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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls federal election for May 3

Daniel Jeffrey and Adam Vidler - Mar 28, 2025

Anthony Albanese has called the federal election for May 3, ending months of speculation about when Australians will head to the polls.

Both major parties have been in campaigning mode for most of the year already, but the prime minister today visited Governor-General Samantha Mostyn to request the election, kicking off the official campaign.

The call of the election comes just days after the government handed down the federal budget.

It also comes the morning after opposition leader Peter Dutton's budget reply speech on Thursday night, in what analysts have said was an attempt to overshadow it.

"Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia," Albanese said this morning.

"In uncertain times, we cannot decide the challenges that we will face, but we can determine how we respond."

Albanese emphasised the Labor Party's focus on Medicare and cost of living, including energy bill relief and childcare support.

"At this election, I'm asking for the support of the Australian people to keep building on the hard work that we have done and the strong foundations that we have laid," he said.

He also addressed the possibility for disinformation and misinformation around the campaign, following a large-scale abandonment of fact-checking by social media companies, along with allegations of election interference around the world.

"Anyone who tries that, I say back off," he said.

"We have an extraordinary capacity to look after our nation."

Central to the budget was the so-called "top-up" tax cuts scheduled to come into effect from July 1 next year should Labor win the May 3 vote, which the government has heavily criticised the Coalition for voting against.

In response, Dutton has pledged to halve the fuel excise for 12 months should the Liberals and Nationals claim government.

Labor currently holds 77 seats in the House of Representatives to the opposition's 53.

Polls in the first two months of the year indicated significant two-party-preferred swings towards the Coalition, putting Labor at risk of becoming the first Australian government to be removed from power after just one term since 1931.

However, Albanese has been boosted by an apparent turn of fortune in recent weeks, with the government performing better in opinion polls than it was at the start of the year.

Nonetheless, a hung parliament remains a distinct possibility. Albanese said this morning he intends to lead a "majority government" and serve a full term if re-elected as prime minister.

He also echoed the main theme reverberating through Treasurer Jim Chalmers' budget speech on Tuesday - that while Australia had "turned a corner", there was more work to do.

Dutton has not yet responded to the election announcement personally, but the Liberal Party's official Instagram page posted an image simply stating "It's on".

"On May 3rd, you can vote to get Australia back on track," the caption read.

The Trump factor

The shadow of US President Donald Trump is already looming large over the nascent campaign, with neither candidate apparently keen to openly criticise or openly mimic the controversial world leader.

A new round of tariffs is expected on April 2, which it's feared may target major Australian exports such as beef and pharmaceuticals.

Albanese earlier this year spoke with Trump about a potential exemption for tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium, which the president promised to consider, but which failed to eventuate.

"We have been engaging on a daily basis with the (Trump) administration," Albanese said this morning.

"I received another briefing this morning and we'll continue to engage constructively in Australia's national interest."

Albanese said the current government had a constructive and open relationship with the White House.

Both Albanese and Dutton have pledged to defend the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme if it becomes a target of US policy, with major pharma giants in the US urging Trump to take action on what they regard as obstructive trade barriers that allow Australians access to cheaper medicine.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-date-called-anthony-albanese-labor-peter-dutton-coalition/2700f0fb-7acf-4fa7-a0c9-142dc12ad0a9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtktcEg8aEQ

>>22836159

Australia PM Albanese calls national election for May 3

Alasdair Pal, Renju Jose and Kirsty Needham - March 28, 2025

SYDNEY, March 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday called a national election for May 3, launching a five-week campaign that is set to be dominated by cost-of-living pressures.

Albanese's Labor party won a majority at the last federal election in 2022, but most recent opinion polls show the party neck-and-neck with the opposition Liberal-National coalition when votes from smaller parties are redistributed.

"Our government has chosen to face global challenges the Australian way - helping people under cost-of-living pressure, while building for the future," he told a press conference. "Because of the strength and resilience that our people have shown, Australia is turning the corner. Now on 3 May, you choose the way forward."

Albanese earlier in the morning met the country's Governor-General Sam Mostyn to seek permission to formally call the election, as required by Australia's constitution. The governor-general represents Australia's head of state, Britain's King Charles.

TIGHT CAMPAIGN

Albanese has announced a slew of measures aimed at pleasing families and businesses in recent months, including tax cuts in Tuesday's budget, with the rising cost of living in the country set to dominate the campaign.

On Friday, Albanese focused his campaign attack on the opposition Liberal and National coalition, saying it would axe government programmes and revoke modest new tax cuts passed by parliament.

A close-run election could mean no single party or coalition of parties will be able to form a government on its own, instead relying on smaller parties and independents to command a majority in the country's lower house.

Albanese, a long-time Labor lawmaker who grew up in government housing, has suffered from waning popularity as living costs and interest rates rose steeply during his tenure.

Falling inflation and the decision by Australia's central bank to cut interest rates for the first time in five years at its February meeting have done little to help Albanese's polling numbers.

After enjoying a healthy lead for much of his term, his personal approval ratings are now close to those of Liberal leader Peter Dutton, a former police officer and the defence minister in the last Liberal-National government.

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Dutton has campaigned on a housing crisis that he says is putting home ownership out of reach, and on Friday he said cutting permanent migration by 25% will create more homes.

Reducing energy costs for small businesses and households would be at the centre of his government if elected, Dutton told reporters.

"If energy is unaffordable and unreliable it is a disaster for the economy," he said, criticising Labor's transition to renewable energy.

A Liberal and National government would reserve gas that isn't already under export contract to meet Australian demand, to reduce electricity prices for manufacturers and supermarkets, he said.

"It's important that we honour our overseas export contracts but equally its important to ensure that we can take care of Australians first," he said.

Longer term, Dutton plans to adopt nuclear power in the country.

Dutton promised a cut to fuel excise that he said would bring faster relief to households as they fill up the car, compared to Labor's tax cuts that start next year.

Both leaders have promised an extra A$8.5 billion ($5.42 billion) over four years to shore up the country's public healthcare system.

Recounting how his invalid pensioner mother was treated in the same public hospital as an Australian billionaire, Albanese on Friday revived a scare campaign that dominated the 2016 election, suggesting the coalition would cut Medicare. Dutton has said he will match Labor's plan to boost Medicare funding for doctors' visits.

Another issue in the campaign will be which leader would best handle relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed steel and aluminium tariffs that affect Australian exports. Trump is expected to announce a further round of tariffs on trade partners next week.

Albanese said his government had been "engaging on a daily basis" with the Trump administration over tariffs, and pointed to his two phone calls with the U.S. president and early meetings between the two countries' defence and foreign ministers.

Without naming Trump, Albanese sought to cast Dutton as adopting Trump-like policies, such as cutting public servant jobs.

"There are a range of ideas borrowed from others - we need the Australian way," Albanese said in his press conference.

($1 = 1.5694 Australian dollars)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-pm-albanese-visits-governor-general-seek-may-3-national-election-media-2025-03-27/

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

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Analysis: 2025 Australian election breakdown

Sky News Australia

Mar 28, 2025

Sky News Chief Election Analyst Tom Connell breaks down the upcoming federal election campaign and the “crucial” performance of the Greens and independents.

This comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the election on Friday, announcing Australians will be voting on May 3.

“We know of course how the Greens and independents perform will be crucial to the outcome of this election,” Mr Connell said.

“Their number grew from six to 16 last time around.

“Simply put, if that number is as high or higher it’s almost certain that Australia will have its first hung parliament since 2010.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znPs1FACtNg

>>22836159

Peter Dutton faces a 22-seat gain target to win election

Peter Dutton’s challenge to become PM in the 48th parliament is monumental, requiring a net gain of 22 seats.

DAVID TANNER - March 28, 2025

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Peter Dutton’s challenge to become prime minister of a majority Coalition government in the 48th parliament is monumental, requiring a net gain of 22 seats.

The Opposition Leader needs a bigger seat gain than Scott Morrison’s seat loss in 2022.

The Coalition went into the last election with a notional 75 seats and recorded a net loss of 17, finishing with 58 MPs in parliament.

A by-election defeat and defections have since whittled that number down to 54 seats for the 2025 election – 22 short of the slimmest majority possible in the next 150-seat parliament.

The task for Labor and Anthony Albanese looks less complicated: hold the line and they’re home. Yet in the current political climate, the government also faces a challenge to retain majority government.

Starting the campaign with a notional 78 seats, Labor can afford only a net loss of up to two seats to hold on to power in its own right.

To put Dutton’s task in context, he would need a political landscape-changing result in the Kevin ’07 realm.

Kevin Rudd, the previous major party leader from Queensland, albeit on the other side of politics, romped to power with a net gain of 23 seats – but the former Griffith MP went into the election with Labor holding 60 seats, six more than Dutton does now, and he finished with a majority of eight seats.

John Howard did even better in 1996, with a net gain of 29 seats to end 13 years of Labor rule but the Liberal leader was even closer to the target than Rudd, with the Coalition holding 65 seats before the election and needing a net gain of only 11 seats.

And in 2013, the Coalition improved its position by 18 seats, leaving Tony Abbott with a healthy majority, given he needed only four more seats to claim government.

Dutton’s 22-seat net gain task is just to fall over the line and hold the slimmest of majorities.

The 2025 election is complicated by many factors, not least the mammoth crossbench of 18 MPs, as well as redistribution in three states – NSW, Victoria and Western Australia – that have reduced the number of seats from 151 to 150.

Can Dutton’s 2025 candidates win any seats back?

The Liberal Party surrendered six seats to teal independents and two more to the Greens in 2022.

One of the biggest questions is whether Dutton’s 2025 candidates can prise back any of those seats.

To complicate matters, what would have been one of the more likely seats for the Liberals to reclaim – North Sydney, won three years ago by teal Kylea Tink – is off the table having been abolished in the NSW redistribution.

The Liberals have also had three seats shift to the crossbench during the 47th parliament, with the defections of Liberal Russell Broadbent in Monash in eastern Victoria, Andrew Gee of the Nationals in Calare in central NSW and another Liberal, Ian Goodenough, in Moore, WA.

All are recontesting their seats as independents.

Incumbent crossbenchers can be frustratingly difficult for major parties to unseat.

Just ask all those who have tried and failed to knock off Bob Katter in Kennedy in Queensland’s northwest at the past eight elections since 2001, Andrew Wilkie (Denison/Clark, Tasmania) or Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Victoria) since 2013, Cathy McGowan and then her anointed successor Helen Haines (Indi, Victoria) since 2016 or Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, SA) since 2019.

In a hypothetical scenario where the Coalition is unable to pick up any of the 10 crossbench seats it has lost over the past three years – and doesn’t lose another blue-ribbon seat in Bradfield to the teals – that would leave Dutton needing to pick up all 22 seats from Labor.

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Labor’s 22nd most marginal seat in a head-to-head contest with the Liberals or Nationals is Dobell, on the NSW central coast, and now held on a margin of 6.6 per cent.

Of course, swings are never uniform and at any given election parties can pick up seats beyond a notional target margin at the same time as holding those inside it.

But as a means for broad comparison, a 6.6 per cent, two-party-preferred swing is a very big ask for the Coalition.

Howard in 1996 took power with a 5.1 per cent 2PP swing, Rudd gained a 5.4 per cent 2PP swing in 2007 and Abbott got home in 2013 with a 3.6 per cent 2PP swing.

Anthony Albanese’s winning 2PP swing in 2022 was 3.7 per cent but was heavily reliant on preferences as Labor’s primary vote sank by 0.8 per cent to a record-low 32.8 per cent.

How the Coalition could win

The most recent Newspoll, published in The Australian on March 10, put the Coalition narrowly ahead on 2PP, 51-49, a swing of 3.1 per cent since the 2022 election.

In a second hypothetical, should the Coalition win back half of the 10 crossbench seats it held before the 2022 election and the target number of Labor electorates is 17, the uniform swing needed drops to 5.3 per cent – still a big ask based on historical precedents and current polling.

Even in the unlikely scenario that the Coalition won back all of the 10 crossbench seats, another 12 seats from Labor puts the uniform 2PP swing needed at 3.7 per cent.

Like the Coalition, Labor will be hoping to win back seats lost to the crossbench in 2022, particularly Fowler in southwestern Sydney, won by Dai Le, and Griffith in Brisbane’s inner east, claimed by the Greens’ Max Chandler-Mather.

Its chances of picking up seats from the Coalition look limited, with Menzies in eastern Melbourne, Leichhardt in far north Queensland, Sturt in Adelaide’s east and Bass in Tasmania’s northeast their best chances.

Any gains Labor can make will offset expected losses, with the government under pressure from the Coalition in a swag of NSW, Victorian and WA seats, from the Greens in the northern Melbourne seat of Wills, and from Muslim Vote-backed candidates in western Sydney heartland electorates.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/peter-dutton-faces-a-22seat-gain-target-to-win-election/news-story/857fc47a6c49c207cf5992b5ffd238bf

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>>22836159

Anthony Albanese ramps up attacks on Peter Dutton, launches scare campaign

NOAH YIM and RICHARD FERGUSON - March 28, 2025

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Anthony Albanese has launched a major scare campaign tying Peter Dutton to US President Donald Trump’s welfare cuts and public servant sackings, as he promises to serve a full term if re-elected and refuses to say if Australians will see modelling on how a second-term Labor agenda will impact power prices.

The Prime Minister opened the 2025 federal election in Canberra with a pitch to “build Australia’s future” and ease the cost-of-living crisis with his sweep of $5 a week tax cuts, billions for Medicare bulk-billing and energy bill relief.

Within the first week, Mr Albanese will face the headwinds of Mr Trump’s “Liberation Day” of mass global tariffs and a Reserve Bank board meeting where interest rates will likely be held.

But after visiting Governor-General Sam Mostyn early on Friday to drown out the Opposition Leader’s budget-in-reply speech the previous night, Mr Albanese focused his press conference on his attempt to paint Mr Dutton as a politician who would “cut” and “wreck’ if he wins on May 3.

“Everything in Peter Dutton’s record tells us that he will start by cutting Medicare and he won’t stop there,” Mr Albanese said in Canberra.

“He will cut everything except your taxes. No-one will get any power from the Liberals’ nuclear reactors for two decades but every Australian will get the bill right away because when Peter Dutton cuts, Australians pay.”

He went to slam the Coalition for its pledge to cut 41,000 public servants, saying it was not “the Australian way” and made the connection between Mr Dutton’s policy and Mr Trump’s attempts to slash the Washington bureaucracy.

Well, people will make their own judgments of course but people will have a look at the mass sackings of public servants (in the US),” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese also claimed that public servants who helped during ex-tropical cyclone Alfred would have been “gone” if Mr Dutton was prime minister now.

“We’ve just been through a flood in Queensland where in Hervey Bay, where I was, 15 public servants working out of a caravan to make sure that those Australians got the money they were entitled to and deserved,” he said.

“They’re gone under Peter Dutton. The National Emergency Management Agency did not exist before we came to office. Now, they’ve had a stockpile of sandbags, a stockpile of generators. That didn’t exist before we came to office. That’s the hard work they’ve done. They’re gone under Peter Dutton.

“Veterans, 42,000 of them, were in the queue for entitlements, men and women who have served our nation in uniform, they were denied entitlements. People passed away without getting the entitlements that they deserved. Peter Dutton regards that as waste.”

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Mr Albanese would not say if he will talk to Mr Trump during the election campaign, in the lead up to the US President’s launch of mass global tariffs next week.

Mr Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff push next Wednesday (AEDT) will likely affect Australia, and will come in the first week of the Prime Minister’s re-election campaign.

Mr Albanese said on Wednesday he would receive regular briefings over the next week, but defended his inability to secure a call with Mr Trump in the lead up to Liberation Day.

The Prime Minister will likely ramp up his attacks on Mr Dutton in the coming days, as he fends off attack on his government’s struggles to contain the cost-of-living crisis, keep energy prices down and make any way on the nation’s productivity slump.

Mr Albanese has refused to say if he will model how his second term agenda will affect power prices over the next three years, after Labor bungled its calculations at the last election.

The Labor leader and now-Energy Minister Chris Bowen in 2022 released modelling showing their policies would reduce electricity bills by $275 by the end of a first ALP term.

When asked if he had any modelling for the next three years, and when he would release it, Mr Albanese only said Labor was “making sure we work on the energy transition”.

“We’re doing that and we have continued to see a system that has the support of the private sector, importantly, we have that investment occurring because we have put in place not just a plan to lower emissions and to increase energy supply but a path to get there through the safeguard mechanism and the capacity investment scheme,” he said.

He compared this to the Coalition’s nuclear plan – which he noted Peter Dutton had “mentioned just once” in his budget reply speech – and said the Opposition Leader “has no idea how to pay for” it.

The Prime Minister is starting the campaign with a slim majority of 77 seats and faces the real possibility of a hung parliament once voters cast their ballots by May 3.

Mr Albanese said he would serve a full term if he is re-elected, despite speculation he may leave in the next term.

And when asked if he would rule out deals with the Greens and independents, Mr Albanese only said that he intends to lead a majority government.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-ramps-up-attacks-on-peter-dutton-launches-scare-campaign/news-story/5636c9dd1d2ec18aec1a1d11e8b59086

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>>22836159

The ‘sledge-a-thon’ begins: Leaders square off on tax and Trump

David Crowe - March 28, 2025

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Labor has escalated the political fight over the cost of living in the race to the May 3 federal election, accusing the opposition of misleading voters with a claim it would reduce taxes even as the Coalition voted this week against a $17.1 billion personal tax cut.

The dispute flared on the first day of the formal campaign after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the election with a pledge to lift living standards over the next three years and a warning against copying policy ideas from United States President Donald Trump.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton responded with a warning to voters about the soaring price of groceries and a slump in household incomes over the past three years, while accusing Albanese of starting a “sledge-a-thon” over Trump.

Albanese arrived at Government House in Canberra soon after 7am on Friday to ask Governor-General Sam Mostyn to dissolve parliament, setting up a contest between Labor’s offer of a $17.1 billion personal tax cut and the Coalition plan for a $6 billion cut to fuel excise.

Dutton said families needed immediate relief on the cost of living rather than the tax cut, which is due to start in July next year and is worth $5 a week in its first year, rising to $10 a week in its second and later years.

“We must do better, and there is a better way,” he said. “The Coalition has an achievable plan to get our country back on track.”

Dutton also claimed to lower the burden on Australians, saying: “we will reduce tax”. Labor seized on this as a false claim because Dutton voted against the personal tax cut on Wednesday and said on Thursday he had no plans to offer an alternative in the campaign. But the Coalition is vowing to cut fuel excise, which is a form of taxation.

Coalition campaign spokesman James Paterson said Labor had claimed excise reductions on beer were a form of tax relief.

“Australians will be getting a tax cut every time they visit a petrol station under a Dutton Coalition government,” he said.

Labor campaign strategists are seeking to prolong the argument over tax and excise in the belief Albanese is gaining ground thanks to this week’s personal tax cut, but Coalition sources argued their help on petrol and diesel prices was resonating strongly with suburban voters.

Albanese acknowledged that Australians had suffered from cost-of-living pressures but contrasted his plans with Dutton’s proposal for heavy spending on nuclear power stations.

“The world today is an uncertain place, but I am absolutely certain of this: now is not the time for cutting and wrecking, for aiming low, for punching down or looking back,” Albanese said.

“This is a time for building. Building on our nation’s strengths, building our security and prosperity for ourselves, building an Australia where no one is held back and no one is left behind.”

Dutton responded with a warning that living standards had fallen during the past three years, saying this meant the country could not afford three more years of Labor.

“Labor’s economic policies and wasteful spending have increased the cost of living for everyday Australians,” he said.

“Too many young Australians feel that the dream of homeownership is completely beyond them. And what sort of prime minister in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis promises a 70¢-a-day tax cut starting in 15 months’ time. Australian families need relief now.”

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Trump cast a shadow over the campaign from its first day after Albanese made an oblique reference to borrowing policy from others.

“We live in the greatest country on earth, and we do not need to copy from any other nation to make Australia even better and stronger,” he said.

Asked if he was suggesting Dutton was copying the policies of Trump, Albanese said: “other people will make their own judgements” and then began a lengthy attack on Dutton’s proposal to cut public servants to save an estimated $10 billion over four years.

Albanese argued this would endanger services ranging from emergency management to support for veterans, and became emotional when he recalled his mother, Maryanne, receiving treatment at a public hospital before she died in 2002. As a pensioner, Maryanne received the same care as the late media billionaire Kerry Packer when he went to the same hospital, Albanese said.

“There are a range of ideas that have been borrowed from others,” he said. “We need the Australian way. The Australian way is that we look after each other.”

He held up his Medicare card as proof, declaring: “That’s what I’ll fight for.”

When this masthead asked Dutton whether he was borrowing policies from Trump, he defended his plan to cut public servants by saying Australians wanted to stop waste in government.

Asked a second time about the Trump comparison, Dutton said: “The sledge-a-thon is on by the prime minister because he doesn’t have a good story to tell about his three years in government.”

While the Coalition policy has infuriated critics, it has helped build a campaign war chest that could allow Dutton to promise at least $21 billion in spending policies or improvements in the budget bottom line.

The Coalition’s one-year fuel excise policy is $11 billion cheaper than Labor’s personal tax cuts, which stretch over the forward estimates, while the public service cuts could reduce outlays by $10 billion over four years, widening the gulf between the two major parties on their election costings.

Dutton made several claims about the cost of living in his message to voters on Friday, but his claim about grocery prices was at odds with official statistics.

“Australians are now paying on average 18 per cent more for rent, 30 per cent more for groceries, and over 30 per cent more for power and gas,” he said.

Rents have risen by 18 per cent and gas and other fuels have risen by 30 per cent, but Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 14 per cent.

A spokesman for Dutton said he had been relying on grocery figures from SEC Newgate, but this masthead was unable to confirm those figures before deadline.

The campaign begins with Labor fighting to retain power after a series of opinion polls showed voters had turned against the government since the last election, although the gap has narrowed after the government unveiled a series of big spending policies before this week’s budget.

The most recent Resolve Political Monitor conducted for this masthead, published one month ago, showed the Coalition had gained ground during February to hold 55 per cent of the national vote in two-party terms, far ahead of Labor on 45 per cent.

But a series of opinion polls showed Labor gaining ground after it began announcing budget policies, including investments in Medicare, roads and schools.

Independent analyst Adrian Beaumont, a statistician at the University of Melbourne, wrote on March 17 that Labor had led in three of the last opinion polls.

“There has been improvement for Labor across a range of polls in the last few weeks,” he said.

Labor begins the formal campaign with 78 seats and the Coalition 54 in the House of Representatives, including one vacant seat on each side after the resignations of Bill Shorten and Keith Pitt earlier this year. The Greens hold four seats and independents 15.

But the Coalition is in a slightly stronger position after recent redistributions, with ABC election analyst Antony Green calculating that the Coalition has 57 seats going into the campaign – meaning it would need to win 19 more seats to reach a narrow majority.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-visits-governor-general-at-dawn-to-call-the-election-for-may-3-20250216-p5lcj9.html

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RAAF chief ‘very comfortable’ with Labor’s air force plan

BEN PACKHAM - March 28, 2025

The Chief of the Air Force Stephen Chappell endorsed Labor’s management of the defence portfolio in an extraordinary intervention just hours before Anthony Albanese called a May 3 election, declaring he was “very comfortable” with the government’s plans for the RAAF fleet.

The move came after the air force’s head of capability, Air Vice-Marshal Nicholas Hogan, said an extra F-35 squadron promised by Peter Dutton “would be welcome”.

Air Marshal Chappell followed-up his subordinate’s comment with a statement to The Australian. “I am very comfortable the air combat fleet that is being delivered and supported through the 2024 Integrated ­Investment Program can deliver a high level of lethality,” the RAAF chief said.

Defence Minister Richard Marles’ office said it had not asked Air Marshal Chappell to issue the statement, while opposition ­defence spokesman Andrew Hastie declined to comment.

Asked at the Avalon Airshow about Mr Dutton’s F-35 pledge, Air Marshal Hogan said: “Look, more F-35s would be welcome, but we will go with the decisions of the government of the day.”

Both commanders’ comments were highly unusual on the eve of an election announcement given Defence jealously guards its apolitical status.

Defence and national security are looming as key election campaign themes, with Mr Dutton vowing to spend “much more” on weapons and equipment than Labor, including an extra $3bn towards an additional 28 F-35s.

Mr Dutton said the Coalition’s defence funding commitment would be “commensurate with the challenges of our times”, with further details to be revealed during the election campaign.

“We’re going to boost spending for the Australian Defence Force because we live in a very uncertain time,” the Opposition Leader said on Friday. “We’re going to make our suburbs and our towns safer, and we’re going to make sure that we have a focus on border security once again.”

The government opted against boosting military spending in Tuesday’s budget, which revealed Defence is struggling to get new capabilities into service and keep its ageing warships and submarines in the water.

According to the budget ­papers, just 32 per cent of defence funding goes towards acquiring new weapons and equipment – well under the 42 per cent target Labor wants to hit by the end of the decade.

Mr Marles said the Coalition was all talk while the government was ploughing an extra $57bn into defence over the next decade.

“The gap between what the Liberals say and what they do is immense,” he said. “They are experts at announcement, they are experts at press release, but they are not very good on the detail and they don't back it up with ­actual procurements and allocations in the federal budget.”

Labor and the Coalition are also at odds on whether Australia should send troops to support a British and French-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine, with Mr Albanese keeping the ­option open. The Prime Minister confirmed on Friday that Australia had taken part in “coalition of the willing” talks in Paris overnight.

Mr Albanese said Ukraine’s struggle wasn’t just about its own sovereignty.

“I want to make it very clear – Australia stands with Ukraine,” he said. “We regard Vladimir Putin as an authoritarian dictator who has imperialistic designs, not just on Ukraine, but on other countries in the region.”

Mr Dutton has pledged ongoing support for Ukraine if he wins the election, but argues the provision of peacekeeping troops is a job for Europe.

Mr Albanese warned any foreign countries considering meddling in the election campaign to “back off”. “Our Australian Defence Force, our Australian security agencies, they’re still in place. We’re a resilient country,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/raaf-chief-very-comfortable-with-labors-air-force-plan/news-story/f00ab8fcca3882db9bb8b8fc9b0966ed

>>22836159

ACTU urges protesting voters to put Coalition last

EWIN HANNAN - 28 March 2025

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has urged voters planning to support independents or minor parties in protest at Labor over cost-of-living increases to put the Liberals last on May 3, as the union movement launches a defensive campaign to keep Anthony Albanese in power.

As unions prepare to co-ordinate tens of thousands of volunteers to campaign in marginal seats with a “don’t risk Dutton” theme, Ms McManus said she expected Labor would face a protest from voters angry about cost-of-living increases.

The nation’s top union official issued her warning as the Prime Minister faces battles to retain seats against not just the Liberals but the Greens and independents, and polls point towards a hung parliament.

“I think it’s very much the same around the world and I think it’s true that people are under pressure and obviously aren’t thinking through the ins and outs, and why and how, they just know when they go and pay their bills, that it’s costing more,” she said.

Signalling a more defensive campaign than the one the unions ran to help the ALP sweep back into power three years ago, Ms McManus said the union movement’s issues were “all about protecting wage increases, protecting what workers have won with improvements to workers’ rights” under Labor.

In contrast, she said, the Coalition has announced plans to take rights from casuals, abolish the right to disconnect, and signalled an intention to try to repeal the “same job, same pay” laws that have already delivered substantial pay rises.

Given the impact of global inflation, she said, the cost-of-living increases would have occurred if Peter Dutton had been in office. But the Coalition, she said, would have “sat on its hands”, unlike Labor, which changed workplace laws and made decisions to put workers in a better financial position.

“I think people will be wanting to send a message about cost of living but they’re not wanting to vote for Peter Dutton,” she said. “I think people are on to him. They’re concerned that he’s not the solution so I think there might be a protest vote, that’s for sure.

“If you are thinking about voting independent, or differently, but you don’t want Peter Dutton, you have got to put them last. You can’t assume everyone understands how it all works and that’s the simple message to understand, that even if you want to send a message, or you want to try something else, but you don’t want Peter Dutton, you have got to put the Liberals last, or the LNP in Queensland last, or the CLP last if you’re in the Northern Territory.”

Ms McManus said Mr Dutton’s plans to cut 41,000 federal public servants would not only directly impact those workers but flow through to their families, communities and local economies.

“We see it as high risk Dutton being elected because of wage rises being on the table, workers’ rights being on the table, so every union will be spelling that out to their members, explaining straight out of Peter Dutton’s mouth and Michaelia Cash’s mouth what they intend to do,” she said. “So it will be up to people to determine what to do but in the end it will be a huge risk if you vote for him.

“Unlike other elections, where people could say the ACTU is always concerned about workers’ rights because it’s our job to worry about them, this time we are very, very concerned about it, like it’s a massive risk, and I think it will also be a key thing in the election because it’s a cost-of-living election and you have got to have a plan for wages, real wages, to grow if you are serious about addressing it.”

Anthony Albanese said real wages would not have been growing if Mr Dutton had had his way.

He said the “same job same pay” laws had benefited workers employed in the aviation, mining and resources sectors, resulting in pay rises of up to $34,000 a year.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/actu-urges-protesting-voters-to-put-coalition-last/news-story/4baea0c7c1b4fcf076bf586ddee92a3e

>>22812815

>>22836159

Coalition takes aim at teals over ‘record of leaning Green’

RHIANNON DOWN - 29 March 2025

Teal independents have sided with the Greens in at least two-thirds of all divisions during ­Anthony Albanese’s three years in power, according to research by the parliament library.

As the Coalition battles to reclaim once blue-ribbon seats it lost in 2022, the research provided to the Coalition shows that the seven teal MPs voted with the Greens between 66 per cent and 77 per cent of the time on all divisions from the start of the parliamentary term to February 13.

As the Coalition ramps up its attacks on the teals for being “deceptive Greens” ahead of the election on May 3, the analysis has revealed the independents voted with the minor party on second-reading motions between 83 per cent and 70 per cent of the time.

When it comes to second-reading motions, Sophie Scamps voted with the Greens 83 per cent of the time, Zoe Daniel 81 per cent, Zali Steggall 78, Monique Ryan 76, Kate Chaney 71 and Allegra Spender 70. Outgoing teal MP Kylea Tink, whose seat of North Sydney was absorbed in an electoral redrawn, voted in line with the Greens on 78 per cent of second-reading motions. Indi MP Helen Haines backed the party 79 per cent of the time.

The independent MPs identified in the research have disputed the findings, arguing that their voting record reflects a more balanced political alignment based on alternative figures.

On all divisions, Dr Ryan voted with the Greens 77 per cent of the time, Ms Daniel 76, Dr Scamps 74, Ms Steggall 71, Ms Chaney 68 and Ms Spender 66. Ms Tink voted 73 per cent in line with the Greens on divisions and Ms Haines 76.

Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, who has been closely observing the teals’ voting records, said the data showed the risk posed by a Labor minority government run with the support of the teals.

“It couldn’t be more clear to the Australian people now, who these people are,” he said. “The stories that these were disaffected Liberals have been proven false – they’re very deceptive Greens.”

The analysis showed the independents voted with the Coalition on 33 per cent of divisions on average and on 20 per cent of second-reading motions. They also sided with Labor on 44 per cent of all ­divisions on average, and on 73 per cent of second-reading motions.

Ms Spender said the figures were “highly misleading”, disputing that her voting history was so strongly aligned with the Greens and arguing that, by the same metrics, the Liberal MP who previously held her seat, Dave Sharma, voted 99 per cent in line with Pauline Hanson.

“I have supported 60 per cent of votes put forward by the ­Coalition, 50 per cent by Labor, and 45 per cent by the Greens,” she said. Disputing the methodology of the analysis, Ms Chaney said her true political leanings should be calculated based on the number of proposals from each party which she had backed rather than how often she had “voted with them”.

Dr Ryan also rejected the figures, pointing to data which showed over 504 divisions since she was elected and November, she had voted in line with Labor on 51 per cent of occasions, with the Coalition on 42 per cent and the Greens on 57 per cent.

Dr Scamps said it was “sad that the Coalition is attempting to win an election based on a misinformation campaign and attack ads rather than with good ideas and good policies”.

She said she voted with Labor on 45 per cent of motions, the ­Coalition 42 per cent and the Greens 56 per cent.

Ms Daniel has presented her own figures, saying she had voted with the government in 53 per cent of Labor’s 234 motions which she attended, with the Coalition on 41 per cent of 131 motions it put forward and in favour of 52 per cent of 46 Greens motions.

Ms Steggall said the figures were “incorrect”, and she had supported 52 per cent of Labor motions, 52 per cent of Liberal and 54 per cent of Greens motions.

“The Coalition data misrepresents my voting record because it is also counting when the Greens supported my motions – and I have no control about how they vote,” she said.

Declaring she was “proud” of her voting record and that she reviews each bill on its merits, Ms Haines said she attended divisions at almost twice the rate of some Coalition backbenchers.

“My opponents seek to distort my voting record to discredit my independence, but what they don’t say is how often the Coalition doesn’t turn up to vote on amendments moved by myself and my crossbench colleagues,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coalition-takes-aim-at-teals-over-record-of-leaning-green/news-story/1f6b95bc9720f0fe69772ae997986f70

>>22798517

>>22836159

Election 2025: ‘Un-Muslim’: How battle for Sydney’s west turned ‘militant, toxic’

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - March 27, 2025

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The political battle for Sydney’s southwest and long-held ALP heartlands has turned “toxic”, with corflutes defaced, “militant tactics” deployed, and mosques and Islamic schools attacked on social media for appearing with Labor figures.

Reminiscent of 2024’s British election, where four “Gaza independents” were elected amid alleged “bullying and intimidatory tactics”, anti-Labor pro-Palestine campaigns have ramped up as tensions have begun to boil.

Islamic schools and moderate Muslim leaders have been attacked on social media as “normalisers” for engaging with the government, corflutes at mosques have been stolen or destroyed, Tony Burke posters have been vandalised with slurs or smeared with paint, and Hizb ut-Tahrir activists have forced ALP candidates to cancel events given fears of tensions boiling over.

Backed by The Muslim Vote campaign, Ziad Basyouny is taking on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in Watson, while Ahmed Ouf is looking to topple Education Minister Jason Clare in Blaxland, which are both held with about a 15 per cent margin and where Muslim voters make up 27 per cent and 35 per cent respectively in the two seats.

Mr Burke has become a particular target for activists, with scores of his posters destroyed or defaced with the slur “c. t” and splattered with red paint.

Anti-ALP campaigners have started to distribute flyers in Arabic about the member, one of the Labor’s most vocal supporters of Palestinian statehood, calling him the “racist immigration minister”.

Those flyers, which don’t carry an electoral authorisation, come despite Australia providing pathways for thousands of affected Gazans and feature misleading claims about Mr Burke’s historical support.

Activists have unfurled banners decrying “Bloody Burke” outside the minister’s electorate office and on Wednesday, at a Lakemba iftar, displayed another alleging he supported genocide.

Anti-Labor campaigners have also targeted Mr Clare, with Auburn’s Gallipoli Mosque forced to install CCTV cameras after repeat vandalism of the minister’s corflutes it had displayed at its front gate.

The mosque, whose leaders have remained steadfast in support of Mr Clare, stood down calls to remove the posters, but which were later destroyed by vandals on two separate occasions.

Hizb ut-Tahrir activists have also targeted Mr Burke, via that group’s social-media front, Stand 4 Palestine, which has links with The Muslim Vote.

In a video uploaded to its Instagram account – and later shared by Dr Basyouny’s campaign manager – Hizb ut-Tahrir activist Mohamed al-Wahwah is seen standing outside a Parry Park community centre where Mr Burke was slated to speak.

Calling Mr Burke a “rat”, Mr al-Wahwah claimed the minister had refused to front the community and “scurried out”.

Mr Burke was invited to speak as part of a questions and answers session, but after a texts had been sent out by anti-ALP activists urging “brothers to show them (the ministers) that they’re not welcome” at least 15 men not part of the centre’s congregation arrived, and a mutual decision was taken to cancel the event to avoid inflaming tensions.

The Australian is not suggesting that independent candidates Dr Basyouny and Mr Ouf, or Muslim Vote convener sheik Wesam Charkawi, are themselves involved in the allegations, just that local anti-ALP activists are.

But their task has been made harder after the Liberals confirmed it would preference the two independents below Labor and both could struggle to win a plurality of voters from the Islamic faith, given staunch opposition to their campaigns within elements of the community.

(continued)

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Mr Burke and Mr Clare retain swathes of support from across the area’s diverse Muslim community and despite rising vitriol remain cautiously confident their relationships will stand firm.

Lebanese Muslim community leader Jamal Rifi established the “Friends of Burke and Clare” network in response to The Muslim Vote campaign to canvass for the two ministers.

Dr Rifi said that in decades of community work he had never seen such a toxic environment.

“In my 40 years in community life I’ve never seen such tactics deployed with such ferocity, it’s unbelievable,” he said.

“But we are hellbent on not letting ‘newbies’ hijack our community. If anyone is taking us for granted, it is those guys (The Muslim Vote campaign) who have done nothing (for the wider community).”

Dr Rifi said that “tension” was boiling over, and that some political elements of the community had resorted to “militant” tactics to agitate and provoke.

