>>21289111

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>>21332364

'No guarantee': Albanese's fresh warning to Australians in Lebanon as conflict fears grow

David Aidone - 1 August 2024

The federal government has renewed calls for Australians to leave Lebanon as soon as possible after an Israeli strike killed Hezbollah's top commander Fuad Shukr.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned on Thursday that conflict in the Middle East could escalate after the death of Shakur and the reported assassination of Ismail Haniyeh — the political leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas — in Iran.

About 15,000 Australians live in Lebanon, according to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade estimates, and Albanese warned it may become impossible for them to leave if commercial flights out of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, are halted.

"Given the numbers of people who are there, there's no guarantee … people will be able to come home through other means if that airport is shut," Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

His warning echoed an earlier statement from Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who on Wednesday night said "now is the time" for Australians in Lebanon to leave.

"You may not be able to leave Lebanon for an extended period," she said in a video message posted on social media.

The remarks come as Defence Minister Richard Marles said the federal government was "thinking through contingencies" for Australians in Lebanon, without providing further details.

Some 5,100 Australians were evacuated from Lebanon in 2006 amid a war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Australia Defence Force most recently helped evacuate citizens from deadly riots in New Caledonia in May.

It has also helped evacuate Australians and their families following Hamas' October 7 attack.

The attack — which was a significant escalation of the long-running conflict between Israel and Gaza's militant rulers Hamas, and one that sparked a war — also left Australians stranded in Gaza.

Some were flown home via commercial flights out of Egypt but faced a struggle crossing into there from the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Fears regional conflict could escalate

Hezbollah — a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group — on Wednesday confirmed that Shukr had been killed after an Israeli strike hit a building he was in the south of Beirut.

It came after an attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights late last week that killed 12 children and left others injured. Israel blamed Hezbollah for the attack, but it has denied any involvement.

Shukr was an adviser to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, according to Hezbollah sources and Israeli officials.

Confirmation of his death on Wednesday came hours after Hamas and Iran said Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in a strike on a residence he used in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran, whose supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel had killed "a dear guest in our home" and warned of revenge amid already high tensions.

Israel has not commented on Haniyeh's reported killing, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would "exact a very heavy price from any aggression against us on any front".

Hamas' military wing said Haniyeh's assassination "takes the battle to new dimensions and will have major repercussions on the entire region".

Australian Council for International Development advisor Naomi Brooks said further tensions would stretch already limited resources and civilians would pay the price.

"The ability for humanitarian assistance to be provided remains extremely difficult, and long-standing norms of international humanitarian law continue to be eroded," she said.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/no-guarantee-albaneses-fresh-warning-to-australians-in-lebanon-as-conflict-fears-grow/fpf5umka8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPcIJEIadL4

>>21289111

New visa to give Palestinians permanent home in Australia

Paul Sakkal - August 1, 2024

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Palestinian refugees will be able to call Australia home rather than being forced to return in a major Albanese government move to deal with the Gaza crisis as the opposition hardens its support for Israel and warns of risks posed by refugees.

Senior federal government sources, who asked to remain anonymous as the policy was being finalised, revealed a new special visa pathway would be created for Palestinians in a move set to re-energise the political feud over Labor’s handling of the conflict.

It follows months of lobbying by advocates who say those fleeing Gaza have struggled to put food on the table because the temporary visitor visas they were granted prevent them from working or accessing Medicare.

Labor is working on the details of the humanitarian push as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton affirmed the Coalition’s support for Israel in a meeting with its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under pressure from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand to end the war.

Dutton’s trip widened the gulf in attitudes over the war between the Coalition and Labor, which recently called in the Israeli ambassador to warn of the consequences of a war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The special visa class is due to be one of the first announcements by new Immigration and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

Burke, one of the government’s most senior ministers, put his hand up for the politically fraught portfolios after months of opposition attacks on Labor’s response to the High Court decision freeing immigration detainees and the government’s refusal to deport dual-citizen criminals to New Zealand.

Taken together with its warnings on refugees who may sympathise with terrorist groups Hamas in Palestine or Hezbollah in Lebanon, the opposition has sought to paint the Albanese government as more focused on social justice than national security.

Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson claimed this week that Burke might take a softer approach to Palestinian visa claims due to pressure from Muslim groups frustrated with Labor’s level of support for Palestine.

Burke on Tuesday responded: “It’s an idiotic statement and I’ll treat lies with the contempt they deserve.”

The previous Coalition government granted more than 500 visas a week to Syrians fleeing the war-torn country, with more than 12,500 permanent visas granted in total. It also approved 5000 temporary visas for Afghans when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan and Western troops departed the country in August 2021.

Weeks of talks about the permanent visas took place before Burke was handed the new portfolios in a cabinet shake-up announced on Sunday.

The sources said the new rules would apply to the approximately 1300 Palestinians already in Australia. The Greens are pushing to bring in many more, however, the lobbying of some rights groups has shifted to improving the circumstances of those already in Australia due to the difficulty of getting people out of Gaza.

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The Human Rights Law Centre, Refugee Council of Australia and other groups have complained the visitor visa is a bad fit because it requires Palestinians to prove they want to return to Gaza, which is still under attack from Israel. Hundreds of Palestinians in Australia have been applying for protection visas when their three-month visitor visas expire. Ukrainians were also granted visitor visas.

Palestine Australia Relief and Action Foundation founder Rasha Abbas said Australia had an honourable track record in responding to humanitarian crises.

“Members of this group don’t leave Palestine lightly and would love to go back. But while there is an ongoing war, a genocide really, then we need to do what is right,” she said.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and other agencies are helping dozens of Palestinian families afford food and heating.

The Human Rights Law Centre’s legal director, Sanmati Verma, said forcing Palestinians to seek family-sponsored visitor visas meant they risked becoming undocumented migrants once their visa expired.

“These [more permanent] pathways were created for people fleeing conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan; they should have been made available to people from Palestine,” she said. “This is a dereliction of duty.”

The Palestine Australia Relief and Action Foundation announced late last week it had received part of a $2.6 million funding boost to help new arrivals. Palestinian support groups have been frustrated in recent months by what they perceive to be Labor’s intent to balance any funding with comparable investment in non-Arab or Jewish groups.

“Anyone who has arrived in Australia from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is not limited to one visa pathway,” a Home Affairs Department spokesman said.

Hamas led a series of attacks on October 7, killing 1200 people in Israel and abducting 250. In its campaign since, Israel has killed more than 39,363 Palestinians and wounded more than 90,900, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/new-visa-to-give-palestinians-permanent-home-in-australia-20240801-p5jyg1.html

>>21281320

Reynolds v Higgins: Trial begins in Linda Reynolds’ pursuit of vindication

Jesinta Burton - August 2, 2024

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Huddled around a table in a luxury hotel in Sydney’s inner suburbs, former political staffer Brittany Higgins, now-husband David Sharaz and Network Ten journalist Lisa Wilkinson met to strategise the delivery of a bombshell interview that would spark a cultural reckoning.

It was January 27, 2021, and Higgins was preparing to detail her alleged raped by former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in the parliamentary office of Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds and the political cover-up that followed.

“I asked Britt ‘ultimately, what do you want out of this?’,” Sharaz says.

“And she goes ‘well, I want Bruce to forever have it difficult getting a job, like it’s going to be difficult for me’.

“And then you [Higgins] said, best-case scenario, Linda Reynolds.”

