and related details”.

This act flung Canberra into a panic. What if these reports gave targetable details of Australian military operations, or named Afghans working with Defence or intelligence?

I was deputy secretary for strategy in Defence and was tasked to lead a process reviewing the leaked material. The context is important. We were fighting a bloody counter-terrorism war at the time.

On June 7, 2010, sapper Jacob Moerland, 21, was killed by an improvised explosive device in the Mirabad Valley of Uruzgan province. Injured in the same explosion was sapper Darren Smith, 25. He was evacuated by helicopter and later died of his wounds.

On June 21, privates Scott Palmer, 27, Timothy Aplin, 38, and Benjamin Chuck, 27, all serving with the special forces, were killed on operations in a Blackhawk helicopter crash. Then on July 9, private Nathan Bewes, 23, was killed and another soldier wounded by an IED in Uruzgan’s Chora Valley.

A fortnight later, Assange’s WikiLeaks release of uncensored battlefield reports put our forces, indeed the whole of the international coalition in Afghanistan, and the many brave Afghans fighting with us, under serious risk.

The only group that could benefit from this tactical information was the Taliban.

I mention the names of these fine soldiers to help the Prime Minister understand how it is that some people may have “different views” about Assange. Many more ADF deaths and woundings followed. The essence of political leadership is to separate the spin from what truly matters rather than pretend that different views are just happy celebrations of diversity.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 June 30, 2024, 4 a.m. No.21114402 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4409

>>21114398

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On Sky News on Wednesday, The Australian’s Washington correspondent Adam Creighton argued that “in the 14 years this stuff’s been out there, you know, there has basically been no damage at all”.

“Those who attack Assange, they claim that, you know, he has caused enormous danger to various people but I just don’t see that has been borne out in reality. And frankly, even if it is true then that’s the price of, you know, knowing the truth.”

“The truth” looks different looking backward from, you know, the safety of a television studio.

At the time, in the middle of Australia’s most serious combat operations since the Vietnam War, Assange threw a bomb into the middle of the ADF.

No one was taking this risk more seriously than Stephen Smith, then foreign minister, soon to become defence minister, and Kevin Rudd, who in June 2010 had just lost the prime ministership, but would become foreign minister in September of that year.

WikiLeaks kept throwing bombs. In October 2010, 391,832 combat reports from Iraq were put online, again uncensored. And beginning in November 2010, tens of thousands of State Department cables started to be released.

One of those cables, marked secret, reported that in 2009, then prime minister Rudd told the US embassy that Afghanistan “scared the hell out of him”. He was right to be so worried.

It is by no means clear that the material put online by Assange did not cause deaths. After President Joe Biden’s disastrous decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in August 2021, we know that the Taliban targeted Afghans who worked for the International Security Assistance Force. The combat reports have never been taken off the WikiLeaks site.

The release of the State Department cables caused significant disruption to Western intelligence operations globally, including the urgent withdrawal of exposed agents. Some of Assange’s supporters may celebrate that as a dismantling of an evil state apparatus, but that would be a case of not “knowing the truth” so much as just being unable to handle it.

The biggest geopolitical beneficiaries of WikiLeaks were Russia and China. They don’t indulge quirky libertarians like Assange. By contrast, the democracies, particularly the US, suffered.

Reading through the combat reports and the cables, the picture that emerges is not one of the Deep State malignly plotting, or that of a war machine endlessly committing war crimes. These are fantasy views, animating fringe-dwellers on the hard left and right of politics.

What is revealed is flawed democracies fighting confused wars with barely coherent strategic planning, imperfect knowledge and limited resources. Mistakes get made. The benefit of the US and Australian systems is that we will regularly admit to the fault.

A fair reading of the State Department cables would judge that American diplomats are, very often, savvy judges of character and political processes.

Is it news to anyone that the US embassy thought Rudd was a “control freak”?

As a Defence official closely engaged with a variety of different governments, I can reveal that the heart of modern democracy is not an all-knowing, all-controlling “Deep State” – you will find that only in China. What we have is the Shallow State – something that looks more like a sweaty and short-sighted clown troop riding the dodgem cars.

That is what WikiLeaks reveals. Spare me the nonsense about fearlessly exposing the truth.

(continued)

>>21114402

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What happens next? Assange could turn his gaze towards how successive Australian governments have increasingly misused national security classifications to cover up political stupidity.

It has been a long time since the security classifications of “confidential”, “secret” and “top secret” have been used, as intended, to control information of genuine national security significance.

The government failed to release a recent report by David Peever on innovation and the Defence Strategic Review by Stephen Smith and Sir Angus Houston, and they did so on spurious national security grounds.

Albanese has created a new role for himself as the bringer-home of incarcerated Australians. He does not mention the Islamic State jihadi brides and children returned in October 2022 in his roll call of success.

The good news for Albanese is that DFAT reports 318 cases of Australians imprisoned overseas in 2022-23, including 49 in China, 47 in the US and 30 in Vietnam. Will they all get a phone call from the Prime Minister upon return?

How about a private jet with Rudd and Smith in attendance? One hopes both these gentlemen are profoundly embarrassed by having to accompany Assange. That could only have been a prime ministerial call and was completely unnecessary.

On Thursday morning ABC Radio, Stella Assange asked only for privacy for her family in comments reminiscent of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, surely the only close competitors for such media attention. But I can’t see Julian marketing his own brand of dog biscuits.

Instead, he may consider politics. In an election for half the Senate, a 14.3 per cent vote – a “quota” – lands a Senate position. With global name recognition, Assange will threaten the Greens for a Senate spot in any state in the country.

Assange previously ran for a Senate position for the WikiLeaks Party in 2013.

An early disturber of Assange’s privacy might be a call from Adam Bandt who, presumably, would rather have Assange in the Greens tent than out of it. Bandt could see Assange as a political threat. There are plenty of inner metropolitan seats in Sydney and Melbourne where Assange would stand a solid chance off knocking off a Labor or Greens incumbent.

For the rest of us, including the thousands who maintain onerous security clearances, the image of Albanese’s grinning phone call welcoming Assange home will linger.

Given the government’s obsession with secrecy and information control, common decency and a touch of political astuteness would suggest the PM should give Assange a wide berth.

Assange was found guilty by our closest ally of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information. The man is no hero. The same action would put any Defence official in prison.

Albanese should acknowledge that, out of respect for the thousands of loyal Australians who uphold our national security.

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/forget-the-media-circus-julian-assange-put-our-brave-soldiers-lives-in-danger/news-story/d3ba0e7969ae53fcc8204bd035896248

>>21110092

Fatima Payman confirms she would cross the floor again as Deputy Prime Minister issues blunt warning

Dan Jervis-Bardy - 30 June 2024

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Fatima Payman’s future with Labor is in doubt after the rogue WA senator vowed to defy party leadership and again cross the floor to support Palestinian recognition.

The Greens are set to immediately test Senator Payman’s resolve with more votes on Palestine and the Gaza conflict to be brought forward this week in the Senate.

The internal drama is a political headache for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that threatens to derail efforts to keep focus on its long-awaited tax cuts, which start on Monday.

Senator Payman has stoked fresh anger inside Labor ranks after using an appearance on national television on Sunday morning to confirm she would again cross the floor if the Greens put a forward a motion to recognise Palestine for a second consecutive week.

The Afghan-born senator says she wants to remain inside Labor caucus, insisting her act of defiance to champion human rights was consistent with party values.

But that decision could be taken out of her hands with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles sending the clearest signal yet that Senator Payman could be booted from caucus if she broke ranks again.

One Labor MP said Senator Payman’s position in caucus would be “untenable” if she followed through – if wasn’t already after Sunday’s interview on ABC’s Insiders program

Senator Payman’s future is expected to be debated at Labor’s caucus meeting, which she won’t attend as a consequence of last week’s act of party disloyalty.

Labor sources said further sanctions, including the possibility of expelling Senator Payman from caucus, would likely be discussed at the meeting.

There are concerns internally that Mr Albanese could look weak if he didn’t come down harder on Senator Payman for a second breach of party convention that prevents MPs from crossing the floor except on rare matters of conscience.

Mr Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Mr Albanese had shown “restraint” in issuing Senator Payman with such a light punishment, amid deep internal unrest about her conduct.

Despite the public rebuke from the Labor leadership, Senator Payman is refusing to toe the line.

“If the same motion on recognising the state of Palestine was to be brought forward tomorrow, I would cross the floor,” she told Insiders.

Senator Payman accepted such a move could imperil her future with the Labor caucus.

“What I know is that this is about 40,000 Palestinians that have been massacred and slaughtered since the 7th of October,” she said in the interview.

“I know that Australians are a fair people and knowing about the Labor Party, we are a party with a conscience and champions of human rights, whether that be justice, fighting for freedom or equality.

“So I believe … I’ve been abiding by those principles of the party.”

(continued)

>>21114421

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Greens leader Adam Bandt confirmed the minor party would use this coming sitting week to again pressure Labor over its position on Palestinian recognition and Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Mr Bandt said there were various options on the table, including parliamentary motions – such as the one moved last week – legislation and questions in parliament.

“Labor should not take further action against Senator Payman but instead should work out what action they can take to put pressure on (Israel Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu to stop this invasion (of Gaza),” he said.

Senator Payman said she had not spoken to the Greens about their intentions.

A major source of anger inside Labor ranks is Senator Payman’s insistence on pushing her position publicly, rather than through internal channels.

Senior Labor sources said Senator Payman had never spoken up in caucus about her views, including last week when it agreed to amend the wording of the Greens’ motion to call for the Palestinian recognition “as part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution.”

Many colleagues have compared Senator Payman’s approach with Senator Wong and WA Labor senator Louise Pratt’s decade-long internal fight to shift the party’s position on same-sex marriage.

Referencing those comparisons, Senator Payman said Palestinians “do not have 10 years”.

“That’s why I will use what is within my power as a backbench senator to continue advocating for a just and lasting solution - and I think that’s what fair Australians want.”

Mr Marles, speaking on Insiders just moments before Senator Payman’s interview, hinted caucus could decide to impose further sanctions when it meets without her in the room on Tuesday.

In a blunt message to his colleague, Mr Marles said Senator Payman was only elected to parliament because she was on the Labor ticket.

“I cannot overemphasize enough how important all of us who are members of the team, regard the obligations of being a member of the team in terms of the way in which we behave.”

https://thewest.com.au/politics/federal-politics/fatima-payman-confirms-she-would-cross-the-floor-again-as-deputy-prime-minister-issues-blunt-warning-c-15191908

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWCjKyPflC4

>>21110092

>>21114421

Fatima Payman indefinitely suspended from caucus in crisis talks with PM over Palestine

James Massola and Angus Thompson - June 30, 2024

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Labor senator Fatima Payman has been indefinitely suspended from the Labor caucus during crisis talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at The Lodge in Canberra.

Payman was summoned to the prime minister’s residence on Sunday afternoon after an explosive interview on the ABC’s Insiders program in which she vowed to cross the floor again and vote for a motion supporting an independent Palestinian state, should the Greens put one before parliament again this week.

The defiant West Australian senator was at The Lodge for about 40 minutes and was spotted leaving by this masthead about 3.10pm on Sunday.

Asked if she had been expelled from the ALP, Payman said no but did not take any further questions. A source close to the senator not permitted to speak on the record said she was now considering her future with Labor and had received a “stern” talking to from the prime minister.

A Labor spokesperson said after the meeting: “By her own actions and statements, Senator Payman has placed herself outside the privilege that comes with participating in the federal parliamentary Labor Party caucus.

“If Senator Payman decides she will respect the caucus and her Labor colleagues, she can return, but until then Senator Payman is suspended from the right to participate in federal parliamentary Labor Party caucus meetings and processes.”

Albanese told Payman during their meeting that he, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Senate leader Penny Wong and her deputy, Don Farrell, had signed off on the suspension after Payman’s television interview on Sunday morning.

Payman, a first-term Labor senator who thumbed her nose at party rules and voted with the Greens last week on a motion expressing support for a Palestinian state, told the Insiders program that she did not know if the crossbench party had another motion planned when parliament resumes on Monday.

But if the Greens brought the same motion recognising a Palestinian state back to parliament, she said: “I would cross the floor.”

The comments are the first time Payman has vowed to cross the floor again and represented a direct threat to the prime minister’s authority and the principle of Labor Party unity, throwing into question whether she could remain in the federal parliamentary Labor Party.

The prospect of Payman crossing the floor again also threatened to overshadow Labor’s message about the July 1 tax cuts delivering much-needed relief to households.

Speaking about a decision made by the prime minister last week to suspend her from caucus for a week after she crossed the floor, she said that decision was within Albanese’s prerogative but she had no regrets.

“I respect the prime minister and my senior colleagues and obviously, the prime minister had a stern but fair conversation with me a few days ago, and I understand that he’s got very important decisions to make as the leader of our nation,” she said.

“When I made the decision on the Senate floor to cross, I did it with the understanding that this could lead to expulsion and costing my Labor membership.”

“I do not intend on leaving the party, because I firmly believe that I’ve upheld all the values of what, as the Labor Party, we should stand for.”

(continued)

>>21114443

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Payman said she had not spoken to the Greens about whether they would put a similar motion up in the Senate this week when parliament resumes, and said it would be up to the caucus to decide if she would face further sanctions.

Greens leader Adam Bandt stopped short of promising to bring back the same motion, but signalled it was likely as the crossbench party had put pressure on Labor to act every time parliament sat.

“We will be having discussions over the coming days about what we intend to do this week,” he said. “I hope Labor does not continue to put further pressure on Senator Payman, but instead listens to the urgency with which she and others are speaking about the situation in Gaza right now.”

Payman’s decision to cross the floor last Tuesday came in the ninth month of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. On October 7, Hamas fighters crossed into Israel, killing 1200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, according to the Israel Defence Force. Gazan health authorities report more than 37,000 people have died during the subsequent invasion.

The last time a Labor MP crossed the floor was in 2005, when former Tasmanian MP Harry Quick asked for his name to be recorded in Hansard as having voted against an anti-terrorism bill.

Payman defended her use of the controversial phrase “From the river to the sea”, which is interpreted by some people as a call for the Israeli state to be abolished. She said she supported a two-state solution and backed Israel’s right to exist, taking a swipe at Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who earlier in the week pointed out she had had to vote against same-sex marriage before Labor switched position to support it.

“I understand their advocacy from within,” Payman said. “It took 10 years to legislate same-sex marriage. We’re talking about 40,000 Palestinians being massacred here. These Palestinians do not have 10 years.”

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stepped up his criticism of Payman’s actions while deflecting questions about whether the senator would be punished again for crossing the floor.

“We’ve sought to act with restraint here,” Marles told Insiders when asked about Albanese’s decision to bar Payman from attending a caucus meeting this week.

Marles said he couldn’t “overemphasise enough” how important caucus members regarded the obligations of being members of the Labor team.

“We only get the privilege of serving in this parliament, not because of who we are as individuals, but because when we stand for election, the word ‘Labor’ is next to our name, and that’s obviously the case for Senator Payman … she would not be a senator but for the fact that Labor is next to her name,” he said.

Marles told Insiders that caucus solidarity was “at the heart of the obligations that we have, in terms of being members of the Labor Party, and being given the great privilege that we have in serving the Australian people in the parliament, and clearly that that will be foremost in the minds of the caucus”.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/fatima-payman-suspended-from-labor-after-crisis-talks-with-pm-over-palestine-20240630-p5jpux.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 1, 2024, 2:43 a.m. No.21119456 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9457

>>21114398

OPINION: Just don’t call him a hero. Assange’s recklessness may have cost lives

George Brandis - June 30, 2024

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A weary world needs heroes, and now we have a new one. Julian Assange has long been a hero to his natural supporters: the usual crowd of rich actors, preachy human rights lawyers and professional activists. Celebrities look after their own, and there is no doubt that Assange is in the club.

Now, with his dramatic release and the huge publicity attending his return, he has transcended his status as a darling of the glitterati to become a national figure. The ABC, in particular, could barely contain its elation, with wall-to-wall coverage. Patricia Karvelas described it as “undoubtedly the biggest political story of the week”, overlooking the more prosaic news of inflation rising to 4 per cent and the likelihood of yet higher interest rates – something with a lot more impact on Australians than the homecoming of a feted felon.

Assange’s repatriation was an exercise in stage management that would have made his Hollywood cheer squad proud. Being escorted by both an ambassador and a high commissioner was completely unnecessary, but it added gravitas to the show. What other convicted Australian receives a welcome home call from the prime minister?

Whatever else it was, Assange’s case was a flagrant violation of the consular principle that all Australians who get into trouble overseas should be treated equally by the government.

Of course, the fact that Assange is a criminal is of no concern to his admirers. No sooner had they got off the plane than his lawyers started to walk back the significance of the conviction. But a guilty plea is an admission of guilt, whether it’s part of a plea deal or not. The crime to which Assange pleaded – conspiracy to commit espionage – is a serious one, recognised, in one form or another, by every legal system in the world. If Assange had committed the same offence against Australian law, he would have been prosecuted under the Criminal Code. His culpability is no less because he committed the same offence against American law.

Assange’s supporters have never made any secret of the fact that he did what he was accused of. Many actually boast about the fact that this was the greatest release of classified documents in American history. The crime of espionage usually involves unlawfully obtaining, and communicating, classified information. Do those who celebrate Assange say that there should be no such law? Or that those who break it should not be prosecuted if their motives are pure?

Assange’s apologists argue that this was journalism. Certainly, it was publication, but since when is a massive data dump – unsifted, unanalysed and unredacted – journalism?