“They are hurting anyone who has a view that differs from their own,” the doctor said, who has been targeted on social media and by activists for his community work.

“They are sewing disharmony and division, disrespecting and disregarding others opinions and pain.”

Although not run by or affiliated with the independent campaigns, Instagram accounts have almost hourly hounded out members of the Muslim community it claims are “normalisers” for engaging with the ALP, even Islamic schools and former AFL star Bachar Houli.

After the Australian Islamic House mosque in Edmondson Park received death threats, Mr Burke and Anthony Albanese visited to meet with its leaders.

On Instagram, the “Vote for Palestine” account told its 5000 followers to “voice their outrage” towards the mosque for its “betrayal of the community” when it hosted the Prime Minister, and has also attacked Melbourne and Sydney Islamic schools for doing the same with Mr Clare.

Another account called “Misfits Return”, which has links to the area’s Greens, posts almost hourly about Islamic figures it deems “normalisers”, sharing pictures to its more than 4000 followers lambasting Muslim leaders for attending events with “Zionists”.

It has attacked Minaret College, one of Melbourne’s largest Islamic schools, Canterbury-Bankstown Labor mayor Bilal El-Hayek, and the envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik. It has also depicted Mr Burke with blood dripping from his mouth and “demon eyes”.

One Muslim figure, speaking on the condition of anonymity after being targeted by the “Misfits”, lamented how activists had created a “culture” where if you disagreed on elements of the conflict you became “the enemy”.

“If you don’t agree with these people you’re the enemy, not allowed to practice your own freedom of speech,” he said.

“Stop attacking hardworking people … And you (the accounts) call yourself Muslims? Shame on you.”

Allegations of impropriety are not just at the expense of the ALP, with Dr Basyouny’s camp claiming that Labor supporters had been removing their campaign posters “under the cover of darkness” and trespassing on private property.

“Even more concerning is that these locations have since been flooded with Tony Burke posters in place of ours,” their statement said.

“This is not just disrespectful, but deeply unethical. It reflects a disturbing lack of regard for the democratic process, for community property rights, and for the fair and honest conduct that should underpin every election campaign.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/unmuslim-how-battle-for-sydneys-west-turned-militant-toxic/news-story/b0906136b97b42d1ad310a9ed6878148

Andrii Diuhovskyi: US authorities to fly to Sydney following arrest of alleged Ukrainian hacker

The Ukrainian national had one question for the Magistrate as he faced court on Wednesday.

Tim Lester and Bryce Luff - 26 March 2025

US Secret Service agents are on their way to Sydney, hoping to take an alleged computer hacker who was arrested in Australia back to America.

Ukrainian national Andrii Diuhovskyi remains behind bars after Australian Federal Police acted on an international arrest warrant and detained him on Tuesday.

Diuhovskyi faced court via video link from Surry Hills Police Station on Wednesday, where the matter was adjourned.

The Federal Attorney General’s office confirmed to 7NEWS that he is wanted for conspiracy to commit computer instructions, unauthorised access to a protected computer, and aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Before being led away, Diuhovskyi asked the Magistrate whether he was going to be taken to a jail in the United States.

She confirmed he would not be yet.

His matter will return to court in two weeks.

If found guilty, he could face two decades in jail in the United States.

The US embassy was sought for comment.

https://7news.com.au/news/andrii-diuhovskyi-us-authorities-to-fly-to-sydney-following-arrest-of-alleged-ukrainian-hacker-c-18168291

Ben Roberts-Smith in eleventh-hour bid to reopen his appeal after secret recordings of Nine journalist Nick McKenzie

The decorated war veteran is fighting to clear his name after leaked audio revealed Nick McKenzie claiming to have been briefed on the soldier’s legal strategy.

Digital Staff - 27 March 2025

Ben Roberts-Smith has launched an eleventh-hour bid to clear his name after secret recordings caught Nine journalist Nick McKenzie claiming he had been briefed on some of the war veteran’s legal strategy during his defamation case.

Lawyers for the former SAS soldier filed an interlocutory application to the Federal Court on Thursday afternoon asking for leave to reopen his appeal.

“In the circumstances…. the nature of the information improperly obtained and its concealment until after the conclusion of the trial and appeal, it is in the interests of justice — both as between the parties and more broadly in relation to the administration of justice — that the matter be retried,” the application from Robert-Smith’s lawyers read.

Roberts-Smith’s lawyers also argued McKenzie had “engaged in wilful misconduct” by “improperly and unlawfully obtaining and retaining information concerning the appellant’s legal strategy concerning the trial that was confidential and privileged to the appellant”.

“The appellant was unaware of the second respondent’s misconduct until after the trial and the hearing of the appeal,” they state.

“There is at least a real possibility that, had the second respondent not engaged in such misconduct, the result of the trial would have been different…”

Roberts-Smith fought — but lost — a defamation case he brought against Nine newspapers after he was accused of committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

His appeal against the loss wrapped up about a year ago with a judgment expected to be handed down within weeks.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon Roberts-Smith said all he had ever hoped for was “a fair process”.

“My lawyers have today filed an application with the Full Court seeking leave to: rely upon additional evidence, including an audio recording in which a journalist admits to being briefed with my confidential legal strategy as well as evidence that my emails were improperly accessed over 100 times in 2020 and 2021 and; to amend my grounds of appeal to include a miscarriage of justice,” he said.

“I have continued to fight for justice throughout this process and today that fight continues.

“As a soldier I spent the majority of my adult life serving this country and putting my life on the line defending our rights as Australians.

“All I have ever asked for was a fair process where the truth and justice can prevail.”

The West Australian reported yesterday that the decorated soldier’s legal team had demanded an urgent explanation from lawyers for Nine and McKenzie about what other information he was privy to during the trial following the leak of the audio.

The newspaper also said it was understood Roberts-Smith’s lawyers were not ruling out seeking to have McKenzie face questioning in the witness stand.

The appeal comes days after Sky News revealed the star reporter was recorded telling a witness that Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife, Emma Roberts, and her friend, Danielle Scott, had provided him with some of the former soldier’s legal strategy.

McKenzie told the witness — a woman he was trying to convince to give evidence for Nine — that the intelligence he had received about the soldier’s legal strategy was “helpful” in Nine’s case.

Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, was waiting for the outcome of his appeal, with the decision yet to be handed down.

Nine this week said it had reviewed the audio clip with its legal counsel and said there had been no breach of legal privilege or ethical concerns.

“Nine has full confidence in the reporting and actions of Nick McKenzie, an award-winning reporter who enjoys the respect and admiration of his editors and colleagues in the newsroom,” a Nine spokesman said.

https://7news.com.au/news/ben-roberts-smith-amends-appeal-after-secret-recordings-catch-nine-journalist-nick-mckenzie-c-18179114

https://qresear.ch/?q=Ben+Roberts-Smith

>>22837469

Mystery witness in defamation appeal bid is Ben Roberts-Smith’s former mistress

STEPHEN RICE - 28 March 2025

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Ben Roberts-Smith’s former mistress is the mystery witness whose secretly recorded conversation with investigative journalist Nick McKenzie has sparked an 11th-hour bid by the war veteran to reopen his defamation appeal against the Nine newspapers.

Roberts-Smith, in an interlocutory application, claims there was a miscarriage of justice in his failed defamation case against The Canberra Times, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in light of new revelations McKenzie had allegedly obtained ­information relating to his legal strategy during trial.

The Federal Court has responded quickly to Roberts-Smith’s application, with Justice Nye Perram – one of three judges who reserved their decision on the appeal in February last year – calling a case management hearing for Monday to “discuss the parties’ perspectives” on how to address the issues.

The shock intervention comes after Sky News Australia on Monday published a recording of McKenzie in which he appears to tell Roberts-Smith’s former mistress – identified during the defamation trial as Person 17 – that he had access to part of the soldier’s legal strategy during the case.

In the recording, McKenzie tells the woman that Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife, Emma Roberts, and her friend, Danielle Scott, had been “actively briefing us on his legal strategy” in respect to her.

“I’ve just breached my f*cking ethics … This has put me in a shit position now,” he said.

In another part of the recording, he said: “We anticipated most of it, one or two things now we know which is helpful but the point, the reason I told you that was to say, like, you know we’ve got this and they’re not hostile to you, despite your worst fears. They’re not.”

Nine had claimed Roberts-Smith cheated on his wife with the professional, married woman, during a wild six-month affair that allegedly ended with him punching her after she embarrassed him by getting drunk at a function in Parliament House.

However, in his judgment, Justice Anthony Besanko said he was “not satisfied Person 17’s evidence is sufficiently reliable to establish the assault occurred and that (the imputations) are substantially true”.

Person 17’s credibility was repeatedly challenged on the witness stand.

At one point during the trial, the woman claimed she was approached on a beach by a stranger and shown photos of herself and the war hero having sex up against a window in a room at the Milton Hotel in Brisbane.

The woman said the mysterious figure demanded she tell Roberts-Smith’s wife about the affair, or the photos would be made public.

Justice Besanko found that Nine had made out a defence of contextual truth on Person 17’s allegation of assault – that even though one claim might be untrue, it was outweighed by those that were substantially true. The judge found that Roberts-Smith had committed several murders of unarmed civilians.

Roberts-Smith launched an appeal against the war crimes findings on various grounds, but has now added “miscarriage of justice” with his new application.

(continued)

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In an attached affidavit, Roberts-Smith’s longtime lawyer, Monica Allen, says the audio file of the conversation between McKenzie and Person 17 was sent to a solicitor at Mark O’Brien Legal at 2.54am on March 15 in an email from ‘ellroyferris@proton.me’.

Nine days later parts of the audio were broadcast on Sky News.

There is no indication in the affidavit of how the conversation came to be recorded or the real identity of “Ellroy Ferris”, a name that does not appear on any electoral roll.

In his new application, Roberts-Smith says McKenzie “engaged in wilful misconduct in the proceedings below by improperly and unlawfully obtaining and retaining information concerning (Roberts-Smith’s) legal strategy concerning the trial that was confidential and privileged”.

During the defamation trial, Roberts-Smith launched a separate action accusing Ms Roberts of accessing his emails, which included confidential legal correspondence. The Federal Court dismissed the challenge but Roberts-Smith says that decision, and Ms Roberts’s evidence, need to be reconsidered in light of the recordings

The former SAS soldier says if he had known of McKenzie’s alleged misconduct, he could have moved to strike out Nine’s defences because of it, or made “different forensic decisions at trial”.

He claims Justice Besanko’s assessment of the credit of Ms Roberts and/or Person 17 might have been different, leading to the possibility that his assessment of Roberts-Smith’s credit in relation to the war crimes allegations may also have been different.

Justice Besanko’s findings in relation to the defences of justification and contextual truth may also have been different, the former soldier argued.

A Nine spokesperson, in a statement to The Australian, said there was “no breach of legal privilege or ethical concerns”.

“Any claims of a miscarriage of justice are baseless and a continuation of the sustained campaign of mistruths peddled by Ben Roberts-Smith and his media backers,” the spokesperson said.

“Nine has full confidence in the reporting and actions of Nick McKenzie.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/mystery-witness-in-defamation-appeal-bid-is-ben-robertssmiths-former-mistress/news-story/17e33b99a33c16655a3fca03d9a41704

>>22482994 (pb)

>>22483006 (pb)

US toddler’s miraculous survival after prayers to George Pell

TESS LIVINGSTONE - March 27, 2025

The miraculous recovery of an American baby boy who stopped breathing for 52 minutes after ­falling into a swimming pool is being credited by senior Catholic clergy to the intercession of the late cardinal George Pell.

In a speech at Campion College near Parramatta on Wednesday night, Cardinal Pell’s successor as Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, said he received a report last week about a baby, Vincent, who had just been discharged from hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

“He’s 18 months old and fell into a swimming pool,’’ Archbishop Fisher told the gathering. “He stopped breathing for 52 minutes. His parents prayed for the ­intercession of Cardinal Pell.

“The boy survived and came off life support free of any damage to brain or lungs or heart. He’s fine now and his doctors are calling it a miracle.’’

Vincent spent about 10 days in hospital and was discharged a few days ago.

His mother’s brother, a ­Catholic priest, contacted his friend, Father Joseph Hamilton, the Rector of Domus Australia in Rome and Pell’s former secretary, asking for prayers during his ­recovery.

From Rome, Father Hamilton told The Australian on Thursday that the boy’s parents had prayed for the late cardinal to intercede for their son because they were ­impressed when they met him in Phoenix in December 2021.

Pell was in the US on a book tour promoting his three-volume Prison Journal, which he handwrote during his 404-day imprisonment, largely in solitary confinement.

“He said the White Mass for medical professionals in Phoenix,’’ Father Hamilton said.

The Catholic News Service ­reported that Pell told his audience that his ordeal had enabled him to understand suffering as a redemptive process that allowed people to identify closely with Christ.

“All this only makes sense if we accept in faith that suffering can be turned to a good purpose when united with Jesus’ suffering and death,” Cardinal Pell said in ­Phoenix.

“It is through his suffering and death while a powerless victim that the Lord redeemed us; ­released the grace so that our sins and the worst crimes could be forgiven.”

Pell’s fight against Vatican ­incompetence and financial corruption when he was prefect for the economy and his trial and ­conviction on charges of historic child sexual abuse in Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, that were overturned unanimously by the High Court, sparked major ­interest in the US. He had a big ­following among Catholics in ­parishes and many US cardinals, ­bishops and priests.

Archbishop Fisher was speaking at the Australian launch of a new biography – George Cardinal Pell, Pax Invictis, published by ­Ignatius Press.

If the boy’s recovery were to be cited in future as one of the two miracles necessary for canonisation in the Catholic Church, that process would not normally start until after January 2028.

Consideration for canonisation normally begins at least five years after the subject’s death.

Cardinal Pell died in Rome on January 19, 2023, when he suffered a heart attack in Salvator Mundi hospital after hip-replacement surgery.

The long, complex process often takes decades or centuries.

However the late Mother Teresa died in September 1997 and was declared a saint in 2016, while the late Pope John Paul II died in April 2005 and was canonised in 2014.

Australia’s first saint, Mary of the Cross MacKillop, founder of the sisters of St Joseph, died in ­August 1909 and was declared a saint by Pope Benedict in October 2010.

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints closely scrutinises all ­candidates nominated for beatification and sainthood, assessing their lives for “heroic virtue’’.

It also assesses any miracles ­attributed to them, drawing on the expertise of several members of a team of 60 doctors and medical specialists.

Tess Livingstone is the author of George Cardinal Pell, Pax Invictis, published by Ignatius Press

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/us-toddlers-miraculous-survival-after-prayers-to-george-pell/news-story/906ffce986c3c8d2364b199fb15d49a2

>>22837744

How prayers to controversial dead Cardinal George Pell 'brought a little boy back to life' after he stopped breathing for almost an hour: 'It's a miracle'

NICK WILSON - 28 March 2025

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George Pell has been credited with the unlikely recovery of a young American boy who stopped breathing for 52 minutes after he fell into a swimming pool.

Parents of the 18-month-old Vincent are said to have prayed for the intercession of the late cardinal before he was discharged from an Arizona hospital.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher related the story in an address to an event organised to honour Pell's legacy at a Catholic liberal-arts college in Sydney's west on Wednesday evening.

Pell was Australia's most senior Catholic, having served as the archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney before taking charge of the Vatican's financial affairs.

Campion College also unveiled the newly-named George Cardinal Pell Grand Hall at the event attended by former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott.

'He's 18 months old and fell into a swimming pool,' the archbishop was quoted as saying by The Australian.

'He stopped breathing for 52 minutes. His parents prayed for the intercession of Cardinal Pell.'

'The boy survived and came off life support free of any damage to brain or lungs or heart. He's fine now and his doctors are calling it a miracle.'

Pell's supporters may cite the boy's unlikely recovery as one of two miracles required for canonisation as a saint of the Catholic Church.

The process generally does not begin for at least five years following the individuals death and would likely be a politically fraught process given Pell's controversial legacy.

Vincent was said to have spent 10 days in hospital before being discharged.

The boy's uncle, a Catholic priest, is reported to have contacted Pell's former secretary Father Joseph Hamilton requesting prayers for Vincent's recovery.

Mr Hamilton claimed the boy's parents had prayed to Pell after having met him in 2021 while he was on a book tour in their home town of Phoenix.

He was promoting his three-volume Prison Journal, which he wrote during a 404-day stint largely spent in solitary confinement after being convicted of a range of sexual offences for which he has since been acquitted.

He was acquitted by the High Court in 2020 of sexually assaulting two choirboys in the sacristy of St Patrick's Cathedral in East Melbourne.

The events were said to have taken place on two occasions in late 1996 and early 1997 when Pell had recently been appointed Archbishop of Melbourne.

Pell was first tried in August 2018 before a jury which was ultimately unable to reach a verdict. He was found guilty of all five sexual offences in a separate trial later that year.

A majority of the Victorian Court of Appeal subsequently upheld his convictions before the High Court quashed the convictions.

The single judgment published by the court held there was a 'significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt'.

(continued)

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Earlier this year, the ABC reported that two alleged victims of the late cardinal had been granted compensation by the federal government's National Redress Scheme.

One man was offered the compensation in January 2023 just five weeks before Pell died of cardiac arrest following hip surgery in Rome.

Using a lower standard of proof than the criminal courts, the scheme found it was 'reasonably likely' Pell had groped the then-eight-year-old's genitals at a public swimming pool in Ballarat.

The other compensation payment related to the alleged rape of a then-nine-year-old student at Ballarat's St Francis Xavier Primary School.

The first man was received $45,000 in compensation from the scheme while the second was granted $95,000.

The ABC was later ordered to remove the article by the Department of Social Services which claimed it had disclosed protected information.

The Wednesday event also featured a book signing by journalist and commentator Tess Livingstone to celebrate the launch of her new biography: George Cardinal Pell: Pax Invictis'.

Published by a California-based Catholic publisher, Ignatius Press, the book was branded as the 'definitive biography' of the late reformer.

'Like many bishops of his generation, Pell found dealing with corruption in the church a herculean challenge,' promotional materials for the book said.

'After being falsely accused of indifference to clerical sex abuse and of committing it himself, he suffered 404 days in solitary confinement for a crime he did not commit.'

Mr Howard referred to Pell as 'an intellectual inspiration' at the event.

'What he gave to the Christian religion and very particularly to the Catholic Church, was a lifetime of service and devotion,' he said.

'His tenacity and his strength and his resilience would've broken most of us, but not him. And he was sustained in that by his resolute faith.'

A spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney told Daily Mail Australia Archbishop Fisher was unavailable for comment.

Ignatius Press and Campion College were also contacted for comment.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14545333/George-Bell-American-toddler-prayers.html

>>22837744

>>22837756

Q Post #2590

Dec 12 2018 11:00:11 (EST)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6487315/High-profile-figure-convicted-suppression-orders-prevent-publication-persons-identity.html

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/why-the-media-is-unable-to-report-on-a-case-that-has-generated-huge-interest-online-20181212-p50lta.html

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/nsw/an-awful-crime-the-person-is-guilty-but-we-cant-publish-the-story-ng-4be7ee27075d4fb302aae9989c40ad34

[Cardinal Pell]

Dark to LIGHT.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2590

https://archive.ph/20181212163320/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6487315/High-profile-figure-convicted-suppression-orders-prevent-publication-persons-identity.html

https://archive.ph/20181212122705/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/why-the-media-is-unable-to-report-on-a-case-that-has-generated-huge-interest-online-20181212-p50lta.html

https://archive.ph/20181212193749/https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/nsw/an-awful-crime-the-person-is-guilty-but-we-cant-publish-the-story-ng-4be7ee27075d4fb302aae9989c40ad34

—

Q Post #2594

Dec 12 2018 11:29:43 (EST)

>He was the vatican treasurer I'm sure that carries some weight

#3 in the pecking order.

Define 'pecking' [animals].

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2594

—

Q Post #2894

Feb 25 2019 20:08:29 (EST)

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/25/australia/cardinal-george-pell-vatican-conviction-intl/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-47366113

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-abuse-pell/vatican-treasurer-pell-found-guilty-of-abusing-two-choir-boys-22-years-ago-idUSKCN1QF009

Many more to come?

Dark to LIGHT.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2894

https://archive.ph/20190301020521/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/25/australia/cardinal-george-pell-vatican-conviction-intl/index.html

https://archive.ph/20190301014904/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-47366113

https://archive.ph/20190301014445/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-abuse-pell/vatican-treasurer-pell-found-guilty-of-abusing-two-choir-boys-22-years-ago-idUSKCN1QF009

>>22746198

>>22836159

Australia's Albanese expects 'one-on-one' discussion with Trump on tariffs

Sam McKeith - March 30, 2025

SYDNEY, March 30 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday he expected to have a one-on-one discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump on tariffs, as Washington prepares to announce new tariffs on its trading partners on April 2.

There are concerns Australia could be impacted by the looming escalation in the Trump administration's global trade war when it unveils the reciprocal tariffs on so-called "liberation day". Trump this month imposed steel and aluminium tariffs that affect Australian exports.

Albanese, speaking on the second full day of campaigning ahead of a May 3 general election in Australia, said his government had engaged "very constructively" with U.S. officials on tariffs, ahead of the expected April 2 announcement.

Asked about the possibility of speaking with Trump on the issue, Albanese said: "We'll have a one-on-one discussion".

"A couple of weeks ago, the reason why that didn't occur was because the president made a decision to not talk to anyone and impose this regime on every country," Albanese added, in remarks televised by the Australian Broadcasting Corp from Canberra.

A key issue in Australia's election campaign is which leader - Albanese or the Liberal-National coalition's Peter Dutton - would best handle relations with Trump, who exempted Australia from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium during his first presidential term.

Albanese has previously said his centre-left Labor government is "engaging on a daily basis" with the Trump administration over tariffs, pointing to his two phone calls with the U.S. president and early meetings between the two countries' defence and foreign ministers.

Also on Sunday, Albanese's government made a pledge to crack down on price gouging by the nation's supermarkets, as part of the five-week election campaign in which the cost of living also is a central issue. Albanese on Saturday touted Labor's credentials on affordable healthcare.

The government is running neck-and-neck in opinion polls with the National-Liberal coalition, which has campaigned on a housing crisis that it claims is putting home ownership out of reach. Longer-term, the coalition wants to adopt nuclear power in the country.

After enjoying a healthy lead for much of his term, Albanese's personal approval ratings are now near those of Dutton, a former police officer and the defence minister in the last conservative government.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australias-albanese-expects-one-on-one-discussion-with-trump-tariffs-2025-03-30/

>>22465975 (pb)

>>22746198

>>22836159

Golfing legend Greg Norman acting as Australia’s intermediary with US President Donald Trump as new wave of tariffs loom

A missed phone call on Anthony Albanese’s phone has shed light into how the PM plans to convince Donald Trump to spare Australia from further brutal tariffs.

Samantha Maiden - March 30, 2025

Golfing great Greg Norman is once again acting as a go-between for Australia and US President Donald Trump as the clock ticks to the April 2 decision on reciprocal tariffs.

The two men have been close for many years and regularly discuss their passion for golf as neighbours in the southern US state of Florida.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a missed call from Norman on Sunday morning as he was waiting to go on air for the ABC’s Insiders, confirming he was “calling in” all contacts to get Australia exemptions and a better deal.

President Trump has revealed that he “may give a lot of countries breaks” from the reciprocal tariff regime as the world waits for who is in and who is out.

The US President has billed April 2 as “liberation day” where he is considering sweeping new tariffs beyond the steel and aluminium tariffs that affect Australian exports.

“We’ll have a one-on-one discussion,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“We are putting Australia’s case. Tariffs are an increase in price for the purchases of the goods and services, so they impose increased costs on American buyers.

“We believe in free and fair trade. The US enjoys a trade surplus with Australia. We are pointing that out very clearly.”

During Mr Trump’s first presidential term, Norman – who has a close relationship with the golf-mad US President– played a key role in connecting then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and the president before Australia secured a tariff exemption.

“If I can give one tiny bit of help that can help going forward between our two nations, I would do it,” Mr Norman said last month after being formally appointed as a board member for the organising committee of the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.

“I’ve done it in the past, I would do it again.”

“I do know he’s very aware” of AUKUS,” Mr Norman added.

“He understands the extremely tight connection between Australia and the US [which] I call big brother-little brother, that’s how I worded it with him. And I said the importance of that has been decades and decades old, and it’s not going to go anywhere.”

The man known as the Great White Shark has previously described the US President as “a breath of fresh air” for America because of the business prowess he brings to politics.

Norman, who lives in Florida, previously revealed that Mr Trump wanted to make him a US citizen.

“We played golf just before he got elected, and he said: ‘If I get elected, I’m going to give you a citizenship’,” he said.

“A lot of people ask me questions about how Trump is doing different relationships, and I say: ‘Take emotion out of your thoughts. Take a look at the value of what’s happening between the two countries.

“And if you understand the true value between the two countries, then you might have a different opinion and a different understanding.”

Norman has previously hinted he was called upon to help set up a meeting between the President and Australia’s ambassador Kevin Rudd.

“If I can just give one little bit of information to help two people get together, then I’m so proud to be able to do that,” Mr Norman told a dinner in Washington earlier this year.

After Mr Trump won the US election in 2016, Norman helped set up a phone call between then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and the incoming president.

“In diplomacy and politics you use lots of networks and all I can say is we have great networks, great contacts and Greg Norman is a great Australian,” Mr Turnbull said.

“One of our greatest assets is the millions of Australians who live overseas. Greg Norman is one of them. He has been a great help.”

At the time, Norman said it was a pleasure and an honour to facilitate the connection between the Prime Minister and Mr Trump, at the request of Australia’s ambassador Joe Hockey.

“I have great respect for both men who have been voted in by the people of their respective countries and I am fortunate enough to call Mr Trump a friend, so I was happy to put them in touch to further the incredible long-standing relationship the two countries have experienced,” he said.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/federal-budget/golfing-legend-greg-norman-acting-as-australias-intermediary-with-us-president-donald-trump-as-new-wave-of-tariffs-loom/news-story/46be9400c53db76e5ea738d8bf9c245f

>>22746198

>>22836159

Albanese calls Dutton a copycat but won’t say who he gets his ideas from

David Crowe - March 30, 2025

Labor has countered the Coalition on its vow to force gas exporters to reserve more fuel for the domestic market, saying it will use an existing law to ensure supplies for households and industry.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the existing law, passed at the end of 2022 over Coalition objections, already worked as a gas reservation plan because it gave the government the power to direct the companies when needed.

Asked if he was willing to get more gas from the exporters if needed, Albanese said: “Of course. The law provides that, most importantly, and we’ve acted.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he could reduce the wholesale gas price to below $10 a gigajoule and also vowed to open up more gas fields by overcoming environmental barriers to new projects.

But the Coalition is not promising a cut to household costs and said on Sunday that it would not forecast the impact on consumer prices.

The fight over gas came as Albanese stepped up his claim that Dutton was copying policy ideas from others, naming the Coalition’s plan to cut 41,000 public service jobs as an example.

Asked on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday morning if he was likening Dutton to US President Donald Trump, who is also cutting public service jobs, the prime minister said: “Well, people will draw conclusions themselves when they see mass job cuts.”

But Albanese did not make a direct claim about Dutton and Trump when asked about the parallel.

“Is it helpful for Australia right now for you to be using Donald Trump as a political weapon against your opponent?” interviewer David Speers asked on Insiders.

“I’m not,” Albanese said. He claimed Dutton was copying policies from other Liberal leaders, given the Coalition’s promise of a $6 billion cut to fuel excise follows a similar plan from Scott Morrison as prime minister three years ago.

The argument over energy intensified on Sunday when Albanese hardened his language on gas reservation and the Coalition energy spokesman, Ted O’Brien, ruled out a promise on consumer prices.

O’Brien told Sky News he would not try to make a promise like Albanese did at the last election by claiming household electricity prices would fall by $275 – a forecast that proved wrong.

“We will not be doing what Labor did and making a promise about a $275 reduction in household power bills or anything like that,” he said.

Albanese side-stepped questions on Sunday about whether he would extend Labor’s $75 per quarter energy bill subsidy beyond December.

On another household cost, the Coalition said it would review its cut to fuel excise after the first year, holding out the prospect of more help.

The Coalition claimed it would reduce the wholesale gas price from $14 to $10 or lower per gigajoule, but the most recent figures from the Australian Energy Regulator show that average prices have been below $14 in recent months.

The regulator said the average price was $12.17 in Victoria in the financial year to date, compared to $13.12 in Sydney, $13.67 in Brisbane and $13.16 in Adelaide.

Dutton said the election would turn on the key question of trust on the economy.

“We’ve got a big gas policy out there which will bring down the price of gas and electricity, and I think it’s about who you trust to manage the economy, and who do you trust to keep our country safe,” he told radio station 2GB on Sunday morning.

“And they’ll be the test that I think people apply ultimately, and the things that will decide the next election.”

The Coalition said it would release the economic modelling to explain the impact of its gas plan to reserve more supply for the domestic market without forcing gas exporters to break existing contracts with customers in markets such as Japan, South Korea and China.

“We honour those foundation contracts, but there’s a lot of gas that gets sold into the international market beyond that which we think should be put back into the domestic market,” Dutton told 2GB.

“And we’re requiring the companies to do that. We’re requiring them to do it at the cost of production effectively.”

Albanese said the government’s price caps on coal and gas in December 2022 – a law the Coalition voted against – had helped to reduce the spot price for gas from $30 per gigajoule.

“We secured six times more gas than what Peter Dutton committed to securing,” he said.

“All it is, is essentially a search for a distraction from his $600 billion nuclear plan.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-calls-dutton-a-copycat-but-won-t-say-who-he-gets-his-ideas-from-20250330-p5lnlc.html

>>22734120

>>22734131

>>22657835

‘Disrupter’ Turnbull questions worth of AUKUS, challenges US alliance in light of Trump presidency

CAMERON STEWART - March 28, 2025

In his newly self-appointed role as the great disrupter, the former prime minister will host a high-powered security forum in Canberra on Monday that seeks to pressure both sides of politics to distance themselves from the US while Donald Trump is President.

Turnbull’s controversial push against Canberra’s long-established pro-American diplomatic and defence priorities is a rare – but not unheard of – position for ex-prime ministers to take. Labor’s Paul Keating and Liberal Malcolm Fraser both railed against the Australia-US alliance after leaving office.

Turnbull claims his so-called “Sovereignty and Security Forum” is necessary because “the second Trump administration is challenging and overturning assumptions about the international order (which) compels close allies to re-examine the fundamentals of their foreign and defence policies. This is happening in the capitals of Europe, in Ottawa and elsewhere, but not in Canberra”, he says in the invitation to the one-day forum.

Turnbull believes Trump’s maverick behaviour in global affairs since assuming office, and especially his transactional approach to close allies, should lead to “serious scrutiny” of the mutual benefits of the ANZUS alliance and the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact as well as “a fundamental rethink across a broad range of policies including the AUKUS submarine project, trade, defence and regional diplomacy”.

Turnbull’s push for such a forum will not be welcomed by either side of politics in an election campaign in which both sides will be seeking to avoid any fallout with Trump when he is considering imposing more tariffs on US allies.

But Turnbull has already been criticised for the timing of his attacks on Trump last month, when he attacked the President’s pro-tariff policies in the event of Trump’s decision whether to proceed with 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US. A furious Trump attacked Turnbull on social media just days before refusing to grant an exemption to Australia. There is no evidence that Turnbull’s comments played a role in Trump’s decision but they were widely viewed as unhelpful.

Turnbull also wants his forum to spotlight the weaknesses of the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. There is more than a degree of self-interest at play here for Turnbull, who appears to be relishing the pressure and uncertainties now facing AUKUS under Trump, given that the AUKUS deal scuttled the Turnbull-brokered deal to purchase French conventional submarines from France.

Turnbull has chosen some of the best diplomatic, strategic and defence brains to attend the forum. He has sprinkled the panels with critics such as Hugh White, Gareth Evans, Geoff Raby, John McCarthy and Sam Roggeveen, who generally agree with Turnbull’s world view that Australia has been too cosy with the US and needs to question the relationship more.

He has included some fierce critics of AUKUS, including Rear Admiral Peter Briggs. But Turnbull has also included political centrists and even a few China hawks on panels to provide some balance and sparks in the debate.

The central questions will include how Australia should defend itself in the face of a less reliable America, what type of security threats the country faces, how valid are current policies to respond, and whether the AUKUS deal is viable and realistic

Whether anything comes of the Turnbull forum in terms of influencing the policies of either the Albanese government or Peter Dutton’s Coalition is doubtful. But it seems nothing will stop the former PM trying to deal himself back into the public debate.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/disrupter-turnbull-questions-worth-of-aukus-challenges-us-alliance-in-light-of-trump-presidency/news-story/cfab9ab68fea2dbb820717922436c7b9

>>22837744

>>22837756

>>22837779

Park Hyatt Melbourne cancels plans to host George Pell memorial

Jordan McCarthy - March 29, 2025

The Park Hyatt Melbourne has backflipped on plans to host a George Pell memorial event after copping fierce backlash online.

The five star hotel had agreed to host the event, labelled The George Cardinal Pell Memorial, but pulled the plug citing a “heightened risk” to the safety of its staff and guests following the public outcry.

In 2019 Cardinal Pell became the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of child sexual abuse, but those charges were later quashed in 2020.

He died in 2023, at the age of 81.

In an email sent to event organisers, charity group Aid to the Church in Need, the Park Hyatt said it could no longer play host to the ticketed event in the face of the rumours of possible public action.

“As mentioned, the hotel was recently made aware of public threats and planned protests related to the nature of your dinner event,” it read.

“After further consideration, we have assessed that these circumstances pose a heightened risk to the safety and security of both our guests and colleagues, as well as the wider community.

“Given our primary commitment to the safety and wellbeing of everyone at the hotel, we have unfortunately come to the difficult decision to decline hosting this event.”

National Director of Aid to the Church in Need Bernard Toutounji said he was disappointed the venue had bowed to public pressure.

“The late Cardinal Pell was a great friend of Aid to the Church in Need, an international charity supporting suffering and persecuted Christians around the world,” he said

“We regret that a venue for a fundraising event has received threats leading that venue to decide not to host the event.

“Aid to the Church in Need will continue its efforts to raise spiritual and material support for suffering and persecuted Christians, as it has done around the world for almost eighty years.”

A number of people on social media platform Reddit said they had called the hotel to voice their disapproval of the event, while others said they planned to rally out the front on the night.

The controversial evening is set to go on with the Aid to the Church website now listing the venue as “to be announced”.

The $150 evening is said to include “canapes, drinks and a three-course meal” with equally controversial author Tess Livingstone as the guest speaker.

Ms Livingstone recently released a biography that shone a favourable light on Cardinal Pell and his “unjust imprisonment”.

When contacted, the Park Hyatt told the Herald Sun it was “not in a position to be able to comment on any of our guests or customers”.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/park-hyatt-melbourne-cancels-plans-to-host-george-pell-memorial/news-story/d08b09cdb36d46d630659b1df46e2378

https://aidtochurch.org/thegcpmemorial

https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/1jeu8hs/yeah_seems_like_a_worthwhile_celebration_what_a/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ballarat/comments/1jfkbec/ive_shared_this_in_the_melbourne_and_geelong_subs/

https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/1jjdb6v/for_those_following_the_george_pell_memorial_post/

>[Cardinal Pell]

>Dark to LIGHT.

>>22645621

>>22836159

Albanese edges ahead of Dutton as Labor bounces back: poll

David Crowe - March 30, 2025

1/2

Voters have swung to Labor with a surge of support that has given Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a personal edge over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as the country’s preferred leader, lifting the government out of a long slump ahead of the May 3 election.

The dramatic swing has tightened the race for power in the opening stage of the election campaign, putting Labor and the Coalition on 50 per cent each in two-party terms in the first Resolve Political Monitor after last week’s federal budget.

Albanese has taken the lead over Dutton as preferred prime minister, ahead by 42 to 33 per cent, in a significant shift since he fell behind the opposition leader at the start of this year.

But Dutton retains a big gap against Albanese as the best leader to handle US President Donald Trump, ahead by 31 to 20 per cent, even as the prime minister suggests his opponent is trying to copy the American leader.

The exclusive survey, conducted for this masthead by research firm Resolve Strategic, shows Labor has increased its primary vote from 25 to 29 per cent over the past month, while the Coalition’s core support has slipped from 39 to 37 per cent.

Resolve director Jim Reed said this came from a boost for Labor from men and women across all age groups, with a slightly stronger gain in support from “middle Australia” parents.

“There has been a swing to Labor among voters with jobs and mortgages – those who would benefit the most from the interest rate cut in February and the budget measures last week,” he said.

“But the budget itself is not rated that well. This means the turnaround for Labor is not so much a budget bounce but is more about the budget, the rate cut and the response to the recent cyclone demonstrating competence together.”

The survey asked voters to allocate preferences as they would on the ballot paper, enabling Resolve to calculate the result in two-party terms. Counted this way, Labor and the Coalition were on 50 per cent each.

When preferences were allocated in the way they flowed at the last election, Labor had a narrow lead of 51 to 49 per cent.

(continued)

>>22845448

2/2

Voters gave the federal budget a cool response. Only 28 per cent said it was good for them and their household – down from 40 per cent who had said the same of last year’s budget.