The tell-all interview on The Project would be broadcast to more than half-a-million people, triggering a political storm that culminated in multiple inquiries, a cultural overhaul, lucrative book deals and a $2.4 million compensation pay out.

The criminal trial against Lehrmann — who has long maintained his innocence — would be aborted in 2022 due to juror misconduct and a string of high-profile defamation actions would ensue, one of which would find the rape allegation to be true on the balance of probabilities (a judgment Lehrmann is appealing).

As the pair’s former boss, Reynolds would find herself in the firing line over the then-government’s handling of Higgins’ rape allegation, grilled about what she knew and when and her conduct.

And over the next five weeks, Reynolds’ legal team will take to the WA Supreme Court to argue that it marked the beginning of a campaign to get what she claims Higgins set out to: the destruction of Reynolds’ reputation.

Reynolds made good on her threat to sue Higgins for defamation over several social media posts accusing her of harassment on July 31, 2023, claiming they damaged her reputation, brought her into public hatred and caused her distress and embarrassment.

The former defence minister was already locked in an almost identical defamation row with Sharaz, who bowed out after declaring he did not have the financial means to take it to trial and imploring Reynolds to “let Brittany heal”.

According to court documents filed by Reynolds’ legal team, the posts implied the former minister had engaged in misconduct, inadequately supported Higgins and wanted to silence victims of sexual assault.

Higgins has fiercely defended the action on the basis her posts were substantially true, insisting Reynolds mishandled her rape complaint and weaponised the media to pursue a campaign against her, including by leaking confidential government emails to journalists.

Reynolds has defended her right to deal with the media and rejected the harassment allegation.

(continued)

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The former defence minister is expected to spend several days in the witness box outlining the impact of the publications on her reputation and physical health before her high-profile colleagues take the stand, including former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, WA senator Michaelia Cash and Tasmanian senator Wendy Askew.

Her parents, her senior staffer Alexandra Kelton and her doctor are also expected to give sworn testimony, with Reynolds’ legal team arguing she suffered ongoing anxiety and heart issues as a result of the saga.

Higgins, who recently revealed she and Sharaz were expecting their first child, will spend up to one week providing evidence.

The trial will pore over the pair’s relationship after the rape allegation was made, including the accounts of people on polling booths in the lead-up to the 2019 federal election and photographs capturing Higgins’ attendance at Reynolds’ birthday dinner.

It’s a trial Justice Marcus Solomon had been desperate to avoid, repeatedly airing his concerns for the very real human cost of a prolonged and highly public defamation trial.

Solomon even oversaw the mediation attempts himself knowing it would preclude him from presiding over the trial, including a marathon nine-hour meeting.

But attempts at peace talks failed and Justice Paul Tottle took the reins for the trial, which the parties have embarked on at a very real financial cost, too.

Higgins confirmed she had been forced to sell her home in the south of France to defend the action, which is understood to have cost her $1 million in legal fees to date.

Reynolds hasn’t emerged unscathed either.

The former minister, who plans to call time on her political career when her term ends in June, also claims she has mortgaged her home to bankroll the litigation.

The trial comes just weeks after Reynolds won a two-month-long battle for access to details of Higgins’ eponymous protective trust, which contains the $2.4 million compensation pay out she received from the federal government.

Reynolds wants to have the court set aside the trust amid fears it may prevent her from getting damages if she wins the defamation case.

The trial will begin with opening submissions on Friday.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/western-australia/reynolds-v-higgins-trial-begins-in-linda-reynolds-pursuit-of-vindication-20240731-p5jxwk.html

>>21338861

‘Brittany Higgins fairytale needed a villain’: Linda Reynolds fights cover-up allegations

PAUL GARVEY - 2 August 2024

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Linda Reynolds has used a trove of photographs and text messages to allege Brittany Higgins and her husband David Sharaz deliberately created a plan to falsely portray the Coalition minister as the “villain” who led a cover-up of Ms Higgins’ alleged Parliament House rape.

The first day of the senator’s defamation trial against Ms Higgins saw her lawyer Martin Bennett tender multiple photographs showing Ms Higgins smiling and laughing while out on the campaign trail across Perth just months after she was allegedly raped by then-colleague Bruce Lehrmann.

Mr Bennett said the evidence showed how Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz had used falsehoods and lies to create a narrative that Senator Reynolds had led a political cover-up of Ms Higgins’ alleged rape.

“Every fairytale needs a villain, and in 2020 or 2021, Ms Higgins and her then-partner and now husband, Mr Sharaz, cast Senator Reynolds in that role for their fictional story of a cover-up of the rape,” Mr Bennett said. “The fact she had been raped was traumatic and terrible but it needed something more to attract the attention, to attract media ­interest, to attract the promotion of Ms Higgins, so she made it a political sex scandal. That’s the fiction that needed a villain and she cast Linda Reynolds in that role.”

Mr Bennett said the images and text messages showed that the $2.445m settlement secured from the commonwealth by Ms Higgins was built on a falsity that Senator Reynolds had been given no opportunity to correct. He said the outcome of the confidential mediation between Ms Higgins and the federal government – which was leaked to the media “before the ink was dry” – would have caused the public to believe Ms Higgins’ claims that the senator had harassed her and isolated her in the wake of her ­alleged rape.

“Any person in Australia reading this would automatically think that the allegations made by Ms Higgins were so true, so damning, so correct in their allegations against Senator Reynolds that the commonwealth paid $2.445m on a single instance of mediation for proceedings not yet filed,” Mr Bennett said.

“And because the commonwealth took over the conduct of Senator Reynolds’ defence of this claim, but denied her the deed, she was bound by that aspersion.”

The settlement was based in part on a claim by Ms Higgins that she had been ostracised by Senator Reynolds in the wake of the alleged rape, with the settlement stating that she was sent to work in Perth on the senator’s re-election campaign and “was required to work mostly on her own in a hotel room seven days a week for six weeks”. During that time, the claim said, her mental health deteriorated.

But Mr Bennett read out multiple text messages sent by Ms Higgins to her boyfriend at the time, Ben Dillaway, in which she detailed her time working and socialising in and around Perth during the campaign.

The messages described how she spent her time doorknocking and attending campaign events, community forums and dinners during her weeks there.

“Been out and about doing ground level campaigning. It’s been pretty fun actually,” she wrote in one of several messages to Mr Dillaway read out in court.

“My day has been awesome, mostly spent poolside,” read ­another.

Mr Bennett also tendered a ­series of photos showing a smiling Ms Higgins with politicians including Senator Reynolds and then-prime minister Scott Morrison during the campaign.

Ms Higgins also attended a birthday dinner thrown by Senator Reynolds just before the election, as well as a post-election debrief with champagne at the senator’s home the day after the poll.

“There is event after event after event,” Mr Bennett said, saying it was “palpably false” to suggest that Senator Reynolds had cast her out and isolated her.

(continued)

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Mr Bennett also described how the senator was protective of Ms Higgins and was “furious” with Mr Lehrmann when she first learned that the pair had accessed her ministerial suite in the early hours of a Saturday morning, the time and place in which the ­alleged rape occurred.

He said Senator Reynolds was acting protectively towards Ms Higgins when she told her chief of staff Fiona Brown to speak to the Australian Federal Police about the incident.

“Ms Higgins couldn’t remember, she was obviously upset about something and there was likely to be something of a sexual nature had occurred,” Mr Bennett said, noting that at that stage Senator Reynolds did not know the exact nature of the incident.