The fact that the documents published by Assange contained the unredacted names of numerous intelligence sources also shows how wickedly reckless his conduct was. These included people in Afghanistan and Iraq who put their lives on the line to help Western – including Australian – forces. It was painful to watch Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on the ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, trying to walk away from his earlier, accurate statement that the leaks put the lives of Australian soldiers at risk.

We should see through Assange’s lawyers’ carefully worded formulation that “there is no evidence” that such people suffered harm. They have seized on a remark to that effect by the judge who sentenced him. But rubber-stamping a plea deal is not a fact-finding exercise. There was no evidence because none was put before the court. As is obvious from the fact that the proceedings lasted barely two hours, this was not a forensic process.

(continued)

>>21119456

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I know the view of Australian intelligence agencies (which briefed me when I was Australia’s attorney-general) that it was likely Assange’s leak cost lives. This assessment was shared by our Five Eyes partners. But you don’t need to be an intelligence professional (or a minister briefed by them) to understand how Assange imperilled those whose identities he exposed.

If a Western intelligence source in a hostile country is publicly named, what are the chances they will not be pursued by militants whose standard methods include assassination of domestic opponents? Does anyone seriously think the Taliban would have turned a blind eye to people they regarded as Western spies? At the weekend, News Corp newspapers carried the case of Majid Jamali Fashi, arrested by the Iranian theocracy as the clear result of the leak, and hanged.

Even if none of the sources exposed by Assange did come to harm, at the time he published the documents he could not have known that. At the very least, he hazarded innocent lives for his own gratification.

The comparison is sometimes made between Assange and Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971. But the Pentagon Papers were a historical document – the CIA’s own internal history of America’s involvement in Vietnam. They did not expose current sources; their publication did not put innocent lives at risk.

If similarities with famous Americans are sought, the truer comparison is with Donald Trump. If you drew a Venn diagram of admirers of Assange and Trump supporters, the circles would not intersect. Yet the likenesses are endless. The same paranoid conviction that the “deep state” is out to get them. The same belief that they are above the law. The same refusal to accept the integrity of legal processes. The same egocentricity and self-righteousness. The same creepy narcissism. The same cultish devotion from their acolytes. They even affect the same defiant gesture: the vaguely fascistic raised fist.

For some Australians, Assange will forever be a favourite son. In a land where Ned Kelly is a national icon, being a criminal is no bar to public acclaim. I do not doubt that Anthony Albanese read the national mood correctly when he said last year that this had gone on for long enough. It was naturally touching to see Assange embraced by his overjoyed father and his stoic wife.

But let sentiment not blind us to the brutal truth that Julian Assange played dice with the lives of numberless, uncelebrated people, who had the courage to help Australia and our allies as we fought murderous enemies like the Taliban. They are the only heroes here.

George Brandis is a former high commissioner to the UK, and a former Liberal senator and federal attorney-general. He is now a professor at ANU.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/just-don-t-call-him-a-hero-assange-s-recklessness-may-have-cost-lives-20240628-p5jpn6.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 1, 2024, 2:53 a.m. No.21119464 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9465

>>21114398

‘Champagne, Mr Assange?’ This man is no hero – certainly not to our closest ally

ALEXANDER DOWNER - 1 July 2024

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If an American anti-Western activist hacked into the classified communications systems of DFAT and the Defence Department and then gave all the cables, memos, records of conversation and submissions to selected left-leaning newspapers, how would Anthony Albanese and his ministers feel?

Would they proclaim the hacker a national hero and argue he was a brilliant investigative journalist, or would they throw the book at him? And imagine if the same hacker had been facing sexual assault charges in Sweden and hid in the embassy of a rogue regime to avoid facing court?

Would the government invoke the language of the #MeToo campaign or would it proclaim the aggrieved women were exaggerating and rejoice when the charges against the alleged assailant were dropped because of the statute of limitations?

You see my point. Apparently concerns about the lack of convictions of men charged with rape exclude anti-Americans. The Americans, who are our closest and most important ally, took a dim view of Julian Assange for conspiring unlawfully to obtain and disclose classified documents. Surely we don’t want our principal ally’s secrets blasted all over the world to the advantage of adversaries.

So how is it that our Prime Minister is the first person to phone Assange when he stepped off his chartered flight in Australia?

As for our ambassador to the US, why ever was he on the plane with Assange? He can’t fly a plane so he wasn’t the pilot. Perhaps he was a flight attendant serving Assange champagne and canapes. And making sure his seatbelt was fastened for takeoff and landing. I’m not sure.

I’d rather our ambassador had been back in Washington trying to influence the foreign policy priorities of the Trump and Biden teams. After all, there’s a lot of work to be done there. If last week’s presidential debate is anything to go by, Donald Trump may very well be the 47th president. If he wins he could present us with a couple of problems.

First, Trump is a protectionist. He wants to introduce a 10 per cent tariff on all imports, not just those from China. Not only would this push up the cost of living in the US and disadvantage low-income consumers, but it would have a deleterious effect on the global trading system. Other countries will almost certainly retaliate and the ensuing trade war would reduce GDP and the living standards of people around the world. The 10 per cent tariffs would be particularly painful for developing countries dependent on exports to lift them out of poverty.

Second, an incoming Trump administration needs to understand the holistic nature of the threat the West faces. That is, it needs to understand the linkages between China, Iran and Russia, and ensure the Western alliance is focused on dealing with all of those simultaneously.

Yet Elbridge Colby, who is said to be the leading contender to become Trump’s national security adviser, thinks the West should divide up responsibility for meeting these threats. Colby believes the Europeans should simply focus on Russia while the US, Japan, Australia and others in the Indo-Pacific region need to address the threat of an aggressive China.

While on the face of it an American “pivot” to Asia seems good for us, it would not be. If the US downgrades its support for Ukraine and countering Iran’s proxies in the Middle East, that will embolden the Russians and Iranians. That would be dangerous.

What is more, this approach ignores the intense links – including the military links – between China, Iran, Russia and also North Korea. Trump was always right to demand the Europeans increase their defence effort. And he succeeded. Now only Italy, Portugal and Spain have failed to commit to the annual target of 2 per cent of GDP.

But that doesn’t mean the Americans can afford to pull back in the teeth of virulent threats from Russia against Ukraine and from Iran through its proxies in the Middle East. Whether Trump himself holds this view is unknown, but the fact that a possible incoming national security adviser wants to divide the world into these segments is worrying.

(continued)

>>21119464

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As for AUKUS, we need to work overtime to ensure a Trump administration implements the AUKUS commitments. Colby told me recently he was an AUKUS sceptic not because he didn’t value the alliance with Australia but because he didn’t want to sell us submarines he would rather keep under US command.

As I watched the US presidential debate I couldn’t help but feel that Joe Biden will not be the president after January next year. Either Trump will win or the Democrats will select a new candidate. They have plausible alternatives such as Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, or Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California.

All the same, our ambassador and embassy need to ensure as best they can that the Democrats too would pursue a foreign policy that would reinforce Australia’s interests. While the Biden administration has criticised Trump’s 10 per cent tariffs, we need to persuade the Democrats to engage with the so-called Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The withdrawal from the CPTPP by Trump was folly, but Biden has always seen participation in the CPTPP as politically too difficult. It needs to be framed as a powerful non-military tool to diminish China’s economic power in the Indo-Pacific.

And then there’s Indonesia. The Democratic Biden administration is reluctant to engage with president-elect Prabowo Subianto because of his background as the commander of Indonesia’s special forces.

This is a huge mistake. Prabowo worries about China’s power and influence in the Indo-Pacific, and in a world of competition between the US and China, America and its allies need Indonesia at least on side. Snubbing the elected president will just play in to China’s hands.

So there’s a big job for our ambassador and embassy in Washington. No doubt they are doing some of this work. But the optics of our ambassador travelling on an executive jet with a convicted man who stole national security communications and handed them over to the media is a very poor look. And it hasn’t gone down well in America.

Alexander Downer was foreign minister from 1996-97 and high commissioner to the UK from 2014-18.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/champagne-mr-assange-this-man-is-no-hero-certainly-not-to-our-closest-ally/news-story/b933f1b9a261cc86cfecf51fef34dc56

>>21114443

‘Exiled’ Payman told to consider quitting the Senate by Albanese

Paul Sakkal and James Massola - July 1, 2024

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told renegade Senator Fatima Payman she should consider quitting the senate and handing back her seat to Labor, fuelling her growing anger at her exile from the party.

A day after the prime minister summoned her to The Lodge to suspend her from Labor’s caucus, the 29-year-old claimed she had lost contact with her colleagues and been kicked out of group chats.

“I have been exiled,” she said in a statement released on Monday afternoon. “These actions lead me to believe that some members are attempting to intimidate me into resigning from the Senate. I will use this time to reflect on my future and the best way to represent the people of Western Australia.”

Payman was indefinitely suspended by the Labor caucus on Sunday after a bombshell interview on the ABC’s Insiders program in which she vowed to cross the floor again and vote in support of recognising a Palestinian state.

She can serve out the remaining four years of her term whether she is representing Labor or joins the crossbench, just as Lidia Thorpe and David Van remain in parliament after quitting their parties.

Payman was elected in a usually unwinnable third position on Labor’s senate ticket in WA in 2022, and this masthead has confirmed with two sources, speaking anonymously to reveal private conversations, that the prime minister said at The Lodge meeting she should think about whether it was appropriate to continue holding the seat if not representing the party’s line.

If she were to quit, the WA Labor Party would be able to parachute in a new Labor senator to replace the first-term backbencher whose refusal to vote with the party forces the government to seek an extra crossbench vote to pass bills in the upper house.

Sources said Payman does not plan, at this stage, to move to the crossbench or to the Greens, and instead will withhold her vote entirely on motions and legislation.

The furore prompted by Payman’s stance on Palestine has knock-on consequences at the next election beyond her own political future.

A teal-inspired collective of Muslim activists is planning to unseat Labor MPs in metropolitan seats with large Arab populations.

There is speculation in Labor circles that Payman would work with the new grouping.

Several Labor MPs including ministers Tony Burke, Jim Chalmers and Anne Aly have encountered growing anger among Arab voters in their seats – sentiment that is fuelling a new political movement created by three groups that formed after October 7: Sydney group the Muslim Vote, Melbourne alliance Vote for Palestine and Australia-wide organisation Muslim Votes Matter.

Mahmud Hawila, a barrister and adviser to the collective said former Labor and Liberal operatives had already been recruited for strategy, polling and door knocking had begun and the groups planned to run candidates in seats such as NSW seats Blaxland, Watson and Werriwa and the Melbourne sea of Wills, and possibly others.

Hawila said: “the groups have all promised Senator Payman their unconditional support”.

“The way the prime minister has treated her [Payman] is disgusting”.

“What he’s done, unbeknown to him, is firmed up and consolidated support not just for Payman but the resolute conviction to get rid of Labor in these seats. People from Labor have defected and joined the movement, it’s become this massive machine that’s in full motion.”

Earlier on Monday, Albanese expressed frustration with the media’s focus on his decision to suspend Payman.

Albanese told ABC News Radio that on the first day of a new financial year, “we want to talk about tax cuts”.

He criticised Payman’s interview on ABC’s Insiders, in which she said she would cross the floor again if the Greens put forward another motion on Palestine.

The prime minister said Payman disrupted the government’s message “the day before the most significant assistance that has been given to working people in a very long period of time”.

Albanese said the suspension decision was “not because of her support for a policy position that she’s advocated”.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/exiled-payman-told-to-consider-quitting-the-senate-by-albanese-20240701-p5jq6c.html

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=497274929529268&id=100077402947532

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Sheik Charkawi’s bid to dump Labor to field ‘teal-like’ campaign-backed federal candidates

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - 1 July 2024

A Muslim teal-style campaign to oust the ALP in Sydney and Melbourne is seeking candidates as Anthony Albanese’s suspension of Fatima Payman from the Labor caucus exacerbates a rift between the party and the Islamic community.

The suspension of the senator for crossing the floor to vote with the Greens on Palestine statehood, and her warning that she’d do it again, has alienated Labor from its historically loyal Muslim voter base, which is mobilising to make that clear at the next election.

The Muslim Vote – a formal campaign bidding to oust Labor incumbents in seats with high Muslim populations – has opened applications for prospective candidates, including in the electorates of Education Minister Jason Clare and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke.

Any candidates running as part of the Muslim Vote platform are likely to be campaign-affiliated independents, backed with resources, volunteers and funding, similar to Climate 200’s support of independent teal candidates, albeit not to the same extent.

The Australian revealed in April that Labor powerbrokers feared abandonment by Muslim voters across southwest Sydney and inner-city Melbourne over its Gaza war stance and, in June, how the campaign was spearheaded by Islamic leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi.

On Sunday, Sheik Charkawi published a “candidate call out”, encouraging people to put themselves forward to run with the Muslim Vote’s backing. “Have you thought about truly speaking for your community? Now is the time,” he wrote.

The sheik has also started expanding the campaign’s reach and pool of canvassers. The group is also now accepting donations, which will go toward “local and national campaigns, mobilisation, rallies, event material, and direct lobbying”.

Although its vocal pro-Palestine stance will be a campaign tenet, it will also run on housing, the cost of living, and facilities that cater to the community, looking long-term to create “grassroots political infrastructure”. It also provides a data resource of the Muslim population in its target electorates, and rates the Labor incumbent on their Palestine voting record.

Target seats include Mr Burke’s Watson – who the campaign has ranked as “weak” on its voting scorecard – Mr Clare’s Blaxland, who it says has “strong solidarity with Israel”, and Labor-held Wills and Lalor in Melbourne.

Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gemel Kheir said his organisation – which is not associated with the campaign – and his community offered “unfettered support” for Senator Payman.

“It’s nothing to do with Islam anymore, it’s unfair to say it’s just Muslims, it’s a vast majority who’ve had enough and that will be echoed resoundingly (at the election),” he said.

Mr Kheir said it would be naive to think it would be driven by any one campaign and was in fact the community itself “maturing”. “It is not just any one campaign that will be a thorn (to the major parties), this (Senator Paymen’s crossing the floor) is a watershed moment,” he said.

He said the community, while not homogenous, would “express its electoral voice”.

“We’re not different from any other community, we’re maturing to understand that the system works better for us when we involve ourselves within it,” he said. “I’m not begrudging anyone (of different faiths, ethnicities) for advocating for their community.”

(continued)

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The Prime Minister on Monday said no individual was “bigger than the team” and that the resolution the senator supported did “nothing to advance the peace process”.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 of the 151 federal electorates have 5 per cent or more people of the 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 the party suffered primary vote swings against it of up to 18.5 per cent.

A separate group called Muslim Votes Matters has launched a similar campaign targeting Labor-held seats with a “Gaza scorecard”.

It is also recruiting volunteers, but has stopped short of calling for candidates. On Sunday, it held its Victoria launch at the Melbourne Grand Mosque.

Sheik Charkawi registered the Muslim Vote’s website domain in December – under IPBL College, an incorporated association he runs – and the list of backing organisations has not been updated, although it said it was supported by groups that “enjoy the support of hundreds of thousands of Muslims”.

Those organisations, and the campaign’s link – if any – to a seemingly UK-based sister organisation remains unclear.

It shares a near-identical website, and content and brand identity, to its British equivalent – also called the Muslim Vote and is endorsing pro-Palestine candidates for that country’s general election. It was co-established by Muhammad Jalal, who has expressed his support for the Australian campaign

Mr Jalal, a politics lecturer, crunched the numbers for the UK Muslim Vote campaign and was the leader of the British chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir between 2000 and 2005, but has had nothing to do with that group since 2008 and does not share some of its recent views.

Sheik Charkawi is not part of Hizb ut-Tahrir, and The Australian is in no way suggesting he is.

However, Sheik Ibrahim Dadoun, a Hizb ut-Tahrir backer, who was filmed on October 8 saying he was “elated” – he has said he had been misquoted – is involved in the campaign.

Whether formally or as a supporter, Sheik Dadoun, at the campaign’s December establishment encouraged volunteers to get involved.

“Reach out if you’re interested (in joining),” he said.

The Muslim Vote campaign was contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/sheikh-charkawis-bid-to-dump-labor-to-field-teallike-campaignbacked-federal-candidates/news-story/65c16285ab66e221c7dd34af41633383

https://themuslimvote.com.au/

Anthony Albanese to reap as he sowed, over Fatima Payman whirlwind

DENNIS SHANAHAN - 1 July 2024

Anthony Albanese is reaping the Fatima Payman whirlwind as he sowed: an initial weak reaction to the junior WA Senator’s defiant crossing of the floor and the snubbing of her ALP colleagues has only been made worse by a late, frustrated penalty that has gifted the two-year senator enhanced power.

Payman can now dictate terms to the Prime Minister on every vote from a ban on live-sheep exports to Palestine and govern the extent of the damage and distraction Labor is suffering.

Labor’s entire economic re-election plan and answer to the supreme political priority of easing the cost-of-living pressure on households is now being publicly sidetracked and downgraded.

Albanese’s authority, already diminished, is captive to Payman and the Greens who can further undermine Labor unity with a cheap trick any hour in the Senate and is also being challenged by union leaders.

Instead of confronting the Payman problem last week when the 28-year old Muslim Senator crossed the Senate floor to vote with the Greens on a motion contradicting Labor policy on Israel and Palestine Albanese let her off with a slap on the wrist only to face a defiant declaration she would do it all again.

Thus, a political dust-up of lesser import would have been finished by the end of last week, instead it has redoubled its momentum and dramatically spread the fallout.

In Albanese’s first media interview on July 1 he was wished “a happy new financial year” on tax Independence Day when everyone gets a tax cut and the cost-of-living pressure is eased.

