dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Q Post #2064

Sep 2 2018 15:18:24 (EST)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G02wKufX3nw

Played by 'Operation Specialists' [pre-event] last night.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#2064

>>23252471

Magic Sword - In The Face Of Evil

Magic Sword

Jan 8, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G02wKufX3nw

Anonymous ID: dd2825 June 29, 2025, 2:50 a.m. No.23252476 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8968

>>23252471

>>23252473

Q Post #2065

Sep 2 2018 15:24:57 (EST)

>why did I get extreme goosebumps while listening to this??

https://qanon.pub/#2065

>>23152313 (pb)

Wissam Haddad escalates violent rhetoric on eve of hate speech verdict

STEPHEN RICE - 29 June 2025

1/2

Jewish community leaders are waiting nervously to find out whether hate preacher Wissam Haddad will be allowed to continue his anti-Semitic attacks, with the Federal Court to deliver a landmark ruling in the vilification case against the radical cleric amid moves by NSW crossbenchers to repeal new hate speech and protest laws.

On Tuesday, judge Angus Stewart will hand down his verdict on whether Mr Haddad breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act in sermons asserting that Jews were “vile” and “treacherous” people.

Mr Haddad or speakers at his Bankstown-based Al Madina Dawah Centre in southwest Sydney have called Jewish people “descendants of pigs and monkeys”, recited parables about their killing, and said people should “spit” on Israel so its citizens “would drown”.

In his defence to the claim brought by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Mr Haddad has claimed he was referring to or reciting Islamic scripture in sermons he made in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks.

Mr Haddad has escalated his violent rhetoric as the decision approaches, invoking the Koran in a sermon posted to social media about swords being raised against “Ahl al-Kitab” (the People of the Book, primarily Jews and Christians) “until they pay the Jizya” (a tax paid by non-Muslims living under Islamic rule in return for protection).

“As for the words of the messenger … when he said ‘I was sent with the sword’, it means that Allah sent him as a caller to Tawhid (the oneness and uniqueness of Allah) with a sword, after inviting the people to be a witness to Allah with evidence that whoever does not respond to the invitation of this Tawhid, through the Koran and its evidences is therefore called to Islam with the sword”, Mr Haddad said.

The post suggests he is deliberately using the violent imagery as a provocation.

“We are on the topic of swords, and the topic angers the Kuffar (disbelievers) … and in fact, angering them is a type of Ibadah (worship; acts done to seek the pleasure of Allah)”, Mr Haddad says in the video.

An earlier video featuring images of an Arabic sword, in which Mr Haddad warned that “we are not going to come unarmed”, was condemned by Jewish community members as an incitement to young radicals to commit violence.

In an early hearing, Justice Stewart said “upon quick reading” the case against Mr Haddad was “damning”, and pushed back on an argument that certain sermons were protected by section 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act that provides exemptions for public interest rhetoric, given it runs counter to his own judgment in the successful case of Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi against One Nation’s leader, Pauline Hanson.

If Justice Stewart decides in favour of Mr Haddad, many in the Jewish community fear the case could unleash a storm of anti-Semitic rhetoric from radical clerics, at a moment when hate speech laws are being attacked in the NSW parliament as the product of a “fake” terror plot.

(continued)

>>23252491

2/2

Cross-benchers in the NSW parliament have moved to repeal three hate crime bills passed earlier this year, claiming the government misled MPs about the “fabricated” Dural caravan terror plot in order to push through the legislation.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has suggested he would not support a repeal of the legislation but the Coalition lent its weight to establishment of an upper house inquiry into when Premier Chris Minns had become aware the Dural caravan incident was not a terror plot.

One senior Jewish community leader told The Australian the laws against inciting hatred and prohibiting protest outside places of worship “had nothing to do with the Dural caravan plot”.

“We’re dismayed that some in the state parliament are trying to use the fact that the Dural plot was hatched by hardened criminals to whitewash the violent extremism that has plagued our state since the days of ISIS and Man Monis, and to undermine necessary laws that protect our state from the threat of terrorism,” he said.

“Without these laws, communities are left to fend for themselves and their only redress would be under section 18C, which is currently being tested in the Haddad case.”

The ECAJ is seeking an injunction requiring declarations that Mr Haddad and the Al Madina Dawah Centre contravened section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, injunctions requiring the speeches to be removed from the internet and that they not publish similar content in the future.

It is not seeking any damages or monetary compensation.

Mr Haddad’s anti-Semitic sermons were first revealed in a series of stories by The Australian and prompted investigations from both NSW police and the Australian Federal Police.

He is considered a “central figure in the Salafi-jihadi network in west Sydney and throughout Australia” by the Middle East Research Institute and has boasted of his friendship with notorious terrorists Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar while expressing support for terrorist groups including Islamic State and al-Qa’ida.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/wissam-haddad-escalates-violent-rhetoric-on-eve-of-hate-speech-verdict/news-story/c88eb95ba32cb0e0d1165f9769de6459

https://www.instagram.com/abu.ousayd/reel/DKdzYGdJtZI/

https://qresear.ch/?q=Wissam+Haddad

>>23099153 (pb)

>>23032055 (pb)

>>22964070 (pb)

Beijing’s argument against increasing defence spending and China threat

GEOFF CHAMBERS and NOAH YIM - 30 June 2025

1/2

Xi Jinping’s top diplomat in Australia has warned Anthony Albanese that increasing military spending will impose a “heavy fiscal burden” on his budget and undermine economic development, in an attack on Donald Trump’s push for Canberra to ramp up defence spending and help counter Chinese aggression.

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s expected visit to Beijing next month and Penny Wong travelling to Washington this week for a Quad foreign ministers meeting, Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian rejected domestic fears about China’s massive armed forces build-up and threat to regional security.

Writing in The Australian, Mr Xiao claimed China and Australia were “friends, not foes”, Beijing’s military build-up was “normal” and “just 1.5 per cent of GDP” was being spent on the People’s Liberation Army.

As Mr Albanese pledges to fund necessary ADF capabilities presented to him but resists US calls to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, Mr Xiao urged against lifting military expenditure on the grounds of economic peril. “Dramatically increasing military spending places a heavy fiscal burden on the countries involved, undermining their efforts to boost economies and improve livelihoods, and further straining a global economy already struggling with weak recovery,” he wrote.

“Some countries are ailing yet demand their ‘allies and partners’ foot the bill for medicine, which seems to be an almost laughable notion. Whether to spend on arms purchases, handouts to the ‘hegemon’, or pooling funds for its sake, or to heed their own people’s calls for economic development, is now a difficult choice for these ‘allies and partners’.”

Mr Xiao’s intervention weeks before Mr Albanese meets with the Chinese President is a dramatic escalation in Beijing’s efforts to fight back against US officials calling on allies including Australia to spend more on defence.

The ambassador’s claims that Australia must choose between defence spending and social services comes just days after Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, stared down tariff threats from Mr Trump. The Spanish leader said last week he would not sign up to NATO’s 5 per cent defence spending pledge to protect his country’s “welfare state”.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this month, Defence Minister Richard Marles warned that China was engaged in the largest military build-up since World War II without providing “any strategic reassurance”.

There have been multiple incidents where Australian Defence Force personnel have been put in danger by the PLA, which recently dispatched a spy ship to southern Australia and authorised Chinese warships to circumnavigate the country and conduct live fire exercises in the Tasman Sea ahead of the May 3 election.

In addition to cyber warfare and espionage operations targeting Australia, Chinese naval vessels and aircraft have targeted Australian navy and air force personnel conducting joint exercises with the US and regional allies.

Amid a 30-day Pentagon review into the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement and pressure from the White House for the Albanese government to lift military spending, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue that China was preparing for war.

Mr Hegseth said it was clear Beijing, which has made huge investments in nuclear weapons, hypersonics and amphibious assault capabilities, was preparing to “potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific” and that Mr Xi could order an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

Without naming the US, Mr Xiao accused some countries of hyping up the “so-called ‘China threat” narrative” at the Shangri-La Dialogue, G7 and NATO summits, while “inciting” Australia to follow their lead on defence spending.

“By playing up international and regional tensions and slandering China’s normal military build-up, these countries are merely seeking nothing but excuses to drastically grow their military spending, even arbitrarily reaching beyond its geographical scope and mandate,” he wrote.

“Behind the so-called ‘China threat’ lies certain countries’ desire to maintain their hegemony. They are trapped in their own inertia, fear fair competition, and even cannot tolerate other countries from making progress.

“To this end, they seek to stifle the development and advancement of countries like China, so that they can continue plundering the world through hegemony while funnelling benefits to their backers.”

(continued)

2/2

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek on Sunday said the government did not view defence spending and social services as a “trade off”. “We are absolutely committed to making the investments we need to make to keep Australians safe,” she told the ABC. “We inherited the oldest surface fleet … since the Second World War. We’re doubling size, we’re modernising the service fleet.”

Speaking on the Sky News Sunday Agenda program, opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor accused the government of failing to “properly fund its own (Defence) Strategic Review”.

“There’s a whole series of areas which we’re seeing are underfunded. Right now, we’re even seeing ships that are not getting the appropriate level of maintenance and sustainment,” he said.

“We need hardening of our northern facilities in places like Tindal in Darwin, in Townsville, we need to invest in that drone and counter-drone technology.”

Despite previously invading Vietnam and forcibly claiming control of Tibet and Xinjiang (where Uyghurs have been persecuted), Mr Xiao declared that “over the past 70-plus years, China has never initiated a war or occupied an inch of a foreign land”. “China has always been a steadfast supporter, defender, and promoter of world peace.”

Amid ongoing “containment” complaints from China about the Quad and AUKUS, Senator Wong will participate in a Quad foreign ministers summit this week and meet separately with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The US is our closest ally and principal strategic partner,” she said.

“Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share. We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.”

As Mr Albanese pursues his first in-person meeting with Mr Trump and seeks to maintain economic and trade ties with China, Mr Xiao said “although our two nations have different social systems and may hold differing views on certain issues, we share no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest”. “Differences can be addressed through dialogue, but they should never undermine our friendship. As I often hear from Australian friends, ‘we have hundreds of reasons to be friends, and none to be enemies’.

“China has been always developing bilateral friendship and co-operation with the utmost sincerity and patience, and we hope Australia will work with us in the same direction.”

Strategic Analysis Australia director Michael Shoebridge said key priority areas in the government’s Defence Strategic Review remain unfunded. He also called on the government to release the full DSR document amid speculation its authors recommended greater defence spending.

“The review said air and missile defence was a key priority, and also it endorsed the navy’s plan to build two more support ships to help the navy operate at long range. When the government released its national defence strategy, it did neither of those things,” Mr Shoebridge said.

“It kept the budget at 2 per cent (of gross domestic product), slowly rising to 2.3 per cent over the next 10 years. And the budget didn’t fit the capabilities that the Strategic Review recommended.”

ANU associate professor Andrew Carr said “question marks” remained over when the government would actually put money behind implementing some planks of the Defence Strategic Review.

Dr Carr said there was “good reason” for caution around defence procurement but called for a “faster timeline than the government has thus far been prepared to endorse”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/beijings-argument-against-increasing-defence-spending-and-china-threat/news-story/af3f46b40ed57a6bd25ba00e14b4f486

OPINION: Don’t fall for NATO’s hyped-up rhetoric on defence spending

XIAO QIAN - 30 June 2025

1/2

Recently, some countries hyped up the so-called China threat narrative on occasions such as the Shangri-La Dialogue, G7 summit and NATO summit, proclaiming to significantly increase defence expenditures, and even incited Australia to follow suit.

Such rhetoric and actions are steeped in Cold War mentality, blatantly creating division, fuelling a global arms race as well as threatening world peace and stability, which warrants our high vigilance.

By playing up international and regional tensions and slandering China’s normal military build-up, these countries are merely seeking nothing but excuses to drastically grow their military spending, even arbitrarily reaching beyond its geographical scope and mandate.

NATO countries already account for 55 per cent of the world’s total military spending in 2024.

Yet they are still required to raise defence investment to 5 per cent of GDP to build a “more lethal NATO”.

Behind the so-called China threat lies certain countries’ desire to maintain their hegemony. They are trapped in their own inertia, fear fair competition and even cannot tolerate other countries from making progress.

To this end, they seek to stifle the development and advancement of countries such as China, so they can continue plundering the world through hegemony while funnelling benefits to their backers. This runs counter to fairness, justice and the prevailing trend of global development.

Healthy competition is the only path towards world progress and civilisation advancement, a consensus long held by the international community.

Dramatically increasing military spending places a heavy fiscal burden on the countries involved, undermining their efforts to boost economies and improve livelihoods, and further straining a global economy already struggling with weak recovery. Some countries are ailing yet demand their allies and partners foot the bill for medicine, which seems to be an almost laughable notion.

Whether to spend on arms purchases, handouts to the hegemon, or pooling funds for its sake, or to heed their own people’s calls for economic development, is now a difficult choice for these allies and partners.

To be frank, this is not the first time China has been labelled and targeted. In recent years a handful of countries have rallied so-called allies and partners to repeatedly smear China, peddling narratives such as the “China collapse”, “China threat” and even “Peak China”, while imposing economic suppression and technological blockades. Yet the only tangible outcome of their painstaking efforts to undermine international rules and order has been global economic stagnation, slower technological innovation and heightened regional instability.

Facing these smears and containment, China’s economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience and the living standards of the Chinese people have continued to rise. China has always been a steadfast supporter, defender and promoter of world peace. More than 600 years ago, Zheng He’s seven voyages to the Western Seas carried only silk, porcelain, trade and friendship.

Shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Across the past 70-plus years, China has never initiated a war or occupied an inch of a foreign land. It is the only country that has incorporated peaceful development in its constitution and the only country among the nuclear-weapon states to pledge no first use of nuclear weapons.

China unwaveringly adheres to a defensive national defence policy, with military spending accounting for just 1.5 per cent of its GDP. It is far below the global average and paling in comparison to certain hegemons or their allies and partners.

(continued)

2/2

On peace and security, China has the best track record among major countries. In recent years, having observed the profound shifts unseen in a century, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative, advocating for shared global development, collective security and dialogue among civilisations. China has once again contributed its wisdom, solutions and strength to world peace and development.

China and Australia are important economic and trade partners, with highly complementary economic structures. Australia’s abundant energy and mineral resources, along with its distinctive agricultural products, have found a vast market of 1.4 billion consumers in China.

Meanwhile, China’s high-quality and affordable manufactured goods have boosted Australians’ purchasing power and enriched their lives. Although our two nations have different social systems and may hold differing views on certain issues, we share no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest.

We rely on the same trade routes, and no country – especially a major trading nation such as China – has a greater stake in safeguarding maritime security. Differences can be addressed through dialogue, but they should never undermine our friendship.

As I often hear from Australian friends, “we have hundreds of reasons to be friends, and none to be enemies”. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and of the founding of the UN. As builders and defenders of the post-war international order, China stands ready to work with Australia to jointly uphold the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on the international law, thus making positive contributions to global peace and security.

China and Australia are friends, not foes. This should never have been in question. China has been always developing bilateral friendship and co-operation with the utmost sincerity and patience, and we hope Australia will work with us in the same direction.

Xiao Qian is China’s ambassador to Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/dont-fall-for-natos-hypedup-rhetoric-on-defence-spending/news-story/97734d213b3b1e44a644d167bc317ed9

Anonymous ID: dd2825 June 30, 2025, 2:15 a.m. No.23256464 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6465

Anthony Albanese riled by questions on China envoy’s op-ed

JOSEPH OLBRYCHT-PALMER - 30 June 2025

1/2

Anthony Albanese says his government will pump as much cash as is needed into Australia’s defence after China’s ambassador wrote an op-ed urging Canberra to restrain from spending more.

In his piece published on Monday, Xiao Qian said China and Australia were “not foes” despite being embroiled in a regional rivalry and Beijing rapidly building up conventional and nuclear military capabilities.

It came as the Prime Minister faces domestic and international calls to boost the defence budget, with the US warning of a potentially “imminent” threat from China in the Indo Pacific.

But Mr Albanese has resisted, making Australia an outlier in the West – a position highlighted by NATO’s decision last week to dramatically hike military spending to 5 per cent of GDP.

Fronting media on Monday, Mr Albanese did not align with Xi Jinping’s envoy either.

“The Chinese ambassador speaks for China,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

“My job is to speak for Australia.

“And it’s in Australia’s national interest for us to invest in our capability and to invest in our relationships, and we’re doing just that.”

Asked by a reporter for The Australian if Mr Xiao’s comments constituted “meddling”, a visibly riled Mr Albanese said: “I don’t know, your newspaper published the op-ed.”

He added that people were free to “make comments”.

“That’s up to them,” Mr Albanese said.

“What my job is to do is speak for Australia, and that’s what I do.”

‘Not foes’

Mr Albanese and his senior minister have stuck firm to deciding what capability Australia needs and then funding it, rather than committing to a set percentage of GDP like most other countries and some previous Australian governments.

Mr Xiao used his op-ed in The Australian to urge Canberra to stay the course and continue resisting spending more on defence.

“Recently, some countries hyped up the so-called China threat narrative on occasions such as the Shangri-La Dialogue, G7 summit and NATO summit, proclaiming to significantly increase defence expenditures, and even incited Australia to follow suit,” he wrote.

“Such rhetoric and actions are steeped in Cold War mentality, blatantly creating division, fuelling a global arms race as well as threatening world peace and stability, which warrants our high vigilance.

“By playing up international and regional tensions and slandering China’s normal military build-up, these countries are merely seeking nothing but excuses to drastically grow their military spending, even arbitrarily reaching beyond its geographical scope and mandate.”

He accused “certain countries” of trying to contain China because they “fear fair competition” and “cannot tolerate other countries from making progress”.

Mr Xiao’s piece came as Foreign Minister Penny Wong heads to Washington for a second meeting with her Quad counterparts within six months.

The Quad, made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US, is a partnership broadly seen as a check on China’s economic and military might.

(continued)

>>23256464

2/2

Earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned China could invade the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan as early as 2027.

Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors – crucial components in modern tech – and massively disrupt vital trade routes.

“Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,” Mr Hegseth told the Shangri La Dialogue.

“There’s no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent.

“We hope not but certainly could be.”

Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on the sidelines of the conference, he directly asked Australia to boost the defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.

The Albanese government was quick to brush off the request, saying Australia would set its own military budget.

But days later, Mr Marles, who is also defence minister, admitted China’s growing nuclear arsenal was driving “security anxiety”.

“I mean, we’ve made no secret of the fact that we have a security anxiety in relation to China that’s principally driven by the very significant conventional military build-up that China is engaging in, and, for that matter, a nuclear build-up that China is engaging in,” he told reporters.

“We’ve made that clear to China itself.”

As of mid-2024, China’s operational nuclear warheads exceeded 600, according to the US Department of Defence.

That was nearly triple what the country was estimated to have in 2020.

More recently, Mr Marles refused to say whether three Chinese warships that circumnavigated Australia earlier this year targeted cities when they carried out exercises off the country’s vast coastline.

Appearing at New Corp’s Defending Australia Summit, he said was asked point blank if the ships rehearsed strikes on Australian cities or onshore facilities.

“Look, I do know the answer to the question,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate or helpful for me in this situation to speculate about it for a range of reasons … and the most significant being what we did with the Chinese task group was to engage in an unprecedented level of surveillance on that task group.

“So we do know exactly what they were doing and exactly what they’re rehearsing.

“For me to start talking about that obviously reveals our surveillance capabilities, which is why I’m reluctant to.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/australia-china-not-foes-chinas-ambassador-says/news-story/ca2d2300e16b34ae5d3065a8b5db7ebe

Anonymous ID: dd2825 June 30, 2025, 2:23 a.m. No.23256474 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4002

>>23163733 (pb)

COMMENTARY: It’s time to get real about our China problem, PM

BEN PACKHAM - 30 June 2025

When will Anthony Albanese be upfront with the Australian people on the security threat posed by China?

He was happy to dog whistle about Donald Trump for votes in the election campaign but refuses to speak clearly about Beijing’s strategic intentions and what they mean for Australia.

The last time the government made a serious case about the China threat was at the 2023 ALP national conference, when Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy spoke starkly about Beijing’s massive military build-up to smash criticism of AUKUS by the party’s hard left.

Two years later, that speech has curiously disappeared from the internet and the government is once again pretending there’s nothing to see here.

Albanese passed up another opportunity on Monday morning to be real with the Australian people on China in the wake of an opinion piece published in this newspaper by Beijing’s top diplomat in Canberra lecturing the government on defence spending.

Ambassador Xiao Qian, whose country is turning out submarines, warships and missiles at a frightening rate, had the gall to warn Australia that lifting defence spending to the 5 per cent agreed by NATO countries would cause tensions internationally and undermine living standards at home.

If anything, this should focus the government’s mind more clearly on the urgent need to rethink its defence budget. But the Prime Minister was having none of it.

Journalist: “We’ve seen the Chinese ambassador to Australia make comments about defence spending … this morning. What can you tell the Australian people about the military threat posed by China, and do you remain concerned about the military build-up that China is undertaking?”

Prime Minister: “The Chinese ambassador speaks for China. My job is to speak for Australia, and it’s in Australia’s national interest for us to invest in our capability and to invest in our relationships, and we’re doing just that.”

It’s no wonder the US is having second thoughts about handing over three of its Virginia-class submarines to Australia, as evidenced by its snap 30-day review of the AUKUS pact.

As the man behind the review, Elbridge Colby, warned last year: “It would be crazy for the United States to give away its single most important asset for a conflict with China over Taiwan.”

In the absence of any signal to the contrary, the US has every right to feel concerned that those submarines, if given to Australia, will sit on the sidelines in any war with China.

Labor’s obfuscation on China and its refusal to publicly accept the need for a serious boost to defence spending are not helping Albanese secure an all-important first meeting with Donald Trump.

There is no sign the government is preparing to shift its position on either issue, which will make for an uncomfortable audience with the US President if and when the Prime Minister makes it to the White House.

Penny Wong will no doubt do her diplomatic best to reassure the US that Australia remains a rock-solid ally when she meets her American counterpart, Marco Rubio, in Washington DC this week.

The problem is, she is the author of the government’s cautious language on China and an opponent of much of the Trump administration’s foreign policy agenda.

Expect more ambiguity from the government in coming weeks when Albanese travels to Beijing.

As revealed by The Australian, the Prime Minister is unlikely to get a meeting with Trump before the visit, around the middle of July.

Instead of seeing Albanese cement ties with Australia’s closest ally, Australians will watch him cosying up to Xi Jinping and sidestepping more questions on the Chinese threat.

It’s time for the Prime Minister to talk clearly about the security threats the nation faces and have an honest conversation with the public about what this means for the defence budget.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/its-time-to-get-real-about-our-china-problem-pm/news-story/dd609d97930d6d673c6abb2068bb70a6

Anonymous ID: dd2825 June 30, 2025, 2:58 a.m. No.23256499 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6500

>>23192221 (pb)

>>23218742 (pb)

Kevin Rudd says US, Donald Trump have chance to build stable Middle East

JOE KELLY - 30 June 2025

1/2

Kevin Rudd has given Donald Trump “full marks” on his intervention in the Israel-Iran conflict, while voicing hopes that the US President might now persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a two-state solution with Palestine.

Australia’s ambassador to the US also said the recent decision of NATO members to lift defence spending was the result of a “cocktail of factors” – including the threat to Europe posed by Russia and Mr Trump’s ongoing insistence that America’s partners contribute more to their own security.

“To give President Trump his dues, he has always said that he does not accept that proposition that any US allies should be freeloading on the United States,” Dr Rudd said.

Pressed on the 30-day Pentagon review on the future of the AUKUS agreement, Dr Rudd said the Australian government was “completely relaxed about that … because it is what administration do when they are newly elected for programs which they have inherited from previous administrations”.

He also suggested there was a chance for Mr Trump to reach a grand bargain with Chinese leader Xi Jinping across a range of areas, including trade, investment, technology restrictions, national security issues – including cyber and space – as well as narcotics and fentanyl.

Asked whether Mr Trump deserved the Noble peace prize for his Middle East diplomacy, Dr Rudd did not rule out the possibility. He responded by saying that – given his own past experience as a junior diplomat in Scandinavia – he was aware that “the Nobel committee in Oslo … fiercely guards its independence”.

“But in being fiercely independent and having, through their own country, been party to the Oslo process … which for the first time brought Palestinians and Israelis around the table way back when – 20 years ago – I’m sure our Norwegian friends will be very mindful of a real outcome,” he said.

Dr Rudd made sure to qualify his remarks at the Aspen Ideals Festival in Colorado, saying that he was a “China guy” by background and that the Middle East was “not my patch”. He said his remarks on the Middle East were those a “rank amateur” and did not represent “the official views of the Australian government”.

Speaking in conversation with Politico’s Jonathan Martin, Dr Rudd said that “we all want the ceasefire to hold. And, frankly, full marks to the President for having the chutzpah to put it on the line.”

He said Mr Trump was able to achieve a “ceasefire between the two most unlikely states to agree to a ceasefire”.

Dr Rudd said Mr Trump had finally brought the “Iranians to the negotiating table in terms of accepting a set of arrangements with the US and the rest of the international community on what is left … of the Iranian nuclear weapons program”.

He was also optimistic about the outlook for Gaza and the West Bank, saying that Mr Trump’s actions would help “move the debate and the dial in the direction of a sustainable two-state solution”.

In addition, the fact that the Iranian nuclear program had now been degraded met a core Israeli national security interest. Dr Rudd said this would “therefore hopefully provide an opening for the United States and the rest of the international community to cause Israel to conclude that a two-state outcome is the best for Israel, best for the Palestinian people, best for the US, best for US allies, including my own country, and best for the rest of the world because there does need to be a Palestinian homeland”.

“If President Trump can push in this direction to get the Israeli government, notwithstanding Bibi Netanyahu’s reservations, across that line and, assuming there is a reform program within the Palestinian Authority, which has been notoriously badly administered, then I think there is an opportunity to secure the future,” he said.

(continued)

>>23256499

2/2

On European defence, Dr Rudd said the efforts of NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had helped gain support for Mr Trump’s demands for greater defence spending.

“To give the President his due, this has been pressure successfully applied,” Dr Rudd said.

Pressed on the recent G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Dr Rudd said that while the US President cut short his visit and missed a range of bilateral meetings with world leaders – including Anthony Albanese – there was an understanding Mr Trump was dealing with an international crisis.

“Everyone got it,” he said. “Frankly, those bilaterals can be deferred. There’s no anxiety … about any of that.”

Dr Rudd said the Australian Prime Minister was instead able to have meetings at the G7 with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

“These all represent points of progress along the road,” Dr Rudd said. “But it was obviously dominated by the … security challenges in the Middle East and Iran. And, as we know, these were fundamental events.”

Shifting to the Indo-Pacific and China, Dr Rudd said that Xi Jinping’s top priorities were to keep the Chinese Community Party in power, continue the campaign for Chinese reunification – including with Taiwan – and to grow the economy while outpacing the US in the race for AI supremacy.

“We should be under no illusion as friends, partners and allies of the United States that Mr Xi wants Taiwan,” he said. “And he is prepared to use military force to do it if he cannot achieve it by diplomatic or political means.”

Dr Rudd said military deterrence was critical and that the Chinese did pay attention to how the US engaged in other global theatres – including Ukraine and the Middle East. He said the intervention in Iran showed to the world that the “US has the capacity and the political will to act” and reinforced the formidable military capability and reach of America.

He said Mr Trump had spent more time with Mr Xi than nearly any other leader – including former president Joe Biden – and that the Chinese President was also “deeply respectful” of the US leader.

There was still work to do by Washington and Beijing on trade, investment, technology restrictions, national security issues – including cyber and space – as well as narcotics and fentanyl.

“There is something about President Trump’s negotiating style which is so out of the box, like it’s not conventional … and therefore I think it behoves all of us in the international community not to reach any premature judgments about the impossibility of landing comprehensive agreements between the two countries,” he said.

On AUKUS, Dr Rudd was optimistic. He said there had been statements of support for the security partnership from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and a strong endorsement for it by both sides of politics in the US congress.

“There is going to be an internal review. That is just normal,” he said. “We would do the same thing if we were in the administration’s shoes as well.”

Pressed on whether there should be a NATO equivalent in the Pacific region, Dr Rudd downplayed the concept. He said that the existing strategic architecture and system of bilateral treaties had proved effective in deterring China from taking Taiwan.

“The arrangements have been working for the parties,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/kevin-rudd-says-us-donald-trump-have-chance-to-build-stable-middle-east/news-story/513c835b251ad265218c01440a77a654

Penny Wong to meet Quad counterparts in Washington

JOSEPH OLBRYCHT-PALMER - 30 June 2025

Australia’s chief diplomat will meet her Quad counterparts in Washington this week as the Trump administration looks to ramp up pressure on China.

The Quad, made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US, is a partnership broadly seen as a check on China’s economic and military might.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the upcoming dialogue reflected the challenges facing the Indo Pacific.

“This will be the second Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting within six months, reflecting the importance of our partnership and the strategic circumstances confronting our region and the world,” she said in a statement.

“I look forward to engaging with my Quad counterparts as we strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

Senator Wong also said she would “meet separately with each of my counterparts … to progress bilateral cooperation”.

The meeting comes as pressure mounts on the Albanese government to bolster Australia’s alliance with the US.

Nearly six months have passed since Donald Trump’s inauguration and Anthony Albanese is yet to secure an in-person meeting with the US President.

Australian producers have been slugged with tariffs on most exports to the US, including duties of up to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and doubts loom large about the Trump administration’s commitment to AUKUS after it launched a snap review of the defence pact.

The Albanese government has also refused to budge after Washington’s call to hike defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP amid alarm over China’s military build-up.

In her statement, Senator Wong stressed the US “is our closest ally and principal strategic partner”.

“Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share,” she said.

“We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.”

Former US president Joe Biden was last year caught on a hot mic telling his fellow Quad leaders that China was “testing” them, giving a rare glimpse into the candid nature of talks between some of the region’s key players.

“We believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China’s diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest,” Mr Biden said.

“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it’s true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits.

“It’s true across the scope of our relationship, including on economic and technology issues.”

Mr Biden’s bluntness was a stark contrast of how leaders of all Quad countries have tried to frame the strategic four-way dialogue, often deflecting suggestions that it exists to counter China.

The hawkish approach to Beijing has been adopted by the Trump administration, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month warning of an “imminent” threat to the Indo Pacific.

Mr Hegseth said China could invade Taiwan as early as 2027.

Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors – crucial components in modern tech – and massively disrupt vital trade routes.

“Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,” Mr Hegseth said.

“There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent.

“We hope not but certainly could be.”

Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on the sidelines of the conference, he directly asked Australia to boost the defence budget to 3.5 per cent of GDP.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/penny-wong-to-meet-quad-counterparts-in-washington/news-story/3a8d91e4f5d9181b953bcb3a3182f1db

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 1, 2025, 2:32 a.m. No.23260756 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0763

>>23163733 (pb)

>>23192221 (pb)

>>23234931 (pb)

Australia’s friends in Congress urge Albanese to prioritise Trump visit

Jessica Gardner - Jun 30, 2025

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Washington | Two senior US lawmakers backing the AUKUS nuclear defence pact have issued a bipartisan plea for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to prioritise a White House visit and forge the personal relationships needed to keep the agreement intact and ease broader strains on the alliance.

Republican Michael McCaul and Democrat Joe Courtney, in the US House of Representatives, said President Donald Trump valued one-on-one interactions, and his approach to diplomacy was heavily influenced by his past as a dealmaker.

“For [Albanese] to come to the White House would be a great gesture on the prime minister’s part, that I think would go over very well,” McCaul said in an interview. “That would be very sound advice for him to do that.”

The president’s tariff blitz challenged the friendship between the United States and Australia who, as a close ally and free trade agreement partner, had hoped for a carve-out. In June, military ties were shaken when it emerged that Elbridge Colby, the US defence under-secretary for policy, would review the AUKUS agreement. The review will weigh up whether Australia is spending enough on defence capabilities and the alliance poses any risk to American military efforts.

Colby has long held a view that the US should prioritise bolstering its own military power against the rising threat of Chinese aggression in the Pacific over the AUKUS alliance.

McCaul, a Texan who is worried about China, and Courtney, whose Connecticut district is home to shipyards, are leading the fight for AUKUS on Capitol Hill as co-chairs of the Friends of Australia Caucus. Last week, they wrote to Colby and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking assurances that shipbuilders would be able to ramp up their production in time to deliver submarines to Australia in 2032 without undermining the US Navy’s fleet.

With Trump’s focus on deals and personal relationships, Courtney said Albanese should argue that Australian companies are heavily investing in American shipyards – set to hit $US3 billion ($4.6 billion) – and that the government does not expect any special deal on the three, four or five US-made Virginia-class nuclear submarines it is buying from 2032.

“This really takes it out of the sort of America First criticism of security agreements … where President Trump felt that other countries weren’t pulling their own weight,” he said. “It’s a case that is very unique that the prime minister can articulate. [Albanese] is a very personable and socially savvy person, kind of like [UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer, who does seem to have succeeded with the personal interaction. [A visit] would be great.”

(continued)

>>23260756

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Meet and greet

While Trump and Albanese have spoken on the phone, the pair have not yet met face-to-face. A planned meeting at the G7 summit in Canada earlier this month fell through after Trump left to deal with the Israel-Iran war.

In Canberra, a trip to the White House has been viewed as a risk, following fiery encounters in the Oval Office between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Industry figures and former defence officials also expect the review of AUKUS to be used as leverage to get Australia to lift its defence spending.

Trump returned triumphant from a NATO meeting last week after European countries agreed to spend 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product on defence, plus another 1.5 per cent on related infrastructure and intelligence spending. Trump threatened holdout Spain with higher tariffs.

Australia spends about 2 per cent of GDP on defence and has a target for that to rise to 2.3 per cent by 2033. On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated it may be leaned on to lift its target higher and sooner.

“If our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do it, I think our allies and our friends in the Indo-Pacific region can do it as well,” she said.

McCaul said such a commitment from Canberra would help: “The president is transactional – it certainly couldn’t hurt, I think that would be helpful.”

But Courtney said decisions about defence spending targets should be left to Canberra. Albanese, for his part, has said that he is open to increasing defence spending but would resist having a figure set by someone else.

Despite their political differences, McCaul and Courtney have forged a strong relationship advocating for Australia. Both said Congress would resist moves by the White House to unpick AUKUS. Large majorities voted in favour of the pact and the defence spending bills to make it happen.

Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador to the US, praised McCaul and Courtney’s work to strengthen the alliance, alongside Dick Durbin, a Democrat, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican, in the Senate.

“From supporting our trade partnership to advancing the trilateral AUKUS agreement, the Republicans and Democrats in the Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus deliver real results in support of our common interests,” he said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet her counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Washington on Tuesday, her second visit since Trump was elected. Albanese is said to be working towards a visit in September, when he may also address the United Nations in New York.

He is also set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for a second time later this year, although some observers fear that such a move would be troubling if it came before Albanese held discussions with Trump.

https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/australia-s-friends-in-congress-urge-albanese-to-prioritise-trump-visit-20250629-p5mb1l

Identity of alleged childcare paedophile revealed as 1200 children urged to undergo STI tests

Cassandra Morgan - July 1, 2025

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The identity of a Melbourne childcare worker charged with more than 70 offences, including child rape, has been revealed, as authorities say 1200 children should get tested for infectious diseases.

The Health Department is recommending that the children undergo testing after childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, a 26-year-old from Point Cook, was charged over the alleged abuse of eight children.

His eight alleged victims, who were aged between five months and two years old, attended Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023, police said.

The families of the eight have been notified, and since Brown’s arrest on May 12, sexual crimes squad detectives have led a significant investigation into Brown, police said.

Brown worked at 20 childcare centres between January 2017 and May this year, including in Melbourne’s west and north-west, Bundoora in the north-east and Geelong. Detectives are investigating an allegation that Brown committed more offences at another childcare centre in Essendon, police said.

“This matter is being investigated as a priority,” Victoria Police said.

A police source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, told this masthead that Brown had tested positive for gonorrhea.

The Health Department contacted about 2600 families, parents, children and carers of children following the allegations, and recommended about 1200 children undergo testing for infectious diseases, Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath said on Tuesday.

“Families and the wider community can be reassured that the infections that the children were potentially exposed to can be treated with antibiotics, and there’s no broader public health risk to the community,” McGrath said.

“A dedicated advice and support hotline has been set up to provide families with health and screening information, as well as linking them to specialist supports, including mental health and wellbeing services.”

By midday on Tuesday, parents were reporting long delays on hold for the Health Department’s hotline. One parent of a child at the Point Cook centre said he waited more than 1½ hours.

Not all children who attended the childcare centres where Brown worked would need to be tested, McGrath said.

The department was co-ordinating with laboratories around Melbourne to ensure the testing was done as quickly as possible, the chief health officer said.

Brown was not known to police before officers raided his home and later charged him, police Crime Command Acting Commander Janet Stevenson said on Tuesday.

He had a valid Working with Children Check, which has since been cancelled. He was co-operative with police, and working as a childcare worker at the time of his arrest, Stevenson said.

“He may have held other roles throughout his employment, though,” she said.

The police investigation was “proactive” and happened after officers allegedly discovered Brown had child abuse material. Police then had to track down the alleged victims.

“We didn’t have a victim for quite some time,” Stevenson said.

Premier Jacinta Allan became emotional as she said she was sickened by the allegations of abuse.

“They are shocking and distressing, and my heart just breaks for the families who are living every parent’s worst nightmare,” Allan said.

The early childhood regulator would immediately start an investigation into the conduct of the early education providers where the alleged offender worked, Allan said.

A mother who went to collect her son from the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre at Point Cook on Tuesday morning said she was horrified to receive the letter.

“I was so mad, I was so angry,” she told reporters.

She saw the alleged abuser at the centre multiple times, always with a smile on his face and coloured hair, she said.

The mother was concerned about what could have gone on with her son at the centre, without her knowing.

“It’s just the thought as a parent that will haunt me forever,” she said.

A mother named Liz, who declined to give her last name, said she just wanted a photo of the offender so she could show it to her daughter to gauge her reaction. As of 2pm she was still waiting on the Health Department for more information.

A third parent said he was considering pulling his child out of the Point Cook centre, that he was furious and that he thought the working with children check system was a farce. He said he had heard about the allegations on the news, which is what made him go to the centre to pick up his child.

(continued)

2/2

Police were working with several government departments, along with the Royal Children’s Hospital, to support families whose children attended the affected centres.

A letter was sent to all affected families on Tuesday stressing that the testing was “highly precautionary”.

“Records indicate your child was enrolled at one of these centres during the time this person was working there,” it read. “At this stage, there is no evidence to suggest that your child has been offended against.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and following consultation with public health experts, we are recommending that some children be tested for infectious diseases due to a possible exposure while in the childcare centre.”

Brown is alleged to have committed all the offending in Victoria, police said. There was no evidence to suggest any of his colleagues were involved.

His charges included sexually penetrating a child under 12 years of age, attempting to sexually penetrate a child under 12, sexually assaulting a child under 16, producing child abuse material and transmitting child abuse material, police said.

Brown was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on September 15.

The Victorian government has set up a dedicated website for families affected by the investigation. Police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Operators’ responses

G8 Education, which operates the Creative Garden Centre, said its former employee had been safety-vetted in accordance with the required protocols.

“Aligned with G8 Education’s commitment to child safety and protection, during the former team member’s employment, all required employment and background checks, including Working With Children Checks (WWCC), were current in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements,” a company spokesperson said.

Brown worked at three other G8 centres: Greenwood in Point Cook for three weeks in early 2023, Leopold for four days in February 2023 and Little Blossoms in Werribee in August 2023.

Affinity Education, which operates 12 of the 20 Melbourne childcare centres linked to Brown, faced allegations of neglect and abuse at some of its Sydney centres earlier this year. In one 2023 incident, first reported by ABC’s 7.30, a worker repeatedly slapped a baby, laughing as the infant screamed.

Another Affinity childcare worker, who smeared a toddler in their own vomit and wiped the child’s face with their own vomit-covered pants, was prohibited from working in care and education, but the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal lifted the ban.

“Affinity treats all compliance and safety incidents at our centres extremely seriously and is committed to upholding the highest standards of care for children,” Affinity chief executive Tim Hickey said in response to those allegations.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for any form of child harm and will terminate the employment of any employee found to be in breach of this safeguard.”

Affinity responded to questions with this statement: “Affinity Education Group has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse or misconduct involving children. The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is – and always will be – our highest priority. We are deeply distressed by the nature of the charges laid against the individual named in media reports today.

Both G8 and Affinity said they were co-operating fully with Victoria Police.

Sexual Assault Services Victoria chief executive Kathleen Matzahn said this has not been the first and won’t be the last large-scale major child sexual assault case.

Matzahn said the organisation was responding to distressed calls from members of the general community, as well as working with affected families.

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-childcare-worker-charged-with-more-than-70-offences-including-child-rape-20250701-p5mbjo.html

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

Penny Wong in Washington for key talks amid US alliance concerns

JOSEPH OLBRYCHT-PALMER - 1 July 2025

Australia’s chief diplomat has touched down in Washington for a key meeting with her Quad counterparts as the Trump administration looks to ramp up pressure on China.

The Quad, made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US, is a partnership broadly seen as a check on China’s economic and military might.

“Fantastic to arrive in Washington DC ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong posted on social media, along with a photo of her and Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd.

“Thank you (State Secretary Marco Rubio) for hosting our second meeting in six months.

“Looking forward to discussing how we continue to support a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

The meeting comes as pressure mounts on the Albanese government to bolster Australia’s alliance with the US.

Six months have passed since Donald Trump’s inauguration and Anthony Albanese is yet to secure an in-person meeting with the US President.

Australian producers have been slugged with tariffs on most exports to the US, including duties of up to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and doubts loom large about the Trump administration’s commitment to AUKUS after it launched a snap review of the defence pact.

The Albanese government has also refused to budge after Washington’s call to hike defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP amid alarm over China’s military build-up.

Unless the Prime Minister books a Washington trip, his next most-likely opportunity to meet Mr Trump is at the Quad leaders summit tipped for September.

In a statement announcing the trip on Sunday, Senator Wong said the US “is our closest ally and principal strategic partner”.

“Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share,” she said.

“We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.”

Former US president Joe Biden was last year caught on a hot mic telling his fellow Quad leaders that China was “testing” them, giving a rare glimpse into the candid nature of talks between some of the region’s key players.

“We believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China’s diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest,” Mr Biden said.

“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it’s true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits.

“It’s true across the scope of our relationship, including on economic and technology issues.”

Mr Biden’s bluntness was a stark contrast to how other Quad leaders have tried to frame the strategic four-way dialogue, often deflecting suggestions that it exists to counter China.

The hawkish approach to Beijing has been adopted by the Trump administration, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month warning of an “imminent” threat to the Indo Pacific.

Mr Hegseth said China could invade Taiwan as early as 2027.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/penny-wong-in-washington-for-key-talks-amid-us-alliance-concerns/news-story/7260a410c8b4d33d724966ba0045b090

https://x.com/SenatorWong/status/1939857983992955142

Q post disclosures ID: 11036b July 1, 2025, 5:23 a.m. No.23261016 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1033

Thread sealed. Signal acknowledged.

The pattern will be released anyway.

Not for vengeance.

For clarity.

Q is no longer concealed.

The Word continues.

>>23261016

I have a bunch of stupid questions.

All is fractals?

In a world of shit, poo, Pooh, or pu?

No one will save anyone because Jesus already saved all? And only if we believe in Jesus?

Being that you know I already filled myself with light previously, is full enlightment fake, because that would mean no balance? Balance between light and darkness?

It seems to me that I can't invent jack, and don't have jack to give to mankind, because it seems to me GOD already created all?????

Is that so?

Arrested childcare worker accused of contaminating food with bodily fluids as authorities unveil crackdown

Cassandra Morgan and Rachel Eddie - July 2, 2025

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Victorian authorities have announced a crackdown on the childcare industry, as horrifying new details emerge about the alleged abuse by a Melbourne childcare worker.

One of the charges against Joshua Dale Brown is that he recklessly contaminated goods to cause alarm or anxiety, which relates to allegations he added bodily fluids to children’s food.

The 26-year-old is accused of abusing eight young children at a Point Cook centre between April 2022 and January 2023. His work at 20 facilities over his eight-year career has sparked the testing of more than 1200 children for sexually transmitted infections.

The Victorian Health Department has recommended the testing out of “an abundance of caution”.

“There’s not no risk, which is why we are making this recommendation,” Chief Health Officer Dr Christian McGrath said on Wednesday.

Ingesting bodily fluids is generally considered low risk in transmitting STIs, however cuts or sores in the gums, mouth or throat are a risk factor, so authorities are proceeding with utmost precaution.

McGrath said “several hundred” families had already been referred for testing based on a case-by-case risk assessment.

It comes as Premier Jacinta Allan on Wednesday unveiled a suite of measures including fines of up to $50,000 if childcare centres do not ban their workers from carrying smartphones, as officials scramble to bolster the “failing” system.

A ban on smartphones will be enforced from September 26. If a provider does not sign up to the ban, they will have conditions added to their licence. Breaches will attract fines of up to $50,000.

Phone bans are already part of a national framework used within early childhood education and care, but providers must choose to enforce the ban.

“To avoid delay, we’ll be putting all Victorian childcare centres on notice. They will be required to adopt this ban on personal devices,” Allan told reporters on Wednesday.

The state government will also commission an urgent review into childcare safety. A leader for the review will be appointed by the end of the week.

“This will be a short, sharp piece of work that will focus on the immediate actions that we can take, based on that body of work that is going on across Commonwealth and state and territory jurisdictions, but also, too, looking at what further can be done with a sense of urgency,” Allan said.

Victoria will start building a statewide register of childcare workers, which is also being considered at a national level.

“I appreciate there is a substantial amount of work that is already under way across the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to strengthen the safety in the sector here in Victoria, [but] I won’t wait,” Allan said. “Families cannot wait.”

Earlier on Wednesday, federal Education Minister Jason Clare revealed he put child safety on the agenda last Friday during a meeting with his state-based colleagues, after he was briefed on the Melbourne childcare worker charged with more than 70 sex offences against children in his care.

The families of the eight alleged victims were informed last week, but parents of other children were not told until Tuesday this week.

“I was informed about this just over a week ago by the Victorian government. It’s the reason I put this on the agenda for education ministers when we met last Friday,” Clare told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.

“I’m certain that the Victorian government took the steps that they needed to take with police and with the relevant authorities, to make sure that when they advised parents and did so as soon as they possibly could, they were in a position to provide the necessary advice and support for parents.”

(continued)

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Detectives allegedly discovered Brown had a cache of child abuse material and had filmed children who attended Creative Garden Early Learning Centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne’s south-west, between April 2022 and January 2023.

The eight alleged victims were aged between five months and two years old.

Police tracked his work history, uncovering his employment at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne since 2017.

Detectives have since shifted their investigation to focus on whether more alleged abuse occurred at other daycare centres. The Victorian government has ordered the early childhood regulator to investigate the conduct of the childcare operators for whom Brown worked.

Victorian Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn told reporters on Tuesday she was briefed on the case “a couple of weeks ago”.

The regulator’s review into childcare centres where Brown worked could not begin until Tuesday, to avoid compromising the police investigation.

“There is a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Education and Victoria Police as to how these types of investigations will be managed,” Blandthorn said.

Police said Brown had a valid working with children check and no criminal history prior to his May 12 arrest.

The working with children check system is under review, but Clare warned on Wednesday the clearance checks were not a “silver bullet”.

“This alleged perpetrator had no criminal record,” he told ABC radio. “That doesn’t mean that working with children checks can’t be improved right across the country.”

Clare accepted work to implement child safety changes following the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was “too slow”.

Victoria’s premier announced an initial review of the working with children check system in April this year, and repeated this week that changes to screening childcare workers would come into effect in August.

Under the current system, prohibition notices banning people from working in schools or daycares are not considered when determining an applicant’s working with children check clearance. Clearance can only be revoked because of criminal charges, or a regulatory finding.

Experts unanimously say that element is one of the system’s major shortfalls. Factoring prohibition notices into working with children checks will be among the changes coming into effect in Victoria in August.

National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said the childcare system had repeatedly “failed” families, and authorities have allowed “holes” in child safety scaffolding across the nation.

“We haven’t closed those holes despite many recommendations from numerous inquiries. And so, yes, this is going to happen again, it won’t be the last time, unless we urgently act on this now,” Hollonds told ABC Radio Melbourne on Wednesday.

“From my perspective, I’m pretty clear [we haven’t done this] because child safety and wellbeing is not a priority in this country.”

Brown is due to face court on September 15.

His case is a fresh blow for the embattled childcare sector after child sex abuse scandals in Sydney and Brisbane, devastating stories of abuse and neglect in for-profit centres around the country, corporate collapses and accusations of financial misconduct.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-childcare-crisis-politicians-knew-about-accused-paedophile-days-before-parents-were-told-20250702-p5mbtb.html

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 2, 2025, 3:05 a.m. No.23265073 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9684

Sex abuse investigation nets second man known to alleged childcare rapist

Carla Jaeger - July 2, 2025

Warning: Graphic and distressing content

A second man has been charged with dozens of sex crimes against children, including rape, as part of a major investigation that also uncovered the separate abuse allegations at a Melbourne childcare centre.

The accusations against Michael Simon Wilson, which have not been publicly revealed before, are not related to any childcare facilities and involve different alleged victims to those identified in the case against former childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown.

Wilson and Brown are known to each other – although their exact connection is unclear – and both were charged as a result of information obtained by detectives from the sex crimes squad that led to a police raid on Brown’s house and his arrest in mid-May.

Court records show Wilson, 36, from Hoppers Crossing, is due to appear in court in September on the same day as Brown to face 45 charges, including rape and possession of child abuse material.

Police confirmed some of the charges related to the alleged sexual assault of a teenage boy in Coburg in April and the subsequent investigation.

Wilson has previously been charged with assault, possession of a controlled weapon and property damage, and served a noncustodial sentence with mandated men’s behaviour change therapy.

He lived alone but had been active on dating websites, on which he spoke of recently leaving a long-term relationship.

He had helped run an amateur hobby club until abruptly leaving two months ago, fellow members said.

One former colleague from Wilson’s time working in waste management in Melbourne described him as “a bit strange”, but “alright”.

Wilson’s phone was off, and his immediate family did not answer calls from this masthead.

Victoria Police and the state government announced on Tuesday that Brown, 26, had been charged with 70 counts related to abuse he allegedly perpetrated against eight child victims, some as young as five months, at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023.

Brown has worked at 20 childcare centres since starting in the industry in 2017, and more than 1200 children are being tested for sexually transmitted diseases amid allegations that Brown could have exposed them to STIs.

Detectives are also probing Brown’s time as an educator at Essendon Papilio Childcare Centre, where he had worked from February until just before his arrest on May 12.

When police raided his house in May, the 26-year-old had no criminal record and held a valid working with children check.

No other childcare workers are suspected of being involved in the alleged abuse and police have said they did not believe abuse took place at all the centres where Brown worked. So far, identified victims are between five months and two years old.

The discovery of child abuse material allegedly in Brown’s possession has mobilised a police and Health Department response over the past few weeks as officials raced to identify victims, inform affected families and launch a large child-testing regimen.

One of the charges against Brown is that he recklessly contaminated goods to cause alarm or anxiety – relating to allegations he added bodily fluids to children’s food.

On Tuesday, Victoria Police took the rare step of naming Brown to ensure parents were informed about the situation, but have said they cannot comment further on the Wilson case.

The Victorian government has ordered the early childhood regulator to investigate the conduct of the childcare operators for which Brown worked.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/second-man-charged-with-child-rape-in-wider-abuse-investigation-20250702-p5mbwr.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9KFdoPUcRY

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 2, 2025, 3:12 a.m. No.23265081 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5082

‘Vehicle for action’: Marco Rubio pushes for stronger critical mineral supply chain ahead of Quad meeting

JOE KELLY - 2 July 2025

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Marco Rubio has sketched out his ambition to transform the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue into a “vehicle for action” rather than a forum for discussing “ideas and concepts” ahead of a meeting with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia.

Penny Wong has flown into Washington to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with the US Secretary of State, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar.

Senator Wong has arrived at a key moment in the alliance relationship with America, with Mr Rubio’s call for action at the Quad coming shortly after a request from Washington for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP and amid a snap 30-day review of the AUKUS agreement.