“She was furious at Lehrmann to take advantage of an intoxicated young staffer. She told Ms Brown to go to the AFP, and Ms Brown to her credit said ‘it’s Brittany’s choice, her agency’,” he said.

Mr Bennet told the court that Senator Reynolds did not know that Ms Higgins had been raped on the couch in her office at the time she met her in the same room shortly after the incident.

The senator had been told that Ms Higgins had told another staffer that Mr Lehrmann “was on top of me” shortly after the pair had entered the office. But there was no information provided to the senator at that time about where in the suite the alleged rape had occurred. “She said ‘he was on top of me’. There’s no suggestion at that ­moment that sexual assault had occurred on the couch,” Mr Bennett said.

Ms Higgins, he said, would later say the senator was aware that the rape had occurred on her couch when she met Senator Reynolds in her office to discuss the security breach. That was used by Ms Higgins to “falsely ­attribute a callousness to Senator Reynolds that was wrong in fact”.

“Feelings are not facts,” Mr Bennett said. “Her perception is not proof of the fact. There was no basis for Senator Reynolds to know that her couch was where the sexual assault had occurred.”

Mr Bennett also addressed Senator Reynolds’ infamous ­description that she had described Ms Higgins as a “lying cow” after the staffer went public on TV program The Project with her allegations of a political cover-up.

Mr Bennett said Senator Reynolds’ use of the word “lying” to describe Ms Higgins was ­appropriate, given the “falsity” of her allegations about the senator’s cover-up, while the word “cow” was unfortunate but reflected the senator’s “intense anger” about the claims.

“When you’re watching someone lie about you, ‘lying cow’ is an entirely defensible thing to do,” Mr Bennett said.

The senator had swiftly settled a defamation action threatened against her by Ms Higgins over the comment, and apologised as she did not want to interfere with the police investigation and ­potential prosecution.

“The reason she did that is ­because people might have interpreted her comment as casting doubt on the veracity of the rape allegation,” Mr Bennett said.

“Senator Reynolds apologised and entered into a non-disparagement clause that Ms Higgins forgot about immediately.”

Friday’s proceedings were consumed by Mr Bennett’s opening address. Senator Reynolds will give evidence all next week when the trial resumes on Monday.

The defence filed by Ms Higgins alleges that Senator Reynolds “engaged in a campaign of harassment” against her, including providing confidential information to the media.

The defence also amplifies her allegations that she was the victim of an attempted cover-up, stating that she felt under pressure not to make a complaint “in the interests of the Liberal Party”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/brittany-higgins-fairytale-needed-a-villain-linda-reynolds-fights-coverup-allegations/news-story/b4f54da708562e995b9de6c02b5b82b2

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/reynolds-sues-higgins-linda-reynolds-showdown-with-brittany-higgins-set-to-begin/live-coverage/beb748aaabcace160f874be72dddf069

>>21338861

>>21339036

Linda Reynolds v Brittany Higgins: Judge won’t be swayed by sideshows

STEPHEN RICE - 2 August 2024

It took only minutes after Linda Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, produced the memorable line that “every fairytale needs a villain” before the cesspit of social media chewed it up and spat out a revised version.

No matter that Bennett had spent most of the morning detailing Reynolds’ actual case: that Brittany Higgins and her now-husband David Sharaz had concocted a “fictional story of a cover-up” by Reynolds of the young woman’s rape allegations.

No matter that Bennett reaffirmed Reynolds had never questioned the veracity of Higgins’ account of being raped – indeed, had urged that it be immediately reported to police. That would have spoiled the narrative.

Instead, “Reynolds’ lawyer ­believes that rape is a fairytale!” lit up the twittersphere.

Climate 200 founder and teals campaigner Simon Holmes a Court posted that “every day Linda Reynolds pursues Brittany Higgins is another day we’re reminded about her government’s hostility towards victims of sexual assault”.

The bid by some of Higgins’ supporters to reframe the case as forcing a rape victim to prove her rape will be a recurring theme through the next five weeks of the trial.

But inside the courtroom, Higgins’ lawyers are confined to a more difficult task: substantiating her claims that Reynolds not only failed to support her after she revealed the assault, but actively ­attempted to cover it up “in the interests of the Liberal Party”.

Difficult because in his judgment in the Lehrmann defamation case, Justice Michael Lee, while finding on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Higgins, expressly rejected her claims that Reynolds was involved in a cover-up.

On Friday, Bennett laid out the battleground on which he intends to fight: the “degree of sophistication” in the planning by Higgins and Sharaz to ensure the rape story maximised damage to Reynolds and the Coalition government; and the “bare-faced falsity” of Higgins’ claims that led to the commonwealth’s lightning-fast $2.4m settlement.

Far from being isolated in Perth after the incident, Bennett said, Higgins sent her former boyfriend text messages saying “it’s been pretty fun” and “my day’s been awesome, mostly poolside”.

Higgins had not been shut in a hotel room alone working seven days a week, as she’d claimed, but was out and about campaigning.

Next week, Higgins’ lawyers will spell out their defence in full.

They have already outlined their plan of attack in court documents, alleging that Reynolds “engaged in a campaign of harassment” against Higgins, including providing confidential information to the media.

But Higgins’s lawyers did not address dozens of pages of particulars that were provided by Reynolds detailing her claims that senior Labor figures – including Katy Gallagher and Penny Wong – were drip-fed false information by Higgins and Sharaz as part of a larger plan to destroy Senator Reynolds’ career, simply stating that she “denies the allegations”.

Instead, Higgins’ defence contains a series of allegations that Reynolds “engaged in a campaign of harassment” against her by leaking confidential material relating to the mediation of her compensation claim against the federal government and by questioning the claim.

Justice Paul Tottle must decide whether Reynolds was defamed, not whether Higgins was raped.

He won’t be distracted by spurious attempts – inside the court or out – to stray from that task.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/linda-reynolds-v-brittany-higgins-judge-wont-be-swayed-by-sideshows/news-story/3695106d53b548a28c08ef09bc7610f7

https://x.com/simonahac/status/1818873924308156642

>>21289111

Iran ambassador’s ‘abhorrent’ comments ‘have no place’, Anthony Albanese says

JOSEPH OLBRYCHT-PALMER - 6 August 2024

Anthony Albanese has condemned “antisemitic comments” posted on social media by Iran’s ambassador to Australia.

Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Israel is a “genocidal regime” and that he looked forward to the “Zionist plague” getting wiped out of the “holy lands of Palestine”.

Speaking to media in Sydney on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said Mr Sadeghi’s comments were “abhorrent” and “have no place”.

“We have called in the Iranian Ambassador to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as is the protocol when something like this happens,” he said.

“I make it clear - there’s no place for the sort of comments that were made on social media by the Iranian Ambassador.

“They’re abhorrent, and they are hateful, they are antisemitic, and they have no place.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong also earlier took aim at the ambassador, calling his words “repugnant”.

“Those comments are inflammatory, and they are repugnant,” Ms Wong said

“They are inconsistent with Australia’s values.”

She added that DFAT only maintained “a diplomatic relationship with Iran because we seek to further Australia’s interests.”