While 81 per cent backed the $8.5 billion plan to increase bulk-billing at the GP under Medicare – a Labor measure Dutton agreed to almost immediately – there was only 50 per cent support for greater subsidies on childcare and 50 per cent support for reducing student debt.

The biggest new measure on budget night, a $17.1 billion cut to personal income tax, gained only 51 per cent support in the Resolve Political Monitor. Another 20 per cent opposed the cut and 29 per cent were unsure.

Dutton appeared to win the hip-pocket contest with his $6 billion cut to fuel excise, gaining 68 per cent support for the policy in the Resolve survey. Only 10 per cent opposed the idea, while 22 per cent were undecided.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers gained a positive rating after the budget, with a net performance rating of 6 per cent when voters were asked if he was doing a good or bad job. Coalition shadow treasurer Angus Taylor had a net rating of minus 6 per cent.

The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 3237 eligible voters from Wednesday to Saturday, putting questions to twice as many respondents as the usual monthly track and generating results with a margin of error of 1.7 percentage points. The respondents were chosen to reflect the wider population on gender, age, location and other factors.

Because the Resolve Political Monitor asks voters to nominate their primary votes in the same way they would write “1” on the ballot papers for the lower house at the election, there is no undecided category in the primary vote results, a key difference from some other surveys.

The survey also shows the Greens held their support steady at 13 per cent and independents were unchanged on 9 per cent, while Pauline Hanson’s One Nation slipped from 9 to 7 per cent.

Asked how they rated Albanese, 38 per cent of people said his performance was good over recent weeks and 49 per cent said it was poor. His net result, which subtracts the “poor” from the “good”, improved significantly over the month from minus 22 points to minus 11 points.

Asked the same questions of Dutton, 37 per cent said his performance was good and 47 per cent said it was poor. His net result was minus 10 percentage points, a deterioration from his positive rating of 5 points one month ago.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-edges-ahead-of-dutton-as-labor-bounces-back-after-budget-poll-20250330-p5lnkw.html

>>22836159

Anthony Albanese abandons modelling underpinning Labor’s energy and climate agenda

GEOFF CHAMBERS and GREG BROWN - 30 March 2025

1/2

Anthony Albanese’s energy and climate change transition has been rocked after the Prime Minister junked ALP-commissioned modelling underpinning Labor’s ­promise to cut power bills by $378 from 2030 and the government’s 43 per cent emissions ­reduction target.

In a move attacked by the ­Coalition and Greens as “waving the white flag on power prices” and not “cutting emissions fast enough”, Mr Albanese torpedoed the 2022 election RepuTex modelling he previously dubbed “the most comprehensive modelling ever done for any policy by any ­opposition in Australia’s history since Federation”.

Asked by The Australian whether Labor stood-by its Powering Australia modelling that electricity bills would reduce by more than $100 between 2025 and 2030, Mr Albanese on Sunday declared three-times that it was ­“RepuTex’s modelling”.

Mr Albanese has blamed international factors including the Ukraine war, for failing to deliver $275 reductions in power bills by 2025. But this is not relevant to the modelling assumption there would be a further $100 fall in ­energy costs over the five years to 2030. Mr Albanese had earlier ­refused to guarantee that power prices would fall once Labor’s ­energy relief rebates expired at the end of 2025.

As the energy wars intensified heading into day four of the election campaign, with Mr Albanese and Peter Dutton set to campaign in Perth and Sydney on Monday, the Opposition Leader came under pressure for failing to provide details on how voters would be better off under the ­Coalition’s nuclear and gas-­powered energy plan.

Mr Albanese said Mr Dutton “can’t explain anything about his policies, how it will work, how it will make a difference … all it is ­essentially, is a search for a dis­traction from his $600bn ­nuclear plan”.

Mr Dutton later said he would release “some more analysis … over the next couple of days which will provide some percentage figures and some detail about what we expect the impact will be”.

The Liberal leader’s intervention came after opposition ­climate change and energy spokesman Ted O’Brien and ­Coalition campaign spokesman James Paterson refused to provide clarity on how their gas-fired ­energy plan would lower prices. Senator Paterson said “we’re not planning on putting a dollar figure on how much your personal bills will go down”.

Labor and the Coalition are also under pressure from the Greens and Climate 200-backed Teals for entering the campaign with no 2035 emissions reduction targets, after the Climate Change Authority in December delayed providing advice to Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen for “several months”.

Mr Albanese’s move to distance himself from the modelling comes after Mr Bowen told The Australian earlier this month that he was standing firm on key ­Powering Australia assumptions, including achieving 82 per cent of renewables in the grid by 2030. In addition to lowering average retail power bills by $275 from mid-2025 and $378 by the end of the decade, the Powering Australia modelling made bold assumptions around new jobs, investment and ­emissions reduction without providing analysis underpinning its forecasts.

The modelling, which was ­quietly scrubbed from the ALP website weeks ahead of the May 3 election, anchored Labor’s 43 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030, the 82 per cent renewable energy penetration goal, and included claims that 604,000 direct and indirect jobs would be created by 2030. It said emissions would be cut by 440 mega tonnes by 2030 and forecasted the policy would deliver $24bn in public investment, driving $76bn in total investment.

When Mr Albanese launched the Powering Australia policy and RepuTex forecasts, he said “our plan will create 604,000 extra jobs by 2030 … it will see electricity prices fall from the current level by $275 for household by 2025 at the end of our first term if we are successful”.

Mr Bowen said “the modelling shows that Labor’s policy will reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, and Australia’s electricity market will be 82 per cent ­renewable”.

(continued)

>>22845454

2/2

Grattan Institute energy program director Tony Wood described the Prime Minister’s sudden abandonment of Labor’s RepuTex modelling as a “pretty lame excuse”.

“At the time they talked about RepuTex being Australia’s premier, leading model of the energy market. I didn’t think they were at the time. They do a great job in certain areas but not this. And they never published the analysis that supported (the assumptions),” Mr Wood said.

“If you want an answer, you just make the assumptions that produce your answer. That’s not very clever. You’ve got to understand what did they assume was going to happen and how? What they should’ve done is done what the Prime Minister did (on Sunday) but on the day after they were elected.

“And say the Ukraine war has blown a hole in all of this, we’re going to do everything we can and look to achieve the highest levels of renewables and that will deliver the best price to meet our emissions reduction targets. They could’ve done that, they chose not to and as a result they’ve shot themselves in the foot.”

Mr Wood, who also questioned the reality of Mr Dutton’s promise to drive down wholesale domestic gas prices from over $14 per gigajoule to $10, said political parties should realise that impacts on ­energy prices are often “not in the control of government”.

“We don’t have 2035 targets from either side of politics, we’ve got a net zero by 2050 but that’s a long way off. Any business that makes a big investment does modelling but they don’t make the investment on one single forecast. They look at a range of things that could go wrong here … and think about how does my investment decision be flexible or respond to things I don’t know about,” he said.

After the CCA stalled advice to the government on a 2035 emissions reduction target, the delay was blamed on evolving international headwinds including the return of Donald Trump.

The CCA advice must provide trajectories that are no less aspirational than the 2030 target of 43 per cent. It has been speculated the CCA is considering a new target in the range of a 65 to 75 per cent cut on 2005 levels. Under the Paris Agreement, all countries must submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions including 2035 targets by September. The CCA warned in November that “further action” was required to reach the 82 per cent renewables target.

After refusing to clarify on Sky News about why the Coalition had not provided dollar figures or percentages on savings for consumers, Mr O’Brien seized on the RepuTex modelling and said “Anthony Albanese is waving the white flag on energy prices”.

“Australians are paying up to $1,300 more than Labor promised. Australians can see through the smokescreen,” Mr O’Brien said.

“The last time Labor promised lower power prices, they also claimed they’d hit a 43 per cent emissions reduction target and an 82 per cent renewables target by 2030 – both are falling behind by the day, and Australians are paying the price.”

Greens Leader Adam Bandt, who is fending off Labor and ­Coalition challenges in Greens seats, attacked both of the major parties for failing to lower power prices and driving-up emissions.

“Labor’s continued approvals of new coal and gas means the country can’t cut emissions fast enough, and Peter Dutton would make pollution even worse. We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result,” Mr Bandt told The ­Australian.

“The only chance of a safer climate and lower power bills is voting Greens to keep Peter Dutton out and get Labor to act by stopping new coal and gas mines.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-abandons-modelling-underpinning-labors-energy-and-climate-agenda/news-story/2b75da5a71e8ddff7c393ae56db08cfe

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Election 2025: I don’t need Scott Morrison to take on Trump, says Dutton

SARAH ISON - 30 March 2025

Peter Dutton has brushed off the idea of using Scott Morrison as a conduit for Donald Trump as Anthony Albanese says he couldn’t get a call with the US President because he had “made a decision not to talk to anyone”.

Ahead of a week expected to be dominated by the “Liberation Day” global reciprocal tariffs – due to be announced on Wednesday (AEDT) – the Prime Minister denied linking his rival to the US President, despite having made a series of veiled allusions.

When asked whether it was wise to link Mr Dutton and Mr Trump in the middle of tariff negotiations, Mr Albanese responded: “I’m not”.

“People will draw conclusions themselves when they see mass job cuts,” Mr Albanese said. “He is talking here … about 41,000 public servants … There is no doubt that there will be consequences.”

The direct cost of the US tariffs on Australian aluminium and steel is about $1bn annually, which represents less than 1 per cent of all ­exports.

The Opposition Leader has responded to Mr Albanese’s comments that he was “photocopying” or “borrowing” policies from abroad, in a clear attempt to link the Coalition leader and the US President, by describing such language as needless “sledging”.

As he faces the prospect of taking over the nation’s relationship with the US, Mr Dutton on Sunday brushed aside suggestions of deploying Mr Morrison into ­Australia’s embassy or in any other role that could benefit the Canberra-Washington relationship.

“I’ve got high praise for Scott … but as I’ve pointed out before, we’ve got an ambassador in place and I want that ambassador to be successful,” he said.

“When we were in government, we were able to negotiate the AUKUS arrangement as a ­Coalition government with a Democratic administration, and we did that, respectfully, negotiating hard, and we got the fantastic outcome for our country.”

Despite Mr Morrison having posted a ringing endorsement of the new Liberal leader on LinkedIn last Friday, who he said he “strongly supported”, Mr Dutton did not respond when asked whether he believed he wouldn’t need the former prime minister’s help to seek trade exemptions from the Trump administration.

“I strongly believe that I will be able to drive a competitive deal with Australia in our negotiations with the US,” he said.

“We were able to negotiate with the Trump administration (during the Turnbull government) and make sure that Australia was spared from the tariffs. Now Mr Albanese hasn’t been able to do that because it’s not just in Australia that Mr Albanese is seen as weak, but he’s also seen as weak on the world stage.”

Mr Dutton made the comments at an Austral brickworks factory in the Labor-held western Sydney seat of McMahon, where employees said they were concerned over the flow-on impacts of looming economic and trade decisions by the US on local industry.

Hope that Mr Trump could grant Australia any exemptions in his upcoming round of reciprocal tariffs have been dwindling among senior government figures, who told The Australian earlier this month that the US President appeared “hellbent” on sweeping trade sanctions.

With the first full week of the election campaign set to be dominated by the outcome of the US tariffs decision on Wednesday, Mr Albanese said Australian officials were still seeking to engage with the Trump administration.

“What we’re doing is engaging through officials,” he told ABC on Sunday. “What happens at the leadership level consistently is that (we) have attempted to get an agreement. If we have an agreement, we will have a face-to-face or one-on-one discussion.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/election-2025-i-dont-need-scott-morrison-to-take-on-trump-says-dutton/news-story/347c714829b6042dd8465f087027cb6d

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scottmorrisonmp_it-is-not-my-usual-practice-to-engage-in-activity-7311215788902817792-bzdT

https://x.com/ScoMo30/status/1874317282933108747

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>>22836738

‘Interrupt, disrupt, expose’: Plan to drive MPs from Sydney’s mosques

Perry Duffin - March 30, 2025

A video mocking Immigration Minister Tony Burke for “scurrying like a rat” out of a community meeting appears to be the first salvo from a Palestine activist group that is promising to drive government and opposition MPs out of western Sydney.

Anger over Israel’s war in Gaza has left MPs in the city’s west wary of a febrile atmosphere turning confrontational, as police ramp up election security to counter record threats against politicians.

Labor’s education minister and campaign spokesman Jason Clare on Sunday said a video “basically threatened Tony Burke”, who is also Labor’s home affairs minister.

“That’s not how democracy is done in Australia,” Clare said.

Burke had been expected to speak at an Islamic prayer event at Parry Park in Lakemba, in his electorate of Watson, on March 21.

However, the federal police agents escorting Burke were told that a text message had circulated instructing pro-Palestine activists to confront him at the event, and the minister chose to leave.

One activist posted a video, filmed outside the prayer meeting and uploaded by activist account Stand4Palestine, saying Burke had left “scurrying like a rat” without addressing the crowd.

“So Tony Burke, I want you to know that you are not welcome within our community, and to every single politician who is silent or complicit in the genocide in Gaza, don’t you dare show your faces in front of us,” the activist said.

There is no police investigation into the video and no suggestion it contained a criminal threat against Burke.

“I’ve worked closely and respectfully with all my local communities for 20 years,” Burke told this masthead on Sunday.

It now appears the plan to confront the minister was just the first of an organised tactic to cut politicians off from mosques during the weekend’s Eid celebrations and the election campaign.

On Sunday, Stand4Palestine called on mosques not to host politicians who supported Israel, saying they were “complicit in genocide”.

“It’s betrayal,” the group wrote.

“If they dare to show up, interrupt them, disrupt them, expose them, record them.

“This is not disrespect. This is justice. Not welcome in our sacred spaces.”

The social media post includes images of Burke, Clare, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Liberal leader Peter Dutton, Photoshopped alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Followers of Stand4Palestine routinely denounce Labor figures, including Burke and Clare, while expressing support for independents backed by Muslim grassroots groups running in their western Sydney seats.

Burke’s seat of Watson and Clare’s seat of Blaxland are top priorities, given the large number of Muslim voters.

By Sunday evening, other accounts were bombarding Sydney mosques online.

“If you attend Eid prayers today or tomorrow and there is a politician there, don’t allow them to speak!” one Granville resident wrote, sharing information about Clare and Dutton’s plans to speak at two mosques in Sydney.

“My father … was blocked for expressing his opinion about rumours of Jason Clare being invited to Eid. And his comment was deleted. Shame,” another said.

While most people called for “peaceful” albeit disruptive protests to keep politicians out of the community, some followers described Burke and Clare as “rats”, “vermin” and “scum”.

One person said they wished to physically kick a politician like a dog, while another called for them to be gassed.

Threats to high office holders, federal MPs, dignitaries and electorate officers have grown dramatically over recent years, AFP Commissioner Reese Kershaw said last week.

There were more than 1000 threats in 2023-24, and in this financial year, it was likely there would be far more, he said.

“In the past 13 weeks, we have charged six men, in five separate incidents, for allegedly threatening parliamentarians and one man for allegedly threatening a political organisation,” Kershaw said.

Security agencies say conspiratorial, polarised thoughts took root in large swathes of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, and issues of great division, such as Palestine, have become flashpoints.

“The normalisation of violent protest and intimidating behaviour lowered the threshold for provocative and potentially violent acts,” ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said last month.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/interrupt-disrupt-expose-plan-to-drive-mps-from-sydney-s-mosques-20250330-p5lnmp.html

https://www.instagram.com/stand4palestineaus/reel/DHdc5KGzctG/

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=982467100760996

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=982467104094329

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>>22836159

'I would prefer that it wasn't there': PM Anthony Albanese confirms Chinese research vessel was spotted off coast of Australia

April Glover - Mar 31, 2025

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he'd "prefer it" if a Chinese research vessel wasn't sailing through Australian waters after being probed over the ship's close proximity.

The Tan Suo Yi Hao, a Chinese mothership which ferries smaller submarines, is confirmed to be sitting in the South Australian coast in the Great Australian Bight.

The PM said the government was continuing to "monitor the situation" but wouldn't be detailing any further information for "obvious reasons".

"I would prefer that it wasn't there. But we live in circumstances where, just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas, this vessel is there," Albanese said in Perth today.

"We're keeping an eye on this, as we do. The Australian Defence Force [is] monitoring what is happening…

"It's going from New Zealand. We expect it to go around to China… around that way."

The so-called "spy ship" is used for scientific research and intelligence collection, according to reports.

China's Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering states the 94m ship is capable of exploring depths of 10,000m.

It comes a month after a flotilla of Chinese navy ships made a surprise trip around Australia.

Australian officials raised concerns over a live-fire drill alert however Chinese armed forces hit back and said it was an "exaggerated" response.

"Australia's claims are completely unfounded," Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said last month.

"China's actions are in full compliance with international law and international practices and will not affect aviation flight safety.

Albanese said during his campaign pitstop in Perth he had full confidence in Australia's armed forces and security agencies.

"What our task is to do, is to make sure that we represent Australia's national interest," he said.

"We do that each and every day and I have every confidence in our defence force and our security agencies to do just that."

The Department of Defence has been contacted for comment.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/anthony-albanese-confirms-presence-of-chinese-research-vessel-in-australian-waters/303392c9-f231-4959-8558-d2d7f2f1a54f

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/31/albanese-chinese-research-ship-australia-coast-tan-suo-yi-hao

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>>22840864

Turnbull’s ‘security’ forum more about personal vendettas

Anthony Bergin - 31 March 2025

Malcolm Turnbull has chosen 100 people, whom he describes as “leading’” defence and foreign policy thinkers, to participate in a forum at the National Press Club on Monday.

The “Sovereignty and Security Forum” is necessary, Turnbull says, because “the second Trump administration is challenging and overturning assumptions about the international order, which compels close allies to re-examine the fundamentals of their foreign and defence policies”. This includes ANZUS and the AUKUS submarine pact.

Unless we include half the first-year cadets at our tri-service military academy it’s doubtful we’d have anywhere close to 100 experts in these fields. But even so, there’s bound to be quite a few China apologists at the forum. Some may be tempted to cite an article that’s just been published by an Australian think tank by ANU academic Edward Chan.

He argues that Australia should be looking for opportunities to collaborate with China on maritime security and ocean-related issues in areas such as transnational crime, sea lane safety and climate change. Chan notes that many countries in the region remain open to working with China on these topics, and that by being proactive in dialogue with China we’d enhance our role as a regional maritime state.

Reduced to its foundations, this line suggests that any kind of dialogue is good – if only we can quarantine areas of major disagreement, we can find narrow (though shrinking) areas for productive co-operation.

But how can a state such as Australia, one that helped shape the Law of the Sea treaty in international negotiations over a decade and that abides by key maritime laws, have productive engagement with China?

The People’s Republic of China is a power that’s actively and comprehensively provoking us and breaking ocean laws it’s signed up to. It’s “monstering” other nations to take their maritime territories and land features in their offshore zones. China has ignored international legal outcomes on Law of the Sea rulings. It destroys the maritime environment by building artificial islands in the offshore estates of other countries.

If Turnbull’s forum endorses this approach, it would give a false legitimacy to China’s hollow commitments to international law.

We would enable and encourage continued Chinese state behaviour that’s deeply against our interests. Chinese fishing fleets are brazenly exploiting other states’ fisheries. China does little to police its own boats involved in illegal fishing. It deploys its maritime militias, its heavily armed coastguard, and the PLA Navy in ways that are against Australia’s and other regional states’ interests.

On climate change, China urges us to co-operate as a diversion from Chinese strategic objectives and while it opens new coal-fired power stations. On transnational crime, the PRC is behind most of it in Asia and the Pacific Islands region.

Based on China’s record of conduct, we should have no expectation it will be anything but the most ruthless exploiter of undersea natural resources, so co-operating with it on “blue economy” issues would be similarly misguided.

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Most of the problems in regional maritime security have to do with the PRC’s behaviour. Thirty years of empirical evidence suggests it knows exactly what it’s doing. And everyone in the region knows it.

We would put our reputation with friends and allies at serious risk if we won’t defend them against the aggression they are experiencing from what General Romeo Brawner from The Philippines calls “ICAD”: illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive Chinese activity.

A few years ago, a Chinese state media editor said: “Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China’s shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off.”

That comment, among others over the years, should tell Australia everything it needs to know about what the Chinese Communist Party thinks of us. The more recent evidence for such contempt is the Chinese navy’s recent circumnavigation of Australia, including live drills off the Tasman Sea, without so much as a courtesy call.

As far as China is concerned, our role in engaging with it on maritime security is to listen, not speak. That’s something to be borne in mind by those participating in Turnbull’s forum who might suggest dialogue is the solution. Elvis sang, “A little less conversation, a little more action please”. That’s good advice when it comes to pushing back against China’s unwanted and excessive maritime behaviour.

We shall see what Turnbull’s press club forum offers, but it will surely not change the former prime minister’s long-held opposition to AUKUS, and his more recent public negativity about Donald Trump. Neither side of Australian politics will thank Turnbull for picking a fight with Trump at the start of an election campaign.

Does Turnbull think an anti-AUKUS or anti-Trump spray will damage his old political foe, Peter Dutton? I can’t be sure, but I can say that it’s irresponsible to play politics with our US alliance in an election campaign. Trump makes alliance management more complex. The carefully timed intervention from Turnbull is unhelpful, irresponsible and more about his political past than Australia’s alliance future.

Anthony Bergin is a senior fellow at Strategic Analysis Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/turnbulls-security-forum-more-about-personal-vendettas/news-story/e5c14aba4f20bd6d1a36f3bd0a095342

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>>22817717

Federal election 2025: Peter Dutton takes on ‘woke’ schools funding

NOAH YIM - 1 April 2025

Peter Dutton is facing a potential schools funding war if he is elected in May, as NSW pushes back against the Opposition Leader’s suggestions he will use federal funding to prevent students from being “indoctrinated” with political agendas.

Mr Dutton on Tuesday said a Coalition government would “reflect community standards in relation to what is being taught at our schools and our universities”.

Citing a recent controversy about a law course at Macquarie University that marked students on their delivery of an acknowledgement of country and protests attended by school teachers, Mr Dutton said in outer Melbourne that this was being “translated into the classroom”.

He said in a separate interview late on Monday night that “we should be saying to states and be saying to those who receive that funding that we want our kids to be taught the curriculum and what our kids need to take on as they face the challenges of the world”.

“That’s the way the federal government can try to influence the NSW government or the Victorian government, whatever it might be,” he told Sky News.

NSW Labor Education Minister Prue Car fired back, accusing Mr Dutton of politicising education.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said Mr Dutton had signed off on the current curriculum under the previous Morrison government and that this was a part of a “bigger agenda … to cut funding from our schools”.

“Given the significant reform NSW has undertaken in delivering its own, nation leading, clear, cohesive and explicit curriculum, I’m reluctant to impose more unnecessary workload onto our hard-working and dedicated teachers for the sake of Peter Dutton’s attempt to politicise our kids’ education,” Ms Car told The Australian.

“It is concerning that Peter Dutton, potentially the next prime minister, is criticising a national curriculum that was signed off by the Liberals and Nationals when he was sitting around the cabinet table.

“We would be happy to brief Peter Dutton on the nation-leading work we are doing here in NSW given he is clearly not across these issues.”

Mr Dutton also cast doubt on the continued scope of the Department of Education and Sky News that “the commonwealth government doesn’t own or run a school and which is why people ask why we’ve got a department of thousands and thousands of people in Canberra called the Education Department if we don’t have a school and don’t employ a teacher”.

Mr Clare said this showed Mr Dutton was threatening “abolishing the department of education”.

“This is the thin edge of the wedge,” he said.

“Peter Dutton’s bigger agenda is to cut funding from our schools. That’s what the Liberals always do.

“This time they will cut funding from our schools to pay for the $600bn of nuclear reactors.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/federal-election-2025-peter-dutton-takes-on-woke-schools-funding/news-story/a6fbe7a4393cd9de77962fcee5389152

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Liberal frontbencher heckled out of Melbourne mosque

Natassia Chrysanthos - March 31, 2025

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Liberal frontbencher Jason Wood was heckled out of a Melbourne mosque while pledging $6.5 million to upgrade its facilities on Monday, after worshippers became furious their Eid celebrations were being politicised during the federal election campaign.

Wood, who is the Coalition’s shadow minister for multicultural affairs, was at the event with local Liberal candidate for the Melbourne seat of Bruce, Zahid Safi, when hundreds of people in the crowd of thousands gathered for prayer at Dandenong Showgrounds stood up in anger.

Several videos circulating on social media show people heckling, yelling, standing up and leaving, while another shows a physical fight breaking out. One clip includes footage of Wood being escorted out amid the commotion.

“You’re not welcome here, brother, get out of here,” the man filming yells out to Wood as he passes.

The backlash came a day after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton spent his second day on the campaign trail visiting a mosque in the outer Sydney suburb of Leppington, where he pledged $25,000 for CCTV cameras as the Coalition courts voters in ethnically and religiously diverse communities.

But Dutton has faced regular condemnation from Islamic leaders for his comments on immigration and his unwavering support for Israel during the war in Gaza, making his recent push into those communities a challenging task among Muslim voters, in particular.

During Dutton’s mosque tour on Sunday, its leaders stressed that they were not endorsing the opposition leader and did not agree with all his past remarks about Muslim Australians.

Fallout from Monday’s event in Dandenong, which was facilitated by the Afghan Islamic Centre and Omar Farooq Mosque, has divided members of south-east Melbourne’s Afghan community.

Many were upset about what they saw as political interference in a celebration for the end of the holy month of Ramadan while others defended the funding announcement as a positive step.

Some people who attended the Eid prayer and protested were also associated with the activist group Stand for Palestine, which is discouraging mosques in western Sydney from inviting senior Labor ministers to Eid events. Labor is also facing a backlash from Muslim voters in its western Sydney strongholds who don’t think it has done enough to support Palestinians.

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A video posted to the group’s Facebook page congratulated those who protested at the Melbourne Eid event. “Liberal MPs thought they could come to our community and bribe us into voting for Peter Dutton! Shoutout to our Afghan brothers and those who took a noble stance,” it said.

But the protests came from dozens of people spread across the large hall and were not confined to those associated with Stand for Palestine, according to sources who attended the event but did not want to be quoted because of safety fears.

People who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity said Wood gave a speech to the crowd before the prayer began, in which he made the $6.5 million funding pledge on behalf of Dutton and the Coalition.

They said worshippers in the crowd eventually started yelling things like: “What are you doing here?” and “You’re not welcome to do this”.

Others made angry comments asking about the Coalition’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza, or said they just wanted to pray.

“They were yelling at Jason Wood and the Liberal Party… People have different emotions in the community, different values, and that’s important to them,” one man said.

“It’s really disappointing for the community. It’s a spiritual institution, religious place, and should not be used for political campaigns.”

The man said many people were angry at the Afghan Islamic Centre for allowing the Liberal MPs to speak before the prayer in the context of a federal election.

But a former local council candidate, Liaqat Khan, praised the Coalition’s offer to give $6.5 million to the Afghan community if elected.

“Please accept our apologies for the minor disturbance caused by a few individuals. We assure you that the vast majority of the attendees welcomed and applauded your commitment to the Afghan community,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.

The mosque’s spokesperson, Rokhan Akbar, said its committee had called a meeting and would make a statement later on Monday night.

Wood was also contacted for comment, while the Coalition headquarters declined to comment.

The federal seat of Bruce was held by Labor’s Julian Hill with a 6.6 per cent margin at the last election, although a redistribution has cut that down slightly.

While it has been a safe Labor seat since 1998, the Coalition thinks voters could be swayed by a meaningful pitch on cost-of-living.

The seat is also home to Victoria’s largest population of Afghan Australians, which is reflected in the Liberal party’s pre-selection of Safi, an Afghanistan-born local businessman.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/watch-liberal-frontbencher-heckled-out-of-melbourne-mosque-20250331-p5lnxt.html

https://www.facebook.com/stand4uyghursaustralia/videos/1030062922306216/

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‘Not on my watch’: Albanese says key US trade grievances are not negotiable

Michael Koziol - April 1, 2025

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Washington: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared key issues in trade talks with the United States are “not up for negotiation” after the US trade office added to its list of grievances with Australia just days before the Trump administration unveils a new tranche of tariffs.

The 2025 report on foreign trade barriers, released by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) details several unresolved trade issues with Australia, including the prohibition of imported uncooked American beef, pork and poultry products, as well as apples and pears.

It also renews concerns about Labor’s plan to impose local content requirements on streaming services such as Netflix under the National Cultural Policy, as well as a long-standing grievance about issues to do with patents and drug marketing.

The latest report adds a new grievance about the News Media Bargaining Code introduced by the Coalition in 2021. The code compelled digital platforms and social media companies such as Google and Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) to pay news organisations for content used on those platforms.

The American update also took stock of the Albanese government’s December 2024 announcement that large tech firms would be forced to enter into agreements with news companies or face higher taxes under a scheme called the news bargaining incentive.

“The government announced its intent to tighten the rules surrounding the Bargaining Code, including by introducing a financial penalty for designated platforms that do not reach or renew commercial agreements,” the USTR report said.

In February, this masthead revealed the Albanese government was hitting the pause button on that scheme to stave off retaliation from the Trump administration, given that it would likely be seen as punishing American tech companies.

The USTR report did not mention a go-slow or pause on the initiative. “The United States continues to monitor this issue,” it said.

Campaigning in South Australia, Albanese said three of the major concerns raised in the latest US trade report – the news bargaining code, biosecurity and pharmaceuticals – were “not up for negotiation from the Australian government”.

“We will defend Australia’s interests,” he said. “The idea that we would weaken biosecurity laws is, as my mum would say, cutting off your nose to spite your face.

“In order to defend the exports that total less than 5 per cent of Australia’s exports, you undermine our biosecurity system? Not on my watch.”

Pressed by reporters on his previous remarks about Trump and his plans for another direct call with the US president, Albanese avoided answering the questions directly but repeated: “I’ve very clearly indicated Australia is not negotiating over the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We’re not negotiating over the News Bargaining Code [and] we won’t undermine our biosecurity.”

Trade discussions between Australia and the US were ongoing, Albanese said, including the other issues raised in the latest USTR report.

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The renewal of US grievances with Australia comes as the Trump administration prepares to announce a new tranche of tariffs on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden headed by Trump and cabinet secretaries.

Trump intends to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax American imports and refers to the long-planned event as “liberation day for America”. He says the new tariffs “will be far more generous than those countries were to us”.

Australia and the US negotiated a free trade agreement in 2005 that removed tariffs between the two nations (until Trump imposed 25 per cent levies on steel and aluminium in February).

The administration has said it will also crack down on other countries’ non-tariff trade barriers. But it was not clear if that would take place this week.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she would leave the details of the announcement to Trump. Asked by this masthead whether countries with non-tariff trade barriers, such as Australia, should expect to be included in the “liberation day” tariffs, she said: “I think any country that has treated the American people unfairly should expect to receive a tariff in return on Wednesday.”

Arrangements for the tariffs were still being decided. On Sunday, White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told Fox News that Trump had yet to decide how many countries would be hit.

“I can’t give you any forward-looking guidance on what’s going to happen this week. The president has got a heck of a lot of analysis before him, and he’s going to make the right choice, I’m sure,” Hassett said.

On Sunday, on board Air Force One, Trump said the tariff moves would apply widely. “You’d start with all countries,” he said. Advisers have previously suggested the tariffs would focus on a “dirty 15”, with which the US had the largest trade deficits.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/us-adds-to-list-of-australian-trade-grievances-before-trump-s-big-tariff-move-20250401-p5lo2z.html

https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2025/march/ustr-releases-2025-national-trade-estimate-report

https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/2025/2025%20National%20Trade%20Estimate%20Report.pdf

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>>22845494

Dutton says Chinese research ship is collecting intelligence, mapping undersea cables

Samantha Dick and Stephen Dziedzic - 1 April 2025

The opposition leader has slammed the prime minister's response to a Chinese research ship south of Australia, saying he believes the vessel is gathering intelligence and mapping the route of Australia's undersea cables.

The dual purpose vessel the Tan Suo Yi Hao was conducting joint research with New Zealand scientists before travelling west along Australia's southern coastline, outside of Australia's exclusive economic zone.

NZ media have reported the submersibles took Chinese and NZ scientists to the bottom of the Puysegur Trench, 6 kilometres below sea level, on a joint research mission.

Anthony Albanese told reporters in Perth on Monday that he'd "prefer" the ship wasn't in Australian waters, but suggested China hadn't broken international law.

"We live in circumstances where, just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas, this vessel is there," he said.

Mr Albanese said the Australian Defence Force was monitoring the ship as it makes its way back to China.

But Peter Dutton took aim at Mr Albanese's response, accusing him of "weakness" on national security.

He said government advice had been conflicting, and that it was unclear whether the Australian Border Force or the ADF were monitoring the vessel.

"It is unbelievable that the prime minister can't explain to the Australian people what is happening here," he told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"Of course, there's a collection of intelligence and of course, there is a mapping of undersea cables."

It comes weeks after China's navy conducted an unprecedented circumnavigation of much of Australia, as well as hosting live fire exercises in the Tasman Sea.

Analysts say the vessel is likely surveying underwater features and the route of a 5,000 kilometre long subsea communications cable, which connects Sydney to Perth, before branching out to Singapore.

It's not the first time Chinese vessels have mapped Australian waters, with a similar research ship mapping waters off Australia's Western coastline in 2020.

But over the last 12 months, Russian and Chinese vessels have been accused of deliberately damaging undersea cables in both Taiwan and Europe — drawing attention to how they can be targeted to disrupt the internet and essential services.

Mr Dutton said Australia "requires connectivity to the rest of the world as an island nation," adding "the way we communicate with our partners and allies of the rest of the world is contingent on those cables."

He also slammed Mr Albanese's comparison between Australian naval exercises and Chinese activities in Australian waters as "completely offensive to the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy".

"The prime minister needs to explain that statement," he said.

Mr Dutton flagged the Coalition was set to make some significant announcements during the campaign trail, telling voters "you haven't seen anything yet".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-01/dutton-says-chinese-research-ship-mapping-undersea-cables/105122068

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>>22850600

Chinese survey vessel fits pattern of escalating intimidation

AMANDA HODGE - 1 April 2025

The Chinese survey ship now navigating Australia’s southern coastline is a pointed reminder that Canberra’s “co-operate where we can, disagree where we must” approach to stabilising relations with Beijing is no defence against the sort of treatment our nearest neighbours have suffered for years.

For a broad hint as to what China had planned for Australian waters, successive federal governments need only have looked to our closest neighbours and the ongoing intimidation faced from Chinese grey hulls surveying their waters.

Someone in Canberra must have noticed the intermittent geopolitical stoushes over more than a decade whipped up on our maritime borders by Chinese survey vessels lingering in Indonesia’s Natuna waters on the edge of the South China Sea, in Malaysia and Vietnam?

Surely nobody needs reminding of Beijing’s escalating torment and harassment of The Philippines, America’s most loyal Asian ally and an Australian defence treaty partner?

Last September Malaysia, a country whose preferred response to regular Chinese maritime harassment is to pretend it isn’t happening, went to the trouble of sending a patrol ship to shadow the Ke Xue San Hao Chinese research vessel conducting unauthorised surveys at Ardasier Bank, 278km from Kota Kinabalu.

Chinese survey and coast guard vessels have been such a constant irritant in Indonesia’s Natuna waters in the south of the South China Sea that former Indonesian president Joko Widodo twice dusted off his bomber jacket to reinforce his country’s sovereignty on the deck of an Indonesian naval vessel.

Within days of his successor Prabowo Subianto’s inauguration last October, Indonesia’s Bakamla coast guard publicly released a video showing the latest confrontation with a China Coast Guard vessel that – like a bad penny – kept returning to the Natunas to harass oil and gas surveying vessels despite being chased off by Indonesian navy ships.

Last June, Hanoi publicly demanded China’s Hai Yang 26 vessel end its “illegal survey activities” within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

“Vietnam also demands that China not repeat such illegal activities, fully respect Vietnam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction, respect international law and adhere to UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) 1982,” the foreign ministry thundered.

Compare that with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s quiet regret this week at the incursion of a Chinese survey vessel off the South Australian coast.

“I would prefer that it wasn’t there,” he said of the Tan Suo Yi Hao survey vessel now making its way along the South Australian coast near submarine cables critical to Australia’s communications lines.

“But we live in circumstances where, just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas, this vessel is there.”

It took opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie to point out the “false equivalence” of a Chinese vessel potentially surveying Australia’s territorial waters and Australian navy ships participating in freedom of navigation exercises in contested international waters.

That Australia should now be getting the “Southeast Asia treatment” from our biggest trading partner should come as no surprise, given the precedent it has set in our region.

What is more surprising is that the government appears to have been caught so flat-footed by it.

Did we think we would be exempt?

Just what the Tan Suo Yi Hao vessel, equipped with a submersible capable of scanning the seabed, is doing in Australian waters is still up for conjecture, given it has just completed an authorised 45-day joint survey of southern New Zealand waters.

That will be better understood in coming days, when it either heads for home or takes a right turn into the Indian Ocean off the West Australian coast.

But Australia should be in no doubt that China is sending an unambiguous message with its live-fire exercises off the east coast and warship circumnavigation last month, and this latest incursion by a vessel which – as with almost all such ships – is likely equipped for dual civilian and military purpose.