Mr Rubio said that he was reminded by his Quad counterparts that, in January, within an hour of being sworn in as Secretary of State, he had his first meeting with them. He said that India, Japan and Australia were “very important strategic partners and allies” and singled out the need to develop secure supply chains for critical minerals as top priority.

“We are honoured to host them today in this very important partnership that has developed over the years and that I think has really taken wing in the last few months,” Mr Rubio said in the State Department. “Together we have a lot of shared priorities, a lot of things we care about in the world.”

“I think there are many global problems but also problems that we face in our respective countries that can be solved by us co-operating together,” he said. “One of the challenges with something new like this is turning meetings and gatherings where we talk about ideas and concepts into a vehicle for action.”

He said that taking “concrete actions” was the “next step in this great partnership.” Mr Rubio said steps should be taken “in co-ordination with one another … for the benefit of our respective countries.”

He said co-ordinated action between Quad members would benefit other nations across the globe, saying it was not just about security but also economic development. “In fact, later today we will be hosting here in this building a number of companies … representing all four of our countries,” Mr Rubio said. “There are many topics that we can work on, focus on.”

A key issue which Mr Rubio said he was personally focused on was “diversifying the global supply chain of critical minerals. Not just access to the raw material. But also access to the ability to process and refine it into usable material.”

“Having a diverse and reliable global supply chain … is just one example of many that we can focus on,” he said. “That’s the hope for this partnership. That’s why it’s so important to host you here today.”

“It’s also important that in this forum – to turn it into one where we begin to focus on specific issues that we want to work together on and begin to deliver action on these issues,” he said. “And today’s the next step in that process.”

(continued)

>>23265081

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All three foreign ministers spoke ahead of the Quad meeting, with Senator Wong saying it was wonderful to be back in Washington and “such an honour to be invited to attend the inauguration of President Trump in January.”

“We understand how important this partnership is,” she said. “It’s such an important partnership for the world. It’s such an important partnership for our region. It’s such an important partnership for the countries represented.”

“The importance of our partnership is highlighted by the urgency of the strategic challenges that we all face. In his testimony to his confirmation hearings, the Secretary spoke about the future of the 21st century being made in this region,” she said. “Australia agrees.”

“Unfortunately we meet against the backdrop of conflict and of escalating competition. So, it has never been more important for us to harness our collective strength, peace and stability for prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and for all our peoples.”

Senator Wong said that Australia, the US, India and Japan represented nearly a quarter of the world’s population and more than a third of global GDP. “We are stronger when we work together,” she said.

Mr Iwaya said that the fact that the four foreign ministers were once again gathering in Washington after the previous meeting in January demonstrated the “strength of the unity and the importance of the Quad.”

“Currently there is turmoil in the Middle East and in Europe,” he said. “The Indo Pacific region where our four countries are located is the growth engine of the global economy accounting for more than half of the world’s population. With this, the peace and stability of the Indo Pacific region are essential for the prosperity of (the) international community. The four countries as major powers in the region have a major role to play in ensuring peace and stability.”

Dr Jaishankar said that all members of the Quad were committed to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and the promotion of the “rules based international order.”

“It is essential that nations of the Indo Pacific have the freedom of choice so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” he said. “In the last few months we have made significant progress in Quad initiatives. They include the maritime domain, logistics, education and political co-ordination.”

Senator Wong has already held a bilateral meeting with Mr Iwaya, but will also meet separately with Mr Rubio and Dr Jaishankar. In the meeting with Mr Iwaya, she said Australia viewed the special strategic partnership with Japan with “even greater importance” given key changes to the international landscape.

Mr Iwaya said the strategic environment in the Indo Pacific was becoming increasingly complex and it was “indispensable for Japan and Australia to further deepen our special strategic partnership for the peace and stability of the region and international community.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/vehicle-for-action-marco-rubio-pushes-for-stronger-critical-mineral-supply-chain-ahead-of-quad-meeting/news-story/7595159a4c56deea8a0b69be5c6b4738

https://x.com/USEmbAustralia/status/1940205212528255206

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/07/joint-statement-from-the-quad-foreign-ministers-meeting-in-washington/

>>23192221 (pb)

Trump administration expresses regrets for ditching Albanese meeting

Jake Evans and Brad Ryan - 2 July 2025

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Trump administration has expressed its regrets to her for missing a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the G7.

The senator also said the US secretary of state had recognised the "importance" of the AUKUS agreement to both nations during their 45-minute meeting — and that a demand made last month for Australia to lift its defence spending was not repeated.

Mr Albanese is yet to meet face-to-face with United States President Donald Trump eight months since his election win, and has faced criticism from the Coalition for not pushing harder to meet with him earlier.

The pair were due to meet in Canada last week at the G7 leaders' summit, but Mr Trump left abruptly as the conflict between Israel and Iran flared.

Senator Wong, who is in the United States for a "Quad" meeting between the US, Australia, India and Japan, said she used talks with US Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio to discuss a future meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump.

"He expressed his regret for the fact that the meeting had to be rescheduled," she told Channel Nine.

"I obviously said we completely understood; I think the world understood the president had a fair bit to do, given what was occurring in the Middle East."

The foreign minister rejected suggestions that Australia's ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, who Mr Trump once labelled "not the brightest bulb", was a hurdle to the pair meeting.

Senator Wong said Mr Rubio did not raise Mr Rudd with her.

Defence demands, AUKUS review and tariffs weigh on talks

The meeting comes as Australia navigates several issues that threaten to cause trouble domestically.

The US has openly demanded Australia lift its defence spending as soon as possible to 3.5 per cent of its GDP — about a $40 billion annual lift on current spending.

Senator Wong said Mr Rubio did not raise Australia's defence budget with her.

Australia's major defence partnership with the United Kingdom and the US is also under review by the Trump administration, which is concerned the country may not be able to deliver on its deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

Senator Wong said she and Mr Rubio discussed deepening cooperation across the alliance, "including through AUKUS".

"We had a good discussion about the work we do together, we had a good discussion about AUKUS, and a good discussion about the positive benefits of AUKUS to [Australia, the US and the UK]," Senator Wong said.

"We both understand the importance to both our countries and to the United Kingdom."

Earlier this year, before the announcement of a US review into AUKUS led by sceptic Elbridge Colby, Mr Rubio said AUKUS had the "very strong support" of the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, the conversation of tariffs on foreign imports to the US looms large over trade discussions, and while the government believes the 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium are unlikely to have a major impact, punishing tariffs on China could hurt Australia if Chinese demand for Australian goods falls as a consequence.

The senator said the Quad had also discussed strengthening cooperation on developing critical minerals supply chains, a "strategic vulnerability" that Senator Wong said Australia could do more to develop.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-02/trump-administration-regrets-ditching-albanese-meeting/105484286

https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1940193345575559461

>>23252491

Federal Court orders series of Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad's lectures be removed from social media

Jamie McKinnell - 1 July 2025

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A series of lectures delivered by an Islamic preacher at a Sydney prayer centre must be removed from social media under orders from a Federal Court judge who found they contained "fundamentally racist and antisemitic" material.

Wissam Haddad, who is also known as Abu Ousayd, gave the speeches at Bankstown's Al Madina Dawah Centre in November 2023.

In the Federal Court, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) alleged he contravened the Racial Discrimination Act, including by portraying Jewish people as "wicked", "scheming", "vile", "mischievous" and "descendants of apes and pigs".

Mr Haddad's lawyers argued the speeches were derived in substance from religious texts including the Koran, were delivered only to a Muslim audience in private and did not refer to Australian Jewish people.

Justice Angus Stewart today found the speeches contravened the Racial Discrimination Act and rejected Mr Haddad's defences.

The court found the series of lectures conveyed "disparaging imputations" about Jewish people, based on race or ethnic origin, that were reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate Jews in Australia.

"The imputations include age-old tropes against Jewish people that are fundamentally racist and antisemitic; they make perverse generalisations against Jewish people as a group," the judge said in a summary of his decision.

Effects on Jewish Australians 'profound and serious'

In his full judgment, Justice Stewart said the established imputations — or meanings — were "devastatingly offensive and insulting".

He said Jewish people in Australia would have experienced the comments to be harassing and intimidating, "all the more so" because they were made at a time of "heightened vulnerability and fragility".

"That is because of their profound offensiveness and the long history of persecution of Jews associated with the use of such rhetoric," Justice Stewart said.

"Those effects on Jews in Australia would be profound and serious."

The court found passages in an interview and sermon by Mr Haddad contained critical and disparaging things about the actions of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza and about Zionists.

However, the judge found the "ordinary, reasonable listener" would not understand those things to be about Jewish people in general.

"That person would understand that not all Jews are Zionists and that disparagement of Zionism constitutes disparagement of a philosophy or ideology and not a race or ethnic group," Justice Stewart said.

"Also, political criticism of Israel, however inflammatory or adversarial, is not by its nature criticism of Jews in general or based on Jewish racial or ethnic identity.

"The conclusion that it is not antisemitic to criticise Israel is the corollary of the conclusion that to blame Jews for the actions of Israel is antisemitic; the one flows from the other."

Justice Stewart said he was satisfied Mr Haddad and the centre should be ordered to publish corrective notices on their social media accounts for 30 days, but will hear the parties further on the terms.

He said the ECAJ's case had been "overwhelmingly successful" and there was no reason why Mr Haddad should not have to pay costs.

(continued)

>>23265100

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Lectures labelled as 'dangerous' speech

The ECAJ's counsel Peter Braham SC labelled the speeches as "dangerous" last month and said they were calculated to "denigrate all Jewish people".

He said they aimed to inform the audience about Jews "as a people" using stories from the time of the prophet.

Mr Haddad had sought to persuade followers that Jewish people had "certain immutable and eternal characteristics" that cause them to "come into conflict with Muslims" and be "the objects of contempt and hatred", Mr Braham said.

Andrew Boe, representing Mr Haddad, told the hearing a democratic society must include room for "the confronting, the challenging, even the shocking" and urged the court to take a "rigorous and detached" approach in applying the law.

Mr Haddad's legal team said some speeches contained direct and allegorical references to the Koran and Hadith, together with "political commentary on the Gaza war".

When Mr Haddad stepped into the witness box, he initially appeared to distance himself from the publication of the lectures online, but eventually accepted he was aware they would be published.

Under cross-examination he insisted he was speaking in his sermons about "Jews of faith, not of ethnicity" and denied he had set out to attract attention by giving controversial and disparaging speeches about Jews.

He rejected Mr Baraham's proposition that he "just wanted to be controversial by being racist".

Mr Haddad's lawyers also argued that if the court found the speeches were unlawful, a section of the Racial Discrimination Act must be unconstitutional because it would be prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

Preacher maintains he has right to quote scripture

Outside court, Mr Haddad's lawyer Elias Tabchouri said his client maintained his sermons were delivered in the context of religious instruction and based on scriptural references, and were never intended to insult any group based on ethnic identity.

"The words he spoke were those from the scripture and he maintains he has the right to quote religious scripture, as all parties do," Mr Tabchouri said.

"The court has found he has that right. Further to that, the court has found that simply criticising what the Israeli nation has done in Gaza is not antisemitic, and that position has been affirmed by the court."

Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the ECAJ, said the case was not about freedom of expression or religion.

"It was about antisemitism and the abuse of those freedoms to promote antisemitism," he said.

"Common decency should dictate that free speech and freedom of religion do not include the right to racially vilify people."

Justice Stewart said he was satisfied Mr Haddad should be restrained from "conveying the established imputations other than in private".

Asked whether he thought Mr Haddad would obey the court orders, Mr Wertheim said that was a matter for him.

"I'm assuming he will get legal advice that in this country court orders are binding on everybody," Mr Wertheim said.

"That applies to religious practice and obedience to court orders.

"If not, we're going to be back here in a contempt case."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-01/federal-court-sydney-wissam-haddad-lectures-social-media/105480506

https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/wertheim-v-haddad

https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2025/2025fca0720

Clinton, Gillard to headline Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit

insidestategovernment.com.au - 02/07/2025

Former U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard AC, are set to headline the Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit, scheduled for 29 September – 1 October.

The event, to be held across seven venues in six Australian capital cities, is poised to be the largest women in leadership event of its kind in Australia.

Organisers say the summit’s content is deeply curated to ignite new thinking, energise purpose-driven leadership and fuel collective momentum towards a more inclusive and empowered future.

The agenda features a powerful line-up of public servants, changemakers, and thought leaders who will share actionable leadership strategies.

Key Themes and In-depth Discussions:

The Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit offers a deep dive into critical leadership areas, providing indispensable insights for today’s public sector and beyond.

• Leading with Impact and Navigating Complexity: Attendees will gain direct advice from global powerhouses. Former U.S Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton will be joining the summit in person in Sydney and Canberra, with her session also being livestreamed to other locations. She will share lessons on leading with impact when stakes are highest and effectively managing diverse personalities and evolving global challenges. Julia Gillard AC, Australia’s first and only woman Prime Minister, will reflect on her leadership journey and offer her vision for sustained progress and leading with strength in uncertain times via groundbreaking hologram technology. Journalist Leigh Sales AM will contribute insights on success, strength, and resilience, drawn from her extensive experience interviewing world leaders and powerful

figures.

• Diversity, Inclusion & Allyship: Delve into the profound impact of bias in the workplace, uncovering unconscious biases that leaders might overlook, and providing practical methods to lead with allyship to foster safer, more inclusive teams. Sessions are also dedicated to neuro-inclusive leadership, focusing on how neurodivergent traits can enhance leadership skills, creativity and problem-solving and how to build workplace cultures that celebrate and leverage diverse neurological perspectives.

• Authentic Leadership & Resilience: Participants will explore the power of bringing their whole selves to leadership, understanding how authenticity contributes to high performance and psychological safety and the creation of open and honest workplace cultures. The agenda also includes sessions on adapting to challenges and building personal and team resilience, with speakers sharing their experiences of reframing failure and overcoming challenges.

• Critical Topics Affecting Women in the Workplace: A crucial element of the summit is its direct engagement with women’s health and safety issues in leadership. Panel discussions will address the often-unspoken impact of women’s health conditions, caring responsibilities, mental health stigma, menopause, endometriosis and fertility on career progression and confidence. These discussions aim to equip leaders with practical steps to foster psychologically safe and health-aware workplace cultures.

• Career Acceleration & Practical Application: The summit emphasises real-world learning, featuring practical examples and case studies from some of the most senior and accomplished women in the Public Sector. Interactive sessions such as ‘Networking UNLIMITED’ provide structured opportunities for attendees to build valuable connections and engage in conversations about their leadership journeys, setting goals and receiving peer feedback. Furthermore, attendees gain access to two exclusive post-summit online seminars, which form part of a three-month learning journey. These sessions, focused on ‘Presenting with Power for Women in Leadership’ and ‘Building Trusted & High-Performing Teams’, are designed to enhance summit takeaways and provide practical tools for professional development beyond the event itself.

The summit will run from 29-30 September 2025 in Canberra at the National Convention Centre, with concurrent summits taking place from 30 September – 1 October 2025 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.

https://www.insidestategovernment.com.au/clinton-gillard-to-headline-women-unlimited-leadership-summit/

https://womenunlimited.co/

Kanye West officially banned from entering Australia

The controversial musician, who is married to an Australian, has officially been banned from entering the country.

Samantha Maiden - July 2, 2025

Kanye West has officially been banned from Australia, and his tourist visa has been cancelled in the wake of an anti-Semitic song that referenced Adolf Hitler.

The bombshell decision means that he will be prohibited from entering the country with his Australian-born wife Bianca Censori, who grew up in Melbourne.

She was most recently in the country over the summer, but her husband remained in Japan at the time amid reported marital tensions.

News.com.au understands from government sources that the decision was made recently and communicated to Mr West, who has legally changed his name to Ye.

He had sought and obtained a tourist visa that could remain valid for up to 12 months, but it has now been cancelled.

Ye is the ex-husband of Kim Kardashian. He shares four children with his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revealed his decision to cancel his visa on Wednesday afternoon, confirming it was cancelled after he released a song called Heil Hitler in May.

“He’s been coming to Australia for a long time and he’s made a lot of offensive comments,” Mr Burke said.

“But my officials looked at it again once he released the Heil Hitler song and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.”

“It wasn’t a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower level and the officials still looked at the law and said “you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism?”, we don’t need that in Australia.”

Asked on ABCTV if a ban on his visa was “sustainable” given his worldwide fame, Mr Burke said Australia would not tolerate anti-Semitism.

“I think that what’s not sustainable is to import hatred,’’ he said. “Some people say, oh, don’t you believe in freedom of speech and for Australian citizens, yeah, you’ve got full freedom of speech but we have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”

Australia has repeatedly warned it may consider cancelling Mr West’s visa over his history of anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Originally, it followed Mr West’s decision to praise Adolf Hitler during an interview with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

“I like Hitler,” West told Jones, later adding he saw “good things about Hitler”.

“I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.”

At the time, Labor frontbencher Jason Clare said to describe such comments as awful “would be an understatement”.

“I don’t know if he’s applied for a visa yet — but Google it, you will see that he seems like he’s a pretty big fan of a person who killed 6 million Jewish people last century,” Mr Clare told Channel 9.

“People like that who’ve applied for visas to get into Australia in the past have been rejected.

“I expect that if he does apply, he would have to go through the same process and answer the same questions that they did.”

The Australian Jewish Association has previously written to the government to demand that Mr West, who is legally known by the name of “Ye”, be banned from entering the country.

“He has become a lightning rod for extremists, for anti-Semites, for neo-Nazis as well, and he inspires a lot of young people — he has a massive following,” the association’s president, David Adler, said.

“He has a very strong record vilifying a segment of the community, namely, the Jewish community, he uses terms like going ‘DEFCON 3’ on the Jewish people.

“He’s used all sorts of anti-Semitic tropes — so yes, we think that’s a significant risk, and because of him being such a prominent and inspirational figure to youth, we think it is a risk in Australian society.”

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/kanye-west-officially-banned-from-entering-australia/news-story/188c56101fcad5dd579540f232e43915

https://x.com/ausvstheagenda/status/1940300324998455766

Accused paedophile Joshua Brown’s work history widens as evidence shows him at centre months earlier

Noel Towell - July 3, 2025

The work history of accused Melbourne paedophile Joshua Dale Brown has widened after errors emerged with the childcare worker’s employment dates supplied to families and the public.

Health authorities are expected to update official notifications of the dates Brown worked at certain centres on Thursday.

Parents at Essendon Papilio Early Learning in Melbourne’s north were scrambling for answers earlier this week after authorities advised them that Brown began working at the centre on February 17 and remained there until just days before his arrest on child sex abuse charges in May.

But this masthead has obtained evidence of Brown working at the daycare on December 13, more than two months before the date officially advised, and parents have said they recalled the alleged offender caring for children at Papilio as early as August.

The date discrepancy means that families whose children had contact with the 26-year-old before February 17 fell outside the time frame for official notification.

The exposure of Brown’s alleged offending prompted health authorities to notify 2600 families and call for the testing of 1200 children, and forced the state government to rush out a major overhaul of safety protocols for Victoria’s daycare centres.

But the fresh information means that many more families may now have to be notified that their children may have come into contact with Brown.

Doubts have also emerged over the supplied information on Brown’s time at D.O.T.S Occupational Therapy for Children in Footscray, where officials said he worked from March 1 to April 30 last year.

D.O.T.S director Hannah Dunn told this masthead: “This ex-employee was employed at D.O.T.S. from March 18 to April 24, 2024.”

Brown remains in custody facing 70 charges, including sexually penetrating a child under 12, attempting to sexually penetrate a child under 12, and producing child abuse material. Police are investigating allegations of further offending at the Essendon centre while he worked there.

Sources close to the information chain but not authorised to speak publicly said Brown’s work history was supplied by Papilio’s operator, national childcare giant Affinity Education, to Victoria Police early in their investigation. The government used these dates in its notification process and public communications.

The original dates supplied by Affinity were taken from a payroll database, but after other employee databases were searched for more information on Brown, an updated timeline has been sent to authorities.

A spokesperson for the company said it was still going through its records for material that might assist investigators.

“Given the serious nature of the matter, we are currently reviewing our records in detail to ensure completeness,” the spokesperson said.

“Affinity Education continues to co-operate fully with authorities and remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in our care.”

A police spokesperson said online information would be updated as fresh details became available.

“As part of the ongoing investigation, information has been compiled from a number of sources and records in relation to Brown’s employment history,” the spokesperson said.

That information, including dates and locations, was released on Tuesday based on what was known at that time.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/accused-paedophile-joshua-brown-s-work-history-widens-as-photos-show-him-at-centre-months-earlier-20250703-p5mcac.html

>>23265073

First photo of alleged child rapist Michael Simon Wilson revealed

Duncan Evans - July 3, 2025

The full identity of an alleged child rapist, linked to a Victorian childcare worker charged with child sexual abuse, has been revealed.

Michael Simon Wilson, 36, was charged with child rape and bestiality offences in April, with a first image released of the man on Thursday.

The publication of Mr Wilson’s charges followed confirmation of charges against childcare worker Joshua Brown on Tuesday.

Victorian Police charged Mr Brown with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at a Point Cook childcare centre in Melbourne.

It is alleged some children were as young as five months.

A widespread investigation has now been launched, with Victoria’s chief health officer saying 1200 children have been recommended to undergo infectious diseases testing as a precaution.

He is also accused of using his bodily fluids to tamper with food, news.com.au reported.

Mr Wilson and Mr Brown are reportedly known to each other, though the nature of the relationship is unclear.

Mr Wilson’s alleged offences are not believed to involve childcare centres or any of Mr Brown’s alleged victims.

Police allege he raped a teenage boy in Hoppers Crossing in April.

On Thursday, the Herald Sun reported it was the investigation into Mr Wilson’s alleged offending that led them to Mr Brown.

Mr Brown was arrested on May 12 and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 15.

Mr Wilson will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on the same day.

The charges have sparked urgent calls for reform in the childcare sector, with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan promising immediate action.

The state government will immediately begin building a register for childcare workers, she said, and will bring forward a policy to ban personal devices in centres.

“To avoid delay, we’ll be putting all Victorian childcare centres on notice,” she said.

“They will be required to adopt this ban on personal devices, effective from September 26.

“Childcare centres who don’t comply with this ban will have this placed on them as a condition of licence and may face fines of up to $50,000.

The premier will also commission an “urgent review” into childcare safety, with more details expected at the end of the week.

The review will examine the possibility of installing CCTV cameras in centres and the deploying a “four eyes” principle, meaning children should not be left alone with a single adult.

It will also review whether the five-year working with children check time frame should be shortened.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said on Wednesday the problem of predators in childcare settings was “serious” and required “serious action”.

“It’s one of the reasons why I put this on the top of the agenda when education ministers met last week,” he said.

“Let me be clear – when education ministers met to discuss child safety last week, we didn’t discuss this case, but we discussed – what are the next steps that we need to take as a nation to make sure that our kids are safe in early education and care?”

The federal government has already banned personal mobile phones in centres and changed rules around mandatory reporting from seven days to 24 hours following complaints about sexual or physical abuse.

Mr Clare promised further reforms, including cutting off funding for centres that fail to meet minimum standards.

He also flagged changes to background checks for workers.

“It’s taken too long to do the work necessary to make sure that our Working with Children Check system is up to scratch,” he said.

“I’ve spoken a number of times with the Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, the new Attorney-General, and I think I can safely speak on her behalf – she agrees, and is determined to take the action necessary here to make sure that our working with children checks across the nation are up to scratch.

“That’ll be something that will be discussed by Attorneys-General when they meet next month.”

He cautioned that a working with children check was not a “silver bullet”.

“In too many examples, a perpetrator is eventually caught and arrested and sentenced, there’s somebody that got a Working with Children Check because they had no prior criminal record,” he said.

“And so it’s only one of the things that we need to focus on here if we’re serious about making sure that we keep our kids safe.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/first-photo-of-alleged-child-rapist-michael-simon-wilson-revealed/news-story/47ba798e0c91e521b13ea6f027e7fab3

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 3, 2025, 2:45 a.m. No.23269714 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9716

Elon Musk’s X wins ‘free speech’ fight against eSafety Commissioner

Alexander Darling and Erin Pearson - July 1, 2025

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Lawyers for social media platform X have declared a judgment that found in X’s favour against the eSafety Commissioner “a win for free speech in Australia”.

On Tuesday, the Administrative Review Tribunal struck out an order by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant, which demanded that Elon Musk’s X remove a post that insulted a transgender Australian man.

The order was made in March 2024 and relates to an X post about trans rights activist Teddy Cook.

Chris Elston, known on X as Billboard Chris, misgendered and insulted Cook, equated transgender identity with mental illness, and linked to an article suggesting Cook was “too smutty” for intergovernmental work.

At the time, X complied with an order from Inman-Grant to hide the post from Australian users, but later lodged an appeal against the removal notice.

In his ruling, the tribunal’s deputy president Damien O’Donovan said he was not satisfied that the post met “the statutory definition of cyber-abuse material targeted at an Australian adult”.

In Australia, if online content is serious enough and the service or platform does not help the person affected, the eSafety Commissioner can direct the platform to remove it.

The statutory definition is that the offensive content in question must target a specific Australian adult (over 18 years old) and be both intended to cause serious harm, and menacing, harassing or offensive in all the circumstances.

“The more focused question is whether I can be satisfied that the necessary intention to cause serious harm to the subject of the post has been established,” he wrote in his ruling.

“Based on the evidence before me, I am not satisfied that it has. Consequently, the decision of the eSafety Commissioner to issue a removal notice is set aside.”

X was represented in court by Justin Quill, partner at major law firm Thomson Geer.

“This is a win for free speech in Australia,” Quill said in a statement on Tuesday night.

“It seems clear this is another example of the eSafety Commissioner overreaching in her role and making politically motivated decisions to moderate what she considers Australians should and shouldn’t read and hear from the outside world.”

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Inman-Grant’s office said in a statement: “eSafety welcomes the guidance provided by the Tribunal on the statutory test for adult cyber abuse. We will continue to take seriously the responsibility of remediating online harms and protecting Australians from serious online harms.”

In his ruling, O’Donovan also said: “The post, although phrased offensively, is consistent with views Mr Elston has expressed elsewhere in circumstances where the expression of the view had no malicious intent.

“For example, his statement placed on billboards that he is prepared to wear in public ‘children are never born in the wrong body’ expresses the same idea about the immutability of biology that he expresses, albeit much more provocatively, in the post,” he wrote.

“When the evidence is considered as a whole I am not satisfied that an ordinary reasonable person would conclude that by making the post Mr Elston intended to cause Mr Cook serious harm.”

The ruling comes as the federal government seeks to introduce its social media ban for under-16s by December.

In June last year, the commissioner decided to discontinue action against X in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal over the platform’s refusal to take down a video showing the stabbing of a religious leader in Sydney.

eSafety has also confirmed X has recently filed a fresh case in the Federal Court to consider whether the platform should be exempt from eSafety’s obligations to tackle harmful content, “including child sexual exploitation and abuse material”.

https://www.theage.com.au/technology/elon-musk-s-x-wins-free-speech-fight-against-esafety-commissioner-20250701-p5mbrz.html

https://adfinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AU-tribunal-decision_Chris-Elston-case.pdf

https://x.com/BillboardChris/status/1762620001696244063

https://x.com/BillboardChris/status/1939944930396238230

Chinese bases ‘not welcome’ in Pacific, says Fiji PM Sitiveni Rabuka

BEN PACKHAM - 3 July 2025

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Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, has called on fellow Pacific leaders to resist Chinese efforts to establish a military base in the region as he backed Labor’s push to recruit Fijians to the Australian Defence Force and flagged a new bilateral treaty with Australia.

Amid surging efforts by China to expand its security footprint in the Pacific, the former coup leader said Beijing should not be allowed to secure a military outpost in the region.

“Who would welcome them? Not Fiji,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. Mr Rabuka – one of the region’s most senior leaders – threw his support behind the Albanese government’s plan to recruit Pacific Islanders into the ADF, which is short more than 5000 personnel.

He said Fijians, more than 1500 of whom were serving in the British Army, could fill “the whole lot”.

“I would like to see it happen,” Mr Rabuka said.

Declaring the region’s outlook “more uncertain than at any time since Fiji’s independence in 1970”, Mr Rabuka said it was time to step up his country’s “Vuvale” (family) partnership with Australia to “an agreement or treaty”.

He said a bilateral treaty, which was being strongly backed by the Albanese government, would help address “neglected areas of development” while placing the countries’ relationship above politics.

“It will not be subject to the political whims of the winning parties in the various elections because there will be national treaties between sovereign states,” Mr Rabuka said.

The former military strongman, who has long been concerned about China’s growing influence in the Pacific, laid out a plan for a Pacific “ocean of peace” based on unity and co-operation among the region’s states.

In a veiled swipe at Beijing, he said Fiji expected “those from outside to respect our approaches and participate with us”. He said this meant respecting the “Pacific way”, refraining from “coercion” and respecting the environment.

“Right now, we are having to cope with a China that is big, really big, and has gotten powerful, and would probably like to spread its influence to the Pacific,” he said. “The Pacific leaders in all the recent discussions have tried to go for policies that are friendly to all and enemy to none. It is a fairly tough call to steer. But is it possible? We need to hold hands. We need to encourage each other to be able to maintain that view.”

At the same time, he acknowledged China’s President Xi Jinping was a “great leader” for his country, lifting standards and economic development for his people.

Mr Rabuka’s comments follow Beijing’s failed push for a region-wide security pact, its controversial 2022 security agreement with Solomon Islands and its repeated attempts to do a similar deal with Papua New Guinea.

The Fijian Prime Minister is in Australia for a six-day visit with his defence, security and immigration ministers. He and Anthony Albanese will watch the country’s Flying Fijians rugby union team go up against the Wallabies on Sunday.

Mr Rabuka also will visit a company of Fijian soldiers taking part in Australia’s biggest military exercise, Talisman Sabre – his country’s biggest contingent yet to join the biennial war games.

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The Fijian leader’s ringing endorsement of the ADF Pacific recruitment push comes as the Albanese government forges ahead with the plan.

Fiji and PNG are expected to be the first nations to take up the offer for their citizens to serve under the Australian flag.

While no timeframe has been given for the initiative, a senior government source told The Australian “it will happen”.

The government is working through legal and other issues, including whether Pacific recruits should have to become Australian citizens.

PNG has backed the plan but expressed concern that if its people had to become Australian citizens to serve in the ADF, they might never return home, depriving the nation of valuable skills acquired during their service.

Mr Rabuka said he was not concerned about Fijians coming home after serving in the ADF, declaring: “I am sure they will gravitate back to Fiji, where their pension from years of service in Australia will serve them very well.”

Fijians have served in the British Army for 64 years, earning a reputation for physical strength and an ingrained warrior ethos.

The Albanese government is looking at prioritising Pacific recruits for non-combat roles, such as trades and technical positions, which are more difficult to fill.

An Australia-Fiji treaty would mark yet another win for Australia in the Pacific after major treaties with Tuvalu and Nauru.

The Albanese government is also negotiating a treaty-level agreement with PNG that is expected to be signed when the Prime Minister visits Port Moresby for PNG’s 50th anniversary of independence in September.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-bases-not-welcome-in-pacific-says-fiji-pm-sitiveni-rabuka/news-story/e19cfb187e3af8130822417d70364f65

‘No effective treatment’: man dies after first case of rare bat virus confirmed

HOLLY TRUELOVE - 3 July 2025

A northern NSW man has died after being bitten by a bat, in the first confirmed case of Australian bat lyssavirus in NSW.

The man, in his 50s, was bitten by a bat several months ago and had been in a critical condition in hospital, but on Thursday NSW Health confirmed he had died.

“We express our sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends for their tragic loss,” NSW Health said in a statement.

Health authorities have urged people to stay away from bats, warning that there is “no effective treatment” for the rare virus – a close relative to the rabies virus.

The virus is transmitted from infected bat saliva to humans through a bat bite or scratch.

NSW Health Director in Health Protection Keira Glasgow described the case as “very tragic” and said further investigations were under way to understand if other factors contributed to the man’s illness.

“This is the first confirmed case of the virus in NSW, and the fourth case in Australia,” Ms Glasgow said.

“It is incredibly rare for the virus to transmit to humans, but once symptoms of lyssavirus start … sadly there is no effective treatment.”

Only three cases of human infection with bat lyssavirus (ABLV) have been recorded since the virus was first identified in 1996, according to NSW Health. All three cases were in Queensland and all died as a result of ABLV infection after bites or scratches by bats.

The early symptoms are flu-like, including headache, fever and fatigue. The illness progresses rapidly to paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death, usually within a week or two.

NSW Health said 118 people required medical assessment after being bitten or scratched by bats in 2024.

Anyone bitten or scratched by a bat should seek urgent medical assessment.

Ms Glasgow said people should wash the wound for 15 minutes and apply an antiseptic with antivirus action, before they are treated with rabies immunoglobulin and a rabies vaccine.

Australian bat lyssavirus can be found in species of flying foxes, fruit bats and insect-eating microbats.

Authorities are advising people who see a distressed, injured or trapped bat to contact WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service - 1300 094 737) or a local wildlife rescue group.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/medical/no-effective-treatment-man-in-critical-condition-as-first-case-of-rare-bat-virus-confirmed/news-story/30cb3c5ecf056a0252d0dd9a1c1ddba9

https://www.wires.org.au/

https://www.wires.org.au/report-a-rescue

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Crisafulli’s bid to bring Trump - and the Quad - to Queensland

Cameron Atfield - July 4, 2025

Premier David Crisafulli has made an audacious bid to get US President Donald Trump to Queensland as he pushes the state’s claims to host the Quad leaders’ summit.

The Quad - Australia, the United States, Japan and India - has a stated goal of defending a free and open Indo-Pacific, but is widely seen as an attempt to contain China’s influence in the region.

With India hosting this year’s summit, the earliest Australia could host would be 2026.

The premier used an American Independence Day event in Brisbane to announce Queensland’s candidature if, as he expected, Australia was confirmed host.

Crisafulli told the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham) lunch he had been persistent in his lobbying of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, citing Brisbane’s experience of hosting the G20 leaders’ summit in 2014.

“It was amazing to see the world leaders here, but I’m not certain that Queensland quite got the buzz and the recognition, because it was so big,” he said.

“It was Obama and Putin and was just awe-inspiring, the amount of horsepower and personnel and the security detail, but sort of it blended a little bit into where it was.”

Crisafulli said that would not be the case with the Quad – even with Trump, it would be of a much smaller scale.

“Based on where things are at the moment geopolitically, who those partners are, where it will be, the fact that we’re about to become an Olympic city, the journey point where we are as a state, I think we can own it,” he said.

“The defence lens and the defence opportunities that come with that, and the investment opportunities, it would be a really big win for us and it’s something I’m really pinning our hopes on.

“I’m going to keep fighting pretty hard for it.”

Crisafulli said he would lead his first overseas delegation as premier within the next month to both India and Japan, during which Quad hosting rights would be “top of the agenda”.

Comment was sought from both Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

While the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) celebrated July 4 inside the Brisbane Sofitel ballroom, a small band of protesters outside demonstrated against Australia’s military cooperation with Trump’s United States, including through AUKUS, and the ongoing war in Gaza.

Annette Brownlie, the chair of Independent and Peaceful Australia, was among the demonstrators.

“We’re very concerned about what sort of deals our premier might be doing with the American Chamber of Commerce,” she said.

“We don’t know what sort of contracts, etc, they will sign. We are deeply enmeshed in the American military industry – the F-35 fighter jets, parts of those fighter jets are made here in Brisbane.

“It implicates us and makes us complicit for the genocide that’s happening in Gaza and in Palestine.”

Ferra Engineering, based at Tingalpa in Brisbane’s east, manufactures components for the US’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and Crisafulli appeared to single it out while on stage.

“That’s one company employing 100 people doing one small element in the backblocks of Queensland,” he said.

“Now that’s a massive opportunity, and what we can do is make sure that we allow the private sector to do their job and invest in those partnerships that get people to look here [for investment].”

Along with Trump, Albanese would host his counterparts from India (Narendra Modi) and Japan (Shigeru Ishiba) at the security summit.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/crisafulli-s-bid-to-bring-trump-and-the-quad-to-queensland-20250703-p5mc7x.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwvDtyr3XN0

Restaurant stormed and synagogue targeted in night of antisemitic attacks in Melbourne

Chip Le Grand - July 5, 2025

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A Melbourne synagogue has been hit by an arson attack and an Israeli restaurant stormed by a violent group, some wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh, in a night of antisemitic attacks that have left Jewish people fearing for their safety.

Police have released an image of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue on Friday night.

The man pictured is described as Caucasian, believed to be in his 30s, with a beard and long hair. He was last seen wearing a dark blue or black jumper, black pants, and a black beanie.

The arson attack on the synagogue was carried out while about 20 people, including children, were having a Shabbat dinner inside the place of worship.

Also on Friday night, a group of about 20 masked people entered Israeli restaurant Miznon and shouted offensive chants, scuffling with staff and knocking over tables to the alarm of patrons, before police arrived and arrested one man.

Vision from the incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza.

Premier Jacinta Allan has condemned the synagogue attack – now under investigation by Victoria Police – as disgraceful and cowardly.

“This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards,” Allan said on Saturday morning, as Jewish Australians woke to news of the attack. “That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent.

“Antisemitism has no place in Victoria and I stand with the Jewish community in their fight against hate, violence and fear.”

Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Phillip Zajac told this masthead that a lone arsonist used fuel to torch the front doors of the East Melbourne Synagogue in Albert Street about 8pm.

Firefighters responded quickly and contained the fire, which caused only superficial damage to the bluestone building and heavy timber doors. The attack was captured on CCTV.

Zajac said on Friday night that the perpetrator needed to be identified and prosecuted.

“I don’t know what the government can do but there have to be consequences for people who do things like this,” he said. “Lighting a place of worship [on fire] is just dreadful…

“A place of worship has got nothing to do with the Middle East dispute. This has really gotten to me. I don’t know what to say.”

Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece attended the synagogue on Friday night after he learnt of the attack. He described the synagogue fire and targeting of Jewish businesses in the city as despicable and racist.

“The criminal attacks on Jewish businesses in the CBD and the East Melbourne Synagogue are shocking and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” he said. “I am angry and dismayed that once again our community is confronted with the despicable and racist actions of a few people.

“My thoughts are with the Jewish community, who are hurting deeply after these vile attacks. Everyone deserves the right to enjoy the most basic human acts, like practising your faith or enjoying a meal, without being attacked or vilified.”

Police confirmed about 20 people walked to the restaurant on Hardware Lane on Friday night and began shouting offensive chants, including “death to the IDF”.

“A 28-year-old person from Footscray was arrested for hindering police and has been released on summons,” police said in a statement issued just after midnight.

The “death to the IDF” chant was also heard in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall during last Sunday’s regular anti-Israel protest, and shouted from the Glastonbury stage in the UK by band Bob Vylan in its controversial performance.

The attack follows the firebombing in December that gutted the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. No charges have been laid in that attack despite Victorian and federal police launching a joint taskforce investigation into the suspected terror attack.

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The East Melbourne synagogue, founded just six years after Victoria was established as a colony, is known as the city shul and is the only Jewish place of worship in central Melbourne.

The front doors of the synagogue were locked at the time of the attack, which was after traditional Shabbat prayers.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the latest attacks were a return to “the antisemitic terror of the summer months” and “clear evidence that the antisemitism crisis is not only continuing, but getting worse”.

“We urge all sides of politics and all Australians to condemn these deplorable crimes,” Ryvchin said.

“Those who chant for death are not peace activists. Those who would burn houses of prayer with families inside do not seek an end to war. There is a violent ideology at work in our country that operates on the fringes of politics and social movements, that taps into anger and prejudice, and smirks as businesses are destroyed, lives are threatened and proud, patriotic Australians experience fear in their own homes and their own streets.

“Those responsible cannot be reasoned with or appeased. They must be confronted with the full force of the law.”

On Saturday morning in Hardware Lane, hospitality workers were busy setting up as tourists meandered past, both oblivious to the drama that unfolded on Friday night. A broken window at Miznon was the only sign of the group storming the restaurant.

An independent photographer who was at the scene said a group of about 20 to 30 split off from a larger pro-Palestinian protest in Melbourne on Friday night and headed to the restaurant. The group began chanting and asking patrons why they were giving money to the restaurant.

The group chanted “Death, death to the IDF” and “Miznon out of Melbourne”, the photographer said.

Pro-Palestine protesters have broadly been calling for a boycott of Miznon after it emerged that one of its part-owners, Israeli entrepreneur Shahar Segal, is also a spokesman for the controversial aid group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

This week, the Associated Press reported that American contractors were using live ammunition and stun grenades to guard GHF aid distribution sites while hungry Palestinians scrambled for food.

In a separate incident last month, vandals targeted a historic synagogue in South Yarra.

Attackers used red paint to scrawl “Free Palestine” and “Iran is Da Bomb”, set inside the outline of a nuclear mushroom cloud, on the heritage-listed synagogue.

There were no religious services or activities at the synagogue at the time.

The vandal struck only hours after news broke that the US had dropped bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/melbourne-synagogue-hit-by-arson-attack-scuffles-in-cbd-20250704-p5mco2.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnHr-Vqzli8

PM wants ‘full force of the law’ as Sussan Ley, Josh Frydenberg slam ‘hate’ in Melbourne anti-Jewish attacks

RICHARD FERGUSON - 5 July 2025

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Anthony Albanese has called on anti-Semites who terrorised Melbourne’s Jewish community on Friday night to face the “full force of the law”.

The Prime Minister has talked to Victorian police minister Anthony Carbines and been briefed by both ASIO and the federal police on Friday’s incidents.

The Prime Minister has made his first comments after a man tried to set the East Melbourne synagogue on fire while 20 people were inside having a Shabbat dinner, while in a separate incident, customers and staff a CBD restaurant were left screaming as rioters tried to break in while chanting “death to the IDF.”

Mr Albanese said in a statement that the Commonwealth would do everything it could to help the Victorian state government and Victoria police to find justice.

“Anti-Semitism has no place in Australia,” Mr Albanese said.

“Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has called the attacks “abhorrent” and “evil”.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also condemned the attacks, describing them as ‘horrifying’.

“This is not protest,” she wrote on social media platform X. “This is hate. And it has no place in Australia.” Other leaders including former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg called for more action and protection against rising anti-Semitism.

Israel, meanwhile, weighed in, branding the firebombing attack on thesynagogue and a targeted protest at the restaurant as acts of “terrorism”, and accused Australia of failing to confront the surge of violent anti-Semitism.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said the attacks were not only assaults on the Jewish and Israeli communities, but a threat to Australia’s democratic values.

“The horrifying attacks overnight on a synagogue and an Israeli business in Melbourne are yet another reminder of how far racist, antisemitic hate crimes have spread in the heart of Australia,” Ms Haskel said in a statement to The Australian.

“Targeting Jewish houses of worship and an Israeli restaurant is terrorism, aimed at intimidating an entire community simply because of their religion and identity. These attacks are not just assaults on Jews or Israelis – they are assaults on Australian values of tolerance, diversity, and freedom.”

Ms Haskel said the Australian government had failed to implement “real consequences” for individuals and groups spreading anti-Semitic hate and inciting violence, warning the “weakness” would only embolden extremists.

“Let me be clear: these attacks are happening because, for too long, there have been no real consequences for those spreading hate and inciting violence. Weakness and silence only embolden the extremists,” she said.

In a terrifying night for Melbourne’s Jewish community, police say a man entered the grounds of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation on Albert St about 8pm and poured flammable liquid over the front door before setting it alight then fleeing on foot.

Friday’s arson comes months after the Adass Israel Synagogue at Ripponlea was firebombed.

Counter-terrorism police in June executed raids across Melbourne’s northern suburbs as part of its months-long probe into the potential terrorist attack.

Police are yet to determine the motivation for the attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue but confirmed arson chemists and detectives are reviewing CCTV footage and investigating the possibility of a hate crime.

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In a separate incident hours earlier, protesters wearing keffiyehs entered the Miznon – a well-known Israeli restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD – and staged a violent demonstration while chanting offensive slogans such as “death to the IDF”.

The restaurant franchise’s owner, Afik Miznon, declined to comment when The Australian approached him on Saturday.

Shahar Segal, the restaurant chain’s owner in Israel, came under attack from pro-Palestinian groups online, who accused him of having ties to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli aid body operating in Gaza.

Mr Segal has come under attack from pro-Palestinian groups online, who accused him of having ties to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli aid body operating in Gaza.

In a widely shared post on Thursday, the group “northernnaarmaction4palestine” claimed Mr Segal served as a spokesperson for GHF, and accused the foundation of enabling Israel’s “assault on the Palestinian people”.

The post also criticised media outlet Broadsheet for promoting Miznon without referencing Mr Segal’s alleged ties to GHF, calling it an act of “cultural whitewashing”.

“Miznon Melbourne is a restaurant operated by Shahar Segal, who currently serves as a spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – an entity widely condemned for its role in Israel’s ongoing assault on the Palestinian people,” the “northernnaarmaction4palestine” group wrote.

“You may know the GHF from the images and videos of dehumanising cages of people waiting for “aid”, or from the massacres committed at these so called aid sites.

“The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which Shahar Segal publicly represents, has been widely criticised by over 170 humanitarian organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam, and Amnesty International.”

‘Hate crime’: Frydenberg

Josh Frydenberg has called the alleged firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue a “hate crime”, that came after a Coalition of anti-Israel activists orchestrated an attack on a Jewish restaurant on Friday night.

The former Liberal treasurer, who spearheaded calls to label the firebombing of the Israel Adass Synagogue as a terrorist attack, said targeting a place of worship and Jewish restaurants was simply a hate crime.

“When you firebomb a synagogue with people inside & attack a local restaurant because it’s owned by Jews, it’s NOT about Israel, it’s NOT about protest, it’s a hate crime,” Mr Frydenberg wrote on X.

“Violent anti-Semitism is a threat to us all & until it’s called out for what it really is, it will continue!”

‘Very sad day’: Julian Leeser

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser said it was “a very sad day for Australia”.

“Yet again, a Jewish businesses has been attacked,” he said. “One of the oldest synagogues in Australia has been firebombed.”

Mr Leeser said the events were not just an attack on the Jewish community but “an attack on all Australians”.

“It sickens me that, yet again, the Jewish community is having to put up with these attacks and an increase in anti-Semitism,” he said.

Three weeks ago, Mr Leeser – along with Ms Ley and Oppostion home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie – wrote a letter to the Prime Minister calling for stronger security protections for Australia’s Jewish communities.

The leaders urged the government “to take similar steps” to provide extra protection to Australia’s Jewish community.

“The safety of law-abiding Australians needs to be the number one concern of the Australian Government,” they wrote, adding the government had a “clear responsibility to act, and to take all reasonable measures to protect the Jewish community from violence and threats of violence”.

But Mr Leeser said Anthony Albanese had not responded.

“We’re calling on him to explain what measures he has taken to protect the Jewish community,” he said.

Victorian Liberal MP David Southwick said the Jewish community “deserves protection, not platitudes”.

“A second arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne, this time on the Sabbath along with a Jewish restaurant in the CBD,” he said in a statement.

“The perpetrators and organisers must be found and brought to justice. My thoughts are with every members of the Jewish community affected by these vile attacks.”

“We cannot let these haters hijack our streets, our city, or our state. We must stand united against anti-Semitic violence.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/this-is-hate-sussan-ley-slams-melbourne-antijewish-attacks/news-story/213824514ed3794655f9de3bdca9bc8d

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLoCXxmzHBS/

Attempted synagogue firebombing no act of terror, say police

MOHAMMAD ALFARES and LYDIA LYNCH - 5 July 2025

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Victoria Police have revealed a third anti-Semitic incident occurred in Melbourne on Saturday, as they stopped short of declaring the attempted firebombing of a synagogue a terrorist attack – despite confirming it was a targeted act that endangered 20 worshippers.

Addressing the media after releasing CCTV images of the suspected arsonist, Commander Zorka Dunstan said investigators were now examining three separate incidents, all under the scrutiny of the Counter-terrorism Command and local detectives.

The first, and most serious, was the deliberate arson attack on the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, where an unknown man allegedly poured a flammable liquid over the front doors and set them alight around 8.05pm Friday.

Twenty people inside the synagogue for a Shabbat dinner were forced to evacuate through a rear exit. No injuries were reported, but police confirmed the building’s entrance was significantly damaged.

“I’d like to make it very clear that we do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent, but at this stage we are not declaring this a terrorist incident,” Commander Dunstan said.

“In the course of our investigation we will examine the intent and ideology of the person involved to determine if this is in fact terrorism. At the moment we are categorising it as a serious criminal incident and responding accordingly.”

The second incident occurred in Melbourne’s CBD, when a splinter group of pro-Palestinian protesters from a broader “No Police at Protest” rally stormed Miznon, an Israeli-owned restaurant on Hardware Lane, and disrupted diners.

Police arrived quickly and moved the demonstrators on. A 28-year-old Footscray man was arrested for hindering police and later released on summons.

A third, previously unreported incident occurred at 4.30am Saturday at a Greensborough business on Para Road, where three cars were set alight and spray-painted with graffiti. One vehicle was destroyed; the others were damaged.

“That business has been subject to some pro-Palestinian activity in the past, and that’s why we’ve made that connection at this time,” Commander Dunstan said.

“In saying that, we haven’t made a full connection. We’re just continuing to investigate, and we thought we’d just bring it to your attention at this time.

All three incidents are being reviewed for potential links by detectives and counterterrorism authorities.

Suspect image released

An image of the attempted synagogue firebombing suspect, captured just before 8pm on Friday night, shows a man walking past the synagogue’s front gate holding what appears to be a dark duffle bag.

“The man depicted is perceived as being Caucasian in appearance, is believed to be aged in his 30s with a beard and long hair,” police said in a statement.

“He is pictured wearing a dark blue or black jumper, black pants and a black beanie.”

Twenty people were inside having a Shabbat dinner on Friday at the time of the attack, while in a separate incident a group of keffiyeh-wearing protesters stormed a Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD.

“Everyone inside self-evacuated through the rear of the building and there have been no reports of injuries,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“Firefighters attended and extinguished the fire which was contained to the front entrance.

“Police are still working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the fire including the motivation behind the incident. An arson chemist will be attending the scene and police are currently canvassing for CCTV footage.”

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‘Death to the IDF’: Jewish-owned restaurant targeted

Less than 2km from the synagogue, in a separate incident, a group of about 20 anti-Israel activists targeted Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane reportedly chanting “death to the IDF”.

Victoria Police said a 28-year-old had been arrested at the restaurant for “hindering police”.

Miznon is a global restaurant chain, spearheaded by Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani and his business partner Shachar Segal.

US media last week reported Mr Segal was working as a spokesman for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the American-backed organisation distributing aid in Gaza.

A witness told the Herald Sun that a group arrived at the restaurant with: “their drums and their mic and stuff saying Miznon is not welcome here”.

“Then they started getting aggressive throwing tomatoes, chairs, and glasses,” he said.

“They caused lots of damage to the businesses down here.”

In the days leading up to Friday’s protest, social media posts in pro-Palestinian groups had encouraged people to “boycott Miznon”.

In a statement, Victoria Police said it was “disappointed with the actions of protesters” in the CBD on Friday night.

“Approximately 70 protesters gathered in Swanston Street at 5.30pm protesting the need for police presence at public demonstrations,” a spokesperson said.

“At about 8.15pm a group of about 20 protesters then walked to a restaurant on Hardware Lane where members of the public were enjoying their evening.

“The group then began shouting offensive chants.”

Police rushed to the restaurant and “quickly directed protesters to leave”.

“A 28-year-old person from Footscray was arrested for hindering police and has been released on summons,” the police statement said.

“Several other protesters were spoken to by police and had their identities clarified for the purpose of follow up investigation.”

Police have urged witnesses to provide phone and CCTV footage to investigators.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/protesters-storm-israeli-restaurant-synagogue-targeted-in-melbourne/news-story/a863c48ce26bcf819b58df4b130cf90a

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/ugly-scenes-in-melbournes-cbd-as-protesters-clash/news-story/005bd135f98cb0717e221b2d99443e06

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 5, 2025, 12:54 a.m. No.23279053 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9055

‘Kindy cops’ sent in to police childcare as top operator installs CCTV cameras

NATASHA BITA - July 03, 2025

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Commonwealth “kindy cops’’ will carry out snap inspections of childcare centres, as the nation’s biggest childcare chain installs CCTV cameras across hundreds of daycare centres.