Mr Sadeghi’s post came after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a direct strike on Israel in retaliation for the death of Hamas political leader Ismal Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

Haniyeh, pulling Hamas’ strings from Iran, was key to the group’s brutal assault on Israel last year that killed approximately 1200 and sparked the Israeli incursion into Gaza, Israeli and Western officials have said.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/iran-ambassadors-abhorrent-comments-have-no-place-anthony-albanese-says/news-story/c8655052cc1e8f637e89a79e83db592d

https://x.com/ahmad87051/status/1819674318395347381

>>21289111

>>21360177

'Repugnant': Penny Wong slams Iran Ambassador to Australia after tweet calling to wipe out the 'Zionist plague'

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has responded after the Iranian Ambassador to Australia posted on social media, calling for Israel to be wiped out from any Palestinian territory by 2027.

Amy Roulston - August 6, 2024

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has blasted the Iranian Ambassador to Australia's calls on social media supporting Hamas' bid to wipe Israel out of Palestine.

In a post on X, Iran Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi referred to Israel as a “Zionist plague” that should be wiped out of Palestine by Hamas, adding he was “looking forward to such a heavenly and divine promise”.

The inflammatory post came after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "revenge" against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. He declared that Israel had provided grounds for "harsh punishment".

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong faced questions about the ambassador's remarks on Monday while in Washington, DC.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Australia United States Ministerial Consultation, Ms Wong said the comments did not align with Australian values.

"Those comments are inflammatory, and they are repugnant,” Ms Wong said.

“They are inconsistent with Australia's values."

Ms Wong confirmed her department had addressed the issue with the ambassador.

“More broadly, we maintain a diplomatic relationship with Iran because we seek to further Australia's interests," she said.

On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not aware of the post but confirmed he remained concerned about Iran “promoting conflict and division in the Middle East”.

The Prime Minister emphasised concerns about Iran's proxies in Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Yemeni Houthis.

The Coalition fiercely criticised the Prime Minister over his response, with shadow foreign affairs minister Simon Birmingham demanding the government outline a clear-cut response to the tweet and be upfront about whether the ambassador has breached hate speech laws.

"The Albanese government should be upfront about whether Iran's ambassador has potentially breached Australian laws against hate speech, and, if so, what action it is taking,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News Australia.

“Comments that enthusiastically embrace the 'wiping out' of Jews in Israel are clearly anti-Semitic, divisive, inflammatory and intolerable. They have no place in Australian debate, let alone from a supposed diplomat, and I unconditionally, condemn them.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned there would be “challenging days ahead” as Israel's military braces for retaliation from Iran, Lebanon and Palestine.

The United States and Middle Eastern nations have pleaded with Iran to refrain from provoking all-out war in the region.

An Iranian official reportedly informed diplomats from Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and other nations on Saturday that it remained unconcerned about sparking a regional war.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/repugnant-penny-wong-slams-iran-ambassador-to-australia-after-tweet-calling-to-wipe-out-the-zionist-plague/news-story/31fa7de283f6fb057dbce1e2abee73f7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF7xont5b60

>>21322183

Travel alert for Australians visiting United Kingdom amid ongoing riots after Southport stabbing attack

Brianna Morris-Grant - 6 August 2024

Australians have been urged to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to the United Kingdom due to potential violence stemming from ongoing protests and rioting.

Violence broke out in cities across the nation over the past week following a stabbing attack at a Southport dance class which left three girls dead and more injured.

Three children aged six, seven and nine were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop taking place during England's summer school holidays.

At least six other children and two adults were hospitalised following the incident. A 17-year-old boy has since been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

Online misinformation in the wake of the attack claimed the suspect was Muslim and an asylum seeker, setting off a string of suspected far-right groups launching attacks on immigrant communities.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has since announced a "standing army" of specialist police would be set up to deal with the rioting and the hundreds of arrests so far.

The latest update to the Australian federal government's Smart Traveller website advised visitors to "avoid areas where protests are occurring due to the potential for disruption and violence".

"Public protests and events that draw large groups of people can turn violent, and can evolve into riots," the website said.

Australians travelling in the UK should "avoid all protests", "monitor the media for the latest information" and "follow instructions of local authorities" to stay safe.

The overall threat level for the UK has not been increased.

Former chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service NW England, Nazir Afzal, told the ABC's Radio National the violence was "very troubling".

"There's been a substantial amount of fear in large parts of the United Kingdom," he said.

"I don't want to exaggerate it, it's hundreds of people and not thousands of people that are engaged in these activities.

"It's not protest, it's criminality masquerading as protest.

"Yes, they've tried to burn down a couple of hotels that are housing asylum seekers, they've also tried to attack a mosque. But they've also been looting shoe shops, cake shops, vape shops, mobile phone shops, et cetera.

"The reality is that what we're dealing with is people using [an excuse] to cause as much havoc as they can."

Other countries, including Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia, have also issued their own travel alerts for the UK.

The Indonesian embassy in London issued an appeal to Indonesians in the UK at the weekend.

"Consider the urgency and increase vigilance [if] you have to travel or do activities outside the home," they said on social media.

"Avoid large crowds and places that have the potential to become gathering places for masses or groups of demonstrators."

A similar travel alert by Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted there was "an increased risk of violence and disorder".

"The violence has assumed dangerous proportions as evidenced by reported attacks on law enforcement agents and damage to infrastructure," they said in a statement.

"Avoid political processions and protests, rallies or marches … Be vigilant and self-aware at all times."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-06/united-kingdom-travel-warning-australia/104189078

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/united-kingdom

https://x.com/NigeriaMFA/status/1820373749041963092

>>21354042

ASIO 'stretched' as it faces terror threat that is more complex than a decade ago

Andrew Greene - 6 August 2024

The head of ASIO has conceded his organisation is "stretched" as it grapples with a growing number of unpredictable and complex violent extremist threats that have forced the country's official terror alert level to be lifted for the first time in a decade.

On Monday the federal government announced Australia's national terrorism alert level was being lifted from "possible" to "probable".

It was last elevated to "probable" in 2014 following the global emergence of the Islamic State organisation.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said the most likely terrorist attack in 2024 would involve the threat of a "lone actor", usually a young male who has been radicalised quickly online over a "diversity of grievances and personal narratives".

By returning the terror alert level to "probable", ASIO has also acknowledged that politically motivated violence is considered as pressing a security concern as espionage and foreign interference, which until recently had been considered the top threats.

Speaking to the ABC's 7.30 program, Mr Burgess said several factors had changed over the past year, prompting a reassessment of the November 2022 ruling to lower the country's official alert level from "probable" to "possible" where it had sat for eight years.

"Today … it's completely different to when it was raised in 2014. More people are being radicalised more quickly, more people think violence is permissible from a range of grievances and ideologies, not just what we saw when we raised it in 2014," he said.

Security authorities say there have been eight attacks or disruptions since April that either involved alleged terrorism or have been investigated as potential acts of terrorism on Australian soil, including the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney.

"Five of them involved minors or youth, the oldest was 21, the youngest was 14 — the others across the eight – there's an equal mix of religiously motivated, nationalist and racist violent extremism, and in one case a mixed ideology that goes to the left and right," Mr Burgess said.

"The youth are particularly vulnerable, driven by social media, that isolation problem, it's easier to be radicalised and of course people are being radicalised quickly, the internet is a great thing but also allows individuals to catch onto something and get there in a matter of days."

ASIO's alarm is shared by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who warns "the spread of terrorist and extremist material on social media and its role in online radicalisation remains a concern both here in Australia and overseas".

"We have very real concerns about how violent extremists weaponise technology like live streaming, algorithms and recommender systems and other features to promote or share this hugely harmful material," she said in a statement issued on Monday.