As it has done for years in our neighbourhood, Beijing appears to be normalising intimidatory behaviour in Australian waters.

Like the proverbial slow-boiling frog, Canberra can either call it out now or risk a steady escalation in coming months and years.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/chinese-survey-vessel-fits-pattern-of-escalating-intimidation/news-story/7a2309e3df6ff2ee3ae6f40cdafd5a43

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>>22801080

Six Australian universities close Chinese government-linked Confucius Institutes

Stephen Dziedzic and Conor Duffy - 1 April 2025

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Six Australian universities have now closed Chinese government-linked Confucius Institutes on their campuses, two years after the federal government signalled it would not allow any more of the controversial educational centres to open their doors in Australia.

The government ramped up scrutiny of the institutes, which critics said had undermined academic freedom and allowed Chinese authorities to exert undue influence over what was taught at universities.

The centres have now quietly disappeared from some Australian campuses, with the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland (UQ), the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) all opting not to renew their contracts to keep them running.

Adelaide University also appeared to have closed its Confucius Institute, although it refused to confirm or deny that.

Confucius Institutes are hosted on Australian campuses in partnership with Chinese universities, and typically teach courses on Chinese language and culture.

But in recent years, several Australian universities have scrambled to renegotiate contracts and exert more control over what is taught, as the federal government became increasingly concerned Beijing was using the centres to monitor Chinese international students on campus and push narratives favourable to its interests.

In 2019, the ABC reported that applicants for volunteer teaching positions at the institutes were required to demonstrate political loyalty to the Chinese government, while Human Rights Watch said they had repeatedly censored any discussion of issues sensitive to Beijing.

The federal government has also required universities to provide more information about the centres and — in some cases — register them on the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme.

"The foreign minister has been clear in conveying her expectation to the university sector that Australian universities should not establish any new Confucius Institutes," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.

A separate Australian government source said senior officials had also made it "crystal clear" to universities that the government saw Confucius Institutes as a "problem" which "has to be carefully managed".

The source insisted the government had not issued any demands to universities to shut down the existing centres.

Still, over the last five years, several of Australia's leading universities have cut ties with their institutes — although none of them have publicly cited concerns around foreign interference.

Contracts not renewed

The University of Melbourne said its partnership with Nanjing University ended in August last year and there was "no additional need to renew" the agreement.

"The Confucius Institute was only one of the many ways the University of Melbourne continues to deepen its understanding of China and capacity to engage with Chinese institutions," a spokesperson said.

"Today, the university offers a multitude of Chinese language and Asia capability programs and experiences to enable significant knowledge and cultural exchange across the community."

Like several Australian universities, Melbourne University also receives a large amount of research funding from the US, which has recently asked researchers if their universities have links to China.

A University of Queensland spokesperson said its agreement with Tianjin University to run its Confucius Institute concluded at the end of last year.

"UQ continues to foster relationships with leading institutions around the world, including in China, in the areas of student mobility, joint degree programs and research," they said.

Both UNSW and the University of Western Australia also told the ABC they had decided not to renew their contracts for Confucius Institutes — although they cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as their main reason.

A University of New South Wales spokesperson said their agreement "lapsed in 2022" and was "not renewed due to COVID-19 … following a mutual decision by all parties".

"The university is developing its own program in Chinese studies, including language and literacy," they said.

"UNSW is committed to thought leadership and encouraging open dialogue in the China–Australia bilateral relationship and broader Asia literacy."

The University of Western Australia's spokesperson said its Confucius Institute shut in 2023 "following ongoing disruptions from COVID-related border closures".

"The University recognises the importance of Asian language skills," they said.

"UWA has expanded its Chinese studies program to meet demand for language education, negating the need to pursue a new agreement for a CI."

(continued)

>>22850614

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While Adelaide University would not confirm its Confucius Institute had closed, the ABC could not reach anyone at the centre.

An email drew an automatic reply saying the centre would "reopen on Monday 29 January 2024" — suggesting it may have been inactive for quite some time.

A spokesperson for the university said it: "Continues to deepen understanding of the global community through its commitment to language and cultural studies, as well as fostering connections with other countries, including China, through partnerships, research and education collaboration."

RMIT also closed its Confucius Institute in 2021, citing the impacts of COVID-19.

Universities want to avoid controversy, expert says

Dr Jeffrey Gil from Flinders University, who studies Confucius Institutes, said he "wasn't surprised" by the closures.

"There have been long-standing concerns about Confucius Institutes in Australia, which have intensified with the deterioration of Australia-China relations in recent years. Confucius Institutes have also closed in the USA and some European countries," he said.

"Together, these make Confucius Institutes less desirable and less viable in Australia."

Dr Gil said the government's concerns around foreign interference were "likely to be one factor" in university decisions not to renew contracts.

He also pointed out that the US government had withdrawn some funding from American universities that host the centres.

"It's possible universities may think something like this could also happen in Australia," he told the ABC.

"I also think that universities simply want to avoid the controversy that's attached to hosting a Confucius Institute."

But Dr Gil said he was not convinced that Confucius Institutes were promoting "Chinese government propaganda or overtly political narratives of China."

"Based on my research, Confucius Institutes' teaching and cultural activities focus on non-political, non-controversial aspects of China and Chinese culture," he said.

"It is more a matter of avoiding negative or controversial issues regarding China than pushing a pro-Beijing narrative."

"I also believe that Confucius Institutes have had very little influence on perceptions of China in Australia and the Western world more broadly, as opinion polls show no improvement in favourable views on China."

In 2020, China's government moved management of the institutes from the Ministry of Education to an NGO — the China Foundation for International Chinese Language Education — as it tried to neuter accusations of government meddling and foreign interference.

The ABC has been told that shift has made it harder for some staff at Confucius Institutes to secure visas, particularly given the increased scrutiny the centres have faced since 2020, when the bilateral relationship soured.

Seven institutes remain open

However, while the number of Confucius Institutes has almost halved over the last five years, seven Australian universities told ABC News their centres were still up and running.

"The Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle builds on cultural awareness and diversity in our region through the delivery of Chinese language classes and cultural events," said University of Newcastle vice-chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky.

"We have registered the Confucius Institute under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme since 2021."

The University of Sydney said its Confucius Institute remained open but did not receive funding from China.

"Our Confucius Institute is still running and provides Chinese language programs to the community through our Centre for Continuing Education," said a university spokesperson.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said its Confucius Institute remained open but that the arrangement would be reviewed next year.

"QUT continues to host the Confucius Institute in 2025 in support of language instruction in Queensland Schools," said a QUT spokesperson.

"Our current contract is due to expire next year and we review all agreements in line with Australian government policy and our available resources."

"We have always and will continue to comply with all requirements of DFAT."

Griffith University, La Trobe University and Victoria University also confirmed their Confucius Institutes remained open with no plans to close.

Charles Darwin University did not respond to a request for comment but its Institute remains open according to its website.

The Coalition has not commented on the latest closures, but the Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson has previously said universities should "carefully consider" whether Confucius Institutes are "consistent with their values."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-01/six-australian-universities-close-confucius-institutes/105107638

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9QXRfeBefw

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>>22657835

>>22840864

Election 2025: Malcolm Turnbull’s security forum questions the alliance in the era of Donald Trump

CAMERON STEWART - March 31, 2025

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Malcolm Turnbull’s Sovereignty and Security forum in Canberra has showcased a group of frustrated national security rebels who believe Donald Trump’s America requires a fundamental reappraisal of the nature of the US alliance.

I say “rebels” because many of the 100-plus experts – including former ministers, diplomats and defence officials – invited by the former prime minister aired views which both major parties will comprehensively shun during this election campaign.

These included abandoning the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, distancing Australia from Washington in foreign affairs and defence, and arguing that China is not the regional bully it is made out to be.

As such, it felt a little like the Defence version of World Series Cricket or LIV Golf – a breakaway policy game occurring in parallel to the real political contest.

But that’s not to say it wasn’t a useful exercise, because debate on national security should always be welcomed regardless of people’s views. And there were enough contrarian views on the stage and in the audience to test assumptions, raise voices and elevate the blood pressure between the opposing teams, best categorised as the Hawks and the Doves.

The forum was set up by Turnbull, who accuses, unfairly I think, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton of taking a cowardly approach to dealing with Trump. It’s much easier to talk tough about Trump without the responsibilities that come with leadership.

“We will be confronting tough realities that, regrettably, both sides of politics in Australia presently prefer to ignore,” Turnbull said to begin the forum.

Many of the speakers were carefully chosen by Turnbull to air world views similar to his own – that AUKUS is bad and Trump’s America requires a rethink of foreign and defence policy.

But that was no surprise and proved to be a good starting point for pushback from those who disagreed. Turnbull, a ferocious AUKUS critic after the nuclear pact torpedoed his French submarine deal, repeatedly told the forum he believes Australia is almost certain to end up with no submarines because the AUKUS pact will collapse. At one point we saw a tense encounter between former defence secretary Dennis Richardson and Turnbull when Richardson chided Turnbull for assuming – as a fact – that America will break its promise to sell nuclear powered Virginia-class submarines to Australia.

“I think there is a good chance we will get (the subs),” said Richardson, adding that “we may fail, but I don’t think the fact that we may fail should become a certainty that we should”.

To which a testy Turnbull shot back: “I’m sorry for asking difficult questions.”

(continued)

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There were several themes which divided the room throughout the day, leaving some veteran security experts shaking their heads and muttering expletives under their breath at the opposing views of their colleagues.

The most obvious division was over the question of trust – can Trump’s America be trusted to deliver three Virginia submarines from 2032 or is Australia being played as a sucker?

Rear Admiral Peter Briggs said AUKUS was a fantasy and the US submarines would never be delivered to Australia – wrong boat, bad deal and unworkable – a view firmly rebutted by Richardson and analyst and former naval officer Jennifer Parker.

Richardson argued forcefully that, having committed to AUKUS five years ago, it would be folly to abandon it.

“The worst possible thing at this point would be to change horses,” he said. “If we did that then we would have learned nothing over the last 20 years.”

Another flashpoint at the forum was the nature of the threat posed by China. Former diplomat Geoff Raby and defence analyst Hugh White were subjected to rigorous questions from the floor after portraying a picture of a relatively benign China far removed from the more critical view of Beijing held by both major parties. Former foreign minister Gareth Evans was arguably the harshest critic of the US alliance, calling for “less America, more Asia” because “the US has abandoned all sense of decency”. He said Perth, where US nuclear submarines will be based, and northern Australia, where US marines train, had now joined Pine Gap as potential Chinese military targets in a conflict.

Turnbull seemed to enjoy his self-appointed role of chief disrupter for the day.

Will it change the dial in this policy debate? Probably not. Was it a Turnbull vanity project? Partly, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worthwhile. Will it have an impact on who wins this election? Absolutely not.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/election-2025-malcolm-turnbulls-security-forum-questions-the-alliance-in-the-era-of-donald-trump/news-story/0711a89d86f7415c8e2dc79ab9fb82f0

https://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/malcolm-turnbull-remarks-sovereignty-and-security-forum-canberra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAg773ZRHw

>>22734120

>>22657835

>>22840864

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull imitates Trump, says 'eerie resonance' between president's Canada stance and Putin's approach to Ukraine

Daniel Jeffrey - Apr 1, 2025

Malcolm Turnbull has delivered another scathing appraisal of Donald Trump before impersonating the US president, and has said he "couldn't pick between" Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton as a better leader to deal with the current US administration.

Speaking to the National Press Conference today, the former prime minister compared Trump to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for his stated desire to absorb Canada into the United States.

"There's an eerie resonance between the language Trump uses about Canada and the language Putin uses about Ukraine: borders are fictional, doesn't deserve to be a separate country and so forth," Turnbull said.

"And then I need not remind you of the shameful way Trump has treated Ukraine."

Turnbull was in power during the first Trump administration, when he secured tariff exemptions from the president, but said the current US government was taking a drastically different approach to global affairs, with flow-on effects for Australia.

"The United States under President Trump does not share the values we've shared with every single one of his predecessors, Republican and Democrat, for over 80 years, and he does not pretend to share them," he said.

"This is a feature, not a bug, of the Trump administration.

"Now Australian sovereignty, sovereign autonomy, has never been so important, and yet in recent years, it has been diminished."

Turnbull said it was crucial for Australia to increase its defence capabilities to "become a genuine sovereign force capable of defending Australia, of deterring adversaries without American support", and argued there is "little prospect" Australia would ever receive any submarines under the AUKUS deal.

"The alternative submarine plans are difficult but they're not even being looked at," he said.

"Doing nothing, however, is even worse, because then you have nothing. At least if you say, 'alright, the odds are we're not going to get any subs… let's acquire some other long-range capabilities', that may not be as effective but at least do something.

"It is as though the government and opposition are frozen in some kind of bipartisan terror of admitting the truth. That's the problem and where the system is failing us.

"Bipartisanship is all very well but not when the two sides of politics are united in error."

The former prime minister's address comes just five days into the federal election campaign and as a second round of US tariffs are set to be announced this week.

Asked about whether current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would be better placed to deal with Trump, Turnbull said he "honestly couldn't pick between them".

He said Dutton faced a "two-edged sword" of being more politically aligned towards Trump and having a good relationship with Gina Rinehart – a massive Liberal Party donor and prominent Trump supporter.

"The difficulty of taking on Trump is you're then taking on the most popular person in the ecosystem in which you live," Turnbull said.

"Albanese doesn't have that. He doesn't have the advantage of great connections… but he also doesn't have the problem that his political base, his media environment, if you like, is fan boys for Donald Trump."

What Turnbull was decisive on, though, was the need for Australian leaders to be more transactional and forthright in dealing with Trump.

"The United States is a friend, but my plea to Australian politicians is: get off your knees and stand up for Australia," he said.

"Be as transactional with America as it is with us and remember in the imperial capital, they always regard deference as their due.

"Trying to get into a race of who can do the most sucking up, particularly with Mr Trump, as I know from direct experience, is not the way to advance your interests or your nation's interests."

He finished his final answer of the Press Club appearance with an impersonation of the US president, which was met with a scattering of laughs and applause.

"Our leaders… have got to be able to stand up," Turnbull said, before mimicking the US president's speech.

"And if that means you get a Breitbart or a 'Truth Social post saying you're weak and ineffectual, you don't know anything about China'… if you're spooked by that, you shouldn't be in the job."

https://www.9news.com.au/national/malcolm-turnbull-national-press-club-comments-donald-trump-australia/d2baa9a1-8018-4d56-90b6-2d33fd41182f

>>22828399

Queensland police could give evidence at US trial of Donald Day Jr, conspiracy theorist linked to Wieambilla attack

Eden Gillespie - 1 April 2025

Details of a deadly attack on Queensland police will be aired during the trial of a conspiracy theorist in the United States charged in connection with the murders.

Arizona man Donald Day Jr regularly communicated with Gareth and Stacey Train who, along with Gareth's brother Nathaniel, fired relentlessly at officers who entered their rural Queensland property in December 2022.

Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold, and a neighbour, Alan Dare, were killed in the shooting, which police labelled a religiously motivated terror attack.

Mr Day now faces a total of five federal charges in the US — three relating to alleged threats made online, and two accusing him of violating firearms laws.

US District Judge John J. Tuchi ruled this week that "fact witness testimony" would be allowed in the trial relating to the circumstances of the siege and why Queensland officers entered the Trains' property at Wieambilla.

Evidence by fact witnesses includes information about what they observed or experienced, rather than their expert opinions on a topic.

It is unclear whether Australian law enforcement will testify in this context.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Queensland Police Service (QPS) said it would not provide "further commentary" until Mr Day's trial was finalised.

Jury will not be allowed to hear 'inflammatory' evidence

Mr Day, who has never been to Australia, had asked a US court to limit "inflammatory" information about the Wieambilla shooting and the assailants.

His lawyers previously argued to exclude testimony by Australian law enforcement, arguing it would "simply distract, inflame and prejudice the jury and risks turning the trial into a referendum on the Trains".

In court documents lodged this week, Mr Tuchi said the 60-year-old defendant had asked the court to limit evidence regarding the incident, arguing "the Wieambilla killings are simply inflammatory by their very nature".

He said the use of certain terms might be "factually accurate", they are "loaded and threaten the balance of the court's ruling by inviting the jury to focus on the horror of what the Trains did".

Evidence of communication between Mr Day and the Trains will be allowed to be presented in the trial where it relates to Mr Day's charges.

A haunting video message shared by Gareth and Stacey during the siege appeared to address Mr Day directly.

In the YouTube clip, a quietly spoken Stacey Train told "Don" they would "be home soon" and that they loved him.

Photographs of Trains' property to be shown

The court heard that four days after the attack, Mr Day also uploaded a video, which the US government alleges constituted a threat to kill any officer if they entered his Arizona property.

Judge Tuchi said the "discussions of a shared animus toward law enforcement and a desire to confront its agents, when stated or agreed to by [the] defendant, is relevant as to his intent and motive".

Some photographs of the Trains' front gate, roadway, "hide" and strategic positions will also be allowed to be shown.

Mr Day's lawyers had previously argued that "no evidence exists that Mr Day had any knowledge of the Trains plans or that he in any way encouraged or instigated the attack".

"Instead, the Trains actions were just that — their own," they said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-01/queensland-police-evidence-us-trial-donald-day-weambilla/105120672

>>22691991

Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre says she has four days to live

JACQUELIN MAGNAY - 1 April 2025

Virginia Giuffre, the Perth based woman who received millions of dollars from Prince Andrew in a settlement linked to Jeffrey Epstein says she has four days to live.

Ms Giuffre, 41, posted to Instagram that she had been involved in an accident with a school bus and that doctors had told her she was dying.

Underneath a photo of herself covered in deep bruises, Ms Giuffre wrote she had been hit by the bus “driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn”.

Ms Giuffre then said: “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.

“I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes.”

She then added: “S – t in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s – t at the end of the day. Thank you all for being the wonderful people of the world and for being a great part of my life.”

It is understood that Ms Giuffre had recently separated from her husband, Robert with whom she had been living with in North Perth.

It is unclear where and when the crash happened. Ms Giuffre’s agent confirmed the accident.

“Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital,’’ her spokesperson said.

“She greatly appreciates the support and well-wishes people are sending.”

Ms Giuffre’s father Sky Roberts told the UK Telegraph he was hoping she could obtain another medical opinion with different prognosis.

“She’s not doing good,’’ he told the Telegraph. “ She’s depressed because she misses her kids. She’s got four days unless she gets another opinion from another doctor.

“It could be that she could pass away in four days, like she said. But if she gets another doctor, they could probably do other things for her. So that’s all I’m waiting to hear.

“It’s terrible, I want to cry and everything else, but I want to stay strong for her just in case she needs something. Then I’ll be there for her.’’

Ms Giuffre received the settlement from Prince Andrew, reportedly more than A$20m after she sued him for damages in relation to her accusations of being sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew paid the money, without any admission of guilt or any apology, after the Queen wanted her Platinum Jubilee celebrations to go ahead without any courtroom distractions.

Ms Giuffre claimed she was aged 17 when Epstein organised for her to have sex with his friend Prince Andrew on three occasions back in 2001.

Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations and says he has no recollection of meeting Ms Giuffre.

One of Andrew’s fiercest supporters, Lady Victoria Hervey, who once dated the prince, called on Ms Giuffre to supply a “full confession”.

She posted: “If Virginia Giuffre really does have days to live then a complete confession is needed. I don’t believe it though, the FBI are on her right now and arrest warrants are coming.”

Lady Victoria also called on Ms Giuffre’s estranged husband Robert to speak out about what he knows.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/prince-andrew-accuser-virginia-giuffre-says-she-has-four-days-to-live/news-story/f624cdbe7288cd978fa7b37fca794778

https://www.instagram.com/virginiarobertsrising11/p/DH0vvDKzDvu/

>>22850665

Virginia Giuffre, Epstein and Prince Andrew accuser, in hospital after bus crash, spokesperson says

abc.net.au - 1 April 2025

Virginia Giuffre, a prominent accuser of Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, says she has been in a serious crash and has "four days to live".

Ms Giuffre shared a photo on social media of herself with bruises on her face and ECG electrodes, stating it had been the "worst start to the new year".

She said in the post that she had been in a bus crash and had "four days to live" after doctors had told her she was suffering kidney and renal failure.

"'I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes," she said in the post.

It is unclear where the crash occurred, however, recent social media posts say the 41-year-old has been in Perth, where she was known to be living in 2020.

Her spokesperson, Dini von Mueffling, told the BBC: "Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital.

"She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending."

'Minor' bus crash

Western Australian police earlier said they had not been able to locate a crash involving a bus and a car that occurred in the last few weeks.

But at a press conference later on Tuesday morning, Acting Police Commissioner Kylie Whitely said there was a "minor" crash between a bus and a car in a rural area north of Perth on the afternoon of March 24.

"We have no report of any serious injuries. But that is all that we have in relation to that matter," the acting commissioner said.

She said she was not aware of passengers on the bus.

In a subsequent statement, WA Police said the collision was reported by the bus driver the following day.

"The car sustained approximately $2,000 worth of damage," the statement read.

There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.

Police would not confirm if Ms Giuffre was the driver of the other vehicle.

St Johns WA also confirmed they were not called to any crash involving a bus in that location on March 24.

A spokesperson for WA's Public Transport Authority also said on Tuesday morning they were unaware of any such bus crashes.

They also confirmed school buses could only travel at a maximum speed of 95kph on any road.

A spokesperson for the East Metropolitan Health Service, which oversees Perth's major trauma hospital, Royal Perth Hospital, said Ms Giuffre was not at any of their facilities.

Father's 'spirit with you now'

Her father, Sky Roberts, commented on the post saying he was praying she got "correct treatment to live a long and healthy life".

"If there is anything in this world I can do to help you, please let me know. My spirit with you now and holding your hand," he said.

He told the UK Telegraph he was staying strong for her.

"She's not doing good. She's depressed because she misses her kids," he told the publication.

"She's got four days unless she gets another opinion from another doctor."

Ms Giuffre reached a settlement with Prince Andrew in 2022 after accusing him of sexually assaulting her in 2001 when she was 17.

Ms Giuffre said the prince forced her to have sex with him at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, and at properties owned by Epstein.

Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-01/virginia-giuffre-epstein-accuser-in-serious-accident/105120486

>>22850665

Virginia Giuffre says she is in hospital after 'serious' car accident

Rachel Hagan & Sofia Ferreira Santos - 1 April 2025

Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers, has said she is in hospital following a serious accident.

Ms Giuffre posted on Instagram that she had suffered kidney failure after her car collided with a school bus, stating doctors had given her "four days to live" and were transferring her to a specialist hospital.

In a statement shared with the BBC, her spokesperson Dini von Mueffling said: "Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital. She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending."

Ms Giuffre said this year had "been the worst", alongside a photograph from a hospital bed showing visible bruising.

The 41-year-old described the accident in an Instagram post, writing that the crash was so severe that her car "might as well be a tin can".

"I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time," she added, seemingly referring to her three children.

Ms Giuffre had recently been living with her children and husband Robert in the suburb of North Perth, Australia, though recent reports suggest the couple have split after 22 years of marriage.

It remains unclear where and when the crash occurred.

Both the Western Australia police and ambulance services told the BBC they had no records of such an accident happening in recent weeks.

The police later specified that they had located records of a "minor crash" between a bus and a car on 24 March, but that no injuries had been reported as a result.

Ms Giuffre is best known for her allegations that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17.

Prince Andrew has denied all claims but reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.

The settlement included a statement in which he expressed regret for his association with Epstein but contained no admission of liability or apology.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yl5vle2nmo

>>22850665

Prince Andrew accuser claims to have ‘four days to live’

Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, claims doctors have given her ‘four days to live’

Connor Stringer and Iona Cleave - 31 March 2025

Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims who accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, has claimed she is dying after being hit by a school bus.

Ms Giuffre, 41, shared a picture from a hospital bed, covered in bruises. In the caption, she said a speeding bus collided with her car, and that doctors told her she has four days to live.

Ms Giuffre used the post to express the wish to see her three children, whom she is believed to be estranged from.

“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology,” she wrote on Instagram.

“I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes,” she added.

It is unclear where and when the apparent crash happened.

Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s father, told The Telegraph his daughter was depressed and wanted to be reunited with her children.

“She’s not doing good. She’s depressed because she misses her kids,” the retired engineer added. “She’s got four days [to live] unless she gets another opinion from another doctor.

“It could be that she could pass away in four days, like she said. But if she gets another doctor, they could probably do other things for her. So that’s all I’m waiting to hear.”

Mr Roberts said he was trying to “stay strong” for his daughter, whose last known address was with her estranged husband in Western Australia.

“It’s terrible, I want to cry and everything else but I want to stay strong for her just in case she needs something. Then I’ll be there for her,” he said, speaking from his home in Florida.

A spokesperson for Ms Giuffre said: “Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital. She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending.”

US-born Ms Giuffre had recently separated from her husband of 22 years Robert Giuffre and had been living in North Perth in Western Australia.

“S - t in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s - t at the end of the day. Thank you all for being the wonderful people of the world and for being a great part of my life,” Ms Guiffre finished the post.

Ms Giuffre alleged that she was sexually abused or raped by Prince Andrew on three separate occasions in 2001 when she was 17. She had sued him for unspecified damages.

The case was settled by The Duke of York, who allegedly paid his accuser more than £12 million using money from the Queen.

The terms of the deal have remained secret, but at the time, the Duke expressed regret about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and confirmed that he will make a “substantial donation” to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.

It contained no admission of liability and no apology.

The Duke has always vehemently denied the allegations, insisting he has “no recollection” of meeting Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/03/31/prince-andrew-virginia-guiffre-hit-by-school-bus/

>>22850665

Virginia Giuffre's father's heartbreaking message to Epstein victim who has 'days to live'

RACHEL SHARP - 1 April 2025

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The heartbroken father of Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre is begging his daughter to ‘hang on’ after she made the shocking announcement that she has just four days left to live.

Sky Roberts told DailyMail.com that he is ‘sick to my stomach’ and would do anything to be able to fly from his home in Florida to be by his daughter’s hospital bedside in Australia following a horrific car crash.

‘I’m sick to my stomach. I feel like crying because I love my daughter more than life,’ he said.

‘If there’s anything I could do, I’d do it.’

In a gut-wrenching Instagram post late Sunday night, Giuffre announced that she had been given just four days to live after a school bus plowed into her car, leaving her with kidney renal failure.

The 41-year-old - who was sex trafficked by late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her as a teen - wrote that she is ‘ready to go’ but just wants to see her children one final time.

Roberts told DailyMail.com that the crash unfolded a couple of days ago in Australia.

While he has not spoken with his daughter since the crash, his son - Giuffre’s brother - has been in regular contact with her over the past couple of days and has kept him updated as to her condition.

‘She's in really bad shape,’ he said.

‘She’s very depressed… there’s everything else she’s been going through with the divorce and not being able to see her kids.’

Roberts said that his son is ‘trying to get her spirits up so she doesn't just give up.’

‘I’m hoping she can hang on,’ he said.

‘She’s only 41. She’s got a lot of life to live. She's got a lot of things left to do - she’s helping people and helping other girls.’

Roberts revealed how helpless he feels being stuck at his home in Florida, without the money to be able to hop on a plane to Australia to be with her in this time of need.

‘There’s nothing I can do from here,’ he said.

‘I’m on Social Security so I can’t fly out. I'd love to be by her side and support her.’

As well as begging his daughter not to give up, Roberts made a public plea for her to get a second medical opinion from doctors.

‘She needs to get a second opinion,’ he said.

‘When someone tells you, you’re going to die in four days, you don't want to hear from just that person. You need to get a second opinion. You need a third opinion.’

Roberts said he used to be ‘really close’ with his daughter but their relationship had become strained in recent years.

That said, he only has good memories.

‘I remember all the great times I’ve had with her here - her growing up and putting her in horse shows and all the fun things we used to do,’ he said.

‘All you can do when someone is in a bad way is think of the good times. You don’t want to think of any bad times.’

Roberts told DailyMail.com that his daughter has also become recently estranged from her three children as she is in the middle of a messy divorce with her husband of two decades, Robert Giuffre.

He said he hopes that her wish to be able to see her children again comes true.

Since December 2020, Giuffre has lived in Australia with her now-estranged husband and their three children.

(continued)

>>22850723

2/2

In her Instagram post, Giuffre shared a shocking image of herself lying in hospital covered in bruises.

‘They've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology,’ she wrote.

‘This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won't bore anyone with the details.’

She said: ‘But I think it's important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110kmh as we were slowing down for a turn, that no matter what your car is made of, it might as well be a tin can.’

She continued: 'I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time.

'But you know what they say about wishes. S - t in one hand and wish in the other and I guarantee it's still going to be s - t at the end of the day.'

Further details about the crash and her condition are currently unclear.

Giuffre’s representative Dini von Mueffling confirmed to DailyMail.com that ‘Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital.’

‘She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending,’ she added.

Giuffre was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell from the age of 16 after first meeting the sex offenders when she worked at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

In 2015, she came forward with her allegations and pursued legal action.

As part of her allegations, she accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was just 17.

Giuffre claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had trafficked her to Prince Andrew for sex on at least three separate occasions.

In a civil complaint, she claimed that one of the alleged incidents took place at Maxwell’s London townhouse, once at Epstein’s private island Little St James, and the other at Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan.

A now-infamous photo captured the duke with his arm around Giuffre’s waist, with Maxwell stood in the background inside her London home.

Prince Andrew long denied the allegations and was not charged with any crime.

In a car-crash interview with BBC's Newsnight, he claimed he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre.

He also bizarrely claimed her account could not be true because of his inability to sweat.

Prince Andrew ultimately reached a settlement with Giuffre in 2022, including a donation to a charity in support of victims’ rights.

Giuffre's father has previously spoken of his regret that he helped his teenage daughter get a job alongside him at Mar-a-Lago, where she went on to meet her abusers.

'As a parent you kind of ask the question, "How do you not know your children are doing this?",' he said previously.

'But she's a very good actress. When she would come home from these trips she said nothing about it. It must have been killing her inside.

'But for powerful people like that, they can threaten a young girl like that.'

Epstein was found dead in his cell in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

His death was ruled as suicide.

Maxwell was convicted in 2022 of conspiring with Epstein to sex traffic minors.

She is currently behind bars serving a 20-year prison sentence. She is appealing the sentence.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14555807/virginia-giuffre-father-message-epstein-victim.html

>>22850665

Prince Andrew’s ex issues scathing response to Virginia Giuffre’s claim she has ‘days to live’

Vanessa Serna - March 31, 2025

Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey issued a brutal response to his sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre claiming she has “days to live” after allegedly being hit by a school bus.

Hervey took to her Instagram Story Monday to repost a photo of Giuffre lying bruised in a hospital bed, writing, “KARMA.”

She then claimed Giuffre needed to make “a complete confession” after she sued Andrew in 2021 for allegedly raping her when she was 17 as part of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

Hervey, 48, also said she doesn’t believe Giuffre, 41, is dying.

Without any evidence, Hervey claimed, “Hearing from reliable sources it is thought that the FBI went to her recently with evidence/proof that she lied with recordings where she admits nothing ever happened with Prince Andrew.

“She’s conveniently dying to evade jail.”

The socialite then pleaded for Virginia’s husband, Robert Giuffre, to speak up.

“I know he knows the truth of the fake photos and all her con jobs,” Hervey claimed, without citing any proof.

Hervey further questioned Virginia’s claim about the bus crash leading to kidney failure.

She also pointed to Virginia’s jewelry and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a hospital gown as reasons for her skepticism.

“I mean, she is the Queen of the fake photo after all,” Hervey claimed. “Hence I’m such a skeptic and don’t believe in jumping to any conclusions right away from a visual.”

A rep for Virginia did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Hervey’s allegations.

Over the weekend, Virginia shared a grisly selfie via Instagram of herself with apparent injuries.

“When a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can,” she captioned the photo.

“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.”

Andrew denied any wrongdoing when Virginia sued him for rape in 2021.

However, the Duke of York settled the lawsuit the following year and Virginia was reportedly awarded $12 million.

At the time, Andrew was stripped of his military titles and patronages by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

https://pagesix.com/2025/03/31/royal-family/prince-andrews-ex-issues-scathing-response-to-virginia-giuffres-claim-she-has-days-to-live/

https://www.instagram.com/ladyvictoriahervey/

>>22850665

Q Post #4923

Oct 21 2020 20:55:05 (EST)

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1319071346282778624

Dearest Virginia -

We stand with you.

Now and always.

Find peace through prayer.

Never give up the good fight.

God bless you.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4923

https://qanon.pub/#1054

https://qanon.pub/#4568

https://qanon.pub/#4728

>>22836159

>>22845448

Election 2025: Peter Dutton moves to calm his anxious troops after bumpy campaign start

SARAH ISON - April 01, 2025

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Peter Dutton has sought to rally Coalition MPs nervous about the party’s performance and the drop in the Opposition Leader’s personal approval ratings, assuring those worried that the Coalition had not ­convinced voters of its message that “You haven’t seen anything yet”.

The Australian on Monday revealed internal concerns over the performance of the Coalition, with MPs admitting they believed the party was still lacking solid economic policies while former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said it was clear there was “a lot of work to do” before May 3.

Mr Dutton on Tuesday hit back at suggestions his campaign had not started off well, declaring it was too early to make any judgment on the Coalition’s performance.

“I don’t think you’ve seen anything yet – wait until we get into this ­campaign and you will see more of what we’ve got to offer,” the Liberal leader said when confronted with the critiques from within his own party.

“I will lead a team into the next election, which is experienced and which has the ability not just to clean up Labor’s mess, but to implement our positive plan.”

The concerns from Liberal MPs revealed on Monday came despite what was described by members of the party as a “witch hunt” for those responsible for sharing with The Australian last month their views that the Coalition needed to better articulate its economic plan.

Liberal MPs have also warned that while voters knew they didn’t like the government, they weren’t clear on what the Coalition ­offered.

Mr Dutton on Tuesday sought to highlight differences between himself and Anthony ­Albanese.

“You will see the difference between the two parties by election day,” he said during a visit to the safe Victorian Labor-held seat of Calwell in northern Melbourne.

“You will see a prime ministerial candidate who will be able to protect and defend our country when the Prime Minister is too weak to do so.

“You will see a prime ministerial candidate who is able to make the decisions required to get our economy back on track and to reduce inflation to make sure that we can restore the dream of home ownership where the Prime Minister has taken that dream away from Australians.”

He also issued a warning to small business over Labor’s tax agenda, saying the government would “charge you a tax” on unrealised capital gains in their super funds.

Labor has committed to increasing the concessional tax rate on super funds worth over $3m should it be re-elected, with Mr Dutton arguing that business owners who put their businesses or property in their super funds could be forced to sell the assets.

“Labor is going to charge you a tax – levy a tax against your super fund just because the value of that property goes up,” he said.

Despite calls from Coalition backbenchers for the party to lower the superannuation guarantee to 9 per cent, allowing workers to pocket retirement payments, Mr Dutton said he had no plans for such a policy.

“There are no changes to superannuation,” he said.

(continued)

>>22855280

2/2

The Coalition made a blitz of Victorian suburbs on Tuesday, stopping at the outer Melbourne suburb of Berwick, which was part of the Liberal-held seat of La Trobe before the redistribution that now has it captured in the Labor-held seat of Bruce.

Following the issue of crime rocketing to the top of voters’ concerns, particularly in Victoria, Mr Dutton held a roundtable with ­locals who had been victims in recent months.

However, internal criticism over the Mr Dutton’s performance during the election campaign so far continued on Tuesday when some Liberal MPs questioned why the Coalition decide to announce its policy on the Victorian suburban rail loop at a vineyard.

“They didn’t take (the press pack) to a train station, they took (them) to a winery?” one MP asked.

When asked why the location had been chosen, Bridget McKenzie – the Coalition’s infrastructure spokeswoman – said she went where she was told to go.

“I was told by the advancers that you guys wanted this,” she said, when presented with the confusion of the press pack.

Liberal MPs also criticised Mr Dutton for spending what was almost an entire afternoon sitting at an Assyrian new year’s festival in Fairfield on Sunday.

“What was it, like two, three hours? It was probably not the best use of the leader’s time,” one MP said.

Mr Dutton refused to respond to criticism over his declaration on Monday that should he become prime minister, he would opt to live at harbourside Kirribilli in Sydney rather than The Lodge in Canberra.

“The Victorians I’ve spoken to have just had a gut full of the Allan (Labor) government, the extra taxes that Labor applies, the money that they spend, they always rack up debt, and it’s exactly what’s happening at a federal level,” he said, when asked about views from people in Melbourne that he should reside at The Lodge.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/election-2025-peter-dutton-tries-to-calm-his-anxious-troops-after-bumpy-campaign-start/news-story/1e433b0380e95459facc57dd144dd0ae

>>22836159

>>22850566

>>22850614

Coalition pledges to weed out ‘activism’ in universities

NATASHA BITA and NOAH YIM - 1 April 2025

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he Coalition has pledged to wipe out “woke” activism and “ideological agendas” in universities through an unprecedented level of ministerial intervention in course content.

Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson, spelling out the Coalition’s higher education policy for the first time during the election campaign, said she would direct the Tertiary Quality Education Quality and Standards Agency to take action against “indoctrination’’.

“I am concerned that some courses are being impacted by teachings which are designed to drive political agendas,” Senator Henderson told The Australian.