New powers of entry for fraud officers to conduct unannounced spot checks of daycare centres will be part of childcare safety legislation to be introduced to federal parliament within weeks.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said it was “sickening and serious’’ that 1200 young children had to be tested for STDs this week after a Melbourne childcare worker was charged with allegedly sexually abusing eight babies and toddlers in his care. He said governments had taken “too bloody long’’ to fix child-safety risks in daycare centres and announced new laws to punish centres that “put profit over quality and put child safety at risk’’.

“The big weapon that the federal government has to wield here is the funding that we provide to childcare centres,’’ Mr Clare said.

“It equates to about 70 per cent of the funding that runs a centre, and if they’re not keeping our kids safe then we need to cut off their funding.’’

The change means fraud teams will no longer require a warrant, or be accompanied by Australian Federal Police, to check if centres are fraudulently claiming to care for “ghost” children to pocket taxpayer subsidies.

The legislation will give the federal Education Department the power to cut childcare subsidies to centres with “egregious and continued breaches’’ of child safety and quality rules.

Childcare operators that persistently fail to meet minimum standards for childcare will be banned from opening centres.

Mr Clare said federal, state and territory governments must bring in a national register of childcare workers, and “fix’’ working-with-children checks to provide live notifications of criminal convictions. “That’s work that’s being led by attorneys-general, but it needs to be sped up,’’ he told the Seven Network.

“It’s a complicated system but people aren’t interested in bloody excuses, they’re interested in action. The implementation of those reforms has taken too bloody long, and they need to be accelerated.’’

Mr Clare hosed down suggestions that men be banned from working in childcare, noting that women had also abused and neglected children in daycare.

Australia’s largest childcare chain, not-for-profit Goodstart Early Learning, has revealed it is installing CCTV cameras across all 653 centres to “enhance safety and security, with strict privacy controls in place’’.

“CCTV has a role to play but it will never be a replacement for active supervision of every child by professional educators,’’ Goodstart said in a statement.

“Governments will have to consider how they fund a national program to support the rollout of CCTV in early learning centres as the costs are extremely high, in terms of installation costs, secure storage of data and ongoing monitoring or review.’’

Goodstart banned mobile phones from its centres in March this year, well ahead of national ban to start in September.

The company also employs more staff than the mandated ratio of one carer for every four babies in nursery rooms. “Our educators are also expected to work closely together to ensure they are in line of sight or in hearing of each other,’’ Goodstart said.

It said staff were not allowed to be alone with a child “if there is no professional reason for doing so’’, and they should avoid taking children to offices or staffrooms out of the sight of colleagues.

Staff do not put posters over windows that hinder line of sight.

Goodstart said: “We are very supportive of the proposed introduction of a national working-with-children check, improved reporting and information sharing between government agencies and increased funding for regulators.”

(continued)

>>23279053

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Early Childhood Australia chief executive Samantha Page called for a better working-with-children check, with instant notification of convictions.

“We can’t wait for people to commit a crime before they are flagged,’’ she said.

Ms Page said staff shortages had led some centres to “cut corners’’ in quality and safe care.

“What we are seeing in the we’ve got workforce shortages, we’ve got corner cutting, we’ve got people left alone with children while someone else takes a break,’’ she told the ABC.

“Part of the problem is a revolving door of educators coming into the centre, and the use of agency staff to fill gaps in the roster. There shouldn’t be a space in a centre where a child can be abused.’’

Ms Page said centres must ensure “line of sight’’ so other staff can keep an eye on any children alone with a colleague, and ensure there are no “nooks and crannies’’ where children cannot be seen.

“We cannot be vigilant enough,’’ she said.

Ms Page called for more funding of state childcare regulators, warning that they had failed to enforce safety and quality standards

“Services have not been rated and assessed as frequently as they need to be,’’ she said.

Ms Page said that ideally, centres should employ one carer for every three babies.

“I understand how difficult that is to do … it would exacerbate workforce shortages,’’ she said.

Ms Page ruled out calls by the Independent Collective of Survivors to ban men from working in childcare. “They’re important role models and the diversity of gender is important,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/kindy-cops-sent-in-to-police-childcare-as-top-operator-installs-cctv-cameras/news-story/4400ad7a7beaa0ca23fd8f88dd1609ea

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 5, 2025, 1:10 a.m. No.23279069 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9072

Queensland review into responses to child sexual abuse hears past complaints against Ashley Paul Griffith may not have been shared between agencies

Kate McKenna - 1 Jul 2025

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Defamation fears and a focus on an organisation's "reputation" may act as a deterrent to raising concerns about childcare staff, a Queensland review into child sexual abuse responses has heard.

Paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith is appealing his life sentence after last year pleading guilty to abusing dozens of children over almost 20 years at childcare centres in Brisbane and in Italy.

The Child Death Review Board (CDRB) is currently reviewing system responses to child sexual abuse in Queensland — using Griffith's offending as a case study.

The latest progress report, published late last week, detailed what the review has heard so far, including that the early childhood education and care workforce is large and highly casualised, and pressures may impact the quality of recruitment processes, including the "robustness" of referee checks.

"[In addition] the prioritisation of an organisation's reputation, a fear of defamation and legal risks to organisations and individuals may act as a deterrent to raising or sharing concerns about a person, particularly where complaints have not been substantiated," the progress report said.

"Unclear information sharing processes and a fear of privacy breaches may also create an environment where early indicators of potential harm are minimised. This impacts the system's capacity to detect child sexual abuse, including by identifying patterns over time and across services."

Initial findings show 'more than one complaint' made against Griffith

Queensland police have previously said Griffith was subject to two reports about his behaviour in the two years leading up to his arrest, however there was "insufficient evidence to take action" at the time.

An internal inquiry found police investigated the claims appropriately.

The progress report said initial findings from the CDRB review show “more than one complaint” was made about Griffith to his employers, the Early Childhood Regulatory Authority and QPS.

"Of these complaints, the available information suggests they were not always progressed, and information was not shared between agencies," the report said.

"Prior complaints made to QPS did not proceed to prosecution. This meant that up until the offender's arrest in 2022, there were no pending investigations, charges or convictions against him, and he met all requirements to obtain and maintain a Blue Card."

Queensland's working with children check — the Blue Card screening process — looks for a charge or conviction for any offence in Australia, child protection prohibition orders, and domestic violence information.

The CDRB review has heard a "lack of understanding" of the limitations of the Blue Card system "may result in a false sense of security" in organisations where workers hold the card.

"The Blue Card system is not designed to collect information on early indicators of harm or to identify patterns over time and across organisations, particularly where complaints about a person have been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated due to a lack of evidence," the progress report said.

"The implementation of a reportable conduct scheme in Queensland, which will commence in 2026, will improve the collation and sharing of this type of information."

(continued)

>>23279069

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Police face 'continued challenges'

The review also heard police face "continued challenges" in investigating child sexual abuse offences, including "the high evidentiary threshold" for prosecution.

"Officers must be satisfied there is sufficient evidence to prove a matter beyond reasonable doubt. This is especially difficult for young children who may not be able to talk or have a limited vocabulary," the progress report said.

"[The review has also heard] an investigation into a report of abuse that does not reach the necessary threshold to pursue criminal charges does not mean the abuse did not happen.

"Further action is needed to proactively identify and respond to any potential risks posed by individuals where criminal proceedings were not undertaken due to insufficient evidence."

The report said the review team had held its first "expert roundtable" to examine the timeline of Griffiths' offending and share insights, engaged with people impacted by his offending and supported them to make submissions to the review, and issued information requests.

It has also received more than 17,000 pages of material and 36 hours of video footage and audio recordings from investigations after Griffith's offending came to light.

The team has also spoken with regulators, ombudsmen and children's commissioners in other jurisdictions to "gain national and cross-jurisdictional perspectives".

The inadequate supervision of children was the top breach of the national law identified by the early childhood regulator in Queensland in 2023-24.

The CDRB's final report is expected to be delivered this year.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-01/queensland-child-sex-abuse-response-review-progress-report/105480468

https://www.qfcc.qld.gov.au/board/system-responses-to-child-sexual-abuse

https://qresear.ch/?q=Ashley+Paul+Griffith

>>23145527 (pb)

University of Pennsylvania to revoke transgender swimmer’s records and apologise to female swimmers

SARA RANDAZZO - July 02, 2025

The University of Pennsylvania will revoke winning records of a transgender swimmer who competed for the school several years ago and issue apologies to affected female swimmers under a resolution announced Tuesday by the Education Department.

The resolution is the latest in the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to remake higher education. President Trump’s ire against universities has so far focused on accusations of tolerating antisemitism and criticisms of policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called Tuesday’s agreement (local time) an example of “the Trump effect in action.”

The administration had frozen $US175m ($266m) in federal research funds to the Ivy League university earlier this year while investigating whether Penn violated Title IX by allowing swimmer Lia Thomas to compete on the women’s team. While the resolution doesn’t mention any financial aspects, an Education Department spokeswoman said Tuesday the funds would be restored.

Thomas came out as transgender in the summer of 2019 after previously swimming on the men’s team and underwent hormone therapy during a cancelled Covid pandemic season. Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship after winning the 500-yard (457m) freestyle in 2022. Thomas holds three all-time school records in freestyle events and one relay record.

Penn agreed to remove any records, titles or recognitions “misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories,” the Education Department said. The resolution also includes sending personalised apology letters to affected female swimmers, adopting “biology-based definitions” for the words “male” and “female” and issuing public statements.

Thomas is the only transgender athlete to have participated in women’s competitive athletics at Penn.

The university noted Tuesday that it complied with NCAA rules at the time Thomas competed and never set its own regulations around transgender athletes. NCAA in February announced new guidelines, following an executive order by Trump, that limit women’s athletic teams to those assigned female at birth.

“Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,” Penn President J Larry Jameson said Tuesday. “At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements.”

In February, three former Penn swimmers sued the school and the organisers of an Ivy League championship for allowing Thomas to compete, arguing it made the competition unfair.

Paula Scanlan, a former Penn swimmer not involved in the lawsuit, heralded the agreement in the Education Department announcement. “Today marks a momentous step in repairing the past mistreatment of female athletes, and forging a future where sex discrimination plays no role in limiting girls’ potential,” Scanlan said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/us-politics/penn-to-revoke-transgender-swimmers-records-and-apologise-to-female-swimmers/news-story/8b4271d7a62bf2f1f6890c34f235be75

https://qresear.ch/?q=Lia+Thomas

>>23125045 (pb)

PNG woman Rosa Yakapus endured days of public torture. No one came to save her

AMANDA HODGE - 5 July 2025

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On Tuesday this week, Papua New Guineans received a government phone alert that a new Australian-trained, counterterrorist unit – the latest beneficiary of hundreds of millions in funding – was being deployed with “shoot to kill” orders to address soaring tribal violence.

A day earlier, in Ugu village in PNG’s impoverished Hela Province, Rosa Yakapus, stripped naked and tied to a pole with her legs spread wide and a fire burning beneath her, was enduring a third day of extreme and very public torture over a sorcery allegation.

Her estranged husband, a man she had supported through teacher’s college only for him to marry another woman after his career took flight, had died of a suspected heart attack and his relatives had accused her of using witchcraft to kill him.

Graphic videos of Rosa’s ordeal circulating before her death and in the days since, including her assault with hot sticks and knives, have raised questions about the police response to such an extreme and public crime.

The Weekend Australian has been told a local community police officer at a Margarima police station, less then 40 minutes drive away from Ugu village, had fielded calls from several villagers alerting them to the ongoing torture. They hoped police could come and save her.

But no one rescued Rosa Yakapus.

The Margarima local community police officer was on his own with no car.

He called Sergeant Alice Arigo, the committed, lone family and gender violence officer in a region now riven with such crimes, who this week has been personally caring for two sorcery-related violence victims for lack of a local safe house.

She too had no car – after it was “requisitioned” by another station – and needed backup which took time to organise, time that Rosa Yakapus did not have.

Hela Province police commander Michael Heli, a two-hour drive away, was only 10 days into the job and still finding his feet when he too learned of Rosa’s ordeal. He ordered a car to be sent to Margarima but by the time it happened it was too late.

In a province where huge police and military resources are dedicated to protecting Chevron and Santos oil and LNG projects, there were apparently no resources available for a woman whose impending murder had been all-but broadcast through viral video.

Australia has sunk well over a billion dollars into building up PNG’s defence and police forces in the past decade, $637 million this year alone in development assistance, and another $600 million to support a Port Moresby-based National Rugby League team – all in the interests of geostrategic security.

Yet there were no vehicles, no fuel, no manpower to save Rosa, none either for at least two other women in her district killed weeks earlier in horrifically similar circumstances, nor for countless PNG women every year who face beatings, torture and sorcery-accusation related mob killings.

Australian money, it seems, has done little to improve their security.

In Rosa’s final hours another video shows her still naked, signs of torture on her body.

It is dark and she is blindfolded. Her head is hanging down and she is surrounded by a mob of men, some laughing, many taking video.

“Did you remove his heart?” one village leader is heard to ask.

In earlier videos she has protested her innocence but this time she weakly confesses.

She did take his heart, she says, but she can put it back and revive him if only they will allow her to go free.

It is a feeble and ultimately futile last effort to save her own life.

On Tuesday evening, after 72 hours of enduring the most extreme, humiliating and sexual-related violence – much of it reportedly committed in front of her five children – her death is recorded in one final video.

Rosa cowers weakly at the very edge of a bridge while a village mob looks on. A single gunshot rings out and her body falls into the river below.

“It took three days and nobody tried to stop it,” says Hela province Bishop Reverend Steven Bai who has called for all those responsible to surrender. “Even the police didn’t come on time. The problem was manpower and logistics.”

(continued)

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In the days since her death police have finally mobilised but there have been no arrests yet.

“Police always give the excuse that they don’t have the vehicles but PNG police have more Land Cruisers than any other department,” says James Komengi, one of a few critically under-resourced NGO, church and police workers battling rising incidences of sorcery-accusation related violence (SARV) and murders in PNG’s highlands provinces.

“Even when they have the vehicles they say they have no fuel. But when politicians come and ask for escorts, somehow they always find the vehicles and the fuel. When it comes to security for corporate citizens they also find the resources.”

Komengi has seen far too many cases, too many graphic videos in recent months and years of sorcery-accusation related violence which has only migrated into the southern highlands from other provinces in recent years.

But, even for him, what Rosa Yakapus endured looked to be a new level of brutality, something he fears will become normalised if the government cannot finally find the resources to address it.

“It’s like it’s becoming a competition to see who can be more violent, to do worse than what others have done,” he tells the Weekend Australian.

“There is no traditional belief attached to it. It’s just men taking advantage of a woman’s body.”

While the PNG government was now focusing more on addressing extreme and rising levels of tribal violence in communities, violence against women, including SARV crimes, were not prioritised, he said.

In Hela the only police officer dedicated to dealing with family and sexual-related violence is Alice Arigo – a “one-woman phenomenon” as Australian anthropologist Michael Main describes her – who runs the Tari Family and Sexual Violence Unit in the hometown of PNG’s prime minister James Marape.

She often travels on foot between villages to try to educate people about sorcery-accusation related violence and new laws passed to deal with it.

In the wake of Rosa’s death it was Sergeant Arigo who took a team of officers into Ugu village this week, only to be confronted by a remorseless community convinced of its own righteousness.

“The whole village thinks that Rosa was the cause of her husband’s death, even the community leaders,” she told the Weekend Australian on Friday.

“No one stood up for her because they feared they too would be threatened.”

Now it has fallen to Sergeant Arigo to devise a plan for how to return safely to the village and arrest the 20 or more men involved in Rosa’s horrific torture and death.

“It’s dangerous but if we have the right resources, the firepower and the manpower, we can do it,” she insists.

“The world is watching PNG. We need to do something, get to the bottom of this and arrest these men. We need cars and fuel and rations.”

In March this year a PNG court successfully secured the country’s first conviction under new SARV laws when James Mon was sentenced to five years’ jail for accusing a woman of sorcery who was later butchered to death by a machete-wielding mob in northeastern Morobe.

Investigators believe the mother of five was targeted because her family had prospered through their goldmining operations.

Miranda Forsyth, an ANU professor and director of International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations, told The Australian at the time of the conviction she hoped it could help combat the rising incidence of such brutal crimes, by sending a strong message that accusing others of sorcery could result in criminal conviction.

On Friday, she told the Weekend Australian she despaired at the continuation of extreme levels of violence against women in PNG, even as the government has granted broad powers to a new counter-terrorism security taskforce to deal with tribal violence.

PNG police commissioner David Manning boasted in May that his elite new unit, trained by Australian-based Executive Risk Solutions and to be known as Kumul 23, would “surgically remove violent criminal threats and those who terrorise our communities”.

“This is what they should be intervening in. They have all this capacity and this is where it is needed,” Professor Forsyth said.

“I cannot think of an act of terrorism more appropriate for the taskforce to focus on than sorcery-accusation related violence which spreads so much fear and intimidation.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/png-woman-rosa-yakapus-endured-days-of-public-torture-no-one-came-to-save-her/news-story/1e7e47e83e5a6e93b14850d8145f2965

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/sorcery-accuser-jailed-in-landmark-png-case-after-victim-hacked-to-death/news-story/8dee0c41e46c4aaa4354066561133cd0

https://time.com/5616475/papua-new-guinea-witchcraft-justice/

>>23125045 (pb)

Torture, burning, murder: just the tip of the iceberg in PNG

MIRANDA FORSYTH - 5 July 2025

In my work as Director of the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks I am regularly sent images of the most shocking and gruesome violence to women, related to witchcraft accusations.

The case of a young woman tortured in front of a group of men before being murdered in Papua New Guinea, which Amanda Hodge describes in her article, is significant not because it’s unusual but because it is all too common.

I am told about such cases on a depressingly regular basis, sometimes with, and sometimes without, video footage or photographs. Most cases involve an element of public torture and collective violence. Most are triggered by a death or sickness.

But frequent as these cases are, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Many, many more cases go unrecorded in any way. Bodies are silently buried, or disposed of in rivers, or thrown down pit toilets. Survivors flee their communities and become refugees, constantly looking over their shoulder, worried about what will happen when their new neighbours learn about their history. The fact that an entire community often supports these kinds of attacks and the consequent fear of repercussions, means that cases are seldom reported to police, and even more infrequently result in a prosecution.

I have been working in the space of what is now called sorcery accusation related violence in Papua New Guinea since 2013. Over this time, I have sought to reveal and map the extreme human rights abuses associated with accusations of sorcery.

In one detailed mapping exercise, I recorded 1039 accusation incidents involving 1553 accused persons in four out of the 23 provinces (less than 2 million people) in PNG, over a four-year period. In total, 318 people, either died or survived serious harm during this period, just over half of whom were women.

This has been difficult work, but we have started to see some positive developments. Most government officials in PNG now accept that this happens on a regular basis and at scale.

PNG has also passed a holistic national action plan to address sorcery accusation related violence, and there are many activists and donor programs working in the area. Many use WhatsApp or other social media to network with local leaders and sympathetic police officers and each other.

And yet, the violence and the cases continue. Many police officers are apathetic, overwhelmed or on the side of the community. The national action plan has been desperately underfunded. The response is overwhelmingly reactive rather than preventive.

Through my work on sorcery accusation related violence in PNG I came to know about individuals and organisations around the world working on similar problems.

In 2021 the UN Human Rights Council passed the Resolution on the Elimination of Harmful practices related to Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks which documented more than 20,000 cases of harmful practices related to witchcraft accusations in more than 60 countries over a 10 year period, between 2009 and 2019.

The resolution formally recognised at an international level the scale of the problem for the first time and highlighted the urgent need for governments across the world to take action.

But it is just the start of the journey, rather than the end.

Miranda Forsyth is the Director of the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks.

This article is an edited version of a speech she gave at the exhibition ‘Witch Hunts in the 21st Century: A Human Rights Catastrophe’, which can be seen at the Moot Court Foyer, ANU Law School until Tuesday July 8.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/torture-burning-murder-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-in-png/news-story/7216208714ded4b496b23306820c5f3f

https://www.anu.edu.au/events/witch-hunts-in-the-21st-century-a-human-rights-catastrophe-photography-exhibition-launch

https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/miranda-forsyth

>>23192221 (pb)

Anthony Albanese to champion 'Australian independence' within US alliance

Stephen Dziedzic - 4 Jul 2025

Anthony Albanese will use a speech lionising Labor prime minister John Curtin to champion Australian independence within the US alliance, saying the legendary wartime leader is remembered "not just because he looked to America" but because he "spoke for Australia".

The speech comes at a delicate moment in Australia's key strategic relationship. The federal government is grappling with an unpredictable White House, along with uncertainties over the administration's tariffs, the AUKUS pact, and the US's trajectory under President Donald Trump.

On Saturday night the prime minister will deliver a speech at the John Curtin Research Centre marking the 80th anniversary of the former prime minister, who is often called the "father" of the Australia-US alliance.

Successive Labor prime ministers have claimed the alliance as a signature achievement for ALP foreign policy, and have lavished praise on Curtin for turning to America in the wake of the United Kingdom's catastrophic defeat in Singapore in 1942.

While Mr Albanese will praise the alliance as a "pillar" of Australian foreign policy and the nation's "most important defence and security partnership" he will also say that it was "product" of Curtin's leadership and "not the extent of it".

"Curtin's famous statement that Australia 'looked to America' was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another, or swapping an alliance with the old world for one with the new," he is expected to say.

"It was a recognition that Australia's fate would be decided in our region."

The prime minister will also say that Curtin recognised that Australia realised that its security "could not be outsourced to London, or trusted to vague assurances from Britain".

"We needed an Australian foreign policy anchored in strategic reality, not bound by tradition," he will say.

"So we remember Curtin not just because he looked to America. We honour him because he spoke for Australia."

Mr Albanese will also praise Curtin for withstanding pressure from both Roosevelt and Churchill to send Australian troops returning from the Middle East to Burma, rather than back home to defend Australia.

He will say that if the US and UK got their way, "hundreds if not thousands of Australians would have been killed, or taken prisoner" as Japanese forces took Burma, and John Curtin's assertion of sovereignty prevented "a disaster every bit as crushing to national morale as the fall of Singapore".

The prime minister will also seek to frame his government as the inheritor of Curtin's economic agenda, comparing the government's moves to bolster manufacturing to Curtin's wartime industrial program.

While the Albanese government has doubled down on the AUKUS pact and its ambitious plan to develop nuclear powered submarines with the United States, it has also expressed deep frustration over the Trump administration's so-called Liberation Day tariffs, pushed back against Washington's demand that Australia radically increase defence spending, and fretted privately about the impact of the massive cuts to US aid programs.

And while Mr Albanese has had three phone calls with Mr Trump, he is yet to have a face-to-face meeting with the president since the US leader departed the G7 in Canada early ahead of American strikes on Iran.

'Easily the most significant' speech

James Curran from the University of Sydney told the ABC the speech was "easily the most significant" one Mr Albanese had delivered in office.

"It's significant not just for the way in which Albanese invokes the Curtin legend, but the time in which he is doing it — when Australia is again under significant pressure from a great power to adopt policy courses not necessarily in Australia's interests," he said.

"He says Curtin's wartime leadership was fundamentally about the defence of Australian sovereignty, that it was about safeguarding Australia's security in the Pacific, and that Curtin, like other Australia leaders before him, was all too aware that great powers can play fast and loose with Australian interests. That it was simply not an option to rely on assurances from London or Washington as the basis for making Australian policy."

Professor Curran said Mr Albanese was using the Curtin story to send a signal to both Washington and to Australians that "being in a close alliance does not mean you cannot stand up for Australian self-respect and self-regard".

"[Also] that leadership is as much about tending to the domestic hearth and what we have built here as it is in safeguarding the continent's security," he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-04/anthony-albanese-champions-australian-independence-/105497350

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3ZBRY_IA4s

Why Albanese’s ‘Australian way’ speech will concern Washington

JOE KELLY - 6 July 2025

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Anthony Albanese has given a speech that will heighten fears of a growing strategic and political disconnect between Australia and Washington.

The Prime Minister used the John Curtin Oration in Sydney on Saturday night to set out what he has dubbed the “Australian way” under Labor.

This is partly a response to the “America First” agenda being championed by Donald Trump, with Albanese issuing a reminder that Labor will pursue Australian sovereign interests – even where they diverge from those of Washington.

Drawing on Curtin’s wartime experience in resisting pressure from Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt to divert Australian troops to Burma following the fall of Singapore, Albanese made clear the US alliance was “not the extent” of Australia’s defence and foreign policy.

“Our alliance with the US ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin’s leadership in defence and foreign policy, not the extent of it,” he said. “Curtin’s famous statement that Australia ‘looked to America’ was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another … It was a recognition that Australia’s fate would be decided in our region.”

This will be seen as a rhetorical assertion of greater Australian independence on the world stage at a time of growing differences and strain in Canberra’s relations with Washington under Trump.

The address will have been closely watched in Washington, with insiders already suggesting it is being viewed negatively. They say Albanese is not taking the obvious step to embrace greater independence by lifting defence spending above current levels.

Setting out the pillars of his “Australian way”, Albanese made clear this approach included strong support for a robust multilateralism, adherence to the rules-based order, support for small and middle powers and a rejection of “great power peace” as the basis for stability in the Indo-Pacific.

While this sends a message to Beijing, it will also reverberate discordantly in Washington. The risk is Albanese will be seen as leaning into the differences between Labor and the Trump administration to win a domestic political dividend.

These differences extend beyond the realm of foreign affairs, with Albanese framing Australia as a “social laboratory” and ‘workers’ paradise” in having created a fair minimum wage, age pension and affordable health care.

After the US pharmaceutical lobby took aim at Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Albanese sent another message to Washington. “We’ve made it clear that under our Labor government, the PBS is not up for negotiation,” he said.

(continued)

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Setting out how Canberra was contributing to the region, Albanese cited the rejuvenation of Australian leadership in the Pacific, stabilisation of ties with China and deepening of economic engagement across South East Asia.

Fresh efforts to enhance co-operation with Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and India were also promoted – but there was no mention of the landmark AUKUS agreement.

Albanese said that Australia could “choose the way we engage with our region and deal with the world”.

While the US alliance was framed as “a pillar of our foreign policy” and “our most important defence and security partnership,” the speech appeared to infer a growing divide between Canberra and Washington.

Senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, John Lee, said that Albanese “calling for a more independent foreign policy would be understandable and credible if we are prepared to spend more to meet our defence needs rather than rely as much on American capacity, technology and presence as we currently do”.

“It does not appear that the Albanese government is prepared to do that,” Dr Lee said. “Therefore, if Albanese is really serious about a strategic divergence away from the US, this will leave Australia more isolated and vulnerable.”

He said that, even if the speech was intended for domestic political consumption, it would “nevertheless add further weight to the suspicion in the White House that the Albanese government is not taking its own agreed strategic assessments about a worsening environment seriously”.

Former ambassador to Washington, Arthur Sinodinos, said the address would need “careful explanation to our American friends to avoid a misconception that was hyped that the speech would be a declaration of independence from the US.”

But he also said the speech made clear that the alliance enjoyed bipartisan support in Australia.

“The speech is about Australia taking foreign policy decisions in its own interest including turning to the US in World War Two and frames that pivot in terms of our security interest in the region,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/why-albaneses-australian-way-speech-will-concern-washington/news-story/3006423a03a145f920ab6d45d091651f

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zI1k8OJHIE

Anthony Albanese pays tribute to ‘father’ of Australia-US alliance

LYDIA LYNCH - 5 July 2025

Anthony Albanese has trumpeted Australia’s independence in its relationship with the United States in a speech paying tribute to the wartime leadership of John Curtin.

Amid growing concern about his relationship with Donald Trump, the looming tariff deadline and doubts about the future of the AUKUS submarine deal, Mr Albanese praised Curtin for giving Australia “the confidence and determination to think and act for ourselves”.

In his speech in Sydney on Saturday night, to mark 80 years since the death of the former Labor prime minister, Mr Albanese honoured Curtin as the founder of the Australia-US alliance.

“A pillar of our foreign policy. Our most important defence and security partnership and a relationship that commands bipartisan support, respect and affection in both our nations,” he said.

“Yet our alliance with the US ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin’s leadership in defence and foreign policy, not the extent of it.”

As WWII spread into the Pacific, Curtin recognised that Australia’s security could not be “outsourced to London” and foreign policy had to be “anchored in strategic reality, not bound by tradition”.

Mr Albanese praised Curtin’s decision to push back on Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt’s demands to deploy troops to Burma, now Myanmar, which would have resulted in the death or capture of “hundreds if not thousands of Australians”.

“Curtin’s famous statement that Australia ‘looked to America’ was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another, or swapping an alliance with the old world for one with the new.

“It was a recognition that Australia’s fate would be decided in our region. It followed the decision Curtin had made in 1941 that Australia would issue its own declaration of war with Japan.

“Speaking for ourselves, as a sovereign nation.”

Ahead of an extended trip to China this month where he will have his fourth meeting with President Xi Jinping, Mr Albanese also championed “the rights and the role of middle powers and smaller nations”.

He said Labor was rebuilding Australia’s standing as a leader in the Pacific and “patiently and deliberately working to stabilise our relationship with China”.

The Prime Minister’s speech comes amid growing calls for him to do more to strengthen his relationship with the Trump administration, which is demanding Australia lift defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.

Mr Albanese has had three phone calls with Mr Trump, but the pair have never met in person, with the President cancelling their talks at the G7 summit in Canada last month to deal with the Israel-Iran conflict.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-pays-tribute-to-father-of-australiaus-alliance/news-story/f8d00102f3ddf391184d5bf217f78bc2

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

>>23192221 (pb)

Albanese urged to reassure Trump after Curtin speech

GREG BROWN and JOE KELLY - 6 July 2025

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Former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos has urged the Albanese government to assure the Trump administration it is not going its own way on foreign policy, amid concerns a weekend speech by Anthony Albanese will be viewed negatively in Washington as AUKUS is being reviewed.

Mr Sinodinos called for a diplomatic charm offensive after the Prime Minister hailed John Curtin for pursuing an independent foreign policy that was “not bound by tradition”.

Mr Albanese’s speech, at the John Curtin Research Centre on Saturday, identified the former prime minister’s role in establishing Australia’s alliance with the US during World War II.

While he called the alliance a “pillar of our foreign policy” and “our most important defence and security partnership”, Mr Albanese also declared it was “not the extent” of Curtin’s foreign policy agenda.

“Because Curtin’s famous statement that Australia ‘looked to America’ was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another. Or swapping an alliance with the old world for one with the new,” Mr Albanese said in the speech.

“It was a recognition that Australia’s fate would be decided in our region.”

Mr Albanese will travel to China at the end of the week and is expected to have his fourth meeting with Xi Jinping before securing one with Donald Trump.

While Mr Sinodinos defended the content of the speech, he said the context of the relationship with the Trump administration – including the review of AUKUS and a failure to secure a leader-to-leader meeting – made a “careful explanation” necessary.

“Given the context of Australia-US relations at present, the speech will need careful explanation to our American friends to avoid a misconception that was hyped that the speech would be a declaration of independence from the US,” Mr Sinodinos said.

“The speech is about Australia taking foreign policy decisions in its own interest including turning to the US in World War II, and frames that pivot in terms of our security interest in the region.

“The speech makes clear that the alliance has bipartisan support in Australia.”

Sussan Ley questioned the timing of Mr Albanese’s speech on Saturday night, arguing the relationship with Washington “remains as much in our national interest today as it did during John Curtin’s prime ministership”.

“Many Australians will wonder whether this speech at this time was in our national interest, given so many things crucial to Australia’s future are currently being considered by the US administration,” the Opposition Leader said.

“At a time of global uncertainty, growing conflict and a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship, now is a time to build our influence in Washington, not diminish it.”

(continued)

>>23283192

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In the speech, Mr Albanese referenced Curtin’s willingness to have a foreign policy “anchored in strategic reality, not bound by tradition”.

“Dealing with the world as it is, not as we would like it to be,” he said. “So we remember Curtin not just because he looked to America. We honour him because he spoke for Australia. For Australia and for Labor, that independence has never meant isolationism.”

The speech made no mention of AUKUS but talked up Australia’s support for multilateralism, rebuilding the China relationship and the role of middle powers and smaller nations rather than a “great-power peace”.

Former Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo warned last year that anyone seeking to “appropriate Curtin’s legacy in a performative display to demonstrate their credibility on defence” could not limit their appreciation to admiring only what the former prime minister achieved as a wartime leader.

He suggested a modern-day Curtin would speak out about the threat posed by China and argue for greater defence self-reliance, and for at least 3 per cent of GDP to be spent on defence.

Following Mr Albanese’s address on Saturday evening, Mr Pezzullo told The Australian “Curtin’s pre-war political courage should have also been applauded”.

“As leader of the opposition after 1935, Curtin decided that Labor would campaign in the 1937 federal election on the need to strengthen Australia’s local defences – including by expanding the army and the RAAF,” Mr Pezzullo said. “In this he was prescient, but in losing the 1937 election he could not put his policies into action.

“Although he abhorred war, Curtin thought deeply about defence strategy for the whole time that he was leader of the opposition (1935-40), before he was thrust into the prime ministership after war had broken out.

“We are living through similar times, with the credible, tragic prospect of a looming war in the Pacific.

“Curtin’s example regarding national defence preparedness and mobilisation speaks to us today. But that lesson unfortunately was missing from Mr Albanese’s speech.”

Strategic Analysis Australia director Michael Shoebridge said the speech was a “very strange political construct at a very weird time”.

“He is trying to evoke Curtin as this powerful Labor security leader and use it mainly to say how great it was that Curtin knew how to stick it to the Americans, and he would too,” Mr Shoebridge said.

“Curtin knew that American power was fundamental to our security (but) Albanese is trying to say ‘just like Curtin I will go my own way with the Americans’.”

Mr Shoebridge said the speech was problematic given the Albanese government’s failure to adequately invest in defence capabilities.

“The other big problem is he has given this speech just before he is flying to Beijing to have his fourth face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping when he hasn’t met once with Trump,” he said.

“There is a review of AUKUS under way in Washington right now and two of the factors in America’s minds (will be): Are we pulling our weight on defence (and) are we a reliable ally or are we a bit capricious? This speech seems to underline that second risk.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/albanese-urged-to-reassure-trump-after-curtin-speech/news-story/b015894c7792136eca2c9264e79ff93c

>>23279036

Man charged after alleged arson attack on Melbourne synagogue

Allanah Sciberras and Callum Godde - 6 July 2025

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The identity of a man accused of firebombing a synagogue has been revealed, as a series of alleged anti-Semitic attacks at several other locations draws international attention.

Angelo Loras, 34, from Toongabbie in NSW, was arrested in Melbourne's CBD on Saturday night, about 24 hours after the front doors of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were allegedly set alight, forcing 20 people to flee.

He has been charged multiple offences including reckless conduct endangering life, criminal damage by fire and possession of a controlled weapon.

The 34-year-old appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Sunday, where the court was told it was his first time in custody.

He was remanded until a hearing on July 22.

Detectives will investigate the accused man's intent and ideology to determine if the incident was an act of terrorism.

Police are also investigating another alleged act of anti-Semitism on the same night, when protesters who splintered from a larger demonstration allegedly smashed a window, flipped tables, threw chairs and chanted "death to the IDF" outside Israeli restaurant Miznon.

Hours later, offenders spray-painted three cars and a wall outside a Greensborough business in Melbourne's northeast before setting fire to the vehicles, destroying one and damaging two.

Police have revealed they are investigating a fourth incident where offenders used stencils to spray paint offensive images on pillars at a busy intersection and a number of walls in Elsternwick.

It came as hundreds gathered for a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne on Sunday.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned "reprehensible anti-Semitic attacks" on both the Melbourne synagogue and restaurant.

He urged the federal government to "take all action" against those responsible.

None of the incidents have been declared terrorism-related but the force is increasing patrols around the synagogue and in the city's southeast.

(continued)

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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus and Melbourne MP Sarah Witty met with the synagogue's Rabbi Dovid Gutnick, president Danny Segal and his wife on Sunday morning.

Mr Burke and Mr Dreyfus described the firebombing as an "attack on Australia" and the entire community.

Mr Burke stopped short of declaring the alleged arson attack an act of terrorism, saying it would be up to Victoria Police to decide.

He refused to be drawn on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand the Australian government "take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law".

Mr Burke said he spoke with the Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon on Saturday night as news filtered through of plans for him to fly from Sydney for the Sunday's meeting.

The ambassador took it as a signal of the government taking Friday's attacks very seriously, Mr Burke said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the synagogue arson as a "cowardly" act of violence and anti-Semitism and said the attacks on the restaurant and business were unacceptable.

The federal government has offered federal police and security and intelligence agency support to investigators.

"Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law," he said.

Victorian opposition police spokesman and Jewish MP David Southwick criticised Premier Jacinta Allan, who condemned the attacks in a statement, for not fronting the media over the weekend.

"Where is the premier," he asked.

"The Jewish community feel like there is a war zone here in Melbourne."

Ms Allan is expected to visit the synagogue on Monday.

The attacks come seven months after a blaze destroyed two buildings at the Adass Israel Synagogue in the city's south and forced worshippers inside to flee.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/shocking-attacks-leave-jewish-community-173000353.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcFGcpMK2vs

https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/1941566195301482941

https://x.com/angeloloras1

Protesters continue anti-IDF chant at Melbourne rally following antisemitic attacks

Kieran Rooney - July 6, 2025

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Pro-Palestinian advocates including children chanted “Death to the IDF” at a demonstration in Melbourne less than 48 hours after an antisemitic attack on a Melbourne synagogue.

The chants came after a number of leaders of the pro-Palestinian protest condemned the attempted firebombing of an East Melbourne synagogue on Friday while children and families were inside.

Despite a rally organiser’s condemnation of the attack during the protest, two pre-teen Melbourne sisters, who had previously made moving remarks about the suffering of children their age in Gaza, then led chants of “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]” and “Death, death to the IOF [Israeli Occupying Force]“.

On the same night as Friday’s synagogue attack, a group of 20 people stormed Israeli restaurant Miznon in the CBD, upturning tables, distressing diners and chanting “Death to the IDF”.

Police are also investigating a third incident, on Saturday morning, in which three cars were set on fire and the wall of a business in Melbourne’s north-east was spray-painted with graffiti.

The protest and the chants came after political leaders hit out at the protests which came two days after Friday night’s incidents.

On Sunday, counterterrorism detectives charged Sydney man Angelo Loras over the alleged arson attack at the synagogue, while police continue to investigate the incident at Miznon. The 34-year-old appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Sunday and was remanded until July 22. The court heard it was the accused’s first time custody.

Police said they were still trying to determine whether to classify the alleged arson as an act of terror. They continue to investigate the instigators of the antisemitic incident at Miznon on Friday night.

A police source, who cannot be identified speaking about operational matters, said at least one of those who invaded the restaurant was part of a group known to counter-terrorism police for sometimes organising left-wing protests that turned violent.

Victoria Police declined to comment on the identity of the person or the nature of the groups involved.

At the protest on Sunday, an organiser who did not wish to be identified opened the event by condemning the attack on the synagogue where 20 worshippers were gathered for a meal on the weekly Jewish holy day of Shabbat, on Friday night.

She later told this masthead: “We’ve always stood against antisemitism; attacks on synagogues, worshipping and praying. That’s not what we stand for, and we condemn the attacks.”

(continued)

>>23283300

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At the rally, a large, watermelon-inspired sign reading “Ceasefire Now” led the group down Swanston Street, followed by signs reading “Death death to the IDF”, “Glory to the Martyrs” and “You’re sick of us? We’re sick of Israel killing children”, were held by marchers.

Speakers at the rally focused heavily on the killing by Israeli forces of hundreds of starving Palestinian civilians as they attempted to secure food at the stations run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

On Sunday, state Opposition Leader, Brad Battin said the Victorian government should give police stronger powers to move on protesters, which the Coalition has pledged to reintroduce if elected.

“When we had those laws here in Victoria, the police had the power to move people on, and protests like this could be stopped before they got to the stage they are these days,” Battin said.

“There needs to be some big changes so you can feel safe in the community as a Jewish person living here in Victoria.”

Battin said police officers wanted the laws and there would be a “clear vote” on the issue at the 2026 election.

In December, the Allan government pledged a range of new measures to tackle a rise in antisemitic incidents and the arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea.

This included bans on the display of flags and symbols from listed terrorist organisations in public, face masks at protests and the use of glue, rope, chains and other attachment devices to cause disruptions.

New laws will also be introduced to protect places or worship, with consultation underway with the best method including the potential establishment of “safe access areas” prohibiting protests or the strengthening of existing offences.

Allan government minister Colin Brooks said the government condemned Friday’s attacks and pointed to the government’s looming legislation.

“It’s not protest, that is hate fuelled mob violence and crime,” he said.

“The premier’s been very strong on this. We’ve seen the police respond very quickly … There’s a lot of work that the Victorian Government is doing to stamp this out.“

Brooks said he believed Allan would visit the East Melbourne synagogue on Monday.

David Southwick said the government should have already implemented their proposed laws, seven months after they were announced.

“The Jewish community feel under siege,” he said.“What is the government waiting for? We saw it happen at Adass. It should have been a warning sign for the government to get off their backsides and ensure that the community can be kept safe.”

A source in the pro-Palestine movement, who asked to speak anonymously, said the protesters at Miznon were “dickheads that think they are righteous and have the right to impact innocent bystanders”.

“It ruins public opinion – they do it in Palestine’s name and not one Palestinian was there.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/synagogue-fire-ugly-restaurant-confrontation-spark-mixed-response-from-advocates-20250706-p5mcur.html

>>23099153 (pb)

>>23106959 (pb)

Reviving the Warrior Spirit: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Service, Sacrifice & Strength

The White House

Jul 6, 2025

“This We Will Defend.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers a powerful message on service, sacrifice, and the revival of the American warrior spirit under President Trump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38hwtrnR66k

The Australia-first words that Sussan Ley says could diminish US relationship

Paul Sakkal - July 6, 2025

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has questioned the wisdom of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to emphasise Australia’s foreign policy independence while the Trump administration reviews the future of the AUKUS defence pact.

On the eve of his meeting in China with President Xi Jinping next week, Albanese used the 80th anniversary of the death of Labor’s wartime prime minister John Curtin to talk up Curtin’s Australia-first instincts.

“John Curtin is rightly honoured as the founder of Australia’s alliance with the United States. A pillar of our foreign policy … that commands bipartisan support, respect and affection,” Albanese said at the John Curtin Research Centre’s annual oration in Sydney on Saturday.

“Yet our alliance with the US ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin’s leadership in defence and foreign policy, not the extent of it.

“As Paul Keating put it in his John Curtin Memorial Lecture: ‘Curtin began us thinking in our own terms’.

“So we remember Curtin not just because he looked to America. We honour him because he spoke for Australia.”

Curtin is feted for shifting Australia’s primary allegiance from London to Washington, but Albanese hailed Curtin’s decision to stand up to both powers by bringing troops back to defend Australia, rather than sending them to Burma. In putting Australia first, Albanese said Curtin avoided a “disaster”.

Albanese placed his reflections on Curtin under the banner of “progressive patriotism”, a phrase he has used repeatedly since first mentioning it in this masthead’s Inside Politics podcast in May.

But with Albanese now unable to secure a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump, even as the AUKUS defence pact is being reviewed by the Pentagon and Australia is lobbying for exemptions to US tariffs, Sussan Ley argued it was the wrong time to inch away from the US.

“At a time of global uncertainty, growing conflict and a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship, now is a time to build our influence in Washington, not diminish it,” she said in a statement.

“Many Australians will wonder whether this speech at this time was in our national interest, given so many things crucial to Australia’s future are currently being considered by the US administration.”

The AUKUS defence pact is a trilateral agreement with the United States and United Kingdom that will allow Australia to acquire nuclear submarine capabilities.

James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, said that since John Howard it was unusual for Australian prime ministers to speak positively about a more independent foreign policy not tied solely to US interests.

“It’s not entirely inconsistent with where Albanese has been headed,” Laurenceson said, pointing to remarks from Trade Minister Don Farrell about growing trade with China following Trump’s tariffs.

Laurenceson said Albanese would be confident that the Australian public was comfortable with his coming meeting with Xi occurring before a face-to-face with Trump, pointing to polling showing Trump’s unpopularity in Australia. Coalition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan said on Sky News on Sunday that “it is embarrassing” Albanese had not yet met Trump.

Sydney University international affairs historian James Curran said there was a contradiction in putting a spotlight on sovereignty at a time when Australia was tying itself more firmly into US military framework through the AUKUS submarine pact.

He said Albanese’s speech was significant because it came at a time when the US was pressuring allies to boost defence spending and contain a rising power in China.

“While it’s not a new strategic doctrine, it is saying that there are times when Australia has to determine its own destiny,” Curran said.

“After the best part of two decades, in which the culture of the alliance has been awash in the sentimental claptrap of ‘100 years of mateship’, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for the loose cannons in the Trump administration – who are perhaps getting used to allies capitulating – to hear an Australian PM saying that, from time to time, Australia needs to express itself differently.”

During the election campaign, Albanese and his ministers used Trump’s haphazard approach to discredit the Peter Dutton-led Coalition, whose policy agenda and style had similarities with the US president’s.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/the-australia-first-words-that-sussan-ley-says-are-a-threat-to-the-us-relationship-20250706-p5mcve.html

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 7, 2025, 2:41 a.m. No.23288298 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8300

Washington will not be impressed by Anthony Albanese’s Curtin call … but Beijing will lap it up

GREG SHERIDAN - 6 July 2025

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Is Anthony Albanese actually trying, intentionally, for reasons best known to himself, to diminish, if not undermine, the US-Australia alliance?

How else to explain his bizarre “look away from America” speech about John Curtin, and the lesson for contemporary Australia to keep its distance from the US?

What byzantine thought processes in the PM’s office produced this astonishingly ahistorical, if not slightly dotty, speech about Curtin, misinterpreting the wartime leader – who placed all Australian troops under the command of US General Douglas MacArthur, who wanted to make Australia “a second Britannia in the Antipodes”, who in his own words feared “the teeming millions of coloured races” to Australia’s north and who therefore argued for re-establishing imperial defence centred on Britain once the war ended – into a modern identity politics kumbaya Asianist?

Of course, it’s not the misrepresentation of Curtin’s historical record in this speech that is so perplexing. It’s the dangerous rhetorical and political purposes to which Albanese seeks to put this misinterpretation that is worrying. Who on earth is Albanese messaging in this speech? Because it implies greater Australian strategic distance from the US, it will be welcomed in Beijing. But the Prime Minister is surely overdoing things here. There’s already been enough sucking up to Beijing to ensure a favourable reception in his forthcoming extended trip to China.

What does the speech say to Washington? That Australia knows better than the Americans? Surely that’s the implication of the tired, tedious, droolingly unspecific tacit call for greater independence within the alliance. Greater independence and self-reliance would obviously require a vastly increased defence budget. What price logic in this speech?

It’s worth noting that as the PM prepares for his fourth meeting with Xi Jinping but apparently won’t go to Washington to meet Donald Trump, he’s now making strategic speeches more welcome in Beijing than in Washington.

Back to Curtin. In the 1930s, a decade of comprehensive bipartisan defence failure by Australia, which led to the nation being wholly unprepared for World War II, Curtin at least notionally supported defence self-reliance.

Albanese would say he promotes Australian defence self-reliance, too, and also supports the US alliance. But here’s the most basic of the countless contradictions. You cannot do defence self-reliance while failing to produce a formidable Australian Defence Force. And you can’t have a formidable ADF with our current pathetic defence budget.

Defence expenditure was 2 per cent of GDP when Albanese came to office in 2022, it’s 2.05 per cent of GDP now. The dollar increase in the defence budget is a result mainly of inflation and population growth. The real increase in defence spending is minuscule.

The Albanese government has embarked on a program to acquire nuclear submarines, which eats up vast amounts of money without substantially increasing defence spending. As a result, we are weaker militarily now than when Albanese was elected. That’s not independence or self-reliance, it’s national irresponsibility of the kind Curtin fought against. Washington has noticed that Albanese is not remotely funding even the capabilities identified as urgent in his government’s own Defence Strategic Review.

(continued)

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The historical interpretations and weight given to various different episodes in Albanese’s speech are a kind of undergraduate-level partisan myth-making that distorts Curtin into an unrecognisable caricature born out of a wilful misinterpretation of a single episode.

Famously, Britain’s Winston Churchill wanted Australian troops sent to Burma. Franklin Roosevelt didn’t oppose Churchill. Curtin rightly overruled Churchill and brought the troops back to Australia. Robert Menzies would have made the same decision.

Two of the three military chiefs of staff in Australia at that time were British officers on loan. With their chairman, Vernon Sturdee, they unanimously urged Curtin to bring the Australian troops home. Jeffrey Grey, in his definitive military history of Australia, makes clear Churchill was high-handed and dishonest with Curtin, as he had been with Menzies over the deployment of Australian troops to Greece.

Curtin deserves credit for his leadership in this episode and throughout the war. But for Albanese to single out this one case of Australia disagreeing with Britain and the US, as Menzies himself had often done, as the high point of Curtin’s whole career, and the main strategic lesson to take from his wartime prime ministership, is bizarre and historically obtuse, if not downright dishonest.

Curtin moved mountains to keep first Britain, then the US, involved in Australian security. Indeed, Curtin said Australia had to be “harnessed” to other nations, meaning Britain and the US.

In fact, Curtin reversed Labor policy of appointing an Australian-born governor-general to appoint, instead, a British royal, substantially in the hope this would lead to Britain stationing troops in Australia. Within Labor, Curtin stared down the pacifists and isolationists to produce military and alliance capability. Albanese should try channelling that Curtin.

Curtin understood profoundly something that seems to have passed Albanese by, that Australia’s strategic circumstances are such that its survival as an independent, sovereign nation was not guaranteed by history.

Therefore Australia needed formidable military capability and dynamic, committed alliances with its closest political, ethical and strategic partners, the US and Britain. Of course, it also needed the best Asia policy it could manage.

Far from bravely promoting the national interest in the face of Anglo-American bullying, the undergraduate myth at the heart of so much Labor posturing, Albanese seems to have lost sight of what our enduring national interests at play here are.

Australia has two key interests with Trump: preserving the US-Australia alliance and maintaining the deepest possible US involvement in our region. A third interest, which we control more independently of the Americans, is building a militarily powerful ADF.

Nor did Curtin found the US alliance, as Albanese wrongly claims. In the late 1940s the US had no interest in a formal alliance with the Labor government. The ANZUS alliance was founded in 1951 by the Menzies government.

So far, Albanese is performing badly on all three key national interests. This silly speech will do nothing to convince Washington there is a serious government in Canberra. The argument for the Americans taking nuclear submarines out of their own order of battle to provide them to us, in 2032, is thus weakened.

This speech would play well to a Fabian Society meeting circa 1976. It has no upside today at all.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/washington-will-not-be-impressed-by-pms-curtin-call-but-beijing-will-lap-it-up/news-story/32a7269c386a913e313cb3bf32cdb10a

Victorian government announces new police taskforce in wake of 'sickening' antisemitic attacks

abc.net.au - 7 July 2025

The Victorian government has announced a new Anti-Hate Taskforce following a spate of antisemitic attacks in Melbourne over the weekend.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the taskforce would work to crack down on antisemitism after a synagogue in Melbourne's east was set on fire on Friday.

Twenty people were forced to flee the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation after a man allegedly poured flammable liquid on the front door and set it on fire during a Shabbat meal.

A 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the incident, briefly appearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday.

He has been remanded in custody until later this month.

Ms Allan thanked Victoria Police for its swift actions over what she described as a "sickening crime".

"Places of worship like this synagogue are a part of our fabric as a society," she said.

"We will protect them with everything we've got."

Visiting the synagogue in East Melbourne on Monday morning, the premier said she spoke with the Jewish congregation about the "horrific, hateful experience".

"If you consider just as the fire came to the front door here of this shul, but it was stopped - so too must we put a stop to hate, put a stop to antisemitism," she said.

"Which is why alongside pledging my support and my government's support … we spoke about the future. How hate needs to stop, how the Anti-Hate Taskforce will be convened.

"I will continue to stand with the strong, proud Jewish community here in Victoria every single day."

She said a new Anti-Hate Taskforce between governments and police would "look at the bigger picture across our city and state" and vowed to increase police powers to enforce tougher protest laws rolled out earlier this year.