Academic experts in the field believe countering the online radicalisation of vulnerable young Australians is not an easy task, with the solution requiring patience as well as strong male role models.

"The first entry point is often seeking a sense of connection, seeking other people who feel like they are willing to understand their grievances," Simon Copland, an honorary research fellow at the ANU School of Sociology, told the ABC's AM program.

"They're seeking out connections and then the ideology comes next, countering ideas doesn't work, provide alternatives — their complaints are based on genuine concerns, even if they're not based on facts.

"If we were to go to a young man who says, 'I feel like I'm oppressed or alienated,' and you say, 'No, no you're not,' that's wrong – that's more likely to back them into a corner and feel more connected to those initial ideas.

"The core element is not to fight with them about it but to instead be gentle, be patient and work to find more positive approaches. So that might mean finding positive role models, connecting men with other ideas."

Asked on the 7.30 program whether ASIO needed more funding, Mr Burgess said: "We are stretched but you'd appreciate if I needed more, I'd ask that in private to government.

"My job as director of security is to make sure I have the laws and the resources to do our job. We're stretched is probably all I'd want to say publicly."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-06/australia-terror-threat-more-complex-than-a-decade-ago/104187268

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct5OCPChX8Q

>>21338861

>>21354159

New Brittany Higgins social media posts prompt defamation trial warning from Linda Reynolds's lawyer

Nicolas Perpitch - 6 Augist 2024

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The high-profile defamation trial against Brittany Higgins has taken another twist, with Senator Linda Reynolds's lawyer declaring new social media posts published yesterday were part of a co-ordinated plan to mislead the public into thinking the Senator was trying silence survivors of sexual assault.

Lawyer Martin Bennett said the posts, which included an Instagram story from Ms Higgins, had been deliberately timed to coincide with the start of Senator Reynolds's evidence yesterday.

In one post, Ms Higgins recommends as "pertinent reading" a book relating to "how the law silences women" and another post is by an advocate for sexual assault survivors, Saxon Mullens, who is fundraising for Ms Higgins' legal costs.

Mr Bennett said it was part of a "coordinated plan" to "mischaracterise these proceedings" as an attempt by Senator Reynolds to silence sexual assault survivors, to "mislead the public" about the true nature of the proceedings.

Senator Reynolds is suing Ms Higgins, her former staffer, for alleged defamation over social media posts made in 2023 which the Senator says falsely claimed she mishandled Ms Higgins' allegation she was raped in Parliament House in 2019.

Mr Bennett has applied for a subpoena to obtain copies of communications between Ms Higgins and Ms Mullens, who was instrumental in changing consent laws in New South Wales.

From respectable to 'despicable'

Senator Reynolds described being "nationally vilified" after the rape allegations first emerged.

"There are no words to adequately describe what it was like being accused of covering up the rape of a young woman in my office in a way that I knew it was not true," she told the court.

"In the space of a couple of days I had gone from a minister and a senator doing her job and doing it well, to being nationally vilified as someone who would do something so despicable.

She remembered her office being bombarded by media requests over the matter.

"Even people on my own side were keeping their distance," Senator Reynolds said.

'It was devastating."

Her health suffered, the court was told, from the relentless and "brutal" questioning by Labor senators in parliament, which ultimately caused her to leave the defence portfolio.

Senator Reynolds said she was in incredible pain from a heart condition, did not sleep much, and had to leave the Senate chamber at one point, breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably.

She was then hospitalised, taking three weeks off work.

(continued)

>>21360269

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'Weaponising' alleged rape

Mr Bennett quizzed Senator Reynolds about an incident in early February 2021, when the late Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching approached Senator Reynolds in parliament.

Senator Reynolds told the court Senator Kitching warned her the Labor Party knew about Ms Higgins' alleged rape and were about to "rain hell" down on her in the Senate chamber.

"I was somewhat completely incredulous …why would anybody weaponise such an incident," Senator Reynolds said.

She said it was clear Senator Kitching was "angered and upset" by what Senator Penny Wong was going to do.

In her statement of claim against Ms Higgins, Senator Reynolds claims the hurt against her was aggravated by the relentless and aggressive questioning by Labor in the Senate, after Ms Higgins and her now husband David Sharaz fed Labor MPs information about her story.

Story made Senator feel sick

Senator Reynolds told the court she "felt sick" after reading an article by journalist Samantha Maiden on February 15, 2021 headlined "Young staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House".

In the story Ms Higgins said she felt forced to choose between reporting the incident to police or keeping her job.

"That was simply not true and it went downhill from there in terms of what she was alleging," Senator Reynolds said.

Ms Higgins was quoted in the story as saying she had been "internalising the trauma" and the Senator said she started feeling sorry for her former staffer.

"I started thinking, what have we missed?," she said.

"Her account was so different from my memory two years ago."

In Ms Maiden's story, Ms Higgins says when discussing the alleged rape, Senator Reynolds told her "As women, this is something we go through".

Senator Reynolds vehemently denied that.

"I would never, ever say those words. And I did not say those words. They are abhorrent," she said.

The night the story was published, Channel 10 aired its interview with Ms Higgins on The Project, in which she made similar allegations that Senator Reynolds said made her feel "incredibly angry …. Incredibly hurt."

"She couldn't have picked a worse issue to bring me down," she told the court.

"It is such an abhorrent thing to say to any women that you've mistreated their rape allegation and you've not only done that, you've covered it up."

Ms Reynolds is expected to continue giving evidence for the rest of the week, and will be cross-examined by Ms Higgins' lawyer.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-06/linda-reynolds-brittany-higgins-defamation-trial-update/104188760

>>21252770

Inside Julian Assange's first days of freedom Down Under

Wife of Wikileaks founder reveals his next steps as she shares candid photos of his quiet new life in the Australian bush

CANDACE SUTTON - 6 August 2024

The family of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has detailed his first days of freedom living a mostly anonymous life in the Australian bush - raising their two sons, swimming in the ocean and listening to the laughter of kookaburras.

But wife Stella Assange and brother Gabriel Shipton warned in a letter to supporters that he won't be making public appearances and is taking a break from activism, after 12 years locked up in a London prison and the city's Ecuadorian embassy.

'It has been more than one month since Julian finally arrived back in Australia,' Ms Assange wrote in a blog post, published on Tuesday. 'He's still adjusting.

'Julian is recuperating and experiencing the wild and breathtaking Australian natural environment,' she said.

'The things that he longed for from his cell in Belmarsh prison that seemed unattainable are now a reality: swimming in the ocean, trekking through the wilderness and travelling around Australia.

Ms Assange described how he had been spending time with his two sons, Gabriel and Max and were 'finally' able to be together as a family.

'(It) brings us overwhelming joy. Time is what has been robbed from us, especially from Julian, and now we are enjoying it as much as we can.'

Assange said she and Julian were 'overwhelmed' by the community support which brought about his freedom.

However Mr Shipton warned that Mr Assange's incarceration had been traumatic and deeply affecting, and that they and their team would be stepping back from activism and Wikileaks work while he recovers.

'As a family we're also realistic that ahead lies a challenging period of adjustment after what has been a deeply traumatising experience, ' he wrote, adding, 'It might be a while before he feels ready to speak publicly.'

Assange was incarcerated in London's HM Belmarsh Prison from April 2019 to to June 2024 while the US tried to extradite him to America to face conspiracy charges over leaked secret military data.