But, the ABC wellwishing lasted about 20 seconds before the PM was challenged over the indefinite suspension of the rogue Payman, what it meant for Labor’s Muslim vote, what it meant for a young Muslim woman simply following her heart, what was the impact on diversity within the ALP and the power of the Greens.

Albanese, not wanting to put Muslim voters off-side, said the suspension was not about voting against Labor’s two-state policy on Israel-Palestine but the distraction she was creating about tax policy.

“Well, let’s be very clear. It’s not because of her support for a policy position that she’s advocated,” Albanese said.

“It’s because … today is July 1. It’s a day where we want to talk about tax cuts. We want to talk about our economic support for providing that cost of living relief without putting pressure on inflation,” he said.

“What we have is a process where people participate, people respect each other and people don’t engage in indulgence, such as the decision last week,” he said.

There’s no doubt that on this question Albanese is 100 per cent dead right: in his own interview the PM spent more time talking about Payman, Labor rules and his dog Toto, than tax cuts; every minister who appeared in the media was asked about Payman and; as a clearly frustrated Treasurer Jim Chalmers said “my focus is not typically on internal issues like these, as important as they are – I’m focused on cost-of-living and inflation and the economy”.

Chalmers’ Budget partner, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, expressed the hope Payman would be returned to the Labor fold as others said it was better to work from within and raise concerns in caucus meetings – as Payman hasn’t – than break Labor pledges of loyalty.

Every vote in the Senate gives Payman an opportunity to enhance her authority at the cost of Albanese, further divide Labor’s position over Israel-Palestine, gift the Greens propaganda and detract from the ALP’s entire economic re-election strategy.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/anthony-albanese-to-reap-as-he-sowed-over-fatima-payman-whirlwind/news-story/8aeb54b0418b2223ff842ec4c199b90a

Anthony Albanese doesn’t know how to use what little prime ministerial authority he has left

DENNIS SHANAHAN - 30 June 2024

Anthony Albanese’s weakness and lack of authority are on full display.

Whatever precious little prime ministerial authority he had left, he has shown he simply doesn’t know how to use it.

It’s either too much too soon, as in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, or too little too late, suspending Western Australian senator Fatima Payman from the Labor caucus indefinitely for defiantly declaring she would continue to defy the PM, government policy and her Labor colleagues.

What should have been a straightforward punishment last week for “ratting” on a Labor vote – a serious suspension at least, and possibly expulsion, given the gravity of the social division exemplified by the anti-Israel motion – was virtually a free pass and a smack in the face for so many Labor MPs and senators.

There was deep resentment within Labor ranks among those with a memory of tough punishments meted out for similar crimes over more than a century.

Labor’s most junior senator sensed the weakness in her leader last week and pushed her personal pro-Greens, Palestine-only cause to the utmost in crossing the floor to vote against Labor policy and her Labor colleagues.

As a young, female Afghani migrant, Muslim and union-backed senator elected with less than 2000 primary votes in 2022, Payman first tested the waters by speaking in support of pro-Palestinian protesters; when nothing happened, she crossed the floor to support a Greens motion only identifying Palestine’s existence.

After initially indicating he would do nothing to Payman for breaking a 130-year-old Labor tradition and “ratting” on Labor in a vote, a view backed by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who excused the action as a “special issue”, Albanese got out the wet lettuce and got her to agree not to attend one parliamentary ALP caucus meeting.

That taught her a lesson. Not.

On Sunday, Payman continued a defiant public position of saying she would be continuing to vote with her conscience on those special issues even as Marles was warning her not to do so. At least for Albanese, this time it was so bleeding obvious she was seeking suspension that he obliged.

So he now faces what he would have faced last week in seeking caucus support for a suspension of a “diversity” candidate, but it’s so much worse because his authority has been further questioned, the resentment in caucus is deeper, the Greens have an ever bigger propaganda victory, Jewish supporters will be even further enraged and July 1 – the day of cost-of-living relief and tax cuts “for all” – opens with a clouded dawn.

Given the deep angst among Labor MPs whose offices have been damaged and defaced with anti-Semitic slogans, their staff threatened and their work made impossible because of pro-Palestinian protesters, with whom the Senate motion sympathised, it is probably better Payman not attend the caucus meetings.

Last week Albanese told parliament the motion, supported by Penny Wong and all other Labor senators in an agreed position, was against ALP policy and was the equivalent of the anti-Israel chant of “from the river to sea”.

Albanese’s history as a factional bully boy expelling ALP members over trivial votes at local councils stood in stark contrast to his inability to do more than recuse a junior senator from one partyroom meeting for further dividing Labor on one of the great social issues it faces. The result is now a full-blown crisis in the Senate, a potential union war in WA and yet another cultural and political distraction from what should be Labor’s core task – easing the cost of living.

Like the welcome circus for Julian Assange, Albanese loses perspective when there are old left issues involved, competition with the Greens and the need to exercise real authority in his interest, the Labor government’s interest and the national interest.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-doesnt-know-how-to-use-what-little-prime-ministerial-authority-he-has-left/news-story/17970f652f1f692b8d1b602631722281

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 2, 2024, 2:47 a.m. No.21125738 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5755

Some of Labor's safest seats are facing a political backlash, as 'exiled' Fatima Payman weighs up her future in the party

Tom Lowrey - 2 July 2024

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Senator Fatima Payman's "exile" from Labor's caucus has sparked fresh speculation about a backlash towards the party from parts of Australia's Muslim community.

The WA senator is considering her future in the Labor Party, as she faces indefinite suspension from the caucus over her plans to continue voting against party lines on issues around Palestinian statehood.

On Sunday she accused colleagues of trying to intimidate her into quitting parliament altogether.

There are suggestions Senator Payman may instead leave Labor to join new political organisation The Muslim Vote, which is planning to run candidates on a pro-Palestinian platform in some of Labor's safest seats.

Labor is being warned of a looming political backlash in areas it considers the party's heartland, from voters that have been some of its most reliable.

In particular, Muslim groups in Western Sydney have warned concerns about the federal government's approach to the Israel-Hamas war, and Palestinian statehood, are turning long-time Labor voters away from the party.

Gamel Kheir from the Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs Lakemba Mosque, said some in the community feel "totally betrayed".

"The community feels like it has a seething anger that it needs to vent," he said.

"And right now it's the only focus, and it will vent it through the electoral process."

Mr Kheir said many in the community felt that Labor had committed to recognising a Palestinian state, and are angry the party has not done so in government.

Labor's national platform, which is non-binding on elected members, calls for recognition of Palestine as an "important priority".

The Albanese government has made clear it is open to recognising Palestine before a peace process with Israel is complete.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated that position in parliament yesterday.

"We are willing to look to recognition as part of a peace process that leads to a just and enduring peace in a two-state solution," she said.

Mr Kheir said the perception of many in his community was that Senator Payman was being sanctioned for trying to accelerate that process.

"Senator Payman, to her credit, is merely relaying the concerns of the community," he said.

"When she's been isolated and rejected by her own party, that is reflected also in the isolation and the rejection that the Muslim community feels."

And he said the Muslim community was beginning to understand it could be politically influential.

"We can't just simply be bought by the fact that our parents voted Labor," he said.

"This community is born in this country, they're educated, and they know that their vote counts."

The Muslim Vote has pointed to seats like Watson, Blaxland and McMahon as targets — all very safe Labor seats currently held by cabinet ministers.

Election analysts have suggested even if the Muslim community left Labor to vote as a block for an independent candidate, toppling Labor would be very difficult.

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Chalmers airs concerns for treatment of Payman

Senator Payman described having been "exiled" from Labor, and feeling like she was being pushed to quit parliament.

The senator said she had "lost all contact" with her Labor colleagues, however she chose to sit with Labor during Question Time.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said efforts had been made within Labor over recent weeks to look out for Senator Payman.

"I know that people want the best for her," he said.

"I know that people have reached out to her in recent days and weeks as she's grappled — as we all are — with some of these very difficult issues."

Labor MPs have pointed out that Senator Payman has only been suspended from caucus, and she could rejoin if she is willing to abide by party rules.

Some have taken issue with her description of the suspension as "exile".

Mr Chalmers said it would be concerning if the behaviour Senator Payman described was occurring.

"The choices that Senator Payman made were her choices. I would be disappointed if what she was saying was the case," he said.

Frontbencher Mark Butler was more blunt speaking on the ABC, saying he disagreed with claims the senator had been intimidated by colleagues.

"I reject that entirely," Mr Butler said.

Senator Payman has said she would abstain from all votes in parliament this week, other than "matters of conscience".

The Greens have floated the possibility of again seeking to move a motion regarding Palestinian statehood, similar to that which saw Senator Payman cross the floor last time.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-02/fatima-payman-weighs-future-labor-faces-muslim-backlash/104046156

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

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Fatima Payman enlists minor party specialist as Labor braces for backlash

Tom Crowley - 2 July 2024

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Suspended Labor MP Fatima Payman has enlisted the advice of a minor party political "whisperer" as her party colleagues brace themselves for the possibility she will move to the cross bench.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese handed Senator Payman an indefinite suspension on Sunday after she said she would continue to defy the party's position on Palestinian recognition in parliamentary votes.

On Monday, the West Australian senator said she had been "exiled" by her colleagues and would reflect on "the best way to represent the people of Western Australia," opening the door to a party exit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told 7.30 he was not sure if Senator Payman would still be with the Labor Party by the end of the week.

"That is a decision for her," Mr Albanese said.

"She has made a decision that she can't be bound by what puts our team together.

"I would like to see her rejoin the team and that option is certainly available to her."

Glenn Druery, a political operative nicknamed "the preference whisperer" for his history of helping minor parties achieve political success, told the ABC he had had "informal conversations in recent days with Senator Payman."

Mr Druery also said he had had "informal conversations with the Muslim community" about election strategies.

Asked if he was bothered by Senator Payman having conversations with people who want to thwart the government agenda, the prime minister said her moves were not his primary concern.

"I'm not focused on it, I've got a big job," he told 7.30.

'Teal-style' campaign to target Labor MPs over Gaza stance

It comes as a Western Sydney-based group called The Muslim Vote plans a "teal-style" political campaign to unseat Labor MPs by mobilising Muslim community anger over the government's stance on Gaza and on the question of Palestinian recognition.

A spokesperson for the group told the ABC it was a "grassroots" movement with over 2,000 volunteers and was preparing to endorse candidates in the Labor-held seats of Blaxland, Watson, McMahon and Werriwa.

"It is the first time that the Muslim community has realised that their vote does matter," the spokesperson said. "This has been a line in the sand."

Mr Druery did not specify which Muslim community group had contacted him and added he was not paid for his advice to the community group or Senator Payman.

"I believe in multi-party democracy and diversity in politics," he said.

But senior Labor sources believe the two are linked and that Senator Payman is actively considering aligning with The Muslim Vote. The group's spokesperson said "no formal discussions" had been had to that effect but that he could not rule it out in future.

The federal Labor caucus unanimously endorsed the PM's decision to suspend Senator Payman at a meeting in Canberra on Tuesday, and senior Labor MPs have privately expressed their frustration at her conduct.

But outside the parliament, Labor party members have voiced anger at the senator's treatment.

NSW Labor MP Anthony D'Adam, the co-convenor of Labor Friends of Palestine, told the ABC "the vast majority of the party membership think that the position she's taken is the right one on the right side of history, and want Labor to be on the right side of history."

Mr D'Adam said local Labor branches were passing resolutions "calling on the party to make a much stronger position."

"I think most ALP members look at the situation in Gaza and are horrified and expect Labor would be more strident in its criticisms of Israel," he said.

Mr Albanese remained staunch on the government policy though.

"We have consistently supported a two-state solution,” he told 7.30.

“The problem with the motion that was moved by the Greens is it forgot to mention Israel.

“A one-state solution, whether it is Israel or Palestine is not in the interests of Israelis or Palestinians."

Senator Payman said on Sunday she had received a strong supportive response from Labor party members, and her social media pages have hundreds of supportive comments including from many people who identify themselves as party members.

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Pollster says Fowler-style success a possibility

Kos Samaras, director at polling group RedBridge, said he believed Labor had handled the matter poorly and might experience an electoral fallout.

"The top three electorates with the highest numbers of Australian Muslims in them are Blaxland, Watson and Calwell," he told the ABC.

"In Calwell [in Melbourne's northwest] more than 20 per cent of the electorate is of Islamic faith. But the question is how much of them do you see in Labor's primary vote?

"If you look into it, it's close to half. So if this issue switches votes, much of your primary vote goes out the window. I don't think they comprehend how serious of a problem this is."

Mr Samaras said The Muslim Vote appeared to be planning a "well-financed and well-structured" and had a reasonable chance of success.

"If they pull this off and are able to run a high-profile prominent independent who is well-known locally, you can see a situation where the primary vote plunges and Labor is in real trouble, especially if the Liberals preference the independent."

Mr Samaras pointed to the example of Fowler, where well-known local Dai Le won a previously safe Labor seat by capitalising on community anger about "parachuted" Labor candidate Kristina Keneally.

"The other dynamic which happened in Fowler is the Liberals realised there was a better chance to remove the Labor MP by tactically voting.

"Labor is already under pressure in these outer suburban electorates because of cost of living, now that's compounded with a problem in diverse electorates. I don't see why they didn't give their MPs a conscience vote."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-02/fatima-payman-enlists-minor-party-specialist-glenn-druery/104050230

Dutton tells MPs to ‘be ready’ for early election after PM scraps Washington visit

Rob Harris, Angus Thompson and James Massola - July 2, 2024

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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has warned Coalition colleagues that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision not to attend a historic NATO summit in Washington next week is a sign to prepare for an early election as Labor strives to sell its domestic economic agenda.

Albanese was expected to gather with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea and New Zealand as members of the so-called “Indo-Pacific Four” at the summit marking NATO’s 75th anniversary beginning next Tuesday, but Defence Minister Richard Marles will now travel to the US in his place.

Dutton speculated about Albanese’s decision in the Coalition party room meeting on Tuesday, saying the decision “could be because he’s considering an early election”.

“Whatever it is, it’s becoming clear that he genuinely does not understand what people are going through, and not just clearer to us, it’s clearer to the electorate as well,” Dutton said, adding that if there was a message for the party room on Tuesday it was “be ready”.

Three Liberal Party MPs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Dutton had privately warned his MPs for several weeks that a September election was possible.

They cited three reasons for the warning: to put MPs on notice to ramp up fundraising efforts, encourage shadow ministers to speed up policy development, and enforce party-room discipline.

The next federal election has to be called by May 2025 but some Labor MPs believe it could be called in March 2025 or even December 2024.

Australia has partner status with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a collective of 32 member nations in Europe and North America founded in 1949 after World War II as a security deterrent. An invitation was sent by outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this year, with an official in February saying top-level political presence from Canberra would deepen the country’s increasing status among the alliance’s membership.

Albanese’s attendance at the previous two summits, Madrid in 2022 and Vilnius last year, earned a fierce rebuke from Beijing through its state-control media, as well as from former prime minister Paul Keating and former foreign minister Bob Carr, who believe the Europeans and the US should stay out of the Indo-Pacific affairs.

But the prime minister said last year the summit had become “essentially the meeting globally of the world’s democratic leaders” and while its focus was on the north and Europe, its principles applied globally.

A government source, not authorised to speak on the record, said the decision was made after Albanese was unable to confirm a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. Albanese’s office advised him not to make the trip as it could invite further criticism as his government struggles with a cost-of-living crisis at home.

The government is determined to promote the new stage 3 tax cuts, but inflation remains stubbornly high and there are renewed fears of further rate rises.

(continued)

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It is not the first time an Australian prime minister has sent another cabinet member to a NATO summit. Malcolm Turnbull, for example, sent then-defence minister Marise Payne to a NATO summit in Belgium in 2018.

Three Labor MPs said there was broad consensus in the party that selling the government’s domestic agenda should be the priority.

“That’s what [the prime minister’s] been told in no uncertain terms. Our electorates are feeling it,” one MP said.

At a later press conference on Tuesday, Dutton said it was time for Australia to send a message that it was part of a united global front against international aggressors.

“Australians are very unsettled at the moment … and they’ve got a prime minister who wants to put local politicking ahead of his obligation to stand up for our country,” he said.

In November Dutton urged Albanese against flying to the US and to instead focus on domestic issues.

Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham condemned the prime minister’s decision not to go, saying “national security is the top responsibility of the government, and the idea that Anthony Albanese would rather be campaigning to shore up Labor marginal seats than sitting down with the NATO leaders to ensure global security and our national security interests are heard, is an appalling representation of his priorities”.

With the US election in November, the NATO gathering would probably have been the last meeting between Albanese and Biden as counterparts. His attendance could have provided an opportunity for the first bilateral leaders’ meeting with Keir Starmer, who is widely expected to become the UK’s prime minister on Friday.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said last month the White House was expecting Albanese to attend as well as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeo and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Albanese was forced to fend off criticism from the Coalition and several media commentators last year as he took four overseas trips in the month after the Voice referendum defeat, taking his tally to 18 since he came to office. He has made just one overseas trip this year, to Papua New Guinea, for Anzac Day.

The prime minister’s office was contacted for comment.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-scraps-washington-visit-amid-cost-of-living-pressures-20240702-p5jqbc.html

>>20976380

Porn crackdown amid fears Australia facing ‘harmful sexual socialisation of entire generation’

GEOFF CHAMBERS - 1 July 2024

Australia is facing a “harmful sexual socialisation of an entire generation” if unfettered access to online pornography by children is not urgently reversed, with the Albanese government giving tech companies a six-month deadline to act or face forced regulation.

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has warned of underage kids setting-up OnlyFans accounts monetising sexual acts, replicating extreme choking and asphyxiation themes glorified in porn content and viewing “unsolicited dick pics and nudes” via messaging and gaming apps.