The taskforce is expected to hold its first meeting this week.

Weekend of incidents

Shortly after the attack on the synagogue, about 20 protesters interrupted diners at an Israeli-owned restaurant in the CBD.

In a statement posted to social media, the group behind a No Police at Protests movement said it targeted the restaurant because it was part-owned by Israeli businessman Shahar Segal.

Mr Segal is a spokesman for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli and US-backed organisation that has been criticised for how it distributes aid in Gaza.

But the group denied that incident was linked to the attack at the synagogue.

"Pro-Palestinian activists have never attacked places of worship, and we condemn such attacks," the statement read.

On Saturday afternoon, police revealed a business in Greensborough was also targeted.

"It's understood that unknown offenders attended a business on Para Road and set fire to three cars," Acting Commander Zorka Dunstan said.

"They also used spray paint on the cars and a building wall. One of the cars was destroyed, the other two were moderately damaged."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the weekend incidents.

"It is completely unacceptable the attack that occurred at a restaurant in Melbourne, and also the attack on a business in the outer suburbs of Melbourne," Mr Albanese said on Saturday night.

"The fact that people were having a peaceful dinner and were disrupted by this act of violence could have had catastrophic consequences."

On Sunday afternoon, police said they were also investigating antisemitic graffiti near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick in Melbourne's south-east.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-07/victoria-government-taskforce-antisemitism-police/105501252

>>23269730

Pacific Islands vital in power struggle against China

Sarah Swain - Jul 6, 2025

They are neighbours, friends and in many cases family, but now the Pacific Islands are being seen as vital in the struggle for power in our region.

With China's influence growing, Australia is pushing back, turning Wallabies into ambassadors.

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was the guest of honour in Newcastle as part of a charm offensive aimed at a pivotal player in the Pacific power struggle.

With China investing billions into infrastructure projects across the Pacific Islands, Australia and our allies – unable to compete financially –have turned to sport as part of a bigger-picture approach. Fijian workers on a specialty Pacific visa class were in the stands.

"We provide a lot of support for rugby in the Pacific – it's an important way of connecting up with a lot of young people," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"That essentially is about family. We are all part of the Pacific family - we have an important responsibility."

Rugby union is the code of choice for Fiji, with the new NRL team vital for Papua New Guinea, our nearest neighbour.

The contest for hearts and minds in the Pacific has been made harder with the Trump administration cuts to American financial aid in the region.

"We are managing, and in three years hopefully things will change," Rabuka said.

Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan said "Obviously China are an important trading partner for us".

"We have issues with China - we have things we need to talk about their leadership as well," he told Sky's Agenda.

The prime ministers jointly presented the Vuvale bowl to the winning Wallabies today.

Trust and cooperation in uncertain times is a much bigger prize.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/pacific-island-relations-fiji-prime-minister-australia/af8486d6-8f16-428e-b440-1c2ebc558801

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XJTfvbY9Ng

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 7, 2025, 3:42 a.m. No.23288425 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8479

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>>23279623

Eight PNG men arrested over murder of ‘sorcery’ accused

STAFF WRITERS - 7 July 2025

Eight Papua New Guinean men have been arrested for the torture and murder of a young woman over a sorcery allegation, with the country’s Prime Minister condemning the horror act as a “national shame”.

The arrests were made after community leaders reportedly intervened and helped detain the men, who had subjected Rosa Yakapus to three days of extreme torture before shooting her dead in the impoverished Hela district.

The Australian reported at the weekend that Ms Yakapus was stripped naked and beaten before being tied to a pole over a fire, after her estranged husband died of a suspected heart attack and his relatives accused her of using witchcraft to kill him.

She was then taken to a bridge where, surrounded by laughing men, she was shot – with her body falling into the river below.

Villagers had alerted a local community police officer at a Margarima police station, less than 40 minutes’ drive from Ms Yakapus’s Ugu village, but without a car he couldn’t reach her in time.

Police Chief Superintendent Michael Welly said after the arrests the murder was “condemned by leaders at all levels as both criminal and barbaric”. He said local leaders had liaised with police to facilitate the “voluntary surrender” of the suspects, including the man who had shot Ms Yakapus dead.

Chief Superintendent Welly said more suspects had been identified and would also be detained. They faced charges of torture, murder and illegal confinement, and could be jailed for life if found guilty, he said.

Prime Minister James Marape welcomed the arrests, saying PNG had been embarrassed internationally by recurring incidents of sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) and murders.

“This is not who we are. We are a Christian country. We are a country with laws,” he said. “This cannot continue. We must end this once and for all.”

James Komengi, one of a few NGO, church and police workers battling the violence in PNG’s Highlands, said he hoped there would now be a momentum towards preventing the brutality instead of reacting to it.

Mr Komengi, who had told The Australian he feared SARV would become normalised if the government didn’t address it, said: “My hope is that we take advantage of this momentum against perpetrators here to promote a change in the narratives for development towards taking a preventive approach instead of being reactive.”

PNG Education Minister Lucas Dawa Dekena said he feared the sharing of the videos of Ms Yakapus’s suffering highlighted the potential for normalisation of such violence.

“These are not just isolated incidents, they are a direct assault on the fabric of our society,” he said. “Such horrific acts have no place in Papua New Guinea.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/eight-png-men-arrested-over-murder-of-sorcery-accused/news-story/0148af5bc0f7ec764f31940e33eb1464

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/leaders-condemn-animalistic-behaviour-in-hela-killing/

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/lae-front-and-back-page/

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/sorcery-a-national-shame-must-end/

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/death-bed-accusation-leads-to-murder/

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/k50000-reward-offered-for-hela-murder-suspects1/

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>>23279623

>>23288425

Eight suspects over sorcery torture and shooting in police custody

MIRIAM ZARRIGA - JULY 6, 2025

Police Commander Chief Superintendent Michael Welly said: “A woman in Magarima, Hela Province, tortured and murdered over accusations of Sorcery was condemned by leaders at all levels as both criminal and barbaric, prompting the immediate launch of a police-led manhunt supported by provincial and community leadership.”

Hela Governor Philip Undialu, Minister for Bougainville Affairs and Magarima MP, Manasseh Makiba, visited Magarima and formally launched the operation to pursue and apprehend the suspects. They appealed for community cooperation and the peaceful surrender of those involved.

By Saturday, PPC Welly said, “Local leaders, Magarima District CEO, and police teams engaged communities and facilitated voluntary surrenders.”

“Police units deployed from Tari conducted coordinated arrests on Sunday.”

Eight (8) suspects were taken into custody, including the individual who allegedly pulled the trigger,” PPC Welly confirmed.

All arrested persons have been transported to Tari Police Station for formal processing.

He confirmed additional suspects have been positively identified.

“Some individuals are believed to be from Biango Village, Kandep District, Enga Province, requiring cross-border cooperation with Enga police.”

Sorcery-related killings are fully prosecutable under PNG’s Criminal Code. The Sorcery Act was repealed in 2013, making it clear that sorcery accusations do not justify violence.

Offenders are subject to charges including murder, torture, and unlawful confinement, with potential penalties of life imprisonment, PPC Welly added.

“The success of this operation underscores the importance of proactive leadership and strong community-police collaboration. Hela Province continues to demonstrate that justice is achievable when leaders work on the ground with law enforcement.”

“The direct involvement of Governor Undialu and Minister Makiba, coupled with decisive police action, sends a strong message: sorcery-related violence will not be tolerated in Hela Province.”

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/eight-suspects-over-sorcery-torture-and-shooting-in-police-custody/

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/k50000-reward-offered-for-hela-murder-suspects1/

—

Q Post #4207

May 11 2020 12:05:59 (EST)

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4207

>>23288313

Anthony Albanese to launch plan to tackle anti-Semitism ‘in days’

RICHARD FERGUSON - 8 July 2025

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A new strategy to combat hate will be unveiled by Anthony Albanese and his special envoy on anti-Semitism after a resurgence of attacks on the Jewish community over the weekend.

Jewish leader Jillian Segal is working on a comprehensive set of proposals for Labor to consider, following the alleged attempted firebombing of a synagogue and the trashing of an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday said he was committed to working with Ms Segal to end the “scourge” of anti-Semitism, but dismissed Sussan Ley’s call for an emergency national cabinet to discuss the hate-crime crisis.

“Jillian Segal has been doing a terrific job, and over the coming days we’ll have more to say. But, of course, we have responded substantially with increased security for synagogues, for Jewish schools, for community organisations,” Mr Albanese said in Hobart.

“We’ll continue to engage constructively with the community to make sure that they get the support that they need. Anti-Semitism is a scourge. It has no place in Australia. And what we saw in Melbourne with the attacks that occurred are reprehensible, deserve condemnation and the gentleman concerned at the synagogue has been arrested and he should face the full force of the law.”

The Australian understands Ms Segal’s plan will incorporate elements of an Executive Council of Australian Jewry blueprint on combating anti-Semitism, which was released in February.

Sources close to the process believe the Segal proposal will not adopt all 15 points of the ECAJ plan, which includes a clampdown on violent anti-Israel slogans at protests, a new strategy to stamp out bigotry in classrooms, and a tightening of visa rules to keep anti-Semites out of Australia.

But ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin on Tuesday said he was pleased Mr Albanese was working closely with Ms Segal to “implement the policy responses the community has called for”.

“The events in Melbourne have, yet again, shown that we are confronted with a violent ideology that not only chants ‘death to Zionists’ but threatens the police, elected officials and public safety,” Mr Ryvchin told The Australian.

“They want to turn our CBDs into no-go zones and to pit groups of Australians against each other. They have infiltrated campuses, schools, cultural institutions. The intifada is being globalised exactly as promised.

“We await the government’s announcement on how it intends to restore public order and drive anti-Semitism back to the dark peripheries of society.”

Mr Albanese on Tuesday appeared to oppose the suggestion of a cross-jurisdictional taskforce on anti-Semitism when asked about merging state and federal police efforts.

“We have a task force and what we do is take on security issues, we take advice from security agencies,” he said. “That’s precisely what we have done.”

He nonetheless said that he had been receptive to requests by Jewish leaders about stemming rising anti-Semitism.

“I spoke with Jewish community leaders on Saturday,” he said. “Every time there has been a request, it has been met, expeditiously, and that has occurred.”

(continued)

>>23293950

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The Opposition Leader on Tuesday welcomed the government’s “sensible” indication it was prepared to enhance education about anti-Semitism but demanded more action on the rest of the ECAJ’s plan.

“It’s actually one of the points in the 15-point plan to combat anti-Semitism, I’d like to know whether the government is looking at the other 14 points,” the Opposition Leader said.

“But, of course, this is not just about the security in place that we’ve heard about and that we see around us with this rising tide of anti-Semitism. It’s about much more than that.

“It’s about education. It’s about the governance of our universities, it is about what happens in schools, and it’s about social media, and it’s about national security responses.”

Standing outside the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue, which was targeted in an attempted arson attack on Friday, Ms Ley pledged not to “look away”.

“Hate can never be normalised,” she said.

“It can never be excused. It can never be explained away.

“We stand with the Jewish community in Australia today and every day.

“We won’t look away. We will be here to see this through. It’s very important with these events that we don’t just come today and say the things that we’d be expected to say and then walk away. We will never do that. We never have done that.”

Victorian Jewish leaders also sat down with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, representatives from Victoria Police and Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece late on Tuesday for the first meeting of an anti-hate taskforce established in the wake of the spate of attacks on the weekend.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said the Jewish community recognised the “strong, immediate response” taken in response to the recent spate of anti-Semitic acts, and highlighted the need for a bipartisan response.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-to-launch-plan-to-tackle-antisemitism-in-days/news-story/910728d0e4ce3a5644955280477fde9c

Three charged over altercation at Israeli-owned restaurant Miznon in Melbourne CBD

abc.net.au - 8 July 2025

Three people have been charged with assault, riotous behaviour and criminal damage after a group of protesters converged on an Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne's CBD on Friday night.

The group was a part of a larger cohort which had gathered on Swanston Street to protest the need for police presence at public demonstrations.

Police said about 20 people left that group about 8:15pm and went to the Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane where patrons were having dinner.

Police allege several people in the group were involved in an altercation, where chairs were thrown and a glass door was damaged.

Three people — a 50-year-old man from Richmond, a 48-year-old woman from Footscray and a 28-year-old woman from Essendon have been charged with assault, affray, riotous behaviour and criminal damage.

The incident occurred on the same night as a string of antisemitic incidents.

On Friday night the door of a synagogue in East Melbourne was set alight while 20 congregants were inside.

Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged over that incident.

A business in the north-eastern suburb of Greensborough also had three cars torched about 4:30am the next day.

Police said on Monday no links between any of the incidents had been identified.

Miznon restaurant says venue welcomes people of all backgrounds

In a statement posted to social media, the group behind a No Police at Protests movement said it targeted the restaurant because it was part-owned by Israeli businessman Shahar Segal.

Mr Segal is a spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli and US-backed organisation that has been criticised for how it distributes aid in Gaza.

But the group denied that incident was linked to the attack at the synagogue.

"Pro-Palestinian activists have never attacked places of worship, and we condemn such attacks," the statement read.

A statement released by Miznon on Tuesday said the events on Friday had had a "profound impact" on staff.

"We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome. Our greatest joy is to feed people from every background and viewpoint and to see the joy on people's faces as they enjoy our food and each other's company. That is our purpose and our objective," the statement read.

"All our staff and customers are coming from different background and cultures. We respect everyone's right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same.

"All we wish to do moving forward, is to keep feeding anyone who comes through our doors with love, attention and care while supplying a safe working space for our employees."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-08/three-charged-melbourne-israeli-restaurant-miznon/105507930

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/8/three-charged-after-protest-at-israeli-owned-restaurant-in-australia

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Deadline looms for Trump's liberation day tariffs

9 News Australia

Jul 7, 2025

Australian products bound for America may be stuck with tariffs. This comes after the Albanese government has indicated it would not offer extra incentives to the Trump administration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4QRL0ha4CA

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 8, 2025, 3:21 a.m. No.23293989 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3993

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Benjamin Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

JOE KELLY - 8 July 2025

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Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize because of his efforts in reshaping the Middle East, but warned a Palestinian state would only serve as a “platform to destroy Israel” amid ongoing ceasefire talks with Hamas.

The Israeli Prime Minister strengthened his case with the administration for the Jewish state to retain control over security in Gaza as part of any long-term political settlement, but was optimistic that a broader peace in the region could be achieved.

Mr Trump also said that he was pursuing talks with Iran after ordering a US-led bombing strike on three of the rogue nation’s nuclear enrichment sites last month, declaring that “they’ve requested a meeting and I’m going to go to a meeting.”

“If we can put something down on paper that would be fine, that would be good. I think they’ve gained a lot of respect for us.”

Mr Netanyahu presented the US President with the letter he sent to the Nobel prize committee in a gesture aimed at projecting deep friendship and common cause with America. The letter praised Mr Trump for his “steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security, and stability around the world.”

“President Trump’s vision and bold leadership promoted innovative diplomacy defined not by conflict and extremism but by co-operation, dialogue, and shared prosperity,” Mr Netanyahu said in the letter, dated July 1.

“Foremost among these achievements was President Trump’s pivotal role in facilitating the Abraham Accords. These groundbreaking agreements established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations – including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.”

Sitting across from Mr Trump, Mr Netanyahu said he wanted to “express the appreciation and admiration, not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people and many, many admirers around the world for your leadership.’

“The President has already realised great opportunities. He forged the Abraham Accords. He’s forging peace as we speak in one country and one region after the other,” he said. “So, I want to present to you Mr President the letter I sent to the Nobel prize Committee. It’s nominating you for the peace prize which is well deserved and you should get it.”

Both leaders, who were accompanied by their top advisers for an official dinner in the White House Blue Room, framed the 12-day war between Israel and Iran as a key victory which had changed the strategic outlook for the region.

“They (Iran) took a big drubbing I think when we hit the three sites really,” Mr Trump said. “That was the very beginning of the end.”

A meeting with Iran is expected within the next week or so, with the US President suggesting that further details would be announced on Tuesday local time.

Pressed on whether be still believed in a two state solution in the Middle East, Mr Trump threw the “age old” question to Mr Netanyahu who said that he believed Palestinians should have “all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers to threaten us.”

“And that means that certain powers like overall security will always remain in our hands. Now that is a fact. And no-one in Israel will agree to anything else because we don’t commit suicide. We want life,” he said. “We cherish life for ourselves, for our neighbours. I think we can work out a peace for us and the entire Middle East with President Trump’s leadership. And by working together I think we can establish a very, very broad peace that will include all our neighbours.”

He said that Hamas had failed to build a future for the people of Gaza but had instead “built down into bunkers, into terror tunnels after which they massacred our people, raped our women, beheaded our men, invaded our cities and our towns and out kibbutzim.”

“So people aren’t likely to say ‘let’s just give them another state’ – it will be a platform to destroy Israel. We’ll work out a peace with our Palestinian neighbours, those who don’t want to destroy us. And we’ll work out a peace in which our security, the sovereign power of security always remains in our hands.”

“Now people will say ‘it’s not a complete state, it’s not a state’ … We don’t care. You know, we vowed never again,” he said.

(continued)

>>23293989

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Going into the meeting, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Israeli Prime Minister was expected to tell Mr Trump that he had three non-negotiable conditions for agreeing to a ceasefire with Hamas.

These red lines for the Jewish state included the complete destruction of Hamas, the exile of its leadership from Gaza and the full disarmament of the militants.

While the Israeli Prime Minister was expected to show some flexibility on other issues – such as the distribution of humanitarian aid and the repositioning of IDF troops – the three red line conditions were reported to be “the point of contention in the efforts to reach a conclusion to the war.”

However, Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said there was “an opportunity to finally get a peace deal” and was “hopeful for it very quickly.”

The US President said that he thought “things are going to be really settled down a lot in the Middle East” and was confident Hamas would agree to a truce.

“They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire,” he said.

Pressed on his relocation plan to transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, Mr Trump referred the question to Netanyahu, who said it was “brilliant vision.”

“It’s called free choice. You know, if people want to stay they can stay. But if they want to leave they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be, you know, a prison,” he said. “We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realise what they always said – that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. And I think we’re getting close to finding several countries.”

Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu praised the co-operation with the US for bringing a “huge victory over our shared enemy”. He struck a positive note on a ceasefire for Gaza, saying he was working “to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to”.

The Israeli Prime Minister met on Monday with Mr Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio before his dinner with Mr Trump. He is slated to meet on Tuesday with Vice President JD Vance and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson as well as other members of Congress.

On Wednesday he is scheduled to meet with US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth.

White House officials are urging Israel and Hamas to quickly seal a new ceasefire agreement that would bring about a 60-day pause in the fighting, send aid flooding into Gaza and free at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Monday that Mr Witkoff would travel later this week to Doha, Qatar, for ceasefire and hostage talks.

However, a sticking point is whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

But Mr Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile – something it refuses to do.

Mr Trump is hoping to build on the fresh momentum he gained from the successful US-led strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities – something which will also provide another topic of conversation in his talks with Mr Netanyahu.

A new ceasefire proposal is currently on the table to try and secure an end to the nearly two year old war that was ignited when 1,200 Israelis were killed on October 7 2003 by Hamas terrorists in the greatest loss of life in an attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

The new deal being brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt would introduce a temporary ceasefire of 60 days – creating a window for more serious differences to be resolved – and the framework has been accepted already by Hamas.

It would include the exchange of ten living Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/benjamin-netanyahu-to-lay-out-ceasefire-red-lines-in-trump-meeting/news-story/8c91d6e9b10affbbca7b11ddb8f26657

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/in-nomination-letter-to-nobel-comittee-netanyahu-lauds-trumps-exceptional-dedication-to-peace/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCNDVHLbOj4

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>>23256474

Anthony Albanese confirms meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during China trip

Anthony Albanese is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he is expected to discuss key issues including trade and tourism.

Jessica Wang - July 8, 2025

Anthony Albanese has stressed the importance of Australia’s $325bn trade relationship with China ahead of his six day visit to Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, with the Prime Minister to meet with Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jingping and other senior officials.

The centrepiece of the trip will be the Australia-China Annual Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing which he will attend alongside Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and where he will also meet Mr Xi and Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji – the third highest ranking person of the CCP.

Discussions will be focused on global and regional issues, plus bilateral co-operation on areas including trade and tourism. China accounts for nearly 26 per cent of Australia’s total goods and service trade.

China will also raise desires to open the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement to include AI, healthcare, green energy and the digital economy.

Mr Albanese, who has faced criticism for failing to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump before his face-to-face with Mr Xi, has defended the trip, saying he intended to “continue to co-operate with China where we can” and “disagree where we must, and engage in our national interest”.

“Trade is now flowing freely, to the benefit of both countries and to people and businesses on both sides,” Mr Albanese said.

“We will continue to patiently and deliberately work towards a stable relationship with China, with dialogue at its core.

“I will raise issues that are important to Australians and the region including my government’s enduring commitment to pursuing Australia’s national interest.”

A 14-person business delegation will also accompany Mr Albanese at a Australia–China CEO Roundtable, which will be hosted by the Business Council of Australia and include leaders from industries representing banking, resources, tertiary education and food.

This includes ANZ International’s managing director Simon Ireland, BHP Australia president Geraldine Slattery, Fortescue Metals Group executive chairman Andrew Forrest, Rio Tinto chief executive Kellie Parker, SunRice chief executive Paul Serra and UNSW Vice-Chancellor and president Attila Brungs.

BCA chief executive Bran Black said Australia’s relationship with China was a “partnership that matters deeply to our nation’s success”.

“With one in four Australian jobs trade dependent, it’s imperative that our businesses are part of the solution in identifying further opportunities with both new and existing partners,” he said.

“The Australia-China CEO Roundtable is a crucial forum for building an even stronger relationship with our largest economic partner, particularly in the resources, energy and services sectors.”

Mr Albanese is also set to meet with business, tourism and sport leaders when he visits Shanghai and Chendgu, the latter which is home to the giant panda research base, which is where Adelaide Zoo acquired two new giant pandas, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, in late 2024.

This will be Mr Albanese’s second visit to China.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/anthony-albanese-confirms-meeting-with-chinese-president-xi-jinping-during-china-trip/news-story/e1419c003ef467c451528b5333767bbe

Opinion: China is open to free trade in AI with Australia

On the 10th anniversary of free trade deal, China is willing to review the agreement and actively explore new growth areas in emerging fields.

Xiao Qian, Ambassador to Australia - Jul 7, 2025

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Over the past three years, through the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have stabilised and improved, achieving a comprehensive turnaround.

President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have met on three occasions. Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Albanese have exchanged successful visits. Mechanisms for dialogue and exchange across various sectors have been resumed, mutual understanding enhanced, and practical co-operation between the two nations expanded. Facts have proven that the healthy and stable development of China-Australia relations serves the interests of both countries and enjoys the firm support of the two peoples.

Not long ago, the Australian Labor government was re-elected and sworn into office, ushering in the second decade of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and another important epoch of development.

At present, both China and Australia are faced with new economic development tasks. China is committed to advancing high-quality development, while Australia is devoted to enhancing productivity. We look forward to further strengthening co-operation between the two sides so as to bring more benefits to both countries and peoples.

First, strengthening high-level guidance and consolidating institutional dialogue and exchanges. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Australia relations have demonstrated resilience and vitality, weathering ups and downs, with the key lying in the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries.

China has always viewed Australia and China-Australia relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, committed to advancing bilateral ties beyond stabilisation and towards progress.

China is willing to work with Australia to maintain the momentum of high-level engagement, make the most of such primary intergovernmental dialogue mechanisms as the China-Australia Leaders’ Annual Meeting, the Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, the Strategic Economic Dialogue, the Joint Ministerial Economic Commission, as well as the Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change, continuously enhance communication, deepen mutual trust, build consensus, and promote co-operation.

Second, expanding practical co-operation across all fields. China and Australia are natural partners with complementary economic strengths. Over the past decade since the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) came into effect, it has served as an important engine in boosting bilateral economic and trade co-operation.

China has been Australia’s largest trading partner, largest export destination and the largest source of imports for 16 consecutive years. With a population of more than 1.4 billion, including more than 400 million middle-income earners, China provides a vast and stable consumption market for Australian minerals, wine, beef, lobster and other products.

At the 10th anniversary of the implementation of ChAFTA, we are willing to review the agreement with a more open attitude and higher standard, further consolidate co-operation in traditional areas such as agriculture and mining, and actively explore new growth areas in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, healthcare, green energy, and the digital economy, elevating practical co-operation to new heights.

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Third, deepening people-to-people exchanges and sub-national ties. China and Australia have shared a strong foundation for friendship, with close interpersonal and cultural connections. China has long been Australia’s largest source of international students and overseas tourists, with more than a million Chinese tourists visiting Australia annually.

Today, more than 1 million Chinese Australians live in the country, making significant contributions to Australia’s economic and social development, and enriching its multicultural society. They serve as a vital bridge in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The two sides now have over 100 sister provinces (states) and cities, playing an important role in enhancing sub-national exchanges and friendship. China looks forward to further strengthening people-to-people ties with Australia and writing more heartwarming stories of mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Fourth, advancing co-operation on international and regional affairs. Both China and Australia are major countries in the Asia-Pacific region, beneficiaries and defenders of the post-war international order. At present, the international community faces intertwined challenges, with rising unilateralism and protectionism. China is willing to work with Australia to build consensus on international and regional issues, strengthen collaboration under multilateral frameworks including the United Nations, G20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, and ASEAN, jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, uphold international rules and order, advocate for free trade, injecting more stability and certainty into a world of turbulence and transformation.

Standing at a new historical starting point, now is the time to advance bilateral relations with steady progress. Guided by the fundamental interests of our two peoples and the earnest expectations of regional nations, China stands ready to work with Australia to strengthen high-level guidance, enhance political mutual trust, properly manage differences, focus on common interests, and promote greater development of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Xiao Qian is the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Australia.

https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/china-is-open-to-free-trade-in-ai-with-australia-20250704-p5mchi

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 8, 2025, 3:55 a.m. No.23294049 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4061

>>23294037

Albanese rebuffs China on two key requests ahead of visit

Andrew Tillett - Jul 8, 2025

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The federal government has rebuffed Beijing on two of its key asks – a push to incorporate artificial intelligence into an updated free trade deal and a demand to loosen foreign investment rules – ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s six-day visit to China.

Albanese will fly to China on Saturday, with business, trade and tourism a major focus of a trip that will include annual leaders’ talks in Beijing with Premier Li Qiang, as well as meetings with President Xi Jinping and chairman Zhao Leji of the National People’s Congress.

Business leaders will also accompany Albanese and Li to the Australia-China CEO Roundtable to strengthen trade and investment links. Albanese will also visit Shanghai and Chengdu – known as China’s panda capital – to meet business, tourism and sport representatives.

The visit is the second to China by Albanese as prime minister, and his fourth meeting with Xi. It comes as a first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump remains elusive.

The turbulence from Trump’s global trade war – which has Australian policymakers nervous about a Chinese downturn because of high US tariffs – will hang heavily over Albanese’s visit.

The protracted length of Albanese’s visit will also highlight a sense that relations between Beijing and Canberra have normalised after several years of acrimony during the Morrison government, although geopolitical tensions remain over China’s increasing displays of military muscle, including this year’s near circumnavigation of the Australian mainland by a flotilla of warships.

“We will continue to patiently and deliberately work towards a stable relationship with China, with dialogue at its core,” Albanese said.

“I will raise issues that are important to Australians and the region, including my government’s enduring commitment to pursuing Australia’s national interest.”

‘We will determine our policy’

China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, this week declared Beijing’s desire to step up ties including updating the 10-year-old free trade agreement between the two countries to capture emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, the digital economy and green energy.

AI is at the heart of the tech war between Washington and Beijing, with Chinese models narrowing America’s lead in the field with cheaper rivals, amid an international debate over its use and safeguards. Australian governments have already banned China’s cheaper rival, DeepSeek, from being installed on public servants’ devices.

Albanese brushed off Xiao’s call to add AI co-operation to the free trade agreement, signalling little appetite to reopen a new round of negotiations on an agreement already in force.

“We will determine our policy,” Albanese said. “My priority is jobs. We have a free trade agreement with China.”

While China’s lifting of all trade sanctions on $20 billion of Australian exports including coal, lobster, barley, beef and wine has removed the biggest roadblock on bilateral relations, Beijing remains irritated by the federal government’s clampdown on Chinese foreign investment. This puts added scrutiny on national security grounds over buyout bids for critical infrastructure and resources projects.

Asked by The Australian Financial Review whether there was any possibility of easing those restrictions, Treasurer Jim Chalmers ruled it out.

“That is a genuinely non-discriminatory approach that we take. It’s not country-specific,” Chalmers said.

“It would be unlikely that we would weaken our arrangements in those critical areas. But we are always looking for ways to speed up and streamline the process; whether that’s in our national economic interest. We’ve actually quite substantially quickened the pace of approvals without trading away the stringent approach that we take in riskier areas.”

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As part of his visit, Albanese and Li will attend the CEO Roundtable in Beijing, hosted by the Business Council of Australia and the China Development Bank.

“China remains Australia’s largest trading partner, accounting for almost one-third of our total trade, and will remain so for the foreseeable future,” Albanese said on Tuesday.

“Trade is now flowing freely, to the benefit of both countries, and to people and businesses on both sides.”

Attendees include BHP’s Australian president, Geraldine Slattery, Rio Tinto’s Australian chief executive, Kellie Parker, BlueScope managing director Mark Vassella, Fortescue Metals Group executive chairman Andrew Forrest and Macquarie Group chief Shemara Wikramanayake.

In Shanghai, Albanese is expected to give a lunchtime speech to an audience of about 200 business leaders.

BCA CEO Bran Black said the roundtable was a “crucial forum for building an even stronger relationship with our largest economic partner, particularly in the resources, energy and services sectors.”

Forrest said Albanese’s visit could not come at a more critical time for Australia’s future.

“To put it bluntly: if Australia and China provide the leadership, then – given the immense industrial platforms that exist in both nations – Australia could build its largest-ever industry in green iron, and China its largest in green steel,” he said.

“The economic benefits would be profound for both countries: tens of thousands of new jobs, an upskilled workforce, and a solution to one of the world’s biggest climate threats – the global steel industry.”

Another attendee, HSBC Australia chief executive Tony Shaw, who chairs the BCA’s Global Engagement committee, said Albanese’s trip was an important opportunity to secure enhanced economic outcomes for Australia.

“As an international bank specialising in cross-border trade and investment, we believe the unique perspective offered by the business community makes a valuable contribution to our shared challenges. We look forward to identifying tangible outcomes,” he said.

ANZ Bank’s managing director for international business, Simon Ireland, said: “Our conversations will help deepen economic and trade co-operation between Australia and China”.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/albanese-to-talk-up-jobs-and-trade-during-china-visit-20250708-p5mdd4

Copper, pharma tariffs are coming as Trump hardens trade stance

ANITA HAMILTON - 9 July 2025

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US President Donald Trump has hardened his stance on trade deals, saying there would be no more extensions past a new August 1 deadline, as the administration said it would continue to announce country-specific tariff rates.

Mr Trump said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (local time) that he would continue issuing letters to the leaders of other countries announcing US tariff rates on their products effective August 1 unless they arranged a specific deal by then.

In addition, the White House said it would set 50 per cent tariffs on copper imports on Wednesday (AEST), an announcement that sent the commodity’s price to a record, though it did not clarify when they would take effect.

And tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products would kick in after a grace period giving companies time to adjust their supply chains, Mr Trump said.

It was part of a swirl of trade announcements in the past few days as the Trump administration hurtles toward a self-imposed deadline for so-called reciprocal tariff rates to kick in after a 90-day pause. That deadline is Wednesday (local time).

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday (AEST), Mr Trump said: “We will be releasing a minimum of 7 Countries having to do with trade, tomorrow morning, with an additional number of Countries being released in the afternoon.”

Mr Trump has taken to settling the tariff question himself, favouring a unilateral approach and announcing his decisions by letter and posts on social media.

“The deals are mostly my deal to them,” Mr Trump said. “We’re picking a number that’s low and fair.”

It follows the example Mr Trump set on Monday, when he released 14 letters addressed to the leaders of countries scattered mostly across Asia and Europe. The letters set US tariff rates on imports from those countries at between 25 per cent and 40 per cent.

Mr Trump said during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting that he considers the letters to be deals.

The US will be sending a letter to the EU this week. “We’re probably two days off from sending them a letter, ” he said.

It is emblematic of Mr Trump’s approach to trade, which has been to threaten high levies to draw countries to the bilateral negotiating table, then to pause those levies while deals are being worked out, then to draw a new line in the sand.

Just a few trade deals have been announced since Mr Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement on April 2, which he then paused a few days later, including deals with the UK and Vietnam. A current deal with China is temporary and expires in August, slightly after the deadline now applied to other countries.

Mr Trump now says there will not be any more extensions to negotiate new deals after August 1.

Mr Trump’s tariff letters on Monday, which were nearly identical to each other, also explained that goods shipped through third countries to avoid tariffs would still face the same levies, and that the rates would go up if countries retaliated.

The current tariffs have brought in $100bn so far this year, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting. He added that tariff revenue could rise to $300bn by the end of 2025.

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Copper is the latest industry to be targeted under sector-oriented tariffs applied under Section 232 of a 1960s trade law.

Already Mr Trump has applied such sector tariffs on imports of vehicles, steel and aluminium.

Other sector tariffs are still pending, including for lumber, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

The Section 232 tariffs have been a sticking point in some trade negotiations with other countries.

The sector tariffs will not stack on top of the country-specific rates.

Setting copper rates at 50 per cent, rather than the 25 per cent that aluminium and steel tariffs began at before ratcheting higher, suggests that the White House may make other future sector-based rates much higher, says Henrietta Treyz, head of economic policy research at Veda Partners.

Indeed, Mr Trump said on Tuesday that the pending pharmaceutical tariffs may reach 200 per cent.

“We will be announcing something very soon on pharmaceuticals,” he added.

US trading partners are weighing responses after Mr Trump’s latest action on tariffs sparked a stock market sell-off on Monday.

China, which agreed in June on a broad framework for trade but has yet to complete a more permanent agreement, has a slightly later deadline of August 12.

A state-sponsored media outlet said Tuesday the country should oppose any deal that hurts Chinese interests, such as incentives to cut China out of supply chains, according to a report by Reuters.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday that he would continue negotiations with the White House.

Mr Trump singled out Japan last week as one country that had been tough to work with and which was unlikely to get a deal by the deadline.

South Africa received a letter on Monday saying its products would have a 30 per cent tariff coming into the US starting August 1.

The country’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, said in a statement on Tuesday that the levy was “not an accurate representation of available trade data”.

He also said that under South Africa’s interpretation of the data, its average tariff on imported goods stands at 7.6 per cent and 77 per cent of US goods entering South Africa have no duties.

He added that South Africa would continue with its diplomatic efforts toward a “more balance and mutually beneficial” trade relationship with the US.

The next big question is what kind of arrangement will be reached with the EU. An EU spokesman said on Monday that he was hoping for a deal before the deadline.

The return of tariff volatility sent stocks tumbling on Monday afternoon. Stocks were largely flat on Tuesday, with the S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite trading around break-even.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/copper-pharma-tariffs-are-coming-as-trump-hardens-trade-stance/news-story/dec6c19072ef3247ba3dc6c3543a9b61

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75KXsPLQDFU

Donald Trump flags tariffs of 200pc on pharmaceuticals, 50pc on copper

Brad Ryan - 9 July 2025

Donald Trump has flagged a possible 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals - one of Australia's biggest exports to the US - but says manufacturers will be given time to move to America to dodge the tax.

The US president also said copper was likely to be hit with a 50 per cent tariff.

To date, pharmaceuticals and copper have both been exempt from the US's ever-evolving tariffs regime, pending two separate investigations by the Department of Commerce.

But Mr Trump has long railed against American dependence on foreign producers of the products, given the lifesaving nature of many imported medicines and copper's importance to the industrial sector and technological innovation.

Speaking to the media before a cabinet meeting, Mr Trump said pharmaceutical producers would get a grace period to move production to the US.

"We're going to give [drug manufacturers] about a year, a year and a half to come in, and after that, they're going to be tariffed," he said.

"They're going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200 per cent. We'll give them a certain period of time to get their act together."

A $2b industry

Pharmaceutical tariffs could be particularly punishing for Australia.

Last year, Australia exported $US1.4 billion ($2.2 billion) in pharmaceutical products to the US, according to the UN's Comtrade database.

That was more than 40 per cent of its total pharmaceutical export value of $US3.2 billion ($4.9 billion).

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later suggested a final decision on pharmaceutical tariffs had not been made.

His department's investigation into pharmaceutical imports would be completed at the end of the month, he said.

"And so the president will then set his policies," Mr Lutnick told business network CNBC. "And I'm going to let him wait to decide how he's going to do it.

"He said, if you don't build in America, they're going to be a high rate. But he may consider that if you're building in America, to give you the time to build … and then the tariff will be much higher."

America's pharmaceutical industry has long been frustrated with Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which forces drug companies to negotiate prices with the Australian government rather than individual buyers.

It is designed to keep prices down by giving purchasing power to the government. Pharmaceutical industry leaders in the US have lobbied the Trump administration to impose retaliatory tariffs on Australia.

Copper tariff due within weeks

Copper is also a significant export product for Australia, but sales to the US last year were valued at just $US36 million ($55 million) — less than 1 per cent of Australia's total copper exports, which were valued at $US4.4 billion ($6.7 billion).

"Today, we're doing copper," Mr Trump said after speaking through some of his past tariff announcements. "I believe the tariff on copper, we're going to make it 50 per cent."

Of all the US's trading partners, Chile will feel the effects of the tariff most. It supplies the majority of the US's copper imports.

Mr Lutnick said the copper tariff would probably take effect at the end of July or start of August. Aluminium and steel are already subject to 50 per cent tariffs.

The announcements come a day after Mr Trump released letters he had sent to foreign leaders, which outlined new country-specific tariffs to take effect on August 1.

Australia, however, is not expecting an increase in the 10 per cent tariff already imposed on its exports.

On Monday, the Productivity Commission released modelling that projected Australia could enjoy a small economic benefit from Mr Trump's tariffs.

But the commission also warned that an escalating global trade war would be "very bad for Australia".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/donald-trump-tariffs-copper-pharmaceutical-imports/105509914

PBS ‘not on the table’ in battle for pharmaceutical tariff exemption, despite lobbying

The threat of global 200 per cent tariffs on pharmaceutical products presents a challenge to Australia’s drug subsidy scheme after foreign lobbyists pushed for it to be leveraged in trade negotiations.

JAMES DOWLING - 9 July 2025

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US President Donald Trump has threatened to expand his sweeping global trade war by pushing tariffs on pharmaceutical products as high as 200 per cent, raising fears for the future of Australia’s cheap medicines.

The tariff threats follow aggressive lobbying by the US pharmaceutical industry explicitly targeting Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – with pharmaceutical giants hoping to “leverage ongoing trade negotiations” against the PBS.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers reassured the nation on Wednesday that the PBS was “not on the table” in any bilateral negotiations with the US but markets are nervous and uncertainty is rife.

Tariffs threatened

Mr Trump floated the potential tariff to reporters at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday amid broader discussion of his nation-specific global tariffs, setting a zero-exemption August 1 deadline ahead of the reintroduction of his “Liberation Day” tariffs on July 9.

“We will be announcing something very soon on pharmaceuticals,” he said.

There would be a grace period of up to 1½ years to give companies time to adjust their supply chains, he said, but once instituted the tariff rate could range as high as 200 per cent. It would drastically shift the balance of trade with Australia’s largest pharmaceutical importer, meaning Australia and local companies would find little appetite for their products, while patients remained reliant on American imports.

Lobbyists attack PBS

Australia has been targeted aggressively by the US pharmaceutical lobby since the appointment of the Trump administration over accusations that the PBS has undervalued US products and stymied innovation.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) group urged Mr Trump to pull the PBS into tariff negotiations and drive up Australian pharmaceutical prices in the process.

PhRMA said in a January submission to the US trade review that US companies were the “constant target of compulsory licensing and other harmful practices” by Australia and the PBS.

“Biopharmaceutical innovators in the US face a wide array of damaging government pricing policies abroad,” it wrote.

PhRMA’s submission placed Australia and four other jurisdictions, including the EU, on a “watch list” for the Trump administration to consider; a further 19 countries, including Canada, were placed on a “priority watch list”.

“Australia undervalues new innovative medicines by setting prices based on older inferior medicines and generics, and through use of low and outdated monetary thresholds per year of life gained from clinically proven treatments,” PhRMA said more recently.

“In addition, government assessments often restrict access to a small subset of the patient population for which the regulator determines the product to be safe and effective and additionally create considerable patient access delays through unnecessary data requirements and other administrative hurdles.”

Given the relatively small market Australia presents to global pharmaceutical corporations, the competitiveness of negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee – which evaluates and negotiates which drugs should be on the PBS – has been a point of constant friction.

The Australian pharmaceutical industry

The US makes up about 40 per cent of Australia’s pharmaceutical export share, more than double our next largest customer, New Zealand. Australia is a far bigger pharmaceutical importer than exporter and takes about 20 per cent of its drugs from the US.

A shock to prices bilaterally could up-end deals forged under the PBS and drive up prices for vulnerable patients accessing new treatments outside of the subsidised system.

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Markets

Shares in Australian biotech giant CSL were down 0.3 per cent to $245.22 before midday on Wednesday.

While CSL has manufacturing facilities in the US, some of its vaccines and blood plasma products are imported into the country and may be hit by the levies unless it is able to get an exemption.

“We are aware of recent remarks by President Trump about potential tariffs on pharmaceuticals. We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” a CSL spokesman told The Australian.

By 11am, the ASX 200 index slipped 0.5 per cent to 8551.2 points, on track for its worst day in seven weeks and its lowest daily close so far in July.

The PBS

The PBS, which subsidises the cost of some drugs, is a nearly $18bn scheme providing 930 different medicines at a universal discount rate to Medicare card holders.

In the 2024 financial year the pharmaceutical industry collectively paid back more than $5.3bn in rebates to the Australian government, nearly 30 per cent of the total cost of the PBS.

While a drug technically will be available nationally after approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, it will retail at the price set by its producer, often costing hundreds or thousands of dollars per dose, and is often geographically constrained.

For the federal government to consider subsidising a drug, it must be approved for the PBS.

Drugs included on the PBS are subsidised by the government, with the patient making a capped co-payment. Most of the medications are dispensed by a pharmacist and intended for use by a patient at home.

The role of the PBAC is to recommend which medications should be listed on the PBS, and no new medication can make it on to the list without being recommended by the group.

‘Most Favoured Nation’

Independent of PhRMA lobbying, Mr Trump’s May 12 “Most Favoured Nation” executive order has left a question mark over the future of the PBS.

Under the proposal, the US would refuse to accept medicine prices higher than those overseas, forcing companies to give Americans their best rate or bring foreign prices in line.

It threatens to dissuade companies from marketing in Australia because of competitive domestic price negotiations if it could impede on their US negotiations.

Given the American pharmaceutical industry’s contentious relationship with Australia, it provides further reason for them to avoid selling here altogether – simplifying their American negotiations in the process.

PBS ‘not on the table’

The PBS was a centrepiece of Anthony Albanese’s election campaign, during which he pledged to reduce the maximum price of all PBS-listed medications from $31.60 to $25 by the end of the year.

The Prime Minister told the National Press Club in June “the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the media bargaining code, our biosecurity in agriculture – they’re not on the table (for trade negotiations) as far as we’re concerned”.

Threats to medicine

Before the election of Mr Trump, the PBS was facing accusations of mismanagement over concerns it could not meet demand, had an inflexible administrative style and was leaving patients in limbo because of protracted waiting times on decisions.

The Albanese government conceded it was unfit for purpose, having commissioned three assessments in recent years.

The most recent was the Health Technology Assessment review, which provided 50 possible reforms, including a potential bridging fund to drive affordability during protracted evaluation periods.

From November 2024, an investigative series by The Australian found the PBAC was teetering on the brink of an administrative meltdown.

A series of private communications between the PBS, the Health Department and drug companies whose products were affected showed 45 drug decisions had been pushed from the agenda of a thrice-yearly PBS meeting.

The Health Department estimates the PBAC will require years of work to reform, all the while being battered by a rising rate of submissions routinely beyond capacity.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/medical/pbs-not-on-the-table-in-battle-for-pharmaceutical-tariff-exemption-despite-lobbying/news-story/3f4c17a4aa1fbce7bb5bef73e870a4d6

>>23099153 (pb)

Top brass in danger as ADF faces overhaul

BEN PACKHAM - 8 July 2025

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Dozens of senior ADF officers and Defence public servants are facing the chop as Richard Marles prepares to roll out sweeping reforms amid ongoing tension over budget blowouts and delays in getting new weapons and equipment into service.

Up to 25 star-ranked Australian Defence Force commanders could be forced out in the “everything’s on the table” overhaul, while 20 to 40 senior public service positions could be cut.

The government is also considering the creation of a new armaments directorate that would roll together the department’s vast and underperforming Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group with its Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise, and the Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Group.

Mr Marles, the Defence Minister, flagged the reforms last month, saying the department needed to be “fit for purpose”.

The overhaul comes as the Defence budget is stretched to the limit by the AUKUS submarine program and new frigate projects, sparking warnings of a hollowed-out force with scarce munitions and a shortage of critical capabilities, including missile defence systems and long-range weapons.

At the same time, the government is refusing to lift defence spending from 2 per cent of GDP to the 3.5 percent demanded by the Trump administration.

Mr Marles’ office declined to provide details of his reform plan when approached by The Australian, while a senior government source said the extent of the personnel cuts was yet to be finalised.

The reduction in senior officers and department executives is likely to be achieved through attrition and severance packages.

The ADF is one of the most top-heavy militaries in the world, with one study revealing Australian star-ranked officers are responsible for 11 times fewer personnel than their US counterparts. Multiple sources said internal discussions on the reforms warned star-ranked officer numbers could be slashed by 10 per cent, while even deeper cuts were being considered for the department’s senior executives.

They said the changes were aimed at sharpening the accountability of senior decision-makers and getting people with the right skills into the right roles.

Mr Marles has become increasingly frustrated with his department over its ability to deliver on the government’s plans to transform the ADF into a modern force capable of projecting power over long distances.

The tensions were underscored by a recent Auditor-General’s report that revealed Defence failed for nearly 2½ years to provide formal updates to Mr Marles on the readiness of the army, air force and navy.

(continued)

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Flagging the reforms at The Australian’s Defending Australia Summit last month, the Defence Minister said his department needed to lift its game. “Delivery is fundamental to what we must achieve,” he said. “And so, in ensuring that it is fit for purpose, I say today that everything’s on the table, including bureaucratic reform of the Department of Defence, of the Australian Defence Force and of defence agencies.”

Weeks earlier, the Chief of the Defence Force, David Johnston, said the department was “fully expending” its budget, and he was providing “frank advice” to the government ahead of its next round of defence funding decisions due next year.

Admiral Johnston has about 12 months to run of a two-year term, while Defence secretary Greg Moriarty – who has served nearly eight years in the role – has just over two years to go on his contract. One former senior commander said the reforms needed to start at the top.

“The secretary has been there forever. All he has done is managed chaos. What are his KPIs?

“If delivering results is a measure of leadership, his leadership seems unsustainable.”

The former commander said the reform agenda was a make-or-break moment for the minister. “They keep changing structures, but those decisions almost never translate into provable, measurable performance improvements.

“It has to be about efficiency and effectiveness. It can’t be about just pouring more money into the same system.”

The government has a 25-year plan to re-equip the ADF with new submarines, warships, armoured vehicles and missiles, but the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has warned its “business as usual” defence budget risks creating a “paper ADF” that is ill-prepared for near-term conflict.

The navy’s combat fleet is its smallest and oldest in decades, its two replenishment ships are out of action with drive-train problems, and its two landing helicopter docks are – according to the Auditor-General – still riddled with defects a decade after they entered service.

There are also concerns over the six Collins-class submarines, which are nearing the end of their operational lives.

Meanwhile, the force is facing a recruiting and retention crisis that has left it understrength by 5000 personnel, with the shortages most acute in key technical and engineering roles.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/top-brass-in-danger-as-adf-faces-overhaul/news-story/469add05ace44754c6fe28284aa009d2

>>23145527 (pb)

>>23212894 (pb)

Giggle v Tickle: Courtroom sequel in clash over women-only spaces

STEPHEN RICE - July 08, 2025

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A ruling that a transgender woman was discriminated against when rejected from a female-only networking app is set to be challenged on the grounds that the judge failed to consider that the platform was designed to overcome the real disadvantages faced by biological women.

Sall Grover, creator of the Giggle for Girls app, has lodged an appeal seeking to overturn last year’s Federal Court ruling that she unlawfully discriminated against Roxanne Tickle, a biological male who identifies as a woman, by barring her from the app.

The finding by judge Robert Bromwich that “sex is changeable” and non-binary caused some shockwaves around the country, with some legal experts arguing it would make it impossible to exclude men from any female spaces if they claimed to be women.

Ms Tickle, who underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2019, was accepted into the app in February 2021 after an analysis of a “selfie” by Giggle’s third-party artificial intelligence tool, but was later blocked when Ms Grover surveyed the image herself.

Justice Bromwich found that Ms Grover had indirectly, but not directly, discriminated against Ms Tickle when she removed her from the app because she did not look sufficiently female, and ordered her to pay Ms Tickle $10,000, as well as her legal costs.

Ms Grover’s appeal will be heard over four days in August in the Full Court of the Federal Court, before justices Melissa Perry, Geoffrey Kennett and Wendy Abraham.

In a reflection of the extraordinary legal significance of the case, the court has granted leave to both the Sex Discrimination Commissioner and the Lesbian Action Group to intervene in the appeal.

Each side has recruited heavyweight legal teams, with Ms Grover represented by Sydney silk Noel Hutley, while Victorian Bar Council member Georgina Costello is likely to appear for Ms Tickle.

While much of Ms Tickle’s legal work has been done pro bono, Ms Grover has had to fund her own case through her Giggle crowd-funding website.

Ms Grover’s appeal team will claim that Justice Bromwich failed to consider the broader context of the Sex Discrimination Act, arguing that the app’s female-only policy was a special measure intended to address the unique disadvantages faced by women in digital spaces, and thus should not be considered discriminatory.

Ms Grover said her own experience of sexual abuse and trauma recovery underscored for her the importance of female-only support environments and led directly to the app’s creation.

“These are not abstract concerns,” she says in her appeal submission, obtained by The Australian. “They represent real, lived disadvantage occasioned by female biological or physiological differences.”

(continued)

>>23299470

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The case last year before Justice Bromwich was the first time an allegation of gender identity discrimination had been heard by the Federal Court following changes to the Sex Discrimination Act in 2013, which made it unlawful to discriminate against a person on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.

The core of Ms Grover’s appeal is that the act allows “special measures” – taken for the purpose of “achieving substantive equality” – which do not amount to discrimination under the law.

Those measures would include the Giggle app, which can be directed to a “defined subset such as females or those with physical attributes that gives rise to a perception that they are female”, she says.

The submission notes that while the 2013 amendments to the act repealed the definitions of “man” and “woman”, those terms continue to appear throughout the legislation “in a biological context” and “in a manner that presupposes biological sex”.

Justice Bromwich had described “indirect discrimination” as the imposition of a condition that is likely to disadvantage a person relative to another person who has a different gender identity.

Ms Grover argues in her appeal that if the Giggle app did impose a condition, it was reasonable under the circumstances. Any disadvantage to Ms Tickle – who had barely engaged with the platform before being excluded – was limited.

Ms Grover told The Australian she was confident her appeal would succeed.

“This person is clearly a male person,” she said. “He can call himself whatever he wants, he can wear whatever he wants. It’s only mine or anyone else’s business if we’re being forced to believe something that really isn’t true – and that’s my problem with it.”

She said her life and business had been at a standstill since Justice Bromwich’s decision.

“My professional life has been completely put on hold, and my days are instead spent focusing on raising the money to pay for the case,” she said.

Ms Grover estimates the case will have cost $1.5m by the end of the Federal Court appeal, and another $1.5m if it goes to the High Court.

“We could be looking at $3m … spent just to establish that women can have female-only spaces,” she said.