“For instance, Macquarie University should be more focused on genuine academic performance rather than penalising students if they don’t complete a ‘privilege walk’ or perform a ‘thoughtful and culturally respectful’ acknowledgment of country at the beginning of an oral law exam.

“Universities must be places of higher learning, not indoctrination.”

Senator Henderson’s warning came as federal Education Minister Jason Clare welcomed the closure of Chinese government-sponsored Confucius Institutes in five Australian universities.

The University of Queensland, University of NSW, RMIT University, University of Melbourne and University of Western Australia have all shut down the Chinese-funded cultural centres, while the University of Adelaide is refusing to say if its institute has been shut down.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has pulled funding from researchers at eight Australian universities after sending them a questionnaire asking if they have links to China – including Confucius Institutes.

Senator Henderson said on Tuesday that, if elected, a Dutton government would use “existing mechanisms’’ to ask TEQSA to investigate the quality of teaching and content in individual university degrees.

“TEQSA, as the regulator, already has the authority to examine the quality and appropriateness of course content,’’ she said.

“The law also allows the minister to request that TEQSA advise and make recommendations regarding the quality of higher education providers.”

The Australian understands that Senator Henderson also plans to force universities to publish detailed course outlines, so students know what they are signing up for before they enrol in a degree.

Currently, most universities provide such broad-brushed course summaries that students do not discover detailed course requirements until after they start university.

The Coalition’s war on woke teaching also extends to schools, after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he would use federal funding to prevent students being “indoctrinated’’ in classrooms.

He said a Coalition government would “reflect community standards in relation to what is being taught at our schools and our universities”.

Citing a recent controversy about a law course at Macquarie University that marked students on their delivery of an acknowledgment of country, and protests attended by school teachers, Mr Dutton said on Tuesday that this was being “translated into the classroom”.

“That’s not something I support,’’ he said.

“I support young Australians being able to think freely, being able to assess what’s before them, and not being told and indoctrinated with something that is the agenda of others, and that’s the approach that we would take.’’

In an interview on Monday night, Mr Dutton said “we should be saying to states … who receive that (federal) funding that we want our kids to be taught the curriculum, and what our kids need to take on as they face the challenges of the world”.

“That’s the way the federal government can try to influence the NSW government or the Victorian government, whatever it might be,” he told Sky News.

NSW Labor Education Minister Prue Car fired back, accusing Mr Dutton of politicising children’s education.

“Given the significant reform NSW has undertaken in delivering its own, nation-leading, clear, cohesive and explicit curriculum, I’m reluctant to impose more unnecessary workload on to our hardworking and dedicated teachers for the sake of Peter Dutton’s attempt to politicise our kids’ education,” Ms Car told The Australian.

“It is concerning that Peter Dutton, potentially the next prime minister, is criticising a national curriculum that was signed off by the Liberals and Nationals when he was sitting around the cabinet table.

“We would be happy to brief Peter Dutton on the nation-leading work we are doing here in NSW, given he is clearly not across these issues.”

(continued)

>>22855312

2/2

Mr Dutton also flagged cuts to the federal Education Department, telling Sky News “people ask why we’ve got a department of thousands and thousands of people in Canberra called the Education Department if we don’t have a school and don’t employ a teacher”.

Mr Clare said Mr Dutton had “opened the door to abolishing the Australian Department of Education and cutting funding to schools again’’.

“Peter Dutton’s bigger agenda is to cut funding from our schools,’’ he said.

“That’s what the Liberals always do. This time they will cut funding from our schools to pay for the $600bn of nuclear reactors.”

Senator Henderson insisted the Coalition would honour Mr Clare’s funding agreements with the states and territories, and slammed the “baseless Labor scare campaign’’.

“A Dutton government will match, dollar for dollar, all school funding agreements with the states and territories,’’ she said.

“The Coalition supported legislation to facilitate increasing funding for public schools.”

Senator Henderson said that under the former Coalition government, “commonwealth school funding nearly doubled from $13bn in 2013 to $25.3bn in 2022, underpinned by a needs-based model”.

She said Mr Clare had “made a mess of school funding’’ by failing to sign bilateral agreements for 10-year funding deals with Victoria and Western Australia before the election was called.

“If elected, we will prioritise the finalisation of those agreements within the funding envelope,’’ she said.

Mr Clare is keeping secret the details of bilateral agreements signed with other states and territories, and his office on Tuesday refused to say whether they would be able to funnel 1.8 per cent of classroom funding towards school bus services.

Senator Henderson flagged changes to the national curriculum, which the previous Coalition government approved in 2022, and which is not due for review until 2027.

“Teachers and students are being let down by an overcrowded and complex national curriculum which is not aligned with international best practice,’’ she said.

“A Dutton Coalition government is determined to ensure young Australians are supported by a knowledge-rich, commonsense curriculum and we will have more to say about our plan to raise academic standards in the coming weeks.”

The Greens’ schools spokeswoman, Penny Allman-Payne, a former high school teacher, said Senator Henderson was “fixated on moulding the curriculum in her own image rather than supporting disadvantaged kids’’.

“Peter Dutton has said he will hold public school kids to ransom, withholding funds unless he gets to decide the curriculum,’’ Senator Allman-Payne said.

“He’s seen what Trump is doing to public education in America and would love nothing more than to import that ideology into Australia.

“Dutton and Sarah Henderson need to be upfront here: Are they talking about banning science or First Nations history as a condition of funding? Or forbidding queer teachers from discussing their lives?’’

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/coalition-pledges-to-weed-out-activism-in-universities/news-story/96e09a602148fc82788eb3888ba19a43

>>22836159

>>22812815

>>22836700

Election 2025: Coalition election plan to blitz teals and fight Climate 200

GEOFF CHAMBERS - 2 April 2025

Peter Dutton and senior Liberal figures are preparing campaign blitzes of teal-held seats and ­Coalition electorates targeted by independents, as new Climate 200 polling claims that Zoe Daniel has her nose in front of Tim Wilson in Goldstein.

The blitz will align with campaign launches for Liberals who are fighting cashed-up teal MPs and candidates backed by resources and infrastructure supported by Simon Holmes a Court’s ­Climate 200. Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who has made 40 visits to teal electorates since the 2022 election, will hit target seats including Goldstein, Kooyong, Curtin, Mackellar, Warringah and Wentworth over the next fortnight as part of a broader ­national tour.

Ms Ley will join Liberal contenders for streetwalks and to spruik local project announcements, and will join Wentworth candidate Ro Knox and Warringah candidate Jaimee Rogers for their official campaign launches.

As the Liberal Party steps up its “Teals Revealed” campaign amid confidence it can win back up to six teal and independent seats, Climate 200-commissioned uComms polling of 1225 voters in Goldstein between March 18 and 25 indicates that Ms Daniel holds a 54 to 46 per cent two-party-preferred vote lead in the Melbourne seat.

The polling revealed an improvement on a February 12-25 uComms poll of 979 Goldstein voters, which had the contest closer at 52 to 48 per cent. At the 2022 election, Ms Daniel beat Mr Wilson on a margin of 52.87 to 47.13 per cent.

The Climate 200 polling, which shows One Nation tripling its primary vote in Goldstein since the 2022 election, had Mr Wilson ahead of Ms Daniel on primary vote. The margin narrowed after uComms added undecided voters into the mix.

Despite the Climate 200 poll, Liberal sources said they believed Mr Wilson could oust Ms Daniel and were also hopeful of beating Kate Chaney in the Perth seat of Curtin and Monique Ryan in Kooyong. Mr Wilson, who held Goldstein between 2016 and 2022, has raised a sizeable war chest and amassed an army of volunteers in the electorate, which is home to about 11,000 Jewish-Australians.

The Coalition, which is fending off challenges from Climate 200-backed independents in Wannon and Cowper, is confident of winning Calare, Monash and Moore, which the Liberals and Nationals won in 2022 but are now considered independent after the crossbench defections of Andrew Gee, Russell Broadbent and Ian Goodenough. The trio are running at the May 3 election as independents and Climate 200 is also backing independents in the three seats.

Ms Ley, who will visit Goldstein next week, said: “Australians have been left poorer and less safe under the Albanese government and that has largely been enabled by the Climate 200 teals, who vote with Labor and the Greens more than 70 per cent of the time.

“At the start of this term, the Climate 200 teals said they would change Canberra, but at the end of the term it’s clear that Can­berra has changed them. Instead of holding Anthony Albanese to account, many of the Climate 200 teals have spent their time, effort and resources opposing the opposition. A vote for a Climate 200 teal is a vote to keep Anthony ­Albanese as Prime Minister. The only way to change the government and change the country is to vote for your local Liberal.”

The Climate 200-backed independent running in Ms Ley’s seat of Farrer is expected to finish third behind the Labor candidate.

Senior Liberal MPs have ­attacked Climate 200 polls as “misleading push polling”, which they say is designed to favour hand-picked candidates and promote independents as frontrunners. Climate 200 has defended the uComms polls because the “message testing” is conducted after three neutral questions asking about voters’ ages, genders and voting intentions, which aligns with Australian Polling Council guidelines. The “pre-message vote intention” is shared publicly while the follow-up intention questions are used by Climate 200 to assess how voters respond to messaging and to ­inform strategic decisions.

Coalition campaign spokesman James Paterson said: “It’s going to be a very close election, it could come down to a handful of seats and the Prime Minister is already having to contemplate a possible minority government with the Greens and the teals.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coalition-election-plan-to-blitz-teals-and-fight-climate-200/news-story/e7b8f947440dd89835d597ee4a9d1775

https://www.tealsrevealed.com/

>>22544347 (pb)

>>22697743

>>22836159

Jacinta Allan’s sinking popularity inflicts brand damage on Albanese’s election hopes

Chip Le Grand and Paul Sakkal - April 2, 2025

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Jacinta Allan’s sinking popularity has become a significant drag on federal Labor’s re-election hopes, as a new poll shows three out of four Victorian voters want someone else to be premier.

The exclusive survey, conducted by Resolve Political Monitor for The Age, confirms support for state Labor has collapsed to emergency levels that will shape the federal political contest in Victoria. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will campaign in Victoria on Wednesday.

Primary support for state Labor was at 24 per cent in February and March, marginally above the 22 per cent nadir reached in the previous survey in December and January, but 12.6 points below its election-winning vote in November 2022.

The state Coalition’s primary support is at 41 per cent, 1 point down on the previous survey.

The latest survey of more than 1000 respondents found Allan’s personal standing with voters has continued to tank. Whereas 38 per cent of voters preferred her as premier when she took over the job from Daniel Andrews in October 2023, that figure has slumped to 23 per cent, her lowest recorded level of support.

Her once-neutral “likeability” rating has cratered to minus 32 per cent, sliding 8 points since January.

ALP strategists believe this helps explain why Victoria, a state which swung hard against the Coalition at the 2022 federal election, is Labor’s problem child in this campaign.

Resolve founder Jim Reed said his latest state survey results were consistent with trends detected by other polling companies.

“We, and now other pollsters, have been picking up Labor dropping to the low-mid 20s for primary vote,” he said. “That’s a really bad position to be in, and the strength of criticism in the comments suggests that there’s now a hatred of Labor in many parts of the electorate.

“This brand damage obviously impedes the Albanese government’s prospects in the state, which is why the campaign won’t feature the premier as they are in places like SA or NSW.”

Whereas in South Australia and NSW, premiers Peter Malinauskas and Chris Minns are seen as Labor assets, Allan has become a liability for her own party.

As Reed put it: “There are now loyal Labor voters supporting the party in spite of the leader, rather than because of her.”

According to Resolve’s latest national survey, published this week, Labor’s primary vote of 27 per cent in Victoria is 3 points below its primary support in NSW. At the 2022 federal election, Labor secured 33 per cent of the primary vote in Victoria. Resolve does not publish a two-party preferred figure.

Federal Labor ministers and campaigners, speaking confidentially to discuss internal party matters, said the party’s own research showed Victorian numbers worsening for Labor recently despite all other states improving for the government.

Labor is bracing for the potential loss of eight seats in Victoria. The Liberal Party is hoping to gain up to six.

Albanese, in comments to this masthead, urged voters to judge his government on its own record. The prime minister dismissed as a scare campaign plans by the Liberal Party to flood Victoria with advertisements seeking to associate federal Labor with Allan.

“People will make their own judgment, but what that says to me is that they don’t have any criticism of my government,” he said.

He offered faint praise for Allan, noting she led a government which had “built a lot”, saving his most scathing assessment for Dutton, referencing claims the opposition leader made in 2018 about Melbourne being unsafe after dark.

“Peter Dutton is the guy who has run campaigns against Victoria for a long time, including saying that they were scared to go out at night for dinner,” Albanese said. “He bagged Victorians and the effort they made during COVID. He’s someone who’s hostile to Victorians.”

(continued)

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The Resolve survey also reveals that the once-popular Big Build program, for which Allan was responsible before becoming premier, is now being questioned by voters.

Big Build has delivered important rail and road projects: the West Gate Tunnel and Metro Rail Tunnel projects are scheduled to open at the end of this year. But the building spree has also fuelled state debt, forecast to reach $187.3 billion by 2028.

The Resolve survey found 52 per cent of respondents agreed Big Build costs were greater than the public benefits and 67 per cent agreed the government needed to focus on cutting spending to reduce debt.

Some of the comments from survey respondents were damning. “Ten years of corruption, massive debt and now a useless premier have killed the state,” said one. Another said: “I’m not usually a Liberal, but anyone would be a better government than this mob. Worst in our history.”

State Opposition Leader Brad Battin was preferred premier with 36 per cent of respondents, down 1 point, with a likeability rating of 9 per cent, up 5 per cent.

The survey was conducted in mid-February and late March. Half the respondents were polled after Allan’s announcement of bail changes to crack down on youth crime and after reporting by this masthead about the infiltration by organised crime of government-funded building sites and the CFMEU construction union.

Dutton has already sought to exploit these issues in the campaign.

On Tuesday, when he announced his intention to withdraw $2.2 billion in federal funding from the Suburban Rail Loop, he described it as Allan’s “unfunded, cruel hoax of a project” and reiterated his promise to deregister the CFMEU.

Allan inherited from Andrews a 10-year-old, debt-ridden government. Since the start of this year, she has worked to differentiate herself from Andrews, his political agenda and fiscal legacy.

Confronting a rise in youth crime, Allan legislated to reverse changes to bail laws Andrews introduced to reduce the number of young people on remand. Seeking to bring government spending under control, she brought in a former top bureaucrat, Helen Silver, to pare back the public service and government agencies.

She remains committed to the Suburban Rail Loop, a long-term project to encircle Melbourne and stimulate higher density housing development and business investment with a 90-kilometre rail line.

Two senior state Labor figures, speaking in confidence to discuss internal party matters, said the state government had to rid itself of the SRL but may need a new leader to make the call.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/jacinta-allan-s-sinking-popularity-inflicts-brand-damage-on-albanese-s-election-hopes-20250331-p5lnyy.html

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>>22845494

>>22850600

Chinese state media praises Anthony Albanese, accuses Peter Dutton of ‘beating the drums of war’

WILL GLASGOW - 2 April 2025

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Chinese state media has accused Peter Dutton of “beating ‘the drums of war’ against China” and praised Anthony Albanese for speaking the “truth”, as Beijing said it maintains a position of “noninterference” in elections after a Chinese deep sea research vessel sailed into the Australian campaign.

The passage of the Tan Suo Yi Hao, a Chinese research vessel, along the south coast of Australia has been the centre of a loud debate during the first week of the election campaign, with the Opposition leader accusing the Prime Minister of a “wet lettuce” response. Security analysts warn the vessel has dual purpose military applications and was likely studying Australia’s undersea oceanography for the benefit of the PLA navy.

Asked on Wednesday afternoon about the praise from Beijing, Mr Albanese said: “I stand up for Australia’s national interest. That’s what I do each and every day.”

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister accused the Opposition Leader of “hypocrisy”, noting the Coalition government’s greenlighting of the sale of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company and a visit by the PLA Navy to Sydney Harbour in 2019.

“If Peter Dutton had been in Kirribilli House - those harbourside views he wants so much – he could have looked out the window and seen a Chinese naval ship at Garden Island,” Mr Albanese said.

The Opposition Leader on Wednesday continued to criticise the Prime Minister for “projecting weakness”, arguing that the Australian Defence Force – not the Border Force – should be monitoring the Chinese research ship as it circumnavigates Australia.

“We’ve got the Prime Minister saying one thing, the Defence Minister saying another about whether it’s Border Force or whether it’s Defence or who’s got the lead here and who’s providing the surveillance,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesman at China’s Embassy in Canberra said Chinese diplomats had maintained “close communication” with Australian officials about the vessel.

The Chinese embassy spokesman criticised Australian media reporting for “smearing” the research activities of the vessel, which it said had “nothing to do with China-Australia relations, let alone the Australian federal election”.

“China always upholds the principle of noninterference in other countries’ internal affairs, and does not want to participate in, interfere with, or comment on Australia’s election,” the Chinese embassy spokesman said.

In a pointed piece published overnight, Beijing’s Global Times said Australian paranoia and political opportunism were “hijacking” the relationship.

“Some Australian politicians just don’t get it. They try to block the improvement of China-Australia relations, constantly spewing harmful rhetoric and hijacking the relationship, only for their personal benefit,” the Chinese state owned masthead editorialised.

“China is not a threat. On this point, Australia can sleep soundly. It does not have to be this paranoid,” the state media masthead wrote.

(continued)

>>22855449

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Coming weeks after a PLA navy flotilla circumnavigated Australia and conducted live-fire drills under a busy flight path between Australia and New Zealand, the Chinese research vessel has again exposed the extreme lack of trust between China and Australia, despite a three-year “stabilisation” process led by the Albanese government.

Mr Albanese has tried to downplay the passage of the Chinese vessel, which had recently conducted deep sea survey work in a joint project with New Zealand and was praised on China’s national broadcaster CCTV.

In his initial response on Monday, the Prime Minister said he “would prefer that it wasn’t there”, but noted that Australian navy ships routinely operate in the South China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese researchers praised the Australian Prime Minister’s approach.

“Albanese spoke the truth, while to some extent highlighting the double standards of some Australian politicians and media,” Xu Shanpin, an adjunct research fellow at the China University of Mining and Technology, told the Global Times.

In contrast, the Global Times said Mr Dutton was exploiting the issue for political gain ahead of the election.

“For the opposition, especially its leader Dutton, this election could be his last chance to run for office. That’s why Dutton has begun beating ‘the drums of war’ against China again,” the state masthead said.

Beijing officially refuses to comment on other countries’ elections, but its state media routinely reveals its apparent preferences.

An editorial in the China Daily last November advised other American allies to learn from Mr Albanese, praising his “strategic autonomy” amid “unprecedented geopolitical complexity and uncertainty” after the election of Donald Trump.

“Australia’s ties with China deteriorated when the previous Australian government fell under Washington’s anti-China spell,” the China Daily said. “But Canberra has woken up to the significance of those ties under the Albanese government and set out repairing them.”

Internal party analysis found concern among many Chinese-Australian voters had contributed to the loss of Liberal seats in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Those seats are being targeted by both major parties in this campaign.

On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry said China’s vessels always act “in accordance with international law” and urged Australia to have “a right understanding of this and stop the groundless suspicion and speculations”.

Asked by The Australian if China would send any more vessels to Australia ahead of the May 3 election, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated that China only conducts “normal activities at sea”.

“At the same time, China always upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-state-media-accuses-dutton-of-beating-the-drums-of-war-praises-albanese/news-story/abe857849424cce5fff76a00b90e4a54

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xw/fyrbt/lxjzh/202503/t20250331_11585144.html

>>22836159

>>22845494

>>22850600

>>22855449

Australia’s paranoia over China’s research vessel unfounded, it doesn’t have to be this way

Global Times - Apr 01, 2025

Over the past two days, Australia has been paranoid about a Chinese research vessel that appeared off the coast of South Australia. In Australian media's portrayal, what was originally a harmless research ship has, for no clear reason, been transformed into a "spy ship."

It started with the Chinese research vessel, Tan Suo Yi Hao (Discovery One) being spotted "traveling along Australia's southern coastline, outside of Australia's exclusive economic zone," according to Australia media. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted on Monday that "China carries out normal activities at sea in accordance with international law, including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We hope Australia will have a right understanding of this and stop the groundless suspicion and speculations." However, on Tuesday, the tone of Australian media reports became increasingly exaggerated.

Sky News Australia claimed that "a Chinese spy ship spotted off the coast of South Australia has been accused of mapping Australia's submarine cables for 'future operations.'" The Australian published a more blatant headline, "China spy ship has Labor all at sea."

But how can anyone be sure this ship is a "spy"? According to these media outlets, the answer is: The vessel is CONSIDERED a "spy ship," as "the PLA WOULD be vitally interested in undersea oceanography off the Australian coast." In other words, the accusation is nothing more than unfounded speculation.

Xu Shanpin, an adjunct research fellow at the China University of Mining and Technology, believes the nature of Tan Suo Yi Hao has been confirmed by the New Zealand side and even some Western media outlets. The Guardian noted that "Tan Suo Yi Hao was in New Zealand as part of an eight-nation scientific venture and helped New Zealand scientists reach the bottom of the Puysegur trench for the first time, according to local media." It quoted a New Zealand biologist as saying that "the vessel enabled scientists to reach locations previously out of reach."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also said that "We live in circumstances where just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea, and vessels in the Taiwan Straits and a range of areas, this vessel is there." Albanese spoke the truth, while to some extent highlighting the double standards of some Australian politicians and media - while Australia allows its own vessels to demonstrate military presence in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, they cannot tolerate Chinese ships entering international waters near Australia's coastline; and for them, anything related to China can easily be framed as a "security" issue, Xu told the Global Times.

Unsurprisingly, Albanese's remarks have drawn criticism from the opposition party and some media outlets. Peter Dutton, leader of the opposition, accused him of "weakness" on national security. The real issue isn't that "China's research vessel poses any actual threat," but rather the timing - just ahead of Australia's national election in early May. For the opposition, especially its leader Dutton, this election could be his last chance to run for office. That's why Dutton has begun beating "the drums of war" against China again. The "China threat" narrative has become almost his only political tool to challenge the Labor Party and Albanese, Yu Lei, a professor from the Department of International Politics and Economics at Shandong University, told the Global Times.

In February, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian wrote that "China and Australia are comprehensive strategic partners. The term 'partner' indicates that the two countries are friends, not rivals." There are also clear-eyed Australian scholars and former politicians who point out that China has never been a threat to Australia. They say that Australia is absolutely a beneficiary of China's economic development.

Some Australian politicians just don't get it. They try to block the improvement of China-Australia relations, constantly spewing harmful rhetoric and hijacking the relationship, only for their personal benefit. That's the real threat to Australia - not the research vessel from China.

A better relationship with China will bring invaluable benefits to Australia. However, the key lies in managing the balance between China, Australia, and the US; Canberra cannot simply reap economic benefits from China while aligning with the US to undermine China's core interests. This is not an unreasonable expectation.

But one thing is certain, China is not a threat. On this point, Australia can sleep soundly. It does not have to be this paranoid.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1331355.shtml

>>22850665

Virginia Giuffre says she mistakenly posted claim that she has four days left to live to Instagram as she reveals new details of car crash

FREYA BARNES - 2 April 2025

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Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre has said she mistakenly posted the claim that she had just four days left to live to her public Instagram.

Ms Giuffre, 41, sparked concerns across the globe when she shared a photo of her 'battered and bruised' claiming she was dying after being hit by a school bus.

The snap seemed to have been taken from a hospital bed, and Ms Giuffre said a speeding vehicle had ploughed into her car and that doctors had told her she has four days to live.

Today she issued a statement after her post triggered an outpouring of concern for her welfare, as well as questions about the circumstances of a 'car crash' that caused her injuries and 'kidney failure'.

The statement said: 'Virginia thanks everyone for the outpouring of love and support. She is overwhelmed with gratitude.

'Today she remains in serious condition while receiving medical care. On March 24, in rural Western Australia, a school bus hit the car in which she was riding.

'The police were called but said that there was no one available to come to the scene.

'They asked if anyone was injured and suggested that if they were, they should make their way to the hospital.

'The school bus driver had a bus full of distraught children and left the scene to get them back, saying he would file a police report, which he did later.

'Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home. Virginia's condition worsened and she was admitted to the hospital.

'Concerning her Instagram post, Virginia thought that she had posted on her private Facebook page.

'Virginia and her family thank everyone for their concern.'

She is currently being treated at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital in Perth, Australia.

On Sunday, Ms Giuffre, née Roberts, shared a concerning selfie from a hospital bed to her Instagram which showed her severely bruised face and upper body.

The mother - who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and alleged she was sexually assaulted as a teenager by Prince Andrew - said she was suffering from kidney failure after the crash.

She also begged to see her children 'one last time' before she dies after claiming doctors said she had just four days to live.

The full caption on her 'accidental' post read: 'This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won't bore any one with the details but I think it's important to note that when a school bus driver comes at your driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can.

'I've gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology. I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what the say about wishes. S - T in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it's still going to be s - t at the end of the day.

'Thank you all for being the wonderful people of the world and for being a great part of my life. Godbless you all xx Virginia.'

(continued)

>>22855500

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Following the bombshell post, Brad Edwards, a US lawyer who represented Ms Giuffre in her previous legal cases, said it was a 'very bad situation'.

He told MailOnline they were 'hoping for better news in the coming days' and that he hoped Ms Giuffre would pull through with good medical care.

Ms Giuffre's spokesperson Dini von Mueffing, yesterday said: 'Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital. She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending.'

This latest update comes after Prince Andrew's former girlfriend socialite Victoria Hervey called Ms Giuffre a 'fantasist' and suggested that she was lying over the extent of the crash.

Lady Victoria, 48, was dubbed 'nasty' and 'vile' by many social media users since she posted Ms Giuffre's selfie in a hospital bed with the word 'Karma' added to it.

But the aristocrat who briefly dated Prince Andrew in 1999 refused to back down from her brutal Instagram post today.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she said she was continuing to doubt Ms Giuffre's claims that she had been seriously hurt in the crash and had only days to live due to her injuries including kidney failure.

She said: 'Virginia Giuffre is a fantasist. It's been a long drawn out process these last few years, but it's unravelling. Her lies are being exposed. Let's see in three days, but I bet she will still be alive'

She spoke out as police in Australia appeared to confirm that Ms Giuffre had only been involved in what they described as a 'minor' crash with a school bus with no initial reports of anyone being injured.

A Western Australia Police Force spokesperson at the time said they were aware of a 'minor crash' between a bus and a car in Neergabby, north of Perth, on March 24.

The collision was reported by the bus driver the following day. The car sustained about $2,000 (£1,547) worth of damage but there were no injuries reported, the spokesperson said.

Lady Victoria insisted she had no regrets about re-posting the 'Karma' message accompanied by the rocking soundtrack of Europe's 1986 glam rock smash 'The Final Countdown' after it was originally posted by a friend.

She said: 'I re-posted the Karma (post) because I felt, well you know, she deserves it. But I also knew in my head that she was lying.'

Ms Giuffre found herself at the centre of one of the world's biggest scandals when she launched legal action against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2015.

She alleged she was trafficked for sex at age 16 after his associate and ex-lover, Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her from her job as a locker room attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Ms Giuffre and Maxwell eventually reached an undisclosed settlement over a defamation case in 2017.

Epstein took his own life in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, while Maxwell was jailed for 20 years in 2022 for conspiring with him to sexually abuse minors.

Ms Giuffre alleges Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew on at least three occasions when she was 17 and that she spent two days alone with the royal in New Mexico.

In 2022, she received an out-of-court settlement reported to be worth millions from the Duke of York.

The settlement accepted no liability and Andrew has always strongly rejected claims.

But he agreed to pay the unspecified amount to Ms Giuffre and her charity for victims' rights.

In the wake of the scandal, Andrew lost his military titles and royal patronages as well as the use of His Royal Highness title.

(continued)

>>22855506

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Her father has previously spoken of his torment knowing he helped his daughter get a job alongside him at the Trump resort, before she was recruited as a masseuse by Maxwell.

'As a parent you kind of ask the question, "How do you not know your children are doing this?",' Mr Roberts said previously.

'But she's a very good actress. When she would come home from these trips she said nothing about it. It must have been killing her inside.

'But for powerful people like that, they can threaten a young girl like that.'

Even Ms Giuffre's father, Sky Roberts, was shocked by his daughter's late night Instagram post and also appeared to be in the dark about the incident.

'Virginia my daughter, I love you and praying you get the correct treatment to live a long and healthy life,' he wrote.

'If there is anything in the world, I can do to help you, please let me know. My spirit is with you now and holding your hand.'

He told DailyMail.com that he is ‘sick to my stomach’ and would do anything to be able to fly from his home in Florida to be by his daughter’s hospital bedside in Australia following a horrific car crash.

‘I’m sick to my stomach. I feel like crying because I love my daughter more than life,’ he said.

‘If there’s anything I could do, I’d do it.’

Ms Giuffre's last known address was with her estranged husband, Robert Giuffre, and their three children at a $1.9million beachfront property in Ocean Reef, North Perth in Western Australia.

American-born Ms Giuffre met her Australian martial arts instructor husband when she was 19 during a trip to Thailand.

The pair married 10 days later and later moved to Australia, eventually settling in West Australia in December 2020.

Eight months later, she filed court paperwork suing Prince Andrew for sexual assault.

But the couple, who had been married for 22 years, recently parted ways, with Ms Giuffre claiming she is now estranged from their three teenage children.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14559989/Virginia-Giuffre-says-mistakenly-posted-claim-four-days-left-live-Instagram.html

>>22850665

>>22855500

Alleged Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre charged with breaching a family violence restraining order

Alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre appeared in court charged with breaching a family violence order just days before she made headlines following a bus crash.

Duncan Evans - April 2, 2025

Virginia Giuffre appeared in court for allegedly breaching a family violence restraining order just days before claiming she had days to live following a bus crash.

The alleged breach happened in early February and Ms Giuffre’s first appearance at the Magistrates Court in Joondalup, WA, was on March 14.

No plea was entered at the hearing and the matter is next listed for April 9.

Ms Giuffre’s estranged husband Robert, 49, is also facing separate charges.

WA Court lists show the police charged Mr Giuffre for an inadequate storage facility for firearms in February this year and reckless driving exceeding the speed limit by 45km/h or more on a length of road in September last year.

For the reckless driving charge, Robert was fined $1200 and lost his license for six months.

Ms Giuffre was allegedly trafficked by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and has accused Prince Andrew, a member of the British Royal Family, of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

She claimed Prince Andrew forced her to have sex with him at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, who was found guilty in 2021 of trafficking underage girls.

Ms Giuffre’s civil case against Prince Andrew was settled in 2022.

Prince Andrew has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

The charge against Ms Giuffre hit the courts just days before she generated headlines following a bizarre bus crash incident.

Ms Giuffre, 41, posted a photo of herself to Instagram with severe bruising to her face.

She said she had been involved in a bus crash and had just “four days to live”.

“This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won’t bore anyone with the details but I think it important to note than when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can,” she wrote.

“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.

“I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time.”

Details of the bus crash are scant, however, and WA Police Acting Commissioner Kylie Whitely has said there was a minor crash between a bus and a car in a rural area near Perth on March 24.

Police and St John WA Ambulance have stated nobody was taken to hospital following the crash and no-one suffered serious injuries.

“The collision was reported by the bus driver the following day,” the police said.

“The car sustained approximately $2000 worth of damage.

“There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.”

Ms Giuffre’s agent has since released a statement on the crash, saying the Perth-based mother-of-three thought she was sharing the post to a private social media account.

“Today she remains in serious condition while receiving medical care,” the statement reads.

“On March 24, in rural Western Australia, a school bus hit the car in which she was riding.

“The police were called but said that there was no one available to come to the scene.

“They asked if anyone was injured and suggested that if they were, they should make their way to the hospital.

“The school bus driver had a bus full of distraught children and left the scene to get them back, saying he would file a police report, which he did later.

“Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home.

“Virginia’s condition worsened and she was admitted to the hospital.”

Ms Giuffre is reportedly divorced from her husband Robert.

In an Instagram post from March 22, Ms Giuffre shared photos of her children and suggested she was unable to see them.

“My beautiful babies have no clue how much I love them,” she wrote.

“I miss them so very much. I have been through hell and back in my 41 years but this is incredibly hurting me worse than anything else.

“My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/western-australia/alleged-epstein-victim-virginia-giuffre-charged-with-breaching-a-family-violence-restraining-order/news-story/e2649b145f79006c79b3ecce7c48c273

https://www.instagram.com/virginiarobertsrising11/p/DHfzrupSu60/?img_index=1

>Dearest Virginia -

>We stand with you.

>Now and always.

>Find peace through prayer.

>Never give up the good fight.

>God bless you.

>>22836159

>>22746198

Australia hit with 10 per cent tariffs on ‘Liberation Day’

JOE KELLY - 3 April 2024

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Donald Trump has declared that America’s friends were often worse than its enemies when it came to reciprocal trade, as he justified his new wave of tariffs on Thursday.

Speaking in the Rose Garden at the White House on Wednesday local time, the US President declared “we are not taking it anymore” and that April 2 would be remembered as the day America reclaimed its destiny and US industry was reborn.

He confirmed the reciprocal tariffs would commence from Friday local time, saying America would “calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, non-monetary barriers and other forms of cheating”.

The official start date for the new regime, as confirmed by the White House, is 12.01am (local time) April 5, 2025. A White House statement said the tariffs would remain in place “until such a time as President Trump determines that the threat posed by the trade deficit and underlying non-reciprocal treatment is satisfied, resolved or mitigated”.

Mr Trump will be able to “increase the tariff if trading partners retaliate or decrease the tariffs if trading partners take significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade agreements and align with the United States on economic and national security matters”.

The President said America was being “very kind” because he would charge other nations “approximately half of what they are and have been charging us”.

He said imposing a full reciprocal tariff would have been “tough for a lot of countries”.

Mr Trump warned that, for decades, America had been “looted, pillaged and raped”, and that other nations had become rich and powerful at its expense.

“Now it’s our turn to prosper,” he said.

Mr Trump said the revenue raised as a result of the new tariffs would go towards reducing taxes and paying down the national debt.

He argued that jobs and factories would come “roaring back” into America, and that his policies would supercharge the US industrial base. He also took aim at the “vicious attacks” American workers had suffered as a result of foreign trade barriers.

“We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers, and ultimately more production at home will mean stronger competition at lower prices for consumers,” he said.

Mr Trump revealed that his administration would establish a new “minimum baseline tariff of 10 per cent” that would apply to other countries “to help rebuild our economy and to prevent cheating”.

“Foreign nations will finally be asked to pay for the privilege of access to our market, the biggest market in the world,” he said.

The White House confirmed that Mr Trump was “invoking his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977” to address a “national emergency posed by the large and persistent trade deficit”.

It warned that the trade deficit was driven by the “absence of reciprocity in our trade relationships and other harmful policies like currency manipulation and exorbitant value-added taxes perpetuated by other countries”.

(continued)

>>22860237

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The 50 per cent discounted reciprocal tariff rate being imposed by the US means Beijing will be one of the biggest losers from Mr Trump’s trade shake-up.

China will face a reciprocal tariff of 34 per cent. But many other nations in Asia will also face much higher US tariffs and be even harder hit, with Vietnam looking at a 46 per cent tariff.

Europe has not escaped. The EU will be hit with a 20 per cent reciprocal tariff and, like Australia, the UK will face a reciprocal 10 per cent tariff rate.

Mr Trump said that “with today’s actions” he was standing up for American farmers who had been “brutalised by nations all over the world”. He took aim at Canada for imposing a 250-300 per cent tariff on many of America’s dairy products.

“With countries like Canada, we subsidise a lot of countries and keep them going and keep them in business,” he said. “In the case of Mexico, it’s $300bn a year. In the case of Canada, it’s close to $200bn a year. And they say, why are we doing this?

“I mean, at what point do you say, ‘You got to work for yourselves’? This is why we have the big deficits. This is why we have the amount of debt that’s been placed on our heads over the last number of years. And we’re really not taking it anymore.”

Mr Trump said America had a strong history of using tariffs, arguing that they had helped to generate US power and wealth.

“From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation. And the United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been,” Mr Trump said. “So wealthy, in fact, that in the 1880s, they established a commission to decide what they were going to do with the vast sums of money they were collecting.

“We were collecting so much money so fast, we didn’t know what to do with it.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/australia-hit-with-baseline-10-per-cent-tariffs-on-liberation-day/news-story/111009db728a4f58f0a62148462a1062

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1907541343250878752

>>22836159

>>22860237

Anthony Albanese slams US President Donald Trump tariffs as ‘unjustified’

NOAH YIM and RICHARD FERGUSON - 3 April 2025

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Anthony Albanese has slammed new tariffs announced by the US Trump administration while ruling out applying reciprocal measures, and announcing a suite of actions to safeguard industry against a more difficult global trading environment.

The Prime Minister responded to Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday AEDT that the US would impose a 10 per cent, across-the-board tariff on all imports.

United States officials have assured Australia beef imports will not be banned, despite this being suggested by Donald Trump.

After Anthony Albanese could not categorically say whether beef imports had been banned, the government received advice from Australia’s embassy in Washington that beef exports into the US would be allowed to continue but would be hit with a 10 per cent tariff.