The call for action follows a spike in the exposure of young Australians to pornographic material on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, which “violates their terms of service”.

With Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton warning of the need for stricter age-verification rules amid concerns about the social perils of porn, tech companies have been set an October deadline to present preliminary codes.

The new enforceable codes, which primarily focus on pornography, also capture other high-impact material including themes of suicide and serious illness such as self-harm and eating disorders.

Measures floated by the eSafety Commissioner include “opt-out” default settings on new devices that automatically include safety and parental controls, deployment of age assurance technologies, blurring or filtering unwanted sexual content and applying multi-layered protections.

Ms Inman Grant on Monday sent notices to five industry groups representing app stores, apps, porn sites, search engines, social media and instant messaging platforms; internet service providers; multi-player gaming developers; online dating services; and equipment providers.

If the groups, representing a range of companies including Apple, Microsoft, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, telcos, porn sites and ISPs, fail to provide meaningful protections for children, the eSafety Commissioner will impose government-enforced rules.

Concerned about violent and extreme pornography that children are accessing inadvertently or directly, Ms Inman Grant said “we’re really talking about the harmful sexual socialisation of an entire generation if we don’t get ahead of this”.

“This is not the Penthouse that your dad hid in the sock drawer. It is now available without any real impediments and we know it’s easy for kids to get around blocks,” Ms Inman Grant told The Australian.

“Parents need to be active participants in their children’s online lives but we can’t leave it all to the parents … we need to expect more from all of these technology providers.

“We’re not leaving this to chance; we are saying this is what we believe you can do in all of these sectors just to give them some clear expectations. I think it will be challenging for them to achieve consensus and that’s why we’re also reserving the right to move to standards much more quickly if we don’t get a solid draft by October.”

The deadline for tech companies, which have squabbled over responsibility for age verification, builds on the eSafety Commissioner’s Age Verification Roadmap commissioned by the Coalition in 2021. Ms Inman Grant said the codes would cover eight different sectors of the technology ecosystem, ensuring companies could not “point fingers at other parts of the industry”.

“These are the richest companies in the world, with the brightest minds and access to the most advanced technologies. We need them focusing on doing this in ways that safeguard children but allow adults to access content that they are legally allowed to.

“The last thing anyone wants is children seeing violent or extreme pornography without guidance, context or the appropriate maturity levels because they may think that a video showing a man aggressively choking a woman during sex on a porn site is what consent, sex and healthy relationships should look like.”

Research shows that “while the average age when Australian children first encounter pornography is around 13, a third of these children are actually seeing this content younger and often by accident”. Some 60 per cent of younger Australians are being exposed to pornography on social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/porn-crackdown-amid-fears-australia-facing-harmful-sexual-socialisation-of-entire-generation/news-story/3ccffe33d9a88d711c85423e452197f1

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 3, 2024, 3:20 a.m. No.21131116 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1117

Anthony Albanese feels heat over ‘bullying of Fatima Payman’

SARAH ISON and ROSIE LEWIS - 2 July 2024

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The Coalition has attacked Anthony Albanese over his handling of rebel senator Fatima Payman, accusing him of encouraging “bullying and intimidation” and failing to support a young woman.

The personal hit against the Prime Minister mimics Labor’s relentless pre-election attacks on the character of Scott Morrison, as part of a successful strategy that made the former prime minister a drag on the Coalition vote.

As senior Labor ministers rubbished Senator Payman’s claims that she was treated poorly by members of the government, deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley accused Mr Albanese of “dismissing concerns” of the 29-year-old.

The Greens vowed on Tuesday to launch a public and doorknocking campaign in key Labor seats with high Muslim populations, telling constituents to ask their local representative to cross the floor on Palestine as Senator Payman had.

Ms Ley, who is also the Coalition’s spokeswoman for women, said she was concerned that Mr Albanese had allowed a young woman in parliament to be put into a position “where she feels intimidated by her colleagues in her workplace”.

“It appears the Prime Minister was too weak to wear the consequences of expelling Senator Payman so is instead relying on bullying and intimidation from the Labor caucus to do the job instead,” she told The Australian

“Senator Payman is one of the youngest and newest members of the parliament and regardless of her views she deserves better treatment than she has received from Anthony Albanese, a man who said he would support young women.”

In opposition, Labor capitalised on claims Mr Morrison had bullied and intimidated female MPs who had crossed the floor, including former Chisholm MP Julia Banks.

Senator Payman declared on Monday night that she would abstain from voting for the rest of the week, except on matters of conscience such as Palestinian statehood, after being “exiled” from the party.

The West Australian senator said she was made to believe some members were attempting to intimidate her into resigning.

However, several senior ministers including Amanda Rishworth, Bill Shorten, Katy Gallagher and Mark Butler, rebuffed the allegation she had been intimidated and said they were only aware of people reaching out in good faith to Senator Payman.

As Labor MPs questioned who Senator Payman was being advised by – such as influential union leaders in Western Australia or peak Muslim bodies – professional electoral and preference adviser Glenn Druery confirmed he was talking to the Afghanistan-born senator.

But Mr Druery, who specialises in giving minor parties and independents detailed guidance on how to farm votes, said he was “not in a formal arrangement with the senator, and no money has changed hands nor is likely to do so between us”.

Senator Payman said she would take the time to “reflect” on her future during her week of abstention.

(continued)

>>21131116

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Greens leader Adam Bandt continued to target Labor over Senator Payman’s decision to cross the floor, declaring on Tuesday that Mr Albanese had made clear “that you can now cross the floor” and not be kicked out of the party.

“So other Labor MPs who profess to hold dearly the values of peace now need to follow in the footsteps of the brave first-term senator Fatima Payman and show their willingness to put their votes on the line … to back a shift in government policy,” he said.

“Over the winter break the Greens will now be beginning a public and doorknocking campaign in a number of seats around the country to ask Labor MPs to now start speaking out and crossing the floor.”

The seats targeted by the Greens are the same as those highlighted by political organisations The Muslim Vote and Muslim Votes Matter, including Victorian MP Peter Khalil’s seat of Wills and Ged Kearney’s seat of Cooper.

Ms Ley said she was “deeply disappointed” that Mr Albanese dismissed her concerns over Senator Payman’s allegations of intimidation from within Labor, which she raised in question time by asking “what steps have been taken to investigate” her claims.

Mr Albanese pointed out that the Coalition had only last week called on action to be taken on Senator Payman following her decision to cross the floor and vote with the Greens on a motion calling for Palestinian statehood.

“The fact is that earlier today, the caucus unanimously adopted a position. Senator Payman is more than welcome back to participate in the team if she agrees that she is part of the team,” he said. “I had a very simple and constructive discussion with Senator Payman on Sunday. I invited her to The Lodge and had a very civil and constructive discussion with her last week as well.”

Despite fury from within Labor Party ranks of Senator Payman’s behaviour, and some concern over the lack of consultation with the caucus by Mr Albanese before he enforced his first modest punishment on the senator last Tuesday, no questions were raised in caucus on Tuesday morning about the matter.

Instead, the party unanimously endorsed the position that Senator Payman had placed herself “outside of the privilege that comes with participating” in caucus.

“If Senator Payman decides she will respect the caucus and her Labour colleagues, she can return, but until then Senator Payman is suspended from the right to participate,” read the motion, agreed upon by the voices rather than a ballot.

Mr Albanese responded to criticism over his decision to “show restraint” and not expel Senator Payman, declaring “showing restraint and some compassion is a strength not a weakness”.

However, Labor sources said Mr Albanese must not rule out expelling Senator Payman, should she continue her strategy of “looking to be booted” from the party to make a political statement this week or after the winter break.

The Greens would not rule out bringing back their vote on Palestinian statehood to the Senate on Wednesday or Thursday, confirming they planned to reintroduce it to the House of Representatives in the next sitting fortnight.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-feels-heat-over-bullying-of-fatima-payman/news-story/2b44a718641827bef7ac06e4b0c41c32

>>21125875

Cut-back deployment sends ‘dangerous message’ on ADF capability

BEN PACKHAM - 2 July 2024

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The Albanese government has dramatically scaled back Australia’s participation in America’s biggest military exercise as the nation faces a decade-long capability crisis following years of under-investment in defence.

Australia’s contribution to the biennial Rim of the Pacific war games off Hawaii is the smallest in at least a decade, and comes amid Anthony Albanese’s decision to skip next week’s NATO summit in Washington in a move the Coalition has warned could signal an early election.

The Australian Defence Force has sent just 320 personnel, a single warship and one P-8A maritime reconnaissance aircraft to RIMPAC 2024, which the US has hailed as its biggest yet.

The contingent falls 80 per cent short of the nation’s 2022 contribution, when the ADF provided 1600 personnel, three surface ships, a Collins-class submarine, two Poseidon aircraft, an army combat group, and a clearance diving team.

It comes as the navy’s fleet – already one of the oldest and smallest in decades – is decimated by defects, maintenance problems and a personnel crisis that shows no signs of abating.

Former senior naval officer Jen Parker said the diminished contribution would be noted by potential adversaries, including China, and sent a “dangerous message” to Australia’s allies and partners about the nation’s capacity to deter regional threats.

“The trimmed down 2024 RIMPAC deployment, with only one ship, HMAS Sydney, is reflective of the degraded operational availability of the navy’s surface fleet,” the University of NSW naval studies fellow said.

The navy has recently retired one Anzac-class frigate and has two more out of the water in Western Australia, while three of the nation’s Collins-class subs are out of service. Its two newest ships, the replenishment tankers HMAS Supply and HMAS Stalwart, are also out of action with major mechanical issues.

“The lack of a tanker capability severely limits the navy’s projection capabilities, tying their operations to ports or relying on tankers of allies and partners,” Ms Parker said.

“Despite what is likely to be record investment, the navy’s capability issues will get worse before they get better.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Tuesday that he would represent the Prime Minister at NATO 75th anniversary conference, without offering a reason for the switch.

Mr Albanese attended the last two NATO summits with his Japanese, South Korean and New Zealand counterparts, rounding out the so-called Indo-Pacific Four – NATO’s closest partners outside the European security bloc.

Peter Dutton warned Coalition MPs the decision could be a sign the Prime Minister was preparing for an early poll, urging them to “be ready”.

He said it could also be the result of “strife” in Labor ranks, as rebel senator Fatima Payman considers her future in the party after crossing the floor on Palestinian statehood.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Mr Albanese needed a “very, very compelling reason” to skip the NATO meeting, or “it would be a dereliction of duty”.

(continued)

>>21131120

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Defence’s cut-down RIMPAC deployment follows the government’s rejection of a US request last year for a warship to join an international taskforce in the Red Sea to combat attacks on shipping by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

At the time, the government said the ADF’s resources needed to be focused on Australia’s immediate region, the Indo-Pacific.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said the decision to slash Australia’s RIMPAC contribution showed the nation was “shrinking on the regional stage as a military power”.

“We are unable to deploy the ADF on military exercises to our full potential, let alone assist our partners when requested – as we found out when we passed on deploying a battleship to the Red Sea,” Mr Hastie said.

“What confidence does this give our partners who are relying on us to be prepared for AUKUS? What message does this send our adversaries who are watching us like hawks?”

The move comes despite what the government has lauded as “record” levels of Defence spending, with a $5.7bn boost for the portfolio in the next four years, and an extra $50bn over the coming decade.

But the boost came with $72bn worth of cuts across the ADF to help pay for nuclear subs and promised new general purpose frigates.

Former Defence deputy secretary Peter Jennings said the government was “gutting the ADF” to pay for the future force.

“This is becoming a major crisis for the government. They are destroying the current ADF for the future submarines, which we won’t see until at the earliest until the mid-2030s,” Mr Jennings said.

He said the RIMPAC contingent sent a “terrible signal” to the US, which was already having doubts over Australia’s capabilities.

Strategic Analysis Australia research director Marcus Hellyer said the ADF was facing a capability “train wreck” that was the fault of successive governments.

“The previous government’s shipbuilding plan was an utter disaster – $10bn and we don’t have a single ship in service,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/cutback-deployment-sends-dangerous-message-on-adf-capability/news-story/124037434e175d332cbfcd5b0ee00d5f

>>21125875

>>21131120

Going AWOL at RIMPAC bares our lack of fight

CAMERON STEWART - 2 July 2024

The collapse of Australia’s military contribution to the world’s largest maritime exercise has laid bare just how woefully unprepared our current Defence Force is for any serious conflict in the region.

This is a fundamental failure of national security that Australians will have to live with for the next decade. If a conflict should arise in that period, we don’t have enough warships or submarines that work or enough personnel to crew them.

Nothing could more starkly illustrate this new reality than the government’s inability to send more than a single ship, a plane and a handful of personnel to the most critical US-led maritime exercise in our region.

The biennial RIMPAC exercise, which runs for the next month, is by some distance the most important military exercise Australia participates in. Involving 29 nations, 40 surface ships, 150 aircraft and some 25,000 personnel, it is an exercise that China truly hates because it does more than any other to prepare countries across the region to repel any military adventurism from Beijing.

China’s state-run mouthpiece the Global Times fumes that this year’s RIMPAC will “sabotage, not safeguard, peace and stability in the region” because the exercise will practise drills aimed at sinking a Chinese aircraft carrier.

Yet at a time when the Albanese government claims the rise of China has delivered the most frightening strategic outlook in a generation, Australia cannot muster more than symbolic military support for this year’s RIMPAC.

At the last RIMPAC in 2022, we sent 1600 personnel, three warships, a Collins-class submarine, two P-8A Poseidon aircraft and an army amphibious combat group, together with mine warfare and clearance diving teams.

This year we are sending 320 personnel, a single warship, and a single air force P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

In other words, Australia is providing one of the 40 surface ships involved in RIMPAC, just one of the 150 aircraft involved and just 1.29 per cent of the personnel.

It is a shamefully microscopic contribution for a supposed middle power that spends $55bn on defence a year and harbours ambitions to become an operator of nuclear-powered submarines.

When the government was criticised late last year for refusing a US Navy request to send a warship to help defend the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels, it claimed the decision was made because it wanted to focus on security in our immediate region.

No military exercise focuses more specifically on regional security than RIMPAC and Australia is all but AWOL. This is the result of a decade of neglect on defence that has been blighted by inadequate funding, botched projects, delayed decisions on replacing warships and subs and a failure to recruit personnel.

Australia cannot send a sub to RIMPAC because corrosion problems have sidelined three of the navy’s six ageing Collins-class submarines for the rest of the year.

It cannot send an Anzac frigate because they are ageing quickly, forcing the government to mothball one and a second ship in 2026.

The situation will become worse before it becomes better because although the government has announced grand plans for its new AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines and a new fleet of general purpose frigates, none of these will arrive this decade.

Australia has to hold its breath and hope a conflict does not break out soon. Our token contribution to RIMPAC tells regional neighbours we are struggling to pull our weight in our own backyard.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/going-awol-at-rimpac-bares-our-lack-of-fight/news-story/bebea84070df840946a341d1d97fe578

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 3, 2024, 3:40 a.m. No.21131140 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1142

>>20954866

>>20954971

Gender affirmative guidelines just an echo chamber, says UK expert

NATASHA ROBINSON - 2 July 2024

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The British paediatrician who carried out a world-leading review of care models for children with gender distress has criticised trans healthcare guidelines as an “echo chamber” based on weak evidence that show no efficacy in alleviating the psychological distress of young people.

Hilary Cass, who led the landmark review of gender-affirming care that prompted the UK’s National Health Service to ban the prescription of puberty blocker hormone drugs for children under 16, said that gender affirmative care guidelines around the world had not followed an evidence-based approach, and “sort of copy and paste off each other” in order to justify their medical approaches.

Dr Cass, a former president of the UK’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, participated in a panel live from the UK on Tuesday night, which was hosted by Australian psychiatrist Phillip Morris, the president of the National Association of Practising Psychiatrists, one of the first bodies to call for caution on experimental medical treatments and greater wholistic psychotherapy for young people with gender distress.

Dr Cass criticised the activist World Professional Association for Transgender Healthcare for essentially suppressing evidence that the standards of care it devised were not evidence-based and showed no proof of alleviating the distress of children.

These standards are followed by most of Australia’s major children’s hospitals that all frequently prescribe puberty blockers and hormone treatments to children and teenagers. Dr Cass noted in her independent report handed down in April that WPATH had been “highly influential in directing international practice, although its guidelines were found by the University of York’s appraisal to lack developmental rigour and transparency”. The Cass report included an appraisal by the University of York that analysed international gender affirmative care guidelines, including those of the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. The review found the RCH’s guidelines similarly lacked rigour and independence.

“The evidence base is weak … international guidelines have for the most part not followed standard evidence-based approaches,” Dr Cass told the Australian seminar. “And it has influenced most other international guidelines. There is a sort of echo chamber of sort of copying and pasting off each other. The only guidelines that have taken an independent and evidence based approach are the Swedish and the Finnish guidelines.”

The Cass independent Review was commissioned following patient and whistleblower complaints that prompted the closure of London’s flagship Gender Identity Development Service run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Cass said that complex clinical presentations including mental health issues and autism among children who presented at the GIDS were “overshadowed” when the children presented with gender distress. The pediatrician concluded that puberty blockers rather than acting as a “pause button” allowing children time to explore their identity, seem to lock them into a medicalised treatment pathway.

Dr Cass’s final report endorsed a fundamental shift in approach away from medical intervention towards a holistic model that addresses other mental health problems the children may have.

(continued)

>>21131140

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The report concluded that children had been let down by a lack of research and “remarkably weak” evidence on medical interventions in gender care. She wrote in the British Medical Journal that gender medicine’s pillars were “built on shaky foundations”, expressing concern at the unknown long-term cognitive and physical impacts of puberty blockers.