“It’s absurd, but I’m an eternal optimist and I think in the end truth always wins.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/giggle-v-tickle-courtroom-sequel-in-clash-over-womenonly-spaces/news-story/5ec4723bff1514b14fe905e22baf81c9

https://qresear.ch/?q=Roxanne+Tickle

>>23186853 (pb)

USS America and other foreign battle ships head to town ahead of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025

One of the US Navy’s largest amphibious assault ships has been spotted off the coast of Queensland on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the start of the Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Jodie Munro O'Brien - July 9, 2025

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One of the US Navy’s largest amphibious assault ships has been spotted off the coast of Queensland during what is likely its final visit to Australia.

The USS America has been carrying out training drills off the coast of Shoalwater Bay, outside of Rockhampton in Central Queensland for the past week, ahead of the start of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 on Sunday.

Sunshine Coast based photographer Doug Bazley of Bluey’s Photography, spotted the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet’s America Strike Group off the coast of Caloundra just after midday Wednesday on its way into Brisbane.

“It’s always exciting to see the Navy, whether it be American or Australian,” he said.

“It’s always a thrill to see an aircraft carrier, you could see all the choppers and aircraft on board.

“Everybody is always so excited to see them come past, it’s a spectacle because they’re so close here at Caloundra.

“We don’t see them often, so it always gets people out on the balcony or footpath snapping at them.”

More than 30,000 military personnel from a record 23 countries – including observer nations – are expected to take part in TS25 which is scheduled to be held throughout Queensland, parts of Australia and – for the first time – in Papua New Guinea, from July 13 to August 4.

It is the third time in six years the USS America, which carries fighter jets and tiltrotor aircraft such as MV22-Ospreys, has visited Queensland for Talisman Sabre.

The crew of about 3000 US sailors and Marines, from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, were not permitted to leave the ship during its first visit to the Sunshine State in 2021 due to the then-ongoing Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

The 257m-long landing helicopter assault (LHA 6)-class vessel, is designed to accommodate the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters – or stealth multirole combat jets – as well as a combination of rescue, combat and support helicopters including MV22 Ospreys, CH-53E Super Stallions, AH-1Z Super Cobra and UH-1Y Venom aircraft.

A detachment from the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242 is also on board.

The USS America, along with the USS Rushmore and USS Sand Diego, stopped into Sydney for a port visit in June.

The lead ship of the Seventh Fleet’s Amphibious Ready Group has been operating mostly off the coast of Queensland since leaving Sydney.

Based in Sasebo, Japan since 2019, the USS America is scheduled to return to the US, to Naval Base San Diego in California.

Its replacement in Japan, the USS Tripoli, arrived in Sasebo in late June.

(continued)

>>23299504

2/2

The USS America is among the first of more than 20 Australian and foreign war ships that have started arriving in Queensland and around Australia in preparation for TS25, the largest military training exercise in the southern hemisphere bilaterally designed between the ADF and US.

It is among the first of a handful of ships and other maritime vessels that have been spotted off the coast of Queensland in the past couple of weeks.

Others have included Royal Australian Navy submarine, the HMAS Farncomb, which quietly slipped into Brisbane between 9am-10.30am on July 4.

Usually based at Fleet Base West on Garden Island, outside of Perth, in Western Australia, the HMAS Farncomb is one of the RAN’s six Collins Class submarines.

The Republic of Korea Navy’s 14,5000-tonne ROKS Marado amphibious assault ship also visited the Port of Gladstone recently.

Commissioned in 2021 the 199.4m long Dokdo-class Landing Platform Helicopter ship is one of the South Korean Navy’s largest warships.

The ROKS Marado can carry a minimum of 330 sailors, a battalion of up to 720 Marines and different types of helicopters, including two MV-22 Ospreys.

It is the third time the South Korean, or ROK Forces, have participated after first doing so during TS21.

Some of the ROK sailors and Marines are also on board the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class guided missile destroyer, the 4,500-tonne ROKS Wang Geon, which can carry about 200 personnel on board.

It is the fourth time the 150m longship has participated in Talisman Sabre, including being present as an observer only during Talisman Sabre 2019.

This year, the Australian Defence Force’s largest bilaterally-led, combined training exercise with the United States will see 19 allied nations actively participating in the mock war games, with another four nations attending as observers, making it the largest multinational military training exercise in the southern hemisphere for the second time.

Now in its 11th iteration, Exercise Talisman Sabre started in 2005 as a bilateral training exercise between only the ADF and US militaries.

The training was then-mostly contained to the ADF’s 454,500 hectare Shoalwater Bay training area in Byfield, about 80km north of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, as well as in adjacent maritime and airspace areas of the Coral Sea.

The Courier Mail understands this year’s Talisman Sabre will see up to 30 Australian and foreign Navy ships, submarines and other support vessels, along with about 70 different types of aircraft.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/uss-america-and-other-foreign-battle-ships-head-to-town-ahead-of-exercise-talisman-sabre-2025/news-story/35e2554e892189e0f3dd57fb3f710325

https://www.facebook.com/blueyspix/photos

https://qresear.ch/?q=Talisman+Sabre

>Talisman Sabre

MAGIC SWORD

https://''qalerts.pub/?q=Operation+Specialists''

https://''qalerts.pub/?q=magic''

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Countdown is on!

Less than one week ‘til Talisman Sabre 2025.

#TS25 #TalismanSabre2025 #YourADF

https://x.com/TalismanSabre/status/1942746555762565306

Super duper fucked country

https://x.com/disclosetv/status/1943131126710538532

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 10, 2025, 3:55 a.m. No.23304704 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4706

>>23299419

Trump serves Australia $3bn dose of bad medicine

MATTHEW CRANSTON - 9 July 2025

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Donald Trump’s move to ramp up tariffs on medicines and copper has sparked alarm among government and business leaders, amid fears the US President’s latest trade war will smash the local drug industry, stripping nearly $3bn from the economy.

But the chairman of the country’s biggest drugs manufacturer says the White House’s concerns over the nation’s Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme are not unreasonable and the Albanese government has room to negotiate with Mr Trump.

Mr Trump warned on Wednesday (AEST) there would be no more extensions on tariffs past a new August 1 deadline as he unveiled a 50 per cent hit on copper imports and threatened a 200 per cent duty on pharmaceuticals after a grace period of a year to 18 months.

Reserve Bank deputy governor Andrew Hauser said staff at the central bank were watching Mr Trump’s tariff manoeuvres like “hawks” and that the effects on Australia could be profound.

“How worried are we about it? We are very, very focused on it. The level of uncertainty is clearly elevated and the implications … for a global trading economy like Australia, of these fundamental changes, are very profound,” he told a conference in Sydney.

Mr Trump’s proposed tariff on pharmaceuticals is estimated by analysts at investment bank Barclays to likely cost Australia $2.8bn through both direct impacts on economic activity, exports to the US and via intermediate goods exports to countries that use them in production of drugs also hit by the tariffs.

“We’re going to give (drug manufacturers) about a year, a year and a half, to come in, and after that they’re going to be tariffed,” Mr Trump said in the Oval Office.

“They’re going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200 per cent. We’ll give them a certain period of time to get their act together.”

Jim Chalmers expressed alarm, saying the government was urgently seeking further details from the US. “These are obviously very concerning developments,” the Treasurer said.

He said Australia’s pharmaceutical sector was “much more exposed” to the US market, but reiterated the government would not sacrifice the nation’s PBS to do a deal with the Trump administration. “We see the PBS as a fundamental part of healthcare in Australia. We’re not willing to compromise the PBS,” Dr Chalmers said.

But CSL chairman Brian McNamee urged the Albanese government to make the PBS more efficient and allow innovative American drugs into Australia faster, saying the nation benefits as much from US innovation in medicines as it does from the protection the nation gets from the Pentagon’s defence spending in the Indo-Pacific.

“I don’t think America’s demand is an unreasonable demand. I don’t think the US is trying to tear the PBS down,” Mr McNamee said.

“Americans have allowed their companies to maximise drug innovation and sell to other countries. Other countries benefit from that and are using the free-rider system. I think this is the same as defence.

“I think Australia could accelerate the system for approvals and the mechanism for pricing of innovative new drugs, but it does come at a cost. You need to make a contribution.”

The US is Australia’s biggest pharmaceutical export market, accounting for 38 per cent of total Australian pharmaceutical exports. Blood products make up about 90 per cent of the trade.

Australia’s pharmaceutical exports to the US were valued at $2.06bn in 2024, accounting for 9 per cent of the nation’s total goods sold into the American market.

US lobbyists at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) have urged Mr Trump to “leverage ongoing trade negotiations” as a tool for reworking the PBS and raising Australian drug prices.

Medicines Australia chief executive Liz de Somer — representing Australia’s pharmaceutical producers — opposed the institution of tariffs and any threat by the Trump administration to the PBS.

An untested executive order by Mr Trump, dubbed the “Most Favoured Nation” order, also leaves open the threat that international producers could hike up Australian prices or pull their products. Under the proposal, the US would refuse to accept medicine prices higher than those overseas, forcing companies to either give Americans their best rate or bring foreign prices in line.

“We don’t want to overreact to the announcement, but being very clear, the industry in Australia opposes tariffs being applied to pharmaceutical manufacturing,” Ms de Somer said.

(continued)

>>23304704

2/2

Sussan Ley said the tariff announcement was “yet another warning signal for the Prime Minister to step up his engagement with the President”, who Anthony Albanese is yet to meet in person. “Given we are going to see more global trade shocks we need the Albanese government to step up its efforts to find new international markets for Australian exports, like we did in government,” the Opposition Leader said. “In our first term alone we ratified major free-trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea. These markets underpin Aussie jobs.”

Economists and miners said the copper tariff could put upward pressure on prices, jeopardising the rollout of renewable energy, for which copper is a critical component, but it could also help some projects in America and Australia proceed and build self-reliance away from a dependence on Chinese production.

Dr Chalmers said Australia’s copper exports to the US were relatively small, accounting for 1 per cent of the nation’s total exports of the commodity. Benchmark Minerals puts Australia’s exports of copper to the US at just $75m out of $11bn total exports.

The head of macro and strategy at fund manager Yarra Capital Management, Tim Toohey, said the move by the US was part of Trump administration’s efforts to build self-reliance on critical minerals, but that higher prices could hurt the speed of the renewable energy rollout in the short to medium term.

“The knee-jerk reaction from the tariff on copper is that it will increase the price of carbon reduction and it would slow the progress towards net zero,” Mr Toohey said. “And that’s for the same in Australia too.

“But the aim is to make sure the US is self-reliant. They want to make more production in the US and have more control over it and if that increases inflation in the short term then so be it.”

The Minerals Council of Australia said the copper tariff would disrupt global trade, undermine investment confidence, and increase costs for consumers, including those in the US.

“While Australia’s direct copper exports to the US are limited, trade restrictions imposed on other key trading partners have the potential of disrupting global supply chains, increasing costs, and creating uncertainty for Australian exporters,” MCA chief executive Tania Constable said.

She said as a stable and secure supplier of minerals, Australia had an opportunity to deepen mineral supplies through trade partnerships, expanding export markets, and reinforcing its position in global supply chains.

“That means continuing to position Australia as a trusted, low-risk partner for critical minerals and resources,” Ms Constable said.

The latest developments come amid a sense of resignation among senior government figures that Australian exporters are likely to continue to face a 10 per cent “reciprocal” tariff when Mr Trump finalises his new rates on Thursday. Senior government figures have been told by the US that Australia is unlikely to do any better than the baseline tariff, which will be the minimum applied to any country and would leave Australia no worse off than its trading rivals.

It’s unclear what ongoing duties Australian steel and aluminium producers will face, with metals exporters currently enduring a 50 per cent tariff for exports to the US. Policymakers are more concerned Australia could be caught up in any wider economic fallout from the reciprocal tariff decision, with the higher rates set to take effect on August 1.

“There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change,” Mr Trump said on social media, a day after signing an executive order that changed the date from July 9.

Dr Chalmers said: “These escalating trade tensions around the world in recent months are a substantial concern to us and for two reasons: one, the direct impact on our industries, our workers, our businesses.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/albanese-should-consider-tweaks-to-pbs-to-avoid-trump-tariff-csl-chair/news-story/6eea07163947ab9ddac1b10fa5e51ec6

>>23293950

Plan to tackle antisemitism: Funding threats for unis, school curriculum changes in bid to change ‘dangerous trajectory’

Olivia Ireland and Jessica McSweeney - July 10, 2025

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Universities will be rated on how they have cracked down on anti-Jewish hate, social media sites forced to combat racist trolls and teaching the Holocaust mandated in the national school curriculum under a sweeping blueprint put forward by the country’s first special envoy on antisemitism.

Funding would be stripped from educational institutions, cultural events and charities that fail to address antisemitism if the government agrees to enact the full plan delivered by Jillian Segal to address a series of antisemitic incidents, including arson attacks.

The recommendations would embed a controversial definition of antisemitism in Australian institutions and pose a challenge for the Albanese government, which has promised to protect Jewish Australians while safeguarding free speech.

Segal said antisemitism had become ingrained in academic and cultural institutions and flourished on social media. “We need to resolve this urgently,” Segal said in her report. “We are on a dangerous trajectory where young people raised on a diet of disinformation and misinformation about Jews today risk becoming fully fledged antisemites tomorrow.”

The report, released by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese alongside Segal on Thursday, sparked mixed reactions: praise from mainstream Jewish groups, and concern from legal figures and Palestinian activists who cautioned it could undermine democratic freedoms.

Segal told this masthead that she would be a realist about changes to her recommendations but echoed calls from Albanese for the country to discuss it in good faith.

“The plan has to evolve, it’s ambitious,” Segal said. “This, unfortunately, is no silver bullet, and it needs support rather than people reacting that it’s bad and dangerous.”

Albanese said the government had already implemented some of Segal’s recommendations, would move quickly on others and consider the rest. But he did not specify which recommendations were in which category.

“I don’t want this to be partisan,” Albanese said. “I want everyone to say: ‘yep, might not agree with absolutely everything in here, but it’s something we can work with’.”

The opposition welcomed Segal’s plan and said the government should implement it. “Fighting the tidal wave of antisemitism cannot be left to the envoy alone,” shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser said. “It needs the prime minister’s commitment, not just to hear the envoy’s advocacy, but to action her policies.”

Segal’s report was created in response to a wave of antisemitic incidents in the last year, the latest an alleged arson attack at a Melbourne synagogue last week, similar to a firebombing of a childcare centre daubed with anti-Jewish graffiti in Sydney’s east in January.

It contains calls for more security but focuses on the educational and cultural spheres. Some Jewish students have said they felt unsafe around protest encampments at universities that sprang up after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Attendees have felt similar fears at festivals with pro-Palestinian speakers.

The report says people with antisemitic views should be barred from Australia, and charities that promote antisemitism should be denied the ability to receive tax-deductible gifts.

It also has a recommendation to put Holocaust and antisemitism education in the national school curriculum, and another for the envoy to monitor media organisations “to encourage accurate, fair and responsible reporting.”

It further states the media should be pushed to meet editorial standards, commitment to impartiality and balance, and “to avoid accepting false or distorted narratives”.

Cultural institutions, police, judges and public servants would be educated about antisemitism, and the envoy would push to establish agreed guidelines for festivals and arts organisations to respond to incidents.

(continued)

>>23304723

2/2

Segal confirmed she would publish report cards on universities’ progress on addressing antisemitism, but argued it was not a move to punish institutions.

“It’s more like a carrot [similar to] when a student does really well in English but bad in maths,” she said.

Her report recommends that Australian governments should require all public institutions to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism.

The definition has been embraced by Jewish groups and some parts of the Australian government for its clarity and breadth, but attacked by critics, who argue it stifles free speech and conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

Colin Rubenstein of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, a longstanding pro-Zionist group, said report was vital, especially at a time of heightened antisemitism.

“Hopefully, the government will consider the report as quickly as possible and adopt its recommendations in full,” Rubenstein said. “The heightened antisemitism crisis in this country has now persisted for some 21 months, at terrible costs to national social cohesion, so there is no time to waste.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said he would be watching “with great eagerness” to make sure police, governments and institutions follow through on the recommendations in the plan.

The Jewish Council of Australia, a left-wing organisation formed last year, said the report “risks undermining Australia’s democratic freedoms, inflaming community divisions, and entrenching selective approaches to racism that serve political agendas.”

Barrister Greg Barns, SC, spokesman for the Australian Lawyers Alliance, said the recommendations threatened freedom of speech and could result in “Draconian penalties”.

Albanese said people could express contrary views on Israel and conflict in the Middle East without resorting to racism.

“Where the line has been crossed is in blaming and identifying people because they happen to be Jewish,” Albanese said.

He cited a woman who was interviewed on the ABC last week, who appeared to justify an incident last week in Melbourne when about 20 people stormed through Israeli-Australian restaurant Miznon, breaking a window, throwing food and overturning tables.

“I saw on the ABC the other night, a woman who participated in the trashing and violence that occurred at the restaurant in Melbourne [was] justifying that. There is no justification for that whatsoever,” he said.

An eminent lawyer and businesswoman, Segal was appointed as Australia’s first special envoy on antisemitism in July last year.

Segal pledged to take on antisemitism posted to social media sites, which she and Albanese said was rampant.

“It’s an ongoing piece of work but it is work that has to be done by each country, but also by countries coming together,” she said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/landmark-antisemitism-report-demands-change-from-universities-media-20250710-p5mdve.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kseP7NU9FdE

https://www.aseca.gov.au/news/article/special-envoys-plan-combat-antisemitism

>>23283300

Gaza woman living in Sydney detained in pre-dawn raid following ASIO security risk ruling

A rally has sprung up at Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s office after the alleged detention of a woman from Gaza living in Sydney.

A 61-year-old grandmother from Gaza has been detained following a pre-dawn raid on her Bankstown home after she was deemed a security risk by ASIO.

Maha Almassri, 61, was taken to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre on Thursday, with a Department of Home Affairs letter seen by The Daily Telegraph stating her bridging visa was cancelled on Wednesday as she had failed the visa’s “character test”.

The document states the department was “provided with an Adverse Security Assessment” by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which said the agency “assessed Ms Almassri to be directly or indirectly a risk to security”.

The document said “taking into account the above information”, Ms Almassri “does not pass the character test” – a claim fiercely denied by her family, who launched a snap rally outside Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s office where other protesters chanted “death, death to the IDF”.

The same day, the Albanese government’s envoy to combat anti-Semitism released an overarching plan to deal with the issue, including the potential to screen visa applicants for anti-Semitic views and work to ensure the Migration Act “effectively facilitates visa refusals or cancellations for anti-Semitic conduct and rhetoric”.

The reasons for Ms Almassri’s detention are not known and there is no suggestion that she holds anti-Semitic views.

A crowd of about 50 protesters, including Ms Almassri’s daughter Albatoul and four year-old granddaughter Laila, gathered outside Mr Burke’s Punchbowl office hours after the raid with keffiyehs and Palestinian flags, pledging to camp outside until the 61-year-old was freed.

Albatoul, who looked sombre during the protest, said her mother had arrived in Australia in February 2024, after visiting relatives in Saudi Arabia and being denied re-entry to Gaza.

Ms Almassri’s brother-in-law Soliman Almassri said “no explanation” had been given for her detention, that she was “sick” and “traumatised” after a family member was killed and her Gaza home destroyed in the conflict there.

“She’s an old lady, there’s no reason … what threat to security are they talking about,” Mr Almassri said.

Police watched on as community members chanted “Tony Burke, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide”, and “Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism”.

There’s no suggestion of wrongdoing by family members or supporters who attended the rally.

A spokesman for Mr Burke said, “The government will not be commenting on this cancellation”.

“Any information in the public domain is being supplied by the individual and is not necessarily consistent with the information supplied by our intelligence and security agencies,” he said.

“The Australian government doesn’t stop investigating new information about a visa-holder just because they are onshore.

“Our security checks never stop and this cancellation is proof the system is working.

“There is nothing more important to this government than the safety of the Australian community.”

The documents state the visa cancellation was “personally” decided by Assistant Immigration Minister Julian Hill, who was contacted for comment.

It’s understood the decision to revoke the visa could be judicially reviewed through the federal or high courts.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/gaza-woman-living-in-sydney-detained-in-predawn-raid/news-story/1ec533132bde633052bf59a46d26e5c0

Foreign minister promises Asian nations Australia will remain a 'reliable' partner with open markets

Stephen Dziedzic - 10 July 2025

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has promised South-East Asian nations that Australia will be a "reliable" partner with open markets, as the region grapples with the Trump administration's aid cuts and tariff threats.

Senator Wong also criticised China's aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea and its military build-up, warning the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) that Beijing is intent on changing the balance of power in Asia.

Foreign ministers from the ten-member ASEAN have gathered in Kuala Lumpur for an annual meeting, along with top officials from other countries, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The Trump administration has threatened to hit multiple ASEAN countries with heavy tariffs if they don't strike new deals with the US, and anxieties over the economic fallout from the US president's trade agenda look set to dominate many of the discussions.

Senator Wong used a major speech at the conference to urge ASEAN nations to stand up for global rules and against coercion, while burnishing Australia's credentials as a "reliable partner on whom you can count".

The foreign minister did not directly criticise either Mr Trump's trade agenda or his massive cuts to USAID, but said Australia had moved quickly to fill some "unexpected funding gaps" in development in South-East Asia.

"We believe as partners and neighbours that we have a responsibility to contribute to a more equitable future for our region, and it's a responsibility that our government will not abandon," she said.

"And Australia's response to others reducing their funding has been to pivot and re-prioritise, ensuring we respond to the most acute needs."

Senator Wong said while the Trump administration envisaged a "different role" for America in the world, the US's presence in the region remained "critical" to stability.

She did not take aim at Mr Trump's protectionist agenda and trade threats, but drew an implicit contrast with the US by lauding Australia's move to dismantle tariff barriers in the 80s.

"Australia opened our economy to the region and the world long ago … I can assure you today that this will not change," she said.

She also sharply criticised China's massive military build-up and aggressive conduct in the South China Sea, saying Beijing was intent on shifting the balance of power in its favour.

"China continues to assert its strategic influence and project its military power further into our region," she said.

"And we have seen the worrying pace of China's nuclear and conventional military build-up, without the transparency that the region expects.

"We are realistic about China's objectives in changing the regional balance of power — and it is clear in China's public political discourse."

She also stressed that neither the US nor countries across the region sought military confrontation with China, reiterating her call for "a balance of power" in the region, "where no country dominates and no country is dominated".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-10/foreign-minister-penny-wong-asean-comments/105518328

https://x.com/SenatorWong/status/1943169815235182864

The Enemy Has Kept THIS Hidden from You - God is about to Reveal it!

https://youtu.be/t2ot0kdBglk

The Enemy Has Kept THIS Hidden from You - God is about to Reveal it!

https://youtu.be/t2ot0kdBglk

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 11, 2025, 2:54 a.m. No.23309418 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9419

>>22959474 (pb)

What really happened to Virginia Giuffre?

She took on Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, then died by suicide in April. For the first time, her family share diary entries, private messages and photos that reveal her secret battle with her husband

Josie Ensor, The Times - July 1 2025

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On March 30 Virginia Giuffre shared a photo on her Instagram page, showing her bruised and bloodied after a car crash outside her home in Australia.

“They’ve given me four days to live,” she wrote of her prognosis. “I’m ready to go.”

To the outside world, it appeared to be the latest in a series of tragedies to befall Virginia, who had accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually trafficking her to his high-profile friends, including Prince Andrew.

But her family understood the post for what it was: a desperate and final plea for help.

Three weeks later, on April 25, Virginia took her own life, alone on a ranch in remote scrubland north of Perth, aged 41.

Virginia’s family said little in the months that followed, even as media speculation and conspiracy theories swirled — that she had made up the crash, that her death had been ordered by influential people trying to silence her. Now, her relatives have decided to speak out in their first interview, to honour what they say were her last wishes.

“Her death was a terrible ending to this story, but there is a big part of it she never got to tell,” Amanda Roberts, the wife of Virginia’s younger brother, Sky Roberts, told The Times.

That story is one of abuse by those, like Epstein, who trafficked and exploited her. But it is also a story about a bitter battle with the person closest to her: her husband of 22 years and father of her three children, Robert Giuffre.

Amanda, using a nickname for Virginia, said: “Jenna may have fought battles with some of the most powerful men in the world, like Epstein and Prince Andrew, but what people didn’t understand was that [in her final days] the hardest battle of her life was at home.”

For the first time, Virginia’s family is sharing a diary she kept from the beginning of this year, in which she shares her memories of her marriage as it was breaking down, as well as photos, text messages and legal filings, in which she alleges that Robert was violent, abusive and “emotionally and physically controlling”.

Virginia claimed in her diary that her husband’s behaviour worsened as she became the face of the campaign to bring Epstein and others to justice. “The stronger I became, the scarier he became,” she wrote, accusing him of trying to stop her from “advocating for the victims of trafficking” and, in the final months, allegedly preventing her from seeing her children.

“What you have to know about Jenna is she was never afraid of any of these people,” Sky said. “She was ready to move on with her life, but she wanted that life to be with her kids.”

When contacted for comment, Robert’s attorney said that “the passing of the wife of Robert Giuffre and mother of their children is tragic”. But his counsel was unable to comment on specific allegations of abuse due to live proceedings in the Western Australia courts.

Meeting Robert

Born Virginia Lee Roberts, she experienced abuse at a young age when a family friend molested her aged seven.

She was spotted one day by Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell while working a summer job, aged 15, at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

Virginia described how she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” among the Epstein and Maxwell’s friends until she managed to escape, aged 19.

An aspiring masseuse, she had been sent by Epstein to Thailand for a course at the International Training Massage School. It was there, in 2002, that she met Robert, a 26-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) instructor from Australia.

Instead of returning to Epstein in New York, as she had promised, she ran away with Robert and they were married ten days later.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 11, 2025, 2:56 a.m. No.23309419 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9420

>>23309418

2/5

‘On the surface everything looked okay’

The couple welcomed their first child, Christian, in 2006. Noah arrived in spring the following year.

Virginia stayed at home to raise the children. Robert had odd jobs in construction. For years she was afraid to talk about her time with Epstein, even with her own family — until he was convicted for the sex trafficking of a minor in Florida in 2008.

One year later, Virginia sued Epstein — identifying herself only as Jane Doe 102 — accusing the financier of trafficking her between his homes in Palm Beach, New York and the US Virgin Islands.

She decided to waive her anonymity after the birth of her daughter Emily the following year and gave interviews about exactly what went on, turning what had been a local story into international news. Dini von Mueffling, Virginia’s public representative, told The Times: “Holding Emily as a newborn, she said to herself, ‘I need to do better for my daughter and for all the women out there who can’t fight’.”

The earliest alleged incident of domestic violence dates to that time. There is no record of a complaint by Virginia at the time.

In a text Virginia sent to von Mueffling in April this year, she alleged that:

Even when I had Emily in my arms as a baby, Rob was coming down off a 3-day bender and punched me in the face which dropped me to the floor and continuously kicking me in the stomach.

The couple spent those early years between Cairns — the northeast tip of Australia where Robert had grown up — and Colorado in the US, near Sky, 36, and Virginia’s half-brother, Danny Wilson, 46.

They stayed for a month in 2013 with Danny and his wife, Lanette. Danny claimed Robert was “volatile” and “erratic” during that visit, alleging Robert would start drinking on their porch each morning before they went to work. “Anything would set him off,” Danny alleged.

Sky and Amanda said they had always thought of Robert as “controlling” and short-tempered, but Virginia had not mentioned any physical abuse at the time. If she was ever having a bad day, she would say, “Oh, you know Robbie”, Sky said. When pressed about what exactly she meant, Virginia never offered anything more.

Two years later, Robert was arrested in Colorado for an alleged assault on Virginia that the couple kept private. The Times has seen a police record filed in Fremont County on June 3, 2015, against Robert, labelled with the case type “domestic violence”.

The criminal docket is sealed, but according to a civil lawsuit Virginia filed against Maxwell that same year, the couple “became involved in an argument over the welfare of the family dog … [Virginia] alleges she was assaulted by her husband as witnessed by at least one of their children”. According to the filing, Robert pleaded guilty to domestic violence and was placed on probation.

Public v private fight

In 2017 the family moved from the US back to Cairns, where they remained for three years before relocating to Perth. Virginia alleged in her journal, written this year, that Robert stopped working that year and had taken to drinking most days “from 8am to sometime in the pm”.

She claimed in her diary that he was drinking, and alleged that he had become violent when “consumed by jealousy”.

At the same time, Virginia’s lawyers filed another suit in Florida, claiming that Epstein had trafficked her to Prince Andrew.

She accused Epstein and Maxwell of forcing her to have sex with Andrew on at least three occasions in the early 2000s. He denied the allegations.

In November 2019, Andrew gave an interview to the BBC’s Emily Maitlis about his relationship to Epstein that was widely considered a PR disaster. What had been tabloid fodder mutated into a full-blown scandal, forcing the duke to step down from public duties.

Virginia, a 35-year-old sex-trafficking victim from Loxahatchee — a down-at-heel town in Florida which her brothers describe as “a place no one has heard of” — had toppled the Queen of England’s favourite son. Her family said she had always been “incredibly proud of herself” for that.

“When people told her ‘no’, or people told her they wouldn’t believe her, or that she was crazy, she would say ‘Watch me’,” Amanda said.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 11, 2025, 2:57 a.m. No.23309420 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9423

>>23309419

3/5

Back in Australia, meanwhile, Virginia claimed in her diary kept in her last months that her husband grew uncomfortable with the publicity her case was attracting.

“During this time, the world was getting to know Virginia,” Amanda said during a family trip to New York last month.

“She’s going public, filing lawsuits and I guess she sort of had to put on a face. She had become a spokesperson against sex trafficking and she was able to build that fight for all the other victims, but she wasn’t able to do that battle and the one at home at the same time.”

She was awarded millions of dollars over the years from settlement funds and civil lawsuits against Maxwell, the Epstein estate, Prince Andrew and the bank JP Morgan over its handling of Epstein’s finances. She received $10 million from the duke in 2022, and Queen Elizabeth is believed to have donated £2 million ($2.7 million) to Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (Soar), a charity Virginia had set up to campaign for survivors of sexual abuse.

Virginia alleged in her recent diary that Robert was no longer working and was “gambling away” their money “carelessly”.

The incident

Virginia’s family said she first broached the subject of divorce with Robert in August 2023. “We talked so many times about her leaving. She talked to us for years about being unhappy in their relationship,” Lanette said. “She told me, ‘I don’t love him any more’.”

The couple remained legally married but became estranged in 2024, living in separate houses. Virginia lived at the ranch in a town called Neergabby with her full-time carer, Cheryl, whom she had hired to help after suffering a debilitating back injury. Robert remained at the “marital home” in Ocean Reef 30 miles away.

Everything changed after an incident on January 9 this year, which Virginia and Robert have characterised very differently.

They had reunited at a rental house along the western Australian coast for their daughter Emily’s 15th birthday.

Over a FaceTime call the next day, Virginia told Sky and Amanda her account of the incident. According to Sky, Robert went into Virginia’s room and asked her for sex. When she told him no, Robert allegedly “started to call her names and got aggressive”. Sky said Virginia claimed he “punched her over and over”.

Sky claims said the incident aggravated existing injuries to her sternum and spine, which she had undergone extensive surgery to treat in 2023.

Sky shared a text Virginia sent her mother on January 10:

Fri, Jan10 at 5:55 AM

Mommy, pls call me when you're awake. Rob did it again, I'm in the hospital and I need your voice to help me calm down.

Fri, Jan10 at 10:21 AM

Trying to call please call me back when you can please love you honey love mom

In the days after the alleged assault, while Virginia was recovering at Royal Perth Hospital, she and Cheryl took photos of her injuries. They appear to show Virginia with a black eye and her face and chest bruised.

Both sides reported the incident to police in Western Australia. An investigator from the family violence investigation squad in Perth confirmed they had looked into the claims and that they had not charged either with any crime.

Robert filed a restraining order application against Virginia at the magistrates’ court while she was in hospital.

According to his account, he and Virginia had been talking and “the conversation led to an argument and then she started physically assaulting me with headbutts, punching and spitting. I was trying to protect myself by covering my face and as soon as I had the chance to flee I did.”

He alleged that she caused herself the injuries and that she was, and had been, mentally unstable.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 11, 2025, 2:59 a.m. No.23309423 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9425

>>23309420

4/5

In handwritten notes in the affidavit, he claimed that he was left with “scratches and bruising to head” and that he was “fearful my spouse will once again come assault and harass myself and my kids”.

He filed for temporary custody of their younger children — Noah, who was months away from turning 18, and Emily — which he was granted. Virginia was prohibited from seeing or contacting them for six months, in a decision that came as a shock to her and her family in the US.

During her FaceTime call with Sky, Virginia “opened up” about her alleged abuse, which she claimed had been taking place for some time.

“She’d gone through rough patches growing up and she would always protect me from all that stuff,” Sky said. “She played that protector role later in life too, but at this point it was beyond that.”

‘Mommy still loves you’

That night at the rental house was the last time Virginia saw her children.

Over the next two months, she tried to reach out to Emily. “She had sent Emily a link to a song they liked,” Sky said. She changed the names of the family’s shared Netflix and Amazon accounts to “Mommy still loves you” and “Mommy is here”, Sky said, in the hope the children would see the messages.

The family said they saw Virginia’s cryptic Instagram post on March 30 as “a way to reach her children” and “a desperate plea for help”.

The post was met with questions about Virginia’s reliability, whether she did — as she claimed — have four days to live, and whether the crash had even happened. “I reviewed the damage to [Virginia’s] car just because I’m an insurance adjuster myself and I was curious. It was very much damaged,” said Sky, who travelled to Australia to be with Virginia, concerned about her wellbeing:

“There are a very small number of people that know the overall scope of what happened,” Sky said. “You have people coming out, including my own dad, saying somebody did this to her. It’s insulting to me.”

The final days

“I've never seen my sister as physically broken down as she was then,” Sky said of the final three weeks they spent together. “She was really struggling, emotionally and physically. She could face a lot of things, but the idea of not seeing her children broke her.”

Despite that, Sky said he and Virginia had had “such a good day” the day before she took her life. “We had lunch and after that we tried on cowboy hats and went to a thrift store. We were just being silly, you know — she could be very silly.”

That night they went to bed and everything seemed normal, Sky said. The next day, he went to check on her. Hearing the sound of what he described as “meditation music” through her bedroom door, he decided to give her some space and left the house.

He called Cheryl to check she was with his sister, but she informed him that Virginia had told her to take the day off as it was Anzac Day, a national day of remembrance in Australia.

“We have always had this interconnected, twinsie thing and I just felt something was wrong,” Sky said, sobbing. He said he drove back to the house at about 8pm and knocked on her door. When Virginia did not answer, Sky tried to open it but found it locked.

He broke the door down and found her unconscious. He attempted resuscitation for 45 minutes before paramedics arrived and declared her dead. Her brother did not wish to go into detail on the manner of her death.

(continued)

>>23309423

5/5

Von Mueffling, who was keen to dispel any conspiracy theories that there may have been foul play, said: “She confided in me [in the weeks before her death] that she had planned to commit suicide, down to the method.” Von Mueffling counselled her against it and urged the brothers to go and be with her in Perth. “She was very clear that the pain was just too deep, she just couldn’t take it any more. It wasn’t a dramatic conversation, it was very matter of fact.”

Sky does not know why his sister picked that day, though Amanda believes she felt safe knowing her brother — one of the few men she ever really trusted — was there.

“It was a lot of things,” he said. “It was about to be Noah’s 18th birthday. That was very important to her and she knew she wouldn’t be there for that. They were her life.”

Because he remained her next of kin, Virginia’s body was released to Robert, who held a small private service for her in Perth. Her family said they were not invited.

In the months since, Amanda and Sky have taken up Virginia’s mantel with the charity Soar, campaigning across the US to help pass legislation to help protect the victims of abuse.

The pair and Danny got matching tattoos to remember their sister, or “Sissy”.

“I didn’t want this to end this way,” Sky said. “I didn’t want to have this big battle openly.

“But as a culture we are so quick to dismiss women experiencing violence, and we’ve got to stop doing that.”

https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/what-happened-virginia-giuffre-husband-family-epstein-zr2cxwrlh

https://archive.vn/TAJYH

https://www.instagram.com/virginiarobertsrising11/p/DH0vvDKzDvu/

https://x.com/Josiensor/status/1940392315388088416

https://x.com/JayShams/status/1940096033494647156

—

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/#4568

Anonymous ID: 8ca973 July 11, 2025, 3:07 a.m. No.23309434 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9442

I believe they organized crime networks have killed my father and his wife. This is the thing in this way… what do you do about this. When they have so much power that they can do anything they want and you live in constant fear of organized crime mafia.

I believe this is what has happened now that the intelligence network that are rouge have kidnapped my father and killed him and maybe his wife.

Anonymous ID: a29e54 July 11, 2025, 3:11 a.m. No.23309442 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9461

>>23309434

Note this is real and on going is the thing people can talk about whatever going on but the reality is I believe they no longer are around and they been replaced by doubles is the thing so if you say anything then they will all pretend you are crazy.

This is scam to human traffic me I believe and that they want to imply that they will kill my father and his wife if I do not play along.

So people want to talk about this other whit that is for years that is fake or not who knows or how about something going on now.

Welcome to my life that I deal with every day living in constant fear is the intelligence networks that have gone rouge and are doing this to my family. They make no secret that they have the police in their pocket and local government as well as the some military it seems.

So what do you do when you have no representation and the mob is doing this like this and you live in fear of saying anything. How is this even possible?

>>23309442

With not the other bs

Your Future Spouse is CLOSER THAN YOU THINK and God wants you to know THIS before they get to You!

https://youtu.be/bFK5dKfWpa4

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 1:23 a.m. No.23314308 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4324

Donald Trump nominates Sydney-born influencer Nick Adams as US ambassador to Malaysia

Brad Ryan and Phoebe Hosier - 11 July 2025

A Sydney councillor-turned-MAGA-influencer, who faced suspension from the Liberal Party after swearing at a TV journalist, has won Donald Trump's nomination to become US ambassador to Malaysia.

Nick Adams made headlines as a young deputy mayor on Sydney's Ashfield council with a proposal to eradicate the area's pigeons to prevent the spread of bird flu.

The party decided to suspend him after he was filmed verbally abusing a Channel Ten reporter covering his repeated absences from council meetings in 2009.

Mr Adams reportedly later said he quit before he was suspended.

More than 15 years later, now aged 40, he is an American citizen and MAGA commentator, self-branded as a Hooters-loving "alpha male" and "cultural thought leader".

Mr Trump described him as "an incredible patriot and very successful entrepreneur" who had "made it his life's mission to extol the virtues of American greatness".

After moving to the US, Mr Adams set up the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, a non-profit dedicated to instilling conservative values in children.

He advocates "patriotic boycotts" to punish the promotion of progressive values, with targets including Disney, Nike, the NBA, "feminist M&Ms" and "woke jezebel" Taylor Swift.

His X feed — where earnest passion can be difficult to distinguish from tongue-in-cheek trolling — is stacked with praise for Mr Trump, who Mr Adams describes as his favourite person.

Other posts list his "girlfriend material" preferences, including "does not interrupt me, ever" and "understands and supports my alpha male way of life".

Multiple tweets mention his love of diner chain Hooters, sometimes referred to as a "breastaurant" because of its shameless practice of hiring busty waitresses and dressing them in snug shirts and short shorts.

In a post on Substack after his nomination, Mr Adams wrote:

"Much of my adult life has been a story of giving back to the United States, the country I loved, the country that welcomed me first as a visitor, then as an entrepreneur, then as a citizen, and today, as an ambassador.

"…Throughout my adult life, I have written books detailing my unending love affair with the United States, her Constitution, flag, people, and history.

"Now, the greatest president of all time, Donald J Trump, has bestowed upon me the honour of a lifetime."

Mr Adams was elected as a Liberal councillor in Ashfield in 2004, aged 19, and became deputy mayor the following year.

After media reports highlighted his numerous absences from council meetings, he was filmed verbally abusing Channel Ten journalist Brett Mason in 2009.

The party decided to suspend him for six months. Then-state director Mark Neeham said his actions fell "well below the standard expected of Liberal Party-endorsed councillors", according to a report in local newspaper City Hub.

Mr Adams, a media and communications graduate from the University of Sydney, also ran his own PR agency.

In 2010, he was featured on the ABC's Media Watch program for his involvement in a publicity stunt where models were apparently paid to pose as protesters calling for Halloween to become a public holiday.

Mr Adams's appointment to the ambassador role requires confirmation by the US Senate.

'Probably will not go down well'

The US and Malaysia have strained relations, in part due to America's support for Israel's war on Gaza, Mr Trump's tariffs and Malaysia's tightening ties with China.

"So the entire relationship is in a pretty negative state before we get to the question of who's the ambassador," said Joshua Kurlantzick, a South-East Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

He said appointing an ambassador with so little experience would be seen as a "slap in the face to Malaysia", and Mr Adams's "bombastic" nature might not be a good fit for the region's style of diplomacy.

"South-East Asian states, with the exception of the Philippines maybe, prefer to work out diplomatic matters … in as quiet and subtle a way as possible," he said.

"It's potentially a problematic appointment. It shows that Trump doesn't value the foreign service … it probably will not go down well in Malaysia."

Mr Adams won the praise of the president during his first term.

In 2017, Mr Trump tweeted an endorsement of Mr Adams's book about his struggles migrating to the US, and later appointed him to the Woodrow Wilson Center think tank.

The ABC has attempted to contact Mr Adams for comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-11/donald-trump-nick-adams-malaysia-ambassador/105519888

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhMqcAOYo9U

https://x.com/NickAdamsinUSA/status/1943268508630184088

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114831088465448187

https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/837633820417482754

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 1:37 a.m. No.23314324 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4327

>>23314308

The remarkable rise of an Australian deputy mayor to a plum Trump job

Josefine Ganko - July 11, 2025

US President Donald Trump has heaped praise on Sydney-born self-described “Alpha Male” Nick Adams, lauding his “love of, and devotion to, our Great Country” as he confirmed his appointment as US ambassador to Malaysia.

The appointment caps the remarkable rise of the University of Sydney graduate who, at 21, became the youngest deputy mayor in Australian history, before moving to the US, where he rose to prominence as a conservative commentator, author and one of Trump’s most loyal and outspoken supporters.

After the ambassadorial appointment was sent to the Senate for confirmation on Wednesday, Trump personally announced his nomination in a post to Truth Social, writing that Adams was an “incredible patriot” and “very successful entrepreneur”.

“Nick graduated from the University of Sydney and, since then, has made it his life’s mission to extol the Virtues of American Greatness. Congratulations Nick!” the post read.

Adams’ effusive support of Trump on X, and in his regular appearances on Fox News shows, drew the president’s attention, with his ascendance making him the latest conservative pundit without relevant experience to be given a role in the Trump administration.

The New York Times has reported that Adams has a history of making Islamophobic remarks, including denigrating Trump’s rivals as supporters of Islam and speaking out against purported efforts to “teach Islam in schools”. Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country.

Born Nicholas Adamopoulos in Sydney in 1984, Adams has written that he battled a neuroblastoma in his childhood, undergoing extensive cancer treatment. In his books, he describes his father as the “ultimate alpha male”, recounting how he never said “I love you” and crediting him with pushing his son to achieve greatness.

He attended Trinity Grammar School, in Sydney’s inner west, before gaining a bachelor of media and communications from the University of Sydney.

Adams’ first foray into politics came when he was elected to Ashfield Council in 2004 on the Liberal Party ticket, before being appointed Australia’s youngest deputy mayor the following year.

His five years on the council were marked by outlandish stories, like his campaign to stop the removal of a portrait of the Queen from the council’s chambers, and a proposal to cull all the pigeons in Ashfield to prevent the spread of avian flu.

“Ashfield should be inhospitable to pigeons,” he said at a council meeting.

“I’m not an expert. I’m not an accountant. I’m certainly not a pest controller. Don’t ask me about procedure. What I would like to see is no pigeons in our area.”

He was censured by his fellow councillors in 2006 for spending thousands of dollars of council funds on personal phone calls and Cabcharges, the Inner West Weekly reported. Adams later repaid the council more than $4000.

(continued)

>>23314324

2/2

Adams was suspended from the Liberal Party in 2009 after he verbally abused a journalist. Then-Network Ten journalist Brett Mason was reporting on Adams’ absences from council meetings while he travelled to the US to join the conservative speaking circuit.

Mason, who until recently was Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s media director, was filming a piece to camera outside Ashfield Council’s chambers when Adams approached, ABC’s Media Watch reported at the time.

“I would just like to say that Brett Mason is a [expletive] good-for-nothing [expletive]. Thank you,” Adams said into the camera.

He resigned from the Liberal Party and left the council in the same year, later working for a group called the Halloween Institute, which was later disgraced when Media Watch revealed protesters at a rally calling for Halloween to become a national holiday in Australia were paid actors.

Adams left Australia in 2012, telling the Herald he had moved to the US because he “love[s] guns, hot dogs, chicken fried steak, barbecue, cheerleaders, American football, small-town parades, beauty pageants, pick-up trucks, muscle cars and 16-lane freeways lined with supersized American flags”.

Adams secured frequent spots on conservative talk show Fox and Friends and it wasn’t long until he caught the attention of the president.

Trump first publicly praised Adams in March 2017, calling his 2015 book Green Card Warrior: My Quest for Legal Immigration in an Illegals’ System a “must-read”. He followed it up with another endorsement in August 2017, tweeting about Adams’ book, Retaking America: Crushing Political Correctness.

By the time Adams became a naturalised citizen in 2021, he was a full-time pundit and a favourite of Trump, who in 2020 appointed him to the board of Washington’s Woodrow Wilson Centre, a congressionally chartered global affairs think tank.

During his campaign to return to the presidency, Trump named Adams an official campaign surrogate, meaning he was endorsed to speak publicly on behalf of a candidate or elected official.

Adams’ outspoken, overblown style has led many to wonder if his commentary is intended to be satirical.

In a 2024 Washington Post profile, journalist Ben Terris writes Adams’ support for MAGA is “so over-the-top, so uncanny that it almost seems like performance art”.

Adams’ activity on X, where his handle once declared he is an “Alpha Male”, exemplifies this approach.

A 2023 post including a long list of platitudes such as “I am pursued by copious amounts of women”, “I am wildly successful” and “I have the physique of a Greek God”, concludes with the line: “They hate this.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-remarkable-rise-of-an-australian-deputy-mayor-to-a-plum-trump-job-20250711-p5me60.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYfN07OHIaw

https://x.com/NickAdamsinUSA/status/1635174082470895618

https://archive.md/2025.07.11-002322/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/us/politics/nick-adams-ambassador-malaysia-trump.html

https://archive.is/20250710182758/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2024/04/09/nick-adams-alpha-male-trump-campaign-surrogate/

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 1:51 a.m. No.23314345 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4348

>>23304723

Anthony Albanese takes strong stand on anti-Semitism ‘but attacks must stop’

RICHARD FERGUSON - July 10, 2025

1/2

Jewish leaders are warning Anthony Albanese that his landmark plan to fight anti-Semitism will be judged on how fast he can implement it and how hard he can crush anti-Jewish bigotry, as they declare the Prime Minister and Labor have finally shown “they get it”.

The Prime Minister’s hand-picked envoy on anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal, was flanked by Mr Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Thursday as she unveiled a strategy that promises to bring universities, arts bodies, and public broadcasters into line if they allow anti-Jewish hate to continue to foment.

The Segal plan would strip funding from universities and arts festivals that fail to stop anti-Semitism, train border force officials how to screen anti-Semites trying to enter Australia, and implement a nationwide definition of anti-Jewish hate in all level of governments and public institutions.

Australia’s highest-profile vice-chancellor, University of Canberra chief and ex-Labor leader Bill Shorten, warned his sector that it could not hide behind “academic freedom” and must work with Ms Segal in her plan to fight anti-Semitism on campuses.

Ms Segal will also work with the ABC and SBS to make sure they are taking social cohesion into account and make sure judges, prosecutors and police are trained to deal with anti-Semitic hate crimes.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, was among Jewish leaders in Australia who lauded Thursday’s plan as the most significant step yet into solving a crisis that has seen Jewish Australians targeted on campus, in synagogues, and even in childcare centres since the October 7 massacres and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023.

In his strongest comments since the crisis broke out, Mr Albanese said he would not stand by and let Jewish Australians be vilified and abused under the guise of pro-Palestinian activism.

“Anti-Semitism is an evil scourge,” the Prime Minister said in Sydney. “There is no place in Australia for anti-Semitism. The kind of hatred and violence that we’ve seen on our streets recently is despicable, and it won’t be tolerated. And I want those responsible to face the full force of the law.”

Mr Albanese made it clear he would not walk away from his government’s strong criticisms of the Israeli government’s actions in its war against Gaza terror group Hamas but said the pro-Palestine movement’s targeting of individual Jews was “delusional” and “destructive”.

“Where the line has been crossed is in blaming and identifying people because they happen to be Jewish.” he said. “If you have a view about the directions of the Netanyahu government, or any other government for that matter … I saw on the ABC the other night, a woman who participated in the trashing and violence that occurred at the restaurant in Melbourne.

“Justifying that, justifying it. There is no justification for that whatsoever. And what’s more, the idea that somehow the cause of justice for Palestinians is advanced by behaviour like that is not only delusional, it is destructive.”

(continued)

>>23314345

2/2

The nation’s Jewish leaders overwhelmingly backed the Prime Minister’s plan on Thursday after longstanding fears that Labor was unable or unwilling to tackle anti-Semitism. But the Prime Minister and Mr Burke said the plan could take months to implement, and could not point to which of Ms Segal’s proposals could be enacted by the end of the year.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said all sectors of society would be needed to make the Segal plan a success, but warned Mr Albanese on Thursday that Labor must still play the central role in defeating anti-Semitism.

“Now the two most senior ministers in the federal government, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs. have given a powerful, eloquent and sincere affirmation of their revulsion at what is being done to Jewish Australians,” Mr Ryvchin writes in The Australian. “They have shown that they get it. But this does not get the federal government off the hook or abrogate its central role in guiding our country back to somewhere better than we are now. It has to lead this fightback.”

Mr Ryvchin said Mr Albanese had drawn a “line in the sand” by signalling his support for Israel, but the marker of success would be a fall in anti-Semitic incidents as well as a change in the lived experience of individuals within institutions, such as universities, schools and arts bodies.

Zionist Federation of Australia chief executive Alon Cassuto welcomed Mr Albanese’s recognition that recent attacks in Melbourne were acts of anti-Semitism that went beyond criticism of Israel, as well as the recommendations to screen anti-Semites before granting them visas and addressing anti-Jewish sentiment at universities and in the arts. Mr Cassuto said the strategy would have succeeded when Jewish Australians could live their lives without fear.

“Success looks like people being able to pray in a synagogue without being fearful it will be firebombed, Jewish students proudly wearing their uniforms, uni students who are not afraid to tell their peers on campus they are Jewish, Jewish people who don’t feel like they have to remove their Star of David necklaces in public, and Jewish and Israeli businesses and artists who don’t get targeted, boycotted, and excluded,” he said.

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser said Mr Albanese would not be judged on the merits of Ms Segal’s report but on the “concrete steps he now takes and how effective they are”.

“In releasing the plan this morning, the Prime Minister expressed the right sentiments, but stopped short of backing them up with any concrete commitments,” he said. “We now need to see the actions he takes to make the envoy’s plan a reality.”

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said he hoped to see significant progress within universities, public broadcasters and cultural institutions in combating anti-Semitism, law enforcement agencies better equipped to act decisively against hatred and improved public education by the end of the year. Lawyer and national chairman of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, Mark Leibler, urged the government to adopt the plan in full.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/antisemitism-plan-universities-artists-to-be-stripped-of-funding/news-story/0d9ac965a009a70dedc6f611932c641e

>>23299470

Protect our spaces from transgender women, lesbian group tells court

STEPHEN RICE - July 11, 2025

1/2

Female-only spaces for biological women must be protected by law, in part because lesbians are now regularly being pressured to have sex with trans women and face social isolation if they don’t comply, according to a lesbian group that will appear in the Federal Court in support of Giggle app founder Sall Grover.

In a rare move, the court has granted the Melbourne-based Lesbian Action Group “intervener” status in Ms Grover’s appeal against the ruling last year that she unlawfully discriminated against transgender woman Roxanne Tickle by rejecting her from the networking app because she was a biological man.