Under a plea deal with US prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents, and returned to Australia on June 26.

Before his return, Assange had essentially been confined for 12 years, since he sought asylum in London's Ecuadorian embassy while separately charged with sexual assault in Sweden.

Stella Assange asked supporters to send a card or share a message welcoming Julian home via her site.

She addressed supporters in her note, saying that while he was still fighting for the freedom or justice of others, 'we are hitting pause … while we get our bearings.

'We, together, have achieved his freedom, which is the biggest prize.

’What has been done to Julian affects everyone’s future, and his freedom has come at a price of great injustice.'

Ms Assange has said publicly that Julian would push ahead with attempts to gain a pardon from the US for his conviction for espionage.

But she said: 'I am writing to you now because we are not ready to take on this fight yet.

'Julian’s release has involved major changes and logistical challenges which we are finding our way through.

'And we have yet to make decisions about the medium term and longer term.'

But she said: 'For now, stellaassange.com and the Substack will be taking a rest while we plan out the next phase of seeking justice for Julian.

'Stay tuned. With affection and profound appreciation, Stella.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13712327/Inside-Julian-Assanges-days-freedom-Wife-Wikileaks-founder-reveals-steps-shares-candid-photos-quiet-new-life-Australian-bush.html

https://stellaassangeofficial.substack.com/p/what-has-been-done-to-julian-affects

https://www.action.assangecampaign.org.au/message-julian

>>21189008 (pb)

Tom Pritchard, World War II veteran and Australia's last Rat of Tobruk, dies aged 102

Maddy Morwood - 6 August 2024

Tom Pritchard, Australia's last Rat of Tobruk, has died aged 102.

The World War II veteran was the the last direct link with the 14,000 Australian servicemen who held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the German Africa Corps in 1941 during the Siege of Tobruk, a vital battle for the Allied forces.

He died on Saturday, just shy of his 103rd birthday.

Born in Victoria in 1921, Pritchard enlisted in the army in 1940 despite lying about his age, and was assigned to the 2/5th Field Ambulance, which was eventually attached to the 18th Infantry Brigade.

He served as an ­ambulance attendant during the eight-month-long Siege of Tobruk, which is regarded as a stand-out battle for Australia's soldiers, and in Milne Bay, New Guinea and Balikpapan in Borneo.

Mr Pritchard had been the last standing Rat for 12 months.

"The biggest thing for us, was that he was the link," said secretary of the Rats of Tobruk Association Lachlan Gaylard.

"You were able to say to him, do you remember this, I've read this, do you know anything about that?"

Mr Gaylard said that often Mr Pritchard would say no, but then come back with an answer two days later.

"But now, we've lost that," he said.

"I think we took for granted, a little bit, that he was the last one left."

The association, which was formed by the returned veterans looking for continued comradeship, will have to "pick up the flame" that was carried by Mr Pritchard, says Mr Gaylard.

"We risk it [Tobruk] becoming a ghost of our past," he said.

"And it shouldn't."

The efforts of the Australian soldiers holding down the Tobruk harbour during the Siege of Tobruk was pivotal to the Allied victory in North Africa.

"The important part of the siege was that if you didn't hold that harbour at Tobruk, you couldn't control the Mediterranean or Middle East," said Mr Gaylard.

"So really, it was the linchpin for that whole conflict, down to 14,000 Australians," he said.

"It is extraordinary."

Mr Pritchard's duties during the siege involved collecting wounded soldiers and taking them to the dressing stations and to the hospital at the harbour, the association wrote.

"This was no mean feat, as it meant having to balance and hold onto 4 or 5 stretchers in the ambulance, in an effort to steady them, while travelling on terrible roads; a journey which would sometimes take an hour or two," the association wrote.

It said before his training, Mr Pritchard admitted he could "barely stick a bandaid on".

The association said they were extremely grateful "to have had Tommy for so long", in a post on Facebook confirming his death.

"Tommy was a stalwart member of our association and a most humble veteran," they wrote in a post on Facebook.

"We mourn his loss and the last direct linkage with some 14,000 Australian servicemen who served in Tobruk."

"We should always remember that those men in Tobruk gave us their today for our tomorrow," said Mr Gaylard.

A private family funeral will be held per Mr Pritchard's request, but a public memorial for all Rats of Tobruk will take place in Melbourne at a date to be advised, the association said.

It said a condolence book will be made available at Tobruk House for members to sign.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-06/rat-of-tobruk-tom-pritchard-dies-aged-102/104187282

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/rommel-in-the-desert/

>>21196236 (pb)

>>21197523 (pb)

‘This country is better than that’: Caroline Kennedy on Trump shooting

Matthew Cranston - Aug 6, 2024

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Washington | Caroline Kennedy, the only remaining child of assassinated Democratic president John F. Kennedy, says she was “horrified” by the recent attempt on Donald Trump’s life, as she made a personal plea for politicians and their supporters around the world to tone down the violent rhetoric.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Australian Financial Review in Washington on Monday (Tuesday AEST), Ms Kennedy, who is the US ambassador to Australia, said she was ashamed there were still Americans prepared to resort to extreme violence because of political differences.

“With all the tragedies that our family has been through, I think this country is better than that,” she said of the assassination attempt on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, “and we need to do more to never let that happen again, and to stop encouraging any kind of violence.”

“Like so many people, I was horrified. I’m so glad that he’s OK.”

Ms Kennedy said the world was becoming “increasingly dangerous”, but she couldn’t tell whether the growing political violence made people more fearful to express their views or encouraged them to express them more combatively.

To some degree, her comments echoed those on Monday of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief Mike Burgess, who warned that a toxic mix of political differences, conspiracy theories and economic hardship has raised the threat of political violence even in Australia.

“It’s a very amplified time right now [in the US] because we’re heading into an election, and so many countries this year are also having elections. So I think that our future really hangs in the balance,” Ms Kennedy said.

“We are now picking the leaders who are going to chart the course for the next generation. So it’s a really important time, especially in democracies.”

Ms Kennedy is in Washington for the annual AUSMIN talks between US and Australian defence and foreign ministers.

The blue blood Democrat, who was appointed to her current role by US President Joe Biden, is known for her fundraising skills, and was in demand for political events in America with 90 days left before the general election.

Ms Kennedy, who in 2008 chaired Barack Obama’s vice-presidential selection committee, said Democrat presidential hopeful Kamala Harris had an opportunity to temper the political rhetoric and select a running mate she could trust to have with the same values.

Her advice to Ms Harris on who she should pick as her running mate on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), was that for any candidate “the most important thing is that they have to have the trust and confidence of the president”.

(continued)

>>21360391

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Running mate

According to most reports, Ms Harris has narrowed her search for running mate down to just two finalists: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both of whom met with the vice president at her residence in Washington on Sunday.

“Vice President Harris has been in politics for a long time, so she knows these people,” said Ms Kennedy.

“She’ll make the choice that she feels is right to balance the ticket, to add to her strengths and to make sure it’s someone with whom she can really work as a partner.”

Ms Kennedy, who has also championed women’s careers, said that electing a female president would be important for America’s image around the world.

“To have women presidents all over the world is really important, and the US is a really important country. So we have to have a really good woman to be the first president. And luckily, I think that we, the Democratic Party, is about to nominate an outstanding candidate,” she said.