Puberty blockers are now only able to prescribed as part of clinical trials in the UK, and several other European countries that have moved to roll back the experimental approach espoused by the trans activist group World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

All of Australia’s children’s hospitals including most of the country’s state health ministers have rejected the relevance of Dr Cass’s report to Australia for reasons that appear spurious given the fact that Dr Cass’s report examined gender affirming care models internationally, and that the deep research carried out by the independent review into puberty blockers is clearly relevant beyond the UK.

Dr Cass’s report said there was “no evidence” puberty blockers allowed young people “time to think” by delaying the onset of puberty — the original rationale for their use. It found the vast majority of children who began taking puberty blockers progressed to taking cross-sex hormones as they grew older, despite the fact that desistance from trans identification among teenagers was relatively common.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/gender-affirmative-guidelines-just-an-echo-chamber-says-uk-expert/news-story/30b36a94baf9f95056a50feab243d5e0

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 3, 2024, 3:45 a.m. No.21131154 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9559

>>21049530

>>21094541

>>21094566

Tucker Carlson’s Warning to Australians | Melbourne, Australia Full Speech

Tucker Carlson

Jul 3, 2024

Tucker Carlson speaks Down Under from Melbourne, Australia, and delivers his message to Australians.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:08 Australian's Love of Animals

13:35 Australian Leadership

17:17 Julian Assange

29:37 Energy

40:48 Christianity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd9Uftz1hfE

George Pell’s death ‘shrouded in mystery’: former Vatican auditor Libero Milone vows to get to the truth

Libero Milone, the only man left alive of the high-powered trio who launched Pope Francis’s reforms of the Holy See’s corrupt financial systems, reveals he made a heartfelt vow to George Pell while paying final respects at his coffin in Rome.

PAOLA TOTARO - 2 July 2024

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The Vatican’s first auditor-general, Libero Milone, has described the death of cardinal George Pell as “shrouded in mystery” and revealed he made a heartfelt vow to “get to the truth” for his colleague while paying final respects at his coffin in Rome.

Milone, a former partner with multinational accounting giant Deloitte is the only man left alive of the high-powered trio – led by Pell – who launched Pope Francis’s reforms of the Holy See’s corrupt, sclerotic financial systems.

But on June 18, 2017 – 11 days before Pell had to return to Australia to face historic child sexual abuse charges – Milone and his deputy, the late Ferruccio Panicco, a specialist forensic accountant, were sacked in mysterious, violent circumstances.

As Milone prepares for the start of an appeal hearing on Wednesday over his and Panicco’s sackings, the former auditor-general said Pell’s success in overturning his convictions on child-sex offences proved that “some judicial systems are efficient and effective”. And amid rumours swirling around the Vatican about Pell’s death and the state of his body post-autopsy, Milone said: “At his funeral, at his casket, I promised him that we would seek out the truth.”

In June 2017, Vatican police raided Milone’s office, bursting in unexpectedly, confiscating electronic equipment and forcing open a safe with axes, crowbars, sledgehammers, chisels, and power-drills.

Milone and Panicco were then detained for hours by Vatican gendarmes. They were accused of spying and threatened with criminal charges if they refused to sign resignation letters. Milone, a Dutch-born UK chartered accountant who came to the job with sterling credentials as former chairman and chief executive of Deloitte in Italy, has not worked since. And Panicco’s medical records were confiscated in the raid, leading to a long delay in diagnosis and treatment for what turned out by then to be stage four prostate cancer.

Milone says Ferruccio’s death, on June 21 last year, was hastened by the Vatican’s disgraceful behaviour. He told The Australian that Panicco, recorded a moving video message a few days before he died, imploring Pope Francis to intervene and right the “brutality and injustices” that had destroyed their professional lives and caused suffering to their families.

When it became clear that his colleague did not have long to live, Milone phoned Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, to tell him. Cardinal Parolin assured Milone that Pope Francis would call Panicco personally.

“This too did not happen,” Milone said.

After five years of struggling to find out what the accusations against them were, Milone and Panicco sued the Vatican for wrongful dismissal in 2022, seeking more than €9m ($14.5m) in compensation for lost earnings and damages. That included €3.5m in material damages for the loss of Panicco’s medical records.

They also tried several times to reach an out-of-court settlement but were unsuccessful.

In a written decision dated January 22 this year, the Vatican court rejected their claim – but not through a finding that the two men had been correctly forced from their jobs.

In a bizarre twist that raised eyebrows among veteran Vatican watchers, the tribunal agreed that the gendarmes had been responsible for their removal.

But, the court ruled that the gendarmes and the now-disgraced cardinal Angelo Becciu – the nemesis of Pell and Milone for two years during the financial reform process – had acted in their capacity as “private persons’’.

As a result, the Secretariat of State could not be liable for loss of reputation or earnings. This was despite the fact Becciu at the time was Sostituto (deputy) of the Secretariat of State and that the decree appointing Milone as auditor-general in 2015 had been signed by Becciu’s boss, Cardinal Parolin. Costs were awarded against Milone and Panicco’s estate.

In his appeal against that decision, lawyers for Milone and Panicco’s estate will argue that Cardinal Becciu had acted as a Vatican official, not as a private person when he pressured the two men to resign in 2017.

Milone said Pell had stated publicly many, many times that his two colleagues were “simply auditing and doing their jobs”. Pell believed Milone and Panicco deserved to win their original appeal and were entitled to compensation.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 3, 2024, 4:01 a.m. No.21131214 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1221

>>21131206

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Milone said Pell had been scheduled to give evidence on behalf of Milone and Panicco in their unfair dismissal lawsuit and any subsequent appeals, but was hampered by the long legal delays and procedural process.

Milone said the Vatican “deliberately chose skilled, knowledgeable people to show the world that the Vatican meant business about true financial reform”.

“But then they hid a subsequent plan to cripple our activities and continue to hide the malversations. They miscalculated because they chose people with an extremely high level of personal and professional ethics,” he said.

Milone said he, Ferruccio and Pell “were all thrown out by using different reasons within a time span of 10 days”.

“After a tumultuous trial in Australia, Cardinal Pell was able to demonstrate that he was innocent, which proves that some judiciaries are efficient and effective,” he said. “His death however remains shrouded in mystery.”

Pell died on January 10 last year, hours after a routine hip-replacement operation in the Salvator Mundi Hospital, an 82-bed private centre.

His funeral was held in St Peter’s Basilica four days after his death, with Pope Francis presiding over the rite of final commendation and farewell.

The fact that the cardinal’s casket was closed and did not allow for the traditional farewell touch or kiss by mourners raised eyebrows among many at the mass.

Pell’s body was flown to Australia immediately afterwards, in the care of his personal secretary, for burial in St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.

At least two cardinals, close friends to Pell in Rome, had urged him to consider returning to Australia for his surgery. They and others were concerned about his safety and welfare in the wake of revelations of corruption and embezzlement within the Curia.

However, Pell insisted on staying in Rome. Being over 80 he knew he was too old to vote in a conclave but was determined to address his brother cardinals in pre-conclave meetings.

After his death, Vatican gendarmerie hunted high and low for his significant personal papers and other documents. However, he had become extremely security conscious after his telephones in Rome were bugged and had stored the papers with a friend elsewhere in Europe. At one point, his senior Australian staff raised their eyebrows when the Vatican issued him with a Huawei mobile phone.

Rumours have swirled around the Holy See for months that Pell’s body was left in post-autopsy disarray and not been properly dressed sparking further concerns about his last hours.

The Australian has asked the Salvator Mundi hospital to comment on claims by senior sources that internal CCTV cameras were not working on and around January 10 last year and that no medical doctor was on duty the evening the cardinal died. At the time of publication, the hospital has not responded.

Ten months after Pell’s death, a 2½-year corruption investigation, dubbed the “Vatican trial of the century”, resulted in the conviction and sentencing of nine people for financial crimes. Those convicted included Becciu, who is yet to serve a day of the 5½ years in prison to which he was sentenced.

The trial was the Vatican’s worst corruption scandal since Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found hanged from London’s Blackfriars Bridge in 1982. Before he was found dead, Calvi had faced corruption allegations in Italy in a case involving the church, the mafia and the P2 Masonic Lodge. His death was initially treated as suicide and while five people were later tried for murder, they were acquitted in Italy in 2007.

The “trial of the century’’ was led by court president Giuseppe Pignatone – a veteran of years investigating Sicilian mafia and Calabrian ’Ndrangheta bosses. After 85 hearings, it uncovered an array of financial crimes, including abuse of office, fraud, and money laundering.

The trial was widely interpreted as an attempt by Pope Francis to encourage unprecedented, official scrutiny of the historically muddy world of the Vatican bank and Holy See investments. Supporters of transparency and accountability also hoped it would reinvigorate stymied reforms of Vatican financial dealings, and bring them under 21st-century accounting rules and oversight.

However veteran Vatican observers along with conservative critics of Pope Francis’s doctrinal and social policies, argue that the proceedings exposed yet another, unexpected litany of embarrassments, including the continuing, ingrained culture of self-interest, inefficiency, blind loyalty and plotting and scheming within the highest echelons of the Roman curia.

(continued)

>>21131214

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Milone is convinced that Becciu was, from the very beginning, Pell’s nemesis in the clean-up of Holy See accounting systems. He had “revolving door access to the Pope”, he said, but very quickly came to realise that the auditing team were “starting to see things he didn’t want seen”.

“In 2016, we were surprised when told that it would be difficult to get documentation on Vatican real estate investments in London – we didn’t realise it then that we had raised the quails from the high grass,’’ Milone said.

“It suffices to say that in the two years we were allowed to operate, we came across misappropriations of funds by cardinals, archbishops, and other prelates, some of which diverted to personal bank accounts, mismanagement of real estate and refurbishing costs, and a generalised disrespect of legal provisions.

“I have always asserted that we were eliminated for what we uncovered as a result of having done our job professionally, ethically, and correctly within the terms of the Office of the Auditor General statutes. My job was to direct and co-ordinate activities with the Secretariat for the Economy, headed by Cardinal George Pell and systematically report to the Holy Father.”

Milone said he found it unbelievable that the very court and the same judges who sentenced Becciu for presiding over the swindling of millions from the Vatican, now “strangely fail to recognise” that those who first detected the crimes could see their careers terminated without compensation.

“It is also absurd that the court could absolve the Secretariat of State of our removal when it was Cardinal Becciu who issued a public statement confirming his role in our removal – and that we would have faced prosecution if we had not signed resignation letters,” he said.

Milone remains adamant that, before their sacking and Pell’s return to Australia, Becciu was also behind several significant decisions aimed at derailing their work. These included cancellation of a planned audit by an external PriceWaterhouseCoopers team and months of stonewalling of all requests for documentation on Vatican investments including the ill-fated £350m acquisition of the London commercial property that sparked the corruption trial.

The auditors also reported the bugging of their Vatican offices, and the hacking of the team’s computers.

Milone said both he and Pell believed Becciu used the audit office’s decision to use an external consultant to investigate the break-in and twisted it into an accusation of spying: “Of course Domenico Giani, the ex-Italian police officer who headed Vatican security and the gendarmes, would have supported this as we now know he had to cover up the improperly funded refurbishing costs on his apartment.”

Milone said he reported the anomalies both to the Secretary of State and the Pope himself but all requests for explanatory documentation were denied.

“I can only imagine that Commander Giani, who was quite vociferous in my dismissal and arrogant and violent during my interrogation on June 19, 2017, had a massive grudge against me and quite an axe to grind,” Milone said.

He said that, to this day, the document the gendarmes called “number 61”, and which supposedly contained all the evidence against him and Panicco, had yet to surface.

“How is it possible for us to build an effective defence without knowing what we are accused of?” he said.

“For reasons unknown, the document was classified and covered by pontifical secret. The process is absurd, it is a mockery of justice.

“We continue to invite them to be honest and factual, striving to better understand the real substance of the case, as succinctly stated above. We merely did our work in accordance with the rules we had to follow. The documents we presented in January 2023 demonstrate that all we did was carry out audits. Why don’t they want to acknowledge these evident facts?”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/george-pells-death-shrouded-in-mystery-former-vatican-auditor-libero-milone-vows-to-get-to-the-truth/news-story/598945feeac5b097736217bd2398cf87

>>21131206

Andrew Bolt: Final indignity for George Pell should cause shame

A sad secret about the death of Cardinal George Pell can now be revealed — and it exposes the final insult to a great and innocent man.

Andrew Bolt - July 3, 2024

For a year I’ve kept a secret that infuriated me about the death last year of Cardinal George Pell – the final insult to a great and innocent man.

I’d promised not to reveal it to spare Pell’s grieving family.

But one line in an article in The Australian on Wednesday, and a call to Pell’s brother, leaves me now free to say what I learned – or most of it.

It’s this line, in a story on the financial scandals that Pell as the reforming Vatican treasurer was exposing until he was falsely, bizarrely and conveniently accused of abusing two boys at once in an open room in his busy cathedral: “Rumours have swirled around the Holy See for months that Pell’s body was left in post-autopsy disarray and not been properly dressed sparking further concerns about his last hours.”

I don’t buy conspiracy theories about Pell’s death, but I do know about the state of his body after the Vatican sent it to Australia for burial.

In Rome, some mourners had been surprised that Pell’s body was not shown there in an open coffin.

When his body later arrived in Sydney, a Pell confidant at the opening of the coffin could see why not.

The body had been treated with gross disrespect.

Perhaps it was incompetence, but some of Pell’s closest associates told me they suspect it could be a sign that some in the Vatican had not forgiven Pell for hunting down corruption.

After reading the Australian I rang Pell’s brother, David, to check what he knew of what had been done to the Cardinal’s body.

It turns out he had learned many of the details, despite our attempts to shield him.

“The embalming had been mucked up,” he said.

The undertaker in Sydney had to clean the body.

Pell’s nose was also broken. I’ll leave out some other details.

Pell was also shoeless, said David Pell.

In fact, I’d been told he wasn’t just shoeless – Pell’s clothes had been just thrown in the coffin.

It is true that, outwardly, the Vatican did Pell full honours at his death, with a packed service at St Peter’s, attended by the Pope.

For all his media haters in Australia, Pell remains admired by many around the world as a true man of God, a reformer, a leader and a man persecuted for his faith, falsely jailed for 404 days.

But the Vatican should be ashamed to have treated his body so shabbily.

Pell once told me he did not feel safe in the Vatican as he chased the crooks, some since sentenced to jail.

What was done to him after death makes me suspect he was right.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/andrew-bolt-final-indignity-for-george-pell-should-cause-shame/news-story/692e0299601ac03a4d3cbb7fc5a3ba8a

https://qanon.pub/#2590

https://qanon.pub/#2594

https://qanon.pub/#2894

Anonymous ID: 6a2be3 July 3, 2024, 11:43 a.m. No.21132832 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2851

Q! alright?! NIGHT SHIFT learned it from watching Q!

Urgent Jan 06 research updates inside - Situational Awareness

>>21109445 Jan 06 big dig bun - Shocker! [Fake Maga] Jones, Flynn, Bannon, Piatt, Wren, Milley and a whole cast of Fake Maga orchestrated Jan 06. Read on.

Steve Bannon, Alex Jones and the U.S. Supreme Court.

>>21109387, >>21109394, >>21109615 Steve Bannon loves Alex Jones loves Steve Bannon and Alex Jones' book The GREAT AWAKENING.

>>21109523 Steve Bannon and WE BUILD THE WALL fraud case 5 - 10 years for Bannon > state level no presidential pardon will save the traitor.

>>21109505, >>21109506, >>21109507, >>21109508, >>21109509 Bannon Prison Supreme Court

>>21109517 and the Supreme Court is still very much Deep State

In the above notes are the Alex Jones drops. Read them and ask yourself how could Alex Jones have any credibility at all here over the years without someone suppressing these drops?

Who would seek to suppress the truth concerning Alex Jones and his traitor associates? Who are Alex Jones' [Associates?]

The Vatican and many things [they] did not want you to know.

>>21109620 The "Our Father, Who financed 9-11?" decode. Vatican involvement in 9-11 per the drops.

>>21109613 Dig and decode on the Eye of Providence - Q drop #133 "Many governments of the world feed the ‘Eye’. The Eye of Providence."

>>21109622 Trump reads the "Snake" Poem Vatican Serpent drops

>>21109624 Q Drop #1950 Holy See Corrupt Universal Government of the Catholic Church - The U.S. had no official relations with the Vatican from 1867 to 1984. Why? Lincoln…

>>21109626 Baker/Night Shift' most recent Q Drop #4799 "When does a Church become a playground? When does a Church become a business? When does a Church become political? When does a Church become corrupt? When does a Church become willfully blind? When does a Church become controlled? Q"

>>21109396 Catholic Charities is Facilitating America’s Border Crisis - #1 Immigration NGO

>>21109605 Are we saving Israel for last?

>>21109607 The Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican Founded by Lynn De Rothschild.

>>21109610 What is a Court Factor? Part I

>>21109633 What is a Court Factor? Part II Soros, Rothschild and Murdoch are all Court Factors and/or Papal Knights of various Vatican controlled Orders.

>>21109617 The real 2020 Election interference ITALYGATE > Italian Military contractor Leonardo Spa. > CIA Clowns > Obama > Renzi > The Vatican

>>21109637 A new wave of bankruptcies shakes the Catholic Church in California

>>21109852 "To those who are courageous enough to speak out - we stand with you!" Nuns Raped Girls With Crucifixes as Female Pedophilia Was Covered Up by the Church

>>21109858 It is very sad that, according to the Bible, per Roman Catholic Crusader Taylor Marshall, that Melania Trump is worthy of Death. Read on!