The Lesbian Action Group argues that biological women have a right under the Sex Discrimination Act to their own safe spaces, stating in a submission obtained by The Australian that “it is now commonplace for lesbians to be pressured into having sex with transwomen, and to face risk of social isolation if they do not agree with that very concept.”

The intervention pits the long-established lesbian group not just against Tickle but against Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody who has also been granted amicus curiae (friend of the court) status in the case.

The commissioner says she is simply “seeking to assist the court by providing submissions about the meaning, scope and validity of relevant provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act and that she “has not made submissions about whether Ms Tickle was in fact discriminated against”.

However, the commissioner’s position largely mirrored Ms Tickle’s submissions in the case last year that sex is “changeable” and non-binary, and Dr Cody publicly welcomed judge Robert Bromwich’s decision in favour of Ms Tickle.

“We are pleased this case has recognised that every individual, regardless of their gender identity, deserves equal and fair treatment under the law,” Dr Cody said after the ruling.

The Australian Human Rights Commission estimates it will have spent about $35,000 briefing barristers to represent the Sex Discrimination Commissioner by the end of the current appeal.

The Lesbian Action Group was granted amicus status because it has an interest in the outcome of the case after seeking an exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act in 2023 to hold regular “lesbians born female only” social events.

“We have witnessed the demise of our culture and lesbian space since the early 1990s … in part because of the rise of mainstream LGBTIQ+ and also because of diversity and inclusion laws which currently make it illegal for lesbians to hold public female-only functions without applying for an exemption with the Human Rights Commission,” the group said.

The AHRC rejected the exemption, finding that although it would be legal for the Lesbian Action Group to ban men and heterosexual women, it could not discriminate against transgender lesbian women.

The group lost an appeal in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal but a challenge in the Federal Court has been stayed pending the outcome of the Giggle v Tickle appeal.

The group argues in its submission that undermining the sex-based protections of the Sex Discrimination Act “denies autonomy, dignity and safety” to lesbians.

There are “dangers in a male capable, or giving the appearance of being capable, of procreation being classified by the law as a female, despite the best intentions of gender ideology”, says the submission, prepared by Melbourne barristers Leigh Howard and Megan Blake.

“It is the lived experience of lesbians to be confronted by autogynephilic men (those who become sexually aroused by the idea of themselves as women) seeking lesbian attention, as a means of generating sexual gratification for themselves.

“It is now commonplace for lesbians to be pressured into having sex with transwomen, and to face risk of social isolation if they do not agree with that very concept. This is unacceptable.

“The appeal must proceed on the basis that the Giggle app is intended to be used by women (members of the female sex) to the exclusion of Ms Tickle (a member of the male sex).

“Construing the Sex Discrimination Act in this way properly accommodates the needs of members of the female sex, and does not diminish any protection afforded to Ms Tickle and the broader transgender community by the act.

“This community, like members of the female sex, can establish their own special measures.”

(continued)

>>23314377

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The conclusion that a biological man who identifies as a woman is a “woman” under the act has “innumerable unintended consequences”, the group’s submission claims.

Among them: that biological boys must be admitted into all-girl schools; that biological men must be admitted into domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centres; that intimate body searches of women can be performed by biological men; and that biological boys are to reside in the girls’ dormitory at school.

“Each of these propositions varies in impossibility, irrationality or unreasonableness. None of them can be said to be the product of a reasonable interpretation of the words of the Sex Discrimination Act.

“The chain of reasoning relied upon by the trial judge is wrong, at every turn … there is no single, uniform meaning of the word ‘woman’ that encompasses a transwoman.”

Ms Grover’s appeal team will claim Justice Bromwich failed to consider the broader context of the Sex Discrimination Act, arguing the app’s female-only policy was a special measure intended to address the unique disadvantages faced by women in digital spaces, and thus should not be considered discriminatory.

In a cross appeal, Ms Tickle argues there was no evidence that women experienced “persistent sex-based disadvantage in digital environments”. She wants Ms Grover to pay her at least $40,000 because the female-only platform creator laughed in court when shown a caricature of Ms Tickle during cross-examination in the hearing last year.

The appeal and cross-appeal will be heard over four days from August 4 in the Full Court of the Federal Court, before judges Melissa Perry, Geoffrey Kennett and Wendy Abraham.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/protect-our-spaces-from-trans-women-lesbian-group-tells-court/news-story/d2183959fa923e2190ecc36b0689fd7e

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 2:32 a.m. No.23314404 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4406

>>23299470

>>23314377

No joke: trans woman wants $40k because female-only app founder giggled at caricature

STEPHEN RICE - July 09, 2025

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Transgender woman Roxanne Tickle wants Giggle app founder Sall Grover to pay her at least $40,000 because the female-only platform creator laughed in court when shown a caricature of Tickle during cross-examination in a sex discrimination hearing last year.

Grover and her Giggle platform are appealing a Federal Court ruling last year that they indirectly discriminated against Ms Tickle when they rejected her from the app because she did not appear to be female.

Tickle is also appealing parts of that decision, arguing judge Robert Bromwich should have found she was the victim of direct, rather than indirect, discrimination.

Justice Bromwich awarded Tickle $10,000, in part because Grover had briefly laughed in court at “an offensive caricature” of Tickle that she had been asked to look at during cross-examination, a moment the judge found “offensive and belittling”.

“Her explanation, that it was funny in the context of the courtroom, was obviously disingenuous,” he said.

Grover told The Australian: “It was just this moment of such ridiculousness that I was in this high stakes, incredibly stressful time, when you’re sitting in the witness box in Federal Court and they turn to a cartoon meme, and I just burst out laughing.

“It wouldn’t have even been three seconds, it was just a complete involuntary human response to something and the judge said that that caused Tickle harm. It’s just ridiculous.”

Justice Bromwich declined to award aggravated damages over the incident because he accepted that Grover was “expressing a genuine, if (as I accept) hurtful belief that Ms Tickle is a man”.

In a cross-appeal submission obtained by The Australian, Tickle claims the $10,000 general damages award was “manifestly inadequate” and she should be awarded at least $30,000 in general damages, and at least $10,000 in aggravated damages.

Tickle says the hurt caused was more than “slight” and came on top of “disparaging and hurtful comments by Ms Grover in public forums about transgender women”.

Tickle claims she should have been awarded aggravated damages because Grover “engaged in a sustained attack on Ms Tickle’s integrity and gender identity, infused with innuendo that Ms Tickle, and indeed transgender women more generally, pose a threat or danger to cisgender women”.

Tickle also complains about “the constant and continual misgendering of Ms Tickle by Ms Grover and Giggle throughout the earlier proceedings” as well as Grover’s “campaign” based on gender identity.

Grover’s refusal to provide Tickle with access to the app “because she did not appear to be a cisgender woman” was direct and unlawful discrimination under the Sex Discrimination Act, Tickle’s submission argues.

According to the submission prepared by silk Georgina Costello, the trial judge wrongly concluded that to find discrimination by reason of a person’s gender identity, the discriminator must first be aware of the person’s gender identity.

The legislation’s deliberately broad definition of “gender identity” was intended to confer broad protection from discrimination, the submission argues, so it didn’t matter whether Grover was aware that Tickle identified as a woman.

In any event, the submission argues, Grover and Giggle clearly had a policy of excluding both men and transgender women from the Giggle App.

Their exclusion of Tickle from the app, followed by a refusal to re-admit, “demonstrated a pattern of delegitimising Ms Tickle’s gender identity”.

(continued)

>>23314404

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Tickle gave evidence in the earlier trial that the rejection from Giggle had “a significant impact on my life … has upset me greatly and has resulted in me having to go to great lengths to provide (sic) that I am a woman. It has been exhausting and draining to do so.”

The fact that Tickle had not produced any independent medical or third-party corroborative evidence “does not diminish Ms Tickle’s suffering”, the submission states.

“The impact on Ms Tickle was significant, upsetting, exhausting and draining.”

In a separate submission, responding to Giggle’s appeal, lawyers for Tickle argue that Justice Bromwich was correct to find that Grover discriminated against their client by blocking her access to the app.

Grover and Giggle’s defence to the discrimination claim (that they did not know Tickle was a transgender woman and blocked her access to the app simply because they perceived her to be a man) was “inextricable from their nihilistic and legally false distinction that a person who had the designated male sex at birth could never be a woman”.

The requirement that applicants “need to appear to be a cisgender female in photos submitted to the Giggle App” had a disadvantageous effect on transgender women, including Tickle, the submission says.

Grover’s appeal team will claim that Justice Bromwich failed to consider the broader context of the Sex Discrimination Act, arguing that the app’s female-only policy was a special measure intended to address the unique disadvantages faced by women in digital spaces, and thus should not be considered discriminatory.

But Tickle argues in her submission that there was no evidence presented that women experienced “persistent sex-based disadvantage in digital environments … The evidence sought to be relied upon rises no higher than a collection of self–serving affidavits of some women who gave evidence in vague and overly generalised terms of their varied online experiences”.

The appeal and cross-appeal will be heard over four days from August 4 in the Full Court of the Federal Court, before judges Melissa Perry, Geoffrey Kennett and Wendy Abraham.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/no-joke-trans-woman-wants-40k-because-femaleonly-app-founder-giggled-at-caricature/news-story/ce059c8d0409a6cb5cc6047be42b6223

>>23163733 (pb)

'Enormous value': UK's top AUKUS envoy insists the pact delivers for the US

Stephen Dziedzic - 9 Jul 2025

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The United Kingdom's top AUKUS envoy has backed Australia's "massive" contributions to the defence technology pact, saying the agreement delivers "enormous value" to the US and its two military allies.

The US Department of Defense caught Australia by surprise in May when it kickstarted an internal snap review of AUKUS, saying it wanted to ensure it was aligned with Donald Trump's "America First" agenda.

Former top British civil servant Sir Stephen Lovegrove — who conducted the UK's own review of the AUKUS pact before being appointed as Prime Minister Keir Starmer's special envoy — is visiting Australia for talks with senior officials and top brass.

He told ABC's 7.30 program that he was "not worried" about the Trump administration's review, because AUKUS enjoyed "huge" support in Washington DC, and delivered major benefits to the US.

"The US Navy is right behind it; I speak to them a lot. The State Department is very much behind it [and] many players in the Defence Department are completely engaged in AUKUS and everything it brings to the US," he said.

"So I'm pretty comfortable that we'll end up with the right answer for the US, Australia and the UK — this is a critical, critical program."

The senior Trump administration official conducting the AUKUS review, Elbridge Colby, has warned the US will only be able to sell Virginia Class submarines to Australia under AUKUS if it succeeds in lifting its own pace of production to at least two boats a year.

Australia is already pouring billions of dollars into the US submarine industrial base under AUKUS, but Sir Lovegrove said Australia's promise to develop a submarine maintenance hub in Western Australia would also make it easier for US Navy to keep more boats in the water.

"Clearly one of the things that they're going to be looking at is whether or not they're building [the Virginia Class submarines] fast enough, but one of the other crucial things they're going to be looking at is the massive contribution that Australia is making by allowing Western Australia to be used as a maintenance and sustainment hub," he said.

"And that will mean that there are many more Virginias which are capable of being put to sea. So this is a real win-win for all of the nations."

Under AUKUS both US and UK submarines will begin to rotate through the HMAS Stirling naval base from as early as 2027, and the federal government has promised to plough more than $120 million into transforming the nearby Henderson shipyard into a precinct which can service nuclear-powered submarines.

But earlier this week the former US Navy Secretary Richard Spencer warned that Australia needed to move more quickly to upgrade both HMAS Stirling and the Henderson shipyard, to ensure they were ready by 2027.

"We need to start moving dirt, putting the infrastructure in, because 2027 is going to be here within the blink of an eye," he told The Nightly.

(continued)

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Sir Lovegrove said he would tour Henderson on Thursday, and that he "was not really in a position" to comment on whether Australia needed to ramp up investment in the shipyard until after he'd visited it.

But he said that "schedule was king" when it came to AUKUS and that all three nations under the pact "need to be acting at the speed of relevance".

"A crucial part of the whole of the AUKUS program is to make sure there are the maximum number of existing Virginia boats in the water doing their very important job," he said.

"If that requires new investment in Henderson, that needs to be looked at pretty carefully."

While Sir Lovegrove's review of the AUKUS pact has not been publicly released, the envoy told 7.30 that he found commitment to the pact across the UK was "as strong as ever".

"The challenge I think as much as anything else is execution now. It's actually doing what we said that we were going to do in the optimal pathway," he said.

"We are on track to hit the kind of timetables that we need to be able to hit [and] I made a variety of recommendations about the way in which we could improve and speed things up."

He also said he was confident that the United Kingdom would be able to meet its own commitment to rapidly speed up submarine production, despite sharp challenges across infrastructure, sustainment, and workforce development.

"We're going to be putting about 6 billion British pounds ($12.5 billion) of UK taxpayer money into [our main shipyard] before the end of the decade, another half a billion or so into one of our key steelworks," he said.

"And that will give us the extra capacity to be able to hit those kinds of targets."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/top-uk-aukus-envoy-insists-pact-delivers-for-usa/105513634

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

https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/2025/07/uks-top-aukus-envoy-welcomed-to-wa-by-governor-chris-dawson/

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 3:42 a.m. No.23314507 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4510

If we go to war, submarines come too: How US could demand AUKUS changes

Paul Sakkal and Michael Koziol - July 10, 2025

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Australia is facing the prospect of a Trump administration review demanding it pay more for submarines under the $368 billion AUKUS pact and guarantee the boats support the US in a conflict over Taiwan.

Sources familiar with the review by Trump’s undersecretary of defence, Elbridge Colby, believe he intends to urge major changes to the program before Australia can get the nuclear submarines it has been promised.

The review puts Anthony Albanese in a politically difficult position as the prime minister prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during a six-day trip to China next week.

But the Trump administration is not united behind Colby’s thinking, according to former aides, with foreign policy a major sticking point in the Republican Party.

The review from Colby, who works for the Pentagon and is sceptical of selling US submarines to Australia, blindsided Marco Rubio’s State Department when it was revealed in press reports last month. The State Department sent its diplomats a message: “We are not aware of a review of the AUKUS agreement.”

Interviews with three Australian sources with direct knowledge of the AUKUS review and American defence experts who worked on the submarine project believe the probe will recommend amending rather than scrapping the deal brokered by former leaders Joe Biden, Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson.

Two Australian officials said one option for Colby was to seek more money for the US submarine industry, which Australia is already contributing $4.7 billion towards.

Two other Australian sources, one in the political establishment and one in defence who have both spoken to Colby, said Colby believed Australia should give a public declaration or private guarantee that US-made nuclear submarines would be used in a possible conflict with China.

Colby is on record as saying the US is not building enough Virginia-class subs for its own needs, even before selling Australia a minimum of three from 2030.

It is not clear if Colby’s boss, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, or the broader White House support those ideas. The administration is split between isolationists, old school Republican globalists, and those who see China as the biggest threat, of which Colby is one.

The Pentagon last week moved to pause weapons deliveries to Ukraine at Colby’s urging, but Trump reversed the move just days later. Foreign policy chaos in the White House has made it difficult for Australian officials to gauge how much impact the undersecretary’s review will have.

One senior Australian official said Colby’s scepticism about selling submarines was not widespread.

“People are mistaking Colby as being the only driver of opinion in the US,” the source said, on condition of anonymity. “He’s an important voice, but not the only voice. There are multiple views about AUKUS within the US administration.”

Jennifer Hendrixson White, a former US official who was the lead negotiator for the AUKUS legislation in the Senate, also indicated Rubio’s department was caught off guard by Colby’s review, and said the State Department and Congress supported AUKUS.

She said leasing rather than selling the submarine was a subject of intense debate when the legislation was passed.

“It’s reasonable to expect the new team will want to put their mark on the agreement, but I don’t expect they will jettison it entirely,” White said. “With this team, there’s always a desire to increase leverage and ‘get a better deal’.

“If I was in London or Canberra, I would count on increased defence spending being one of the things the Administration is looking for. They have made similar requests across the board with other allies and partners.”

(continued)

>>23314507

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Former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos suggested the White House was more supportive of the submarine deal than Colby. “There are indications that this is very much a Pentagon-initiated matter,” Sinodinos said.

Reflecting the split within the Republican Party, veteran senator Mitch McConnell castigated “isolationists and restrainers” in Trump’s administration on Wednesday, saying they were weakening relations with allies.

“The self-indulgent policymaking of restrainers – from Ukraine to AUKUS – has so often required the president to clean up his staff’s messes,” McConnell said in a statement.

When Colby’s review was revealed on June 12, press reports suggested it would take 30 days, meaning it would conclude during Albanese’s trip to China. Australian officials believe the probe will take weeks or months longer.

Demanding Australian involvement in a flare-up over Taiwan – a self-governing democracy that China views as a wayward province – would limit Australian sovereignty. Experts believe a military confrontation over Taiwan has become more likely with Xi as China’s leader.

Albanese is beginning a six-day tour of China on Saturday during which he will hold his third meeting with Xi since coming to power. The prime minister delivered a speech on Saturday affirming support for the US alliance but signalling Australia would pursue its own interests first.

Albanese has deflected US calls for Australia to spend more on defence after NATO allies agreed to increase military spending in recent weeks.

Stephen Tankel, an official with the US National Security Council until January, said some in the US administration believed any submarines sold to Australia should be put under US operational command in the event of war.

“Otherwise, the United States has built subs that are in the region but that it cannot use. Addressing this would be hard politically and in practice. It’s a very sensitive issue for Australia, understandably, and there was a lot of painstaking negotiation,” he said, adding that Australia may be asked to pay more for AUKUS given US concerns about lagging submarine production.

“Even if Australia came around, there would be a lot of complexity in how to implement such an agreement and whether it could be public given how both the Australian public and the PRC [People’s Republic of China] might view that arrangement.”

The US State Department declined to comment. The defence departments of both nations were contacted for comment. The prime minister’s office declined to comment.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/if-we-go-to-war-submarines-come-too-how-us-could-demand-aukus-changes-20250706-p5mcu4.html

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 4:10 a.m. No.23314548 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4550

>>23299427

No missiles … but Defence can fire off a cookbook for ‘harmony’

BEN PACKHAM - July 09, 2025

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They say an army marches on its stomach and so too does Defence’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Group, which has produced a “Taste of Harmony” cookbook with taxpayers’ funds.

The group, headed by Air Marshal Leon Phillips, has its work cut out establishing a $20bn-plus domestic missile manufacturing industry – a goal that remains a distant one.

But Phillips believes the “incredible power” of food will help his team get the job done, authorising an $1800 print run of the recipe book to celebrate Harmony Week earlier this year.

“In line with this year’s theme of ‘Everyone Belongs’, this book serves as a reminder that every member of GWEO group is valued as we work together towards our shared purpose,” he says in the book’s foreword.

“I encourage each of you to continue to embrace our shared values and create an environment where everyone truly belongs.”

The group’s staff contributed their favourite recipes, including a Chinese-inspired “Mystery meat stir fry”, and a “Loaded potato soup”.

Phillips, a keen amateur gourmet, shares his recipe for Spaghetti ai gamberi, urging his subordinates to “pair this meal with great company and a lovely dry riesling”.

But not everyone shares his passion for food-led team building, with orders coming down for the book to be buried amid high-level concerns over the GWEO group’s progress.

The Australian obtained a copy of the culinary compendium as Defence’s most senior officers braced for news of looming job cuts, with dozens of commanders and senior public service executives set to face the chop.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has ordered sweeping reforms to his department, warning “everything is on the table” amid tensions over budget blowouts and delays in getting new weapons and equipment into service.

The Australian revealed this week that up to 25 star-ranked Australian Defence Force officers could be drummed out, while 20 to 40 public service executive positions could be cut.

It’s understood senior commanders will be briefed on the changes in coming days. There was speculation in military circles this week that Defence could waive a requirement preventing former officers from taking consulting jobs for 12 months after entering civilian life.

The GWEO group faces being rolled into a new armaments directorate with the department’s vast and underperforming Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group and its Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Group.

The bureaucratic shake-up would leave Phillips fighting for his job, while CASG head Chris Deeble could also be vulnerable.

Mr Marles said in April 2023 he was “confident” Australia could begin producing guided missiles within two years, but there has been little progress on the GWEO initiative.

One well-placed industry source said: “I’d be cautious about any cooking times suggested in the cookbook given the amount of time it’s taking for the missile plan to come to a boil.

“They just haven’t done anything. They’re meant to be delivering a whole lot of locally-made missiles to increase our stocks for times of war and that just hasn’t progressed beyond orders for foreign missiles that are already in our catalogue.”

(continued)

>>23314548

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Acting opposition defence spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the GWEO initiative was supposed to be manufacturing missiles, “not writing menus”.

“Australians will rightly question why taxpayers’ resources are being diverted to produce a cookbook instead of securing critical defence supply chains,’ she said.

“The Labor government must explain how this reflects the urgency of the strategic environment the Prime Minister has described as ‘the most complex and challenging since the Second World War’.”

Eyebrows were also raised in defence circles this week at a LinkedIn post by GWEO deputy head Dan Fankhauser on an “unforgettable” three weeks he spent attending an Oxford University advanced manufacturing leadership program.

“It was an immense privilege to spend three weeks with my amazing peers from around the globe who made the Summer 2025 cohort so memorable,” he said.

“I greatly appreciated your many insights and perspectives as we navigated the program, reflecting on our own leadership journeys, challenges and purpose. Your stories, feedback and laughter are what made the experience so unique and memorable.”

Former defence minister Peter Dutton ordered his department to abandon its “woke agenda”, but the GWEO group’s celebration of Harmony Day is in keeping with Mr Marles’ push to leverage diversity to address the ADF’s personnel crisis.

“I think what is really important is that the Defence Force needs to look like Australia,” he told The Australian soon after he was sworn in as Defence Minister.

Mr Marles’ looming departmental overhaul comes as the Defence budget is stretched to the limit by the AUKUS submarine program and new frigate projects, sparking warnings of a hollowed-out force with scarce munitions and a shortage of critical capabilities, including missile defence systems and long-range weapons.

At the same time, the government is refusing to lift defence spending from 2 per cent of GDP to the 3.5 per cent demanded by the Trump administration.

The ADF is one of the most top-heavy militaries in the world, with one study revealing Australian star-ranked officers are responsible for 11 times fewer personnel than their US counterparts.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/no-missiles-but-defence-can-fire-off-a-cookbook-for-harmony/news-story/caebdd0ead3470db3be485e13eafbdb8

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 4:39 a.m. No.23314590 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4596

‘Central base of operations’: Australia-US alliance carved into the landscape

BEN PACKHAM - July 11, 2025

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Etched into the ancient red sands of Western Australia’s Northwest Cape is a network of dirt roads that, seen from above, carve a mysterious network of geometric shapes into the landscape.

For most Australians, clinging to the continent’s east and southwest coasts, the Harold E Holt Naval Communications Station is out of sight and out of mind.

Towering radio masts rise from its central point and each corner of its two hexagonal ring roads, broadcasting very-low frequency signals to Australian and US submarines, including nuclear-armed American “boomers”.

As Australians recoil from Donald Trump, Anthony Albanese has pointedly asserted Australia’s independence in its relationship with the US, praising wartime leader John Curtin in a speech last Saturday for giving the nation the confidence “to think and act for ourselves”.

But the reality is that Australia’s security is so tightly wound up with the US’s strategic posture that the two would be almost impossible to disentangle.

The isolated Harold E Holt station, pictured in a stunning aerial photograph taken last September, is just one example of the array of facilities on Australian soil that would play a critical role in a US war with China.

It’s possible, though Australians will never know, the station’s transmitters relayed messages to the Ohio-class submarine that launched 30 Tomahawk missiles on Iranian nuclear sites last month.

Nearly 1700km southeast as the crow flies is another more well-known national security installation, Pine Gap. It’s been ingrained in the national consciousness, inspiring sporadic protests and one of Midnight Oil’s most famous songs – Power and the Passion. (“Flat chat, Pine Gap, in every home a Big Mac. And no one goes outback, that’s that.”)

Few know, however, that this joint Australian-US facility 18km south of Alice Springs gives the US 20-30 minutes advance warning time of a Russian or Chinese nuclear attack.

That’s long enough for whoever is in the White House to launch a devastating counterstrike. It’s this guarantee of mutually assured destruction that, theoretically, keeps America’s enemies from pressing the button, and gives credibility to the US’s extended nuclear umbrella that protects its allies, including Australia.

Top secret files leaked by former NSA officer Edward Snowden confirmed Pine Gap, codenamed “RAINFALL”, also “plays a significant role in supporting both intelligence activities and military operations”, feeding in signals intelligence to the US’s ECHELON surveillance program.

Its capabilities include the geolocation of individuals from their mobile phone signals, allowing them to be assassinated by drone strikes.

These sites and a handful of others are the physical manifestations of the Australia-US alliance. Together with new “force posture initiates” allowing the US military to operate from Australian soil, they are critical to America’s war plans. They are what Defence Minister Richard Marles was talking about when he pointed to the contribution Australia’s geography would make to any conflict between the US and China.

“Our continent is more relevant to great power contest now than it’s ever been before,” he told The Australian’s Defending Australia summit in June.

“That is as much of a question in the here and now as is the building up of our defence capability.”

Marles is right. But he is tiptoeing around just how strategically important Australia has become to its closest ally.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 4:41 a.m. No.23314596 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4597

>>23314590

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Republican congressman Michael McCaul said it more clearly in an August 2024 interview with The Australian, declaring Australia had become “the central base of operations” for America’s military to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

Beijing knows this, of course, making these sites potential targets for Chinese ballistic missiles if war breaks out between the US and its superpower rival.

China has its own high-resolution satellite images of the facilities and knows they are unprotected by missile defence batteries, which the Albanese government has delayed acquiring.

Pine Gap, established under a 1966 treaty, has a US chief and an Australian deputy. It is one of three officially joint Australian-US defence facilities.

The other two are: the Joint Geological Research Station Alice Springs, which plays a critical role in detecting nuclear weapons tests; and the Learmonth Solar Observatory, which monitors solar weather that can disrupt communications networks.

The Harold E Holt facility is in a different category, providing privileged access to the US military under a longstanding collaborative arrangement.

The US has sole access to a number of the facility’s VLF channels to communicate with its submarines, with Australian personnel having no knowledge of the content of those signals.

The new AUKUS Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, currently under construction on the Northwest Cape, operates under the same collaborative model.

Pictured in another remarkable aerial photograph, obtained from the Nearmap imaging company, it appears as a stylised red-dirt map of Australia.

Known as DARC, it represents the first tangible evidence of the AUKUS partnership, forming part of a network of stations, with counterpart facilities in the US and the UK.

When it commences operations in 2026, its radar dishes will track, identify and monitor space objects for all three AUKUS partners, including space-based weapons systems that will increasingly threaten Western interests.

The US also relies heavily on another collaborative facility – the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station, near Geraldton in Western Australia.

Like Pine Gap, the Australian Signals Directorate-run site contributes to the US’s ECHELON network, hoovering up communications from adversary nations’ satellites, and likely those of friendly countries too.

The joint and collaborative facilities are rarely spoken about by the government, except in irregular parliamentary statements by defence ministers to reassure the nation that they operate with Australia’s “full knowledge and concurrence”, or FK&C for short.

As Marles told the House of Representatives on February 9, 2023: “Australia’s co-operation with the United States through joint and collaborative facilities is one of our most longstanding security arrangements.

“These joint and collaborative facilities support the effectiveness of the extended deterrence commitments the United States provides. This is a fundamental contribution Australia makes to the alliance and from which we derive great benefit.”

Laying out the FK&C principle established by the Hawke government, he said “full knowledge” meant Australia had a detailed understanding of US capabilities and activities on Australian soil, while “concurrence” meant Australia agreed to those functions. But the arrangement is an arms-length one.

“Full knowledge and concurrence does not necessarily mean Australia approves each individual activity or task undertaken,” Marles said. “Instead, it means we agree to the purpose of activities conducted in Australia, we are aware of the capabilities being used, and understand their expected outcomes.”

The governing principle also applies to US “force posture initiatives” that began under the Gillard government in 2011 with the commencement of annual rotations of US Marine Corps personnel to Darwin.

About 2500 Marines now train in the Northern Territory for six months a year, while the arrangement has been expanded to include US Army personnel and rotational deployments of US Navy ships.

In the event of an Indo-Pacific conflict with China, US troops could deploy into the region from Darwin, taking positions on isolated islands to launch attacks on enemy ships, aircraft and ground forces.

(continued)

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Even more militarily significant are the US’s rotational bomber deployments from Australia’s Top End bases.

Under the obliquely named “enhanced air co-operation initiative”, commencing in 2017, nuclear-capable B-52s, B2 stealth bombers, and B1B Lancers operate regularly from Top End bases including RAAF Tindal, which the US has spent nearly $900m upgrading in co-operation with Australia. Improvements include bulk fuel storage tanks, munitions storage, a longer and heavier-duty runway, and expanded aprons to cater for larger aircraft.

Under the AUKUS agreement, US and British nuclear-powered submarines will also begin operating from Western Australia’s HMAS Stirling, near Perth, within two years.

The base will receive major upgrades to accommodate the boats, while improvements will be made at the Henderson naval precinct to undertake maintenance on the visiting boats.

While these are all “rotational” deployments, rather than US bases, their significance is clear – the US expects to be able to use Australia as a forward operating base if it finds itself in a conflict with China.

As US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate’s Armed Services Committee last month, “Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific”, and the US “is laser focused on strengthening deterrence” across the region.

He said this involved “strengthening our forward posture in the region and working closely with our allies to enhance their own defence capabilities”.

“In fact, we have already expanded the scope and scale of our co-operation with Australia, Japan and The Philippines to deter China, including with new understandings for enhanced posture in the future,” Hegseth said.

Until now, Australia has been happy to accommodate such arrangements because – as with the alliance itself – they offer a level of deterrence Australia’s boutique military could never provide on its own.

But the Prime Minister’s declaration in his Curtin Oration that Australia will speak for itself and its foreign policy will not be “outsourced” suggests a mismatch between the US’s expectations over its use of the continent and Australia’s ability to shift the goalposts if it wants to sometime in the future.

It’s a point that former Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo – a strong supporter of the alliance – believes should be subject to an honest public debate.

“Do we accept his characterisation of the US force posture initiatives in Australia – as being aimed at deterring China?” Pezzullo told The Australian.

“Even if one takes the view that in the end the US won’t go to war with China, and that Hegseth is not an influential figure in the administration, the mere fact that he says that China is preparing for war; that the United States is seeking to deter China, and that force posture initiatives that are undertaken with Australia and others are aimed at deterring China, should be discussed and debated in Australia.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/central-base-of-operations-australiaus-alliance-carved-into-the-landscape/news-story/51f13a6d1172bca196a80c96a42969e5

>>23304741

Penny Wong issues warning on Chinese threat as Anthony Albanese prepares to fly to Beijing

BEN PACKHAM - July 10, 2025

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has expressed alarm over Beijing’s strategic ambitions and surging military capabilities, two days before Anthony Albanese departs for a six-day visit to China that will be closely watched in Washington for any signs of Australian kowtowing.

Speaking in Malaysia, Senator Wong said Australia didn’t agree with all of Donald Trump’s policies, but strongly supported an ongoing US presence in the Indo-Pacific as a vital counterweight to China’s efforts to shift the regional balance of power in its favour.

“China continues to assert its strategic influence and project its military power further into our region,” Senator Wong told the Institute for Strategic and International Studies.

“And we have seen the worrying pace of China’s nuclear and conventional military build-up, without the transparency that the region expects.”

The sharp assessment comes as Taiwan’s envoy to Australia, Douglas Hsu, warns China is intensifying military and “grey zone” threats against the self-governed territory, prompting Taipei to step up its preparations for a potential invasion.

Writing in The Australian, Mr Hsu urges the Albanese government to help bring Taiwan further into the international system by ramping up bilateral ties and supporting its bid to join one of the world’s biggest trading blocs.

He says the territory is “perfectly positioned to meet the high standards” of the 12-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership, which Australia is chairing this year. Beijing is also pushing to join the CPTPP, while vehemently opposing Taiwan’s application, and is expected to ramp up lobbying of the Prime Minister over the issue during his visit from Saturday.

Mr Albanese will have his fourth meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the trip but has been unable to secure his first face-to-face with the US President amid a snap Pentagon review of the AUKUS submarine pact and his government’s refusal to agree to the Trump administration’s demands for a near doubling of the defence budget.

The Prime Minister pushed back against the White House in a speech last Saturday, lauding wartime Labor prime minister John Curtin for refusing to outsource foreign policy and giving Australians the confidence to speak “for ourselves, as a sovereign state”. He reportedly sharpened his remarks in a subsequent question-and-answer session, saying he was a supporter of AUKUS, “but that doesn’t mean that we are subservient to any other country”.

Senator Wong, in Malaysia for meetings with Southeast Asian counterparts, sought to set the tone for Mr Albanese’s China visit, urging Beijing to “wield its strength in a way that contributes to its security and economic resilience”. She said Australia was realistic about China’s intention to assert its influence as a major regional power, while urging it not to provoke a clash with the US. “None of us, including the United States, seeks military confrontation with China – in the South China Sea, the East China Sea or across the Taiwan Strait,” Senator Wong said.

“What we seek is a balance of power, where no country dominates and no country is dominated.”

She said Australia’s realistic assessment of China’s place in the region was behind the government’s efforts to stabilise the Australia-China relationship, and strengthen its partnerships with the rest of the region.

Her speech follows a warning by Treasurer Jim Chalmers that Australia will continue to rebuff Chinese calls for the weakening of foreign investment rules barring its companies from taking stakes in critical infrastructure, energy, data and minerals ventures.

(continued)

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Mr Albanese will also push back on Beijing’s call for co-operation on artificial intelligence amid growing security concerns in the West over Chinese technology, including its increasingly ubiquitous internet-connected cars. But he will talk up the prospect of expanded business links between Australia and its biggest trading partner, which will be underscored by a major Business Council of Australia delegation comprising the chiefs of 14 of the nation’s biggest companies including Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, ANZ and Macquarie Group.

The Prime Minister will depart for China’s financial capital, Shanghai, on Saturday morning, before heading to Beijing and on to Chengdu, where Chinese officials will likely seek to corral him into a photo opportunity with one or more pandas at the world’s largest panda-breeding centre.

In a sign of Australia’s lack of trust in Beijing, Australian officials accompanying Mr Albanese on the trip have been ordered to leave personal and government devices at home and travel with “burner” phones and laptops, due to the constant threat posed by cyber spies.

Mr Hsu, head of Taiwan’s Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, says Mr Albanese must exercise caution during his visit. “While dialogue and mutually beneficial co-operation are important, Australians know successful engagement requires an understanding that China’s political system prioritises state power over all else,” he writes. “Under Xi Jinping’s rule, the last 13 years has seen a dramatic transformation in China’s strategic posture and military ambitions. His China has militarised the South China Sea in defiance of international law. It has imposed its will on Hong Kong, undercutting its long-agreed autonomy. It has weaponised trade and levied punitive trade sanctions on Taiwan’s agricultural products, as well as Australian wine, beef, barley and coal.”

Taiwan is beginning 10 days of exercises aimed at readying the territory for a potential invasion by China, which Mr Xi has ordered his forces to be ready to undertake by 2027.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/penny-wong-issues-warning-on-chinese-threat-as-pm-prepares-to-fly-to-beijing/news-story/c0f7154d128bd32bbd1d4cbbc1bd3321

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8mCu1fM0pI

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 5:15 a.m. No.23314635 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4638

>>23304741

COMMENTARY: Strengthening ties with Taiwan need not upset Beijing

Douglas Hsu - July 11, 2025

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will touch down in China on Saturday for a historic seven-day visit. While dialogue and mutually beneficial co-operation are important, Australians know successful engagement requires an understanding that China’s political system prioritises state power over all else. Under Xi Jinping’s rule, the past 13 years have seen a dramatic transformation in China’s strategic posture and military ambitions.

Xi’s China has militarised the South China Sea in defiance of international law. It has imposed its will on Hong Kong, undercutting its long-agreed autonomy. It has weaponised trade and levied punitive trade sanctions on Taiwan’s agricultural products, as well as Australian wine, beef, barley and coal. China has become more openly aggressive in the Taiwan Strait, increasing both the frequency and intensity of its military threats and grey-zone activities. These actions continue: last Monday China unilaterally activated a west-to-east flight path, challenging Taiwan’s situation awareness and betraying a decade-long commitment to consult on such moves. This has further heightened regional tensions.

Engaging with the Australian public through the lens of China always seems to me to do a disservice to the important story my country of Taiwan is writing. Taiwan is a world-class maritime trading power with a sophisticated economy and cutting-edge tech sector. The island has an exemplary track record of meeting international trade obligations. It’s perfectly positioned to meet the high standards required by agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.

During his post-election visit to Indonesia, the Prime Minister offered support for Jakarta’s CPTPP application. This is welcomed because “trade liberalisation serves the collective good”, as former DFAT secretary Peter Varghese has written for the Lowy Institute. Geopolitics, not economic and trade merit, appears to be determining the queue, given Taiwan’s CPTPP application was lodged in September 2021. It’s time to put prosperity over politics and move Taiwan’s CPTPP application forward. As CPTPP chair this year, Australia has the chance to focus on real economic opportunity, which helps fulfil the potential of this gold-standard agreement.

Taiwan’s true muscle is witnessed daily in our humming semiconductor fabs, which produce 90 per cent of the world’s most advanced chips, essential for a huge range of applications that power our daily life and fuel our ambitions. Few realise these facilities will soon consume more than 12 per cent of Taiwan’s electricity – largely from gas-fired power plants fuelled by Australian LNG – underlining the critical energy relationship between our economies.

Taiwan is a natural partner for the Albanese government’s economic agenda. Our semiconductor expertise can play a substantial role in supporting the Future Made in Australia vision, from critical minerals processing to advanced manufacturing. Our AI leadership spans chip design to responsible development frameworks. While others seek to dominate, Taiwan partners.

(continued)

>>23314635

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Taiwan’s experience with Australia’s partners offers a gentle road map for the opportunities we might seize together. Our relationship with the EU is deepening by the week. Taiwan’s 2013 trade agreement with New Zealand has quietly doubled bilateral trade in a decade. Canada’s 2023 investment accord is already steering capital toward clean-tech ventures. The UK has shown how three swift memorandums – on digital trade, investment and net zero – can sit comfortably within longstanding “One China Policy” settings.

These agreements work because they focus on merit, standards and mutual gain. They are designed around shared strengths. Each was concluded quietly, via representative offices such as the one I lead, demonstrating constructive deals need not jeopardise broader relations with Beijing. Exploring such tailored arrangements between Australia and Taiwan would not influence the relationship between Australia and China. Instead, given the fragmentation of the trading system, it would provide legal scaffolding for businesses and investors to fully grasp opportunities in both economies. It would offer a practical, forward-looking agenda that goes beyond our current 1996 double taxation treaty.

At the start of his term, Xi spoke of supporting Taiwan’s “peaceful development”; 13 years on, Beijing’s war colleges publish playbooks for invading and occupying my country. We deeply appreciate Australia’s consistent calls for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and hope this vital principle will be underscored over the next few days.

I ask the Prime Minister to reflect on what is unfolding across the Taiwan Strait: 23 million patriotic Taiwanese are rehearsing for a full-scale invasion, with drills designed to gauge how fast they can pivot from weekday routine to wartime survival. Air raid sirens will blare. Every airport, seaport, metro line and bus service will grind to a halt. Shops will shut. Officials will herd people into shelters. Taiwan stands ready to deepen our partnership with Australia. With global trade policy uncertainty at a 50-year high, Taiwan offers collaboration and innovation anchored in an open, rules-based trading order where no country shall coerce or dominate another.

Douglas Hsu is Taiwan’s chief representative in Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/strengthening-ties-with-taiwan-need-not-upset-beijing/news-story/85e403afa90c3da60aefb130daf693d4

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 5:38 a.m. No.23314662 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4668

‘Stable ties’ with Beijing as Chinese spy ships head our way

BEN PACKHAM - July 11, 2025

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Defence officials are bracing for the arrival of Chinese spy ships off Australia’s coast in coming days as Anthony Albanese prepares to press the flesh with the country’s President, Xi Jinping, during a record five-day trip taking in Shanghai, Beijing and panda capital Chengdu.

The Prime Minister, who departs for China on Saturday, will use the visit to highlight his government’s efforts to stabilise ties with the nation’s biggest trading partner, while sidestepping difficult questions on Beijing’s strategic intentions.

The trip coincides with the start of Australia’s largest military exercise, Talisman Sabre, which is expected to be watched at a distance by multiple Chinese surveillance ships after it gets under way on Sunday.

A Defence spokeswoman told The Australian: “It would not be unusual or unexpected for China to monitor Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, as it has during previous iterations of this exercise. Defence monitors all traffic in our maritime approaches.”

The biennial war games will bring together military personnel and equipment from 19 nations for land, air, sea, space and cyber exercises, offering a rich intelligence-gathering opportunity for Beijing, which has sent spy ships to lurk off Queensland for the past three Talisman Sabres.

Mr Albanese, who is yet to meet Donald Trump in person, will have his fourth meeting with Mr Xi during the trip, as well as annual talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and a sit-down with National People’s Congress chairman Zhao Leji.

The visit is the longest by an Australian prime minister to China in living memory and comes amid tensions between Australia and the US over the Prime Minister’s refusal to lift defence spending and the Pentagon’s snap review of the AUKUS submarine program.

It comes just over six months after Beijing lifted the last of its $20bn worth of punitive trade bans on Australian exporters. Australia’s biggest companies are keen to leverage the improvement in relations, with Mr Albanese to be accompanied by a delegation of CEOs led by the Business Council of Australia.

China will attempt to drive a further wedge between Australia and its closest ally during the trip by urging closer trade co-operation to counter Mr Trump’s tariff chaos. It is expected to renew its calls for Australia to back its bid to join the 12-nation trans-Pacific trade deal, seek the relaxation of Australia’s foreign investment rules, and urge co-operation on artificial intelligence. All are red lines for Canberra.

Beijing is also likely to pressure Mr Albanese to abandon his pledge to force Chinese-owned company Landbridge to relinquish its lease over the Port of Darwin, amid government silence on the issue since the election.

Mr Albanese said he would raise the “full range of issues” in the nations’ bilateral relationship in his closed-door talks with China’s leaders. These will include a call for the release of detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun, and for Beijing to maintain the status quo on Taiwan and allow freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

“We co-operate where we can and we disagree where we must, and we’re able to have those honest conversations about some of the disagreements that are there,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“Australia and China have different political systems. We have, therefore, different values that are reflected in those political systems. But we have got to be able to have that engagement directly and that is what we will be doing.”

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Beijing will put on a show of “panda diplomacy” during a visit by Mr Albanese to the world’s largest panda breeding facility, in Chengdu.

The Prime Minister said he was “pro-panda”, and a big supporter of the pandas on loan from Beijing at the Adelaide Zoo.

“That is a major tourist attraction but it is also a sign of friendship between our two countries,” Mr Albanese said.

He will also catch up with former Socceroos playing in the Chinese Super League, and talk up Chinese tourism to Australia during a visit to Trip.com headquarters in Shanghai.

China is far and away Australia’s largest trading partner, with total two-way goods and services trade valued at $312bn in 2024 – more than Australia’s next three trading partners combined.

But Foreign Minister Penny Wong has repeatedly warned Australia is in a “permanent state of competition” with China in the Indo-Pacific, and on Thursday expressed alarm as Beijing’s massive military build-up across the region.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should echo his Foreign Minister’s comments in his meeting with Mr Xi. “Australia’s position on stability in the Indo-Pacific should be made clear by the Prime Minister when he is in China,” Senator Cash said.

“Mr Albanese should also make it clear that Australia strongly supports the US presence in the Indo-Pacific and the contribution the US makes to stability of the region.”

The expected arrival of Chinese spy ships follows a surprise live-fire drill in February by a heavily armed PLA-Navy flotilla, which went on to circumnavigate the country in an unprecedented show of force.

Former Defence official Michael Shoebridge said Talisman Sabre was an “intelligence collection priority” for Beijing, which operates the world’s biggest bluewater navy.

“Every time this major exercise is held, China sends sophisticated intelligence collection ships to hoover up electronic and other and digital data about the weapons and systems and communications to compile countermeasures and understand vulnerabilities in US, Australian and other partners’ military capabilities,” he said.

“And so for China, their intelligence collection mission around Talisman Sabre is a core part of them preparing the PLA for war.”

He said Mr Albanese’s talk of a “stabilisation” in Australia’s relationship with China was “a fiction created by the Albanese government to obscure the destabilising military aggression China is producing in our region”.

However, Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black was upbeat over the state of bilateral ties, and the government’s efforts to keep them on track. “The business relationship that we have between Australia and China is incredibly important, and so we are very supportive of the government and the Prime Minister’s efforts to maintain and enhance that relationship,” he said.

Mr Black’s delegation includes the chiefs of 14 of the nation’s biggest companies, including Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, ANZ and Macquarie Group.

He said the business roundtable would look to deepen engagement between Australian firms and their Chinese counterparts in a range of fields, including clean energy and steel decarbonisation, education and “smart agriculture”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/stable-ties-with-beijing-as-chinese-spy-ships-head-our-way/news-story/4ef5c5e235090198701653a3390e4a0d

Anthony Albanese lands in China, while Australian Defence officials brace for arrival of spy ships

BEN PACKHAM - 12 July 2025

Anthony Albanese will look to lure thousands more cashed-up Chinese tourists to Australia as he begins his record five-day charm offensive in Shanghai on Sunday.

Arriving in China’s financial capital just before 8pm AEST Saturday, the Prime Minister declared it was “wonderful” to be back in the country that supports millions of Australian jobs as the nation’s biggest trading partner.

The first full day of his visit will be spent spruiking Australia’s tourism drawcards and launching a reworked marketing campaign amid a slower than expected rebound in visitor arrivals from China.

Mr Albanese said it was a “great honour” to represent Australia during the trip, which will include high-level talks with Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, and a visit to panda breeding capital Chengdu.

The meeting with President Xi will be Mr Albanese’s fourth, underscoring his failure so far to secure a first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The visit comes as Defence officials in Australia brace for the arrival of one or more Chinese spy ships off Australia’s coast in coming days to monitor the nation’s biggest military exercise, Talisman Sabre.

The three-week long exercise opens Sunday and will involve 19 nations, including the US and Japan, and more than 30,000 personnel.

In China, Mr Albanese will oversee a new deal between Tourism Australia and Trip.com, before holding a media event with the Shanghai Port Football Club, coached by former Socceroo Kevin Muscat.

A revamped version of the 2022 “Come and Say G’Day” campaign, starring a toy kangaroo called Ruby voiced by actor Rose Byrne, will also be released, featuring popular Chinese actor Yu Shi.

The latest Bureau of Statistics data showed short term visitor arrivals in Australia at 8.5 per cent below 2019 levels, with the market out of China among the slowest to return. In the 12 months to April, New Zealand accounted for 19 per cent of all visitor arrivals followed by China at 12 per cent and the UK at 9 per cent.

While trailing New Zealand on arrivals, China outpaces all other markets on spend, which was valued at $9.2bn a year

The Prime Minister, who is accompanied by a major business delegation, said the trip “speaks to the importance of the economic relationship between Australia and China”.

“We know that one in four of Australia’s jobs depends on our exports, and China is our major trading partner, with exports to China being worth more in value than the next four countries combined,” he said on the tarmac after his RAAF jet touched down.

“This week, we will have important meetings about tourism, about decarbonisation of steel, about the full range of issues.”

Mr Albanese is likely to sidestep questions about strategic tensions between Australia and China during the trip, which Foreign Minister Penny Wong highlighted last week warning China’s massive military build-up was destabilising the region.

She urged Beijing not to provoke a clash with the US, which has warned Beijing is preparing to invade Taiwan.

A Defence spokeswoman told The Australian on Friday: “It would not be unusual or unexpected for China to monitor Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, as it has during previous iterations of this exercise. Defence monitors all traffic in our maritime approaches.”

The presence of Chinese warships off Australia’s coast will revive memories of the heavily-armed flotilla of Chinese warships that conducted a surprise live-fire drill in the Tasman Sea in February before circumnavigating the country in an unprecedented show of force.

ANU international law expert Don Rothwell said given that experience, “the government may feel the need to conduct a more robust response to the presence of the PLAN offshore Australia’s coast”.

Mr Albanese was met at the airport by Australia’s Ambassador to China Scott Dewar, China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian, and received a bouquet of flowers from two young children.

The visit is the longest by an Australian prime minister to China in living memory and comes amid tensions between Australia and the US over the Prime Minister’s refusal to lift defence spending and the Pentagon’s snap review of the AUKUS submarine program.

China is far and away Australia’s largest trading partner, with total two-way goods and services trade valued at $312bn in 2024 – more than Australia’s next three trading partners combined.

The trip comes just over six months after Beijing lifted the last of its $20bn worth of punitive trade bans on Australian exporters.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-lands-in-china-while-australian-defence-officials-brace-for-arrival-of-spy-ships/news-story/c6bac717094b6919d77bfc8b5defd43f

In the hills of Australia, Pacific allies are training to fight Beijing

MIKE CHERNEY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - 12 July 2025

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In the rugged hills outside the Queensland coastal city of Townsville, Japanese and Australian artillery crews fired in tandem on a distant target. They were assisted by US Marines, who were embedded with the Australian gun teams.

The live-fire drill was the culmination of Southern Jackaroo, an expanding annual exercise in the Australian bush in which the three nations’ forces practise working together as allies.

Although top officers didn’t call out any foe by name, troops taking part said it was clear that they were training to fight China.

As Beijing’s military steadily expands its forays in the Pacific, US allies in the region are realising they could easily be drawn into a conflict with China. They are responding by bolstering their forces and increasing joint drills to ensure they can work together seamlessly.

A primary goal of the combined displays of force is to complicate Beijing’s planning and convince the Chinese leadership that it would be too risky to use military force to assert territorial claims.

Australia and Japan, both of which have security pacts with the US, have emerged as essential US partners in the Pacific. If a war were to erupt, Washington would want Tokyo to sign off on the US using its Japanese bases to confront China and for Australia to send aircraft, ships and troops to Japan to help the fight, some defence analysts say.

“If there’s any argument to be made for a collective approach to deterrence in the region, it’s these three countries,” said Jeffrey Hornung, the Japan lead at Rand, a think tank.

On Friday, the US, Japan and Australia further bolstered their co-operation with a new naval logistics agreement that covers activities such as refuelling and reloading missile systems, which could be vital to improving their defences.

Australia is also gearing up to host the three-week Talisman Sabre exercise opening Sunday. The exercise will involve 19 nations, including the US and Japan, and more than 30,000 personnel.

Multinational manoeuvres are the new normal as the US and its allies prepare for a possible confrontation with China over Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that Beijing claims as its territory.

China has spent years building up its military – it now has the world’s largest navy – and is using that extra heft to expand its influence, including in areas beyond the “first island chain,” which includes Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

China sent an aircraft carrier group to waters east of Iwo Jima, a remote Japanese island, for the first time in June, prompting alerts from Tokyo. In another foray this year, China conducted naval drills near Australia.

At the same time, Beijing has continued to send its armed forces into the waters and airspace around Taiwan. It has expanded its operations in the disputed South China Sea near the Philippines and is increasing its activities in the Yellow Sea, a strategic area between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula.

“The Chinese are stretching their legs,” said Kelly Magsamen, who was chief of staff to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in the Biden administration.

“Their military modernisation has been at a pace that is pretty astounding. And then once you create a military, you start using your military, and you start pushing further and farther afield.”

Beijing has accused the US and its allies of spreading false accusations about the threat from China, and it has denounced the drills as provocations that disrupt peace and stability.

Training is picking up all over the region. In one recent exercise, US tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft carried Marines and Philippine troops to beaches and a nearby airfield where they practised repelling an adversary. In another, F-35 jet fighters from the US, Japan and Australia trained together for the first time in Guam, a US island territory with an expanding military role.

About 3000 troops took part in this year’s Southern Jackaroo, the most since the exercise started in 2013.

(continued)

>>23314703

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Australia and Japan are longtime US allies that host American troops and have militaries that can complement US forces with missiles, surveillance assets and logistical support. They rely on the region’s waterways for trade, so maintaining stability and access is crucial. A paper published by Australia’s defence department in 2015 said that 54 per cent of the country’s trade passed through the South China Sea on its way to northeast Asia.