Ms Kennedy, who was also the former US ambassador to Japan, also voiced concerns over China’s influence in the Pacific, noting the Solomon Islands and how America and Australia were seeking to counterbalance the sphere of influence there.

“You can see very clearly what is going on there. You know the strategic contest is under way, and I think that the US and Australia are redoubling and strengthening our efforts to work together to give people options, to help them see what we have to offer, to offer them things that really matter in their lives,” she said.

Earlier this year, she also warned that Australia’s battery minerals sector was under assault from state-owned Chinese companies in Indonesia, and said on Monday she would continue to raise awareness of this issue in coming months.

She also said she was confident in the speed at which skills were being developed by Australians to operate nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact.

“Australians, as we know, when you put your mind to something, you can absolutely do it,” she said.

“I just hope kids are getting excited in younger grades. That is so important, and I think Australia has made great progress and great effort in thinking about how to build the curriculum and the scaffolding and the pathway for kids now who want to get interested in this because this is a multi-decade transformational project.”

https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/this-country-is-better-than-that-caroline-kennedy-on-trump-shooting-20240806-p5jzx3

—

Q Post #703

Feb 10 2018 03:33:29 (EST)

“Rest in peace Mr. President (JFK), through your wisdom and strength, since your tragic death, Patriots have planned, installed, and by the grace of God, activated, the beam of LIGHT. We will forever remember your sacrifice. May you look down from above and continue to guide us as we ring the bell of FREEDOM and destroy those who wish to sacrifice our children, our way of life, and our world. We, the PEOPLE.”

Prayer said every single day in the OO.

JFK - Secret Socities.

Where we go one, we go all.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#703

U.S.-Australia talks focus on China's 'coercive behaviour'

Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Kirsty Needham - August 7, 2024

WASHINGTON/SYDNEY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The United States and Australia kicked off high-level talks on Tuesday that will focus on China's "coercive behaviour", as well as the AUKUS nuclear submarine project and mounting tensions in the Middle East, officials said.

The annual Australia-U.S. AUSMIN talks, taking place in Annapolis, Maryland, include the top defense and diplomatic officials from both nations.

"We're working together today to tackle shared security challenges, from coercive behaviour by the PRC (People's Republic of China), to Russia's war of choice against Ukraine, to the turmoil in the Middle East," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"And I know that (this) year's AUSMIN will deliver results for both of our peoples."

The U.S. and China are at odds on a range of issues including U.S. support for Taiwan, as well as Chinese military activity in the South China Sea, over most of which China claims control including the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, where U.S. ally the Philippines has maritime claims.

Austin spoke in the wake of a rocket strike on Monday in Iraq that wounded seven U.S. personnel, as the Middle East braced for a possible new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies following last week's killing of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles held meetings in Washington on Monday, a day before the AUSMIN talks.

Marles highlighted the expanding role of a U.S. Marine rotational force in northern Australia and defence industry cooperation.

"We're seeing America's force posture in Australia grow really significantly, AUKUS is part of that, but it's not the only part of that," Marles said in talks with Austin, according to a statement.

BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

Under the AUKUS programme, Washington will sell three nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the next decade, and with a U.S. election looming, Australia's Wong said in Washington there was bipartisan U.S. political support for the programme.

U.S. Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, told ABC Television that China and climate change - priorities for the Pacific Islands, where the U.S. and Australia are competing with China for security ties - would be discussed.

"Obviously with China being such an important … trading partner and competitor for both of us, that is obviously one of the main topics," she said.

"We are also talking about what we can do together to fight climate change, (and) to help the Pacific Islands to build critical infrastructure to connect them," she added.

As part of co-operating on environmental and resource issues, Australia will spend A$200 million ($130 million) to upgrade ground station facilities in its remote central desert to process data from NASA's Landsat Next satellite.

Landsat Next is an earth observation programme the U.S. space agency says will provide early warnings on the onset of fires or ice melting. The programme is scheduled to be launched in 2030.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the satellite data would also be used to target resource exploration in Australia, as the two nations develop a supply chain for critical minerals.

The U.S. and its allies are seeking to reduce China's market dominance in rare earths and critical minerals used in electric vehicles and defence technology.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australia-highlights-growing-us-military-presence-ahead-ausmin-talks-2024-08-06/

>>21366092

US to increase force projection from Australia in face of 'coercive' China

Kirsty Needham - August 7, 2024

SYDNEY, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Australia will begin co-manufacturing guided weapons with the US next year to boost supply for allies in the Indo Pacific and increase a US military presence in the country, including bomber aircraft, the two nations said after annual defence talks.

Australia and the United States are already working to upgrade air bases in northern and western Australia, which are closer to potential flashpoints with China in the South China Sea than Australia's capital of Canberra.

After annual AUSMIN talks in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there would be an increase in the presence of rotational U.S. forces in Australia.

"This will mean more maritime patrol aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across northern Australia. It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments," he said.

In opening remarks Austin said the two allies faced shared security challenges including "coercive behaviour" by China.

A joint statement released after the AUSMIN talks expressed concern over Chinese military activity around Taiwan, and China's excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea.

They "noted grave concern about China's dangerous and escalatory behavior toward Philippine vessels lawfully operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone".

There are no U.S. military bases in Australia, but the northern city of Darwin hosts a U.S. Marine Rotational Force six months of each year and the U.S. is building facilities for its marines and visiting air squadrons within Australian bases.

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said the presence of United States forces in Australia contributed to deterrence in the Indo Pacific region, and there would be closer collaboration on guided weapons manufacture in Australia.

Australia will begin co-manufacturing guided missiles next year, including the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) used in Ukraine.

Australia is also testing a Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) with the United States, which Australia said it will consider fielding as its first hypersonic weapon for fighter jets, the joint statement said.

"The presence of American force posture in our nation provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbors in the region," Marles said.

Japan would increase exercises with U.S. Marines in Darwin, while Australia and the U.S. would hold regular exercises in the Philippines exclusive economic zone, the statement said.

The statement mentioned Australia's strategic Indian Ocean territory, Cocos Islands, for the first time, saying the United States welcomed Australia's planned infrastructure upgrades there and supported Australia's completion of this work.

The Cocos Islands, with a population of 600, sits 3,000 km (1,864 miles) west of the Australian mainland and is described by the Australian Defence Force as key to its maritime surveillance operations in the Indian Ocean, where China is increasing submarine activity.

Australia has said it will start construction on an expanded airfield on the island this year, to carry heavier military aircraft, including the submarine-hunting P-8A Poseidon.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi said the "clarity on the threat from Beijing and support for the Philippines" in the joint statement was "vital" support for Manila.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australia-us-discuss-greater-defence-cooperation-2024-08-06/

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3863759/joint-statement-on-australia-us-ministerial-consultations-ausmin-2024/

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3863763/fact-sheet-2024-australia-us-ministerial-consultations-ausmin/

>>21366092

>>21366107

Deepened US-Australia security cooperation ‘risks exacerbating confrontation’

GT staff reporters - Aug 06, 2024

The US and Australia are expected to hold the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), with the participation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, in Annapolis, Maryland on Tuesday.

Observers warned further military cooperation between the US and Australia would expand US hegemony in the region and exacerbate geopolitical confrontation.

Ahead of AUSMIN, Austin met Marles at the Pentagon to discuss the historic military-to-military progress between the two nations, the US defense department said on Monday local time. Austin hailed the achievement in their defense industrial cooperation and expanding efforts with their allies and partners.