>>21109867 Archbishop Vigano condemning TRUMP for hosting a Republican LGBTQ Gala at Mar a Lago. So when Melania does it it is okay? Not one word…

>>21109697 The MG Show P = Paysuer and the Alex Jones/Fritz Springmeier connection. Guardians of the [P]edophiles.

>>21109601 A "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM" drop series.

>>21131004, >>21131005, >>21131006, >>21131007 ROMAN CATHOLIC VATICAN Covid PPP Loan Fraud > Traitors in the TRUMP administration are fully responsible. This will not go away.

You have been here the whole time?

>>21109590 QResearch 2018 to 2022 Timeline Neo Nazi admin,faker bakers, Shill team 6 and MNR.

>>21109596 "Those you trust are the most guilty of sin. Who are we taught to trust? If you are religious, PRAY."

>>21109599 So you think you know what 'Biblical' means?

>>21109370 bun of dread

>>21109373 shill cheerleaders and newfags are anons just ike you! and here is their Mantra.

>>21109385 QResearch Patriotic Litmus Test - Hint: most fail the first few times.

>>21109413 The "Free Thought = The Great Awakening" drops. Q drop #1926, 2171, 3038, 3613, 3721, 3858, 3905, 3906, 4491, 4535, 4553, 4602 and the "Precipice" at 4408.

>>21109441 New Eyes Be Ready Good information is not Spam. The Q drops are not Spam.

>>21109600 Bill Cooper, Behold a Pale Horse and the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion

>>21109636 ILLUMINATI 101

Who is in Control?

>>21109759 Biden is not IN CONTROL… Trump is not IN CONTROL… Who is IN CONTROL?

>>21109762 Drop #1489 tells anons all they need to know about Infiltration into these boards.

>>21109803 Trump' account posts many duplicitous statements. Is Trump aware of what Dan Scavino is doing? Is Dan Scavino [Dan Scavino]?

Where are you?

>>21109630 4chan/8chan/8kun server location? SNOWDEN initially wanted to be seen in CHINA 2018 8KUN SERVER WAS IN CHINA MIL DOD SNOWDEN ended up in RUSSIA 2024 8KUN SERVER IS IN RUSSIA Reconcile

Anonymous ID: 6a2be3 July 3, 2024, 11:45 a.m. No.21132836 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2851

>>21132756

PELL WAS A PIECE OF SHIT AS COINTELPRO FAGGOTS CONTINUED TO PRAISE PELL WHILE MOST ANONS SAID NOTHING RECONCILE

Anonymous ID: 6a2be3 July 3, 2024, 11:45 a.m. No.21132839 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2851

GUARDIANS OF THE PEDOPHILES!

PAYSEUR PART 3: [P]=Payseur Confirmed. Q Lounge Live 8/28

"PART 3 Q CONFIRMS [P]=Payseur from of my very FIRST EVER presentation on the [P]=Payseur on 8/26/18 from our July dig with host @ShadyGrooove."

Q confirms [P] = Payseur!

"In the Vatican - Holy See Q Drop #1950 "Recipe for ……." Q meant P,A,Y,S,E,U,R".

https://rumble.com/v17fgrt-q-lounge-live-payseur-part-3.html

https://youtu.be/4Nol07Dmo7M

https://rumble.com/embed/v14tatr/?pub=4

Q DROP #1950

Holy See Corrupt Universal Government of the Catholic Church

Q !!mG7VJxZNCI 28 Aug 2018 - 4:12:23 PM

U.S.-HOLY SEE RELATIONS

"The Holy See is the universal government of the Catholic Church and operates from Vatican City State, a sovereign, independent territory. The Pope is the ruler of both Vatican City State and the Holy See. The Holy See, as the supreme body of government of the Catholic Church, is a sovereign juridical entity under international law."

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3819.htm

Wealth?

Power?

Sanctuary against criminal prosecution?

Recipe for …….

Q

Q Drop #416

Anonymous 12/21/2017 20:31:58 ID: deb9fa

8chan/cbts: 143329

Soros takes orders fromP.

You have no idea how sick and evil these people are.

Fight, fight, fight.

Day of days.

Game over.

Q

Q DROP #1413

Guardian of the Pope Owl Photo

Q !4pRcUA0lBE 17 May 2018 - 8:15:27 PM

Guardian_P.png

Guardian of thePope.

[Personal]

Q

PAYSEUR PART 4: TRUST the Plan 12/14 Q Lounge Live #Qarmy

"Starting at 20:00 after we go over the Q linkING to to my Twitter once again. Q2582.

Part 4 PAYSEUR, TRUST the Plan with myself and host @ShadyGrooove. Bringing ALL the PAYSEUR information to today!"

"A 1000 year old illusion!"

"Conspiracy analysts"

"Q uses the word Trust all the time"

"The mirror of Trust is anti Trust!"

"Trust trust trust!"

"When Q says "TRUST the plan" Q is referring to the Payseur trust!"

"it's not Pope, it's not Pindar, it is Payseur!"

https://rumble.com/v188h6f-q-lounge-live-trust-the-plan-payseur-part-4.html

https://youtu.be/SYC-owQuIeE

https://rumble.com/embed/v15mb8n/?pub=4

WHAT DO YOU THINK [THEY] ARE GATEKEEPING?

Anonymous ID: 6a2be3 July 3, 2024, 11:47 a.m. No.21132851 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2861

RIGHT IN YOUR/OUR/WE FACES FOR 6+ FUCKING YEARS NOW AND HARDLY A WORD

COURT FACTOR SEEMS TO BE ALL ANYONE IS MISSING…

ONE LITTLE STUPID FUCKING WIKI ENTRY

ROTHS, SOROS, MURDOCH… YOU KNOW? BASICALLY ALL THE MUH JOOS THEY LOVE TO HATE?

WORK FOR?

WAIT FOR IT!!!

OMFG!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>>21132851

Respect that most people don't have the fucking time

yet when it's given to you on a platter and you want nothing to do with it?

the same thing you pretend to be chasing?

your tail?

research!!!

dig dig dig!!!

right in your face…

6+ years…

oh!!!

talky talky all you want yet when you post TUCKER, BANNON, JONES and all the [REST] you fail to tell these kids that they are known clowns

you need to fucking caveat

WHO NEEDS TO WAKE TF UP?

LOOKS TO NIGHT SHIFT LIKE THE VATICAN HAS AU GOVERNMENT IN ITS POCKET

MIGHT WANNA THINK ABOUT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THAT WIDDLE [P]ROBLEM…

IF YOU LIKE FREEDOM AND ALL THAT…

>>21125827

Accusations, intimidation and resignation: Senator Fatima Payman quits Labor

Paul Sakkal and James Massola - July 4, 2024

1/2

Senator Fatima Payman has become the Albanese government’s first defection as she resigned from the party on the last day of parliament before the winter break, accusing the prime minister of pressuring her onto the crossbench where she will act as a high-profile critic of the government’s stance on the war in Gaza.

In an impassioned press conference in Canberra, Payman wept as she declined to pledge her support for Labor’s legislative agenda on issues such as climate change or industrial relations, accusing Labor of not caring about the suffering of Palestinians.

“I am torn, deeply torn. On one hand, I have the immense support of the rank-and-file members, unionists, the lifelong party volunteers, who are calling on me to hang in there and to make change happen internally. On the other hand, I am pressured to conform to caucus solidarity and toe the party line,” she said.

“I see no middle ground and my conscience leaves me no choice.”

The 29-year-old’s resignation was expected for days after revelations the Afghan-born backbencher had begun taking advice from Glenn Druery, a consultant who specialises in getting independents elected to parliament.

Payman confirmed her relationship with Druery and acknowledged she had met with a coalition of Muslim groups planning to harness discontent with Labor’s perceived lack of support for the Palestinian case.

But she said she had no formal affiliation with the group despite backing some of their aims. Payman stated she had no current plans to create or join a new party, but added: “Stay tuned”.

Payman, the first federal parliamentarian to wear a hijab, said: “Unlike my colleagues, I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of injustice,” a comment that infuriated Labor MPs but none have said so publicly.

“My family did not flee from a war-torn country to come here as refugees for me to remain silent when I see atrocities inflicted on innocent people. Witnessing our government’s indifference to the greatest injustice of our time makes me question the direction the party is taking.”

Payman’s defiance of calls to respect party loyalty has enraged senior cabinet ministers and dominated debate in Canberra for two weeks, overshadowing the government’s stage 3 tax cut rollout and providing the Greens and Coalition with opportunities to goad the government on the complex Gaza debate.

A former union official and left faction member who led the WA Young Labor branch, Payman claimed she was intimidated by colleagues who refused to sit next to her and pressured her to say which way she would vote on a Greens motion that sparked the dramatic affair.

Many Labor MPs argue her claims of intimidation are fanciful and designed to engender public support. There were several olive branches extended to Payman, who was hugged by senior minister Tanya Plibersek in parliament on Monday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and ministers including Bill Shorten have said she would be welcome back if she fell into line.

(continued)

2/2

A key dispute has been Payman’s claim that she was given an ultimatum about staying in the party by the prime minister at a meeting on Sunday. Her recollection was confirmed by a report in this masthead on Tuesday, the facts of which have been denied by Albanese.

Asked if the prime minister was lying about what occurred in the meeting, she said: “That’s for the prime minister to answer.”

She described the conversation with Albanese as “stern but fair” and said he did not intimidate her.

Taking a question from the opposition about whether he intimidated Payman, the prime minister said he did not.

“The answer is no Mr Speaker. A short while ago I received a message from Senator Payman addressed to me,” he said.

“[It said]: ‘Dear prime minister, thank you for your leadership, it has been an honour and a privilege to serve in the Australian Labor Party’ and it went on to indicate her resignation.”

At the same time, Payman was already sitting on the crossbench in the Senate.

Her policy dispute with Labor is a matter of degrees. Payman and the Greens have called for immediate recognition of the Palestinian state, while Labor supports recognition as part of a broader peace negotiation.

Payman’s colleagues have questioned her commitment to the Palestinian cause by pointing out that she never raised issues with the party’s position on the war during caucus meeting. Payman countered by saying she had had private conversations with Albanese and senior ministers, including Senate leader Penny Wong, about the war.

The 29-year-old denied she was acting undemocratically by leaving the party which voters had given the Senate position. She claimed voters had “entrusted” her with their voice and argued she had the backing of rank-and-file Labor members and unions – a claim denied by her colleagues.

Asked if she would focus on policy issues related to the Muslim faith, she said: “I don’t know how to respond to that question without feeling offended or insulted that just because I’m a visibly Muslim woman that I only care about Muslim issues.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/senator-fatima-payman-quits-labor-20240703-p5jqwa.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpLckx5l5Wc

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 4, 2024, 3:07 a.m. No.21136416 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6423

'It made me feel like I don't belong': Fatima Payman speaks about resigning from Labor

The Western Australian senator was indefinitely suspended from the Labor caucus on Sunday after she vowed to continue crossing the floor of parliament in support of Palestinian statehood.

Amy Hall, Anna Henderson, Elfy Scott - 4 July 2024

1/2

In an interview with SBS News, Western Australian senator Fatima Payman has spoken about feeling intimidated by members of the Labor caucus and a focus on her religious identity in the lead-up to her resignation from the Labor Party.

Payman resigned from the Labor Party on Thursday, saying her conscience had left her "no choice".

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indefinitely suspended the senator from the Labor caucus on Sunday after she vowed in an interview to continue crossing the floor of parliament in support of Palestinian statehood.

The prime minister had previously banned Payman from a single party room meeting after she broke ranks last week to vote in favour of a Greens motion calling for Australia to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

Payman said on Monday that she would abstain from voting in the Senate and use the time to reflect on her future, adding that the prime minister's decision to indefinitely suspend her from caucus had left her "exiled".

On Thursday afternoon, she confirmed she was quitting Labor and would sit as an independent senator.

"With a heavy heart but a clear conscience, I announce my resignation from the Australian Labor Party," she told reporters in Canberra.

"I have informed the prime minister that, effective immediately, I will sit on the crossbench to represent Western Australia."

Payman said she had been "deeply torn" when trying to make a decision about her future, but Palestinian recognition and "liberation" was an issue that she couldn't compromise on.

"On one hand, I have the immense support of the rank-and-file members, unionists, the lifelong members, the party volunteers, who are calling on me to hang in there and to make change happen internally," she said.

"On the other hand, I am pressured to conform to caucus solidarity and toe the party line.

"I see no middle ground and my conscience leaves me no choice."

(continued)

>>21136416

2/2

The 29-year-old is the first Labor politician to defy party rules and cross the floor of federal parliament since 2005.

Payman also said that, while some members of the Labor caucus had reached out to check on her wellbeing, she had been intimidated by other members.

"I wouldn't constitute it as bullying but it definitely made me feel like I don't belong, made me feel like there was no return for me in the Labor Party … this was a red line that I had to draw," she told SBS News.

During Question Time on Thursday afternoon, Albanese was asked by the Opposition if he had spoken to Payman in an "aggressive or intimidatory manner" during that meeting.

"The answer is no," Albanese said.

"And a short while ago I received a message from Senator Payman, addressed to me: 'Dear prime minister, thank you for your leadership. It has been an honour and privilege to serve in the Australian Labor Party,' and it went on to indicate her resignation as a member of the ALP."

Asked about the focus on her religious identity from the Opposition leader and Labor MPs, Payman said that while she prays to god for guidance and it is an important part of her "private life as a Muslim", those beliefs are not imposed on the constituents that she represents.

"It's quite patronising and condescending to be stereotyped in a particular way because of my external appearances," she said.

While asserting that Labor should "have room for dissenting voices", Payman did not say that she would advise young women of colour to avoid entering parliament and representing the Labor Party.

"It's up to people with their views on what aligns with their values and their principles. For me, this was a parting moment and I had to do it in good faith."

Payman's move to the Senate crossbench means the government will need to secure one vote more to pass legislation not supported by the Opposition.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/fatima-payman-resigns-from-labor-with-a-heavy-heart-but-a-clear-conscience/vluta899w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNSHXW92zHI

https://www.instagram.com/senatorfatimapayman/p/C8_NAp8PPpN/

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 4, 2024, 3:15 a.m. No.21136438 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6443

Don’t underestimate the damage Fatima Payman’s resignation has done to Labor

SIMON BENSON - 4 July 2024

1/2

Anthony Albanese heads into the parliamentary winter break with the government’s cost of living narrative completely evaporated by Fatima Payman’s dramatic resignation and an image of party in disarray.

The damage from this indulgent outbreak of identity politics can’t be underestimated.

Nothing has gone to script for Albanese this week. Nor last week, nor the previous parliamentary sitting period. And once again, it has been a failure of political management that has overshadowed its policy agenda.

Labor has fallen into the trap of publicly dissecting itself, at a time when the only thing it should be talking about is how hard everybody else has it.

This has been sparked by the singular action of dissident senator Fatima Payman, her resignation from the Labor Party over recigntion of Palestine and ending on the last day of parliament with pro-Palestinian protesters breaching Parliament House security.

This is not a winning formula for Labor if indeed Albanese is contemplating an earlier than expected election.

The only thing the government has going for it is that it is doing marginally better than the Coalition.

And perhaps that is enough.

But if Labor wants to avoid being tipped into minority government, Albanese needs more than just a cabinet reshuffle over the break to reset its priorities.

It will need to re-establish a purpose for being in government.

Labor will have learned nothing if it thinks that falling over the line in 2022 against a deeply unpopular prime minister in Scott Morrison marked the beginning of a revival for the social democratic mission.

The 2019 election post mortem conducted by the party shows little has changed in terms of Labor’s primary challenge.

While it might be able to rely on the fracturing of the conservative vote to keep the Coalition out of office, this is not enough to re-establish Labor as a party of long-term government.

The 2019 analysis demonstrated clearly that Labor lost support among its traditional base. Its primary vote fell to 33.3 per cent.

Albanese won the 2022 election with Labor on a primary vote of 32.6 per cent.

If anything, the base receded during those three years in opposition.

The latest Newspoll shows it has gone back further, sitting now at 32 per cent.

The 2019 report had this to say: “Economically vulnerable workers living in outer-metropolitan, regional and rural Australia have lost trust in politicians and political institutions.

“Not only are they alienated from the political process, they are too busy working and caring for their families to be concerned with issues they consider irrelevant to their lives.

“Indeed, they are often resentful of the attention progressive political parties give at their expense to minority groups and to what is nowadays called identity politics.”

The cost-of-living crisis of today can only lead to an assumption that this problem is now more acute.

(continued)

>>21136438

2/2

Yet for the past two weeks, Labor has indulged in precisely the typified behaviour that previous post-election analysis warned was at the heart of its fundamental problem.

Chalmers’ shaping of the budget was clearly designed to appeal to the “economically vulnerable”. Its economic message is consistent with what Labor strategists believe is the pathway back to rebuilding the Labor base.

Yet the message is clearly not getting through.

The problems that beset Labor in opposition prior to the 2019 election still linger.

While the teals have interceded to complicate issues for the Coalition since then, Labor now risks a similar phenomenon occurring on the left.

The threat of Muslim independent candidates in western Sydney and suburban Melbourne seats unseating Labor MPs is now real.

This is a new and emerging problem that only compounds the structural issue that the 2019 report warned of: the conflict between economic dislocation and Labor’s predilection for grievance politics.

“Working people will lose faith in Labor if they do not believe the party is responding to their needs, instead being preoccupied with issues not concerning them or that are actively against their interests,” it said.

Interestingly, and even more relevant today, was a warning about faith-based voters, predominantly Christian voters and Labor’s loss of first-generation migrant Christians.