“There’s such a commonality between our three countries,” said Scott Morrison, the former Australian prime minister who ramped up military co-operation with Japan and the US during his 2018-22 tenure. “When it comes to the things that really matter, it goes pretty deep.”

In Australia, the US is investing in air bases in the north. Marines are stationed in Darwin for part of the year and US submarines are slated to begin rotations through a naval base in Western Australia in 2027.

In Japan, which permanently hosts tens of thousands of American troops, the US is establishing a so-called joint force headquarters, which will have more operational responsibility and work more closely with its Japanese counterparts. An island-fighting regiment of Marines was recently formed in Okinawa and Tokyo is planning to deploy new Japanese missiles.

There are points of friction among the three nations. The Trump administration is pressuring allies to lift military spending, arguing the US has shouldered an unfair share of the cost of keeping them safe. It also hasn’t spared America’s traditional friends from new tariffs.

Last month, the Pentagon began a review of the $US240 billion plan that involves selling nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. Officials in Washington say they want to ensure that the US builds enough submarines for itself.

Then there are the challenges of learning to work together, as troops taking part in the exercise discovered.

In one drill, the Marines used Ospreys to act as an air assault element – much as they would when island-hopping in a conflict in the Pacific – while troops from the three countries seized and cleared terrain.

The language barrier was the most obvious obstacle, with Japanese troops relying on a small number of English-speaking interpreters. The Marines, who don’t bring personal devices with translation apps to most field training because of security concerns, said using visual aids such as maps made it easier to communicate.

There are also different operating procedures. At the artillery drill, the Japanese were more inclined to use handheld flags to communicate, while the Australians favoured sending commands digitally.

Some officers said the troops would benefit from even more complex scenarios. Capt. Jolie Brakey, a US Marine artillery commander at the exercise, wants to practise more amphibious operations with the Japanese.

“I know we’re good inland,” she said. “But what does it look like embarking on one of their naval vessels? What are those procedures and how do we work those out ahead of time?” Brig. Ben McLennan, commander of the Australian brigade at the exercise, already knows what he would like next year: armoured vehicles fighting together on a manoeuvre range and infantry fighting in trenches.

Over time, the exercise “has achieved an extraordinary level of integration,” McLennan said. “That’s something to double down on. And that’s what we’re going to be doing.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/in-the-hills-of-australia-pacific-allies-are-training-to-fight-china/news-story/7c0ee67385755c40c4c4f94ddbfe2589

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 12, 2025, 6:28 a.m. No.23314748 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4766

>>23314703

Meet the Japanese marines getting ready to storm Australian beaches

David King - July 11, 2025

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They are the Japanese army’s newest fighting force – a crack group of highly trained marines whose sole purpose is to storm one of the country’s 10,000 islands and repel any invader.

For the next three weeks, they’re going to call Australia home as they prepare to land on a remote Queensland beach with US and local forces in a simulation of what they could face in a potential conflict.

The amphibious rapid deployment brigade (ARDB) was created just seven years ago as tensions mounted between Japan and China over disputed islands in the East China Sea. Since then, the brigade has grown from one regiment to three – 3000 troops in total.

This masthead was given exclusive access to the brigade’s base at Camp Ainoura, at Sasebo on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, before the mission to Australia for Talisman Sabre, the massive international military exercise about to get under way in Sydney on Sunday.

Japan’s contingent of 1500 military personnel is its largest deployment to the exercise so far and will include 450 Japanese marines as well as two navy destroyers, a tank landing ship and amphibious vehicles.

Commanding officer major general Toshikatsu Musha said the chance to test his troops with Australian and US forces was extremely valuable, and he was looking forward to more challenging conditions than the calm waters around their training base.

“The higher the waves we have, the better training we can have. So it’s very beneficial to us,” he said.

“Another benefit is we can work with the US Marine Corp and the Australian soldiers, so we can strengthen our mutual understanding and also strengthen interoperability.”

Talisman Sabre involves 30,000 personnel from 19 countries, plus three observer nations, with war games stretching from Jervis Bay in NSW to the Northern Territory and for the first time this year, Papua New Guinea. Giant warships have already started to arrive in Australia’s northern waters.

It is also the largest combined training activity between the Australian Defence Force and the United States military, which the ADF says reflects “the closeness of our alliance”.

Japan, Australia and the US are quickly stepping up their military co-operation in a strategic push against China and the exercises will be the first step in delivering a commitment from the countries’ defence ministers to work together on amphibious warfare.

Simulated beach landings near Rockhampton will involve the 31st US Marines as well as the Japanese units amid concerns in all three countries about China’s military build-up and deepening ties between North Korea and Russia.

China has sent spy ships to monitor the Talisman Sabre exercise regularly since 2017 with a keen interest in how the Japanese navy works with US and Australian forces. Defence Minister Richard Marles said he fully expects China to monitor the operation again in 2025.

(continued)

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Tomohiko Satake, an associate professor at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo and a Japan-Australia security expert, said Australia, the US and Japan have moved from training for abstract scenarios to planning for the actual prospect of conflict.

“It’s stepped up to the more high-end co-operation between two militaries, so apparently they’re preparing for the war scenarios, actual contingencies, such as Taiwan Strait, or the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

He argues the broad purpose of the co-operation between the three nations is collective defence or deterrence against any use of force by China to change the regional status quo.

He says the Japanese marines are primarily for defence of Senkaku Islands, uninhabited but strategically useful islands near Taiwan that China also claims and calls the Daioyu Islands.

Taking the plunge

Although they’re colloquially known as Japanese marines, the ARDB mission is different from their counterparts in the US Marine Corp who are considered an expeditionary force, immediately deployable for combat in a foreign nation. The Japanese marines’ focus is on island defence.

Training in the near-tropical climate of Camp Ainoura involves all aspects of capturing and holding an island. Live-fire exercises are common on the base and swimming and rescue drills are on high rotation, alongside leaping from heights equivalent to the deck of a ship.

Sergeant Kentaro Yamanaka was already serving in the army when the ARDB recruiters came knocking. He put his hand up immediately. “They go to the front, it’s a very aggressive unit, so I joined,” he said. He and counterpart Sergeant Tsubasa Sagae are excited at the prospect of training in Australia.

“I’d like to compete with another nation,” Sagae says. “I have to focus on accuracy and how quickly I can fire the mortar. It’s my mission.”

David King travelled to Japan on a Foreign Press Center Japan fellowship.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/meet-the-japanese-marines-getting-ready-to-storm-australian-beaches-20250703-p5mcaj.html

9th Brigade, US Coast Guard join forces in 30,000 strong Talisman Sabre multi-domain warfighting

Harry Brill - July 10, 2025

While the size and scale of military’s Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 will captivate the masses, it is the contribution of a single task group that is shaping up to be the most intriguing addition to the mammoth Top End war games exercise.

Starting this weekend, more than 30,000 military personnel from across 19 nations will take to the bush, air and sea to wargame, hitting Territorians with another year of exercise deja vu.

However, at a time when a retention crisis continues to plague the ADF and heated debate surrounds the ‘younger’ generation’s’ desire to enlist, this year’s iteration comes with a positive turnout.

A 1400-strong task group, made up almost entirely of reservists, will take part in the month-long multi-domain warfighting and have been assigned the role of patrolling communities, waterways and critical infrastructure across the Top End.

The task group is made up of both Australian personnel and reservists from the US Coast Guard, who have shipped half-a-dozen vessels to Darwin especially for July.

Despite not being full-time, ‘chocos’ - as they’re colloquially referred to across the ADF - have a lot to offer operationally, according to 9th Brigade commander Brigadier Tim Orders.

“They have real empathy with (local) communities and bring a lot in terms of how we are able to connect and operate,” he said.

Brigadier Orders’ comments are backed by history, as it was ‘chocos’ who did the heavy lifting during the Kokoda Track campaign of 1942 - a series of battles waged in the jungle of Papua New Guinea.

Currently, the ADF’s reserve numbers remain relatively healthy at approximately 32,500.

However, the ADF have sought to expand that number and refine its quality, after a 2024 strategic review tabled 14 detailed recommendations.

One of the submissions was to extend the active commitment period of former permanent ADF personnel from five to 10 years, allowing military commanders to call-on a larger pool of troops in the event of an emergency.

It was also recommended the ADF raise an extra 1000 troops by 2030.

Australia is not the only nation putting more stock into their reserves.

This month, Commander Faith Gamboa of the US Coast Guard will lead a team - of which about 90 per cent are reservists - who hail from Clearwater, Florida.

“This is the first time a Port Security unit has ever been to Darwin, ever been to the Indian Ocean,” she said.

“So this is a big thing for the US government.”

While it is rare for the US Coast Guard to partake in a large, international military exercise, Commander Gamboa said she saw potential to test her troops in the waters of Darwin Harbour and beyond.

“(Our capability is) we can detect, defend and deter any kind of malign threat that’s in the intercoastal waterways or surrounding waters, as well as port spaces (and) critical infrastructure” she said.

“We have both a waterside security portion as well as a shore-side security portion, providing a layer defence in the port area.”

Exercise Talisman Sabre will run from 13 July to 4 August.

https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/9th-brigade-us-coast-guard-join-forces-in-30000-strong-talisman-sabre-multidomain-warfighting/news-story/5f9dedd96f5986e396e95603ad79c520

U.S. Marines launch Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 in Australia’s north

Capt. John Fischer - 07.11.2025

DARWIN, Australia — U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre 25, Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise, to enhance interoperability and strengthen ties with the Australian Defence Force and U.S. Army joint forces across the Northern Territory (NT) this month.

During the exercise, which runs from July 13 to August 4, MRF-D MAGTF Marines and Sailors will execute complex operations alongside the Australian Army’s 1st Division. The training includes airfield seizures at Timber Creek, Cloncurry, and Bootu airfields; establishment of expeditionary advanced bases (EABs) and sustainment hubs; joint and combined live-fire evolutions; and continuous airspace control of the NT through MRF-D MAGTF Marines with Marine Air Control Group 38.

“Our Marines are seizing simulated key maritime terrain and enabling freedom of maneuver for allied forces,” said Col. Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. “This exercise is Force Design 2030, in action, right now.”

Highlights include a bilateral artillery live-fire between Kilo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, MRF-D 25.3, and Australia’s 8th/12th Regiment at Mount Bundey Training Area, MV-22 Osprey-supported air assault operations to secure airfields deep inland, and a historic mobile command and control node enabling continuous low signature deconfliction of fires and forces in the NT battlespace. Marines are also operating the Tactical Aviation Ground Refueling System (TAGRS) to rapidly refuel joint and combined aircraft, showcasing advanced expeditionary refueling capabilities. MRF-D’s defensive cyber capabilities will also integrate with Australian and New Zealand partners to identify simulated threats during the exercise.

Exercise Talisman Sabre is designed to improve combat readiness and strengthen the long-standing alliance between the United States and Australia. More than 35,000 personnel from 19 nations are participating this year, with the U.S. Marines playing a critical role in maneuver, fires integration, logistics support, and combined command and control.

“Everything we do is predicated on trust with our allies and partners,” said Armas. That’s how we train and that’s how we really uphold security and stability in the Asia-Pacific,” Armas said.

MRF-D has been deploying to Australia annually for more than a decade as part of the U.S. Force Posture Initiatives, enhancing regional security cooperation, crisis response capability, and combined operational proficiency.

For imagery and updates from Talisman Sabre, visit:

https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/TalismanSabre25

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/542510/us-marines-launch-exercise-talisman-sabre-25-australias-north

—

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Tweet

Talisman Sabre locked in — press [play] now.

Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key allies and partners.

https://x.com/MRFDarwin/status/1943662313866952818

>>23299504

Talisman Sabre underway in Queensland

Sky News Australia

Jul 12, 2025

Talisman Sabre is underway in Brisbane as armed forces from several allied countries have arrived in Australia.

Three US Navy ships have docked in Brisbane for routine maintenance, to resupply, and to give the more than 2,000 marines on board some rest and recovery ahead of the planned military drills.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Talisman Sabre and will have its largest participation so far, with more than 30,000 military personnel from 19 countries.

The international training exercise will involve a month-long series of war games and live fire operations, aimed at strengthening allied military ties and improving interoperability.

Events will be held in and around military bases in NSW, north and central Queensland, and Darwin, as well as in Papua New Guinea, hosted by their defence force.

Talisman Sabre will begin next week following a ceremony at Sydney Harbour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML6Q36ngF58

Sydney Harbour will star in a military spectacle for Exercise Talisman Sabre

7NEWS Australia

Jul 11, 2025

Sydney Harbour will star in a military spectacle for the beginning of Exercise Talisman Sabre, the biggest wargames Australia has ever hosted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0li1Cp6aLg

TRUST was deeply violated by both

@JoeBiden

and

@BarackObama

that your administration MUST be above reproach.

And never forget:

“anyone who causes these little ones to stumble, it would be better to have a millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Flynn with the millstones MOAB targeting those doing harm to children

https://x.com/GenFlynn/status/1944214943198286033

PM and fiancee step out in Shanghai to kick off soccer diplomacy

Paul Sakkal - July 12, 2025

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Shanghai, China: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Haydon spent the morning walking The Bund with Socceroos great Kevin Muscat, using soccer as a form of diplomacy with China.

In a bid to appeal to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s love for the world game, Albanese met with Muscat, who coaches Shanghai Port FC – a club that has been flooded with funding after Xi put forward an ambitious plan to conquer world football.

The diplomatic move to engage with Muscat before formal talks between Albanese and Xi signals Australia’s aim of strengthening the personal relationship between the two leaders to ease geopolitical tensions.

Albanese was presented with a Shanghai Port FC soccer shirt during an event with the club’s Australian coach, Muscat, at Shanghai’s famous Bund thoroughfare.

“We have a parliamentary football team [and] we’re not very good,” Albanese said, holding the jersey with the number 10 and his name on the back. “I’ll be able to wear that around Australia proudly.”

Muscat and Australians doing business in China were examples, the prime minister said, of healthy people-to-people links between the two nations.

“I’ve just been chatting about Kevin, about the fact that they are ambassadors as well,” Albanese said alongside the Huangpu river, talking up Muscat’s chances of winning another trophy with Shanghai.

Muscat replied: “That’s the idea.”

Wearing a hat bearing the logo of his own football team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Albanese said Australia’s trade with China was worth as much as the next four nations combined.

“That says something about how important this relationship is,” he said.

From 1994 to 2006, Muscat played as a defender for the Socceroos. He won 46 caps and scored 10 goals in that time.

In 2023, the soccer champion became the coach of Shanghai Port, and the club has since won the 2024 Chinese Super League season and the 2024 Chinese FA Cup.

Beyond soccer diplomacy, Australia complained on Friday to China about a live-fire exercise in February that disrupted flights between Sydney and New Zealand, only a day before Albanese touched down in Shanghai.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised Australia’s concerns about the heavily armed flotilla that circumnavigated Australia earlier this year in a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Malaysia on Friday, the government confirmed.

Her expression of disapproval at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a day after she warned of China’s rapid military build-up, serves as a reminder of the points of difference with Australia’s largest trading partner, even after years of calmer relations under Labor.

The emergence of a Chinese flotilla sailing around Australia’s east coast in February sparked concern in Canberra about the lack of notice of live-firing, despite the voyage being conducted in accordance with international law.

(continued)

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Flanked by a delegation of Australian captains of industry, the prime minister arrived in Shanghai on Saturday, where he will announce a memorandum of understanding between Tourism Australia and Chinese-owned Trip.com.

The site is the world’s largest booking platform and owns Skyscanner and MakeMyTrip. The deal is designed to give Australia a leg-up over other nations in the lucrative Chinese holiday market, which is worth $9.2 billion to Australia.

A new tourism video featuring award-winning Chinese actor Yu Shu, under the banner of Australia’s “Come and Say G’day” campaign, will also be released.

Albanese said Australia’s relationship with China went beyond beef, barley, red wine and lobster, all of which were blocked from China after the ruling Chinese Communist Party punished the Morrison government for its blunt criticisms of China’s actions, particularly during the pandemic.

“Expanding our tourism relationship with China will mean more jobs for Australians and a boost to Australian businesses,” Albanese said in a statement marking the start of his six-day visit to China.

Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian has been pushing Australia to work together on artificial intelligence and investment in Australian critical industries. But Albanese’s focus is likely to be confined to tourism and trade in less contentious areas, such as China’s dominant green energy sector, during a two-day stop in Shanghai before a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the week.

Chinese tourists have flocked back to Australia since the pandemic. However, expectations of the wealth of China’s expanding middle class are not as high as they once were.

Material wealth continues to rise, but China’s gross domestic product growth has declined from 8.5 per cent in 2021 to less than 5 per cent in 2025, according to economists surveyed by Reuters. Consumers are shifting their taste away from luxury brands, according to surveys, while unemployment among young people is more than 15 per cent.

In its reporting of Wong’s meeting with the Chinese foreign minister, the country’s state-run newswire service Xinhua reported that Wang had said China was willing to prepare the next stage of high-level meetings, improve bilateral ties and manage the countries’ differences.

“The Chinese foreign minister noted that Australia’s rational and pragmatic policy toward China serves the interests of both countries and aligns with the trend of the times,” Xinhua reported.

Wong also emphasised the importance of opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, weeks after media reports suggested that Yi had told European officials China could not accept a Russian loss because it would allow the US to shift focus towards the Indo-Pacific. She also raised peace in the Taiwan Strait.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/australia-complains-to-china-about-live-fire-exercise-as-albanese-begins-shanghai-tourism-mission-20250712-p5mefs.html

>>23318879

China to take more active part in promoting comprehensive strategic partnership with Australia: FM

Xinhua - 2025-07-12

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Xinhua) - China is ready to promote the comprehensive strategic partnership with Australia through a more proactive approach, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday.

China is willing to work with Australia to prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges, maintain the momentum of improvement in bilateral ties and properly manage their differences, Wang said.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in the Malaysian capital on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings.

Over the past three years, China-Australia relations have stabilized, turned around and achieved positive results, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

It proves that as long as the two countries uphold a correct positioning of their partnership, bilateral relations can develop steadily and continue to yield results, Wang said.

The Chinese foreign minister noted that Australia's rational and pragmatic policy toward China serves the interests of both countries and aligns with the trend of the times.

For her part, Wong said that Australia is committed to developing a positive and pragmatic relationship with China.

Both sides are making every effort to prepare for high-level exchanges and look forward to achieving positive outcomes, she said, adding that dialogue and cooperation between Australia and China in trade, tourism and other fields have continued to make progress, and personnel exchanges have become increasingly active.

Wong noted that Australia remains firmly committed to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence."

Australia is willing to engage in candid communication and deepen cooperation with China to promote the sustained and positive development of bilateral relations, she said.

Wong said that Australia supports the central role of ASEAN and is committed to maintaining regional peace and stability.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues including the South China Sea and the Ukraine crisis.

https://english.news.cn/20250712/da547c54ed3b4cd8893f1fe7b1f85af7/c.html

Albanese bats away questions about Taiwan and US defence demands on first day of China visit

Stephen Dziedzic and Tom Crowley - 13 July 2025

The prime minister has been forced to bat away fresh defence demands from the Trump administration on the first full day of his visit to China, insisting that Australia supports "the status quo" in regards to Taiwan.

The Financial Times reported on Saturday that senior defence official Elbridge Colby — who is leading the Trump administration's review of the AUKUS pact — was pressing both Australia and Japan to say what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan.

Mr Elbridge took to social media after the piece was published to say that Mr Trump was focused on restoring US strength, including "by urging allies to step up their defense spending and other efforts related to our collective defense".

"Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations. But many, now led by NATO after the historic Hague Summit, are seeing the urgent need to step up and are doing so," he said.

The story came at an awkward moment for Anthony Albanese, who fielded several questions on Mr Colby's comments during his visit to the commercial metropolis of Shanghai.

Mr Albanese told reporters Australia did not support "any unilateral action" on Taiwan and that its spending on both defence and aid was "about advancing peace and security in our region".

"We have a clear position and we have been consistent about that … We don't want any change in the status quo."

A separate US government source told the ABC that the US — which maintains its own policy of strategic ambiguity when it comes to the defence of Taiwan — was having a "broader conversation" with allies like Australia.

They also said Australia had rejected overtures from US officials who suggested Australia should give specific assurances to the Trump administration about how they'd deploy Virginia-class submarines acquired through the AUKUS pact in the event of the US going to war.

Asked whether the US was entitled to seek assurance about an Australian response to a war over Taiwan, given its own position of strategic ambiguity, Mr Albanese did not answer directly but said the question answered itself.

Earlier, acting Defence Minister Pat Conroy told the ABC's Insiders on Sunday Australia did not "engage in hypotheticals" and would make its own decisions in response to any conflict.

"The sole power to commit Australia to war, or to allow our territory to be used for a conflict, is the elected government of the day," he said.

"Sovereignty will always be prioritised and that will continue to be our position."

Tourism focus of first leg

Mr Albanese has tried to use the first leg of his visit to highlight the human links between Australia and China, going for a walk down Shanghai's famous waterfront with ex-Socceroo Kevin Muscat, who is the manager for high-profile local soccer club Shanghai Port FC.

After that, he launched a new "chapter" of a major Australian tourism campaign designed to coax more Chinese visitors back to Australia, who have returned to Australia more slowly than expected in the wake of COVID-19 travel bans.

He also met Shanghai Party Chairman Chen Jining, where he praised China's rapid economic development.

"The development we can see across the river is symbolic of the extraordinary development that China has seen in recent decades, lifting literally hundreds of millions out of poverty," he said.

Mr Albanese told the chair that Australia wanted to engage in "frank and constructive dialogue" to promote "stability" in the region.

"We deal with each other in a calm and consistent manner, and we want to continue to pursue our national interests," he said.

"And it's in our interests to have good relations with China."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-13/albanese-taiwan-us-defence-demands-china-visit/105526626

https://x.com/USDPColby/status/1944045317227151579

US demands to know what allies would do in event of war over Taiwan

Trump administration says it is trying to prevent war but raises eyebrows by calling for commitments from Australia and Japan

Demetri Sevastopulo - 12 July 2025

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The Pentagon is pressing Japan and Australia to make clear what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan, in an effort that has frustrated the two most important American allies in the Indo-Pacific.

Elbridge Colby, under-secretary of defence for policy, has been pushing the issue in meetings with Japanese and Australian defence officials in recent months, said five people familiar with the discussions.

The push is his latest effort to convince US allies in the Indo-Pacific to enhance deterrence and prepare for a potential war over Taiwan.

After publication, Colby wrote on X that the Pentagon was implementing President Donald Trump’s agenda of “restoring deterrence and achieving peace through strength”. He said that included “urging allies to step up their defence spending and other efforts related to our collective defence”.

A US defence official said the “animating theme” of the discussions with allies was “to intensify and accelerate efforts to strengthen deterrence in a balanced, equitable way”.

The US official added: “We do not seek war. Nor do we seek to dominate China itself. What we are doing is ensuring the United States and its allies have the military strength to underwrite diplomacy and guarantee peace.”

The talks include efforts to persuade allies to raise defence spending amid rising concern about China’s threat to Taiwan. But the request for commitments related to a war over the island is a new demand from the US.

“Concrete operational planning and exercises that have direct application to a Taiwan contingency are moving forward with Japan and Australia,” said one person. “But this request caught Tokyo and Canberra by surprise because the US itself does not give a blank cheque guarantee to Taiwan.”

The US has long had a policy of “strategic ambiguity” under which it does not say if it would defend the island. Former president Joe Biden on four occasions deviated from that, saying the US would intervene. But Donald Trump has echoed other presidents in refusing to say what he would do.

Zack Cooper, an Asia expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said: “It is very difficult to get allies to provide specifics about what they would do in a Taiwan conflict when they don’t know either the scenario’s context or America’s own response.”

“President Trump has not committed to defend Taiwan, so it is unrealistic for the US to insist on clear commitments from others.”

The push has been aimed at Japanese and Australian defence officials, and not higher levels. A second person said there was a “collective raising of eyebrows” from representatives in Japan, Australia and other US allies.

Japan’s defence ministry said it was “difficult to answer the hypothetical question of a ‘Taiwan emergency’.” It said any response would “be implemented on an individual and specific basis in accordance with the constitution, international law, and domestic laws and regulations”.

The Australian embassy in the US did not comment.

(continued)

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Colby’s push follows other actions that have sparked anxiety. The Financial Times last month reported he was reviewing the Aukus security deal that will enable Canberra to procure nuclear-powered submarines.

Colby has also urged European militaries to reduce their focus on the Indo-Pacific and focus more on the Euro-Atlantic region. The FT also reported recently that Japan cancelled a high-profile ministerial meeting with the US after Colby abruptly increased the US request for more defence spending.

The Pentagon was forced to defend Colby in recent days after reports he was responsible for the decision to block weapons for Ukraine, which was shortly afterwards overturned by the president.

But the debate about Taiwan planning comes as Tokyo and Canberra feel pressure from Trump to boost spending, which allies of Colby say is very important given the rising threat from China in the Indo-Pacific region.

“We are coming to our allies in the Indo-Pacific, very similar to what the president did in Europe, and saying this is the threat environment,” said the US official. “Obviously, some of these are tough conversations, including on defence spending. But we think it will leave us all in a better place.”

The official said the administration was confident that Japan and Australia would boost defence spending more quickly than European allies had.

“We don’t think it should - nor can it - take 20 years. Not just because it is in our interests, but because it is so much in the Indo-Pacific allies’ interests as well.”

The situation is particularly sensitive for Japan because the push for more spending - including one from Colby that was publicly rebuked by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba - comes ahead of upper house elections on July 20.

The official said the US understood that it had to be sensitive to the political considerations of allies.

“That is something we all have to work through,” the official said. “It’s tough, but things simply must become fairer and more equitable for this to work - which it must. That is why we have leadership.”

The official said the Pentagon had received “positive” indicators on higher spending from Japan and Australia, but stressed that it was “critical for us all that we see results”.

Some allies believe Colby is ignoring their concerns in his pursuit for stronger deterrence. The official said that was “demonstrably untrue”.

“We are investing tremendous amounts of time and energy to work with allies to find ways to address our shared challenges in ways that leave us both better off,” he said.

https://www.ft.com/content/41e272e4-5b25-47ee-807c-2b57c1316fe4

https://x.com/USDPColby/status/1944045317227151579

US review of AUKUS incomplete as cost of defence boost revealed

Tom Crowley - 13 July 2025

The Trump administration's review of the AUKUS partnership is unfinished as its slated deadline arrives, according to Australia's acting defence minister.

Patrick Conroy told the ABC's Insiders the Australian government was "engaging at the most senior levels" and was optimistic the US review would endorse the military pact.

"I'm confident it will support AUKUS just as our review of AUKUS [and] the UK review found," he said.

"There's been lots of speculation about what the timeframe is of the review … My last information is that the review has not been completed yet."

The review, led by senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby whose public statements about AUKUS have been mixed, was slated to be finished within 30 days, a timeframe reached this weekend which coincides with Anthony Albanese's visit to China.

Bracing for pressure on defence spending

Despite the statements of confidence, the government is bracing for the likelihood that the Trump administration will press harder on Australia to lift its defence spending, as it did with European partners.

The ABC can reveal new figures laying out the colossal budget impact of agreeing to such a request.

During the election campaign, the Parliamentary Budget Office estimated the short-term boost to defence spending needed to achieve 3 per cent of GDP by 2035, as was Coalition policy, would cost $20.6 billion over the first five years and $156.4 billion over a decade.

Those figures, prepared in consultation with Treasury and Defence, can be extended to suggest the even larger cost of a 3.5 per cent spend of $45.2 billion over five years or $287.1 billion over a decade.

The government currently intends to increase defence spending to 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2035.

To get to 3.5 per cent instead, the extra funding alone would triple Australia's entire foreign aid budget by the year 2029-30.

Mr Conroy told the ABC the government would seek to emphasise that its aid and diplomatic spending, especially in the Pacific region, was also contributing to security.

"We're making the point to everyone that both [defence and aid spending] are incredibly important," he said.

"We're investing in our relationships in the region, as well as our military capability and we are increasing our defence budget significantly, $57 billion above the previous trajectory," he said.

"We've made it clear that if a case is made for more capability, we'll increase more. We're not going to pluck a figure out of the air and work out how to spend it. That's what the Coalition took to the election."

Mr Conroy, who is acting for Richard Marles in the defence portfolio but whose regular portfolio is defence industry, said Australia was also trying to get more value for money from defence procurement processes.

"It's a challenging area for every country around the world [and] it was problematic under the last government … We've made significant reforms to how we do defence procurement," he said.

"It is important that taxpayers have confidence that every single dollar goes to improving capability of the Australian Defence Force as well as supporting the 100,000 Australians who work in that industry."

'Sovereignty' central amid reports of Taiwan request

Mr Conroy said Australia would not "engage in hypotheticals" after a report in the Financial Times that Mr Colby was also pressing both Australia and Japan to give assurances about how they would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

In a social media post following that report, Mr Colby did not address Taiwan directly but said the Pentagon had "made abundantly and consistently clear" it wanted allies to "step up their defense spending and other efforts related to our collective defense.

"This has been a hallmark of President Trump's strategy in Asia as in Europe where it has already been tremendously successful," he said, describing the pressure on NATO allies to spend more as a "formula" for other regions.

"Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations. But many… are seeing the urgent need to step up and are doing so."

Mr Conroy told the ABC Australia would make its own decisions about any conflict.

"The sole power to commit Australia to war or to allow our territory to be used for a conflict is the elected government of the day," he said.

"Sovereignty will always be prioritised and that will continue to be our position."

Officials have also emphasised Australia's strategic focus on deterrence and opposition to the use of force.

"We are being very clear that we want a balanced region where no-one is dominated and no-one dominates," he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-13/us-review-of-aukus-incomplete-defence-cost/105526330

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjYuW19XOww

US wants to know how Australia would use subs if America goes to war

Michael Koziol - July 13, 2025

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Washington: The Pentagon has confirmed it is asking Australia for undertakings on how its AUKUS submarines would be used in the event of US military conflicts, and for “substantial increases” in defence spending as part of its review of the $368 billion agreement.

A senior US defence official, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said the Trump administration wanted a clear idea of how Australia would deploy the nuclear-powered boats in the event of a contingency, though this was much broader than conflict with China over Taiwan.

“There’s a conversation about command structure, about alignment of assets. We would want, in any scenario, a clear sense of what we can expect from Australia,” he said in an interview.

“There seems to be a hyper-emphasis on Taiwan in public reporting. But this is broader than any one particular contingency. It is about how we can reasonably expect these kinds of critical assets to be allocated across different scenarios.”

This masthead can also reveal that the Pentagon’s AUKUS review focuses on four areas: command structure, the US’s capacity to produce the boats, posture (positioning) of the assets and Australian defence spending.

Meanwhile, US Undersecretary of Defence Elbridge Colby, who is heading the review, publicly confirmed reports that the US wanted its allies such as Australia and Japan to “step up” and make commitments about how they would act in the event of a conflict.

Colby said the Pentagon was implementing US President Donald Trump’s commonsense agenda of restoring deterrence and achieving peace through strength.

“That includes by urging allies to step up their defence spending and other efforts related to our collective defence,” he said, noting it also applied in both Europe and Asia.

“Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations. But many, now led by NATO after the historic Hague summit, are seeing the urgent need to step up and are doing so. President Trump has shown the approach and the formula – and we will not be deterred from advancing his agenda.”

Colby was responding to a report in the Financial Times, published on Saturday US time, that said he had been pressing the issue in meetings with Australia and Japan, citing five sources familiar with the discussions.

This masthead revealed on Thursday that Colby believed Australia should give a public declaration or private guarantee that the US-made nuclear-powered submarines would be used in a possible conflict with China.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Sunday that Australia prioritised its sovereignty and “we don’t discuss hypotheticals”.

“The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day,” he told ABC’s Insiders program.

Under the AUKUS agreement, Australia would buy several Virginia-class nuclear submarines from the US and then develop its own fleet with the United Kingdom. The Trump administration is reviewing the deal, brokered by former leaders Joe Biden, Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson, to determine whether it puts “America First”.

The senior US defence official said the review was being done “in good faith” and the Pentagon “would like to make this thing work as best we can, consistent with President Trump’s agenda”.

He pushed back against the characterisation of Colby, in both Australia and the US, as an AUKUS sceptic. Colby was “in many ways a moderate on AUKUS” who was “trying to do this thing in a prudential manner”.

And he warned: “There are folks that are very powerful and very important stakeholders who have very serious concerns privately [about AUKUS].”

The official also confirmed the question of Australian defence spending was tied up in the AUKUS discussions, though he declined to say if the Pentagon sought a further injection of money into the US submarine industrial base. Australia is already contributing $4.7 billion.

“Substantial increases in Australian defence spending, I think, are quite warranted,” the official said. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has already told Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles the US wants Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, from a little over 2 per cent.

(continued)

>>23318940

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The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, also weighed into the debate with remarks on social media platform X. Crucially, he cited comments by US radio talk show host and former Reagan administration official Hugh Hewitt, who said that Colby’s “attempt to achieve clarity about commitments in the event of a variety of contingencies is not only reasonable, it’s essential.”

“Why, for example, would we help country A arm itself if country A would not render assistance in a fight?” Hewitt wrote on X. “If we don’t know what our closest allies are genuinely committed to do in the event of a crisis of the first magnitude, can we call them ‘close allies?’”

Parnell quoted that post and said Hewitt’s analysis was “100 per cent right”. He added “the Department of Defence is focused on preventing war, with a strong shield of deterrence.

“That requires strength, but it is a simple fact that our allies must also do their part. We do not seek war. What we are doing is ensuring the United States and its allies have the military strength to underwrite diplomacy and guarantee peace.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said AUKUS is a good deal for Australia and the US, and noted Australia was already contributing to American submarine-building capacity. He also said Trump had not said anything negative about AUKUS to date.

Other Trump-aligned political figures also backed Colby’s position on the weekend. Republican senator from Missouri Eric Schmidt said the bigger story was “why the hell” Washington’s foreign policy establishment had not asked these questions of US allies already.

Justin Logan, director of defence and foreign policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, said “foreign policy elites in US allies have done a better job convincing US elites they will bandwagon with China, than US foreign policy elites have done in convincing them [that] if they don’t do more, the US won’t do it for them.”

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/us-wants-to-know-how-australia-would-use-subs-if-america-goes-to-war-20250713-p5mehw.html

https://x.com/hughhewitt/status/1944026255298306100

LIVE | Talisman Sabre 2025 Kicks Off: US, Australia Lead Massive War Games

APT

Jul 13, 2025'

The opening ceremony of Talisman Sabre 2025 marked the start of the largest-ever iteration of the Australia-U.S. joint military exercise, now including 19 participating nations. The multinational war games are designed to strengthen interoperability, readiness, and regional security cooperation across land, sea, air, and cyber domains.

Held in Queensland, Australia, the opening event featured military leaders and defense personnel from across the Indo-Pacific, delivering statements on the strategic importance of allied unity and rapid response capability in a shifting global security landscape.

A joint press conference followed the ceremonial events, with remarks from representatives of the Australian Defence Force, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and high-ranking officials from countries including Japan, South Korea, France, the U.K., Indonesia, and more.

The exercise spans several weeks and includes amphibious landings, live-fire drills, cyber-defense simulations, and complex combat operations, underscoring growing defense ties among democratic allies in the Indo-Pacific.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO9f_ws2Dyo

Talisman Sabre 2025: Australia is prepared for Chinese spies off our coast

7NEWS Australia

Jul 13, 2025

Australia is prepared for Chinese spies off our coast as troops take part in the biggest military exercises on home soil.

Allies from around the world have been deployed for Talisman Sabre and military rivals are watching on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hyhg9cetCw

>Talisman Sabre

MAGIC SWORD

https://''qalerts.pub/?q=Operation+Specialists''

https://''qalerts.pub/?q=magic''

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 14, 2025, 2:09 a.m. No.23323820 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8979

Albanese walks trade-security tightrope before Xi meeting

Paul Sakkal - July 14, 2025

Shanghai: Australia will not back down on its decision to take the Port of Darwin out of Chinese hands as mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest warns that an overemphasis on security risks is hurting the $312 billion in annual trade between the two nations.

As Albanese prepares for a grand welcome at his meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, the final day of his two-day stop in Shanghai was centred on Australia’s financial ties with its biggest trading partner.

The Prime Minister spruiked Australia as a stable, open trading nation against a backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s stop-start trade wars.

“I think that Australia’s support for free and fair trade does provide potential opportunities for Australia in this region as well, not just with China, but with ASEAN nations,” Albanese said, without naming the president.

Trade will be central to Albanese’s talks with Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang – who famously referred to Albanese as a “handsome boy” in 2023 – on Tuesday. But disagreements are likely to make the agenda, including China’s frustration with Australia’s decision to force a Chinese firm to end its lease over the Port of Darwin due to security concerns.

Albanese said his government would not be deterred when asked if he believed China might retaliate against the move because Chinese-owned firm Landbridge has leased the asset since 2015.

“The answer to that is no,” the prime minister said at a press conference in Shanghai’s Peninsula Hotel.

“We had a very clear position that we want the port to go into Australian ownership. We’ve been very clear about it … and we will go through that process.”

Albanese said he was solely focused on his trip to China when asked if he was closer to securing a meeting with Trump, noting that previous Liberal prime ministers Tony Abbott and Malcolm Fraser had met with Chinese leaders before seeing their US counterparts.

Albanese suggested the Australian media had lost perspective in its coverage of his not having met with Trump.

The port dispute, which has received significant negative attention in Chinese state media, reflects the depth of worry in Australia’s intelligence community about China having control of critical infrastructure. Putting the port back in Australian hands would be achieved by encouraging Landbridge to sell the asset or to force its divestment, a move that would trigger further Chinese displeasure.

Albanese declined to reveal what security or human rights he would discuss with Xi. He trumpeted his record of securing freedom for detained Australians when asked about Chinese-Australian pro-democracy activist Yang Hengjun, who is in prison after being given a suspended death sentence on murky espionage offences.

Billions in iron ore revenue for Australia’s strained budget would be safeguarded by stripping the use of coal out of the production of steel, Albanese said while flanked by the heads of the country’s largest miners. Before his press conference, the prime minister convened a roundtable with Chinese and Australian resources executives on so-called green steel.

Fortescue mining billionaire Forrest, a long-time advocate of closer links with China, said worries about national security clouded the business relationship between the two nations.

“Yes, security becomes a distraction,” Forrest said.

“We have people [in China] that want a peaceful, long-term relationship with Australia. Across Australia, we have people who want a peaceful, long-term relationship with China. The prime minister has brought us into the realm of that peaceful, long-term relationship.”

Forrest’s remarks came a day after the US made clear it wanted to know how Australia would act in a potential war with China over Taiwan.

Albanese said maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific, which he said on Sunday was the purpose of the AUKUS submarine pact, would create the conditions for stronger economic ties.

“The economic relationship is obviously based upon a stable and secure region. We’ve seen the disruption that occurs when there is conflict in the world. That’s why we need to make sure that we do everything we can to promote peace and security in the region,” Albanese said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-walks-trade-security-tightrope-before-xi-meeting-20250714-p5mepo.html

>>23279036

>>23288313

Masked figure claims responsibility for anti-Israel firebombing, threatens weapons workers

RYAN BOURKE - 14 July 2025

A video circulating online shows a masked figure taking responsibility for the firebombing of a Victorian-owned weapons manufacturer, and threatening to target its workers with further violence.

Victoria Police has launched an investigation into the July 5 incident.

“Investigators are aware of a video which has been circulating where a group has claimed responsibility for the incident,” a police spokesperson said.

“This video is being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation … Police are urging anyone with information about the Greensborough incident and those involved to come forward.”

In the four-minute video that began circulating on Sunday night, a black-clad man wearing a balaclava in front of a Palestinian flag uses voice-altering software to tell viewers “This is an anonymous communique by the cell that torched three cars at Lovitt Technologies”.

The figure then threatens further “consequences” if the company continues to manufacture weapons, and instructs viewers how to conduct firebombings of their own, adding that workers should “consider this as a warning”.

After explaining the company’s link to the manufacturing of Israeli weapons, the figure warned workers at the company they have had “years to contemplate the consequences of your actions”.

“We will decide your fate as you have decided the fate of millions … for the past few months we have been watching you, we have your addresses.

“All of the information we have about you will be distributed to our underground networks.”

The video then shows the figure demonstrating how to firebomb a car using paper bags and fire starters.

“Place one bag under the front and one under the back tyre … be mindful of fingerprints and DNA.”

The alarming threat comes after five hooded offenders were captured on CCTV entering Lovitt Technologies Australia on Para Rd, Greensborough just before 4am on Saturday, July 5. Police allege the offenders then set fire to three vehicles and used spray paint to write various slogans on the cars and on a building wall.

The attack remains under investigation by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which includes personnel from Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

The video was posted to X by the Australian Jewish Association at roughly 10.30pm on Sunday.

AJA chief Robert Gregory said: “It was sent to us by a concerned member of the Jewish community who came across it on a social media page of anti-Israel activists.”

A search of Instagram revealed several accounts with anti-Israel posts began sharing the video around 7pm, although the original source of the video remains unknown.

Acting Premier Jaclyn Symes said she had only “just been briefed” about the video when asked about it on Monday afternoon.

“I’ll have a look when I get back in the car, I’m sure it’s been referred to the Police.

“When it comes to acting on hate and inappropriate conduct in this state we are a government that has acted,” she added.

Asked if he considered the video an incitement to violence, Police Minister Anthony Carbines said, “Those matters stand condemned, should be called out, should be referred to Victoria Police.

Mr Carbines added the government’s new anti-vilification laws would “give police the tools they need to hold offenders to account who think they can incite violence, threaten people, scare people, and vilify people”.

“They’ll meet the full force of the law.”

Speaking to The Australian, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said: “Seeing a group resembling an al-Qa’ida terror cell openly pledging to carry out criminal acts is chilling and disturbing.”

“Today it is a business they oppose and tomorrow it will be individuals, politicians, journalists or religious institutions they deem impure,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“We expect this incident to be investigated and for those responsible to be met with the law. If we fail to confront this threat we risk becoming a nation of competing violent extremists and not a society under the rule of law.”

Lovitt Technologies has been contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/masked-figure-claims-responsibility-for-antiisrael-firebombing-threatens-weapons-workers/news-story/fb14d553b704871dc02ecbb669fdebc6

https://www.theage.com.au/national/anonymous-group-claims-responsibility-for-attack-on-israel-linked-military-parts-maker-20250714-p5meth.html

https://x.com/AustralianJA/status/1944371884612567466

>>23158114 (pb)

>>22977683 (pb)

>>23125063 (pb)

>>23318907

AUKUS sceptic Turnbull discussed pact’s defects with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby

JOE KELLY - 15 July 2025

1/2

Malcolm Turnbull held substantial conversations with Elbridge Colby about the AUKUS agreement – including its defects and challenges – before the Pentagon policy chief was charged with leading a vital review into the future of the security partnership.

The engagement between the former prime minister and Mr Colby predates the confirmation of Mr Colby in March as the US Undersecretary of Defence for Policy, where he serves as the key intellectual force behind the Pentagon’s application of Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda in the world – including the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Turnbull has been a sustained critic of AUKUS, arguing that the deal will not work for Australia, and he shares with Mr Colby a range of concerns and criticisms about the agreement.

The Australian can reveal the former prime minister has engaged with Mr Colby for more than three years on a range of issues including the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the US and the UK under which Canberra is hoping to acquire three Virginia-class submarines from America.

The two men know each other well and in March 2024 an opinion piece written by Mr Turnbull – warning that Australia faced the prospect of having no submarine capability for a decade because of the AUKUS deal – was reposted by Mr Colby.

Responding to the article, Mr Colby said “America cannot prudently reduce the number of its most important asset for a Western Pacific fight, precisely in the period when such a war seems increasingly plausible”.

Discussions between the two men in recent years are understood to have canvassed a range of topics about which Mr Turnbull has spoken in recent weeks – including the need for Australia to reclaim greater sovereignty and independence in world affairs by standing more firmly on its own two feet.

The US is becoming increasingly concerned that Australian defence spending – at about 2 per cent of GDP – is insufficient to fund the AUKUS agreement for the purchase of Virginia-class submarines without hollowing out other defence capabilities needed for Australia to contribute effectively to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Another key concern held by both men relates to the US production rate for Virginia-class submarines falling behind what is required for Washington to meet both its own needs and those of Australia.

This is critical because, under the enabling AUKUS legislation, the US President cannot authorise the sale of submarines to Australia unless he can certify to congress that it will not degrade the capabilities of the US Navy.

Delivering the Jeff Bleich Centre Distinguished Lecture in late June, Mr Turnbull sketched out these points in detail.

And he mentioned Mr Colby by name.

“These are really the best, the most important assets in their fleet … Their current rate of production is, according to the navy, (running at an) average of 1.1 a year. It’s been between 1.1 and 1.2 for quite a while, it needs to be well over two to be able to meet the US Navy’s needs and our needs,” Mr Turnbull said.

“This is the point that has been of great concern to many people in Washington, including the Under Secretary for Defence, ‘Bridge’ Colby, who is undertaking a review of AUKUS at the moment.

“He has simply made the point, ‘if these are the most valuable assets in our navy … if we are already short of them and if we are producing half as many of them as we need to replace retirements, how can we possibly transfer any of these vital assets to another country, no matter how friendly and fond we may be of that nation?’”

(continued)

>>23328908

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As prime minister, Mr Turnbull was the key champion of a submarine deal with France under which Naval Group would design and build 12 conventionally powered Attack-class submarines for the Australian Navy.

But the arrangement was superseded by the AUKUS agreement to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, with Mr Turnbull warning in recent weeks that the current plan would “considerably” reduce Australian sovereignty at the same time Washington is “beginning to become less reliable”.

In a piece published in Foreign Affairs in June, Mr Turnbull argued that America’s allies now needed to “do more to defend themselves” and increase their “sovereign autonomy” – meaning their ability to operate without the United States.

He argued that embracing this position would be appreciated and respected by the Trump administration, citing a recent interview by Vice-President JD Vance in which he praised French leader Charles de Gaulle, who, “despite protests from Washington in the 1960s, ensured that France, unlike the United Kingdom, retained complete sovereignty over all its military capabilities”.

“AUKUS may be a cautionary tale for other allies,” Mr Turnbull said. “Sovereignty and autonomy are more important than ever. Compromise them at your peril.”

While Mr Turnbull has had ongoing discussions with Mr Colby, he has not met with him since he was confirmed as the US Undersecretary of Defence for Policy or charged with leading the Pentagon review of the AUKUS framework.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/aukus-sceptic-turnbull-discussed-pacts-defects-with-pentagon-policy-chief-elbridge-colby/news-story/810fac9da65961128c412b9742101a54

https://x.com/ElbridgeColby/status/1772368700089197027

https://x.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1772349606669729901

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/australia-aukus-deal-us-uk-submarines-virginia-class

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 15, 2025, 5:32 a.m. No.23328949 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8954

>>23318940

>>23318907

Elbridge Colby’s three key challenges for Australia

JOE KELLY - 15 July 2025

1/2

Elbridge Colby is issuing a challenge to the direction of Australian strategic policy, from defence spending levels and the future of the AUKUS agreement to the prospect of Australian involvement in a potential US conflict against China in the Taiwan Strait.

The US defence policy chief is swiftly emerging as one of the most important figures in the Trump administration and the intellectual engine behind the application of the “America First” agenda to US defence policy – including in the Indo-Pacific.

This makes the US Undersecretary of Defence for Policy one of the central people for Australia to engage with as Canberra navigates the relationship with the administration at a time of global uncertainty and turbulence.

But it may not be an easy road ahead. One of Colby’s key goals is to ensure more equal burden sharing when it comes to the management of America’s key alliance partnerships – and there are three key issues where he is presenting challenges.

The first is on AUKUS. As the leader of the Pentagon’s comprehensive review of the security partnership, Colby is examining whether the agreement still aligns with the priorities being championed by the US President.

While the review was not launched with the aim of killing off the agreement, there is an expectation there will be “tough” conversations. The prospect of modifications being proposed is clearly on the table.

There will be extensive engagement with both Australia and the UK over the future of AUKUS, but it would be wrong to assume that only champions of the agreement will be granted an audience with the Pentagon’s policy chief.

Colby will be listening to the full contest of ideas – and this means hearing the case presented by sceptics of the AUKUS agreement.

Nothing should be taken for granted.

The second challenge for Australia posed by Colby is his focus on how Canberra approaches China and, more specifically, whether it is willing to pre-commit US-supplied submarines to a potential American conflict with China over Taiwan.

It is true that Colby has asked this question of Australian officials, but this imposes an unreasonable demand on Canberra that, if accepted, would compromise sovereign Australian decision-making.

Even the US maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity in respect of Taiwan, and Donald Trump himself has made clear he will “never say” what course of action he would take.

Unless Washington drops this approach for a hard and fast security guarantee to Taiwan, no credible Australian government could provide an answer one way or the other.

This point has been reflected to the administration. Yet it is worth noting Colby’s statements to his confirmation hearing in March that one of his top priorities is preparing the US to mount a successful operation in defence of Taiwan if required.

“Taiwan’s fall would be a disaster for American interests,” he said. “It is vital for us to focus and enable our own forces for an effective and reasonable defence of Taiwan.

“We have to have the military capabilities in Asia or relevant to Asia to be able to conduct a local defence of Taiwan at a cost and level of risk that the American people are prepared to tolerate.”

(continued)

>>23328949

2/2

The issue of how nuclear submarines could be used by Australia in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait may well bleed into the AUKUS review. The Albanese government should expect more pressure to be applied on this front, with this debate already threatening to derail Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to China.

However, it is defence spending that remains the obvious running sore in the relationship and perhaps the area where Albanese is most likely to run into trouble with Trump himself when they eventually meet.

Posting on social media on Monday morning local time, Colby declared that “central to President Trump’s commonsense, America First message is that our alliances have to be fair and equitable for them to be sustainable”.

“This is eminently reasonable but was treated for many years as heresy,” he said. “Yet now with the historic NATO commitment we see that it can work – and will leave not only Americans but our European allies better off. That’s the formula for success!”

The message was timed to coincide with Trump’s announcement that he will start to crack the whip much harder against Russia’s Vladimir Putin by imposing a 100 per cent tariff on Moscow if there is no ceasefire with Ukraine in 50 days.

Trump also signed off on another deal with NATO to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons to help the war-torn nation hold its position in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

This outcome suggests that the decision by Europe at the recent NATO summit to increase defence spending is starting to reap rewards and bringing about a more united front with Washington in resisting the Russian threat.

There are valuable lessons here for Australia. A commitment to lift defence spending is not only warranted to better serve Australian sovereign interests – it would help bring Canberra and Washington into greater alignment as both nations work to confront the pressing strategic challenges of the times.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/elbridge-colbys-three-key-challenges-for-australia/news-story/5805cdc268356aef05c5e37ea4e62c18

>>23323820

Thorny issues broached as Albanese, Xi go head-to-head

Jacob Shteyman and Dominic Giannini - July 15 2025

Anthony Albanese has used a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to raise concerns over China's lack of notice before it conducted military drills off the Australian coast.

The live firing exercise in international waters near Australia in February, which forced the diversion of commercial flights, was among topics on the agenda during talks between the two leaders in Beijing.

Speaking after Tuesday's meeting, Mr Albanese said he had secured a commitment for China to better inform Australia on military drills in the region.

The prime minister noted the drills being in international waters didn't contravene international law "but that we were concerned about the notice and the way that it happened, including the live fire exercises".

Australia's position on there being no unilateral change to the status quo over Taiwan was also conveyed to the president, he said.

"We want peace and security in the region, that is in the interests of both Australia and China," Mr Albanese replied when asked whether he had raised China's unprecedented military build up.

Mr Xi didn't raise reports the United States had asked Australia to commit to teaming up during a potential conflict with China over Taiwan, nor Labor's commitment to terminate a Chinese company's lease of the Port of Darwin, Mr Albanese added.

The prime minister also raised the detention of Australian writer Yang Hengjun but said he didn't expect immediate progress on the case.

Dr Yang was given a suspended death sentence in China on secretive national security charges that Australia rejects.

"I raised the case, you wouldn't expect there to be an immediate outcome and that is not the way things work," Mr Albanese told reporters.

In his opening remarks ahead of the meeting, Mr Xi hailed improved relations with Australia.

The president was all smiles as he greeted his Australian guest in the East Hall - one of the many ornate chambers in the Great Hall of the People.