Mr Albanese flatly rejected the US assertion Australia applied anything equivalent to a 10 per cent tariff on the US, and said the imposition of tariffs was “unjustified”, “have no basis in logic”, and “not the act of a friend”.

“Today’s decision will add to uncertainty in the global economy and it will push up costs for American households,” he said.

“It is the American people who will pay the biggest price for these unjustified tariffs.

“This is why our government will not be seeking to impose reciprocal tariffs.

“We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth.

“We will stand up for Australia. We will continue to make the strongest case for these unjustified tariffs to be removed from our exporters.”

Mr Albanese, addressing a press conference in Melbourne, delivered a veiled swipe at Mr Trump’s handling of economics, saying he understood in Year 7 that border taxes hurt the country that impose them more.

Mr Trump has been advocating for a return to a high tariffs regime for nearly 40 years as a public figure in America, and on Thursday argued again that jobs and factories would come “roaring back” into America as his policies supercharge the US industrial base.

But Mr Albanese said he understood from early schooling that tariffs damaged the countries who imposed them, more than the nations targeted with the taxes.

“We can’t control what the US administration determines we can engage with them. This is a decision that they have made. It’s one which we think, importantly, is not in the interests of the United States … tariffs impact the country that is imposing them. And Australians need to understand that,” he said.

“I think that there is a debate that, frankly, I thought had gone away from my Year 7 economics class at school.

“Didn’t have to go to uni and get an economics degree to get that, but there appears to be a debate about that.

“It produces higher costs for the country that’s imposing the tariffs, which is why we’re not responding by lifting up our tariffs and by therefore having an inflationary impact. So it’s important that Australians get that as well.”

He said the latest information suggests there will be a 10 per cent tariff across the board for Australian exports with no special barrier on Australian beef.

“Our understanding is that it applies across the board,” Mr Albanese said. “Our understanding is that there is a, I heard President Trump’s comments that were made.

“Our understanding at this point is that that is a 10 per cent tariff across the board, but we have come here to give you the respect of an immediate response. We’ll await further discussions with the US administration.”

He stressed that the US only accounted for “less than five per cent” of Australia’s export market, and vowed to stand up for the Australian community.

“Our government will always stand up for Australian jobs, Australian industry, Australian consumers, and Australian values,” he said.

“That is why we have been crystal-clear with the United States about what is not up for negotiation. Australia is a great trading nation. One-in-four of our jobs depend on trade but we’ll never trade away the things which make us the best country in the world.”

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Mr Albanese announced his government would introduce a suite of measures to protect Australian industry.

“First, we will strengthen our anti-dumping regime to safeguard key sectors like steel, aluminium and manufacturing against unfair competition,” he said.

“Second, we will provide $50m to affected sectors particularly through peak bodies such as the National Farmers Federation to secure and grow new markets for their world-class products. This work will be backed by five new business and investment missions to priority markets within the first 100 days of our second term.

“Third, we will establish a new Economic Resilience Program through our National Reconstruction Fund. This will provide $1bn in zero interest loans for firms to capitalise on new export opportunities.

“Fourth, just as we are already encouraging more people to buy Australian, our Labor government will buy Australian, too.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, speaking alongside Mr Albanese, signalled closer ties to Indo-Pacific allies in light of the US tariffs.

“With India, that has overtaken the United States as our fourth largest trading partner, with Japan and Korea, and South-East Asia, that will be the world’s fourth largest economy, where we’re implementing the South-East Asian strategy to 2040, and the Pacific, where we have delivered transformational partnerships after a lost decade from the Coalition,” Senator Wong said.

“Some of the countries in our region are the hardest hit by the tariffs.

“We don’t underestimate the (effect) to the economies of our region and the global system.

“But we face those challenges calmly and maturely, we certainly won’t be picking fights in our neighbourhood. Our approach is to be credible and mature, to deal calmly with these challenges, and to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australia would still continue to negotiate with the US to remove the “unfair 10 per cent tariffs” on Australian goods.

“We believe that it’s by negotiation, by discussion, by sitting down and explaining to people the issues at hand that we can best present the case for Australia,” Senator Farrell said.

He also urged diversification of Australian exports.

“I also had the opportunity to speak to all the affected industries by these decisions, the Prime Minister’s outlined the way in which we’re going to continue to support those industries, but in particular, push them out the door into new markets,” he said.

“That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to push Australian companies out in the world, why is that?

“Well, because we know that if you’re an export-focused company, your profits are higher but more importantly, the wages of your staff are higher. So, we have now a renewed opportunity, people want to talk to us, we want to talk to them, it’s all about expanding our opportunities to get our wonderful food, wine, and manufacturing product to the rest of the world.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-slams-donald-trump-tariffs-as-unjustified/news-story/d0bdacc8eeb56d4f0552bd054d0a00f9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dojj2qt1MoQ

>>22836159

>>22860237

Albanese threatens to use 'dispute resolution' powers against sweeping US tariffs

Jake Evans - 3 April 2025

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has threatened to use "dispute resolution" powers in Australia's free trade agreement with the United States, responding to President Donald Trump's baseline 10 per cent tariff imposed on Australian exports to the US.

"The Australian people have every right to view this action by the Trump administration as undermining our free and fair trading relationship," Mr Albanese said.

"Our existing free trade agreement with the United States contains dispute resolution mechanisms. We want to resolve this issue without resorting to using these."

The ABC revealed yesterday that the Albanese government was preparing to take the US to the World Trade Organization to accuse it of breaching their trade agreement.

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed a new round of sweeping tariffs, setting a baseline on all trading nations including 10 per cent on Australian goods including beef.

The Trump administration is labelling the taxes as "reciprocal" measures in response to trade barriers — and earlier this week issued a grievance list that complained Australia's biosecurity laws limited the United States from exporting fresh beef, pork and poultry products to Australia.

"We imported $[US]3 billion of Australian beef from them just last year alone. They won't take any of our beef," Mr Trump said in his 'liberation day' address.

"They don't want it because they don't want it to affect their farmers and, you know, I don't blame them — but we're doing the same thing right now, starting at midnight tonight, I would say."

$1 billion in loans for exporters promised, emergency supports

Mr Albanese said Mr Trump's decision today would have "consequences" for how Australia viewed its relationship with the US.

But he repeated he would not weaken Australia's biosecurity laws or any other laws to escape the tariffs.

He also maintained Australia would not enter a "race to the bottom" by retaliating with its own tariffs.

Instead, Mr Albanese announced emergency funding support of $50 million for affected industries, a strengthening of anti-dumping rules to safeguard products like steel, a new "economic resilience program" offering $1 billion in zero-interest loans to help develop new export opportunities and a new focus on ensuring the government prioritises Australian businesses in its procurement.

"Our government will always stand up for Australian jobs, Australian industry, Australian consumers and Australian values," he said.

Mr Albanese said "no one got a better deal" than Australia in Mr Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs, and with just 5 per cent of Australia's exports sent to the US, it would have a limited direct impact on the domestic economy.

"That doesn't mean it's a good thing," he added.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Australia's special relationship with the US had not been respected by President Trump.

"I think this is a bad day for our country and it's not the treatment that Australians deserve," Mr Dutton said.

Mr Dutton claimed he could have secured a different outcome for Australia, arguing he had links to the administration from when he was in government.

But he agreed with Mr Albanese that media laws, biosecurity laws the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme were not up for negotiation.

Former US ambassador Joe Hockey, who now works as a lobbyist in Washington, said the tariffs were not a surprise, and reflected that "the United States is tired of some of the trade barriers and impediments put up" by some other countries.

"Of course Australia has been a very good trading partner and we don't impose the sort of trade barriers or tariffs other countries do. But still we have been caught in the wave and I see it as a negotiating position from the president," he said.

"He is very fond of Australia, I am sure he wants to do a deal."

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Australia escapes most punishing tariff rates, but no exemption

Australia fared comparatively lightly in Mr Trump's announcement, facing only the baseline 10 per cent tariff rather than heavier tariffs imposed on some nations.

Two of Australia's largest exports to the US, pharmaceuticals and gold bullion, are also on the short list of goods that will not be part of the tariff schedule.

But the government's attempt to secure exemptions on beef by arguing that the US maintained a trade surplus with Australia appears to have failed.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the new tariffs were a negotiating position from the US, and Mr Albanese needed to meet with Mr Trump directly on them.

"There's a lot of rhetoric and discussion but I think in the end what we need to do is sit down with the administration and negotiate," Mr Dutton told radio station 2GB.

"There's been no significant negotiation leader-to-leader. I think at the moment the prime minister is sort of flailing about on what to do and how to respond."

Mr Trump imposed 20 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium last month, which the Coalition claims the government could have secured an exemption from as the Coalition did during the first Trump presidency.

However, Mr Trump has exempted far fewer countries this time around and from today, has imposed a tariff regime much greater than during his first administration.

Treasury has estimated that the direct impact of tariffs on Australia would be minor, causing a small dent to future economic growth, but says the indirect impacts of a global trade war would be of greater concern.

Last night, Mr Albanese dined with golfer Greg Norman, whose links to Mr Trump were instrumental to the former Coalition government catching the ear of the US president — a signal that the prime minister had not abandoned hope of a last-minute reprieve.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-03/election-2025-albanese-responds-trump-tariffs-beef/105130768

https://www.instagram.com/albomp/p/DH8OCx3TYPm/

>>22836159

>>22860237

Trump singles out Australian beef on 'Liberation Day'

Richard Wood and Nick Pearson - Apr 3, 2025

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US President Donald Trump has signalled he'll target Australia beef imports as he delivered his much-anticipated "Liberation Day" announcement on sweeping tariffs.

"Australia bans — and they're wonderful people, and wonderful everything — but they ban American beef," he said on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) in a news conference at the White House in Washington DC.

"Yet we imported $US3 billion of Australian beef from them just last year alone.

"They won't take any of our beef.

"They don't want it because they don't want it to affect their farmers and you know, I don't blame them but we're doing the same thing right now starting at midnight tonight, I would say."

Australia will be subject to a "baseline" 10 per cent tariff on all exports to the US. Other countries, such as China, face much higher tariffs.

During his announcement, Trump held up a chart showing the tariffs that will imposed on individual countries and trading blocs.

Australia was also not visible from behind the lectern as Trump held up a sandwich board with each nation named.

But taking the sign was US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick - where at the bottom of the chart it could be seen that the US would implement a 10 per cent reciprocal tariff on Australia.

Trump says his tariffs are about national security as much as economic prosperity.

He picked out medicine, tech, and ship manufacturing as being areas where the US was dependent on imports.

"We have to go to foreign countries to treat our sick," he said.

"In short, chronic trade deficits are no longer merely an economic problem, they're a national emergency that threatens our security and our very way of life. It's a very great threat to our country.

"And for these reasons, starting tomorrow, the United States will implement reciprocal tariffs on other nations."

Why doesn't Australia import American beef?

Australia has had a ban on uncooked American beef for more than 20 years.

The ban was introduced because the Australian government concluded America had not taken satisfactory steps to address the risk of mad cow disease.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a neurodegenerative disease that is fatal to both humans and cattle.

Humans can contract the disease by eating food contaminated with the brain, spinal cord or digestive tract of infected cows.

The disease is incurable and always fatal.

The most common way the disease is contracted is from eating infected tissue.

In the United States, parts of a cow that are not eaten by humans are often ground into a powder and often used as cattle feed.

This means American cows are sometimes eating the parts of other cattle that could carry mad cow disease.

That then puts those cows at risk of developing the disease, which could then be passed on to humans that eat them.

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Tariffs to make hamburgers far more expensive

The Australian meat lobby has expressed their disappointment at Trump's tariff decision.

The Red Meat Advisory Council chair John McKillop said the USA accounted for a third of Australia's red meat exports.

"Australian beef is in an estimated 6 billion hamburgers consumed each year in the US and this tariff will cost the US consumer an additional US$180 billion (A$287 billion) per year," he said.

"Without Australian lean beef blended with local fatty trim, the US would need to use higher value cuts in their burgers and miss out on valuable export opportunities. This in turn optimises value for US ranchers."

He said the tariffs on Australian red meat would cost American consumers US$600 million (A$958 million).

McKillop noted Australia also exports large quantities of red meat to China, Japan, Korea, the Middle East and North Africa.

Stocks fall after Trump announcement

US stocks tumbled in after-hours trading as President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the Rose Garden and unveiled sweeping tariffs.

Dow futures tumbled 256 points, or 0.61 per cent. S&P 500 futures slid 1.69 per cent. Futures tied to the Nasdaq 100 fell 2.54 per cent.

Stocks had closed higher ahead of Trump's tariff announcement, but began to slide as Trump revealed his administration's plan for rolling out tariffs.

Exchange-traded funds that track the major stock indexes also tumbled in after-hours trading. An ETF tracking the Dow fell 1.1 per cent, while an ETF tracking the S&P 500 slid 2.2 per cent and an ETF tracking the Nasdaq 100 slid 3 per cent.

Meanwhile, the most actively traded gold futures contract in New York briefly rose above US$3200 a troy ounce, a record high. Gold is up more than 20 per cent this year and just posted its best quarter since 1986. Gold is considered a safe haven amid economic and political uncertainty.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-liberation-day-tariffs-update-australian-beef-exports-singled-out/ede43fa9-35ca-488b-b465-f93c25a1f879

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4m6WAOhLbU

Western Bulldogs forced to pay $3m to child abuse victim

Western Bulldogs had a High Court appeal rejected, forcing the AFL club to pay a child abuse victim almost $3 million.

Stephen Drill - April 3, 2025

The Western Bulldogs will be forced to pay a child abuse victim almost $3 million including his legal bills after the High Court rejected its appeal.

A note on the High Court website has confirmed that the Footscray Football Club, its former trading name, lost its right to challenge the payout awarded to Adam Kneale.

Mr Kneale had won $5.9 million after his claim was confirmed in Victoria’s Supreme Court.

That figure was reduced to $2.6 million after an appeal.

The Bulldogs then appealed to the High Court but that was rejected on Thursday.

Mr Kneale had claimed he was abused by Bulldogs volunteer Graeme Hobbs, a now-dead convicted pedophile, who was known as “Chops” at the club.

A Victorian jury found in favour of Mr Kneale in 2023 and he was awarded a record payout.

The club had successfully halved Mr Kneale’s payout but had gone to the High Court to attempt to reduce it further.

The court announced its decision this week, denying the club’s application for an appeal.

Mr Kneale’s lawyer Michael Magazanik, a partner at Rightside Legal, said his client is relieved his legal ordeal was over.

“Finally Adam can look forward to living without the legal claim hanging over his head. He is proud of having fought so hard and for so long and hopes that he has given encouragement to other survivors,” he said.

Mr Kneale, who is in his 50s, was believed to be the first person to sue an AFL club over sexual abuse.

His abuser was a prominent volunteer at the Bulldogs.

Mr Kneale was only 11 years old when the abuse began and continued for six years between 1984 and 1990.

He detailed the abuse in a 5500 word statement to police which resulted in Hobbs being convicted.

A court heard Hobbs had groomed young boys for abuse by offering them free season tickets to the football and cash inducement.

The former chairman of fundraising was an influential figure at the club.

Police found 39 Bulldogs memberships when they raided his home in 1993, which they claimed he was using to befriend young boys at the club.

Mr Kneale had waived his right to anonymity to be named in this story.

Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains has previously said he was “shocked and dismayed” about the abuse Mr Kneale had suffered while at the club.

Some of the abuse happened in the club’s grandstand at Whitten Oval while games were being played.

Comment was sought from the Western Bulldogs.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/western-bulldogs-forced-to-pay-3m-to-child-abuse-victim/news-story/4628799fe5ba6852ead5778e8944cd65

https://www.hcourt.gov.au/registry/special-leave-applications-results-2025

https://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/registry/special-leave-results/2025/03-04-25_Results.pdf

https://qresear.ch/?q=Western+Bulldogs

https://qresear.ch/?q=Adam+Kneale

>>22850665

>>22855500

>>22850751

Virginia Giuffre’s agent reveals she was first hospitalised with injuries in January

JACQUELIN MAGNAY and PAIGE TAYLOR - 3 April 2025

Virginia Giuffre, who said in a social post that she was dying after suffering renal failure from a bus crash, was admitted to hospital with serious injuries at the beginning of the year, her agent has revealed.

In the latest dramatic twist to the mystery that has recently surrounded the 41-year-old, her agent issued an extraordinary statement in the early hours of Thursday saying Ms Giuffre’s latest hospital admission was not her first this year.

According to the statement, she sustained serious injuries in an incident that warranted police attendance in the southwest holiday town of Dunsborough on January 9, 2025.

This is separate to the bus crash on March 24 near the rural area of Neergabby, 70km north of Perth, which WA police said was a “minor” crash reported by the bus driver the next day.

Ms Giuffre had been living a relatively quiet life in Perth since she made headlines around the world as a victim of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. She alleged Epstein trafficked her to his friend Prince Andrew, who sexually abused her in 2001 when she was 17. Andrew denies the claim but settled the matter with a multimillion-dollar payment to Ms Giuffre’s charity in 2022.

Inquiries by The Australian have established a volunteer ambulance crew from the beachside suburb of Two Rocks collected Ms Giuffre from a residence in Neergabby between midnight and 1am on Tuesday. She was suffering severe neck and back pain and had a cuts and bruised face.

She was later transferred into the second ambulance and driven south to a Perth public hospital, arriving about 2.30am.

She is not a renal patient, multiple sources said.

Her public Instagram post, which she said was uploaded by accident and meant for a private Facebook account instead, showed a selfie of a badly bruised Ms Giuffre. She repeated an earlier social media claim about missing her children.

Ms Giuffre and former husband Robert Giuffre, to whom she was married for 22 years, are separated and he has custody of their three children.

Both have faced court recently. Ms Giuffre is charged with breaching a family violence restraining order at Ocean Reef, Perth, on February 2, WA courts said. The case was first heard in Joondalup Magistrates Court in northern Perth on March 14, where she did not enter a plea, and is due in court on April 9.

On March 22, Ms Giuffre wrote: “My beautiful babies have no clue how much I love them and they’re being poisoned with lies. I miss them so very much.

“I have been through hell & back in my 41 years but this is hurting me worse than anything else. Hurt me, abuse me but don’t take my babies. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.”

Mr Giuffre, credited for rescuing his wife from the clutches of Epstein in 2002, lost his driving licence for six months after a reckless driving charge last year.

Ms Giuffre’s agent said Ms ­Giuffre looks forward to defending herself against her former husband.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/virginia-giuffres-agent-reveals-she-was-first-hospitalised-with-injuries-in-january/news-story/32db8bf72ee7e8fbc375bdea1de36118

>>22850665

>>22855500

>>22850751

Bus driver in crash that left Virginia Giuffre claiming she has 'four days to live' gives HIS side of the story… and paints a VERY different picture to hers

JONICA BRAY - 3 April 2025

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The school bus driver involved in a road crash which allegedly left Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre close to death has spoken for the first time about the accident.

Ross Munns contradicted Ms Giuffre's account of the incident, and insisted that the car was in a minor collision with his bus.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, he claimed the crash had been 'blown out of proportion' and accused Ms Giuffre, 41, of exaggerating the severity of what happened.

Ms Giuffre, who won a multimillion-pound payout from Prince Andrew after claiming she was trafficked to have sex with him at the age of 17, told her Instagram followers on Sunday that she only had 'four days to live' after suffering kidney failure in the crash.

'I won't bore anyone with the details but I think it important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can,' she wrote in the post.

On Tuesday she said via a spokesperson that the post about her injuries and selfie of her badly bruised face had been posted to her public Instagram in error and was only meant to be on her private Facebook page.

Mr Munns said that the crash happened after he had followed a slow-moving white car for three kilometres before deciding to overtake when it went under 75kmh and it was safe for him to pass it, around 3pm on Monday last week.

He said that the small white Toyota Highlander involved in the collision was driven by a 71-year-old woman who he believed to be Ms Giuffre's carer. He said he had no recollection of Ms Giuffre being in the Toyota, but a police report into the incident later stated that a woman aged 41 was a passenger.

Mr Munns said that he had about 29 children still on board as he began his manoeuvre only for the car to suddenly start turning right in front of him to get into a rural property north of Perth, Western Australia.

Mr Munns, a school bus driver for 16 years, said that he beeped his horn, but he was unable to avoid clipping the car and damaging its tail-light in what he described as 'a minor collision'.

He said he immediately stopped and went to check on the car driver who had also pulled over, and was satisfied that she was not hurt.

Mr Munns said he and the 71-year-old woman swapped details including phone numbers and were both able to drive away afterwards, but he decided to report the incident to police as he felt the circumstances were 'a little bit suss'.

He insisted that he was under no obligation to report the crash as the law only required accidents to be reported if they caused more than $2,000 damage and in his view the incident did not pass the threshold.

Mr Munns said he later telephoned the driver as a courtesy to say he had reported the accident and she rang him back the next day to say there had been a passenger in the car who had suffered 'a black eye'.

(continued)

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The grandfather from Lancelin near Perth said he was horrified to see Ms Giuffre's Instagram post claiming that she had been injured when a school bus had ploughed into her car at a speed of 110km/h, as buses in Western Australia are restricted to a top speed of 100km/h.

Describing Ms Giuffre's claims and the circumstances of the crash, he said: 'It's just all blown out of proportion and I know what happened. I didn't even see her in the car.'

He said the accident was caused by the carer, saying: 'The driver basically pulled out in front of me. I made sure she was alright, and I went and did a police report.'

Mr Munns added: 'She was elderly and I asked if she was ok, and she said, 'Yes I'm ok'.

'I asked if she lived here and she said, 'No I'm a carer', and I told her she needs to put her indicator on when you have to turn.

'That's all the conversation was, and she asked how the kids were and I said, 'fine'. It wasn't a major crash.'

Mr Munns said the impact was so minor that there was no damage at all to his Roo Bar – the bar designed to protect his bus from damage caused by hitting kangaroos on the road.

He said: 'There is nothing on my Roo Bar. I still had 29 kids on the bus I didn't even take a photo because it wasn't warranted.'

Mr Munns told why he reported the crash to police, saying: 'I did it because to me it sounded a little bit suss.

'You don't have to do a police report if the damage is under $2,000 but it sounded suss to me. We have a very good reputation and it's all best around safety.'

He added: 'It just wasn't normal - weird driving. We swapped phone numbers and I had a look around and I asked if everything was ok and the next morning she rang.

'I thought it was all very strange and I told her I had already done a police report, and that's all I have to say. And that's when she told me there was another person in the car who had a black eye.'

Mr Munns said a police officer who had photographed his bus was 'laughing' as he did so.

He went on: 'I actually feel sorry for her. If I hit that car at 110 they would be dead. I used to drive ambulances for years in the country and I know how to have a good look.

'I have got the-all clear from the police and if they want to come for insurance, I will fight that as well.

'She said she was hit by a bus at 110km/h and all buses in Western Australia are governed to 100km/h.

'I was doing 75 and its only when she slowed down even more, I decided to pass her.'

Describing his reaction when he saw the picture of Ms Giuffre's reported injuries, he added: 'I just laughed… There is no way you could get that injury if you were in that car.'

But he said he was fed up about the crash and having to deal with its aftermath, saying: 'I would rather this just go away.'

Ms Giuffre who was known as Virginia Roberts before her marriage claimed she had been injured in the school bus crash in her Instagram post from her hospital bed, saying she wanted to see her three children for a last time.

She wrote: 'I've gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.

'I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.'

A spokesman for Giuffre later admitted that she had 'made a mistake' and had not intended to publish the post publicly. Medical sources have said she does not just have days to live.

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Daily Mail Australia has revealed that Giuffre was listed at a Perth Magistrates Court hearing 10 days before the crash over the alleged breach of the family violence restraining order.

Her estranged husband Robert Giuffre was also listed at the same court in February for allegedly 'providing inadequate storage facility for firearms'.

It is understood the couple recently separated after 22 years of marriage and no longer live together at their lavish $1.9million mansion in a Perth beachside suburb.

They bought the six-bedroom home five years ago, putting down a deposit on it six months before Ms Giuffre launched her lawsuit against Prince Andrew for allegedly sexually abusing her when she was a teenager.

The purchase was finalised before the matter was settled out of court with a payment of an undisclosed amount from Prince Andrew who made no admission as to liability.

The couple now appear to be locked in a messy tug of love over their children.

Two days before the car crash, Giuffre posted a sun-dappled picture of her children on a beach on March 22, accompanied by an apparent desperate plea to see them.

She posted: 'My beautiful babies have no clue how much I love them and they're being poisoned with lies.

'I miss them so very much. I have been through hell and back in my 41 years but this is incredibly hurting me worse than anything else.

'Hurt me, abuse me but don't take my babies. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.'

Giuffre met her future husband when she was just 19 while training as a masseuse in Thailand.

The course had been paid for by the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who had sex trafficked Giuffre with his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

Western Australia Police said a 41-year-old woman had been reported to be a passenger in a car involved in a 'minor collision' with a bus at Neergabby, north of Perth, on March 24, and no one had been injured.

According to 9News Perth, Ms Giuffre's 71-year-old 'carer' was driving the car at the time.

Acting Western Australian Police Commissioner Kylie Whiteley said: 'We have no report of any serious injuries.'

Giuffre is understood to have been treated at a local health centre for a pre-existing condition and released.

She later checked into another hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, after her disturbing Instagram post went public.

Her father Sky Roberts told DailyMail.com that he is 'sick to my stomach' and would do anything to be able to fly from his home in Florida to be by his daughter's hospital bedside in Australia.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Ms Giuffre made the incident up or exaggerated it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14563827/Bus-driver-crash-Virginia-Giuffre-four-days-live-story.html

>>22836159

>>22746198

>>22860237

‘No exceptions’: Donald Trump tariff hawk Peter Navarro’s last-minute intervention

DENNIS SHANAHAN - April 04, 2025

The 10 per cent US tariff impost on Australian goods came after a last-minute intervention from chief White House trade counsellor and tariff hawk Peter Navarro, who ­demanded tariffs be placed across the board without exception.

Until last weekend, the tariff fate of America’s AUKUS partners – Australia and the UK – was still not decided.

Australian negotiators in the US were holding the line on refusal to give way on beef and pharmaceuticals after earlier offering an enhanced deal to the White House on critical minerals access, which is crucial for defence materials.

The US attitude to imposing any tariffs on Australia, which has been in negotiations since February, was “fluid”, “without malice” and not finally determined until just days before the US “Liberation Day” global tariff announcement from Donald Trump.

But Mr Navarro, a long-term tariff advocate who has bizarrely described the chaos-creating tariff regime as a “tax cut”, personally intervened last weekend and insisted both Australia and the UK face a tariff.

Part of the insistence was that the US President had promised across-the-board tariffs with “no exceptions” and Mr Navarro insisted on the tariffs on Australia and the UK.

Mr Navarro had pointed to the “simplicity” of every national facing a tariff without exception.

The President’s top trade guru – who was a registered Democrat for more than two decades until he started backing Mr Trump – has made his name as a strong supporter of tariffs and he is especially well known for his advocacy of using hard-line economic tactics to counter China.

In Mr Trump’s first term, he was the leading voice in prosecuting Mr Trump’s trade war against Beijing. He is also among several Trump aides who have served jail time in recent years. Mr Navarro was found guilty of contempt of congress for refusing to comply to their investigations into his role in the attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory over Mr Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Australia and the UK, as well as close US friends such as Singapore, were given the minimum ­tariff of 10 per cent. The 10 per cent figure on a range of nations with different trade relations and balances with the US did not fit any logical formula.

Even the US suggestion that Australia was facing the tariff in part because of the GST did not allow for the higher rate of VAT in the UK.

The Australian understands the Albanese government is trying to negotiate an exemption from the US tariffs using the idea of a critical minerals stockpile.

On Friday (AEDT), Mr Navarro said there would be no exemptions to the US tariff regime. But it is being reported that Mr Trump – aboard Air Force One – has said the tariffs are open to negotiations.

Mr Trump reportedly said he would be prepared to negotiate for “a phenomenal deal”, appearing to contradict Mr Navarro’s statement.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/no-exceptions-trump-tariff-hawks-lastminute-intervention/news-story/805a47275e81e7208b7d959f72b11b2e

>>22836159

>>22860237

>>22860277

Lutnick calls Australian biosecurity rules ‘nonsense’, says Trump won’t back off

Michael Koziol - April 4, 2025

Washington: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says it is “nonsense” that Australia bans American beef imports due to disease or chemical concerns, arguing it is simply a protectionist tactic to prop up local farmers and block American sellers.

He also warned that US President Donald Trump would not back down on the sweeping worldwide tariffs he announced on Thursday until other countries changed their policies and eliminated those practices the US saw as unfair trade barriers.

“Our farmers are blocked from selling almost anywhere … Europe won’t let us sell beef, Australia won’t let us sell beef,” Lutnick told CNN on Friday AEDT. The interviewer interjected to say this was “because of hormonal chemicals”.

Lutnick replied: “No, no, that’s not why. It’s because they just wanna protect, they want to say: ‘Oh, what, the seeds are different?’ Other people in the world are using seeds that, insects … come on, this is nonsense. This is all nonsense. What happens is they block our markets.”

Despite a free-trade agreement, Australia prohibits imports of fresh US beef due to long-standing concerns over mad cow disease. The US trade office has consistently raised this as a grievance, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Coalition leader Peter Dutton have both said biosecurity measures are not up for negotiation.

In another interview on CNBC, Lutnick was asked why 10 per cent tariffs were applied to the United Kingdom and Australia when the US enjoyed a trade surplus with both countries. “Well, look, they each have the lowest rate available,” he responded.

Asked the same question on Bloomberg Television, Lutnick said: “Australia, which is a wonderful partner of ours, they buy a lot of our planes. If you buy our commodity, gas, that’s really what you need, not really what we need to sell you – it’s not the same. So the president decided: why don’t we have a baseline of 10 per cent?”

And on Fox News, Lutnick said the European Union “hate our beef because our beef is beautiful and theirs is weak”.

US and global markets plunged the morning after Trump’s tariff announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1679 points in its biggest wipeout since 2020, the S&P 500 sank 4.8 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite 6 per cent.

The White House dismissed the market reaction, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president was doubling down on a successful economic formula from his first term, and Wall Street investors should “trust in Trump”.

In a social media post, Trump likened the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs to an invasive medical procedure, writing all in caps: “The operation is over! The patient lived, and is healing. The prognosis is that the patient will be far stronger, bigger, better and more resilient than ever before.”

During the announcement, Trump said he expected to field phone calls from world leaders trying to negotiate a deal on the tariffs. Albanese and Dutton both indicated they would seek to do a deal and pledged to travel to Washington as a priority if they won the election.

Lutnick, a billionaire friend of Trump from their finance days in New York, said in his series of interviews that while the president was open to deals, he wanted to see other countries act first.

“The president is not going to back off,” Lutnick told CNN. “But countries can fix their tariffs, their non-tariff trade barriers, which are much, much rougher … They are the monster that needs to be slayed.

“Then, and only then, will Donald Trump make a deal with each country – when they’ve really, really changed their ways.”

Lutnick said this did not mean a negotiation. “Negotiate is talking. No talking. Too late. These countries have abused us and exploited us, as he said yesterday. They need to change their ways, let’s see them change their ways. It’s going to be a long time, let’s see what they do. Not talking. Talking is nonsense.”

As this masthead reported, the tariffs announced by the Trump administration were not based on tariffs or other trade barriers levied by each country. They were calculated using a generic formula that divided the US trade deficit with each country by the country’s exports to the US.

Countries like Australia, with which the US has a trade surplus, received the lowest or “baseline” tariff of 10 per cent.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/lutnick-calls-australian-biosecurity-rules-nonsense-says-trump-won-t-back-off-20250404-p5lp2f.html

https://www.news.com.au/national/federal-election/anthony-albanese-unveils-plan-b-in-tariff-fight-with-donald-trump/news-story/fb01e42486689c5558611ed49ca98f2b

>>22657835

>>22836159

>>22860237

AUKUS in the balance as WA Minister Paul Papalia leads USA trade mission

Jessica Page - 4 April 2025

Paul Papalia has flown to the United States on a trade mission to shore up support for the AUKUS deal amid industry concern the Trump administration’s wavering support has left it on a “knife-edge”.

Speaking exclusively to The West Australian from Alabama, WA’s Minister for Defence Industries warned the security pact is at a “critical” point.

Some Trump advisors have labelled the deal to send nuclear-powered submarines to Australia “crazy” while pouring doubt on the delivery timetable.

“It’s a critical moment in time, there’s a lot of sensitivity around the new administration’s relationships with the international community,” Mr Papalia said.

“It has to be all shoulders to the wheel to ensure that Team Australia convinces the new administration that AUKUS is a good deal, and WA is probably the most significant player in that effort.”

The comments come as Donald Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs this week, which follow a 25 per cent levy that has already been slapped on steel and aluminium imports.

Mr Papalia - a former navy clearance diver who served alongside American troops in Iraq - will meet with Australia’s Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd but will not be involved in tariff discussions.

“I’m not going to step on any toes, the guys in Canberra can deal with that sort of thing,” Mr Papalia said.

“We’re going to add to Australia’s case, we’re not going to detract from it.

“But when we’re talking about the benefits we can provide to the US defence effort and our own, that’s only good for any discussions around other matters.”

American shipyards are already up to three years behind schedule on the build-up of local Virginia-class submarines.

Production rates would need to increase from 1.7 submarines being built each year currently to 2.5, to deliver the first subs meant for Australia by 2032.

Mr Papalia arrived in the US on Monday and immediately toured Austal’s Alabama shipping yard.

“They are our flagship national shipbuilder, but here in America they’re not just building naval ships,” he said.

“They’re also building command modules for two classes of nuclear submarines and that’s a huge thing. They can be good allies in our discussions, in our advocacy with the administration.”

The week-long WA trade mission includes delegates from Curtin University and WA’s civil defence industry that is betting big on AUKUS and the potential for defence to become the State’s second biggest industry.

The delegation will also visit Washington DC, Virginia and attend the Sea Air Space expo in Maryland.

“Our local businesses can help fast-track the construction of Virginia Class submarines, that’s good for us and our AUKUS partners,” Mr Papalia said.

He’s hoping to further speed up the audit process for WA businesses, like AI developer Greenroom Robotics, to gain security clearances to work within US defence supply chains.

“We have a few systems in the US, so (the process takes) four to six months,” Greenroom Robotics director Harry Hubbert said.

“We are fortunate that our technology is highly sought after at the moment given global trends.”

Mr Hubbert said cracking the American market would boost WA jobs and the State’s international competitiveness.

“This trip also provides a crucial opportunity for face-to-face interactions with key US decision-makers, helping to break down barriers,” he said.

Mr Papalia has scheduled talks with the Democrat co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus in Congress but is still attempting to secure a meeting with the Republican co-chair.

“We will be meeting with the former co-chair from the Republican side, Mike Gallagher, because he’s now head of defence for Palantir worldwide,” he said.

“We’ll be talking to anyone we can with a view to enlisting their assistance.”

He is also speaking at the Submarine Industrial Base Engagement forum and meeting with the heads of General Dynamics and Hanwha, that has moved to increase its stake in Austal.

Mr Papalia said the value of AUKUS to WA jobs could not be overestimated, with forecasts estimating it could add tens of billions of dollars in value to the WA economy and generations of jobs.

https://thewest.com.au/politics/state-politics/aukus-in-the-balance-as-wa-minister-leads-usa-trade-mission–c-18241040

>>22836159

>>22845494

>>22850600

Chinese firm Landbridge set to be stripped of its controversial lease of the Port of Darwin

Matthew Knott - April 4, 2025

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Chinese firm Landbridge is set to be stripped of its controversial long-term lease of the Port of Darwin regardless of who wins the election, with the two main major parties pledging to take control of the facility if necessary.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dialled into ABC Darwin radio at short notice on Friday evening in a hurried bid to pre-empt a similar announcement by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who was en route to Darwin to launch his first major national security announcement of the campaign.

Dutton was preparing to announce that a Coalition government would move quickly to terminate the current lease agreement, including by taking the dramatic step of seizing control of the port if Landbridge cannot sell it to another company.

The Northern Territory Country Liberal government leased the port, which sits directly opposite Darwin’s Larrakeyah Defence Precinct, to Landbridge for 99 years in 2015 for $506 million.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has detailed extensive connections between Landbridge, the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army, raising concerns about the national security implications of the leasing agreement from both Coalition and Labor MPs.

Albanese announced that he wants to get the Port of Darwin “back into Australian hands”, declaring he wants to see the end of Landbridge Group’s 99-year lease of the port.

“We’ve been working on this for some time,” Albanese said of the government’s proposal, describing the port as a “strategic asset”.

Albanese said the government would move to kickstart negotiations to buy back the port, saying he would be prepared to directly intervene to enter a lease agreement if a private bidder cannot be found.

Albanese said the government had been talking with potential buyers and he was hopeful that an Australian superannuation fund may take over the lease.

Under questioning from the local ABC host about exactly what he was announcing, Albanese said he would provide more details later in the campaign.

Albanese raised expectations this week that Labor could seek to scrap the lease agreement, saying he would have more to say about the issue before the May 3 election.

Insisting he would never have “flogged it off in the first place”, Albanese said: “We opposed the sale of the port of Darwin. We opposed it at the time, we thought that was unwise.”