It warned back then that Labor’s policy formulation needed to be guided by the national interest rather than being captured by special interest groups.

The Palestinian issue, and Labor’s fear of it permeating through western Sydney seats, has exposed yet another failure by Labor to heed the lessons of the past.

Payman’s defection has exposed the internal decay at the heart of the party and its industrial wing.

Instead of moving more toward the centre, it has allowed and even encouraged a preselection process that promotes identity politics and embraces a woke-based lens through which to view the remodelling of the representative wing.

What did Albanese, who has witnessed and even presided over this shift, expect was going to happen?

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/dont-underestimate-the-damage-fatima-paymans-resignation-has-done-to-labor/news-story/93e9b795f0b2997c85b9a54842ff3fb4

Stay tuned, this could get a whole lot worse for Labor

DENNIS SHANAHAN - 4 July 2024

Fatima Payman’s resignation from the Labor Party opens a new chapter in Australian political history and contains a far more potent threat to Anthony Albanese than just the loss of one vote in the Senate.

It could also be the dawn of a new era in Australia of candidates forming a party based on faith, with the sole purpose of appealing to those of that faith.

With the chilling words of “stay tuned”, the renegade WA senator has put the Prime Minister and his government on notice of the likelihood of her providing the foundation stone for a new Muslim political movement based around a minor party or closely orchestrated independents.

Albanese and his senior ministers, particularly those in the western Sydney seats most at threat, know the fatal impact a well-organised, well-funded and highly focused group of “independents” – such as the Climate 200 teals – can deliver.

It has been bad enough that Payman’s month-long campaign of insurrection over support for Palestine and the Greens in the Senate has clouded Albanese’s planned July 1 celebrations for cost-of-living relief. It is worse that she has attacked her erstwhile caucus colleagues and reduced Labor’s Senate numbers by one. But it is worst of all that she can now create a Muslim party targeted against Labor MPs.

For the 29-year-old, two-year Muslim senator from Afghanistan to even ponder establishing a party that could remove enough Labor MPs to deny the Albanese government a majority at the next election puts her among some of the greatest of Labor “rats in the ranks” in 130-years of ALP tradition.

At an “emotional” press conference after sending Albanese her resignation, Payman repeated her claims she had been intimidated and isolated by Labor MPs and senators, denied she had been planning the resignation for a month – as Albanese indicated – and said she would not be joining the Greens.

But, when asked if she would form a new party – which as a sitting senator she can fast-track – Payman said: “At this stage, I do not plan to form a party … but stay tuned.”

Stay tuned. It’s not as if Albanese and his colleagues have been tuning out as Payman orchestrated a media campaign that distracted entirely from Labor’s July 1 cost-of-living measures, accused them of intimidation, handed the Greens propaganda victories and put Labor in outer suburban Sydney and Melbourne on a war footing.

Much damage has been done to Labor over the whole issue of support for Palestine since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, which killed 1200 Israelis and saw hundreds more taken hostage. The PM has suffered a loss of authority, social division has risen, and vandalism and damaging protests, such as the occupation of the Parliament House roof on Thursday, has occurred, but there is potential for much worse if Payman tunes in to Muslim political movement.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/stay-tuned-this-could-get-a-whole-lot-worse-for-labor/news-story/2ac0071236dd6669f957bd19257f33fe

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 4, 2024, 3:46 a.m. No.21136515 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6522

Pro-Palestine protesters climb onto parliament roof

SARAH ISON and MOHAMMAD ALFARES - 4 July 2024

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A pro-Palestine protest that saw four people breach Parliament House security and unfurl black banners from the building’s roof was “designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society,” Peter Dutton says.

The Opposition Leader and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham wrote to Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the presiding officers of Parliament House immediately after the stunt, asking them to take “immediate and decisive action” to hold the protesters to account.

Four people were charged after they climbed on top of Parliament House and draped signs across the building declaring: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

The protesters, and a group of a few dozen on the ground, chanted: “If they don’t give us justice, they don’t get no peace”.

It is understood some climate protesters glued themselves to the marble floors in the foyer of Parliament House, directly beneath where other protesters are positioned on the roof.

The Australian witnessed the protest unfolding, with four people able to easily jump a 2.5m security fence and access the roof above the public entrance of parliament. The fence was part of a $126.7m security upgrade in 2017.

“We write with urgency regarding the alarming security breach at Parliament House earlier today,” Mr Dutton and Senator Birmingham said.

“The world has witnessed the disgraceful scenes of protestors gluing themselves to the marble foyer and pro-Palestinian protesters displaying large inflammatory and violent banners outside the front of the Australian Parliament House. This egregious violation tarnishes the reputation of this esteemed institution and disrespects its occupants.

“This is not a protest of a normal nature. This was a protest that was designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society.

“Despite significant government expenditure on upgrading the security of Parliament House, these protestors managed to gain access to the exterior of the building with apparent ease and remained there for a considerable duration.

“The opposition urgently calls upon the government and presiding officers to take immediate and decisive action to hold these protestors to account and conduct a thorough investigation into this security lapse.”

The Coalition has requested a formal statement from the presiding officers to both chambers addressing the incident and prior breaches, noting there had been two disruptions during question time in the House of Representatives.

“It is imperative that we ensure the nation’s parliament operates safely, free from the interference of those who seek to undermine our critical work,” Mr Dutton and Senator Birmingham said.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie has slammed Anthony Albanese for failing to protect the Parliament House, saying the pro-Palestine protest was a show of support for radical Hamas supporters.

(continued)

>>21136515

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‘Nation founded on genocide’

One of the protesters on the roof, a young white man, read a statement from his phone to those gathered below.

“Australia is a nation founded on genocide,” he said. “There has been a steady complicity of war crimes and genocide abroad.”

The protester said government MPs were “genocide enablers” and “subservient to the US empire”.

He said the government was selling arms to the “murderous Israeli regime”.

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham said the protesters demonstrated a scathing security breach that has sent shockwaves across MPs.

Mr Birmingham told Sky News he was bemused at the fact they were able to get there in the first place.

“We stand for freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. But that’s got to be done in ways that don’t put other people in danger and that don’t create massive inconveniences for other Australians as well,” Mr Birmingham said.

“Plenty of Australians have found themselves stuck in hours-long traffic jams or chaos, as extremist protesters have glued themselves to roads and done other things.

Shadow Veterans’ Affairs Minister Barnaby Joyce called the protesters “contenders for the dipshit award”

“The issue is that we’ve had the desecration of the war memorials and now we have basically people managing to get through the security cordon of Parliament House,” Mr Joyce said.

“What they can do from there is get into the Queens Cafe.”

Independent MP Dai Le was also concerned about the breach in security, saying there should have been better checks in place.

Sky News political reporter Cam Reddin who was outside parliament when the protest unfolded said it was an extraordinary breach of parliament security.

“We can see that these four protesters have somehow got to the top of the very front facade of parliament, which is about 15 meters high,” Reddin said.

The protesters, reportedly members of the Renegade Activists group, were arrested after they ended their demonstration from the top of the federal Parliament House after about an hour.

The group of four, who had flanked large banners from the roof, including a Hamas symbol, had to slowly climb down the glass top above the main entrance.

During the protest, members of the public were barred from entering the main entrance of Parliament House, though passholders were still permitted access.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/propalestine-protesters-climb-onto-parliament-roof/news-story/670a4a6574ac3e605daf2817a1404ffa

https://x.com/rosieslewis/status/1808672244807446875

Extraordinary diplomatic dressing down puts Australia-Jewish relations at all-time low

Australia has sparked a diplomatic flashpoint after the Albanese government hauled in Israel’s ambassador for a dressing down over his country’s war in the Middle East.

James Campbell - July 4, 2024

Exclusive: Australia has sparked a diplomatic flashpoint after the Albanese government hauled in Israel’s ambassador for a dressing down over his country’s war in the Middle East.

Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon was formally summoned to a meeting in Canberra 10 days ago and warned that the Jewish state could not expect Australia’s support if it goes to war against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon.

In a sign of the deteriorating relationship between Australia and Israel, the federal government’s position on a potential war in Southern Lebanon was not delivered by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, but was left to Ms Wong’s underling, Assistant Minister Tim Watts.

Several people familiar with the situation said Mr Maimon’s relationship with Senator Wong has been “in the freezer” for several months.

Formally summoning an ambassador is considered a serious step in the diplomatic world, akin to a formal rebuke.

Tensions between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which Australia officially lists as a terrorist organisation, are at boiling point with fears tit-for-tat air strikes across the border are at danger of escalating into a full-scale war.

Since the current conflict began in the wake of Hamas’s horrific attack from Gaza last October, more than 60,000 Israelis have been forced to flee from northern Israel because of Hezbollah attacks.

The Daily Telegraph understands that in recent days Lebanon’s ambassador has also been summoned by the Albanese government and warned against any escalation.

Although it is represented in Lebanon’s parliament, the Lebanese government is generally regarded as having little influence over Hezbollah which is trained, funded and supplied by Iran.

The warning to Israel that it should not expect Australian support in the event of a ground war against Hezbollah is just the latest sign of the cooling of relations between Canberra and Jerusalem.

Israeli officials have made no secret of their anger at Australia’s recent vote in favour of upgrading Palestine’s status at the UN which came months after it appointed a Special Adviser to report on the Israeli government’s investigation of the killing by the IDF of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.

In recent days there have been mixed reports about the likelihood of a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Last week the head of Israel’s air force told an audience that fighting against Hamas in Gaza would end soon as it was close to defeat and that the IDF was ready for a conflict in the north with Hezbollah.

But in an earlier report in the New York Times, Israeli military leaders are said to have warned their government a truce with Hamas was a precondition for any war with Hezbollah, while on Tuesday Hezbollah’s deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem told Associated Press if there was a full ceasefire in Gaza “we will stop without any discussion”.

A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said ministers, assistant ministers and DFAT officials regularly met with diplomats.

“Assistant Minister Watts expressed Australia’s concern about the risk of regional escalation,” she said.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/extraordinary-diplomatic-dressing-down-puts-australiajewish-relations-at-alltime-low/news-story/8df4dae3a4210cc7a246ef6157719b55

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 4, 2024, 3:59 a.m. No.21136548 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6614

New data cloud to protect nation’s secrets

BEN PACKHAM - 4 July 2024

Australia’s defence and national security agencies will partner with Amazon Web Services to create a $2bn top secret data cloud to securely store and analyse the nation’s most sensitive information.

Three secure data centres and two control centres will be built at undisclosed locations for use by Australia’s intelligence community and the Australian Defence Force.

They will be air-gapped from the internet, accessible only by those with appropriate security clearances, and be operational by mid-2027.

The purpose-built cloud will enable security agencies to apply the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to vast, top secret data sets, and provide Defence with a resilient IT network for its military operations.

National security leaders said the cloud system would also allow greater co-operation with Australia’s Five Eyes intelligence partners.

An estimated 2000 jobs will be created through the initiative, which will be headed by the Australian Signals Directorate.

Anthony Albanese said: “My government is bolstering our defence and national intelligence community to ensure they can deliver world leading protection for our nation.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the cloud would strengthen the ADF’s warfighting capabilities and improve interoperability with the US, “in order to address the complex strategic circumstances we face”.

ASD director-general Rachel Noble said the system would provide “a state-of-the-art collaborative space for our intelligence and defence community to store and access top secret data”.

“This will transform how we work together as agencies and partners,” Ms Noble said, adding the initiative was a vital component of the agency’s decade-long REDSPICE program to boost its intelligence and offensive cyber capabilities.

The director-general of the Office of National Intelligence, Andrew Shearer, said the top secret cloud would “drive even closer integration, sharing and collaboration between agencies … and greater interoperability with our most important international intelligence partners”.

AWS will work with Australian businesses to design and build the cloud network.

The company won the contract in a competitive process. Microsoft also bid for the work, but pulled out of the race.

Amazon Web Services Australia managing director Iain Rouse said: “AWS is uniquely positioned, as a trusted, long-term partner to the Australian government to deliver on this important partnership.

“This critical national security initiative allows AWS to demonstrate our commitment to not just deliver a fixed set of requirements, but to continuously adapt, enhance and innovate together over the years to come.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/new-data-cloud-to-protect-nations-secrets/news-story/9c3330f5b5bdb7329ea41a3d5298a681

>>21136548

Amazon wins contract to store 'top-secret' Australian military intelligence

Andrew Greene - 4 July 2024

American technology giant Amazon will establish a "top-secret" data cloud to store classified Australian military and intelligence information under a $2 billion partnership with the federal government.

Three highly secure data centres will be built in secret locations across the country to support the purpose-built Top Secret (TS) Cloud which will be run by a local subsidiary of Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The massive new project is expected to harness cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology and scheduled to be in operation by 2027, with the government insisting Australia will have complete sovereignty over the cloud.

Similar data clouds have already been established in the US and UK allowing the sharing of "vast amounts of information", with intelligence figures highlighting that potential adversaries were also investing heavily in similar technology.

Initially, the government will invest at least $2 billion into the project being run by the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and AWS, but it's expected to cost billions more in operating costs over the coming years.

Details of the massive project were first revealed in a speech to an American audience last year by the director-general of national intelligence Andrew Shearer, who emphasised the benefits it presented for collaboration for partner nations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the project will create 2,000 jobs and "bolster our defence and national intelligence community to ensure they can deliver world-leading protection for our nation".

"We face a range of complex and serious security challenges and I am incredibly proud of the work our national security agencies undertake on a daily basis to keep Australians safe," Mr Albanese said.

ASD director-general Rachel Noble said the project would provide a "state-of-the-art collaborative space for our intelligence and defence community to store and access top secret data".

"For ASD, this capability is a vital part of our REDSPICE program which is lifting our intelligence and offensive and defensive cyber capabilities."

AWS' managing director in Australia, Iain Rouse, says his company is "uniquely positioned, as a trusted, long-term partner to the Australian government to deliver on this important partnership".

"This critical national security initiative allows AWS to demonstrate our commitment to not just deliver a fixed set of requirements, but to continuously adapt, enhance and innovate together over the years to come."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-04/amazon-contract-top-secret-australian-military-intelligence/104057196

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x91hmss

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 4, 2024, 4:27 a.m. No.21136668 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6682

Senior Tasmanian police officer Paul Reynolds groomed more than 50 boys and young men, final report finds

Adam Langenberg - 4 July 2024

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A senior Tasmanian police officer was a paedophile who groomed more than 50 boys and young men over three decades before his death by suicide in 2018, an independent report has found.

WARNING: This story contains details of sexual abuse which may cause distress.

A review by former war crimes prosecutor Regina Weiss into Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds' conduct found the extent of his grooming and sexual abuse between 1988 and 2018 was "truly shocking and horrific".

Reynolds took his own life while under investigation over multiple child sexual abuse offences in 2018, but was given a full police funeral with honour guard in Launceston, a decision Police Commissioner Donna Adams has since apologised for.

The review heard from 15 victim-survivors of Reynolds, and identified up to 52 males who were at minimum groomed by him over a 30-year period, with some resulting in sexual abuse.

It found Reynolds was sending explicit messages to "no less than nine teenage boys up to the day of his death".

Ms Weiss recommended Tasmania Police establish restorative processes and a redress scheme for people who were groomed and sexually abused by Reynolds, plus a similar framework for people groomed or abused by other police officers.

Reynolds promised to make complaint 'go away' in exchange for sexual act

The review found Reynolds bragged to people, particularly young men he was grooming, that he had the power to influence the outcome of police prosecutions.

Ms Weiss found no evidence he manipulated investigations or prosecutions, but said it was clear he had used the perception he could alter the outcome of criminal processes as a grooming mechanism.

One person who gave evidence to the review, said Reynolds visited his house with what looked to be a police report or complaint about him some time between 2011 and 2015, and promised to "make it go away" if he performed a sexual act on Reynolds.

The man, who considered Reynolds a friend and mentor at the time, said he was "shocked and scared" by the report.

Ms Weiss said a full search of police records found no record of a police report about the man, and "formed the view that it was likely that the report had been fabricated and presented to the participant in the form of a falsified document by Reynolds".

"Even if there had been a legitimate police report, and despite this participant being over 18 at the time of the incident, utilising police report as a mechanism to procure sexual favours was a gross abuse of the authority Reynolds held as a police officer and trust the victim-survivor had in him," she said.

Reynolds used sport 'as a hunting ground'

Ms Weiss found Reynolds, a former Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) president, football coach and administrator and basketball umpire "identified and pursued the vast majority of his victims through his affiliation with sport".

The review found Reynolds was a regular presence in the Deloraine Football Club change rooms, despite not holding a coaching or training role, something Ms Weiss said "should have raised alarm bells".

Ms Weiss said she was told a report that Reynolds had been witnessed massaging a teenage boy in the Deloraine Football Club was made to the "highest echelons of the NTFA board" in the months before his death.

But there was no record of that allegation ever being on-reported to police or any other agency, Ms Weiss said.

She said it was clear not all members of the board were aware of the allegation, with some only finding out about Reynolds' sexual abuse after a coronial inquest into his death was handed down in 2023.

A person who spoke to the independent review also alleged the league organised and paid for Reynolds' wake after his death.

(continued)

>>21136668

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Ms Weiss recommended Tasmania Police take steps to improve trust and relationships with sport and recreation organisations and vulnerable community groups, including a greater police presence at junior sporting competitions, and greater education and training about sexual abuse and grooming for sporting clubs.

The review also recommended Tasmania Police set up a dedicated victim management team that would operate separately of the police's professional standards command, to support victims of reported sexual offending or misconduct by a current or former police officer.