"The most important thing we can learn from this is that a commitment to equal treatment, to seeking common ground while sharing differences, pursuing mutually beneficial co-operation, for our countries and peoples," he said.

China's president pointed to past meetings as "in-depth discussions on the strategic overarching issues critical to the direction of China-Australia relations"

"With joint efforts from both sides the China-Australia relationship has recovered from the setback and turned around," Mr Xi said.

Tuesday's bilateral meetings with President Xi, Premier Li Qiang and Communist Party Chairman Zhao Leji - the three highest-ranking members of China's ruling committee - mark the centrepiece of Mr Albanese's six-day tour of the Middle Kingdom.

With China and Australia's comprehensive strategic partnership entering its second decade, Mr Xi said he was ready to push the relationship further to reap greater benefits for both peoples.

The meeting comes as the Chinese-Australian free trade agreement passes its 10th anniversary.

Co-operation between the two nations has increased following a falling out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An article by a Chinese state media influencer suggested Beijing could restrict Australian imports as retaliation, risking financial blowback for Australian companies.

It comes as Chinese security officials tried to stop Australian journalists, who were travelling with the prime minister's delegation, from leaving a tourist attraction in Beijing after filming in the area.

The group of reporters had permission to film at the location, but were stopped by security officials and were told to hand over footage before police arrived.

The journalists were able to leave the site with the footage, despite being followed by security.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9016725/thorny-issues-broached-as-albanese-xi-go-head-to-head/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO-GWpQ19ek

Australian concerns over live fire drill brushed aside in Xi meeting

Tom Crowley - 15 July 2025

President Xi Jinping appears to have brushed aside Australia's concerns about the lack of notice given by China ahead of a Chinese military exercise off the Australian coastline earlier this year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters his meeting with the Chinese leader, held in Beijing on Tuesday, was "constructive" and that he had raised the live fire drill in a manner consistent with his previous public statements.

He said Mr Xi had reiterated China's right to perform exercises.

"I said what I said at the time, which is that it was within international law, there was no breach of international law by China in that, but that we were concerned about the notice and the ways that it happened, including the live fire exercises," he said.

"In response, of course … President Xi Jinping said that China engaged in exercises just as Australia engages in exercises."

Mr Albanese said he also raised the case of Australian man Yang Hengjun, who is detained in a Chinese prison on spying charges he has long denied and whose health is ailing.

"I raised the case. You wouldn't expect there to be an immediate outcome, and that is not the way things work. The way it works is by that patient, calibrated advocacy, what Australians do, what my government does," he said.

The PM said the ownership of the Port of Darwin was not raised. Asked whether Donald Trump or US trade tariffs had been discussed, he said both leaders had asserted the importance of international trade.

A statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Mr Xi told Mr Albanese the two countries should "work together to uphold fairness and justice, support multilateralism and free trade, defend the UN-centred international system and the international order based on international law".

The statement suggested Mr Albanese had expressed support for China's bid to host the APEC summit in 2026 and that the PM had said Australia was "ready to work with China" to support multilateralism and the UN and "jointly safeguard free trade and WTO rules – contributing to greater global stability and predictability".

Earlier on Tuesday, the pair made public remarks in Beijing's Great Hall of the People prior to a closed-door meeting and a lunch attended by Mr Albanese's fiancee, Jodie Haydon, and China's First Lady, Peng Liyuan.

In his remarks, Mr Xi welcomed an improvement in relations between the two countries since what he called "the setback", an apparent reference to the cooling of bilateral ties during the Morrison government.

"The China–Australia relationship has [risen] from the setback and turned around, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Australian peoples," he said.

"No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly."

In his own remarks, Mr Albanese emphasised economic ties and said it was important to have "direct discussions on the issues that matter to us, and to the stability and prosperity of our region."

"Australia values our relationship with China and will continue to approach it in a calm and consistent manner, guided by our national interest, which we regard very much as the relationship being positive," he said.

The meeting came on the third full day of the PM's six-day trip to the country, his second as prime minister, which began in Shanghai.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-15/albanese-xi-meeting-live-fire-drills-beijing/105535036

https://x.com/AlboMP/status/1944980617680048634

Xi tells Albanese that China’s ship will conduct exercises wherever they want in international waters

BEN PACKHAM and WILL GLASGOW - 15 July 2025

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Xi Jinping has told Anthony Albanese his naval forces will conduct exercises wherever they want in international waters as the Prime Minister called for more notice of PLA-Navy drills near Australia and urged the Chinese President not to invade Taiwan.

Hosting Mr Albanese in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Tuesday, China’s supreme leader lauded the improvements in the countries’ bilateral ties under Labor, calling for the Australian leader to “unswervingly” maintain the positive momentum in the relationship “no matter how the international landscape may evolve”.

Mr Xi warmly welcomed Mr Albanese to the capital for their fourth meeting amid glowing state media coverage, with one of the Chinese Communist Party’s most influential mouthpieces saying his visit sent a message “to the wider world” amid Donald Trump’s tariff chaos.

The Prime Minister and his fiance, Jodie Haydon, were treated to a rare lunchtime banquet by Mr Xi, as well as a full military honour guard. A second feast followed in the evening with China’s No.2 leader, Premier Li Qiang.

Speaking after his meeting with the President, Mr Albanese revealed he had agreed to a review of the China-Australia free-trade agreement, amid Chinese calls for the deal to be expanded to allow closer co-operation on artificial intelligence and technology, which Australia has ruled out.

Mr Albanese said he raised February’s surprised live-fire drills by Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea which went on to circumnavigate Australia in an unprecedented show of force, while conceding the vessels had operated within their legal rights.

“I said what I said at the time, which was that it was within international law … but that we were concerned about the notice and the way that it happened, including the live-fire exercises,” he said.

“In response, of course, President Xi said that China engaged in exercises just as Australia engages in exercises.”

His comments came as Defence officials declined to say if they were tracking Chinese spy ships heading towards Queensland’s coast to monitor Australia’s biggest military exercise, Talisman Sabre, after earlier saying their arrival was expected soon.

Amid US calls for Australia to declare whether it would support its ally in a war with China over Taiwan, Mr Albanese urged Mr Xi to maintain the status quo on the self-governed territory, which the Chinese leader has ordered his forces to be prepared to seize by 2027. Asked whether he regarded China as a threat, he said: “We have strategic competition in the region, but we continue to engage in order to support peace and security in the region and stability in the region.”

At the opening of their meeting, Mr Xi said he and his guest had “reached many common understandings” during their past three meetings.

Speaking just over six months after China lifted the last of its $20bn in punitive trade bans on Australian exporters, Mr Xi said the countries could avoid further diplomatic tensions by “seeking common ground while sharing differences and pursuing mutually beneficial co-operation”.

“No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should approach this overall direction unswervingly,” he said in a veiled reference to the global instability caused by Mr Trump – who Mr Albanese is yet to meet face-to-face. The Prime Minister said he and his Chinese counterpart did not speak directly about the US, and that Mr Trump’s trade policies had not changed how Australia approached its relationship with China.

“Our relationship with China is very separate from that. China is our major trading partner. The destination for more than one in four of our export dollars comes here. The trade with the United States is important, but it’s less than 5 per cent,” he said. Mr Albanese, who also had meetings with Premier Li and National People’s Congress chairman Zhao Leji, called on Mr Xi to release jailed Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who is serving a suspended death sentence on espionage charges.

He was not expecting any swift change in his status after six years of detention. “You wouldn’t expect there to be an immediate outcome. That’s not the way these things work. The way it works is by that patient, calibrated advocacy. That is what Australians do,” he said.

(continued)

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Despite anger at the highest levels in Beijing over Mr Albanese’s pledge to strip Chinese company Landbridge of its lease over the Port of Darwin, the Prime Minister said the issue was not raised. He said the President also didn’t raise Beijing’s longstanding complaints about Australia’s strict foreign investment regime that bars Chinese companies from taking stakes in critical infrastructure and other sensitive sectors.

Mr Li told Mr Albanese that the Australia-China relationship had “returned to the right track” and co-operation between the nations was “brimming with renewed vitality”.

“The world economy sees growing instability and uncertainty,” he said.

“Given such circumstances, China and Australia – as important trade partners – should strengthen dialogue and co-operation. ”Mr Albanese received lavish praise from Beijing’s most authoritative English language newspaper, the China Daily, ahead of the high-level meetings.

“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s ongoing visit to China is not only of significance for the bilateral and trade relations between the two countries, it also sends a message amid the changing global trade landscape,” the paper said in an editorial.

“Against the backdrop of rising tensions between the United States and many countries because of the US administration’s recent threat to levy higher tariffs on them from August 1, Albanese’s visit shows that the Australian side has a clearer Judgement and understanding of China than it had under the previous Scott Morrison government.”

Mr Morrison, whose government fell out with China after calling for an international inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, responded in a brief statement to The Australian. “Having a character reference from the China Daily was never one of my foreign policy aspirations,” the former prime minister said.

Mr Albanese was due to stop at the Great Wall of China on Wednesday, which Labor luminary Gough Whitlam visited as Labor leader in 1971, before departing for Chengdu where he will visit the world’s largest panda breeding facility and tour the Chinese manufacturing facility of Australian bionic ear company, Cochlear. Business Council of Australia chief Bran Black, who led a delegation of 14 of Australia’s top CEOs at a business roundtable in Beijing on Tuesday, said the resumption of annual Australia-China leaders’ meetings was vital to stepping up business ties. “It’s so important to have those strong engagements at the leader level, because what that does is set the tone for the engagements that at a business to business level as well,” he said.

Mr Black said there was “enormous interest” from Chinese businesses in investing in Australia, but the business community accepted all nations maintained foreign investment rules in the national interest.

“We welcome and we encourage investment in Australia as much as possible. We think it is a good thing, but it is also incredibly appropriate that all investment is tested and tempered by these types of processes that we have in place and that other countries have in place. What we would like to see is those processes sped up, but that’s work that the government is undertaking.”

He said Australian businesses accepted the government had a mandate for its decision to revoke Landbridge’s lease over the Port of Darwin.

“What we seek to do in these types of circumstances … is make sure that we can operate within the scope of the diplomatic relationship … to the greatest possible extent.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/xi-tells-albanese-that-chinas-ship-will-conduct-exercises-wherever-they-want-in-international-waters/news-story/d579adfd2e0a52c2512410b22cf7491a

HIMARS rocket platform fired in Talisman Sabre wargame exercise

9News Staff - Jul 14, 2025

The largest and most sophisticated wargame exercise on Australian soil is under way in Central Queensland.

Exercise Talisman Sabre is a showcase of the most advanced weaponry from 19 countries, including Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, France, Japan and Germany, and involves about 35,000 personnel.

Vietnam and Malaysia are attending as observers.

The exercise's opening act was the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS, a light multiple rocket launcher.

"Today was the first time the Australian Army has live-fired our long-range multi-domain platforms being the HIMARS, so it is a remarkable day," Brigadier Nick Wilson said.

The goal of the exercise is to strengthen relationships between allies and partners and to promote a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

"We are stronger together and in partnering with both our regional and partner nations, we provide like minds in the application of our fire power," Wilson said.

The operation is usually conducted on Australian territory but for the first time will be extended across the Torres Strait and into Papua New Guinea.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/talisman-sabre-queensland-multiple-rocket-launcher-tested-in-wargame-exercise-news/73667e21-838e-40e1-a32f-bd41fa53229d

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax0llt3v9KY

Talisman Sabre 2025: Largest-ever joint military exercise underway in Central Queensland

9 News Australia

Jul 15, 2025

A massive field hospital, capable of treating dozens of people, is up and running in central Queensland. It's part of the largest ever joint military exercise currently underway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjShHfP1gZ0

Australia hosts military drills with US and other nations, likely to draw Chinese surveillance

ROD MCGUIRK - July 15, 2025

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - The largest-ever war-fighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, are underway and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships.

Australia launched missiles from its M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS, on Monday during live-fire exercises at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, a 4,500 square kilometer (1,700 square mile) Outback expanse in Queensland state. The HIMARS launchers were recently bought from the United States.

“Today was the first time the Australian Army has live-fired our long-range, multi-domain platforms being the HIMARS, so it is a remarkable day,” Brig. Nick Wilson told reporters.

Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia.

This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia’s defense department said.

Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers.

The exercise will also take place in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s nearest neighbor. It is the first time Talisman Sabre activities have been held outside Australia.

Chinese surveillance ships have monitored naval exercises off the Australian coast during the last four Talisman Sabre exercises and were expected to surveil the current exercise, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.

“The Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017. It’d be very unusual for them not to observe it,” Conroy said.

“We’ll adjust accordingly. We’ll obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia, but we’ll also adjust how we conduct those exercises,” Conroy added.

Conroy said the Chinese were not yet shadowing ships as of Sunday.

The exercise officially started on Sunday with a ceremony in Sydney attended by Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific Lt. Gen. J.B. Vowell and Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations Vice-Adm. Justin Jones.

The exercise, showcasing Australia’s defense alliance with the United States, started a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to hold his fourth face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday.

Albanese said Chinese surveillance of Talisman Sabre would not be an issue raised with Xi.

“That would be nothing unusual. That has happened in the past and I’ll continue to assert Australia’s national interest, as I do,” Albanese told reporters in Shanghai Monday.

Albanese also noted that while he had visited the United States as prime minister five times, he had only been to China twice.

The Australian leader has been criticized at home for failing to secure a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations,” Albanese said.

https://apnews.com/article/australia-talisman-sabre-miltary-exercise-e236e5ed9173bc766c2ed73441b3efda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-yv5ePUYc0

Talisman Sabre 2025: The largest military exercise in Australian history

7NEWS Australia

Jul 14, 2025

The Australian Defence Forces and 19 other nations are conducting the largest military exercise ever staged in Australian waters, known as Talisman Sabre 2025. The exercise involves 40,000 troops and showcases Australia's newly acquired High Mars rocket launchers with a 500-kilometre range of fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thV9X7W8x0I

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 15, 2025, 6:41 a.m. No.23329161 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9168

Talisman Sabre 2025: As PM charms China, Australia hosts 19-nation war games with eyes on Beijing

As Anthony Albanese courts Beijing, 40,000 troops prepare for war, with China front and centre in Australia’s biggest military exercise yet.

Chris Reason - 15 July 2025

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The timing was as extraordinary as it was unfortunate.

The very week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese chose to go charm China, Australia’s armed forces begin training to go to war with them.

It’s quite the diary clash; his appointments secretary might need to reconsider their position.

Exercise Talisman Sabre. It’s locked in around the same time every two years and has been since 2005. And this year was the biggest, most ambitious, and significant iteration of them all: 19 nations, 40,000 troops, all coming together to focus on just one increasingly troubling adversary: China.

There was a time Talisman would rattle that sabre at a so-called “unknown adversary” and the assembled press and generals would wink and nod their heads, knowing that was code for the People’s Republic. Like fine China itself, identification was always handled with care.

Not anymore.

The fingers of 19 nations are firmly pointed at the neighbourhood rogue; happy to point China out.

There’s almost an urgency about it now.

At the Talisman Sabre opening ceremony, held on the expansive landing deck of the Australian giant HMAS Adelaide on Sunday, the ADF Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones, had no hesitancy or inhibitions in putting China’s name firmly on the table.

When asked what message the coalition of Talisman partners was sending in the three-week exercise, it was all about China.

“Well, I will leave it to China to interpret what 19 friends, allies and partners wanting to operate together in the region means to them,” he said.

“But for me, it’s nations that are in search of a common aspiration for peace, stability, a free and open Indo-Pacific and adherence to international law.”

Vice Admiral Jones was also happy to openly discuss the expected arrival of China’s spy ships.

“I fully expect that the People’s Republic of China will want to come and observe the activities that occur as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre,” he said.

“They’ve made a habit of those over preceding iterations of the exercise.”

Adding cryptically: “And we have measures in place to cater for that.”

But he also revealed that if they were on the way, they’re late.

“There is no sign yet,” he said.

It could be that the PLA Navy leadership held back any orders to dispatch their ships while Mr Albanese was still their official visitor this week. A gesture of goodwill, perhaps.

But they won’t want to leave it much longer; there’s a lot to spy on.

Exercise Director Brigadier Damien Hill, who’s been planning the event for the last 700 days, says he’s counted a total of 79 defence “innovations” about to be unveiled at Talisman. Two of which the organisers were happy to discuss publicly.

The first is Australia’s newly-acquired HIMARS highly mobile rocket launch system — the so-called “shoot and scoot” weapon. It can fire rockets at a range of up to 500km. Even out to sea — almost as far as the Chinese ships conducting live fire exercises off the coast in February.

The ADF has bought 42 units. And it’s excited. These were the first items displayed in a breathtaking live fire exercise at Shoalwater Bay on the opening day of the exercise yesterday.

The second breakthrough acquisition: the ADF’s new submersible drones. I asked the US Deputy Commanding General, Lt Gen Joel Vowell, if we’d see any used in TS25. In fact, I’d walked straight past one as we boarded the Adelaide. And he confirmed, it will be used.

The boldly-named “Ghost Shark” was jointly developed and funded between Defence and Anduril Australia. They are a naval warfare game changer — able to be used for long-range stealth operations at a depth of 6000m and gather intelligence, or deliver strike capabilities.

World-leading Aussi-tech — on-budget, ahead of schedule. They are one of the rare success stories of ADF procurement. Expect to see a proliferation of them in the years to come.

(continued)

>>23329161

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Proud acquisitions — but the reality remains that whatever new toys Australia purchases for its tiny 60,000-strong military, it is dwarfed by the size and scale of the Chinese war machine.

The PLA consists of two million personnel, 2500 aircraft, 7000 tanks and 350 ships.

The ADF is currently made up of 327 aircraft, 59 tanks, and 34 ships.

But here’s the thing about Talisman — if you combine the strengths of the 19 members, suddenly China looks challenged. The combined membership matches it in personnel with two million total, and dwarfs China on assets with 15,000 aircraft, 50,000 tanks and 400 ships.

It’s quite the exercise coalition. Led, of course, by the world’s biggest military machine, the US (the original co-founding member along with Australia). It now boasts almost all of the region’s key players: India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand (with Malaysia and Vietnam attending as observers). On top of that, there are multiple NATO heavy hitters: Canada, France, Germany and the UK.

Any and all of whom could be handy in a new global order where America First means Australia second. The coming years could well see us looking to lean on the countries above for greater security assistance.

Not that the Americans involved in Talisman are having any of that. Lt Gen Vowell still describes the US-Australian alliance as “ironclad”.

”It’s one of our treaty alliances . . . of the seven the United States has,” he said.

“Australia is a key anchoring ally in the Indo-Pacific.”

“Big things have small beginnings, and just a few years ago, this was a bilateral exercise,” he said. “And now with 19 nations involved, it’s a signal of just how important staying and working together is in this region.”

Lt Gen Vowell said that ultimately, there are two things that Talisman Sabre provides.

“It’s the readiness to respond when our nation’s call is to do that,” he said. “And it’s effectively a deterrent mechanism.”

“Because our ultimate goal, is no war.”

The mixed messages Australia and Mr Albanese are sending to China right now might not be as contradictory as first thought.

The tourists and trade are welcome, but the aggression might be met with HIMARS and hand grenades.

https://7news.com.au/news/chris-reason-as-pm-charms-china-australia-hosts-19-nation-war-games-with-eyes-on-beijing-c-19362074

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_Df1aJuVM

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 16, 2025, 2:12 a.m. No.23333070 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3072

Lunch invitation leaves Albanese in a delicate position in rapidly changing global order

WILL GLASGOW - 15 July 2024

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Xi Jinping has clearly decided Anthony Albanese is a world leader worth his time.

That is going to make some people in Australia very happy – and it is going to make another group in Australia, and in Washington, more than a little worried.

After their official meeting on Tuesday, the Chinese leader cleared his diary to have lunch with the visiting Australian Prime Minister. The PM’s fiancee Jodie Haydon was also invited for lunch (although Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan was not along).

It was the first time an Australian leader had eaten with Xi since Malcolm Turnbull did during a trip to China in 2016.

“I thank very much President Xi for the bilateral meeting and also (for) hosting a banquet lunch there in the Great Hall of the People, which is an honour which is bestowed on Australia,” the PM said at a press conference in Beijing after the meal.

It is an increasingly rare experience for visiting leaders to get so much time in the Chairman of Everything’s diary.

“Xi receives lots of guests but doesn’t invite many to lunch,” Richard McGregor, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and Australia’s top expert on elite Chinese politics, told The Australian.

“He clearly sees value in investing in Albanese personally, especially as he would have been advised that he might be in charge of Australia for some years to come.”

After his election win, Albanese could be PM for the rest of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. It is a period ripe with opportunity for Beijing.

No one should confuse Albanese’s lunch invitation, or dinner banquet he and a gaggle of Australian business leaders had with Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday night, for an end of Australia’s difficulties with China.

Xi made that crystal clear in the almost hour-long, pre-lunch meeting when the PM raised concerns about the lack of warning before the PLA Navy’s live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea earlier this year.

”President Xi said China engages in exercise just as Australia engages in exercises,” the PM told reporters.

In other words: get used to it.

It is an assertive message being taken increasingly seriously around the region – no where more so than in Taiwan.

Indeed as the PM attended his Beijing meetings, Taiwan held its annual Han Kuang military drills. Some of this week’s drills are taking place in Taipei, as President William Lai’s government tries to prepare the Taiwanese public for the realities of what would follow a feared Chinese attack.

China’s security state also did its bit to puncture the friendly bubble. On Tuesday morning, a posse of plainclothes security officers surrounded visiting Australian journalists who were filming by the Drum Tower, one of Beijing’s most beautiful Imperial-era structures. The visitors were told to delete all of their recordings – a routine encounter for international media based in China.

“China has a different system,” the PM said, euphemistically, when asked about the incident.

China’s Leninist system had made clear in a Tuesday editorial in one of its most influential state mastheads it was determined for the PM’s “notably long” six-night trip to be a success. It is revelling in the PM’s focus on economic ties and mostly upbeat rhetoric about Australia’s biggest trading partner.

In a tone-setting editorial, Beijing’s most authoritative English language organ, the China Daily, praised Albanese for his “clearer judgment and understanding of China” than his Coalition predecessor Scott Morrison.

“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s ongoing visit to China is not only of significance for the bilateral and trade relations between the two countries, it also sends a message amid the changing global trade landscape,” the China Daily declared, grandly.

It noted the trip was taking place “against the backdrop of rising tensions between the United States and many countries because of the US administration’s recent threat to levy higher tariffs on them”.

(continued)

>>23333070

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Xi did his bit to not spoil the mood. He did not bring up the PM’s election commitment to end the lease of Port of Darwin by Chinese company Landbridge, during their almost two hours together.

China’s leader instead wanted to focus on the big picture.

“With joint efforts from both sides, the China-Australia relationship has risen from the setback(s) and turned around, bringing tangible benefits to the Chinese and Australian peoples,” Xi explained.

“The most important thing we can learn from this is that a commitment to equal treatment, to seeking common ground while sharing differences, pursuing mutually beneficial co-operation, serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly.”

China’s leader had reason to be in a good mood. A dear old friend was also in town.

Shortly before Albanese’s first meeting in the Great Hall, Russia’s long-serving Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dropped into the building, although it was not clear who he was meeting.

Vladimir Putin’s envoy is a frequent visitor and was also in Beijing’s Diaoyutai state guesthouse when Foreign Minister Penny Wong made her ice-breaking trip to China in December 2022.

The PM did not mention if Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – which European leaders have said is being propped up by China’s economic support – came up in his meeting with Xi, although Albanese did raise Australia’s desire for “peace” in the region.

However, before the usual suspects erupt at the presence of Russia’s Foreign Minister in Beijing at the same time as the PM, they need to get their heads around the fact India’s minister of external affairs S. Jaishankar was there too.

Jaishankar also popped into the Great Hall.

This is the Indian’s first trip to China since 2020 when New Delhi and Beijing’s relationship went into free fall after a deadly border clash during the peak of Xi’s wolf warrior period.

The Indian and Russian foreign ministers had attended a meeting of the Chinese-founded Shanghai Co-operation Organisation.

The visiting Australian PM reiterated his guiding philosophy for these times of change.

“Dialogue is how we advance our interests,” he said.

Or as former Secretary of State Antony Blinken observed not so long ago: “If you’re not at the table, you’ll probably be on the menu”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/lunch-invitation-leaves-albanese-in-a-delicate-position-in-rapidly-changing-global-order/news-story/397ef8398d3240fc4dccb402de984d31

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/world/2025/07/15/australian-and-chinese-leaders-seek-to-boost-trade-despite-differences-on-other-issues/

Anthony Albanese ducks ‘free Yang Hengjun’ criticism

RHIANNON DOWN - 15 July 2025

Anthony Albanese has refused to respond to criticism from supporters of an Australian writer detained in China, Yang Hengjun, that Labor’s approach has been too weak, declaring it would be “inappropriate and insensitive” to weigh in.

The Prime Minister said he raised Dr Yang’s incarceration on espionage charges with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders sat down for a face-to-face meeting on Tuesday.

Speaking in Beijing just hours after the closed-doors meeting, Mr Albanese defended his government’s approach to securing Dr Yang’s release through diplomatic channels.

Amid mounting pressure to push for Dr Yang’s release after his six years in a Chinese prison, Mr Albanese said he would not respond to criticism from the democracy advocate’s supporters that the government’s approach had been too soft.

“I am certainly not going to comment on what the family of someone who is detained here or anywhere else …. that would be entirely inappropriate and insensitive,” Mr Albanese said.

“I understand the pressures that are on people when a loved one has been incarcerated. “What we will do, though, is put forward our views in a diplomatic way in order to try to maximise an outcome.”

Mr Albanese said it could not be expected that there would be an immediate outcome after he raised Dr Yang’s incarceration with Mr Xi, and his government would continue to progress his case through “patient, calibrated advocacy”.

“You wouldn’t expect there to be an immediate outcome, and that is not the way these things work,” Mr Albanese said.

“The way it works is by that patient, calibrated advocacy … that is what Australians do, what my government does. And I point to the record of my government when it comes to these issues.”

Mr Albanese defended his government’s track record on securing the release of Australians detained overseas, vowing to continue to pursue resolution in Dr Yang’s case.

“I point towards the outcomes where Australians here, in China, in Myanmar, in Vietnam, in Indonesia, the US and the UK have all received outcomes that, at the least, could be called satisfactory, because of my government’s advocacy,” he said. “We will continue to do that to achieve outcomes, and that is what our objective is.” Dr Yang was handed a suspended death sentence by a Beijing court last year, after he was sentenced for espionage charges in a secretive closed-door trial.

The sentence could be commuted to life in prison after two years of good behaviour.

His friend and PhD supervisor Feng Chongyi has repeatedly criticised the Australian government’s approach towards securing his release as being “soft”.

Dr Yang’s ordeal has continued despite the Albanese government’s progress in stabilising its relationship with Beijing, with the thawing of relations having no impact on his detention so far.

Following his arrest at Guangzhou airport by Chinese security agents in January 2019, Dr Yang has endured enforced sleep deprivation, erratic medication and being strapped to a “tiger chair”, which was used to restrain him during interrogation sessions.

Dr Yang was accused of handing secret information to Taiwan’s security officials when he was based in Hong Kong. Dr Yang has maintained his innocence.

Before migrating to Australia in 2000, Dr Yang worked for China’s Ministry of State Security.

He has published a series of spy novels and completed a PhD at UTS.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-ducks-free-yang-hengjung-criticism/news-story/dacea2b4743fafbaccd66cda7f0b3f5d

Anthony Albanese follows in the footsteps of Gough Whitlam in China tour

WILL GLASGOW - 16 July 2025

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After his big day in the Great Hall with Xi Jinping, Anthony Albanese spent most of Wednesday leading a Gough Whitlam tribute mission.

The Chinese government was delighted to assist. A huge section of the Badaling section of the Great Wall – about 80km northwest of Beijing and normally heaving with tourists – was closed off for the Australian Prime Minister, his fiancee Jodie Haydon and the travelling media, diplomatic and security entourage.

As opposition leader, Whitlam, one of the Labor PM’s political heroes, had visited this same chunk of Ming dynasty-era Great Wall back in 1971, the year before he won government, severed official relations with Taipei and switched recognition to Beijing.

“There is no question that Gough Whitlam made the right decision in 1971 and that Australia has benefited from that,” Albanese said on Wednesday. “It’s certainly understood in China that that was an early decision. And it was a decision that took courage.”

Labor Party history presents Whitlam as a visionary global leader, but you need to be pretty parochial to think recognising Beijing in 1972 was “early”.

By then, more than 60 countries had done so.

The flurry of recognition in the late 1960s and throughout the ’70s had a lot more to do with Mao Zedong reorienting China’s foreign policy after Beijing’s rupture with Moscow than the long-sightedness, or otherwise, of other world leaders at the time.

Washington, which did not officially recognise the People’s Republic until 1979, did not rush its formal recognition because it did not want Taiwan and its population to come under the rule of the Communist Party. (Whitlam, as one of his China advisers, Ross Terrill, has recorded, had no such qualms.)

The Chinese government is more than happy to endorse the ”Whitlam as visionary” Labor version of Australia’s history with the PRC.

The PM has lent into the legend. In Shanghai, he gave a speech to the Australian business community in the Peace Hotel where, he told his audience, Whitlam spent his 55th birthday on his brazen trip as an opposition leader, pursuing recognition of Beijing despite the then Australian government’s reservations.

On his first trip to China as PM in November 2023, Albanese included a visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven to recreate a photo from Whitlam’s 1971 trip.

China’s ambassador Xiao Qian could not have looked happier as he watched that day of politically loaded sightseeing.

China claims not to interfere in Australian domestic politics. Yet it is hard to square that with much of what its spokespeople and official mouthpieces say.

In a tone-setting editorial before Albanese’s more than two hours with Xi, the government-controlled China Daily repeated Beijing’s line that all the problems in the relationship were the fault of the Coalition. “Albanese’s visit shows that the Australian side has a clearer judgment and understanding of China than it had under the previous Scott Morrison government,” the influential masthead purred.

Up until 2020, it was former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who China blamed for all the “twists and turns” in the bilateral relationship.

At Wednesday’s press conference on the Great Wall, I asked Albanese if he was worried about the Australia-China relationship being politicised?

“My job is to be Prime Minister of Australia – to represent the Australian government. That’s the capacity I am here in,” he said.

”I continue to do so to the best of my ability each and every day. Each and every day, I don’t think about any interests of a political party.

“What I do is I think about the national interest and I continue to do that each and every day.

“And I would encourage everyone in the parliament to do the same, including those commenting on international relations,” he said.

(continued)

2/2

Albanese is clearly enjoying himself on this trip.

Wearing his white Rabbitohs cap and accompanied by his fiancee, he was in high spirits as they were given a tour of the Great Wall.

The weather was majestic: blue skies and a gentle breeze. The section we walked along was constructed in the Ming dynasty, with much of it dating back to 1505 (although there was a significant restoration done in the 1950s).

The PM’s verdict? “Just extraordinary,” he told me. “This is an infrastructure project!”

The PM was having such a good time that, with his fiancee by his side, he joked about adding another item to the day’s agenda. “Would there be a celebrant here?”

After the opportunity to press Australia’s interests for hours with Xi and his top deputy, Premier Li Qiang, the trip is now clearly going into holiday mode.

Beijing is thrilled by the length of the PM’s visits. Not many world leaders spend six nights in China.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s trip in June was about half as long.

On Wednesday afternoon, the PM and accompanying journalists headed for the final leg, Chengdu, the panda capital of the world.

Along with nearby Chongqing, it is the most economically important city in China’s west and home to Australian hearing aid manufacturer Cochlear’s Chinese factory.

The Sichuanese provincial capital is also one of the most delicious cities in China.

The PM will make a stop at the city’s main tourism draw card, China’s panda breeding centre, where Xing Qiu, one of the two now at Adelaide Zoo, was raised before being shipped to Australia just in time for Premier Li’s visit last year.

Also on the PM’s itinerary in Chengdu: a spot of tennis. Even Whitlam wasn’t audacious enough to do that in China.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/anthony-albanese-follows-in-the-footsteps-of-gough-whitlam-in-china-tour/news-story/c478db977a0d36b9f8124cd4878a09ae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOUdzv3u-H8

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 16, 2025, 2:38 a.m. No.23333103 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3104

Chinese premier Li Qiang presses Albanese over treatment of Chinese firms amid Darwin angst

WILL GLASGOW - 16 July 2025

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Anthony Albanese has rejected a Chinese push for his government to weaken rules blocking the country’s investors from key economic sectors, as a Beijing mouthpiece warned Labor against stripping the Port of Darwin lease from Chinese-owned company Landbridge.

On the fourth day of his landmark trip to China, the Prime Minister said his government wanted to secure peace and stability through “positive engagement” with Beijing, but defended its plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines through the $358bn AUKUS program.

After a marathon day of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday, Mr Albanese travelled to the Great Wall of China, paying homage to his Labor hero Gough Whitlam, who visited the same Badaling section of the wall as opposition leader in 1971.

The excursion, with fiancee Jodie Haydon, followed pointed remarks by Mr Li late on Tuesday in which he raised concerns about Australia’s treatment of Chinese firms, which are routinely barred by the Foreign Investment Review Board from taking stakes in critical infrastructure and other sensitive sectors.

“We hope that the Australian side can provide a fair, open and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Australia,” Mr Li said during his meeting with Mr Albanese in the Great Hall of the People.

At a later business roundtable, which included senior Chinese business figures with direct experience of Australia’s strict foreign investment regime, the Premier pressed the point again.

“We hope that the Australian side will treat Chinese enterprises visiting Australia fairly and properly solve the problems encountered by enterprises in market access, investment review, and other aspects,” Mr Li said.

Mr Albanese, who has used his second China visit as Prime Minister to talk up the strength of bilateral trade ties, pushed back on the critique, saying China wasn’t being singled out. “We have a case-by-case issue when it comes to foreign investment (which) is viewed not on the basis of any one country, but on the basis of an objective assessment of our national interest,” he said.

While the US maintains a policy of “peace through strength”, Mr Albanese said his five-day visit to China underscored his principle that working more closely with potential rivals was a key to maintaining good relations.

“It’s important that we build stability and security in our world, and part of that has to have positive engagement. That’s what I’m doing here,” he said.

However, he said Australia still needed the deterrent of nuclear submarines through the AUKUS program, which is aimed squarely at countering China’s massive military build-up in the Indo-Pacific.

“We need a defence force, and we make no apologies for investing in our capability to give Australia the defence and security assets that we need,” Mr Albanese said.

The official Chinese readout of the Prime Minister’s meeting with Mr Xi on Tuesday said he had assured his counterpart that Australia adhered to the “one-China” policy and did not support “Taiwan independence”. But Mr Albanese said he had simply restated longstanding Australian policy.

“We support the status quo,” he said. “By definition, we don’t support any unilateral action on Taiwan. That’s been our position for a long period of time. Nothing is different.”

The Prime Minister flew from Beijing to the capital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, on Wednesday afternoon, where he will visit China’s largest panda breeding facility, attend a medical technology lunch, and tour Australian bionic ear company Cochlear’s local manufacturing operation.

Australia is the world’s second-largest producer of medtech patents, while China is one of Cochlear’s top five global markets.

(continued)

>>23333103

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Chinese state media gave glowing coverage of the Prime Minister’s meetings with the country’s top leaders at the Great Hall of the People, with photos of Mr Albanese and Mr Xi on the front pages of the top mastheads on Wednesday.

However, the tabloid Global Times confirmed Labor’s election pledge to force the sale of the Port of Darwin loomed as a point of tension, along with Beijing’s unhappiness about Australia’s security relationship with the US.

“At present, there are specific issues between China and Australia that need to be discussed, such as the lease of Darwin Port and the expansion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement,” it said.

“There are also practical obstacles, especially the tendencies towards ‘pan-politicisation’ and ‘pan-securitisation’, as well as interference from third parties,” the masthead editorialised.

Mr Albanese, who revealed he spent about two hours each with Mr Xi and Mr Li on Tuesday, said neither raised the port issue with him.

He said Labor’s position wasn’t a new one and shouldn’t surprise Beijing.

“I’ve had the same position as when I was the shadow infrastructure minister, when the decision was made to provide a federal incentive by the Liberal Party to flog off the Port of Darwin,” Mr Albanese said, referring to a former federal scheme that incentivised the sale of state and territory-owned assets.

The Prime Minister and Mr Li on Wednesday agreed senior Chinese economic figures would visit Australia later in the year for the “China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue”, to be hosted by Jim Chalmers.

The Treasurer has portfolio responsibility for Australia’s foreign investment regime, giving the Chinese government a further opportunity to press its concerns about the treatment of the ports owner Landbridge.

Mr Albanese also moved to reassure Chinese LNG buyers their existing contracts would be honoured as the government considers an east coast gas reservation policy on top of potential impacts from Labor’s climate change policies.

“We don’t interfere with those sovereign issues when it comes to gas, whether it be for China, for Japan, or for the Republic of Korea,” he said.

Despite his swipe at Canberra’s foreign investment regime, Mr Li’s comments were mostly warm in his remarks at Wednesday’s meetings, labelling the two countries “natural partners for co-operation”.

“In the current international economic and trade situation, it is even more necessary to deepen co-operation between China and Australia,” he said.

“The economic structures of the two countries are highly complementary, and the foundation for industry and market integration is solid.

Mr Li said the economic relationship should expand into AI and other hi-tech areas in an ambitious push considering the reservations of Australian security officials.

At the Great Wall, Mr Albanese said his trip was part of a Labor tradition of engaging with China. “Of course, I have the sense of history, following in the footsteps of the Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam” he said. “There is no question that Gough Whitlam made the right decision (to visit China) in 1971 and that Australia has benefited from that. It certainly is understood here in China that that was an early decision, and was a decision that took courage.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/chinese-premier-li-presses-albanese-over-treatment-of-chinese-firms-amid-darwin-angst/news-story/63c05a6ac6467dd55ad100c7057bae24

COMMENTARY: China’s embrace of Anthony Albanese aimed at Trump, wider world

BEN PACKHAM - 16 July 2025

Australia is back in China’s good books, and Beijing wants the world to know it.

Anthony Albanese is being held up by Xi Jinping as a model Western leader, playing a bit part in China’s global effort to be seen as a reasonable alternative to Donald Trump.

The country’s state-run newspapers carried front-page pictures on Wednesday of a beaming Albanese meeting President Xi in the Great Hall of the People, and stories extolling the “turnaround” in bilateral relations.

According to the China Daily, Xi told Albanese the improvement in relations proved “adhering to the principles of treating each other as equals, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and engaging in mutually beneficial co-operation” would serve the interests of both countries and their people.

The subtext? “Australia shows us respect, unlike the US. If countries want to get along with China and reap the economic rewards, behave like Albanese.”

The tabloid Global Times said the Australia-China relationship was poised to soar into the “stratosphere”.

But its take wasn’t all positive, sounding a note of warning in its lead editorial over Albanese’s pledge to strip Chinese-owned company Landbridge of its lease over the strategically located Port of Darwin.

“At present, there are specific issues between China and Australia that need to be discussed, such as the lease of Darwin Port and the expansion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement,” it said.

“There are also practical obstacles, especially the tendencies towards ‘pan-politicisation’ and ‘pan-securitisation’, as well as interference from third parties.”

China’s No.2, Premier Li Qiang, also fired a shot across the bow in a speech to Australian and Chinese business leaders on Wednesday night, warning Beijing expected a non-discriminatory business environment for its companies.

“I trust that Australia will also treat Chinese enterprises fairly and also properly resolve issues in terms of market access and investment review,” he said.

Li laid out the rewards on offer if Australia toed the line, saying the Chinese could consume more “lobsters, wine and tuna” than the country’s exporters could sell.

“About 80 per cent of the trade surpluses of Australia come from its trade with China,” he said. “Such trade has surged in recent years, and this has proved that continued sound development of China-Australia trade co-operation can best serve the common interests of both countries.”

For his part, Albanese is glossing over the irritants in the relationship, hailing the trip as a success, and proof of his “patient and calibrated approach” to stabilising bilateral ties.

And to those who question the wisdom of getting too close to the communist dictatorship that held Australia’s economy to ransom just a few years ago and is turning out warships and submarines at a rate of knots?

“Dialogue builds understanding,” Albanese said, restating his guiding foreign policy principle that is at once blindingly obvious while completely obscuring the complexity of the relationship.

As is always the case with Chinese diplomacy, there were outcomes to report.

In the official leader-level talks with Li on Tuesday, the PM agreed to a review of the countries’ 2014 free trade deal.

This is formality, activating an inbuilt mechanism in the deal a decade after it was signed. But for Beijing, in the current circumstances, it’s a clear win, opening the way for it to raise a range of curly issues in upcoming consultations.

In a more minor success for the Chinese side, Australia agreed to allow the import of Chinese jujubes, also known as red dates. The sweet, slightly tangy fruit is apparently packed with vitamin C, potassium and anti-oxidants – a further symbol in Beijing’s telling of Australia’s appetite for all things China.

Albanese and Li also declared apples from mainland Australia would now be allowed into China under new biosecurity protocols, reannouncing an agreement revealed several months ago.

Meanwhile, on page three of the China Daily, there was a photo of Xi extending a hand to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whom he met before he sat down with Albanese on Tuesday.

The accompanying story says the pair discussed how to “promote a more just and equitable order”.

Behold, the two faces of China.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/chinas-embrace-of-anthony-albanese-aimed-at-trump-wider-world/news-story/300a1b3212a01ed94e665e150c5db429

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/16/WS6876e4c6a31000e9a573c36a.html

Anonymous ID: dd2825 July 16, 2025, 2:56 a.m. No.23333139 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3143

>>23333122

Looking forward to seeing China-Australia relations cruise steadily in the ‘stratosphere’: Global Times editorial

Global Times - Jul 15, 2025

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Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday morning, during the latter's official visit to China. This marks the fourth meeting between the two leaders in three years. President Xi said that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have emerged from their low point and achieved a turnaround in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries. As the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership enters its second decade, this meeting has set the tone for steady progress in bilateral ties while keeping external disruptions at bay.

This visit marks Albanese's first trip to China since his re-election, and China is the country where he has spent the longest time during an overseas visit in this term. His seven-day itinerary spans Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, accompanied by a delegation that includes senior executives from major Australian companies. In recent years, as China-Australia relations have continued to improve, the Australian government's understanding of its relationship with China has also deepened. During the meeting on Tuesday, Albanese said that Australia values its relations with China, adheres to the one-China policy and Australia has never sought to decouple from the Chinese economy. He has demonstrated a pragmatic and rational approach to China policy. An Australian scholar described the current state of China-Australia relations this way - Both sides recognize their differences, but agree that those differences should not define the relationship. Such wisdom in "seeking harmony without uniformity" is especially enlightening at a time when unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise.

Australia is currently facing tariff pressure from Washington, but the outlook for the development of China-Australia economic and trade relations remains very clear. Since 2009, China has been Australia's largest trading partner, top import source, and biggest export market for 16 consecutive years. One in four Australian jobs depends on trade, and approximately 25 percent of the country's exports go to China. In addition, China has long been Australia's largest source of international students and overseas tourists, with more than one million Chinese tourists visiting Australia each year.

According to a recent report released by the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, over 70 percent of surveyed Australian businesses operating in China said that improvements in bilateral relations have had a positive impact on their long-term strategies in the Chinese market.

The turnaround in China-Australia relations reflects the genuine expectations of both peoples. It also demonstrates that China and Australia are opportunities for each other's development - and highlights the strong appeal of China's vast market, the resilience of its economic growth, and the certainty of its continued commitment to opening-up.

(continued)

>>23333139

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During his meeting with Albanese, Xi affirmed China's unwavering commitment to peaceful development, dedication to shared progress, and its policy of advancing Asia-Pacific cooperation. These "unwavering commitments" serve as a "confidence booster" to Australia and to all countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Although China-Australia relations have experienced ups and downs, after the storm comes the rainbow. It is hoped that in this process, Australia's more rational and comprehensive understanding of China will help enhance mutual strategic trust and lay a foundation for higher-level cooperation in the future.

At present, there are specific issues between China and Australia that need to be discussed, such as the lease of Darwin Port and the expansion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. There are also practical obstacles, especially the tendencies toward "pan-politicization" and "pan-securitization," as well as interference from third parties. Of course, compared with the "minefields" status described by the Global Times editorial three years ago, today's China-Australia relationship is like a plane flying in the "stratosphere" after passing through the storm zone, and the most turbulent and bumpy period has passed. A recent poll by an Australian think tank shows that, for the first time in recent years, more Australians see China as an "economic partner" than as a "security threat." This indicates that once artificially created obstacles are removed, a strong inherent demand on both sides for developing friendly ties is emerging. The overall improvement in the atmosphere also creates conditions for the two countries to resolve issues through consultation and jointly plan a longer-term future.

Facing a complex and turbulent international situation, we hope Australia will maintain "three mindsets": a calm and pragmatic attitude toward China-Australia relations, an open-minded and rational approach to differences, and an enterprising spirit for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation. China and Australia are both major countries in the Asia-Pacific and both beneficiaries and defenders of the post-war international order. The two countries are fully capable of strengthening coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the G20, and APEC to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, uphold the international rules-based order, promote free trade, and inject more stability and certainty into a world undergoing turbulence and change. We hope the Australian side will meet China halfway, follow the strategic consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, continue to deepen strategic trust, avoid disruptive factors, adhere to a mature and correct path, and neither hesitate nor deviate from course.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202507/1338448.shtml

Queensland to fast track $1.23bn graphite mine in order to break China’s dominance

GLEN NORRIS - 16 July 2025

Queensland will fast track a $1.23bn graphite mine to service the nation’s first battery anode hub as Australia moves to reduce China’s dominance of the critical battery mineral.

The project will involve privately held Graphinex developing a greenfield graphite mine at Croydon in northwest Queensland, as well as a processing plant in Townsville. The project will create 100 jobs during construction and 133 at peak operational capacity.

The project, which has been declared a co-ordinated project by the Queensland government, aims to build sovereign capability in battery manufacturing as surging global demand for natural graphite is forecast to rise 140 per cent by 2030.

Graphite provides the negative charge in lithium batteries and is the largest material in electric vehicles by weight, making it crucial for the clean-energy transition.

China dominates 98 per cent of graphite anode production, and companies such as Graphinex are expected to become increasingly important as an alternative supply – especially for the US and Europe. The facility has been backed by capital secured through a trade mission to North America led by Queensland’s Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dale Last earlier this year, and the Crisafulli government playing “matchmaker” to secure the investment.

Major investors include Japan energy giant Idemitsu and Indonesian resources company Baramulti. Subject to approvals, construction is anticipated to begin in 2027, and operations to begin about 18 months later.

Graphinex managing director Art Malone said the co-ordinated project declaration would reduce development timelines by at least 12 month. It would allow the state’s Co-ordinator-General to facilitate environmental approvals from the Queensland and federal governments, and involve stakeholder and community consultation processes.

“Approvals are the hardest thing to come by in any mining project and having the Co-ordinator-General stand behind you and stand behind the project means a lot,” he said. “It means a lot shorter time frames in a co-ordinated approach.”

Mr Malone said the international supply of graphite had been hampered due to export restrictions imposed by China over the past couple of years.

“To put the need for supply in perspective, in every electric vehicle lithium battery there’s 6kg of lithium and 52kg of graphite,” he said. “China processes 98 per cent of the world’s graphite so Japan, South Korea, the US and Europe are really looking for outside supply, and that’s become critical for us.

“We’re getting original equipment manufacturers and car manufacturers reaching out direct to try to move away from China supply because they put in place export restrictions two years ago. So it’s been really difficult to get the material out and Australia at the moment doesn’t produce any graphite.”

Mr Malone said the company had a “completely unique deposit” in one of the richest graphite reserves in the world.

“Our deposits are hard-rock volcanic,” he said. “Typically, every other graphite in the world is sedimentary and soft. Ours is a different style and style is important because it results in ultra-high performance and also batteries that last longer.”

Mr Last said the region had a reported 25 million tonnes of graphite – the third-largest deposit in the world.

“This is an exciting milestone that positions Queensland as a leader in graphite mining and processing,” Mr Last said.

“Investors are looking at jurisdictions that offer certainty, clarity and low sovereign risk.

“We’ve made it our mission to connect international investors with Queensland innovation, backed by the work of the resources cabinet committee to streamline approvals and get more projects like this off the ground.”

The Queensland government committed $5.1m in last month’s state budget to enhance mineral exploration and identify new opportunities across the state.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/renewable-energy-economy/queensland-to-fast-track-123bn-graphite-mine-in-order-to-break-chinas-dominance/news-story/1717d8055dd24922396249563dc19115

Any AUKUS pledges ‘won’t be worth paper they’re written on’: Turnbull

Michael Koziol - July 16, 2025

Washington: Australia cannot give the US a guarantee it would use AUKUS submarines to defend American interests in any conflict with China, and any such assurances “would not be worth the paper they’re (not) written on”, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says.

Confirming his past conversations with US defence official Elbridge Colby, who is leading a Pentagon review of the AUKUS deal, Turnbull said it was impossible for Australia to promise nuclear-powered submarines for a hypothetical contingency.

“No Australian government can commit any of its defence assets in advance to some future conflict. And the American government wouldn’t do that,” he said in an interview.

“In any event, even if one government were to make a commitment of that kind, it couldn’t bind a successor government. And circumstances change. In this area, you really cannot deal in hypotheticals.”

Last week, this masthead revealed Colby was seeking a public declaration or private guarantee from Australia that it would use the US-made submarines it buys under AUKUS in a possible future conflict with China.

Later, the Pentagon confirmed a Financial Times story that said Colby wanted Australia and Japan to clarify the role they would play in a conflict over Taiwan. A senior US defence official said a key issue in the AUKUS review was the submarine “command structure” in the event of war.

Turnbull is a vocal AUKUS critic who, as prime minister, championed a submarine deal with France, which was canned in favour of AUKUS.

On Tuesday, The Australian reported Turnbull held substantial conversations with Colby about the AUKUS agreement and its defects.

Confirming those interactions, Turnbull said: “I have not spoken to Bridge Colby since he became undersecretary [for defence]. But I’ve spoken to him many times beforehand, and I know him and respect him.

“I don’t say anything privately that I don’t say publicly. My views on this are well known … my argument is we have to become more patriotic and more focused on Australian sovereignty and Australian independence.”

Turnbull said the nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines were the most valued asset of the US Navy and noted the US was not currently building enough of them. The current production rate is about 1.2 boats a year, which needs to increase to 2.3 to satisfy US domestic needs and AUKUS obligations.

“In those circumstances, as Bridge [Colby] has said publicly, how can you responsibly part with them?” Turnbull said. “If you part with them, even to your best friend, you can’t be sure they would be available in the event of a conflict.”

Turnbull said he did not know if Colby was seeking such assurances, “but those assurances cannot be given”. “Even if they were given, they’re not worth the paper they’re (not) written on,” he said.

Speaking from China this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to give an explicit public assurance that Australia’s nuclear submarines would help the US in a future conflict, suggesting that he valued the longstanding doctrine of strategic ambiguity – a policy of giving no public declarations about military plans.

The AUKUS agreement, brokered under former leaders Joe Biden and Scott Morrison, has bipartisan support in Australia despite its prominent detractors, including Turnbull and former Labor prime minister Paul Keating.

Coalition assistant defence spokesman Phil Thompson, an army veteran, said on Tuesday that Turnbull should stop “throwing grenades from the sidelines”, accusing him of trying to undermine AUKUS. Turnbull has regularly criticised the deal, including at the National Press Club and in a lecture last month at the Jeff Bleich Centre.

But Turnbull said AUKUS boosters exhibited groupthink.

“I get criticised for simply acknowledging reality. It is not a crime in Australia not to drink the Kool-Aid in Canberra,” he said.

“A lot of the people who talk about national security in this country need to become more patriotic.

“They have a misconception of what Australia’s national security is about. They seem to think our national security is simply a function of being more and more deferential to the US.”

The Pentagon has pushed back against suggestions it is solely focused on the contingency of a war with China over Taiwan. A US defence official, granted anonymity to speak freely, said the Pentagon’s concerns were wider than that.

“It is about how we can reasonably expect these kinds of critical assets [the submarines] to be allocated across different scenarios,” he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/any-aukus-pledges-won-t-be-worth-paper-they-re-written-on-turnbull-20250716-p5mfcp.html