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The Coalition said in a statement that it “would not permit the lease of the port to any entity that is directly or indirectly controlled by a foreign government, including any state-owned enterprise or sovereign wealth fund”.

A specialist commercial adviser would be appointed to work with the Northern Territory government and federal officials to provide advice and engage with potential new operators of the port soon after the May 3 election.

“If a private lease cannot be facilitated within six months of the process commencing, as a last resort, we will act to acquire the lease interest in the port using the Commonwealth’s compulsory acquisition powers,” the Coalition said in a statement it had prepared to release before Albanese spoke.

In a move guaranteed to anger Beijing, which has argued for relaxed foreign investment rules, the Coalition vowed to end uncertainty over the lease “once and for all”.

Landbridge would receive federal compensation under this scenario.

The Coalition is also preparing to announce an increase in defence spending in a bid to bolster its credentials on national security while toning down the rhetoric on Beijing in an attempt to win back Chinese-Australian voters who deserted them at the last election.

The Albanese government commissioned a review of the port lease by spy agency ASIO and other agencies after coming to office.

In 2023, the government announced, following the review, that it “was not necessary to vary or cancel the lease” because there was “a robust regulatory system in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure”.

Labor MP Luke Gosling, whose seat of Solomon includes Darwin, recently suggested there were plans for a public-private partnership at the port.

Former US president Barack Obama raised concerns with then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull that the lease could help Chinese intelligence-gathering on US and Australian military operations given up to 2500 Marines rotate through Darwin each year.

The Turnbull government did not need to approve the deal at the time, but it was welcomed by then trade minister Andrew Robb. Then defence minister Marise Payne said she was only informed of the deal a few hours before it was signed.

Landbridge, which is owned by Chinese billionaire Ye Cheng, has faced financial difficulties at the port but has insisted it sees the facility as a “long-term investment”.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/chinese-firm-landbridge-set-to-be-stripped-of-its-controversial-lease-of-the-port-of-darwin-20250404-p5lpat.html

Australian superannuation funds hit by cyber attacks, with members' money stolen

Emilia Terzon - 4 April 2025

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A number of Australian superannuation funds have been hit with suspected cyber attacks, with members of one fund losing $500,000 between them in retirement savings.

Stressed fund members have told ABC News they cannot access their accounts, adding to the anxiety.

AustralianSuper has been hit with 600 attempted cyber attacks in the past month, ABC News understands, with four members losing half a million dollars combined.

AustralianSuper is the nation's biggest retirement fund, with at least 3.5 million members and billions of dollars of their superannuation invested.

Super members unable to log in to accounts

AustralianSuper confirmed on Friday afternoon that members had been struggling to get into their accounts, and that some accounts were showing zero funds.

"We are experiencing a high volume of traffic to our call centre, member online accounts and mobile app that is causing intermittent outages," it said in a statement.

"Even though you may not be able to see your account, or you are seeing a $0 balance, your account is secure.

"This is a temporary situation and we're working hard to resolve it as quickly as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience."

Dozens of people have reported to ABC News about being unable to access their superannuation accounts online or through apps, or that it is difficult or slow to gain access.

"I assume it's difficult to log in as everyone is anxiously trying to," one AustralianSuper member told ABC News.

"Hopefully, AustralianSuper have taken steps to secure all members' accounts until the threat is dealt with."

"We are extremely concerned — we cannot access our accounts online, and there is no contact by phone," another said.

"Very disconcerting to have $0 in your super account on a Friday," one member experiencing this issue said.

The industry body that represents superannuation funds, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), said in a statement that other funds had experienced attempted cyber attacks over the weekend.

"While the majority of the attempts were repelled, unfortunately a number of members were affected," ASFA said in its statement.

"Funds are contacting all affected members to let them know and are helping any whose data has been compromised."

Rest, Hostplus, Insignia and Australian Retirement were also impacted.

ABC News understands none of their members lost retirement savings, but Hostplus was still investigating. Some members of those funds are also struggling to access their accounts.

"At this stage, we believe that some of our members may have had limited personal information accessed and we are currently working through this with those impacted members," Rest said in a statement.

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PM says cyber attacks 'a regular issue'

The prime minister told reporters he was aware of the cyber attacks.

"I have been informed about that," Anthony Albanese said while on the campaign trail.

"We will respond in time. We are considering what has occurred. Bear in mind, the context here, there is a cyber attack in Australia roughly every 6 minutes. This is a regular issue."

He reiterated that federal funding to tackle cyber criminal activity was boosted in the wake of a wave of cyber attacks on major companies including Optus, Medibank and Latitude.

In the case of Medibank, the health insurer's members' private and sensitive details were posted to the dark web.

The impacted superannuation funds are working with the federal bureau that tackles cybersecurity, the National Cyber Security Coordinator.

What should I do now?

If you believe you could be part of the thousands of Australians unable to access their superannuation accounts online, there are a few measures you can take, experts say.

Firstly, if possible, log into your super account to check your super fund balance is correct.

Professor of Cyber Security Practice from Edith Cowan University Paul Haskell-Dowland said that Australians should also be watching for email notifications or communications from their relevant provider.

He said it was, however, important to note that consumers should be wary of phishing or clicking links even if directed to do so.

"If advised to change your password, do so as soon as practical — never re-using a password — and be alert to scams that may use this incident to trick you into following links or calling a support line," he advises.

Dr Suranga Seneviratne from the University of Sydney agreed that it was crucial that Australians remained vigilant over the coming days.

She says a cyber-attack like this "could lead to further mass-scale 'spray and pray' phishing attacks over SMS and email, targeting super fund members who may be in panic and seeking more information".

"With heightened anxiety around superannuation balances due to Trump's tariff announcement, opportunistic scammers may try to take advantage of the situation," she said.

"Remember, scammers often strike during times of confusion, vulnerability, or misunderstanding."

Super Consumers Australia added that consumers should contact their super fund if they see any unusual activity, for example, SMS messages or emails regarding transactions or changes that you had not requested.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-04/superannuation-cyber-attack-rest-afsa/105137820

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSHLyx–NpA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xZLYzyIGUM

>>22850665

>>22855500

>>22850751

My children were on the school bus and Virginia Giuffre’s story doesn’t add up

Duke of York accuser claimed she had days to live after being hit by school bus travelling 70mph

Andrea Hamblin - 3 April 2025

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Parents have defended a school bus driver accused of crashing into Virginia Giuffre at 70mph, which she alleges caused life-threatening kidney failure.

Ms Giuffre, a Jeffrey Epstein victim who has accused the Duke of York of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, said earlier this week she had just days to live after she was hit by a bus in Western Australia.

However parents of the children involved have backed the driver’s claim that the collision was minor, with the bus travelling at a lower speed that could not have caused the bruising to Ms Giuffre’s face seen in a photo she posted on social media.

Speaking to The Telegraph, they said Ms Giuffre’s statements were “lies” and that the “whole story is sick”.

Emmie-Rose Wright, said her children — aged five, eight and nine – reported that the crash only caused slight damage to the rear brake light of the Toyota Highlander Ms Giuffre was travelling in.

“They [the children] got off the bus and said that they had had a small crash,” she said. “There’s no damage to the bus and none of the kids are injured.”

She said the 29 children on the bus had not been “distraught” over the incident, as Ms Giuffre’s family has suggested.

“They weren’t worried or traumatised at all…they thought that she had stopped in front of them unnecessarily.”

Ms Wright described Ross Munns, the bus driver, as an “upstanding member of the community”, saying she “wholeheartedly” believed he would not speed or leave an injured person without medical help.

“If an occupant of a vehicle had been injured, there’s no way he would have left and not called the ambulance,” Ms Wright said.

On Thursday, the school bus was seen at the site of the crash, and appeared to be without any visible damage, with no debris left on the road.

Ms Wright and another parent, Hayley Miller, said the bus was intact when their children alighted about 15 minutes after the crash occurred.

Ms Miller said she was “disgusted” that Ms Giuffre would share a photograph of a bruised and grazed face alongside unfounded allegations against the driver they trust with their children’s lives.

“The whole story is sick and I don’t know what’s true and what is not but I do know [the injuries] are not from the bus incident,” she said.

“It’s lies. I don’t know what she is trying to get from all of it… but I do feel bad for her and I hope she gets help.”

Mr Munns has said he was travelling at a speed under 45mph when he was forced to brake on a rural road for a slow-moving car carrying Ms Giuffre, which was being driven by a 71-year-old “carer”.

“The driver basically pulled out in front of me. I made sure she was alright,” Mr Munns said.

At first he did not realise there was a passenger involved, but the driver phoned the next day to say someone in the car had a “black eye”.

Mr Munns was in disbelief when he saw a photograph of Ms Giuffre with bruises and grazes down one side of her face.

“There is no way you could get that injury [from the crash],” he said.

When the incident happened on March 24, Mr Munns was driving the bus along his usual route through the farming community of Neergabby.

He said police had “laughed” when they were tasked with photographing his undamaged bus for evidence after Ms Giuffre went public with the allegation.

He swapped contact details with the motorist at the time, but thought it so “minor” he did not take photographs at the scene.

“I didn’t even take a photo [of the car’s damage] because it wasn’t warranted,” he said.

“I asked if she [the driver] lived here and she said, ‘no I’m a carer’, and I told her she needs to put her indicator on when you have to turn.

“That’s all the conversation was, and she asked how the kids were and I said, ‘fine’.”

Police said there was a collision between a car and a bus, but there were “no injuries reported as a result of the crash”.

They said the car sustained 2,000 Australian dollars (£968) worth of damage.

(continued)

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Mr Munns was under no legal obligation to report the crash to police, given he believed no one was hurt and the damage was “minor”, but said he did so because he felt there was something suspicious about the incident.

“We swapped phone numbers and I had a look around and I asked if everything was ok and the next morning she rang… that’s when she told me there was another person in the car who had a black eye.”

It earlier emerged that Ms Giuffre appeared in court over allegedly breaching a family violence restraining order 10 days before the crash.

The alleged breach happened on Feb 2, after the mother-of-three reportedly separated from her husband.

Representatives for Ms Giuffre told The Telegraph on Wednesday that her husband of 22 years had been granted a restraining order against her even though he was alleged to have “brutally assaulted” her in January.

They claimed that Robert Giuffre “used the system intended to protect victims to his advantage”.

“Virginia looks forward to defending herself against his malicious claim. She is deeply concerned about her children who remain in Robert’s custody. Virginia continues to be hospitalised in serious condition,” they said.

When Ms Giuffre posted on Instagram that she had just days to live, she added that she was “ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time”.

A previous post by Ms Giuffre on March 22 included the caption: “My beautiful babies have no clue how much I love them and they’re being poisoned with lies. I miss them so very much. I have been through hell & back in my 41 years but this is incredibly hurting me worse than anything else. Hurt me, abuse me but don’t take my babies.”

Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s father, told The Telegraph on Monday that his daughter was depressed and wanted to be reunited with her children.

“She’s not doing good. She’s depressed because she misses her kids,” he said.

On Tuesday, a statement from Ms Giuffre’s family read: “Virginia thanks everyone for the outpouring of love and support. She is overwhelmed with gratitude. Today she remains in serious condition while receiving medical care.

“On March 24, in rural Western Australia, a school bus hit the car in which she was riding. The police were called but said that there was no one available to come to the scene.

“They asked if anyone was injured and suggested that if they were, they should make their way to the hospital.”

The statement added: “The school bus driver had a bus full of distraught children and left the scene to get them back, saying he would file a police report, which he did later. Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home.

“Virginia’s condition worsened and she was admitted to the hospital.”

Ms Giuffre had until recently been living a quiet life in Perth with her husband and three children after spending over a decade speaking out about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Epstein.

In 2021, she filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew accusing him of raping her when she was 17, after Epstein and his long-time accomplice and lover Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to London.

Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years for sex trafficking in 2021.

A year later, Ms Giuffre agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew, understood to be worth millions of pounds. The joint statement contained no admission of liability.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/03/parents-back-bus-driver-accused-crash-virginia-giuffre-car/

>>22850665

>>22855500

>>22850751

The OTHER woman at the centre of the Virginia Giuffre 'four days to live' bus crash saga breaks her silence - and vows: 'I'm not covering up for her

JONICA BRAY - 4 April 2025

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The woman who was driving Virginia Giuffre when her car and a bus collided has broken her silence about her role in the controversial crash, insisting it's all been a misunderstanding which will be cleared up.

Cheryl Sassela, 71 - the caretaker at Giuffre's $1.3million weekend hobby farm - was behind the wheel of a white hatchback when it had what police called 'a minor collision' with a school bus on a rural road north of Perth last week.

Giuffre, 41, then posted a disturbing photograph to Instagram on Sunday night showing her on a hospital bed, claiming the bus had struck the car at 110km/h, leaving her with kidney failure and only 'four days to live'.

However, the bus driver involved told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that the crash had been 'blown out of proportion' and accused Ms Giuffre, 41, of exaggerating the severity of what happened.

Ms Giuffre won a multimillion-dollar payout from Prince Andrew after claiming she was trafficked to have sex with him at the age of 17 by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Now farmhand Ms Sassela has spoken to Daily Mail Australia, insisting: 'I'm not covering for her. I'm not implicated in a cover up.'

She said the incident - which resulted in a broken taillight of her car - had sparked a misunderstanding, and added: 'I'm sure Virginia will release a statement soon to clear it all up.'

Remnants of the car's broken tail light were still visible and scattered across the grass verge at the scene of the crash.

Ms Sassela helps take care of Giuffre's 40-acre weekend retreat which her family used as a country escape from their $1.9million beachside mansion in Perth, 60km away.

Since Giuffre's split with her husband, she is believed to be spending most of her time at the rural bolthole while her husband remains with their children in Perth.

Giuffre is said to have been in the car with Ms Sassela at the time of the accident, which happened when the car turned down a road on the way to the family farm.

While Giuffre said she was on her deathbed in the wake of the crash, Ms Sassela appeared to be unscathed on Thursday, and was seen feeding horses and tending to other livestock.

Bus driver Ross Munns told Daily Mail Australia earlier this week that he has no recollection of Giuffre even being in the car, but a police report into the incident later stated that a woman aged 41 was a passenger.

'I won't bore anyone with the details but I think it important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can,' she wrote in Sunday's post.

On Tuesday she said via a spokesperson that the post about her injuries and selfie of her badly bruised face had been posted to her public Instagram in error and was only meant to be on her private Facebook page.

Mr Munns said that the crash happened after he had followed a slow-moving white car for three kilometres before deciding to overtake when it went under 75km/h and it was safe for him to pass it, around 3pm on Monday last week.

Mr Munns said that he had about 29 children still on board as he began his manoeuvre only for the car to suddenly start turning right in front of him to get into a rural property north of Perth, Western Australia.

Mr Munns, a school bus driver for 16 years, said that he beeped his horn, but he was unable to avoid clipping the car and damaging its tail-light in what he described as 'a minor collision'.

He said he immediately stopped and went to check on the car driver who had also pulled over, and was satisfied that she was not hurt.

Mr Munns said he and the 71-year-old woman swapped details including phone numbers and were both able to drive away afterwards, but he decided to report the incident to police as he felt the circumstances were 'a little bit suss'.

He insisted that he was under no obligation to report the crash as the law only required accidents to be reported if they caused more than $2,000 damage and in his view the incident did not pass the threshold.

(continued)

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Mr Munns said he later telephoned the driver as a courtesy to say he had reported the accident and she rang him back the next day to say there had been a passenger in the car who had suffered 'a black eye'.

The grandfather from Lancelin near Perth said he was horrified to see Ms Giuffre's Instagram post claiming that she had been injured when a school bus had ploughed into her car at a speed of 110km/h, as buses in Western Australia are restricted to a top speed of 100km/h.

Describing Ms Giuffre's claims and the circumstances of the crash, he said: 'It's just all blown out of proportion and I know what happened. I didn't even see her in the car.'

He said the accident was caused by the caretaker, saying: 'The driver basically pulled out in front of me. I made sure she was alright, and I went and did a police report.'

Mr Munns added: 'She was elderly and I asked if she was ok, and she said, "Yes I'm ok".

'I asked if she lived here and she said, "No I'm a carer", and I told her she needs to put her indicator on when you have to turn.

'That's all the conversation was, and she asked how the kids were and I said, "fine". It wasn't a major crash.'

Mr Munns said the impact was so minor that there was no damage at all to his Roo Bar – the bar designed to protect his bus from damage caused by hitting kangaroos on the road.

He said: 'There is nothing on my Roo Bar. I still had 29 kids on the bus I didn't even take a photo because it wasn't warranted.'

Mr Munns told why he reported the crash to police, saying: 'I did it because to me it sounded a little bit suss.

'You don't have to do a police report if the damage is under $2,000 but it sounded suss to me. We have a very good reputation and it's all best around safety.'

He added: 'It just wasn't normal - weird driving. We swapped phone numbers and I had a look around and I asked if everything was ok and the next morning she rang.

'I thought it was all very strange and I told her I had already done a police report, and that's all I have to say. And that's when she told me there was another person in the car who had a black eye.'

Mr Munns said a police officer who had photographed his bus was 'laughing' as he did so.

He went on: 'I actually feel sorry for her. If I hit that car at 110 they would be dead. I used to drive ambulances for years in the country and I know how to have a good look.

'I have got the-all clear from the police and if they want to come for insurance, I will fight that as well.

'She said she was hit by a bus at 110km/h and all buses in Western Australia are governed to 100km/h.

'I was doing 75 and its only when she slowed down even more, I decided to pass her.'

Describing his reaction when he saw the picture of Ms Giuffre's reported injuries, he added: 'I just laughed… There is no way you could get that injury if you were in that car.'

But he said he was fed up about the crash and having to deal with its aftermath, saying: 'I would rather this just go away.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14566483/Virginia-Giuffre-bus-crash-death-bed-days-live.html

Australian man labelled world’s worst pedophile to die in jail

An Australian man labelled the “world’s worst pedophile” will die behind bars after a Philippines court rejected his argument as to why he should be allowed to go free. Warning: graphic.

Vanessa Marsh - March 25, 2025

An Australian man labelled the world’s worst pedophile will die in jail after a Philippines court rejected his final avenue of appeal in which he claimed he wasn’t guilty of human trafficking because he was “satisfying his own lust”.

Former Melbourne man Peter Gerard Scully orchestrated a sickening years-long international child sex abuse ring that filmed the rape and torture of human trafficking victims as young as 18 months old, selling the content on the dark web.

Scully, now 62, and his Filipino girlfriend Carme Ann Alvarez were sentenced to 129 years in prison and hit with a second life sentence for their depraved offending.

Their crimes sparked global outrage and prompted calls for the death penalty to be reintroduced.

The skeleton of a 12-year-old girl who Scully raped, tortured and forced to dig her own grave was discovered during the joint international investigation.

The Australian was also responsible for a notorious video depicting the horrific rape and torture of an 18-month-old child which he sold for tens of thousands of dollars to customers online.

Scully and Alvarez launched a final appeal in the Philippines Supreme Court in November seeking to overturn their life sentences for the 2014 kidnap, rape and torture of two girls aged nine and 12.

Alvarez found the girls at a mall and offered them food, promising them more if they came with her to a house where she introduced them to Scully.

“Once inside, Scully gave them alcohol, made them undress, and took photos of them naked,” the Philippines Supreme Court documents state.

“He later chained their necks and forced them to watch a pornographic film. Both Scully and Alvarez then sexually exploited the girls while documenting their sexual acts using a laptop.”

The traumatised children managed to escape from the home four days later and immediately reported the crime to police.

Scully and Alvarez, who have pleaded not guilty throughout the judicial process and forced their victims to relive the horrors in court, attempted to argue in their appeal that their crimes were not trafficking because “they abducted the girls to satisfy their own lust, not of others”.

But the court has now rejected the argument, denying their appeals and ordering the pair serve sentences of life imprisonment.

“Trafficking occurs when individuals are recruited, transported, or transferred – regardless of consent or knowledge – under threats, coercion, deception, or abuse of power, for exploitative purposes such as prostitution, forced labour, slavery, or removal or sale of organs,” the court found.

“The crime is classified as qualified trafficking when the victims are minors, which carries a life sentence.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/australian-man-labelled-worlds-worst-pedophile-to-die-in-jail/news-story/f8115010a726e89f345d691c7b93fbfa

https://www.facebook.com/InterAgencyCouncilAgainstTrafficking/posts/974293691487498

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>>22740487

Election 2025: Palmer says he knows what Trump wants on tariffs

MATTHEW CRANSTON and GEOFF CHAMBERS - 6 April 2025

Billionaire miner and chair of political party Trumpet of Patriots Clive Palmer says he has been told by confidants of Donald Trump what the US President wants from Australia in exchange for dropping a 10 per cent tariff.

“Apologise. What [Anthony Albanese] needs to do is apologise for the comments he made about the President. You might think this is minor but it’s an important thing if you know Trump,” Mr Palmer said.

The Prime Minister took a veiled swipe at Mr Trump’s handling of economics last week, saying he understood in year 7 that border taxes hurt the country that imposed them more.

“Kevin Rudd called President Trump ‘the village idiot’. If you were the President of the US and you were called the ‘village idiot’ by the ambassador, you wouldn’t be too happy with that. I think Don­ald Trump remembers that so it’s very appropriate that the ambassador also apologise and on behalf of Australia. Rudd should probably resign,” he said.

Mr Palmer, who funded a two-week speaking trip to Australia for Trump supporter and television host Tucker Carlson last year, said there was also animosity towards the Albanese government from the Trump camp because of a controversial delay in granting the President’s son a travel visa to Australia in 2023. Visas for high-profile people usually take longer to clear national security vetting.

“It was a fiasco when Donald Trump’s son wanted to visit Australia. All of the politicians argued whether they would issue a visa or not. Australia should apologise about that. If it was your son and you were standing for president and everyone’s against you and don’t think you’re going to get elected president and you’re under threat from lawfare, you won’t forget at that time when people come out and kick you,” Mr Palmer said.

The billionaire, who once owned a cattle herd in western Queensland before buying up 200 quarter horses with US bloodlines, said Australia also needed to drop “fake” biosecurity rules that prevented American beef from being imported to Australia.

“Mad cow disease was in the US in 2006 but the reality is it has been certified as being eradicated. Other countries had the same biosecurity concerns in 2006-07, but they’ve all gone through the testing and there has been no cases ever since. So Australia’s really using it to keep out competition.

“The demand for beef in the US is very high, they need our exports. It’s unlikely we’ll be getting any beef from them anyway.

“If you’re friends, you should treat each other equally. I think if Australia could give the same rights of entry to US beef that we enjoy to the US, that would go a long way to helping the tariffs.”

The major US beef lobby, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in March said the US should consider implementing volume-based safeguards on fresh and frozen imports of beef from Australia and initiate a full audit of Australian animal health standards for cattle and beef products.

“This should also take into account the rate of rejected shipments at US Customs over the past five years, and if necessary, increase inspection rates to 100 per cent until audits are conducted to confirm systemic problems have been resolved.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday said standards on imported beef were not for the turning. “We will not compromise on Australia’s biosecurity,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/election-2025-palmer-says-he-knows-what-trump-wants-on-tariffs/news-story/cdcd0fc608b57f9a331823207cc862f4

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>>22845460

Aussie tariffs funding Trump tax cuts: Morrison

Jessica Gardner - Apr 6, 2025

Former prime minister Scott Morrison says a 10 per cent tariff on Australian exports to the United States seems primarily a tool to raise revenue, and so compromising on trade barriers that US firms complain about may be a wasted offer to avoid it.

After Australia was hit with a baseline 10 per cent tariff out of Donald Trump’s “liberation day” blitz last week, the Albanese government has remained hopeful that its offer of preferential access to critical minerals may afford exporters an exemption in future. Nations such as the United Kingdom, Brazil and Ukraine were also hit with the baseline figure.

Exporters from other countries, however, now face tariffs of up to 49 per cent. Low-wage manufacturing nations in South-East Asia that supply the US with clothing, apparel, appliances and cars were hit hardest.

In an interview with The Australian Financial Review on Sunday, Morrison said the Trump administration appeared to have three motivations with its tariff regime: raise revenue from the baseline tariffs, use higher tariff rates to push other countries to lower their own trade barriers; and overall, encourage the re-establishment of American manufacturing by making foreign-made products more expensive.

While China has responded to Trump’s trade war with retaliatory tariffs, lifting expectations of a global recession, Vietnam and India have indicated a willingness to lower tariffs on US imports into their countries.

“[The baseline tariff] very much has the look and feel of a foreign consumption tax,” he said. “What seems to be driving that, from my observation, is more the need to raise revenue for broader tax cuts.”

Trump has promised “the largest tax cuts in history” to stimulate economic growth and business investment, but with a $US1.8 trillion budget deficit, he needs to find ways to pay for them.

Securing an exemption

Under the two-decade-old free trade agreement with the United States, Australia does not levy any tariffs on American imports.

There are, however, long-held irritants in the trading relationship. These include tough biosecurity regulations on meat and produce from the US, the news media bargaining code, which forces large US tech firms to pay for local news content, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, under which the government drives a hard bargain against US drugmakers seeking access to the subsidised medicines program.

Morrison noted both Labor and the Coalition had made clear they were unwilling to negotiate on these issues. In any case, he was not confident a compromise would lead to the scrapping of tariffs. “You’d have to be sure that that’s what’s actually motivating [the tariffs] in the first place. And that’s not 100 per cent clear,” he said. “The revenue motivation for those baseline tariffs seems very high.”

Australia exported about $23 billion in goods to the US in 2023-24. While the direct effect of the tariff will be minimal, policymakers are wary of the broader economic effect of a global trade war including a dampening of demand for Australian commodities sold into Asia.

Some experts have warned that the greater hit on smaller Asian nations may push them towards China for economic and security support, potentially destabilising peace in the region.

Morrison, who had frosty relations with Beijing during his 2018 to 2022 prime ministership, agreed that “China will always seek to take opportunity” but said Trump’s economic policy should not be viewed as a tweaking of US support in the Indo-Pacific.

Nonetheless, he said it would be prudent for partners such as Australia to push the US to maintain its relationships in the region and keep security high on the agenda.

“It is a practical issue [for Australia] to encourage the US through our strong partnership and alliance, to be proactive in reassuring partners and allies in the region about their very strong commitment, which I believe is unaltered.”

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/aussie-tariffs-funding-trump-tax-cuts-morrison-20250406-p5lpjw

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>>22855500

>>22850751

Virginia Giuffre Alleges Husband Has Physically Abused Her For Years: 'I Can No Longer Stay Silent'

Giuffre, a victim of accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was involved in a recent car accident that her brother says 'saved her life'

KC Baker and Liz McNeil - April 5, 2025

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As controversy swirls about a cryptic Instagram message Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre recently posted about her deteriorating health following a car crash in Australia, she is now coming forward with allegations of abuse against her husband of 22 years, Robert Giuffre.

Virginia, 41, previously spoke out as a victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in his prison cell at age 66 in 2019, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, 63, who is currently serving a prison sentence for child sex trafficking in connection with Epstein. Virginia says she has been hesitant to speak publicly about the alleged abuse involving her husband until now.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Virginia said, "I was able to fight back against Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein who, abused and trafficked me. But I was unable to escape the domestic violence in my marriage until recently. After my husband's latest physical assault, I can no longer stay silent."

She ended the statement by saying, "Again, I thank everyone for their support. I have faith that justice will prevail."

Her statement comes less than a week after Virginia said on Instagram on Sunday, March 30, that she was in the hospital and near death after the car in which she was riding on March 24 was struck by a school bus going more than 49 mph.

“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure," she wrote next to a photo of her lying in a hospital bed, her face covered in bruises. "They’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.”

A spokesperson for Virginia confirms that Virginia reported a Jan. 9, 2025, assault in Dunsborough, Western Australia, to police, who did not charge Robert for any crime. PEOPLE has been unable to obtain the incident report. Robert did not respond to PEOPLE's multiple calls and texts for comment.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Virginia's brother, Sky Roberts, and his wife Amanda, both 36, say Virginia — who lives in Australia — is making the allegations because of the severity of her injuries.

"I think the last incident that they had, she almost died," Amanda says about the alleged Jan. 9 beating. "And we had to speak that truth with her on the phone. And I think she had acknowledged that if she had one more instance with him, she wasn't making it out of there."

Sky and Amanda note that they don't know whether Virginia's medical issues were caused by the crash or complications from a recent beating she allegedly suffered at the hands of her husband, or a combination of the two.

"Let's be clear, she never stated in the bus accident the cause of all her other injuries," says Sky. "But I do think that the bus crash in some way, shape, or form saved her life. It could have been a blessing in disguise."

Adding that he doesn't know specifically "what happened internally to her," Sky, an auto claims adjuster, says Virginia's bruising "is consistent [with a car crash]."

"Nobody ever said her liver issues and kidney failure were ever from that. We still don't know if it is, I'm not a medical professional. That's up to her doctor to determine," he says.

Speaking about the damage to Virginia's organs, Sky said, "I think that's from years of alleged abuse. You got to think, she's been allegedly being abused for over 10 years. Anyone's body is going to take a toll over a course of time."

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Alleged Troubled Marriage

Virginia had been having marital issues for a while and in August 2023 or so, separated from Robert, the father of her three children, ages 19, 16 and 15, Sky and Amanda say.

During a trip to celebrate one of the children's birthdays in January, Robert allegedly beat Virginia so severely she was left with a cracked sternum and perforated eye, among other injuries, they say. She was transported to the hospital for her injuries, her spokeswoman says.

To the family's shock, they say, Robert quickly filed a family violence restraining order against her, alleging that she had become violent with him, they say.

"He just put his in place first," Sky alleges. "Now she's on the defense."

She was accused of breaching the restraining order by texting Robert on Feb. 2 in Perth, 7 News was the first to report.

Addressing critics who say Virginia is coming forward with this now because she wants to avoid going to Joondalup Magistrates Court on April 9 to address the alleged restraining order violation, Sky says that is dangerous thinking.

"Is it going to take her to die for people to believe her? Or can you just simply be a human and look at the facts and understand this is somebody that legitimately got into an accident, legitimately had underlying issues."

Controversial Post

After her last Instagram post, Virginia has been accused of exaggerating and even lying about the accident and her health.

On Tuesday, April 1, her family clarified in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that Virginia thought she had posted the message on a private social media page and not on Instagram.

Not only was she likely on pain medication in the hospital when she sent the message, says Sky, but she was feeling "despondent and depressed" over not being able to be with her children—ages 19, 16 and 15—who are "the most important thing in her life."

He clarifies that his sister was told by one doctor that if she did not continue to receive care, she would only have four days to live. He says she remains in the hospital where she is continuing to receive treatment.

"She is marginally better but still in serious condition," her spokeswoman tells PEOPLE.

Virginia became a public figure when she accused Epstein, the late billionaire and convicted sex offender, and his ex-girlfriend, Maxwell of trafficking her to rich and powerful men, including Prince Andrew, when she was a teenager.

Prince Andrew has denied the allegations. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021.

In 2021, Virginia sued Prince Andrew in New York. The two reached an out-of-court settlement in February 2022 of an undisclosed amount.

https://people.com/virginia-giuffre-alleges-husband-physically-abused-her-exclusive-11708702

https://www.instagram.com/virginiarobertsrising11/p/DH0vvDKzDvu/

—

Q Post #4923

Oct 21 2020 20:55:05 (EST)

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1319071346282778624

Dearest Virginia -

We stand with you.

Now and always.

Find peace through prayer.

Never give up the good fight.

God bless you.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4923

https://qanon.pub/#1054

https://qanon.pub/#4568

https://qanon.pub/#4728

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>>22855280

Coalition axes working from home, forced redundancies policies in attempt to reboot Peter Dutton’s campaign

MATTHEW CRANSTON and SIMON BENSON - 6 April 2025

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Peter Dutton will dump his demands that public servants return to the office and will not hand out any forced redundancies to taxpayer-funded workers, in a backflip designed to reboot the Opposition Leader’s campaign and win back female voters.

The Coalition will on Monday unveil a five-year plan to reduce the bureaucracy by 41,000 people through hiring freezes and not ­always replacing workers who ­retire or resign.

After months of confusion over how the Coalition would slash public servant numbers, and the weaponisation of the Opposition Leader’s criticism of bureaucrats working from home, The Australian understands the jettisoning of a return-to-the-­office policy was part of “cleaning up” the negativities of Mr Dutton’s campaign.

Only last month he said he did not believe that “61 per cent of the public servants who are working in Canberra should be working from home”.

“I think they should return to work, back to pre-Covid levels which was just over 20 per cent of people who work from home, so we could help people get that balance in their lives, but also deliver efficiency in the way in which they are expending the money that’s given them by Australian taxpayers,” he said at the time.

But with Mr Dutton losing his months-long polling edge against Anthony Albanese amid growing Liberal concerns over his campaign strategy, The Australian understands Liberal candidates in key seats were reporting significant hostility towards the return-to-the-office policy from voters, and particularly among women.

A senior Coalition source confirmed there had been a realisation at the top levels there was a lack of “sharpness” about what the Liberals and Nationals’ proposition was.

As the Coalition aimed on Sunday to narrow the electorate’s focus on its plan to reduce migration and end the housing crisis, one Liberal source said the turn-a-round on the public service policy was “a pragmatic U-turn”.

In a stark departure from the Coalition’s policy just a month ago when its public service spokesman, Jane Hume, said “all members of the APS work from the office five days a week”, there is now no expectation on the number of days in the office.

Senator Hume on Monday will reverse course and will ensure there is no mandated minimum number of days for public servants to work in the office. “Many professional men and women in the commonwealth public service are benefiting from flexible working arrangements, including working from home, which allow them to make valuable contributions to serving Australians,” she said in a statement. “We have listened, and understand that flexible work, including working from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce.”

Senator Hume had previously said that remote work arrangements had become unsustainable and unproductive.

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Labor has for weeks been weaponsing the Coalition’s return to the office edict and public service reductions, and tried to connect Mr Dutton’s proposals to the push from US President Donald Trump and his billionaire offsider Elon Musk to slash the Washington bureaucracy.

Just as the Coalition was planning to unveil its backflip on working from home, the Prime Minister on Sunday used a landmark campaign speech to ramp up his claim Mr Dutton wants to end working from home across the economy and make Australia more like America.

“My opponent started his campaign measuring up the ­curtains at Kirribilli House while telling everyone else they can’t work from home,” Mr Albanese said in the Greens-held inner Brisbane seat of Griffith.

“He denigrates people working from home – we’re building more homes. That’s the choice.

“That’s the way forward for us. Our own way. The future we want is not an American-style wages system. Not American levels of student debt. And never, ever American healthcare.”

The Coalition’s new position on limiting public service growth more closely follows the plan opposition government efficiency spokeswoman Jacinta Price laid out to The Australian earlier this year, before she was forced to clarify to say there would be “reductions” in current numbers.

Mr Dutton’s dumped policy of getting public servants back into the office did not extend to the private sector, and business groups such as the Business Council of Australia has had a policy of leaving individual firms to make their own policies.

ACTU president Michele O’Neil has previously condemned the Coalition policy. “Forcing hundreds of thousands of workers back on the roads will mean less time with kids and more time in traffic,” she said.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox has supported a shift back to the workplace for public servants.

“If you want to work out why public sector productivity sees zero growth, the obvious place to look is at the right to work from home first rule that the government has in place,” he said.

Part of the problem and cost for government for allowing work from home is the security risk and insurance, including cyber security.

The Productivity Commission says many jobs can now be effectively done from home, and that the number of people working from home would likely “remain much higher than it was previously”.

The commission said Australia’s work health and safety laws were flexible enough and well-placed to manage an increase in home-based work.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coalition-axes-working-from-home-forced-redundancies-policies-in-attempt-to-reboot-peter-duttons-campaign/news-story/1f47dc027e090d6eb1e2c0e95633a77b

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Richard Marles coy on future role amid speculation of Penny Wong retirement

BEN PACKHAM - 7 April 2025

Richard Marles has refused to commit to serving a full term as Defence Minister if Labor wins the election, amid speculation Penny Wong will retire and Mr Marles will take the Foreign Affairs portfolio.

Mr Marles said he’d wanted to serve as Defence Minister in Labor’s first term, and “I’ve almost completed the job”.

He said he would not pre-empt any future role if the Albanese government was returned on May 3. “We’ve got an election to win, and that’s our focus,” he said on Monday. “So the last thing I’m about to do is start speculating on what happens after the election.”

Senator Wong’s political future has been the subject of persistent rumours in Canberra and her hometown Adelaide, with multiple senior Labor sources saying she plans to leave politics within six months, no matter the poll result.

They say after 24 years in parliament, she wants to spend more time with wife Sophie Allouache and their daughters Alexandra and Hannah.

The government rejects such talk, saying Senator Wong has no intention to retire and Labor’s national security team will be unchanged after the election.

Senator Wong’s purchase last year with Ms Allouache of a $3.4m mansion in one of Adelaide’s most exclusive suburbs has only added to the speculation.

Mr Marles, as Deputy Prime Minister, would have the right to choose his portfolio in a re-elected Albanese government.

Senior party sources say he is interested in the Foreign Ministry after successfully navigating the intense international diplomacy that comes with defence.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, widely respected for his command of the portfolio, would be expected to take the senior Defence Ministry under such circumstances.