It also found the legislative investigative powers of Tasmania's Integrity Commission regarding serious misconduct of police officers "falls short in comparison to other Australian agency jurisdictions and are not fit for purpose", recommending reform so all allegations of police officers grooming or sexually abusing people can be investigated by the commission.

Seven complaints about current and former police officers have been referred to Tasmania Police.

Two allegations of child sexual abuse by former police officers are still under investigation.

Police investigations criticised

Ms Weiss criticised Tasmania Police investigations into allegations against Reynolds in 2008 and one in 2018 that was concluded after his death.

She said the 2008 investigation, triggered after an interstate police officer overheard a conversation at the police academy bar where senior members of Tasmania Police called Reynolds a paedophile, "should have uncovered Reynolds' conduct towards teenage boys", but did not.

She found there was no evidence of misconduct by police officers in investigating Reynolds, but said "far too much focus" was placed on the risk of reputational damage to Reynolds, which was "prioritised over risk to the safety of young people".

Ms Weiss also found the 2018 investigation should have been concluded and addressed publicly by Tasmania Police long before a coronial inquest was handed down in 2023.

'We failed to protect you,' Police Commissioner says

Commissioner Adams said she supported all five review recommendations, but two required advice before being presented to the government.

She apologised to victim-survivors of Reynolds, saying she was "deeply sorry for the pain and trauma" they experienced and how it continued to affect them and their families.

"I am deeply sorry we failed to protect you from harm because we didn't see an abuser among us," Commissioner Adams said.

"His crimes were an unforgivable breach of your trust. It is my commitment to you that we can and will do better."

Commissioner Adams said Tasmania Police had already made a suite of changes in the wake of the Commission of Inquiry into Government Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.

She said those changes included mandatory child and youth safe awareness training for officers, the proactive release of complaints data, dedicated sex crime investigation teams and a requirement for all professional standards complaints to be considered before a police funeral can be granted to a deceased officer.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-04/weiss-report-on-paul-reynolds-child-sex-abuse/104056356

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIdSZpKL9fQ

https://www.police.tas.gov.au/news-events/media-releases/weiss-independent-review-report-released/

https://www.police.tas.gov.au/commission-of-inquiry/weiss-independent-review/

https://www.police.tas.gov.au/uploads/Weiss-Review-Report.pdf

https://qresear.ch/?q=Paul+Reynolds

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 4, 2024, 4:39 a.m. No.21136721 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8935

>>21131206

>>21132756

Andrew Bolt says the Vatican should be 'deeply ashamed' about how they treated George Pell's body before it was sent back to Australia

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has claimed the Vatican should feel "deeply ashamed" about the condition of George Pell's body before it was sent home to Australia after learning from a "confidante" that it had been treated with "gross disrespect".

'Patrick Staveley - July 4, 2024

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has claimed Cardinal George Pell's body had been "mucked up" - with the nose broken and his clothes simply thrown into the coffin - before it returned to Australia after his death.

Pell died at the age of 81 in a Rome hospital in Italy on January 10, 2023 as a result of complications from a routine hip surgery.

His body was embalmed by the Vatican before a requiem mass was held for him at St Peter's Basilica.

Pell's body was then flown home to Australia where his funeral took place at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on February 1.

Sky News host Andrew Bolt revealed graphic details of the process on Wednesday night as he described how a confidante of Pell who was at the opening of the Cardinal's coffin found his body had been treated with "gross disrespect" in what the host described as a "final insult" to a "great and innocent man."

Bolt called Pell's brother David to confirm if he knew about what had happened to the Cardinal's body.

“As he confirmed, the embalming, in his words, had been mucked up, or buggered up," Bolt said.

"A Sydney undertaker had to clean the body – Pell's nose had also been broken. Pell was also shoeless.

"In fact, I'd been told he wasn't only shoeless – all his clothes had simply been just thrown in the coffin."

The host said the Cardinal was still given an appropriate farewell by the Vatican but that it should be "ashamed" over how his body was treated.

"It is true that the Vatican did Pell the full honours at his death, with a packed service at St Peter's, attended by the Pope, and Pell remains of course admired by many around the world, including me… admired as a man of God, a man of principle, a reformer, a strong leader and a man persecuted for his faith.

“But the Vatican should now be deeply, deeply ashamed to have treated his body so shabbily.”

In the years before his death, Pell helped lead an audit of Vatican finances in an investigation of corruption.

He was joined by forensic auditor Ferrucio Panicco and accountant Libero Milone, later appointed as the Vatican's first independent auditor-general.

Panicco and Milone were forced to resign after being accused of spying and threatened with prosecution for criminal activity, The Australian reported.

A week later, Pell was charged by Victoria Police with sexual assault offences, which were later quashed unanimously by the High Court in 2020.

Bolt said while he didn't buy into conspiracies regarding Pell's death, there had been suggestions there was still bad feeling towards him within the Vatican.

“Perhaps it was just incompetence, but some of Pell's closest associates have told me they suspected some in the Vatican had not forgiven Pell for exposing corruption,” Bolt said.

"Now Pell once told me he didn't feel safe in the Vatican as he chased the thieves who hid documents in London, Sydney…

"What was done to him after his death makes me suspect he was right."

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/andrew-bolt-says-the-vatican-should-be-deeply-ashamed-about-how-they-treated-george-pells-body-before-it-was-sent-back-to-australia/news-story/cd9c7a04135c4a797dc2abd56f8332ce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXknII-Pz3I

>[Cardinal Pell]

>Dark to LIGHT.

Citizenship revenge: Labor targets rebel senator Fatima Payman

GEOFF CHAMBERS - July 04, 2024

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Senior Labor figures are raising Fatima Payman’s Afghan citizenship as a risk to her remaining in the Senate because of a potential breach of section 44 of the Constitution, after she quit the ALP and left the door open to forming her own political party.

Senator Payman on Thursday declared she would joint the crossbench as an independent senator due to her concerns about Labor’s policy on Palestine, but refused to rule out establishing a political party to contest ALP-held seats with large Muslim populations.

“Watch this space,” Senator Payman said.

Labor ministers fear an independent Muslim party could cost them up to six seats in western Sydney and have already started to mobilise branches and resources to defend traditionally safe ALP seats.

Senior ALP figures say Senator Payman could have questions to answer if someone referred her to the High Court, despite the party backing her as a Senate candidate ahead of the 2022 election.

Senator Payman’s statement on parliament’s register of qualifications – introduced following the 2017-18 citizenship crisis – confirms that she is a dual citizen of Afghanistan and Australia.

Peter Dutton labelled the citizenship concerns an “outrage” given Senator Payman had been preselected by Labor prior to the 2022 election.

“It’s pretty red hot if there is a constitutional issue and the Labor Party knew about it,” the Opposition Leader told Channel Nine on Friday.

“They’ve supported a member of parliament knowing that she wasn’t constitutionally able to sit in the parliament, which I think is an outrage. That’s quite different from some existing section 44 issues.”

But NDIS Minister Bill Shorten expressed his confidence in internal Labor Party processes and played down the reports senior Labor figures were raising he concerns.

“I’m sure that the West Australian Labor Party would have checked that out,” Mr Shorten said.

“Mate, you lost more members of your political party under the Constitution than I think Collingwood was awarded unfair free kicks in the last footy game.”

Earlier in the interview, Mr Dutton said Senator Payman’s defection to the crossbench was indicative of division within the Labor Party.

“There’s general disquiet in the Labor Party at the moment … and if you can’t govern yourself, you can’t govern the country,” Mr Dutton said.

“For the Labor Party, they’ve got a huge split within their ranks. You’re seeing it with the anti Israel stance at the moment.”

Senator Payman’s resignation and move to the crossbench on Thursday sparked a political crisis for Anthony Albanese on the final parliamentary sitting day before the five-week winter break.

Declaring she had felt intimidated on many fronts, including being “escorted” to the Prime Minister’s office, Senator Payman resigned after refusing to compromise on her support for recognising Palestinian statehood.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 5, 2024, 11:07 a.m. No.21143742 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3747

>>21143736

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The resignation came hours after four pro-Palestine supporters breached Parliament House’s security and unfurled anti-Semitic banners from the front entrance and coat of arms. The protest immediately sparked a review by the Australian Federal Police into the building’s security arrangements.

The three men and one woman, who were banned from Parliament House and released on bail in Canberra on Thursday afternoon, were charged with trespassing on commonwealth land and face a maximum fine of $2750.

The Australian can reveal Renegade Activists, the group behind the protest, met Senator Payman just over a week ago. Renegade Activists spokesman Jacob Grech said the group wanted “to give as much support to Fatima” as it could and “show her that her stance is appreciated”. “Our colleagues met with her the day before she crossed the floor (to support the Greens’ motion for the immediate recognition of Palestine as a state),” Mr Grech said.

The group would not confirm whether the senator’s intention to break from the ALP or its plans to stage the protest were raised in the meeting.

Senator Payman, who was born in Afghanistan in 1995 before fleeing Taliban rule and resettling in Australia with her mother in 2003, was granted Australian citizenship in 2005. In her 2022 register of qualifications statement, Senator Payman said she had received legal advice confirming that she was eligible to sit in the Senate because she had taken reasonable steps to renounce her Afghan citizenship.

“In light of the situation in Afghanistan and the impossibility of progressing my application to renounce Afghan citizenship following the recent takeover by the Taliban, I am not disqualified from sitting as a senator and so I can nominate as a candidate,” Senator Payman wrote.

Senator Payman, whose resignation from the Labor government triggered a wave of anger inside party ranks, said she approached the Afghanistan embassy in October 2021 to renounce her Afghan citizenship.

“The embassy advised me that there is no communication between it and the new Taliban government in Afghanistan. As such, the embassy told me that my application for renunciation could not (be) finalised in Kabul (as required under pre-Taliban Afghan law),” she wrote.

“There is nothing further that can be done to progress my renunciation of Afghan citizenship, and it would be very dangerous for me to return to Afghanistan or to attempt to engage with the Taliban regime directly.”

During the 45th parliament, seven by-elections were called following resignations of lower-house MPs and declarations of ineligibility triggered by section 44. Eight senators including Katy Gallagher were forced to resign for holding dual citizenship.

Labor sources said they believed Senator Payman’s eligibility would likely need to be tested in the High Court.

They referenced a 2018 High Court full bench order in relation to Senator Gallagher’s case, with paragraph 45 outlining a potential issue for Senator Payman.

Chief Justice Stephen Gageler, Australia’s most distinguished constitutional lawyer who replaced Susan Kiefel last November, was involved in the Gallagher order. “An Australian citizen who has done everything reasonably within his or her power to renounce his or her citizenship of another country under the law of that country remains within the ambit of the disqualification expressed in s44(i) for so long as a process of renunciation provided for by the law of that country simply remains incomplete,” the High Court order said.

(continued)

>>21143742

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Senator Payman – considered an “accidental senator” following a record Labor vote in Western Australia – narrowly claimed the state’s sixth spot after weeks of counting following the 2022 election.

Labor-aligned pollster Kos Samaras warned that the fallout from Senator Payman’s resignation had made the situation worse for the government “in its red wall and of course in seats they will have to defend against the Greens”.

Mr Samaras said the western Sydney seats of Blaxland and Watson, held by cabinet ministers Jason Clare and Tony Burke, and the Victorian electorate of Calwell, represented by Maria Vamvakinou, had a high proportion of Muslim voters and were now at greater risk.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Council said it was the ALP’s lack of a “principled approach” to the Middle East conflict and not Senator Payman’s resignation that would hurt its electoral chances.

ALP national president Wayne Swan said the most fundamental lesson of Labor’s success and failures over 133 years was the party couldn’t win the battle of ideas without political unity.

“Senator Payman’s decision to place herself outside the party can only empower Labor’s opponents on the far right and on the left who have always opposed progressive foreign, economic and environmental policy,” Mr Swan.

Labor’s numbers in the Senate have been reduced to 25 while the crossbench has expanded to nine with Senator Payman’s resignation. The government must gain the support of the Coalition or the Greens and at least three crossbenchers in order to pass legislation through the chamber.

Despite crossing the floor to vote with the Greens on Palestinian statehood – which sparked her first short suspension from caucus before an explosive television interview led to her being suspended indefinitely – Senator Payman ruled out joining the minor party.

The 29-year-old said she had met with teal-style group The Muslim Vote on one occasion and supported what it was doing in seeking to increase the “political literacy” of the Muslim community. “I don’t have any intentions of collaborating with them, per se, and I haven’t thought about it,” she said.

The Muslim Vote said it would “support anyone who shares our principles of justice and fairness”.

Senator Gallagher rejected Senator Payman’s claim that the Labor Party could not represent modern Australia unless it allowed MPs to cross the floor.

“I disagree with that, and I think the caucus disagrees with that,” Senator Gallagher told ABC Radio.

“We have our process, so we have Caucus committees, we have Caucus itself, we have factional meetings, [all] where members of the Labor Party argue and can contest the ideas that are before us.

“There’s heaps of disagreement, and people bring their diversity and their own experience into those forums. We argue, we agree, and ultimately, we land on a position and that is how it works.”

Mr Albanese said the pro-Palestinian protesters at Parliament House should face the “full force of the law”, after public access to the building was restricted. He said the government supported peaceful protest, which had an important place in Australia, but “this was not a peaceful protest”.

Speaker Milton Dick said he was concerned about the security breach and asked AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw for an investigation into the “unacceptable behaviour” and a wider review of the building’s security.

Mr Dutton said the protest was “designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/citizenship-revenge-labor-targets-rebel-senator-fatima-payman/news-story/be54f25426f012335e5a8fc558c8928e

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 5, 2024, 11:22 a.m. No.21143817 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3822

>>21143736

PM warns against faith-based political movements as Payman hints at next move

Paul Sakkal - July 5, 2024

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned against faith-based political parties and argued one that advocated for Muslim Australians would only isolate the religious group, as rebel senator Fatima Payman hints at a new political movement.

Payman, who on Thursday quit the Labor to sit on the crossbench, said “stay tuned” and “anything can happen” when asked if she wanted to collaborate with a coalition of Islamic community groups planning to run against Labor MPs in seats with large Muslim populations.

On Thursday as Coalition leader Peter Dutton came under fire for comments about Muslim candidates, Payman said she had no immediate plans to create a new party. However, she has been working closely with election strategist Glenn Druery and met the network of Islamic organisations.

The prime minister on Friday echoed the view of NDIS Minister Bill Shorten from earlier this week warning any faith-based party would risk social cohesion and Australia’s secularised political culture.

“My party has in around the cabinet and ministerial tables people who are Catholic, people who are Uniting Church, people who are Muslim, people who are Jewish,” Albanese said. “That is the way that we’ve conducted politics in Australia.

“And it seems to me as well, beyond obvious that it is not in the interest of smaller minority groups to isolate themselves.”

Payman said on Thursday she felt ridiculed by her colleagues talking among themselves and to journalists about her claim that she was being guided by God and praying frequently before crossing the floor to vote on a motion to recognise Palestinian statehood, which sparked a dramatic political crisis and her exit from the Labor Party.

“Just because you are a person of faith, doesn’t mean you don’t have principles or that you would impose your beliefs on people who don’t hold those beliefs,” she said in a long interview with OnePath Network, a group to which Payman donates and which has labelled the Barbie film dangerous because it promotes feminism and homosexuality.

In the interview, Payman used Arabic terms such as “alhamdulillah”, which means “praise be to God” but is commonly used by non-Muslim Arabic speakers as well as non-devout Muslims.

Asked how she managed to speak articulately in press conferences despite being under immense pressure, she said: “My secret is, I don’t have any fancy media training… But also just praying that God almighty uses me as a vessel in the best way that he sees fit.”

She said she had been “pigeonholed” as a senator only focused on religious issues, arguing she would never impose her faith-based views on others.

Payman added that she was accountable to her voters but said it was crucial to “seek the pleasure of God and make sure we are doing right by him”.

(continued)

>>21143817

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Payman met a coalition of Islamic political groups last month. Senior figures associated with the groups have said it is planning a challenge with teal-style tactics to a group of mostly western Sydney Labor MPs who it claims have failed to stand up for Palestinian rights. In a statement, The Muslim Vote said it was not a political party or religious campaign, but rather a political campaign.

In the OnePath Network interview, Payman said those MPs should “listen to the people who voted you in” and “sooner or later [voters] will think about replacing you”.

Meanwhile, Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja on Thursday accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of Islamophobia in relation to comments Dutton made about Payman quitting the government.

“If [Albanese] is in a minority government in the next term of parliament, it will include the Greens, it’ll include the teals, it’ll include Muslim candidates from western Sydney, it will be a disaster,” Dutton said.

In response, Khawaja wrote on X: “As a Muslim who grew up in Western Sydney I find this comment from someone who is running for PM an absolute disgrace.

“Bigotry at its finest. Fueling Islamophobia from the very top.”

Labor minister Ed Husic, a Muslim, said on Instagram: “Um, Pete? Newsflash. There’s not only been a Muslim candidate from western Sydney for more than a decade now, there’s also two of us who serve as minister.”

Reports on Friday questioning whether the Afghan-born Payman was a dual citizen, and thereby ineligible to sit in parliament, provoked criticism from independent senator David Pocock, who called it a “smear campaign”.

“Raising questions about her eligibility under section 44 by people from the same party who took responsibility for ensuring the eligibility of her candidacy and now are too cowardly to put their name to the allegations is such grubby politics,” he said.

Payman has documented the steps she has taken to cancel her Afghan citizenship, but there is no diplomatic channel to the Taliban-controlled nation.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pm-warns-against-faith-based-political-movements-as-payman-hints-at-next-move-20240705-p5jrc0.html

Anonymous ID: 5f1a63 July 5, 2024, 11:45 a.m. No.21143888 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3898