Australia is involved in the US strategy to contain China in the Indo-Pacific region and the US has long been hoping that Australia will fully commit to the US strategy, Yu Lei, a professor at Shandong University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The US is likely to provide assistance to Australia within the scope of its own technology, equipment and technology, experts said.

In the field of security, the two countries may further discuss joint efforts to undermine the equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries, Yu warned.

Also on security, a remote Australian archipelago, the Cocos Islands, is on a list of possible locations for US military construction aimed at deterring China, according to Reuters.

The Cocos Islands is reportedly listed along with the Philippines, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea for anticipated construction projects under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, designed to enhance US force posture and infrastructure to counter China, Reuters reported.

Australia's diplomacy and security strategy have a certain degree of autonomy, but this does not entirely indicate that Australia will completely deviate from the orbit of the US, observers noted.

From what we have seen so far, the Australian government has shown prudence and political wisdom in dealing with its relations with China, demonstrating a relatively flexible posture, said Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University. He warned that Australia should realize that being used by the US and serving its Indo-Pacific strategy will only exacerbate geopolitical confrontation, rather than benefit its own security.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202408/1317519.shtml

>>21252770

Townsville City Council rejects proposal to build Julian Assange statue

Townsville City Council have rejected a controversial proposal to erect a statue in honour of Julian Assange, with one councillor alleging the activist had “put lives at risk.”

Cameron Bates and Chris Burns - August 7, 2024

Townsville City Council have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to build a statue to honour Julian Assange, with one elected representative alleging the activist had damaged Australia’s diplomatic relationships and “put lives at risk”.

Deputy Mayor Paul Jacob presented the council with an e-petition signed by 156 people calling for a statue of the controversial Townsville-born figure to be placed prominently in the city to “recognise the valuable contribution to providing truth to the world”.

Mr Jacob said the petition was established by Alison Mason of Balgal Beach to recognise Mr Assange’s “valuable contribution to provide truth to the world”.

“We the undersigned request that the council give consideration to providing a site on The Strand looking towards Magnetic Island and helping with site works to position a crowd-funded statue of Julian Assange on the Strand.”

Mayor Troy Thompson said the council had to vote on whether to reject the petition, receive the petition and take no further action or that the council explore the issue further and report back for further consideration.

Mr Jacob said he was personally in favour of option three.

Councillor Andrew Robinson said he was strongly opposed.

“Whilst being a truth seeker, the reckless way in which he has presented that information has put individuals’ lives at risk,” he said.

“He has certainly undone a number of years’ worth of diplomacy and diplomatic relationships that Australia has with other nations, and to be honest, has been tried as for espionage.”

Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney went further, arguing that the petition should be rejected outright.

“I can think of a thousand people in our community who are hardworking and deserve a statue on The Strand other than Julian Assange,” she said.

Only Mr Thompson and Mr Jacob voted in favour of exploring the issue further, with councillors Robinson and Greaney and Kristian Price rejecting acknowledging the petition entirely.

The motion to accept the petition but take no further action was passed.

https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/townsville-city-council-rejects-proposal-to-build-julian-assange-statue/news-story/eb9d3a6a9243fae480e9d15009d72967

>>21338861

Linda Reynolds shares anger over Brittany Higgins's pre-production tapes for Channel 10's The Project interview

Nicolas Perpitch - 7 August 2024

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Liberal MP Linda Reynolds has told the West Australian Supreme Court of the moment she realised the extent of what she claims was a "pre-planned" and "pre-meditated" attack to inflict maximum damage on her by Brittany Higgins and her now husband David Sharaz.

But the former defence minister said she never doubted Ms Higgins's allegation she was raped in Senator Reynolds' then-ministerial suite at Parliament House in Canberra in 2019.

Ms Higgins had settled with the Commonwealth for $2.445 million in December 2022 over the handling of those allegations.

The settlement came after print stories and a television interview on Channel 10's The Project with Ms Higgins, which Senator Reynolds claims contained false assertions by Ms Higgins that she had seriously mishandled the rape allegation and failed to support her.

Senator Reynolds is now suing her former staffer over social media posts Ms Higgins later made, which she claims have defamed her.

'It was personal'

Senator Reynolds' lawyer Martin Bennett questioned her in court today about the moment she first heard details about the five-hour pre-interview for The Project involving Ms Higgins, Mr Sharaz and others.

Senator Reynolds said she learned about it during the criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who had been accused of raping Ms Higgins.

The trial was abandoned due to juror misconduct and no findings were made against Mr Lehrmann.

Mr Lehrmann was later found in a separate civil trial to have raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities. He is appealing that decision.

Senator Reynolds said the pre-interview, during which the strategy to make public Ms Higgins rape allegations was discussed, made her realise how much thought had gone into the attack against her.

"It became clear how premeditated this plan was," Senator Reynolds said.

"I had no idea just how well prepared this plan was. They had a package for the media, they had a package for the Me Too movement, they had a package for disaffected Liberals.

"It was pre-planned, it was pre-meditated, it was personal against me.

"I was angry, I was hurt, and as I said I felt like a fool."

'I believe her'

When asked about her reaction to Ms Higgins' interview which aired on The Project, the MP acknowledged saying the words "lying cow" while watching the program.

The comment was leaked to the media, and Senator Reynolds settled with Ms Higgins out of court on the matter.

Senator Reynolds said she settled not only to try and keep her job as a minister but also for her health, which she said had deteriorated badly as a result of the relentless pressure on her over her handling of the rape allegations.

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But Senator Reynolds strongly denied her words could have adverse implications for her former staffer's credibility as a sexual assault survivor, saying she never doubted Ms Higgins' claims.

"No, I don't because … I believe her," Senator Reynolds said.

"It was a comment in my office in relation to allegations she was making specifically about me and Ms (Fiona) Brown (Senator Reynolds' chief of staff at the time of the alleged rape).

"I have never questioned Ms Higgins' account of her sexual assault and have always sought to respect her agency in this matter."

Senator Reynolds also explained what had driven her to take defamation action against Ms Higgins.

As she was being taken through a series of social media posts by Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz over the years, she said she needed to stop the "lies".

"These lies have damaged so many people's lives … that's why I'm here today," the MP told the court.

Asked specifically about social media posts by Ms Higgins since the defamation trial started, Senator Reynolds said they were impossible to ignore.

"It just validated why I'm taking these proceedings because she will not stop. And even during this trial she will not stop," she said.

Senator claims she was silenced

Mr Bennett also questioned Senator Reynolds on the events leading up to Ms Higgins' settlement with the Commonwealth, in which the MP had also been named as a defendant.

Senator Reynolds' became visibly angered when she recalled the outrage she felt upon receiving a letter informing her the Commonwealth would take over her defence in the civil case with Ms Higgins, that led to the settlement.

She had been instructed she could not attend the planned mediation or comment.

"I was utterly outraged because this was to be finally my opportunity to defend against these allegations, which in my mind, were utterly defendable," she told the court today.

"My defence was going to be no defence."

Senator Reynolds told the court she knew exactly what Mr Dreyfus "was trying to do" when the Commonwealth took over her defence, and that is why she later referred the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

"He was seeking to silence me," she said.

"They were seeking to deny me the opportunity to finally defend these claims Mr Bennett, and I was outraged."

The Attorney General's office has been contacted for comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-07/linda-reynolds-brittany-higgins-david-sharaz-defamation-trial-/104192194