Mr Marles said Labor had provided consistent leadership in Defence after the Coalition’s merry-go-round of six defence ministers during the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments. “We’ve had one defence minister, as we said we would. I’ve almost completed the job in terms of this term.

“Now we’re focused on seeking our re-election, and really the questions that you’re asking are on the other side of that event, if we’re ultimately successful. But Australian people get a say in this first.”

Senator Wong, one of Labor’s strongest performers, has played a low-key role in the campaign.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/richard-marles-coy-on-future-role-amid-speculation-of-penny-wong-retirement/news-story/db38f19a6452bf81d8b77ee61b5ba57f

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>>22860263

Donald Trump trade deal with Australia off until after election, as embassy waits for Republican backlash

MATTHEW CRANSTON - 6 April 2025

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Australia’s embassy in Washington will wait to see if Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton wins the May 3 election before re-entering talks with the Trump White House over tariff carve-outs, despite an expected markets bloodbath as soon as Monday and warnings from Europe that globalisation is dead.

As both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader prepare to face Donald Trump’s rewriting of the global economic order, one of Washington’s most controversial Senate powerbrokers is also warning them not to aggravate the President on tariffs.

The Australian understands the nation’s diplomats will wait at least a month before approaching Mr Trump’s trade team over the removal or watering down of the 10 per cent blanket tariff. The embassy will be hoping for renewed authority from the next prime minister and an intensification of Republican backlash against the President’s radical economic policies and their impact on both the price of US goods and the stockmarket.

In the event of a hung parliament, where Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton would need crossbench MPs to get into government, any hold-and-wait strategy from the embassy and US ambassador Kevin Rudd would take even longer before there is proper re-engagement.

The revelation comes as investors expect a further roiling of stockmarkets this week, with US S&P 500 futures down more than 6 per cent, and the ASX 200 futures markets pricing in a 4.3 per cent fall on the local share market on Monday.

There has also been shift from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is set to argue in a speech on Monday that “globalisation is over”, that he understood Mr Trump’s economic nationalism, its popularity with voters and their disbelief in the benefits of free trade.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday the Albanese government would not deal with Mr Trump on any of the key sticking points his administration gave for Australia being hit with a 10 per cent tariff last week.

“We will not compromise on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We will not comprise on Australia’s biosecurity … plus some of our digital regulation, we are not going to compromise on what it is to be Australian,” she told the ABC.

Mr Albanese has said there would be no negotiation on any of the issues seen by the US as an “effective” tariff, and took a veiled swipe at Mr Trump’s handling of economics, saying he understood in year 7 that border taxes hurt the country that imposes them more.

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However, on Sunday, long-term congressional powerbroker Joe Manchin, who has frequently been lauded by Mr Trump as a “good guy” for his approach to deal-making, said Australia should not blow its chance to be the first country to receive a reprieve if it played its cards right and held off attacking the President.

“Everyone has gone apoplectic, but I would not jump in and attack if I were Australia,” Mr Manchin told The Australian. “If you do, the Trump administration will notice and they will respond. Your PM needs to show the value of the relationship between Australia and America, he does not need to be attacking what Trump is doing.”

During Trump’s first term, Mr Manchin supported Trump’s tariffs because they were, in part, about persuading allies to increase defence spending, something Australia has good standing on given military spending as a percentage of GDP exceeds 2 per cent.

“I can’t find a better country than Australia on defence. Australia would be the first to have the tariff renegotiated. It would be the country I would look at immediately,” Mr Manchin said.

However, this time he thinks the tariffs were likely to increase inflation and cause financial harm, which could see the President under significantly more pressure from his party in the second half of this year to do deals with countries.

“You have to remember that we have seen a recent vote where four Republicans went against Trump in their attempt to eliminate the tariffs on Canada. It’s a warning that they are concerned and I know there are other Republicans who might soon join, especially in the House. Once they start to see the effect on jobs or prices or political ratings. And I think that’s why the President has started to say that he’s willing to renegotiate,” Mr Manchin said.

On Friday, a day after announcing his “Liberation Day” tariffs, Mr Trump told reporters he would consider removing the tariffs if he could strike deals with countries.

“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. Always have. I used it very well in the first administration, as you saw, but now we’re taking it to a whole new level,” he said.

Chief White House trade counsellor Peter Navarro, who has been challenged by other top Trump aides, has said the tariffs were not up for renegotiation.

The Australian reported last week that the 10 per cent US tariff impost on Australian goods came after a last-minute intervention from Mr Navarro, a known trade hawk, who ­demanded tariffs be placed across the board without exception.

Mr Navarro, a registered Democrat for more than two decades until he started backing Mr Trump, is understood to have been irate that Mr Trump allowed Australia to be exempt from steel and aluminium tariffs in the President’s first term.

Senator Wong said on Sunday the new Trump administration would also be more challenging in negotiations than the first.

“The second Trump administration is not the same as the first. The second Trump administration regrets exemptions it gave and has not given exemptions to anyone. And yet you still have Peter Dutton and his colleagues stubbornly insisting that they could do a deal at any cost,” she said.

Mr Manchin said Australia should keep its powder dry and wait for Mr Trump to renegotiate a deal.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/donald-trump-trade-deal-with-australia-off-until-after-election-as-embassy-waits-for-republican-backlash/news-story/504233278d6a936a9708e3ba022ee1a9

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Andrew Forrest’s election plea: ‘Force Meta to operate from Australia’

JARED LYNCH - 7 April 2025

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Billionaire Andrew Forrest says whoever wins the federal election needs to force Facebook owner Meta to base its Australian operations via a local entity to stop it bypassing the country’s laws and facilitating organised crime.

The resources boss is suing Meta in California after it failed to take down hundreds of thousands of scam advertisements featuring his likeness that have fleeced Australians of their life savings.

Dr Forrest is suing Meta in California because it has attempted to use a 30-year-old US law that grants online companies immunity from what is posted on their sites and platforms.

He has argued that Meta has “knowingly advertising the content of criminals” via this loophole, which he is now desperately trying to close, “no matter the cost”.

“Australian sovereignty should be the most important factor when considering how to regulate foreign tech platforms that millions of Australians access,” Dr Forrest told The Australian.

“Australia should be able to enforce our laws for all companies that do business in Australia, and Australian users should have access to our courts if they suffer from big tech’s behaviour.

“I don’t think this is a political debate – it’s something all parties should agree on. Whoever forms government should act immediately to require digital platforms to operate through an Australian legal entity and be subject to Australian regulations and our legal system.”

Dr Forrest said it was “completely unacceptable” that “innocent Australians who have lost thousands of dollars” currently have no way to seek compensation from Meta.

“Australians should be in control of what happens in Australia – it’s as simple as that.”

A Meta spokeswoman declined to say what was on its policy wish list from the next Australian government.

In US Federal Court documents, Dr Forrest describes Meta’s position as “jurisdictional arbitrage”, drawing a parallel with the way the company shifts money from ad sales out of high-tax countries such as Australia to corporate tax haven Ireland.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission found Meta generated $4.7bn and $5.1bn in Australian advertising revenue from Facebook and Instagram, respectively, in FY21-22.

Dr Forrest wrote to Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg a decade ago, asking him to remove the scam advertisements but received no reply.

As a result of the lack of action, one Australian woman fell victim to a scam featuring Mr Forrest’s likeness and lost $670,000. Another man clicked on a link in a fraudulent Facebook add and was swindled out of $77,254, and a 72-year-old Western Australian known as “FZ” lost $250,000 – which he has not been able to recover.

(continued)

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Australian writers also want the Australian government to support a legal battle against Meta, which is accused of using Australian books to train AI without seeking permission or offering payment.

Meta has been using books from the LibGen website, which is a pirate site, and last week published a search tool, which enables writers around the world to see which of their books have been stolen and published onto LibGen.

More than 50,000 writers have since signed a petition designed to force Meta to pay them for using their work to train AI. In a statement, Meta said the “fair use of copyrighted material is vital” to the development of AI, and it does not intend to pay authors for the works it has used.

Meta has also been facing regulatory pressure in the US, with Mr Zuckerberg lobbying Donald Trump and White House officials to strike a settlement that would prevent the $US1.35 trillion company facing an antitrust trial later this month.

The case from the Federal Trade Commission centres on accusations that Meta bought Instagram and WhatsApp to crush its competition. While Congress established the FTC an independent agency, Mr Trump has moved to assert control of it and other independent bodies.

It follows Meta, via the Computer & Communications Industry Association, complaining to Mr Trump about Australia’s news media bargaining code, which compels social media platforms to compensate media companies for the content they use.

The CCIA accused Australia of unfairly targeting US tech companies by forcing them to subsidise “local news businesses”, which costs them collectively $US140m a year.

Former Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims – the architect of Australia’s news media bargaining code – said the government needed to give greater powers to Australian regulators to rein in Meta and other tech titans.

“We in our society have to think about companies getting so big that they can control governments and manipulate them in their own self-interest,” Mr Sims said.

“I’m hoping that the government will give the ACCC the powers to set frameworks within which the platforms should operate, both for Competition and Consumer purposes,” Mr Sims said.

“That’s what happens in the UK, and there is something similar in the European Union. So these things are moving slowly, deliberately, sensibly, so they’re not kneejerk, but they’re giving the regulator the powers to deal with these things in a really considered way.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/andrew-forrests-election-plea-force-meta-to-operate-from-australia/news-story/16af466a5a9177b6e6870f7a25f9387b

>>22677838

>>22874151

New horizontal launch capability will deepen ties with NASA

JOE KELLY - 6 April 2025

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A new agreement between Space Centre Australia and NASA for a “horizontal launch capability” is being framed by the company as a key step towards the opening of a major international space port in Cape York that could transform the North Queensland economy.

The proposed horizontal launch capability would allow a rocket to be deployed in mid air from a C-130 Hercules military transport plane and deliver a payload weighing up to 250kg – including satellites, scientific instruments or autonomous robotic systems – into a low Earth orbit.

SCA’s US-flagged company inked its first Space Act Agreement with NASA on Friday, local time, to begin testing of the horizontal capability – developed under its flagship Karman Line project – at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The company’s non-executive chairman, Scott Morrison, told The Australian this capability would fill an “important gap in the market” because it would allow for shorter lead times and smaller payloads to be delivered more swiftly into space.

Mr Morrison said the space agreement would deepen the relationship between NASA and SCA, bringing the company a step closer to realising its vision to transform North Queensland by opening a major international space port at Cape York.

He said NASA could use the proposed vertical launch space port at Weipa to support its Artemis campaign – a series of missions aimed at returning humanity to the Moon and establishing a sustainable presence there.

The former prime minister said the Karman Line project would also be very supportive of AUKUS Pillar Two, aimed at nurturing greater co-operation between Australia and America in hi-tech areas.

Mr Morrison, the chief architect of the AUKUS pact, said that “it was always intended that space would be part of Pillar Two – so this is a great way for Australia-originated companies to contribute”.

SCA chief executive James Palmer said this first agreement with NASA would provide for “inert testing” of the horizontal launch capability – including of its guidance and computer systems – which would take place inside the hangar at Wallops Island.

Several more agreements with NASA would then be expected to take the Karman Line project to commercialisation within a three- to four-year time frame.

“The easiest way to picture it is that it is a rocket like any other rocket,” Mr Palmer said. “That’s where the payload sits. The rocket sits on a special cradle and the rocket and cradle sit inside the cargo aircraft, in this case a C130-Hercules.

“What happens is you are at 20,000 feet, you open the back door, a parachute will deploy out, that will pull the rocket out of the aircraft. The parachute is connected to the cradle. It pulls the whole thing out. The cradle detaches from the rocket. That will then fall away. The rocket is in free fall and, very quickly, it will self-ignite and then put itself under its own control and then adjust itself and point up to space and then make its way up into orbit.”

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Future space agreements between SCA and NASA will test each stage of the process from safely flying the aircraft to air drop testing before progressing to hot fire testing.

Because the capability would fill a market gap, Mr Palmer said the technology was in high demand and there were “already a number of customers internationally that have expressed interest”.

“There are customers lined up already on our books that want to put their payloads on Karman Line to get their satellites into orbit. They are from Australia and the US,” Mr Palmer said. “One particular customer has satellites that work in the communications and conservation area. Those particular satellites also do remote bushfire monitoring. That’s a really important customer to us.

“There are other customers that work in the surveillance area as well that want to look at constellation deployments – launching lots of satellites into low earth orbit for surveillance and reconnaissance.

“To be very clear, we are not in the space of weapons deployment … Having said that, there is the opportunity to work in areas with governments and like-minded friendly governments to look at potential applications of satellites that do intelligence and reconnaissance works. We will never touch anything to do with weapons deployment.”

Wallops Flight Facility director David Pierce said he was “excited to enter into this agreement with Space Centre Australia and the work we’ll do together to enable this new US commercial launch capability and grow the space economy on Virginia’s Eastern Shore”.

Mr Morrison and Mr Palmer – who both visited the Wallops Flight Facility for the announcement – made clear the signing of their first space agreement with NASA was a step towards the realisation of a much bigger vision: the development of an international space port at Weipa in Far North Queensland.

“This is a fairly unique proposition,” Mr Morrison said. “When I’m here I talk about how space can form part of AUKUS and the Quad leadership. We have some not only smart people but unique geography.”

He said that Weipa was only 12 degrees south of the equator – much closer than the Kennedy Space Centre (28 degrees away) or Boca Chica in Texas (26 degrees away).

Mr Palmer said that location was “one of the key aspects for a space port. The fact that you are placed where we are, 12 degrees south of the equator, is an optimal location to save fuel from a launch. Your payload will also be able to spend a lot longer in space.

“It helps us address a wider issue, which is the established fact that there are not enough space ports globally to sustain large amounts of launches,” he said. “With the (NASA) Artemis program in particular that requires a lot of launches to reach those objectives. Put simply it can’t all be done in one location being Cape Canaveral.

“There is a huge opportunity to leverage, with this relationship, a deeper-level relationship more broadly with NASA and industry in the US to be one of those program participants where you can have a space launch mission from Cape York.”

Further sketching out the vision, Mr Morrison declared: “The sort of thing that you’ve seen from Space X in Boca Chica and rockets of that scale – that’s what we hope to be able to provide a launch pad for in Australia.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/new-horizontal-launch-capability-will-deepen-ties-with-nasa/news-story/c18433fc1af34b0e8272edeec6e78da1

>>22850628

>>22860237

Chris Minns impersonates US President Donald Trump

Sky News Australia

Apr 6, 2025

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns impersonates US President Donald Trump at a New South Wales Farmers Writers' Association event in Sydney.

Mr Minns was asked what executive orders he would make for regional New South Wales if he was Donald Trump for the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOaIGTOvrF4

>>22836159

>>22860237

>>22860277

Trump takes another brutal swipe against Australia in social media tirade

ANTOINETTE MILIENOS - 8 April 2025

Donald Trump has taken yet another swipe at Australia's refusal to accept US beef imports, as he doubles down on his contentious plan to apply widespread tariffs.

Trump last week slapped a ten per cent tariff on Australian goods being exported to the US, including beef, as part of his 'Liberation Day' trade policy to apply reciprocal tariffs on nations that put up barriers to US products.

On Monday, US time, Trump used his social media platform Truth Social to defend his policy against complaints from numerous countries as share markets worldwide saw a sell-off of companies whose profits will decline as a result.

Trump re-shared a comment from Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso which claimed the US has not sold 'one hamburger in Australia'.

Australia prevents the import of American beef when the products can't be traced from the source animal right through to the finished product.

Senator Barrasso later appeared on FoxNews where he said many cattle producers in his state thought it was unfair they could not sell their goods in the US but Australia can send its beef to America.

'I appreciate what the President is doing on tariffs… Australia has sold $29billion worth of beef in the United States, and we haven't been able to sell one hamburger in Australia because of barriers,' Senator Barrasso said.

'You look at these numbers, and the ranchers of Wyoming are saying thank you Mr President, it is about time!'

Trump previously made disparaging comments about the misalignment between the two countries' policy on beef imports.

'Australia bans - and they're wonderful people, and they have wonderful everything - but they ban American beef,' he said while announcing the tariff regime last week.

'Yet we imported (US)$3billion of Australian beef from them just last year alone.

'They won't take any of our beef. They don't want it because they don't want it to affect their farmers and, you know, I don't blame them.

'But we're doing the same thing right now, starting at midnight tonight.'

Trump's speech sparked concerns the US would ban Australian beef entirely, but instead a ten per cent tariff was applied to the meat, as it was to all Australian goods.

Australia does not sell anywhere near the $29billion of beef to the US as Senator Barrasso suggested during his appearance on FoxNews.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia sells about $2billion - which is much closer to Trump's estimate in his 'Liberation Day' address.

The Department of Agriculture added Australia does not have an outright ban on beef from the US but it does prevent the import of beef that cannot be traced from source animal right through to finished product.

The US can not comply with this measure as some of its export product is brought in from neighbouring countries. Effectively this biosecurity measure works as a ban, as Australia has not accepted any US beef imports for 20 years.

While the news of the tariff was disappointing, industry figures said American consumers would be harder hit than Australian beef farmers.

Grass-fed beef made up 96 per cent of Australia's beef exports to the US in 2024.

The US needs Australia's lean, grass-fed beef to make hamburgers, because drought in America has resulted in the culling of herds and a shortage of product.

Some fast food companies in America use Aussie beef to supplement fattier US beef to help lower the fat content in their burgers.

The demand is not going to stop and imports will continue but it is American consumers who will face higher prices as a result of the tariffs until such time the US industry can rebuild capacity to be self-reliant.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14581231/Donald-Trump-hamburger-beef-Australia.html

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114297149364879462

>>22836159

>>22860237

>>22877883

Chalmers calls emergency economy meeting to deal with Trump tariff dump

Matthew Knott - April 8, 2025

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The nation’s top economic officials have been summoned to an emergency meeting to respond to the financial chaos unleashed by Donald Trump’s tariffs, as the United States and China escalate their threats of a vicious trade war that would inflict collateral damage to the Australian economy.

Trade Minister Don Farrell will also speak with the European Union’s top trade official on Wednesday in a bid to revive stalled negotiations on a European free trade pact, part of a broader push to open up new markets for Australian exporters.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton ratcheted up his economic rhetoric by claiming the economy was heading into a recession under the Albanese government, prompting Treasurer Jim Chalmers to accuse him of “reckless” alarmism before the May 3 election.

Beijing vowed to “fight to the end” to defend its economic interests, accusing the US of “blackmail” after Trump threatened to impose a further 50 per cent tariff on Chinese imports in response to its vow to implement tit-for-tat imposts on US goods.

Chalmers will on Wednesday lead a snap meeting of the council of financial regulators, a high-powered body that includes Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock and Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy, to discuss how local and global markets are being affected by the volatility caused by Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.

Australian Securities and Investment Commission Chair Joe Longo, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Chair John Lonsdale and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb will also attend the meeting.

“These escalating trade tensions are casting a dark shadow over the global economy but Australia’s robust economy and budget puts us in good stead,” Chalmers said, as Australian consumer confidence slumped in the wake of Trump’s tariffs.

“We’re working closely with the regulators and financial institutions to ensure that everything possible is being done to safeguard Australians from this global volatility.”

Asked whether Australia was heading into recession, Dutton said on Tuesday: “It is under Labor.”

Predicting that the US was likely headed into recession, dragging the global economy down with it, Dutton said that “huge tsunami waves will hit our shores in no time at all”.

“With his reckless comments on a recession, Peter Dutton has proven again today why he is the biggest risk to Australia’s economy,” Chalmers said.

Treasury modelling released this week showed the Australian economy would suffer a 0.2 percentage point hit to growth but would not suffer a recession.

Farrell said Trump’s decision to impose a 20 per cent tariff on all imports from the European Union had reignited European interest in striking a free trade deal with Australia after negotiations collapsed in 2023.

“The world has changed and we should take advantage of the new world order to have another crack at an agreement,” Farrell said in an interview ahead of his call with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic.

“The opportunity is there and we can grab it with both hands.”

The government said at the time that negotiations fell apart because Europe had not agreed to offer enough access for Australian beef, sheep, dairy and sugar exporters.

Farrell said Australia would stand strong on its previous demands, while pushing back on European calls for Australian producers to stop using names such as feta, halloumi and prosecco.

In a separate speech on Tuesday to the Australia China Business Council, Farrell said that, if re-elected, the government would seek to strike a free trade deal with India as part of a bid to diversify Australia’s trade ties.

“As we face global uncertainties spurred by protectionist measures, including US tariffs, we are redoubling our efforts to strengthen relationships, diversify and find new opportunities,” he said.

(continued)

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been unable to secure a phone call with Trump to present Australia’s case for a tariff exemption, despite having an open request for a discussion since early March.

“We’ll continue to engage constructively with the US administration,” Albanese said.

Former trade minister Andrew Robb said Australia should respond to Trump by intensifying talks with countries around Asia to remove trade barriers and lift growth, given the threat of a recession in the region from the American tariffs.

“We can turbocharge a lot of the opening up that’s taking place in our region,” said Robb, who led trade deals with Japan, South Korea and China as a Liberal cabinet minister a decade ago.

Robb said Australia should stand up for free trade, should not make concessions to Trump over the 10 per cent tariffs imposed last week and respond by making an even bigger effort to strike deals with the European Union and others.

The best approach, he said, was to broaden two existing trade alliances – the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – and one day bring them together. Australia, Japan and others are in both groups, while China is in RCEP and the US is in neither.

The closely watched Westpac-Melbourne Institute measure of consumer sentiment fell 6 per cent in April – a six-month low – with confidence down by 10 per cent among those polled after Trump’s tariff announcement.

“The scale and breadth of tariff increases, which included a 10 per cent tariff on Australian goods, came as a major surprise, triggering a sell-off in global financial markets,” Westpac’s head of macro-forecasting, Matthew Hassan, said.

“With the situation still deteriorating, there is a clear risk of more significant sentiment declines in the months ahead.”

Albanese, Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher have made pointed references to financial market predictions that the Reserve Bank will repeatedly cut official interest rates this year, beginning next month, as it seeks to offset the fallout from Trump’s tariff war. But they have stopped short of telling the bank to slash rates.

The federal budget revealed a $42.1 billion deficit in the coming financial year, while gross government debt is expected to reach a record $1 trillion by mid-2026.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/emergency-meeting-of-economy-experts-to-deal-with-trump-dump-20250408-p5lq0c.html

>>22836159

>>22860237

>>22877883

Peter Dutton claims Australia is headed for a recession amid Trump's tariff turmoil

April Glover - Apr 8, 2025

Peter Dutton has used Donald Trump's stock market bloodbath to claim Australia will sink into a recession if Labor stays in government this federal election.

The opposition leader warned Australians that a recession is "coming for our economy" while comparing his cost-of-living measures against those offered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference in Sydney. Dutton warned Treasurer Jim Chalmers' comments highlighting that financial markets are pricing in a chance of a 50 per cent interest rate cut next month was a dire sign of things to come.

"We know that Australian families have lived through almost two years of household recession. That's what Labor has already delivered during the term of government," Dutton said.

"The treasurer is talking about a 50-point reduction in interest rates which means obviously he sees a recession coming for our economy."

Chalmers yesterday said Australia was well placed to weather the economic storm caused by Trump after Treasury modelling showed the tariffs will deliver a "modest" 0.2 per cent hit to GDP by the end of next year, and just 0.1 per cent by 2030.

"We expect more manageable impacts on the Australian economy, but we still do expect Australian GDP to take a hit and we expect there to be an impact on prices here as well," he said yesterday.

"Markets are now expecting around four interest rate cuts in Australia this calendar year.

"There's even… more than 50 per cent expectation in the markets that the next Reserve Bank interest rate cut in May might be as big as 50 basis points."

While the modelling forecasted a hit to GDP, it did still show the economy will continue to grow.

However, Dutton claimed to reporters a recession was imminent if Labor remained in power.

"It is under Labor," he said when asked if Australia was heading into a recession.

"The government hasn't prepared our economy.

"Labor has made decisions in subsequent budgets now which make it harder for the economy to function with international headwinds."

Dutton predicted that "further actions out of the US, or retaliatory action from China or other countries" could also trigger a recession in the US.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor today described the past three years as the "biggest reduction in our standard of living".

And following yesterday's ASX wipe-out, which saw more than $100 billion shed before markets clawed back losses today, Taylor said ordinary Australians are right to be worried about their future.

"The biggest we have ever seen… bigger than any of our peer countries," Taylor said.

"It means households have very little room to move and we see retirees and those approaching retirement who are seeing their next eggs being slashed as a result of what's happening."

The prime minister today was asked about the possibility of an economic downturn in Australia when probed on Trump's tariff effect in Sydney today.

"We have, as a government, continued to see the economy grow," Albanese said.

"We've continued to see now, over the last five quarters, wages grow five quarters in a row. We have, in addition to that, seen tax cuts for every taxpayer dealing with cost-of-living relief.

Albanese was also asked point-blank if a recession was on the cards.

"Look, we have turned what we inherited, which was deficits each and every year, into either surpluses or a lower deficit," he replied.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-peter-dutton-claims-australia-will-have-recession-under-labor/bfbf9609-3f15-4e5d-8248-ba8e1a997048

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5pX6gtkx00

>>22836159

>>22882807

Peter Dutton’s father Bruce rushed to hospital after heart attack hours before first debate

Peter Dutton’s father was rushed to hospital in Queensland after suffering a heart attack shortly before the first debate of the election campaign.

Hannah Moore and Jessica Wang - April 9, 2025

Peter Dutton has choked up talking about his “tough bugger” dad Bruce after the 80-year-old suffered a heart attack just before the leaders’ debate on Tuesday night.

The Opposition Leader’s father Bruce Dutton was rushed to hospital in Queensland after suffering a heart attack, reportedly just one hour before the debate began.

“He’s stoic. He’s a tough bugger. He’s worked hard all of his life, and he’s been an amazing dad,” an emotional Mr Dutton told reporters on the campaign trail in Sydney on Wednesday.

“Of course you think about him. But he’s … fine and he’s doing well.”

When asked if he return to Brisbane to visit his dad, he said he would monitor the situation.

“I’ve spoken to Dad this morning, and I’ve got amazing siblings and my sisters are with dad at the moment so I will monitor that.”

Mr Dutton revealed he considered pulling out of the first debate of the election campaign after learning of his 80-year-old dad’s medical incident.

He was in a stable condition as of 9pm on Tuesday.

Mr Dutton was informed of the incident just minutes before the debate was set to kick off.

When asked how his father was faring during an appearance on Nova’s Fitzy, Wippa and Kate Ritchie show in Sydney, Mr Dutton said his dad’s health was good.

“He is a great man, and he’ll be fine,” he said.

“Look, I thought, ‘Do I pull out of the debate?’, but my sisters were up there with him and giving me regular reports, which was good.

“He’s a great man, and I love him very much.”

The first leaders debate began at 7.30pm on Tuesday, where there was no mention of the health incident by host Keiran Gillbert, Mr Dutton or Mr Albanese.

In a video posted to social media, Mr Dutton said he was ready for the debate.

“This is a really important debate, and a really important election for our country,” he said from the green room of the debate site.

“There is a lot of economic uncertainty and a lot of families who have been really hurt under this government.”

Earlier this year, Mr Dutton spoke of his admiration for his father, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that “my dad and I started literally with nothing”.

“[Bruce] worked seven days a week and he has done since he left school at a very young age, and he and I worked very closely together, went into business together when he and mum separated in 1987. That’s what happened,” he said.

Mr Dutton’s colleagues have rallied in support since news of the health incident broke, with Liberal Senator Jane Hume describing it as “incredibly sad”.

“I’m sure that there will be updates throughout the day but I think you can rest assured that the fact that Peter fronted up to the debate after hearing that news (and) performed exceptionally well, is demonstrative of just how dedicated he is to the job that he has, and the kind of prime minister that he will be,” Ms Hume said on Sunrise on Wednesday morning.

Nationals colleague Matt Canavan, speaking to Sky News, shared his well wishes to Mr Dutton’s family.

“My thoughts and prayers go to the Dutton family tonight,” he said.

“I just hope they get through this and Peter’s father recovers.”

Speaking about his father’s relationship with his children, Mr Dutton said Bruce is really “really proud” his 20-year-old son Harry commenced an carpentry apprenticeship.

“I think my dad is really proud of that because none of us went on to a construction career, and I think dad sort of takes a lot of pride in the discussions you can have with Harry,” he said.

“My siblings and I always joke about dad going into a restaurant or into a building somewhere, and he’s checking out the corners and checking out whether this, this is plum, or that’s straight, and now Harry (has) started to do the same which has been a bit comical.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/federal-election/peter-duttons-father-bruce-rushed-to-hospital-in-medical-emergency/news-story/670fe8a9b38ae9e4e4510c19c719feef

>>22836159

>>22882807

Election 2025: Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton battle for ascendancy over Donald Trump on tariffs

GEOFF CHAMBERS and SARAH ISON - 9 April 2025

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Peter Dutton has pledged to “stand up against bullies” when questioned by voters on how he would deal with Donald Trump and opened the door to extend his fuel excise cut, as Anthony Albanese tried to paint the Liberals’ nuclear power plan as an excuse to secretly cut education and health.

In the first leaders’ debate of the May 3 election campaign, the ­Opposition Leader ramped up ­attacks on the Prime Minister’s management of the cost-of-living crisis and directly challenged Mr Albanese for overseeing the “highest-spending government since (Gough) Whitlam”, a claim rejected by the Labor leader.

After a rocky start to his bid to oust a first-term Labor government, the Opposition Leader appeared to steady his campaign with a more confident performance while Mr Albanese said voters should not trust the Coalition.

Mr Dutton took part in the debate despite his father suffering a heart attack and going to hospital just hours before the event started.

The 100 undecided voters at the Sky News/Daily Telegraph people’s forum gave Mr Albanese a slight edge with 44 saying the Labor leader won the debate, 35 gave the victory to Mr Dutton and 21 left the debate still unsure.

Mr Dutton attempted to use Mr Albanese’s election slogan that people under his government would only need their Medicare card to access healthcare, when he turned to an audience member and asked if she needed both a Medicare card and a credit card when visiting the GP.

Mr Dutton said for the first time he would consider extending his fuel excise cut in the next 12 months, while Mr Albanese ­rejected the cut as “out of the Scott Morrison playbook.”

“If we needed to extend it, then we could do that,” Mr Dutton said. “But I would just say that if you bake it in, and you put it as a continuing cost, that continues to compound … So, we just have to get the balance right.”

The ­Opposition Leader ramped up ­attacks on the Prime Minister’s management of cost of living and directly challenged Mr Albanese for ­overseeing the “highest-spending government since (Gough) Whitlam”, a claim rejected by the Labor leader.

Asked by Mr Albanese what he would cut to fund a nuclear plan “that will cost $600bn to provide 4 per cent of power sometime in the 2040s”, Mr Dutton hit back at his opponent over his broken promise to reduce power bills by $275 from 2025.

Amid stock market crashes and fears over global trade wars and ­a recession, Mr Albanese said Mr Trump’s tariffs were an “act of economic self-harm”.

“It’s expected to dampen global economic growth, so it does ­present a challenge, but last Thursday, we were prepared,” Mr Albanese said. “Australia got the best deal of any country on the planet, 10 per cent (tariffs) … no one got a better deal than us, in part because of the representations that we’ve made.”

Mr Dutton, who attacked Mr Albanese over Labor’s “big ­Australia” policy that has seen more than one million people come into the country in two years, said he had the experience to negotiate with the White House and cited how the Coalition previously landed tariff exemptions from Mr Trump.

“One of the great things about living in the greatest country in the world is that whatever is thrown at us, the prime minister of the day should have the ability and the strength of character to be able to stand up against bullies, against those that would seek to do us harm, to keep our country safe and to make sure that we can make the right economic decisions for our country as well,” Mr Dutton said. “And that’s exactly what I would seek to do as prime minister.”

(continued)

>>22887588

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The first of an expected three leaders’ debates during the campaign was hosted at Wenty Leagues Club in the western Sydney suburb of Wentworthville in the marginal seat of Parramatta, held by ­Labor’s Andrew Charlton on a margin of 3.7 per cent.

Asked whether he was demonising migrants with his policies, Mr Dutton said: “I think we are a greater country because of our migrant story, and I think we should celebrate it more as a country, people who came here with nothing, people who have worked hard. But we have to have a well-managed program.

“And when you bring in a million people over the course of two years, that is going to have an impact on health services, on infrastructure, on education, right across the economy. If the government’s going to bring in a population bigger than Adelaide over a five-year period, and take money out of infrastructure at the same time, it’s going to have an impact.”

Asked about land ownership and the impact of foreigners in the property market, Mr Dutton said that while Australia wanted open markets and to engage with the world, he would limit international buyers. Mr Albanese claimed that Labor already had “the same policy in place”.

As Labor runs a scare campaign targeting Mr Dutton’s record as health minister, Mr Albanese flashed his Medicare card and said Labor’s $8bn funding package would allow more people to see the doctor for free.

“We want those bulk billing rates to go up to 90 per cent on top of that, we have Medicare and ­urgent care clinics,” Mr Albanese said.

“(At a Medicare urgent care clinic) you just need your Medicare card, not your credit card, because Labor created Medicare will strengthen Medicare and will make sure of that in the future.”

Mr Dutton, who asked the questioner if she used both her credit card and Medicare card when she saw a doctor, said “I’ve heard the Prime Minister run this stuff before with the Medicare card … it’s not true … bulk-billing rates have reduced under this government and that’s the reality … it’s there in black and white”.

Mr Albanese said he would not revisit the Indigenous voice after his failed referendum and would not do deals with the Greens.

Under internal pressure to lift the Coalition after falling behind in the polls, Mr Dutton dumped his work-from-home policy on Sunday amid concerns Labor’s framing of him as Trump-lite was hurting him. Asked why he dumped his work-from-home crackdown, Mr Dutton said: “The Prime Minister wanted people to believe that it was applying across the economy, and it was going to affect every workplace, which was never the policy at all. Our argument in relation to Canberra was that we wanted to make sure … that taxpayers who are working hard providing their taxes to the commonwealth government, that that money is being spent in the most efficient way.”

Mr Albanese snapped back that “Peter hasn’t been able to stand up for his own policy, so I don’t know how he can stand up for Australia”.

Responding to a question about public school funding, Mr Dutton said there were no differences between the parties on education funding of public and private schools. “I think it is important that parents are able to have that choice, so that we can fund the infrastructure, and that we can support teacher development and make sure that we’ve got an education system which is fit for purpose,” he said.

Mr Dutton accused Mr Albanese of running an “education scare campaign” after the Labor leader attacked the Coalition for “ripping” funding from public schools and cutting the health budget in two Abbott government-era budgets.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/election-2025-anthony-albanese-and-peter-dutton-battle-for-ascendancy-over-donald-trump-on-tariffs/news-story/e91d55164be347071816a59fd87c85ab

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

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Dutton reveals details of campaign pledge to cut power prices

Paul Sakkal and Mike Foley - April 8, 2025

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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will promise Australians a 3 per cent cut in household energy bills and a 15 per cent reduction in gas prices for big industrial users if he wins government, pledging to flood the Australian market with gas to make energy cheaper and grow the economy.

The Coalition has released long-awaited modelling on its national gas plan that forces companies to keep Australian gas onshore, revealed in Dutton’s budget-in-reply speech last month.

After Dutton spent much of this term attacking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to bring down power bills by $275 as promised, the opposition has launched its most significant cost-of-living pitch of the campaign by committing to lower electricity prices.

The pledge could come back to bite Dutton if prices continue to rise, but he will rely on analysis from Frontier Economics to argue his plan will lead to a 23 per cent cut in wholesale gas prices.

That would lead to a 3 per cent cut in residential electricity prices, according to the modelling, an 8 per cent reduction in wholesale electricity prices, a 7 per cent deduction for household gas prices, and a 15 per cent cut for big industrial gas users such as smelters.

A 3 per cent cut to electricity bills would equate to roughly $60 off the average east coast electricity bill of $2100, which applies to a homeowner without solar panels or batteries.

The Coalition has not committed to a timeframe for the pledge because it said it would take time for the reservation scheme to kick in, but the modelling has a timeframe of about two years for the price reduction of 3 per cent to have an effect.

Labor and some experts have criticised Dutton’s gas reservation policy and claimed it lacked detail, but Dutton says that the move to keep gas for local use, which is backed by some left-wing think tanks and unions, was overdue.

“Our policy will be a game changer because we can then see the cost and therefore price of electricity, construction, food prices and many other goods start to come down,” Dutton said in a statement.

“Gas is critical to our nation’s energy future. By making the gas companies put more of our Aussie gas into our market instead of exporting it, we will get the price of gas down by 15 per cent.”

(continued)

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Electricity prices are core to the debate over which leader is more trusted to bring down living costs. Dutton is sliding in the polls and has been under pressure to release compelling policies and shift the debate back onto the issue of economic management.

This masthead reported on March 21 that backbench Coalition MPs were crying out for a pledge from Dutton to bring down prices in the near-term because the nuclear power plan would not materialise until next decade.

Key details on the gas scheme are yet to be fleshed out, such as how much gas companies would be forced to contribute to the reserve.

Companies are set to argue that the $10 price is below the cost of production and would eat into their profits. Dutton has argued that lower prices for Australians matter more than profits, continuing his interventionist approach that has included a threat to break up supermarkets and a plan to roll out a government-backed $321 billion nuclear power grid.